During the day, Asami, Kuvira and the rest prepared for the worst, with President Zhu Li Moon issuing an executive order for Republic City Residents to tunnel underground until it was deemed safe. Gathering up their family photos and survival kits, denizens followed emergency protocols that had been set in place following the destruction Harmonic Convergence and Kuvira's insurrection left in their wake. Republic City was no stranger to catastrophe, and as president, Zhu Li saw to it that badger moles create (and expand upon) the elaborate underground tunnel systems for quick and safe exit.
Prince Wu, who happened to be in town for leisurely affairs, rode around with Mako and Varrick warning the stragglers and folks without homes. They had hoped to find Korra or Chai Son in their task but no avail.
There were some who refused to tunnel or leave their posts, saying it was a government sham. There were others who wanted to protect their precious dignity – if this was their end then so be it, but in the while, they drank tea. And there were others who stayed behind to protect their homes from robbers and desperate people. Likewise, police security forces protected assets throughout the city.
The sky was filled with an ominous foreboding – it was unassuming, clear aside from the rising moon and brilliant sun.
Varrick, who sat in the back of the car with his arms splayed across the top of the bench seat, was checking out Wu's princely attire, rich fabrics in various shades of green with his golden brooch at the left breast. He had been poised to be King after his aunt, the Queen, was assassinated by Zaheer, but now he remained a figurehead, a relic and symbol. Which suited him fine.
"Nice threads," Varrick said, twirling his mustache.
"Heyyy, thanks! Designed by THE best of Ba Sing Se. I'll hook you up." Wu made a gesture with his hand to emphasize his point. "By the way, same to you! Who's your designer?"
"As a matter of fact, I designed and made it." Varrick pulled out a card and handed it to Wu. "A sort of passion project of mine."
Wu read: "Varrick Fashions. Very nice." He pocketed the card.
"Will you guys stop talking about fashion right now? We need to focus," Mako said behind the wheel.
"Awe, you're so cute when you're frustrated." Wu leaned in and pinched Mako's cheek.
Mako swiped Wu's hand away, swerving the car in the process. "Cut it out!"
Varrick raised an eyebrow as he watched their banter and Mako's blushing cheeks. He chuckled quietly to himself and was about to say something when a thought struck him.
"I have an idea of where Chai Son might be. It's a hunch, but then again I'm a genius," Varrick pointed a finger in the air.
"Where?!" Mako said.
"In the tunnels."
"But that could be anywhere," Wu chimed in.
"Could be. Or… Mako, take a left at the next light – NOW!" Varrick gripped the backs of the front seats as Mako swerved. When they stabilized, he continued: "There's another tunnel system. A secret tunnel!"
"You better be right," Mako said, adding, "We don't have time to waste."
Varrick shook his head. "Oh Mako… It's OK, I like you anyway. Now, onward ho!" He pointed ahead.
"By the way," Mako had wanted to get this off of his chest. "Why were you involved with them in the first place?"
"I told you – the money." Varrick crossed his arms and slumped into his seat. "To be honest, I considered Chai Son young friend. I genuinely thought he was a good kid that had been dealt a bad hand. Turns out, I'm a bad judge of character."
"Probably because you hang around folks that do a lot of bad things, so it's become normal," Mako said.
"Not always – some of us do good too," Varrick said. "I don't know about the super dark secret stuff – or if I ever did, I'd never tell you for fear of my, Zhu Li, and our future family's safety."
Mako glanced in rearview mirror. "But you do know that bootlegging is illegal – and the degree you and Chai Son did it. This could cause a huge scandal. You're the first gentleman!"
Varrick's twisted his face to an ugly cry. "I didn't mean to hurt anybody! I just like money that's all."
After a pause, Mako replied: "I believe you. But that doesn't change the fact that you enabled and abetted someone like Chai Son."
"I know. Are you going to turn me in?" Varrick said weakly, looking at his feet.
"You're going to turn yourself in – to your wife," Mako said. "And then you're going to give it up."
"That's fair," Varrick sniffled. "But I'm surprised you're not arresting me."
"That's not my job anymore." Mako looked over to Wu, who winked back at him.
"Mako's gonna be my body guard. Turns out, I get death threats, like, on the regular, and I need someone strong enough to protect me. By the way, it won't be totally bad if you go to jail, even for a little while. You would come out the other end with street cred, and your popularity would skyrocket." Whu Shrugged, "Wouldn't be the first time."
"Leave it to Wu to see the brighter side of things." Mako rolled his eyes.
But the idea didn't seem so bad to Varrick after all. At any rate, he didn't have time to explore it further because they made it to their destination.
"In there," Varrick pointed to a restaurant in Fire Town.
"In the restaurant?" Wu said.
"No, silly, the secret tunnel underneath. I'll bet my wedding ring he's in there."
Meantime, much of the extended Team Avatar was in tow, meeting at Sato Tower for debriefing.
Tenzin brought in his posse from Air Temple Island, including Bolin and Sanyu. The kids, Ikki and Meelo, were ordered to stay home and take care of Pema, their baby brother Rohan, and the rest of the acolytes. They all reported back to Sato Tower, where the core team had plotted and planned for the unknown.
"I wish Kya and Lin were here," Bolin said, looking out at the moon behind the spirit portal from the view of Asami's office. "We need all the water and earthbenders we can get."
"Someone say Kyalin?" Kya, a zesty older Water Tribe woman with long silver hair, entered the room with Lin behind her.
She walked over to Tenzin and squeezed his hand: "Hello, baby brother."
"Kya… Lin. Glad you could join us after your little getaway," Tenzin said awkwardly. He wasn't quite used to his ex and his sister dating yet, but there wasn't time to dwell on it.
"And right on time it appears," Kya said.
Lin stood there silently brooding with her arms crossed. She wore a three-quarter length trench coat with pointed shoulder pads; her graying hair sat neatly in a bun and scars swished across her right cheek.
"Is this all we've got?" Lin gruffed. "What about the police?"
"Kuvira, Asami and… Opal are on the roof," Bolin said.
Sanyu, who was standing next to Bolin noticed his slight hesitancy at saying her name but didn't react.
"The police are out there protecting what they deem important," Tenzin said, though President Moon sent some of her security forces to back us up.
Bolin shook his head. "You guys, this is Korra we're talking about. She's our friend."
"And the most dangerous person on the planet," Lin added.
"I love Korra like the rest of us, trust me I do, but we have to do what's right. I can feel the power of the harvest moon surging through my veins." Kya looked at the back of her hands outstretched before her.
"Me too," Lin said.
"And me," Bolin agreed. "It feels like I drank turbo bending juice."
"Imagine what Korra must be going through," Tenzin said.
"I don't think any of us really can," Sanyu replied, and they all relented quietly.
...
On the roof, Kuvira, Asami, Opal, and Bae discussed strategy with Bumi and Kai.
"I need access to gold, and fast," Kuvira said.
"Is this not enough?" Asami looked down at a hunk of gold – she had haphazardly collected her own stash, dumping it into an accumulating pile on the ground.
Kuvira bent a shiny pair of handcuffs from the ground and dangled them with one finger. "This won't be enough to contain the Avatar."
"That's Varrick's, by the way." Asami blushed.
"Sure." Bae winked. "If there's one thing I learned since traveling with Kuvira is: Y'all a bunch of freaks."
"At any rate, it doesn't solve our dilemma. And we're running out of time." Kuvira turned to face Asami directly. "I need to know where the gold is kept in this city – the bank vaults."
"Kuvira, I don't know –"
"We don't have another choice!" Opal slammed her fist in her hand.
"It's true," Kai chimed in. "We need more than this. Way more."
Bumi had been silent throughout the discussion. Asami turned to him. "What do you think?"
He shrugged.
"Thanks for your input." Asami massaged her temple. "OK – I'll tell you. There's a vault in the heart of the city, heavily guarded, practically impenetrable. It houses gold of the richest in the world, Chai Son among them, as well as… me."
"Great, take us there," Kuvira said.
Asami hesitated, considering what she was about to give up, when from the distance they saw a luminous pink beam rising toward the moon. The ground shook violently beneath them, and a tidal wave rose and crashed down against the shore, swallowing up much of the infrastructure in its path.
The group stopped what they were doing and looked on in shock. It was all happening.
Bolin rushed to the rooftop holding binoculars. "Uh, guys. We've got trouble."
"Can I see?" Opal walked over to Bolin who handed her the binocs. They gave each other a look and a silent nod, Opal mouthing "thank you" and smiling, and Bolin reciprocating.
Kuvira observed their interaction but wasn't concerned. Opal didn't betray signs of romance toward Bolin nor the other way around. It appeared as if there had been closure between them to some degree.
Opal looked through the binoculars toward the light. Korra was nearly unrecognizable – her eyes glowed pink and her veins popped out of her oversized muscles, gams exposed beneath her ripped pantaloons. She thrashed around the buildings in a whirlwind of elements; it appeared as if she was fighting something, though no other entity was spotted in her midst.
"Oh spirits!" Opal exclaimed.
"Korra's going all 'Avatar smash' throughout the city!" Bolin said urgently.
"We've got to move – now!" Kuvira looked at Asami, who found resolve once the reality of Korra hit her once again.
"Understood. Then I have no other choice – Let's hit it." Asami motioned to go as the others rushed out and took their positions, heading off to their respective posts.
Kuvira bent the gold from the ground into a sphere which hovered behind her.
Bae, meantime, took over binocular duty and, with walkie talkie in hand, planted herself on the roof and acted as a lookout.
They were rushing to action when Asami stopped abruptly, blocking Kuvira's path down the stairwell. She made sure the others had gone ahead.
"Yes?" Kuvira said.
Asami's face was stern. "I want to let you know – if you kill Korra, I'll kill you." Without another word, she turned and continued down the stairs, not bothering to look back. The former Great Uniter said nothing and followed her. Smiling to herself, Kuvira thought Korra a lucky woman to get a gal like Asami.
Hopping in the driver's seat of her convertible, CEO of Future Industries and richest woman in the world, Asami Sato, revved her engine as Kuvira, Opal, and Bumi joined her. They sped off, following the money.
Asami drove like the wind, wheels barely hitting the ground it seemed to get to the bank, an unassuming, yet heavily guarded building. They circled it, keeping their distance before parking behind a nearby industrial building.
"That's the bank. In there, you'll find what you're looking for," Asami turned to her co-conspirators.
"Yes, I can feel the gold buzzing deep below. Are you sure you want to do this?" Kuvira decided to ask, though she planned to continue the heist either way.
Asami sighed and looked Kuvira dead in the eyes. "Anything to save Korra. Besides, a girl has a right to steal her own gold, doesn't she?"
"I don't think it works like that," Opal said, though she knew Asami had tried to add levity to a grave situation. "And besides, what about security?"
Asami agreed. "It's the most heavily guarded facility in Republic City. As you saw, security forces – mostly metalbenders – are guarding money rather than keeping people safe."
"Shows what they think is most valuable," Bumi said. He scratched his mutton chop. "So how we busting in then?"
Kuvira smiled. "Who said anything about busting in?"
The others gave Kuvira a look, who continued: "Airbenders, I need you to swat the metalbending flies out of my face, so I can concentrate. Asami, prepare the getaway, and do what you do best. They nodded and pulled in closer to the entrance.
Guards were pacing the front, looking off in the distance at the Avatar's rage and preparing for whatever onslaught she brought with her.
They didn't expect two airbenders, a CEO, and the former Great Uniter to amble up four abreast.
One metalbender pointed at them: "You should be underground!"
"Hey strong guys, I need to make a quick withdrawal. It shouldn't take long," Asami said calmly, swinging her hips and pouting her lips as she slowly approached.
"Bank's closed," The guard said. "So you can stop right there and turn around."
Meantime, Kuvira planted her feet, gathering her chi while Bumi and Opal flanked her.
The ground beneath them shook and a rumbling emanated from the building. Half the guards abruptly turned to face the entrance, unsure where the threat came from.
"W-what's going on?" Another one of the guards said. They all looked and dressed alike, but surely they were men with lives and perhaps families.
Regardless, in this moment, they were only one thing to Kuvira and her team of bank bandits: In the way.
Kuvira swelled her arms up and became a maestro, turning all the gold to liquid in the vaults and forming soldiers three quarters the size of an average human. The platinum walls of the bank ripped open and out marched a golden army resembling mini versions of the giant mecha Kuvira had manufactured to take over Republic City, sans spirit canon.
Incredulous, the guards tried to contain the small soldiers by metalbending ropes around them. The golden troops grabbed the metal and yanked, bringing in the guards and knocking them out with golden fisticuffs.
One of the guards wised up and noticed what Kuvira was doing, controlling the gold like a puppeteer.
"That woman! Stop her!" The guard pointed.
A group of metalbenders rushed Kuvira and the rest. Opal and Bumi coordinated a powerful gale that spiraled into a long skinny tunnel like a whip that knocked the guards off their feet.
"Let's go," Kuvira said, just as Asami pulled up in the getaway car.
The gold molded together once more and turned to liquid, which trailed the Satomobile as it sped toward Korra.
Opal looked back at the glimmering trail of gold like a rushing river that followed them. "Wait, why did you turn the gold into little soldiers when you could have just siphoned it out?"
Kuvira shrugged. "I like to make a statement."
...
The rest of the team was already there trying to control the chaos; it was like calming an all-powerful temper-tantrummed child, nearly impossible once the kid becomes swept up in their emotions.
Asami pulled up next to where she saw Mako and his unit. Mako's hair was disheveled and his sleeves rolled up, revealing a scar from a burn mark covering his forearm. He appeared out of breath as he fought beside Bolin and Sanyu to try to take Korra out without hurting her. In reality, they were just making her more upset. Kuvira, observing this, thought they were too soft, that to stop the Avatar they couldn't hold back.
With her eyes and mouth glowing in the Avatar state, Korra continued to thrash and fight something that seemingly wasn't there, reaping destruction in her path. Another tidal wave swept over the city, and Kya and Lin did the best damage control they could muster. Kya, in her blood moon strength, stopped the wave mid-flight and pushed it back toward the ocean, trying her best to stop it from swinging right back like a pendulum. Likewise, Lin and Bolin lifted an earth barrier nearly the size of the Great Wall of Ba Sing Se, effectively creating a dam.
Fortunately for the rest, Korra's firebending appeared weaker than her water and earthbending, which could have burned the whole of Republic City down faster than Kya and the other available waterbenders could drown it, not without a few unagis anyway.
Kuvira steadied herself, bending the gold into two long braided chains. The darkness had settled in, though the moon illuminated a dreamy haze about the scene, light glinting off her golden chains and vestments. She prepared to launch herself toward Korra when a man's voice called her name.
"Kuvira! My enemy!"
She turned around to see a broad-shouldered man with wavy hair limping toward her.
The man continued, "For years, I've wait for this mom—"
She bent a slat of metal over his mouth while two other slats bound his hands and feet. Kuvira hadn't even bothered to use gold. "I have many enemies and am quite busy at the moment… so grab a number and get in line!"
She made a motion with her hand that sent Chai Son flying to a nearby metal post, cuffs melding to it.
"Uh, Kuvira," Varrick said from behind his car. He was hiding behind it with Wu next to him. They weren't hiding from Korra as much as from Kuvira. "That was Chai Son. He just escaped from our grasp, so thanks for wrangling him up again."
"Chai Son?" Kuvira had no idea who that was.
"The guy who did this to Korra!" Wu yelled before ducking once more behind the car.
"Well, that changes things," Kuvira said.
Her eyes were wild as she lifted her arm, flinging Chai Son toward her to hover with his hands in the air.
"What did you do to Korra?!" Kuvira did all she could to control her rage.
"I didn't – I was merely the catalyst. She's too strong for me to control – or Raavaatu. The others, however, I don't know. I've been expelled." Chai Son lowered his head before looking up once more and staring back at Kuvira with contempt. "You! You did this to me. It's all your fault! I believed in you, I followed you, and you threw me away! Once again, I've got nothing to lose."
"Except your dignity," Kuvira seethed, adding: "And your life."
She bent a piece of scrap metal to entwine around Chai Son like a snake, hugging him tighter, choking the life out of him. His eyes bulged out their sockets, meeting Kuvira's steely gaze as she made a squeezing motion with her hand.
"Kuvira stop it!" Opal yelled from behind. "Are you not a gold bender now? Then act like one!"
Kuvira glanced over her shoulder at Opal and lowered Chai Son, slightly loosening her grip. She unraveled the metal and Chai Son fell to the ground, clutching his neck and heaving for air.
When he finally regained footing, Kuvira bent a golden glove and backhanded Chai Son across his face, causing him to go down. She turned to Opal, shrugged.
"I didn't mind it," Asami interjected. "And now on to more important matters."
"Go team!" Wu yelled from behind the car.
"You two, watch over Chai Son. And don't let him get away this time!" Mako yelled to Wu and Varrick.
"Got it!" Varrick said.
"Don't you just love it when bad guys are hot?" Wu added, following Varrick to swoop up Chai Son, who had been knocked out cold.
"Do you mean Chai Son or Kuvira?" Varrick dragged Chai Son by the shoulders with great effort.
"Both," Wu said, struggling to assist – they were both weak to carry that big lump of a man.
Varrick nodded. "Makes for a great mover, that's for sure!"
...
Over yonder, Kuvira continued her plight, winding up the golden reins and propelling herself from sky scraper to skyscraper, until she reached Korra. Swinging one of the ropes like a lasso, she hooked onto Korra's ankle and yanked her down hard toward the ground.
Korra came down with a crash; the ground shook and cracked from the impact, causing debris and dust to fly up in the air.
Moments later, the Avatar raised herself up with airbending, though before she could register what was going on, Kuvira came in with golden fisticuffs, punching Korra across the jaw and in the chest and abs.
The Avatar fell back but once again recovered just as quickly, turning to Kuvira and doing a hand-to-elbow-to-knee-to-foot dance. Though Korra seemed blinded by semi-consciousness in the Avatar State, she fought Kuvira elegantly and powerfully.
Kuvira had never seen raw, poetic power like this, Korra not needing to think but acting and reflecting on pure feeling. Unfortunately, the feeling appeared to be rage.
The former Great Uniter managed to land a gold-plated elbow on Korra's button that sent her flying backward. That's when she used more gold to wrap Korra up tightly, though Korra's brute strength was hard to contain even with soft metals.
Mako stepped in and lent a scarred hand, gathering up his chi and bending lightning into the golden lasso. His lightning traveled along the lasso and struck Korra, sending her flailing.
"You're killing her! Asami yelled, though she stopped to silently gape at Korra, whose spirit swelled around her, a towering giant. But the spirit didn't resemble the one that faced UnaVaatu during Harmonic Convergence. It was Korra's giant shadow spirit with her disheveled braids and chains hanging down from her ankles.
"What's happening?" Kuvira called to the others.
"If I had to guess, I'd say we made it worse!" Mako exclaimed.
"She's manifesting her fears! The longer she keeps it up, the more chaos she creates, the blurrier the boundaries between worlds. And after a point, not even the waning gibbous moon can stop her!" Chai Son yelled from the car. He had awoken once more and appeared to come unhinged as their prisoner.
The giant body left Korra in the rubble, and she fell down. She was regular sized now, but her eyes still glowed pink.
"Uh guys," Bolin said, sweat beading from his brow. "As if giant dark spirit Korra wasn't enough, look around."
The extended Team Avatar were horrified to see rotting undead creatures and dark spirts limping toward them.
"It's zombies!" Bolin exclaimed, bending up two piles of rocks and forming spinning lava saws.
"From the mover we saw!" Asami added, scanning the perimeter.
Mako had weakened fire daggers protruding from his hands as the rest of the team kept their backs to each other and the circled around to further assess the situation.
"I'm going to take care of Korra," Kuvira yelled. She couldn't break her focus.
Korra, meantime was passed out in the dirt crater she formed while giant spirit Korra stomped around. Kuvira bent all of the gold into a giant mound that formed a golden mecha nearly the size of dark spirit Korra. Bobbing and weaving, Kuvira danced around, shadow boxing while her giant golden warrior followed her movements, knocking Korra's giant spirit body over with an immense crash that make the ground shake.
Kuvira braced herself for round two but was swarmed by zombies, having to redirect her focus to take care of them.
The airbenders: Tenzin, Kai, Bumi, Opal, and Sanyu sent powerful gusts of winds in the direction of the zombies, sending them flying.
Meantime, Bolin and Mako tag-teamed another group of zombies, Mako slicing them with a fire sword he fashioned and Bolin throwing spinning lava discs. The discs spun like a boomerang through scores of zombies, beheading all of them and causing them to crumble to dust.
"Whoa, nice bro!" Mako said.
Bolin was surprised by his own power. "Yeah, if we make it through this, we could be some kind of brothers fighting supernatural forces together. Get a cool car, travel around. And one of us would have a questionable sexuality that keeps people speculating, but that's OK."
"How about we just focus on staying alive, alright Bo?" Mako stuck his flaming sword through a zombie's heart. It caught fire and burned to dust.
"Sounds good!" Bolin said, taking out a few score more.
The radio in Asami's car sounded Bae's voice: "Looks like there's trouble. Some sort of undead zombies and other sexy vampyres – straight outta the movers – headed your way. Over."
"Thanks but you're a little late," Asami yelled, doing flips and shocking zombies, who were only momentarily discombobulated by the tasing.
"Wait, did she say 'sexy vampyres?" Bolin said. "These are all ugly and rotting, and the spirts are hovering around. Oh wait, never mind."
From the distance a bunch of sexy vampyres with pale skin and svelte bodies and pouty lips, having freshly sucked the blood of security guards and other stragglers on the surface, swooped in.
"What do we do? Korra's fears are manifesting faster than we can take them out. Not to mention the dark spirits!" Mako exclaimed, he was beginning to get desperate.
"Why are the vampyres sexy?" Bolin said but realized the answer just as soon, being in the mover business and all. "Wait, never mind, I get it."
The darks spirits encircled them, along with the vampyres and zombies.
"Hey guys, wanna see a trick?" Kya said. She looked at Tenzin and Bumi, winked. "Don't tell Mom."
Kya inhaled deeply and positioned herself as a puppeteer. Using the strength of the blood moon, she bent all of the vampyres into submission, their bodies contorting and falling to the ground.
"Cool! I knew you were stronger than you let on," Bumi said.
Tenzin's mouth was agape. "How many secrets have you been keeping from me?"
"Besides this and my relationship with Lin? A lot," Kya continued, keeping the vampyres into submission and forcing them to walk into Mako's fire.
Mako groaned as he swung. "My power's weak, but it's still working, so that's the important part."
Next was Sanyu's turn to shine. She jumped to a spot with a high vantage point and inhaled deeply before breathing out a lullaby. Her voice carried with the wind, reaching pitches beyond human ears that seemed to sway the spirits who bopped back and forth, slowly transforming from darker to lighter shades of translucent blue.
Sanyu continued to sing as the spirits formed a line and traveled back toward the Spirit Portal. Bolin, having watched the whole affair, was spellbound. He knew Sanyu could sing but he had no idea of the power of her voice. Sanyu floated down and guided the spirits toward the portal.
She stopped and turned to Bolin to say, "Something I picked up," before continuing her song.
Bumi folded his arms. "I could have done that with my flute."
"I doubt it," Asami said, rolling her eyes.
"What? I could have," Bumi shrugged. BumJun made a sound. "See? BumJun agrees!"
...
Korra began to stir, holding her hand to her head before shaking it off. Her eyes still glowed pink. Above them, the dark Korra spirit stood in silent waiting, hovering over the Avatar.
Before Kuvira could decide whether to focus on Korra or the dark Korra spirit, the real Korra shot up toward her shadow spirit, using the ground as ramp to launch herself. She landed on the rooftop and bent the massive chains around shadow spirit Korra's ankles, knocking it over once more and dragging it along Fifth Avenue toward the ocean.
"Let me help you," Kuvira called, bending golden chains and helping haul the shadow spirit.
Lin and Kya parted the dam and water respectively as Korra and Kuvira made their way.
They walked deep into the bed of the ocean. On either side of them was a giant wall of sea water, fish and sea life swimming about next to them.
Finally, Korra turned toward the shore and, overpowering Lin, brought the walls of the water in around her, Kuvira, and the shadow spirit.
The zombies, vampyres, and dark spirits disappeared or crumbled to dust.
"No!" Kya called, tears streaming down her face.
Lin embraced her, kissing her temple. "It's OK. There was nothing you could do."
Asami fell to her knees, unable to register what she just witnessed.
"Korra!" Mako yelled, preparing to jump into the water and save her.
"Wait! You guys – look!" Opal exclaimed, pointing to a spot in the water that was bubbling.
A giant golden egg floated up, up, upward like the invisible line of a finger pointed toward the moon. Korra and Kuvira were cocooned inside with Kuvira bending them upward.
As they climbed, the inside of the egg became hot and Kuvira realized it was Korra in her Avatar State heating up, going haywire.
The power that surged through Kuvira during this Harvest Moon was unlike anything she ever felt in her life; briefly, she pondered the earth, its gravity and where it was exactly space began and earth ended because it wasn't the ground.
She bent them higher, passing through a dark cloud in the sky. Crouching in the fetal position, Korra let out a loud wail and broke free from the egg, sending thousands, millions of tiny pieces of gold flying everywhere.
It took all of Kuvira's control and training to catch the pieces mid-air and float them gently to the ground; otherwise, they would have shot down like golden shrapnel.
They floated down, Kuvira using her arm to keep herself steady and Korra using all the powers of the four elements, plus spirit. Gold glittered around them, showering the city.
Kuvira steadied herself, unsure of what to do next but prepared for the worst. Forming two golden daggers and tiny needles, she positioned them in the air toward Korra's acupressure points. Despite what some assumed, Kuvira had not planned to kill Korra; she planned to take the Avatar's bending.
But Asami had other plans.
As Korra lowered to the ground, Asami approached. She wrapped her arms around her Avatar, cradling her and kissing her cheek, her forehead, her nose.
Korra closed her glowing eyes and opened them again to reveal a sea of water blues looking at Asami, her love. She grabbed Asami's hand and squeezed it delicately, smiling weakly.
Asami never let go of Korra's eyes on hers as she stroked her hair. They needn't say any words, their faces and bodies and hearts said it for them.
Kuvira lowered her weapons. It was over it seemed.
Rain fell gently at first, then harder as grey clouds swooped in, obscuring the moon. Korra pointed it toward it, smiling weakly at Asami.
"Asami, I'm sorry," Korra said softly. "I broke the city."
"Shh, baby. It's OK." Asami kissed her lover's lips, tears falling on them along with the rain. She smiled into Korra's mouth. "Thought I was gonna have to kill Kuvira for a minute."
"You'd do that for me?" Korra chuckled.
"You have no idea," Asami replied, not bothering to mention her fortune, along with the richest in the world, surrounded them like stars sprinkling the Earth.
"So shall we lie here longer, in the rain, with everybody watching, because I'm perfectly fine with that?" Asami cooed.
Korra smiled. She went to reply but before she could get any words out, a portal opened below Korrasami, sucking them in. The portal closed, and they were gone.
It happened suddenly, and everyone was looking around – confused about at what just happened, except for Mako.
"Over there! The librarian! He did it!" Mako pointed behind a parked car that had been more or less demolished amidst the chaos.
The librarian, wearing green tweed and glasses stepped out from behind the car, holding his hands in the air and his chin up.
"Yes, I did it." He said proudly, before continuing. "It's still the blood moon. We don't know if she'll get riled up again, and if she does we could all die!"
Kuvira lifted her hand and sent metal flying around his neck, bringing him closer.
"Bring. Them. Back."
"Or what? You'll kill me? Then you'll never get them back," the librarian choked.
Defeated, she dropped the librarian.
Tenzin approached. "Tie him up. Bind his hands so he can't create any more portals."
Kuvira bound him tightly to make sure he was only comfortable enough to answer questions.
"The truth is I don't hate the Avatar," the librarian was propped up against a car. "I saw this as the best choice. In the morning, I'll release them."
"But you don't know the chaos it could cause," Tenzin said, trying and failing to control his anger. "Or what could happen to them!"
"Did you say they could go crazy – or worse?" Mako fell back.
"In there, there's nothing. A moment is like an eternity," the librarian said remorsefully. "A private hell, or purgatory, or whatever religious or cultural lens you care to put on it."
"So what about hours or days?" Kuvira said.
The librarian said nothing, and the sky slowly shifted around them. Everyone around had hardly noticed that the world turned grey, no more vibrant colors, no dark, no light. Just shades of grey.
Kuvira blinked and caught it. "The world – it's not the same. Everything is dulled. Can't you all see it?"
She looked at her arm, which no longer shined. Everyone followed suit, some shook their heads and others, like Kai and Kya exclaimed "Yeah!"
Kuvira could guess the danger – the longer they lived like this, the more normal it would become. She turned to the librarian.
"I need you to bring them back. Now!" She demanded.
The sun was rising but it was dull. The world resembled a pencil sketch. Looking around, the librarian realized his actions could only get worse with time.
"OK, I'll do it, but I might regret it later. Or I might not be alive," he relented.
"We're willing to take that chance," Tenzin said sternly.
They unbound the librarian, who planted his feet and moved his hands in circular movements like an airbender, though his stance was distinctly that of an earthbender.
The pocket dimension reopened and there appeared Korra, naked and perfectly muscled with a naked Asami cradled in her arms bridal style. The dawn became flush once again with color, and Korrasami emanated a soft glow ahead of the rising sun.
Korra felt Asami breathing into her nape as she held her. It was the softest comfort of her adult life. The warmth of her heart radiated and it took several minutes for the dust to settle in her mind and around them before she realized they were naked in front of all of their friends and some of their foes.
She put Asami down and they stood side by side, holding hands.
"Korra, Asami!" Mako called, running toward them. He wrapped them in blankets he had grabbed from his car.
"Everyone, give them space." Tenzin addressed the folks around him as he went to assess the situation.
Mako took a step back and Tenzin approached cautiously once more, though the women didn't appear to be a threat, merely confused.
Asami was in a daze, silent. She could only nod yes and no to questions about her life that Tenzin posed.
Korra, meantime, looked around and recognized the face of her friend staring back at her – Kuvira. She smiled before returning her gaze to Asami, whose messy hair and unmade up face made her look wildly beautiful.
A shiver ran up Korra's spine and her chest tightened. She felt light-headed.
"That's my wife," were the first words Korra uttered since coming to.
Bolin approached, tears streaming down his cheeks. "I'm so happy you guys are alive! And that you're not all evil or feral or stark raving mad…. Um why is that again?"
Tenzin reprimanded Bolin. "Don't bombard them with difficult questions like that yet." Though to be honest, he was also curious.
"No, it's OK," Korra replied, as the confusion continued to wear off. "I think we misunderstood. We were stuck in there and it felt like a moment and eternity all in one. But the thing is…" She turned to Asami, taking her hands. "I spent eternity with you, Asami, and it felt… good. Warm. It felt like love."
The mutual revelation sent both their hearts soaring, and tears collected about their eyes.
Tenzin stroked his beard, and the librarian, who was tied up once again, offered an explanation.
"Oh my dear. I fear I've been wrong this whole time. Had I sent her in the pocket the dimension while she was in a rage, she could have gotten stuck like that. Even after the waning moon, she would have come back and destroyed the world." The librarian lifted his bound hands. "Take me away. I've disgraced Republic City."
"Gladly," Mako said, crossing his arms.
They were assessing the damage as city dwellers emerged from the tunnels to an unexpected sight.
Korra had destroyed or flooded many homes that lined the shore. Rubble splayed across the city where chunks of skyscrapers had been sloughed off like dead skin during Korra's rage. Fallen debris had dented and depressed cars.
The city was amess, but all of this was standard fair by now. What wasn't, however, were the specks and clumps of gold sprinkled about the city, lighting it up in a dazzling display that shimmered in the sun.
An old man with a rickety back grabbed a piece and bit it with the few remaining teeth in his mouth.
"It's gold!" he exclaimed with his tiny withering lungs, before slipping the piece in his breast pocket and ambling off.
Folks all around began plucking the gold from the ground. Soon it became a city-wide treasure hunt, and everybody had their turn.
Seeing this, Kuvira smiled slyly, folding her arms behind her back. Opal joined her, hooking one arm into Kuvira's and leaning her head against it.
"We did it," Opal said quietly, still in awe of what had transpired.
"Asami did," Kuvira replied.
Asami, meantime, was enrapt with Korra. It hadn't struck her to care about her fortune. She had her diamond; the warm body next to hers was all she wanted.
Korrasami walked hand in hand overseeing the cleanup and came upon Chai Son lying in the rubble. He had again tried to escape but was crushed by fallen debris.
"Asami, Avatar Korra," Chai Son choked. His face appeared chalky from the dirt but he was sweating, so it clung to him all sticky-like.
The couple stopped, looked down at the pathetic display.
"Yes?" The Avatar said.
Chai Son coughed before continuing. "Did I tell you how I conquered my fear?"
"No, and we don't care," Asami replied.
Chai Son pressed on, taking heaving breaths as he spoke. "I had a phobia of driving after the crash that killed my father. Wouldn't get in a car for years. But eventually I became a racer."
"And?" Asami folded her arms, not bothering to bend down to address him.
Korra was silent.
"What I mean to say, Asami and Avatar Korra, is I'm sorry. For everything. Please forgive me." He choked on blood that dribbled down his mouth. "I just wanted a better life."
"So you stepped on other people's backs to get there, and you violated my girlfriend not to mention betrayed me," Asami said coldly.
Chai Son turned his pleas to Korra. "You're the Avatar. You're supposed to forgive."
Korra knelt down to look Chai Son in the eyes. "I forgive you," she said.
"Now p-please c-can you heal me? I don't know if I can hold on much longer."
Korra stood and looked at Asami who nodded back at her. Chai Son sighed in relief, misunderstanding the wordless communication between the two women and lovers.
They continued their path, and Chai Son was too weak to scream after them. It was true, had healers gotten to him on time, he might have been able to recover. But many weren't so lucky. And so – out of fairness – Korra, with Asami on her arm, walked on by.
A/N - thanks for the support, emails, and comments. It's really kept me going on this this. One more chapter after this! Woohoo!
*Also, I wanna give a shoutout to Kuvira Protege, the artist who drew Asami calming down Korra in the Avatar State for inspiring parts of the end. Link: post/629795627776311296/remember-the-scene-where-aang-goes-into-the-avatar