Clinging to the pains of the past can jeopardize everything present.
Battle lost. During the final of the pro-bending tournament, Amon and his minions launched an attack on the stadium. There, former Padawan Ahsoka Tano had her first encounter with the one known as 'the benefactor'. Despite their combined attempts with police chief Lin Beifong and Avatar Korra, the Equalists managed to escape and deal a major blow to the City.
It was another sunny day in Republic City.
However, it wasn't a happy day for most.
What was supposed to be a great pro-bending final match, turned out in the end to be an attack by the Equalists.
Because of the destruction they caused, it was decided to shut down the arena until repairs were completed, but there was a downside to that and that was what made Korra grief-stricken.
Her friends, Mako and Bolin were living in the arena because of their financial situation and now that the arena was closed, they were homeless and surely don't have enough money to stay somewhere for a season.
Right now, Korra, Ahsoka and Kaxey were with Tenzin and his family having breakfast, though Korra didn't take much due to her friends' situation and Kaxey was just there to be.
"Korra, what happened at the arena wasn't your fault or anyone else's." said Tenzin.
"It's true. Even I couldn't sense that there would be infiltrators in the crowd." said Ahsoka.
"I told that old woman from Beifong to frisk everyone who came in, but she said, 'We're not going to do something that stupid.' Look what that stupid thing could have solved." said Kaxey.
"Don't talk about her like that, Kaxey! She did her best to make sure nothing bad happened." said Tenzin annoyed that she insulted her friend.
"Yes, but the fact that Tahno and his teammates cheated during the match didn't help matters. It only gave support to Amon's message." said Ahsoka.
"I agree with her on that, but it's not about what happened in the arena. It's about Mako and Bolin. They have nowhere to go now that the arena is shut down indefinitely." said Korra.
"I'm so sorry about your friends. If there was anything I could do to help them." said Tenzin.
"Actually, they could stay here." said Ahsoka.
"What?" asked Tenzin.
"What a good idea!" said Korra liking her friend's idea.
"Wait a minute. I'm not going to take them into my house just because I'm your friends." said Tenzin.
"But you took me in on the first night." said Ahsoka.
"And me too." said Kaxey.
"You… I…" began Tenzin before letting out a sigh of defeat. "It's okay, you can stay."
"Thanks, Tenzin, you're the best." said Korra with a smile.
"Well, we'd better give them the news." said Ahsoka with a smile.
Later, Korra, Ahsoka and Kaxey, who were riding Naga made their way to the pro-bending arena that was under reconstruction with a group of policemen guarding the main entrance that had a police tape.
The three got off Naga and rode through the tape to meet the two brothers.
"I still can't believe they're shutting this place down." said Mako as he put his things away in a box.
"Yeah. We had some good memories here, didn't we?" asked Bolin.
"Guys! Great news. You don't have to go back on the streets." said Korra as she, Ahsoka and Kaxey made their way up the stairs to the penthouse.
"We talked to Tenzin and you can stay on the island with us." said Ahsoka.
"Oh, we'd love to, but..." began Mako rubbing the back of his head.
"Asami already invited us to live in her dad's giant mansion!" said Bolin excitedly, surprising both the Avatar and the togruta. "From here on out, it's gonna be the lap of luxury for us." said Bolin giving his brother a side hug.
"Why didn't anyone make me that offer before?" asked Kaxey.
"Oh hey, Korra. Hey, Ahsoka. Hey, Kaxey" said Asami appearing from the loft with Pabu in her hands, causing Korra to show a disgusted face.
"Hi, Asami, so you'll let them live in your house?" asked Ahsoka.
"It's the least I can do. After all, my father sponsors their team." said Asami letting Pabu go before walking down from the loft.
"Well… I guess since you're all set, we'll have to be going. So, I guess I'll see you guys around, some time." said Korra leaving, discouraged at being overtaken by the engineer as Pabu approached Bolin who grabbed him and lifted him to his height.
"Why not tomorrow? I'd love to have you come visit the estate." said Asami.
"Sure. That doesn't sound so bad." said Ahsoka.
"I don't have any more plans." said Kaxey.
"I don't know. I have some… Avatar stuff to do." said Korra making up an excuse.
That's when Bolin lifted Pabu up to his face height.
"Come on, Korra. We all deserve a little rest and relaxation after all this craziness. We could swim in Asami's pool. It'll be fun!" said Bolin in a high-pitched voice as he moved Pabu around like a puppet, pretending it was the fire ferret talking.
That made the Avatar and the togruta laugh at the earthbender's performance.
"How old do you think we are?" asked Kaxey.
"All right, Pabu." said Korra with a smile and accepting the engineer's invitation.
"Great, we'll see you tomorrow." said Asami saying goodbye as Korra, Ahsoka and Kaxey left.
When the three of them were outside the arena…
"Do you mind going alone? Chief Beifong asked me and Kaxey to go see her this morning." said Ahsoka.
"And I don't think it's to congratulate us on our work last night." said Kaxey.
"Sure. We'll see you later." said Korra getting on Naga before leaving.
After that, Ahsoka and Kaxey went on their way.
Soon after, Ahsoka and Kaxey arrived at the police station, where they saw Lin and several of her men preparing for something.
"Is something wrong, Chief Beifong?" asked Ahsoka.
"We just got a report of someone who might be in league with the Equalists, as well as the one who made them those gloves they wore in the arena." said Lin.
"Those trinkets? I was saying they were too old-fashioned to come from space." said Kaxey.
"Can we help?" asked Ahsoka.
"That would be best. We might run into some of them or some other trap." said Lin.
"By the way, how are you feeling? Especially after the arena." said Ahsoka worried about the police chief.
"Honestly, not very well. Tarrlok blames me for what happened and told me the next time I failed he'd fire me." said Lin.
"What? He can't do that. In that case, it was my and Kaxey's fault too." said Ahsoka.
"Pss. Leave me out of it, huh?" said Kaxey raising her hands in defense.
"It's true that you and your droid offered to help me, but I was the first to offer my services which then failed. Still, I don't care if I keep my job or not. I will always look out for the safety of the city and its inhabitants." said Lin with a small smile.
Ahsoka was amazed at the dedication she had to everyone's safety whether she had an official position or not.
Her respect for her had grown at that moment.
"No wonder you're the chief of police." said Ahsoka with a smile.
"I'm not just because of my mother. Anyway, we'd better get going." said Lin.
Ahsoka and Kaxey nodded in response before following Lin on her mission.
The area in front of a warehouse was quiet, with four-legged crows passing by until a police vehicle rolled up to an abandoned warehouse and broke down the doors as it entered just as several police officers came swinging through the windows.
Once inside, they saw that it was empty of people.
Investigating the place, they found a printing press and a stack of Amon pamphlets.
That's when Kaxey opened one of the boxes there.
"Girls, I think I've hit the jackpot." said Kaxey, as the box was full of electrified gloves.
"Looks like the information was correct." said Ahsoka looking at the contents of the box.
"There's enough evidence here to bury Cabbage Corp for an eternity." said Lin.
Later, at the main building of Cabbage Corp, there was a group of journalists in front of the main gate as Saikhan escorted the handcuffed company director to the police van.
"This is an outrage! I'm innocent! " said the director as he was led away by the policeman.
"Yeah, yeah. That's what they all say." said Saikhan as Lin stood in front of the reporters and photographers.
"Is it true that Cabbage Corp is conspiring with the Equalists?" asked a reporter.
"The evidence points in that direction, but the investigation is ongoing. For the time being, we have frozen Mr. Gan-Lan's assets and are closing Cabbage Corp." said Lin.
"No! Not my Cabbage Corp!" said the director as he was led to the police van.
The next morning, Korra and Ahsoka were meditating in the gazebo, breathing deeply and not moving a muscle.
"Girls."
Until they heard someone call out to them and turned their heads to see Tenzin and Kaxey coming toward them.
"Is something wrong, Tenzin?" asked Korra.
"I need you to come with me to the police station." said Tenzin.
"He says they have questions for us about the arena thing to 'fill in all the details'." said Kaxey.
"Makes sense." said Ahsoka.
"Okay, we'll go." said Korra.
When they arrived at the police station, Korra, Ahsoka and Kaxey were taken to separate rooms where they were answering various questions about what happened at the arena and what they did.
While Korra and Ahsoka responded calmly, Kaxey responded quite aggressively, to the point where she threatened the police officer who was questioning her, but fortunately it didn't come to anything more.
After a while, the three were taken to the waiting room where they had to wait for the final formalities.
That's when suddenly…
"Hey." they turned their heads to the side to see Tahno sitting on a nearby bench totally depressed.
"Tahno?" asked Korra surprised to see the former waterbender and pro-bending rival.
"What are you doing here?" asked Ahsoka curiously.
"I'm here to be asked questions about the attack on the arena." said Tahno in a sad and subdued voice.
Korra and Ahsoka felt sorry for him.
He may have been a cheater and an arrogant show-off, but he didn't deserve what Amon did to him.
Korra sat next to him on the bench while Ahsoka sat on his other side.
"Listen, I know we're not exactly best friends, but I'm sorry Amon took your bending." said Korra.
"Me too. Is there any way to get your powers back?" asked Ahsoka.
"I've been to the best healers in the city. Whatever Amon did to me, it's permanent." said Tahno.
"Yeah? Well, good for you." said Kaxey.
"KAXEY!" exclaimed Korra and Ahsoka annoyed by the droid's comment.
"Oh, come on. You know I'm right. After how he used his powers and influence to win the match, he doesn't deserve to have them anymore." said Kaxey.
"She's right. For some reason, I feel like this is some kind of punishment from the spirits. Now that I realize it, I regret what I did to a lot of people. Especially you, but still, I don't want others to suffer like I did." began Tahno before looking at Korra seriously. "You gotta get him for me."
"We will. Don't worry." said Ahsoka as Korra nodded in agreement.
At that moment, Tenzin and Lin were arriving in the area with Hiroshi.
"Mr. Sato, if you remember anything else about what you saw during Amon's attack, be sure to let us know." said Lin.
"I'm happy to help any way I can. I want these Equalists to pay for what they've done." said Hiroshi before sending a nod by way of greeting to the Avatar and the togruta they returned.
"We're ready for you now." said Tenzin to Tahno as the former waterbender rose from the bench and gave them his characteristic salute.
"See you around… 'Ah'vatar and Tano." said Tahno with a nod and a weak smile before he followed the two adults to another area.
"We have to finish him off. I don't want any more benders to suffer because of him." said Korra.
"Neither do I. He says it will bring equality, but it will only bring suffering. For both benders and non-benders alike." said Ahsoka.
"Well you know what we must do. Find him and kick his ass." said Kaxey.
"Yes, I agree." said Korra.
"By the way, I think it's about time to go. We were supposed to meet Asami and the others at her mansion." said Ahsoka.
"That's right." said Korra before the three of them left the place.
Soon after, Korra, Ahsoka and Kaxey arrived at the Sato mansion and needless to say, the place was so big, so huge that Korra's mouth dropped open.
"Wow. It's huge." said Korra.
"Meh. I've seen buildings bigger than this." said Ahsoka.
"I only have so much data in my memory before I become active again, so this place is the biggest thing I've ever seen." said Kaxey.
That's when a butler appeared and guided them on their way to where the others were.
If it weren't for him, they probably would have gotten lost.
Finally, they arrived at an indoor pool where Mako, Bolin and Asami were enjoying themselves for a while.
"Earthbending bomb!" shouted Bolin over a statue, which was spurting water out of its mouth in a cascading fashion, before diving fully into the water.
"Avatar Korra, miss Ahsoka Tano and… droid Kaxey, are here." said the butler in a serious, neutral voice announcing the arrival of the three.
"Hey, guys!" said Mako who was standing in the water and leaning back against the edge.
"Glad you made it!" said Asami who was sitting on the edge of the pool.
"Welcome to paradise!" said Bolin surfacing before putting his hands behind his head and swimming backwards with Pabu on his stomach.
"You certainly have a great home, Asami. A place like this would be in the upper-class area of Coruscant." said Ahsoka.
"Hehe. Thank you." said Asami.
"Looks like you guys settled right in." said Korra sitting down on a nearby lounger as Mako and Asami swam over to them.
"Pretty much, except someone forgot to ask her father if we could stay here." said Mako.
"Yeah, but I smoothed it over with him. It's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission." said Asami.
"I agree with that." said Kaxey.
Korra let out a small notch of annoyance at what the engineer said, as she felt she had outdone her once again.
Meanwhile, Bolin climbed out of the pool beside him with Pabu soaking wet on his head.
"This is the greatest place in the world! Watch this, watch this. Fetch me my towel, good sir." said Bolin in a serious and polite tone.
"Yes, Master… Bolin." said the butler before taking a towel.
"Master Bolin! Ha, I love this guy." began Bolin pointing at the butler with his thumb before stretching out in a Christian cross position. "Now pat me dry."
"As you wish." said the butler bowing before quickly rubbing the towel across the earthbender's back as he moved to ease him into the job.
"Don't forget Master Pabu." said Bolin.
"Wouldn't dream of it, sir." said the butler placing the towel over the fire ferret and beginning to rub him quickly.
Removing the towel, Pabu was seen to be completely dry before his fur swelled up.
The butler had his back to them, folding the towel, when Bolin decided to dive back into the water, causing the butler to groan a little in frustration.
"Haha. Nice one, Bolin." said Kaxey laughing at the butler's predicament.
"Hey, Kaxey. why don't you jump in for a while?" asked Bolin.
"Uh... Hello? I'm a droid. The water may not affect me, but my body would make me sink like a rock." said Kaxey.
"Oh, right, sorry." said Bolin as he swam.
After that, Asami swam until she was close to Korra.
"So, what do you have planned for us today? Let me guess, shopping, makeovers…" asked Korra sounding bored at the thought of doing such girly things.
"Well, I didn't do much of that, so I wouldn't mind doing it." said Ahsoka.
"That's one of the things that makes me glad to be a droid." said Kaxey.
"Ooh, Ooh! I vote makeovers!" said Bolin as he and Mako played in the water, with Mako pushing him under the water.
"I had something a little more exciting in mind." said Asami coming out of the water with an amused smile.
Soon after, the whole group found themselves on some bleachers near a racetrack where a couple of vehicles were having a race.
"Pretty cool, huh?" asked Asami.
"Way cooler than a makeover." said Korra.
"Much, much cooler." said Kaxey.
"It reminds me of the races held on Tatooine. My master used to participate in them as a kid." said Ahsoka.
"This is where Future Industries test-drives their Satomobiles. Ever been behind the wheel?" asked Asami to the Avatar.
"The only thing I know how to drive is a polar bear dog." said Korra.
"You want me to take you for a spin?" asked Asami, to the Avatar's surprise.
"Let's do it!" said Korra with a smile.
"You can join too, Ahsoka." said Asami.
"Thanks, but I don't know how if it only fits two people." said Ahsoka.
"Actually, I had thought of something else." said Asami with an amused smile.
Asami led Korra and Ahsoka to an area where something was covered with a blanket.
Asami grabbed the blanket and pulled it off, revealing the object underneath.
"Ta-Da!" said Asami revealing that it was Ahsoka's slider bike.
"My bike! You fixed it!" said Ahsoka.
"Yes. It wasn't easy at all, but I managed to figure out its components and was able to repair it. I was planning to send you back, but since you're here, I thought we could race to see which is faster. Your bike against my satomobile." said Asami.
"Sounds like fun." said Korra with a smile.
"I say, let's roll." said Ahsoka with a smile.
Later, Korra and Asami were in a racing satomobile with Asami at the wheel while next to her was Ahsoka on her sliding bike.
Both drivers started engines, waiting for the start signal and when the referee waved the white flag, both vehicles accelerated.
Both vehicles were evenly matched until, at a turn, Ahsoka picked up speed, putting herself in first place while Asami and Korra's vehicle skidded a bit.
Fortunately, Asami was able to stabilize the vehicle and continue the race.
Asami smiled as she accelerated the vehicle to try to catch up with the bike.
As the race was going on, the two brothers were cheering on their friends.
Ahsoka was still in first position and when she saw Asami's vehicle approaching, she moved in front to prevent them from moving forward.
Asami frowned at her before shifting gears and stepping on the pedal, managing to get alongside the bike, though she was still in second place.
Asami smiled as she tried to overtake the togruta, despite the fact that in the process, the wheels collided with the barrier, releasing sparks in the process.
It was then that Ahsoka smiled as she had an idea in her mind and suddenly, she placed the bike on the surface of the barrier, riding on it as if it were the ground, much to the surprise of the other two.
Taking advantage of that, Ahsoka accelerated the bike to a position ahead of her and then placed the bike back on the ground.
Before Asami could do anything, Ahsoka's bike passed the finish line before the two vehicles came to a stop in a secluded area of the racing lane.
Korra got off the vehicle just as Ahsoka got off her bike while Asami stood on top of the vehicle and removed her helmet.
"That was awesome! Seriously, you have to teach me how to fly one of those." said Korra with a big smile.
"Me too." said Asami.
"Sure. My pleasure. And, if you want to make your own, Asami, you can keep it for a while to research it." said Ahsoka.
"Oh, no need. While I was repairing it, I was making notes about its structure and components." said Asami.
"In that case. When you've built more of those bikes, you have to give one to me." said Korra.
"I'll keep that in mind." said Asami.
"I gotta admit, I had you pegged wrong. I thought you were kind of… prissy. Eh… No offense!" said Korra hoping she hadn't upset her or anything.
Asami got out of the satomobile before laughing she giggled a little.
"It's all right, people usually assume that I'm daddy's helpless little girl, but I can handle myself. I mean, I've been in self-defense classes since I was this high." began Asami using her hand to point out how tall she was at the moment. "My dad made sure that I would always be able to protect myself."
"Smart guy." said Ahsoka.
Sometime later, the group returned to the mansion and when the butler opened the door for them.
"Emergency, emergency coming through, beep beep!" said Bolin as he ran towards the bathroom.
"Uh, is there another bathroom I can use?" asked Korra to Asami.
"We have a lady's powder room upstairs, first door on your right. You can freshen up in there." said Asami before Korra left for the restroom.
Korra was in the bathroom washing her hands.
After drying them with a towel, she noticed a powder puff.
Feeling curious, she picked it up and stared at it for a few seconds before stamping it on her face, causing a large cloud of dust that made her cough as she walked out of the bathroom, only to bump into something hard.
Looking up, she found Kaxey.
"Kaxey? What are you doing here?" asked Korra.
"I was bored, so I decided to explore a bit." said Kaxey.
"Well, we better get back to the others." said Korra walking with Kaxey when…
"No, no! No, I assure you, everything is going exactly as planned." suddenly, they heard Hiroshi's voice from outside his office.
Making sure no one was around, they approached the door to hear what he was saying and Korra peeked through the keyhole, from where she could see Hiroshi talking on the phone.
"Uh-um, yes… luckily, the Cabbage Corp investigation has bought us enough time. Trust me, by the end of the week… we'll be ready to strike!" said Hiroshi hanging up the phone.
Korra aghast at what she had just heard.
"That doesn't sound good at all." said Kaxey surprised by it.
Seeing that the mansion wasn't a safe place, Korra quickly ran out with Kaxey following her.
In the main room, Bolin was striking poses while the butler sprayed perfume on him, with the others beside him.
Just then, Korra and Kaxey walked past them, catching their attention.
"You're leaving? But I-I thought…" began Asami.
"Uh, sorry! I forgot, I'm supposed to airsit, I mean babybend, I-I mean babysit the airbender kids." said Korra as she was backing out the door.
"And I think we could use your help with that." said Kaxey pushing Ahsoka towards the door.
"W-Wait, Kaxey, what's going on?" asked Ahsoka blankly.
"I'll explain later." said Kaxey quietly.
After that, the three of them left the Sato mansion.
Before long, the three of them were quite far from the mansion, so they decided to talk.
"Okay, what was that for?" asked Ahsoka.
"Listen, Ahsoka. We found out something very disturbing about Hiroshi?" asked Korra.
"Asami's father? What about him?" asked Ahsoka.
"It's possible that he's allied with the Equalists." said Korra.
"WHAT?" asked Ahsoka in a loud voice.
"Say it louder. Let everyone know." said Kaxey.
"Are you sure you heard that?" asked Ahsoka.
"Well, he didn't say that exactly, but he said something about the Cabbage Corp investigation and that they were going to attack." said Kaxey.
"I was already saying there was something weird about that company we shut down yesterday. We didn't have any leads, and all of a sudden information comes out that they are working for the Equalists and besides, we found evidence with no problem? That all seemed very suspicious to me." said Ahsoka.
"We have to inform Tenzin and Beifong about this." said Korra.
"Wait, one thing, do you think Asami is involved too?" asked Ahsoka.
"I don't. She's a good person, she wouldn't work with those guys." said Korra.
"Are you sure? She could have been acting all this time. Playing you like you were stupid." said Ahsoka with a frown, as that matter brought back certain memories she didn't want to recall again.
"Look, I don't know if she's really in league with them or not, but I know I can trust her," said Korra.
"I just know that we won't solve anything by staying here." said Kaxey before the three of them left.
"Trust, huh? I hope so." thought Ahsoka mentally.
That same night, Korra, Ahsoka and Kaxey were meeting Tenzin and Lin on the roof of a building talking about what he had discovered at the Sato mansion.
"So, you think Mr. Sato manufactured those gloves for the Equalists then framed Cabbage Corp?" asked Tenzin.
"That's a bold accusation, but what proof do you have?" asked Lin.
"Well, I don't exactly have proof." said Korra.
"Hello? I'm a droid. I heard you perfectly and that should be enough." said Kaxey.
"Clearly Mr. Sato is up to something. His company can provide the resources needed to create the electrified gloves." said Ahsoka.
"And he has a motive." said Lin thinking about the information received.
"That's right." said Tenzin agreeing with her.
"A motive? What is it?" asked Korra.
"Twelve years ago, the Agni Kai Triad robbed Sato's mansion. A firebender killed Sato's wife during the break in." said Tenzin telling the story of the Sato family.
Korra was horrified to learn the tragic story of the Sato family.
"That's terrible." said Korra.
"It was tragic." said Tenzin.
"Then Mr. Sato has a very clear motive for joining the Equalists and their message of Equality." said Ahsoka.
"He wants revenge on the benders." said Kaxey.
"She's right. Maybe we should look at Mr. Sato a little more closely." said Lin.
The next morning, the butler of the Sato mansion opened the doors, only to be shocked when he saw Tenzin, Lin, Korra, Ahsoka and Kaxey.
The five of them walked up the stairs, passing Mako and Asami, the firebender being the one who stopped Korra, Ahsoka and Kaxey for answers.
"What's going on? Why are they asking Hiroshi more questions?" asked Mako.
"I overheard him on the phone yesterday." said Korra.
"Asami, it's possible that your father is in league with the Equalists." said Ahsoka.
"What? I don't believe this." said Asami indignantly.
"Well believe it, because I heard it too." said Kaxey before Asami followed the two adults.
"You spied on Hiroshi? What's your problem?" asked Mako angrily at Korra before following Asami, leaving the togruta, the droid and the Avatar who lowered her head in sadness.
After that, the three continued on their way to Hiroshi's office, who was having a conversation with Lin and Tenzin.
"Mr. Sato, we just have a few follow-up questions for you." said Lin.
Just then, Asami entered the office very angry.
"My father is innocent. Just because we're not benders doesn't mean we support those awful Equalists." said Asami defending her father as she stood next to him.
"Equalists? Is that what this is about? I can assure you I have nothing to do with those radicals." said Hiroshi.
"Yeah, you don't know what you're talking about, Korra." said Mako looking at the Avatar with a frown before turning his gaze to the togruta. "And I would expect you to think the same, Ahsoka."
"I just follow the evidence." said Ahsoka earnestly.
"I overheard you on the phone." said Korra pointing her finger at Hiroshi.
"Me too. He said and I quote, 'Uh-um, yes… luckily, the Cabbage Corp investigation has bought us enough time. Trust me, by the end of the week… we'll be ready to strike!' Don't try to deny it. I have a good memory." said Kaxey.
"Can you explain that?" asked Ahsoka.
Hiroshi let out a small laugh.
"This is all just a misunderstanding, resulting from the young Avatar and her droid friend 's overactive imagination." began Hiroshi.
"Imagination? I-" began Kaxey before Ahsoka raised her arm to stop her.
"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." explained Hiroshi.
Tenzin and Lin looked at each other, doubting Hiroshi's story a little.
"In order to put all suspicions to rest, might we have a look into your factories and warehouses?" asked Tenzin.
Asami let out a low, angry sigh and was about to say something when her father raised his hand in a halting gesture.
"If you feel it's necessary, you're welcome to search all of Future Industries." said Hiroshi.
For the next few hours, Lin, the police, Korra, Ahsoka, Kaxey and Naga were inspecting the factories of Future Industries.
They checked every box and every nook and cranny of every Future Industries facility.
It was already getting dark when the policemen returned to the airship after investigating the last of the Future Industries facilities.
Unfortunately, after all that time searching, they found nothing.
At that moment, Korra, Ahsoka and Kaxey arrived in the area, where Tenzin and Lin were also present.
"I can't believe we didn't find anything." said Korra.
"It would appear Hiroshi is innocent." said Lin.
"Either that or he's really good at hiding evidence." said Ahsoka crossing her arms.
Just then, Asami and Mako arrived on the scene.
"Okay, you did your search. Now you can all leave." said Asami with a hostile tone.
The engineer and the police chief stood looking at each other for a while as Mako pulled Korra away from the others to have a private conversation.
"So, I hope you're convinced now." said Mako.
"No, I'm not! I don't care how cooperative Hiroshi is being, I know he's lying." said Korra.
"Why are you doing this? Are you that jealous of me and Asami?" asked Mako, causing Korra to gasp at that accusation.
"What? Don't be ridiculous! That has nothing to do with it!" said Korra.
"If you don't drop this, consider our friendship over." said Mako giving the Avatar an ultimatum.
Korra was taken aback by that before lowering her head with her eyes closed.
"I'm sorry. Hiroshi is not the man you think he is." said Korra giving Mako a serious look.
Mako gave him a small growl before walking away to join Asami, who was talking to Ahsoka.
"I can't believe you think that. I thought you were my friend." said Asami angrily and hurt.
"Me too and until truly proven otherwise, I won't think otherwise." said Ahsoka with seriousness and a bit of hostility, much to the engineer's surprise.
Soon after, Mako arrived and the two left.
"Hey, do you mind telling me what that was about? I know there's a chance she's with her father on this, but we're not entirely sure." said Kaxey.
"Like I said, I won't think anything until I see it's true." said Ahsoka with a frown, surprising the droid, as she had never seen her like this before.
Meanwhile, Korra lowered her head in sadness after losing two good friends of hers.
Suddenly, one of the employees passed by the Avatar and discreetly left a piece of paper in her hand, which she noticed at first glance.
She looked around for the person responsible, but couldn't find him.
Korra opened the paper and what she found surprised her quite a bit.
"I think you guys should hear this." began Korra drawing the attention of Ahsoka, Kaxey, Tenzin and Lin. "'If you want to find the truth, meet me under the north end of the Silk Road Bridge at midnight.'" said Korra reading the contents of the paper.
"Who gave you that?" asked Lin.
"I don't know. He left so fast I couldn't see him." said Korra.
"It could be a clue about Mr. Sato's connection to the Equalists we were looking for." said Tenzin.
"Or it could be a trick." said Ahsoka.
"There's only one way to find out." said Kaxey.
Later in the evening, the group gathered at the agreed location to meet the person who left the message.
"Psst. Over here." began one of the Future Industries workers who emerged from behind a pillar. "Listen, I joined the Equalists because I believed in what Amon said. I thought he could make life better for us non-benders. But I didn't sign up for this… this war."
"It tends to happen for a lot of people in these cases." said Ahsoka.
"What do you have on Hiroshi Sato?" asked Lin.
"He manufactured those gloves for the Equalists." said the worker.
"I knew it!" said Korra.
"And there are rumors he's working on something even bigger. Some new kind of weapon." said the worker.
"Does that mysterious benefactor of the Equalists have anything to do with it?" asked Ahsoka.
"Yes, he and Mr. Sato are collaborating on that project." said the worker.
"We searched all of Future Industries and found nothing." said Tenzin.
"That's because he has a secret factory." revealed the worker.
"Where?" asked Kaxey.
"It's right underneath the Sato Mansion." said the worker, causing the group to gasp in surprise and horror.
"Dank Farrik. Of course. What better place than right under everyone's noses." commented Kaxey.
Soon after, the group was in a police blimp headed for the Sato mansion.
"Raiding the Sato Mansion is a risky move with Tarrlok breathing down your neck. If we're wrong…" began Tenzin with concern for his old friend.
"I know. I can kiss my job goodbye. But protecting Republic City is all I care about. We can't let Amon get his hands on this new weapon." said Lin.
As Ahsoka stood to the side, preparing for whatever would happen once they arrived.
"Can I talk to you?"
Ahsoka turned around to see Korra.
"What do you want?" asked Ahsoka.
"It's just… I'm a little worried about you." began Korra confusing the togruta. "Ever since I told you that Hiroshi was working with the Equalists, you've been acting very… harsh, especially towards Asami. I don't know what's wrong with you, but I can only tell you to trust me. I don't know how, but I feel that Asami is really a good person."
"I'll only believe that when I actually see it." said Ahsoka before leaving, walking past Korra.
She didn't understand why she had such distrust towards Asami after what they went through together.
She had a feeling that, perhaps, when she was in space, something happened that affected her too much.
She wished she could ask her about it, but she surely wouldn't feel like telling her about it, so the only thing she could do was to concentrate on the mission they were going to do and hope Ahsoka could talk to her about it, as she didn't want her to go through something similar to what happened to her with Amon and her 'challenge'.
Meanwhile, Mako, Bolin and Asami were hanging out in the mansion as if nothing was wrong.
That was until several policemen entered the room they were in.
Instinctively, Bolin raised his hands in surrender accompanied by a small cry of surprise.
"What are you doing here?" asked Asami as Lin entered the room along with Tenzin, Korra, Ahsoka and Kaxey.
"We have a reason to believe that there's a factory hidden below the mansion." said Lin.
"I think I would've noticed if there were a factory underneath my house. The lies you people come up with just to persecute my father." said Asami.
"Where is your father?" asked Tenzin.
"In his workshop, behind the house." said Asami.
The whole group went to the workshop and entered it along with a few policemen, but found nothing and no one.
"Dad? Hello?" asked Asami trying to call her father.
"Chief, the estate's been secured. No one has left the workshop since we arrived." said one of the policemen.
"Well he couldn't have left without us noticing." said Kaxey.
"Unless he went another way." said Ahsoka.
"I'm of the same opinion." said Lin standing in the center of the workshop.
She lifted one foot, which she freed from her shoe with metalbending, and stomped it hard against the floor.
She spent a few seconds using seismic sense to check the entire workshop and what was around it.
"There's a tunnel beneath the workshop running deep into the mountainside." said Lin.
"What? There's no tunnel." said Asami not believing the police chief's words.
Instead of saying anything, Lin turned around and used metalbending to lift a metal plate from the floor which revealed a hidden passage leading to an elevator platform.
"So how do you explain that?" asked Ahsoka.
"Do you think your dad knows about this tunnel?" asked Bolin to Asami whispering softly.
"I don't understand. There must be an explanation." said Asami unable to believe that what they were saying about her father was true.
"There is, but I don't think you'll like it." said Kaxey.
"I'm sorry." said Korra.
"Officers, into the tunnel. Be cautious." said Lin as several police officers entered the tunnel heading for the platform.
Mako, Bolin and Asami intended to follow them, but...
"Uh-uh, you three stay up here." began Lin stopping the three teenagers. "Officer Song, keep an eye on them." said Lin going into the tunnel as the aforementioned policeman gave a military salute.
"You too, Kaxey." began Ahsoka before turning her gaze to Asami. "Make sure they don't do anything."
"You're in charge." said Kaxey accepting the order.
Even though this could be a dangerous mission, Korra wanted to be with her friends to give them support, as they had just discovered a terrible secret about a person they trusted.
Mako looked down in sadness, thinking about what he said to Korra earlier.
Now, Lin, Tenzin, Korra, Ahsoka and several policemen were on the platform that was sliding down like an elevator.
"Where will this lead to?" asked Korra.
"I have a bad feeling about this." said Ahsoka.
Finally, the platform stopped and the group arrived at Hiroshi's secret factory, where they could see a couple of posters with Amon's image on them.
But what caught everyone's attention the most were the strange objects lying around.
They looked like some kind of giant robots with caterpillars for feet, pincers for hands and some kind of capsule for a head.
"Not your average backyard workshop." commented Lin.
"And I'm guessing those are the new weapons." said Korra looking at the mecha tanks.
"It's worse than I imagined." said Ahsoka.
"Hiroshi was lying all right, but where is he?" asked Tenzin.
Suddenly, a metal wall rose from the floor, completely blocking the only entrance and exit to the room, which went dark in the process.
The sound of the door blocking the entrance was heard by the others in the workshop.
"What was that?" asked Bolin.
"Whatever it was, it didn't sound good." said Kaxey.
"We need to get down there and see what's going on." said Mako.
"Absolutely not. You're staying put until the chief comes back." said Officer Song.
The two brothers looked at the droid with a pleading pirouette, as if asking for help with the issue.
"Well, better than standing here. Hey, Agent… Song. You forgot one thing." said Kaxey.
"What?" asked Agent Song.
"That I have this." began Kaxey before pulling out a blaster pistol and shooting a taser beam that knocked the cop down. "Stay put until the chief comes back. That's sounds very familiar doesn't it, why? Because you said it."
"Ha. Good one." said Bolin.
After that, the four of them set out to enter through the secret tunnel.
"Asami, you should stay here. We'll check it out." said Mako trying to stop his girlfriend from seeing something that would hurt her a lot.
"I have to find out the truth about my father." said Asami.
"I understand. That's why I'm going down, to find out for you. Please." pleaded Mako.
"All right." began Asami regretfully before Mako followed his brother down the stairs, who pressed the button that made the platform go back up. "Be careful."
Despite the evidence she was seeing, she still found it hard to believe that her loving and generous father was working for horrible guys like Amon and his followers.
Part of her believed there must be some reasonable explanation, like he was forced or something, but also, she could sense that it wasn't that.
Back in the room, Lin tried to use metalbending to knock down the metal wall, but nothing happened, much to her surprise.
"Stand back. I'll open a way out." said Ahsoka standing in front of the metal wall before activating her lightsabers, with which she tried to cut through the metal wall, but it didn't even get a scratch, to her surprise.
"I'm afraid you won't be able to metalbend that wall, Chief Beifong." began Hiroshi as the lights of the mecha tanks came on. "It's beskar." revealed Hiroshi as the 6 mecha tanks began to move, surrounding the entire group. "My mecha tanks are beskar as well. Funny how a metal from space is as pure as platinum. Not even your renowned mother could bend a metal so pure and neither can it be penetrated by your amazing swords, Tano." said Hiroshi from the control booth of one of the mecha tanks.
"Hiroshi, I knew you were a lying." said Korra.
"You're a traitor! Everything you did was nothing but theater for you!" said Ahsoka angrily.
"Yes, and I wouldn't want to brag, but it was one of my best performances, although there were times when it was harder for me to pretend." said Hiroshi.
"Come out here and…" demanded Korra.
"And do what, young Avatar? Face the wrath of your bending? Your alien friend's Force? No. I think I'll fight from inside here where my odds are a little more… equal." said Hiroshi with a wicked grin.
"That source was a set-up! You lured us down here!" said Lin realizing they had walked into a trap.
"Guilty as charged." said Hiroshi as the mecha tanks advanced towards them.
Hiroshi fired from one of the mecha tank's grappling hooks a grappling claw towards them, but Tenzin, Lin, Korra and Ahsoka dodged it.
One of the mecha tanks tried to hit the policemen, but they moved out of the way in time.
Three policemen threw their metal ropes and wrapped them around the mecha tank's arms, preventing it from moving.
The other two did the same with another mecha tank.
Lin dodged another grappling claw before using earthbending to propel herself into the head of a mecha tank while using metalbending to extend metal blades from her sleeves.
While the mecha tank she was on was retreating, Lin stabbed the glass of the capsule with her blades with the intention of hitting the pilot, but he dodged all the attacks.
The mecha tank kept retreating until it crashed into the support pillars.
A mech tank fired its grappling claw at Ahsoka, but she dodged it before cutting the rope with her lightsabers.
After that, she launched a Force push that sent the mech tank crashing into the wall.
Another mech tank tried to hit her from behind, but she made a Force-driven leap to dodge the blow before landing in the mech tank's cockpit.
With her lightsabers, she opened a hole in the glass and before the pilot could react, Ahsoka threw him out.
Hiroshi advanced his mecha tank towards the Avatar, who was attacking him with fireballs, but they were having no effect and as he was about to hit it, a blast of wind from Tenzin pushed him back.
Meanwhile, the policemen tried to keep the mecha tanks tied up, but their ropes weren't going to last long, not to mention that the mecha tanks' strength was superior.
Suddenly, the mecha tanks coiled the metal ropes between their claws and launched an electric shock that coursed through the ropes until it hit them, causing them to scream in pain before fainting and releasing the mecha tank.
Lin noticed this and before she could go to help them, a grappling claw grabbed her and threw her against the ground, knocking her down in the process.
Korra and Tenzin continued their barrage of air and fire attacks, managing to knock Hiroshi's mecha tank backwards.
Pissed off at the two, Hiroshi shot his grappling claw at Korra, but she dodged it before throwing a rock at him, but suddenly, another grappling claw caught her from behind and pushed her until it sent her crashing into a pipe, ending up unconscious in the process.
"Korra!" shouted Ahsoka before using the Force to make her fall to the ground slowly and land softly.
However, that left her open for a mecha tank to shoot a strange disk that deploys three whips at her.
Before Ahsoka could react, the whips coiled around her and released an electric shock that made her scream in pain before falling unconscious.
"Ahsoka!" shouted Tenzin before ducking to dodge a grabbing claw from Hiroshi.
Hiroshi continued to launch his grappling claws along with another mecha tank, but Tenzin dodged them as he created a wheel of air to quickly glide with before leaping to dodge another grappling claw.
Suddenly, Hiroshi shot out his whip-whipped disk.
Tenzin was about to attack, but the whips coiled around him and electrocuted him, knocking him down in the process.
After taking down the last opponent, Hiroshi stepped out of the control booth, along with the lieutenant, who had piloted another mecha tank.
"Well, I'd say that was a near flawless test run. Load everyone into the transports and deliver them to Amon!" said Hiroshi.
Soon after, the Equalist soldiers were loading the bound, gagged and unconscious policemen into a truck.
To one side were Korra, Ahsoka, Tenzin and Lin still unconscious and bound.
Suddenly, near them a hole formed in the ground and through it, Bolin, Mako and Kaxey peered out and were shocked at what they saw.
"Oh, no." said Bolin at what he saw.
"You were right." said Mako.
"Of course we were." said Kaxey.
"We gotta do something, quick!" said Mako.
Quickly and stealthily, the three of them ran towards the group of four to free them.
Bolin charged Tenzin, Mako charged Korra and Kaxey charged Ahsoka, but before they could take another step…
"Not so fast, young ones." said Hiroshi with a pair of electrified gloves and with the lieutenant next to him with his electrified sticks.
"Hello, Mr. Sato. Wow! What a really swell, scary factory you have here under your giant mansion." said Bolin with a nervous smile hoping that stupid performance would do some good.
"Keep talking, maybe you'll convince him." said Kaxey.
"Sponsoring our team, supporting the Avatar. It was all just a big cover." said Mako.
"Yes, and the most difficult part was watching my daughter traipse around with a firebending street rat like you!" said Hiroshi causing his gloves to spark with rage.
Mako gritted his teeth in anger, but not at the insult, but at the fact that he trusted him and it was all a lie.
"Hey, he may be, but he's a better person than you." said Kaxey.
"Exactly. Except for the first part." said Bolin.
Hiroshi and the lieutenant prepared to fight with their electrified weapons.
"Dad, stop!" Hiroshi turned around in shock to see his daughter looking at him in sadness and pain. "Why?"
"Sweetie, I wanted to keep you out of this for as long as I could." began Hiroshi as Korra and Ahsoka were waking up.
"But now that 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." said Hiroshi as Asami listened to her father's words and looked away, thinking about what he was saying.
"We can help people like us, everywhere!" began Hiroshi as he took off one of his gloves and handed it to his daughter. "Join me, Asami."
Asami stood contemplating her father's words as she finally came to a decision.
Asami approached her father and stared at the electrified gauntlet.
"Asami..." began Korra hoping she wouldn't make the wrong decision.
Asami ended up taking the glove and put it on, much to her father's delight and the others' horror.
"No." said Mako not believing his girlfriend had joined the bad guys.
"I love you, Dad." said Asami sadly before hitting her own father with the electrified glove, causing him to scream in pain before falling unconscious.
The lieutenant tried to hit her with one of his sticks, but Asami quickly grabbed Kaxey's gun and shot a pair of stun beam at him, knocking him down before shooting at the Equalist soldiers, knocking them all down.
Needless to say, Korra, Ahsoka, Mako and Bolin were wide-eyed and open-mouthed as they watched their friend attack her own father and take down the lieutenant and several soldiers in a matter of seconds.
"Heh. Nice shooting." said Kaxey.
Suddenly, the mecha tanks prepared to attack them.
"Let's get out of here!" shouted Mako as he and the others ran into the hole, Bolin being the last one to close it with earthbending just as he entered, managing to avoid a few electric disks from hitting them.
Later, the group gathered at the police blimp.
Lin was lying on a bench due to the injuries she had received, with Tenzin standing near her.
"My metalbenders are on their way to Amon, and it's all my fault. Tarrlok's right, I've failed as chief. First thing in the morning, I'm handing in my resignation." said Lin.
"No! You can't give up like this!" said Tenzin.
"I'm not giving up. I'm gonna find my officers and take Amon down. But I'm gonna do it my way, outside the law." said Lin with an expression of pure determination.
Meanwhile, Asami was looking out the window at her home.
It was then that she noticed someone coming towards her and turned to see Ahsoka with a guilty expression.
"Asami, I'm so sorry I didn't trust you." said Ahsoka.
"There's no need for you to apologize. After my father, it's normal that you were also suspicious about his daughter." said Asami lowering her head.
"Yes, but it's not only because of that." said Ahsoka.
"What do you mean?" asked Asami.
"Yes, Ahsoka." both the togruta and the aforementioned turned to see Korra, Mako and Bolin approaching them. "What did you mean by that?"
"If it's something personal, you don't have to tell us." said Mako.
"But you can trust us. We are your friends." said Bolin.
Ahsoka looked at those she had spent good times with since she arrived on the planet.
It was true that she considered them her friends, but after what happened to her and what happened with Asami, she felt she needed to say it if she really trusted them.
"*Sigh* Do you remember when I told you that I left the Jedi Order?" asked Ahsoka.
"Yes, it was for personal matters and after that, you came to this planet." said Korra.
"Actually, it was much more than that." said Ahsoka.
That got the attention of the four humans and the droid, especially Korra, as she was always curious as to why her friend would leave her home.
"One day, a bombing happened at the Jedi Temple, killing several in the process. Upon investigation, it was discovered that all the evidence pointed to me." said Ahsoka.
"What? That's impossible. I know you and I know you would never do something like that." said Korra.
"True, but the Jedi Council didn't see it that way and I was branded a criminal." said Ahsoka.
"Are you serious? After all you've done for them, they consider you guilty without question?" asked Mako.
"That's not all. When they were about to condemn me, my master, the only person who believed in me at the time, showed up with the real culprit." said Ahsoka.
"Who was it?" asked Asami.
"Barriss Offee, a Padawan like me… and my best friend." said Ahsoka clenching her fists as she remembered that betrayal.
The four humans let out a gasp of horror at hearing that.
"What?! But… How could she do that? She was your best friend! Why would she do that to you?" asked Korra horrified that her friend would be betrayed by the one she considered her best friend.
"I didn't know why she had me framed of all people, but it didn't end there. After Barriss was convicted, the Jedi Council apologized to me and offered me to come back to them." said Ahsoka.
"What? I mean, not only do they find you guilty without hesitation, but they simply apologize to you? What a bunch of idiots. Eh... No offense." said Bolin.
"No offense. After that, I felt I couldn't trust the Jedi Council, or myself. I couldn't stay there, so… I just… left. The rest is history." said Ahsoka.
Suddenly, Korra lunged towards her and hugged her, much to the togruta's surprise.
"I'm so sorry for what happened to you, but I promise you won't suffer like that anymore." said Korra.
"She's right. What your friend did was the worst, but I assure you that none of us will do anything similar to you." said Asami.
"We won't let anyone hurt you like that either." said Mako.
"Exactly. You'll have to go through us first." said Bolin.
"You may not trust yourself, but I trust you. We all do, because we are your friends. Friends you can truly trust." said Korra.
Ahsoka felt a mix of emotions at that moment.
She tried to control them, but in the end, she wasn't able to and hugged Korra while shedding tears.
Soon after, Asami, Mako and Bolin joined in the hug.
Even though she was still crying, Ahsoka smiled, for she felt that she had found true friends, friends to trust.
