CHAPTER 6:

SHADOW OF THE PAST

After hearing no reports from Vega for several hours, Bison had checked whatever he could get a hold of, including police reports, and soon found where his wayward arrogant Spaniard had ended up: in a police station after provoking E Honda into a brawl at a bookshop. Releasing him would be easy enough, but how that came to be…even Vega knew when to leave when things got too troublesome. Bison had his hackers pull up the security footage from the bookstore, and witnessed the confrontation. He sneered at Vega's heavy-handedness. The narcissistic fool had provoked E Honda because he was trying to find Ryu, only to find the sumo wrestler instead.

However, it was what happened next that had Bison curious. He saw two women leap down, one of whom he was sure was the daughter of that fool Dorai. Chun-Li, was it? And when he saw how the other woman fought, he realised it looked familiar.

That looks like the Dolls' fighting style, Bison mused. But she doesn't look like any one of them.

Suddenly, Vega's attention was brought to a European who shouted something at him, before fleeing. Later, said European, along with Chun-Li and her companion, brought the unconscious form of Vega down for the police to deal with. And then, Bison realised that the young man looked familiar.

Not long ago, after communications with Killer Bee were interrupted, Bison, looking for any lead, found footage of the young man who had presumably shared her bed. They went off together after some drinks in the casino in Las Vegas. That messy thatch of dark hair and emerald eyes behind glasses were distinctive, as was the lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead.

While Bison hadn't told his Dolls about Harry Potter, he was aware of the Boy Who Lived, through his contacts in the Ministry of Magic. He knew of Potter's victory over Voldemort some months prior. And he was certain that it was Potter he saw in these two disparate pieces of footage.

Suddenly, a realisation came to him. He checked the footage of Chun-Li's companion in combat again, and gritted his teeth in anger. The face and hair may look different, but the body type and fighting style was Killer Bee's! And if she was fighting alongside Chun-Li willingly, Killer Bee had been suborned!

Potter may have been a weakling and a pawn of Dumbledore, but he had managed to defeat Voldemort. And while a considerable amount of luck had to have been involved, Bison knew that to defeat someone as tenacious as Voldemort needed more than mere luck. Potter may not be a martial artist, or even a truly powerful warlock, but he had enough skill and tenacity to deal with Voldemort.

Which meant that Potter was a wild card he could ill afford to allow to run around unchecked. So too was Chun-Li. And Killer Bee was too valuable to allow to remain at liberty. She was a modified clone of his body, as was Decapre, and thus a spare body for him to use.

It was just as well, then, that he had more agents in Japan than just Vega. Juni could be called into action, perhaps, but Bison thought that there was someone more…fitting. One of the latest conscripts into Shadaloo…Agent Shadow. Formerly known as Charlie Nash. With him, he could put paid not only to Potter, but to Chun-Li as well, along with anyone else in his way, and retrieve his wayward Doll…


A memory she had all but forgotten came to her, in the form of a nightmare. She was floating in a tank of liquid, naked, the only thing she was wearing was a mask supplying her with oxygen. So, no concession at all to her modesty. The liquid was comfortably warm, and she wouldn't have been panicking so much had she not noticed the technician leering at her nearby from behind tinted goggles. He was working on a console, and seemed to be singing a merry little tune. Not that she could hear much of it: the liquid muffled her hearing. Most of what she could hear was the hum of machinery, the bubbling of the liquid, and the gentle thump of her heart.

A door opened, and a familiar, cloak-wearing figure stepped through, grinning malevolently. Words were exchanged between Bison and the technician, before the technician activated something on the control panel.

And that was when the pain began.

She spasmed and thrashed, screaming hoarsely into the breathing mask clipped to her mouth. Her eyes screwed shut with agony as the pain burned across her, through her, inside her. It was changing her, and not for the better. It was a rape of her very essence…

…And then, it stopped. Gentle, soothing arms wrapped themselves around her. She was no longer in the tank, she realised, as she opened her eyes again. Still naked, still floating…but no longer in that horrible place, one of many vile laboratories within Shadaloo. It was like she was floating in the ocean, serenely. Just a blue, shifting ocean of light.

"That was one of your memories, wasn't it?" the voice of Harry whispered into her ear.

"Harry?" Cammy asked. "Why are you here?"

"I don't know. My guess is that the rings give us a mental link. I know this is a dream…well, a nightmare. I felt your pain, and I wanted to help you, so…"

"I see." Cammy closed her eyes, revelling in the sensation. There was peace and serenity here, and Harry's presence, comforting her. "Is this your mind?"

Harry emitted a bitter bark of laughter that echoed around the medium they were floating in. "Fuck, no! My mind's nowhere near as calm as this is. While I probably had a better childhood than you did, in that I actually had a childhood…well, it wasn't much of one. At best, I could be said to have had a roof over my head and food to eat, even if it wasn't much. I won't bore you with sob stories of my childhood. You've probably got me beat."

Cammy chuckled bleakly. "Yes…they wanted to turn me into a monster…a tool…a killing machine. I'm surprised I even have a soul, given what they did to me. It's like they tore my soul from me, left me empty to become Bison's little killer Doll."

Unbidden, memories of her sisters, all twelve of them, in figure-hugging combat outfits. "The Dolls," she murmured. "All of them girls kidnapped by Shadaloo in their early teens. If I was one of them, then they were too good at removing my memories of a time before Shadaloo. In truth, I'm almost certain I was born within Shadaloo Headquarters, as I remember a time before the Dolls were brought to be my sisters…though I think one of them, Decapre, was there before the Dolls came about."

"Why so young?"

"Easier to brainwash. Remember, one of the founders of the Doll plan was FANG, who came from the Nguuhao, and they specialised in indoctrinating young children into becoming assassins. The technology or techniques may have already been developed by the Nguuhao. I know for a fact that at least one of my sisters, Juni, was sent to murder the very family she was snatched from in Germany, as a test of the brainwashing."

"…That's sick."

"I know. The Dolls…my sisters…we are all victims of Bison. But there are many who follow his bidding willingly, either out of desire for power, or for money. I know this isn't your fight, but…"

"It became my fight the moment I married you," Harry said solemnly. "I'm not sure we could even be said to be friends yet…but I will still fight alongside you."

There was little more to be said after that. They just floated in the blue void, Cammy just savouring Harry's embrace. She felt a contentment she hadn't felt for a long time, if at all during her short life.

He may not love her. But he did care about her, as a person rather than a tool. He was the first person to care about her, and even if he was the only one to do so, she didn't mind. To have someone that cared about her meant more than anything…

That serene repose was soon interrupted, though, when a shrill shrieking noise filled the void. She heard Harry mutter, "Shit…" before they were pulled from the void…


…And suddenly, Cammy was awake, sitting bolt upright in bed, dressed in little more than the sleepwear Eliza had bought her, just in time to see Harry get off the bed, half-dressed, and fumbling for his wand. "What was that?" she hissed.

"Security ward," Harry whispered. "I studied up on them shortly after leaving Britain, but I haven't started using them until after Vegas. Someone's breaking into the hotel suite."

Cammy nodded, before she pointed at him, and then next to the door. She would stand in front of it. He grimaced, but nodded, acknowledging her plan. He made his way over, and stood next to the door, casting a Notice Me Not as he did so. Then, he waited for the door to open, which it did. A tall, muscled man with blonde hair and glasses walked in. Cammy stood to attention. "Agent Shadow," she said, distracting his attention. "I do not require your assistance."

"Primary target: Killer Bee located. Objective: retrieval," the man said in a flat, robotic voice. "You have been compromised, Killer Bee. Where is Potter?"

Right behind you, Harry thought, before sending a Stunner at the man.

Despite doing it wordlessly, the man dodged on some instinct. The man whirled, and then slashed his arm through the air. "SONIC BOOM!"

Harry had enough time for his eyes to widen, before some sort of crescent-shaped shockwave smacked into him, sending him flying into the wall. He felt some of his ribs crack as he slammed into it. "Harry!" Cammy yelled.

Whatever it was, either the attack or Harry's lapse in concentration caused his Notice Me Not to dispel, and the man could now definitely see him, his eyes now glowing with a sickly purple light. "Secondary target: Harry Potter located. Objective: exterminate."

"You know, you sound like a Dalek," Harry gasped, before he sent more Stunners at the man, who dodged. One hit him, but he merely shook his head, and dashed forward…

…Only for Cammy to dive through the air, feet-first, spinning like a drill. "SPIRAL ARROW!" she yelled as she smacked into their assailant's head, sending him out the door. Harry took the opportunity to stand, and begin casting healing spells on himself.

"That was Charlie Nash," Cammy hissed. "Somehow, Bison's twigged to your being bonded to me. Warn the others."

"I'm not leaving you!" Harry snapped, before waving his wand and conjuring a pair of Patroni. "Guile, Chun-Li! Charlie Nash is here, and he's brainwashed! Help!"

As the ethereal stags sprinted off, Cammy dashed into the living room area of the suite, and Harry, once he finished healing his ribs, soon followed. He soon found Charlie and Cammy wrecking the room. Pointing his wand, he yelled, "Accio, Charlie Nash!"

With a snarl, Charlie was pulled through the air towards Harry. He aimed his foot at Harry to kick him, only for Harry to use a Banishing Charm, sending Charlie flying back the way he came…towards Cammy. Cammy leapt into the air with deadly grace, and then slammed her foot down into her opponent's head, causing him to smash into the floor. "Incarcerous Maxima," Harry snarled, and chains wrapped themselves around Charlie, in time for Chun-Li and Guile to burst into the room.

"Charlie?" Guile hissed in astonishment. "What's he doing here?"

"Trying to kill me and kidnap Cammy," Harry said.

"Secondary targets approaching. Chun-Li, Guile. Objective: exterminate," Charlie grated out as he struggled against the chains.

"If he's been brainwashed, what do we do?" Chun-Li asked.

Cammy nodded. "It's not like you can marry him," the former Shadaloo agent said.

"Wait, I have an idea," Guile said, before heading back out.

As they waited, Chun-Li looked at Cammy. "Why retrieve you? Why not kill you?"

"Bison must think that I can be re-indoctrinated," Cammy said. "Do you see the purple light in his eyes?"

Chun-Li hastened over, and nodded. "What is that? Is that what's brainwashed him?"

"Not exactly. It's a power Bison and I share, and which Bison has somehow infused into Charlie. That's Psycho Power you're seeing. Either magical chains are too strong for him to break, or else he can't use its full potential, because he might have broken them otherwise."

"You can use that?" Chun-Li asked.

"Yes, but not to the same degree as Bison. And I have been refraining from using it. As I told you, it's fuelled from negative emotions…and can corrode your very body."

Guile dashed in, holding military dog-tags, which he then brought over to Charlie. "Charlie. Charlie! Remember these? You should take better care of them."

Charlie, after a moment, stared at the tags, before rasping, "Charlie…? Charlie Nash…?" He began to thrash and spasm, screaming in pain, a great strangled cry, before he finally subsided. His expression, once belligerent, now subsided to confusion, then recognition, before the glow in his eyes faded, and his voice becoming normal. "…Guile?"

"Charlie? Is it you? Are you all right?"

"Yes, it's me, and no. I feel like something the cat dragged in and pissed all over." He looked around at the gathered people, and said, "Quite a motley crew. Chun-Li of Interpol, Killer Bee of Shadaloo, and a British wizard, if Bison's briefing was anything to go by."

"She's not Killer Bee anymore," Harry said, moving over to Cammy protectively. "Her name is Cammy."

"Cammy, huh? Nice to meet you as a human being, Cammy," Charlie said with a pained smile. "You actually look nice without that dead expression from the brainwashing. Not that I can talk," he added ruefully. He looked over at Guile and Chun-Li. "Listen, I've got a hell of a tale to tell you guys. You might not believe me, but it's true."

"I think we've probably heard a lot of it already," Chun-Li said. "But any further information would be great…"

CHAPTER 6 ANNOTATIONS:

So, Harry and Cammy are growing closer, and Bison has twigged to Cammy's defection. Oh, and Charlie has been un-brainwashed. Shit's gonna fly now…

Review-answering time! More than a few people don't like Dan. I find him entertaining, or at least more so than a certain other joke character he fought in Death Battle. Though to be fair, Hercule is at least a competent martial artist. Maybe one day, I could write a story that has Dan getting a chance to shine…and partly fucking it up. Hmm, food for thought.

myafroatemydog: Not in this story. C Viper will probably come about should I do sequels set during Street Fighter IV. I have mentioned at least one character from a later game, FANG from Street Fighter V, but solely at my discretion.

OBSERVER01: Dumber than Crabbe and Goyle? Yeah, you're exaggerating quite a bit there, though they do set the bar pretty low. Dan is probably closer to Lockhart, but with some scruples instead. And unlike Lockhart, he would actually try to fight a Basilisk…and probably survive through sheer dumb luck.

EroSlackerMicha: If you want to see Dan get owned even worse, watch the Death Battle episode where he faces off against Hercule.

Watch it here: watch?v=wfCKJlkdqKs

Raidentensho: I actually considered Savate, if only because I had heard of it thanks to Tintin (Calculus claims to be a master of the martial art in Flight 714), but I'm pretty much having him combine his magic with Krav Maga.

No numbered annotations this time.