Section 44 has a modest underground garage currently home to two unmarked cars, plus whatever vehicles its members use to drive here. There are also equipment lockers and a corner that Ming Shi has made her own. The section cars are unremarkable sedans, with police lights behind the radiator grilles that can be turned on at the flick of a switch. Here is an opportunity to make explicit what kit you're taking with you, including anything out of the ordinary you think might come in handy, and which rides you're taking, and who's riding with who.
[i]Inspector Huang gets into the first sedan, taking the driver's side. He's wearing his two Beretta M9s in a dual-gun shoulder rig, along with his customary tan jacket that reaches down to his hips. Ken's Mossberg 590, the infamous "Persuader" and ender of many a perp's career, is stashed in the back fully loaded, and he hopes to hell he won't have to use it on this case.
Besides the bags and other equipment used for collecting evidence, Ken has brought along two cameras. The first is his old reliable digital camera, used when a picture needs to be taken for evidence purposes, but notoriously ineffective when it comes to taking ghost pictures. The second, which he uses for ghosts and other supernatural occurrences, is a 35mm film camera of the kind used by professional photographers, recommended by Arthur and just about every professional ghost-hunter (such as they were, anyway) he's met.
As he starts the car and lets his hands settle on the steering wheel, one of those beautiful cantopop ballads starts up on the radio, and for a moment, Huang's face takes on one of those painful expressions as his mind goes back to a certain woman. Without another word, he reaches over and changes the station. Now is not the time to be dwelling on what might have been.
He turns his head toward Ming Shi, who has just taken shotgun. He gives her an apologetic smile.[/i]
Inspector Huang: Sorry, Ming. Not in the mood for those songs at the moment.
[i]Nic taps his white wooden cane along the floor every few steps as he strides through the garage. He tends to walk quickly everywhere, sometimes unaware if people are keeping up or not. He notes that Ken and Ming Shi have taken one of the plain cars, so he whistles tunelessly as he strides to the other car, opening the passenger door and looking about for Arthur Lee.
He pops a breath mint into his mouth from a roll that he then slips back into his pocket. Also in his various pockets are a giant piece of sidewalk chalk, a tiny spritz bottle of holy water, a tiny MagLite flashlight, a Swiss army knife, a small magnifying glass, a laser pointer, a string of prayer beads, and a silver lighter. On his belt are his badge and his cell phone.[/i]
Nic: Alright, Lee, let's find out exactly what we're dealing with, shall we? After checking out Mingxia's home, I'd like to talk to her friend Sarah. Maybe we could get her story while the other two check computer files or something. Sarah seemed more disturbed by her friend's disappearance than everyone else, so maybe she knows more about it than CID's file indicates. OK, let's roll!
Arthur goes to the weapons locker and gets one mini-uzi and several magazines. He drops everything inside one of the side cases of his old model yamaha goldwing motorbike. He carefully arranges his hat inside the other side case. He then checks his glock 21 and his three magazines are loaded - everyone can see a collection of crucifix, sutras, and unidentifiable small statuettes that could come from africa or india hanging inside his raincoat. Finally, he equips his black helmet and tells Nic:
Arthur: Get yourself a helmet from this locker there, Bennet. I hate to be enslaved by traffic congestion. This thing looks like an old lady but it recently got a lifting made by Ming Shi. I am sure you will love the sensations.
This time, it was a real smile, full of bright teeths
[i]Nic notices the bike for the first time, and breaks into a wide smile. He slams the door of the drab police sedan, clearly glad to leave it behind, and jogs over to grab a helmet. After a moment's thought, he also grabs a spare set of handcuffs from the equipment locker.
He strolls over to the Goldwing, and climbs on, placing his cane across his lap. He lightly taps Lee's helmet to indicate that he's ready, and as the cycle rumbles to life, he laughs:[/i]
Nic: Lee, I think you and I are going to get along fine.
Ming inexplicably finds herself sitting in the passenger side of the sedan with Huang, then realizes she's forgotten something ... a big grin stretches across her face as she jumps out, then starts rooting through the piles of arcane machinery stored in her corner of the garage.
Ming: Ah hah! Thought I had those stored somewhere.
In her hand she holds three custom loads and a strangly high-tech-looking Franchi SPAS-12 shotgun.
Ming: Just something I've been playing with ... the load painted bright turqoise fills the room with smoke centered on my gun, the one with yellow polkadots bursts into a mass of instantly hardening glue on impact that immobilizes the target, and the neon-pink-striped one explodes into glow-in-the-dark glitter that clings to the target it impacts upon, making him visible in the dark. I've been looking for a chance to test them out in the field!
The idea of testing Ming's newest inventions might make you a bit nervous, if you didn't already know that her whacky gadgets have saved more than one officer from an abrupt career end. Ming stuffs the custom loads in a satchel hung over one shoulder, from which you see a metalic glint of a mass of tools and gizmos. There's no telling what else has been crammed in there, but as she gets back into the car you have a feeling it might just come in handy.
Inspector Huang eases the sedan over to the exit barriers, and winds the window down so he can navigate his access card into the slot. While he's doing that, Inspector Lee threads the Goldwing between the car and the wall and pulls up onto the street outside. Cursing softly, Huang follows it onto the road after the barrier lifts.
Credits roll - music: Natural Gambler/Braund Reynolds
A montage of short clips of the characters.
All four of them exchanging puzzled looks in an empty warehouse.
Nic Bennet looking innocent as a passing purse-snatcher runs full tilt into a lamppost.
Arthur Lee picking up a fragment of parchment with arcane symbols inscribed on it, only for it to burn away with a cold blue flame.
Ni Ming Shi sitting on the floor in front of a partially assembled gearbox, covered in old oil with a sandwich hanging out of her mouth.
Ken Huang in the dark, igniting a cigarette lighter to discover he's in a room filled with boxes of dynamite, and his shocked reaction.
Nic and Arthur in a dusty library, poring over old tomes and making notes.
Ming Shi and Ken taking cover behind an industrial dustbin, firing over the top at unseen assailants.
Finally all four of them leaping from the top of a building as the top three floors explode.
Case files of Section 44
Episode 1: Missing, Presumed Damned