NationStates Jolt Archive

OOC: THis takes place on the general NS Earth, so.....

IC:

Hong Kong, Upper Xen-

A couple of Koreans were walking down the streets of Hong Kong's Wan Chai District. It had been a long time since the Army was deployed to calm the gang wars here a while back; they still existed here now, as a nationwide crackdown on crime and terrorism went underway. To the people, they were relatively common, they were nothing new now. The cry of reform was heard here, and given some thought, but for most, it did not affect them directly, only that it meant more soldiers and G-men.

These Koreans were part of a new wave fleeing the north, since the end of Reconstruction. Their home had been rendered a wasteland along with much of North China, and many fled to South China, Japan, or the new Free Associated States-there was work in those parts. They were relatively penniless, workingclass persons, but they had two things with them that money couldn't buy-military experience (many were Auxiliaries) and the faith of their fathers, be it Methodism or Presbyterianism, or Buddhism, that tied them to one another. They settled in Wan Chai and large parts of Kowloon, hoping to make it big.

Alas, like many newcomers, they were met with hostility, and banded together. Some joined gangs, some made gangs, some joined benevolent societies that became gangs, some joined benevolent societies that stayed straight. These two happened to join a gang.

They wandered about until they found a Vietnamese woman. They laughed, and one said, in his Scottish voice, "Look at that filly! I'd like a go wi' that one."

The other said, "I know! Wheehwhoo!"

He then made a mistake. He made a wolf whistle at the Vietnamese girl.

Now this was occuring only because some Vietnamese women, during that conflict called the Vietnam War which Upper Xen sent many sons to fight in, had provided what was called "MRR"- mobile rest and relaxation, willingly or not. And though those times had passed, many Vietnamese women still had that stereotype of being easy....something that was going to be proven wrong very soon....especially since this Viet was from MassPwnage.

Scots. She hated scotsmen like no other. Hell these guys weren't even scotsmen, they were Koreans that talked like scotsmen. They were insults to real scotsmen, especially those flesh eating nutjobs in Camel Eaters... they were cool Scotsmen, she didn't hate them. But these rat bastards in their fake kilts... They were asking for it... Really. Really, really asking for it. And she thought that she would catch shit for picking up a goddamned squishy at the local 6-9* at 3 a.m. Then again, they were Koreans. Maybe those stories of them never sleeping were true. Anyway... enough thinking, she thought.

She finished off the squishy and tossed it into the trash can behind her, then turned to face the guys that whistled at her. Wordlessly, she walked towards them, the expression on her face as calm and still as a pond on a windless winter night. The Koreans, thinking they had scored, began hooting raucously like a grouping of wild monkeys. As she got close, one of them reached out to touch her breasts. She batted his beefy hand away with her slim one.

"What's wrong lassie? Don' like being touched.... Uncle Angus can things raight f'r ya... hahahhehaha-" The Korean was cut off mid-laugh. He felt a tugging sensation between his legs, then extreme pain. Angus screamed in pure, primal and unfettered agony as his genito-urinary apparatus was ripped from between his legs. The dark and empty Wanchai street shuddered from the sound as bright red blood gushed all over the sidewalk concrete. Angus' friends ran as fast as they could, screaming for their lives. She waited until he bled out, then tossed the recently dismembered body parts in her hand into a nearby storm drain.

She walked away. That squishy wasn't really that bad.

The boys ran off to their respective lodgings, rueing the time they had wolf-whistled at the Viet girl. But they soon, like others, would avenge their comrade, untimely castrated.

They were expecting some kinda negative reaction, but not castration! Their clothes slightly ruined by the gushing of blood, but they didn't care. They would get things right, the clothing would serve as evidence of a crime unwarranted, at least from their viewpoint.

Those insane people wouldn't know it, but they had just started a war.

Nobody messed with the Supernauts and lived.

------------

The next day-

HKPD was at the scene immediately. They had chalked off the body, and CSI had been gathering evidence. Defender 90s had been around the scene, and police tape had roped off the scene, with cops directing traffic away from the grisly sight.

Detective James Lin said, "So, whadda we got?"

A beat cop said, "Some Korean kid got himself a free sex change after messing with somebody last night. He's a goner, barely alive. A huge portion of his blood got leaked. We dunno who did it."

Detective Lin said, "Get the forensics to CSI. Contact Gangs Unit to see if its gang related."

The cop said, "Yes sir."

Lin smoked his cigarette, a Red Apple, and said, "Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow.......ach, not a good enough quote."

He sensed the murder was the style of some type of group, but who?

At some apartment in Wanchai-

The boys who had committed the deed knew this would spread. If they didn't retaliate, then they would be seen as mere cowards, pervs who deserved their fate.

One of them, Tim Kim, said, "Look, lads. These Viets will make us into scoundrels yet. We'll be shamed!"

The others agreed.

But one man, an ambitious man named Aidan Park, said, "No, we don't have to go quietly. Besides, she overreacted. Don't we guys usually get a slap!? That would've been sufficient, but her kind don't know that, now do they?"

The last part was ringing with only a few of the Koreans, but the others agreed that the Viet had overreacted. She should have just rebuffed them with slaps or yells. Only barbarians did that.

Aidan then said, "So laddies, we are going to call a war council. The Supernauts are going to fly again, eh? We'll find that woman, and show her not to castrate us!"

They then cried, "Huzzah!" and began gathering a small cache of weapons. Nothing too large or illegal, just spiked bats, an 870, and a few SP-101s; these were all weapons registered with the government, and he kept them in his apartment in a safe manner. But a great irony was to be committed, as illegalities were to be done. They didn't know it, but they were going to get into way too much trouble.

They stashed the weapons into their beater, an old Chevy Nomad. They then cruised the Vietnamese district, looking for that girl...

"These guys... they've been cruising around for hours... A shitty looking Chevy Nomad, not a car that comes around here usually... Oanh, those the guys you say you saw last night?"

"Dunno, they tinted the windows of that old piece of shit car. Ao, could you keep track of them? I got some reading at home to finish up."

"Hey, no problem with me, just give me something to deal with them if they happen to spot me."

Two college age girls were perched upon the top of a high rise luxury condominium complex in the heart of downtown Macao. One, the pale one with short black hair of them had a pair of high powered binoculars in her hands. The other one, a deeply tanned goddess with waist length hair was Oanh from last night. She shrugged in response to Ao's question and answered with:

"I'll try. Call me with a place to meet in a few hours. Don't expect anything major."

Ao, who kept the car firmly in focus in the binoculars just nodded slightly. It was time to move, the car was disappearing down the side of the street. She heard Oanh close the roof access door behind her.

(tbc)

ooc: Bump for UX (still interested?)

ooc: Bump for UX (still interested?)

OOC: Your post was marked, "tbc," seeming to denote "to be continued" which I assume meant you were not finished. Unless I am wrong, in this case, an IC reply will come after dinner. Don't worry, I am still in.

ooc: well, i meant to finish it, but i didn't have time.

"These guys... they've been cruising around for hours... A shitty looking Chevy Nomad, not a car that comes around here usually... Oanh, those the guys you say you saw last night?"

"Dunno, they tinted the windows of that old piece of shit car. Ao, could you keep track of them? I got some reading at home to finish up."

"Hey, no problem with me, just give me something to deal with them if they happen to spot me."

Two college age girls were perched upon the top of a high rise luxury condominium complex in the heart of downtown Macao. One, the pale one with short black hair of them had a pair of high powered binoculars in her hands. The other one, a deeply tanned goddess with waist length hair was Oanh from last night. She shrugged in response to Ao's question and answered with:

"I'll try. Call me with a place to meet in a few hours. Don't expect anything major."

Ao, who kept the car firmly in focus in the binoculars just nodded slightly. It was time to move, the car was disappearing down the side of the street. She heard Oanh close the roof access door behind her.

(tbc)

The Chevy Nomad stopped, and Aidan was forced to say, "Timmy boy, hand me a map. These damned Viets....."

Tim then said, "Ay, here it is."

The map was unfolded, and Aidan noted, "Yeah, we're in the right spot. S**tty Macao, with its ritzy casinos and bums all around and its Viets and Portugese and Borderworlders and others. Okay, get out, we go on foot now."

Tim then said, "You sure, we haven't seen our mark. If we get out now, we'll look awful suspicious, a bunch of Koreans wandering in Viet territory, with axes to grind. Now come on, think now."

Aidan said, "Fine. We don't get out. Better yet, you don't get out. I'll go out and scout, and you stay with Rodney." He then grabbed a SP-101 and threw it at him. "Here's a piece, in case those rats come to roost. I'll be out."

Aidan then pocketed a switchblade, and a SP-101, loading it with .357 Magnum bullets. Getting out, he began wandering the streets with some of his fellow gangsters. They began wandering about, tigerstripe pants and hoodies on, guns concealed, looking for their target....

A couple of dozen stories above the Koreans, Ao sat; perched upon the banister of somebody's balcony, the light from the moon bouncing from her. As three or four of the Koreans got out form the car, she pulled out her PDA and quickly tapped out an email message to Oanh.

With no time to lose, Ao hopped from balcony to balcony across various floors and buildings, moving with an unnatural ease across the concrete canyons. The three Koreans were packing and pissed and it was still early into a chilly winter's evening in Macao. They would probably bump into someone defenseless. Better get rid of them quick....

Hopefully, they would get hungry or something, but counting on that was like counting on an attacking lizardman to starve to death while it was mauling you. Unfortunately, Ao hadn't quite procured the weapon she requested, so it was a matter of getting close enough. Ao moved a few floors down to better observe the Koreans. She knew it was risky, but it was easier for her to finish them off beforehand if they tried something dumber than what they were doing now.

She was close enough now that she could hear their conversation. The leader of the gangsters was named Aidan, the two guys with him Robert and Adair, seemed to be fairly dull-witted guys. Psh. All Koreans were dull witted brutes. Brave and masochistic, but dull-witted nonetheless.

Ao's PDA vibrated. It was Oanh. She had gotten to the two Koreans in the Chevy Nomad. She would be finishing them off first. Ao was on her own.

Alrighty then.... this was going to get interesting. The soundless opening of a folding blade knife could be heard ringing down the long, long street if a one chose to listen carefully.

~*~*~
Two hundred meter shot. Easy. Oanh unslung the mean-looking RCR-41 sniper rifle, complete with suppressor, from her back. A twenty round magazine was already loaded, but she would need only two. She gently pushed on the forward assist, chambering the first round.

Through the thermal function of the scope, Oanh watched the two Koreans inside. They were idly chatting about something. The car was cold. They had turned its engine off long ago. Oanh put the first Korean, the driver, in her crosshairs and then pulled the trigger. There was a silent "tick", and then a sharp crack as the bullet broke the sound barrier. Then the second one. The thermal signatures of the two guys in the car diminished rapidly as they died. Oanh made her way off of the low apartment rooftop she was on, putting the rifle into the duffel bag she had left on the floor below and throwing the surgical gloves she had on into a hallway trashcan.

She cut through a seedy bar to avoid the cops arriving. She could hear their sirens in the distance...

A couple of dozen stories above the Koreans, Ao sat; perched upon the banister of somebody's balcony, the light from the moon bouncing from her. As three or four of the Koreans got out form the car, she pulled out her PDA and quickly tapped out an email message to Oanh.

With no time to lose, Ao hopped from balcony to balcony across various floors and buildings, moving with an unnatural ease across the concrete canyons. The three Koreans were packing and pissed and it was still early into a chilly winter's evening in Macao. They would probably bump into someone defenseless. Better get rid of them quick....

Hopefully, they would get hungry or something, but counting on that was like counting on an attacking lizardman to starve to death while it was mauling you. Unfortunately, Ao hadn't quite procured the weapon she requested, so it was a matter of getting close enough. Ao moved a few floors down to better observe the Koreans. She knew it was risky, but it was easier for her to finish them off beforehand if they tried something dumber than what they were doing now.

She was close enough now that she could hear their conversation. The leader of the gangsters was named Aidan, the two guys with him Robert and Adair, seemed to be fairly dull-witted guys. Psh. All Koreans were dull witted brutes. Brave and masochistic, but dull-witted nonetheless.

Ao's PDA vibrated. It was Oanh. She had gotten to the two Koreans in the Chevy Nomad. She would be finishing them off first. Ao was on her own.

Alrighty then.... this was going to get interesting. The soundless opening of a folding blade knife could be heard ringing down the long, long street if a one chose to listen carefully.

~*~*~
Two hundred meter shot. Easy. Oanh unslung the mean-looking RCR-41 sniper rifle, complete with suppressor, from her back. A twenty round magazine was already loaded, but she would need only two. She gently pushed on the forward assist, chambering the first round.

Through the thermal function of the scope, Oanh watched the two Koreans inside. They were idly chatting about something. The car was cold. They had turned its engine off long ago. Oanh put the first Korean, the driver, in her crosshairs and then pulled the trigger. There was a silent "tick", and then a sharp crack as the bullet broke the sound barrier. Then the second one. The thermal signatures of the two guys in the car diminished rapidly as they died. Oanh made her way off of the low apartment rooftop she was on, putting the rifle into the duffel bag she had left on the floor below and throwing the surgical gloves she had on into a hallway trashcan.

She cut through a seedy bar to avoid the cops arriving. She could hear their sirens in the distance...

Detective Lin arrived on the scene, rather unwillingly. He had been enjoying a nice bowl of ramen, and then, just because a couple of Koreans died in Viet territory, he had to come calling. Whether this double murder had anything to do with the unfortunate event in Wanchai was unsure. But, he had to check it out; HKPD gave him the responsibility.

He arrived to find HKPD CSI, once again, scouring the old Chevy Nomad for evidence. The massive bullet holes in the auto suggested a distance kill, according to the CSI techs on the scene. Ballistics needed work, but evidence suggested that somebody with a high-powered rifle sniped these two boys out from a distance. Witnesses nearby cooroborrated this, they swore that they could hear a crack at the time, but until NP Forensics got to the bottom of this-and they were damned good at their jobs-nobody could be sure.

What Lin got, however, was a sense that something was brewing. Something that needed intervention-and fast. He called Ideological Crimes Unit.

"IdeoCrimes? This is Lin, from Investigations. I think we might need you guys to stop a potential Rodney King, and fast. No, it's on a hunch. Got it."

---------------------------

Aidan didn't notice his comrades being silenced and the HKPD cleaning up after them. But he did hear sirens; a sign that something was up.

He motioned to his retainers, Robert and Adair, and told them to "Get in the alley."

They skulked into the alley, and drew revolvers. Aidan had .357 Magnum rounds, the others .38+P. All had folding switchblades, Aidan got his out in his other hand, but extended it slowly, using his hand and a grip to slow its outward fold. They lay in wait, taking cover in a rubbish pile. Aidan told the retainers: "Shh...."

He then said, "Adair, do recce."

He nodded, and then went out of the pile, and holstered his gun, before looking around. No cops....but the air was thick with tension. Brawling for control of dime bags and territory in the urban jungle gave one a sense of: "Something's wrong." Especially Adair, and the others in the pile.

Adair motioned, "The coast is clear, but stay down."

ooc: What's this ideocrimes unit? (Explain)

ooc: What's this ideocrimes unit? (Explain)

OOC: They handle Hate Crimes and Ideologically-based Crimes (i.e. Rodney King Beatings, racially based shootings, hate/political propaganda, etc.). Figured I'd try a fancy name for them, more than anything else.

A standoff, thought Ao as she perched gingerly on somebody's window ledge right around the corner from the Koreans. Judging by the sound of their voices echoing from the brick and concrete, the alley was a blind one. Ao had them cornered, but she couldn't finish them off. Not with what she had on her. So it was going to be a couple of hours of just standing around. Unless of course, the Koreans simply chose to round the corner and attack. Not a pleasant situation. They had the advantage. Not pleasant. Ao climbed up another few floors and gracefully vaulted onto the roof, staying low to avoid being seen.

They were still there... No choice but to stay now. Ao sent an email to Oanh.
It read only: "Grenades."

A standoff, thought Ao as she perched gingerly on somebody's window ledge right around the corner from the Koreans. Judging by the sound of their voices echoing from the brick and concrete, the alley was a blind one. Ao had them cornered, but she couldn't finish them off. Not with what she had on her. So it was going to be a couple of hours of just standing around. Unless of course, the Koreans simply chose to round the corner and attack. Not a pleasant situation. They had the advantage. Not pleasant. Ao climbed up another few floors and gracefully vaulted onto the roof, staying low to avoid being seen.

They were still there... No choice but to stay now. Ao sent an email to Oanh.
It read only: "Grenades."

For a few moments, the Koreans were inclined to stay in their spot. They didn't know what was to happen. The time passed....about two, three minutes later, Adair went back to the pile, pried off an old banana, and said, "The coast is clear, boss."

Aidan said, "Don't call me boss, ya pansy. Let's move."

They moved the trash off of them carefully, and then proceeded to move, holstering their weapons. They began moving, rounding the corner and opening the doors to the complex where Ao had just somersaulted onto the roof. Naturally, they didn't see a thing, Aidan only sauntered up to the elevator and got inside with his goons. They pushed the second floor button, and then once they got there, they began searching the floor. They vowed each other they'd do this to every rathole in Macao until that damn dame was theirs. And if they couldn't find the Amazon who had ripped that guys' balls of, they'd always hold up some Kwik-e-Mart, take their cash, and pay for cab fare to escape.
--------------

Lieutenant Kumamoto of IdeoCrimes was relaxing, listening to Ray Charles "What'd I Say?" at full blast on headphones. He was a trained lawyer, specializing in civil rights and resolving racial and ideological disputes. He had, as a rookie, solved an argument between a Vortiguant and none other than Fred Lew, the infamous racist jackass National Embarassment, found drunk with a bottle of what was a mix of Everclear and Dimetapp, preventing it from escalating into a war. He was a good verbal judo master, which was good, since he was also a man who would not hurt a fly. He was a hippie, and somehow during the Civil War had an opportunity to be a Contientious Objector and a Medic. Guess it was because his dad owned a monastery in Shikoku, and was a devout Zen monk.

Detective Lin strolled in, and sat down. Kumamoto removed his headphones and said, "Yes? Oh yeah, the man on the Viet-Korean Murders. All over the South China Morning Post."

Lin then said, smugly, "Tell me somethign I don't know. Look, you have a rep as the best profiler-cum-hippie-cum-negotiator that lived. What's your take?"

Kumamoto smiled. "My take on this? Too early to tell. There does seem to be a gang connection. Were the two dead boys in the Macao car gangers?"

Lin said, "Yes. They were.....I found this patch on them, in one's wallet."

He handed Kumamoto the patch.

"Ah yes. The Supernauts. Barely register on the gang map. Named after the famed Korean Auxiliary Air Wing that cut down thousands of fighters during Nam. Did daring missions over Hanoi and Haiphong escorting bombers, did anti-ace missions. Why the youth of today imitate such violent figures is beyond me."

He shuddered, his pacifist beliefs going into overdrive. He put the patch down, saying, "Besides this, I do not know much more offhand about this group. All I can say is that judging by their tactics and their bodies found in Macao-a Viet heavy area-they must be after the Viets, and they are doing it on a tight budget. Is this racially motivated? I need profiles on the members of the Supernauts to be sure. Is their presence part of a revenge of sorts? If your comrades had their nuts ripped off, I'd think so-why else would the crimes occur so close together?"

Lin said, "Not bad..."

Kumamoto said, "Useless...until I get more info. Good day, Detective."

He shook Lin's hand, and then left. Lin got the feeling that despite his pacifism, his handshake was good-perhaps there was something to the man that the legends didn't say. After all, they always said a handshake said a lot.

Ao's blood froze in her veins when she heard the Supernauts enter the building. There had to be a way out..... Except that she couldn't run across the roof without the Koreans hearing her, they were too close and their hearing too sharp. If she jumped to the next rooftop, they would just open the nearest window and shoot her in the back. Going back onto the balconies would mean being shot in the the top of the head. They had her cornered. Damn they were good.

Damn. They were Good.

Pulling out her PDA, Ao sent one last email to Oanh... Then, she crushed it under her foot to prevent the Koreans from finding out anything important. The Supernauts moved up the roof access, their shoplifted sneakers ringing out loudly against the concrete stairs. Ao opened her knife and muttered something silently as she leaned against the side of the small superstructure housing the roof access door.

Which flew off of its hinges as three angry Koreans burst onto the rooftop. The first one, Adair, found where Ao was hiding, but was quickly silenced when four inches of steel lodged itself into his throat. Adair's inert body collpased backwards into view of the other 2 Koreans and Ao was already raising the dead Korean's gun.

She was too late. A single gunshot rang out and a young Vietnamese woman's head exploded into a million bloody chunks as her body fell onto the tarmac roof, right next to Adair's. Aidan Park blew off the small column of cordite smoke rising from the barrel of his .357.

To him, it must have been something beautiful. He bent over and jerked the bloody knife out of Adair's throat. Sweet. MP Ordnance. He closed the thing.

~*~*~*~

Oanh shuddered as she heard the gunshot. .357 Magnum. Just like what the two guys in the car were carrying. Damnit... No... Ao had told her to stay away, but Oanh couldn't, she just couldn't.

Sliding into a nearby alley and hopping behind a dumpster, she sat down and read Ao's last email, face tight and ashen.

Don't get any closer. I always thought my last words would be better than this. I love you. -Ao.

For a good while, all Oanh could do was cradle the PDA even though about halfway through, it went dead. The police didn't notice her sitting behind the dumpster when they came...

Oanh shuddered as she heard the gunshot. .357 Magnum. Just like what the two guys in the car were carrying. Damnit... No... Ao had told her to stay away, but Oanh couldn't, she just couldn't.

Sliding into a nearby alley and hopping behind a dumpster, she sat down and read Ao's last email, face tight and ashen.

Don't get any closer. I always thought my last words would be better than this. I love you. -Ao.

For a good while, all Oanh could do was cradle the PDA even though about halfway through, it went dead. The police didn't notice her sitting behind the dumpster when they came...

The second gunshot brought more HKPD. A funny thing how the citizens knew what to do in crisis. The HKPD men arrived quickly, arriving at the site of the reported gunshot and parking their Crown Victorias (which there were two) in front of the building. They fanned out to try and block any escape routes...and waited for more reinforcements.

As they began to search the building, the sirens alerted the 'Nauts. They scurried, and as they made their way down, they ran through an old lady's apartment, got on the fire escape and scurried away, waiting for the police to not notice, and then running like hell. The old lady was bewildered, and screamed, but by the time she reacted with a Makarov, they were gone....

As this occurred, one man saw Oanh in the alley. He then said, "Hey! We got somebody!" He pointed to the alley, and waved to it, before runnign up to the side and saying, "I am with the HKPD, I want to talk..."

One of the several cops that arrived to aid him said, "This one's a Viet. Lemme talk to her."

Speaking in broken Vietnamese, he said, "I am Sgt. Fujii of the Hong Kong Police. What happened to you? Do you need help?"

ooc: note, Oanh's obviously a female.

ooc: In what language were the officers speaking with each other?

ooc: In what language were the officers speaking with each other?

OOC: Cantonese. And the gender issue is fixed, BTW.

ooc: Been sick, so I couldn't post. Could you post what happens next with the Koreans?

And also, can the police detain Oanh if she tries to just walk away? (As far as I know, she hasn't done anything illegal that the cops know about.)

ooc: Been sick, so I couldn't post. Could you post what happens next with the Koreans?

And also, can the police detain Oanh if she tries to just walk away? (As far as I know, she hasn't done anything illegal that the cops know about.)

OOC: The police can bring her in for questioning. They're rounding up witnesses right about now, they figure she heard something.

IC:

The 'Nauts were assembled in the street; having fled police by running through another grungy tenement filled with poor persons like them. They then ran like hell, trying to find their Nomad. When they got there...

"Ah crap!"

They hid, as the HKPD was impounding their Nomad. An ambulance was there, and two bodies were being carted away.....

Aidan growled, and cursed the Vietnamese. They had killed two of his friends, and his ride was gone. He had killed a Viet, but it was not the b**ch who ripped poor Angus' manly bits off, but one of her friends. An utterly unproductive day, one that would probably lead to some nasty results later.

He then turned to the others and said, "That is it. If these Viets want war, they'll get it. Nobody kills two of our friends, and castrates another, and gets away with it. We'll show them."

One of the survivors said, "How boss? We've not enough money, guns, and men! Our full strength is 50, 60 at most. And look at the car!"

Grabbing Aidan's head, he turned it in the direction of the car. "See? I'm no expert, but those damned Viets have rifles of some kind. How else could they have gotten Poor Rodney?"

Aidan then said, breaking free, "Be reasonable. How are you sure?"

One of the survivors then said, "Well, the windows on that car are gone. No pistol we got does that! And how do you know they got a chance to fight back? You weren't there!"

Aidan then said, angrily, "Stupid rat. Fine, we'll go with your theory. Figures, these damned Viets walk with fat wallets anyway."

Aidan then said, "Come on, let's go."

Going down the street, Aidan and friends then happened upon a garage, in which they found a Cadillac CTS. Then they broke into it, and after hotwiring it, drove off back home, where they would try to get more support for their vendetta.

After all, if it was war they wanted, it was war they would get.

ooc: adair's dead. he got stuck in the neck by ao.

ooc: adair's dead. he got stuck in the neck by ao.

OOC: Fixed.

A man sat carefully on his antique leather sofa, carefully cleaning out the bore of his RCR-41. He made not a sound.

He was not exactly an old man, although his dark hair was going grey around the temples, and his dark bronze skin was wrinkled and leathery from years of exposure to the sun. But his hands were steady as he cleaned his rifle and his eyes sharp.

"Chuoc, we got some trouble. One of the dykes got herself killed."

The old man glared at the much younger, scruffier looking man standing on his balcony, partially obscured by the thin curtains. "Show some respect for the dead Nam. Anything else?" growled the old man in a hard, sandpapery voice.

"The Koreans got away, and I can't find the other dy...."

Chuoc cut Nam off. "They have names you know. That means the cops must have grabbed Oanh. Find where she is."

Nam disappeared from the balcony, quick as lightning.

That left Chuoc to call a few of his buddies up... They would know how to deal with the Koreans...

ooc: Feel free to grab Oanh and question her. Predict what you'll think she'll say.

At the crime scene-

Fujii then said to Oanh, in his half-hearted Vietnamese: "Okay, let's go, lady."

He sauntered up to her, along with several other policemen, in case she tried to make any sudden moves. As it was, she did try to resist, giving the police a run for their money. But the HKPD was able to get her into the Crown Vic before anything else could happen.

They took her down town, spiriting her away from Macau to the Admiralty district, where the nearest HKPD Station was. After fingerprinting and mug shots, they took her to the holding block there-it was carved out of the old Nihiliantian Dungeons, but of course given more light and ventilation, and put her in a cell.

After several hours, Detective Lin was there, in the godown. He never thought much of interrogations. He did them often, asking them nicely, then performing any methods necessary-legal ones, mind-to get what he needed. His partner, on the other hand, Lieutenant Kumamoto, hated interrogations. He hated forcing things from people, the idea was not patalable to him. He often played good cop, as a result, gently nudging the info.

Either way, they came to ask Oanh a few questions. Did she hear a series of gunshots a few hours ago at 12:35 pm on December 22nd, in Macau? Who fired the shots? And if she knew who fired, who were they firing at (they knew the gunners shot Koreans-HKPD Macau recovered a Korean on the roof of the building they surrounded)? Where was she during the first series of shots? What was she doing near the scene of the rooftop murder, discovered after police responded to the second series of shots at 1:20 pm? And was the dead Viet on the roof a friend of hers?

Two series of gunshots a quick half-hour apart were going to be noticed; they would get something. They sauntered in, and Lieutenant Kumamoto began asking her these questions. He did so by beginning, politely and friendly-like: "Ma'am, I am Lieutenant Kumamoto, from Ideological Crimes, HKPD, this is Detective Lin from Plainclothes. What is your name? And, where were you when a series of gunshots a few hours ago at 12:35 pm on December 22nd, in Macau? Did you hear these shots?"

A group of three dozen or so men and women, some of them wrinkled and grey, and some youthful and fresh faced, stood in the living room of Chuoc's now crowded apartment. Some of them had hippie metal t-shirts on, others had black tank tops and BDU pants on. They all were armed to the teeth and as silent as stones.

Chuoc walked up to the front of the group and addressed them.

"I do not need to explain why I assembled you all here." he growled in his sandpapery voice. "Well.... ok, I might just have to seeing as how half of you don't know why I called. In short, we're having a problem with the Koreans."

No one in the group said a thing. Chuoc continued.

"I want a couple of the VCs here to follow me. The rest of you keep watch out for any Koreans that come near you. Deal with them harshly if they give you any trouble."

Most of the people in Chuoc's apartment left, except for a slim, olive skinned woman in a black tank top and two of her friends, which looked just like her.

Chuoc nodded towards the woman. "Nice to see you here Xuan."

"I try to give back to the community on occasions. What do you need?" Xuan smiled wryly.

Chuoc's brow furrowed. "I'll need a couple of cars, some bag guys, scout overwatch, and garbage disposal."

Xuan nodded. "Done. Want some paper with that?"

"Paper?" Chuoc cocked an eyebrow.

"You'll see."

~*~*~*~
Wanchai District:

A black Cadillac DeVille rolled silently down the street, its windows tinted, its plates and VINs prudently filed off. It moved slowly, because it had a single target in mind, the pretty Korean girl around fifty meters in front of the vehicle, who was sitting in an outdoor cafe, giggling with a group of her friends. Chuoc sat at the wheel, his face in a balaclava, his eyes covered with sunglasses. There were three other men in the car, similarly dressed, two of them cradling silenced SMG-7 submachineguns and one of them with a silenced BR-2 carbine. The Cadillac rolled up to the coffee shop. Chuoc grinned with a maniacal glee as he rolled down the windows.

There were a brief series of silenced pops as the patrons of the cafe, all Koreans, slumped down where they sat or stood. Nobody screamed or shouted, and the gunshots didn't carry very far. In the time it would take for someone to call the police, the Cadillac would already be gone.

The one person who was still alive was the pretty Korean girl that Chuoc had been eyeing just thirty seconds before. She was hiding under a table, a table that was overturned as two of the thugs from the Cadillac rushed out and grabbed her. She struggled, but to no avail. The Cadillac drove for a few miles, the parked in an out the way alley in Quarry Bay. The Chuoc and the three thugs transferred the now bound and gaggged girl into a black Land Rover... As the Land Rover drove away, the Cadillac burst into flames, and soon after, exploded.

In the car, one of the thugs was searching through the girl's purse....

"I found her driver's license. Let's see here.... Seosaimlún... what the fuck? Ugh... and I thought Korean sounded like ducks speaking. How the fuck the do you make out this Celtic shit?"

"You don't...." answered Chuoc from the driver's seat. "Anyway... my stop is here."

They were already in Shenzhen when Chuoc switched cars again, tossing the other three thugs a box of condoms and giving them a thumbs up.

Seosaimlún Yoo's naked and mutilated body was found later that night in the turbines of a hydroelectric plant somewhere in Guilin...

(Oanh to come later)

Wanchai District:

A black Cadillac DeVille rolled silently down the street, its windows tinted, its plates and VINs prudently filed off. It moved slowly, because it had a single target in mind, the pretty Korean girl around fifty meters in front of the vehicle, who was sitting in an outdoor cafe, giggling with a group of her friends. Chuoc sat at the wheel, his face in a balaclava, his eyes covered with sunglasses. There were three other men in the car, similarly dressed, two of them cradling silenced SMG-7 submachineguns and one of them with a silenced BR-2 carbine. The Cadillac rolled up to the coffee shop. Chuoc grinned with a maniacal glee as he rolled down the windows.

There were a brief series of silenced pops as the patrons of the cafe, all Koreans, slumped down where they sat or stood. Nobody screamed or shouted, and the gunshots didn't carry very far. In the time it would take for someone to call the police, the Cadillac would already be gone.

The one person who was still alive was the pretty Korean girl that Chuoc had been eyeing just thirty seconds before. She was hiding under a table, a table that was overturned as two of the thugs from the Cadillac rushed out and grabbed her. She struggled, but to no avail. The Cadillac drove for a few miles, the parked in an out the way alley in Quarry Bay. The Chuoc and the three thugs transferred the now bound and gaggged girl into a black Land Rover... As the Land Rover drove away, the Cadillac burst into flames, and soon after, exploded.

In the car, one of the thugs was searching through the girl's purse....

"I found her driver's license. Let's see here.... Seosaimlún... what the fuck? Ugh... and I thought Korean sounded like ducks speaking. How the fuck the do you make out this Celtic shit?"

"You don't...." answered Chuoc from the driver's seat. "Anyway... my stop is here."

They were already in Shenzhen when Chuoc switched cars again, tossing the other three thugs a box of condoms and giving them a thumbs up.

Seosaimlún Yoo's naked and mutilated body was found later that night in the turbines of a hydroelectric plant somewhere in Guilin...

(Oanh to come later)

The Hydro plant worker who discovered the body threw up for the rest of the day...the sight of that body would give him nightmares for the rest of the week, if not forever.

He then came to his senses, and called for police. Explaining in a shaky, nervous voice, he panicked and said, "There. Is. A. DEAD. BODY. HERE! GO GET IT OUTTA MY MACHINERY!"

The operator was unfazed-many a case had opened with calls like that. With that, he said, "Sir, we will send a squad car there to investigate."

The worker said, "Oh, thank Chinese Jesus."

Chinese Jesus did come, in the form of a squad car. The policeman, who wanted to spend the New Year s**tfaced with a pint of Sam Adams Boston Ale, was currently examining a dead body with a Maglite and thick latex gloves.

"Yup. She's dead."

"No. S**t. Tell me something I don't know," said the worker.

The cop turned up and said, "Look, Mac, lemme do my job. It's bad enough I can't spend New Year's giving the wife her jollies, now you wanna make things worse? I'll arrest you for obstruction of justice, I say, if you keep this up!"

The worker shut up, amazed at the tantrum the cop just threw.

The cop then got up, and flashed on his radio, "This is Unit 409. Send a couple of guys from Plainclothes, and a CSI Truck. And a grief counselor."

The radio operator said, "You serious about the counselor?"

The cop said, tersely, "Yes."

-----------------

Wanchai-

The shots weren't noticed for sure. But the sight of so many dead bodies dropping like flies had not gone unnoticed by passersby, who had begun to gather in a crowd, rubbernecking, speculating as to who did it. CIA? No, they were being cracked down on-they'd use cruder, bloodier measure for measure tactics anyway. RALM? Nah, they'd use an exotic, Bondlike method-perhaps poison gas capsules or arsenic in the kalbi ribs, or perhaps sniper shots. But then, somebody would've heard something. No. Silenced PSG1's would've done it.

Thus the speculation went on. The HKPD arrived, dismayed to find a new round of bloodshed in what was beginning to look like pot boiling over. CSI had arrived immediately, and so had detectives and police, which scattered the crowds and the journalists, who came dubbing the incident the "Wanchai Massacre."

As Detective Lin was busy, another of his colleagues, Kociusko, took over. Kociusko was a tall man, descended from Russian-Polish Cossack stock which had fled to Manchuria during the Russian Revolution. He towered over the other HKPD personnel, and the stare from his wrinkled face, which resembled Nick Nolte's, was like ice. Wearing a distinct fur cap, he yelled, "Keep Back! This is a police scene. Nothing to see here. Go home."

He then met with the head of the CSI team, who was inspecting the bodies, and the surroundings.

"Well, we have about, say, 20-40 dead persons, all Korean, all innocents. What else do we got?"

The CSI Chief said, "Whoever did this has me working overtime. You got the Korean part-IdeoCrimes will love this, effin' hippies. We need to take the bodies to the Morgue to do more detailed exams, but what I can see is that the nature of their shooting was with a SMG or an automatic weapon of some kind-the wounds and tears on their clothing don't match with snipers. And, some of my men found tire marks leading away from here, sir. Where will take some time to figure out."

Kociusko then said, "Silenced SMGs or silenced rifles. That's the only way whoever did this could have gotten away with it."

The CSI Chief said, "Good guess. But, I'll have to confirm it at the Morgue."

Kosciusko then said, very businesslike and curt "Not bad. Now, do your job."

The CSI Chief said, shrugging, "Okay, then. Jeez."

As Kosciusko went on, he then questioned another officer, saying curtly, "Any witnesses?"

The officer said, "Well, some of the busboys and kitchen staff might talk, but it'll be a challenge. Judging by the way people only now filtered in, I'd say whoever did this was a pro. Nobody noticed a thing until I'd say, 15 mnutes ago, when we got hte call."

Kosciusko, slightly flummoxed, said, "Then get the busboys. Get the kitchen staff. Get Moe, Larry and Curly if you need to. Drag them to HQ. I want them to talk. They must have heard something. Even silencers don't silence guns completely. And their getaway had to get some kind of attention."

The officer said, "Yes sir." and went to fetch the staff.

Kosciusko then stood there, and lit up a cigareete. Smoking it, he then said to the crowds, "Hence! Home you idle creatures, get you home! Is this a holiday?"

They stood confused at this display of Shakespeare. At this, Kosciusko then said, "It means, GET OUT! Or I'll have you all arrested!"

In Upper Xen, it was not common to deny the wishes of a policeman. The crowd then dispersed, hearing this mighty man speak.

An apartment in Wanchai-

"A massacre happened downtown."

"I know."

Aidan and his friends gathered in his apartment once more. Doing a headcount, they lost three in the raid. Now, it seemed, the Viets had launched reprisals. But, typical of Viet barbarism, they launched it on innocent civilians. The event, which in the December 31 edition of the South China Morning Post dubbed the "Wanchai Massacre," was no doubt, inspired by their little murder.

At the same time, in the back of the Post, a new concern arose. A dead Korean girl had been found in Guilin, in a hydro plant. Guilin police were doing investigations, but nothing else had come up.

This news would shake the consciences of ordinary men. It would have persuaded repentants to repent. But knowing Aidan, he wouldn't. No, this merely got him to fight on.

He simply said, "Well then, it looks like we'll have to slap them around a bit, then. It's the only way they'll learn."

One of the others said, "Boss, if we do that, then, we will have to get the others behind us. We can't fight it alone. These Viets are rich, and they can get professionals to kill for them. We might as well be slitting our own throats if we attack them."

Aidan said, "I knew that. So, I am going to call a meeting of the gangs. The Supernauts, the Blue Stars, the Forgotten, the Quarry Bay Boys, and the Blackguards. As many as possible."

At this, the others grew concerned.

One of the men, Yoo, said, "The Quarry Bay Boys? Quarry Bay's a buncha insolationist, clannish loner C-Mods. They work with nobody unless they work for a lot. And the Blackguards? You want depressive Goths?"

Aidan said, "Look, all of those gangs represent men we don't have, resources we don't have. As it is, we can only muster 30 men, a few Stens, and .38s. The Blackguards have 500, and can get Uzis, M16's, AK's, you name it. We need a coalition of the willing! And I am sure that, after this little incident, there will be many willing."

Yoo then said, "There is our problem. We're a small gang. Would they listen to us?"

Aidan said, "If you let me handle it, then I'll get them to listen. Well drive the Viets into the sea, don't you worry."

Yoo then said, "Well, if you say so. So, how will we do this?"

Aidan said, "I'll send a man to spread the word. I'll ask the Blue Stars and the Blackguards to come, and bring their allies. And, I'll see the Quarry Bay Boys myself."

Yoo then said, reluctantly, "It's a gamble. But, I can't stop you."

Sitting up, Yoo noted, "But then, there is still arms and ammunition. And mobilization, soldiers."

Aidan said, "Relax. You think too far ahead."

----------

Sometime later-

The plan was set in motion. A man was sent to the Blue Stars and the Blackguards. Both were sent with this message.

"Aidan Park of the Supernauts wants to know if you will help him on a righteous vendetta. Given the recent shedding of Korean blood in our very neighborhood, it would seem that outside forces are moving against us. Mr. Park notes that since the Triads and the Mod gangs are not against us, and neither are the Russians or the Bikers, it can only be certain that the Vietnamese are the ones conspiring to drive us out. Thus, he implores your assistance, and urges you to send representatives to a meeting to be held soon. If you can, please ask others you know and are allies with to aid you, as well."

A charged message to be sure, and one that was poetic, but would it work?

Meanwhile, as this was unfolding, Aidan took a ride on the MTA, ending up in Quarry Bay. Once there, he emerged in a desolate, workingclass area, far removed from the wealth of Central Freeman. Filled with old brick houses, aging tenements, and plauged with infestations of all kinds, the environment was foreboding.

Wearing his colors, he walked about until a Chinese teenager, wearing a Mod trenchcoat, Union Jack shirt, with a greasy bowl haircut and a Sten stopped him.

"This is our neighborhood, Korean. Wot business do ya 'ave wif us?" he said in a Cockney accent. He cocked his Sten and held it up. Several of his comrades came out of the shadows, with spiked baseball bats, Chinese swords, MAC-10s, and M1911A1s. They glared at Aidan, like he was an intruder into their land.

Aidan said, "I come to ask a favor of your leader. Can I see him?"

The Chinese Mod said, "It daan't Kathy Burke that way, Korean. We 'ave ritual! Regulations! Ya can't just barge in 'ere, wif full gang colors, and ask for an audience wif the bloody Pitch 'n' Toss. Sha sum respect!"

Aidan said, barely getting that last statement, "Kathy Burke-oh! You mean it don't work that way. Then what do I do?"

The Chinese Mod then said, frustrated his message wasn't getting across: "'eaven and 'ell, for starters, take Frank Bough your gang Hinge and Bracket."

Aidan then said, "I don't speak Fake Cockney."

The Mod then said, "Bloody 'ell.....yer Hinge and Bracket is yer Jacket! And Frank Bough is "off!"

He then thrust his Sten into Aidan's chest and said, "Do you get it NOW!?"

Aidan then said, "You mean my colors?"

The Mod nodded.

He then took off his colors. The hoodie was gone, and a MASH 4077 t-shirt remained.

The Chinese Mod continued, "Na, then. Ask ter clock the bloody Pitch 'n' Toss-politely."

Aidan then said, slighty strained and struggling with the Cockney Speak, "Uh..May I humbly see the Pitch 'n' Toss, please?"

The Chinese Mod then said, "Na, that's more loike it! 'old up your Duke of Yorks."

Aidan then said, "My what?"

The Mod said, "Yer 'ands!"

Aidan held his hands up, frightened of the Sten pointed at him.

The Mod then said, "Reggie And Ronnie, search 'im."

Two more Mods went over, and padded him down, fiddling with his pockets and then stepped back, saying, "He's clean."

The Mod then said, "Okay. I'll inform the bleedin' pitch 'n' toss ya wanna clock 'im."

Aidan then said, "Wait, clock him?"

Another Mod said, "See him."

Aidan then said, slightly annoyed at the language barrier, "Okay..."

The Mod then went off, to inform his Pitch 'n' Toss that a man wanted to see him.

Aidan then wondered, "Was it worth this much?"

Oanh was still sitting in the holding cell, trembling like a leaf. The two cops questioning her suddenly left.... for something. She had no idea what it was, but her money was on old man Chuoc trying something stupid. Damn.... why did you have to do that? Oanh shook her head. If only she hadn't beaten those cops so badly, they wouldn't have chained her down like this. Argh! They didn't skimp on chains either... It was useless struggling. That meant that she had to actually subject herself to interrogation.... Oh well, this gave her time to polish her alibis.

She heard someone coming down the hallway, probably a drunk or something. The footsteps got louder.

Oh damn, it was Lieutenant Kumamoto and for a hippie, he sure was pissed off.

He almost burst into the cell, but since he was a hippie, it stopped just short of 'burst'.

"Now... back to where were." the Lieutenant's voice was still pleasant, but it had an undercurrent of anger in it.

Oanh didn't want to risk Kumamoto's wrath, but this issue was personal. Now... to lie, or to demand a lawyer. Lying was smarter....

"I was at home, taking a nap, at 12:35..."

Oanh hoped that Kumamoto wouldn't get to the second question... It still hurt too much.

Oanh was still sitting in the holding cell, trembling like a leaf. The two cops questioning her suddenly left.... for something. She had no idea what it was, but her money was on old man Chuoc trying something stupid. Damn.... why did you have to do that? Oanh shook her head. If only she hadn't beaten those cops so badly, they wouldn't have chained her down like this. Argh! They didn't skimp on chains either... It was useless struggling. That meant that she had to actually subject herself to interrogation.... Oh well, this gave her time to polish her alibis.

She heard someone coming down the hallway, probably a drunk or something. The footsteps got louder.

Oh damn, it was Lieutenant Kumamoto and for a hippie, he sure was pissed off.

He almost burst into the cell, but since he was a hippie, it stopped just short of 'burst'.

"Now... back to where were." the Lieutenant's voice was still pleasant, but it had an undercurrent of anger in it.

Oanh didn't want to risk Kumamoto's wrath, but this issue was personal. Now... to lie, or to demand a lawyer. Lying was smarter....

"I was at home, taking a nap, at 12:35..."

Oanh hoped that Kumamoto wouldn't get to the second question... It still hurt too much.

Something about Oanh's response rubbed Lin the wrong way. It seemed logical, but it also seemed a bit off-who honestly, napping, had enough time to make it to the spot where she was by 1:20? She must have teleported, or pulled a Mary Lou Retton.

Either way, he pulled out a pad and paper and noted this. Kumamoto, meanwhile, said, "Okay. Then, what were you doing near the scene of the rooftop murder, discovered after police responded to the second series of shots at 1:20 pm? We found a Korean and a Viet there; somehow, it does not seem logical to be sitting in a pile of garbage for fun, unless one is undergoing a journey of self improvement or is a hobo."

ooc: UX, could you post the Koreans meeting with the Blackguards etc.?

"

The heralds, meanwhile, had delivered their messages, supplicant and in a manner resembling knights bowing to their lords.

THe reactions, as to be expected, were varied and different. The Blue Stars agreed to join with the Supernauts. They were skeptical, but nonetheless willing to join. They agreed to ally with the 'Nauts.

------------------

The head of the Blackguards, a tall young, slightly effiminate yet metro man, with Goth boots, an army surplus trenchcoat, a makeup scheme similar to Billie Joe Armstrong's, and a katana by his side, smiled as he paced about the Blackguard's HQ-a small, well kept punk club called the Knuckle Buster, founded in the 1970's. It showed it's age slightly, but it was still good.

He said, replying, "So, you want me, Boss Alan Cho-Nishimura, to come to the aid of a small fry, who probably got in over his head with some small deal."

The emissary said, "Well, no small deal sir. This is revenge. A vendetta of sorts. It started with castration, I think, then the murder of a raiding party."

Alan then said, "Which snowballed into a massacre. So you started it? You want us to help you clean up, and feed the flames of unnecessary vengance?"

The emissary said, "Hello?! Castration?! Massacres?! I don't know about you, but I think that these were innocents. The persons who did this lumped us together, and want us all dead. And don't you think castration is a bit much for a simple wolf whistle?"

Alan then contested, "You small fry should respect women more; then the business that has transpired would not have happened. As it is, the way you framed it has not moved me."

The emissary then said, "What would it take for you to intervene? To stop further Korean blood from being drawn?"

Alan then said, "I'm a man of peace-I organize my gang to defend the weak, and only deal in drugs when we have to. I keep order in the underground in this neighborhood, I keep the Mods and Bikers from snatching our women. I have enough on my hands. Nothing you small fry can give me would persuade me."

The emissary then said, "Does being a man of peace enable you to make total logical disconnects? You say you defend the weak, yet you ignore the massacre and the potential followups to come. You would let the Viets butcher our fellow Koreans? Sell our women into prostitution? Let us lay supine as we fall to their predations? If you truly cared, you would defend your brothers and sisters!"

Alan then said, "Do not presume to lecture me, lecher. You make a good point, but you said so yourself-your gang's lechery began this vendetta."

He then walked up to the emissary and said, somewhat reassuringly: "*Sigh*.....Your speech does not entirely fall on stone ears. It does move me some, though rather reluctantly. I know some pistol men who you can visit; they can provide the weapons you need to fight your war. Tell them I sent you. They will understand."

He wrote the name of some dealers of guns on a list and handed the paper to the emissary. The emissary then said, "Do you know of others who would fight with us directly?"

Alan said, "Do not push thy luck. As it is, I can spare some names. One or two ringers. Look up an Alan Smithee in Central Freeman, and a John Smedley in Kowloon. Those are psuedoynims mind, if you tell them we sent you, they may join you and tell you more about themselves. And one small gang like yourself. What used to be the St. George's Social Club-their East Kowloon Section, after the gang was reduced to particulate matter in the Triad Wars."

The emissary then said, "Thanks," taking Cho-Nishimura's lists.

He then bowed, and left, backpedaling to avoid showing disrespect.

Alan then said, "And tell your leader Aidan Park that while I do not agree with him, I hope he will bring this affair to a speedy conclusion, and never trouble us again."

The emissary then headed back to the Supernaut's hideout. He felt dissapointed, but he knew that, they, like the 124th Auxiliary Air Wing in Vietnam, their namesake, they would win. And win big.

-===-------=========----------

After waiting for five minutes, the Mod cam back and told Aidan, "Okay. You can see him."

Aidan then said, sighing, "Finally."

He was then escorted to a small, dingy room, decorated with Who posters, and a Chinese man sitting on a couch. He was dressed in a dingy coat, with a Doors t-shirt and a wild afro, and had sunglasses. He sat up, and said, "Sit."

Aidan sat down on an oak chair, which was rickety and looked like it would break.

The man then said, "My men told me you wanted to see me."

Aidan said, "Yes. I wanted to ask you, Mr. Pitch 'n' Toss-"

The man said, raising a hand a speaking in a slow, calculated voice: "Call me Zak."

Aidan said, "Zak, if you could help us."

Zak then said, "Who is us?"

Aidan said, "Zak, Us is the Supernauts. We're a Wanchai gang, and we need your help fighting the Vietnamese."

Zak then said, speaking like a mix between Mr. Big and a Buddhist monk, "Ah yes. Small fry, barely on the map. I take it you did something they didn't like."

Aidan, slightly impaitent, said, "Well yes. That's obvious."

Zak then said, "My man, your name?"

Aidan then said, "Aidan."

Zak then said, "Aidan, you're too nervous. Ease up. I can't do deals with tense people. Ruins my concentration."

He then gestured to a teapot and some china mugs.

"Have a drink. It won't bite."

Aidan, cautiously, poured a mug for himself and for Zak. He then took his mug, and so did Zak, who then said, "Thanks, Aidan."

Zak then sipped his mug, and then said, "Now, back to the subject at hand. You did something the Vietnamese didn't like, didn't you. Perhaps, a bad deal, or an insult, or a flyswatter slap, like how the war between France and Algeria got started in 1830."

Aidan said, "Well, it wasn't a flyswatter. One of my boys was castrated by a Vietnamese woman for some wolf whistling we did and some feelies-boys will be boys. We retaliated, and now, it seems they have conducted a massacre of my fellow Koreans in Wanchai."

Zak then said, sadly, "Thus is the cycles of violence. The Buddhists say this, life goes in cycles, material desire feeds sorrow and pain. I am inclined to believe them now that I hear your story."

He then said, after pausing for a moment, "My man, this sounds serious. I fear that this will escalate from now on, if the course keeps going. And there will be no one left to say, "at least we can die with harness on our back." No, nobody."

Aidan then said, irritated at this philosophy, "So, will you help us or not? Your pretty words are confusing to me."

Zak then said, "Words ain't pretty, they are merely objects and vehicles to carry our thoughts-let us not get stuck in them. Anyway, your plight is heard. Read in the Morning Post, it is. To prevent it from hurting Quarry Bay, I will consider it. But first, I need you to do something for me, to prove trust."

Aidan said, "If it will cement our alliance."

Zak then said, "Call this a Confidence Building Measure. Alliances will wait."

He handed a Sten Gun and two clips to Aidan, and gestured to a teenager who looked like Zak, but was a shortish Chinese girl, sorta butch, with a M1 helmet, a pale face, and a tattered Mod outfit, armed with a Fairbairn-Sykes knife and a Mini-Uzi.

"I want you to go with Charlie here. Charlie has an infestation in her house-Headcrabs, en masse. They have taken over her kitchen. Help her clean them up."

Aidan then said, "You can't be serious."

Zak then said, "I am. If you can live what we live, and brave what we brave, we will consider you one of us. Then, we will aid you in bringing order and a resolution to your conflict. I want you to promise this."

Aidan then said, "What is it?"

"Don't do anything rash with the Viets when you get back. Strike not at their civilians-strike only at their gang resources. We must not sink to their level."

Aidan simply replied, "Well Gandhi-"

Zak looked at him, dissapointed.

Aidan then said, "Fine."

He then met up with Charlie, and said to her, "Let's go to work."

Charlie said, in a voice eerily similar to Trillian's from "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" (the new version): "I agree. I gotta clean the house before Momma gets home from the stampingshop."

Charlie then led him down the hall.....

OOC:

After a long time away from NS due to work...

IC:

Charlie lead Aidan to an old door, with the paint flaking off. She then said, "I've gotta warn you, this will get scary. I know I was scared once."

She then opened the door, and revealed an apartment that was clean, but rundown. Claw marks were everywhere, as were crowbar marks and bullet holes. A rickety old tv, and Xbox and Okama Gamesphere were in the right side, and an old coffee table with old books on Picasso and whatnot were in place, surrounded by decaying furniture.

Charlie then said, "Welcome to my house. Don't sit on the easy chair, its broken, we're getting it fixed."

Aidan said, nervously, "Okay...."

Charlie then pointed to a nook which WAS a kitchen, but had all kinds of gunk and God-knows-what on it. She then said, "Okay, there's our problem spot."

She then cocked the Sten and motioned for Aidan to do the same. He did, as well. Charlie then said, "Okay, you take the counter, I'll take the entrance. Nothing gets out. Get the large spore like thingies. Or, just shoot the place up, we'll need to fix it anyway."

They moved to their spots and then Charlie said, "1...2....3!"

A hail of bullets erupted from their Stens, and a shrieking emerged from the walls. Aidan began panicking, but Charlie said, "Don't worry, this is the tough part, it gets easy! Just spray and pray!"

Headcrabs from all over began leaping about, or dying. A few got close, but Charlie knocked them to the side with the butt of the Sten, and followed up with a Fairbairn-Sykes hit to the melon. Aidan, meanwhile, used his boots to kick them out of the way.

Charlie then said, after the initial wave, "Okay, that was the tough part. Well, mom was better at this...Now, we have to search the apartment. Got a knife?"

Aidan then unfolded his switchblade.

Charlie then shook her head, and gave him a K-Bar. "Here's a better knife. That gang-cutter won't do any good. And while you're at it..."

She then walked into a room, and after a flurry of sounds that included an unholy shrieking and cursing, she came out with two Browning Hi-Powers.

Handing one to Aidan, "Take this, you'll need it."

Then, they began surveying the apartment. One by one, each crab was eliminated, by shot or by knife. Eventually, the apartment was cleaned, the kitchen itself doused with gas and burned to prevent new eggs from spawning.

Charlie then said, "Not bad. We have to tell Zak."

ooc: Been really busy IRL myself. I'll post a surprise sometime next week. I just hope them cops don't find that VC Cadillac.

Central Freeman-

The emissary, after having delivered the news to another of the Supernauts, was then given a break. A courier, a woman courier, was then sent to Central Freeman, to look up this "Alan Smithee."

Some backalley searching, fistfights, bribes, and long waits later, she had gotten Smithee's address. Arriving at a pub, she then entered, and sat at the bar.

The bartender then said, "What'll ye have?"

The courier (hereafter to be known as Jen), said, "Just some info. I'm looking for an Alan Smithee."

Bartender then said, "Smithee's not in at the moment. Who are you?"

Jen then said, "A friend sent me, a man named Boss Alan."

The bartender then stopped, and said, "One of Alan's goons? Hold on."

After five minutes, the bartender cam back and said, "Alan will see ya."

Leading her in back, the bartender then said, "Okay, what do you need?"

Jen, slightly confused, said, "Where's Alan?"

He then said, "I am Alan. Or more precisely, Alastair Golden, infamous back-alley gun salesman."

Jen then said, in a tone filled with skepticism and dismay, "Oh really? Cut the second-rate film noir crap. If you don't have busi-"

Alastair then said, waving a finger, "I knew you would react like that."

He then dragged over a crate, and opened it up. Inside were a lot of rifles, Carbon-15s, and Jen was amazed.

Alastair, smiling, said, "Ex-RSA production. Finest Quality. I have ammo-"

Jen then said curtly, raising her hand and quivering, overwhelmed slightly, "No. It's fine. Where did you get this?"

Alastair then said, frowning, "I don't ask, neither should you."

Jen then said, "Okay."

Alastair then put the crate away, and led her into a walk-in closet, with guns all over. He showed her a Galil ARM, a L1A1 Suzie Wong Special, East German and Russian AKMs, and all sorts of guns.

She then said, smiling, "You know, they were right, Mr. Golden. You are one of the most dangerous men in Hong Kong."

Alastair then said, smiling and with a sense of pride: "Right. Ran guns for the Rebels during the War. Afterwards, they forgot about me, and I needed the cash, so I began brokering trades with a few classified buyers and sellers. I own enough guns to start a war of my own. But, I prefer to let others do the warring for me."

Jen then said, "So, could our gang buy some of your wares?"

Alastair then said, "Sure. No one is refused here. Only cash or secret Swiss, please."

Jen then said, "Okay, how much for say, enough high-powered rifles to take on the Vietnamese gangs?"

Alastair then said, "Well, how big is yours?"

Jen then said, rapidly and with an air of confidence: "Big in spirit and big in morale."

Alastair then said, shaking his head, "Not big enough in men, apparently. I'll sell you the Carbon-15s, a few SAWs, and some Stingers and C4 to start."

Thinking for a moment, and counting the cash mentally, Jen said, "Okay. What's your price?"

Alastair then smiled, saying, "50,000 Xenthalers."

Jen said, "5,000"

Offended, Alastair shot, "45,000."

"10,000"

"40,000."

"20,000."

"30,000. And I will throw in some free grenades. BUT THAT'S MY LAST OFFER!"

"Deal."

They shook, and said, "Deal."

Alastair then said, "Now look. I need the money."

Jen then said, "Could we give it to you tomorrow?"

Alastair then said, "Fine. But I am holding the guns until then."

Jen then said, "Okay. Here's a down payment. 8,000 Xenthalers. It's all I have," presenting a pile of cash to him.

Alastair then said, "Okay. But I expect the rest tomorrow."

Jen then left, and called on a pay phone, "I met Mr. Smithee. He needs 22,000 Xenthalers. By tomorrow. He has a package for us."

The reply went, "Very well. We will see what can be done."





OOC: Info on Carbon-15:

http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=8245015&postcount=1

ooc: Finally...

A group of CSI cops finally tracked down that VC Cadillac.... Boy were they in for one HELL of a nasty surprise. Inside of the trunk of the car was a bomb. It was a rather large one. The spontaneous ignition of the car, although it destroyed all traces of DNA evidence inside the car, was gentle enough to not destroy the fireproofed metal case inside the trunk. Good thing too. Well, at least for the VC. For the cops, it would be the last thing that they ever saw. The hardened metal case held a fuel-air explosive. A rather large fuel-air explosive. With particles of rocket fuel and thermite embedded inside. When the cops opened the trunk, they would get a nasty surprise.... Now, the question was whether they would open the trunk in the alley, or tow the Cadillac back to police impound. And the thirty meter wide fireball of the explosive, added to its hundred meter shockwave radius would cause a great deal of collateral damage no matter where the explosive would detonate.

Now if only they would open the trunk....

~*~*~*~*~

"Well..." This was one of the REALLY quite personal issues, the sort that was settled with bullets. The sort of issue that was settled outside of the law. Oanh was going nearly insane right now, and this douchebag detective was NOT making things easy. Of course, they were going to keep her locked up anyway. It took around twelve policemen of fairly large size to subdue her. Cops really hated doing that, so Oanh would have to spend some time in jail. Damn.

"Well, I went looking for my girlfriend after I woke up...." Oanh was gritting her teeth. She wanted to kill the detective.... BADLY. But that would have to wait....

ooc: Finally...

A group of CSI cops finally tracked down that VC Cadillac.... Boy were they in for one HELL of a nasty surprise. Inside of the trunk of the car was a bomb. It was a rather large one. The spontaneous ignition of the car, although it destroyed all traces of DNA evidence inside the car, was gentle enough to not destroy the fireproofed metal case inside the trunk. Good thing too. Well, at least for the VC. For the cops, it would be the last thing that they ever saw. The hardened metal case held a fuel-air explosive. A rather large fuel-air explosive. With particles of rocket fuel and thermite embedded inside. When the cops opened the trunk, they would get a nasty surprise.... Now, the question was whether they would open the trunk in the alley, or tow the Cadillac back to police impound. And the thirty meter wide fireball of the explosive, added to its hundred meter shockwave radius would cause a great deal of collateral damage no matter where the explosive would detonate.

Now if only they would open the trunk....

~*~*~*~*~

"Well..." This was one of the REALLY quite personal issues, the sort that was settled with bullets. The sort of issue that was settled outside of the law. Oanh was going nearly insane right now, and this douchebag detective was NOT making things easy. Of course, they were going to keep her locked up anyway. It took around twelve policemen of fairly large size to subdue her. Cops really hated doing that, so Oanh would have to spend some time in jail. Damn.

"Well, I went looking for my girlfriend after I woke up...." Oanh was gritting her teeth. She wanted to kill the detective.... BADLY. But that would have to wait....

The CSI cops then radioed back, "HQ this is Unit 45. We have a torcher here. Possibly arson. Not much is destroyed, but evidence is zilch. All we got is-"

One CSI cop said: "Hey look! Wanna-"

The CSI man then said, "DON'T TOUCH IT!"

The man stepped back. The CSI rules stated no messing with potential evidence, the man complied. Good thing too, if they knew what was in the box.

The CSI man then said, "Well, that's all we found here. Okay. Don't touch, it may have evidence not consumed by the fire, hair, dental, if not, then we can always clean it off and sell it. Cool. We'll tow the car to impound, run tests, explosive, chemical, what caused the fire. Over."

Confirmation came from HQ, and a truck came to tow the car away.....it was soon on its way to impound.

----

Kumamoto had an intuition a man of his demeanor usually had-one that could guess what somebody was feeling, one that could sense they were onto something. Nodding to Lin, he gave his intution full reign, and wisely decided to pursue this line of questioning. He let Lin take over.

He continued, somewhat skeptical, "Were you sure you'd find her in a pile of trash? That's where we found you. People like Mr. Kumamoto and I don't sit in piles of trash, looking for their friends, unless they're with CSI, looking for fellow cops killed by punks like you. I've heard better stories from crack addicts."

Kumamoto then said, "I don't think we should say things like that..."

Lin said, "Shut it, hippie."

He leaned in slightly, and tensely said, "Now, I will ask again. What the hell were you doing in a pile of trash near the crime scene at 1:20 PM, truthfully? We can go at this all day."

At a morgue near Guilin-

The coroner sighed, and finished examining the body. It had been a long day, three days exactly, examining the body in and out, toxicology tests, ballistics, the whole nine yards. And they had found something.

The coroner made his pronouncements to a nearby stenographer.

"Subject is a Ms. Seosaimlún Yoo, 23 years old, reported as a missing persons case last year. Body found on 31 December, in Guilin. State of body at discovery, judging from the mostly digested meal of kalbi ribs and Coca Cola, signs of struggle including petechae and bruising, rape damage, and knife damage to the throat indicates that she was kidnapped during lunch, beaten, raped, and then murdered, before being planted in the river.

Articles found with the body, such as a gag, indicate she was kidnapped as well. Meal digestion and damage indicates she was killed about two-four hours after death, water damage is consistent with being placed in soon afterwards, microbes indicate she was thrown in around the Shenzhen area. Partial prints lifted from the body are being analyzed, as is what DNA evidence that could be collected from the rape kit exam.

Family was contacted for examination, they confirmed it was her. Thus concludes the report of Dr. Zhang, at 3:41 PM."

The inquest was then released.

ooc: The bomb's fuse is latched to the trunk. You open the trunk, the thing goes boom.

OOC: Fixed.

Ok.... over the line the now... argh..... Oanh tried hard to keep her pulse and breathing steady, she knew that interrogators usually had remotely mounted lie detectors mounted in the walls.

"Well..... I don't exactly know why I was hiding in that pile of garbage... Besides, what's it to you?"

Oanh could feel the chains binding her limbs begin to give, lose their plasticity.... Just a little bit more time.

~*~*~*~~

The cops had nothing on the VC.

The shooters were all wearing masks, the license plate on the Caddy was a forgery and the Caddy itself had its VIN filed off, there were no cartridge casings left at the scene, all the rounds were fragmenting hollowpoints with no ballistic markers, Seosaimlun's assailants wore condoms and gloves at all times and her corpse should have been ripped to shreds in the turbines of the hydroelectric dams... it wasn't apparently, but the severe agitation caused by the rushing water should have helped in washing away any traces of foreign DNA on her body, as well as bloating up her insides to the point where they would explode.

Chuoc almost felt sorry for the poor bastard that had to do her autopsy.

Ok.... over the line the now... argh..... Oanh tried hard to keep her pulse and breathing steady, she knew that interrogators usually had remotely mounted lie detectors mounted in the walls.

"Well..... I don't exactly know why I was hiding in that pile of garbage... Besides, what's it to you?"

Oanh could feel the chains binding her limbs begin to give, lose their plasticity.... Just a little bit more time.

~*~*~*~~

The cops had nothing on the VC.

The shooters were all wearing masks, the license plate on the Caddy was a forgery and the Caddy itself had its VIN filed off, there were no cartridge casings left at the scene, all the rounds were fragmenting hollowpoints with no ballistic markers, Seosaimlun's assailants wore condoms and gloves at all times and her corpse should have been ripped to shreds in the turbines of the hydroelectric dams... it wasn't apparently, but the severe agitation caused by the rushing water should have helped in washing away any traces of foreign DNA on her body, as well as bloating up her insides to the point where they would explode.

Chuoc almost felt sorry for the poor bastard that had to do her autopsy.

Lin then said, pressing the issue, and getting rather impaitent: "Well, we wanna know because you were next to a crime scene, where two dead people were found. Just tell us a damned straight reason, and we will quit playing Inquisitor. As it is, little lady, I am getting quite sick of your evasiveness. All you've been giving me and my colleague is crap, with a capital C."

Kumamoto then said, urgently, "Uh....my colleague didn't mean it that way!"

He then grabbed Lin and said, "Calm down. You're only agitating her."

Lin broke free and said, "Look here s**tface, as it was, she didn't like your questions either. She got impaitent with you, too. Now, let the boys with balls handle this."

He then sauntered meanacingly back to Oanh, slammed his foot down, and said, "Now. Answer the question."

---------

The coroner, sure enough, found little to go on-rape kit found little usable DNA, most of the bullet fragments were gone, and the prints? No matches. Indeed, some of them turned out to be score marks from the turbine, an accident made by an overzealous intern. The only thing there was the confirmed missing persons report, which meant this was a body from the Wanchai Massacre; Yoo had been reported missing since then, she was last heard going to that one restaurant, the meal confirmed it, and they also got time of death. But to link it besides to a known assailant was a tougher task, all people heard were shots-not even, just soft pops. Nobody had a visual profile.

The best they could do was perform autopsies on the bodies they found there. And those? Well, the guys who planned this shooting did their homework; not many fragments were found, some were empty. GSR was minimal at best. No casings.

Everybody was stymied, as forensics turned up almost nothing. Trace evidence, nothing. Some skid marks from the scene, only good for reconstructing where the kidnappers went-didn't say who they were. It was a wild, wild guess at this point. Specualtion ran wild at HKPD and National Police, but profilers were making guesses based on the nature of the shootings and Ms. Yoo's death.

The shootists were men with high-technology for sure-and deep pockets to afford that. They liked hit and run. They liked secrecy, operating in the shadows; they did not wish to be found. They were not squeamish about mass violence to civilians, and rape, indicating a truly brutal force of men. They were intelligent, and no pushovers. And, they had a vendetta to settle.

The profile's potential operators were narrowed down. Mods were weakened now, they used louder and cruder firearms anyway, and were showy. Koreans-why shoot their own? Besides, too small. Russians? No. The Russian only shot civilians when they protested against them. They used explosives, and more creative tactics, and more sadistic to be sure-they'd leave a bloody mess to be sure.

Triads and VC-the only two that were left on the profile's potential operators list. Both had the technology. Both were not pushovers, and intelligent forces. And both were secretive. But that's were the similarities ended. VC were more brutal. VC also kept vendettas in their minds fresh, they struck back harshly at wrongs. And, their very name conjured up secrecy, and the other qualities.

Thus, the HKPD quietly decided to try this option....and began investigating further into the matter.

--------------

Alastair Golden, aka Alan Smithee, waited at the Admiralty Station at 12:00 noon to pick up the money. The Supernauts had raised the funds through shaking down the local businesses, borrowing from allies and just plain robbery. One of the few times Alan came out of his shell, he rarely did so for fear of police intervention. As it was, he was heavily disguised.

Jen then wandered up to Golden, dressen in a Hong Kong schoolgirl's outfit. She tapped him on the shoulder and said, "Lookin' for a ride, stranger?"

Alastair said, "No, that is what the subway is for...."

Codewords finished, he then said, "Do you have the goods?"

Jen then presented a big Coronary Burger bag to Alastair, and said, "Here it is."

Alastair said smarmily, "Clever girl, you know if you eat too much of those, you'll get fat."

Jen then retorted, slyly: "You dirty old man."

He then went off to the bathroom to examine the contents, and then came back, saying, "We're good. Come to Freeman Harbor, 10 hours from now. My boys will be there with the goods."

Jen then said, smiling brightly and expecting to end the arrangement on a funny note, "Sank you!"

Alastair then shook his head and said, "Act your age."

Growing serious, Jen said, "Look. It's all in the act, okay? Cut me some slack. As it is, I risk all kinds of things in my line of work."

Alastair simply said, "As do I. Pleasure doing business with you, I must cut this conversation short, I do have to take a train."

He then stepped onto the train, and waved back, saying, "Good luck, and Godspeed."

Jen then walked up to a payphone and called HQ, saying, "It's done."

She then walked back to her Royal Enfield motorbike, and drove back to Wanchai.....

The cops knew nothing about the VC, they were some sort of urban myth. Even though they were all too real to everyone else, the cops knew nothing. The VC hid in the shadows, meticulously disposed of all evidence of their doings, both fiscal and criminal, and made sure that nobody, absolutely nobody ever said anything. If the cops wanted to learn more about the VC, a criminal would have to talk, but most of them wouldn't. In a trial, their own criminal activities would be revealed if they did that, and evidence couldn't really be introduced in the form of anonymous tips. But of course, here or there, somebody would crack, or somebody would try to use the police as an ally in their crusade..... That was going to be a bit harder to prevent....

~*~*~*~
Wanchai:

The VC owned businesses and fronts in the area doubled up on their guard. Newly made BR-1 Battle Rifles and titanium disulfide bulletproof vests were being issued to the guards, and more professionals were hired from back home in MP. With the Koreans thirsting for revenge, the VC were hoping to lure them into a foolish counterstrike. Of course, they could simply go start torching Korean property, but that would just enrage them further, and unlike the Yakuza, they weren't ready to lie down and die.

Meanwhile, Macao's harbor was booming with smuggled and otherwise illicit trade. The police and would have no reason to suspect anything, as the harbormaster and Port Authority were in the VC's pocket, and most of the ships were owned by the Vietnamese anyway, with many of their assets tucked deep into banks in MassPwnage, Pacitalia, and other places where the authorities couldn't get at their money. But law enforcement would have no reason to suspect anything, not as long as their harbor and import duties were coming in on time at least, and they were.

And as always, undercover police officers in the wrong place would probably be swiftly disposed of in the most brutal of ways....

The cops knew nothing about the VC, they were some sort of urban myth. Even though they were all too real to everyone else, the cops knew nothing. The VC hid in the shadows, meticulously disposed of all evidence of their doings, both fiscal and criminal, and made sure that nobody, absolutely nobody ever said anything. If the cops wanted to learn more about the VC, a criminal would have to talk, but most of them wouldn't. In a trial, their own criminal activities would be revealed if they did that, and evidence couldn't really be introduced in the form of anonymous tips. But of course, here or there, somebody would crack, or somebody would try to use the police as an ally in their crusade..... That was going to be a bit harder to prevent....

~*~*~*~
Wanchai:

The VC owned businesses and fronts in the area doubled up on their guard. Newly made BR-1 Battle Rifles and titanium disulfide bulletproof vests were being issued to the guards, and more professionals were hired from back home in MP. With the Koreans thirsting for revenge, the VC were hoping to lure them into a foolish counterstrike. Of course, they could simply go start torching Korean property, but that would just enrage them further, and unlike the Yakuza, they weren't ready to lie down and die.

Meanwhile, Macao's harbor was booming with smuggled and otherwise illicit trade. The police and would have no reason to suspect anything, as the harbormaster and Port Authority were in the VC's pocket, and most of the ships were owned by the Vietnamese anyway, with many of their assets tucked deep into banks in MassPwnage, Pacitalia, and other places where the authorities couldn't get at their money. But law enforcement would have no reason to suspect anything, not as long as their harbor and import duties were coming in on time at least, and they were.

And as always, undercover police officers in the wrong place would probably be swiftly disposed of in the most brutal of ways....

The Koreans, sure enough, got their hands on the arms promised by Alastair Golden. They distributed them, and locked and loaded.....they knew, like all others, the VC played with big toys, shiny new toys. Well, they had shiny new toys too, and the Quarry Bay Boys and the Blue Stars were their to bolster their numbers....this gave them a boost, however slight, in morale and power. They began planning strategy to take on the VC, but they knew they were up against a fierce enemy. Word had apparently gotten out about the plans to strike back, and the residents of Wanchai noticed the VC-owned businesses-indeed, all too real to them-had some paramilitary types floating around. They may as well be slitting their own throats, attacking the VC head on at this time.

SIC:

So, they had to get them somehow....with car bomb, or drive-by, or something secret. So, they formulated a simple plan, one that had served various criminal groups and "freedom fighter" forces. Get a volunteer to drive a car full of C4 to a VC nightclub, and set it off on a timer or a remote. Rinse, repeat. If the VC tried to interfere, the Koreans would station men near each site, and shoot back. The men would be there anyway, to ensure each op would succeed and detonate the bombs. The bombs would also have failsafes (being ex-Xenizen Army or ex-RSA Army) to try and baffle attempts at disarmament, either with multiple redunancy or a simple boom.

--------

The people of Hong Kong were nervous since the new wave of murders, and some called for the Army to come back. The Wanchai Massacre had scared a lot of people, and local newspapers and opinion pieces on TV called for some kind of government action to stop the gangsters and prevent another wave of bloodshed from sweeping the city.

The cops had a sense of what was going on, but the evidence was running dry. Their only hope was to arrest VC members-but with their organizational data and most info based on shaky propaganda from J-Mods, they had a lot more work to do. Indeed, many officers were unsure if the gang really was as powerful as they thought, with so many conflicting reports-all they knew was that it was dangerous. Still, they watched the streets with more beat cops, and began stopping more cars for traffic violations. But the air of nervousness was still in the air...like a storm was coming.

OOC: I don't mean to raise a fuss, but seriously...I know the VC are private, and sneaky...but I am not sure if HKPD is that dumb, or if the VC that godlike.

ooc: Well, just stating the facts, the VC are like the Mafia in the 50s, before anyone publicly acknowledged that they existed/

ooc: Well, just stating the facts, the VC are like the Mafia in the 50s, before anyone publicly acknowledged that they existed/

OOC: Well, I'll give you that. But I'd think the HKPD'd have some evidence of Vietnamese gangsterism besides hearsay, even if they don't know about the epic scale the VC is organized on. It seems like the cops are just powerless. At least the FBI knew a little about the Mob, though it refused to say anything, and had a sense of what was going on and who to get as it fought them in the 30's and 40's. Just sayin'.

ooc: Well, the cops would know what other criminals say about the VC, and they would have an idea of what was going on, but they have no hard evidence, nothing to say "these people are criminals."

ooc: Well, the cops would know what other criminals say about the VC, and they would have an idea of what was going on, but they have no hard evidence, nothing to say "these people are criminals."

OOC: Ah. Al Capone Syndrome-No direct links to any crimes.....I'll give you that. The VC has done an unbelievably good job of covering their tracks.....did they expect a CSI response?

ooc: MassPwnage has a massive biotechnology/biomedical sector, so they know exactly the capabilities of every CSI lab on the planet, and are rather careful about covering their tracks, so that they can't be I.D'ed later.

ooc: MassPwnage has a massive biotechnology/biomedical sector, so they know exactly the capabilities of every CSI lab on the planet, and are rather careful about covering their tracks, so that they can't be I.D'ed later.

OOC: And I had mentioned UX CSI was some of the best....in that case, looks like I'll have to capture more like Oanh then.

Later that night-

A black Land Rover Freelander drove up behind near one of the VC owned Nightclubs in Wanchai. Onboard was about 250 pounds of C4, ex-Xenizen Army, and a driver they had paid an extra 500 Xenthalers to make the run. Nearby were about 10 Quarry Bay Boys and Korean Supernauts as promised. The QBBs were hiding in scuzzy flophouse rooms with .30-06 M1D Garand Sniper Rifles, and the Supernauts in a couple of nearby parked cars, eating Coronary Burgers and carrying Carbon-15s as well as a LAW rocket. Well, one guy had a LAW for some reason, he insisted on carrying it.

The driver got out of the Freelander and then walked out into the street innocuously. Then, he smiled, and smoked his cigarette, a Manchurian Gold, before walking away, getting into one of the Supernaut cars, picking up his cell phone, and dialing the number for the bomb.

A sudden explosion rocked the area, and dust and debris flew, as half of the Nightclub was obliterated, as was part of another building.

In the confusion, another bomb was sneaked in 4 minutes later an innocuous looking Toyota Camry that drove up to the ruins, and was kept outside by paramedics. The driver then parked the car near the paramedical lines, and then left. Did anybody notice? One did, and said, "Sir! You can't leave that there!" The man was gone though....he ran into an alley, and then dialed the number for this bomb.

The surviving VC (the few there was) and the EMT's that arrived on the scene were greeted with another massive explosion, to finish off the nightclub and anybody that dared to help the survivors, as a massive fireball and concussion wave tore through the ruins, and consumed the Camry and the Ambulances nearby, as well as throwing debris everywhere.

ooc: they gonna detonate a second charge to kill the responders, or is that it?

ooc: they gonna detonate a second charge to kill the responders, or is that it?

OOC: Sneaked in a Toyota Camry carbomb to eliminate survivors, first responders. Thanks for reminding me about that.

Most days, they're normal. They're perfectly, dead boring normal. And those sorts of days are exactly the sort of days that you don't have when you live in interesting times. The curse was an ancient one, but that night, it was as relevant as ever.

The first bomb went off, sending a huge shockwave and white hot chunks of shrapnel through the front of the nightclub. The blast knocked away the entire front of the nightclub and caused the ceiling to collapse in a flaming mess on the people inside, trapping them. As EMTs and firefighters arrived on the scene, the second carbomb ripped them to pieces and spraying more shrapnel into the surrounding buildings. Now, SWAT teams and counterterrorism agents were sealing off the entire area, barking out orders and evacuating civilians from the surrounding area. Of course, the Supernauts and Quarry Bay Boys would have long fled, leaving the VC to clean up the mess. Of course though, there wasn't much mess to clean up. The second bomb destroyed what remained of the nightclub, all the financial records, the guns, the drugs, anything the cops could use against the VC. What made things worse for the Koreans and their allies was that they killed a total of 7 people that actually were aware that they were working for the VC, a couple of guards, two drug dealers, the bartender, the club manager, and the the delivery manager. The rest of the 300 people that died that night were either legitimate club employees or patrons. To top it off, there were literally hundreds of witnesses who saw either the cars the Supernaughts were in pull away right after the first explosion, the Quarry Bay Boys in the flophouses with their sniper rifles. Of course, the license plates would have been faked, and the tranisents in the flophouses wouldn't talk, but the crime as a whole was a lot less clean, a lot less professional than a VC crime, meaning the cops would have an abundance of evidence.

~*~*~*
"Wait.... what do you fucking mean I'm not allowed pass?" Xuan was rapidly losing her temper with the masked soldier that stood at the hastily erected roadblock.

"Ma'am, we have to block off the area for your safety." The soldier was managing to stay calm.

"DAMNIT! I OWN THAT PLACE THAT JUST GOT BLOWN UP, GET THE FUCK OUT OF THE WAY RIGHT NOW!" Xuan was now yelling at the top of her lungs.

"Calm...." whispered Chuoc, who was with her. The old man walked Xuan back to the VBL, where she sat with a rather unpleasant expression on her face.

Chuoc turned back to the soldier and apologized rather profusely for causing a disturbance before turning around and driving off.

In the VBL, they would talk revenge.

And boy was it going to be a bloody revenge.

The evidence was bloody, and rampant, but the way Aidan reasoned, he wanted everyone to know. Nobody messed with the Supernauts. Nobody messed with his brothers. and sisters. Nobody. Not unless they wanted this again.

He especially wanted the VC to know. So what if innocents got in the way? He made a point, didn't he? He would make many more points like this, until the VC stayed the hell away.

That's what he thought, as he sat back and smoked a cigarette, watching TV as he heard the explosions in his apartment, indicating the mission was successful. He flipped the channel just in time to see the President Lew declare martial law, and order the Capital Division onto the streets. He saw the Deuce-and-a-halves, the Land Rovers, the Casspirs moving out, and soldiers fortifying themselves on street corners and taking positions on rooftops. He heard the Crown Vics and their sirens blare as they moved about, loudspeakers blaring the declaration.

So the government got involved? He chuckled. He had a vendetta to settle, and frankly, they would do better than to intervene like this. He was a little wary though. He had the plates on the cars changed after the bombing, but still, he knew that nobody would miss something like this.
--------

And indeed, the soldiers and police were in full force that night. In Wanchai, police sifted through the remains of the club. Everything important about the owners was vaporized, all records were fragged by the blasts. And, there were bodies to clean and identify...or in most cases, fragments of bodies.

The HKPD and Army Engineers and Medical Personnel began cleaning up the area, sifting through rubble to get to the dead. It was a disgusting sight nobody wanted to see again.

The Wanchai district was sealed off with soldiers, and Army helicopters, Blackhawks and Apaches, were on patrol throughout the city to keep calm.

In the middle stepped Investigators, who began to interrogate witnesses about who did this. Many saw the cars move away from the site, and saw the Freelander drive up. Many also caught a glimpse of the snipers in the windows, and noted their presence-certainly the flophouse patrons noted their appearance as well, but they said nothing, having been made suddenly rich by their now-infamous patrons.

This was the beginning, for now, the hunt was on to catch the people who did this....

A day later-

Aidan met with the others in his apartment. A phone conversation was not wise with the amount of G-men around. And, as it was, the others were nervous about using their phones too.

One of the Blue Stars was going: "The G-men are in town. We can't act until they leave, we do anything, we risk life in a Manchurian slave camp or worse-a hanging."

Zak said, "I agree. What did I say about rash action?"

Aidan then snapped back, "Enough, hippie boy!"

HE then strutted around, saying, "Now this is a setback. But we can go on. We have to either change tactics, go quiet for permanent, or sneak more bombs into the area. I don't want to go quiet-our enemies will not. They don't fear the Government. Any suggestions?"

Zak said, "Assasins. We use sex appeal and snipers to kill enemy bosses. Worked for the feudal Japanese and both sides in the Cold War."

Another man said, "We have to change. As it is, the fact we have military grade weapons is a liability."

Aidan sat down and said, "Oy. Well, Zak, do you have any connections?"

Zak said, "Well, our district, Quarry Bay, is dominated by members of our gang, and our representative on City Council is a member. But he might not have much influence with the Army and G-men."

Aidan said, "Get in touch with him."

Jen said, "What about the other contact we had? I never met him."

Aidan said, "Meet him then. And get in touch with Smithee, and milk him for info. Use all the appeal you can. Everyone else, stay alert. And don't do anything stupid."

Zak said, "Speak for yourself," as he left with the others.

Aidan then glared at him....

ooc: post coming tommorow.

And quick question: Are the plans to all the sewers in HK accessible to the public?

ooc: post coming tommorow.

And quick question: Are the plans to all the sewers in HK accessible to the public?

OOC: Sure, at city hall. The clerk there may try and put you through red tape (this is Upper Xen, and last I checked, there was a massive, if amazingly nimble bureaucracy), but it will be simple.

ooc: ARGH! Busy again today... *sigh* sorry, can't post.

ooc: ARGH! Busy again today... *sigh* sorry, can't post.

OOC: That's fine. Take your time. Your sewer comment reminds me...

IC:

The Quarry Bay Boys were staying alert, and Zak knew what could come if the Army intervened with their guns on hand. Thus, the QBBs began quietly stashing their ammo and supplies in the warrens and Nihilanth-era catacombs under their part of the city. The Koreans were advised to do so by the QBBs, and to a lesser extent, they began stashing guns and the C4 they had under the city. With the Army about, nothing could be taken for granted. At night, runners, cars, and trucks slipped by as best they could-the Army was everywhere. At day, activity was at near nil, though cellars were being filled with guns and the warrens entered by means of newly dug entrances or existing sewer mains. Inspections were often, and they would occasionally catch a smuggler off guard. The Army knew the QBBs and the Koreans they did catch (not many) were smugglers, and involved somehow in making the blast happen. But how was uncertain, most captured were minor figures.

Meanwhile, the Koreans made contact with Smithee again. Using the subway and the warrens, they contacted the man, who grudgingly sold them a few Carbons and LAWs. As it was, being with them was a liability, and the money he made with them was outweighed by the Emergency.

ooc: Well, just to let you know, I'm planning to bomb several subway trains, and then used linear shaped charges to cut holes from sewer lines into the subway tunnels and flood them to prevent rescue of the survivors.