tushanshu_logs | Catching up, checking in... [CLOSED]

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Catching up, checking in... [CLOSED]

Characters: Rex Salazar (

alphatar)
Date: May 11th
Location: Korra's suite, Metal Sector
Situation: Two friends getting in some needed vent/talk time, catching up post-bomb attack.
Warnings/Rating: None.

The trip from Rex's suite to Korra's was a short one, given they both lived in the same sector. Likewise, his call to her had also been quite short. Between Malicant watching their every move and listening in on every word over the consoles, plus the annoying bursts of static that made it difficult to communicate at all, the call had largely consisted of asking to if it was alright to show up on her doorstep and permission being granted.

Rex had a lot on his mind and he was sure that given recent events, Korra likely did, too. He did want to check up on her as well, make sure she was doing better after being wounded right before the bombings. There were also a few things he wanted to ask her and he would be lying if he said he didn't want to take a little time to get to know her even better. Given he hadn't been there long and things were going to hell in a hand basket, he needed people he could trust and count on. Having already felt something of a connection with Korra prior, building on the foundation they'd already started to lay down seemed like a good idea.

Landing on the walkway out in front of the building Korra lived in, Rex built the Boogie Pack down and then made his way up the door, knocking once he got there.

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Seeing her uncle try to manipulate her was one thing, but being forcefully controlled by his brother the way he described made her just as disgusted and angry. All she could think of how awful that must have been even if it was for as short of a time as a few seconds. She wasn’t even aware of the fierce look she had, not until he mentioned that there might be consequences.

That’s when her hard look gave way to curious concern and Korra brought her can into her lap, holding it with both hands as she gave Rex her undivided attention.

"Sounds like what I need to talk to you about." She shrugged her shoulders, stating the obvious. “Without the machines part I mean. What might happen with you?”

Korra's reaction to hearing about what Caesar had done with the Omega-1 was enough to keep Rex from mentioning anything else his brother was responsible for anytime soon. At least anything even remotely questionable, anyway. Caesar honestly had not known where the OM-1 Nanite was when he tried to send it instructions. That much had not been his fault, really. Other incidents, however... Those had been carried out purposely with catastrophic results.

Hearing that Korra had something similar to discuss gave Rex pause. The look he gave her was questioning, though he really did need to finish explaining his own issues before they moved onto hers. Important details might be omitted on accident, otherwise.

"Well, the difference between me and just about every other EVO that's ever existed is that I can fully control my nanites. Usually, when nanites go active they mutate their host, sometimes even reducing them to something like a wild animal. My ability to keep tight control over my nanites is why I look human as long as I'm not using my machines," he explained, figuring a little background information might be helpful. "If I get hurt really bad, though, like to the point where I might die? My nanites take over and change me completely."

There, he paused for a just a second, recalling the last time something like that had happened. It had been just before he'd arrived on Tu Vishan, just by a day or so. While he had not seen footage of his battle with the Consortium, he still instinctively knew what that larger form looked like, as he could see something akin to blueprints in his mind.

"It's big. Like, building-sized big. My full machine form, I mean. My eyes glow blue and my armor is silver and dark gray and black, and...it's like my hair turns to blue flames." Describing it all, Rex couldn't help but smile because damned if that mode wasn't cool. "Seriously awesome, really, and the last time that happened I was able to control what I did."

There, however, his smile faded away.

"But before I learned to build that form, there was another one my nanites would use when I'd get into deep trouble. Still cool looking, but I had no control over it and it would just...rampage and destroy things. And that's what worries me about ever losing control. That I might end up with the old form or even the new one, but not be in control. Even stopping me would be difficult because when my body in that form takes too much damage, it explodes. Like, we're talking a blast big enough to level a city block and leave a crater behind. I'll live through it, but anyone else who's too close..."

Rex didn't feel he needed to finish. The implication of the danger involved was clear enough.

The only reason Korra knew anything about nanotechnology, or tiny machines as she better knew them, it was because Tony Stark had shown her the Bleeding Edge. The way he controlled him seemed similar to how Rex constructed his builds, but losing that control, obviously it had devastating results. Anything that size could easily cause some heavy damage to a city.

Korra would know.

Which was why she couldn’t blame him in the slightest for thinking it was cool, not when she was trying to picture blue flames for hair. "Okay, that does sound awesome." She had to admit it at least.

"That’s a risk, and it’s up to you if you want to take it." Korra set her soda on the coffee table and placed her hand on her knee. "But I’ll do what I can to protect you and make sure that doesn’t happen. If it does and you can’t control it, then I’ll figure out something." It wasn’t something she was one hundred percent certain of, but between her own Avatar abilities and the power ring Korra was sure she could.

Either way, he trusted her with that information. After living on Tu Vishan for a year, Korra knew all too well how dangerous others knowing what you’re capable of could be.

"I'm not asking you to protect me," Rex clarified, expression hardening, his grip on his soda can tightening a fraction. "I'm asking you to protect other people if something does happen. And to do whatever you have to in order to stop me."

There wasn't anything overly dramatic about it, just what he felt needed to be done, stated simply. In the end, the majority always mattered more. That was the bottom line.

"Killing me if I ever lost control was Six's duty, something I didn't find out about until just before I got here. With him not around, though, someone else has to know and be willing to go that far if necessary."

Taking a life wasn’t something Korra ever really thought herself capable of, but after seeing her future and what she had to do to stop Vaatu…

"Rex." She took a moment to actually look him in the eye; what he asked was a lot and while the Avatar had a lot asked of them, this wasn’t something she expected to ever have happen. Her mouth was dry, and not from the sweet soft drink. "I’ll do what I have to if it means keeping people safe."

Just getting that out relaxed her posture, her body had tensed and she wasn’t even aware of it.

"Guess you picked the right Avatar to ask." Taking that all in was going to take her a few moments, and she completely forgot about the pretzels in her hand.

That Korra understood was enough. Rex wasn't going to take up much more of their talk time than necessary with his own issues or reinforcing the importance of what he'd already said. While he was proud of what he was capable of, it was depressing to think of what it all could be used for when taken beyond his control. In a case like that, he wasn't any different than all rampaging the EVOs he'd ever had to fight. Great way to take one's ego down a peg.

"The only other thing to say, really, is that you should be able to figure out pretty quick whether or not I'm in the driver's seat if I go full EVO. You know, whether it's actually me or something else controlling me," he went on as he leaned back against the cushions and taking another sip from his soda. "And I trust your judgement on how far you think you need to go. Like I trust you to know all of this."

And therein was the unspoken request to keep that information to herself for now.

There was more to tell, too, but for the moment Rex held back. What he'd already shared was a fair amount to take in and in terms of a situation going bad, was the most likely to occur.

"So what was it you needed to tell me about?"

Since Korra had implied that it was similar in nature, might as well get everything out on the table.

Having someone place their trust in her wasn’t something that happened to Korra that often, and she gave a small smile without knowing it and put those pretzels in her mouth. Unspoken didn’t mean she didn’t hear it, that neither of them spoke about this beforehand was reason enough to not share it with anyone else.

"About the Avatar State." Korra brought up her legs and crossed them, still sitting an angle to look at Rex. This was just as important to her as his Full Omega EVO was to him. But how to even start…

Korra took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a few moments, opening them only to reveal her glowing eyes firmly locked onto Rex. While her voice was the most prominent, it was not alone.

"The Avatar State is the Avatar’s strongest and most powerful ability; I am able to control it. All the knowledge and skills of the past Avatars are at my command; the glow is my past lives focusing their energy through my body. I may be at my most powerful, but there is a danger. If I am killed in the Avatar State, my reincarnation cycle will end"

The glow faded from her eyes as did the chorus of voices save her own.

"and the Avatar will cease to exist." Having them, her past lives, able to help her explain it was something she cherished. It made her think of her future when she would lose contact with them, and she dismissed the thought to continue.

"If I enter the Avatar State when I’m-" She paused to look for the word, and it came to her instantly when she remember what Jim had once told her. "emotionally compromised, then I won’t be able to control it."

Aang was tied into that, but she would broach that subject later.

Rex arched an eyebrow as Korra shifted to change how she was seated. Being told that her concerns regarded something called "the Avatar State" didn't do much to prepare him for what happened next, however. When her eyes shut and then reopened a few seconds later, glowing white, Rex stared. It was a look he was familiar with, having had his own eyes end up white lit on one occasion or another for various reasons.

But her voice.

Rex had only spoken with a voice that was not his own once that he was aware of and that had been when he'd been overtaken briefly by One. That had been a surreal experience and as Korra explained what was going on, he had to wonder if it was even anywhere near the same. If there was a feeling of flowing energy, of being keenly aware of another presence, of one that almost seemed to take up space within.

Believing in all this reincarnation and past lives business was not easy. It was somehow easier to deal with than magic because of how closely it was tied with bending and martial arts, but it still went pretty deep into territory that Rex was completely unfamiliar with. But as Rex had to accept that magic was somehow real, so he was also having to accept what he was seeing directly in front of him. That a bunch of Avatars long deceased inhabited the body of his friend. Or perhaps it was that they were all one with different facets to their singular being or...something.

"So it's kind of a last resort deal, like my full EVO mode," Rex said once Korra was done explaining. "Just...it affects more than you and the people immediately around you if the worst happens."

Something he would have to be sure never occurred. He didn't understand it all, precisely, but it was important to Korra and the world she came from. For now, he'd let that be enough.

"Is it possible to calm you down if you enter the Avatar State while you're emotionally compromised? I mean, that's an alternative to trying to catch and hold you or knock you unconscious, right?"

A lot rode on those words. Affecting her world form that point and on. She felt more foolish now than ever before with the way Rex worded it. Foolish for not listening to Tenzin about the Avatar State and how it was something she didn’t appreciate.

"Well," She scratched the back of her head underneath her pony tail and looked up as if the answer was going to fall from the ceiling at any moment. "yeah. It might take some effort, but getting through to me over my past lives is doable." She reached out to grab that soda off the table.

"I'll keep that at the forefront as 'Plan A', then. You're already pretty strong as is without getting all amped up, so I'd rather talk you down than get knocked down. On the other side of things, restraining or even punching friends isn't exactly a good time, either."

There were a lot of factors to keep in mind in a situation like that. Obviously Rex was interested in full on fighting Korra because it could physically hurt them both. Of almost greater concern, however, was how the Avatar might feel once it was over. He didn't want to give her any reason to feel guilty. Not being in full control of one's powers was bad enough without anything else added to it.

Taking out a few pieces of dried fruit, Rex popped them into his mouth as a handful, chewing thoughtfully and washing them down with a sip of soda before saying anything further.

"Who else knows about that, by the way? The possibility of you being out of control while in the Avatar State?"

"My Plan A is to control it and use it if I have to." Korra had come a long way since living on Tu Vishan and seeing just how she abused the Avatar state.

But guilt was definitely there, it was what contributed most to her deciding to use the power sparingly. And Rex unknowingly touched on that part. The answer to his question was tied with the memory of the only time she'd ever entered the state while emotionally unstable. After realizing she had been staring at the bags of food between them completely lost in thought, Korra grabbed a dash of both pretzels and popped them into her mouth in an effort to not look distracted.

"Just Mako and Jim." Mako was a given since she already said he was from her world, so she said his name with simple shrug of her shoulders. "Jim Kirk. He and I arrived on the same day." And it was weird to say, but Korra nodded as much to herself as she did to Rex when she said: "He's kind of like a big brother."

Rex noticed that Korra seemed distracted for a moment and he had to wonder just what she was thinking when it came to the subject at hand. Obviously, it was enough of a concern that she'd brought it up at all, but if she wasn't ready to voice whatever else was on her mind, he wasn't going to pry. She would tell him if or when she was ready, just as he would voice what else he had on his mind when the time was right.

"Haven't met Jim. Guess I'll have to fix that at some point. Both him and Mako sound like good guys."

As always, Rex was continuously on the look out for more people he could add to his "friends and allies" category, and given the similarities between himself and Korra, it seemed probable that people who got along with her might get along alright with him, as well. It also didn't hurt to know people she could vouch for as being reliable and trustworthy.

"You're lucky to have someone here from your world, too, I think. I know this is a rough situation and all, but it's always nice to have people you can depend on. You know, where you already know their track record, what they can do and that they can be trusted." He automatically thought back to Holiday and how he'd missed her by just a few weeks or so, but his mind also went to Six. More than he wanted to admit out loud, he missed his partner.

"They are. I'll see about bringing them to meet you next time I see either of them." Something Korra loved doing was introducing new friends to ones that she trusted implicitly, and it felt as if Rex was heading that way. Something Korra neeeded, even if she wasn't fully aware of it yet. "But yeah, that works for Mako. Jim I met here, but we got there. And hey, if it happened to me then it could happen to you. When I first got here the only ones from my world were Amon and Tarrlok. One tried to take my bending away and the other kidnapped me and kept me trapped in a metal box."

Those were not fun times and she let out a heavy breath before taking a big, final drink of her soda.

"But some of my friends showed up, so who knows, right?"

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Catching up, checking in... [CLOSED]

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