Tasers Aren't Good for Your Health
Dignity. It wasn’t something Kuvira had spent much time thinking about until she had spent… how many days had they been down here? Five. Maybe.
Anyways… dignity. You see, there wasn’t a toilet in the cell. No, they didn’t have a bucket. They were a little more fortunate than that. Ho boy, that would have erased Kuvira’s dignity entirely.
The brothers had some sort of common sense— anatomy knowledge that if a human doesn’t… you know… go… they die. Every day one of their armed thugs would take each member of the group to a little restroom adjacent to the warehouse. One at a time. And they couldn’t look away— because Tarrlok was paranoid that they might… what? Sneak something in? Like toilet paper? Get a grip, ponytails. Thank Raava none of the females were on their cycle right now.
“I can’t wait to wipe my ass without some meth-head looking,” Wu whined.
“Same.”
Kuvira rolled her eyes and smirked. They still had some hope— something the cop found admirable. After Tarrlok’s scare with the gun, she wasn’t too sure they would make it out unscathed. Perhaps… perhaps she could talk some sense into Noatak? Sure the guy was evil… but he was also… not as crazy as his brother.
“You have a visitor,” Bob mumbled. She stepped to the side and a figure walked up to the cell.
“Fuck, fuck, FUCK!! Which one of you shitheads has a fucking wire?” Hiroshi asked, angrily slamming his fist on the cell door. He had a lovely bruise peeking out from under his mustache.
Nice going, Korra.
“What on Earth are you talking about?” Zhu Li spat, her eyes narrowing.
“Someone tipped the police off to the underground warehouse… there’s a whole fucking army on our doorstep! And this morning an attack was launched on the Northern Water Tribe, from the inside! Unalaq’s been captured and is being transported to Republic City! So which one of you fuckers has a radio?!”
Varrick. Raava bless you, you damn madman!!
Kuvira began laughing.
“What is your fucking deal, bitch!?” Hiroshi growled, looking at Bob. She shrugged.
The Zaofu-born couldn’t stop cackling, even when Bolin started shaking her shoulder— telling her to cut it out.
But for once… she had hope.
Hiroshi unlocked the cell with a yell and gave her several kicks to the stomach, but she kept laughing, even when she began coughing up blood. Asami tried to pull her father away, but he gave her a swift slap to the face and kept kicking Kuvira. She didn’t mind.
She laughed and cried and laughed and cried. At some point Hiroshi kicked her in the face and exited the cell. He knew there wasn’t a radio in the group. He just needed a punching bag.
“Alright… we’re going to have to move you… but what do we do about the merchandise!? They’ll be here any minute—“
A small rectangle shot out from the darkness and hit Bob square in the chest. She stood there, violently shaking and trying to say something, but ended up slumping to the floor. Half a second after she’d been hit, another rectangle shot into Hiroshi’s chest and he began seizing up. Tasers.
“These models are so shitty, you’d think that they would give us the newer products—“
“Varrick, shut the fuck up and find the keys.”
That voice. Huh. Kuvira knew that voice. But… it couldn’t be…
The door swung open and two cops rushed in— clad in bullet proof armor. Varrick… and… and…
“KUVIRA! OH RAAVA WHAT DID THEY DO TO ALL OF YOU!?” a woman shouted.
Kuvira tried to look up, through the mix of tears and blood in her vision. Someone was kneeling in front of her.
“Hey Shao— nice of you to stop by,” she laughed.
. . .
They removed any keys they could find on the two unconscious bodies. And then they threw them into the cell.
“Mr. Sato, you are the worst father ever,” Bolin growled, slamming the door and locking it.
Kuvira looked at Asami who had a death grip on Korra’s arm (the younger girl was uncomfortable by the vice-grip, but didn’t say anything).
“Alright, we have a plan from the Chief. We need to get you out. That’s it. No sidetracking— no confrontations,” Shao said. She handed Kuvira, Zhu Li, and Bolin a gun each.
“How did you get in?”
“There’s a third way in— an emergency exit in the office that’s located down here. We managed to pry it open last night, but we couldn’t risk sneaking in. There was too much activity in the main warehouse area. And forget about the main entrance— they’re trying to move as much of the meth as they can before they scram. So that’s blocked by dozens of armed thugs.”
“What about the tunnel to and from the shack?” Mako asked.
“Not a chance— Tarrlok and Noatak sealed it off the day after you broke in. The shack is completely destroyed,” Varrick answered.
“I have to purchase a new Ellen DeGeneres poster?”
“Really? That’s what your worried about?” Korra hissed.
They peered past the hallway— coast was clear. Kuvira looked back at the cell door. Asami was standing there, with her hands at her side bunched into fists. She looked… the opposite of defeated. As though the longer she stared at Hiroshi the more determined she was getting.
“Are— are you ready to go, Sato?”
“Yeah… just give me a moment…”
“Sure thing. Just… I know it’s important but don’t take too long,” Kuvira said softly. She knew how harsh— how cruel parents could be.
“Don’t worry.”
Asami put a hand on the cell door and leaned closer.
“You really are the worst father ever,” she whispered. And the engineer turned and followed the group.
. . .
It was a slow process— extracting the group. First, they had to get out of the warehouse. Without being noticed. Then, they had to sneak off camp property. Again, without being noticed. At least this was a mapped-out operation with five trained cops.
So they moved in two groups. Wu would go with Varrick, Bolin, and Zhu Li. Kuvira and Shao would go with Mako, Asami, and Korra.
Oh Raava, this is so fucking dangerous.
Varrick’s group went first. They weaved among the crates and dodged behind vehicles. Fortunately, the warehouse was empty right now— but they couldn’t risk anything.
They made it to the office, and Varrick quietly broke the door open. Group #1 snuck in and pushed their way through the door.
“Varrick, did you make it?” Shao called through her radio.
“Affirmative. We are en route to the escort team.”
Thank the Spirits, Kuvira thought.
“Alright, let’s go,” Shao whispered to the group.
For once— for once the kids fucking behaved. They were all too scared to goof off.
They rounded a crate and Kuvira peered past the corner. There were a pair of guards walking towards them. They would have to move fast if they wanted to make it in time.
Shao pushed the kids forward, and they silently sprinted to cover. Kuvira put a hand on the hood of the truck they were hiding behind and checked for the guards. They hadn’t seen either group.
Kuvira let out a small sigh through her nose and stepped around the car.
There was a small pressure pushing down on her forehead as she looked into a sickly shade (she hadn’t thought that possible) of blue. Noatak was pointing a gun between her eyes.
Well that plan went to shit.
“Going somewhere?”