Day 264 - Thursday, September 11th
[Max sleeps; has as he'd thought, he achieves nothing, and he's not even a small-talk source of comfort or somebody to soothe Ash's nerves before his two AM meeting with yet another Chinese teenager. Something about Chinese teenagers seems to always spell trouble for Ash, and now he's in a mess involving no less than four of them.
But Max doesn't move. If Ash comes to see him, setting that pill counter and the note about the smoothie, he may notice he hasn't so much as shifted a finger. Ash has had to turn to painting, but there's no need to lock that room before, or even for a long while after. The only one in this house besides him is a breathing corpse.
But Shawn's ready and waiting for him at one, prepared to be decked out a wires that Ling's likely to hang him with if he finds out about them.]
But Max doesn't move. If Ash comes to see him, setting that pill counter and the note about the smoothie, he may notice he hasn't so much as shifted a finger. Ash has had to turn to painting, but there's no need to lock that room before, or even for a long while after. The only one in this house besides him is a breathing corpse.
But Shawn's ready and waiting for him at one, prepared to be decked out a wires that Ling's likely to hang him with if he finds out about them.]
no subject
Maybe I'm not Main Character material...
no subject
no subject
no subject
[ Letting Shawn put his weight against the car, Ash unlocks the door but grabs some things from the back. He did have hopes of finding two of the three men.
And now, Yut Lung isn't answering his phone. Ash isn't too broken up by that. But Max is in their hands. Everything could fall apart with that. ]
no subject
no subject
The turtle does fit Wu best, but if it is, he's not on our side.
[ With the program started, Ash opens a bottled water and places it against Shawn's hand. ]
Water.
no subject
no subject
They're weak stuff, but I can't risk giving you anything stronger with the drugs in your system.
[ Unfortunately, Ash did not pack extra shoes. He did, however, pack extra clothing in case the got bloody in the rescue. He assumed he could just wipe down his shoes.
After adding a protein bar to Shawn's lap, while the laptop works, he begins to change. Shawn's blind and even if he wasn't, it's not like he hasn't changed in front of people before. ]
no subject
[But he's not shy about popping whatever pills he's given now. Ash saved him; there's no reason to be skeptical or to doubt him. He's too smart and careful to even accidentally overdose him.]
no subject
[ It couldn't have finished yet and still, impatient, even as he slides off his pants, Ash looks at the laptop. ]
It should just be a lot of dark and blur. What did you see?
no subject
no subject
[ He pulls the shirt over his head. It's only Shawn's blood, but if he has to walk back inside, it's better not to look so obviously bloody. ]
But maybe there is. The Chinese play with them more than me so they might've made their own batch.
I'll need my shoes back.
no subject
Where to next?
no subject
[ Redressed, he sends out orders to Alex. Among them is a territory-wide search for Max even if it'll probably be fruitless. ]
I'm working on hacking into the phone, but I do know this place is their hideout. As soon as I get into the phone, I'm going back inside. Somebody is on the way to pick you up.
no subject
no subject
no subject
[His phone isn't any harder to hack than Ling's. It is, as expected, also in Chinese.]
no subject
You're sitting right beside me, Shawn.
no subject
[This phone belong to the horse on Ling's phone.]
🐎: 🐒 obtained but 🐕 hostage. 🙉 down.
🦅: Don't worry about 🐕. In that case we no longer need 🐒.
🐢: Baba Yaga can only eat so many a day. The more sacrificial pawns on hand the better.
🙉: Not dead but out of operations. 🐕 may end up with 🐉 if we don't get him back.
🦅: 🐈 can be neutralized with any pawn.
🐢: We should meet the crone before 🐕. Best case scenario the dog dies.
🐢: Have you stripped him?
🐎: Armed but no listening devices just a phone.
🐢: Have it brought to Chang Dai. Tell anyone it was lost and found property. It will make sense to them why it goes there instead of the police. The rat takes the cheese, the cat takes the rat.
🙉: Does the 🐕 feature in the song any more?
🦅: Any sign of 🐕 ? 🐺 Unaccounted for.
🐢: 🐒 pictures gathered and spread. Get what info you can.
🐎: 🐒 going 🐒. Got address for 🐺.
🐢: I'll call now.
🙊: 🐺 has pack.
🦅: Make due with 🐒. 🐼 Useless.
🐢: Hold on to 🐼. Alive fine, status otherwise unimportant. The 🐼 is a creature of great cultural heritage after all.
🦅: 🦢+🐼 may yield connections to old woman.
🐢: Follow up on that.
🐎: 🐒 doesn't know about 🦢. May have encountered Baba with 🐉. Confirms 🐉 owns crone.
🦅: Should we bait or avoid, now that we're redirecting operations from NYC?
🐢: See what 🦢+🐼 yields. Counter measure obtained. Proceed as planned with 🐉.
no subject
[ Ouch. Sorry, Shawn.
Reaching out, Ash opens the door. ]
The needle they had the truth drug in. Any idea what it looks like?
no subject
no subject
[ There's enough time for him to get in there and be back by then so it'll mean something happened. ]
If I can find it, I want you to play doctor with Ling.
no subject
no subject
The guy who picks you up will open with the word 'unit'. The door stays locked until then, but if you keep your head down, nothing will seem off.
[ As he instructs Shawn on the plan, he sends a text to a woman who played his mom.
She was indifferent to him, just like his real mom, so she did a good job. ]
It's Ash. Leave your house now and don't be home again until I tell you.
[ It's not hard to connect the swan to a pretty woman. ]
no subject
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
An hour of questioning later...
he was well paid for it
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...