IC: Oriental Opportunities, Avoiding death in Hong Kong Options

[Thanee]

19 February 2072, 2:04 PM, ~3 blocks from Monkey Shrine, Hong Kong
Ting-Ting | PAN = Passive | SIN = Xiao Ling

< [Ting-Ting] Why exactly should I shoot a dog!? And with what gun!? >

[Mickle5125]

[19 February 2072, 2:05 PM, Astral Plane near the Monkey Shrine, Hong Kong]
PAN = Passive | Fake SIN(4) = Zhao Shang | no-name street performer

Max's wait in the astral plane was pleasantly short, with the Quicksilver Monkey arriving quickly to lead him to Dr. Yang. Once they reach the location, he turns to the Quicksilver Monkey and smiles.

"Thank you for leading me here. Please inform your summoner that I have arrived and ask what they need of me."

[phlapjack77]

19 February 2072, 2:04 PM, store interior near the Monkey Shrine, Hong Kong
PAN = Passive | SIN = Liu Zi Ang
DragonFly 2 autosofts: Adaptability, Clearsight, Covert Ops
iBall: Weapon Watcher, Visual Spotter

<<[Dante]: No need for deception - let's do this in a more friendly manner. Please let me know at your convenience when you want that interview.[[Attachment 0.2 MP]]>>

Attached to the comm message is the comm ID for one of the disposable commlinks Dante carries. He also pauses in his pursuit, not wanting to appear too threatening.

<<@Team: I'm pulling back, let's see what moves his team makes. Dr. Yang, please let me know if you encounter any trouble.>>

[Seth]

[19 February 2072 2:05 PM Alley behind shop, near the Monkey Shrine, Hong Kong
PAN = Passive | SIN = Michael Chang

<<[Dr Yang] Will do. >>

Dr Yang finds a suitable place to hide in the rubbish in the Alley, and settles down apparently to the outside world asleep.

[Edana]

19 February 2072, 2:05 PM, Shop near Monkey Shrine, Hong Kong
The man keeps slowly walking towards the back, but he's obviously also working on some kind of response as Dante's commlink flashes up another message about the time the man reaches the bathroom door. <Don't draw any more attention to yourself by stopping now. I'll leave the door to the alley open, shouldn't be anyone else there this time of day.> He continues to walk towards the back, opening the unmarked door and heading through without waiting for Dante's response.

Dr. Yang has no trouble noticing the door open and the man exit into the alleyway. It appears the man hasn't noticed the well-disguised canine, as he glances around the area and shoves part of a nearby trash bag into the doorway to keep it from fully closing. That done, he moves a little way down the alley in the direction of the park, then pulls out a pack of cigarettes, lights one and leans back against the wall waiting for something as he pulls deeply and slowly exhales the smoke.

Another message in Russian goes across the link between him and the man in the park, <Guess Alexei won't be here in time then. Hopefully he's not planning on beating me to death or anything. Maybe you should find us someplace quiet if he's going to play nice. I'll be behind Han's.>

19 February 2072, 2:05 PM, ~3 blocks from Monkey Shrine, Hong Kong
From her vantage point, Ting-Ting can see the man on the bench heave a sigh and then he gets up and starts walking in the general direction of the shop her companions were headed towards.

[phlapjack77]

19 February 2072, 2:05 PM, Alley behind shop, near the Monkey Shrine, Hong Kong
PAN = Passive | SIN = Liu Zi Ang
DragonFly 2 autosofts: Adaptability, Clearsight, Covert Ops
iBall: Weapon Watcher, Visual Spotter

<<@Team: I don't want to give these damned gwailo any more data on us than necessary. I'm going to have a very brief chat and then leave.>>

Dante followed the man out the back door, stepping into the alley. His iBall drone, still perched on his shoulder, stayed focused on the man as Dante attended to moving the trash bag so that the door could close. Straightening up, Dante faced the man with a small smile. Speaking in his rusty English, he said:

"Your move, omae. Later you should contact me, if you want talk. Teahouses are good. I can make your job easy. Maybe we both can profit."

[Thanee]

19 February 2072, 2:05 PM, ~3 blocks from Monkey Shrine, Hong Kong
Ting-Ting | PAN = Passive | SIN = Xiao Ling

< [Ting-Ting] The guy from the park just got up and is coming your way now. Will take a moment, of course, we are about 3 blocks away here. >

Ting-Ting will wait and then follow him at a large distance, the AR making it really easy to pick him out in a crowd.

[sabs]

19 February 2072, 2:04 PM, Monkey Shrine, Hong Kong
PAN = Passive | Fake SIN(3) = Johnny Cash | Wuxing Corporate Citizen

For all intents and purposes appearing like an old man who fell asleep on the bench, drool included, Fractal continued to consolidate his control and grip on the commlinks and siphoning off as much information as possible from them.

<<Dante, I'll build you an escape route. Ting-Ting, you might want to contemplate buying some tourist clothes and changing. Do you want me to delete your image from these commlinks? I don't know if they've uploaded them to Knight Errant yet. If they have and I delete them, they'll know they got hacked, AND they'll know which images have been deleted.>>

Fractal reached out to the local Gridguide® and People Mover™ and took a look at the pedestrian traffic. Seeing the best way to get Dante away and any possible pursuit stuck.

[Seth]

[19 February 2072 2:05 PM Alley behind shop, near the Monkey Shrine, Hong Kong
PAN = Hidden| SIN = <Not available>

<<[Dr Yang] If we picture the possible futures. They have either uploaded or not. If they haven't and we delete we win big time. If they have and we delete we have a small loose: they know that we have a hacker. As Sun Tzu teaches us "Nothing is to be achieved in war without taking Risks" >>

[Mickle5125]

[19 February 2072, 2:05 PM, Astral Plane near the Monkey Shrine, Hong Kong]
PAN = Passive | Fake SIN(4) = Zhao Shang | no-name street performer

Max's astral form watches the area for astral threats while he awaits information from Dr. Yang.

[Edana]

19 February 2072, 2:05 PM, Alley behind shop, near the Monkey Shrine, Hong Kong
The man chuckles a bit at Dante's use of English. "Your English is about as good as mine. Never did take those classes seriously," he responds in kind. Then he switches to flawless Cantonese, continuing, "Maybe we should stick to the local tongue, eh? As long as you're not looking for a fight, we can keep this friendly."

He pauses for a moment, taking a long draw on his cigarette, eyeing Dante and the surroundings before exhaling smoke and finishing quietly, "Boss isn't too pleased with what you pulled last night. Could have cost us big. But, you're right that this isn't the place to talk. There's a decent noodle place down the road a little way, in the mood for a beer? Feel free to bring your lady friend."

As this is going on Fractal sees another message and response go past in Russian while he plots out a way to extricate Dante should that become necessary.

<Doesn't seem to be itching for a fight. Going to see if he's willing to chat at that noodle dive. Probably won't need Alexei.>
<Alright. I'll meet you there.>

19 February 2072, 2:05 PM, Astral Plane alley behind shop, near the Monkey Shrine, Hong Kong
The astral seems relatively innocuous to Max's practiced eye, though the number of people in the area between the shrine and this alley make picking out individuals a bit of a chore. The alley itself seems to be fairly clear though, with only the auras of Dr. Yang, Dante and a third person being obvious.

19 February 2072, 2:05 PM, ~3 blocks from Monkey Shrine, Hong Kong
Ting-Ting has no problems following the man, especially with the assistance of the AR pointer. He doesn't seem to be in a particular hurry, but he continues to follow a path that looks likely intersect the road the others took away from the shrine.

[phlapjack77]

19 February 2072, 2:05 PM, Alley behind shop, near the Monkey Shrine, Hong Kong
PAN = Passive | SIN = Liu Zi Ang
DragonFly 2 autosofts: Adaptability, Clearsight, Covert Ops
iBall: Weapon Watcher, Visual Spotter

Switching to Cantonese, which isn't quite as flawless, Dante replied

"Sure - sounds good. But I don't really like noodles. Dim sum is much tastier. I know a good place nearby. We can talk as we walk."

Heading in the opposite direction as indicated by the man, Dante slowly began walking, not looking back. The iBall on his shoulder kept the man in view for Dante. As he walked, Dante sent the team a message.

<<@Team: Who knows a good dim sum restaurant in this area? One nearby would be great>>

[sabs]

19 February 2072, 2:05 PM, Monkey Shrine, Hong Kong
PAN = Passive | Fake SIN(3) = Johnny Cash | Wuxing Corporate Citizen

Fractal quickly did a search for local Dim Sum restaurants, sorting by reviews. <<How about Ling Hung Tea House? Dante you have white noise generators with you? Seems likely they've got the noodle dive bugged.>> Fractal reaches out and quickly rents out a small private booth, under the name of Mr Lee, party of three.

<<Doc, can you ask Max to scout the area, and make sure noone will be eavesdropping Magically? Ting-Ting, what's your plan? I've got escape strategies for you and Dante, if they're needed.>>

Fractal writes some code quickly, that will when triggered go through and delete all the video footage on the commlinks. Additionally, Fractal monitors the traffic to see if the video footage is being transmitted to third parties.

[phlapjack77]

19 February 2072, 2:05 PM, Alley behind shop, near the Monkey Shrine, Hong Kong
PAN = Passive | SIN = Liu Zi Ang
DragonFly 2 autosofts: Adaptability, Clearsight, Covert Ops
iBall: Weapon Watcher, Visual Spotter

<<@Team: I figured the noodle house might not be the safest bet, since he suggested it. Thanks for the recommendation, I'll head there.>>

[Thanee]

19 February 2072, 2:05 PM, ~3 blocks from Monkey Shrine, Hong Kong
Ting-Ting | PAN = Passive | SIN = Xiao Ling

< [Ting-Ting] I don't have any plans at the moment. I'm following him in a safe distance and otherwise staying on hold. >

[Seth]

[19 February 2072 2:05 PM Alley behind shop, near the Monkey Shrine, Hong Kong
PAN = Hidden| SIN = <Not available>

<<[Dr Yang] Fractal can you plan me a route, mostly by back alleys, to get to an alley behind the Dim Sum place? >>

[Edana]

19 February 2072, 2:05 PM, Alley behind shop, near the Monkey Shrine, Hong Kong
The man drops his cigarette to the ground and grinds it out with the toe of his boot before responding. "Hah, don't trust my choice of dives? Fair enough. Mind giving me the name of the place so I can tell the boss where to meet us? It'll be more useful to talk to him directly rather than having me play relay." He shrugs and follows Dante at a reasonable distance down the narrow alleyway, moving up to be side by side after they exit into the nearby street, so it's easier to hold a conversation. "So, it's obvious from your speech you're not from around here. How do you like our little city? Busy enough for you?"

<Seems he doesn't like noodles, so change of locations. We'll see what he says. Too bad, I really like that noodle place.>

[phlapjack77]

19 February 2072, 2:05 PM, Alley behind shop, near the Monkey Shrine, Hong Kong
PAN = Passive | SIN = Liu Zi Ang
DragonFly 2 autosofts: Adaptability, Clearsight, Covert Ops
iBall: Weapon Watcher, Visual Spotter

"I'm disappointed, my new friend. I thought this would just be a friendly conversation between you and me. No need to involve your boss just yet. Maybe we can discuss things that your boss wouldn't be interested in. Just you and me having lunch and a beer."

Walking for a few more steps, Dante continued, "This city is great, so many different people and foods. You sound like you grew up here - how has it changed since you were a child?"

[Edana]

19 February 2072, 2:06 PM, Road near the Monkey Shrine, Hong Kong
<Guess he doesn't trust me. Oh well, I'll see what he's got to say.>
<Sounds good. I'll catch up when I can. Don't walk into an ambush.>

"Suit yourself. I think you'd get a bit more biz done with the boss directly than me playing relay, but some things can't be helped. Can't say I mind taking a bit of a break."

"Northern reaches actually, farm boy, but I didn't like it there. Been living in the city for about 10 years now. Sometimes it's more people than I like, but it certainly grows on you. I can't really imagine being anywhere else now," he chats amiably as he walks. "You in for the long haul here, or just visiting?"

19 February 2072, 2:06 PM, ~2 blocks from Monkey Shrine, Hong Kong
Meanwhile, Ting-Ting's quarry seems to be generally following a parallel path to that of Dante and his companion. At one point he momentarily ducks into a nearby alleyway, apparently making sure that no one is following him, but the AR pointer makes it easy for Ting-Ting to maintain a safely undetectable distance.

Fractal's monitoring indicates that a relatively significant portion of the data incoming to this link is being copied across to the other encrypted connection.

[sabs]

19 February 2072, 2:06 PM, Monkey Shrine, Hong Kong
PAN = Passive | Fake SIN(3) = Johnny Cash | Wuxing Corporate Citizen

Fractal has little glowing doggy prints leading Puppy Yang through the back alleys to the Tea House he selected. What's more disturbing is the Scooby Doo theme music playing from Puppy Yang's commlink, just quiet enough for only Yang to hear.

<<They've been copying all this stuff off site. I don't think I can safely delete any of it. Certainly not without letting them know I was in their ComZ Hax0r1n their filz>>

Old Man Fractal actually makes a snoring snarfling sound, causing the young child who was poking him to run back to his mommy. << Dante, patch me into your Eyeball drone. We're going to want a full record of this.>>

[phlapjack77]

19 February 2072, 2:05 PM, Alley behind shop, near the Monkey Shrine, Hong Kong
PAN = Passive | SIN = Liu Zi Ang
DragonFly 2 autosofts: Adaptability, Clearsight, Covert Ops
iBall: Weapon Watcher, Visual Spotter

<<@Team: Done. Feed should be available now.>>

"Oh, it's hard to say how long I'll be in one place or another. Always travelling, that's my life. Hong Kong has some things that could keep me longer than usual, perhaps. You know, I've never actually been on a farm. Maybe my Cantonese was learned from someone like that? Anyway....ah, we've arrived."

Using the AR ordering system at the entrance, Dante gets a table near the back and puts in an initial order for various dim sum dishes and a few containers of beer. Settling in to his chair, he waits for the other man to also settle himself before continuing.

"So, it seems we need each other's help. Your boss wants information on me. Instead of you having to go through the effort to do all of this sneaking around stuff, why don't you just tell me what you need to know? So much easier for you. Your wife and kids will be thankful that their dad is home early today." Dante says this last with a smile.

[Seth]

[19 February 2072 2:06 PM Alley behind dim sum shop, near the Monkey Shrine, Hong Kong
PAN = Hidden | SIN = Michael Chang

Dr Yang settles down in his new hiding place behind the dim sum shop. Thank you he says to the tiny spirit that has brought and hidden his clothes under yet another pile of rubbish. All these alleys look the same he muses. The art of prophecy can be deeply obscure, when I read the I Ching this morning, I wasn't thinking of this

One is able to remain persevering.
Seek not works, but bring to completion.
If a man is free of vanity he is able to conceal his abilities and keep them from attracting attention too soon; thus he can mature undisturbed. If conditions demand it, he can also enter public life, but that too he does with restraint. The wise man gladly leaves fame to others. He does not seek to have credited to himself things that stand accomplished, but hopes to release active forces; that is, he completes his works in such a manner that they may bear fruit for the future.

Certainly his current position required a certain freedom of vanity, and his body odour was maturing all by it self. Charging into the restaurant would certainly require restraint

[Thanee]

19 February 2072, 2:06 PM, getting closer to the Monkey Shrine, Hong Kong
Ting-Ting | PAN = Passive | SIN = Xiao Ling

< [Ting-Ting] The guy from the park is moving on a parallel path to you, Dante. He is being careful, even employing counter-shadowing techniques. Didn't help him, though. That pointing hand is just too damn obvious. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif) >

[Mickle5125]

[19 February 2072, 2:06 PM, Astral Plane near the Monkey Shrine, Hong Kong]
PAN = Passive | Fake SIN(4) = Zhao Shang | no-name street performer

Max's astral form floats along behind Dr. Yang, waiting for instruction. Max yawns.

[phlapjack77]

19 February 2072, 2:05 PM, Ling Hung Tea House, Hong Kong
PAN = Passive | SIN = Liu Zi Ang
DragonFly 2 autosofts: Adaptability, Clearsight, Covert Ops
iBall: Weapon Watcher, Visual Spotter

<<@Team: Can you send me a image of this second guy or patch me in to the indicator you've set up? Don't want any surprises...>>

The two men pause in their conversation as the food arrives.