18 February 2072, 3:00 AM, Hong Kong, Undisclosed Boardroom
"...get that rearranged, we'll be in a weak position."

"Don't worry sir, I'll make a few calls. This New Year promises to be a prosperous one."

"See that it is, and I'm sure your promotion will have no obstacles.

18 February 2072, ~3:45 AM, Hong Kong

<@Ting-Ting: Got some free time for the New Year? A Mr. Lee could use your services. Short notice, so the pay promises to be good. If you're interested, he'll be at the Golden Apple Teahouse ::Map attached:: at 6:00 PM. Dress nice. --Long Jin>

<@Fractal: Busy? Good, didn't think so. Got some work for you, seems to be a rush job, so make sure you get paid. 6:00 PM, Golden Apple Teahouse, Tsim Sha Tsui, ask for a Mr. Lee. Wear your nice clothes. --Ric>

A cacophony of cheesy alarms and flashing lights greet Dante as Jones tries to get his attention "Hey! You've got mail!", the home speakers blare, followed by what was probably some kind of laugh. "You're too slow, here let me read it to you: '...', this is boring, I'll summarize: 'Golden Apple Teahouse, 6 PM, Mr. Lee.' There. Now that you're awake, you ready for some more punishment in WEPES? Or are you going to be a sissy?"

<@Hope: Good job just came across the board. Meetup at Golden Apple Teahouse ::Map:: at 6 PM, party is under a Mr. Lee.>

18 February 2072, 7:43 AM
Shortly after finishing his morning routine, Dr. Yang receives a call from Shen Li, "Heya Doc, an old acquaintance of mine is putting some people together. They might be able to use some patching up along the way, so I mentioned you might be available. I know it's the New Year, but figured you might be able to use the cash. If you're interested, stop by the Golden Apple Teahouse in Tsim Sha Tsui at 6:00 tonight and ask for Mr. Lee. Might be some other people you know there."

18 February 2072, 9:18 AM
<@Max: Hope you're up for an adventure, got some work that will do both of us some good. Pay should be above average, with the holiday and all. The meeting's at an upscale place called the Golden Apple Teahouse in Tsim Sha Tsui. Mr. Lee will be meeting the principals there at 6 PM. Do this clean and I'll owe you a drink. --M.M.>

18 February 2072, 3:50 AM, Ling's Penthouse, Wan Chai, Hong Kong
Ting-Ting | PAN = Active | SIN = Xiao Ling

Ling checks the clock. Small wonder I'm feeling so tired. It's four in the morning. She didn't need much sleep, but the hour she got wasn't quite enough. As her mind slowly centered on the situation, she remembers the sound that woke her up. The comm...

Connecting to it via AR, as she puts on her shades with the image link, a new message pops up in her field of vision. Yeah, I have some free time. You know my schedule. But still nice that you ask... she thinks, as she mentally ‘types’ a reply.

< @Long Jin [Ting-Ting] It will be the Year of the Dragon. Should be a good year for you. I always dress nice. Thanks! Will be there. >

Ling moves over to the vast window front of her two-story penthouse, taking a look down at the street, bathed in neon light. There are still a number of people out there. The city never really slept here in the Wan Chai district. Stretching her limbs and body, she watches the scene for a while, before going back to sleep.

18 February 2072, 7:00 AM, Ling's Penthouse, Wan Chai, Hong Kong
Ting-Ting | PAN = Active | SIN = Xiao Ling

A few hours later, Ling awakes fully rested this time. It takes a few hours to go through her complete morning ritual, including breakfast, meditation, some sports to stay in perfect shape, and a lot of personal grooming. But with no reason to rush it, she takes her time.

Once she is done with all that, Ling goes out to take a stroll along the Wanchai-Causeway, see what's new and all that. A thought has formed in her mind, that it would be useful to have another full identity to go with her runner personality, which she would prefer to stay seperate of her ‘normal life’, if you can call it normal, that is. At some places, you needed to have your PAN set to active, and for those situations, another Fake SIN would come in very handy to avoid suspicion. She would need Long Jin for this, of course, as he was the one with the contacts. But once initial contacts were made, she could very well handle the formalities herself.

18 February 2072, 3:00 PM, Ling's Penthouse, Wan Chai, Hong Kong
Ting-Ting | PAN = Active | SIN = Xiao Ling

Back at her penthouse, Ling checks her extensive wardrobe to see what she could wear. Since the meeting was on such short notice, she considers going fully armored, just in case, which only leaves two choices. From those, she contemplates wearing her Steampunk dress, blouse and corset, a short skirt with fishnets underneath and heeled boots, plus the overcoat.

08:00 Dr Yang's rooms, Kowloon

<<@Shen Li: I will attend. Thank you>>

Dr Yang reviews the heavens. Hmm...The omens are bad, very inauspicious.

"Son, I'm going out. There are people that need fixing. While I am gone I want you practice your leg work." "Yes Father". Dr Yang nodded approvingly as Yuan started practicing his footwork, making the occasional correction with a stick. With some more work Yaun will make a fine martial artist, the Tiger Claw style is not yet dead!

Dr Yang spent the rest of the morning visiting his current patients. Far too many patients. If only I could get paid like the western doctors. Here in Kowloon, a doctor was only paid when his patients were well, and recently all too many of them were coming down ill. Still Mrs Chang is doing ok, the sprained ankle is coming along nicely. Mr Yen's kidney problem still needs some more treatment None of them were in critical shape though, so there should be no problems earning money in a more direct fashion.

At lunchtime Dr Yang headed to the Goddess of Mercy shrine in Kowloon. As always the beautiful pagoda set his body and soul in harmony. The smell of the joss and burning ghost money helped offset the worries of the bad omens. After performing a tranquil Yang long form tai chi, feeling at peace with himself, Dr Yang threw his pack on his back, and set off on his bicycle for the Yau Tsim Mong District.

18 February 2072, 9:30 AM, Max's Room, Hong Kong
<@M.M.: Clean is over-rated, ya know. But I'll play nice. Any chance I can get that drink before the meeting? --Your Favorite Monkey>

Max yawned and scratched his belly as he contemplated the upcoming meeting. An upscale joint... how troublesome. I suppose I need to get my suit ironed this time...

As it turns out, Max didn't have to iron his suit. Instead, he managed to talk little old Mrs. Cheng into ironing it for him when he went to ask to borrow her iron. Heh... and nobody would believe that I didn't even need my mojo to do this one...

Once that was done (and Max had been stuffed to the gills with rice by the kindly old lady), he made his way back to his room, lit some incense, and prepared to commune with Monkey. The old ape was waiting for him as he slipped into a meditative state. Brat! You haven't entertained me with a good prank lately!

Max sighed and bowed to Monkey. Boss, I got that entire gang just last week. The watcher spirit whispering about betrayals, remember?

Monkey laughed. Yeeeeahhhh... That was a good one. But I've been bored lately! You're getting lazy, brat. Come up with a prank to top that soon!

Max nodded. Sure thing, boss. Right after this job, ok? Of course, with the mention of the job, Max had to explain what he knew about the job, then spend a few hours trying to convince Monkey that pranking while working might not be the best of ideas. As he finished and drew out of the meditation, he noticed that it was time to get going. With a bit of luck, he'd arrive just in time to meet up with Mr. Lee.

18 February 2072, ~3:45 AM, Hong Kong

"Jones, you crazy bastard! Do you know what time it is? I know your devious mind - you think you can wake me up this early, and in my tired state you'll finally be able to score a goal or two. Tell you what - I'm going back to sleep for a few more hours. When I wake up, I'll play you in a few matches of WEPES, IF you can dig up any information on this Mr. Lee and the Golden Apple. A floorplan would be a nice start."

With that, Dante fell back asleep as only one who never gets enough sleep can.

18 February 2072, ~8 AM, Hong Kong

Feeling much more refreshed, Dante started his day being thoroughly beat-down by Jones. For all his talk, Dante still couldn't force even a draw. He'd even been reading a cheat-guide for the game, but it did no good. A momentary thought flitted through his consciousness, that Jones had access to the same cheat-guide, since it was on Dante's PAN...he quickly brushed this thought aside as he focused on attempting the off-sides trap to stop the charging Barcelona strikers. GOALLLLLLLLL

Finally having had enough, Dante grumbled something about having things to do and began to prepare for his errands, all the while enduring Jones' taunting barbs.

After his truck and supplies were all assembled, Dante opened the door of the garage onto a brand new day. His pickup truck rolled out onto the street, laden down with the necessary equipment for a day of selling street food, and for having an important meet about other business.

Tomorrow is the New Years. I'll need to order some things then.

Making a mental list, Dante set the truck's pilot to take him to his usual spot while he accessed the Matrix to order some gifts. Traditional Hong Kong foods would make ideal presents for the New Year.

Lao Wai, Jiu Jiu, Taro, JingCha, GongAn, Sun Qi, and Ayi. And one for Dr. Yang makes 8. Perfect.

Completing the order and paying from his Liu Zi Ang account, Dante swung by the store to pick up his order, paying a little extra to have all but one of the gift baskets delivered. He also sent a quick note to his fixer.

<@Jiu Jiu: Thanks for the message. I'll be there. Your usual fee? --Dante>

18 February 2072, ~4PM, Hong Kong

The day passed uneventfully. Business was slow, as many people were out of town for the New Year. It was to be expected. Dante ended a little early, delivering the gift basket to Ayi on his way to the Golden Apple.

Getting there ahead of time, Dante changed from his subtly-armored-slightly-dirty-street-clothing to a normal change of clothes that was slightly nicer and ostensibly cleaner. He sat in his truck, reviewing the paydata Jones had been able to find for him. While doing so he decided to have his Dragonflies available during the meet, watching the entrances and exits. Just in case.

[18 February 2072, 10am Hong Kong]

<@Ric : Why does every Mr Lee always want the nice clothes. One day you're gonna tell me to wear my rags and I'm going to die of shock. Besides, when have you ever known me to dress down for a meet and greet. Well other than that time with Mr Chen Lee, and That time with Miss Xao Lee..>

Milo brings up the floor plans for the Golden Apple Teahouse, and tries to figure out how to get there in Public Transport.

<@sis: Hey! I got a line on something that should help.>
A couple of minutes goes by and Milo's new message list lights up.
< Mail Undeliverable, Refused by Host.>

Milo grumbles, "I did it all for you you ungrateful wench."
After some late breakfast, Milo gets some serious RSS Feed reading going on, a couple of hours of Deeper Dungeons 13! Rise of the Dungeon!, before setting out for the meet and greet.

18 February 2072, ~3:45 AM, Hong Kong

It was already a few months ago that Kojiro found a 415 of the Yellow Lotus Triad taking a chicken to a hotel room. The White Paper Fan thought he was having safe sex when Hope kicked in the door, but he should have thought about guards instead. After the administrator died quietly and the prostitute started screaming, he left the room quickly, a comm richer. The hacker he’d hired said he’d only managed to get a name of a boat from it. Two days later he was in a bar, wondering why his new diving gear wasn’t working. He got to talk about it with the guy next to him, who said he could help. At the end of the night all 8 crewmembers of the yacht were dead and most of the drugs went overboard. Now he was still trying to find a weakness of the 426 of the Red Dragon Association to plant the drugs he had taken. This Red Pole seemed to have a shaman with him all the time, so if there’s no change soon, he’d have to make the decision to fight the mage or find another enforcer. Yuki Kondo was thinking about this while staking out a nightclub, at least that was the name on his passive PAN, when a message came in. Drek, tomorrow was his best chance, but he needed the money since he was really getting used to the luxury the last couple of years.

18 February 2072, 6:50 AM, Eastern Hong Kong

An hour before sunrise he rode his bike back to his place in Eastern Hong Kong. He liked the view from his apartment over the water, especially when the sun was coming up. After setting both his alarms to 4pm, he went to bed; he never knew how long it would take to fall asleep and sometimes one just wasn’t enough.

18 February 2072, 3:52 AM
<@Ting-Ting: I know you do, but it never hurts to remind, especially at this unholy hour. May the dragon smile upon us both.>

18 February 2072, 8:12 AM
Jones greets Dante with a cheerful "You finally ready for your punishment pansy? Not like more sleep is going to make your pathetic ass any better. Oh, and there's a bit of info for you on your 'link."

There's no real information on the Mr. Lee, aside from some snide comments about how Lee is a stupid name and there are far too many people that have it. But he did at least come through with a location and a basic floor plan showing a single floor building with the bulk of the space taken up by a single open area, plus a few interior rooms separated from the rest of the building by doors.

18 February 2072, 9:35 AM
<@Max: Hah. True enough. I think you'll want to be sober for this one though, so the drink'll have to wait.>

18 February 2072, 10:23 AM
Milo quickly looks up the location and quickly notices that it's near the Golden Mile shopping area, so a short bus ride will easily get him close enough to walk the remainder of the distance.

18 February 2072, 5:55 PM, Golden Apple Teahouse, Tsim Sha Tsui
A small unassuming building situated on the harbor and just far enough away from the Golden Mile to avoid the worst of the tourists greets the runners as they approach the coordinates given for the teahouse. It's a bit of an anomaly in this area, as it doesn't appear to be catering to the foreigners that frequent the town, nor are there extensive AR overlays or advertisements. The single floor establishment commands an exceptional view of the harbor though, especially as the sun dips towards the western horizon this close to sunset.

Just inside the doorway you are greeted by an orkish gentleman wearing an impeccably clean and well-tailored suit. "Good evening, do you have a reservation?" While the question is innocent enough and the ork's demeanor is pleasant, the clear undertone is that if you don't have a reservation it would be best for you to move along.

The visible portion of the interior is very tastefully decorated, and the bulk of the western wall appears to be one-way glass overlooking the harbor. The people inside all appear to be engrossed in their own quiet dinner conversations and pay no attention to your arrival.

18 February 2072, 5:55 PM, Golden Apple Teahouse, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
Ting-Ting | PAN = Passive | SIN = Xiao Ling

Ling has taken her bike to drive the short distance across the bay towards Tsim Sha Tsui. She has left her guns, not seeing the need to carry them to a hopefully peaceful meeting. On the way, she uses her magic to change her face, knowing that there might be complications, if someone reckognizes her from the Lucky Six.

As Ting-Ting approaches the door and is asked for her invitation, she stops and nods to the ork, smiling friendly.

"Yes, in fact I do. Mr. Lee, at six."

18 February 2072, 5:55 PM, Golden Apple Teahouse, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
PAN = Passive | SIN = Liu Zi Ang
DragonFly 1 autosofts: Adaptability, Clearsight, Covert Ops
DragonFly 2 autosofts: Facial Recog, Weapon Watcher, Visual Spotter

Realizing that this area wasn't likely to cause him much trouble, Dante left most of his hardware concealed in the truck. Just his throwing knives, pepper-punch, and the gun hidden in the cyberholster in his arm accompany him as he slowly meandered towards the teahouse. He left his truck parked a block away, paying the local street thug just enough to keep his truck from being messed with.

As he wandered lazily around the area, Dante accessed the subscriptions to his two Dragonflies and had them do aerial reconnaisance, helping give him a 3D overlay of the area. Finally feeling satisfied with his knowledge of the area surrounding the teahouse, Dante gradually made his way to the front entrance, ordering his Dragonflies to stay aloft and alert for anything unusual.

The ork at the door got barely a glance. Ignoring for a moment the request for a reservation, Dante peered into the interior of the teahouse, scanning the customers and the layout. He then grunted out of the side of his mouth, "A reservation for Mr. Lee. Six o'clock."

[18 February 2072, 5:55 PM, Golden Apple Teahouse, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong]
PAN = Passive | SIN = Dr Yang

Cupping his hands in the traditional daoist style, Dr Yang bowed. "Heavenly blessings upon us in this coming New Year. I am with the Lee party"

Following the orc to join to the others, Dr Yang has a good look around

[18 February 2072, 5:56 PM Golden Apple Teahouse, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong]
PAN = Passive | Fake SIN(3) = Johnny Cash | Wuxing Corporate Citizen

Fractal walks up to the Golden Apple Teahouse dressed in Neo-Chinese Fashion. He's got ARO Sculpting on his clothes, showing Easter Style Dragons crawling all over his all Black Suit. "Johnny Cash, I have a reservation for six, under the name of Mr Lee." He bows slightly, cupping his hands together in greeting.

[18 February 2072, 5:57 PM Golden Apple Teahouse, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong]
PAN = Passive | Fake SIN(4) = Zhao Shang | no-name street performer

Max meandered into the Golden Apple Teahouse with barely any time to spare, dressed in his still mostly-pressed suit. "Hiya! I'm here to meet the Lee party at 6. Could ya show me where to find them?" He bowed politely, his ffba preventing him from making it quite as fluid as he wanted. He stifles a yawn as he waits, hoping he got everything right.

[18 February 2072, 5:58 PM Golden Apple Teahouse, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong]
PAN = Passive | SIN = Yuki Kondo

Hope left well in time to call for a cab in case his bike would give him some trouble. He arrived way too early, but being very patient he didn’t care much waiting outside. With 2 minutes to spare he crossed the street.

“Lee.”

18 February 2072, 5:58 PM, Golden Apple Teahouse, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
As each of the disparate members indicate their reservation with Mr. Lee, the ork nods and replies, "Ah, very well. If you'll wait but a moment, I'll have someone escort you to your room."

Less than a minute passes before a young woman dressed in a traditional qipao, adorned with an ornate dragon pattern, appears and introduces herself, "Good evening. My name is Mei. If you'll follow me, I'll lead you to the arranged area. Please don't hesitate to ask if there is anything you need." She bows gracefully, and then moves toward the northeast section of the building, turning her head occasionally to make certain everyone is following. Once there, you are led down a short hallway before Mei opens a door on the right into an interior room decorated with various paintings and vases, and a distinct lack of windows. "Please make yourselves comfortable," the hostess continues, indicating seats around a table at the center of the room which appears to be laden with a variety of food and drink, "Mr. Lee will be with you shortly." She once again bows as she closes the door on the way out.

18 February 2072, 5:59 PM, Golden Apple Teahouse, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
Ting-Ting | PAN = Passive | SIN = Xiao Ling

"Thank you, Mei."

Ting-Ting was about to order something to drink, but looking at the table she sees that there is no need for it.

"Looks like everything is prepared, already. I don't think that anything else is needed right now. Well, apart from Mr. Lee, of course."

She bows slightly and then turns to look for a seat.

[18 February 2072, 5:56 PM, Golden Apple Teahouse, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong]
PAN = Passive | SIN = Dr Yang

As a devote daoist Dr Yang knows it better to not curse except when you really meant. Thus when he walks though the wards, and his maintained spells as disrupted, he maintains his calm.

"Pleasure to see you again ... Xaio Ling" Dr Yang just in time reads Ting-Ting's alias from her comm.

Dr Yang studies the table for some food that will not cause gas. Even at the best restaurants the food is often suicidal.

[18 February 2072, 5:59 PM Golden Apple Teahouse, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong]
PAN = Passive | Fake SIN(3) = Johnny Cash | Wuxing Corporate Citizen

Fractal nods to all the various and sundry as he sits at the table and starts pilling food onto his plate, chopsticks moving with ease. "It does look like everything is prepare. I think that's even Chrysanthemum tea. " He flashes a wide grin, "Names Fractal. You guys all here for the Mr Lee shindig."

Fractal is tall, good looking in that Australian way, and dressed in a good quality Chinese Style Business Suit. He chews on a dumpling as he watches the others.

[18 February 2072, 5:59 PM Golden Apple Teahouse, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong]
PAN = Passive | Fake SIN(4) = Zhao Shang | no-name street performer

Max makes his way to the table and sits down, slouching in his chair. His mildly rumpled clothes, along with his mannerisms, give the impression that he's ready to take a nap there in the chair. He yawns. "Yo."

18 February 2072, 6:00 PM, Golden Apple Teahouse Private Room
True to Mei's parting statement, it's only about two minutes later when a younger Chinese man, probably in his late twenties, is escorted in by a massive mound of a troll. Obviously a bodyguard, the troll takes a quick survey of the room before taking up a post in the corner of the room closest to the door.

The younger man is dressed in a conservative, but fashionable, tailored suit. Ting-Ting easily recognizes it as one of the latest in designs amongst the upper mid-level corporate crowd. After allowing his bodyguard a moment to check out the room, he follows in and carefully closes the door behind him. Bowing, he greets those assembled with a large smile, "Welcome. I'm glad you all could make it on such short notice. My associates have assured me that you are all very talented individuals and will be able to accomplish what I require."

"On that note, the task is a relatively simple one, but some of the circumstances around it will require delicacy. It will require infiltrating a reasonably well-guarded location and performing a few simple physical tasks. This will need to be completed before the end of the New Year celebration, but will also need to remain undetected until the 23rd, so the timeline is very tight. Due to these factors, I am prepared to offer each of you the sum of 15,000 nuyen. For obvious reasons, I would prefer to hold off on specific details until you've agreed to the task, but I do have maps and some details on security that will be made available to you upon your acceptance."

"If you have any questions or requests, I will do my best to answer them."

[18 February 2072, 6:01 PM Golden Apple Teahouse, Private Room]
PAN = Passive | Fake SIN(4) = Zhao Shang | no-name street performer

Max leans forward, resting his elbows on the table and folding his hands before him. "Those are rather specific expectations. I assume some of the pay will be made available up front?"

18 February 2072, 5:58 PM, Golden Apple Teahouse, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
PAN = Passive | SIN = Liu Zi Ang
DragonFly 1 autosofts: Adaptability, Clearsight, Covert Ops
DragonFly 2 autosofts: Facial Recog, Weapon Watcher, Visual Spotter

Following the hostess to the assigned meeting room, Dante allowed his gaze to swing lazily back and forth, left and right. Taking note of his fellow runners, Dante gave those he knew a polite nod as they seated themselves around the table. At the mention of the name "Fractal", Dante finally put a face to a name. Showing respect, he clinked glasses with Fractal, a slight disappointment surfacing as he realized there would be no alcohol at this meet, only tea.

Putting his cup down, Dante turned to Dr.Yang.

"Yang shifu, a pleasure to see you again! I trust your health is well? It looks like this could be a difficult job...looking at all the people here. I'm relieved that someone of your skill will be here to guide us."

18 February 2072, 6:01 PM, Golden Apple Teahouse, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong

After hearing the pitch offered by Mr. Lee, Dante mulled the words over for a few moments, glancing at the others to gauge their reactions.

"Mr. Lee, I'm sorry to say that I'm not able to accept this job without more specific details. To agree to your proposal, I would require more information, such as what these "simple physical tasks" are. And also, please be more specific with "reasonably well-guarded". Will there be heavy magical security? Heavy matrix security? Animal threats? These all factor in to the cost of the job."

18 February 2072, 6:01 PM, Golden Apple Teahouse, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
Ting-Ting | PAN = Passive | SIN = Xiao Ling

"Indeed," Ting-Ting says, "as my colleague pointed out, final judgement is only possible once all the details have been made known. You will have to understand, that agreeing to a task you do not know much about, is not very wise. But assuming the payment is reasonable or you are willing to negotiate about it, if we find, that it is not, I would like to hear more about it. There should be enough details to allow us to judge the dangers of your proposal properly, before there can be any agreement."

[18 February 2072, 6:02 PM, Golden Apple Teahouse, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong]
PAN = Passive | SIN = Dr Yang

Well undetected means minimising injury to the guards. Dr Yang nodded. This mission is acceptable: as long as the difficulty was not too high.

"Before we accept your proposal Mr Lee, I would like to know if the level of opposition is that of say a mega corporations black research operation, or nearer to street gang's BTL den. The value you put upon the operation leads me to believe that it is significantly less than the first, and a little more than the second. Would I be correct?"

[18 February 2072, 5:59 PM Golden Apple Teahouse, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong]
PAN = Passive | Fake SIN(3) = Johnny Cash | Wuxing Corporate Citizen

Fractal listens quietly, enjoying the food before him. "Dante" He acknowledges with a raise of his own tea cup.

Well, plenty of people with questions, lets see what the answers to these questions are before we ask more.

"I must say, this is delicious food."

18 February 2072, 6:05 PM, Golden Apple Teahouse Private Room
As the queries begin to flow, Mr. Lee nods and listens, waiting until there is a break for him to respond. "Please understand that there is a limit to how many details I can give out before you have accepted. I am certainly willing to listen to your proposals if you feel that the parameters have changed unacceptably after you agree to perform this service. I will do my best to answer your questions thus far though."

"Firstly, the simple physical tasks I referenced are just that, things that even a child could do. They require nothing more than a small measure of strength and a little precision. I'm not hiring you because the tasks are difficult, but because they need to be done quickly and discreetly."

"As far as security goes, I don't have complete information, but there will be at least some magical security. Matrix security isn't something that's been analyzed, but I have no reason to expect extraordinary measures there. Physical security includes a few dogs as well as human and drone patrols. The area you will be operating in is owned by a local corporation with no known ties to any of the double or triple-A's if that helps you in your analysis."

"Finally, I am willing to offer 30% of the payment up front as a showing of good will and to help defray your costs."

[18 February 2072, 6:04 PM Golden Apple Teahouse, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong]
PAN = Passive | SIN = Yuki Kondo

Hope had left his helmet attached to his bike with a low tech mechanical lock. He had opened his armor jacket to put his key in one of the pockets of his suit and opened it even wider for the ork to see he was unarmed and dressed appropriately. Upon entering the private room he’d offered his coat to Mei and straightened his suit. After greeting everyone he had poured himself a cup of tea and taken a chair to sit and wait for Mr. Lee.

The only thing Hope had found interesting of what Mr. Lee had to say so far was the part where their job had to be undetected until the 23rd, because it meant stealth and no killing allowed. He hated the haggling part, but not enough to stop the others from trying to get him some more money.

Hope already decided to take the job and keeps quiet while drinking his tea.

[18 February 2072, 6:05 PM, Golden Apple Teahouse, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong]
PAN = Passive | SIN = Dr Yang

Well this sounds acceptable. Dr Yang thought to himself. Perhaps there is still a sting in it, but if so simple questioning will not reveal it. I'll let those that are better at negotiating do their bargaining.

18 February 2072, 6:05 PM, Golden Apple Teahouse, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
Ting-Ting | PAN = Passive | SIN = Xiao Ling

"That's good enough for me," Ting-Ting replies with an acknowledging nod.

18 February 2072, 6:05 PM, Golden Apple Teahouse, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
PAN = Passive | SIN = Liu Zi Ang
DragonFly 1 autosofts: Adaptability, Clearsight, Covert Ops
DragonFly 2 autosofts: Facial Recog, Weapon Watcher, Visual Spotter

Pouring Mr. Lee a cup of tea, Dante responded.

Mr. Lee, I can see why you were assigned to this task - you're a very good bargainer. But I'd still like to know, what these simple tasks are. Will they require special equipment or tools? Does the corporation have any ties to any of the Triads? These are all important questions we'll need answered.

I'm willing to accept the offer, if you will accept that the price may have to change, if we discover that there are significant unknowns that you've not told us about beforehand. Agreed?"

Raising his cup in a toast, Dante stared at Mr. Lee with a half-smile on his face.

[18 February 2072, 5:59 PM Golden Apple Teahouse, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong]
PAN = Passive | Fake SIN(3) = Johnny Cash | Wuxing Corporate Citizen

Fractal puts his plate of food down. "15K, How about instead of 30% we just make it 1/3. 5K. Seems like easier math. Count me in."

He uploads a picture of the Troll Bodyguard, and starts analyzing it, trying to figure out which Protection Agency the big fella works for. Additionally he does a quick Datasearch on the Johnson's interesting jewelery, all the while enjoying a nice little bowl of dumplings in spicy sauce.

18 February 2072, 6:10 PM, Golden Apple Teahouse Private Room
"Excellent, it sounds like you're all in agreement on accepting this? We can deal with the small details once you've had a chance to see the whole of what this will entail, but I'm amenable to bumping your up front payment up to five thousand each."

"Now, if you'll direct your attention to the eastern wall, I've put up a few maps and images for you," Mr. Lee finishes as he triggers an AR overlay on the wall.

The main image looks to be a garden area filled with bonsai and small sculptures. A few of the plants are singled out with a bright red marker and numbers that look to be various angular measurements.

A secondary image shows an overhead view, including the decorative wall surrounding the garden itself, as well as a nearby house. Farther out there is a more substantial security wall with only a single road accessible gate. This map has the same callouts as the main image, as well as a few notations on the security measures known at some locations marked in orange. A small area map marks the location as being on the east side of Lantau Island southeast of the airport.

"As you can see, our target is the garden at this retreat. The tasks I alluded to are for you to move the plants that are singled out as indicated. For instance," he points to one of the callouts on the main image, "this plant needs to be rotated thirty degrees to the right from its current orientation. Our intelligence indicates that the plants are held in place with a small magnetic plate on the stands and should be freely movable with a small amount of force. We will supply you with a tool to measure the rotation, as precision matters.

The garden itself is patrolled by drones, four are active at any given time, but it appears that there is an on-site maintenance facility beneath the house, so there are almost certainly spares that could be put out as well. There is also a small force of guards stationed in a small outbuilding that we couldn't get a good picture of. It is about 50 meters from the entrance of the garden, and there are always at least 2 guards on active duty. We assume that there is likely to be a 3rd guard maintaining overwatch at all times as well, but cannot confirm that. There are also typically 2 watchers patrolling the astral space around the retreat, and a mage is probably kept on-call.

The garden is tended by a master gardener once a week. His next scheduled visit is on the 22nd from 7am to 1pm. He would be likely to notice any alterations to the garden. We need the alterations to be in effect no later than 4am on the 23rd and remain undetected until 6pm, the longer the period the better though. If you can manage to have the changes in effect for more than 48 hours, we are prepared to offer a bonus payment of an additional 2,500 nuyen per person.

Due to the New Year's celebrations, the retreat is likely to be occupied by some of the mid-level managers from the corporation, which will probably bring some of their own security details. We don't anticipate more than an additional 4-5 guards, and they would be stationed in the house itself. The celebrations also mean the guards are likely to be more distracted than average."

As he gives the briefing, it is clear that Mr. Lee is well within his element, carefully pointing out the various reference points on the display. Once he finishes, he looks around to make sure everyone has followed his descriptions and asks, "That should cover all of the intelligence we have for you. I will forward the files containing all of this to you, and if we can acquire any further information, I will make sure it is priority forwarded to you. Do you have any questions or concerns?"

[18 February 2072, 6:12 PM Golden Apple Teahouse, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong]
PAN = Passive | Fake SIN(3) = Johnny Cash | Wuxing Corporate Citizen

"I do have a question. Assuming that we can keep the Gardener from noticing the changes in the garden. Who else would notice the changes?" Fractal pops another yummy dumpling in his mouth, waiting for the answer.

18 February 2072, 6:12 PM, Golden Apple Teahouse, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
PAN = Passive | SIN = Liu Zi Ang
DragonFly 1 autosofts: Adaptability, Clearsight, Covert Ops
DragonFly 2 autosofts: Facial Recog, Weapon Watcher, Visual Spotter

Adding to Fractal's questions, Dante asks,

"Do you have intelligence on the magnetic plates holding the plants down? Make, model, that sort of thing? Do you know if they're tied in to the security system?"

[18 February 2072, 6:12 PM Golden Apple Teahouse, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong]
PAN = Passive | SIN = Yuki Kondo

Before Mr. Lee could answer any of the questions, Hope says: “90k sounds like a really expensive prank, so I’m going to assume what you called a gardener is in fact a geomancer. Could you tell us what the effect will be of the changed arrangement of the plants?”

[18 February 2072, 6:12 PM, Golden Apple Teahouse, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong]
PAN = Passive | SIN = Dr Yang

"Another couple of questions for you Mr Lee. These gardeners: do they live on site? are they specially trained? if one of them was unavailable for work do they have a source of more gardeners?"

18 February 2072, 6:12 PM, Golden Apple Teahouse, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
Ting-Ting | PAN = Passive | SIN = Xiao Ling

Nodding towards the japanese man, Ting-Ting adds: "I would also like to know what this rearrangement will affect. Especially, considering, that you hire us to keep it secret for a given time period, it seems crucial to know the extent of these changes."

18 February 2072, 6:13 PM, Golden Apple Teahouse, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
PAN = Passive | SIN = Liu Zi Ang
DragonFly 1 autosofts: Adaptability, Clearsight, Covert Ops
DragonFly 2 autosofts: Facial Recog, Weapon Watcher, Visual Spotter

"And to receive the bonus, we'll have to finish these changes by 6pm on the 21st, right? What happens at 6pm on the 23rd?"

18 February 2072, 6:13 PM, Golden Apple Teahouse Private Room
Mr. Lee acknowledges those asking questions before responding calmly, "Aside from the gardener, it's unlikely that any of the regular staff will notice. As some of you have surmised, these tasks will involve some manipulation of a minor dragon line that runs through the area, so it is always possible that a visiting mage might notice. We don't have a list of mages employed by the company though, so it is impossible to say whether any of them are familiar enough with the area to note the change or not. There shouldn't be any changes that are physically visible, aside from the actual plants themselves being out of position.

There is only the one master gardener in charge of the plants, his absence would be highly unusual. I can't speak towards whether he is a geomancer or not, but he did spend a considerable amount of time in a monastery during his youth and seems to have some magical talent. His name is Li Shen Chang if you wish to do further research on him, as we were unable to uncover much past that.

As far as we're aware, the retention system is a simple metal plate in the pots, with magnets embedded in the display pieces, simply to keep them from moving from wind or other natural causes. It is reasonable to assume that the circuits are monitored, but are not remotely controlled.

And, you are correct, changes would need to be in effect by 6pm on the 21st to be eligible for the bonus. The only thing special about 6pm on the 23rd, is that will be when we no longer care if the changes are noticed and corrected," he finishes, watching to see reactions, and whether there are any further questions forthcoming.

[18 February 2072, 6:13 PM, Golden Apple Teahouse, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong]
PAN = Passive | SIN = Dr Yang

Dr Yang nodded. That's quite a lot more information than I expected. I think our only real problems should be dealing with the gardener and any systems monitoring the plants. If Mr Li "Dragon" Chang isn't an expert in dragon lines I will eat my hat. I haven't seen anything that warranted the bad omens in the I Ching. Ah well perhaps I am worrying unnecessarily!

"Thank you Mr Lee. I do have further questions, but I suspect I can answer them from inspecting the place. I look forward to seeing you in a few days, and trust that this will the start of a most auspicious year for all of us."

[18 February 2072, 6:13 PM Golden Apple Teahouse, Private Room]
PAN = Passive | Fake SIN(4) = Zhao Shang | no-name street performer

Max sat quietly, listening to the others as they bring up questions he would have otherwise asked. This seemed like a perfect job for him: getting paid to play a prank. Monkey would approve.

18 February 2072, 6:13 PM, Golden Apple Teahouse, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
PAN = Passive | SIN = Liu Zi Ang
DragonFly 1 autosofts: Adaptability, Clearsight, Covert Ops
DragonFly 2 autosofts: Facial Recog, Weapon Watcher, Visual Spotter

"Thank you, Mr. Lee. You've answered my questions fully. The only thing left for me now is to ask how we contact you concerning payment."

[18 February 2072, 6:14 PM Golden Apple Teahouse, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong]
PAN = Passive | SIN = Yuki Kondo

"This means our plan is twofold. First we need to change the plants during the celebrations and then we have a few days to figure out how to keep the gardener from doing something about it till 6 pm on the 23rd.

If you could give us the tool now, I think we should be on our way."

double post

18 February 2072, 6:14 PM, Golden Apple Teahouse, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
Ting-Ting | PAN = Passive | SIN = Xiao Ling

Ting-Ting nods once more to the words of the japanese.

"From my point of view, we have a deal."

[18 February 2072, 6:16 PM Golden Apple Teahouse, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong]
PAN = Passive | Fake SIN(3) = Johnny Cash | Wuxing Corporate Citizen

"Sounds like a deal."

Fractal has already starting to formulate a few possibilities for a plan. They really do make a nice spread here, it's such a shame that they cannot do their planning here. "So, lets get the payments, and we'll be on our way. How do we contact you for the final payment?"

18 February 2072, 6:20 PM, Golden Apple Teahouse Private Room
"Excellent." Mr. Lee nods to the bodyguard, who produces an unmarked envelope from inside his jacket., and places it on the table. "That contains your initial payments and a disposable commlink that you can use to contact me when your task is complete." Reaching into his own breast pocket, he produces a key and a further two credsticks, which he places next to the envelope. "These should cover the difference between my initial offer and what we've agreed upon for your starting pay. The key opens a locker at the bus terminal down the road, which will contain the device you can use to measure the rotations. It is a little inconvenient to carry around, but not illegal, so there should be no issues for your retrieval or transport."

"If there are no further questions, I must take my leave. You are all welcome to use this space for your planning if you desire. The room is reserved until 10 PM." After taking one last glance around to make sure there are no lingering questions, Mr. Lee bows and exits the room, followed closely by the troll.

18 February 2072, 6:21 PM, Golden Apple Teahouse, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
PAN = Passive | SIN = Liu Zi Ang
DragonFly 1 autosofts: Adaptability, Clearsight, Covert Ops
DragonFly 2 autosofts: Facial Recog, Weapon Watcher, Visual Spotter

After Mr. Lee had departed, Dante turned to the rest of the group.

"We don't have much time to plan this thing, if we want to take advantage of the New Year celebration. Let's move to a different location to have a talk about this. You know the Party World KTV shop in Taikoo Shing? Let's meet up there. On the way, I can pick up the measuring device. Dr. Yang, would you accompany me to help safeguard the device?"

With this, Dante produced a map ARO indicating the location of the KTV shop. Instead of giving the location as "Party World - Taikoo Shing district", the ARO has a location marked as "BEST KTV - Mong Kok district".

18 February 2072, 6:21 PM, Golden Apple Teahouse, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
Ting-Ting | PAN = Passive | SIN = Xiao Ling

"Ok. But we should trade contact information now, just in case," Ting-Ting says and gives her new team-mates her comm number, so they can reach her.

"I'm called Ting-Ting," she adds.

[18 February 2072, 6:16 PM Golden Apple Teahouse, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong]
PAN = Passive | Fake SIN(3) = Johnny Cash | Wuxing Corporate Citizen

"I like Party World. It's a nice place to have quiet conversations." Fractal grins and chuckles. "Thank you Ting-Ting.." He sends his comm number out to the people in the room.

"Ya'll can call me Fractal." And indeed, his comm icon is a fractal.