A/N: Hey there true believers how has it been? It's been a while and I might be a bit rusty on this story but here it is. I appreciate those of you who have stuck around and your patience is rewarded. As always be sure to let me know what you think and I hope you enjoy.
The air whipped around Korra's head and whistled in her ears, it was a rather unpleasant experience but at the same time exhilarating beyond measure. A strange combination of discomfort and excitement she had not felt before. But just as she began to adjust to the extreme conditions of her companion's flight and thought she might try and open her eyes she felt her body shake as Thor landed with earth-shattering force, cracking the concrete pier beneath his feet.
The god of thunder gently placed her down as she opened her eyes to survey the situation, and to say things were bad was an understatement. The entire power planet was engulfed in flames and Korra could hear the screams of pain and terror of those trapped inside. As she surveyed the damage in a slight state of shock she could vaguely make out the sound of a speed boat behind her racing down the canal.
Turning around swiftly she could just make out a small light speeding away, making its way out into the bay. Turning back to the inferno she found herself crippled with indecision, try and help those trapped, or go after those responsible. Could she even catch the boat? Would she be able to put out the fire on her own? She knew the answer to both was yes, and at the same time, all she could think was no. Was she capable?
Korra felt her legs begin to tremble and her thoughts were interrupted by the sudden and powerful rumble of thunder. In an instant, a torrential downpour, fiercer and more savage than any she had ever seen, began to douse the flames.
"Korra can you get those people out of there?" she heard Thor's voice rumble and thundered through her thoughts. It broke her stupor for a moment as she turned and looked towards him. There was the distinct sound of his hammer thrumming as it spun in his grip "Korra!" he bellowed this time.
Still, Korra found her legs locked in place and refusing to move. Sweat that had nothing to do with the fire coated her body and her trembling began anew. She stared up at the man that towered over her and saw his stern and serious face soften for a moment when their eyes locked.
"It's okay, don't worry, just stay here, help those I bring out," he told her, his voice kind and understanding. He turned to face the bay for a moment and hurled his hammer out into the darkness with a force that seemed to shatter the air before he turned and ran headlong into the flames the rains were just now beginning to quell.
Korra just stood there and watched as someone else ran headfirst into an inferno to rescue people that weren't even his own, and she just stood there like a frightened child. These were her people, this was her city and she couldn't fight a fire for them. She felt her cheeks become wet with water that was not the rain.
A short time later the fire had been extinguished and Korra was helping the survivors of the terror attack. Thor had managed to pull a large number of people from the building before the structure, wreaked by the blast, finally collapsed.
The firefighters and police had arrived not too long after the initial blast, but their contribution had not amounted to much at the time of their arrival. The rainstorm had handled the flames and Thor the victims. The worst of the attack was over but now a grisly task began as they began to search the ruined power plant for those who had not been fortunate enough to escape.
As Korra walked through the rubble she took note of two very distinct things, one was, while there were no visible flames, there was still a very oppressive heat coming from the fallen building. The second was the acrid and foul smell that permeated the air, it seemed familiar, but she could not quite place it.
Hopping over a small pile of shattered stone her eyes fell upon the self-proclaimed thunder god as he dug through the still scorching hot rubble with his bare hands. She noted that, while he was covered with soot and his shirt had been reduced to cinders, that both his flesh and hair seemed entirely unscathed.
"Gee, I wish I was fireproof hehe,' she joked lamely, not entirely sure why she had, she certainly did not feel like this was the time for jokes and she was not in anything close to a joking mood. Thor let a small chuckle escape his lips as he turned to face her. "Looks like we lucked out, it doesn't look like anyone was seriously hurt," she commented with a small smile at least a little happy at this small bit of news. However, her smile falls when she sees the look on his face.
"I'm sorry lady Korra, but… I am afraid that is not the case," he told her sadly as he looked down at something near his feet where he had been digging.
Korra felt her heart jumped into her throat as her eyes followed to where his were pointed. With a sickening jolt, she realized where she remembered the smell from earlier from. She had been burnt often enough while sparring, she should have recognized it. The smell of seared flesh was not one you could easily forget. But this was so much stronger and pungent than anything she had smelled while training. This detail faded to the back of her mind as she stared down at the source of the stench.
Her mind tried, it struggled to reconcile that what she was looking at had once been a human. Twisted, shattered, and scorched. Their arms, burnt and blackened, drawn close to their chest, their body arched over in a fetal position, as though they had tried to defend themselves from the flame. A single lidless eye remained in their skull the iris having turned white from the heat. That single milky-eye seemed to stare at Korra, to peer into her and to glared in judgment. Korra felt the bile rise in the back of her throat before she placed her hand over her mouth and turned away from the sight of the citizen she had failed.
It wasn't like she hadn't seen death before, but this different. She was reacting as much to the visceral carnage as she was to the oppressing sense of guilt she felt. This was her city, she was supposed to protect, she should have been here, she could have done something, she should have done something. But no, she had stood outside trembling in her boots, afraid of some phantom in her mind and unable to act and now people, innocent people, were dead because of it and at this thought Korra found herself retching up her meal from hours earlier.
Had it only been hours ago she and her friends were eating and laughing? It now seemed like years ago and she suddenly found herself feeling much older and much more tired as tears began to sting at her eyes as the twisted face of the citizen she had failed came back to the front of her mind. She fell to her knees and covered her face, pressing her eyes in a desperate attempt to push the image out of her mind.
A strong hand was suddenly placed on her shoulder, she looked up through her blurred vision at the man, no the god she reminded herself, who had helped her people when she couldn't. She noted that he too seemed older though not in the way she felt. His eyes had gone from those of a jovial reveler to eyes that almost reminded her of her fathers. She saw him wave one of the officers over before turning back to her and helping her stand.
"Come, there is nothing left for you to do here," he said kindly as he led her out of the ruins and back to the dock.
Standing there amongst the bedlam stood Mako and Asami. Running from Thor, Korra wrapped her arms around Asami and held her tight. The other girl did not protest and quickly returned the gesture although both her and Mako gave Thor a quizzical look. He was about to answer when he was interrupted by a stern voice.
"You lot might want to come here," the uncompromising voice of Lin Beifong came across causing Korra and Asami to break their embrace as they turned to face the police chief. She looked at them expectedly for a moment her expression changed to more of 'what are you waiting for?' look. Korra stepped away and wiped her eyes before taking a deep breath and heading over.
"Yeah chief, what's up?" Korra said her voice shaking and clearly trying, and failing, to convey her normal confidence. Lin's eyes seemed to soften even if just slightly.
"We found the culprits, they were swimming in the middle of the bay, it looks like their escape boat was sunk. I thought you might want to have a word with them," she said coolly and at this Korra's eyes seemed to harden.
"Where?" she asked almost harshly.
"I'll bring you to them, but I must insist you not do anything reckless, do I make myself clear?" she told him sternly and Korra nodded.
Chief Beifong brought them over the where two individuals were being held, on their knees, shackled and sopping wet.
"Looks like these two were all there was, we wouldn't have caught them if their boat hadn't sunk," Links told them in a very matter of fact tone and the two suspects looked up at their captors. "We'll be taking them in shortly but I thought The Avatar might want to have a word with them first," she finished plainly.
Korra whole demeanor seemed to palpably harden as she took a single step forward before once again feeling a firm hand on her shoulder. She didn't need to turn around and see the look on Thor's face to know what he was trying to tell her. She didn't say a word or give any visible display of acknowledgment but he seemed to know as he soon removed his hand.
Korra walked over to the duo and both stared up at her with steely eyes. Her temperament hadn't ever been the best to deal with emotionally charged moments, but now her normal blazing intensity seemed to be tempered by something. She couldn't say for certain if it was regret, necessity, or the mere presence of her friends but she found herself steady as she spoke.
"Why did you do this, why kill innocent people?" she questioned, neither answered her, they simply stared at the ground. "I would suggest you answer me, I can't guarantee my temperament will hold," she Korra threatened, her voice remaining ever cool and even as she cracked her knuckles.
One of them looked up at this. He was a man of slight build and a surprisingly young face. He showed no fear as his eyes met hers and his face remained impassive as he spoke.
"We do what is necessary for the empire, what are a few lives for the greater good?" he stated as simply as if he were talking about the weather and Korra felt her resolve crack a tiny bit at such a dispassionate answer. Was that all? Did they really think that?
"That can't be all, what else?" Korra demanded, her voice just beginning to crack. When they didn't answer she took a step forward but stopped remembering Lin's words.
"What else is there? We serve a purpose greater than ourselves, who are we to ask why?" he responded back as she halted. His face now cracking into a twisted grin.
It was here Korra turned away "I'm done, I don't have the energy for this now," and she began to make her way away as tears ran down her face. Lin gave her an almost surprised look as she left, she did not think or believe that Korra would have walked away so easily but she did not press the issue, and just approached the apprehended insurgents.
"Come on, you're going downtown," she growled as she hefts them both to their feet, her eye never leaving Korra as the Avatar walked away, her shoulder slumped over in defeat.
Korra walked at a determined pace away from the whole scene. She was tired and was just barely able to keep her composure. She walked past her friends, Asami reached out for her but she simply continued past. The image of that charred and face and that single pale eye kept flashing across her mind. She shook her head, it flashed there again and now she could smell burning skin and she fisted her palms against her eyes trying to force the wretched thought from her mind.
"Korra!" A voice shouted from behind her and she turned to see Asami jogging after "What happened?" she asked, she desperately asked, almost demanded as she gripped Korra's wrist. "Please...just talk to me," she whispered softly.
Looking into her pleading eyes Korra felt herself break down completely. Asami pulled her into a tight embrace and ran a hand through her hair. Korra gripped at her desperately, trying to hold her closer, looking for some comfort and she wept quietly.