Breaking The Ice

Jeju Island, South Korea…

Steve Fox and Leo Kliesen soon arrived at the spot where Edgar Grant and Nina Williams were staying after fleeing from Tokyo. The two young fighters didn't know what to expect from Nina other than more ridicule from her perhaps. Either way, Steve was going to help Leo find answers about her mother's death while getting more out of Nina's memories. Steve and Nina did not have to rekindle lost time between mother and son. Steve just wanted the truth about why he was an experiment. And Nina knew the answers even if she pretended to not know why. So Leo knocked on the front door as Edgar came from the opposite side to open it.

Edgar: "Hey!"

Leo: "We made it!"

Steve: "Is she here?"

Edgar: "Nina is on the roof. She will come back. Her stuff is still here so that's how I know. Anyway come in. Did you guys eat?"

Leo: "Yeah I went to Chanko Paradise at the airport. But Steve didn't like the place. So he went to some chicken restaurant. Forgot the name."

Steve: "Spicy Willy's."

Leo: "Yeah that one."

Edgar: "Oh… I went there before. It can't eat the spicy chicken. It will make get the runnings."

Leo laughs at Edgar's statement…

Steve: "I didn't get spicy chicken there. Just baked chicken with Cole Slaw."

Leo: "So…did you guys figure out your next move?"

Edgar: "Well Nina is quite anxious to get those photographs that Claudio man took of her. So I'm sure she will come up with a way to get back at him and the photos."

Steve: "At the end of the day, me and Leo want answers about our pasts. I rather not make more enemies than I need to."

Edgar: "Oh I understand. If you want to talk with Nina she is on the roof. Supposed to be anyway."

Steve: "I will wait for her to come back. There is no rush."

After 30 minutes pass…

Knock, knock, knock…

Edgar answered the door as Nina knocked on it. It was now evening time as Nina returned to the room, but then she saw both Leo and Steve sitting on the table watching television. She wasn't surprised to see them, but at the same time she did not want to worry about their lives once the group makes it back to Tokyo. With a deep sigh Nina asked them what they hoped to achieve if they were to follow her and Edgar.

Nina: "I'll get to the point. What do you two hope to achieve once you follow us back in Tokyo?"

Leo: "I still need to find out why my mother died and Steve is looking for answers about my mother and his existence too. Is that still a problem?"

Nina (Sigh): "It will be if you two end up dying."

Steve: "We won't die. We will see this through. Whether you care or not."

Leo: "Besides. It was Edgar's idea for us to come back here and figure out a strategy to reenter the Zaibatsu headquarters."

Nina: "What? Edgar?"

Edgar whistles…

Leo: "So let bygones be bygones. What matters now is that we get the information we want, and then we can take down Heihachi! All four of us!"

Nina: "Hmph. So I guess there is nothing I can say to change your minds."

Edgar: "The way I see it. There is not much odds you could stop Heihachi or Claudio on your own Nina. Logically speaking making allies like this will increase your chances of success."

Nina (Shrugs.): "I can see your point. I'm just…not used to partners."

Steve: "Even so. One day you will have to rely on someone to help you. Who is going to save you when there is no one else around you?"

Then something in her head triggered Nina's memories to open up. This question Steve implied was something Nina remembered before. From her own father, Richard. She got into an argument with her sister Anna after the younger Williams girl wanted to go help Nina beat up some guys who messed with her the previous day. They were both young girls at the time. Richard overheard the argument and said a similar question to Nina.

Richard Williams: "Nina. If you ever got into a situation alone, who will come help you? You cannot change the world by yourself. I forbid you both from getting into fights with that gang! Now did you swear against your sister?"

Then Nina remembers getting smacked by her dad for badmouthing Anna. Anna laughed but then Richard almost hit her too. That's when Anna started crying. By that time, Nina and Anna both grew as martial artists and that warning question by Richard was something Nina erased in her memory even before the woman was put in a cryogenic state. Back in the present, Nina turned her back to Steve and lowered her head, rubbing it in pain.

Edgar: "Nina?"

Nina: "Forgive me. I just remembered something in the past. It was unpleasant. Just…tell me what is your idea? Both of you." (To Leo and Steve.)

Leo: "Well…for starters. I just looked up on my phone that Heihachi will fight his son in about two days. The location is on some island out in the pacific. It might be better to wait and further study the layout of the Zaibatsu HQ before making a move."

Nina: "Well I know the facility pretty well. Getting inside is not the issue. I know for certain Heihachi will have his security heightened. My concern is the presence of Claudio. He is an alchemist after all. There is no telling what booby traps he might have inside the buildings. Then there is that Kazumi Mishima. When will she make a reappearance?"

Edgar: "Is she as powerful as the rumors claim?"

Leo: "Yes. It's true. I had to face her in the tournament. She knocked me out cold in just under a minute."

Edgar: "Wow. She isn't Heihachi's wife for nothing."

Steve: "Where can I find the laboratory? I will dismantle everything there."

Nina: "If that's where you want to go, then you will find it in the West tower, it has several floors."

Steve: "Then that's where I will be. The Zaibatsu's research is as good as gone!"

Leo: "I'm sure my mother's office is in the Central Tower right?"

Nina: "If she was a bio engineer, then most likely. I never really kept up with scientists' names. Never made it a priority to get close to them."

Leo: "Then I need to make it there."

Edgar: "What about the East Tower?"

Nina: "The Tekken Force is stationed there. It's mostly offices and a prison."

Edgar: "Alright then we should split up. Steve and I will look at the West Tower. You can help Leo find her mother's office."

Nina: "Alright. Now does that satisfy you guys?"

Leo: "Yup. I got no complaints."

Steve: "Yeah. I am okay with it."

Nina: "Good. Now, if you do not mind, I would like to get some sleep. And try not get stopped by Zaibatsu soldiers patrolling the island. I will not be the one to rescue you if that happens."

Steve: "Yeah. We will keep our eyes open."

Nina just looked at Steve, but Nina didn't want to get too mesmerized. The more she stared at Steve, the more the young man reminded her of Richard. So Nina went into the bedroom where she left her suitcase bag and fell on the bed to sleep. Edgar talked with the other Tekken fighters for a little while longer before they left out. Edgar breathed a sigh of relief knowing that conversation could have went sour if Nina was in a bad mood or if Steve or Leo got sassy at her. The coming days would determine just how hard or easy it would be to reenter back into the Zaibatsu HQ.