Chapter 8: 'Dream of Living'

"Promise me if I ever end up like this you'll just put me out of my misery. I don't care how you do it, painful or otherwise," Kuvira groaned very loudly as a frail old man shuffled past them ranting and raving about Avatar Roku and Firelord Sozin. Mako couldn't make out any of words other than those two famous names as he exchanged sympathetic glances with the two nurses escorting their unruly patient.

Eska and Desna had allowed them access to the tribe's medical centre without too many questions, Mako claiming he was following up a lead for a case in Republic City before presenting his police identification to which the two twins had accepted after some robotically timed laugher and general mocking. Not once had either of them expressed much concern for their missing cousin, not that the royal pain in the asses displayed any emotion for anything. The building itself was in a bit of a state and clearly not much of a priority for the northern government who must've stopping funding it properly years ago.

Wallpaper was peeling away from its surface in every direction and the lights dangling from the ceiling were constantly flickering, or providing not even close to adequate lighting as Mako kept catching their shadows against the walls. Asami would've had a field day with this place, fixing everything up and getting it in proper running order – or ridiculously efficient to the point of stupidity. Mako tried his very best not to see it as the latter, fearing the wrath of both Asami and Korra these days when any word (even teasing) was said against the engineer. Still, Mako would've probably given his bending to have the shoddy lights working right now. The place was creepy enough as it with the constant sounds of confused and traumatic screaming and shouting echoing almost every second. Working here had to be a total nightmare.

Mako would've also happily given everything else he had just to see Korra and Asami smiling and laughing again, even if it was at his expense, especially if it was at his expense. At least that'd be as clear a sign as any that things had returned to normal for Team Avatar.

A palm smacking him on the back of his head brought Mako away from his blissful daydream. "Mr Sharkbrows, would you mind paying me at least a little of attention?" Damn Eska and Desna for calling me that! When all Mako did was frown and adjust his hair Kuvira continued. "Were you even listening to me? You zoning out in a place like this isn't a good sign of your mental health and it's going to end with you strapped to one of these chairs with electricity coursing through your brain."

"You messed up my hair," Mako grumbled as he took note of the door number they'd just passed. 125. Just another 100 rooms to go then until they found the man they were looking for, or what was left of him stewing in here for so damn long. "And show at least a little sympathy, what they do to people here. That's barbaric."

Kuvira seemed to have taken note of their current location as well, dark green eyes steeling over with focus. Not that it stopped her making another jibe. "It's not like it wasn't messy before."

"That's – that's my style!" Mako retorted as he tried to flatten out his normally spiked up black hair. "Aaarghh! Why am I even justifying this to you?! I don't care if you do or don't like how I look. We've got a person to find here and an insanely important job to do. That's all that matters."

Kuvira trotted on ahead with arms folded behind her back, looking like a Captain again and not some immature girl he'd been lumbered with. "I never said I didn't like it."

Unlike Kuvira, those words halted Mako completely in the corridor as he fumbled with his collar, expecting to tug on his red scarf but finding the area strangely empty. Is she going out of her way to drive me to insanity? Mako wouldn't succumb to this – whatever this was, marching on through his awkwardness as he ploughed after Kuvira down the corridor. Couldn't the Captain be a little clearer with her intentions like Korra was? Not like that had made things any easier...

"Hold up! Don't go running ahead of me like that!" Mako exhaled heavily when he finally caught up, having to dodge past a stretcher with a patient who had tried to grab at his legs whilst passing. He lowered his voice a little when he spotted two water tribe guardsmen up ahead. At least this place had some security then. But protecting who exactly? And these were the only two guardsmen they'd seen in this whole building so far. "Don't take this place so lightly. If the guy we're after really is a member of the Red Lotus then Zaheer's men can't be far behind, keep your voice down. Be ready for anything." He released his grip on Kuvira's shoulder.

For once Kuvira didn't reply with a snarky or sarcastic comment, narrowing her dark brows and nodding her head slightly in one fluid movement. If we ended up...ended up dating or something...the comments about our eyebrows would be relentless. Korra would have a field day. Again, the teasing would be totally worth it just to see Korra's mischievous grin again.

Several minutes of tense silence passed between them before they hit door number 200. 25 more to go then. And the corridors seemed to get more desperate and desolate the further they tread. The sounds of patients shouting out and ranting had practically vanished by the time they hit door number 220, a room which was placed at the beginning of a narrow hallway of 5 rooms and a dead end, on top of that the lights here didn't even have the energy to flicker, prompting Mako to light a low flame in his hand.

"Just when you think this place couldn't get any grimmer."

"Or creepy. I swear my brother was in a terrible mover just like this, all dark corridors and distant screams. The atmosphere was kind of ruined when I spotted ropes attached to the head of the monster, pulling it to move around the screen. It wasn't half as scary once I'd spotted the strings."

Kuvira craned her head slightly as they paused at the beginning of the hallway. No staff could be seen in any of the adjoining corridors. "It's not the place that gives me the creeps, it's the people. Their eyes are so wild. It makes them unpredictable and hard to defend against."

"These people can barely walk let alone attack an elite metal bender, I don't think the patients are the ones you have to worry about," Mako warned, rubbing his forehead when he noted the smug expression on Kuvira's face at his choice of words. 'Elite Metal Bender'. Good one.

The Captain stopped them at a door marked '225' with a raised fist. "You sure you're ready for this? If he does turn out to be Red Lotus then I don't want you smashing his face in before when get any of our questions answered."

"I'm ready, I've been ready for a long time. All I want is for Korra and Asami to be found alive, screw Zaheer and the rest of them. I just want my friends." Kuvira smiled her approval as she pushed open the door cautiously, keeping one arm raised in case she had to immediately defend herself.

The only thing Mako needed to defend himself from in this room was the terrible smell. Even living on the streets or in the sewers hadn't reeked quite like this as the detective covered his face with his hand, missing his lucky scarf yet again. God...does this guy just use his floor as his own personal toilet? "Mr Shin? Kuro Shin? Are you in here? I'm – I'm with – I'm one of your nurses."

Kuvira pulled Mako's hand away from his face. "You'll get the used to the smell this way and still have free arms for bending."

A high pitched grumbling at the back of the dank room indicated they definitely weren't alone as Mako shifted closer to Kuvira, the two stepping forward cautiously with raised arms. "Mr Shin?"

"Go away – I don't need no nurse – I didn't ask for a nurse – I didn't ask for anyone -"

The shrivelled voice belonged to a terrible looking man sat in an armchair that looked just as shrivelled if not more. The man himself had a grey and brown beard which reached down to touch his lower stomach, it seemed to be filled with pieces of old food and grit as Mako examined him with his small flame. Kuro Shin's eyes were bloodshot beyond reason and his iris was a strange dull white that didn't seem to be able to focus on anything. Now Mako understood why the wildness Kuvira was speaking about earlier was so terrifying. This man was more wild beast than person, looking ready to pounce on them at any minute.

"Is he blind?" Kuvira whispered quietly.

Mako waved his flamed hand back and forth slowly, orange light dancing across the walls. The man's white eyes didn't follow, staring forward at the pair in front of him, or absolutely nothing. It was pretty hard to tell. "I think so..."

"Mr Shin, I'm Mako, a nurse here, I just wanted to check if you – if you needed anything?"

Kuro Shin blinked several times in rapid succession. "Nobody has called me by that name in many years – many many years – just – just who are you?"

Mako lowered himself down into a nearby chair to appear less threatening, Kuvira remained standing overheard. "I, I wanted to talk to you about something important-"

"Important? - It had better be important boy – interrupting me in my business. Can't you see I'm conversing with the spirits?" Kuro Shin raised his unsteady arms to gesture at said spirits.

"Ummm – yes – of course – spirits – I won't keep you long."

"Well get on with it then – you're making Koh impatient."

"Right... I – I just wanted to ask you about your previous employment, under Chief Unalaq? Do you remember that, Sir?"

Kuro Shin gritted his teeth in fury. "Of course I remember boy! What do you take me for?! I served Chief Unalaq loyally for many years – I -" His expression shifted to one of confusion and fear. "Unalaq...the Chief...where – where is he?"

How to approach this topic? "He's – I'm afraid he's dead sir. He died-" Fighting the Avatar as a giant monster of darkness for the fate of the world. "-He died in a civil war between the Northern and Southern Tribes."

"He always said that his Southern brothers would be the death of him, their persistent lack of spiritually and movement away from tradition. Terrible, just terrible. He wanted to open the portals in the north and south pole you understand – the spirit portals?"

Mako nodded slowly. "Yes, I've been to the Spirit World through the Southern portal."

Kuro Shin's eyes widened considerably in awe and shock. "Then he succeeded? The portals are open – the human and Spirit World connected – for the first time in nearly 10'000 years. How did he do it – no – never mind. He must have got her eventually. The girl in the ice – that's how he always planned to do it-"

"The girl in the ice? You mean Avatar Aang? The boy in the iceberg?" Kuvira interrupted before a wave from Mako shut her up.

"Avatar Aang?!" Kuro Shin spat incredulously. "What time do you think I'm from? I'm talking about the new Avatar, the little girl in the south – what was her name, Katara? No. That's not it, shorter, yes. In height as well, just a little girl-"

"Korra. Her name is Korra." Mako leaned forward. Kuro Shin nearly jumped out of his chair. "Yes! That's it! Korra! Unalaq's niece – oh he was furious when he found out. His brother's child, the Avatar, the spiritual leader of our world. Unalaq's perfect child – oh he wanted her – he wanted that little girl very badly – whilst she was still young. She must be 7 or 8 now." 18 actually. This guy really is in another world. How long has he been like this?

"And how did he plan on getting her?" Mako asked slowly.

Kuro Shin scratched his beard calmly, as though just having a casual conversation. "He had these friends you see, men and women from all of the world. They shared similar goals and ambitions, to open the portals was just one of these. Unalaq – he – he sent them to the South – to take the girl from her home. There were plenty of yuans behind it to."

"Go on..."

"I didn't like his friends very much, a violent bunch. I said as much to Unalaq, but he assured me they were 'a means to an end'. Whatever agreement he had with them would end once the girl was in their possession. Sadly, that never came to be, the scarred man and the one with the sword, they put a stop to it. The Chief ended his relationship with his friends after that failure – oh the things we had to hide – days – days and nights I spent making sure any evidence of that controversial agreement never existed – but it was never enough for Unalaq..." Kuro Shin's eyes widened in fear then as he stare downwards. "He – he wanted the portals open – but the girl was not his – never would be his – so he tried other ways..."

"Other ways...?" Mako asked cautiously, feeling the tension in his shoulders building with every second.

"To connect to the spirits – to increase one's spiritually. To become a new bridge between the two worlds as it were..."

"Mr Shin. What did Unalaq do?"

The mad man's eyes closed over firmly as he trembled in place. "He – he used me – he took me to the Spirit Oasis in the dead of night and he...he put my head in the water until I couldn't breath – it was terrible at first, but then – oh the things I saw! The things I saw!" Shin's white eyes shot open again, no longer staring into nothingness but instead boring into Mako and Kuvira. "You – the girl who nobody paid any attention to so you made sure the world knew who you were, going down in a blaze of purple light as the city crumbled around you!" The Captain stumbled backwards at that.

"Leave her alone!" Mako said as he stood from his chair.

"And you boy! Oh the friends you keep! How many of them did you watch kill some poor civilian? How many times did you order the killing yourself?!" Mako wouldn't step down as Shin focused his attention on him, pointing a bony finger. "And then there's those other two you have – two girls – girls you love! Oh what monstrous company you keep! The woman who is bathed in tragedy and blood, who hides behind a mask of equality as she burns down the old order piece by piece!" The ranting man leaned into his face, his breath stifling. "And the other, the one who will change the world, the harbinger of chaos. Avatar Korra, the leader of the Red Lotus!"

Mako couldn't hold back anymore, grabbing Shin by his dank shirt and pulling him forward forcefully. "The Red Lotus?! That's Unalaq's friends right?! Tell me where they operate from! Tell me where you were sending yuans away to fund them!"

Shin acted like he wasn't being threatened at all, hanging limply in Mako's grip. "The Red Lotus – Chief Unalaq didn't much care for them – I had to be careful you see, Firelord Zuko and Councillor Sokka, they were always watching. But they never saw – I sent money everywhere, all over the world, every time Unalaq asked he'd mark the papers with a tiny red dot. The most 'reds' I sent away was to – to the Earth Kingdom – south east of the Earth Kingdom – coastline-"

Shin's words were interrupted sharply when a piece of metal lodged itself in the old man's forehead, spraying Mako's face with blood as the man in his arms went limp, dropping to the floor like a stone before another piece of metal cut through the air, impaling itself into the detective's shoulder as he cried out in pain.

"Get down Mako!" Kuvira ordered as she batted several glimmering pieces away. "I got this!"

Two figures stood at the door in full water tribe guard uniforms, but those two were definitely not from here. They fired wave after wave of razor sharp metal that Kuvira was either knocking away with the blade on her armour or bending back into the roof.

Mako took refuge behind a chair and glanced to the body of Kuro Shin on the floor beside him blood gushing from his head. They'd been so close. So close to finding out the truth!

One of the men cried out as Kuvira fired a piece of her armour into one of the men's torso, the force of it knocking him onto his back in the hallway. That gave Mako a small opening as he pulled himself upwards and wiped away the blood from his eyes, shooting a wave of fire forward at their second attacker who was caught off guard by the shear heat of the flame, nearly loosing his footing before he reached down and picked his injured comrade up.

"Stand down!" Mako shouted as her prepared to fire another flame. "This is the Republic City police! Stand down and you will be treated fairly!"

The man didn't listen, instead smirking at Mako as he pulled out two pieces of metal. "You'll never see the Avatar again."

"No! Stop!"

The man cut the throat of himself and his companion without a hint of hesitation, their bodies dropping to the floor with a strangely quiet thud a second later.

"Bastards!" Mako roared in fury as he marched forward. "We were so close! So close!

"Those were Red Lotus guys then..." Kuvira muttered softly from behind him, the weakness of her voice grabbing Mako's attention as he spun around. Kuvira was slouched down on one knee as she held a hand across her chest, crimson soaking around her hand.

"You're hit!" Mako sprinted over to her, supporting her under the shoulder before the Captain fell completely. "How bad is it? Wait – never mind – try not to move. I'll take you to a healer right away!"

Kuvira shook her head profusely. "I'm good, I'm okay, you gotta check there's no more Red Lotus in the palace first..."

"You're not okay," Mako retorted as he lifted her clean off the ground, feeling the horrible stickiness of blood against jacket and lower arms. The Captain's lack of physical protest was a clear sign of how bad her injury was. "Just keep your eyes open for me okay? Don't fall asleep. Moan about my hair or something, anything, I don't care. Just keep talking, okay?"

"Zaheer said I could go inside. Get out of the way or speak to him. I don't care either way."

The voice outside the cell door was stern, demanding and above all else intimating. So much so that several seconds of silence passed before the guards found the courage to response. Asami sat rigid against the rear wall of her cage, as far away from the metallic entrance as possible. Her jacket covered arms were wrapped tightly around her knees, bare fingers trembling against the skin. Whether that was from the cold, fear or simply exhaustion she couldn't be sure. Sleep hadn't been remotely possible, but she wasn't exactly cognitive either, trying desperately to destroy the memory of her encounter from a few hours ago. The pain from her surely broken nose paled in comparison to the raw emotional wound that confrontation had dealt. Just another one for the grim collection Sato.

"Did Zaheer say you could bring that in?"

The reply was instant and confident.

"Yes. Step aside."

The shuffle of unsure footsteps slowly followed, one of the guards stepping towards the cell door before the click of a key in the lock rang out quietly. Asami barely felt the motivation to check on the current concealment of her escape plan, dim green eyes drifting across the room to peer at floor and her bedding. Still in place. However, it only felt like a matter of time until the Red Lotus discovered it.

One of the guard's cursed under her breath as she pulled the heavy door open with a grimace partially obscured by thee darkness of the cell. "Can't believe this crap. Treating a prisoner like this? One that Zaheer openly declared attacked our comrades. Ridiculous. The Red Lotus is becoming a joke."

Guard number two's voice was even lower with a mild edge of panic. "Don't say that sort of stuff, not in front of her."

Whoever was entering ignored them both, stepping inside with purpose as their figure was draped in the shadow of Asami's metal room. "Close the door and leave me be." Yet more hesitation followed as Asami's guest turned their head briefly back to the guards who promptly shoved the door shut. The clang that proceeded wasn't enough for Asami to tear her eyes away from the tops of her knees, focusing her vision on herself and those persistently trembling fingers. The rest of the cell was an out of focus blur. Of course Ghazan would come to irritate me by pretending to care.

"I – I hope this okay..."

With the door closed the previously stern voice lost all of it's bravado, becoming instantly recognisable as Asami felt her body tense up defensively. "Don't worry, it's just me. No Ghazan, no Zaheer. Maybe you'd prefer it wasn't me actually..." But still Red Lotus.

Rei stood a few meters away, a ceramic bowl locked firmly in her hands. The guilt poured from her blue eyes even in the darkness as Asami stared upwards, unable to control the pounding of her heart as her fingers locked around her knees. Even though she'd told Rei to actually hurt her during the trial it didn't prevent Asami feeling a wave of fear just at the sight of the brown haired girl.

"Please go..." Asami muttered half heartily, utterly conflicted from being in Rei's presence, a girl with a somewhat familiar face despite the anxiety that came with it, or sending her away, knowing fine well that Zaheer wanted this to happen. After all he'd allowed Rei to come to her cell in the first place. The guidelines. The damn guidelines. "You can't be here."

And there was that pained looked again flashing across Rei's sapphire eyes and boring into Asami's soul. That was once Korra's face, before the scars and the torment, and that face had never looked at Asami the way Rei was right now, with such strength of feeling or emotion. The Avatar tended be the opposite despite her softer moments, always trying to be strong or even just showing off. That thought at least brought the slightest smile to Asami's lips, remembering vividly the way Korra had been a bit too heavy handed with Mako during their air bending display. He was a fire bending criminal after all...

This shell before her wouldn't remember any of that, any of the shared smiles and laughs.

Rei crouched down as she placed the bowl to her side carefully. "Zaheer gave me permission and I – I want to help you. The Avatar is supposed to try and help people, or so I've been told, and your nose isn't in the best way. You went through the trial, beaten until remorseful. The Red Lotus found you to be sorry, so now we'll treat your wounds."

Asami turned her head away with firmly closed eyes as she heard the splash of water being manipulated. "That's what he wants..."

"It's what I want," Rei replied without hesitation as she lifted the water upwards delicately. "I'd have came with or without Zaheer's permission. He's not my boss. The Red Lotus doesn't believe in leaders, kings or queens. Everybody has to forge their own path." Korra's own words tainted by the Red Lotus. She said that same thing in her liberation speech to the Southern Water Tribe. Now Zaheer had twisted it.

"Rei, please leave me be," Asami said with a little more edge as she shifted away from the other girl's hands, now covered in glowing water.

"No," Rei stated firmly, eyes burning with furious resolve. "You don't need to be afraid of me, I promise, I won't ever hurt you again." And what worth were this stranger's promises? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. A puppet could only keep to the promises its puppeteer obliged.

Asami found herself out of room to move as her back pressed against the rear wall. Her resistance to treatment fell away a moment later when Rei's hand touched gently against the bridge of her nose. A comforting warmth spread through Asami's body as she felt the healing water drift over her skin, immediately easing the dull pain of broken bone there. If this had been Korra Asami would've relished this kind of physical contact like nothing else on this world, held onto it for dear life. But this – this was all a lie.

"When it comes right down to it, you're loyal to the Red Lotus above all else. You barely even know me. I'm just that prisoner/traitor with the brains, just Sato." Asami almost chided herself when she unconsciously leaned into Rei's soft touch. She didn't pull away though, relaxing into the Avatar's somehow comforting hands as Rei set about mending Asami's broken nose. She'd learned those skills from the best, once again a fact that Rei wouldn't even know.

"I know you," Rei said with a little hesitation and not bothering to defend herself against Asami's assumption of loyalty. "Probably as well as Ghazan. You're the kind of person who keeps a lot of their feelings shielded, protected. From previous experience I'm guessing – you don't have to give me details by the way – and you hide behind work. Mending and fixing things, it keeps you going, just like sparring and bending for me."

Asami sighed softly when she felt the bones in her nose correctly realign from Rei's gentle touch. "Ghazan doesn't know me. You don't know me. Nobody in this terrible place knows me. I'm alone here, today was a reminder of that."

Rei placed a hand over Asami's and squeezed it tightly. It was nearly enough to bring the engineer to tears, some simple human contact that didn't leave her aching. "Maybe I don't know you Sato, I don't know a lot of things right now. Pieces are still falling into place for me since the whole thing with the Earth Queen, but I do know one thing. You're not alone here, not while I'm around. The Red Lotus teaches brotherhood and sisterhood. Unity. When you're a part of the Red Lotus you're never alone." The conviction of her tone was almost enough to fool Asami into thinking this was Korra holding her hand and it made her squeeze back. This is Korra in front of you deep down. The woman you love. You just need to pull her back. She's not lost yet.

But then again Rei didn't know Asami wasn't a part of the Red Lotus to start with, she was a girl from Republic City, the youngest CEO in the world. There was no unity or true friendship to be found in this place, only home. Only Republic City, and only with Korra.

Still, she didn't release Rei's hand, slowly running her fingers over the dark skin which was calloused at the tips and knuckles, but strangely soft in the palms. Asami had that same thought again, before all of this horror and back in Zaofu, sitting on a bench with Korra late into the evening. They'd bought some food in town and the Avatar was sitting devouring her portion whilst talking at the same time, about how Naga had ended up her pet and primary mode of transport, even suggesting that she teach Asami how to ride the huge beast. One driving lesson for another.

Korra would learn Asami's world of innovation and precision engineering whilst Asami would learn Korra's world of nature and tradition and at times – actually all of the time - unpredictability.

It was during that particular conversation Asami had first become very aware of a desire to have the Avatar's hand cupping her cheek, holding her hand, holding her anywhere, as long as it was Korra. It would be the best feeling in the world Asami had to reason, even logically. Korra was the strongest human being in the world, nobody else's hold was safer. That was a fact. Then of course below all that – above all that - Korra was just Korra, all wide grins and pouts. Even without her bending and spiritual leader status, Asami was absolutely sure she'd have fallen for Korra anyway. It just happened that Korra being the Avatar had entwined their paths and brought them together.

Asami curled her lips a little when she noted the light dusting of red on Rei's cheeks at having her hand stroked in this way. "Thank you for this, and for earlier. You put yourself in real danger holding back like that."

Rei smiled smugly. "Zaheer's a good air bender, a great air bender, but he hasn't been using it for as long as me. I knew he wouldn't sense such a minimal amount of manipulation at such a great distance."

Asami tightened her grip as she forced Rei to look into her eyes. "Never again. It's too much of a risk for either of us. You know what the Red Lotus will do to you if you don't follow the rules and their creed. Avatar or not, Zaheer's student or not." Asami let herself grin slightly. "Even if it was really clever."

Rei rubbed the back of short brown locks with a free hand whilst gripping a little bit strand of hair. "Thanks, coming from you that's some pretty high praise."

Just the sight of such a Korra like gesture made Asami's smile widen considerably but she managed to summon the strength to release her grip of the other girl's hand, instantly missing the contact and warmth it had brought her over the past few minutes."You better get back to Zaheer, or wherever your next job for the day is."

Rei stood up slowly, Asami following her lead and made sure to keep an eye on where they were both stepping, given the hole in the floor. She couldn't be at all sure how this girl would react to discovering that, probably run straight to her Red Lotus boss. Rei's loyalties were to her comrades and the order of the Red Lotus, as far as this deluded Avatar was concerned, those were the only things she'd ever known.

"Probably just more sparring and Guru lessons, but it's best not to keep Zaheer late," Rei replied casually as she took a step forward, her expression becoming deadly serious. A moment later and Asami felt that same contact she'd been dreaming of against her cheek, Rei's hand. It was hard not to be overwhelmed by that superficially simple gesture but it was almost enough to make Asami's knees buckle beneath her. "Don't try to injure your brothers and sisters again, it'll only end badly. Just go with what Ghazan and Zaheer ask, it'll make your life here a whole lot easier and maybe you'll come to enjoy being a part of our order." Asami didn't recoil at those rhetoric filled words, instead allowing her head to relax and taking comfort in the fact that Rei was just trying to protect her.

Only her long gone mother had ever touched her face in that way and with such a gentleness. Perhaps if she died now, it wouldn't be so bad, for herself at least. This would be dying happy in her book or the closest she could hope for. But then Korra would be left to burn under Zaheer's influence. Asami had to live.

"Do you think I did it, hurt those people?"

"Your comrades," Rei reminded sharply as her head glanced briefly to the exit. "And I – I don't know. I don't get why you would – but Zaheer said that you were fixing the stove in the week and it exploding hurt those people. I treated them, their burns were really, really bad. So – I – I don't know is my answer, not a very good one I guess..."

"I did it. It was me. I wanted to get at Zaheer and Ghazan and everyone else here for hurting me." Asami kept her face stern despite the painful lie. A lie that would help keep Rei on her master's good side for the time being and keep her safe. If Zaheer heard whispers that Rei was doubting his words or his judgement then it was hard to imagine the Avatar would last much longer here. Zaheer wanted a puppet, not a person.

Rei's eyes widened considerably, her mouth gaping slightly. "You did? You – you hurt them?" Her voice didn't sound angry, more shocked and highly suspicious above all else.

Asami nodded firmly. "I hurt them. Burned them. Zaheer was the one I really wanted to get at but he wasn't in the room at the time of the explosion."

Now Rei's blue eyes narrowed considerably as she ran a finger over one of thin white lines on her face. A scar. "Doesn't seem like the kind of mistake someone like you would make, mistiming the explosion like that. You're the smartest person I know, you must've taken in all the variables, every possibility."

"I'm only human. I was angry and not thinking clearly," Asami retorted instantly with folded arms before her voice softened a little. "Look, I – I wouldn't do it again, if that's what you're getting at. I'm not angry enough to be that stupid."

"Alright. Well I'll – I'll talk to you later. Just listen to what Ghazan asks you to do like I said, he's coming to collect you for some work duty in the next hour," Rei replied slowly as she pulled the heavy platinum door of the cell open with ease. Normally it took guard's to open that thing so smoothly.

Asami simply nodded as the door clicked shut behind her guest, leaving the engineer in darkness once more as she raised a hand to her face. She cupped her cheek slowly, remembering the feeling of the Avatar's rough yet soft hand against her skin and how wonderfully relieving that had felt. Then she allowed her fingers to graze against her nose, no longer aching but still slightly sensitive. It was probably pretty red looking. It'll go with the rest of your wardrobe. Not that Asami cared about her appearance in a place like this.

She glanced to the floor of her cell and pulled the bedding back, grabbing the shoddy plasma saw that was concealed under it. The batteries were just as dead as before. I can't wait much longer. I might just – just risk it. Steal some batteries, see how long I can hold out whilst sawing this damn thing wider. It was better than sitting and waiting as Zaheer tightened the noose that was already her neck.

Asami's eyes then drifted to the hole in the floor and shoved her hand inside, feeling cool air hit against it, a light breeze from below. The chilly tingles that ran through her nerves was enough to make her exhale heavily. Freedom was in her grasp but she couldn't quite reach it, not yet.

End Notes

I loved writing this one. SO MUCH FUN. I need crazy people in my stories more often.
-When crazy man was going on a rant and talking about the squad, he was talking about the different lives they could have, lives they could have already had, in parallel and such. Hence you heard about Red Lotus Korra (Which i guess kind of is happening in this) Triad Mako, Dictator Kuvira (One that Korra doesn't stop) and Equalist Asami. Gotta give a shout out to 'No Gods, No Masters' here, because I love their triad Mako and equalist Asami portrayal and wanted to include it in some way. That fic is in my bookmarks if you want to read it.
-Hurray for some fluff to end this chapter, despite all the other craziness
-Also, yes Mako/Kuvira will happen in this fic, to some degree, I haven't decided how far i'll take it.

Thank you for reading as per, love and appreciate all the support! If you could leave a comment or review giving your thoughts it would be absolutely fantastic! Thank you again! I'll do my best to answer all questions!

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