Episode 10 - Time passes by like Autumn wind (keeping a promise)
On the last exciting episode of Street Fighter II - Deep Core Crisis: Chun-Li awoke to terror, when she discovered that she was abducted by Vega, meanwhile Cammy and Guile were interrogated by the Spanish Interpol, but refused to cooperate, due to lack of trust between bureaus.
-- Shadowlaw Base, Barcelona 7:00 am --
He slid his trunks down, while carefully taking a seat in a comfortable sofa in his master room. Although the base was constructed underneath the surface, everything was done to make the underground hiatus feel like a royal stay at a five star hotel. A doll knocked on the door; the attractive assassin made her way across the broad room, taking a seat beside her master. Bison yawned appropriately, as it was still early, but he had servants to help him wake up. She lowered her head to his midsection and trailed her fingertips down his member, which conjured a smile on his usual steel-like, lifeless expression.
"You have been trained skillfully," he commented while caressing her cheek, she looked up and gave him an inquisitive smile.
"How old are you?" he asked abruptly, which forced her to look away in apparent shame.
"Sixteen." Her voice was getting hoarse.
"A good age to start your doll training ... but not an age for fornication! Who sent you?" He stood up and looked furious.
"Balrog did ... sir."
His ghastly white eyes widened at this information. He promptly sent her away, then walked to a huge mirror and placed his uniform on a nearby stand, prudently avoiding any wrinkles. Taking out a brush and some black polish, he started to work on his boots. Afterwards he dressed and looked at himself for a moment; he raised his chin and walked out of his chamber. As he strode through the underground compound, he was greeted by his employees, but he ignored them, for his interest was somewhere else. Suffice to say he knew where to look. He stopped in his trail, and listened to the goings-on behind a locked door.
"Yeah baby. That's right, give it to da man. You know you want it. Shake that ass for me, baby."
Bison swiftly smashed the door open.
"Sir!?" Balrog jumped out of his bed saluting.
"What do we have here?" His deep menacing voice echoed throughout the room.
"I was just havin' a conversation with a friend who is visiting …" Balrog explained while trying to stand in Bison's field of vision, covering up the young Afro-American girl who was obviously stripping.
"Did you send that young apprentice to my chamber?"
"Yes sir ... Was she any good? I might try her out myself, but I figured you'd have the pleasure breakin' her in."
Balrog giggled for a second, before feeling a fist going into his stomach. Bison was generous; had he used more strength he would have gutted him. Prone on all fours and panting, his horrified expression was painting the picture.
"Next time it will be your testicles I rip out for your insolence." Bison brushed some blood off his uniform which had escaped Balrog's mouth.
"I thought it was aight!? Sir! Shit ... I didn't know you weren't into young girls."
Bison cringed. He grabbed his clueless subordinate by the throat and began to squeeze. He lifted Balrog in the air, and drove his psycho power into him.
"Is this practice common amongst our men?"
"Arhg ... Yes ... We try them out sometimes, the girls don't mind it ... th-they just wanna have some fun."
Bison squeezed harder.
"I see. I will punish everyone who has broken the moral povisions of our codex. I may be a criminal, but there are rules I do follow. I cannot waist my dignity on raping young children. You on the other hand, would happily kill a poor innocent child with a plastic spoon if I ordered you to. Wouldn't you?"
Balrog only nodded, his head blood-red. He would soon choke to death.
"Excellent!" He let go of Balrog, who fell to the ground.
"My authority is absolute and my orders must be obeyed. It is imperative that you understand this; even though I would never do such things it is reassuring that you fear me enough to do everything I tell you.
"Thank you, for your generosity, sir!" Balrog breathed in.
"Now line up everyone who has been abusing the young students and execute them. Leave out any high-ranked members so that I may evaluate their future. Now move!" Balrog ran out in his underwear.
"Now ... What should I do with you?" Bison looked at the stripper, evaluating her exotic body with his cold features. He came closer to her and grabbed one of her silicone-enhanced breasts.
"Yes ... your purpose in life is clear." He unzipped his pants, and she knelt down to please him.
"Oh my god!" She looked overwhelmed.
"Do not think, nor speak. Just fulfill your purpose."
Some time after female moans echoed throughout the hallways.
-- Royal Hotel Barcelona, 7:12--
"What a piece of shit!" Guile yelled. He looked down in dismay. Cammy inspected the room but found no clues.
"Are you sure this was her room, sir?" she asked politely.
"Yes! What the hell just happened? Who the hell cleaned this place up so quickly?"
-- Unknown Mansion in the outskirts of Barcelona, 7:33 am --
She opened her eyes, and a cold sweat covered her otherwise warm body. It was as if her body was reacting to something, cleansing itself of the drug she had received. Slowly, she could feel her fingertips, feel the silky bedding underneath her with those fingertips; it was a sensational feeling. She had never felt so numb, and to her great relief she felt like a human being once again. Her sensuality was fighting back; tears of joy ran down her face. She smiled beautifully as her feet began to react and she was finally able to flex her muscles. She slowly lifted her upper body, and looked over her shoulder. The door to her room was half open, and she feared that she was being watched.
Finally she lifted her legs and touched the ground with her feet. She breathed out for a moment, and refocused her mindset. While standing upright she felt sudden dizziness, and fell back into the bed. Her persistence paid off in the end; she walked slowly over to the door and closed it. Leaning back against it and closing her eyes, she felt her heart race. She looked around for escape routes, but didn't find any. While opening the door to the closet, she discovered that her luggage was elegantly managed and ordered.
"You broke into my hotel room and stole it," she whispered to herself. She took a long towel and some fresh underwear. While going through what she would wear for the day she found a casual t-shirt and some pants, but soon noticed the array of beautiful dresses in the closet. They were all new, and she figured out that they were there for a reason, so she grabbed one and viewed it. It was purple with a white silky sash. She smiled cunningly, closed the closet, and headed out. She found the bathroom, which was conveniently located next to her room.
-- Mikunai Island, 21:02 pm --
The local villagers were gathered for a special occasion. A young man and woman would exchange vows and rings. An old man had tears in his eyes, these were tears of pride and a sense of fulfillment. He would give his granddaughter away, whom he had taken care of since she lost her parents in a violent storm, and loved as his own daughter. He knew that her parents would have been proud of her, for she was about to marry the towns hero, a strong young man. His name was Ryu.
"Do you Rinko, take Ryu as your beloved husband and honor and treasure him until fate do you apart?" The priest waited for the beautiful young woman's answer. She was dressed in a traditional wedding gown and her long dark hair was set up. Her beautiful light ebony skin was a contrast to the white gown. She smiled brightly and with a trembling voice said:
"Yes, I do."
She turned to face her new husband, the man she always loved and looked up to. This moment was theirs. She closed her eyes and felt his lips against hers; her heart skipped beats, but it felt bittersweet nonetheless. Tears of pure joy had made their way down her sweet cheeks, and Ryu gently whipped them off and embraced his wife. The villagers were applauding and cheering them on. The old man rushed to the two and embraced them both.
"Grandpa, you still know how to squeeze tight," Rinko said, amused, while looking over to Ryu who was chuckling. The festivity had begun as the newlyweds sat down and toasted with everyone.
"I can't remember the last time I saw you wearing a suit. You should do it more often." Ken clapped his buddy on the shoulder and sat beside him.
"Hehe! Over my dead body, this tie is killing me." He loosened it up.
"Rinko, did I tell you, you look beautiful!" Eliza sat beside Rinko.
"You are too kind." Rinko blushed.
"But she is speaking the truth. You are beautiful, not just from the outside, but foremost from the inside. Your spirit is what guides me through everyday life," Ryu commented, and Rinko quickly gave him a kiss.
"Oh man, this was tougher than I thought," Ken said and breathed out.
"For a moment I thought I had lost the ring." He shook with his, but Ryu reassuringly placed his hand on his shoulder.
"You were great Ken! There is a reason why you are my best man." Ken lightened up and they both laughed.
"Well this kind of reminds me of our wedding, right Eliza? Except the jungle and mosquitoes, haha!" Ken said, and pushed slightly to Ryu who laughed as well.
"Rinko loved Chicago, but we were lost at the beginning," Ryu added. "Yeah, and I remember searching for my best man, thinking you hadn't gotten into a street fight," Ken said.
"Yeah, because you wouldn't want to miss that for anything in the world."
"Absolutely not!" Ken laughed. The two started a longer conversation.
"Rinko, tell me, how did you met Ryu?" Eliza asked politely, and Rinko grinned.
"It's a long story, but I first met Ryu in 1986. It was a warm day, I remember grandpa being grumpy because Ryu had walked up the path of a falling tree. Luckily, nothing happened, but grandpa was chopping the tree, so he had a lot of things on his mind. I was fifteen that year, and when I saw Ryu for the first time my heart stopped beating for a moment. I had a huge crush on him, and even though I tried to ignore him, it didn't help that he was three years my senior and had a smile that could melt my legs in a split second."
Eliza nodded. "I know what you mean, I felt the same way about Ken, but Ken won me over with his character afterwards."
"That is what made it even more unbearable. His aura, good spirit and understanding, was everything I had ever looked for. But then he left to meet up with Ken. I thought I would never see him again. I remember giving him my mother's bracelet for good luck just before he left. I never thought that I would see him for the rest of my life."
Eliza could not bear the cliffhanger and urged Rinko to continue.
"When I watched the boat set off, I had tears in my eyes, and a pain ripped through my heart. My throat ached … This horrible guilt came over me. Guilt over a lost opportunity, that I might have missed my chance to be a part of Ryu's destiny."
"Grandpa asked me why I was crying. He had never seen my affection for him; I always hid it from everyone. All the nights after Ryu was gone, I laid in bed, my eyes open all the time, and my mind would drift back to moments I shared with him …"
Trailing off, she seemed to suddenly slip into a daydream. Eliza just stared at her.
Rinko remembered a day when she had cut herself while trying to carry some lumber. It was a minor cut which she did her best to conceal, but it couldn't escape Ryu's sight.
"Rinko, what happened?" He looked concerned and came closer to her. She blushed slightly and took a step back. He crouched, taking a look at the cut on her left thigh. She was wearing shorts that day and so the wound was easy to spot.
"It's really nothing!" she said casually and looked away; she scanned the area for her grandfather.
"Hmm … When your grandfather finds out about this, he will be mad," Ryu said with a sigh.
"What!? Are you going to tell him? Please don't, Ryu. I know he doesn't want me to help him out..." Ryu looked up at her with a serious expression.
"Because he knows that this work is dangerous for a girl like you."
His gaze was mesmerizing her.
"I won't tell, hehe!" Ryu put one hand behind his neck and giggled sheepishly. Rinko frowned for a moment and crossed her arms.
"Oh, Ryu! You are such a tease."
He took a bottle of clean water and poured it on her wound. He then ripped his t-shirt apart and took a strand and bandaged it around her thigh. She briefly gasped upon seeing him shirtless; his back was like a roadmap and his arms were like boulders. She had never seen a more attractive male in her life, and it was turning her on. Rinko's puberty was taking over her mind, with lustful thoughts directly linked to Ryu. As he looked over his shoulder, they were quickly dismissed and an innocent smile painted itself on her face. That day she would get to know him beyond his looks.
They both sat on a wide tree stump and watched the sunset. She had brought him dinner, and enjoyed watching him eat. He was always grateful for her help and would sometimes ask where she was because he was worried about her. However, his spirit was one of a fighter's, and he used this to seal his emotions away from distractions. Even though he was kind, generous and a good friend, he would never disrespect her; he viewed her strictly as a friend and as the granddaughter of a good friend.
"Ryu ..."
Rinko brought her legs up to her chest, and wrapped her arms around her knees while observing his reaction.
"Yes?" he replied with a smile.
"Do you have a girlfriend?" she asked bluntly, and made him blush.
"Haha! Now why do you want to know that?" he asked in amusement.
"Well, I'm just curious." She blushed and avoided his gaze, rolling her eyes from the embarrassment.
"I never had a girlfriend," Ryu said truthfully, without any hesitation.
"Why!?" She was now getting curious.
"I believe that I am destined to find a soul mate. You see, where I am from we only marry one time in life. I believe that there is someone out there who I will cherish and respect for eternity. I follow my heart and not my eyes."
Rinko was breathless.
"I hope I one day find the man of my dreams," she said quietly.
"I hope so too."
He smiled at her, and she melted. His eyes were tearing her apart, but she could not tell him how she felt. It was these moments which left her scared. She had made a great friend, but at the same time found pain in hiding her true feelings for him.
After his eventual departure, more and more time passed without any letters from Ryu. Rinko was beginning to lose hope.
Eight months had gone by since the young man went off on his trip and life was as normal as ever for the girl he left behind, sneaking around and collecting small wood pieces against her grandfather's wishes. During one of these secret runs, she caught a shadow moving towards her all of a sudden; as Rinko looked up she saw a huge tree falling directly upon her. She was numb in that moment, and felt powerless.
A pair of strong arms wrapped around her and pulled her out of the path of the collapsing tree right before it thunderously hit the ground. As she turned to thank her savior she fell on her knees, not believing her own eyes. Ryu was standing in front of her. He reached out and pulled her up. She did not have words, but embraced him without a single thought; he was back again.
In the following weeks Ryu told her about his great journey and how he had been fighting all around the world, against fighters of equal strength and mastery. What really surprised her was not that he had learned the legendary technique of Hadouken, but the fact that he still wore the bracelet she gave him. When he offered to give it back to her, she kindly refused.
"You've earned it, and I was right; it brought you luck," she said.
"Yes, I wore it always."
She looked him in the eyes, searching for more to that answer, and felt as if Ryu was reacting to her gesture, but in a nervous way.
"I better get going; I have some wood to chop."
And with that he left. Rinko got the impression that Ryu had changed. Over the course of several months, the two became more intimate in their conversations. As they opened up to each other more, they both felt pressure to do the right thing. This resulted in a long guessing-game, but in the end they came together and confessed their affections for each other. It felt wonderful to be able to be sensual and hold each other and whisper sweet words into each other's ears - and sometimes even kiss, though it was forbidden. Soon enough, Ryu decided that he would take Rinko as his wife, and asked her grandfather for permission.
"My god! I had never thought this would happen. Yes! Of course, this is the happiest day of my life." The grandfather was ecstatic.
But before any plans for the wedding could be made, Ryu felt a great evil resurrect itself. He informed Rinko and her grandfather that he needed to travel again, seek out this evil and destroy it for good, promising that he would return to his fiancée'. Ryu enjoyed his peaceful life on the island, but knew when to heed the call.
Rinko snapped back to the present, realizing she had just spent minutes-on-end reciting that entire string of memories. A flash of mild embarrassment showed itself on her face.
"Wow ..." was all Eliza could say. She was almost in awe.
"I know it sounds overly dramatic, but it somehow was fated that we would fall in love with each other. I couldn't imagine life without him. Time passes by so quickly when you are with the one you love. But now I think I will cherish this time," Rinko said.
"Time passes by like autumn wind," Eliza said with a deep sigh.
"Autumn? We never experience autumn in Mikunai," Rinko observed.
"Maybe one day you will." Eliza stood up.
"I'll get us some drinks," she said, and headed to the bar. Ryu and Ken had been talking about their adventures and how they had overcome many obstacles in life.
"You remember the time we kicked Bison's ass?" Ken said, smiling.
"Haha! Yes, he had underestimated our strength."
"And to think that he tried to force his psycho bullshit on me ..." Ken's cell phone started to ring, disrupting their conversation.
"I'm sorry." Ken fumbled through his suit and got a hold of it.
"No problem." Ryu nodded politely to him and turned his attention to Rinko, who met his gaze with the utmost love and appreciation.
"So tell me where you want to spend our honey moon?" Ryu asked, and held her hands while gently placing a kiss on her soft lips.
"Dad, what's up!" Ken stood up with his cell phone and walked away from the party. He made his way to a bush and leaned against a palm tree.
"I am sorry I couldn't be there Ken, but you know the family business and ..."
"It's okay dad," Ken reassured him.
"I have just been contacted by the Interpol. It seems that they want to involve the Masters family in an operation, and as you know we have always helped our government, so this is no exception."
Ken rolled his eyes.
"Does this have anything to do with me?" he asked, getting straight to the point.
"Yes, I'm afraid it does. Interpol's head chairman, Barrac, has informed me that special agent Chun-Li has gone missing. He suspects Shadowlaw involvement."
"Shadowlaw!?" Ken was at a loss for words.
"After the wedding I beg of you to come home and meet with Barrac in New York, it looks like he needs your help with this."
Ken sighed, but then steeled himself just as quickly.
"Of course. This is bad news. I thought we had destroyed Shadowlaw for good. I'll be there, first thing in the morning."
"Thank you, son. I'm very sorry about this."
"I know. Don't worry about it. Well, I have to get back to the reception …"
"Yes, I won't hold you any longer. Ken, please try to enjoy the rest of the wedding."
After they concluded the call, Ken looked down in disappointment. When he returned to his seat, Ryu pelted him with questions regarding his sad expression. He took a breath and shared what he had just learned regarding Chun-Li's disappearance.
"Then it is clear what we must do," Ryu said.
"We?" Ken looked surprised, and began walking in circles.
"You know this could be dangerous?" Ken looked at Ryu for a moment, and was met with a familiar smile, which forced him to smile as well.
"Oh no ... What are you thinking of?" Eliza asked, her hands on her hips.
"The good old days my friend, the good old days," Ken said playfully while Ryu nodded.
-- Unknown mansion in the outskirts of Barcelona, 8:01 am --
He looked at his reflection in a silver plate. It somehow bothered him that his guest had not arrived yet, a guest he had abducted. He heard faint footsteps echo down to the royal kitchen. As he glanced for a moment, his eyes captured the figure of Chun-Li. A smile appeared on his lips. Politely standing upright and greeting her, he watched as she moved toward the seat on the opposite side of the massive rosewood dining table. He immediately rushed up behind her to take her seat, ever the gentleman. Having had the chair drawn and positioned for her, she sat as he looked at her beautiful neck and the way she had set up her long hair. It was no longer braided as before, but one side hung down her breast, revealing her delicate ears - all signs that made him wary of her beauty.
"The dress compliments you in every way," he said in an amused tone, and took a seat while staring her deeply in the eyes. His hazel gaze poured over her upper body. He made an attempt to hide his curiousness, but it failed.
"You like this dress?" she asked. He smiled brightly.
"It was my mother's. So naturally, I have some fondness of it," he replied delicately. Her eyes widened at this remark.
"Your mother's?"
She would not have believed that it was used; it looked new, immaculate even.
"You needn't be shy. The dress was never worn. I do wish I could have seen my mother wear it, but the sight of you wearing it, does her justice."
Her mouth was slightly parted; she sat speechless. He had surprised her once again. She could've never expected that he would grant her the opportunity to wear his mother's dress. It was unthinkable for a psychopath of his caliber to be so humble.
"Your mother, was she beautiful ...?"
That was the only thing she could say in that moment. Every bitter thought she had reserved for him had to wait for another occasion; she knew that this subject meant the world to him. The report by Dr. Raul Julia Salgado had an in-depth analysis of the matter. Her attention shifted to Alanza, who pushed a tray along. When she parked it next to her she revealed the royal breakfast and carefully put the silver plate aside, then laid the breakfast in front of her. Chun-Li made a friendly gesture to her, and she continued to serve Vega.
-- Shadowlaw Base, Barcelona 8:15 am --
Bison looked at his papers as they lay on his desk, and evaluated his personnel. They all gathered in his headroom, frightened of what was to become of them; Sagat had lined them up so they couldn't escape Bison's frightening gaze.
"Sagat!" Bison threw some documents around. "Did you know about this?"
He looked puzzled at the question.
"I guess not. Our young students have been abused by their own trainers."
Sagat scowled at this.
"Where is your honor!?" the towering man growled, and looked angrily at the assembled staff.
"I understand that you would never do such a thing, Sagat?" Bison stood up and walked, inspecting the soon-to be-sentenced.
"You know where my loyalties are." Sagat clenched his fist and let it bounce off his chest. "Honor, and strength lead me."
Bison only nodded with a hint of respect.
"Did you hear that gentlemen? The codex of this institution I founded has been mercilessly corrupted. I stand before you as a leader who is in deep sorrow that the fundamentals have been overlooked. I will now have Balrog read from the Shadowlaw book of conduct, paragraph 84."
On cue, the former boxer came forward with the book and began reading:
"Shadowlaw members have no authorization of any kind to mingle with or manipulate the students, and the relationship between student and master must at all times remain professional. If a violation is committed, then actions must be taken to discipline the teacher to the extent of his error. If the violation is of a sexual nature, the prosecuted individual will be castrated and condemned to the slave catacombs."
Balrog shook from fear at reading that last sentence.
"And as you know gentlemen, the slave catacombs have been aborted due to security breach. This has cost us dearly in our production, which was fifty percent of the slavery system. Henceforth, I shall immediately enforce a new rule of conduct."
Everyone looked at Bison and waited for his decision.
"High-ranking members will undergo extensive punishment and torture, whilst participating in the neo mind-control project; anyone who refuses to participate will be shot on sight."
Balrog exhaled, and looked relieved.
"As for the low to mid-ranking officers, they will be executed." Bison gave the cue, and Sagat stepped forward.
Guttural screams could be heard outside of Bison's quarters.
-- Unknown mansion in the outskirts of Barcelona, 8:30 am --
They had finished their breakfast. Vega stood up graciously and offered Chun-Li a tour around his mansion, which she accepted. While they were moving along, Chun-Li peeked around for anything interesting, and came upon a large portrait. It displayed a beautiful young woman with a young child in her arm, accompanied by a young man that resembled Vega.
"Ah yes, my parents," he commented, and brought his hands behind his back, admiring the sight.
"Your mother was beautiful; was the man your real father?"
Vega looked at her with a smile on his face.
"Of course he was my biological father," he replied.
"What happened to him?"
Vega's expression sank. "I didn't know you were interested?" he said, regaled by the inquiry.
"You've locked me inside of your mansion, you know. You might as well answer a simple question," she countered with a teasing expression, knowing Vega's past.
"You know about my stepfather?" Vega turned to face her.
"Yes ... Brutally murdered in his sleep," Her tone got sharper.
"Yes, it was very unfortunate, but you know that Barcelona is filled with dangerous individuals," he asserted with confidence.
"Yes, tell me about it: The type that abducts people and holds them hostage?"
Her self-proclaimed "host" smiled charmingly.
"But then again …" he pointed out, "these individuals are known to rape and murder."
Chun-Li glared at Vega.
"So are you ..." she hissed, and attacked him, only to find that she had no strength and fell into his arms.
"Poor, beautiful Chun-Li, are you still weak from the tranquilization?" He helped her back up.
"You will pay for this, you scum!"
"Oh my ... I am sad to hear this."
He looked concerned and somewhat heartbroken.
"Like you care!?" she fired at him. He only gave her a truthful glance before continuing his tour. They arrived at the mess hall, which was decorated with all sorts of artifacts. It reminded Chun-Li of a museum she once visited.
"Do you collect these artifacts?" she asked.
"Yes, I admire the beauty in them. Wherever I go I tend to collect these rare monuments of beauty." He ran his hand down a sculpture of Aphrodite, seemingly an old marble piece.
"Oh my god. That is the Cnidian Aphrodite!" Chun-Li was shocked.
"Good observation, beautiful one." He looked proudly at the sculpture.
"Did you steal it?" she asked with candor. He only smirked cunningly.
-- New York Airport, 2:38 pm--
Ken and Ryu arrived in New York and were met by a limousine.
"Always travel with class, heh!" Ryu commented.
"This must be my father's work; you know I usually keep a low profile." Ken gestured toward the Master's Corporation logo imprinted on the plate. They both entered the vehicle.
"Man, it feels different without the girls following us," Ken noted, and leaned back to relax.
"I miss Rinko already ... We were supposed to go on our honeymoon." Ryu looked out through the window.
"Listen buddy, I promise you, when this is all over you and Rinko are going to enjoy yourselves at the Master's Hotel in Tahiti, and don't forget Eliza is by her side. I just hope SHE can survive on that island!" Ken clapped him reassuringly on the shoulder.
"Heh! Well that seems nice, but everything has changed. Before we had wives we could travel the world and fight freely. Now we have other responsibilities, and bigger consequences."
"You sound like my mother! Haha! But you're right; you should have seen Eliza when I told her I was going to fight at the nationals. She was like, 'Oh no you can't go Ken I don't want you to get hurt and so forth', but after a while she realized that fighting was a part of me, and she let it go. Believe me. You won't have second thought when Rinko accepts your way of life."
"I know, the problem is not Rinko. She has already accepted this, but it's the consequences Ken … What if we don't come back?"
"Sigmund freaking Freud! I never even thought about it ... But we've got to find Chun," Ken reminded.
"Absolutely, this is why I decided to come. Our friends need us."
-- Interpol Headquarters New York, 3:12 pm --
Ken and Ryu entered Barrac's office. They were both warmly greeted by Barrac, who knew their qualities. It was not the first time that the agency had benefited from them.
"Boys, take a seat. Can I get you something to drink?" Barrac sat in his chair.
"No thanks," Ken replied, as did Ryu.
"Straight to the point?" Barrac said, and pulled some files from a drawer.
"The operation is codenamed: Deep Core Crisis."
Barrac gave them the folders they needed.
"Crisis?" Ken said, curious.
"Anything concerning Shadowlaw is a crisis," Barrac proclaimed with a serious tone.
"I hear you, when can we start?" Ryu asked.
"When you have been briefed, and met up with the team."
"Team?" Ken said, again with a pitch of curiosity.
"Yes, I am launching a real operation; this will be a joint operation between the military and government forces of our nation." They both nodded to this.
"Our satellite images show a boot camp in the south east area of Balearic islands. We believe these forces are indeed Shadowlaw. It appears to be a training camp for future troops. I have spoken to the President and he assures us that we have full support for the operation. Although it will be secret, we will have the newest gear at our disposal."
"Balearic, never heard of it?" Ryu said. Ken turned to him and made a funny face.
"Mallorca, does that ring a bell?" Ken asked humorously.
"Yeah, now I remember."
"Their camp is not located on Mallorca, but on Menorca," Barrac corrected.
"How on earth can a big crime syndicate hide on such a small island?" Ken asked.
"That is one of the questions that need to be addressed. I assure you that no matter what, it must be foul play. They are either bribing the local population or are deep inside dense forests. Our satellite images show that they move their camp each day to a different location. Luckily, we've managed to hire the best trackers on the planet to help us out," Barrac said confidently.
"And you are certain that Chun-Li is still alive and well?" Ken asked.
"Our best guess is that she has been taken by Shadowlaw. Our intelligence suggests that the chances of her dying within the next 48 hours are one in four-hundred. They need her."
Ken and Ryu stood up.
"With all respect sir, what are we waiting for?" Ken was impatient. The door to Barrac's office opened and a man entered.
"Ah yes! Special agent Karenina, he will lead this operation." They all shook hands.
"Gentlemen, if everything goes the way it is planned, I guarantee that our success rate will be no less than a hundred percent." The special agent spoke with a calmness rarely seen.
"You can't argue with that!" Ken added.
-- Unknown mansion in the outskirts of Barcelona, 9:13 am--
Chun-Li sat on a comfortable couch and watched Vega, who sat across from her, admiring her.
"Aren't you going to rape me? And then kill me afterwards?" She shot a cunning smile at him.
"Hah! My dear, what makes you think that I would do such horrible things?" he answered, and crossed his legs.
"I thought you would indulge me in the fine art of raping gently?"
Her provocative tone caught his attention.
He stood up and walked behind her, resting his hands on her shoulders. She felt his warm hands move to her neck, wherefrom he trailed his fingertips lower, which produced a chilling sensation down her back. She wanted to turn around and break his spine, but felt weak from the drugs.
"You are a bit tense, lovely one. Maybe I should give you a massage?" He lowered his head near hers.
"Don't even think about it; when I regain my strength ... I will kill you."
She looked over her shoulder and gave him an evil smile, a smile he had not seen before.
"Really? And what if I were to tell you about Shadowlaw's plans for world domination? Would you then spare my life, beautiful one?" He waited eagerly for her reply.
"No ... But I would let you live longer ... I will still kill you." She was beginning to feel dizzy, and it affected her voice.
"You sound like you really mean it."
He took a seat next to her. He came closer and felt her pulse.
"Don't touch me, you bastard. Why are you torturing me like this?"
She was nearly in a comatose state, but her hatred for him, kept her awake.
"My love ..." He encircled her body with his arms, and pulled her to him. He carefully let her rest her head on his chest, and began humming a melody, which helped her fall asleep. He looked at her; she was his most precious possession. He then tenderly carried her up to her room.
A/N: On the next exciting episode of Street Fighter II - Deep Core Crisis; the joint operation has launched, and en effort to find Chun-Li has been intensified, meanwhile Guile and Cammy have gotten a lead in Barcelona and Chun-Li fend off Vega's true intensions? Find out on the next episode.
GONNA BURN SOME MUSCLE!
A very special thanks goes out to ReddHeretic for his tremendous work and dedication to this story. Without your proofreading, this chapter would not have become what it is now. Thank you my friend.
As for my dear readers, I ask of you once again to post your thoughts on this story and chapter in particular.
Take care.