*Air Temple Island*
The fallout of Amon's attack during the pro-bending tournament finals hit the city hard. The city was in a state of unrest as police presence increased along with that of Tarrlok's task force. Truly the city was getting ready for war.
"So how do things go with the guys?" asked Akira, as he and Korra sat on the temple's roof.
"Turns out Asami already invited them to stay with her," said Korra. Akira didn't miss the hint of disdain in her voice.
"Still not a fan of Asami?"
"Please who wants to spend time with such a prissy little rich girl?" the Avatar asked sarcastically.
"Are you sure it's not just because she's dating Mako" the ravenette grinned, earning a punch in the arm from his friend.
"Shut it," Korra grumbled.
"Relax Korra, no reason to be jealous" Akira teased.
"Whatever dual boy." Getting ready to go inside, Korra stopped to give her friend a mischievous grin. "By the way, you're coming with me to the Sato mansion tomorrow."
"Wait what?!" the ravenette inquired, but Korra just laughed and walked away. "What the heck am I supposed to do at a mansion party? Am I supposed to get dressed up?!"
*Sato Estate*
The following day after being assured, they weren't required to dress up Akira and Korra arrived at the Sato Estate. Once inside the family butler led them out back to the pool where they found Mako and Asami relaxing in the water.
"Avatar Korra and Master Akira have arrived" the butler announced.
"Hey Korra, Akira" said Mako, waving his friends over.
"Glad you made it" Asami smiled. Before either of them could return the greeting, Korra and Akira were soaked as Bolin cannonballed into the pool.
"Yeah thanks for the invite" Akira deadpanned, accepting the towel offering from the butler.
"Looks like you guys settled right in" said Korra, taking a seat on a lounge chair.
"Pretty much, except someone forgot to ask her father if we could stay here" said Mako, shooting a playful glare at Asami.
"Yeah, but I smoothed it over with him" Asami said casually. "It's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission."
"This is the greatest place in the world" Bolin said excitedly, getting out of the pool, Pabu ridding comfortably on his shoulder. "Watch this" standing in a regal manner, the earthbender addressed the butler. "Fetch me my towel good sir."
"Yes Master...Bolin" the butler said neutrally, but Akira recognized the scornful look in the man's eyes making him think Bolin may have been a little too excited about having access to mansion staff.
"Master Bolin. I love this guy" the earthbender laughed. "Now pat me dry." The butler was quick to comply and even did the same for Pabu. But Akira found himself really feeling sorry for the poor butler as Bolin quickly jumped back into the pool, the moment he'd finished drying the earthbender.
"So, what do you have planned for us today?" Korra asked Asami. "Let me guess: shopping, makeovers?"
"I have something a little more exciting in mind" replied the Sato heiress, ignoring the Avatar's condescending tone.
Asami had the party moved to the estate's private raceway where they watched Satomobiles race around the track at high-speed.
"Ok Asami you are officially cool" said Korra, clearly awed by the machines.
"I guess this is what you'd expect from the daughter of Hiroshi Sato," said Akira.
"This is where Future Industries test drives their Satomobiles." Asami explained. "Ever been behind the wheel?"
"The only thing I know how to drive is a polar bear dog" said the Avatar.
"But if that's an offer, I'm in" Akira said excitedly.
"Alright let's see what you've got" Asami smirked.
After teaching him the basics, Asami let Akira behind the wheel as they moved onto the track. Korra riding shotgun with Asami in one car and Akira in another.
Once the checkered flag was swung the two went at it. For someone who'd just had a crash course in how to drive, Akira seemed to have a bit of talent for it as he quickly took the lead on the first corner.
But Asami was clearly the expert as she waited until just the right moment and shifted gears on the straightaway, smirking as she shot past the ravenette taking the lead and the victory.
"Ok I need to drive more often" Akira grinned, too excited about having been behind the wheel to care that he lost.
"You know you can't drive like that in public right?" Korra reminded him, before turning to Asami. "I gotta admit I had you pegged wrong. I thought you were kind of prissy. No offense."
"It's alright" Asami laughed. "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 a kid. My dad made sure I would always be able to protect myself."
"Smart guy."
Returning to the mansion the group bore witness to Bolin's performance of the classic bathroom dance.
"Emergency! Emergency, coming through! Beep, beep!" he cried, running off to the nearest bathroom.
"Uh, is there another bathroom I can use?" Korra asks.
"We have a ladies' powder room upstairs. First door on your right." Asami replied, giving her thanks Korra leaving Akira alone with Mako and Asami.
This is a strange occurrence Akira thought to himself. Sure he'd told Korra that he didn't think Asami was so bad, and he did have fun today but he wasn't sure how to go about starting a conversation.
"You know you've got some talent" said Asami. Apparently the heiress was going to take care of the problem for him.
"You think so?"
"Definitely" the Sato heiress smiled. "You know there's a growing racing, if you're interested maybe I can talk my father into sponsoring you like he did the Fire Ferrets."
Now that certainly sounded like fun to Akira but before he could say so, Korra came running in grabbing him by the arm as she dragged them towards the door.
"Sorry, I forgot we're supposed to airsit, I mean babybend, I-I mean babysit the airbender kids" Korra stammered out as an excuse. "See you later."
"So you think Mr. Sato manufactured those gloves for the Equalists, then framed Cabbage Corp?" asked Tenzin, after hearing Korra's explanation on why she forced her and Akira leave the Sato estate early.
"That's a bold accusation, but what proof do you have?" Lin asked harshly.
"Well I don't exactly have proof," Korra admitted. "But I know what I heard. Sato's up to something."
Lin took a moment to think about it before turning to Tenzin. "He does have the means... and he has a motive."
"That's right" the airbending master agreed.
"Motive?" Korra asked.
"Twelve years ago, the Agni Kai Triad robbed Sato's mansion. A firebender killed Sato's wife during the break-in."
"That's terrible" Akira said sorrowfully.
"It was tragic." Tenzin agreed. "It's possible he's been harboring anti-bending sentiment all this time."
"Maybe we should look at Mr. Sato a little more closely" said Lin.
The following day Korra and Akira followed Lin and Tenzin to the Sato mansion. The butler from the day before quickly led Tenzin and Lin to Hiroshi's office, unfortunately before they could follow Akira and Korra were spotted by Mako and Asami.
"What's going on? Why are they asking Hiroshi more questions?" asked Mako.
"I overheard him on the phone yesterday. Asami, I don't know how to tell you this, but I think your father might be involved with the Equalists." Korra explained.
"What? I don't believe this" said an outraged Asami, marching off after Lin and Tenzin.
"You spied on Hiroshi? What's your problem?" Mako demanded of the Avatar.
"Hey just calm down, Mako" said Akira, standing between Korra and the irate firebender. "Everyone's just on edge because of Amon."
"Yeah but I don't go around accusing my friends!" the firebender argued, clearly Akira's attempt to keep everyone calm wasn't working. "Besides who're you to go snooping into other people's private business, huh?!"
Akira's eyes narrowed at Mako. Knowing he didn't mean it at heart, he just let the statement fly over his head for the time being, as they had much more urgent matters to attend to.
Luckily before things could turn violent Lin and Tenzin returned followed by Hiroshi, who had given permission to have all of Future Industries searched for evidence. Giving the firebender one last glare, Korra left to watch the raids with Akira.
*Future Industries*
"I can't believe Mako would say that" Korra growled, as she and Akira stood aside as the metalbending officers searched the Future Industries warehouses.
"I understand where he's coming from though. I mean, wouldn't you defend the person who took you in" Akira sighed, but the look on Korra's face told him she wasn't buying it. "Look tensions are high from the bending arena incident and taking out our anger on each other.
Korra frowned at this, Akira was right, though she would never admit to it.
After Tenzin and Lin returned reporting that they didn't find any evidence of Equalist activity, Korra presented the note saying that if they wanted the truth about Hiroshi Sato they'd have to meet an informant underneath Silk Road Bridge.
*Silk Road Bridge*
Akira, Korra, Lin, and Tenzin arrived at the meeting point but there informant wasn't anywhere to be found. They were about to give up when they heard a whisper.
"Over here" called the shadowy figure of an older man, dressed in a large hat and trench coat, stepping out from behind a support beam. "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."
"I knew it" said Korra. Akira rolled his eyes as her as she was clearly trying and failing to hide how much she enjoyed having her suspicions vindicated.
"Your forgetting how this will affect Asami" he reminded her gently, robbing the Avatar of her triumphant look as she realized how much this would hurt her new friend.
"And there are rumors he's working on something even bigger. Some new kind of weapon." the informant added.
"We searched all of Future Industries and found nothing." Tenzin pointed out.
"That's because he has a secret factory."
"Where?" asked Akira.
"It's right underneath the Sato mansion" said the informant, causing everyone's eyes to widen in shock.
*Metalbender Airship*
"Raiding the Sato mansion is a risky move with Tarrlok breathing down your neck." Tenzin cautioned. "If we're wrong...."
"I know" Lin interrupted. "I can kiss my job goodbye. But protecting Republic City is all I care about other than Akira. We can't let Amon get his hands on this new weapon." As she says this, Akira is in the background trying and failing to hide his blush while Korra is just laughing at his misfortune.
Once the airship landed the officers moved to secure the grounds as Lin, Tenzin, Akira, and Korra entered the mansion, finding Asami, Mako, and Bolin sitting around.
"What are you doing here?!" Asami demanded.
"We have reason to believe there is a factory hidden beneath the mansion." Lin replied keeping her tone professional.
"I think I would have noticed if there were a factory underneath my house!"
"Where is your father?" asked Tenzin.
"In his workshop, behind the house" said Asami, sounding much calmer though it wasn't hard to tell the she was fuming inside.
Asami led the group to a small shed in her backyard but once inside they could find no sign of Hiroshi.
"Chief, the estate's been secured. No one has left the workshop since we arrived" an officer reported.
"Perhaps we just couldn't see him leaving, Akira help me with this will you" said Lin. Walking into the center of the room, Lin and Akira raised their foot, the metal sole of her boot sliding back exposing her skin while Akira just threw off his shoe doing the same as his mother, and slammed it down, using their seismic sense to scan the area.
"There's a tunnel beneath the workshop, running deep into the mountain side." said Akira.
"What? There's no tunnel" Asami argued, growing annoyed by the continued accusations against her father. Her spirit was crushed once Lin used her metalbending to rip open the floor, exposing a hidden tunnel and elevator platform.
"Do you think your dad knows about this tunnel?" Bolin whispered loudly.
"I don't understand. There must be an explanation" Asami argued weakly.
"Maybe you don't know everything about your father" Korra said gently. "I'm sorry."
"Officers, into the tunnel. Be cautious. And Akira, be careful" Lin ordered. Asami, Mako, and Bolin were about to follow but Lin stopped them. "Uh-uh. You three stay up here. Officer Song, keep an eye on them" she ordered despite their protests.
*Hidden Factory*
The elevator descended deep underground stopping in a large brightly lit chamber, with two massive banners bearing Amon's face hanging overhead.
"Not your average backyard workshop." Lin quipped, as her officers moved to cover all angels.
"And I'm guessing those are the new weapons" said Akira, pointing to a row of large humanoid robots.
"Hiroshi was lying all right, but where is he?" Tenzin questioned. Suddenly a giant metal wall rose up from the ground blocking them off the exit and plunging the room into darkness. Lin tried to metalbend the structure but to her frustration found that she couldn't.
"I'm afraid you won't be able to metalbend that wall, Chief Beifong" said Hiroshi, his voice coming from an intercom as sickly green lights lit up the room and the robots started powering up. "It's solid platinum. My mechatanks are platinum as well. Not even your renowned mother could bend a metal so pure."
The group soon found themselves surrounded by the mechatanks.
"Hiroshi, I knew you were a lying, no-good Equalist!" Korra shouted. "Come out here and..."
"And do what, young Avatar? Face the wrath of your bending? No. I think I'll from inside here, where my odds are a little more equal."
"That source was a set-up. You lured us down here." Lin accused.
"Guilty as charged." Hiroshi then launched a grappling claw at the group but Korra, Akira, Lin, and Tenzin were quick to jump out of the way. They couldn't relax yet though as the mechtanks split up to deal with the four.
Dodging the grappling lines from the mechanical nightmares, Lin used an earth platform to launch herself into the air, using her metalbending to release blades from the wrists of her armor. Her blades smashed through the glass screen of the cockpit, forcing the Equalist pilot inside to back up into some scaffolding as they attempted to avoid the chief's blades. For a moment it looked as if Lin had won, until she was caught off guard by a second mechtank's grappling hook and was slammed painfully into the ground.
Deciding that the situation was too dire to hold anything back, Akira made full use of his abilities. Backing himself bends the earth around him into a shuriken like disk and start spinning until there was only a shreiking noise.
Just as he was about to throw it, he thought about what would happen if he added his rasengan into the mix. Trying out his idea, he calls out to his friend "Korra, can you buy be a few minutes. I think I have a way of ending these things"
As he starts to add the rasengan into the middle of the shuriken he also makes sure to not disperse the shuriken disk which was now wind instead of earth. As he gets ready to launch he yells "Everyone move out of the way,"
As they listen to his words, they all see him throwing what looking like a shuriken at such speed that it cleaves clean through all of the mecha tanks except for the one with Hiroshi inside. Once done and being left exhausted, Akira notices both his father and friend working together to fight of Hiroshi.
Hiroshi growls in frustration as he's pushed back against the wall by master and student. Pushing his control levers forward his mechtank fired a grappling cable at Korra, who dodges with a series of backflips. Using her earthbending to rip a large piece of stone from the ground, the Avatar prepares for a counter attack only to be taken by surprise as second mechtank hits her from behind, sending her flying across the room and bounce painfully off some metal pipes.
"Korra!" Tenzin cried in concern for his student as she fell towards the ground. He was about to fire some air under the Avatar to slow her descent when in a blur Akira appeared by her side catching her and placing her carefully on the ground in his exhauseted state.
Turning his attention away from Korra, Akira caught sight of Tenzin being in wrapped in cables and electrocuted. Akira turned his attention away from Hiroshi and saw his mother from the corner of his eye and saw her signalling for him to follow her movement.
With this new order set, both mother and son made their way to Hiroshi as they were like a pair of assassins, not letting anything near them while also attacking from afar.
Akira saw that Hiroshi was getting frustrated and was making sloppy mistakes and used this to his advantage as he took out his kunai and threw it all over the fighting area as he was going to finish this.
As he thought this, he teleported all over the arena the same way he did on the memorial statue and kept dwindling their numbers even more while his mother dealed his Hiroshi.
Meanwhile as Hiroshi and his men were distracted by Akira, no one noticed as a new hole opened up in the factory floor, out of which peeked Mako and Bolin.
"Whoa" Bolin gasped, watching as Akira ruthlessly tore into the mechtanks. The brothers couldn't believe the kind of power and viciousness their normally relaxed friend was capable of just before he saw Cheif Beifong being knocked out with a whip of electricity.
"Cut off his movement!" Hiroshi ordered as Akira's speed made it very difficult for them to get a fix on the boy. To the made inventor's credit the thick armor of the mechtanks was too tough for Akira's kunai cut forcing him to focus his attacks on the glass covering of the cockpit.
Unfortunately Hiroshi had caught on to this fact and the instant he saw Akira attacking another mechtank he fired a metal disk at the boy. As it flew towards Akira, the metal disk released whip like tendrils wrapping itself around Akira and electrifying him.
To Hiroshi's frustration Akira wouldn't be stopped by just one disk but the bola disk's electricity did slow him down enough for the remaining mechtanks to fire disks of their own resulting in Akira being covered head toe in electrified cables before finally falling.
"Well, I'd say that was a near flawless test run" said Hiroshi, exiting his mechtank. The mad inventor approached the downed Akira and was surprised to see he was still conscious. "Amon was right about you. You truly are something special and I can't wait to find out what."
The mad inventor smirked sadistically as he watched Akira struggle to escape his binds. Turning away from the boy Hiroshi turned to the other Equalists and ordered that the benders be moved into trucks and delivered to Amon.
This only fueled Akira to try harder to break his restraints but his body had started to go numb from the electrified cables. Hope was starting to feel lost when suddenly he found himself being moved by Mako.
"Sorry" the firebender whispered, apologizing for not believing Korra and him. Right now the Akira was certainly feeling to forgiving as they were being moved towards Bolin's escape tunnel.
"Not so fast, boys" Hiroshi said sinisterly, blocking their path as armed with two taser gloves and backed up by the Lieutenant.
Caught off guard Bolin dropped Chief Beifong and began gesturing with Tenzin's hands. "Hello, Mr. Sato. Wow. What a really, swell, scary, factory you have here under your giant mansion."
"Sponsoring our team, supporting the Avatar. It was all just a big cover." Mako said angrily, ignoring his brother's foolishness as he glared at Hiroshi.
"Yes. And the most difficult part was watching my daughter traipse around with a firebending street rat like you!" Hiroshi's gloves sparked as he stepped towards the brothers when suddenly a voice rang out.
"Dad, stop!" Asami cried, turning her head away from the monster her father had become. "Why?"
"Sweetie, I wanted to keep you out of this for as long as I could, 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." Hiroshi removed one of his gloves and held it out to his daughter. "Join me, Asami."
Tension filled the air as everyone waited to see just what Asami would do. Asami stared at the glove for what felt like an eternity when finally with unshed tears in her eyes she accepted the glove as Korra, Mako, Bolin, and Akira looked on sadly.
"I love you, Dad" Asami said tearfully, closing her eyes as she turned the glove on Hiroshi hitting him with a massive burst of electricity. As Hiroshi fell to the ground, the Lieutenant rushed to subdue Asami, coming at her with a swing of his kali sticks. Knocking the first attack away with a high kick, Asami grabs hold of the Lieutenant's wrist and twists him on to his knees before taking him out with an electric shock.
"Let's get out of here!" Mako ordered, grabbing Naruto and heading to the escape tunnel as more mechtanks came to life behind them.
*Metalbender Airship*
Korra helped Mako lay the currently paralyzed Akira onto a bench.
"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'm sorry this whole thing happened" Korra said sincerely.
"So, does your offer to live at the Air Temple still stand?" Mako asked, expecting Korra and Akira to hold a grudge for his attitude.
"Yeah sure" said Akira, letting the firebender know he was forgiven.
"And Asami's welcomed too" Korra added. "After everything she's been through, she's going to need you, Mako."
Giving them a nod in understanding, Mako left to check on Asami giving the other couple some time to themselves.
"Hey how're you feeling?" Korra asked.
"Well everything's still numb but I should be ok." Akira replied.
"Yeah well you're not invincible even with your crazy dual bending. So at least try to take it easy for now." Akira wanted to argue but Korra did have a point it may have taken a lot to bring him down but the point was he could still be defeated. I have to get stronger.
On the other side of the room Tenzin and Lin are having a conversation of their own.
"My metalbenders are on their way to Amon, my son is paralysed and it's all my fault." Lin said weakly. "Tarrlok's right, I failed as Chief. First thing in the morning, I'm handing in my resignation."
"No! You can't give up like this" Tenzin said urgently.
"I'm not giving up." Lin argued, a fire growing inside her. "I'm going to find my officers and take Amon down. But I'm going to do it my way, outside the law."
Tenzin couldn't even try to respond to that as this was just another sign that things in Republic City were changing.
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