Chapter 3: Jumping to Conclusions

"You're jumping to conclusions," Hiroshi Sato said, his voice firm but controlled, as he gestured for Korra and Mako to take seats in the conference room. Korra's eyes locked onto Hiroshi's, her expression intense. "I'm not jumping to conclusions, Mr. Sato," she said, her voice even but firm. "Asami is missing, and I have a right to know what's going on." Hiroshi nodded, his expression sympathetic. "I understand that, Korra. But we need to have a calm and rational discussion about this. Let's start with what we know." Mako leaned forward, his eyes fixed on Hiroshi. "What do we know, Mr. Sato?" he asked. Hiroshi leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers together. "Asami was working on a project at Future Industries last night. She left around 9 pm, and her assistant said she seemed normal, if a bit preoccupied." Korra's eyes narrowed. "Preoccupied? What did she mean by that?" Hiroshi shrugged. "Her assistant didn't elaborate, but she did say that Asami had been acting strangely all day. She was distant, and seemed to be in a hurry to finish her work." Mako frowned. "Do you know what she was working on?" Hiroshi hesitated, and for a moment, Korra thought she saw a flicker of uncertainty in his eyes. "I'm not entirely sure," he said finally. "Asami was working on a confidential project, and I didn't have access to her files." Korra's eyes widened. "A confidential project? What kind of project?" Hiroshi leaned forward, his expression serious. "I'm not at liberty to discuss the details, Korra. But I can assure you that Asami was working on something important, and we need to find out what's happened to her." The room fell silent, as Korra and Mako exchanged a worried glance. What was Asami working on, and was it connected to her disappearance? Korra's mind was racing with questions, and she knew she had to get to the bottom of things. "I want to see her files," Korra said, her voice firm. "I need to know what she was working on." Hiroshi's expression turned skeptical. "I'm afraid that's not possible, Korra. The project files are highly classified, and I'm not authorized to share them with anyone." Korra's eyes flashed with determination. "Then I need to speak to someone who is authorized," she said, her voice low and urgent. "I need to know what's going on, and I need to know now."