The World Warriors' Legacy

By Metal Harbinger

Author's Note: And so I return to you with yet another installment of "The World Warriors' Legacy, but before I start I would like to take the time to address a few reviews like what some of the other author's typically do before starting:

Zindakku Hirokai: Indeed that would sound like an interesting idea you've presented to me, but quite frankly I don't know if that will happen. I still haven't decided to what extent the SF3 characters will have in this story, but I've decided for sure that some characters who have preexisting back stories with the other characters will have some kind of role in this story, like with Sean being Ken's student.

Cloud Link Zero: That would totally kick ass of you and if I do have any questions I will be more than happy to come to you regarding "Rival Schools" and "Project Justice."

MiggyMeista: Glad to make you laugh compliments of everybody's favorite pink-clad Saikyo fighting avenger. I'm also glad to make you feel nostalgic in regards to Castlevania. Like I said, my idea to expand upon Maggio is basically a recycled idea I had for a character for another fic, but I ran out of ideas with that other character and had some existing ones that still needed to be put to use.

Well enough talk, now on with the story!

Chapter 7: Eventful Meetings

Near the Thunderfoot Reservation, Monte Alban Plains, Mexico

It had been a long helicopter ride over the Mexican desert and only now the heat was starting to get to him.

"I need to find out who the hell that woman was and more importantly, how the hell she could have gotten her hands on that kind of information," Guile thought to himself as he sat in the chopper's cargo area, clad in a dark green formal military suit he wished he didn't have to wear in this kind of environment.

He still couldn't believe what he had seen in that envelope the other day and it had been all he thought about ever since. It was something he had not shared with anybody else, something that left a million questions racing through his mind, something that he needed to get to the bottom of as soon as he could, or else it would drive him crazy.

"I still wonder how she knew to look for me in particular," the Air Force major asked himself as he looked around the cargo area, which carried a few members of his personal staff and a few officials from the Mexican government. "I still wonder if she was with Shadaloo and could have been trying to lure me into a trap. Then again if that was the case it would be weird considering how she didn't try to kill me."

The major would soon be snapped from his thoughts as the pilot's voice called out over the intercom.

"We are now approaching the Thunderfoot reservation. Touchdown should occur in approximately three minutes," the pilot barked as the other occupants snapped to attention and prepared for the landing.

Within minutes the chopper was touching down outside of the aforementioned reservation and Guile stepped into the bright sunlight, forcing him to pull out the very sunglasses Charlie had given him as a birthday present years ago.

"We're here," reported one of the government officials, "Welcome to the Thunderfoot Reservation, still in the process of being rebuilt after one of its best fighters managed to reclaim their land from Shadaloo," the man spoke, motioning towards the village in the distance, which at this point consisted of a few small buildings and others that were being constructed.

A black jeep drove towards them from the small village and they stood ready to receive their guide.

Once the jeep came to a halt they were met by a tan-skinned man wearing a cowboy hat and plaid shirt with a file in hand.

"Are you Major Guile?" the man asked right away.

"Speaking," the major replied.

"Jose Red Feather, Thunderfoot Tribal Police," he said extending his hand towards Guile, "A pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Likewise," Guile replied as he received a file from the tribal officer and began skimming through it, finding a picture of a young brown-haired woman who stared towards the camera with an empty gaze.

"The woman you see in that photograph is Julia Hauser, a resident of our village who was kidnapped and brainwashed several years ago by the Shadaloo organization. She had been rescued by our very own Thunder Hawk and was reported to have been in a catatonic state for the past few years, until the other day," Officer Red Feather explained as the major read through.

Hearing those words made Guile's blood boil as he thought of Shadaloo causing more trouble. It also made him think back to what he had seen in that file the other day. He clenched his fists together and had to compose himself before speaking.

"What else do you know of this attack?" the airman asked, keeping his question short and straight to the point.

"Our only witness will explain things further to you. Her name is Liana Little Eagle and she too was under Shadaloo's control at one point," the officer replied.

"Then I must talk to her immediately," Guile said handing the file back to him and climbing into the man's jeep.

"Sure thing sir," Officer Red Feather replied climbing into his jeep.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

San Francisco, California U.S.A.

"Will this driveway ever end?" Allen Snider asked himself as he drove his S.U.V. around another turn along a paved road that cut through a heavily wooded area. "What am I saying? I asked myself that question ten minutes ago."

Nevertheless he continued to push himself forward.

"I'm surprised this place doesn't have its own zip code," he thought as he noticed the growing rays of light indicating that he was getting closer to the end. "Just a little closer," he whispered as he turned down the rock music blasting over his radio.

When he finally reached the opening his jaw nearly hit the floor.

"I knew the Masters family had a lot of money, but goddamn!" he shouted to nobody in particular as he pulled up to a mansion that put the White House to shame, one that he could only dream of living in. He made his way around the grand fountain at the center of the courtyard and pulled to a halt alongside a beautiful red Ferrari.

It was an almost overwhelming sight to the Southern fighter, who came from humble beginnings, as he took in his surroundings.

"Man, now I know I need to get serious about kicking more ass so I can make this much money," Allen thought to himself as he made his way up the stairs and rung the doorbell.

He waited patiently for someone to answer the door, only to be greeted by a voice over an intercom system.

"Hello there. This is the Masters residence. May I please ask who I'm speaking to?" an older voice with traces of a British accent called out.

It was then that he noticed the speaker unit above the doorbell and a red button he could push to reply.

"This is Allen Snider speaking. I am an old friend of Ken's," he politely spoke.

A click sounded from the other end and the door opened to reveal a man with graying black hair and dressed in an elegant black butler's suit.

"Ah Mr. Snider, Mr. Masters has spoken of you in the past. I do not recall him saying whether or not he was expecting your presence, but I will take you to him at once," the butler nodded.

"Thank you," Allen replied as he was led through the building to the estate's spacious backyard, where he found his old friend clad in his trademark red karate gi, locked in the middle of a sparring match with a dark-skinned teenager who was clad in a yellow gi similar to his.

"C'mon Sean, you have to focus! You're leaving yourself open to too many attacks," Ken replied as he delivered a roundhouse kick to the kid's face that sent him flying backwards to the ground, "See what I mean?"

The youth called Sean forced himself back to his feet and rubbed his sore cheek, "Yes Master!" he grunted before resuming his fighting stance.

"Ken Masters, long time no see!" Allen called out, wanting to save the kid from further punishment.

The blond-haired combatant stopped everything he was doing to greet his fellow martial artist, "Allen Snider? Holy cow man, I haven't seen you in a long time!"

He quickly ran over to shake the man's hand, "What brings you around here?"

"Eh, was just in the area, thought I'd drop by and see how things are going," Allen replied, just as the teenager cleared his throat from behind Ken.

"Oh, Allen this is my student Sean Matsuda," Ken said motioning towards the new pupil.

"Pleased to meet you sir," Sean said extending his gloved hand.

"Likewise," Allen nodded.

"Ken, I just wanted to let you know lunch is about to be served!" a feminine voice called out from behind, "Henrietta made your favorite pasta!"

The three men turned to find Eliza standing in the doorway holding the infant Mel in her arms.

"Hey Eliza, look who's here to join us!" Ken said motioning towards Allen.

"Allen? Oh my god, we haven't seen you in quite a long time. How have you been?" she asked as she ran over to embrace the Southern martial artist.

"I've been doing just fine. Been competing in a few tournaments here and there, got my new dojo up and running, still looking for a woman, but other than that I've been doing just fine," Allen replied as he looked down to the blond-haired baby, "It looks like we've got a lot of catching up to do."

"Indeed we do, but never on an empty stomach," Ken said rubbing his belly in emphasis, "After you."

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Phoenix, Arizona U.S.A.

"I'm still too far away," Abel thought to himself as he was the last passenger to step off the bus, knowing this was the end of the line for this particular route and all he could afford for the time being.

The final stop was located near a small diner and travel plaza where he saw all sorts of people either shopping, enjoying a meal, working on their vehicles or just chatting. A small group of teenagers hung out near a spray painted van playing hacky sack, while another group stood around a pimped out lowrider blasting hip-hop tunes and not too far from them, a group of motorcyclists conversed amongst themselves. In the distance, a young couple walked hand in hand, sharing a passionate kiss with plenty of ancient rock formations in the distance.

Abel exhaled deeply and made his way over to the diner deciding he would get himself a quick meal before planning out his next move.

By chance in Metro City he had encountered an old war buddy of William Guile's, the very man he had come to the States looking for, and managed to acquire his address. At this point he was still over three hundred miles away from his intended destination and would need to find another means of getting there.

Before he could reach the diner he was suddenly distracted by the roar of a motorcycle engine and turned to see a black motorcycle come speeding into view and made an abrupt turn into the parking lot, nearly tipping over thanks to the driver's massive girth.

"Boy I tell you Candy I sure am hungry!" the driver called out as he dismounted the bike and stretched his limbs out, his bulbous gut swaying back and forth with every movement.

"Oh Rufus you never cease to amaze me!" called out his passenger, an attractive, but not very bright redheaded woman.

"Always glad to oblige buttercup," Rufus called out as the woman struggled to throw her arms around his grossly obese form, "Every master needs to maintain his figure. It's just a natural part of his training, always gotta look good when the cameras are rolling, but everything else not on camera is just for you my precious little angel!"

The overweight man spoke in a loud boastful tone that drew stares from the other inhabitants, but he didn't seem to notice anything as he exchanged a sloppy kiss with his girlfriend, which made the Frenchman nearly throw up inside his mouth.

"Oh, you must excuse me dear; I really need to use the ladies' room!" Candy spoke before delivering a quick peck to his cheek.

"No problem sweetie, you know I'm gonna be out here guarding my baby and waiting for you…well I meant that you're my baby, but my bike is an actual baby," the Kung Fu expert called out as she made her way inside.

Abel sighed at the disgusting sight and was about to make his way inside when the man suddenly called out to him.

"Hey you!" he called out in his gruff tone, forcing the Frenchman to stop and stare at him. "Yeah you, I'm talking to you!"

"May I help you?" Abel asked while lowering his travel bag.

"Yeah, I know who you are! Don't be playing dumb with me boy!" the man grunted.

Not knowing what to expect, the French grappler set his bag aside as a few worried patrons looked on.

"You can't run from me Ken Masters! That's right, this is your day of reckoning little man!" the fat man guffawed.

Sighing quietly Abel picked up his travel bag and went to enter the diner when the obese yellow-clad warrior called out again.

"Hey, don't you walk away from me boy! I'm challenging you to see who truly is the best fighter in all of America!" Rufus exclaimed.

"You have me mistaken for someone else. I am not Ken Masters," the amnesiac fighter responded.

"You might be able to afford yourself some fancy shmancy plastic surgery, but you still ain't foolin' me pretty boy! Nothing escapes the mighty Rufus! You hear me? Nothing escapes the mighty Rufus! Nothing!" the man called out as he went into a weird fighting stance.

"Looks like I might have no other choice. This creep will probably harass me until I give in," Abel thought as the man began punching away wildly at the air in front of him and letting out some wild screams that were probably his attempt at Fei-Long-style battle cries.

"Fine, have at you then," Abel replied as he went into his own fighting stance, "But don't say that I didn't give you the chance to run away."

Rufus laughed stridently at the remark, "The almighty Lord Rufus never runs from a fight! I'm too famous for that y'know, it would ruin my street cred for me to just up and run from some tiny little worm!"

"Are we going to do this then? Or are you going to just sit around and talk all day?" Abel called out as several of the tourists began gathering around.

An idea suddenly popped into the Frenchman's head.

"Say I'll make you a wager. How about if I win, you have to give me a ride to Pasadena?"

Again Rufus laughed at the question, laughing to the point he began to wheeze.

"Okay…you're on Ken Masters…but you're making a big mistake…because the mighty Rufus…never loses a battle!" the big man called out in between gasps.

Without warning, the fat man suddenly leapt into the air with amazing speed and agility for a man his size to perform his first attack.

"MESSIAH!" he called out as he executed a graceful back flip kick that Abel was forced to perform his Marseilles Roll to avoid.

Landing on his feet, it was the Frenchman's turn to go airborne as he attempted his Wheel Kick, but the Kung Fu expert brought his fists up to block the attack and responded with a high kick to his stomach, displaying flexibility he hadn't expected from a man that overweight.

"This is gonna be a piece of cake!" the fat man called out as he delivered a hard palm strike to Abel's chest and followed up with a high roundhouse kick that sent his opponent crashing to the pavement. "Mmmm…cake!"

The French grappler hit the ground hard, yet pushed himself back to his feet and shrugged the pain off. He leapt into the air attempting a flying kick, but was again caught by surprise as his opponent leapt met him in the air and unleashed a flurry of rapid fire jabs upon him, striking him several times and sending him falling back to the earth.

"Face it Ken Masters! I'm the better man and you'll never beat me! Give it up now while I'm still merciful enough to let you walk away!" Rufus laughed.

"This fat pig is seriously starting to piss me off," Abel thought as he struggled to control his anger and waited for the big man to come at him again, only now it was his turn to catch him by surprise.

"Wh-Whoa! Hey! No fair!" Rufus called out as the French fighter executed his 'Change of Direction' attack, spinning him around and following up with an overhead hooking punch, followed by a low punch that caught him in his bulging gut, hard enough for him to actually feel it. While the big man staggered, Abel followed with an upward elbow strike that struck him hard in the chin.

"Hey, not the face man, my girlfriend ain't gonna love me anymore if you're gonna damage the goods!" Rufus complained.

"Your face should be the least of your worries," Abel replied as he went for a high roundhouse kick, which Rufus blocked, followed by a combo of punches and elbows which the Kung Fu master either dodged or parried and then followed up with another special attack.

"GALACTIC TORNADO!" the yellow-clad man called out as he spun his body rapidly, sucking his opponent towards him like a vacuum and netting multiple hits before finishing him off with a hard strike to the stomach that sent him flying backwards.

"Oh crap…that was just too much…" Rufus grumbled as he tried to shake off the lingering dizziness.

Abel again forced himself back to his feet and shrugged off the pain, "I've gotta hand it to this guy, for a loudmouthed buffoon he's good."

The American martial artist finally shook away the dizziness and slapped his face repeatedly to make himself focus. "Okay, I'm back in the game…now where was I? Oh yeah, I was in the middle of kicking your worthless punk ass!" he shouted before he again leapt into the air.

This time Abel was ready for him and caught the big man by his foot, slamming him hard into the ground.

"Whoa!" the yellow-clad fighter grunted as he bounced hard off the ground and struggled back to his feet.

"Okay, you're really starting to ask for it now you good for nothing poseur," Rufus spat as he popped his shoulder back into place.

"Am I?" Abel mockingly inquired as he waited for his opponent to make his next move. Noting the big man's beet red face, he was starting to lose his cool and would probably resort to any kind of brash movement he could think of.

"Why you!" Rufus grunted as he charged recklessly towards his opponent, only to be grabbed by the collar of his jumpsuit.

"If this can work on that nearly eight foot tall giant back in Metro City, it can certainly work on a four-hundred plus pound bag of hot air," Abel thought to himself as he used all his might to swing the man around a few times before finally slamming him down onto the cement, taking a lot out of himself in the process.

"Probably going to be the last time I try that," the Frenchman told himself as he felt the pain course through his muscles and struggled to stand upright.

"You're…gonna pay for that!" Rufus grunted as he forced himself back to his feet and tried another spinning roundhouse kick, which his opponent ducked underneath and followed up with a flurry of punches before taking him back to the ground with a sweeping kick and then kicking him hard in the side, sending him rolling over onto his stomach.

"I would really give it up right now if I were you friend. I don't want to put you in the infirmary if you're going to be my means of transportation," Abel called out from a safe distance as the obese man again struggled to his feet.

"Never…has Lord Rufus ever surrendered…never!" the fat man called out as he struggled to stay upright, "It ain't over 'til the fat lady sings…and I don't see me no fat lady nor hear any music!"

"But I can see a huge fat behemoth before me," Abel shuddered in disgust as he waited for the yellow-clad fighter to make his next move.

"You're really asking for it now little man…BIG BANG TYPHOON!" Rufus called out as his body flashed and he began spinning towards his opponent at a superhuman speed, like a huge yellow tornado.

Abel saw the man rushing towards him and barely leapt over the move just in time, feeling the heavy breeze beneath his feet before he landed.

"Now to return the favor," the French fighter whispered to himself as Rufus' attack reached its end, the overweight fighter panting heavily and struggling to maintain his balance.

Charging towards his opponent, Abel caught the big man and began rolling along the ground with him at a rapid pace, stopping only as he slammed him hard into the side of a toilet block.

"Oh man…did anybody get the number on that pick up truck…" Rufus gasped as he sat slumped against the brick building, which had heavily cracked underneath his mass.

"Alright mon ami, I beat you fair and square. Now I believe we made a deal. I need a ride to Pasadena," Abel explained as he knelt before the stunned Kung Fu master.

"Fine, but please…don't tell Candy you kicked my butt…she'd never speak to me ever again. Just tell her that I got all banged up trying to protect the people from some group of weird…space monkey ninjas…" Rufus asked as he began struggling back to his feet.

"You have my word," Abel replied as he took the flabby man by the arm and pulled him back to his feet.

"Oh my god Rufus!" Candy called out as she exited the diner and started running towards the two men.

"Well now's your chance," Abel said as he helped his fallen opponent over to his girlfriend.

"Uh hey bub, can we at least stop and get something to eat before we go? All this fighting is giving me the munchies," Rufus asked as Candy made her way over.

"Sure thing," Abel nodded.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Thunderfoot Reservation, Monte Alban Plains, Mexico

The jeep pulled to a halt outside a small cabin and Guile stepped out to find a young woman sitting in a rocking chair with a bald eagle perched on her shoulder.

"Major William Guile, I would like for you to meet Liana Little Eagle," Officer Red Feather spoke motioning towards the woman. Guile walked over and shook her hand.

"A pleasure to meet you," the major spoke in a calm empathetic tone, feeling sympathy for the woman's plight.

"Thank you," Little Eagle replied, "They say he's going to make it, but he's still hurting pretty bad," she added in reference to her adopted brother.

"Yes, I'm aware of what happened and I'm deeply sorry," Guile replied before getting down to business. "So tell me what you all saw."

"There isn't really anything to tell you that I haven't already told Officer Red Feather, Major Guile. I was going to meet up with Thunder Hawk and when I got there, Julia was trying to kill him," she paused to rub her teary eyes. "I did what I could to stop her, but I still don't know why she did it or how she could have. All I remember her is her being in a coma…like she never had any idea of what was going on around her…and then suddenly this."

"I understand what's going on. Believe me, I've spent years dealing with Shadaloo and I'm very certain your friend wasn't acting under her own free will when she did this," the major replied, taking off his sunglasses so she could see into his eyes.

"Shadaloo…" the young woman shuddered, "…big brother told me how he had saved me from those people…but I don't remember anything about it. He said they took our land away from us and that they did so many other horrible things. He said I could have been a part of it…" she trailed before pausing herself, noting she was in the presence of two authority figures who could have arrested her on sight.

"Well whatever happened I'm sure you had no control over your actions and I'm sure it's a good thing you don't remember any of it," Guile replied, noting the nightmares he often had of Charlie dying before his very eyes.

"But then again, they never found his body," he told himself as he stared off into the distance, gripping the dog tags hanging around his neck.

"Major Guile?" Officer Red Feather asked tapping him hard on the shoulder.

"Oh…I'm terribly sorry," the airman replied before composing himself and looking back to the woman, "Ma'am you can rest assured we're going to do everything in our power to find your friend and bring down those who are responsible for this ordeal."

"Damn right you're going to. I want to help," Little Eagle boldly declared rising to her feet, "I know Julia would never have done that had she been moving under her own free will. I want to find who did this to her and make her pay."

Both men were taken aback by her sudden outburst and stared quietly towards her before Guile finally spoke up.

"Ms. Little Eagle, I feel your pain, but this is a mission that must be left to the authorities. We cannot risk endangering civilians against these dangerous people," Guile explained.

Little Eagle scowled towards him, "I'm no defenseless civilian and I will not be denied in my quest for revenge against those who hurt my brother and brainwashed my friend. I must help you out in any way I can…so that I can atone for the sins I committed under their control," she finished, looking away in shame.

Again Guile remained silent. He could feel her pain in knowing how much damage Shadaloo had caused. At the same time, he didn't want to risk losing any more innocent lives to the sinister organization.

"I'm deeply sorry Ms. Little Eagle, but I stand firmly by my ruling. The U.S. government is working in cooperation with several other governments from around the world. We will bring down Shadaloo one way or another. Now please, let us do our job," Guile replied as he placed his sunglasses back on.

Little Eagle said nothing and continued to look away.

"Okay Major, I'll take you back to your rendezvous point," Officer Red Feather spoke up from the background and the major turned to acknowledge him.

Little Eagle watched as the jeep made its way down the trail and sighed quietly.

"I'm going to get back at Shadaloo one way or another, regardless of whether or not they want my help. They must pay for what they have done…I must have my redemption," the young woman thought as the jeep disappeared from sight.

"Come on Libertad, let's get going," she spoke to her brother's pet eagle and they made their way over to her dirt bike.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Hong Kong

"Okay, do you mind telling me exactly why you've brought me here of all places?" Chun-Li hollered over the roaring crowd as she and her partner Wallace made their way through a lively audience.

"We've been working way too hard lately!" the American Interpol operative shouted back as he moved around to avoid a rowdy fan in a blue and gold mask, "I figure what better way to unwind than by watching some good old fashioned professional wrestling!" he continued.

Chun-Li sighed in irritation, "That's typical 'male entertainment' for you," she thought as she made her way down the flight of stairs, watching carefully to make sure none of the rowdy fans had spilled their drinks or dropped any other litter that would make her walk more hazardous than it already was. The two of them were in a large arena and still had a ways to go before they could reach the front row seats Wallace had managed to score thanks to his 'connections.'

If the slippery stairs weren't enough of a problem for her, it was the fans screaming and chanting for their favorite wrestlers, threatening to pop her eardrums at any second.

"This is the last time I let Wallace pick the event we go to," she promised herself as she ducked under a box of popcorn being tossed into the opposite section and sped up her pace so she could avoid the brewing confrontation between two fans in attendance.

Eventually she would reach the front row and plopped herself down in the seat Wallace had reserved for her, her powerful legs aching after all the walking she had just done.

"You know typically my idea of relaxing involves a warm meal and a bubble bath afterward, not a bunch of behemoths beating the crap out of each other in their underwear!" the detective shouted over to her partner.

"That or going out and shooting things," Wallace laughed as she stood up alongside him, "Speaking of which, have you signed up for that shooting competition they're sponsoring next month?"

"I haven't had the time. I've been too busy with tracking down those monitor cyborgs all around China. That one I found over at Victoria Harbor the other day took me nearly a week to track down," she replied.

She then turned her attention to the ring where a match was currently taking place, "Since when were you such a huge fan of wrestling?"

"Since I first saw Mike 'Macho' Haggar pile drive that creep Scorpion straight through the mat to win the C.W.A. World Heavyweight Championship!" Wallace shouted back as he returned his attention to the ring.

An inter-gender tag team match was currently in progress, where on one side the famed Mexican luchador and aspiring gourmet chef El Fuerte teamed with Japanese women's wrestling champion Rainbow Mika. In their corner was a big, loudmouthed woman in a golf cart named Yoko Harmageddon who slapped her shinai hard against the ring's canvas in an attempt to motivate her charges.

On the other side was a towering colossus from India named Darun Mister and his partner, a blue-haired femme fatale from England named Blair Dame. In their corner was a young woman dressed like an Arabian princess named Pullum Purna.

It was very fast paced contest as El Fuerte ducked a running lariat from the Indian giant and performed a graceful forward flip that drew many "ooh's" and "ahh's" as he landed perfectly on the top rope and then flipped forward again, landing behind his opponent and rolling along the mat before kipping back to his feet, drawing wild applause with his display of athleticism.

"Sorry Senor Darun, not today!" the luchador shouted to his opponent, "Although when this fight is over I would be interested in learning more about some of the spicy Indian food I hear so much about!" he added at the last second.

"Well that's gonna have to wait until later. Right now, we fight!" Darun shouted back as he attempted to grab his much smaller opponent, but El Fuerte dodged his attempt and answered with a dropkick that caught the muscular man in the side, but failed to slow him down. The masked Mexican fighter attempted a few more lightning quick attacks until the big man finally caught him.

"Not so fast now are you insect?" Darun called out as the smaller man tried to wriggle free from his grasp, but he easily overpowered him with his great strength and leaned backward.

"INDRA BRIDGE!" he called out as he bounced the smaller man off his chest and sent him flying backward and bouncing hard off the ropes.

"Aye carumba," the luchador gasped as he struggled back to his feet, using the ropes for leverage.

"Fuerte quick over here!" Mika called out extending her hand towards him, signaling that she wanted to be tagged in. With a nod, the Mexican wrestler leapt over and slapped her hand.

The crowd came alive as the charismatic Japanese grappler was now in the contest and she quickly flung herself over the top rope and into a special attack.

"SHOOTING PEACH!" she called out as she launched herself butt first into the Indian giant's chest, knocking him from his feet.

"Quick, Darun!" Blair called out as she eagerly reached over the top rope, wanting to be tagged into the match.

He still had plenty of energy in his system and could easily take the Japanese woman, but he knew that if he wanted to keep it he would have to take a breather and reached over to slap the woman's outstretched hand.

Blair climbed through the ropes and charged towards her opponent, sliding feet first along the canvas and connecting with Mika's legs, wrapping her own around them and twisting her to the ground before attempting a leg lock on her which the Japanese grappler struggled to counter.

"I applaud you efforts, but it won't be you walking away from this match the victor tonight," the English fighter grunted as she struggled to maintain the hold.

Despite her excellent leg strength, Mika was struggling within the woman's vice-like grip as fatigue set in and didn't want to admit it, but feared she could very well be on the verge of submission.

From out of nowhere, Blair was suddenly forced to release the hold as a body fell on top of her.

"Gotta watch your back amiga!" El Fuerte called out, having just landed on his opponent with his Tostada Press.

Darun saw the intrusion and thanks to his great height, stepped over the top rope. He charged towards the luchador and was about to execute another lariat when the smaller man leapt into the air and wrapped his legs around his body to execute his trademark 'Guacamole Leg Throw.'

"Hell yeah, now that's vintage El Fuerte for you!" Wallace shouted pumping his fist in the air triumphantly.

Chun-Li couldn't help but smile at her partner's excitement. He was almost like a little kid going to his first ever big athletic event with his parents.

In truth, the Chinese detective had already been to a wrestling event when she attended a C.W.A. show in Los Angeles along with Charlie. She could still recall the main event, which had been a tag team bout between an old friend of Charlie's named Lucky "Gunloc" Colt and his tag team partner Biff Slamkovich taking on an 'odd couple' pairing consisting of high-flying Japanese superstar The Great Oni and some weird animal-like man named King Rasta Mon who reminded her much of that mutant fighter from Brazil named Blanka.

"Yeah, I remember that alright…I remember how that pervert Gunloc tried picking me up afterward, claiming he hadn't been with an Asian woman since his days in the service," she thought to herself with a shudder.

The Interpol agent was shaken from her train of thought as she scanned the entire front row area, only to stop as she spotted a figure in a long red cloak with a hood covering its face, truly an unusual sight for an indoor environment.

"That's odd," she whispered to herself as the obscured figure stood perfectly still with statue-like posture. "Wallace, do you see that person over there?" she asked, tugging on her partner's coat sleeve.

The American agent stopped everything he was doing and stared in the direction which his partner was pointing, "What person? I see thousands of people here," he replied with an awkward stare.

"That person over there in the red cloak!" Chun-Li said pointing over to the opposite side of the floor, which was currently obstructed as Darun Mister's massive form had been knocked to the canvas and was in the midst of being stomped on by both of his opponents until his partner charged to his rescue with a flying kick.

"That person-" she tried to shout, but was cut off as the wrestlers moved out of the way and the cloaked person was nowhere to be found, "What the hell?"

"Are you sure you're not just seeing things?" Wallace asked diverting his gaze from the wrestling match and staring at her intently, "Do you need to get out of here?"

"No, I'm fine, but seriously I just saw somebody over there. They were wearing this long red coat and I couldn't see their face or anything else!" she had to shout the sentence as the crowd popped for El Fuerte executing his 'El Fuerte Flying Giga Buster' attack.

"Where the hell did you go?" Chun-Li asked herself as she searched through the sea of humanity for the cloaked figure, but knew it would be next to impossible.

"What the?" she blurted out.

Looking to her left she spotted the same figure staring towards her beneath its hood before making its way up the arena stairs.

"How the hell did they do that?" she asked aloud and looked over to get Wallace's attention, but by now he was going crazy along with the rest of the crowd as they anticipated the match's conclusion.

"No time to wait for his stubborn ass," the detective told herself as she pushed past the lively spectators towards the steps and rushed after the mysterious individual.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Okay, now where the hell could that person have gone off to?" Chun-Li asked herself as she browsed every inch of the building's main corridor, which was mostly empty aside from a few vendors and custodial workers.

"Wallace is going to kick my ass for leaving him high and dry, but I need to get to the bottom of this," she reminded herself as she took a left turn down a less-populated hallway, noting she had wandered a sizeable distance from her front row seat and left without warning her partner of her departure.

Seeing no innocent bystanders nearby, the detective reached into her purse and withdrew her gun, creeping along and listening for anything out of the ordinary. The muffled roar of the crowd hampered her hearing slightly, so she kept her head moving in all directions.

The clatter of wood on linoleum echoed from a confined space to the side, making Chun-Li nearly jump out of her boots. When no threats appeared she quickly composed herself and hugged her back along the wall, creeping towards the corner ready for whoever was back there and ready to act quickly. Reaching the end, she took a deep breath and leapt into the open.

"Freeze!" she shouted.

A short, plump janitor jumped back in terror with his hands raised into the air, whimpering as he noticed the gun trained upon him.

Before Chun-Li could utter an apology her gun was knocked from her hands.

"Damn," she grunted clutching her sore hand with the other, only to collapse against the wall as she was struck on the shoulder from behind.

Standing behind her was a young woman in a black bodysuit with long black hair styled into two waist-length braids. In her hands she twirled a nunchaku with the grace of a master and kept swinging it as if she were attempting to intimidate her opponent into surrender.

The entire time her delicate-looking face remained unmoving, almost as if were carved from stone, and a cold, unfeeling look in her eyes told that she was ready to kill if necessary.

Chun-Li didn't have time to rub her sore shoulder and forced herself into her fighting stance. A flash of red from the background crept into the corner of her eye and she noticed it was a cloak.

"So you're the person I was looking for?" she mentally asked her assailant as the woman stared intently at her, never blinking her chocolate-colored eyes.

Strangely, the woman also seemed familiar to her for some odd reason, but from where she couldn't put her finger on it.

"Interpol! Freeze at once!" Chun-Li announced as her training kicked in, "You are under arrest for assaulting an officer of the law!"

"Engaging target!" the young woman announced and charged towards her swinging her nunchaku wildly.

"Time to act," the detective told herself.

"HYAKURETSU-KYAKU!" she shouted as she unleashed a flurry of rapid fire kicks to counter the swift strikes, deflecting them all with pinpoint accuracy. Before her assailant could react the detective was already upon her with another special attack.

"KIKOKEN!" Chun-Li shouted as she fired a bright blue projectile that caught her opponent in the stomach and sent her flying back against the wall. Somehow though, the petite woman shrugged it off and responded with a special attack of her own.

"SPIRAL ARROW!" she called out as she launched herself feet first towards the detective, who had known of the move from facing Cammy in the past and leapt over it, catching herself against a wall and rebounding from it with her foot extended.

The woman brought her fist up and blocked the kick with unexpected strength and agility, even her block had hurt and Chun-Li felt a fresh wave of pain shoot through her foot and up her lower leg. With a smirk crossing her blank features, the young woman caught her with a thrust kick to the stomach and then spun her body, delivering a powerful backhanded shot that snapped her head backwards and sent her skidding along the linoleum.

Chun-Li grunted in pain, but just as she shot her eyes open she found herself rolling off to the side to avoid a staff being swung downward at her face.

"What the hell?" she blurted out as she pushed herself back to her feet, only to dodge another shot directed at her.

Before her stood another young woman similar in build and dress to her assailant, except she had reddish-brown hair. In her hands she wielded a quarterstaff, which she spun around before going for a low sweep directed at her target's ankles.

Chun-Li leapt over the strike and delivered a split kick, which the second attacker would use her staff to deflect. She still hadn't forgotten about her first assailant and found herself wishing she had an extra pair of eyes in the back of her head as the woman landed behind her. It was time to unleash another special attack.

"SPINNING BIRD KICK!" she cried as she twisted herself upside down in midair and extended her legs, spinning around like a hurricane and finally managing to score a clean strike on each opponent simultaneously.

Unfortunately, both women quickly shrugged off the blows and called out in unison, "DEATH CROSS DANCING!"

Chun-Li had no time to defend herself as the two women began pelting her all over her body with an assortment of kicks, making her feel as if she were being shoved through a ringer. The attack didn't last long, but it had felt like an eternity as the detective fell to the floor with bruises all over her body.

As if they could smell blood, the two women nodded to each other.

BANG!

A gunshot echoed through the corridor and the dark-haired assassin collapsed to the floor after a bullet ripped through her upper leg. The woman didn't cry out in pain nor did she grimace after being hit, she showed no signs of anguish at all, almost as if she was incapable of registering pain.

Chun-Li looked up to see Wallace standing in the corridor's entrance with a smoking gun in hand, flanked by a small army of arena security guards.

"Give it up! You're both under arrest!" he shouted to the women.

The lighter-haired woman reached into a pouch and pulled out a small circular object.

"Oh crap! Hit the deck!" Wallace shouted to the guards and they threw themselves out of reach as the object clanked against the floor and came to a halt at the entrance, not knowing whether or not it was an explosive.

A hiss sounded as numerous jets of black smoke shot out of the small grenade. It didn't appear to be lethal, but it stung Chun-Li's eyes and left her coughing heavily, as well as a few of the guards who hadn't been fortunate enough to get far away.

"Chun-Li, are you alright?" Wallace called out as he swatted the smoke out of his way, covering his mouth and nose with a cloth as he searched frantically for his partner.

"I'm still here," she called back as the smoke began to slowly dissipate and it was then she gasped in shock.

Both of the women had vanished without a trace!

Wallace finally caught up to his partner and knelt down beside her, helping her into an upright position. "What the hell was that all about?" he asked staring at the small puddle of blood left behind after shooting that mysterious woman.

"I have no clue, but I wouldn't doubt Shadaloo has a hand in this," Chun-Li replied staring towards the abandoned cloak.

"Well whatever it is, we need to get you looked at immediately," he replied as he helped his partner back to her feet and let some security guards take her away as he pulled out a cell phone to notify their headquarters.

Chun-Li was sore, but would live to fight another day. However there was one thought that wouldn't leave her mind.

"Who was that woman and why did she seem so familiar?" she asked herself as she looked back to find Wallace picking up the discarded cloak.

Author's Note:

Originally Rufus' appearance in Ch. 2 was meant to be his only appearance in the story, but then again this happened before I ever had the chance to play "Super Street Fighter 4" and now that I've had a chance to actually play the game, I've decided to slightly expand upon his role in the story.

"Chun-Li attended a wrestling event of all things?" you might ask yourself, well when I looked back upon writing this scene I suddenly remembered that Chun-Li makes a background cameo as a member of the crowd in the original "Saturday Night Slam Masters."

For those of you who don't remember, "Saturday Night Slam Masters" was a highly-awesome, yet highly-underrated 2-D professional wrestling game made by Capcom back in the early 90's which featured "Final Fight's" very own Mike Haggar!

*Sighs* How I miss the old-school 2-D fighting and wrestling games in general, and I'm sure I'm making MiggyMeista feel a little nostalgic as well as I type this and I'll continue feeling like this until they decide to reboot the "Slam Masters" franchise, or at least incorporate some of their characters into a Street Fighter game seeing as how their games actually take place in the same universal continuity as Street Fighter and Final Fight.

Screw the WWE games and their "realistic" wrestlers, I wish Capcom would bring back the beast men, high-flying kabuki guys, futuristic grapplers, wrestlers who can throw fireballs and crazed military veterans who actually incorporate grenades into their matches!

On a side note, I decided to make it where Charlie and Gunloc (or "Lucky Colt" as he is known as in Japan) knew each other because a lot of Gunloc's quotes imply that he must have been a soldier or something before becoming a professional wrestler.

Alright, well I've ranted on for long enough so until then, read and review or else I'm sending Dan over to your house to taunt you into submission!

This is Metal Harbinger saying SPREAD THE SICKNESS, ONE MIND AT A TIME! \m/