I want to thank Amateraszu, SaoirseParisa, and Wildstar93 for their reviews. Just want to give special shout-outs in this chapter, as we have some special parties to recognize. The first is SaoirseParisa, who celebrated her birthday last week. Happy birthday to you and thank you for being both a loyal reviewer and such a helpful advisor. My birthday present for you is in this chapter, and even though you already had a sneak preview, here it is in its official debut.

Additionally, I want to wish my country a happy birthday. Today is the 150th anniversary of Canada becoming a nation. Can you imagine that on this day in 1867, Canada officially became a Confederation and obtained a great deal of autonomy from the UK? We've come a long way since then, and while there are still things Canada can improve on, I have to say I'm mostly proud of the progress my country has made. So happy birthday to my home country of Canada, and here's to another 150 years more!

Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko own the Legend of Korra.

To say the man standing before the group was unusual was a huge understatement. After a hectic week preparing for several large shipments to the pier, Korra and her friends were exhausted with just organizing everything. They were still unsure if they did everything to prepare for all the goods arriving, and they even openly mused about getting outside help. "And this is the person you claim can help us out?" Korra whispered to Opal.

Opal nodded, her eyes never leaving the strange man. Clearing her throat, the air bender stepped up to the newcomer and introduced him to the crowd. "This is Aiwei, one of my mother's good friends," she announced, "He's helped Mom with a lot of things in Zaofu, including shipping and transport. I figure he can drop by and be our advisor for the time being, helping us plan for the military goods that we can use for the future."

Korra tried to avoid eye contact with the stranger, but also could not really pry her eyes from him. Despite being from Zaofu, which was in the United Earth States, Aiwei's skin tone was as tan as hers. While that itself was not unusual, given how tan Kai was, Aiwei's whole appearance just seemed weird. He wore this long green robe that went all the way down to his knees. Despite working in an area that usually required closed-toe shoes, he insisted on wearing sandals. He also had the oddest piercing on his face, with a ring in his left nostril and an earring on his left ear. They were connected by a thin gold chain that streaked across his face. All in all, it was a sight that Korra found both curious and awkward.

But it was Aiwei's eyes that intimidated Korra the most, as those green orbs were void of any emotion. Kai and Bolin had green eyes too, but they were often filled with excitement. Even Toza, despite his harsh and gruff appearance, could show warmth with his green eyes. But Aiwei had this look that could pierce the soul, which only made Korra queasier. "At this rate, you don't have to be autistic to want to avoid eye contact with him," she muttered to herself.

Luckily, Toza managed to break the ice among them. "Aiwei, I'm one of the owners of this warehouse, along with my partner Yung," he declared, stepping forward with the pudgy air bender, "We are handling more goods than expected, and we appreciate all input into the plan. Since you'll be our advisor, we'll be following your lead quite a bit."

Aiwei nodded, his facial expression not changing one bit. "In Zaofu, we encourage everyone to reach his or her highest potential. It's in the spirit of the first metal bender, Toph Bei Fong, and I intend to spread that here in Republic City," he responded, his ice-cold tone a clear contrast to what should be an uplifting message.

Bolin's eyes lit up at the mention of Toph. Sliding up to Opal, he murmured, "Does your grandmother actually live in Zaofu right now? If she is, do you think I can meet her?"

Opal chuckled softly. "She did live there, but now she travels a lot. She said it's her way of finding enlightenment," Opal whispered, "But both Mom and Aunt Lin learned metal bending from Grandma Toph, and that's why they are able to do what they do today."

"Well, I guess our main concern is security, since the military is taking this seriously," Yung pointed out. The chubby man led Aiwei to the back shelves where Korra told Tarrlok she would keep the military goods. The rest of the group followed, but Korra still remained uneasy. She shuffled along, her eyes on the ground and not really hearing anything Yung told Aiwei. If she had to share her office with that man, Korra would rather quit.

Luckily, two people noticed Korra's composure. "Hey, are you doing okay?" Asami asked, placing a hand on Korra's shoulder, "I know he's a newcomer and all, so you don't have to get to know him on the spot. Just give it a few days, you know?"

Korra hissed under her breath, all the while rubbing his upper arms rapidly. "It's not the fact that he's a stranger that I'm worried about," she replied, her volume barely above a murmur, "There's just something about Aiwei that I don't feel comfortable about. I can't explain it, but something about him just seems off. I don't have a good feeling about this, Asami."

"You get that feeling too?" Mako chimed in. The fire bender did not have a shift with the police today, so he could show up in street clothes rather than his uniform. But knowing that his colleagues were outside patrolling the place, Mako knew he had to be on guard as well. "There's just something about Aiwei that makes me believe there's more than what meets the eye. It's like one of those slick criminals you interrogate, and all you get are mumbled words and incomplete testimony. I doubt this guy told us more than half of what he's hiding."

Yung's voice snapped Korra back to attention. The water bender glanced up to see the older air bender standing before her. "Korra, I was asking you how you want to store the military goods while juggling the stuff Varrick will import," Yung queried, lifting an eyebrow at the lack of attention shown by Korra, "Are you feeling okay today? You seem a bit out of it."

Korra stared at the group before her, all but one of them showing signs of concern. Kai, Bolin, Toza, and Opal all looked on in worry, but Aiwei merely crossed his arms and cast a downward gaze at Korra. "Are you, by chance, uncomfortable with me being here?" he asked.

Korra's mouth opened and shut several times, physically and emotionally resembling a fish out of water gasping for those last gulps of air. Stepping forward, Aiwei fixed his eyes right at Korra, who just about wilted at the provocative move. "Part of Toph's bending repertoire also includes the ability to detect human vital signs. That includes changes in the body when a person is lying," Aiwei calmly stated, almost like he was a principal lecturing a naughty student, "I can tell from your heart rate and breathing rate that something is seriously bothering you. I have a feeling that it has to do with me. Am I correct in saying that?"

By now, Korra just wanted to run away and hide. Aiwei's questions felt more like a cross-examination, and she really didn't need that from a potential co-worker. Sensing the situation, Opal stepped up to ease the tension. "I'm sure it's not like that, Aiwei," the air bender assured her mother's confidant, "Korra has autism, so her brain doesn't operate like ours."

"Oh, I'm well aware of that. Your mother knew that for a long time, and she made sure to tell me before I came here," Aiwei responded, not even bothering to look at Opal. Turning his body around, he had everybody in his sights before declaring, "I am more than honoured to work with you all, and give you my expertise wherever it's required. However, I only ask that you give me full disclosure, and not hide any details. I am a truth seer, so I will spot it when someone did not tell the whole truth. This is the only way we can build trust, do we all agree?"

Aiwei's comments turned dropped the temperature by at least ten degrees. With the lack of the usual ocean breeze, the silence only chilled the people even more. After an eternity, some nods of the head and murmurs of agreement were heard. As the group disbanded, Aiwei headed back to the entrance. He passed Korra, Asami, and Mako along the way. Casting an unimpressed glance at them, he stated, "It looks like Korra isn't the only one who is displeased here."

Korra's head slumped again, focusing on the concrete at her feet rather than at Aiwei. Asami slowly rubbed circles on Korra's shoulders, all the while tilting her head at Aiwei. She hoped Aiwei would get the message and ended this conversation. Beside them, Mako tried to diffuse the tension. "We're not displeased at you, and any discomfort is not because of you."

"I can tell you're lying, you know," Aiwei smugly pointed out. He lifted an eyebrow at Mako, who slouched down himself. Aiwei kept his gaze on them for a few more seconds before he headed out, leaving each member of that trio with goose bumps coursing through their skin.

In the dark and damp underground office of the Red Lotus, things were anything but calm. Various junior associates of the organization skirted back and forth, passing messages to Zaheer and providing updates at a breakneck pace. Inside Zaheer's crowded office, his three most senior partners, P'Li, Ghazan, and Ming Hua, could barely keep up. "Is there even a need for something this crazy?" Ghazan questioned as another associate bolted from the room.

Zaheer glanced up at him with an expressionless gaze. "Considering that our goods will come in with the military goods, we have to be extra careful. We'll be home free once the goods are imported, but until it reaches that warehouse there isn't much we can do," he reminded the lava bender, "That's why we were very lucky to have our inside man at the warehouse."

"Of all the places you choose, why did you have to choose someone from Zaofu?" P'Li queried, crossing her arms and giving Zaheer an unimpressed look, "Even though Suyin Bei Fong is not a fan of absolutist governments, her position is still very much against ours. Asking one of her advisors to assist us will only turn everyone against us."

"Right, but what Suyin doesn't know won't affect her one bit," Zaheer commented, "She knows about the Red Lotus, but just like most government leaders, she hasn't picked up our trail yet. And with Zaofu so heavily guarded, she'll never expect one of her own to turn on her. It's another great way to overthrow the government systems of the world and create our anarchy. And if Aiwei does a good job for us here, we can use him to overthrow Zaofu as well."

"Are you sure we're not biting off more than we can chew?" Ming Hua chimed in. She was positioned near the pipes, where the constant source of moisture kept her water limbs steady and strong. "We're smuggling these goods through the black market, which gives us the funds to proceed with attacking the Republic alone. How do you expect us to hit all the major nations?"

Zaheer smirked, one of the few times that he openly showed emotion. Most of the time, Zaheer was known as the cunning strategist, coming up with incredible plans often on his own. He remained fairly secretive about them, rarely revealing any details until the time was right. All the Red Lotus people knew that the only instructions they would get were often released just before the operation was to begin. The only people who knew the plans better were the three in the room right now, and even then they did not inquire unless absolutely necessary. They all trusted their leader, who had yet to fail them so far.

But this time, even the closest group had their doubts, given what they were dealing with. "Our ally is a political leader himself, Unalaq of the Northern Water Tribe," Ghazan pointed out, "If we want to get rid of all governments, sooner or later we'll have to get rid of him as well."

"But you're also forgetting that Unalaq is fighting a civil war with the Southern Water Tribe, and one of the leaders of that group is running for president next year here in the United Republic," Zaheer responded, leaning back in his chair and lecturing Ghazan in a calm but no-nonsense manner, "We take out the Republic, Tonraq will either re-double his efforts here, which makes the Southern Water Tribe more vulnerable, or he will go back home where we can really stir things up more here. And if either the Republic or the Southern Water Tribe gets affected, the Fire Nation will be next, given the close ties it has with both places."

"So you're telling me that either way, the United Republic or the Southern Water Tribe will go down, which will bring down the Fire Nation," P'Li recounted, leaning against the desk Zaheer was at, "Two nations go down all in one move sounds pretty good to me."

Zaheer nodded. "That's why we have to rely on Aiwei for now, because our goods will be mixed in with the military goods. We know some of the military goods coming in were stored at the Northern Water Tribe, meaning Unalaq can put in the goods he wants to smuggle in there. The military will keep them at this warehouse, and Aiwei told me they won't inspect until they are taken out. That gives us enough time to get them out of the warehouse and into the black market. It's a no-brainer move as long as we take the right precautions," Zaheer explained.

Ming Hua and Ghazan could only smirk at each other. When they inspected the area, none of the people seemed like they were threats. They still had doubts about Zaheer's comment that Korra, the individual with autism, could affect them in any way. "And you still believe Korra can hurt us, even with Aiwei around?" Ming Hua snickered.

"Aiwei, being a truth seer, can match Korra's skills, but it doesn't mean Korra is no longer a threat," Zaheer warned the group, "If you did the research I told you to do on autism, you would have found out that autistic people have better than average memory retention skills. I won't be surprised if Korra exhibits that trait. And if she has savant syndrome on top of that, then not even Aiwei can contain her. Our whole plan will go up in smoke."

The whole group gathered closer to the desk as Zaheer opened a map of the pier and warehouse. Informing the group that Aiwei brought him this information, Zaheer pointed out each place where they would be safe, out of sight from the patrolling soldiers. "We can wait until the evening, when we have the darkness to our advantage," Zaheer described. He turned to Ghazan and assigned the first task to him. "The pier is at one side of the warehouse, but there is a hill on the other side. Your job is to burrow us into the warehouse through the hill. Aiwei should be on the other side to bend the metal at the warehouse to create an opening to meet us."

"Are you sure the metal isn't high quality? I may not be a metal bender, but even I know that high quality metal can't be bent," Ghazan pointed out. From beside him, Ming Hua and P'Li both nodded. Future Industries would not put platinum plating in their warehouses, would they?

Zaheer shook his head. "Aiwei tested the metal, and while the quality is high, it's not high enough to stop metal bending. It shouldn't be a problem for him to handle," the bald air bender described. Turning to Ming Hua, he instructed her to assist with the climbing and reaching. "You will help us with reaching any boxes or crates located in higher slots, and also to scout out the high levels of the warehouse. I don't want anyone spotting us from those levels."

"And why am I not surprised at that role?" Ming Hua remarked with a smirk. Her water arms flapped nonchalantly as she strolled up to Zaheer. "Even if that Korra girl is a water bender, I doubt she can match me. Maybe I should pay her office a visit and just really trash the place!"

P'Li interjected before Zaheer could say anything. "Zaheer and I agreed that we should be discrete. There's no point in revealing ourselves too early," the combustion bender stated to the nodding of Zaheer's head. Turning to Zaheer, P'Li asked, "And what will my role be?"

Zaheer turned to the gigantic fire bender, his expression softening slightly. "You have the most important role of them all, P'Li," he declared, "I want you to be the escape vehicle driver and the lookout for the exterior. You will communicate with and relay message between the warehouse people and me. With your help, we can get out without any damages."

Turning to everyone, Zaheer made it clear that there were to be no failures. "Unalaq will contact me once he has confirmation, and then we will start importing. Once the goods are in the warehouse, the job is on us. We get this done, the goods are off and we get paid. That will get us to the next step, which is the revolution itself. We have to succeed at this, is that clear?"

Once again, Varrick and Ginger found themselves returning to Firewood Bay, meeting up with Korra and the warehouse gang again. This time, Varrick reminded Ginger not to antagonize Korra, given her role as the warehouse manager and Varrick's foster child. "Her role is critical to this whole thing, so try to be nice, okay?" Varrick gently warned the former actress.

Luckily, Ginger did not make much of a fuss, which allowed Varrick to focus on the task at hand. He stood facing the ocean, where the cargo ship in question docked at the pier. Turning to his right, a Future Industries forklift approached the barge, easing up the ramp and onto the deck of the boat. A series of boxes were stacked on deck, creating a mountain of brown. And with the sea breeze whistling through the wood, it was like Varrick was being welcomed to the pier to tackle this new project for his company.

As the forklift took on the boxes, Varrick turned to face Korra, who now stepped up to them. She had a clipboard in her hands and an uneasy expression on her face. Even though Varrick told her that Ginger would show up but would remain polite, Korra was still uneasy about the redhead's appearance. Other than that fact that Ginger treated Korra with contempt, Korra knew of Ginger's secret past, which would not bode well for her family. The water bender swore that she would protect her family if Ginger ever showed her true colours. And with the way things were right now, Korra suspected Ginger would turn on Varrick anytime.

Shaking her head a few times, Korra showed her clipboard to Varrick, who skimmed it over nonchalantly. "To prevent that tragedy from last time, where our dear Minister of Defence and Public Safety made baseless accusations against us, I have the list of all the items we'll import here," Varrick showed Ginger, who remained emotionless at Korra's work, "Korra will go over everything before we even move these out of the warehouse."

"I've already pulled one section of the warehouse entirely open, so all the goods you're importing will go into that section only," Korra stated, flipping to the last page of the notes on the clipboard and showing the warehouse plans to Varrick, "It'll be near the back, so we won't have a problem with mixing these up with other goods."

Varrick glanced at the layout and pointed to a couple of sections adjacent to the one his goods would be stored in. "Aren't you placing the military's goods in those sections?" he asked Korra, "Won't Tarrlok Yakone make a fuss with how close our stuff is to his?"

Korra shook her head. "That guy already examined the warehouse, so he knows where his goods are going. Besides, the military will inspect us more frequently, so it's more security for us," Korra reassured Varrick, "Let's get these through customs and we're good to go."

Varrick nodded, handing the clipboard back to Korra. He and Ginger headed towards the military check post stationed at the pier. Usually the goods were inspected by customs officials, but the importation of the Republic's military goods meant additional measures would be taken. Now, instead of customs officials allowing the goods into the warehouse perimeter and doing the inspection just before they go into the warehouse, they wanted to inspect the goods right when it got off the ship. While the change in procedure was not necessarily a big deal to Varrick, he knew Korra took some time to adjust to the sudden change in routine.

Luckily, there was one familiar face in the inspection group, one that Varrick knew Korra could rely on. "How are we doing, Mako?" Varrick asked, placing a hand on the fire bender's shoulder. As part of the collaboration between local police and public safety officials, officers from Republic City Police would assist in the inspection of goods under the supervision of the federal staff. It was Mako's turn today, and Varrick was more than thrilled at that. "You won't refuse our goods, will you?" he stated with a wide grin on his face.

Mako turned to face Varrick, again emotionless but at least more transparent. "We'll have to follow the rules of the federal departments, but assuming all these goods meet your permits, it should be fine," Mako responded. Indeed, various papers were strewn over the inspection station, some of which included the supporting documents Varrick provided in obtaining his importation permits. "I'm going to assume you jumped through a lot of hoops just to get these, so I'll trust that you did your homework right this time," Mako remarked.

Varrick shook his head emphatically. "No mistakes this time, Officer," he assured Mako, "You won't have to pay my company any further visits, and no one in your family will have to spend any time behind bars. You have my word on that, Mako."

Mako's eyes narrowed at that remark, which only made Varrick realize his faux pas. The eccentric industrialist stammered a bit before shuffling off, bringing Ginger with him. It only got Korra to lift an eyebrow while cracking a small grin. While she knew Mako had a sore spot for what happened with Toza's previous arrest, Korra also knew it was time to move on. "I'm sure he didn't mean that," she soothed, "Don't act like you have the Harmony Tower up your butt."

Mako craned his neck at Varrick's disappearing figure one more time before turning back to his task. "We've just finished the first few boxes, so you can get the forklift operator to take them into the warehouse, if you want," he informed Korra, flipping through his notes once more.

Korra beamed at that remark. Waving at the forklift operator, she instructed him to bring the boxes into the warehouse. The forklift negotiated through the narrow passages leading to the back section, where Varrick, Ginger, Toza, and Yung were already there. "Well, Varrick," Toza began, rubbing his hands anxiously, "Do we have all your goods here now?"

Varrick nodded, waving at the beeping forklift now lowering its goods onto the ground. The first few boxes were now placed before them, and Varrick assured the team that there were more to come. "I really appreciate everyone's hard work, especially with the military goods coming in right after this," he pointed out, stepping up to the boxes in question.

Varrick flexed his fingers before placing his hands on the box. The team gathered around him, keenly waiting for the gran reveal. Even Ginger, who usually showed disinterest at the warehouse, could not help but edge closer. Varrick gripped the covering of the box and, in a flourish, pulled it right open. The snapping sounds stung Korra's ears a bit, but this time, the water bender brushed it aside and focused in on the box's contents. "Come on, show us what this is," Korra urged her foster father as he reached inside the box.

Varrick pulled out several strange items that seemed like a mix of spare machine parts and military equipment. "Dual-use technology applies to military and civilian uses, so don't be surprised if these resemble what you'll get from the military in the next few days," Varrick informed the group, "My goal is to take these pieces, which had been used in military operations, and adapt them to civilian use. That's why, until I take these to the lab in Future Industries headquarters, I'll be leaving them in your good hands."

There were murmurs amongst the group, with the most obvious question being what if there was confusion between the types of goods stored and their storage locations. If Varrick's goods and the military's goods physically resembled each other, and they were also stored right next to each other, what would happen if there was a mix-up? "Korra, you have the identification for all these, right?" Yung inquired, "If so, maybe we should leave it in your hands to come up with a plan. Since you're so good at organizing things, I think this job can only go to you."

Korra felt a sense of déjà vu when the military marched in with their goods. Uniformed soldiers and their support staff assisted in unloading their items off the barge, lining up all the boxes at the pier. Judging by the colours alone, Korra figured they must be from all over. "Red is probably from the Fire Nation, green is the United Earth States, and blue is the Water Tribes," she murmured, scribbling those details into her notebook.

And just as before, the goods lined up before the inspection queue, to which border security officials and local police officers proceeded to opening the boxes for inspection. Korra could see that the boxes with red markers were first, indicating that they were starting with the materials from the Fire Nation. "Well, the Fire Nation did industrialize quicker than the others, and their military technology has always been top notch," Korra continued muttering to herself, "Maybe that's why they want to check those out more carefully."

"Korra, can you come here for a second?" a voice from behind Korra called. The water bender turned around, just in time to see Asami approach. "I heard you were busy with all this importing, so I got someone from the office to help."

Korra glanced over next to Asami and saw a sight almost too strange to be true. Standing next to Asami was another tan-skinned individual with dark brown hair and blue clothing. She had green eyes instead of blue, so Korra figured that the newcomer had some United Earth States heritage. But just like Korra, she seemed to have her eyes elsewhere instead of right at her. "Is she helping us for the long term, or just today?" Korra asked.

"She'll just be here for the short term, helping with storage and deliveries of both the military goods and Varrick's goods," Asami explained. Turning to the newcomer, she made the introduction to Korra. "This is Yuri, and as you may have guessed, she's also from the Southern Water Tribe. She moved here when she was young, and has lived here ever since. We hired her to do inventory at the headquarters shortly before I asked you to help me with the warehouse, so that's why she's being assigned here to help you out."

Just then, a grin spread across Korra's face. "You're from the Southern Water Tribe as well? That's great! Are you a water bender like me?" she queried, sticking her hand out.

However, the newcomer recoiled at that, almost like she was waving Korra's hand away. "Sorry, I'm just not comfortable with shaking hands, and you're kind of loud," Yuri stated. She leaned her body backwards and her eyes darted away from both Korra and Asami.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Korra responded, awkwardly withdrawing her hand. Yuri's actions really mirrored Korra's own actions, and it prompted Korra to ask a very personal question. "I hope I'm not prying, but are you autistic, like me?"

Just then, Yuri's face shot up. "Wait a minute, you mean you're autistic too?" she stepped closer to Korra, their eyes crossing paths but never really meeting each other, "And I'm guessing you graduated college three years ago, like me?"

Korra's eyes grew to the size of plates. "Are we separated at birth or something?" she exclaimed excitedly, excusing herself when Yuri rubbed her ears. Lowering her volume, Korra continued pointing out their common traits. "We're both water benders from the Southern Water Tribe, we're both in our mid-twenties, we're both into stocking and inventory, and we're both autistic. Maybe we should hang out sometime after work!"

Asami beamed at Korra and Yuri getting along. While they chatted, she slipped off to check the goods. The Fire Nation materials were already inspected, and now the officials turned to the containers with the green markers. "How are we doing, Mako?" she queried, stepping up to the always serious police officer, "Anything from the United Earth States troubling you?"

Mako turned to face Asami, holding a clipboard the way Opal and Korra usually did at the warehouse. "Hey, Asami," the fire bender greeted the engineer, "No, there's nothing in there that concerns us so far. The military got all the permits required, so there's no need to worry." He turned to Korra, who was still speaking with Yuri. "When did Korra make a new friend?"

Asami turned to face Korra as well, all the while explaining Yuri's background to Mako. "I really think they can support each other, given they're both autistic and have trouble making friends. Like Korra, Yuri has trouble making friends her whole life, and she has to work very hard just to be accepted. I think this is where Korra comes in, because they have such similar histories. They can support each other through thick and through thin," she commented.

Mako nodded before seeing the forklift off. Turning to Asami, he stated, "You might want to follow that forklift, because there's a lot of storage to do."

Asami waved Mako farewell before approaching Korra and Yuri again. "So you have one grandparent from the United Earth States? Do you have any relative there who can earth bend?" Korra inquired, "I see pro-benders earth bend, and their style is really different from traditional earth bending. Instead of having a sturdy stance, they go very light on their feet."

Yuri was about to respond when Asami requested they all entered the warehouse. They followed the forklift all the way to the end of the aisle, where the slots especially designated for the military goods were located. Opal was already there, directing traffic with Bolin and Kai. "The minister's memo states that all boxes are to be placed with a certain side up. Each box has an arrow that points out which is up," Opal described, "All the boxes also have ID numbers on the side, so we can record them all and put them into the database."

"That's where Korra comes in handy, since she's so good at organizing. But Yuri, who I recruited from the headquarters, is just as good," Asami pointed out, gesturing the two water benders to step forth, "I'll let them work on this with you guys, but Opal and I have to deal with the goods from the United Earth States. The Water Tribes are last, so we'll be busy for a while."

But to everyone's surprise, a series of forklifts entered, carrying boxes with green markers and boxes with blue markers. "The military people didn't check the Water Tribe boxes," Mako explained, trotting in alongside the boxes, "They said Minister Yakone will personally send a team to check these later on, so just put them in a separate shelf for now."

That got everybody's eyes widening and jaws dropping. Tarrlok was usually rule-abiding and going by the book, so what made him play that fast and loose? "Just wait until I tell Jinora about this," Kai replied with a snicker, "She'll tell her father, and they'll all be shocked."

Chuckles emitted from every mouth as the boxes were lowered to the ground. Clearing his throat, Mako reminded the group not to make any mistakes. "Once they're all stored, make sure you do a memo for Minister Yakone. He'll want his team to know where the boxes are for their inspection at a later date. You laugh now, but you won't laugh when he's all grouchy."

As Mako left, Bolin could not help but take a dig at his brother. "I wonder who will win in a grouchy contest between Mako and Tarrlok?" he retorted, causing another wave of laughter. Turning to Korra and Yuri, he ushered them to the shelves to help with the stocking. "So Yuri, what's your first impression of working at this pier? You think you'll want to join us here for the long term? I guarantee that you'll have a way more exciting time here than at headquarters."

"It took you long enough to get to us, Aiwei," Ghazan snapped, his muscular arms crossed and his eyes narrowing. Ghazan, Ming Hua, and P'Li had been waiting inside the tunnel that Ghazan burrowed for quite some time now, wondering when Aiwei would use his metal bending to open a hole into the warehouse. "And with how slow you opened that hole, I wonder if you can even fit the goods through," Ghazan smugly pointed out.

"Just because the metal isn't platinum doesn't mean there aren't its challenges," Aiwei retorted, leaning against the wall to catch his breath, "The metal is still high quality, so bending it is difficult. Plus, there's concrete outside, so that's a whole new type of bending."

Ghazan shook his head in an unimpressed manner, while Ming Hua had a scowl on her face. "Let's just go in and take care of all those boxes," she suggested, her water tendrils swaying in annoyance, "The only reason I'll ever come here is because there's the ocean, which I can use to deal with my arms. Other than that, I won't be caught dead coming even close to this place."

P'Li watched as Ghazan and Ming Hua entered the warehouse, all the while shooting Aiwei a sympathetic look. "I'll keep an eye out for things out here," she offered, taking a seat on the ground, "I think I won't be too tall to be spotted if I sit down and stay still."

Aiwei shrugged before entering the warehouse again. Stepping up to Ghazan and Ming Hua, he led them to the corner where the military goods from the Northern Water Tribe were stored. "I don't know what strings Unalaq pulled, but when I heard from the staff that Tarrlok won't inspect these until they are about to be shipped out, I had to tell Zaheer," the bespectacled man explained, "It means we can get out all the smuggled artefacts tonight, so let's get to work."

Aiwei pulled out a key and unlocked the area, allowing Ghazan and Ming Hua into the shelves. Immediately, Ming Hua used her tendrils to climb to the upper shelves, the highest of which were more than ten feet off the ground. In the meantime, Ghazan used his earth bending to shift the crates at the ground level out, lining them at the tunnel for P'Li to handle when they were opened. "Are you sure P'Li can do both lookout duty and sorting together?" Aiwei asked.

"Hey, old man, are you doubting our abilities? Less talking and more helping us," Ghazan snapped, grabbing a crowbar and approaching the closest crate. He slammed the end into the box, cracking it open with a loud snap. "Of all the elements they use, they have to use the one element nobody can bend. You realize using wood is only going to make things worse, right?"

"Heads up, you guys," Ming Hua called from above. Aiwei glanced up just in time to see another box being lowered. Luckily, Aiwei created a bowl-like shape from the concrete on the ground to avoid the box from shattering when it landed. "It looks like we'll be here for a while, going through all these boxes. Is there any other way we can do this to make it go faster?"

Aiwei was about to retort, but the sounds of footsteps caught his attention. Waving to Ming Hua and Ghazan to lay low, he stepped out of the section and into the main area. "Aiwei, is that you?" a female voice called, "I thought you went home already. Toza, Bolin, Yung, and Kai are all gone. What are you still doing here so late?"

Aiwei signalled back to Ming Hua and Ghazan, assuring them it was alright. "That's Korra, the autistic girl that works here. I'll handle this, you guys look for the artefacts," he stated before slipping off. He entered the dimly-lit aisle to meet the water bender in the open. "Korra, I'm just sticking around to do a final check before the minister arrives to inspect tomorrow," Aiwei described, his stoic tone returning once more, "Why are you here so late?"

Aiwei's green orbs once again seemed like they could pierce Korra's soul, causing Korra to shiver involuntarily. Shifting her eyes away, Korra rubbed her forearms up and down. "I'm looking into Varrick's goods," she murmured, "He did import his dual-use technology around the same time the military brought in their stuff, and he told me to get a specific item for him."

Aiwei stared her down for a few more seconds, causing Korra to completely look away. Aiwei tilted his head back, seeing the Red Lotus members from the corner of his eye. Aiwei knew that Korra had a tendency of avoiding eye contact when she was uncomfortable, and Korra became uncomfortable whenever Aiwei stared at her. It gave Ghazan and Ming Hua plenty of time to do what they had to do, as Korra would be completely away from that area as long as Aiwei was there. "Would you like my help with Varrick's goods?" Aiwei inquired.

"Uh, no thanks, I think I'm fine," Korra muttered. She tilted her head once more to look at Aiwei's green orbs, which were not about to lower their intensity soon. "I'll be back in my office if you want to chat," she added before shuffling away from the scene.

Once Korra was no longer in sight, Aiwei trotted back to Ghazan and Ming Hua. The two Red Lotus members already had some boxes opened, and Ghazan had the artefacts placed in a corner. "Let's just get P'Li in here and start shipping some of this stuff out," the moustachioed earth bender suggested, "No point in keeping it in here while we clean up."

Ming Hua nodded before slinking down the tunnel. That left Ghazan with Aiwei, who pried open each box carefully. "How were you able to locate the artefacts?" Aiwei asked, taking a gander at the box before him, "Did you just open the box and rifle through it?"

Ghazan shook his head. Pushing the crate sideways, he showed Aiwei the inside of the box. There was a side compartment that could not be seen from the outside, and the crate could cover it perfectly. "The artefacts are stored in this area, and we could just get that out without disturbing the military goods," Ghazan explained, "Even when Tarrlok and his cronies do their inspection, they won't look in the side compartment. And if he does look there, he would find nothing because we already cleaned it out. Pretty neat, right?"

Aiwei nodded. It was certainly an ingenious way for Unalaq to use to smuggle these goods in. "I figure Unalaq and Tarrlok have some type of uneasy alliance, given they both come from the Northern Water Tribe. But Tarrlok and his white knight image really don't match well with Unalaq's cunning and underhanded ways," Aiwei remarked, "That's why I really want to know what strings Unalaq pulled to convince Tarrlok to delay the inspections."

Ghazan shrugged. Placing items back into the crate, he pushed it back into place, like it had never left before. "We still have quite a few to go, so let's do this before that Korra girl spots us," he suggested, reaching for another crate, "How did you manage to get her off our trail?"

Aiwei showed no expression, opting to open another crate instead. He quickly pointed out Korra's autism and how she did not enjoy eye contact or closeness with people. Hearing that, Ghazan could not help but burst out laughing. "And Zaheer claims Korra will harm us because of her condition," he commented between chuckles, "I'll make sure to tell him how wrong he is!"

Aiwei immediately shushed Ghazan up. "Just because Korra is autistic doesn't mean she's deaf. I'm sure she has pretty good hearing skills, and based on what I see from her work, I think her observation skills are pretty good too," he stated, pulling out the artefact from the side compartment of the crate he worked on, "If Korra finds out anything is amiss, she'll report it and we'll all be in trouble. You're lucky the warehouse security camera doesn't reach this part of the warehouse, or we would be spotted. Keep it down and hurry up, okay?"

Korra rubbed her tight face as she mulled over the documents on her desk. Originally, she just wanted to stay late to catalogue all the military goods. Ever since the military dropped them off with explicit instructions on how to stack and store the goods, Korra had been at wit's end in dealing with them. "Keep the arrows pointed up, record all the ID's on the boxes, make sure the Water Tribe boxes are available for Tarrlok to inspect tomorrow," she muttered to herself, "This is way too much of a hassle to deal with, that's for sure."

Then there was the issue of Aiwei, who Korra felt the most unease around. Despite her condition, Korra usually warmed up to people after a while, especially when they realized her situation and were willing to bend a little. Despite the temper tantrum Korra threw when she first met Asami, things became better when Asami's family changed their tactics around her. The Satos did not judge Korra and were patient with her, and Korra soon opened up to Asami. The friendship lasted to this day, and Korra even felt there might be something more. While Korra still struggled with coming to terms with her feelings, she definitely valued Asami as a person.

But Aiwei, there was just something about him that Korra found off. His strange physical appearance, his aloof nature, and especially his piercing green eyes, all created great discomfort within Korra. It was like Aiwei could see right through Korra, and despite Opal telling him that Korra was autistic, he did not relent. It was like Aiwei took pride in exposing all of Korra's secrets to the entire world. "And Opal's mom saw it fit to assign that guy to me," Korra added, scratching one hand through her long hair, "What type of sick torture is this?"

Yet despite Aiwei's attempt to read through Korra, Korra could not do the same to Aiwei. He rarely said more than what was required, which made Korra feel like he was always hiding something. Just a few minutes ago, Korra left her office to check on Varrick's goods. She ran into Aiwei, who was still at the warehouse. While he offered to help her out, Korra got shivers by the way Aiwei approached and spoke to her. It was like she was in an alley and a thug was about to mug her. "If I had some water on me, I might have splashed him silly," Korra remarked.

Just then, Korra's cellphone sounded off. The water bender glanced at the caller ID and a small smile crept back onto her face. At least it was someone she trusted and would not scare her. Picking up the ringing device, Korra clicked the call button. "Hi, Varrick," she greeted.

"Korra, you still haven't left?" the industrialist stated from the other line, "I know you're worried about the military goods, but there's no need to stay overnight at the warehouse. Dinner is almost all prepared now. When will you be done?"

"I didn't get any work done," Korra responded, her tone bordering fatigue and anxiety, "That creepy guy Aiwei is still in the warehouse. I'll bring back the piece you told me to get, but I want Aiwei gone before I go grab it."

"Don't worry about him. He always looks like the strict disciplinarian. Don't forget that I've known Suyin since I was in college, and I've crossed paths with that guy countless times. Just ignore his creepy glare and you'll be fine," Varrick reassured Korra, "Anyway, just make sure you get that item before you come home. I want to study it a bit further before doing more work on it. Once you're ready to go, call Zhu Li and she'll pick you up."

Korra smiled. "Thanks, Varrick," she responded, her shoulders relaxing at the sound of being rescued by Zhu Li, "It's too bad I still haven't passed my driver's test, or I can drive here myself. Firewood Bay is too far from any mass transit hub, you know?"

Varrick chuckled at that remark. "Did you remember the last time you tried to drive? You were with Asami and she was teaching you. Your parking job was so bad that Asami was lucky her car wasn't wrapped around a light pole," Varrick pointed out. That got Korra flinching and twitching melodramatically. "Anyway, just let Zhu Li know. We'll have the housekeeper leave some food for you when you get back."

Korra thanked Varrick and bade him farewell. Glancing at her notes once more, she tried to focus on her work. "There are eighteen boxes from the Water Tribes, each one with parts that make up two pieces of equipment," Korra murmured to herself, scanning her trusty notebook while flipping through the photos page on her phone. Luckily, she took a picture of the stack of boxes to assist her memory. Without it, she was sure Tarrlok would make mincemeat out of her.

Before Korra dug too deep into her task, she scribbled into her notebook a reminder to grab the item for Varrick before she left. She knew that the military goods and Varrick's goods were stored at around the same area in the warehouse, meaning she would have to return to where Aiwei was earlier. Korra really wondered why Aiwei was here so late, but she never got a chance to ask him. Given how intimidating he was, Korra wanted out as quickly as possible.

Then, as if it was a premonition, Aiwei showed up at Korra's office. "Korra, I would like your help with something. I saw some leaking on some of the pipes. Will you please come with me to fix them?" he asked.

Korra lifted her head, staring back at Aiwei with wide eyes. Was that why Aiwei was around this late? "Are you sticking around just to check for leaks?" Korra sputtered, slowly getting up from her desk in bewilderment, "Can't you just fix them tomorrow morning?"

Aiwei narrowed his green eyes, sending shivers up Korra's spine once more. "Did you forget that there are military goods in here?" he retorted, crossing his arms in disappointment, "What will happen if a leak soaked the boxes and damaged the equipment? How will Minister Yakone react if he sees that tomorrow."

Korra inhaled deeply before letting it all out in one shot, hoping the air could soothe her insides. She was not in the mood to deal with Aiwei, and certainly not in the mood to deal with leaks. If this was her twenty years ago, she would have acted out already. But years of therapy and social interaction allowed her to keep her cool better, despite her brain not allowing her to process stress as easily as most people. "Alright, let's take a look," she suggested, gesturing to Aiwei to lead the way. From behind the earth bender's back, Korra muttered to herself, "And if I have water, I'll definitely soak you for glaring at me with those crazy eyes."

Aiwei led Korra to the part of the warehouse just adjacent to where the military goods were stored. Korra could not see the section holding the military goods, but she definitely heard drips. As her sneakers stepped onto the concrete, she could feel a slight splash. "I told you we have a leak," Aiwei pointed out, gesturing to the ground, "I think it's the pipes above."

Korra sighed in exasperation, glancing at the offending pipes over her head. Indeed, drip after drip of liquid fell down on her, irritating her to no end. Using her water bending, Korra tried to push the water back into the pipe, but she barely lasted a few seconds before more came down. "Let me figure this out first, and then I'll get back to you," she offered with a slight grunt.

Aiwei slinked off, returning to the section with the military goods. There, he saw Ming Hua with her tendrils inside the pipe connected to Korra's pipe. Next to her, Ghazan opened another box, slipping another artefact out. "We're more than half done," the moustachioed man reported, "Just distract that brat a bit more and we're good."

Aiwei nodded. Slipping into the tunnel, he found P'Li returning from the Red Lotus vehicle. "Ghazan will take the goods out, but the next step is yours," he ordered the combustion bender, "Go to the warehouse boiler and heat it up. It's time Korra gets the sauna treatment."

And of course, it won't be one of my stories without my usual list of recognitions at the end:

1.) SaoirseParisa is, if you haven't guessed already, Yuri of the Southern Water Tribe. Yuri is a modified pronunciation of her real name, and she explicitly wanted me to make her a water bender. That's when I decided to go all the way and make her similar to Korra. They are both water benders, both hailing from the Southern Water Tribe, and both autistic. The only difference is that SaoirseParisa is very meek and quiet in real life, while Korra is the type of person who will send a flaming fist through someone's face!

2.) The way I tied the villains of the franchise together in this story is a little confusing, so I'll explain it better here. Tarrlok and Unalaq are both from the Northern Water Tribe, meaning they are allied with each other. Tarrlok, in his bid to attain presidency, is in a rivalry with Tonraq (from the Southern Water Tribe), who is also targeted by Unalaq. Unalaq, through his connection to Tarrlok, got Tarrlok to suspend inspecting the Water Tribe goods, allowing his other allies, the Red Lotus, to go in and smuggle the goods out. Tarrlok is not aware of Unalaq's connection to the Red Lotus, and the Red Lotus has every intention to overthrow Tarrlok, should he win the presidency. You will see more of how these dynamics work in the near future, but for now keep this relationship structure in mind as you read on.

3.) Korra's driving abilities is both a shout-out to the Korra series and my main inspiration for Korra, Rain Man. From the show, Korra was shown to be an absolutely awful driver, crashing Asami's car once in Book 1 and almost crashing it again in Book 3. In Rain Man, Dustin Hoffman's character claimed he was a good driver, but then almost caused an accident when he tried to take the wheel. It was one of those traits that worked out perfectly for both canon Korra and autistic Korra, which is based on Rain Man. As such, I am doing an allusion to both canon and Rain Man with Varrick's comment about Korra's driving.

4.) Mako claiming that he was not displeased at Aiwei's presence, only to be shot down by Aiwei, is from "The Terror Within" in Book 3 where they had a similar conversation. The Red Lotus worried about platinum covering the warehouse and not being able to bend high quality metal is from "the Aftermath" in Book 1, where Hiroshi's platinum neutralized the police's metal bending. Korra claiming that earth bending in pro-bending requires being light on the feet, the exact opposite of traditional earth bending, is from "A Leaf in the Wind" in Book 1 when Bolin explained that to Korra in the exact same way. And Aiwei wanting P'Li to give Korra the "sauna treatment" by heating the boilers is similar to "the Sting" in Book 2 when Mako heated Bolin's hot tub with fire bending and created the same result.

Thanks for reviewing and hope you enjoyed this chapter. Things are really picking up in the next chapter, so don't miss it! I'll try to update this story again in about a month!