This is going to be a long action-y chapter.
*Chapter Five*
.
.
.
Julia is lucky enough to still have a job during this period of modern depression.
Several wars within a big war. The public thought that the company she worked in was run by their hero, their beloved Kazuya Mishima. She had no proof otherwise but her intuition told her that G corp was just as responsible for the wars. She hated working under such a regime but felt a bit better by leaking information to Armor King and Lee Choalan so that help was given to the needy. Julia slides her G corp card through the reader and after being ranted access, she is in her lab. Shivering, she crosses her arms to retain warmth. Lately it was getting colder in her lab and maybe that Anna Williams was behind it. She was just more than a bodyguard for Kazuya it seemed and Julia could see why Nina couldn't trust the scarlet haired sister. Anna was watching her over her shoulder these days and it irritated her.
It was a good thing Julia never mentioned to Anna she was friends with Nina. Looking around, her lab was empty. Hardly a soul in sight.
"Are you afraid?" A deep male voice echoed in the lab.
"Who is there?" Julia demanded, sounding a little shaky.
Someone stepped out of the shadows from the far right corner. It was Kazuya Mishima, dressed up to the nines with a disturbing red eye cutting through the darkness. Julia felt herself take a step back. She heard rumours of this man, hunting and killing his enemies ruthlessly, torturing animals in sick experiments and he was the beast responsible for the shit Nina went through. Julia had never met the man before, believing he thought to highly of himself to stoop down to her measly lab to see her.
Something was wrong.
She takes a deep breath and forces herself not to tense up. A scowl is on Kazuya's face as he observes her.
"How would you like to die?" He asks.
"I beg your pardon?!"
He tilts his head to the side and narrows his eyes. "You know what you've done. I respect your audacity but there is a price to pay for treason."
Confused, she shakes her head. "No sir…I really don't know what you're talking about."
Knowing she wasn't strong enough to take him on in a battle of fistcuffs, Julia hoped to prolong the conversation to find out his train of thought. Anything that would confuse him so she could escape just like she did before when she was cornered in a lab.
Kazuya folds his arms and scoffs before several men enter the lab, guns all pointed at her. He wasn't interested in talking and any wrong move from her would get her killed. Julia's heart thumps. This wasn't like fighting in the tournament. It brought her memories of being hunted by enemies long ago. She was outdoors then, wasn't confined in a box controlled by her enemy.
The Japanese man turns his attention to his soldiers. "Keep her sealed in here and don't hesitate to fire. If she tries to escape, shoot to kill."
"Why are you doing this?!" Julia angrily demands as he turns his back on her.
He might as well spell it out since he's got her at gunpoint now. He stops but doesn't turn back.
"Hmpf, I think your mother would be ashamed of you. If she was in your shoes, she would have fought back by now. You don't have her spirit."
And with that he was gone. Julia exhales and tightens her fists as his words cut deep.
The sound of his footsteps become distant as her world grows smaller.
.
Julia Chang was kidnapped and they needed his help to free her.
Now Taiyo was outside the millennium tower with Hwoarang by his side. It was just the two of them armed to the teeth. Sitting in the SUV in silence.
"You scared?" Hwoarang asks.
"I'm probably being hunted and some want me dead." Taiyo says calmy. Despite sounding so resigned, there is a small hint of fear in his voice.
The Korean looks at the man, speechless. It was similar to what he had gone through. Being hunted and almost killed. Heck one incident landed him in hospital because he thought he could trust the man.
"That's the price I have to pay for my freedom." Taiyo sighs.
"Maybe you'll get lucky this time." He shrugs.
"Maybe." Taiyo uttered, looking blankly ahead.
Hwoarang frowns, he remembered Baek mentioning that they lost of their friends while caged. Taiyo was close to this person. Hwoarang didn't want Taiyo to suffer the same fate. Breaking out of enslavement and coming out all the way here, getting killed now would be a waste. Baek had also took him to the side and told him not to let Taiyo die. Hwoarang wasn't sure if he could stop that but he would do his best to keep the man alive.
"Akiyama, I respect your will to survive."
Taiyo nods, watching the security of the Millenium tower. "I think it's time for the next step of our plan."
They were hiding behind a bush and as Hwoarang liked to call it, scoping the place out before a hit.
"You said you never fired a gun before but do it as if your life depends on it." Hwoarang tells him, cocking his gun.
Taiyo nods silently. He would try his best. He had powers that could be more effective then firearms. Baek knew he had powers.
Hwoarang mumbles under his breath. "I appreciate you helping even if there's nothing in it for you."
"Saving someone from enslavement is something I would do." Taiyo interjects.
The Korean glances at the Japanese man, seeing that look of determination in his eyes. It makes him more motivated to take part in this dangerous mission. Hwoarang wasn't usually afraid but these guys were being trained by the notorious Bruce Irvin. Even Julia knew how skilled these lot were. No one messed with Bruce Irvin's men and those who did died or had to be even more skilled. The Tekken force were bowling pins in front of these guys. Hwoarang sort of felt sorry for Jin who probably only had one person who could protect him.
Before they embarked on this dangerous mission, Baek told him that Taiyo had strong powers that would protect them. It was why the ogres enslaved Taiyo. He was in for a treat tonight and couldn't wait for the fireworks.
"Wait…who are they?" Taiyo whispers.
Hwoarang follows his gaze to a couple approaching the armed gaurds. A pink haired girl and a blond man with the silliest haircut since Paul Phoenix.
"Judging by his uniform, he's Tekken force." Hwoarang replied. "And the girl is probably his bae or something."
The two men watched the couple exchange words with the guards and a red haired woman in a leopard coat. Hwoarang notices how there's a large area between the two sides. It wasn't a friendly conversation for sure. A moment later, the woman in the leopard coat turns her soldier's gun towards the pink haired girl. The man with her steps in front as a meat shield. Oh, how romantic.
"We can enter the building now all eyes are on them." Hwoarang says.
"But we should help them. They might need assistance." Taiyo whispers.
Hwoarang rolls his eyes. "We're here for Julia. Let the lover boy and girl fight their own battles. Watch my back."
Without another word, Hwoarang scuttles forward towards the side door he had been eyeing up. Immediately he got to work by picking the lock. It only took a few seconds. Taiyo emerges by his side and the two men enter the building.
As soon as they got into the building, they heard several shots outside. Hwoarang halted in his steps but Taiyo pushed him forward.
"They have help now. Loverboy's soldiers backed him up while you were picking the lock." He said.
Hwoarang huffed and grinned.
.
"She's a woman, it won't be right to attack her." Taiyo reasons, glancing at the Korean man as they were held at gunpoint.
"She's an enemy. Knock her outta our way." Hwoarang argues. "This bitch can snap bones, be careful man. She's a crazy one."
She was five foot eight with those heels which made it easier to trip her. If he was alone, he'd knock her off her feet but couldn't risk Taiyo getting shot. So Hwoarang settled for disarming her instead.
"While you two boys fight over little old me, here's a lesson in manners." Anna drawls, jiggling her breasts a little with a giggle.
Hwoarang remembered fighting her in the third Tekken Tournament, if he was a slowcoach, he was sure she would have snapped his bones. Like him she was very good at misdirection and he would be lying if he said he wasn't impressed. This woman was skilled and he hadn't won against her yet. But today would be the day he would.
Suddenly, Hwoarang knocks the gun out of her hand in a powerful kick then uses his fights in a machine gun move that often stunned his opponents. He was too quick for her. Anna screams as he hit her cheek and collarbone. Much to his surprise, Taiyo pulls Anna in for a sleeper hold. She struggles for a bit until she was knocked out. Hwoarang takes her phone and pockets it before helping Taiyo drag the woman into a closet.
"Eugh!" Hwoarang scoffs, smearing foundation on the closet door.
"Stop leaving evidence!" Taiyo chides.
"Shut up or this goes on you." Hwoarang warns, holding his foundation coated hand before picking up a broomstick and sealing the closet.
.
A robot threw him into the air and Hwoarang hit the floor. He wheezes and crawls towards his fallen gun. The huge robot grabs his leg.
He lifts his head up to see Taiyo shooting as many robots he could. The poor guy took on most of them without warning.
Hwoarang kicks as hard as he could but the robot was too strong and heavy. Just like the devil was. It grabs him right off the floor. Just when he prepared for another slam against the wall, he head a battle cry and saw the robot's head being obliterated. Hworang looks down at a fist. Pink electric currents ran throughout the ruined robot's corpse and it let go of Hwoarang. In a quick move, Hwoarang kicks the robot to the side.
"Thanks man." Hwoarang says before turning to see the same blonde man and his pink haired friend.
The girl was flying around with jet wings and using her chainsaws to destroy the robots. Hwoarang is stunned. She was a robot?
"Behind you!" The blonde man warns and Hwoarang ducks in response. He spins around to see the Tekken force man batter another robot to death with his big fists.
He didn't know why the two were here but right now he raced past them and towards Taiyo to help out. Taiyo was on his last bullet and decided to use his fists. These robots were relentless. Built to endure. Built to destroy. He had been trained to fight warm blooded creatures.
"Would have been nice if they were tin cans!" Hwoarang tells him, kicking the robots away, one by one.
Taiyo then grabs the face of one robot and slams it to the ground with a shout. Hwoarang smirks seeing him drop the restrained act. The action resulted in a crunch and the robot being rendered immobile.
Atta boy, that's more like it. Get the gloves off! Fight dirty! Hwoarang thinks.
"I think that's the last of them." Taiyo breaths out, wiping sweat off his brow and heaving breathlessly.
"Who are you guys?!" another voice demands.
It's the blonde man. With the pink haired chick by his side.
"We're here to save the girl." Taiyo replies firmly. "Don't stop us." He warns.
"Don't worry. We are here to save Julia Chang too." The girl said sweetly and then smiled to the blonde man. "Lars! We have two new friends!"
"Look let's get a move on and save the chit chat for later." Hwoarang interjects. "They got her trapped."
With that, he ran through the door and was gone before anyone can say anything. Taiyo looked at the two, they made it past the G corp guards and having them on their side would be good. They look at each other for a second or two before Taiyo turns around and follows Hwoarang.
They find Julia deep into the lab. After fighting some jack bots, the two of them faced the G corp soldiers who blocked the entrance to the lab Julia was kept in. Hwoarang saw her jumping up and down, waving at them through the huge glass.
It wasn't long before they engaged in battle. Four of them against ten soldiers. Taiyo and Hwoarang took on two each leaving the rest for the couple to fight again. Things were looking good. Having this Lars guy and the robo chick around sped things up. A bullet was fired and almost hit Hwoarang in the face until Taiyo rushed forward and put his arm up. It hit an invisible wall which rippled and the bullet bounced back into the soldier who fired it.
Hwoarang was amazed. "Why didn't you do that before man?!"
"I was conserving energy for the big fight."
"What else can you do?!"
"This." Taiyo unleashes a series of hits against another soldier and sent him hauling up into the air effortlessly. Hwoarang whistles before deciding to join in a tag team and finish the man off, knocking him out.
After all the soldiers were lying strewn on the ground. Hwoarang wasted no more time and grabbed a key card off one of them before heading to the door. He swipes the card and Julia ran out and into his arms. He hoists her off the ground as they embrace.
When they parted, her eyes smiled at him. "You didn't disappoint." She says.
"Of course not Chang."
He notices the bag under her eyes and how weak she was. They hadn't fed her well. Assholes.
"Are you Julia Chang?" The blonde man interrupts.
She turns to him and nods. "You brought your friends with you…Tekken force?"
Alisa suddenly lunges forward and glomps Julia. "Julia! It's been so long!"
"Alisa?" Julia pats her back with a smile. "I never thought I'd see you again." Julia looks at Lars for an explanation.
"Don't worry, I am not allied with Jin or Kazuya." The blonde man says. "I am Lars Alexanderson and this is Alisa." He introduces. "We are allies with Lee Chaolan."
"More G Corp soldiers are approaching!" Alisa cries out.
"Let's get out of here before they find us." Taiyo responds. "C'mon you guys!"
.
Lars and Alisa had left them halfway, deciding to take the main exit to check on their soldier friends while Julia, Hwoarang and Taiyo decided to escape via the side door. Just before they could open the door, they were met with armed soldiers. Four of them.
"Well this is a nice surprise." Taiyo scoffs.
"Ah, this is one of Irvin's tricks!" Hwoarang mutters, annoyed that he hadn't seen this coming earlier.
"Give up the girl and you will live." They promise.
"Shoot us." Taiyo challenges darkly. After a moment, they did fire but Taiyo's shield protected them. A bullet hit a soldier and the rest started firing like crazy. Soon all of them were hit by their own bullets. Julia looks at Hwoarang for an answer. He shrugs and smiles.
They proceeded to leave. Each of them looking right to left for anything else. It seemed as if the coast was clear. All of a sudden, a sharp spike from nowhere pierced his neck. Taiyo fell to the ground.
He saw the Korean man return for him and yells out for him to leave.
"I can save myself, you go!"
Bullets rip on the floor, causing Hwoarang to retreat away from Taiyo. Several soldiers surrounded them. Taiyo stood up weakly, he didn't have long but his powers enabled him to stay lucid for longer while the tranquilizer ran through his bloodstream. He was going to fight until they won. They had to win this.
A flurry of punches and kicks later, he felt his knees give away. He couldn't see Julia and Hwoarang in a sea of relentless soldiers.
During the battle, Hwoarang lost sight of Taiyo as more and more soldiers poured in from all directions. He hated being cornered and was getting so close to passing out, he started praying for a miracle. Using whatever military experience he got from the Korean Army, it kept it going and dodging tranq darts. Julia had been hit a few minutes earlier and had passed out soon after. He was cornered in protecting her so he couldn't check up on Taiyo.
"Give up you punk!" One of them sneered at him.
"Call Irvin down here first bitch." Hwoarang snapped back, his skin red hot and his mouth dry.
There was two of them now and Hwoarang used everything he had to knock them out. Once they were down, he rushed to Julia to wake her. He hopes this wasn't a botched rescue mission.
.
She finally reached the place after sensing his distress. Jun watches the fight from the shadows. She wasn't supposed to be seen. But her heart thundered wildly and her hands tingled. Her soul was screaming for her to protect him.
When Taiyo was fighting the effects of the drug, he was mercilessly being beaten by these monstrous soldiers. They hit his head, his stomach and even tried to burn him. Unable to be a mute spectator any longer, Jun appeared from nowhere taking these soldiers from surprise and knocking the fire from them. An elbow to the face sent them high up in the air and into the ceiling. Jun dances around them, gracefully slapping shins and twirling them into sleep. A huge soldier throws her into a pillar and once she moves out of the way, they push the pillar towards Taiyo. Jun rushes towards it, holding it from crushing him. She grunts as she resists the weight. The person fires at her. She cries in pain as the bullet sinks into her skin.
"Foolish woman!" The soldier taunts, taking a picture of her struggle.
A fierce cry escapes her lips. His phone sizzles and he yelps in pain. It drops to the floor and so does his gaze.
Exerting enough force, she throws the pillar towards the laughing soldier.
Although it wouldn't kill her, the pain almost paralyzed her. She holds her wound and forces the bullet out before healing herself, screaming during the process. A few other men appear, ready to finish the fight. Jun closes her eyes and focuses on a mass attack.
A flash of white took out the men who were about to kidnap Taiyo. He lay on the ground, still completely knocked out and the place caught fire somehow. Jun crouched down, studying him for any bruises or cuts other. It was a strange instinctual reaction. The orders were to forcefully take Taiyo back to headquarters but she needed him to be awake before she could do something. There was some blood streaking down the side of his head. Jun was about to heal him until she saw a beam swaying from the corner of her eyes. The fire was melting things. There was not enough time to wake him up and heal all injuries right there.
"TAIYO! YOU THERE MAN?" Hwoarang yells, stumbling towards them.
Jun placed her hands on Taiyo's shoulders. She glares at the red haired man who was coming towards them.
"Hey what the hell are you doing lady?!" Hwoarang points at her. She appeared edgy and he didn't like that look in her eyes. That spark of danger and a silent warning.
Hwoarang didn't stop, he began to walk faster to save Taiyo from this unknown Japanese woman.
In a flash, they were gone.
.
.
.