Tekken 24
Disclaimer: Don't own "24" or "Tekken".
The following takes place between 6:00 pm and 7:00 pm.
Events occur in real time.
6:00:00- Nina Williams was in a small underground office. She had been told by her handlers to contact the man she was about to visit if anything in a contract went fowl. Her sister's involvement seemed pretty fowl.
Nina knew how bad this situation was. Anna knew everything about her sister: the way she fights, the guns she uses, the usual methods she takes in assassinations, pretty much every move she would typically make. Nina didn't know anything about her sister, which made this very tricky ground to walk on. She just hoped Chen would be able to fix that.
The office was set up like a Florida nightclub. Bright green and blue neon lights dimly lit the room, which had white walls and plush white carpeting. The place not only looked like a tropical indoor setting, but it felt like it too. It had to have been at least 85 degrees in the room. And outside, it was the beginning of spring, and it still felt like the dead of winter.
A Chinese man came in and sat down at the desk like he owned the place. He did, actually. Chen Hendrix was a man who liked to flaunt his power wherever he went. He liked to spend money as well as make it, and loved to rub people's reputations into the ground.
Tonight was no different. Nina actually felt intimidated by the tall man. He was abnormally tall at 7'9". He was well built, his tight dress shirt showing the massive bulge of his chest. She stayed straight-faced, not trying to show her feelings against the man. She didn't like his style, and she didn't want that to come across.
"What can I do for you, babe?" Chen asked.
Nina pulled out a card that had some writing on it. Thirty minutes ago, she had opened an envelope she hadn't ever needed. She had worked for this handler for only a couple of months, but this is something every handler did. Inside the envelope was two phone numbers. The first was to an assistant, who took down the information and relayed it to the handler. The second was an emergency number that was a direct line to the handler. This was only to be used last. She had seen what happened to people who used it improperly. Tonight she used it. The assistant's line kept ringing, which wasn't ever good. But the handler was quick with the call. She had sent her to Chen for protection. The card she now held had the handler's password on it. She slid it across the desk to Chen.
Chen took the card and read it. His laptop was in front of him. It was a small machine that was top of the line and state-of-the-art. He hit a few buttons and confirmed the code. The name that came up was of a woman he had heard of, but never met. Chen trusted the woman, but he knew she was giving him an alias. Gloria Payton sounded too American, and Chen wondered if this handler did that on purpose.
"Shelter?" he asked.
"From the rain." She said.
It wasn't actually raining outside; it was just another password she had been taught when she went under with her handler. Chen nodded in approval.
"Ok." He said.
Chen took a gel pen from his desk and began writing on the small pad of paper nearby. He ripped off the paper and handed it to Nina.
"Go here. Give them this name and ID number. They should let you in, no questions asked. Wait for my call." He said.
"Ok. Thank you." She said.
She stood up and walked to the door, which was made of steel. It looked like it fit in some space movie, but she didn't care. What she did care about was the section of wall to her immediate right that opened. She darted to the left, reacting unnecessarily.
Ling Xiaoyu walked through the hidden door that led out into a massive underground arena. Nina was the last thing she expected to see here.
Nina was stunned, but didn't show it. She regained her posture and left the office. She couldn't believe it. Ling Xiaoyu, her handler, was here with Chen.
6:06:57- Hwoarang was at a computer on the main floor of what he dubbed the ATU, or anti terrorist unit. He didn't know the technical name of the unit, and right now wasn't too worried about finding out. He was looking up names and numbers of people he trusted who could get him in contact with Ling or Chen. He didn't really want to do this, but if he left now, he knew he'd feel guilty about it later.
A phone number popped up on the monitor. It was showed with a picture of Ling and her current location. He wrote down the number, got up, and went over to Wallace's office, which he knew was going to be his at some later date.
"Hey." He said.
Wallace was on the phone, again. "Yeah. I'm going to need those teams on standby for the rest of the evening. No, Tokyo police can't handle this. Fine. Bye." Wallace said.
Wallace hung up the phone and looked at Hwoarang.
"What is it?" he said.
"I found Ling." He said, putting the number in front of him.
"Ok. Let's do this." Wallace said.
The two left the office and moved into the conference room.
Hwoarang sat down, while Wallace began to type on a small laptop.
"What are you doing?" Hwoarang said.
"Triangulating the signal. We need an exact location on her." Wallace said.
Hwoarang didn't know whether to start dialing or wait.
"I'm good, go." Wallace said.
Hwoarang dialed.
"Yeah?" she said.
"Ling?"
"Who is this?" she said.
"Hwoarang."
She didn't say anything.
"You there?" he said.
"What the hell do you want?" she asked.
"What's rightfully mine: my gang." He said.
She laughed.
"You know the rules. Got to fight the big man to get that. And he's got quite an impressive record already. Undefeated." She said.
"Yeah, and you know my record. I could always kick Chen's ass before, and you know it." He said.
"Not anymore, baby. Times have changed. Chen's a big man now. You wouldn't dare take him on." She said.
"I'll take my chances." He said.
Hwoarang glanced over at Wallace, who gave him a signal to keep it going.
"He's not going to be happy." She said.
"Who cares if he's happy now, or after the fight? I want what's mine." He said.
"Well, I don't think it would make a big difference. So, no." she said.
Wallace gave him the thumbs up.
"Wait!" he said.
She hung up.
"Where?" he said.
"She's at a small grocery store about a five miles north of here. It looks like she's leaving." Wallace said.
"Good." Hwoarang said.
6:17:03- Liu was lucky. Too lucky, in fact. The elevator was a breeze compared to the guards that had soon begun combing the building for him. But he wasn't stupid enough to stay there.
He was now in the parking deck next door, where his car would be. But that wasn't his plan. He started moving up against his car and got in, starting it. Quietly, he left the car, leaving it running.
He moved up one level, making sure to keep his head down. He ducked between a BMW and an old Cadillac El Dorado. Liu actually wondered what a Cadillac that old was doing in Japan. He decided to ignore it.
He took out his pocket knife and began messing with some of the tools on it, trying to break into the BMW. He heard a car coming up near him. He stopped and ran to the front of the car, up against the wall.
The car was that of a security guard, searching around for him, most likely. The car passed. That was close.
He went back to the lock, finally successfully opening it. He had begun to think he had gotten rusty, seeing that he used to work on cars as a teenager, knowing everything about them, including locking mechanisms. He had been reading up on them lately, which is why he chose the Beemer. The locks were always the same, and thank God this one didn't have an alarm system.
Inside the car, he began hotwiring the car, trying to get the engine to turn over. He smiled when the engine finally surrendered and began to purr as he revved the engine. He realized there was no easy way to get out of the deck. The guard at the exit gate would know to look out for him, and if he gunned it, the car would be fingered. He had to get to the police, the feds, the UN, somebody. He brought up the car's GPS system and looked up any available location that could give him some protection from Heihachi.
None of them were close by, and he was scrambling to find someone to help him. Then he saw the phone on the console, and dialed the number for the police.
"Police Headquarters?" a man's voice said.
"I need help." Liu said.
"How can I help you sir?" he said.
"I'm at Mishima Labs. I am trying to get a hold of somebody that can protect me. You see, there's something terrible being built here." Liu said, trying to sound convincing.
"Ok. Let me get one of the detectives here." he said.
Liu realized what was going to happen.
"Don't put me on hold!"
It was too late. He was holding.
After a moment, he came back.
"This is Detective Wong." A man said.
"This Liu Pang Ho, I work at Mishima Labs. I'm calling to inform you of something that is going on here that is very important." Liu said.
"What is it?"
"We successfully made a fighting cyborg over a year ago. When this knowledge got to Heihachi Mishima, he ordered us to start mass production. Tonight, we unveiled our work to him. We've made one million of these robots. The thing that made me contact you is the fact that they are a collective consciousness." Liu explained.
"What does that mean?" the Detective asked.
"It means, that if one robot is watching, say, a tank coming over a hill on the other side of the city, every other robot sees it without actually being their. It's a very big army that could be used against humanity.
The detective didn't respond right away.
"You there?" Liu asked.
The cop hung up.
"Hello?" Liu said.
Nothing came on the line.
"Fuck!" Liu said.
He had the proof. He punched in the directions to the police station into the GPS. He pulled out, blowing through the gate, racing to get to the police station.
6:30:14- Night. The sun had finally fallen on Tokyo. The lights of the city had turned on, giving in to the glowing, pulsating neon craze that made the city famous.
Hwoarang sat in the passenger's seat of the Honda Accord that Wallace was driving. They were approaching the same mall that Hwoarang was in not more than two hours ago. It seemed odd, being here so late after the incident. Jin's death had been forgotten for a moment. Hwoarang almost wanted to hit himself for not remembering the incident every second that passed. Right now, he had another person that just seemed like a memory to deal with: Ling.
He loved her, which was weird for him. She reminded him of red silk with the intriguing, promising smell of strawberries and crème. When they were alone together, it was only then he was finally himself. He was able to drop the image of a jackass for one of a boy who really just wanted some company. Sex wasn't exactly a necessity with him anymore. Yeah, women here and there pined for him, but he wouldn't give in.
His entire life had been that way. He admitted the fact that he was hot to most women, and could probably be a successful model in not time at all, but it wasn't him. He was the type who loved an adrenaline rush. Fighting did that for him. He thought about what would happen if he ever did model, and personally, he'd probably be shy about it; which is something that would never happen if he fought.
Fighting freed his mind, his conscience. His inner demons were released to go play. There were opponents that were let off easy, and others he nearly killed. He wasn't afraid of the rage. That may have been why Ling had stopped seeing him. He never hit her, but it was what he did to others that may have scared her.
The signal on the GPS beeped.
"She's close." He said.
"Yeah. Got to be at the light up there." Wallace said.
The Honda pulled up behind a red Toyota Camry. There was a woman inside. Hwoarang knew it was her.
"That her?" Wallace said.
Hwoarang had left the vehicle, not hearing Wallace. He unholstered the H&K at his hip and opened the passenger door of the Toyota.
She didn't know what hit her. He sat down with the gun pointed at her.
"Long time, no see." He said.
It took Ling a moment to recognize him and for the shock to settle.
"How the hell did you find me?" she asked.
"That's for me to know." He said.
The light turned green and Ling's Toyota pulled through the intersection, while Wallace turned in order to avoid suspicion.
"Then, what do you want?" she said, annoyed already by his presence.
"I want Chen. Where is he?" he asked.
"Why should I tell you?"
"Because I deserve the chance to claim what's mine." He said.
He said this while trying to stroke a piece of her hair, she angrily swatted at his hand.
"What do I get in return?" she asked. "Well, if you don't take me to him, you get a nice 9mm slug. Do what I ask, and maybe you'll get my gratitude as well." He said.
She glanced at the gun. He was serious about it. She always thought of him as a little controlling, but she really still missed him.
"Fine." She said.
6:38:58- Heihachi was in his limousine. The ride back to the headquarters proved that this was going to be a long night. The man that stole the chip from the lab was one that was trying his patience. The police had been called, and Interpol was on the lookout for the car he left the parking deck in. But somehow, all of that wasn't enough reassurance. He picked up the phone, punching in the numbers.
"Yes?" Kazuya asked.
"There's a man by the name of Liu Pang Ho. He's a scientist that stole a chip from the labs. This chip is vital to our operation. Find him, and bring the chip back to me." Heihachi said.
"How hard shall I go on him?"
"Whatever it takes. Just get me that chip." He said, hanging up.
6:41:13- He finally made it to the police station. Walking through the front doors, he could notice the smell of stale coffee in the air. Uniformed policemen moved about the main floor like it was theirs. Actually, this was their floor. The detectives were on the second floor. He had a brother that had worked as a cop here before he transferred to the department that got him killed.
Liu walked up to the information desk. A young female cop sat there in her uniform, looking about as bored as one could get before contemplating suicide. She was busy playing solitaire on the PC in front of her.
"What?" she said, still staring at the monitor.
"Detective Wong please?" he asked.
"Second floor, office 12B."
"Thanks." He said.
The staircase was off in its own little part of the building, and it probably wasn't used as often as one would think. The station itself sat on a hill, with this floor sitting on the downward slope. The second floor sat higher, and it gave them their own parking lot. Street access was as easy as leaving the lot from there. The office was blatantly obvious. It was the first office off the stairs. Liu knocked.
"Come in." Wong said.
Liu entered. Wong looked up at him.
"Can I help you?" Wong asked.
"I'm the man you hung up on." Liu said.
"So what? I didn't believe you and I had better things to waste my time with."
"You want proof? I got it. I can prove that there are one million of these things under the city." Liu said.
The cop got up and began to push Liu out of the office. He began to shut the door when Liu stuck his arm through holding the chip.
The chip in itself looked majestic. It was about the size of a half dollar. It was silver, and had a hole where a bright blue glow of the microprocessor could be seen. It also had three little prongs on each side of its rectangular shape where it could be hooked into something bigger.
The cop stopped. Liu walked back in.
"Now do you believe me?" Liu said.
"So it's true." Wong said.
"What is?"
"About two minutes before you entered my office, I received a departmental alert. It was to be on the lookout for you."
"I figured as much, but why did you arrest me? And why wasn't I apprehended downstairs?" Liu asked.
"I don't know about down there, maybe you were just lucky. Me though, I got a damn good reason. I hate Heihachi Mishima." Wong said.
"Why's that?" Liu asked.
The cop didn't answer at first. He moved back behind his desk and sat down. He offered a seat to Liu. Liu took it.
"One year ago, Mr. Mishima was in the limo that killed my wife and unborn child. Hit and run. Mishima wasn't at fault, the driver was. He was intoxicated. But that wasn't what made me hate him. It was heartless fact that he never apologized for what happened. So I sued him for hiring the drunk driver in the first place. He bribed the judge and actually got away with it. Then he counter-sued, and won. I was lucky to keep my job." Wong said.
"What did he sue you for?" Liu asked.
"Harassment. So that's why I was letting you go. If he looses a valuable chip to him, so be it. I lost my invaluable family, and he insulted me." Wong said.
"So what do we do about this?" Liu asked.
He was beginning to wonder if he came to the wrong place.
Wong sat there a moment, thinking about what he should do. He finally looked Liu straight in the eye.
"You think Heihachi's going to come after this?" Wong asked.
"I wouldn't doubt it. This thing renders the bots useless. If wants them to work properly, he'll need the chip." Liu said.
"Then I've got to protect you. I'll talk to my captain and see what we can do from this end. I'll be right back." Wong said.
He got up and left the room. Liu was worried. Wong seemed sincere, but he couldn't help but feel uneasy about all of this. He put his head in his hands and rubbed his face. He was tired.
6:49:23- Hwoarang entered the grocery store that provided cover for Chen's hideout. It looked like one you'd probably find in the slums of any city. It looked rundown, but it was just trying to be what it was, a business. The isles were lined with various goods, and a small refrigerated section lined the back wall, holding various types of beer, Gatorade, and milk.
Ling guided him forward towards that section, opening a door. The hiss of cold air blew in Hwoarang's face as she opened it, pushing a false shelf away from her. The racks that held everything was another door, which unlocked when the right shelf was moved. The two were walking directly into an elevator. He wondered where it was going.
She looked uneasy, and he didn't blame her. When she left him, she had told him to not try to contact her. He respected that and never talked to her until tonight. It wasn't like he had the opportunity to call her before. Two days after she left him, he was drafted into the army. He was literally dragged to the base he was stationed at. That was when Chen must have taken over, and now he was back. His cover story of wanting his old gang back did have some truth to it. He didn't want to run some stupid anti-terrorist unit. That was something Wallace seemed capable of all by himself. He wanted his old gang back. He wanted to go back to the life he once knew. One where the parties were wild, the fights were awesome, and the chicks were very fuckable. Money wasn't even an issue then. He was probably bringing in more money then than he would be running some stupid government agency.
The elevator stopped and the shimmering silver doors opened, revealing the "Miami nightclub" that was Chen's office.
"Sit there. I'll get him. Don't expect a warm welcome." She said, walking out into the arena.
He took a seat in the plush white leather armchair. The room had a green haze-type lighting scheme in place and it reminded him of something out of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. Chen always did have a thing for the '80's.
"What the fuck do you want?" Chen said, walking in.
Hwoarang was almost speechless. Chen had really built himself up, muscle wise.
The tank top that Chen wore showed off his now huge arms. His chest was beginning to bulge out and his abs were also poking out of the black wife- beater that looked like it was about to rip any second now. It was a huge change from the obese figure that used to be his right hand man. This was starting to worry him.
"I see you've changed." Hwoarang said.
"I fucking run this place. Plus, I was sick of being big." He said.
"I see."
"I'll say it again, what the fuck do you want?" Chen said.
"I want the gang back." Hwoarang said.
"Nope. Can't do that." Chen said.
"Why's that?"
"Because I fucking said so, that's why."
"Did you ever change the rules?" Hwoarang asked.
"What rules would those be?" Chen asked. "Remember how you wanted the gang once before? The rules I made say that if somebody wants to run the gang, they have to beat the leader in a fight." Hwoarang said.
"You want to fight me?" Chen said.
"Yep."
"For the gang?" Chen asked.
"Yep."
He sat there a moment, contemplating the challenge. Hwoarang hoped he wouldn't remember the rest of the rule, which said, that the leader doesn't have to accept the challenge.
"You're on." Chen said.
Ling walked in from the arena wearing nothing but a bright red bra and panties. She looked like she didn't care, but Hwoarang knew she probably did.
"This good enough, hon?" she said.
"Yeah." Chen said, waving her off.
She left, and Hwoarang glared at Chen.
"You're sleeping with her." Hwoarang said.
It wasn't a question, it was a statement. He could tell something was up when he saw Ling back in the car. She seemed different somehow, he just couldn't figure out what it was until now, when it was blatantly obvious.
"Yeah, and you better remember her that way because I'm going to fucking kill you in the ring." Chen said.
"Not if I kill you first." Hwoarang said, and he meant it.
6:55:34- Liu was staring at Wong's plagues that stood framed on the walls of the office. According to them, Wong was a skilled sharpshooter and a very fast runner. He had nailed many big name criminals in his time, Liu figured. Maybe it was about time to bring down another one.
Wong came and threw a bulletproof vest at Liu.
"What's the deal?" Liu asked.
"My captain agrees with me. We need to keep you protected. But first, we need to get you out of this station. It'd be too easy to find you here. Interpol can just walk in and apprehend you, and the police wouldn't be able to lift a finger." Wong said.
Wong was wearing a bulletproof vest over his shirt and tie, a Beretta holstered on the right side of his belt.
"So where are we going?" Liu asked.
"I need to take something first. The chip. I should have it, just in case." Wong said.
Liu now doubted him. He wasn't going to let that chip out of his sight. He didn't know if Heihachi had gotten to anybody inside the police department.
"This chip doesn't leave my possession. No exceptions." Liu said.
"Ok, then." Wong said.
6:57:44- Kazuya was watching them from across the street. It had begun to rain hard and he was in a full rain suit, his face completely surrounded by the shroud. He was just waiting for the man who had the chip to leave. Then he would be able to satisfy his hunger.
He ran his tongue across his fangs inside his mouth. They were very sharp, he realized as he felt the sharp pain of the tooth cutting into the soft flesh of his tongue. Blood began to swell from the small wound. Boy was it good. So good, in fact, that he was getting anxious. Kazuya couldn't wait till he could drink again. This was going to be fun.
6:58:12- Hwoarang sat in the empty locker room by himself. Prepping for himself for the fight like a boxer would. Chan really wanted this to be painful because there were no gloves set aside for him to wear. There was some clothing: a pair of black Adidas pants, a t-shirt, and a tank top. Hwoarang wasn't surprised by the choices, seeing as it was the locker used to be his. He figured it had been left untouched. The pants were the right size, but the two shirts left behind felt tight, so he decided against wearing a shirt. Oh, and he had almost forgot to take his shoes off. Those were forbidden from the fights.
The door to the locker room flew open, a man holding it open. It was time.
When Hwoarang stepped out into the arena, he felt alive again. There were crowds of people gathered around the caged octagon in the center off the room. It looked like it did on TV. But the funny thing was, nobody was cheering for Hwoarang. Chan was already in the ring, showing off.
The man led Hwoarang down to the ring, opening the door for him.
He stepped inside and Chen stopped showing off. He then stared at Hwoarang and smiled as if this was a guilty pleasure.
Hwoarang just stared at Chen, not saying a word.
The two men circled around each other, waiting for something to happen.
The bell dinged.
6:59:57. 6:59:58. 6:59:59. 7:00:00.
Author's note: I can't believe this chapter is as long as it is. But I hope that you all are satisfied so far. A good song I think that could be related to this hour and the next few hours coming up is Linkin Park's "P5hng Me A*wy" from their "Live in Texas" album. Stay tuned!
Disclaimer: Don't own "24" or "Tekken".
The following takes place between 6:00 pm and 7:00 pm.
Events occur in real time.
6:00:00- Nina Williams was in a small underground office. She had been told by her handlers to contact the man she was about to visit if anything in a contract went fowl. Her sister's involvement seemed pretty fowl.
Nina knew how bad this situation was. Anna knew everything about her sister: the way she fights, the guns she uses, the usual methods she takes in assassinations, pretty much every move she would typically make. Nina didn't know anything about her sister, which made this very tricky ground to walk on. She just hoped Chen would be able to fix that.
The office was set up like a Florida nightclub. Bright green and blue neon lights dimly lit the room, which had white walls and plush white carpeting. The place not only looked like a tropical indoor setting, but it felt like it too. It had to have been at least 85 degrees in the room. And outside, it was the beginning of spring, and it still felt like the dead of winter.
A Chinese man came in and sat down at the desk like he owned the place. He did, actually. Chen Hendrix was a man who liked to flaunt his power wherever he went. He liked to spend money as well as make it, and loved to rub people's reputations into the ground.
Tonight was no different. Nina actually felt intimidated by the tall man. He was abnormally tall at 7'9". He was well built, his tight dress shirt showing the massive bulge of his chest. She stayed straight-faced, not trying to show her feelings against the man. She didn't like his style, and she didn't want that to come across.
"What can I do for you, babe?" Chen asked.
Nina pulled out a card that had some writing on it. Thirty minutes ago, she had opened an envelope she hadn't ever needed. She had worked for this handler for only a couple of months, but this is something every handler did. Inside the envelope was two phone numbers. The first was to an assistant, who took down the information and relayed it to the handler. The second was an emergency number that was a direct line to the handler. This was only to be used last. She had seen what happened to people who used it improperly. Tonight she used it. The assistant's line kept ringing, which wasn't ever good. But the handler was quick with the call. She had sent her to Chen for protection. The card she now held had the handler's password on it. She slid it across the desk to Chen.
Chen took the card and read it. His laptop was in front of him. It was a small machine that was top of the line and state-of-the-art. He hit a few buttons and confirmed the code. The name that came up was of a woman he had heard of, but never met. Chen trusted the woman, but he knew she was giving him an alias. Gloria Payton sounded too American, and Chen wondered if this handler did that on purpose.
"Shelter?" he asked.
"From the rain." She said.
It wasn't actually raining outside; it was just another password she had been taught when she went under with her handler. Chen nodded in approval.
"Ok." He said.
Chen took a gel pen from his desk and began writing on the small pad of paper nearby. He ripped off the paper and handed it to Nina.
"Go here. Give them this name and ID number. They should let you in, no questions asked. Wait for my call." He said.
"Ok. Thank you." She said.
She stood up and walked to the door, which was made of steel. It looked like it fit in some space movie, but she didn't care. What she did care about was the section of wall to her immediate right that opened. She darted to the left, reacting unnecessarily.
Ling Xiaoyu walked through the hidden door that led out into a massive underground arena. Nina was the last thing she expected to see here.
Nina was stunned, but didn't show it. She regained her posture and left the office. She couldn't believe it. Ling Xiaoyu, her handler, was here with Chen.
6:06:57- Hwoarang was at a computer on the main floor of what he dubbed the ATU, or anti terrorist unit. He didn't know the technical name of the unit, and right now wasn't too worried about finding out. He was looking up names and numbers of people he trusted who could get him in contact with Ling or Chen. He didn't really want to do this, but if he left now, he knew he'd feel guilty about it later.
A phone number popped up on the monitor. It was showed with a picture of Ling and her current location. He wrote down the number, got up, and went over to Wallace's office, which he knew was going to be his at some later date.
"Hey." He said.
Wallace was on the phone, again. "Yeah. I'm going to need those teams on standby for the rest of the evening. No, Tokyo police can't handle this. Fine. Bye." Wallace said.
Wallace hung up the phone and looked at Hwoarang.
"What is it?" he said.
"I found Ling." He said, putting the number in front of him.
"Ok. Let's do this." Wallace said.
The two left the office and moved into the conference room.
Hwoarang sat down, while Wallace began to type on a small laptop.
"What are you doing?" Hwoarang said.
"Triangulating the signal. We need an exact location on her." Wallace said.
Hwoarang didn't know whether to start dialing or wait.
"I'm good, go." Wallace said.
Hwoarang dialed.
"Yeah?" she said.
"Ling?"
"Who is this?" she said.
"Hwoarang."
She didn't say anything.
"You there?" he said.
"What the hell do you want?" she asked.
"What's rightfully mine: my gang." He said.
She laughed.
"You know the rules. Got to fight the big man to get that. And he's got quite an impressive record already. Undefeated." She said.
"Yeah, and you know my record. I could always kick Chen's ass before, and you know it." He said.
"Not anymore, baby. Times have changed. Chen's a big man now. You wouldn't dare take him on." She said.
"I'll take my chances." He said.
Hwoarang glanced over at Wallace, who gave him a signal to keep it going.
"He's not going to be happy." She said.
"Who cares if he's happy now, or after the fight? I want what's mine." He said.
"Well, I don't think it would make a big difference. So, no." she said.
Wallace gave him the thumbs up.
"Wait!" he said.
She hung up.
"Where?" he said.
"She's at a small grocery store about a five miles north of here. It looks like she's leaving." Wallace said.
"Good." Hwoarang said.
6:17:03- Liu was lucky. Too lucky, in fact. The elevator was a breeze compared to the guards that had soon begun combing the building for him. But he wasn't stupid enough to stay there.
He was now in the parking deck next door, where his car would be. But that wasn't his plan. He started moving up against his car and got in, starting it. Quietly, he left the car, leaving it running.
He moved up one level, making sure to keep his head down. He ducked between a BMW and an old Cadillac El Dorado. Liu actually wondered what a Cadillac that old was doing in Japan. He decided to ignore it.
He took out his pocket knife and began messing with some of the tools on it, trying to break into the BMW. He heard a car coming up near him. He stopped and ran to the front of the car, up against the wall.
The car was that of a security guard, searching around for him, most likely. The car passed. That was close.
He went back to the lock, finally successfully opening it. He had begun to think he had gotten rusty, seeing that he used to work on cars as a teenager, knowing everything about them, including locking mechanisms. He had been reading up on them lately, which is why he chose the Beemer. The locks were always the same, and thank God this one didn't have an alarm system.
Inside the car, he began hotwiring the car, trying to get the engine to turn over. He smiled when the engine finally surrendered and began to purr as he revved the engine. He realized there was no easy way to get out of the deck. The guard at the exit gate would know to look out for him, and if he gunned it, the car would be fingered. He had to get to the police, the feds, the UN, somebody. He brought up the car's GPS system and looked up any available location that could give him some protection from Heihachi.
None of them were close by, and he was scrambling to find someone to help him. Then he saw the phone on the console, and dialed the number for the police.
"Police Headquarters?" a man's voice said.
"I need help." Liu said.
"How can I help you sir?" he said.
"I'm at Mishima Labs. I am trying to get a hold of somebody that can protect me. You see, there's something terrible being built here." Liu said, trying to sound convincing.
"Ok. Let me get one of the detectives here." he said.
Liu realized what was going to happen.
"Don't put me on hold!"
It was too late. He was holding.
After a moment, he came back.
"This is Detective Wong." A man said.
"This Liu Pang Ho, I work at Mishima Labs. I'm calling to inform you of something that is going on here that is very important." Liu said.
"What is it?"
"We successfully made a fighting cyborg over a year ago. When this knowledge got to Heihachi Mishima, he ordered us to start mass production. Tonight, we unveiled our work to him. We've made one million of these robots. The thing that made me contact you is the fact that they are a collective consciousness." Liu explained.
"What does that mean?" the Detective asked.
"It means, that if one robot is watching, say, a tank coming over a hill on the other side of the city, every other robot sees it without actually being their. It's a very big army that could be used against humanity.
The detective didn't respond right away.
"You there?" Liu asked.
The cop hung up.
"Hello?" Liu said.
Nothing came on the line.
"Fuck!" Liu said.
He had the proof. He punched in the directions to the police station into the GPS. He pulled out, blowing through the gate, racing to get to the police station.
6:30:14- Night. The sun had finally fallen on Tokyo. The lights of the city had turned on, giving in to the glowing, pulsating neon craze that made the city famous.
Hwoarang sat in the passenger's seat of the Honda Accord that Wallace was driving. They were approaching the same mall that Hwoarang was in not more than two hours ago. It seemed odd, being here so late after the incident. Jin's death had been forgotten for a moment. Hwoarang almost wanted to hit himself for not remembering the incident every second that passed. Right now, he had another person that just seemed like a memory to deal with: Ling.
He loved her, which was weird for him. She reminded him of red silk with the intriguing, promising smell of strawberries and crème. When they were alone together, it was only then he was finally himself. He was able to drop the image of a jackass for one of a boy who really just wanted some company. Sex wasn't exactly a necessity with him anymore. Yeah, women here and there pined for him, but he wouldn't give in.
His entire life had been that way. He admitted the fact that he was hot to most women, and could probably be a successful model in not time at all, but it wasn't him. He was the type who loved an adrenaline rush. Fighting did that for him. He thought about what would happen if he ever did model, and personally, he'd probably be shy about it; which is something that would never happen if he fought.
Fighting freed his mind, his conscience. His inner demons were released to go play. There were opponents that were let off easy, and others he nearly killed. He wasn't afraid of the rage. That may have been why Ling had stopped seeing him. He never hit her, but it was what he did to others that may have scared her.
The signal on the GPS beeped.
"She's close." He said.
"Yeah. Got to be at the light up there." Wallace said.
The Honda pulled up behind a red Toyota Camry. There was a woman inside. Hwoarang knew it was her.
"That her?" Wallace said.
Hwoarang had left the vehicle, not hearing Wallace. He unholstered the H&K at his hip and opened the passenger door of the Toyota.
She didn't know what hit her. He sat down with the gun pointed at her.
"Long time, no see." He said.
It took Ling a moment to recognize him and for the shock to settle.
"How the hell did you find me?" she asked.
"That's for me to know." He said.
The light turned green and Ling's Toyota pulled through the intersection, while Wallace turned in order to avoid suspicion.
"Then, what do you want?" she said, annoyed already by his presence.
"I want Chen. Where is he?" he asked.
"Why should I tell you?"
"Because I deserve the chance to claim what's mine." He said.
He said this while trying to stroke a piece of her hair, she angrily swatted at his hand.
"What do I get in return?" she asked. "Well, if you don't take me to him, you get a nice 9mm slug. Do what I ask, and maybe you'll get my gratitude as well." He said.
She glanced at the gun. He was serious about it. She always thought of him as a little controlling, but she really still missed him.
"Fine." She said.
6:38:58- Heihachi was in his limousine. The ride back to the headquarters proved that this was going to be a long night. The man that stole the chip from the lab was one that was trying his patience. The police had been called, and Interpol was on the lookout for the car he left the parking deck in. But somehow, all of that wasn't enough reassurance. He picked up the phone, punching in the numbers.
"Yes?" Kazuya asked.
"There's a man by the name of Liu Pang Ho. He's a scientist that stole a chip from the labs. This chip is vital to our operation. Find him, and bring the chip back to me." Heihachi said.
"How hard shall I go on him?"
"Whatever it takes. Just get me that chip." He said, hanging up.
6:41:13- He finally made it to the police station. Walking through the front doors, he could notice the smell of stale coffee in the air. Uniformed policemen moved about the main floor like it was theirs. Actually, this was their floor. The detectives were on the second floor. He had a brother that had worked as a cop here before he transferred to the department that got him killed.
Liu walked up to the information desk. A young female cop sat there in her uniform, looking about as bored as one could get before contemplating suicide. She was busy playing solitaire on the PC in front of her.
"What?" she said, still staring at the monitor.
"Detective Wong please?" he asked.
"Second floor, office 12B."
"Thanks." He said.
The staircase was off in its own little part of the building, and it probably wasn't used as often as one would think. The station itself sat on a hill, with this floor sitting on the downward slope. The second floor sat higher, and it gave them their own parking lot. Street access was as easy as leaving the lot from there. The office was blatantly obvious. It was the first office off the stairs. Liu knocked.
"Come in." Wong said.
Liu entered. Wong looked up at him.
"Can I help you?" Wong asked.
"I'm the man you hung up on." Liu said.
"So what? I didn't believe you and I had better things to waste my time with."
"You want proof? I got it. I can prove that there are one million of these things under the city." Liu said.
The cop got up and began to push Liu out of the office. He began to shut the door when Liu stuck his arm through holding the chip.
The chip in itself looked majestic. It was about the size of a half dollar. It was silver, and had a hole where a bright blue glow of the microprocessor could be seen. It also had three little prongs on each side of its rectangular shape where it could be hooked into something bigger.
The cop stopped. Liu walked back in.
"Now do you believe me?" Liu said.
"So it's true." Wong said.
"What is?"
"About two minutes before you entered my office, I received a departmental alert. It was to be on the lookout for you."
"I figured as much, but why did you arrest me? And why wasn't I apprehended downstairs?" Liu asked.
"I don't know about down there, maybe you were just lucky. Me though, I got a damn good reason. I hate Heihachi Mishima." Wong said.
"Why's that?" Liu asked.
The cop didn't answer at first. He moved back behind his desk and sat down. He offered a seat to Liu. Liu took it.
"One year ago, Mr. Mishima was in the limo that killed my wife and unborn child. Hit and run. Mishima wasn't at fault, the driver was. He was intoxicated. But that wasn't what made me hate him. It was heartless fact that he never apologized for what happened. So I sued him for hiring the drunk driver in the first place. He bribed the judge and actually got away with it. Then he counter-sued, and won. I was lucky to keep my job." Wong said.
"What did he sue you for?" Liu asked.
"Harassment. So that's why I was letting you go. If he looses a valuable chip to him, so be it. I lost my invaluable family, and he insulted me." Wong said.
"So what do we do about this?" Liu asked.
He was beginning to wonder if he came to the wrong place.
Wong sat there a moment, thinking about what he should do. He finally looked Liu straight in the eye.
"You think Heihachi's going to come after this?" Wong asked.
"I wouldn't doubt it. This thing renders the bots useless. If wants them to work properly, he'll need the chip." Liu said.
"Then I've got to protect you. I'll talk to my captain and see what we can do from this end. I'll be right back." Wong said.
He got up and left the room. Liu was worried. Wong seemed sincere, but he couldn't help but feel uneasy about all of this. He put his head in his hands and rubbed his face. He was tired.
6:49:23- Hwoarang entered the grocery store that provided cover for Chen's hideout. It looked like one you'd probably find in the slums of any city. It looked rundown, but it was just trying to be what it was, a business. The isles were lined with various goods, and a small refrigerated section lined the back wall, holding various types of beer, Gatorade, and milk.
Ling guided him forward towards that section, opening a door. The hiss of cold air blew in Hwoarang's face as she opened it, pushing a false shelf away from her. The racks that held everything was another door, which unlocked when the right shelf was moved. The two were walking directly into an elevator. He wondered where it was going.
She looked uneasy, and he didn't blame her. When she left him, she had told him to not try to contact her. He respected that and never talked to her until tonight. It wasn't like he had the opportunity to call her before. Two days after she left him, he was drafted into the army. He was literally dragged to the base he was stationed at. That was when Chen must have taken over, and now he was back. His cover story of wanting his old gang back did have some truth to it. He didn't want to run some stupid anti-terrorist unit. That was something Wallace seemed capable of all by himself. He wanted his old gang back. He wanted to go back to the life he once knew. One where the parties were wild, the fights were awesome, and the chicks were very fuckable. Money wasn't even an issue then. He was probably bringing in more money then than he would be running some stupid government agency.
The elevator stopped and the shimmering silver doors opened, revealing the "Miami nightclub" that was Chen's office.
"Sit there. I'll get him. Don't expect a warm welcome." She said, walking out into the arena.
He took a seat in the plush white leather armchair. The room had a green haze-type lighting scheme in place and it reminded him of something out of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. Chen always did have a thing for the '80's.
"What the fuck do you want?" Chen said, walking in.
Hwoarang was almost speechless. Chen had really built himself up, muscle wise.
The tank top that Chen wore showed off his now huge arms. His chest was beginning to bulge out and his abs were also poking out of the black wife- beater that looked like it was about to rip any second now. It was a huge change from the obese figure that used to be his right hand man. This was starting to worry him.
"I see you've changed." Hwoarang said.
"I fucking run this place. Plus, I was sick of being big." He said.
"I see."
"I'll say it again, what the fuck do you want?" Chen said.
"I want the gang back." Hwoarang said.
"Nope. Can't do that." Chen said.
"Why's that?"
"Because I fucking said so, that's why."
"Did you ever change the rules?" Hwoarang asked.
"What rules would those be?" Chen asked. "Remember how you wanted the gang once before? The rules I made say that if somebody wants to run the gang, they have to beat the leader in a fight." Hwoarang said.
"You want to fight me?" Chen said.
"Yep."
"For the gang?" Chen asked.
"Yep."
He sat there a moment, contemplating the challenge. Hwoarang hoped he wouldn't remember the rest of the rule, which said, that the leader doesn't have to accept the challenge.
"You're on." Chen said.
Ling walked in from the arena wearing nothing but a bright red bra and panties. She looked like she didn't care, but Hwoarang knew she probably did.
"This good enough, hon?" she said.
"Yeah." Chen said, waving her off.
She left, and Hwoarang glared at Chen.
"You're sleeping with her." Hwoarang said.
It wasn't a question, it was a statement. He could tell something was up when he saw Ling back in the car. She seemed different somehow, he just couldn't figure out what it was until now, when it was blatantly obvious.
"Yeah, and you better remember her that way because I'm going to fucking kill you in the ring." Chen said.
"Not if I kill you first." Hwoarang said, and he meant it.
6:55:34- Liu was staring at Wong's plagues that stood framed on the walls of the office. According to them, Wong was a skilled sharpshooter and a very fast runner. He had nailed many big name criminals in his time, Liu figured. Maybe it was about time to bring down another one.
Wong came and threw a bulletproof vest at Liu.
"What's the deal?" Liu asked.
"My captain agrees with me. We need to keep you protected. But first, we need to get you out of this station. It'd be too easy to find you here. Interpol can just walk in and apprehend you, and the police wouldn't be able to lift a finger." Wong said.
Wong was wearing a bulletproof vest over his shirt and tie, a Beretta holstered on the right side of his belt.
"So where are we going?" Liu asked.
"I need to take something first. The chip. I should have it, just in case." Wong said.
Liu now doubted him. He wasn't going to let that chip out of his sight. He didn't know if Heihachi had gotten to anybody inside the police department.
"This chip doesn't leave my possession. No exceptions." Liu said.
"Ok, then." Wong said.
6:57:44- Kazuya was watching them from across the street. It had begun to rain hard and he was in a full rain suit, his face completely surrounded by the shroud. He was just waiting for the man who had the chip to leave. Then he would be able to satisfy his hunger.
He ran his tongue across his fangs inside his mouth. They were very sharp, he realized as he felt the sharp pain of the tooth cutting into the soft flesh of his tongue. Blood began to swell from the small wound. Boy was it good. So good, in fact, that he was getting anxious. Kazuya couldn't wait till he could drink again. This was going to be fun.
6:58:12- Hwoarang sat in the empty locker room by himself. Prepping for himself for the fight like a boxer would. Chan really wanted this to be painful because there were no gloves set aside for him to wear. There was some clothing: a pair of black Adidas pants, a t-shirt, and a tank top. Hwoarang wasn't surprised by the choices, seeing as it was the locker used to be his. He figured it had been left untouched. The pants were the right size, but the two shirts left behind felt tight, so he decided against wearing a shirt. Oh, and he had almost forgot to take his shoes off. Those were forbidden from the fights.
The door to the locker room flew open, a man holding it open. It was time.
When Hwoarang stepped out into the arena, he felt alive again. There were crowds of people gathered around the caged octagon in the center off the room. It looked like it did on TV. But the funny thing was, nobody was cheering for Hwoarang. Chan was already in the ring, showing off.
The man led Hwoarang down to the ring, opening the door for him.
He stepped inside and Chen stopped showing off. He then stared at Hwoarang and smiled as if this was a guilty pleasure.
Hwoarang just stared at Chen, not saying a word.
The two men circled around each other, waiting for something to happen.
The bell dinged.
6:59:57. 6:59:58. 6:59:59. 7:00:00.
Author's note: I can't believe this chapter is as long as it is. But I hope that you all are satisfied so far. A good song I think that could be related to this hour and the next few hours coming up is Linkin Park's "P5hng Me A*wy" from their "Live in Texas" album. Stay tuned!