Disclaimer: same as b4

thanx for ur review, kikoken : )

The next day, Chun Li reported to her job as usual. She gritted her teeth through a conference with her boss and the two Americans that she was forced to work with. She plastered a smile on her face when it was time for her to address anyone, but inside, she was boiling over with impatience to get back to tracking Bison.

She was glad about one thing. With the newly received information, she was going to be sent to Thailand, where Bison was conducting a huge and barely secret drug trade. Unfortunately, she would be working alongside her two new partners. Well, she would bear through it. No matter what, she would succeed, Chun Li thought with fanaticism.

The night was dark and silent as the trade commenced among the two parties. On the dock, to the sound of the taciturn waves, a dozen men dressed in black exchanged suitcases full of money for white powder. Few words were spoken and almost no movement was made as the leader of one side set down and opened a case full of cocaine to inspect the merchandise. Satisfied with the results, he nodded voicelessly to one of his many men.

Not far away, Chun Li watched the entire exchange on a pair of night vision binoculars. Stooped on one knee, she tensed up, waiting for the moment to attack. When she saw cash being traded, she whipped out her walkie-talkie. "Nash, move in."

All of a sudden, bright lights snapped on, fully illuminating the drug dealers, catching them completely in the act. "You're under arrest for conducting an illegal drug trade!" blasted Charlie over the megaphone. "We have you surrounded with more than twenty armed officers. Surrender now and you will be put in custody!"

Standing by were, indeed, more than twenty armed policemen and policewomen with guns at the ready. A moment of silence ensued. Then, without showing the slightest hint of fear, the man holding the briefcase gave a sinister smirk. The next instant, a boat in the water suddenly appeared out of the darkness and opened fire into the ranks of officers.

All of them ducked for cover and fired back with their own guns. Chun Li leaped behind a pile of boxes for protection. Like the others, she opened fire rapidly. However, she could see that the men were getting away as they traded shots. She squinted through the onslaught of bullets as they ricocheted everywhere. Grunting angrily, she suddenly sprinted from beneath her cover and dashed towards the men on the dock.

"Chun Li!" yelled Charlie from behind. "Get down, you'll be hit!"

"Then cover me, dammit!" she yelled back.

Like an acrobat, she sprang into the air. As bullets zoomed past her, she flipped right over the drug dealers and landed in front of them, between them and the water, where the boat was planning to pick them up. While Charlie fired furiously into the opposing shooters, she lashed out her leg into a lightning kick. Two men went down instantly. Without pausing for breath, she grabbed the other nearest one, as he tried to strike her with his fist, and flipped him down to the ground.

"Hyah!" she screamed as she threw herself upside down with her legs in a split. She started to spin, her legs hitting the remainder of the men and knocking them down before they had time to react. One man managed to disengage from the fray and draw his gun. He aimed it at her. When she bolted upright again, she found herself facing the open end of a revolver. The last man standing, the leader of the ring, was pointing the gun straight at her head.

"Move and I'll shoot!" he growled angrily. Chun Li froze. She glanced around and saw that the battle had come to a standstill. All of the drug dealer's men were lying unconscious at their feet. The men on the boat were almost ready to surrender, being outnumbered, but now this man held her captive.

An ugly smile spread on his face as he looked her up and down. "I know you," he hissed in a low voice. "You're Dorai's little princess!" He chuckled nastily. Chun Li's blood ran cold at the mention of her father. "Yes, I remember now, your picture was found in his pocket when he was killed by Lord Bison. His last pathetic words were your name!"

Something snapped in Chun Li's head. She lost control of herself completely and could only remember lunging forward and wrenching the gun out of his hand. The next thing she knew was that he was half-lying on the ground, bleeding from his face, and she was crouched over him with her hands on his throat.

"Don't you ever dare to speak his name, you filth!" she roared. Raising a fist, she slammed his face in. The man was screaming and choking on his own blood. Without realizing it, she had nearly squeezed the life out of him.

"Chun Li!" Charlie was yelling. She felt someone grabbing onto her shoulders and lifting her off. Still, she struggled, in her blind fury. Charlie yanked her around to face him. She was gasping for breath and trembling furiously. She almost struck Charlie, but he grabbed her hands. "That's enough! You almost killed him!"

Panting and fighting for air, she stopped shaking long enough to look around. The officers on her side were murmuring and staring at her. The criminal lay in a bloody mess on the ground, but still alive. The ship and its crew were taken prisoner, but everyone was looking at her, astonished that she had gone over the edge.

The realization of what she had done came over her. Choking back a cry, she pulled free from Charlie and ran off. The people were all a haze as she sped past into the night. Though the Thailand air was hot and humid, she felt cold inside. Not until she reached a distance from the scene, did she realize that Charlie had run after her. "Chun Li!" he was calling.

Before she could run any further, he reached out and grabbed her arm from behind. "Stop!" he panted. He was breathing as hard as she was. "Calm down. Just calm down! It's all right."

"Leave me alone!" she cried, and tried to pull free from his grasp. Instead, she lost her strength completely and almost collapsed. She realized that she was crying, and she hated herself for showing weakness in front of him. To her surprise, Charlie caught her before she fell held her so that her head rested on his shoulder. She let him hold her and she let herself cry.