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 cross, the resulting collision not only changes their lives and themselves, but the fate of the entire world as well. [Korrasami AU]
Author's Notes:
What's up, everyone?
I hope the holidays have been treating you all well!
First off, Happy Holidays! Have you all finished your Christmas shopping? Everything set? Everything here is as busy as busy can be, but here's to a wonderful celebration of whatever holiday we all celebrate, yeah?
Second, I just want to clear something up since there are some who seem to be confused (and have forgotten) the reason why Korra and the others are heading towards the Earth Kingdom rather than searching for the Air Nomads. The reason why they are doing so is that Korra has to awaken the Elemental Spirit Cores in reverse order, which was something Jinora shared with the Avatar when they found her. I'm sorry if that wasn't clear from that chapter.
Third, well, I hope you enjoy this chapter! :)
The Legend of Korra:
The Schism
Chapter 59: The Demon's Lab
It was strange, Asami found, to not be behind the wheel as they soared through the skies leaving the Fire Nation Capital behind. She hadn't realized how used to being the navigator and pilot she had been, until hours later when her hand twitched in search of the familiarity that she had found grasping a steering wheel and captaining her own (commandeered) vessel.
It wasn't that Captain Dojima was not capable. He was. He flew the Asabirakimaku with the practiced ease of a professional. If there were turbulence outside, they did not feel it. Inside, however, was a different story.
The tension in the airship's dining room was palpable amidst the silence that stretched before them and the clinking of utensils that sounded far too louder than it should have. Even Sayaka, who was busying herself with serving the food couldn't lift the mood up despite trying to with her stories and attempts to start small talk. Asami and Opal tried to engage in conversation with her and with the others in the room, but even if it seemed like they managed to kick one off, it ended up fizzling much quickly. What didn't die down was the intensity of the glares Avatar Korra and Prince Iroh were giving each other.
Everyone tried to ignore the two, except for Bolin who seemed quite at a loss. Several times when Asami caught her friend looking at the Korra and Prince Iroh, his eyes were wide and his jaw hung like he couldn't fathom how openly hostile the two could be with each other considering the otherworldly abilities of one and the royal stature of the other.
Duo Xing, Bolin's secretary and handler, occasionally would roll her eyes and mutter how both were being absurdly childish in the way they were behaving—a sentiment Asami couldn't help but share, despite not really understanding the root of their continued animosity.
Of all of them, Kai was the only one who was truly great at ignoring both the Avatar and the Prince. It seemed so out-of-character for the young man who would readily jump to defend Korra and would take on any opportunity to annoy Prince Iroh, but Sayaka's cooking had completely enthralled the Avatar's Steward so much that all his attention had been placed on the meal before him. He ate like a starving man, taking a bite of his food even when his mouth was still full.
"No one would believe that we're part of a group that's supposed to save the world," Opal sighed. The two friends were at the ship's deck, opting to lounge about there instead of returning to their rooms. "Seriously, what was Lord Zuko thinking? He knows how annoyed Korra is with his grandson."
"I understand why he did it," Asami gripped on the railing. She felt tired, even when she had done nothing that should have warranted such fatigue, but it was rare to be able to go up on the deck and just feel the wind on her face, cold yet soothing. She didn't want to let the opportunity pass. "But, you're right. It would be a struggle to get those two to work along. I just don't understand why they can't let what had happened before go."
"What happened before? You mean about that whole kidnapping-thing?" Opal took her eyes off the sea of clouds and turned them towards her friend. "You think that's what this is all about?"
"What else could the reason possibly be?" the Prodigy side-glanced at Opal.
Opal didn't answer her question, though Asami could have sworn she muttered something under her breath so softly it was difficult to catch. Disregarding whatever grumbling her friend had uttered, the Prodigy closed her eyes and took a deep breath, enjoying the clean air in her lungs. It felt revitalizing, though it was not enough to truly dispel the tiredness she felt.
The two friends let the companionable silence stretch long before them as they admired the view from up high.
"Are you alright?" the question came from Asami, and it caught Opal by surprise.
"That's something I should be asking you, replied the young Bei Fong. At Asami's raised eyebrow, she expounded, "You look a bit pale."
The young inventor shrugged, waving away Opal's concern with, "I've been told that's just my complexion," which the Historian didn't particularly agree with nor was appreciative of. The playful tone of Asami's voice was quickly replaced with one of sincerity and concern when she asked, "Were you able to contact your family?"
Opal shook her head, her shoulders drooped as she let the façade of jollity slip off for a moment. "No. The Earth Kingdom has taken to blocking all forms of communication to and from the outside. Mine was bounced back. Whatever is going on there now, it seems to have escalated since the last time Mother contacted me."
"Oh, Opal…" Asami felt for her friend, reaching an arm and enveloping the other girl in a hug.
After hearing the truth of why she was sent away to Republic City, and what the Bei Fong Clan were going through, the young prodigy wished for nothing but to be able to help. But she knew the crisis in the Earth Kingdom was not something someone like her could fix. All she could do was be there for her friend, more than she had been the past few months.
"I'm okay," she said meekly, words muffled by the hug. "I'm sure…I'm sure everyone is fine. Besides, if worse comes to worse, they'll have Aunt Lin to help them." She chuckled. "She has a lot of contacts in the Earth Kingdom still who has ways to contact her should our family be in deep trouble. Plus, she's a badass."
Asami laughed along, remembering the older, stern woman who had managed to get Korra in line; how she was so fiercely dedicated, especially when Opal had been kidnapped. Family mattered to Lin Bei Fong. And despite not knowing much about the Republic City Police Chief, she felt as confident as she was certain Opal did.
"That she is," Asami agreed.
The two relapsed into silence once again, watching the clouds passing and the terrain before them changing, from mountains to plains; valleys to hills, then to the wide expanse of the ocean.
"You don't sound too thrilled to see me, boss." He greeted with a grin as he walked, Hiroshi noted, with a new-found confidence in his stride.
It was a different countenance to that which he had witnessed first-hand days prior, when the man before him was the very picture of scruffiness. Briefly, the CEO wondered what could have happened that caused him to disregard keeping his appearance up and what occurred from that time up to now. He also pondered the reason behind the sudden visit.
Though he did not give voice to the first two of the curiosities that the Mercenary brought with him, he was pretty vocal with the latter.
"What are you doing here, Mercenary?" Hiroshi asked gruffly, turning his attention back at the mess of wires, cables, bolts and metallic articles that were scattered before him, each connected in one way or another to the mechanical contraption he was tinkering with. "I was under the impression you had nothing of worth to discuss with me."
His words were laced with bitterness and contempt, though he wasn't entirely certain with whom it was directed towards. At the Mercenary he had put his trust and faith in to find his daughter? At the lack of information from both Mako and the police? With how Amon seemed to not care about his plight, choosing instead to put all his resources and his time and attention—forcing Hiroshi to do the same—at reshaping the Republic according to his own image of a utopia? At Asami for not even sending a message, or anything at all, that would show a sign that she was alive, safe, and well?
Or, perhaps, it was the Fates he was truly angry with for the cards he was dealt?
Mako didn't speak at once, like the Inventor thought he would. When he finally did open his mouth, his words were coated with unexpected concern as he asked, "Are you alright, old man? You look worn out."
It was an understatement, and they both knew it. Though, only one of them truly knew the how much of a euphemism that was. He could barely remember the last time he had a decent rest, let alone a good night's sleep.
Hiroshi was not going to tell all that to his hired hand, of course. He knew nothing of the man and the only reason why he hadn't shown him out of the door with a good, solid threat was because he was the most capable of finding out what had happened to his daughter. Mako had come with great recommendations, after all.
"I'm fine," he barked. "If you came here at the behest of Amon to check up on me and the status of his request, you can tell him that I am working as hard as ever."
"You can tell him that yourself when you see him, boss." Mako replied as he began looking around the CEO's room, poking and prodding at things that interest him. He only stopped when Hiroshi glared at him fiercely. The Founder of Future Industries did not like people messing about with his things, after all, especially when they knew nothing of what they were getting their hands on. "I didn't come here on some errand from Amon."
"Then did you, perhaps, came here to distract me from my work? If so, I would appreciate it if you do not and if you would kindly leave." He really didn't have time for such a nuisance.
"Well, you're no fun." He could hear the pout on the man's voice—so uncharacteristic of him—even without looking up from what he was doing. Hiroshi didn't give Mako the satisfaction of a reply to his statement, rather choosing to ignore him. Mako gave an exaggerated sigh after that, before turning more serious. "I came here with information regarding your daughter, Mister Sato."
Instead of dropping what he was doing and turning to face the Mercenary and ask him with much urgency what that information was, Hiroshi Sato went about with his work.
"Hey, didn't you hear me? I said I have information about Asami." Mako repeated. When even repeating it didn't garner much reaction from the Inventor, he took a step forward and said it again, much louder this time around.
"I heard you the first time, Mako." Back still turned, Hiroshi forcefully slammed the wrench he had been holding on the table, causing the Mercenary to stop dead on his tracks. Slowly, Hiroshi turned around and when Mako saw the look on his face, it was enough to get him to take a step backwards.
Raising a hand in surrender, the amber-eyed man chuckled weakly, as though to try to ease the tension that had sprung itself alive in that room. "There's no need to give me that look, boss."
To which the Sato patriarch ignored and said, "When we met before, you told me you found nothing of my daughter. Now, you come to me saying that you have?"
Something rumbled from the table Hiroshi had been working on. The rumbling turned into a sound of metal grating and the entire table shook, causing many loose and extra pieces to fall and roll on the ground. Mako's eyes followed those pieces—a peg, in particular—and watched as it bumped on his boots and fell over with a ping. When he turned his sights back on the man who had employed him to find his daughter, there was already something metallic and huge that had risen from the mess on the table. Something he could tell was dangerous.
"W-What the heck is that thing?" Mako exclaimed, looking at the marionette that stood twitching at the table. Each of its movements caused electricity to spark from its limbs and a whirring to sound.
"This?" Hiroshi glanced at his newest creation. "It's something Amon had asked me to develop. I call it an Automaton. A mechanized soldier incapable of fatigue whose sole purpose is to follow the orders it has been programmed with."
It was an abomination to look at, to be sure. It was humanoid in shape, like one of those mannequins used by the countless of stores found in Republic City's shopping district. Unlike those which were made by plastic and ceramic for use of displaying the latest of fashion trends, Hiroshi's Automaton was completely made of metal meticulously crafted; It's face was also made of metallic parts: eyes that were made of large, round, lenses similar to that of a camera, shutters working as eyelids as it made its jerking movements to blink; It didn't have a nose—it had no need for it—but its lips were curved in a perpetual smile, showing off its steel incisors, grinning.
From the back of its head—a head that was bent in an odd angle—tubes of various sizes and dimensions protruded and connected to the back of the creature where a complicated box of machinery was attached. It had all sorts of gauges and small exhausts and vents. More metal plates covered the rest of its body, from the chest to its arms, forearms, thighs, and its feet.
"It is a tool. One that would ensure the Equalists success even further." the Inventor's eyes gleamed. He then snapped his fingers and the abomination's face split in half revealing a larger, wider mouth than Mako originally thought it had, and within it were hundreds of smaller—yet equally sharp—incisors that could easily shred anything to pieces. "And it is currently under my beck and call, so I suggest you to be careful of what you say next. I do not appreciate lying, after all, Mako."
"I don't lie to my employers." The Automaton took a step forward as he said those words, walking twitchingly on all fours. Its movements were unnatural. Nothing, Hiroshi could agree, about that thing was natural. Yet, he did not care. Mako gulped. In a flurry of words he quickly said, "Tarrlok. Councilman Tarrlok. He knows of your daughter and of what she was studying. He took interest in her. If you want to know what happened to Asami, you have to ask him."
"Tarrlok? He had something to do with Asami's disappearance?" The mechanical abomination halted in its steps as Hiroshi raised a hand up. It stood motionless, every movement suspended giving it an even eerier look.
"That is what I have learned." Mako nodded. He gave the monster a quick glance once again. Even when it was not moving, it gave him the chills. "I couldn't find where the Councilman is right now to verify, Amon must have transferred him somewhere else."
There was a beat of silence as Asami's father pondered on Mako's words. His eyes held a faraway look in them, as though he could actually see a visualization of whatever was going on in his mind. Several seconds passed before the maroon orbs focused on the Mercenary once more.
"If this is some wild goose chase you are sending me out on..." he didn't have to finish his threat for Mako to get the big picture as the Mercenary was quick to respond.
"It's not." Meeting his gaze head-on.
The two men glared at each other and the CEO had to admit he was quite surprise that Mako was unflinching. It lasted for a heartbeat or two, but when it did end, Hiroshi wasted no time. Taking the coat he had left on the rack, and the keys to his office, he quickly began to prepare himself for the walk to Amon's.
Once he had finish his preparations, he turned to face Mako again.
"Leave. Now." He said. "I don't want you lounging around in my work area."
"Of course," Mako didn't bother raising an argument. It was just as well, Hiroshi couldn't see any reason why he would.
Once the Mercenary had left, the Inventor looked around the messy room he had turned into his make-shift workshop, scanning for anything that he might need, before leaving the place himself.
One way or another, he was going to get Tarrlok to talk and get to the bottom of Asami's disappearance.
But, first, he set his destination towards the City Hall where Amon had taken residence in. Where have you hidden him, Noatak? And, why?
He kept to the shadows and watched. Before long, he was joined by his benefactor, appearing from the darkness. Before, their way of materializing had surprised and bothered him. Now, he had gotten used to it.
"Is that alright?" he asked, without looking. Not that looking at that person was going to help. He wouldn't be able to gauge their reaction thanks to the hood that always kept shadows on their face.
"You did well," they said.
The Mercenary crossed his arms and leaned on the alley's wall closest to him. "I don't understand the need to do this. Why tell Hiroshi that? Tarrlok would provide him with little to no information outside of what happened here. If you wanted Hiroshi to find his daughter, you should have just let me tell him about the Avatar's involvement in all of this."
"Those are things you need not know," the response was clipped and icy. The Hooded One turned around then, walking deeper into the alleyway where darkness pooled thicker, swirling as though it had life of its own. "Just do what I have tasked of you."
"What about that thing? The Automaton?" the Mercenary asked, calling after the retreating figure that is his mentor, shuddering at the memory of the mechanical doll Hiroshi had built. "You felt it too, didn't you? Is it really wise to leave that thing alone? To let Hiroshi keep on making them and giving them for Amon to use?"
Instead of alleviating Mako's fears and worries, however, the manipulator of shadows merely repeated what they had said before:
"Just do what I have tasked of you."
And whatever protest at that lack of answer and assurance Mako had on his lips died, left unsaid as they melded into the shadow and disappeared, taking the bulk of the dense blackness with them.
He made a sound of annoyance at being left behind; at his questions being left unanswered. But what was he to do? He had made his allegiance anew. He had chosen to side with and aide this mysterious person, despite not knowing what their motivations were.
Mako sighed, taking a final glance at the warehouse Hiroshi had turned into his workshop and into what he assumed was the inventor's mini Automaton factory and wondered what was those things' true purpose before shaking all that thoughts away.
He didn't have time to think about those things. Not when he had an airship to Ba Sing Se to catch.
She let the rumbling of the airship's engine envelop her, the same way that Naga's fur wanted to swallow her whole as she leaned on the Polar Bear Dog's side. The two sat at the cargo bay's floor, finding seclusion surrounded by mountains of large boxes and drums filled to the brim with supplies for the journey. It had been her little hideaway during their voyage on the Fire Nation's airship; the little nook where she could find solace—or a semblance of it, at least.
It had been days since they left the Fire Nation. And though she knew not how long it would take them to reach their destination—wherever that may be—she could tell they were nearing it, if the way the crew had been hustling and bustling.
Apprehension dawned on her. It wasn't just for the lack of information they had, but there was something in the air—a shift—that made her skin tingle.
The warmth of her Animal Guide kept the deity-turned-human grounded as she attempted, not for the first time, to meditate and commune with Suzaku. Yet, no matter how much she tried, she couldn't. Neither could she find the inner peace needed to make such connection possible, or to call her meditation a success.
It has been like that for a while now. Even her connection to the Spirit Realm was shaky, at best. The last time she had been able to enter that world through her mind's eye had been when she had to make that abrupt escape from the darkness that wanted to grab hold of her—the evidence of such encounter still present on her skin, even when the pain no longer flared to life in various intervals as it once did.
It was her inability to go check on the plane of existence she was supposed to be safeguarding, coupled with her failure to speak with Suzaku despite knowing and feeling his presence near and ever-present, that got the Avatar into an even fouler mood that only darkened further each day that she was unsuccessful to do so yet again.
It was a cycle, one Korra did not know the beginnings of nor the reason behind.
Naga whined behind her and nudged the side of her head with her snout. It was a surprising gesture, one that pulled the Avatar away from her internal grousing.
Chuckling, Korra began petting the Polar Bear Dog's head. Naga leaned further into her touch, giving a satisfied growl.
"I apologize, Naga." the Avatar whispered to her animal companion, "I was darkening the mood here, wasn't I? I just have so many things on my mind."
Naga snorted before pulling her head away from Korra's grasp, turning to face away from the Avatar as she lay back on the ground.
"What's with that attitude?" the dark-skinned girl griped, crossing her arms. "You should be comforting me amidst all this."
Another snort was the Polar Bear Dog's reply. It gave such a sound of finality that had Korra looking slightly miffed, and feeling foolish that Naga could make her feel that way, pouted.
"When have you become such a frustrating companion?" She glared rather playfully at Naga whose head was still turned away from her. "Is this what you have learned from Kai keeping you company?"
Naga side-glanced her, then gave several barks of varying length and intensity. The more she talked, the more Korra regretted ever questioning her Animal Guide.
"I am not hiding," she was adamant. "I am keeping you company. Or would you rather be here all alone?"
In response to that, Naga lifted her head and then nudged Korra's right arm. She flinched, drawing away from the Polar Bear Dog who looked knowingly at her. Naga barked a couple of times more, trying to get her point across.
Korra frowned. "You know I can't do that."
Another bark.
"You know why." The Avatar hissed. "This is my burden to carry. It will change nothing for them to know. It will just give them unwarranted concern." She looked away and fingered the bandages on her shoulder she could feel from under her shirt. "No. This is mine alone to carry. It is better this way."
Naga snorted and whined, but Korra paid her no mind. She had made her decision. It wasn't her pride that kept her from sharing the things Lord Zuko had told her, nor was it out of fear. Rather, she didn't want them to concern themselves with her far more than they had already.
Still, Naga's words remained with her until she drifted to sleep and finally escaped the thoughts haunting her with dread.
"I still have no idea what we're supposed to be doing here," Bolin said while he rested, having completed a run-through of the act he was going to present to his fans. "I mean, I get that we're supposed to help Korra but, what could we possibly do to help her when she's obviously more capable of doing things than we can?"
Duo Xing sighed. "Who knows?" And that was the truth. Who really knew what Lord Zuko had meant? "From what I was told, we have the Gift—whatever that is. Perhaps it has something to do with that age-old notion that each of us is capable of doing something the other can't."
Bolin raised an eyebrow, turning to face Duo Xing completely. "You sound skeptical of that."
"Of that whole talk about the Gift? I am." She added a scoff at the end of her statement. "I feel as though it was just something they have said in order to get us to agree to this whole arrangement."
Even after she had said those words, she knew them not to be true. After all, despite Bolin having agreed firsthand to help, she had adamantly refused. Bolin may have been her employer on paper, but she had the power to make decisions rather than him. The only reason they were onboard though was that she had changed her mind after the Fire Nation dangled an irresistible bait right in front of her.
"Huh…" the Mover Star looked out of the porthole and to the outside. His eyes held a far-away look in them as he mulled things over. He didn't need to say anything for Duo Xing to know that he had fallen in love with the notion of having the Gift.
Silence descended upon the Mover Star and the Secretary, and Duo Xing let it stay that way. Using the time she was given whilst Bolin was distracted, she took from her pocket the new communicator the Fire Lord had sent for her to use. Looking at the clock atop the door frame of their room, and seeing the time, the Secretary sent a quick message—a report—to her new employer.
Thinking of this new "alliance", she couldn't help the shudder that racked her body. It was such a frightening concept: working for someone who knew that you could easily and quickly stab them in the back but still trust you enough to do your job and accomplish your end of the bargain.
Duo Xing would have thought the Fire Lord was stupid for trusting her. But having met and interacted with the woman, she knew that was not the case. It would be a fatal mistake for anyone to think that of Fire Lord Izumi. She was, as the Secretary had learned, cunning. Betraying her would be deadly and dangerous.
She wondered what Fire Lord Izumi—and subsequently her father—would think after reading her report. Would they be surprised? Or would they have guessed that harmony was not something to be expected of them, even after a week had passed since their departure?
Well, she shook the thought away as she pocketed back the communication device. That is no longer my concern.
Her lips were pursed as she stood by the door. Her eyes burned with contained anger, even as her face masked the distraught that accompanied it.
Despite having found the best of doctors and other medical practitioners, despite the time and the funds she had generously given them, none of them could find the cause of the sickness that plagued her sister. None of them could give her a concrete answer for the questions that swirled in her head. None of them could provide her an explanation of what had happened to her sister or how to cure her condition.
To them, Lin was just another medical discovery waiting to happen; a subject from which they could unearth something new and undiscovered in their field.
And even though she wanted to throw all of them out and keep them all away from her sister, she couldn't. She still had hope that they would come up with a breakthrough and bring Lin back to the way she was; cure her of this vegetative state she had fallen into.
"Mother," the voice of one of her sons pulled her from the worry-infused contents of her mind. Hesitantly, she looked away from the unconscious form that is Lin. "We have received word from our people in Omashu. It seems a Fire Nation airship had requested permission to dock in Chin Village."
"A Fire Nation airship?" that piqued her interest. "Did you hear the reason why?"
"Not yet. But we are keeping our ears to the ground. It would be problematic if they have come at the behest of the Earth Queen."
That was true. It would, indeed, pose them quite a conundrum. But her gut instinct was telling her that was not the reason for their arrival.
If they had come for the Earth Queen, they would not have chosen Omashu. Omashu, after all, was a known supporter of their cause. Others had even referred to it as the Capital of the Resistance. The Fire Nation entourage would not make such a mistake. It would be a different matter if they had come with a fleet, however.
"Very well," she nodded. She paused, and her son could tell there was something more she wanted to speak about. Seconds passed before Suyin Bei Fong spoke once more, asking, "What of the matter regarding your sister?"
Her son's eyes darkened, his expression mimicking the one she wore beforehand. "It is difficult, even for us, to gather information at this time, Mother. Republic City is in chaos with that coup. Although, there has been talk of the Equalists desires to…expand their reach."
Her frown deepened. The Equalist were such an unknown variable. Who they were, what they were fighting for, their goals—everything was a mystery about them. And although it was tempting to form an alliance with these people, something told her it was a dangerous thing better left untouched.
"I see." She said, instead, before nodding more to herself than the benefit of her son. "Alright. Keep me posted on both the Fire Nation airship and the Equalists."
Although she didn't voice it out, Bataar, Jr. understood her headed plea. He placed a hand over her shoulder and gently squeezed. "Don't worry, Mother. We will find Opal and make those responsible for Aunt Lin's condition pay."
Post-Author's Notes:
Thoughts?
As always, comments and reviews are pretty much appreciated (and it feeds the writer's soul). :D