Now there was starting to be enough daylight to proceed, Korra started to make a start on the plan she had worked out with Asami.
There was a possibility this stuff wouldn't be needed, but she'd rather be looking at it than for it.
She flew at the missile site with several small rocks in tow, metalbending the overhead phone lines apart and then punching out the exterior security team with the rocks.
She then entered the control room, metalbending the door in and maintaining a ring of water diagonally around her shoulders so that she could punch people out with blocks of ice on an as needed basis.
She was eventually confident she was the only one awake in the place and sent "Asami, Korra, strong hold secure, now what?"
"Going over Jinoras notes, Granitopolis have sent four hundred sixty three Tons of Uranium to Bomb Town, more a city than a town, but anyway, they make the explosive ordnance for the alliance, and this is where I start having to guess," said Zhu as she and the other leaders consumed some of the snack bars Mako had grabbed them. Zhu continued "zero point seven two percent of that uranium will be fissionable. If you want a reactor, you can get away with as little as four percent, you want to do explosives, the richer the better, that takes me outside of the data I have memorised, if we assume they go for a hundred percent, that gives about a third of a ton of enriched uranium."
"What's involved in enriching Uranium? It sounds like a bit of a nightmare if the isotopes are chemically identical and almost identical in terms of nuclear mass," asked Izumi.
"The solution Asami and Varrik have settled on is centripetal separation using Uranium Hexaflouride, you react your uranium with hydroflouric acid, gets you your Uranium Hexaflouride, you then spin it in a centrifuge, and that marginally enriches the uranium compounds towards the centre of the centrifuge."
"That sounds excruciatingly slow," noted Izumi.
"It is," replied Zhu, "so I'm almost certain they're not going for full enrichment, but because I never had the numbers run on what would be sufficient, I can only guess at the lower limit, like, seventy percent, eighty percent? … That could be up to 4 and three quarters tons at seventy percent."
"How many nuclear weapons can that make?" asked Izumi.
"This is where it gets tricky," said Zhu, "just the bare enriched Uranium you get criticality, that is a rate of neutron multiplication exceeding 1, at 17 centimetres diameter, about 52 kilograms, you can shrink that with materials that reflect neutrons, that includes metals such as beryllium, and tungsten carbide, reducing the critical diameter, but because that's not something I've studied or commissioned a study on, I don't know. The explosive yields of these devices are into silly numbers of kilotons of blasting jelly equivalent, each enough to destroy a ship or a forward operating base, so it makes sense that they want numbers of small weapons than any really big ones which could go into the megatons or gigatons."
"Spirits," commented Izumi.
"Bet Sozin, Azulon and Ozai would have loved that," noted Zhu.
"And Azula had she served for more than five minutes," replied Izumi.
"Would they even have any use for a gigaton device?" asked Desna.
"Masturbation," replied Eska.
"Thought that's what hurting slaves was for," replied Desna.
"People can have multiple kinks," replied Eska.
"True," replied Desna.
"A fleet of ships would me a suitable target for a megaton device," said Izumi, "if you do go down the route of making nuclear explosive weapons, you'd probably look to create a mix of yields estimating what your needs could be, in that sense it's like any other weapon system, how many of what size might you need times a suitable safety factor to ensure you are never caught short."
"There is something else to be aware of," said Zhu, "these transactions happened over the last eleven weeks, and they did mention the delivery of what they refer to as 'nukes' but Jinora only having heard the conversations, doesn't know if they're spelt 'n u k e' or ' e' or ignoring grammar spelled 'n u c e', and one thing that was asked was if the yield is still 1182 ton or have they been able to lower it, they being bomb town, nobody explains to anyone else what these weapons consist of, so that they were up to speed on the terminology tells me they've had this stuff for a while, and they could have spent years enriching uranium for this application."
"We can't put an upper limit to that," said Zhu, "not without getting a look into their books."
"He wants Jinora back, perhaps she can-" started Desna.
"Fuck! No! Desna, a fucking universe of fuck! No!" replied Zhu.
"But you were happy to do a deal that tolerates slavery in exchange for a penalty Granitopolis is happy to price in," replied Eska.
"I did the deal, I wasn't fucking happy about it," said Zhu, "and I'm getting less happy by the planck time, I can only do it if I can pretend the reality on the ground away, and I keep thinking about Jinora getting the shit kicked out of her to … " Zhu trailed off.
"Facilitate her being continuously raped and made to drink urine, fresh out the genitalia," said Desna, whistfully smiling.
"And sleep and eat like a kept animal," added Eska, also looking content in the imagery in mind.
Izumi eventually said "if you're done trolling Zhu, we need to get moving."
"We're not, but we can troll and move at the same time," said Eska.
The heads of state got up and started gathering everyone quietly, and as they got into motion Izumi formed up next to Zhu and said "the role you fill can't be filled by anyone that's happy with this stuff, you may have to do these deals for the good of your nation, but don't ever numb yourself to the consequences."
"Right. … That's healthy," replied Zhu.
"You recall how opposed I was to initiating aggression against the Earth Empire before Kuvira invaded Republic City's territory?" asked Izumi.
"Yes," replied Zhu.
"The reason for … Well, one of the reasons, dad had me sit on every veterans affairs committee since I was old enough to speak and write and read the transcripts from the ones that happened before I was born and before I could read, I was supposed to understand as best I could the cost of war, and the stupid prize foremost in my mind from the stupid game of world domination was the tsunami of injured and traumatised soldiers, I must have clocked up something like six years, possibly eight, listening to everything relating to the care needs in graphic detail. … I learned lessons from a war more than a century ago, and they worked out to be wrong for the bid by Kuvira to take over the world."
"Okay, so … " Zhu had to think a long time before she replied "did that actually have a point, because it feels like a round about way of saying 'you may or may not have picked the shiniest turd of an option'."
"Actually, that was pretty much it, and that's what being a head of state is always going to be about," said Izumi.
"Right," replied Zhu.
"Yeah, that was of less help than I was hoping," replied Izumi, "Never mind," as they carried on moving.
"Pi, we've made contact with the third missile station to go offline, apparently it was the avatar," said the security chief.
"Damage?" asked Pi.
"Cables connecting the missile turret to the control room were severed, all staff knocked out and drugged and left in a store room, estimate about 20 minutes to fix."
"She's probably on the current frequency too isn't she?" asked Pi.
"Yep," replied the security chief.
Pi sighed, said "get ready to track her location," and sent "All from Pi, pogo channel foxtrot, Korra, a word?"
There was a delay.
"Korraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa?" sent Pi.
Eventually Korra replied "Pi, Korra," and then there was a 4 second belch.
"Got her, seven zero degrees, eight seven klick, track one eight zero degrees, cherubs one."
"Korra, Pi, did you just belch?"
"Pi, Korra, I'm still waiting for your belch."
"Korra now eight five degrees, eight four klick, track two six two degrees, cherubs one."
The operator of the tracking gear was marking all the locations on a transparent film over the screen.
Pi shrugged and tried offering his own belch which lasted about 2 seconds.
Eventually Korra sent "Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha haaaaaaaa, come on, belch like you mean it, big slave owning manly man like you, surely to fuck you can do better."
New bearing, range, heading, altitude was read out with every transmission.
Pi swallowed some great big gulps of air and this time sent "Korra, Pi," and this time a six second belch.
Korra replied "Ooh, I'll have to really work to top that, I'm going to find a shop and chug something fizzy, give me a few."
"Keep me updated," sent Pi. He then asked "Okay, where's she been going?"
"Her general trend has been towards Granitopolis, she either doesn't care we see it or she wants us to think it as she does something else."
"How smart is she? She presents as a dudette sis, but you don't get to master all four elements and pick up metalbending and spiritbending if you're a dumbarse," noted Pi.
"It gets worse when you remember whose rug she's munching, and that she's been talking to her all night, but yes, she's an instinctive fighter, can evolve immediate actions on her feet, even if she was on her own we'd still be having problems," adds the security chief.
"Spirits. … Right, we should probably relocate ourselves so we can't be cut off from the retrieval efforts, by the way how haven't we caught up with them by now?"
"We keep losing people and mech suits down holes, the fugitives have at least Rinah and probably a few of their own earthbenders setting deadfall traps, so we're in the process of organising sonar stations to track those traps, that could get us the information we need to intercept them in force," said the security chief.
"It would be amusing if that stunt were to backfire on them," said Pi.
The leaders came to the edge of the forest and crouched down, signalling for the rest of the people to do the same.
Looking out from the edge there was a dried riverbed, so no moving water to cross (on the other hand that also meant there was nothing for Desna or Eska to bend if they get contacted here), and plenty of forest cover on the other side, but about 50 to 70 metres of crap all cover.
"I think we need to tunnel under," said Izumi, "it's a bit of a distance, but that gives us the only means of crossing unseen."
"No argument here," said Zhu, "we'll need to wait for our earth benders to find us, they should be done creating that decoy track by now, that creates another problem though, as soon as the enemy set up a sonar station, the tunnel we're going to make will be clear as a glaring sun."
"Yes," replied Izumi as she checked the map. "We'll still have about fifteen kilometres to a border into Wu's kingdom." She thought about the situation.
"We can't move fast enough to outrun them when they get a reliable read on our location," said Zhu, "not on foot, we may have to pencil in a fight."
"Indeed," said Izumi, still studying the map of the space between them and the border, "we just need to come up with a way for it to work in our favour."
Zhu also looked at the map, hoping to be able to add something useful to the conversation.
Korra finally got done modifying the last missile station controls and sent "Asami, Korra, that's it for the controls, now we need to deal with all these warheads I've been lugging around."
"Korra, Asami, got that, now, there's something we can do to simplify this, but you're going to be directly modifying the detonator circuit, so preventing electrostatic discharges through the detonator bridgewire is, well, glaringly obvious at this point, fucking single point implosion, bunch of dickheads, honestly. Alright, let's get started."
Even without the nuclear fuel, there was enough high explosives to splatter Korra across the walls behind her in a single warhead, but Korra decided against pointing this out as they were a bit fucked for time.
Jinora crawled up to Zhu and Izumi and asked "what's the situation?"
"We can't cross without revealing our location," said Zhu, "we think the enemy will be employing sonar kit to track our decoy trail and that means they'll see any tunnel we create clear as day when our earthbenders return to us."
"Mako and I could use our lightning bending to create electromagnetic interference and then make our own way out, but the enemy will be able to home in on our location and then the spotters will still have you crossing memorised and be able to report that in," said Izumi.
"As long as Pi doesn't know I passed on my information to you he might be more interested in where I'm at than where you're at."
"Yeah, still no," replied Zhu, annoyed this keeps fucking coming up.
"Still?" asked Jinora and then said "Right. Creepy twins. Irrelevant. My information's useless if you don't escape with it. I have no intention of surrendering, I will make them kill me if I can't fight my way out, but if they catch up with us, you'll be faced with a futile fight to the death on my behalf."
"We're still not sending you off on your own," said Zhu, "I think I can meet you half way though."
"What are you thinking?" asked Izumi.
All the data was being routed through Pis airship, which served as his flying base away from base.
"By the way," said the security chief as they took off, "the council are calling again, they will pass a motion of no confidence if you do not contact them with a convincing explanation by noon."
"Aww, motherfuckers," said Pi, he thought and said "we'll have to give them the same story we're giving the rest of the world, we are trying to free Renih."
"Okay, now, or later so they have to mull it over and push back the no confidence motion?"
Pi thought a bit and said "Okay, pick a time that will force back the no confidence motion and call them then. Let's just capture or kill that fucking air slut."
"Boss, you want to see this, sonar station just picked up a tunnel under a dry river bed 4 kilometres west of where the traps made us think they were," said the sonar relay officer.
"Must have thought the area was chock full of spotters," said the security chief.
"Okay, move everyone, pick up their trail, we might get this resolved before that motion even opens for debate," said Pi, starting to feel a strong sense of hope.
"Korra, Bolin, our radar is tracking ground vehicles moving west along a dry riverbed, they're swarming on something, I think they've found your group."
"Bolin, Korra, copy, will get eyes on, Asami, be ready to crunch those numbers, Bolin, request directions to initial point."
"Math department ready and waiting," replied Asami, watching the screen tracking Korras transmissions, ready with a paint pen, her math department listening in with the various machines spooled up and ready to produce numbers to the power of other numbers and carry out pythagarus operations.
If they could transfer microfiche technology to somehow screenprint dopants onto semiconductor blocks they might be able to shrink these machines down to suitcases and maybe even down to the size of the current generation of radios, but that could be a decade away. For now this was as good as they had.
"Our spotters keep seeing Cumbucket tracking just inside the foliage near the riverbed," said the security chief.
"Right … … there's no good reason for them to have her doing that unless they might already know she's who we're really after, which in turn implies she's already told them what she knows," said Pi.
"Okay, this creates a problem," said the security chief, "containing the information means potentially killing or indefinitely detaining all of them, we're pricing in bedding in the state of war."
"We have nukes," said Pi, "we're unassailable."
"And broke if no fucker will trade with us," said the security chief.
"Okay, that case, here's what we do, we capture everyone who isn't a head of state, and hold them indefinitely, maybe Cumbucket already told them what we've been doing with her," said Pi.
"Or we could stop digging," said the Security chief, "the original plan might help you keep your current job, we have a solid claim to Cumbucket under our own law, the avatar too if we can capture her since she's been directly attacking our defence assets, maintaining our veil of secrecy, we have to write that off, that's the shiniest turd option."
Pi fumed and eventually said "Fucking fine!"
Jinora kept running along the forest maintaining the planned depth when she heard vehicles along the dried riverbed, she kept glancing out as well as down, frustrated she didn't have the mobility of an air scooter.
When she saw the vehicles come into view she turned about 30 degrees north to get deeper in, she needed to tie these guys up.
She eventually stopped and aimed through the foliage seeking the sources of the footsteps and when she thought she was sure enough she was aiming at one of them she sent a burst, she then caught sight of another and sent another burst, and the footsteps stopped, prompting Jinora to run along her new track.
The enemy started running after her again and suddenly four to the north of the formation immediately after Jinora were projected hard into the air by sticks of rock that got earth bent out of the ground.
"Looks like their game is to spread thin and pin us with fire and manoeuvre tactics," said the security chief.
"Whatever, flank them at distance and dig in," said Pi, "we can then tighten the noose at our leisure and force their surrender."
It was a bit frustrating not being in real time contact with the rest of the group, Zhu and Wu were left with Eska and Desna since there wasn't enough water around them for those two to really get into it, they it turned out had less ammunition than the non-benders.
They continued north as the rest of the group kept the enemy at a distance.
Suddenly they saw Korra overfly their location on her glidestaff … … that looked like it had been sewn together by the least talented seamstress on the planet.
"Is Korra in contact with your office?" asked Wu.
"I fucking hope so, we urgently need support," replied Zhu.
A few seconds later, Korra was flying towards them just over head height level, almost at stall speed, holding out a radio pack, she released it before she overflew Zhu, and Zhu caught it and Korra accelerated and climbed out.
Zhu checked the frequency and sent "Anyone from Zhu li, comm check?"
"Zhu Li, Bolin, good to hear you."
"Korra's been spotted overflying the contact area," said the security chief, "she's not directly attacking our ground forces, I don't think she fancies her chances in that situation. It's likely she's feeding intel back to Republic City."
"There's nothing Republic City can do about it," said Pi, "but get our fighters over there, see if we can at least kill Korra if not capture her."
"JINORA! NEW PLAN! CONVERGE ON ZHU LI!"
"COPY!" Shouted Jinora as she sent three more bursts and then broke into a flat out run north east, that final burst had emptied the current magazine, so she dropped it out of the SMG, not bothering to hang on to it because the fight will be over one way or another before she would get a chance to reload any of them. She passed two earth benders who were sending rocks to the enemy as they peeled in their intended direction.
It again became Jinoras turn to lay down suppression fire, and she did, seeing hostiles moving through the foliage in the distance and sending bursts into them and making them have to rethink what they're doing.
Until the SMG was pulled out her hands, almost pulling her with it.
And then her wrist cuffs were pulled.
And that did pull Jinora with them, prompting her to shout "SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!" as she flew through leaves and branches, ultimately colliding with a tree and landing on her arse.
And suddenly her hands, feet, and the lower half of her head were encased in rock, the rock around her lower head intruding into her mouth filling the space and immobilising everything in her mouth, forcing her rapid respiration through her nostrils as the fact she was back in enemy custody and being carried further away from friendly forces sunk in and she violently struggled hard against her restraints, this can't fucking happen again, she can't allow it to happen again.
She kept refusing to absorb the fact this fight was over, she had to escape, she had to break out. The fact she couldn't just kept being rejected and rejected and rejected because she had to get out, there was no couldn't allowed in front of her escape.
"Zhu, Asami, initiating fire mission now."
"Copy," replied Zhu.
"ZHU, THEY GOT JINORA!" shouted Mako as everyone arrived at Zhus location.
"WHAT?" replied Zhu. The exact fucking thing she had feared would happen, and what did it fucking go and do? Happen.
"Jinora's been recaptured, it happened as everyone was peeling in," said Mako as he got close enough to talk normally.
"Zhu, Asami, shot out."
"Asami, Zhu, they recaptured Jinora."
"Got that, standby," replied Asami.
Several seconds later, Tenzin sent "Excuse me, Zhu Li from Tenzin, what … the … fuck?"
"Zhu, Asami, Jinora will be well clear of the splash zone by the time the missiles arrive, the safe play will be to allow the strike to happen, and then the air nomads can locate Jinora and direct the rest of us to assist, aborting the attack will simply mean you face greater opposition when pursuing Jinora."
"Asami, Zhu, copy, awaiting splash warning."
"All our voice comms started getting jammed just after we heard cumbucket was recaptured," said the security chief.
"We're still getting radar telemetry," said the radar officer, "we're seeing clusters of missiles from our own missile stations, all headed for the fugitives, and now a fourth, I think that's what Korra was really doing-"
The Radar officer was interrupted by Pi shouting in rage and kicking one of the outer walls of the airship. The security officer went to the helm and said "land us in the dry river bed south of the contact area, perhaps having cumbucket back in custody will give us options now they know we have her."
"Korra searching for Jinora, ain't fucking losing her again." This was unbelievable, they were on the verge of getting everyone out, and this again. Motherfuckers.
"Korra, Asami, negative, bandits swarming on your location, we need to sort that out now, you'll be capable of doing shit all if we don't."
Korra growled into her mask and eventually said "Asami, Korra, copy, awaiting directions."
"Korra, Asami, head zero seven zero, cherubs three, speed buster."
"Zero seven zero, cherubs three, buster, Korra moving." Korra went into Avatar mode to boost her power and firebent thrust that took her supersonic and kept accelerating, she was going to need as much kinetic energy as she could build for the next phase.
Jinora was starting to tire but kept struggling against her stony restraints as she was carried by the same restraints out of the forest to the dry riverbed, as she saw the airship land, with Pi stood on the end of the ramp.
He was probably going to do that thing she had been trying to avoid thinking about again.
She tried not thinking about it, even though she had rock wrapped around her face and her wrists, she had to avoid thinking about it, she had to focus on escape.
Find a means of escape, find a means to disrupt the individual bending the rocks that were restraining and carrying her.
Pi was walking up to her again, having just regained custody over her, saying "Are those clothes Cumbucket?" He bent the stone gag to instead form a posture collar around her neck and squeezed that, restoring the full terror Jinora had felt when she had first been broken in by Pi, "I'm going to have to break you in all over again aren't I?"
There was then a number of tightly grouped explosions behind Jinora, and another at a differing volume, and then another, and then another.
What the fuck were those?
"You hear that?" asked Pi, "That's the sound of nobody coming to rescue you. Also, bonus, everyone's got an empty chair or throne to fill, guess what we get to do? Expand! Maybe you helped us out after all."
Jinora speculated on the possibility Pis forces had managed to kill all the people that had tried to rescue her, Zhu Li, Mako, Izumi, the airship crew, meaning her information hadn't gotten out after all.
She had caused the deaths of so many people she knew and cared deeply about.
Although Desna and Eska she wasn't massively enchanted by, so …
Worse though, their states were all going to be thrown into a state of anything ranging from paralysing indecision to a full on Earth Kingdom style collapse that to this day the rest of the world were struggling to help them with, only now Republic City and the Fire Nation and Northern Water Tribe would be having their own issues.
Everything was now immeasurably worse. What was the point in trying to escape any more? She wouldn't be able to face everyone back home even if she were to escape.
All she could do is defy Pi Fahoun, this time around, she would be facing the terror head on. … or try to … She feared not being able to, the reasons she had previously been fighting down the memories and shoving them deep into the back of her mind stood, but she didn't need to be able to move to do what she was seeking to.
"Whatever," Jinora eventually said, "done caring."
"Really?" asked Pi.
"Yeah, fuck everything, and fuck you, go suck off a badgermole."
This prompted Pi to strangle Jinora with the rock collar as he said "Okay, I'm really going to have to work you over, I'd have thought the last time would have been sufficient. It's fine, gives me a vector to work out my rage, that's what you're here for after all, to be our stress toy cumbucket."
He then heard his security chief call out "Pi, we can't stay here."
"Fine," said Pi as he bent more rocks into a helmet around Jinoras head, weighing about 80kg with a flat surface on the front, with kinked breathing holes that would eat any noise Jinora would make, that squeezed painfully against the sides of Jinoras head.
Jinora was unable to hear anything going on around her as she was first carried by her head, her feet … … not on the ground, that's all she knew about her feet, for … … Fucked if she knew, and then she was set back on the ground, but then her head by its granite helmet was dragged forward and allowed to fall, leaving her bent over with her head down on a steel floor, the shock transferring to her skull making her fear massive fractures running around the sides of her cranium if more of the same happened, her heart doing 200(?)bpm, her head feeling ice cold, everything was terrifying, her neck at an angle that left her on her hands and knees, blind and deaf feeling the force of the helmet pushing in on the sides of her head with enough force to make her fear her skull cracking around one side or the other.
But if that were to happen and go undiscovered by the time the rocks came off her head, and she were to be dead from that, Pi would no longer have her around to torture. That's probably about as much of a penalty as she was capable of inflicting upon him.
It'll have to do.
"Korra, Asami, shot away, standby to climb vertical."
"Korra ready to climb vertical."
"Korra Asami, standby, standby, and … … Go."
Korra climbed, continuously adding thrust as she climbed, leaving mountaintops, then cumulus layers, headed for cirrus layers, feeling herself bloat and her ears pop from the depressurisation. She maintained an internal mantra "dive on command, chaff on command, dive on command, chaff on command, dive on command, chaff on command," the chaff charge she had salvaged from the airship and rigged to a bodged together command box, when she dives, she would untie the chaff charge and let that drift to the end of the command wires tied to her webbing, and when commended to, she would initiate the chaff charge.
"dive on command, chaff on command, dive on command, chaff on command, dive on command, chaff on command,"
There was plenty of recorded incidents from aircraft pilots and air nomads of impaired thinking ability at altitudes exceeding 10000ft, normally planned flights over that altitude involved huffing pure oxygen or pressurisation of the inhabited spaces.
Korra would be spending about half a minute over 10000ft.
She could literally die of stupidity if she failed to maintain focus.
"Okay, we got Cumbucket back, what's next?" asked the security chief as they arrived on the bridge of the airship as it climbed out.
"Do we have ANY means of communication?" asked Pi.
"The medium frequency bands are clear, we could send a telegraph and hope someone's still monitoring that," said the radio officer.
"We have our people do that and it would be prudent for all other nations to do it too, so it's a reasonable bet," said the security chief.
"Fine, tell them the fate of their insurgent air nomad will depend on the behaviour of-"
"Sirs? Missiles just lifted off, four it looks like, think it's one of our nuclear missile batteries," said the radar officer.
"Korra Asami dive now."
Korra pitched back, but couldn't effect the angular velocity she normally achieved.
Because there's no fucking air up here.
Well very little fucking air.
She firebent some thrust to pitch back, and what else did she need to do? She firebent thrust to push herself back to the ground, what's the other thing? Erm …
'Chaff. Need to initia- NO! FUCKING NO! NOT WITH IT TIED TO YOU YOU FUCKING CLITORIS!'
She untied the charge, letting it drift to the end of the command leads and resumed firebending thrust to push herself back to the ground.
Some cracking noises happened below her, followed by whooshing noises.
And something punched her in the right side of her lower back and made her right hip hurt like nothing else.
Korra spent a full 15 seconds getting her shit back together.
Jinora felt someone grab the back of her shirt, and then felt it loosen around the back. She concluded someone was cutting it down the back.
She planted her hands to resist the removal of the material, as if that would do any good with no realistic way to reattach the cover to her chest, but she lacked the raw strength to resist this fucker from just pulling her hands out the sleeve holes, so that was gone.
Then her shoes were unlaced and removed.
Her trousers were unbuckled by a pair of hands, okay, definitely not Pi, this person was built differently. Her trousers fell around her knees.
The ends of the leg holes were then pulled down past her feet and the waist was yanked under her knees roughly enough she felt painful levels of abrasion under them.
That was it. Back to her normal mode of dress ignoring the painfully tight fitting boulder squeezing her head.
A finger and thumb pinched the outside of her right breast, painfully. The person pinching her breast did that a couple of seconds and then tried twisting the flesh. The finger and thumb eventually let go and the site throbbed with pain, she speculated that could produce a bruise.
Then a pair of knees between her lower legs and a hand around her right hip, and a dick at her cunt, and in it pushed, producing all the familiar pain since, as usual, she was being fucked while dry, the pain being an intended outcome, and each thrust adding to the force straining her skull in that boulder, maybe this would crack her skull.
Probably not, just abrade her scalp on her temples and a bit beyond is the most likely outcome. Currently she could do nothing but think about the upcoming rock hug Pi would be giving her when he had enough time to do it.
"Korra Asami chaff now."
Korra pushed the two buttons on the two sides of the command box, they had been wired in series for the express purpose of preventing an uncommanded detonation.
Her right foot was no longer engaging with the glide staff and that meant there was nothing for her left foot to engage with either, so she was going to have to just hang from her glidestaff by her hands when it came time to pull out, which was at Korras discretion, she wanted to be as close to the ground as possible, ideally about treetop level for when the explosions happened.
Korra noticed a cold clammy sensation over her entire body as she pulled out, and she was greying out way more than she should be. Even after she was level at about 1G, she was still greying.
She was fucked if she didn't get help soon.
"Mayday, mayday, mayday, Korra, gunshot wound, lower right back."
"They should definitely be monitoring those channels, why the fuck haven't we heard anything back?" asked Pi.
"Their command centre's probably too busy for some spook monitoring some obsolete channel to easily get to," replied the security chief.
"Sirs, those missiles, they're way heavier than they should be," said the radar officer as he consulted the datacards on the missiles.
"How do you diagnose that?" asked the security chief.
"By this point the missiles ought to be doing mach 6, they're in fact doing mach 2, I don't have the ability to do the math on the fly to give exact numbers, but that's a stonking difference, either all four missiles have shit motors or all four missiles are carrying massively heavier payloads."
"Can we order our planes the fuck out of there?" asked the security chief.
"No, channels are jammed solid," replied the radar officer.
"Super. Pi, we're about to lose our air force," said the security chief.
"Asami, Tenzin, moving to rescue Korra."
"Tenzin, Asami, steer three three zero for now, the flash might dazzle your air bison and cause it to panic."
Tenzin did just that saying "Tenzin steering three three zero."
"We're losing time on Jinora," said Kai.
"Okay, all but Bumi pursue Jinora, you know where the splash zone is, steer well clear until after the explosion, Bumi, I may need you to provide an updraft so I can get under Korra if she's too low by the time we get there," said Tenzin.
Kai, Ikki, Meelo, Opal, Enuk, Otaku and Tsemo took off from the air bison, deploying their wing suits and flying south west as fast as they were able to, checking in on their comms systems, standard issue as of 9 weeks ago, thanks to Jinoras disappearance, where a distinct lack of information had been the unassailable obstacle to knowing what the fuck had happened to her. If she had been able to report her situation and actions in real time, perhaps she wouldn't have disappeared in the first place.
Just a couple of years ago, the minimum size of these radio packs would have been a significant weight hanging off of them, now it was a half litre pack weighing 2kg.
Asami and Varrik keep at it, who knows what they'll have in a few years time.
The surroundings got real bright for a few seconds as a loud crack sounded over the radio, and Tenzin sent "Asami, Tenzin, comm check."
"Tenzin, Asami, steer one six five buster, Korra last seen heading two seven zero, cherubs one decimal five. Please save her." Asamis concern was audible. Tenzin could definitely relate. He had read up on this alliances shared laws on slavery, and this even viler punitive example slave status, that it sounded like his daughter had been subjected to, tattooed airbending master in a place that hates the air nation for opposing slavery, what else would they want to do with her?
And she was back in their custody again.
This situation was turning Tenzin into Korra vis a vis her hair trigger temper.
"Tenzin steering one six five," replied Tenzin. He then said "Bumi, fly ahead, find Korra."
As Bumi took off, they heard the cluster of explosions that had produced that light and the EMI they had heard over the radio.
"Chief, we have another of our airships ahead of us approaching us, they're using morse via a spotlight to order us to dock with them," said the helmsman as another crewmember retrieved a spotlight to reply.
"Good, reinforcements, we can work with that," said Pi.
"Neat. … With them do what though?" asked the security chief.
"You know, you could show some fucking unity in front of the troops," said Pi.
"There's nothing to unify behind, we're no longer capable of capturing anyone else, our sole hostage is Cumbucket, we have no air defences, the best we can do is drop you off and you do a runner."
"NO! I WILL WIN THIS!" said Pi, just as their roof guards fell past the windows, drawing everyones attention.
Luckily they all had parachutes.
Unluckily, what knocked them off the roof in the first place?
"Asami, Kya, Korra on board, unconscious, severely hypovolemic, blood pressure fuck all over shit all, now treating haemorrhaging, need to get her compatible blood as fast as practical."
"Tenzin, Asami, steer zero one five, earth kingdom hospital eight zero kliks away may have compatible blood available," replied Asami, really feeling the adrenaline flooding her system now, Korra, shot through the lower back with a bullet from a fighter, bullets often in the order of 15 to 30mm, weapons systems she had played a key role in developing and co-presenting to armed forces procurers, she had seen these things obliterate blocks of ballistics gel, revelled in the destruction those things are capable of …
And something like that had punched through her girlfriend.
Korra still alive was basically a miracle, Asami speculated that the bullet had lost the vast majority of its energy before arriving inside Korra, but she still couldn't ignore the fact she was engaging in wishful thinking, for all she knew Korra was flying with all her intestines and other abdominal organs hanging out a gaping hole in her side.
"Asami, Ryu, I have Tonraq and Senna onboard, one or both could have the correct blood type."
"Ryu, Kya, I have a transfusion kit, meet us and we can get them hooked up immediately."
"Asami, Tenzin, Bumi has Oogi, I'm pursuing Jinora, I'm sorry, I can't keep flying away from her."
"Tenzin, Asami, have that."
Jinora was glad to feel that man get out of her without cumming, but she did wonder if that feeling of relief was going to be extremely short lived. At the very least she started speculating on where on her body he would be looking to spray his cum. Thighs? Arse? Back? Maybe on her side just over one of her breasts so it dribbles down to her nipple?
Possibly follow up with pissing all over her?
Eventually she felt a blanket? … it was a blanket being spread over her, and someones hands on her shoulders, felt like some kids hands, fucking hell was one of their kids going to abuse her now? That blanket seemed to be there to restore some dignity to her, but Jinora distrusted that, this stuff was often a lead up to a punch, kick or other attack.
One of those hands went to hers, it was like those hands were trying to comfort her.
Had to be a psy op. 'Like come on, been torturing me for eleven weeks, this is just insulting.'
She mentally prepared herself for something horrible to happen. Who knows? More rape? Punches? Kicks? Maybe some earthbender was about to block the vents in the rock helmet to make her squirm on his dick or something.
Suddenly the rock helmet crumbled, and she could see and hear again. She maintained the position she was in waiting for the pain, or piss to land on her, or whatever.
She looked around as far as her eyes could pan without turning her head, a pair of wingsuit clad legs kneeled on her right, another pair of wingsuit clad legs kneeled facing something off to her left, and there was movement even further to her left.
She slowly turned her head to look left, seeing a guard thrashing on the floor clutching his throat, straining against some blockage in his airway as the wingsuit clad person, who was Kai, Kai was here, disassembling a pen as that guard on the floor seemed to be dying, and Kai was now grabbing a knife out the scabbard on the guards belt, and moving it and the pen component to the lowest available point of the guards trachea, okay, he's doing a tracheotomy on the guard, got it.
It took a female voice she knew from her distant past saying her name a bunch of times to get her to look to her right.
As Jinora slowly turned her head right, she realised the person to her right was Ikki, her sister.
"Are you okay Jinora? Talk to me."
Jinora still couldn't bring herself to talk as she slowly raised herself to kneeling upright, keeping the blanket wrapped around herself still wondering if this was real, as Kai decided the guard was fine to be left alone and placed one hand on her shoulder, using the other to manipulate her head by her chin, asking "Are you okay Jinora? Did they drug you?"
Eventually Jinora said "is this real?" To Kai and Ikkis blank responses, Jinora asked "Am I going home this time?"
"Yes, we're taking you home," replied Kai, "you're safe now."
Jinora nodded and both Kai and Ikki hugged her.
They felt warm and comforting, she had been worried if they had heard or seen what had been happening to her they would be disgusted at her, and that fear evaporated away, they had seen her in that pose with that guard raping her, Kai's first reaction (Jinora speculated) had been to choke the fuck out of him, and Ikkis first reaction had been to source and apply a blanket. Their first reactions had been to protect and avenge her.
Wait, neither of these two were earthbenders, who removed the boulder from her head? Was Korra here?
She stood up and looked around, the other two loosening the hug to allow the movement.
The security chief was stood outside the cell back against the opposite cell door, one of Pis men that had casually ordered blowjobs out of her, occasionally was angry enough at something to punch her square in the face as he walked past her, but didn't seem to bother all that much with her beyond that, Jinora classed him as one of the lazier of her abusers.
And then another man joined him, dressed in something more formal looking, he asked the security chief "that guard going to be okay?"
"Yes, managed to talk the air nomad down from killing him, then managed to talk the air nomad down from leaving him to die from injuries sus- It's a boring story, what's our status council leader?"
"Managed to get Republic City to give us our comms back, and our remaining aircraft and air defence stations are stood down, our troops are collecting casualties and returning to base, the heads of state and that airship crew are on an air bison and on their way back home," said the council leader.
"And Pi?" asked the security chief.
"Fired. It'll take a while to vet and approve a replacement, so the council are in charge for now."
At this point Tenzin appeared at the door. He slowly entered asking "Jinora?"
"Hey Dad," replied Jinora. She then looked worried and asked "I'm actually going home this time, right?"
"Yes, you most certainly are," said Tenzin as he walked up and hugged Jinora, who half hugged him back while trying to keep the blanket wrapped around her.
"Sorry I disappeared on you for eleven weeks, but I have a really good explanation, I promise," said Jinora, trying to lighten the mood a little.
"So, full reparations have yet to be negotiated, whenever's convenient, I appreciate you want to get your people home too," said the council leader, "as a down payment, you are now the owner of Jinora, sorry, fastest way we could do that, not that it would matter to you, you'd probably take her home even if we didn't officially hand her over I imagine, also this airship is yours, we'll get our people off shortly, it's got enough fuel to get to a station in the Earth Kingdom, and … "
Pi Fahoun was shoved into view, his wrists wrapped with the same chi blocking cuffs Jinora had, and a tattoo on his face reading "Slave" "Punitive Example" "67698" "Traitor" that was still sore having just been applied.
Pi looked like he was in shock. From head of state to rape toy in … however many minutes, was it 2, 5? … Anyway, no shit he's not looking very happy.
Jinora started laughing at him.
The laughter escalated, and eventually Jinora stopped, still grinning saying "Oh wow, the way you've been treating me, this must terrify you."
"Depends on the Republic City justice system, he's yours too Tenzin."
"Eh, okay, that blunts the funny a bit," said Jinora.
"Bit hypocritical isn't it?" asked the council leader.
"You try being principled after eleven weeks of torture," replied Jinora, she then asked "are other sleeping areas any good? Kinda done with the floor or dog beds."
Kai replied "Think there's some upstairs," as he led Jinora out of the cell.
Tenzin got on his comms and sent "Kya, Tenzin, how's Korra?"
Korra woke up, seeing her dad looking down at her, holding her by her shoulders. "Dad?"
"Korra," replied her dad.
"We really need to stop meeting like this," said Korra, as she looked around, noticing the force of something hanging off of her arm, she saw a cannula in her arm connected by a tube filled with blood connecting to a cannular in her dads arm, obviously concluding this was a direct transfusion to replenish her blood supply.
"You going to quit being the Avatar then?" asked Senna, who was making sure Korras legs remained elevated.
"Fuck no," said Korra, "soon as I learn to walk again, I'm getting back into it."
"You're not going to give Katara any shit this time are you?"
"Not on the physiotherapy, now I've seen it produce results, I'll get back to you about hooking major blood vessels up to a machine in order to take a piss, I might have a few words to say about that."
"No, your left kidney's fine, just don't get shot in your left side is all," said Kya as she continued to work on healing Korras arse.
"I'll see what I can do," replied Korra.
"Korra, you can't mess around with this sort of thing," said Tonraq, "there's only so much we can bear to see happen to you."
Korra smirked and shrugged saying "Well … I'm the Avatar, and we all got to deal with it."