Disclaimer: The Tekken franchise is property of Namco, and Sekirei is the work of Sakurako Gokurakuin. I own none of the rights to either of them. This is a work of fiction meant only to entertain and in no way intends to tamper with the actual works of either of the elements composing the story. This is a work made by fans for fans, and in no way intends to make any form of profit or economical income.
Wagtail's Outpost
Chapter 2: Circumstances.
7th. of December, 2019: G Corporation Maximum security Lab, somewhere in the Middle East.
It wasn't a good day to be awake, or even a day to even be alive, so the researchers of the G Corp labs thought.
Having an inhuman, sadist, and excessively violent asshole for a boss didn't help when said boss didn't give them any opportunity to do their work in peace. Their salary wasn't enough to cover the abuse (both moral and physical) they received from the higher-ups… and the very CEO of the corporation they worked for, not that the higher-ups themselves were in any better condition, though. Everyone was working full time now, and the CEO still decided to pay them a visit every now and then as if it somehow would inspire the researchers to suddenly learn how to finally complete their work.
It didn't work that way, sadly.
Genetics, for all that they were his passion, Dr. Abel hadn't been able to come across anything that satisfied anyone of the team, let alone himself or the higher-ups. The cranky (and mad) scientist's lack of sleep hadn't proven to be useful for their investigation. It didn't matter how much he tried, the alien DNA just wouldn't provide any sort of positive traits on the human genome, as the altered chains just fell apart by themselves. The new cells weren't able to hold out on their own and collapsed too quickly, too fast for any real or viable application. He should have expected it, even in the hypothetical planning stages the success rate was near the zero mark. But as a scientist (and a mad one at that), trial and error was as natural as breathing, and with no scruples or moral chains to hold him back, he gladly tried, tried and tried.
Cloning the DNA of the alien girls hadn't proved feasible. For all the similarities that it bore to the human's, it wasn't being cooperative, to put it someway. To make matters worse, it wasn't due to anything the scientists of the G Corp labs had done, it just seemed like these girls had been literally made unable to provide useful information for them.
Thing is, that any sort of living tissue had, to put it bluntly a date of expiring. Any sort of organic, alive material was condemned to someday fall apart. It was the rules of nature. Even if the Devil Gene research had shown some unnatural and promising results, their investigations had come to a point where they could no longer have anything else done to them, and it was Kazuya Mishima the one who knew first and foremost that it would eventually reach that point. There is a limit to what can be done where there is limited material, and they were pretty scarce on this stock.
Kazuya, as the original bearer to the Devil Gene, revived from the nearest-of-death states someone could be in, had always known that on the day he was thrown into the volcano (for the second time in his life, courtesy of his father) he had lost more than just the half of his devil power. The near-death experience not only made him lose grasp of said power, that very same power left his body to look for another host, only to allocate in his then unborn child: Jin Kazama.
It was an amusing and bitter turn of events, even to this day whenever Kazuya thought about it.
Jin Kazama had received his father's curse, and that was something he loathed down to the root of his very existence. The power of the Devil Gene was as incredible as it was terrible; the Mishima and Kazama families had been the first witnesses to it. If growing wings and becoming capable of shooting goddamn lasers from their foreheads wasn't enough, the inhuman regeneration and physical augmentations should suffice to prove just how terrifying the Devil Gene was. More than once, Jin and Kazuya had been on the verge of what shouldn't even leave rests of them, and still they walked on the earth… or at least Kazuya did.
If only it hadn't been for Jin's suicide…
The Devil Gene was currently incomplete, and even though the remaining half coursing in Kazuya's blood was more than enough to make the world shake, it's unimaginable what could Kazuya accomplish with the full Devil Gene. His mastery of the cursed power wasn't just for show.
Looking back into his research and lore of the Devil Gene, counting even the failed GENOCELL project, Dr. Abel had proved his worth to Kazuya's ends. It wasn't for nothing that he was one of the top head researchers of the G Corporation. And even in this project, he was demonstrating his terrifying genius by making something out of his new duties.
For all his stubbornness, Abel's frustration wasn't even reaching the warming point, he was enjoying his time.
The studies would continue.
10th of December, 2019: Shin Tokyo
"No, Yukari, none of that" Takami sighed. "Well, there should-"
She was again cut off her daughter's loud ramblings, being forced to retire the phone away from her to avoid getting additional ear damage.
"Just make it so there's no need for concern" Takami pinched herself between her eyebrows, with frustration building up. No matter how a strong authority she was, she knew that the teenage girl was so unearthly stubborn that it wouldn't matter what was said to her, she would still carry onwards with whatever absurdity she was enamored at the moment.
"Easier to ask for forgiveness than permission" Takami thought dryly, knowing that she would be giving both a lecture and a punishment at a later date.
Giving a deep sigh, she made her way into the laboratory. There was no use to wasting energy in useless tasks like "wishing" or "hoping". Takami didn't care for intentions, she cared for actions and results. Firmly standing for that motto, Takami dismissed anything regarding her personal life as she gave the first step into the marble-colored hallways.
Still, there was a part of her that screamed, that wanted to know the situation of her other children.
At the same time: Hong Kong, China; near the Chinese Interpol branch.
"No, there is no need for concern".
…
"Roger, make the necessary preparations".
With the click of a key, the call ended. Placing the phone in his coat's pocket, Lars gave a dejected sigh.
The Interpol had gotten a pretty big, brand new building. Even on the outskirts of town, the most noticeable landmark was the 80-story building that stood in the center of the city. Though nowhere near as impressive as the Millennium Tower, the Chinese branch Interpol HQ gave a sense of authority that reflected just how big (and busy) the International Police force was.
Without minding how the bustling crowds swayed without any apparent direction, Lars squeezed his way to the entrance.
He was met with a good number of officers, detectives and whatnot going in and out of the elevators, stairs, and doors. Day and night, the Interpol was busy, whether it were just routine check-ups, revisions, documenting, or the more private operatives and missions, the Interpol's doors just couldn't seem to hold in all the people that almost lived in the building.
Lars approached the lady in the reception.
"Miss?" He spoke in his best English. "I'm here to see detective Lei Wulong".
"Pass, documents and identifications" The lady retorted without even looking at him.
"Right" Lars responded and elaborated a folded paper, a yellow carpet with a moderate number of papers inside, and passport from his coat, and proceeded to present them all to the lady, who received the papers absentmindedly. It could be overly complicated to just see someone of the Interpol, and even less when the branch that person worked in was as big as the Chinese one.
"Lei Wulong is on the 36th. Floor: International affairs" She continued and provided Lars with another piece of paper. "Now, we'll take a photo of you".
Lars wasn't even able to say a thing as a bright strobe, which he identified as a camera flash lit his face.
"…Now, show me your hands, and place your fingerprints here, Mr. Alexandersson" She didn't even wait for him to cooperate, and took his hand with her own, and placed it on a scanner, not even minding how Lars' hand was bandaged in thick straps from the palm to the knuckles. Still, Lars didn't seem to mind the lady's roughness.
"And now, take this, proceed to the check lane over there, and if you're clear, you'll be let through". She spoke still in monotone. "If not, you'll have to deal with another set of necessary procedures. The elevators after the corner are for the personal to use; you will be escorted by our guards and be taken through the public sections. Thank you for visiting us". She finalized without breaking a sweat, and gave Lars what seemed to be a ticket of some sort.
"Uh… thanks" Lars responded sheepishly, taking the yellowish paper with his good hand.
For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
Lars was thankful that the metallic detectors had been updated and didn't go haywire when they were used on him. He had unpleasant memories of machinery being used on him in the past.
Lars produced a stronger magnetic field in comparison to the normal human, as well as an unnatural purple voltage from his body, which he was sure were due to his Mishima heritage. And even for all that he despised his father and all related to the Mishimas, the abilities he had inherited didn't come with their fair share of oddities.
When Lars' personal magnetic field entered in contact with machinery that used some sort of electro-magnetic detection or made use of similar function, malfunctions were prone to be caused, malfunctions that ranged from the devices going into a beeping rampage, to simply stop working all of a sudden.
More than once, Lars had been stuck in awkward situations that had ended with him having to bashfully flee from the scene.
If only he were a little less outstanding (He still loved his hair, though).
However, not only could Lars disrupt machinery, he was also able to have some other types of machines work or start functioning by giving them a discharge. Still, Lars had never learned to use his abilities outside of combat applications, and had wanted to experiment with them, although he never really had had the time to do so.
The only thing he had ever tried was to charge his phone with his own power once. It ended with the phone blowing up with a loud bang, the battery practically non-existent, and leaving what remained of the device emitting fumes and completely useless. Not exactly the motivating type of outcome.
In a way, it was disheartening being able to disrupt most machinery just by being nearby it, as much as it was fascinating making others work. Gladly taking the lack of inconsequence during the check-up at the lobby, Lars was able to meet Lei without inconveniences.
"It's good to see you, Lars" Lei greeted him with a broad smile.
If only it wasn't that the Chinese detective was always unable to eat his noodles, opting to sometimes try to eat them in his office (something the superiors found both amusing and unprofessional), and that by some reason he still managed to fill the office with empty noodle bowls, Lei would actually give the impression of being a consummate, professional detective; not that he wasn't. For all his untidy-ness and unreturned(?) love for Chinese noodles, Lei Wulong was, without a doubt, one of the greatest detective the Interpol could ever hope to have, a fellow with a steadfast heart of gold… and one heck of a drunken-fist style.
Between titanic amounts of papers and empty bowls, Lars had managed to take a seat in a chair hidden between said effects. Lars wondered how Lei managed to fit himself in the overcrowded workplace.
"Good to see you're still alive and kicking" Lars replied. "I'm surprised you haven't drowned under all this stuff yet" he remarked playfully.
"Nah" Lei nodded his head. "Really, there's less stuff here than yesterday".
"That's impossible"
"I'm dead serious" Lei replied with a grin.
After the brief exchange of familiarity, Lars and Lei gave a light chuckle along with the usual remarks and wishes of well-being, eventually falling into the routine talk of how things were going.
Lei's good nature was always refreshing. Even if the Chinese detective was somewhat goofy, he was a reliable ally, and a trustworthy fellow all things considered. Lars wouldn't like to have him as an enemy.
"So what brings you here, Lars? It's rare to see you showing yourself around".
At the inquiry, Lars knew it was time to go for business.
Thankfully, Lei had the decency of trying to keep certain matters private, and with the office door shutting them away from the rest of the building, Lars could unveil his worries. However, just to make sure, he would try to get as much secrecy as possible. For all that he knew both MBI and G Corp had eyes and ears everywhere. MBI had managed to get hold on some pretty delicate information, after all, and he didn't like in the slightest the idea of giving them any more leads.
Scribbling on a piece of paper, Lars handed it to Lei along with a set of documents he had brought with him.
"Ah, I am investigating something" Lars said. "I was hoping you could help me with it".
"It's come to my attention that the G Corp's been making some unusual movements since mid-August, and that it's all been about transport cargos being lost. And you guessed it, the G Corp's on it. Since China's been quite on the red zone as of recently, you'd guess there have been pretty big movements within it".
"And MBI has to do with it" The paper read.
Lei's perplex didn't show. He started revising the documents with a relaxed expression.
After a few minutes of silence, Lei scribbled on the paper and gave it back along with the documents.
"Actually, I have also been keeping track on the G Corp myself" Lei replied.
"And MBI too" his response read.
"Well, you got that right. Let's do something. Since it is recent scoop, the documentation should still be in the archives, what about it. Do you want to take a look at them?" Lei continued with naturalness befit of an agent who's been working on-cover for all their life. Lars knew that Lei wanted to take this conversation somewhere else.
"Sure".
"…How bad is it?" Lei had finally broken the ice after making sure they were deep enough in the archives.
The Interpol archives were quite the big place. Even if in comparison to other branches' archives perhaps it lacked grandeur, the Chinese branch of the Interpol had its respectable amount of paperwork to back-up their investigations. Even if what resided in here were only the most recent information (as the older cases were moved to a different area), the bulk of papers was still impressive. With everything set with a complicated system of enumeration and ordering, being streamlined in rows of tall deposits, each and every case occurred or regarding China's intern and international affairs resided here… or at least the majority of them did.
Even if the archives were a desolate place, seeming that only but a few came for information regarding active cases, it was still a place where a handful of information could be gathered… and where no talk was heard from.
The archives were completely isolated from the outside world; first and foremost as a measure against any form of potential leak of information, what came to the archives was to remain in the archives; even members of the Interpol had to go through a fancy (and over complicated) procedure if they wanted to take out anything of it. Additionally, communications with the outside weren't available while inside, the place was practically sealed, making phone calls and any communication device useless while inside the pseudo-hermetically sealed vault.
Or at least, Lars hoped so. Last thing he needed was MBI going after his head, or anyone under his protection, for that matter.
"I don't know" Lars responded simply.
"…coming from you, that's a scary thought" Lei replied after a moment of thought.
"Precisely. But all things considered, I am sure it's very bad" Lars agreed.
"What's the deal?" Lei continued.
Lars gave a dejected sigh. He had been sighing too much recently.
"MBI's been in a pretty good position ever since the war's end, I'm sure that's no secret" Lars began.
"Yeah, they have been steadily getting higher and higher" Lei responded. "They're quite popular around pretty much in the whole world. That's to say, that even we have deals with them".
"That identification thing, right? That one with the MBI machines that with a blow you can run DNA comparisons around in your databases to capture criminals and wanted terrorists, isn't it?"
"That's one" Lei confirmed. "It's a pretty ambitious project if you ask me, but hey, it's a start".
"Right. But before we proceed any further, what do you know about MBI's intelligence?" Lars was beginning to get an unpleasant feeling in his stomach. No matter if he was far away from that insane businessman, the thought that he knew so much was haunting.
"Ugh" Lei snorted, and gave a deep sigh. "You know, I've never really liked the idea of being a total paranoid; all that about not trusting anyone and keeping your friends close but your enemies closer. But yet again, the world is a dangerous place. And with people like G Corp and the Zaibatsu having been on the loose for this long, we've been given a fair share of reasons to be paranoid".
Lars didn't need to respond at that statement.
The Mishima Zaibatsu, with a little bit of over 50 years now in business, still stood up. Even if now it had lost a great deal of power, thanks to Jin Kazama's recent actions, it still managed to stay afloat, and not in a desperate manner. Even if they had lost billions upon this latest war, the Mishima Zaibatsu group had managed to survive against everything. Lars could only think of a weed: no matter how much abuse and how many times they had thought they cut the roots of it, the Mishima Zaibatsu managed to survive all odds and reclaim their power. If only it wasn't for the Zaibatsu being in practically everything, from banks, small business, medical research and services (Although they were a long way to reach MBI), to even local craftsmanship of small countries, the Zaibatsu was the biggest jack-of-all-trades in the economical world. Lars had to give it to Heihachi; as much as he hated the megalomaniac, he certainly had what it took to make a successful business out of practically nothing. And it wasn't only Heihachi, for the brief periods of time that Kazuya and Jin had the control of the conglomerate they had made a good work of their business as well…
Perhaps it ran in the family. Lars had his own businesses running and was also making a name for himself. He shivered at the thought.
However, for all their power and might, the Zaibatsu was equally infamous for their sheer excessiveness at all they did. Even back in the 90's, when Heihachi suddenly announced the first King of Iron Fist Tournament, he didn't make it a small festival; instead he made it one of the biggest carnivals of recent times.
Lars had just been a young boy by then, but he still remembered the uproar that had caused Heihachi's sudden announcement of an open fighting tournament in which the winner would be able to take control of the Zaibatsu. Had it been fame, glory, the money or whatever the reasons the ones who joined the tournament had at that moment… none of them mattered in the end, as it was but Kazuya Mishima, Heihachi's own son, the one to make it.
And as if one tournament hadn't been enough, Kazuya had actually done a second one, sponsored by none other than himself of course… only to lose to Heihachi of all people in a somewhat ironic turn of events. The tournament ended with a smashing victory from Heihachi… and Kazuya being thrown into a volcano, again.
The Mishimas really liked to punch (and head-butt) other people. Lars couldn't understand their need the need to fight to avoid boredom, yet again, he had gotten a little of it himself (the part of head-butting others), even if he would never admit it.
And it was about 15 years later when Heihachi announced a third tournament.
And after that third tournament was when things started spiraling further and further down into madness.
Even if Heihachi was declared winner of the third tournament, there had been pretty strange rumors circling around. For starters, it was how the G Corp suddenly became important in the Zaibatsu's eye, and a guerrilla started between them. What the public didn't know was that it happened in the first place because the G Corp had found and revived Kazuya Mishima, which Heihachi apparently didn't approve of.
And more important, the third tournament marked the apparition of Jin Kazama, who mysteriously disappeared at the end of same third tournament. The third tournament was filled to the brim with deliberate tampering of the matches, especially by the last quarters of it. Kazuya Mishima, Jin Kazama and Heihachi Mishima had been accounted as the decisive (and more popular finalists), and things started becoming weird in the finals. Jin Kazama never showed to what would have been the final match. The third tournament ended with Heihachi winning by default, in a very anticlimactic finale. Also, after Jin Kazama's victory against Kazuya, the man disappeared immediately.
Heihachi sponsored the fourth tournament just two years later, and that was an interesting tournament, if not for the fact that it had also ended in an abrupt matter and questionable circumstances. Jin Kazama showed again on the fourth tournament, and apparently decided to not retire until the very end that time.
The tournament ended in a confusing and chaotic mess. The G Corporation raided the finale with Jacks, their mobile robotic soldiers (which to this day have a tendency to go into kamikaze rampages), ended the tournament with the apparent death of Heihachi, another disappearance of Jin Kazama, and to top it, the resurrection of Jinpachi Mishima, father of Heihachi. In the midst of the havoc that was the end of the fourth King of Iron Fist Tournament, it was Jinpachi the one who took control of the Zaibatsu.
However, Jinpachi didn't lose any time and prepared yet the fifth tournament just a few months later. Said tournament was actually pretty normal for all it had… Except that it became infamous for the fact that Jin Kazama was the one to take the Zaibatsu by beating the tournament, and then pretty much proceeded to fuck up the whole world.
After Kazama took over the Zaibatsu, he quickly armed himself to the bone, and, in 2014, began his insane war. He declared himself and the Zaibatsu enemies of the world and with that said, the four year war period began. It was in 2018 that he finally decided to make his next ridiculous move.
That's right; he gave the sixth tournament to the world. Any word to describe how utterly ridiculous and preposterous it was and still is, an understatement.
Kazama made it as if daring his enemies to come at him. It was also in this period that the world learned that Kazuya took over the G Corp (although few knew that he climbed to the top by killing pretty much everybody of the old directive bench) and he began his counter-attack. With many placing a big bounty over his head, Kazama responded with the tournament.
However, that tournament was a complete fiasco. Partly due to the war- no, scrap that, it was because it had happened during the freaking war. It also was on this four year war period that Lars finally started doing his moves as well.
And the world would never know that it had been Lars Alexandersson the one who saved the world, they would forever blindly think of the treacherous G Corp as their heroes.
However, saving the world is one thing. Living through it is another whole matter.
Lars knew that he still had a job to do. Even if the war had ended, there was still much to do. He had taken the initiative, but there had been… difficulties in trying to proceed with his own agendas.
Mainly, the fact that the G Corp and Zaibatsu had been trying their hardest to eliminate him; ever since he had defected from the Tekken force and started a revolution in its numbers, he had received a handsome bounty for his head as well. And also, MBI was now trying to keep him under control.
Lars knew that he was an unknown variable to both companies; he held a lot of information and power that was dangerous to the G Corp, and also MBI (and he still kept tabs on the Zaibatsu, just in case). Even if he would never have ill intentions, the same couldn't be said about his enemies. The actual situation in the world was balancing on a thin string between MBI and G Corp, and Lars held the power to overthrow any, or both of them, or if maybe not overthrow, debilitate them enough for the other to give the coup-de-grace. He was too hazardous to be left alone.
That was the reason why MBI was trying to use him as a scapegoat, and, if whatever were they hiding were as dangerous as he feared, it may be used against himself, or the rival company or maybe both at the same time, finally taking them out of the map may not be too out of the picture.
Last thing the world needed was another war, Lars reminded himself, and also, it was also the last thing he himself needed.
And in a way, he was scared. There was no use to deny it.
"What we know about MBI is that they're mainly a pharmaceutics research and developing firm, although they also have a lot to do on the public industry field, one of them are the domestic appliances that have a pretty good sales rates on the whole world. However, from 2010 to this date, they've also been focusing on military and space research. They've even got a couple satellites in orbit now" Lei elaborated.
"The CEO Hirot Minaka, or Minaka Hiroto if you prefer occidental naming, while being known as an eccentric individual is remarked as a genius in informatics and industrial systems. He was the one who created the registered trademarks that MBI is known for that still are used by them to this day, and is the founder of MBI, dating back to the early 2000's, and has only been growing larger since then".
"MBI's prime happened on the final of 2016 when they started actively participating in the war, although not as an armed force ("even if they do have an army" Lei added as a personal note), instead acting as a support and charity group that has helped well over a thousand countries across the globe with their resources. They have currently funded 8 cities on their totality by their resources alone, the most prominent being Shin Tokyo, or New Tokyo to the foreigners, in the heart of Japan after the bombardment to the former city in March of 2014".
"MBI has established an impressive amount of deals and partnerships with many important companies and groups around the world, which include the Interpol; and curiously enough, MBI actively refuses to have any form of interactions with the G Corporation" Lei finished the resume on the company, resume he had picked up from the bunch of files they had brought to the table they were sitting in.
"So, MBI's the new Zaibatsu?" Lars cynically inquired.
"To be perfectly honest, and this is my personal opinion. That's not a bad comparison" Lei responded. "Maybe it's just that they haven't done anything yet" He joked.
If these two knew….
"Aside from being in practically everything they can poke their eye in, MBI doesn't seem to have any major upbringings for now. However, and this is coming from what I've gathered…" Lei took a moment to pause. Now they were going to thread fragile waters. Lowering his voice, Lei continued to elaborate.
"MBI does have its secrets. And the most prominent ones begin on the foundation of the company"
Lars moved closer to inspect the files that the dark-haired detective had separated from the bunch and given to him.
"It's just that Minaka was practically a nobody before 1999. Before MBI, Minaka was just your average university student, with nothing too remarkable ("except for the fact that people called him an asshole even before that" Lei added another personal note) and a little bit of ability in the technologic fields. He had nothing before MBI, and considering his actual position, it does seem strange, wouldn't you say?"
Lars nodded slowly.
"Minaka became rich in a matter of months after going on a trip in 1999, trip that has been thoroughly made impossible to find information from. And that's not all. Any and all records preceding MBI's official foundation are a mess to make any sense of. If it's about legal actions, everything seems fine at first glance, however, the more that I keep looking, the more holes that start showing up. For example, did you know that MBI owns a territory that doesn't appear in any maps?"
Lars' expression stiffened.
"They've done a great effort to have some sort of island, if I understand correctly, to be kept out of the global geographic records. It's not unheard of to keep territories secret to be used as places to set bunkers and use them as grounds to do certain kinds of things, which aren't legal most of the time. That's one of the things that they've done. But while we're on this…"
Lei handed another document. It was a report on an operative…
"…They rejected and blew up complete armies?" Lars' voice didn't show amusement or disbelief. He was familiar with forces being able to take out whole militias, after all. "As in, organized and armed advances?"
"Yup" Lei responded simply. "In the mid 2000's, when the jumbo about this island began, it seemed that Minaka wasn't the only one interested in whatever was that was there. More than a few nations were interested in putting their own fingers there. Still, any and all attempts ended in failure… with a bizarre number of casualties… and the fact that there are no details of what really happened there bothers me a lot. No matter how much I try to find information on it, it seems like any information regarding those incidents has been carefully handled. Not even the Interpol has much regarding that".
"What about external sources?"
"Dead ends" Lei irked bluntly. He seemed to be as haunted as frustrated as a detective stepping into an alley in their investigation could be. "Your guesses are as good as mine".
Both men kept quiet. Lars kept reading and revising the files as if there was something he had missed, his frustration growing as there really was nothing else to work from.
"So" Lei stretched his arms. "What can you tell me? What are you up to?"
After a moment of consideration, Lars spoke.
"MBI is up to something" He opted for a simple beginning. "And G Corp is conscious of it".
"They've been working on something, I bet to say that for a long time now, though I don't know just what that is yet. The G Corp found out about it and stole it, and is currently making its own use of whatever that is. MBI has gone a long way to make me do their dirty work and retrieve their mysterious junk… And no, I don't like any second of this".
"Which makes you question just what the hell is really going on" Lei completed for him.
"…Yeah" Lars sighed. At least Lei understood his concerns of the bigger picture; the reasons for MBI to go as far as making him go through all this.
"Well, for starters, tell me where we should be looking" Lei vigorously declared, deciding that it was time to get to work.
"The cargo that they lost was apparently around here" Lars pointed out to the eastern coast of Japan.
"A marine port?"
"Yes, when the shipments arrived, they were supposed to be loaded onto land transportation, but were attacked right as they reached the extraction point. They lost their units and cargo to an armed series of Jacks, after that they retreated through the air on G Corp planes, and MBI lost track of them here on China".
Lars took a moment to ponder.
"Actually, how is it that they've lost track of them here in the first place? I knew that China's situation has been unstable recently, but…"
"It's a bit complicated" Lei responded sheepishly. "It involves the latest trade agreements ("Which have been put in vigor just six months ago" Lei added) made when the president got himself the Zaibatsu off, and if I understand it correctly, the Interpol has total control in the Chinese borders when dealing with intercontinental trading. That is to say, that even if we have total control… we aren't exactly foolproof, and the fact that no one really knows what's going on has made holes for more than one rat to crawl through. Precisely the reason we have this buttload of work".
Lars understood where it was coming from. A war which had settled iron-tight dictatorships on most of the dominated countries had affected a whole lot of the current politic and economic balances. Most American and European countries were trying to adapt to the new regulations that had been established after the World Bank was about to go out of order with the loans they had been giving around like hot bread. Other countries had instead opted to make their own regulations to try and alleviate the burdens that had fallen upon them. China had been for now, one of the most disputed countries in more than one margin (although it was mainly economical instead of political), as it held an important position in the modern world. However, instead of accommodating to outside demands, China had taken an unheard type of initiative, and move forward into trying to consolidate itself as a superpower nation (Which had its fair share of setbacks and inconveniences until now). On a morbid note, the fact that so many people had died either from the bombardments, lack of food, or some other factors, helped to keep the nearly ghost nation going. With the lack of super-population, there was less need to spend, making it easier for the governments to carry other matters onward.
"So right now, China is the perfect place to hide" Lars sardonically noted.
"You make it sound horrible. But sadly, it's true" Lei gave a dry laugh. "It's one of the reasons we're busier than ever" He repeated.
"If we consider all things, then they came to China to regroup and plan their next move. The cargo was coming from Russia, and yet they attacked on the Japanese borders… wouldn't it have been easier to attack on Russia?" Lars inquired, giving a glance at Lei at the lack of response from the detective, and was met with a nervous look.
"More new regulations?"
Lei nodded.
"Oh, come on!" Even if Lars tried to keep himself as informed as he could possibly be, it seemed that the world kept spinning too fast for him.
"Russia's on a zero tolerance, war-powered terror. Doing any kind of armed movement within their territory will result in them nuking everything out, or so they say" Lei gave a sheepish laugh. "They DID go fabricating atomic weapons like there was no tomorrow during the first two years of the war, after all. Thank the heavens that they didn't use any of them. The U.S. is already dealing with them… for better or worse".
Atomic nuking… now that was a really disturbing thought. Lars made note to add that to his pending list. What the world least needed right now was another conflict, and less to deal with the aftermath of radiation filling the world. If Lars was thankful for one thing of the four year war was that neither biological nor atomic weaponry was used. For all that he loathed and hated Jin Kazama and Kazuya Mishima, Lars was thankful that they hadn't gone ballistic and ended the world with bizarre armament.
Yet again, Lars knew the reasons behind the war, and he would never justify them, down to the grave.
"Well, atomic nuking aside, if you look at it from another perspective, going back and forth from Japan sort of makes sense" Lars noted.
All his years as commander in front and logistics planner had paid off.
"It's a long shot, but maybe G Corp had to do the impromptu ambush in Japan because they wouldn't be able to do it elsewhere. If they had done the ambush in Russia, they get the risk of unleashing a nuclear conflict, if they do it on sea they risk losing the cargo in the sea, and if they do it farther away from the coasts, they risk being unable to even being able to retrieve them in the first place, as MBI has more personnel the further they go into Japan".
"How do you back up that?"
"Because whatever is that MBI has lost is dangerous, and I'm afraid to say that perhaps it's on a global calamity scale".
First rule of warfare: The enemy is dangerous and will try to kill you. Expect the worst, and act accordingly.
Lars knew that too well. His scars and experience weren't just for show and name.
Second rule of warfare: those who strike first, strike twice.
Again, Lars knew that too well. The Zaibatsu had struck first and gotten the best hand in the war. Now, the G Corp had made their first move and put MBI in a tight situation, and also, MBI had gone ahead and roughed him up. He had lost the first move, but that didn't mean he would lose the fight, he was only in a bad position right now… a very bad position.
And, first rule of global warfare: Expect the enemy to have the means to, if not completely, destroy you. Act accordingly.
This was also painfully experimented first-hand by Lars. All his soldiers had died for a reason or another, but it had always been because both the G Corp and Zaibatsu were able to do it and could have always done it in the first place. The same could be applied backwards, but yet again, being able to do it doesn't mean it should be done. Lars didn't want genocide, he wanted a definite end. Even if he knew that he would have to take lives, that wouldn't mean he would indiscriminately eliminate anyone who stood against him.
Alisa had been the best example of it…
This situation was no different. And with all these precedents, Lars was expecting the worst kind of truth behind whatever was happening in MBI, and wished that the G Corporation's meddling wouldn't make matters worse, were it possible.
"If this were so to be resolved so easily, MBI wouldn't have cared and would have acted by themselves, but I still was pushed here to do the dirty work for them, and if I'm going to do it, I'll do it as discreetly as possible".
Lars didn't tell Lei that Natsuo Ichinomi had his own personal goals. Officially, Lars was to retrieve the objects for MBI. Even if Ichinomi was going to do something once MBI recovered them, Lars was, for all that he hated, on the losing end. MBI (and by consequence, Ichinomi) had what they needed to use Lars as their dog right now.
Because Lars was too noble to let his companions die for him to the machinations of a no-face company like MBI, and even less to someone like Ichinomi.
"…You keep speaking of how you are being forced to do this, Lars" Lei noted carefully. "Just how is it that MBI's making you of all people do something so inconspicuous?"
"They have lots of information on me and my people" Lars responded. "Information of the delicate type, the kind of information only a superspy or someone of a major caliber could gather. A mere pharmaceutics company shouldn't be able to do that".
"…Are you serious?" This time, Lei seemed honestly surprised.
"I don't know how they do it, but the information they have is extensive, concrete, accurate, and over everything else, very real. Who knows what else they know".
Lars' defeated response made Lei shiver.
"Lars, if what you're telling me is true, then…"
"Please keep this between us, Lei" Lars pleaded. "I want you to wait until I have a better picture of the situation. If the Interpol starts making moves, I can't assure that MBI won't notice. I've already gone out of my way just to speak with you, and I'm afraid I've only put you in danger".
Lars' expression was sorrowful, even if he didn't want to show it.
"Man, you're really dragging yourself down to the ground with this" the Chinese detective responded empathetically.
Even if they hadn't known each other for that long, Lars knew he could trust in Lei. It had been Lei the one who had helped him advance into the G Corp's, and eventually into the Zaibatsu's core. Even if things hadn't gone as smoothly as he wanted on there, Lars was thankful of having the non-conditional support of Lei, he was one of the few remaining individuals Lars could confide in. Lei had proven being trustworthy in all these years.
"Thank you again, Lei" Lars tried to convey his heartfelt gratitude with his words, and even if he had a hard time expressing himself with them; even if he was a man of actions, he knew that still it didn't hurt to try to use different methods.
"Don't think too much about it" Lei responded, accepting Lars' gratitude with respect.
"So, where should we be looking?" Lei put themselves back on track. "If MBI's lost track of them here in China, then we're onto something".
"How so?" Lars inquired, placing his hand on his mouth.
"Do you know when the incident happened?"
"It was on the 26th of October, just before midnight, in Japan's time". Lars reminisced out of what Ichinomi had told him, and the document he had on the subject. "I think that would make it about 9 p.m., almost 10 here in Hong Kong".
"Well, we just need to start digging the holes". Lei grinned.
"If the G Corp had to come here to regroup and eventually have the stolen cargo leave China as well, we need to start checking their movements from that date onwards. And we can't assume that they haven't left this country yet, which broadens our checklist".
China was a good place to hide, Lei and Lars both knew. With China outside the eye of MBI, G Corp could work in China without being really bothered. Even if it was probable, the chance of it not being the case still was of 50/50 all things considered. If MBI started to move into China, it would make G Corp's mobilization harder as they had to start moving at the last minute, which in return would raise suspicions, and may have eventually fell into having not only MBI on their tail, but also the Interpol. The Chinese Interpol branch was on maximum alert, because after all, the recent decisions of the president had put a big burden on them, and with them working 24/7, it made G Corp's mobilization harder the longer they remained in China. Getting out of China was as challenging as remaining there.
There were pros and cons both to remain and leave China.
"For now, we start by G Corp's movements from the 26th onwards here in China. We revise every single G Corp cargo that came and left the country, and also, whatever they've been doing here in China. While I think that it may not be much, we just check any sudden or previously unexpected moves first, and then move onto the more normal stuff" Lei recited. "I can use my contacts to help us".
"What about being found out?" Lars noted. "We cannot move hastily".
"YOU cannot move freely, I can still move around" Lei noted.
In a way, he was glad that Lars was so thoughtful, seeing how the former soldier always thought of his allies and himself as a whole. Lars always fought on the front lines after all, back-to-back with his comrades, which was one of the reasons he was so popular among his numbers. When he needed someone to cover him, there would be someone to help him out, and he himself would seek out to assist others whenever they needed him. He was considered brave and reliable, both as a leader and comrade.
So, when Lars was suddenly cut off from the action, he did lose his ground, albeit only a little. He didn't like to stand in the back, after all.
Thankfully, he knew that sometimes stepping back was the only option.
"And if we don't find anything?" He opted for the worst outcome.
First rule of warfare: The enemy is dangerous and will try to kill you. Expect the worst, and act accordingly.
Lei gave a chuckle.
"If all else fails, and I mean if really ALL else fails… We go ballistic for answers".
"Say, how did you get your hand damaged?"
"Crazy bitches. Crazy, crazy bitches"
