Betrayal
Chapter 1
Sunlight crept through the carmine transparent curtains that hugged the massive double paned window. The contrasting colors of red and yellow mixed to create a shocking shade of tangerine on the concrete floor in the workshop. A young woman sat at her workbench, hunched over a hunk of metal and leather. Her onyx hair draped over her perfect porcelain skin. Her delicate and long fingers made swift deft movements as they twisted and clamped small pieces of wire together. A soft knock echoed through the room and made the young woman's head snap up from her work. Her piercing emerald green orbs suspiciously eyed the door. She shook her head thinking that she was hearing things, but sure enough another more forceful knock pulled her from her thoughts once more.
"Come in!" she called out. A slight man with two black dots on either side of his nose as a mustache, stuck his head through the door. His black hair was perfectly parted down the middle, not a hair out of place. His uniform was in impeccable order as he stepped into the room. He bowed deeply, his circular spectacles and hazel eyes dipping out of sight, before speaking,
"Miss Sato. Your father has requested your presence in his office." Asami's eyebrows raised, her mind whirred as she thought what her father could possibly want,
"Thank you, Lee. Will you tell him I will be up in a few minutes? I just have to clean myself up a little." With a slight nod of his head the butler was out the door, silently clicking it behind him. Asami took a steadying breath and found herself absent mindedly chewing on her nails. Her father never asked to see her unless she was in trouble or he needed her to do something for him. She shook off the feeling of dread building up in her stomach, her raven locks fluttering around her face. She glanced down on what she was working on. It had been many years since her mother's death at the hand of a firebender. Hatred simmered within her. Yasuko's death tore their family apart. Her father became exceedingly distant and Asami learned how to take care of herself at a very young age. It wasn't until recently that Asami and her father's relationship had started to get better. He was finally talking to her again, confiding in her about his troubles at work. And for the first time in a long time she could see that he saw her as Asami and not a reflection of her mother. He probably just wants to see how the progress is going on the glove, she thought melancholy. She couldn't help but let her mind wander to the worst. What if he is disappointed in my work? What if it breaks our relationship even more? She let out a sigh before walking over to the utility sink. Gears, chains, pipes, and an assortment of gadgets covered the floor and the workbenches fencing the shop. A few Satomobiles sat waiting to be worked on or improved in the stalls next to the worktops. She reached the sink which was covered in a thin layer of grease and grim. She picked up the granulated soap and scrubbed with all her might to relinquish her hands of the oil covering them. Once thoroughly pleased with their cleanliness, the young engineer took off her apron which also dawned a significant amount of grease, rust, and sweat. She straightened her leather jacket, strolled over to the workbench to pick up the glove, and headed out the door. The cool morning breeze whipped at her face as she grossed the grounds back to the Sato mansion. Its towering white walls were adorned with golden buttresses. Spires sharp as a blade cut through the sky. She pushed through the large doors that opened into the kitchen. The servants of the house were hard at work preparing breakfast for the heads of the household. Each turned and bowed as Asami passed, who in return smiled politely at each, "Good morning, everyone." She continued her walk to her father's office. Her boots clicked against the white marble floors. She placed her hand on one of the pillars in the main entrance and spun herself up the stairs, gracefully taking two at a time. Her footsteps softened as she walked along the maroon carpets that lined the hallways. She passed a multitude of rooms before she saw the double doors that lead to her father's office. The large mahogany planks towered over everything else in the hallway. She stepped closer, her hand wavering just above the door knob. Her hand retreated and clutched the collar of her jacket, the other gripped the glove tightly. She took a steadying breath. I can do this… I. Can. Do. This. She pepped herself up. She confidently knocked on the doors which responded with a dull thud that resounded through the hall way. She heard her father's welcoming voice. She gripped the golden knob an entered the room. Hiroshi Sato sat at his overly large desk. Sunlight gracefully filled the room with colorful rays. An array of colored pottery decorated the fireplace mantel behind his desk. The sides of the room contained shelves upon shelves of books and blue prints. Here and there among the books a gleaming plaque commemorating his works would stand out from the dusty bindings. Asami looked back at her father. Streaks of gray tarnished his pitch black hair. His eyes skimmed over a document behind gold, circular rimmed glasses. Asami straightened her skirt and once more flattened out her jacket. When her father didn't look up she gently coughed to catch his attention. Begrudgingly, he looked up from his desk. "Ah! Asami! I'm glad I caught you before you got too involved in your work." He said with a chuckle, his portly belly jiggling with each chortle.
"I will always make time for you dad." She said too softly for her father to hear.
"You are probably wondering why I asked you to come up here?" he continued, "Well, I do not know if you have seen the papers this morning, but we have a serious issue on our hands. As you know we were hoping that this problem would be avoided for a few more years, but apparently it has taken matters into its own hands." Hiroshi opened up his desk and pulled out a copy of the Republic City Sun. He dropped it onto his desk. Asami crossed the room and picked up the newspaper. On the front cover was a stunning woman, whipping flames out at two triad members. He headlines read:
The new Avatar found. Already dishing out justice.
Asami frowned at the news. This was definitely not good. It was bad enough having benders in the city, but now that the Avatar, master of all four elements, was wandering the streets made everything ten times worse. The hatred started to turn into a flame. Benders had taken everything from her family. She hated them. She hated them all. And she wanted to watch them all burn, she wanted them to suffer the same fate as her mother. Suddenly, she was six years old again. Two sets of footsteps echoed through the hallways as her mother held her hand tightly and pulled her towards Hiroshi's office. Asami was struggling to keep up with her mother's long legs but she was determined not to fall. They burst into the room and Yasuko ran to one of the bookshelves. She frantically searched for a book and when she saw it her hand launched towards it. Easily the book slid along a track and revealed a secret nook. Her mother knelt down in front of her. Her jade eyes filled with tears as she cupped Asami's face. "Baby, I need you to stay in here for a little while, okay? I don't want you to come out. No matter what you hear. Do you understand me?" Asami slowly shook her head. "I love you so much. Be brave Asami." She kissed her forehead and pulled her into an embrace. Asami relished in the warmth of her mother's grasp. She took a deep breath, she smelled of chamomile and lemongrass. That was the last time Asami would see her mother alive. She was ushered into the hidden nook. As the door closed Asami watched through the closing crack as her mother's figure faded into darkness. Four men entered the room. There was shouting and a burst of red light. And then she was gone. Asami looked up from the paper at her father, her brows furrowed, "Does this mean that we have to advance our plans?" He smiled at her,
"I'm not sure yet. Amon has not contacted me yet. But I would not be surprised if he showed up soon." He paused, thoughtfulness decorated his face, "You know Asami, I could not have been more proud of you when you decided to join the Equalists. I know that together we can do amazing things to help the nonbenders of Republic City. Together we can stop the bending menace." Instantly, the hatred Asami was feeling froze over. Her heart began to beat painfully against her chest. Her eyes glimmered with unshed tears. That was the first compliment that she had received from her father in a very long time. She smiled,
"Well dad, I'm about to make you more proud." She lifted the glove, "I finally figured out how to even out the playing field a little." She slipped the glove on, "You see there is a small button near the wrist. With the slightest bending of the wrist the button can be compressed. That activates the disk in the middle which harnesses enough electricity to knock out a fully grown elephantbear." She proclaimed proudly. "Of course it can be adjusted by the dial on the back of the glove." She rotated her hand to show her father the dial. Flipping it once more she bent her hand backwards slightly and the glove whirred to life. Sparks of electricity shot out of the glove, but remained contained to the radius of her hand. Returning her hand to a relaxed position the glove turned off, the center disk still glowing from the flow of energy through it. She looked up at her father whose mouth was hanging open,
"Asami. I have never seen such a feat of genius. With these and the new suits I am working on the benders do not stand a chance!" He rushed over and grabbed his daughters face in between his hands, gently he placed a kiss on her forehead, "I am so proud of you, Asami. Your mother would be too." A solitary tear fell down her face. Maybe. Just maybe. She and her father could be a family again. But first the benders must pay for what they had done.
Author's note:
I hope you enjoyed reading chapter 1. I have a lot of plans for this fanfic, but I welcome suggestions! Comment if you like or have critiques.