This is an idea that I have been entertaining recently. I know that stories with a similar premise have been written so I will try to keep this as original as I can. No plagiarism intended. I do not own either Legend of Korra or Harry Potter. They belong to Bryan Konietzko, Michael Dante DiMartino, and J.K. Rowling.
Also a little warning: this chapter does contain references and analogies to highly controversial and politicized subjects.
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Riding on Naga's back, Korra made her way down to the beach, excitement gleaming as her eyes locked on Air Temple Island. However, upon reaching the water, Naga jumped in, throwing Korra off her back and soaking them both. Pulling herself out of the surf, Korra looked to Naga and saw her running through the surf, her jaws snapping in and out of the water. Looking down, she saw fish darting all around them, frantically trying to avoid the clearly hungry Polar Bear Dog.
"All right, Naga." Korra said, shrugging. "Food first, then air temple" and she took a stance, her arms outstretched, palms down, feet shoulder-width apart with her left ahead of her. Staring intently into the water, she lifted her arms up, gathering a ball of water about the size of her torso, and catching several fish within. Pushing her arms outward, the water ball moved toward Naga who, seeing the captive fish, turned her efforts to her new target. With surprising speed, her jaws snapped into the ball, and when she emerged, she had a fish wriggling in vain trying to free itself from her grasp. Throwing her head up and down, Naga worked the fish toward her throat and swallowed it in one gulp before turning her attention to the water ball, saliva drooling from her jaws.
As Naga swallowed the last of her catch, Korra stretched out her limbs before turning to Air Temple Island once more, captivated by the statue of Aang. He was rather young, his face free of the beard he would sport as a father and a family man, his face set in calm determination as he held his glider to the horizon. It seemed like he was beckoning a new era.
'Looks like he's about my age.' Korra thought. 'Yet he ended the Hundred Year War and saved the world. I got a lot to live up to.'
"Hey, you!" a voice called out, drawing her attention from the island. Turning, she saw two men on the beach. They were wearing gray tunics with black belts and pants, and she could see that their heads sported flat hats with cloth draped over their ears. As she looked them over, a glint caught her eye, drawing her attention to a badge on the chest of the man to her left.
"What are you doing?!" one of the men snapped.
"Just taking a dip." Korra replied, shrugging her shoulders.
"Is that beast yours?" the second asked, jabbing a truncheon at Naga.
"Hey! Naga's not a beast!" Korra snapped back, surprising them with her vitriol. "She's my friend!"
"Well sorry young lady," the man replied, drawing himself to his full height. "But Naga falls under exotic animal legislation, meaning you need a license for her. Otherwise, she'll be deported from Republic City."
"Deported?!" Korra said, eyes wide. "Sorry but no can do! Where she goes, I go!"
"No problem." the officer stated. "I just need to see your license and we'll let you be."
"My license?" Korra asked, confused. "What's that and where do I get it?"
"It's a document saying that you understand the risks of owning an exotic animal and are responsible for the upkeep and conduct of said animal" the first man replied, cutting off his partner. "You can get them at the police station after Naga undergoes a mandatory physical exam to ensure she's healthy. Then you fill out some paperwork, pay a fee, and you'll have your license. You should have gotten this taken care of before you got Naga."
"Sorry." Korra replied. "We're new to Republic City. Only just arrived today."
"A migrant then?" the officer said. "Then you'll need to show me your passport and immigration papers. If you don't have them, or have misplaced them, then you'll need to report to a refugee center and wait for someone to sponsor you. But I won't lie to you, that could take a while. Most likely you'll end up deported, along with Naga."
"Okay." Korra said, smiling confidently at the officers. "Well I happen to know Tenzin, the Air Nomad Representative on the Council. Just let me talk with him and we'll get this taken care of fast as lightning."
For a brief moment, the men simply stared at her, then they burst out laughing.
"Um, I seem to have missed the joke." Korra said, her confidence giving way to confusion. "Tenzin IS a member of the Council, right?"
"Yes, yes, but, but…" one of the men gasped out between guffaws. "But a migrant like you knows the likes of Councilman Tenzin? Mere flotsam fresh from the sea? Don't make me laugh!"
"But it's true!" she yelled out, her confusion turning to anger. "Tenzin's known me since I was five years old!"
This just made the men laugh even harder, so much so that they leaned into each other to maintain their balance.
"Fine!" Korra declared, turning to Naga. "You don't believe me? We'll see what Tenzin says. Goodbye."
As she made her way to Naga, the two officers pulled themselves up, their laughter abruptly ending.
Clearing his throat, one of the men barked "Where do you think you're going?"
"To Air Temple Island." Korra replied, getting on Naga's back. "That's where Tenzin is, right? So to get this cleared up, I'll need to go see him. Just give me a few minutes and I'll take care of this no problem."
Hearing her reply, the men took an Earthbending stance, ready for action.
"We can't let you go." the second man stated. "You're an unregistered immigrant with an unlicensed animal. These are serious violations young lady, and unless you want to add to your list, you'll come with us down to Headquarters."
"Violations?!" Korra replied, surprised and indignant. "Are you arresting me?!"
"As a matter of fact, we are." the second man replied. "So, will you come quietly, or do we have to use force?"
"Young lady," the first man replied, cutting off his partner. "If you turn yourself in and come with us, I promise no harm will befall you nor Naga. When we arrive at Headquarters, we will contact Tenzin, and he'll come at the earliest he can."
"And how long will that take?" Korra asked, eyes fixed on the men.
"Depends on what he is doing right now," he answered, meeting her gaze. "But it'll probably be no later than the Hour of the Lemur, so about four hours from now."
"Four hours?!" Korra exclaimed. "And what will I be doing for four hours?"
"You'll have to stay at Headquarters and wait patiently." the officer replied, his voice strained with exasperation. "I know it's not fun, but it's the best for you and Naga. Now please, disembark and come with us."
Just then, they felt the ground shake, drawing their attention to an alleyway where they saw black and grey smoke billowing towards the sky. Instinctively, Korra and Naga ran off down the alleyway, ignoring the shouts of the police.
Running onto the street, Korra and Naga nearly collided with a Satomobile, forcing the surprised driver to veer off course and nearly onto the beach. Waving her hand in apology, Korra looked down the alley to determine the origin of the smoke. Thick, cloying, and smelling heavily of garbage and refuse, the smoke stung her eyes, making her cough while Naga whimpered and sneezed. Her eyes streaming, Korra reached down to her gourd, drawing water and wiping it across her eyes. Her vision returning, she then made a few sweeping motions, drawing the water in the air ahead of her, clearing away some of the smoke.
As she blinked her eyes dry, she looked down the alley to see what was happening. Through the haze, she saw two figures standing near a window, one that was clearly broken, and the origin of the smoke. Looking around, she saw one of the figures punch toward the window, fire streaming from their fist and into the window, causing more smoke to billow outward.
'A firebender!' she realized. 'They're burning the building!'
Jumping off Naga's back, she ran down the run-down, cramped alleyway, raring for a fight. Halfway down the alleyway, she felt the ground leap up, throwing her back into a garbage can, the contents spilling all over her. Spitting out the taste from her mouth, she saw the other figure, standing between her and the firebender, their arm bent at the elbow and pointed upward.
'An earthbender.' she deduced, flipping herself up to her feet. 'This will be interesting.'
Grabbing the can, she pulled her legs to her chest and then flipped herself up onto her feet, throwing the can at the black-masked earthbender. The can flew into his chest, but stomping the ground, they levitated a rock that deflected the can, spilling it and its contents across the street. Taking her stance, she fixed her eyes toward the earthbender, who was now standing behind the levitating rock, senses on high alert. The earthbender, sensing an opportunity, stomped the ground, levitating a second rock, then kicked the rocks at her, one after the other. Smirking, Korra jumped up over the rocks and sent off two fireballs at the earthbender, catching them off-guard and pushing them into a street lamp.
As she landed from her leap, Korra turned to the firebender and yelled "Stop! Stop what you're doing!"
After a brief pause, the firebender, who wore a similar mask, stated in a male voice "Take your own advice. Quit while you're ahead."
"Why would I do that?" Korra challenged, eyes locked on the firebender.
"We're from the Triple Threat Triad." he replied, taking his stance. "This is your only warning. You don't want to mess with the Triads or the Tongs."
"And why is that?" Korra asked, throwing a fireball at him. The firebender crossed his arms, dissipating the fireball and punched back, only for Korra to block his attack. Squatting down on one leg, she kicked out, sending a wave of fire at his feet, forcing him to jump, only to receive a fireball to the face, knocking him backwards. Sensing her advantage, Korra pressed her advantage, sending a flurry of fireballs at her opponent. Unable to keep up with her attacks, the firebender flew back onto his back. Seeing her opening, Korra ran at him, aiming to grab him.
Then, she felt her foot catch something, losing her footing and sending her sprawling facedown on the road, hitting the cobblestones hard. Slamming her eyes shut, spots flashing across her vision as pain shot through her body and the breath rushed from her lungs. Slowly, she pushed herself onto her hands and knees, her body screaming in protest.
"Run bro, run!" she heard a voice call out from her left, followed by running footfalls. Looking up, she saw the two figures run down the alley, disappearing into the smoke. Gritting her teeth, she pushed herself up and began running after them, her pain slowly ebbing into the back of her mind as she pushed herself onward.
The smoke caught in her lungs, making her cough and pausing her pursuit. Thinking quickly, she pulled her shirt up over her nose and mouth before resuming her pursuit, the cloth filtering out the smoke so she could breath. Breaking clear of the smoke, she saw the figures turn a corner to the left. Sprinting after her quarry, she found them trying to ascend a graffiti-covered brick wall, one on fire jets from his feet and the other via an earthen pillar from the ground.
Gritting her teeth, she charged forward and kicked the pillar, sending the earthbender tumbling to the ground. As they landed, Korra punched them square in the jaw, sending him into the pillar, before drawing water from her gourd and wrapping their arms and chest in her water tendrils. Exhaling slowly, she pushed her hands outward, freezing the water to the pillar and imprisoning them.
'One down' she thought, turning her attention to the firebender, just as he launched a fireball at her. Blocking it easily, she returned his fire, which he dodged by darting side to side on his fire jets. After taking a position near the entry of the alleyway, he unleashed a massive fire bloom, forcing Korra to block it and wreathing her in flames. The force was so strong, pushing her back, Korra dug her feet into the ground to maintain her footing.
Then, she heard a sound.
Ice cracking.
From behind her.
Eyes widening, she swept her arms across her, gathering the flames, and, pivoting on one foot, sent them flying back behind her. The redirected flames hit the earthbender square in the chest, slamming them once more against the pillar and breaking the rest of the ice.
As the earthbender slid down the pillar, Korra turned her attention back to the firebender, who had landed on the ground and sent out another fireball. Korra batted it away easily and launched her counterattack, a quick flurry of fireballs forcing him to zigzag out into the wider alleyway.
Frustrated, Korra sent out a fireball to her left and, while he jumped to her right, she stomped the ground, sending a wave of rock rippling through the ground. Just as the firebender landed the cobblestones jolted upward, disrupting his footing and sending him flat on his back.
Just then, she heard police sirens coming from above her. Looking up, she saw an airship hovering overhead, with policemen jumping down toward her, metal cables extending from their arms to hook onto the side buildings and glide them down.
"Cool! Metalbenders!" she exclaimed, excited by the sight. "I knew Toph discovered metalbending, but seeing it is something else!"
As the men dressed in grey trousers and metal armor with matching helmets touched the ground, one of them, a man about Tenzin's age with a trimmed beard turned to her and barked out "You! What happened?"
"These guys were burning a store in this alleyway." she replied, pointing down the way to the main street. "I tried to stop them, but they ran. We fought and I got them." she finished, smirking.
"Arrest them!" the policemen barked, pointing at the two benders before turning to Korra. "And you're coming with us."
"What?! Why?!" Korra exclaimed, her smirk vanishing from her face.
"We need to question you about what happened." he replied. "So we know how much damage was caused, though by the looks of it most of it was them. In any case, you're a key witness against them so you'll likely be called to testify against them. Did they specify if they were part of a group?"
Frowning briefly, Korra answered "They mentioned the Triple Threat Triad, yes. Are they a big deal?"
Furrowing his brow, the officer replied "They're not exactly a big deal. Their numbers and territory are pretty small compared to the larger, more established syndicates. The Agni Kai Triad or the Eight-Animals Tong for instance."
"But, they're a nasty lot." he continued, wincing at old memories. "Unlike the others, they incorporate a diversity of benders rather than just one. This makes them far more versatile, and dangerous. Not to mention, they've been expanding their operations through the city, moving on the other syndicates, so criminal activity has been escalating. We've lost more than a few officers trying to bring them in."
"Really?" Korra said, surprised at the revelation. "I would have thought the police would be more than capable of handling a few crooks."
"Republic City has more than a 'few crooks'." he snapped back. "Not to mention many of them don't go around proclaiming themselves to be crooks until it's too late. And metalbenders aren't exactly easy to train. We're stretched pretty thin trying to keep things from falling apart. And there are...other issues at hand."
"Like what?" Korra pressed, more curious than impatient.
"The chief can tell you more about it." he replied impatiently, looking over to his men apprehending the two arsonists. "But for now, we need to get them to Headquarters. And as a witness, you're needed as well."
"All right." Korra answered. "Just give me the directions and I'll take Naga there."
"Who's Naga?" he asked, his impatience replaced by confusion.
Turning to the alleyway, Korra yelled "Naga!" and whistled.
Soon after, they heard an excited barking, followed by Naga running into the alleyway, licking Korra on the face and startling the officers.
"I'm afraid I'll need to see your exotic animal license young lady." the officer said, his eyes wide with shock. "And I'll need to assign one of my men with you. Republic City is densely packed, so it's easy to get lost."
"Thanks officer." Korra said. "Just let Naga smell your man first. She's rather choosy about who rides on her back."
Nodding, he said "Song, you ride with her back to Headquarters."
"Yes sir!" Song said as he quickly made his way to Korra.
"Whoa Mr Song!" Korra said, halting his advance. "That's close enough for now. Let Naga come to you."
Turning to Naga she said "It's okay girl. This man is okay. Here, smell him."
Slowly, Naga walked to Song, who carefully reached out a single hand, letting her smell it. Working her way up the arm, she eventually came to his face, nuzzling and licking him. In return, Song reached behind her ears and began rubbing and scratching her, making her moan and sigh in contentment.
"Looks like she likes you Mr. Song." Korra said, smiling. Walking to Naga's flank she hoisted herself onto her back and gently pulled on her reins, turning Naga around.
"You ready?" Korra asked, holding out her hand. Nodding, he clasped hers tightly and pulled himself up into the saddle. "So where do we go from here?" she asked, leading Naga out into the main alleyway.
"First take a right, then right again when you hit the main street." Song replied, pointing down the alleyway. "I'll tell you where to go from there."
-Line Break-
"So let's make sure I understand you fully." Police officer Lin said, looking over her papers. "You felt a tremor, saw smoke billowing from an alleyway, and ran to investigate. You saw two men burning the shop, and confronted them. After a brief fight, you pursued them down the alleyway and engaged them again. You managed to subdue them just when the police arrived."
"Yes madam." Korra replied, nodding eagerly.
"So why didn't you call the police and stay out of the conflict?" she asked, placing herself opposite from Korra at the heavy metal table.
"I...I couldn't just sit by and do nothing." Korra replied, shocked at the question. "It's my duty to help. See, I'm the Avatar."
"I know." she replied flippantly. "But your status doesn't give you the right to dole out vigilante justice left, right, and center. We have strict laws against people taking the law into their own hands. Not to mention, you're in for more than just that."
"You mean the exotic animal license?" Korra asked, her eyebrow raised. "I'm willing to fill out the paperwork, and have Naga undergo the exam. Just send it in and I'll take care of it."
"That's not the whole of it, nor the worst." Lin replied, sitting down across from Korra. "There's also your lack of a passport and immigration papers. Avatar or no Avatar, we can't have people crossing the borders illegally. It would set a very bad precedent."
"Precedent for who?" Korra asked.
"All the refugees and illegal migrants in Republic City." Lin answered, crossing her arms. "More and more people are staying illegally in Republic City, many from the Earth Kingdom. The Earth Queen has been trying to assert more and more control over the Earth Kingdom, but her plans have been granting control of the various provinces to military commanders, displacing local leaders and driving taxes up. She's also tried establishing a uniform code of laws, without a grace period for the people to learn them beforehand. As a result of these policies, numerous rebellions have occurred within the Earth Kingdom, causing many to flee their homes. Some settle within other areas of the Earth Kingdom, and others flee to us."
"Aren't there...agencies or something to deal with them?" Korra asked. "I don't know how this stuff works but surely there are means to help them."
"Of course there are, but there's just so many of them!" Lin replied, pinching the bridge of her nose in exasperation. "We allow people to register as immigrants, and if they desire they can apply for citizenship, but they need to go through a medical and criminal background check first. One time, a sick migrant crossed the border illegally and caused a small outbreak in a district near the northeast border. Thankfully, we contained the outbreak before it could spread, but several people died before we could, so you can see why we're nervous."
"As a result of the backlog, many have turned to the syndicates, smuggling themselves across the border" she continued, one hand spread out to the side. "This not only puts us at greater risk, but the migrants as well. The syndicates don't usually bother with providing sufficient food or medicine for the journey, so many get sick, or even die, on the way here. Not to mention, these smugglers charge them exorbitant fees for their services, leaving the migrants with no money or possessions save for the clothes on their backs. As such, they have to take on low-paying jobs, but since they lack the documentation to get work legally, they often have to work for the syndicates themselves. This feeds their ranks, their purses, and increases our crime and disease rates."
"Furthermore, it's not just the refugees that are a problem." she finished, exhaling hard. "Nearly half of all our illegal migrants arrived here legally and simply overstayed their permits. As conditions in the Earth Kingdom have deteriorated, and tensions between our nations have increased, many of them have found it easier to just remain here, melting into the slums and grottos, swelling the population there and exasperating tensions between them and the natural-born citizens."
"Wow!" Korra said, eyes wide in shock. "I didn't know these migrants were such a problem."
"Well I wouldn't say that." Lin replied. "They've also been a great help to Republic City. As they accept lower wages, companies and businesses can charge lower prices, meaning more people can buy their goods and services, leading to more jobs as demand grows and supply expands to keep pace. Many of our businesses were actually started by immigrants, having saved money by living in the slums, taking advantage of the lower rents and property prices. This in turn increases our tax revenue, allowing us to invest in greater technology and infrastructure, meaning we can better feed, treat, and guard the people. The fact that many of these new businesses are in the poorer areas means they decrease unemployment in those areas, which in turn increases people's opportunities for advancement, and improves their quality of life."
"Not to mention, many of them have special skills, giving us a much needed influx of skilled labor and expertise, further growing our economy and expanding our technology." she continued, steepling her fingers. "These skilled services include medicine, research and development, and the military. Many of our best soldiers, scientists, and healers were originally immigrants that have acquired citizenship through hard work and service to the people. Lastly, without them, our population would not be as large, or as young, as it is, meaning we would be less productive and less able to help others."
"So they are both a blessing and a curse?" Korra asked, her head cocked to one side.
"Very succinct." Lin replied, nodding. "We need to find the appropriate balance. And as the Avatar, you need to set a better example."
"Balance? Balance is what I'm meant to bring!" Korra said, perking up. "If you need balance, I'm your girl! So I should get started right away!"
"Not so fast." Lin said, leaning across the table, impatience wreathing her words. "You still need to account for illegally entering the country, which carries a prison sentence of six months, with a possible additional fine of 1500 yuan. Your exotic animal license will cost an additional 50 yuan, and the damages caused by your battle is estimated at about 300 to 350 yuan, though given the fight was instigated by the two Triad members we've apprehended, the total will likely be half that at most."
"What?!" Korra exclaimed, jumping to her feet in shock only to be stopped by the handcuffs binding her to the table, slamming her hard on their backside. "I don't have that kind of money! What am I supposed to do?"
"Officer Beifong." a voice interrupted, drawing their attention. An officer had moved a plate in the wall, exposing his moustached face behind the bars. "Councilman Tenzin is here to see you."
"Very well." Lin sighed, standing up. "Bring him in."
"Beifong? Lin Beifong?!" Korra said, recognizing the name. "You're Toph's daughter! Your mother and Aang were friends!"
"What of it?" Lin replied just as the wall slid aside, revealing a very disappointed Tenzin in the doorway.
"Tenzin, I'm sorry." Korra said, smiling sheepishly. "I got a little sidetracked on my way to see you."
Breathing hard, Tenzin turned to Lin and, smiling, said "Lin, you're looking radiant as usual."
"Cut the garbage, Tenzin." Lin retorted, glaring Tenzin down. "Why is the Avatar in Republic City? I thought you were supposed to be moving down to the South Pole to train her?"
"I'm afraid that my relocation has been postponed for the time being." Tenzin replied, dropping his smile. "As for the Avatar, she will be heading back for the South Pole immediately, where she will remain."
"I will also cover whatever damages she has caused and take responsibility for her actions," Tenzin continued, ignoring Korra's spluttered "But-". "If you wouldn't mind dropping the charges against Korra."
"You're lucky." Lin replied, her eyebrows furrowing. "The damage was largely the fault of those Triad members; her primary crimes are entering the nation illegally and having an exotic animal without a license. I'm afraid she'll have to give testimony at their trials though, but until the dates are set she can be returned to the South Pole. Take her."
"Always a pleasure Lin." Tenzin said, giving a slight bow before turning to Korra. "Let's go Korra."
As Korra made her way to Tenzin, she turned to Lin, who, in the age-old gesture, raised her index and pinkie to her eyes and then pointed them at Korra. Korra, eyes wide in shock, bent forward and repeated the gesture before turning her back as the door slid shut behind her, leaving Lin stunned at the Avatar's audacity.
As Korra and Tenzin made their way to the front office, she glanced around at the cells on her side, seeing many of them containing two or three prisoners each. Some prisoners, perhaps one out of ten or twenty, seemed rather well-off, if the clean, well-made clothes and full faces were any indication. The majority, however, were dirty, with stained clothes and matted hair, and the smell made her wince. Taking a second glance, she noticed that some were rather thin, too thin to be healthy she thought.
Most disturbing, though, was that some cells seemed to contain families, with women and children. Some of the children were nearly her age, while others were little more than toddlers. At one cell, she could have sworn that there was a woman feeding a baby.
'At least those are in the minority.' she thought. 'Are they the illegal migrants Lin was talking about? I hope they get help soon.'
'Are all the cells here as full as this?' she pondered as they began descending a staircase to the front office. 'No wonder Lin's so grumpy. But still…'
"Excuse me sir" Tenzin said to a clerk seated behind a desk, interrupting her thoughts. "But this young lady came with a Polar Bear Dog. I presume she's detained in the holding pens for animals."
"Yes Councilman Tenzin." the clerk replied. "It took us a while to find a pen large enough to accommodate her, but we found one. Thankfully she's been very quiet and docile."
"Officer, how's Naga?" Korra asked, brushing past Tenzin. "Is she feeling all right?"
"Not to worry." the clerk replied. "We had a healer check her over, as per protocol, and she's perfectly fine."
"Thank you." Korra said, smiling in gratitude.
"Now that that's taken care of." Tenzin said, bringing her attention back to him. "As you are a witness against the arsonists the police took, you will be expected to give testimony against them. But until then, you and Naga will be on the first ship to the South Pole tonight."
"Tenzin, please don't send me back home." Korra pleaded.
"Korra, you blatantly disobeyed my wishes and the orders of the White Lotus." Tenzin said, his tone harsh and unyielding.
"Katara agreed with me." she said, waving her arms in emphasis. "She said my destiny is in Republic City."
"Don't bring my mother into this!" Tenzin snapped, his face turning red as a tomato-carrot. "And speaking of parents, think about what they are going through. How worried they must be. And your brother. How must he be feeling right now?"
Stunned by these words, Korra looked up at him and asked "Tenzin, have you seen Ryuukhan lately?"
"Not since I last visited the South Pole." he answered, looking up in thought. Then his eyebrows flew up, and, looking straight at her, he asked "Are you saying he came as well?".
"Yes, but not by the same means." Korra explained, causing Tenzin to stare in disbelief. "We couldn't smuggle Hina onboard a ship, and Naga's too heavy for her to carry. So, I stowed aboard a ship, and he flew Hina to Republic City."
"So you want to add child endangerment and illegal transport to your roster?" he said, his eyes wide and his face turning red once more. "Korra, I know the situation is frustrating, but surely you know better than this! What possessed you to go to these lengths, let alone drag your brother into it?!"
"I tried to talk him out of it!" she snapped. "I really, really did! But no matter what he refused to back down! He wanted to come! What could I do?! Chain him to his bed? He would have gone anyway. And it's not like we did this without thinking. We spent two weeks working out the details, pouring over maps, exercising Naga and Hina, gathering supplies. By Koh, we even fasted so we could practice going without food for a while and saving it for our familiars."
"All right, I can see you two went to a lot of trouble." he said, exasperatedly. "And for now, you'll be allowed to remain in Republic City, but once you and Ryuukhan are safe and sound, you'll both be sent back on the first transport home. Understood?"
"All right, all right." Korra said, waving her hands in front of her. "So what do we do first?"
"Uh, is this your Polar Bear Dog?" a voice interrupted them. Turning they saw Naga being led by a policeman holding her reins, just as she gave him a lick, leaving his hair swirled upward.
"Yes! Naga!" Korra called out, leaping out and hugging Naga around the neck. "Good to see you girl! And the healer says you've a clean bill of health! Great!"
"Glad that's settled." Tenzin said, cutting off the happy moment. "Now we need to find your brother. Do you know what route he took?"
"Yeah, he went by the Fire Nation route." she replied. "If you have a map, I can point it out. That will at least point out where he should be."
"We can help with that." the policeman who brought Naga interjected. "There's a world map here in the office. It's a physical map, showing the geographic features of the world rather than the political boundaries though, but that should suffice for your needs."
"Thanks officer." Korra replied. "If you could please time is of the essence."
-Line Break-
"Okay so we started off at the South Pole." Korra said, looking at the map sprawled on the table. "I took a ship to the Earth Kingdom coast, while Ryuukhan flew west by northwest to the Patola Archipelago. From there, he would fly to the Fire Nation, or the islands off the coast. Island-hopping along the coast, he would have eventually made it to the large island south of the coast here."
"And when would he have made it to the island?" Tenzin asked. "Hina's not exactly an endurance flyer, unlike Ohgi, so she would need to take rests rather frequently."
"Well based on our calculations, he would most likely have arrived either tonight or shortly afterward." she replied. "Meaning we have a good chance of finding him before long."
"Excellent," Tenzin said, sounding relieved. "That island is not only a major trading hub of Republic City, but it is also the main holding of the Eight-Animals Tong syndicate. The sooner we find him the better."
"The Eight-Animals Tong?" Korra repeated, the name triggering her memory. "One of the officers I spoke with mentioned them. How bad are they really?"
"They're one of the worst we have in Republic City." Tenzin replied. "Not only are they one of the oldest and most powerful of the syndicates, but their crimes are among the worst. In addition to protection rackets, extortion, gambling, smuggling, and brothels, they're up to their thighs in human trafficking. They extort money from desperate refugees and then sell them to Republic City officials and businessmen."
"Sell them?!" Korra exclaimed, shocked and horrified at the thought.
"They argue they only sell labor contracts, but due to clever wording, and the fact that many of their "clients" are illiterate, the difference is purely semantic." Tenzin explained, disgust plain on his face. "To make things worse, they do NOT discriminate based on age and sex. We've gotten cases of children as young as six or seven being sold as...I can't even say it."
Confused at first, Korra quickly picked up the meaning behind his words and felt her blood running cold at the thought. Staggering back a bit, she grabbed the table for support, using her breathing exercises to regain her senses.
"And they're STILL at large?!" she exclaimed, alternating between Tenzin and the officer that brought them to the map. "Surely there's something that can be done!"
"We do our best!" the officer interjected. "But where do we start? They have branches all over Republic City, so if we move on one base, they'll relocate to another, leaving us just enough men and material to keep us busy while they reorganize and rebuild. And even when we do catch them, we often lack sufficient evidence to make the charges stick, or even people willing to press charges or give testimony. Thus the higher-ups are charged with fines and released while the rank and file subordinates are imprisoned and replaced by the core organization."
"Couldn't you use those imprisoned to tell you where the others are?" Korra asked.
"We try, but the syndicate is organized as a series of isolated compartments." Tenzin interjected. "Each compartment only knows the full complement of itself, with no information on the others. The only ones who do know the full scope of the organization are the higher-ups, but we've had very little success in apprehending them."
"We HAVE successfully curbed their activities." the officer stated, drawing their attention. "Over the years, we've broken up their worst activity rings, like most of their trafficking and protection racket schemes. We've also confiscated large sums of money and other illegally obtained goods, arrested their leaders, and investigated their business partners, curbing their means of conducting criminal activity. It's an arms race: as we improve our abilities, they improve theirs to compensate."
"It's not as much as we would like, but it's the best we can do." Tenzin lamented. "Still, right now the important thing to do is get Ryuukhan as soon as possible. One thing I want to know is why did you and Ryuukhan take different routes."
"We planned on going the same route, so we could support each other if needed." Korra answered. "We originally planned for the Earth Kingdom, but then we heard about the Earth Queen, and her insatiable hunger for rare meats. Apparently she ate Bosco, her father's bear, so we decided that might not be the best route. We planned to go via the Fire Nation route, but I made a mistake with the ships. By the time I realized my mistake, it was too late to go back and going to the Fire Nation first would delay our rendezvous. So I decided to stick with the original plan as best I could."
"An understandable mistake." Tenzin said, stroking his beard in thought. "It's the little ones that the world turns on. Well, at least we know where to start. I'll talk to Lin about organizing a search party, and in the meantime, you and Naga will stay here and await further instructions."
"But-"Korra spluttered, only to be railroaded by Tenzin who snapped "That's an order, Korra."
"Very well Tenzin." Korra replied, bowing her head in resignation as Tenzin stormed off to see Lin.
'I'll await further instructions all right.' Korra thought as she looked over the map and tried to think. 'But once those instructions are in, I'm out to find my brother.'
Thoughts running through her mind, she came upon a reasonable plan when she heard footfalls approaching. Looking up she saw Tenzin, Lin, and about ten officers walking toward her.
"So, what's the plan?" she asked, running to intercept them.
"The plan is to take an airship over to the island to begin our search." Lin replied, locking eyes on Korra. "You will be with Tenzin at all times, and your role will be as support, nothing else."
"Support?!" Korra exclaimed, eyes wide in shock and confusion. "I'm the Avatar! I can fight!"
"How much fighting have you done?" Lin asked, cutting Korra off. "You may be the Avatar, but that doesn't change the fact that you're also a fourteen-year-old girl with very little, if any, combat experience. Your main role will be tracking him. If you have something of his, then Naga can track him down. If there's a fight, you stay out of the way and do as I order. And if you can't handle that, then we'll leave you behind, understood?"
Closing her eyes tightly, Korra clenched her jaw and fists attempting to relieve her frustration before, slowly, opening them and answering "Understood, madam."
"Very well, let's move out everyone." Lin said, leading the group out onto the landing grounds, flat as a mirror with vehicles of all types, motorcycles, Satomobiles, and airships, parked alongside wide lanes leading out to the main street.
'Here we go.' Korra thought, as they boarded a nearby airship.
-Line Break-
Well this chapter was rather short, but my fingers and drive were having a hard time after the last one. You might also note how controversial the references and analogies are. I tried to handle these topics with as much thought and care as I could, with understanding on both sides of the issue. On the one hand, illegal crossings pose a significant health and safety risk, so we can't have fully open borders. On the other hand, migrants are a massive economic asset, and are humans like you and me, so can we deprive them of rights for our own benefit? I'll let you decide.
You also might think Korra's overreacting to waiting for four hours, but you'll notice the hours refer to animals, like the Chinese clock, where each hour is equivalent to two hours in the west. So her reaction is more understandable.