Underground

Pattaya, Thailand

The trek through Shadowlaw's intricate systems of underground tunnels was uncomfortable to say the least, with the humid air from outside cooling down as it blew through the network. The path on which they trudged was made up of gravel and sharp rock, threatening to slice up the soles of their shoes. The Delta Red members were clad in their combat boots, providing adequate protection against the rocks, as was Aaron. But Dorian was barefoot, having been kept in the prison cells for however long now, he probably decided there'd be little use for them during his stay. The boy now sat in the crook of Aaron's arm, Dorian's thin arms wrapped around his neck, leaning his chin on the soldier's shoulder, slowly being lulled to sleep by the gentle bobbing of his strides.

Dorian had calmed down remarkably since the battle with Genta ended. His heartbeat seemed normal down, his breathing slower, the nervous sweat dried onto his face. Katarina walked behind them, under one of McCoy's arms thrown over her shoulder. The other held Luwanda up, limping and wincing with every step she took. Katarina had done everything she could at the time to bandage the woman up, but without further medical attention, the wound would likely give her problems in a few hours.

Colonel Wolfman covered their asses, literally, keeping a few feet at the back of the group, keeping his eyes and rifle trained on the darkness they left behind. Covering the front, Issei had a hangun aimed, ready to fire at anything that approached. It suddenly struck him that it might not have been a smart idea carrying a sleeping Dorian while he watched out for anything that might surprise them from the front. But given that McCoy had his hand full shouldering Katarina and Luwanda, there was no other choice. And Dorian, without protection on his feet, would surely slice them up on the rocks they trudged upon.

"The sailing should be smooth from here on out," McCoy said, "though it might be quite a walk. We had to blast our way into the tunnel system from quite a distance, so as to not alert Shadowlaw's suspicions."

"And where exactly are we walking to?" Katarina inquired. She ground wasn't exactly easy on the knees. And while Katarina was killed in fighting, in the end, she was a scientist, not a warrior, and her stamina was therefore starting to give out, especially under these rougher conditions.

"The entrance," Wolfman replied, still keeping his eyes on the darkness behind them. "There's a chopper there waiting for us."

"And if Shadowlaw finds it?" Aaron asked.

"Unlikely," Wolfman replied. "We've got it camouflaged. But in such an event, Ginzu will defend it."

"Ginzu," Aaron said out loud, "that's your intelligence specialist, isn't it?"

"That he is, and a real good one at that."

"He might be, but how trained is he with firearms?"

Katarina noticed that Wolfman looked hurt by the question, that someone would be unsure of Delta Red's skills and their flexibility. But he didn't make anything of it with his response. "Adequate."

"Enough to hold them at bay?" Aaron pressed.

Luwanda and McCoy tensed up, sensing a storm brewing, a clashing of egos. Wolfman was the leader of Delta Red, the special forces unit within the British special forces, experienced in missions involving search and rescue, anti-terrorism, and hostage situations. He was as lethal with a butter knife as he would be a rocket launcher, and there didn't seem a way he that he would let some recently gone good Shadowlaw terrorist question his abilities. As far as Luwanda and McCoy were concerned, when it came to Wolfman's way of thinking, Aaron and Katarina Feng were still considered Shadowlaw terrorists and were to be kept a close eye on, despite their recent change of heart. Delta Red had no way of telling whether the twins' claims were true or not, but there was a possible window of opportunity that their re-alliance offered; a window of opportunity into the evil organization that not even Wolfman's distrust of the twins could afford to pass up.

"If you are so concerned about our capabilities," Wolfman said, "and wish to run off and look out for yourself, then you are more than welcomed to. Keep in mind, soldier, that we are under no obligation to protect you with the list of crimes attached to your name! I should think that by even allowing you to come with us …"

"Like it's some sort of privilege?" Aaron snorted. "I've encountered members of your group before and your training is questionable to put it lightly …"

"AARON!" Katarina snapped. "That's enough!"

Wolfman now faced Aaron's back, though the latter continued his disrespectful performance by now even bothering to turn around and face him.

"Why, I ought to …" Wolfman hissed, looking like he was ready to put a bullet in Aaron's back, but McCoy restrained him with reason.

"We don't need this right now, sir," he said. "You fight now, you put us all in danger." Wolfman struggled not to let his temper get the better of him. McCoy was right. Fighting now, in the circumstances they were in would be a grave mistake, given that they were surrounded by Delta Red members, that weapons were involved, and that they were in the presence of a child. Not to mention the potential Shadowlaw guards surrounding them …

It felt as though Aaron had won the little spat between the two of them, and the ex-Shadowlaw Admiral enjoyed that fact. He continued walking on, without even turning back to see if Wolfman was, at the very least, calm. Aaron didn't feel at all guilty for questioning Delta Red's capabilities, based on his experience with them in the past. They were fine unit of the British government, that was for sure. But they had never directly been involved with main Shadowlaw operations, only scientist kidnappings here and there. So they managed to foil a plan or two. But if the organization had concentrated all their resources to destroying the team, they would be crushed in a matter of hours. And knowing that Delta Red was now making its way out of a core Shadowlaw base with two traitorous, yet talented employees and a prisoner, held for whatever reason with them, it didn't surprise him that they would every available resource to tracking them down.

How did things end up this way? Aaron would have never guessed a simple order that Bison had given him would lead to this whirlwind of confusion, angst, betrayal, and in the end, to a lost brother in the form of Kenny. Bison had wanted the youth dead for some reason that Aaron was unable to pinpoint, or perhaps it was just the sheer irony of having Dr. Feng's surviving children kill each other off in the memory of their father. Aaron didn't know what Bison's motivations were, but he could only be sure that had he performed his duty to the fullest like he was ordered, Kenny would be dead. Aaron would have to live with the knowledge of having killed a sibling, which would be excruciating since it was the love of family that had drive Aaron since stepping onto Shadowlaw grounds. It was his lack of a family, with the exception of Katarina, that had motivated him to work to the level he'd arrived at, so that he'd be returned to his parents. It was the value of family that he held dearest. As if by a miracle, after he and Katarina discovered their father was murdered, they stumbled upon Kenny.

"I'll kill you, everything you hold dearest ..."

Kenny …

Aaron stopped in his tracks, nearly forcing everyone to crash into him. He was met with a chorus of protests at his sudden movement, or lack thereof, though he paid nobody any attention. For the first time since his spat with Wolfman, Aaron turned around to face the group, though he looked directly at Katarina, She met his insecure gaze with her dark, narrow eyes, wondering what could have been going on behind his expression.

"What's going on?" Wolfman demanded.

"Kat," Aaron said, looking at the sharp rocks at his feet regretfully, "I know we said if we returned from this mission alive, we'd come back for Kenny."

She crinkled a brow, wondering why he would have suddenly brought this up out of nowhere. But she decided to listen to what he had to say nonetheless. "What are you suggesting?" she asked. He knew she knew exactly what he was trying to imply, but it was in her complete personality to hear the words straight from his mouth.

"He hates us right now, for everything we've done with Shadowlaw," Aaron continued, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"But we're going to change that," she protested. "He doesn't understand our side of the story. He doesn't know that we wouldn't do anything to …"

"It'd be in his best interest for us to keep things the way they are. Let Kenny keep his impression of us the way it is. Let him continue hating, continue living in embarrassment of his blood relation to us and our father, of our legacy with Shadowlaw."

Katarina could only shake her head, too surprised by his words to retort with any of her own. Why was he saying this, after everything they'd been through? What were all these years of fighting for, if not to be united with the ones they loved? Luwanda spoke for her.

"You're crazy," she said, putting it simply. "By making this decision, you are losing twenty years of what you've lived for. Twenty years of life, wasted! "

"I didn't fight for twenty years to find Kenny," Aaron said calmly. "I fought to be reunited with our parents. And they're dead now."

"We fought for our family!" Katarina cried, clearly upset by his words. "Just because we were never aware of Kenny doesn't make him an outsider! We fought for him too, Aaron! Whether we knew it or not. Why … why are you talking like this!"

"I should've killed Genta back there," Aaron whispered, so inaudibly, only Katarina could make out his words. "But I couldn't, Kat, I couldn't bring myself to do it. I took him under my wing, trained him in the ways of the Shadowlaw military, sheltered him from a hostile environment outside the organization. I didn't want to see my efforts go to waste. I wanted to see him grow up to be a successful warrior. If I'd put a bullet in his head, it'd be another ten odd years of my efforts wasted. But after what he said …"

"I'll kill you, and everything you hold dearest …"

"…I should have done it."

"Oh no …" Katarina said, putting a hand up to an open mouth as everything her brother was saying fell into place. "You mean if Genta finds out about Kenny, and what he means to us …"

"Genta will kill him too."

XXXXX

Bangkok, Thailand

Cammy unlocked the door to the penthouse suite with a swipe of the keycard, her aroma of fried rice and fresh seafood wafting up at her from the plastic bag she held in her other hand. It was late afternoon by the time she'd gotten back from her little outing to see the city. She couldn't speak a word of Thai and had resorted to smiling and bowing her head politely whenever she was spoken to. She felt a little guilty playing tourist while there high-stakes fights were going on all around her. Ryu had left to face Sagat in battle while Issei had gone to free his sister from Shadowlaw's clutches with Delta Red's aid. Cammy wanted to join Issei on his mission too, but Wolfman had advised against it, telling her to instead focus on the tournament. She hated it when he was right, and he usually was. He had taken good care of her in the past since Delta Red had given her a position on their team, taking her away from her family. But Wolfman was kind of like a surrogate father to her and the rest of the team. Delta Red was like a little separate family unit for Cammy.

And instead of focusing on the tournament as Wolfman had suggested, Cammy decided to take a tour of the town. Guilt ebbed at her conscience but she could justify her actions. Already, because of the tournament, she'd been to two countries she'd never seen before. And if she had, her own memory wipe from Shadowlaw would've erased any trace of it …

It had been a long day of shopping and Cammy was dead beat tired – most of it from haggling. She hadn't known it at first, but in this society, a customer could bargain the price with a vendor until an agreement was reached. But initially, she'd gone off purchasing items at the first price spouted off to her until a tourist more familiar with the country's ways pulled her aside and let her in the know, after which Cammy went on a haggling spree.

She stepped into her suite and placed the plastic bag of take out food on the counter, kicking off her shoes right beside a pile of shopping bags from her earlier outings. All was quiet in the suit that offered a panoramic view of Bangkok city. This hotel was a lot more Zen and minimalist than the Victorian themed one back in Osaka. The low tables were sharp cornered with absolutely no decoration, coming in black, brown or dark red. The floor cushions were white, placed comfortably in a ring against the far corner, creating an intimate atmosphere.

The sight of Ryu, sitting with his back arched straight, elbows at his sides and hands resting on his knees startled her. He hadn't been expecting him to be here of all places, when he'd just finished a round with one of the bodyguard panel warriors. Ryu was dressed in his sleeveless karate uniform, red headband tied around his head, tails carried gently by the gentle wind. A thin layer of sweat on his neck reflected the sunlight. He sat motionless except for the steady rising and falling of his torso from his calmed, controlled breathing.

He looked so peaceful to Cammy, and though her initial reaction was to go and see how he was doing, she decided against it when he was obviously meditating. He had emerged victorious from his fight with Sagat. That had to be it or he wouldn't be sitting there right now, blending so nicely with the scenery, becoming one with all around him. Cammy shook her head, wondering when she'd become so spiritual, and headed to her room. Her feet were killing her from walking all over the city in the humid heat, and lying down didn't seem like a bad idea.

Cammy had only just gotten into her room when she received a second surprise. Sprawled on the queen sized mattress, almost blending in with the linen sheets in white bandages wrapped in layers around her lithe body was none other than the Interpol Agent, Chun Li. Her black hair poked out from the bandages wrapped around her head, though her facial features were left exposed for Cammy to recognize.

A sound of movement coming from behind startled her, and Cammy reacted with a vicious back fist – and felt it caught in a strong grip.

"It's me," Ryu said without a trace of surprise in his voice, and released her hand.

"God," Cammy gasped, clutching her chest, "don't do that."

"I thought I heard someone come in," Ryu explained, "but when you didn't say hi, I thought it was probably someone hostile."

"I didn't want to bug you," Cammy said, wringing her wrist, "sitting there all peaceful like that." She turned her attention to Chun Li, tipping her chin at the unconscious detective. "Where'd she come from?"

"Lost a fight to Sagat. I found her just as I was going up to face him." Cammy noticed Ryu's grim expression as he laid eyes on Chun Li, the regret and pity filtering through his dark, narrow eyes.

"She had no chance, did she?" Cammy asked, her eyes watering at both Chun Li's predicament, and the fact that she could be staring at her future.

Ryu didn't answer but merely shook his head in dismay. "Chun Li had a lot to lose by losing the fight," Ryu said after a few moments of silence. "She let the burden of what she held at stake hold her down, distract her from the fight. And ultimately, she lost. I don't know all the details about your situation Cammy, but I know enough to realize you have a lot riding on this too. Let Chun Li's predicament be a lesson to you. "

"Does that mean Sagat …" Cammy began, but Ryu already knew what she was asking.

"I defeated Sagat, but it's the fight with Bison I'm worried about." Ryu took his gaze of Chun Li and looked into Cammy's deep blue eyes at the height of his shoulder. "He's more powerful this time around. When he confronted me on the battlegrounds, I could sense it in him. No mortal being should be able to contain that much power in his body. But somehow, Bison has done it. The Psycho Drive, the Shadow Technology based Agent Initiative – whatever it is he's employing is giving him super human powers."

"Could be a combination of all three," Cammy suggested. Ryu breathed deeply for a long second and exhaled. Cammy looked at him with a concerned expression on her face. She noticed the twitch above his right brow, the fingers of his tightly clenched fist moving slightly, and the drop of sweat rolling down the side of his face. "You're not a hundred percent sure about our success, are you?" she asked.

"I never am about any fight," Ryu began, "but what I sensed in Bison earlier today … the odds aren't just against us, Cammy. They're stacked in his favor. All that power … it's unfathomable."

Cammy took Ryu's hand into both of hers, her skin pale in contrast to his darker tone. She gave his fingers a reassuring squeeze. It wasn't a so much a gesture of love, but more so of comfort and sympathy. They were both in the same boat, about to face the same dictator in the coming hours, and they both had a lot depending on their victory. For Ryu, it was his very life and morality he was fighting for, to never let himself become a weapon of evil. For Cammy, she was fighting for all the horrible things Shadowlaw had done to her – turning her own father against her and then killing him, annihilating Wagner's family in front of his eyes when he was just a child barely in his teens, tearing Kenny away from Cranky when they were just kids and messing with the biological make up of his body, giving Julian a son and taking him away like they were teasing a child by dangling a favorite toy over his head – the list went on and on.

"We're in this together," Cammy said. "We're on the final leg of this mission where teamwork matters most. We've been successful at removing the bodyguard panel altogether from the tournaments. And in the process, Ken, Chun Li, T. Hawk and Guile have fallen out of the rankings. There's still you and I, Ryu and ten other Street Fighters due to face Bison, and they're doing just that as we speak! They'll weaken him and …"

"For someone who's spent a lifetime with Shadowlaw," Ryu said bitterly, "you seem unfamiliar with how they work. During the Alpha tournaments, what do you think they do with those who fall out of the rankings?" The question silenced Cammy. She didn't know what to say to that. Sure, Ryu was right when he said she'd spent years with them, but her memory was wiped at the end of it. She didn't recall a thing.

"I don't know," she admitted shakily.

"They use the disqualified street fighters as test subjects," Ryu replied coldly. "There's a high probability that they're doing this again, as it coincides with the fact that they've got some kind of new mind control technology out right now."

"The Agent Initiative," Cammy whispered.

"And to be completely honest with you, it's not the just Bison's power levels that are concerning me right now. I don't know what's going on with the others, Cammy. I don't know how Ken is doing, nor do I know about Guile or T. Hawk. I don't know if they've already been taken as subjects or … I'm counting on Issei right now, stirring up trouble behind the scenes at the Shadowlaw base. Hopefully they're so busy with him that they haven't bothered with Ken and the others yet. Hopefully, they're still safe."

"Is that why you brought Chun Li here, instead of a hospital where she should be?"

Ryu nodded. "The hospital staff can't protect her against Shadowlaw agents they send after her. But I can."

"Her health might be in serious danger."

"Chi transfer," Ryu replied simply.

"You know, it's a mysterious force, I'll admit," Cammy said, putting her hands on her hips, eyeing Chun Li from the corners of her eye with skepticism written all over her face. "But it's not the be-all end-all of medicine."

"It's the most we can do for now." And to that, even Cammy could agree.

XXXXX

Osaka, Japan

The commotion awoke Kenny; voices that he heard, far off into the distance, slowly pulling his consciousness back to reality. He fought off a wave of nausea as his body began to move, as he began to think straight again. The darkness that claimed his consciousness was starting to fade, replaced by the dim lighting of the street lamps outside. His head throbbed, his limbs ached, pain radiated from his lower back throughout the rest of his body. He remembered absorbing some of the evil energy Akuma had emitted, and the way it gripped his body, killing his insides as he fought for control. Now it was gone, and only the damage was left. Kenny couldn't be sure how much energy he'd drained from Akuma, but he knew he'd done all he could to weaken the demon and let Ryu take care of the rest.

"What the fuck were you thinking, Wagner?" were the first words Kenny could clearly make out. "You've defeated the entire purpose of engaging Akuma!" The angry voice belonged to Cranky, clearly upset by whatever events had transpired while Kenny was out like a light bulb. He found himself sitting somewhat upright, leaning against someone. The weight of a stranger's arm bore down on his shoulders.

"If anything happens to Ryu now, it's your goddamned fault!" Cranky's voice was closer this time.

"Enough," Kenny tried to say, but his lips wouldn't cooperate.

"Look, Julian and I fucking rushed over here as fast as we could to help out, alright!" Wagner screamed back, trying to defend himself. "What's important is that we weakened the demon. There's no way he will defeat Ryu now."

"Ryu is on an important mission to take out Shadowlaw, Wagner," Cranky said, "and that means taking out Bison himself! If you know that organization as well as you act like you do, then you know we can't afford to have Ryu take on any more challenges than necessary! What you've done has …"

"Hold it with the bantering," Kenny said and this time, he was audible enough to grab everyone's attention.

"Holy shit, Kenny!" Cranky cried, and Kenny realized it was his brother he'd found himself leaning against, with his arm thrown protectively over the youth's shoulders. Cranky rested his chin in the top of Kenny's head, pulling his adoptive brother in to a rough embrace. "Thank fucking God you're alright. You did good, kiddo. Real good."

"Congratulations," Wagner said, "you've done a great deal for us. And now, we think you've finally freed yourself from that Shadow Technology for good."

"No thanks to you," Cranky spat back at him. "We had Akuma. We had him, and you had to go spout off your big fucking trap and …"

"Hey, I already told you what I said doesn't matter!" Wagner shouted, clearly upset by Cranky's continuous accusations.

"It does matter! Now that the demon knows where Ryu is, what the hell were we fighting for back there! You jump into the middle of the fighting without the slightest clue of what was going on!"

"You're really a piece of work, aren't you! Showing your gratitude like this? Maybe it was a mistake coming in and saving your ass."

"Maybe it was! Maybe your sheer presence fucked everything up to begin with!"

"Shut the hell up!" Julian bellowed, standing at the shattered glass door that had once separated the patio from the rest of the suite. Though his voice was hoarse, he gasped for breath after his outburst. "Both of you!" He sank back against the wall, as if he hadn't mean to make such an outcry, and took a look at what was left of Kenny's apartment. The coffee table was overturned and had snapped into. The walls sported giant cracks and holes. His television cabinet had collapsed face down onto the wooden floor. His lampshade lay broken pieces. The patio door was broken, the glass shattered into little tempered cubes with a chair from his bistro set lying broken on its side by the front door. There was nothing left standing – just piles upon piles of debris now.

"Kenny's home has been destroyed," Julian continued, "and he's nearly killed himself. And what was all of this for? For you two to point fingers and blame each other? Why can't you fucking see that we've done all that we could do, and just leave it at this? Why do you have to go on and make trouble for yourselves? What else does he have to sacrifice to stop you two from ripping each other apart!"

Kenny continued Julian's train of thought, mourning the loss of his earthly possessions. "I have no place to go to now. The landlord's gonna sue me for damages and Mr. Takayama's probably already fired me from my job. So just shut up, okay? I've got enough on my plate to deal with …"

"He's right," Julian said as he watched the tension unfold before him. "We can fight all we want now but that won't change anything that's about to happen." He walked over to the brothers, sitting on the broken futon, ignoring Wagner who was now pacing back and forth in front of a dented wall. Julian offered a helping hand which Kenny accepted, and yanked the youth to his feet. "You wanna go for a smoke?"

Kenny didn't say anything, but nodded in agreement. Now was the best time for one, if ever.

"Good, cause there's something I have to tell you."

XXXXX

Las Vegas, U.S.A.

"Please Ken," Guile finished before hanging up the phone. His gaze held the sight of the setting desert sun, its last rays struggling to sustain the warmth of the desert rock before it dipped down into the horizon for the night. The cool air was closing in fast on the land, making its way into the recovery ward through the open window. Guile pulled the blanket up to his chin, like a child afraid of the dark while the other hand kept the receiver to his ear. "I know we haven't had the best of relationships in the past, but I'll need you to do this for me."

No, Guile's past relationship with Ken was regrettable, to put it lightly. Though Ken was about to get happily married to his fiancée, and would soon be a father, Guile could never forget the irresponsible teenager that had captured Cammy's heart and the kind of things he made the girl do. Because of her relation to his best friend, Charlie Nash, Guile could never bring himself to lay blame or a finger on the blonde, pig-tailed girl and instead chose to take his frustrations out on Ken Masters. He understood that her irresponsibility was as much to blame as Ken's, though through his own stubbornness, failed to acknowledge that fact.

"Guile," Ken said sympathetically, as if he held nothing in the world against the older street fighter, "I know how much this means to you. And I would never purposely exclude you from what I'm about to do. You're more than welcome to come with me."

"How long do you think it'll take you to get here?"

"I can't make it all the way over to the States from Japan, and back to Asia by the time the final battle commences. You'll have to meet me part way in Vancouver, Canada. We can't afford to miss out on this battle with Bison. I don't care whether we're out of the tournament or not."

"There's too much at stake to let the tournament rules apply," Guile agreed.

"You'll just have to give me some room for error," Ken continued. "The jet will be making a pit stop in Osaka to pick up the others."

"The others?" Guile inquired. "How many people do we need?"

"Guile, I've seen the damage Shadowlaw has caused everyone. Julian's missing a son and a father, Kenny and Cranky were separated for the most important years of their lives when they needed each other, Juli's struggling to reclaim her humanity after her services as a Doll, and I don't need to tell you anything about Wagner. Those are five lives the company has practically ruined, not counting yours, Chun Li's, or Cammy's, and that's just in our circle. If anything, witnessing Shadowlaw's downfall should be sufficient closure to their ordeals – or at least, be a beginning to their journey to recovery."

"Do the others know about your plans?"

"Kenny and Cranky don't," Ken reported. "I tried contacting them to extend the offer, but Cranky's cell is off, and I can't get through to Kenny's line for some reason. But I've notified Julian, Wagner, and Juli, and they've gone over to Kenny's place to track them down. The jet's on its way right now to Osaka."

"What about you?"

"Oh, I'm on it. No worries."

"Ken, I can understand why you'd want to bring Wagner and the others with you. But be aware of the kind of danger you're putting them in. These people are civilians."

"Julian's an ex-Shadowlaw soldier. Wagner was once a soldier himself in the US Air Force, and you should know that, and Juli's a professional assassin. I'd hardly call them civilians. And besides, Cranky's quite the brawler with an overprotective complex. He won't hesitate to break anyone in two if they lay a finger on Kenny – not that the kid will need any protecting. If I recall correctly, it was Kenny who fought alongside you while you were under attack from your brainwashed son, and saved your life by single-handedly pulling you from a car wreck."

"But still, this is Shadowlaw."

"These aren't civilians, Guile, they're survivors – all of them. Now I gotta go. I have money, but I'm not made of it and this phone bill isn't helping. I'll be in touch."

The phone call ended before Guile could utter another word, leaving him in the silence of the recovery ward. There wasn't enough time for him to heal. He was going into the final battle for Charlie's sake, for the sake of his children, and for his own. He wanted to be there to see this, and to aid Ryu in his time of need. As much faith as he had in the Street Fighter champion, he wasn't sure if Bison would stick to the rules of the tournament and sick the guards on him.

Ken would arrive in Canada in about half a day and Guile had to meet him in Vancouver to get over to Thailand with him. There was no time to sleep. He had to make his move now.

XXXXX

Shadowlaw Base

Pattaya, Thailand

The weapons storage locker had been left intact by the time Genta made his way out of the complex. He'd gone in for a simple handgun or two, but after noticing the rows upon rows of semi-automatic weapons, taser guns and grenade lauchers, upon rows of more traditional armaments like sais, nunchucks, and samurai swords, he decided to nab a rocket launcher and blow up his targets from a distance. It'd save him any effort of having to approach the group and open himself up to a counter attack. And if he were to assault them from a distance, the risk of his detection would be significantly reduced.

His level of clarity was eerie, given the extreme emotions that weighed his heart down. The one person who'd guided him, who'd served as a trusted guide through Genta's frightening experience with Shadowlaw had turned his back on him and the company. He was proud to be under Issei's direct tutelage, and had the envy of other Shadowlaw recruits, and fully expected to succeed once the Admiral retired. Issei would never understand the kind of grief he'd caused Genta upon his betrayal of Shadowlaw. Genta no longer had the respect of his fellow soldiers. Instead, they stared at him with their smug grins, taunted him, mocked him, joked that Genta would be the next traitor to the company, following in Issei's footsteps. The leered at him when he walked by, tripped him as he struggled to keep his head up high. The torment had only begun a few days ago, but already it'd felt like an eternity, and stepped up a notch when Katarina was recaptured.

Genta continued to believe in Issei's actions, believing that he must've had some good reason for doing what he did, that the Admiral could have in no way betrayed Shadowlaw. The concept itself was unbelievable, especially not after everything they'd done for him. Aside from Bison's bodyguards, nobody in Shadowlaw's military was more dedicated to the welfare of the company than Issei. But Genta's faith had been misplaced.

Genta reminded himself of this disturbing fact as he strapped the launcher to his back. The size of the weapon, only about four feet long, four and a half with the loaded missile, defied its weight. It was far heavier than it looked, but Genta shouldered it without much fuss. Daily rigorous training had made him tougher than he'd expected himself to be. But Issei always warned him to never expect too much of himself, otherwise he'd be setting himself up for major disappointment. He kept the lesson to heart even now, as he didn't expect to succeed in his mission, but to contribute as much as he could to its success.

His mission? Blow up the fucking twin traitors, the Delta Red Squad that assisted them, and return to Shadowlaw as a hero. That would teach his fellow soldiers to ridicule him, to spit in his face, point and laugh at him like some sad puppy betrayed by his master. That would teach anyone to cross him, or Shadowlaw. Genta could just see the look on Issei's face now when he sees the missile flying towards them at top speed. Or … maybe not if he was planning a sneak attack. But he supposed he could sacrifice that bit of pleasure just to ensure the mission's success. After all, being spotted would greatly reduce his chances of pulling it off well.

The escapees thought they'd secured a way out of the complex through the underground tunnels. He was surprised at Delta Red's abilities. The complex tunnel system winding its way through the underground was enough to get anybody lost. And even the architect for the base had a tough time understanding the system's structure and where he could build what. But alas, they were on their way out, being smart enough to have marked the way in. But Genta wasn't going to see that they made it out of the tunnels as he continued his trek out of the base and into the cavernous rock formations.

XXXXX

Kenneth's Residence, Patio

Osaka, Japan

Kenny stubbed out his cigarette, leaving the butt in the ashtray while Father Marquez was working on his. Father Marquez … was he allowed to call himself that anymore? Was Kenny allowed to call him that now? Switching over to just plain old "Julian" would be difficult, considering he had always known the young Catholic priest as the ever sensible, morally stable, Father Marquez. Well, it wouldn't hurt to try anyway. With what Julian had just told Kenny about himself, he wondered what the "real" Julian was like, and he was curious to see.

"Secondly," Julian finished and loosened his grip on the cigarette butt, ready to dispose of it and stomp it out.

"Uh, no," Kenny interrupted, holding out the ashtray. Julian pressed his lips into a line feeling a little embarrassed about the disrespect he didn't intend, and threw the butt in there. As soon as he'd done so, Kenny nodded at him to continue.

"It's a good thing Wagner and I got here when we did," he said. "Akuma would've probably finished you and Cranky off."

"Impeccable timing," Kenny agreed, "but what made you come here in the first place? How did you know we were in trouble?"

"We didn't," Julian admitted, shrugging. "We came over here to tell you to pack your bags. We're getting out of here. The four of us, and Juli too."

"A vacation sounds nice, but have you seen what's happened to my place? I'm going to be sued left and right for damage. Management will probably kick me out and I have no way of paying the bills considering I haven't been to work in a week and they've probably already fired my sorry ass." Kenny dropped his head into his hands, the reality of his situation hitting him even as he said the words. "Cranky's trusting me to take care of myself, moving to England with Cammy. The Street Fighters are gonna go home after all this is over and Uncle Ken has his own family to worry about. And I was fine with all that, until all this happened. Christ … I'll have nowhere to go to but back to the streets. "

"Honestly," Julian said, trying to comfort him, "I doubt Ken will let that happen to you. After all he's been giving you money for the last nine years. Why would he stop now?"

"Maybe he'll raise my allowance," Kenny said hopefully.

Julian shook his head, smiling to himself at the teen's thinking.

"I mean, it'll take some convincing and I totally know I'm being a leech, but he might raise it, right? I can find a new job, a new house maybe in Tokyo, and earn the money to pay him back and …"

"Ken leaks money," Julian said simply. "Do you think he's interested in you paying him back? My advice is to just go on this 'vacation' as you call it, and let him know what's happened here. I'm sure he'll be willing to help you out. And if he doesn't give you the money, he'll at least shelter you until you can get back on your feet."

XXXXX

Kenneth's Residence, Living Room

Osaka, Japan

Wager was leaning against the wall, elbows resting on propped up knees. Cranky lay on his back, stretched out on the floor just a few feet away, willing away the pain of his wounds from the previous fight. The two of them had barely said anything to each other since Julian and Kenny stepped outside for the ritual cigarette that smokers shared together. Wagner and Cranky had just gotten into a verbal scrap and though they felt a little remorseful after Julian's outburst, scolding them unlike he would a pair of squabbling children, neither one had any idea how to make amends. But for Cranky, he felt like he had to, before he could ask a small favor of Wagner.

"I shouldn't have blown up at you like that," Cranky admitted aggressively. Wagner couldn't see his face, but if he could, he'd have seen a stubborn from of someone having to accept their wrongdoing. "It's just that, well, your little outburst defeated the whole purpose of the fight. If we wanted to let Akuma know about Ryu's whereabouts, Kenny and I would've just told him straight without bothering to lift a finger against …"

"I know," Wagner interrupted, sounding equally apologetic, "and for the millionth time, I'm sorry, okay? You don't think I've been killing myself over this already?"

Cranky took a second to think about this and said, "No, no, I think you are. I'm just saying I shouldn't have added to it, that's all. So, are we cool now?" He struggled to get this embarrassing apologizing shit over with so he could get down to the real meat of this conversation, but Wagner seemed to be enjoying Cranky's humility.

"I dunno, man," Wagner said, "you hurt my feelings pretty good back there."

"Oh, fuck off."

"Yeah, yeah," Wagner chuckled, "we're cool. I have no choice when you're my sister's boyfriend. Though I can't even begin to guess why, really, when you guys are either lovey-dovey or beating the shit out of each other. I wouldn't stand for that under normal circumstances but hell, Cammy's beat me up pretty good in the past, so I know she can hold her own against pretty much any man."

"She can sure take care of herself," Cranky agreed, "much better than I can. I can't even find myself a decent home, nothing but run down shacks in London. I even pay with those for money I've conned out of people."

"You know, Cranky," Wagner said, "I know you will take excellent care of Cammy. Aside from us, Guile, Jane, Melissa and me, she also trusts in you to provide her with protection if she asks. I don't get what's going on in her crazy head, but one thing's for sure. To Cammy, it doesn't matter how much money you can give her, or the kind of roof you can put over her head. All she wants out of you is your love."

"But how can you be so sure I'll be good for her when you look at my life and …"

"Because I look at Kenny, and I see what you can do."

Cranky's first reaction was pride. He had done everything to instill into the kid the values he held close to his heart – the most important being to never lie, only to others if it means your survival but never to yourself. Then Cranky thought about Kenny's attributes that got under his skin. "You mean the back talking, chain smoking, careless …"

"No, he's just a teenager, Cranky. Don't forget that. He'll grow out of that stage soon enough. Look what's behind the back talk. What does that tell you? He doesn't back down from a fight, verbal or physical, no matter how tough the opponent. He believes in what he stands for that strongly, and the only person he backs down from is you – and even then, it's a struggle. Who taught him to think like that?"

"Well … it couldn't have been me. Maybe in the beginning, yeah, but his memory got wiped."

Wagner shook his head. "Facts. He doesn't remember facts like where he comes from, who his parents are, his family and friends. But his instincts, key survival instincts developed in children when they're at the impressionable ages from 4 to 6, who was raising him at the time?"

"…me?"

"You," Wagner added with finality.

"Me." Cranky repeated, a little stronger this time, and once again felt his chest fill with pride; pride in himself, and of what Kenny had accomplished with what he'd armed the youth with.

Cranky stared up at the ceiling and couldn't help the smile setting across his face. Wagner had a point there, and the guy was making sense. He needed this conversation more than he realized. It was strange, but felt surprisingly good to have Wagner backing him up, having faith in his capabilities despite the less than glamorous life he had. How could anyone, Cranky included, be so sure of the kind of protection and security he could offer? Wagner's answer was simple and made the most sense. One would have to look no further than Kenny … and maybe, be perceptive enough to see through the youth's faults.

Cranky regretted what he was about to ask of Wagner, however, especially after the speech had empowered him so. But as nice as it was, the awful truth was that when it came to Kenny and the pivotal role Cranky played in the teen's younger years, everything was in the past. Time had passed, and things had changed. Kenny still had a few years left of growing up to do but for once in his life, Cranky could not be there for him.

"Wagner," he began, unsure of how to form the question without sounding too needy.

"Yeah?"

"You're a youth counselor, right?"

"With the air force," Wagner elaborated.

"What is it you do, exactly? Like, I mean …" Cranky scratched his head. "Would you say you're a good counselor?"

Wagner chuckled humbly in response. "I help the new recruits overcome the shock of being away from home, the nature of war, and of course the delinquents. Though I gotta say, the drill sergeants are sometimes better at it than I am. Decide how good I am with that. But why do you ask?"

"Well, you see …" Cranky sat up and decided to face Wagner. He was about to ask a lot out of Cammy's brother, and decided that the chances his request would be met more positively would be if he were looking Wagner directly in the eye. The joking smile slowly faded from Wagner's face when he noticed Cranky wasn't returning it. "I'm only asking this of you because I have the utmost trust in you, Wagner. I've never asked someone to do something like this for me before, but …"

"Just get to the point, Cranky," Wagner said, "and I'll give you my answer."

"What you said earlier," Cranky began, scratching the back of his head again nervously, "you were right. Kenny's still a teenager, no matter how you look at it. He needs someone to be there for him. Masters has provided a pretty comfy life for him, but I'm talking about something more than that. What I mean is - Kenny needs guidance. I never got any of that, nobody to teach me from right and wrong, to support me when I needed it, nor anyone to smack me upside the head when I was being stupid and I've tried to be all of this for Kenny."

"So why do you sound like you're throwing in the towel? Are you giving up on him?"

Cranky shook his head violently. "Never," he said. The response was firm and sharp. Then he took a moment to collect his thoughts and continued. "I've done all can for him; all I know how to do. He's at the stage in life where the decisions he makes will affect his future. And I can't even hope to show him the right way because my life … well, I don't need to explain that. And I'm only starting to turn it around. But I can't do that, work on my relationship with Cammy and do a shit job that I don't know how to do watching over Kenny."

"You have a point," Wagner admitted.

"Everything I know I learned from experience. Most people would say it's an admirable quality, but this was experience gained from the goddamned streets! I mean, Christ, look at me. If it weren't for Cammy, I'd still be drinking every night, hung over every morning, and fucking every woman in sight twenty-four seven. I don't want that for Kenny. I'd lead him away from that path with my own bare hands, but the problem is, I can't cause I haven't experienced any better and I'm just getting my life on track right now, at twenty-fucking-five years old."

"You're taking on too much at once," Wagner said, nodding. "Your relationship with Cammy, your first legitimate business, and your responsibility towards your kid brother … how did you get yourself in this boat?"

"That's why I'm asking for your help, Wagner."

"That's why you wanted to know the details of my job and the kind of youth counselor I am. Shit, Cranky, are you asking me to …"

"All I'm asking for is a roof over Kenny's head and just … be a replacement for me while I get some things straightened out with myself first."

"Whoa …" Wagner felt like he'd just been punched in the stomach. There was so much going through his mind right now; how he'd feel about himself if he refused, leaving a youth to himself like that. He thought about his situation if he said yes. If so, how long would he be watching out for Kenny? What did that mean for his work? Would he ever be able to shed the counselor persona? "That's … that's a huge responsibility you're asking me to take for you, Cranky."

"N-no, it's not," Cranky continued to insist, "because I'm going to give you the money you need for his expenditures like clothes, food, transportation, school fees, all of that shit."

"I'm not talking about the financial costs," Wagner countered. "I'm talking about the moral responsibility."

"He's not a baby, and you're not his father," Cranky said. "You know he can take care of himself fine enough, and you even said I was able to teach him that much. Look, all I'm asking for is a roof over his head and someone to keep an eye on him. That's all."

"Oh, is that all?" Wagner asked with exaggerated sarcasm.

"If he gets himself into shit, he knows how to take responsibility for it. And if he doesn't, I'll fly down from London personally and give him a beating he won't forget. I'm not gonna blame you for anything, I swear. Just keep a tab on him, that's all I want. But … all the same, I'm not going to force you to do something you don't want to do."

Wagner sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Listen, Cranky …"

"No," Cranky said, putting his hands up, "it's alright, I understand."

"It's just that …"

"I know, it was rude of me to even think about it. I just thought you'd be the best person to do it, so I had to at least try, you know? But whatever, I can just leave him in Masters' capable hands."

"Ken's got his own family to worry about," Wagner said, finally able to squeeze a word in. "I am the best person to look out for Kenny for you."

Cranky's eyes went wide with glee. "So you're saying …"

"I'm saying, I'm a youth counselor, Cranky, not a parent. Which is why you can't expect him to become a polite, well mannered young man under my watchful eyes. You can, however, expect that he'll be sheltered and protected."

"Thank you, Wagner!" Cranky declared. "You're a life saver, I swear to God!"

"Remember," Wagner said, holding up a finger, "this is only until you can get your situation straightened out. I'm counting on Kenny to be at least partly responsible for himself."

"He will be," Cranky promised. "I'll talk to him. Drive it into his thick skull. Thanks again, Wagner. I'll send a check every month to reimburse you for your expenses and …"

"Don't go making promises you're not even sure you can keep yet," Wagner said. "This isn't about the money so much as it is about the responsibility. But if it'll help you can Cammy get your lives on track and be happy together, I'll give it a shot."

The doorbell rang just as Kenny and Julian were on their way back inside. They didn't need to open the sliding door, instead opting to simply step through the broken frame.

"Who the hell could be visiting at this time of the night?" Julian asked.

"I'll get it," Kenny said, stepping forward. Before he could get to the door, Cranky took him by the elbow.

"There's something I have to talk to you about later," he said excitedly, his face beaming with happiness.

"Uh … okay," Kenny replied, returning a hesitant look, "but some psycho's at the door, if you didn't hear the bell ringing."

Kenny approached the main entrance, kicking aside some debris leftover from the fight and undid the latch, pulling the door open.

"Congratulations," the visitor said in a mock, professional announcer's voice, "you've just won a free flight for five courtesy of Masters Airlines … What the FUCK happened here?"

"Uncle Ken!" Kenny cried happily, throwing his arms around the waist of Ken Masters, who winced in pain.

"Ouch, Kenny, stop," he pleaded through a few coughs, "easy on the ribs there. They're still trying to heal up from the fight."

"I still can't figure out how you managed to get out of the hospital," Julian said, approaching his old friend at the door.

"Yo, how's it goin', Marquez? Long time no see." The pair slapped hands and jabbed knuckles against each others', implying a friendship that stretched far back, perhaps one that was even older than Kenny. "You guys had a party in here and didn't even bother to invite me!"

"We would have," Wagner said, "but someone you don't like showed up."

"Akuma came," Kenny explained.

"What?" Ken's eyes went wide with horror. He pointed a shaky finger at the four of them standing there who he now realized looked like hell with darkening bruises, open wounds, ripped clothing and tangled hair. "All of you took him on and … and … lived?"

"Whoa, whoa, hold on a second," Cranky said, interrupting the happy reunion. "Last time I spoke with you, Masters, you were on your way to Spain in a plane. What the hell are you doing here?"

"Whisking you guys away to beautiful, sunny Thailand, of course – on my private jet. You can explain what happened here on board."

"We're going to Thailand?" Cranky asked, breathless. Cammy was there. She was going to fight Bison. He was going to have a chance to be by her side in the most important battle of her life. "You're joking, right?"

"Of course," Ken said, "I flew all the way from Spain to psyche you out in person. Now excuse me while I go back to my hospital bed half a world away to recover and laugh about how well I got you."

"That's what we came here to tell you," Wagner explained to Cranky. "Good thing, too."

"I was wondering why I couldn't get through to either of you," Ken said, motioning to the adoptive brothers. "Now this explains it." He looked around the trashed room. "Now come on, you guys. Let's get going. We don't have much time since we're making a pit stop over to beautiful Vancouver, Canada to pick up Guile. He's meeting us there from Las Vegas."

"Sounds like a plan," Cranky said, pushing Kenny along in front of him.

"Oh, I forgot something," Ken said abruptly. "We're gonna have to make it back to the airport real quick. I had to leave Juli there cause the rental car can only fit five people."

"Juli?" Cranky asked, exchanging uneasy glances with Wagner and Kenny.