IC

[adamu]

“Any questions I got I can ask on the way. But pictures is worth a thousand words, so I’d like a look-see fer myself. Lead on, amigo.”

They took Lei Tung’s car. Al had left telltales on his own truck. Several layers. Along with a wireless minicam secreted across the street to pick up and review later. He’d know if they fucked with his baby while he was gone.

Once on the road, Al said, “Okay, here’s one for ya. Have ta be deaf an’ blind around here not to have heard ol’ Song Ai was workin’ as a whore in a damned herb shop not a fortnight past. Now considerin’ that about the only thing y’all ne’er-do-wells an’ ol’ Al agree on is a woman’s proper place, how is it y’all are bowin’ an’ scrapin’ for her? Jist fer savin’ Egg Fu’s bacon? Or maybe it’s him she’s got her hooks into, an’ y’all’re jist followin’ the old man’s orders? In which case her date with a nasty accident’s jist a matter o’ time, hey amigo?”

[mercy]

Al
Early Friday Morning, 29 November, 2075, Lei Tung’s Residence, Chinatown, Seattle

Lei Tung nods and leaves his residence with Al in tow. He has two vehicles in his assigned slots, one a nice, sporty job and the other a beat up old truck. Climbing into the truck, he waits for Al to take the shotgun seat before starting up the vehicle. perhaps not surprising, the engine on the old beater purrs to life like a well tuned machine. He leaves the parking garage and pulls out into the very light traffic. “Going right for the big question first, eh, amigo? I am afraid that the answer to that is a bit complicated. Yes, she was a whore in a small brothel just a few days ago, and yes she is now standing at the right hand of Fu Shing, one of the lieutenants of the 88s Triad. It is only natural for you, or just about anyone, to question how that happened. First, she did save Fu Shing’s life, and more than once. In itself, that means there is a debt owed by Fu Shing and his ancestors, but that does not fully explain how she got the position she has. Second, and perhaps even more important than the life debt, she has the approval of Fu Shing’s mother and sister, who are very important people in the Red Dragon Triad back in China. How she got that approval is a mystery, but one possible reason is that Song Ai has been working this for a long time and was just waiting for a good way to get Fu Shing to notice her. If she is an active conduit between the 88s and the Red Dragons, that would explain a great deal. Third, she is quite competent and has an air of efficiency and authority that fits in well with a Triad leader.”

Lei Tung pauses as he digests Al’s last comment. “If she has a date with a nasty accident, it will not be at my hand nor that of the rest of the security detail. She may have risen to her position in an unorthodox manner and with a speed that leaves others to wondering, but she also generates an air of loyalty about her. I imagine, Alster, that you see little of any honor in what we are, but to most of us, honor and our ancestors are the most important things a person can carry to their grave. Sure, there are people like Rick Wu, who rise to the top of an organized crime syndicate by dint of treachery and murder, but most of us are loyal to a fault to whomever we swear to. And as chief of security for Fu Shing, I have sworn my loyalty to him and he has directed that Song Ai be treated as if she were him in all things, which means that my loyalty belongs to her. So, the answer to your question, amigo, is that I would die before betraying her and I would certainly do my best to prevent any nasty accidents. It would help, of course, if she was not the sort of person who leads from the front and refuses to hide behind her security detail, but that quality serves to make it easier to be loyal. I am honoring my ancestors and myself by holding to that.”

381

[adamu]

Al’s gut told him the thug was telling the truth. Which made him trust and despise the man more.

On the one hand, Al was satisfied that this tool was loyal to Song Ai – at least in the current circumstance. That was incredibly useful to know. It meant that Al had much less to worry about in terms of internal threats. And the guy was informed and informative about the group’s politics. Also useful. But all of this also meant that if this guy ever found out there in fact was no such person as Song Ai, or if said Song Ai ever lost favor with any of a number of scheming individuals, then things might get real messy real fast.

On the other hand, it was hard to even sit in the same truck with the guy. It would be hard to find anyone that valued and respected loyalty more than Al. But a whole lot of SS and Gestapo had been loyal to their leader, too. From religious cults to totalitarian regimes and, here, to criminal cabals, there had been a lot of people willing to devote themselves completely to completely evil leaders and ideas. For this guy, a bunch of dead people had thrown in with purveyors of drugs, gambling, extortion, and prostitution, so he would, too. No questions asked. To Al, that was a corruption of one of his highest virtues.

Well, Al didn’t have any particular affection for his commlink or his lock picks. They were useful. No more. No less. They did, however, require maintenance.

“Alrighty then. I’ll allow yer words is hard ta fault. Could be ol’ Al’s concerns was misplaced, an’ I do apologize. Ya seem like a stand-up guy. What say we pick up some beers fer the tour? On me.”

[mercy]

Al
Early Friday Morning, 29 November, 2075, Chinatown, Seattle

Lei Tung nods. “Thank you. I am glad that we can understand each other……for now. As for the beer, I accept. We can pick some up at the entrance to Chinatown. I think that you will get more from the tour if we go by foot. There is just too much to see if we try to take it in from a vehicle.”

382

[adamu]

Al grinned and zipped his bomber jacket up against the chill of the winter Seattle night. “Always up fer a late-night walkabout. Beerward then, Master Tung.”

[mercy]

Al
Early Friday Morning, 29 November, 2075, Chinatown, Seattle

Lei Tung nods and begins a walking tour of Chinatown. Walking up to one shop, he points out a small symbol on a round metal disk that is attached to one of the pillars supporting the shop’s facade. “You will see these disks on almost all of the buildings in the area. Tourists just assume they are decorative in nature, but to those in the know, they are more. There are three Triads in Chinatown, each with its own area. We, the 88s, control this area, but other areas are controlled by either the Octagon or the Yellow Lotus. And withing each Triad, the area is divided up between the lieutenants, with some area left to the Triad boss. These plaques let us know which Triad and which lieutenant controls the building. This makes getting the rents easier and lets you know just who you might be pissing on if you do something to the business.”

He points to three young men leaning against one of the nearby buildings. “Each of those soldiers wears a symbol denoting which Triad and lieutenant he serves, just like the buildings. Any questions so far?”

383

[adamu]

“Yeah, is these ones friendlies?”

But Al already knew.

But he waited for Lei Tung to confirm that they were in no danger, before asking his next question.

Inspecting one of the seals, he asked, “So ya basically gotta be able ta read Chinese ta make heads or tails o’ these things?”

“Basically, yes,” responded Lei Tung.

Basically was right, Al thought. He could neither read nor speak Chinese – nor would he ever in the eternities be able to. But he read Japanese just fine. They were far from the same, but the characters shared the same core meanings. Al didn’t expect he’d have any problem reading the signs.

“So given that y’all don’t exactly always git along, what’s ta stop one crew from puttin’ on fake symbols? You know, ta bushwhack the other side. Or would that git into boilin’ water with they ancestors or some other crap superstition?”