Korrasami FanFiction: The Masked Revenge

Chapter 24: The White Lie

The next morning, Mako's death and the truth behind the Iron Bloods had been spread to Kya and the rest of the police force. Kuvira is writing the report in her temporary office as Lin arrives to check up on her. She had been frantically working on it ever since her arrival at the crime scene and hasn't gotten any sleep. Her gloves were still soaked in Mako's blood as she put ink against paper. Knocking on the door, Lin enters the room to see the report Kuvira was writing.

"How much of the report have you completed?" Lin asked.

"I just finished the report on Mako. It's ready to be published." Kuvira stated.

Lin took the report and read Mako's file. Feeling guilty for her former right-hand man, Lin tears the report on Mako's involvement, hiding the information from the public. Kuvira is confused as this was the opposite reaction she expected from her aunt.

"What are you doing?" Kuvira asked.

"I'm hiding all information about Mako's involvement." Lin stated.

"I don't understand. How can we hide this criminal's identity? The public needs to know." Kuvira replied.

"Kuvira... letting the public know about Mako's identity will only ruin the reputation of the police force. A former member of Republic City's police force turning into a mass terrorist. How do you think that will sound in the hearts of the masses? It will only spread fear, false propaganda, and chaos within the city." Lin explained.

"The people will find out eventually. I can tell one of the officers will eventually spill the beans." Kuvira argued.

"I hired only the best people for the job. They all know I decided to make you a chief inspector, and none disagreed with me. All of them will remain loyal to you just how they remained loyal to me." Lin replied.

"Still, we can't just let him get away with his crimes." Kuvira stated.

"Mako has done more for the city within his four years of service than I can accomplish in a lifetime. His brother died in front of him and lost his way because of it. As much as I want to tell the public about this, it will cause us more pain than closure." Lin responded.

"It doesn't matter what our reputation is. Our job is to protect and inform the people. It doesn't matter what he was before, he is a dangerous criminal who needs to be brought to justice!" Kuvira exclaimed.

"What about you then? Do you think you deserve my seat as chief of police?" Lin inquired.

Kuvira didn't have anything to say. Being a former dictator, Kuvira saw that the only difference between her and Mako is her incredible luck and her huge family. While Suyin and Opal took care of her after her attempt in unifying Ba Sing Se, Mako had no one. He lost his only family member whereas Kuvira still had Lin to supervise her actions. If Kuvira had no family members during her reign of terror, she would be in the same predicament as Mako was.

She finally understood why Lin wanted to keep Mako's involvement a secret. With so much he's done for the city, it only seemed fair his friends gave him some kind of happy ending he never obtained.

The one-armed bender was reconsidering whether she wanted the job. Kuvira knew she was the best person for the position. Perhaps she was the only person due to no one wanting it during this time of chaos. With so many people dead and with crime suddenly increasing due to the police's huge focus on the Iron Bloods, Kuvira had so much responsibility to fill as the new chief of police. Even though her position isn't official as of yet, Kuvira was already making the hardest decision of her life.  

With everything that had happened, she finally understood why Lin wanted to retire. It wasn't because she was getting old but rather, she was getting tired of making the same decisions Kuvira had to make. She was tired of facing the consequences and getting backlash from the public for doing something she deemed right for the city. With Mako, her best officer, becoming her worst enemy, it only made sense for her to finally retire to obtain some sort of happiness in her life. 

However, Kuvira didn't falter from her principles just yet as she continued to press into the situation.

"Are you sure you want to do this? He killed Su after all?" Kuvira stated.

"I'm not even sure. Perhaps he's the one who killed Suyin. Perhaps it was another member that did. But no matter how much we want to tell everyone, we can't. Revealing Mako's identity will only anger the people, especially with you beside me as my apprentice." Lin stated.

"You think Korra and Asami will accept this?" Kuvira asked.

"You know as much as I do that Asami was covering for Korra that day. It was obvious that Mako jumped willingly and killed himself." Lin stated.

While Kuvira had her suspicions, she didn't question the two women due to their wedding being ruined.

"You really think so?" Kuvira inquired.

"If those two truly fought each other, then it would have been a blood bath. With both parties suffering from minor battle damages, besides Mako's torso being crushed on impact, I think it's safe to say Asami was lying. Also, Mako could have easily saved himself from the impact." Lin responded.

Kuvira finally gives in as she acknowledges the right choice. Even though it was a decision she didn't want to make, this was the best outcome for everyone. Staring at the torn pieces of paper on her desk, Kuvira threw the destroyed report as she submitted what she had.

Before she left, Lin wrapped her arms around her niece's waist, trying to comfort her successor as much as possible. Whispering into her ear, Lin gives Kuvira some advice.

"You're going to make tough decisions like this in the future. My mother did in the past and you will too in the future. That's the hard part about this job. You need to protect everyone even though it's not in their best interest. Also, don't try to be so cold when doing your job. It's the only way you can stare into the mirror as a human." Lin stated.

"Yes ma'am," Kuvira replied.

Rolling out of her office, Lin headed towards Kya who was waiting for her. Just as she was about to head out the door, Kuvira stopped her niece, asking her one final question.

"What will you be doing for your retirement?" Kuvira asked.

"I'm not sure... Quit smoking and drinking, learn to knit, or perhaps spend the rest of my old days making love with the most beautiful woman I know. God, when was the last time I was in a relationship that lasted this long?" Lin stated.

"Thank you!" Kuvira responded.

Lin stopped herself as she remembered one final thing.

"Get yourself someone special. Whether you get back with Bataar Jr or you end up dating someone else, make sure you have that person. It's the only thing that keeps you sane during the job." Lin stated.

Without further questions, Kuvira saluted her teacher, saying her farewells for the day. Lin just shook her head as she couldn't believe how serious Kuvira was taking the job. Finally free from the burden of protecting the city, Lin pushed her wheelchair towards the exit as Kya guided her into the car. 

Just as Lin exited the premise, Kuvira's radio started blaring as some officers were in pursuit of the triple threat triads. Putting on her metallic uniform and a cloth over her face, Kuvira catapulted herself into the scene as she prepared to fulfill her role as chief of police...

Author's Note: Thank You for reading. This is the second to last chapter. Leave some comments or critiques of what you think of the overall story. Spent an entire month writing this and I hope the readers enjoyed it.