Chapter Text
Earth...
Fire...
Air...
Water...
Only the Avatar can master all four elements, and bring balance to the world.
Shiro Shinobi on the microphone:
“Kuvira is defeated and again, the world has changed once more. Due to a final discharge from the spirit cannon, a new spirit portal has opened up in what used to be what I refer to as the 'Vine district.' Spirits have also returned to the city, or what's left of it. Team Avatar stands victorious again, but with little time to celebrate. Just as quickly as she returned, Avatar Korra, with Asami Sato of Future Industries, disappeared on short notice for what their fellow team members call a “well-earned vacation.” Meanwhile, President Raiko, Suyin Beifong, and other world leaders are working to restore the world back to a peaceful state. At the front of this effort is General Iroh II of the United Forces, also the grandson of Firelord Zuko. Despite losing his navy, he does his best to regroup his scattered forces to take on factions of Kuvira supporters who refuse to surrender. Many lost souls remain unaccounted for...”
He opened his eyes and started looking around. He didn't know where he was or who he was. He only remembered a large explosion. He looked at the tattered uniform he was wearing, his memory slowly returning. “The United Forces...that's right...” He thought aloud. As he tried to remember more, he felt that he wasn't alone. He turned to find that he was in fact being watched. At the edge of a grove of strange glowing trees was a large fox, surrounded by several small spirits. He jumped to his feet, unsure of his next move.
“Um...Hello? Where...am I?” He shouted with an echo. There was no response from the spirits. One by one, the smaller ones disappeared, while the fox turned its back and trotted off. He started walking towards the same direction, when he tripped and fell into some sort of crater. As he tried to get up, the ground melted beneath him, engulfing him. He felt helpless.
He woke up in a state of suspension, staring at an opposite color reflection of himself. It suddenly changed into the form of a young fire nation soldier from the Hundred Years war.
“Where are we?” The confused soldier asked the reflection.
“You are in the spirit world.” It answered.
“Who...am I? And...What are you?”
“You are who you are. And I am you...the spirit of the valiant soldier that has endured for centuries, it is within you.” The reflection changed into that of a water tribe sailor.
“I don't understand...what does that mean?”
“It means that you possess a power no other living soldier possesses. You have the power to bring peace. Only has the avatar had that power before you. But you now possess that power, though to a lesser extent. Use it well.” The reflection changed into a Kyoshi warrior.
“How do I use this power? I don't even remember if I can bend...or my name...”
“You will know. First you must seek the guide.”
“The guide?” Just as he said that, he woke up, surrounded by spirit trees. He sat up and looked around. The spirit fox he'd seen before was less than five feet from him. He rose slowly.
“The guide...is that you?” It grunted and motioned for him to follow.
Mako knocked on the door of Chief Beifong's office. “Come in!” She shouted from the other side.
“You wanted to see me, chief?” He said as he walked in. He had missed wearing his old uniform.
“Yes, sit down.” She said as he took a seat in front of her.
“Feels good to finally be back on the beat.”
“Yeah, about that...I've got a couple of jobs I've been saving for you.” She took out a file and laid it in front of him, which he opened.
“We've got some triad activity that's disrupting the president's expansion plans. We think they might be looking at using the spirit portal for black market smuggling.”
“So, you want me to track 'em down and find out what's going on, right?”
“Right, and for the second part..wait here.” She got up and opened the door. “You can come in now”
A female officer stepped in, Mako didn't know what to think. She had mid-length, dark, straight hair and bright, green eyes. She was just a few inches shorter than him.
“Meet our newest detective, officer Tian Sung. She'll be joining you on the case. She could use the experience.”
“No offense chief, but I prefer to work alone...”
“No buts! Even if your arm is healed, you can't fight the whole triad alone. You're dismissed.”
She left them in the office alone. He stood up and turned to his trainee.
“So, know anything about the triads?”
“Just that they're more trash to take out.” She replied with a tone of readiness.
“Well, you're not wrong. C'mon, lets hit the streets.” He led the way out. He couldn't help but feel something familiar about her.
The soldier followed his fox guide deep into a dark wooded part of the spirit world, where glowing mushrooms grew. He had no idea which direction was which, and he did his best to keep up.
“Are we just getting more lost?” He said aloud.
“There's a difference between being lost, and not knowing where you are.” He heard a voice say. The fox stopped in its tracks, and so did he. He saw a figure in green holding a lantern.
“So, I'm not alone...”
“Oh, far from it. “The short, round figure got closer. He appeared to be an old man with a white beard.
“Who...who are you?”
“Just an old man who enjoys tea and pai sho. I also know someone in need of guidance when I see one. Care to join me?”
“Uh, sure...have we met before?” The soldier asked.
“Not in this lifetime...but I knew your predecessor very well. Like a son, you could say.” He led the soldier to a bright clearing where a blanket was spread, teapot waiting.
“I don't even know who I am...”
“Maybe I can help with that...I'm Iroh.” He told him.
“Iroh...I knew a man named Iroh...General Iroh...” He started to remember more.
“My nephew's grandson. He'll lead you well in battle, just as he has before.” Iroh sipped his tea, and the soldier did the same. As he did, memories started pouring back into his mind.
“That's it...the battle of Republic city...the mecha suit...it destroyed our ship...I swam to shore and some of us went into the vines to regroup...the blast...that's the last thing I remember. My brother...he went missing a week before, after Kuvira's forces advanced past the watchtowers...that was when I volunteered. I was promoted to staff sergeant by General Iroh himself...”
“I lost my son in battle...his name was Lu Ten. I didn't see battle again until I saw it as destiny to retake Ba Sing Se...by liberating it. I see a similar destiny in you.” He took another sip.
“What do you mean?” He turned to Iroh.
“You possess a power that hasn't been seen in generations. You're not the avatar, of course, but you can turn the tide of battle. What you possess is the power of a full moon, Sozin's Comet, or a volcano, combined. You have the power to use abilities that took grand masters years to figure out by conventional means.” The soldier was more confused than ever.
“You mean...I can bloodbend? Or even metal bend?”
“For a start, yes. The more intricate types of bending are at your will. But, you must be careful and choose your actions wisely. I'm afraid I cannot teach you.”
“Can you at least help me remember who I am?”
“What was the last thing my great nephew told you?”
“It was like yesterday...he told me 'If you keep it up, we'll have to make you 'commander...'” He paused.
He found the answer in his own memory.
“Well...?” Iroh said with a satisfied smile as he packed up his tea pot.
“Sho Shen. My name is Sho Shen. Staff sergeant of the United Forces Marines.” He said with fist clenched victoriously. Iroh nodded.
“Where do I go from here?” He asked Iroh, who was starting to walk away.
“That is up to you. You may find many guides here. But be careful, there are many challenges as well. Look for the light, and you will find it. But if you seek darkness, that is all you will find.” Iroh disappeared to the fog. The fox spirit had also disappeared. As best as he could tell, Sho was now on the edge of the wood, between light and dark.
“Look for the light...what does that mean?” He looked up at the sky. He could make out three stray beams of pure light that appeared to shoot out from the ground. Two seemed to be close together, but the third seemed very close.
“That may be worth checking out.” he thought to himself as he started walking towards it.
“It's so beautiful here!” Asami said with awe.
“Peaceful, too. I haven't even seen all of it.” Korra responded. They'd entered the spirit portal just a few days before. They'd made camp near Mula's grove in that time.
“This is a great place to meditate” Korra said as she leaned against a large tree.
“Isn't this where you first met Zaheer?” Asami asked. Korra sighed.
“Yeah, but it doesn't bug me though.” She sat at the base of the tree. Asami knelt down beside her, with a hand on her shoulder.
“You don't have to pretend it doesn't bother you. Honestly, you can tell me.” Korra looked up.
“It's not that it's bothering me...it's just...weird. He tired to kill me, then he helped me find my way back here. I didn't forgive him, but...I had to trust him and accept what happened.” Asami nodded, and took a seat beside her.
“Like with my dad...I trusted him to the end...I think I can finally forgive him now.” A single tear streamed down her face. Korra put an arm around her.
“We've both been through a lot. Let's try to relax while we're here.”
“Yeah, I'd like that.” Asami said with a small smile. A small flock of flying spirits suddenly appeared. They were chanting “Korra! Korra! Korra!”
“What!? What is it?” Korra said, a little annoyed.
“There's a stranger in the spirit world! And he's really powerful!” One of the smaller spirits said.
“He!?” Asami said.
“Well, where is he? What does he want?” Korra demanded.
“I saw him trying to bend at some of us!” Another spirit said.
“He was walking towards the new portal, but he looked lost.” Another spirit said.
“Huh...strange. Maybe we should check it out.” Korra looked over at Asami.
“We'll have to relax later, sorry.”
“It's alright. I need to blow off some steam first anyway.” She said, arming her electric glove.
“So, we have no leads, minimal suspects, and questionable motive. Great...” Mako said under his breath as he took another bite off his dumpling.
“Maybe we're looking in the wrong spot...” Tian said, looking at a city map.
“We've checked all the old hideouts, the abandoned warehouses, the docks, everywhere. There's no where to hide.” He said somewhat condescendingly.
“The best place to hide is in plain sight, you know.” She said, looking closely at the map.
“The old Cabbage Corp building...when was that last used?”
“It's been a few years...but it was condemned when the vines took over, and it's almost too obvious. You think they'd be using it?” He said.
“Well, it's the only building large enough to hide large quantities of merch like the report described, and they'd have to be moving at night. Might be worth a stakeout, you think?”
Mako was impressed by her analysis. He didn't expect a rookie like her to understand how triads worked.
“That...actually sounds like a good plan! I'll get the go ahead from Beifong once we get back to headquarters.”
“Oh...really? Um...thanks?” She didn't expect him to approve of her idea. It almost made her blush.
“He's going the long way” Korra said, taking her hand off a vine.
“You think it's a good idea attacking him head on?” Asami asked.
“Well, an ambush would be ideal but there aren't too many places to hide and wait...”
“Perhaps you aren't looking hard enough.” A familiar voice spoke from behind them. They both turned around to see Iroh.
“Iroh!” Korra said aloud while rushing to hug him. He chuckled.
“It's been a while. And I see you brought a friend.” He said.
“Oh, right. This is Asami, my best friend.” Asami stepped forward to shake his hand.
“Nice to meet you.” She said sincerely. He smiled as he shook her hand.
“It is always a pleasure to meet a friend of the avatar. Would either of you like to join me for tea and pai sho?”
“Actually, we were investigating a stranger here in the spirit world. The spirits were all worked up about it.”
“Ah yes, I know. Do what you feel you must, Korra, but I warn you, not all is as it seems. This is something you should find out best on your own.” He said, glancing at Asami.
“So, I should go alone?” Korra asked, uncertain of his meaning.
“It's alright Korra, really. I'll take up that pai sho offer.” She said, glancing at Iroh.
Korra hugged Asami once before setting out.
“I must warn you, I'm the reigning Spirit World champion.” Iroh joked.
“Oh, that doesn't worry me at all.” Asami said back.
“I guess that's it.” Sho said to himself. He was on a ridge overlooking the new portal. He started climbing down.
“It would've been nice if that guy had told me how to use my abilities...” he thought as he approached. For a moment, time slowed. He heard a whisper, then something caused him to react by ducking a large piece of rock that had been hurled at him. As he got back up. He saw a figure about a hundred yards from him. He didn't recognize the avatar, although he'd never seen her personally.
“Who are you and what do you want!?” She shouted.
“I mean no harm! I'm just trying to figure out where I'm supposed to go!” He shouted, answered only by a shards of projectile ice, which he managed to avoid, except for one that tore his sleeve and cut his arm. He felt a sensation course through him when it happened.
“Then why are you attacking spirits!?” She shouted, getting closer. His eyes started glowing green.
“I'm not your enemy.” His voice boomed with change. He started to lift off the ground, but without air bending. He shot a blast of sound that deafened and disoriented her temporarily. She entered the avatar state and recovered almost instantly, but she wasn't able to attack. Raava was holding her back.
“He's not your enemy. He's your ally.” Raava told her.
“What? But..his power..How?”
“His is that of yours, of mine, but not as strong. You are the bridge, the avatar, but his purpose is to help you bring peace.”
“Has...has that happened before?”
“No, but many things have changed because of you...this is one of them.” She left the avatar state, trying to make sense of what had happened. He left his state as well, catching his breath.
“So, you have spirit abilities...” She said awkwardly. He stood up and cleared his throat.
“Yeah...and I guess you're the avatar?” He said.
“Yeah...Korra.” She said, offering her hand in trust. He took and shook it.
“Sho Shen, United Forces Marines Sergeant under General Iroh, at your service.”
“C'mon, we've got some things we need to talk about.” She said, leading the way back towards Asami and Iroh.
“Right.” He said, following and wondering if this was the right path to take.
“If this is the place, they should be here soon.” Mako said, looking through his binoculars. It was a dark night, only the light from the spirit portal illuminated the streets. He and his partner were in another building across from the old cabbage corp building on a stakeout.
“We could be here a while...” Tian said.
“Yeah...” He said, putting down the binoculars and turning to her. “You know, I think you know more about the triads than you're telling me...what's your story?” He asked. She sighed.
“You got me...my family came from the bad parts of Omashu when I was really young. We lived in the slums for a while...one day my dad was mugged, and he tried to stand up to them. He...never made it home.” She wiped a tear from her face. “I've dedicated my life to bringing the triads to justice so no one else has to go through something that horrible.” Mako nodded in understanding.
“I was eight and my brother Bolin was seven when we lost our parents.” He said as she looked at him.
“Maybe it's no coincidence chief paired me with you...” she said.
“Maybe not. But hey, all we can do is survive and carry on the memories, right?” He said with a smile.
“Right.” She said, unknowingly putting her hand next to his. He noticed, and retracted his nervously.
“Oh, sorry.” She said, doing the same, a little embarrassed. They both looked out the window as they heard the sound of a motorcade. Four trucks entered the supposedly abandoned building.
“Looks like you were right.” Mako said.
“What do we do now?” She asked.
“We need proof to take back to Beifong and okay a raid, so we need to see what's in those trucks.”
He quietly exited the stakeout room and, keeping to the shadows, went to the rear of the nearest truck. Tian was shortly behind him.
“What's the plan?” She whispered.
“One of us needs to wait outside, both to watch and cause a diversion if necessary, while the other checks out the cargo.” He whispered back.
“Leave the diversion to me, go ahead and see what you can find.” She answered.
She stood watch while he rummaged through a crate. “You hear something?” A rough voice from the building's direction said. She heard two sets of feet coming towards them. She used her earth bending to throw a rock towards one of the nearby alley-ways, keeping herself out of their sight while they pursued the sound.
“C'mon, let's go.” Mako said as he went up to her quietly with a small box under his arm. They quietly rushed back to the stakeout location without being detected.
“What was in that truck?” Tian asked with anticipation.
“Not much I could bring back, except this. Let's see what's inside.” He opened the small box, and his face went into a look of grief recognition. His arm started throbbing as he looked at the encased spirit vine inside.
“Is that a...spirit vine?” Tian asked.
“Beifong's not gonna like this...”