Masane didn't know how she had ended up like this.
Just a day ago, she was with her friends preparing for the final of the pro-bending tournament, but Amon's threat almost ruined everything when he demanded that they close the arena, but thanks to Lin, they were able to convince the council not to do so.
Thus, the finals went off without a hitch except for only one, the Wolfbats.
They claimed to be the pro-bending champions, but throughout the match, they were cheating which was obvious to everyone but the referees who were obviously bought.
It looked like they might have the victory secured, but then, Tahno eliminated them with the dirtiest move in pro-bending.
She couldn't take it anymore and decided to personally teach him a lesson, only to end up taking a huge blow to the head.
After that, she was knocked unconscious, only to wake up to find that the Equalists attacked the arena and destroyed it.
Before she could get any answers, Tarrlok showed up with his task force and arrested her for, and that was the most surprising thing, murdering people.
She would never do that.
She didn't see herself capable of even harming a fly.
How could that man say she had killed several people?
After all, she wasn't the assassin who acted the night of the 'duel' between Korra and Amon, was she?
Was she?
However, she couldn't help the look of sadness on Tenzin and Lin, as if they knew something like this would happen, when she tried to look to her best friend for help, all she got was her telling her that everything would be okay.
How was it going to be okay if she didn't know what was going on? What did they know that she didn't?
After they took her away, she spent some time in a cell, where she spent the first few minutes demanding answers and claiming that she was innocent and didn't belong there.
A short time later, she was taken to an interrogation room where, to her misfortune, she had as her interrogator Tarrlok himself.
Who slammed his hand on the table, scaring her a little.
"How did you do that?" asked Tarrlok.
"I-I don't know what you're talking about." said Masane nervously.
"Don't play innocent! We all saw you! The whole city saw how you killed those Equalists in cold blood!" said Tarrlok.
"I-I swear I don't remember any of it!" Masane.
"Are you really going to go on like this? When are your hands stained with blood?" asked Tarrlok.
That made Masane gasp in horror as she looked down at her own hands.
"My hands… stained with blood?" asked Masane in horror.
Suddenly, she began to feel a tremendous pain in her head, accompanied by strange images.
In those images she saw a person, but she couldn't describe it because it was hidden by shadows, but what she did notice was a pair of yellow eyes with black sclera.
Not only that, but images came of herself with those eyes killing the Equalist soldiers on the two occasions she acted.
Masane let out a groan of pain as she held her head.
"W-What did I do?" asked Masane in horror as she trembled.
Tarrlok felt he was getting at something, but before he could ask anything else, the door to the room opened, revealing Lin.
"Your time is up, Tarrlok." said Lin entering the room.
"I'm not done yet." said Tarrlok.
"Yes you are. You may be a council member, but this is my commissary and I make the rules here." said Lin looking seriously at the waterbender councilman.
Tarrlok was about to object, but on second thought, he saw that there was no point in doing so.
Besides, Lin was known for knowing how to detect lies, so she might find out things he didn't know.
"All right. See if you can get anything out of her." said Tarrlok before walking away.
After that, Lin turned her gaze to Masane before sitting down across from her.
"T-Thank you, Chief Beifong." said Masane.
"Don't give them to me. Right now, I'm what the youngsters know as 'the good cop'. I'm going to ask you a couple of questions and I want you to answer me completely truthfully, got it?" asked Lin.
"Y-Yes." said Masane agreeing to the demands.
"Good." began Lin before getting ready. "You really don't remember anything that happened at the arena?"
"I-I… I'm not sure." began Masane with her head down. "Before, I didn't remember anything after I fell unconscious, but, I don't know why, but all of a sudden, images have come into my head."
"What kind of images?" asked Lin.
"I saw… myself… killing those people. And… I had… yellow eyes." began Masane concentrating on the images she had in her mind briefly. "Tell me, what really happened?"
Lin let out a sigh as she realized she had to tell her, even if she wasn't going to like it.
"From what I was able to gather from witnesses, before Amon took Tahno's powers away, you appeared, but in a different guise." said Lin.
"Different?" asked Masane in confusion.
"You had red hair, at least most of it. Some kind of blade attached to your right arm. And yellow eyes." said Lin.
Masane began to get nervous about the story.
"W-What did you do?" asked Masane.
"You managed to get Tahno and his team to safety, though that was after you made him confess to the bad things he had done. After that, you swooped in to finish off Amon, but the lieutenant came to his defense. When he and his leader fled, they left a few to take care of you, but in the end, you were the one who took care of them. Killing them all." said Lin.
Masane was getting scared by what she was telling her.
"N-No. Tell me it wasn't like that." said Masane nervously.
"Unfortunately, yes. In fact, some who saw it up close, including Korra, claim to have seen you… smiling as you killed them." said Lin.
Masane was beginning to panic, for now it turned out that she was smiling while killing those people, as if she enjoyed it.
The worst part was learning that her best friend had witnessed it up close.
She couldn't imagine what she thought of her now, what everyone thought of her.
Only one word came out of her mind, the word everyone would know her by.
Monster.
Masane hugged herself as teardrops showed at the corners of her eyes.
"W-W-What have I done? W-W-What am I?" asked Masane completely terrified, not of the situation, but of herself.
Lin looked at her with slight sympathy, but she had a job to do.
"So, you didn't know anything about that or the other night?" asked Lin.
"N-No. I didn't know anything. I… I would never do such a thing. I-It must be a mistake. I-I'm not like that, but… but I did… I… I… " said Masane on the verge of tears.
Lin had been feeling her heartbeat, as her mother had taught her to detect lies based on heartbeats and such.
Although, since she wasn't blind like her mother, she could also notice it in people's facial expressions and gestures.
So far, it didn't seem like Masane was lying, unless she was good at lying like her mother was with Azula, but, even though she knew Masane for a short time, she could see that she wasn't like Azula, she was almost like a child, a child who didn't remember anything she did, as if she had gone into some sort of trance.
In fact, before entering the room, Korra spoke to her to try to get her released, claiming that it wasn't her who did committed those crimes, but… another person… or being.
She wasn't sure what was going on, but she began to think she was right about that.
"*Sigh* Wait here for a moment. I'll be right back." said Lin getting up from her seat to leave, leaving Masane alone in the living room, who stood there hugging herself and sobbing a little.
Lin walked over to the waiting room, where Tenzin and Korra were sitting, both of whom rose from their seats as soon as they saw the police chief.
"How did it go?" asked Tenzin.
"It seems she really has no idea what happened last night, but that doesn't take away from the fact that she committed those murders." said Lin.
"It wasn't her. I was there with her myself. It wasn't Masane." said Korra.
"Then who was it?" asked Lin.
"I… I don't know, but I could sense it wasn't her. It was like it was someone else using her body." began Korra before looking at her airbender. "Tenzin, do you know if it's possible that… a spirit can possess a human body?"
"Mmm. My parents told me stories about their interactions with spirits, but nothing regarding that. However, there is little we really know about spirits, so I couldn't rule out the possibility." said Tenzin.
"So what do you suggest we do? Call in an expert in expelling spirits from human bodies?" asked Lin.
"Clearly there hasn't been a case like this in history, so I'm not quite sure how we should act on it." said Tenzin.
"So what will happen to Masane?" asked Korra worried about her best friend.
"Possessed or not, it doesn't preclude the fact that she was the one who killed those people. So we'll most likely lock her up." said Lin.
"No! You can't do that!" said Korra.
"Korra, I know you and Masane have a good relationship, but this is for everyone's sake and hers." said Tenzin trying to reason with her.
"If you send her to jail, it could be worse for her than it already is." said Korra.
"But you can't deny that she killed people." said Lin.
"Yeah, but how many times has she done it and in how long?" asked Korra.
"As far as we know, she only acted twice and with a large time frame." said Lin remembering the first time she acted weeks ago.
"Exactly. Maybe that thing that controls her has no real control over her, it's possible that it only shows itself in various circumstances and when Masane ends up unconscious." said Korra.
"Are you saying that Masane could control… that being inside her?" asked Tenzin.
"Yes. I'm sure that, if she trains hard enough, she could control it properly to the point where it doesn't happen again." said Korra.
"Okay. Suppose we let her go. What will you do if, by any chance, she transforms back and starts killing people?" asked Lin crossing her arms.
"In that case… I'll be the one to stop her myself." said Korra with determination.
Tenzin and Lin looked at each other, a little impressed at how determined the Avatar was to protect her best friend despite the circumstances.
It was true that she had killed people, but the only people she killed were Equalist soldiers.
She didn't kill any civilians.
Moreover, when he first acted, she didn't kill Korra by taking advantage of her being unconscious, she saved her.
Besides, Korra was right.
It was only a couple of times that she acted and it was a possibility that they could prevent it from happening again.
After careful thought, they made a decision, one they hoped they wouldn't regret.
"Mmm. I guess we have no right to lock her up since she wasn't aware of her actions." said Lin.
"Yes, you're right." said Tenzin.
"Okay, your friend will be free, but she'll be under house arrest unless accompanied by you and only you." said Lin.
Korra let out an inward sigh at the realization that she had gotten her best friend released.
"I thank you deeply, Chief Beifong." said Korra bowing in thanks.
"Wait a minute!"
The three of them turned to the side to see Tarrlok heading towards them with an angry look on his face.
"You can't be serious. Are you really going to let a murderess loose in the city?" asked Tarrlok.
"I don't like it either, but we can't deny that something supernatural is involved in all this. Until we know more, we'll keep a close eye on her." said Tenzin.
"That woman is an assassin!" said Tarrlok.
"That woman is my best friend and she's under my responsibility!" said Korra.
"Since when?" asked Tarrlok.
"Since I found her at the South Pole and the White Lotus approved." said Korra knowing the White Lotus' influence on everyone.
Tarrlok let out a slight grunt seeing that he hadn't gotten his way.
"All right. I'll allow it, but if she acts up again, I'll make sure she spends the rest of her days in prison." said Tarrlok.
"Then I'll make sure she doesn't." said Korra looking seriously at the waterbender councilman.
Without another word, Tarrlok left the scene.
"I'll go tell her the news." said Lin.
"No. I'd like to be the one to tell her." said Korra.
"Okay, but don't take too long." said Lin.
Korra nodded before leaving to talk to her best friend.
Masane had been left alone in the interrogation room, trying to understand what was wrong with her.
What was it that she had inside her? Was it the real cause of those deaths? What if it wasn't about that? What if it was a side of her that she had bottled up inside? Did that mean that deep down she was like that? Would it have any relation to the fact that she didn't remember anything from her past?
Who was she? What was she?
Her multiple thoughts were interrupted when she heard the door open and lifted her head to see Korra entering the room.
"Korra?" asked Masane surprised to see her so soon.
"Masane, are you all right? They didn't do anything to you, did they?" asked Korra.
"N-No, I'm fine. I think." said Masane.
Korra could see that she was affected by everything that happened, so she tried to approach her to comfort her, but when she was half a distance away from her, she pulled away.
"Don't come closer." said Masane looking away.
"What? Why?" asked Korra.
"I don't deserve to be near you." said Masane.
"Don't talk nonsense, Masane. You're my best friend." said Korra.
"No, I'm not!" began Masane, to the Avatar's surprise. "What kind of friend would kill people?"
"But you didn't do anything like that." said Korra trying to calm her down.
"YES I DID!" shouted Masane as she began to shed tears. "I didn't remember anything before, but now I keep having images of myself killing those people AND WITH A SMILING SMILE ON MY FACE! I don't deserve to be around you! What if it happens again? I don't want to kill you, or Mako, or Bolin, or Tenzin, or even the kids! I… I… I AM A MONSTER! I deserve to be locked up! I even deserve to be exe…!"
SLAP
Masane's head turned to the side and she quickly turned to Korra who had an expression that mixed anger and sadness, with tears peeking out of the corners of her eyes.
Before she could react, Korra jumped in and gave her a tight hug.
"DON'T YOU DARE SAY THAT, DO YOU HEAR ME?! You're not a monster! You're my best friend!" exclaimed Korra as she shed tears.
"B-But what if I do it again? What if I kill people again?" asked Masane.
"You won't! I'll make sure of it! And if it does happen, I won't let you hurt anyone! You won't have to suffer for this, because I'll be by your side every step of the way! I promise!" said Korra with determination.
Masane was shocked, for even though she saw in person what she did, she was there, supporting her, giving her hope that everything could go on as before.
Unlike before, those tears she was shedding were no longer of sadness, but of joy at having someone like Korra in her life.
In the end, she couldn't hold back any longer and hugged the Avatar back before resting her head on her shoulder to cry silently while Korra did the same on her shoulder.
The two stayed like that for a while, just enjoying each other's company and support, as if there was nothing else around them.
Feeling better now, the two broke the embrace and wiped away the remnants of tears with their arms.
"Thank you very much, Korra. I feel better already." said Masane with a smile.
"That's what friends are for." said Korra with a smile.
"So what's going to happen to me? Am I going to be locked up?" asked Masane.
"Well, that was the initial intention, but because you weren't aware of your actions, they decided to put you on probation." said Korra.
"B-But it was really me who did those crimes." said Masane.
"No. What did it was that… being inside you. And until we know what it really is, it would be best to keep an eye on you." said Korra.
"I see." said Masane.
To tell the truth, she was extremely curious about whatever it was that she had inside.
Maybe it knew something about her lost memories.
She hoped that, at some point, she would be able to talk to… her, so she could be clear about her true intentions.
It was then that Korra rested her hand on Masane's to comfort her.
"Don't worry. Everything will be fine. I promise." said Korra with a smile.
That was enough to calm her down a little.
"Yes." said Masane with a smile.
"By the way. I think you're missing this." began Korra showing him the bracelet she made her so long ago. "It's getting to be a habit for me to give this to you." said Korra with a smile.
"Hihi. Yes, it's true." said Masane putting back on the bracelet that symbolized their friendship.
After that, Tenzin and Korra took Masane back to Air Temple Island.
On the way, Masane couldn't help but notice how some people looked at her with surprise, fear and, sometimes, slight hatred.
All those stares made her very nervous to the point where she thought about running quickly to get away from those stares, but Korra grabbed her hand and looking at her having a serene expression, she knew that she would be by her side, which served to calm her down a bit for the rest of the journey.
When they arrived at the island, Masane, to her surprise, received hugs from the young airbenders, who were concerned for her despite knowing what she did.
Even Pema welcomed her to the island with a smile.
Korra and Masane went to her room, where the girl decided to rest for a while.
It was then that Masane asked about Mako and Bolin.
Korra told her that, due to the destruction caused to the arena, it would have to be closed until they rebuilt it, so the two brothers, who lived there, would have to leave, which was sad for both girls, who wondered if there was anything they could do.
Later in the day, Korra decided to go to the arena to check on the two brothers.
She tried to take Masane with her, but she didn't feel able to go outside at the moment and Korra understood, so she decided to leave her on the island while she was out.
Korra, who was riding Naga headed to the pro-bending arena which was under reconstruction with a group of police officers guarding the main entrance which had police tape.
She got off Naga and rode through the tape to meet up with 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.
"Hey guys, how are you?" asked Korra.
"Other than the fact that we have to move, we're fine." said Bolin.
"Sorry. I wish there was something I could do to help you." said Korra.
"Well, the thing is…" began Mako rubbing the back of his head.
"Asami already invited us to live in her dad's giant mansion!" exclaimed Bolin excitedly, surprising the Avatar. "From here on out, it's gonna be the lap of luxury for us." said Bolin giving his brother a side hug.
"Oh hey, Korra." said Asami appearing from the loft with Pabu in her hands, causing Korra to show a disgusted face.
"Oh, hi, Asami. What are you doing here?" asked Korra.
"Helping with the move." said Asami letting go of Pabu before climbing down from the loft.
"I'm happy for you, you know? I could have offered you to stay on the island, but the way things are now, I don't think it would be a good idea at the moment." said Korra.
"About that… How's Masane?" asked Asami.
"Did Beifong lock her up?" asked Bolin hoping that wasn't the case.
"No. Fortunately, I was able to convince them to let her go free, though she has to stay on the island unless I personally accompany her." said Korra.
"Are you sure that's a good idea? After what she did at the arena…" said Mako.
"I know what she did, but she wasn't aware of it. I know she wouldn't do something like that." said Korra.
"You know? you're right. I may not know her as well as you do, but I can tell she's a good person." said Asami.
"But she killed people." said Mako.
"The people she killed were Equalists, people who hurt people to get their 'equality'. As far as we know, at no time did she hurt any innocent civilians." said Asami defending the girl.
"Exactly. We don't know what exactly is wrong with her, but I want to help her figure it out." said Korra.
"Well, whatever it is, you can count on us for anything. Masane is our friend too." said Bolin.
"Thank you. 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 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.
"I don't know. I'd like to be with Masane to help her with her situation." said Korra.
"How about you bring her along too? You said she'd only go out if you go with her, right? Besides, I'm sure she could use some peace and quiet." said Asami.
"I don't know…" began Korra hesitating on whether to accept or not, not only because of the Masane thing, but she didn't feel comfortable being around the person who stole her boy.
It was then that Bolin lifted Pabu up to her 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 laugh at the earthbender's performance.
"All right, Pabu. I'll tell Masane." said Korra with a smile and accepting the engineer's invitation.
"Great, we'll see you tomorrow." said Asami saying goodbye as Korra left.
Meanwhile, a police vehicle rolled up to an abandoned warehouse and smashed 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, plus a box full of electrified gloves.
"Looks like our intel was good." said Lin, who was at the site.
"There's enough evidence here to bury Cabbage Corp for an eternity." said Saikhan.
Meanwhile, Masane was lying on her bed, trying to think what to do about the being inside her, the one that killed people in cold blood with a smile on its face.
From what Korra and Tenzin told her, it could be an evil spirit that possessed her.
How and when.
It isn't known.
It is possible that it happened before she lost her memory and woke up at the South Pole.
When she asked if there was a method to remove it, they claimed there wasn't because nothing like that happened.
At least, as far as anyone knew.
Now all she could do was simply wait to find a solution to her problem, although, she had a little idea in her head, an idea inspired by Tenzin, Korra and the children's training.
KNOCK-KNOCK
Her thoughts were interrupted when someone knocked on the door.
"Who is it?" asked Masane sitting up in bed.
Her answer came when the person on the other side opened the door, revealing herself to be Pema holding a tray of food.
"I brought you some food. I thought you might be a little hungry." said Pema.
"Thank you. It wasn't really necessary." said Masane.
"Oh, don't be silly." began Pema entering the room and leaving the tray on the table next to the bed. "I hope you get better soon."
Masane was slightly surprised that this woman, a mother of three children, with a fourth on the way, was in the same room with a person who has killed people.
Honestly, when she first arrived on the island, she thought she, of all people, would be afraid of her to the point where she would ask her children to stay away from her, but she didn't and she didn't know why.
"Hey, Pema, why aren't you afraid of me?" asked Masane, causing the pregnant woman to be surprised by this.
"Why should I be?" asked Pema in confusion.
"Well, you must know by now, right? What I did in the arena last night. What I did to those people." said Masane.
Pema gave her a sympathetic smile before sitting down next to her on the bed.
"It's true that you killed people, but I know it wasn't really you that did it." Pema said.
"It's possible, but aren't you worried that I'll transform and attack you and the kids?" asked Masane.
"Hehe. Even if that happened, I know you wouldn't attack any of us." said Pema.
"How can you tell?" asked Masane.
"Call it 'mother's intuition.' Remember when I told you you'd be a good mother? I still believe it, because a mother does anything for her children and, from my point of view, you did that to protect other people, including Korra. You shouldn't torture yourself thinking that everyone will hate you for it, because neither Korra, nor the children, nor I do.," said Pema.
Masane was touched by the pregnant woman's words and didn't hesitate to give her a hug which she returned.
"Thank you, Pema. You are a great person." said Masane.
"You're welcome." said Pema.
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.
"Excuse me, Chief Beifong, what can you tell us about the mysterious female assassin who performed at the arena the other night? Anything to declare?" asked a reporter.
"At the moment, we are still acting on evidence that points to the fact that there might be something else involved. Until further notice, you will remain under Avatar Korra's watch." said Lin.
"I've heard that Avatar Korra knows the perpetrator personally. Will that influence the way she acts in any way?" asked another reporter.
"I'm not sure, but if that happens, I will personally act and make sure the assassin is never seen in public again." said Lin hoping that would calm the masses.
When Korra returned to the island, the first thing she did was to inform Masane of what happened when she visited Mako and Bolin.
"So, Asami will let them stay in her house for the time being? That's great." said Masane.
"Yeah, great." began Korra half-heartedly. "Anyway, Asami invited us to go visit her estate tomorrow."
"Wait, she wants ME to go to her mansion? Would that be a good idea?" asked Masane.
"I think so. Like me, she also believes in you and that you aren't a bad person at heart. She told me that you might need some reassurance given what you're going through." said Korra.
Masane was a little nervous about going outside, as she didn't feel like it for fear that people would look at her wrong or some crazy person would try to hurt her or people would run away from her in fear.
However, she couldn't help but be somewhat curious to see the mansion of her friend Asami, who was kind enough to offer it to her and it would be rude to turn her down.
Besides, she might be right and that visit would give her the peace of mind she needed to be able to clear her mind.
"All right. I'll go. It might be fun anyway." said Masane with a smile.
"True." said Korra with a smile.
The next day, Korra was at the police station, as she was called to answer questions about the Equalist attack at the pro-bending arena.
Korra understood that Masane didn't want to come since she spent so much time there because of her… other self.
That's when, turning her head, she saw Tahno sitting on a nearby bench.
"Tahno?" asked Korra surprised to see him.
The waterbender turned his head to her side at the sound of her name and was a little startled to see her.
"Y-You?" asked Tahno a little startled before quickly looking around. "What about your friend? Where is she?"
"She's on Air Temple Island." said Korra.
"Oh, thank goodness." said Tahno calming down.
"By the way, what are you doing here?" asked Korra curiously.
"I've been asked to answer some questions about what happened at the arena." said Tahno.
Korra sat down next to him on the bench.
"Hey, how's it going? I heard that Amon tried to take your powers, but failed." said Korra.
"Well, I may keep my powers, but now no one wants to know about me. And I don't blame them. Who would want to work with a cheater and bully?" asked Tahno jokingly, even chuckling a little before getting depressed.
"Listen, I know we're not exactly best friends, but if Masane saved you, I'm sure it was for a good reason." said Korra.
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 which she returned.
"We're ready for you now." said Tenzin to Tahno as the waterbender stood up from the bench and gave him his trademark salute.
"See you around… 'Ah'vatar. And if you see your friend... thank her for me." said Tahno with a wave and a smile.
"I will." said Korra before Tahno followed the two adults to another area.
Soon after, Korra and Masane arrived at the Sato mansion and needless to say, the place was exaggeratedly large.
Had it not been for the butler who guided them on their way to where the others were, they would have been lost as if they were in a maze.
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 waterfall-like fashion, before diving fully into the water.
"Avatar Korra and Miss Masane… have arrived." said the butler in a serious, neutral voice announcing the arrival of the Avatar and the girl.
"Hey, girls!" 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.
"I'm still surprised you invited me to come." said Masane.
"You're my friend, no matter what you've done. Besides, I felt you deserved it." said Asami.
"Yes. In that case, thank you so much for inviting me, Asami." said Masane.
"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.
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 her 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." said 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.
"You know? If I had known there would be a pool, I could have brought a swimsuit." said Masane.
"Swimsuit?" asked the two brothers mentally as their gazes unconsciously drifted to Masane's chest.
That made them picture Masane in a bikini that left a lot of her skin exposed, including her breasts.
"Huh? What are you looking at?" asked Masane noticing the brothers' stares.
Hearing that, both brothers blushed quite a bit from embarrassment before looking away in another direction.
"Nothing. It's nothing," said both brothers at the same time.
"Hmph. Boys." thought Korra and Asami with a frown, having sensed what they were looking at what they were thinking.
In fact, internally the two girls couldn't help but feel a bit envious towards Masane for the fact that she would look so much better in a swimsuit than the two of them combined.
Putting those thoughts aside, 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.
"I wouldn't mind." Masane said, accepting the suggestions.
"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 entire 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.
"It's awesome. What place is this?" asked Masane.
"This is where Future Industries test-drives their Satomobiles. Ever been behind the wheel?" asked Asami to the Avatar.
"The only thing I've ever seen her drive is a polar bear dog." said Masane.
"That's true." 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.
Later, the two girls were in one of the vehicles with Asami behind the wheel and the other vehicle beside her.
Both drivers started engines and when the referee waved the white flag, both vehicles accelerated.
Both vehicles were evenly matched until, on a curve, the other vehicle made a turn that put it in first place while the girls' 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 to the other vehicle.
As the race was going on, both the two brothers and the green-haired boy were cheering their friends on.
The other vehicle was still in first position and when the driver saw the girls' vehicle approaching him, he put his vehicle in front to prevent them from moving forward.
Asami frowned at him before shifting gears and stepping on the pedal, managing to pull alongside the other vehicle, even though it was still in second place.
Asami smiled as she tried to overtake her opponent, despite the fact that in the process, the wheels collided with the barrier, releasing sparks in the process.
As the other vehicle was lagging behind, its front wheel collided with the rear wheel of the girls' vehicle, causing it to end up skidding and spinning in circles.
That made Korra smile.
Soon after, the girls' vehicle passed the finish line before coming to a stop in a secluded area of the racing lane.
Korra got out of the vehicle as Asami stood on top of the vehicle and removed her helmet.
"That was amazing! I didn't think we'd make it." said Korra.
"Well, you can't be afraid to mix it up sometimes." 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 something, but the engineer gave a little chuckle.
"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. Hey, do you think you could give Masane some lessons? She's always wanted to get stronger so she wouldn't be helpless." said Korra.
"Of course. It would be my pleasure." said Asami.
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, just when…
"No, no! No, I assure you, everything is going exactly as planned." suddenly, she heard Hiroshi's voice from outside his office.
Making sure no one was around, she walked over to the door to hear what he was saying and 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 horrified at what she had just heard, for that could only mean one thing and she couldn't believe that.
Seeing that the mansion wasn't a safe place, she quickly ran out.
In the main hall, Bolin was striking poses while the butler sprayed perfume all over him, with the others beside him.
Just then, Korra walked past them, catching his 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 went backing towards the door.
"Really?" asked Masane in confusion.
"Yes, really and that's why we have to go. As soon as possible." said Korra sending signals with her eyes to keep up.
Despite being confused by her best friend's behavior, she sensed that something might have happened and she didn't want anyone to know.
"That's okay. Thanks again for inviting me, Asami. I'll see you around." said Masane before she and the Avatar left the mansion.
A couple of minutes later, when the two girls met halfway to the mansion, they stopped, as Masane wanted answers.
"Korra, may I know what's going on? Why did you want to leave the mansion just like that?" asked Masane.
"Masane, you may not believe me, but when I came out of the bathroom, I heard Mr. Sato talking on the phone with someone. I don't know who exactly, but he said that the Cabbage Corp investigation had given them time and that, at the end of the week, they would attack." said Korra.
"Attack? What does that mean?" asked Masane.
"I think Mr. Sato is allied with the Equalists." said Korra, surprising the girl.
"What? Are you sure?" asked Masane.
"I'm afraid I am." said Korra.
"B-But that can't be. I mean, he was the one who sponsored the Fire Ferrets. If it wasn't for him, you wouldn't have entered the tournament. He seemed like such a nice person." said Masane.
"Sometimes looks can be deceiving." said Korra.
"Yes, and I am proof of that." said Masane referring to her other self.
"That's not what I meant." said Korra hoping she hadn't offended her.
"What about Asami? Do you think she knows about this?" asked Masane.
"I'm not sure, but I'd like to think not." said Korra.
She may not have initially liked her because of the fact that she was dating the person she loved, but after today, she knew she wasn't such a bad person.
"Yeah, I'd like to think about it too. So what do we do now?" asked Masane.
"I think we should report this to Tenzin and Chief Beifong. Maybe they know what to do." said Korra.
"Good idea." said Masane before the two continued on their way quickly.
Later that night, Korra and Masane were with Tenzin and Lin on the roof of a building discussing 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.
"But I believe in her. She has no reason to lie about something like this." said Masane.
"That's right. Hiroshi is up to something." said Korra.
"He does have the means… and he has a motive." said Lin thinking about the information received.
"That's right." said Tenzin agreeing with her.
"A motive?" asked Korra.
"Which one?" asked Masane.
"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 and Masane were horrified and hurt to learn the tragic story of the Sato family.
For some reason, the pain Masane felt was greater, as if she knew what that was, though not directly and in the same way as Asami and she didn't understand why.
"That's terrible." said Korra.
"It was tragic. It's possible that he's been harboring anti-bending sentiment all this time." said Tenzin.
"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 and Masane.
The four of them walked up the stairs, passing Mako and Asami, the firebender being the one to stop Korra and Masane 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, I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but it's possible that your father is in league with the Equalists." said Masane.
"What? I don't believe this." said Asami indignantly before following the two adults.
"You spied on Hiroshi? What's your problem?" asked Mako angrily at the Avatar before following Asami, leaving the girl and the Avatar who lowered his head in sadness.
After that, the two 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." began Mako looking at the Avatar with a frown before turning his gaze to the girl. "And I was hoping you'd think the same, Masane."
"I'm sorry, but she told me she overheard him on the phone." said Masane.
"Yes." said Korra pointing her finger at Hiroshi. "He said the Cabbage Corp investigation bought you time, and you're getting ready to strike."
Hiroshi let out a small laugh.
"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." said Hiroshi explaining the Avatar's story.
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, Masane 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 and Masane arrived in the area, where Tenzin and Lin were also located.
"I can't believe we didn't find anything." said Korra.
"In the end, Hiroshi is innocent." said Masane.
"It seems so." said Lin.
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 her a small growl before walking away to join Asami, who was talking to Masane.
"How could you? I thought you were my friend." said Asami angrily and hurt.
"Of course I am. That's why I'm trying to protect you." said Masane trying to reason with her.
"From my own father? Are you crazy? After all he did for you and the others?" asked Asami.
"I know, but it's the truth, Asami. As horrible as it sounds." said Masane.
"In the end it's going to be true what they say about you. That you're a witch." said Asami with hostility.
That was like a dagger stabbing into Masane's heart.
It was one thing to hear that from people she didn't know, but it was quite another to hear it from the mouth of someone she considered her friend.
All she did was lower her head just enough so she couldn't see tear drops forming at the corners of her eyes.
Soon after, Mako arrived and the two of them left.
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 calling Masane, Tenzin and Lin to attention. "'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.
"It must be a clue." said Masane.
"A clue about Hiroshi and his deeds." said Korra.
Later in the evening, the group gathered at the agreed location to meet the person who left the message.
"Psst. Over here." said 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."
"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.
"We searched all of Future Industries and found nothing." said Tenzin.
"That's because he has a secret factory." revealed the worker.
"Where?" asked Masane.
"It's right underneath the Sato Mansion." said the worker, causing the group to gasp in surprise and horror.
After all, who would have imagined that such a secret was hidden right under their noses all this time?
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.
Elsewhere, Masane was staring at the ground, deep in thought.
"Masane?"
The girl startled a little as she turned to see that it was Korra who called out to her.
"Are you okay?" asked Korra.
"I'm just… a little nervous. If it turns out in the end that Hiroshi is creating some sort of weapon and we're suddenly attacked…" began Masane.
"You're worried about her getting out again, aren't you?" asked Korra.
"Yes. And also that I won't be able to stop it." said Masane with her head down.
That's when Korra walked over to her and put her hand on her shoulder to make her raise her head.
"Hey, don't worry, I'll make sure she doesn't get out and if she does, I'll also make sure she doesn't hurt anyone." said Korra with a confident smile.
That was enough to make Masane smile knowing she had the Avatar by her side for anything.
"Thank you, Korra." said Masane.
"You're welcome." said Korra.
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 and Masane.
"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.
"Perhaps we just couldn't see him leaving." said Lin standing in the middle 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.
"Do you think your dad knows about this tunnel?" asked Bolin to Asami whispering under his breath.
"I don't understand. There must be an explanation." said Asami unable to believe that what they were saying about her father was true.
"I'm sorry, Asami. It's possible you didn't know everything about your father." said Masane.
"Officers, into the tunnel. Be cautious." said Lin as several policemen entered the tunnel in the direction of 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, Masane." said Korra, receiving a nod from her best friend.
Even though it could be a dangerous mission, Korra wanted to be with her friends for support, as they had just discovered a terrible secret about a person they trusted.
Mako looked down in sadness, thinking about what she said to Korra earlier.
Now, Lin, Tenzin, Korra and several policemen were on the platform that was sliding down like an elevator.
"Where will this lead to?" asked Korra.
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.
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 Meca tanks.
"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.
"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.
"Please, Agent Song. Our friend could be in danger." said Masane.
"No." said Agent Song standing firm.
The two brothers looked at each other and made a joint decision.
"All right, we'll stay put. But could we wait outside or something? It's so dusty in this workshop." said Mako.
"No! We're waiting right here!" said Officer Song looking immovable.
"Okay, but don't blame me if I start sne… if I start sn-sn-sneez…" began Mako with his hand to his nose as Bolin casually rubbed his foot on the floor.
"What's your problem, bub?" asked Officer Song in confusion as Mako leaned back.
"I'm about to… ACHOO." spat Mako as he sneezed a small stream of fire in front of the policeman, causing him to stumble backwards.
Bolin then raised a small wall of earth underneath him, causing him to trip and fall on his stomach before Bolin jumped on top of him.
Quickly, the two brothers bound and gagged the policeman.
"I'm so sorry." said Masane bowing in apology.
"So am I. We know you were just doing your job." said Mako.
"Yeah, just stay put until the chief comes back. That's sounds very familiar doesn't it, why? Because you said it." 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.
"Okay." said Asami regretfully.
"Masane, stay with her. Make sure nothing happens to her." said Mako.
"You can trust me." said Masane with a serious look.
Mako gave her a nod in thanks before he followed his brother up the stairs, who pressed the button that made the platform go back up.
"Be careful." said Asami.
Even though she chose not to go down, she couldn't help but want to go down there to see him, to see if it was really true or not what they were saying about her father.
She couldn't believe that someone like her father could work for people like those Equalists, who claimed to bring equality when they only caused suffering for everyone.
She wanted to go there and find out the real reason why he was doing that.
"Asami."
Her train of thought stopped as she turned her head to see Masane looking at her seriously.
"Whatever you're going to do, you have my support." said Masane having a guess at what she was thinking or rather planning to do.
Asami couldn't help but smile seeing that she was counting on her despite what happened between them.
Back in the room, Lin tried to use metalbending to knock down the metal wall, but nothing happened, much to his surprise.
"I'm afraid you won't be able to metalbend that wall, Chief Beifong." began Hiroshi as the lights on the Mecha tanks came on. "It's solid platinum." revealed Hiroshi as the 6 mecha tanks began to move, surrounding the entire group. "My mecha tanks are platinum as well. Not even your renowned mother could bend a metal so pure." said Hiroshi from the control booth of one of the mecha tanks.
"Hiroshi, I knew you were a lying. Come out here and…" demanded Korra.
" And do what, young Avatar? Face the wrath of your bending? 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 shot from one of the mecha tank's grappling hooks a grappling claw at them, but Tenzin, Lin and Korra 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 towards the head of a mecha tank while using metalbending to extend metal blades from her sleeves.
As the mech tank he was on was retreating, Lin stabbed at the capsule's glass with her blades with the intention of hitting the pilot, but he dodged every attack.
The mecha tank kept retreating until it collided with the support pillars.
Hiroshi advanced his mecha tank towards the Avatar, who was attacking him with fireballs, but they had no effect and when he was about to hit him, a gust of wind from Tenzin pushed him back.
Meanwhile, the policemen tried to keep the mecha tanks tied up, but their ropes were not 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 Tenzin before launching a gust of wind that cushioned her fall, causing her to land softly on the ground.
After that, he ducked quickly to dodge a grabbing claw from Hiroshi.
Hiroshi continued to throw his grappling claws along with another mecha tank, but Tenzin dodged them while creating an air wheel with which to quickly glide before jumping to dodge another grappling claw.
Suddenly, Hiroshi threw a strange disk that deploys three whips.
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, Tenzin and Lin still unconscious and bound.
Suddenly, near them a hole formed in the ground and through it, Bolin and Mako peered out and were shocked at what they saw.
"Oh, no." said Bolin at what he saw.
"They were right. We gotta do something, quick!" said Mako.
Quickly and stealthily, the two brothers ran towards the group of three to free them.
Bolin charged Tenzin while Mako charged Korra, 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.
"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 making his gloves 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.
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 as Masane stood beside him. "Why?"
"Sweetie, I wanted to keep you out of this for as long as I could." began Hiroshi as Korra was waking up.
"So it was true! All this time pretending to be our ally and it was all a lie! How could you be capable of something like that? How could you do that to your own daughter?" asked Masane angrily.
Unnoticed, her eyes, for a brief moment, changed to yellow with black sclera for a millisecond.
"You stay out of this, you filthy witch!" exclaimed Hiroshi pointing his electrified gauntlet at her, who fidgeted a bit without removing her angry expression.
After that, Hiroshi looked at his daughter with a calmer expression.
"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!" said 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.
"Asami, whatever you decide, I'll be fine with it." whispered Masane so that only she could hear her.
Finally, the engineer made a decision.
Asami walked over to her father and stared at the electrified glove.
"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 Masane kicked him away.
He tried to use the other stick, but she dodged it, grabbed his arm and made him hit himself with his own stick, causing him to scream in pain from the electricity before falling unconscious.
Needless to say, Korra, Mako and Bolin were wide-eyed and open-mouthed, not only seeing Asami attack her own father, but Masane taking down the lieutenant very easily.
"Nice move." said Asami.
"Thank you. I've been training." said Masane.
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 keep a few electric disks from hitting them.
Later, the group gathered at the police airship.
Asami stood looking out the window at what was once a place where she lived happily with her father.
It was then that Masane approached her.
"I'm sorry things ended up like this." said Masane.
"No. The one who's sorry is me. You and Korra tried to warn me, but I refused to believe it." said Asami.
"Well, he was your father. It's only natural that you would think he was innocent from the beginning. He fooled us all." said Masane.
"I know, but what I really sorry is what I told you before. I said you were my friend despite what you did, but before I knew it, I considered you a witch like the rest of the people. At the time I was angry with you and said it without thinking. In fact, I think that soon, people will treat me the same way as you, only I will be known as the daughter of an equalist." said Asami with her head down.
"That may be true, but, as a good friend told me, you shouldn't torture yourself thinking that everyone will hate you for it, because neither Korra, Mako, Bolin, nor I do. No matter what happens, we'll still be friends." said Masane with a smile.
Asami was so touched by the girl's words that she didn't hesitate to give her a hug which she returned.
"Thank you, Masane. You're a true friend." said Asami with a smile.
"I know. And if you don't have a place to stay, you could all come to Air Temple Island. I'm sure Tenzin and Korra would agree with me." said Masane.
"I would love to." said Asami.
Meanwhile, Lin was lying on a bench due to the injuries 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.
Elsewhere, Mako approached Korra.
"I'm sorry I didn't believe you. But Asami's dad being an Equalist is not an easy thing to believe. Even now." said Mako.
"I know. I would be the same in your place. I'm sorry this whole thing happened." said Korra.
"So, do you think it would be possible for us to go live in the Air Temple?" asked Mako wanting to change the subject.
"Of course. And Asami is welcome too." said Korra with a smile.
"Thank you very much." said Mako.
Korra put her hand on the firebender's shoulder.
"After everything that's happened, she's going to need you, Mako." said Korra before Mako, with a serious expression, went to Asami's side, who snuggled against her chest.
Even though she let it go, she felt a little sad that the one she loved was with someone other than her.
Masane came over to her and put a hand on her shoulder in an attempt at consolation and Korra put her hand on her in a sign that she was grateful for her support.