There were so many people in the waiting room. Most of them were begging to visit their family, and the other half were questing for any information about Amon. A hand from behind suddenly grabbed her shoulder. She jerked it away and spun back in a fighting stance only to realise it was Bolin.

 “I try to visit my brother, but they won’t let me in.” He waved both his hands in the air to show her he didn’t want to fight.

Korra swallowed. After everything had happened to Mako, she found it hard to face Bolin again, but the boy didn’t look angry. He rarely looked angry.

“I’m sorry about your brother. I didn’t mean to—” she said, but Bolin already pulled his hands up to stop her.

“I know it’s not your fault. You don’t have to apologise. Mako just has really bad luck.” He shuddered, “Are you coming to visit him too?”

“Well yes but-“

“Good.” Bolin gave a big cheeky smile, “I have a plan. We can use Pabu to distract the guards and then we will sneak to the back of the door and—”

“Actually, I have talked to Lin. We can walk inside now.” Korra scratched her head. “But that is a great plan.” 

 “Oh, sound good then..”

After talking to a guard, they were told that they were only allowed to visit one person at a time in thirty minutes, so Bolin suggested they slipped up. He'd check on Mako, and she’d check on Asami. Korra agreed as she thought about how difficult it would be to face Mako, but then she remembered she's going to see Asami.

She waited in the interrogation room. Her fingers tapped on the table until the guard opened the wall with Asami on his side. They were left alone. Asami sat on the chair and none of them said anything for ten minutes. 

“I’m sorry,” Korra said.

“For what? You didn’t do anything wrong. It turns out my father did work for Amon.” Asami traced her fingers on the table like painting a canvas so she didn’t have to look at Korra. 

“But I shouldn’t behave like that. I was wrong.” 

“You didn’t even look at me.” Asami sighed. “I don’t know what you were thinking back then. It was like you’re a different person.” 

“I’m still me. Just angrier and scared.” Korra glanced around the empty room, wishing there was something else to focus on besides the table.

 “Scared?” Asami stopped and looked at her for the first time.

 “Scared,” Korra looked down at the table. “I didn’t know if you or your father was working with Amon or not and I was afraid to know the truth. I was scared that the tickets you bought for us were a part of a plan. I was scared that I didn’t know at all the people I thought were my friends, and everything was just fake. I was scared of the truth that I might not want to hear, and I ended up going too far." she said, looking at her eyes. "I'm sorry.”

 Asami was silent for a moment. She leaned to the back of the chair and closed her eyes. 

“When I was six, a gang of Firebenders broke into our house. My mother didn't know I was hiding safely behind a closet. She tried to find me, but they found her." Asami whispered, "That's why I took a self-defence class. So I would never have to feel helpless again. But I was wrong. When my dad admitted he worked with Amon, I felt like he was not the same man that I know anymore. We're all sad about what happened to my mother. But helping Amon hurt other people? That was something that my mother would never want us to do.”

 Korra felt a jab of guilt in her heart. When she was six, she was safe in the compound while her mother read a bedtime story for her. When Asami was six, she lost her mother and was still able to stand up with her two feet. And then Korra walked in and terrorised her family with her fire.

 Asami reached out and put her hand on Korra’s hand like she read her mind, "I'm not angry with you for what has happened. I don't like looking at the past. Today you come here to visit me, I think I should be the one who thanks you." She smiled, and Korra felt the world was getting lighter.

 She pulled the hand back in embarrassment. “But if you weren't involved with Amon, why don’t they let you go?” Korra said. 

 “They don’t trust me. It’s not like they have a lie detector or something.” Asami shrugged.

The wall suddenly cut open again and the guard interrupted them. 

“Time up.” The guard spoke.

Was it already thirty minutes? Time flew so fast. She wished she didn’t waste the ten minutes in the beginning.

“Can I have five more minutes?” Korra pleaded.

“No.” the guard replied, but then another guard approached and whispered something to him. They both looked terrified and quickly ran away with the wall closed behind them.

“Stay here.” 

Those were the last words they heard before being confined back to the room with no doors.

A few seconds later, there was an explosion. 

The room trembled in madness and dirt fell like rain. Korra’s ears were buzzing with the echoes as though someone rewinds the time back to the collapsing Pro-bending Game. 

“What the heck is going on?” Korra yowled. She wished she could skip Airbending and jump to learn Earthbending right now. There was nowhere to escape or hide in this room. Another sound of an explosion and the room started to tremble again. This time, the cell was falling over their heads.

There was no escape. 

Suddenly, Korra lost control. She felt like she was dragged to the back of the seat, and felt her body moved as they have their own mind. The ‘new Korra’ rose her hand and froze the rock in the middle of the air before sent it back against the walls. 

 Then her vision turned black. She saw herself floating in a void. There were thousands of voices whispered in her ears. She tried to focus on what they said, and the voice became louder and clearer until it merged into Asami’s voice. She opened her eyes and felt a pair of hands shook her shoulders vigorously. 

“Korra! Wake up!” Asami screamed.

“I’m awake! Stop shaking!” She yelped. Korra stood up but immediately hit her head on something. It was so dark in here she thought she was still in her dream, but she could feel the presence of Asami sitting next to her.

“Why is it so dark in here?”

 “The light broke after the cell fell down.” Asami gasped, “And then your eyes glow and you stop the rocks! Did you already master Airbending? Or was it Earthbending?”

“It doesn’t matter because it wasn’t me.” Korra sighed. She tried to get up again, more careful this time. Her head felt dizzy, “It's called the Avatar State. It usually activates if I’m in a dangerous situation.”

“Usually?”

“Yeah, usually. I'm pretty sure I nearly die a couple of times from hypothermia, car crash, starvation and electrocute and this is the first time it activated to save me.”

There was a silence before Asami started to laugh. It was a relief to hear her friend’s voice again. At least none of them was hurt.

She tried to navigate the dark again, but it was hopeless. Instead, she remembered the voices of her past life whispered in her mind. 

“Hey, Asami. Could you watch my back for a little bit? I want to try something.”

“Do you have an idea how to get out of here?”

 “Unless my past life changes their mind and takes over my body again. No, I don’t have any ideas.” Korra snorted, “But I feel the presence of Aang so strongly when I was in the Avatar State. Maybe if I meditate now, I can talk to him.”

 “Alright.” Asami didn’t seem excited with the plan, but she didn’t question any more. 

Korra sat on the floor and closed her eyes. It was so dark that it wouldn’t make a difference. She relaxed her muscle and pictured the giant Avatar statue at the harbour. It was the only place Korra could know what Aang look like.

Aang, please. I need to talk to you.

“Hello, Korra.”

She opened her eyes and saw a man sat in front of her. He looked very similar to Tenzin that she thought it was him for a second.

“I finally meet you,” she gasped. “Amon is taking away people’s bendings. I need your help. Do you know how to restore them back?”

Aang shook his head in wary, “I’m afraid I don’t have your answer. That’s exactly why I tried to avoid using it as much as I could,”

She bit her lip. That was it. There was no other way she could help Tenga or Lin or any persons that fell to Amon.

“But do not lose hope,” Aang said calmly, “Seventy years ago, I thought it was impossible to end the war without killing Fire Lord Ozai. Don’t stop looking for your answer, Korra. Keep an open mind, and one day maybe you will find your answer.”

 His words echoed and he started to fade away. Korra tried to call for him, but she woke up back to the collapsing room. Asami was looking at her. Her green eyes glowed with worry, and Korra felt bad that she didn’t even have a chance to ask Aang’s advice on how to get out of here.

“How is it go?” Asami said. 

“Aang doesn’t know how to restore everyone's bending. But he told me not to stop looking for an answer.” Korra let out a long exhalation. Then she noticed the face of Asami shined in the dim light. “Wait, I can see you now. How is that possible?”

“I fixed the light bulb. It’s not the best but at least we can see something.” Asami picked up a taped light bulb. It flicked as she moved it around.

Korra asked how she did it, but then Asami started talking about engines and wires and something, and her brain started to stop working halfway through Asami’s lecture. She decided to go with the idea that Asami was secretly a mechanism bender.  

 “And I found a small gap that is big enough to go through. It may lead us out of here." Asami concluded.

 “Then what are we waiting for?”

 “Only one problem. It’s too high to be reached.”

Asami pointed to the top and Korra could see the light coming from the rift. Asami was right. If they made it there, they might be able to leave this place. But the smooth metal wall didn't make it easy to climb, and there was nothing they could use as a ladder. The falling rocks were too big to be moved, and the only table was broken into pieces, which obviously her past life wasn't interested to save it when the cell fell down.

 Or we can wait for help, but then again waiting was never my favourite strategy. 

“How about Firebending? Can you propel yourself upward?” Asami suggested.

 “And then burn you alive down here? No. My fire is too strong.” Korra snorted, “There is only one way. I have to Airbend.”

“Do you know how?” 

“Not really,” Korra admitted. It’s easy to say than done.

Asami gave a thought, “Air is an element of freedom. Maybe you need to be free to Airbend?” 

“We’re trapped right now.” Korra gave a sarcastic laugh, “How can I be free when I’m already in the prison.”

“It’s funny when you said that.” Asami tiled her head, “It doesn’t always have to be in the prison to feel trapped. I have never felt like myself when I’m at the factory.”

“How?”

 “I didn't know things work but I want to help my father. I forced myself to learn it, but it didn’t feel natural to me. It feels like I’m going against the flow.” 

 “But you’re so good with machines.” Korra glanced at the flickering light bulb.

“Well, that what you think, but I don’t feel it that way.” Asami sighed.

Suddenly, an idea flashed on her head, and she felt the adrenaline pumped in her blood. “Of course! I finally understand what Tenzin means!” Korra jumped in excitement and accidentally hit her head, but it didn’t feel hurt, “It’s the attitude! That is how I will be free. That how I can Airbend.”

 “I’m afraid you lost me.”

But Korra was too excited to explain. All these times, she tried to force herself to do it. All these times, she enforced the idea on herself that Airbending was something she had to do, not what she wants to do, but now she wants it. She wants to get out the prison. She already did it in the Southern compound. She will do it again. 

 She closed her eyes and imagined running under the endless sky with Naga back in Southern Watertribe. The walls started to dissolve around her feet, and she sensed the gentle wind whirled around her. She opened her eyes again and leapt. 

 One moment and she was out of the prison.

“You did it!” Asami shouted for joy.

Korra was now standing on the other side of the room. This must be an upper floor office room. There were articles flying everywhere and a couple of metal bending uniforms. She searched the table and found a metal cape. Korra returned to the rift and dropped the cape down to Asami.

 “Tie it around your waist. I’ll pull you out!”

But Asami already halfway climbed on the cape, and a few minutes later, she was already with Korra.

 “Let me guess. Self-defence class.”

“No. I just really like hiking.” Asami shuddered.