Ch 6 the discovery
Khan helped the police get thru the witnesses, though he wanted to go after the equalists and torture the answers out of them.
News came that cabbage corps was creating weaponry for the equalists. They quickly acted on the scene, taking it down.
"There's enough here to take down cabbage corps for an eternity." Saikhan said.
"Pack it all up. We'll shut it down." Lin said.
The owner, Lau Gan-Lan wasn't pleased about being arrested.
"This is some bullshit! I'm innocent!"
"That's what they all say." Saikhan muttered.
"Is it true Cabbage Corps is working with the equalists?" a reporter asked.
"The evidence points that way, but the investigation is still on-going. We've frozen Mr. Gan-Lan's assests, and have shut down Cabbage Corps in the meantime." Lin answered.
Khan watched as Lau struggled against the cops, but was detained. Walking inside the crime scene, he grabbed an electric glove, deep in thought. He put it on, and activated the glove.
"I could use this." Khan muttered.
"Use what?" Lin asked, walking up to him.
"Use this glove against the equalists next time I run into them." Khan said.
"Sorry, but that's all evidence. Can't allow you to have it." Lin said.
Khan shrugged his shoulders and put the glove aside. He had superhuman strength and ability anyway.
Returning to the station, they resumed questioning the witness about the equalists.
"We're getting nowhere. We should go after them ourselves." Khan said.
"And where would you start? They came at us from nowhere. Underground, maybe. But we just can't send in the troops under the city. We'd be sending them into an ambush." Lin argued.
"Maybe. But it's better than nothing." Khan said.
"You got something else on your mind. Spill it." Lin pointed.
"This." Khan said, brandishing an equalist glove.
"You took it from the crime scene?" Lin asked.
"Yeah. There are two industrial companies in the city. Cabbage Corps, and Future Industries. Go thru the biographies of both owners. Who has the slightest motive to fight against the benders?" Khan asked.
"Hiroshi Sato, owner of Future Industries. Why?" Lin asked.
"Who makes the better material? Better cars, weapons, tools, etc.?" Khan asked.
"Future Industries. Everyone knows that." Lin said.
Khan handed Lin the glove.
"Break it. Without your bending." Khan said.
Lin attempted to break the glove, and found it rather hard to do so.
"You can break it, but it's built like steel." She said.
"Exactly. Here's a model glove, using the same manufacturing techniques used by Cabbage Corps. Break it." Khan said, handing Lin another glove.
Lin broke the glove rather easy.
"You think Future Industries made those gloves?" she asked.
"It's a possibility. This evidence suggests it. How could cabbage corps suddenly be making high quality gloves, without using said quality on their other products? And why would such high quality techniques be used for malicious weapons? Why not a car, or a frying pan?" Khan pointed out.
"You have damn good theory. But I can't go and investigate Future Industries. Not without proof or Intel." Lin said.
That night, they got the Intel they needed.
"You think Mr. Sato made those gloves, then framed Cabbage Corps?" Tenzin asked Korra.
"That's a bold move. What proof do you have?" Lin asked.
"I don't have proof, but I know what I heard. Sato's up to something." Korra defended.
"He does have the means. And a motive." Lin said.
"A motive, what is it?" Korra asked. Khan listened carefully, also curious.
"Twelve years ago, the Agni Kai Triad robbed Sato's mansion. A firebender killed Sato's wife during the break in." Tenzin said.
"That's sad." Korra said.
"It is tragic. It's possible he's been harboring anti-bending sentiment this whole time." Tenzin said.
"Possible? He is harboring anti-bending sentiments." Khan said, taking Tenzin by surprise. "Don't be surprised. If someone killed one of my family members, I'd be pissed beyond reason. I'd want to murder him in the cruelest way possible. Go after his friends and family. Wow, Tenzin. You airbenders really are naïve. No wonder your kind got wiped out during the last war."
"Anyway. We should look at Mr. Sato more closely." Lin said, determined.
The group of 4 headed inside the mansion, towards Hiroshi's room.
"Mr. Sato, we have a few more questions to ask." Lin said.
"My father is innocent." Asami said, walking into the room. "Just because we're not benders doesn't mean we're aligned with the equalists!"
"Equalists? Is this what it's about? I assure you, I got nothing to do with them." Hiroshi asked.
"Yeah, Korra. You don't know what you're talking about." Mako said.
"I heard you over the phone. You said you were getting ready to strike, and the Cabbage Corps investigation brought you time." Korra accused.
"This is all just a misunderstanding, resulting from the young Avatar's overactive imagination. My number one competitor was knocked out of the game. It's providing me an opportunity to strike the market with a new line of Satomobiles. It's just business. Nothing nefarious." Hiroshi said.
"We need to look through all your property and warehouses." Tenzin said.
"Feel free." Hiroshi said.
After hours of searching, they found nothing.
"I can't believe we didn't find anything." Korra said.
"It appears Hiroshi is innocent." Lin said.
"Or it's a façade. He could be hiding the weapons somewhere else." Khan said.
As Mako and Korra argued, Khan sighed in disbelief. Those two were arguing, while a mad-man was gathering weapons and his army for another strike. Korra left and came back with a note.
"Listen to this. 'If you want to know the truth, meet me under the north end of the Silk Bridge at midnight.'" Korra said.
Midnight came, and they headed at the bridge, finding the worker. He told everything.
"Listen, I joined the Equalists because I believed in what Amon said. I thought he could make life better for us nonbenders. But I didn't sign up for this ... this war." He said.
"What do you have on Hiroshi Sato?" Lin asked.
"He made those gloves for the equalists." The worker said.
"I knew it." Korra and Khan said at the same time. Both then looked at each other.
"And there are rumors that he's working on something even bigger. Some new weapon for the equalists." The worker said.
"We searched all over the place and found nothing." Tenzin said.
"That's because he has a secret factory." The worker said.
"Where?" Korra asked.
"Right underneath his mansion." The worker said.
As they flew towards the mansion, Tenzin warned Lin about the consequences.
"Raiding the Sato mansion is a risky move with Tarrlok breathing down your neck. If we're wrong…" Tenzin said.
"I know. I can kiss my job good-by. But protecting republic city is all I care about. We can't let Amon get his hands on this new weapon." Lin said.
Breaking into the house, SWAT style, Asami angrily confronts them.
"What the hell?" she asked.
"We have reason to believe that there's an underground factory underneath the mansion." Lin said.
"I'd know if there was a secret factory underneath my house. The lies you people come up with to persecute my father." Asami said.
"Where is he?" Khan asked.
"Out back." Asami said.
Entering a workshop in the back of the house, Lin looked suspicious at the floor. Raising a bare foot, she slammed hard on the floor, deep in concentration.
"There's an underground tunnel in here." She said.
"That's crazy. There isn't one." Asami said.
Lin ripped the floor open, exposing the open tunnel.
"I don't understand. There must be an explanation for this." Asami said.
"Maybe you don't know everything about your father. I'm sorry." Korra said.
"Officers, into the tunnel. Be careful." Lin said. "Uh-uh. Song, keep those three here."
Heading down the tunnel, Khan noticed everyone was slightly on edge. What kind of weapon did Hiroshi have?
They soon found their answer.
"Not your average workshop." Lin said, looking at the room.
The room was lined with mechs. All ready to be used by the equalists.
"Hiroshi was lying all right. But where is he?" Lin asked.
Suddenly, a metal wall slammed down, trapping them inside the room.
"I'm afraid you won't be able to bend that wall, Chief. It's pure platinum. Even my mecha tanks are platinum. Your renowned mother couldn't bend such a metal so pure." Hiroshi boasted.
"Hiroshi, you son of a bitch! Come down here and-" Korra said.
"And what, face the wrath of your bending, no. I'll fight from here, were my chances are more, equal." He said.
Hiroshi fired a grappling hook to capture them, but the police officers evaded. Lin earthbended herself on a mech, and started stabbing the 'head' trying to kill the pilot. While she knocked the mech over, another mech grabbed her and tossed her against a wall, knocking her out.
Soon, the officers, Korra, and soon Tenzin were knocked out. Khan ran towards a mech and climbed on it, breaking the glass and killed the pilot. Climbing inside the cockpit, he ran through the controls real quickly and turned his attention on the other mechs.
"That's a near flawless test run. Take them to-" Hiroshi said.
Hiroshi didn't finish, and watched one of the mech tanks turn against the others. Khan grabbed a mech, and threw it across the room, destroying it. Another mech attacked him, ripping the cockpit open. Khan jumped from his mech onto his opponent's mech. He killed the mech pilot and continued the attack.
Khan managed to destroy another mech, but multiple electric bola's short circuited his mech tank. Khan jumped out of his tank and stared down the remaining 2 mecha tanks.
"Shit." He muttered.
"You've done enough damage here, you freak." Hiroshi said, confronting Khan with two electric gloves.
Khan pulled out a dagger, ready to fight. Hiroshi noticed Mako and Bolin attempting to escape with Lin, Korra, and Tenzin.
"No so fast." Hiroshi said, arming his gloves.
"Hellow, Mr. Sato. What a swell, scary factory you have down here." Bolin said.
"Sponsoring our team. Supporting the Avatar. It was a cover up, wasn't it?" Mako asked, angry.
"Yes. And the most difficult part was watching my daughter run around with a street rat like you." Hiroshi said.
"Dad, stop!" Asami said. "Dad, why?"
"Sweetie, I wanted to keep you out of this as long as I could. But now you know the truth, please, forgive me. These people, these benders. They took away your mother, the love of my life. They've ruined the world, but with Amon we can fix it and build a perfect world together. We can help people like us, everywhere! Join me, Asami." Hiroshi said, handing Asami one of his gloves.
Hesitating, Asami grabbed the glove and put it on.
"I love you dad." Asami said, before shocking Hiroshi.
Mako and Bolin looked at Asami in shock.
"Don't just stand there. Lets move." Khan said, grabbing Lin and running towards a hole Bolin previously made.
Getting on the police zeppelin, they made their way towards the city.
"My metal benders are on their way to Amon. It's my fault. Tarrlok's right. I've failed as chief of police. First thing in the morning, I'm resigning." Lin said, struggling against the pain.
"You can't give in." Tenzin said.
"I'm not giving up. I'll take down Amon my own way. Outside the law." Lin said, determined.
Khan had a soft smile on him. Now Lin was getting it. Might as well offer support.