Surprise! I have yet another chapter for you guys. I did promise you that I would not take ten thousand years to update, and I am trying to stay humble to my promises. As always, I would like to thank my beta reader who has bent over backwards for me to edit this chapter for me. Thank you so much, Lexi! I appreciate all your help. :D
So I'll keep this short. I hope you all enjoy.
Disclaimer: I don't own The Legend of Korra, but y'all already knew that. However, the characters and plot lines you don't recognize are mine and may not be uses without my otherwise written consent. Thank you.
Her screams had dried to wheezes and whimpers thirteen hours ago.
It hurts.
It is as if her body is being picked apart from the inside, bone by bone, muscle by muscle, tendon by tendon. Her tears had dried to her cheeks and her eyelids, heavy and bruised, were threatening to close.
The room is small, white, sterile, empty. No windows. Just a door.
She is strapped to a metal chair that is bolted tight to the concrete ground. Leather binds confine her wrists to the cold metal of the chair, her ankles confined too. Bruises have formed on her wrists and ankles where she had spent countless hours struggling and pulling, failing to free herself.
So now she sits, comatose and exhausted, in pain, listening to the screams of a male in the room next door.
She hasn't seen the boy, but by the sounds of his pained and desperate cries and screeches, she can tell that the masked man is doing the same thing to him that he did to her.
She doesn't remember how she got here―to this room. All she remembers was walking home from band practice then, nothing at all.
She knows his secret. The extent of his powers and who―what he is. The horror of what she went through will remain etched to her memory for the remainder of her life―for however long that is.
They want information― About the Avatar. She cannot remember a massive majority of the questions. But why does he need to know about the Avatar? The dead Avatar? She just wants to go home. Lani Miko just wants to go home.
She waits.
And waits.
And waits.
But no help ever comes.
Lani Miko sags, struggling to draw in a broken breath.
It gets easier to zone everybody out. Practice makes perfect.
She doesn't speak unless spoken to, she doesn't look up, or acknowledges anyone's presence. She just goes through her classes with a blank mind and an aching chest.
She keeps reliving the previous night in her head. The gun going off and the pain, then Mako's hand in hers as she freed his fists of cuts, bruises and blood. And she definitely recalls him driving her home on that spirit awful Satocycle. Then she told Mako that he was serious about him staying away from her for the sake of his and Bolin's safety―and he agreed.
She saw Mako once today―at his locker talking with Asami. Asami saw as Korra darted by, textbooks hugged to her chest. Asami raised her manicured hand to wave, but Korra was already halfway down the hallway.
"Mako, what did you do?" Asami accused knitting her newly waxed brows together.
Mako watched Korra disappear down the hallway. "Nothing," he insists defensively, "she's been acting kind of strange lately." he explains letting his shoulder fall to the locker beside him. "I think it's best to just leave her alone." He lies, avoiding eye contact.
Asami's bright red lips pull to a frown. "I hope she's alright."
"I'm sure she'll be fine." he sighs, pulling at the dull red fibers of his scarf. Hopefully.
Asami purses her lips. "Oh, before I forget, tonight is dad's dinner party. You're still coming right?"
"Of course." He presses a cursory kiss to her lips.
She requested a seat change in her sixth period, and after some convincing and explaining that she can't see the board from where she sits, Mr. Zhi agreed and seated her in front of his desk.
Mako wasn't too keen on the realization of Korra's seat change when he walked into his sixth period and saw her seated across the room, but he understood why and didn't say a word about it. Mako kept his eyes on the back of Korra's head the whole period―recapping the events in his head from the night before.
He couldn't explain the dread he felt when he heard that gunshot from the hallway, and the panic grew when he found Korra, lying and gasping on the floor, a man pointing a gun at her head. All he saw was red, so he did what any fire bender would do in that kind of situation―he set him on fire. The relief was unexplainable when he ripped her shirt away to reveal body armor that caught the bullet―saving her life.
But why was he so concerned for Korra? He could only think of one reason:
She was, after all, his friend, and Mako would bend over backwards for his friends, his family.
Mako has seen the many layers of Korra― the strong, the selfless ,the courageous, the weak, the scared, the broken, the pain. He probably knows her best of all people in her life. He is, after all, one of the few who knows her existence still exists, and that scares him.
Terrifies him.
"Secrets carry their own heavy burdens." His mother once told him.
Now Korra wants him to stay away from her for the sake of his and Bolin's safety, but that's the last thing he wants to do. He wants to help her in whatever way possible to find Amon. He refuses to admit it, but it was one of the reasons he volunteered to be on that task force―the other reason of course―to protect Bolin.
He understands why she insists that he and Bolin stay away from her, but he can see the stubbornness of the Avatar who refuses to admit that she can't fight this battle alone.
When the bell rings to signal the dismissal of class, he watches her leave with stiff shoulders and her eyes casted down to her feet.
She can't do this alone.
"Better, Korra," Tenzin praises evaluating Korra's airbending movements. "although, your posture is a little stifled. Relax your muscles and let the breeze guide you. Do not force it."
Korra complies, letting her muscles go limp. Closing her eyes, she felt for the direction of the salty ocean wind. Her bare feet skim across the cool concrete, twirling and twirling until her head is light and her stomach flips in her stomach until it is in knots.
Panting, she stops. "Tenzin, I think I'm done for the day." she murmurs then walks quickly away from the spinning gate platform.
"Korra wait." he says striding over to her, "I wish to speak with you."
Korra turns to him and nods, taking a seat on the concrete steps. Tenzin sits beside her. "I want to discuss what happened during your first mission on the task force."
Oh spirits. Does he know? "You do?" she questions, her chest burning.
"How…How did it go?" he asks craning his head to Korra.
She shrugs, "Fine. We located a Equalist training camp and arrested trainees stationed there." she explained. Her fingernails dig into her legs. "However, we found no new leads on Amon."
"I hate to say that I am somewhat relieved to hear that." Tenzin says with a heavy sigh.
"Relieved?" Her eyes widen and her mouth falls open. "How could you say that?" she almost shouts.
"I know you Korra. I know that once you find out where Amon is, you will rush into things, and hurt yourself, or worse, get yourself killed."
"That was the whole point in joining the stupid task force, to find Amon!" She jumps to her feet and flares her nostrils. "Not to lollygag, make stupid arrests and get shot at!"
Tenzin's eyes widen. "You got shot?"
Oops. "Yes I did," she admits softly. "but I was wearing body armor."
"Korra…"
"I'm fine Tenzin, really." she insists. "The worst of it is a bruise. It doesn't even hurt."
Tenzin rises to his feet and begins to pace. "I knew this would happen! I knew this was a bad idea." he turns to Korra, his expression one of a worried father. "I want you to resign your position on the task force immediately!" he proclaims. "It is far too dangerous!"
"No!" she exclaims. "I'm this close to finding Amon; I refuse to quit now!"
"It was not a request. It is an order!"
"I've made up my mind." she sneers. "My motives are clear, and I know what I'm doing." Her voice softens. "You have to trust me."
Tenzin's tight expression relaxes. "I do trust you Korra. But I don't trust that other people won't try to hurt you."
"I'll be fine Tenzin. I can take care of myself." Korra turns and walks back to her room.
"Kai." Mako says with straight lips and somber eyes. "Can I talk to you for a second?" Mako is leaning coolly against the door frame of the training gym, his arms folded across his chest.
Kai, who is shooting shard of water at targets, turns to face Mako who is grimacing, his amber eyes impassive. Kai nods and follows Mako out of the gym and into the hallway. Mako stops in front of Kai, still scowling. Chuckling nervously, Kai rubs the back of his neck. "So, uh, what do you need to talk about?"
Mako folds his hands over his chest. "You haven't been at practice," Mako's eyes sharpen, "care to explain?"
Kai opens his mouth, his eyes darting around the room, looking everywhere but at Mako. He fishes around in his head for an excuse. "I- uh, had a family emergency."
"Oh really?" Mako questions flatly. "And you didn't bother to inform me of this 'family emergency' because…"
"It was really, really sudden." Kai rasps, still avoiding eye contact.
Mako rolls his eyes, not buying Kai's excuse. Mako steps forward, his expression dark and dangerous. "Listen Kai, our last player was booted from the team for pulling stunts like this." Kai swallows sharply, beads of sweat collecting at his dark hairline. "Bolin and I have never once missed practice, and we expect the same from you." Mako steps back, giving Kai room to breathe. Mako sighs, his eyes softening. "You're good, Kai, but not good enough to miss practice. We're in the finals, and I take that very seriously. If you're going to miss practice, you tell me. Next time you better have a valid excuse. Do I make myself perfectly clear?"
Kai nods curtly, "Of course, Mako."
"Good." Mako turns and stalks back into the gym.
Kai falls against the wall, running his hand through his long dark hair. He blinks his bright blue eyes and wipes the sweat from his brow. That was close, he thinks before reeling in a breath to compose himself before sauntering back into the gym.
"I can't believe you Mako." Asami barks, hands on her hips and her jade eyes narrow into slits. "I thought your tendency to get involved in dangerous situations had passed, but clearly you have proved me wrong." Asami rubs her temple, leaning against the rickety kitchen counter of Mako's loft apartment.
She had barged in, unannounced, mad and irritated. When Mako opened the door for her, she demanded that they have a talk. Bolin, peering over Mako's shoulder at the very heated and deadly looking Asami, fled the apartment, saying that he was going to go get something to eat from Narook's, leaving Mako and Asami alone in the apartment.
Mako sighs heavily, falling back into the unsound wooden dining room chair. He massages his his temples with his finger tips. "Asami, can you please stop yelling at me for one second so I can at least explain myself?"
She huffs, "Fine. Explain yourself."
Sighing, Mako opens his mouth to speak, "I'm doing this for Bolin. It's not because I have some crazy destructive vendetta out for myself." Mako stands and approaches Asami, who still had her red painted lips in a scowl. "I promise you those days are over." he reaches for her hand, but she drew them back.
"You're doing this for Bolin?" she seethes. "Does Bolin even know? Does he know that you're basically throwing yourself at Amon for him?"
"I'm not throwing myself at Amon." Mako protests, stepping back. "If anything, this task force is the most strategic way to get to Amon. It's hardly dangerous." he insists, cursing the lie from his teeth.
"I don't know if I believe you." Asami sighs, the hardness of her tone melting to something soft and weak.
"What is there not to believe, Asami?"
"I don't know Mako, maybe it's because I am just now hearing this!" she throws her hands in the air, turns away from Mako and leans against the counter, her palms flat on the cool wooden surface dusted in crumbs. "It seems like your head has been somewhere else for the past few weeks."
Mako frowns and steps forward, setting his hand on Asami's silk covered shoulder. Her skin is warm under the fabric of her blouse. "My head has been nowhere but here." Another lie.
She abruptly shrugs his hand off her shoulder, turning briskly with a new fire flaring in her smoky jade eyes. "Can you tell me what yesterday was, Mako?" she hisses, her face inches away from Mako's.
Mako, smelling the sweet mint scent of Asami's hot and angry breath, inches his neck back, feeling claustrophobic all of a sudden. He quickly files through his head for an answer, but drew nothing but blanks. Yesterday? What was yesterday?
Asami taps her toe on the wood impatiently. "Well?"
"Uh, Wednesday?" he guesses, pulling on the collar of his tee shirt.
Asami scoffs, shaking her head and runs her tongue over her perfectly aligned teeth. "Unbelievable." she mutters, stepping away from Mako and making her way across the living room and to the front door.
Mako follows her, biting his cheek. Knowing it was just going to sink himself further in her anger, he reluctantly asks, "What was yesterday?"
She spins around so fast, Mako has to dig the heels of his sneakers into the wood to stop himself from running into her. "My dad's dinner party. You don't recall? I only reminded you fifty times! So you can imagine how stupid I looked when my boyfriend stood me up and I had to attend alone."
Mako's eyes widen, his jaw slack and his cheeks red with embarrassment. "Asami, I'm so sorry, it totally slipped my mind." He says, stepping forward with a sympathetic look etched in his golden eyes.
She shakes her head and turns away. "You can say you're sorry, Mako, but I don't want to hear it. I want to see it." She starts for the door, pausing as she wraps her long fingers around the cold silver knob. "I have to go. I'll see you at school." She flees the apartment as quickly as she can, slamming the door loudly behind her.
I would really hate to see six innocents on the Avatar's hand. By now, she must know. If six is what it must take, six it will be. Do not keep me waiting too long. I would like to consider myself a patient man, but I can only be patient for so long. She has seventy two hours.
-A
"This is a sick cynical game he is playing." Tenzin fumes, slamming the flimsy piece of parchment down on Lin Beifong's desk.
Lin nods, her hands folded in front of her. "A sick game he will eventually grow tired of playing. In time he will exhaust from his callous tactics and come after Korra himself." She shakes her head. "Or he will send his Equalist minions to do it for him."
"I cannot fathom why Amon is doing this. They are just children. Korra is just but a child," Tenzin rasps, falling into a cushioned chair in front of Lin's desk. "Surely there are better means than to murder children."
"As far as I am concerned, Amon is willing to risk anything to draw Korra out, and our job is to make sure Korra doesn't do anything stupid and remains hidden. Child or not, Amon won't stop until he has Korra's head on a stick."
He cringes at the thought, rubbing his throbbing temples. "So what now? Indisputably, there has to be something we can do to prevent Amon getting his hands on another one of Korra's classmates."
"Hasn't the council been discussing ideas about what actions we can take?" Lin questions, wrapping her fingers around the white handle of her coffee mug and taking a sip.
"We've been discussing canceling classes, and Tarrlock suggested a curfew."
"A curfew?"
"Yes, so everyone is in their homes by nightfall. Anyone wandering the streets unauthorized will be arrested. I do not agree with the idea. I intend to help protect the city and it seems Tarrlock means to control it." He grumbles, his voice hard and stern.
"I agree with you. It would only anger the city further if we were to issue a curfew." Lin proclaims, strain apparent in her voice. "And the last thing I need is angry phone calls."
"Are you alright?" Tenzin inquires, noticing the stress in her voice and the deep black bags under her green eyes.
"I'm fine, I just wish I could disconnect the phone lines. It's the same damn thing every time the phone rings." Lin takes another bitter sip of coffee and shut her eyes. "I hope this Task Force Tarrlock organized works, and I hope it works fast. I'm not sure how much more of this I can take."
"I know. I feel the same way."
A silence fills the office, only the sound of a sputtering air vent could be heard. Both Lin and Tenzin sit with their eyes in their laps.
Tenzin is the first to break the silence, "Speaking of which, I need to talk to you, about Korra."
"What about her?"
"I'm worried, and I…" he trails off, his voice small, strained, "I think I need advice." he admits with his head hung low.
At first, Lin is surprised to hear the words come out of his mouth. Tenzin wants advice from Lin Beifong?! Tenzin, the wise, the reasonable, and the man who has the solution to every problem needed advice? It's unheard of. Anyways, who comes to their exes for advice? Shouldn't he be going to Pema, or into that spiritual enlightenment or whatever to seek answers? No, he is coming to Chief Lin Beifong for answers, but was Lin Beifong about to turn him away? No. "Sure, what's on your mind?"
"I'm worried about Korra. I don't know if you heard, but she joined Tarrlock's task force."
Lin's dull eyes broaden. "She did, and you let her?"
"Of course not, but she did join, despite my wishes, and she went on her first mission the other night." he explains, scratching at the silky fabric of his robe.
"I heard nothing but good things from that mission. Why are you worried?"
"Korra got shot." Tenzin announce blatantly.
Lin does a double take."She what?" she murmurs, shocked.
Tenzin, noticing Lin's panic, quickly re-words his statement. "She was shot, but luckily she was wearing a bulletproof vest."
Lin exhales, shaking her head. "I'm not sure what advice you're looking for me to give you Tenzin." she says, annoyed. "Korra got shot—what of it?"
"She's brash, and so willing to throw herself at danger anytime the opportunity presents itself. I keep rehashing the same things over and over to her, but anything I say goes in one ear and out the other. And since we found those.." he trails off, bile rising in his throat, "those bodies, she has locked herself in her room. She isn't eating and she is giving minimal effort in her training.
"And her getting shot could be just the beginning of the extent of drastic measures Korra is willing to take. I have no way to comfort her. The situation is out of my hands. She's letting these murders destroy her. I've known Korra her whole life, and she has always been so confident and animated, never intimidated by anything. The Avatar now is a shell of what she used to be. It's as if she is treating herself as if she is the victim. For Spirits sake, the girl is afraid of her own shadow." Tenzin's tone is thick with concern, his throat dry and the pit of his stomach uneasy. His eyes water, and his teeth gnaw away at the inside of his cheek. "She's terrified, and I don't know what to do."
Lin frowns, shoving away those old habits of reaching across the table and grabbing his hand. She lifts her folded hands off the cool wood and placed them in her lap. "Tenzin, I think it's important you remember that Korra has been through a lot. Not even I can go through what she did and come out mentally unscathed. She must think she is responsible for all that has happened, and that's a feeling of helplessness that of all people, Korra can probably not stand.
"She's afraid, and you can bet that she is going to want to do stupid stuff to curb the feeling of weakness. The best thing you can do for her is to be there for her. Talk to her and try to understand what she is feeling. While you're at it, try and make her understand that everyone is doing all they can to find Amon. She isn't alone in this battle."
Tenzin drinks in Lin's advice like a tall cold drink of water. Though the feeling is fresh, it is refreshing to hear words of guidance and advice from someone else rather than himself. "What if that isn't enough?"
"It's going to have to be for now." Lin says with strain. "You can't give her complete comfort or reassurance, but what counts is that you're trying."
"I guess you are right. Thank you, Lin." He nods in a sincere manner. "I
appreciate you listening."
Lin nods, twiddling her thumbs in her lap. "Don't thank me. You know my door is always open if you need to talk."
A comfortable silence fills the air and was only interrupted when Lin's phone rang. With a groan, she reaches for the receiver and holds the phone to her ear. "Republic City P.D. This is Chief Lin Beifong speaking." she utters lifelessly.
"Lin, this is detective Ming. I think we found something."
Lin inhales, looking to Tenzin and pulled the phone from her ear and presses it to the hollow of her neck. "Will you excuse me Tenzin? I need to take this."
Tenzin iss instantly on his feet. "Of course. Good night Lin."
She watches as he left― the door knob clicking softly as the door closed.
Lin presses the phone back up to her ear. "This better be worth my time, Ming." She grumble rubbing the space between her eyebrows, with squinted eyes.
"Oh trust me Chief. You're going to want to hear this."
"Korra," Pema says evenly, rapping her knuckles against the door, "are you hungry? I brought you some soup."
Korra lays flat on her back, her eyes fastened to the ceiling. Her hands are splayed on her belly, her fingernails scratching straight swollen patterns into her wrist. "I'm not hungry." she replies as she falls into a series of sit ups.
"Korra, I didn't see you eat this morning. You need to replenish your energy. Please eat something." she nearly sounds desperate.
21, 22, 23, 24… "Just leave it by the door. I'll eat it later." 32, 33, 34…
"You better. Tenzin and I are worried about you." Pema adds softly, setting the tray of soup and bread down by the corner of her door.
55, 56, 57. She grunts. Everybody is nowadays. "And for no good reason," She grunts out between sit ups.
"Just please eat." Pema begs, out of words to say.
Korra listens as Pema's footsteps fade down the hall. 88, 89, 90, 91…
Korra rolls out of her one hundred fiftieth sit up, her stomach burning and her head spinning . She eases up to her feet, fighting the wave of nausea that quakes her vision. She stumbles to the door, opens it, retrieves the tray and set it on her bedside table.
She takes one slurp of soup, and one bite of the bread before falling to her palms and performing more push ups.
Stronger. I need to be stronger. She thinks as her muscles buckle and strain under her weight: Stronger.
Mako feeds his shoe laces through the metal ringlets on his boots, fastening the buckle and tying the knot tight until the leather firmly embraces his ankles. Sliding the stiff heavy black vest over his head, he pulls his shirt close before fastening up the buttons and tucking the hem into the waist of his black trousers. He clicks the gun holster to his belt and slides the glock into the leather holder, double checking to see if the safety is on.
Mako falls back onto his cot, burying his face in his hands. "Fuck." he whispers into his palm.
He got the call just a few hours ago: Equalist activity in Dragon's flat.
Mako has a sinking feeling about this. He knows that tonight's mission might not be as innocent as the one before. Now that the task force is well known in the city, it could mean more aggressive confrontations.
"Just stay alive and you'll be fine." He coaxes himself, dropping his hands to his lap and leaning forward on his elbows that rest on his knees. "I'll be fine."
"Mako?" Bolin asks, peeking his head up over the landing from the ladder on which he stood. "Why are you talking to yourself?" Bolin steps up the rungs and pulls himself onto the landing. His eyes immediately find the slick black gun resting in the holster on Mako's hip. "And why do you have a gun?"
Mako's eyes widen, his hand covering the handle as if he was trying to hide it. "Bolin-"
"Are you going somewhere?" he interrupts, padding over to Mako. He folds his hands over his chest as he stares down at his brother who is shrinking back under his stare.
Mako releases the breath he realized he was holding in. "Bolin, listen-"
"I talked to Asami today." Bolin admits sharply.
Mako's throat felt dry and scratchy as his heart hastens. Shit. "You did? When?"
Bolin nods with a sad look. "Is that really important?"
Mako stands to his feet and steps toward Bolin. "No, but Bolin, I-"
"Asami told me everything." Bolin swallows curtly, his bright emerald eyes as hard as stone.
"I was going to tell you. I was just waiting 'til-"
"Until when? When you're dead? That would be the best time in my opinion." Bolin hissed, his voice thick with disappointment. "Mako, you don't need to do anything for me. I don't want to be the one responsible if you get hurt, or worse."
"You won't be, Bolin. This is my choice and if something happens to me then it's on me."
Bolin drops his eyes to the dusty hardwood floor and weakly nods biting his lips. "Is this really what you want to do?" Bolin asks quietly, raising his eyes to meet with the familiar gold of his brother's. He will never admit it, but the thing Bolin loves the most about Mako was the comfort he gains from looking into his eyes. There is never disappointment there. Even now, knowing Mako is risking his life, Bolin isn't completely panicked. Mako is careful. Mako will be fine.
He will be fine.
Mako nods.
"Then I support you. Just be careful. It may not seem like it bro, but I do need you around." Bolin says, his tone perky.
"I'll be careful." Mako steps forward and gathers Bolin into his arms. "I always am."
Bolin returns the embrace, swallowing back tears. A black glint catches the corner of his eyes and he looks down. A chill glides down his skin as he takes notice of the gun on his hip. "I know."
It is déjà vu, being back in the convoy truck, that stiff vest, uncomfortable boots, and that aching feeling in her chest. Korra twiddled her thumbs in her lap, avoiding looking forward at those familiar molten eyes that bore forward at her.
She almost expects him to come sit next to her, but he doesn't. He keeps his promise to stay away from her, and for that she is grateful.
Unlike the last mission, this one isn't a raid, but rather a patrol. There were some reports of Equalist sightings in Dragon's Flats and the Task Force was called in to patrol the streets.
Korra has heard of Dragon's Flat, and all she knew it isn't a kind place of the city. The eroded cobble streets are riddled with dealers, prostitutes, and gang activity. She was in for an interesting night.
At the briefing, she was assigned to patrol with three other task force members: two middle aged men, and a young girl no older than nineteen.
When the truck comes to a slow stop, she follows the task force members out of the bed of the truck and lands on the balls of her feet on the rocky cobble road. Catching sight of her assigned team a few feet away, she starts toward them, but an arm caught her bicep.
"Make sure the safety is off." Mako states sternly, his eyes hard and apprehensive. Mako let go of her arm, his fingers leaving a warm sensation in their wake. She watches as he walks away with long strides and square shoulders. It might not have looked like it on the outside, but she could see it in the weaving of his eyes―he is scared too.
They walk two blocks down the eerily empty streets, Korra's boots padding heavily down the cracked pavement. Ahead of her, the members of her group idly discuss the objectives and strategies. She listens carefully, but keeps her mouth shut.
"We should split up." says a girl a few years older than Korra.
"Split up?" interjects a middle aged man with a black assault rifle tucked under his arm. "The whole point of being split into groups was to stay together. Haven't you ever heard of safety in numbers?"
"What I meant was we split up into two since there are four of us. This way, we can cover more ground." The girl explains evenly with authority heavy in her voice. "Two of us can take to the street, and two of us can seek higher ground, just in case those Equalist think they can hit us from above.
"She has a point, Sasku." says a watertribe boy, who looks to be the same age as Korra. "I like your plan. I'm all for it."
"Great, and how about you?" The girl turns to the middle aged man who nods reluctantly. "Ok, we'll try your way, but if anything goes south, we meet back here. Understood?" The girl and the boy nod with agreement at Sasku.
"And how about you?" the girl asks Korra, looking over her shoulder. Korra nods emotionless. "Good," the girl perks. "then you're with me. Everyone understand their position?"
They all nod.
"Alright, split up."
"Are you mute or something," the black haired girl says bluntly, holding the barrel of her rifle to the concrete of the rooftop, "or do you just not talk much?"
Korra shifts her gaze away from the overpass of the city buildings ahead, her face impassive. The girl catches her eyes. Saying nothing, Korra turns away, the rifle heavy in her hands.
"Ah, so I take you're one of those silent but deadly kind of girls." She adds amused, her emerald eyes skirting over the lit black streets below. "I tried that once, and well, let's say, I love to talk."
Korra keeps her eyes forward, still saying nothing to the girl.
"I'm Susi if you were wondering, but I wouldn't know that because you haven't asked."
Korra slides the toe of her boot back, shifting the weight of her body before turning back to Susi with a half hearted smirk. "Yuke." Is all Korra says before turning back around, her eyes alert.
"Ah, so you do talk. It's nice to meet you Yuke."
"Likewise."
Several moments of nothing but the sound of heavy soled footsteps pass, and Korra paces a small corner of the roof top, her finger hovering over the trigger of her gun. It's dark. Korra thinks as she evaluates the dimly illuminated pavement below.
The streets are so empty.
"It's a little too quiet tonight." Susi says flatly. Korra nods in agreement, her nerves teetering on the edge.
"So, Yuke," Susi drawls, propping a foot up on the edge of the roof. "what's your story?"
"My story?" Korra questions with furrowed brows.
Susi grins, her long black hair ruffling in her ponytail and a light breeze rifles through the thick strands. "Yeah, like your back story."
Korra narrows her eyes, suspicious of Susi's curiosity. "Why do you want to know?"
Susi shrugs. "Well I think you and I are going to be up here for a while, so I figure we could at least get to know one another."
"I don't do back stories." Korra utters with finality.
"I guess I'll start then." Susi sighs, lifting her rifle and resting it on her propped knee. "I'm from Ba Sing Se, and I come from a rather small family. It was just my little brother and my mom. My dad died a few months before I was born, but that is a completely different kind of back story I won't dive into." Susi leans forward on the weight of her leg and runs her hand over the slick black of her ponytail. "Anyways, a few years back, a little after this "war" as they call it started, Amon sent his Equalist scum into the city to strip anyone and everyone's bending, including mine and my mother's."
Korra suppresses a gasp, her eyes widening.
"But my mom, and the spitfire she was, she wasn't going down without a fight." Susi trailed off, her voice was thick with an indistinguishable emotion.
Was. Korra repeats in her head, her hands clammy.
"They, the Equalists I mean, they don't like fighters, and they killed her." Susi said, her tone void of emotion. "They just put a bullet in her mouth, right in front of my brother and I, then they left."
Korra turns on her heel and watched the back of Susi's head. Her eyes burned as heavy sympathy shoved more weight on her shoulders. "I'm so sorry, Susi."
Susi snaps her head around, her wide green eyes glazed over and her thin lips straight and pale under the moonlight. "You don't have to apologize. It wasn't your fault."
But it is.
Susi turns her head and drops her eyes to the scuffed toes of her boots. "After that, my brother and I came to live with my aunt, here in Republic City. And here I am, on this task force―fulfilling my promise to my brother that I will do everything in my power to make sure Amon and his soldiers will never hurt anybody again." There is a hardness to her voice, a tinge of heavy hatred saturating every word with a powerful promise of vengeance. Korra heard Susi inhale a lungful of polluted air. "So that's my story. Sorry, it's a bit of a downer, but events like this define who we are, you know?"
"Yeah, I do." Korra responds lowly, deciding that she respects Susi.
For several minutes, Korra and Susi say nothing as they scan the rooftops for any movements, their stomachs churning with fear and anticipation.
"I've had my own run in with the Equalists too." Korra blurts without much thought. She cringes, biting down on her tongue because of her bluntness.
"What happened?" Susi asks easily.
Korra rubs her nose, tapping her fingers nervously on the side of the rifle. Choose your words carefully. "I-"
Korra gasps as she sees something moving in the defines of the shadows cast upon the rooftop a building over. Korra raises the rifle, but she is too late as a sound cracks through the silence like a boom of deafening thunder. Korra feels something hot and burning graze her cheek, a blistering and searing pain surging through her cheekbone and to her head. She cries out, the rifle falling from her fingers. She cups her cheek as she falls to her knees, the rough cement digging into her knee caps, scratching the skin beneath her jeans.
As the ringing of her ears fade, and she cups her wet and sliced cheek, Korra heard a heavy thump and a metal clatter from behind her. Sprawling around and keeping low, Korra squints through the darkness of the rooftop.
The outline of a thin body lies on their side, head pillowed in one arm, the other folded over her stomach. She is whimpering.
"Hey!" Korra hisses. "Are you alright?" Another gunshot rings out into the emptiness of the night. The bullet embeds into a ventilation duct, the metal tearing apart under the force of the bullet. Korra ducks under the ledge of the roof, her spine bending uncomfortably as she presses the top of her head to the top of the brick shelf.
She stares forward at Susi who is feebly trying to crawl to a air conditioning duct, one of her hands holding her side. Once Susi is safe behind the duct, Korra lunges forward for her rifle and hugs it to her chest.
Taking several broken and raspy breaths of air, she spins around and rises to her knees, propping the gun on the ledge, her elbow resting shakily on the shelf, the barrel aimed forward.
She blinks away her tears, her finger firm on the trigger. Her eyes adjust to the darkness, searching with disparity for the shooter.
She's see's him shifting his position― another bullet misses her by inches.
Her finger closes tightly around the trigger. As the bullet lodges free from the barrel, the force of the shot jerks Korra's shoulder back painfully. She winces.
She hears a cry of pain and she knows she has hit her target. She represses the urge to vomit as she stumbles to her feet and sprints to Susi. As Korra gets closer to Susi, she feels something wet soak into her knees.
Susi leans against the duct, her face gray and her eyes drooping, and fluttering. Her hand red with blood is pressed to her right side, just below her rib cage, sobs of pain lacing with her broken wheezes.
No. Korra thinks, too shocked to fit the words through her mouth. As she falls to her knees, covering Susi's hand with her own, pressing down hard and firmly on the blood spurting wound. Susi screams out, her legs kicking and eyes ablaze.
"Hold on." Korra urges gravely. "We have to get you out of here."
"No," Susi says, biting through the scream building in her throat. "Go get help. There is no way," She inhales, squeezing her eyes closed. "I'm getting down from this roof. Go, I'll be here."
"Susi…" Korra says. "I- I can-"
"No, just go. I'll be alright." Susi shoves Korra back by her shoulder. Korra staggers to her feet, her own blood spilling over from the gash in her cheek. "I-I'll be back." Korra chokes. "I promise."
Her feet pad hard against the streets, her breathing labored and her rifle held to her chest. She sprints as fast as the strain of her legs can allow, her adrenaline draining fast. She skids around a sharp corner, her boots still pelting hard and fast against the cobble road.
But when something drops before her, Korra comes face to face with three green masked Equalist, poised to attack.
Korra skids to a halt, narrowly missing her footing before regaining her balance and stumbling back a step. Before she has time to catch her breath, the three Equalist lunge at her. Gasping, Korra bends backwards, swiftly flipping herself gracefully out of the Equalist's aim. Landing on the toe of her boot, Korra watches the Equalists circle her. She waits until they are all in arms length before she crouches, her leg out, sweeping under the legs of her pursuers.
The Equalists grunt as their backs flatten roughly on the rocky cobble road, the wind knocked from their lungs. Korra pushes her legs into a sprint, making as much distance between the Equalists and herself as she possibly can. But shortly after skidding around another corner, she can hear heavy footsteps pursuing behind her.
She rolls her eyes, grunting. "I don't have time for this." Korra pants. I gotta lose them.
The piercing crack of a gunshot erupts behind Korra and she gasps as the bullet zings past her, barely grazing her shoulder blade.
Korra doesn't think of the repercussions as she digs her boots into the ground as she comes skidding to a abrupt and violent halt. She twists around on her heels, her feet planted firmly to the ground. She snaps both of her fisted arms up, the rifle held between one of her closed fists. A wall crumbling and eroding stone lifts up with the upwards motion of her hands.
Satisfied with the wall of tall thick earth standing between her and the Equalists, Korra spins and pushes her legs as fast as they can until she is running in an unnaturally fast sprint.
"She's a bender!" She hears an Equalist shout distantly. "Subdue her!"
Oh no, not good! She urges her legs faster, until she can feel a fire crawling up her leg muscles.
But as a thick cord winds around her left ankle, Korra has no time to catch herself as she plummets to the concrete, her head cracking against the ground. Her teeth rattle in her gums as a new pain blossoms from her cheekbone to her skull, her eyes rolling behind her squinted eyelids. Her rifle falls from her hands and slides out of reach.
She feels the tightly coiled cord yanked roughly, dragging her across the asphalt. Clawing at the ground, she yanks at her foot and in one last attempt to free herself, Korra motions up, the ground beneath the Equalists wavering and cracking.
The Equalist holding the chord trips over a large divide in the ground, dropping her hold on the wire.
As Korra feels the wire slacken, she kicks it off her foot and scuttles to her feet.
"Don't let her get away!" The female Equalist commands with a voice of vulgarity. But Korra is already running, turning down an alley and climbing up a fire escape. She sprints across the rooftop before bounding off the ledge of the roof and landing on the balls of her feet easily and agilely.
Korra turns and panting heavily, runs down the dark alley and into the opens of the street. She steps out of the shadow of the alley, and as she rotates on her heel, she feels the hairs on the back of her neck stand up on end. A heated sensation rocks through every muscle of her body, then she feels a searing fire crawling up her arms, her legs, her neck. Her body spasms as white electricity surges through her body―eliciting a screech of pain from Korra that echoes throughout the empty streets and clouded sky. Korra, her scream dying, falls sideways, landing painfully on her hip, her temple clipping the sidewalk.
Green ethereal eyes glow before her.
Korra is thrust into unconsciousness, a shock of electricity tickling her fingertips.
The sound of a faint boom causes Mako to jump, his hands tightening around his rifle. Turning to his partner, a man from the Southern Water Tribe in his late thirties, Mako narrows his eyes. "Did you hear that?"
The water bender nods, looking back at Mako with suspicion. "Sounded like a gunshot."
Several minutes later, another gunshot cracks through the night, and this time Mako's stomach drops. "Come on." He says sharply, falling into a hurried jog, gesturing his partner to follow him.
Minutes later, still leaping across the streets in a steady sprint, Mako hears a strained and indignant bellow, a familiar tone perceptible within the deafening pitch of the scream.
He feels his heart drop and the strong need to throw up.
Korra!
His legs move on their own accord, moving so fast that his feet almost lose traction as he skids around a building.
A hundred yards away, he sees a group of Equalists walking to a truck. But that isn't what makes the blood in his veins boil or his teeth clench so hard that he was surprised they didn't chip and shatter under the pressure of his jaw.
A limp body is slung over the shoulder of a Equalist walking to the truck.
Mako recognizes the girl in his arms immediately, and before he could even give a second to process his actions the rifle is dropped from his grip, and a pillar of white hot flames are propelling from his fists.
The fire swallowed up the Equalists in a cloud of graying smoke, then the Equalist were leaping out of the smoke, unscathed―the man still carrying Korra on his back, her torso jerking violently with every movement of her captor.
Mako moves forward, throwing punches of blistering shards of fire. "Let her go!" He growls propelling another blade of fire that hits one of the Equalists in the back of the head, rendering her unconscious.
The other Equalists, realizing the length of the threat pursuing them, spring into action. The Equalist carrying Korra heaves her off his back and into the back of a trailer truck carelessly before yanking a small handgun from a holster around his waist.
As Mako runs head to head on to a Equalist, a thick wave of blue water gushes forward and bubbles around the Equalists head before the water freezes into a solid hard block. Mako takes the opening as the Equalist teeters, and kicks him hard in the face with a force that breaks the ice, and the man's jaw. He falls to the ground, unconscious.
Mako turns to his partner with a ferocious and desperate look in his eyes. "Get the girl, and get her away from here!" Mako commands.
The water bender grimaces at Mako with hesitancy. "What about you?"
Mako shakes his head, his eyes forward on an approaching Equalist. "Don't worry about me." he says lowly. "I'll keep them distracted while you get her out of here."
The water bender starts forward, Mako's fire once more swallowing the Equalists. Once at the truck, the man pulls the unconscious girl into his arms easily, one arm hooked under her knees and the other supporting her back. Her head rolls back as the water bender looks back at Mako who is dodging attacks from the chi blockers. Turning around, the man runs as fast as the weight in his arms allows him to. He doesn't look back.
Korra awakes in a gasp, sitting up so fast that the tarp above her begins to spin. A flourish of pain spreads through Korra's skull, and before she can catch herself, she is falling back to the hard surface of which she lays.
I'm back in the convoy? She deducts clenching her jaw.
"She's awake!" someone exclaims. Unfamiliar faces hover above her, hands grip her arms and pull her up to a sitting position. "Are you alright?" a young woman asks her soothingly.
Korra nods, squinting her eyes close as she beckons the dizziness away.
"Yuke." Mako's voice signs heavy with relief from beside her.
"Mako," she breathes turning her head to meet his eyes, "what happened?" she asks weakly, rubbing her dry eyes.
"I'm not sure. All I know is you were almost nabbed by some Equalists." His voice is weighted down by something Korra cannot place.
Korra's eyes widened as her stomach takes a freefall. It all comes back to her in snippets: running from the Equalists, the unbearable pain of static running down her body, Susi getting shot.
Susi! "Susi!" Korra gasps, stumbling to her feet. "My partner, where is she?" Korra demands frantically.
Mako rises with her, placing a hand on her shoulder and spinning her to face him. "What are you talking about?"
Korra shakes her head and steps out of Mako's touch. "No time to explain." She leaps off the parked convoy, a stumbling dizziness washing over her eyes, but she fights through it as she bounds down the streets, retracing her steps. She can hear footsteps behind her whom she figures belong to Mako.
"Yuke, wait!" he calls but she keeps running, her legs threatening to give out on her.
Korra, gasping for breath that isn't there, slew to a stop in front of the familiar building. Running down the side of the building, Korra grabs the ladder rungs of the fire escape and climbs. As she stumbles up on the landing, the overbearing throbbing of her head slackens her legs.
Narrowly falling, she catches herself on her palms and lurches back to her feet. "Susi!" she wheezes, staggering to the air duct.
Peeking behind the duct is pale, curled still fingers. Korra puffs in panic as she reels around the duct and sees Susi, lying still against it. Her hand is still clutching the wound that is still heavily bleeding. Her eyes are closed and her face is void of color.
"No." is all Korra says, tears stinging her eyes. I'm too late.
"Korra?" Mako says softly behind her, climbing up the ladder.
Korra thinks she's hallucinating as one of Susi's fingers twitch. Then the life is brought back into her face; Susi's eyelids flutter open then shut as she inhales a sharp and slow intake of breath.
A relieved laugh falls from Korra's mouth, and before she can fall to her knees beside Susi, Mako is already kneeling beside the bleeding out girl. Korra watches as Mako's and Susi's forms go unfocused―but she can make out Mako lifting Susi's blood soaked hand from her wound. She hears him hiss.
Her world tilts and her knees buckle. Knowing Susi is going to be safe, Korra lets the world fall sideways and the severe ache of her head drag her eyes close letting her consciousness fade out.
Sorry for the cliché ending. In my defense, I rewrote the ending of this chapter several times.I'm having too much fun with this Task Force thing I swear. Next chapter though, Korra will be kicking some serious booty. Hopefully she'll be out of this funk soon. So what did you guys think? Let me know in a review! So I have a announcement, that is not official as of yet.
If you are unaware, I started writing this story when I was freshly 14 years old. It's been nearly 3 years and in two months, I'll be 17 years old. Between then and now, I have taken multiple writing classes and I can say that my writing is better now than it was then. With that said, I am not happy with the beginning chapters of Cerulean and this summer, I am seriously considering re-writing a majority of Cerulean. It has come to my attention that there are many lose ends and all kinds of plot errors that I need to fix to match Cerulean up to its true potential. Like I said, it isn't official, but it is a thought. Please let me know what you think about this if I am to do this.
Also, I already have the next chapter mapped out, I just have to write it and stuff. It shouldn't be too long. Thank you for your patients.
Thank you as always for reading, faving, and reviewing. Every little bit helps! Oh, and Happy Summer!
~Megan~
