Avatar Day
Juicy came in to land in the middle of the Zaofu estate. As it had been for months on end the the entire platform was suffused with guards but each of them recognised Juicy's snuffling groan and gave the massive beast room to land.
"Ugh, I can't believe nomads used to live their whole lives on these things." Toph grumbled as she moved uncertainly to the back of the passenger space and slid off the back of the bison's tail. She let out an easy sigh as she felt her bare feet connect with the metal foundation of Zaofu and the world opened up to her again.
"Su, Lin, good to see you both." Toph exclaimed as she 'saw' her daughters step up to meet her. "Shame it's not under better circumstance."
"Can you help us?" Lin answered brusquely.
"Korra told me about your little problem, if this Lotus is so dangerous we should try and take him down as quick as we can." She said as she moved towards the main building of the Beifong estate, shuffling on her weary old feet with every step grinding at her hips and juddering her aged spine. Her left hip jolted with pain for a moment. She hissed under her breath and hoped that no one would be able to hear her.
But her youngest daughter had noticed, Toph felt Su's heart jump in her chest. "Mom, don't you think you should rest?" She asked as she stepped briskly after her. "It must have been a long trip."
"We should get everyone rested and settled, when Lord Zuko's men are ready to help out we can strike in force." Lin suggested.
"Fine just tell me you've got better beds since the last time I stayed." Toph groused as she made for her traditional guest quarters.
"You sleep on a roll under a giant tree." Lin protested.
"So you can imagine why I might like a nice bed for a change." Toph answered with a bright smile that somehow lit up her cloudy eyes she gave a smile to Korra and Opal before she disappeared into the estate.
Korra awoke to the feel of long, soft fingers trailing through her hair. "Ready for your big day?" Asami cooed, sat on the side of the bed. She had already showered, dressed and applied her makeup for the day.
"Tenzin used to tell me Avatar Day isn't really about celebrating me it's about celebrating what the Avatar represents. Unity and peace and spiritual…blah, blah, blah." She said, yawning the last vestiges of sleep away.
"I don't know, after all you've done for everyone I think it should be a day….just for you." Asami said, empahising her point with a small kiss on the tip of Korra's nose.
"Oh really, what did you have in mind?" Korra asked as she sat up to look Asami in the eyes.
"Well why don't you have a shower and I'll show you." Asami said as she stood up off the bed to let Korra out. With a smile and a nod Korra scooted into the adjacent bathroom.
After a considerable shower Korra stepped out in her underwear to find Asami sitting coiled around a gift box wrapped with blue ribbon. "Open it!" Asami said cheerfully as she pointed to the rather ornate bow.
"Kind of expected something in the shower to be honest." Korra muttered as she sat down to open the box. Inside was a wingsuit, sea blue and black with dark grey highlights and a golden yellow collar. At its cuffs were small gauntlets housing metalbending cables and over the back was a small sleek water skin and the chest was covered with flexible armour. "Wow Asami, this is beautiful!" Korra said as she held it up. "Did you design this just for me?"
"Yeah, I figured since you can use fire jets to help provide thrust I could put in features that a regular airbender might not be able to support, and of course to take advantage of your other bending skills." She said proudly as she traced over the outfit. "The wings are small enough that they don't need to retract and the accordion folds help it trap voids of air for extra lift. The cloth is a new tear proof, fire proof fibre that mimics the composition of dragon skin and the armour is the flexible impact padding that my father used on equalist uniforms." She said, her smile dipping slightly at Hiroshi's mention. "There's a detachable waterskin on the back with feeds down to the gloves and your gauntlets use the same compact cable mechanisms the White Lotus uses on its metalbenders and…." She said with a growing smile as she pulled it out of the box to reveal the legs of the outfit.
"It's got pockets!" Korra exclaimed happily as she pulled it towards herself. "I'm going to put it on right now!" She said cheerfully as she pulled the outfit on as quickly as she could. Though it fit her tightly it was still ever so slightly looser and thicker than the regular wingsuits and she slipped into it with relative ease.
"You like it?" Asami said as she sat up.
"Uh-huh, I'm gonna kick Red-Lotus butt in this thing and it's all thanks to you." She said, sweeping Asami up into a hug. "Speaking of which, we should definitely go see if Toph can help us take him down once and for all."
As soon as they were out of the guest house Korra leapt into the air on a gust of wind with goats of fire streaking behind her. "This is amazing!" She squealed as she looped in the air towards the Bei Fong Manor.
"Well there goes any chance of a romantic walk." Asami muttered under her breath as she walked at her own after her airborne girlfriend. The courtyard was full of sky bison and berthed airships from multiple armies arranged in orderly grids.
Korra landed outside the dors and waited long enough for Asami to walk up after her before she entered into the estate. The entrance hall was lively, buzzing with soldiers and civilians from the Republic, the Fire Nation and the Water Tribes, both north and south as well as a few Air Nation Rangers. Even amidst the crowd though she recognised a bright blue arrow amidst the crowd, standing with the rest of her friends. "Tenzin!" She yelled and sped across the room. Before the airbender had time to react she had half hugged half tackled him, lifting the taller, lankier mentor off his feet.
"Ooof Korra, it's good to see you." He said as she put him down. "I see Asami finally got her suit working."
"Yeah, I see why you traded in your dress…..er robe for these things, I've never felt more free." She said, with a Cheshire grin.
"I'm afraid you might need it." Mako said. He was dressed in thickly padded impact armour over his combat uniform and he had a helmet at his side. "Your dad, General Iroh and Lord Zuko are in there with Su, they're forming a plan of attack, as soon as they've cleared out the Red Lotus they're going to strike."
"Whatever happens you've got us." Bolin said cheerily. "And an army now, so that's good, too." Bolin said with a smile almost as shiny as the Zaofu pattern armour he wore over his casual clothes.
Korra waited for Asami at the front door before they made their ways through the halls up towards Su's office until she pushed in to see the room busier than it ever had been. Su stood over the tactical map with the entire Beifong family behind her, save Bataar Junior well as a particularly unusual looking young member of the White Lotus. To the left of her was the varying shades of blue and mottled fur trim coming from around a dozen water tribe officers and nestled amongst them her father. To the other side was Zuko flanked by a squad of imperial firebenders and a cadre of fire nation generals. Nearly lost in the ostentatious gold trim and shoulder spikes of his countrymen was General Iroh and a put upon aide.
"Korra!" Tonraq yelled and cleared his crowd of generals. The tense decorum of a war room meeting was shattered as the Chief lifted Korra off her feet as she had done to Tenzin, though Tonraq's grip was far less crushing. "I like your armour." He added gently.
"Avatar." Zuko said with a bow. "It's always good to see you." He added pressing his hand and his fist together into a traditional fire nation etiquette.
"Now that you're here avatar, we can begin." A severe looking Imperial Firebender said. He was young enough, yet a relic. Dressed in the bright red and dull crimsons of an Imperial Firebender's uniform, distinguished with a captain's cape, unchanged since well before the hundred years war aside from a compact radio set attached to his belt. His hair was cropped close to his head with long, puckered claw marks running from the crown of his head, down over his temples and across his jawbone, pinching the left corner of his mouth into a slightly lopsided frown.
"Su told me there's a structural nexus on Zaofu's central platform called The Lynchpin, once I'm in position I'll be able to see the entire city clearly enough that this Red Lotus guy won't be able to hide."
"Most of our forces are preparing the land outside the city to face Warlord Rhee now, but we have most of the guards in the undercity. Once she's in position Toph can help us focus our forces and close off avenues of escape." Su explained.
"And this time we'll get the Red Lotus to talk." The Imperial Captain said ominously.
"No you won't, Captain Xan." The White Lotus said. He wore a full set of Lotus robes with an ornate sword at his waist. He was barely a grown man with a smattering of peach fuzz on his chin and a metallic eyepatch half covered by black strands of long wavy hair. He was small and thin with a slight stoop in his step. "The Reds are a corruption of our Order, when this killer is found my people will come in and sedate him until we can contain him at The Wedge." He explained.
Xan snarled before he launched into a tirade. "Listen, Akir I won't have some scribe dictate terms to me!"
The Lotus, Akir touched a hand to his sword as the far larger man leaned towards him, huffing fire from his nostrils. "Try it, matchstick, and see what your fire's worth." He answered slowly, regretting every word out of his mouth as it came.
"Enough!" Su yelled. "Captain Xan, the terms of engagement are very clear if you have a problem with them I'm sure Lord Zuko can do without a bodyguard. Lotus Akir, if you antagonise our soldiers further you can go back home with an empty cell, am I clear."
Both men glared at one another before turning to her to nod meekly.
Lin cast them both a sideways glance and then looked back to Korra. "We're dividing into units. You, your father Asami and a squad of Wolftails are leading the primary strike force, Direwolf." She said, floating a small metal table icon shaped like a white wolf's head.
"Captain Mako will lead an Imperial Firebender Cadre codenamed 'Dragon' as heavy backup, their job will be to protect Direwolf from surprise attacks and provide fire support." She explained as she held up a small dragon's head statue.
"Team badgermole" She said, moving a small golden badgermole to the centre of a map of Zaofu "will consist of Toph, myself and Bolin as well as members of the Zaofu security force in the centre of the city as a command and oversight position.
"General Iroh's men have set up positions around the city' exits and posted men throughout the refugee camps to cover a groundside escape, they'll be Peregrine One through twelve." She said, positioning a dozen bird statues around the city perimeter.
"What about the Rangers?" Korra asked, as she looked to the steel bison statue off to the side.
"Confined spaces aren't an airbender's friend, Korra." Tenzin interjected. "Opal and I will lead the rangers on bison-back all over the city to provide air support in case he's forced to the surface or if he should somehow call in any airships for help."
"Is everyone clear on their roles?" Su asked with a harsh, strained voice. Nods rattled around the room accompanied by a chorus of yeses "Good, the moment this Red Lotus is out of the city we can deal with this Warlord once and for all."
Team Avatar departed the room, followed shortly after by the dribs and drabs of officers until it was only the Beifongs and Zuko.
Toph broke away from her family and crossed the room towards Lord Zuko. "Good to see you, hotman." She said, punching the taller man in the shoulder.
"Good to see you Toph." He said, rubbing his arm. "Mostly."
"Shame we couldn't meet under better circumstances." She said softly. "I heard about Azula, I'm sorry I couldn't make it."
"It's alright Toph, it's not as if you were close." Zuko chuckled hoarsely. "I suppose half your meetings were her throwing fireballs at you."
"And I always threw rocks right back." Toph said with a pleased little smile before she softened for a moment. "Still, I know what it's like, losing someone like that. I never managed to make up with my father before he died….part of you wishes you could tell them what you think of them one last time but…they're still family and you wish you could've made up before the end."
"That was very insightful Toph, I see the Foggy Swamp has done you well." Zuko said kindly.
"Yeah well, don't go spreading it around." She said, returning to her crotchety old rasp. "I've got to go, the Avatar didn't call me in just for old times, Catch you later, Lord Hotman." She said before shuffling out after the other Beifongs.
Asami and Korra followed after Tonraq and his men towards Tenzin and his bison, Oogie. The airbender in question was gently patting Oogie's flank.
"Thanks for doing this Tenzin." Tonraq said with a small nod.
"Happy to help." Tenzin said humbly. "We'll be in the air, over Zaofu-Central until Toph radios us a location, when we get that I'll drop you off and provide overwatch." He explained as a quintet of wolftails clambered onto Oogie's saddle. After Korra, Asami and the rather sizable Tonraq had clambered onto it there was barely room to stretch one's legs on the normally spacious riding platform. It was at least half an hour's worth of waiting for Toph to radio over
The Zaofu guard had opened up a shaft leading directly from the surface to the Lynchpin almost a hundred metres down. Positioned amidst a crossroads of structural beams and piping above a chasm straight down to the ground beneath Zaofu's superstructure was a circular platform roughly twenty metres in diameter. A few sky bison deposited Team Badgermole on the platform and slowly began to winch down racks of cumbersome radio gear, desks, cartographical gear and defensive fortifications. Thanks to the Lotus Akir's metalbending and technical knowhow the communications hub was set up in short order and fully staffed with a bank of chattering radio operators. With only a few harshly grumbled words to the guards foolish enough to walk in Toph's way she planted herself in a sitting lotus position in the exact centre of the platform. In front of her Lin and a guard placed a fully detailed miniature of Zaofu and its outlying platforms, painted over with grid lines in all three dimensions. Within only a few small breaths Toph lost herself, stretching her energy out across the steel and stone and hollows of Zaofu. Bit by bit the hazy cacophony of motion and noise from the city's machinery and its citizens settled into a crystal clear image of the entire city. It was not a representation, not a map, in Toph's mind she was everywhere in Zaofu and nowhere, seeing the entire city at once.
"I know where they are!" Toph exclaimed. With a wavering, liver-spotted hand she placed a small red pin over the city. In a mere heartbeat Bataar senior was able to match the location to his undercity maps and then to relate it to the street surface to find an entry point.
"This is Bataar….er…Badgermole to Direwolf we've got a ping. Section, Seventy Eight, elevation three, go to Rihannsu boulevard, there's a service elevator that'll put you right outside the Red Lotus den."
"Understood Badgermole." Tenzin said. "Oogie, yip yip!" He commanded and tugged the reigns. Within a moment they were speeding forwards and downwards towards street level.
Any citizens on the streets soon hurried out of the way when they heard the thunderous groaning of the massive airborne beast coming in for a a heavy landing.
"Wolftails go!" Tonraq said as he leapt off the saddle, followed soon after by his soldiers. Korra carried Asami in her arms and jumped off the side on a cushion of air.
"Thanks Korra." Asami said with a small blush.
"Alright men, as you know this Red Lotus is a powerful metalbender and he's not afraid to kill so if it comes to combat get behind Korra and Asami and let them take the lead." Tonraq said as they filed into the wire frame elevator.
"No pressure." Asami said nervously.
"You'll do fine." Korra said, touching her forehead to Asami's gently before the elevator juddered to a stop.
Mako and his squad descended into the undercity from a sewer access corridor a block over. It was narrow, about three people wide and waterlogged with dim crystal lights bathing them in a cold glow. Mako led from the front with his flames crackling as bright as candles in the half-dark of the corridor. The gflame in his burnt arm flickered for a moment as his chi knotted in his limb for a moment. He grimaced under his breath as a dull ache tightened in his arm.
"I can't believe this." An imperial firebender said, as he splashed his pointed boots through the ankle height muck. "Four years at the academy, five years fighting on the eastern sea just so I can follow some trash from the colonies." He hissed under his bright white, slit faced mask.
"Excuse me Guardsman." Mako said as he whirled around on the older officer. In the spotty light of the corridor, lit with long shadows his bright gold eyes, half cloaked in shadow glinted ominously. "Do you have a problem taking orders from me?" He said, flipping up the faceplate of the guardsman's helm to better stare him down.
"N-n-no sire." The guard stammered. "But you're a police officer, surely this is beyond your remit."
"You're right, I've never fought something like this as a police officer." He answered slowly, his tone did nothing to assure the guardsman that his argument was over. "But when I was just a pro-bender I fought a terrorist insurrection in my city, led by a bloodbending prodigy and when I was working with the avatar I helped fight the Red Lotus' Elemental Masters and killed one in personal combat. What have you done with your career, guardsman?"
"Nothing like that sir." He stammered back.
"You're right, nothing. Now fall in line or you can go back to Lord Zuko and tell him you couldn't play nice." Mako seethed. "The avatar's counting on us to have her back, when we get to junction 78-F we're going to spread out around the perimeter of the maintenance room and engage from all angles, understood."
"Understood!" His squad yelled to him, each accompanied by a salute.
Korra and Asami led the phalanx down a broad tramway easily wide enough for three sky bison to walk abreast. At the end of the tunnel was nothing but shadow and rising steam.
In a blinding flash the darkness of the tramway was replaced with a floodlight and in the middle a tall silhouette that cast a long shadow creeping all the way up to Korra's feet. "Are you looking for me, Avatar?"
"I'm going to give you one chance, come in now and you won't be harmed. Fight me, and I'll put you down." Korra announced authoritatively. Behind her the Wolftails produced tentacles and scythes of water from the tanks strapped across their backs.
He raised his arms, flipping his cloak out of the way. "Oh absolutely Avatar I bow to your authority." He said in a tone devoid of any and all seriousness as he approached.
"Don't come any closer!" Tonraq yelled. "Warrior Kren, sedate this man."
With an air of trepidation Kren sheathed his water arms and approached. From a small pouch on his pocket he produced a spring loaded needle and edged towards the Red Lotus. His cloak was tattered and his robes were patched with sackcloth and streake with dirt and grime. He was plump with a heavily lined face and dark rungs around his eyes. His hair was dark grey with white streaks edging from his temples down into the sideburns of his beard and all of it matted and greasy. He smiled slightly and held out his wrist for Kren. As the needle went in he said with a small laugh caught in his throat "This is exactly what I wanted…." He breathed a contented sigh and then went limp.
"I guess the Red Lotus isn't much of a threat without Zaheer leading them." Korra deduced.
"No, I don't like this, we should see what they were up to in here." Asami said as she moved past the group of wolftails dragging the Red Lotus away. Squinting her way past the floodlight she gasped as she lay sight on the Lotus' lair. It had once upon a time been used as a maintenance chamber but at the moment the cavernous chamber was filled with chemical vats and laboratory equipment the likes of which could rival Asami's own laboratory. "I'm going to need time to figure out what's going on here." She said as she began riffling through stacks of paper.
"Asami, what's the matter?" Korra asked as she ran over.
Asami turned around with a face as pale as paper with dread and slowly answered "If I'm right Zaofu is in grave danger." She answered direly.