Warning: Flashbacks in this chapter. Also swearing and violence. But you already knew that last bit.

Chapter 14: Interrogation

The police arrived soon after the fight, took witness statements and a low ranked officer frogmarched us to the precinct. As for the Agni Kai goons . . . well, I have no clue what happened to those losers. I wonder if the police stopped to collect all the teeth. I guess I'd find out soon enough.

I had been waiting in this tiny room for almost 15 minutes now and frankly, I was starting to get a little nervous. Experienced as I was with police interrogations from my time in the South, it had been a while since I was on this side of the table. And even then, I had no idea what to expect. Legally speaking, my actions today - even the ones that the police actually knew about - weren't exactly beyond reproach. On top of that, I was pretty sure there was a hidden reason for the bold attack next to a precinct and the fact that they tried to provoke me into attacking them first.

I needed to figure out what was going on before I got blindsided.

Slam

I resist the urge to flinch as the cop slammed the door and sat down opposite to me in this . . . conference room.

"You know, this conference room looks a lot like an interrogation room, detective." I quipped, not letting my nervousness leak through.

I was stating the obvious, really. A low hanging light, metal walls, one of which had a mirror, a one way mirror now that I think about it. There was probably someone on the other side, watching this interrogation - because that was clearly what this was.

The officer who brought me into the precinct was a pretty chill guy. One of the good beat cops, no doubt. He congratulated Korra and I on beating up the punks who attacked us and mentioned that we'd be taken to a conference room to give our statement before he called in Detective Kane.

Kane was on the other side of the police spectrum. Despite the fact that I had somewhat expected it, I was annoyed when he separated me from Korra without so much as a "by your leave" and unceremoniously dragged me to this bleak metal cage and sat me down on this rickety chair. From the looks he gave me, I'm certain the asshole considered cuffing my hands to the table.

I'm glad he didn't, though. My nose was itching something fierce - something that happened when I felt I was being railroaded. I'd need to think on my feet here.

"That's because it is an interrogation room, smart ass." He replied with disdain, looking through a file.

I couldn't help the minute frown that appeared before I schooled my expression into a polite smile. I didn't think it would have been that easy to get him to admit it. I expected the smarmy git to make some sort of excuse. "All the conference rooms are occupied.", "this is just a formality" or my personal favorite: "We just wanted to make sure we've got the timeline right."

But no, I hadn't expected him to admit to putting a victim in an interrogation room.

I haven't really met this guy before, much less spoken with him. In fact, the only knowledge I had of Detective Kane was that he had stiffed Junior just before I met the streetwise information broker.

I'm not sure why but I knew I didn't like this guy the instant I saw his face. He had that smug face you couldn't help but want to cave in with a crowbar. Fucker.

"And is there a reason I'm in an interrogation room, detective?" I asked politely, containing my irritation.

"Don't play coy. You know exactly why you're here." He snarled at me, slamming the file down as he glared at me.

'Yeeesh. Someone has anger issues. That was sudden. So what's the way to go here: politely indifferent or politely infuriating or . . . something else?'

"I'm afraid I have no idea what I'm talking about, detective. I've done nothing wrong."

I chose to go with politely infuriating - for now. The Agni Kai clearly wanted me to get in trouble with the police. It was probably because they had an inside man who could make sure things went as planned. Apparently this bundle of sunshine here was their guy.

'Or am I over thinking things again?' I continued smiling, not giving away my internal monologue.

"Nothing wrong? You just assaulted 4 benders outside a police precinct. Did you really think you could get away with it?" He sneered at me, puffing up self importantly as he shot me the look.

Wonderful - a Bending Elitist, looks like my day just got worse. Now I knew why my douchedar was pinging.

Just to be clear, when I'm talking about the look, I'm not talking bedroom eyes here.

I'm talking about the look: the one all elitists had down to a Tee. Think about a facial expression that somehow combined their utter disdain and condescension for the fact that you can't bend the elements, with the outraged disbelief that you've somehow risen above your station in life and finally the disgust they feel for actually having to speak with you. Like, its somehow beneath them.

Yeah, that look.

Some of the nicer elitists, an oxymoron if there ever was one, had the decency to disguise the look with a hint of pity. This guy was clearly not among those nigh nonexistent numbers.

I had already met quite a few police officers who were dedicated to upholding truth, justice and the Americ - er . . . United Republican way. I suppose that the Law of Averages meant that one of these cockroaches would find their way into Law Enforcement past Beifong's watch.

There had been a number of delusional cockroaches parading this Neo-Nazi bullshit around the Archipelago calling themselves Divine Emperors or Prophets that had to be stamped out with extreme prejudice once the pirates were dealt with and we had a working Council to handle day to day affairs. I should know, I was the "Consultant" the newly formed Law Enforcement had relied on for pest control.

On a side note: It's quite interesting how the word - "Consultant" says absolutely nothing about the job.

'Oh, the cockroach is speaking. I should probably pay attention. Blah, blah, blah - Know your place in the world. Blah - status quo. Blah - respect for authority and tradition. Blah. I'm an elitist cunt. Blah.' I followed along absently.

"You know", I began, cutting Kane off midway, once again infuriating him, if that throbbing vein on his temple was anything to go by. How the egotistical jackass survived under Beifong eluded me. She seemed like a no nonsense type of boss.

"I think you might have missed the course on taking victim statements. You're supposed to sit there, look stupid and note down whatever I say. Is that about to happen anytime soon - or are you just going to yell at me like someone who's been smoking hallucinogens? Because, if you've got no further questions for me, I'm heading out." I said as I got of the chair to leave.

Detective Kane had just the right attitude for someone who might work with the Triads and honestly think he was doing the city a favour, despite whatever guilt he might feel for betraying his badge. I was fairly sure he was in bed with the Triads. I just needed confirmation and his face was going to tell me everything I needed to know.

Reading people.

It wasn't a skillset Charlie had possessed. No, that guy was socially awkward to the extreme.

It was something Cheng Hao had picked up. Abused kids tended to be really good at reading body language and nonverbal cues. I suppose it paid to know whether mouthing off at a particular time might get you a cuff around the head or a twisted arm. Either way, I continued to hone the skill with the help of Gulon, who was a master at the reading people, when I woke up in Cheng Hao's body. It came in handy at the strangest of times.

"Sit down. I'm not done." Kane said, slamming his fist on the table.

I complied, maintaining a pleasant smile. It might have been because I had just given his friend's a few booboos or perhaps because I was a non bender that actually had the balls to beat the crap out of benders who were exercising their spiritual right to be douchebags but Kane already seemed fit to burst. All he needed was a few nudges before he snapped - nudges I was happy to provide if it got me to the truth.

Kane took a deep breath and opened the file and pulled out a pencil.

"Are you Jin, from the Southern Republic?" He asked monotonously as if reading from a bank of prepared questions.

"Yes."

"You currently reside on Air Temple Island with your uncle, Councilman Tenzin. Is that right?" He droned, reading from his file.

"Uh-huh."

"Tell me about what happened today, in our own words." Kane ground out the standard questions through clenched teeth.

"Well, Korra and I were just minding our own business when these weirdos in red clothing showed up and started insulting us. So I insulted them back but then the guy with the head that looked like someone's ballsack tried to burn me alive. And then his friends tried to kill me. It was all self defense really." I explained earnestly.

"Self defense? Torch's arm was nearly snapped off at the elbow and his nose was broken, so were several of his teeth. He's going to need a doctor to wire his lower jaw to keep it in place. In what world would you call that self defense?" Kane shouted at me, spittle flying from his mouth.

Torch? Oh yeah, the scrawny guy. Yeah he was an interesting one. You don't often see a bender try close combat unless it's a last resort. I suppose that was an interesting experience.

Apart from initially calling out to Korra and I, the scrawny Firebender had remained aloof as the rest of us exchanged insults. The instant Ganju backhanded Kaiser and tossed the first fireball, Torch burst into motion - running up to Korra and I, igniting his right hand in fire. The flames quickly enveloped his arm before condensing down to his fist and quickly coalesced into the shape of a dagger. Korra stepped forward, raising an earth barrier between the two of us and the Triads but she was a hair too slow. Torch leapt over the wall before it could cut him off and continued running towards me as the attacks from the other two firebenders slammed continuously into the impromptu barrier.

I couldn't fault Torch's thought process. Take out the lesser threat first.

Although it seems as though I was the lesser threat here.

Heh.

I had Korra hold the wall up as I dodged the speedy firebender's initial swings until I got a sense for his timing, the fire dagger in his hand almost singed my hair as I prepared. Activating Quicksilver mode for but a brief moment, I caught his forearm on his fifth swing with my right hand, pulled him off balance and twisted sharply, slamming a palm heel into his elbow from the left for good measure.

I smirked in savage satisfaction at the audible crack as his elbow gave under the blow and his arm snapped like a twig.

The dagger made of condensed flame sputter out of existence as Torch began screaming.

But I didn't let go. Not yet. I pulled him closer using his now broken arm eliciting further screams, pivoted around and slammed my elbow into his face with all the torque I could muster.

The scrawny little shit dropped like the Bass on a Skrillex Mix.

"Well, he attacked first. That's self defense, right?" I asked, shrugging in a clueless fashion.

"That's not even - Ughh. Once you . . . defended yourself from Torch. Why did you initiate combat with Ganju. You could have simply run away at that point, couldn't you?"

I frowned inwardly. Not good. He was calming down. I needed to make him angry somehow.

"I suppose I could have, but Korra was reinforcing the wall that kept Ganju from incinerating us while she defended herself from that crazy chick, Keela. If I'd run away, Korra would have probably gotten beaten up. So I put that Ganju fellow to sleep. Trust me, I did the big guy a favor. He looked like he was about to stroke - the poor guy."

Once I beat Torch like a broken drum, I noticed that the wall Korra had raised was crumbling away due to repeated explosive blasts from the other side. Korra's concentration was being diverted by the lightning bolts that Keela kept sending her way. She dodged the one's directed at her and raised shields to block the ones shot at me. The attacks were causing her to lose her grip on the Earth Wall separating me from Ganju.

Unlike Keela who had stepped around the wall to attack Korra from an angle, Ganju just stood in place roaring incoherently as he shot fireballs at the earth wall. I had no idea why Ganju hadn't simply stepped around the wall to attack me but didn't waste my time pondering that.

Keep that in mind, kids. Anabolic Steroids shrink your brains and your testicles.

I had Korra drop the wall and leapt through the crumbling earth and sped towards Ganju, seeing as how Korra had Keela occupied.

The bald firebender let loose several more firebolts which I dodged easily as I approached him.

"Graaaaah." Ganju yelled out, giving up on his firebending as he threw a flurry of punches the instant I was within arms reach.

The problem with that much muscle was that you'd never be able to hit a moving target. Dodging his wide blows, I threw a few of my own but to no avail.

Unfortunately, Ganju's use of steroids had done more than just shrink his brain (and possibly his balls). Every single muscle group in his body had turned into tank-like armor plating and my fists were basically pebbles.

Exercise and a strict training regimen had given me considerably more strength than anyone with my height and frame had any right to possess but I was still limited by Cheng Hao's body type.

Fortunately, there was a way around my current predicament though.

I ducked under a wide swing and my fingers blurred with practiced ease, slamming repeatedly into his sides, targeting vital points, twisting around Ganju's swings as he tried to stop me. I stepped back and gleefully watched as Ganju fumbled around - trying to bend, but was unable to. The panicked look on his face was priceless. Without his bending knocking him out was a piece of cake.

I've never experienced the truly horrible effects of chi blocking myself. See, Chi blocking doesn't exactly work on non benders the way it does on benders.

Sure - it has the same documented effects on the body of a non bender but it isn't the same. Not in the slightest.

A few blows might leave the non benders with some local numbness in the area that was struck. Their muscles weaken and they find themselves unable to muster the strength to move the affected appendages. Enough hits and even a non bender's chi flow gets blocked completely, causing a blackout. But that's about it.

Pretty straightforward right?

Benders though? Whole 'nother story.

From what I've come to understand, benders had this innate connection to their element that allows them to subconsciously channel their chi and bend the elements. I don't know where it came from and doubted I would ever find out but this innate connection either exists as it is from birth or grows with them as they age so most benders don't even realize it exists. It's just something in the back of their mind - like your nose in front of your face.

No, this connection was more than that.

It could be likened to the way your brain takes over your breathing in such a way that you don't even notice it happening.

What chi blocking does when it . . . well . . . blocks chi, is that it somehow cuts off benders from this innate connection to their element. All of a sudden, they feel hollow. A part of them that was always there just isn't anymore - and they are acutely aware of its absence, even before they try to bend and this is where the panic begins. The confirmation that they can't bend brings out a full blown panic attack in three out of four benders. It takes someone with a truly incredible temperament to stay calm when they are chi blocked for the first time. And even then, they are severely hampered by their lack of abilities.

There's something extremely visceral and sadistic about watching a bender lose his abilities. Especially when this bender was trying to deep-fry you. The look on their face when they realized that all the power they were born with, the abilities they had considered their birthright could be taken away with a few measly pokes - was a spectacle I would never tire of seeing.

Watching the panic, the rage, the shame on their faces when it dawned on them that as powerful as they had once been, as tyrannical as their abilities were - they were nothing without them?

Yeah, that gave me a profound sense of satisfaction. It made going through Kai Lee's torturous Chi Blocking Boot Camp worth it.

My contemplation was interrupted by another inquiry from Kane.

"And the last one, Kaiser? He had a severe head injury. Was that self defense too?" Kane asked.

"No."

I watched Kane's face light up at my answer.

Bitch Please.

"That was actually the skinhead. He punched his buddy really hard in the face. There were almost a dozen witnesses who can corroborate that. Speaks to the state of mind of the guys who assaulted me, right? Benders on steroids are really dangerous creatures. Monsters really."

Kane bristled. His hands clenched the file he was holding, denting the metal slightly.

'There we go. Just a little more.'

"You've got an answer for everything don't you, Jin?" He asked through clenched teeth, dropping the dented clipboard and letting it fall to the table.

"Innocent people often do, Detective." I shrugged.

What followed were a series of questions that were focused on making me admit that I knew about the attack before hand. I watched him grow angrier with every single one of my answers.

I've got to hand it to the guy. For a bending elitist, he seemed to be holding onto his anger pretty well. I needed to go a little further.

"So you knew nothing? I find that hard to believe. Why would the attack happen right outside the police precinct unless you planned it that way?" Kane yelled out, slamming his fist on the table as he gave me the opening I needed.

"I'm afraid you're grasping at straws, Detective. Why would that baldy punch his own buddy in the face hard enough to put him in a coma? I'm afraid fathoming the mind of insane criminals is your job. It's what you are, isn't it?" I said, watching the throbbing vein on his temple pulsate even faster. I smiled.

"A cop, I mean." I continued after a pause, smiling as if I hadn't just insinuated that he was on the Triad payroll. He snapped.

The enraged detective tossed the table aside with a loud thud and grabbed me by the shoulders and shoved me at the wall.

Moment of truth. I stared closely at his face. I didn't like what I saw.

The point of the entire conversation and the nudging was to get past the anger and disdain and find the hint of guilt he had hidden away in that messed up elitist cesspool he had for a subconscious.

All I saw was Rage and Disgust. Not for me though - well not entirely.

He was disgusted at being compared to the Triad. He clearly considered working for them to be below him. But there was not even a slightest sign of the guilt that should have been there for working with criminals and betraying the badge.

Nuts.

So he wasn't with the Agni Kai. He was just a regular douche. So why did the Agni Kai attack me next to the precinct? Why did they provoke me? Who gained from this?

Too many questions popped up in my head and I wasn't getting any answers here. There was no point to continuing this farce.

"You want to get him off me before I break his face?" I asked, looking over Kane's shoulder at the one way mirror.

"No-one's coming kid. I think it's time someone taught you to respect your betters." Kane smirked at me tossing me to the ground and cracking his knuckles.

An unexpected turn of events.

I picked myself off the ground and dusted myself off. Why wasn't there someone watching the interview? There's always someone on the other side of the mirror, reading facial expressions and making notes! I had counted on there being a witness when I twisted this guy into a pretzel . . . in self defense of course.

All of a sudden I felt a profound sense of embarrassment for assuming that things worked here the same way they worked in Arc City.

I had a decision to make: Should I take the beating and walk out a free man or should I beat the crap out of this pretentious fuck and take my chances in court?

My dilemma was resolved when the door slammed open and in walked . . . Beifong?

Despite my embarrassment and confusion, I enjoyed watching Kane's expression go from smug to constipated in 0 seconds flat.

Author's Note:

I'd like to know your opinion on the mini flashbacks, I've never particularly minded flashbacks in a story but I know that it's a pet peeve for quite a few readers.

Once again, for those who feel that Jin is too powerful. Understand that these are goons who have no real training in using their abilities. There weapons are basically fear and intimidation and an occasional flashy display of bending to reinforce the first two. There might be a select few goons with skill but they are few and far between. Jin will not fight anyone his equal or better until later on.

So elitists, yeah that's a thing in this story. There were hints of it present in the cartoon. At least according to my interpretation.

Let me know what you guys think.