Not Your Hero

Chapter 4

[Part 2: Let's Take Them Down]

⚠️Warning: mild cursing.⚠️

After some efficient team-discussion time, the four decided to first dock in the Republic City USOF compound, then head to the respective crime scenes to investigate the so-called Saviors. But for some reason, Korra couldn't shake the nagging feeling that they were heading in the wrong direction. They all agreed that the Saviors should be coming out into the open pretty soon, but if they were a criminal organization, why would they want to? Korra was sure that if she was an underground criminal, the last thing she'd want to do was reveal her identity. But if those people were going to stay secrete, what's the motive behind all this killing? They're a secret organization, not a psychopath murdering ordinary citizens.

Bolin suddenly announced, "Well I don't know about you guys, but I am hungry! I'm going to the kitchen to grab some bites, I can't work on an empty stomach." Mako rolled his eyes and accompanied his brother out of the meeting room, leaving only Korra and Asami. Korra didn't notice the other girl until she spoke up. "Does this bother you at all? How those crimes don't make sense?" Korra looked up and nodded gravely.

"Of course it bothers me. This all doesn't make damn sense. If they were a criminal organization, why would they want to go out into the open? But if they weren't going to go out into the open, why kill all those people and leave notes beside their bodies? And how exactly did these people die? And who are those Saviors anyway? Who are they saving these people from, that they had to die? Ugh, this shit doesn't make any sense. Damn it, Asami! I'm a fucking special forces officer, not some detective sociopath." Korra was a sight to behold at that time--she was practically seething with anger.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold it there, special forces officer. That's too much cursing coming from someone who doesn't normally swear." Asami raised her hands in surrender, half-serious and half-teasing. "Sorry..." Korra grimaced. Then the realization hit her: how did Asami know she rarely cursed? "Don't be. There's always a solution to all this, you just need to calm down. From what I've learned from years of engineering, solving a crime is like building a car: you assemble the parts then you figure out how they fit together. I built most of the transport in the compound, and even I can't see through things at a glance. So just be patient and try to work things out. I'm sure everything will make sense eventually." Asami explained smoothly.

Korra sighed dejectedly. Asami had a point, after all. Korra was just being her usual hot-headed self. "Okay, let's see. The saviors' victims are all insignificant. All of them were discovered days after they'd died when their bodies had started to stink--disgusting. But let's assume that they had something against everyday civilians. And now they're coming out. Why would they do that?" Asami frowned. "Maybe they're not opening up to everyone. Of course, if they told the public how their fellow citizens have been killed by them, things would go wrong horribly. But what if they opened up to the people that aren't their victims?" Korra raised an eyebrow: "But how would we know who are their victims and who aren't? We don't know their motive, remember?"

"My guess is the higher-class society. The Saviors haven't killed anyone that's rich or important, mostly those in the slums. I grew up in Republic City, and it's mostly divided between rich and poor. The rich live in a tight circle around the United Republic Government, outside that circle is normal citizens, and beyond that is the slums. I say we keep a lookout in the rich circle to watch for any gatherings or such."

Korra nodded, snapping out of her trance. For the last few minutes, she'd been secretly admiring how attractive the Sato looked performing her flawless deductions. But that was probably because Korra had little brain cells and thus loved seeing a smart person at work. And Asami was really smart. "I see your point. Let's go over this with the boys. We're landing in an hour anyway, might give it some rest."

--

"Hello, Corporal... Opal, is it?" Korra closely inspected the badge closely. "My name is Captain Korra. Do you guys have a CSI team here? We need them to check out a few crime scenes. My teammates and I aren't exactly experts in forensic science." Korra addressed the officer facing her.

Corporal Opal shook her head. "Sorry, Captain. Our only CSI team is working on a very urgent case currently, and the generals ordered for them not to be distracted. But I have some experience in forensics, I might be able to help you out."

Bolin suddenly piped up: "Ohh! Mako is also an amateur forensic scientist, he loves this stuff. You could come with me and Mako to the crime scene, while Asami and Korra go to the rich circle." Korra chuckled: Bolin was looking at the officer admiringly.

Asami nodded in agreement. "That would work out. Korra and I make a pretty good team, right Captain?" Korra blushed profusely, hurriedly nodding. "Uh, I mean, yeah, yes we do." Korra stuttered out nervously, trying to hide her embarrassment with a polite cough.

Bolin grinned widely. "Then it's all settled then! Mako, Opal, and I will go to the crime scene together. Slight change to plans, but let's all gear up and get moving!"