A/N: In case it was missed in the summary, this fic is a follow-up to my old fic, I'll Always Be With You, which was published 10 years ago this week. With this, the new Street Fighter game, and the return of Charlie Nash in said game, it just seemed fitting to write this short story sequel. If you haven't read I'll Always Be With You, I highly recommend you do so before reading this story.
Also, this story has MAJOR SPOILERS for those who have not played Street Fighter V's story mode, 'A Shadow Falls' yet.
Also, it's been a long time since I read the Udon comics, so there will be no mention of the Charlie-centric comic that was released not too long ago.
Enjoy!
Throughout her career, Interpol Detective Chun Li saw more than her fair share of surprises. Those moments, after the initial shock wore off, eventually became easy to handle. The worst of it had been the news of her father's death by the hands of Shadaloo, an event that still got to her from time to time. They were, however, part of the job description and sometimes, she wondered what shocking moment during her investigations would top the last, though she didn't expect them to ever top the news of her father's demise.
Nothing, however, prepared Chun Li for what laid before her eyes. The sound of heavy footsteps slowly hitting the pavement had caught her attention as well as those of her allies, Guile and Cammy. The three of them were discussing what they knew so far concerning Shadaloo, who had turned New York City into an blazing inferno, and the kidnapped hackers as well as the black moons that appeared in the sky, which they believed the hackers were forced to build. Cammy also delivered Chun Li a package that another Interpol agent tried to bring to her before being killed. It was chess piece similar to one Guile received earlier in the day, adding more to the mystery of the events unfolding.
At the moment, the current events they were trying to figure out left Chun Li's mind upon spotting the male figure who, surrounding by the city's blaze that had yet to be put out, seemed to look as though he was emerging from the fiery pits of hell itself. The fire's bright orange light nearly gave the person the appearance of a walking shadow, but there were some features Chun Li instantly recognized; the blazes reflected off the glasses he wore on his face, but what was most recognizable was his hair; blond like straw and with the forelock styled straight and downward in front of his face.
There was no doubt in her mind who it was, but at the same time, she almost couldn't believe it. For a moment, she wondered if he was nothing more than a figment of her imagination, but the shocked reactions from both Cammy and especially Guile told her that she wasn't seeing a ghost. It was all real and not a dream.
Charlie Nash – the man she had once loved and lost – was alive!
Chun Li didn't notice the soft gasped that escaped her lips the closer he walked towards the group. The closer he came, the more she could see his face and she became even more bewildered that one side of it looked... patched... like someone sewed a green rubber onto him, like he was rebuilt in a way.
"It can't be...!" Chun Li managed to utter in her disbelief.
She still remembered that dark winter day more than two years ago when Guile delivered the news of Charlie's demise after the Air Force's mission in South America went to hell. During a fight against Shadaloo forces, their group had split up and, before leaving, Charlie had made it known to Guile that he was going to go after Shadaloo's leader, Bison, himself, as he had spotted him in the jungles moments before. Guile had tried to stop him then, but Charlie didn't listen and went off on his own – one of the few times in his life where he acted irrational. Later, when the carnage ended, Guile and the other soldiers pursued in the direction where Charlie was last seen. By a cliff near a waterfall, the only thing they found were drops of blood and Charlie's dog tags. Even after searching the area, they never found his body and he was presumed dead.
It had been painful for Chun Li to once again lose someone dear to her thanks to Shadaloo. Charlie's death added to her list of reasons why the organization needed to be stopped. Since that dark day, the only memento she kept was Charlie's final letter to her, written and sent out just hours before his demise. Guile had offered her his dog tags, but Chun Li declined, feeling that they belonged to Charlie's best friend instead.
The first few weeks weren't easy, but Chun Li's job kept her busy, making it easier to move on from her loss in a way. It wasn't like she bottled anything. She had friends to confide in when she needed them, especially Guile who had taken Charlie's death pretty badly. He had long blamed himself for what happened and was more driven than ever to stop Shadaloo. Her job, her friends, and the comfort of his final letter to her – one that noted that he would always be with her even in spirit – helped her to get on with her life.
Until less than a minute ago, however, Chun Li was certain she moved on. But seeing Charlie approaching brought all of her old feelings back to the surface. She could hardly breathe, her heart pounded rapidly against her ribcage, and she was aware of her own hands shaking over the shock she was feeling. She was also aware of tears burning in her eyes, but it was hard to tell whether it was due to the flames' ashes, or because of the waves of emotions threatening to bring her down.
Without thinking about it, Chun Li began to step towards Charlie, but she was quickly stopped by Guile, who had extended his arm out in front of her. "Wait," he ordered. And she complied, realizing then that this could be some kind of ploy that Shadaloo thought up as a sick joke of sorts.
That thought alone angered Chun Li to the core. It was bad enough that Shadaloo was responsible for Charlie's murder... but the idea of resurrecting him and using him against her and her allies? If she wasn't angry with them before, she was beyond pissed at this point.
Chun Li was aware of someone yelling out something a few feet aware, but the detective didn't pay much attention. Any focus she had went towards Charlie. And Guile seemed to agree with her initial thoughts when he said, "Stay back. This could be a trick."
Now she heard the newcomer more clearly. "I'm being ignored?!"
"Master..." someone else uttered.
At that point, Charlie stopped walking and glared at the group in front of him. He took a moment to adjust his glasses the way Chun Li remembered... taking his index and middle finger and pushing the bridge to bring them closer to his face. Then, to her dismay, he stood shifted his body into a fighting stance. Just in front of her, Guile did the same as though he had expected this to happen.
Within seconds, Chun Li could only watch as the two former friends battled it out. The whole time, she could only frown and shake her head in disbelief. What happened to you, Charlie? she found herself asking. What have they done to you...?
Aware of who Charlie was as well as his connection to both Chun Li and Guile, Cammy stood next to Chun Li and gazed at her with a bit of worry. "Are you okay?" the young woman asked with concern.
Once more, Chun Li was aware of the burning feeling in her eyes, her tears threatening to spill, but she refused to shed them. "I don't know," she found herself replying with a sigh. "I honestly don't know..."
Later, the stranger who approached the group, and who called himself Rashid, apologetically took the chess piece that had been delivered to her (later, it would turn out that they were fighting for the same cause). As he escaped along with his own ally, Charlie ran off in another direction. A part of Chun Li wanted to go after him, but she had already lost her head once today when she tried to fight Shadaloo's leader, Bison. She reasoned that going after Charlie would potentially make the situation more complicated than it already was.
"We'll figure out what's going on when we can," Guile eventually informed her once the adrenaline died down. Just by the look in his eyes, Guile was just as shocked as she was, but he clearly had a much better hold on it. At that moment, she felt herself shaking like a leaf, trying all she could to take deep, slow, even breathes in order to calm herself down. Now wasn't the time to lose it.
"Right now, we have to head back to base and report this to General Taylor," Guile continued. Chun Li had nodded to him in agreement before the two of them, plus Cammy, departed the city.
After witnessing all that, there were what felt like a million questions running through her mind; what happened to Charlie after all this time? How was he alive? Was it really him that she saw? Or was he brainwashed and being used by Shadaloo for their own amusement? One question she tried not to think about was, did he ever acknowledge the fact that she was there in any way and she just missed the cues?
With all the chaos that was going on with Shadaloo and the Black Moons, Chun Li knew that it was best to put those thoughts aside and focus on her work. The saying, 'Out of sight, out of mind,' definitely helped in a way. Then again, between that evening and a few days later when she was at the Shadaloo facility, the events that unfolded kept her occupied.
The chess pieces in question turned out to be keys in controlling the black moons and were most likely sent to them by one of the kidnapped hackers trying to keep Shadaloo from activating them. Chun Li helped to retrieve one of the chess pieces in Brazil before she traveled to the Shadaloo base to meet with some of the others who had the other pieces, including multi-billionaire Karin Kanzuki, who was leading their mission. Their goal at that point was to bring the keys together, activate the Black Moons, and sabotage it.
On her way to the control room, Chun Li ran into a little girl named Li-Fen, one of the kidnapped hackers who, as it turned out, used them to track the fighters who had the chess pieces. Chun Li had offered to help her escape, but the girl only explained that she had to do something first... something about looking for an usher. Despite wanting to help, Chun Li let the girl go and the two went their separate ways.
Chun Li and Karin arrived at the main control room at the same time right before Bison's second-in-command F.A.N.G showed up to stop them. Karin fought F.A.N.G which served as a distraction from Chun Li who put the pieces into the control device. When she was done, it didn't take long for all six black moons that loomed over Earth to shut down and abort what Shadaloo called 'Operation C.H.A.I.N.S.' In that moment, a friend of Chun Li's, Abel, emerged, revealing that he had been working undercover and sending information pertaining to Shadaloo's operation to Guile.
Then, within seconds, things started to go to hell...
Not only did the Black Moons reactivate, but they started up a backup program called 'The Descent.' It was exactly how it sounded... the black moons would directly impact the cities they loomed over, destroying them. Looking down at the main headquarters of Shadaloo below, Chun Li noticed F.A.N.G threatening Li-Fen.. most likely she was forced to initiate the descent program.
Then, Bison's power, known as psycho power, threatened to overtake Abel. And as Abel tried to fight it, Chun Li happened to hear a commotion below... and she took a glance downward. Immediately, she spotted her sworn enemy, Bison. And he was in the middle of battle... with Charlie of all people!
Any doubts she had over the possibility of him being controlled by Shadaloo were instantly gone in that moment. In a way, it was a relief... but at the same time, here was Charlie fighting one of the most dangerous criminals in the world. If Chun Li learned anything from her Shadaloo investigation over the years, it was that few survived an encounter with Bison, and she happened to be one of the lucky few.
But if, by some miracle, Charlie survived the first time, well...
"Chun Li!" she heard Karin calling desperately, snapping her out of her thoughts. Chun Li turned just in time to see an out-of-control Abel launching towards her with a roar. Without even thinking about it, the detective jumped up and managed to flip herself over Abel before he had the chance to grab her. Karin had done the same just next to her and soon the two were back on their feet and standing where Abel was moments ago.
Abel was then starting to go after them again when Karin had an idea. "Maybe if we lead him outside, we can take him further away from the power source and the psycho powers will diminish."
By then, Abel was too close and the two had to make a quick decision. Immediately, the two women bolted without thinking and began to lead Abel out of the facility. In the back of her mind, Chun Li could only hope that Charlie would survive his fight with Bison in the main headquarters below...
A few minutes later, Chun Li and Karin managed to make it outside, meeting with Karin's two associates, the wrestler R. Mika and the ninja Ibuki. Abel was still hot on their tail and it looked as though Karin's plan to lead him out of the facility was futile. And just as he reached them, another wrestler in their group, Zangief, jumped into the fray and knocked him back with what he deemed 'muscle power.'
At the same time, a helicopter flew in and it didn't take long to realize that Guile and Karin's steward were at the helm. Karin called for an evacuation so that they could regroup and form a new plan concerning the new development with the black moons.
But there was still the problem with Abel...
"He's not in his right mind," Chun Li said to Zangief, who's attention was on her friend. "We have to snap him out of it."
Zangief acknowledged her with a nod. "Hrm... well then..." he started to say before turning his attention back to her friend. "Abel! Why don't you throw all your aggressions at me! I'll take everything that you have with my muscles!"
It only took less than a minute for Zangief to knock Abel out unconscious. Perhaps, in Chun Li's opinion, it was a bit too much for Zangief to perform his spinning piledriver maneuver, but perhaps that's because the move seemed more devastating to watch than it actually really was, but that was just her guess.
Once more, Karin encouraged everyone to get on the helicopter. R. Mika and Ibuki got on first, followed by Zangief who carried the unconscious Abel over his shoulder. Chun Li didn't move right away and found herself gazing at the facility's entrance. She wasn't sure what she was expecting in that moment, but either way, there was no one in sight. The detective headed to the helicopter.
"Something's wrong," Karin suddenly said, which caused Chun Li to stop in her track. She turned and saw that Karin was staring down the same entry way she had been looking at just a mere second ago. It was as though the young woman was expecting something to come out from the shadows from that direction at any moment.
And she felt what Karin was feeling... a dark energy seemed to merge from that entrance and began to hover over the area they stood in. Using the training she learned over the years, she gave herself a moment to get a feel of the invisible energy in hopes of, somehow, identifying it.
She quickly realized that it was definitely not psycho power, which she got to know overtime. It was something else...
Suddenly, from the shadows, two people emerged. One of them was the man she ran into in New York a few days ago, Rashid. Next to him was his ally, Azam. And right behind them was Charlie!
He's okay... Chun Li found herself thinking in relief despite noticing the way he held his side, clearly injured. It also made her wonder the result of his fight with Bison.
And then she saw the source of the energy just a few feet behind Charlie... it was human man, but there was a dark red glow that surrounded his muscular body and he let out an inhumane yell. Whatever he was, he was definitely not someone who could be beaten even with three men for a reason... and she doubted that he was in any form associated with Shadaloo... the energy he emitted was much different from psycho power.
Instinctively, Chun Li jumped into the helicopter. And after being encouraged by her steward, Karin followed. The helicopter moved and began to rise, though both Rashid and Azam managed to jump inside with ease. This made the helicopter more crowded and Chun Li felt herself pushed back a bit. Naturally, she turned her attention outside...
From this vantage point, Chun Li could only watch as Charlie caught up, but by then, the helicopter was too high, so he was forced to jump and grab the edge of the helicopter's entrance. Chun Li was about to move to help him, but Guile beat her to it by pushing through everyone and got down to reach out for his comrade.
"Grab on!" Guile yelled out to him. There was a moment of hesitation on Charlie's part and Chun Li thought for sure that he was going to let go and fall towards the being who was gaining up on them. The detective held her breath and tightening her fists at her sides, fearing the worst.
Don't this now, Charlie, she found herself thinking. Not after we just got you back!
Her fears were dashed the moment Charlie reached out his free hand to Guile and grabbed on. Guile quickly pulled him up safely into the helicopter. In that second, Chun Li exhaled in relief at the same time the dark being below let out a bellowing, inhumane roar, no longer able to catch up to them.
Once Charlie was in the helicopter, the door was closed and they began to head back to regroup at their meeting point at Karin's home, the Kanzuki Estate. There was a bit of pushing as Guile headed back to the front of the helicopter, which was being flown by Karin's steward. Charlie didn't moved much and remained where he stood and it wasn't long before Azam moved to the other side of the helicopter to join with Rashid, who was telling Karin what was going on with the being who chased them (and also informed her that Bison was, unfortunately, still alive).
That left Charlie standing next to her.
Chun Li gazed up at Charlie and saw that he was looking at her. For what seemed like a long time, they remained this way, forgetting about those who surrounded them. To Chun Li, Charlie still had the same piercing blue eyes that were hard to forget even after all this time. But they weren't as bright as they once were. Once again, a million questions ran through her mind, mainly what happened to him and where was he all this time?
She also got a close up of the green 'patch' on his face, which was definitely sewn in. It looked as though that portion of his face had been damaged and the patch was the only way to repair it, or at least keep it covered until the skin was healed. It would definitely leave a scar if the latter was the case. It was the same with his right hand and wrist and right shoulder. There was also a teal-colored, oval-shaped gem on his forehead, a mark that reminded her of a bindi but a little bigger. She wondered what was going on with that.
Despite the million questions running through her head, Chun Li found that she couldn't even get a word out, unsure of what to say to him after all this time. For the first time in what seemed like a long time, she didn't know what to do.
Eventually, Charlie turned away and stared at a spot on the floor. Chun Li frowned and ended up doing the same... perhaps it was best, with them being surrounded by other people, if they didn't way a word to each other until they returned to the meeting point...
When the group returned to the Kanzuki Estate, Chun Li knew that things for the group would settle down for a bit and there would be a chance to catch up on everything that happened tonight... and she would find the time to talk to Charlie and finally get her questions answered. First, however, she took a quick shower to clean off the grime she collecting in their last mission. She had just got dressed and was getting ready to go outside when she heard footsteps entering her room. At first, she was annoyed at whoever just barged in without knocking.
"Chun Li," the familiar voice of Charlie called out.
Chun Li whirled around, slightly startled by his presence. The two gazed at each other in silence for what seemed like minutes (but was actually seconds) before she asked, "Were you waiting all this time?"
Charlie didn't answer, but instead stared at her. It was a bit unsettling, but Chun Li focused on his eyes instead, managing to see that he was just as confused about everything as she was. That was a bit of a surprise to her. He always seemed so confident and sure of everything.
Without thinking about it, Chun Li approached him until she was within arms' reach. Briefly, she hesitated to get any closer, but soon threw caution to the wind and closed the space between them. Leaning her head into his left shoulder, she wrapped her arms around his back in an embrace. Once thing that surprised her was how cold to the touch he was, but at the moment, she didn't care.
"I've missed you," she whispered to him. "Not a day went by when I didn't think about you..."
She felt Charlie's body go rigid for just a moment, but slowly he returned the embrace. For a long while, the two of them stayed like this, and Chun Li was content to enjoy every second in silence. For once, this moment was not memories that ran through her mind, nor dreams that came to her at night... all of this was real... he was real. In a way, it was almost hard for her to believe.
Charlie soon finally broke the blissful silence. "You know things are different now..." he told her quietly. It hurt to hear, but deep within Chun Li knew that he was right... two years had passed and she had changed since he died... he seemed to have changed even more so and not just physically either.
"I know..." Chun Li responded as she pulled away from him. "I know..."
"I'm sure you have a lot of questions to ask..." Charlie said to her.
Chun Li took a deep breath before she, even to her own surprise, suddenly shouted, "You're damn right I do!" She then quickly felt the anger and despair she didn't know she had draw to the surface. "Where were you this whole time? What happened to you? If you were alive this whole time, why didn't you try to contact me?! Do you have any idea what the last two years did to me?! It took me so long to move on with my life and now you're here and... I don't know where to start after all this time!"
She ended her outburst there as she felt the tears streaming down her face, but she chose to ignore them. The only other noise in the room was her shaky breath as she tried to calm herself down. She hadn't meant to get angry, but perhaps it wasn't a good thing to keep all these emotions of his return bottled up... emotions she didn't even realize she still harbored... and she ended up taking it all out on Charlie.
She should've known better after her father's death...
As Chun Li started to relax, Charlie stepped towards her and, in an action she didn't expect, he reached his formerly injured hand up to her face to wipe the tears away with his thumb, his fingers resting on the side of her cheek. "I... wasn't exactly awake these past two years," he explained, seemingly unsure of himself.
"Why is your skin so cold?" Chun Li ended up asking him as she grabbed hold of his hand, noticing how his fingers to her cheeks felt like ice to the point of concern. She couldn't remember when anyone's skin was that cold. It was the same feeling under her own hand as she touched his hand, the patch work feeling just like skin, but a bit more like rubber. It was just as cold as his fingers were.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," Charlie replied solemnly as he pulled his hand away.
Chun Li huffed a little. "After everything I've been through with Shadaloo, I'd probably believe whatever you say... unless you tried to tell me pigs could fly... that would be a little too much."
She noticed a small twitch at the corner of his lips as though he was suppressing a chuckle, but it disappeared just as swiftly as it came. "I'm not sure about that," he started. "But perhaps it's best for me to tell you straight." He pointed to the gem that was embedded in his forehead. "The one who brought me back... she wasn't exactly forthcoming on the details, but I assume this is what's keeping me alive. What... brought me back after two years..."
"So you were..." Chun Li started, but found that she couldn't say the last word, though she understood the implication of the gem on his forehead.
Charlie knew what she wanted to say and nodded. "They resurrected me, but despite that... I'm not exactly alive."
Chun Li's eyebrows knitted at that. "I... I don't understand..." she stammered.
"To be honest, Chun, I don't either," Charlie told her. "Like I said, the one who brought me back hasn't told me much. I only know one thing for sure... unless there's a way to make this work out... I don't have very long."
Hearing this made the detective shake her head a bit. "Don't have long... so... you're saying this is temporary...?"
"Again, unless there's a way to keep me going," Charlie explained. "But I doubt it..."
Chun Li shook her head in disbelief, wishing that she hadn't heard this. Why? she thought angrily. He's been brought back, only for him to be possibly taken again? That's not fair to him! That's not fair to me!
"Chun Li," Charlie started again, breaking through her thoughts. "To be honest... even if if this wasn't temporary... I... don't think you and I could... I don't think you'd want to remain with a monster like me."
Now Chun Li was shaking and she shook her head. "You're not a monster. Don't think like that!"
"Look at me, Chun Li!" Charlie shouted suddenly as he pointed to his face, startling her. She did look at him, but with defiance more than anything else. He continued. "Do you really think we can go back to the way things were with me like... like this?!"
Chun Li shook her head. "What matters is that you're still you. I'm not a fool to think that we can just snap back into where we left off... it's easier said than done. But don't you dare talk like that about yourself! You're not a monster."
She tried to gently reach out for his face with her fingers – the side of his face containing the green patch work – but Charlie immediately coiled away from her reach, clearly not wanting her to touch him any more than she already had. This broke her heart, realizing how much his change was affecting him.
"If you knew what happened to me that day," he murmured. "You'd understand..."
All these part few minutes did was throw Chun Li for a loop. Even though the man standing next to her was still Charlie, it wasn't the same Charlie who had left for South America to his death two years ago. It hurt her to see him like this and she only wished that, for his sake, he would remember the kind of person he once was... confident, seeker of justice, savior... all that seemed to remain now was his broken shell.
Then an idea came to her. Chun Li quickly walked over to the nightstand next to her bed and pulled the draw back. Grabbing for an envelope inside, she took it out, walked back to Charlie, and extended her arm hand to hand it to him. Charlie stared at the letter before slightly raising an eyebrow, recognizing it.
It was the last letter he had sent to her... the letter he wrote the night before his death...
"Maybe I don't fully understand what happened to you and never will," Chun Li said. "But I know one thing... you've forgotten the kind of person you once were. Things may never be the same between us again, but the last thing I want is for you to completely lose yourself and the person who used to be. Do yourself a favor... read this letter and remind yourself of everything you once fought for and everything you once stood for. Remind yourself of the person I fell in love with. If not for me... then at least for you."
Even after all that, there was no flicker of emotion in response on his part. All Charlie did was stare at the letter, his face almost like stone. Chun Li frowned, disappointed by his lack of answer. At this point, she only had one other thing to say. "I'll leave you here to read the letter. I'll have Guile meet you in his quarters when you're ready. I'm sure you two have a lot to talk about..."
With that, Chun Li walked past him and left the room, feeling more confused and upset than before. She didn't expect their reunion to perfect, but she wish that it had gone better. Maybe, when this whole thing with Shadaloo and the black moons was dealt with, there would be time to talk more... and perhaps say goodbye if it came to that.
Unknown to Chun Li, Charlie took a couple of minutes to read letter he sent her all that time ago. Then, when he was done, he placed it back in the envelope before slipping it into the pocket of his vest...
Keeping her emotions in check, Chun Li approached Guile and told him that Charlie wanted to speak to him. Guile said nothing, but he did nod to her in acknowledgment before heading into his guest quarters.
A half hour passed before the rest of the group starting this meeting, but it didn't even last a minute before both Charlie and Guile were pushed out of the room they were speaking in by Abel, who clearly woke up in his guest room and still being controlled by psycho power. Then, as Guile distracted Abel, something strange happened...
The gem on Charlie's forehead glowed a teal color just before he stepped towards Abel. He then reached his left hand out to Abel's head and absorbed the psycho power from the younger man. The process only took a few seconds (which seemed like agonizing minutes to the screaming Abel), and Charlie eventually used both hands to absorb the energy, but once it was over, both men collapsed in exhaustion, Abel more so than Charlie... and miraculously, Abel seemed to be back to his old self.
Once she was sure it was safe, Chun Li walked towards them and kneeled next to Charlie, but currently turned her attention Abel. "You okay?" she asked him. "Do you know who I am?"
Abel took a moment to catch his breath before he nodded to her. By then, Charlie stood up and Abel gazed up at him. "You're the one... who stopped my madness. Merci beaucoup."
Now it was Chun Li's turn to look at the man she once loved. She almost expected his usual 'Don't mention it' in response to Abel's thanks, but the only thing he did was stare at the young man she just saved. There what seemed like indifference in his face, but those blue eyes told her something else; he was tired... very tired.
More than ever, Chun Li wished that their previous conversation had gone better...
Charlie turned and began to walk away before Guile called out to him, which stopped Charlie in his track. He began to turn towards his friend, who had pulled an object out of his pocket and tossed it towards Charlie, who caught it with ease. Chun Li, who by then stood back up, knew exactly what they were without looking at them. The familiar jingle of dog tags clinking together gave her the clue.
"You forgot this," Guile said quietly.
Charlie turned his hand and opened then before gazing at the tags... his face once again lacking in emotion. He then clutched his hand into a fist before looking back at Guile. He then turned his head again and briefly gazed at Chun Li. This time however, she swore that there was a flash of what seemed like sadness through his stoned facade, but it was gone just as quickly as he turned and began to walk out of estate with Rashid and Azam following him, the three heading back to whoever the mystery informant was, who through a phone call with Rashid apparently had new information on their mission.
"Abel," Guile soon said, breaking the silence. "Go get some rest for right now, we'll update you on the next course of action."
"Okay," Abel agreed before he turned and headed back to his guest quarters. By then, Karin was discussing strategies with her steward while everyone else waited.
Guile approached Chun Li with a hint of a frown on his face. "How are you doing?" he asked her low enough so only she heard.
Chun Li sighed. "I don't know... I'm still trying to comprehend everything..."
"Yeah... resurrection can be a shock to anyone," Guile guessed. "Especially Charlie's case. Right now though, we have to put all this aside and focus on our operation. The world is depending on us and the last thing we both need is to be distracted by this."
Chun Li agreed with him with a nod. "Yeah... you're right."
It wasn't long before everyone returned back to base to stop the black moons and end Shadaloo once and for all. Chun Li and Guile, along the wandering warrior Ryu who joined with everyone just a couple of hours before, went in together to find a way to end Bison while Rashid, who informed Karin on their side of things, used a code he received from a mystery source as a way to stop the black moons' descent.
At the facility's core, Chun Li, Guile, and Ryu soon spotted Bison, who hoovered above the ground and who just defeated some of the ninjas Karin herself employed to help them out. "Here you are," Bison uttered as the trio arrived as though expecting them, greeting the three with the menacing grin that once haunted Chun Li's nightmares.
"Bison," Guile growled.
Chun Li got herself in a fighting stance, ready to take the madman down. "I'll end this right here!" she declared. She then noticed, just a few yards away, the young kidnapped hacker Li-Fen sitting in a chair in a fetal position, clearly frightened for her life. Despite Bison hoovering not too far and without thinking about it, Chun Li began to go towards her.
But the familiar voice of Charlie a few feet above stopped her. "Wait."
Both Chun Li and Guile turned and saw Charlie standing on one of the pillars that led up to a platform above. His blue eyes gazed at them both, his face once more a stoned facade, but those eyes gave him away once more... they read of both sadness and regret.
Seeing those eyes, Chun Li quickly realized what Charlie had in mind... he was going to fight Bison one more time... and he was going to do it on his own.
You're not going to fight this alone! Chun Li thought almost desperately. I won't let you! I won't lose you again!
She took a few steps forward, this time towards Charlie, but a hand to her shoulder stopped her from getting any closer. In annoyance, she turned to look at Guile, who immediately gave her a solemn shake of his head. Even through the sunglasses Guile wore on his face, the message was as clear as a bell to Chun Li; It hurts, I know, but we can't interfere. He needs to do this alone. Chun Li wasn't sure if she would regret it for the rest of her life, but she realized that Guile was right... this was Charlie's fight and his alone after the injustice that was done to him.
She and Guile both gazed up at Charlie one last time... and in that moment, even with the collar of his vest covering the bottom half of his face, she swore that she saw him give a reassuring smile towards them... this was the Charlie she remembered long ago. Perhaps this moment would comfort her later, she wouldn't know for sure until this was all over...
...She had to stop thinking like he wasn't going to make it though this...
And then just like that, he was gone in an instant. He and Bison moved up to the platform. From their spot, Chun Li, Guile, and Ryu couldn't see what was going on, but they could at least hear the conversation between Charlie and Bison thanks to the way the walls were built, their echoes traveling through the large room.
"No matter how many times you come back," Bison started. "You'll never win against my psycho power."
There was a long pause before Charlie answered, "Perhaps... but I will achieve my victory."
"Huh!" Bison huffed in amusement. "Then why don't I send you to hell so you can collect the victory that you're desperately looking for!"
From there, they could hear the battle rage on. Chun Li wasn't sure how long it lasted, but the entire time, she stood in her place with baited breath, hoping against hope that Charlie would emerge victorious... hoping that Bison would be defeated once and for all... hoping that Charlie would return to them... to her... so that perhaps they can finally say what needed to be said... and perhaps say their final goodbyes if it came to that.
Once more, she regretted the way their conversation went in her room. Had she realized that things would come to this, she would've taken what was probably her only chance to say what was needed to be said instead of being angry with him.
Eventually, Bison spoke again, snapping Chun Li out of her daze. "Heh! Pathetic attempt!" But then suddenly, a power source nearby shut down. A second later, Bison spoke again, this time in annoyance. "Now what?!"
Chun Li quickly realized what happened... Rashid had been successful in his side of the mission. "The psycho power supplying him has stopped!"
"The black moons must have been completely shut down!" Guile finished for her.
Their victory was short-lived however when a suddenly commotion was heard above... and then Chun Li gasped as she heard the sound of someone being punched, follow out a cry of pain that definitely belonged to Charlie.
What's going on?! Chun Li cried out in her mind as she clasped her hands together in front of her chest. Charlie, please be okay...
"You're a fool!" Bison yelled out to him. Next words were filled with amusement. "A little hit made you weak..."
Then there was silence, though they didn't miss the teal-colored glow that Chun Li was sure came from Charlie. At this point, she could only guess what was going on, though there was a little hope on her end... perhaps Charlie had a new trick up his sleeve, one that he planned all this time.
She heard Charlie growl in anger, "Game over, bastard. Time to play my last card."
Hearing those words, Chun Li suddenly remembered that moment back at the Kanzuki Estate when he absorbed the psycho power that took over Abel and made him nearly lose his mind. She also remembered how absorbing those powers made Charlie fall in exhaustion... If a small source of psycho power from Abel made Charlie fall to his knees... what did that say about the main source?
Oh no, Chun Li cried out in her mind again as she raised her right hand to cover her gaping mouth, not liking where this was going. No no no no no...
"You fool," Bison was heard saying. "Are you actually trying to die?"
Charlie let out a dry laugh. "That's a funny joke..."
And then, the teal-colored glow grew bigger and bigger to the point where the entire room lit up in the same hue. A struggled grunt could be heard on Bison's end, but it wasn't long before Charlie's screams could be heard by the trio below.
"CHARLIE!" Guile howled, most likely realizing what was about to happen. As for Chun Li, she could only stare at what she could see above in horror, realizing that there was a good chance that, unlike last time, she was about to witness Charlie's demise.
She would never get that chance to finish their conversation... she would never get that chance to say goodbye... all she would have was the tense moment back in her room and the memories of what they once had.
Charlie's screams were heard once more, this time louder than before... then it stopped as a loud explosion reached their ears and the teal energy formed into a ball and expanded bigger and bigger until it stopped just in front of the trio. Chun Li could only watch, waiting to see what became of this...
Soon, the energy dissipated... and only Bison emerged from the shadows, gazing down at the trio with that menacing grin Chun Li hated so much... and more than ever. At first, it was thought that Charlie's death was in vain... he wasn't able to defeat Bison as he had hoped... he hadn't received the justice he long deserved for himself...
Even with this realization, Chun Li noticed something different about Bison, but it didn't take her long to figure out what that was... the purple energy of Bison's psycho powers was gone! It meant one thing... Charlie's death was not in vain after all!
"His psycho power is..." Chun Li started to say.
"Yeah..." Guile finished for her solemnly, feeling the new found grief over his best friend's fate.
Still, even with Charlie giving them a fighting chance to defeat Bison thanks to the nearly diminished powers he absorbed, she couldn't help but think of the injustice done to him. Charlie should've been able to have the chance to finish Bison... if anything, fate should've at least let him take Bison along for the ride to the afterlife
All Chun Li could hope for at this point was that, once this was over, Charlie Nash could finally rest in peace...
In the immediate aftermath of Charlie's second death, Bison's second-in-command F.A.N.G showed up to try to stop the remaining trio. Chun Li stepped in to fight him, taking the opportunity to channel all of her new found grief, anger, and despair and unleash it onto F.A.N.G. Not only did it serve to help her save Li-Fen, the sole-surviving hacker who managed to help the group see to their victory, but it also kept him distracted and gave Ryu the chance to get up to the platform to finish what Charlie started.
She ended the fight with her famous lightning fast kicks with the final kick landing underneath his chin. The force sent the man hurling upward before he crashed back first into the ground and lost consciousness. That managed to stop him just long enough for Ryu to defeat Bison and end his tyranny against the world.
Later, with Chun Li carrying Li-Fen, the trio barely escaped the collapsing facility and they soon joined with Karin and the others outside. In that moment, they took the time to celebrate their victory before heading back towards the waiting helicopters...
The mood turned somber upon the group's return to the Kanzuki Estate. Despite succeeding in stopping the black moons from falling towards the Earth, ending Shadaloo's operation, freeing the once-controlled dolls, and more importantly destroying Bison for good, the very few losses in this fight seemed to leave a heavy weight on their shoulders. Of of Karin's ninja troops lost their lives in the mission. One of the dolls, according to Rashid who contacted them later, had died during the chaos. The friend that Rashid tried to find had also died by F.A.N.G's hand. And then there was Charlie...
At least now the heroes returned to the estate simply to collect their belongings before going their separate ways. From there, life would go on as usual. Then again, Chun Li wasn't so sure it would be that easy. It was one thing hear about Charlie's death two years ago. It had left her with a broken heart that took months to heal... and was still healing, she realized. But now, witnessing his second death and the way things were left between them beforehand, this time the heartbreak just felt much worse, and that was despite the numb feeling that overcame her since leaving the facility.
In the hallway of the estate after getting Li-Fen settled into her own room, Chun Li walked side by side with Guile as they both headed to their respective guest rooms. Neither of them had said a word to each other since leaving the facility, but Chun Li didn't miss how heavy the air was between them. She knew they needed to talk about what happened, but at the same time it would be hard to.
Eventually, Chun Li couldn't stand the silence anymore and she ended up asking, "Are you going to be okay?"
Guile took a deep breath at that question. "I really should be asking you that."
"Don't think you feelings over losing Charlie again is trivial compared to how I feel," Chun Li reminded him. "No one's pain should be less than another just because their situation is a little different. We should be supporting each other."
Guile sighed again. "I know... I guess it's because we're conditioned to think otherwise... but thanks..."
"Don't mention it..." Chun Li uttered... realizing those three words used to be said by Charlie whenever someone thanked him for something. By then the two reached the door to her quarters, but she wasn't quite ready to go inside yet... knowing that it would be the first chance she would get to be alone with her thoughts, unsure of what will happen the moment she walked into her room.
"What do you plan to do when you get home?" the detective ended up questioning her friend.
"General Taylor wants me to report back as soon as possible," Guile replied. "Once that's done, I'm thinking it might be a good idea for me to take a little break... spend more time with my wife and daughter. They've been wanting me to take them camping for a while and since it's still summer, well... now's the time."
"I think I'll take a vacation myself once my side of reporting is done as well as trying to figure out what to do with Li-Fen," Chun Li said. "After everything that happened, well... I may want to start slowing down a bit. Besides, my work against Shadaloo is pretty much over now."
"Sounds like you might be thinking of retirement."
"Maybe... but I'll see how I feel in a couple of months. Maybe I'll change my mind then."
By then, Chun Li knew the inevitable had come and she would soon be alone with her thoughts. She took a step forward and gave her comrade a hug. "Take care of yourself."
"You too, Chun Li," Guile replied before pulling back. "And... just remember... I'm just a phone call away if you ever need to talk..."
Chun Li simply nodded, knowing that his offer was concerning Charlie. When he died the first time, the two supported each other in their losses. Charlie had been like a brother to Guile so his death was like losing a family member. With his second death, it would clearly be no different, especially since the second time around seemed to hurt more than the first.
From there, Guile continued down the hallway towards his own room. Slowly, Chun Li unlocked the door to her room before entering, soon closing the door behind her. Turning on the lights, she turned to face her room when she happened to notice an object on her bed.
Leaning against the pillow was the envelope containing the letter Charlie had sent her more than two years ago with a small index card with writing on it next to it. Sudden confusion fell over Chun Li, not remembering seeing this before leaving her quarters.
How did this get there? She questioned.
Walking towards it, Chun Li soon sat down at the edge of the bed and reached over to the objects. She first took the index card and read the written note;
Hey Chun Li,
I stopped by before returning home, but you weren't here, so I left this for you to find. Nash gave me this envelope to give to you in case he didn't make it out alive... eh, you know... yeah. I suspect you two used to be close. He seemed like a pretty good guy (or 'good sir' as I liked to call him when we were working together). Wish I got to know him a little more. I'm sorry for your loss.
-Rashid
Chun Li sighed and placed the card down on the nightstand. Thanks, Rashid, she thought. She reminded herself to contact him when she got the chance. Not only could Rashid tell his point of view of what Charlie was doing during the operation, but also she appreciated that the man had recently lost one of his closest friends but still managed to take the time to deliver this to her... though she wondered why Charlie took the letter out of the room in the first place. She assumed that he left it behind after she gave it to him to look at in order to remind himself who he once was.
Taking the envelope in her hand, Chun Li removed the single piece of paper that was in it. She unfolded it, but then to her surprise another folded paper fell out and landed on the floor next to the bed.
"What the..." Chun Li uttered as she reached for the paper, not expecting that to happen. She unfolded it and saw that the paper was crisp and clean compared to the one used for Charlie's final words to her two years ago...
Looking at the top corner of the paper, Chun Li gasped in surprise... the letter was dated from yesterday. Charlie had written a new letter to her! More than likely, he wrote it sometime either while traveling back to his informant's hideout, or on his way to the base with Rashid and the others.
Slowly, and with tears she tried to hold back falling from her eyes, she read the words written in his familiar neat, cursive handwriting...
Chun Li,
I felt the need to write this out before we headed off to the base to stop Bison and Shadaloo. I wish I was able to tell you this in person, but between my jumbled mind as well as all the urgent planning needed to be done for this operation, this was the easiest way to convey everything... and just in case I don't make it out again, at least I can 'die' knowing that you would get this and you would better understand what's been going through my mind. You deserve better.
It's strange... I've always been about seeking justice the right way. Aside from joining the Air Force to follow in my father's footsteps, I've always had the desire to help those in need. It just seemed like the right thing to do. It's still the right thing to do, but I learned a very terrible lesson since my fateful day... faith can be shattered if the right moment and the right event shakes one to the core. I never thought it would happen to me... I always believed my faith would never be shaken... but Shadaloo... and Bison... proved me wrong. I guess my own death is one hell of way to do that.
Worse, I can attest to the fact that vengeance is a terrible, ugly thing.
Ever since I woke up, and ever since my memories of that fateful day came back to me, vengeance was all I thought about. It consumed every fiber of my being and I knew that I wouldn't rest until Bison was dead. Nothing else seemed to matter.
The crazy thing is, I really did die... I remember being shot down by men who I thought were my allies... I still remember trying to fight Bison, only to fall to my death down the waterfall. I remember that the last two people I thought of before darkness took over were Guile and you... The next thing I remember is waking up in that sarcophagus... and two years had gone by.
It hurts me to say that I never once thought of you or Guile until I was given my objective to find Guile and retrieve the chess piece that was requested, not knowing we were working for the same goal at the time. That night in New York, when I saw you two for the first time, I was elated to see that you were both doing well, you especially. But my quest for vengeance overrode common sense and I chose that moment to not acknowledge the past. Getting the opportunity to Bison was all that mattered.
I regret that now. Had I been more rational, I would've at least asked how you both been... perhaps comfort you and tell you that things would be okay, but that I had things to do. Something tells me you would've been understanding. I should've known better than to think you wouldn't understand at all.
I should've reminded myself what we once had all this time. Then perhaps it would've been easier to talk to you on that helicopter... but I only realized you guys needed me after Rashid told me his story concerning his missing friend back at the facility we were all in. It reminded me who I used to be... it reminded me what I used to fight for. It reminded me of my friendship with Guile...
It reminded me of what you and I once had...
It just took too long to fully click in, perhaps because I wasn't sure how you would feel... the letter I wrote to you, the one you kept after all this time, was what snapped me out of it.
You were right... for myself, I needed to be reminded of who I once was. That along inspired this letter I write to you now... and that gave me the resolve to see this operation – and Bison's demise – through to the end... and that's despite my chances of succeeding.
I wish we had more time to talk... maybe it would've better to say what we needed to say in your quarters instead of arguing. I understood that my time was short and how I needed to kill Bison, and yet I didn't think about how that would affect you. In my life, I've rarely been selfish and the one time I am, I ruin things. I hope that you can forgive me.
At this point, I can only hope that we have the chance to say goodbye when this is over... but something tells me that may not be the case. So just as a precaution, I write this letter to you, things I wish I said before my demise... at least now I have the chance to say them, unlike last time.
Chun Li... if Bison manages to kill me and escapes, promise me that you will never seek revenge. I still recall memories of what that did to you after your father died. I don't know what my first death did to you, but from what I've observed, it's hurt you and even as you clearly moved on, you're still hurting. I can only imagine what my second demise would do... to get me back only to be taken away just as quickly. If I was in your shoes, I would think that it would be the greatest injustice fate had ever handed to me. I've tasted vengeance... it's the most bitter thing I've ever consumed. I don't want you to go through the same thing I did.
Which is why I need you to promise me another thing... I know it won't be easy and it'll take some time, but I want you to enjoy what remains of your time on Earth. Life is too short to worry over the little things, to regret the past, and seek vengeance on the injustice that was done to me. Enjoy it to the fullest, do the things you've always wanted to do but put off due to your job. I recall that you've always wanted to teach kids kung fu...
And if you ever meet that someone you think you may want to spent the rest of your life with, don't feel guilty over how you think I'll feel. What matters is that I want you to be happy. Please don't mourn for me for life...
In the end of it all, no matter what happens to me, know that I'll always be with you...
No... scratch that...
Know that I'll forever be with you in spirit.
I'll see you on the other side when your time comes.
Love, Charlie.