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Description
Chapter 3

The very next day I found myself promoted to class four despite my outright display of disobedience the day before. Not only was I glad I was moving in the right direction for my investigation but I was also relieved to rid myself of Ling, who was forced to stay in class one. Even though I had moved up three levels I still found myself dominating every other fighter they put me against in that class. It didn't take long before they moved me again, all the way up to class seven. A couple more weeks of training found me in the highest class, almost ready to graduate as a full fledged Equalist.
I realized during this time how hard it was to keep myself invisible while still climbing the ranks as fast as possible. People would clamor around me before and after classes, following me around and pretending to be my closest friends. I could never seem to shake them and at some points where it got really bad I even wished for Ling back. But not everyone admired me, some people were jealous while others were afraid of me. Either way, I had too many eyes focused in my direction.
Three days before my class's graduation from training I came into the gym to see everyone lined up early. Our instructor shot me an annoyed glance as I sidled in and took my place among the others. She kept her mouth shut but I could tell she wanted to ream me out for being late, even though I wasn't really late, at least according to the clock I wasn't.
"Today we will be cutting our training a little short," she said, addressing the entire group. "Today you will be reminded of why you joined the Equalists in the first place. You shall witness the culmination of our power and it will make you prouder to put on your uniform when you receive it in a couple days time." She shifted her gaze over us before continuing. "Today you will see for the first time a demonstration on removing a person's bending."
A murmur of wonder and excitement rippled through the crowd as the information sunk in. I felt a strange, sick feeling come over me but before I could identify the emotion it vanished. I took a deep calming breath and straightened myself as she continued.
"Now this isn't a power you will ever be able to master yourselves but it will give you an appreciation for the art of it." she explained. "Just follow me towards the main arena for the demonstration."
As our group followed our instructor out of the gym and towards the main arena I tried in vain to dig up the emotion that had welled up in my stomach just moments before. I couldn't understand it. It's not like I had anything to fear myself, bending removal didn't concern me, so I shouldn't be worried I reasoned. Besides, I had no connections to benders whatsoever I thought as we entered the large indoor arena and lined up facing a large stage. So then why had I felt a strange, sickening emotion when our instructor mentioned bending removal? I shook my head clear as the lights dimmed and the spotlights pointed on the stage were switched on.
The stage was completely bare except for a microphone that was planted near the front on a mic stand. Our group became quiet as we watched the stage for any sign that the demonstration would start soon. A sudden whirring sound startled me as a platform began to raise up in front of us on the stage. At first we saw nothing, but then a group of heads appeared, followed by chests and finally the rest of their bodies. A hooded man standing at the head of the group had his head slightly bowed and his arms planted behind his back. When the platform finally stopped its ascent the hooded man lifted his face towards the light and revealed a pale white mask accented with a stark red circle on the forehead. I couldn't believe it, finally I was seeing Amon in the flesh.
Amon wasn't alone; a group of six other Equalists, including the Lieutenant, were assembled on either side of him fully clothed in their uniforms. Along with the Equalists there were five people tied up at their feet, most likely the unfortunate benders that were to lose their bending today in the demonstration. Without knowing more about them I could see that two of them were firebenders, two were earthbenders and one was a waterbender. All of them except for one of the firebenders had their heads hanging in defeat and shame. I felt my heart twist a bit in my chest when I looked at their sad, forlorn faces.
Amon stepped forward towards the microphone and grasped it in one hand, looking over us all before speaking.
"Fellow Equalists," he began, his voice deep and gravelly. "You have chosen to preserve your freedom by fighting for us, and for that we will bring down each and every bender in Republic City," He shifted the mic to his other hand and took a couple steps to the left before continuing. "Benders will no longer be able to oppress us with their innate abilities. Together we shall rid the world of bending forever, and all the despicable consequences that come with it."
"With my power of being able to take bending away we will soon have our perfect and equalized future," he shifted his gaze over us and motioned towards the benders that were kneeling behind him. "Today these benders will be cleansed of all of their impurities, and with that comes your freedom."
The crowd cheered as the first bender was forced to his feet and brought towards Amon. I watched breathlessly as the man was unchained and pushed forward roughly.
"To be fair," Amon said, looking the man over. "We'll let him and all the others fight for their bending first."
"Big mistake!" the male firebender retorted looking up at him with hate. Lighting up his palm he shot a large fireball in Amon's direction.
Amon easily ducked the man's attack and made his way swiftly towards him. The man, seeing Amon advancing, unleashed more blasts of fire. All failed to hit Amon as he closed in on the man like a injured turtleduck. The man's eyes widened in fear as he realized how futile his attacks were. He tried to cloak himself in wall of fire but somehow Amon was able to pierce through it like it hadn't even been there. Before the man could react Amon had him on his knees with some quick jabs to his body. Finally subdued Amon placed his thumb upon the man's forehead and other hand on his shoulder. The man gave out a frightened yell. Within a second the man fell to the floor, his bending taken away forever.
The crowd roared their approval but all I was able to do was stare as the man was dragged away. It had all happened so fast that I couldn't comprehend what I had just saw. Amon stood watching, his emotionless mask staring after him. As I watched Amon I couldn't help but wonder if he ever felt remorse for what he did to people. I guessed not as I watched him shift his attention towards the next bender before him like nothing important had really happened.
Soon afterwards the rest of the benders fell to Amon, despite their willful tries to defeat him. I couldn't help but feel a mix of shock and awe; the way Amon fought was unlike any other I had ever seen before. Not even the way we had been taught was quite like the way he went about subduing his victims. Every move was calculated, precise and well executed. He never placed a foot wrong and he always seemed to know what his opponent was thinking even before they did. The only way I could accurately describe him was superhuman, there was no way he was from this world.
As the last of the benders fell to him the crowd burst into a raucous cacophony of excitement and praise. Amon just stood before us, his hands clasped behind his back, and took it all in. Staring up at his cold, immobile face I could tell this assignment had become a lot harder than I had first expected. Getting to someone like the Lieutenant had been easy, but Amon? I had a feeling I was going to have to pull out all the stops in order to overcome him. This wasn't going to be an easy take it and run.
Amon raised his hand to quiet us before taking the microphone in his hand again.
"Now that you have witnessed the extent of the Equalist's powers you are ready to go forth and fight for us," he said. He looked over at the Lieutenant who gave an evil grin and nodded to him. "But," he said, causing me to look up at him with a fearful curiosity. "I'm sure that one more bender should be brought forth to cleansed first."
There was a shuffling sound offstage before two Equalists holding onto either side of a man appeared from backstage. The man was fighting them like a wild tigerdillo and the both of the Equalists seemed to be having a hard time keeping him under control. Even before seeing the man's face I had a weird feeling that I knew him. The Equalists dropped the man to the ground with a hard thump in front of Amon. The man threw his head up to glare daggers at Amon's masked face. I had to stifle a cry as I realized who it was I was looking at.
It had been years since I had seen my brother and his face had changed drastically since that last time. Last time his face had still been covered in the peach fuzz of his youth but now his face had a healthy, level growth of stubble. His hair was shorter now and his muscles had finally filled out his large frame. If it hadn't been for his deep green eyes that shot flames in Amon's direction, and the way he set his mouth stubbornly I wouldn't have recognized him. I bit my bottom lip hard as I watched my brother struggle to get at the man that was threatening his bending abilities.
"Despite his, unwillingness to cooperate," Amon said, looking down at my brother struggling. "He will also get a chance to fight for his precious bending."
Amon dropped the mic and stood at the ready as the Equalists released my brother from his shackles. At first my brother just sat there, breathing heavily and staring at the ground, sweat trickling down his forehead. The perfect picture of the calm before the storm. Then he exploded.
Ripping up the earth around him he threw the massive rocks in Amon's direction. Amon dodged them with the same precision as before and advanced upon my brother. I felt my heart beat faster and faster as Amon came closer and closer to my brother. I wanted to jump up and attack Amon, to scream, to do something, but my body was frozen to the ground. My brother by now had realized that simply throwing rocks in Amon's direction wouldn't do, he was going to have to fight him face to face. My brother ducked as Amon tried to target his shoulder with some quick jabs. Kicking up a loose ball of earth he slammed it towards Amon, who managed to roll out of way at the last second.
Undeterred by his failure my brother quickly created some bullets of earth which he hurled towards Amon in quick succession. A couple managed to hit their target, but Amon was not brought down or even slowed by the tiny, compact pieces of earth. Knowing he was running out of available options my brother decided to employ one of his trademark tricks, the earth shield.
Gathering all the earth he could muster my brother brought it all around himself in a loose cloak which he quickly tightened into an impenetrable shield made of earth. Amon slide to a stop beside the earth ball that contained my brother, studying it intently. I cheered my brother in my head silently, there was no way Amon was going to be able to penetrate the hardened ball my brother had placed over himself. My brother had used the same trick when we were kids playing on a mountainside one day. An unsuspected avalanche would have nearly crushed us if it hadn't been for my brother's quick bending and his ability to keep the ball up under the immense weight of the falling snow.
However I felt my heart drop when I saw Amon motion to the Lieutenant who quickly brought out his kali sticks and approached the ball of earth. With a crackle of electricity the Lieutenant electrocuted the ball of earth which quickly disintegrated as my brother's body writhed with pain. I cried out silently to myself as my brother's body lay on the ground, completely immobile. Amon picked him up and set him into a kneeling position before him. My brother, dazed and defeated didn't even try to fight back. With a thumb to the forehead and a quick jab my brother fell to the ground, cleansed of his impurity.
This was no longer an impersonal spy mission for me, now this was a personal war.

Description
Chapter 3

The very next day I found myself promoted to class four despite my outright display of disobedience the day before. Not only was I glad I was moving in the right direction for my investigation but I was also relieved to rid myself of Ling, who was forced to stay in class one. Even though I had moved up three levels I still found myself dominating every other fighter they put me against in that class. It didn't take long before they moved me again, all the way up to class seven. A couple more weeks of training found me in the highest class, almost ready to graduate as a full fledged Equalist.
I realized during this time how hard it was to keep myself invisible while still climbing the ranks as fast as possible. People would clamor around me before and after classes, following me around and pretending to be my closest friends. I could never seem to shake them and at some points where it got really bad I even wished for Ling back. But not everyone admired me, some people were jealous while others were afraid of me. Either way, I had too many eyes focused in my direction.
Three days before my class's graduation from training I came into the gym to see everyone lined up early. Our instructor shot me an annoyed glance as I sidled in and took my place among the others. She kept her mouth shut but I could tell she wanted to ream me out for being late, even though I wasn't really late, at least according to the clock I wasn't.
"Today we will be cutting our training a little short," she said, addressing the entire group. "Today you will be reminded of why you joined the Equalists in the first place. You shall witness the culmination of our power and it will make you prouder to put on your uniform when you receive it in a couple days time." She shifted her gaze over us before continuing. "Today you will see for the first time a demonstration on removing a person's bending."
A murmur of wonder and excitement rippled through the crowd as the information sunk in. I felt a strange, sick feeling come over me but before I could identify the emotion it vanished. I took a deep calming breath and straightened myself as she continued.
"Now this isn't a power you will ever be able to master yourselves but it will give you an appreciation for the art of it." she explained. "Just follow me towards the main arena for the demonstration."
As our group followed our instructor out of the gym and towards the main arena I tried in vain to dig up the emotion that had welled up in my stomach just moments before. I couldn't understand it. It's not like I had anything to fear myself, bending removal didn't concern me, so I shouldn't be worried I reasoned. Besides, I had no connections to benders whatsoever I thought as we entered the large indoor arena and lined up facing a large stage. So then why had I felt a strange, sickening emotion when our instructor mentioned bending removal? I shook my head clear as the lights dimmed and the spotlights pointed on the stage were switched on.
The stage was completely bare except for a microphone that was planted near the front on a mic stand. Our group became quiet as we watched the stage for any sign that the demonstration would start soon. A sudden whirring sound startled me as a platform began to raise up in front of us on the stage. At first we saw nothing, but then a group of heads appeared, followed by chests and finally the rest of their bodies. A hooded man standing at the head of the group had his head slightly bowed and his arms planted behind his back. When the platform finally stopped its ascent the hooded man lifted his face towards the light and revealed a pale white mask accented with a stark red circle on the forehead. I couldn't believe it, finally I was seeing Amon in the flesh.
Amon wasn't alone; a group of six other Equalists, including the Lieutenant, were assembled on either side of him fully clothed in their uniforms. Along with the Equalists there were five people tied up at their feet, most likely the unfortunate benders that were to lose their bending today in the demonstration. Without knowing more about them I could see that two of them were firebenders, two were earthbenders and one was a waterbender. All of them except for one of the firebenders had their heads hanging in defeat and shame. I felt my heart twist a bit in my chest when I looked at their sad, forlorn faces.
Amon stepped forward towards the microphone and grasped it in one hand, looking over us all before speaking.
"Fellow Equalists," he began, his voice deep and gravelly. "You have chosen to preserve your freedom by fighting for us, and for that we will bring down each and every bender in Republic City," He shifted the mic to his other hand and took a couple steps to the left before continuing. "Benders will no longer be able to oppress us with their innate abilities. Together we shall rid the world of bending forever, and all the despicable consequences that come with it."
"With my power of being able to take bending away we will soon have our perfect and equalized future," he shifted his gaze over us and motioned towards the benders that were kneeling behind him. "Today these benders will be cleansed of all of their impurities, and with that comes your freedom."
The crowd cheered as the first bender was forced to his feet and brought towards Amon. I watched breathlessly as the man was unchained and pushed forward roughly.
"To be fair," Amon said, looking the man over. "We'll let him and all the others fight for their bending first."
"Big mistake!" the male firebender retorted looking up at him with hate. Lighting up his palm he shot a large fireball in Amon's direction.
Amon easily ducked the man's attack and made his way swiftly towards him. The man, seeing Amon advancing, unleashed more blasts of fire. All failed to hit Amon as he closed in on the man like a injured turtleduck. The man's eyes widened in fear as he realized how futile his attacks were. He tried to cloak himself in wall of fire but somehow Amon was able to pierce through it like it hadn't even been there. Before the man could react Amon had him on his knees with some quick jabs to his body. Finally subdued Amon placed his thumb upon the man's forehead and other hand on his shoulder. The man gave out a frightened yell. Within a second the man fell to the floor, his bending taken away forever.
The crowd roared their approval but all I was able to do was stare as the man was dragged away. It had all happened so fast that I couldn't comprehend what I had just saw. Amon stood watching, his emotionless mask staring after him. As I watched Amon I couldn't help but wonder if he ever felt remorse for what he did to people. I guessed not as I watched him shift his attention towards the next bender before him like nothing important had really happened.
Soon afterwards the rest of the benders fell to Amon, despite their willful tries to defeat him. I couldn't help but feel a mix of shock and awe; the way Amon fought was unlike any other I had ever seen before. Not even the way we had been taught was quite like the way he went about subduing his victims. Every move was calculated, precise and well executed. He never placed a foot wrong and he always seemed to know what his opponent was thinking even before they did. The only way I could accurately describe him was superhuman, there was no way he was from this world.
As the last of the benders fell to him the crowd burst into a raucous cacophony of excitement and praise. Amon just stood before us, his hands clasped behind his back, and took it all in. Staring up at his cold, immobile face I could tell this assignment had become a lot harder than I had first expected. Getting to someone like the Lieutenant had been easy, but Amon? I had a feeling I was going to have to pull out all the stops in order to overcome him. This wasn't going to be an easy take it and run.
Amon raised his hand to quiet us before taking the microphone in his hand again.
"Now that you have witnessed the extent of the Equalist's powers you are ready to go forth and fight for us," he said. He looked over at the Lieutenant who gave an evil grin and nodded to him. "But," he said, causing me to look up at him with a fearful curiosity. "I'm sure that one more bender should be brought forth to cleansed first."
There was a shuffling sound offstage before two Equalists holding onto either side of a man appeared from backstage. The man was fighting them like a wild tigerdillo and the both of the Equalists seemed to be having a hard time keeping him under control. Even before seeing the man's face I had a weird feeling that I knew him. The Equalists dropped the man to the ground with a hard thump in front of Amon. The man threw his head up to glare daggers at Amon's masked face. I had to stifle a cry as I realized who it was I was looking at.
It had been years since I had seen my brother and his face had changed drastically since that last time. Last time his face had still been covered in the peach fuzz of his youth but now his face had a healthy, level growth of stubble. His hair was shorter now and his muscles had finally filled out his large frame. If it hadn't been for his deep green eyes that shot flames in Amon's direction, and the way he set his mouth stubbornly I wouldn't have recognized him. I bit my bottom lip hard as I watched my brother struggle to get at the man that was threatening his bending abilities.
"Despite his, unwillingness to cooperate," Amon said, looking down at my brother struggling. "He will also get a chance to fight for his precious bending."
Amon dropped the mic and stood at the ready as the Equalists released my brother from his shackles. At first my brother just sat there, breathing heavily and staring at the ground, sweat trickling down his forehead. The perfect picture of the calm before the storm. Then he exploded.
Ripping up the earth around him he threw the massive rocks in Amon's direction. Amon dodged them with the same precision as before and advanced upon my brother. I felt my heart beat faster and faster as Amon came closer and closer to my brother. I wanted to jump up and attack Amon, to scream, to do something, but my body was frozen to the ground. My brother by now had realized that simply throwing rocks in Amon's direction wouldn't do, he was going to have to fight him face to face. My brother ducked as Amon tried to target his shoulder with some quick jabs. Kicking up a loose ball of earth he slammed it towards Amon, who managed to roll out of way at the last second.
Undeterred by his failure my brother quickly created some bullets of earth which he hurled towards Amon in quick succession. A couple managed to hit their target, but Amon was not brought down or even slowed by the tiny, compact pieces of earth. Knowing he was running out of available options my brother decided to employ one of his trademark tricks, the earth shield.
Gathering all the earth he could muster my brother brought it all around himself in a loose cloak which he quickly tightened into an impenetrable shield made of earth. Amon slide to a stop beside the earth ball that contained my brother, studying it intently. I cheered my brother in my head silently, there was no way Amon was going to be able to penetrate the hardened ball my brother had placed over himself. My brother had used the same trick when we were kids playing on a mountainside one day. An unsuspected avalanche would have nearly crushed us if it hadn't been for my brother's quick bending and his ability to keep the ball up under the immense weight of the falling snow.
However I felt my heart drop when I saw Amon motion to the Lieutenant who quickly brought out his kali sticks and approached the ball of earth. With a crackle of electricity the Lieutenant electrocuted the ball of earth which quickly disintegrated as my brother's body writhed with pain. I cried out silently to myself as my brother's body lay on the ground, completely immobile. Amon picked him up and set him into a kneeling position before him. My brother, dazed and defeated didn't even try to fight back. With a thumb to the forehead and a quick jab my brother fell to the ground, cleansed of his impurity.
This was no longer an impersonal spy mission for me, now this was a personal war.