Dragonflies [1] Bolin

Chapter 5

I have been searching for Bolin for a while now and still no luck. I've checked Lord Zuko park, which is where most street entertainment takes place, but he wasn't there. No matter where I seemed to look there was no sign of him. Maybe Mako was right and he is in trouble.

I run down a different road calling out Bolin's name. I'm out of breath, I'm tired, but I can't stop, not if he needs me.

"Bolin!" I yell again. I run a bit further until a small red creature catches my eye. I stop running and walk towards it quickly, worried that if I run I would scare it off. I turn a corner into an alleyway and that's when I see him. Pabu.

"Pabu, are you okay? Where's Bolin?" I ask in a rush as I approach the small creature. He comes towards me hesitantly, but soon warms up to me, jumping onto my shoulder.

"If you're here alone, where could Bolin be?" I mutter quietly. My heart beats strongly against my chest as I try and plan my next step. I walk back onto the road with Pabu on my shoulder as I attempt to get my thoughts in line. Pabu wouldn't be too far from Bolin, which means that he had to have been at Lord Zuko park earlier. Or maybe he is still around here? But why would he leave Pabu? He wouldn't willingly.

And that's when it hits me. Equalists have also been hanging around Lord Zuko park recently. The group of people who want to eradicate all bending. What if they took him because of his bending?

I am forced away from my thoughts as Pabu squeals and jumps off my shoulder. He starts to run away towards the closest lamppost.

"Pabu-" I start to call, but get cut off by a loud bark behind me. I turn to see Mako and Korra on a very excitable Naga. Naga tries to jump up at Pabu, but he stays high enough so he is out of reach.

"No, Naga. Pabu's a friend, not a snack." Korra says to her polar bear dog. Pabu lowers himself down from the lamppost, and after deciding that he likes Naga, he jumps on and runs to Mako.

"Ulazu, get on." Mako says.

"I thought I wasn't trustworthy-" I start but Mako groans in frustration.

"Hurry up, Bolin could be in serious trouble." He snaps. I quickly jump on behind him and Naga starts running.

"I think I know who took him." I say leaning towards the pair.

"Yeah, so do we. 'Shady' slim. We're heading to his hang out." Mako informs me. My eyes widen slightly.

"Shady slim? That doesn't make any sense." I respond.

"No? Then who took him?" Korra asks.

"I thought the Equalists did." I state. The two seemingly ignore what I say leading me to sigh slightly. If they have a lead then it doesn't matter. We are one step closer to finding Bolin.

After a couple of minutes of clinging onto Naga as he sprints through the city, we make it to 'Shady' Slim's hangout. I have heard stories about him, he's one of the thugs that use bending to force non benders to give him whatever he wants. I'm happy to say that I haven't yet had the pleasure to meet him. I kind of hope that I won't ever have to meet him.

We jump off Naga and follow Mako as he creeps up the stairs towards the front door.

"Something's not right. There are usually thugs posted out front." He says quietly.

"Maybe they're not here anymore." I suggest as I follow him.

"They could still be here, we better be cautious." He dismisses. I turn to Korra who is watching Mako's 'stealthy' movements questionably. I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one who thinks he is being a bit over the top here.

When he reaches the door he signals for Korra and I to approach his position. Korra walks ahead of me and when reaching the door, Earth bends it out of the way completely. I am taken aback for a brief moment, even though I know she is the avatar, it's weird to see a girl in a water tribe get up Earth bend.

We walk into the room and I feel my heart sink slightly. The entire room is trashed with tables and chairs knocked over, things broken across the floor. He might have been here at one point, but it is clear that Bolin left here with a fight.

"Bolin? You in here?" Mako calls out as he looks around the room. I can see the distress he tries to hide, it's clear when you look at him. An engine revving catches all of our attention. I start running towards the sound with Korra and Mako hot on my trail. I slam my foot against the back door, forcing it to open. I run out onto the street to see a truck and five motorcycles driving away.

"Equalists." I gasp. As they drive I notice the truck doors open slightly, letting me catch a glimpse of Bolin. "Bolin!" I yell. I start to run, but Equalists throw down smoke bombs which stop me. I cough, and I hear the others cough too as we fight through the cloud of thick green smoke. I am the first to make it out and my head spins in every direction trying to figure out where they went.

"Naga, come." Korra yells as she makes it out of the gas. She starts to run and I follow, quickly making it to her side and it isn't long before Mako is with us too. Naga comes running and we swiftly jump on, letting her race after the Equalists.

We manage to catch up easily and as soon as I have a tight grip of the saddle with one hand, I start shooting fire at them with the other. They weave around my fireballs which only makes me grow more frustrated. Korra raises her hands and Earth bends below one of the bikes, forcing him into the air. I think for a moment we have taken one down, but he lands his bike with ease and continues riding away.

"Get me close to one of them." I say leaning forward. Korra gives me a quick look before nodding. Naga races forward, edging closer and closer to one of the Equalist bikes. When close enough I stand up on the saddle.

"Ulazu, what are you doing?" Mako yells at me. I ignore him and jump to the bike, landing on the man. He groans as I quickly force him off the bike. I sit down claiming the bike for my own and start speeding towards the truck. I can hear Naga panting behind me, but it stops abruptly as the Equalist ahead of us throws ropes at Naga's feet, forcing them to stop.

I continue riding towards the Equalist and throw fire punch after fire punch at him. He turns around and starts riding away from me, and back towards Mako and Korra. I hesitate what to do as I look back at my friends. Two Equalists were coming for them. They might need me.

"Ulazu, find him!" Mako yells to me. I nod and rev the bike's engine before chasing after the truck once again. I weave through the bikes so that I'm behind the truck. The door swings open and I see Bolin staring at me. I can hardly hear his muffled voice over the engines around me. I grunt as I send a fire ball to the Equalist next to Bolin. The man's body slams against the other side of the truck. The driver must have heard it, because they slam on the breaks. My eyes widen at the sudden action and I try to replicate it, but my bike doesn't stop in time. I jump off the bike, landing on the ground in a rough fashion, but it doesn't take me long until I'm back on my feet.

Two Equalists start towards me. I shoot fire at them, keeping them away from me as I try and get closer to Bolin. My attention is too caught up on him that I don't notice a third Equalist appear. I go to hit them with fire, but their fingers press into my muscles chi blocking me. I groan and fall to the ground. They can take my bending from me temporarily, but that doesn't mean I won't fight.

I struggle to my feet, but once I am I start throwing punches, hitting the chi blocker away from me. As the other two charge towards me, I turn, kicking them down. One of them falls, as it seems I have winded him with the blow, but the other raises his hand to me. I notice the glove he is wearing, I don't think I've seen anything like it before. I avoid his attack before shoving my elbow into his chest, which makes him collapse to the ground. After seeing the three men attempting to get up again, I use the time I have to rush to Bolin.

"Bolin!" I call out. His eyes widen as he starts moving frantically, his voice muffled through the gag. I am about to reach him, but before I can I feel a surge of electricity fill me. I cry out and fall to the ground, my body slamming against it harshly. I groan and force my arms to move to pick myself up again. My movements are slow, but they are enough for the Equalists to feel threatened. One of them grabs onto my arm and pulls me to my feet before shoving the glove into my back once again. This time I don't cry out, instead black splotches take over my vision and I feel myself drift away from consciousness.