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The plan was simple. Suyin and Lin were going to take out the arm and the spirit weapon. Korra was going after Kuvira. Which left Mako and Bolin to handle the engine room. The group wasted no time splitting up. The Beifong sisters flew off on their metal cables. The Avatar took off on a column of air. While Mako followed Bolin up a nearby ladder. They climbed for a while before coming to a metal hatch.
“This is it,” Bolin said. He produced a rock from his pocket and bent into a lava disk with a flick of his wrist. Mako took a deep breath to steady himself. He tapped Bolin’s leg to signal him to cut open the hatch. The lava disk cut through the metal easily, sending a few pieces of molten metal falling down the shaft. Mako had to lean back to avoid one glowing piece from hitting his face.
As soon as the hatch was open, they both sprang into action. Bolin jumped up first, swinging his lava disk through the air wildly. Mako leapt up behind him, a second later. The engine room was large and circular in shape. There were two guards standing a few feet from the hatch. Hanging in the air in the center of the room was a huge mass of spirit vines. The vines were all glowing with the same bright purple light.
The brothers wordlessly split up, each picking a guard to fight. Mako forced his guard back from the hatch. The guard fired off a few metal strips from his uniform, which Mako deflected easily. One of his fire blasts went too far to his right, and struck the mass of spirit vines. There was a flash of light, followed by a small explosion. The guard glanced up at the spirits vines briefly, and Mako capitalized on his distraction. He struck in the chest with a burst of flame, slamming him into the metal floor. The guard started to get up again, but Mako hit him a second time.
Mako watched the fallen guard carefully, making sure he was truly unconscious. Satisfied, he moved over to the closest console and put his hand on the lever and placed his hand on it.
“I’m ready!” Mako called out.
“Be with you in a second! Kind of busy!” Bolin replied. Mako glanced over to see him struggling with another guard. He watched as Bolin’s lava disk struck a nearby steam pipe. The hot vapor began to pour into the engine room, momentarily disorienting the guard. Bolin rushed him, slamming the other man up against another pipe. The guard crumpled to the ground, unmoving. Bolin ran to the other lever. “Okay, ready now!”
“On three!” Mako instructed. “One… Two… Three…” The brothers pulled their levers in unison. Nothing happened. Mako glanced around for any sign of a change in the spirit vines, but they were still glowing brightly and crackled with energy. “Nothing’s happening!”
Mako ran over to Bolin, who was staring at his console in confusion.
“Kuvira must’ve done some override thing and taken control!” Bolin said, shaking his head in disbelief.
“There’s got to be some other way to shut down power from here,” Mako insisted.
“Ummm….” Bolin muttered, as he looked down at his console nervously.
“Come on,” Mako said. “You spent all that time with Varrick and Baatar Jr. Didn’t any of their genius rub off on you?”
“Look, the only thing I know about these vines is that if you mess around with them too much, they explode,” Bolin replied, wiping sweat from his forehead. Mako turned to look up at the spirit vines once more. The vines had exploded briefly when his fire hit them earlier. Maybe he could cause a bigger blast if he channeled more energy into them?
“Get those engineers out of here,” Mako said. “I have an idea.”
“Want to fill me in?” Bolin asked, looking up at him.
“I’m gonna zap those vines with some electricity,” Mako explained.
“Let’s back it up, okay?” Bolin replied, waving his hands. “I said that will make the vines explode!”
“Exactly. This is our only way of shutting this thing down.” Mako replied, starting to walk away. “I can handle it.”
“No! You can’t!” Bolin said. He grabbed him by the shoulder and spun him around to face him. “This isn’t the time to prove how awesome you are. I already know.”
“I don’t have time to argue!” Mako said firmly. “I’m doing this, so get out of here!”
“Okay, but for the record I do not approve,” Bolin said. “Just get out as soon as you can.” He raised a hand. “Promise?”
“Promise,” Mako replied, shaking his hand. He pulled Bolin into a tight hug.
“I love you,” Bolin said quietly.
“I love you, too,” Mako said, pulling away. “Now go!”
Mako stared up at the mass of spirit vines for a moment, looking for any spots that might be weaker than the others. As far as he could tell, they were very tightly packed together. Like some sort of bizarre, spherical puzzle. There were no discernible gaps or weak points that he could see. At least not from his current vantage point. He closed his eyes and took a moment to focus on his breathing. Using a breathing technique that Lightning Bolt Zolt had taught him years ago, he channeled his inner fire and began to build up his chi.
When he was ready, he opened his eyes again, and pointed two fingers towards the mass of vines. He directed his built up chi down his arm. Lightning sprang forth from his fingertips and struck the spirit vines. Immediately, the mass began to spark and crackle with energy. Mako grit his teeth, and continued to focus his energy into sustaining the lightning. Usually he never tried this. It was far safer to channel lightning for short bursts at a time. But he didn’t know how much energy it would take to detonate the spirit vines.
Mako cried out in pain as his left arm was overloaded with energy, burning away his sleeve in an instant. He forced himself to stay focused. The spirit vines began to glow brighter and brighter. Arcs of energy lashed out from them, burning holes in the metal walls behind him. Mako could feel his inner fire struggling to keep up the flow of chi, and his lightning started dim slightly.
“Come on, come on!” Mako muttered to himself. There was a strange electric buzz in the air around him that made his hair stand on him. This was it. He could feel it. With a heavy sigh, he stopped his lightning, and turned towards the hatch. He made it one step before his legs gave out beneath him. Mako caught himself with his right hand, his left arm hung uselessly by his side. He’d used too much of his chi, his body was spent. A quick glance over his shoulder revealed that the spirit vines were sparkling and flickering ominously.
There was no way he could get out like this. He couldn’t even stand on his own anymore, and time was running out faster than he had expected it too. Smoke began to pour off of the mass of vines, as a bright light started to shine from somewhere deep within the mass. It was far brighter than any light Mako had ever seen before.
“I’m sorry, bro,” Mako said, looking down at the hatch sadly.
—
Bolin huffed as he ran, his legs burning in protest. The two unconscious engineers were heavier than they looked. Climbing down the ladder with them had been a true test of his athleticism. Yet he’d made it and climbed out of the colossus. He ran over to the group of people waiting in a nearby intersection. Several metalbending police officers were standing guard, anxiously watching the giant mecha for any signs of change. He was surprised to see Lin and Suyin waiting with them.
“Hey, glad to see you both made it out!” Bolin greeted them excitedly.
“Taking out that weapon was easier than I expected,” Suyin said.
“We had to bail out when Kuvira removed the arm,” Lin added. Her eyes narrowed as she spotted the men he was carrying. “Who are they?”
“Oh, just a couple of engineers,” Bolin replied. “Look, we should really move further away. Mako’s trying to destroy the energy core right now.”
“He’s what?!?!” Suyin said in surprise.
“Damn it all,” Lin muttered. She turned to her officers. “You heard the man, move back! We have to clear the area-“
Her sentence was cut off as a strange purple light began to shine from somewhere above them. Bolin turned and felt his mouth fall open slightly. The glow was coming from the colossus. Bright purple light shined out from between the gaps in the platinum armor surrounding its torso area. Bolin’s eyes locked on the hole in its legs, watching for any sign of movement.
“Come on, kid, we have to go!” Lin yelled at him, grabbing his arm.
“I can’t leave, he’s not out yet!” Bolin yelled back.
“We don’t have time to wait for him,” Suyin said sternly. “Mako will be fine. But we have to get to safety, now!”
The light was starting to shine brighter and a strange buzzing sound filled the air. Bolin sighed and reluctantly allowed the Beifong sisters to lead him away. The three of them raced away as fast as they could. Lin took one of the engineers from Bolin as they ran. They found shelter on the far side of the intersection, between two buildings. Bolin looked over his shoulder in time to see the colossus be split in half by an explosion of bright purple energy. Both halves were thrown in opposite directions.
—
The next two weeks were a blur for Bolin. He worked tirelessly alongside the other search and rescue volunteers. They continuously swept the wreckage around the new spirit portal for survivors. He barely ate and slept even less. Preferring to spend every waking moment searching. It wasn’t until he collapsed from exhaustion that he finally allowed himself to get some rest. Yet the only thing he could think about was his last conversation with Mako. He was drawn back to reality when the door to his hospital room opened. In walked Asami and Korra, both of whom looked as weary as he felt.
“Oh, hey guys,” Bolin said, sitting up.
“Hey, we were just stopping by to check in on you,” Korra said.
“If you’re in the mood for company,” Asami added.
“Oh, yeah, I am,” Bolin replied. “Actually, I was just about to go out searching again if you want to tag along.” Asami and Korra shared a concerned look. Bolin ignored them as he got out of bed and started pulling on his boots and jacket.
“Bolin, I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to go out there again,” Korra said. “You need your rest. It’s only been a day since you collapsed. You’re going to hurt yourself if you keep going like this.”
“I have to find Mako,” Bolin insisted. “You guys can stay if you want, but I’m not giving up yet.”
“Bolin, we’ve been looking for weeks,” Asami said gently. “There’s been no sign of him anywhere. If he was still in the colossus when it blew up...well there might be anything left to find.”
“You don’t know that!” Bolin shouted. Fresh tears rolled down his face, and he wiped them away angrily. “You don’t know anything! He wouldn’t leave me like that! He promised!”
“Bolin,” Korra said, pulling him into a hug. Asami joined in a second later.
“He promised me!” Bolin sobbed.
“I know,” Korra said, hugging him tightly. “I’m so sorry, Bolin.”
“You’re not alone, Bolin,” Asami said. “We'll always be here for you.”
Bolin didn’t really hear of them. He finally allowed his grief to crash over him like titanic waves. His legs gave out underneath him as he wept openly. The three of them lowered to the ground together. Neither Korra or Asami let go of him as he cried, their presence was like a lifeline holding him steady in the storm of his grief.
—
Mako’s funeral was much grander than Bolin had ever expected. His entire extended family showed up. Along with the entire Beifong family, save for Baatar Jr, and Tenzin’s family as well. Asami, Korra, and Korra’s parents were there too. Varrick and Zhu Li had come too. He was even surprised to see Master Katara and Lord Zuko in attendance.
Bolin tried to deliver a speech, but his emotions quickly got the better of him and he was too choked up to speak. Thankfully Lin came to his rescue. She placed a sympathetic hand on his shoulder, as she took his place at the podium. Bolin wandered back to his seat next to Wei, who immediately wrapped him in a tight hug.
“Detective Mako was one of the finest officers I’ve ever had the pleasure of working alongside,” Lin began. “But he wasn’t just a good officer, he was one of the bravest men I’ve ever met. His sacrifice helped us defeat Kuvira and her mecha-giant. Without him, Republic City, and potentially the entirety of the United Republic of Nations would’ve been lost.” She paused, her hands gripping the podium as she tried to keep her composure. “It is my deepest honor to present him with the highest awards the United Republic can give: The RCPD Medal of Valor, as well as the United Republic’s Kyoshi Medal of Freedom.”
“It won’t bring him back, but it’s the last we can do to show how much we appreciate his sacrifice,” She finished, a single tear rolling down her face.
Bolin watched numbly as two earthbending officers lowered the coffin into the earth. He knew it was only symbolic, the coffin was empty after all. Asami had been right, there hadn’t been a body to recover. The spirit blast had completely obliterated it, as well as a significant portion of the colossus. The coffin had been made from pieces of platinum salvaged from the colossus’ remains, a gift from Suyin.
He couldn’t bear to watch the earth swallow his brother’s coffin, and instead stared down at the folded UR flag that rested on his lap. Atop it rested Mako’s new medals. He couldn’t help but wonder what Mako would’ve thought about being given such prestigious awards. He probably would’ve protested that it was too much. Even now it was hard to believe that this was really happening. How was he supposed to live in a world without his brother? Mako had been the most constant presence in his life for as long as he could remember.
Bolin lingered in the graveyard long after the funeral had officially ended. He couldn’t bring himself to leave. He clutched the flag and medals to his chest as he stared down at Mako’s gravestone. According to his will, Mako had been buried beside their parents, San and Naoki. It was a nice little plot, slightly removed from the others near two cherry blossom trees. Bolin couldn’t have asked for a better place to put his brother to rest. Wei stood a respectful distance away, waiting for him silently. His presence brought Bolin a measure of comfort.
“I hope you’re with Mom and Dad now, bro,” Bolin said to himself. “Give them a hug for me will you?”