Phew, you know - Kain is prolly one of the main chars in this. He's the plotter on this side.

Sorry long chap tldr at bottom.

Kain Heinlein was on the top of the world.

After three years of imprisonment on that damned desert island in the Bahamas, he never imagined he'd be standing here once again. After Geese betrayed him - Kain thought he was finished. From his prison, he slowly watched his wealth and influence fritter away. He watched Howard Connection - that organization which he gave his heart and soul to - grow and expand without him. It crushed him underfoot, and threw him away just to strike a deal.

Howard Connection's success was due to Kain Heinlein. It was because of his work that the 'company' saw the wealth and influence it now boasted. As he watched HCon grow more and more powerful, Kain's own resentment grew to match. His jealousy swelled up like a rogue wave. His crushed pride became teeth gnashing rage. Kain Heinlein wasn't here to regain his leadership position in HCon. His intention wasn't to preserve the organization as best he could - such that he could eventually succeed the throne.

No.

Kain Heinlein was here to tear HCon to pieces.

He was here to run the organization into shambles. To kill the head. To murder the executives. To stand over the ashes of the old firm, and to piss on them.

Then… just to spite his brother in law (who would undoubtedly be dead by then) he'd raise a new gang organization in HCon's place. This time, there wouldn't be any legal dealings. No stupid peace treaties. No political bullshit. They were going to run thing's Kain's way.

With terror.

That's how an overlord ruled.

That's what the seat of power was for.

And in this moment, Kain Heinlein was sitting smugly in his seat of power. He couldn't suppress a maniacal grin as he leaned over the balcony railing to gloat at Geese Howard's greatest enemy. This man… this man… had been such a thorn in Kain's side while he played underboss for Geese. Terry Bogard, SouthTown's Legendary Wolf, was perhaps the most dangerous person in the entire city. Once, he had single handedly taken out half of Kain's active forces during the establishment of HCon. Truly a terror. A wrecker.

And even when Kain had fifteen rifles pointed at the Wolf - ready to fill him with lead - the willowy man still didn't feel safe. Terry Bogard wasn't so weak that he couldn't survive an ambush like this. In fact, if Kain didn't have a pistol pressed against Rock Howard's temple - he would never have let Terry see his face. He knew the only reason all of them hadn't been launched to kingdom come was because of the boy, and today, Kain Heinlein was going to purchase an ally for himself.

Oh Rocky boy~ you're useful for everything.

Kain's voice trembled as he addressed the Wolf. His eyes were wild. His throat was dry. He shook in anticipation and excitement. The feeling of 'power' was addicting. Like a shot of ecstasy.

"Let's worry about you, Terry Bogard! You're a father, yes? You'd do anything for your darling little pup… let's strike a deal."

Terry had grown accustomed to the light in his face, and in response, simply took a fighting stance. He didn't seem to be even a bit concerned about the fifteen laser pointers dotting his chest - and was entirely focused on Rock. That made Kain nervous. Was the Wolf really so strong that he could shrug off bullets? That was something that Iori Yagami (famously) could do… and word from the grapevine said Iori was terrified of Terry Bogard. Well… in any case, if Terry was bluffing, Kain wasn't going to call him on it. The Wolf had ruined too many of Kain's past operations with his ridiculous strength, and Kain wasn't going to let him ruin this one as well.

"Come now, no need to be that way, Wolf! Let me feed you a couple tasty morsels of information. I promise you'll find them interes-"

"Kain you snake! I'm not here to talk! Give me my son back!"

Terry shouted to interrupt him. The ground beneath their feet began to rumble perceptively, and the soldiers began murmuring - concerned. They had every right to be. Normal people showed fear when threatened with death by bulletstorm. Normal people also couldn't didn't cause earthquakes on a whim.

Kain's powertrip was also rapidly being overtaken with anxiety. He was growing a bit spooked, and did his absolute best to hide it. After all, how hard was it to convince Terry Bogard to go after Geese Howard? It should be easy as pie.

Compose yourself!

Kain grinned to mask his anxiety. He spoke loudly so his voice didn't tremble.

"Rock Howard is here for his own protection! He knows Geese Howard is hunting him, and as his uncle, I can't possibly let him out to roam the streets… have you seen what Geese does to his enemies?"

The rumbling became louder, like rocks being crunched between an enormous set of teeth. Cracks began forming in the concrete foundations, and steam burst forth from the ground. The soldiers began to panic. They were giving him increasingly urgent sideways glances - requesting permission to shoot.

Of course, Kain couldn't let them. He had plans for Terry Bogard. Today, Geese Howard was his enemy - so he'd be foolish if he didn't try and ally with The Wolf. Despite all their past and present differences, Kain needed his help.

Because according to television, the police and the Feds were raiding Geese Tower this coming Saturday - 2 days from now. Kain planned on disguising themselves in police uniform, and taking advantage of the chaos to conduct their attack.

The plan wasn't perfect. There would certainly be police in the area who might sniff them out, however, Even if they were caught, it was unlikely that Blackwell would arrest them since it was very clear the Sheriff only cared about catching Geese Howard. In the unlikely event Kain's group was apprehended, there was no concrete evidence to convict him. All of the evidence pointed toward Rock Howard, and Rock Howard alone. He had been carefully groomed to be the face of opposition, Kain's scapegoat.

And if Kain could get Terry involved for a three-pronged attack… then that was essentially an assured victory. Howard Connection could not withstand an assault in three waves. Hell, HCon could barely withstand Terry on his own.

Now… I just need to leverage Rock as a hostage to recruit him… glad the kid agreed to get tied up again...

Easier said than done.

On both sides, he had soldiers about ready to break rank. Below, he had a monster ready to command the Earth to open its mouth and swallow them. Kneeling beside him was the only piece of leverage that was worth his weight, yet Rock obviously held zero loyalty toward him. It was a toss-up whether he would say what needed to be said.

Phew… play these cards right...

Kain raised his voice once more, unsure if Terry was even listening to him.

"Until Geese is dead, Rock's in danger! Help us take down Geese Howard, and I'll return your boy to you!"

"KAIN! LET ROCK GO, NOW! I'M TAKING HIM HOME!"

The rumbling didn't abate, but at least Terry shouted something back to him instead of blowing the floor. The soldiers were excessively jittery… and when trigger fingers were jittery, it was only a matter of time before a shot was squeezed off. Right now, a fight was the last thing Kain wanted… because even if they managed to kill Bogard - they still lost.

"Didn't you hear me, Wolf? Rock will die! What kind of father are you if you won't help us protect your son? Once Geese dies, Rock can walk free. We're attacking with the police in two da-"

"I HAVE NOTHING ELSE TO SAY TO YOU, SNAKE. I'LL FIGHT FOR HIM, RIGHT HERE. RIGHT NOW. C'MON!"

Terry wasn't listening. He didn't catch a single thing Kain said. His expression had twisted into a snarl, and his eyes were fixed squarely on Rock. There was a tremendous aura bursting off of him, powerful and oppressive. It has been a while since Kain had last witnessed Terry Bogard so angry. It made the hairs on his arms stand straight and cold sweat to lubricate his palms.

To his sides, the soldiers were breaking rank. Some looked like they were about to shoot. Others had fled down the balcony stairs.

Below them the Earth rumbled violently. Steam burst out from the seams in the ground, and seemed writhe and breathe searing heat. There was a tremendous pocket of energy beneath their feet… there was no doubt in Kain's mind that it was enough to kill every last one of them. At this point, Terry wasn't bluffing anymore. He was ready to fight to the full extent of his abilities. Negotiations were over before they had even begin, and Kain - who imagined himself to be seated on high, enthroned in power - instead found himself stuck holding his dick, and about to kiss this mortal realm goodbye.

Shit. Shit!

"KAIN DON'T MAKE ME DRAG Y-!"

"Dad... stop it."

Terry stopped shouting abruptly. His eyes flickered from Kain to the small, sad voice beside him. Kain was also surprised. The soldier that was holding a gun to Rock's head was long gone, but the boy himself didn't make any attempt to flee. His hands were still bound, but he had stood to his feet, and looked sadly over the balcony.

The Wolf's demeanor changed so rapidly, it was almost eerie. The ground stopped rumbling. The bursts of steam abated. Things went silent. Terry approached the balcony and spread his arms in a reasoning gesture.

"Rocky. You can't stay here. Mary says you're getting in more and more trouble with the authorities. I'm here to take you home. C'mon. Let's go before this gets any worse."

Rock hesitated, then shook his head.

"Dad… I'm sorry. I want to, believe me. I wish I never got involved… but I got wrapped up in something I can't just walk away from. I need to finish this."

"Finish? Finish what?! Do you have any idea what the police are pinning on you? Rock you need to stop now. I know you're upset about Adam. I really do, but you can't throw away your entire life! I don't know what Kain and Yagmai are threatening you with, bu-"

Rock blinked and in his haste to interrupt, lurched forward and nearly toppled over the railing. Kain grabbed him before he could break his neck on the pavement below, and undid the zip-ties around his wrists. Rock grabbed the railing and continued questioning his father.

"-Wait, Dad! Do you know where Iori is? Have you seen him at all? I bet… I bet he can help me!"

The Wolf was clearly unhappy with Rock's proposition and grimaced. He shook his head and glowered.

"Rock… Your Boss isn't coming to help you. He left. Hi-tailed it to Japan a couple of days ago. It's about time you hi-tailed it too. Get down from there. Let's go home. You look hungry, we can stop by the veggie burger place."

Rock seemed incredulous, as if Iori Yagami abandoning him was completely outside the realm of possibility. The boy opened and closed his mouth a few times, then seemed to make the conscious decision to change topics.

"Okay, fine. But Dad… what about Geese?"

"...What about him. He has nothing to do with this. Let's go."

"No, Dad… Geese is hunting me. I bet he knows where we live… I can't go home. He'll come after me, and I don't think he'll forgive me for getting involved with his stuff. Before I go home, I need… I need to take care of him… do you know what I'm saying, Dad?"

Terry looked startled, then crossed his arms. It looked like the rage had drained out of his head, and he was finally thinking about his son's proposition. Rock continued with his plea.

"Once everything's done, I promise. It'll be just like before… so please dad. Just help me get through this. I'll never ask for anything again. I promise."

There was a long moment of silence.

The glaring floodlight lit a circle around SouthTown's Wolf, and deepened the darkness around them. Overhead, the grey clouds began to drizzle down on them. Tiny droplets of rain cut the beam of light and bounced off the asphalt. The soldiers had calmed down. A few laser pointers still remained pointed at Terry - but they went entirely ignored.

Rock had locked eyes with The Wolf...

Kain watched them with bated breath.

Then finally...

"... Fine. What's your plan."

K so pretty much Terry threatens blow everyone up, because he's a total badass that can do that.

Kain tries to explain to him Geese needs to die/put in prison/get taken out of picture or else Rock is screwed. Fails to mention that Rock is screwed because Kain made sure police caught wind of Rock - and transmitted the info to Geese. tbh, Geese already suspects kain is the one who did this - but Kain's a gangster on his own, and can just go set up shop elsewhere. He's not concerned abotu long term, cuz it's no issue for him to pick stuff up and run. Rock is a lot more vulnerable because he's trying to live a normal life.

Rock eventually convinces Terry that he can't come home until Geese is taken care of. Terry is unhappy with proposiiton but doesn't really have a choice.

TLDR:TLDR - Terry joins the opposition.

Finally i can fish Yag from the ocean yee