Finally chapter 3
New York, a diner
"I still can't believe that they wouldn't let me into that comic store." Sheldon wined.
"Sheldon it was a crime scene, you just barge into a closed off store. We can always find another one later." Leonard calmed the drama queen as the trio and Caroline sat down at their table at a restaurant.
"I still can't believe that we across the country to eat at 'The Cheescake Factory, New york'. Seriously we should have just picked a nice place and left Sheldon to fend for himself."
"Hey calm down, at least we can order quick. It's not like the menu is going to be too surprising and I want to lie down more then anything so let's hurry. That flight took a lot out of me." Leonard remarked tried to keep the piece.
"Literally." Penny remarked.
"You should see me without Gravol." Leonard smirked slightly embarrsed while pinching the bridge of his nose
"What sort of crime you think happened at the comic book store? " Sheldon remarked interrupting everybody.
"I don't know maybe someone broke the wrapping on a first edition, lets just eat Sheldon" Leonard snidely guessed while shoving a menu into said narcissist's hands.
"No one would dare do such a thing." stood a shock."Maybe there was a murder... Ooo scary thought, whom of our friends do you think would wind up in a comic book store dead?" he asked in delight.
"Sheldon we don't have time for this order your burger." Penny interrupted.
"I say you Leonard because of your numerous allergies it would seem the most likely"
"Sheldon. I will drive you to a comic store and murder you if you don't hurry up and order." Penny steamed.
Caroline looked over the menu and ordered a cob salad and continued to do her best in ignoring the trifles of the group.
Outside the diner parked across from Calvin eating his wife's packed dinner, Reese sits in a Black Audi back turned to the dinner viewing a screen from the camera pointed at said dinner on the dash.
"What do you think of that threat. Violent southern bell attempts to murders the good doctor. I think we are done here, I'll go deal with her" John opened his car door loudly for emphasis
"John you can't be serious, she's obviously joking, nothing in the files would indicate anything else. Well, except she appear to owe Sheldon Cooper a fair amount of money."
John rolled his eyes and closed the door amused at the gullibility of his cohort.
"How much money. " He asked more outta curiosity then anything.
"Nothing much really, just a few months rent."
"So nothing, so more listening to drivel."
"You should order Mrs. Caroline a strong drink Mr. Reese, she has to sit at a table with them. At least have you some serenity watching from afar."
Reese smiled at that, adjusting the camera to the poor cooperate representative stuck doing what she thought would be an easy assignment clenching one hand and tapping her foot impatiently while looking through her emails. As the insanity next to her picked up and the doctors started talking trade she excused herself from the table quickly claiming she had to freshen up.
"Anything on her Finch?" he asked after a minute.
"Why you interested?" The man on the ear bud teased from his secure bungalow smirking at the small growl it earned from his partner on the other side of the line.
"No she just went to the bathroom to freshen up, and I understand getting away from the circus to spite the freaks but she has been gone a for quite some time."
"For a man so 'in tune' with the modern world, you seem to have a definite idea of how long it will take a woman to use the bathroom." Finch inquired.
"Yes I actually do Finch, but she never went to use the bathroom as a bathroom, that much was obvious from her posture. She seemed more anxious then I deem necessary and She has been gone for a while; I'm considering going in."
"John, she could be putting makeup on, you shouldn't just barge into the lady's bathroom on someone who you'll have to pose as a co-worker with for the next few days"
"If she is dead or preparing a weapon to kill the trio because she is insane or maybe she is a hired killer? You never know with people and she did just seem a tiny bit off to me Finch. I'm going in."
"Mr. Reese if your not going to share such suspicions with me I won't be able to do my job properly" the small man replied slightly angered at the distrust.
"If I shared half of my suspicions with you, finch, you would never sleep at night nor be able to keep up with the number of suspects I give for each case. Let me deal with streamlining suspects you make sure nothing is unturned." Reese stopped to breathe after calming the flighty man.
"So you had nothing else on her." Jon inquired moving towards to door.
"Just hold on John, I'm going to try something." John leaned against the brick wall of the Cheesecake factory, lighting a cigarette and leaving it in between the mortars to make it appear he's taking a smoke, then blocking the wall with his body he flipped open his phone to watch finch at his desk working his magic.
Finch scrambled about his electronics, opening a manual and pulling open his cracking tools. Pulling Caroline's phone operations from the clone Reese put on it earlier he hacked in via Verizon to the phone's programming interface. Pushing in a shadow console program he matched the coding to the exact model allowing the clone program to create an artificial operating system to operate the camera on the phone, bypassing the security interfaces placed to block usage of the camera outside of user commands and the energy saving protocols. Caroline's camera activated and Finch was looking at the ceiling of the female bathroom of 'Cheesecake Factory, New York'. Finchpinpointed a reflective piece of glass and scrambled the video processing software he had copied from a certain surveillance branch of the government to rotate, clear the distortion and sharpen the image. A clear imagine of Caroline in the bathroom now was in view.
"Uh Finch, this is less obtrusive how?" John questioned the voyeuristic tendencies of Harold, slightly creeped out himself.
"Now she won't see you unless it's necessary and appropriate John."
The video ran on.
Caroline tore apart her purse, where was it, she couldn't find it anywhere.
"Fuck" she threw her bag into the mirror, scattering the various business, cards, makeup and mcguffins from her bag.
She grabbed her knees and started crying.
Reese leaned against the wall, worry on his face before catching Calvin's bored eyes looking about the parking lot. Reese got worried about his cover for a second but the driver returned to eating.
Finch frantically tore through any personal file he could find on the woman, slightly off focus of the number for the time being, worried more about the random crying lady.
Caroline sat there until she felt a tight squeeze on her shoulder.
"You okay hun."
It was Penny, with a weak smile on her face she helped her to her feet and handed her a piece of paper towel from the dispenser to wipe he tears
"I, I " Caroline mumbled.
Penny looked at the scattered purse contents and came to a quick realization.
"So what can I do you for." Penny announced while opening her purse.
Caroline glance up at her as she revealed the motherload.
"I have painkillers, Midol, tums, laxatives, pads, Zanax, Prozac, basically everything but the hard stuff and well insulin because. well, eww needles." Penny exclaimed proud of her collection stored up from years of working at the Cheesecake factory.
Caroline grabbed the Zanax and swallowed a couple dry before smiling and collecting her scattered stuff.
"Thank you, Penny." she stated with a sniff.
"No problem." Penny stated while handing her a handful of accessories she had picked up.
The lurkers watching them from beyond the bathroom sighed in relief.
Reese returned to the sedan and watching the group as Penny and Caroline returned from the bathroom to the sight of their meals arriving at the table Sheldon harping at a poor waitress about something menial to do with his food.
Elsewhere
In a smoky room a group of men sit around a table, tumblers holding perfectly chipped balls of ice floating in golden reserve, quietly whispering with cards face down on the table.
"I've received a call from Los Angeles, laoshi." A young Asian man in a velvet suit called to the head of the table.
"It's urgent."
A grumbling was heard at the table but it was cut short by a raised hand from the head of the table. Out of the smoke a grizzled old face with a buzz cut gray hair emerged.
"What does tongzhi Han want now."
"Don't know orders seem to be coming from above." the young man stated trying to look his best before his seniors.
"You can't be serious xiaozhang Wu, could it be from weiyuan or even zhuxi. or" a voice proclaimed from across the table but was silence once again with the rising hand.
"I will deal with this; Lin cease the discussion. Wu?" the young man turned to the elder.
"Play this hand for me I'll be back in a minute, don't lose too much or touch my drink."
Wu sat at the table shyly nodding to his elders and palming the cards an intense look overcoming his face.
A pair of tall Chinese men nearly identical except for a large jagged scar running from under the his chin up under the blackened sunglasses he wore marring the eyebrow above the shades. They flashed their passports and moved in silence onto their plane, sitting down in business class they checked their watches and took in their surroundings before taking their seats.
L.A.
Zhang entered his apartment and set down his groceries, before seeing a flashing on his answering machine.
Playing the message he was greeted with silent static. Checking his phone's memory he seen a familiar number.
Rushing to his bedroom he opened his bedside table and pressed softly into the paneling lining the top drawer allowing the flap of wood to fall away revealing a simple cell phone. Opening the phone he seen a text in Mandrin followed by a series of numbers.
Ignoring his groceries steadily growing warmer he grabbed the phone and his jacket and jogged to a local coffee shop where he stood outside the door.
Upon his arrival a man sitting at a far table looked causally up at him before turning his drink and closing his laptop making sure to leave his napkin coming out the right side of the laptop and his chair turned towards the window. Han entered the coffee shop, ordered a latte before pulling into the chair left vacant by the man in the bathroom. Opening the laptop he viewed a phone number added to the end of the man's previous project which he read then deleted before taking the napkin and turning the man's seat and drink in opposite directions and leaving. Outside on the street he entered the number into his cellphone.
"Yes, this is Han."
"Yes"
he paced.
"But, I'm."
"Really, you're sure."
"Can't someone else."
"Fine, but this is the last time."
"Yes I'm on my way I'll get back to you when I land."
"Whom should I expect? anyone I know? Hello? Commander?"
Zhang Han threw the phone to the ground and it broke.
"Same as ever." he grumbled before further crushing the phone and pocketing the SIM card.
Hailing a cab the young Zhang called to the cabby "LAX"
Elsewhere
Wu sat at the table, ice now melted and completely watering down his bosses drink, but the stack of bills and sheets of paper stacked in front of him were much more to his concern.
"It seems young Wu here is too much for you all to handle." A voice called starting Wu and earning some dry laughs from the table.
"laoshi" Wu lowered his head in reverence
"Well enough cleaning out my tongzhi, take Lin we have company coming from L.A., they can fill you out on the job, nothing held back this is a very high priority operation."
Wu nodded before excusing himself from the table. The bulging Lin who had been calling out earlier rose quickly from a creaking chair just behind one of the men at the table, and ran to his side dressed in a dark green coat obviously designed for a much smaller gangster.
"JFK, one hour. and" The boss reached into his suit jacket, pulling something out
"Take my car, I want to leave a good impression on these boys, they aren't Han's boys. Make me look good boy."
Wu closed his hands tightly on the keys as Lin starred in wonder at the offering.
The pair trudged their way out of the bar, Lin stealing a spring roll from a platter meant for the another table from an annoyed waitress which he passed a flirtatious grin, only to be pulled by the back of his slicker by Wu through the back door and towards the bosses' silver SLK.
laoshi-teacher etc
tongzhi- brother etc
xiaozhang- older brother etc
weiyuan- councilman/hing ranking offical etc
zhuxi-chairman etc
not going to use these much but mostly to establish rankings etc.
going to be busy so who knows when it will get busy again. the next day will be interesting.
as usual any tips, suggestions and gafs i'm open to hear my last chapters usually have the worse editing because i can't see shit anymore. still have some tweaks i can do to chapters 1 and 2 but will save that for next update and will do this chapter's tweaks as well. also will try not to do as much work because it sends extra emails to those with me on alerts.
as I stated i'm busy and well this isn't high priority just a hobby. whine at me and i'll do more sooner, otherwise... wait and see. next xover idea has already come to me so might pick up the pace. very few OCs left to introduce but need enough guys for Reese to kneecap. obviously this is going the way of Asian organized crime so if you got any suggestions I'm open for it.