Not Your Hero

Chapter 24

Korra stared at her USOF uniform. It was a dark blue button-up blazer with shiny brass buttons coupled with a white shirt and a light blue tie. Her captain's insignia was firmly stamped upon the ironed uniform. Black pants and dark brown leather shoes followed. The whole uniform design was very fancy, meant to let one feel proud to be a captain and wear that uniform. Korra always thought the uniform was very limiting and opted to wear water tribe robes whenever she was on a mission when she didn't have to wear her uniform. Obviously, her superiors recognized the restrictions on wide movement the blazer brought.

Korra looked to the right of her former uniform, where her water tribe robes stood. She hadn't seen her parents since Zaheer brought them away, but anything about the water tribe always offered a sense of peace and belonging. She unhooked the blue vest, the short waist shawl that came with it, and the baggy brown trousers. Having survived many ordeals that could've killed her, Korra gained her own collection of scars. Her long armbands were meant to cover those scars, but even if her arms were free of any markings Korra would've covered them anyway. Exposing the bare skin of her forearms made her feel more vulnerable to attacks, even though that was most definitely a figure of her own imagination.

Closing the wardrobe, Korra knew she'd never be able to wear her old uniform again. Never again would she allow her fate to be determined by others, and never again would she willingly submit herself to organizations that limit and restrict her from who she truly is. She's the avatar, and the avatar is a free soul.

Yet Korra would never be able to destroy that uniform, either. Like her superiors had hoped, she was once so proud to be in that uniform. It made her feel important. Asami showed her that her importance doesn't necessarily come from being able to prove herself. And again, that uniform carries fourteen years of her life. She can't throw that away. No matter what happens, that'll always remain a part of her past.

Korra slipped on her armbands and wriggled into her almost knee-length boots. Her sword was fastened securely at her belt along with her handguns. There was spare ammunition in the pockets of the belt. Yet Korra decided to go the extra mile and hid two daggers in each of her boots. Close-range combat was always her specialty, and small weapons like those would always come in handy. For good measure, her two dadaos went on her back as well. Korra once read in the history books that Lord Zuko, the former fire lord of the past Fire Nation, and one of Aang's best friends, was very apt at using those kinds of swords. Aang always admired his skills but never used a sword himself. Korra guessed she had more connection with her past life than she thought.

Walking out into the living room, Korra saw Asami, also making her way out. Asami wore her signature red and black jacket with black pants. Korra raised an eyebrow at all the gadgets attached to the heiress' body. Noting Korra's confusion, Asami explained their uses one by one. Grappling hooks on both of her arms, an electric shock glove on her left hand, and an expandable dagger hidden in her right sleeve. Two .45s hung on her belt with another on her right thigh, in case she loses the two.

"Have I ever told you that you look really hot in full combat gear?" Korra smirked. "You could stand to mention it more," Asami said. The pair leisured in the comfortable silence and slowly made their way to the balcony overlooking the mansion's luxurious patio. "I might never come back from this mission," Korra said. It'd been weighing her mind for the past few hours, and she hated the tight nervous feeling in her chest. "I'll make sure you will," Asami answered confidently. Korra shed a small tear. "If it were up to me, I won't let you go into there at all. But I know there's no stopping you, and the least I can do is make sure you get out in one piece. I love you too much to lose you." Korra said softly, feeling herself pulled into Asami's warm embrace.

"I love you too." Asami cried. "But we'll get out of this. You have a record for getting out of impossible situations, remember? Your profile always said that you're too young to die." Korra laughed. "Yes, that's one of my catchphrases. I'm 18 for fuck's sake, I don't want to die." "And you won't," Asami promised. "I want you to think about how you're going to get out alive and successful, not how many ways this mission could go wrong. And after all this, we could go find your parents and I'll take you to meet my father. He's a great man. We would stand on the balcony again, looking at the sunset, and we'll both know that the world could finally have a chance at being at peace. Deal?"

Korra pressed her lips to Asami's in a firm kiss. "Deal." She whispered.

Soon their little bubble of calm won't last long. Many call this moment "the calm before the storm". There's something about an approaching storm that leaves you time to reflect. When a huge storm is looming, you know it's time to gather your shit together and get your ass moving. You won't be prepared and you might not pull through, but you have no choice but to go into that storm. And then, just before you leave your safe little shelter, you have the tiniest spark of hope that you might be prepared, that you might survive. It's a magical feeling, one Korra selfishly hoped she didn't have to experience a lot during her lifetime.

--

Bataar had left to impose the weapons handoff an hour ago, after driving them to the headquarters, a tall glass building known to the world as The Red Lotus. Lin and her officers had just taken down the patrols, so they were clear.

"Everyone in place?" Korra whispered over the commlink. "Affirmative," Lin replied. "Captain, you're a go. We'll have your back after you give the signal."

There's no turning back now. "Thank you all for believing in me and this whole mission," Korra said. She took the safety off her gun and looked at the brothers, each holding their rifles at the ready with an extra one strapped to the back, bullets laced around their shoulders. Beside her, Asami readied her gun as well. The four shared a look, the same look they shared the night they stormed into the Savior gathering. They'll always be a team, Korra knew right then and there. And they were ready to charge into danger as well.

Breaking down the doors, Korra ran inside and immediately shot the two closest security guards she could see.