DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN LEGEND OF KORRA.
Date Uploaded: October 20, 2016- Thursday.
Note: Advanced apologies for the OOC's.
***This is a fic request by Gakuto1991.
SUMMARY: Korra, Bolin and Mako are investigating the theft in the Future Industries but could not find a good lead who's behind it. Suspecting Varrick who was not around, they need to squeeze the info out of his assistant.
Well my memory about this is a little rusty, so let's make it an AU to be safe xD.
WARNING! SUGGESTIVE THEMES INVOLVED! DO NOT READ FURTHER IF BELOW 18! I REPEAT, SUGGESTIVE THEMES INVOLVED, DO NOT READ FURTHER IF YOU ARE BELOW 18 OR NOT INTO IT! BEWARE!
I WARNED YOU.
THEFT SUSPECT
"Korra, it's been quite some time since we've started this investigation and still we have no lead." Bolin stated as he scan piles of papers from the desk. "Plus none of these make sense! How can one steal hundreds of robots without anyone noticing?!"
"I don't get it too of course!" Korra replied, frowning at the stacks of papers in front of her as she sat on the carpet floor.
"What if there were hundreds of earth benders that turned the ground upside down, the tunnel leading a way out and—bam!—they stole it without evidence." Bolin concluded.
"Beifong already checked if there are underground tunnels, remember? There was none." Mako said with his usual voice. He was lying down on the couch beside Korra.
"Okay what if, they took it at night? They pretended to be guards and when the coast was clear, they made their move." Korra's turn to conclude and she turned to Mako for his agreement.
"It's still impossible. One of the guards there was someone Beifong trusts. And he was even there to testify that no one stole anything in the warehouse." However, Mako didn't agree with her either.
"Then what do you think?!" the two growled at him in frustration.
"I think there's a bigger conspiracy involved here than we think." He says.
"Oh please O great one, tell us!" Bolin taunted.
"Yeah, we're dying to know!" Korra supported him but Mako didn't fall for their bait. He was too smart to fall for that.
"I don't know, I just think that something bigger than what we think is going on." He says and the two weren't satisfied with his answer. They know something big was up but they have no leads. The only they have are stolen prototypes and other hundreds of robots from the Future Industries.
Bolin continued to browse through the piles of papers, seeing a very familiar face.
"I don't know but, do you think Varrick has something to do with this?" he asked for their opinion.
"The guy's involved in nearly every single thing." Korra opined. "So yeah, I think it's possible."
"If so, then why would he steal them? What would he do with such creation?" Mako however tried to argue.
"Oh quit going against me! I'm trying to think here!" Bolin yelled at his brother.
"I'm just saying." Mako shrugged.
"Plus Varrick's currently missing." Bolin added. "If ever he's involved in this, he's most likely very suspicious!"
"I agree with Bolin. He doesn't disappear or hide when he's not on the run." Korra supplemented to further support Bolin's theory. "What do you say about that, Mr. Detective?" the two turned to Mako to see what he has to say for it.
"Okay, maybe he has something to do with it. But what now? How can you find him?" Mako challenged.
"Well… so far we got no other leads other than Varrick's most trusted assistant, Zhu Li!" Bolin exclaims as he showed everyone Zhu Li's profile that he pulled out from the papers on the desk. "With her, we can find out where Varrick is and probably get any hint!"
"I take it Zhu Li is just going to tell us everything," Mako says and snaps his fingers, "just like that." When Bolin and Korra got his point, they pouted at him. "No, I don't think she'll betray Varrick either."
"It's still worth a shot!" Bolin pressed his idea nonetheless.
"Besides, we don't have a choice." Korra says. "As far as our forty eight-hour investigation are concerned, she's the only lead to any answers for this theft."
"Suit yourself."
Later at Varrick's office, where Zhu Li was…
Bolin knocked on the frame of the door, wearing an investigator's outfit, a fake mustache and faking an investigator-aura with him as he strides inside the room.
"Ms. Moon, I would like to ask you a few questions regarding the recent theft, if you don't mind." Bolin says with his investigator demeanor.
"What about it?" asked the assistant who was sitting in Varrick's chair, cleaning Varrick's desk and arranging some papers. Bolin eyed those paperwork and quickly dashed towards it, in which Zhu Li also responds rather quicker than he did and pulled the papers away from him. "I take it that your investigation isn't going well."
"Not really. More like, we found our suspect and we simply need evidence to pin him down." Bolin replied casually and curling his fake mustache, leaning close to the table to peek at the papers.
"And this suspect is Varrick?" Zhu Li concluded. Bolin grinned jokingly but dropped it immediately to regain his investigator's demeanor.
"Yes. I suppose those papers you won't show me are evidence of his schemes?" he kept eyeing the papers in her hands.
"These are his works that are not made public yet. He'd want to make a grand entrance by surprising everyone." The assistant replies but Bolin doesn't buy it and tried to intimidate her with his stare.
"I've heard worse lies, Ms. Moon." He says with a deep voice.
The assistant rolled her eyes and spreads the papers in the desk, showing him a glimpse of inventions written by Varrick himself. Nothing related to the theft. Nothing related to the theft. As soon as Bolin saw it, his eyes widened and Zhu Li takes all of the written paperworks again.
"Now that you've satisfied your greedy eyes of Mr. Varrick's innocence on this matter, I suggest you leave the room." Zhu Li says boldly and Bolin makes his leave.
Later…
"Korra your turn!" Bolin cried.
"Why? What did she say?" Korra asked as she stared at the crying Bolin.
"My pride as an investigator is doomed! It's tainted with greed!" he whimpered under the blanket in which he enveloped himself into. Mako and Korra exchanged looks.
"I told you she won't speak." Mako says.
"That only makes her more suspicious! And prove that she's indeed an accomplice to this theft!" Korra declared.
Back at Varrick's office, Korra made her way there to see Zhu Li sweeping the floor…
The door was left unclosed, as if Ms. Moon was expecting one of Bolin's allies to come and visit her sooner or later.
"Trying to sweep some evidence clean?" Korra tried to act cool and tough but Zhu Li wasn't affected by such act.
"Trying to sweep off dirt." Zhu Li corrected. "You wouldn't want to work in a dirty office, would you?" she tried to prove her point.
"W- Well, yes. But that's not the point!" Korra grabs the broom in her hand to get Zhu Li's compete attention. "Listen, I know you have something to do with all this, or at least Varrick is, if you tell me the truth now, there will be no charges against you."
"Did Beifong hire you for the past 48 hours as an official police or you're just goofing around like the other one is?" she asked. Korra wasn't sure if she was asking sarcastically or she was innocent as she asked this question.
"Bolin and I are investigating! We're not goofing around!" Korra yelled, her pride offended.
"I appreciate your and Bolin's good intentions to help, but I believe that you should leave this matter to the real police." With that said, Korra was later the one crying beside Bolin.
Later…
"Mako! It's your turn now!" Korra says, crying her eyes out on a pillow.
"Save our pride man!" Bolin added.
"Maybe you guys are just being too… obvious." Mako tried to point out their mistakes but the two were offended with it.
"We're not!" They yelled together and Mako just shrugged.
"Besides, if you think you could do better, then try it!" Bolin challenged him.
"Yeah!"
Back at the office, where Zhu Li was about to close up; after completing her tasks, Mako walked up to her after locking the door…
"Mind if we talk?" Mako asks after Zhu Li had pulled the key out of the lock.
"Is this about the investigation being conducted by your brother and the avatar?" she asked, wanting to confirm if he is part of the scheme.
Mako scratched the back of his head, "Uh yes and no." he wasn't sure. He was part of the investigation, yes, but he's not part of the two who was joking around. Zhu Li decided to let his answer slip. "Am I too late for one last talk?"
"We can talk now. Throw me all your suspicions but I assure you that Varrick is innocent." Zhu Li's resolve didn't waver.
"I- I honestly have no intentions of pressing this suspicion to him. He's just far the closest suspect there is." Mako confessed.
"Playing the good cop role?" inquired the assistant.
"Please, if you're innocent, why are you twisting everything?" Mako noticed that Zhu Li was using words to divert the topic from Varrick to them. If he were into this whole act, then maybe he'd also end up crying like Bolin and Korra. "Zhu Li… you're not innocent, are you?"
"Your words are ever sincere, Mako. But are you sure I'm the one twisting everything here?" Zhu Li however still tried to confuse him.
"I don't understand, Varrick doesn't seem to treat you like an equal… like his equal… and yet here you are covering up for him!" Mako shouts.
"You don't know him like I do."
"So you do admit that you're behind this theft? Or that Varrick is?" which one? Mako couldn't tell. Whether or not Varrick is the brains of the theft or if Zhu Li was just confusing him. He couldn't tell, but he knew one way or another, Zhu Li knew something.
"Like I said, Varrick is innocent. You're making up conclusions to end your frustrations about this investigation of yours that led nowhere." Zhu Li says calmly and lowered her head a bit, "I'll be going now."
But before she could walk away, Mako grabbed her hand. "So you don't deny that you're the one behind the theft?" he asked without looking at her.
"If I do, would you believe me?" asked the assistant who also did not look at him.
When Mako did not answer, she took it as a no and yanked her hand back before heading towards her room to rest.
"If I were to believe you… would you tell me the truth?" Mako asks when Zhu Li was midway across the hallway.
"Get some rest. It's been a long day." Was her only response and kept on walking.
Later, in Zhu Li's room…
While preparing to tire for the day, someone knocked on the door, making drumming noises which purposely annoyed the female assistant. She opened the door and wasn't surprised to see Mako again. He was wet from the rain outside and he was panting.
"It took you a while to come back. Are you here for another set of questions?" asked the assistant.
"Zhu Li… I'm not here to investigate anymore… I'm here for you." He said, panting.
"I know. That's why you're here." Zhu Li said as a matter of fact way with her brow raised at him. "But if you're not here to investigate, then what do you want to talk ab—"
Not letting her speak, Mako places a finger in her lips, hushing her as he entered her room. "—Varrick. What is he to you really?"
"My boss." Replied the assistant.
"And yet you take extreme measures protecting him?"
"We've been through this angle before, detective, he's i—" caught in surprise, Mako pushes her to a corner, pining both her hands to the wall. "—what are you doing?"
"I told you, I'm not here to investigate. I'm here to tell you that this is what Varrick is doing to you." Zhu Li stared at him for a moment and he realized Zhu Li must've interpreted his intentions. "I mean, not literally this way but he's got you pinned to the wall and do everything he says, regardless how much you put effort into it."
"Don't you think I already know that?" the assistant didn't struggle and tried twisting his words once again.
"Then why let yourself work under him? What do you get in return? Huh?"
"…"
"I don't see any appreciation there! He gives you a hard time in all tasks he ask of you, so what's worth protecting here?!"
"…" When the assistant gave no answer, Mako knew he hits the spot. A bullseye. He stopped pinning her to the wall and let her go, she looks down and hugged herself. "It's none of your business." She mumbled weakly.
Seeing that her barrier was down, Mako knew that was also vulnerable at the moment. He must've hit the core of her emotions right now. He reached to comfort her, taking advantage of the situation.
"Zhu Li…"
"…don't you dare say you have feelings for me, or I'll report you for trespassing." Zhu Li threatened, although it sounded more of a joke, he could sense the pain in her voice. He chuckled softly and lifted her chin up to see her face.
"You must love Varrick so much then." He concludes. The latter merely blushed and looks away. "Then what do you say we call for him?"
"He wouldn't come even if I do." She replied sadly. Mako knew it was a hint that she tried contacting Varrick herself—which means she doesn't know where Varrick is!
Mako took courage to do what he plans to do at the moment. "He would… if I… do… this." He slowly leans closer to Varrick's assistant, pressing his lips to hers. No, he doesn't guarantee that Varrick will indeed show up. But if ever he was right that Varrick feels something for his assistant, then he'll come.
Now kissing the latter, he caressed her face and it was about time that she pushes him from her.
"I don't see the point in doing this." She says. "Unless it's in your code to violate all females you've met." She added, knowing Mako had a little past with both Asami and Korra. He blushed at the statement and was ashamed that he was branded that way.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to—"
"I guess you won, detective." She says, realizing that she already gave him hints about Varrick and her involvement with the theft case. "I'm not behind the theft, nor is Varrick is innocent." She spilled the beans but was staring at Mako's eyes. "I hope this satisfies your investigation." Mako said nothing else after that. "Do what you must,"
The following day…
"So bro, what'd you got?" Bolin asks, seeing that Mako seems out of it.
"Oh well… nothing."
"Nothing? So she also got you good?" Korra asked.
"Uh well, yeah. Maybe she's innocent, you know?" he says and left the room.
Bolin and Korra exchanged looks, shrugging to each other.
"I guess his pride was hurt more than ours." Bolin concluded.