Avatar: The New World

Chapter 2: The White Lotus

Rorrick

Rorrick was plummeting through the air, but for some reason he wasn't afraid. He used his newfound ability to create a pocket of gusting winds around himself. The pavement came rushing up fast but as Rorrick's air cushion impacted against it he stopped moving about three feet from the ground. The winds dispersed against the solid surface and Rorrick fell the rest of the way, scraping his face against the road as he slammed into it.

He pushed himself up and got to his feet. Tilting his head back, he could see the broken window he'd fallen from. Whynn was leaning through it to stare down at him. Rorrick winked and blew her a kiss with such force the resulting gust of wind rustled the doctor's hair, dozens of floors above him. As he ran away he thought he could hear the woman's enraged screams calling out into the night.

Instinct told Rorrick to stick to the dark alleys rather than the well lit streets, but it didn't tell him where to go from there. After a moment or two of wandering through the criss cross grid between the tall towers of the city, Rorrick became aware of someone else's presence.

"You're not going home are you?" A woman's voice filled the alley.

"Who's there?"

"I mean, kudos on not taking the train, you have no idea how many benders they catch on the train. But you have to know that your home is the first place they'll look for you."

Rorrick looked up to the fire escapes over head and noticed a woman crouched down on a nearby railing, her long black jacket trailing in the warm exhaust of some nearby vent. He turned to run, but she easily leapt in front of him and blocked his path.

"Relax, I'm on your side!" She grabbed hold of his arm to prevent him from escaping but he quickly lashed out with the other. She snatched it from the air with a firm grip on his wrist, stopping the force of wind he'd mustered to strike out with. "I have ways of making you submit. I could knock you out, I could even temporarily paralyze you with just these three fingers, but I'd rather you be conscious and able bodied for this daring escape."

"Daring escape?"

"From the Corporation. You think they gave up on you because you jumped out a window? They want you and it's my job to make sure they don't get what they want."

"Why do they want me?"

"I'm sorry, did you sleep through the whole commander of the winds, survivor of a sixty story drop thing you just pulled off?" She stopped and smiled, when she started speaking again her tone suddenly seemed a little more genuine. "Seriously though, that happens a lot. People just... black out. Did you miss it all? Cause it was badass."

"No I was awake, but it's not like I know how I did it. I didn't even know I could do it until tonight."

"Let me guess, first you experienced weird black outs, right?"

"Uh... I--"

"Next thing you knew, you were being corralled by Corporate Security? You're a lucky one, not many benders have enough control to get free and once Security has you, well..."

Rorrick gulped and stared into the woman's eyes, trying to see even just a glimpse of her true intentions. "Well what?"

The woman shrugged, suddenly seeming more casual. "Nobody knows, but I guarantee you would never be seen again. Now, I wanna let you go so we can get on our way, but I need you to promise you won't run, or try to fight me."

"Why should I trust you?"

"Why shouldn't you? I've done my research--you have nobody to go to. No family, no friends, it's just you in your sad little apartment."