Disclaimer: Street Fighter II and all of the characters within it belong to Capcom. This fanfic, as well as the created characters within it belong to me.
Part 3: Family Reunion
by Evil Wild Lex
Bison's Airship
Cougar's call came pleasantly soon. The airship of M. Bison had been circling Italy for two hours at this point, but he had been expecting a longer wait. Despite all appearances to the contrary, Bison could be patient when something was worth waiting for. Both he and his organization had been considerably weakened from the confrontation with the fighters, Interpol, and the American army. Many in Shadowlaw believed that he was dead, and the higher ranking amongst his servants had shed the pretense of loyalty and were competing for power against each other.
It was because of this that Bison had forgiven the mistakes of the warriors that he had originally planned to kill for their failures. As much as he hated to admit it, he needed people like Sagat, Vega, Cammy, and Balrog in his ranks. He had re-established mental control over Cammy, and the rest came willingly to him. They would be needed quite soon, as a matter of fact. However, after he had his heirs, and made certain that they were loyal to him, he could finally come out from hiding, establish unity within the Shadowlaw organization again, and make everyone who had tried to take him down suffer mercilessly.
"They're at Albergo di Lusso, Master Bison," were the first words of Bison's new favorite agent. Short, and to the point. "I convinced Interpol to stay the night at the hotel on the bottom floor, and we'll all be staking the place out from five am onwards. I would expect that everyone will be asleep no later than one am."
"Do you know which rooms they're staying in, Cougar?" Bison inquired. This news was all fine and well, but it would NOT do to have to search through an entire hotel.
"Since we did get a search warrant, yes. Spartacus is in room 306, Athena is in room 307. I have recent photos of them for you, as well, sir. I will leave them in the overnight mailbox."
"And their abilities? Were you briefed on their extent?"
"Most of the briefing was information I'd already discovered before.... but Agent O'Connor did mention that Spartacus inherited your offensive moves, but very little of the defensive, and vice versa for Athena."
"Fine. That will be all, Cougar. You've done well." With that, he hung up, and faced Sagat, Vega and Balrog. They'd been in the room for the entire conversation, and Bison had mentioned he had need for them shortly. They waited; expectant looks on their faces.
"Gentlemen," he began, "I have a very important task for you. Tonight, you will be needed to arrange a family reunion, of sorts."
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Albergo di Lusso, 9:00 pm
His plan made sense, but Chun Li still had a gut feeling that something was wrong here. Never mind that Cougar had found the siblings before anything serious had happened, and that Shadowlaw had yet to show up. She just didn't want to wait any longer to arrest them. It was just a gut feeling, but she felt that somehow, Shadowlaw would find them, and then the real trouble would start. But perhaps she was being paranoid, as the other agents seemed to think. After all, they had gotten three rooms closest to the main lobby exit, not usually a desired location. They would hear if the two youths decided to leave before their 5am stakeout.
"Come on, Chun Li," said Agent O'Connor. "Bison's biological kids or not, they ARE just kids. That bank machine they got to spit out all of that money for them? I tracked down some of the places that money was spent. They bought clothes at some of those trendy kids' stores, and basically bought things that typical traveling kids would buy. They've never been outside of Interpol custody before -- all this mess is to them is one big joy ride. Don't worry about it.... we'll bring them back, return the money to the accounts it's missing from, and it'll all be over."
"I suppose," she said, not sounding entirely convinced. "I'll just feel better when those 'kids', as you put it, are back in Interpol's custody."
"Get some sleep," O'Connor chuckled. "I DO know that we'll need to be fully rested to take them down without too much trouble. Like most kids, they won't want to come home just yet..."
Chun Li rolled over on her bed so that she was no longer facing her roommate. If he saw the worried expression on her face, he'd only keep nagging at her, lowering her opinion of him notch by notch. It would be better if she just left it at thinking he was somewhat clueless when it came to Shadowlaw.
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Albergo di Lusso, 1:30 am
Sagat was not happy with this assignment. In fact, he found it downright insulting. It wasn't the actual task itself that he minded so much as the fact that the Master had deigned to send himself, Vega, and Balrog to retrieve one person. Bison's daughter or not, Sagat felt it showed a real lack of faith in their skills to have to send the three of them. Perhaps two to retrieve the daughter, and one to accompany the master while he retrieved his son. That would have been less insulting, but Bison's instructions stood as they were. The only compensation was that Bison had said that he wanted the girl brought in with minimal force, and she had gotten some intensive fighting training.
Thusly, Sagat kept his mind on the task as he led the way to the girl's room. He glanced back, motioning for Balrog to be quiet yet *again*, and saw that Vega was looking at the picture of the master's daughter in a most unwholesome way. The Muay Thai fighter didn't even need to see the masked man's face to know. His eyes betrayed everything. Despite the shortcomings of his companions, there was no one else Sagat would have rather taken on such a task with. They were nothing if not competent fighters.
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Athena's room
The sound of quiet footsteps interrupted Athena's first viewing of late night television. Her pulse increased somewhat, as her body's fight or flight instincts kicked in. Interpol had found them already. She had underestimated them, assuming it would be at least another day or two before they figured out where she and Spartacus had run off to, when the siblings would have already had quite a few hours to get themselves lost again. Cursing herself for underestimating them, she darted to a place in the room where she wouldn't be easily visible, but would be able to see the door without difficulty.
A few seconds later, the lock was picked, and three muscular men entered. Athena thought she had seen their faces before, but couldn't place them within Interpol. In fact, none of the three looked particularly like an Interpol agent, by their attire, and the aggression that emanated from them. All three were quite muscular and obviously fighters. One was long, lean, and coppery skinned, clad in shorts, with his arms and legs wrapped up for support. The second was a stocky man with very dark coloring, dressed in sports attire and boxing gloves. The third had several particularly noticeable details; a mask, a large snake tattoo that ran across his bare chest, and metal claws attached to his arm.
"There!" said the tallest of the three, pointing in her direction. Athena rose from her crouching position and pinned the trio with a withering glare. All she wanted was for her and Spartacus to be left alone, so that they could live some semblance of the normal life they had previously been denied. There was no way she would allow Interpol to drag her back into custody. She was a person, not a weapon. Interpol would learn that the hard way, if necessary. Starting with these three. Even if they didn't LOOK like Interpol agents, who else would be on their trail so quickly?
"Get out now," she told them simply. "I'll kill you if you don't."
"I wish we could," said the tall, coppery skinned man, "but there's somebody who wants to meet with you. Please come with us, and you have my word you won't be hurt."
"I said to get out," Athena said. "Last chance. Ten...nine...eight..."
"Cut the crap and come with us, girl!" snapped the stocky boxer. "There's no way in hell you'd be able to take on all three of us, no matter whose daughter you are!"
Finally, it clicked. These men weren't with Interpol, they were from Shadowlaw. Of course. She had seen their profiles very briefly once. Shadowlaw or Interpol, it didn't matter. She wasn't going anywhere with anybody, and sincerely doubted Spartacus would be any easier on whoever had been dispatched to retrieve him than she would be on Sagat, Balrog, and Vega.
Pajamas hardly made for the best fighting attire, but at least they didn't inhibit her movements. A second was all it took to dart over to the light switch and flip off the lights, giving her a momentary advantage while their eyes adjusted to the lack of light. She somersaulted away from them, turning off the television in the process so that there was NO light in the room except for what was leaked through the balcony window. Dare she attempt teleporting somewhere outside? She lacked precision in a major way when it came to distances further than fifteen feet away.
No....best to fight. Fiercely, she lashed a kick out, hitting Sagat square in the ribs. Before Balrog could throw her into a firm bear hug, she nimbly ducked, and attempted to hit Vega's knees. Unfortunately, he was prepared for just such a move, and jumped out of the way, onto her bed. Rather than waste the move, she spun it at Balrog, and jumped up into fighting stance to face Sagat and Vega while the stocky boxer got up. They all seemed reluctant to attack her in full force, which she was grateful for. She'd heard of them, and facing the terrible trio all at once was not something she'd ever hoped to do.
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For a while, Vega stood back, watching as Sagat and Balrog tried to subdue Athena, and failed miserably. She was much faster and more agile than either of them, and strong enough to deliver a good pounding. What was worse, she was occasionally teleporting just out of harm's way to some advantageous place, only to attack again. Definitely Bison's daughter... Blow after blow, she continued striking them, and unsightly swelling had already shown up on their arms, legs, chests, and faces. He was just thankful that he'd at least thought of bringing a sedative, and had the sense to observe her fighting style before attacking. With all the noise that they were making, he was surprised hotel security, or worse, Interpol, hadn't showed up yet. All it would take was the right moment...
Sagat grunted as his forearm blocked another of Athena's kicks, and Vega met the tall man's eyes as she followed up with a blow directed at Balrog. At last, all three of them seemed to be in agreement that they weren't getting anywhere. The trouble they would get into for ignoring Bison's instructions and using whatever was necessary to take her down was too horrible to even consider.
Seeing an opening, Vega snuck up behind the baby blue pajama-clad woman. The needle containing the sedative was taken out instantly from where he'd attached it to his claws. All he had to do was pierce her skin with it.
There. She was whirling into a spinning back fist to strike him. He caught her arm and yanked her forcibly towards him into a hold. He shoved the needle into a barely visible vein on her neck, and squeezed the drug into her bloodstream. Angrily, she snapped an elbow into his ribcage, broke free from his hold, and sent him flying across the room with powerful kick. It didn't matter, though. The drug would take effect soon enough.
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Athena rubbed her throat, enraged. She was starting to wear her opponents down, and then *this* had happened. The room had begun to blur, too. Perhaps now was the time for a tactical retreat. Carefully, she backed up towards the balcony, making sure to observe her three opponents. When she reached the edge, she focused intently on landing neatly on the ground, three floors down. Before she flickered out of the room, she felt it wobble. When she reappeared, she found she had been close, but not quite where she wanted to be. In fact, she was still a full seven feet from the ground. It only took a second longer to reach that, and she came crashing to the ground with a dull "thud".
A minute later, she groggily forced herself to her knees, but found that she couldn't even maintain balance at that level. Everything was a spinning blur, and she decided attempting to travel too far in Venice of all places would be stupid. She was in no state of mind to swim the polluted streets made of water. After a few minutes of trying to form a plan, she felt her limbs go limp, and someone very strong lift her with no more effort than it would take to lift an infant.
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Cendrisso Alley, Venice
Apparently, Bison noted with a wide grin, the escape from Interpol hadn't been enough excitement for his son. Already, the boy had gone to an area that all tourists were warned to stay away from: Cendrisso Alley. The four buildings on this block enclosed a wide open space where tourists were frequently robbed and left for dead. Low ranking members of Shadowlaw had made money off of this for years. Ordinarily, to go to a place such as this would be suicide at this hour.
As a matter of fact, Bison had stood back while some men dragged Spartacus into the alley, curious as to what his son could do. He would intervene when necessary, but for now, he stood back and observed.
Spartacus' pupiless white eyes lit up and became red as soon as they'd brought him to the center of the open space. More men approached, brandishing baseball bats and other weapons.
Good, very good, Bison thought to himself. This would be interesting. He watched as the lad single-handedly fought off his opponents, seemingly unconcerned about their weapons. He seized one by the throat, lifted him off the ground, and sent jolts of psycho power through him before tossing him at his horrified affiliates. A couple of brazen men, one with a baseball bat, the other with a knife approached Spartacus warily. As the one with the baseball bat was about to take a swing, the youth leaped straight up in the air, then came down, slamming his feet onto the man's head. In a show of bravado, his knife-carrying opponent foolishly charged. Spartacus seized him by the wrist, and sent psycho power painfully up his arm. Listening to his screams of agony, the other potential opponents had turned tail and ran.
"Who's next?" Spartacus demanded, casting the knife-wielder's body aside in disappointment when nobody approached. After a minute of silence, Bison stepped forward.
"Try me . . .son."
He seemed surprised, but not deterred in the slightest from fighting. Bison decided not to be too harsh on the lad. He was brave, but did need to be shown that there were stronger and better fighters that could still finish him off. The fight went on for several minutes, Bison's skill becoming apparent very quickly. As Spartacus was about to charge him, filled with psycho power, he teleported a good twenty feet away.
"You're strong...but I can make you stronger."
Breathing hard, Spartacus faced him, looking at him with eyes that so matched his own. He seemed at least willing to listen.
Bison continued. "You had to learn so many of your fighting techniques on your own, didn't you?" Spartacus nodded. "I can teach you how to make full use of your abilities...you and your sister both will be trained."
"What about Athena?" questioned the boy, betraying his weakness. "What did you do to her?! We broke out of Interpol to escape being controlled!"
"She is fine," Bison assured. Or at least she will be if Sagat, Vega, and Balrog hope to continue breathing. He didn't voice this particular thought to Spartacus. "And I wouldn't dream of controlling you the way Interpol did -- you are my heirs. If you come with me, I promise you'll be stronger and more powerful than you ever dreamed of." He teleported back over to Spartacus, and offered a hand.
They shook hands, and it wasn't long before they were on Bison's airship, leaving Italy with Sagat, Vega, and Balrog.
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Albergo di Lusso
As soon as the sounds of police sirens had approached the hotel, Chun Li Xiang's eyes had snapped open. She leaped out of bed, roused O'Connor with a shake, and knocked loudly on the rooms of the four other Interpol agents to make sure they were awake. Together, they made their way quickly to the third floor, four of them taking the stairs while she and O'Connor took the elevators. Her heart thumped rapidly in her chest. Finely tuned instincts told her that she was right. Shadowlaw was here! If they weren't here now, they had been only moments ago.
Those instincts were confirmed when they got to room 307, the girl's room, and found the door ajar. There was a definite sign of a struggle, with broken furniture, and things scattered all over the floor, although there was thankfully no blood.
"Athena?" she asked, although instincts told her that the girl was gone. "Athena? It's Agent Chun Li Xiang of Interpol. Come out and don't give us any trouble." The bathroom door was closed. Just in case, she kicked it open. Nobody there.
"Shit! You were right!" O'Connor said, rubbing his temples as though a massive headache had suddenly come on. "I wonder if the boy's here..."
"Probably not," Chun Li said tersely. "But we'll check anyhow."
Cougar showed up a second later after bounding up the steps, and elbowed the door open while the other agents prepared for the worst. However, this room was completely undisturbed, aside from the slightly rumpled covers on the bed, and some of the boy's new clothes scattered all over it. No sign of a struggle here.
"Spartacus was more concerned with fighting," O'Connor said soberly. "I wonder if they just *talked* him into coming along."
"That, or they sedated him right from the start," Cougar remarked. "It looks like Athena caused them enough trouble."
"Either way...they're gone." Chun Li's voice was quiet, but distinctly angry. A well thought out plan like this meant that Bison was indeed amongst the land of the living, and that there was a good chance that there was a spy in their midst, despite Interpol's increased precautions to prevent just that. She had no idea which of the agents it would be, so she'd have to keep it quiet, and hunt down the culprit herself, all the while pursuing Bison. At least, she thought wryly, life wouldn't be dull for the next little while.
Author's note: Oi....chapter 3 was a long one! ^^ If you've gotten this far, please read and review. I'd really like to know what people think. I *will* be writing some romance involving Chun Li and a mystery character, but it won't happen just yet. I want to get the plot established nicely first, and bring in more regulars. Next chapter: Ken and Ryu get involved!