Omegas fury 4/4

Chapter 13

General Ho's compound was exactly where the fruit vendor had said it would be, slightly west of the city. They approached by night, with Korra and Jinora flying ahead to pinpoint the exact location. That left Asami to wait with Mako and Bolin, whose shadowy, serious expressions made them look more alike than usual in the darkness.

"How many soldiers do you think General Ho has?" Bolin whispered, hidden in the shadow of a tall rock formation. It was the only cover around. The landscape outside the city had very little vegetation, which explained why things were so difficult for the villagers. With Ho's forces blocking their trade routes, food was likely scarcer than usual.

Mako sighed. He held a wisp of pale orange fire in his hand, their only source of light other than the crescent moon. "No way to tell. We'll just have to wait for Korra and Jinora."

Asami pursed her lips, fighting a tight ball of anger in her chest. Making love with Korra that afternoon had eased the worst of her inner turmoil, but controlling her anger wouldn't be easy. Her rage was still here, boiling just beneath the surface. A bloodthirsty, vengeful part of her hoped Ho had lots of soldiers, and that the majority wouldn't surrender. Her fingers twitched inside her glove.

"Maybe we should come back during the day," Bolin said, "so we can get a better idea of their numbers."

"It would be easier for them to spot us in daylight," Mako said. "Korra and Jinora know what they're doing."

Asami unclenched her gloved fist. She doubted their course of action would be left up to her, anyway. Korra listened to her teammates' ideas, but as the Avatar, she would likely make the final decision on how to handle Ho's forces. That was probably for the best.

"What if there's too many for the five of us?" Bolin asked, his voice rising nervously. Asami sympathized. He had never handled waiting or silence all that well. The tense atmosphere was getting to her, too. Her heart drummed far too fast, and she tasted copper in her mouth.

Mako lifted his narrow shoulders in a shrug, adjusting his scarf. "Call for backup from Republic City, I suppose."

Before either of them could speculate further, Asami caught sight of twin shadows drifting overhead, passing in front of the moon. She recognized the silhouettes. "Shhh. Korra and Jinora are back." She was proven right as they touched down a few yards away. Korra closed her glider, returning it to her back, while Jinora lowered her arms.

"The compound's small from what we saw," Korra said, striding toward them at a fast clip.

"Only a few sentries," Jinora confirmed. "I think they're trying to run a stealth operation out here, even though rumors have gotten around."

Asami licked her lips. A smaller operation meant Korra might decide they should go in and neutralize the threat themselves. Part of her wanted that with a violent hunger that frightened her. Maybe she'd get the chance for vengeance after all...

No. Don't think that way. You're better than this.

"What kind of stealth operation?" Mako asked. "If Ho isn't raising an army, what's he doing?"

Korra's brow furrowed. "That's what we need to find out. I think we should sneak in, see what he's up to, and put a stop to it."

"Agreed," Jinora said. "It's not a huge place. We stand a decent chance."

"Are you sure about this?" Bolin asked. "I'm all for stopping bad guys, but things could go bad really fast."

"I agree with Bolin," Mako said. "We don't have enough information. What's the harm in waiting for backup, now that we've confirmed there's a compound here threatening the city?"