Disclaimer: SNK owns King of Fighters and all the characters that appear. I own any original character appears. This in no way derogates from SNK's legal rights and obligations.
Chapter 3 - Concert at the Bar
Location: King's Bar
That afternoon, a van pulled up outside the hotel and the band got out, with their equipment, and began to unpack their equipment in the stage area of the bar, this was a simple affair, without any pyrotechnics. Because of the short notice there weren't swarming mobs of fans around, but Miss King did say that a lot of people were coming tonight, which was good.
"Promise even if that guy walks in, you won't go crazy?" Kai asked, as they were unpacking the drums from the van.
"Yeah, even if he walks in, and anyway, if he does walk in, it'll be all the better, it will show him that my band is much better than his."
"Atta boy, that's the good way to think about it," he laughed. "I'll be watching anyway, and I'm sure Miss King would not like another bar fight, so she'll probably also be watching."
Kai had chosen to dress in a band t-shirt and jeans, since this was an unofficial concert, and essentially a private matter, the band had their concert clothes on, ready to play that night. The drums were lifted onto the stage, under Miss King's direction, Kai just made some last minute adjustments to the set.
Lights were put up, and the band's instruments were rewired through the house speaker system. One last quick rehearsal, and then the crowd started to filter in. Kai saw most of the people from last night come back, more people kept on coming through the door, as drinks were being served.
The bartender was busily serving drinks when King got up on the stage and introduced the band, the crowd started to cheer as the band began to play, the heavy rock music filled the air, people started jumping up and down to the beat of the drums. Billy's voice began to ring out throughout the bar, and spilled onto the streets.
As they finished the first song and launched into the second, the crowd began to cheer even more loudly, Kai sat at the bar, sipping a martini, watching for any signs of trouble. Even though there were bouncers outside the bar, and this was a ticket event, he would not put it past someone in this town to try to make trouble, especially those who controlled the underworld crime, or those with a personal grudge.
Sure enough, as the band launched into its third and last song, before an intermission, trouble struck, as the Meira brothers walked in with their entourage. Kai's dossier on them indicated that they were one of the major players in crime in Second Southtown, contending with Duke and also the Heinlein's to be the major crime player.
He saw the look that passed through King's face, as she became even more alert for trouble. Kai just stayed in his position, watching for any trouble.
They took a seat at one of the tables and began drinking cocktails ordered from the bar. At the end of the third song, the crowd began cheering. Kai carefully observed the faces of the Meira brothers, and then looked down to his PDA as be brought up the profiles that were sent from his source. What he didn't know was that within the crowd were both Duke's and Heinlein's people as well.
The band had finished playing, and came over to join Kai in having a round of drinks on the house before heading back to the hotel. Billy went over to say hi to Rock and Mary who had come to watch tonight, their entry free of charge as a gift from Billy.
The band left Southtown the following day, headed around USA touring, Billy extended an invitation to Rock, if anytime he wanted to visit England, he was welcome to stay with him and his sister.
Location: England various locales
On tour for another week or so, Heavy Metal Kingz played to packed out stadia in another two cities before heading home to England. The songs to the second CD were beginning to be written, some by the band members, some Kai got outside composers and lyricists to write.
Arriving back at Heathrow airport, the band was mobbed by hordes of screaming female fans as they came out of the airport and headed home.
Billy got home not long after, entering, seeing the house was clean and tidy, however, Lilly was not home, "probably out with her boyfriend," Billy thought, as he dumped his stuff in his room, before going to check on the laundromat, "maybe Lilly's there already, working."
When Billy got to the laundromat he immediately saw that something was amiss, it was closed. Outside stood one of his employees, the shop locked up. "Mr Kane, something's wrong, when I came to work this morning the store was still locked, I thought Miss Lilly was opening the store this morning, so I went to your house and I knocked on the door but there was no one home either. So I've been standing outside here telling the customers that we're closed today. And as you can see there's some white note stuck under the door."
Billy was shocked, Lilly was late for work, "that stupid boyfriend of her's, she must have stayed overnight and he had gotten her into trouble," he said. He was going to kill that boy.
"Umm, sir, there's this note, I think something has happened to her," the employee answered.
Billy opened the door and picked up the note, opened it and read what was written, it confirmed his fears, Lilly had been taken by someone, even away from Southtown his past was catching up with him. And there was a photo, this one made him fume.
"Look after the store for me for a few days, there's something I have to do, and I'll give you a bonus afterwards," Billy said as he walked out to go home and get his weapons, and more importantly find his missing sister. He knew where he would start. He went away muttering about what he would do.
Kai sat in his office at the studios, listening to more new demo tapes, some good, some horrible, when his PDA buzzed, it was his sister, Kaia, sending a message along from within Intelligence, stating that one certain Lien Neville had entered England under an assumed name and that she was under surveillance by MI6 but classified as most dangerous.
He clicked the next button on his PDA. Also a report indicating that a missing persons report had been filed by one certain Mr Joe Higashi, regarding a Miss Lilly Kane, sister of Billy Kane, missing since this morning. Kai cussed, this smelt of trouble, someone was going out of their way to ruin his band. That was something that he would never allow. "Whoever this is, they're dead, and not just because Billy's going to kill them for kidnapping his sister. I'm going to vivisect them in the most painful way for daring to disrupt my band," he thought, as he read the message.
He hit the reply button and typed into his PDA, "Thanks for the heads up sis, I'll keep you posted." He picked up the desk phone and told his secretary, "cancel all appointments for the next week, band business has come up that requires all my time." He walked out of his office, with a dark look on his face, almost ready to murder, no that was too soft a word he thought, utterly annihilate in the most painful way possible the person who dared to threaten his band. Especially since they had one and a half weeks before they had to play at Wembley Stadium in front of a sold out crowd. There was no way they could cancel the concert.
He stalked out of the building and went to his car, sat down and started the engine, he raced out of the carpark and onto the street nearly crashing into a parked car outside the building. He drove quickly through the streets, as pulling in and out of lanes, running yellow lights until he reached home, he spun the wheel hard and turned into the driveway, when there was a screech of the brakes. He keyed off the engine and went in to change out of his suit.
Coming back out in a motorcycle jacket and jeans, he put on his helmet as his motorcycle zoomed out of his garage, into the street headed for Billy's house and the Laundromat, hoping to catch him before he did something stupid. The black motorbike zoomed through the streets of London, going at full pace, taking corners without slowing down, towards the Laundromat, in his old neighbourhood, where his own sister Kaia, now lived, when she wasn't away on intelligence missions.
Pulling up to the store, he parked roughly, the tyres screeching, he went up to the counter and asked the employee there, "Where's Billy," he asked, breathless from running to the counter.
"Who are you? And why should I tell you?" the employee asked, wanting to protect his employer.
"Look here, you little shit, I'm Billy's bands' manager, Kai, and you better tell me where he's gone before three or else," Kai snarled, impatient, he reached quickly into his pocket, "here's my card, look at it."
He forced the employee to look, "okay, okay, Mr Kai, Miss Lilly was kidnapped, and then Mr Billy left, and that's all I know," he replied, "you didn't have to be so rough."
Kai knew this already, he didn't need people like that for information, "Whatever," he said dismissing the hapless employee's objections; he had no time for complaints or delays. "Do you know where he might have gone," he asked.
"Probably to Joe's, to take out his frustration, he muttered something about killing him," the employee replied.
"And where may I find this Joe," Kai asked.
The employee supplied him with an address and added, "Mr Kai, Joe is Lilly's boyfriend; don't let them get into a fight," the employee uttered. Kai quickly ran out and revved up his motorcycle and zoomed off through the street, turning round the corner at speed, narrowly missing an old lady.
Meanwhile, Billy had already shown up at Joe's door, he didn't even bother knocking, he just kicked the door, hard, sending it flying into the room, "you're dead," he growled, as he strode in, ready to bludgeon anything. And sure enough he saw Joe, he charged at him, staff raised, ready to clobber him over the head. He just swung, taking the lamp off the table, it fell with a crash onto the floor, as glass sprayed out in a circular pattern.
Smash! the table in the middle of the room broke in two as Joe jumped backwards trying to avoid being hit. "Where is my sister?" he screamed, gutturally, "where is she, what have you done to her?"
The room was becoming littered with broken fragments of furniture when Joe decided he had to fight back. As Billy launched his staff at him, he jumped and kicked out, sending Billy across the room into the wall, Billy hitting the wall with a dull thud. That only served to make him angrier as he really let loose, swinging his staff wildly at Joe who had to dodge from the ferocity of the attack. Within such a confined space, Joe could not throw a hurricane upper without causing collateral damage to his own place and others, not that there was going to be anything left judging from the murderous look on Billy's face, and the range on the Rapid Punch was too small against the staff wielding Billy. He would have to rely on intuition and wait or his opening. Kai's motorcycle pulled up to the house and he ran through the open gate and saw that the door had been smashed in. He went inside and saw Billy and another man fighting. Billy was just swinging his staff around at the other man, who Kai assumed was Joe.
Kai went in and rushed towards Billy telling him to stop but Billy would not listen. Kai saw Joe dodge a staff swing that went wide and launch into a slash kick which connected and sent Billy flying away towards Kai. It was only then that Joe noticed Kai, "he's gone crazy." Kai just shrugged and rushed towards Joe, without a word, launching into a flurry of palms and fists, Joe was shocked, but managed to throw rapid punches in reply. The punches, fists and palms were a blur too fast for the human eye to follow, as Joe realised that Kai was no slouch. "That was for hitting Billy," Kai said as he extended his palm out, pushing Joe back lightly, "you were the one that filed the missing persons report on Lilly right?"
Meanwhile, Billy had rushed back and turned to swing his staff at Joe, but Kai blocked the blow, even though it would bruise and sting, "let me handle it," Kai said a the next staff swing came and he ducked and tackled Billy, sending him to the ground, the staff flying out of Billy's reach across the room. Joe went to pick it up, holding onto it, knowing that without his staff Billy could not fight well.
"Stop it, Billy, you aren't thinking straight," Kai said as he let go of Billy.
"Yes I am, look at this" he shouted back as he gave Kai the note he had from before. Kai picked it up, on it was a picture of Joe and Lilly having sex and a message, "if you want more, come to the warehouse at the pier tonight at midnight," it was signed "a friend". The picture, Kai could see was doctored, and he knew that Joe had filed a missing persons report and so was innocent of kidnapping.
"This picture is fake, photoshopped," Kai said as he gave the note back, "it was nothing but a ploy to get you to take Joe out, there's something a lot more sinister here then a simple kidnapping, I think."
"And anyway there's this," Kai showed Billy his PDA and the saved report of Joe's filing of the missing persons report with the police, "see it can't be him, but I want to know when he last saw her. Mr Higashi, tell me what happened, please."
"Last night, I said goodbye to Lilly as she went to deposit the day's takings. I was going to go see her this morning, and went to her house, but she was not there. I knocked on the door three times and even rang the doorbell, but there was no reply. I let myself in with the key she had given me, and looked around, but she was not there," Joe said.
"You better have not gone into my room," Billy interjected, still seething from being tricked, and at Joe anyway just for being Lilly's boyfriend, and the fact that she had given Joe keys without asking for permission.
"She wasn't there, so I went down to the laundromat and saw that it had not been opened up either, I knew something was wrong then, there was a note stuck under the dor on the inside, but I could not open it, so I went straight to the police. That's all."
"Okay, I think your story checks out, you had better have had nothing to do with it though, or else," Kai warned him, knowing that it was probably not needed.
"Hey, I like Lilly, a lot, I would never do anything to hurt her." Joe said.
"Billy, does the name Lien Neville sound familiar to you," Kai asked, "She's entered the country apparently under a false name." He showed Billy the picture on his PDA. On it was a picture of a blonde woman, with big breasts, but short.
"That's the assassin," Billy replied, after seeing the picture, "she tried to kill me a while ago, I almost had her dead before Rock showed up." He turned back to face Kai, handing the PDA back, "Was she the one that took Lilly?" Billy asked.
"I don't know but I plan on finding her to find out, after all she has prime suspect all painted over her," Kai said, before turning to Joe, "I think that you should stay out of this, it's personal."
"No way, I'm coming, Lilly's important to me," Joe replied indignantly.
"No, you can't, from what I know of you, you seem to be the nice good guy, you would balk at what we would do to get Lilly back," Kai said. "And anyway I'm not sure that I could keep Billy from killing you at any time, just because you are dating his sister."
"You..., hey that's unfair, though you are right," Billy replied, chagrined, annoyed at Kai's insinuations, "about him balking," pointing at Joe. "He's spent too much time being a sidekick to a hero," emphasising the word sidekick.
"Me and Billy will do things our way to get Lilly back. Just don't interfere, I want you to make sure that if anything else comes then forward it to me." Kai said, as he gave Joe his PDA number.
Author's Notes
1. Thanks for reviewing again guys. Your suggestions and comments are really helpful
2. Now we are back in England...and Lilly's been kidnapped, don't worry, some of our cast from Southtown will be making another appearance soon. But you'll have to read to find out.
3. What will happen tonight at midnight?
4. Anyway, this is where I need your help - now the sequel is being written...in which there will be another KOF tournament, except I am having a little trouble working out the teams...so far for HMK2 these are the proposed teams:
Ash team - Ash, Shen Woo, Elisabeth Blantorche
HMK team - Rock, Billy, Kai
Kyo Iori team - Kyo, Iori, Shingo
K' team - K', Kula, Maxima
Fatal Fury - Terry, Andy, Joe
Korea Team - Kim, Choi, Chang
Alba team (Anti-Ash team) - Alba, Oswald, Duo Lon
Kyokugenryu team - Ryo, Robert, Yuri
ADDES team - Soiree (brainwashed), Nagase, Duke (brain controlled and bodily enhanced)
Neo Psycho Soldiers - Momoko, Kensou, Athena
Ikari Warriors - Whip, Ralf, Clark
Women's team (all Wives to be as well)- King, Mai, Blue Mary
Anti- Kyokugenryu team- Malin, Kasumi, Eiji
Outlaw team- Lin, Ron, Ryuji
Benimaru tteam - Benimaru, Goro, Seth
Garouteam - B Jenet, Gato, Tizoc
Please comment and point out where I can make useful changes