Mako took a deep breath and shifted in his seat, unable to find a position that didn't force the bulky shoulder plates of his dark blue uniform into the more sensitive parts of his back. It didn't help that the shocks on the ancient satomobile, chosen for is inconspicuousness, had clearly ceased to function. Another pothole set Mako's teeth rattling in his head again and he found his thoughts wandering back to the hard metal bed behind him where Korra and the rest of the taskforce members were huddled; at least the decaying leather cushions offered some protection from the worn street.
"It's just up ahead. On the left," he said quietly, gesturing with the hand that he wasn't using to grip the glove box in front of him for dear life. The driver nodded and pulled up alongside the factory. He cut the engine and Mako hopped out of the cab and onto the deserted street. Steadying himself for a moment after the less than smooth ride, he poked his head through the flap at the back of the truck. In the gloom, he could just make out a pair of wide, ice blue eyes. He quickly looked away and found Tarlok's grey ones to his right.
"There's a busted window on ground level around the corner" Mako said just above a whisper, "but I'll say it again, its really only big enough for a child to get through."
"We'll manage," Tarlok grumbled as he jumped down from the ledge, the rest of the taskforce following suit. Mako waited until Korra landed next to him and held her back from the rest of the group. He turned to her and, glancing up at the factory, opened his mouth to speak, but thinking better of it, exhaled heavily instead, turning to join the uniformed officers who were slowly advancing to the end of the street. He did his best to ignore her silent presence behind him. He needed to focus, who knew what would be waiting for them inside?
As they came upon the window, Mako saw that someone had replaced the rotting boards that he and Bolin had on many occasions carefully slid on and off the rusting nails so they could sleep unnoticed in the basement of what was then, a Cabbage Corp manufacturing plant. The building was now abandoned and perfect for storing Equalist weaponry.
Korra brushed past him as she moved to stand next to Tarlok who had wrapped his arms up to his shoulders in water pulled out of the misty night. Mako gave a silent nod from beside the small window and Tarlok brought his arms up to hurl the water at the boards, blasting them into the depths of the basement. As planned, Mako swung himself down into the darkness, accidentally clipping his chin on the top of the narrow opening, his armored shoulders just barely clearing the sides. Almost immediately, he felt Korra's tense body hit the ground beside him and he risked a quick glance over at her to make sure she was up, before taking a cautious step into the basement, hands out ready to attack.
The blackness pressed in around him, but he didn't dare risk even the tiniest flame until the entire taskforce was inside, a feat that was shaping up to be more than they had bargained for. While Mako's narrow build and Korra's compact form had allowed for their, mostly, smooth entry, the bulkier members where having a bit more trouble, but a few well placed earthbending moves later and the whole team was inside.
He felt a tap on his shoulder and let a tentative flame grow in his palm. Korra did the same. Her flame was slightly bigger and Mako could feel its presence more than see it; it was like a tiny heartbeat, quiet but fast. For a split second he felt the overwhelming urge to reach over and run his hand through it, feel it's – no, her energy completely.
She turned a searching stare on him, and for a moment he was frozen in her blue gaze before realizing that the rest of the group was staring at him as well; in his lapse in concentration he had let his flame go out. He shook his head and quickly relit it, steeling his mind against any more distractions. He couldn't afford to slip up. What would Bolin do if he didn't come home that night? The thought of his "little" brother alone and hungry cemented his focus and he began to move further into the room. The light from the two tiny fires fell on stacked crates of varying sizes that created a maze not so unlike the way it was when he and Bolin would burry themselves in the stacks of cotton padding that were made upstairs.
They heard the metallic tap of the sentry's boot on the windowsill, signaling an all clear from outside, and Mako and Korra gave a little more life to their flames, illuminating more of the basement. Several taskforce members pulled crowbars out of their uniforms, while the rest moved to stand in their respective element's fighting stance at the edge of the circle of light. Another tap and the crowbar carrying members went to work on the crates nearest them, wrenching the lids off with loud creaks and groans from the wooden slats. Tarlok stepped over to the nearest crate and reached inside. Mako held his breath as Tarlok pulled out the straw packing material; if they were wrong about this, the taskforce would be disbanded and Mako severely doubted he'd get paid for his information.
Tap
He let himself breathe again when Tarlok held up an electric glove and, letting his flame grow even further, began to walk slowly but confidently deeper into the maze of crates. He thought he saw movement ahead, but as he quickened his pace, he realized that it was just the flickering of the fire.
But no, there it was again. A crate creaked with it this time. He felt his heart start to pound in his ears and was suddenly aware of how far he had gotten from Korra and the rest of the group. He took a slow step backward, his ears and eyes straining to detect the source of his anxiety. He took a deep breath and listened for the sentry's next tap. It should be coming soon and then he could force himself to take another step back, but the only sound was the ripping of wood and the squeak of nails.
And then a muffled cry from near their entry point, a clattering of crowbars hitting the cement floor, and the sickening smack of a skull colliding with something hard.
The commotion behind him snapped him out of his panic and he broke into a sprint, a tan, heart-shaped face floating behind his eyes. He skidded around a corner and slammed into something…someone. He leaped up to face a pair of glowing green circles floating in the darkness ahead of him. Without thinking he let loose a blast of fire at the lights, illuminating the chi blocker who nimbly scrambled up the wall of crates to avoid the hungry flames. He sent out several more blasts, each one just missing its target until it disappeared over the other side.
Just stay still!
He felt a jab under his jaw and whirled around to blast a second chi blocker in the face. He didn't stick around to see what damage he had caused or where the first chi blocker had scuttled off to; he just ran.
"Korra!" he yelled, flying around a tight turn, knocking several small crates over in the process.
"Mako! Where are you?" he heard her familiar voice respond. He was expecting to hear panic in her voice, but she just sounded frustrated and vaguely angry.
"I'm coming!" he managed between gasps for air. He came barreling out of the maze and into a scene of utter chaos. Tarlok was flinging icicles at two chi blockers who were delivering quick punches to a weakening earthbender. Three taskforce members were already unconscious and a quick glance out the window told him that their sentry was out as well. Korra and another firebender were backed up against a wall, only just managing to keep four chi blockers out of range.
He made to shoot fire at the one closest to Korra, but was hit by a series of jabs from behind, and the tiny flame that had begun to blossom in his hand was snuffed out. He spun around and felt his fist collide with something solid that fell away from him. With the light from the firebending fight behind him, he could see the crumpled chi blocker clearly; before she could get up and out of reach, Mako grabbed her by the front of her coat and slammed her into the cement wall. He watched as she collapsed onto the floor and then sprinted to the other side of the clearing to where Korra was now sending up walls of rock in front of the three chi blockers who were still fighting, only to have them leap or slither over them like glittering insects.
She gave up on the earthbending as he arrived and sent out a blast of fire in all directions. Mako hit the ground, not able to resist the flames any more, and two of the three chi blockers leaped over the flames. As the one nearest him landed, he sprang forward pinning the chi blocker with his weight, and pummeling the hooded face with his fists until he was sure he was unconscious.
He looked up just in time to watch as Korra sent the last chi blocker flying into the air, crushing him/her between the ceiling and a pillar of rock with a terrible crunch. The whole room went silent as the conscious taskforce members watched a small rivulet of blood start to trickle down the side of the pillar.
Tarlok broke the silence with a gruff, "Let's get the wounded out of here. I'm calling in backup," reaching down to pick up the earthbender he had tried to defend. There was some shuffling as one of the other waterbenders hoisted a firebender onto his back and started toward the window.
Mako's eyes were now locked on Korra, who was still standing frozen to the spot, staring up at where her pillar met the ceiling. He got up and strode over to her.
"Korra?" he said tentatively. She didn't respond, didn't even register that he was right in front of her. "Korra," He said more loudly and placed his hands on her shoulders, giving her a little shake. She batted his hands away and looked around the basement like she had just come out of a dream and didn't know where she was.
"We have to go," Mako said, the concern rising in his voice. She looked into his eyes for a moment and then down to the pool of blood that was forming around the base of the pillar.
"Korra!" She shook her head and spun on her heel, reaching down to hook the firebender's slender arm over her shoulder.
"Korra are you-"
"I'm fine ok," she snapped icily. Without further comment, she made her way over to the window and earthbended a staircase out into the street.
They had the rest of the taskforce out of the basement and into the back of the satomobile when Chief Bei Fong arrived with a symphony of screaming sirens, the sharp clacking of the metalbenders' metal boots on the pavement echoing off the brick walls as they rushed down the stairs.
Korra was sitting hunched over on the edge of the truck bed when Mako was finally relieved of guard duty by a police officer. He flopped down next to her, the satomobile sinking a bit under the added weight. Korra continued to stare at the ground at something Mako couldn't see. He waited for her to speak.
"I've never actually killed anyone before," she spoke the words so quietly that Mako couldn't be sure if he was even meant to hear. He took a deep breath.
"It was an accident," Mako said reassuringly. "You were being attacked. What were you supposed to do?"
Korra let out a long sigh.
"Show restraint," she replied, her voice weary with defeat.
"Hey," Mako said, somewhat impulsively after a moment or two of silence. "Do you want to go grab a bite to eat after we file our reports? There's this new restaurant I've heard good things about."
"I don't know, Mako," said Korra, avoiding his gaze. "I'm kind of tired."
She was scaring him; he had never seen her like this. He decided right then that he would do anything to keep that look of terror from ever forming on her face again. The sight of her shaking hands was too much for him and he quickly reached over and covered them with his own.
"Alright," he sighed. "Well, will you at least let me try my hand at making you some seaweed noodles? I know they're your favorite."
Her stomach growled and she smiled sheepishly. "Sure," she said and nudged his shoulder with hers. He nudged back and she in turn shoved him roughly, sending him sliding onto the street.
She clapped her hands over her mouth in an attempt to hide her grin as Mako glared up at her. She let out a small snort and he reached up, grabbed her arm and pulled her down on top of him, a small shriek of surprise escaping from her throat, which was stifled when he gripped the back of her head and kissed her.
When they broke apart, she smiled, the light back in her eyes.