Note: We at GodSaveTheKings would like to apologize for what we've considered "slow chapters". We know we don't update as often as we should, and when we do it isn't always that long or eventful of a chapter, and we are trying to work on that. We've simply taken our cues from horror films, which we have a great affinity for. Basically, we believe that a suspenseful tale such as ours should have more slow moments so that when something eventful does happen, it stands out more. Hopefully, we will get something more exciting happening by the next chapter or so. Just stick with us a little while longer. In the meantime, enjoy this "slower" chapter. Let us know what you think of the story so far by leaving a review below. It would be greatly appreciated.

The press conference was scheduled to begin at precisely ten o'clock in the morning. It was to be held outside of city hall, where a podium had been set upon a stage, and rows of chairs were assembled for the press. When Korra arrived at the event, she found herself caught in a mix of news vans and police vehicles, which covered the roads and formed a tight blockade around the building. She spotted multiple reporters hovering by the stage, waiting to strike like vultures. As she drove closer to the blockade, an officer spotted her, and motioned towards a narrow pathway that led directly towards the hall. Korra carefully maneuvered the roadway, praying that she would not hit anyone. While her driving had improved considerably over the years, she was never comfortable navigating tight spaces. What made it worse was that several reporters began to notice her, and swarmed her car, desperately trying to gain an exclusive interview or statement. Korra was forced to fully break to avoid running people over, leaving her stranded a good thirty yards from the safety of the building. She took a deep breath, and with fierce determination, bolted out of her car and through the crowd.

"Avatar Korra, what do you have to say regarding the Hanzi Killer?" shouted one reporter.

"Are you coordinating with the police on this investigation?" called another.

"Do you feel responsible for allowing Republic City's crime to escalate under your protection?" asked one more.

"No comment. Sorry, can't answer that. Excuse me," Korra repeated as politely as she could manage as she shoved her way through the horde. Thankfully, a group of officers managed to clear a path for her, making her passage slightly easier. Still, she was not starting the day in a particularly good mood, which was not helped by the constant microphones shoved into her face. If she was younger and less experienced, she very well would have kicked someone in the face by this point. She guessed the meditation was paying off, for soon she was safely inside without having delivered any bodily harm to anyone around her.

The inside of city hall was mostly abandoned, save for numerous guards, a handful of political associates, and some noteworthy faces. Chief Beifong was standing arms folded next to President Raiko near the center of the council room, surrounded by men in suits swiftly delivering her instructions. Two cops to her right were conversing about the heavy media attention outside. Twenty degrees to her left, Korra spotted a downtrodden officer resting on a bench, with what appeared to be a big ball of white hair wrapped around him. Curious, Korra began walking towards him. When she got close, the ball of hair suddenly sprang to life, and rushed over to her, latching itself onto her torso.

"Hey, Korra!" cried the overly-enthusiastic, ever-talkative, pale as moonlight being that Mako somehow managed to call a girlfriend. "I haven't seen you in forever."

"Uh… same," Korra said in discomfort. She gave Sy a light pat on the back, for hugging her in return was not only something she felt as unnecessary, but she feared that she might accidentally break one of the frail girl's ribs in doing so. "What are you doing here? I thought this area was restricted."

Sy thankfully released her grasp on the Avatar, giving Korra some much needed space. "Oh, it is," she explained, "but the Chief said I could keep Mako company as long as I didn't annoy her. I guess she figured that he could use the company. He hasn't really been feeling like himself since the story leaked."

Korra pursed her lips. Mako had barely taken notice of her presence. He merely sat alone on the bench, hanging his head in shame. While Korra usually did not mind seeing Mako in agony (she and Asami often found it hysterical), he was still one of her closest friends. She could not stand the sight of him defeated by something so simple as an investigation. She casually walked over and took the empty seat next to him.

"What's the matter with you?" she asked bluntly yet sincere.

"You mean aside from the fact that the case I was supposed to handle got blown up into the biggest news story of the year?" he said, slumping into his seat.

"Come on, it's not that bad."

"It sort of is. I had a duty to solve this case, and bring a killer to justice. And, I failed miserably. People who do their jobs well are the ones who don't need to get recognized. Now, every paper and news station in the city won't stop talking about the Hanzi Killer. After this mess, I doubt Lin will keep me on the case, let alone deal with it myself."

"I think you might be blowing this out of proportion," Korra explained gently. She placed a hand on his shoulder. "In fact, I think everybody is blowing this out of proportion. This city has dealt with a whole lot worse than a creep with a writing obsession, and we've managed just fine."

"Yeah, you gotta get out of this slum," Sy stated as she leaned over the bench and loosely wrapped her arms around Mako's shoulders. "I know this is all a bit weird, but I'm sure everything will turn out absolutely fine. Miraculously, it always does. So, you better turn that frown upside down, mister. Stoic and brooding doesn't suit you." Sy paused for a long moment, scrunching her nose in contemplation. "Okay, well, it does suit you, but not like this! This is too depressing. Normally, you're a lot more charming and mysterious and… really sexy—"

"I think I got the point," Mako said hurriedly, cutting her off. However, he offered her a genuine smile. "Thanks, Sy."

"Hey, that's what I'm here for," Sy replied with a large grin. She playfully rustled with Mako's hair. He swatted away her hands, although the look on his face showed anything but displeasure. Maybe, Korra thought, she had been a bit presumptive about Sy. After all, she really only gave the young woman one chance, and she did not ever feel like it was a fair one either. Korra disliked most of Mako's past girlfriends, primarily because they were too snobby or inattentive. She wanted the best for her friend, and that may have caused her to be harsher than she thought she was. It was clear to Korra just from that one moment that Sy cared about her friend. She may have had her faults, but she did, in fact, care. Maybe that was enough for Korra. Maybe, she would be able to give this youthful woman a second chance, a chance to truly become her friend.

And then, Sy opened her mouth again. "Oh, and by the way, congrats on your engagement, Korra. I heard about from that great celebrity talk show. Do you listen to those guys? It's hysterical. They talk about you all the time, actually. One time, they were having this contest—"

"Oh, what was that?" Korra said suddenly, shifting uncomfortably in her seat. "I think Lin just called me over. It's probably important. Better check it out. I'll talk to you guys later."

Without giving either of her friends time to respond, Korra raced out of her seat (in a calm-ish manner so as to not arouse suspicion), and headed off towards the Chief and the President. Mako, who was very understanding, gave her a simple nod of farewell. Sy, who paused in mid-sentence, simply blinked multiple times in confusion, her smile fading to a blank expression.

"Oh, sure," she trailed off. "You go do that. I'll just… sit here… with my boyfriend… being fabulous and whatnot…"

Korra dutifully approached Lin, who half-smiled upon seeing her.

"Glad you showed up," she said with her usual lack of cheer. "You're just in time for the show to start."

"It's good to see you, Avatar," Raiko said. "Thank you for the taking the time to help us."

"It's not a problem," said Korra. "Anything that I can do to help out is fine with me."

"That's a positive outlook," Raiko commented, "much more than most around here. Here, we've prepared a statement for you." One of the assistants handed Korra a set of notecards covered in blocky lettering. She scanned her eyes over the words, taking them in carefully. As she finished, a scowl crossed her face.

"This sounds almost like a message of surrender," she said distastefully.

"It's not surrender," Lin clarified. "This is simply to show that your involvement in the case is completely unwarranted."

"But I don't want it to be unwarranted," Korra said brashly. "I want to help. Do you really want me to go tell everyone out there that I have better things to do than protect them? Besides, this doesn't even sound anything like me."

"It's what will calm people down."

"What will calm people down is letting them know that the Avatar is doing everything she can to put a stop to these murders. If you were going to drag me here, it should have been for more than being some stupid puppet. I thought after everything we had been through together, you might have a little more faith me. I guess I was wrong though."

"I have plenty of faith in you. That's why we're doing this," Lin replied sternly. "Think about it. The Avatar is supposed to protect the world, not just the people in it. This Hanzi Killer has people spooked, and we are trying our best to control it. If we brought you on the case, not only would everyone know that the situation is out of hand, but it would validate the significance of everything that freak has been up to."

"I appreciate you trying to help, Korra," Raiko agreed, "but we don't want this getting further out of hand. The best you can do is assuring those people that they have nothing to fear."

"Trust us," Lin said with a small grin, "if the Hanzi Killer ever starts stomping around in a giant robot, you be the first person we call. Until that happens, are you going to be cooperative or not?"

Korra sighed. She tightly gripped the notecards in her hands. The words they used were far more sophisticated than anything she would come up with normally. She would have preferred coming up with something on her own, or better yet, forgoing talks altogether and punching the Hanzi Killer in his big, dumb face. But, Lin had a point. Korra had been sick of this story since it first dropped. If claiming ignorance and stepping aside would mean clearing up the radio for a day, she would be more than glad to do it.

Half an hour passed before Korra was informed that the conference was about to begin. Raiko and Lin gave each other a nod of approval, and moved toward the entrance of city hall. Korra followed behind, surrounded by a group of security guards. She kept her note cards clasped behind her back as she entered into the morning lights. Dozens of reporters sat in front of a large stage, murmuring in anticipation. Multiple flashes danced around the crowd as the hungry gathering snapped picture after picture. Raiko moved immediately to the podium, with Lin standing close behind. Korra, as she was instructed, stayed several paces to their left. She brushed the hair out of her eyes; hopefully she did not look as gloomy as she felt.

Korra barely paid attention to Raiko's brief speech. She thought mostly of what she had to say herself. She did not have a good history of making public speeches, and the press in particular hadn't ever been too kind to her. The words "eight percent" still haunted her every now and then. As she looked out into the crowd, she did not see a single familiar face. She only saw the inquisitive, the excited, and the frightened. There was a crowd of bystanders watching from outside the barrier. Maybe she recognized someone there.

"Chief Beifong will now take the stand to divulge further information and take questions," Raiko finished, shocking Korra back to reality. He was escorted off the stage by two guards, while Lin moved forward and cleared her throat.

"Thank you, sir," Lin stated cordially. "I will try my best to explain the evidence as we have received it. Several weeks ago, we received a noise complaint in the Winged-Lion District. We discovered the body of Kuzo Diaxini there, severely mutilated. The scene had been cleaned of all evidence with the exception of writing on the wall in Mr. Diaxini's blood. The next day, the remains of his son Feng were picked up downtown. We have no evidence that labels this as anything other than suicide. Then, two days later, the remains of Nuo Krovo were discovered in Avatar Korra Park, baring many similarities to Mr. Diaxini. To date, she is the only victim who was not found within their residence. The Killer remained quiet until two nights ago, when the remains of Ami Satori were discovered in her bedroom, mutilated and accompanied by more blood writing. Simultaneously, we received reports of more blood writing cropping up within homes, which coincide with the disappearance of forty-five year-old Bubba Nen, and eight-year old Quan Irro. We believe these two to be hostages, but still alive, for reasons we don't yet know. Those are the facts. You know everything we know, which I understand isn't much to go on. Still, I hope that at least gets things out in the open. I will now take questions."

A flurry of hands quickly burst into the air as reporters shouted and pushed each other for prominence. Lin nodded to a single gentleman in the front row. "Do you have any evidence connecting the victims of the Killer?"

"As of now, we have not found any noteworthy connection between the five victims," said Lin calmly. Korra was impressed. Lin certainly knew how to handle a panicked crowd. "However, we do have multiple leads we have officers following up as we speak. We hope to have a more specified evaluation within the week."

Another reporter jumped to the forefront. "How do you propose people stay safe from someone who attacks people in their own homes?"

"Until we have more evidence, all we can advise is that people stay inside and lock their doors at night. Be wary of any suspicious characters."

"Can you tell us anything else?" begged another. "Do you have their motivation? Techniques? Any further details?"

"The only linking factor between the victims is the form of death. The three deceased were all exposed to similar methods of torture before their deaths. With the exception of Miss Krovo, all victims were found inside their own homes. These are the only notable similarities with each case. As for motivation, it's still a mystery. Although, I am sure that someone wouldn't leave writing in their victims' blood if they weren't looking for attention."

"So you don't know anything important about him at all?" cried the same reporter, causing the crowd to stir.

Lin sneered. "That's why it's called a mystery, isn't it?"

"But you don't know how to stop them?"

"We'll stop him the way we've stopped every killer, rapist, thief and crook in this city!" Lin said with sudden defiance. The calamity within the crowd ceased. Lin continued to speak her voice harder than before. "I've dedicated my life to making sure Republic City doesn't descend into disorder. We've overcome cults, terrorists, and even entire armies before. Over these past four years, we have seen an unprecedented level of peace, and I refuse to let anyone throw away all of this tranquility because some psychopath likes to get off on cutting innocent people into bits."

Korra, who was still standing awkwardly to the side, gulped. Maybe she was wrong about Lin being able to handle this. She was essentially reciting what was written on Korra's notecards, albeit more crudely and with more fervor.

"The people need to know that this Hanzi Killer isn't anything worse than what we've faced before. This lunatic isn't a sign of the apocalypse, or a monster snatching people in the dead of night. He's simply a man with a bad obsession and a flair for style. And just like the Equalists, and just like Kuvira's army, we will hunt him down, we will catch him, and we will make him pay for what he's done. There's nothing left to fear from him, so let's just bury it and get back to something that actually matters."

Lin finished her outburst to the sound of silence. She did not care that she had gone off script. She had been building frustration over this overblown case for weeks, and all it took was something small to set it off. She was gripping the desk tightly, her knuckles white. It took a few seconds for her to register what she was supposed to do next. When she did, she ground her teeth, and breathed into the microphone, "Avatar Korra will now make a statement."

She turned towards the Water Tribe native, and motioned her over. Korra saw the ferocity burning behind her pale green eyes. She began to cautiously approach the bench, thinking about what to say. What could she say? Lin said everything for her. She glanced nervously at the podium, and then at Lin, and then at the crowd. Should she speak her mind? Should she apologize? Would Lin even want people to think that she was sorry? She glanced back at Lin, then back at the podium, then back at Lin.

Wait. That was weird.

Korra's eyes darted back to the podium. Something was odd about it. The podium was nothing more than a long, thick block of slanted, solid wood with microphones attached on top. There weren't any breaks or noticeable gaps or breaks within it. Or at least, there weren't a minute ago. But now, looking at the podium up close, Korra saw something strange. Right on the inside, just underneath the microphones, facing inward towards the speaker, was a small compartment. That compartment wasn't supposed to be there, Korra thought quizzically. She seemed to be the only one to notice it; Lin was too busy looking at her, and the section was invisible to anyone in the audience. It had just appeared out of nowhere. More strange was the fact that the compartment wasn't empty. Resting on the bottom of the shelf was a strange, cylindrical device, only a couple inches long. It appeared rough and uncleaned, as if it had been very hastily constructed from poor materials. Running along the side and through the canister was a series of black wires, which were connected to a small, black box on the top. In the silence, Korra could hear a series of clicks emitting from the canister. They were getting noticeably faster. In addition to that, Korra could make out a thick inscription written on the box in red lettering. Even from a distance, she had no trouble making out the words.

Demonstration

Korra's eyes widened. She opened her mouth to scream, to warn the woman in front of her, tell her friend to move out of the way.

But it was too late. In only the blink of an eye, the canister exploded.

The force of the explosion sent Korra flying. She slammed into the ground with a hard thud, smacking her head against the wooden stage. She blacked out for a few moments, and then awoke with a shock. She saw the world move around her in slow motion. The empty buzz of white noise filled her ears. She forced her head up, fighting the swell of pain. The reporters were trampling over each other to get away from the stage. Some of the ones who sat near the front were clutching their ears in agony. The podium had been obliterated by the force of the blast; it was now little more than chunks of wood scattered over the stage. Korra saw a guard scramble past her, heading to a collapsed figure on the floor.

Then, Korra saw Lin. She had been knocked to the edge of the stage. She lied on the ground completely motionless. Her arm had been twisted into a funny, unnatural shape. Korra saw protrusions sticking out of her limbs and torso: nails, broken glass, small blades. A puddle of blood was slowly pooling beneath her limp figure. Korra could see her face, her eyes; the eyes which moments before had been so full of energy were now empty and dull. Others were gathered around her, trying to talk to her, heal her wounds. Korra instinctively reached out towards her, trying to help. She needed to get to Lin. She had to, or else… she couldn't bear to think of it. It felt unreal, like she was dreaming. Korra tried to push herself off the ground, but without warning, a horrid pain rocketed through her, and she fell onto her back.

Korra felt dizzy. She felt sock. She felt terror. She felt the adrenaline pumping through her veins to keep her alive. She tried to get up once more, to will herself into action, but was forced down yet again by some unseen force. Using what little strength she had, Korra finally decided to look down at herself.

Oh, that explained it, she thought. A long, rusty nail was sticking directly out of her side. Her blue shirt was stained bright red. By pure instinct, she grabbed onto the head, and yanked as hard as she could. She felt the jagged metal slide past her organs, through the layers of muscle, and out of the damaged skin in one euphoric rush. She took a long look at the thing that was implanted inside of her; it was covered two inches deep in blood. She threw the damned thing away, and let the pain wash over her. She could feel herself fading into darkness, her consciousness slipping away.

As the world faded around her, Korra saw more guards rushing past her. They needed to help Lin. Korra didn't mind. It made sense to help the dying one.

Korra thought of Asami, briefly. Temporarily. The beautiful face of her fiancé only rested on her mind for a split-second before being lost in the ether. It lasted as long as it possibly could. Korra thought of the pain running through her that slowly began to dissipate with her mind. She thought of that word on the bomb. Demonstration. What a peculiar word, that was. She knew it probably meant something important. She could probably deal with it later.

And then, she passed out.