Korrasami: Golden Age

#9 - The Battle

Korra felt taken aback, which had been a rarity in recent days.

The attack that was just happening before her eyes ... was as surprising as it was frightening.

The robotic suits of their attackers looked extremely advanced: there was no sign of familiarity and bulky, sluggish moving parts.  Exactly the opposite;  the added technological parts to their attacking uniforms were subtle, sharp lines and not in brown and gray but in blue, gold and red.  For a moment she thought that maybe Asams's business rivals had decided to get rid of her avatar mistress, purely out of envy.  But it was probably not something like that, she felt.

One of the twenty of those machined men with a heavy mallet of steel-reinforced legs, stopped and said:

- We're here for Korra and Zaheer.  Others are irrelevant, but if necessary, let them be collateral damage.

- Korra?  Zaheer?  - avatar frowned - don't you have a shred of respect?  I am a respected avatar and I prefer to be adressed as one...

- Less talk, more fighting, dear respected avatar - Zaheer said softly in her ear, quickly shielding her behind a nearby stone pillar from the flames that erupted from the flamethrower on the wrist of the attacker's hand.

- Um, thank you.

- It won't be easy, but we can handle them.  Together.

- And civilians?

- They've already run away, but still there could be people left here.

- Plan?

- My suggestion is this ...

And so it happened.  One late-night dinner turned into a real crazy showdown.  Zaheer voluntarily served as bait and therefore took over most of the attack, while Korra quickly and efficiently found a dozen more panicked hidden civilians and managed to get them out the back door of the restaurant alive and well.

- Go to the city centre, and then to the emergency healing service.

- Thank you, lady avatar.

- Go!  Immediately!

She didn't even manage to sigh when a wave of fire poured from one direction.  With considerable effort, she turned it away, using more advanced firebending than she wanted, and then assessed the situation.

The restaurant was now deserted and completely on fire.  Zaheer was in an unenviable position.  He was hiding behind one of the remaining stone statues, but guys with flamethrowers and wires full of electricity were approaching him.

There was no choice.  Korra helped him.  Because not a single newly elected statesman of Earth Nation will perish while in her company. No, that is not going to happen.

She smiled wickedly.  Th time for an offensive has arrived.

- Hey, guys!  Is there a reason for your unjustified actions tonight?

In response, she received only a roar of fire and exclamations of anger from several  of those lunatics.

Fast as the wind, she headed for them, ready to try something.

Proximity firebending is  much dangerous and not so useful.  Except if done masterfully...

Feeling the heat on her skin, she made two strokes and deftly bounced back to Zaheer's sanctuary.  The two robotically gifted guys in a panic dropped their exploding armored robot-uniforms and began to flee.

- How did you do that? - Zaheer asked, and she shook her head.

- You push the fire back into their machine's insides and pouf, all their advantage disappears instantly.