A loud siren woke Jin up in the middle of the night. Without hesitation, he bolted out of bed and hastily put on his bathroom robe that was laid out for the morning. Jin wasted no time heading out of his room and out into the courtyard where the commotion was.
"What's happening?" Jin asked. On his way outside, his aide caught up to him and began running alongside him.
"None of the radio communications were all that clear," Fong replied. He was noticeably struggling to speak while running at the same time. "I think I heard the word 'intruders' through all the mess."
As they rounded the corner of the biggest dormitory, Jin and his aide stopped before a scene of ten or so guards surrounding two airbenders. The guards, in all their mediocrity, were failing to land a single band on the intruders, both of whom were moving effortlessly and dodging the attempts at apprehension with ease.
Having had enough of his employees' ineptitude, Jin stomped once on the ground with his bare foot. The ground under the airbenders shook and caught them by surprise, causing them faltered. In the brief moment the intruders were off balance, they were struck by multiple metal bands.
"Bring their wrists and ankles together," Jin barked. "And cover their mouths too. Fong, tell Oma and Tyro to meet me in the conference room."
"Where are they now?"
Oma, Jin Wei's deputy inquisitor, was addressing Jin but her answer came from another present.
"Both are in solitary individually," Commander Tyro, an older graying man who served as head of camp security, replied. "We thought it best to keep them separate."
"That was wise," Fong remarked.
An uncomfortable silence fell upon the small group of people. They all had the same question on their minds but no one dare ask it.
"We should send news to the capital," Tyro said. "For all we know this was just one part of larger plan by the Coalition. Contact the other camps as well."
Jin stood up and walked over to the window. His mind was racing with what the effect this event would have. He wondered, even more perhaps, what effects his own actions and his response would be. Finally, he broke his silence.
"Five years," Jin said. He turned around to face the others. "Five years since we reclaimed our stolen land. Five years since the execution of the Avatar. We fought them back time and time again and proved out empire was here to stay. For the past year we've enjoyed relative peace. I fear things will change now."
Jin stood outside the door to the solitary confinement cell that housed the boy airbender. On one side of him stood Fong and on the other, a waterbending slave girl. He was reading the hastily put together report on what information his inquisitors had already obtained.
"Thank you," Jin said to the guard on duty, handing back the report.
Jin entered the cell with the waterbender where they found the boy bound to the wall in an X shape with metal bands holding his wrists and ankles in place. Another metal band covered his mouth. Cuts and bruises adorn much of his body.
The boy was completely naked. His body was thin but with a hint of muscle definition. Even if he hadn't read the report, Jin knew immediately that the airbender was kin. The boy's olive skin, dark brown hair, and deep green eyes gave it away. The fact that the boy was circumcised was another tell. His soft cock hung in the open air. Jin estimated it to be about 4 inches but also thick.
Without saying a word, Jin flicked his finger and allowed the metal band covering the boy's mouth fall to the blood-stained floor. He then gave the slave girl the go ahead.
Jin took a seat in a nearby chair and watched as the waterbender drew water from her water skin and covered the cuts on the boy's stomach. After a minute of watching the water glow and the cuts beginning to close, Jin finally spoke.
"I've always hated the need to harm beautiful people," Jin said. "It brings me no pleasure. But, I need to make you listen somehow. If you were a little less resistant, Kai, we could jump straight ahead to the reeducation part."
Kai, blood dripping from his mouth, feebly turned his head to look at Jin with his bruised left eye. Though the boy was beaten and bloodied, Jin could tell his spirit was not yet broken.
"You have an interesting story," Jin continued. "Orphaned at a young age, gifted with airbending, taken in by a new-found family. You even fought against the Empress herself five years ago."
The healer was making progress removing the marks on Kai's body. It was clear he was feeling better and regaining some strength from the process.
"I suppose I should properly introduced myself. I'm Jin Wei, Chief Inquisitor of Lake Laogai. You told the interagators that you've been here before. In that case, welcome back."
"This place... is... still a shithole..." Kai managed to muster enough strength to reply in low, raspy voice.
Jin smiled.
"You might see it that way, Kai, but what we do here is for the benefit of everyone and the Empire. An empire you can have a place in."
Kai simply scoffed as best as he could and looked away.
"Well," Jin said, standing up and preparing to leave. "No matter your opinion now, it'll change when we're done with you. A few more of these sessions and you'll be ready for reeducation. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to have the same chat with your companion."
"Chief," the guard outside the girl airbender's cell said while saluting. "There's a problem with this prisoner."
"Go on."
"One of the other guards recognized her," the guard continued. "She's the prince's sister, Opal. We didn't proceed with the interrogation."
Jin looked at the floor, thinking to himself. It was one thing to do what he wanted to with captured enemies but he knew he couldn't have his way with someone related to the Empress, enemy or not.
"Good call," Jin told the guard. "This changes things… I won't be in to see her. I should get a message to the capital. She hasn't been stripped, has she?"
"No, sir."
"Alright," Jin replied. "Make sure she gets food and water and standby for further orders."
"Commander Tyro has gotten word from all the other camps, sir," Fong said.
It was still early in the morning and Jin had been up ever since the alarm went off. He sat behind his desk reading all the files his staff could find on Opal. Fong was pouring his boss a cup of tea.
"None are reporting intrusions. Full body counts from every single one have come back clear."
"Good, good," Jin replied absentmindedly. He took a sip of the tea, still reading thoroughly.
"We should make a follow up call to the capital, sir," Fong continued, a little muffed his boss ignored him. "Keeping the girl a secret would be bad."
Jin stood up.
"Yes," he said. "Make the call and inform the capital I'm heading over with her. I'll make the preparations here."
An hour later, the maglev train pulled out of the Laogai stop. Aboard was Jin, Fong, a small security detail, two slave boys and the two prisoners, Opal and Kai.
About midway towards the destination, Jin decided to pay the prisoners a visit. He brought along one of the slaves, a firebender named Lee. When he entered the room he saw both Opal and Kai dressed but still cuffed. Neither had a band covering their mouths and Kai didn't have a single mark left on him.
"We have the best healers at the lake," Jin commented, pointing to Kai. "Lee, here can vouch for them too. He was problematic at the start. A hothead, Fire Nation soldier wanting to prove himself by help taking down the 'evil empire.'"
Jin Wei chuckled to himself.
"I say he's better suited serving the empire, not fighting it. You see this mark on his collar? That's the symbol of an server slave. It's a better gig than being a worker slave. Lee gets enjoy a lot perks as on of my servers. This trip for example. Too few of the slaves out in the country never get to see the glory of our capital."
"Zaofu isn't your capital," Opal snapped. "No one wants you there."
With those words still leaving Opal's mouth, Jin pulled his arm down and Lee fell to the floor on his knees. The slave began to turn a different color, his hands reaching up to touch his throat. Jin has his fist closed which indicated he had shrunk the collar around Lee's neck and began to choke him.
"Since I can't hurt you," Jin Wei snarled at Opal. "I'll have to take out my frustration on Lee here. If you say another word out of turn, it'll get worse."
Jin unclenched his fist and Lee took in a deep breath followed by some coughing. The slave took a few seconds to compose himself before standing back up.
"Unlike both of you," Jin said. "Lee knows his place. He knows good behavior is rewarded."
He could see the anger and frustration in both of the airbenders' eyes. It seemed his threatening to hurt someone they saw as a victim was a good deterrent.
"Next to firebenders, airbenders are the hardest to reeducate," Jin lectured. "All that talk of the 'element of freedom' takes deep roots in your heads. There is no freedom. Only order. Knowing your place in society helps everyone in the long run. I won't bother you anymore with my presence but think about my words."