Chapter 5
“Raava, I have some friends coming in,” Sato says the next day as Korra types up her case report.
“Mm” Korra says without looking up.
“They call themselves The Red Lotus, after the White Lotus, a group of conspirators thought to run the world”.
“You mean the Illuminati, Sato,” Korra looks up at the other woman.
“Yeah but the Illuminati isn't real”
Korra rolls her eyes and turns back to her work.
“They have some information on the face stealer,” Sato moves over to Korra's desk.
“Is the information that it's not real?” Korra mutters.
Sato ignores her and continues, “This could be our first big break in this case! Come on Raava, that doesn't excite you even a little bit?”
Korra's about to answer when the door to the office opens.
“Sato!” A man with long scruffy hair and a mustache, walks through the door, followed by the strangest group of people Korra has ever seen.
“Ghazan!” Sato exclaims, “Come in, come in! Meet my partner”.
The group walks over to Korra's desk, much to her dismay, and Sato introduces them.
“This is Ghazan,” she motions to the mustachioed man, who smiles, “Ming-Hua,” a woman with long black hair and two prosthetic arms nods, “P'li,” an improbably tall woman with a braided mohawk and a tattoo on her forehead nods as well, “And-”
“And I'm Zaheer,” the last of the group, a short, scarred, bald man moves forward and holds out his hand for Korra to shake it. She takes his hand firmly and musters up a small smile.
“Nice to meet you all,” she lies, turning back to her work.
“I have something to show you,” Zaheer turns to Sato excitedly, “P'li, love, would you mind bringing out the slides?”
“Let me set up the projector,” Sato moves to a cabinet in the back of the office and brings out a slide projector, “What do you have?” she turns to P'li.
P'li sits down next to the projector and inserts the slides.
“Sato, you're going to love this,” Ghazan grins as P'li projects the first slide.
In spite of herself, Korra looks up at the screen. The slide is of a case file from the sixties that has been marked “Confidential”.
Korra raises an eyebrow, “How did you find this?” she asks the Red Lotus.
“We have our ways,” Zaheer winks. Korra takes that to mean that they've definitely obtained this information through illegal means.
P'li turns turns to the next slide, the first page of the case file. Much of the file has been blacked out, as these files tend to be, but as far as Korra can tell, it seems to be about the photographer who went missing. The first page has information that Daisy had already told them, but it's the next slide that makes Korra gasp.
It's a blurred image of Agent Kya, Korra's teacher and mentor at Quantico. Kya stands in the Vietnam forest, covered in dirt and bruises and small cuts. P'li turns to the next slide and Korra gives up on trying to feign indifference.
“It's a bit difficult to read,” P'li says, pointing to the screen on which is projected a page written in tight handwriting that Korra knows is Kya's, “But it's essentially the tale of how this particular agent, along with her partner, was assigned to the case of the missing photographer. She never encountered the Face Stealer itself, but she did lose her partner under very mysterious circumstances”.
“It was the post-war Vietnam jungle,” Korra interjects, “Anything could have happened to him”.
“You haven't read her account,” P'li says, “I'll read it for you,” she clears her throat, “Today was our fifth day out on the field, and still we've not encountered this monster the photographer was raving about. In fact, all we've found has been trees, more trees, and a whole lot of mosquitoes. Not much to report.
Day 6: Dave claims someone, or something, is watching us. I told him he's getting paranoid, that we've just been in this jungle for too damn long, but he's utterly convinced we're not alone.
Day 8: Dave is right. I feel it too. Something is watching us. Something is following us.
Day 9: Something went through our food supply last night. We are now down to only half our rations. We continued our trek through the forest and stopped to camp by a stream. At night we hear rustles in the underbrush.
Day 11: We lit a fire tonight in an attempt to keep the thing, whatever it is, away from our camp. Dave is getting more paranoid, trying to convince me to turn back. I remind him that we have a mission to fulfill.
Day 12: We fell asleep around the fire last night, huddled up against each other. When we woke up, the fire was out.
Day 13: We found strange tracks around our camp this morning. It's like nothing I've ever seen before. We are being hunted. We are being played with. I am sure of it.
Day 14: Dave wandered off today. He told me that he couldn't take it anymore, that it was time to face the thing head-on. It's night. He still hasn't returned.
Day 15: Still no sign of Dave. I'm at the tail-end of our rations. I try to eat a quarter portion, try to save food for Dave, but I know, deep down, he's not coming back.
Day 16: I've decided to wait for Dave one more day, and then I'm turning back. I need to get out of this jungle before I lose it too.
Day 17: Still no Dave. The strange tracks have reappeared. I can't take this anymore. I'm leaving.
Day 18: I found Dave. Or rather, what was left of him. His corpse was floating in the stream, turned face down, his legs torn off. I turned him around. He had no face. I'm getting the fuck out of this jungle if it's the last thing I do.
Day 19: I didn't even stop to make camp today. Must keep moving forward.
Day 20: I forced myself to rest for a few hours. I awoke to rustles in the bushes, the jungle otherwise silent. Rest is now a luxury I can no longer afford.
Day 21: I made it. I made it out of that goddamn jungle. I have no idea what to tell my superiors. I just want to go home.
The journal ends there,” P'li finishes. Everyone is silent, taking in the story. Korra feels a chill as she realizes that Kya would never lie on a case report. Somehow people were losing their faces. She's not convinced that it's some mythical face stealer, but the scientific ramifications of this alone are enough to shake her to her core.
“What happened next to the agent?” Sato asks.
P'li turns the slide, “She went on to create the X-files”.
Korra and Sato look at each other in shock. It's time to pay her old teacher a visit.
-
Kya has just finished teaching her last class of the day when she gets the phone call in her office.
“Hello?” she speaks into the phone.
“You will tell them nothing,” a voice says at the other end.
“Excuse me?”
Click! Whoever is on the other line hangs up.
Kya is putting the phone back in its cradle when she receives the second phone call, this time from her ex-student Korra. She listens to Korra's request, and suddenly the previous phone call starts to make a lot more sense.
-
The next day, Asami and Korra knock on Kya's door. The door opens and on the other side stands an older woman with long grey hair and shining blue eyes.
“Come it!” she motions, and Asami and Korra walk through the door. Asami takes in the house's interior. The walls are covered in paintings and masks that have clearly been acquired on many trips around the world. The room smells of incense and soft classical music comes from a boom box in the corner of the room.
“Korra!” she opens her arms and embraces her former student, “How have you been? How's the X-files been treating you?”
Korra grins and steps back, “Sato, this is my old teacher, Kya. Kya, this is agent Asami Sato, head of the X-files”.
“Excellent!” Kya claps her hands together, “Well, have a seat and I'll bring out some tea,” Kya motions to a short table surrounded by comfortable looking pillows. Asami and Korra have a seat while Kya sashays to the kitchen to make the tea. The pair sit in silence as they wait until Asami can't take it anymore.
“Raava,” she says, “Who exactly is Kya?”
“She was one of my teacher's at Quantico, her focus was in criminal profiling when I was there, but clearly I don't know much about her life before then”. Asami nods thoughtfully as Kya walks back into the living room, a tray in her hands. She sets the tray down on the table and takes a seat next to Korra.
“Would either of you care for some calming jasmine tea?” Kya asks and both the agents nod. Kya serves them each a cup of steaming tea before serving herself, “Now,” she says as Asami takes a sip of her tea, “What did the two of you want to know?”
“How did-,” Asami starts but Korra interrupts her.
“You started the X-Files? And you never told me?” She puts down her cup.
“Ah, the X-Files,” Kya sighs, “Yes I was the first agent to open them up, but those days are behind me, I fear”.
“But you must know so much!” Asami says, her eyes shining with admiration, “All the things you've seen!”
“Well,” Kya chuckles, “Yes, I've seen quite a lot in my time, things the two of you would probably never believe”.
“I think you'd be surprised at what I would believe,” Asami gives a half smile, “In fact, I have a few questions about one of your 'unbelievable' cases”.
“Is that so?” Kya takes a sip of her tea, “Fire away”.
“That time in Vietnam-” Asami starts.
“Oh, Vietnam,” Kya says, “The case that started it all. I don't know how many of your questions I can answer about that, you see, I never solved that case”.
“We know,” Korra says, “That's why we're here”.
“We're on the case right now,” Asami adds, “And we need your help”.
“You're after the Face Stealer?” Kya asks, her face pale.
“Ye-,” Asami starts.
“Not exactly,” Korra interrupts, “We just want the truth. We want to know why people lost their faces. I personally doubt it has anything to do with mythology”.
“The truth, eh?” Kya asks, “Well, I'd give the two of you my case files, but those were confiscated by the Bureau”.
“We know,” Asami says, “We've seen them”.
“You have?” Kya raises an eyebrow, “I'm not even going to ask how you find those. I'm afraid I can't tell you much more than what you already know, then”.
“Do you really believe that the Face Stealer is behind this?” Asami asks.
Kya sighs, “After everything I've seen, I'd have to say yes, yes I do”.
Korra looks at her mentor, her mouth agape, “Really?” Kya nods.
“What do you think it is?”Asami asks.
“I have my theories, but I can't say for certain. It could be some form of alien intelligence, or even a Spirit”.
Asami looks at her in wonder, “You really think it could be a Spirit?” Kya nods. Asami sits in silence for a moment.
“Agent Kya,” Asami says, “Is there any way you'd be able to give us the coordinates you were searching through?”
“The coordinates?” Kya muses, “Now, I don't know them off the top of my head, but I can call in a few favors and find out”.
“Perfect,” Asami grins.