Chapter 7: Betrayal
Kota woke up early in the morning and was going to the bison caves. He had a bag of clothes, some camping gear, and some food for his bison. He was hoping to get some outside help regarding the Equalists. He normally wouldn't go there for help, but to visit his extended family. He knew it was going to be quite a trip so he had to pack a bit of things.
Zaofu, the innovative city within the earth kingdom. Created by his Aunt Suyin and Uncle Baatar, Tenzin would take his son there to visit his aunt without the mother due to issues they had.
Kota was about to get on his bison, Shorty until he heard a child's voice call for him.
"Where are you going, Koko?"
Kota looked back and saw Jinora who was in her nightgown, he figured the young girl woke up early due to the noises he made. He knew Jinora was always a curious girl, he would sometimes take her to the city, much to their father's protest. Kota couldn't help smile at his sister.
"I'm heading to Zaofu, I was going to visit Aunt Su and the family."
"Can I come too?"
Kota looked at Jinora with a reluctant expression, "Uhh, I don't know. Dad wouldn't be too happy if-"
"Please~" Jinora looked at her brother with a puppy eye expression. Kota had a conflicted expression to her face and had to think for a moment. 'She's pulling that face,' Kota thought, 'And it's working.' After a minute, Kota heaved a relented sigh, "Okay you can come," Kota gave in to her request, "Pack up and meet me back here."
...
A few minutes had passed and Jinora came out in her air acolyte robes, carrying a bag of books and a muffin so she could eat on the way to Zaofu. Jinora was about to get on, but they heard a strict female voice.
"Where ARE you two going?"
The two looked over and saw Pema with a strict expression and with her hands on her sides, "You're not thinking about taking her on one of your adventures are you?" Pema asked Kota. "U-Uhh," Kota was trying to come up with an answer to his step-mother until Jinora came in, "I asked him if I could come with him to Zaofu."
Pema looked to Jinora as she continued to explain, "Koko would always tell us about Zaofu and this is an opportunity for me to see it in person for the first time. Besides, he always kept me safe and made sure I was okay."
Pema looked to the two siblings, Jinora was right. Whenever Kota would take her to the City or anywhere in general, he would always make sure Jinora was close to him at all times. And knowing Zaofu, it is more safe than Republic City. Pema sighed and smiled at the two, "Okay, you can go with Koko. Just be safe."
Jinora nodded and hugged her mother, Kota later walked up to Pema and hugged her too. "You take care of yourself," Kota said.
The three separated with Jinora following Kota, she used airbending to sit on the saddle while Kota made an earth column and sat on the head of the bison. "Shorty yip-yip," Kota said, snapping the reins and making the flying bison fly.
'A few Hours Later'
Korra woke up and was about to meet with Tenzin, but noticed that Kota wasn't around the island. She decided to go and look for them. She was walking down the hallways until-
"WHAT!!!!"
Korra ran to the origins of the scream and it was in the dining area where Ikki and Meelo are interrogating their pregnant mother, "No fair! How come Jinora gets to go with Koko to Zaofu!?" Ikki asked. Korra's eyes widened, "Wait, Kota and Jinora are going to Zaofu?" Korra asked.
Pema nodded, "What for?" Korra asked.
'With Kota and Jinora'
The two were on the flying bison, Shorty. Jinora was asleep on the saddle with her head on his lap as Shorty kept flying to Zaofu, he looked and saw a city which was made of Metal.
...
A woman with gray hair and green eyes was in her office, filling out some paperwork until a guard came in. "Beifong!" the guard said. The other Beifong, Suyin the younger half-sister of Lin looked to the guard. "Yes," she said.
"There is a young man with a flying bison and a young girl who is wearing air acolyte robes," the guard said, "what should we do ma'am?"
Suyin smiled, "Let me deal with it."
She got out of her seat and went outside to the courtyard to see a flying bison and a young man with gray blue eyes, a leather jacket, metal gauntlets, and a sleeping girl in his arms. Suyin smiled and went up to the two. "Kota, it's been so long," Suyin said to her nephew. "Aunt Su," Kota said back, "I would love to hug you but-"
The girl rustled on her brother's arms and woke up to see she was in the city, she looked around and at her older brother. "Are we here?" Kota nodded, Suyin smiled at the adorable scene. She heard from their father that Kota loved his siblings, but had a soft spot for Jinora and the scene shows it.
"Hello there," Suyin introduced herself, "I'm Suyin, your brother's aunt."
"I'm Jinora, Koko's sister," she said.
"Come along you two, let's get you two settled in."
'A Few Hours Later'
After the two got settled in, the two came out and were met by five people. One of them was the oldest; he wore glasses and had slicked back hair. The other was a little shorter and had one side of his head shaven and was dyed green on one part of it. There was also a group of twins that were boys, one had his hair parted from his left to right and the other twin had his hair from right to left. And lastly, a girl with tanned skin and hair that went down to her chin.
"Hello, Kota," one of the twins said.
"Hey, Wing." Kota smiled and ruffled his hair. Wing the one with his hair that was parted from the left to right.
Kota later looked to Jinora, "Jinora, these are my cousins. The tall one with glasses is Baatar Jr., the one with long hair is Huan, the twins are Wing and Wei, and the young lady is Opal, the baby out of all of us Biefong kids."
Kota looked to his cousins, "Guys, this is Jinora, my younger sister."
They all waved at Jinora who waved back.
"Is she an..."
"Yeah, she's an airbender," Kota finished Opal's question.
"Can she show us?" Wei asked.
Jinora smiled and did a palm strike to Kota's face and a gale of wind blew his hair up. It ended up spiky and people laughed.
'Meanwhile'
Korra was at the Pro-bending arena making her way to the attic where Mako and Bolin are staying.
"I can't believe they're shutting this place down." Mako said sadly as he packed his last clothes in a box.
"Yeah. We had some good memories here, didn't we?" Bolin said in the same sad manner and he's sitting on the floor packing his clothes.
Just then Korra arrives at the attic.
"Great news, guys! You don't have to go back to the streets. I talked to Tenzin and made all the arrangements. You guys can live on Air Temple Island with us!" Korra said.
"Oh, well. We'd love to, but..." Mako stops talking while scratching his head.
"Asami already invited us to live in her dad's giant mansion!" Bolin said excitedly, making Korra's smile turn into a frown.
"Really?" Korra asked.
"Yep! From now on, it's gonna be a lap of luxury for us!" Bolin said.
"Hey, Korra." A voice said and they turned to see Asami arriving. "I was hoping you'd stop by." Asami said, she later looked and didn't see Kota.
"Where did Koko go?" Asami asked.
"According to Pema and Tenzin, he went to Zaofu with Jinora," Korra said, "He didn't say why."
Asami pouted, "The only time he goes to Zaofu, he doesn't take me with him."
Mako had a jealous look, "Were there any other places he wished to take you?"
Asami looked to Mako, "Well, he was supposed to take me to Zaofu, Air Temple Island, and the other Air Temples he went to with his dad."
Korra then remembered the adventures that the earthbender and Tenzin went on from the master. She later snapped out of her thoughts and looked to the group. "Anyway, we were just leaving. Guess we'll see you guys around...sometime." Korra said in a grim voice.
"What about tomorrow? I'd love for you to come visit the estate." Asami said.
"Sorry, but I have to do some airbending training," Korra said.
"Oh, 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!" Bolin said holding Pabu in front of his face and talking in a high pitch tone and waving Pabu's paws around and Korra laughed at the act.
"Alright, I'll come see you guys tomorrow," Korra said.
"Great! I can't wait." Asami said.
"Yay! You're gonna come!" Bolin said.
Korra waved and was about to leave until Asami called for her.
"If Koko comes back, can you ask if he can come?" Asami asked.
Korra smiled and nodded as she left.
'With Kota'
Kota was in Suyin's office, talking to Suyin. He was explaining the crisis to his aunt who nodded to all the terrible news.
"This is troubling," Suyin said, "Though I would love to help, I can't. I have a responsibility here at Zaofu. Don't get me wrong, Republic City is once and will always be my home and where I came from, but I also have a nation to watch over."
Suyin went up to her nephew and put a hand on his shoulder, "I'm really sorry honey."
Kota looked down to the floor in sadness, sad that his aunt couldn't help him in stopping the war, "Though, I can do this for you," Suyin said, making Kota look at her, "If the issue worsens, then your father and his family are more than welcome to take refuge here while you try to solve the crisis with the Avatar."
Kota nodded and got up, "Well, thank you for your time. It was nice to see you all, but Jinora and I have to get going."
"How about you stay here for the night," Suyin asked, "You have a long ride back and your flying bison may need some rest."
Kota stood there, "Are you sure, I don't want to be any more of a hassle than I already-"
"Don't say that," Suyin said, smiling, "Your mother and I may have our differences, but I still love her. Besides, your sister did seem to enjoy being here."
Kota remembered the tour she received from Suyin and smiled at her amazed reactions to the architecture and culture of Zaofu. Kota later snapped back into reality and smiled at his aunt, "Thank you so much, Aunt Su."
Suyin smiled at her nephew, "Of course."
...
The next morning arose and Kota hugged his cousins, uncle, and aunt. "It was good to see you guys," Kota said.
Suyin put a hand on her nephew's head and ruffled it, "You too, tell your father I said hi."
"Of course." Kota later got on his bison, "Shorty, yip-yip!"
Suyin and her family waved at Kota as he and Jinora flew back to Republic City.
'With Korra'
Korra arrived at the Sato Estate and was amazed at how big the mansion is.
Just the two large front doors open revealing a butler.
"Miss Avatar Korra, right this way please." The butler said escorting the waterbender into the mansion and was impressed with the interior of the house.
"Just how can Asami live in a place like THIS?" Korra asked herself.
In a pool room Pabu is jumping off a statue squealing while Bolin stands at the top of the statue while Asami is sitting on the side of the pool and Mako is standing in the pool next to her.
"Earthbending bomb!" Bolin yelled as he dove into the pool doing a belly flop splashing Mako and Asami. He then resurfaces while the butler arrives with Korra.
"Avatar Korra has arrived," The butler said.
"Hey, Korra!" Mako said.
"Glad you made it!" Asami said.
"Welcome to paradise!" Bolin said as he put his hands behind his head and floated on his back while Pabu got on his stomach.
"Looks like you guys settled right in." Korra said slightly sarcastically.
"Pretty much, except SOMEONE forgot to ask her father if we could stay here." Mako said swimming over to Korra.
"Yeah, but I smoothed it over with him. It's easier to ask for his forgiveness than permission." Asami said.
"This is the greatest place in the world!" Bolin said getting out of the pool with Pabu on his shoulder. "Watch this, watch this. Fetch me my towel, good sir." Bolin said in a formal voice.
"Yes, Master... Bolin." The butler said, taking a folded towel and walking to Bolin.
"Master Bolin! Ha! I love this guy." Bolin said, holding his arms out. "Now, pat me dry." Bolin said.
"As you wish." The butler said, rolling up the towel and pats Bolin.
"Don't forget Master Pabu." Bolin said.
"Wouldn't dream of it, sir." The butler said putting the towel over Pabu and rubs him dry making the Fire Ferret's fur become bushy and as the butler turns around Bolin jumps back into the pool much to the butler's annoyance.
"No Koko?" Asami asked.
Korra shook her head, "He hasn't come back yet. Tenzin said he should be on his way back."
Korra later decided to change the subject, "So, what do you have planned for us today? Let me guess, shopping, makeovers..." Korra said dismayed.
"I have something a little more exciting in mind." Asami said.
Later at a racetrack two Satomobiles are driving down the track.
"Pretty cool, huh?" Asami asked.
"Way cooler than a makeover." Korra said.
"This is where Future Industries test-drives their Satomobiles. Ever been behind the wheel?" Asami asked.
Korra shook her head.
"You want me to take you for a spin?" Asami asked.
"Let's do it!" Korra said.
Two Satomobiles stand next to each other and Korra puts on goggles while sitting behind Asami while a man is sitting in the other car and the race starts as a man in blue waves a white flag and Asami falls behind first but keeps up fast as Mako and Bolin heer from the sidelines. Asami overtakes the other mobile while her back wheel is grazing the wall and the man tries to keep up but his front wheel and Asami's back wheel touch and his car starts swaying and Asami wins the race and stops the car.
"That was amazing! I didn't think we'd make it." Korra said.
"Well, you can't be afraid to mix things up sometimes." Asami said.
"I gotta admit, I had you all wrong. I thought you were kind of...prissy." Korra said.
"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." Asami said, indicating her height with her hand next to her waist.
"Dad made sure that I would always be able to protect myself," Asami said.
Korra, Mako, Bolin, and Asami return to the inside of the mansion and Bolin rushes through the doors.
"Emergency, emergency coming through, beep beep!" Bolin said, running for the bathroom with his hands covering his groin.
"Is there another bathroom I can use?" Korra asked.
"We have a lady's powder room upstairs, first door on your right. You can freshen up there." Asami said.
"Thanks." Korra said.
Korra is washing and drying herself and then she picks up a powder sponge while looking at it intensely and then smashes it onto her face and starts choking and then she leaves the room but then she hears something.
"No, no! No, I assure you, everything is going exactly as planned. Uh...uh, yes... luckily, the Cabbage Corp investigation has brought us enough time. Trust me, but the end of the week... we'll be ready to strike!" A voice said Korra sneaks toward the room and looks into the room through the keyhole and sees someone sitting at a desk and it's revealed to be Hiroshi who is talking on the phone and then he hangs up the phone making Korra shocked.
The butler is spraying perfume all over Bolin and Mako and Asami is behind them and Korra runs past them.
"You're both leaving? But I thought..." Asami was cut off.
"Uh, sorry! I forgot, I'm supposed to airsit, I mean, babybend, I-I mean babysit the Airbender kids, Ikki and Meelo." Korra said.
"See you later!" Korra said.
"What's with her?" Bolin asked.
Korra was later outside and went to Naga to deliver some news to Tenzin and Lin, but was surprised to see Kota there as well. Kota told her that he came back from Zaofu not too long ago.
"So, you two think Mr. Sato manufactured those gloves for the Equalists, then framed Cabbage Corp?" Tenzin asked.
"Those are bold accusations, but what proof do you have?" Lin asked.
"Well, we don't exactly have proof, but I know what I heard from Mr. Sato," Korra said.
"No, it can't be. He wouldn't," Kota couldn't help himself. The idea of Mr. Sato being responsible for such an underhanded ruse was preposterous, almost impossible. Taking advantage of a competitor's misfortune was one thing, but causing said misfortune was another matter entirely. "This is Hiroshi Sato we're talking about. We've known him for years, guys," He looked to his mother and father. "Do you really think he would get himself involved with a terrorist group just for the sake of making a profit?"
"Whether we like it or not, it's undeniable that Hiroshi is benefiting from this. That doesn't mean he's guilty by default, but after all that has happened, we simply can't dismiss potential suspects, regardless of how many years we've known them for. Besides, when you think about it, Future Industries is one of the main leaders of our time in terms of technological advancement. Hiroshi certainly has the means to manufacture Equalist devices on his own... as well as a possible motive," Lin said.
The Avatar blinked. "A motive?"
"Years ago, the Agni Kai Triad broke into the Sato Estate with the intention of committing robbery," Tenzin replied with a sad look on his face, one that his son shared. "The situation got out of control, and their robbery attempt ended with the death of Yasuko, Hiroshi's beloved wife. That tragic incident left the Sato family devastated, and Kota too."
Lin growled remembering the event, "Our son was there on that day too with Asami." She said
Korra's eyes widened, "Wh-what happened?" she asked
Kota sighed, "It went like this..."
'Flashback'
A six year old Kota and a five year old Asami were playing outside and decided to head inside to clean up.
Asami wiped the mud from her face and glared at Kota, "Really? A mud war! I thought you were going to show me your earth bending?" the dirtied Asami questioned.
Kota, also covered in mud, shrugged, "I wanted to try out mudbending. It sounded fun." He looked at Asami and then himself, "And it was." He chirped as he patted the dirt on him.
Asami just face palmed.
A scream echoed through the halls.
"Kyaaa!"
Both Kota and Asami froze hearing such a horrific scream.
Asami turned to Kota with a bit of fear, "Ko-Kota, wh-what was that?" she asked in a shaken tone.
"I don't know?" he answered as he took a deep breath.
He placed his hand on the floor, trying to feel the vibrations in the earth like his grandmother had taught him.
He felt...a lot of people entering the house and running around it and...one was heading this way!
Kota grabbed Asami's hand and ran up the stairs with her.
He found a closet and pushed her into it, "Stay here." He ordered her.
"But-" she tried to argue, but Kota cut her off.
"No Asami, stay here and I'll try and find aunt Yasuko and see what's happening." He said as he closed the door on her.
He ran though the second floor of the house trying to find someone; anyone that could tell him what was going on.
He finally found Asami's mother Yasuko, "Aunt Yasuko!" he said, getting her attention. She turned to him with a panicked look on her face, "Kota, run!" she shouted and was hit in the back by a fireball. She flew through the air and landed roughly on the ground, Kota thought she would get up...but she didn't.
A big stocky man came out of the hallway and looked right at Kota, "Well well. I think that bastard Sato only had a daughter so you must be her friend or something. What do you say brat, I'll let you live if you bring me to Sato's daughter." He said.
Kota was frozen, his feet just wouldn't move. This...this monster just killed Yasuko.
The thug later looked closer to Kota and his eyes widened, "Oh I know you. You are the grandson of Avatar Aang. You're a shrimp, I thought you would be more intimidating."
The man laughed at him, "You want to fight me?" he said in a joking manner, he rolled his shoulder, "Your funeral, maybe they can have a two for one to save some cash after we rob this place blind." He joked as he shot a fireball at Kota.
Kota jumped to the left of the hall and slammed his foot on the floor, causing it to collapse under the firebender.
"The fu-!" he tried to say, but he fell through.
Kota, not being able to control his bending just yet, cracked the floor under him too and fell.
Kota stood up from all the rubble and heard some rubble moving and turned to see the firebender, just as he punched Kota right in the face, sending him flying.
"Little brat, you're dead!" he shouted.
"Kota!" the voice of Asami cried out.
Kota turned to see her friend in tears as she watched him get hit.
The fire bender saw her and smiled, "Well there you are, time to end you too, so just stand there as I choke the life out of your little friend here." He said in a polite manner.
He wrapped his large hands around Kota's throat and started to squeeze and Kota flailed around, trying to fight back, but sadly he couldn't.
Suddenly a rock hit the fire bender in the eye, causing him to bleed.
He growled as he turned to Asami just as she threw another rock at him. He swatted it away, "Fine, you can die first!" he said as he got up and was about to launch a fireball at her, but stopped when he looked down and saw a large earth spike going right through his stomach.
He turned his head slightly to see Kota in a striking pose and tried to gasp for air as the spike went through his lung. He died right then and there.
Kota collapsed on his knees and looked at his hands. He had killed. He killed someone! He just wanted to save Asami and he took a man's life in order to do so.
He started to cry and felt a pair of arms wrap around him and saw Asami crying as she hugged him tightly, which he returned. The two stayed like that till the metal bending police arrived and arrested some of the fire benders while Lin and Tenzin ran up to the two.
"Kota! Asami!" she said in a frantic tone. She quickly scanned the scene and her heart sank when she saw a fire bender impaled by an earth spike.
She and Tenzin saw their son who's shaking and crying as Asami held him and the two wrapped their arms around the two and tried soothing them with sweet nothings as she was also shedding tears.
It was a few minutes later that they found the body of Yasuko Sato.
'Flashback Ends'
"Kota..." Korra muttered in sadness as she heard that he had killed someone at such a young age.
Tenzin had bowed his head at remembering their son had not been his usual self for about a month till he started to talk about it with Lin and himself.
He always had asked if he was a bad guy for killing someone.
They told him that killing was indeed a bad thing, but he did it to save someone's life.
"It was a tragic event. It's possible that he's been harboring anti-bending sentiment all this time." Tenzin said.
"I will speak to Hiroshi in private about the matter." Lin said in a neutral tone.
They started to head home as they would deal with this in the morning.
Kota stood up and started to head towards his bike, but Korra grabbed his shoulder, "You believe what I said... right Kota?" she said in a soft tone.
Kota winced as he turned to look into her eyes, "It's not about believing you or not Korra. I'm just trying to make heads or tails of this whole thing. I mean, the old man has been nothing but family to me. I want to believe you, but I also want to believe that the man I grew up around isn't an Equalist either." He said carefully.
Korra looked a little hurt that he didn't believe her right off the bat, but she could understand since he just didn't want it to be true.
Deep down, she hoped she was wrong...for Kota's sake.
'The next Day'
Shino had opened the door to reveal Lin, Tenzin, Korra, and Kota.
Lin and Tenzin headed up stairs to Hiroshi's office as Korra and Kota followed them, but they were stopped by Asami and Mako.
"What's going on? Why are they asking Hiroshi more questions?" Mako asked
Korra was about to talk, but Kota covered her mouth, "We can't discuss the matters of the investigation at this moment." He said in a monotone voice.
Asami got right into Kota's face, ""Take off that stoic face of yours Kota and tell me!" she demanded.
Kota averted her eyes, telling her that he wouldn't talk about it. She scowled at him and turned to the stairs and started to head to her father's office.
Mako stared at both Korra and Kota for a few seconds till he headed up too.
Kota sighed and headed up too and Korra quickly followed.
As Kota entered the office he already saw his mother and Hiroshi conversing.
"Hiroshi, we just wanted to do some follow up questions." Lin said in a neutral tone.
Hiroshi raised an eyebrow, "By all means Lin." He gestured her to continue.
"Kota." She said and he stood forward.
"There had been word throughout the grapevine that you have possible ties with the Equalists." He said in a monotone voice.
Hiroshi looked shocked at this.
"Kota, Aunt Lin!" Asami screamed in indignation, "How could you even think that?" she asked
Lin answered for them, "We need to follow all possible leads Miss Sato, but due both mine and the Kota's relation towards you both, we wished to keep this as private as possible. Sadly we are still mandated to ask if we can search your warehouses...no matter how much we wish not to." She said with regret.
Hiroshi raised his hand to calm his daughter, "It's alright Asami. Lin is just doing her job. You can search all of Future Industries as much as you wish." He stated.
Lin nodded and walked out the room with Tenzin as Kota and Korra trailed behind.
Korra leaned closer to Kota, "Why did you stop me from answering before?" she asked in a whisper.
"Because, by doing that you would have really hurt your friendship with both Asami and Mako. So I told a little lie." He whispered back.
Despite his words Korra was worried because her friend was now risking his own friendship with Asami just so hers doesn't get damaged.
...
As his mother and the other officers looked through Future Industries, Kota was staying out of the way per his request as he didn't wish to do this. His mother and father understood and he stayed out of the search.
He leaned against one of the buildings and took out a photo which showed a baby Kota with his Grandpa Aang, Grandmas Katara and Toph.
"Am I doing the right thing guys?"
"Kota!" he heard as he turned to see her and quickly put the photo back in his leather jacket.
"Yeah?" he asked.
"Check this out." she said as she handed him the letter.
He read it and raised an eyebrow, "Are we sure about this?" he asked as it could be a trap or something.
"We got nothing else to look on." She said
He nodded at her, "Let's go then."
'At the Silk Road Bridge'
'Why do I have a bad feeling about this?'
Kota thought as he parked his motorcycle near the start of the Silk Road Bridge. This was the place where they were supposed to meet someone who could tell them the 'truth' about Hiroshi Sato, whatever that meant. Korra, Tenzin, Lin, and a small squad of four metalbenders were waiting for him, and had it not been for the uniqueness of the situation, Kota would've gone home to enjoy a hot bath and go to bed. This conspiracy was really getting out of hand, and Kota just wanted to put an end to it.
With a weary face and heavy shoulders, Kota walked under the Silk Road Bridge, where he met Korra, Tenzin, Lin, and two agents of the Metalbending Police Force. "The meeting is about to start. Is everyone ready?" Lin asked, receiving a nod from everyone except from her son.
"May I ask what are these two doing here, Chief Beifong?" Kota asked, jerking his chin up at the two other metalbenders.
"I told them to come with us in case we're walking straight into an ambush. We can't be careless right now," Lin replied, to which Kota nodded in understanding. "Anyways, let's meet this stranger. With some luck, we might get some useful information out of all of this,"
The group started moving, keeping their eyes wide open. Whoever had delivered that note hadn't specified in which exact place of the Silk Road Bridge he was going to be waiting for them and this location was rather ideal for a setup, which made the Sergeant of the Police Force feel tense. Kota and Korra were walking next to each other, but they weren't exchanging words or even glances as they had yet to smoke the pipe of peace together after their brief discussion earlier that night.
Besides, this was hardly the time or the place to talk about that. They would have to wait until later before they could patch things up. It wasn't like they were going to break up over this... Right?
'Spirits, what I wouldn't give for some Chimaru tea and a bottle of aspirin,' Kota thought.
After fifteen minutes of walking, they were stopped by the sound of a loud whisper. "Pssst, over here,"
A figure slowly appeared from behind a column, wearing a trench coat, a flat cap, and fingerless wool gloves. The collars of his long coat were raised, making it difficult for Kota to get a clear view of his face due to how dark the night was. Whoever this guy was, it was obvious that he didn't want people to recognize him, and Kota felt the urge to get his blade out just in case.
"You have nothing to worry about. There's no one else here except for us," the man said.
Lin took a step forward, retracted the sole of her boot and stomped her foot on the ground, making use of her seismic abilities to detect any other presences nearby. After half a minute later, she went back to her previous posture and slid her boot sole back out. "The area is clear. I'm assuming you're the one who wrote that note and gave it to Avatar Korra here."
The man nodded. "That's right. I generally don't like acting with such secrecy, but there was no other way to arrange this meeting. My name is Teru. I work at one of the warehouses you guys raided,"
"What do you have on Hiroshi Sato?" Korra immediately asked, but Teru raised his hand at her.
"Not so fast. Before I speak, I want something from Chief Beifong and Avatar Korra. I want the two of you to promise me that I will not be sent to jail over the hypothetical activities I may or may not have taken part in regarding this conversation,"
Kota didn't like where this was going. The way Teru spoke suggested that he had indeed engaged in at least one crime in the past, but he wasn't admitting to it, not from a legal perspective anyway. "That's a bit too much to ask considering we don't know how important or reliable your information is. We can discuss reducing jail time if it comes to that, but-"
"But nothing. These are my terms, and whether this conversation continues or not depends entirely on you. If you do agree to these conditions, you will understand why I placed them on the table. Do you agree, or should we go home and pretend this never happened?"
Just when Kota was about to protest, Lin sent a sharp glare his way, and he begrudgingly closed his mouth. "If your information turns out to be just as important and truthful as you claim it is, the Police Department is willing to consider you as a protected witness, and you will not be held accountable for any wrongdoings you may have committed unless those wrongdoings are beyond exoneration. You have my word."
Teru remained silent for a while, and then he nodded in consent. "Very well, then. I'm not gonna waste my time explaining them, but for a couple of reasons, I joined the Equalists about a year ago. I thought Amon could make life better for us non-benders, but not like this. His war against the city has gotten way out of hand,"
"And what does that have to do with Hiroshi Sato?" Tenzin asked while his godson placed his hand on the ground, checking for Teru's heartbeat pattern.
"It has everything to do with him. He's the one who's been manufacturing the equipment used by the Equalists all along, the same equipment that was found during the raid on Cabbage Corps. Amon and Hiroshi are allies, close allies,"
Kota flinched, and his hand started to tremble.
"I knew it! I knew Hiroshi had been up to something all this time!" Korra exclaimed, smacking her open palm with the side of her fist.
"And there's more. Hiroshi has been working on a new invention, a weapon that will give the Equalists a huge advantage. It has yet to be tested, but once it's ready, only the Spirits know what kind of destruction will Amon and his followers unleash upon Republic City,"
"Where exactly is this new weapon being developed? We checked all of Future Industries' warehouses and found no evidence whatsoever," Lin said.
Teru looked over his shoulders as if making extra sure that they were out of earshot before adjusting his hat. "That's because there's a secret factory where Hiroshi manufactures the devices used by the Equalist movement. I've been there myself, and I've seen what kind of stuff is being developed inside that factory,"
"Where is it?" the Avatar demanded to know.
"... Right underneath the Sato Estate."
Except for Kota, everyone in the group exchanged surprised glances. No one had considered the possibility of a secret factory built underground. The Sato estate was located high up in the hills, and the terrain was big enough to hide a factory below the earth's surface, which would allow Hiroshi to design and produce technological objects in favor of the Equalist cause while offering his cooperation to the Police Department without getting caught. Of course, it would've been foolish to believe a complete stranger based on his word alone, which was why Kota used his seismic sense to detect any abnormal change in Teru's heartbeat pattern in case he lied.
"Kota, is this man telling the truth or not?" Lin asked while Tenzin, Korra, and the two agents of the Metalbending Police Force were holding their breath.
Kota got on his feet very slowly, almost in a robotic fashion. A small knot formed in Korra's throat when she saw her friend's face. He was pale and weary, and he looked like he was seconds away from throwing up.
"... He told the truth."
'Later'
"Raiding the Sato mansion is a risky move with Tarrlok breathing down your neck." Tenzin commented to Lin, "If you're wrong..." he trailed off
"I know, I can kiss my job goodbye, but protecting Republic City is all I care about...even if I have to go against a friend." Lin said with sadness, "We can't let Amon get his hands on this new weapon." She finished
Kota was sitting with Korra as he was shaking slightly and taking some deep breaths. This was it; he was going to find out what's going on in Hiroshi's head and hopefully talk him out of this.
Korra looked at Kota with worry, "You okay?" she asked softly as she placed her hand on his shoulder.
Kota shook his head, "No, not really. What if I can't talk him out of this? This is going to hurt Asami so much. Aunt Yasuko wouldn't want him to do this; she would only want him to use his genius for peace, not war." He said as he swallowed hard.
"It'll be okay." Korra weakly tried to make him feel better but knew it wasn't helping much. Damn she sucked at this sensitivity stuff when it mattered!
Kota looked at her with a hopeful smile, "Hopefully." He muttered as the Airship flew over the Sato mansion and began to descend.
They entered the mansion and the other officers slammed the door open and saw Asami, Mako, and Bolin with Pabu, sitting around.
"What are you doing here?" Asami asked in surprise.
"We have reason to believe that there is a factory hidden below the mansion." Lin stated
Asami got up in anger, "I think I would have noticed if there was a factory under my house. Aunt Lin, my dad isn't an Equalist, you've known him for years!" she exclaimed and she turned to Kota, "You too Kota, has he ever been cruel or mean to you?" she asked as Kota averted his eyes from her.
"Where is your father?" Tenzin asked, wishing to get her attention away from Kota.
"In his workshop behind the house." She answered in a calmer tone.
They group walked to the workshop with the other kids in tow as the metal bending officers secured the perimeter.
They entered the shop and did a quick sweep of the shop.
"Dad? Hello?" Asami called out as she entered the workshop.
"Chief, the estate has been secured. No one has left the workshop since we've arrived." An officer said.
"Perhaps we just couldn't see him leaving." Lin said as she walked to the center of the room.
She raised her foot and the slot under it shot open, exposing her foot and she slammed it down and used her seismic sensing.
"There's a tunnel beneath the workshop running deep into the mountain side." Lin said
"What? There's no tunnel." Asami stated
Lin lifted her arms and the metal floor crinkled and she lifted it and threw it to the side.
They stared down the tunnel and saw how deep it went and a trolley that went down it.
"Whoa, do you think your dad knows about this tunnel?" Bolin asked in a loud whisper.
"I don't understand, there must be an explanation." Asami argued weakly.
"Maybe...you don't know everything about your father. I'm sorry." Korra said to her.
Kota took a deep breather and patted Asami on the shoulder, "It's going to be okay, I'll talk to him." Kota said to her and Asami nodded at him.
"Officers, into the tunnel. Be cautions." 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." Lin ordered despite their protest.
They descended down the trolley and they entered the ground floor and saw many Amon and Equalist banners.
"Hiroshi truly likes to go for extravagance." Lin commented.
"The man was always a big spender." Kota joked weakly which made Korra laugh a bit.
They continued walking and they saw some kind of humanoid robot or something.
"And I'm guessing those are the new weapons." Korra said as she looked at them.
"Hiroshi was lying alright, but where is he?" Tenzin questioned
Suddenly a giant wall of metal blocked the exit for them, taking away the light.
Lin ran up to the wall of metal and tried to bend it, but realized she couldn't.
"I'm afraid you won't be able to metal bend that wall Lin." Said the voice of Hiroshi as suddenly rows of green lights lit up the room.
"It's solid platinum!" he said as the mecha tanks came to life and surrounded them.
"My mecha tanks are also made of platinum as well. Not even your renowned mother could bend a metal so pure." He said from the mecha tank.
Kota walked in front of the group, "Hiroshi!" he yelled.
"Yes, Kota?" Hiroshi asked as he knew what the boy wanted to talk about.
"Why? Why do this? Aunt Yasuko would never want this! She loved your inventions when they were used to help people, but now... now you are making weapons to bring war!" he shouted in betrayal.
Hiroshi flinched at the mention of his lovely wife, but he knew that such a feeling would come up when he descended upon this path, "I am doing what I believe in Kota. Nothing more and nothing less." He answered.
"How could you! Kota trusted you, he did everything to defend you and now you just betray him and his mom like it's nothing? Why don't you come out here and-" Korra shouted
"And do what young Avatar?" Hiroshi said as he cut her off, "Face the wrath of your bending? No, I think I'll fight from inside here where my odds are a little more equal." He said
"That source was a set up. You lured us down here!" Lin exclaimed
"Indeed Lin." Hiroshi said as his mecha tank's arm launched a cable with a weight at the end of it.
Kota broke off from the group and a mecha tank followed him.
He dodged a cable and ran up the wall while magnetizing his feet to let him stay up there for a bit and he grabbed the platinum and slowly started to pull the metal out with all the strength he had. Everyone, especially Lin and Tenzin were stunned to see what Kota was doing.
"No way," Tenzin said.
"He's a platinumbender," Lin said in shock.
Hiroshi was shocked to see the young man slowly tear away the platinum and went up to Kota. He lifted an arm from the suit and shocked Kota.
Hiroshi exited his mecha tank and looked at the down benders, "I'll say that that was a near flawless test run. Load everyone into the transports and deliver them to Amon." He ordered.
He walked over to Kota as two chi blockers picked him up.
Kota cracked his eyes and looked at Hiroshi in a daze, "Hey there
~" Kota said with a bit of a slur.
Hiroshi looked at Kota sadly, "Of course you would regain consciousness so soon, but being the world's first platinumbender, it's astonishing." Hiroshi had to admit that it was remarkable, he knew the earthbender had a lot of potential and him bending the platinum proved it.
"Well, I'm awesome like that~" Kota said as his eyes started to gain their focus again.
"Drop him by his mother and father." Hiroshi said and the chi blockers nodded as they dumped Kota next to his mother and father.
What they didn't see was Mako and Bolin sneak in and pick up Korra and Tenzin and drag Kota and Lin.
"Thanks boys~" Kota said in a low tone.
"Anytime buddy." Bolin replied
"Not so fast boys." Hiroshi said as he wore two electro gloves and the Lieutenant had his electrified kali sticks ready to strike the brothers.
Bolin dropped Lin and used Tenzin's arm to wave at Hiroshi, "Hello, wow what really... swell... scary factory you have here under your giant mansion." He said
"Sponsoring our team, supporting the Avatar, it was all just a big cover." Mako stated in understanding.
"Yes and the most difficult part was watching my daughter traipse around with a fire bending street rat like you!" Hiroshi responded in anger.
"What about Kota? He's been Asami's friend for years? Do you hate him too?" Mako asked back.
"Yeaaah?" Kota said as he wanted to hear his answer.
Hiroshi paused and took a deep breath as he looked at Kota with what everyone could identify as sadness, "No. Kota is in fact the only bender I can respect, due to what he has done for me. If it wasn't for him I would've lost Asami that day which would've left me with no reason to live anymore. His understanding of my creations, open mindedness to see their benefits for non benders and desire for peace is why I couldn't come to hate him."
As he said that a bit of hope returned to everyone's eyes until Hiroshi spoke again.
"However my hatred towards you benders is far greater and I'll do anything to make sure Amon wins this war."
With that, Kota lost all hope for Hiroshi coming around.
"But once Amon purifies him of his bending, hopefully he can forgive me and we can try to regain the friendship we had, as he is a much better choice for her then you, boy." He said with a sneer as he charged his electro gloves.
"Dad stop!" said the voice of Asami.
Hiroshi turned to face his daughter in shock.
Asami's face held nothing but betrayal, "Why?" she pleaded
Hiroshi lowered his head, "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." he asked
Asami just continued to look at her father, unsure of what to do.
"These people...these benders...they've been the cause of people's suffering for ages. All the bending rulers like Chin the Conqueror, Fire Lord Sozin, Fire Lord Ozai, Yakone, and every other bender who craved control over all nations have been responsible for countless deaths and wars that resolved nothing towards peace. They took your mother the love of my life from me and they almost took you too. Don't you see that Amon can be the one to do what even the Avatar can't do; he'll create a peace that'll last forever by eliminating bending. Without Bending there would be no one who could rise to power to try and rule all nations like the previous benders have tried to do, there'd be no gangs and no thugs to threaten innocent people. Without benders we could live in a world where everyone would be treated as equals and no one would have the power to kill anyone else with bending or technology once we create the new world!" Hiroshi paused for a moment.
"If it wasn't for bending, Kota wouldn't have been forced to perform an act that no child should ever do just to protect you from them. They've ruined the world, but with Amon we can fix it and build a perfect world together! We can help people like us everywhere." He took off one of his electro gloves and handed it to Asami, "Join me Asami." He asked.
Asami just stood there, afraid and confused, but after a moment she gained a determined look in her eyes and she walked forward and took the glove and placed it on.
"No..." Mako whispered in sadness.
"I love you dad." Asami said as she shocked him.
The Lieutenant went to attack her, but she kicked his first kali stick out of his hand and caught his other arm and shocked him with the glove.
"Let's get out of here!" Mako as he grabbed Kota and headed to the hole they came from just as the other mecha tanks came to life.
'At the Metalbender Airship'
Korra helped Mako lay Kota on a bench.
Kota cracked his eyes open and smiled at Korra, "Hey there, how many did you take down?" he joked softly.
Korra swatted him on the head and he yelped, "What?" he asked.
"Don't joke about things like that." She said with a huff as she folded her arms.
"Sorry."
Kota looked at Asami in sadness, "I'll have a talk with her once I'm rested."
'With Lin and Tenzin'
"My metalbenders are on their way to Amon and its all my fault. Tarrlok's right, I failed as Chief. First thing in the morning I'm handing in my resignation." She said in sadness.
"No! You can't give up like this." Tenzin argued.
"I'm not giving up." Lin said with a grunt as she sat up from the bench she was laying on, "I'm going to find my officers and take Amon down, but I'm going to do it my way...outside the law." She said with determination.
Mako approaches the Avatar.
"Does your offer to live at the Air Temple Island still stand?" Mako asked.
"Of course it does. Asami's welcome too." Korra said.
"Thank you so much." Mako said. Just then Kota went up to Mako with a hand on his shoulder.
"Look out for her okay, Mako? She's in a very delicate state right now. Hopefully both of us can get her out of it." Kota said, he had a face that said they will deal with the other situation at another time.
Mako looked him in the eye and nodded as he walked away to Asami and held her close.
"So, what now?" Korra asked.
"I don't know," Kota said, "Zaofu can't join in the fight... we need to call the forces if this gets worse."
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone