Nothing's Free in the Free Zone (IC), Adventure 2: A Dish Best Served Cold Options

[Lobo0705]

The New McCormicks Seafood House, East 72nd and Grape Street, 6:08 PM September 11, 2075

Grease waits as Chapel translates, and the woman looks over at Grease and speaks back, her words clipped and terse. "Up until this morning I had planned on spending the rest of my life with him. I had no desire to steal from him until he threatened my life. But what am I to do now? He was my source of income, and his reach is long. I need to disappear, and the money from selling those artifacts will make that possible."

[Melpomene]

The New McCormicks Seafood House, East 72nd and Grape Street, 6:08 PM September 11, 2075

<<@Grease [Melpomene]: Good to know you. Hopefully we can both make each other some money while keeping each other from dying.>>

Mel sets her integral audio to record the conversation going on while looking at the security tape a couple more times. When there is a break in the question/answers, she clears her throat and speaks...

"Ms. Li, may I ask...who is the man that protected you? Have you ever seen him before? He seems quite capable to be able to drop two heavily armed killers the way he did..."

[Lobo0705]

The New McCormicks Seafood House, East 72nd and Grape Street, 6:08 PM September 11, 2075

Chapel translates, and Jingfei responds, "I do not know him by name, although I have seen him in that store before. I shop there often, as it is close to my home."

A pause, and then "He is always polite and respectful, but I have not said much more than hello to him before today."

[Jack VII]

The New McCormicks Seafood House, East 72nd and Grape Street, 6:08 PM September 11, 2075

Jack was glad someone had asked about the young guy. He didn't think it had anything to do with the job, but it piqued his interest. Turning his mind back to the objective, the ork mimicked Grease's approach and looked at Jingfei as he asked, "Sometimes these things don't go off exactly as we hope. Can you tell us anything you might know about the plans for transporting the objects to the auction or even the auction itself? Is it a public auction?"

Jack was vaguely worried that someone powerful may have their eyes on either of these items and may not be happy if they were to turn up missing.

[Lobo0705]

The New McCormicks Seafood House, East 72nd and Grape Street, 6:09 PM September 11, 2075

Jingfei waits for Chapel to finish translating, and then inclines her shoulders slightly, as if in a tiny shrug as she answers.

"I only know that the auction beings tomorrow night at 21:00, and that it is invitation only. Judging by the dress that he bought for me, it will be a white tie event. He did not reveal its location to me, unfortunately. "

A pause, and then Chapel continues, "He had an argument the other day as to who was to be transporting the items, but I did not overhear the other end of the conversation, and up until today I had not thought it very important. I do know that there are at least four guards on the property at all times, although in the last few days he has brought more on, perhaps due to the auction, I am not sure. This is in addition to his own bodyguard, Hao Fe, who travels everywhere with him."

[DrZaius]

The New McCormicks Seafood House, East 72nd and Grape Street, 6:09 PM September 11, 2075

Grease waits for Li to calm down a bit after his question, allowing his colleagues to ask a few of their own before following up. "I mean no offense. Obviously, this is a difficult subject for you. If I may; why not use the money you have set aside for our job to live off of? The amount that our mutual friend here quoted was quite high. Presuming if you are able to come up with that amount of hard currency, it would seem like you could start your life over almost anywhere. That is of course, unless you planned on paying us with the proceeds from the artifacts."

Grease's smile fades. "Which would be troublesome, as payment upon delivery is generally how these arrangements are made. I am trusting, but not so much as to hand over "priceless" artifacts on the word that you will pay me for them once you're able to fence them."

[Jack VII]

The New McCormicks Seafood House, East 72nd and Grape Street, 6:09 PM September 11, 2075

Jack groaned inwardly when Grease asked about the money. Might as well slot Chapel a chip containing a copy of An Idiot's Guide To Fixing... Half listening to the response, the ork opened up an AR window and started to search the Matrix for recent news stories about Chinatown.

[Lobo0705]

The New McCormicks Seafood House, East 72nd and Grape Street, 6:10 PM September 11, 2075

Chapel looks askance at Grease, and answers without translating. "Your end will be coming out of my pocket Grease, and I will recoup it when the items go to my buyer."

Jingfei looks quizzically at him, and he speaks briefly to her in Mandarin. She nods, but if she shows any comprehension of Grease's original question, she does not show it.

[DrZaius]

The New McCormicks Seafood House, East 72nd and Grape Street, 6:10 PM September 11, 2075

Grease shrugs noncommittally.

There goes that angle for figuring out if she's on the level..

He nods at Chapel, "I have a short story I'd like you to translate."

He turns to Li, and talks slowly and carefully, but in an extremely casual manner. "Once upon a time, as stories from our culture begin, there was a young girl who lived on a farm. She and her family were very poor. She knew that she would need to work hard every day to be able to provide enough rice to feed her family. However, nearby her family's farm there was a large lake. In this lake were fish, many fish."

He pauses to drink some of his wine. "One fish was larger than all the rest. The young girl knew that if she caught this fish, she would eat well that day, and would not be hungry for some time."

He makes a dismissive gesture. "Of course, one fish is not enough to get rid of hunger altogether. Now, the biggest fish- bigger than any others had seen; that would be worth something."

He smiles. "So she started feeding the fish. She would come down to the lake and give him a little of her rice each day. She fed him for 2 years and 2 days. By this time, she was sure he was the largest fish she had ever seen. If she could capture it and bring it to the city, she would be able to sell it to a rich man and get rewards beyond even her wildest dreams."

He shakes his head slowly. "But he was TOO large. When she was finally ready to capture him, he spit out the hook. She had been feeding him all this time, and by now he was so big she couldn't hope to capture him alone. She knew it would be a matter of time before a fisherman came by and stole her treasure from her."

He sips his wine again. "So she went to the forest. She asked the fox, 'Will you help me trick the fish into coming closer to the shore?', and the fox said yes. She asked the bear, "Will you wade into the water and hold the fish down, so he doesn't slip away?' and the bear said yes. She asked the dragon, 'Will you scare the fish, and make him willing to be captured by me, instead of eaten by you?' and the dragon said yes. Finally, she asked the beaver, 'Will you build a clever trap out of wood, so we can keep him alive to bring to the city?' and the beaver said yes."

He opens his hands, showing them to be empty. "Of course, she had nothing to pay any of the creatures; she only could promise them that once she was able to sell the fish to the rich man, they would be rewarded. The fox, the dragon, the bear, the beaver; all would prefer to eat the fish, rather than wait for a future reward."

Grease finishes his wine. "But since she asked so politely, they agreed to help her. She had been planning on capturing this fish for so long, it was all her mind could think to accomplish. That trapping the fish would be difficult did not concern her; because since he spat out the hook, she had arranged it so she didn't have to get wet."

The elf raises his eyebrow, and asks, "Are you familiar with this story?"

He crosses his hands and waits patiently for her response.

[Jack VII]

The New McCormicks Seafood House, East 72nd and Grape Street, 6:10 PM September 11, 2075

What. The. Frag? Jack stared hard at Grease, trying to figure out if he had missed signs of drug use. Vaguely understanding where the story was going, he turned back to the open newsfeeds in his ARO display and continued reading about the quiet neighborhood in the CAS known as Chinatown. I can probably carry light over there...

[Melpomene]

The New McCormicks Seafood House, East 72nd and Grape Street, 6:10 PM September 11, 2075

Mel continued to multitask. She knew that the Ork and the Elf would cover 90% of the relevant questions, so she examined the security tape a few more times, watching the Good Samaritan.

Who are you, O white knight?

She also started running Matrix searches for articles regarding a dragon statuette and/or vase that match the images she now had in front of her AR sight.

She cranked up the thumping house music in her mind...rather than distract her, the rhythm kept her on task.

Then she heard the Elf, Grease.

"...begin, there was a young girl who lived on a farm. She..."

What...the...Hell...?

She paused all of her work at that moment, and blinked as Grease told his story. Her eyes flicked to Jack, and she focused her hearing on him, hearing his breath catch, and his heartbeat rise.

Not something he expected. What an interesting group you've involved yourself in. If I gotta go, might as well be to the sound of an Elf telling stories about fish.

She mentally set start and end marks to isolate Grease's story, so that she could readily access it later, then resumed her work.

[Lobo0705]

The New McCormicks Seafood House, East 72nd and Grape Street, 6:10 PM September 11, 2075

Chapel finishes translating, and after a moment of silence, Jingfei begins to speak, and Chapel translates her words.

"I have not heard that one. However, I have heard of another, perhaps it is familiar to you."

"There once was a man who saw all those around him as troublemakers. To the children in the garden he would say 'What are you doing?' and when they would reply 'We are checking your garden for weeds.' he would not believe them, saying 'You are here to steal my tomatoes and he would chase them off."

She continues to speak, "To the man who was standing at his gate he would ask, 'What are you doing?', and when he would answer, 'I am fixing your fence because it is broken.', the man would not believe him, saying 'You are here to rob me, and he would chase him off."

"To the beautiful serving woman who worked at his house, he asked, 'What are you doing?', and when she would answer, 'I am tending your house, for I love you.', the man would not believe her, saying 'You are only here to eat my food and drink my wine', and he would chase her off."

Here eyes never leaving Grease, she finished speaking, and Chapel finished his translation, "Soon the man was free from all of the troublemakers who surrounded him, and then he found the house was empty and his yard silent, for he had driven everyone away, leaving him alone with his suspicions."

[DrZaius]

The New McCormicks Seafood House, East 72nd and Grape Street, 6:10 PM September 11, 2075

I could love this woman..

Continuing as if he had not just been trading proverbs, he bows his head slightly with a smile and states, "I have not heard that story. The man with his suspicions likely lived a long, lonely life. Thank you for sharing it; it was most enlightening. What more can you tell us of Hao Fe?"

[Jack VII]

The New McCormicks Seafood House, East 72nd and Grape Street, 6:10 PM September 11, 2075

Silently observing the exchange, Jack started to build a case file on the job based on what they've learned up to this point. Picking through it, he discovered a few points of concern. Spotting Mel's icon and saving her commcode, he added her to his Team contact list.

<<@Team [JustJack] While this exchange is absolutely delightful, it did give me time to do some work. Just built a file on the job and inviting MARKs from all of you on it. Two things jumped out at me... First, who gives their mistress the security code to their safe? House I can kind of believe, but their safe? Second, if Huiquing sent hombres after this chica, how likely is it that he hasn't rescinded her access codes? | MARK Invitation Attached>>

[Chrome Head]

The New McCormicks Seafood House, East 72nd and Grape Street, 6:10 PM September 11, 2075

Amy was about to intervene when Grease went on his storytelling. Huh.. oooookay Grease, you've surpassed yourself again.

The way all of this was playing out, Amy felt that it would be better to just let Grease handle questions, since he had such a 'special' bond with the Johnson. Unfortunately, she didn't have her trodes on right now, and subvocalizing would look strange at the moment, so she just figured that she'd bring it up when there was a natural pause.

[Lobo0705]

The New McCormicks Seafood House, East 72nd and Grape Street, 6:11 PM September 11, 2075

Chapel speaks a few words to her, and the team clearly catches the words "Hao Fe".

Jingfei speaks up, her hands gesturing as she does so. "He is Huiquing's bodyguard and when necessary, his enforcer. While the men respect and heed Huiquing, they fear Hao Fe. He has a large scar on the right side of his face, and has the look of one who has seen many fights. I have never seen him fight personally, but I know that there have been several times Huiquing has sent him to "deal" with something, and Hao Fe has yet to fail him."

"He is quiet and calm in demeanor, even when he is angry, which makes him scarier, as I have never seen him lose his temper, but I do not wish to."

[Melpomene]

The New McCormicks Seafood House, East 72nd and Grape Street, 6:10 PM September 11, 2075

<<@Team [JustJack] While this exchange is absolutely delightful, it did give me time to do some work. Just built a file on the job and inviting MARKs from all of you on it. Two things jumped out at me... First, who gives their mistress the security code to their safe? House I can kind of believe, but their safe? Second, if Huiquing sent hombres after this chica, how likely is it that he hasn't rescinded her access codes? | MARK Invitation Attached>>

<<@Team [Melpomene] Agreed on your concerns. I get the feeling that we are being dropped into a domestic dispute. I also believe that Ms. Li knows her Knight in Shining Armor and is being coy, but I have as yet no real evidence to support that, just intuition.>>

There is now a MARK on the file. It looks like a tragedy mask with a G-clef on its left cheek.

[DrZaius]

The New McCormicks Seafood House, East 72nd and Grape Street, 6:11 PM September 11, 2075

It'd be a lot easier to read her if I didn't need a translation.

Continuing, Grease continues talking pleasantly at Jingfei. "Is there anything else special we should know about the artifacts? Do you know anything about the physical security of where they are kept; cases, codes, that sort of thing? Are the items special in any way, other than age?"

<<@Melpomene [Grease]: Excellent. Let me know anything you find out.>>

[Lobo0705]

The New McCormicks Seafood House, East 72nd and Grape Street, 6:12 PM September 11, 2075

Jingfei pushes her hair back from her face, taking a moment to take a sip of water. She continues in Mandarin, "Special? Other than they are old and very valuable, no. They are important pieces of Chinese culture that Huiquing has acquired, and brought here to the Free Zone."

Another pause, "As I'm sure it has been explained, I have the codes to the security system at the house. The artifacts are usually in display cases located on the second floor of the house, a windowless room on the north side of the building. Huiquing keeps them there along with other works of art, although none of them are as valuable."

"Each case has an alarm that can be deactivated with a security code, and I have seen Huiquing use the code several times before, never changing over the course of the last two years, so I am sure it remains the same now."

Chapel pauses translation for a moment, and then indicates he will forward the codes to you when the meeting is over.

[Jack VII]

The New McCormicks Seafood House, East 72nd and Grape Street, 6:12 PM September 11, 2075

Well, that explains that... still seems a bit too convenient. Jack thought as Jingfei seemed to have read his thoughts. Updating his file with the new information, he had a few remaining questions.

"Thanks for all of the info, chica. I've only got three more questions and I think I'm done. First, can you sketch out a map of the house, including the locations of any cameras or sensors you know about? Second, do you know if the alarms are just for internal security or do they alert someone off site like Knight Errant? Third, has your guy mentioned who he thinks might be interested in bidding on these items?"

[DrZaius]

The New McCormicks Seafood House, East 72nd and Grape Street, 6:12 PM September 11, 2075

Letting Jack take some control over the conversation, Grease adds on, "And to be clear- it's a keypad? He punches in a numerical code; not his thumbprint, or voice?"

[Lobo0705]

The New McCormicks Seafood House, East 72nd and Grape Street, 6:12 PM September 11, 2075

Listening as Chapel translates Jack and Grease's questions, Jingfei responds, "Yes, it is a keypad, as I've said I've seen him use it several times. I can't speak to the rest of the house, There is a whole wing that I really don't travel to, there may be different forms of security there."

She continues on, "I've never heard any of the alarms go off, nor does he really like to discuss business, so I'm not sure whether the security brings in Knight Errant or if it alerts his other 'business associates.' He did mention that I had to be on my best behavior at the auction, and I heard some of the men talking about the fact that security would have to be extra tight at the auction even if we weren't bringing these for sale, but I don't know who will be there exactly."

"I'm not a very good artist, I can try and sketch out the mansion as best I can. The cameras are mostly exterior, I know he seems to rely on drones inside the mansion to handle security, as well as Hao Fe and the guards."

She sketches out a quick map on a napkin.

"The X marks the room the artifacts are in. There are two staircases up to the second floor, the main circular stair in the middle of the house, and the smaller stair off of the east entrance."

[Jack VII]

The New McCormicks Seafood House, East 72nd and Grape Street, 6:12 PM September 11, 2075

Jack listened intently to Jinhfei's response. Nodding, he said, "Thank you for the information. I wonder if you could clarify a few points for me... Do you know what kind of drones are on site? Also, does he keep any animals, whether guard animals or just family pets?"

[Lobo0705]

The New McCormicks Seafood House, East 72nd and Grape Street, 6:13 PM September 11, 2075

You can see Jingfei's eyes roll when she hears your question, and she responds, "Yes, he has several dogs that roam the house. Little, yapping animals, they shed everywhere and are a constant nuisance, but he adores the little things. He also loves horses, and has several in stable on the northeastern corner of the property."

Thinking for a moment, she then continues, "As far as drones, there are a few, most of them hover around the floor, moving from room to room, to be honest I don't really pay attention to them anymore, you just get used to them after a while. He did boast to me about a year ago that he had bought some new ones that 'Would make whoever saw them sorry' and wanted to show them to me, but I am not really interested in that sort of thing."

[Jack VII]

The New McCormicks Seafood House, East 72nd and Grape Street, 6:13 PM September 11, 2075

Nodding his head in appreciation, Jack settled back in the booth and added a few notations to his file. He also composed another message to the group.

<<@Team [JustJack] Anyone with a gentle touch want to ask about the wife? If this is Huiquing's house, I would assume his wife lives there as well...>>