After the complete and utter failure that was the last upgrade, and after having to hear a lecture from Seth on how it wasn't a complete and utter failure, Juri wasn't very enthusiastic about the next one. She trusted her boss just enough to believe that he wasn't out to get her, but being the one testing the programs made her question the synthetic human's loyalty. Was he really planning on handing these programs out to members of S.I.N. to boost survivability and efficiency, or was he just pulling her leg? Granted, Juri wanted to believe the latter option, but humor was beneath Seth. If she had wronged him- well, more than usual-, he would retaliate in person rather than rely on flawed programs to do the job.
Still, there was another program to test out, and Seth hinted that it would be one that Juri would enjoy out of all the others. Skeptical, the Korean scoffed but acknowledged her boss's claim. She found the previous program that she had been given to be interesting, despite how flawed it was when it encountered a crash. If anything, bending the programs to her whims would be a challenge. Far be it from her to turn down a challenge, no matter the risk.
The psychokinesis program was removed from the Feng Shui Engine quickly and efficiently. Thankfully, the program did not affect Juri's eye adversely, thus returning the engine back to its usual mode of operation. After recovering from the torture she received from having items lobbed at her without pause, Juri returned to the FSE maintenance room and offered herself up once again for the second program. She borderline threatened Seth beforehand to double-check the program before its installation, to which he replied that it was ready for operation.
Once the hissing and squeals from the FSE maintenance room died out, Juri emerged from the sphere feeling underwhelmed. While the maintenance sphere's having its way with the Korean's eye was uncomfortable enough, the feeling of nothingness bothered her. She expected to feel something, but unlike the first program, there was no surge of power or feeling of accomplishment. Suspicious, Juri shot a glare in Seth's general direction and began to conduct a self-inspection.
As her hands ran down her body, Seth chuckled to himself and folded his arms.
"Don't worry. I assure you that these programs will never disfigure your… well, your figure. We're creating technology, not bending the body with viruses and mutations."
"Just making sure," Juri grumbled.
"It's as if you don't trust me, Juri," Seth replied as his eyebrows arched.
"Oh please, don't tell me you're hurt. You don't have the capacity for that."
"Hn, yes, quite." Seth procured a clipboard from a nearby computer console and handed it off to his confidante. "Here. Here's what you'd probably like to know."
Before Juri could take a cursory glance at the paper on the clipboard and let loose a sardonic comment, Seth ushered her out of the room. Insulted, Juri turned around and brandished a fist only to have doors come down to separate her from her boss. She huffed and kicked the door.
"Dammit Seth! If you wanted "me-time", just ask for it!" When she didn't receive a response, she sighed and turned to walk down the corridors to the training room. "Keep it together, girl. His time will come soon enough…"
To take her mind off of her insufferable boss and to resist temptation by continuing to scheme, Juri looked to the clipboard in her hands.
Her new program was labeled as TM-32, which threw Juri off because the simple name for it was "Shadow Clone". She let loose a disgusted grunt at the thought of the scientists giving her programs stupid names and designations that only they could understand. Apparently, whatever a "Shadow Clone" was, it was basically a spectral or illusionary copy of the user. It was meant to be used as a distraction, or as a possible aide in skirmishes. Within the preliminary results shown in the text, it was deemed possible to create a fully-fledged clone of the user that was both physical and capable of abstract thought.
Juri was surprised to discover that she found the program to be right up her alley. She hated working with others unless they were smart and stayed out of her way, which they hardly ever did. Playing well with others was not something she was known for. The woman always had the idea that the only person she could rely on was herself, and if the program did what it was supposed to, she would be able to do just that. S.I.N. could always use more like herself, the woman thought arrogantly.
She discarded the clipboard to the side once she arrived within the training room. Of course, Crimson Viper was there, much to Juri's displeasure. The way she stood with her holier-than-thou posture and I-told-you-so expression threatened to get under the Korean's skin, but she looked away and focused on what mattered. By no means did she think that she deserved to be mocked. Just like Seth, Viper's time would come as well, only with a different fate attached.
Viper made the first move as she began to write on a clipboard of her own.
"Hey there sport," she said in a patronizing tone. "Everything alright? Feeling good? I don't know about you, but I'm feeling very enthusiastic about observing you today."
"Good. I could use a willing test subject," Juri replied with a smirk.
"…What?" Viper's face fell for a moment before she scoffed. "You wouldn't dare. Seth would come down on you like a righteous hammer if you offed me."
"So? It's not like anything of value would be lost." Juri retorted. She laughed at Viper's sullen expression and folded her arms. "Oh, alright, alright… I'll humor you. I'll just make a subject of my own. That's what this program's supposed to do, anyway."
Pushing Viper aside, Juri went to the center of the room and quickly glanced about the area. With the last program, she had objects to test with. This time around, the pedestals that were once there before were now sunk back into their receptacles in the titled floor. She smiled at the noticeable dent the metal safe left in the floor before composing herself. With this program, all she needed to do was to rely on herself. Nothing could have been easier for a woman known for her cunning and quick-thinking, among other things.
She exhaled slowly and activated her Feng Shui Engine. Power coursed through her veins and excited her body, as usual. Juri clenched and unclenched her fists repeatedly to get a feel for the new program's effects, but there were none that were apparent. A glare towards Viper revealed nothing but a grimace. After cracking her crappy cosmetics case's mirror, the last thing the agent wanted to do was describe her coworker's appearance.
Shrugging, Juri focused on what she had read from the program analysis. In theory, all she had to do was create a motion for summoning a clone whilst pooling her energy into completing such a task. Desire played a crucial role in the act as well, as whatever Juri desired would soon come to her as long as she was determined enough. She decided to take it slow by sanctioning off her full power, instead taking as much as she needed to get the job done. There was no need to push her luck right out of the starting gate.
Her hands moved up and in front of her body as she contemplated her actions. She waved her hands about slowly, but to no avail. She then tried to form a small ball of energy between her hands, but all she got was a tiny spark of violet that quickly fizzled out. Juri tried out a few more motions; many more lavish than the last before the scribbling of Viper's pen began to irritate her. No doubt about it, the red-headed harpy was leaving bad marks. Juri whirled on her and snapped her fingers as she prepared to fire an exasperated volley in her direction only to stop short.
Violet flame danced on her fingertips, bright and sinister yet calming and docile against her hands. Curious, Juri looked to her other hand and snapped her fingers to find that the motion worked to her liking. Through her eye's user interface, she could see that the two spectral batches of fire had their own energy signatures, and as she continued to look at them, they were steadily dropping. Juri slowly waved her hands back and forth and smiled as she felt the fire return to their previous splendor.
"You've never been able to do that, right?" Viper asked as she watched intently.
"Right. I've always kicked it out; never held it in my hands." She then looked down at the floor and flashed a determined grin. "Hmm… I got an idea."
The fire in the palms of Juri's hands sparked and flared up again as she waved her hands away from her body before bringing them to her sides. She thought about illusions, of copies and trickery, all in her image. She shot up straight for half a second before bending down to place her hands against the floor. Immediately the violet flames in her hands crackled and spread along the floor in a circle, easily surrounding the wielder within a ten foot radius.
Viper jumped back as the flames danced about Juri like a crowd of adoring fans. The woman within the fire giggled and watched as the violet fire formed two small patches off to the side where she placed her hands before the main body died out. Eventually, the two patches built themselves higher and higher into the air before they eventually became pillars of purple haze. A hand reached out and grasped the air. A leg came out and planted itself on the floor. A pair of gleaming eyes emerged from the flames.
After a few seconds of waiting, Juri beamed and rubbed her hands in glee. Two spectral and feminine figures stood on either side of her once the pillars of misty flame evaporated away. The figures had every defining physical characteristic of the one who summoned them from the intimidating horned-hairstyle down to the baggy pants and long belt. Without a word, they turned to face their master. Their violet eyes shined brightly against their purplish, misty body, eagerly awaiting a command.
"Is it just me, or did the percentage of capable employees just rise?" Juri asked rhetorically.
The shadow clone to her right chuckled while the one on her left placed its hands on its hips.
"Oh god, more of you. This is the worst idea since your empl-"
"Finish that sentence," Juri growled, "and you'll regret it."
Viper, upon seeing Juri's two clones glare at her and lower themselves into intimidating stances, decided to hold her tongue. As she had said before, her task in the room was to observe her insufferable coworker. Begrudgingly, the agent kept her head down and wrote on her clipboard. She could tell that there was a proud, cocky expression on Juri's face, but she ignored it. While the Korean had enough sense to not strike out at the slightest provocation, her clones seemed like another story.
"Uh huh, yeah," Juri said as she went to pat a clone's back. "That's what I th-"
To Juri's surprise, her hand fell through her shadowy clone's back and out her stomach as if there was nothing there but vapors. Said clone gave her master an incredulous look as she watched her hands violate her body in an attempt to find something with substance. Juri grunted in astonishment and swiped at her other clone only to find that her hand simply phased through it. It seemed that the clones were nothing but illusions, and while Juri was at first put off by the revelation, it gave her a splendid idea. If the clones had nothing physical to strike with, and if they could not be struck, they were the ideal distraction. They could be used to confuse an opponent, thus allowing the real Juri to come in for the kill.
To test this, Juri pointed to a corner of the training room and glanced at one of her clones. She didn't even voice her command, as the shadowy clone quickly realized what its master wanted and quickly strode over to the corner. Juri looked to her other clone and wanted it to do the same, albeit much faster. The clone obliged its master's desire and broke apart into a small cloud of vapors before reforming in a different corner. They continued to look at Juri for direction, and when she gestured towards Viper with a sinister smile, they returned the expression with ones of their own.
Viper looked up and turned around just in time to dodge a wild hook to her face. She ducked and rose to deliver a quick counter jab, but to her dismay, the clone she struck vanished and allowed the second to rush in unhindered. It sent a hard kick into Viper's side which the woman anticipated. To her surprise, the leg phased through her body leaving nothing but a chilling feeling behind. The second clone was dispelled once she composed herself and whacked it upside the head with her clipboard.
Immediately she whirled on Juri, but the Korean was absent. Her whereabouts were quickly answered once Viper felt her foot press against her back. Sighing, Viper raised her hands in defeat and turned her head to glare in Juri's direction.
"Now just think," Juri started as she deactivated her eye with a snap of her fingers, "if you were anyone else, this would be a lot more interesting."
Juri lowered her foot and backed off a bit, thus granting Viper freedom of movement once again.
"Cute. Very cute," Viper growled. She brushed her sleeves for a moment before glancing about for the clones. "Are they gone already?"
"Already?" Juri repeated. "Are they supposed to stick around longer?"
"Depends. Are you going to try to attack me again?"
"Viper, we're in a training room which I will remind you is the one Seth pointed me towards for testing. I'm using everything I'm given to test these programs, and you're finding fault with that?" Folding her arms, Juri shook her head. "For shame, Viper. For shame."
Viper squirmed a little under Juri's gaze before she straightened up.
"…I'm just wondering about your clones. The scientists said whatever clones you'd create would be able to attack on their own, but those last two were like illusions."
"Well, I didn't put all of my energy into the program. Only just enough to get the job done."
"Juri Han? Holding back?" The two women shared a short chuckle together before Viper added: "Hmm. Try it again, but put a lot of energy into it. I want to see a fully-fledged clone of you."
"You do?" Juri replied with a tilt of her head. She smiled and narrowed her eyes. "Getting ideas while on the job, huh?"
"You're full of yourself," Viper hissed. "I don't want to see anything, but the scientists want to kn-"
"Oh, OK Viper, whatever you say," Juri interjected with a nonchalant shrug.
With the brief bout of banter out of the way, she returned to her previous at-the-ready stance and slowly exhaled once again before activating her eye. With ki dancing at her fingertips, the taekwando practitioner snapped her fingers. Two plumes of violet fire manifested themselves in the palms of her hands, but instead of simply allowing them to sit there, Juri fed them. She fanned the flames by pouring a great amount of ki into them until they grew large and chaotic. With an exaggerated flourish, she brought her hands together and combined the flames.
A brilliant flash of light enveloped the room. Juri, wincing against the blinding light, looked away for a moment. Her actions did more than just disorient her. Whatever it was that she did, a stinging sensation ran rampant throughout her body as if there was a force on either side of her pulling her apart. She faltered forward and wiped her brow as she attempted to catch her breath. Her ki ran through her veins and refilled arteries that were sucked dry by her summoning. Upon composing herself once again, Juri looked to her right hand.
An orb of violet rested snugly there, gleaming like a gemstone yet modest like a marble. Juri cradled it and was surprised to find a steady beat that came from within. It felt like the ping of a life support machine, or a heartbeat. Without a doubt, the orb contained another clone, but it seemed like it would be more than just an illusionary haze. Juri could sense the potential within the orb, and she loved it. It was her own potential after all… only copied.
Without dallying, Juri tossed the orb to the ground and watched as it shattered. A vortex of energy erupted from the point of impact and swirled ever higher until it resembled a large and hazy purple sphere. Juri caught Viper's intrigued yet mocking scoff and nodded. This was not a good program for stealth, but the Korean didn't really pay it much mind. As long as her program did its job before it was time to sneak about, there was no problem.
Juri leaned back and folded her arms as she noticed something within the now-dissipating sphere of energy. While the illusionary twins of her were comparable enough, the new clone within the sphere looked remarkably similar, yet still different from the original. Pink flesh graced the clone's body. Whatever fabrics that clung to Juri's figure were dyed in a darker, opposite color for the clone, and its eyes were brighter yet more sinister than those of the original's. With the sphere of energy having evaporated away, the clone turned and looked at the one who summoned it.
For a moment, the two simply stared at each other. The clone was much more than a simple illusion, so much more that it couldn't be something so readily disposable. It… She perfectly mimicked Juri's expressions down to every last twitch and quiver. They scrutinized each other as if they were gauging each others' abilities without jumping into battle. After a short while, the two walked towards each other and proceeded to- in Viper's eyes- backhand the other.
Instead, Juri scraped the back of her hand against her clone's as it passed, and then came back to slap and slide down. She offered her fist and watched as her clone bopped it from above, then she did the same to her. Both women twirled forward and scraped against each others' backs as they passed before turning on their heels. They reeled back and launched their hands forward to complete their impromptu ritual. The product of such an act? A boisterous hi-five.
"Countless hours spent devising a powerful program, and you're using it for this?" Viper asked with an incredulous shrug of her shoulders.
"Hey, it's team building!" Juri replied with a giggle.
"And it's working," the clone interjected with a smirk. "I have the upmost confidence in myself."
"Oh you."
Viper grunted and backed away from the two. A dangerous sadomasochist was bad enough, but another one? S.I.N. would be in for a rough time. Given's Juri's intrusive and patronizing nature, privacy would become near-nonexistent. No, safety and peace would be a much more pressing concern now. To make it worse, the Korean had the potential and power to create more than one clone, so whatever ill effects had the possibility of being amplified.
"You know, we've got all this room to ourselves," Juri's clone said as she gestured to the training room. Her glowing eyes twinkled with dangerous energy. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"
Juri cracked her knuckles and twisted her lips up into a cruel smile.
"Oooohhh yeah…"
As quickly as the idea was voiced, the twin spiders decided to put it into play. They reeled back to give each other a fair amount of starting distance before flinging themselves forward. A leg whirled overhead. Hooks grazed cheeks. Feet threatened to break the skin. The Koreans were sparing not as enemies but as equals. To an onlooker, they were playing with each other, and they would be mostly correct in their assumption.
Viper grunted and rolled her eyes as she slid down the wall of the training room to a sitting position. She readied her clipboard and tried to drown out the playful banter amidst the sounds of limbs whishing through the air. Observation be damned; the twin spiders were just getting started, and it would be high time before they had enough. By that time, the American agent would have a deep-rooted hatred of her inconsistent coworker.
Well, more hatred than usual.
"What the hell was Seth thinking?" Viper scoffed.
There are some missions that even the most grizzled and talented of agents would shy away from. For some, the concept of stealth was hard to grasp. Others would not survive in a fair fight unless they got the jump on their target. Retrieving items from hostile spots made a few agents anxious while the mere thought of close and personal espionage brought most agents to their knees. But the worst mission of all involved protecting the most volatile and unpredictable of entities imaginable…
Man.
Deep within the slums of the South American city of Rio de Janeiro was a solitary scientist. His ties to S.I.N. were strong, as he had been conducting research of the highest caliber and secrecy within the hustle and bustle of the third largest metropolitan area in the country. Whereas others were quickly found when they did their research in far-off places, the scientist enjoyed the safety that came with hiding in plain sight. His research would be instrumental in giving S.I.N. a foothold in new markets, as well as a metaphorical lance of knowledge to strike Shadaloo with. The only problem with the research was that it was carried by the scientist, and he needed safe passage back to the main facility in [REDACTED] in order for it to mean anything.
Seth knew the value of the research well, as he could see its potential much more clearly than its organizer could. He understood the scientist's anxiety and sent his most powerful agent to protect and escort him. Due to the scientist's solitude, he had unintentionally distanced himself from S.I.N.'s staff and its recent events. He knew only those closest to him as well as the main head of the division. Regrettably, he also knew about the agent Seth had sent to him, and he was dreading her arrival.
There were many stories about Juri Han, and absolutely none of them were good. One story went about that she had once killed a guard for staring at her while another similar story hinted that she had tortured another for simply not being terrified of her as she walked past. There were many rumors about her too. Some spoke of a mental illness that the woman suffered from- be it insanity or schizophrenia- that was the source of her unmerciful cruelty while others remarked that her wickedness was her own doing, and that she killed purely for entertainment. When Juri finally arrived on the scientist's doorstep, he was prepared for the worst guardian imaginable.
However, what he had expected was not what he received. Standing tall and proud was the Korean woman in an unassuming set of casual clothing. She did not look like the killer he had heard about, but rather a passionate agent who had accepted death as a part of life. Rumors of her so-called insanity and spiteful attitude were slowly debunked as the scientist followed her throughout the bustling streets of the city. She was calm, calculative, cunning, and never once shot a venomous glare of disgust in his direction. Quite the opposite, actually.
"Just where is the extraction point again?" the scientist asked as he nervously brought his briefcase filled with research closer to his body. "Is it any further?"
"It's near the water on some rooftops just about four minutes due north-east," Juri replied smoothly. She flashed the scientist a warm look. "Don't worry, if anything bad happens, I'll protect you."
"Truly?"
"Of course," Juri reassured him. "Why? You don't believe me?"
The scientist squirmed a little under her gaze, but he managed to dodge her question.
"I'm just worried that we might get jumped. A few months ago I got into a bad situation with the local 'wildlife'. Kept to myself after that, seeing as somebody would take notice of a pasty-faced guy in a white coat in an area like this."
"You worry too much," Juri replied with a dismissing wave of her hand.
While the Korean's words were calming and reassuring, the scientist couldn't help but feel paranoid. Nothing worth having in life was taken without a hitch. Things were too calm, too precise. While Juri carried herself with an air of competence, she seemed rather complacent. She was not expecting to be jumped, just like a tiger did not expect to be hunted. Such behavior could not be ignored by the scientist.
His eyes searched every nook and cranny he came across. Every person, unassuming or not, suffered from his scrutinizing gaze. With Juri's presence front and center, he had plenty opportunity to do so. He could have sworn he heard footsteps rapidly approaching them from behind, but upon glancing over his shoulder, all he found were a few negligible citizens. He could have sworn he saw a flash of red overhead on the tin rooftops, but when he snapped his head to look up, the clear blue sky mocked him. Something was going to happen, and it seemed like he was the only one expecting it.
Before he could warn Juri, the path the two were treading was suddenly blocked by two uniformed men. The blue color of their uniforms combined with the utility belt filled with tools meant for incapacitating criminals made it clear that these men were part of the law enforcement. Needless to say, their presence here was an ill omen. Juri snapped back away from their initial entry and narrowly managed to avoid being grabbed by them. She glanced behind herself and saw more men in blue approaching from behind.
"It's an ambush…" the scientist muttered.
"Hold it right there," one of the men barked as he brandished his baton.
"I don't take orders from fools like you," Juri said playfully. Her eyes darted between the two men in front of her before they focused on the scientist. "Follow my lead…"
The strength and dexterity of the two uniformed men couldn't save them from an irrepressible force. With a flying kick to one and a roundhouse to the other, the path was cleared. Juri spared no cunning words and took the scientist's hand in hers. She darted through the dazed men and ducked through a couple dingy lean-tos with the scientist in tow. If time was of the essence and they were compromised, she could not risk glancing back every now and then to check if her charge had fallen behind.
Everything around them was so run down that it felt like the buildings could collapse on top of them. It was a claustrophobic's worst nightmare, but for Juri, it was a playground. She constantly changed her direction and path to throw off her pursuers, but she opted against taking the flashier and straining paths if she was to keep the scientist with her. When she felt that the man could keep up she let him go and knew that he would follow her. The exhausted grunts told stories of the man's poor stamina, yet still he ran behind the Korean, much to her relief.
When the two entered into a narrow alleyway, the thuds of heavy footsteps that had once dogged their steps suddenly fell silent. The scientist hardly noticed them over the sound of his wheezing, but Juri, ever observant, did. She slowed her pace to a jog and craned her neck to look up at the tops of the buildings she was coming under. A new sound echoed through the wind; the sound of boots on tin. The helicopter should have been heard instead, but perhaps it was delayed...
Juri emerged from the alleyway out onto a rather poorly constructed soccer field. She knew well about the dangers of going out into the open, but her desire to get the mission over with pushed away whatever second thoughts she had. In times of great action, sometimes the simplest and brashest of decisions were the most favorable. She thought little of South Americans' love of soccer or their troubled dwellings and reached behind herself to grab the scientist, but to her dismay, the man was not there. She turned around just in time to see a buxom figure descend upon the man and bash him against a nearby chain-link fence before he could even yell.
The scientist crumpled to the ground, but a hand clamped onto his wrist and pulled him back up. Juri sighed and scratched her nose as she watched her dazed charge get handcuffed to the fence. The figure turned to Juri and glared at her with stern brown eyes. It figured that Interpol would eventually catch wind of the scientist, and at the most inappropriate of times. It also figured that if it was a matter of great importance, they would send their star officer.
"I'm going to give you one chance," growled the Chinese Interpol officer, Chun-Li. "Turn yourself in, and I'll go easy on you."
"But I like it rough, baby," Juri retorted as she leaned back into her fighting stance.
Chun-Li grunted in disappointment before she too transitioned into a stance of her own. Her form was set just enough to avoid her legs being knocked out from underneath her by a quick sweep from Juri. She blocked a wild roundhouse and countered with a jab to the stomach, which her adversary narrowly managed to avoid. Chun-Li expected to be allowed a chance to strike, as per Juri's sadistic and playful nature, but the Korean kept on the offensive. It seemed to her that she was stressed for time, but she wasn't about to leave any loose ends untied, especially if they were to tangle up whatever operation she was participating in.
After a few more dangerous swipes were blocked, Chun-Li saw a chance for a counter and took it. She ducked under Juri's leg and turned to send a leg straight up. Her boot caught right under the Korean's jaw and lifted her off of the ground with a savage crunch that reverberated throughout the area. Chun-Li blinked in disbelief as her adversary fell to the ground. She hadn't expected to score a strike so early in the fight, and one so powerful.
She did not get the chance to muse about the oddity, as Juri kicked one of Chun-Li's legs back and forced her to stumble. As she dropped her guard, she was punished with a hard kick into her ribs. Stubbornly, the officer held on and managed to keep standing just long enough for Juri to get back into the fray again. The two fought awkwardly with neither woman gaining the upper hand. Chun-Li scored more jabs, light kicks, and hits overall than Juri did, but she in turn scored more powerful attacks capable of breaking bones.
The turning point came when Chun-Li overexerted herself on a missed kick, thus granting Juri a wondrous opportunity to knock the woman down with a sweep. The officer fell to the ground and arched her back as she loosed a cry of pain. Groggily, the scientist raised his head and looked to the fight after trying unsuccessfully to nudge his discarded briefcase closer to him. He watched with morbid curiosity as the officer slowly scooted away from the now-manic Korean, but all in vain.
Juri began to gather an eerie amount of ki energy into her right hand when a shot rang out.
A force like no other pierced the Korean's leg and knocked it out from underneath her. The woman fell to the ground and howled in pain. Her mind immediately came to the conclusion that she had been shot, but while there was relief in knowing what hit her, she felt fear and anger in the fact that she had been shot in the first place. She never got shot, not even once. She had been shot at, of course, but no bullet had ever struck home. Gritting her teeth, Juri rolled over to her side and glared at the one who had shot her.
A small blonde woman in a red cloak dropped down from the tin rooftops with a smoking pistol in her hands.
"You didn't have to do that, Cammy," Chun-Li wheezed to the blonde as she got back to her feet. "I thought we agreed not to shoot her."
"I agreed to nothing," Cammy shot back, obviously agitated. "I'm not going to sit back and watch my partner die, and I'm not about to let this witch slink away."
Cammy turned back to the prone form of Juri and begrudgingly returned her pistol to a holster attached to her hip. She was a proud woman, some might even call her arrogant. To her, there was always a way to tackle a target without lethal force. Her skills more than allowed her to perform her duties to the letter, so the use of firearms and weapons seemed like cheating. However, when it came to Juri Han, Cammy made an exception. After constantly being dogged and beaten by the woman and having to suffer the consequences of losing over and over again, anything went.
"Alright… Can you restrain her?" Chun-Li asked as she turned to the mortified scientist. "I'll need to prepare him for transport."
"Sure, sure." Cammy reached into a pocket of her cloak and pulled out a couple zipties. She maliciously approached Juri and found a bit of satisfaction in seeing her in pain. "If you'd like, I could take that bullet out," she stated in a hostile, condescending tone.
The approach was not to be taken lightly. Cammy figured her adversary's eye could flare up at any moment and take her off guard, so the sooner the woman was restrained, the better. Juri glowered at the woman like a beaten animal, but beneath her façade Cammy could see a faint smirk. If that didn't throw the blonde operative off, the pained giggling did. She scowled and narrowed her eyes.
"What's so funny?"
Instead of a spiteful retort, Cammy was greeted with a response she did not expect. Right before her very eyes the form of the Korean suddenly burst into flame. Cammy took a step back on reflex and watched, aghast that something like spontaneous combustion was actually real and mortified that this could be some new trick. Juri didn't seem to care that purple flames were consuming her body, nor did she care that she seemed to be vanishing. All she did was grin wickedly before the flames completely consumed her, leaving just the glow of her eyes behind.
The sound of something hitting the ground accompanied by a gasp of pain behind the operative reached her ears and, despite her confusion as a result of what just happened, she turned around to address them. Standing behind her was another Juri Han, but it was one that Cammy was used to. The white trousers, the sinister breastplate, sadistic-themed bracelets, and the usual condescending, dominating sneer. Even the scientist looked amazed at who was standing in front of him, which was cause enough for alarm. Had everyone been deceived by an… illusion?
Cammy had no time to muse on this as Juri reached down to grab Chun-Li, who had been unfortunate enough to be the target of the Korean's stealthy strike. She pulled the officer up by her collar and reveled in the moment of bliss for a few seconds before she violently threw her at the Delta Red operative. Cammy, much to her credit, managed to catch her partner in her arms. However, before she could set her partner down and check her for injuries, the true Juri rushed forward and kicked the two away.
"You idiots!" she laughed as she stood by the purple flames. "Did you really believe that I'd just let myself walk into a trap? That I'd let you shoot me? That I'd let those men behind you rush in to help? I'm amazed you haven't figured it out yet."
"Figured what out?" Chun-Li groaned as she was helped up.
Juri bared her teeth and spoke in a harsh whisper.
"Every inkling of confidence that you get is a gift from me… Don't you ever forget that." She glanced down at the flickering purple fires that once were her clone before snickering. "So, whataya think of my partner? Come on, come on, I need all the feedback I can get."
"I don't much care for you or any of your little tricks," Cammy growled. She pulled off her cloak and whipped it off to the side. "You may have caught us off guard, but you're not getting away this time."
"You can count on it," Chun-Li reaffirmed as she took a stance next to her partner.
Juri did nothing but stare at the two over the cackling flames of her copy. In a sense, she was angered by her enemies' stubbornness, but in another sense, she was overjoyed. They were frightened, yes, but they were courageous. They were willing to keep fighting regardless of the inevitable outcome. Juri could respect that. She smiled and looked down at the dwindling flames before activating her eye. Whatever reactions the Chinese officer and Englishwoman gave, Juri ignored them.
Instead, she held her hand out above the violet flames and watched as they turned into vapors. They shot up into her hand and filled her body with a warm, invigorating feeling, for they were traces of her ki energy. Once the flames had vanished, only a purple sphere remained on the ground. It wobbled in the grass before leaping up into the palm of Juri's hand, as if on account of its own free will. She cradled it in her hands like a precious jewel before looking up at Cammy and Chun-Li.
"You know, it's always bothered me how you two always gang up on me," she said as she began to run her hands over the sphere, igniting it with sparks of energy. "I don't see how you have to do that. I'm just one person, ya know?" Juri held up the now-glimmering sphere and tilted her head. "Two against one is never fair…"
The Korean lazily dropped the sphere off to the side and watched as it shattered on a piece of concrete. Her hair picked up and blew back as a vortex of energy erupted from the remains of the sphere to form a larger, hazy purple sphere. In just a few seconds, another Juri took a stand next to the original. Cammy and Chun-Li's breath hitched upon looking at the darker, more sinister clone of someone who was already dark and sinister to begin with. If they weren't the courageous duo they were, they would have dropped everything and ran off with their tails between their legs.
In hindsight, they probably should have done just that.
"Now this," Juri started as she waved her hand nonchalantly, "is more like it."
"I think the odds are fair," Juri's clone snickered.
"Two on two…"
"Right girls?" they asked simultaneously.
What transpired next could only be described as complete and utter destruction. Juri, with the aid of her clone, proceeded to engage Cammy and Chun-Li in a fight that was weighed heavily in her favor. Bones were broken, blood was spilt, fabric was ripped and screams were loosed. The senseless brutality of the clone combined with Juri's cunning created a force that they couldn't even begin to counteract. After less than twenty seconds, the two enforcers were barely clinging to life. It was too quick, and much too ferocious than usual.
Cammy felt as if every bone in her body had been broken, and as much as she wanted to be far away from Juri and her new toy, she reconsidered moving. Every spasm of pain that made her squirm only served to rattle her groaning bones and inflame her aching and bruised skin. She kept herself were she was, prone and incapacitated with her face in the grass. Chun-Li suffered through the same terrible treatment, yet she had the misfortune of not being able to rest. Juri had released the scientist, who sat back with a traumatized expression, and used the handcuffs that had restrained him on the officer.
The officer slumped back as her head hung from her shoulders like a cosmetic student's disgraced project. The steel around her wrists stung her skin and kept her from lying down. She hissed with pain and twitched when Juri patted her cheek. She could hear the sound of a helicopter in the distance, and while she knew that she had failed her mission and her partner, at least the murderous wench who put her in such a deplorable state would be leaving. Ignoring the taste of copper in her mouth, Chun-Li groggily listened to Juri's giggling.
"Well, that was fun, even if it was quick." Juri leaned in and cupped the officer's chin in her hand. "Get better soon, 'kay? You'll need to be in peak condition for the next time we meet."
"…I hate you," Chun-Li whimpered.
"Love you too," Juri sarcastically retorted.
She kissed Chun-Li on the lips and held there for a few seconds before the officer squirmed away. Laughing, Juri dropped her chin and strode off to an awaiting helicopter and traumatized scientist. She barked at him and ordered him to get in before turning to her clone. Because of the sound of the rotors overhead, Juri held up five fingers to convey a message. Five minutes. Five minutes would be all the time the clone had before she was dispelled. She grinned wickedly and nodded.
As Juri and the scientist took off in the S.I.N. helicopter, the clone remained on the ground. She turned to Cammy's prone body and giggled maniacally to herself. The blonde had a small harness that allowed her to carry a small amount of armaments, primarily her pistol and accompanying ammunition. Perhaps there would be something interesting to play with there. She slinked over to the woman and straddled her, choosing to sit on her back.
"Still conscious?" she asked as she heard Cammy whimper. "Oh goodie! I've got about four minutes to play with you. Got an idea for a game?"
"…W-why are you doing this?" Chun-Li asked as she watched from afar.
"Entertainment, mostly," Juri's clone replied with a shrug.
Cammy's right hand slowly made its way to her thigh upon noticing her enemy was distracted. Her fingers brushed against the leather sheath for a combat knife that she had there. With relief and confidence spilling into her heart, she grabbed for her knife. However, it was not there. Her eyes widened as she felt the clone grab onto one of her pigtails and hold her knife under it.
"Excellent suggestion, kitten… Pin the pigtails on the officer! You can be my partner."
And with that, the clone began to cut.
Juri slept soundly that night, as she did every night the following week. She was content with the program Seth created fit with her skills and nature, and she was impressed by how well it worked. When she created a clone to train with, it felt like she improved twice as much as if she had trained alone. When she needed to rely on someone else, she simply made a copy to assist her. When a clone was dispelled, every memory and sensation that they experienced was imprinted upon Juri. In all her time of testing, she didn't come across a single problem.
Needless to say, she was very pleased.
The most cunning and destructive South Korean curled up under the covers of her bed and continued her restful sleep. After several mission successes, she felt like she deserved to nod off earlier and wake up later. With a clone of herself taking up the slack, she had more free time than usual. Seth thought it was rather creative of Juri to use his program in such a fashion, and as much as he did not like the idea of his real star agent slacking off, he was too overjoyed that his program worked to put a stop to her lollygagging. Besides, the woman needed to refresh herself, and Seth figured he was rewarding her by leaving her alone, at least for the moment.
She dreamed that night. Only when everything was coming up roses did she dream. Usually she had simple recounts of the previous day, or, when she was troubled and in a bad mood, nightmares. Oddly enough, the woman preferred her nightmares over any dreams of debriefing. They fueled her drive to make a difference entirely by her hand, to strike her purpose. She drifted off and through the thin fabric of unconsciousness until she landed safe and sound within the envelope of her dream.
The woman blinked and looked around herself. In every direction was a large, everlasting white fog that seemed to stretch on to infinity. Confused, Juri glanced down at her feet and was alarmed to find that she was standing on thin air. She leapt back and collided with something soft and warm, which only further surprised her when she remembered that there was nothing around her. A pair of arms hooked around her and held her securely as a serene giggle was heard from behind. Juri turned her head to look at the one responsible for her capture and saw her clone with a peaceful smile on her face.
The twin spider gently returned Juri to her feet and presented herself to her once she turned around. On second glance, Juri saw that the clone did not have the dark and sinister shaded outfit that she usually had, but rather a completely different one. A white kimono with purple trim graced the clone's figure while a purple lotus flower was held between her right ear and raven-colored hair. She did not look like a killer, not like the other clone. Juri took a step back out of caution, as for some reason she felt rather anxious about the copy.
However, the copy made no attempts at further fueling Juri's anxiety. She bowed her head and performed a small curtsy before pointing behind the Korean, an action to which she obliged. Juri looked behind herself and saw a path of marble bricks rise up from the fog and snake through many pairs of magnificent stone columns. When she turned back to the kimono clone, she discovered that she had vanished. A quick glance around revealed that she was nowhere in sight.
"This is strange…"
Juri waited for a minute to see if the kimono clone would return, but soon her impatience got the better of her. She turned around and went down the path, occasionally looking about for something out of place in an already strange dream-world. As she walked, she noticed the stone columns on either side of her began to erode away. Cracks formed on some columns while moss and ivy snaked through breaks on others. Eventually she no longer saw columns and instead saw shapes, statues, and busts of strange characters she had never encountered before.
The air began to grow cold. Juri rubbed her arms and contemplated going back, but as she turned to look behind herself, she noticed a strange darkness following in her footsteps. The darkness seemed to consume everything that lay in its path, and while Juri was a fan of dark areas, she figured she shouldn't get caught in there. She bumped against a statue of a person and accidentally stubbed her toe. Irritated, she raised her fists and turned to knock it down when she finally saw the statues for what they were.
Every single statue that looked strange to her at first now made sense. They were statues of her, but the images were so marred and chipped that they were nearly unrecognizable. One statue was of her with her hair down and an arm extended. Juri figured the statue wanted to show off an object, but the hand had broken off and faded into existence. Another statue depicted the Korean hovering over another Juri, almost as if she had triumphed over herself. Every statue had some story to tell, but they were utterly incoherent.
"What the hell?"
Juri looked around herself and found that the area had changed. She was no longer on a straight path. Instead, she was at an intersection. Four statues were placed near the middle of the intersection, all of which looked clear, pristine, and identical to each other. Juri noticed that they were all looking at her, almost as if they were alive. Just like the others before them, the statures depicted her as she usually was. She stared them down for a moment before staring down one path.
The white fog disappeared and mutated into a black veil of darkness where she looked. Alarmed, Juri turned around and decided to go on the opposite path when the darkness appeared there as well. She doubled back to the intersection and discovered that the strange darkness had completely engulfed all four paths. Juri ignored the cold biting at her limbs as she scowled and slid into her fighting stance. Whatever was happening, she didn't like it.
Darkness continued to creep forward from all sides until all that was left were the statues and one solitary marble brick just large enough to keep Juri safe. The air began to get lighter. It became hard to breathe, and Juri's hands began to shake from the feeling. She coughed and fell to the marble, as it suddenly hurt to stand. It felt as if something was reaching out at her and choking her. The statues around her no longer looked like her. They were too distorted, too cruel and malicious to even hold a candle to the original. Their expressions were ones of sadistic merriment, and it terrified Juri.
Her vision began to blur as she struggled to breathe. She was in pain, and she had no idea what was going wrong. As her hands pressed against the marble, she widened her eyes with a sudden realization. She was in pain, choking, and struggling to breathe. Dreams weren't supposed to hurt! Her body began to gradually shut down despite her efforts to stand up and fight. A white kimono fluttered down from the sky as she barely managed to get back to her knees. Upon noticing the clothing, Juri pitifully reached forward.
With the last of her energy, she pulled her fingers in and launched a fist forward.
Suddenly the great weight that had been placed upon her ceased to be. Juri opened her eyes and looked up into the darkness of her room as air filled her lungs. She coughed, sputtered, and wheezed before her ki energy surged throughout her body to assist her in regaining her strength. Her vision came back to her as she regained the use of her arms and legs. While the darkness of her room was to be expected at night, the eerie glow of her Feng Shui Engine illuminated it enough to show her something she never wanted to find happening to her.
Straddling her body on the bed was none other than Juri's sadistically-shaded clone. She was gripping her face and hissing in pain which lead Juri to believe that the clone was to blame for her near suffocation. The realization hit the Korean like a ton of bricks, and she had no idea why this had happened. All she knew was that she was nearly killed by her clone. In hindsight, she wondered if that was considered suicide or assisted suicide.
Without delay, Juri thrashed about under the covers of her bed and managed to throw her clone off and to the side. She scurried out of the covers and hopped out of her bed to take a stand at the side. To her good-fortune, her clone hopped off and took a stand at the other side of the bed. Juri massaged her neck where she felt cold hands and glared over at her doppelganger. The damned wench grinned evilly at her in response.
"What the fuck are you doing?!" Juri hissed.
"Getting rid of a loose end," the clone replied. "I don't very much like you, or your orders. Don't get me wrong, working with you is fun and all, but I don't appreciate you yanking the leash when I'm about to have the time of my life."
If the situation had been different, Juri would have remarked that not many people liked her and that she was rather proud of it. She held her tongue and dropped her hands to her side. Her clone was tired of being pushed around, and while Juri could sympathize with her, that was not reason enough to warrant an attempted murder. The clone had always been a great help whenever she had been summoned, but there were times when she took things much further than Juri would have liked. Some deaths and grievous injuries that the Korean knew were wrong to carry out were done instead by the clone, who had no qualms about doing so. It was not her ass on the line, after all.
Then it made sense: the clone was seeking to kill off the one who gave her direction simply because she also was the one who held her back. In the clone's deranged mind, it was futile to hold back an irrepressible force.
"You can't kill me," Juri shot back. "You kill me and you'll die with me!"
"You can't lie to yourself!" the clone snickered as her eyes gleamed. "I don't need you! As long as I have the eye, I'm perfectly fine!"
Juri grimaced and clenched her fists.
"I don't care what you think. You're getting back in my eye where you belong, and then I'm removing you from existence!"
The twin spiders glared at each other before transitioning into their stances. A fight was inevitable. In a sense, Juri found it funny that this would happen one of these days. She never liked being on the same page with someone else because she would be destined to fight pointlessly by trying to one-up them. Viper and Seth, although dangerous and manipulative, could hardly hold a candle to her. Instead, the only person who could do that was herself. After a tense few seconds, the two leapt at each other.
S.I.N.'s web wasn't big enough for two spiders.
A great and rhythmic knocking echoed throughout the corridors of the facility. Seth had the misfortune of hearing it at its full volume, given that it was coming from just behind his door. Because he was a synthetic human with a brimming yin-yang ball of limitless energy embedded in his abdomen, the need to eat, drink and sleep to regain lost energy was near-nonexistent. Trivial matters like the taste and texture of food and the feel of fine wine were lost amongst the countless plans, calculations and plots swimming around in his brilliant mind. Now, however, he silently wished that he had the capacity to sleep, if only to fall into a deep enough one to not hear the pounding on the door to his quarters.
Disgusted, the chrome man set aside his book and rose from his lavish seat. He straightened his suit and chiseled his expression into one of pure irritation, knowing full well that whoever had the audacity to annoy him at this hour would suffer worse than a steely gaze. He strode over to his door and opened it. To his great displeasure, the exasperated face of his greatest agent greeted him. To his great dismay, he discovered that Juri was standing outside his quarters in nothing but her nightwear.
Seth fumbled for the words to tell Juri off as he looked at her half-naked and bruised body. Juri shook her head and offered him her hand. In her palm was the purple sphere she used to hold her clone, and it was glowing dully. Sighing, Seth nodded his head and took the sphere without a word. It didn't take a genius to figure out that something had gone wrong and that Juri was not pleased about it. He resolved to close the door, but the voice of his agent stopped him.
"I finally understand," she said in a soft voice that was uncharacteristic of her.
"…What do you understand?" Seth asked.
"I finally understand what it's like to work with a person like me."
"Good. Juri, you should count yourself lucky that there are people like me willing to put up with you. Not everyone can stand-"
"What are you talking about?" Juri piped. "I didn't mean it like that. I worked with the most talented woman this past week, interacted with someone very interesting, and finished it off with the best fight in years!" She smiled and folded her arms across her chest. "The program worked like a charm. My clone just thought it could be the master and off me in the end."
"Ah, I see," Seth muttered.
"Keep an eye on that program and tweak it some more, because you know what, Seth? I like it." She turned and began to walk down the corridors of the dark facility. "See ya tomorrow!"
Seth looked after her for a moment with an incredulous expression before he shrugged and took the sphere back into his room. Upon hearing the click of a lock sliding into place, Juri's smile faded and she slouched over. She held her side as she walked back to her quarters, occasionally hissing with pain.
"…I-I don't know my own strength… Ow, ow, ow…"
Author's Note: If you're going to review, sign in to do it. If you'd rather perform a guest review, piss off. Yes, this is supposed to be offensive.