Korra and her team arrived at the Southern Docks to be greeted by enourmous crowds all heading to the festival. Every year people from all over the world would come to see Southern Lights. This year, however, it was expected there would be a lot more people, seeing that Harmonic Convergence was happening.
The Colonel could practically feel the air buzzing around her and she recalled the heiress telling her about the large amounts of energy that the massive event brought and how she intended to study it. Korra sighed and shook her head, knowing that her best friend would probably spend the event in the city's portal instead of the festival without her dragging her away.
"The Chief was excited about the upcoming Harmonic Convergence festival," Manny commented as they walked up the palace steps.
"I was hoping our deployment would hold off until then," their Colonel admitted. "I was looking forward to attending."
"Why?" Joey asked with a smirk. "Hot date?"
"Oh come on, we all know she doesn't date," Julie answered.
The Colonel rolled her eyes playfully, knowing the teasing nature of her team. "It's been a tradition for Asami and I to go." She sighed, feeling slightly guilty. "I missed last year..."
"I'm sure she understands," Ben, her second in command, answered. "It couldn't be were whipping these rookies into shape," he added looking back at their comrades from Korra's side, where he tended to stay.
"Hey! We resent that!" Amy shot back.
The Water Tribe woman and Ben laughed. They tended to be the closest of the team, mainly due to Ben's unrequited crush in his Colonel. He knew her interests lay elsewhere, but hey, a guy could dream.
When they reached the Chief's quarters she asked them to go to their quarters and wait for further instructions. The team saluted her before doing as they were told. Korra took a deep breath, straightening herself before going inside, finding the Southern Tribe leader at his desk. He looked up and smiled before standing as his daughter came forward, saluting him and he returned the gesture before going around and hugging her tightly.
"I'm sorry about cutting your leave short."
"It's fine, you needed me." A pause. "What's the problem?" the Colonel asked, taking a seat across from her father.
The Chief took a deep breath, leaning forward. "There are reports about a few of Kuvira's splinter cells close to the portal," he began. "If they start to use it to their advantage it could cause us, our sister tribe and Republic City a lot of problems."
"How do you know they're Kuvira's?"
"We found a few Earth Nation uniforms in an abandoned campsite. The fire was still burning which makes us think they barely managed to avoid us."
The Water Tribe woman hummed thoughtfully. Something was off about this. Kuvira didn't seem like the type to let her forces make mistakes like that. It was almost as if they had wanted to be found.
"What I want to do is have you lead an expedition with your team to the cells last known location," her father continued. "And I would like to come along."
Korra raised a brow. "I mean no disrespect, but don't you think it would be best if you stayed here?"
"I want to see the threat myself."
"I understand," the Colonel answered. "But with the festival going on I think it would be best if you stayed here while we investigate. You don't attend and people will start to think something's wrong. We can't afford a panic. Anyone we find will be brought back here to be interrogated by you personally if that is what you wish."
The Southern Chief's brow furrowed thoughtfully before nodding his head. "Very well. But I want to be informed of anything you find."
Korra smiled and nodded. "Do you expect any less?"
Tonraq chuckled placing a hand on her shoulder. "No." His daughter grinned and he smiled. "Now let's go see your mother. She's been wanting to see you."
The Colonel laughed and followed her dad, thoughts still swirling in her head. She was going to have to tell her team to be careful. Something was off about this. She could feel it.
The Sato heiress chuckled, watching the image of her first attempt at fixing a high grade engine. She'd spilled more oil than she'd used.
For a couple of years now she had been exploring the Spirit World but the most extraordinary thing she'd found was the Tree of Time. Of course, at first she hadn't known its name, but after some research she'd figured what it was and what it did. Needless to say the heiress went to the Tree whenever she needed a laugh or just needed to get her thoughts in order.
From what she'd gathered, the Tree of Time showed images of what the person inside wanted to recall or jut random snippets. Asam had brought Korra here once and they'd both had a great time. Watching themselves when they were young brought lots of laughs and memories. She could still remember the time they'd snuck out in the middle of the night to drive around town when they were fifteen.
Asami sighed as she recalled the conversation last night with the brunette. They had Skyped after she'd arrived in the South Pole and reported to her father. The heiress worried whenever she was called home, knowing she could be sent out to a potentially dangerous situation or even into Earth Kingdom territory. Korra had assured her that she was fine and that her team was simply investigating a few things. She'd even mentioned that maybe she'd be able to come back before the festival ended.
The raven haired beauty shook her head, standing up to leave when a new image appeared in the center of the hollow Tree. Asami tilted her head, her brow furrowing. She didn't remember that... But then she recalled her best friend telling her about going to investigate and figured that what she was seeing was a new memory, or rather, something that was happening currently.
The Sato engineer watched as Korra smiled and her team laughed and the mechanic found herself smiling too. But then there was a flash and heard the roar of an explosion. She dropped her bag as she realized what was happening.
Korra.
Asami was out of the Tree of Time and onto the motorcycle before she knew it.
Tonraq and Senna couldn't get to the hospital fast enough. When the Southern Chief was told about the accident he immediately called his wife and asked for his daughter and her team to be treated only by the best.
Too soon, however, he was informed of the deaths of the rest of the team. He had cursed under his breath and despite himself, he couldn't help but feel the guilt gnaw on him. It should have been him. He wanted to go but she hadn't let him. If he had...maybe...
"How is she?" his wife asked, her voice trembling with worry.
"Colonel Jordan's chest was split open by the explosion. We were able to get the majority of the shrapnel out but there's still some inside," the doctor answered. "We're doing everything we can to make her comfortable."
The Chief furrowed his brow. "Comfortable?" He asked. "What do you mean comfortable?"
"She needs a heart transplant. Now." The man sighed and shook his head. "But there isn't any of her tissue type available. I'm sorry."
Senna crumbled, her husband bringing her close to his chest, trying to soothe her as he held back his own tears.
Someone called his name and he turned to see his daughter's former boyfriend and long time friend. He told them Asami had called him after the Water Tribe woman had been brought to the hospital. Tonraq frowned, asking how it was possible for the Sato heiress to have known about the attack before him. The Firebender had no answer and the Chief decided that question would have to be answered by the woman herself as they all walked inside the injured Colonel's room.
Korra lay on a bed, an oxygen mask on her face, wearing a tank over bloodied bandages, all sorts of cables attached to her. Her skin was pale, no longer mocha. Next to her was her best friend, holding her hand.
When the engineer saw them she stepped aside, allowing them to embrace their child. Senna took her daughter's hand, giving the back a kiss causing her to stir.
"Mom?" the military woman managed to mutter.
"Shh. Rest."
Her father approached the bed, placing a hand against her cheek causing her to shift her tired gaze onto him, managing a small smile. "Daddy..."
The big Southern Chief barely managed to hold back a sob. He sat down on the bed, pressing a gentle kiss against her forehead.
"My team...are they...are they okay?"
Her father nodded his head, managing a small smile. "They're being taken care of." Not completely a lie. Their families had been notified, they wouldn't be alone.
"Hey, how are you feeling?" Mako asked, stepping closer to the bed. "It's me, Rhodey."
"Isn't it... Lieutenant... Colonel... Rhodes?" Korra asked with a smirk.
The Firebender shook his head. "Not today."
"I'm that bad...huh?"
The Colonel wasn't stupid. She knew that if all her friends and family were there it could only mean one thing. Senna combed her hand through her daughter's short hair asking her to rest. Asami watched as the parents tried to keep themselves together, knowing what was about to come. She had read Korra's chart and aside from a heart transplant there would be no saving her.
Unless...
The heiress recalled seeing a fusion between a human and Spirit in the Tree of Time. She had only caught a glimpse of it and even if it were possible Korra wouldn't make it to the portal. There wasn't time, her heart was failing her. Asami could feel her brain start to work, coming up with a solution that could buy them some time.
"I think I can save her," she finally said out loud.
Tonraq shook his head. "Asami..." He could read the desperation in the young woman's eyes. Korra and her had spent most of their lives by each other's side, like two parts of a whole. He figured Asami was grasping at straws.
"I need you to trust me. Can you do that?"
Both parents glanced at each other, looking down at their daughter, watching as she struggled to breathe, her heart trying to keep itself going. They would do anything to keep her alive.
So with their nod the heiress immediately began to work, asking the Firebender to help her gather some items.
Asami wiped the sweat off her brow as she finished putting the proto-reactor together. The device was small, nothing fancy and the only one of it's kind. It was a prototype, designed to help the heart keep beating and keep the shrapnel at bay that required periodic shocks in order to function. The dim lights on the outer ring would start flashing when the heart was in danger of going into v-fib. It was the best the Sato engineer could come up given how little supplies and time they had.
"So you're just going to...?" The Firebender trailed off, not really sure he understood the ravenette's plan.
"Plug it into her chest," Asami answered as she undid some of the bandages in order to get to the heart. "So to speak."
"Will it work?" Senna asked, her hand gripping her daughter's. Both parents were skeptical about the procedure, the whole plan really, but if it could help keep their daughter alive... They'd do anything.
The inventor took a deep breath. They were about to find out. She washed her hands thoroughly, trying not to note how her hands kept shaking as she pulled on the latex gloves. Gently she opened the wound, earning a small whimper from the military woman. Asami bit her lip as she pinned the wires inside, not missing the small tear on the left chamber of the beating organ. They were running out of time.
Once the device was put in place she clicked it on causing Korra to let out a choked sound and the machines started to beep in warning. Her heart rate was dangerously low. The heiress stepped back, allowing the Firebender to step in and use his Lightningbending to spark the devise.
"It's not working," Mako noted nervously.
"Do it again."
He did, only to get the same results. They were losing her.
"Again."
Mako shook his head. "It isn't working."
The engineer growled, fixing the device and leaning in close so her friend could hear her. "Don't you dare die on me you selfish bastard or I swear to every Spirit known to man I'll bring you back just so I can kill you myself," she hissed softly, more out of distress than anything else, before looking up at the Firebender. "Do it again."
He took a deep breath, giving the device another spark and it finally lit up, nothing bright, but enough to know it was working. Korra's heartbeat began to stabalize and the raven haired woman sighed in relief. Senna wiped away the sweat from her daughter's brow, carefully fixing the bandages.
"Now for the hard part," Asami said after a moment.
Because Spirits knew they weren't out of the woods yet.
Tonraq and Senna couldn't help but feel weary as they entered the Spirit Portal. Harmonic Convergence would be happening in less than an hour, but Asami made it seem like a good thing. The parents didn't know how long they could be trapped inside the Spirit World and if their daughter needed medical attention...
The Chief leaned against a boulder, his daughter wrapped up in a blanket in his arms. His wife sat next to him, watching to see if the military woman needed more oxygen or a little spark from the Firebender.
The mother watched as the heiress walked over to a large tree where Spirits were gathered all around and shook her head. Perhaps her daughter's friend had snapped and there really was no hope here. Then again there was the device that was keeping Korra's heart beating to consider. The young woman hadn't let them down yet.
Asami took a deep breath, standing in front of all sorts of Spirit creatures. Here came the hard part. "Do any of you know anything about a Spirit that fused with a human a long time ago?" she asked. "My friend...she's-she's dying."
Silence.
"Please. We need your help."
The Spirits all shared glances before moving aside until Asami spotted a white and blue Spirit. It glided forward, giving off an aura of unpleasantness, clearly not happy to have been brought forward.
"You can help us?"
"My name is Raava, I am the Spirit of peace and light," the Spirit began. "I have fused with a human before." The voice was large though the Spirit didn't seem to be yelling. It was ethereal, almost calming but Asami knew she was in the presence of something far more powerful than she'd expected.
The heiress couldn't stop herself from smiling, starting to feel relief well up inside. "I need you to follow me. My friend, she-"
"Why should I help you? You humans and your wars, you destroy everything in your path."
Asami felt her heart drop into her stomach. Hope was dangling in front of her. "Please, I won't lose her. I'm begging you. Help her!" She was desperate. She couldn't lose Korra.
"She may not even survive the bonding. What will you do then?" The Spirit could sense the despair from the human in front of her. She truly wanted nothing more than keep her friend alive. It was an admirable quality, if nothing else.
"She'll die either way but I'll be damned if I don't try everything to save her!" the heiress shouted back, knowing she should be more careful but she was exhausted and knew that time was of the essence. She forced herself to calm down regardless. "Please Raava."
The Spirit of peace studied the woman in front of her before coming forward. "The human I fused with, Wan, did not survive," she finally revealed. "Humans cannot live with a Spirit inside of them without being killed."
"Unless the fusing is permanent." Though the engineer had partially come up with a plan on the spot, she had done some research before. "The energy from Harmonic Convergence will be enough to keep you two together without killing the human host."
Silence.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Raava asked.
Asami nodded without hesitation, knowing it was the only option she had. "Yes."
The Spirit went to her side and followed as they reached the small group of humans. Raava could see just how bad the damage was as the woman laying in the man's arms struggled to breathe as blood seeped through her wounds. The heiress asked the Chief to set Korra by the portal and get her ready.
Raava studied the brunette, sensing if she would truly be a worthy host like Wan had once been. She could feel the devotion, the stubbornness, but the good heart that lay beneath all of that. The woman's own spirit was strong.
"Korra? Listen to me," Asami began. "This is going to hurt, okay? I'm going to pull the reactor out and you're going to feel a little jolt."
Korra tried to open her eyes to better see what was going on. She was already in pain, no longer connected to the morphine. How much worse could it get?
"You need to touch the portal, you hear me?" the engineer continued. "No matter how much it hurts, you need to touch it. Do you understand?"
Korra jerked her head in what could have been considered a nod and felt the breathing mask being taken off. She gasped, shaking her head and trying to tell them she couldn't breathe when she felt something being yanked out of her chest with a sharp stab, causing a choked sob to be ripped from her throat. What where they doing? But it wasn't over just yet. She felt something enter her through the wound in her chest and her body jerked up as the presence of something invaded her body.
The portal began to spark with energy, blasting up and bending to connect with the two other existing portals. Harmonic Convergence had arrived.
The military woman struggled to breathe, feeling herself panic as she recalled Asami telling her to touch something. She managed to open her eyes, spotting the portal as it lit up and danced with different colors. She tried to reach for it but failed. Korra could hear someone ask her to try again, but the voice wasn't familiar, and it sounded like it had come from inside her. She could feel the muscles in her arm burning as she lifted it again and planted her palm against the portal. And she watched a blue energy started to creep up her forearm.
Her body jerked upwards and she screamed in pain, rolling over and digging her hands into the ground as the energy spread through her, around her, encompassing every cell of her. Senna stepped forward, wanting to comfort her daughter but her husband held on tightly, recalling the heiress saying they wouldn't be able to touch her until the energy faded.
Korra stood on her knees, her mouth and eyes unleashing powerful beams of energy until Raava's insignia appeared on her chest, signaling the success of the fusion. She slumped to one side, and the blue energy faded, and everyone ran to her, checking her vitals.
"No pulse," Mako whispered.
Asami shook her head, feeling like someone had taken a sledgehammer to her torso. "No, it should have worked."
She made a move to start CPR but the Southern Chief gently pulled her back, shaking his head. His daughter was gone. They had tried but she hadn't been strong enough to survive the fusion. Asami could feel herself shake with anger and she slammed her hand over her friend's heart.
The reaction was instant. Korra's eyes opened, revealing pure white before fading to their normal blue, and she gasped for air. Mako placed the oxygen mask back over her face, asking her to relax as her parents held her, thanking the Spirits and Asami for what they could only describe as a miracle.
The heiress sighed in relief, falling back to lay on the ground, ready to pass out in pure exhaustion. They'd done it. She was alive. Thank the Spirits.
Korra had been seventeen when she joined the Southern Tribe military. She had waited years for the opportunity and now that she could legally join with her parent's permission she was more than ready.
When she arrived at camp she could already tell she was going to love it there. Though the young teenager couldn't have known how much of an impact this decision would have on her life.
The new soldiers were separated by groups of twenty and were given a barrack number which would be their sleeping quarters for the next six months. Korra walked in and was greeted by a group of slightly older men and women already unpacking. She approached them, figuring she might as well get to know her group members.
"Aren't you the Chief's kid?" a red headed guy asked.
The teen nodded her head. "I am."
"So what are you doing here?" the blue eyed blonde asked next.
"Serving my country. What's it look like?"
"Oh, carful everyone, she bites," a tall short haired man commented with a smirk.
"You like that don't you, Ben?" another teased.
He rolled his eyes, holding out his hand. "The name's Ben, the red head is Joey, blonde is Amy, and the jokester here is Manny," the eldest of the group answered. "We were in the academy in high school. Julie over there is Manny's cousin."
"So you all know each other?" the Water Tribe teen asked. They nodded their heads. "Good. It'll make this a lot easier."
Ben furrowed his brow. "Make what easier?"
"I scored the highest in the Sergeant test, so I'll be in charge of you and everyone else assigned here."
The group groaned. Just what they needed. A kid telling them what to do...
Slowly Korra's eyes opened and she blinked to clear her vision. The Colonel could still feel a throbbing pain in her chest though it was much better than before.
She looked around, her mother and father asking her to relax, to not make any sudden movements. Asami and Mako each gave her a smile which she returned. She was back at the hospital, that much was certain, but where had she been? Why was she still alive?
"My team...how's my team?" she asked looking at her father.
The Chief of the Southern Tribe had a hard time meeting her gaze, sitting down on the bed, hating to be the one to tell her. "The doctors did everything they could but they died on their way here," he began. "I'm sorry, Korra."
The blue eyed woman gripped the sheets tightly, her jaw clenching. They were gone. Her team had been killed.
"You lied to me."
"I didn't think telling you earlier was a good idea. You were too weak and I-"
"How am I alive?" She should have died. She was lead. The bomb should have hit her the hardest.
"Ben shielded you from the second blast. You were ambushed. I'm-"
"No, how am I alive?" Korra asked. "I was dying. How am I still here?"
Asami stepped forward, placing a hand on her friend's shoulder. "It's complicated and best explained when we aren't all running on thirty minutes of sleep. You should rest."
"When's the funeral?"
"The end of the week."
She nodded. "I want to be there."
Two days later Korra, along with the Southern Tribe Forces, and the fallen soldiers' families paid their final respects. Korra begrudgingly sat in a wheelchair in her formal uniform, which had been painful to put on.
She didn't cry, couldn't bring herself to. She had failed them. The military woman stared at the six coffins, the last one of the military dog, Sarge. He had been Ben's but he shared the black Labrador with them.
Chief Tonraq handed each of the families the Medal of Honor and expressed how sorry he was for their loss. He had wanted to give Korra a medal as well and a Purple Heart but she'd refused, not finding herself worthy.
Everyone stood to salute and she tried to do the same, Mako helping her. She thought it pathetic that she needed help with such a simple action, her pride taking a but of a blow.
Slowly everyone began to leave except for her family and the fallen soldiers'. "Asami," she called when Mako went to talk to her father.
"Hmm."
"I wanna go home."
The raven haired woman nodded her head, hands gripping the bars of the chair. "Alright, I'll tell your parents."
"No." She stopped to look at the brunette. "With you. Back to the city." Korra shook her head. "I can't...I can't stay here. Please...please don't make me stay here."
Asami knelt down to the brunette's level, gripping her hand in hers. "Okay."