Not Your Hero

Chapter 2

"Hello, Korra. It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Grand Lotus Zaheer and I'm the leader of the White Lotus. The same pleasantries extend to you as well, Mr. Tonraq and Mrs. Senna." A man wearing blue and white overalls with a brown cape extended his hand.

"We know why you're here. You're here for Korra, aren't you? To take her to that academy your White Lotus is running." Tonraq said. Zaheer only nodded.

Tonraq sighed heavily and looked at a confused Korra.

Korra tensed in her sleep—she knew what was going to happen next.

"We don't have much choice, do we?" Tonraq asked. "You always have a choice, Mr. Tonraq," Zaheer replied, "But my superiors have pounded into me the importance of this errand. It'd be my wish that you have more freedom in this decision as well."

Tonraq shared a sad and worried look with his wife and nodded.

"Korra, we have good news. You're going to attend Raava Academy. You'll learn to be a powerful fighter and a great leader. Are you excited? You've always wanted to make a difference" Senna asked, smiling. "Will you be there with me mama?" The young child asked.

The adults sighed and chuckled softly. Senna bent down and kissed Korra on the forehead. "We won't be with you baby, but know that we will always love you."

"Will I ever see you again, mom, dad?"

"Don't worry Korra, we'll always be by your side. Bye sweetie."

"Mom, what do you mean? Mom? Dad?!"

The dream shifted.

Korra vaguely heard Zaheer saying something about how the academy was founded by Aang to continue his legacy, and how being asked to join was a great honor. It meant that she was smart and born to be a talented fighter, the best. But Korra couldn't listen. All she could think about was whether her parents were going to be there the next day.

Korra's eyes opened. It was only 4 am. She rose and poured herself a glass of water. To think of it, those dreams weren't bad. They were the only memories she had left of her parents, the last few minutes she got to enjoy being truly loved. Then everything changed. Zaheer was kind to her, but he was like that to every one of the cadets--except those that were kicked out.

Zaheer only had interest in those who'd succeed. Thousands of cadets were brought into the academy between the ages of six to eight (with Korra being the only unexplained exception when she was recruited at the age of four), and almost all of them would be kicked out in the first year if they showed any sign of weakness. Korra hid her occasional homesickness under the thick skin of a strong fighter. As her peers kept dropping out, she became even more singled out: the alien looks they gave to her when she was the only one to pass a test, the growing affection Zaheer showed to her abilities...

But that was all the past. Korra had to focus on her own duties as captain. And she still had that officers' meeting a few hours later to attend to. She'd need her sleep.

--

The meeting was nothing unusual. The generals summarized their efforts the past few weeks, ending the meeting in an unprecedently short 40 minutes. As Korra was just heading out of the meeting room, General Tenzin stopped her: "Hold on Korra, there's something we need to discuss with you." Tenzin had been like a kind father to Korra since she graduated from the academy, always listening to her gushing about her troubles and such.

"There's a special mission we want you to undertake. There's an underground organization in Republic City calling themselves the Saviors. We don't know what they want, but they've been killing a lot of innocent civilians. Korra, we need you to take them down. Do you accept the mission? It's a dangerous task, and you're at liberty to refuse."

It was odd for a superior to ask for consent when giving out a mission, making Korra uneasily aware that there might be a lot at stake here. But she had no choice really, she couldn't really refuse. That was what her 14 years of training since she was four was leading up to.

"I accept."

"Be careful, Captain. The Saviors are very dangerous. If word gets out that they're killing mass numbers of people, even here at the compound, there would be a lot of turmoil. If this mission goes south, and if you or any members of your team be killed, USOF will deny any connections and classify this as a training incident. You need to be aware of everything at stake here." Tenzin explained with a serious face. "We've assembled you a team of three, four including you. I know you normally go solo during missions like this, but you'll need help this time. And I think you'll like your teammates, as they are all your peers."

Korra grinned. She was looking forward to working with her peers. After all, missions can get very lonely without anyone to talk to. "Thank you, sir. When can I meet my team?"

After being told that her team would be waiting for her in a meeting room, Korra headed to the officers' quarters. She needed to say farewell to Kuvira. Both of them never knew which mission was going to be their last.

--

"This is private Mako and his younger brother Bolin. They both graduated from the academy a few months ago, but like you, they were top students." Tenzin pointed to two boys. Mako, the older brother, had a mature lean face with a polite smile, the typical kind of face girls like. Bolin was stouter and nothing like his brother, with his wide green eyes and innocent grin. Another girl was standing beside them. She was taller than Korra but a bit below Mako. Her wavy onyx hair and jade-green eyes betraying both a fierce and curious attitude perfectly complemented her flawless pale skin. Korra was stunned. She was the most beautiful person she'd ever seen. "Ah, and this is Miss Asami Sato. She's currently the compound's lead engineer, and she will serve as the team's tech specialist. If you're worried about keeping her safe, don't be. Miss Sato can go toe-to-toe with any Raava Academy graduate." Korra nodded in acknowledgment, hastily stopping herself from staring.

"General Tenzin, it'll be best if we see everything there is on The Saviors. And then we can get to work. The best way to know a team is to see them in action." Korra said. Tenzin nodded in agreement, motioning for them to all have a seat and handing each of them a thin file.

"Unfortunately, this is all the information we have. My colleagues are considering some agents undercover so hopefully, there'll be details to come, but for now, you'll have to make do. Your rank as captain should get you all the help you need at any USOF compound, wherever you are. Good luck Korra. The same goes for your teammates." The four lightly bowed in farewell.

"Alright, let's get down to work," Korra said, flipping the folder open.