"My name is Josie Rizal... and I am a Tekken Force soldier!" the female in white proudly beamed.
Chloe tilted her head, eyebrow raised. "You're... a Tekken Force soldier? Legit?"
Josie looked away and scratched her head meekly. "Ummm... well... not official. I'm just a trainee, hee hee..."
Chloe folded her arms and grinned. "Heh, that sounds more like it nya."
Josie broke out of her humble shell. "But that doesn't mean I'm not dangerous!"
"So what's a pretty girl like you doing hanging out with all these gruff soldiers nya?"
Josie thrust her finger menacingly. "For your information, Miss Cutie Patootie Popstar, some of us aren't comfortably living in this world with a lot of wealth! I need this job! My modeling career back in the Philippines isn't cutting it. Besides... it's always been a dream of mine to put on a uniform and fight for a just cause."
Chloe angrily stomped her foot. "A just cause? A JUST CAUSE? What could possibly be just about wanting to assassinate me?!"
Josie closed her eyes solemnly. "I realize that my commanding officer is not winning any Man of the Year awards... but he's my only hope. The only thing standing between a job with the most powerful empire in the world, and going back to a life of just getting by... is his word. If he puts in a good report, I can bring home some real money to my family. We don't have to settle for just what keeps us going!"
Josie pointed her finger once again. "And that's why... I have to capture you and take you to him!"
Chloe looked down at Josie's feet. "Well since you're dooming me anyways, why not just pick up your weapon and finish the job right now, hmm? Take my head to your boss. Become a hero of the Mishima Zaibatsu."
Josie took a step forward, raising her fists. "That's not who I am."
"You think you can live the life of a soldier without getting some blood on your hands? We all have to cross that line eventually, nya." Chloe retorted.
"Sh-shut up! You should be grateful you get to live a little longer! Now... FIGHT!"
MEANWHILE...
Shaheen sprinted back towards the direction Chloe had fled, Gomo's gun in his arms. Right now, his mind was driving him crazy. He had so many questions: why were the Tekken Force after them? Why didn't Chloe tell him they were after her? And why... why doesn't she just tell him who she works for?!
"What are you running towards, Shaheen? Are you running back to Chloe?" the vision of Faraj teased from the recesses of Shaheen's mind.
"What do you think?" Shaheen replied between huffs.
"Get real, Shaheen. It's all but obvious now. Aren't you curious why the Tekken Force is after her? Who are they currently at war with? You should know who they are better than anyone..."
"I'll hear it from her own mouth, thank you!" Shaheen retorted.
"Heh heh heh... fine. Keep living in denial. Face it: I was right all along. I told you not to trust her... and you went and fell in love with her! You got in bed with the enemy!"
"SHE'S NOT A BAD GUY!" Shaheen screamed.
With that last outburst, he shook the voices out of his head and sprinted as fast as his legs could carry. His arm was still bleeding, and while he couldn't feel the pain right now, the loss of blood was making him dizzy. And the worse it got... the worse the voices seemed to get.
Josie and Chloe circled each other, each one in their respective stances: Chloe with her freestyle form, and Josie with a traditional kickboxing style. Chloe figured she had the advantage, at least in unpredictability. Maybe she could baffle the young soldier with her erratic movements and wild strikes.
Chloe lunged forward with a straight right which didn't even reach Josie, but allowed Chloe to close distance and throw a wild, spinning backfist. The wild swing missed and Chloe came back around with another crazy helicopter-like swing. She missed, but she continued to back Josie up. Chloe finished her combo with a high front kick, but her foot didn't reach Josie's face.
Josie took advantage of her throwing the high kick; her other leg was stationary. With a sharp breath, Josie pivoted her hip and threw a powerful leg kick that knocked Chloe's one planted foot out from under her. Chloe hit the ground butt-first, but quickly used her hands to spring her body back upwards.
The two didn't make any sudden moves for a few seconds. Finally, Josie was the one to push the action with a left high kick which Chloe blocked. Josie went low with another leg kick, smacking Chloe's same leg in the same exact spot. Chloe felt a slight numbness in the afflicted area, but she shook it off.
Josie lunged forward with a straight right, her longer limb reaching Chloe's face and hitting her in the nose. Chloe recoiled and Josie tried to follow up with a leg kick, but Chloe broke out the dance moves to avoid it. She used her right hand to do a handstand, thrusting her legs in the air and giving Josie a 1-2 kick to the body and head. As Josie stumbled backwards, Chloe used her hand to launch her forward with a flying dropkick that crashed into Josie's torso. Josie kept her forearms up, but the force of Chloe's body flying at her still knocked her on her butt.
Josie was down, but not fazed at all. She quickly emerged from the ground and resumed stance.
Chloe cartwheeled from left to right, trying to throw Josie off with her random pattern. After one last cartwheel, Chloe went low and somersaulted forward, snatching Josie's leg and lifting it.
"What the- WAAAH!"
From the ground Chloe did an impressive sweep to knock Josie's other foot off balance, making her fall to the ground. Chloe then pressed down on Josie's leg to launch herself into the air and come down on the kickboxer with a flying forearm smash. Josie raised her arms but was caught in the face with it and it threw her off momentarily.
Chloe backflipped to a safe distance as Josie slowly got back up to her feet. She took advantage of Josie recovering and charged forward, leaping into the air and throwing a flying cartwheel kick that plowed into Josie and stumbled her backwards. Chloe tried to push the action further, but Josie knew she had to distance the crazy dancer and regain her footing.
"Hyaaaa-OOOF!"
Chloe's breath was knocked out of her as Josie threw a front kick to her stomach, the sole of her boot stopping Chloe dead in her tracks. Chloe was on wobbly legs for a second, but didn't go down. Josie still took advantage, however, and threw a 1-2 punch followed by a high kick. The first punch hit Chloe's shoulder, the second punch caught her on the forehead, and the high kick smashed into her temple and sent her tumbling to the ground.
Chloe hissed as she brought her fist on the concrete. She was losing this fight... at this moment, she could only wonder where Shaheen was...
MEANWHILE...
Shaheen continued to press onward, but he was getting slower and slower. Air started to become precious to him, as he had to stop several time to take in precious mouthfuls of it. And every time he stopped... Faraj was there to taunt him.
"You should stop right now. Stop, and just walk away. Let the Tekken Force finish her off."
"That's not an option." Shaheen wheezed.
"Why do you keep pressing forward? Aren't you scared of discovering the truth?"
"I..."
"You're afraid of me being right, heh heh. You're afraid of knowing the truth: that Chloe isn't who you thought she was. In fact, the face of the enemy you seek to destroy... could be hers-"
"SHUT UP!"
"Fine, keep moving. But don't say I didn't warn you. Just be prepared to do what's necessary when you find out what she really is."
The voice stopped after that. Shaheen's body began to tremble... what if it was true? Maybe he SHOULD stop here: just stop, and never know the truth. Maybe if he just went back to the suite, and waited for her... she would come running back to him with that cute face and they could just keep on going like normal. Just keep going...like there was nothing wrong. Just keep going, with nothing in the world mattering but their love...
But he knew he couldn't do that. Because right now, at this moment, the enemy was closing in on Chloe. He swore to protect her, and that's why he had to push onwards. No matter what the reality was... his duty was to protect Chloe.
Meanwhile, the battle was still raging. Josie continued to use her superior reach to pick Chloe apart. The dancer seemed to have no answer for Josie's crisp striking technique.
"HYAAAH!" Chloe screamed as she threw a sweep kick that Josie dodged, then transitioned into a flying somersault kick which only caught Josie's forearms. She tried to go to the midsection with a body kick, but Josie intercepted her kick mid-flight with her own powerful kick. Josie's leg prevailed over Chloe's, knocking the petite girl to the ground.
Chloe angrily dusted herself off and got back up. Josie immediately struck her once again with a leg kick, in the same spot she had been attacking the whole fight. This one was powerful; causing Chloe's knee to buckle from the accumulation of damage.
"Ngh! Shit..." she cursed. She quickly regained her footing and tried something new: she started to move around in a dancing fashion, her feet swaying and stepping all around, her body flowing in a way much like that of the legendary late Bruce Lee. This dancing stance would allow her to be lighter on her feet, and also put less strain on her leg.
Josie stepped forward with a ferocious roundhouse kick... but Chloe was nowhere near it.
"Whoa..."
Chloe danced to the left and came forward with a jab, then doubled up with a left hook. Both of them hit their mark.
"Gyaah!"
Josie threw a straight right, then closed distance and tried to uppercut. But again, Chloe danced out of the way. Chloe then went low with a breakdancing sweep kick, her left leg soaring and knocking Josie's foot off balance, then smashing into her face with the right leg. But Chloe continued to spin on the ground, using her hands to twist her body around and deliver another 1-2 kick to Josie's stomach and face.
"Guuh..." Josie groaned, stumbling backwards.
Chloe used her hands to spring back to her feet, then charged forward at full speed. Josie regained her stance and tried to intercept Chloe with a knee... but Chloe slid between her legs and emerged from the other side, kangaroo kicking her in the butt and using that momentum to roll forward back to her feet.
Chloe quickly turned around: Josie's back was still turned! With a grin, Chloe flipped upside down and clamped her legs around Josie's neck, then took her for a ride. Using the fascinating elements of leverage and momentum, Chloe was able to backflip, lift Josie high in the air and slam her down with a Frankensteiner. Chloe smoothly transitioned to a full mount and started raining punches on Josie's face. Since Chloe was sitting on her neck area, Josie couldn't properly get her arms up to block the shots.
"This...fight...is...over... nya!" Chloe yelled between punches.
"I...won't...LOSE!" Josie spat in defiance.
Josie used all her strength to explode from the bottom and throw Chloe off of her. As Chloe tumbled to the ground, it became a race to see who would get up first. They both were unable to capitalize, so they each distanced themselves and reset.
They had both gotten some good shots in, but this battle couldn't go on forever. One of them had to go down... and Josie still had the superior reach.
Meanwhile, Shaheen was closing fast. He could hear the sounds of combat: female voices grunting, the thuds of limb against limb. It sounded like Chloe was fighting someone!
"CHLOEEEE!" Shaheen cried out.
He arrived just in time to see the conclusion of the fight: Josie threw a kick to Chloe's ribs, and the dancer had used up too much energy to dodge it. The kick brought her to her knees temporarily, but she sprang back up. With a desperate yell, Chloe tried to close distance with a right hook, but Josie intercepted her with a knee to the body. This one DID drop her.
"Ooooooof...ughhhhh..."
Chloe rolled around on the ground in pain, coughing violently as her breaths burned her lungs. She curled up in a fetal position, her arms up covering her face and body from anymore punishment. She was done.
"I win... now you gotta come with me!" Josie commanded.
"Hold it!"
Josie gasped when she heard the firm male voice call out to her. She turned around, and recoiled with shock when she came face to face with Shaheen.
"Oh no! Aw, where did you come from?" she whined.
"This is over." Shaheen declared, aiming his rifle at the young female intern.
"You must be the bodyguard." Josie stated. "Maaaan this is not fair! I won already! Can't you just let me have this?!"
Shaheen rolled his eyes and approached the downed Chloe, keeping his gun fixated on Josie as he leaned down and tended to her.
"Chloe..." he whispered softly.
"S-sorry Shaheen... *cough cough* I couldn't beat her... nya..." Chloe wheezed.
"It's okay. I'm going to get you out of here." he softly assured, reaching down to stroke her face.
"N-N-NOW WAIT JUST A MINUTE!" Josie cried out. "This isn't right! You don't get to have a sweet, romantic moment! This is MY happy ending! I'm gonna take Chloe back to my boss, and he's gonna help me become a full fledged Tekken Force soldier! I need this!"
Shaheen saw Josie get into stance, and he knew she wasn't going to back down. Leaving his weapon on the ground, he stood up and met her halfway.
"If you want Chloe... then you'll have to take me out too." Shaheen declared.
Josie's legs slightly trembled as she faced the bigger man. She was having much larger doubts about her ability to win this one, especially since she's at a disadvantage of having already been through a fight. She would have to end this quickly, lest it drag out and she use up all her energy. His arm looks wounded... maybe she could take advantage of that...?
Shaheen got a good look at his opponent: her face was swelling in multiple areas. Her mouth was wide open, so breathing must have been a chore. Chloe gave her a hell of a scrap, it would seem. Shaheen had to finish this... while his mind was still lucid.
Josie threw a jab to gauge her range; her fist reached Shaheen but bounced off his shoulder. This was good... she could piece him up with kicks.
"HIYAH!" Josie kiai'd as she went high with one of her brutal kicks. Shaheen managed to take the full force in his arm... the same arm that had been shot.
As soon as Shaheen felt the stinging pain, his vision went blurry, his world distorted... and he saw Faraj stand before him.
"YOU...MUST... LEAVE HER!"
As quickly as Faraj appeared, he vanished: in his place was Josie's fist.
"Ngah!" Shaheen grunted as he was caught in the eye with a straight left. He was sent stumbling backwards, and Josie stood there for a second, pleasantly surprised with herself.
Shaheen dropped to one knee and looked into the palm of his own hand. With an angry grunt, he slapped himself repeatedly in an effort to shake off the delirium. He had to stay up... until he knew the truth...
Josie came forward with a lunging front kick to the body, but Shaheen easily caught her leg and brought the sole of his foot into her other shin. Josie squealed in pain and was brought to the ground, and Shaheen followed up with a boot to her ribs.
Already Josie seemed to be disheartened, as she crawled away from Shaheen on her hands and knees, coughing and producing labored breaths. But still she persisted, getting back to her feet and getting into stance.
She grunted and threw a high front kick, but Shaheen swayed back to avoid it. She went low with a leg kick... but her tired leg only bounced off of Shaheen's calf like a rubber mallet.
"Ah! Oww owww..." she hissed. She was the one who felt the effects of her own kick, as her lower leg began to numb.
"GRAAAH!" Shaheen growled as he threw his own devastating inside leg kick. His shin soared true and blasted Josie below the knee, knocking her on her face like someone had pulled a rug out from under her.
"Agh...unnng..." Josie groaned as she was slow to get up. With each bodily movement, she seemed slower and slower.
Shaheen threw a hook to her ribs, dropping her to one knee. Josie quickly rose and tried to counter with a 1-2 punch and kick, but Shaheen swatted her hands away and caught her kick in his hand. He raised her leg higher, exposing her midsection, then quickly let go of it and threw a flying, spinning back kick to her stomach. Josie went flying a few feet and impacted hard, her legs in the air like a folding chair before they plopped to the ground.
Shaheen stood firm with his fists raised, his wounded arm causing him immense pain now and his head spinning from the blood loss. But still he stood his ground, as Josie crawled to her feet on wobbly legs.
"I...can't...lose... I must win for..." Josie coughed out. A few whimpers were mixed in, followed by a sniffle...
Shaheen noticed tears start flowing from her eyes. Right now, Josie Rizal didn't look like an aspiring soldier; she looked like a scared girl, who didn't know what her future held. A girl who just wanted to make her family happy, and was willing to take extreme measures to do so. He started to feel a twinge of sympathy... but he had to dismiss it and remember why he was fighting.
Josie cried out with everything she had left and rushed Shaheen. She threw wild punches to the head and body, not attempting to conserve her energy whatsoever. Left, right, a wild kick to the head. A follow-up to the body. She closed her eyes and swung wildly with no restraint, praying that one of them would knock him out. But to no avail...
"You're gonna die, Shaheen! You're gonna die here if you don't do something! HAHAHAHAHA!"
Shaheen hissed with impatience and finally caught one of her sloppy kicks under his armpit. He locked her leg tight, keeping her there hopping on one foot. With a growl, he drew his arm back and backhanded her in the face, then followed up with a crushing fist to her already hurt ribs. He drew his fist back once more and smashed her in the eye socket, Josie's stationary leg finally giving out as she fell to a knee. Shaheen finished her off by raising his boot and bringing it down on her face, finally letting go of her leg and letting her crumple to the ground.
Josie lay flat on the ground, unable to continue. Her tears flowed freely as she coughed and wheezed, spitting blood from her lip. She didn't even care about the pain: she was just angry at her failure. Above everything else, nothing mattered to her except the family she let down back home. She was so close... victory was at hand, and that man came and ruined it. She hated him... she wanted to curse his name...
Her busted, bloody lips produced the most articulate insult she could think of...
"...G Corp scum."
Those three words stopped Shaheen in his tracks.
"...What did you just call me?"
Chloe got to her knees and attempted to grab him. "Sh-Shaheen-"
"WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME?!" Shaheen barked.
Josie's eyes widened with fear as Shaheen grabbed her gun and shoved it in her face. Her tears started spilling twice as hard, as death stared her right in her young face.
"YOU DON'T EVER CALL ME THAT! EVER!" he growled, his eyes bloodshot with an animalistic rage.
"Shaheen, STOP!" Chloe cried out. She fought to get back to her feet, only to stumble forward just enough to grab him.
"NO! NO!" Shaheen yelled repeatedly. "NOOO!"
Chloe tried to wrestle him as Shaheen screamed wildly and fired the gun in all directions. His mind had snapped. Nothing, nobody could quell him now. It had been a long time coming, with Shaheen silently dreadin what would finally set him over the edge. It was those words...
Shaheen angrily pushed Chloe off of him and faced her. "What are you, Chloe?! WHAT ARE YOU?!"
"Wh-why do you care?!" Chloe squealed, her eyes flowing with tears now.
"...Just tell me."
"...Lieutenant Kaname. If you can hear me, I'm approaching the target."
"Shaheen..."
"Just tell me. Are you... do you really work for him?"
Chloe closed her eyes. "Yes! Okay? Yes! I'm G Corporation! I sold my soul to G Corp for an easy life!"
"So it's true..." Shaheen's voice seemed to grow almost to a whisper.
"Yeah, it's true. So what? That's what I've been so scared to tell you, okay? But I thought maybe, just maybe you wouldn't care... because of what we have together." Chloe replied with a sob.
Shaheen fell to his knees as he fought back the tears until they stung. He clenched his teeth together, his fingernails dug into his fists until it broke the skin. This realization was physically painful to him. He could have denied it... denied it until the day he died... but now he heard it from her own mouth. It was true, whether he liked it or not.
"I'm just like you, Shaheen. I'm a soldier who's been forced to kill just to make ends meet. Everything I have... it's because G Corp funds it. If I don't do what they tell me, I don't have a life."
"...It's really true... you're just one of Kazuya Mishima's lapdogs."
Chloe was taken aback by this. "I'm what? I'm a what?!"
Shaheen got to his feet and looked into her teary eyes, his own eyes wrought with fury and angry tears. "You kill in Kazuya Mishima's name!"
Chloe got back to her feet and got in his face. "So what? What makes you any better than me, huh? What gives you the right to be self f***ing righteous?!"
"DID YOU KILL FARAJ TOO?!"
Chloe stepped backwards, her face frozen with shock. She stammered as the words failed to materialize properly.
"Wh...wh..wha..?"
Shaheen stepped forward. "Faraj Al-Hassan! An oil tycoon and his family! A just, honorable, selfless man who was my best friend! KAZUYA MISHIMA IS TO BLAME FOR HIS DEATH! And if you work for him... it's no different than if you pulled the trigger yourself!"
"Shaheen... you never told me G Corp killed your-"
"How could you lie to me like this? You kept the truth from me! You killed him! YOU KILLED HIM!"
"No!"
"This is Gomo. I've got a clear path to her! I'm taking her down!"
Shaheen cried out in pain as his brain pounded against his skull. A sharp ringing noise penetrated his ears, the pain so great that the blood vessels in his eyes nearly exploded. He fell to his knees, his hands on his head as he writhed in pain.
"Agh...my... head... make it.. stop! AGHHHHHHHHH!"
Shaheen closed his eyes, and when he opened... everything was black. He couldn't see anything or anybody except himself... and Chloe, standing right in front of him. She was completely frozen in place, the tears still streaming from her eyes. She was looking right at him, but her mouth was unable to make words.
And then... a familiar voice spoke.
"I told you. Didn't I tell you?"
Shaheen grunted and coughed from the pain, forcing the name from his lips.
"Faraj..."
"You should have trusted me from the start, my brother. I told you to leave Chloe when you had the chance, but you continued to stay with her. I told you she wasn't to be trusted... and still you let her into your heart."
"I... how was I supposed to know...?"
"You never had to know. You could have been spared this pain if you just listened to me. But don't worry... we can fix this right now."
"Agh...ah...ug...h-how...?"
"Look, right in front of you! She right there! The girl who killed me is right there in front of you!"
"Stop! Y-you're lying! You're not the real Faraj..."
"Hahahaha! You said it yourself! She works for Kazuya Mishima! She's his lapdog! The blood is just as much on her hands as it is on his!"
"N-no..."
"Grab your weapon."
"N-no, I...!"
"Kill her..."
"No!"
"KILL HER!"
"NO!"
"KILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHER"
"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"
Shaheen lunged forward like a predator, his mind filled with bloodlust as all rational thought had been stripped away. He plowed into his target, achieving full mount effortlessly. He stared at the trembling target with bloodshot eyes as he raised the stock of the rifle over his head.
"N-no! Please! BOSS HELP M-"
With a feral cry, Shaheen brought the rifle crashing down on his target's head. But he didn't stop there. No... he was just getting started. He lifted the rifle again and brought it down a second time. The screams stopped after that. From there on, Shaheen proceed to brutally pound the lifeless body with his gun, beating the face to a bloody pulp and smashing the skull. For minutes and minutes he seemed to hammer the body, as if he was unleashing every last ounce of his pent-up rage and madness. He was cleansing his body, with each violent blow. He swung and swung, until his muscles gave out from exhaustion.
When it was over... Shaheen dropped the bloody gun to the ground and collapsed. His chest heaved with burning breaths as his eyes stared directly upwards, into the sun above. The bright light stung his eyes, until tears filled his eyelids and all he could see was a misty blur. At last, was the darkness gone...?