Ambush
Chapter 9: Battle for Republic City
Korra knew Mako had been frustrated with her before, but she had never seen him this angry. He stood there, glaring at her as she avoided his gaze shuffling her feet sheepishly. It was a long while before she was able to look him in the eyes again.
"Soo…Umm…I'm sure you have questions…"
Mako exploded at her, his tone making her flinch.
"You're damn right I do! What the hell, Korra? What was he doing here? What did he mean by his 'allegiance'? Why are you on speaking terms with the guy who ALMOST TOOK MY BROTHER'S BENDING AWAY?"
Mako was panting by the time he was finished ranting. Korra stood there, not knowing exactly how to explain everything. She couldn't think of an adequate way.
"Mako, I know this doesn't make sense right now, but…You have to trust me on this, ok?"
She walked over to him and put her hand on his cheek. His face was hot. She saw him start to visibly relax. She looked in his eyes and saw just how much he cared for her. He sighed and put his hand on top of hers.
"I just want to know that you're not putting yourself in danger recklessly again. I will never trust him, but I trust you, so if you say that he's really going to help us…Then I'll believe you."
Korra gave him a small smile.
"Thanks."
The door opened and Chief Beifong and Tenzin walked out followed by three teens that the two instantly recognized. It was the group that Skoochy was always with. Leon led the other two, his aura of natural leadership almost palpable. Violet, looking like she would very much like to be anywhere else, tossed her dark hair behind her. Tig stood tall, his chiseled jaw set, face as stoic as usual. Korra was surprised to see them there. When she and Mako told them what happened to Skoochy, their reception of the news resulted in them running for their lives from a hail of bending.
"You guys came…"
Leon's eyes were hard. There was no fondness for them in the expression he gave them.
" Pretty good speech. I have a question though; was it before or after Skoochy got murdered that you decided you would fight for the city?"
The words stung like a slap. Korra didn't know how to respond. She didn't have time to. She had a fraction of a second to hold back Mako, who lunged Leon, fire in his eyes. Leon didn't even so much as blink. His eyes stayed level with Mako's, his expression unchanging. Tig's brow was furrowed and he assumed a defensive stance. Violet just looked annoyed. Eventually, Mako stopped struggling against Korra. He stared Leon down; the two of them engaged in a silent battle of wills. Chief Beifong broke the tense silence.
"Is…everything ok here?"
More silence. Korra could almost feel the intensity coming from Leon and Mako. Leon finally spoke.
"We're fine. Just having a casual chat."
Mako seemed dead set on keeping eye contact with Leon.
"Yeah. Korra and I were just leaving."
Breaking the emotional chain that tethered him to Leon, Mako turned on his heel and walked away briskly, not looking back. Korra turned to follow, but felt a rough hand grab her arm. She turned to see that Leon had grabbed her. Me moved in close to her and spoke to her in a low voice.
"I want to make sure you know, I hold you just as responsible for Skoochy's death as the guy who killed him. Me and my friends will fight, but not for you, and not for the city. We fight for the guy who was like a brother to us."
He let go of her and left as quickly as he showed up. The other two followed. Korra only felt sadness as she watched the broken family leave.
Korra tried not to let her mind wonder to Leon and the gang as Chief Beifong gave them the final debrief in a meeting room of the police headquarters.
"We've found out from the scientist we captured that Kayne's got seven laboratories spread throughout the city. These labs create the monstrosities that Kayne calls 'Maulers'. The scientist informed us that there are 'Reapers' as well and that they're worse than Maulers. Anyway, if we shut down all of the labs and destroyed the blueprints, it'll be one step closer to taking Kayne down."
She looked at Tenzin, who stepped foreword.
"How this will happen, is that we will have designated strike teams of Metalbender Special Operatives and one of us, go to the labs, and shut them down. To ensure that the labs will be as empty and unprotected as possible, the main body of our assault will strike at Kayne's known headquarters. If we attack with sufficient enough force, we should be able to draw out a number of troops from the labs."
Chief Beifong took over.
"The only problem we have is the scientist refuses to give us the locations. He's more afraid of Kayne than he is of us. As much as I hate using fear to interrogate people, I don't think I have a choice."
"You won't break him."
Korra whirled around. Leaning against the window with his legs crossed, was Amon. Tenzin and two officers were the only people who leapt up and assumed an aggressive stance. Korra saw Tenzin look more intense than normal. He really did resemble his father.
"Everyone away from the window!"
His intense gaze turned into one of confusion when nobody moved. Tenzin relaxed slightly, but he didn't let his guard down. His voice was tight as he addressed the room.
"Would somebody please tell me why an allay of the enemy is standing in the window of the police station and no one is fazed by this?"
Korra decided that it would be the best time for her to speak up.
"Tenzin, I can explain. When Chief Beifong and I went down into the old Equalist HQ under Avatar Aang Memorial Island, we ran found him. We talked and…well…long story short he's kind of on our side now."
Amon's eyes narrowed at Korra's last statement.
"Never once did I say that I was joining your side, Avatar."
Korra gave him a wry smile.
"It was implied."
Amon scoffed and leapt down from the windowsill. His piercing gave shifted to Chief Beifong.
"Where is he."
It was a demand, not a question. Chief Beifing hesitated for a long moment, then jerked her head to a door at the far end of the room. As Amon passed her, Chief Beifong gave him a warning.
"You have one minute. Any longer, and I come in, considering you a hostile."
Amon was silent until he reached the door. He turned his head slightly.
"It will take thirty seconds."
Amon closed the door behind him. Korra heard the faint cry of the scientist.
"No…It can't be…You're dead!"
There was a slam of metal on metal and then the screaming started. Chief Beifong swore and lurched toward the door, Tenzin followed close behind. She placed her hand on the door and electricity crackled. She let out a shout of pain, then collapsed. Tenzin halted and knelt by her.
"Lin!"
She was breathing hard, but she was still conscious. A few seconds later, the door opened and Amon walked out. His hands were stained red. He glanced casually at Chief Beifong as he passed her and Tenzin. As he passed, Tenzin surprised everyone. He gave a roar of fury and turned on Amon, pinning him to the wall with his hands.
"What did you do to her?"
Amon's eyes showed surprise, but it quickly faded. With a few maneuvers, he undid Tenzin's grasp on him and had the Airbending master's arm twisted behind him. Korra found herself on her feet with Mako.
"Amon, let him go."
For a moment, Amon seemed like he wasn't going to. Reluctantly, he let Tenzin go. Tenzin struggled to his feet, rubbing his wrists. Korra looked over at Chief Beifong. She was sitting up and looked pale, but she seemed otherwise unharmed. Amon began to walk toward the door when multiple wires wrapped themselves around his torso, trapping his arms. Korra and Mako went over to help Chief Beifong to her feet. Amon spoke as Chief Beifong tried to get her bearings.
"If you want that scientist to live, I suggest you get a healer in there very soon."
Chief Beifong shot Amon an angry look before barking the order at one of the officers. Her wires replaced his as he hurried off to get a healer. Korra walked up to Amon. She tried as best she could to talk in a commanding tone.
"You're going to tell us exactly where all of the labs are and if you don't, I'll leave you to the mercy of Chief Beifong."
"The locations of the lab aren't all he knows."
Chief Beifong walked out of the scientists holding room, looking grim.
"That scientist told him where Kayne is."
Chief Beifong looked out over the ninety fighters that lay before her. She was overseeing the final preparations. Tenzin stood next to her. As much as she argued that, since she was chief of police, she should lead the battle, Tenzin wouldn't have any of it. He insisted that he be there. She felt like he was babysitting her. She could do this herself just fine. She mentally scolded herself. This wasn't an ordinary mission. She should be grateful that she had his support.
"Tenzin?"
"Hm?"
"I…Thanks."
Tenzin gave her a small smile.
"Just like old times."
Chief Beifong allowed herself a genuine smile.
"Yeah…just like old times."
Her smile faded as one of her newly promoted Captains arrived to give her a status report.
"Captain Bolin, report."
"Yes ma'am! We're almost ready on the east side, the north side has run into a snag due to low water pressure on the hoses. It's taking the tanks longer to fill. West side is finalizing the head count, and all that's left is here."
Chief Beifong nodded. She took out a radio and tuned it to a secure channel.
"All strike teams report in."
There was some static before the teams sounded off.
"This is Jinhzi form strike team one. In position."
"Bastion, team two. Awaiting further instruction."
"Korra and Mako here. Team three is ready."
"Akali. Can we get this thing going? I'm tired of waiting."
"Masao Tadashi reporting. We are prepared for battle."
Satisfied, Chief Beifong took out the spare communicator and handed it to Bolin. He looked confused.
"Ma'am?"
"There are six strike teams. Five of the six leaders are in position."
Bolin's face lit up like it was Christmas.
"You mean…"
Chief Beifong smiled and nodded.
"Go get in position with your strike team, Captain."
Bolin nodded enthusiastically.
"You got it ma'am!"
He ran off. Chief Beifong turned her attention back to the preparations, which were almost complete. She closed her eyes and focused what time she had left on how she would defeat the immanent treat to her and her city.
Korra peeked out from behind her cover, hiding in the shadows. Nothing much had changed in the few minutes it'd been since she last checked. The two guards were still there. She exhaled nervously and looked back at her team. Thirteen special forces Metalbenders lay low, awaiting her command. Mako was next to her and Amon next to him. Korra jumped as her radio crackled, she turned down the volume and listened intently. She was shocked as she heard Bolin's voice over the radio.
"Captain Bolin here with strike team six. We are ready to rock!"
"Bolin?"
"Oh! Hi Korra! Is Mako there?"
Mako stared at the radio, dumbstruck.
"Bolin?"
"Hey Mako!"
"Bolin, what are you doing?"
"Chief Beifong put me in charge of strike team six."
"…Why?"
"Hey!"
Mako closed his eyes, his brow furrowed. The concern he had for his little brother was etched into every line on his face.
"Fine. Just…Be careful."
"Don't worry. I'll be fine. Bolin out."
The radio crackled once more, then went silent. Mako and Korra looked at each other. They both sighed. The radio crackled once more, then Chief Beifong's voice came over.
"All units, move out. We strike now and we strike hard."
Chief Beifong heard them before she saw them. She instantly recognized the inhuman roars of Maulers. She led her forces through the city streets, expecting to run into them around any corner. She became extremely wary when they did not. She found herself nearing central station, the same place where she first encountered the things. As she got closer, she saw, standing near Zuko's ruined statue, were two Maulers and a group of chi blockers. Chief Beifong's forces outnumbered them seventeen to one, but something didn't feel right. She thought she heard several more Maulers than there were. She held up the signal that meant "proceed with caution." The group didn't seem to have detected their presence yet. Chief Beifong motioned and several Earthbenders, some of which being her own police force, stepped foreword. In unison they all bended large boulders out of the earth and compacted them as much as possible. They stood at the ready, awaiting the signal to open fire. Chief Beifong's hand fell and fifteen boulders were blasted at the group, who noticed slightly too late. The chi blockers managed to dodge most of them. Seven went down and seven more managed to escape the barrage. The two Maulers took the brunt of the beating. One of them seemed unfazed, but the other roared in anger and pain, one of it's clawed arms dangling at an odd angle at its side. Chief Beifong signaled a full attack and the entire unit charged forward…right into a trap. Five more maulers leapt down from the rooftops, landing right in the middle of Chief Beifong's men. Another twelve chi blockers accompanied the Maulers, materializing from the shadows like ghosts. The confident charge quickly became a hasty retreat. The Maulers carved a huge path through their ranks. Chief Beifong tried to make herself be heard above the sounds of battle.
"Focus on the Mauler's first! Pledgeshield formation!"
Her troops quickly assumed their ranks. They began to force back the attack. Six benders were focusing a Mauler, while three covered their backs and fended off any chi blockers that came their way. A short time later, the first Mauler went down. It took the combined strength of three Firebenders, two Earthbenders, and a Waterbender to do so. Five Mauler's remained. Chief Beifong barely had time to feel relieved. A Mauler had beaten the six benders attacking it and knocked the other three aside. With it's terrible roar, it charged toward her. She leaped up and out of the way. She clenched her fists and two plates on her arms elongated, becoming long swords. Hoping for the best, she charged toward the beast, unaware of chi blocker reinforcements coming up from behind.
Kora felt herself being gently shaken awake. She shook her head, trying to clear her foggy mind. She was leaning up against Mako, who was in an uncomfortable position. She lurched away from him and he stretched his arm, wincing.
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to fall asleep…"
Mako gave her a small smile.
"It's fine. You haven't slept in a couple days so I wasn't about to wake you. Plus you look pretty cute when you-"
His eyes suddenly became hard and he looked past her. He pointed toward the door. Korra turned around and snuck a peek from their hiding place. The guards were talking with each other, making frantic hand motions. Shortly after, they both rushed inside. A minute went by with no activity. Korra was on full alert now. Another minute went by. Korra felt herself getting tenser by the second. If something went wrong…After a half a minute passed, a giant door camouflaged to look like the building's wall opened up and chi blockers flooded out. They were headed in the direction that Korra knew Chief Beifong's faction was fighting. She went for her radio.
"This is Korra with an update. The lab just emptied, we're going in."
She turned the radio's volume to low and motioned for her team to advance. They ran as quickly and silently as they could. They reached the door just as it was closing. Two Metalbenders quickly jammed the doors long enough for the rest of them to get through. They were in. They sped down the hallway, being as quiet as shadows. They neared a corner and Korra held up a fist. The party halted. Korra peeked around the corner to see three chi blockers having a quiet conversation. Korra ducked back behind her cover. She held up three fingers, then made a triangle shape. Three Metalbenders nodded and sunk into the earth. A moment later, Korra heard three muffled thumps. She looked around the corner and saw the three Metalbenders standing there, the chi blockers unconscious at their feet. Korra was impressed.
Man, these guys are good…
They sprinted through the door and came to an elevator. Skipping the elevator, they rode down on the shaft. At the end of the shaft was a large metal door. Korra pressed her ear against it, but heard nothing. She turned back to her team and shook her head. Looking at her team, she felt something a little off. Someone was missing. Amon wasn't with them anymore. She cursed herself mentally for not keeping a better eye on him. A Metalbender stepped forward and motioned for her to step away from the door. He put his palm against the metal and closed his eyes. He pushed hard. Nothing happened. Korra was confused. Shouldn't the door have been destroyed? The Metalbender stood still for a moment, then moved back. He turned to Korra and held up seven fingers. He put four down, leaving up three, and made a series of punching motions. He put up one more and made an "x" with his arms. Korra understood.
Three chi blockers and four other guys who aren't threats.
She nodded and the Metalbender motioned for his men to get into position. Korra braced herself for whatever was on the other side of that door.
Chief Beifong barely had time to react before the thing was on her. Just as she dealt the final blow to the Mauler she charged, she whirled to find one right at her back. She knew she didn't have enough time to block the blow or leap aside. She braced herself for the impact. It never came. A jet of flames caused the Mauler's bandages to catch on fire and it screamed in agony. Chief Beifong looked around to see the girl who she led to Korra after the rally, Violet. Violet's eyes were frightened, but she stood her ground as the thing turned on her, platinum claws spread wide. She shot another jet of flames right into the thing's mouth. Its scream became a gurgle as its lung's seared. Chief Beifong heard a roar, human this time, coming from her right. Another boy from the night after the rally, Tig charged towards the beast. He sunk his arm into the ground, coating it in heavily packed earth. He leapt up and brought the full force of his massive arm down on the beast's skull. Chief Beifong heard a sickening crack and the beast stumbled before it finally crashed to the ground. Nearby, Leon was weaving in and out of the fray, causing heavy damage, wielding a pair of daggers.
Not bad for a bunch of kids…
She couldn't afford to appreciate them. She had another wave of chi blockers incoming. She gathered as much strength as she could muster. With a loud cry, she brought her entire weight down on her right leg as she stomped the ground. Pillars of earth rose in a shockwave to meet the chi blockers. It left unmoving bodies in its wake. Chief Beifong gasped as her leg gave out and she fell to her knee. She hadn't done that in a long, long time, and her body wasn't as young as it used to be. She began to feel weary. If this battle dragged on for much longer, she didn't know if she had the strength to keep fighting. A chi blocker spotted her and flung a dagger at her. It hit an invisible wall and clattered to the ground, inches from her face. Chief Beifong looked up to see Tenzin drop in from nowhere and blast the chi blocker into a nearby Mauler. The Mauler tore it to shreds, unhappy that it disrupted its rampage.
"Lin, are you alright?"
Tenzin's back was to her. He was fending off chi blockers left and right, protecting her as best he could. She was glad he was on her side. She was about to speak when she heard a crackle. The radio. She grabbed for it and put it against her ear, the volume maxed out.
"Akali here. The lab has been whipped out. All that's left is to torch this place. It was honestly pretty easy."
One down, five to go. Chief Beifong felt a second wind and she stood. Her leg throbbed slightly, but it was just a torn muscle. She could still fight. She moved next to Tenzin and their fighting patters synchronized. They moved together, accenting each other's strengths and covering their weaknesses. Still, chi blockers continued to flow, like a never ending tide, hell bent on overtaking them.
It took two Metalbenders to fell the massive door. They slammed their fists against it and it peeled like an over ripe star fruit. Korra surged in, Mako and the Metalbenders hot on her heels. There were giant tanks filled with a green, opaque liquid. Floating inside were the things that Korra ran into when she went on that patrol with Chief Beifong. She vaguely remembered Kayne calling them "Maulers." Korra barely had time to register a dagger flying at her head before she ducked. She felt the blade tug at her hair. Straightening, she sent a ball of fire at the chi blocker. He skidded across the floor, unconscious. The team quickly subdued the rest of the chi blockers and the scientists. Korra looked around. There were at least fifty tanks filled with Maulers, each at a different stage of mutation. Korra felt her stomach churn and looked away. One of the Metalbenders approached her.
"Ma'am, the lab is secure."
Korra nodded.
"I need you to do something. I need you to search this entire place for Amon."
The Metalbender nodded and slammed his foot into the ground along with his palm. A few moments later he stood, glanced straight up, and then tacked Korra. The wind was knocked out of her as she fell. Struggling to breathe, Korra sat up and saw that the ceiling had collapsed. Amon was clawing his way out of the wreckage, coughing. He looked battered and was burned in several places. There were four scratches on his mask. He crawled away from the collapsed ceiling just as the thing dropped down. Korra instinctively scrambled away from it. It straightened up and surveyed the room. It was about as tall as Korra was. It was extremely pale, and black veins spidered across its pale flesh. It was made of pure muscle. The thing had no hair anywhere. It had no nose or mouth, only two large slits for nostrils. They flared as the thing breathed. Its eyes were large and completely black, no white or pupil. Clusters of black veins crawled across its face, seeming to stem from its eyes. The only color the thing showed were its hands, which glowed red under the skin. The thing seemed to have found a target and it moved extremely quickly. Before he could react, a Metalbender found his neck in the thing's grasp. The thing tilted its head to the side and Korra heard a loud crack as the Metalbenders neck snapped along with its armor. The thing casually tossed it aside. The other Metalbenders sprang into action. Multiple pairs of wires coiled themselves around the thing. It didn't budge. Instead, its entire body glowed red and the wires melted. Now freed, the thing turned and flung what looked like molten lava towards the Metalbenders. All of the Metalbenders managed to avoid it but one. He screamed as the stuff quickly melted through his armor and burned his flesh. He flung away his armor before it managed to eat into him. His armor skidded on the floor and was melted into slag by the corrosive red glop. As the thing turned, Korra realized that the thing actually flung parts of itself. Most of its right hand was missing and, as Korra watched, it began to grow back. The thing flexed its hand then looked towards the strike team. All at once, they all exploded into action. A deluge of earth and fire was thrown at the thing, but it somehow managed to dodge everything they threw at it. Korra gritted her teeth as she sent a hurricane of wind at it, only for it to leap over it and shoot a jet of itself at Mako. He narrowly avoided it.
This thing…is…too…FAST! We need to slow it down somehow…
\Korra looked around at the tanks suspending the Maulers. It would have to do. Picking up a boulder, Korra bended it around the room, smashing as many of the tanks in the area as she could. She turned and saw that the Metalbenders were all unconscious. Mako was slumped against a far wall, attempting to stand. The thing stood above Amon, who was helpless before it. It raised its hand. Without thinking, Korra froze her arm in a huge block of ice and leapt in front of Amon. She felt the heat from the thing as it melted through the ice. She screamed as it began searing her flesh. The thing was suddenly blasted back. Amon had delivered an earth shattering kick to its midsection. The thing skittered across the floor then righted itself. It seemed injured. Korra's arm was still burning as the corrosive slag began eating her skin. Hurriedly, she bend a large amount of water onto her arm and the slag cooled. It dissolved into nothingness. Kora fell to her knees panting. She felt shaken. Her hand trembled as it touched the place where the slag had been. It was blood red and smoked a little. She looked over at Amon. He was looking down at her, bent over slightly and holding his side. His yellow eyes looked surprised.
"Why did you save me?"
"Because you're on my team, and I always look out for my teammates."
Amon scoffed and shook his head.
"Reckless…and stupid. You could have gotten yourself killed. You're lucky I-"
But Korra didn't get to hear why she was lucky. Amon stopped himself and grabbed Korra by the back of her jacket. He flung her away and she slid across the wet floor and her head hit a table hard. Her vision blurred around the edges as she stood.
"Korra!"
Mako was running toward her. She looked over at Amon. He stood, his legs trembling as the hand of the thing pierced through his chest. He coughed up blood and grabbed the thing.
"Freeze it!"
Korra called upon the rest of her strength to bring all of the liquid from the tanks around Amon and the thing. It froze instantly. As soon as it did, the thing began to dissolve. A few seconds passed and the thing was gone. Korra unfroze the sphere and stumbled toward Amon. She collapsed at his side.
"Amon…"
Tears she'd never thought she'd shed for Amon fell down her cheeks as she looked into the masked face of her former enemy. She moved to take off his mask, but a hand stopped her. It was his. He took a shuddering breath, and chuckled.
"I…am such…a fool…"
He coughed and blood tricked out from under his mask. Korra moved to heal him with the liquid, but his hand stopped her. Despite his injuries, Amon was still quite strong.
"Don't…bother…You have more…pressing matters…"
He coughed again.
"Cabbage Corp building…secret lab under…Kayne's there…"
He grabbed Korra by the back of the neck and moved his head closer to hers.
"Prove to me…you were worth saving…"
His hand fell away from her and he was still. For a moment, Korra couldn't move. She couldn't think. All she could do was feel angry that, after all he went through, all of his hardships, Kayne took everything from him and left him for dead. Korra stood and looked at Mako. His eyes were hard. She looked around at the other Metalbenders. They haven't woken up yet. She walked toward the exit.
"It's you and me Mako. Let's finish this."
A great cheer rose up from the faction as Chief Beifong plunged her arm blade into the last living Mauler. Bloody and bruised, she straightened. The last of the reinforcements had been defeated. Her radio crackled.
Not a moment too soon…
She answered it.
"Go for Beifong."
"This is Masao. The lab has been destroyed. Now, as for our agreement-"
Chief Beifong switched channels. She wasn't in the mood. Another voice came over.
"Bolin here. Our lab is good to be blown to bits!"
Chief Beifong felt a wave of relief crash over her as another voice came over.
"This is Bastion. Our lab has been destroyed. We rendezvoused with Jinzhi's team a while back. We're currently mopping up survivors."
Chief Beifong only had one order of business left.
"Korra, come in."
Nothing. Chief Beifong's sense of calm slowly started to slip away from her.
"Korra, come in!"
No answer. Chief Beifong moved through the crowd to find Tenzin. He was standing near Zuko's statue, conductiong the treatment of the wounded and collecting the dead. He turned as she called out to him.
"Lin, what is it?"
"Korra's missing."
Without another word, the two ran off in the direction of the Lab Korra's strike team hit. Chief Beifong hoped that they weren't too late.
End Chapter 9
Please review and tell me what you think.
*A special thank you to C.T. Moon for allowing me the use of his characters (Violet, Tig, and Leon) Be sure to check out their original roles in Unexpected Friends, another Legend of Korra fanfic.*
Next: Final Chapter: Requiem