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Fatal Instinct: Mission 2
Chapter 10
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There was a double windowed door leading out of this hallway far up ahead. No telling what lied beyond it, but she was willing to take her chances. Anna was the first to reach it and pass through before she heard the loud, mechanical hiss that prompted her to turn around. The door had clanked shut by itself, much as the automatic ones found in shopping malls and hotel entrances when a person walked through.
Her hand pulled as hard as she could on the knobs to try to get it to open; it would not, hinting Abel had some kind of mechanized lock intact.
Bruce and Ganryu were doing the same from the opposite side to get through, but even they were unsuccessful. The thickness of the door muted their screams and grunts as they combined the strength of their bulk and rammed into it. Their attempts again proved ineffective, as the door would not even budge.
Anna motioned with her hand and mouthed that she would go on without them and they would meet up later. Of course, she groaned at the idea, as she would not be able to keep an eye on her comrades in case something happened. It also meant no backup, but with her being accustomed to working solo, it did not sound as bad.
Still, there was Abel to consider and then Bryan Fury going trigger-happy in the hallways. She took a breath and went forward, noting the darkness swallowing up any remnants of light. The room seemed to get tighter the further in she went. Then came that feeling of being alone, where anything could happen at any moment.
Not long before a familiar voice boomed through the P. A. system.
"It can be truly said that every rose… has its thorns." Next came the raspy cough that confirmed its authenticity.
Anna looked up with a hard gaze. "Show yourself, Abel." She looked around as if he would appear from the shadows.
"I'm having too much fun, Williams." He laughed with a wheeze. "I think I'll enjoy the rest of the show from this view."
"We're going to find you, old man, and when we do--"
"Ha! I'd like to know just what you were thinking. Anna Williams, the seemingly invincible spy, bringing in two wash-ups who should be in a retirement home somewhere. You must be really brave, or really stupid to think those broken-down has-beens can help you."
"At your age, you shouldn't talk." She spat back, hand gripping tight around her pistol. "You wouldn't talk so big if you weren't hiding behind a speaker box."
Abel scoffed. "I have every right to be confident, young lady. Things are going as they should, and you can't change that. It's too late."
Anna wondered what he meant by that. It could mean anything, yet she had no true way of knowing unless she reached the doctor and got him to talk.
"You're not invincible at all, Williams." Abel said. "You're like every other human being. And beneath every other human being there lies but one thing: weakness."
"Bold words from a man who can't show himself. I'm surprised you're not having a panic-attack when you've got a psycho running loose in the halls looking to murder you."
"Fury will be dead soon and he will no longer be a factor. All I have to worry about is you, my dear. You weren't at an issue back at the bunker because you didn't know what was going on, but now that you've gotten this far, I'm not going to underestimate you." He spoke low, as if he had nothing to fear now. "This isn't like the facility you destroyed months back."
Anna cocked an eyebrow. "How did you know about that?"
"What if I told you I was involved in that? What If I told you that I was the puppeteer pulling the strings?"
She pondered and shook her head. "Kazuya wouldn't obey you, or anyone else."
That was when Abel laughed again. "Maybe not Kazuya himself, but his clone might."
"Clone?"
"Do you really think the man you fought back then was the real Kazuya? Naïve girl." He laughed some more. "If that were so, you wouldn't have survived. That clone did everything it was told. So, in reality, I had control of the Mishima estate. All he had to do was infiltrate the Zaibatsu, kick Heihachi out, take his place, and then it was smooth sailing from there. Nobody suspected a thing."
'Great. And all that time I had thought Kazuya actually changed. A pity...'
Now it started to make sense, as it explained how Anna was able to defeat Kazuya. However, she still did not quite understand something. "But that Kazuya had the Devil Gene…"
"Ah yes…the Devil Gene." Abel spoke as if he were thinking aloud. "I couldn't fully copy the Devil Gene, and that resulted in the clone being a bit weaker. The defect also had an effect on the clone's personality, causing him to act somewhat different compared to the real thing. He's pretty useless now since he served his purpose, so he'll likely be dead like Bryan too."
"What did you do with the real Kazuya and why did your clone capture my sister?"
"What did I do with Kazuya? I did nothing. It was Heihachi who threw him into a volcano. I had cloned him before that. To my knowledge, he's dead, and that means one less nuisance to worry about. As for your sister, she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time and paid for it."
Anna had heard enough. "So not only do you create mechanical psychopaths and abandon them once they've fulfilled their purpose to you, but you also try to play God to cover up your dirty work."
"You watch your mouth!" Abel snapped, his voice sounding like it was about to break. "What I do isn't dirty, you misguided wench. It's going to benefit the world. You'll see!"
"Highly doubt anything you do is beneficial to the world." Anna glared and scoffed. "You'll cause more problems than solving them."
"I've had enough of you and your smart mouth!" The doctor blared. "Since you like to pretend to be so brave, let's put it to the test."
"What are you going on about, old timer?"
Abel's laughter displayed his confidence. "Back at the bunker, I asked you how you felt about snakes."
Anna could feel her abdomen beginning to constrict.
"Looking into your mind, I saw an image of your sister brandishing her pet snake in your face. It was said to be harmless…that is…until it bit you."
Then she looked down after she heard a noise, seeing something slithering out of one of the pipes. The rattling tail, the beady little reptilian eyes, and the sharp fangs. Anna's eyes opened wider than they had ever done before, her feet taking several steps back.
"I'd like you to meet my pet, Williams. He's been really wanting to meet you." Abel guffawed. "I'll leave you two to get acquainted."
The limbless reptile slithered its way toward her still feet. Anna drew her gun in a shaky attempt to shoot it. It hissed and impelled its head toward her hand, its forked tongue poking out of its scaly mouth. Then she made the mistake of dropping her pistol as she pulled it back to avoid being bitten. The situation turned bleaker when she discovered her secondary gun needed reloading. There was no time for that now.
A grenade might work if she could get some distance, but the snake was not willing to let her pass to try.
Cold sweat ran down her neck, teeth clenched as the little green demon got closer, only a few feet from her heels. She started to breath hard, then took a forced swallow. The memories of Nina laughing after the snakebite were upon her; thoughts of dashing up to her room and locking the door, never wanting to come out; thoughts of never wanting to make contact with any reptile of any kind.
"You've tormented me since I was a little girl--but no more!"
Again, it lunged forward to bite her, and Anna had somehow found the will to kick it with her steel clad boot. The snake flung back, regrouped, then let out another angry hiss at such aggression.
Anna hissed too, waving it on with a daring glare to come try to bite her again. It did, and once more, she kicked it like it was a soccer ball coming straight at her. With the opportunity there, she dive rolled for her pistol, made an abrupt turn to her blindside, and aimed. The snake readied itself for another lunge, but she shot it dead before it could strike again.
Anna fell to her knees, panting, saliva oozing from the corners of her mouth. She stared at the floor, then at the dead snake. All those daydreams, all those endless nightmares she suffered after the bite on her arm from years ago. She hoped this would end them, to never have them haunt her again.
Even though she had conquered one of her greatest fears, she still did not feel victorious. The snake was but only a minor obstacle in this battle.
The lift door pinged before sliding opening. Nobody had come in and nobody had come out. All had gone silent thereafter with the exception of the instrumental jazz music from the radio.
A lone guard peeked his head in to investigate, observing both sides of the interior. Soon as he looked up, Anna pistol whipped his cranium and dropped down from the ceiling she had clung to since entering.
"Lights out!" She said as he lost consciousness in a slumped position against the wall.
Anna dashed out just before the door closed itself back, then crept the rest of the way into the shadows where she could remain hidden. More clamoring and gunfire sounded at the far hall where glimpses of light flashed.
Not knowing what to expect from it, Anna reloaded her weapons and crept in closer for a better look. The wide screens and computer terminals within indicated this was a control room of sorts. Further inside, she noted the cause of the violence.
There he was, the scar-faced cyborg, using the combination of an Uzi and a rifle to clear him a path. He smiled at the number of bodies dropping under his sweeping fire.
Abel was on the other side of the room, running toward Anna's way, perhaps to try to escape.
He stopped in his tracks just as he saw her with hands at her hips. "You're gonna have to come through me first, big boy." She taunted.
"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" Bryan blew away the smoke trailing from his rifle. "You ain't got anywhere else to run, old man."
Instead of showing signs of worry, Abel smiled. "Seems I've let you two wait long enough."
Before Anna could question him, a violent rumble shook the entire room. The walls around them seemed to come alive, revealing capsules, dozens of them. They opened up like pods and out walked what they contained; glowing red eyes, muscled bodies clad in military fatigue, and expressionless faces.
"What is the meaning of this?" Bryan screamed.
"Why, this is my cybernetic army." Abel replied. "The technology borrowed from Boskonovitch, G Corporation, and the Mishima labs helped a great deal to create what you see before you. After all, I should be thanking you, Fury, since it was you who had a hand in giving me the data."
"You son-of-a-bitch! You were intending to replace me with these… these things?" Bryan cocked his guns and pointed them at the doctor.
"Why not? I have more than one, and they are very reliable. Not to mention, unlike you, one hundred percent obedient and never question my orders."
The cyborg turned to his counterparts, seeming to shake his head in pity at each of them. "You all are fools to follow this man. Eventually, you won't mean a damn to him and he'll abandon you too…just as he did me!"
None of them reacted to Bryan's words, remaining stiff as statues.
Abel laughed. "It is you who is the fool, Fury. You were becoming weak and useless. I don't need you in my life anymore since I have a new family that will serve me well, creating the cybernetic utopia the world was meant to have."
Anna continued to listen in until she heard something click behind her, looking over her shoulder to see the metal of the gun aimed at her face. One false move and she would suffer the cruel fate of having a bullet lodged in her forehead.
"Looks like you both lose." Doctor Abel chuckled. "But don't fret. I'm sure they will hold a small memorial service for you in Ireland to honor your heroics."
However, Bryan smirked and started his maniacal cackle despite the odds pitted against him.
"What's so funny?" Abel said, seeming annoyed by the man's continuous laughter.
"Typical doctor, always thinking you're steps ahead of everyone else." Bryan grinned. "Explain to me this, you lying son of a bitch." He flashed the colored tubes he held in his hands. "How are your children going to listen to you without these?"
The look on Abel's face changed from confident to shocked. "How…how did you get that?"
"Oh, I just so happened pick these babies from your pocket. From what I understand, this is the serum you need to control your precious cyborgs fully and keep them from rebelling, correct?"
Abel balled his trembling, wrinkled hands into fists as Anna noted the rage flaring in his veiny eyes.
"I'm quite the actor. Don't you think so, dad?" Bryan snickered.
A moment later, more guards came in groups, kneeling and taking aim. Before they even lined up their shots, bullets came flying from the opposite side of the room past Bryan.
Anna beamed when through the fading clouds of smoke came Bruce and Ganryu, alive and unwounded.
"Did we come at a bad time?" Bruce said.
"Better late than never, guys!" Anna smiled, then glared at the man holding her at gunpoint. "Hiii-ya!" She shouted, releasing the force of her foot into his groin that had him keeling over. A backward roll and she was on her feet again, assault rifle redrawn.
"Kill them! Shoot them all dead!" Abel screamed with urgency as he ran off.
"Hey, come back here, chicken-shit!" Bryan called after him, only to have two cyborgs stand in his path like two solid brick walls. "You two girls wanna dance? Let's dance!" He jumped on the first one that provoked him, arms clamping about its neck before he twisted and ripped the head off as if it were a bundle of weeds. The second had Bryan's hand implanted into its torso before he yanked out the wiring, screws, and other metallic pieces. The red flare in its eyes dimmed and died out as it slumped forward and fell to its knees.
Anna looked to join in on the battle, but the sensation of an iron hand fastening around her throat delayed that idea. With all her might, she thrusted the sole of her boot into the cybernetic being's chest. Every hit made felt like she was kicking at a wall sheathed in stone. Her pistol came to mind, but it would do her no good.
She then went for the head, landing five precise kicks before its grip loosened and she jumped back. Its movements were slow as it approached her like a zombie, but she knew it was much faster than it was letting on.
Ganryu soon emerged behind it, grabbing and hoisting the cyborg high above his head with all his strength. All this time, Bruce and her had made jokes about his weight, yet he was lifting that thing as if he was Mister Universe. The veins in his arms bulged and lengthened, his flesh reddening before he tossed the mechanical creation into another.
Anna liked what she saw, but paused at the sound of an agonistic cry, her heart pacing fast in response. Bruce had backpedaled toward cover, holding his arm. Anna rushed over to guide him there, sitting him up against the wall. A couple smoke grenades kept the opposition away to buy them some time. In addition, Ganryu provided cover for them from the front.
"Let me see." She motioned to his arm.
"No, it's nothing." He said with a pained grunt.
"Damn it, Bruce. Let me see it!" Anna pulled his hand away and saw the bloody wound, the crimson fluid staining his camouflage pants. "Shit. That doesn't look good."
"It's nothing. Nothing at all. Don't--don't worry about it." Bruce groaned, as if the pain had worsened.
"I knew I shouldn't have brought you here." She reached into her pouch and pulled out a bandage, the guilt cutting into her like a knife.
"Anna!" He roared, stopping her hand from touching him. "Now is not the time. Go after Abel." His finger pointed where the doctor had fled. "Don't let him get away. I'll be fine…trust me!"
Trust.
There was that word again.
"But…" She wanted to utter a protest, but the words never came out. So many things happening at once prevented it.
Bruce's glare seemed to show his impatience, his voice straining as more blood dripped from his arm. "Anna, listen to me: you are about to fail your mission. Is that what you want?"
Her eyes kept diverting back and forth from his face to the exit, trying to make a decision fast.
"Be a woman of your word." He said, almost as if he were giving a plea. "It's… all you have."
Her eyes narrowed as she stood, looking at her comrade one last time before sprinting toward the room's exit. One guard blocked her path, ready to turn his gun on her.
Then she heard a charging scream, watching Ganryu crash two hundred and seventy-six pounds of his weight into the other man's body. The impact sent him into a nearby wall and laid him on his back. "Get going, Anna!" Ganryu bellowed. "We'll take care of these grunts."
Anna gave him an agreeing nod and continued her way.
'Now, Abel, we finish this!'
The chase brought her to an open room clouded by whitish smoke like the fog of a jungle.
She saw nothing else, heard nothing else but her breathing. Thermal goggles could not pick up a thing.
Then Abel's voice came from somewhere near, echoing as if they were in a cave. "This doesn't change a thing, assassin."
Anna scoffed, aiming her pistol in every conceivable direction. "Soon this will all be over and you will have lost."
"The ball is still in my court. I have lost nothing." He said. "The cyborgs destroyed are replaceable, and as long as this compound is still standing, I will continue to develop more. I will not give up my dream!" His voice was so passionate, so rebellious.
"Then maybe it's time somebody woke you up and gave you a reality check." She managed a smile, still scanning the room for him. No signs of movement about the area.
He growled. "I believe you are the one needing a reality check."
Anna paused and could not help but giggle. "Oh really? How so?"
"Glad you asked." There was laughter in his voice. "I have a satellite aimed directly at three targets on the planet set to fire within minutes: G Coporation's main building, the Mishima Ziabatsu, and…your institute!"
"Wha…" Her mouth went agape.
"Yes." He began, that signature confidence coming back. "In order to be successful, one must eliminate the most obvious of threats capable of causing problems later on. Minutes from now, your superiors, Heihachi, and the entire body of G Corporation will be but a memory."
Anna could feel her weapon sliding out of her grip, but she caught it before it could fall and hit the floor. "I don't understand. Why would you eliminate your own partner?"
"I only aligned myself with G Corporation to steal their technology and add it to my creations since doing it the other way would have been impossible. In all honesty, I don't really care what happens to them. Heihachi, Bryan, G corp, all have fulfilled their purposes and are no longer needed."
"You bastard." Anna balled her hand into a gloved fist. "You're nothing but a user."
At last, she could note Abel's silhouette coming out of the hazy room, hands behind his back. Here was the man who had peeked into her mind to see her deepest most personal thoughts. The man who had abandoned one of his own creations like a child without direction. The man who had a part in the capture of her sister months back. The man who had orchestrated all of this pain she had gone through. The man who was going to pay…with his life.
"G Corporation offered me quite a deal, more so than what Heihachi was paying me. Never was quite a fan of his anyway and I always hated him for belittling my dreams. G corp wanted my brains to help them in their war with Heihachi. Obliterate him and his business, but that wasn't my concern."
"Your primary concern is standing right in front of you." Anna's gaze was cold as both her eyes settled on his scrawny form. He had nowhere to run. Not anymore.
"There is something I wish to show you, assassin." Abel removed his lab coat and allowed it to fall to the floor. The mechanical suit underneath that was the size of his own body glimmered like a priceless gem. "I'm sick of playing the role of a decrepit old man. Tired of running. Tired of pretending to be…inferior to you."
Anna noted the way his eyes lit up like headlights of a car, the metallic design shown in his flesh. Then it all came clear. "So, you're a cyborg too."
Abel nodded. "Humanity is a thing of the past, obsolete and unacceptable. You get sick, you get old, but with this body, I can live longer and continue with my work without worrying about age being a nagging limitation."
"You've played many a fool with this charade of yours. Sounds like you had fun doing it."
"I must admit I did enjoy pretending to be but a feeble human, waiting for the right moment to reveal... the real me. There was no need to reveal myself then since I knew neither you nor Bryan would harm me given the situation at hand."
Anna got into an aikido stance, glaring the man down without a word said.
"These are your final moments of living, assassin. I hope you've lived a good life," Abel drew the saber from its sheathe on his back, its blade flickering to life with an eerie, humming green glow, "…because now…it's the dead-end for you!"