I don't own Tekken.

Thanks to all the readers.

I want to thank also Jyu, MooNTeARZ, Astral Slayer Asuka, Krappkarmin and Art-freak for their reviews. I'm sorry to update so late, but I've been really busy…I hope you all like this chapter.

Chapter 29

Beneath the surface

While Jinpachi was reunited with his heirs, Asuka and the others had realised that Jin and Lee were gone.

-'Where the hell did they go?'-Paul asked.

-'I don't know…but maybe we should search in all the rooms again.'-Asuka suggested. And that's what they did. After a few minutes, Asuka saw the passage behind the mirror and called Nina, Lei and Paul.

-'Where do you think the stairs will lead us?'-she asked.

-'There's only one way to find out!'-Nina started to go down. When they arrived to the sub-level, they didn't know where to go so they followed one of corridors.

-'It seems that someone built some kind of lab in here…'-Paul said.

-'But it doesn't seem to be used…'-Asuka noticed.-'Why would someone built a laboratory in here?'

Paul, Lei and Nina realised that she didn't know about the devil gene, so they didn't answer.

Raven and his team were also on the sub-level. They had been divided into two groups to cover a bigger area, but they had just found each other again.

-'We haven't seen anyone!'-Baek announced.

-'Neither did we!'-Raven said.

-'Now what?'-Steve asked.

-'I think we should find a way out of here…I never liked basements!'-Anna said.

-'This is not a basement!'-Christie said.

-'It's an underground…so it's a basement…it's all the same crap!'-Anna insisted.

-'If Ling isn't here…she must be upstairs!'-Hwoarang suggested.

-'I agree…but as I said, first we need to find a way out of here!'-Anna stated.

-'First you'll let go of his arm!'-Julia said pointing to Hwoarang's arm.

-'Fine…chill out…I'm not going to kidnap him!'

-'Good…because I really don't want anything to do with you!'-Hwoarang declared.

-'Why not?'

-'You hurt people!'

-'Look who's talking…so I suppose you're an angel, huh?'-Anna accused.

-'No, I'm not!'

-'That's right…you're not! And you're probably the one here with the longer criminal record!'

-'So what? At least I don't shoot people and run away!'-Hwoarang replied.

-'Hey…where the hell did Raven go?'-Christie asked.-'He was here a minute ago!'

-'The guy moves like a ninja…'-Baek said.-'And you…'-he added to Hwoarang.-'Should respect the lady!'

-'She's no lady! Believe me!'-Hwoarang said.

Anna crossed her arms and pouted.

-'I want an apology! NOW!'-she said.

-'You got to be joking! After all you did to Michelle…I'm not going to apologise not even in your dreams!'

-'Shut up…both of you!'-Eddie ordered.-'We're here searching for Ling…she needs our help, remember?'

-'That's not why I'm here!'-Anna declared with a grin.-'I couldn't care less for that little…bitchy!'

-'Don't say that!'-Julia warned.

-'Why? What are you going to do about it? Kill me? Oh…I'm so scared!'-Anna joked.

-'Can you please, shut the fuck up!'-Hwoarang said.

-'No! I like to talk!'-Anna replied.

-'Please…Miss Williams…'-Steve asked trying to be polite.

-'Steven…you are such a gentleman!'-Anna said approaching him.

-'I'm Steve…not Steven!'

-'Whatever! Do you know what? You sure look like my sister…'

-'Right…can we start to move?'-Steve asked.

-'Look…this door has an electronic locker…we need a code to open it.'-Julia announced a few meters away from them.

-'So?'-Anna asked.

-'It means that this door has something important behind it. It's the only door protected by a code in this damn place!'

-'Good job, babe…but we don't know the code…'-Anna said imitating Hwoarang.

-'I'll try something…'

Julia tried many codes combinations but none of them worked out. She knew she could spend the rest of her life trying, there were thousands of possible combinations.

-'This is not working…'-she said defeated.

-'Please…step aside!'-Hwoarang asked. Then, suddenly he hit the locker with a powerful punch and the door opened.-'Sometimes we need to use the old ways!'

They all got in the room. Julia turned the lights on and they saw that they were probably in the control room. There were screens and many computers and keyboards with all kind of buttons.

-'Lets go and see if the other rooms are like this one!'-Steve got out followed by Anna. When they were entering another room, an alarm was activated and some heavy doors were sealed. Anna and Steve were now separated from the others.

-'Shit! What the hell happened?'-Steve asked.

-'The corridor is sealed off…'-Anna said.

-'I can see that!'

-'Hey, Steve! Is everything alright?'-Hwoarang shouted.

-'Yeah! We're fine! What happened?'

-'I don't know! Try to go around…Julia said that you can go around to get here!'

-'Alright.'

-'I think when we opened this room we activated some sort of alarm device.'-Julia said.-'Lets see if I can put some of these things working while we wait for Steve and that snake…'

-'What's up with you and that woman?'-Baek asked Julia.

-'Anna almost killed Michelle a few years ago…we still don't know why…'-Hwoarang explained.

-'Look…isn't that Asuka?'-Julia interrupted pointing to the screen. She had just turned the cameras on in the sub-level.

-'Yeah…weren't they supposed to be upstairs?'-asked Christie.

-'I think so, and where are the others?'-asked Baek.

Julia managed to find Paul, Lei and Nina with the cameras but they had been separated from Asuka by a sealed door; but there was no sign of Jin, Lee or Ling.

-'Jin, Ling and Lee must be upstairs…'

-'What the hell is that?'-asked Eddie seeing men coming out of a room and going after Asuka.

-'She needs help!'-Julia said.-'Hwoarang, go!'

-'I'm going too…'-Baek announced.

They both left running.

-'Things are getting weird in here! I told you this would happen!'-Eddie said to Christie.

In the meanwhile, Dr. Abel had activated the alarm and all the sub-level was now sealed. No one could go in or out. Besides, he had released the Prototype Jacks to eliminate Jin's friends and prevent them to help Jin.

The Jacks were in reality clones of a man. They were physically very strong, and their bodies were used to pain, so they were ready to fight under very tough conditions and against all kinds of opponents. Dr. Abel had installed a microchip in their heads, just like Dr.B. had done to Nina, Anna and Bryan.

Now, he was trying to create a robot, a super soldier, and he was going to use Jack's embryo to do it, but the project was still under construction. Besides, first he wanted to study the devil gene and its capacities.

-'I wonder what's going on upstairs…'-Dr. Abel said to Bryan when he arrived.

-'Kazuya and the others weren't too happy to see the old man…'

Jinpachi was happy to see the family reunited.

-'Well…here we are…the Mishima family is reunited once again!'

-'Who the hell are you?'-Kazuya asked.

-'Watch your mouth when we're speaking to me!'-Jinpachi said.-'That's no way to talk with your grandfather!'

-'What?'-Lee, Jin and Kazuya said surprised.

-'You weren't expecting this, were you? Well…grandpa is back!'

-'Alright…so and may we ask what do you want from us?'-Lee asked.

-'Well…'

-'You want the devil gene, right?'-Jin asked.

-'No, actually I don't! I already have it…can't you feel it?'

Jin watched his great-grandfather closely and realised that he was right.

-'It was you…'-Kazuya said.

-'Yes, it was my energy that you could feel in Fuji-Nion…I woke up when Heihachi died last year and my powers are growing stronger…'

-'If you have it, why are you doing this to Ling?'-Jin asked.

-'She was the only way to make you come to me!'

-'Please, let her go!'

-'I will…when it's the right time!'

-'What do you mean?'

-'First I need to chose one of you to be my heir…to rule the Mishima Zaibatsu with me and after I die! And the one to have the entire devil gene!'

-'Fine…I don't want to be your heir, now let us go!'-Jin said feeling really angry.

-'Whether you like it or not, you're a Mishima…and I need to see your powers to chose which of you deserves to stay with me!'

-'I don't want it!'-Jin shouted.

-'You will listen to me…or your girlfriend will suffer the consequences of your actions…and believe me, you'll lose more than just your girlfriend!'

Jin was speechless; he couldn't do anything that would put Ling's life in danger.

-'Fine…what do you want then?'

-'That's not the question you should be asking!'-Jinpachi said.

-'Huh?'

-'The real question is: what do you want, Jin? Lee? Kazuya? Does any of you know what do you want?'

-'I only want to fight you!'-Kazuya said.

-'Are you sure? Don't you want something else?'

-'Like what?'

-'Like…to say sorry to your son…'

Kazuya looked down.

-'See? That's why this family is falling apart!'

-'Falling apart?'-Lee asked.-'This family fell apart a long time ago!'

-'You're probably right Lee…it fell the moment I was betrayed by my own son! But I want to change things!'

-'You? Why?'-Kazuya asked.

-'Because I can!'

-'How?'-Jin asked.-'We can't change the past!'

-'I set this curse many years ago, and only I can stop it!'

-'The curse? You mean the devil gene?'-Lee asked.

-'Yes! The scientists call it that way…but the devil gene is a power that was given to you…because I set a curse upon Heihachi when he locked me up in that chamber!'

-'That's not possible! Besides, I don't have the devil gene…'-Lee said when Jinpachi finished the story of how he had set the curse.

-'You have the devil gene, Lee…'

-'I did a million tests and they all showed up negative!'

-'Your gene is different!'

-'Different?'

-'Your potential is your brain! The gene developed your intelligence.'

-'My intelligence?'

-'The devil gene develops your potential…but all depends on your potential. Kazuya's is physical strength…and Jin…well Jin has many talents that he ignores!'

-'What do you want us to do now?'-Jin asked.

-'Well…since you're asking…I want to fight you! After that I'll chose my heir!'

-'Fine! Lets go!'-Kazuya said taking his fighting stance.

-'The losers…will die!'

-'What?'-Lee and Jin asked.

-'There's no place in my empire for losers!'

Hidden in the balcony, Yoshimitsu and Kunimitsu were paying attention to what was going on in Honmaru.

-'They are going to fight each other?'-Kunimitsu asked.

-'I guess so!'

-'I thought you said Jin was the only Mishima alive!'

-'Things got out of hand…with a bit of luck maybe they'll kill each other! That way we'll be free!'

-'I wish I could understand what's going on…'

-'Leave it! We don't need to understand…it's better this way!'

-Come on, Kazuya…lets see what you got!'-Jinpachi said.

Kazuya and Jinpachi started their fight. Lee and Jin looked at each other, they didn't know if they should interfere to help Kazuya. But ten minutes later, after some punches and kicks, Jinpachi stopped and attacked Lee.

-'The old man is tough…'-Kazuya said.-'Watch his left arm Chaolan…'

-'Why are you here…?'-Jin asked his father.

-'I told you…I want to defeat Jinpachi.'

-'Jin…it's your turn!'-Jinpachi said throwing a punch that hit Jin in the face and made him meet the ground.

-'Stand up, kid…and show me your moves!'

Jin stood up and blocked another punch. He did the best he could and when he finally managed to grab Jinpachi and threw him to the ground, Ling woke up.

-'Jin? What's happening?'-she asked.

-'Ling…are you ok?'-Jin asked approaching her. Jinpachi quickly stood in his way and he went near Ling, taking her hand.

-'You guys are good fighters!'-Jinpachi announced smiling.-'But you all have flaws!'

-'Flaws? You're kidding, right?'-Kazuya asked.-'I have no flaws!'

-'Really?'

-'I can take anyone…anywhere…'

-'Ok…then I'll take you as my heir if you do what I ask…'

Jinpachi took a gun and threw it to Kazuya.

-'Kill your son and Lee…to prove that you can take anyone, anywhere, like you said!'

-'What?'-Kazuya asked confused.

-'Kill Jin and I'll believe you! It's simple…just pull the trigger!'

-'But…'

-'You said you didn't care for him, didn't you?'

-'Yes.'

-'Then do it!'

-'NO!'-Ling cried when she saw Kazuya pointing the gun at Jin.-'Don't do it! He's your son!'

-'Do it father! If I'm nothing to you…don't hesitate!'-Jin said.

Kazuya looked at him and he put the gun down. Jin was surprised, but Jinpachi wasn't.

-'You're not that cold, are you?'

-'He's…my son…'

-'I know…and you loved his mother, didn't you? I wanted to show you your flaw…your flaw is Jin, and also Jun's memories. But sometimes you also do things irrationally…you should think first!'

-'So…who will you chose?'-Lee asked.

-'You would probably be my first choice, Lee.'

-'Me?'

-'You always think first. But, unlike Kazuya, your not very confidant when it's time to fight! And…just like Heihachi, you're too ambitious.'

-'Fair enough…but I would never kill my son just for power…'

-'What about your brother, or your nephew?'

Lee looked down; he didn't know the answer to that question.

-'So…you'll chose Jin!'-Lee said.

-'Jin's too emotive! It's good to have emotions; Kazuya should have worked a bit in that issue…I can't choose someone who doesn't know himself. And Jin obviously doesn't know himself…you are such a powerful young man!'-Jinpachi said to Jin.-'And like your mother, you almost control the curse I set upon you, but sometimes your emotions betray you and you feel lost!'

-'What does that mean?'-Jin asked.

-'It means…you all failed…and this girl is the answer to my problems…she will…'

-'She'll die!'-someone said and five shots were heard.

Jin, Kazuya, Lee and Jinpachi fell on the floor and a man emerged from the shadows and took his mask off.

-'Heihachi Mishima is back to reclaim what's rightfully his!'