Chapter Text
These assholes call this shithole a hideout? Lame.
Agent South laughed at her own thoughts, coughing a bit as the six morons stood before her. She was fed up with the two-week long farce she’d been assigned to and was ready to go home.
Two weeks. Two weeks of being undercover. Two weeks of sleuthing in Ba Sing Se, looking for the knuckleheads who somehow got their hands on destructive materials that they wouldn’t even begin to understand the dangers of. After a few hours with them she couldn’t believe how the idiots even got their hands on them.
“Was something funny, sweetheart?”
Korra chuckled again, “I was just thinking about how fucking dumb you look, Fathead.” Her comment earned her punch to the gut. Damn cowards weren’t this handsy when they caught her sneaking around the grounds, but now that she was tied to a chair they were brave. Fucking pricks.
To be fair, she quietly admitted that she was poking the cougar-bear with the name calling. Sure she knew their actual names, but she rather enjoyed belittling them with her chosen designations.
The leader, Fathead, earned his title for his comically large cranium. Loudmouth was the enthusiastic second in command of the operation, the quintessential side goon that always had to be the loudest person in the room that thrived from the run-off of the real boss. Blondie and Red were the two women within the group, both ruthless in the blows they landed on Korra when they took their turns. They’ll pay a high price for their contributions as well. Goggles and Bald Boy were easily named, with one wearing a thick pair of bifocals and the other’s hairless head respectively.
They were a group of cocky assholes that were getting a real kick out of “capturing” a highly decorated Task Force agent. No doubt they thought the session was going to end with Korra screaming, maybe even pleading for death, but they did not know Korra South, Senior Agent of the United Republic Task Force. She was too clever to get caught, only doing so intentionally. Unbeknownst to them she was in perfect control of the situation and far more dangerous than they knew.
Most importantly, Korra South wasn’t a screamer.
Heh, Asami would beg to differ. She smirked at her inner thoughts as she wheezed a little from the last blow. Instantly the image of shimmering emeralds and a rouge pout erupted in her mind. It wasn’t the first time the green-eyed goddess had crossed it over the last two weeks. Two, excruciatingly long weeks that she had to suffer through. Suffer being away from Raava’s gift to mankind. A gift to her. Now she remembered why she had no real interest in taking solo assignments over the last six months. Solo assignments meant being away from her beloved partner. At least assignments with her team meant the tasks could be evenly divided, leaving some room to see the woman she loved. Assignments that had her out alone meant the load would be solely on her.
This assignment in particular had been a bitch-and-a-half. Undercover, off-grid, radio dark until the mission was accomplished. Chasing down lead after lead, attempting to maintain discretion while also threatening to break a few limbs of slime that wouldn’t give her what she needed. It was all pretty maddening this time around. Hell, before she was off the market she would’ve found at least three unsuspecting dalliances to ward off restlessness.
But she is off the market. So off the market that the libidinous offerings of Ba Sing Se made her cringe more than anything. Needless to say, having the woman she had waiting for her back in Republic City was more than enough motivation to get this whole thing over with.
Speaking of which…
“Are you all finished yet?” Korra groaned. “I think we can skip to the part where you give me what I came for, I tap dance over all of you, and leave.”
“This little twat really has no idea how much shit she’s in,” Loudmouth gruffed.
“Maybe she doesn’t.” Red chasses toward her, gripping her chin and lifting it. “Such a shame, too. I could drown in those deep blues,” she leaned forward to graze the bloody agent’s lip with her tongue, “maybe let me play with her a little before we slit her throat.”
Korra chuckled, “I’m flattered. Redheads were a rare delicacy for me at one point, too.” She jerked her head away and ignored the scowl she earned, “but I’ve come to learn that dark locks are a much sweeter delight.”
Red’s frown deepened as she slapped Korra.
“Yikes,” Goggles chuckled, “there goes your chance at a last meal.”
“Not hungry,” she shrugged.
“You think this is some sort of game, agent?” Fathead found his voice again, “see, we knew you were coming. We were ready for you. And now that we have you, you’re only way back to Republic City is in a fucking body bag.”
“I’m pissing my pants,” she deadpanned.
“Not yet, but you will be by the time we’re done with you!”
“Which will be when exactly, Blondie? Because I’m honestly bored.”
Fathead’s fist collided with her chest, earning a sharp groan and a spurt of blood from the agent’s mouth. The infirmary would definitely be calling her name once she got home. “We know what you’re here for you little bitch,” he hissed, “like I said, we were ready for you.”
Korra continued to catch her breath, trying and failing to quell the smug victory that was brewing in her. They knew I was coming and what I was coming for, eh? Guess Bo got it right… the stuff’s here.
She lifted her head and leaned back in the chair. She scanned the room carefully, looking for the tell-tell case she was told to keep an eye out for. No chance these imbeciles had any wherewithal to ensure it was locked away and out of sight. Silence filled the room as she looked, not bothering to give any attention to the confused stares that were covering her. Where are you?...
Then, she spotted it. Tucked off in a corner was the black oversized case that she saw in the security footage two weeks earlier during her preliminary. A coded lock sitting on the top of the hard shell bag, sealed shut and ripe for the taking. Tuh, morons.
Korra let a slow, maniacal smile spread across her face. Now was time for the fun part. The part that made solo missions worth it. The part where whatever she wanted to do next, she could and would do with ease. She turned her attention back to her six soon-to-be victims and let loose a breathy, strained laugh.
“You poor, dumb fucks.” she said as her laugh reduced to a pitied chuckle. “See, I’ll be honest,” she continued, “this is my first solo assignment in a while and I can admit that I may be a bit rusty since it took me my entire two week deadline to get here.” She leaned forward and tilted her head, “but either way, I’m here.”
The group stared at her, quietly assessing what she meant by that. Her seemingly deranged smile gave them pause, but they didn’t back down. She was outnumbered, after all.
“That being said, since it took more time than I anticipated I’ve gotta be honest here kiddos. I’m fresh out of time and patience and frankly, I’m itching to get home. I’ve got a pretty little lady waiting for me and let me tell you, I have no intention of disappointing her by getting back later than planned.”
She cracked her neck and coughed a bit. The last blow to her chest really was sharp. She couldn’t wait to make Fathead pay for that one. She’d make sure he’d get the worst of what she had planned for them.
“Now that I know definitively that what I’m here for is in this room, how about we go ahead and wrap this up, hmm?”
“Wrap this up?” Bald Boy, who had been mostly silent during the exchange, scoffed.
“Yep!” She grinned again. “As much fun as this has been, playtime is over.” She lifted her chin and straightened her spine. “Here’s what’s going to happen next. I’m going to break out of these, frankly subpar bindings you have me in—I mean come on guys. You call these restraints?” She scoffed as she wiggled her bound hands mockingly. “My girlfriend and I use stronger shit than this and we get our gear from a run of the mill sex shop.”
That last quip triggered a memory. One of her favorites in fact. The night she came home to find her aforementioned girlfriend waiting for her on the couch with new restraints she wanted to try. Bindings were an area that Korra confessed she’d never tried before, surprising her lover. Somewhat insulting at first, but she understood given the agent’s storied sexual history. Two glasses of wine and heavy petting later, the Southern Water Tribe native was bound, sweaty, and cumming more times than she knew possible in one setting without the privilege of her hands being free. A night she swore they would repeat, but in the reverse.
Fuck, I’ve got to get home to her!
With a sickening smirk, her mind returned to the room she was in and the assholes who were prolonging her return to the woman of her dreams. After another beat, she continued to divulge the itinerary for the evening and went down the line of the poor bastards and bitches who had no idea what was coming for them.
“After that, I’m gonna smear Bald Boy’s face across that brick wall he’s holding up. By the time that’s done, Goggles is going to go for the gun tucked under that table, but it’ll be pointless. I’ll have already knocked his teeth in with my foot and stolen it from him, shooting off both his kneecaps.”
Like a true dunce, Goggles turned to look at the table she referenced, confirming Korra’s suspicion that a firearm was there. Thanks for that, dummy.
She turned to look over at the blonde woman who was watching her intently. “You’re standing the closest to Goggles so you’ll probably be on me faster than the rest of them, Blondie. It won’t matter, though. I’ll have you flipped over with your arm yanked out of its socket before you know it.” She leaned forward and squinted her eyes. “Judging by that scar on your shoulder, I’d say the metal plate that’s likely implanted in there is going to be a bit irritated by that.”
Blondie’s eyes widened. She couldn’t believe that the agent was able to catch the scar tissue from an old injury that resulted in the very implantation she referenced. If she were being honest, Korra’s quick ability to assess her like that was frightening. The agent smirked as she watched her try her damndest to hide her trepidation. After a brief silence, Korra continued to make her violent promises.
“That then will leave me with you hog-monkeys,” she said, eyeing Loudmouth, Red, and Fathead. “Loudmouth, you’ll likely become overconfident in your assumption that you can end my tirade and jump for me first. My elbow dislocating your jaw and knocking the air clean out of your gut will set you straight.” She smirked at the snarl her prediction earned her from the man. She really would enjoy taking him down several pegs.
She shot her eyes at the woman next to him, tilting her head and biting her lip. She was analyzing the next move that would come on the brutal Pai Sho board she was setting up for the criminals. After a moment, she spoke again.
“Red, the blow you’ll be taking to that pretty face of yours will have you out cold so you’ll be missing my grand exit. Truthfully, as sad as it’ll be to wreck your septum, I can tell you that a broken nose is repairable. My girlfriend tends to break hers all the time,” she chuckled, throwing a wink at the grimacing woman. Before being made into an honest woman, Korra no doubt would’ve enjoyed bedding the full-chested woman before taking her down. With Asami by her side, however, the days of her on the job promiscuity were happily long gone.
She then centered all her attention on Fathead, who was blood red with what she could only assume was mounting rage for her arrogance. Good, she thought, the more rattled you are, the faster I can get this over with.
She cleared her throat. “As for you, Fathead. You’ll definitely get it the worst since you’re the leader. You’ll be the grand finale, by way of me wrapping my legs around your body and snapping the vertebrates that make up your sacrum—guaranteeing that the road to recovering your ability to walk will be long and painful”
Her last promise was coated in venom. Out of the six of them she wanted Fathead to suffer the most. The actions listed in his criminal profile were beyond heinous, worse than the colleagues he had surrounding him. She looked forward to keeping that savage promise.
After a brief silence she lifted her head higher and sweetened her voice. “I’d like to point out that the only reason I’ve resigned myself to brutally injuring all of you instead of killing you is because that would result in me overseeing some sort of clean up. As you can imagine, that would take time and patience. Both things I previously stated I have completely run out of.”
A content sigh slipped through her lips as she leaned back against the chair again. She was already feeling the pleasing hum of adrenaline coil around her veins, preparing for the inevitable onslaught. Korra waited two weeks to get to this point. Two weeks to come face to face with her objectives and the item she was meant to secure. Now that she has, she could finally do what she did best: Raise. Utter. Hell.
“Now,” she said, “before we get started and I unleash myself… are there any questions, comments, or concerns?”
The group was quiet at first. They all stood still and looked around at one another, somewhat confused and in disbelief of what they’d just heard. They caught a Task Force agent, alone in the middle of Ba Sing Se’s worst district, bound and at their mercy. They were going to torture and kill her, send her body back to Republic City as a warning for any other attempts to thwart their misdeeds. There were six of them and only one of her. They’d stripped her of her tools and gadgets, thinking her lucky to even be allowed to remain clothed. Yet, she had the audacity to levy threats against them? As if she had any upper hand, let alone authority, here?
The fiends erupted in belly-aching laughter. Korra’s face split into a cheshire grin.
“That all sounds like it’ll be exhausting,” Loudmouth cackled, “you sure you can handle any of that?”
Korra shrugged. “What can I say? I’m due for a workout.”
“Is that so?” Fathead walked up to her, slowly and with a face smeared with hubris. Korra tensed up, knowing what was coming. Just then, he punched her in the face, throwing her head to the side and causing more blood to spill from her mouth. The tiny clatter of a loosened tooth sang through the air.
At least it was a back one, her inner thoughts chuckled.
“You really think you’ll be able to make good on any of those threats, sweetheart?”
Korra chuckled out loud as she turned to look up at him. Without shame, she smiled and flaunted her freshly bloodied grin. “I always make good on my threats, baby.”
He bent down at the waist and leaned forward, his face inches from Korra’s. “I think we’d love to see you try.”
Korra nodded, closing her mouth and swishing around the red gush inside. She turned her head to the side and spat out the excess she pulled before turning back to look at Fathead again. She couldn’t help but grin again because of how tickled she was. In spite of her warning, she was the only one in the room who was prepared for what was coming.
“If you insist,” she whispered.
I’m going to enjoy this
Unbeknownst to the villainous posse, Korra had been working to snap the shabby binds that were wrapped around her for the entirety of the conversation. Feeling the ties break apart made every blow she withstood while working them aloose worth it. With her hands free, the fun could begin.
(music time! “Back Seat Freestyle”, Kendrick Lamar. Go!)
She reared her head back and slammed it into Fathead’s fat head, sending his body flying towards Loudmouth and Red. The surprise attack shocked everyone in the room as the large man fell on top of the two unsuspecting criminals, giving Korra more than enough time to jump from her chair and start making good on her promises.
She charged at Bald Boy, throwing her leg into his ribs and causing him to fold over in agony. From there, she grabbed him by the neck and threw him face-first into the brick wall he was previously leaning on. She turned her attention to Goggles, who had managed to retrieve a hidden glock from underneath the desk beside him. Before he could pull the trigger she threw a windmill kick towards his mouth, the force of it causing the firearm to drop. Quick as a breath, Korra caught it and immediately fired off two rounds, each of Goggles’ knees getting their own bullet.
As predicted, Blondie was the first to reach her. She wrapped her arm around Korra’s neck and struggled with her long enough for Loudmouth and Red to regain their balance and charge at the agent. She jumped up and threw one foot into Red’s face and the other into Loudmouth’s chest, causing them to land on their backs. After quickly checking to see Fathead’s condition, she smirked at the sight of him still barely recovering from the brutal headbutt he took at the start of the melee.
Realizing the other three goons wouldn’t stay down long, she threw her head backwards to knock Blondie off balance. After hitting her square in the face with the back of her head she felt the grip around her neck loosen. Korra broke free and reached behind her to grab the blonde’s arm. She flipped her over and, as promised, yanked her arm at a grotesque angle. The result was a stomach churning crunch that signaled dislocation. It rang through the room in tandem with Blondie’s guttural screams of agony.
Not getting the chance to revel in her success, Korra was rushed by Loudmouth who suddenly had a crowbar in his hand. Heh, sucker, she thought, knowing he was making her promise to him way too easy to achieve. With embarrassing ease she managed to steal the weapon from his hand and swung it into his stomach. With the wind knocked out of him he stood no chance. Before he could attempt to right himself Korra threw a right-hook into his ribs and slammed her elbow into his jaw, practically taking it clean off his face.
The thud she would’ve heard from him hitting the ground was drowned out by the warrior scream that came from behind her. Red sure did have a set of lungs on her. To her surprise, the wailing woman managed to wrestle the crowbar from her hands and landed a couple of solid hits on the agent. Too busy engaging Red, she didn’t hear Fathead sneak up behind her. He yanked her by her hair, a cheap tactic, to spin her around and uppercut her to the floor.
Admittedly, she hit the ground pretty hard and howled at the sharp pain that flew through her back. Remaining steadfast, she made sure to keep her wits and pay attention to her surroundings. She knew she had to rebound quickly when she saw that Red was headed towards the gun that took out Goggles’ knees. Her chance came when Fathead stupidly lifted his foot with the intent of stomping Korra out.
Moron, she gruffed, excited to take advantage of the vulnerability he had opened himself up to. With full force, she threw her thick combat boot into his dick. The resulting yelp could’ve made her laugh if she wasn’t in a hurry to intercept Red. She jumped up and roundhoused Fathead in the face, throwing him off his balance.
As luck would have it, Red was a shit shot. She managed to fire off two rounds—the last two rounds—and completely missed her target. The ominous click, click, click sound of an empty weapon spelled doom for her.
Sorry, pretty, she thought. Holding nothing back, Korra ran towards the other woman and threw a triple-punch combination straight to her face. Her final punch sent her flying to the floor, her body limp and her eyes shut. Out cold.
“You bitch!”
When Korra turned she was met by two strong hands that wrapped around her throat. They squeezed and squeezed as they lifted her off the ground, leaving feet to dangle.
“I’ll kill you! I’ll fucking kill you! Send your body back to the TF for the Rat Riot!”
Korra’s mind became frantic. The Rat Riot? What the fuck?
She really should’ve been focused on the fact that she was being choked out, but that detail was so random. She had no idea what that was about, but she knew she couldn’t let it distract her. Not getting strangled to death had a higher level of importance.
Thinking quickly, she took both of her hands and reached towards his face. Wrapping them around his head, she pressed her thumbs into his eyes—hard. He screamed from the pain and dropped the agent back to the ground. Korra gasped for air and willed her body to fight through the pain, only the burning flame of adrenaline making that possible.
Come on Kerosene, end this already!
With the championing of her own thoughts Korra managed to stand on her feet. She glanced at the same chair they had her tied to. Without hesitation, she ran towards it and jumped on top of the seat, using it as a make-shift springboard. From the momentum she managed to leap onto Fathead’s back and wrap her legs around him, her arm’s following suit by wrapping around his neck. She shifted and maneuvered to get their placement just right. Then…
crack, crack, snap, pop!
Down went Fathead.
Much like Blondie, he screamed and howled in agony. If she wasn’t mistaken, she could see tears falling from the man’s eyes. He quaked with such great pain she knew he wouldn’t even attempt to move. After catching her breath she rolled off of him to stand to her feet.
When she stood she took in the aftermath of her brutality. Bald Boy, Red, and LoudMouth were all unconscious, but the subtle rise and fall of their chests confirmed they were still alive. The whimpers and excruciating cries from Blondie, Goggles, and Fathead definitely were signs of life. All six were thoroughly dispatched and had been paid in full for the capture and beating they subjected her to. She turned her head to the clock that ticked away on the wall and tilted her head.
Hmph, seven minutes. Not bad. She decides she’ll tell everyone it only took three.
She exhaled and dragged her forearm across her face, removing as much blood from it as she could. She hissed from the slight sting she felt upon doing so, figuring that she was probably a bruised up mess. It was pretty annoying, honestly. The last thing she wanted was to return to her girlfriend looking mangled. Two weeks is a long time to go without seeing the woman you love. She looked forward to making up for lost time so she really didn’t need any injuries hindering that.
The agent shook her head, chuckling at herself. She was standing in a room full of criminals who just had their asses handed to them and her immediate thought was whether or not she’d manage to fuck Asami when she got home. No, not fuck her… make love to her. Yes, they were at that point in their relationship where all she wanted was to lavish the beautiful woman with a physical display of how much she loved her, how much she missed her.
Ha, guess Kuv was right… I’ve gone soft.
After sighing at her lovesick-self Korra moved to collect what she was on the assignment for. Absent-mindedly she stepped over Fathead to head towards the table that had her confiscated backpack and utility belt. Next, she turned to grab the case that so inconspicuously sat in the corner. She placed it on the table and entered the code she was told would open it if found.
1-0-3-1
Carefully, she opened it. She figured before leaving she should check to see if what she went through two weeks of trouble for was inside. When she looked inside she immediately smiled. Gotcha.
“Hey,” the voice behind her croaked, “Hey! You… you can’t take that! We have orders to deliver that!”
Korra rolled her eyes and turned toward Fathead. “Considering the state of you and your… friends, who’s going to stop me?”
Fathead seethed. “If you take that, you’re only sentencing yourself to death. You hear me, princess?! DEATH!”
She froze.
In her line of work, Korra had heard plenty of times how she’d be six-feet-under for one reason or another. Completing an arrest, exposing secrets, sleeping with someone who had a significant other, the norm. The threat itself wasn’t what gave her pause. She’d been called a lot of things in her life. Bitch, slut, asshole, ingrate—a personal favorite of her chief in her grunt days. The pet names her ministrations earned her in the bedroom were equally colorful and encouraging, sometimes consensually degrading depending on the mood Asami was in.
But, princess…
She shook her head slightly and smirked. Whatever, she dismissed, closing the case and lifting it off the table. She was overthinking. No way in hell Fathead threw that at her in the context she was thinking. She walked towards him and crouched down. She tilted her head and narrowed her eyes in examination, a cruel twist on her signature lopsided grin forming on her face. She remembered when she first saw Asami do something similar and how fearful it made whoever she did it to. Korra wondered if she employed the same tactic would she get the same results her girlfriend would get. The white hot fear that shone in Fathead’s eyes answered that inquiry.
“Princess, huh? Now that’s a new one,” she chuckled, gripping his face and squeezing. “I did say that I make good on my threats. Didn’t I?” He didn’t answer with words. The groan caused by the sharp throbbing of his lower back was more than enough of a response. She smirked. “I’ll make sure to send you all get well soon cards.”
She let go of his face and stood to leave. She didn’t even bother to turn around one more time to look at any of them. She didn’t need to. After that performance, she knew they had seen her face enough to never forget who bested them in their own sanctuary. Once she made it outside of the warehouse she inhaled deeply and sighed. It wasn’t a lie that she hadn’t been solo in some time. Although she opted not to go on too many of them anymore, she did feel pretty accomplished. She forgot how good it felt to complete one, even more so with such bombastic flourishment. She felt powerful. She felt unstoppable. She felt alive!
She reached inside one of the pouches in the backpack and pulled out the burner she was issued fourteen days ago. Flipping it open she pressed the green button and put the phone to her ear. Barely a second went by before a voice was heard.
“Well, well. So much for three days, max. Guess someone was a little off her game, aye Kerosene?”
She chuckled at the taunt. She already admitted that she was a bit rusty tonight. She was not about to give anymore credence to that truth. “Just send the bird to my pick up,” she huffed.
“Already alerted the flight team.”
“Thanks.”
“You got it?”
“Yep.”
A chuckle responded first. “Had fun?”
Korra rolled her eyes. “I did the job.”
“That the only thing you did, Kerosene?”
Korra’s eyes narrowed in offense. “It’s been six months, okay, damn near seven! I wouldn’t dare do anything to—”
A crisp laugh cut off her fury, only irritating her further. “Alright, alright, damn. I’m just fucking with you, calm down.” She could hear a beeping on the other end and waited for a directive. “Bird’ll be there in 10. Rendezvous is a little over two miles from your point.”
Korra breathed a sigh of both exhaustion and relief. “Thanks.” She was going to end the call, but couldn’t help that she had one more thing on her mind. The main thing on her mind. “Hey, um…” she said.
“What?”
She bit her lip, a bashful heat rushing to her cheeks. She knew this would be grounds for teasing being thrown her way, but she couldn’t resist. “Is… is she there?”
“Heh. Is who where, agent?”
“Oh, come on don’t be a prick. Is she at HQ or not?”
The voice cackled. “Geez, is two weeks really that long? Bet you can’t wait to have your face buried in her lap. I better go tell her to make sure the fridge is stocked up with energy drinks and water.”
“Fuck you, Limestone,” she hissed, but there was no real fire behind her words. She opened herself up to be picked on of course.
Kuvira’s chuckles calmed down and she decided to give her friend a break. “Yeah, she’s here. Been coming around her a lot since you left, training and whatnot. I’m sure she’s ripe and ready for you to get back.”
Korra smiled. She could picture it now. Asami Sato, CEO of Sato Industries—former Red Lotus Assassin—spending her free time continuing to learn the ways of the Task Force and training that gorgeous body over the last two weeks. Korra could not wait to get her hands on her again.
“I can hear your creaming excitement through the phone,” Kuvira snickered.
“Kerosene, out!” She yelled, not bothering to stay on any longer to hear the undoubtedly mirthful howl that was probably rolling out of Kuvira. She’d tolerated enough of her playful bullying.
She looked down at the phone and read the time: half-past 10. Not bad. It was a fifteen minute trek to the pick up point. Then she’d have to endure a forty-five minute flight. Then she would be just a five minute drive from the landing port to HQ.
One hour and five minutes was all that was left to suffer through to get to Asami. Chief would kill her for not going straight to the medic floor to get checked out, but she didn’t care. Logically that was stupid considering she could be concussed for all she knows, but what is logic when at the mercy of love?
One hour and five minutes. She needed to push through one hour and five minutes. Considering she took punishment for longer than that, it would be cake. Hell, the time to get back to her girlfriend would be more tortuous than that, but she could do it.
I’m coming home, baby. And I can’t wait to show how much I missed you.