Saturday, March 21st
"So tell me about the triads," Kuvira hummed, crossing her arms as she reclined in the chair in Lin's office.
"What do you want to know?" Lin raised one eyebrow.
"A general overview, that'd be nice."
"Well there's the Triple Threats, you're well acquainted by now I'm sure. They're the biggest triad in the city, well, were. It's hard to know the numbers with the Equalists killing them left and right. Then you have them separated by element. Agni Kais are firebenders, Red Monsoons are waterbenders, Terras are earth. Terras are the biggest after the Triple Threats. That's the triad Su was in when she was younger."
Kuvira's eyebrow arched up, but she didn't say anything.
"Murder, extortion, you name it, the triads do it. They have the city divided into their turfs. At first this Equalist mess was a relief, gave me something to do other than bust up their damned turf wars. But now, the city's a fucking war zone, Kuvira. And it's going to get worse."
"Least you have Viper in a cell, right?" Kuvira rolled her shoulders.
"Small comfort," Lin snorted, "I'd rather have Hiroshi Sato. But he's got the higher-ups in his back pocket. It's a joke. Equalists own the United Republic because Hiroshi owns the commander-in-chief."
"Hmm." Kuvira looked around at Lin's office, "What can I do?"
"Don't know yet, kid. I've got some ideas. Like I told Su, I could use a metalbender with skill like yours."
"So I did impress you," Kuvira smirked.
"Don't get used to it. I have high expectations."
"You haven't had dance rehearsals with Su." Kuvira grinned over at her. It got Lin to chuckle, "I think I'll take my chances at meeting your standards."
Asami had never really been to the Southern Water Tribe Cultural Center. She'd seen the building in passing, but had never had a reason to visit it. Yet there she stood in the courtyard outside the building, staring up at the statue above the fountain with Korra at her side. They were supposed to be meeting Varrick there, though Korra hadn't enjoyed the prospect. Korra had frozen when they got closer to the statue, and she was looking up at it reverently. It had taken Asami a few moments to recognize the boomerang held proudly above the statue's head. When she did, she squeezed Korra's hand.
"That's Sokka," Korra's voice was soft, and it came out almost like a prayer, "He was Tenzin's uncle. He was friends with avatar Aang, too. He was…he was my first best friend."
"I don't like statues," Korra continued, shaking her head, "They're too stiff. Too cold. Sokka wasn't like that."
Asami nodded, rubbing the back of Korra's palm with her thumb, looking up as Varrick came strutting out of the building with Zhu Li at his heels.
"Korra!" Varrick grinned, jogging down the steps outside the building, "Right on time!"
"We've been here for a while," Korra scowled at him.
"Admiring the fountain?"
"Oh yes, Varrick," Korra rolled her eyes, "As far as fountains go, this one is the best."
"Oh, lose the sour mood, Korra," Varrick threw his arms out, "I've got good news!"
"Good news you couldn't have just told us over the phone?"
"Us," Varrick glanced from Korra to Asami, "Oh yes, Asami! I remember why I wanted to talk to you!"
"I would hope so," Asami's eyebrows shot up.
"I want to talk business but your dad won't talk to me."
"I don't blame him," Korra muttered under her breath.
"Ok," Asami shrugged a little, "You can come by Future Industries this week and we'll talk, as long as you call ahead of time. We have to visit someone in the hospital soon, so we don't have a lot of time."
"Korra," Varrick was still smiling, as if he hadn't heard Asami, "I've decided to use the resources at my disposal to assist the police department!"
"And you're telling me, why?" Korra's eyebrow went up and she crossed her arms.
"I want you to suggest the idea to Raiko and Chief Beifong. I'll go with you of course but I feel like they would be more open to the idea if it comes from someone with your international influence."
"What's the catch?"
"Don't worry, Korra," Varrick's voice was sickly sweet and he moved and put his arm around both Korra and Asami's shoulder, "You just show up at the meeting, suggest the idea, then let me do the talking."
Korra removed his arm from her shoulder, stepping away from him.
"I'll go, but I'm not agreeing to do anything. You could have said all this over the phone."
"You were already on your way to the hospital, right?" Varrick shrugged, "Means you just took a detour."
"Whatever," Korra shook her head, scowling, "When do you want to meet with them?"
Shady Shin stood on the sidewalk, looking up at the apartment building. The university campus was at his back, and he took a drag of his cigarette and sighed. Glancing at his watch, he kicked at the ground, scratching his eyebrow absentmindedly. He threw his cigarette down when he heard the motorcycle come onto the street. He shoved his hands in his pockets and looked over his shoulder, watching as Kuvira parked the motorcycle and walked toward him.
"Avatar letting you use her ride?" He raised one eyebrow.
"She is," Kuvira nodded, tucking the helmet under one arm, "Don't worry, I have permission."'
He forced a chuckle and turned his attention to the sky, where the hum of the police airship could be heard.
"Well?" Kuvira crossed her arms next to him. He looked at his watch again.
"Just a minute now."
"What's going to happen?"
"You wanted him scared," he shrugged, "This is me showing I'm on your side, right?"
Kuvira grunted, looking up toward the airship. She didn't look impressed by it. They stayed silent until the airship turned, and sirens started abruptly in the distance.
"Boom." Shady Shin let out a slow breath.
"You could have killed someone!" Kuvira's eyes went wide and she shoved Shady Shin roughly.
"Settle down. It'll get the job done."
"If you got the job done without killing anyone, I guess this means we owe you."
"You don't. Korra does."
"You're confident. All the same," She shrugged. He lit another cigarette, "What's your plan with the Triple Threats?"
"Going to try and work with the other triads. Stop the Equalists."
"Hmm."
"It's going to be tough, they hate us. But I have to try, they'll kill us if we don't. Red Monsoons will probably be the easiest. Terras won't like it at all."
"Well, if you need help," Kuvira smirked, "I can be quite persuasive."
"Oh I know you can," Shady Shin blew smoke out of the corner of his mouth and his shoulders slumped, "How's Toza?"
"Worse." Kuvira shrugged "That's where Korra is."
"I'll go see him tomorrow."
"I think you said that yesterday."
"Shut up." He was scowling when she raised her eyebrow.
"Whatever," Kuvira shook her head and walked back over to the motorcycle, "If you're feeling so fucking guilty, seeing him won't hurt you."
Shady Shin didn't respond, watching her shove the helmet on her head and start the motorcycle. She nodded at him as a means of goodbye, and he didn't have the energy to even acknowledge it. He felt like he was standing in his own grave, and he just kept digging a deeper hole.
Hiroshi opened his eyes, staring up at the fluorescent lights on the ceiling outside Raiko's office. His head was throbbing, and he could feel an ache in his legs as he tried to raise his head up off the floor. Raiko was hunched over nearby, hands over his ears, protected on either side by his guards. The hallway was full of smoke, and there were debris strewn across the hall around them.
"What the fuck was that?!" Raiko shouted, looking around wildly.
'It was an explosion, idiot.' Hiroshi's head was still spinning, but he'd never felt so calm.
Raiko was in a panic, opposing the emotions overcoming Hiroshi, and he began shouting orders to clear the hallway and evacuate the building, along with orders to find out who had tried to blow his building into pieces.
"How did that even get near my office?!" Hiroshi would have found the hysterics hilarious if he wasn't in so much pain, "Get Beifong here now!"
There had been a commotion in the minutes following the order after both guards escorted Raiko to safety. Someone eventually came to Hiroshi's aid once Raiko was gone. He was lifted onto a stretcher, and he could hear Saikhan barking orders as a temporary authority figure until Lin arrived.
"How are you feeling, Mr. Sato?" The paramedic asked, loading him into the waiting ambulance.
"I'm fine," Hiroshi waved him off, seeing traces of blood on the back of his hand. He was fine. No matter how bad the pain was, he could handle it. He just pushed it from his mind, focusing instead on the calm feeling that was still lingering. He'd have to find out who to thank for this, because if he was hurt, that meant there was no way Raiko could blame him. If Raiko couldn't blame him, Hiroshi was safer than he had been, and it was a nice thought.
Asami pulled her phone out of her purse when it rang and stepped out of Toza's room into the hallway.
"Hello?"
"Asami," Hiroshi sighed when she answered, "I'm in the hospital."
"What? What happened?" Asami's stomach dropped, "Are you ok?"
"I'm waiting on the doctor now, I'll be alright."
"Where are you?" Asami poked her head back into Toza's room and motioned for Korra to follow her.
"Second floor of the hospital," Hiroshi told her.
"I'll be right there."
She hung up and took rapid steps down the hallway, worriedly looking for the elevator.
"What's going on?" Korra asked, jogging to catch up with her.
"Dad's hurt. He's on the second floor."
"What happened?" Asami had never been so pleased to find an elevator before. She'd been about to go to the stairwell when she saw it.
"He didn't say," Asami shook her head when Korra asked her again, pressing the button roughly when they stepped into the elevator together.
"Well," Korra offered, her hands in her pockets, "If he's able to call you he's probably alright."
Asami hummed when they stepped out into the hall, trying to keep herself from clenching her jaw too tightly. She asked the first nurse she found where her father was, and the nurse escorted her to where Hiroshi was waiting in a semi-private room a few doors down the hall. He was covered in a layer of dust, the leg of his pants having been cut off above the knee to expose his shin. She put her arms around his neck and released the breath she had been holding, feeling him put his hand on her shoulder and chuckle near her ear.
"What happened?" She asked when she straightened up, looking from his leg to the cuts on his arm and the blood streaked on his dress shirt, his coat laying nearby.
"An explosive went off near Raiko's office," Hiroshi shrugged, his smile comforting, "He's fine, I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time."
Asami cast a glance over her shoulder at Korra who had come in behind her, noticing how Korra was pointedly looking away from Asami, her head bowed slightly. Asami sighed and began fretting over Hiroshi, who was staring at the damage done to his calf.
"Mr. Sato," The doctor shouldered through the door, "All of my healers are busy at the moment, so I'm going to clean you up in the meantime-."
"I can heal him," Korra offered, still refusing to look up.
"Mr. Sato?" The doctor shrugged, "I'll let you make that decision."
"Thank you, Korra," Hiroshi nodded with a smile, "I'd appreciate that."
Asami watched him carefully, unable to detect any sense of dislike toward Korra on his face. Overall, Asami thought the way he was acting was very odd, considering what had happened to him. But she wasn't going to question it, yet.
Sunday, March 22nd
Korra and Asami had offered to stay the night with Toza. Bolin wanted to, but not having slept in nearly two days was catching up to him, and Korra had insisted. It was past midnight before Korra even looked at Asami again, and Asami knew Korra was feeling guilty for Hiroshi having gotten hurt. Asami was upset it had happened, but she knew that Korra hadn't wanted there to be any real damage done, nor had she wanted Hiroshi to get hurt. Asami was just relieved that Hiroshi was allowed to leave the hospital, having been cleared to go home shortly after Korra healed him. He was still in a good mood while she healed him, even after she was done, and Asami had been relieved to see it.
They sat in relative silence, with Toza occasionally dozing or asking one of them questions, and Toza was still awake when Korra looked up from her seat in the other chair, looking at Asami with slumped shoulders.
"What's your problem?" Toza groggily asked, turning his head to look at Korra.
"Nothing," Korra shook her head, "I just fucked up."
"That's life," Toza chuckled, coughing roughly as he did so, his spittle tinged with blood.
Asami went to get him a tissue so he could wipe it away, but he waved her off weakly with one hand. He cleared his throat, eyes still on Korra.
"Korra," His voice was weak when he spoke again.
"Hmm?" Korra raised her head up again to look at him.
He slid his hand to the edge of the bed, turning it over and exposing his palm, wanting her to take his hand. When she did, he curled his fingers around her hand and closed his eyes, taking several slow breaths that rattled around in his chest before his eyes opened once more.
"Korra," His chest rose and fell drastically as he spoke, "I don't know what Mako and Bolin would do without you."
Korra smiled at him, and he put her hand down and patted it gently. He turned his head toward Asami and started to say something, but broke into another fit of coughing. When he pulled his hand away from his face, it was speckled with blood. He sat still without speaking for several more minutes, and Asami thought she could see the muscles of Korra's jaw straining.
"Bolin and Mako need to be here," Toza rapsed.
"Do you want me to call them?" Korra was on her feet instantly, her eyes traveling over his face with devout attention.
Toza nodded, coughing as he did so. As Korra walked out of the room with her phone in her hand, he finally accepted the tissue when Asami offered it again. She gave him his glass of water as well, and once he'd managed to take a drink, he hit the call button for the nurse. Asami sat with him until the nurse came, watching silently as she examined him. She was there for a few minutes until Korra returned, and when she did, Toza's eyes were watching her, waiting to know where Mako and Bolin were.
"Mako, Bolin and Opal are on their way," Korra told him without him having to ask, speaking loud enough for him to hear her.
"Good," Toza coughed, trying to clear his throat.
When the nurse left, Toza had recovered enough energy to speak without coughing, and he looked at Korra with the ghost of a grin on his face.
"When you get to be my age, Korra," Toza told her, "Don't go picking fights with triads."
"Don't worry," Korra nodded, "I'll pick my fights early and retire before I get too old."
Toza started laughing, the rattling noise still audible. It worried Asami, and Korra's face paled, both women holding their breath, afraid he'd start coughing again. When he recovered, he wiped a tear away from his eye, still chuckling as he did so.
"The avatar, retire?" He shook his head slowly, "Honey you're never going to get to retire."
"I can dream, can't I?" Korra looked over at him with a soft grin.
It took Opal and the brothers twenty minutes to get to the hospital. Bolin was pale, his nervousness shared by Mako and Opal. Asami and Korra left the room when they got there, giving Toza time alone with the brothers at his request. Asami followed Korra out of the room and down the hall. Korra found the nearest waiting room and sat down with a huff in one of the uncomfortable chairs that lined one wall. Asami thought Korra was going to put her face in her hands, but instead she let her shoulders slump and she looked up at Asami tiredly. The apology was in Korra's eyes and had been for hours, well before the words finally left her mouth.
"I'm sorry, sunshine," Korra sighed, "About your dad."
Asami shook her head and stepped over to where Korra was sitting, standing in front of her and reaching down to brush a strand of hair away from her forehead.
"It wasn't your fault. You didn't want anyone to get hurt, Korra. I know that. I was upset that he got hurt, but you didn't do it. Please know that."
Korra sighed again, and Asami hugged her, smiling faintly as she did so. Korra leaned her head against Asami's abdomen, and Asami began running her fingers through Korra's hair and humming.
"I'm worried about Toza," Korra mumbled against Asami, "He's too old for this."
She didn't say he was getting worse, she didn't have to. They both knew it. Instead, Asami put her arms around Korra's shoulders and continued humming, the only comfort she knew how to give in that moment. Korra huffed and put her arm around Asami's waist, muttering again that she was sorry for what happened to Hiroshi. After a few minutes, Korra released her, and Asami sat in the seat next to Korra and leaned against her shoulder.
"Better get comfortable, sunshine," Korra yawned, putting her arm around Asami's shoulders, "We're going to be here for a while."
Viper woke up to the sound of the guards that had been in the jail with him shouting about an explosion, and as he blinked tiredly and sat up off his cot, he could hear their footsteps echoing further and further away. He stood up with a yawn and walked over to the bars of his cell and looked around, trying to get a view down the narrow pathway. After several minutes, none of the guards returned. He could hear a single pair of footsteps coming his direction, but he could have cared less. The cops should have been worrying about their jail blowing up, not being worried about people like him trying to escape a platinum-barred cell.
He heard the guy a few cells down from him mutter something as the footsteps continued getting louder, and he turned back toward his cot, planning on going back to sleep while he still could. It wasn't like they were going to let him do anything else. He might as well try.
He had just laid back down when the footsteps stopped outside his cell. He crossed his arms over his chest and snorted, staring at the ceiling.
"Get lost, pal," Viper grunted, "I'm trying to get some shut-eye."
The silence was the only thing that greeted him, so he huffed and sat up, looking through the bars to see who was there. He was met by the masked and goggled head of an Equalist, who was standing there facing Viper with their arms folded behind their back.
"The fuck you want?" Viper growled, sitting up abruptly, "Get lost."
"The Lieutenant was very clear in his instruction," The Equalist shrugged, and before Viper could blink a gun had been pulled on him.
Viper was on his feet again within an instant, but before he could shout for help from a guard, the Equalist pulled the trigger. He slumped down onto the cold floor, a fire spreading through his chest, struggling to look up at the person who shot him. The edge of his eyesight was already becoming blindingly blurry, and the last thing Viper ever saw was the pair of leather boots on the floor behind the bars before the second gunshot rang out in the cell.
