well, even though there was only 1 reply, here is the next part. I would enjoy some more reviews, bad or good. This, though, has fueled me into planning another SF work after I'm through with the next part.
PART II
Beautiful Stranger (part II)
Vega smiled behind his mask. His opponent shuffled his knife between his hands. His body was shaking. Vega knew he would win. The man lunged at Vega, who simply sidestepped it. He slammed his foot into the man's backside, sending him stumbling forward. The crowd laughed and the announcer repeated the fight play-by-play. Vega began to chuckle, but stopped it shortly. His opponent was sweating profusely and shaking. I hate weak opponents; he said to himself and began to walk toward the man. The man began to walk away from Vega, still clutching the knife. Suddenly, Vega took off into a sprint and flipped over the man. He swung his claw and slashed the man in his back. He slid on the ground, sweeping the man, then rolled on top of him, knocking the wind out of his opponent. He stood above his opponent, disgusted at his ugliness. He leapt up and grabbed onto the cage. The crown began to yell frantically as Vega climbed further and further up. He then stopped, turned his head to
see his opponent, let out a high pitched scream, and jumped toward his opponent. Vega's claw slashed through the man's skin, covering the floor with blood. Vega turned and walked out of the ring as an emergency crew entered. The man had the brains never to step into the cage again. All the ugly should perish at my hands, the beautiful should rule. He didn't spend too much time changing like he had done in the past. None of the other fighters would approach him, but he didn't care. He knew he was better than all of them. He knew he was worth more. He quickly put on some normal clothes and went to meet her.
She was waiting for him where she always did. She looked up and saw him making his way through the crowd. "You were great, Vega." She said to him softly.
He rubbed his fingers through her hair, then put his hand on her back. "Lets get going, the day is still young." She smiled and they walked onto the cramped street in Barcelona, just like Vega had done so long ago, but this time, there was no Bison. Whenever he was with Cammy, Vega had a complete change in personality. He never cleaned the blood off his claw with his tongue, nor tasted any blood for that matter. He was mellower and less cocky with her around. Cammy never saw any other side of Vega (except for in the ring, but he wasn't as bad as he was before). When Cammy was around, Vega only got violent when he was a matador or a cage-fighter. But, regardless of all this, Vega didn't have any deep relationship with Cammy. He was much too infatuated by her beauty to do so, and she depended on him. He was the link to her past.
While she was a soldier in Shadaloo, Cammy had all her memories brainwashed away. The only survivor from Shadaloo that could help her was Vega. At the same time, Cammy brought out the humanity in Vega, which was a long lost feeling to him. Cammy and Vega lived in Barcelona for only a few weeks now, but their lives were more complete than they had ever been before.
The night
She was only a little girl then. She was bound up, tied to a chair. She had cloth in her mouth and terror in her eyes. The rest was blurry to her. She remembered the pain of the blade, cutting deep into her skin, forever leaving a scar that would remind her of that day. She wanted to scream out but couldn't. She saw the blood that drizzled down her cheek. It was met with the tears that streamed down her eyes. She could almost see the metal object cutting her, but it was encompassed in the haze. She could do nothing; she could only sit there, helplessly.
Vega was watching Cammy toss and turn in her covers. It was a little past midnight and Cammy was tired. He sat there, staring at her from a window, gazing upon her beauty. He knew something was different about her, but he could not tell what. She suddenly sprang up in her bed. Her hair fell down her back and the sweat fell off of her head. She was breathing deeply and timidly, as if she was expecting something unexpected. Vega crouched under the window, not wanting Cammy to know she was being watched. He pained to know what she dreamed about. He waited on the balcony till he saw he fall into another deep sleep. He slowly opened a window and crept inside the room. He was very light on his feet and could even get through the oldest floors without making a sound. He stood beside Cammy's bed, staring at her beautiful face. He longed to touch that very face, but did not wish to wake the sleeping beauty. So Vega simply stood there, watching that face. When Cammy began to stir and
cautiously opened her eyes, Vega was back on the balcony, leaving no sign he had ever been there. That's where Vega stayed for a few minutes. He then scaled the wall back to his room. Where he slept lightly, are carefree.
The dance
The next morning, Cammy woke up early and began to walk through the large house. She stopped by a room where she heard quite a racket. She peered inside the cracked door to see Vega, who seemed to be fighting a dummy. She walked into the room, but Vega didn't notice her (for his back was turned). He continued to strike the target as fast and as hard as he possibly could bear. The bag shook violently with each blow. Vega then stopped, sweating and breathing hard. He reached down and took some rather large ankle weights off his legs, then his hands. He turned and bumped into Cammy.
"Oh, sorry." Cammy apologized. Vega walked around her, not taking his eyes off of her. He rubbed his face with a towel and observed Cammy, who appeared to be examining the target, still clad in her nightclothes.
"Do you not remember any of the training either?" He asked the inquisitive girl.
She turned and rubbed her head. "What ever they did to me, they didn't expect me to remember a thing. When you removed my circuitry, everything was lost."
Vega inquired further, "but you still have dreams about those moments?"
"So far, only of times that I assume are before. I don't remember any of Shadaloo."
Vega turned his head down, but raised his eyes. "If you want to practice some, I'm finished for the day."
She didn't even wait for him to finish before she slammed her foot into the bag. The bag swung a little and Cammy turned and slammed her other foot into the bag. The bottom half of the bag fell to the floor, and the top half dangled by the chain that connected it to the ceiling. Cammy turned to a very shocked Vega and began to giggle. She then walked out of the room. Vega just rubbed his head and began to examine the dismantled bag. She's got strong legs. He thought to himself. He walked back to his room to clean up.
He saw Cammy again at the breakfast table. She was sipping a tall mug of coffee and nibbling on a croissant. She was reading a pastel-colored card with a fancy seal. Vega sat down with his own cup of coffee and she showed it to him. "This came in the mail, it was addressed to you." Vega opened the envelope. Inside was an invitation to attend a dance at the Saló del Tinell. He showed Cammy the invitation.
"Saló del Tinell?" She asked.
"It's a royal residence in Barcelona. They hold a dance every year. Only the top of society are invited." Vega explained. He smirked out "Must be because I'm one of the best matadors."
Cammy knew Vega was only joking. Vega was a Spanish noble, he probably wanted to act casual for Cammy's sake. Cammy could see right through Vega. "So, are you going?"
Vega didn't even bother to avert his gaze from the window. "It would be an insult if I declined it. But, of course, it's customary to bring a guest."
Cammy looked a bit stunned. She then blushed. "The thing is, I can't dance."
Vega laughed under his breath. "Don't worry, I'll teach you, it's not that hard."
Cammy looked down at her lap while Vega finished his coffee. "Vega?"
Now he turned his face to look at her. "Yes?"
She continued timidly. "I have noticed that you live in this big house, all alone. Why is that?"
Vega sighed deeply. His right arm began to rub his left shoulder. "It was about ten years ago. My mother grew ill. My father spent every waking moment taking care of her. Everything revolved around her. Every doctor said there was nothing we could do, that she was on her deathbed. I always hated those ugly bastards for saying that, but they were right. About one month later, she died. My father sunk into a deep depression. He started to drink more and more, and he would lounge around the house all day. One day, he entered the bull ring. I thought that he would find some joy in it. I knew something was wrong when he almost fell entering the ring. He was drunk. He didn't even bother to fight. He threw the cape over the already bleeding bull and stood there while it charged at him. He died a painful death, gored at the hands of the bull, while the ugly masses just stood there and watched him die." Vega clenched his fist. Vega hated to lie to Cammy, but he certainly could not
tell her the truth of his families demise. He still remembered the night vividly. The sword he clasped was fit for the wildest beast, the bull. It was the dead of night as he walked down the long dark hall. The sword shimmered in the moonlight. He remembered vividly as he pushed the door open. They were asleep, lying in their beds. A smile gripped the young boys face. He walked away from the scene. He knew he would have to play the victim in the morning as he wiped his feet and dropped the sword. No one would expect a fifteen year old boy capable of murder.
Cammy was about to apologize, but couldn't find the words. She was fortunate to not remember her parents, or see them die. Vega had no such luck.
That was the last Cammy mentioned of it. For a week Vega devoted his time to two causes, regaining her memory and learning how to ballroom dance. She had the hardest time with the former. She drew all she knew off of the dreams she had, but somehow, she began to lose them, and all that came with them. She only had what she had seen and what Vega had told her, and they weren't enough.
The ball
Cammy's eyes slowly opened with the sun shining on her face. She rubbed her head and her eyes tried to adjust to the brightness. She slowly got up and walked out of her room. Something caught her eye as she walked past the room where Vega usually spent his mornings. A red, silk dress hung on the wall. Cammy walked over to it, a confused look on her face. She touched it, only to have a surge of emotion rush through her body. She pulled her hand back, then touched it again. She felt energy, as if the dress itself was giving her dreams. She tried it again but got no response. She didn't see Vega the whole day.
As the sun set, Vega was not yet in sight. Has he forgotten? Has anything happened? She worried. She heard a knock on the door. She opened it to see a short man in a black suit standing there.
"Mrs. Cammy?"
She responded timidly. "Yes, my name is Cammy."
"The coach will leave in twenty minutes. Your host is waiting for you."
Twenty minutes later, she was outside, waiting in the coach. It slowly started to pull away from the estate and she saw the lit house gleam with pride. The coach pulled up to a large building. She looked around for Vega, but he was not among the crowd. Cammy's door jarred open and she anxiously stepped out of the coach. She was relieved to see that it was Vega holding the door open. "Where have you been?" She whispered to him.
"I had some business to take care, hope I didn't worry you." He said. He could not suppress the smile on his face. She just lowered her head as they stepped into the ballroom, arm in arm.
From the beginning Cammy knew she did not fit in. She slowly felt the scar on her face and looked at the crowd. Gaudy and trashy women were mixed with classy women. The assorted prostitutes and whores, abandoned by their dates, were left to wander the dance hall. This place was nothing as Cammy had expected. She stayed wary of both crowds, convincing herself to just hold off for a few hours. Vega told her to just wait where she was. She wanted to leave. She had pictured a large ball, with dancing and laughing. Vega convinced her that this would be classy. Whether it was meant to be or not, it was turning out to be a masquerade of hookers and tramps, moving in on there next victim, the quiet girl sitting down, waiting for her date to return.
"My, my now isn't this a pretty little thing?" One of the tramps exclaimed while circling Cammy. The girl was fat and had a tight black dress, which left her saggy leg revealed. She had makeup which was caked on her face. She turned to her companions, all with equally caked on makeup, but with varying degrees of body weight. Cammy sort of hunched down in her seat, hoping Vega would return.
Vega had finally tracked down some of the wine. He didn't realize that he was on the opposite side of the floor as Cammy. He had stumbled through the busy dance floor, on which Cammy and Vega had spent most of the time, and had found a waiter with a large tray filled with glasses of red wine. He swiftly grabbed two glasses while the waiter was moving toward a richer couple and clasped them between his fingers. He began to make his way back through the crowd.
"It looks like this little whore lost her date." One of the ladies said.
Cammy just lowered her head, not wanting to get involved. "He's coming back." She said quietly.
The girls all started to laugh and the largest girl stuck her face in Cammy's. "They all say that, but guess what, they never do. They leave us here and hit the road."
Cammy spoke in the same manner as before. "I'm not a prostitute."
The large lady stood straight up. "It looks like we got someone here who thinks she is better than us."
Cammy tried to defend herself. "I didn't say anything like that."
The women didn't even listen. "It looks like this pretty little thing thinks she is better than us." She grabbed Cammy's cheeks and squished them together. She screamed and brought her hand up, slapping it across the lady's face. The lady stumbled back a few feet. "Oh that's it, now your dead." A swift foot slammed into the women's nose. The women fell backwards. Blood drenched her face and dripped onto the floor. She stared at her shaking hand and Cammy chuckled. It appeared that she had gained something from Vega after all. The second women was hit with a foot to the bosom. She fell through a table and clenched her breast in pain. The third women seemed to begin to back off. She was met with a stern hand on her shoulder. She turned to see the night hunter looming behind her, a frown on his face.
"The ugly must perish, you'll be the first to go." The women was about to scream when she felt the fist fly into her skull. Vega walked to the prostitute, his hand wrapped around her skull. He began to squeeze, crushing the women's head.
"Vega Fabio De Cerna!" A snarl spread over Vega's face. He whipped around, forgetting the whore, turning to see a man with a frown spread across his face.
"You will never call me that name again."
"Vega, you know very well why you were told to come here tonight."
"Yes, I know well. You always did have a problem with perfection."
Cammy turned to Vega, a stunned look on her face. "Vega, what aren't you telling me?"
Vega didn't avert his gaze. "Cammy, leave this place now. You're no longer safe here."
The man interrupted the conversation. "Yes, leave, you wouldn't want to see him killed."
The room slowly started to filter out. Everyone knew the dance was over, the main goal of the night was to kill the Spanish Ninja. Cammy did not leave as Vega had asked. She waited around as people fled into the streets. The room was nearly empty and seemed quite larger than it had before. Vega and the other man stood in the middle. The face-off lasted for several minutes. Cammy understood what was going on, Vega was waiting for him to make the first move.
"I'm surprised you let the innocents escape."
"All the less incrimination." Vega chuckled in reply.
The man frowned. He threw off his coat and drew out a sword. Cammy understood now that this man was a matador, he knew how to use the sword. Vega chuckled. He jumped to a stone pillar in the middle of the floor. The man stared and Vega clasped the pillar. Vega dropped from the pillar and rolled once to the man. Before the man could swing the sword down, Vega was before him, having donned his gleaming mask and deadly claw, although the man could not see him do it. The man jumped back and swung his sword down at Vega, who was much to far away to care. Vega stood to his feet and slowly began to walk toward the man. "Beauty, it is the most important of all traits. You lack it, so you would not know of the power you can hold when you gain it." The man began to walk backwards, keeping his distance from Vega. "But I am more than merely beautiful. I am perfect. I am the perfect soldier. I am what you wish to be. I am what you desire to become. But attacking me will do nothing of
that sort." Cammy looked in horror at the fight which was taking place. She didn't notice that the large women behind her had gotten up, with a knife in hand, and was advancing to Cammy. As she was about to spring on Cammy, a fuzzy blur caught the women from behind. Cammy turned to see the knife hit the ground, and the women shaking uncontrollably, a claw ready to slice her neck. Cammy backed into a post, staring at what was taking place before her. Vega slashed the women, who fell to the ground. He let the blood drip from his claw and walked toward the man, who was still crouching away in fear. "I am the noble, I am the strong, I am the fast, I am perfection. I am all you wish." He stopped by a table. He quickly removed his mask and wiped his claw into a glass which was already filled with wine. He took the glass and raised the liquid to his lips. Cammy began to shiver as Vega drank the wine and blood mix. He threw the glass to the ground and donned his mask. "The wine
taints it." He slashed a leg of the table and continued to walk toward the man. "There is no sweeter elixer than that which comes from humanity itself. It flows through their veins, waiting to be released. It is a taste fit only for the best. Your shaking now, you wanted to appear as a brave warrior, but you failed miserably. You thought you had me, you thought you had drawn me here. You are nothing, yet you wished to stand in front of perfection. Perfection is what will destroy you. Perfection will kill you."
Vega wasted no time. He rushed toward the man, who futilely swung his sword at him, but only managed to slice the air in front of him. The man felt something on his back. He turned his head to see Vega standing with his back to him. Vega was laughing at the man. The man turned and tried to swing his sword at Vega. His arms followed through past Vega, but his hands did not. They lay on the ground, and the sword between them. The man was about to scream when Vega silenced him. The man fell to the ground, with a large, deep slash in his chest. Vega took his mask off. His finger swept the claw, beckoning Vega to sample the blood that lay on it. "The tainted blood of imperfection will not soil a perfect being. Cammy, it is no longer safe here, we must go."
Cammy walked toward Vega, she shivered as she glanced at the women lying on the ground. He had taken the claw off, and she once again perceived the innocence which blinded her. She threw her arms around Vega, an act which surprised him greatly. She began to sob in his chest. "Where would I be if you never came to me? Where would I be without you?" She cried in her perceived innocence, thanking Vega for his deeds of rescuing her. But she had caught a glimpse of his true nature. He had now been tainted, and it proved to be perfect fodder to light the fire of her past.
The hunted
The train was the least monitored of escape routes. Vega knew he was the target. He wore a long trench-coat and let Cammy do most of the talking. They boarded the train with no difficulty and began to walk to their cabin. Vega was suspicious of everyone on the train. It was more crowded than usual and everyone seemed to be looking for him. He walked past a man with a bald head who was staring at Vega. Vega turned but the man was not watching him. Cammy was waiting in the cabin and Vega took off his coat. He rubbed his fingers through his hair and say down. Cammy shut the cabin door. "It'll be a long train ride. It will take us a night to get to the shore so we can head to Great Britain."
Cammy looked out the window and asked. "Why Great Britain?"
Vega replied. "Your accent is English, I was hoping you might regain your memory if you saw some familiar surroundings. You seem to remember things that happened before the brainwashing." She was silent and without a response. Vega laid back, but couldn't help but feel a strange aura on the train. Something didn't seem right to him.
The train screeched to a halt the next morning. Vega and Cammy trudged out of the station and were soon on a boat heading for England. The boat ride was much shorter and they didn't talk much during it. Cammy seemed preoccupied with something, but Vega couldn't tell. He was worried about the same feeling that he had felt on the train. Once they reached the shore, another train ride awaited them. This one was to last overnight.
The final dream
She wanted to scream but could not. She was frozen with fear. The sting of the blade cutting her felt like a thousand needles over her body. She didn't know what would happen next. Was this man going to kill her? All she knew was that he was torturing her right now. The fuzziness was gone from this dream. Only the shroud of the darkness hindered her. She could not turn her head, for fear of being slashed again. The blood ran down her cheek. She turned her eyes to see the metallic blade pull away from her cheek. The blood dripped off of it. Her assailant said a few indistinct words. She slowly moved her eyes up to try to focus on his face. She couldn't quite make it out. The blade was coming from the top of the man's hand. He removed something off of his face, but she could not make out what. He lifted the blade, dripping with blood, to his lips. The blade came out clean, and she could see his face. It was unscarred and untainted. It was a beautiful face. She saw who sent her
to Shadaloo, she saw who forced her into everything. She saw Vega.
Breaking Away
Cammy almost jumped from her bed. It was night outside, and a huddled mass lay on the opposite side of the cabin. Vega was fast asleep, and Cammy's bed was soaked with sweat. She slowly made it to her feet. Terror filled her eyes as she saw the man who had helped her so much. She slammed her fist into the sleeping man, who jolted as he stood up. "What the hell?" Vega asked as he saw Cammy in front of him, fury in her eyes.
"You did it." were the only words that left her lips.
Vega stood, not knowing how to react. "Did what?" were the only words he could think of.
Now the rage was more apparent than ever. "Was I not even that important to you? Do you not remember what you did to me?" She swung her fist at his head again, catching him on the side. Vega stumbled, not knowing what to do. Cammy began to scream. "You forced me to lose my memory. You made my life a living hell of conformity to Bison. You did everything to me. I asked where would I be without you. Do you know where I would be? I would be at home, with my family. They would be alive, they would be well, I would be happy. But you took that away from me." Her voice lowered down, to where only Vega could hear it. "When you killed them." A look of shock spread over Vega's face. He couldn't react when she swung at his face again. Her foot raked his face, sending him to the ground. He began to get to his feet when she spun at him. Her feet sent him to the wall. She flipped back and opened the door.
Vega chased her out to the hallway, but stopped there, staring at her running. That strange sensation that plagued Vega seemed closer than ever. He was surprised at the voice behind him. "Yes, she is faulty." Vega's eyes widened at the familiar voice. He did not even have to turn to see Bison. "Balrog, Sagat, kill her." He commanded and the bald man stood up, eye-patch and all. Balrog emerged from another cabin. They began to chase after Cammy.
"They will all die, everyone who plagues this world with their ugliness. They will all feel my pain, my wrath, my perfection. I am what they only can desire to be." Vega said to himself as the two henchman chased the girl down the train.
Her true power
She quickly darted down the hall. Through the luggage car, she threw whatever she could in the way. Balrog smashed through a chair she threw in the way, and Sagat leaped easily over a crate. She ran through the last door, slamming it behind her. The last car of the train had no exit save a large door that was barred shut. She turned just fast enough to see a boxing glove smash through the door. Two figures stood in the door, and Cammy could only crouch back. The tall kick-boxer stepped forward first. Followed by the boxer in blue trunks, who banged his fists together. Sagat lunged at Cammy, who ducked under the knee. Balrog wound up his punch when Cammy yelled "Cannon Strike" and swung her feet into Sagat's chest. She flipped up just enough to avoid Balrog's punch, which landed in Sagat's chest. Sagat fell to a knee and gave Balrod a nasty look. Cammy spun and slammed Balrog in the back of the head. He turned, unphased, to her. His first punch landed at her chest, and the
second in the head. She flew into a steal crate and was immediately hit by a wave of "Tiger" energy from Sagat. She slowly stood up, grabbing her chest in pain. Sagat laughed and raised his fist. She jumped toward Balrog while swinging at Sagat. She grabbed Balrog around the neck with her legs and slammed his head into the wooden floor. She was met with a "Tiger Uppercut" to the jaw. She wiped the blood off of her lip as the two men advanced on her again.
She could not beat both of them. A pale light appeared in the cracks of the roof of the car. A loud humming sound make the walls resonate. A gunshot separated the car with the rest of the train and they started to slow down. The fighting stopped and they stared around. The large door flew open and they were met with machine guns. A booming voice launched at Balrog and Sagat. "Get your hands up. I repeat, you are officially under arrest by Delta Red." They threw their hands up and Cammy huddled down in the corner. She wanted to forget everything that happened. A man with black hair entered the cart. Several other soldiers entered the car, taking Balrog and Sagat out and escorting them, handcuffed, into the helicopter. The man approached Cammy, putting the machine gun to her head. Once he got a good look at her, though he drew it away. "Your not a member of Shadaloo, are you?"
Cammy sat, shivering on the ground. "I don't remember a thing, why am I here? Why does Bison want me?" she repeated over and over to herself. He escorted her onto the helicopter, but she wouldn't talk more.
He couldn't find anything else to say on her except that she was saved from Shadaloo and no one of that organization was found on the train. Thus began Cammy's life in Delta Red.
PART II
Beautiful Stranger (part II)
Vega smiled behind his mask. His opponent shuffled his knife between his hands. His body was shaking. Vega knew he would win. The man lunged at Vega, who simply sidestepped it. He slammed his foot into the man's backside, sending him stumbling forward. The crowd laughed and the announcer repeated the fight play-by-play. Vega began to chuckle, but stopped it shortly. His opponent was sweating profusely and shaking. I hate weak opponents; he said to himself and began to walk toward the man. The man began to walk away from Vega, still clutching the knife. Suddenly, Vega took off into a sprint and flipped over the man. He swung his claw and slashed the man in his back. He slid on the ground, sweeping the man, then rolled on top of him, knocking the wind out of his opponent. He stood above his opponent, disgusted at his ugliness. He leapt up and grabbed onto the cage. The crown began to yell frantically as Vega climbed further and further up. He then stopped, turned his head to
see his opponent, let out a high pitched scream, and jumped toward his opponent. Vega's claw slashed through the man's skin, covering the floor with blood. Vega turned and walked out of the ring as an emergency crew entered. The man had the brains never to step into the cage again. All the ugly should perish at my hands, the beautiful should rule. He didn't spend too much time changing like he had done in the past. None of the other fighters would approach him, but he didn't care. He knew he was better than all of them. He knew he was worth more. He quickly put on some normal clothes and went to meet her.
She was waiting for him where she always did. She looked up and saw him making his way through the crowd. "You were great, Vega." She said to him softly.
He rubbed his fingers through her hair, then put his hand on her back. "Lets get going, the day is still young." She smiled and they walked onto the cramped street in Barcelona, just like Vega had done so long ago, but this time, there was no Bison. Whenever he was with Cammy, Vega had a complete change in personality. He never cleaned the blood off his claw with his tongue, nor tasted any blood for that matter. He was mellower and less cocky with her around. Cammy never saw any other side of Vega (except for in the ring, but he wasn't as bad as he was before). When Cammy was around, Vega only got violent when he was a matador or a cage-fighter. But, regardless of all this, Vega didn't have any deep relationship with Cammy. He was much too infatuated by her beauty to do so, and she depended on him. He was the link to her past.
While she was a soldier in Shadaloo, Cammy had all her memories brainwashed away. The only survivor from Shadaloo that could help her was Vega. At the same time, Cammy brought out the humanity in Vega, which was a long lost feeling to him. Cammy and Vega lived in Barcelona for only a few weeks now, but their lives were more complete than they had ever been before.
The night
She was only a little girl then. She was bound up, tied to a chair. She had cloth in her mouth and terror in her eyes. The rest was blurry to her. She remembered the pain of the blade, cutting deep into her skin, forever leaving a scar that would remind her of that day. She wanted to scream out but couldn't. She saw the blood that drizzled down her cheek. It was met with the tears that streamed down her eyes. She could almost see the metal object cutting her, but it was encompassed in the haze. She could do nothing; she could only sit there, helplessly.
Vega was watching Cammy toss and turn in her covers. It was a little past midnight and Cammy was tired. He sat there, staring at her from a window, gazing upon her beauty. He knew something was different about her, but he could not tell what. She suddenly sprang up in her bed. Her hair fell down her back and the sweat fell off of her head. She was breathing deeply and timidly, as if she was expecting something unexpected. Vega crouched under the window, not wanting Cammy to know she was being watched. He pained to know what she dreamed about. He waited on the balcony till he saw he fall into another deep sleep. He slowly opened a window and crept inside the room. He was very light on his feet and could even get through the oldest floors without making a sound. He stood beside Cammy's bed, staring at her beautiful face. He longed to touch that very face, but did not wish to wake the sleeping beauty. So Vega simply stood there, watching that face. When Cammy began to stir and
cautiously opened her eyes, Vega was back on the balcony, leaving no sign he had ever been there. That's where Vega stayed for a few minutes. He then scaled the wall back to his room. Where he slept lightly, are carefree.
The dance
The next morning, Cammy woke up early and began to walk through the large house. She stopped by a room where she heard quite a racket. She peered inside the cracked door to see Vega, who seemed to be fighting a dummy. She walked into the room, but Vega didn't notice her (for his back was turned). He continued to strike the target as fast and as hard as he possibly could bear. The bag shook violently with each blow. Vega then stopped, sweating and breathing hard. He reached down and took some rather large ankle weights off his legs, then his hands. He turned and bumped into Cammy.
"Oh, sorry." Cammy apologized. Vega walked around her, not taking his eyes off of her. He rubbed his face with a towel and observed Cammy, who appeared to be examining the target, still clad in her nightclothes.
"Do you not remember any of the training either?" He asked the inquisitive girl.
She turned and rubbed her head. "What ever they did to me, they didn't expect me to remember a thing. When you removed my circuitry, everything was lost."
Vega inquired further, "but you still have dreams about those moments?"
"So far, only of times that I assume are before. I don't remember any of Shadaloo."
Vega turned his head down, but raised his eyes. "If you want to practice some, I'm finished for the day."
She didn't even wait for him to finish before she slammed her foot into the bag. The bag swung a little and Cammy turned and slammed her other foot into the bag. The bottom half of the bag fell to the floor, and the top half dangled by the chain that connected it to the ceiling. Cammy turned to a very shocked Vega and began to giggle. She then walked out of the room. Vega just rubbed his head and began to examine the dismantled bag. She's got strong legs. He thought to himself. He walked back to his room to clean up.
He saw Cammy again at the breakfast table. She was sipping a tall mug of coffee and nibbling on a croissant. She was reading a pastel-colored card with a fancy seal. Vega sat down with his own cup of coffee and she showed it to him. "This came in the mail, it was addressed to you." Vega opened the envelope. Inside was an invitation to attend a dance at the Saló del Tinell. He showed Cammy the invitation.
"Saló del Tinell?" She asked.
"It's a royal residence in Barcelona. They hold a dance every year. Only the top of society are invited." Vega explained. He smirked out "Must be because I'm one of the best matadors."
Cammy knew Vega was only joking. Vega was a Spanish noble, he probably wanted to act casual for Cammy's sake. Cammy could see right through Vega. "So, are you going?"
Vega didn't even bother to avert his gaze from the window. "It would be an insult if I declined it. But, of course, it's customary to bring a guest."
Cammy looked a bit stunned. She then blushed. "The thing is, I can't dance."
Vega laughed under his breath. "Don't worry, I'll teach you, it's not that hard."
Cammy looked down at her lap while Vega finished his coffee. "Vega?"
Now he turned his face to look at her. "Yes?"
She continued timidly. "I have noticed that you live in this big house, all alone. Why is that?"
Vega sighed deeply. His right arm began to rub his left shoulder. "It was about ten years ago. My mother grew ill. My father spent every waking moment taking care of her. Everything revolved around her. Every doctor said there was nothing we could do, that she was on her deathbed. I always hated those ugly bastards for saying that, but they were right. About one month later, she died. My father sunk into a deep depression. He started to drink more and more, and he would lounge around the house all day. One day, he entered the bull ring. I thought that he would find some joy in it. I knew something was wrong when he almost fell entering the ring. He was drunk. He didn't even bother to fight. He threw the cape over the already bleeding bull and stood there while it charged at him. He died a painful death, gored at the hands of the bull, while the ugly masses just stood there and watched him die." Vega clenched his fist. Vega hated to lie to Cammy, but he certainly could not
tell her the truth of his families demise. He still remembered the night vividly. The sword he clasped was fit for the wildest beast, the bull. It was the dead of night as he walked down the long dark hall. The sword shimmered in the moonlight. He remembered vividly as he pushed the door open. They were asleep, lying in their beds. A smile gripped the young boys face. He walked away from the scene. He knew he would have to play the victim in the morning as he wiped his feet and dropped the sword. No one would expect a fifteen year old boy capable of murder.
Cammy was about to apologize, but couldn't find the words. She was fortunate to not remember her parents, or see them die. Vega had no such luck.
That was the last Cammy mentioned of it. For a week Vega devoted his time to two causes, regaining her memory and learning how to ballroom dance. She had the hardest time with the former. She drew all she knew off of the dreams she had, but somehow, she began to lose them, and all that came with them. She only had what she had seen and what Vega had told her, and they weren't enough.
The ball
Cammy's eyes slowly opened with the sun shining on her face. She rubbed her head and her eyes tried to adjust to the brightness. She slowly got up and walked out of her room. Something caught her eye as she walked past the room where Vega usually spent his mornings. A red, silk dress hung on the wall. Cammy walked over to it, a confused look on her face. She touched it, only to have a surge of emotion rush through her body. She pulled her hand back, then touched it again. She felt energy, as if the dress itself was giving her dreams. She tried it again but got no response. She didn't see Vega the whole day.
As the sun set, Vega was not yet in sight. Has he forgotten? Has anything happened? She worried. She heard a knock on the door. She opened it to see a short man in a black suit standing there.
"Mrs. Cammy?"
She responded timidly. "Yes, my name is Cammy."
"The coach will leave in twenty minutes. Your host is waiting for you."
Twenty minutes later, she was outside, waiting in the coach. It slowly started to pull away from the estate and she saw the lit house gleam with pride. The coach pulled up to a large building. She looked around for Vega, but he was not among the crowd. Cammy's door jarred open and she anxiously stepped out of the coach. She was relieved to see that it was Vega holding the door open. "Where have you been?" She whispered to him.
"I had some business to take care, hope I didn't worry you." He said. He could not suppress the smile on his face. She just lowered her head as they stepped into the ballroom, arm in arm.
From the beginning Cammy knew she did not fit in. She slowly felt the scar on her face and looked at the crowd. Gaudy and trashy women were mixed with classy women. The assorted prostitutes and whores, abandoned by their dates, were left to wander the dance hall. This place was nothing as Cammy had expected. She stayed wary of both crowds, convincing herself to just hold off for a few hours. Vega told her to just wait where she was. She wanted to leave. She had pictured a large ball, with dancing and laughing. Vega convinced her that this would be classy. Whether it was meant to be or not, it was turning out to be a masquerade of hookers and tramps, moving in on there next victim, the quiet girl sitting down, waiting for her date to return.
"My, my now isn't this a pretty little thing?" One of the tramps exclaimed while circling Cammy. The girl was fat and had a tight black dress, which left her saggy leg revealed. She had makeup which was caked on her face. She turned to her companions, all with equally caked on makeup, but with varying degrees of body weight. Cammy sort of hunched down in her seat, hoping Vega would return.
Vega had finally tracked down some of the wine. He didn't realize that he was on the opposite side of the floor as Cammy. He had stumbled through the busy dance floor, on which Cammy and Vega had spent most of the time, and had found a waiter with a large tray filled with glasses of red wine. He swiftly grabbed two glasses while the waiter was moving toward a richer couple and clasped them between his fingers. He began to make his way back through the crowd.
"It looks like this little whore lost her date." One of the ladies said.
Cammy just lowered her head, not wanting to get involved. "He's coming back." She said quietly.
The girls all started to laugh and the largest girl stuck her face in Cammy's. "They all say that, but guess what, they never do. They leave us here and hit the road."
Cammy spoke in the same manner as before. "I'm not a prostitute."
The large lady stood straight up. "It looks like we got someone here who thinks she is better than us."
Cammy tried to defend herself. "I didn't say anything like that."
The women didn't even listen. "It looks like this pretty little thing thinks she is better than us." She grabbed Cammy's cheeks and squished them together. She screamed and brought her hand up, slapping it across the lady's face. The lady stumbled back a few feet. "Oh that's it, now your dead." A swift foot slammed into the women's nose. The women fell backwards. Blood drenched her face and dripped onto the floor. She stared at her shaking hand and Cammy chuckled. It appeared that she had gained something from Vega after all. The second women was hit with a foot to the bosom. She fell through a table and clenched her breast in pain. The third women seemed to begin to back off. She was met with a stern hand on her shoulder. She turned to see the night hunter looming behind her, a frown on his face.
"The ugly must perish, you'll be the first to go." The women was about to scream when she felt the fist fly into her skull. Vega walked to the prostitute, his hand wrapped around her skull. He began to squeeze, crushing the women's head.
"Vega Fabio De Cerna!" A snarl spread over Vega's face. He whipped around, forgetting the whore, turning to see a man with a frown spread across his face.
"You will never call me that name again."
"Vega, you know very well why you were told to come here tonight."
"Yes, I know well. You always did have a problem with perfection."
Cammy turned to Vega, a stunned look on her face. "Vega, what aren't you telling me?"
Vega didn't avert his gaze. "Cammy, leave this place now. You're no longer safe here."
The man interrupted the conversation. "Yes, leave, you wouldn't want to see him killed."
The room slowly started to filter out. Everyone knew the dance was over, the main goal of the night was to kill the Spanish Ninja. Cammy did not leave as Vega had asked. She waited around as people fled into the streets. The room was nearly empty and seemed quite larger than it had before. Vega and the other man stood in the middle. The face-off lasted for several minutes. Cammy understood what was going on, Vega was waiting for him to make the first move.
"I'm surprised you let the innocents escape."
"All the less incrimination." Vega chuckled in reply.
The man frowned. He threw off his coat and drew out a sword. Cammy understood now that this man was a matador, he knew how to use the sword. Vega chuckled. He jumped to a stone pillar in the middle of the floor. The man stared and Vega clasped the pillar. Vega dropped from the pillar and rolled once to the man. Before the man could swing the sword down, Vega was before him, having donned his gleaming mask and deadly claw, although the man could not see him do it. The man jumped back and swung his sword down at Vega, who was much to far away to care. Vega stood to his feet and slowly began to walk toward the man. "Beauty, it is the most important of all traits. You lack it, so you would not know of the power you can hold when you gain it." The man began to walk backwards, keeping his distance from Vega. "But I am more than merely beautiful. I am perfect. I am the perfect soldier. I am what you wish to be. I am what you desire to become. But attacking me will do nothing of
that sort." Cammy looked in horror at the fight which was taking place. She didn't notice that the large women behind her had gotten up, with a knife in hand, and was advancing to Cammy. As she was about to spring on Cammy, a fuzzy blur caught the women from behind. Cammy turned to see the knife hit the ground, and the women shaking uncontrollably, a claw ready to slice her neck. Cammy backed into a post, staring at what was taking place before her. Vega slashed the women, who fell to the ground. He let the blood drip from his claw and walked toward the man, who was still crouching away in fear. "I am the noble, I am the strong, I am the fast, I am perfection. I am all you wish." He stopped by a table. He quickly removed his mask and wiped his claw into a glass which was already filled with wine. He took the glass and raised the liquid to his lips. Cammy began to shiver as Vega drank the wine and blood mix. He threw the glass to the ground and donned his mask. "The wine
taints it." He slashed a leg of the table and continued to walk toward the man. "There is no sweeter elixer than that which comes from humanity itself. It flows through their veins, waiting to be released. It is a taste fit only for the best. Your shaking now, you wanted to appear as a brave warrior, but you failed miserably. You thought you had me, you thought you had drawn me here. You are nothing, yet you wished to stand in front of perfection. Perfection is what will destroy you. Perfection will kill you."
Vega wasted no time. He rushed toward the man, who futilely swung his sword at him, but only managed to slice the air in front of him. The man felt something on his back. He turned his head to see Vega standing with his back to him. Vega was laughing at the man. The man turned and tried to swing his sword at Vega. His arms followed through past Vega, but his hands did not. They lay on the ground, and the sword between them. The man was about to scream when Vega silenced him. The man fell to the ground, with a large, deep slash in his chest. Vega took his mask off. His finger swept the claw, beckoning Vega to sample the blood that lay on it. "The tainted blood of imperfection will not soil a perfect being. Cammy, it is no longer safe here, we must go."
Cammy walked toward Vega, she shivered as she glanced at the women lying on the ground. He had taken the claw off, and she once again perceived the innocence which blinded her. She threw her arms around Vega, an act which surprised him greatly. She began to sob in his chest. "Where would I be if you never came to me? Where would I be without you?" She cried in her perceived innocence, thanking Vega for his deeds of rescuing her. But she had caught a glimpse of his true nature. He had now been tainted, and it proved to be perfect fodder to light the fire of her past.
The hunted
The train was the least monitored of escape routes. Vega knew he was the target. He wore a long trench-coat and let Cammy do most of the talking. They boarded the train with no difficulty and began to walk to their cabin. Vega was suspicious of everyone on the train. It was more crowded than usual and everyone seemed to be looking for him. He walked past a man with a bald head who was staring at Vega. Vega turned but the man was not watching him. Cammy was waiting in the cabin and Vega took off his coat. He rubbed his fingers through his hair and say down. Cammy shut the cabin door. "It'll be a long train ride. It will take us a night to get to the shore so we can head to Great Britain."
Cammy looked out the window and asked. "Why Great Britain?"
Vega replied. "Your accent is English, I was hoping you might regain your memory if you saw some familiar surroundings. You seem to remember things that happened before the brainwashing." She was silent and without a response. Vega laid back, but couldn't help but feel a strange aura on the train. Something didn't seem right to him.
The train screeched to a halt the next morning. Vega and Cammy trudged out of the station and were soon on a boat heading for England. The boat ride was much shorter and they didn't talk much during it. Cammy seemed preoccupied with something, but Vega couldn't tell. He was worried about the same feeling that he had felt on the train. Once they reached the shore, another train ride awaited them. This one was to last overnight.
The final dream
She wanted to scream but could not. She was frozen with fear. The sting of the blade cutting her felt like a thousand needles over her body. She didn't know what would happen next. Was this man going to kill her? All she knew was that he was torturing her right now. The fuzziness was gone from this dream. Only the shroud of the darkness hindered her. She could not turn her head, for fear of being slashed again. The blood ran down her cheek. She turned her eyes to see the metallic blade pull away from her cheek. The blood dripped off of it. Her assailant said a few indistinct words. She slowly moved her eyes up to try to focus on his face. She couldn't quite make it out. The blade was coming from the top of the man's hand. He removed something off of his face, but she could not make out what. He lifted the blade, dripping with blood, to his lips. The blade came out clean, and she could see his face. It was unscarred and untainted. It was a beautiful face. She saw who sent her
to Shadaloo, she saw who forced her into everything. She saw Vega.
Breaking Away
Cammy almost jumped from her bed. It was night outside, and a huddled mass lay on the opposite side of the cabin. Vega was fast asleep, and Cammy's bed was soaked with sweat. She slowly made it to her feet. Terror filled her eyes as she saw the man who had helped her so much. She slammed her fist into the sleeping man, who jolted as he stood up. "What the hell?" Vega asked as he saw Cammy in front of him, fury in her eyes.
"You did it." were the only words that left her lips.
Vega stood, not knowing how to react. "Did what?" were the only words he could think of.
Now the rage was more apparent than ever. "Was I not even that important to you? Do you not remember what you did to me?" She swung her fist at his head again, catching him on the side. Vega stumbled, not knowing what to do. Cammy began to scream. "You forced me to lose my memory. You made my life a living hell of conformity to Bison. You did everything to me. I asked where would I be without you. Do you know where I would be? I would be at home, with my family. They would be alive, they would be well, I would be happy. But you took that away from me." Her voice lowered down, to where only Vega could hear it. "When you killed them." A look of shock spread over Vega's face. He couldn't react when she swung at his face again. Her foot raked his face, sending him to the ground. He began to get to his feet when she spun at him. Her feet sent him to the wall. She flipped back and opened the door.
Vega chased her out to the hallway, but stopped there, staring at her running. That strange sensation that plagued Vega seemed closer than ever. He was surprised at the voice behind him. "Yes, she is faulty." Vega's eyes widened at the familiar voice. He did not even have to turn to see Bison. "Balrog, Sagat, kill her." He commanded and the bald man stood up, eye-patch and all. Balrog emerged from another cabin. They began to chase after Cammy.
"They will all die, everyone who plagues this world with their ugliness. They will all feel my pain, my wrath, my perfection. I am what they only can desire to be." Vega said to himself as the two henchman chased the girl down the train.
Her true power
She quickly darted down the hall. Through the luggage car, she threw whatever she could in the way. Balrog smashed through a chair she threw in the way, and Sagat leaped easily over a crate. She ran through the last door, slamming it behind her. The last car of the train had no exit save a large door that was barred shut. She turned just fast enough to see a boxing glove smash through the door. Two figures stood in the door, and Cammy could only crouch back. The tall kick-boxer stepped forward first. Followed by the boxer in blue trunks, who banged his fists together. Sagat lunged at Cammy, who ducked under the knee. Balrog wound up his punch when Cammy yelled "Cannon Strike" and swung her feet into Sagat's chest. She flipped up just enough to avoid Balrog's punch, which landed in Sagat's chest. Sagat fell to a knee and gave Balrod a nasty look. Cammy spun and slammed Balrog in the back of the head. He turned, unphased, to her. His first punch landed at her chest, and the
second in the head. She flew into a steal crate and was immediately hit by a wave of "Tiger" energy from Sagat. She slowly stood up, grabbing her chest in pain. Sagat laughed and raised his fist. She jumped toward Balrog while swinging at Sagat. She grabbed Balrog around the neck with her legs and slammed his head into the wooden floor. She was met with a "Tiger Uppercut" to the jaw. She wiped the blood off of her lip as the two men advanced on her again.
She could not beat both of them. A pale light appeared in the cracks of the roof of the car. A loud humming sound make the walls resonate. A gunshot separated the car with the rest of the train and they started to slow down. The fighting stopped and they stared around. The large door flew open and they were met with machine guns. A booming voice launched at Balrog and Sagat. "Get your hands up. I repeat, you are officially under arrest by Delta Red." They threw their hands up and Cammy huddled down in the corner. She wanted to forget everything that happened. A man with black hair entered the cart. Several other soldiers entered the car, taking Balrog and Sagat out and escorting them, handcuffed, into the helicopter. The man approached Cammy, putting the machine gun to her head. Once he got a good look at her, though he drew it away. "Your not a member of Shadaloo, are you?"
Cammy sat, shivering on the ground. "I don't remember a thing, why am I here? Why does Bison want me?" she repeated over and over to herself. He escorted her onto the helicopter, but she wouldn't talk more.
He couldn't find anything else to say on her except that she was saved from Shadaloo and no one of that organization was found on the train. Thus began Cammy's life in Delta Red.