A World Of Grey (Legend of Korra)

Chapter 14

Mako glanced frequently to the sheet of paper lying on the table next to the typewriter, practised fingers dancing across the keys of the machine. Though the report he was typing up was his own, he often paused to lean closer and puzzle out a series of letters tangled in looping scrawl. His eyebrow rose at just how scruffy his handwriting became at certain points. He reminded himself once again that it was perhaps a good idea to write his drafts a little more tidily. Then again, it was not the first time Mako had told himself that, staring perplexed at the formation of his words. He would have better luck stapling a memo to his hand.

"Three times in the space of a week. I'll say this Equalist character is doing a better job than we are."

"Better not let the boss hear you say that."

Mako glanced up and to his left as he heard the voices. Two of his colleagues stood lounging against the edge of a desk, the third sitting on the opposite side and clearly very much distracted from her work, though by her expression she seemed to welcome it.

"Certain it's a woman, then?"

"So say the witness reports," replied the man closest to Mako. "I have a hard time believing it though."

"Three witnesses with matching descriptions," said the woman in a tired voice. "What, you don't think a woman could do what they say this 'Equalist' did?"

"I don't think there's a man or woman in this city with big enough balls to do what this lunatic is doing."

Mako's keystrokes resumed, his brow furrowing as he listened in on the conversation. It had been a week since the first report of the Equalist's actions had come to his attention, or rather that of his department. The first instance had drawn raised eyebrows and disbelieving smirks, the witness report reading like something out of a poorly written novel. It did not take even an hour for jokes to come about at said witness' expense. The incident was quietly pushed to one side. There were actual issues that were of the department's concern, like the sniff they had gotten of weapon shipments coming in from the Fire Nation.

The second instance drew a little more of a pause from Mako and his colleagues. There were the same indifferent shrugs and amused shakes of the head, but yet still very little attention was actually paid by the department as a whole. Their priority was dealing with Equalist extremism, not some supposed woman who was running around the city dressed up in costume fighting with thugs who, for all intents and purpose, deserved the beatings they apparently received. What did cause the department to finally begin to take notice of this individual was the third instance in which she had been seen. The Equalist – as they had resigned to calling her – tangled with two police officers while escaping a scene.

One of them had suffered a fractured wrist. Both testified to the fact that the Equalist appeared to be carrying weapons they had never seen before. If the Equalist bore any connections to the original organization then the fact that they had managed to slip new weapons underneath the radar was a definite cause for concern.

"Who knows," said the second man, folding his arms as he leaned against the desk. "Could be the Avatar for all we know."

The woman snorted as Mako's fingers paused in the air. "The Avatar? You think she'd run around dressed up as an equalist?"

"Why not? Sounds like a pretty good cover to me. Look – you didn't believe me the moment I said it."

"That's because it's bullshit," the woman replied calmly. "How would you explain these weapons she's apparently carrying around?"

Mako glanced up once more to see the man shrug. "She skipped town two years ago. Who's to say where she's been in that time?"

"And now she's back, cleaning up Republic City three thugs at a time."