Sunday Morning
15 Apr. 2001
0045 Hours Zulu

The ever-present Vancouver rain poured down. Rivers poured down gutters on the buildings, swirling down storm drains that were clear and creating pools where they were blocked.

There was a knock on the front door of the police station. The Constable on duty answered it, admitting an elderly Asian woman. She didn't speak much English, so Lee was woken up to translate.
This message was last edited by the GM at 10:06, Tue 06 Jan 2009.

Sighing and rubbing her eyes, Lee unzipped her sleeping bag and put her feet in her boots. They were cold and she shivered, but something was obviously up. Lacing up, she zipped up her dark tactical jumpsuit over a turtleneck sweater, deciding not to bother with her uniform.

Pulling back her hair into an elastic she let her fellow Mountie lead her to the lobby, where the old lady was warming up under a blanket and sipping a cup of tea.

"Good evening, Madam. To what do we owe the honour of your presence on such a cold and wet night as this?"

She tried to keep from yawning or shivering.

It was obvious that this woman was perhaps a little deranged. She was old and wrinkled, wore many layers of clothing, possibly a street person.

She rambled along rapidly in Cantonese and Lee struggled to follow her.

Her name was Mrs. Yao. "Oh yes, yes, terrible night, it's just atrocious out there. It's getting cold out you know, I have an umbrella but it's broken now. My grandson said he would be bringing me a new one but I haven't seen him in such a long time. So disrespectful, one should always obey one's elders..."

Eventually after several minutes of this meandering dialogue, she got to the point. "Something woke me up, the building across the street from my apartment, there was a light inside the back of the restaurant, some people, not supposed to be there, I don't know, I don't know. I think someone is in trouble? Maybe? I don't know."

Lee couldn't get any more out of her. Not who was in trouble, what kind or why, how many people were there, what they may be armed with.

She was able to get an address of where Mrs. Yao lived and figure out the location was the Pnom Penh Restaurant, a Cambodian restaurant in Chinatown not too far from the railroad station. It was only about 3 and a half blocks away.
This message was last edited by the GM at 09:01, Tue 06 Jan 2009.

Lee instructed the Constable to keep Mrs. Yao company.

She went to wake up Clarke.

"Hey, we have a situation. Hard to say what it is, a local from Chinatown just reported it, came up to the door. She thinks someone may be in trouble in a restaurant a couple blocks away. I think it is pretty unusual for someone to be messing around this time of night in this weather. We don't know if the restaurant is abandoned, who's in trouble, how many people there are and what they are armed with, and so on."

"Would you mind taking your people and checking it out, or at least having Andy do it for you? Take one of the SUVs? I'll stay here and get the Mounties here ready as backup."

It seemed to Lee that alerting the UBC's reaction force would not be helpful, as it would take at least a half-hour to arrive, of not more, in the rain and dark.
This message was last edited by the player at 10:07, Tue 06 Jan 2009.

In reply to Zhang Rachel Lee (msg #4):

Clarke pulled on her own jumper and boots, nodding sleepily.  "Probably best if we have a look while you get some Mounties for backup, yes.  I'll get the others up.  Once she was dressed she went about gathering Andy, Kelsey and Tyler.

"Sorry to wake you guys after so little sleep, but looks like there may be trouble.  While they dressed and kitted up, she made some tea and filled them in on the same brief Lee had given her.

At around the same time, UBC was alerted and a RCMP Auxiliary with perhaps faulty judgment woke Taras up and advised him there might be a situation worthy of his attention.

"Ma'am," Andy smiled at his CO, "life always seems to find a way to stop me getting a good night's sleep, it ain't your fault so don't stress it."

He stretched, "Still, thank you for caring enough to apologise. What's the situation, Ma'am? And how should we go loaded, light, or for bear?"