Chapter 13: The Spymaster
The radios had only just barely been repaired when the accusations started rolling in.
Raisu, Hua Long, and dozens of other members of the United Earth Kingdom parliament were furious that the Coalition had dared to cross the UEK's border. An emergency session of parliament had quickly convened, with the Avatar-General joining in to defend himself via radio.
"This debate is cyclical," Earth King Wu II protested. "No matter the objections raised by any members of parliament, the United Coalition was acting within the rules laid out by its charter."
While the Coalition was normally barred from entering nations not participating in the Coalition, an emergency situation and an express invitation from a provincial leader could override that rule.
"A charter which I might remind the esteemed ministers, they voted to uphold," Sen added. While the UEK Parliament had rejected joining the Coalition, they had voted to recognize its authority and legitimacy as a military force. All the old rules still applied.
"No one is arguing the legality of your actions, only the intent," Raisu added coldly. "You will use this intrusion as a precedent for further actions in our territory."
"Any 'precedent' set here was set by Sarin," Sen countered. "He's the one who attacked a neutral territory without an official declaration of war."
"Do not pretend that Zaofu is neutral. That city is so deeply in your pocket it might as well be hanging Coalition banners," Raisu retorted.
"The actions of a handful of private citizens don't justify a full-scale military assault on a civilian populace," Sen said. While many in Zaofu, such as Ada, Ko Rin, and Canto, worked with the Coalition, most of the victims of Sarin's attack had been civilians.
"The Avatar is right," The Minister from Omashu interjected. "Sarin's proven he's willing to attack without provocation. The Avatar is the only one who can protect us!"
"Just like he protected the Redstone building," Minister Hua-Long taunted. Sen scowled. The damage he'd done to the Redstone building during his duel with Sarin had rendered it unstable: it would need to be demolished.
"The Avatar is just as much of a threat as Sarin is," Hua-Long concluded. Sen managed to bite his tongue and keep from retaliating, but only barely. He did not like being compared to Sarin in any way.
"Zaofu provoked the Energybender by helping the Avatar," The Chin province representative protested. "The safest course is to stay as far away from General Sen as possible!"
"Neutrality is for cowards," The Kyoshi Island minister shouted. "We need to join the Coalition! I demand a vote!"
"Enough!" Prime Minister Tse shouted. "This is not some public forum, we have rules! You will speak when recognized or not at all."
The conflicting ministers acquiesced to the commands of their leader and gradually fell silent. Once order had been restored, Sen spoke up.
"The Coalition has a responsibility to our cause and to the people of Zaofu to ensure that every possible threat in this city is eliminated," Sen said. "Once that is accomplished, parliament has my guarantee that we will withdraw from Zaofu and the Earth Kingdom as a whole."
That placated Raisu slightly. Some members spoke up in protest, but they were mostly those that believed the Avatar should stay in the Earth Kingdom. Sen had no real desire to stay in Zaofu much longer. Most of Sarin's invading force had either retreated or surrendered at this point. There was very little reason for them to be there.
Sen was already making plans for the Coalitions exit from the city. They were helping rebuild as necessary, and briefly enjoying the hospitality of the Beifongs. Oddly, the one who should have been enjoying their time in Zaofu the most was enjoying it by far the least. Ada was still withdrawn and fearful, two qualities Sen would never have attributed to her. Her brush with death had frightened her greatly –or so Sen thought.
The parliamentary debate raged for a moment longer, and then was dismissed. Sen was glad to step away from the radio and breath a heavy sigh.
"This is not going to end well," Sen said. At best this would forestall the UEK joining the Coalition even further, at worst it would cause civil war. He wished he had been able to do more against Sarin during their fight. He could have ended it all right then and there. Sen clenched his fists tight as he remembered Sarin's escape.
"We should start getting things out of here as soon as possible," Hanjo advised. "Especially all our tanks and planes and stuff. All the heavy hitting stuff."
"Does that include me?" Miyani asked. "I kind of like it here."
"I don't think people count," Hanjo said.
It was an attempt to add some levity to an otherwise tense moment, and it did not really work. Hanjo and Miyani both looked to Ada.
She had been following them, and sluggishly interacting, but it was clear that she was not herself. She had adamantly refused to clue any of them into what was wrong with her. They all assumed it was due to her near-death at Sarin's hands.
"If some of you could just get started on that, I would appreciate it," Sen said. "I'm going to be up all night dealing with this parliament business."
Sen leaned on his desk and put his head in his hands. He didn't even know where to begin. As Sen contemplated his course, his friends gradually split up to go about their business. All but one. Sen decided to put the problems with the ministers on hold for a moment.
"What's wrong, Ada?"
She took slow, sluggish steps forward and sat down by Sen's side, staring at the floor.
"I don't know where to start," She said quietly. "There's so much…I need you, Sen."
"Don't take this the wrong way, Ada, but," Sen began hesitantly. "I don't think you do."
Ada paused and waited in silence. Sen was quick to continue and explain himself.
"I wouldn't be a very good friend if I thought I had to solve all your problems for you," Sen said.
Sen turned away from his desk and his radio to give Ada his undivided attention.
"I know you had a close call. I know that scared you, but…I don't think it should," Sen said reassuringly. "Your survived something we thought no one could. You escaped death through sheer force of will. With a spirit that strong, well, you could do anything."
That did it for the pep talk. Sen firmly believed that sometimes the best way to help someone was to get them to help themselves. With that taken care of, though, it was sometimes necessary to actually help them.
"If you need me, I'll be here for you, always," Sen promised. "I know you're scared right now. But I hope you remember how strong you are."
Ada stared at Sen blankly. He could feel the wheels turning in her head. She had been cold and quiet for a few days now, but Sen could feel a certain spark inside her now.
"I need to go home," Ada said firmly. She stood up. It was nearly sunset now. It had been a long time since she'd had a good night's sleep in her own bed.
The room was smaller than the last time Ada had seen it. For a moment she wondered if she had grown larger in the years she'd been away, but no, she was as small as she'd ever been. The claustrophobia, the feeling that the room was shrinking around her –that had nothing to do with her, and nothing to do with her brush with death.
It was about Ko Rin.
This was Ada's bed. Her room. Her house. A place she'd been longing to return to for years. Yet here she was lying atop the sheets, desperately wishing she had never come.
It all felt poisoned now. The sheets chafed, the walls closed in around her, the meal her father had cooked had tasted like ash in her mouth. Nothing in Zaofu felt like home. She couldn't look any one of them in the eye, not her father, not her mother, not Canto. She even avoided Sen and her other friends, ones who'd barely been in Zaofu for two days. Nothing here was safe. If she couldn't be safe inside her own mind, where could she be safe?
Ada's eyes fell upon her sword. That, that she could trust. She had seen it forged with her own two eyes, far away from this poisoned city. It did not have the corruption that Ko Rin had tried to put at the heart of her old blades.
She had been thinking for too long. Hesitation allowed the poison to sink deeper and deeper into the world allowed her. Every second she hesitated Ko Rin spoke those poisoned words again, and someone else succumbed to his control.
Your Spymaster commands it. Somehow those words cut through any independent thought, turning the ones who heard them into a slave to the Spymaster's will. Every time she thought of them Ada felt a hollow burn behind her eyes. It was an empty pain now: any sway Ko Rin held over her was broken now, but the chains had left scars. She could still feel Ko Rin's cold will chafing the edges of her mind.
Ada could remember them all now, years' worth of incidents, years of her life spent a slave to a foreign will. Minister Raisu was right: Zaofu was the center of a massive ring of sabotage and conspiracy. She could remember so much now, so much treachery, so much death. Ko Rin had used her, Canto, so many hundreds of others. All of them just children.
Tense fingers wrapped around the hilt of her sword. She could go back to the Avatar. Sen would trust her, Sen would understand. But Sen's own words made Ada second-guess herself. He had no idea of the full extent of the situation, but his words had some merit all the same.
Ada gripped her sword even tighter. She was strong enough to fight her own battles. Ko Rin was not Sen's problem. This was not Sen's home. It was not Sen's life. It was not Sen's mind.
Ko Rin had poisoned all those things for Ada. She would excise that poison herself.
The night sky was far behind her now, but it was no brighter where Ada lurked. The darkened tunnels beneath Zaofu stretched on for miles in a seemingly endless labyrinth. Ada found what she was looking for.
She pressed her hand against a segment of wall, displacing a secret panel. A door to another tunnel opened. Secrets within secrets within secrets. She grit her teeth. Ko Rin had hidden too much.
This hidden hall featured in far too many of the memories Ko Rin had sought to suppress. A secret hall, walked only under the command of the Spymaster. Not even Ada's fellow agents knew it was here. It had to lead to the heart of Ko Rin's web of lies.
With her sword in one hand and a chunk of glowing crystal in the other, Ada worked her way down. The tunnel was heavily slanted, leading to the darkened depths of the earth. Unlike the well-maintained network of tunnels that led through the upper level, this shadowed path was rough and dirty, though markings on the floor suggested it was used often.
The rough tunnel of dirt gave way for a moment as Ada entered a chamber. The only part of the tunnel she remembered very clearly. An armory.
Ko Rin had claimed once that the explosive she'd carried out of these tunnels was a one-of-a-kind prototype. That, among many others things, had been a lie. This room was piled with explosives, both the handheld explosives of Varrick's design and larger, more powerful charges. The same kind of charges that had collapsed the Zu-Shin tunnel, and mines and buildings across the Earth Kingdom.
Ada's fist clenched as she recalled once more all the destruction Ko Rin had forced her to carry out. In Raisu province and beyond, Ko Rin had waged a consistent campaign of sabotage. Mines, railroads, business centers, all suffered suspicious "collapses". He was always careful, just subtle enough to have all incidents explained away as collapses and surprise earthquakes. But now Ada knew the truth.
The hoard of explosives was once again left in darkness as Ada proceeded to the next chamber. There was a long hallway, with no light but the glowing stone held in Ada's hand, that led to something even Ada could not recall. Whatever was in the next chamber was clearly important. The memories had not just been repressed, but outright removed.
The darkened shadows that Ko Rin had buried his secrets under parted ways under the dim luminescence of Ada's glowstone. The chamber was sparse, not filled to the brim with explosives, but the little that Ada saw was enough to shock and enrage her more than a thousand bombs ever could.
A chair with metal bonds. A circle of stone. A single lantern, unlit. A strange combination of items to most, but not to one who knew the history of the Earth Kingdom, and of the Dai Li.
The quiet and solitude of Ko Rin's sanctum was violently broken by the door slamming open. His guest was not feeling particularly subtle.
Ada found the Spymaster at the heart of his network of blackened tunnels. Here, and only here, there was a source of light. A cluster of lanterns that illuminated a single massive table. The stone slab was covered in paper. Some of the papers were dry and ancient, having been in place for decades. Each paper, each scrap of conspiracy, was covered in indecipherable markings. The only one who could understand the network of lies and deception stood over it now, his back to Ada.
At the sound of her harsh entrance, Ko Rin slowly rose, his white robes coated in shadow by the heavy light. Slowly, he turned to Ada, to see her blade pointed at him. An ocean of blackness stood between them – the burning electric lights only barely illuminated Ko Rin's table of secrets.
"Tell me why," Ada demanded. Ko Rin never turned to face Ada completely. He did not turn away from the table that held the full breath of his lies.
"I won't waste both our times pretending I don't know what you speak of," Ko Rin said. He kept his hands planted firmly on the table in front of him. "But you will have to be more specific."
Gently, almost lovingly, Ko Rin's fingertips traced the papers laid across his stone table. It was part map and part web, an intricate tapestry of every lie he'd ever told, every act of destruction he had ever committed.
"I have done very many things, Ada," He said. "More than even you know."
Ada was in no mood for games. She took a step closer, pointing her blade at Ko Rin's heart.
"Everything! The sabotage, the assassinations, the lies! You brainwashed children, you killed innocent people, you even twisted the White Lotus to your agenda! I want to know why! Answer me!"
"Do you think it will help you sleep better at night, knowing the things you did were for a good cause?" Ko Rin asked. He stepped slightly to the side, and Ada matched his step. Her sword arm never wavered.
"I didn't do any of those things," Ada said. What Ko Rin had forced her to do put no weight on her conscience.
"The victims would disagree," Ko Rin said. "It was your thumb on the detonator, your hand holding the blade."
"Stop stalling!" Ada shouted. She took a quick step forward, her blade held high. "Tell me!"
"I have no reason to stall, Ada, I just think you need to consider the consequences of your actions," Ko Rin said. "I've taken great strides to improve Zaofu."
Ada was well aware of that aspect of Ko Rin's plans. Wherever Ko Rin's agents went, whatever suffering they caused, Zaofu benefitted. By removing the competition through sabotage or assassination, Zaofu had become an economic powerhouse without compare. For a moment Ada had considered that Ko Rin's motivation was simple greed, but that theory had too many holes.
"If I were to fall, half of Zaofu would fall with me," Ko Rin boasted. "Can you destroy your own home, Ada?"
Her sword never faltered. She did not even need to speak for Ko Rin to know Ada's answer. She knew very well that allowing Ko Rin to continue would cause thousands of times more suffering than stopping him here and now. She would not be so easily dissuaded.
"If you must be so stubborn," Ko Rin said with a sigh.
"I want answers," She demanded again. "How and why?"
Ko Rin sighed and shook his head. He took a step and Ada matched him in turn. The two began to circle each other in the dark. Ko Rin was careful to change direction before Ada got near his table. Ada likewise changed direction and mirrored Ko Rin's steps.
"Suyin Beifong was a lovely woman," Ko Rin said nostalgically. He smiled slightly as he recalled an old friend. "Always willing to make a new friend, to give someone a second chance."
Ko Rin turned to Ada, and his nostalgic smile became a wicked one.
"Even a former agent of the Dai Li."
Decades past, during the Red Lotus riots, angry hordes had swarmed the headquarters of the Dai Li, eager to pay back decades of oppression. The angry mob had overwhelmed many, but the Dai Li had never been truly broken. Ko Rin was alone so far as he knew, but he had no doubt there were others out in the world –though obviously none were quite so successful as he.
"It was simple enough to take control right under the noses of the Beifongs," Ko Rin said. "And the rise of the Energybender only made it easier."
Fear and paranoia were powerful tools to a man like Ko Rin. The parents of Zaofu had practically begged him to train their children, giving him more agents than he could have ever wanted. By invoking the name of the Avatar, Ko Rin could get away with practically anything.
"From there it was a matter of consolidating power," Ko Rin continued. "Sabotaging our economic rivals was easy enough, but money can only get you so far. I re-established the White Lotus to gain prominent allies in foreign territories, enough that my whims could be carried to the ears of world leaders. A few personal actions, such as rescuing Hanjo, ensured that my own reputation grew in kind."
Even his attack on the Coalitions banquet had been a tactical move. The assassination attempt on Raisu had been a distraction; the real endgame was the abduction of heirs to powerful and wealthy families. After they had spent enough time in captivity to be brainwashed, Ko Rin could heroically "rescue" them, gaining further influence and sleeper agents across the globe.
"You're still stalling," Ada said threateningly. "I already know what you've done. I want to know why."
"Ah, yes, I suppose I do digress," Ko Rin said. He was disquietingly calm about this situation, but now an edge of concern showed in his voice.
"The destruction of the Dai Li was not the destruction of our mission. I am still tasked to uphold the traditions that made this kingdom great. I will undo Korra's mistake, to turn this fractured democracy into one united, powerful empire once again," Ko Rin said. "We must undo the mistake of democracy, Ada. The Earth Kingdom's greatness was built on the back of mighty kings, not whining Ministers."
Ko Rin leaned on his table. It was clear he actually cared about this, in his own twisted way.
"We've lost our identity in a horde of selfish voices," Ko Rin said. "You must see that, Ada, even now Parliament bickers over a pointless conflict-"
"A conflict you started! Minister Raisu and the others only hate the Avatar because of your sabotage!"
Ada would not allow Ko Rin to use the consequences of his own atrocities as a justification for more. Ko Rin silently relented. He looked at the nebulous web of conspiracies he had built, all centered around Zaofu. He'd been playing both sides against each other for so long it was impossible to tell where all this conflict had begun, even for him.
"Zaofu already had the economic dominance," Ko Rin said. "I took steps to enhance that. People follow coin. Soon enough I will control the economy of the Earth Kingdom –the connections I have made in the White Lotus will grow my political influence in turn. I would have liked to have distinguished myself in command of the Coalition, but alas-"
"Sen stopped you," Ada said. "Just like you were afraid of. That's why you've been avoiding him. You know he'll see right through you."
Ko Rin paused. The Avatar did present a significant obstacle. With his chi reading, Sen would not need more than a glance to know that Ko Rin was a liar, corrupt to his core. Master Hayao had seen the same thing, years ago, and it was why he had refused Ko Rin's invitation to the White Lotus.
"He stopped you there, just like he stopped your master stroke a few days ago," Ada continued. "You let the attack happen, didn't you? You wanted the Beifongs to die, so you could seize control. But Sen stopped you."
Ko Rin frowned harshly, but remained silent, Ada continued.
"First Zaofu, and then let me guess," She said harshly. "You'd use the tension between the Ministers to spark a civil war. Ba Sing Se would fall in the chaos, and you'd be there, a wise and experienced ruler of Zaofu, ready to take control as the new Earth King."
Ko Rin's eyes narrowed. Ada scowled and pointed her sword at Ko Rin's heart.
"You're despicable," She said. "This, all of this suffering and manipulation, all just a pet project for your own power!"
"Ada, please, I'm an old man," Ko Rin said mockingly. "I would rule for a decade at best, hardly enough time to abuse the power of a burgeoning king. I mean to establish a legacy for the good of the Earth Kingdom, not my own personal gain."
"You can justify it however you want," Ada said. "You've already lost. Sen made sure of that."
"The Avatar's intervention has caused setbacks," Ko Rin begrudgingly admitted. "I have not been stopped."
For the first time in the conversation, Ada lowered her sword, though she did not relax completely. She put a hand on her chest, just near the pocket of her uniform coat.
"No," She boasted. "Not yet."
"Ada, please," Ko Rin chided. "Would I explain so much of my plan to you if I thought there were even a chance of you affecting its outcome?"
Ada's sword stayed right where it was. Ko Rin stared his pupil down for a moment. With a quick flourish of his hand, Ko Rin gestured towards Ada's sword and then thrust his hand towards Ada's heart. The only change in Ada's blade was a slight shift as she adjusted her stance. Her hand remained near her pocket.
"This isn't the same sword, Ko Rin," Ada taunted. She knew now that Ko Rin had prepared her old blades for just such an occasion. By bending the impure metal in the core, he could have disarmed her instantly –or worse. But this sword was pure to its heart, and would not be so easily manipulated.
"You've had months to see that, Ko Rin, but you blinded yourself," Ada continued. "You've stretched too far. You think you're so smart you can keep track of a thousand little things, but they're all slipping out of place."
Ko Rin's narrow eyes narrowed even further. His weathered face was beginning to show signs of stress. His calm façade was cracking, and that brought a smile to Ada's face.
"Put your sword down, Ada," Ko Rin said calmly. "Your Spymaster commands it."
Ada's fingers clenched even tighter around her blade. She had been waiting for Ko Rin to try it, to exert his control once more. She heard those poisoned words one more time –and felt nothing. Ada reached into her pocket with a smile on her face. She pulled out a small plastic mechanism. Her mind was free, but mind-controlling Ada was only a fraction of a fraction of Ko Rin's web of lies. It was time to tear down the rest.
"You're no genius, Ko Rin," Ada taunted. "Geniuses don't leave explosives unattended."
Ko Rin's calm composure finally broke as Ada's thumb pressed down the trigger.
The earth around them rattled and rumbled, but their chamber did not collapse. Chunks of loose earth fell, and the stone vibrated, but nothing fell apart just yet. Ada had only prepared detonations in the brainwashing chamber and the explosive stockpile, enough to destroy the primary sources of Ko Rin's vile machinations.
"That should get the Avatar's attention," She said. Even with the seismic shielding around Ko Rin's tunnels, an explosion of that magnitude would send shockwaves to the surface. Ada tossed aside the detonator and tightened her grip on her sword.
"In the meantime," She threatened. "We need to talk."
Ko Rin's anger was written all over his wrinkled face. The Spymaster's composure had collapsed as quickly as his tunnels. With a quick flick of his wrist, a blade of raw steel emerged from Ko Rin's white sleeve, hovering inches away from his hand. He readied himself for Ada's onslaught.
She stepped slowly at first, approaching one step at a time, her blade ready. She and Ko Rin circled each other still, but this time with a bladed edge to their steps. The gap between them gradually closed as each descended on the other, both with claws at the ready.
Ko Rin held his floating blade in a cautious, guarded pose. He watched every step Ada took with the utmost care. He would be careful and deliberate in every blow.
Ada would not.
There was no physical cue that signaled the breaking point. Ada took a step forward, Ko Rin took a step forward, and in that instant there was an unspoken agreement that this is when it would begin. A footstep became a lunge as both swordfighters dove forward.
Their blades clashed in the middle, the hardened metal ringing through the underground chamber as the swords collided. Ko Rin's floating blade gave him an advantage in the initial clash: where Ada's blade stopped, Ko Rin's slid off the edge of her blade and dove forward. Ada sidestepped the cut and lunged forward in turn, forcing Ko Rin back.
The two dueled, with Ada constantly moving forward while Ko Rin swerved and dodged backwards, always positioning himself carefully. Ada's furious assault proved more and more frustrating for Ko Rin as the battle continued. He exploited every advantage, used every trick his floating sword style afforded him, and yet Ada was always able to respond.
The hovering blade of Ko Rin dove for Ada's heart. She caught the blade and rolled her wrist, pushing the bladed metal aside. Ko Rin recognized the technique. Smooth, flexible motions, always ready to adapt. Master Yakkul.
Ko Rin was no novice to the sword. He knew how to respond. He switched from powerful, heavy blows to swift strikes, like lightning in a blade, leaving Ada no time to react. In response, Ada planted her feet, holding her blade at a ready angle, putting a wall of steel between herself and Ko Rin. Stiff, rigid, and defensive, the hallmarks of Sorikami.
There was a momentary pause as Ko Rin struggled once again to adapt his style, and Ada seized on that moment. She gripped her blade in both hands and dove forward, putting the force of the dive behind her blow. She lacked a strong arm, so she compensated by exploiting her momentum, just as she had learned from Aquila.
The diving blow struck true, and Ko Rin's floating blade was briefly cast aside by the force of the clash. Ada thrust her sword into the momentary opening, sending her sharpened edge sailing towards Ko Rin's heart. The Spymaster turned sharply, moving out of the path of the sword, but not fast enough. The blade skimmed the edge of Ko Rin's chest, tearing a red line through his immaculate white robe. Ada fought with the wisdom of many masters, but that viciousness was hers and hers alone.
The air rang with the harsh clash of metal against metal as the two fought. The sole light in the room danced along the edges of their blades as they cut the air with rapid blows. Ada had many advantages, not the least of which was a burning anger towards Ko Rin, but she would be a fool to underestimate Ko Rin.
While Ko Rin chose to use his intelligence for vile and selfish purposes, he was clever in much the same way Sen was. The Spymaster fought analytically, carefully observing his opponents moves. The longer this fight went on, the more Ko Rin would learn about Ada. She had to keep him on guard, and, if possible, distract him. She knew just the thing.
Ada chose her steps and blows deliberately, moving Ko Rin back. They danced around the room to Ada's tune, always moving towards a destination only she knew. Ko Rin did not realize he was being so effortlessly herded until he tried to take a step backwards, and found his leg hitting the edge of a table. The ancient papers rustled slightly as the impact slightly disrupted Ko Rin's intricate conspiracy. With Ko Rin pinned against the table, Ada raised her hand for a heavy downwards strike. Ko Rin saw the blow coming, and easily sidestepped it. Such a slow strike had almost no chance of hitting a careful opponent.
It had never been meant to strike Ko Rin. Ada's sword plunged into the table, embedding itself in the surface, cutting a map of the Earth Kingdom in half as it fell. With one spiteful glance to Ko Rin, Ada hit the trigger on her blade.
Blue electricity sparked violently as the surge of power ran through the blade. The small bursts of lightning ran down the sword's length and struck the table, bouncing onto the ancient papers. Dried and cracked by age, the web of lies caught the blue sparks and burst into red fire. Ada's sparking blade became the heart of an inferno as the fire spread from paper to paper, burning Ko Rin's elaborate plans to ash.
She withdrew her blade and watched the blaze spread. The red light of the fire danced on her ash-touched blade, and in Ko Rin's eyes. The fire sank deep into his dark eyes, igniting a rage in Ko Rin's usually calm mind. Ada needed that.
"Do you think you've changed anything?" Ko Rin asked. "All you've destroyed is a few scraps of paper. I have many more."
In this case, it wasn't just destruction for destruction's sake. Destroying Ko Rin's physical plans would force him to split his focus, trying to recall as much information about his intricate conspiracy as possible. That would keep his mind off the fight. He would lose his focus. Ada would not.
Ada had nothing but violence on her mind. She swung her blade away from the tableau of lies and towards the man who was the real heart of it all. The red light of the fire gleamed on their blades as the two clashed once again.
Any elegance, any mastery in the duel gradually faded away as the fires burned. Only a shadow of their technique and form remained as two vicious beasts clawed at one another in anger. Sparks flew as metal struck metal in furious collisions.
In one heavy strike, Ada forced Ko Rin's floating blade back, pushing the strip of metal against Ko Rin's extended palm. She held her blade in place, staring into Ko Rin's eyes from across the twin blades.
"Every teacher I've ever had warned me to keep control," Ada said accusingly. "And you took it away from me."
Ko Rin did not respond. Their locked blades broke apart, and each took a step back, preparing for another blow.
"Did you think you could do anything great on your own?" Ko Rin taunted. "You always were a reckless fool. This ill-conceived duel proves it."
With his tunnels shattered, Ko Rin could feel his way through the dark earth around him. The Avatar was coming, and he was not coming alone.
"You drew the Avatar to me, Ada," Ko Rin said. "And he's bringing some of our mutual friends."
Ada looked to the trembling walls of Ko Rin's hidden chamber. She could not feel their presence, but the Avatar, and those he had brought with him, were coming nearer.
"Will he have brought more of your fellow agents? Members of the White Lotus? Perhaps even Canto," Ko Rin said mockingly. "And all I'll have to do is speak a few words to-"
He was interrupted by a sudden swing of Ada's sharp blade. The red light of Ko Rin's burning secrets danced along the razor edge of Ada's sword. Her attacks resumed, as relentless as ever, hammering against Ko Rin with raging force.
Even her most furious blows, though, were not fast enough. Ko Rin was a master swordsman, not an opponent that could be conquered in a moment. It was a battle Ada could win given enough time, but the question was whether she had enough time. Sen and the others were already on the way. If they arrived too soon, it would be disaster.
"Maybe you can beat me, Ada, but can you defeat Yakkul?" Ko Rin taunted. "Could you fight your lover? How many people are you willing to sacrifice to beat me?"
Ada grit her teeth. She had charged into this battle foolishly. She would not allow her own mistakes to put her friends at risk. She knew what she had to do.
"One," Ada said.
The two swordfighters were close to equal in skill, but there was one quality that divided them. Ko Rin was a taskmaster: he manipulated other people, sacrificed human lives like meaningless pawns. When danger presented itself, he thrust the burden of risk on to others. He did not and could not understand self-sacrifice.
Ada tightened her grip on her sword and held her breath. Ko Rin readied her blade for another strike, and this time Ada did not block, did not dodge. She moved her feet slightly, making sure she was at the right angle, and stepped forward, diving onto the blade.
A loud scream of pain and the crackle of electricty rang in Sen's ears, giving him a spark of motivation to push through the stone wall that much faster. Sen broke through the rocky wall in a burst of rubble. The shockwaves of the explosions had caused enough concern –when he had attempted to gather his allies and realized Ada was missing, that made it an official emergency. He and Gun had tunneled to the heart of Zaofu as quickly as their skills would allow. He could feel the heavy blows of Ada's duel ringing through the earth -and he felt as they came to a sudden halt just before he ended the chamber.
Sen was the first enter the dimly lit chamber, but Suda was the first to charge across the room to Ada's side. The front of her uniform was stained a deep red, and she clutched at her chest. Pain was evident on her face, but a thin smile was present at the same time. Next to her, his robe scorched by a stunning electrical surge, laid the motionless Ko Rin. Just as she had planned, her dangerous gambit had given her enough time to stun the Spymaster.
Sen was just a few steps behind Suda to Ada's side, followed quickly by the rest of her friends, and by several members of the White Lotus. Ada nodded quietly through the pain. Her risk had been worth it. Master Yakkul, Jung, Detective Zas –if Ko Rin had spoken even a word to any of them, it could have been disastrous.
"You can't let him talk," Ada pleaded painfully. She nodded limply towards Ko Rin. "Sen, you can't-"
Sen didn't even need her to finish explaining herself. All it took was a light tap of Sen's fingers to make sure Ko Rin stayed down. A slight touch of Energybending would be enough to keep the Spymaster unconscious until Sen chose to wake him.
"Would anyone mind explaining what in the blazes is going on here?" Moldun shouted. "Why is Ko Rin the bad guy all of a sudden?"
"Shut up," Suda said firmly. "Ada needs help!"
"I should be fine, actually," Ada said. She was no fool. If she had to take a hit, she was going to take it somewhere she knew would cause no long-term damage.
Ada moved her hand. A wide cut was visible across her shoulder –in the exact same spot that she had cut Suda in their first meeting. Through the pain, she gave her friend a feeble smile. Concern still etched on his face, Suda managed to return the smile.
"I found the last of the agents today," Sen assured her. "Ko Rin doesn't have anything left."
After receiving medical attention, Ada had filled them in on all the details of Ko Rin's treachery. Sen had been quick to act, interrogating Ko Rin personally, and using Energybending to break his mental conditioning on the White Lotus and the agents of Zaofu. With their repressed memories returned, both parties had quickly realized all the ways Ko Rin had sabotaged the world, and began working to undo it.
While the White Lotus worked to undo Ko Rin's sabotage, Sen looked to the way he had manipulated more recent events. Sarin's careless words had proved true: Ko Rin had stolen thousands of vital documents from the Grey-Face forces, detailing troop movements, names of commanders, and locations of important bases. Ko Rin had intended to leak this information piece by piece, to control the flow of the war in his favor, but Sen was going to use the sudden wellspring of information to bring the war to a swift and vicious end.
"Taking Ko Rin down may be the most important thing we've accomplished so far," Sen said. He cast a guilty glance at Ada's bandaged shoulder. "Though I wish you would have asked for help."
"You said you trusted me to handle anything on my own," Ada said with a sly smile.
"I thought you were depressed, Ada! If I'd known you were going to fight an evil mastermind, of course I would have helped."
Ada shook her head and leaned back in bed. She was recovering in a hospital bed, surrounded by her friends and family. The exceptional care she received was a guarantee she'd recover quickly. Suda had made a full recovery from the same injury with nothing but a few dirty bandages.
"I'm glad I did," She said with a sigh.
"I'm not," Whistler said. "Any decision that ends in you getting stabbed is a bad decision."
Most everyone nodded in agreement. Ada shook her head.
"You should all get back to fighting Sarin," Ada told them. "This fight is over."
"I'm not leaving you alone again until I'm sure-"
"Sen, my biggest problem is locked up in a soundproof prison cell a hundred miles away," Ada said. Ko Rin had been swiftly transported to a secure prison while it was decided who would carry out his punishment. He had committed severe crimes against nearly every nation in existence. Whoever decided his fate, it was going to be a harsh one. Ada would not be worrying about Ko Rin ever again.
"That was my war," Ada said. "Now go win yours."
Sen was concerned about her, but she was right. He couldn't abandon a war effort just because Ada had a hurt arm. Sarin was still out there, and that thought was enough to set Sen's focus entirely on his own war. Sen moved away from the hospital bed, heading back towards the conflict with the Energybender. Suda was slightly more reluctant to get a move on.
"Now, you went to all that trouble to get us matching scars," Suda said. "But don't copy me too much. I don't want you to fake being hurt so you can hang around with Canto."
"I make no promises," Ada said. The only reason Canto wasn't with her now was because he was still recovering from Sen's mental cleansing. Canto was handling the post-brainwashing experience somewhat poorly.
"You're supposed to be the smart one," Suda said. "Now get well soon so we can go back to being a dynamic duo."
"I'll do my best," Ada promised. Suda resisted the urge to hug her, still being cautious of her injured shoulder, and moved on.
As the last of them left, Ada looked up to the ceiling of the hospital room. The bed she was in was not her bed. This was not her room, and this hospital was not her home. Yet she felt safer now than she had felt days ago, lying in her own bed under her own roof.
She closed her eyes and breathed a relieved sigh. Ko Rin was gone. The poison was cut out. For the first time in years, her mind was her own.