Tekken 24
Disclaimer: Don't own "24" or "Tekken".
The following takes place between 8:00 pm and 9:00 pm.
Events occur in real time.
8:00:00- Adam saw Wallace over at the infrared satellite, working on something. So that's where he was. He had been looking for him for the past two minutes, to no avail. Wallace had a knack for hiding, even on an open floor like this. The building was beginning to get chaotic a little. The news of Liu Pang Ho had everyone trying to put a net over the city, and so far, they've gotten nothing. Adam approached Wallace.
"I found something about that satellite." Adam said.
Wallace turned away from the computer.
"What'd you get?" he asked.
"Well, I tried comparing the times that the signal was active to the check in and checkout times of people inside the building. The only one with an exact match was the man you brought in a couple hours ago." Adam explained.
"Hwoarang would have noticed if a transmitter was on him. And besides, why would he have one on him in the first place?" Wallace asked.
"I don't think he knew it was on him. They were burst transmissions. Whatever it was, it was very small. You'd probably have to be looking for it to notice it."
"Ok. You get anything on the receiver?" Wallace asked.
"Yeah, I was about to get to that. It's here in Tokyo." Adam said.
"Where exactly?"
"I'm trying to narrow it down now. We should know within the hour." Adam said.
"Good work. Keep me posted." Wallace said, going back to the infrared satellite database.
8:03:45- Hwoarang fell onto the ground inside the caged arena. The crowd was still silent, obviously shocked by the turn of events. His face had taken a good portion of the attacks. His nose was probably broken, his jaw probably fractured. He didn't know, and he didn't care. The fight wasn't what he expected it to be. He had underestimated Chen. The man who used to be nothing but a sidekick had made something of himself within the past year. The one thing he forgot Chen had was dedicated. When Hwoarang left the gang, Chen probably killed to get where he was. Then he beefed up and that's when his ego raised up. He probably knew it was only a matter of time before Hwoarang came back, wanting the gang back.
He was still conscious. He hurt all over, the blood from his nose and mouth beginning to dry to his face. The wound on his shoulder had gushed out a little blood before the wound dried up again. He turned his face towards the entrance to the ring.
"Move it. Let me in there." Ling yelled.
She was pushing her way through the crowd to get inside to Hwoarang. She still cared for him, even though she never showed it. When he left, she was frightened by Chen. She had slept with Chen yes, but it was almost forced sometimes. At least when she fucked Hwoarang she actually wanted to. Chen was too egotistical to have sex with. Hwoarang may have been cocky, but at least he admitted it. She pushed the ring door open and rushed to Hwoarang's side.
"I knew you'd come." He said.
"Don't talk. I'm here." She said.
"I'm okay."
"No you're not. He could have killed you."
"No. I killed him actually." He said.
She looked over to Chen. He was right. Chen's body wasn't moving, a beer bottle just now dropping out of his lifeless hand.
"Well, you got what you wanted." She said.
"I know." He said.
"Let's get you out of here. Can you walk?" she asked.
"Maybe." He said.
She grabbed his left arm and began to help him up. He grunted as he struggled to get his left leg up, his foot still killing him from the bottle Chen stabbed it with.
The crowd stood aside, letting the two through towards the locker rooms. They looked on in amazement. They probably never thought he would make it. It was a 'David and Goliath' match, and as the fable said, David won.
Ling held onto his arm as the two walked into the locker room, shutting the door behind them.
8:10:23- Liu had begun walking in the direction of the address, hoping to run into a taxi or something, just so he didn't have to walk all the way there. If he did, it'd be at least three hours till he got there. And he didn't know if there was anybody still after him.
He had gone about seven blocks so far. He was starting to enter a fairly decent residential neighborhood. The houses white or some other various color, good sized lawns, too. If he made any less money, he'd probably be in a neighborhood like this. The type any middle-class family would live in. Husband, wife, two kids, maybe three, and a big driveway that gets wet in the summer from the sprinkler in the front yard. He kept walking down the street.
Turning the corner, the lights of a convenience store lit the street. He was about a block away from there. He could call the number, as long as he had the money.
Liu fumbled in his pockets feeling for change. His fingers feeling the sides of the coins, trying to tell size and weight, praying he had correct change for the payphone. He guessed he did. He then checked his other pocket. Then he remembered that there was no change there. He moved it all over to the other pocket so that way there was nothing piling up against the chip. He had put it inside a little box back at the station. That way, in case he fell on it, it wouldn't break.
He walked up to the payphone outside of the store and threw the change in. He dialed the number.
8:17:51- Wallace's cell phone rang.
"Wallace." He said.
"Yes, I got this number from a Detective Wong. He told me to call. Who is this again?" Liu said.
"SAC Albert Wallace, United Nations Anti-Terrorist Unit. Who's this?" Wallace said.
"This is Liu Pang Ho. I was under police surveillance until we were attacked."
Wallace snapped his fingers at Adam as he began to walk across the main floor. He mouthed the words "Trace this call" as he pointed to his cell phone.
Adam was at his workstation. He had three different computers that he worked on at any given time. He turned around while sitting in his swivel chair and began typing away at one computer. Wallace came up behind him, looking at the monitor as the trace started.
"Liu, you called the right number. Where are you?" Wallace said. "Somewhere in the south part of the city at a convenience store payphone. I'm not sure where." Liu said.
"Do you know the street name?"
"I haven't lived here long; I don't know this part of the city yet." Liu said.
"Ok, no problem. Is the detective there?" Wallace asked.
"No, he's dead. As I said, we were attacked by some type of vampire, and we crashed on an overpass."
"Was it near the expressway?" Wallace asked.
"No. It was just another street below us. The vampire landed down there after we crashed." Liu said.
"Ok. That helps narrow it down." Wallace said.
Adam's net was going city-wide.
"Adam. South side of the city, look for convenience stores near overpasses that are not near the expressway." Wallace said.
"That will really narrow it down." Adam said.
"Tell me Liu, do you still have the evidence?" Wallace asked.
"You mean the chip?"
"Yes." Wallace said.
"Yeah, I still got it. How much longer is this going to take?" Liu asked.
Adam's computer locked onto the signal.
"We got it." Adam said.
"Ok, Liu. We got it. We know where you are now. I'm going to be there personally in about twenty minutes to pick you up. You just stay there at the store and keep out of trouble, ok?" Wallace said.
"Ok." Liu said.
The two hung up their respective phones.
Back at the crash site, Kazuya got up and walked away.
8:26:59- Hwoarang was lying on the bed in Ling's room. The room was in a Victorian style. Very feminine, he thought. The color pattern was of bright reds and burgundies. The room also had a wood theme going. The bed he laid on had four banisters at the four corners of the bed. They were made of a cherry lacquered wood. In fact, he just noticed that every piece of wood in the room had was cherry lacquered. He got off the bed and walked over to the nightstand, wanting to see himself in the mirror.
He was a bit surprised. His shirt was still off, and he was still wearing the same black Adidas pants he fought in. The bullet wound was all gauzed up again. There was a small bloodstain on it where it had tried to bleed through. His face was better than he expected. There was a piece of tissue up one nostril and a small bandage on the bridge of his nose. His jaw looked slightly swollen, but that wasn't what got him. He looked at his abs and noticed a really red area of skin around his waist. He touched it gingerly, trying not to cause any further pain to himself. It was sore to the touch. Even the most delicate touch ached. Chen's repeated attacks there were going to hurt for days to come, he figured.
He noticed a note standing on the nightstand in front of him. Along with the note were two aspirin and a bottle of water. He gulped the pills and took a splash of water to wash them down. He looked at the note. It was from Ling.
"Take these when you can. I need to talk to you about something. Meet me in Chen's office. There are some clothes in the closet."
He dropped the note on the table and looked in the closet.
Inside the small closet was his blue jeans, a black long sleeve t-shirt, and a pair of tennis shoes. The light from the lamp on the nightstand shined on the clothes as if they were a gift from the heavens. He grabbed the clothes and quickly began to change.
He wondered what Ling wanted to talk about. She probably was going to go over the details of the drug deal that was probably going to go down within the next couple hours. Buttoning the jeans, he wondered where the deal was taking place at. Time would tell if he would also be able to contact Wallace with the location. He slid the shirt on and began to put on the shoes.
Should he tell Ling about his assignment? She might not help him then. She was probably in this thinking he was back just for her and the gang. Learning that he was actually undercover, working for an anti-terrorist squad might not go so well with her.
He walked out of the bedroom into a small narrow hallway with not many doors. Two doors lined the hall, both locked. He walked up, coming to one last door. He opened it, and was out in the arena.
Hwoarang didn't know how they did it so quickly, but the place was empty. No fans, no crowds to cheer his survival. Not hearing the cheers as he walked the empty floor was almost a disappointment. He was glad to be in charge of his gang again. It felt like an old glove, the crevices still there for your hand to fill.
There was a long metal staircase at one end of the arena that had led to the "Miami" room. Sure enough, Ling was inside. She was at a small bar that sat on a small end table, fixing a drink.
"Fix me one while you're at it." He said.
She spun around, scared by his presence. Taking a deep breath, she continued to pour the clear liquid.
"I'm so used to Chen walking up here. He never let me in if he wasn't here." She said.
Hwoarang took a seat behind the desk. He leaned back in the chair, feeling comfortable.
"How long have you been working from here?" he asked.
"About four months now. We moved here to start a front." She said.
"A front for what?" he asked, trying to seem surprised.
"Drugs. That's what I wanted to talk to you about." She said, bringing Hwoarang's galls over to him.
"I see." He said, taking a sip of the drink.
Ugh. He now remembered her usual drink: Gin and Tonic. How could she drink this crap? He hated the mix, but sipped it anyway. No need in disrespecting her now.
"We have a deal going down in a little over an hour. It's a big one." She said.
"What's the product?" he asked.
"Ecstasy. We pay the dealer $200 million, he gives us the shipment. We bring it back here and then it hits the streets." She said.
Jesus Christ, $200 million? How big could this shipment be? No wonder Wallace wanted this to go down; this was a shit load of cash they were dealing with.
"Can the dealer be trusted?" he asked.
"Yes. We've dealt with him before. This is just the biggest deal we've had with him so far." "And if we don't go through with this?" he asked.
"Don't even talk about that. We don't do this deal we don't see the sun rise again. We'd be dead before midnight." She said.
"Fine. When do we do this?" he asked.
"We leave in thirty minutes. It's taking place at the docks." She said.
When she finished, the two sat there for a moment, staring at each other. The uneasy silence finally broke when Ling moved for the door.
"I'm going to go check on the men, make sure their ready." She said.
She left the room, and Hwoarang sprang to action. He started searching the computer for records of Nina Williams. He picked up the phone.
8:42:14- Wallace was in a Honda Accord, driving down to get Liu when his phone rang. It was Hwoarang.
"What'd you got?" he asked.
"Well, Chen's dead, I've got control of the gang, and we leave for the docks in thirty minutes." He said.
"The deal's going down there? How much is the shipment worth?"
"$200 million. And am I going to get busted for being the leader of this gang?" Hwoarang asked.
"No. You're in the clear for that. Any news on Nina?"
"I'm checking on that now." Hwoarang said.
"Well, we've gotten a bit of a story of our own over here." Wallace said.
"What's that?"
"Well, a scientist from the Mishima Labs came across a project that to this day has manufactured one million Combots. Now don't get ahead of yourself. The bots have the technology of a collective consciousness. Meaning, that what robot sees in one part of the city, every other bot sees it as well."
"My god. What do we do?" Hwoarang asked.
"The scientist that tipped us off also stole the chip that activates their collective consciousness. The bots are fairly weaker than they were a couple hours ago." Wallace said.
"So where are you now?"
"Well, the scientist had gone to the police, and then some type of vampire attacked them. I'm guessing it was Kazuya. He took out everybody but this scientist. I'm on my way to picking him up now."
"Be careful. I've fought Kazuya Mishima before, he almost killed me, and last I checked you weren't exactly fit." Hwoarang said.
"I've got a gun, and I'm one hell of a marksman. I'll be fine." Wallace said.
"Ok. Are teams going to be waiting at the docks?"
"Call Adam over at the ATU. He'll get it moving. The teams are ready. We were just waiting on a location." Wallace said.
"Ok. I better call him. Ling might be back any minute." Hwoarang said.
"Ok. Take care." Wallace said.
Wallace could see the bright lights of the store up ahead. He began worrying about Kazuya. If he showed up, he wouldn't be able to defend himself. There was no way in hell he could be a marksman, even if he tried. Now that he thought about it, it had been three years since he last qualified on the range back in D.C.
He was two blocks away now, passing a man walking along the side of the road. He looked in the rearview mirror. Holy fucking shit! That man was Kazuya. He was still alive. He floored the car.
8:48:54- Liu saw Wallace pull up. It was obvious to tell from the frantic speed the car was at.
Wallace jumped out of the car and ran into the store. Liu was next to the counter. The clerk was sitting on a chair behind the same counter, smoking a cigarette.
"We got to go, now!" Wallace said.
"Can I see some ID?" Liu said.
"Is this a joke? I just Kazuya two blocks ago! He's probably entering the lot as we speak!" Wallace said.
Wallace could see the fear in the man's eyes. He didn't the ID after all. He followed Wallace out of the store.
Sure enough, Kazuya was walking into the lot as they approached the car. Wallace pulled out his gun, silencer attached and fired at him.
Kazuya yelled. A bullet pierced his chest. The man with the chip had just gotten into the car. A bullet whizzed by his head by mere inches. Kazuya kept his eyes focused on the man inside the car.
Wallace fired about two more shots at Kazuya before finally getting in the car and driving off. That's when Kazuya sprang into action. He jumped into the air, landing on the front of the car, face on the windshield.
Wallace put the pedal to the metal. The car sped off, and Kazuya hung on tight. Wallace fishtailed out of the lot, speeding down the road at a ludicrous speed.
Kazuya started to punch at the windshield. One well placed punch later, the windshield cracked.
He slammed on the brakes, and the vampire on the hood didn't know what hit him. Kazuya went flying backwards onto the pavement, skidding to a stop after about sixty feet.
Wallace popped the car into reverse and sped backwards, pulling off a 180- degree turn. He sped off in the other direction.
8:53:22- Hwoarang finally found what he was looking for. Chen had left a note for himself so he knew where Nina was. She was at the most expensive hotel in the city. In fact, it was also the tallest building in the city. She was staying in the penthouse. Very convenient, he thought. She'd be free of the snipers, seeing as high up she was.
Ling walked in. She hadn't opened her mouth as soon as she came in, which was different.
Hwoarang shut off the monitor. Ling walked over to him behind the desk.
"There's something I want to tell you." She said.
He remained silent.
"I'm glad your back. I don't think I could stand Chen anymore." She said, starting to cry.
"Ling..."
"The truth is...I still love you." She said with full-blown tears now. He stood up. He put his hand on her cheek, using his thumb to wipe away a fresh tear.
"I still love you, and it's all been one big lie." She said.
"How could it be a lie?" he asked.
"I've been working for the CIA since I came here. Tonight, I was supposed to bring down the leader of the gang during the drug bust. I was more than happy to do it when it was Chen. But then you showed up, and I don't want to hurt you." She said.
He couldn't believe it. If she was CIA since she joined up, that meant she was a double agent for all of... three years. Shit. She was a good liar. But did she still love him?
He didn't care. Not about the lies, or the love either. He embraced her, and she continued to cry with her head buried in his chest. He didn't know what to think. He could only be amazed at the fact that she had been pulling off a charade this long.
8:58:04- Wallace was out of the residential district. Kazuya had scared him. He was shocked that he actually hit the bastard with the poor aim that he had. But one thing was for certain. He was going to hold onto the chip from now on. He pulled off to the side of the road.
"Whoa. What are you doing?" Liu asked.
The car idled a moment, then Wallace turned the engine off completely.
"Give me the chip." He said.
"I'm not giving this thing to anybody till I'm safe." Liu said.
"Look. That thing might be back. And if you care about anybody at all, you'll give me the chip." Wallace said assertively.
"I don't care. If I gave it to Detective Wong, it might be in that freak's hands back there." Liu said.
Wallace pulled out his gun, silencer still attached.
"What the fuck are you doing?" Liu asked, backing himself up against the door.
Wallace had his other hand on the power locks. He locked the doors.
"Give me the chip." Wallace said.
"You're going to kill me?" Liu asked.
"I don't want to." Wallace said.
"You can't kill me. You work for the UN." Liu said.
"I work for who I want to work for. Now, for the last time, give me the chip." Wallace said.
Liu thought about it a moment. He then reached in his pocket for a moment, but then lashed out at the gun. But his reaction wasn't fast enough. Wallace fired. Liu's brains splattered against the passenger's side window. Wallace reached over and pulled the chip out of the dead man's pocket. He got out of the car and holstered his weapon. He looked at the chip for a moment, and then put it in his pocket.
He then walked off, leaving the car behind.
8:59:57... 8:59:58... 8:59:59... 9:00:00...
Disclaimer: Don't own "24" or "Tekken".
The following takes place between 8:00 pm and 9:00 pm.
Events occur in real time.
8:00:00- Adam saw Wallace over at the infrared satellite, working on something. So that's where he was. He had been looking for him for the past two minutes, to no avail. Wallace had a knack for hiding, even on an open floor like this. The building was beginning to get chaotic a little. The news of Liu Pang Ho had everyone trying to put a net over the city, and so far, they've gotten nothing. Adam approached Wallace.
"I found something about that satellite." Adam said.
Wallace turned away from the computer.
"What'd you get?" he asked.
"Well, I tried comparing the times that the signal was active to the check in and checkout times of people inside the building. The only one with an exact match was the man you brought in a couple hours ago." Adam explained.
"Hwoarang would have noticed if a transmitter was on him. And besides, why would he have one on him in the first place?" Wallace asked.
"I don't think he knew it was on him. They were burst transmissions. Whatever it was, it was very small. You'd probably have to be looking for it to notice it."
"Ok. You get anything on the receiver?" Wallace asked.
"Yeah, I was about to get to that. It's here in Tokyo." Adam said.
"Where exactly?"
"I'm trying to narrow it down now. We should know within the hour." Adam said.
"Good work. Keep me posted." Wallace said, going back to the infrared satellite database.
8:03:45- Hwoarang fell onto the ground inside the caged arena. The crowd was still silent, obviously shocked by the turn of events. His face had taken a good portion of the attacks. His nose was probably broken, his jaw probably fractured. He didn't know, and he didn't care. The fight wasn't what he expected it to be. He had underestimated Chen. The man who used to be nothing but a sidekick had made something of himself within the past year. The one thing he forgot Chen had was dedicated. When Hwoarang left the gang, Chen probably killed to get where he was. Then he beefed up and that's when his ego raised up. He probably knew it was only a matter of time before Hwoarang came back, wanting the gang back.
He was still conscious. He hurt all over, the blood from his nose and mouth beginning to dry to his face. The wound on his shoulder had gushed out a little blood before the wound dried up again. He turned his face towards the entrance to the ring.
"Move it. Let me in there." Ling yelled.
She was pushing her way through the crowd to get inside to Hwoarang. She still cared for him, even though she never showed it. When he left, she was frightened by Chen. She had slept with Chen yes, but it was almost forced sometimes. At least when she fucked Hwoarang she actually wanted to. Chen was too egotistical to have sex with. Hwoarang may have been cocky, but at least he admitted it. She pushed the ring door open and rushed to Hwoarang's side.
"I knew you'd come." He said.
"Don't talk. I'm here." She said.
"I'm okay."
"No you're not. He could have killed you."
"No. I killed him actually." He said.
She looked over to Chen. He was right. Chen's body wasn't moving, a beer bottle just now dropping out of his lifeless hand.
"Well, you got what you wanted." She said.
"I know." He said.
"Let's get you out of here. Can you walk?" she asked.
"Maybe." He said.
She grabbed his left arm and began to help him up. He grunted as he struggled to get his left leg up, his foot still killing him from the bottle Chen stabbed it with.
The crowd stood aside, letting the two through towards the locker rooms. They looked on in amazement. They probably never thought he would make it. It was a 'David and Goliath' match, and as the fable said, David won.
Ling held onto his arm as the two walked into the locker room, shutting the door behind them.
8:10:23- Liu had begun walking in the direction of the address, hoping to run into a taxi or something, just so he didn't have to walk all the way there. If he did, it'd be at least three hours till he got there. And he didn't know if there was anybody still after him.
He had gone about seven blocks so far. He was starting to enter a fairly decent residential neighborhood. The houses white or some other various color, good sized lawns, too. If he made any less money, he'd probably be in a neighborhood like this. The type any middle-class family would live in. Husband, wife, two kids, maybe three, and a big driveway that gets wet in the summer from the sprinkler in the front yard. He kept walking down the street.
Turning the corner, the lights of a convenience store lit the street. He was about a block away from there. He could call the number, as long as he had the money.
Liu fumbled in his pockets feeling for change. His fingers feeling the sides of the coins, trying to tell size and weight, praying he had correct change for the payphone. He guessed he did. He then checked his other pocket. Then he remembered that there was no change there. He moved it all over to the other pocket so that way there was nothing piling up against the chip. He had put it inside a little box back at the station. That way, in case he fell on it, it wouldn't break.
He walked up to the payphone outside of the store and threw the change in. He dialed the number.
8:17:51- Wallace's cell phone rang.
"Wallace." He said.
"Yes, I got this number from a Detective Wong. He told me to call. Who is this again?" Liu said.
"SAC Albert Wallace, United Nations Anti-Terrorist Unit. Who's this?" Wallace said.
"This is Liu Pang Ho. I was under police surveillance until we were attacked."
Wallace snapped his fingers at Adam as he began to walk across the main floor. He mouthed the words "Trace this call" as he pointed to his cell phone.
Adam was at his workstation. He had three different computers that he worked on at any given time. He turned around while sitting in his swivel chair and began typing away at one computer. Wallace came up behind him, looking at the monitor as the trace started.
"Liu, you called the right number. Where are you?" Wallace said. "Somewhere in the south part of the city at a convenience store payphone. I'm not sure where." Liu said.
"Do you know the street name?"
"I haven't lived here long; I don't know this part of the city yet." Liu said.
"Ok, no problem. Is the detective there?" Wallace asked.
"No, he's dead. As I said, we were attacked by some type of vampire, and we crashed on an overpass."
"Was it near the expressway?" Wallace asked.
"No. It was just another street below us. The vampire landed down there after we crashed." Liu said.
"Ok. That helps narrow it down." Wallace said.
Adam's net was going city-wide.
"Adam. South side of the city, look for convenience stores near overpasses that are not near the expressway." Wallace said.
"That will really narrow it down." Adam said.
"Tell me Liu, do you still have the evidence?" Wallace asked.
"You mean the chip?"
"Yes." Wallace said.
"Yeah, I still got it. How much longer is this going to take?" Liu asked.
Adam's computer locked onto the signal.
"We got it." Adam said.
"Ok, Liu. We got it. We know where you are now. I'm going to be there personally in about twenty minutes to pick you up. You just stay there at the store and keep out of trouble, ok?" Wallace said.
"Ok." Liu said.
The two hung up their respective phones.
Back at the crash site, Kazuya got up and walked away.
8:26:59- Hwoarang was lying on the bed in Ling's room. The room was in a Victorian style. Very feminine, he thought. The color pattern was of bright reds and burgundies. The room also had a wood theme going. The bed he laid on had four banisters at the four corners of the bed. They were made of a cherry lacquered wood. In fact, he just noticed that every piece of wood in the room had was cherry lacquered. He got off the bed and walked over to the nightstand, wanting to see himself in the mirror.
He was a bit surprised. His shirt was still off, and he was still wearing the same black Adidas pants he fought in. The bullet wound was all gauzed up again. There was a small bloodstain on it where it had tried to bleed through. His face was better than he expected. There was a piece of tissue up one nostril and a small bandage on the bridge of his nose. His jaw looked slightly swollen, but that wasn't what got him. He looked at his abs and noticed a really red area of skin around his waist. He touched it gingerly, trying not to cause any further pain to himself. It was sore to the touch. Even the most delicate touch ached. Chen's repeated attacks there were going to hurt for days to come, he figured.
He noticed a note standing on the nightstand in front of him. Along with the note were two aspirin and a bottle of water. He gulped the pills and took a splash of water to wash them down. He looked at the note. It was from Ling.
"Take these when you can. I need to talk to you about something. Meet me in Chen's office. There are some clothes in the closet."
He dropped the note on the table and looked in the closet.
Inside the small closet was his blue jeans, a black long sleeve t-shirt, and a pair of tennis shoes. The light from the lamp on the nightstand shined on the clothes as if they were a gift from the heavens. He grabbed the clothes and quickly began to change.
He wondered what Ling wanted to talk about. She probably was going to go over the details of the drug deal that was probably going to go down within the next couple hours. Buttoning the jeans, he wondered where the deal was taking place at. Time would tell if he would also be able to contact Wallace with the location. He slid the shirt on and began to put on the shoes.
Should he tell Ling about his assignment? She might not help him then. She was probably in this thinking he was back just for her and the gang. Learning that he was actually undercover, working for an anti-terrorist squad might not go so well with her.
He walked out of the bedroom into a small narrow hallway with not many doors. Two doors lined the hall, both locked. He walked up, coming to one last door. He opened it, and was out in the arena.
Hwoarang didn't know how they did it so quickly, but the place was empty. No fans, no crowds to cheer his survival. Not hearing the cheers as he walked the empty floor was almost a disappointment. He was glad to be in charge of his gang again. It felt like an old glove, the crevices still there for your hand to fill.
There was a long metal staircase at one end of the arena that had led to the "Miami" room. Sure enough, Ling was inside. She was at a small bar that sat on a small end table, fixing a drink.
"Fix me one while you're at it." He said.
She spun around, scared by his presence. Taking a deep breath, she continued to pour the clear liquid.
"I'm so used to Chen walking up here. He never let me in if he wasn't here." She said.
Hwoarang took a seat behind the desk. He leaned back in the chair, feeling comfortable.
"How long have you been working from here?" he asked.
"About four months now. We moved here to start a front." She said.
"A front for what?" he asked, trying to seem surprised.
"Drugs. That's what I wanted to talk to you about." She said, bringing Hwoarang's galls over to him.
"I see." He said, taking a sip of the drink.
Ugh. He now remembered her usual drink: Gin and Tonic. How could she drink this crap? He hated the mix, but sipped it anyway. No need in disrespecting her now.
"We have a deal going down in a little over an hour. It's a big one." She said.
"What's the product?" he asked.
"Ecstasy. We pay the dealer $200 million, he gives us the shipment. We bring it back here and then it hits the streets." She said.
Jesus Christ, $200 million? How big could this shipment be? No wonder Wallace wanted this to go down; this was a shit load of cash they were dealing with.
"Can the dealer be trusted?" he asked.
"Yes. We've dealt with him before. This is just the biggest deal we've had with him so far." "And if we don't go through with this?" he asked.
"Don't even talk about that. We don't do this deal we don't see the sun rise again. We'd be dead before midnight." She said.
"Fine. When do we do this?" he asked.
"We leave in thirty minutes. It's taking place at the docks." She said.
When she finished, the two sat there for a moment, staring at each other. The uneasy silence finally broke when Ling moved for the door.
"I'm going to go check on the men, make sure their ready." She said.
She left the room, and Hwoarang sprang to action. He started searching the computer for records of Nina Williams. He picked up the phone.
8:42:14- Wallace was in a Honda Accord, driving down to get Liu when his phone rang. It was Hwoarang.
"What'd you got?" he asked.
"Well, Chen's dead, I've got control of the gang, and we leave for the docks in thirty minutes." He said.
"The deal's going down there? How much is the shipment worth?"
"$200 million. And am I going to get busted for being the leader of this gang?" Hwoarang asked.
"No. You're in the clear for that. Any news on Nina?"
"I'm checking on that now." Hwoarang said.
"Well, we've gotten a bit of a story of our own over here." Wallace said.
"What's that?"
"Well, a scientist from the Mishima Labs came across a project that to this day has manufactured one million Combots. Now don't get ahead of yourself. The bots have the technology of a collective consciousness. Meaning, that what robot sees in one part of the city, every other bot sees it as well."
"My god. What do we do?" Hwoarang asked.
"The scientist that tipped us off also stole the chip that activates their collective consciousness. The bots are fairly weaker than they were a couple hours ago." Wallace said.
"So where are you now?"
"Well, the scientist had gone to the police, and then some type of vampire attacked them. I'm guessing it was Kazuya. He took out everybody but this scientist. I'm on my way to picking him up now."
"Be careful. I've fought Kazuya Mishima before, he almost killed me, and last I checked you weren't exactly fit." Hwoarang said.
"I've got a gun, and I'm one hell of a marksman. I'll be fine." Wallace said.
"Ok. Are teams going to be waiting at the docks?"
"Call Adam over at the ATU. He'll get it moving. The teams are ready. We were just waiting on a location." Wallace said.
"Ok. I better call him. Ling might be back any minute." Hwoarang said.
"Ok. Take care." Wallace said.
Wallace could see the bright lights of the store up ahead. He began worrying about Kazuya. If he showed up, he wouldn't be able to defend himself. There was no way in hell he could be a marksman, even if he tried. Now that he thought about it, it had been three years since he last qualified on the range back in D.C.
He was two blocks away now, passing a man walking along the side of the road. He looked in the rearview mirror. Holy fucking shit! That man was Kazuya. He was still alive. He floored the car.
8:48:54- Liu saw Wallace pull up. It was obvious to tell from the frantic speed the car was at.
Wallace jumped out of the car and ran into the store. Liu was next to the counter. The clerk was sitting on a chair behind the same counter, smoking a cigarette.
"We got to go, now!" Wallace said.
"Can I see some ID?" Liu said.
"Is this a joke? I just Kazuya two blocks ago! He's probably entering the lot as we speak!" Wallace said.
Wallace could see the fear in the man's eyes. He didn't the ID after all. He followed Wallace out of the store.
Sure enough, Kazuya was walking into the lot as they approached the car. Wallace pulled out his gun, silencer attached and fired at him.
Kazuya yelled. A bullet pierced his chest. The man with the chip had just gotten into the car. A bullet whizzed by his head by mere inches. Kazuya kept his eyes focused on the man inside the car.
Wallace fired about two more shots at Kazuya before finally getting in the car and driving off. That's when Kazuya sprang into action. He jumped into the air, landing on the front of the car, face on the windshield.
Wallace put the pedal to the metal. The car sped off, and Kazuya hung on tight. Wallace fishtailed out of the lot, speeding down the road at a ludicrous speed.
Kazuya started to punch at the windshield. One well placed punch later, the windshield cracked.
He slammed on the brakes, and the vampire on the hood didn't know what hit him. Kazuya went flying backwards onto the pavement, skidding to a stop after about sixty feet.
Wallace popped the car into reverse and sped backwards, pulling off a 180- degree turn. He sped off in the other direction.
8:53:22- Hwoarang finally found what he was looking for. Chen had left a note for himself so he knew where Nina was. She was at the most expensive hotel in the city. In fact, it was also the tallest building in the city. She was staying in the penthouse. Very convenient, he thought. She'd be free of the snipers, seeing as high up she was.
Ling walked in. She hadn't opened her mouth as soon as she came in, which was different.
Hwoarang shut off the monitor. Ling walked over to him behind the desk.
"There's something I want to tell you." She said.
He remained silent.
"I'm glad your back. I don't think I could stand Chen anymore." She said, starting to cry.
"Ling..."
"The truth is...I still love you." She said with full-blown tears now. He stood up. He put his hand on her cheek, using his thumb to wipe away a fresh tear.
"I still love you, and it's all been one big lie." She said.
"How could it be a lie?" he asked.
"I've been working for the CIA since I came here. Tonight, I was supposed to bring down the leader of the gang during the drug bust. I was more than happy to do it when it was Chen. But then you showed up, and I don't want to hurt you." She said.
He couldn't believe it. If she was CIA since she joined up, that meant she was a double agent for all of... three years. Shit. She was a good liar. But did she still love him?
He didn't care. Not about the lies, or the love either. He embraced her, and she continued to cry with her head buried in his chest. He didn't know what to think. He could only be amazed at the fact that she had been pulling off a charade this long.
8:58:04- Wallace was out of the residential district. Kazuya had scared him. He was shocked that he actually hit the bastard with the poor aim that he had. But one thing was for certain. He was going to hold onto the chip from now on. He pulled off to the side of the road.
"Whoa. What are you doing?" Liu asked.
The car idled a moment, then Wallace turned the engine off completely.
"Give me the chip." He said.
"I'm not giving this thing to anybody till I'm safe." Liu said.
"Look. That thing might be back. And if you care about anybody at all, you'll give me the chip." Wallace said assertively.
"I don't care. If I gave it to Detective Wong, it might be in that freak's hands back there." Liu said.
Wallace pulled out his gun, silencer still attached.
"What the fuck are you doing?" Liu asked, backing himself up against the door.
Wallace had his other hand on the power locks. He locked the doors.
"Give me the chip." Wallace said.
"You're going to kill me?" Liu asked.
"I don't want to." Wallace said.
"You can't kill me. You work for the UN." Liu said.
"I work for who I want to work for. Now, for the last time, give me the chip." Wallace said.
Liu thought about it a moment. He then reached in his pocket for a moment, but then lashed out at the gun. But his reaction wasn't fast enough. Wallace fired. Liu's brains splattered against the passenger's side window. Wallace reached over and pulled the chip out of the dead man's pocket. He got out of the car and holstered his weapon. He looked at the chip for a moment, and then put it in his pocket.
He then walked off, leaving the car behind.
8:59:57... 8:59:58... 8:59:59... 9:00:00...