Disclaimer: See previous chapters

Chap. 34

South Harbor, Hong Kong

The docks of the harbor bay were loaded with few ships, but they towered over it like tanks, many of them surrounded by container boxes. Near one of the bigger ships, a group of men were going about normal work routine. Or so it seemed... To one who knew, the workers on the outer edge were actually guards, watching for anyone who might come by. But they failed to notice the stealthy figure enter in and slide behind the containers.

Chun Li silently moved through the shadowy area behind the containers. She had entered in a few minutes ago and managed to get in range of the target ship. So far, nothing had happened and there was no sign of the weapon dealers anywhere. But Guile was nowhere to be found either. Had he been caught and captured? That seemed unlikely. Perhaps he delayed in coming? That didn't seem too likely either.

Truth is...she became reckless...

She had rushed off on the assumption that Guile had left without her and the fear that he may mess up the operation had put her in this spot. Mentally, she shook her head. She should have known better than this. She had acted like a child.

'What's done is done...'

She was there, whether or not she was impulsive. She might as well gather as much information as she could. Peering around from the side of the container, she looked upon a brighter part of the bay. A large portion of containers was gathered in this area and there were more workers there as well. Judging by their apparel as well as the way they moved about, it was a safe bet to say that she was in the right place.

'Now for evidence...'

The one thing she did know was that Shadowloo would have a singular mark, that of a skull insignia. If she could track that down to any one of the products here with that mark, then she would have her proof. However, she would have to wait for the deal to go down before she saw anything of value.

She wouldn't have to wait too long...

At that moment, a car rolled on the dock's far end, just beside the ship. At the same time, three men, dressed in fancy suits, came out from the sidelines to meet the approaching vehicle. Chun Li almost shook her head, the scene looking just like it came out of the movies. It was almost cliche

"Are these it?"

"Yep. Five containers, each containing the prescribed items."

The Chinese immortal's eyes widened at this. Five containers were excessive, even for a weapons payoff and especially with containers of this size. Normally, such transactions were kept in smaller amount, since weapons were both expensive and hard to mobilize. The only way someone would risk this much is if they were wealthy and had the resources to deal with it. It didn't necessarily spell Shadowloo, but it was part of what they dealt in. Still, there had to be more information to gather.

Then she felt it...an immortal...

It came to her unexpectedly and that was enough for her hand to slide against a crowbar that had been left behind and resulting in it clanging loudly on the ground. Needless to say, her mind was filled with numerous curses and swearing, all the while moving away from the area before the others found her. She turned into a darkened corner and prepared to jump up, but one of the men had come sooner than she expected and she was forced to stay in the shadows. It was dark enough to conceal her, but when the man didn't leave right off, she knew she was in trouble.

"What is it?"

He peered deeper, trying to see in the dark and determine if someone was there. She slowly crouched low to the ground, but the man continued to search. 'Damn, he's persistent.' And with it, her troubles grew. She couldn't be discovered there. If that happened, they would capture her and get away. True, she wasn't worried about them harming or killing her, but if they escaped before she learned is this was a Shadowloo plot, then the operation would be a failure. And if it was Shadowloo, then she could easily wind up their next victim.

'Not good. Not good at all...'

Jamaica

The sun had long set over the island country and night had dominated the sky. Exiting a medium bar, the last two occupants left to head to their homes for the night. One of them was holding a cane in his hand and bearing perhaps the biggest grin in the universe. As they move off, his compatriot turned to him and waved.

"See you tomorrow, Dee Jay."

"Yeah, mon." the grinning man waved back. "We're gonna be making some serious grooves tomorrow."

"Count on it."

Dee Jay soon took his leave, his legs skipping to the groove of music playing in his head and the cane that he held tapping in rhythm on the ground as well. He was a man that truly enjoyed life, regardless of his heritage as an immortal. Like many others, he knew about the Gathering, the Game and the duels to the finish that all other immortal took part in. But unlike many of them, he didn't let it dampen his cheery soul. As far as he was concerned, his life hadn't changed. Life was still short, especially considering that he was living in the time of the Gathering. To worry too much about it would do him and his rhythm no good.

'What good is life if you can't live, right?'

Skipping down the dirt road alone, the sensation of an immortal had come upon him. Despite this, the grin on his face never wavered as he lifted his cane and grabbed the midsection. His eyes turned to the side to see a shadow-clad woman, bearing a small straight sword. In response, Dee Jay pulled his cane apart, revealing his own blade within.

"Target acquired. Proceeding to obtaining target Quickening."

"Well then, let's see if you have any rhythm to that."

Time was running out for Chun Li. Maybe, she should reveal herself to them. If she were lucky, she would be able to obtain some information before anything else happened. It would be more troublesome, but it was the only thing she could see right now to make this situation salvageable. There was still the immortal around, but whether it was Guile or not was uncertain. At best, they would reveal themselves after she did; she would soon see.

Or not...

Just then, the man backed away and Chun Li soon saw him bend down and pick up something. A cat... The little creature hung limp as the man held it by the fur behind its neck, mewing lightly in his grasp.

"It's just a stupid cat." the man spoke and he half-flung the creature. Just to be safe, the man looked back in the dark corner and saw nothing still. But there was nothing to see, for Chun Li had long escaped.

Thanks to Guile...

"What the hell were you doing?" he whispered, somewhat angrily. As soon the man turned away, Guile had reached down from one of the containers above her and after lending his hand down, quickly pulled her up with him. Now, the two were on top of the container, flat and low so that they wouldn't be seen. But that didn't calm the Chinese woman, who hissed at her so-called 'partner'.

"Why did you leave?"

"I told you." he growled back. "I'll bring down Shadowloo by myself."

She was about to retort again, but there was a rush a movement that caused them both to quiet immediately and return their attention to the dealers below. One of the containers was being lifted up toward the ship. Both immortals grimaced. They had been arguing with each other so they didn't overhear any of the details, namely if it was Shadowloo-connected. And now, they were shipping out; the deal done with. However, their moment of silence had allowed for one of the dealers to be heard.

"...reaches Spain, your account will be paid in full."

Spain... Now they knew one thing; the cargo's destination. However, they both knew that they were fortunate to get that bit of info at all. Their arguing had almost cost them a possible lead. If they were going defeat Shadowloo, then they would have to resolve to at least try to work together. Turning to each other, they nodded; a sign for the first time that they were on the same wavelength. They had gotten what they needed for the moment.

Without a sound, they began to slide backward off the container and out of the area. Again, Chun Li didn't like the thought of these vipers sliding away, but it was necessary in order to have a chance at Shadowloo. She just hoped the weapons weren't put to use before she was able to take down Shadowloo.

Correction...before they were able to take down Shadowloo

The two immortals soon made their way out of the bay, their presence unknown to everyone around...except to one. From a skyscraper a good distance away and overlooking the bay, a single black-clad woman was watching the bay through a group of high-tech binoculars. At present, they were trained on the pair that was stealthily leaving the shipment transport. Lowering the equipment, the dark figure soon tapped on the side of her ear, revealing a communication device.

"Agent Juli, reporting. Shipment has been compromised."

"Yes." A sinister voice echoed back to her. "I've been expecting as much."

The cold eyes of the dark eyes remained focused on the two. "Order to terminate, sir?"

"Leave them be. Give notice to Vega to be on the lookout for two special guests."

"Roger sir!"

Italy

Serenity... That would be the word to define the room in which Rose sat in the center of. The beautiful, mysterious immortal was seated before a table, with various tarot cards placed before her. Her violet eyes scanned the cards, reading the messages that allowed her to get a glimpse of time; past, present and future. Her eyes were soon focused on the card that was displayed before her

Heart of Knight...

Rose nodded mentally to herself. It was no question to her about the identity of the card. Ryu... She had been running into him through her predictions for a while now, cementing her belief that he was an immortal of a special destiny. 'He could very well be...the one...' But like many times she felt a sense of hope, the dark cloud of doom would come forth, in her case, in the form of the next card she pulled.

Servant of Chaos ...

Rose could feel her features dampen into a frown. This particular card foretold a dark time period, particularly for an individual. It foretold a short period of time, but there was a chance that the individual would drown into the void of chaos and be lost forever. This was the second time a dark prediction had come concerning the Japanese immortal she met with months ago.

'You are indeed one tied with the fates, young Ryu. But what does destiny have awaiting you?'

The serenity began to fade...