Two and a half weeks later
Korra waited nervously at the track, waiting for a certain someone to show up. She had a bit of a stomach bug, and probably wasn't able to go doing too much bending as it was taking a lot out of her at the minute. But that didn't stop her from walking around, and talking. She wore a grey hoodie to prevent herself from being recognised. Sadly, it also turned out to be a miserable day, the heavens pouring down from above.
She stood under the flimsy iron shelter and listened to the raindrops splashing down. It was probably just her nervousness, but she could feel every ping and pong on the roof as it rattled on and on, cutting into her senses. There were times where she felt like stopping the rain mid-air just to listen to the abrupt silence. She was getting more and more irritable recently, and found it hard not to shout at someone when whatever she wanted didn't immediately go her way. It felt like a result of both her bug and having to slowly wind people from different lands down to her opinion, wearing her patience wafer-thin.
The train creaked in two minutes late, and the passengers shot out from the doors straight under the shelter. After about a minute or two, Korra spotted her girlfriend. Asami, as beautiful as ever, if looking a little worn, walked out and put her umbrella up. She scurried like a mouse, keeping her head down to avoid unnecessary attention, and wasted no time in racing to get to one of the many cabs waiting in the parking lot. Korra frowned, obviously having not thought her plan through, and jogged after her.
"Hey there," Korra whispered seductively in Asami's ear, latching onto her shoulders and pulling her back into her body. Asami jumped and twisted around forcefully, only to see it wasn't an 50-year-old man, but someone much more welcome under her umbrella.
"Phew," Asami said, relieved, and gave Korra a quick peck on the lips. "If you weren't careful I could've elbowed you there."
"That would've hurt. How would you have made up for me, I wonder?" Korra purred, wasting no time at all to let Asami know what she had on her mind.
"I can think of a few ideas," Asami said playfully, and turned around face-to-face with Korra. "I'm not sure if you'd like them."
"Give me an example," Korra played along, and Asami pulled her into a deep kiss, right there and then, which seemed to last an eternity, but even that wasn't long enough. They stood there for a minute; three weeks' worth of fantasizing about each other banished into their memories. When they were done, they simply just stood there, both of them with a hand on the umbrella hilt, resting against each on the other's forehead.
"Can we fly home?" Asami asked, her eyes still shut. "Carry me in one arm while cling I onto you for dear life? It's a lot quicker than a cab all the way to my place."
"Of cou-" Korra started, and then remembered what had happened not too long ago when she broke her glider. Her stomach lurched when she remembered the foggy details of what followed. She fell into silence, the cold now painfully snarling around her due to her standing still for about a minute.
"What's wrong baby?" Asami asked, brushing a loose strand of hair from Korra's eye. "Is there something wrong?"
Korra hesitated. She wanted the ground to swallow her up, and she technically could make that happen. But she wasn't allowed to break down, not after all that she'd done. "It's just… that… I broke my glider while sparring. And I haven't ordered a new one yet." The lie came out awkwardly enough but Asami brushed it off.
"Don't worry about that," Asami said, snuggling up to Korra for warmth. "I know you haven't done anything to hurt me."
Korra's heart practically stopped. Of all the sentences that Asami could've uttered, that just had to the one. It was the universe's way of pretending to offer a hand up, but just slapping her instead.
"Why don't we get back to yours?" Korra suggested, hoping her voice wouldn't crack. Thankfully, it didn't. "It's getting kinda chilly."
"I thought firebenders didn't feel the cold," Asami said," Asami said, not moving. "And you're strong enough to heat the both of us surely."
"I've been a little under the weather recently, so I prefer not to bend when possible. Something like that isn't hard but I don't wanna push whatever I have.
"Do you have a temperature?" Asami asked, now worried. She was about to start mothering Korra, an annoying yet adorable charm to her. One of many.
"It's barely worth mentioning," Korra assured her. "I wasn't even going to bother telling you but you brought up bending."
"In that case, how about we snuggle up against the fire back at mine?" Asami suggested. "I don't care if I get whatever you have."
"Sounds like a plan," Korra agreed, and she whistled for a cab.
It was 5pm, and Korra was beginning to get really irritable for no reason. She tried to relax on the couch, her head resting on Asami's lap. The fire was just a tiny bit too hot. She used her exhalation to lower the fire down a bit despite what she said earlier that day about bending, but after a minute it was too cold. Asami was fine, temperature-wise, her eyes shut and enjoying the serenity. Or at least trying to. She couldn't sit there peacefully with Korra squirming around every thirty seconds.
"What's wrong?" Asami eventually asked, and Korra sighed.
"I don't know, if I'm being honest," Korra opened up. "I've been getting pretty irregular mood swings over the last few weeks, and this sickness in my stomach won't go away. I can't do much apart from just sit at a meeting and try not to vomit."
"Vomit?" Asami asked, and sat up. "Korra, you know you don't have to hide anything from me."
Korra sat up as well and gently rested her hand on top of Asami's. They met eyes. Korra could've had Zaheer right outside the door, and she wouldn't have cared. All that mattered was those emerald eyes, sparkling in the dim light. Korra cupped Asami's left cheek with her right hand. Her fingers trailed to her left ear, and intertwined themselves in that one strand of hair that was never tucked behind her ear, but curled around in front of it.
Asami felt herself leaning closer to Korra, as she had many times before in the past, and would hopefully do many times in the future. She smiled her cunning trademark smile, one when a seemingly brilliant deal popped into a head. Maybe every day for the rest of our lives. I certainly wouldn't mind.
She stared into the black pupils perfectly circled by a symmetrical sea of light blue, that sat square in her girlfriend's eyes. They had seen so much and more; lying helplessly in the snow as Raava was cut into pieces and spectate while she couldn't do anything about it. Watching as her father was chucked off a cliff, by a man who only had the ability to kill them because of the power her last-minute decision had caused, to what looked like was his demise. She felt so empathetic, having been through enough trauma herself. She chuckled at the next thought. Listening to Prince Wu at any given time.
"I'll see a doctor," Korra murmured, and moved her fingers under Asami's chin. She placed her thumb and index finger to each side as if she were about to squeeze it. Korra began to lean in. Asami followed suit, but then Korra blew, and Asami's hair started rippling back in the breeze. She tried to close the gap, but quickly found the current to be too strong to advance through. Korra was giving her that look too. That cunning look.
She won't win that easily, Asami thought to herself, but failed to back it up a second later. Korra placed a hand on Asami's breast, those boundaries long gone, and used airbending to gently blow her on her back on the couch. Korra jumped on top of her girlfriend, and without hesitation, pinned Asami's hands down by her head.
"Looks like you'll be listening to me tonight," Korra declared victoriously. "Unless you're ready to face the repercussions."
"What are they?" Asami played along, biting her bottom lip.
"Oh you don't want to know," Korra threatened mockingly, in her role.
"I doubt that," Asami taunted. Korra smirked, and leaned in for a passionate kiss. They connected, but no longer had they started did the telephone start clanging. Korra glanced over at it, and frowned, before turning back to the only thing she wanted to look at. They clashed lips again, but it just kept on ringing. And ringing. And ringing.
Asami groaned and pushed Korra off of her. Korra whimpered, but Asami didn't bother keeping up the game. As she stomped over to the telephone, she pondered if she could make it so that it could read a room's atmosphere, and shut up. She practically ripped the earpiece off, and shoved it against her ear. She listened intently for a few moments, and then nodded, disappointed but in no position to refuse.
"Who is it?" Korra asked, seeing Asami's face drop.
"Beifong. At headquarters. Now."
Korra moaned, and then rolled off the couch, grumpy. She knew she had her duties as the Avatar, but just a little bit of free time wouldn't go unappreciated. She pushed herself up off the couch onto the lush carpet, and stood up straight. She wobbled temporarily from vertigo, but shook her head a couple of times to get rid of it. Her long hair flew beautifully from side to side, like a goddess, even if a lot of the time she certainly lacked the manner of one, Asami noted. She looked at the woman in front of her wishfully, thinking about what could have been.
"Next time," Korra promised, more out of hope than certainty.
"I knew what I signed up to. Go get 'em, baby."
"They'll pay for what they've done, whoever they are," Korra said, and that was definitely a promise. The fire in the fireplace flared briefly as Korra made that statement. "Mind if I take one of your cars?"
"Of course. But don't take the one with the dodgy paintwork. I'm still working on that!" Asami called out as Korra walked to the garage, silently fuming. "Don't overdo any bending in your condition!" Asami added, but it fell on deaf ears, which both annoyed her and was to her satisfaction, showing that Korra meant what she said. Not that Asami had any reason to not believe her.
"Be back later," was the reply she got, and a few minutes after, the rev of an engine echoed around the halls. Asami walked upstairs and into the office that her father had spent so much time in during her childhood. She placed a lonely hand on the gleamingly clean window, watching silently as the most important person in her entire life rolled out the driveway and in the direction of the general city.
Korra arrived at the station twenty minutes later, with most of the rush-hour traffic heading out of the city making her journey much shorter. She pulled up a few blocks away, and parked on the side of the road. She'd made sure to get an old car that no-one would bother stealing, as she'd had that problem once before when she'd decided to drive 'for a change.'
There was a full moon tonight. Korra felt its power already pushing and pulling at her as twilight began to fade. She bent some water from a nearby puddle over her palm and spun it in circles repeatedly. She watched it spiral around endlessly, in a constant loop. She made it go faster, and then abruptly stopped it. The water hung there, still, like a predator waiting for its prey. Korra looked at it absentmindedly for a second, then made it explode into a mist. She shook her head, snapping out of her gaze, and hurried to the station.
She pushed open the wide doors and made her way to Beifong's office. When she entered, the stern woman was fussing over the details of a board with five other officers, including Mako. There was a sixth man there that Korra had never seen before, dressed in dark clothing. He was standing at the edge of the group, like he didn't really belong there.
"What's the issue?" Korra asked. She didn't show any attitude because she knew that Beifong hated asking for help from Korra, and avoided it for her own pride's sake whenever possible. It was only when something serious came up that she needed Korra. "Triads? Robbery? Murderer?"
Beifong looked over at Korra and stopped talking, annoyed that she had been interrupted. "So good of you to join us, Korra," she greeted. Beifong had become much more open ever since that visit to Zaofu a few years back but when working, she was to the point and personal friendships went out the window.
"You specifically called for me," Korra stated.
"Yes, and listen up now that you're here," Beifong ordered, and Korra complied. "Mako's new acquaintance (she treated the word as if it were a euphemism) has just tipped us off a supposed drug shipment coming from Yu Dao. There's believed to be somewhere in the region of six to seven million yuans worth of cocaine stashed on a ship called The Dolphin."
Korra whistled at the figure. That was a LOT of money.
"Sorry for interrupting but," Korra said, something she probably had started saying in her sleep after a meeting, "that's just stupid. I've only ever heard of one or two cases of stashes of over a million's worth being found. Whoever tipped you off must've been messing with you."
"That was my initial reaction too," Beifong said, and pointed to the guy who was out of place, "but that man right there submitted it in person, and Mako backed him up, saying that he owes him his life."
"Oh, sorry," said Korra awkwardly. "I didn't mean it like tha-"
"Oh no, it's completely fine," the man said, rushing over and grabbing Korra's hand in a firm handshake. Korra visibly paled and tried to pull away, but he was strong. "I don't think we've ever formally been introduced before. My name is Hazukk."
"Hi Hazukk, I'm Korra, as you probably already know," Korra said, hating how she had to say that to everyone she met. "What do you mean never 'formally' met? Do you work here?"
He finally released his strong, cold hand from Korra's. "I used to be on the Fire-"
"Shut it," Beifong interrupted. "We didn't let a journalist in just so you could introduce yourself to the Avatar."
Is Beifong going soft? Korra thought to herself she thought to herself as she heard that word. She caught Mako's eye and he tried to express wordlessly to give Hazukk a chance, but Korra avoided it. She had been burying the thoughts of the night just over a fortnight ago, and she was finally beginning to convince herself that it was just a dream. However, feelings of guilt and betrayal were creeping to the surface at the sight of his face. She got his message, but turned her head to the board on the wall and locked it in that position.
"If the information is correct, then the shipment will arrive on Saturu Harbour at 10pm," she continued. She made her cable come out two feet and become rigid to act as a pointer at various parts of the board. "There will be a heavy presence there from the Red Monsoon. We can't march in with a battalion or else the ship will simply not dock, and we'll have a huge fight on our hands. Therefore, I will have 20 men on standby for my signal a few blocks away.
"There will be two teams, spearheaded by myself and Executive Commander Sim. Korra, Mako and Hazukk, you will obey his orders at all times. Michael and Juan will come with me. I have chosen Sim's unit to pursue anyone fleeing the scene, due to your combat and pursuit capabilities. My unit will surround the delivery once confirmed and guard it, and that point the men on standby will arrive as backup.
"We'll be hiding in a crate to get close. The chances are that we'll be hiding there for at least an hour if we want to avoid detection. No talking! I'll let everyone know when we bounce. Especially you," Beifong finished, glaring at Hazukk. "Any questions?" she added.
"Yes," said Korra, temporarily throwing all manners away. "Why are we letting a journalist come along on a top-secret police mission? If he gets injured, then it'll be your fault directly!" Korra wasn't happy about this. "And what outlet do you work for anyway?" she asked, directing the last question at Hazukk.
"The Sun," Hazukk stated matter-of-factly, standing up to his full height, which was tall enough. "And if you don't mind, I'm more than a capable fighter."
"WHAT?!" Korra practically shouted. She glared at Mako, putting aside her other issues for the minute. This was beyond a joke. It was bad enough letting him this far into the building, and ludicrous that he was going on a mission like this without any training, which most officers in the force spent years building up to.
But the fact that he was with The Sun really just pissed on the badge. There were stories about how in the Earth Kingdom they had made up stories to cover for the corrupt Ba Sing Sae government, like when an impending rockslide was threatening to kill the majority of a small town, and that the government ignored their requests for a proper squad of elite earthbenders to help remove the boulders. When nearly a hundred people had been killed, the Sun devised a sickening story saying that the town had refused help, and that the survivors pickpocketed the dead. There was more to the front-page headline, but Korra didn't need to know it all. She got the gist of what they were about, and their agenda.
"This man saved my life," Mako defended him. "I know that you may have misgivings about his career stereotype, but Hazukk is an old friend of Bolin and I. You couldn't have told me his name a couple of minutes ago. Don't judge a book by its-"
"I'm watching you," Korra threatened, and walked up to Hazukk, squaring up to him, but he just looked down at her innocently. "You're just like Tarrlok, a rat who takes all the praise. What's even in for you?"
"That's enough," Sim said, coming in between them. He was 5'9, stubble growing around his lips but not his jaw. He was obviously very strong despite him looking like he was in his forties. His red eyes demanded acceptance and the various nicks on his face gave him a stoic look. "We have a mission at hand and you will obey my commands until the mission is concluded, and that means no fighting."
"Please, trust is essential," Hazukk said, slowly lowering Sim's hand from his face. "The force has generously permitted me exclusive coverage to the scene in order for my information and assistance on the scene, Avatar Korra. Does that answer your question?"
"And you just allowed him on the basis of a tip? It could be a trap for all you know!" Korra gave out, directing it at Lin Beifong.
"I wouldn't have bothered either, but Mako really vouched for him, so I'm willing to trust my commander's word on this," Beifong replied. "I trust Mako more than you, if it helps. He's your friend, isn't he? Then show him a little faith."
The word 'faith' struck a deeper chord with Korra than Beifong intended. Asami had put her faith in Korra, and Korra pissed on that. She was no-one to be talking to about loyalty and values.
"Ok," said Korra quietly, taking everyone aback. Everyone had been expecting more of an argument from her, but submissing like this wasn't normal of the Avatar who known for her stubbornness and getting what she wanted, and definitely not so suddenly. Beifong, although surprised, didn't show it and grunted something inaudible in approval.
"It's already coming up to six, Chief," one of the commanders said. "We need to get there good and early."
"That's for the best," Beifong agreed, and tossed a pile of dark clothes at Korra. "Throw them on." Korra nodded without saying anything, and put them on over what she was already wearing. The seven left the office and headed for the edge of the rooftop. There'd be no cars for this mission.
When they arrived there, Beifong punched out in front of her, keeping her body square, and the cable took a second to travel the distance of the street and pierce the granite of the building opposite they were facing. Juan grabbed Mako tightly by the waist, as Sim did with Hazukk, and followed suit. Korra used airbending to hop gracefully over to the Chief of Police, but she felt her stomach lurch as she did it.
Ignore it, Korra thought, and the unit pushed on, unaware of her poor health, towards their destination.
As always, feedback is welcome. RR!