Note: We're back early! That's a first! Sorry for lying about when the story was ending, but honestly, it's far more fun to keep things a surprise. Like how we're uploading a chapter a week earlier than we were supposed to. Aren't surprises great? Besides, we think you guys deserve it after suffering through that last cliffhanger. So, how far away are we from the story actually ending? No idea. Five or six chapters, maybe. Now that most of the subplots are taken care of , we can go full steam ahead with the case of the Hanzi Killer. Buckle up; it's going to be a rough ride from here on out. Enjoy.
"Well, her story checks out," Lin said, disheartened. She took a seat on the bed by Mako's feet, holding the flimsy application sheet in her clammy grip. Korra, eyes red and heavy, sat in the corner, resting her face on her knuckles as she felt the pit in her stomach grow. She tapped her foot impatiently on the tiled floor; her skin crawled as she took in the hospital's musk and bathed beneath the endless white of the ceiling lights. Just an hour ago, she was curled up in her room, sleepless in the rays of the morning sun, and now, one phone call later, she was dragged back into her own personal hell.
"This can't be right," she muttered. "She has to be the Killer. There's no other options."
"I talked with the store owner herself," Lin stated. "She said that a chatty, pasty girl was interviewing for a position as a sales clerk when Bolin and Opal were attacked. Her alibi is solid as a rock."
Korra shook her head. "It doesn't make any sense."
"To be fair, your case made a lot of sense. Hell, even Jackdaw thought she did it. I kind of feel bad for the kid. She didn't deserve what happened to her."
"Maybe she did," Korra said, eyes lighting up.
"Korra, what are you talking about?" Mako asked, confused.
"Think about it. Who gave you that application form?"
"Her mom?"
"Exactly!" Korra raved. "Sy has connections to a major crime family. What if her mom blackmailed the store owner into giving a fake alibi? What if she took her place during the interview? They look exactly alike. Her family's wealth and resources would give her free reign of the city."
Lin sighed. "Korra, you're being ridiculous."
"Ridiculous? I think I'm the only sane one here. We have a motivation and a method. I'm being completely rational."
"You are peddling a conspiracy theory," said Mako. "Just admit that Sy isn't the Hanzi Killer."
"Why are you so adamant to defend her?" Korra sneered, rising from her seat. "Even yesterday, you refused to admit that she could be guilty. What's wrong? Afraid to go hard on your girlfriend?"
"Sy being my girlfriend has nothing to do with it," Mako said defensively. "Your idea is circumstantial at best, and insane at worst. There's no evidence to support it. Sy is innocent."
"Sy is a murderer," Korra stated angrily. "That girl has you wrapped around her little finger. Can't you see how she's playing you? All of you? She was able to attack Bolin and Opal because they didn't think she was a threat, and now you two are making the same mistake all over again."
"Don't bring them into this," Mako snapped.
"Why not bring them into this?" Korra protested, as weeks of anger rose to a boiling point inside of her. "They're the example of what happens when the job doesn't get done. You were in charge of taking down the Hanzi Killer, and you failed. They have to suffer because of your mistakes."
"That's not fair," said Mako, the words cutting deeper into his flesh than any knife could. "I did everything I could."
Korra's eyes burned. Something sharp churned in her throat, and before she could even think, the words had already dashed across her tongue, and escaped through her lips.
"Maybe if you did, you would still have a niece."
Silence permeated the room. Mako became white and still. Lin stared at Korra, green eyes widened with shock. At once, Korra realized the gravity of her words, and her features softened. A hand passed over her mouth, as if trying to catch the words and drag them back to where they came from. She slowly backed away, pressing her body against the cool wall.
"I'm… I'm sorry, I… I didn't mean that," she said. Her voice trembled, horrified at its own power. "It just… slipped out. I am so sorry-"
"Korra," Lin said with sudden forcefulness, rising to her feet, "what the hell is going on with you?"
The Avatar hugged herself, trying to physically hold her emotions in. She turned away, letting her brown hair conceal her face from their accusing glares. A long moment of quiet passed, before Korra eventually managed to choke out the truth.
"Asami and I broke up yesterday."
Lin did not know what she expected to hear, but it certainly was not what Korra had responded with. The woman's words lifted the cloud of shock that hovered overhead, and all she could mutter was a very confused, "What?" Mako seemed just as startled. His mouth hung open, and his eyebrows were raised high above the rest of his face.
"You and Asami broke up with each other?" he repeated. Korra nodded silently.
"Shit," Lin grumbled, suddenly noticing that Korra was not wearing her engagement ring. "I never thought that you two would split like that. You seemed so… happy."
"We didn't split. Not really," Korra clarified. "I just thought that it would be best to take a break for a little while. Things haven't really been the same with us lately. Every day, I've been feeling less and less like myself. The last thing I want is for her to be caught up in one of my messes. Believe me: I have every intention of being with her. Someday. But right now, I need some time to be alone."
"Well, I hate to break it to you," said Lin, "but right now isn't exactly a good time for self-reflection. There's a serial killer on the loose, and my best detective just got taken out of action. I could really use your help taking him in."
Lin extended her good hand. She had not been on the best of terms with the Avatar over the past few days. In fact, for a few heart-wrenching hours, it seemed like Lin would be forced to arrest her. But despite their struggles, their arguments and their battles, they were friends, and had been for nearly a decade. They needed each other, whether they wanted to admit it or not.
However, Korra did not move a muscle. She merely looked the Police Chief in the eye, and coldly stated, "I'm not doing it."
Lin withdrew her hand, dumbfounded. "What do you mean you're not doing it?"
"I'm not helping you catch the Hanzi Killer. You're on your own."
"You've got to be kidding me," Lin grunted. "You've done nothing but complain about how I won't let you help for weeks, and now that I actually need you, you're turning me down?"
"I'm sorry," Korra said with sincerity. "I understand that I'm putting you in a tight spot, I really do. But I can't think straight anymore. This case is wearing me down, and I don't want any part of it. I'm done. End of story."
"So I guess the Avatar only saves people when it's convenient for her?"
"You said it yourself: I have no right getting involved with police business. I'm sure you have a dozen other detectives who could handle the case far better than me."
"The Hanzi Killer isn't the only criminal in the city, despite how much it seems like that these days. I've got most of my staff working overtime keeping Republic City safe. Besides, I don't any of them like I trust you."
Korra was taken aback. Though she was getting better at it, it was a rare occasion when Lin Beifong said something truly personal. Still, Korra sighed, and shot her down.
"I really am sorry. I can't help you."
Lin said nothing. She merely grunted and walked back to Mako's bedside, thinking of ways to salvage the mess of an investigation she had gotten herself into. The detective let his gaze linger on Korra's withered body, empathic to her pain, yet disappointed with her convictions. Korra could not blame them. She knew she was a coward, a fraud. She had given up. The fire that kept her alive was now nothing more than scattered embers blinking out one-by-one. Tiredness clung to her like a child clutching its mother, and the autumn wind felt colder against her skin than ever before. The silence reclaimed its victims.
Suddenly, the phone near Mako's bed rang, and Korra nearly jumped out of her skin. They let it ring once, and then twice, so caught up in their own problems that they failed to recognize it. Its hollow voice echoed through the room like a phantom calling from another world. It took Lin a few seconds to come to and picked up the phone, listening intently.
"Uh, Korra," Lin said, confused, "it's for you."
An unexplainable sense of dread overtook her. How was the call meant for her? No one knew where she was. She hesitantly took the phone, and answered.
"This is Korra," she stated. A voice responded, and almost instantly, her bones rattled.
"You didn't come for me."
The words left her stunned. The young voice spoke in hushed tones. She could feel his whispers tickle the hairs in her ear, seep into her brain, and nest inside her thoughts.
"Masaki?" Korra gasped, gripping the phone with both hands.
"After all of your promises, all of the times you said you were going to be there, you didn't come for me."
Lin tried to ask what was going on, but Korra couldn't hear her.
"Masaki, where are you? What's going on?"
"You didn't come for me," Masaki said, harsher than before. "I get taken away, and what do you do? You spend the night with your fiancé, all while knowing all of the pain that I'm going through."
"What? No, that's not true," Korra cried. "I tried to find you. I wanted to help, but—"
"Don't lie to me!" Masaki demanded. "I guess I just wasn't good enough to save. Why should the Avatar waste her time helping one of us poor, regular people, when she could be screwing around with pretty, little Asami Sato?"
"That's not true," Korra said desperately. "I swear that I tried to help. You have to believe me. You don't know how hard this has been on me."
"Korra, what is going on?" Lin pleaded. "Who are you talking to?"
Masaki groaned, unamused. "Typical Korra. Taking everyone's suffering and making it about yourself. Face it: you never cared about me. The only reason you bothered being kind to me was to convince yourself that you were more than what we both know you really are: a monster."
The guilt crashed into her like a tidal wave, breaking her down and casting its undertow to drag her into the sea. Weeks of pent-up emotions bubbled to the surface, and it took all of her willpower just to stop her voice from breaking.
"Masaki, where are you?" she asked. "Tell me where you are, and I can send help. We can end this."
"No, we can't end this. Not yet," claimed the smiling boy. "That's why I called you. I wanted to let you know that I sent a package to you. It should be waiting on your doorstep. Consider it a gift. I'll talk to you soon."
"Masaki, wait—"
A dead beep wailed from the other end of the phone. Masaki was gone once again. Korra dashed out of the hospital room, and made a break to her car. Lin followed in hot pursuit.
"Korra, what is going on?" she yelled. "Where are you going?"
Korra didn't hear her through the sound of her heart pounding violently in her ears, threatening to burst out of her chest. Her feet carried her into her car, and slammed down on the gas without care. The city moved past her in a blur. Her hands trembled as they gripped the wheel. Masaki's words haunted her, repeating endlessly in her ears. For the first time in what felt like an eternity, she was finally driven. The fire inside was rekindled, if only briefly. She was determined to save him. She had to.
When she pulled up to the front of the Temple, Jinora was waiting anxiously. Lin pulled up behind her as Korra got out of her car and hurried towards the door.
"Hey, Korra," Jinora said, inquisitively, "somebody named 'Masaki' called earlier. They said that it was really important that he talked to you, and that you would know who he was."
"Yeah, I know," Korra said quickly. "Jinora, do you know if a package arrived for me today?"
The airbender perked up. "Well, sort of."
"Sort of?"
"Yeah. I didn't open it. Come see."
"Wait!" Lin shouted, running up to them. Jinora waved, a pleasantry that was not reciprocated. "Do you want to explain what the hell is going on?"
"I'll explain as we walk. We don't have time."
Jinora hastily led Korra through the Temple with a shrug. Lin followed closely.
"So, who was the other end of the line?" Lin questioned.
"It was Masaki Sugiyama. You know, that boy that I reported missing a few days ago. He said that he sent me something. He called it a gift."
"A gift? Korra, the kid's been kidnapped. How did he get access to a phone, let alone send you something through the mail?"
"I don't know," Korra admitted. "But it was definitely him. I'm sure of it."
"That doesn't make any sense. None of this lines up with what we already know. I don't have a good feeling about this…"
Jinora stopped in front of the door to Korra's room. As she opened it, the first thing that hit them was the smell. It was clear that Korra had not washed any of her sheets recently, nor had she bothered cleaning up. Her blanket and pillows were strewn about carelessly on her bed, and dirty laundry was tucked into the back corner. Aside from that, her room was mostly featureless, save for a few notable exceptions: a desk by her bedside, which contained a lamp, a clock, and a framed photo of the Avatar and her fiancé, a windowsill atop which were several flowers for decoration, a half-empty closet, and, most importantly, a small, cardboard box, no bigger than the size of her hand, resting in the center of the floor. The box had no shipping address. Instead, a white sheet of paper was taped to the top, with her name written in large, inky letters.
Korra picked up the box. It was relatively light in her grasp. She tore away the paper, and ripped apart the tape with her nail. Upon opening the box, she reached inside and pulled out its contents: a velvety, oval-shaped jewelry case, purple in color, kept close with a golden tab on its front.
"That's the gift?" Lin said, confused. "Some jewelry? Is it supposed to be a clue or something? Maybe a way to locate him?"
"I have no idea. Wait… hold on a second." Korra shook the case up and down. "This feels way too heavy to be jewelry…"
Korra fidgeted with the tab, yet the case would not open. Something was keeping the tab fused from the inside. As she struggled to open the case, Jinora quietly tapped Lin on the shoulder, and motioned for the officer to follow. Lin nodded unsurely, sneaking into the hall and closing the door behind them.
"Hey, do you know what's up with Korra lately?" Jinora asked, concerned.
"Apparently, she just broke up with Asami," Lin explained. Jinora shook her head.
"No, I know that. Korra already told me. But she's been acting really strange for the past week or so. It's starting to freak me out."
"I can't say for certain," Lin mused, "but I think the stress is getting to her. Seeing so many of her friends get injured, not being able to save them… that's gotta be taking its toll."
"That's what I'm worried about," Jinora stated. "When we were up on that airship, I saw Korra viciously attack that man. I have never seen her so angry before. I have a really bad feeling that something terrible is going to happen to her."
Lin did not get the chance to respond. All of a sudden, a bloodcurdling cry shot out from Korra's room. Lin burst back inside, while Jinora watched from afar. Korra had backed against the wall, cradling her knees on the floor. Both hands were wrapped tightly around her lips. Her wide eyes stared at the open case several feet away, too petrified to show any emotion. Lin approached the case, and upon looking inside, recoiled in fear. Jinora tried to enter the room, but Lin ordered her outside, refusing to let her see within the confines of Masaki's gift. On the inside lid, scribbled crudely with dark ink, was a simple message:
Do I have your attention now?
However, it was not the case's message that caused Lin's heart to stop beating in her chest, but rather its two contents: a dazzling, flawless blue engagement ring, and the blood-soaked finger that it belonged to.