AUTHOR'S NOTES: Kwan starts becoming a lot more involved over the next few chapters. Kind of like Tenzin, she's closely associated with Team Avatar, but isn't officially a member or anything. She does, however, appear to be sincere about her desire to change and do good, so there's that. Meanwhile Korra's condition continues to deteriorate. Important to note as well that for the next little while, updates will be once a week on Tuesdays, and I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
Happy Reading!
BOOK TWO: CHANGE
CHAPTER SIXTY-NINE: REAL OR NOT REAL
Tenzin spent most of that morning on the telephone, still trying to deduct what had happened and where Korra could possibly be. He only took a break when he was interrupted by four individuals he did not expect to see any time soon.
"Lin!?" He gawked, "what are you—you should be in the hospital! And you!" he realized Mako, Bolin, and Asami were behind her, "you three should be in prison! I assume Lin rescued you?"
"We figured you could use our help finding Korra," Asami pointed out, "Because come on—do you really buy that nonsense about Equalists blowing a hole that big in the corner of the prison? You and I both know there's only one person that could have done that, and it's someone everyone here knows very closely."
"Still," Lin raised her eyebrow, "Do you have any leads, Tenzin?"
"I've been on the phone all morning, but nothing yet," Tenzin shook his head.
"We need Naga," Mako suggested, "She can track Korra from anywhere."
"I'm afraid she's missing as well." Tenzin frowned, "I don't think she was with Korra when she was abducted though, so she very well might have gone after Korra herself."
"Then if only we had a way to track Naga," Bolin gestured, "where do we start then?"
"If I had to take a stab, I'd say the Equalists are underground in the maze of tunnels beneath the city," Lin suggested. "Which has me thinking…"
"Underground…" Asami crossed her arms with a scowl, stepping away from the others for a moment. "Just like my father's secret factory. Figures…"
"If they're underground," Lin continued, "then I know just the woman that most likely knows that seedy network like the back of her lavabending hand…"
"Kwan?" Bolin and Mako suggested almost simultaneously.
"Kwan." Lin nodded in agreement, "Ikiza's her real name. Still, with how many times my men and I have arrested her for Triad connections in the past; I guarantee she knows a thing or two about The Underground."
"Just how many times have you arrested her?" Mako found himself wondering about Korra's choice in friends once again.
"Dozens," Lin replied, "after we finally proved her and her sister's connection to the Agni Kai Triads, we were finally able to put her behind bars. I swear the kid's been incarcerated almost half her life at any rate—so I really hope for her sake that her claims of turning around and becoming an upstanding citizen are legitimate."
=Kwan's Collision Repair, about 15 minutes later...=
"There really ain't no rest for the wicked, is there?" Kwan grunted as she answered the door in nothing but the pants and white tanktop she wore to sleep. Like many earthbenders, her large feet were bare. "What did I get accused of this time, Chief?"
"It's not what you did this time, Ikiza," Lin replied, "It's what you know. And I'm not the Chief of Police anymore, so your actions at this point are voluntary."
"What's a girl gotta do to live a normal life away from all this noise?" Kwan sighed, "Seriously; I opened this business to try and stay out of the mess; not get involved in it! I really don't need to be reminded of my 37 years of stupid decisions every day, do I?"
"Don't do the crime if you can't do the time." Lin riposted.
"This doesn't have anything to do with that incident with Korra and the lemurs does it?" Kwan's eyes narrowed, "because I… wait, where's the kid anyways?"
"Korra's missing." Asami looked the lavabender square in the eye. Kwan's face froze for a moment, her sharp green eyes darting from Asami to Lin, and then to Tenzin, Mako, and Bolin at semi-regular intervals.
"Shit." She muttered, "fine, fine… let's get this over with. Just lemme get my keys…"
Kwan didn't even bother putting anything else on, or even alleviating her bedhead. She kept the grumpy expression plastered on her face the whole way there as she told Lin and Tenzin everything she knew about the Underground.
"The nearest entrance is right down… whoop, passed it." Kwan gestured as they walked past a tiny derelict alley. "That little rinkidink alleyway." She thumbed behind her at a narrow alley.
"And then take a turn here…" She guided them through a labyrinthine maze of streets and alleys before pointing to a tunnel. "And voila! Secret tunnel time!"
Kwan moved towards a large tunnel opening blocked by a grate. Lin beat her to the metalbending punch, flinging the grate upwards and granting them entry.
Lin stamped her foot to seismically test the ground and the surrounding area.
"My officers are down below," she warned, "and the place is crawling with Equalist goons."
"Any sign of Korra?" Mako turned to her.
"None;" Lin noted, "unusual, considering that she's generally powerful enough to sense from half a city away, but it's not like I'm my mother who can see the whole world every time I take a step."
"Which direction are the officers in," Kwan gestured, "Like; up, down, to the left or right?"
"Down; towards your left," Lin pointed in a direction. "Ring any bells?"
"It kills me that ya think I've been in this kind of prison too, y'know," Kwan sighed. "But… if you made that assumption... you'd be right. That's the prison block unless they remodelled it."
"Should we even ask?" Bolin raised his eyebrows.
"Are ya ever gonna tell us what happened with Korra and the chopsticks?" Kwan quipped.
"Nope," Bolin raised his hands and shook his head. "Implying I'd betray one of my best friends like that; Kwan, I would never!"
"If I may get this back on track," Lin interrupted them, "Kwan, get us to that prison block if you can. If not, I'm still recruiting you and Bolin to tear up any floors and walls that stand in our way."
"I take it stealth isn't an option then?" Bolin quipped.
"Implying you were ever stealthy, Bo," Mako gave a dry chuckle.
"Considering that I'm going to bust my officers out of here at any cost," Lin declared, "no, I don't imagine stealth is an option when the Equalists realize there's a prison break. Besides, if Korra's down here, there's no way she's going quietly. Not causing unnecessary racket goes without saying, but when the inevitable moment of conflict arrives, we strike. Let's move."
As they zigzagged through the maze, Asami noticed more and more supply crates, weapons, and vehicles from Future Industries, which made her appear visibly distressed and frustrated. Bolin noticed it first, although didn't say anything to her directly. Instead he turned to Tenzin.
"Hey," he whispered, "you and Asami are pretty close, yeah?"
"We understand and respect each other, if that's what you mean," Tenzin explained, "Although admittedly most of our bond has come from our attempts to handle Korra when she's at one of her low points. Why do you ask?"
"Well… I don't think she's taking this too well." he thumbed over to Asami, who was walking several feet to the right of everyone else and out of earshot, her head held high. A look at her face and even the tense, rigid way she was walking, however, reminded Tenzin of Korra—Asami was dissociating from something.
"Thank you," Tenzin whispered, and slowly moved towards Asami as Bolin caught back up with Kwan, Lin, and Mako.
"My dad built these things…" Asami muttered under her breath as she noticed Tenzin approaching, "if you're going to ask me what's wrong, take a look around you and tell me why I shouldn't be infuriated about all of this."
"Korra once had a similar struggle, Asami." Tenzin assured her, "When Amon and the Equalists villainze the Avatar, she takes it very personally. The Avatar might be a large part of Korra's identity, but it is not her only identity. Your father might be a major part of your identity, Asami, but he is not you. You are not him."
"He's a pretty damn big part of my identity though!" Asami scowled, "I have his name—and now he's gone and tainted that too!"
"But even if you changed your name to Hiroshi and looked exactly like your father," Tenzin put a hand on her shoulder, "he would still not be you, and you would still not be him. Do not throw away your individual worth because of the crimes of someone else, Asami."
"You're right, you're right…" Asami sighed, "Still, it's just… well, we should talk about it somewhere more appropriate, yeah?"
"Indeed," Tenzin hummed, "Once we get out of here, I would be more than happy to speak with me more on the subject, but I agree with you insomuch that I don't exactly think this is a suitable location for such a conversation either."
"I concur," Asami sighed, "thanks though, Tenzin. I… needed that, actually."
She paused, before darting towards a familiar box, which she wasted no time prying open and procuring a pair of electroshock gloves. "I figure there's nothing wrong with borrowing a few of these for personal use. Let's go."
Asami's inner turmoil hadn't been dispelled with a few simple words, but she was able to shift it aside for now to help Lin and the others focus on the task at hand. With another stamp of her foot, Lin scanned the area. There was still no sign of Korra, but her officers were only one floor and a few turns away from where they were—which meant they were above the prison complex.
"I'm impressed, Kwan," Lin remarked as she smashed a hole in the floor, "you weren't lying."
"My sister and I made it a goal to tour every prison on the continent," Kwan joked. 14 down, and I think 37 more to go? Ah, shit if I know."
They jumped down the hole Lin had made, and she soon spotted her captured officers, all of whom looked dejected and like they had given up on life. Lin ripped the metal bars off their cell with ease, and that was her sign that the worst had already happened—and yet, she still felt inclined to ask to make sure.
"Chief BeiFong?" one of them looked up at her.
"I'm too late, aren't I?" she sighed, "That monster took your bending, didn't he?"
None of them replied. The one that had said Chief BeiFong's name simply lowered his head.
"I'm so sorry," She sighed in solidarity with them, "let's get you out of here."
=A cabin in the mountains, around the same time…=
The approaching footsteps grew louder until they stopped in front of Korra's cell. She steeled herself, preparing for an attack, but suddenly felt herself lose control of her limbs again. She screamed in pain as she felt the familiar painful sensation of having the fluids in her system forcing her around against her will.
As if this problem couldn't get any worse, when the door to the cage was flung open, there was Amon standing next to Tarrlok, who was using his bending to hold Korra down.
"I BLOODY KNEW IT!" She screamed, "YOU AND AMON; AMON AND YOU WERE IN CAHOOTS WITH EACH OTHER THIS WHOL—"
but Amon struck her in the forehead before she could finish and suddenly Korra felt the energy draining out of her; suddenly felt hollow, devoid of the powerful energy that normally sourced through her body. Her bending was gone.
"Our work here is done." Amon turned to Tarrlok, who released Korra into a pitiful heap on the ground as the two men left her be and went back up the stairs.
"No…" Korra stretched her arm out hopelessly, but was little more than a helpless mess on the floor as she touched against something hard and unseen in front of her.
It shook her awake, where she screamed and nearly set her hair on fire from panicking and breathing a huge burst of blue flames from her mouth.
It took her a full 14½ minutes to calm down, where she tested every bending discipline she could; the dirt and sweat from her body proving she could still waterbend and earthbend, while she conjured a sphere of air on one hand and procured a blue flame on her other.
"Thank Raava that wasn't real…" She wiped sweat from her brow, although with the heavy chains wrapped around her forearms, this proved slightly more difficult than it should have been. Korra's ears perked up, but once she stopped moving, there was dead silence in the darkness of the cellar where she was trapped. The metal box was hot enough even without the fire, and fortunately for her, there were small airholes in the top that prevented her from suffocating. Still, it was unpleasantly hot in there, to the point where her shirt and pants both stick to her body in a very uncomfortable manner. The heavy chains and shackles around her wrists and ankles only made it worse. The silence was so surreal that not only did Korra's heavy breaths seem much more ominous and loud than they were, but she could also practically hear her furiously beating heart, still excited from the frightening nightmare she had had after losing consciousness earlier.
She clutched her chest as she thought about it though. "What if Tarrlok and Amon are in league with each other though…" she told herself, "what if there's a connection no one knows about?"
Unlike Hiroshi, if Korra learned that Tarrlok was somehow an Equalist despite him being a bender, she would not be surprised and not even be distressed about it. She'd want to wring that sleazy bastard's neck even more than that, but she was also quite sure that Mako and Bolin wouldn't pit themselves against her on that subject either. Best of all, it wouldn't distress Asami, and so Korra didn't have to worry about another rift like that forming between their relationship.
Asami… Korra sighed as she realized how much she wished she could just sink into Asami's arms and rest. She was tired, she was stressed, and in truth, she was afraid. It was so quiet and lonely that her fractured mind was starting to play tricks on her, such as the one it had just given her about Amon and Tarrlok working together to destroy her.
"Ughhh…" Korra whined as she threw her head against the back wall and slumped into a hopeless sitting position. It was way too hot and she was way too uncomfortable to try meditating again, let alone sleeping, and so she'd have to just wait it out.
Confinement was definitely not good for her. The fact that there were prints of Korra's bare feet and bleeding hands against every wall—and even some on the ceiling of the box—showed just how much and how hard Korra had tried to get herself out, to no avail. Little did Tarrlok know, but trapping the Avatar in a box like this was arguably one of the most effective ways to drive her absolutely crazy. Korra did not know how to handle confinement that she couldn't just smash or blast her way out of, and the amount of energy she had expended and how much pain she had brought upon herself trying in vain to escape were all clear signs of this.
=The Equalist Underground, around the same time…=
It did not take long for Lin, Kwan, and the others to run into a horde of Equalists as they busted Lin's (former) metalbenders out. Despite their efforts, they were little match for Lin's metalbending, Kwan's lavabending, Tenzin's airbending, Mako and Bolin's firebending and earthbending, and Asami's nimble acrobatics and electroshock gloves. The lack of waterbending was a detail not lost on Asami, who remained just as aware of Lin that Korra simply wasn't here. She wanted to get it out of the Equalists just as much as they did. Lin's cables made quick work of them, leaving them at the mercy of their conquerors.
"Tell me where Korra is, and we'll let you off this time." Asami demanded.
"What she said," Bolin added, bringing up a large rock as if to add to the threatening factor.
"The Avatar?" two of the Equalists turned to each other, "She's not here."
"Are you sure?" Asami made electricity crackle across her gloves, "because my friends reason and persuasion…" she glanced at her left and right hands, "can make a really firm argument."
"We're sure! We're sure!" the Equalists shouted, "And we didn't attack City Hall! Councilman Tarrlok's lying to you if that's the story he gave!"
"And what proof of there is that?" This time Tenzin asked the question.
"For one, do you think any of us outside of the great Amon have the power to stand up to that kid?" one of them began, "she could level this entire town and laugh all the way home. Amon's the only one of us that can tango with the Avatar."
"And on that note," a second Equalist added, "If Amon wanted to attack City Hall, it would be to make a statement. You know: banners, posters, a radio announcement; that sort of thing. None of that stuff happened this morning now, did it?"
"They've got a point," Kwan noted, "a secret attack, 'specially with the Avatar of all people, just isn't their style. If they go for the bigwigs like they did at the Probendin' Arena a few weeks back, they'd make it a statement—loud 'n clear."
Lin stamped her foot again, this time also using her other foot a moment later. There was a moment of silence, and she shook her head.
"They're not lying." She warned, "I scanned the whole place—Korra isn't here."