Needle in a Haystack (IC)

[Thevshi]

It was only a few moments before Lance opened the door, looking out at Harry with a half smile. "Hey Harry, how you been?" The late twenty-something man stated as he stepped back and let Harry into his apartment. Standing about five foot ten, Lance was rather thin. A quick sniff satisfied Harry that he was still clean, which he had managed to be for several years, but it never hurt to make sure.

The entry to the apartment was right next to a small kitchen, which looked out over a counter into a small combined living room and dining room. Lance had a small table set up on the left hand side of the room, with four chairs around it. Further to the left was a small hallway that led to one of the apartment's two bedrooms and the bathroom. The right side of the living room/dinning room contained a sofa, facing the right hand wall, along which he had a large flat screen television set up along with a sound system. There was a little bit of clutter on the table and kitchen counter, but not as much as Harry had seen at other times.

"It's been awhile Harry." Lance said as he led the private investigator into the apartment. "Can I get you anything?"

[Supercape]

NPC

"Sure sure" yawned Harry, feeling the length of the day in his eyeballs. "I'd kill my grandma for a strong coffee to tell you the truth. Its getting late and the day has been long..." he said, slumping into a chair.

"You know my partner, Freddy?" he said, introducing the two as the Mess took Lances hand in a firm strong handshake.

"He's a lump of muscle, of course, but he got my back. And yours, if you ever need him. And he's a good man!" he said, chuckling at his friend and giving him a high five.

"Look Lance" he continued, shoving the photograph under his nose. "It's a bit of a long shot, but I have been asked to track down this young girl. Seems legit, but you know me, suspicion is our trade. Besides, its gonna be a devil of a job to find this girl, if she is even in the city. Still, I thought you might be able to help me out. See if anything in the photo is bad, y'know? I know you can sniff out a photoshopped trick like nobody else..."

[Thevshi]

"Yeah, nice to meet you Freddy." Lance replied as Harry introduced the two, returning Freddy's handshake with a firm one of his own, though not nearly as strong. Lance took the picture when Harry held it out, studying it as he made his way into the kitchen to pour some cups of coffee. "Hmm, pretty girl." He stated as he brought two cups back out for the two private investigators.

"There certainly appears to be a bit of distortion in this picture, but whether it has been altered, well, we will need to take a closer look for that." He stated, gesturing for the two follow him as he started across the living room towards a door that led to the bedroom he used as his workspace.

Inside Lance had set up several tables along the walls of the room, with several monitors set out along two of them and a variety of other media and tech equipment he used in his job. Taking a set behind two of the monitors, Lance sat the picture face down on a nearby scanner. "Let's see what we've got here shall we?" He commented as he scanned it into his system.

[Supercape]

NPC

 

Harry sank even further into the chair he had been offered, fighting a yawn and taking a comprehensive swig of coffee. 

 

"Lance, you are a star and a gent, as always" he said, saluting the man with his mug. "Freddy, my friend Lance here is a master with this. Nobody I would trust to do a better job!"

 

"How long do you need, Lance?" he asked politely, as a yawn hit him with a sneak attack. "I'm beat. I could shut my eyes and drift off here, to be honest. It's been a long day, and coffee can only keep you going for so long..."

 

Even Freddy looked a little sleepy at this point, he noted. 

[Thevshi]

"Well, it really depends on what we're dealing with."  Lance responded as brought the picture up on two of the monitors in front of him.  The image displayed on the left monitor remained the normal size, while Lance zoomed in on the image displayed on the right monitor, a small box showing the magnified section on the normal sized image.

 

"If any alterations were done by someone who didn't know what they were doing, probably no more than half an hour or so.  But if we're dealing with someone really good, could take a day or more.  From what I could see of the picture by eye, if we are dealing with anything, it is more towards the later.  There were no obvious alterations."

 

He turned around in his chair to look at the two private investigators.  "So, you guys can hang out here for awhile if you like.  Or head home and I can call you tomorrow to let you know what I have figured out so far."

[Supercape]

NPC

 

"What do you think, Freddy?" asked Harry, turning to his partner. But his friend had already slumped onto a chair, head rolled back, and a low rolling snore came from his nose. 

 

He couldn't resist a little chuckle. 

 

"Well, I guess we are going to take a nap here then Lance. Leave you to your thing" he smiled. "To be honest, I could do with a sleep before I get behind the wheel of the Caddy once again. I know you burn the midnight oil, but I'm getting too old to pull all nighters any more" he sighed, feeling his age. He was in good health for a man of forty five, but he sure looked his age. 

 

"Having said that, I have slept on enough sofa's in my time..." he said, stretching out and kicking of his shoes. He shut his eyes with ease, feeling sleep come upon him. 

 

"Wake me up if you find anything" he muttered, before he settled into a slow drift to sleep. 

[Thevshi]

The first light of morning was just beginning to shine through the blinds in Lance's apartment when Freddy and Harry were awoken by the smell of fresh coffee.

 

"Morning gents."  Lance said from the small kitchen area as the two began to stir.  "Got some fresh coffee here if you like.  You two seemed so tired I just let you sleep through the night while I worked on that picture.  Got some things to show you."

 

Lance sat out two coffee mugs near the coffee pot as he grabbed his own cup and headed back to his "office."  When the two private investigators joined him, he had the picture up on the monitors once again.

 

"First off, I identified the skyline behind her, it is Hong Kong, and based on the presence of this building," he pointed to one of the ones visible, "the picture cannot be more than three years old, when it was finished.  But, I did a bit of searching, and the clothes she is wearing shortens the window to no more than a year ago."

 

"But, for the more important matters.  Turns out there has not been any alterations to the picture.  That distortion I mentioned last night when you first showed me the picture, well, turns out that was a result of copying some original that had some slight damage or folds.  See, your picture is a copy of another, either an original or a copy itself.  That 'original' was not in the best shape, so, when it was copied, there were some distortions, as well as that slight fuzziness that is along the edges."

[Supercape]

NPC

 

Harry stroked his stubble. He was hardly the most regular shaver in the world, so a little grey flecked facial hair in the morning did not bother him. He felt a bit dirty, and even odorous. But nothing that would kill him. If anything, he looked more crumpled than normal. 

 

Freddy beside him stretched, yawned, and started doing some press ups to warm himself up. 

 

"Now that is interesting" commented Harry, studying the picture. "A copy. Something tells me our mysterious benefactor knows more than he is letting on..."

 

Ok, he was suspicious, but it was his job to be suspicious. And, on more than one occasion, it had saved his bacon. 

 

"Why didn't he have an original of his daughter?" he asked aloud. 

 

"I think I might try and look into this guy..."

[Thevshi]

"No idea Harry."  Lance commented to the likely rhetorical question from the rumpled detective.  "When I have some free time, I can do a little looking and see if I can't find out any more information for you."

 

After leaving Lance's apartment, Harry and Freddy stopped at a dinner for some breakfast and to kill a bit of time before heading over to the library once it opened. 

 

Once inside, Harry quickly discovered that Zhou was not an uncommon name, even in Singapore, and for awhile he was stumped on how to narrow down the list of possible individuals.  But after trying to cross-reference Zhou with Mr. Ling and his law firm, Harry was able to focus in on one Tung Zhou, the owner of a company involved in oil refining and the production of oil rigs. 

 

There was not much information about Tung Zhou, other than some of his company’s business deals and some charities he sponsored, but Harry was able to find a picture of the man, who appeared to be in his early seventies. 

[Supercape]

NPC

 

With an almighty bark, Harry woke up with a bark. 

 

Damn, I have to work out how to stop that he thought to himself with utter futility. He hadn't managed to stop in forty years. 

 

Working his away around the maze of Mr. Zhou and Mr. Ling was not easy. His head hurt but he managed to piece together the basics. 

 

Not that it helps. Another god-damn mystery. Still, at least I know what the old man looks like now. Not just a mystery shadow in Hong Kong. 

 

He studied the picture of Mr. Zhou carefully back at the barn, whilst the Mess prepared a steak for the both of them. Freddy wasn't a good cook, but he knew how to make a good steak. Seeing as the lump knocked back several of them a week, he had got good just from practice. 

 

Dude must be seventy or more. Possibly older. Must have had our little runaway when he was, what? fifty? at least. Well, I have to hand it to the guy...

 

Harry drummed his fingers on the desk. He felt the pieces falling into place, but for the life of him he couldn't stick em together quite yet. Maybe he was just tired. Or frustrated. Or both. 

 

"I'm calling it for tonight, Freddy. Can't think straight and short on inspiration. I need a clean head, and that ain't coming without some proper shut eye in my own bed!" he called out. 

[Thevshi]

The next morning Harry was feeling much more rested after sleeping in his own bed, though he was still not quite sure what to make of all the information he and Freddy had learned so far.  While the pair where sitting around in the office, pondering what their next step should be, the office phone rang.

 

When Harry picked up, he heard Mr. Chen on the other end.  "Mr. Hound.  We need to talk."  His tone was rather short, and a bit cooler than when they had met in Chinatown two days ago.  "Meet me at the Chinatown market in an hour."

[Supercape]

NPC

 

Harry slammed the phone down in a cold fear. Something about Mr. Chen's voice set a chill down his spine. It didn't, he conceded to himself, take much to frighten him. But that's why he was still breathing. 

 

"Freddy, get yourself half descent. Put a shirt on for Christ's sake" he said to the bare chested pugilist who was playing hoop. 

 

"Or at least a damn T-shirt" he added, not wanting to aim too high. 

 

"We got a meeting with Mr. Chen. And my nose is twitching. This could be a lead, my friend. Also, it could be a sneak attack by a horde of ninja's. So keep your eyes peeled and watch my back!" he snapped as he tossed the keys of the Caddy into his hand and revved the engine. 

 

"Ninja's? Cool!" smiled the Mess as he climbed in, cracking his knuckles. 

 

"You and I have very different idea's about what Cool is" replied Harry as they sped off. "I don't consider it cool to have a poison dart in my neck or a flashy sword in my chest" he muttered. 

[Thevshi]

A short Caddy ride later and Harry and Freddy were back in Freedom City's Chinatown in the West End. After parking the Caddy, the pair made their way to one of the narrower side streets where a small, open air market was set up.  Despite the chilly February temperature, the market was rather busy this morning, as the pair started making their way along to where Mr. Chen had indicated to meet. 

 

After a block or two, they spotted Mr. Chen, speaking with the owner of a small antique shop along the market.  Spotting the pair, his expression darkened ever so slightly and he gestured off towards the opposite side of the narrow street as he finished his conversation with the man in Chinese.

 

A few moments later he made his way over to Harry and Freddy.  "Gentlemen."  He began, his tone somewhat friendlier than it had been on the phone.  "I believe you two are in the middle of something you might wish to be.  I for one certainly do not."

 

"After I made several inquires here in town that provided nothing in the way of information, I went a bit further afield.  It would seem that half the Tongs and Triads in Asia are looking for this girl."

[Supercape]

NPC

 

"Now that is interesting..." muttered a pale Hound, reaching for his cigarettes, and stuffing into his numb lips without lighting it up. 

 

And terrifying...

 

"And not, I must add, particularly good for my nerves" he continued, his eyes shifting left and right even as he spoke. 

 

"So what's the word then? are they fighting over her? The gang's might have some sort of code of honour, but they don't hold back from a good turf war when the mood catches them, that's for sure. Are they working together or is this some kind of crossfire we have walked into?" he asked, trying to keep his voice steady. 

 

One thing's for sure, if we got wind of them, they have got wind of us. Which means we need to close this case as soon as possible...

 

"And did they have any luck in finding her?" he added hopefully. 

[Thevshi]

Mr. Chen gave a small nod as Harry commented on what he had reveled.  "I am certainly no expert regarding the Tongs or the Triads, but from time to time it is helpful to have some knowledge of what they may be up to.  From what I have been able to gathered.."  As Mr. Chen had been speaking, both Harry and Freddy had been scanning the nearby area, both now much more on the alert than they had been.  At approximately the same moment, the pair spotted a glint of metal in a second story window further up the block, aimed in their direction. 

 

Reaching up, Harry grabbed the front of Mr. Chen's suit, pulling him forward, just as a burst of silenced automatic weapon fire zipped by, at least two rounds that would have hit Mr. Chen in the back of the head impacting on the wall near Harry.  One round still caught the Chinese man in the upper back, causing him to cry out in pain as he was knocked forward into Harry, his legs giving out as he started to collapse towards the ground. 

[Supercape]

Harry caught the man in the fall, as gently as he could. The two of them fell to the floor, somewhat roughly, with Mr. Chen pinning the hound to the floor. He could feel the warm wetness of Mr. Chen's blood on his hands. 

 

The Mess reacted just as fast. He may have taken one or two too many knocks to the head, but there was nothing wrong with his reactions. He crouched down, looking both at Mr. Chen and the flash of gunfire. 

 

"Guns!" he spat out. "Cowards!" he added, as his muscles began to swell, his veins and arteries engorged onto his super powered blood. His neck wobbled uncomfortably as it thickened to the size of his oak, and his limbs ballooned. 

 

"So much for ninja's" he grunted through a spasm in his neck.

[Supercape]

NPC

 

"Guns! I hate guns!" screamed the Hound in terror, as he rolled over, grabbing Mr. Chen by the lapels and pulling him, with bloodied hands towards a stand, out of what he hoped was line of sight. 

 

"I hate bullets even more" he grumbled. "Oh save me from bullets. Don't people understand in this damn country? Bullets are dangerous! they can kill people!" he moaned, adrenaline whitening his face as he tried to stop Mr. Chen bleeding with his hands. 

 

He pulled out his phone with wet hands, dialing 999. 

 

"Well don't just stand there!" he yelled at the Mess, who wriggled out of the last spasm of his blood exploding with power.

 

"Do your thingy!" he explained! pointing at the bullet wound and the seepage of blood that oozed through his fingers...

[Thevshi]

As Hound pulled Chen from the line of fire, getting the two behind one of the stands along the street, the Chinese man reached up to grab a hold of the front of Hound's suit.  "Be-beware-the..Golden-Serpent."  He managed to say, before passing out.  Though it was rather ragged, Chen was still breathing.

 

Meanwhile, the gunman continued to fire, shifting his aim at the only target still in the open, Mess.  Another burst of silenced automatic weapon fire rained down, a vase on the nearby stand shattering from one of the stray bullets, while several others found their mark, striking Mess as he finished boosting himself.

 

People along the street know realized something was going on, many screaming as they started running for cover.

[Supercape]

"Ouch!" cursed the Mess as a bullet ripped through an inflated arm with a splendid display of blood. 

 

"I can't say I'm to fond of getting shot..." he muttered, his teeth clenched from the ache in his arm. 

 

"Keep him still, Harry"

 

He took a few steps forward, and then, focussing his attention on the bleeding wound, tightened his fists, envisioning the blood stopping, and coagulating to iron hardness, plugging the wound. 

 

"That should hold him..." he finished, to the sound of a relieved sigh from his partner, who was not liking all the blood and danger one bit. 

 

"Now let's get that shooter!" he roared, turning his attention back up to the sound and light of gunfire. 

 

"Yes, let's you do that..." moaned the Hound. 

[Thevshi]

The wound on Mr. Chen's back stopped bleeding, then healed over completely.  He was still unconscious, but his breathing became more normal, and it might be possible to try to awaken him.

 

Meanwhile, the gunman continued firing at the partially visible Mess with another silenced burst.  This time, his aim was off, more pottery on the stand exploding as they were hit by rounds, and a few passing over head to hit the nearby wall.

 

As he glanced back towards where the gunfire was coming from and he had spotted the tint of metal before the shooting started, Mess saw that the shooter was in a second story window, about fifty feet down the street from where he was.

[Supercape]

"I'm on it!" roared the Mess, taking a few heavy steps towards the window, then crouching down. 

 

For all his bulk and muscle, he was fairly limber and agile. He could make the leap without difficulty. 

 

The short and wide lump of muscle was propelled upwards by his mighty limbs like a hurricane. A splattering of his blood trailed behind him, testament to his own bullet wound, a forgotten irritation now. 

 

"I'm coming for ya, bozo!" he yelled as he sailed through the street, landing like a cannonball through the other window. Glass splintered and shattered, sailing through with him. 

 

Shaking his head and throwing off the glass, he reached out...

[Thevshi]

As Mess exploded through a window near the shooter, he landed in a small room that appeared to be used as storage for the shop downstairs.  Looking over, he saw an Asian man in his early to mid-thirties, dressed in a dark suit.  He had in his hands a fully suppressed assault rifle with a bipod mounted at the front, which was currently supporting the weapon the window ledge.

 

The gunman was barely starting to try to turn and bring his weapon to bear on Mess as the private detective quickly closed the short distance between the two, wrapping his thick arms around the him.  Mess' powerful arms easily pinned the gunman's arms to his side, as the assault rifle dropped from his hands to the floor.  With relative ease, Mess slammed the gunman down onto the wood floor of the room, pinning him down.

[Supercape]

"Take it easy, sunshine!" yelled the Mess in the man's ear, his arms, ballooned with strength, held the man in an unbreakable grip. 

 

"I can crush your ribs like prawn crackers" he said, thinking of the taste in his mouth. He gave an experimental shift of his arms that pushed some air out of the man's lungs. 

 

"And we haven't even started on how my knuckles are going to dance with your face, and my boot kick your ass" he chuckled. 

 

"Because I don't like getting shot much, see? And you don't like getting sent to hospital with dust for bones. But seeing as we are all cosy here, what I do like is people who talk. You get it?"

 

He gave another squeeze and bellowed in the man's ear. 

 

"Who sent you? who do you work for?"

[Thevshi]

The gunman tired to struggle against Mess' iron grip, but it was brief, ending quickly as the private detective squeezed some, forcing some of the air out of his lungs.  As he went still, Mess could see his eyes looking about some before focusing back straight ahead as the private detective made his comments about what might happened if the gunman did not cooperate. 

 

The man gave a grunt of pain as Mess squeezed once more, and then replied, in somewhat broken English, "I..I was hired by the [Chinese word] of the Ang Soon.  Chen was asking questions he should not have been."

[Supercape]

"The what of what?" grumbled the Mess, barely understanding. 

 

He stood up, throwing the man to the wall and holding him there by his neck in an iron grip. 

 

"I don't know what the hell you are talking about" he yelled right into the man's face "The Soon of Ang? What kinda stupid name is that? And where do I find this dude, heh? where were you gonna pick up your wages for tonights work?"

 

He looked around the floor and room, and with his other hand, grabbed the huge gun that had been placed by the window. With a grunt, his fist contracted around the steel, and crushed the barrel. 

 

"Don't think you will be getting many bullets out of that little piece, my friend. Not tonight!" he said, his face alive with anger. If there was one thing he didn't like, it was being shot at.