A/N: So sorry about the wait, here is Chapter 4! And Finally some Korrasami!
"Well, now that we're well rested, let's get to work looking for anything of use." Declared Asami.
"Right, do these big robot things count?" Asked Bolin.
"Sure, we obviously can't take one with us, but maybe a few key pieces will be just as good for the United Forces." Agreed Asami.
"Good, I found these maps, they look like something useful..." Korra said as she came into the dim light of the hatch of the bunker with a few papers in her hands.
"Something here about plans to attack Republic City, and only 3 days from now..." Noted Mako, as he brought the plans to Asami.
"Great work guys, now let's-"
"Freeze!" Shouted a metalbender, who was backed by several more. "Tarrlok sir, we've found the suspects." He announced through his radio.
"Looks like we won't be getting out the easy way." Sighed Korra, as fire spread over her arms.
"No, I got us into this, I'll get us out of it." Insisted Asami, as she climbed into one of the mecha tanks, and activated it.
"Dumb bitch, you think master earthbenders will even be slowed down by that!?" Laughed another of the metalbenders, as he ran at the rig, with his arms outstretched, prepared to twist the machine into a pretzel, yet was thoroughly compromised in his attempt to do so. "What, why the hell isn't it working!?" He gasped.
"Quick chemistry lesson: Metalbending works primarily because the metal itself is not being bent. Rather, the traces of earthen material inside the metal allow the most skilled of eartbenders to manipulate it, you obviously know that much."
"Of course..."
"However, certain metals, such as platinum, lack a sufficient amount of impurity for this to work, hence why my father coated these machines in platinum. In other words: Can't bend platinum, dumbass." Asami finished, using the mech to kick the attacker out of the way.
"Attack!" Another officer shouted, as the others converged upon Asami, shooting their vines at the mecha tank, covering it in steel.
"I'm going in!" Declared Korra.
"I said I have this!" Countered Asami, as she quickly gyrated the machine's arms, throwing the metalbenders out in all directions, and leaving a clear path out into the mansion proper.
"Good work." Bolin muttered.
"Let's get out of here before Tarrlok comes back." Asami declared, as they ran out of the basement.
"There you are. I see we've been busy. Destroying evidence are we? Such a crime shall be punished by the immediate execution of all four of you." Laughed Tarrlok.
"We have sensitive information, we're willing to share it." Asami said, showing the papers to Tarrlok.
"I have no reason to believe those are genuine, the only question that remains in my mind is who to execute first."
"Forget about this?" Asked Mako, as he fired a bolt of lightning at Tarrlok, who blocked it with a quick bit of water.
"Mine too!" Declared Korra, firing a blast of fire at the councilman in his moment of distraction.
"Now, let's go before he gets back up!" Shouted Korra, as the rest of Team Avatar followed her, in a mad dash through the alleys in hopes of escape.
"Okay, I think we lost them." Sighed Asami, thoroughly tired from both the trek and the stress.
"But where do we go now? Nowhere's safe at this point." Noted Mako.
"He's right, Air Temple Island, The Sato Estate, even the Pro-Bending Arena, Tarrlok has them all on lockdown." Noted Lin, who appeared behind them.
"Lin! I never thought I'd be this happy to run into you!" Said Korra, laughing nervously at the situation.
"I'm only here at all to scavenge a few records from the police station, then I was going to head back to the military camp the United Forces have set up a few miles from here." Explained Lin, showing a stack of papers. "The UF may be able to make use of it. And if you have any info on either Amon or Tarrlok, you may be advised to do the same. General Iroh is the man in charge of mobilizing this campaign, I'll take you to him."
"Well as fate would have it..." Muttered Asami.
"Good, we can make it out through the sewer system." Ordered Lin, as she opened up a manhole cover and Team Avatar followed her through it.
"Well, this is interesting news..." Noted Iroh, as he looked over the various schematics and memos from Hiroshi Sato's secret bunker. "So I see our bender-eschewing friends are planning an attack on the city in only a few short days. Good to know, we can at least prepare in the vaguest sense, perhaps wait for Tarrlok and Amon's forces to tire each other out... Still, it would be better to sabotage their invasion in the first place, Tarrlok's forces aren't that strong after all..."
"We may be able to help with that too." Asami said as she revealed a map she'd found in the hideout. "Here's a whole chart of the Equalist bases apart from Republic City. They seem to be spread out across the Earth Kingdom. Only one is within realistic distance to Republic City, however."
"Hm, that should be our target, and with this info about their flying machines we should have a good plan of attack: Airstrike with firebenders, and land based assault with earth, water, and nonbenders, with an emphasis on making the land uneven." Agreed Iroh. "I'll get the forces together, and we should be ready to launch the assault in two days."
"Thank you, general, finally, take this receiver, locked on to Amon's signal, it'll tell us anything else we need to know." Explained Asami.
"I'll also radio Commander Bumi, request that he begin the reconquest of Republic City, with some luck, we can liberate the whole country in a matter of hours. And I'd like you and The Avatar to accompany my campaign to the Equalist base. Your mechanical knowledge could prove quite useful in the sabotage portion of this assault. And The Avatar's strength and prowess, and her relevant knowledge of the Equalists should also prove useful, not to mention she seems to be able to match Amon in combat."
"The two of you are to accompany me on the way back to Republic City. We need all the hands we can get, and you seem to have what it takes." Lin told Mako and Bolin. "Tarrlok, being a bloodbender and whatnot, will be difficult to defeat without numbers. We need diversion."
"Cool! We get some real world experience! We can totally bill ourselves that way in the ring next season!" Exclaimed Bolin.
"Very well, not much else to do, I suppose." Agreed Mako.
The rest of the day passed with little incident, but as the night went on, Asami grew reckless, and left the tent she was assigned, one of the tents given to the UF's honored guests, in accordance with their military procedures and guidelines, for the commons, in hopes of clearing her mind. The days past had put a good bit of strain on her, and while she did her best to put on a brave face, she still faltered more than a little bit. As fate would have it, Korra too was overwhelmed with the stress of the past few days, and had left her tent at around the same time. Both of them made their way to the courtyard, saw the other, and both took a seat on the ground not far apart. Asami was the first to speak.
"So Korra, tomorrow is it, huh?" Said Asami, trying to cut what felt like a very tense atmosphere between her and The Avatar.
"I'm sorry for trying to interfere with your plan earlier." Sighed Korra, worried that Asami may still hold something of a grudge.
"No Korra, I'm sorry. I was reckless. Those things went to my head. I was lucky there, but I certainly couldn't have taken on Tarrlok without three benders, one of them being The Avatar, backing me up.
"Thanks. And also thank you for giving us a lead on Amon. Without you, our odds would be even worse than they are now."
"Funny, I've been in your gratitude this whole time, never would have thought you felt the same way." Noted Asami. The friendliness of the conversation at this point caused Asami to grow bolder and bolder with every progressive minute, and she decided to finally at long last make her play on The Beautiful Avatar. "So while we're making small talk, do you have anyone in your life, like a significant other?"
"Not really sure..." Sighed Korra, a wistful look dotting her face.
"How are you not sure? Sorry if that's more than you'd like to share..."
"No, it's fine, it's just that Mako and I were almost a thing for awhile. The tension was there, but nothing came of it. Anyways, now I like someone else, and I'm not entirely confident that my feelings are reciprocated.
"I know exactly how you feel Korra, I'm in the same place." Laughed Asami, inching a bit closer to Korra.
"Asami, can I trust you with something?" Asked Korra, figuring that the high stakes of the coming days made her confession seem moot.
"Sure Korra, I promise not to tell anyone." Agreed Asami.
"Well, see the person I like is... A girl." Confessed Korra, nervously, her hand slipping closer to Asami, so that the edge of her hand hit up against the edge of Asami's
"You told the right person, there's a girl I like too." Laughed Asami, who at that point decided fuck it and decided to just come out and say it. "Namely you."
Korra leaned toward Asami and kissed her passionately, which lasted a good 10 seconds before breaking from it, at which point both women broke into a nervous laughter.
"I was so nervous to say anything, the Fire Nation's culture emphasizes producing heirs, and that made me afraid to ever admit I liked other girls." Explained Asami, joyful tears forming in her eyes.
"The Water Tribe is okay with it, but I knew about the Fire Nation, hence my nervousness." Laughed Korra. "I'm glad I trusted you."
"Me too!" Asami joyfully declared as she rested herself on Korra.
"Well, we'd better get sleep, we need to prepare for the attack starting tomorrow." Decided Korra.
"I suppose so, but hey, I'm glad we're able to be together, if only for a day." Asami sobbed, both with joy for the events that had transpired, and sorrow over the thought that there was a good chance of them dying not long after.
A/N: Alright, here it is, just one more Chapter in Book 1, but I may just extend it into Books 2,3,&4! Until next time!
