Phew! I never thought I'd finish this chapter. I have no idea how many times I've re-written the conversation at the end of this chapter. Due to the fact that English is not my native language, I've been very insecure about how to write down the dialogue so that you will understand it fully. After a several-month-long break I decided that if I didn't get my shit in order, I might as well discontinue this fic, but that was not really an option for me; this story is a child of my very heart and soul, and I would hate to see it rotting unfinished. Especially this close to the end. So I got my shit together finally.
I promise promise promise that the next chapter won't be as late as this one!
Please enjoy and keep reading. I still have a lot of exciting and juicy stuff for you guys.
- MAL
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Chapter 22: Last Resort
At the faint sound of footsteps passing the door, Mako awoke instantly, although he had hardly been asleep in the first place. A splitting headache made the task of sitting up a bother, and the fact that his entire body hurt only made it worse. And then there was the mental aspect, the knowledge that Korra was condemned and would be executed in less than a week, which made him almost want to give up and stay in bed. But he could not. Things had to be done today.
A night's sleep was supposed to help him relax and allow him to think clearly in order to strategize, but thoughts had been swirling around in his mind, and along with the throbbing pain it had made a fantastic anti-sleep drug.
With a groan, Mako pushed himself to the edge of the bed. He had been sleeping fully dressed – only the coat and outerwear had been removed before he had crashed down onto the mattress. Now it formed a pool of fabric on the floor by his feet. With tired eyes he watched it for a moment, his mind still groggy. Something protruded from the coat pocket, and Mako recognized it as the glove he had been given by mistake.
He kicked out for it out of sheer boredom and caught the just barely audible sound of paper creasing beneath his toes. Frowning in curiosity, he leaned forward and reached out for the pocket, but his back ached with the movement, and Mako had to stop with a growl.
Damn it, he hissed inwardly. I should have put up a better fight yesterday.
Burying his face in his hands, he sighed heavily, tiredly. No, he should have put up a better fight from the very beginning. If he had not gotten imprisoned mid-search, or if he had been able to catch up to the Lieutenant's car, or if he had hid well enough in Amon's... then none of this would have happened. Or, more importantly, if he had kept on telling Korra to stand down the day when she had provoked Amon using the radio and challenged him openly – or at least followed her secretly to the temple, like he had considered back then, but never got to because he had been afraid of showing distrust in her abilities and a lack of respect for her as the Avatar.
But no. He had failed all those times, over and over again. He had had so many chances of rescuing one of the persons he had loved the most in his entire life, but it seemed that he was not strong enough to protect or rescue her when it truly mattered.
Overwhelmed by dark emotions, Mako was startled as a sudden knock interrupted his chain of thoughts.
"Come in," he mumbled just loud enough for the visitor to hear.
"Heeey, my favourite brother," Bolin greeted in a cheery voice, testing the waters, as he popped his head inside – however, he could not disguise the look of concern on his rounded features entirely. "Are you feeling better?"
Mako stood up and rubbed his eyes tiredly. He knew his brother well enough to know that Bolin was trying to cheer him up and make him forget his defeat, even just for a moment. But it was too late – now he could not stop thinking about how all his attempts so far had turned out to be failures. And he could not forget what would happen if their final attempt went like the ones before.
"Not really. It's difficult to sleep when time is running out," Mako mumbled and ran a hand through his short dark hair. Bolin nodded slowly, biting down on the inside of his cheek thoughtfully. He knew. He had trouble sleeping too. But he had to keep his spirits up, otherwise they would all end up sulking in a corner without the willpower to do something about the situation.
"I'm sure it's not too late. We can still rescue Korra. Tenzin has another plan."
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Through her sleep-clouded mind, Korra registered the aching of her shoulder against the stone floor and turned – banging her forehead right against the leg of the iron rack by the wall, and a moment after receiving a blow to the head as something fell down onto her.
Rubbing her scalp, Korra groaned dizzily and pushed herself into sitting position, steadying herself against the rack. With the other hand she felt for whatever had been tipped over and off the upper shelf. Luckily, it had not fallen far.
A hammer? she thought drowsily as her fingers found the massive block of metal mounted on a wooden handle. Why would Amon lock me up in a room with a tool this deadly? One well-placed blow to the head and it could kill a man.
Still somewhat sleep-drugged, the Avatar caressed the heavyweight tool almost tenderly, savouring the feeling of not being utterly helpless for once, even though she would probably be hesitating to use it when the time came. She had to figure out how to utilize it fully, and when. Now was not the time, so much she knew already.
Feeling her head pound and a bump starting to form behind her ear, she pushed the hammer under the rack, as close to the wall as possible, and scrambled to feet, dizziness almost tipping her over. Gaining balance, she moved to the door, letting her gaze pierce through the dusty glass of the tiny window in the wood.
The hallway was left in darkness, and the only light Korra could see came from downstairs. Occasionally, a shadow would pass by on the opposite wall, and she figured it was at least morning based on the activity. Perhaps even midday. It was impossible to be certain. The feeling of losing track of time reminded her of her time in the cell, and a faint feeling of bitterness crept into her. At least she had had a bed in her cell. She was not even offered that level of hospitality anymore. Her stunt with the water really must have pissed Amon off for good, even though he was the one who had started their water war back in the cell. It felt like a lifetime ago already.
A small smirk curled at her lips at the sudden memory of the first time she had emptied a container of water above his head. Back then, the feeling that had surged through her had proved it all worth it – until the moment when Amon had smashed her head down against the concrete floor repeatedly. Not to mention the treatment she underwent right after that.
About that very topic, she was not sure what exactly she felt anymore. She knew she should hate it more than anything else in the world. He had taken her without permission; had taken what belonged to her only, stolen the gift which she could only give to one her entire life. She should feel disgusted with herself enough to want to jump through the nearest window and end it all. But, for some reason, she did not. It had been so horrible in so many ways which she had never experienced before, but there had also been that part that made her inner thighs tingle and her stomach tighten with anticipation just by the thought of it. He had shown her a world of pleasure that nobody had ever introduced her to, other than herself in her lone nights – and yet it was not the same. She truly loved that world, loved the feeling rippling through her body like waves of unexplainable delight and euphoria and everything else her body had longed for without her knowing.
But the pleasure had walked hand-in-hand with pain both on a physical and a psychological plane. He had robbed her of her integrity and her right to stand as a leader, as an idol, even as a symbol of moral and peace. Even if she were to escape somehow and continue her life as the Avatar, she could not pretend to be the same. She could not symbolize what was right anymore. She felt dirty; tainted by the lust which she should not be feeling and yet could not ignore any longer. It was no longer just on a physical plane – her longing for him had grown beyond, and this was why she had been broken, destroyed by the very man whose body could bring her more delight than anything.
He had won. This whole sex thing they had been playing at for weeks had crushed the girl she once had been. Somewhere, in the back of her mind, she wished that something inside of him had been broken too; that she was not the only one whose line between right and wrong had been erased, and whose dreams were haunted by images of their naked bodies pressed together.
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There are two kinds of girls, Asami thought to herself, her heart beating nervously in her chest as she strode along the hallway. - Those who use their words and those who use their looks to get what they want.
She turned a corner.
While I would normally consider myself of the first category, I do believe that certain things are more easily obtained when using a more, uhm... feral approach.
She was not sure why exactly she was telling herself this. A first guess was that she was trying to justify to herself why she was planning on doing it like this – or perhaps it was just an excuse to do it without having to suffer from a bad conscience afterward. No matter what, she was not sure it was helping at all.
As she moved closer to the training halls and the hallway leading to the dining area, upstairs, and the basement, Asami watched absentmindedly as the nameplates on the doors she passed flashed names of older and more experienced Equalists for every passing moment. In a minute's time she would reach the section where the highest ranked soldiers and trainers were living – among those Talan and Boban.
Feeling as her nervousness grew for every step she took, Asami failed to notice the two young men passing her. One of them let his gaze linger on her body for an almost rude amount of time, but he was interrupted as the other jammed an elbow into his side.
"Forget it, dude. Talan has already claimed that one," the other whispered quickly and very indiscreetly – so loudly, in fact, that Asami doubted he was even trying to keep silent. She stubbornly tried to pretend that she had not heard him, even though all his words had been clear and was burning into her like acid.
I see, she thought, a bitter smile creeping onto her lips. She was used to men flocking around her like wild dogs, but never had one had the nerve to claim her – especially not this early. She could not deny that there was some sort of chemistry between her and Talan, but Asami had never had the intention of getting involved. Not when she knew how soon her journey would end. That, and she could and would never give herself to someone who dedicated his life to hunting down and hurting her friends.
This is very interesting, she added inwardly, her smile growing dark. If she had had any doubts of her plan being successful before, every trace of doubt had been erased now.
With renewed confidence, she continued until she reached the door with two well-known names on it. Breathing once to rid herself of all traces of insecurity, she knocked.
A moment passed, and the wooden door swung open, a tall and broad man revealing himself.
"Hi," Asami greeted sweetly when Boban smiled at her in surprise. "Is Talan here?"
"He left about ten minutes ago, I think. Why?"
"I just wanted to remind him that he still owes me cake," Asami replied, watching as Boban smirked.
"You might want to wait with that. He is in the changing room, showering."
"Oh," Asami mumbled with emphasized surprise. "Yeah, I guess that cake is not that important."
"Want me to tell him you stopped by?" the tall man offered.
"No, it is alright. I will just talk to him later," Asami said and waved her hand dismissively as she turned away. When Boban had closed the door, she changed direction to the training halls, her stride resolute. No man with any decent amount of respect for himself or his needs would turn down a woman seeking him out in the shower.
Continuing forward until she reached the open doorway leading to the training area, Asami was surprised and relieved by the lack of activity there. The lights were off, and the only illumination offering her a decent overview of the hallway and its doors came from around the corner which she had just passed.
Faint chatting and shrill laughter could be heard through the door to the ladies' changing room, but the door next to, leading inside the men's room, allowed no sounds through – Asami's guess was that there were no sounds to be leaking at all. It seemed almost eerily quiet in there.
Once again feeling her heart beating fast against her ribcage, Asami rested her ear against the wooden surface for a moment before realizing that one shower head was running. If she were going to interrupt Talan in his personal moment, she had to be completely sure that he was alone in there.
I feel so dirty for even considering this, Asami whined inwardly, finally beginning the count from three.
Three.
Two.
The door swung open, but it was not Asami's doing.
The person stopped.
"Asami?" Talan's well-known voice sounded in a mixture of surprise and wonder. Feeling the heat rising to her cheeks instantly, the raven-haired girl straightened her posture and greeted the man with a sheepish smile.
She had been so close to walking in, and Talan had not even been the one showering.
"Hey. I was just looking for you," she mumbled, fighting away the desire to flee. Talan's eyebrows rose.
"You were?" he asked, then smiled. "If I am not mistaken, it looked as if you were eavesdropping."
"I, uhm..." Sweat was starting to form on her temples, and for a moment she considered telling him her plan to surprise him in the shower to seduce him, but thought better of it. This had to be a sign from the spirits that she was not going to be using her sexuality to get to him. Not like this, anyway.
Inhaling deeply, Asami regained her self-confident attitude and smiled.
"I want to talk to you," she said, twisting the subject away from the dangerous road. A smile curled at Talan's lips.
"Alright. What about?" he asked, and Asami could not suppress the thought that he was probably hoping for a confession from her this very instant. What she was about to do, however, could come close enough to fulfilling his wish.
"Alone," she added and nodded toward the far end of the hallway, away from all eyes and light. Once again Talan's eyebrows rose in surprise, and if she was not mistaken, a dirty smirk tugged at his lips, but he did well to hide it. Without another word, they headed for the privacy of the dark.
"So, what is this about?" Talan began once they had found a sturdy wooden box to sit on. Asami turned to him, a smile on her lips, although it was lost in the shadows.
"There is something I want you to do for me," she told him calmly, feeling his breath on her cheek. It was hot and damp, and Asami could only imagine what kind of thoughts her words would send running through his mind.
"I am listening," he whispered in controlled excitement. She found his hand in the dark, and he flinched lightly at her sudden touch.
"On Saturday. I want to go – I want to attend the ceremony."
A short moment of silence.
"That is not possible. No rookies are allowed to attend. Security reasons, you know," Talan replied, his voice betraying his disappointment. Surely he had not hoped for this kind of conversation.
"But you can go, right?" Asami continued, her voice encouraging, hopeful.
"Uh, yeah. But I never do. I prefer staying here to make sure we are not attacked," he explained. "That, and I really do not like watching the sacrifices made on-stage."
For a moment, he seems even more human than Larila, Asami mused. I shall awaken another human side of him, then.
Letting her hand travel lightly up along his arm, she found his shoulder, which she grabbed and pulled towards her until their lips met. Nibbling at his bottom lip playfully, she goaded him into deepening the kiss. Breathing hotly against her, he let his hand rest at her cheek as he puller her closer.
Suddenly they were standing, and quickly Asami was pressed gently against a wall, their tongues sliding together. For a moment she allowed herself to be carried away; a lust inside her, which she had not felt for a very long time, took over.
Not until the moment Talan let his hands seek her breasts did she remember her objective. She broke away and pushed him until he was the one against a wall, letting her lips ghost over the shell of his ear so that his still damp hair dripped on her cheek.
"Get me in on Saturday and you will see what I have to offer," she whispered as she grabbed his crotch, a throbbing hard-on just beneath the fabric. An aroused whimper left his throat as she pressed firmly. Then, turning on her heels, Asami left a stunned man to calm alone in the darkness.
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Mako had never really considered himself impatient of nature, but sitting in a char, watching Chief Lin Beifong through thick glass panes as she yelled words back and forth with a colleague – and waiting for her to finish so she could move on to them, seemed to take an eternity.
"What is so god damn important?" Bolin whined exasperatedly as he slouched even deeper in his chair. Tenzin sighed deeply for at least the twentieth time. Mako pulled another thread out of the upholstery beneath him, fiddled with it between his fingers, and added it carelessly to the bunch already lying on the floor.
"-and I do not want to see you in here before you have done so, is that clear!?" Chief Beifong shouted as she opened the door and almost kicked out the now very quiet man, whom she had been arguing with for almost fifteen minutes now. He bowed reluctantly and continued down the hallway, fighting to ignore the stares following him on his way. He too ignored the nervous smile the female receptionist sent him as he passed, and the look of disappointment on her face told Mako that perhaps she was fond of the poor guy.
Sighing heavily and rubbing her temples, Chief Beifong turned to her next appointment half-sleeping in the waiting room.
"You can come in now," she said, now almost calmed, as she nodded towards her office. The three men stood up and followed her as she went back inside the small paper-crammed room. Tenzin closed the door behind them.
"What can I do for you?" the woman nearly drawled as she let herself dump back into her chair, her eyes watching them in lack of surprise. She already had an educated guess why they were here.
"It is Korra-" Tenzin began.
"We need your help," Mako interjected immediately to get to the point. Of course Chief Beifong already knew this was about Korra. No need for silly formalities when time was running out.
"I do believe we have discussed this before," Beifong breathed sternly as she leaned forward to adjust herself in the seat. In the process she sent Tenzin a meaningful glance. He should have known there was no need to continue their previous disagreement.
"Yes," Mako replied, a frown tugging at his handsome features. "But things have changed. Have you heard about what will happen on Saturday?"
"I have," Beifong said calmly. So calmly, in fact, that Mako felt his temper starting to boil already. If she knew time was running out, then why was she sitting here wasting time discussing with people?
"Then you know she will die," Mako concluded gravely. Beifong sighed again.
"Listen, Mako," she began, raising her brows warningly. "You know I cannot help you. I have another objective right now. Did you know that, while you are chasing Equalists, there are people getting brutally murdered by some unknown psychopath? Here in Republic City."
"Yes. His name is Amon," Mako replied provocatively. Beifong sent him a cold stare.
"If we are going to stand here being rude to each other, I suggest you all leave immediately."
"Sorry," Bolin added hastily, sending Mako a pleading look. "We just do not think we can find her in time. If you have anyone who can help us, even just one man, we would be grateful."
"And who would that be? Most of my men are on the murder case, and the rest are keeping the streets trouble-free at night. I have no more information about this whole damn thing than you do."
"What about Kina? She is already in. If anyone knows something about the Equalists and their bases, it should be her," Mako suggested, hope glinting in his eyes.
Lin had seen this coming already. This was going to be the hard part.
"No, our undercover agent has no information of value to you," she explained. "Kina's sole mission is to uncover Amon's true identity. She has no knowledge of the whereabouts of the Equalists' headquarters. Only those with a direct connection to the locations know the addresses. It is not something they discuss openly, due to security reasons."
"Can you not just tell her to change directive - to try figuring out where Korra is held prisoner instead?" Bolin asked.
"If Asami could get that kind of information so quickly, I bet it would be no trouble for Kina as well," Mako added.
"My guess is that if Kina were to join their training program, she would not be able to contact you either – assumed that Asami have not offered you Korra's whereabouts already for the very same reason," Beifong told them, seemingly knowing more about the topic than the brothers had thought at first. Mako guessed that Tenzin had updated her about Asami's latest stunt involving running away and joining the Equalists.
"And I cannot allow our undercover agent to pause her current mission. Amon's identity is of high value to us as well," Beifong added. Mako felt another spark of anger surge through him.
"How can anything be more important than rescuing Korra!?" he suddenly cried, slamming his fisted hands onto the desk between him and the Chief. "What use is knowing his identity once Korra is gone? He is a Blood-bender, for spirits' sake! She is the only one who can stop him and this madness!"
Standing up slowly, her green eyes burning with controlled anger, Lin Beifong lifted her finger to point at the young man in front of her.
"Now, you listen carefully, Mako. Not too long ago, the Avatar was very important to people and the society as a whole, but things have changed since then. As chief of the police force I must do what is best for people in Republic City, and my main priority is to take all kinds of criminality into account, not just politic agenda and hate between benders and regular people. The only real security I can provide those without our abilities is safety on the streets every night. The Avatar does not affect the life of those people. As long bending exists, they will remain target to benders and non-benders. They need our protection. This is why I cannot just put all my men into the war against the Equalists, because that would cause neglect to those not involved in the first place."
Tenzin and Bolin sighed in unison, knowing that the decision was already made. They were wasting time; the chief was not giving in.
"So, are you just going to let Korra die?" Mako asked finally after a brief moment of considering Lin's words, lifting his amber gaze to hers as tears of desperation threatened to gather in the corner of his eyes. "Because, as it it now, you and your men are our last hope. The three of us are not strong enough against Amon and his army."
The Chief let herself dump back into her seat, weighing the boy's words behind closed eyes as she rubbed her temples furiously. She was used to arguing with her employees from time to time – the anger did not move her an inch. But seeing a young man with teary eyes, pleading for help because he was about to lose somebody he loved and he could not do anything to stop it – that was something entirely different.
Sighing heavily, Beifong opened her eyes and glared sternly at Tenzin.
"Ten men. One day. Use them wisely," she grumbled tiredly. Hope lit the boys' dark and sunken eyes, and Tenzin stepped forth.
"Saturday evening. We are going to attack during the final ceremony," the Air-bending master said confidently, a thoughtful smirk on his face.
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Hope you liked it, and that you will stay tunes for the next chapter! We're almost at the end now! ^^