(This excerpt is subject to edits, of course!)
I'll summarize all the new information about the characters' pasts.
Spike, a former Red Dragon affiliate of some sort, "died" three years
ago, presumably during the events seen in his flashbacks. (I'll get into
Spike's "death" and his debt to Mao later, don't worry!) According to
the article that Jet decrypts later on, the syndicates Red Dragon and
White Tiger were in a dispute six years ago. The rest of the article
states, and I quote, that Mao "[r]ecently
changed his line to the moderates, and Maked the project of cooperation
with the W.T.. But...." Something happened that made him lose his fangs,
perhaps spurred by Spike. We already know about Jet and the ISSP, so
his friendship with Spike must have been scandalous, regardless of
whatever Spike went through to make good. Although if the "shady" ISSP
already has crime connections then maybe not... Finally, Faye might have
had some history with "Mao-taijin" and Vicious. Maybe she was just
starstruck, but a look of recognition and fear crept across her face
during her encounter.
