Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

She toyed carelessly with the knife in her hand, twirling it around in her fingers as she looked at the papers scattered in front of her. She read, eyes scanning back and over the report with a clenched jaw for the umpteenth time, as if maybe they'd eventually shift into something different the next time over. 

There, in bold letters on the case report, was the confirmation that another one of her soldiers had gone missing. It was something that, unfortunately, happened frequently in her line of work, but as of late, the missing persons and death tolls were climbing higher and higher. Not to mention, the other well known bosses had been targeted more prominently too. 

It wasn't exactly surprising to see leaders dethroned or witness members disappear, numbers dwindling at despairing rates. It happened all the time underground in their line of work. But the attacks had been relentless in the last five to six years, and each year the person behind them became bolder and bolder. 

Unlike casualties that happened daily from mistakes made on the field or justice seeking cases gone wrong, these were planned, targeted . They were picking off people one by one. There was no rhyme or reason. And to make it all worse, there was now another group that was affecting the civilians too. 

There had been more kidnappings, murders, and human trafficking cases lately than there had been in the last decade. But every lead ended in a cold case up above and down below. Everyone had their suspicions, but not a soul held the evidence, the key to it all. Nobody could seem to locate the source. It was all a guessing game. And with no pattern to follow, it was impossible to guess the next move. These people were good at covering their tracks, she had to give credit where it was due. 

She sighed and glanced at the bulletin board on her right that held a list of bounties, missing persons cases, and active requests. They weren't organized very well at all, no kind of hierarchy or pattern to follow. But there in the center inside the heart of the surrounding chaos, stood her masked face, a high end bounty underneath, the symbol that still lit a raging fire inside her stamped perfectly in the corner. Everyone was being picked off, nobody was safe, and these little bounties had been sprouting up more and more. She knew that symbol. It was from another underground group, an organized gang that thrived off of chaos. The Red Lotus. 

They were the ones behind most of the underground murders, the missing soldiers and the slaughtered bosses. But nobody could seem to stop them. There were no definite leads as to where their headquarters currently stood, nor who they're leader even was. 

They continuously moved like a poisonous shadow, creeping out at night and disappearing into the dark. For years leaders had been trying to put an end to their spree. And even with a significant portion of the most powerful and well formed groups melding together to try and conquer them, all had been unsuccessful. It was like a waiting game. Everyone with one of those bounties was a ticking time bomb, they were all on a timer. And with each passing second where no progress was made, that timer decreased faster and faster. 

It was now five years running she'd had that bounty on her head. And she knew it pissed them off to see her still standing because nobody had lasted this long. But much to their distaste she didn't plan on going down easy. Not until she settled the score and claimed merciless vengeance. As soon as she came face to face with them she had every intent to kill, there would be no fight, no forgiveness, no clemency. There would be only warm blood spilled, the most beautiful shade of crimson painting the streets. 

Despite her occupation, despite how it sounded, she didn't necessarily enjoy the act of killing. But unfortunately it was required in most situations. She wholeheartedly preferred to find ways around death, to avoid senseless bloodshed and keep from adding to the toll. But sometimes, it was necessary when cooperation wasn't there. 

Even criminals had rules, and even the most shady of men and dastardly of villains had a code to follow. And when that code was abused, like it so often was, that was where she and her soldiers stepped in. Sometimes it was necessary to do wrong in order to achieve good. There were different organizations, different groups and gangs that readied underground. 

And if there had to be a tier list, her group, the White Lotus, was easily at the top. Because as far as cleanliness, ethic, and personal values went down below, the White Lotus were the most respected. The Mafia was something akin to the police of the underground. Making sure everyone followed the rules and followed through with their promises. It was kind of like being the most refined piece of shit in a sewage drain. Still disgusting, still horrible, but better than the rest. And that certainly had to count for something. 

The White Lotus weren't cold blooded killers. They had the highest morals in comparison to the others. Because again, she had never enjoyed bloodshed, she didn't crave it or yearn for it like some did. All she wanted was to keep the streets clean, to make sure the underground didn't reach the surface and keep everyone under control. When there was a dispute, they stepped in. When someone needed to be taken out because they posed a threat to both the organizations and the innocent civilians, they were quietly taken out. Problems yielded solutions, and Korra and her people were there to provide them. 

And Korra, well she was quite the prodigy. She was one of the most influential and well known Mafia Bosses that had ever walked the earth. Nobody knew what she looked like, that was because anyone who crossed her path typically never made it out alive to tell what they'd seen. And that meant there were a lot of people who wanted to see her fall. She hadn't yet though, and she liked to believe it was because of the way she ran things that her own people were so unyieldingly loyal. 

But even with all that being said, she was getting tired. Too many of her own soldiers had been going radio silent as of late. It meant that the Red Lotus was crawling closer. But what pissed her off more than anything was the fact that their disappearances were only the result of crossfire. The Red Lotus didn't want them. They wanted her . They wanted the Avatar.  

Despite the high numbers of soldiers and individuals that were part of the White Lotus, every single one was treated like family. And when one person grieved, all of them did. And with the way the Red Lotus was picking off her people in cold blood, she was getting increasingly frustrated, and so was everyone else. Tensions were high, to say the least. 

Everyone was on edge trying to figure out who was going to go next. They'd tried to lay low lately, keep themselves hidden and only take on the missions that were absolutely necessary. They were slowly getting cornered, trapped in from all sides, and if she didn't come up with a solution soon, there was going to be a rising internal mutiny on her hands, and people would start getting desperate. When people got desperate they got sloppy, and being sloppy led to mistakes. Mistakes they didn't have the ability to afford at the moment. They were already down significantly in numbers, she really wanted to avoid adding any more bodies to that list. 

But it was getting increasingly difficult. This was a beast unlike anything they'd ever seen. And everyone was looking at her to fix it. In front of them she claimed she was getting somewhere, assured them that justice would be served and every day they were getting closer to success. However, behind closed doors, she was getting increasingly restless. She'd spent hours, upon days, upon weeks, and months trying to come up with something . But every time she came up empty handed. Every lead proved useless. Every path was a mocking dead end. And she was over it. They just needed an opening, one slip up they could latch onto and they'd win. 

A knock sounded on the door, cutting through her thoughts. She stabbed the knife into her desk with a huff, her head aching from how long she'd been devoting her attention to the reports in front of her, searching for any evidence that might lead them to the enemy. 

“Come in.” she called coldly as she straightened up and turned her attention to the door. As the door opened to reveal only her two closest companions she slouched back into her chair unceremoniously. 

“You look like shit.” Mako chided with a familiar laugh as he sat in one of the leather chairs across from her desk like he often did. 

Bolin followed suit a moment later. “Mako, you can't just say that.” he scolded before he turned to Korra. “But he does have a valid claim. You look like you haven't slept in days.”

Korra rubbed a hand over her face. “That's because I haven't.” she huffed as she grabbed one of the papers and tossed it over for the brothers to read. “We've got another one reported missing. That's the third one in the last two weeks. They're not holding back anymore. It's only a matter of time before we start seeing double digits.” she confessed to the only two people she trusted to keep her sane. She liked to exude confidence and radiate a type of authority that couldn't be denied, but the two people she couldn't bullshit were the brothers. 

She'd grown up with both of them at her side. They'd been brought into organization after they were found fending for themselves on the streets during a mission. They were one of the few kids that got brought into the underground. For the most part people would take abandoned and helpless children to the orphanages, but the boys had been in pretty bad shape when they were found. And they were wounded enough that everyone was well aware an orphanage wasn't going to be well enough equipped to handle the situation. They later found out the brothers parents had been killed in a planned house fire after some intricate entanglements with a gang went awry. 

And the original plan, from what Korra had been told at least, was that the brothers were supposed to be taken to the orphanage after they healed, but Mako and Bolin insisted on staying. And after some debate everyone had agreed that the boys would be in too much danger and would likely be targeted. So in the end the brothers had agreed to behave and promised to listen as long as they were kept together and off the streets. 

Korra couldn't blame them for that request. She'd seen the kinds of challenges that people on the streets were forced to endure, not to mention the systematic issues within orphanages and foster care systems. There was a likely chance the brothers would be split up, and they had been adamant about sticking together.

So begrudgingly, her father had let them stay. The three of them were raised as siblings. And they had a type of bond that couldn't be broken. She trusted them more than anyone. So when Korra had to step up and take over to become the boss, she had entrusted her two best friends with the most respected positions she could offer. Mako, being the older and more stoic of the two, was her Underboss, her second in command. And Bolin claimed the spot as her Consigliere. 

And she was eternally grateful for their consistent assistance and loyalty. Because if she didn't have them to keep her on track and level headed she'd easily have lost it by now. Trying to keep hundreds of members in line, delegate the missions, and keep an eye on everything all on her own would be completely impossible. 

Mako sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “So, just to be clear, we've still got nothing to work with?”

Korra shook her head. “No, nothing.” she practically growled. “I've scanned through everything, but nothing stands out. I've read the police reports, the soldiers reports, and talked to everyone who was there. Nobody can seem to give me anything that would lead us to the source.” 

Bolin leaned over into Mako space to look at the files. “Man, you gotta give credit where it's due. These guys know how to cover their tracks.” 

Korra sighed and looked at the bulletin board once again. She'd thought the same exact thing. It might have been funny, under different circumstances. “I've gotta come up with something, and quick. They're getting closer and if we don't make a move soon there's going to be an all out massacre in the streets.”

Mako glanced at the photo where Korra's eyes had landed before turning back to her. “Maybe you need to take a break from the paperwork. I'm serious, you look like death. And nobody's going to believe a thing you say if you don't look put together.”

Bolin nodded. “Yeah, also your eyes are kinda sunken in and you look a little like the grim reaper. It's kind of terrifying.” 

Korra glared at them both, unamused. “So, was there a reason you came to interrupt me aside from criticizing my appearance and telling me how shit I look?” 

Bolin perked up. “Oh yeah! We actually came to bring you some good news.” 

“Oh? Something promising I hope.” Korra replied intrigued. It was rare good news appeared around here. Lately it had been one uphill battle after another with no signs of stopping. 

Mako tossed the files back on the desk. “Surprisingly, yes,” he told her. “We did some digging and managed to get a lead about a cartel on the East side. We think they might be some of the people involved in those cases with the civilians.” 

Korra was hesitant. It seemed too good to be true. “Are you sure this isn't some kind of set up?”

Mako shrugged. “I don't think it is. But at this point it's all we have. I know we need to be careful, but you just said we needed to start making some progress. What have we got to lose?” 

She leaned back in her chair and considered the options presented to her. Mako had a point, they had nothing to lose and everything to gain. Even if it was a trap, if they were aware of that possibility going in, they were less likely to get caught in it. And if they stationed an elite squad waiting outside for backup while they handled everything inside they would be fine. It was risky. Especially when they were presently down a handful of soldiers. But they needed progress, and she was hoping that if she successfully solved the civilian issues, her victory would lead her to some sort of headway with the Red Lotus in the process. 

Korra sighed with her mind made up. “Alright get geared up. Let the Dove and Scorpion squads know they need to be ready to go in thirty to get a plan going.” she said, standing and taking the knife from her desk and folding it away to hide it in her boot. “I'm assuming you have some sort of map?” she said as she turned and looked at Mako expectantly. 

“I've got a general internal and solid external layout. It won't be perfect, but I think we can get something set up with what we have.” he reported. 

She gave a curt nod. “Bolin. Let the squads know where they need to be while Mako sets up in the war room. Mako, you've got half an hour to get ready. I'll head up to weapons and get everyone squared away.” 

“You got it boss.” Bolin mock saluted before walking out. Mako followed with a roll of his eyes and a careless wave behind his shoulder. 

She grabbed her bullet proof vest from the closet behind her, threw it on over her tank top and let it sit under her dress shirt, buttoning up the black silk hastily. She opened her safe and grabbed her pistol, holstering it high onto her thigh. She tied her hair up in a high ponytail, letting her undercut show. And after clipping one last extra loaded magazine to her belt, hidden by a clean cut suit jacket, she took off towards weapons to get everyone prepared. 

♣️

Korra stood at the front of the room with Mako and Bolin stationed right behind her. She looked over the soldiers in front of her with unmistakable authority before she began to outline the plan. 

“Alright people, we've got a lead on the East side of town about one of the potential groups associated with the current cartel that's been endangering the civilians up top.” she started. “Me, Mako, and the Scorpions are going to rush in from here.” she pointed to a back door on the map. “Once we get in, our target is a man who runs under the alias of Jiro Flint. His office should be in the center here. Scorpions group A, your job is to clear the halls, knockout the guards quickly and quietly. Try to avoid bloodshed by knocking them out and tying them up, but at the end of the day, do what you need to make sure you get out of there alive. I'll handle Flint. Mako, I want you and the Scorpions group B to look for any hostages and let me know what you find. I've got radios in the van, squad leaders make sure you grab them before you head in.” she instructed before turning her attention to the full group again. 

“Our goal is to get in, get what we need, save any hostages, and get the hell out of there.” she reiterated, holding eye constant with each and every person to make sure her point was received. “Doves, you're our backup in case this blows up in our faces. Bolin will be with you waiting outside, you're under his orders until I say otherwise.” she continued before she faced the crowd, her arms crossed and her chin held high. “And most importantly, we can't afford any more losses, so don't you dare fuck this up. Do I make myself clear?” 

Nobody tried to argue, only a synchronized curt nod came from the crowd. 

“Good.” She smiled devilishly. “Let's move. Load the vans. Wheels roll in five.” 

Everyone rose and stood ramrod straight before filing out silently. She smiled proudly at the sight. Five years of being in charge meant that she certainly knew how to command a crowd. 

Mako laughed from behind her. “You realize they're terrified of you, right?”

Korra smirked. “Good, that's what I'm aiming for.” she quipped.

“You've definitely grown over the last few years. You used to look a lot more hesitant, but you've really learned to embrace the role.” Bolin complimented. 

“Yeah, she definitely has.” Mako agreed with a teasing smile. “But even as her ego grows her height seems to stay the same.” he laughed, soon followed by Bolin. 

Korra rolled her eyes and shoved them both towards the door enough to make them both stumble forward. “Get the hell out of here. We've got shit to do.” 

They were right. She had certainly become more confident the longer she stayed in position. But nobody ever questioned her dedication or her abilities. They'd be a fool to do so. Everyone from their base to the end of the earth knew better than to underestimate her. She was pulling off some of the most lethal bounties and requests by the time she was fifteen. Everyone always underestimated the young soldiers, that was their first mistake…as well as their last. 

She hadn't always loved her position. It came with a lot of stress, countless headaches, endless pressure, and a kind of perilous adventure she could certainly live without. But she wouldn't deny that the adrenaline rush she got when she was successful didn't give her a high better than any drug out there. Not to mention, seeing justice served was never something to complain about.

It was all rewarding, even if she definitely wished that things were a little different. But that was a secret for her and only her to know. As far as her family was concerned, she couldn't be happier to wield the power she did. And that was exactly what she wanted them to believe. Because even she didn't want to see the truth. She had people that relied on her, too many of them. She had no choice but to relish and thrive in the authority. 

♣️

She stood at the sliding door of the van ushering everyone out as quickly and silently as possible. The more unprepared the guards inside were the larger the upper hand they'd hold. As the drivers hid themselves in the designated quick escape location she watched to make sure Bolin and the Doves were in the right spot. They had climbed up a hill that overlooked the base below. They had two lethal snipers waiting up top and a group of soldiers ready to rush in if needed. She radioed up to Bolin as Mako began to lead the Scorpions single file towards the back entrance. 

She looked up above towards where she knew Bolin and the Doves should be and held the small button on her ear piece. It was hard to see with nothing but the moonlight guiding them but she saw the glint of steel from the snipers rifles and knew they had made it safely. “Avatar to Obsidian. Everything ready up top?”

“We're all good up here, do your thing, Avatar.” she heard Bolin speak with assured confidence through her ear piece. 

Korra smiled, relieved by Bolin’s familiar and easy attitude. “See you on the flipside.” she told him before she made her way to the back of the line to follow everyone else heading towards the back. 

The headquarters was about what she expected. From the outside it looked like a typical abandoned warehouse. Broken down exterior, dead lights, graffiti on the sides from teenagers with nothing better to do. But the placement was perfect for a base of operations like the one this branch of the cartel was likely running. She saw the box trucks out back and the fresh tire marks that made a clear path from the loading docks to the main road. It was a sign this little base had been around for some time now. There was no telling what kind of fucked up scene they were about to walk in on. 

As everyone crouched down and made their way to the back door she took the lead and slithered up to the front of the line. Testing the doorknob to make sure it was locked as she suspected, she huffed when it didn't budge. It was a good sign for them that there was someone inside. People only locked up things they didn't want found. 

She turned to look at the squad behind her. “I'll have to kick the door down. Everyone be ready to rush in. I'll head in first and take the brunt of the attacks. Once we get in and get most of them taken care of, that's when we split.” she commanded before pulling her pistol from her holster and turning off the safety. 

She counted to three and took a breath before sending her foot slamming into the door hard enough to bust the handle off and get them in. She rushed forward with her pistol in hand, as soon as she stepped foot inside she was met with two clearly rookie guards. They didn't even move to aim their weapons at her. She hit one upside the head with her gun and used her elbow to uppercut the other. They both slumped to the floor unconscious. It was almost comical how pathetic they were. 

However, she didn't get to bask in the mirth for long. As soon as they fell to the floor the place flooded with guards. She sprang forward towards the first body she saw and landed a left hook to his face. In the process, another man came up from behind and tried to put her in a headlock. She slammed her head back and let her momentum carry her into the nearest wall, headbutting his forehead before the back of his skull hit the wall with a sickening crunch. Seeing that everyone else had managed to hold their own and were tying up the last of the unconscious guards she peeked around the corner to a hallway with her pistol pointed in front of her. One glance told her that there wasn't anyone else coming to join them, at least not yet. 

She silently held up the sign language A and pointed forward with two fingers to send the first group forward so they could start clearing the halls. She glanced around noticing the locked cellar door off to the side. If there were hostages they'd definitely be underground. It was also likely that with the back entrance being closest to the loading docks, they'd keep the hostages closer to the door so that when they were loaded and shipped off there was less time to run. It was absolutely disgusting and she was praying that this was nothing more than a drug base, but she knew better than to let herself hope. 

Hoping never went well for people like her. 

She held up a B and locked eyes with Mako before nodding towards the door. He saluted before leading his squad over to infiltrate the basement. 

She turned back to the hall and attempted to follow the map she had memorized before she left. If it was accurate, Flint's office would be a few halls down and on the right, perfectly in the middle of it all. The ring leader of the circus. As the Scorpions in front of her cleared the path she followed close behind watching their backs as they rushed forward. After a few halls, she found exactly what she was looking for. She motioned for the Scorpions to keep moving before she stopped in front of the heavy metal door and holstered her gun away. 

She didn't bother knocking, simply opened the door and let herself in. Jiro was sitting at his desk, clearly caught off guard by what was happening and entirely unprepared. 

“Wonderful evening, isn't it Jiro?” she asked as she moved forward into the room. As soon as she took the first step she was held at gunpoint by two men on either side of her. She wasn't even remotely phased. “Easy now boys, no need for the violence. I'm just here to talk with Mr. Flint. Privately, of course.” she smiled. 

She didn't feel threatened in the slightest, not by them, and certainly not by the man in front of her. Jiro glanced at the pistol on her thigh before meeting her gaze, and then he swallowed thickly. That terrified look always gave her the smallest bit of satisfaction. “Leave us be.” he ordered. 

One of the men looked hesitant. “Sir-”

“I said go!” he reiterated more sternly, it was clear he was panicked. Such a pitiful sight. Or it would be, maybe if she cared a little more. Maybe if she had some empathy for him. But she couldn't seem to find it in her right now. Not when she knew who he was working with. 

As both men exited, she marched forward. “Mind if I take a seat?” she asked, pulling out a chair for herself and not bothering waiting for a reply. 

The office was actually quite nice, clearly recently renovated to fit the man's needs. Shelves along the wall that held stacks of books, a filing cabinet in the corner, a polished wooden desk in the center. Flint sat up in the chair and glared at her coldly. “What the hell do you want?” 

Korra looked playfully offended. “My my, what a temper Mr. Flint. Is that any way to treat an honored guest?” she mused, enjoying every second. 

He clenched his jaw glaring at her like a stain on his favorite shirt. “I don't know what game you're trying to play, but I don't want any part of it.” 

She pretended to be uninterested, knowing it would only rile him up further. “I just have a few questions, that's all. As long as you have some answers, we shouldn't have any problems.” she grinned. 

He scoffed, but he was shaking. “Like I'd tell you anything.” 

Korra clicked her tongue in disapproval. “Is this how you treat all of your business partners? So much attitude for such a small man, don't you think?”

Wordlessly, he hastily went to reach for a drawer, likely to pull a weapon, and Korra looked at him, daring him to try as he waited with his hand on the handle of the drawer. She didn't move, she just sat there calmly as she spoke. “I wouldn't do that if I were you. We both know how that's gonna go for you.” she mused. 

He huffed before pulling his hand away and fixed the round glasses that sat on the bridge of his nose. “What do you wanna know?”

“See, now was that so hard?” she said mockingly before she sat up a little straighter. “Now, you know how word gets around down here. And a little friend told me you might know something about those missing people cases up top.” 

He hesitated, Korra caught it. It was miniscule, but there. “I'm afraid you're out of luck. I don't have a clue as to what you're talking about.” He tried to recover, but it was to no avail. He was as good as gone. Sometimes that was all it took to seal your fate. Sometimes, it wasn't everyone else who dug your grave for you. Sometimes it was your own doing, shovel in hand and rope tied around your neck for good measure 

Korra hummed. “Strange. I could have sworn this was the right address.” she stated thoughtfully as she looked around the room. “Especially after I saw those tire tracks leading up to the main road. You know, the road that leads to the border just South of here. I'm sure you've seen it.” 

Jiro blinked once, clearly surprised before trying to regain his stoic front. “Yes, well, sorry to disappoint, but those tire tracks are from my shipments of scrap metal. The South border has been in dire need lately.”

As he finished the little piece in Korra's ear crackled with noise. “Inferno to Avatar. We got about twenty lambs down here. Situation is under control, but we're waiting for orders on how to proceed.”

Time stopped, for just a second. And yet Korra didn't show it, she didn't move, she didn't flinch, didn't breathe any differently. Instead her blood ran cold as she turned to look at the painfully pathetic man before her. Her whole demeanor had shifted, it didn't take words or a movement or anything dramatic to make that known. All it took was a single, lethal glare, and by the terrified look in the plump man's eyes, he knew he had made a mistake. “So tell me Jiro. Does the South also have a dire need for little kids?” she spat. 

His eyes widened, mouth dropping open. Oh yeah, he was fucked. It was a look that was common. That one that people got right when they knew they weren't making it out of a situation alive. 

And that look was correct. The bastard wasn't living to see another day. She'd make sure of that. 

“I…I can explain.” he drawled. 

In one fell swoop she stood and grabbed the gun from her holster, turned off the safety and clocked it back. Aiming the barrel straight at his forehead. “You know the problem with flint, Jiro?”

“P-please, enlighten me.” he stammered as he stared straight into the barrel. 

She let out a breath, staring at the man and hoping he'd disintegrate in front of her. When it didn't work, she spoke evenly. “When it strikes enough steel, it disappears.” she stated coldly, a statement completely devoid of anything. 

“Wait!” he yelled before the bullet landed right between his eyes. 

It was the last word he got out, and the last one he'd ever speak. 

Without turning around she aimed the pistol backwards and shot the two guards he had previously sent out of the room. Blood splattered, and Korra didn't so much as flinch. She watched as Flint’s whole upper half slumped forward into the desk, now stained with fresh crimson liquid. She felt his pulse just to confirm he was dead before she leaned in. “Say hello to the devil for me on your way down.” She told him quietly. And then walked away without so much as batting an eye. 

As the Scorpions tore down the hall at the sound of the shot she spoke. “Throw him in the river. Meet back up at the cellar when you're done. We've got kids downstairs and we'll need all hands on deck.”

The squad leader saluted. “Yes, boss.” he confirmed before turning into the previous office and getting to work. 

She continued walking away from the office as she spoke to Mako. “Avatar to Inferno, I'm headed your way.” she said before flipping the channel. “Avatar to Obsidian. We need all hands on deck. The threat’s been handled but we've got about twenty lambs that need to be ushered out.”

Bo’s voice came through only a second later. “Understood. Heading your way with back up now.”

She strapped her gun to her thigh and made her way down the old cellar stairs. As soon as she made it down she saw the bodies on the ground, some only bound by ties and others laying atop a pool of their own blood. She ignored them in favor of walking forward towards the busted open door. 

Her stomach sank at the sight in front of her. Mako was right, there were about twenty kids. All of them were filthy, nothing more than skin and bones as their clothes hung off of their fragile forms. Most of them looked petrified with running tears and loud sobs escaping them. The oldest couldn't be more than seven. But even at that, nothing, absolutely nothing made the raging ire build inside her like the sight of the metal bars they were stuffed in. The kids were piled in groups, stuffed to the brim in small cage-like cells. They were treated like fucking animals. 

Just looking at it made her heart sink. The only thing bringing her satisfaction was knowing that the man behind it all was halfway down the express route to hell by now. She looked at Mako who appeared equally enraged by the scene. “What's your orders?” he asked as he looked at her for an answer. 

Korra sighed. “We'll have to load them up and get them to the station so the police can get them back to their parents. Let me take the lead, once I get them grouped up we'll load them up in the vans and I'll go with someone to drop them off.” she said. “Bolin’s on his way with back up.”

Mako nodded and handed her keys he had swindled off one of the guards. “Sounds good. I'll go find him and give him the rundown.” he said before heading back up.

She turned to the first cell that was closest to her, heart clenching painfully as the kids all huddled into a corner when she carefully unlocked the gate. As she slid the rusty metal door open she carefully stepped inside with her hands in front of her where the kids could see them. It wasn't going to be enough to undo the damage these kids had sustained, but it was all she could offer at the moment. 

“Hey, hey, it's alright. I'm not gonna hurt you.” she said as the kids scooted away. She crouched down to sit on her heels and patted her hands on her thighs softly as she thought. “Look, me and my friends wanna help you guys find your parents. Is that okay?” the kids all stared at her wide-eyed and uncertain, as if she'd spoken in another language. 

She sighed trying to think of anything she could get to coax them. She didn't blame them for their lack of trust. The scene before her was proof enough they had every reason to be scared and skeptical. She pointed a thumb behind her. “I've got a friend coming down here who really likes to tell jokes. He's pretty funny.” she said as Bolin and Mako appeared behind her outside the cell. Smiled at the kids before whispering. “That tall guy isn't as funny, he just looks weird.” 

“Hey, I'm right here.” Mako quipped, playing along with the bit. 

The kids giggled as they slowly eased up. And Korra took that as her chance to swoop in. “Is it okay if we get you out of here?” she asked them, giving them a choice in hopes that it would feel less overbearing. She wasn't good at this, she wasn't good with kids. Or really anything fragile for that matter. 

The kids nodded in response before standing on wobbly legs, too malnourished and frail to even get up on their own. She took slow and careful steps towards them before reaching her hands out. They almost curled in on themselves before one of them finally dared to take her hand and let her help them stand. “It's okay, I've got you.” she repeated over and over. The kid, a young blonde boy, maybe four years old held onto her hand in a death grip. She reached down and picked him up gently before holding him to her chest. He sobbed into her neck as she picked him up and Korra's heart shattered. 

She carried him out of the cell before delicately passing him off to Bolin. One by one, slowly but surely they managed to get all the kids out of the cells. It took a lot of convincing, and some of the older kids were clearly protective of the younger ones. But after about an hour they managed to get everyone out and loaded up into the vans. 

Everyone sat in the rows of seats, squished together, exhausted, and overwhelmed. Well, all except for one. She held a small little girl, probably five. As soon as she picked the girl up the poor kid refused to let go. She clung to Korra like a lifeline until she fell asleep. And Korra didn't have the heart to abandon her or make her let go. She climbed into the front seat with Bolin as the driver while Mako stayed behind to finish cleaning up and looking for some evidence they could use back inside Flint's office.

As the van rolled away she watched in the rearview mirror to make sure everyone was settled. When she moved to look over her shoulder the girl in her arms stirred, and a single brown eye peaked open to look up, as if to make sure Korra was still there. The boss brushed the curly brown hair from the little girl's face and ran her fingers through it in a soothing manner, hoping it would do something to ease the kids' worries. The girl only curled further into Korra's hold before closing her eyes again. And that time Korra did let a tear escape, much to her own displeasure. 

She'd seen things so absolutely horrific in her field that it was a shock that anything still bothered her. But there was always something about seeing kids in these positions. Innocence shattered and broken. And it would take them years to recover from it, if they ever even did recover. It wasn't fair, things like this never were. But they really, truly, didn't deserve this. There was no crime they could commit that would ever justify this. 

She hated being vulnerable, she didn't like showing when things bothered her. But she really couldn't help it this time. This particular mission left a bitter taste on her tongue and a fire in her chest. Even though she tried to force it down. 

Her only saving grace was that Bolin was kind enough not to comment on the shed tear. 

These kids were so gentle, absolutely sweet and precious. And yet they had been caged and locked away, huddled into corners and starved. They hadn't deserved any of it. No child deserved the kind of torment she had just witnessed, and none of them should even be aware of such horrors at their ages. 

If she could go back and make Flint's death ten times more excruciating, she would. The man deserved to be skinned alive, burned at the stake, and fed to the wolves for what he had been doing. And even still, it wouldn't be enough for her to feel like she'd made it up to these kids. 

Bolin glanced at her from the passenger seat with a smile. “I never knew you were so good with kids. You know, under all the badass scary fighting stuff.”

Korra rolled her eyes. “I'm not. These kids are just terrified and looking for any kind of saving grace. This isn't safety, it's desperation.” 

Bolin hummed without saying anything. 

Korra looked up from the little girl in her arms to focus on him. “What?” 

Bolin shrugged. “It's okay to admit you have a soft spot for them.” 

Korra scoffed. “I'll never admit that because it would be a lie . I'm just trying to keep them calm and then I'm going back to help Mako and kill every last living piece of shit down there.”

Bolin shook his head with a laugh. “Whatever you say, Avatar.” 

Korra glared at him from her seat. Bolin was wrong. She wasn't good with kids, in fact they probably hated her. The little girl was obviously just tired and desperate for solace. She'd never let anyone know just how much she cared, just how deeply seeing them there killed her. Because that would be a sign of weakness, and in her line of work, weaknesses were something she couldn't afford to hold. 

Korra wasn't good with fragile things. She never failed to break them. She couldn't be trusted, and she shouldn't be. Not with anything beautiful, never with anything beautiful. 

The rest of the drive was made in silence, but Korra couldn't keep herself from smiling at the little girl in her arms who trusted her so deeply, even if it was just as a last resort. 

Maybe she wasn't as cold as she wanted to convince everyone else she was.

♣️

She plopped down at her desk with Mako and Bolin following close behind looking just as exhausted as she herself was. Dropping off the kids had gone over easy enough. Except for the fact that the Chief of police didn't exactly care for Korra. The woman was always so cold and stoic. But she tolerated the Avatar, and that was enough for now. 

She had a feeling it was because Lin Beifong secretly knew what they were doing, who they were. But luckily she never said anything. After all, the White Lotus were the ones keeping peace underground, taking them out would only make things worse. After a brief cover story, they had dropped off the kids and left with the assurance that they would make sure they did their best to get the kids back to their homes. 

Mako tossed over the file of evidence he had taken from the scene and sat in the leather chair across from her. She opened it up, glancing at the list of names inside. 

“Well, looks like we have an idea of where we need to go next.” she said as she flipped through the papers. 

Mako nodded. “Yeah, it's something at least.” he said with a yawn. 

Korra kept flipping through the papers, trying to find more potential leads to work with. They had shut down one base, but there were a dozen more waiting for them. And it was likely there would be trucks trying to load up tomorrow at Flint's location, but once they realized that the place was empty word would spread like wildfire and people would make themselves scarce. This was just one battle of many. 

She needed to start compiling a list and try to figure out a route to break up as many of the cartel bases as possible. They needed to work quickly. The faster they could get the ball rolling the more momentum they'd have, and if they kept going in quick nobody would be able to prepare for their arrival. She picked up her pen and started to chart a map on the wall before Mako came over and took her pen from her hand. 

“Korra.” he stated with crossed arms. 

She glared at him. They didn't have time to fuck around. Who knew how many more bases there were out there? And what if those bases all had more kids? Or mothers? Or women? Or both? The more time they wasted the more innocent people they were risking and she refused to put anyone else's safety on the line. “What?”

He gave her a look. “We're all exhausted, we had a long night. You included.” he stated. 

She looked at Mako unimpressed before turning back to the map and putting bright red pins where she knew some of the mentioned bases to be. “Well then you two can go back home and get some sleep. I'll give you an update in the morning.” she told them as she sat on top of her desk and tried to create a solid route for them to follow that would grant them the largest upper hand. 

Her second in command stepped between her and the board. “Korra. You need to go home and rest. We'll all meet back up tomorrow with clear heads and get to work.”

Bolin spoke up a second later to back his brother up. “You always tell us that the best plans are the ones made with level heads and time.” 

“Besides, you know what Kya would say if she saw you right now.” Mako smiled with his point made. 

“She wouldn't say anything, she'd just ring my neck.” Korra quipped as she tapped her foot, debating. 

“Exactly. So go home before I have to send Mama Bear after you.” he said as bumped into her shoulder and looked at the board with her. 

It was tempting. To lay down and finally get some sleep, or at least try to, after so long without it. But it felt wrong. Her stomach felt sick knowing that there were more people out there that needed to be saved. And not only that, but they hadn't made it in time to save all of those kids. 

There were undoubtedly kids that were still missing and the police couldn't do anything with them now being over the border, which then left it to the parents to figure it out. The longer they waited, the more time they took, the worse it was going to be. But Mako also had a valid point. She couldn't tell up from down or left from right with how sluggish her body felt. She wasn't even sure if the words in front of her were even words or just black inky blobs. 

She sighed, conceding. “Alright. One night. But we get back to work here at 7, bright and early.” she commanded tiredly. 

Bolin whined. “Can't we at least have until 8?” 

Korra rolled her eyes, but relented. “Fine. But I don't want to hear any bitching when we're slammed with paperwork.” 

“Yes Boss.” Bolin mock saluted with a little cheer of victory. “Come on, Mako. We have to go before she changes her mind.” he told his brother. 

Mako pulled Korra up off the desk by her arm. “Come on. You're going home too.” 

“Yeah, yeah, I'm coming.” she chided, acting vexed by them both. But secretly, though she'd absolutely never say it, she was thankful they had talked her into a little break. 

They all took the slick metal elevator up to the main floor and the brothers stepped out. Korra bid the boys goodnight before hitting the button for the top floor to take her to the very top of the massive hotel. She stepped off the elevator and scanned the card that would lead her into her penthouse suite. 

As soon as she stepped inside she was greeted by the steps of heavy paws on the hardwood floor. Without wasting any time her favorite energetic ball of white fluff came bounding down the stairs to greet her, showering her face with slobbery kisses. 

Korra chuckled. “It's good to see you too Naga.” she said as she scratched the pup's fur all over before pushing her down. 

Naga was massive, bigger than the average dog. The rescue didn't really know what breed she was, but her size was something of a great dane, her coat was like a white husky, and she had the unrelenting energy of a sheep dog. Korra had adopted the loveable pup a few years ago when the suite had grown too quiet for her to live with. It always gave her something to look forward to when she came home. 

Some days she brought Naga down to the headquarters with her, but this week she'd been too busy with everything else to watch over Naga too. She had found someone to train the pup so that the little furball could assist on the battlefield in missions. It would be nice to have a K-9 at their side, but Naga was only three and definitely still learning. She had a few more months of training to get through before she was deemed fit for the position. 

She walked further inside her house and filled Nagas bowl. It was always so echoey inside. The place was way larger than necessary, but it was all hers…at least it was now. When her parents had built the hotel atop the headquarters as a way to keep money flowing, they had also built their home at the very top. The suite was two stories in total. Five bedrooms, two bathrooms, a massive kitchen and conjoining dining room, two living rooms, and her own personal gym. She was appreciative, however, it wasn't the inside that appealed to her. No, the best part about the whole place was the balcony, and more importantly, the view beyond it.

She slid open the large glass door and stepped out, instantly drifting to the cold, black, railing to look across the city. There were a plethora of skyscrapers and business buildings surrounding the Four Elements hotel. It sat right in the center of the city, the sounds of cars and people and sirens filtered through the air.

To someone who didn't grow up around it, it might be overwhelming. But for Korra, it was like coming back to an old friend. Somehow, the chaos was comforting, like standing in the eye of a hurricane. Knowing chaos swarmed around you, but feeling perfectly safe in the center of it. She often liked to watch the people move about, liked to see how everyone lived their lives from day to day. It was always interesting to watch how people interacted up top when they didn't have any idea about everything happening below. 

She sighed as she turned to look at the sky. It was pitch black out, and while the moon was bright, it was always hard to see the stars with all the smog. However, that didn't make the scene any less captivating. Because when she looked straight out over the railing, past the buildings, past the highways and roads, past the chaos, she could see the rippling waves of the ocean, steady and sure as ever. 

Always be like the ocean, Korra. Calm and confident on the surface, but keep everything else hidden below where nobody can reach it.

It was funny how even after all this time, she could still remember his voice and those words. And although she had always butted heads with her father, she'd give just about anything to hear his voice again, even if only to yell at her. Her mother too. 

With one last look over the city, she climbed up the stairs and stepped into her bedroom, shrugging off her jacket and tossing it in the hamper. She padded towards the attached master bath and turned on the water. She stripped out of her clothes and stepped into the shower, washing away the remaining evidence of her day. She watched as red blood that wasn't her own finally slipped off from her hands and face, tangling with the clean water before swirling down the drain. 

Sometimes that was the weirdest feeling after she killed. The idea that she would be the last one to see her victims, the one to hear their final words. She honestly couldn't ever say she felt bad about it though. And maybe that was wrong, immoral at the very least. 

But while the act of killing wasn't exactly enjoyable, she did find pleasure in justice. And seeing men like Flint, men who thought they were untouchable, men who were sick in the head, who slithered like snakes and tainted the underground scene with their venom… witnessing their empire fall, watching as all of their plans suddenly vanished all because of a perfectly aimed bullet guided by her hands…there was some sort of satisfaction in all of that she couldn't readily deny. 

Those who'd didn't understand would lump her and the Mafia as a whole with everyone else downstairs. They were considered just as bad, if not more dangerous, than the gangs and the cartels and the illegal organizations. But she was okay with that, because she knew the truth. What she did was for the best. And maybe it wasn't always a clean business, nor was it easy to understand, maybe it wasn't always as morally great as she liked to think it was…but it was hers. This life, this empire, this family, was all hers to watch over. And although she sometimes faltered, although she had her moments she wished for something different, at the end of the day she wouldn't trade it for anything. 

She knew she was a monster. She knew she was horrible. She wouldn't ever deny that. But she didn't care about what everyone else thought. At the end of the day, as long as she made the underground even the slightest bit less horrible…it was worth it to her. 

Once her body was clean and most of the aches in her muscles were gone she stepped out and threw on her boxers and sports bra before plopping in the bed. Naga followed almost instantly after, lugging herself up atop the mattress to cuddle next to Korra. She loved her animal companion, she however, did not love the way Naga made the bed ten times hotter. 

There was nothing like summer in the city. It was always suffocatingly muggy, hot inside and out. It made you feel like one big blob of sweat and heat and irritation. It was never exactly enjoyable, and everyone complained, but nobody moved. 

She turned her face to look out the window as she sank into the mattress and tried to put some space between her and the radiating ball of fluffy fire that was Naga. It was as she heard the siren from below that she remembered something. 

She reached over to grab the remote from her nightstand and turned the large flat-screen TV on. She flipped through the channels until she landed on the one she was looking for. The news reporter stood in front of the camera, right outside the police station. The screen then faded away to focus on kids reuniting with their parents at the station. Parents and kids were both sobbing, clinging to one another in search of solace. Some stared, completely unbelieving, as if they thought they'd never see each other again. She watched as smiles and tears of joy spread throughout the crowds. 

She knew how those kids felt. The relief in knowing that they're parent was there after so much time without them, the thrill of being home again, even if they weren't in a building. And while she didn't regret a thing, she'd be lying if she said she wasn't a little jealous of them. 

She shook her head, disrupting her thoughts before they dared to stray too far, and turned off the TV. 

Her job wasn't always easy, it wasn't always fun, and it did have its unsavory elements, but the reward outweighed the risk by a landslide. And she didn't care how much shit she got for it or the plethora of dirty looks sent her way from the people up top when they suspected what she was up to. As long as she kept her moral compass on track and slaughtered the hellish monsters below, she'd be just fine. 

♣️

She woke up early, her body protesting every moment as she stood and stretched. She looked at the clock on the nightstand that declared it six in the morning. Which meant she had gotten a solid three hours of sleep in total, (which was actually might be a record for consecutive hours for her). However, with the way her body ached, it seemed her poor sleeping habits were starting to catch up with her. Unfortunately there was no rest for the wicked, and she had a job to do. 

She walked into the closet and threw on her white button down, her straight cut dress pants, her matching jacket, and a royal blue tie before pulling up her hair into its usually high ponytail, letting a few strands of her curtain bangs fall to the side. As she was tugging up her hair she caught sight of the small black club tattoo that was hidden just behind her ear and smiled. She often forgot it was there after having it for so long. It was a little faded, she was due for a touch up soon but with the way her schedule was looking she'd barely have time to eat, let alone freshen up old ink. 

She hurried to finish her morning routine– brushing her teeth and spraying some cologne that probably cost more than her rent. Not that it had ever really mattered. Between the happenings downstairs and the hotel front, they were easily in the billions. Money wasn't exactly an issue in her line of work. Everyone had a price, and when life hung in the balance, people tended to offer up a hefty sum for their requests. Not to mention, even without the Mafia to back her, the hotel itself was one of the most expensive and high end establishments around. It was typically where every celebrity, influential figure, and person of popularity booked their stay. 

She went to the kitchen and grabbed a granola bar from the cabinets before pulling on her black leather boots to head out the door. The bonus about living right above where she worked was that she was never late. She walked into the elevator, typed in the correct series of buttons, and placed her thumb on the scanner. After the little security checkpoint beeped in familiar recognition, the elevator started descending. 

She checked her watch as she stepped through the doors and into headquarters. She followed the familiar steps towards her office, waving blindly to people who walked past her as she made her way down the familiar path to her office. She was fifteen minutes early. Right on time. 

She sat at her desk and opened the files she'd been looking at last night. Mako had found them stashed in a locked box underneath a loose tile in the floor, it meant they had to be valuable. People only hid things that they didn't want to lose. 

There were a series of chat logs, transcripts, receipts, and a list of the other cartel holdouts. She didn't think there was going to be anything else useful, until she saw the paper tucked in the back. She pulled it out and looked it over. At first glance it looked like a blank piece of paper, but she had been doing this long enough to know what it really was. She pulled out a small black light from her desk drawer and proceeded to shine it over the parchment. Just as she suspected, there was text written in invisible ink. 

She scanned through the message, not thinking much of it, until finally her eyes landed on a new piece of information near the end. 

The Equalists are glad to have you, please accept the badge inside this envelope for recognition purposes. 

The Equalists. That had to be what they were calling themselves. It was likely that they were the ones behind the civilian incidents. At least now they had a name to go off of. A name was everything down below. Sometimes it was all you owned. 

She set it to the side as a knock on the door sounded. The boys stepped in with Bolin looking like he'd rather be anywhere else and Mako like the exact same grump he always was. 

“Well shit guys, don't look so thrilled to be here.” she jested as she leaned back in her chair. 

“It's way too early for this shit.” Mako muttered as he sat down. 

“Why did we need to wake up this early again?” Bolin added right behind him. 

Korra rolled her eyes unimpressed. “Because we have to follow this lead while the trail is hot. The more time we waste, the more people we put in danger. And I really don't want to catch an earful from Raiko when we don't meet quota.” she explained. 

Mako sighed as Bolin groaned. Her second in command finally gave up his attitude and looked at her. “Alright, what are we working with?” 

Korra tossed over the blank paper she had found earlier. “Probably one of the most important pieces to taking down this little cartel we've had in a long time.”

Mako looked at the paper, and then back to her, unimpressed. “Korra, you need to go back to bed, I think you're hallucinating.” he quipped before picking up the parchment and turning it over to try and figure out its significance. “This is a blank sheet of paper.” he said as he dropped it back on the desk. 

Korra smirked. “Yeah, that's exactly what they want you to believe. Use this.” she said as she handed him the light and walked over to the map she had been looking at earlier. 

“The Equalists?” he read aloud. “Is that what they're calling themselves?” 

Korra nodded as she strung together pins on a separate board. “I think so.” she said. “We don't know who exactly they are, or who's at the head of all this, but knowing what they call themselves can help us look for more leads when we infiltrate the other bases on this list. There's still a few missing persons cases and drug trafficking problems that haven't been settled yet. My guess is if we go after these bases, we can shut it down. It looks like their goal is to cover a lot of ground, but I don't understand why. They aren't really accomplishing anything by going after the public.”

“You think they're after money?” he offered. 

Korra shrugged. “Maybe. But I don't understand why that would make them involve the people. They could carry out the drug operations without the need to involve civilians, there's plenty of people down below looking for a vice, but money would explain the human trafficking.” she thought aloud. “But that doesn't seem right. Why hurt all these people? Especially when all of the cases have no rhyme of reason. The missing people have nothing in common, the drug exchange reports are all over the place, and there doesn't seem like any real motive.” she explained as she continued to try and tie the pieces together. 

Bolin suddenly spoke up from his chair. “Hey, does the name Viper sound familiar to either of you?” 

Korra paused. “Yeah, he's the leader of the Triple Threats Triad a few miles South of here. He bounces back and forth between our radar and the neighboring families pretty frequently. He's probably one of the top threats in the streets right now, but we've never had to settle anything with him. I heard he was once working as a soldier for Peatro. They had some sort of deal going on. But after Peatro was killed he's been pretty quiet. Nobody's really seen him or the Triple Threats. Why?” she asked curiously as she turned to him. 

Bolin handed her the paper. “His names on this list, and your father's…and so is yours.”

She quickly took it and read over the list before looking back to the board. As she read the names she looked at her board trying to make sense of the names, and as she was looking through some of the news articles hanging around, she finally put it together. “It's a list of targets.” she announced. 

“What? How do you know?” Mako asked, sounding more awake than he had before. 

“These names, they're all the most prominent and influential figures in the underground right now. The top gang leaders, bosses, and illegal business owners are all on here. And these top six names are all people that have been taken out in the last few years.” she explained as she looked at it with a fire in her gut ready to explode. “My dad was the first, then Peatro, Ray, Atka, Scarlett, and Zia. These are all people that have been killed already. The first two were mob bosses, the rest are gang leaders and owners of businesses. I'm pretty sure Scarlett ran the speakeasy a few miles from here, and Atka owned that strip club on Main.” 

“So, what does all of that mean?” Bolin asked, looking at her with genuine confusion. 

Korra pinched the bridge of her nose and huffed. “I don't know.” she admitted. She looked back at the board, years of work, evidence, newspaper clips, conversation logs, photos. All of this, and yet it felt like they had nothing. “It seems like a hit list.” She started with the obvious. “But the Red Lotus killed my parents, as well as all those other leaders, not whatever this Equalist group is. Which means they either have to be connected somehow, or they were keeping tabs on the Red Lotus’s work. Neither of those options are particularly good.” she concluded. 

“So, what should we do? Where do we even go from here?” Mako asked as he looked at the board. “I can try to take the Owl squad out and see what we can find undercover.”

Korra tapped her foot as she considered her answer. It wasn't a bad idea. Now that they had a name to throw around, they could probably get a lot more direction on where they should be looking. Because if the Equalists were connected to the Red Lotus, it could potentially be a huge win for them. If they find the Equalists, they should find the Red Lotus. And being able to knock those two out would take out most of the current problem makers from the underground. 

Korra nodded. “Yeah. Go ahead.” she conceded finally. “Take the Owls out, see what you can find out about the Equalists tonight, and then meet back up here tomorrow morning. Same time.” she ordered. 

Mako nodded. “I'll let them know. We'll probably head out around ten and be back at midnight. That's usually when the alleys are busiest.” 

“Alright, that works. I'll stay up and keep my phone on me in case anything happens, take a burner with you before you head out.” she said before she turned to Bolin. “Will you make copies of these papers for me? I want to have backups because if the Equalists find out we have them and somehow manage to find out where we are, I wanna make sure we have something even if we lose the originals.” 

Nobody had ever found their headquarters, nobody that wasn't supposed to at least. And nobody really knew who the Avatar was. She made an effort to keep her face hidden when she planned on leaving for a meeting that she knew could be handled with a few threats instead of bloodshed. They only knew she wore the mask, they knew she was powerful. That was enough. And maybe it was being over cautious, but considering how important the papers they just found were, she didn't want to take any chances. 

Bolin nodded and stood up to grab the file, putting all the papers inside. “On it.” 

Korra smiled before he left. “Once you're done you can go back home.”

Bolin stopped and turned to look at her suspiciously. “But what about all the paperwork you were talking about yesterday?”

Korra crossed her arms and chuckled lightly. “It's not that much. I was just messing with you. I've got it covered.”

Bo didn't look convinced. “But-”

“Do you want to go home or not?” Korra asked him impatiently.

He finally smiled, accepting her offer. “You're the best.” he said before he finally left. 

She worked to pick up the papers spread across her desk, the mountains of papers stacked, pens, thumbtacks, and string bits scattered everywhere. It was too chaotic, even for her. She started picking them up and putting everything back where it belonged. Anything to distract her from that nagging voice in the back of her mind. It was as she was going to push in the chairs that she realized Mako hadn't left, and was just watching her silently. 

“What?” she asked him frustratedly as he continued to stare at her without saying a word. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” he suddenly questioned. 

Korra furrowed her brow. “About what?”

Mako gave her a look. “Maybe about the fact that your name is on that list…or how about the fact that we might be a step closer to taking down the people who killed your parents?”

Korra shrugged noncommittally. Did she want to talk about any of that? No. Absolutely not. Because talking about it meant acknowledging it, and acknowledging it meant she was going to have to face her feelings, and facing her feelings would only lead to her looking weak, and the last thing she needed right now was anyone thinking she was vulnerable or that she had gone soft. She had a front to keep up if she wanted anyone's respect.

 Korra shook her head and went back to busying herself with quite literally anything else , other than facing Mako. 

“There's nothing to talk about. I've been a number one target for years now, and my parents death isn't exactly a secret.” she said with an air of nonchalance. “It's good to know that we're on the right track and hopefully soon I'll be able to find and kill the people responsible once and for all.” She spoke tightly as she continued clearing her desk even though it was already completely organized. 

“Korra. You have to be at least a little worried that they're coming for you. There's a pretty vast difference between a bounty and a hit list.” he argued. 

“Not really.” she shrugged. “They both mean someone wants me dead. One is a request for others to kill me when they please and the other shows me about how much time I have before they get to me. But both end up at the same spot.” 

“How are you so calm about this?” he accused from his seat. 

She desperately wished he would just get up and leave. The downside about being raised as siblings is that the brothers knew her a little too well. And she was well aware Mako could sense her unease, but she refused to pay any mind to it. 

There was nothing she could actively do to stop it. Even if they knew where the Red Lotus were operating from it wasn't like she could just go over and politely ask them to remove the bounty from her head. And the hit list was likely created by the Red Lotus member too, which again meant she couldn't do anything to put an end to it. 

There was no telling how many people had access to the list or who was being paid off to carry out the acts. So she simply had to be content with the knowledge that she had. She knew they were coming for her, she knew they were making their way down to her. And that bought her a little bit of time to try and catch them first. All she could do is hope they followed the list in order like they had been and go from there.

 It wasn't like it was really anything new. She'd been a top target for five years without contest. And with the Mafia and other underground happenings, it was expected. It happened all the time. People down here didn't like them being these big bosses that ran everything. They didn't like the fact that she enforced the rules and kept everything balanced down below. They all knew she was the best in the business, and she wasn't saying that because her ego was too big for her own good, but it was a fact. 

There was nobody as skilled at the job as she and her family were. Their empire reigned strong, long before she was even born, this place had existed. And now that she was the leader, a lot of the more shady organizations were looking to take her down so they could continue their chaos. 

Korra considered Mako’s question for only a moment before answering. “You know my dad used to tell me that when it came to danger you always had two choices.” she told him evenly, not letting anything other than steadiness slip into her tone as she continued. 

“You can either run at it, or you can run from it. But either way, you have to keep moving. And right now, I'm choosing to run at it because there are too many people relying on me to just avoid it.” she explained. “I have to do something about it, and if I start worrying and letting them get in my head I'm going to make mistakes. So right now, I'm going to accept it and ignore it. The good news is we have the upperhand, and with any luck we might be able to get to some of these people before the assassins do. And if we can catch the assassins then we might be able to get a lead on the Red Lotus. Things can only go up from here, and that's what I'm going to choose to focus on.” 

Mako nodded thoughtfully. “Alright, that's a good way to look at it I guess. But I'm just saying if you were a little overwhelmed, nobody would judge you if you needed to step back a little and take a break.”

Korra paused for a beat, then looked at him with narrowed eyes. “Are you trying to tell me I'm not capable of doing my job?” 

Mako held his hands up in defense. “No, I just-”

She carried herself until she was standing as tall as she could between Mako and the desk. “Because in case you forgot, let me refresh your memory.” she seethed. “I was six when I learned how to shoot a pistol, and by seven I was hitting the bullseye blindfolded. At eight I was learning strategies and training with the other soldiers under my father's command. By eleven I was given my first mission where my team and I completely tore down a drug base until it was nothing but ash, blood, and rubble. By fourteen I was being sent to handle requests with men who didn't care to hold up their end of the deal. By fifteen I was given the hero's award for diffusing a bomb before it blew up an entire street. And by sixteen , both my parents were killed and I took over this place because I was meant to do so. I was molded to perfectly fill this gap once it was left. Let me ask you Mako, did anyone even try to stop me when I took the title?”

“No.” he said quietly. 

“No.” she echoed, voice flat. “Because they knew better.” she told him. “So how about you take a lesson from them. Shut the fuck up, stand down, and don't underestimate me because I can promise you, it'll be the last thing you do.” She spoke coldly as she towered over him.

Fighting with Mako wasn't exactly a rarity. They butted heads more often than not, and while they usually would end up sorting things out she didn't exactly tolerate some of his remarks. Especially when he thought he knew better than her. If anyone was meant to be calling the shots around here, it was her. Nobody else even held a candle to what she could and what she had already accomplished.

Mako sighed, not even phased after so many years. “I didn't mean anything by it. I was just trying to help but clearly you don't want it. So I'm just gonna go and let you do your thing. I'll see you later.” he said as he stood and left. 

Korra sat on her desk as she watched the door close. It was only after it shut that she let her shoulders fall and her posture crumble. Truth be told she was always worried. How could she not be?

There was always something lurking in the dark. And there was more than met the eye to what she did. She didn't just go out and settle the disputes between all the criminals down below. She did enforce the codes and kept the economy moving for the underground. But what made her better than most of the other Mafia facets around was that she went the extra step in trying to keep crime as far away from the public as possible. 

She kept all the delinquents and shady transactions down below. Part of the moral code was that business stayed strictly between the offending parties and didn't involve civilians. Once people got too far out of line, she and her soldiers stepped in to take them down. And what she did was just as illegal and unsavory as all the other organizations. She was definitely enabling criminals because keeping that foul activity booming in turn helped keep her business running. They fed off of one another. But she did at least make an effort to be clean, discreet, and not stray too far from that moral gray area. 

But there was more work than people so often thought. It wasn't always just showing up, pulling the trigger, and walking away. She was in charge of delegating her people, creating teams, leading squads, keeping track of paperwork and files they didn't want swiped, and most importantly, she had to keep a brave face for everyone else. Because the moment she lacked confidence, her family would too. And that was when things fell apart. Something she couldn't afford right now. So, tired, frustrated, and nervous or not, she had to grit her teeth and bear it. 

A knock on the door had her perking up and sitting straight. “Doors open.” she called as she turned her attention towards the entrance. 

One of the informants stepped in with a letter in his hand. It wasn't often they got personal requests sent like this. If they did it was usually a pretty big deal. More frequently what happened was people like Mako and the Owls went out and snooped around for any tip offs or leads. It was easier that way because it kept people out of headquarters as much as possible, but still allowed for them to know what was happening and where they needed to look. So for someone to deliberately seek out one of her informants and have them return a request, it meant it was something either urgent or highly involved. 

“We got asked to meet someone at the docks. They gave us this and asked us to bring it back to you. He made a point of informing us that it was time sensitive.” he reported.

Korra nodded curtly as she took it and flipped open her pocket knife to slice the wax seal clean off. She tossed the envelope to the side and unfolded the parchment to take in its contents.

She paused, solely for a beat, after she read through it. 

She flipped open her phone and dialed the number for one of the lead soldiers. It rang only once before they picked up. 

“What's up Boss lady?” he quipped from the other end. 

If she didn't know that was the most respectful he could be she would have scolded him for it, but as it stood she needed his help. “I need a favor.” she told him as she dismissed her informant and sat down at her desk. “What can you tell me about a Mr. Hiroshi Sato?” 

________________________

She stood in the center of the massive garage with her welding gun in hand and her face shield flipped down, melding together the last little bits of metal in place on the fuel tank before stepping back to admire her handy work. It wasn't too bad for a patch up. She walked around the old sleek motorcycle to make sure she hadn't missed a spot. 

She had found it for cheap at the scrapyard when she was looking for extra parts and brought it home to tear it apart and make it her own. It was an older model, something that had been discontinued well before she was even born, but there was definitely value still in it. It certainly needed a hefty helping of tender, love, and care, a new motor, a paint job, and some new framework, but the base was still there and waiting for her to bring it back to life. 

It had become her passion project in her downtime. When she wasn't needed at the office and when there wasn't work to be done for her father. It was one of the few fun hobbies she had kept up since becoming the co-owner of Future Industries with her father. Unfortunately a lot of her time was dedicated to an ungodly amount of paperwork that needed signing and meetings she couldn't care less about. 

It wasn't that she didn't like the company. She enjoyed helping with the new Satomobiles and getting her hands dirty on the factory floor. They had recently begun working on some new engine models too that would hopefully reduce carbon emissions and double mileage. With that they had a whole new line of frame models in the works too. And she actually found some sort of satisfaction working on prototypes and seeing her plans come to life. But there were also the copious amounts of paperwork her father made her take over, the snobby misogynistic men, and the very bland and boring days spent sitting hunched over a desk. 

It wasn't awful, but it was a very strict routine with little leniency. And after the same thing day in and day out, it got to a point where it was just dull. Eventually, it ended up becoming a situation where she was counting down the hours and time seemed to tick by like the clock hands were trapped in tar most days. 

But in the end, it was exactly what made her hobbies more gratifying. And when she wasn't working on getting her hands dirty, or rummaging through the scrap yards, or building plans. She liked to tinker with electronics. Building and refurbishing old computers and phones. She had even gotten pretty good at sneaking her way past firewalls and security systems to gather information for the company a few times, under her father's nose of course. She didn't make a habit of it, but it was always exciting. The little moments of thrill in a world where everything seemed so vapid were everything to her. 

She flipped up her mask and tossed her gloves to the side to grab a wrench. She plopped herself down and began trying to loosen the old bolts that were impossible to move. She had been trying to tug them free for weeks, but they were stubbornly still, no matter how much elbow grease she pushed into them. 

Her sketchbooks were scattered about next to her, showing pages and photo clippings of what she envisioned the motorcycle looking like once it was finally done. She was usually tidy and kept her spaces organized, but this workspace was the one place she let herself be chaotic. As long as she kept everything else neat, she could have this one little messy room of scraps and gadgets and tools. 

She heard the door open behind her, followed by familiar heavy footsteps. Her father made his way over and took a seat on one of the stools nearby. “How's your project coming along?” he asked her with a smile. 

She grit her teeth as she tried to get the bolt undone. “I'm trying to replace the engine, but this– goddammit!” she huffed as she dropped the wrench and looked at her peeling hands. Maybe she should have kept her gloves on, but she was hoping she would get a better grip without them. 

Hiroshi chuckled from beside her. “Do you want me to-” 

“No.” she turned to face him sternly. “I already told you, I want to do this on my own.” 

He rolled his eyes with a smile. “Still as stubborn as your mother.” he jested. 

Asami gave a small, almost hesitant, smile before rubbing her red and raw hands on her overalls to clear off the grease. She stood up to go sit next to her father. It was rare that Hiroshi talked about Yasuko. He had worked hard to make her existence fade away after the incident. 

She was six when she had watched her mother burn alive. Someone had snuck into the house with a flamethrower, and Asami had only managed to escape at the last second. After her mother's passing, her father grew distant. He had become quite the recluse, putting all his time into late nights at work. But the distance had grown a little smaller ever since she became the co-owner alongside him once she turned eighteen. 

He plucked one of her sketchbooks up from the floor. “And you inherited her creative mind. These are amazing.” he complimented. “Is this what you have planned for that death machine?” 

Asami chuckled. “It's not a death machine. It's only dangerous if you don't know what you're doing.” she corrected. “But yes. I'm hoping to put in a custom engine, fix the outer frame work, and give it some fresh paint. After that it should be good as new. Maybe even better.” she told him proudly. 

“I'm sure it will be.” he smiled as he sat her book back down. “How long were you planning to be here?”

Asami shrugged. “I just wanted to try and work on the engine bolts, but I think my hands are scraped up enough for the night. Why?” 

“I was thinking we could go out for dinner. It's been a while.” he said warmly, like it wasn't completely abnormal. “I know we've both been busy, but it's been a few weeks since we've gone out to dinner just the two of us.” 

Asami eyed him suspiciously. “What were you thinking?”

Hiroshi pulled out his phone and showed her the reservation. “How about Kwongs?” he offered. 

Asami's face lit up in delight. They always had family dinners at Kwongs, but it had been years since she'd gone with her father. He usually avoided it in an effort to escape the memories it held. She was…hesitant to agree. She definitely wasn't against it, but her father never acted like this. Him talking about Yasuko and taking them to a place he usually evaded was strange. That was until she saw the date in the corner of the screen. 

Today was her parents' anniversary. And suddenly everything fell into place. Her father was trying. And if this was how he wanted to try and heal, she wouldn't deny him that. 

“It sounds perfect.” she smiled.

Hiroshi looked relieved. “Alright then, go get cleaned up.”

“Are you telling me I stink?” she asked teasingly while she put away her tools and locked up the room for the night. 

He shook his head playfully as he followed her out the door. “No, but I'm not convinced oil stains and half destroyed jumpers are the preferred attire downtown.” he quipped. “You'd have better luck fitting in near the alleyways like that.”

Asami chuckled as she put in the security code and walked with her father towards the estate. “Give me half an hour.” she smiled before picking up the pace towards her room.

Even though she didn't always get along with Hiroshi, she knew better than to take these moments for granted. Because one day, they would be all that was left. 

♣️

She sighed as her alarm clock blared to wake her up. Her floundering hand reached out blindly and pressed the button to turn it off before sitting up and trying to physically rub the sleep from her eyes. As soon as her hands dropped she threw her covers off and set to work. 

She'd had the same routine since she was twelve. Wake up, shower, brush her teeth, brush her hair, put her clothes on, do her makeup, and head out the door. 

It was simple enough, and kept her on schedule. She had everything perfectly timed so that she was sitting in her office chair right at eight in the morning. 

She stepped into the shower, the water scalding hot. It was always refreshing in the morning, and while most people preferred to wake themselves up with prickling icy water, she had always enjoyed the scalding heat. The warmth helped to calm her down and get her mind ready before she had to take on Future Industries. 

She stepped out and wrapped a towel around herself, finding her way to the closet and pulling out a maroon blouse and black pencil skirt. She rolled up her matching sheer black stockings and stepped into her heels. Just as always, she sat down at her vanity and did her makeup the very same way she did every day. It was the way her mother used to do it when Asami was little, and she had always just stuck with it, only changing it every once in a while for certain occasions. She slid the ruby lipstick across smoothly before tossing it in her purse and heading for the door. 

She walked straight past the kitchen and out the front door to the garage. With the press of a button the door rolled up and revealed her sleek red Satomobile. It was one of the newest models, and one that she had helped bring to life. She opened the door and turned the key, smiling when she felt the engine purr beneath her.

She revved it a few times before taking off, closing the garage behind her. She threw on her sunglasses and sped out away like a mad woman. The car had fresh leather upholstery, heated seats, dual climate control, and best of all, it was a convertible . She had made a few of her own modifications to the vehicle once it was in her name. She'd taken the time to add in a police scanner, a large screen in the center that worked as a computer, and LED lights hidden underneath the seats to give it some flair. It was her pride and joy. 

As she pulled out of the driveway she hit one of the buttons to her left and the roof of the car slid back so the barely risen sun could shine down on top of her. Summer in the city never lasted long enough, which meant she had to appreciate the cooling breeze and open air in her car while she still could. 

The city was always busy, and traffic was a nightmare once she got to the heart of the concrete jungle. Neon signs, flashing lights, market stalls, and tourist sights flooded the place. It was never quiet, always moving, always rushing. It was always fast paced, and if you didn't keep up with it, you'd feel like you were sinking. 

She sat back in her seat and waited impatiently as traffic slowly backed up. Her head turned to look out at her surroundings as she waited for things to move. Then she turned to look to her right, on that side of the city there was a large hotel, one of the most popular places around. It was an absurdly tall building, and that was saying something considering the Future Industries tower stood a mighty fifty stories. But the Four Elements was double that height and almost triple the width. She had stayed there a few times before for business meetings and different social gatherings. 

The inside had an attached casino, an open bar, and ballroom that was usually rented out for conventions and business gatherings. It was overall a nice place, a little more grand than necessary in her opinion, but what wasn't in Republic City? It fit right in with the other towering buildings and skyscrapers that littered the area. 

During the day the city was okay, it had its perks. The kids traveling to school, bikers riding around, the morning joggers, street vendors selling breakfast, busy coffee shops that were packed to the brim with people. But Asami personally preferred the night scene. 

There was just something about the city at night that was so entirely captivating. When the buildings lit up, and people went home for the night, and all that was left was the hum on neon signs and busy nightclubs…it was something entrancing. It was like for a moment the city was quiet . 

As she finally crawled her way through traffic she pulled up to the attached parking garage for Future Industries and swiped her card to get it. She sped her car all the way up to the top level of the garage, a private floor where only the top leaders and members of the company were allowed, and stepped out to make her way towards the elevator.

Her heels clacked as she made her way over, keys in hand, purse hanging off her shoulder, and glasses blocking out the ever brightening sun. She stepped inside the elevator as it dinged and pushed the button for the lobby. It quickly made its descent before she passed by a few of the desk ladies with a practiced smile and wave as she walked out. 

She made her way to the other set of elevators in the middle of the business empire and took it all the way up, to the very top floor. She and her father were the only two up there, aside from their personal assistants. She thoroughly appreciated the privacy the floor held. It made things seem less overbearing at times and helped to make her feel more comfortable, like her every move wasn't being watched by her employees. 

As she stepped off the elevator she walked by her assistant Ren. He was younger, about her age, only a year or so younger. But that was one of the reasons she picked him. Often people frowned upon the younger people, not even taking time to consider the applications at all because they just assumed the people had no experience or work ethic. But Ren’s skills were undeniable and he had a quick wit that made him a pleasure to work with. He kept her sane most days. And the best part was that she didn't have to worry about him hitting on her or trying to carry out some kind of weird fantasy (yes, that was said directly to her in an interview once. And yes, that man was now no longer allowed near any of the Future Industries owned building unless he wanted a bullet in his head). But there was no worries about that with Ren because he was strictly batting for the opposite team. 

Something Asami got to hear about, a lot. 

And she didn't mind it one bit. 

Ren followed her into her office like he did every morning. He was bright and cheery as always as he trailed behind her with a to-go cup holder full of coffee and a clipboard in hand. He set the drinks on her desk before plopping in a chair and starting to give her a run down. She had barely set her purse down and sat in her own office chair by the time Ren started his briefing. 

“Alrighty, it looks like you have a pretty light day today.” he stated, sounding as surprised as she felt. It wasn't often she had a lazy day. There was always something to do, and unfortunately it was usually paperwork. “There's that meeting at ten with the sales team, a potential investor interview at one, a factory line check in at three, and then you'll have the rest of the day to work on reviewing those crash test reports and stock reviews. Oh and of course at some point you'll have to find time for lunch.”

Asami internally groaned. She should have known it sounded too good to be true. Just because it wasn't all boring files and manilla folders didn't mean it was a ‘light’ day. “Okay.” she started as she took in everything Ren had just gone over. It helped to ground her and keep her from thinking too hard about the constant social front she was going to have to keep up all day. One thing at a time. “Do we have everything on our end ready for the meeting at ten? I'd like to be there early to set up the display monitors and make sure the room is prepared.” 

Ren nodded. “It should be set. I asked the janitorial team to have it cleaned and prepped last night. The catering team should also be there setting up if we get there early too.”

Asami nodded as she logged into her computer and scrolled through her email. Three thousand new messages appeared in her inbox…after she had just completely cleaned it out two days ago. Most of them were spam offers, investors, people looking for a chance to show off their own works and have them sold within Future Industries. She didn't have the time or the mental capacity to go through them all right now though, at least not before she had her coffee. She reached over and grabbed her iced caramel macchiato with oat milk from the tray and sipped on it. “I am so glad you stopped for coffee today. You have no idea how badly I needed this.”

Ren rolled his eyes. “You always say that. I bring you coffee almost every day.”

“Yes, and it's always appreciated.” She smiled cheekily. Despite her best efforts to suppress it, she yawned and shook her head to try and clear her exhaustion. She had stayed out late with her father walking around town after dinner. They didn't get home until almost eleven and it took her another hour to get into bed. It also didn't help that so much talk about Yasuko had unfortunately brought back nightmares that had her waking up in a cold sweat throughout the night. 

“Eventful night?” he asked playfully, wiggling his eyebrows as he sat back in his chair with his own tea.

She waved him off. “Nothing like what you're thinking right now.”

“Oh come on. Your dating life is so boring . You never have any good gossip to offer me. I'm the only one putting anything interesting on the table.” he pouted, completely disappointed by her admission. 

“I don't need a dating life when yours stays interesting enough for the both of us.” she quipped as continued to sip in her coffee and turned on some soft music on her computer. 

Ren set his coffee down excitedly, his sullen mood already dismissed. “Actually I do have an update. Remember that guy I met at the club last week?” 

“The one who you were infatuated with because he had a nice smile?” she asked. 

“Yes! That one.” he confirmed before diving back into her story. “We went out for dinner a couple nights ago and he took me back to his place.” 

Asami looked at him with a smirk. “And? How was it?”

“Best sex I've ever had.” he told her with no shame. 

“Seriously?” she asked him with a chuckle. She loved Ren. He made the office much less dull and in a way she could live vicariously through him because her own dating life was…nonexistent. Aside from the casual one night stand here and there, she really didn't have time for anything else. It wasn't that she didn't want to, but she didn't have the time, and the last few attempts she'd made had left an unsavory taste in her mouth for dating altogether. She was refusing to make any more attempts until she thought there was a genuine path forward. 

“Mhm.” he hummed as he sipped from his drink. “Oh! And get this. Guess how long.”

Asami quirked a curious brow. She held her fingers roughly six inches apart. Ren shook his head and she held them out a half an inch more. He shook his head again before finally reaching over and spreading her hands roughly nine inches apart. “Seriously?” she asked him impressively. “Holy shit.” she added on a second later, happy to have fun because it was either this or look through her inbox and the ladder had her wanting to bang her head through the monitor. “So do you think you'll go on a second date?”

Ren nodded. “Definitely.” he confirmed quickly before looking a little more hesitant. “Actually, is it okay if I take Thursday night off this week?” he requested. 

Asami smiled. “Sure, go for it. But I expect a full detailed report Friday morning about everything that happened. If I can't have my own dating life I want to share the thrill of yours.”

“Deal.” he said with a nod. “Now, are we going to keep talking about my sex life at the office or are you actually going to read those emails you need to get through?”

She groaned as she opened her email. Another hundred emails had come through since she last closed it. She grabbed a couple pills from her desk drawer to stave off the headache she knew would be dropping down on her any second now. She was about to put the bottle back in her drawer before she looked at the clipboard that Ren had set on her desk.

She tossed the bottle in her purse that she would carry to the meeting instead. 

So much for a light day. 

♣️

It was amazing just how much people could talk without actually saying anything at all. She sat at the head of the meeting room table and watched, completely unimpressed, as her sales team stood up at the board and ran through their presentation. She had been in business long enough to know that the fancy slides and pretty words were nothing more than a distraction, a way to try and keep from the obvious, glaring, issue. But she didn't fall for it. No, she was raised on the idea of perfection. 

From a very young age, it was clear Asami Sato was far brighter and intellectually superior to any of the other kids her age. And that wasn't to brag, it was just the honest truth. She was fixing motors and solving gear mechanism issues on her own. Anything that was set in front of her was taken apart and put back together in under an hour. She was reading hundred page novels by third grade, solving algebraic equations by fourth, and correctly performing chemistry labs by fifth. All in all, she was a genius, a prodigy, and a wonder. 

But one thing Asami Sato was not, was an idiot. And she didn't like being treated as such either. 

People could use their voice and say a lot of things, a long string of words, sentences full of beauteous phrases that sounded appealing in theory. But that was the thing about words, they could sound anything. They could be interpreted one way or another, there was room for bias and difference in the way they were received and construed. Which is why Asami relied on evidence. Seeing was believing indeed. That was probably one of the most important rules in any business. You couldn't trust words, because usually the best way to tell when a business owner was lying was when their lips were moving. 

And these men, their lips were definitely moving. A hundred miles a minute at that. What they were trying to convey had a certain positive connotation to it. But that was the underlying problem. Their words and their evidence weren't matching up. In fact she hadn't seen any actual reports in the last half hour since they started. They were focusing on words like ‘potential’ and ‘possible’. Words that had no value unless they were accompanied by statistics, facts, or scientific reasoning. And these men had shown her absolutely none of those. 

The department lead stood at the board, flipping through his slides with the projector and smiling just a little too much. He turned to yet another slide with a proposed hypothetical. “And as we see here, if we release the new line in the spring-”

Asami was over it. “Excuse me, what exactly am I supposed to be seeing?” She cut him off unimpressed. 

The man froze and looked at her, his shock wearing off to once again return a practiced grin. He pointed to a chart on the board. “My apologies, I should have been more clear. This graph right here-”

“Shows me nothing.” she finished for him. He stopped and turned to her gaping. She sat up in her chair and leaned over with her hands folded on the desk, just like her father had taught her. “I was born at night, Mr. Haske, but it wasn't last night. What you're showing me is possibilities, and those hold no weight here. Where's the evidence? Perhaps your sales records for the quarter?” she prompted. 

The man was clearly caught off guard but cleared his throat and turned to the other two men with him as if looking for help. He looked back at her after a moment of charged silence. “Well, unfortunately those documents seem to have been misplaced.”

She raised a brow. 

Curious .

“Misplaced? Are they on paper?” she questioned, her voice maintaining a sort of interest she didn't actually hold. 

Haske side-eyed his assistants. “No, I believe they were on my computer. But there was an incident with an update and my men seem to have moved the file somewhere by accident.” he told her. 

She looked at the men who were practically shrunk back in their chairs as they looked between her and Haske. She then turned to narrow her eyes to Haske, still standing at the board. “And would you care to explain why they had access to the file in the first place? I do believe it says here in your contract,” she pulled out the paper and highlighted the section she knew she would be referring to. “that it is under your list of priorities to oversee the quarterly reports and review the yearly data. That is what we pay you for, after all.” she said passively. 

If Haske grew any more pale, he could be a ghost. “Ms. Sato with all due respect, there's a lot of work to be done, and I'm sure as a woman in the business world you know about delegating work to others so that you aren't handling too much on your own.” he started. Asami didn't give him a chance to add to it, she narrowed her eyes and stood, causing the man to step back before she even moved forward towards him. She smirked internally in satisfaction. 

“No, I can't say that I know what you're referring to.” she told him plainly, the calm before the storm. “While you may get out of here at five to go see your wife, your wife who's probably wise enough to have looked for someone younger and less dull by now while still holding onto you for the money, I'm here from dawn until dusk having to fill in the gaps for people who waste my time, people like you Mr. Haske.” she responded with a satisfied smile. “Now if this is all you have for me, I'll be taking my leave. You have until the end of the day to come up with something and bring it to my desk or you'll be spending the rest of tomorrow clearing out your office. Do I make myself clear?” she asked as she stepped closer to him and the door. 

Another unsavory aspect of the business world was that it was full of pretentious assholes and men who thought their dicks were a lot bigger than they actually were. When her father first signed her in as a co-owner of Future Industries, it had been an absolute wildfire. News articles, employee protests, the board on her father's back. Nobody had any confidence in her ability to lead and run the business properly. And that was for a mix of two reasons in particular.

Her age and the fact that she was a woman. 

She had heard just about every complaint and ignorant insult the media had to offer. Many people had said she would be too temperamental, that she would let her emotions control her decisions rather than her head, that she wasn't as bright as her father, that she didn't deserve the privilege because of nepotism, that she was too inexperienced. She'd heard them all countless times. But she took every single one in stride. 

There was no point in trying to combat it, it would be like talking to a brick wall. So instead she had made an effort to prove them wrong with her actions. And she certainly had. Now at 22, and four years of experience under her belt, she was typically well respected. The public and media had died down with the insults, but that wasn't to say there wasn't a blinding spotlight on her almost all of the time. Everyone was watching, waiting for her to make a mistake so they could take it and run with it as a reason to drive her out. But she wasn't going to give them a chance to do so. 

However, for as hard as she tried, and with as much evidence as there was against the argument that she wasn't fit for the job, people still tried to underestimate her. Something she didn't exactly appreciate. But she wasn't about to let the snide remarks of a five foot tall, balding, rat, ruin her confidence. No, she took pride in what she did. She knew she was smart, she knew she was witty, and she knew her worth. All she had to do was stare at the man to make him go silent. If that wasn't power, then what was? 

He shrank in size, and she towered over him between her height and her heels. It gave her an odd sense of gratification seeing him so small. He fixed his glasses before straightening up again. “Yes. Ms. Sato. We'll bring something by as soon as we can.”

“I look forward to it.” she smiled pleasantly as she shut the door behind her with an echoing slam. 

As soon as they entered the elevator Ren burst out laughing. “That was amazing.” he complimented. “You're always quite the feisty one.” 

Asami laughed along with him. She couldn't deny it. “I don't have a tolerance for stupidity and ignorance.” she corrected. “Besides, I probably didn't scare him enough.”

“He sounded eager to comply near the end.” Ren argued from beside her. 

“Yes, he sounded eager. But he won't be bringing me those documents.” she said as she stepped off the elevator. 

Ren followed behind her, utterly confused. “What do you mean? Wait, why are we heading to your office? You have another meeting in-”

“I know.” she said as she walked into her office and locked the door behind her. 

Ren stood in the center of her office looking at her anxiously. “Look, I'm not trying to question your judgment, but you really don't have a lot of time before you have to be all the way on the other side of the building.”

Asami grinned smugly as she sat at her office chair and opened up her computer, plugging in a thumb drive and sitting back while it booted up. “I'm aware.” she told him. “Have I ever been late?”

“No.” he answered. 

“That's because I know what I'm doing. Have a little faith.” she assured him. The computer beeped to alert her it was ready and she opened the program she needed. The one she had built herself. 

“What exactly are you up to over there?” he asked her with a quirked brow. 

“Business.” she quipped playfully. “He didn't lose those files, he hid them. And he's doing so because they're likely unsatisfactory. He's going to try and come in here with a forged report, so I'm going to find the real one.”

“How do you plan to do that? He'll be up here in ten minutes and you don't have his computer.” he told her as he looked at his watch unsure. 

Asami smiled. Haske wouldn't be here in ten minutes. He'd be there at the end of the day. “I only need five.” she answered smugly as she typed in a series of passwords and hotkeys. 

She remoted into Haske’s computer and began to dig through his encrypted files. Using her own software, one that she had developed and perfected over the years, she managed to bypass all his security measures in seconds. 

“Is this legal?” Ren asked from over her shoulder. 

“Definitely not.” she told him. “So don't tell anyone that I did it.” she added as the computer dinged. 

She opened the folder and began to browse through the different documents inside, to her surprise there were a plethora more than she had expected there to be. As she flipped through them she didn't really read, only searched specifically for what she was looking for. 

Finally she found it. 

And it was exactly what she had expected it to be. She clicked the document so that it was blown up on the monitor. As she read through it, she saw that she had been correct. The report was vague, butchered, and had clearly been written last minute. Her suspicions were only further solidified when she saw the data sheet below. Their sales had been declining steadily over the last few months. It was significantly worse than last year. Which could be the fault of the marketing team, but realistically, it was the sales people's job to go out and try to get dealerships and automotive companies to purchase their products. It didn't matter how well the people marketed them if her other employees weren't going out to get people invested. 

She saved the files to her own computer, tucking them away so she could sort through the rest when she had more time (because there was likely more incriminating evidence that she could use against them to show her father), and clicked the print button. 

She turned over her shoulder to look at Ren. “Could you run to the printer really quick? I want to have that when he gets here so I have the upperhand before he even speaks.” she told him. “I can't wait to see what he thinks of this. Imagine trying to delegate that.” she chided. 

Ren shook his head at her in awe and amusement as he walked out to go grab the previously requested papers. “You really are something else.” he jested. 

Asami laughed and dislodged the thumb drive before tucking it back into her purse with a proud and devious smile. 

Sometimes in order to enforce the rules, one had to break them first. 

♣️

She sat at her desk keeping an eye on the clock as she did so. It was nearing five o'clock and if her theory proved true, Haske would be walking in any second. She busied herself with tidying her desk, stacking papers together, aligning them, and putting them in their proper places. 

She booted up her computer and decided to kill some time by looking through the other string of files she had stolen from Haske’s hard drive earlier. There wasn't anything too interesting from what she originally saw, but the further she scrolled she found a document that caught her attention. 

It didn't look all that important at first, an ordinary spreadsheet that listed out the materials costs for the quarter. She clicked around to find one from around six years ago, and then another from roughly ten years ago. Things changed over time of course. Between the quality and type of material they were working with, the people they were buying from, and the style of automotive they were trying to curate. But there was something that caught her attention.

Most of their cars were heavily built with various types of steel because the metal was the most sturdy while still being easy to manipulate and bend. And they also had a small need for the more lightweight and flexible material like aluminum to balance weight in certain areas. 

But platinum? That was new. If they ever bought it, and that was a rarity on its own, they never bought it in bulk. It just wasn't necessary to have when it didn't get used as often as everything else. It was essentially just a waste of time and space because of how slowly they ran through it. But according to the spreadsheets she was looking at, it was around five years ago that they were buying platinum in bulk. And not just a few piles here and there, but mountains of it. And the original amount had almost doubled on this last report.

Which she found odd, because her father always ran over the orders himself. He would have everyone else keep stock and let him know what was needed in the factories and warehouse, but he was the one who actually placed the orders. Which meant there were one of two things happening. 

Either her father was using platinum for something she wasn't aware of, or Haske had somehow managed to place the order himself under Hiroshi's nose. She was almost certain it was the ladder. But it did seem weird because with the amount of platinum being ordered, someone should have noticed by now. So where exactly was all of the platinum being stored? And why had they yet to hear something about it?

She printed them off, closed the files, hid them on the off chance someone tried to get into her stuff, and left to pluck the papers from the printer. She looked at them curiously as she walked back to her office. Haske wasn't there yet and she had time to kill. 

She knocked on her father's door, but there was no answer. She unlocked it and stepped inside. The lights were off and Hiroshi had obviously gone home for the day, but she found that strange considering the man was just as much of a workaholic as she herself was. However, considering last night had been a little emotionally heavy with all the talk of Yasuko, she was going to choose to believe that her father had just taken a half day to go home. Knowing him, he'd probably gotten even less sleep than she did. 

She walked over and laid a copy of the files she'd found on his desk for him to find later. Haske was a goner as soon as her father found out. Hiroshi wasn't one to be messed with, especially when it came to something he cared about deeply, like his company. He had built it from the ground up, worked tirelessly to scrounge up all his money and actually do something with his life. 

He was a brilliant inventor and entrepreneur. He had made the first car all on his own. Everything had come a long way since then, but it was funny to look back and know the place started with a handful of change, rusty tools, a garage, and a dream. But it was the reason Hiroshi was so passionate about what he did, it was why he put all his time and effort into it. He knew what the company could be, and he wanted it to be the best. 

So when people like Haske showed up, meddling in things he shouldn't be and trying to hide the failures, Hiroshi wasn't going to let it slide. Asami smiled smugly just thinking about it. 

She locked up Hiroshi's door again and walked back to her own office. She placed the files in a manilla envelope and stuck them in her purse to deal with later. And it was right after she had done so that a knock on the door sounded. 

After she called out to let him in, he marched through the door and sat down in front of her desk looking uncomfortable. 

She studied him unimpressed. “Well? Did you find anything?” 

Haske shook his head. “No, nothing yet. I'm sorry Ms. Sato, but the file is missing.”

Asami hummed casually. “You know what's funny about missing things Mr. Haske?” she asked him. 

“What's that?” he asked, playing along, but clearly unable to care any less. 

Asami pulled the paper from earlier out of her desk drawer and held it up to show him. “They can always be found.” she sweetly as she held it proudly. 

And oh, the look on his face…sweating, scared, and helpless made the wait so worth it. He stammered as he tried to reply. “W-where did you get that?”

Asami shrugged. “It doesn't matter where I got it. You knew where it was just as much as I did.”

He sat up. “Ms. Sato, I can explain-”

She held a hand up. “No need.” she told him as she stood up and began picking up her things for the day. “I'm sure you'll be hearing from Hiroshi soon. I seem to have misplaced a copy of this paper. I must have left it on his desk. How unfortunate.” she hummed as she started to make her way out the door. 

He stood to follow her in an instant. “Ms. Sato-”

She turned around and ushered him out as she locked the door behind her. “You know Mr. Haske, if I were you I'd go ahead and start packing up your office. Maybe you could even delegate some of it if it's too much for you.” she offered with that condescending cheerfulness as she left him standing there sputtering to head towards the elevator. 

She felt ten feet tall as the elevator descended. It may not have been a light day, but it was certainly rewarding.

Her father had once told her hard work always paid off.

And he had certainly been right. 

♣️

She sat crossed legged on a stool inside her studio with a paintbrush and a palette in hand. It wasn't very often that she was able to paint, but it was something she liked to do every now and then. And after her interesting day at the office, she didn't feel like working on her bike, she just wanted something mindless. 

It was something she and her mother had bonded over on many occasions. While Yaksuko was a much better painter than Asami herself was (preferring to sketch with charcoal and pencils instead), some days it was nice to just throw all her feelings on a blank canvas. And it also helped to let her to remember her mother. 

It had been so long that she was starting to forget the way her mother's voice sounded. That realization hurt more than she wanted to admit. But the good news was that she had other things that helped. Like the jasmine perfume she currently wore, the exact brand and scent her mother always had floating around her. And she indulged in hobbies of Yasuko's like painting and her love for reading. 

As much as her father tried to forget Yasuko, it was difficult when she was actively working to do the exact opposite. While her father had torn down pictures and locked up all her mother's stuff and tried to act like nothing had even happened, Asami wanted to keep Yasuko's memory alive. 

She wanted to hold on to every single detail and memory as best she could. She had only had six years with her mother before the woman was taken away from her. And that meant that by now, she had spent more time without Yasuko than she had spent with the woman. And while single parents weren't uncommon, it was always more challenging for a kid like her than she would prefer to admit. 

Hiroshi had done a fine job raising her. He had tried his best at least. He had sent her to a state of the art private school, he'd kept her fed and clothed, and he'd given her just about anything she'd ever asked for. Except for his time. 

After Yasuko's passing, her father had been different. He was quiet, and moody, and he made himself scarce. More often than not it was the estate staff that took care of her. They were the ones who clothed her and fed her and bathed her. They were the ones who went out and bought her birthday and Christmas presents because her father didn't know her well enough to pick anything out. They were the ones taking her out to explore the city or play at the park. 

Hiroshi's way of showing love was money. He'd simply throw money at her so that she could buy and do whatever she wanted. And he just assumed that if he kept consistently throwing money at her, then that would be enough. He put all his time into his work, the work that made money, and the money that he gave to keep Asami happy. And he was trying his best, she had to believe that. Because raising a daughter that looked exactly like the wife you had just lost in a graphic and terrifying incident couldn't have been easy. 

But it did make her miss her mother. Because while Hiroshi had done a well enough job, there were moments where she desperately wished she could turn to her mother. But she couldn't, the best she could do was sit at her mother's headstone and weep. She had so many questions, and so little answers. Things she wished she could ask Yasuko because she couldn't ask her father. 

He refused to talk about her, but she wanted to know everything about her mother. She wanted to know Yasuko's favorite foods, her quirks, her happy memories, her sad ones, everything that made up her mother, she wanted to know. But the burning curiosity would always be just left flickering because the one person alive who could give her answers, refused to do so. 

She hated the way her father tried to pretend like Yasuko had never even existed. It was like she was a secret he didn't want anyone finding out about. That seemed so wrong. She remembered her mother vaguely enough to know that Yasuko was kind. She was bright and cheerful and selfless. But she was also feisty, and she could hold her own just as well as anyone else. Asami had gotten that from her. And yet, for someone who was supposedly so much like this woman, it felt like she was looking at a stranger in every photo. 

So she had resorted to anything, any activity or hobby or idea that made her feel closer to her mother. 

She kept brushing random strokes across the canvas until someone knocked on her door. She turned around to see one of the maids standing in the doorway. 

“Ms. Sato? Your father has requested your presence in his office.” the woman told her kindly. 

Asami nodded, standing and throwing her paintbrush to the side for later, wiping paint on her already covered overalls in the process. “Thank you, I'll be there in just a moment.” she replied. 

She didn't know why she was being summoned. There was no way her father had already found out about the papers she'd left on his desk, and dinner wasn't ready yet. Unless he had more work to give her, but he usually did a pretty good job of keeping her work at the office. 

It did at least confirm her theory that Hiroshi had taken a half day, but he apparently had done so only to come back home and work some more. She would like to say it was surprising, but it really wasn't. The man never stopped working. 

She made her way through the lengthy corridors while internally frowning at her attire. He likely wouldn't approve of her outfit considering she was covered in paint with her hair in a messy bun, but if it really was business related, he was just going to have to understand. Besides, it wasn't like she was trying to impress anyone. Hiroshi kept his meetings at the office in the FI tower, his personal study was just a place for him to work outside of the actual main office. 

She rapped on the door a few times before stepping inside like she always did. 

And then she froze, like a deer in headlights. 

She distantly heard her father's voice, but she wasn't paying him any mind. 

“Asami, there's someone I'd like you to meet.”