Four Years Later
Feng Residence
Osaka, Japan

Tai slowly lumbered down the stairs of their quaint suburban Japanese home in the Osaka outskirts. He yawned sleepily as he massaged the side of his face with a palm, as the delicious smell of a home cooked breakfast reached his nostrils. His young son, Kenny, was seated at the coffee table in the living room, humming with perfect inaccuracy to some generic nursery rhyme he must have learned at school as he held a crayon in his fist, scribbling on a piece of computer paper. It looked as if Mei had already gotten him into his school uniform – a short sleeved summer shirt with a large propped up collar and oversized cap.

Upon noticing his approach, Kenny looked up from his drawing and smiled. Scrambling to his feet, he swiped the piece of paper off the table and ran towards his father, drawing flapping as his stubby legs ran.

"Daddy, look!"

Kenny held the piece of paper above his head for Tai to see. He squinted to get a better look, remembering only then that he had left his glasses on the bedside table. Admitting it to his son now would only get him forced back upstairs to get his glasses to take a proper look. Instead, Tai feigned perfect vision and regarded the blurry mass of lines Kenny displayed proudly in front of him.

"It looks really good, Kenny," he said, smiling proudly. "Give it to me. I want to hang it on the fridge."

"'Kay!"

Drawing in hand, he headed towards the kitchen and nearly crashed into Mei, who was holding a small saucepan, stirring a serving of freshly heated congee.

"Jesus, Tai!" she nearly screeched, jerking back a step, maneuvering the saucepan to catch the hot rice porridge splashes that threatened to decorate the newly mopped floors. "I could've burned you!"

"Sorry, sorry." He held up his hands in apology and walked over to the fridge. Peeling the edge of a real-estate magnet, he placed the corner of Kenny's drawing under it and stood back to look at his handy work. It was still blurry.

Mei hadn't moved from her spot, still holding the saucepan of hot food. She looked at her husband, studying his actions, trying to figure out what she was doing. It wasn't until Tai had backed up, nearly reaching towards the end of the kitchen to get a good look at what he was trying to see.

"Left your glasses upstairs again?" she asked, smiling in amusement.

He looked at her sheepishly. "Yeah. Kenny was drawing this in the living room. I told him it looked good but I really have no idea what it's supposed to be."

Mei giggled and set the saucepan on a heat resistant placement down on the counter. She wiped her hands on her apron and headed towards the fridge, motioning towards their son's artwork.

"He's been working on it all morning," she explained, motioning to the two smudges on the left. "These two are us."

"What are those dark circles around my eyes?"

"They're your glasses." Mei motioned to the center figure. "This is Kenny, holding my hand."

"And the red scribble on his other side, holding his other hand?"

"That's Craig."

"Craig? Tai asked in confusion. Mei smiled and reclaimed the saucepan off the counter and headed towards the dining room. Tai followed her, still confused.

"Yes," she replied. "And you could stand to be a little more accepting of him."

Mei led Tai over to the dining table that was filled with plates of toppings for their congee breakfast; fried egg, pickled vegetables, grilled fish, and roasted peanuts. His eyes soaked in the span of dishes that lay before him, his mouth watering instantly. His attention was drawn back to his previous comment however as Mei continued speaking, ladling the food into personal serving bowls.

"Craig's been staying with us for a while now. Kenny's young enough that he wouldn't know a time when he wasn't around." Mei shrugged. "As far as he's concerned, Craig is a part of this family."

"He's a street kid that comes and goes as he pleases," Tai corrected. "I would hardly call that a member of this family."

Mei tipped her chin at the wrist watch that hung loosely around his skinny wrist. "Yet you kept that present he got for you."

"Stole, is more like it," Tai retorted. But his expression softened immediately after saying it, and corrected himself. "But it was a nice thought."

Tai took a seat at the table and began eating. Mei joined him shortly after to do the same. "What was nice," she continued, "was agreeing to let him stay with us on his birthday. He really had nowhere to go, Tai."

"It was only supposed to be for one night," he admitted. "But then one night turned into a few nights, into a few weeks, weeks into months … How long has it been, anyway?"

"Considering Kenny's been in preschool for a few weeks now," Mei replied, "I'd say at least three or four years."

Tai craned his neck back in surprise. Had it really been that long that he'd allowed the street child to come and go as he pleased, like his house was some kind of free hotel? The idea should have angered him but for some reason, it didn't. Maybe it was the way Mei and Kenny had welcomed him so warmly and unconditionally. Hell, she was like that with every child and Kenny didn't know any better. And maybe because of that, Tai was subconsciously accepting that he had carved out a place for himself in their little migrant family, bonding in the fact that they were both, being in Osaka, so far from their real homes.

Whatever the reasoning, he didn't have time to think about it now - he needed Craig at the house tonight, which reminded him ...

"I saw the red qipao in the closet," he said, winking flirtatiously at his wife. He got up from his seat and planted himself beside her, putting his hands on her shoulders. She fanned her eyelashes at him and pushed a lock of straight hair behind her ear, smiling the whole time. "Is that what you're planning on wearing to the company party tonight?"

"You're going to have to wait until tonight to find out," she replied, though the seductive smile on her face confirmed it from him. It had been awhile since Mei had displayed any sign of the youthful energy that had gotten them to fall in love and elope in the first place. Tai had heard it a million times from his father, and grandfather before him; marriage and parenthood will produce the strongest pair of individuals over time, but heavens, the monotony of a daily cadenced life was dulling. It was only now that he was beginning to understand the truth in the words repeated to him over and over as a teenager, when he'd first announced his decision to propose to her. But the way she looked at him now reminded him of why he'd fallen in love in the first place.

"6:30 pm at the Kaneyama Ryoukan," he said, referring to one of the most luxurious traditional Japanese inns in the city, situated on the banks of Osaka Bay with a seaside view towards the open ocean.

Mei's crinkled brow broke the mood. "Shit, I forgot to arrange for a baby sitter."

Tai took her chin with this thumb and index finger and guided her gaze back to his. "Don't worry, babe. I've got it covered. I'll just let Craig know what's up and ..."

As if on cue, the sound of the front door opening caught both of their attention.

"Hi Mr. and Mrs. Feng," he called out into the house. His screechy, teenage voice was beginning to show the initial traces of a deep bass. Craig was well into his teenage years, having grown taller, and the top of his head was now starting to exceed Tai's in height. His bony knees stuck out at acute angles from Mei's profile view of the couch. His long, curly hair was starting to show the beginnings of a strawberry blond afro.

"Good morning, Craig!" Mei called happily from the table. "Come on in and join us for some breakfast. I just made it not long ago." She stood up from her seat to escort him further inside while he remained in the foyer, taking off his tattered shoes.

"That reminds me," she said, walking towards him, "we've got to get you a new pair of those."

"Cranky!" Kenny called excitedly and ran towards the older boy. It was only a year ago that he'd learned to walk, and he still carried himself awkwardly on stumpy legs but was still able to reach him before Mei could. He stood in front of Craig, large eyes peering at him from under the obscenely large brim of his hat, holding his hands up above his head.

"Kenny," his mother chided, "don't be rude!"

Craig scooped the child up by the armpits, letting his bottom rest in the crook of his arm, and chuckled. "No, that's just what he calls me. He'll learned to say it right once he's capable of forming a sentence longer than five words." Craig pressed his forehead into Kenny's and stared the child directly in the eyes. "Isn't that right, you brat?"

"'Kay!"

"Come," Mei said, taking him by the wrist of his free arm and led him over to the dining room table. "The food is still hot."

"Um, now's not a good time," he replied, declining politely. "I'm here to take Kenny to school."

"Oh," she exclaimed, touched by his consideration. "I thought Tai was just going to do that after he finished up here."

Upon hearing her words, Tai scooped up the remaining food in his bowl quickly into his mouth and swallowed. He sat up from his place at the table and smiled at Craig, ruffling his mop of tangled red hair, patting him gratefully on the shoulder. "Craig. Good boy. Turning into good man." He moved quickly over to the doorway, and grabbed his briefcase resting on the recliner seat before racing out the door.

"Love you, Honey, see you when I get home!" he exited the house in a hurry, leaving Mei and Craig staring after him silently in his wake.

Craig spoke, breaking the stunned silence. "Well … it looks like I'll be the one taking him to school after all." He turned to Mei and smiled, while she only started at the ground disapprovingly at Tai's actions.

"Sometimes it's like I'm the only adult here," she mumbled under her breath, and then returned her attention to Craig.

"If you could, that would be great. But I'd like you to pick up Kenny from school after his classes are over. And please come back later tonight for dinner – if you don't have any other plans for the day."

"S…sure," Craig hesitantly agreed. "But why?"

"There's something I want to talk to you about," she replied happily, gesturing to a manila envelope sitting on the coffee table, next to a stack of Kenny's drawings.


Suburbs
Osaka, Japan

It was a long time ago - three short years, to be exact - that Craig had begun to learn to walk down the street, holding his head up high and not afraid to hide from the general public. But he had never really gotten used to the stares that continued to be shot his way whenever he did. Hiding behind crates, dumpsters and trashcans, just barely out of view of the people with money - that's when he was the most himself. The average person never responded positively upon noticing him.

Sure, he was a homeless kid roaming the streets, digging through garbage cans for his next meal, or pick-pocketing change from unwary people but it was more than that. Society had not been kind to him and he knew exactly why - his hair burned a fiery red, in contrast to their ebony locks. His eyes were wide, round, and a deep emerald green, while theirs were narrow and deep brown. His skin, while equally pale, was pockmarked with freckles compared to their smooth, porcelain complexions.

The sole exception had been Shao Mei Feng, the only one who had shown him any sort of concern for his well being. She had taken him in, provided food, shelter and clothes. Everything Craig knew based only from experience, he could not deduce what her motivations where. Nobody had ever been so kind to him without ever wanting anything in return. He was careful to not give in to her hospitality though, in case he would ever come to be reliant on it and God forbid, be in her debt. However in the recent years, he'd developed a sneaky suspicion that he was failing in that.

The proof of that suspicion manifested itself in the fact that he was now walking down the street, braving the awkward glares from strangers, with Mei's son in tow. Kenny's little hand was engulfed in his as they headed toward the preschool with the morning sun warming their backs. He stole a glance at the child, whose head barely reached his hip. Kenny walked alongside him obediently, short legs struggling to keep up with his long, lanky strides. The boy's hat was at least two sizes too large for him, and his knapsack reminded Craig of a large turtle shell. Kenny's free hand grasped a large blue plastic lunch box that was no doubt stuffed with the freshly cooked food Mei had prepared for breakfast this morning, swinging it casually as he strode forward.

They had almost reached the front gates of the preschool when Craig suddenly felt resistance. Kenny stopped walking, refusing to take another step further. Craig looked at the kid with confusion.

"What's the matter?" he asked, tugging at Kenny's wrist. Without waiting for a response, he added, "You're going to be late if you don't hurry up. And I'm gonna get into shit from your Mom and Dad. Come on, let's go." He pulled on the child's wrist for emphasis.

But instead of cooperating, Kenny raised his arms above his head. "Up!"

Craig sighed, rolling his eyes. Now was not the time for this argument. "You lazy little shit," he said as he picked up Kenny with both hands, feeling the child's arms wrap around his neck for support. As soon as Craig felt confident that he held Kenny securely, he broke into a light jog through the gates and towards the pre-school classrooms on the first floor, enduring the awkward stares the whole way through. He'd rather deal with them than Mei's rage if she found out Kenny was late for class.

By the time they had reached the front gates of the school, sweat had condensed on Craig's forehead and Kenny's forearms stuck to the skin on his neck. He bent down, peeling the kid off him, and took a step back. Kenny remained rooted to the spot looking up at him from underneath the brim of his hat with a confused expression on his face.

"Go on! " Craig urged, motioning urgently towards the gate.

Kenny responded by wrapping his arms around Craig's left leg, burying his cheek into his outer thigh. "I want to go home," he said.

Craig exhaled with exasperation into the morning air. "Now I know why your Dad wanted me to take you to school today." He lifted his leg off the ground, but Kenny held on. "Come on now, get off. I don't have time for this shit." And that was when, to Craig's dismay, Kenny started to cry.

"I want to go home!" he repeated, his wail piercing the air. It had caught the attention of parents and other children nearby, forcing his face to blush as red as the hair on head. They looked at him curiously - as if the stares on his way here hadn't been enough.

"It's okay!" he nervously assured the small crowd who gathered around him. "Everything's fine over here!" Craig pried Kenny off his leg, who only cried louder. He bent down to a squat and looked the boy in the eyes, grasping him by the shoulders. "I'm going to get into big, big trouble if you keep this up." He wagged a finger in front of Kenny's face. "I'll make you a deal. You go to class now, and I'll come back for you after school." His words went unheard as Kenny continued to stand there and cry. Craig began to feel his sanity leaving him.

It was the presence of a third individual that calmed the boy, a porcelain skinned girl with jet black hair, bangs parted, framing the sides of her face. Ignoring Craig, she knelt down behind Kenny and gently turned him around to face her.

"What's wrong sweetie?" she asked gently.

Kenny was so confused by the interruption that he stopped crying and looked at her curiously. She maintained a beautiful smile. He turned around and looked up at Craig, who tipped his chin back at the girl, urging him to be polite and talk to her.

"I want to go home and play," Kenny admitted softly, looking at the toes of his shoes. "But Cranky wants me to stay here."

The girl's expression softened. "Well of course he does," she said. "If you spend all your time with him, you won't get any time to play with your friends at school. And then nobody will come to your house to play with you. What kind of games do you like?"

"Tag," Kenny replied shyly. "And hide-and-go-seek."

"Right," the girl confirmed. "And that's not fun with just two people is it?" She brushed her thumb across his soft cheek, wiping away a residual tear.

"No ..."

"That's right," the girl continued. "So go spend the day with your friends. And when Cranky comes back, you can introduce him to all of them."

Kenny's face brightened. "Kay!"

"Good, now go say goodbye to him." She took by Kenny by the shoulders and turned him around again to face Craig.

Craig looked in awe at the mysterious girl who had just saved him from tantrum throwing child, mouth open in shock. He looked down at Kenny who waved upwards at him. "Bye Cranky! Come back soon, okay?"

Kenny didn't give him a chance to respond as he turned around and raced happily through the gates, into the school grounds. The girl rose to her feet and watched the boy scurry off into the distance. He approached the girl and held his hand out in a warm gesture.

"Thanks," he said, sighing with relief. "I'm not sure what I would have done if you didn't step in. I'm Craig Crankurt - that little brat's babysitter."

She gracefully accepted and took his hand in hers. "A pleasure, Craig," she replied. "Cranky, huh? How did that come about?"

He shrugged. "Crankurt's too hard for him to say, I guess. So he stuck with Cranky."

The girl giggled, holding a manicured hand to her mouth. "And you just let him?"

"He'll get it right one day," he said, good-naturedly, smiling at her.

"Adorable," the girl revealed. "My name is Juri. Juri Han. This 'brat' you speak of, does he have a name?"

"Kenny," Craig replied. "I'm close with his parents - they've been good to me. So sometimes I help them out with handling their little bundle of joy." He then changed the subject towards Juri herself. "You said your surname was 'Han'. Any relation to ..."

"Han Min-Jae," she finished his sentence. "Yes, I'm his daughter."

"The South-Korean ambassador?" he asked, surprised. "I'd heard Tai talk about his diplomatic visits to Shadowlaw. He's making a pretty big impact here in Japan."

"Yes," Juri admitted, folding her hands in front of herself. "Father can be a bit aggressive and steadfast in his convictions; sometimes, to the detriment of his social connections. But today is different." She motioned to the front gates of the pre-school that Kenny attended. "This institution is prestigious for a reason. While based here in Osaka, it is internationally funded, mostly in part by the local, South Korean and Chinese investors in the hopes of easing historical tensions in the region, stemming from the second world war."

"Sounds like he's got a long road ahead of him," Craig commented.

"My father has an important speech to deliver today," she added. "The media is expected to arrive shortly. He wants it documented in front of a bunch of cute kindergarteners. Something about loving the children." Juri rolled her eyes. "Whatever makes him more relatable, I guess?"

Juri Han smiled modestly at Craig, a dimple forming on her cheek that lasted for only a split second. But that was all the time it took to make his body feel almost weightless. Her narrow, slightly angled eyes gave an expression of natural seduction.

His heart rate increased, as sweat condensed immediately on his palms. His mouth went dry, and Craig tried sweeping his tongue across his lips to lessen the effect but it proved fruitless. Not knowing that his adolescent mind now had full control over his muscle functions, Craig stepped toward Juri and brushed his fingers across her cheek. Her brows immediately furrowed in response, and she took an uncomfortable step backwards, eyeing him carefully.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

It wasn't the reaction he was expecting, and the harsh reminder that she did not share in his interest was like a punch to the gut. Craig felt his face flush with embarrassment.

"I ... I'm sorry," he stuttered nervously. "Not sure what I was thinking."

"I'm not entirely convinced that you were," Juri snapped. "Excuse me, I must be on my way now." She didn't wait for a response from him, and spun curtly around on her heels, and strode quickly away, leaving him to analyze what had gone wrong in the mere few seconds after he thought everything was going just right.


Lord Bison's Office
Shadowlaw Compound
Base of Mount Fuji, Japan

The threat Vega had left Tai with struck a chord with the young scientist. He'd had his own doubts and suspicions with Shadowlaw, but up until that point, he had never felt real fear gripping him, determining his actions. The number of crimes committed against humanity didn't decrease, however. Every other week, he witnessed more innocent people picked off the street and delivered to Shadowlaw's headquarters to be experimented on or killed. They didn't discriminate, either.

Every conceivable demographic was targeted; men and women, young and old, of every conceivable ethnicity. Tai regretfully realized that it was his time spent with his evil employers that was responsible for opening his eyes to the diversity of the human race than any time he'd spent as a free man in Mainland China. And Shadowlaw was paying him well, on top of funding his personal research into his personal project which they had now dubbed ... the Shadow Technology.

The term gave Tai the chills. He wasn't completely comfortable with what they were doing with his work, but the part that yearned to make a name for himself and his family overpowered any compassion he might have harbored towards his fellow humans. Or perhaps it was the fear of what might happen to him if he had turned his back on what Shadowlaw, if they'd so much gained an inkling into his true feelings after having invested so much into him so far.

Nevertheless, he hid his regret for joining this company as best he could; and Vega's threat had definitely been a major source of motivation for him. From his standpoint, he'd done an impressive job, which was why he was confused here and now, sitting in Bison's office, across from his boss separated by an impressive hardwood desk. Bison was dressed in his trademark maroon suit, jet black hair impeccably gelled back, cold soulless eyes staring at him from where he sat.

Tai swallowed a nervous lump in his throat, deciding to speak first in the hopes of setting a less than hostile tone for his meeting he was unexpectedly called into. "And to what do I owe this pleasure, Lord Bison," he asked.

Bison swirled a short glass of some kind of alcoholic beverage in his hand as he pondered how to respond to the innocent inquiry. The Shadowlaw overlord was intimidating in his most casual of moods but today, Tai could tell there was definitely something on his mind. Tai fought against the panic in case Bison's displeasure was somehow aimed at him.

"We've found ourselves in the unfortunate position of having to allow an international official into our compound," Lord Bison explained. "As a scientific organization, Shadowlaw aims to not be involved in any government and political agendas. But we've unwillingly gained the attention of the international community."

"Perhaps that is a good thing," Tai offered. "Our advances are nothing short of miraculous, with the Doll Program, and the Living Incubator Initiative."

"Miraculous and classified," Bison snapped. "No, I am afraid our means of securing funds for our more ambitious projects is what has brought us into the limelight, at least in East Asia."

"I ... I'm not sure I understand, sir," Tai admitted.

Bison chuckled. "Of course you wouldn't." He leaned forward, setting his glass upon the table and clasped his hands in front of his face. "You are among our top developers, Mr. Feng. So what I am about to share with you should remain between us. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal."

He continued. "Our funding comes from less than credible sources. Some might even consider them of the illegal variety. The amount of revenue we earn from supporting the drug cartels in South America to the Kremlin in Russia - cumulatively they have provided us the means with which to at least in part, support your project, among others within the organization."

The newfound knowledge did nothing to curb Tai's panic in any fashion. "Sir, I do not wish to know about how the funding for the Shadow Tech initiative came about. I only wish to continue with my research."

Bison smiled. "Of course, Dr. Feng. But the nature of our business lends itself to scrutiny amongst the international community no matter how we decide to present it. With the support of the Japanese, Korean and Chinese governments, we've been ordered to provide a tour of the facilities to government representatives of their respective bureaucracies. I trust this is something I can rely upon you to conduct."

"It is," Tai replied with confidence that betrayed his personal doubts. Sure he had his own reservations, but it was safer to agree to the agenda than voice his own concerns about the idea.

Bison's lips morphed into a wide, thin-lipped smile that made Tai's skin crawl. "Excellent, Dr. Feng. The tour is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon. I trust that you will show the government representatives everything they hope to see, while keeping our sensitive information classified."

"No problem, Sir," Tai agreed, suddenly unsure of how the was going to pull it off.


Suburbs
Osaka, Japan

Gunfire.

He had only made it less than a block away from the pre-school where he'd dropped Kenny off when the rapid rattling of semi-automatic explosions rocked the air and Craig's eardrums. The sounds caused him to freeze in his tracks. He could feel his ears twitch as he waited for another explosion, not believing what he was hearing. Firearms were rare in Osaka, given the government implemented and backed procedures for obtaining one required an advanced talent of jumping through hoops. It happened again, another round of firing. Craig still couldn't be sure that it was indeed gunfire he was hearing, until the horrified screams followed.

It didn't even take a second for him to spring into action, realizing that it came from the direction of Kenny's school. His feet pounded the pavement as Craig sprinted faster than he'd ever run in his life. The tattered shoes on his feet that Mei had pointed out earlier that morning could no longer take such abuse. He felt the tears widening with every step, the impact of the concrete on his joints. Hurt though it did, he knew he was getting closer to confirming whether or not Kenny was in danger.

"Not the school, not the school," he found himself mouthing silently. Craig's bangs, matted with sweat in the spring heat, clung to his forehead.

He was nearly out of breath by the time the iron gates of the school grounds came into view. A speeding vehicle threatened to take him out as it raced by him. A momentary glance at the car revealed Juri's face in the rear window, screaming for help, hand reaching out the window in desperation as it rolled up. Craig hesitated for a second, unsure if it really was her that he'd spotted, before forcing himself through the remaining few steps, only to see a chaotic display before him.

It was as if time had slowed to a crawl as Craig scanned the surrounding area, assessing the damage. A makeshift stage and podium were set up in the school courtyard in preparation of the speech that, Craig guessed, Ambassador Han was to deliver his speech. It was upon this stage where two of his bodyguards lay dead with gunshot wounds, one to the head and the other to his chest. Bullet holes riddled the podium and the backdrop. Teachers hovered over groups of identically uniform-clad children at huddled in groups, some crying. Craig searched the ground for any further casualties and gave into brief relief when he could spot no more.

Panicked school staff crisscrossed the grounds, herding together confused, disoriented children. Others rushed to cover the fresh corpses of the bodyguards, shielding the gruesome sight from the young students. A suited man brushed by him in a calm authoritative manner, speaking quickly to an associate, the pair of them on their way somewhere in a rush.

"They've taken the Ambassador and his family, and we have no evidence on who the kidnappers are."

But Craig instinctively reached out to tug on the man's elbow, interrupting the conversation.

"Class B," Craig pleaded with him, "Can you tell me where the students of Class B are?"

Sirens began filling the air, drowning out the man's response. But he pointed towards the first floor of the school's south wing, which stood just a few short strides away from where Craig was now. Flashes of red and blue light began reflecting off the walls, indicating the arrival of the first emergency responders. It would only be a matter of moments before they would descend upon the scene, and Craig couldn't let that happen without finding Kenny first.

He spotted the door to the Class B's room and turned the knob, only to find it held strong against the twist of his wrist. Frustration growing, he slammed his shoulder once into the door. A sharp pain radiated from the point of impact on this upper arm, through to the rest of the limb and his right shoulder. Not letting the pain deter him, he switched sides and threw himself at the door again, this time propelled by the force of his legs in addition to his body weight.

The door buckled beneath the force as Craig's adolescent form spilled into the classroom, earning him a collective scream of alarm from the children huddled inside. The teacher had grouped them around her, and they lay low, squatting on the ground. She had her arms around as many of her pupils as they could embrace and upon noticing him, raised them to him in surrender.

"Please don't hurt them!" she begged. "If you need to shoot somebody, please shoot me!"

"No!" Craig protested. "You've got the wrong idea!"

She wasn't listening, as she continued to plead with him through desperate sobs. "Shoot me, instead!"

"Cranky?"

Kenny's timid, innocent voice unexpectedly brought a moment of calm to the situation. His head poked out from the sea of frightened children, eyes widening excitedly when he saw who the intruder was. The boy opened his mouth to say something but the teacher seized him by the shoulders and pulled him closer to her.

"Listen to me!" Craig ordered, but suddenly felt himself get swept off his feet.

As he fell to the ground he caught glimpses of the burly forms of special force soldiers. As he lay on the cold tiled floor, he felt his arms get twisted behind his body, and the cold clamp of handcuffs snap around his wrists. He dared a glance upward to get a better look at his assailants, but found only the muzzle of a gun mere inches from his nose.

"One movement and I will shoot, do you understand me?!" the soldier bellowed.

"Officer, I ..."

"You're under arrest."


Feng Residence
Osaka, Japan

It was late in the afternoon by the time the phone rang. Mei was in the kitchen preparing dinner for the family. Tai was due home in an hour, and she was expecting Craig at any moment with Kenny in tow. The shrill ringing of the phone permeated the home, so Mei twisted the knob on the stove controlling the strength of the flame, to a low heat while she quickly shuffled over to the phone in her house slippers. She quickly wiped her hands on her apron before picking up the receiver.

The voice on the other end of the line was male, and spoke to Mei in her native Mandarin, a language she'd gotten used to not hearing, with a deep, authoritative bass. "Mrs. Feng, how are you doing this afternoon?"

"I'm doing well, thank you," she replied. "And with whom am I speaking with?"

The man chuckled. "Straight down to business. I like that. Mrs. Feng, my name is Dorai Xiang and I'm a detective with the Chinese division of Interpol. I was provided your contact information from a mutual acquaintance of ours, Master Gen. You are familiar with him, I presume?"

"Y...yes," she stammered, unsure of why exactly Interpol would be in contact with her, let alone Master Gen. "Well, not so much myself as my husband. He was a former student."

"My daughter is currently studying under his guidance," Dorai said.

"Ah, yes, I believe he's mentioned her in the past," Mei recollected, "Chun Li, was it? He spoke well of her talents. You must be very proud."

"As any father can be," Dorai agreed. But now with the pleasantries over, it was his turn to get down to business. "Listen Mrs. Feng, as nice as it is to bond over our shared connection to Master Gen, this is not the purpose of my calling you this afternoon." Just as she'd suspected, Mei thought with a hint of bitterness. She went along with the small talk, with him trying to butter her up and now she was about to find out what it was all for.

Dorai continued. "I'm calling because we're investigating the disappearance of two girls native to Beijing, and we were led to believe that you were close to them. I was wondering if you'd be able to come down to the Chinese Embassy sometime this week to perhaps answer a few questions we have about the girls."

Mei's heart dropped straight into her belly upon hearing those words. Disappearance? Two girls? Her first instinct was rage. Who would be twisted enough to hurt two innocent girls? The second was panic. She hadn't been in touch much with the news back home since their relocation, and her thoughts went through the rolodex of fading memories from her previous life, wondering who the two girls could possibly have been.

As if Dorai had been reading her mind, he elaborated on the facts. "Their names are Xiayu and Yanyu - and they were last seen walking home from school three years ago. We've since exhausted our supply of primary witnesses and individuals closest to the victims, and still have no leads on their disappearance except for one. We believe beyond a reasonable doubt that the girls were taken to Japan, and we're hoping we can count on your cooperation to take us one step closer to bringing the girls home."

"Absolutely, Detective," Mei agreed earnestly. "Xiayu and Yanyu were among my pupils, during the time I served on the Beijing branch of the People's Ministry of Education."

"We sincerely appreciate your cooperation," Dorai said, "if you could come down to the local police station in an hour's time, that would be great. That's where we are temporarily stationed."

"Mr. Xiang," Mei protested, "I'm afraid I'm in the middle of ..."

"I don't think you understand the urgency of the situation, Mrs. Feng," Detective Xiang interrupted. The polite pretense from his tone was suddenly dropped. "Please turn on your television to channel 5."

She didn't want to waste time arguing with the detective and decided that it would be best to take the path of least resistance and cooperate with his pushy requests. Mei reached for the remote and turned on the television set, watching closely as it blinked to life, and changed the channel as she had been instructed.

The image on screen displayed the familiar front gates of Kenny's school as she'd seen it many times before dropping her son off. But this time, the unmistakable blinking lights of emergency vehicles parked along the school grounds could be seen. Crying students and teachers alike, interviews with witnesses, it forced Mei's breath to seize in her lungs. Her knees turned to jelly as she felt an immense pressure of fear and dread coming down on her from above. Detective Xiang continued speaking, as if he was reading out the headlines that appeared on the bottom of the screen.

"There's been another kidnapping," he said, though Mei wasn't sure if she was quite listening to what he was saying. "This time, the victim was Han Min-Jae; an influential Korean ambassador. He was scheduled to deliver a speech at your son's school and was kidnapped, along with his wife and daughter, moments before it was to begin."

"I don't understand," Mei whispered with disbelief. "What does this have to do with ... why Kenny's school?" She ran curled fingers through her hair with her free hand.

"There's more, Mrs. Feng."

"I just don't understand ..."

"We have, beyond reasonable doubt, that Shadowlaw is behind this."