Chapter 2: Vanilla, White Existence
18 years ago, Cammy White received news that would forever change her life.
Shadowloo is gone. S.I.N is no more. Seth is dead. Bison is dead.
It took her a while for this information to truly sink in, and when it did she was hit with a torrent of emotions. Happiness, that the man who not only wrought destruction in her life, but those of some her friends is gone. Curiosity, as to how it happened, and who did it? It wasn't Delta Red. It wasn't Interpol or the USAF, as both Guile and Chun-Li called Cammy that day. And that curiosity grew into something else…
What now?
That question would wreak havoc throughout her personal and professional life in the years to come.
It was revealed that it was once heated rival Juri Han who was behind it. She had sat on the sidelines while Bison and Seth battled it out. She picked off the winner, destroyed what remained of Shadowloo, and seized power in S.I.N for herself.
For one week…
Juri had an epiphany of sorts during her tenure as head of S.I.N. She then took it upon herself to dispatch the staff of base, non-fatally surprisingly enough. With even more of a surprise with the help of Balrog, Vega and Crimson Viper! Who, by the way was CIA agent all along! Viper then called in the cavalry, making arrests, seizing evidence, so on and so forth. (A)
After all the dust settled Balrog, Vega and Juri all walked with very strict probation, likely due to cooperation. They, however, were warned to keep their noses clean otherwise they'd be thrown into the deepest darkest hole imaginable. And it was to Cammy's great pleasure that she served as Juri's P.O of sorts, during Juri's. (B)
What now?
After Juri's probation ended, Cammy stayed on with Delta Red for another few months. And it was rough. So much of her life, and even her own identity at that point was wrapped up in bringing down Bison and Shadowloo. And with those obstacles gone, she seemed as if she was just going through the motions. Sooner or later that mind set can spell disaster for her or her Delta Red teammates. It was after a particularly disastrous mission that Colonel Wolfman pulled her aside.
"Cammy?" he asked solemnly. "What was that back there? You're never this hesitant! I know you've been distracted lately, but I'd figure you'd work through it. What's the matter?! I'm not asking as your superior, I'm asking as your friend."
"I don't know. I just feel empty lately." Cammy started. "Like I have nothing to look forward to, nothing to work for. Ever since I got word that Bison and Shadowloo was finished, there's like been a hollowness inside me. Having Juri answer to me managed to hide it for a while, but it's been growing since she got off probation!"
Wolfman looked down on Cammy with a perceptive look. Paramilitary work was basically all that Cammy knew. Whether in reference to her work in Delta Red, or the darker days of time as a Doll in Shadowloo. She knew little else. She had friends, her cats, but without Bison to chase around she lacked direction. "Cammy, have you ever thought about what you would do after we brought down Shadowloo?"
"No, not really. I mean we kind of got word rather suddenly. And to be honest it hadn't really sunk since a few months ago, when Juri's probation was winding down. She asked me the same thing…" she trailed off.
What now?
Wolfman took another look at her. He takes in her appearance, how young she looked for her age, espcically at that moment. The strong, determined, battle-hardened woman and solider was gone, and was replaced with the scared, confused, 16 year old amnesic little girl he'd seen when he first met her. He knew exactly what to do at that moment. He looked down on Cammy one last time before smiling sadly. "You're done…" he said with a finality to his voice.
"What…?" Cammy stammered, with a confused, hurt look on her face.
"There's nothing much here for you at Delta Red, I'm sorry to say. Yes, you have Lita, George, Matt, and myself, but…"
"SIR!" she interrupted. "…Keith…there's still threats out there. And more than capable then handling myself in the field. How dare you imply ineptitude on my part!"
"It's not your competence I'm questioning Cammy, it's your want, your desire for this. And you performance in the field tells me your head is elsewhere. I know it, Cammy. And if look down deep enough I'm sure you'll realize it too." Wolfman yelled. He let an audible sigh and continued. "I love you Cammy. You're like the daughter I never had, and I always try to keep your best interests at heart. Even if you can't see that sometimes. The fact of the matter is, I'm in charge of this entire operation, and I can't have one of my soldiers off her game due to a question of 'what now?'"
"…I don't know what to say, Sir?"
"You don't have to say anything. Go see the others in the infirmary. Clean out your desk. You're done here Cammy…"
"Alright…" she said in a defeated tone, her shoulders slumped.
Wolfman took Cammy up his arms and gave her a hug, which she returned. "What will you do now, kid?"
"I don't know. I honestly don't know."
"I you can chase that guy you've been crushing on." Wolfman blurts out with a smile. "What's his name again, Kevin, Kyle, Kevin…?" he trails off.
"Ken," Cammy corrected, blush staining on her face.
She not only lost her career, but also lost her makeshift family (barring a few friends from street fighting including an Interpol agent, USAF Major, and an illegally adorable blonde ansatsuken stylist) in her Delta Red comrades. At the time this was like a deathblow to Cammy. She had no clue what to do next.
So, Cammy did the unthinkable…
She cleaned her flat…
What now?
Cammy acclimated well to civilian life (barring a few hiccups with wearing her leotard in public gyms). She attempted to continue her relationship with her Delta Red squad mates. But them being at the beckon call of whatever threat, whenever it decided to rear its head put a strain on their relationship.
It was at the behest of Chun-Li that Cammy reached out to her 'sisters', however none (but Juni and Juli) wanted nothing to do with her. Cammy concluded it was because she reminded them all of their dark days as Dolls. Juli actually ended up returning to Mexico with T. Hawk not long after her recovery. And Juni wanted to move stateside. With her friends in Delta Red almost always busy, Cammy decided a move to the US might've been the best move for her at that point (and would make her impossible chances of getting with a certain blonde businessman/martial artist a little less impossible). Wolfman and the others at Delta Red agreed, and with their blessing saw Cammy and Juni off to San Francisco.
Money wasn't an issue for Cammy. A combination of a well-paid salary, and very frugal tastes had left her with a sizeable pile of cash to support her and Juni for some time. But Cammy knew it wouldn't last forever. She purchased a decent sized home, in an upper-middle class neighborhood and two cars (one for her and one for Juni). Cammy had a small crisis of what she's going to do for the rest of her life. Chun suggested she join Interpol and be her partner, but she figured without the Bison to chase things would end up the same way at Delta Red. Guile suggested she take a position as a combat instructor for the military. She actually stuck with that for a while, but she end up quitting simply because she wasn't that passionate about it. It wasn't until one night she was channel surfing aimlessly, mulling things over when the cream colored answer plopped into her lap mewing for attention.
What now you say?
Cats! Felines! Mousers! Toms! Tabbies!
"A vet!" she exclaimed. "Or at least one that deals exclusively with cats!" she finished, giggling.
And so Cammy went to school, graduating with honors, and still had the money to start her own practice. And her cat hospital was successful and continues to be successful to this day.
But there was still something missing. There was no one to share the success with. She tried dating. She tried falling in love with others. She even tried batting for the other team! But all other paled in comparison to Ken Masters. The guy had it all. He had looks. Power. Status. Money. But above all that, Ken was among the first to treat her as a person. Not as a victim. Not as an asset. Not as a threat. Not as an obstacle. Not even judging her for her past. But as a person and a woman even!
His words of encouragement. The purity in his words. The light teasing. Even the not so subtle flirting. Cammy was smitten almost instantly. But therein lies the conflict. He was a married man. And of course with that come the old adage: "If you truly love something, let it go." But Ken stirred something in her, and Cammy, by no means a weak woman, didn't have the strength in her to let go.
And there interactions throughout the years certainly did that stirring no favors.
So she distracted herself. With her new found career. With friends. The 'sisters' willing to entertain a relationship with her. With her cats. Even a few empty casual relationships.
Ken…
A/N:
(A) Slight reimagining of Major Mario's Seven Deadly S.
(B) Slight reimagining of Major Mario's An English Spring
Also somewhere along the line I'm plan using the relationship between Cammy and Vega depicted some of Electric Smile's work, especially the revelation of an actual genetic relation covered in Transubstantiation.
Thanks for the love and follows. And to TheMexicanDetective, you'll get that Chun/Ryu scene, but not for a few more chapters.