Title: Punishment
Author: Jasmine Andres
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 10,567
Date Written: 20 November, 2012
Disclaimer: Street Fighter itself, Guile, Charlie, Balrog, M. Bison, Vega and any mentioned characters in the story are © TM CAPCOM. Everything else, the story, original character Dr. Ryan Derrick and concept is © and TM the author. The author absolutely does not wish to make any profit from her work, and no copyright infringement is intended.
Northwestern Europe – Berlin, Germany
Shadowlaw Headquarters
Night covered the city like a big, thick, and dark blanket, with the stars above and the electricity flowing through the populated area as the only sources of light now that the sun had fallen. Shadowlaw was no exception; while a select number of troops were spending their sleep time guarding the headquarters that held their sinister and often-covered up operations, a large majority had already retired to get the rest they needed to continue doing their work. Even Shadowlaw's leader and CEO M. Bison and his general Balrog were out for the time being until morning came. However, Bison's other general was awake.
Vega stealthily prowled the interior grounds of Shadowlaw, wearing an all-black standard stealth suit worn by Shadowlaw's assassins, complete with a utility belt, flak jacket and spit-shined boots. As he scanned the numbers imprinted on the doors as if looking for something, he couldn't help but feel a bit frustrated. He had just checked the last four floors but none of them had what he wanted. All of the doors were labeled with a letter indicated by floor, hyphenated by a specific number. It was a system that M. Bison devised himself after too many of his followers got lost trying to find out where they needed to be during the first days of Shadowlaw, leaving much work unfinished and everything else a scattered mess. If Vega tried searching for his targets without that system, he would've had a harder time.
Vega shook his head in disbelief. After hearing that story, he kept wondering why the hell Bison didn't think of something useful like it after he established Shadowlaw. He knew that it was human to overlook small errors, but his boss, who was arguably the most powerful Chi Warrior and psychic in the world, possibly couldn't be human at all to have at least some sort of common sense. Maybe that was why Bison nearly lost hold of Shadowlaw's operations when those accursed so-called Street fighters attacked his home base a few years ago. He was probably too busy making replacement bodies in case the current one he had was destroyed, either by his own chi or by his enemies at some point.
After checking the last door on the fifth one, labeled 'D', Vega headed for the elevator and pushed the up button. The elevator came up obediently and opened its doors, letting him walk in. The door closed afterward, and upon looking at the list of buttons on the panel before him, Vega leaned against the wall east to him, his brow furrowing deep in thought behind the white facial mask that covered everything down to his nose. Several seconds later, he pressed the 'G' button, which stood for the seventh upper floor. The elevator hummed a low sound as it traveled upwards until it stopped with a dinging noise, and opened the doors again. As quietly as he could, Vega, known as the "Spanish Assassin", got out of the elevator and into the new floor.
The seventh floor, or "Level G" as many of Shadowlaw's workers called it, was the second-highest as well as one of the nicer looking areas. It looked like a high-end version of those terminal tunnels airports use to lead people into a passenger plane, except with doors on the walls, covering the entrances to the sleeping quarters of those who slept here. A little further down the hallway caused Vega to remember that Level G was the floor where Bison's personal Elite warriors or those who had close ties to him slept. It was the same floor where Bison's female Elite assassination squad, the Dolls, slept before the attack on Shadowlaw. 'If I remember correctly, that girl Cammy used to sleep here with them, too...,' the Spanish Assassin thought. 'Or did she sleep on Level H, where the most higher-ups are? It's been so long I had forgotten most of the details...'
The door labels passed by Vega with each increasing number – G-2, G-18, G-34, and so on. He felt the urge to check behind the doors, but the last time he did that, he came dangerously close to blowing his cover. It was a good thing he managed to slip away, but he had no plans to risk it again. 'It's a good thing I'm wearing all black today,' Vega thought. 'No one will be able to catch me now.'Once he spotted a particular door, labeled G-57, Vega stopped and surveyed the door from top to bottom. Balrog once gave him the slip that his targets slept in that room, but that was what, almost three months ago? Vega's eyes squinted hard, both sides of his mind telling him either to go open the door in front of him or look somewhere else. He had to try, his own sleep time was almost up and he had a personal mission to do. Something involving personal grudges...
With a short exhalation of breath, the Spanish Assassin discarded all rational thought and headed for the security keyboard resting on the wall next to the door. He typed in a numbered code and pressed the Enter button, before the security system guarding the room accepted it with a light beep and opened the door. Vega took out his metal claw and clasped it on, and rushed into the darkness ahead. Four seconds later, however, he felt himself getting pummeled by a series of punches, before he heard someone shout a word he hadn't heard since the Alpha World Tournament.
"SONIC BOOM!"
In an instant, a powerful disc of sound energy rammed into Vega's chest, causing him to fly back and crash into the wall behind him, before sinking to the floor. At the same time, his assailant emerged from the darkness, his eyes crackling with light purple energy. Feeling like his entire rib cage caved in, Vega growled loudly and got back up again, his claw ready to swing and cut. But his opponent moved in a flash, dodging the attack and threw a series of punches before ending with a sideways roundhouse kick. Again Vega slammed into the wall, but this time the impact was enough to stun him for a while. When he came to, he found that his claw was not on his hand anymore – it was yanked off while he was out. He looked up to see the shooter end of a fully loaded Glock 17C handgun pointed to his forehead.
"Don't move," a voice threatened softly. "Or I'll curl my finger."
'Traitor?' Vega thought and blinked. His vision cleared some more and he saw a chiseled face, with blond hair combed into a tall flattop and bulging veins surrounding his eyes. It was Agent Light, formerly known as Lieutenant Guile Williams of the U.S Air Force. He was dressed in full gear: a dark blue leather suit, a pocketed utility belt, an armored flak jacket, and smaller versions of Bison's silver shoulder, knee and shin guards. He also had Bison's wrist guards, but they were upgraded to allow him to channel his chi energy better. His legs were strapped with additional pocket boxes that held something Vega didn't know what, but he assumed they held extra ammo. It was then that he remembered Agent Light was a shooter.
"Don't deny it, Vega," came another voice, cold as ice. Another person walked up from behind Agent Light, a pair of goggles glinting in the dim overhead light. Agent Shadow, formerly Charlie Nash of the Marines, was slightly taller but younger than his partner, and wore the same thing, but no ammo boxes and no gun holsters. "You've betrayed the Commander," Agent Shadow spoke, his contempt wholly directed at Vega. In his hands rested Vega's missing hand claw. "You've betrayed Shadowlaw."
The Spanish Assassin scoffed incredulously. "That's nonsense. I work as one of Bison's generals of Shadowlaw and an overseer for stealth and assassination missions. How could I possibly betray him?"
"It's quite simple, Vega: You hate us," Agent Light answered.
"You've tried so hard to keep it secret from us and the Commander, but we've known it all along. We can sense it from a mile away," continued Agent Shadow.
"I doubt that the Commander has sensed your intentions already, but according to his rules, no one is to kill a fellow Shadowlaw agent without his permission. Such an act is seen as treason, and the worst crime you could ever commit in this organization," Agent Light said.
"We know that you were about to commit that crime, Vega; Agent Light saw it in a dream long before you arrived at our quarters. His dreams don't lie," Agent Shadow warned darkly.
Vega responded with an amused snort. "Oh, so I can just ask Bison for his permission to kill the two of you. Why didn't I think of that?" he said sarcastically. "If I had done that, I wouldn't be wasting my time right now conversing with the likes of you."
"Negative. The Commander sees us as very valuable and competent assets, unlike you and that idiot Balrog." Agent Light explained unflinchingly, causing Vega to glare in offense. "If anything were to happen to us, he would have instantly known already. The two of us are connected to him, just as I am connected to my partner. That is why we see you as a traitor of Shadowlaw."
"Well not too long ago, you would've been pointing that gun you're holding to my face at Bison's head if you and Agent Shadow hadn't been brainwashed!" Vega snapped, causing his two enemies to raise their brows. "When I learned that Bison planned to recruit you into his folds, I protested against that decision, as I did not see the logic behind recruiting his two greatest enemies! But no-o-o, he didn't listen to me, and just proceeded to do as he pleased! I realized that once my boss put his mind to something, he never pays attention to anything else, so I went to do the job myself, one way or another! Once I succeeded in terminating the two of you, Bison would soon see that recruiting his foes was a very bad choice to begin with!"
There was a long, pregnant period of silence as the two elite Shadowlaw assassins stared long and hard at Vega, processing his confessional. Then, Agent Shadow spoke, "Negative, Vega. It shall be your life that shall be terminated."
The Spanish Assassin blinked in frustrated confusion. "And just what do you mean by that, Senor?" he demanded.
"You've already established your place," Agent Shadow replied. "You've made yourself look guilty than you already have."
"And by our terms, you've marked yourself as a dead man," Agent Light finished. He withdrew his outstretched arm to shake out the kinks in the joints, but shortly returned it to its original position. "You've got nowhere to run, Vega. My precognitive power can detect your every move, while my partner here can read your mind, though it'll end up hurting you more than it'll do him. Or we can tell the Commander and let him do the honors. Any last words?"
Vega, in his great frustration, mentally used every curse word he could remember in his Spanish tongue. Though he knew that he had great skills as a fighter, he was facing against two of M. Bison's finest whose bodies had been injected with Psycho chi. This both gave them their limited psychic abilities and was so powerful their attack could be enhanced ten times over, if possible. And plus, Agent Shadow had his metal claw, the only weapon in his arsenal. Agent Light was right: Vega was a dead man, unless he had a miracle on his side.
"Actually, I have one request to make," Vega finally spoke. He had an idea; he prayed it would work.
Agent Shadow made a "Don't trust him" gesture to his partner. Agent Light raised a shaved brow. "Make it quick."
In a split second, Vega quickly moved his leg in a low, sweeping kick. Both Shadowlaw assassins jumped back to avoid the impact directed at their legs, but it only served to give their target a wider area of space. Agent Light raised his gun and fired a shot, but Vega jumped out of the way, letting the bullet hit the wall instead, and somersaulted on the floor. Feeling a sudden rush of adrenaline, Vega shot right back up and lunged towards Agent Shadow, intending on getting his claw back. He's coming! Agent Light shouted a psychic warning. Quickly Agent Shadow threw the metal claw for his partner to catch, only to get himself tackled. Both men fell to the ground, but Agent Shadow somersaulted and flipped Vega behind him to land on the floor face-first, which would have hurt his face if he wasn't wearing his mask.
Growling with realization that the one he attacked first didn't have his claw, Vega turned his sights towards Agent Light, murder burning in his eyes. Agent's Light's eyes crackled with Psycho chi as his precognitive power was activated, causing the veins around his eyes to bulge more prominently. He threw the claw back to his partner and swerved out of Vega's way, grabbing one of his arms with a free hand and pulling the Spanish Assassin towards him. Vega didn't even had time to react before he felt a knee drive deep and hard into his stomach five times, before he was let go and had the butt of Agent Light's Glock gun smashed into his right cheek.
Vega reeled back far enough and felt blood trickling out of his mouth, seconds before Agent Shadow threw the claw at his partner and attacked him as well, the Elite Shadowlaw operative's eyes also glowing with Psycho chi. In an instant, he performed a powered-up version of one his moves, Crossfire Blitz, where he landed a series of Psycho chi-enhanced roundhouse kicks to Vega's face and upper torso. The last hits, a backhanded punch and an uppercut, were the most devastating, the latter coated with chi energy burning so hot and furious that it instantly caused his opponent to burst into flames as he flew through the air.
Luckily for Vega, the air gained from his momentum put out the flames quickly, leaving only singe marks and thin trails of smoke, but the searing pains in his stomach where Agent Light kneed him in caused him to cough up a lot of blood. He watched his two enemies close in on him for the kill. Without his claw, he wasn't going to have much success in gaining ground. He needed a solution fast.
Out of desperation, the Spanish Assassin strained into standing position and charged toward his opponents. Agent Light's eyes flickered again and prepared to do a counterstrike, but Vega did his first by instead quickly changing his path. He caught a brief glimpse of surprise on Agent Light's face before he slid underneath him and grabbed one of his legs, throwing him to the ground face-first.
The impact caused the Shadowlaw operative to let go of the claw, which slid far away from the trio on the floor's smooth surface, all the way down between doors G-13 and G-12. The impact also affected Agent Shadow, who was psychically connected to his partner, by sending a quick but sharp jolt of mental pain. Agent Light! the forelocked assassin cried and briefly abandoned his focus on Vega to tend to his partner. Said person, meanwhile, used the momentary distraction to quickly scramble on his feet and sprint across the hallway. To Vega's own relief, he finally retrieved his claw and he snapped it back on. He turned to the two Shadowlaw assassins across from him and laughed with glee as the three teeth of his claws glinted sharply.
"Now I'll show you why I am a feared legend back in Spain!" Vega announced with gusto.
Agent Light, who had been helped up by Agent Shadow during the time Vega was gone, growled loudly and poised his Glock to shoot, and pulled the trigger. The first shot was blocked by Vega's claw, which he held up just in time and left a slight dent in the teeth. The second shot caused Vega to shift to the right and run, his claw held outwards to skewer his opponent. Agent Light sidestepped out of the way and prepared to shoot again, but Vega, having had gained his confidence in getting his claw back, rushed in and thrust his claw at his hands.
Had Agent Light not moved in time, he would end up getting his hands skewered, but he did, and the claw only ended up knocking the handgun out of his hands. With that out of the way, Vega tackled his opponent to the ground and raised his hand to do him in. But Agent Light's precognition caught the move, enabling him to grab both of Vega's claw arm midway. "...Get...," Agent Light hissed through clenched teeth as he struggled to keep Vega from killing him, "...OFF!" He rolled to the left and threw Vega against the wall, but the Spanish Assassin recovered quickly and was on to him again.
Agent Light, cover your face! Agent Shadow warned as both his silver gauntlets began to glow with Psycho chi. His partner did so obediently as Agent Shadow withdrew his arms and swung them in front of him, summoning a Sonic Boom from his chi. The half-psychic, half sound projectile flew in Vega's direction and collided with him at high speed, throwing him off of Agent Light and allowing him to stand up unhindered.
Vega shook the effects of the chi off and rushed towards his opponents again, ready to swing his claw. Both Agents Light and Shadow got into fighting position, and then split up to avoid the swipe of a claw. Vega cursed for missing, but then decided to go after Agent Shadow first, since he had "weaker" psychic abilities than his partner. He swung again at the Shadowlaw assassin, but Agent Shadow blocked it with his gauntlet just in time, the impact between metal resonating with a loud clank sound. He pushed it away and delivered Vega a sweeping kick, causing the Shadowlaw general to trip and fall, only to have him thrusted into the air by a Psycho chi-enhanced Flash Kick. But Vega, nimble as he was, recovered and flipped onto his feet gracefully. When the two clashed again, this time Vega was able to catch his opponent off guard by grabbing onto Agent Shadow's blond forelock and pulled him closer towards his claw.
Agent Shadow bent his neck to the side and narrowly missed getting stabbed in the face, but the claw was so close he could only escape with a deep scratch on his left cheek, drawing first blood. Vega immediately tried again, but Agent Shadow grabbed the claw just in time, only to flinch in pain as he felt the sharp blades cut through his black leather gloves and into his skin. Vega forcefully pulled the claw away, the blades slicing deeper into the Shadowlaw operative's hands and drawing more blood, and tried stabbing at him again when he felt a Sonic Boom projectile hit his back.
Vega turned to look for the source of the Sonic Boom, but it turned out to be a big mistake, as he ended up getting a full punch to the face, forcing him to let go of Agent Shadow's forelock. Agent Light, holding the then-dropped Glock 17C, and furious that Vega hurt his partner, pulled him over and launched a furious flurry of punches, all enhanced by his Psycho chi, before launching a chi-enhanced Flash Explosion. "One! Two! STRIKE!" he shouted as he sent Vega flying higher with each Flash Kick. The last one proved to be the most devastating of his three Flash Kicks to Vega, who hit the ceiling above so hard his head made a small crack on the surface, before he landed on the floor, head-first, with a loud thud sound that echoed through the walls.
However, Agent Light didn't get the chance to fully tend to his partner's wounds, because once he turned his back, Vega recovered and proceeded to attack from behind. The only thing that saved him from getting stabbed from behind was his precognitive power, which caught Vega in the middle of a Sky High Claw attack, descending from a nearby high spot on a wall, claw outstretched for the kill. Quickly, Agent Light rolled both himself and Agent Shadow out of the way, and readied his Glock 17C. As Vega landed on the ground, completely missing his targets, Agent Light willed his precognitive power to work, and his eyes crackled with Psycho chi as he took a shot at his enemy's head..
Although it seemingly was a precise shot, Agent Light only managed to graze Vega's left side of his face because the latter had moved at the last minute. Vega cried out in pain and upon feeling the bullet wound on his face, he let out a scream of horror and despair with realization. "MY FACE! MY BEAUTIFUL FACE!" he shouted. He turned to Agent Light and rushed towards his opponent in such fury that the Shadowlaw assassin barely had time to react.
"YOU'LL PAY FOR WHAT YOU DID TO MY FACE!" Vega shouted again, executing a series of close-range but very powerful strikes with his claw in the midst of his anger. Though Agent Light was superior in terms of skill and having the advantage of having chi energy in a normal fight, Vega was equally deadly when he was angered, which he learned the hard way. The Shadowlaw assassin tried to fend him off as well as protect Agent Shadow from his onslaught, but the attacks came in a furious pattern, causing some to go through and give him serious wounds. Lastly, Vega aimed his claw low and managed to stab his thighs deeply, causing Agent Light immense pain and weakening the strength in his legs.
Laughing with maniacal glee, the Spanish Assassin performed his Splendid Claw attack, tripping his opponent with a sliding kick and sent him high into the air with a backflip. He twisted his torso and then swung his claw above him in an upward arc, effectively cutting through the back of Agent Light's armored flak jacket and producing deep slash marks across his upper back. As Agent Light screamed with excruciating agony as he fell to the ground on his back, his blood pooling out from underneath, Agent Shadow clutched onto his head as Vega's latest assault on his partner sent a tremendous wave of mental pain throughout his entire body, sending him screaming as well.
"AGENT LIGHT!" Agent Shadow shouted in response to his partner's pain, and crawled quickly to his side. Upon hearing Vega laugh, however, he looked up and glared at him through the tears that were just forming.
"Ho hum, that's what your friend gets for ruining my face," Vega said sadistically. He then started licking the blood off his claw, further angering the Shadowlaw assassin. "That reminds me, did you two say something about terminating me for being a traitor? I guess the tables are turned on you now. Since your friend is currently out of commission, it'll be easy for me to take you out then. Then you shall see who's the real traitor between the three of us."
Agent Shadow looked down at Agent Light, whose face was twisted in pain and who was sending out labored breaths. The pain he felt through their psychic connection was tremendous, and he immediately regretted not helping his partner when he needed him. He gently squeezed Agent Light's hand, sending out telepathic thoughts of assurance, then looked back at Vega again, his great sorrow gradually forming into feelings of rage as the memory of the Spanish Assassin injuring his partner repeated in his mind again and again. Light purple tongues of Psycho chi coursed through his body as Agent Shadow's chi powers emerged at its full peak, heightened by his strong emotions. Finally, he stood up, covered in Psycho chi, and glared at Vega in anger before he rushed at him at full speed.
"I'LL MAKE YOU PAY!" Agent Shadow screamed furiously.
The first thing that occurred afterward was that Vega suddenly felt a telepathic jab at his brain, catching him by surprise and making him grab his head. The second thing was that Vega was suddenly assaulted by a series of punches and kicks, some roundhouses, some uppercuts. The Spanish Assassin tried blocking them all, but because the attacks were chi-enhanced it did little to lessen the pain. Then he was sent flying by a powered-up version of Somersault Justice, with Agent Shadow releasing three devastating Flash Kicks on his opponent, his feet glowing Psycho chi.
Upon getting up on his feet, Vega spat out more blood and ran towards Agent Shadow, intending to skewer him. He thrusted his claw at his chest, but Agent Shadow swerved out of the way and tackled the Spanish Assassin to the floor, rolling a few times before coming to a complete stop. Agent Shadow then ripped the mask off of Vega's face and forced his claw hand to puncture the right side of his face, making him scream in pain.
"Let's see how you like it when your precious face is all beaten and bruised!" the Shadowlaw assassin spoke before punching his nose so hard it broke with a small crack, and he stood up again. Vega let out a yell, knowing that his face was further ruined, and rushed at him again. They soon exchanged blows, sometimes missing, sometimes hitting the target. This continued until Agent Shadow gained the upper hand by performing the Sonic Break attack, unleashing a torrent of four powerful Sonic Boom projectiles at Vega. All of them exploded on contact, producing a shockwave that dealt Vega a lot of damage and sent him crashing into the floor again. This time, he was left too weak to get up.
Panting heavily now, and with his body full of cuts and scratches that weren't there before, Agent Shadow stood over his enemy's body, as the effects of the Psycho chi faded away. He got on one knee next to Vega, and spoke softly, "I hope the Commander gives you mercy, because he isn't going to be happy when he hears of what you did."
"Go to hell, you ugly bastard," Vega hissed back, and spit his blood onto the Shadowlaw assassin's face.
Agent Shadow calmly wiped the blood off and put his hands around Vega's neck, and pushed his thumbs onto his windpipe. He applied enough pressure, not to kill him, but cutting off his oxygen until he passed out. After that, he slowly walked to the spot where his partner Agent Light lay, bleeding and broken, and dropped to his knees at his side. The moment he took hold of his hands, the Shadowlaw assassin's resolve crumbled into a sob as he started remembering how much pain his partner was put into. "...I'm sorry...," he whispered sadly, "...so sorry..."
...A-Agent Shadow...?Light's psychic voice, weak and faint, muttered into his mind.
Agent Shadow saw Agent Light strain his vision through the blurriness in his eyes as he turned his head to face him, his fingers uncurling. ...Agent Shadow, are you...
Yes...Agent Light...I-I'm here... Agent Shadow forced out telepathically. Then he laid his head on the metal chest covering on his partner's flak jacket as he started to break out into a sob in the midst of his own guilt. A-Agent Light, I'm so sorry... I couldn't...
Agent Light shook his head weakly and put a placating hand through his partner's blond hair. Shh...don't blame yourself, he whispered. ...You did all you could. If you were in my place you'd be worse off than me. ...Besides, your hands are busted up already.
This caused Agent Shadow to look at his hands. The silver gauntlets were okay, having just scratches, but his black leather gloves were put in tatters from Vega's claw. Beneath the shiny fabric material, he can see thin but deep cuts running diagonally across his palms and the bottom of his fingers. They were still fresh, but he can feel the blood starting to dry out on his skin. But compared to his partner's wounds, these look like small papercuts.
Suddenly Agent Light's body shook as he started coughing up blood, adding more to the small trickle streaming out of the corner of his mouth, and staining the turtleneck collar of his suit a deep red-violet as his life liquid made contact with the dark blue fabric. His partner tried to wipe away the blood, but his fingers only ended up smearing red all over his jaw, and after he stopped coughing Agent Light was left whimpering as he gasped for air.
Agent Shadow grimaced, saddened and sickened by the sorrowful sight before him. It tore his heart to see his friend so vulnerable as he is now. He mentally cursed Vega to hell seven times over and wished that if he did get there, he would burn for eternity as payback for cutting up Agent Light so badly. Speaking of which...
I'm gonna call the Commander for help, Agent Shadow finally declared.
...How are you- Agent Light coughed again -going to do that? He doesn't like late night disturbances...
If it came from us, he'll understand, Agent Shadow said, as he put a hand on top of his partner's, which was resting on his stomach. You, you need medical attention. The Commander's gonna be damned if you die on him, because looking for new replacements is tiring enough. And you're the only one I can work with.
...What about you...? Agent Light inquired.
Don't worry about me, Agent Light. You need it more than I do. Just hold on for me, okay?
Agent Light nodded and closed his eyes, exhausted from the fight with Vega and from the rapid depletion of his own blood. His partner sat up on his knees and gazed upwards to the ceiling, silently praying to whatever god was there for good luck before he concentrated his limited telepathic powers, his psychic voice sending out pleas for help...
OOOOO
M. Bison couldn't sleep.
About ten p.m or so, he was fine. But after a few hours passed, he found himself tossing and turning until he woke up feeling like a complete mess. As he sat in the darkness of his room, the Shadowlaw leader considered taking sleeping pills, but then he decided against it. First of all, man-made medicine had no effect on him. Second, he thought it completely silly to be popping bottle after pill bottle every night. After shuffling to the bathroom and drinking a glass of water, M. Bison went back to his four-pillar bed, grumbling a great deal, and slipped deeper under the thick wool blankets, hoping the warmth would help him fall sleep again.
Unfortunately for him, it didn't work. As soon as he closed his eyes again, M. Bison was assailed by dreams of fighting someone who fought with a sharp weapon. And despite his efforts in trying to defeat him, his opponent cut him up like he was nothing but wet paper. The last several seconds of the fight gave M. Bison so much pain that he literally sat up in his bed again and screamed while clutching onto his head. The dream felt so real, he can practically feel an intense searing pain across his back.
'Jesus, this never happened to me before,' he thought with a deep frown. 'What the hell could be causing my sudden lack of sleep? I really hope it isn't my damned Psycho chi again...'
Suddenly M. Bison felt a voice calling out to him inside his head, the arrival so sudden that he started rubbing his temples vigorously. But the voice was so clear and strong the Shadowlaw leader felt very sure it wasn't him imagining things. No, he suspected that somebody, or something, was trying to get his attention. And plus, the voice sounded so familiar. Wanting to get it over with so he can get his desired rest, M. Bison decided to respond back the way the voice spoke to him.
What is it? He called telepathically.
Then came a reply that surprised him out of his tiredness: Help! Commander Bison!
Agent Shadow!? M. Bison wondered, What are you doing up this late? You better have a good reason for calling me at this hour!
My partner, Agent Light, is seriously injured, sir! Agent Shadow's voice replied frantically. We were both attacked!
The Shadowlaw leader felt incredulity wash over him. It couldn't happen; his pair of assassins were both great fighters, and not only that he personally used his own Psycho Drive to transfer parts of his own chi to them, to ensure that they won't be toppled by anyone else. Especially those damned Street fighters who kept ruining everything.
I demand to know who attacked the two of you, he ordered.
Your own general, Vega, Agent Shadow answered.
At once M. Bison felt a sinking pit in his stomach, and then gradually was overcome with anger. So that's what his dreams were about! 'That conniving little piece of shit...!' he thought as he ground his teeth. After throwing aside his covers, M. Bison went to his closet and quickly threw on a dark red bath robe and a pair of slippers, before rushing out of his personal quarters. He made a quick stop at the quarters of his other general, Balrog, who was a few doors down, and pounded a clenched fist on his door.
"Balrog! Balrog! Wake up, right now!" the Shadowlaw dictator shouted an order.
There was a faint, but disgruntled groan on the other side. A minute later, Balrog, a dark-skinned man with wide cornrows and a muscular build, stepped out, wearing nothing but blue and white boxer shorts and his prized red boxing gloves.
"Wha' da hell do ya want?" Balrog grumbled a yawn but stopped when he saw M. Bison standing in front of him, looking as tired as he. "Oh, hi boss."
"I want you to come with me, Balrog," M. Bison said sternly.
"What, wha' happened?" the boxer questioned.
"Your fellow general Vega attacked Agent Light and Agent Shadow."
At this, Balrog's eyes widened and he punched his fists together in anticipation. "A'ight, take me to 'em."
OOOOO
The trip was rather short, to tell the truth. After learning from Agent Shadow that they were one floor below them, M. Bison opted not to teleport there since he was tired as hell, but instead rode the elevator down with Balrog.
When they arrived at the designated place, they discovered small puddles of dried blood and bullet shells littering the floor, a crack in the ceiling, and Agent Light and Agent Shadow themselves. Agent Shadow was on his knees, sobbing quietly and cradling his partner's body while a large pool of blood formed underneath the pair. Vega, the general in question, lay on the floor just a short distance away.
"Well damn," Balrog muttered in surprise at the grim sight before them. "...What happened 'ere?"
M. Bison said nothing as he stepped over Vega's body and walked up to his pair of assassins, his presence causing Agent Shadow to look up at the tall Shadowlaw leader. The Shadowlaw assassin saluted halfheartedly and looked down at his partner again.
What happened? M. Bison inquired.
Agent Light and I were sleeping when my partner foresaw Vega's attack, Agent Shadow explained sadly. When Vega actually arrived, we fought him and won, but... He trailed off, too downhearted to continue.
Fortunately, M. Bison caught on the unspoken words and knelt down in front of Agent Shadow, taking Agent Light's arm and gently pressed on the foremost nerve inside his wrist. There was a presence of a pulse, but it was gradually fading away. With a grim look on his face, he stood up and turned to Balrog, who was poking at Vega with a sock-covered foot. "Balrog, do you know where Dr. Derrick is?" M. Bison asked.
The former boxer blinked in confusion at his boss at first, but after thinking about it he nodded. "Yeah, I do. He's usually in da lab or somethin'," he answered.
"Go get him," M. Bison ordered. "Tell him that it's an emergency and his services are needed now."
Balrog nodded with a "Yeah, sure thing, boss," and ran down the hallway in the other direction.
OOOOO
Dr. Ryan Derrick, currently one of the youngest Shadowlaw scientists with a knack for anything involving biological sciences and cybernetics, was talking to two of his colleagues, surrounded by empty coffee cups and research notes, when they heard knocking on the laboratory door. "I'll get it," Ryan said and ran from his station to answer the knocking. When he opened the door, he was surprised to see a panting and sweating Balrog, who muttered, "I am never running down eight floors again!"
"Balrog! Is there something you need?" Ryan asked in puzzlement just as his co-workers walked up out of curiosity.
"...Oh, da boss wants ta meet ya. He said it's really important," Balrog answered between breaths.
The urgent tone in the boxer's voice told Ryan that something was wrong. "How bad is it?"
"Really bad."
At that moment, M. Bison appeared behind Balrog, followed by a sad-looking Agent Shadow who was carrying his partner's body in his arms. Upon seeing Agent Light's battered condition, Ryan stared in silence, realizing that the situation presented to him was even worse than he thought. He turned to his co-workers behind him and ordered without hesitation, "Get the stretcher ready, now."
The two other scientists nodded obediently and disappeared for a brief period, only to emerge again with a hospital stretcher used to transport the injured. Ryan motioned for Agent Shadow to give him the body, and Agent Shadow did so obediently, gently placing Agent Light onto the stretcher. He touched his partner's forehead with his own in a sign of closeness and whispered "Get well", before letting Ryan's fellow scientists strap Agent Light tight and wheel him away to the infirmary.
"Will he live?" the forelocked Shadowlaw assassin asked Ryan, though his head did not face him.
Ryan gave Agent Shadow a look of uncertainty. "I don't know," he answered. "If we act quickly, then yes, your friend will live. He sure lost a lot of blood..." He turned to M. Bison and Balrog. "Let me guess, an enemy of yours snuck in and took a hit at them, right?"
"No, one of our own," M. Bison corrected.
The young scientist turned away in silence, clenching his fists. "I certainly hope that bastard, whoever hurt Agent Light, will pay dearly for what he did. He must have punished him really bad despite all the upgrades we've given him."
'Oh I'm sure he will...,' the Shadowlaw leader thought grimly, thinking back to Vega, when he noticed something that caught his eye. He walked up to Agent Shadow and grabbed one of his hands, much to the assassin's surprise. Agent Shadow started to protest but was silenced when he saw his superior was inspecting his bloodied hands. After a few seconds, M. Bison looked up and called, "Ryan!"
Ryan stopped in his tracks and looked over his shoulder. "Yes?"
M. Bison strode over, dragging Agent Shadow with him, and showed Ryan the scars. Ryan instantly knew what was expected of him and nodded obediently. "I'm on it, sir," he confirmed. He gestured for the forelocked assassin to walk with him, and Agent Shadow silently complied, and followed him to the infirmary to get his own injuries fixed up.
Balrog watched the two men until they disappeared and turned to his boss, who now looked more tired than ever. "What are ya gonna do wit' Vega, boss?"
At the mentioning of his other general's name, M. Bison stiffened. He clenched his fists so hard, his knuckles looked like they were about to pop out. "...Get some rest first...," he replied finally, "...then, punish him."
M. Bison's entire being then became covered with a glowing mist of light purple Psycho chi, and his white eyes crackled.
OOOOO
The next morning, Vega woke up, sans his mask and claw, with one of the most excruciating headaches he ever had, worse than the hangover he got years ago in Spain after tasting sherry wine for the first time at a party. His body ached, too, when he tried to move, as the result from the events of last night. The Spanish Assassin wrung his neck. Speaking of last night, he couldn't really remember what happened. His memories were all a blur, swirling in his head like a thick fog he couldn't really see through. He wondered what he had done to make his entire being hurt so much.
After getting up and dusting himself off, he proceeded to walk back to his quarters when he bumped into something that gave his body a shocking amount of electric volts and fell to the ground, his body smoking and now covered with electrical burns. 'What the hell!?' the Spanish Assassin thought once he came to, only to be shocked when he saw thin, black columns of electrified metal. He had seen these before – they were part of Shadowlaw's prison cells, installed to keep prisoners inside and electrify them whenever they tried to do something funny.
This discovery caused Vega to inspect his surroundings. He was in a dark room, the floors and walls sleek and smooth like the "Level G" floor, with the only source of light coming from a small window behind him, too small to squeeze through, and the dim overhead lights on the other side of the metal bars. There was a small cot on the wall to Vega's left for sleep, and a toilet and a sink on his right. The place he was currently in seemed all too familiar, but Vega couldn't remember where he was, until he looked down at his current outfit. He wasn't wearing the black stealth suit anymore. He was wearing a white collared, long-sleeved shirt with buttons on the front and blue-violet stripes running down his torso and his baggy pant legs. A white cloth tag was sewn onto his left breast side, reading "0198".
It was then the Spanish Assassin realized that he was wearing the same clothes the Jewish race along with non-Germans wore during the Holocaust in World War II. He now knew where he was - in one of Shadowlaw's prison cells. That was why he got electrocuted by the bars.
Before he could raise hell over the situation, Vega heard a cool, baritone voice speak to him, "Well, you're finally awake now." A tall, muscled man stood on the other side of the bars, wearing a dark red military uniform with large, thick, silver shoulder plates and protective guards on his wrists and lower legs. Black spit-shined boots adorned his feet. A red cap with a black visor rested on top of his combed black hair, with a winged skull insignia on the front standing for Shadowlaw. A long, dark blue cape draped his shoulders and gathered at the ground behind his heels. Dark circles surrounded his white eyes, making him look even more menacing.
"Master Bison!" Vega exclaimed in surprise.
M. Bison narrowed his eyes at whom was now his prisoner, strengthening the contempt in his glare. Though he certainly looked a lot better than he was last night, that didn't mean he was in a happy mood. "Correction," the Shadowlaw leader spoke, "you no longer serve me. So you no longer have the simple privilege of calling me by that title."
Vega's face washed over with confusion. "What do you mean, Senor? Why am I in a prison cell? What is going on here?" he asked.
"Don't play dumb with me, Vega," M. Bison snapped. "You know fully well what you did last night. Or has your puny brain been whacked around so hard all of its contents spilled out?"
Vega rubbed his eyes, trying to remember what happened. Suddenly, all the memories covered in the fog came back to him. He remembered prowling through the grounds of Shadowlaw, searching for Agent Light and Shadow. He remembered engaging in a long, vicious fight, but either one of his opponents gained the upper hand and defeated him by knockout.
"Wait...so I have been thrown in here," Vega mused, "because of...what happened to Agent Light and Agent Shadow?"
M. Bison nodded. Then he shouted with sudden anger, "Were you completely out of your mind last night, Vega!? Since when did you think it was okay to attack my soldiers like that!?"
The Spanish Assassin, at the recalling of Agent Light and Agent Shadow, started to ball up his fists until his knuckles turned white. He whipped around and shouted back, "Well I have my own reasons for that decision! There's your answer!"
M. Bison crossed his arms, not liking his prisoner's answer one bit. "Just because you were one of my generals doesn't mean you have the right to do whatever you please, Vega! I demand you tell me the real reasons why you decided to attack my prize assassins!"
Vega glared at his former boss with contempt and anger. "You mean your enemies?" He scoffed. "Why should I tell you? You're the psychic out of the two of us. You should already know why I went after them!"
"Spare me the drama, you twit. I don't do meaningless trifle unless it fulfills my purposes. Now tell me or I shall kill you where you stand!"
Vega stared back at the Shadowlaw leader, unfazed by the verbal threat, while M. Bison stood firm on the spot, unmoving. The staring contest went on for minutes. Until at last, the Spanish Assassin couldn't bear the uncomfortable silence any longer and told his visitor everything. "Ever since you hired those two, I felt completely angry," he said. "I couldn't see why you'd hire somebody who was a part of that fighting community you kept talking about. I knew about the Street fighters and of their opposition towards you, and I was afraid those two would eventually bring Shadowlaw to ruin. So I tried to convince you to drop them."
Then Vega jabbed an accusing finger at M. Bison. "You, however, wouldn't listen, no matter how many times I tried talking to you! You absolutely refused to listen to my reasoning! You decided that with Guile and Charlie at your side as a replacement for Cammy and the Dolls, things would turn out alright! M. Bison, those two tried to bring your operations down once. I'm not letting it happen again!"
"So you're saying that I have a poor sense of judgment?"
Vega nodded fiercely, the anger and hatred burning brightly in his eyes. M. Bison turned away, trying to process this new information. His own angry feelings threatening to boil over and explode, and he felt the urge to turn the Spanish Assassin's vital organs inside out right then and there, but he decided against it when he faced his prisoner again.
"You have gone too far this time, Vega," the Shadowlaw leader spoke menacingly. "I once held you in high confidence due to your skills, but my faith wavered considerably when you decided to go against my orders and preserved Cammy's life instead of killing her along with the Dolls seven years ago. And now that you've sent my prize assassins to the infirmary, I've decided that this is the last major straw. You think that I would screw myself over by hiring my enemies? Well, I'll tell you my side of the story:
"By the time I met Guile Williams and Charlie Nash during the Alpha World Tournament, I was searching for the culprits behind the sabotaging of my operations. I originally planned to kill them both for giving me and Shadowlaw so much trouble. But after witnessing their strength and might, I knew they would make good replacements for Cammy and the Dolls, since they worked so well together. And not only that, I've learned that taking my enemies and pitting them against their friends is a really good strategy. That was why I hired them, and how Agent Light and Agent Shadow came to be. They were once strong allies of the Street fighters, but now I've taken them and turned them into their greatest enemies."
Vega continued to stare at his former boss, but he said nothing in return, having had his side of the argument lose now that he learned the truth. M. Bison took a deep breath and said, "You're lucky I left you in one piece when Balrog and I found you last night. However, that doesn't mean you're getting out of this place alive. Once everything is settled down, you are to be publicly executed in front of the entire Shadowlaw roster. Everyone needs to know about how good you were at being their role model."
With that, the Shadowlaw leader turned on his heel away from the prison bars, and walked down the lit hallway the way he arrived, his cape trailing behind him. Vega slowly walked to his cot and collapsed, burying his face into his hands.
OOOOO
Days turned into weeks, and the weeks turned into months. Agent Light, who had been severely injured during his fight with Vega prior, started out slow in recovery due to a massive loss of blood, making Dr. Derrick and his co-workers work harder than ever to ensure his survival. Fortunately, luck was on Shadowlaw's side for M. Bison's assassin eventually pulled through and healed rather swiftly. This delighted the scientists, who all eventually decided it was time to release their patient.
When Agent Light finally walked out the doors of the infirmary, dressed in full gear again, he caught sight of his partner, Agent Shadow, who saluted him with a smile. He saluted, too, but then he was tackled and promptly brought into a tight embrace. I missed you, Agent Shadow whispered telepathically.
Agent Light was surprised, but then he returned the favor and grasped his partner by the shoulders. It's good to see you again, Agent Shadow, he replied the same way. How are your hands?
They're fine now, Agent Shadow answered. One of Ryan's friends is good at knitting, so he was able to stitch me up pretty quick. What about you?
The brush-haired assassin fell momentarily silent at the question. Well I'm alive now, that's for sure. But I think I'm going to carry Vega's back scars for the rest of my life. They've healed already, but the marks are permanent.
Agent Shadow nodded. Then his partner asked him, Just to be curious, how long was I out?
...You were in a coma for almost ten months, I think.
...That long?
Yes. Then the forelocked assassin hugged his partner again and pointed a finger on the metal chest part on Agent Light's flak jacket, scolding, Don't you ever scare me like that again, you hear?
I won't, trust me.
Just at that moment M. Bison walked by, causing Agent Shadow and Agent Light to stand at attention and salute him. "Commander Bison, sir!" they said simultaneously.
The Shadowlaw leader nodded at his prize assassins in solemn acknowledgment, then turned to Agent Light. "Welcome back, Agent Light," he greeted. "I assume your operation went well?"
Agent Light nodded in response. "Affirmative. Dr. Derrick's services were exceptional."
M. Bison rubbed his chin in thought as he thought about Ryan for a moment. Then he said, "Remind me to give that man a raise for helping you get back into duty. In the meantime, Agent Shadow, Agent Light, I have new orders for you."
Although confused, his prize assassins leaned in to hear what their commanding officer had to say. After M. Bison briefed them on their newest assignment, the two men saluted him again with eager anticipation.
"We'll do it gladly, Commander Bison," Agent Shadow confirmed.
OOOOO
Later that day, everyone, both men and women, gathered in Shadowlaw's outer courtyards around the stage where their leader was supposed to meet them. The main infantry and assassination squads stood in front of the stage in rows, with the scientists and technicians and whatnot sitting at the sides in chairs. The stage itself was reserved only for people part of M. Bison's inner circle. Dr. Derrick stood at attention, wearing a black tuxedo and his black hair combed back into a ponytail. Because he was also Shadowlaw's leading scientist, no one dared question his choice of clothing. Balrog stood at left in his usual boxer uniform, fidgeting and looking quite impatient. Also standing with the group are M. Bison's military generals, decorated in their full glory. Agent Light and Agent Shadow, however, were both nowhere to be found.
Suddenly M. Bison appeared on the stage in a flash, glowing brightly with Psycho chi. The soldiers and scientists cheered at the presence of their leader, shouting all together, "All hail Lord Bison!" Only Dr. Derrick, Balrog, and the military generals stayed silent, although Balrog was relieved to see his boss there, having had been standing for about an hour or so waiting for him.
"Greetings, all of you!" M. Bison's voice boomed once he got the excitement calmed down. "Today, we are all gathered for a very special occasion. You may think that this is merely a debriefing, but that is not the case."
The Shadowlaw leader stopped to clap his hands twice. Then, almost immediately, Agent Shadow and Agent Light themselves emerged from the dark, dragging their prisoner along with them. The prisoner himself was tightly bound in steel handcuffs, and his head was covered with a small, brown burlap sack with holes cut out for the eyes.
The prisoner was then forced up the stairs leading up to the stage and thrown onto the ground in front of the audience. Agent Shadow pulled Vega up by the back of the prison uniform shirt onto his knees and yanked off the burlap sack covering, revealing the unshaven, dirty face of a man with long brown hair, a broken nose, and permanent scars. A large gasp erupted from the crowd once everyone saw who the guest of honor was.
"Vega!?" Dr. Derrick exclaimed, hands covering his mouth in disbelief to what he was just seeing. "He was the one who attacked...!?" He stared at the two Shadowlaw assassins as they walked to their places where the rest were standing, eyes widening even more as he put the connections into place. Balrog, however, did not react the same way the scientist did, and instead just grunted and smirked, showing a missing tooth gap.
"Heh, Pretty Boy's gettin' what he deserves," the former boxer muttered.
M. Bison ignored the commotion behind him and spoke again, "The reason why we are here is to let all of you see who Vega truly is! He is here with us today is because he betrayed you...by attacking his fellow operatives!"
At this the audience gasped even louder. Vega himself growled at his former boss and everyone else watching him, feeling like a caged animal at a zoo. He wished so badly he had his claw right now.
"He has judged my talent in choosing new Shadowlaw recruits to be unworthy, so he decided to do the choosing for me," M. Bison continued. "Fortunately, my top operatives Agent Light and Agent Shadow were able to fend him off, though Agent Light nearly died in the process. My followers, it has been in your memory that no one, and I mean no one, is to kill a fellow agent of Shadowlaw without my permission! Do you think Vega should be forgiven for this transgression?"
"NO!" shouted the audience suddenly in one loud voice.
"Do you think banishment from Shadowlaw would help Vega atone for his actions?"
"NO!" the audience shouted even louder.
"Then it has been decided. Vega shall die here at this very minute. He doesn't deserve the life he was offered here at Shadowlaw." Then the Shadowlaw leader stepped aside and looked at his prize assassins, gesturing a hand towards the bound prisoner. Agent Shadow looked at Agent Light, who was staring at the backside of Vega's head, deep in thought.
Do you want to go? Agent Shadow inquired.
Agent Light turned to his partner, concern in his eyes. Not unless you want to. He attacked you, too.
That's true but..., you're the one who received the most damage. I think you should do the honors.
The brush-haired assassin thought it about for a little bit, and then nodded in agreement. He left his spot next to Agent Shadow, and walked up to Vega. "Hello, Vega. Remember me?" he spoke softly. However, he made no attempt to hide the great contempt he held for the Spanish Assassin, who looked over his shoulder at the sound of his voice and glared at the person standing behind him.
"Hmph. I thought you were dead already," Vega spat, his words laced with venom.
Agent Light shook his head. "Negative," he replied, "that was months ago. Dr. Derrick was a good doctor; he helped me recover from that uncalled confrontation you got me and my partner into."
Vega growled again. "If I had my claw with me I would've finished the job right now. I still can't believe you and your friend got me into this mess."
"Negative. It was your own actions that got you where you are right now. Had you actually had some decency to decide not to attack us, you would've lived another day. Too bad you thought with your claw rather than your head."
The Spanish Assassin blinked in mock-surprise as he watched Agent Light take out his Glock 17C rifle out of its holster on his right thigh. "So M. Bison put you as my executioner now?" Vega inquired. "I'm not surprised..."
"Negative. I chose the role myself." There was a loud click as the brush-haired assassin took out the handle and checked how much bullets were left inside, before he clicked it back on. "The last time I shot you, I ruined your face. I'm not making the same mistake again."
Vega snorted in amusement as he remembered their fight, and shook his head. "Well...hurry up and get it over with," he ordered the Shadowlaw assassin, resignation in his voice. "My..."fans"...don't have all day to watch you dawdle."
"Affirmative," Agent Light replied and aimed the shooter end at the back of his enemy's head. "I will make this quick and painless as possible."
Everyone held their breaths and watched with silent anticipation as the brush-haired assassin gently placed his pointer finger on the Glock's trigger and carefully turned off the safety switch at the bottom, making a small click as he did so. Meanwhile Vega closed his eyes and bowed his head, accepting his fate as he waited for the moment to come. In that time gap, his own life flashed before his eyes. Memories of living in Spain with his beautiful mother. Learning the traditions of bullfighting and studying the hidden art of ninjitsu in Japan. Going to late-night parties with his friends. Coming home to discover blood on his ugly stepfather's hands. Donning the mask and the claws to begin his crusade to preserve the beauty of the world.
In the last remaining seconds, the Spanish Assassin recited a prayer of the Virgin Mary, one that he remembered his mother reciting every day in church long ago:
"Blessed be your purity,
May it be blessed forever,
For no less than God takes delight,
In such exalted beauty.
To you, heavenly princess,
Holy Virgin Mary,
I offer you on this day,
My whole heart, life, and soul.
Look upon me with compassion.
Do not leave me, my Mother."
A loud bang suddenly cracked into the air, the very sound resonating through everyone's ears before it was gone in an instant. A blanket of gloom hung all around them. In the long silence that followed, Agent Light stared at the body before him for what felt like hours, while his partner, his commanding officer, and the rest of Shadowlaw's inner circle watched from afar, neither daring or having the heart to say anything of the situation before them. Only Agent Light himself broke the silence.
"Vega – enemy of Shadowlaw. Status: terminated."
He clicked the safety on and put the Glock 17C back into its holster. And that was the end of it.
AN: And there you have it! This was the result of a little plot bunny that wouldn't really go away until I had to force it out. Basically what if Guile and Charlie from Street Fighter were instead taken by Bison during Street Fighter Alpha 3 and brainwashed like the Dolls. I tried to be as accurate with the characters as possible in this drabble, as well as write good action scenes. I'm not good with those.
R&R, if you want. Constructive criticism and opinions are welcome.