::Chapter 12~ Veracity::

~*~*~*~*~

Her suddenly eyes opened after an extremely restless sleep. It was still night when she awoke. The moon shined above the dim lit alleyway with elegance, causing the ambiance of the street to feel more peaceful, like a dream. She arched forward, experiencing an ache from lying still against the rocky pavement of the streets. Her golden hair fell forward, seeming more untamed than normal. She let a shallow breath of humid air fill her lungs with content.

Until the thoughts of Bison broke the peaceful setting, she was at a calm peak. Her body began to shiver although it wasn't nearly cold in temperature. Thoughts of him penetrated and tormented her mind, making her suffer beyond any pain imaginative.

She staggered up from the urban ground and began to run to the shore. She needed to leave India as soon as she could-- Bison would be expecting her there, she thought to herself, with caution in mind.

Her coat flew back with the wind against her movements. Her breath heavy after running for nearly a half hour. A smile formed among her thin lips when she reached the closest dock.

A large boat was present, a middle-aged man standing beside it. The man didn't look like he was native to India-- His hair was blonde and his skin was pale and freckled. He loaded barrels into the boat, not taking notice of the petite British girl approaching him.

Cammy timidly walked to the man and flashed a brisk smile. "Excuse me, Sir."

"Yes?" He said. He held no accent of any kind.

"Thank you. Thank you!" Cammy's mind repeated, when she found he could speak her language.

"May I ask where you're headed?" She responded shyly. "I'm in need of a way out of this country..." She reached into her coat where she kept a small purse full of rupees. She held out a hand full of the bills. "Quickly."

"Well, I have to take these," The man pointed to the heavy barrels he set in the boat. "To Greece. I suppose I have enough room on board for an extra person."

"Greece? Thank you, Sir... It would be appreciated." Cammy said happily.

Soon after the man loaded more barrels aboard, they left the dock, headed for the unfamiliar country.

~*~*~*~*~

"Two week... It has only been two weeks, you say?" Bison exclaimed to the dark haired scientist in front of him.

The scientist was the same one that took care of Cammy during her 'recovery'. His stone-colored eyes were filled with fear, as Bison looked at them, searching for an answer.

"She isn't technically missing, Sir... The tracking devise is still inside her cervical. We have located her somewhere in Mediterranean Sea..." The man replied, laying down a map on the metal table below them, then pointing to the vast ocean pictured on it.

"What is that supposed to mean then?! Did she fucking swim there?! I want to know exactly how she got there... Now!"

"Y--Yes, Sir." The scientist stared at him with more fright, shakily typing on the computer near him.

"The course she's taking seems to be heading towards Greece. We can't be sure what means of transportation she is taking... We don't have the technology on our computers to do so."

"Then let's buy the technology, you moron! I can buy the equipment to clone someone, yet I can't figure out if she's on a boat or plain? Get the information now!"

The man shook his head meekly. "I'm sorry, Sir. But---"

He was cut off by a fierce glowing hit to the forehead. He was knocked dead, leaving the half dozen other scientists staring at the lifeless body.

"What the are you all looking at! If she is taken in by Interpol or any of the military governments, Shadowloo will be destroyed! She is our greatest achievement, filled with all of our information and I don't plan on letting her ruin this! Continue finding information on the girl, now, you worthless imbeciles!"

Not Bison's speech, but his furious eyes demanded everyone back to their work. His eyes then set on the distinct phone hanging on the white wall. Soon, he would send his greatest and to his knowledge, most trusted assassins for her.

~*~*~*~*~

The hotel suite was a high-spirited crème color, adorned with vibrant tapestries dawning unique designs. These attributes definitely contrasted his devious mood.

He lay awake in the night, his soft golden locks dancing loosely across the delicate sheets. He grasped the covers gently and pulled himself up. He shook his head contemplating what he was about to do, then silently reached for the silver piece that stood on his nightstand. He had been awoken previously that night by a phone call. This time he awoke for something else...

News of the tournament had come to him a day ago and he wasn't pleased. However the call he had received was only to postpone his next kill, for the sake of finding "The Girl". These orders to him were perceived as foolish, yet trusting on Bison's behalf. Possibly Bison didn't know Vega well enough to know not to trust his motives for Shadowloo. Maybe this new 'tournament' would grace him with the only thing he wanted: His obsession.

The obsession began on a cool autumn night. A waterfall trickled down and reflected in the innocent eyes of the girl he knew only as a worthless doll.

The deep blue pools of purity were now the only thing on his mind. The term worthless was replaced by priceless. Nothing could substitute for perfection. So young and so pure-- Something he had never seen as beautiful in the past. Too young and too pure. Antonymous to him-- Nearly twenty years of age and hundreds slaughtered by his own hands and will.

"Perhaps that's why I want you so badly..." He spoke softly to himself, in barely a whisper. "You are everything I am not..."

He didn't care about anything, anymore. The lives he took, even those with beautiful bodies and gorgeous faces, they didn't amuse him in the slightest way. It was her and only her that could fill his desires.

'Is it worth it?'

His mind repeated again and again. But the only solution to the craving he had for her was in his hands.

The metal grazed over the edge of his finger tips, not leaving the slightest essence of crimson among it. He toyed with the blade, until finally scraping the flesh of his palm away. The cut was deep, but not large. The sensation filled him with thoughts of her. He wanted protect and save her from everything, but deep inside he hated her for making him feel that way.

The most intimate of thoughts he had for her involved the tearing of flesh and perverse actions. He wanted to keep her safe, but taint her innocence. Some of those thoughts became reality to him, when the wetness dripped to his tongue. The cooling sensation was a contrary feeling to his warm breath. Vega, a man who had only longed for worthy and flawless blood at the expense of others, was now drinking his own. Imagining it was hers.

The blade, now tainted with crimson edges, was laid upon the floor by his gashed hand. He was given strength by his action. Now to only follow the orders he was given...

To find her.

~*~*~*~*~

The boat shook lightly as she stepped away from it. A carefree expression ran across her face when she waved to the man that accepted her aboard the ship.

"Thank you..." She murmured to him. Her quiet footsteps graced the pavement with muddy marks from the filthy ship. She stepped to the side of the docks and lowered herself to the ground to sleep. She found herself shaking, as the night breeze drew past the material of her coat. It was much colder there, but she was now away from Bison. She slept peacefully that night, without any worries.

~*~*~*~*~

The shift from moonlight to sunlight adverted her gaze when morning approached. She yawned childishly and caressed her hair, fingering through the untamed locks.

She stumbled up from the ground and brought herself to the streets. They were crowded, but more modern than the ones she encountered in India.

Before she could move herself to a more isolated area, she felt something grasp her shoulder. A jolt of energy from a human presence surged through her spine.

"Cammy." The figure said. A unique, emotionless German accent was present in her firm speech.

Cammy turned immediately after her name was spoken.

"Juli..."

She was there. Clad in an ivory-colored coat. Her face held no expression. The tawny eyes gazing straight towards her, like a machine, like hers once were.

"Target confirmed." Juli said monotonously. She threw the coat aside and revealed her Shadowloo attire. Painful memories arose in Cammy's mind when the raiment was bared.

"I'm not like you anymore! I've become my true self again! You don't seem to realize it yet... How he's used us for such inhumane things!" Cammy screamed out. Several sets of eyes on that street looked towards the two dolls.

"Exterminating subject..."

"Stop, Juli. Please, I don't want to hurt you..."

Juli ignored the words from the ex-soldier's mouth and charged straight towards her. Cammy abruptly fled to the nearest street corner and knocked down a barrel in her path. Juli stumbled running past it, but managed to catch up to Cammy at a nearby alleyway. Cammy ceased all efforts to avoid the fight when Juli struck the bare flesh of her arm with her metal-clad fist. Cammy swiftly blocked and counteracted with a high kick, which Juli easily blocked as well. The two dolls sprinted around the alley with great agility, until Cammy finally dropped her guard and was struck by the brunette.

"You don't know who Bison really is, do you?!" She shrilled, clenching her midriff. "Well, I'll tell you..."

Cammy continued to block Juli's outstanding hasty punches.

The machine in Juli's eyes only focused on the points and targets that were weak on Cammy's body. She is programmed to aim to kill, not listen. Or she was.

"I was only 12 or so... I was innocent and so was my mother.." Cammy said aloud through breaths. She then blocked Juli's arm and twisted it backward.

"I had a family... We all had families. Even you, Juli..." Juli's screams of anguish were painful to her ears, but she continued, knowing that she had the dominance in the battle from that point.

"He killed her..." Her voice suddenly sheered to a low tone, full of aggression. "Then he took me away, to this hell... called Shadowloo... I was brainwashed and used for experimentation, murdering and 'pleasuring' Master Bison. Then thrown into a cell..." Cammy pulled rougher on Juli, so that she was now pinned to the ground in distress.

"Does this sound familiar, Juli?"

Juli's eyes were shut. All of the targeting and codes vanished from her sight. She realized it all. The thoughts of Shadowloo were as grieving to her, as they were to Cammy.

"We are trained to serve, but what will we ever get in return? He uses us, Juli. And we'll always be a part of his terrible acts if we continue to help him..."

"I'm... Sorry..." Juli whispered slowly.

"Juli..." Cammy let go of the brunettes arms. Juli's arms immediately covered her tear-struck face. The clear drops fell down her soft cheeks and she fell to her knees in despair. Cammy could hear sobs coming from the brunette but kept herself from comforting her.

"I'm sorry..." She spoke softly. She avoided the sight of the girl below her, knowing that only her own memories would come about. All sympathy she had for Juli had to be pushed aside. Even if Juli had realized the truth, she was still part of Shadowloo and a danger to her.

"Good bye, Juli..."

Cammy left the brunette and ran to the populated street. That subdued event was only a warning of what was to come...

~*~*~*~*~

The light of the sun came to a quiet halt as the day passed. The crowds in the streets spread out and became more scarce, until they were eventually gone, leaving only her and the cloudy moonlight standing. The ex-soldier had no destination within walking distance, but kept on her feet to pass the time. Her pace was still fast, even being exhausted from her battle and trip earlier, she didn't slow down.

She walked the silenced streets, hugging herself within the heavy coat. She had the feeling that someone was watching, she feared it was Juli, but she had passed Juli miles ago. She also realized that Juli was no longer a threat to her. She had now learned the truth and was probably in the same situation as herself.

Cammy continued her musings on Juli's fate, ignoring the feelings she had.

Then a soft hand was placed onto her mouth fiercely. Slim yet muscular arms wrapped around her like an embrace. But this was far too forceful to be an act of affection. Of course, she realized it could be when she realized whose arms they belonged to.

She didn't need to see his face to know his touch. The gash on his hand proved as the only imperfection on his perfect flesh. A faint voice whispered into her ear, pulling all of her concentration away from his painful caress.

"Hello, Cammy..."

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::Author's Notes::

Excuse the lack up an update for the past... well... I even forget when I last did update. Thank you for reading. Please do leave your personal opinion, good or bad. =D