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The Company
Time: Wednesday, December 21, 2011 (dawn).
Place: Yokohama Chinatown, Japan.
Last Event: Hiding out in a warehouse.
With Anabel and Hamid badly injured after recent events, Paul and Vinnie in need of a checkup, and Qoqa playing medic, the Agents agree that it's vital to find somewhere to lie low and recover. A chop shop in which to repair and modify the SWAT van would also be useful. These needs are urgent, too – warehouse employees will doubtless arrive for work in a few short hours. Since Wen has largely recovered from her poisoning and Zhang is feeling fine, and as both are of the right ethnicity to draw little attention in Chinatown, they get the scouting mission. They slip out a side door and make their way into the neighborhood on foot.
It isn't long before Wen realizes that – by blind, crazy luck – the "dumpling shop" next door has an unusually long warehouse stretched out behind it, with the sound of power tools emanating from within. After some sneaking around and suitable use of Chinese gang signs, Wen and Zhang make contact with the men working there. They're clearly Chinese petty criminals, running a shady machine shop of some variety. The boss goes by "Zìqiáng" in Chinese, although he prefers "Victor." He seems quite approachable for a crook, and is willing to entertain a suitably profitable business proposition. Zhang sends Wen back to fetch the others.
While Wen and Zhang are out, Qoqa treats the injured. She changes Anabel and Hamid's dressings, and does her best to patch up Vinnie's broken nose. Paul insists that his bruised shoulder is no big thing, and not worth taking his shirt off over. Qoqa is just putting away her medical gear when Wen reappears and explains that there's a machine shop next door run by a Chinese gang, the boss of which is open to making a deal. The Agents agree that this is probably their best bet – especially given the dearth of other options – and pile into the van with their gear. Vinnie carefully drives the short distance to the neighboring warehouse.
At Victor's warehouse, Anabel deals with her pain as best she can to take the lead in cutting a deal, exploiting her beautiful-but-bandaged face for sympathy. The squad's more menacing members – towering Klas, glowering Lev, scrappy Paul, and busted-nose Vinnie – lend significant weight to her terms, as does the fact that the entire team is visibly armed. Victor agrees that if the group would be willing to part with much of the "hot" hardware in what he sees is obviously a stolen SWAT van, he would be happy to give them access to his shop for a few days. In the end, Victor gets an expensive MSG90 sniper rifle, the remaining M4s and USPs, accessories, ammo, all the flash-bangs that Lev didn't pocket, and a bunch of expensive combat knives. The Agents keep their personal kit and the captured entry tools, electronics, and medical gear.
As soon as Victor and his crew go off to make Tokyo's streets less safe by selling around $20,000 worth of brand-new military-grade hardware on the black market, the Agents make plans for the van. As Vinnie will be doing most of the labor, he does most of the talking. Priorities for work on the exterior are repairing damage from the missile strike, sinking tiny holes in the hull for the team's miniature surveillance cameras, and giving the vehicle a new paint job. Desired internal modifications are swapping the electronics console (which nobody trusts) for a small medical bay, replacing the cab's middle seat with a sliding door to the rear compartment, and putting a lockable hatch in the floor to facilitate stealthy access to manholes.
The first two days of labor consist of Vinnie straightening the frame, hammering out dings, and replacing the windshield. On the third day, he rips out the electronics console, welds stretcher supports in its place, and drills precisely placed camera ports in the sides, rear, top, and even bottom of the van. These tasks enable Qoqa to equip the medical bay and Jili to wire a complicated panoptic surveillance net (which feeds to five screens in the rear compartment and to the low-light TV screen on the dash). Vinnie's fourth and final day of work involves fitting the new interior door and exterior hatch, complete with suitable locks.
During the two days that Vinnie needs for the bodywork, Jili and Wen get online and intensively research Japanese bank courier companies until they find one that uses armored cars similar to the SWAT van in size and shape. Next, they painstakingly locate good-quality photos of said vehicles from every angle possible, as well as clear close-ups of the security company's logo. This gives Wen the details she needs to prepare stencils and mix paint. As soon as Vinnie finishes the exterior repairs, Wen starts the new paint job. Her meticulous best takes most of two days as well, as she's careful to conceal any evidence of repairs or cameras.
All of these tasks are done slowly and carefully, the primary workers conscripting others to help as needed. The end result looks like a clean, shiny armored courier van from the outside. Inside, however, are SWAT-style equipment lockers and weapon racks, an ambulance-style stretcher, and sliding access between front and rear compartments. Surprises include a secret hatch in the underbody and electronic eyes pointed in every direction – including straight down, next to that hatch.
While all the hammering and welding and wiring and painting are going on, Agents without specific jobs stay out of the way and get their rest. Qoqa stakes out a "clean zone" in the dirty shop, where she changes dressings and keeps an eye on the recovery of the wounded. By the time the van is ready to roll, Anabel is looking relatively good – her facial wounds can be hidden by makeup. Hamid is ambulatory, although he's still coughing blood and has a thick dressing on his shoulder. Paul and Wen seem fully recovered. Vinnie's long shifts somewhat interfere with his healing, though, and his bruised nose remains swollen and occasionally bloody.
Klas, Lev, Paul, and Zhang dedicate most of the four days to security duty, making a point of staying indoors but keeping an eye out through windows and seams in the sheeting. Their menacing, armed presence keeps Victor's boys away – not that they're around much in the first place. Something Anabel said to Victor seems to have driven them off. Anabel's impression is that Victor thinks the Agents are bank robbers, planning some sort of risky heist; certainly, the van and the weapons suggest as much. As far as she can tell, Victor has no moral problem with this (of course not!), but would rather not be around if the police show up before the team leaves.
Throughout all this, Asuka seems fine. She grew up around gangsters, after all, and she appears to regard the current scenario as an exciting adventure involving secret agents, missiles, hideouts, and spy vehicles. Naïve as this might be, the Agents roll with it, keeping the girl's spirits up and making sure she does nothing rash, like going for a walk alone or texting friends on her phone. Just about everybody takes a turn distracting Asuka from the dangerous realities of the situation – whether it's Klas playing boyfriend, Jili sharing cool mixes, Wen showing her how to use Photoshop for electronic art, or Anabel getting her help with hair, clothes, and makeup.
When Sunday, December 25 rolls around, the team is primed for action. Gear is cleaned, maintained, and carefully set in its place, and the van is gassed up and tuned up. Klas, Paul, and Vinnie celebrate with a makeshift Christmas celebration, which several members of the group find rather bizarre.