Sneaking into the mountain facility had been easy for the four of them.
All Asami had to do was drive along the dirt roads up to the top of the underground complex, following Jin's directions. Then the earthbender opened a tunnel that descended like an elevator, and the two spirits followed them down.
Security guards? None here. But there had been several stationed along the rail lines leading up, so it made sense they thought controlling the only access point would be enough to keep everything secret.
"What is all this?" Asami asked, looking around at the strange robots, batteries, thick platinum walls, electrified gloves, and insulated suits. She picked one up and immediately recognized her father's craftsmanship. "I don't remember anything like this among the company's products, and these definitely aren't prototypes."
Her father had always preferred using cheaper materials for test builds —a habit born from his humble beginnings. When a product passed the minimum quality and viability standards, he would then remake it with top-grade materials.
"Are these some kind of machines for construction work?" Jin suggested while examining the inside of one of the robots. "They've even got hooks and everything."
Wow. Even with Hiroshi at the forefront of technology, the eternal nightmare of tangled wiring under the hood still lived on, huh?
And although he said it just to keep the conversation flowing, in truth —if you removed the weapons, the electric discharge system, and the unnecessarily thick armor meant to protect the pilot from benders— it didn't sound like a bad idea at all.
They could easily go from military to civilian use. Expensive, perhaps, but entirely functional.
"I don't think so," Kyoshi said, looking at the electrified gloves as Asami held one closer to examine it. "I've seen people wearing these things on the streets at night. They belong to that group… what were they called again?"
"The Equalists," Asami muttered, staring at the full-body suits. "The glove must be a way to skip the training needed to learn chi-blocking —it lets them knock anyone out instantly without effort," she explained while glancing at what looked like a prototype for a motorcycle.
Was Asami aware that the Equalists were training chi-blockers?
Actually, thinking back, the group had been active for some time before Korra's arrival. Otherwise, there wouldn't have been so many people united under their cause. It made sense that people already knew a few things about them.
"Are you implying your father's been supplying the Equalists with equipment and funding?" Jin asked, tugging gently at that thread.
He was close now —Asami just needed one more point to connect everything.
"Finan—? Oh, of course!" Asami ran a hand through her long hair. "I always wondered how they could afford everything they did! I thought they got their money from members or something!" she exclaimed, slamming the glove down on the table in anger. "How could he hide all of this from me?!"
She felt so betrayed—and stupid!
Inkasha was poking her head into every machine, inspecting their insides while the others talked.
"You told me a firebender was responsible for your mother's death," Jin said, patting one of the robots.
"Are you saying my father…?"
"…went from grief and mourning to hating all benders with passion —by extension, instead of just the real culprit?" Jin finished for her.
Just as he expected, Asami began connecting many dots she had dismissed before. Things she hadn't paid attention to when she was younger.
Late-night meetings. The endless hours he spent in his workshop. Orders for materials that later seemed to vanish —she'd thought they were inventory mistakes. The fact that the company's accounting numbers were always lower than her estimates.
Those same discrepancies were one of the reasons she'd studied so seriously —wanting to help her father with the business as she grew older.
"If he's been doing all this since Mom died, I can't even imagine how much effort he's put into it," Asami whispered, covering her face with both hands as tears began to fall. "Oh, Dad… do you really think Mom would've wanted any of this?"
Jin stepped forward to hug her while Kyoshi continued inspecting items around the facility, and Inkasha joined them quietly.
"I have to talk to Dad about this and make him stop!" Asami declared after crying for a few minutes, regaining her resolve. "He always said he wanted to make the world better through the company, but the Equalists aren't saints —they hurt anyone who stands against them, benders or not."
And she was right. It didn't matter if it was the city's side or the Equalists' side —the same old story applied: if you're not with us, you're against us.
"You know him better than I do," Jin said, gesturing around at the machines, "but with the obvious effort and money he's put into all this… even I can tell that just walking in and saying 'stop' won't go the way you hope."
Asami opened her mouth but said nothing. Once she'd calmed down a bit, she realized he was right —a direct confrontation might not be the best approach.
"Can I make a suggestion?"
Seeing the emotional moment had passed, the past Avatar approached after finishing her inspection.
"I'm open to any idea right now," Asami said, already thinking of other possibilities. "Is it some kind of Avatar advice?"
"You should show your father your new ability," Kyoshi said bluntly —as direct in death as she had been in life. She didn't see the point in complicating things if there was a clear path forward. "If his reasoning is that all benders are evil and must disappear, then maybe if he sees his own daughter as part of the group he wants to destroy, it'll stop him in his tracks," she suggested. "At the very least, it'll force him to question what he's doing."
Jin understood why Kyoshi said that… but he didn't like the idea one bit.
Asami had only just become a waterbender and could barely move the water in a flower vase before losing control. He still worried that if Hiroshi saw Asami as a bender, he might simply ask Amon to "cure" her —to make her the way she was before.
But voicing that concern would mean explaining how he knew Amon could do that, and that he was a bloodbender —when the Great Revelation Amon had planned hadn't happened yet.
Sure, Jin was focusing on one possible outcome among many, but he couldn't help it. He cared about Asami, and while Hiroshi had been consumed by hatred, the damage to their father–daughter bond had scarred them both deeply.
Asami was taken aback. She hadn't considered that approach at all.
"Do you have to decide right now?" Inkasha floated beside Asami's face, tilting her head curiously.
"She's right," Jin said, patting Inkasha on the head —she clearly enjoyed the attention. "No one knows we've been here or what we've found, so making a decision right here and now isn't necessary. We can go back and pretend we don't know anything until we're ready. I'm not saying we ignore it," he clarified, "but I think you'll agree that taking a little time —even just a day— will help you clear your head and gather more information."
If they were going to confront Hiroshi, Jin needed her to at least wait until the Great Revelation. That moment alone would prevent many future problems, since Amon would reveal his trump card and Jin wouldn't have to keep pretending ignorance.
"You're right. Making a decision now wouldn't be wise," Asami said, shaking her head. "Let's go before anyone finds us." She was going to take her time to digest everything and think clearly.
After making sure everything was exactly as they'd found it, Jin reversed the rock elevator and sealed the area without leaving a single crack to show they'd been there.
As Asami drove back, Jin was already thinking about how to get everyone to meet each other.
The Pro-Bending Arena was officially his now. Korra would be joining the Fire Ferrets in the next round —and they would win. After that, it wouldn't be strange at all for him to invite them to dinner to celebrate, and conveniently introduce himself as the new owner of their home arena, right?
Mako, Bolin, and Korra —plus Asami and Jin.
In fact, he could even suggest that Korra help teach Asami to waterbend. Kyoshi would undoubtedly be an excellent teacher, and they could all meet during the lessons. Besides, anyone who had seen the series knew just how much Korra needed a female friend her own age.
"Two Avatars teaching someone? I don't think anyone's ever had that kind of luxury —past, present, or future," he thought with an amused smile.