Kuvira's attack on Republic City was devastating. Each step of the mecha suit had left a giant footprint behind on the streets as it had advanced into the heart of the city. The spirit energy cannon on her giant mecha suit had been powerful enough to destroy battleships and lay waste to large swathes of the city in a single shot. And Kuvira had been given plenty of reasons to fire as Korra and her allies fought tooth and nail against the metal behemoth for every block. At the end of it downtown had been transformed into a smoldering ruin and the barrier dividing the world of mortals and spirits had been torn for a third time.
Raiko had made the decision not to rebuild the ruins and instead expand the city further inland away from the newly made Spirit Portal. The army had created a fortified perimeter around the Spirit Portal in order to keep people out for their own protection but there was another problem that had to be solved. The residents and businesses that had been located downtown were relocating to new premises but the buildings they had occupied weren't all abandoned now. After the legitimate occupants had vacated, the not so legitimate groups had moved in. Drug dens, scavengers, gambling and whorehouses had all set up shop along with all of the people who had joined the ranks of the homeless after losing everything in the attack.
Lin Beifong and the police were doing what they could but Republic City's economy had been shattered and there were plenty of people who had nowhere else to turn but the Triads. The few newspapers still in circulation had mockingly labeled it the world's largest game of whack-a-badgermole. Every time the police shut one operation down two more popped up elsewhere in another part of the vast ruins left behind. Eventually Raiko had been forced to adopt a scorched earth policy and they began to demolish what was left of downtown, one building at a time.
Korra paused in the middle of the hallway to stop and take a drink from the jug she had hanging off her belt. She had been expecting that demolishing the buildings would be a simple matter of leveling them and hauling off the rubble but that hadn't been the case. Some of these places had been residential dwellings but most of them had been corporate offices or places of business. The major goal was to retrieve as much paperwork and assets for these companies as they could. Typically that meant finding money but mostly it was about getting the equipment and in some cases furniture. After everything had been taken from the offices was when Korra started working. Destroying the buildings was the goal but not until everything of value had been taken out.
She hooked the jug back onto her belt and stretched one hand out to the wall on her left. Nothing happened at first but then the metal hidden behind the thin layers of plaster and wood burst free. Cords of copper and water pipes made of steel came out to briefly float in the air in front of the Avatar before she sent them flying off to join the pile of scrap metal that she had already gathered. It wasn't exactly the most thrilling or glamorous of jobs but the city was bleeding money and every piece of metal she recovered was a piece they wouldn't have to dig out of the ground. It wasn't exactly the kind of thing Korra had been expecting to do but it helped out with the crime spike and this was just the sort of mind numbing work she needed to take her mind off what had happened during her meeting with Asami over the past week.
There was a short cough from behind her and she turned to see one of the laborers she had been working with standing there. "Begging your pardon Avatar Korra but there's a courier out front. He won't tell us what he wants, just that he has a message for you."
The man in question was standing next to a car parked on the side of the road outside. It wasn't anyone she recognized but he looked like a government employee if his tailored suit and slicked back hair were any indication. He stepped forward and bowed ever so slightly as she approached the vehicle. "My apologies for the short notice but President Raiko has requested your presence."
Korra frowned slightly as she brushed some white debris from the plaster off of her shoulder. "Raiko wants to see me? Did he say what he wants?"
"I don't know, only that it's an extremely urgent manner and that I should fetch you as soon as possible."
He opened the car door for her to get in but Korra shook her head. "I have my own ride and I know the way." She stuck thumb and finger in her mouth and whistled. "Naga!" Her animal friend since childhood leaped to her feet and bounded over, tongue lolling out of her mouth. The government worker raised one hand as if to ward something away as he retreated until his back hit his car. Korra had to suppress a grin at his obvious wariness of the polar bear dog and she snapped the reins once to get going after hopping onto Naga's back.
City Hall hadn't been affected by the attack but much of the surrounding area had been damaged by those cannon blasts and the fires that had followed afterwords. Supposedly Raiko had tried to keep his administration in the building but he had been overruled and the government had temporarily relocated to Air Temple Island until their new facilities had been constructed. It would have been nice to see Tenzin and his family but they were all in the Earth Kingdom with Prince Wu except for Pema and her youngest child Rohan. Talking to Pema about her situation with Asami could be helpful but the courier was clearly in a rush and led her straight to the President's makeshift office after they arrived on the island.
This room wasn't as glamorous or ornate as his office in City Hall had been but Raiko's desk and chairs from there had somehow found their way in here. Raiko was seated in his cushy chair while General Iroh stiffly stood at attention. The president rose to his feet as Korra entered the room and he bowed ever so slightly. "Avatar Korra, my apologies for summoning you so abruptly but this is an urgent matter that can't wait. Please be seated."
She glanced at Iroh out of the corner of her eye before seating herself in one of the three chairs in front of the desk. Once she had sat down Raiko lifted a folder off the desk and held it out towards her. The uppermost piece of paper had a man's photograph at the top with the name 'Chou' written just under it. Beneath that was an acronym she vaguely recognized as a degree from what Asami had once told her was one of the more prestigious universities in Republic City. Korra looked up from the folder as she spoke to Raiko. "Who is this?"
"His name is Chou. He was born in a small farming town a days travel or so to the south but he excelled in school and was awarded a scholarship to Republic City Tech. His time there passed without any notable distinctions but he graduated with a degree in electrical engineering technology. After graduating he worked for Cabbage Corp until they were shut down during the Equalist rebellion and he went to work for one of Varrick's companies. His work wasn't anything of real importance at first but when Varrick began researching spirit energy Chou was one of the technologists who helped manufacture the equipment that ended up being used in Kuvira's spirit energy cannon."
Korra frowned as she looked at the picture again before returning her attention to the president. "Okay, so he helped build that weapon. But it was destroyed along with the mecha suit, what's so important about him now?" she asked.
"Because he disappeared sometime after Kuvira took Zaofu. Our intelligence's best guess is that he realized Kuvira was using Varricks's research to make weapons and he fled with his notes. He remained off the radar until a few days ago when he was caught sneaking into one of the United Republic's embassies." Raiko paused to give Iroh a look but the general didn't react and the president began speaking once again. "It seems that certain parties were aware of his work and they made him an offer that he was desperate for. Asylum and protection from Kuvira in exchange for his notes on the manufacturing of the cells used to power Kuvira's weapon."
Korra closed the folder setting it back down on the desk and she folded her arms as she cocked her head to one side slightly. "So what exactly are you asking me to do?"
Raiko shook his head as he steepled his fingers. "Chou was smuggled out of the United Republic's embassy and here to Republic City as soon as he told us what was happening. There is going to be a convention held in ten days to ratify a treaty banning all research and use of spirit energy technology. All of the world leaders are going to be present along with notable dignitaries and relevant public figures. Varrick and his wife Zhu Li will be there to answer any questions regarding spirit energy since they were the ones who invented it. I would like Chou to be there as well so he can do the same. There's a small problem however. His former employers are unlikely to take his… resignation well and I have reason to believe his life may be in jeopardy. I want you and General Iroh to guard him until the convention."
Iroh stirred at that and he frowned slightly as he spoke. "Excuse me if this seems out of turn but I have to question my assignment to this task. I have submitted my official resignation to the United Republic military and it should be accepted any day now. In addition I am still a general and it is... highly unusual to assign an officer of my rank to duty as a bodyguard. I formally request not to be reassigned to this task."
Korra had incurred Raiko's enmity once before and had been exiled from Republic City as a result of it but the vindictive smile on his face now almost made that seem like a happy memory. "Request denied. I am aware your resignation was submitted but there have been complications with its processing. You originally enlisted in the military when it was run by the world council, not my government. Combine that with the fact that you actually aren't a citizen of the United Republic and I'm sure you can understand the difficulties in determining the proper pension you should receive after retirement. And until the paperwork is fully processed you are still a general of the United Republic and I fully expect you to do your duty. Do I make myself clear?"
The president waited until Iroh saluted before turning his attention back to Korra. "Chou is currently being guarded in a room a few doors from here. I regret having to involve you in this matter Avatar Korra but I fear there are informants in my government so we cannot provide any more assistance other than the general without compromising this job. However I have complete confidence in your abilities to ensure Chou makes it to this convention safe and sound."
"Smug piece of trash." Iroh muttered to himself once they had left the office and were walking down the hall. Korra stopped in her tracks and folded her arms as she looked at him inquistively. Iroh glanced down the hall at the guard before speaking in a low voice to avoid being overheard. "What Raiko said about Chou's work for Varrick was true but he neglected to mention one important piece of information. The person Chou gave his notes to is the leader of a house in the Fire Nation."
Now that was something Korra hadn't been expecting to hear today and now that she had heard it Korra very, very quickly found herself wishing she hadn't. Someone else was pursuing spirit energy technology. Someone in the Fire Nation was pursuing spirit energy technology. The Fire Nation. The nation that had started the Hundred-Year War. The people who had invaded the Earth Kingdom, taken Omashu and Ba Sing Se. The ones who had abducted benders from the Southern Water Tribe and besieged the Northern Water Tribe for nearly a century. The empire that had murdered all but one of the Air Nomads. If word of this got out there would be protests and riots in every major city outside of the Fire Nation.
Korra snuck a glance at the guard before replying in a heated whisper. "What are you saying? The Fire Nation is trying to get their hands on spirit energy weapons? How could you let that happen? You've seen what those things can do, those weapons put everyone at risk if they fall into the wrong hands."
Iroh put his hands up as if to fend off an attack. "I know all that and its not just something my mother and I have turned a blind eye to. Fire Nation politics are... complicated but trust me we're actively working against it in our own way."
"Care to give me an example?" asked Korra.
"How do you think Chou got to the United Republic's embassy? We took him there so that they would get him out of the Fire Nation. I should be back home right now to deal with this but Raiko's desire for revenge against me and my mother is keeping me here."
Now that wasn't something Korra had known about. "Desire for revenge? Why would he want revenge on either of you?"
"Raiko's been involved with the United Republic's government for a long time even in the days when it was run by the council. He and my mother have clashed on multiple occasions over the years but Kuvira's attack has pushed him to the point where he's almost completely unreasonable now. My mother refused to help him launch a preemptive strike against Kuvira and he showed everyone who voted for him that he's a coward when he caved to Kuvira's ultimatum. I was ready to fight and defend the city but he caved and everyone knows it. It's the latest humiliation he's had to endure during his term as president and now he wants to drag me down with him on his way out of office. If we keep Chou alive then he's going to tell everyone that the Fire Nation is trying to build spirit energy weapons. If I refuse to do it or fail then he can accuse me of being directly involved and I'll be court martialed. But Raiko was right about one thing, he knows that I'll do my duty."
Iroh sighed and shook his head as he considered the task laid in front of them. "I suppose the question is figuring out where we can take Chou to keep him safe... wait I have it. I remember speaking to Prince Wu before he left for the Earth Kingdom a few weeks ago. He told me that he had been hiding at Asami Sato's estate. That's where we should go. It's isolated so there's almost no traffic and it'll be easy to hide an extra person in a place that big."
Korra's face froze at the idea he had come up with. Going back there wasn't something she wanted to consider but explaining why was out of the question. Plus if she was being honest with herself it was the best idea either of them would be able to come up and Iroh was already opening the door to Chou's room as she stared at Iroh's back, unable to muster a reply.
But the conversations waiting in store for her weren't ones she was looking forward to.
