Title: The Trophy Wife
Rating: M
Words: 3166
Fandom: The Legend of Korra
Characters/Pairings: Everyone; Amorra, Masami
Author's Note: I had some fun with this chapter, if only because I felt it was a great way to show that progress, slow as it may be, was actually happening between benders and non-benders.
The first raid on a Triad is successful on multiple fronts. Meanwhile, tension continues to mount between Hiroshi Sato and Amon.
A egantic thank you to my beta Relic who pointed out a plot hole the size of Jupiter. I'm still not sure how I missed that.
Korra's hands were still shaking as she came down from the adrenaline rush of their very first raid against a Triad stronghold. She had thought that the first raid against the chi blocker's training camp had been bad, but the Triads were far more lethal.
"Are you okay?" Amon asked, leaning in as if he were inquiring after injuries. There was nothing about his posture that spoke of any kind of concern for her. However Korra could sense his unease by the way he hovered close by.
"I'm okay, I think," she answered. "You?"
"Unscathed. We've done very well with this raid, not only have we made several arrests, but there is quite a bit of evidence located here that can lock them away for a very long time."
"A smashing success, wouldn't you say?" Tarrlok said as he came up and wrapped his arm affectionately around Korra's shoulders. "I think that this calls for a toast later on."
"Tarrlok, unhand her," Amon growled.
Releasing her, Tarrlok flashed a charming smile at his brother. "Pardon my exuberance," he apologized. "Quite remarkable what you've done here."
"Yes, well it isn't too hard to succeed where you failed,"Amon answered.
"Oh, you're hilarious," Tarrlok grumbled. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to start processing the paperwork."
"Better you than me," Amon replied. "I fully intend on celebrating with Korra tonight."
Tarrlok grimaced. "I never needed to know that."
Behind the mask both Korra and Tarrlok knew that Amon was smirking at them.
"So how successful would you say we were?" Korra asked as she and Amon worked their way through the gathered crowd to where the truck they arrived in was parked. They ignored the flash bulbs and the shouted questions from the press, quietly acknowledging their success rather than posing like trained animals for the public.
"Roughly two thirds of the Agni Kais were taken down tonight," Amon guessed. "I'm willing to bet that the ones that are left are going to attempt to strike back, but their numbers are hardly a threat, on top of which we managed to apprehend the really high ranking members. However the more high profile members of the task force will have guards posted at their homes. Whatever they attempt will surely be vicious."
Korra nodded as leaned against the back of the truck. "Well, even though we didn't get everyone, I would still count this as a win in my book."
"I would agree with that sentiment." Inclining his head, Amon noted that they had company. Asami, Mako, and Bolin wandered over, Asami flexing her hand in the electric glove with nervous energy. "Miss Sato, boys."
Asami flashed a tired smile. She had been particularly vicious during the fighting, the raid against the Agni Kai's being far more personal to her than the others. "Chief BeiFong says that we managed to apprehend over half of the known Agni Kais."
"I'm willing to say two thirds," Amon replied. "All in all tonight was a success. I'll tell everyone to take a few days off during the debriefing back at the police station."
"We'll see you there, then," Mako nodded. Looping his arm around her waist he pulled Asami into a hug, rubbing soothing circles on her back. Bolin chattered excitedly about everything that happened that evening as he trailed along behind them, celebrating with whomever was close by.
"We'll leave when everything calms down," Amon said, watching as task force members rounded up the arrested Triad members and loaded them into the back of the police wagons.
"Shouldn't we be helping or something?" Korra asked, frowning in thought. "I don't like just standing idly by while everyone else is busy."
"Perhaps you should go speak to the gathered citizens, make inquiries as to any injuries that might have been sustained during the raid. No doubt such a gesture from the Avatar would be quite meaningful," Amon replied. "I'll remain here. No point in riling everyone up again."
Korra picked her way through the sea of bodies until she reached the police barricade. She smiled at the inquisitive faces that greeted her. "Hello," she said with what she hoped was a gentle smile. "Is everyone okay?"
Several children nodded shyly while the adults glanced amongst themselves. An older woman spoke first. "There were some people in a nearby building that had a wall collapse near them."
"Are there any injuries? Bring them here, I'll make sure our medics treat them," Korra said, removing the barrier so she could get by. "Are there any that might be trapped?"
"Maybe. There are still a few unaccounted for," the woman said as she led the way.
"Are there any benders in the crowd?" Korra called. Several men and women and children raised their hands. "Earthbenders?"
A few hands dropped, but most seemed to still be up. "Bricks are still earth. Come on, I want you to help me look for survivors."
The volunteers trotted along behind Korra, headed towards the one building that had been caught in the crossfire of the raid against the Agni Kais. The smoking ruin made Korra's stomach lurch. She had been promised that no one would be hurt, but she supposed that as the Agni Kais fought back, civilian casualties were inevitable.
"What do we do about the fire, Avatar?" a teenaged boy asked.
"I'll take care of it," she answered, waving her arms through the air, summoning the flames towards her and then extinguishing them.
"Well that takes care of the fire," the woman noted, "but the air is terrible. I can barely breathe."
"On it," Korra murmured, hoping that she wasn't about to fan any remaining embers into a giant blaze she'd need more help to contain. Manipulating the wind, she cleared the air, dispersing the smoke and the dust. "Everything okay now?"
"Yeah," a man said as he approached the pile of rubble. Falling into stance, he removed a pile of bricks and shuffled them to an empty lot adjacent to the building. The others fell into rhythm and soon an excavation line of sorts formed as they passed the debris from one person to the next, with a team of three taking the bricks and stacking them in the lot.
As people became visible, other volunteers waded through debris, pulling them to safety. Several waterbenders had gathered at the fringe of the rescue operation, administering first aid while non-benders fetched blankets and bandages and ran between the healers who were treating the task force members with instructions on how to start treating the more serious cases.
Once all of the debris was cleared and all people accounted for, Korra felt like she was ready to collapse. She swayed, stopping when she collided with something, or rather someone, rather solid. "You've overworked yourself."
Blinking slowly up at her husband, Korra tried to make her eyes focus on his mask, but found she was unable to. She yawned.
"Let's go home," he murmured as he picked her up, cradling her against his chest. He inclined his head at the volunteers. "Excellent work everyone. Now if you'll excuse us, the Avatar is exhausted and will be of no more use to you should she remain."
Some waved, others nodded, but it was encouraging to see that these benders and non-benders had come together to work. Perhaps Korra was right. Perhaps he'd simply taken his personal vendetta to an extreme and refused to see any other options.
Korra fell asleep on the ride home, and didn't wake until late the next morning when she could hear the dull hum of voices from the office. Rolling out of bed and quickly getting dressed in fresh clothing, she went to get her breakfast. She was hardly surprised to find Hiroshi and Gui sitting in front of Amon's desk, going over the newspaper reports of the raid against the Agni Kais.
Turning from the giant map of Republic City that was pinned on the wall behind his desk, Amon faced his compatriots. "The primary Agni Kai stronghold was taken down last night. Chief BeiFong has informed me that all but two of the high ranking members have been captured."
"Wait, BeiFong is chief again?" Hiroshi asked. "I thought it was that Saikhan fellow."
"He was made chief because of Tarrlok's meddling, so once Tarrlok's true intentions were revealed, Saikhan resigned and BeiFong resumed her position," Korra explained.
"I wasn't asking you, Avatar." Hiroshi's words dripped with venom.
"Hey, it's not like I have a choice in overhearing your conversation," she said as she waved her chopsticks around in the air.
Amon nodded. "I didn't know the exact circumstances of Chief BeiFong's reinstatement anyway. It's a good thing that Korra was here to answer."
Hiroshi set his lips in a thin line. "Fair enough." Glancing at Amon, he shook his head. "I am never going to get used to your face."
"You aren't the only one," Amon replied. "Anyway, we've got the last of the Agni Kais on the run, and soon they'll be nothing but a memory."
"There won't be any problems about smaller gangs trying to take over, right?" Gui asked.
"The goal is that it won't happen. We're working with the courts to expedite the trials against the Triads in hopes of making them examples. Perhaps when aspiring criminals see what awaits them when they're caught, they'll be less inclined to go down that path," Amon explained.
"You've been busy," Hiroshi noted.
"I don't go to City Hall nearly every day to sit around and do nothing," Amon smirked.
"Well, I suppose knowing that those responsible for my wife's death will be held accountable is something, though I think they should all be killed."
"That's a bit harsh, don't you think?" Korra asked.
"Oh, I didn't realize you were a bleeding heart like your predecessor," Hiroshi sneered.
"Hardly," Korra scoffed. "I would like nothing more to beat those guys into a pulp, but I can't do that. They have to go to trial and be handed down punishments there."
"That is a waste of time! We all know that they're guilty of murder and extortion! And those are just two of their crimes."
"That may be the case, Sato, but that doesn't change the fact that Korra is right and they must go through the legal system," Amon said coolly. "It makes me angry as well, but we must let this go through the proper channels." Hiroshi scowled, but said nothing else. Taking the silence as acceptance, Amon nodded. "The police have been tasked with taking down the rest of the Agni Kais, and will call for assistance as necessary. I do believe that concludes everything from last night."
"This is becoming a real thing, isn't it?" Gui asked as he flipped through one of Republic City's seedier newspapers. "Taking them out and keeping them off the streets?"
"I hadn't anticipated the upswing in desperate violence following the removal of their bending, nor had it occurred to me that some might try to take justice into their own hands," Amon mused. He was still haunted by the reports of bodies beaten beyond all recognition and the bragging that had gone on from some of his followers. Killing people was so base, something his father had done. Amon was better than that, he would be benevolent and cure the benders of their illness, allowing them to live freely. He couldn't have predicted how his followers would react; how some of them would go mad with the power they were suddenly given.
"They deserve what they get," Hiroshi commented dryly. "Anyway, at the moment I have more troubling issues to deal with. My business is starting to fail. Future Industries has always been successful, but right now it seems like no matter what I try, I can't seem to make a profit."
"Do you have any idea why?" Gui asked with a frown. Future Industries was known for its well-made, reasonably priced products and the public loved them.
"Not a clue."
Korra snorted. "You're joking."
"Korra." Amon's tone carried a warning.
"What? I would have thought it would be obvious."
"Korra!"
"No, it's fine. I'm interested to hear what she has to say. I'm sure it'll be good for a laugh," Hiroshi said, leaning back in his chair.
"I don't think you'll be laughing after I'm done."
"Try me."
Korra shrugged. "You've lost business, right? Sales are dropping because people aren't buying your products."
"And how many conversations have you eavesdropped on to know that?"
"It's amazing what I hear when you think I'm not listening," Korra said with a dismissive wave. "I'm not stupid. If people don't buy your products, you're not making money."
"And what possible reason would people have for not buying my products?"
"Two words: anti-bender sentiments. Benders don't want to buy your products now that you're known as an Equalist. What possible reason would they have for supporting you? Even if your products are superior to Cabbage Corp, at least Cabbage Corp doesn't have Equalist ties. You've used your personal fortune, made from selling your products, to fund the development of weapons that are used against benders."
"That's ridiculous," Hiroshi snorted.
"Is it?" Amon asked. "Remember, we encourage our members to boycott products produced by companies that are known for discriminating against non-benders or have ties to the Triads. I suppose it works the other way as well."
"How do you plan to fix that?" Gui asked.
"I suppose a retraction is in order," Hiroshi murmured.
Korra snorted as she suppressed her laughter. "They're not going to believe you. I know I wouldn't." She fixed him with a level gaze. "Besides, it's not like you'd mean it."
"And what would you suggest?"
"I'd let Asami take over."
"Do you really think that the world would take the company seriously if it were run by a woman? Not that Asami isn't brilliant or couldn't do it, but the world of business is ruthless. They would eat her alive and I'm not about to put my little girl into tiger-shark infested waters."
Korra gave Hiroshi a flat look. "You know what, I'm done. I'm going to go down and work with the chi blockers." She rose and then left the room, slamming the door shut behind her.
Hiroshi turned to glare at Amon. "You should keep her on a tighter leash, Amon. Giving her free reign like you do is only going to end badly. She is a bender and therefore she cannot be trusted."
"I trust her with my life, Hiroshi," Amon said, his voice tight. "She has learned of the crimes benders have committed against non-benders and she works with me to rectify the situation."
"By allowing them to live?"
"I see no reason to stoop to something as base as homicide."
"Benders are a blight on society. They're all violent criminals who think that they're better than everyone else because they have been granted special abilities by the spirits. We're better off without them."
Amon's face was passive as he stared down the industrialist. Hiroshi's face was flushed, his breathing erratic. He could see the man's grip on reality slowly slipping away, consumed entirely by his need for revenge. In his eyes was a gleam of bloodlust, a gleam that was all too familiar to Amon. It was the same gleam that had consumed his father. "Perhaps you should go, Hiroshi. We've discussed everything of importance."
Hiroshi rose, giving a curt nod. "Yes, perhaps I should." He headed to the door, pausing long enough to offer a parting comment. "The Avatar has ruined you. The Equalists were destined to be great, you know, and then you took up with her and she ruined everything. You've lost sight of what's important."
To his credit, Amon didn't flinch with the door slammed shut for a second time that day.
"You need to be more careful around him," Gui said as he gathered up the newspapers and tossed them in the trash. "You'll only spur on whatever twisted schemes he's coming up with."
"Do you honestly believe that he's at the heart of the growing discontent amongst our brothers and sisters?" Amon asked as he sat down at his desk.
"You didn't hear this from me," Gui said as he leaned closer, "but he asked if I felt that you were still fit to be our leader."
"I see." He frowned. "Do you suppose he's talked to others about this?"
"I have no doubt of it," Gui replied.
This was troubling. If anyone could completely undermine his authority within the Equalists, it was Hiroshi. Leaning back in his chair, Amon tried to determine the best approach to this problem.
A knock on his door pulled him from his thoughts, and he called for the person to enter. The young chi blocker, Kyohei, walked in. "Amon, sir, I thought you'd like the injury report from last night." A manila envelope was clutched tightly in his hands.
"Thank you, Kyohei. Just drop it on my desk."
He did as instructed, stepping forward to drop the envelope bearing the official seal of Republic City's police force in the middle of Amon's desk.
"Just one last thing, Kyohei. Have you heard any complaints about my leadership since I married the Avatar?"
The young man paused, looking like a jackalope caught in the headlamps of a satomobile. "I…uh…."
"Be honest with me."
"Yes, sir. I've heard some whispering amongst the ranks. Some are starting to warm up to the Avatar, but there are several who still think that her being her, with her bending intact, is an insult to the movement."
"Any word on who's at the heart of these rumors?"
"No sir."
"Thank you, Kyohei." Amon paused as he looked at the young chi blocker standing nervously in front of him. "I would like to ask something of you."
"Sir?"
"Keep an ear out for any rumors about those who are discontent with the movement. I want you to report back to me with anything suspicious that you might overhear. I know you've grown fond of the Avatar. I fear that someone may be plotting to harm her."
Kyohei nodded. "Yes sir, of course, sir."
Satisfied that he had a faithful ally in Kyohei, Amon dismissed him.
"You're going to trust him?"
"He made the overtures to befriend the Avatar on his own, and has been instrumental in gaining support for her within the ranks. I wouldn't have asked him if I didn't think he could be trusted," Amon replied.
"Well, I suppose if you trust him, I'll trust him too. This is something that could completely upend everything we've worked for," Gui said.
"You don't have to trust him."
"But I will. I have a bad feeling about this, and you and I have been through too much to let it all fall apart like this," Gui said. "No matter what happens, Amon, I'll be by your side."
Amon smiled. "Thank you, Gui."
