A Legend of Korra Fanfic
By Sakura Martinez (aka SMTsukishiro)
Summary:
A promising engineering student. A mysterious woman capable of controlling the four elements. When their paths crossed, the resulting collision not only changes their lives and themselves, but the fate of the entire world as well. [Korrasami AU]
Author's Note:
This is, sort of, supposed to be a part of the previous chapter. But since that chapter has gotten pretty long, I decided to split it up. This is a bit of a "short" chapter...only three-thousand-something words, and I know I could have made it longer. But I also did not want to ruin the pacing of the story, hence the length by which it ended up in.
Anyways, you guys can expect longer (four-thousand and above) chapters in the upcoming ones. And if you're waiting for more Korrasami moments, be patient for a while longer. Since I am making this an "epic", we can't very well immediately jump into that, can we?
So, I hope you all enjoy this chapter!
Allons-y~!
The Legend of Korra
The Schism
Chapter 6. Suspicion
There are many things that Republic City is known for. Being the melting pot of cultures allowed the city to blossom as a unique destination; a place where one could find anything and everything. It was where ordinary people go in the hopes of making it big, fulfilling their dreams and aspirations; where businessmen congregated; where technology is made and perfected.
But amidst the glitz, the glamour, and the tantalizing allure of Republic City was a metropolis plagued with problems that had the government scrambling for solutions.
There were the gangs that threatened the peace and security of the city; the cartels that threatened equal growth and stability. There were an increasing number of poor living in the slums, their condition worsening by the day. But the most imminent crisis of all was the decline in the metropolis's power supply. It was a problem whose resolution relied heavily on Republic City's brilliant minds; a problem that had been dogging the United Republic of Nations for quite some time. And time was running out.
It was not much of a secret to the people. The blackouts had become more frequent. While some were scheduled power interruptions, most of the time they came as an unsolicited surprise. Discontent began to rise because of it. This made the heads of the United Republic of Nations—particularly President Raiko—anxious. Thus they had turned their incessant demanding on the Great Republic University to come up with a new, reliable source of energy—a reusable one. Though coal was an option they could return to, it had become scarce and could only be found within the borders of the Earth Kingdom with whom the United Republic of Nations and the Fire Nation were not in good relations with.
Councilman Tarrlok knew that. He knew and understood the weight of the responsibility placed on him. Still, that did not make him insusceptible to grievances caused by the irksome and often times impossible ultimatums the President throws at him. The recent visit from President Raiko had earned the member of the University Council a good, long, unwelcomed speech, as though Councilman Tarrlok did not know how little time they had left or how dire the situation was.
When pressed for an update regarding the neoteric power source his people had been tasked to develop, the Councilman assured the President that all was going smoothly. When asked for the specifics, however, Councilman Tarrlok opted not to share anything. To share the particulars of the project to someone like Raiko (whose knowledge was lacking, if not non-existent) would be a waste of both time and resources. To say that President Raiko did not appreciate being left in the dark was an understatement. He was furious. But Councilman Tarrlok was not swayed by the outburst that followed, which eventually led to the President walking out.
Once alone, Tarrlok pulled open the hidden drawer on his desk and took a manila folder filled to the brim with notes and diagrams that no lay person could possibly understand. For the moment, this thick bundle of papers was the most valuable possession the Councilman possessed. The folder held within its contents the plan with which Tarrlok and the rest of the University Council had placed their hopes on. It held the plans, the theories, and various studies that they hoped would solve the power crisis the United Republic of Nations was facing.
The plan was a long-shot. Even with the continued tests proving successful, it was still hard for the Councilman not to worry. The people working on the project—including his brother, Professor Noatak—had assured him there was no need to fret; everything was going well. Noatak had even guaranteed the eventual launch of this new energy source thanks to the brilliant mind of one Asami Sato.
Asami Sato. Councilman Tarrlok knew of her. It was impossible not to. Hiroshi Sato was one of the people who was working with Noatak and the other scientists and engineers. He was the one who turned them into practical use by combining it with some of the equipment he had provided. And his only daughter was the most promising student to ever grace the halls of the Great Republic University. Both the girl's father and her professors spoke highly of the so-called 'Prodigy'. Still, as exceptional as Asami Sato was, it still surprised Tarrlok that her mind could conceive such a theorem. Briefly, he wondered what Hiroshi Sato would think if he learned of his daughter's very important involvement. Likewise, he pondered how far they could have gone without her help.
It was, after all, Asami Sato's theses that had paved the way for developing this new power source.
Three days had passed since the now-infamous break-in, and the entire Great Republic University's campus was still on lock down. While the Republic City Police Department—headed by what Opal had described as 'a very agitated' Lin Bei Fong—had been trying to learn the identities of the culprits, Asami Sato had buried herself in uncovering the secret of the device she had pilfered from the fallen guard. She continued to do so even with the blackout and her only source of light coming from a portable gas lamp.
The young prodigy did not know what to expect when she withdrew the heavy device from her ruined pack. When she began her work, Asami could not even begin to guess what answers she would find upon extensive study of the thing.
What Asami had uncovered, however, were more questions. Though these questions did not stem from the complexity of the gadget that sat atop her workbench.
The metallic glove had a very simplistic design, despite its seemingly otherworldly capability, so much so that it took the Prodigy mere hours before fully recreating a blueprint of the glove's inner workings and design.
What Asami did not understand was why the familiar workmanship was found within the designs of the item in question. The device was, without a doubt, a weapon. It was a weapon that forcefully converted spirits into energy, and then altered that energy into something visible and destructive. Why then could she see her father's hand in it?
Hiroshi Sato was a prominent inventor himself. He was amongst the best; his mind as brilliant as his daughter's. Hiroshi's work was what inspired Asami to pursue engineering. She wanted to make a difference just like her father did. Still, his expertise did not lie on weaponry and advanced armaments but on energy, infrastructures, automobiles, and construction. It did not make sense why his signature wirings and design would be on the glove. And Asami was certain the design was her father's.
The revelation unnerved her, though she did not share it with Opal. And definitely not with the Avatar. To share that knowledge, Asami felt, was akin to truly admitting her doubt on her father whom she held in such high regard.
The Prodigy was worried. She was afraid. But still she worked, it was all she could do to drown out unwanted thoughts. And though Korra's constant presence somehow distracted her, she managed to accomplish quite a lot.
Avatar Korra questioned and probed her every work. Every time she found something—a small gear, a strangely-colored wire, a luminescent cylinder, the small motor, anything that piqued her interest—she would ask Asami about it, and the young inventor would have no choice but to explain whatever it was in a way the Avatar would understand—which was much more challenging than learning about the device itself. Korra was so inept in technology that no matter how simple the explanation Asami gave her, she could only barely understand it.
There were moments, however, when the Avatar would move to a corner, away from whatever noise Asami or Opal were making. She would sit cross-legged, fists pressed together, before entering a meditative state. Try as she might, however, Korra could never get the answer she needed and often would blame her difficulty in meditating on Republic City. Even when the entire city was covered in darkness, the Avatar had complained on it being 'too bright' to meditate.
It was only when the gas lamp ran empty, and they had to make do with candlelight, did Asami stop tinkering with the device and began to review her notes instead, retreating to the small living room sofa. She passed by Opal who was once again on the phone, and Korra who had been out on the balcony for quite some time.
The further she read from her notes, the deeper the frown on her face became. Asami was familiar with the concept used on the device. She knew the calculations for the energy conversion that were implemented. She understood and could even come up with things that could improve the weapon. It should have made her confident about her abilities, instead the pit on her stomach grew and it worsened the more she thought about her father's presumed involvement.
Her mind wrestled with conflicting thoughts and emotions she didn't know what to do with. She was kept from her tumultuous thoughts when Opal suddenly flopped down next to her with a loud, exaggerated sigh.
"Rough conversation with Chief Bei Fong?" Asami asked, momentarily glad she had something else to preoccupy her mind with.
The young Bei Fong grabbed a nearby throw pillow and buried her head in it, her answer muffled as she said, "No. It was my mom."
"Your mother? Suyin?" Asami's eyes widened in surprise.
Suyin Bei Fong never called, unless it was important. Being one of the few who openly opposed the current Earth Queen's regime made her a prime target for the Queen's supporters thereby putting her family at risk. It was one of the many reasons why Opal had been sent away to Republic City to be in the care of her Aunt Lin. Any messages Suyin sent, calls she made, were all being monitored as well, so most of them were short, clipped, and sometimes even encoded.
"Did something happen? Is she alright?" Asami piled question after question, worried for her friend's family.
"Yeah, everything is fine." Opal replied, slowly easing the pillow off her face, allowing Asami to look at her jade eyes. "Mom actually asked me that. She heard about the break-in from Aunt Lin…and well, whatever my aunt told mom made her think it was worse than how it really was."
"And?" Asami pressed. She was certain there was more to the call than a mother worried for the well-being of her daughter. For a moment, Asami felt jealous of what Opal still had and seemed to take for granted. She wished fate had not robbed her of her own mother.
"She said she called the University's administration, asking them when classes would resume. And then she went on to berate the University for their lack of security. She threatened to sue them, Asami!" the pillow went back on top of the other girl's face, hiding the embarrassment she felt for her mother's action from view. "So now mommy-dearest wants to send me to over to Wei and Wing, because she thinks what happened at the University was an act of terrorism."
Wei and Wing. The extent of Asami's knowledge of the Bei Fong twins only went so far as to knowing they were Opal's older brothers stationed in Fire Fountain City at the Fire Nation, working on some job or another. Asami wasn't entirely sure. They change occupations so quickly she had lost track. She had never met them either, and Opal's stories about the twins were often centered on some prank they pulled on her.
"So you're leaving?" Asami tried to make her tone neutral. "When?"
"Of course not! I'm not going anywhere, especially when I know what's really going on…well, part of it at least." Opal replied, scoffing at the thought of leaving. "And I'm not going anywhere until we help Avatar Korra fix whatever it is that needs fixing. This is a momentous moment in history, after all."
Asami laughed. The answer was so Opal. "That's not the answer you gave your mother, though, is it? Because I'm pretty sure such a reason would backfire on you. Badly."
"No," the other girl snickered. "I told my mom that she was overly exaggerating. I told her not to worry because if something bad were to go down, Aunt Lin will be around to keep me safe and would undoubtedly ship me somewhere even before all hell breaks loose."
"That's a pretty reasonable thing to say." Asami noted.
The History, Arts and Literature Major shrugged. "Mom didn't really like it. She said she'd give the University a week. If things aren't back to normal by then, she would have Aunt Lin take me to my brothers. I'm not going to let my aunt do that though."
Asami didn't know what to say. She knew Opal would fight tooth and nail to stay in Republic City, especially when mystery was afoot. So Asami simply remained in quiet contemplation of how things would be if her friend was forced away. The Prodigy did not like that prospect.
"What about you?" Opal surprised her in asking. By then, Korra had also joined them in the small living room, having lost interest in the view of the city. "You looked like there is something troubling you as well."
"It's…it's nothing really," Asami tried for nonchalance. Neither Opal nor Korra believed her, though. Sighing, the young inventor allowed to share with them some of the things troubling her. "Okay, fine. It's about the technology used on the glove."
"You found something?" Korra was hopeful. The Avatar was sick and tired of waiting. She wanted leads.
"A lot of things, actually." Asami admitted, the frown returning to her otherwise flawless feature. "I can explain to you how the thing works; I can even make one of my own—provided I had the necessary tools and equipment. I can also improve the glove, change how it is used."
"Then why do you look so conflicted? Shouldn't you rejoice at having uncovered its secrets?" Korra continued to question her while Opal merely gauged her friend's reaction. "What you did, it didn't look easy. Even I am impressed."
Asami couldn't help the smirk that graced her lips as she pondered what it took for the Avatar to admit that. The upward curve of her lips was fleeting, the troubled look returned quickly. She bit her lower lip, too afraid to say anything but at the same time too frightened to hide her hunch.
"Spit it out, Asami." Opal finally spoke, nudging the other raven-haired girl.
Instead of answering outright, the Prodigy handed Opal one of the two notebooks she had carried from her room. Opal arched an eyebrow as she accepted the battered notebook. Slowly, she flipped through the pages, the Avatar standing behind her to look at the notes. All of them were calculations made using advanced mathematics and scientific formulae that could make a person's head spin and hurt. There were diagrams too—graphs, charts, scales—all depicting various related things.
"Okay…what's this about?" Opal continued flipping through the notes as she asked.
"What kind of art is this?" Korra asked at the same time, her eyes on one of the diagrams.
"Those are the notes I made while I was writing my dissertations." Asami explained, not looking at Korra or Opal. "I wrote some of those during my sophomore year. The most recent ones are from three months back."
Asami then handed the other notebook. Korra took it and looked at Asami questioningly.
"Those are the ones I took while studying the glove. The calculations, theorem applied, the matrixes used. I jotted all of them down." The promising, young engineer continued her explanation. "Even the methodology used for tempering the metal to withstand the amount of energy produced by the glove to make it safe to the user. I have all of that figured out. And though I could brag that it was because of my intelligence, that isn't the case. Well, not entirely."
Both Korra and Opal looked at Asami at the same time. They had no idea where the other girl was going with this. Everything she had said only pointed out to her brilliance. No one, after all, could have quickly decoded the secrets of the glove the way she did.
Before either of the two could ask the meaning behind Asami's words, the Prodigy handed them a piece of paper. The paper had nothing save for two columns of scribbled numbers written in black ink. The column on the right was written in elegant script. The column on the left started out that way, but ended up in hurried writing. There were also a bunch of question marks, inside open and closed parentheses, beside some of the numbers on the left column.
"You're not going to make me solve some kind of puzzle, are you?" Opal asked, eyes turning to slits at the mere thought of having to do just that. "I suck at those."
"I am afraid I can barely understand this conversation and I won't be able to do much help either." Korra admitted, though she looked like she was trying her hardest to understand.
"That piece of paper is what has gotten me worried." Asami took a deep breath before speaking. Her words slightly shaking, though she managed to steady them the next time she spoke. "The numbers on the right are pages from the notes I put together studying the glove. The numbers on the left are the page numbers on my other notebook—the one I had used for my dissertations."
There was a pause, a lull in the conversation. Slowly it dawned on Opal what Asami was trying to say. Quickly Opal scanned the notes, comparing the contents from the two notebooks. The Avatar, however, had to voice out her confusion.
"And what does that mean?" she had asked.
"I'm afraid that means they might be using my studies to make these things," the Prodigy's words were but a whisper by then. "There using my ideas. That luminous cylinder? It has a small machine in it that makes use of all my calculations to convert the spirits into some twisted energy source. Then there is an auxiliary motor that turns that energy into either fire or electricity. That energy conversion is what you felt when we were fighting the guards. It is what's hurting the spirits, maybe even killing them."