Chapter 2
A timid knock shattered Asami train of thoughts. Her father dropped his hands from her face and both of their heads snapped towards the door. The secret signal of two knocks followed by two quicker ones and finally a slow third signaled that someone important was outside the door. Hiroshi glanced at his daughter, but need not say anything. Asami was already stuffing the glove into one of the desk drawers. Once satisfied with her work Asami looked up at her father and gave him a quick nod. Hiroshi relaxed his shoulders and called out, "Please come in." A pale faced Lee, peered from behind the door. A large and unseen force pushed the man through the door. He stumbled into the room, his glasses falling slightly askew on his face. His whole body was shaking as he looked at the Satos,
"Mr. Sato. You have-" before he could finish their guest strolled into the room. A thin man covered head to toe in a grey Equalist suit with golden shoulder and knee pads, sauntered into the room. A thin greasy mustache spiked out underneath his nose, flowing in the wind with each step he took. Perched on the bridge of his nose green goggles, meant for night vision, stuck out about an inch from his face. His swagger was an obvious attempt to look intimidating, but as Asami sized him up she knew that she could beat him in any fight. A few seconds later a tall, imposing man entered the room. The man possessed a quality of such malevolence and power that his presence sent tremors down Asami's spine. A large hood obscured the view of his face, but Asami did not need to see his face to know who this man was. Her head turned when her father spoke. He was completely calm and his face showed nothing, but composure,
"Lee, please leave us."
"Are you sure Master Sato?" the wavering man asked. A glower from her father sent the servant out the door, bowing as he went. The wait staff knew nothing of the Sato family's involvement with the Equalist movement. Hiroshi set his gaze on the man in the mask.
"I thought I told you to never come to my home. If you need me you are supposed to meet me at the factory."
"The issue at hand is more important than your reputation, Sato." The man deadpanned. His voice almost monotonous as he continued, "The Avatar has come to Republic City. And as with all other benders she believes that she can force vigilante justice on the people of Republic City without facing any consequences for her actions. She must be stopped. Our plans must be moved ahead."
"I am already aware of the situation. Asami and I have already made some… advancements in our current technology and we are positive that with their help we should have an even playing field with the benders." He growled. The man finally lifted his head. Asami let out an inaudible gasp. Usually hidden behind a white mask, preventing the world from seeing his true face, Amon kept his identity a secret. Asami now knew why he truly wore it. Half his face was covered in horrendous scarring. Patched of red and pink inflamed skin marred his face. The upper right hand corner of his lip was burned and stripped into a permanent scowl. His eye lids red with blisters. She was astonished that no damage had been done to his eyes. Those, those were still clear. His eyes locked onto her own. She saw deep into his soul. Malice and hatred swirled in his blue irises. His gaze was unwavering and Asami forced herself to look away.
"Let me see your… advancements." He arrogantly requested.
Hiroshi quickly sidestepped and walked around his desk. As he approached he opened the drawer and pulled out the glove,
"My Asami made this." He set it on the desk and looked up at her, pride filling his eyes, expecting her to explain the design.
She stepped forward confidently and picked up the glove, "In order to protect ourselves from the benders many of the Equalists have been trained in chi blocking. However, there is still a large amount of our brothers and sisters who have not been trained in the art. That is why I figured we should have something for those few." She put the glove on her hand and twisted the knob to full power. With a slight bending of her wrist the glove sparked to life. Bolts of electricity arched out of the glove, illuminating the room around it. The hair on her arm stood straight up as the static electricity warmed the air around her. Asami twisted her hand, palm facing out and took a step forward. Before she was even a foot from the nearby glass trophy case the glass shattered, shelling splinters around her. She relaxed her wrist and turned around. The Lieutenant was smiling smugly, "I can't wait to test that out on a bender." he rasped.
"We have been working on something else. Although it's still in its development stage, but I am confident within the next couple of days it should be completely functional."
Amon narrowed his eyes at her, studying her curiously, "Why don't you show me." he turned to the snake like man next to him, "Lieutenant. Fill Hiroshi in on our updated plans." His mustache jerked as he gave one swift nod of his head. Amon turned back to Asami, "Lead the way, Ms. Sato." He finished with a sweeping gesture. Asami gave a curt nod and with one last look at her father left the room. Amon was completely silent as Asami led him through the halls and out of the mansion to the workshop. The only indication of his presence was the harsh, ragged breathing (undoubtedly a result of his burns). The further they walked the colder Asami felt and she struggled to suppress a tremor that threatened to break her calm demeanor. She could feel her face starting to frown, her eyes widening in terror. The man's face was frightening enough, but it was the unshakeable feeling of dread that scared Asami the most. With each step the shadow of death seemed to be following her.
As quickly as possible Asami broke through the door leading to the backyard. Pausing briefly, she relished in heat of the afternoon. Closing her eyes she raised her face to the sun, seeking to drink in every possible ray. She needed something… anything to shake the incurable cold that followed Amon. She had no idea why she was reacting this way to him. There was nothing different about him than her father, minus the burns. They were both passionate about their cause and willing to do anything to obliterate the benders. She let out a deep breath, trying her best to steel her nerves. She gave her shoulders a quick shake as she continued on, her face once again an unreadable mask. She looked over her should to find Amon, hesitantly standing in the door frame. He looked at the sun before stepping out into the light. Asami tried her best to dampen the sound of her shocked squeak with cough, but Amon glared at her anyways. His burns were even more prevalent in the sun. Each shade of blistered skin contrasted starkly against his light skin. She turned abruptly, and reached for the electronic lock on the workshop door. Her quavering hand was the only indication of her fears as she punched in the pin to unlock the door. With a loud 'thunk' the tumblers unrolled and the door automatically slid open. Asami stepped inside and flicked the lights on.
Turning around she immediately jumped back and let out a startled squeak as Amon's face loomed mere inches from her own. "What's the matter? Afraid of a little scarring?" Asami immediately shook her head and opened her mouth to speak, but no words would come out. Amon cut her off, "When I was a young man a firebender cut down my entire family and took my face. Now I have to hide in public. People fear me because of a bender." He spat out, "He took my life from me. Now. Now I will take his." He stepped further into the workshop and looked around his features sharp with anger, "With your help, we will rule Republic City. We will crush the abomination." He said clenching his fist angrily. Asami was completely entranced by his speech. Quietly she spoke up,
"A firebender took my mother from my father and I when I was very young. I have never wanted anything more than to see them all suffer since then." The room was eerily silent for a moment longer before with softer eyes Amon turned to Asami,
"Please. Show me what you have created." She granted his request as she pulled two rods out of a burlap sack sitting on her second worktop. Flipping the switch on the side the rods whirred to life and electricity sparked into the air. Asami spun them through the air, each pass creating a whirring sound that reverberated through her chest. "These are similar to the glove I showed you earlier." She explained, "However, they allow for a greater attack distance. But I would only recommend these for someone who has had extensive training in sword fighting." Amon hummed in agreement,
"Those would be perfect for the Lieutenant." Asami flicked the switch and the glow of the rods slowly faded.
"Now these are my pride and joy," she continued, "My father and I have been working on these together. But I fear we may need some more time before they are fully operational." She strolled over to the shelves on the side of the workshop and deftly pulled racing trophy. A series of gears roared to life and the full wall slid to the side revealing a second room. Asami stepped inside. She could sense that Amon followed for the room grew very cold. She suppressed another shiver. Flipping the light switch, one by one the lights revealed the giant robotic armors standing dauntingly in the middle of the room. "We call them mecha tanks. They are made completely of platinum so that not even Chief Beifong can bend it. Armed with electricity and the capacity to crush a Satomobile, the benders do not stand a chance."
Amon's face grimaced into what Asami could only guess was a smile. "Excellent." He grumbled. He turned and faced Asami. His dark lifeless eyes stared at her intently, "You are proving to be very useful." He took a step forward. His eyes wandering over her face, "So smart. So beautiful." He reached out and caught her chin in between his fingers and thumb. He leaned in so close to her face that Asami could feel his breath gently blowing the stray hairs around her face. It took all of her power to not recoil in disgust. Leaning in closer he angled his head slightly, his eyes locked on her lips. A sudden crash in the other workshop, forced him to look away and he dropped his hand. Asami took an immediate step back and let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. Her thoughts reeled at what she would have done had he completed the action. If he… kissed her. She snapped out of her reverie when her father walked into the room grumbling about the Lieutenants clumsiness. Amon was composed once again, he acted as if nothing had happened, "Sato. I have a new mission for your daughter." His gaze never left Asami, his face contorted into a calculating look. Asami visibly steeled herself for what he was going to say next. "Its importance knows no bounds. She will become the single most important member of the Equalist party and will become my right hand." His mouth curved into a satisfied smirk, "She is to find the Avatar and befriend her." His beady eyes narrowed at her, "And once she is close enough, she will deliver the final blow and kill her." he growled. All other thoughts fled Asami's mind. Finally. Now was her time. She would get her revenge on the single most important bender in the world. Her death would signal the end of the bending tyranny.
Author's note:
I'm sorry about the delay in writing. My laptop was majorly malfunctioning and would not cooperate with me. But alas I have finally written the second chapter. I hope you all like it. As always please leave comments or critiques. Let me know how you feel about the Amon making a move on Asami part… I'm not sure if I want to continue with that or not.