Scene #6596: The Task Force

Owner	Pose
Amon	Some things, including this raid, are more complicated than they appear. But in terms of execution, sometimes complicated things are as blunt and easy to understand as can be, and this raid is definitely one of those matters as well. Those who have agreed to have a hand in a raid on an Equalist training camp have already been assembled in a set of vans. A combination of metal-armored police are mixed in with more unconventional members of the task force. Chief among them is Councilman Tarrlok, a dark-skinned, long-haired man who is surface-level charming but just a little insincere to deal with. He's dressed in light, blue armor that is of much lighter make and armoring, but it bears the same sort of badge that the heavier-armored police are wearing. Republic City itself remains the same sort of wuxia 1920s United States it was in the last visit-- primitive cars dot the streets, familiar-but-not-quite-right fashions skewed towards an East Asian bent are ever-present. The occasional sight of elemental superpowers being used for casual, off-handed conveniences aren't unusual. "Once we've flooded the building with fog, you'll be clear to enter." A policeman dressed similar to Tarrlok had explained some small while ago. NOW... Now, the armored transport trucks being used to deliver the task force from Point A to Point B roll to a stop outside of a large building. It must be a factory of some kind, because it takes up a whole block-- but there are ground-level windows through which light dimly filters, and a decidedly non-factory set of activities are taking place inside. Dozens of citizens -- random, average people of all descriptions, ages, and sizes -- are inside training with dummies. A target pattern has been painted onto each of them, corresponding to specific pressure points. Most of the people inside are relative beginners-- a few obvious teachers stalk the floor, giving pointers, adjusting stances. They're good at their jobs. It's clear that most of these people have made a lot of progress in not a lot of time from being nothing but civilian greenhorns. Waterbender Police exit the vans first and, just as promised, begin to work their magic-- such as it is. A moment later a thick fog begins to seep out of internal pipes of the building, prompting confused looks and sudden alarm of those within.
Android 17	Seventeen hangs out by the task force, stepping out of the vans as he looks through the window. With a thoughtful sound, he crosses his arms and waits. They had a plan, once they performed it then it'd be up to them to do the heavy lifting. Seventeen had seen the movement first hand and wasn't very...agreeable towards it. Though he wasn't going to go around slaughtering people as Gilgamesh had done. Seventeen waits, patient, as the fog starts. Once it was done, and the panic started, he crouched and watched the window. Then he just seemed to burst into motion, soaring through the air and aiming to jump through the window with a loud crash. He was purposely trying to draw their attention with the noise. After all, without vision the only thing you really have is sound. He then immediately throws a ball of energy forward. He holds back his energy, simply aiming to try and send it into the middle of the group he had known the location of, the attempt to create a loud flashbang from the power. It wouldn't do much, but it would add to the disorienting and try and extend their range of surprise. The faster this went, the fewer people would get hurt.
Varrick	Things are just a /little/ different from the 1920s now. Varrick Industries(tm) has been hard at work with barraging the Council with offers to fit the city with surveillance to deal with the risks and many pains of terrorism. And as a proof of demonstration, he's temporarily fitted almost every building in several blocks with the little tin custom-made Varrick cameras, just to watch for those who'll flee! As for Varrick himself, he's here, but he's likely not going to participate himself. After all, that's what Zhu Li is for! "Zhu Li!" He calls to her. She's at his side in a flash. "I want you in there fast! Is the thing charged?" He scours around for something he brought in his car. "One hundred percent, sir." She says. "Good! I want it one hundred percent done! Get in there and do the thing!" Varrick says, shoving a beefy-looking robotic arm piece at her, and then a second one. Zhu Li slides in through the gap Android 17 left behind stylishly and with tremendous mobility. Her robo-sleeves hum with electricity, which arcs and crackles through the mist. Her face remains placidly expressionless. They're here to take them down without so much of a lethal mess, so she's blasting with fine-tuned electrical shocks and steady boxing shots. Sort of like Amon's own forces, the electricity is tuned to harsh takedowns. She's intending to dive into things from a slow and methodical approach, and . And as for her intentions... well, Varrick dosn't just show up helping police every day. She's also keeping an eye out for their technology work. Varrick still has... particular interests in Amon. Not all antagonistic, but all of them certainly fascinated. That doesn't mean Zhu Li holds back a little when zapping with tremendous force.
Rebecca Chambers	Giving her weapons one last going-over to make sure they're all loaded and ready for action, Rebecca makes sure they're securely attached so that she can reach them when the need arises. After that, she tightens her kevlar vest and then looks at the tactical shield strapped to her back, making sure it's ready to go at a moment's notice. From there, Rebecca waits attentively for the right moment to move in, her eyes staring forwards as her senses begin to shift into high gear. Once the fog starts, Rebecca lets Seventeen proceed forth with his energy-styled flashbang, then lets Zhu Li go in as well. After that, she attaches a rappeling hook to a nearby object using it as a way to keep herself from becoming a Rebecca Pancake (not to be outdone by the infamous Jill Sandwich!) as she slips in behind the others. She descends quickly, landing with her stun baton in hand since she intends to avoid using lethal force if possible. Right now, though, the stun baton is being swung in a careful manner to try to hold off anyone who might get too close to her. After all, she is still a police officer who knows that lethal force should always be avoided. Unless, of course, you're dealing with the Bio-Organic Weapons of Umbrella... or Umbrella's personnel themselves!
Korra	The Avatar and 'Hero of Republic City', Korra, had agreed to take part in councilman Taarlok's strike forces as the Equalist threat bubbled to the boiling point. The city couldn't really take more people being depowered, couldn't take domestic terrorism, and wasn't ready for the escalation. Chief Beifong had been very clear. The threat had to be stopped. The Strike Forces were just the next step. You couldn't back down. That was clear, too. Korra hadn't backed down from anything in her life. Striding out of the back of the SWAT truck, Korra lets the tactical waterbenders complete their task as she adjusts her wrist-bands, making sure they were flush with her wrists and using both hands to tie back her hair so it wouldn't be a problem in the fight. "Alright. Don't kill anyone - remember!" She calls to Android 17 as he leaps through a window vent, Zhu Li climbing in after him and Rebecca going for her stun baton. Good. Just going through the front door - kicking it open if necessary - Korra raises her voice as she sweeps up her hands and manipulates the fog into a freezing mist to sap the strength and heat of the Equalists before they get handsy (or Chi-blocky). "This really is your only warning - if you surrender now, this'll be over without any more hurting!" Kind of empty, Korra realizes, but if they're willing to throw firebombs into windows, she can rationalize a little 'punch first, skip the questions'.
Amon	Some of the students who clearly haven't actually gotten it together much panic on 17's entry, going scrabbling for doors or for cover-- doesn't matter which. They get out of the way, leaving behind only the students who have already been drilled enough that they can handle somebody crashing through a narrow window to get at them. A set of electrified bolas comes crackling out of the fog towards 17 from down the length of the room, sparking loudly as it goes. The ruckus of fighting can be heard from the more 'standard' breaches through doors and upper windows. It sounds like it's already going on through most of the building, and Metalbenders securing enemies with kinetically controlled metal cables can be seen here and there. Zhu Li follows soon after, blasting an approaching Chi Blocker as soon as she's through the window-- but finding him immediately replaced by another, and one who is /more/ than willing to go for what soft parts she has to get her to Stop Doing The Thing. A masked man kicks off the wall, springing at Zhu Li with a series of strikes delivered along an arc that is aimed across her shoulders, neck, and back as he flips over her. Another of the students goes down coming at Rebecca, caught in the stomach by the stun baton-- only to be replaced by a slightly more savvy student, who attempts to get her arm in a grab and turn her own stun baton against her. And then there is the Avatar. The fog within the room turns frigid, biting. Citizens dressed for nothing so much as a Republic City summer shiver even as they adopt defensive stances and advance, trying to encircle and reinforce others at hand. At least a couple -- perhaps those that hid -- can be heard scrabbling through the ice. But one in particular takes notice. A young woman -- probably around Korra's age -- takes the appearance of the Avatar very, very personally. She's NOT one of the masters here, but she is one of the more advanced students. She rises from beside a nearby crate, slipping one of the sets of goggles on from it. An ominous green glow snaps to life through the fog, like an eerie lighthouse on a distant isle. The young woman gets moving, and once she's up to pace she climbs the wall as one of the others did. It's not until she gets close that she makes herself known. Korra's an alert enough person -- and a good enough martial artist -- to see her coming, even without the lamps. She tumbles down from the wall, kicks off the ground and issues a loud and furious kiai as she drives her right fist towards Korra's stomach. A pair of follow-up blows accompany it, lightning quick but without the force. The young woman draws back, yielding momentary ground but from how tightly wound she seems it's not going to last. That's not how these people fight anyway. "If you didn't want anybody to get hurt, you could've done something about this." The young woman spits. There's anger there, but-- but it's not hatred. Not exactly. Not like these people usually have. It's more like an overridingly deep and bitter disappointment.
Android 17	Seventeen looks sideways towards Korra, "I am not in the business of killing people. I'm in the business of saving them. Let me tell you...business is good," he comments, perhaps a little corny, but trying to lighten the mood the best that he can. It's only a little off-putting that he does not overly emote as he tells the joke. He notices the electrified bola before they get too close to him. Seventeen jumps back, kicking off of the wall and soars through the fog, aiming to come out the other side towards the bola thrower, aiming to just appear to the side of them. His fist comes in, aiming right for the stomach, before releasing a sweep to the leg in an attempt to put them down. "In fact, I might be looking to expand my business."
Varrick	Something between Zhu Li's shoulders sparks. The shot disrupts her, but... Then something strange happens. The sleeves she has abruptly start to spark and make strange mechanical noises. And when the electricity flows down her arm, it flows into /her/ instead of into her battle-targets. Varrick doesn't really understand vital energies, chi, or other suchlike, but he's got enough know-how to run a safe, less harmful current right through the body, and ease up some of that blocked chi with a kind of Varrick(tm) Shock Therapy! "Hey, hey there!" Varrick shouts through the window. "I didn't think they'd start /blocking chi/! I thought it was a catchy name. Anyone need some help?!" Varrick must be offering to assist those who might otherwise suffer terrible effects from the chi-blockers and their shenanigans, presumably by doing electrical things to them.
Rebecca Chambers	They say to use an enemy's tactics against them is called fighting fire with fire. But what is it called when you use an enemy's weapon against themselves? Whatever it's called, it's being used against Rebecca. While one of the students was driven off by her stun baton, another one grabbed her arm and then drove the stun baton into her side. Fortunately, as soon as Rebecca's arm was caught, she twisted herself in an attempt to minimize the potential of receiving an especially nasty shock from her own weapon. Nevertheless, the electricity does go into her stomach, and she lets out a brief groan, although it seems to be more of annoyance than pain as she breaks free, shaking her arm in an attempt to get the pain out of it. "Not bad, I'll have to remember that for next time," Rebecca says with sarcasm as she shakes her arm again, nearly shocking herself by mistake. She holsters her baton for the time being, electing instead to try utilizing close-quarters combat instead. "You may know martial arts, but I will have you know that soldiers have been known to hold their own in fights with martial artists!" Granted, she's more of a paramilitary police officer than an actual soldier, but the idea is still the same. "It doesn't matter what style you use," Rebecca adds as she attempts to take down the martial artist who just shocked her with her own weapon. "It's all in how you use it and the skill you have with it!" She attempts to grab the martial artist from the front and bring them down by tripping their foot while using her hands to add force.
Korra	It's always hard to walk into a place like this. It's always hard to really interact with what is objectively an underclass and underpriveleged group of people who want to change things for the better. As the embodiment of literally all they stand against. It's hard to be hated. It's especially hard for Korra to engage with 'her people' from the starting point of hate. But such is the world she lives in. She senses - feels - the girl, though the shout doesn't give any real stealth to the attack. Korra raises up her right leg, stomping down forcefully as two thin blocks of stone flip into the air. Clapping her hands together, the slabs flip and align vertically, soaking the initial punch with a brickbreaking CRACK as Korra slides back on the balls of her feet, followed by the numbing taps of Chi-Blocking. Which Varrick comments on. "Y-You thought it was just a snappy name? Varrick, it's literally what they're known for! Taking away bending! Blocking up the chakras of people, come on! Don't you read the paper?" "Don't you PRODUCE the paper?!" Korra bounces from one foot to another, snap kicking the air once to send the four half-shards of stone at the girl in retaliation. "That's what I'm doing right now. Or are you asking me to let Amon take away my bending? To nod along and go 'oh, no, the Spirits don't need a medium, I'm totally okay with firebombing people just trying to go about their days and dragging people out onto a stage to violate them both physically and spiritually'? Is that the way?" Korra holds her stance, craning her foot down while her knee remains up, spiralling her arms around her to gather water into a ring orbitting her torso. "If it was something other than that, go ahead. I'm listening." "Hey, Varrick! If you've got something that can help with Chi Blocking, I think I'm the only person who they can really block up. So, whatever you've got, let's do it."
Varrick	"I don't kill." Is all Zhu Li says to Korra. "Zhu Li! Time for the thing!" Varrick shouts through the window. Zhu Li's so-called thing this time is to start a certain other unusual invention Varrick has made. In the smokey mist, people will be very focused on looking straight at the threats, to make sure not to lose track of them. A tinny, pre-recorded version of Varrick's voice plays, to make sure Zhu Li's position is given away to the masked man that assaulted her, and perhaps even several others. "Hey there, buddy! This Full-Course Eye Experience was brought to you by Varrick Industries!" And then Zhu Li's fancy metal sleeves suddenly blast several flashbulbs like a machine-gun! Varrick's weaponized /photographic flash-bulbs/! That should make it nearly impossible to see for anyone focused on fighting the raiders like Zhu Li, and make it a little easier to see for anyone /not/ facing Zhu Li! While she busies herself with electro-blasts and robo-punching, of course. He also checks in. "Hey, I can get an Avatar's endorsement! Zhu Li! Throw her the thing!" Amid the punching and flashing, Zhu Li snatches off her Varrick Chi-Electromotivator from one of her arms and tosses it to Korra! It's the kind of thing that auto-clasps onto the arm if she can get a good throw on it.
Amon	The Bola thrower is an older gentleman leaning against a box /full/ of the things. It doesn't look like some of the better equipment is here -- not the shock gauntlets, apparently -- but the goggles and the bola are present. It's probably too risky to have the really expensive stuff at hand in an entry-level training area like this one. The man isn't hard to sweep to the ground. He grunts as he falls on his ass, looking up at 17 in confusion. He wonders aloud, "YOU'RE not a bender...?" A younger man -- perhaps the older man's son, or nephew from the look of him -- sweeps in at 17's side, executing several quick but soft-handed strategic blows towards him. He's not an expert at this-- intermediate, or thereabouts. Enough that a' lucky hit' isn't unreasonable to expect, but that he couldn't reasonably expect to actually defeat 17 for real. One of the chi blockers that had been swept aside a moment ago lies dazed under the window, and looks up towards Varrick as he shouts in through one of them. The chi blocker raises a hand, "I would like some help." Meanwhile, Rebecca Chambers engages another of the students who /isn't/ uniformed. He's dark-haired and yellow-eyed, with pale skin and a wiry build. He maneuvers around her footwork carefully, bringing his hands forward in a series of quick punches and jabs as he slips out of Rebecca's trap. The effect is, as with everyone else, not solely surface-level. Each blow saps a little bit of strength if it makes contact, disregarding armor-- indeed, disregarding physical integrity altogether. "We are soldiers." He retorts. The angry young woman swears profusely as she's forced to plow through a goddamn rock to fight the Avatar, which she /really/ should've expected all things considered. She casts a look back towards the windows as Korra shouts at them-- and it's around this time that Zhu Li Does The Thing again. A shout goes up from anybody looking in her general direction, who look away /immediately/. The young woman herself grits her teeth and turns-- and, perhaps shockingly, she actually realizes that something is coming at her. She moves to try to get out of the way but-- but she doesn't have enough perceptiveness, enough speed, jagged stoke crashing against her in sequence and pushing her up against the wall with an uncomfortable THUMP. But the young woman doesn't fall. She squints through the flashing lights in front of her eyes, through the haze. Through the MASSIVE SPREADING BRUISE that Korra just gave her everything. In a SURPRISINGLY Korra move, the young woman grabs one of the target dummies and just THROWS it at Zhu Li wholesale, trying to remove her obnoxious flashy nonsense from the picture /entirely/ before turning on Korra herself. Korra is a blurry mass of blue-and-brown, but it's enough. The young woman presses in, cautiously, carefully, jabbing at Korra repeatedly in the hopes of landing enough blows to wear her down by sheer virtue of repetition. The angry young woman replies between breaths -- holding a conversation between breaths, using words like kiai, "IF YOU-- WERE HERE-- MAYBE HE-- NEVER WOULD-- HAVE BEEN!"
Varrick	The moment Korra gets jabbed, Varrick's device goes off. Spark! Spark! Spark! Electricity arcs on her. It tries to force chi by just shocking the nervous system in controlled, subtle, pseudo-therapeutic ways. Great as a short-term solution, terrible as a long-term thing. Stings like a bitch too! But it'll probably keep her limbs from going totally out. Useful! Painful! Varrick has only tested this on maybe one chi-blocked guy, tops. He was well-paid for his trouble.
Android 17	The man came from out of Seventeen's blindspot, while he's not exactly human anymore, he doesn't have eyes everywhere, and that makes him subject to limitations just like other people. An arm moves up to try and block the strike, which causes a tingle of numbness to run through his arm. That was...off-putting, to say the least. He, oddly, tries to move the arm experimentally a few times. He looks towards the young man, as he brings another punch in, and he moves to grab the young man by the arm, aiming to pull it up in a weird angle, and then aims to smash his hand into the young man's stomach again, trying to make sure to knock the wind out of him, before putting him on the ground. "No, I am not a bender. I am a Cyborg, artificially enhanced without my consent. I understand the suffering you and your boy have gone through, but this is not going to be the way. Using power to destroy another's power is wrong. Wanted to be treated as equals, however, is not. There are other ways, instead of listening to men who will use you for their own goals." "No person who leads a group for revolution does so for the propaganda behind it, there is always a personal reason, a goal. Usually to rule. You will find the new boss is the same as the old boss," Seventeen says, trying to make the sense come back to his arm, hopefully buying time with words.
Rebecca Chambers	"Apparently," Rebecca says, "You soldiers don't wear the typical uniforms I'm used to!" That is, before she gets hit by the punches that are apparently intent on going deeper than even she can anticipate. The damage goes beneath the skin and causes Rebecca to feel a bit of pain inside of her body, almost like they're hitting pressure points or something. Yet even though the punches are powerful and dangerous, Rebecca toughs them out, tensing herself up and bracing for the impact while showing little sign of giving up. Which is saying something notable since internally, Rebecca's considering a lot of colorful words to describe how she's feeling right now. "Not bad, it seems I've underestimated you," Rebecca says as she grits her teeth. "But you best not underestimate me either!" Rebecca grabs her stun baton and attempts to drive it directly into the enemy soldier in hopes of really driving forth her point in a rather shocking manner.
Varrick	"Look, there's a whole lot of people called Earthbenders and the Earth has got one bend tops! If I were in charge of branding instead of global trade, trust me buddy, I would have this sorted /fast/!" Varrick assures Korra. "Woah, hey! Zhu Li! Watch out fot the thing!" The thing! Zhu Li intuits his warning and weaves in her boxer stance, taking the impact mostly in a glancing blow on an armored shoulder, grunting with pain. "Korra. I'll be behind you." She moves in quick. The spinal supports on her robo-arms only go down to about her waist, so she can't do a lot of super-strength. She has the athleticism to match them, though, since she keeps her boxing skills sharp. She's broken into a fast sprint and tries to move in behind Korra. By weaving around her and striking from behind the Avatar, Zhu Li tries to keep what few flash-bulbs were un-shattered by the strike going directly into that seemingly designated primary fighter's eyes, or forcing her to look away from the Avatar! Sadly, looks like she's not got a good Varrick Trick for this one, besides keeping up the effort.
Korra	Korra is not hard to find in the melee, thinning the mist around her into a liquid battle-halo that she spends like bullets in a magazine to sling sloshing foot- and hand-icing water jets out, a flow of motion from an entire season of Pro Bending practice coming to head. She can't use her fire here, even if she wanted to. Flame wasn't just too dangerous - if she gave someone a nasty burn, they'd turn that against her. Like Amon had. As the Angry Girl charges her again - just past Zhu Li giving her a fat lip, and her giving Zhu Li an entire training dummy in return - Korra drops her stance lower. Pushing her hands through the water-halo, she coats her palms in ice as she starts meeting attacks with planes of ice and dropping chilling palm strikes in return -- but the girl is more passionate, and a bit faster. She just needs to connect. "Is that it? Is that what you're mad about? LISTEN TO YOURSELF!" Korra returns, stepping forward with her left leg to bring her knee up into the girl's gut, and as her side and armpit are probed with more chi-blocked numbness, she spins on her heel to whip her elbow around just as Zhu Li DOES THE THING. Korra's eyes go white for a brief moment as electricity rips through her, exploding back open her chakras in a fairly painful way. Convulsing once, the air around the Avatar crackles with random zaps and arcing bits of electricity that she has to backstep and consciously begin grounding away from herself - and the people near her. "Spirits, Varrick, are you trying to kill everyone?!" The electrically crackling Avatar goes back to her Angry Girl opponent. "It's easy to blame a lack for someone like Amon, isn't it? If only the Avatar were there, or the government, or the police, or someone responsible for fixing things! That's not how it works though." "The reason Amon is causing pain is because that's what he wants to do. That's the long and the short of it. Do you want help, or a reason to be angry?!" "VARRICK IT IS SO GOOD I CAN KIND OF SORT OF BEND LIGHTNING OR THIS WOULD BE AWFUL, BY THE WAY!" She shouts over the din.
Amon	The young man who attacked Android 17 gets lucky, more than the once. His hits score, and he manages to weave out of the way of punch to his gut and the subsequent push towards the ground. He pushes in, but-- it's a distraction. Abruptly, the young man drops to the ground. From behind, the older man has plucked a bola from the box and thrown it towards Android 17's back while he's focused on the younger Equalist. After a moment, the older man -- who doesn't rise -- replies, "We don't... believe that Amon intends to bring us harm. In the end, we don't think he really means anyone harm. Not even Benders. But young man..." The older equalist pulls himself to his feet, "This is the way it always is. We can't compete-- or at the least, we aren't quite even with the people we're fighting. They don't listen to us. We don't even really have a voice on the Council, since Councilman Sokka died. I think you understand, a little..." "But," he says, "I don't think that somebody who decides to fight to enforce their own beliefs can rightfully say, 'The only reason your leader might have to do this is twisted.' For what it's worth, I appreciate your concern. But I don't agree." "And it's because when they couldn't do it themselves anymore, they brought people like you in to make up the difference." The equalist fighting Rebecca once again is a little too quick on the uptake to be taken out so trivially. The stun baton comes out, and he catches Rebecca in a momentary struggle over control of it-- it inches towards him again, crackling momentarily against his side with a BZZZZT. At that moment the equalist gains momentary control, wrenching it away-- and then immediately tries to turn it back on Rebecca, in an echo of his original attempt to do the very same. "I'm not," He grits his teeth, "underestimating you! You're a threat! You're all threats!" The angry young woman fighting Korra is IMMEDIATELY hit with another goddamn flash, which she had hoped she was thoroughly done with. A scream of frustration echoes through the basement and, of course she's not going to tear her eyes away from the object of her anger at this exact moment. Having to fight through the /icy/ defense didn't help. Her hands are numb, and it was /already/ cold. The young woman sags as Korra catches her clean in the gut, but collects herself enough to back off when Korra's eyes start glowing-- she may not have seen it before, but she knows roughly what it means. There's a moment of fearful apprehension that comes, and goes. "I... I'm mad about a lot of things, Avatar." She admits, a little bit of the wind going out of her, "I'm mad about this city. I'm mad about the way people like me get treated in it. I'm mad that all the people who get listened to are on /your/ side of the line from the very start." "And I'm mad because... I don't know. You showed up, and you seemed..." The angry young woman rolls a shoulder in an odd little shrug, "I don't know. I guess I just hoped. And maybe that's not fair. But I don't think it's fair to come in here saying that Amon just wants to cause pain. If that's all he wanted to do... couldn't he have done a lot worse by now? And anyway... can you really look me in the eyes and say, 'If Bending never existed, life wouldn't be at least a little safer for us all.'? If the cops were just cops, and the bad guys were just bad guys?" "Come at me again when you're not blinkered by that stupid thing." She reaches into a pocket and withdraws a little sphere -- too miniaturized, actually, even by the standards of the Equalists -- and hurls it into the ground at their feet. Smoke fills the space that the angry young woman stood, but it doesn't get used as an opportunity to attack. The sound of nearby conflict has died down, except in the most adjacent rooms-- it sounds like Republic City Police are wrapping up about the same as you are.
Android 17	Seventeen's blow is blocked, and the two exchange more blows...well the kid's got potential, that's for sure. The two square off, but Android's Seventeen's ears are sensitive, when the bola goes flying at him, the sound of electricity gives it away, and he spins on a dime, holding a hand out as a green barrier surrounds him. The bola bounces off, as the barrier fades. "You could also speak to the Avatar here, she is supposed to be doing stuff like defending you, correct? As far as I understand it, nobody has. Instead, you put her on the stage as the thing you hate...no doubt by Amon's prodding." "You are here, training not to defend yourself, but to fight. Your style isn't defensive, it's aggressive and made to debilitate. This feels more like an army being trained than a concerned citizens group or a neighborhood watch." "I did not say he was twisted, I said he was more self-interested than you are being lead to believe. Believe me or not, that is your choice and your decision. Do you want to bring change? Power isn't the only way...revenge and hate are not either." "You see, my creator wanted revenge, he would do anything for it. He dedicated his entire life to it. Then he kidnaped a pair of orphans and turned them into fighting machines. Me and my sister, and then even that was not enough. So when does it end? Depower everyone who is different than you? What if they do not want it? Kill them? What will they do once taken?" "You just made a cycle, and it won't stop. Their sins do not justify this, and your sins will not justify theirs...but the cycle will continue on and on until someone says enough. Taking a stand against violence, against hate, and against a cycle that will continue." "Anyway, looks like the fighting is done. So you can either go approach the Avatar, or leave. Your choice." he says, crossing his arms. "I don't see a criminal, I see a man and his boy trying to do what is best for themselves. Wrong place wrong time, I guess!"
Rebecca Chambers	Even more electric shocks, and this time Rebecca cries out as she attempts to avoid being shocked but fails. She drops to one knee in pain, finding the electricity surging through her body. She looks up, wanting to make a remark at her enemy, but then she finds out that the others are done. Wounded but still able to run away, Rebecca gives a stern glare as she says, "You may think I'm retreating, but the truth is I was just covering for the others while they were doing what they needed to." Even with a slight limp and hunched over, Rebecca still manages to pull away without giving another glance. She's just hoping that they don't try to follow her and land a sneak attack...
Varrick	"Zhu Li! Get the thing!" Shortly after one last round of shocks, Zhu Li snatches up the gripping arm-bit. "Sorry. Hope it helped." She says in professional tones, moving to try to secure the rest. Not much technology on-hand this time, but hopefully the camera coverage managed to snatch a glimpse of the Angry Girl. If they can get a lead on her, that'll be incredibly useful for more follow-up. She didn't have much to say to the girl, and neither did Varrick, per se, but there's always interest in points of Amon's broader network, and she seems certainly quite driven in the way that will make her significant in it. As for who remains? Zhu Li needs to dive into action and help coordinate with the metalbending police, because she /definitely/ has to be the one who goes between Varrick and the police. She works to help secure folks with Varrick Industries Presents Handcuffs(tm) as the raid starts winding down. Varrick, meanwhile, heads to barrage Taarlok with all kinds of audacious declarations of what they've no-doubt found in the little cameras he tried to get spread out all around earlier.
Korra	Korra is filled with an odd power, her eyes crackling with uncontrolled electricity and the whites too white - glowing. As the Angry Girl retreats, and speaks, Korra spends the time to pull the electrode-device off her back, right as Zhu Li collects it, though her hands arc with small pops of electricity that may damage the device. It's alright. It's probably meant to survive shocks, or something. "Thanks anyway, Zhu Li." Focusing inward, Korra begins drawing out the electricity by slowly sweeping outwards rhythmically with her upturned palms. "I'm not saying don't be mad. If something bad happened to me, I'd be mad as hell too." The light gathering around her arms and in the circle of her motion grows into a shine-scattering ball of energy. "I'd want to do something about it. Get stronger. Make sure it never happened again!" "I try not to have a side, though. I want to help people. I want to stop people being afraid, afraid of someone taking things away from them." "And if that sounds like rich people, benders, politicians... Isn't it you, too? If something was taken, if you were hurt, I want to stop that! But going around stirring up fear and justified terror that people's livelihoods get taken away - that's just creating a different group of people that feel the way you feel!" Korra's energyball raises up, as her hands move, lifting up as the ball moves to the cieling, illuminating like the sun. "One of my friends is a bender. The best lightningbender I've seen - I can barely hold this thing together. And he pays for his food by putting lightning into one of the battery plants for hours a day. That's what I'm fighting for too." Korra brings the energyball down, not crashing it into Android 17, but 'letting it fall into him' - the 50/50 coin flip they had discussed earlier. Having emptied herself of the flooded chakra-power, she strides through the smoke, sucking in a breath through her nose like an industrial fan and coughing out a short plume of flame, she chases after the girl for a few paces. "Someone who'd go hungry on the streets if Amon got to him!"
Amon	The older equalist and his son look over towards Korra. There's a lot of resentment on both of their faces. A lot of anger that has had plenty of time to stew and bubble up and overflow. The younger of them shakes his head, "I don't have anything to say to her. We don't have anything to say to her. But... thanks. I'll think about it. For a while." "But sometimes you have to fight," the young equalist says, "and I'm not sure I know what else I should do. How else to make it better. You're listening, but they're not. And all of this... all of this is a long time coming." The older man nods to 17, and the pair retreat among some of the storage spaces. The Equalist fighting Rebecca doesn't actually listen to a single thing she says. He disengages immediately and retreats once it's clear that she can't actually do anything to him anymore -- or is unwilling to -- disappearing behind one of the rows of crates. There is a moment in which the angry young woman who was, moments ago, fighting Korra hesitates and slows her escape. She glances back. "Maybe." She says. "Maybe, but... at this point, Avatar..." "Even if it doesn't mean doing the specific things we've done, making sure it never happens again... you know that still means fighting, right?" And then she's gone. VERY UNLIKE HER COMPATRIOTS, the angry young woman actually fights her way out the back. A string of chiblocked police officers litter the route of her exit, though none of them are actually substantially /hurt/. Varrick and Zhu Li, meanwhile, find exactly what they expect to find-- and then some. The obvious technology littered about comes with a surprise twist that's more-or-less hidden. The mop-up isn't especially pretty. The local police have been sick of the Equalists for a while and, unsurprisingly, as they're all benders they're hardly the nicest about it. Those who slipped away -- whether because allowed, or because they beat a hasty retreat -- don't get caught up to. But for the most part it's a bunch of random citizens being herded into vans. Councilman Tarrlok is extremely pleased with the outcome. A news van is -- perhaps suspiciously -- already at hand. One last detail comes out in the aftermath... The angry young woman was identified on her way out. Her name is Jia, and she's relatively high on the wanted lists because she's the sort of person bold enough to go straight for the Avatar. In the grand scheme of things, she's a nobody. Moved to Republic City from Ba Sing Se, no outstanding Bender-caused tragedies that anybody knows of, and no real history of radicalization, strange politics, or Triad involvement. As near as anyone can tell, she just gave up a courier job to do this. Which, of course, doesn't add up at all...
Android 17	"Oh...I almost completely forgot about that," he says softly, as the ball of lightning rushes towards him. Well, he did say it was a fifty fifty shot of working, so let's roll the dice. His hand comes out, the one not numb, and attempts to grab the lightning as it rushes towards him. There is a flash, as energy channels through his arm and into his body, there is a grunt of pain, followed by channeling of his own energy through him. The other arm starts feeling usable again, as it comes up and grabs onto the ball, his own internal batteries becoming full, and then overcharged. After a moment, he staggers as the ball disappears. He looks towards the pair as they leave, nodding only once. "You have your own choices, I just hope you do not end up regretting them. Life is far too short for regrets." The cyborg says, before walking away as they escape. He comes up beside Korra, waving a hand casually. "Thanks for the charge, though we might wanna save that for an emergency," he comments casually, "Seventeen, by the way, Android Seventeen. We sort of met that one time. You seemed busy at the time."
Korra	Korra lets the runners go as the Republic City task force members close in, dropping to a sitting squat and dropping her forearms on her knees, exhaling sharply before letting her bottom touch the ground and her legs to slide out into a relaxed, one-knee-up sitting pose. It's hard to see people like that go, and Korra had to awfully brute force the energy-bending she had done to transfer the extra power into Seventeen. So, emotionally and spiritually, Korra was worn out. Physically, she was just kind of numb. "Korra. But you... know that, right. Glad it worked, Seventeen." The Avatar turns her head, flashing the bowl-cut android a rakish, tired smile. "Yeah. I was busy this time too, but... good... talk?" She shifts her shoulder at the end, leaning on the palm of her hand instead of shrugging fully. "Glad you won the scrip-flip though."
Android 17	"Yeah, I'll be honest, I am too. We'll have to try that with less danger next time. Might be useful next time." Seventeen says, with a smile, "You look tired. Maybe get some rest and we can approach this issue with a fresher head?" "Sides' I'm starving and if I don't get something to eat soon I'm going to regret it."