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[That isn't -- she totally -- Asami doesn't get it. Of course she doesn't. She's not a bender. Korra wants to resent her optimism, but she can't help snorting when she talks about telling Aang to push off.]
Thanks.
[Korra feels empty. Not in a bad or barren way. It's the kind of emptiness when you've cried too much, even though she hasn't been crying -- when you've poured everything out from inside you and what's left is a cup, waiting to be filled again.
Suddenly, sharply, she wishes she could just bury her face in Naga's fur and sleep.]
I think I'm gonna go lie down for a bit.
[Half-statement, half-question -- she wants to leave, but she doesn't want Asami to think she's running away.]
Thanks.
[Korra feels empty. Not in a bad or barren way. It's the kind of emptiness when you've cried too much, even though she hasn't been crying -- when you've poured everything out from inside you and what's left is a cup, waiting to be filled again.
Suddenly, sharply, she wishes she could just bury her face in Naga's fur and sleep.]
I think I'm gonna go lie down for a bit.
[Half-statement, half-question -- she wants to leave, but she doesn't want Asami to think she's running away.]
[ He's placed Korra's apartment under surveillance. He's determined the layout, the floors, the stairways and exits. The past few days, he's carefully monitored the residents' ins and outs. He's waited until Korra's alone. He's calculated. He's double-guessed. He's triple-checked. ]
[ Now, he makes his move. ]
[ In the basement, he locates the meter of Korra's apartment. A choice electric-surge shorts out the power. In minutes, he's slipped out, and headed upstairs. He hasn't donned his mask or black bodysuit. He knows the art of concealment as well as any predator. On the off-chance that someone sees him, he needs to be innocuous. In a repairman's uniform, a billed cap shadowing his face, he crosses the fire-escape with ease. At Korra's place, a half-open window and a toolkit are his friends. Some minor tinkering, and he's slipped in, soundless and subtle. ]
[ Now to locate Korra. His intent is to bargain -- if necessary, threaten. Except control isn't asserted with empty words, but in degrees of severity. ]
[ He won't hesitate to use violence if he must. ]
[ Now, he makes his move. ]
[ In the basement, he locates the meter of Korra's apartment. A choice electric-surge shorts out the power. In minutes, he's slipped out, and headed upstairs. He hasn't donned his mask or black bodysuit. He knows the art of concealment as well as any predator. On the off-chance that someone sees him, he needs to be innocuous. In a repairman's uniform, a billed cap shadowing his face, he crosses the fire-escape with ease. At Korra's place, a half-open window and a toolkit are his friends. Some minor tinkering, and he's slipped in, soundless and subtle. ]
[ Now to locate Korra. His intent is to bargain -- if necessary, threaten. Except control isn't asserted with empty words, but in degrees of severity. ]
[ He won't hesitate to use violence if he must. ]
[Korra had been curled up in a pile of blankets, trying vainly to warm herself as she idly browsed the network. That's how she spends most of her time these days. Dying hadn't just killed her -- it had robbed her of ambition. She doesn't have the energy or desire to do much of anything.
But when the lights go off, she sits up. There's no surge of adrenalin to make her jump, but somehow her senses still seem sharper. She forces herself to be aware of everything around her.
This isn't a storm or some kind of accident. She knows it's Hei. She's known all along that he wouldn't be satisfied with their network conversation. He had demanded an in-person confrontation, and he won't stop until he gets what he wants.
She shrugs off the blankets and moves them to a corner, out of the way. Her every motion is slow, deliberate, and silent. She listens for his arrival, waiting to attack.
She's lost her bending, her friend Bolin, her very life. She will not let him take anything else from her.]
But when the lights go off, she sits up. There's no surge of adrenalin to make her jump, but somehow her senses still seem sharper. She forces herself to be aware of everything around her.
This isn't a storm or some kind of accident. She knows it's Hei. She's known all along that he wouldn't be satisfied with their network conversation. He had demanded an in-person confrontation, and he won't stop until he gets what he wants.
She shrugs off the blankets and moves them to a corner, out of the way. Her every motion is slow, deliberate, and silent. She listens for his arrival, waiting to attack.
She's lost her bending, her friend Bolin, her very life. She will not let him take anything else from her.]
[ There's very little he's interested in taking from her. He wants her silence. He wants to erase the error that allowed her to learn his identity. This situation will spiral beyond control unless dealt with -- coldly, swiftly. The Reaper is good at that. He has no problem taking over control, dictating what to do, who to kill. It's why he's not only survived in his world -- but excelled. ]
[ In the dark, Hei uses the second-hand glow of streetlamps to guide him. Alert for anything: sound, scent, shadow. He's been trained to fight in pitch-blackness, to never trust any one sense completely. Temporary blindness, frags, concussion grenades, you have to be able to adapt to survive. Dimly, he catches a rustle of blankets. The afterechoes of motion, albeit quiet. But years of experience have whetted his insticts. ]
[ There. ]
[ He has blades -- stilettos -- concealed in his clothes. But he won't use them yet. Shifting sideways, back against the wall, he draws a screwdriver from his pocket. Tosses it to the far-left, where it hits the wall with a clatter. All a ruse -- a distraction -- before he lunges at Korra, unnervingly fast. ]
[ In the dark, Hei uses the second-hand glow of streetlamps to guide him. Alert for anything: sound, scent, shadow. He's been trained to fight in pitch-blackness, to never trust any one sense completely. Temporary blindness, frags, concussion grenades, you have to be able to adapt to survive. Dimly, he catches a rustle of blankets. The afterechoes of motion, albeit quiet. But years of experience have whetted his insticts. ]
[ There. ]
[ He has blades -- stilettos -- concealed in his clothes. But he won't use them yet. Shifting sideways, back against the wall, he draws a screwdriver from his pocket. Tosses it to the far-left, where it hits the wall with a clatter. All a ruse -- a distraction -- before he lunges at Korra, unnervingly fast. ]
[She's already promised her silence, and taking her memories counts as taking something from her.
The clatter of the screwdriver catches her attention as intended, but she's fought Hei enough times to know that things are never as they seem. She drops to the floor and rolls in the direction of the sound, sending a blast of air just in case he really was where she heard the noise.]
The clatter of the screwdriver catches her attention as intended, but she's fought Hei enough times to know that things are never as they seem. She drops to the floor and rolls in the direction of the sound, sending a blast of air just in case he really was where she heard the noise.]
[ Promises don't count for shit in Hei's world. He deals with killers, liars, thieves, pimps and dregs. Trust -- of any kind -- is an abstraction. A non-entity. ]
[ The air-blast buffets him, unbalancing him mid-lunge. He spins through the air, landing crouched, catlike, at an angle from Korra. Before she can react further, he's whipped out a wire from his sleeve. It whistles through the darkness, connecting with Korra's arm. A surge of electricity zzzzts across its length. He knows she's City Dead. The voltage isn't harmless. But it's not a re-kill dose either. ]
[ He's not here to play games in the dark. If he must render her motionless and half-stunned to talk, so be it. ]
[ The air-blast buffets him, unbalancing him mid-lunge. He spins through the air, landing crouched, catlike, at an angle from Korra. Before she can react further, he's whipped out a wire from his sleeve. It whistles through the darkness, connecting with Korra's arm. A surge of electricity zzzzts across its length. He knows she's City Dead. The voltage isn't harmless. But it's not a re-kill dose either. ]
[ He's not here to play games in the dark. If he must render her motionless and half-stunned to talk, so be it. ]
[It hurts. Korra screams with pain. But while Hei had calculated the dosage to account for her being city!dead, it was impossible to account for her stubbornness. Sometimes surprise and fear can throw her off, and sometimes -- like now -- she simply refuses to be defeated.
Despite the pain that makes her limbs shake and her vision explode, Korra yanks hard on the wire, pulling them closer together.]
Despite the pain that makes her limbs shake and her vision explode, Korra yanks hard on the wire, pulling them closer together.]
[ He expects the scream -- and mentally resolves to switch a television on to muffle any new cries. But he doesn't expect her to pull. Logically, she'd be a terrible Contractor. But the fighter in him admires her zest. ]
[ Still. He's stronger than he looks. Shifting his stance, he plants his feet and resists the yank. Delivers another bright-blue buzz of electricity. Just enough to incapacitate her and hold her down. ]
[ Still. He's stronger than he looks. Shifting his stance, he plants his feet and resists the yank. Delivers another bright-blue buzz of electricity. Just enough to incapacitate her and hold her down. ]
Edited 2012-10-30 04:25 (UTC)
[She screams louder, but she won't let go. It doesn't matter how much electricity he throws at her -- she won't give up.
Avatar Aang - still just a kid - sits with a guru on the top of a mountain.
"You must let go."
The scream falters into a choked gasp, and she lets go. She's sprawled on the ground, unable to move, on fire with pain. But she doesn't care about that, or that Hei is here.
Aang.]
Avatar Aang - still just a kid - sits with a guru on the top of a mountain.
"You must let go."
The scream falters into a choked gasp, and she lets go. She's sprawled on the ground, unable to move, on fire with pain. But she doesn't care about that, or that Hei is here.
Aang.]
[ Her shriek cuts into the darkness before she goes lax. Warily, Hei circles her. She was damn persist a moment ago. Is she playing dead now? Or is it something else entirely? ]
[ Doesn't matter. Non-necessary input is being ignored, filtered out to focus on the Now. In the space of a heartbeat, he's crossed over to Korra, binding her wrists tight behind her back with the spool of wire. He keeps part of his weight on her, knee braced on her back, pinning her flat on her stomach. Both eyes on her, cold and calculating. ]
No sudden moves.
I'll let you up once we're finished.
[ Doesn't matter. Non-necessary input is being ignored, filtered out to focus on the Now. In the space of a heartbeat, he's crossed over to Korra, binding her wrists tight behind her back with the spool of wire. He keeps part of his weight on her, knee braced on her back, pinning her flat on her stomach. Both eyes on her, cold and calculating. ]
No sudden moves.
I'll let you up once we're finished.
[Korra lets him tie her up without even a token struggle. She isn't paying attention to him.
She had seen Aang.
It's been months since her last contact with her past life -- not since he revealed the truth about Amon to her. When Amon blocked her bending, she felt certain that he had blocked her contact with Aang as well. No matter how much she meditated, she could never reach him. And after she died, she didn't know what to think. Did the avatar cycle move on in her world? Had the cycle been broken entirely?
But he's here now. Why? Why now? Why not when she died?]
She had seen Aang.
It's been months since her last contact with her past life -- not since he revealed the truth about Amon to her. When Amon blocked her bending, she felt certain that he had blocked her contact with Aang as well. No matter how much she meditated, she could never reach him. And after she died, she didn't know what to think. Did the avatar cycle move on in her world? Had the cycle been broken entirely?
But he's here now. Why? Why now? Why not when she died?]
Korra?
[ Terse and impatient. One-armed, he reaches out. Pats her face none-too-gently with the back of his hand. There's a blankness in her gaze he associates with Dolls. Did he end up frying all her neurons? ]
Wake up. Don't get catatonic on me.
[ How ironic it'd be. All that trouble trying to erase her mind -- only to succeed accidentally. ]
[ Terse and impatient. One-armed, he reaches out. Pats her face none-too-gently with the back of his hand. There's a blankness in her gaze he associates with Dolls. Did he end up frying all her neurons? ]
Wake up. Don't get catatonic on me.
[ How ironic it'd be. All that trouble trying to erase her mind -- only to succeed accidentally. ]
[ Still functional. Good. He maintains his grip, alert for any signs of struggle. Returns her hot gaze with his cold one. ]
I'm here to talk.
Our last discussion [ such as it was ] yielded no results.
[ And that's what he's after. The guarantee of total and complete silence. ]
I'm here to talk.
Our last discussion [ such as it was ] yielded no results.
[ And that's what he's after. The guarantee of total and complete silence. ]
Understand: I can't take your word for it. [ He's never taken anyone's word for it. Only Amber's -- and she'd turned on him snake. ] I expect a guarantee.
[ Something tangible. Something concrete. ]
[ Something tangible. Something concrete. ]
For starters: you won't share any details with your friends. Not if you want them to live.
[ The less sense he makes, the better. His world-view is a cold and interoperable sort. Nothing normal. ]
[ The less sense he makes, the better. His world-view is a cold and interoperable sort. Nothing normal. ]
[ Barely a few minutes into the talk, and he's already found her boiling-point. Her friends. He tucks the detail away, keeping her firmly pinned down. ]
I won't. Unless you give me a reason to.
[ The threat -- underplayed -- is still crystal-clear. ]
I won't. Unless you give me a reason to.
[ The threat -- underplayed -- is still crystal-clear. ]
Good. [ Not that he believes her -- he never believes anyone. But he has choice knowledge at his disposal. He'll continue monitoring these kids. Info and the element of surprise can be deadly tools in the right hands. And Hei is nothing if not skilled at what he does. ] If you do, I guarantee I'll know. You won't like what happens then.
[Hei, she hasn't liked anything that's happened since meeting you. Even the memory of her perfectly pleasant afternoon with Li now makes her nauseous with revulsion.]
If you do anything to hurt them --
[She lacks the words to describe the number and level of ways she will make his life complete and total suffering. That he's a better fighter doesn't matter. She can train and get better. She would do whatever it takes.]
If you do anything to hurt them --
[She lacks the words to describe the number and level of ways she will make his life complete and total suffering. That he's a better fighter doesn't matter. She can train and get better. She would do whatever it takes.]
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