Chop Shop Suey (Night 1)

[Thee Independent]

TI

To the east, the sanguine glow of Chinatown’s lamps permeates the air with a sense of Oriental celebration. The twin Golden Dragons beam their crocodile smiles at scores of tour buses from Tijuana, Las Vegas, and other locales in the great circuit of tourist sites. But while these wide-eyed visitors are often held at the mercy of public transportation, the locals rely on their own wheels to get them from Gold Line to Castelar, or from Bamboo Plaza to the Cam Au Temple. Granted, the majority of these wheels have nothing more ornate than spokes and handlebars. For those with classic vehicles, trendy hot rods, suburban compacts or roomy work vans, however, a little-known garage offers replacement parts and custom mods at a reasonable price.

Wedged in a large, vacant lot somewhere between College and Alpine, to the west of Chinatown but still in the Oriental District, the chop shop sits stoically at the end of an unpaved, unnamed off-road. The atmosphere, when not vibrating with the sound of pneumatic tools and the heat of sautering instruments, is silent, save for the distant hiss of wheels and the roar of semi engines on 110, the Pasadena Freeway. The front of the shop gapes open, sometimes even into the wee hours of the morning, two adjacent garage doors open like looming owl eyes with hanging high-watt bulbs as burning pupils. Discreetly branded into the shop’s forehead was an easily overlooked address number. Years of rust had turned the metal digits a metallic brown, matching the Spartan paint job on the outside. The three numbers, naturally, just blended in with their ruddy surroundings. 8-9-3.

Unlike many main strip auto shops, this garage did not use risers to elevate the vehicles above the grease monkey’s head. Instead, an expansive basement level existed beneath the floor of the garage, storing on-hand parts and tools, oils and paints, and a secondary office for the head mechanic, Jun’ko Morimoto.

Need your upholstery patched? Windshield replaced? Tires rotated? Bullet holes repaired and blood stains removed from the vinyl?

You’ve come to the right place.

Jun'ko

The painters swarm the Acura as they strip the dull factory work off and begin the process of laying on the new layers of paint and putting the esquisite detail work on the car that will turn it from yet another dull car to a masterpiece that will be the envy of the street.

From below comes the warning hiss of the hydraulic jacks and the painters back off as first the rear, then the front of the Acura lower to inches off the ground. They pause until the jacks are locked into place then they resume work on the painting.

A pair of grease-stained people come up from below as the customer waits in the upstairs office, one turns and heads for the showers, as the shorter one peels off the greasy coveralls and gloves and moves toward the waiting customer.

"Good evening Buntaro - San, the modifications are almost complete and you will be able to drive your vehicle away tomorrow evening, once the paint has finished setting. I trust that everything meets your satisfaction?"

"This is marvelous Jun'ko, I don't know how you managed to pull this off, you've only had the car for a day and a night and it looks wonderful, you will have my highest recommendation to the family for all of our business."

Jun'ko turns and faces the window with the man to look upon the almost completed car, and smiles a predetory smile.

"Nothing would please me more, Buntaro - san, I am pleased to provide a valuable service to the Family."


--> Enter Junko

Motordragons

Jun'ko's meeting with her most honorable and distinguished customer is interrupted by the shrill call of business.

"Jun'ko! Yo, Jun'ko, whey you be?"

Even though business appeared closed for the night at the garage, a trio of asian gangers from the MotorDragons struck into the upper level of the garage through the open bays. The MotorDragons, an Amerasian street gang with a notorious reputation for organizing street races to the benefit of Yakuza bigwigs, were of the thrilling variety. Leave alley-bought speed to the white junkies. Adrenaline speed, the pure substance of life and death, was their high, and they knew who to come to get a fix.

One of them rattled the garage door chain, sending echoes of metal hissing everywhere, even down below, and another clanged some metal objects against a pipeline in the back.

"Jun'koooooo!" a third called out overdramatically, setting the three of them into throaty spasms of laughter. They were mocking the famous line Akira that all American fanboys considered a staple of the genre.

Their shadows bounced along the wall as they began descending the metal steps to the lower floor.

Junko

"Please excuse me, business calls, I will have you paged when your vehicle is ready if that is all right."

"That would be fine Jun'ko, I will await your call." At this the man in the suit leaves the garage with another man who was waiting in a car outside.


Jun'ko will leave the office and descend to the lower floor, where boys await, as she descends she will not the flickering shadows and will reach her hand out to caress them, and she will whisper to the shadows in a voice so low that none may hear what she says, but as she speaks the shadows curl about her hand and seem to dance with joy at her presence.

As she steps onto the main floor of the lower shop the shadows will withdraw and she will face the boys, she will speak with a low husky voice:

"Well, I knew you'd be back, what can I do for you fine gentlemen."

Motordragons

Three sleek, green, Oriental dragons with claw-like wheels, exhaust pipe tails, and "handlebar" fu manchus slither out of sight as the Motordragons do an about face to the sound of boots ring on the metal stairway. The Motordragon insignia had always been one of those delightful symbols that earned praise from other gangers and scorn from traditional Chinese dragon artists. But that was probably the point.

Two backed against the windows of Jun'ko's downstairs office, holding long, silvery cylinders in their hands. The third stepped forward and lifted a similar object, gripped tight in his hand. He smiled, causing his slitted eyes to narrow ever more. "We need these put on our bikes. Think you can hook us up?"

Jun'ko knew what it was. Nitro. Dragonbreath.

Junko

Lightly step forward and look at the silvery cylinders.

Good, she thought, they hadn't gotten the cheap stuff this time.

Jun'ko smiles softly "Of course I can, the question is what do I get out of it? Looks like you boys have hit the jackpot, you doing good business? That could be good for me too, y'know..." Jun'ko trails her voice off suggestively, but before they can answer her question, her voice turns to business.

"Pull your rides in, I'll get you fixed up like greased lightning, just like you'll be after I'm done." She gives the boys a wry grin as she moves over to her rollaway and begins picking through tools.

Motordragons

"Oh, Jun'ko, this is the big time, not a hot run down 110. Big time, with a big payoff. This'll probably be the last run on the bikes we got now. After tomorrow night, we'll have the hard cash to get some real wheels."

The three of them smiled, recalling facts and figures that tickled them pink. One of them may have already placed orders. The two by her office took off, whooping as they raced up the stairs and out to grab their bikes. The other remained downstairs, tapping the nitrous tank against his shoulder.

"Other than the usual two-fifty a pop, what are you wanting?"

Face turning stoic, he plucked a wad of green bills from his jacket pocket, removing a rubber band tying them together. "Upfront money for any mods we need," he adds, whetting Jun'ko's curiousity.

Junko

Jun'ko pratically purrs "Really, well now if everything goes as well as you expect, maybe you can cut me in for a piece of the action.." Jun'ko will pause ever so slightly, and add almost as an afterthought "And maybe an invite to the victory party, hmmm..."

"After all when you make it to the big time, you need to make certain that your friends aren't left behind right? And you know that I'll always be here for you, and your friends..."

Motordragons

"You saying you want in?"

Overhead, two motorbikes roared to life with a guttural explosion of exhaust. Soon, the sticking tires could be heard wheeling above the ceiling.

"If you got your own off-road bike and an extra tank, we'll cut you in. Provided we get free installation this time around on all the bikes. We'd be using team resources then, you see."

The Motordragon brushes a bang of black hair out of his eyes and folds the money again, replacing it in his pocket. "If that's the kinda deal you're after, we need to get a move on."

Leveling a sinister, jack-o-lantern smile, the Motordragon glanced upstairs before boring a full, blazing gaze at Jun'ko.

"We've got a train to catch."

Junko

Jun'ko will give him a sly smile "What are we standing around here jawing for, we don't got all night."

with that she will go upstairs and press two mechanics into working on the two bikes in the garage while she works on the bike of the motordragon in charge.

Once the mods are done she will pull on her black leathers and move to a locked door and bring out a custom Harley, with full modifications, along with an extra large tank, as the bike roars to life, she calls to the lead man "Keep everything in order, I'll be back when I'm back!"

Jun'ko then pulls up next to the Motordragons, "I'll see you tomorrow night, when you're ready to roll."

With that Jun'ko rises up and starts the massive bike with a single kick it roars to life and she pulls out of the shop and rides into the night.

[Thee Independent]

Muse

~~~~~~~Night Two - Tuesday~~~~~~~

Junko

Jun'ko rises for as the sun drops below the horizon, she stretches and cleans herself in almost ritualized motions, using scalding hot water. In preparation of the nights work she puts on black leather pants, combat boots, and a silk shirt, she finished off the ensemble with a light ballistic vest and a leather duster.

Jun'ko smiles as she inspects her weapons her great-grandfather's Katana, her custom shotgun with the stock removed for better concealment, and the latest in death~dealing a Smith & Wesson model 500, a revolver that sends out .50 caliber love taps.

She puts the finishing touches on her face, some makeup to help cover up her unnatural paleness. Along with firm resolve to not frighten her new allies by calling upon the supernatural forces at her command.

As Jun'ko waits for the MotorDragons to arrive she will spend the time adjusting the settings on her customized cycle.

Motordragons

Several cranks and a glorified spitshine later, a trio of blaring exhaust pipes detatch themselves from the mainstay traffic down 110, growing louder and louder as they approach the brooding garage and it's luminescent eye dangling from the base of its skullcap.

Three cyclopic headlights emblazon over the concrete garage floor, shining on scintillating oil patches before the engines are killed and their riders, decked in speeding leathers, black gloves and boots, pull off their helmets and grin slant-eyed at Jun'ko.

"They run tight," the lead MotorDragon compliments Jun'ko's work from the night before, clicking the silver bar pedal with his thumb. "You got all your shit together? If so, let's do this. We got a ways to drive..."

Junko

Jun'ko pulls her helmet on as she grins, "Glad you like the work, I'm ready to rock and roll, lead the way."

Having already left instructions for her crew, Jun'ko kicked the Harley to life filling the garage with a rolling thunder as she pulls the cycle out of the garage, ready to ride.

--> To Midnight Rendezvous

Junko

The doors to the shop will open at Jun'ko's electronic command as she lets Xang pull in first. Allowing him to still think he is in charge, for now at least. Then she will shut off the cycle and hop off beginning to make arrangements for the celebration that will follow.


--> From Midnight Rendezvous

Motordragons

Hell's gates open at the press of a button, gulping four bats out of hell into its engine oily interior, the scent of brimstone replaced by the sharp, burning scent of old petrol. They flap their rolling rubber wings once before shutting down for the night, leaving three bikes leaning casually in a corner of the garage, forlorn over the loss of their companion, lying in a ditch at the base of a hill or broken into pieces too small for their electronic minds to remember.

The MotorDragons, on the other hand, the semi-notorious Jap biker gang of Chinatown, rejoice to find themselves whole. Wheels can be replaced, but old friends cannot. The memory of the night's risks, dangers, antics, and successes offer them a smorgasboard of topics to chew the fat about while Jun'ko Morimoto prepares their celebration.

"Getting up that hill was a bitch, Xang. You were so far ahead of us you wouldn't remember, but..." Taka, the youngest of the MotorDragons, hair a matted mess of dark tangles on his head, shrugs his shoulders, wincing at the receding pain in his right shoulder.

"A bitch for you, maybe, Taka. Get some balls and it won't be an issue for you," Xang retorts, stoking the dying embers of their fiery argument earlier that evening. Xang, the self-proclaimed leader of the MotorDragons by virtue of age and experience, grins with menace, the memory of youthful acne eroding the smoothness in the pocks of his cheeks.

"Shut up, Xang."

"It was more a bitch than either of you really know," Chris spoke up for the first time since leaving the junkyard for their "delivery". "First, Taka almost fell to his death, and then I...I..."

"You survived, man," Taka reassured Chris. "That's all that counts."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Chris, he with the cool head and a penchant for Oakleys, shook his head and looked down at his chest. He has always seen himself as the glue holding the MotorDragons together. But something deep down in his gut pulsed, sickeningly; he remembered hearing the snap, feeling the blood and the desperation, but after that, nothing but painful phantom feelings and a deep-rooted hunger. "Jun'ko, you got anything to eat in here? I'm starving."

"Me, too," Taka chimed in. "I ate friggin' buffet before going out tonight, but after all that, I could eat again. If you want, I can run down to the 7-11 and get some microwaveable eggrolls?"

Junko

Jun'ko will listen as they speak of the hill and it's dangers, that was one of the few ways for her to enjoy her existance anymore and she had savored every moment of it.

This time she refrained from pointing out to Xang that her lack of balls hadn't impaired her ability to make it up the hill. Jun'ko will smile as Chris and Taka speak of their near brush with death. "And that my friends is the only way to live."

Jun'ko will look around as she dials a number from memory. "I'm ordering pizza, but..." She will toss Chris a wad of bills. "'Bout two hundred there, you want to get munchies to tide you all over and some booze for later?"

Jun'ko was not sanguine about usine the credit card, such things were tracable. She would spend it but she would spend it how she wanted to, to confound anyone who was keeping track of such things.

Motordragons

Languidly, Chris reaches for the wad of bills, but Taka snatches it out of his lap like a well-educated lawyer. "Got it! Screw the 7-11, let's go to Wal-Mart!"

"I'm with you. I can still feel my motor purring. It wants me." Xang props himself up off the wall and starts moving towards the stairs to head up the main garage. Taka is up and after him.

"Hey, let me go. You need to take it easy," Chris objects, pointing at Taka.

"No, no, I'm better. Guess Doc was right. Just bruised."

"Too bad he didn't come with us," Xang's voice carries down from the top floor. "Guess he's got too much going on."

"I guess," Taka concedes, shrugging, somewhere between agreement and acquiescence.

"Mm hm." Chris just nods, sitting back down and crossing one leg over the other.

Before too long, Xang and Taka are gone on the munchies run, leaving Jun'ko and Chris to shoot the shit.

"Hey, you need any help, Jun'ko? Don't wanna just sit around making myself useless."

Junko

Jun'ko will chuckle as Taka and Xang move out to pick up munchies.

She finishes placing the order for pizza and turns as Chris offers his help. "Yeah, grab that rollaway will you while I check the bikes, if we get done quick enough we can shower before the food gets here."

Motordragon, Chris

Obediently, Chris stands and walks over to the rollaway and places his hands on it, his mind preoccupied by a clinging oddness about everything. He had always been the kind to know when he was getting sicked; he'd predicted his own flare-up of chicken pox the night before he awoke in a fit of itching. Now, something else was wrong with him. It started when he got in the accident with Jun'ko's bike, but we felt like he could trace it back to...

...we can shower before...

Chris stops, holding his breath. A rush of excitement surges through his body - more than he was comfortable with.

"We?" he asks Jun'ko quietly, a work of suspended animation until she answers.

Junko

Jun'ko doesn't even need to look at Chris' face, which is probably suffused with blood. Delicious, warm blood, she however is not hungry right now, but later she may give a little as she takes a little. From the sound in his voice he has twisted her words to what he wants to hear, and that will make everything so much easier.

Still she will look at him, because that was the human thing to do. "Sure Chris, we're both adults, and to be perfectly truthful, what we just did tonight was one big thrill ride for me, and I'm still a bit exicted from it. You... don't have a problem showering with me do you?" She keeps her voice low and even, so he has to lean in close to her to hear her words.

Motordragon, Chris

Covered in mud, smelling of sweat, Chris had to admit that he did need a shower. But was it appropriate to shower with Jun'ko? Normally, he'd have to decline, knowing the trouble such things could cause - between the three of them, Taka, Xang, and himself, they all knew how they felt about Jun'ko. They'd joked consistently about who would be the first to bag her. Taka had the notion it'd be something romantic, and Xang just wanted the tail. Already, Chris' own imagination was going into full swing, part inspiration and part daydreams already experienced: it would be casual, non-binding, and with any luck, repetitive.

What had drawn him away from fulfilling the conquest before? His knowledge that the act, once revealed, would probably break the MotorDragons apart. Xang wasn't know for his wise head, and Taka still had a young heart, easily broken.

But again, something was dreadfully wrong. He found it hard to control himself. Hard to control anything, especially the growing bulge in his leather riding pants.

"No. No, if that's what you want," he obliques, projecting the desire onto Jun'ko. "I'm cool with that. I need a shower myself. Thanks for the offer."

As an afterthought, Chris looked out into the yard, and out beyond to the crossing streets, and even as far as the Pasadena Freeway zipping by in the distance. There were no cycloptic eyes signaling the premature return of his gangmates - it would be a disaster if they were to walk in on it.

Wal-Mart was five or six exits north on 110. Plenty of time. Why worry? Chris thinks, rubbing his head, which had begun to pound, from desire or rushing blood or both. He craved the feel of her skin, the...he licked his lips...the taste of her! The thought made him tremble, and so did Jun'ko's pose as she waited.

"Now?"

Junko

Jun'ko suppressed a grin, it was all to easy just like her sire had said, and she didn't even have to resort supernatural influence. If only she hadn't been so eager with the drug lord. Ah well, it was a lesson well learned she reflected.

Catching Chris' glance out into the yard it wasn't hard to figure out what he was thinking, but she didn't need to comment on it. Besides they would hear the cycles well before the arrived.

"Sure Chris, now is just fine." Jun'ko will stand and lay a hand on his jacketed arm. "Just one thing though, and I know that with you I don't even have to mention it but still."

Jun'ko will flash him a winning smile, "I really don't want my personal life to become a locker-room fantasy, so I would appreciate it if you would keep this between us for right now. I can tell you are mature enough not to need to crow about your activities like Xang would."

She will move to the back shower area. "I've got some spare clothes in my office, it's unlocked will you bring my gym bag out and set it next to the shower door before you come in?"

The gym bag was in the back of the office, and the office was on the other side of the building, plenty of time for her to shed her clothes and use the hot water to warm her skin rather then precious vitae. Plus he would be even more eager once he got into the shower to overlook.. certain hallmarks of her condition.

Motordragon, Chris

"My promise. Cross my heart, hope to die and all that," the MotorDragon agrees. He knows better than to spout off about it, anyway. He just never imagined he'd be given the chance. Though it did make him wonder - was it him that she wanted, or would she have saddled with any one of them, had he been the one on his way to Wal-Mart instead of Xang, or Taka?

As much as he hated to think that way, Chris' mind was occupied with the thought while he crossed the garage, descended the stairs, and glanced at a gutted vehicle waiting for Jun'ko's handiwork. "Handiwork," he entertained, "that she'll use on me now."

It explained the stupid grin on his young, attractive face as he hefted the large gym bag off the floor. Already, he could hear the hot rush of water gushing through pipes. It sounded unusually like the pulsing throb in his head after being hit by the motorcycle, blood flowing so hard and fast...

Before too long, he stood in front of the curtained shower, watching the roiling steam leak out between the ages. Jun'ko's shadow danced on the slick, plastic surface, teasing, entreating, but not on purpose. As he grew nearer, he could make out the delicious curves in her hips, the strong muscles in her legs from years of motorcycle riding, her rigid shoulders, and the tips of her quaint nipples, bare. He stared, gaze interrupted only by his shirt when he pulled it over his head. He threw his clothes in a pile around the corner, out of sight, and reached towards the shower curtain.

He stopped. His hand was shaking. But he knew it wasn't anxiety. It was a desire; he felt famished, and this was the only way to sate it. How long he had craved her! How much he wanted her.

Without a word, he pushed the curtain aside and let himself, closing it slowly behind him as their shadows merged into one another and became one.

Junko

Jun'ko will turn her head as he enters the shower showing off her profile before the curtain falls and he moves to her side. "Chris." Her voice could barely be heard over the spray of the shower. She could almost taste his desire, but she was too out of touch with her humanity. In a way it was frustrating, she could not remember feeling the lack before. Perhaps she needed to focus on that lack and see if she could recapture the lost feelings again. But she did not want to make her sire angry either.

[Thee Independent]

Motordragons

45 minutes later, beyond the hour of night owls...

"We're back!"

The familiar rustle of plastic bags broadcast Taka and Xang's return from their grocery run. Together, they tromp down the stairs, merrily singing out their purchases with great pride.

"With beer, rum, and vodka!" Xang adds.
"Chips, salsa, and twinkies!" Taka answers.
"Chocolate cookies and burritos..."
"...mini-pizzas with pepperoni..."
"Stir fry mix with snow peas and carrots!"
"Dried apricots, vanilla wafers, and banana pudding!"
"Blue bell ice cream - praline dream!"
"Microwaveable eggrolls!"
"And instant rice!"
"I also got some ribbed condoms, for when I bag that cute chick with the Animé shirts I met at the laundromat last week and..."

"Shut up, Taka," Xang rolls his eyes, dropping his armload of bags on workbench in Jun'ko's makeshift parlor. "We all know you made her up. You couldn't get laid if your life depended on it."

"You shut up!" Taka protested, setting his sacks gently on the counter as well. "Yo, Chris, what's up?"

Chris, lying fully dressed and relaxed on the couch, shrugged his shoulders and looked over the rim of his Oakleys. "Nothin'. Just waitin' for you guys to get back. I'm starving. Throw me the Instant Rice. If you got a burner and a pot, Jun'ko, I'll get that started."

He smiled, as though nothing at all had happened. But everything had changed. May they never know.

Junko

Jun'ko will point to the break room. "In there, everything you will need for a party, including a blender." Jun'ko grins at Taka's exuberance, she figures that she will be able to take Xang and Taka with no troubles, Chris will require special handling.

"Good going guys. If you want to clean up, one of you can use the shower in the men's room, and there is another one in the work out gym." The gym shower was the one that they had used but Jun'ko had made sure that nothing was left that would tip off either of them to the activities that had took place there before.

Motordragons

As Chris gets up and retreats towards the break room, Xang bolts for the stairwell up to the main garage. "Gym shower's mine!"

"Crap," Taka grumbles, removing his shirt and jacket prematurely, eager to show off a young, budding physique to Jun'ko. "Guess I get the other one."

"On second thought, maybe you should take the gym shower," Xang rethinks, placing a thoughtful finger against his chin.

"Yeah? Dude, thanks. I like that one better."

"Uh huh. Maybe while you're in there, you'll actually use the gym, 'cause you sure as hell need it, twinky."

"Xang, you bitch! I'll kill you!" Taka takes off in a run after Xang, both of them ascending the stairs and, after some rough-housing, taking their showers.

Meanwhile, Chris sets the water at a boil. He says nothing to Jun'ko, for fear what transpired might be overheard - through the walls, through the pipes, through the air itself - and they'd be discovered.

Junko

Jun'ko will chuckle and move around the makeshift party area, making sure that everything is kept up. Occasionally she will pick up some food and move around with it before discreetly disposing of it.

Motordragons

"Anything I can fix for you, Jun'ko? Sounds like the boys blew our budget on junk food, and you're welcome to it. I try to eat healthy," Chris adds, to give some explanation for his attractive musculature.

Junko

"Hmm? Something small, the pizza is on it's way too, and I've always eaten light." Jun'ko will give a small laugh, "But hey, every night is a new adventure y'know? Can't just play it safe."

Motordragons

Dipping his head in the trail of steam rising from the boiling water, Chris nods in agreement. "Oh, I know. I'm up to all kinds of things neither of the guys really know much about. And I would say that tonight was one hell of an adventure, but what I can't figure is..."

The hiss of hard rice hitting water interrupts his question, but a few seconds later, he's standing a few feet away from Jun'ko, wooden stirring spoon in hand. "I know it ain't any of my business, but you can't blame a guy for getting curious. I want to know what all of that was about. Who was she? Who were they? When we first met the Doc, we weren't expecting anything like that. I can't help but get rid of this bad feeling I have. I think we've done something that's big. Really big - not like stalking Britney Spears or murdering an agent or anything like that - but something that won't make the front news, but is still important. All that odd ceremony - it wasn't mafia, and it certainly wasn't a Yak or Triad thing. Trust me on that one..."

Chris quirks his lip. "Sorry, Jun'ko, this is your shop. I shouldn't be saying a damn thing..."

Junko

Jun'ko's paranoia runs rampant as she considers what could happen if the group learned what she was too early. There were plenty of wooden objects around the shop and things to sharpen them with too. And she wasn't quite ready to trust the nascent bond she was forming with Chris to protect her. Best to get Chris firmly in line before setting out to conquer the others.

But if she had any choice in the matter Xang would be dead last, and maybe even both of those. A smile curved on her lips as Chris continued to speak. "Oh, I don't mind you talking about it here. In fact I'd rather you got it out of your system here then somewere else, just don't expect me to answer until I can fill in more of the blanks myself. But you are right, it was something big alright. Now I just need to figure out how it can benefit us."

Motordragons

"Oh yeah?"

Chris stirs the rice. "Got any ideas?"

Junko

"Well... For one thing we already performed for them, and I spoke to Stefan about more contract work. So... There is a good chance we could be used again, the only problem with that is if we get to know too much, we could be considered a liability."

Jun'ko's face breaks into a fierce grin as she contemplates going up against Stephan and O neg with a pack at her side. "However if that does happen, I do know of a group that might be persuaded to assist us. There would be a few obstacles to overcome, but I think this group could handle it quite well."

Motordragons

"Another gang?" Chris presses. "Or someone else?" Jun'ko's other business contacts weren't any news to Chris; he'd always suspected it, and might have even heard about the connections, second-hand.

"Well, the pay for this was good, but like I told you, I haven't done anything that dangerous before." Chris shakes his head. "Not on a contract, anyway."

Junko

"Mmmmm, think of them more as a shadow backer, rather then a gang, although they do operate in packs for a better efficiency."

Jun'ko will smile another secret smile, "It's tough for the newbies, but once you've got your foot in the door and you've proven yourself... Well let's just say the possibilities are nearly endless."

Motordragons

"Sounds like you're talking from personal experience," Chris points out, seasoning the pot with a pinch of salt. "Always told the boys I had you pegged for more than just a hot grease monkey."

A pipeline shakes, its flow halted, signaling the end of the gym shower.

Junko

Smiling sweetly Jun'ko will move out into the main shop before Taka comes out. But before she leaves him she will thank him. "Why thanks Chris, I appreciate that on all counts."

As she enters the main bay lights will pull into the drive indicating that the pizza is here, and she will go outside to pay for the delivery. Then she will bring in several boxes of pizza and set them on a table for the boys to enjoy. Flipping on the wall TV she will begin surfing through the cable and local channels to see if there is anything intersting on.

Motordragons

Bowflex helped shape my abs in less than two weeks!"

Click.

"Dy-no-mite!"

Click.

"Unusual weather..."

Click.

"I was going to call it Peterland, but the gay bar downtown already had the name."

Click.

"Do you want to make millions, too?"

Informercials, flickering images of hope for unemployed rejects haunted by self-doubt and its side effect of insomnia, slide gracefully by on Jun'ko's television, along with late night syndications and howling rainbows of color.

"Gotta love late night TV," Chris pipes up from behind Jun'ko, having wandered in after her, leaving the rice draining in the sink. Before too long, Taka joined them, sopping wet with a towel slung indecently over his skinny waist.

"Yeah, make yourself right at home, bro," Chris entreats, pulling a play punch on the MotorDragon's injured shoulder. "How's it feeling? Hot water do it good?"

"Hella good, yeah," Taka nods. "Doc was right. Just bruises."

"Jerry! Jerry! Jerry!"

Click.

"In San Francisco yesterday, Mayor..."

Click.

"...disaster in Los Angeles. An Amtrak train..."

The screen displayed a large helicopter shot - a local news Special Report provided the airtime, even this early in the morning. "At approximately midnight, almost three and half hours ago, an Amtrak train headed for LAX station in lower Los Angeles was delayed due to unusual weather conditions; a deluge of floodwaters had taken out the tracks on the west end of the valley, forcing Train 417 to an unscheduled stop. However, less than thirty minutes after coming to a complete stop, a freak bolt of lightning struck the train's thirteenth car in what some passengers are calling a most unlucky strike."

Taka eyes grew side. "Oh God, that's us! Xang!" Taka shouts up the stairs. "You need to get out here ASAP! Check it out!"

The last set of pipes stopped, the flow of water silenced.

The helicopter image revealed a very familiar Amtrak train. The camera zoomed in, focusing on the roof of an equally familiar car, its top a corrugated mess of sharp, metallic teeth, and its interior nothing more than blackness.

"As you can see, the damage was extensive. Although Amtrak claimed that Car Thirteen was reserved as a Cargo Only car, there were casualties. Two engineers were near Car Thirteen when lightning struck. Police officials say one was killed instantly, and another died shortly after their arrival. A mechanic, also presumably caught in the blast radius, was rushed to the hospital and is listed in Critical Condition. The names of the deceased and the injured have not yet been released. Passengers in other cars appear to be unharmed, save for the shock of lightning striking the train."

Taka shook his head in disbelief. Xang muttered, from behind them all in a white muscle shirt and black jeans, "Only Cargo my ass." He dragged a comb through his oily black hair, scowling. "What the hell are they on about?"

"There you are," Taka draws out an Oreo cookie from a bag, prying it apart with his fingers and licking the inside. "What were you doing in the shower so long? Jerking off?"

"Yeah, yeah," Xang rolls his eyes, walking to the TV and manually turning up the volume so they can all hear better. "You know me, I just love getting off in the shower," he says, sarcastically.

"Being the leader's gotta be a lot of stress, huh?" Taka presses, but fails to get anything more out of Xang before looking for praise from Chris. "Hey, Chris, you're turning red."

"Huh?" Chris asks, looking over his sunglasses at Taka. "Oh, no. No, I had my face in the steam," he motions back towards the sink. "From the rice."

The three of them turned their eyes back to the screen and kept watching.

Junko

Jun'ko will chuckle. Stefan had known exactly what he was going for. The question was, how did O Neg know? And who was she, dammit! There wasn't a whos who for kindred not like you could look up your old high school or corps buddies. Still.... There were sources to consider, she would describe everything that had happened to her sire and see what he had to say. Hopefully she could even use these children that she had been cultivating for a while as well. It would be so nice not to have wasted her effort this time. Jun'ko hoped he would be happy with Chris and Taka, but she was afraid he would absolutely love Xang. Which is why she had to get him under control now, rather than later.

Motordragons

Glued to the tube, the MotorDragons sit around, soaking up the report.

The Special Report returns to the newsroom, where a smart redhead in a matching jacket bought from Saks Fifth Avenue stares them down, oblivious to their unanimous guilt in the "unlucky strike".

"Our station meteorologist, Peter Shu, has more to tell us about the storm that stalled the unfortunate Amtrak."

"Thanks, SueAnn," a young, handsome Jap-Flip mix nods, stepping against a backdrop of the greater Los Angeles area. Temperature readings, high reds and low blues, blip onto the screen and are then skipped, this being a special weathercast. "What we had tonight was an unusual but not improbable weather anomaly. As you can see from our 'round-the-clock radar," he gestures with an open palm, starched white shirt sliding up his sleeve, "satellite imagery picked up a disturbance in the hills just east of Los Angeles around 10pm this evening. In the foothills of the San Gabriels, a drastic drop in temperature mingled with Amtrak Valley's warm, moist air. As a result, the charged air developed into a severe thunderstorm within an hour. Analysts at NOAA have suggested the drop in temperature could be contributed to an unexpected shift in the cool jet stream coming over the Pacific. A massive high pressure system to the north, over the Sacramento area, may have forced the stream's altitude low enough to affect a surface change, giving the storm torrential rains, devastating winds and dangerous lightning. There have been similar cases west of Los Angeles, nearer the Pacific where the air lends itself to more desperate temperature changes."

As Peter explains, the rotating satellite imagery displays a sudden explosion of high, white clouds that build up in the San Gabriel hills. They swirl small and tight, like a miniature cyclone, before breaking apart on the mountains in less than two hours. Though its on-screen reign is brief, it appears intimidating, dangerous, and oddly sentient, though perhaps that is only because Jun'ko and the MotorDragons were in its midst when it raged its worst.

"Back to you, SueAnn..."

Junko

Hmmm, the pieces were there, she was sure of it, she just had to figure out how to fit them together. The prisoner that had surrendered had recognized Stefan, and then Stefan had him destroyed.

Destroyed, not killed, she was sure the prisoner was already dead as well, why else would Stefan use the flare gun when he had other wpns at his disposal? No Stefan was a renegade on the run, and O Neg must have offered him shelter in return for services. Of course she could be on the wrong track here, but still the fact remained that O Neg was hiring outside talent.

And that was worth knowing...

"Well that was interesting." Jun'ko's voice will increase as her next words come out. "Now who is interested in some serious drinking!?"

Motordragons

"Me," Taka beams, lifting a heretofore undiscovered bottle of sake from a grocery bag. "We also stopped at the liquor store, too, of course. How could we pass it up?"

"Pour some for me, too," Chris asks, still keeping his eyes on the TV, cogitating over something.

"Now, now, Taka, if you get shitfaced, you better make sure you can crash here before you drive home at seven in the morning and plow through a bunch of schoolkids," Xang gestures towards Jun'ko.

The leader's mothering angered Taka, and in his bottled rage, he sloshed precious sake onto the table. "Damnit, Xang! I can hold my liquor! Stop treating me like some punk teenager!"

"Start acting like something else, and I might," Xang retorts, gulping back his handed shot. "We need more jobs like this. More to the point, we need more money like this, you guys think?"

Junko

Jun'ko will half listen to the banter half thinking about the job, and what needs to be done next. She needs to separate Taka from Xang, and winnow him from the group so she can take him too.

She listens to Xang's comments wondering if he has used the card yet. "The money is good, but I can tell you right now, that you are already moving up in the world. The guy in the trailer rarely meets anyone face to face. Until tonight, I'd just heard about him. If this shit keeps up, pretty soon you'll be moving in the upper strata of the movers and shakers in this town."

Motordragons

"You seem to know a lot. Who the hell was that guy?" Xang asks.

"Afro mafia. Like the Black Panthers or something," Taka chimes in, showing off his recollection of high school social studies.

"Not a chance," Chris interjects, even if only to keep Xang from badgering Taka further about his ignorance. "Wouldn't have all those whites working for him. What I want to know is what the Doc has to do with all of this."

Something touched off in all three of them, and they shook their heads, locking back words with draughts of sake. Then they watched Jun'ko, wondering if she'd care to enlighten them.

Junko

"More like a very high level anarchist/revolutionary. And color and race don't mean much to him, it's all just flesh and blood to him. But don't cross him, he's got a temper like you wouldn't believe and a very long arm."

Jun'ko shakes her head wondering just how long his reach has gotten, tomorrow.. tomorrow she would inform her sire of what was going on. But first she had to get the MotorDragons so shitfaced that they wouldn't notice her abscence during the day.

Motordragons

A few more drinks are shared before Xang asks, "You do favors for his people or something? Set them up here at the shop?"

Alcohol is the number one detractor to subterfuge; it becomes obvious that Xang is fishing to find out how Jun'ko knows so much about something he hadn't expected to be in her realm.

Junko

"I've never worked directly for him before, but I have heard whispers and rumors from bigger fish then me."

Motordragons

"Sounds cloak and dagger." Downing another shot of sake, Chris sinks into the sofa.

"Sounds scary," Taka's licks pucker after a sour suck of Cerveza.

"Sounds lucrative." Xang's mile-high smile reeked of rice wine and vodka, a bitter mix. "Think you can set up something more for us? We turned this favor for you..."

"Yeah, squid pro quo," Taka malaprops, backing up his boss.

Junko

Jun'ko will slowly nod her head. "There are of course certain guidelines that need to be observed, but you guys did good out there, neh?" She will gesture to the banquet set before the MotorDragons.

"I'll start making all the right noises and see what I can pull up, and of course, I'm sure that Stefan is pleased with your work as well. There will be more work for us in these turbulent nights ahead of us."

With that she will mix a rum and coke in a dark glass and toast the MotorDragons before she drinks deep of her own glass. That being done she will have a glass in her hand for the rest of the evening as she wanders the shop.

Motordragons

A promise, it seemed, is all they were going to get out of Jun'ko, so the MotorDragons resort to jesting, playful infighting, and shameless drinking. While their voices grow louder, another image pops up on the silenced television, casting a red haze on the rugged floor.

A miniature blaze eats away at some structure on the corner of a four-way intersection without street lights. Some place in the barrios, to be more specific. It could be a scene out of a mafia movie, where an unmarked briefcase was left sitting on a stool inside the flame-ridden building, but the red line across the bottom of the screen made it far more realistic, hoisting the white letters King Pool Hall Fire across the bottom. An anchorperson talks in garbled tongues while the MotorDragons engage in a wicked belching contest.

Junko

Jun'ko will make available to the MotorDragons an unused office that they can sleep the day away. "You guys can stay in here, I've got to get some work done before the day shift arrives, I've left them a note so you guys can stay as long as you like. I however need to split, when the day shift gets here I can have them check your bikes out and tune them up if you want me to."

Motordragons

"Good idea," Chris nods.

"Yeah, have them change the tires. I think I might have nearly blown one earlier going up that hill so fast," Xang gloats.

"Sure, I'll crash, I just need a place to..sleep...crap, hold on," Taka grumbles, lifting a cellphone out of his jacket pocket. He puts the receiver to his ear and cringes. "Yeah?"

A string of angry syllables blast out in a tinny, Eastern voice.

"Uhm...at the shop," Taka whispers, chagrin.

Xang rolls his eyes. "Oh, Christ on a cross..." Chris just shakes his head, sighing and stuffing an eggroll in his mouth.

"No, I meant to call, but I forgot...c'mon, Mom!"

Xang starts laughing. "Better stop and get some breath mints, or she'll know you've been drinking all night, sonny boy."

Grimacing, Taka closes the phone and gives Jun'ko a pitiful look. "I gotta run. Mom's freaking out."

"I'll give you a ride," Chris offers, at least seeming to be the most sober among them all. "You can pick up your bike tomorrow."

Junko

Jun'ko will allow Xang's comment to pass without a retort, the night was done and over with, there was no sense in antagonizing him any further. For now.

"I'll see you all tomorrow evening, late. Everything will be taken care of, rest well." With that she will descend into the private areas of the shop and unlock a door that only she had the key to. From there she moves through a hidden panel and into her rest area for the day.

Tomorrow. Tomorrow she would call her sire and he would tell her where to meet him, and when...

[Thee Independent]

Muse

+++++++Night Three- Wednesday+++++++

Junko

Jun'ko wakes as the sun has set, her eyes opening an peering into the comforting darkness that surrounds her. Blinking, although she had no need to clear her eyes she will rise and exit the hidey hole. After making certain that nobody will observe her exit she will enter the lower levels of the shop and move to her private office where she will call her sire, Don Sebastian Acerte.

As ususal it rings three times and then goes to voicemail, there is no comforting message, merely an impersonal beep, and then she begins to speak in Spanish.

"My Sire, this is Jun'ko, a cargo train carrying a most important passenger was taken, the passenger delivered to the young ones who are not aligned with us, I have more information and desire your guidance and wisdom. I await your instructions."

Once she has finished the ritual greeting, giving him what he wanted to know she will disconnect the call and shower to get the smell of death off of her. She will then dress and enter the workfloor to make certain that the MotorDragons cycles are being taken care of, according to her instructions. Soon she will call either Chris or Xang to see what is planned for tonight so she can work them into her schedule. Hopefully her sire will want the information that she has tantalized him with.

This could be then chance they needed to put O Neg in their favor and deal a crippling blow to the weak members of the Camarilla.

TI

The sun sets, bringing with it the thrilling memories of phantom adrenaline splurging like sugar through Jun'ko's veins. Victory, success, and the taste of mud come crashing onto her as she steps up to the door of her office. A tiny white piece of paper dangles precariously, plastered to the door with a single strip of Scotch tape:

Jun'ko

it begins, scrawled lazily across the top in beg graphite letters,

Gone 2 shoot shit with other MDs. Thanx for the crash pad. Call me l8r.

The note is signed, Xang, in more expressive handwriting than any other shorthand word on the note.

By the time Jun'ko has finished showering and ensuring the bikes have been shopped accordingly (which, thankfully, they have - Jun'ko's never had reason to put the pressure on her mechanics, who enjoy the work and the pay), Jun'ko returns to the cubby to find the Message light blinking on her office phone.

Blinking red. Like a red flare gun...

Junko

Jun'ko will grin as she reads Xang's note and will note with pleasure the bikes are finished and will make a mental note to give them a nice bonus for their work.

Jun'ko will stare at the blinking light wondering what doom it holds for her. Her sire almost never responded this quickly. With no small amount of worry, she picks up the phone and dials into her voicemail.

TI

"Welcome to Coastal Communication Services. If you know the extension you are trying to reach, please enter the number followed by the pound sign."

Blip blip blip blip bleep.

"Password?"

Blip blip blip blip bleep.

"Jun'ko Morimoto."

Click, whirr.

The voice changes now, from the pre-recorded, customer service nicety to a cotton-mouthed, stifling voice. The Spanish sounds more natural even than her own. "Jun'ko," it starts, sending a shadow of anxiety over her, "it is good of you to contact me. Tomorrow night, we will meet in San Diego, and there we will have the chance to talk. You will be notified of the specific directions later this evening. Look for the racer."

No niceties. The message ends abruptly.

Junko

Tomorrow night. That would give her a chance to prepare, and enough time to drive herself crazy with anticipation. Of course she was lucky, her sire seemed to be in a good humor, he could have made her wait a week or more to meet with him, or told her a time and then showed up early. He hadn't done that in a long time, but still... Tomorrow night, enough time to make Chris hers, body and soul.

Watch for the racer.. What could he mean? Jun'ko pondered on it for a bit then shrugged her shoulders. Whatever the old man meant, she wouldn't understand until she saw it, that was always the way he did things. And she thought she was paranoid. That elicited a wry grin as she fiddled with the cell phone before dialing a number.

Let us see what Xang and the MD's are up too...

Motordragons

The phone rings four, maybe five times, before the ringing stops. Two quiet seconds pass, and then the phone explodes into noise. One voice, somehow monstrous against the thrashing backbeat of music and bad Japaenese karaoke, manages to make itself heard.

"Jun'koooooooo!"

Before she can say anything, there's a scuffle on the other line. In the background, Xang: "Gimme my damn phone back, Taka..."

"Jun'koooooooo! You're missing the par-"

There's an audible thok, Taka's yell and subsequent painful seethe, and then Xang's slicker baritone takes its place. "Hey, Jun'ko, what's up? Get my message? There's a party tonight. Gang guys. They're buggin' us up and down about the work, wanting in on a piece, but you know, we gotta keep all mum about it and it's drivin' them crazy...."

Junko

With a soft chuckle she will shake her head at their antics.

"That's good, we don't want to make the honey pot dry up. And well, I'm ready now, where is it?" Jun'ko will grab a pencil and paper as she prepares to jot down some notes.

Motordragons

Xang smiled. A mean sort of smile that would have made Taka do a double-take, if the young MotorDragon wasn't suddenly distracted by the flash of a deadly combo move: two of his fellow gangers were duking it out in a game of Dead or Alive, the Gamecube hooked directly into an expensive forty-inch screen taking up one wall of the apartment.

With Taka out of the way, Xang discovers a certain freedom. Jun'ko had stolen the ball from him last night, but now it was in his court again. He had a full press advantage; she was on a phone, miles away from him.

"Well, yeah, I'd love for you to show up, 'Ko," he shortened her name ingratiatingly, the way Xang always does when he manages to pick a bone with her, "but this is kind of an MD thing only, know what I mean?" That ought to do it. That ought to assert his leadership again. "But hey, Chris, for one, is dying to hang out again tonight, so we'll hook up with you later. Once these jackoffs get sick of listening to us gloat."

The MotorDragon leader leaned against the wall, scraping his fingernail across the fresh white paint of a UCLA Village apartment. "That ok?"

Junko

It is nearly all she can do from laughing into the handset at Xang's oily tone, although she does bristle at the diminuative use of her name, she knows that is exactly what he wants. Still she held a powerful advantage over Xang, if only he would stop to realize it. But should she trump him?...

No. Not now, later once she had him under her thumb then would be the time to pay him back for all his little tricks. "Of course Xang, I mean I've got a bunch of stuff on the burners. A little bit of time for me to clean up some loose ends. Stop by whenever you're ready for your bikes, but I'll probably be out and about, so just give me a call."

Motordragons

"You got it. Catch ya later," Xang lifts his hand and waves his fingers, as though Jun'ko could see it, and kills the line.

"Taka. Taka? Hey, Taka, did you tell your mommy where you were going?"

"Shut the hell up, Xang..."

Junko

Exhaling an no longer needed puff of air, Jun'ko carefully closes her cell phone, not wanting to crush it to bits, like she does Xang's soft, soft head. She moves to her private garage and selects a more maneuverable cycle, one not desiged for offroad work as she wants to ride in town, and separate herself from reality if only for a little while.

TI

And what better place to dodge reality than LA, City of a Thousand Distractions? The night life awaits.

Junko

With a wave to her workers and the night's work on the dry-erase board, Jun'ko roars out of the shop and into the night. She has no intention of where she is going but she will know when she finds it.



--> To No Man's Walk