.
The Angel Within
Chapter Three: A Game of Shadows
[Day 3]
Wednesday, 01:00 UTC (02:00 in local time)
Barcelona, Spain
I need to make money. And fast. She thinks as she walks alone through the streets. The sound of her sand-colored sandals echo on the empty street. This part of the city is so lifeless right now that the buildings look like they've been taken out of a horror movie. The night haunts and the wind blows softly, lifting the girl's short black hair. The livid moonlight reflects on her tanned skin. Her long legs are embraced by azure-colored pants, while her torso is covered by a lime yellow long-sleeved silk shirt. The piece goes until half of her belly, and the sleeves are large and loosen. As accessories, she wears a red belt and red headband.
Mi abuela needs me. She looks sadly to the ground. Nothing has been the same since this horrible war. She lifts her head again, keeping an emotionless face. It separated us from nuestra casa, nuestra familia. She starts to hear a muffled sound coming from far away, but she can't distinguish what it is. They are destroying nuestro país. As she keeps walking on the sidewalk, the noise goes louder, and it sounds like many voices are cheering and screaming at the same time. She finally finds out from where the noise is coming from. There is a small crowd on an alley by her left. She sneaks in, and sees there are two men fighting. She is also able to see people putting money inside some sort of hat on the ground. The place smells like alcohol and blood. Suddenly, everybody screams louder than before. She turns her gaze to the men who were fighting again. It seems one of them has won, and the other is covered in his own blood, laid on the ground. The people who are closer quickly carry the man out of there, and other two men who seem to be some sort of organizers redistribute the money according to the bets. This is my chance, she thinks, determined.
"Who else is going to challenge me?!" The man screams in Spanish. She smirks.
"I am." She says as loud as she can, and the people who were by her side take a step backwards, giving her space. Then, she repeats herself in a more severe tone. "I am."
The man laughs loudly, and most people follow suit. "You?!"
She frowns angrily. "Sexist pig." She curses in low volume.
The man still hears it. "Oh, look, we have a feminist over here!"
She simply rolls her eyes and gets on her fighting stance. "Talk less and fight more."
The crowd goes wild. "Oooooohhh!" (*turn down for what*)
The man frowns angrily, just like she had done seconds ago, and gets into his own fighting stance. "Let's see if you're good."
One of the organizers scream to the woman. "Hey, does the smart talker have a name?!"
She answers loud enough for him to hear from far away. "Josie."
"Encantado de conocerte, Josie." Her oponent says mockingly. "Yo soy Miguel, a su disposición." He chuckles.
They circle each other slowly. Miguel is wearing a White button shirt and black leather pants and shoes. That leather might work on my side, she thinks. His size, however, is going to be a problem. Saying Miguel is ginormous in an understatement. He is around 2 meters tall and very muscular. But she is also quite tall herself, having 180 cm of height. His hair is black and slightly long, and very messy. He also has a black mustache.
Miguel makes the first move. He punches Josie with his left hand, then spins and hits her with his right fist, and spins once more lifting his right leg in the hair to kick her in the face, making the Up-stroke. She gets hit by the punches, but she ducks down before the kick comes. However, she crouches while spinning, stretching her left leg. She hits him on his feet, and then she raises and hits him in the stomach with her right palm. Angry, Miguel makes a Martillo doble, a move which consists simply of putting his hands together and brings them down on her head with all his strength, and then he raises them to hit her chin. The move sends her rotating in the air.
"Fall less and fight more." He says, imitating her phrase. The crowd goes nuts.
She quickly gets up and resumes her fighting stance. She proceeds to punch him with her left hand, then the right one, followed by a right leg kick on his calves as she spins and then another kick with her right leg, this time hitting him on the face and sending him rotating in the air just like he did with her moments ago. She smirks as he gets up.
The fight keeps going on for some long minutes. The usual crowd of this alley has never been more entertained. Josie's confidence grows every time the people cheer for her. Miguel, however, couldn't be more pissed off. This is the first challenger who actually manages to give him some work.
With her ego on top, she decides to take a more risky move. If it works, however, he's going to be beat up real bad. "Get ready to fly!" She screams, showing off, as she starts it. She takes impulse from the ground and jumps, raising her right hand, lifting him up with the hit. She touches the ground only to jump again, and hits him with the right leg, then spinning and kicking him with the left one. Before both of them fall, she brings her hands together and brings it down on him with all her strength. The impact makes Miguel bounce on the ground and fall backwards.
He struggles to get up. As he does so, he nods to her with an angry and frustrated expression and leaves. The crowd goes wilder than ever before. "Josie! Josie! Josie!" I won!, She thinks happily.
The organizers give her the money, and the crowd starts to spread away. She counts the money and puts it on her back pockets and leave as well, following some people.
This will be of much help right now. She smiles.
[Day 3]
Wednesday, 03:12 UTC (12:12 in local time)
Seoul, South Korea
Hwoarang leaves the taxi, pissed off. I can't believe I waited Master for hours on that stupid airport. His brown boots are stomping in the sidewalk as he thinks of every swear-word he knows in Korean and in English. His blue jeans tremble by each step. His dark grey T-shirt is exposed as his black leather jacket flies on the wind, just as his orange hair.
When he reaches the dojo, his rage is replaced by confusion. It is closed. He frowns. It should've been opened since early in the morning. He forces the door until it opens. His jaw drops at what he sees. Everything inside is overturned, and Baek is unconscious and tied with rope in a column.
Hwoarang leaves his bags on the ground and starts running through the building. "Where are you?! Where are you, bastard?!" He screams at the top of his lungs, to no avail.
He goes back to the main room, where Baek seems to be waking up. "Master!" He runs to him and starts to undo the knots of the rope. "Are you okay Master? What happened?!"
Baek simply moans in pain, and Hwoarang carries him by holding him under the arms and takes him to his bedroom. Laying his Master on his bed, he sees that he is injured. There seem to have a few burns and also two deep cuts.
Hwoarang runs to the telephone, calling the hospital. And then, calls the police.
The police better find out who is the person that needs to have the ass kicked by me.
[Day 3]
Wednesday, 13:00 UTC (10:00 in local time)
São Paulo, State of São Paulo, Brasil
Kazuya is standing behind the chair of the end of a conference table. He wears medium grey pants and waistcoat over a burgundy necktie and black formal shoes. His dark grey leather coat goes until his feet.
Power is everything.
He hears an automatic ding sound, and the door opens. His guest has arrived. The woman is wearing something more formal than what she would usually wear, but that's because this is technically a business meeting. She is wearing a light beige dress, made of silk under a transparent organza fabric with jaguar print. It is long-sleeved and goes until her knees. The skirt of it is somewhere between tight and loose, but the sleeves are completely loosen. She also wears dark brown flat shoes. Her hair has a single braid falling over her right shoulder, accompanied by a single brown feather earring on her right ear, while the left wear is free.
She nods once to Kazuya, and sits on the chair of the other end of the table as he takes his own seat as well.
"Julia." He says in his usual emotionless voice, his grim is intact as always. "This is a secret mission, therefore I can't tell you any specific details until you formally accept it." He makes a pause of a second, then continues. "All I can tell you is that it won't be any laboratory work. Actually, it deals with your knowledge of archeology." Julia is surprised to hear that, but hides her emotions. "And it is obvious that you'll have a generous payment."
This is rather unusual. Julia doesn't know what to think of this. She takes her eyes out of Kazuya, and faces the wall, keeping her serious expression as to show him no weakness, no fear. What could this possibly be?, she thinks. Anyway, what if I refuse it? I mean, do I actually have the right to refuse it?
As if he had read her mind, he speaks. "I spared your life. Don't make me regret my decision." I guess that answers it, she thinks and mentally sighs (if that's even possible).
"I accept it." As she says this, he takes an envelope out of nowhere and pushes it over the table. The paper travels through it and stops in front of her.
"There are all the details regarding this mission." He says, looking intently at her.
She opens it delicately and starts reading the information inside it. There isn't that much information in there either, because the mission is quite simple. According to the documents, a tribe of indigenous people located somewhere in the Brazilian Amazon has a hidden treasure, although it is unknown what exactly it is – reportedly, it is some sort of valuable jewel. The mission is basically to investigate about it and locate the treasure, eventually taking it, using the civil war of the area as an advantage.
She slightly widens her eyes, terrified. He wants to do to those people exactly what he did to her people years ago. Kazuya smirks as he sees her expression. He knew she would exactly think of that. Not that he blames her, though. It is something of his nature – so much, that he is planning to do it again. Not that I care, though, he thinks as the smirk goes away. Those thoughts should distract her enough of wondering about my real intentions.
Now, there is no turning back. She has to do it. "Who else is going?" She asks, taking her eyes out of the papers and facing him.
"The place is considered a war field, therefore we will be accompanied by my troops." He says matter-of-factly.
"We?" She says. "You are going?"
"Yes. I will personally assist the mission."
She frowns, but doesn't know what to think of the fact that he's going, so she sticks to her other questions. "Who else will know about the mission, specifically?"
Kazuya is slightly annoyed by the questions, but keeps it in his mind and answers in his usual monotone voice and serious expression. "Two of G Corporation's best researches, chosen by me, who will work under your orders."
This is definitely very secret, she reflects. I mean, only two? And also, it can't be something that hard to find – if it was, probably more people were going.
"When are we leaving?" She continues the questioning.
"Tonight." He answers. "Someone will be on your room early in the evening to accompany you to the airport." She was staying in one of the building's rooms, since she has no place of her own in Brasil.
"How long will it last?"
"As long as it is necessary." Tired of the questions, he speaks. "This is all."
Julia gets the cue and stands, leaving the papers on the table. "Be ready." He says. She simply bows as quickly as she can and leaves the room. As she does, a servant enters and takes the papers to burn them in an incinerator, leaving rapidly.
Little does she know what awaits. He smirks. And the less she knows, the better it is. He stands. The lack of knowledge about it will be her fuel to do it. He leaves the room. If she finds out, she will know that it is much worse than stealing a simple tribe treasure. He stomps through the corridors.
Power is everything.
[Day 3]
Wednesday, 18:32 UTC (22:32 in local time)
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
This has got to be the worst gala ever, Lili curses on her mind. Emilie de Rochefort, shortened as Lili, is the spoiled blondie Monegasque who's considered the 'Princess of Monaco's Oil Empire', a title much of her dislike. She didn't want to be known as Albert de Rochefort's daughter. But that's not because she doesn't like her father, – she loves him deeply – but rather because she wanted to be known as 'Lili, the Queen of Iron Fist'. She was a very skilled fighter, but failed to win the fifth and sixth Tekken tournaments she took part in. However, her efforts were not in vain, since she was able to help Lars Alexandersson by giving him an SUV, so he could easily relocate himself while in the quest of stopping Jin Kazama. She presumes Lars has succeeded, since the Mishima Zaibatsu mysteriously took itself out of the many conflicts they created in first place.
Thanks to the current absence of the Zaibatsu on World War III, the many conflicts either seized or worsened. In South America, as an example, many civil wars followed the Mishima Zaibatsu's retreat. In the Arabian Peninsula, as another example, the war ended once that the Arab world realized they had the same intentions: striking the Zaibatsu and widespread Islam domination of the rest of the world. Because of that, tonight's gala is being held in Dubai to celebrate the Arab union after the inner war, as they make military alliances to take part in the outer war, targeting mainly the Zaibatsu, but also another nations.
Lili, however, couldn't despise more this gala. It was just a reunion of many hypocrites who claim to be better than the enemy when, in reality, they're being just the same. She just wanted the world war to cease, and that's all.
Lili is wearing the most unusual combination of clothes and hairstyle. She would usually always be wearing daring clothes and let her hair down. Instead, tonight she is wearing a simple, yet sophisticated hair bun and a white minimalistic long dress. The vest leaves her arms exposed, but a piece of fabric crosses her torso from one shoulder to another in the horizontal. Then, vertically emerging from the center of that said fabric, precisely under her neck, another piece of fabric covers her whole chest. Just below her breasts, another piece of fabric crosses her waist in the horizontal, giving her a majestic and simplistic feminine figure. Two long floating parts coming from the fabric of the neck fall through her arms freely, accompanying the fluctuating floor-length skirt of the dress. She has silver high heels on, besides silver earrings and rings. This is definitely the most covering vest she has ever wore, which she bought specially for this occasion, since wearing skimpy clothes in the Arab world is not one of the brightest ideas, even if UAE is more easygoing about it.
She carried no purse since her butler, Sebastian, is there to assist her. He is wearing his usual black tuxedo and transparent glasses. He is standing by her side on a far and isolated corner of the ballroom, where she is sitting at a table, watching the guests from distance. She sighs as she sips some fresh and cold water.
Finishing her glass, she leaves it on the table and gets up. Deciding that she has had enough of sitting around, she is determined to walk around the salon, or maybe even chit chat with someone, even though striking a conversation with the people here was quite hard. She doesn't even say a word to Sebastian as she leaves – he simply calls a waiter who was passing by to pick up the empty glass and then promptly follows her.
Lili eyes the ballroom cautiously as she walks slowly. She doesn't know any of the guests, although she knows that some of the most influent and dangerous people are present. Members of Islam extremist groups, politicians of Arab nations and company executives of many nationalities who have business in the Arabian Peninsula. Besides that, she might want to avoid talking to a man, since that is something women can't really do. The problem is that she is one of the few women in the gala. That leads to almost no options, which makes her remember why she had isolated herself in the corner in first place. When she was almost turning back to sit again, she spotted a man in a beige suit discretely waving for her to go there. It's her father. She sighs slightly and walks to his direction.
He extended out his left arm and hugged Lili from the side as he spoke. "Your Majesty, this my daughter, Emilie de Rochefort." He said, smiling widely and sincerely. Although the usual norm of formal events is giving that usual fake small smile, Albert naturally does that whenever he mentions her.
Lili bowed politely for the man, who bowed back as he said. "I am King Abahat Khalifa, of Saudi Arabia." Lili was relieved that he cared to introduce himself, because she had no idea of who he was. "And this is my most loyal guard, Shaheen Iman." The King continued, pointing with his head to a man in his right. Lili and Shaheen bowed to each other.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty." Lili said, already looking to Abahat, giving that usual polite smile of formal meetings. He slightly smiled back to her and kept talking to her father, which she only pretended to be listening.
She kills her time to curiously analyze the men and their clothes. King Abahat has black eyes and a black chinstrap beard, while his hair is hidden by the white shemagh he wears on his head, fixed by a black agal. He is wearing a dark brown thobe and dark grey pants with black shoes. He is probably in his late 60s.
Shaheen has dark brown eyes and a dark brown short boxed-styled thick beard. His hair and head are adorned by a long red and white checkered shemagh and a black agal. He is wearing an off-white military uniform with a black belt was tucked into his uniform, in which he carries a scimitar (a sabre with a curved blade), accompanied by greyish blue military pants and dark grey boots. He is most likely in his mid to late 20s. She makes a mental note that he is catching a glimpse of her way too often.
Suddenly, the band stops playing, all its members looking to the front door. The guests who were close to the entrance had already done the same thing, eyeing the last guest to arrive. The others stopped talking and looked around to try to understand what the matter was, and all eyes eventually locked on the entrance.
The silence was deafening. The muteness was louder than the noise of the conversations and the music that was still going on just seconds ago. If a sewing needle was dropped right now, everybody would hear it clearly. A tense mix of surprise, fear and respect was in the air. All eyes looked him up and down, as the man was just a hallucination or a hologram. Those gazes could have easily cut him in a million pieces. But no one could ever cut that man.
The man is in his mid-70s, as his spiky light grey hair and thick white beard and eyebrows show, together with the many wrinkles on his face. He is visibly amused, smirking slightly. He is dressed in white formal shoes, pants and a traditional waistcoat, the latter over a dark blue necktie. His coat is quite exotic, baring a brown tiger print.
"There is no need to stop the beautiful music that was playing." He says looking to the stage. His deep and raspy voice breaks the silence, echoing through the ballroom. "Neither your conversations, gentlemen." He finishes, eyes traveling rapidly through the faces of the salon. The small smirk doesn't leave his face not for a second even.
The band reluctantly starts playing again, and the guests slowly resume their conversations, although everybody keeps looking to him from the corner of their eyes. The old man slowly walks inside, accompanied by two bodyguards in simple black suits. Not that he actually needs bodyguards, anyway – he can easily defend himself. But prevention is always better than cure, besides the fact that it adds up to his image of an important person. He politely refuses the champagne a waiter offers him as he keeps walking through the crowd.
"Mr. Rochefort." The old man says as he stops behind Albert, who turns in the sound of his name.
"Mr. Mishima." Albert answers, giving a polite smile and bow.
"Thank you inviting me to this wonderful event." He answers with a bow and no smile. It is very clear to Lili that the men couldn't care less about the party.
"Let me introduce you to my dear daughter, Emilie de Rochefort. You've probably already heard of her." Albert answers as he raises his hand in the direction of Lili, who hasn't taken her eyes off the old man now in front of her. Once again, Albert gives a genuine smile, although this time it's clear to Lili that her father is controlling himself a bit in the presence of the old man, since his smile wasn't as large as usual.
"Yes, I've already heard of her." His answer sounds sincere, although it's clear to Lili that he couldn't care less about her either. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Rochefort." He bows politely. "I'm Heihachi Mishima. I presume you've already heard of me." He smirks faintly, in an almost undetectable ironic tone, which doesn't go unnoticed by Lili.
"Yes, I have." She answers in a monotone voice as she bows back. "It is also a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Mishima." She smiles politely, as an intention to show superiority and that she doesn't fear him.
Heihachi seems to notice that, as he turns to Albert and speak. "You have a lovely daughter, Mr. Rochefort. You must be proud." His tone sounded sincere once again, which slightly confuses Lili, although she doesn't show it and keeps her gaze on the man and a serious expression on her face.
"Yes, I am." Albert says, controlling his smile again. It kills Lili inside that her father is still proud of her even when she took part on the Tekken tournaments, and openly says it to no other person than Heihachi Mishima, the one who created the competition. Once again, however, she doesn't show it. Sebastian, who's not that far away, seems to feel the same thing, as he is wearing a sad expression, which Lili notices from the corner of her eye. She chooses to ignore it for now and talk to Sebastian in a better time, as now she is concentrated in the most important conversation of the night.
"And this is Your Majesty King Abahat Khalifa, of Saudi Arabia." Albert continues, turning to The King.
Abahat bows vehemently and answers in a serious tone. "It is an honor and a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Mishima."
"It is an equal honor, Your Majesty." Heihachi answers in a monotone voice, bowing shortly. Lili tries to read him, but he is emotionless this time. She concludes that Heihachi probably despise the man just as much he despises everybody, but he most likely knows that the man holds importance, influence and power.
"I believe this might be the moment to discuss business in a more reserved place." Albert says. Lili imagined such thing would happen in some moment of the gala, so she's not a bit surprised. So far, she had been wondering why it hadn't happened yet, but now that Heihachi is here, she knows the reason was him.
"I couldn't agree more." Heihachi says, sounding inclined to it.
"Would you please follow me, gentlemen?" Albert says, signaling with his hand to some random direction as to emphasize his speech. Heihachi raises his hands to his bodyguards as who tells them not to follow him, and the King Abahat does the same thing to Shaheen.
Lili is left alone with Shaheen and the two bodyguards. She is more than disinterested in their company. "If you excuse me, gentlemen, I am going to the bar." She bows quickly and leaves just as fast. Sebastian follows her, but keeps a polite distance.
She sits on a stool in the middle, and orders a glass of water. Since she is still not 18, she can't drink alcohol, although she doesn't really care. Sebastian is observing her from the far left side of the bar counter, and she nods to him to acknowledge his position as she sips from her glass.
As she puts the glass back on the bar counter, she's surprised to see Shaheen sitting on her right side. She frowns slightly. "Might I help you, Mr. Iman?"
"You can call me only Shaheen. I prefer it." He answers. "I wish to talk to you."
She frowns again. What could he possibly want to talk to me?, she wonders. "And you can call me only Lili." She copies his statement. "That's how I prefer people to address to me."
He smiles faintly, but it looks sincere rather than polite and fake. "Ms. Lili, I want to talk you." He makes a pause. Before she says 'You've already said that', he speaks again. "I imagine that you dislike this world war. Are my assumptions correct?"
She frowns for the millionth time. What kind of question is that? It is true that she dislikes the war, but saying that to this man seems rather compromising. After all, he is King Abahat's personal guard. With all that in mind, she quickly answers. "I prefer peace, although I recognize the noble intentions behind the conflict." In other words, I'm neutral about it, she continues on her mind. Neutral for you, of course.
"I understand." Shaheen answers in a genuine tone that indicates he comprehends why she needs to be neutral for him. "I think just like you. And that's why I wish to talk to you."
She frowns for, like, the zillionth time. "How could I help you?"
"I know that you are a fighter, and that you have participated in the Zaibatsu's tournaments." He says matter-of-factly.
"Yes, that is true." She answers in a bored tone, as if the tournaments are just trivial to her. Of course they are important, but she keeps the act.
"I would like to ask your… discretion about this conversation, before I continue." Shaheen says.
Before Lili frowns for the zillionth first time, she realizes where this conversation might be heading to. "That's not something you need to ask." She smiles faintly.
Shaheen genuinely smiles a small smile back. "I think it is very clear which is going to be everybody's decision tonight." Of course it its. More war. "And it seems my assumptions were indeed right, since you want it all to stop as much I do." He gives her a knowing and discreet wink. She smiles to him, this time a bit wider. "I would like to ask you to help me stop it."
The world around seems to stop after this statement. Shaheen is relieved that he has managed to spit it out once and for all. Lili is, somehow, happy that he thinks she can help on the matter, but she simply doesn't know how to do such thing.
"What could I do?" Lili asks, and she really wants to know. "What… could we do?" She reluctantly continues, in a shy tone, her Monegasque accent even more evident.
"Sincerely, I don't really know." He says in a defeated tone, and sighs slightly, shyly looking to the ground for a second. "What I know is that something needs to be done, regardless of what it might be." He says determined, facing her again. "All I want is your support when the time comes."
Lili reflects for a second, looking deeply in the man's eyes. Can she really trust him? This is very sudden. She simply doesn't know what to do about this. "I thought you were loyal to King Abahat." She says, imitating the King's words.
For a second, there is a very quick sad flicker in Shaheen's eyes, which is replaced by the emotionless gaze of before. He then answers. "I am. But that doesn't mean I agree with his actions."
In the vein. Lili feels the same about her father. She knows he loves her regardless, but that doesn't mean he agrees with her fighting. Even when it came necessary in the sixth tournament, as an attempt to recover the Rochefort Enterprises from the Zaibatsu. It is a constant dormant sadness hidden in her heart. She can't choose between her two halves. Shaheen, however, seems to have made his decision about his own two halves a long time ago.
Shaheen percepts the same flicker of sadness on her eyes, but doesn't really understand why. He keeps himself silent, waiting patiently for her answer.
Lili starts questioning herself and all her actions so fair. My father loves me for who I am. That is for sure. But I am a fighter, and he needs to accept that. And so do I. I keep pushing it away as much as I can, against my own will, because of him. It doesn't fully stop me, however; it just keeps me out of focus. It's about time I embrace it fully. She also ponders about Shaheen's words. He is clearly inclined to betrayal the ones above him if that is necessary to do what feels right. Her gaze turns to a determined one. And so am I.
"You can count on me, Shaheen."
…
Meanwhile, the upper crust of some of the most important men in the world are inside a meeting room, some corridors away from the ballroom they were once before. If the guests of the gala are members of Islam extremist groups, politicians of Arab nations and company executives, the people inside this room right now are the leaders of said Islam extremist groups, the heads of state of Arab nations and the company owners.
There are about 30 men disposed through black leather chairs with casters around a rectangular dark brown wooden table. Conveniently, there are nameplates in front of everybody, informing their names and their titles. The floor is of chocolate marble and the windows are covered with white fancy curtains, although it doesn't make any practical difference since it is currently nighttime. There is only one door, and beside it a relatively small table against the wall, made of the same material of the main table. There is a large tray with coffee, tea, sugar and sweetener, besides some tea-cups, one for each person in the room. There is also a slide projector suspended just above the center of the table, by a metal structure coming from the ceiling. This is the biggest conference room of the Rochefort Hotel in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
The owner of the resort, Albert de Rochefort, is sitting in the end of the table, with the ruler of Dubai and prime minister of UAE by his left and the ruler of Abu Dhabi and president of UAE by his right, as can be read on the nameplates. They are the three the hosts of the event. On the far other side, Heihachi Mishima is sitting in the other end of the table. He is considered pretty much tonight's guest of honor.
Everybody is on their seat, but talking low. Albert simply stands up and call them. "Gentlemen. Shall we begin?" As they silence themselves, he continues. "Thank you for your presence." He then sits down and nods to the president of UAE.
The president then proceeds to talk about the UAE's intentions and resources for the war, and every country leader follows suit, one by one. Then, the terrorist leaders and company owners do the same thing.
The conversation doesn't last long, since everybody had already been prepared for this occasion, and also because their intentions are the same. They proceed to sign the Treaty of Dubai, which politically establishes the peace between the countries of the Arabian Peninsula, which had already been ceased on the fields. A commitment to financially and militarily support another Arab nations around the world is also made, focusing on North Africa and Southeast Asia. The main focus, however, is to attack the Mishima Estate aiming a coup d'état on the current leader, Jin Kazama, to give the position back to Heihachi Mishima, who had been very generous to the Arab world during his previous leaderships.
One by one, the men leave the room, going back to the gala that is still ongoing. Heihachi is the last to leave and as he walks, he smirks.
The Mishima Zaibatsu is mine.
[Day 3]
Wednesday, 13:00 UTC (07:00 in local time)
Somewhere in Mississippi, United States Of America
Lars is wearing a dark blue suit over a white button shirt. A servant, the same one who served him breakfast earlier, had knocked not long ago to serve him lunch. On the tray, there was an envelope written by Raven, stating that he would be there at 14:00 to get the three guests to the observation room they were yesterday.
It is almost time, so Lars is simply waiting, his thoughts far away. He is sitting on his bed. The room is very small and simple – after all, this is a military building – so there isn't much luxury. The bed is made of silver metal, just like all the other furniture of the building. By the window, there is a desk and a chair, with his black bag on the floor besides them. There is also a white door leading to a private bathroom. The bathroom is very simple as well – besides the silver faucets of the shower and the sink, everything is white.
Lars feels a vibration on his chest, coming from his cellphone. He gets it from the pocket of his shirt under the coat and answers. "Hello?"
"Hello, Lars. It's me, Lee." The voice says.
"Lee. How are you?"
"I'm good. And you?" He sounds quite bored for having to keep up with the polite blabbering, which doesn't go unnoticed by Lars.
"Good too." Lars answers. "What is the reason that gives me the pleasure of your call?" He asks, in a subtle joking tone.
Lee laughs slightly. "Something that might be of your interest." He makes a pause. "Is this a secure line?" He asks, now in a serious tone.
"Of course it is." Lars answers in a business-like voice.
"Good." Lee says. "You remember that Kazuya was going to move G Corporation's headquarters, right?"
"Yes, I remember that you mentioned it."
"Well, it is done. It has been moved to São Paulo." Lars frowns as he hears that. "I don't know exactly why São Paulo, don't even ask me." Lee says like he had read Lars' mind, using a defensive tone.
"Interesting." It is all that Lars is able to answer.
"And… this might be the perfect moment to take action." Lee says in a suggestive tone.
"I see. It might be, indeed." Lars agrees with Lee's statement in an automatic tone as he is deep in thought.
"I still need to talk to Julia." Lee says after a brief moment of silence. "Her help is essential, of course." He makes a pause. "We might not have another chance like this."
"I know, I know." Lars answers, sighing. "Are you free to talk later? I have an important appointment to attend now."
"Sure." Lee answers. "I have to hang up now as well. I will be waiting for your call. Goodbye."
"Goodbye." Lars puts the cellphone back on his pocket, and hears a soft knock on the door. He stands up and opens it to see Nina, Alisa and Raven standing outside.
Nina is dressed on combat clothes of a similar fashion of the ones she wore yesterday, the only difference being the color. Instead of pale purple, it is a simple grey. Raven is wearing the exact same black leather strapless shirt, pants and boots of yesterday. Alisa is wearing a strap dress of round skirt just like yesterday, but this time it is plain black. She has the same black leather shoelace boots on, although today she is wearing no stockings. There is a pair of white velvet gloves on her hands, going until her wrists. Yesterday's earrings are gone, but not the flowers – she has a red chrysanthemum on her hair.
"Let's go." Lars says, and everybody follows Raven.
After many corridors, they get in the same observation room they were yesterday. Robyn, once again, was already there, and nodded in their direction. Everybody sits on the same places of yesterday as well: Robyn on the far left, Raven by her right; Lars on the center, Alisa by his right and Nina by Alisa's right. The procedure is also the same: from the glass, they watch Anthony examine Jin.
After a few minutes, the doctor leaves Jin alone and goes to the corridor. He knocks on the door of the observation room before he enters. "Good afternoon." He says in a happy voice.
Lars nods to Raven, who stands up. "I will be the one talking to Jin today."
The doctor blinks. "Sure." It is all that he says. This time, he leaves the room first, followed by Raven.
"Today's visitor is here, Jin." Anthony says in a happy voice.
As Raven gets in, Jin's expressionless face goes to a cold and serious look.
"Hello, Jin." Raven says as he sits on a chair by Jin's right side. Jin doesn't say a word. "I'll go straight to the point, alright? I have some questions to make you." Raven continues.
"I want to talk to Lars." Jin ignores Raven's statement. His voice sounds as determined and cold as it usually does. Raven frowns, and there is a tense moment of silence between them.
"Sure." Raven says, reluctantly. However, he doesn't leave the room. He simply gets up and walks to Anthony's direction, standing by the doctor's side. Lars, who heard the cue in the observation room, is now entering the chamber. He sits on the same chair Raven was just seconds ago.
There is another tense moment of silence, which is broken by Jin. "Lars."
"Jin." Lars answers in the same cold tone.
"Tell me about the war." There is no hint of emotion on Jin's grim as he says this.
There is a reluctant moment of silence coming from Lars before he answers. "I have taken the Zaibatsu out of the war." He makes a pause. "Few conflicts ceased. Most are still ongoing."
There is a very quick flicker of guilt on Jin's eyes before it is replaced by the grim again. "How is the situation?" Jin asks in a business voice.
"Bad." Lars answers in a sincere tone.
"Tell me more about it." Jin asks after a second of silence.
There is another second of silence before Lars answers. "The countries of south of Africa, Europe, Oceania, Central America and East Asia are all rebuilding their countries. Their wars have all ceased." He makes a pause. "The north of South America is currently on war, so is North America, Southeast Asia and the North of Africa."
"Talk to me about those." Jin demands.
Lars keeps himself silent. He doesn't feel like telling Jin about the war is a good idea. Bothering him about such thing in the current situation might not be good to his health. Feeling such a guilt right now is not going to be helpful. However, what can he do?
"Lars." Jin says in an even more severe tone. "Tell me."
From the corner of his eye, Lars looks to Anthony and Raven. Both nod. Lars releases a half-suffocated sigh before he answers. "Southeast Asia and the North of Africa are both at war because of the Muslims." This is very self-explaining, so Lars keeps it short. "North America is at war because of Mexico – the drug cartels are trying to take over the government. There is also a good amount of intervention coming from the USA, as usual, although most of the conflicts are happening in the south of the Mexican territory." He makes a pause before continuing. "Some sort of civil war is ongoing in the Amazon. The many indigenous tribes are fighting over land. There is no interference coming from the national governments of the countries involved. It is simply the natives. It may sound like nothing, but the situation is very bad there. The forest turned into a violent war field."
There is another flicker of guilt on Jin's eyes, which he replaces by his typical grim. "I presume people have not forgotten of us." He says coldly.
Lars gets the cue, and speaks. "Japan supports us, but only because the Mishima State is only accessible through their territory. To protect us is to protect themselves." He says. "Most of the other countries are neutral, focusing on their own matters, either reconstruction or war. The Arab world, however, is very instable." Lars limits to say only this. 'Instable' is a word of very clear meaning in this context.
Jin seems satisfied by the answers, as he turns his head to gaze the door on the far side of the room and he relaxes his posture. His grim, however, is intact.
"My intentions were noble." Jin says, still serious, still facing the door. "I do not regret my actions, yet I take full responsibility." He finishes, now looking directly to Raven. His stare could've made Raven's sunglasses explode in a million pieces.
Raven simply nods. Jin doesn't understand why exactly, so he decides to leave the subject behind and turns to face Lars. Lars looks intently at Jin. What happens next, however, takes Lars completely aback, in a way he has never experienced before.
"You're my uncle, right?" Jin asks in a monotone voice. His grim is gone, and he is now expressionless, just like he was when he talked to Alisa yesterday, and just like he was before Raven entered the room.
Lars frowns slightly and controls himself not to widen his eyes, an expression that is soon replaced by a very faint and sympathetic smile. "Technically, half-uncle."
Jin smiles back the same faint smile. The smile leaves, the space being occupied by another emotionless question. "How is Alisa doing?"
Lars is surprised, but after the surprise of the other question, this one feels rather normal. He takes the cue of Jin's question and answers. "Very good, actually." He smiles faintly at thinking about Alisa. He is happy she has been able to recover.
Jin seems to notice this, and he faintly smiles back and nods, as if it was some sign of approval. "What about Nina?" Jin asks, frowning very slightly. "Is she still working for… uh… us?" His 'uh' this time was shorter, and rather of indecision than actual mental tiredness. The doctor is quite impressed by that, and writes it down. Jin is recovering very fast.
"Yes, she is. Her job is to protect you and you're still technically the CEO." Lars answers matter-of-factly.
Jin simply nods and turns his gaze to the door again. He is quite thoughtful. All of a sudden, he turns to face Raven, and his face is somewhere between emotionless and severe. "Is there anything else you want to ask me?"
"No, there isn't." It is all that Raven says.
"When am I leaving?" Jin asks, eyeing both Raven and Anthony.
Raven keeps himself silent and turns his head to the doctor. Lars does the same. Anthony seems nervous that all eyes are on him, and he reluctantly answers. "Maybe two or three days, to ensure that you're stable." Everybody knows what he means by 'being stable' – being human, and not a Devil. "The rest of your recovery can be done anywhere, either here or somewhere else, since it consists only of nutrition, maybe some physiotherapy." Anthony says, and looks to Raven, who nods back. Both now look to Jin, nodding to them. He then turns to Lars.
"I will be glad to have you back." Lars says, smiling faintly. The smile is returned by Jin.
Lars then gets up. "I think we're finished." Everyone nods for, like, the zillionth time. "It was good to see you, nephew." He smiles again, which is returned by Jin again. The three men then leave the room, following Raven.
Raven simply stops in the corridor. At the same time Lars and Anthony leave the medical room, Robyn leaves the observation room followed by Nina and Alisa. Robyn simply nods to Anthony, and he leaves by the left side. "Follow me." Robyn says, and everybody goes after her on the right side.
They go through some corridors, but this time taking a different turn. They eventually enter a white door, just like all the others. Inside, there is some kind of meeting room. There is a rectangular glass conference table supported by two slender pieces of grey granite that work as the table feet. Surrounding it, there is a total of 10 metal chairs, although this time they have casters. The floor is as white as the corridors, but instead of grey walls, this time they're also white. There is also a large rectangular window, the sunlight coming from outside illuminating the room.
"Sit as you wish." Robyn says and takes a seat at the end of the table. Raven takes a seat across the room, by her left. Lars sits with his back facing the door, by the right side of Robyn and facing Raven. As usual, Alisa sits besides Lars, and Nina takes a seat in the most distant chair, by Alisa's right.
"As I presume Raven has already discussed with you," Robyn says, facing Lars. "the agency is willing not to arrest Jin Kazama in case he agrees to align with us."
"Yes, he has said that." He speaks matter-of-factly. "I don't see why he wouldn't cooperate. At least from me, you can have the confirmation we are going to help." Lars then turns his head to the right, as to show that with 'we' he means Nina and Alisa. Both women nod silently as a confirmation.
"Good." Robyn says. "I speak for the agency when I say our intention is solely to finish the war, and to arrest Kazuya and Heihachi Mishima." Raven nods as to agree with her speech. "We need to act as soon as we can. With the instability of the war, we might not have another chance."
The last sentence clicks in Lars' mind. "About that, I think there are a few people who are inclined to help as well." He says.
Robyn makes a face of who is inclined to listen more about it. "Lee Chaolan and Julia Chang are fellow allies." Lars proceeds to say.
Nina frowns, which doesn't go unnoticed by Robyn. Alisa, however, speaks happily. "Yes. Lee has repaired my systems. And we've rescued Ms. Julia Chang for him, who is now also an acquaintance of ours."
"But it would be preferable to ask them first." Lars continues.
"I couldn't agree more." Robyn says.
"And I would dare to go as far as saying that Lei Wulong would be willing to help, although we're not close." Lars says.
"He is already helping, actually. Our agency is allied with the Interpol, and Mr. Wulong is their most qualified professional." Robyn says matter-of-factly. There is a brief pause. "Could you contact Mr. Chaolan and Ms. Chang now?"
"Yes, sure." Lars says as he gets his cellphone from his pocket. He puts Lee on the speakerphone as he calls.
"Hello again, Lars." Lee says.
"Hello, Lee. You're on speakerphone right now."
"Oh." Lee says in a casual manner.
"I'm here with Raven's superior and also partner. Her name is Robyn."
"Hello Mr. Chaolan." Robyn says.
"Hello. What is the reason that gives me the pleasure of your call?" Lee says, rephrasing Lars on the earlier call.
Lars laughs slightly, and lets Robyn answer. "Our objective is to stop the war and Kazuya and Heihachi Mishima. To do so, we have interest in an alliance with you."
"You can count me in." Lee says, inclined.
"We are also looking forward an alliance with Ms. Chang." She continues.
"I'm in." Julia says in the background.
"I guess that answers it." Lee says. "She's helping me with Combot."
"I see." Robyn says in a monotone voice.
"Lee." Lars says. "The opportunity, remember?"
Lee gets the cue. "Yes! Of course!" He says. "Do you guys have a laptop in there? So we can make a videoconference."
"Yes." Raven says, and gets up to get it.
After some minutes of arranging, everything is set up and the videoconference is started, with Lee and Julia talking from Violet Systems' office in São Paulo. Julia is wearing the same outfit of her meeting with Kazuya, and Lee is wearing a purple button shirt and black pants. They also put Lei Wulong on the call, who's in his home in Hong Kong.
[Day 3]
Wednesday, 13:21 UTC (21:21 in local time)
Hong Kong, China
Well… here I am, Fragrant Harbour. Leo thinks as she walks. She eventually stops by a coffeehouse, sitting on a wooden chair by a table. Her black bag is by her side, and she wears blue jeans, red sneakers and a white t-shirt.
"Can I take a seat?" A male voice asks.
Leo looks up to see an Asian man of black long hair, tied up in a ponytail. He has white shirt on, accompanied by brown pants with black suspenders. She also takes a glimpse of a gun and a police distinctive, so she feels like saying 'no' could be the wrong move.
As if he reads her mind, he speaks. "I am Lei Wulong, of Interpol." There is a pause. "Can I?" He asks again, pointing to the empty chair with his head.
Leo simply nods and Lei instantly takes a seat. "I said I would make my way to you, didn't I?" Lei says, and smirks.
Leo widens her eyes. "It was you?!" She scoffs. "No surprise you work for Interpol. I should've seen that coming." She sighs. "Wait. You actually look a bit familiar."
"I am a Tekken fighter." He says matter-of-factly. "Was it hard to find out what was Fragrant Harbour?" He asks.
Leo frowns at the subtle change of topic. "Uh, no, I mean, it was easier than I thought. That's just what 'Hong Kong' means in English." Lei smiles as an answer.
A waiter comes, and both ask for simple coffees. They wait for their order in silence. It doesn't take long until the waiter comes back with their drinks.
"So…" Leo starts speaking. Lei simply raises up his index finger as to say 'just a moment' as he finishes his coffee. Putting it back on the table, he eyes the moving crowd. Before Leo can ask anything, Lei gets up and walks away.
There is not even enough time for her to get mad, as she sees Lei greeting a tall blonde young man holding a brown bag and wearing a blue shirt with white pants and sneakers. As they come to her direction, she finishes her coffee.
"I would like you to meet my friend." Lei says, looking to Leo. "This is Steve Fox." He is now looking to Steve. "And Steve, this is Eleonor Kliesen."
She stands up. "Please, call me Leo." She says and shakes hands with Steve. Both are clearly confused of why they're meeting, but before they can ask anything, Lei speaks.
"What a coincidence your flights arrived just one after another." Lei says and smiles. "Now we can talk. But it better not to be here. Come on, let's get out of here. Let me help you guys with the bags."
The three of them leave the airport in silence. Lei takes them to his car. The rainy city outside feels more interesting than any conversation, so everybody is quiet through the ride. The white sky, grey buildings and water drops on the window are far more entertaining than anything else in the world. After about 20 minutes, they arrive at Lei's apartment. After the elevator leads them to the last habitable floor, they walk through a small corridor and stop over an entrance door, which leads them into the living room of Lei's place.
"I make it a point to host you." Lei says, and conducts them inside.
Lei then proceeds to show Leo and Steve their accommodations. They simply leave their bags on their rooms and head back to the living room, where everybody sits on the very dark blue couches.
"I know you both have no idea of why you're both here together." Lei says, and both Leo and Steve wear the same expression of 'definitely not'. "Well, you guys looks anxious, so I'm going straight to the point." He continues. "I've told you both that I have information of your interest. They're probably not what you're looking for right now, but it's still something that you have the right to know." He makes a pause. "And, believe it or not, it concerns both of you."
Both Leo and Steve frown. "What do you mean?" Steve asks.
Lei sighs. "Well… this is quite complicated." He eyes the room as who's thinking of the correct words to use. "Please, let me speak first and then you talk, okay?" He doesn't wait for an answer, and starts telling them the information they've come here for. "Recently, doing the usual investigation stuff for Interpol, I've found some old files of the Mishima Zaibatsu that regard something called the Subject NT01."
Leo blinks, Steve gives a little shiver. Lei sighs again. This is going to be hard, he thinks. "One of the scientists working behind it was Doctor Emma Kliesen." He says looking at Leo.
"Mother." She whispers, more to herself than to Lei.
"Yes." He says. "The Subject NT01 was the result of a genetic experiment coming from cryogenic sleep, led by Doctor Gepetto Bosconovitch." He makes a pause. "Putting it in simpler words, Subject NT01 was a boy originated from in vitro fertilization. As the kid grew up, he was treated pretty much like a lab rat." He turns to face Leo. "Your mother was the only one who treated him like a real kid, which eventually led to her dismissal. However, she managed to declare the boy dead at age 6, when in fact she had transferred him to an orphanage."
Leo smiles faintly, proud of her mother's actions. Lei turns his gaze to Steve. "That boy's mother… was Nina Williams."
Steve's eyes widen. There is a tense moment of silence, in which Leo simply frowns, since she doesn't understand what's going on, Steve is stiff and Lei looks concerned.
Steve is still in some sort of state of shock, but manages to speak. "So… all of those flashes… scenes that I thought were dreams… are actually… memories?" He talks, although more to himself. "I thought my earliest memories were of when I was 7… That's… That's crazy, man!" He says, mad and frustrated.
"What is going on?!" Leo asks.
Lei sighs. "Steve is Subject NT01."
Leo's jaw drops, and she looks to Steve. She doesn't even know what to say, or what to think. All she is able to do is look at him. Steve is facing the ground with a confused expression. Lei sighs for the millionth time.
Steve seems to have a realization, and turns to face Leo. Before Steve says anything, however, Leo puts her left hand on his shoulder and speaks. "I'm very happy that she helped you." Her tone is comforting, her face wears a sympathetic small smile. Leo then takes her hand off him and turns to Lei. "Mr. Wulong, thank you." She says, the faint smile still there.
Lei nods. "Nothing but my duty. And please, call me Lei only."
"Lei." Steve says in a moved voice. "Thank you." Both men nod to each other.
Lei hears a noise coming from his notebook, so he gets up to check it. "I will leave you guys alone for a moment." He walks over to his desk, sits on the chair and opens the laptop. There is a video call coming from The Agency. He frowns and answers, aiming to tell them that he is busy. However, when he sees the people who are on the other side, he is taken aback and keeps himself silent, letting them speak first.
"Hello, Mr. Wulong. I'm glad that you've answered." A female voice says.
"Hello, Robyn." Lei answers. "Hello to everybody else." He says and briefly eyes the people he sees on the screen: Raven and Lars are sitting on a table with Robyn, while Lee and Julia's image is coming from another camera.
"Can you talk right now?" Raven asks.
Lei briefly looks to Steve and Leo behind them. Steve is facing the floor, and Leo seems to be whispering him words of comfort. Lei frowns thoughtfully and turns back to the computer. He has already made his decision. "Yes, I can."
Robyn then proceeds to explain the situation. One by one, the other people in the call talk about their own details of the story. After some good minutes, Leo and Steve are sitting on another couch, so they can pay attention on the conversation, yet aren't shown on the camera. Lei is not oblivious of this, but he chooses to ignore them.
"I see that the more help we have, the better it is. Am I right?" Lei asks.
"Yes, of course." Lars says.
"Well, I'm glad to say we have another two allies." Lei says, and turns to face Steve and Leo. Both smile and get up, walking until they stop behind Lei. They stoop so they can be seen on the camera. "These are Steve Fox and Eleonor Kliesen. You've probably already heard of them."
"Yes, I've heard of them." Robyn says. "Both have participated of the Tekken tournaments, right?"
"Yes." Alisa says in her usual cheerily tone. "Mr. Fox has participated since the fourth, while Ms. Kliesen made her debut on the sixth tournament." Lars smiles faintly as he hears Alisa talk.
"That's true." Steve says in his thick accent. Leo simply nods.
"I guess we have a team then!" Lee says, and Julia claps her hands happily. Alisa follows suit.
The plans are now settled, so the call is finished. Lei spins the casters of his chair to face his guests. "Do you realize supporting the agency is technically supporting the Zaibatsu, right?" He asks in a concerned tone.
"But things are going to be done right this time." Leo says, and Steve nods in agreement. "We are going to make things right."
End of Chapter Three
Author's notes: YAASSS! Chapter 3! 10000+ words! (Lili/Shaheen/Heihachi part only had, like, 3.5k words.) This one was named after the film Sherlock Holmes 2, which is "The Game of Shadows". I think that name really matches the situations of this chapter.
Featuring new characters: Kazuya Mishima, Heihachi Mishima, Lei Wulong, Lili de Rochefort, Shaheen, Josie Rizal, Sebastian, Doctor B (mentioned), Doctor Emma Kliesen (mentioned) and Combot (mentioned).
I gave Lili's father a name (Albert) because I thought he deserved one :P. I chose Albert because it is French, yet very easy to be pronounced in English, just as Emilie.
There are a few Spanish words on Miguel and Josie's part, I hope you were able to understand it.
Oh, and by the way, I was frustrated to see that Tekken's tallest woman has only 173 cm of height so I made Josie have 180 cm :P, although officially her height is left unknown.
And it's funny how Leo's and Steve's flights arrived almost at the same time, right? I mean, what a *coincidence*. hehe
Also, KING ABAHAT KHALIFA OF SAUDI ARABIA IS A FICTIONAL CHARACTER. Please understand this is a work of fiction, therefore none in here is made to insult anyone in anyway. And please, understand that my description of the Arab world here is not meant to be biased/offensive, the same applies to all the other mentioned nations/continents. (I even mentioned my own country as a place that is at war, so you know… just chill, ok? S2)
(The thing is that people tend to forget before/during/after Tekken 6, there is a goddamn world war going on, and, well, it needs to be described somehow, right?)
I'm still trying to figure it out how to bring out certain characters that haven't been mentioned yet. But that doesn't mean they're not going to be here! If your favorite hasn't appeared yet, you can be sure s/he will. I'm bringing out everybody. Suggestions are accepted.
And what about that Justice League formed by the guys from the Agency? Duuude, it's gon' be crazy. lol
Well, thank you very much! See you next chapter. :P