Being right really sucks, especially when it leads you straight into an ambush, Korra thought as a platinum wall sealed them inside the underground factory, Hiroshi's new mecha tank army encircling them.

Korra, Tenzin, Lin and her officers engaged, but the platinum suits threw everyone for a loop. Korra cursed as she hurtled over one of the electrical projectiles shot from a mecha tank. It was hard to land a hit when metal claws kept trying to clamp around her waist. She almost reached Hiroshi when one of the machines snagged her and threw her like a sack of flour against a wall.

The whole front of her body smashed against it hard. Every inch of her felt like a giant bruise already and left a ringing in her head. The claw released her and she plummeted, though she blacked out mid fall.

When she woke, something warm and hard shifted against her. A familiar scent tickled her nose and it took her several seconds to realize it was Mako's cheap aftershave. A deep voice sounded somewhere in front of her but she couldn't make out the words. Instead Korra tried opening her eyes. When she did manage to crack them open, it was just in time to see Asami step out from behind a large pipe. Hiroshi—the source of the deep voice, Korra reasoned—whirled around when Asami shouted, "Dad, stop!" Asami's face crumpled as she eyed her father and something wavered deep in Korra's chest. "Why?" Asami's voice cracked on the question.

Korra couldn't see Hiroshi's face, but the way his shoulders dropped and his arms opened in an appeasing gesture, it was like flipping a switch. "Sweetie, I wanted to keep you out of this for as long as I could." Even his voice was relaxed, grew kind, not at all like the malicious monster that screamed at Korra while piloting his new weapon. "But now that you know the truth, please forgive me. These people, these benders, they took away your mother, my soul mate. I felt her die!"

Asami let out a wordless whimper and Korra's chest cavity flooded with a cloying ache. She's remembering her mother, Korra thought. The White Lotus taught her to condition herself, to increase her tolerance and threshold for pain. Push through it, suppress it, and keep fighting because the world might hang in the balance. But this pain, this raw emotional upheaval, nothing could prepare her to handle it.

Hiroshi continued, unperturbed. "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. We can make sure no one loses their soul mate to senseless bender violence ever again." He took off his right glove and held it out to his daughter. "Join me, Asami."

Korra slipped off Mako's back and stood shakily. Mako eyed her but he didn't comment. Instead, he shifted into a fighting stance and nodded at her: an indication that she should prepare to battle their way out if necessary. She wanted to say something but her head was still clouded from being thrown into a metal plated wall. And there was the matter of her soul mate. Asami wouldn't really join Hiroshi, would she? Aside from being soul mates with the greatest bender in the world, Asami always stood alongside benders with no hesitation. She was a friend to Mako and Bolin. She loved pro bending.

But she also loved her father. How many times had she eagerly come to his defense? She'd shut the door in Korra's face. Crossed her arms and gave Korra a venomous look when Chief Beifong re-questioned her father before demanding she leave. And worst of all, when Korra helped Lin's officers search Future Industries for proof of equalist ties but came up empty, Asami looked over her shoulder, her lips pulled down into a deep frown, her green eyes glittering with tears. Korra's gut twisted sharply, out of guilt or from the evident sting of betrayal Asami felt, she wasn't sure.

Yes, Asami loved her father. But now, she was surrounded by proof of her father's deception, and Korra hoped it would be enough to convince her to do the right thing.

Asami grabbed the glove and slipped it on, a dark look crossing her face. Korra's stomach churned and she swallowed hard as bile rose in her throat. "No. Asami," she barely managed.

"I love you, dad," Asami said, looking into her father's eyes.

This was it. Korra's blood ran cold and she started to back away when Asami's glove glowed blue and she struck her father in the chest. Crackles of bright energy encircled him and Hiroshi groaned as he fell backwards, incapacitated as the currents swept through his body.

If it were possible for Korra's jaw to unhinge and hit the floor, it would have. Somewhere beside her, either Mako or Bolin said, "Woah."

The man who'd zapped her during the pro bending championship leapt into action and Korra lurched forward, but Asami delivered a swift kick to his chest, blocked his strike, twisted his arm, and made him use his own electrified weapon against him. In the blink of an eye, he was slumped to the floor, too. Wow. Asami mentioned taking self-defense classes but seeing her put her skills to use was another thing entirely. Except now she was frozen, staring at her father's still body. Masked men and women started towards her, and some of the mecha tanks whirred back to action.

"C'mon!" Bolin shouted behind her.

The ground beneath Korra's feet trembled and she caught sight of figures in her peripheral vision closing in. She ran to Asami, stumbling slightly, and hooked an arm through one of the other girl's limp ones. "Asami, we've gotta go," she said, dragging her friend toward the escape hole Bolin had created.

Mako, with Beifong on his shoulders, dropped into the chasm ahead of them. Asami regained herself and was soon running beside Korra, their arms no longer linked. As they reached the edge of the hole, Korra grabbed Asami's left hand and jumped, pulling the girl after her. Bolin bent a slab of earth to cover the opening and then they were climbing up and out of the rough pit, on the other side of the platinum wall. They were back in the main tunnel. Then, they were all rushing, tripping, sprinting through the dark, trying to put as much distance between them and the mecha tanks as quickly as possible.

Asami was silent the whole time, though Korra's chest burned and she knew it wasn't from exhaustion. Asami just turned on her own father, her only family. To fight against the equalists alongside Korra. It was enough to make her head spin. Korra had never made that kind of sacrifice before and it was humbling.

Light shone from ahead. It occurred to Korra, as they hit the stairs leading back up to Hiroshi's workshop, that she hadn't let go of Asami's hand since they jumped, a fact which became clearer when Asami started pulling her up the stairs, her longer legs taking them two at a time.

If it had been any other moment, Korra might've blushed and pulled away. As for Asami, she either didn't notice or didn't care. The two held hands until the group reached the airship. Then Korra had to break away to help an exhausted Bolin carry Tenzin aboard. Asami's voice filtered in behind her, relaying to the pilot what happened as well as the need for a hasty exit. The propellers whirred before Mako and Beifong fully stepped aboard and the ship sealed up immediately after they were inside.

Korra helped Mako arrange Lin on a bench, and then checked on Tenzin, who'd finally come around and was rubbing his head as Bolin filled him in. Once the airship rose over the mansion and set course for Republic City's main hospital, Korra cast around for Asami and spotted her gripping a support pole by the ship's rear window.

With the ache in her chest still aflame, Korra approached her hesitantly.

The choice to level the glove at her father was easy once Asami saw what he'd become. Amon's face hung from banners draped proudly from the rafters. Her father's smile was cruel as he threatened to end her friends. And weapons of his own creation surrounded him, meant to hurt countless innocent people. At first, she was stunned to the point of immobility, hidden behind a large industrial pipe, but then she saw Korra, unconscious, draped over Mako's shoulders. Knowing her father was responsible for her soul mate's state made Asami nauseous.

To think she'd almost told him a few hours ago that Korra, the Avatar, the most powerful bender around was her intended made her laugh. His head would've exploded at the irony, now that she knew what he really was, what he really wanted to do.

She found the courage to stand, to confront him, to ask him why as her heart was breaking. He had the decency to own up to his actions, but then he spilled over to the fanatical as he raved about ending benders. All because of her mother. Every passing second was another knife through her heart. She knew he took the passing hard—Yasuko was his soul mate after all and, when you can feel the moment your other half dies, it messes with you, breaks something inside of you. And it had broken her father thoroughly, though he'd kept it hidden well. Asami knew he was tortured by the loss, but not to this degree. Why did he keep this level of agony from her when she could have helped him?

Now, it was too late. She loved him still, but the gleam in his eyes wasn't the same light she'd see when they brainstormed together. No, this was a look that only wanted to destroy. So when he offered her the glove, she took it, slid it on, prepared for what she had to do to get her friends and herself away.

The activating mechanism gave her pause. She felt around for the wires, the trigger, staring at the craftsmanship of the glove. Then, her probing index finger found it, stroked it, and the glove came alive. "I love you, dad." Then, she used the quickness her instructors drilled into her, that her father paid for, to hit him squarely in the chest.

So it wasn't as easy as she'd thought. Betraying him. Hurting him. When he hit the floor, eyes closed as if asleep, Asami nearly doubled over and vomited. She struck her father. She—

Movement to her left sent a pulse of adrenaline through her body. The man who'd sat with them in their pro bending box one evening, the man with the mustache, charged her with crackling batons. She kicked him away, then, when he took a swing at her, she gripped his wrist and forced his own attack against him. He fell to the floor beside her father.

Everything else narrowed down to that sight: her father, frowning, unconscious, curled in on himself, looking smaller than Asami ever remembered him. Something encircled her arm and Asami cursed herself for losing her head in the middle of a battle when she realized it was a bare, muscled, brown arm looped through hers. Korra's mouth moved as she shouted something but Asami couldn't hear her and her lips moved too fast to read. Asami opened her mouth to say, "You're okay," but nothing came out.

Then, Korra dragged her away from the bodies on the floor. Asami shook her head. Other danger was around. There were still equalist soldiers in the mecha suits and she heard bolas being twirled. Now was not the time to freeze. She picked up her pace and was soon matching stride with Korra. Then there was a firm hand in hers and she and Korra jumped, fell, crawled, sprang up and ran, ran, ran far away from the secret factory under the workshop that used to hold so many good memories.

Her father was probably stirring now, ordering people after her and her friends. She wondered if he'd hurt her too, now. Asami held in the sobs, channeled the consuming fire in her chest to flee. Vaguely she was aware she was dragging Korra now, up the stairs, out into the cool night air, onto the waiting airship. She walked mechanically to the pilot as the grip left her hand. "There was an ambush," she explained as the pilot scrambled to his feet, looking at her with wide eyes. "We have Master Tenzin and Chief Beifong with us, but the rest of her officers were captured by…by…" my father, she almost said. "E-equalists. We need to get out of here and to a hospital. Chief Beifong definitely needs to see a healer."

"Yes ma'am." He climbed into the cockpit and prepared to make way.

With that done, Asami drifted to the back of the airship, past a now awake Tenzin and a barely conscious Chief Beifong. She found a support pole near the window and what was probably minutes later, but felt like mere seconds, they were airborn. She watched as her home became flecks of pale, yellow light in the inky blackness of night.

Every heartbeat felt like a hammer to her ribs and the words, "How could you?" buzzed incessantly in her head. Asami was about ready to drop to the floor, curl up and cry, when footsteps approach. Korra appeared beside her. "You were right," Asami said. "I can't believe my father's really working with Amon."

Korra flinched but she didn't leave. "It's still hard for me to believe, too. He seemed different when I first met him." Korra sighed and rubbed her forearm. "I'm sorry that all this happened and that you're in so much pain right now. I kind of ruined your life, which is really crappy of me to do, seeing as I'm your soul mate. And I know I'm probably the last person you want to see right now, but if you need anything—"

Asami threw her arms around Korra and hugged her hard. This wasn't her fault, not really. Hiroshi made his choices and Asami made hers. She rested her chin on Korra's left shoulder and felt the girl's arms slowly shift so she could hug Asami back. Asami bit back a sob and squeezed Korra even tighter. "No, don't apologize. It's hard, but I needed to know. You were doing what you thought was right. You stuck to your instincts even when I was angry with you for it. That's really admirable," Asami said, remembering how brutal she'd been to poor Korra over the past few days. "I'm sorry my father attacked you and almost took you to Amon. I could never forgive myself if I let that happen."

Korra pulled back from the hug but kept her hands on Asami's upper arms. Asami used it as a focal point to tie her to the moment. "I'm glad you chose to side with us, and most of me thought you would, but honestly, part of me was surprised you didn't go with your dad. Not because you're a non-bender," Korra said hastily. "But he's your dad and it's obvious you care about him and you defended him so adamantly before all this. And, well, I know about your mom."

Asami would've snapped if she weren't so drained of energy. She took a step back from Korra so they were no longer touching. "I can't blame all benders for my mother's death when only a few were responsible."

"Er, sorry. Let me explain better," Korra bit her lip and looked away again, out to the city skyline, before looking back at her. "When I was five, I woke up in the middle of the night, crying because my heart hurt. Master Katara told me it was because my soul mate was in a lot of emotional pain."

"My mother died when I was six," Asami breathed, recalling the age gap between them.

Korra nodded. "It made me so upset to know my other half was so torn up. Now I know it was you. It was that night I felt. So when your father asked you to join him, offered a chance for revenge, even though I knew you were my friend, ally, and soul mate, I wasn't sure if the grief of losing your mom would change your mind. I don't think I could've restrained myself if the situation were reversed." Korra shuffled her feet. "But you made it clear tonight that you're not like that. You'd never hurt someone unnecessarily. I'm sorry I doubted you."

"I doubted you too," Asami reminded gently. "I'm sorry as well. Call it even?" She felt her torso loosen when Korra nodded.

Everything was a mess, but at least she and Korra were coming to an understanding and they were relatively ok. She was quiet for a long moment as the image of her father, coiled on the floor of his secret factory swirled through her mind. She looked out at the glowing city beneath them, conscious that somewhere, along the streets or the tunnels underground, he was now plotting to destroy the very people surrounding her, especially Korra, who was brash yet gentle and accepting enough to try and figure out where she was coming from, who she was.

"Not all of us are as hot-headed as you, Korra," Asami finally teased, though she couldn't inject the right amount of humor. "Besides, you wouldn't go after every bender just to get even."

"You're right. Guess you know me better than I know you." Korra chuckled then. "I need to be better at this getting to know each other thing. You're ahead by like, three points now, I think."

Asami smiled weakly. "I wasn't aware we were playing a game."

Korra put her hands on her hips. "Duh, Asami. The 'who can get to know their soul mate best first' game." She stuck her tongue out. "You said we should work on being friends to start, so I'm going to learn everything about you and be the best friend you've ever had."

Asami sniffled, but her smile grew a little more genuine. It kept her mind off her father, which is what she wanted right now. The fact that Korra sensed that, consciously or not, was appreciated. She tried to relax her stance but finally gave up and sat cross-legged on the floor. Without waiting for an invitation, Korra sat across from her. She cocked her head to the side, expectant.

"Well in that case, I'm totally going to beat you," Asami said.

"No way." Korra shook her head, which tossed her wolf tails about, and crossed her arms. "And let me tell you why. I know your favorite color and you don't know mine."

"Oh yeah?" Asami would be eternally grateful for Korra offering these pleasant, little distractions of comfort.

"You like red, all sorts of shades, but I know you really like deep, dark red because you wear it the most."

Asami rolled her eyes. "That was too easy. And how do you know I don't know your favorite color?"

"Maybe you do." Asami heard the smugness in Korra's voice.

Asami thought for a moment. "Light blue. Like the sky. And your top."

The grin that split Korra's face made Asami smile, too. Until she spoke. "Nope."

What? Okay, maybe it was a different shade of blue. "Navy?" She guessed.

Korra shook her head. "Wrong again."

Asami frowned and took in Korra's outfit, then ran over the past outfits she'd seen her in. Korra always wore something blue and Asami assumed that, aside from it being Water Tribe garb, it was because blue was her favorite color. You couldn't despise a color you wore every single day. Asami gave up; there were too many possible shades for her to guess at. If it even was blue. "It's some random color like orange, isn't it?" She cocked an eyebrow.

"It's green. Well, bluish green." Korra's eyes locked with Asami's. "There's a spot back in the South Pole where I like to sit and look at the ocean and sometimes the sun hits the waves in a certain way and the water looks this bright greenish blue color instead of the miles and miles of gray blue."

Asami marveled at the far away look in Korra's bright eyes, the sudden softness that slipped into her voice as she shared her memory and her heart thumped a little harder in her chest. "Now I know your favorite color and a personal anecdote about you. Looks like I'm still in the lead," she said, breaking the subtle tension filling between them. She almost laughed when Korra's head snapped up and her lip jutted into a pout.

They sat in silence for a while after that, exchanging glances, listening to Mako and Bolin thank Tenzin for letting them stay with him and his family. Asami nearly jumped when the pilot's voice came over the intercom to tell them they were almost to the hospital and that's when Asami realized she didn't know what would happen next. She couldn't go back to the mansion, not with all of her father's secrets out in the open.

"Korra." The tears she held back all night finally spilled down her cheeks and the heaviness of her situation settled back into her frame. "I don't know what to do now. I can't go back to my home or Future Industries. I don't have any other family. I—" Suddenly, Korra had her left hand in a firm but reassuring grip.

"Stay with me on Air Temple Island." Korra's eyes were on the floor. "Um, with all of us, I mean. Mako, Bolin, Tenzin and his family. You're more than welcome. And you won't be alone."

"Okay. Thank you." Asami gave Korra's hand a gentle squeeze.

After a pause, Korra seemed to regain herself and she tilted her head back up. "I can show you where I train. And the air bison pen. You can finally meet Naga." Korra unfolded one of her legs, nudged Asami's shin with her booted foot, and gave her a small smile. "She'll like you. But be prepared; she's a licker."

She took in a shaky breath. Maybe this wouldn't be so hard. She might've lost her father, but she still had her friends. She still had Korra. "All of that sounds really nice. Thank you. Again."

Korra shrugged. "Anything to help."

If only you knew how much you've already done, Asami thought as the airship began its descent.