Chapter Twenty Nine
"My sweet Asami. Those screams are downright…marvelous. How do you manage to be in pain and still sound so beautiful?"
Asami whimpers in response. Sweat coats her clothes causing them to stick to her newly bruised flesh. They'd barely just begun, but she was already ready to beg.
For mercy, for release, for…anything. She'd promise the moon if they'd just stop.
The one in charge grabs her face and studies her. He smiles at the tears in her eyes, the trembling of her lips. Then, he wrenches her head back forcefully by her hair, exposing her neck. He shoots her with a needle of something extremely potent.
Her entire body feels like it's been thrown into a volcano. She screams until her throat is raw as the chemicals make her feel like she's been torn apart from the inside. Then, the world closes in on her.
Her sleep is a nightmare filled roller coaster.
#
Hiroshi calls the number back twelve times, but there's still no response. He's broken two lamps and a laptop in his rage. Never before has he ever felt this helpless; not even when his wife passed away.
What would she think of him now?
'I could lose her. I could lose everything,' he thinks.
He scrambles to rummage through his desk as he looks for his other phone. He'd have to call his computer guy immediately to have him destroy anything that could link them. First, he needs help.
He dials the number. They pick up on the third ring. "Hiroshi."
"They have my daughter." He nearly loses his composure.
Silence.
"Please."
"I can't help you, Hiroshi. They know who I am. They sent a photo of my daughter on campus to me and told me to stay out of it. I'm sorry."
"I'll pay you more than I've ever-,"
The line clicks dead.
#
"I've got a name for you, buddy, just like I said I would." The man's hands tremble slightly as he eyes Tenzin.
Tenzin pats him on the back. "I knew I could count on you. You earned every penny."
"His name's Carlos Block. His friends call him C-Block. Wh-what are you going to do with him?"
Tenzin pulls his gun and checks the chamber. "Don't you worry about that. No one will ever know you spoke to me."
"Sure, sure. You uh, I'll just see you later then."
Tenzin smiles with the grin of a shark. "I'm sure you will."
#
Jinora covers her face with both hands as Kya rubs her back. Pema had just shown up as well as Akari and Baatar Jr. They'd all come to support Korra. Jinora looks up at the sound of footsteps.
"We came as soon as we heard. Has there been any word?" Baatar asks.
"No, not yet. They haven't decided when they're going to wake her up yet. Until then, they won't know the extent of the damage," Kya explains.
"So, somebody just left her on the street like that to die? That is absolutely horrible," Akari says, voice filled with sadness.
"Is there any word on Asami?" Baatar whispers.
Jinora looks at Baatar and then at Akari and shakes her head. Then, she gets up and storms away. Akari moves to follow her, but Pema stops her.
"I just want to help," she says quietly.
"I know, sweetheart, but right now she needs to blow off some steam. Korra is practically her sister. She's scared."
#
"Kuvira and the chief are meeting us back here. Lin has an officer giving a statement to the press right now. In the meantime, we're not going to mention a word about Asami," Mako tells them.
"Well, let's get started. What do we know?" Iroh asks as he steps to the board.
"We know that it's awfully convenient that there are two explosions involving Future Industries and then Hiroshi's daughter gets kidnapped."
"That son of a bitch knows who did this," Lin snaps as she stomps through the door, hands on her hips. Kuvira follows, a look of pure hate on her face.
"What did he say?" Bolin asks.
"That he knows nothing."
"Can we bring him in?" Iroh asks.
"Not yet. It'll cause a media circus."
"I might have something on him that'll make him be a little more cooperative," Opal tells them. She pulls a file out of her drawer and drops it on the table. "I haven't put this all together yet, but I think Mr. Sato has been involved in illegal activity for some time."
"Can we prove it?" Lin asks as she grabs the file and thumbs through it.
"Possibly. I haven't really had a chance to really get into it."
"How did you get this?" Kuvira asks.
She looks at Kuvira and then Lin. "I started digging when he was being all secretive with those security tapes. He gives me the creeps."
"Yeah, it's hard to believe that Asami is the fruit of his loins," Bolin says.
Mako just gives him a look and pinches the bridge of his nose.
"Well, we have to do this for Korra and for Asami. If Hiroshi is the target, we'll have to keep an eye on him. I want her found by any means necessary. Just find her. We'll worry about building a case later." Lin turns on her heel and storms out. Tenzin had left her a message.
"Well…" Mako looks to Kuvira for her orders.
"Iroh, I need you to go back to Sato's residence and watch him. If he leaves, you let us know. If he does anything stupid, you haul his ass to the box. Bolin, help Opal tap into traffic cams and get a plate number, visual, anything that'll help us catch these bastards. Mako and I will be going through these papers. We need answers in hours or less. We don't sleep until we have Asami back. Are we clear?"
"We're not going anywhere, sarge. She's family."
"Damn right."
"I'm going to go suit up. I'll call you if anything changes," Iroh says. He glances over to Mako and hesitates.
Mako looks at him and closes the distance, placing a quick kiss to his lips. "You be careful out there. Don't do anything stupid."
Iroh squeezes his hand and then nods. He jogs out the door, fighting the urge to pop a pill in his mouth.
#
Jinora leans against the door to the bathroom and allows her tears to fall. She doesn't know why this is affecting her so hard this time around, but it was. She's scared for Korra and even more scared for Asami. If they didn't find her and Korra woke up, she'd never be the same again.
Korra had always been there for Jinora, no questions asked.
She remembered when she had an "accident" and bled through her pants and Korra didn't hesitate to give her her basketball shorts that she was wearing and ran down the street in her boxers all the way back home. She remembered when Korra would lie there and listen to her poetry at night when no one else felt like it. She remembered when Korra took her to the movies after her own date had stood her up. She remembered how happy Korra was for her when she got accepted into her university, how she told anyone who asked (or didn't) how smart Jinora was.
Korra had always been there for her. She'd be here for her now. She had to stay strong so that when Korra woke up, she wouldn't have to worry. Hopefully, they'd find Asami before then. She'd be alive. She had to.
Jinora's phone vibrates with a message. She pulls it from her hoodie and stares at the blinking light for a few seconds.
The message isn't from the krew, however. It's from Kai.
I'm omw., he says.
In some ways, Kai reminds her of Korra. She needs that positive energy right now. She realizes how much she really needs both of them in her life.
#
Hiroshi's phone finally rings. He wastes no time picking it up. "What do you want from me?"
"I don't hear enough pleading in your voice."
Rage flashes across his face, but he pushes it down. "What do you want? Please. I'm listening."
"We don't need you anymore actually. We have a plan in place for our father. This is just the cost of doing business, Hiroshi. You'll get your daughter back. Eventually."
The line almost gets disconnected, but he screams.
"No! No! Please. Wait. I'm begging you. What do I have to do? She's all I have left. Please." Tears race down his cheek as he grips the phone tightly. All of the pride he had left disappears.
He laughs on the other end. "Now, that's more like it. Although, the pleading that your daughter has done was much, much more thrilling."
With that, his phone beeps again revealing a set of pictures. Hiroshi scrolls through and looks at his daughter's swollen face, her purple skin, her matted hair. He's going to be sick.
"We want you to do one of two things. You see, we're benevolent beings and we feel that you at least deserve a choice. You can either tell the police how you funneled drugs through your business and onto the beautiful streets of Republic City or you can admit that you planted those explosives yourself in order to collect the insurance to boost your business."
"What? I'll go to jail! I can't…"
"It's either you or your daughter. I'll give you a few hours to make a decision. You choose. But, if I know anything about you, Hiroshi, it's that you're a selfish, self-serving bastard and that you'll pick yourself every time- even over your flesh and blood. Prove me wrong, Sato."
"There has to be another way. I'll pay anything…"
He laughs. "You're everything I thought you to be. I'll be sure to let your daughter know that you won't be saving her anytime soon."
"No, let's negotiate. We can make a deal."
"Hours, Hiroshi. That's all she has left." He hangs up.
#
"Lin, I got a name and I'm headed there now. Just in case things don't go well on my end, I want you to tell Pema…"
"Tenzin, you'll be fine. Who's this guy?"
"He goes by C-Block. He's one of the guys that attacked them. He has to know Asami's location."
"Okay. Let's hang back for a second. I want you to just sit on this guy and see if he makes any more moves. You call me and let me know and I'll send Kuvira to your location. I need you to stay undercover a little bit longer."
"Why? Don't you think that this takes precedence over Yakone's case?"
"You're right, but, there are some things that still need to be done outside of the law. I don't want you barging in as a cop just yet. This is Asami's life we're talking about."
"I understand. How's Korra?"
"She hasn't woken up yet, but that's not a good or bad sign. They've been purposely keeping her under."
"And Hiroshi?"
"That's where you come in. Opal says that he has a private warehouse under another name. I need you to break into it if there's time. For now, just stick with C-Block."
"Why can't some uniforms just check it out?"
"Because, if you find nothing, I want it to go up in flames. That'll rattle him and he'll make a mistake."
"Ah."
"Any means necessary, Tenzin."
"We can't forget that we're the good guys, Lin. Some things just aren't worth it."
"Well, this one is. I know who I am and I sleep just fine at night. The question is, if anything happens to either of them, will you?"
"I don't like it, but I'll do it."
"I know you will. That's why you're the best."
#
"Asami, wake up. It's time for an activity."
She doesn't stir.
He takes a bucket of cold water and dumps it on her. She wakes up with a gasp and then a howl of pain. It doesn't take long before she releases the contents of her stomach. Vomit coats her shirt and clothes.
"Nasty."
He throws another bucket of water on her, removing some of the bile. She shivers and hangs her head down.
At least there are no more nightmares.
"Asami. Sato. Heiress. Police Officer. You do it all don't you? You know, your daddy had someone watching you just in case something like this were to happen. The problem is, he didn't know that we paid them off. Now, they're somewhere lounging on a beach while you're tied to this chair. Pity."
"Please, no more."
"Please. I've been hearing that word a lot today. You know, I'm really sorry to tell you this, but that word really has no effect on us. Oh, and I just got word that your little friend from the hospital may not make it. In fact, my girl should be there now to finish her off with a little something in her i.v. Too bad, but I don't like loose ends."
At that, Asami perks up. "No, no, no!" She fights against her restraints until she topples over. Her shoulder hits the concrete and an explosion of pain erupts in her joints. But, fight as she might, she doesn't break free. "Korra!" she cries, helpless to do anything at all. "No, Korra, no." She chants over and over.
They watch her hysterics with smug looks and then walk back out the room. There are plenty of ways to torture a person. They'd master them all.
#
They are finally able to go back and see Korra, two at a time. Kai had just arrived in his blue firefighter squad jacket. The rest of them let him go back with Jinora to sit with Korra. Her head is wrapped and she has a breathing tube in her mouth. At the sight, Jinora lets out a whimper and Kai pulls her close. Her face is pressed into his chest and he wraps his strong arms around her.
"It'll be okay, Nora. If she's half as stubborn as you say she is, she'll pull through. Sure she'll have to sit on the sidelines for a while, but she'll be good as new. You have to believe that."
"I do, it's just that head wounds are so tricky and this is the second one in as many months. I want her to come back to us as our Korra."
"She will. You have to send her positive thoughts. You have to believe in her. Hold her hand and tell her that you love her."
"Okay," Jinora says quietly. She walks over to the bed and stares at the caramel skinned woman. Her friend, her sister. "Hey you. Always sleeping on the job, huh." She smiles even though it's so very hard. "You better not quit on us. We still have things to do, places to see. Your girl is waiting for you and so is all that paperwork you've been putting off." Jinora grabs Korra's hand. "I love you, Kor. It seems like you're always the one that has to suffer the most and I hate it. You don't deserve this. You deserve peace and to be with your loved ones. But, this is the life you've chosen. You're an amazing person and I can't wait to see your smile again." Jinora bends down and kisses Korra on the cheek. Then, she sits beside her as Kai comes over and rubs her neck.
"She's lucky to have you," Kai tells her.
"Nope," Jinora shakes her head. "I'm the lucky one."
They sit for about twenty minutes before they decide that it's time to let someone else see her. Besides, she's ready to get an update from the team. Maybe she can start working a profile in her head. They head out and get to the doors when Kai remembers his cell phone was left in the room.
"I'll be right back," he tells Jinora as he heads back around the corner and down the hall to her room.
When he gets there, he finds a nurse with a needle putting it into Korra's i.v.
"What are you doing?" he asks as she starts to plunge the liquid.
Startled, she pulls it out quickly. "The Dr. ordered her some morphine."
"A nurse about ten minutes ago just did that. She wouldn't need anything else this quickly." He looks at her with his head tilted, studying.
She makes a move to insert more of the liquid into the i.v., but he rushes over and rips it out of Korra's arm.
"What are you doing?" the nurse hisses.
Kai steps forward in a move to take the needle, but the nurse sucker punches him in the jaw. He staggers back and she kicks him in the shin and tries to go around him. But, he doesn't go down like she expects and he slams her hard against the wall causing her to drop the needle. Others hear the commotion and call for security as the woman tries to break free of Kai's iron grip. She tries to kick him again and wrench free of his arm with a move, but he's prepared and spins her around, her face slamming into the wall.
"Don't even fucking move," he warns, pressing his weight up against her.
She still struggles, but by this time, two officers and security show up and pull him away. They almost let her go, but Kai cries, "She's not a real nurse, she attacked detective Korra."
They look at her and she tries to pretend like she doesn't know what he's talking about. But, the Dr. shows up as well as the head nurse. They both ask, "Who are you?" in unison and the officers waste no time in taking her down as well. She spits on Kai, but he just wipes it off with a smirk.
"Fuck you too, bitch."
The rest of the group heard the commotion and snuck back to see what was happening. After they hear the story, they demand that Korra have two guards on her at all times. Kya calls Lin and she personally heads back to the hospital to pick up the would-be assassin.
She reads the woman her rights as she walks her out the door leaving the other officers to take Kai's statement.
"You picked the wrong people to fuck with. I'm going to make you regret it for the rest of your life," Lin tells her.
