Tekken 24
Disclaimer: Don't own "24" or "Tekken".
The following takes place between 7:00 am and 8:00 am.
Events occur in real time.
7:00:00- Hwoarang sat up against the wall of the prison. He was silent. And for good reason: He had just shot someone he thought he cared about.
Ling's body lay motionless on the floor. Hwoarang had shot her in the face after she flipped out and attacked him. He had no clue as to why she did this. She had no reason to attack him like she did.
He was sitting there not wondering why he shot her. He was thinking about what his next move should be. There were a lot of problems if she was dead. She was CIA, and he being killed by an agent of the UN didn't look good.
The bullet didn't go through the back of her head. And there was no presence of blood on the floor of the prison. He looked at Len. His head wound had bled everywhere. It didn't make sense. The gun was fired at close range, it wouldn't take a rocket scientist to understand that the bullet would have broken through the skull if it was fired that close.
Was it a Combot? That would explain the attack that Len called about, but how did Lee know where Len was?
His phone rang. He picked it up, not even looking at the ID.
"Yeah." He said.
"Hello, Hwoarang."
It was Lee.
"Lee?" he said.
"Surprised to hear from me?" Lee said.
"Where's Ling?" he asked.
"She's safe." Lee said.
"Why are you doing this? Why release a virus and make no demands?" Hwoarang asked.
"Because of you." Lee said.
"Why me?" Hwoarang said.
"The hole in front of you. Look outside." Lee said.
Hwoarang looked out of the hole. Outside, he could see a car about twenty yards away, idling in a small road behind the prison. Inside the car was Lee Chaolan, staring at him, phone up to his ear.
"Can you see me?" Lee said.
Hwoarang bolted off the floor and out the hole, running as fast as he possibly could for the car. It was a futile attempt. Lee sped off by the time Hwoarang even got close to the car's previous position.
He stopped and put the phone back up to his ear.
"You never would have gotten me anyway. I'm not stupid enough to stand right where you can just grab me. Especially after what I'm going to tell you." Lee said.
"What?" he asked.
"I bet it bugs you, not knowing how the Korean army found you." Lee said.
Hwoarang thought about what Lee said, and then he realized what it meant.
"You told them." He said.
"You're smarter than I thought. Yes. I told the Korean army where to find you. You took me out in the tournament, and you rubbed it in my face." Lee said.
"You're a fucking pussy. I always rub my victories in the opponent's face; you should know that by now." Hwoarang said.
"I thought it would have been fun, you know? You rubbed your ego in my face, so I thought I'd return the favor. It only took a couple mercenaries to track you down. You would think after all that training you would be able to hide yourself somewhere. I guess you weren't listening that day, huh?" Lee said.
"So you tracked me down. I bet you begged the army to torture me, right?" he asked.
"Yeah, and after a $10 million payoff, they were more than willing." Lee said.
"Figures you would go to such lengths to make me pay." He said.
"So, now that my little confession is over, I want you to do something for me." Lee said.
Hwoarang didn't respond.
"Back off. You try to interfere with my plans at the school, which I know you know about, I will kill Ling." Lee said.
Hwoarang didn't respond again. He just stared off into the distance, watching the morning rush hour begin.
"Do you hear me, you little shit?" Lee said.
"You listen to me, fucker. You've played your game, now it's my turn. Kill Ling if you want. It's still not going to stop me from putting a bullet in between your eyes." Hwoarang said, hanging up the phone.
7:09:59 – The auditorium looked more like a giant funeral home to Gavin Le Carre. The room was usually fairly dark and the seats were slanted, so the people that sat in them would be looking at the stage, and not somebody's head.
Right now, the place was lit up like a Christmas tree, and Gavin was standing on the stage. He had a grand view of the auditorium, which could house nearly fifteen hundred people.
The students began flooding the place about five minutes ago, and it was starting to become crowded. From Gavin's point of view, he could tell these kids had no idea what was going on. They figured it was some kind of assembly, with the mystery man on the stage giving some lecture on drugs or teenage drinking and how it can affect them forever. God, he wished it was that simple.
Quite frankly, he was scared of the virus. The thought of these kids turning into devils was something that sounded like myth and that's how it should stay.
The room was quite hot at this time of the morning. The spring time air was still pretty chilled and the school must have still been running the furnace instead of the air conditioner.
The suit he was wearing was starting to bug him. The heat was making the collar unbearable, but he needed to stay presentable. The principle, Ms. Kaneshiro, had been pestering him, wondering what the threat was all about. He said that it was some kind of a virus, but she was being too curious about it. He had sent her with an agent to help move the students in here, while he stood on the stage, ready to inform everyone.
He looked stage left, and out of the corner of his eye he could see the principle stalking toward him. He took a deep sigh and turned to face her.
"What can I do for you?" he said, an annoyed tone in his voice.
"That agent you sent me with? He just told me that nobody in the building was going to die from this virus, even if it was released." She said.
He couldn't believe it. Whoever the agent was, he certainly didn't have a day job anymore.
"I told him that because I knew that I couldn't trust him with the truth." He said.
"And what is the truth? I have a right to know." She said.
"You have a right to shut the hell up. Now." He said.
"These kids are going to die, aren't they?" she asked.
"Shh. All it takes is one person to hear what you just said to start a riot. You and your curiosity will give these kids more trouble than they ever asked for. Now if I tell you, will you stop bothering me and make a good example for your students?" he said.
"Depends on what you tell me." She said.
Le Carre moved in closer. His eyes glaring at her in a threatening manner.
"You mention this to anyone, I will have you prosecuted. I'll make sure you're trial is long and painful. I will make your life hell. And it will never be the same." He said.
It was a decent scare tactic, but he didn't think it was enough. He needed her off his back. He would start announcing things soon, and he didn't need her starting some stupid riot or rebellion with her students. In the back of his head, Gavin figured she was some protestor when she was a kid, or she did some Greenpeace or something hippies did back in the sixties and she just never grew out of it.
"Ok." She said.
"It's sarin gas. Do you know what that is?" he asked.
"Jesus." She said.
"If we aren't careful, one of these kids could just set it off in the air duct, and if that happens, you'd be right. Happy now?" he asked.
She walked off the stage, speechless.
"Your welcome." He said.
7:15:34 – Anger seethed in Hwoarang's mind. Just hearing Lee laugh over the phone made him want to go on a rampage. But right now, he had to get to the school. The only problem there was the fact that the school was nearly six miles away and he had no car.
The only logical answer he had came to him instantly. What do you do when you have no time to get to a place where people's lives are on the line and you couldn't give a shit about the law or authority figures? Simple: Steal a car.
He was currently about two blocks away from the prison, walking down a side street filled with old, rundown apartment buildings. It was quiet for this part of the city, almost as if most people stayed away, knowing the risk. Hwoarang figured that the majority of gangs hung out around here.
He was very noticeable as he walked down the street, looking for any available car that he could boost. So far, he hadn't found too many. The opportunities that he had were risky, mainly due to the fact that he was being followed by a street cop. Hwoarang silently cursed to himself. Only he could get this kind of attention at the drop of a hat.
He started walking faster, hoping to cover more distance before the cop could turn the corner onto the street that Hwoarang was currently on.
Up ahead, he could see a decent looking car. It looked like it had aged quite a bit, but it looked like it could get him to where he needed to go.
He looked over his shoulder, the cop turning the corner.
"Dammit." He said.
He didn't have time for this. At this point, he didn't care if the cop opened fire on him; he was going to steal this car.
On the ground, there was a rock about the size of a softball. While still moving, Hwoarang picked up the rock and tossed it up in the air. Acting as playfully as any kid on the block, he caught it like it was a baseball and continued to do so as he moved towards the car.
He looked over his shoulder, the cop approaching him. A smirk came over his face. It had been awhile since he did anything like this, and it was fun. Hwoarang threw the rock right through the driver's side window. He turned around to look at the cop, who was running at him now. Hwoarang turned back to the car, opened the door, and got in.
If there was one thing he remembered, it was how to hotwire a car. But a model this old was going to be tricky. He pulled out the wires from under the dash and began ripping them apart.
The door flew open, and the cop started to drag Hwoarang out from the car. He expected as much. As he was coming out of the car, he stood up and used the momentum to punch the officer hard in the face. The officer hit the ground, screaming about a broken nose. Hwoarang started looking through the officer's belt and eventually found a knife.
Going back to the car, he stripped the correct wires and connected them, the engine turning over. He shut the door, throwing the knife out the window. He then drove off, taking out his cell phone. He dialed up Jin this time.
"Hey, man. What happened? Is Ling ok?" Jin asked.
Jin must have looked at the ID.
"Len's dead. He didn't have her." Hwoarang said.
"What are you talking about? Who has her?" Jin asked.
"Lee does. But he's not going to kill her yet." Hwoarang said.
"He shouldn't have a reason to. That is, unless you gave him one." Jin said.
Hwoarang closed his eyes, even while he was driving. It didn't matter how much he wanted Lee dead, he shouldn't have said what he did to the bastard. He couldn't lie about it either.
"Did you?" Jin asked.
"I might have." Hwoarang said.
"Why the hell would you do that?" Jin asked.
"Because of what he said." Hwoarang answered.
"I know you're a person that's not easily intimidated. So what he said must have pretty bad." Jin said aloud.
"You remember when I told you that I didn't know how the army found me?"
"Yeah?" Jin said.
"Well I know now. Lee told them." Hwoarang said.
Jin didn't respond. Hwoarang figured that he was either angry, shocked, or both.
"I'm not depressed about it. I'm madder than hell. I told him that if he killed her, it wouldn't matter, I'd still kill him one way or another." Hwoarang said.
"That's a good reason to get rid of her." Jin said.
"I know. But first things first, how the hell do I get to the school?" Hwoarang asked.
"You know where the St. Mary's International school is?" Jin asked.
"Yeah."
"You know how to get there?" Jin asked.
"Yeah. Are you there yet?" Hwoarang asked.
"I'm walking through the front door now." Jin said.
"See you there." Hwoarang said, hanging up.
7:25:14 – Jin hung up the phone and tucked it in his pants pocket. The line of students making their way into the school was long. It looked like the line at a movie theatre showing a popular movie on opening night.
He figured that they were being moved into the auditorium. It was the only logical place to go in case of something like this. Jin pushed past all the students and tried to make his way inside. Various teachers watching the line tried to stop him, but he explained who he was with and they didn't argue. Finally entering, he started asking the various agents that were watching the exits to the auditorium.
After a few well placed questions, Jin was being taken to Le Carre. Watching the students mingling as they waited for something to happen was something that seemed like a lifetime ago. He couldn't believe that it had been about four years since he had been one of them. Time really did fly by.
Le Carre could see him coming up to him. Jin was busy staring at the students. He could tell that it was odd for him. He figured it was the first time being back here since he graduated.
"I heard about Roppongi. Where's Hwoarang?" Le Carre asked.
"It's a long story, so let me explain. He got a call from Len. He had Adam trace it, and we went to the address. Hwoarang insisted that I leave him there. I just heard from him and it turns out that Lee has Ling, and Len is dead." Jin said.
"So did Hwoarang talk to Lee, or what?"
"He talked to Lee. Lee told him that he was the reason Hwoarang was tortured in Korea. He threatened to kill Ling if Hwoarang didn't back off. Needless to say, Hwoarang tried to call his bluff." Jin said.
"And did he kill her?" Le Carre asked.
"I don't think so." Jin said.
"If he didn't now, I don't think he will unless he's backed into a corner." Le Carre said.
"I thought my coming here would help." Jin said, trying to change the subject.
"I think it will. I'm going to have you placed in the balcony above the students. It's empty, so you'll have plenty of room to observe." Le Carre said.
"What do want me to do?" Jin asked.
"Start looking at the students. That's where the bot would be hiding. If you see one that looks suspicious, you can tell us through an earpiece we'll provide for you." Le Carre said.
"You think this is going to work?" Jin asked.
"It has to."
7:30:02 – School bathrooms were surprisingly clean in Japan, and that meant one of two things: either the janitors took pride in their work, or the students actually liked to keep things clean. Most people would seriously doubt that it's the latter.
Henry Jansen was an eighty-year old British man who happened to live in Japan. Originally he meant to retire here, but his wife's death had wiped him out after her family bled him dry in a civil suit back in England. She had died by falling asleep in the bathtub, which caused her to drown. But the family believed that Henry killed her in order to get the money from the life insurance policy. Legally, they didn't have enough to convict him in charges, and thus the Japanese government wouldn't extradite him. But the civil suit didn't require extradition, and somehow, the Japanese government allowed for him to be charged in the civil suit. Needless to say, he lost, and he had to pay the family because the Japanese were forcing him to. He was lucky to get a job as a janitor.
He was worried about this emergency that was forcing all the students into the auditorium. The principal had just told most school personnel to check the many different rooms in the building, just to make sure that there wasn't a stray student hiding in the building. So far, he had checked four of the eight bathrooms in the building and there wasn't a soul in sight.
There were four bathrooms on each floor: two men, two women. Henry had already checked the first floor, and was now beginning on the second floor. His first stop was a men's room, and upon entering there was nothing to notice right off the bat.
There was four of everything as he looked across the room: towel dispensers, air dryers, mirrors, sinks, soap dispensers, and... stalls. As his eyes came across the stalls, he noticed the one thing out of place: one closed door. Henry could see the shadows of a pair of shoes from under the door. He smiled as he walked on over to the door.
"Let's go, son. You heard the announcement." Henry said, tapping on the stall door.
There was no movement, and Henry figured the kid must have to take one hell of a shit, but then he realized that he couldn't smell anything.
Henry had no idea what he was up against. Standing directly in front of the stall door only made it worse. The door flew off in his direction, the collision knocking him to the floor. He pushed the door off of him, just in time to see the bot stand up and move towards him.
7:33:27 – Kazuya Mishima was someone that most people would want on their side. He was a man of great integrity. He would fight to the death for something he believed in. And if he needed to get something done, he would kill his own family to make sure it got done. That was the one flaw that nobody liked. He played the game for his own benefit, not for others.
And that was why he was still with Lee. He needed him to plan and operate, and he would strike when the whole operation was behind them. It was the same scam he was playing under Heihachi, until Lee proposed a better deal. That just made it so much sweeter. Kazuya hated Lee for everything the man did. He wanted the man dead just for the fact that he could breathe.
The one thing that Kazuya surely had was control. He was psychotic, but he had control over it. If he didn't, he couldn't exist or at least not the way he did now. He had always wanted to kill Heihachi, and even if he didn't do it himself, it was still a great feeling to know that he was dead. But his father wasn't the only one on his death list. There was Jin, Lee, and that bastard Hwoarang. Kazuya took a deep breath, remembering how good it felt to nearly beat the Korean to death.
He was currently standing in the doorway to a house that was on the outskirts of Tokyo. It acted as a safehouse, and Lee was just now pulling up in the street. Kazuya looked at his watch, noting that Lee obviously didn't care for his own timetable.
He went back inside, passing the living room. Glancing into the room, he crossed glares with Ling, who was bound and gagged on the couch.
"Mishima." Lee said, opening the door.
Kazuya turned to face him, remembering how much he hated being called by his last name.
"I have something for you." Lee said.
Kazuya wanted Lee to hit him, just so he could enter that blind rage that the devil inside him loved. The thought of ripping Lee's flesh from his bones sounded so good right now. But seeing as that would ruin everything, he decided to hold off on that.
"The stadium?" Kazuya asked.
"My man is inside as we speak. But there is also something else." Lee said.
"One thing I despise is being kept in the dark. Who is this 'man'?" Kazuya asked.
"Someone you've met before. Now – about this other..." Lee said, changing the subject.
Kazuya wasn't about to let him get away with it. He grabbed Lee by the collar and slammed him against the wall.
"Who is he?" Kazuya asked.
Lee pushed him off, taking the time to straighten his clothes.
"In due time, my friend, in due time." Lee said.
"You were saying?" Kazuya said.
"I have an assignment for you. You're going to like this one." Lee said.
Kazuya began walking off, down another hallway.
"The ATU." Lee said.
Kazuya stopped and stared at Lee. A smile appeared on his face. It was like pleasing an addiction. But this wasn't like cocaine or marijuana, it was a need to kill, and the amount of people in the ATU would definitely scratch that itch.
"Hwoarang?" Kazuya asked.
"Oh, yes. He's become a liability we just can't afford." Lee said.
"And how do you suggest we take care of it?" Kazuya asked.
"How about something that will knock them off their feet?" Lee said, grinning.
7:40:20 – This was the last thing he needed at a time like this.
"You got to be kidding me." Hwoarang said.
"Hey, I'm supposed to be on the lookout for suspicious people, and you come up here looking for the SAC without proper ID? That and the fact that you come up in a beat-up vehicle with a broken window, and you're telling me that doesn't look suspicious?" an agent asked.
Hwoarang goes forty over the limit getting here and doesn't get one cop on his tail, but he gets stopped by some agent looking to score a promotion. He guessed it was his lucky day.
"You talk to Le Carre, and ask him if he knows me. My guess, he'll fire your ass for not extending me every courtesy." Hwoarang said.
"I'll extend you a courtesy." The agent said, pulling out a pair of handcuffs.
"I've had enough of this." Hwoarang said.
Hwoarang pulled out his cell phone, and that was enough to set the agent off. The agent pulled out his gun, which caused Hwoarang to stop dialing.
"You're going to shoot me for pulling out my phone? That's a lawsuit waiting to happen." Hwoarang said, dialing again.
"Put the phone down." The agent said.
Hwoarang put the phone up to his ear and mouthed the words 'fuck you' to the agent.
"Hwoarang?" Le Carre asked over the line.
"Yeah, Gavin. Could you come down to the front..."
Hwoarang got cut off by the agent, who tackled him to the ground. Hwoarang obviously fought back, kicking the agent away from him. The agent aimed his gun back on Hwoarang.
"Don't fucking move." The agent said.
"Hey!" Le Carre called out.
Hwoarang continued to lay on the ground, the agent reacting to the protest coming up behind him.
"What the hell is going on here?" Le Carre said.
"This dickhead here doesn't know how to do his fucking job!" Hwoarang shouted.
"Shut up, Hwoarang." Le Carre said, his head turning to the agent.
"He came in like a bat out of hell, asked to see you, and he didn't have any ID." The agent said.
"Why didn't you contact me?" Le Carre said.
"I didn't think it was important." The agent said.
"Well, I'll decide what's important. If somebody asks for me, you call me. Ok?" Le Carre asked.
"Yes, sir." The agent said.
Hwoarang got up off the pavement and followed Le Carre inside the school, taking the time to brush against the agent after he put his gun away.
"You have to learn to control that temper of yours, you know that?" Le Carre said.
"Yeah, yeah. You going to tell me to watch my language next?"
"Wouldn't hurt." Le Carre said.
"Did you hear about Ling?" Hwoarang asked.
"Yeah, and I don't blame you for how you acted. If I were in the same situation, I don't know how I would act." Le Carre said.
"Yeah." Hwoarang muttered, still sensitive on the subject.
"So he was the one behind you being in Korea and all this? There's something that's not adding up." Le Carre said.
"What doesn't add up?"
"I don't know. It's just a gut feeling. I don't think its business, and I don't think it's personal either." Le Carre said.
Hwoarang leaned up against a set of lockers in the empty hallway. The two of them had walked away from the main set of doors to another part of the school, and Hwoarang listened as Le Carre pondered aloud.
"What are you getting at?" Hwoarang asked.
"You beat him at the fourth tournament, he turns around and has you tortured by your own army. That's payback. But then he plans this, and you happen to somehow get involved the day it goes down. Coincidence. But Ling and Jin getting involved as well? Planned." Le Carre said.
"Not possible if you were the one that got me out of that prison." Hwoarang said.
"No. I didn't. It just came to me. When I talked to your country, I threatened to take your case to the head of the UN. One day later, you were released. But it wasn't my threat. It was Lee, the whole goddamn time. He leaked your story out to the intelligence community, and I came to your rescue. My guess, he wanted you to get involved with this today." Le Carre said.
"So you're saying that Lee..."
"...was planning all this from the beginning." Le Carre said.
"Have you gotten anything on this thing in here?" Hwoarang asked.
"No. I have Jin looking at the students from on high and so far he hasn't found anything." Le Carre said.
"It won't be hiding among the crowd." Hwoarang said.
"What makes you say that?"
"The last ones have been found hiding. I would imagine that would be the same case here." Hwoarang said.
"Closets and bathrooms?" Le Carre asked.
"I'm on it."
"Hey. You armed?" Le Carre asked.
Hwoarang took out a gun that was tucked under his shirt and waved it in the air.
"Where did you get that?"
"Check golden boy at the front door." Hwoarang said, walking off.
Le Carre looked over at the agent at the door. The idiot didn't even realize that his gun was missing. He shook his head in amazement.
7:50:55 – Lee was excited. He usually was when something big was about to happen. Everything was accounted for, and everything was taken care of. By the time he would be at the stadium, Hwoarang would be no more.
The way everything would fall into place would make his superior proud. Right now, he had one person in play inside the stadium, and it was somebody that everyone knew of.
This man's identity was something that Lee wanted to keep secret until the last possible minute. The man had been in the correct circles before to do this sort of dirty work, and for the right amount of money, this man would gladly do it again.
Lee pulled out his phone and dialed the man, who picked up shortly after the first ring.
"Yes?" the man asked.
"Are you inside?" Lee asked.
"Yes. In fact, I just put two in the head security officer." The man said.
"Good. I'll be there in thirty minutes. Meet me at the south loading dock." Lee said.
Inside the stadium, the man stood over the dead guard inside the man's office, blinds drawn.
"I'll be there." He said, hanging up.
The man set the phone on the desk next to him and removed his shirt. He took the shirt off the dead man on the floor, and put it on.
Putting the shirt on would only fool so many people. If anyone that knew him saw him up close, they wouldn't see him as a security guard. They would see him for who he was, Steve Fox.
7:55:23 – Hwoarang was climbing the stairs to the second floor. Unbeknownst to him, he was running the exact same path as Henry the janitor.
The bot wasn't on the first floor, and that made him wonder what the hell Lee was planning on doing to this place. If he was planning on releasing a virus here, he would have the bot hiding down in the basement by the air ducts.
He entered the first men's restroom that he came across. The room smelled clean, which Hwoarang found odd. But by the time he passed the first sink, he could tell that the bot had been there. The door to the last stall was missing, and there was some blood on the floor. He checked the stalls, and found the body slumped in one. The janitor had been stabbed in the neck. The arterial spray from the wound was what Hwoarang found on the floor, and there was more in the stall.
He moved out into the hall, noticing a bloody footprint on the floor. He pulled out his gun, ready to kick ass. Turning the corner, he saw the bot slowly walking down a hall. Hwoarang went back, hiding behind the wall. He glanced out, trying to see what the bot was doing.
This time he was being careful. The last bot he fought threw him into a table and nearly killed him. He was going to take his time and act only if he had the manpower or if the bot was about to release the virus. He pulled out his cell phone.
He cursed under his breath when he looked at the display. The cell had bad signal strength. He dialed up Le Carre anyway. The call didn't even go through. He put the phone away, trying to think of a way to get people up here. Then it hit him, but it was risky.
Hwoarang turned the corner, showing himself in plain view. He pulled out the gun and fired a shot into the ceiling. The bot reacted, jerking its head to face Hwoarang.
He pointed the gun at the bot.
"Don't move." He said.
The bot did what its programming told it to do. It ran. Hwoarang started to run, but his phone suddenly rang. He answered it while chasing after the bot.
"Hwoarang? Did you fire that shot?" Le Carre said, the signal clearing up.
He looked ahead and noticed that the bot entered the stairwell.
"The bot is on the second floor stairwell, northwest sector of the building, possibly heading for the roof. I repeat..." he said.
7:59:57... 7:59:58... 7:59:59... 8:00:00...
Disclaimer: Don't own "24" or "Tekken".
The following takes place between 7:00 am and 8:00 am.
Events occur in real time.
7:00:00- Hwoarang sat up against the wall of the prison. He was silent. And for good reason: He had just shot someone he thought he cared about.
Ling's body lay motionless on the floor. Hwoarang had shot her in the face after she flipped out and attacked him. He had no clue as to why she did this. She had no reason to attack him like she did.
He was sitting there not wondering why he shot her. He was thinking about what his next move should be. There were a lot of problems if she was dead. She was CIA, and he being killed by an agent of the UN didn't look good.
The bullet didn't go through the back of her head. And there was no presence of blood on the floor of the prison. He looked at Len. His head wound had bled everywhere. It didn't make sense. The gun was fired at close range, it wouldn't take a rocket scientist to understand that the bullet would have broken through the skull if it was fired that close.
Was it a Combot? That would explain the attack that Len called about, but how did Lee know where Len was?
His phone rang. He picked it up, not even looking at the ID.
"Yeah." He said.
"Hello, Hwoarang."
It was Lee.
"Lee?" he said.
"Surprised to hear from me?" Lee said.
"Where's Ling?" he asked.
"She's safe." Lee said.
"Why are you doing this? Why release a virus and make no demands?" Hwoarang asked.
"Because of you." Lee said.
"Why me?" Hwoarang said.
"The hole in front of you. Look outside." Lee said.
Hwoarang looked out of the hole. Outside, he could see a car about twenty yards away, idling in a small road behind the prison. Inside the car was Lee Chaolan, staring at him, phone up to his ear.
"Can you see me?" Lee said.
Hwoarang bolted off the floor and out the hole, running as fast as he possibly could for the car. It was a futile attempt. Lee sped off by the time Hwoarang even got close to the car's previous position.
He stopped and put the phone back up to his ear.
"You never would have gotten me anyway. I'm not stupid enough to stand right where you can just grab me. Especially after what I'm going to tell you." Lee said.
"What?" he asked.
"I bet it bugs you, not knowing how the Korean army found you." Lee said.
Hwoarang thought about what Lee said, and then he realized what it meant.
"You told them." He said.
"You're smarter than I thought. Yes. I told the Korean army where to find you. You took me out in the tournament, and you rubbed it in my face." Lee said.
"You're a fucking pussy. I always rub my victories in the opponent's face; you should know that by now." Hwoarang said.
"I thought it would have been fun, you know? You rubbed your ego in my face, so I thought I'd return the favor. It only took a couple mercenaries to track you down. You would think after all that training you would be able to hide yourself somewhere. I guess you weren't listening that day, huh?" Lee said.
"So you tracked me down. I bet you begged the army to torture me, right?" he asked.
"Yeah, and after a $10 million payoff, they were more than willing." Lee said.
"Figures you would go to such lengths to make me pay." He said.
"So, now that my little confession is over, I want you to do something for me." Lee said.
Hwoarang didn't respond.
"Back off. You try to interfere with my plans at the school, which I know you know about, I will kill Ling." Lee said.
Hwoarang didn't respond again. He just stared off into the distance, watching the morning rush hour begin.
"Do you hear me, you little shit?" Lee said.
"You listen to me, fucker. You've played your game, now it's my turn. Kill Ling if you want. It's still not going to stop me from putting a bullet in between your eyes." Hwoarang said, hanging up the phone.
7:09:59 – The auditorium looked more like a giant funeral home to Gavin Le Carre. The room was usually fairly dark and the seats were slanted, so the people that sat in them would be looking at the stage, and not somebody's head.
Right now, the place was lit up like a Christmas tree, and Gavin was standing on the stage. He had a grand view of the auditorium, which could house nearly fifteen hundred people.
The students began flooding the place about five minutes ago, and it was starting to become crowded. From Gavin's point of view, he could tell these kids had no idea what was going on. They figured it was some kind of assembly, with the mystery man on the stage giving some lecture on drugs or teenage drinking and how it can affect them forever. God, he wished it was that simple.
Quite frankly, he was scared of the virus. The thought of these kids turning into devils was something that sounded like myth and that's how it should stay.
The room was quite hot at this time of the morning. The spring time air was still pretty chilled and the school must have still been running the furnace instead of the air conditioner.
The suit he was wearing was starting to bug him. The heat was making the collar unbearable, but he needed to stay presentable. The principle, Ms. Kaneshiro, had been pestering him, wondering what the threat was all about. He said that it was some kind of a virus, but she was being too curious about it. He had sent her with an agent to help move the students in here, while he stood on the stage, ready to inform everyone.
He looked stage left, and out of the corner of his eye he could see the principle stalking toward him. He took a deep sigh and turned to face her.
"What can I do for you?" he said, an annoyed tone in his voice.
"That agent you sent me with? He just told me that nobody in the building was going to die from this virus, even if it was released." She said.
He couldn't believe it. Whoever the agent was, he certainly didn't have a day job anymore.
"I told him that because I knew that I couldn't trust him with the truth." He said.
"And what is the truth? I have a right to know." She said.
"You have a right to shut the hell up. Now." He said.
"These kids are going to die, aren't they?" she asked.
"Shh. All it takes is one person to hear what you just said to start a riot. You and your curiosity will give these kids more trouble than they ever asked for. Now if I tell you, will you stop bothering me and make a good example for your students?" he said.
"Depends on what you tell me." She said.
Le Carre moved in closer. His eyes glaring at her in a threatening manner.
"You mention this to anyone, I will have you prosecuted. I'll make sure you're trial is long and painful. I will make your life hell. And it will never be the same." He said.
It was a decent scare tactic, but he didn't think it was enough. He needed her off his back. He would start announcing things soon, and he didn't need her starting some stupid riot or rebellion with her students. In the back of his head, Gavin figured she was some protestor when she was a kid, or she did some Greenpeace or something hippies did back in the sixties and she just never grew out of it.
"Ok." She said.
"It's sarin gas. Do you know what that is?" he asked.
"Jesus." She said.
"If we aren't careful, one of these kids could just set it off in the air duct, and if that happens, you'd be right. Happy now?" he asked.
She walked off the stage, speechless.
"Your welcome." He said.
7:15:34 – Anger seethed in Hwoarang's mind. Just hearing Lee laugh over the phone made him want to go on a rampage. But right now, he had to get to the school. The only problem there was the fact that the school was nearly six miles away and he had no car.
The only logical answer he had came to him instantly. What do you do when you have no time to get to a place where people's lives are on the line and you couldn't give a shit about the law or authority figures? Simple: Steal a car.
He was currently about two blocks away from the prison, walking down a side street filled with old, rundown apartment buildings. It was quiet for this part of the city, almost as if most people stayed away, knowing the risk. Hwoarang figured that the majority of gangs hung out around here.
He was very noticeable as he walked down the street, looking for any available car that he could boost. So far, he hadn't found too many. The opportunities that he had were risky, mainly due to the fact that he was being followed by a street cop. Hwoarang silently cursed to himself. Only he could get this kind of attention at the drop of a hat.
He started walking faster, hoping to cover more distance before the cop could turn the corner onto the street that Hwoarang was currently on.
Up ahead, he could see a decent looking car. It looked like it had aged quite a bit, but it looked like it could get him to where he needed to go.
He looked over his shoulder, the cop turning the corner.
"Dammit." He said.
He didn't have time for this. At this point, he didn't care if the cop opened fire on him; he was going to steal this car.
On the ground, there was a rock about the size of a softball. While still moving, Hwoarang picked up the rock and tossed it up in the air. Acting as playfully as any kid on the block, he caught it like it was a baseball and continued to do so as he moved towards the car.
He looked over his shoulder, the cop approaching him. A smirk came over his face. It had been awhile since he did anything like this, and it was fun. Hwoarang threw the rock right through the driver's side window. He turned around to look at the cop, who was running at him now. Hwoarang turned back to the car, opened the door, and got in.
If there was one thing he remembered, it was how to hotwire a car. But a model this old was going to be tricky. He pulled out the wires from under the dash and began ripping them apart.
The door flew open, and the cop started to drag Hwoarang out from the car. He expected as much. As he was coming out of the car, he stood up and used the momentum to punch the officer hard in the face. The officer hit the ground, screaming about a broken nose. Hwoarang started looking through the officer's belt and eventually found a knife.
Going back to the car, he stripped the correct wires and connected them, the engine turning over. He shut the door, throwing the knife out the window. He then drove off, taking out his cell phone. He dialed up Jin this time.
"Hey, man. What happened? Is Ling ok?" Jin asked.
Jin must have looked at the ID.
"Len's dead. He didn't have her." Hwoarang said.
"What are you talking about? Who has her?" Jin asked.
"Lee does. But he's not going to kill her yet." Hwoarang said.
"He shouldn't have a reason to. That is, unless you gave him one." Jin said.
Hwoarang closed his eyes, even while he was driving. It didn't matter how much he wanted Lee dead, he shouldn't have said what he did to the bastard. He couldn't lie about it either.
"Did you?" Jin asked.
"I might have." Hwoarang said.
"Why the hell would you do that?" Jin asked.
"Because of what he said." Hwoarang answered.
"I know you're a person that's not easily intimidated. So what he said must have pretty bad." Jin said aloud.
"You remember when I told you that I didn't know how the army found me?"
"Yeah?" Jin said.
"Well I know now. Lee told them." Hwoarang said.
Jin didn't respond. Hwoarang figured that he was either angry, shocked, or both.
"I'm not depressed about it. I'm madder than hell. I told him that if he killed her, it wouldn't matter, I'd still kill him one way or another." Hwoarang said.
"That's a good reason to get rid of her." Jin said.
"I know. But first things first, how the hell do I get to the school?" Hwoarang asked.
"You know where the St. Mary's International school is?" Jin asked.
"Yeah."
"You know how to get there?" Jin asked.
"Yeah. Are you there yet?" Hwoarang asked.
"I'm walking through the front door now." Jin said.
"See you there." Hwoarang said, hanging up.
7:25:14 – Jin hung up the phone and tucked it in his pants pocket. The line of students making their way into the school was long. It looked like the line at a movie theatre showing a popular movie on opening night.
He figured that they were being moved into the auditorium. It was the only logical place to go in case of something like this. Jin pushed past all the students and tried to make his way inside. Various teachers watching the line tried to stop him, but he explained who he was with and they didn't argue. Finally entering, he started asking the various agents that were watching the exits to the auditorium.
After a few well placed questions, Jin was being taken to Le Carre. Watching the students mingling as they waited for something to happen was something that seemed like a lifetime ago. He couldn't believe that it had been about four years since he had been one of them. Time really did fly by.
Le Carre could see him coming up to him. Jin was busy staring at the students. He could tell that it was odd for him. He figured it was the first time being back here since he graduated.
"I heard about Roppongi. Where's Hwoarang?" Le Carre asked.
"It's a long story, so let me explain. He got a call from Len. He had Adam trace it, and we went to the address. Hwoarang insisted that I leave him there. I just heard from him and it turns out that Lee has Ling, and Len is dead." Jin said.
"So did Hwoarang talk to Lee, or what?"
"He talked to Lee. Lee told him that he was the reason Hwoarang was tortured in Korea. He threatened to kill Ling if Hwoarang didn't back off. Needless to say, Hwoarang tried to call his bluff." Jin said.
"And did he kill her?" Le Carre asked.
"I don't think so." Jin said.
"If he didn't now, I don't think he will unless he's backed into a corner." Le Carre said.
"I thought my coming here would help." Jin said, trying to change the subject.
"I think it will. I'm going to have you placed in the balcony above the students. It's empty, so you'll have plenty of room to observe." Le Carre said.
"What do want me to do?" Jin asked.
"Start looking at the students. That's where the bot would be hiding. If you see one that looks suspicious, you can tell us through an earpiece we'll provide for you." Le Carre said.
"You think this is going to work?" Jin asked.
"It has to."
7:30:02 – School bathrooms were surprisingly clean in Japan, and that meant one of two things: either the janitors took pride in their work, or the students actually liked to keep things clean. Most people would seriously doubt that it's the latter.
Henry Jansen was an eighty-year old British man who happened to live in Japan. Originally he meant to retire here, but his wife's death had wiped him out after her family bled him dry in a civil suit back in England. She had died by falling asleep in the bathtub, which caused her to drown. But the family believed that Henry killed her in order to get the money from the life insurance policy. Legally, they didn't have enough to convict him in charges, and thus the Japanese government wouldn't extradite him. But the civil suit didn't require extradition, and somehow, the Japanese government allowed for him to be charged in the civil suit. Needless to say, he lost, and he had to pay the family because the Japanese were forcing him to. He was lucky to get a job as a janitor.
He was worried about this emergency that was forcing all the students into the auditorium. The principal had just told most school personnel to check the many different rooms in the building, just to make sure that there wasn't a stray student hiding in the building. So far, he had checked four of the eight bathrooms in the building and there wasn't a soul in sight.
There were four bathrooms on each floor: two men, two women. Henry had already checked the first floor, and was now beginning on the second floor. His first stop was a men's room, and upon entering there was nothing to notice right off the bat.
There was four of everything as he looked across the room: towel dispensers, air dryers, mirrors, sinks, soap dispensers, and... stalls. As his eyes came across the stalls, he noticed the one thing out of place: one closed door. Henry could see the shadows of a pair of shoes from under the door. He smiled as he walked on over to the door.
"Let's go, son. You heard the announcement." Henry said, tapping on the stall door.
There was no movement, and Henry figured the kid must have to take one hell of a shit, but then he realized that he couldn't smell anything.
Henry had no idea what he was up against. Standing directly in front of the stall door only made it worse. The door flew off in his direction, the collision knocking him to the floor. He pushed the door off of him, just in time to see the bot stand up and move towards him.
7:33:27 – Kazuya Mishima was someone that most people would want on their side. He was a man of great integrity. He would fight to the death for something he believed in. And if he needed to get something done, he would kill his own family to make sure it got done. That was the one flaw that nobody liked. He played the game for his own benefit, not for others.
And that was why he was still with Lee. He needed him to plan and operate, and he would strike when the whole operation was behind them. It was the same scam he was playing under Heihachi, until Lee proposed a better deal. That just made it so much sweeter. Kazuya hated Lee for everything the man did. He wanted the man dead just for the fact that he could breathe.
The one thing that Kazuya surely had was control. He was psychotic, but he had control over it. If he didn't, he couldn't exist or at least not the way he did now. He had always wanted to kill Heihachi, and even if he didn't do it himself, it was still a great feeling to know that he was dead. But his father wasn't the only one on his death list. There was Jin, Lee, and that bastard Hwoarang. Kazuya took a deep breath, remembering how good it felt to nearly beat the Korean to death.
He was currently standing in the doorway to a house that was on the outskirts of Tokyo. It acted as a safehouse, and Lee was just now pulling up in the street. Kazuya looked at his watch, noting that Lee obviously didn't care for his own timetable.
He went back inside, passing the living room. Glancing into the room, he crossed glares with Ling, who was bound and gagged on the couch.
"Mishima." Lee said, opening the door.
Kazuya turned to face him, remembering how much he hated being called by his last name.
"I have something for you." Lee said.
Kazuya wanted Lee to hit him, just so he could enter that blind rage that the devil inside him loved. The thought of ripping Lee's flesh from his bones sounded so good right now. But seeing as that would ruin everything, he decided to hold off on that.
"The stadium?" Kazuya asked.
"My man is inside as we speak. But there is also something else." Lee said.
"One thing I despise is being kept in the dark. Who is this 'man'?" Kazuya asked.
"Someone you've met before. Now – about this other..." Lee said, changing the subject.
Kazuya wasn't about to let him get away with it. He grabbed Lee by the collar and slammed him against the wall.
"Who is he?" Kazuya asked.
Lee pushed him off, taking the time to straighten his clothes.
"In due time, my friend, in due time." Lee said.
"You were saying?" Kazuya said.
"I have an assignment for you. You're going to like this one." Lee said.
Kazuya began walking off, down another hallway.
"The ATU." Lee said.
Kazuya stopped and stared at Lee. A smile appeared on his face. It was like pleasing an addiction. But this wasn't like cocaine or marijuana, it was a need to kill, and the amount of people in the ATU would definitely scratch that itch.
"Hwoarang?" Kazuya asked.
"Oh, yes. He's become a liability we just can't afford." Lee said.
"And how do you suggest we take care of it?" Kazuya asked.
"How about something that will knock them off their feet?" Lee said, grinning.
7:40:20 – This was the last thing he needed at a time like this.
"You got to be kidding me." Hwoarang said.
"Hey, I'm supposed to be on the lookout for suspicious people, and you come up here looking for the SAC without proper ID? That and the fact that you come up in a beat-up vehicle with a broken window, and you're telling me that doesn't look suspicious?" an agent asked.
Hwoarang goes forty over the limit getting here and doesn't get one cop on his tail, but he gets stopped by some agent looking to score a promotion. He guessed it was his lucky day.
"You talk to Le Carre, and ask him if he knows me. My guess, he'll fire your ass for not extending me every courtesy." Hwoarang said.
"I'll extend you a courtesy." The agent said, pulling out a pair of handcuffs.
"I've had enough of this." Hwoarang said.
Hwoarang pulled out his cell phone, and that was enough to set the agent off. The agent pulled out his gun, which caused Hwoarang to stop dialing.
"You're going to shoot me for pulling out my phone? That's a lawsuit waiting to happen." Hwoarang said, dialing again.
"Put the phone down." The agent said.
Hwoarang put the phone up to his ear and mouthed the words 'fuck you' to the agent.
"Hwoarang?" Le Carre asked over the line.
"Yeah, Gavin. Could you come down to the front..."
Hwoarang got cut off by the agent, who tackled him to the ground. Hwoarang obviously fought back, kicking the agent away from him. The agent aimed his gun back on Hwoarang.
"Don't fucking move." The agent said.
"Hey!" Le Carre called out.
Hwoarang continued to lay on the ground, the agent reacting to the protest coming up behind him.
"What the hell is going on here?" Le Carre said.
"This dickhead here doesn't know how to do his fucking job!" Hwoarang shouted.
"Shut up, Hwoarang." Le Carre said, his head turning to the agent.
"He came in like a bat out of hell, asked to see you, and he didn't have any ID." The agent said.
"Why didn't you contact me?" Le Carre said.
"I didn't think it was important." The agent said.
"Well, I'll decide what's important. If somebody asks for me, you call me. Ok?" Le Carre asked.
"Yes, sir." The agent said.
Hwoarang got up off the pavement and followed Le Carre inside the school, taking the time to brush against the agent after he put his gun away.
"You have to learn to control that temper of yours, you know that?" Le Carre said.
"Yeah, yeah. You going to tell me to watch my language next?"
"Wouldn't hurt." Le Carre said.
"Did you hear about Ling?" Hwoarang asked.
"Yeah, and I don't blame you for how you acted. If I were in the same situation, I don't know how I would act." Le Carre said.
"Yeah." Hwoarang muttered, still sensitive on the subject.
"So he was the one behind you being in Korea and all this? There's something that's not adding up." Le Carre said.
"What doesn't add up?"
"I don't know. It's just a gut feeling. I don't think its business, and I don't think it's personal either." Le Carre said.
Hwoarang leaned up against a set of lockers in the empty hallway. The two of them had walked away from the main set of doors to another part of the school, and Hwoarang listened as Le Carre pondered aloud.
"What are you getting at?" Hwoarang asked.
"You beat him at the fourth tournament, he turns around and has you tortured by your own army. That's payback. But then he plans this, and you happen to somehow get involved the day it goes down. Coincidence. But Ling and Jin getting involved as well? Planned." Le Carre said.
"Not possible if you were the one that got me out of that prison." Hwoarang said.
"No. I didn't. It just came to me. When I talked to your country, I threatened to take your case to the head of the UN. One day later, you were released. But it wasn't my threat. It was Lee, the whole goddamn time. He leaked your story out to the intelligence community, and I came to your rescue. My guess, he wanted you to get involved with this today." Le Carre said.
"So you're saying that Lee..."
"...was planning all this from the beginning." Le Carre said.
"Have you gotten anything on this thing in here?" Hwoarang asked.
"No. I have Jin looking at the students from on high and so far he hasn't found anything." Le Carre said.
"It won't be hiding among the crowd." Hwoarang said.
"What makes you say that?"
"The last ones have been found hiding. I would imagine that would be the same case here." Hwoarang said.
"Closets and bathrooms?" Le Carre asked.
"I'm on it."
"Hey. You armed?" Le Carre asked.
Hwoarang took out a gun that was tucked under his shirt and waved it in the air.
"Where did you get that?"
"Check golden boy at the front door." Hwoarang said, walking off.
Le Carre looked over at the agent at the door. The idiot didn't even realize that his gun was missing. He shook his head in amazement.
7:50:55 – Lee was excited. He usually was when something big was about to happen. Everything was accounted for, and everything was taken care of. By the time he would be at the stadium, Hwoarang would be no more.
The way everything would fall into place would make his superior proud. Right now, he had one person in play inside the stadium, and it was somebody that everyone knew of.
This man's identity was something that Lee wanted to keep secret until the last possible minute. The man had been in the correct circles before to do this sort of dirty work, and for the right amount of money, this man would gladly do it again.
Lee pulled out his phone and dialed the man, who picked up shortly after the first ring.
"Yes?" the man asked.
"Are you inside?" Lee asked.
"Yes. In fact, I just put two in the head security officer." The man said.
"Good. I'll be there in thirty minutes. Meet me at the south loading dock." Lee said.
Inside the stadium, the man stood over the dead guard inside the man's office, blinds drawn.
"I'll be there." He said, hanging up.
The man set the phone on the desk next to him and removed his shirt. He took the shirt off the dead man on the floor, and put it on.
Putting the shirt on would only fool so many people. If anyone that knew him saw him up close, they wouldn't see him as a security guard. They would see him for who he was, Steve Fox.
7:55:23 – Hwoarang was climbing the stairs to the second floor. Unbeknownst to him, he was running the exact same path as Henry the janitor.
The bot wasn't on the first floor, and that made him wonder what the hell Lee was planning on doing to this place. If he was planning on releasing a virus here, he would have the bot hiding down in the basement by the air ducts.
He entered the first men's restroom that he came across. The room smelled clean, which Hwoarang found odd. But by the time he passed the first sink, he could tell that the bot had been there. The door to the last stall was missing, and there was some blood on the floor. He checked the stalls, and found the body slumped in one. The janitor had been stabbed in the neck. The arterial spray from the wound was what Hwoarang found on the floor, and there was more in the stall.
He moved out into the hall, noticing a bloody footprint on the floor. He pulled out his gun, ready to kick ass. Turning the corner, he saw the bot slowly walking down a hall. Hwoarang went back, hiding behind the wall. He glanced out, trying to see what the bot was doing.
This time he was being careful. The last bot he fought threw him into a table and nearly killed him. He was going to take his time and act only if he had the manpower or if the bot was about to release the virus. He pulled out his cell phone.
He cursed under his breath when he looked at the display. The cell had bad signal strength. He dialed up Le Carre anyway. The call didn't even go through. He put the phone away, trying to think of a way to get people up here. Then it hit him, but it was risky.
Hwoarang turned the corner, showing himself in plain view. He pulled out the gun and fired a shot into the ceiling. The bot reacted, jerking its head to face Hwoarang.
He pointed the gun at the bot.
"Don't move." He said.
The bot did what its programming told it to do. It ran. Hwoarang started to run, but his phone suddenly rang. He answered it while chasing after the bot.
"Hwoarang? Did you fire that shot?" Le Carre said, the signal clearing up.
He looked ahead and noticed that the bot entered the stairwell.
"The bot is on the second floor stairwell, northwest sector of the building, possibly heading for the roof. I repeat..." he said.
7:59:57... 7:59:58... 7:59:59... 8:00:00...