Note: We're back! Happy summer! Getting close to the end! Read and review! You get the picture!
Unfortunately, winter was steadily approaching Republic City, and though its location allowed it to maintain a relatively constant temperature, there was enough a breeze that the residents of the desired apartment building opted to shut their windows for the night. Without a place to start, Korra would have to get lucky to find Illu's home from the outside. Korra scaled the wall of the complex without much difficulty. A simple gust of air aimed at her feet directed her skyward, and she carefully guided her fall onto the windowsill of a third-floor apartment, quiet as the night. Her form blended with the shadows, rendering her unseen. She peered in through the curtains, but saw only darkness inside. It stood to reason that most of the tenants would be fast asleep, and fortunately for Korra, it seemed that was the case. Conscientiously, she planted her feet firmly against the wall, and gave a sharp tug upwards. It did not budge.
Her brow furrowed. However, she did not panic. She placed one hand upon the glass, and concentrated deeply. She forced her energy onto the glass, feeling it bend and stretch effortlessly beneath her palm. With a simple push, it cracked cleanly in two, and folded inwards like paper. With a smirk, she placed her hands above the frame, kicked off, and swung inside, rolling to soften her impact.
Korra scanned her environment. A small kitchen was to her right, and a sofa was nearby. The main room was cramped, only a couple of meters wide, and barely large enough to fit a family. To her left were three doors. The one furthest to the left was cracked slightly ajar, and within, Korra could make out the bodies of two young adults, snuggled together in the chilled night. She sighed. She hadn't expected to get the apartment right on her first try, but it would have made things easier. Keeping light on her feet, she moved towards the front door, taking a long moment to memorize the locking mechanism (a simple brass bolt) before exiting.
The hallway was rundown, with old, floral wallpaper peeling off in strips and a pungent odor that permeated the creaky floorboards. Sharp, right angles were both behind and in front of her. The entire building was structured like a ring, with four apartments along each wall. All were odd numbered; Korra happened to tiptoe out of Room 313. She hugged the inner wall where the ground was most stable, and shimmied her way around the structure. The hallway remained dimly lit, but lit nonetheless. If someone stumbled into the hall, she would easily be caught. She doubted that the walls were very thick either, and so one wrong step would ensure her discovery.
After a few tense minutes, she made it to Room 327. Placing an ear to the door, she listened for anything of use. Yet, there was only silence within; not a footstep or a single cry for help. She found the bolt on the other side of the door, and with a flick of her wrist, the lock released with a click. She slid inside carefully, locking the door behind her.
Illu Satori put effort into her home. In the center of the tiny room was a round, wooden table, upon which a half-empty cup of tea rested. The walls had recently been repainted, and the room lacked the stench of the rest of the building. Admittedly, it was nicer than Korra's own home, though the Avatar did not focus on that fact. Instead, she focused on her work. She knew that Masaki was being held somewhere. She simply had to find him.
Korra creeped towards the furthest door, and checked inside. As she suspected, Illu slept on her queen-sized bed, her dark hair in tangles, and her blanket strewn over her body loosely. The room was featureless aside from an open closet near the doorway, which was empty aside from a paltry selection of clothing. Moving on, Korra opened the middle door. Inside, she found a narrow bathroom. With nothing more to see, Korra shut the door.
As Korra passed in front of the last door, she took a deep breath. She did not know what she expected to find inside. Human remains? Weapons? Discarded Equalist plans for attack? She pushed her worries aside, and opened the door. What Korra found instead was another bedroom. The bed was rather miniscule, not fit to hold a regular-sized person. Dozens of toys littered the floor, and hand-made drawings adored the wall, featuring rough sketches of a boy and a woman. There was a crumpled school uniform thrown next to the wall, and more toys buried within the closet. As Korra looked around, she recognized that the room belonged to Illu's son, Lee. However, the young boy was not sleeping in his bed. In fact, she hadn't seen him anywhere in the apartment, and despite checking every room, Masaki, or any of the other missing victims for that matter, were nowhere to be found.
And then, as Korra realized this, she heard footsteps running up behind her.
Korra dove out of the way, narrowly dodging the broom that sailed over her head. She could barely catch her breath before she was attacked again, rolling away from harm. Illu towered above her, seething with fury in her flannel pajamas. She snarled and swung wildly, smashing the broom against the bedroom wall.
"Get out of my house!" she screamed, staying on the offensive. Korra weaved left and right, evading every attack in a panic.
"Wait, you don't understand," Korra said quickly.
"Get! Out!" Illu shouted furiously. "You're not going to take me, too!"
Illu raised the broom over her head, and swung down hard. However, Korra was quick to counter. She sidestepped the attack, grabbed the broom by its hilt, and yanked it out of Illu's hands, sending the teacher stumbling past her and onto the bed. Illu grunted and rolled off, grabbing any nearby toy she could find. She pelted Korra with a desperate onslaught of plastic, growling all the while.
"Stay back! Stay away from me!"
Korra swatted the toys away as they came, trying to get in a word. "Illu, you need to… please, it's… if you could…"
"Why won't you just leave me alone?" Illu pleaded, refusing to let up. Korra couldn't take it anymore. She swiped her hand, and a gust of air slammed Illu into the wall long enough for Korra to reach up to her face, and pull down her mask.
"It's me," Korra said. "It's Korra."
"Korra?" Illu said, taking a moment to recognize the young woman in front of her. When she finally focused on the soft blue eyes of the Avatar, her features softened. But then, a sneer spread across her face, and with a monstrous yell, she charged forward and tackled Korra out of the room, taking the Water Tribe warrior by surprise. Korra hit the ground with the thud, and the air rushed out of her lungs. Illu immediately started raining punches down on her foe.
"This is all your fault!" said Illu, tears falling freely from her eyes. "If it wasn't for you—"
"Calm down! I'm not trying to hurt you," Korra said earnestly, doing her best to block the incoming punches.
"You already hurt me!" Illu cried. "All you ever do is hurt people!"
Korra kicked the teacher away and scrambled to her feet. Illu regained her composure and resumed her attack, jabbing and striking as efficiently as any Equalist Korra had fought before. Illu targeted her weak points. However, Korra was prepared. When one of Illu's hands got too close, Korra leapt forward and ducked beneath Illu's arm. She pressed upwards, causing Illu's momentum to send her sailing up and over Korra's head, and into the wooden table, shattering it into pieces.
Korra raised her fists, ready for another set of attacks. Yet, Illu did not rise to her feet. Only when Korra lowered her defenses did she notice the heavy sobs coming from the defeated woman.
"You… you really can't just leave me alone, can you?" said Illu, curling into a ball. Korra approached her with caution. "Every time something bad happens, you're always there."
"I don't know what you're talking about," she insisted. "You need to slow down and—"
"There's no time to slow down. I can't… I don't know what to do."
"Illu, you're going to have to tell me what happened. I don't know what it is that you think I did, but I haven't done anything."
"The note said that… it said…"
Sobs overtook her. She pointed to the kitchen with a shaky hand. On the countertop was a small, crumpled note that Korra previously did not notice. A pit grew in her stomach. She grabbed the wad of paper, unfolding it slowly. Four rows of simple characters lined the page in scribbled brushstrokes, barely legible. As she read, the worry gradually descended into despair.
Have your son. Don't call the police. Didn't want this. Avatar gave no choice.
Korra ripped up the note, tearing it thoroughly. Illu sniffed and wiped the tears from her eyes.
"I couldn't… couldn't even protect Lee. What kind of… mother can't even protect her child?
"It's not your fault," Korra said with a sigh. "The Hanzi Killer exists because of me. I don't why, but he's hurting people to get to me. There was nothing you could do. You couldn't have known what was going to happen."
"Yes, I should have," sobbed Illu. "I had to run out last night, and I left him all lone with a maniac on the loose. I wasn't thinking. I just… and now he's gone and… I don't know what to do…my precious little Lee…"
"It's okay. It'll be okay," Korra said, placing a hand on Illu's shoulder. The Satori matriarch shrugged it off.
"How is it going to be okay? Lee is gone! If the police find out, they're going to kill him. I don't know where to look. I don't know who to trust. I can't do anything right. I can't—"
"Calm down," Korra said forcefully. "You're not alone. I can help fix this."
Illu scoffed. "There's nothing more you can do for me. You've done enough."
"Look," Korra explained, "I know about you're past. You're an Equalist."
Illu's eyes widened with shock. "How do you know that?"
"It doesn't matter how I know," Korra stated. "My point is that I know you don't like me, and I know you don't trust me. But I have a responsibility to this city, and everyone that's a part of it. That includes you. The Hanzi Killer has made the past few weeks of my life a living hell, and I'm not going to rest until I find him and make him pay for it. It doesn't matter what you've done. I'm going to save your son, even if I have to die trying. I promise you."
Illu was speechless. She stared blankly at the Avatar before her, overcome with emotion. In one swift motion, she wrapped her arms around Korra's waste, and pulled her into an embrace.
"Thank you," she said hoarsely, crying into Korra's abdomen. "Thank you, thank you, thank you."
"It's okay," said Korra with surprise. "Everything is going to be okay. I swear I'll get him back."
"Please, you have to believe me; I didn't know what Amon was planning to do. I didn't know he was going to really hurt anybody. I left the Equalists as soon as I found out. If anybody finds out what I did, they'll take me away from here. I can't leave Lee alone."
"Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me. All I care about is getting your son home, safe and sound."
Illu hugged Korra for what felt like forever. Whatever bitterness and resentment she accumulated over the years faded away, disappearing into the darkness. The embrace was only broken when the sound of hurried footsteps came racing towards them from outside. Korra quickly escaped through the window, stopping momentarily to give Illu a trusting nod. By the time any worried neighbors entered the apartment, the Avatar was long gone.
Korra shot through the water easily. She glided along the surface towards Air Temple Island, longing for her room. She made landfall by a mound of smooth, black stones, and sprinted back to the temple, making sure to avoid all guards. Her body moved automatically, having gone through the process on so many occasions. Therefore, she had time to think over her plans. Sleep was out of the question. Not only was there no time for it, but every time she closed her eyes, visions of the pain she caused earlier in the night flooded back to the forefront of her mind. Instead, she decided to get a change of clothing—as the stench of blood stained her—and head back onto the streets. There were three children missing, and she had no idea how long they could hold out. She could not afford to take a single break until the Hanzi Killer was captured and his victims were safe.
Korra breathed a sigh of relief as she entered the temple. She was in the clear. She relaxed into a light jog as she navigated the temple, eventually coming to a stop outside of her bedroom. She pushed open the door, and then froze.
Lin Beifong stood at the foot of her bed, dressed in her police uniform, a sneer plastered on her stone-like face.
"Lin, what are you doing here?" Korra asked nervously.
"I can't believe you actually did it," Lin responded. "You never struck me as crazy before, Korra."
Korra stepped forward, closing the door behind her. "I really don't know what you're talking about."
"Do you think I'm an idiot?" Lin snapped. "A man came into the station half an hour ago. He said that the Avatar attacked him in the middle of an alleyway. I saw the injuries myself. And now you come waltzing in here dressed like you just robbed a bank, covered in blood."
Korra sighed grudgingly. "You don't understand."
"I don't understand?" Lin yelled. "You assaulted an innocent man in direct violation of the law."
"He was hardly innocent."
"You don't get to decide who's innocent and who's not."
"Why not? You know me. You know I wouldn't do this if I thought it wasn't right."
"Was it right to torture a man?" Lin asked with disgust. "To grind his face into the pavement and tell him that you're going to kill him? Tell me: how do you see that as the right thing to do?"
"It was a necessary evil," Korra said shamefully. "I needed information on Illu Satori, and my intuition told me that he would get me what I needed."
"And how right was your intuition, Korra?" Lin questioned. Korra paused. A shiver ran up her spine. She could feel the tension grow thicker with each passing second. "Well?"
"She was…" Korra stammered after a long moment. Finally, she admitted, "She was clean. Completely, one hundred percent clean." Lin closed her eyes, disgraced. Korra spoke quickly, "But that doesn't mean—"
"Shut up!" Lin said sternly, her commanding voice filling the room. "You have disobeyed me constantly, you've disrupted this case, you've broken the law, you've attacked innocent people, and what do you have to show for it? Nothing. You are out of line, and therefore, a danger to yourself and everyone else around you. You need to be reined in before anyone else gets hurt."
"The reason people are getting hurt is because I've done nothing," Korra retorted. "The Hanzi Killer is after me. It doesn't matter what you do, because he's not going to stop until he gets what he wants. I'm not waiting around for you to waste my time with more procedural police bullshit. I'm going out there, and I'm going to finish this. Like I said before: If you have a problem with that, arrest me."
Korra turned around, and placed her hand on the door. Suddenly, Lin shot her wrist forward, and a wire launched out and clamped onto the Avatar's free wrist. Korra stared at her hand in shock. Her heart pounded in her ears louder than ever before.
"Fine," Lin said, calm and determined. "So be it."
"Lin, you do not want to do this right now," Korra warned, clenching her hand into a fist.
"Avatar Korra, you are under arrest," Lin stated with authority. "Surrender now, or I'll make you surrender."
"You're already hurt," said Korra, backing away from the door. "Please… don't make me do this."
"Final warning. Come with me or else."
Korra did not want to fight. She desperately did not want to fight. But she made a promise, and she was intent on keeping it.
She took a deep breath, and a ball of fire erupted in her free hand. "I'm so sorry. I can't do that."
Korra grabbed the wire and pulled, tugging Lin towards her. The Police Chief swung at her head, but Korra ducked underneath, wrapped her arms around Lin's torso from behind, and threw her across the room. The Chief quickly rolled onto her feet, but Korra stayed to her wounded side, keeping her at bay with flaming jabs. On the defensive, Lin thought fast. She quickly retracted the cord still connected her former ally, pulling Korra in close before tackling her onto her bed. Slamming her face first into the mattress, Lin pulled Korra's arm taut behind her back, and used her knees to pin the rest of her limbs in place.
"Stop struggling," Lin grunted. "You're only making this worse for yourself."
"You know you can't keep this up forever!" Korra shouted in muffled tones.
"Don't have to," Lin said, struggling to keep Korra locked down. "I just have to hold out long enough for you to see reason."
"I'll show you reason!" Korra exclaimed. She exhaled sharply, creating a strong blast of wind that propelled both fighters off of the bed and onto the hard ground. Lin landed square on her wounded arm, and she let out a pained scream. Korra, however, recovered instantly, and bolted towards the door. Yet, she barely moved an inch, dragged back by the metal cord on her arm. She flicked the metal hook away, and reached for the door.
But, before she could reach it, it flew open by itself, and Jinora screeched into the room, panic-stricken.
"Korra, you need to come—"
She froze, taking in the bizarre situation and confused faces in front of her. "What's going on in here?"
"Jinora, get out of here," Korra begged. "This has nothing to do with you?"
"Why is Chief Beifong on the… never mind! You need to come quickly."
"Korra isn't going anywhere," Lin groaned, rising to her feet. "She belongs in police custody."
"We're kind of in the middle of something important here," Korra said uncomfortably. "Whatever it is can wait."
"Well, I might have no idea what you two are doing," Jinora said, crossing her arms complacently, "but Asami just burst in through the front door and collapsed in a pool of blood. So, yeah… you might want to check that out."