This was not how Korra imagined her first trip to the Spirit World would go. When she found herself in a dark, dank swamp (this was the spirit world she imagined and read about) separated from Jinora, she tried to keep calm, to breathe, to not upset the sinister, floating, faceless spirits around her like she had the gopher spirits.
Hadn't she warned Lin to keep everyone calm in Republic City? She should listen to her own advice. Tenzin's breathing techniques echoed back to Korra and once she slowed her heart—she could hear it as if it were miles away—the spirits shrank in size, left her alone, and she was able to stumble out between the gnarled, leafless, gray trees and back into the sunlight and…a tea party?
A table clustered with bright spirits of all kinds munching on cakes and sipping tea greeted her and she pushed back a thick vine and blinked into the luminescent sky above.
"Korra!"
Her head snapped in the direction of the voice and saw an old, portly man in green and white walking towards her, a cup of tea steaming in his hands. The gray hair left on his balding head and his beard fell past his shoulders and he offered her a genuine, round-cheeked smile. His name came to her before she could think of where she recognized him.
"Iroh!" A tingle shot down her spine and the air stirred around Korra, though she knew she hadn't bent it. She wondered if Aang was reaching through her, calling to his old friend.
"It is good to see you, though you look lost," Iroh said, coming to a stop in front of her and gently sipping his tea.
As much as she wanted to question Iroh about how he was here or a million other things, Korra knew she didn't have time. Jinora could be in danger and the sooner she could close the southern portal, the better. "I am," she admitted. "My friend and I were supposed to navigate the spirit world together but we got separated. I'd love to stay and chat but I have to find her and get to the spirit portals. Except I have no idea where they are or how to find my friend and if anything happens to her, I'd never forgive myself—"
She didn't know when she started pacing anxiously and trying to worry her lip between her teeth but she was stopped abruptly by growls. Korra observed the once tranquil, light spirits at the table has turned into drooping, darker versions of themselves. She was doing it again, letting her worries affect the spirits around her. But she hadn't even been angry this time. Even the sky was dark and stormy-looking.
Iroh had the answer before she could ask. "As the Avatar, you are stronger in the spirit world. Even the slightest shift in your mood or energies can alter the reality around you. You must tread lightly, Korra." He placed the cup of tea in her hand and she took a small sip.
It was warm but tasteless in her spiritual state, yet it calmed her. She could do this; she could find Jinora, close the portal, and stop Unalaq. Then, she dared think, perhaps she and Asami could actually talk about the feelings between them. The very thought of her soulmate made Korra happier.
Slowly, the spirits around her shrank back to their normal shapes and resumed their lively banter around the table, as if nothing had happened. All the same, Korra offered an apology before she resumed her conversation with Iroh.
"How do I find the portals?" She tried not to let her desperation bleed into her tone, lest she set the spirits off again.
Iroh smiled at her. "Try to approach the spirits with an open heart and kindness rather than out of need or want. And Korra, remember this: If you look for the light, you can often find it. But if you look for the dark, it is all you will ever see."
Korra knew what he said was supposed to be wise, but she didn't have time to ponder the words. She thanked him though as she set off down the hill, in search of a spirit. Of course, the first one she stumbled upon was a giant golden dragonbird, roaring and undulating as it tried to free itself from a tangle of vines in the trees.
It took some doing—and precious time, but Korra refused to dwell on it—to set it free, but once she had, the dragonbird was as affectionate as Naga. Korra dared to ask it for its help then and it didn't turn on her as she secretly feared. Instead, it scooped her up and within moments, she was in the sky, flying over shifting lands on the back of the majestic spirit.
Though she felt light, happy, free as she soared on the dragonbird, the moment the golden spirit circled the clearing where the pillar of the southern portal blazed, something rankled her mood. She felt like hooks were dragging her down to the scarred, gray earth where Wan and Vaatu battled 10,000 years ago. A large tree with spiraling roots and branches called to her and without consciously deciding to, Korra had the dragonbird land in front of what she now recognized as the Tree of Time. Vaatu's prison.
The spirit of chaos and darkness writhed behind a barrier of energy in the tree's center. "Raava," he croaked, and his voice roiled over the land and made Korra flinch. Every word that followed was cutting but Korra was not afraid. She felt Raava inside her and that was all she needed to feel assured she could stand against the evil before her.
The moment Vaatu was done threatening to end her, Raava, and the entire world as she knew it, something moved from behind the tree. Korra gasped as Unalaq revealed himself, along with Jinora. The airbender was surrounded by twin spirals of water and she appeared to be turning purple. Unalaq was transforming her spirit. If she were in her body, Korra would've felt sick. As it was, fury bubbled up in her just fine.
"Hello, Korra. Nice to see you again," Unalaq drawled. "You came just in time. Open the second portal or I'll destroy your friend's soul."
"You monster!" Korra scoured the area for anything she could use to distract or stop Unalaq, but no spirits were in sight and she didn't have her bending. She sighed and her shoulders slumped, realizing her hands were tied.
"Don't do it, Korra!" Jinora gasped, the purple light bleeding up through her knees now. "If both of the portals are open during Harmonic Convergence, Vaatu will be able to break free without any help from the dark spirits in our world."
How could she possibly know that? Never mind, Korra couldn't let Jinora…She was a kid; she didn't know what she was saying. Korra couldn't sacrifice her. Maybe it was selfish, stupid even to give in to Unalaq, but with Jinora's—practically her little sister's—soul on the line, there was no other choice Korra was willing to make.
Unalaq must have read the decision in her eyes because he smirked. The evil, purple light stopped creeping up Jinora's body as Korra willed herself to stand in front of the second portal. She reached out a hand and even though she wasn't bodily there, the energy was palpable, electric. Her fingers skimmed the surface of the swirling orange and violet tendrils of power encased in the closed off dome.
Slipping into the Avatar state felt different now. It was more of a buzz than a rush, though she supposed it was due to the detachment of her flesh and her spirit. In a blink, the second portal flared open and shot into the sky. As soon as it stabilized, a tremor ran through the rocky terrain around them. Korra spun to see the Tree of Time trembling with effort. The heart of the tree pulsed with a crimson light.
If Korra had to worry about breathing, her breath would've caught. Surely opening the portal wasn't enough to set Vaatu free this instant. She couldn't make the same mistake as Wan. She would not be the Avatar responsible for 10,000 years of darkness.
The tremors faded but an overwhelming sense of dread suffocated Korra. The Tree of Time released a shockwave of red, crackling energy that swept through the air above Korra's head and streaked out, racing through the skies of the Spirit World. Korra opened her mouth to ask what it was—not that she expected a good or honest answer from Unalaq or Vaatu—when her left arm exploded into small, blue particles of light. She turned just in time to avoid another barrage of waterbending from Unalaq.
"Hey kid, you all right?" Chief Beifong's hand hovered in front of the steel door, her fingers already half curled, ready to bend the lock tumblers, but her forehead was creased with concern as she gave Asami a wary look.
A jagged breath and a shaky nod made Lin's eyes widen, so Asami tried for her most disarming smile, even found strength to say, "Yes. Let's go." Absently, she rubbed her left arm. It didn't hurt, exactly, but it was as if she'd slept on it wrong. Asami knew that wasn't the case; she'd spent almost all night with a lawyer, going over a mountain of legalese and Varrick Industries contracts, looking for anything incriminating (and coming up woefully empty).
Lin hesitated for only a second more before Asami heard the inner mechanism of the door clink and it slid open. Asami flinched as the sounds of shouting and jeering cut through the air. Before them was a cellblock of prisoners. Beifong walked forward and cast a look over her shoulder, an eyebrow raised. Asami started forward, nearly tripping as she set foot inside the corridor. The door slid shut behind them with a groan and Asami swallowed hard. No going back now.
Her boots made heavier footfalls against the metal grate walkway than she would've liked as she followed behind Beifong. Some people called out mocking salutes to the Chief. Asami kept her eyes forward, afraid of what, or rather who, she would see if she looked past the bars on either side of her. She tried to take a steady, long breath in, like she'd seen Korra and Tenzin do during their morning meditations, but her chest only seemed to wind tighter.
She was tempted to close her eyes but Beifong stopped abruptly in front of a cell, spread her feet apart, and quickly slid the door aside. Before she walked in, she glanced at Asami. "We didn't walk past him. He's in a different wing. Maximum Security."
The news brought relief, but also a tinge of something Asami couldn't (or wouldn't) identify. She gave Lin a stiff nod. Satisfied, Beifong marched into the cell. Asami shadowed her.
In the corner of the cell, a man sprawled on the bed jumped up and stood as straight as possible, his heels pressed together, his arms crossed behind his back. "Chief!" Relief was evident in his tone. And then his amber eyes flicked to Asami and he smiled. "Asami! I'm so glad to see you. I thought you guys were Bolin for a second, back to have me help him figure out if Ginger was his soulmate or Nuktuk's." He shook his head.
Though Asami knew it was Mako and it was Mako's eyes she met, Asami flinched all the same. No glasses, she chided herself. No graying hair, no mustache, no slight belly, no plans to eradicate all benders. Just Mako.
In a jail cell.
One like her father's, probably. Though if it were him looking at her, she doubted very much she'd see friendliness alight in his gold eyes.
"Mako, how are you?" Beifong asked in what sounded like a curious rather than concerned tone.
"I've been better, Chief." He looked between his boss and Asami. "What're you guys doing here?"
Lin jerked her thumb at Asami. "She wanted to visit you. I offered to tag along." She crossed her arms over her chest, her metal arm guards clinking against the front uniform plating.
Asami looked to Lin. The Chief of Police had invited herself along when Asami signed in at the front desk, claiming she was heading in the same direction anyways, but now that they were all standing here, the air was thick between them.
"Asami?" Mako searched her face, frowning. "I swear I didn't steal your tech. I was framed. That stuff in my apartment wasn't there before. Varrick must've set me up! Please tell me you believe me."
"I do, Mako." She gave him a tired smile.
Mako was her friend and actively looked out for her and her company, working her theft case to the point of exhaustion. Not to mention he was too Mr. Law and Order (Korra had called him that before she'd left) to orchestrate a ship heist. There wasn't even a solid motive against him; aside from money, Mako had no reason to betray her.
Standing here now, Asami was more confused than ever as to how he was so quickly accused and jailed. The two detectives who showed up yesterday morning tore his apartment apart and found bomb materials and a detailed map of shipping routes with Varrick's seal on it. Asami had watched in horror as Mako was arrested on the spot.
"And I'm inclined to believe you. Varrick's a rat-snake through and through." Beifong drew their attention. The Chief shrugged. "I read the arrest report. That was a textbook plant if I've ever seen one. Those two detectives who arrested you are idiots; they should've spotted it from a mile away. Plus you're either at the station or working the beat. You've got an alibi for the timeframe."
Mako's brows furrowed. "Wait, if you knew I was innocent, then why didn't you stop them from booking me?"
"Look, I've had my hands full dealing with Water Tribe fights breaking out all over the city and trying to keep everybody calm. I don't have time to babysit all of my officers." Lin sighed. "Honestly, rookie, I didn't think you'd get far enough into that detonator lead to get into deep trouble, but it seems I've underestimated you, Mako."
"Was that a compliment?" Mako asked, wide-eyed.
Beifong didn't answer, merely continued. "If you want a clear name and get out of here, I'll need hard evidence to link Varrick to the Cultural Center bombing and the Future Industries thefts to put him away." She held up a hand as Mako tried to speak. "The fact that his company made the detonators used in the center and shipping attacks does not implicate him. We need something more substantial. Anyone could've stolen a crate of his detonators and carried out those attacks."
"He looked me in the eyes and told me he'd do everything in his power to get my mecha tanks to the Southern rebels," Asami said. If only she'd heard the double meaning when he'd first uttered it.
"That's a far cry from a confession," Lin said. "And no offense, Sat—Asami, but your word isn't much against Varrick's."
"I know." Not the real her, anyways. The press on the other hand loved the fact that she and Future Industries were sponsoring the oddly beloved Nuktuk films. But she had the Chief of Police on her side now. She could do something to take Varrick down for good and get her company back. "I could get one."
Mako and Lin exchanged looks. "What, a confession? How do you propose to do that?" Beifong asked.
A plan started to form in Asami's head. "Tonight is the Nuktuk finale premiere. I'm going to be in Varrick's viewing box at the pro-bending arena. I could bring an undercover officer with me, get Varrick talking," she said. "He doesn't know that I know of his underhandedness. If I confront him about his plan to buy out Future Industries, maybe…" It was hard to explain it to Beifong and Mako, but Asami was sure that once she was in the same room as Varrick, she could get him to say exactly what she wanted.
"You can try it but you run the risk of tipping him off. He could find a way to land you in here just as quickly if you're not careful," Lin said. "It's the only plan we've got right now and I can't afford to spend too much time on one case when I've got dozens more piling up on my desk right now. I'll have one of my officers swing by your office later today."
Mako stalked forward. "You're going to be running the security for the premiere, right Chief?"
Beifong stepped in close and Asami drew nearer to hear as the older woman dropped her voice low. They were in a prison after all. Who knew who was listening in. She nodded and mouthed one word: "Raiko."
Surprise flashed across Mako's face. His eyes met Asami's as his voice dropped. "Keep your eyes peeled, then. Varrick wanted his involvement in the civil war as much as Korra did. He might do something drastic tonight."
A round of reports from the Southern Water Tribe had hit Varrick's desk this morning and he'd shared the news with his newly acquired company. The Southerners were losing ground. The rebels were holed up in the mountains outside of Harbor City but had somehow managed to acquire some mecha tanks from a poorly guarded Northern Tribe outpost. Asami really knew that meant Varrick somehow managed to slip her tanks to them and the outpost was probably fictionalized.
But Mako was right. If Varrick was willing to attack his own ships, who knew what he'd do to win over the President to his cause? Asami promised Mako she'd keep her eyes trained on the arena all night. A deep calm settled in Asami's stomach. Though he'd bested her once, Asami would not let Varrick beat her again. If anything remotely fishy went down tonight, she'd catch him and make sure justice was served.