Chapter XXXIII: Game Plan
Saltrall tried to sleep but found himself tossing and turning for over an hour. He eventually sighed and sat up, putting a shirt on and going to the bathroom to get some water. He was worried, more-so than he had been in decades. He knew he wouldn't be able to sleep until he confronted the source of his worry. However, just as he was walking into the main console room he heard a knock. He went to the door and found Korra standing there.
"Hey, I was just to come find you," Saltrall said, smiling softly.
"Great minds think alike I guess," Korra replied, chuckling nervously before stepping inside when Saltrall stepped aside.
"What keeps you up at this hour?" Saltrall asked her, closing the door behind her.
"Probably the same thing that's keeping you up," she replied, leaning against the railing.
"Yeah, probably, great minds are also very predictable amirite?" Saltrall replied, making Korra let out a snorting laugh while rolling her eyes.
"Shut up, Saltrall," she said, still chuckling before finishing and taking a beat before saying seriously, "I'm really worried."
Saltrall walked over to her and hugged her softly and Korra hugged him back.
"I know how you feel, kid," Saltrall whispered before pulling away and sitting on the arm of the couch. "I meant what I said."
"What do you mean?" Korra asked, slightly confused.
"Be careful, please," Saltrall replied quietly, not looking at her, "I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you."
Korra put a hand on his shoulder and he sighed softly.
"I should be going with you," he said, looking to the side, but still not looking at her.
"Hey, look at me," she said, and Saltrall slowly looked at her, "We'll be fine, we can handle ourselves."
"I know you can," Saltrall replied, "but- ugh, I should be going with you, just to be safe."
"Iroh and the others need you, Saltrall, and I'm the Avatar, trust me, Mako and I will be okay."
Saltrall finally nodded reluctantly and stood.
"I understand," he said simply, "I trust you, but I'll always worry at the same time."
Korra smiled and kissed him softly. "I wouldn't want it any other way."
Saltrall blushed softly and led her to the door. "Come on," he said, "we've got a big day tomorrow and we both need rest."
Korra nodded and walked out before turning around, "goodnight, Saltrall," she said, quietly.
"Goodnight Korra," Saltrall replied with a soft, warm smile before closing the door. He sighed and pressed his forehead against the door.
"I love you," he whispered to himself before walking back to his bedroom and going to sleep.
He stirred the next morning and groaned, still not wanting to think about what they all were going to do that day. He got out of bed and put on his rubber undershirt and got all of his things ready before stepping out of the TARDIS and joining the others in the main area. Korra and Mako were getting suited up in Equalist uniforms while the others were checking their equipment.
"Are we ready to go?" Saltrall asked as he looked at all the others. They all murmur quiet agreements and Saltrall nodded, "let's go then."
The four of them started walking to the TARDIS with Naga and Pabu while Asami was explaining the TARDIS' concept as best as she could to Iroh. Saltrall looked over his shoulder at Mako and Korra and they made eye contact with him. Saltrall nodded once before turning his head and walking faster to catch up with the others.
"Ready?" He heard Mako ask Korra from behind him, "as ready as I'll ever be," she replied.
Saltrall walked into the TARDIS last and walked past the general, who was looking around at everything in awe.
"I'd give you my grand introduction now, but this is too important for that," Saltrall said, walking to the console, "where are we going?"
"Uh, to the mountains in the north," Iroh replied, coming to his senses and walking over, "right there, in that little valley," he said, pointing at a spot on the monitor.
Saltrall saw where he was pointing and nodded while inputting the proper coordinates and pulling the lever.
"Do we have a gameplan?" He asked as the TARDIS shook on take off.
"We need to tear up the airstrip and keep the planes from taking off," Iroh said, "preferably with as little hassle as possible."
"Great plan guys, 10/10," Saltrall said sarcastically before sighing, "I wish I had a better, or at least more focused one, but we have to do with what we got."
The others chuckled softly, everyone's nerves were clearly on edge, and soon a tense quiet fell over everyone as they mentally prepared for the task ahead of them. The TARDIS shook softly as it landed and Saltrall checked the monitor.
"Alright, remember, we go in, destroy the airstrips and get out," Iroh said as he stood.
The others nodded and walked out with Naga and Pabu following close behind. Bolin eventually got the two animals to stay behind and they walked quietly towards the airbase. There were guards posted around the inside of the fence, or where the fence was supposed to be.
"Why would there be posts but no fence?" Asami asked suspiciously as they closed in on it.
Suddenly, Saltrall heard the soft buzzing of electricity but it was too late to warn the others, as all four of them walked into the middle of the posts and cried out in pain. Iroh, Bolin and Asami fell unconscious almost immediately but Saltrall, who was wearing his rubber undershirt, managed to collapse out of the electric but was too weak to stand, the rubber only doing so much to stop the electric current.
"Yeah, that seems about right," he muttered softly as a group of Equalist soldiers approached them before he fell unconscious as well.
Some time had passed when he groaned and came to. The four of them were locked in a jail cell with Iroh and Bolin tied together on the floor and Saltrall had his hands cuffed behind his back next to them. Asami, however, was lying on a bench, staring at the ceiling before she noticed Saltrall stir.
"Hey," she said flatly, looking back at the ceiling.
"Hey," Saltrall replied as he started to stand, struggling a little due to his hands, "so that went well."
Asami smirked, "just peachy," she replied, sitting up and looking at him.
"The best laid plans of mice and men, amirite?" Saltrall replied with a chuckle before cringing in pain, "I've been alive almost 700 years and yet I've never actually been electrocuted. I don't like it."
Asami chuckled and helped him up fully before brushing some dust off of his back.
"Thanks," he said, unconsciously trying to move his hands, "oh right," he said, feeling the cuffs.
"I have a bobby pin, maybe I can-" Asami started to say before stopping when she heard footsteps coming towards them. Both Asami and Saltrall turned and looked to see Hiroshi Sato walk up to the bars.
"Asami, I know I have hurt you..." He started, "and I am sorry. But I believe that one day, you will come to your senses and we can be a family again."
Asami just stared daggers into his eyes, "Are you insane?!" She shouted angrily, "How can we be a family after everything you've done?! Mom would hate you for what you've become."
The commotion caused both Bolin and Iroh to stir finally and look over at their captor.
Hiroshi's eyes almost seemed to bulge with anger at Asami's last comment, "How dare you? I am avenging her death!" He said, completely enraged at her.
He quickly calmed down a little as an Equalist walked up to him.
"The airplanes are ready for take-off, sir," the Equalist said as he saluted Hiroshi, who just smirked.
"Good, annihilate the fleet," he said, turning to the Equalist who saluted him and ran off before Hiroshi turned back to the captives in the cell, still smirking.
"That's right, general. I intercepted your message to Commander Bumi, not that I needed to, I already knew exactly where they're hiding." He said, voice dripping with smug satisfaction before he walked away, still smirking.
"How?!" Saltrall asked, shocked, "I delivered that message myself..." He continued before trailing off as realization hit him, "wait, 'I already knew...' fuck... the officer."
"What do you mean 'the officer,' Saltrall?" Iroh asked, a hint of intensity in his voice.
"An officer escorted me to the bridge, I showed him the message so he wouldn't think I was trying to undermine the commander. He must've been a mole who just needed the message to confirm the attack had begun." Saltrall said, sitting on the bench and sighing, "I should've seen something like that coming."
"Don't beat yourself up, Saltrall," Asami said walking over to him and putting a hand on his shoulder.
He smiled softly and stood, "I'll try not to," he said, "but right now we need to get out of here, can you grab my Sonic out of my boot?" He asked Asami.
"You hid it in your boot? Very clever," she said, crouching down and grabbing it.
"Yeah, idiots never check the boots it seems," he said with a chuckle as Asami used it to undo his cuffs before handing it to him.
"You untie Bolin and Iroh, I'll get us out of here." Saltrall said as he walked over to the door and unlocked it with his Sonic.
"Nice work, Saltrall!" Bolin said, standing up, "and thanks for untying us Asami."
Asami smiled and nodded as Saltrall threw open the cell door and walked into the hallway. He smirked when he saw two guards at the end of the hallway who reeled a little in shock before charging at him.
Saltrall ran at them and the other three ran into the hall to help but Saltrall already had one immobilized and the other one in a chokehold, placing his Sonic to his head and killing him before doing the same to the other guard.
"Come on, we have work to do," he said seriously before turning and starting to walk towards the door.
"Man I'm glad he's on our side," Bolin said softly to Asami and Iroh as they ran to catch up with him.
Saltrall led them out and looked around. There were guards and mechanics all around them, mostly milling about or doing their duties, but no one seemed to notice that they escaped.
"Think you guys can handle this?" Saltrall asked, his eyes scanning the base in front of them.
"Easy," Asami said with a smirk, her eyes falling onto an unmanned mecha tank.
"Good, I'm going to go pay our old friend Amon a visit," Saltrall replied before looking at the others, "good luck you guys."
"You too, Saltrall," Bolin replied, holding out his hand, which Saltrall took and shook it.
"Well, let's not leave our friends here waiting," Saltrall said before running towards the fence while the others ran towards the airstrips.
Saltrall didn't turn around when he heard the battle start and drew his Sonic and froze the limbs of an Equalist guard as he ran past before using it to disable one of the fence posts, deactivating the electric field and he ran through, not stopping until he reached the TARDIS.
"Alright, you son of a bitch," he said quietly as he walked into the TARDIS and reached the console, "let's see what you're really made of."