A World Of Grey (Legend of Korra)

Chapter 38

She was not just some random woman whose name and face meant nothing to him. The Equalist was Asami. That changed everything.

The large, charcoal grey van was in pursuit of a Satomobile, in turn being pursued by a trio of unmarked police cars itself. Mako was near the back of the queue as they tore out of the docks altogether, emerging onto the streets of the city. The wind roared in his ear as he pressed himself flat to the motorcycle. He was without a helmet or goggles, squinting ahead as moisture leaked from his eyes.

Had he not known any better, the boxy van would be being driven by a madwoman. Asami had whipped around the corners of stacked shipping containers like it was a race car, the van swaying severely as she weaved through a pair of police cars trying to obstruct her.

That she was chasing after the Satomobile was without need of question. Asami had rammed its rear end in the one instant where she managed to catch up to it, almost throwing the car out of control. The driver could not navigate turns as expertly as her, despite being in a much more stable vehicle. Mako could only guess at that person's identity when it thundered past his post, windows darkened.

The motorcycle was not his, did not feel in any way intimately familiar between his thighs, but it would have to do. Mako glimpsed an armoured silhouette through the window of the van as it hurtled by and raced for the machine, pushing aside its owner. At the least he felt comfortable in the seat, in control. Riding shotgun on the way to the docks only left his stomach feeling anxiously tight. Mako needed to be able to call his own shots. So as he leaned the cycle to the left and took it out proper onto the road, his eyes were locked onto the back of the van tens of metres ahead. They were all chasing after the Equalist, but Mako saw her without the mask.

Their procession tore down the street, diving straight into the flow of traffic. Mako pulled over towards the painted line dividing the road, eyeing the opportunity to overtake the police car in front. On the back of the motorcycle, he was a far more nimble pursuer. Correcting his line as an oncoming vehicle piped its horn at him, Mako nudged forwards alongside his fellow officers before sweeping across the front of the car, swinging across to hug the curb. Ahead, the Satomobile took a sharp right, closely followed by the van whose tyres screeched under inertia.

Mako managed to draw up alongside the second police car before they both reached the turn onto Jing-Yu West Road. The roads were narrower this side of the city. Mako's chest beat furiously as he cut behind the car and swung out briefly onto the opposite side of the road. The Cabbage Car's driver pounded their horn as he suddenly appeared in front of them. Mako was dazzled by the glare of their headlights. Spots clinging to his vision, he pulled the cycle back onto the proper side, holding the rear wheel steady as it threatened to flick out.

The sole police car ahead of him as he gunned the accelerator was creeping up to the back of the van. It was a decidedly swifter and more agile vehicle. As the two took a left turn, the car managed to sneak in on the inside, touching its nose just behind the van's rear wheel. The van's tyres screeched once more, this time as it began to oversteer with its pursuer's encouragement. Mako was fully expecting the bulky vehicle to spin out of control. Instead, the end of the van suddenly whipped in the opposite direction of the front wheels, smacking into the side of the police car as Asami counter-steered.

She fought to maintain control, sliding from left to right in a bid to correct the oversteer. The police car hounded her the entire way. Mako, with several more now on his heels, approached the same turn and took it at speed. He straightened out and looked ahead, taken by surprise when he saw the van no longer swerving in a bid to spin out of its driver's control. The chasing police car slotted behind it once more, avoiding the traffic coming in the opposite direction. Mako hugged the body of the cycle and sped after them.