TWENTY ONE

~ Broken Bonds~

"What time is it?"

"It's 9:58am sir." Samantha said breathlessly as she quickly picked up a tie from off a chair and ran towards Lee.

"I must end this conference quickly, I don't want to be late." Lee grumbled feeling slightly annoyed as he put on his suit jacket.

"Aw… Come on sir…" Samantha pleaded playfully. "This is the moment you were waiting for all your life. You should be ecstatic."

"Don't you mean 'We'?" Lee smiled softly as he raised his chin for her.

Samantha blushed as she wrapped the tie around his neck and began knotting it for him.

Lee saw her embarrassed expression and smiled. "Don't forget…" He stopped her and looked directly into her eyes. "You were with me from the very beginning. This is your accomplishment as it is mine." He stared at her adoringly.

Samantha quickly looked away. "Y-yes sir." She stammered as she blushed again.

"Lee…" He whispered as he kissed her on her cheek. "Call me Lee, my dear…. Let's try and drop the formalities, huh?" He said as he lifted his head once more.

"Yes, si- I mean, !" She stuttered nervously as she finished knotting his tie.

He looked at her and laughed. "Well I guess that's a start!"

They suddenly froze when they heard someone knocking on the door. "Sir, everyone is waiting for you!" Yelled a muffled voice on the other side of the door.

Lee's smile quickly faded. He sighed dismissively as he passed hand through his hair. Samantha was right, he thought. He should be happy and excited about this moment he was about to experience. Instead he felt anxious and impatient.

Recognition. It was what he worked so hard for all his life. It was something he never got from his adoptive family or his peers but now his time has come. However, he had something more pressing on his mind. Something that he deemed was more important. Just thinking about it ignited his anger.

The man knocked on the door again, jarring Lee from his thoughts. He quickly shook off his ire and smiled once more. Despite his rage and anxiety, he was confident that this day will be the best one of his life. That thought alone provided him with a glimmer of hope.

"Alright, let's go!" Lee said cheerfully as he buttoned up his jacket and grabbed a large, rolled up blue-print from off a table. "I think we should celebrate tonight and go out to dinner, don't you agree?"

Samantha smiled. "Yes, I would love too, sir."

"Tsk, tsk…" Lee waved a disapproving finger. "I told you to drop the formalities." He said playfully.

"I'm sorry…" She said bashfully. "It seems so strange to just call you 'Lee' after all these years."

"You'll get used to it my darling… you will." He said as he wrapped a loving arm around her waist. "Now let's go."

They both exited the dressing room and followed a man as he led them down a hallway and through a pair of large wooden doors. They entered a huge auditorium and were quickly greeted with flashing lights as numerous journalists and reporters took pictures of them. The crowd chattered amongst themselves as Lee walked Samantha to her seat on the stage.

"Good luck." She whispered as she sat down. Lee smiled and nodded at her before walking towards the podium.

Lee noticed the podium was cluttered with microphones from various media agencies. Cameramen also loitered about the stage with their huge, expensive equipment straddling their shoulders. They pointed their heavy cameras at him as he walked. Not too far behind the podium sat numerous government officials and politicians. They all looked at him intently as he walked by.

He hated to admit it, but he actually felt intimidated by all the people and lights. He never made a public, televised announcement before. Especially one as important as this.

Lee stood in front the podium and looked out at the crowd before him. He paused for a moment to empty his mind of all negative thoughts. He cleared his throat before he spoke.

"Good morning everyone!" Lee said and smiled as more flashing lights blinded his vision.

"I am sure everyone is well aware of the situation in Japan. The rouge group called 'The Zaibatsu' has taken over that country and made reprehensible threats to not only our nation, but to the world! I was contacted by our government requesting my aid. So I am here to announce my participation in this fight to completely dismantle the Zaibastu and restore peace to the world once more." Lee said with utmost professionalism and eccentric flair. His words made the crowd erupt in applause and cheer. Samantha jumped from her seat and cheered as well.

Lee smiled from ear to ear. He felt elated from all the positive attention. He patiently waited for the applause to die down before he spoke again.

"My company, 'Violet Systems' have recently made an engineering breakthrough in the field of robotics." Lee unrolled a large blueprint for the crowd to see. "This is my combative robot or… ComBot. Currently it is at the end stages of testing-"

"But the Zaibatsu has been destroyed days ago! Possibly by a rebel group!" A man interjected from somewhere in the room. "There's no need for this…. machine!"

Lee furrowed his brow, sensing the skepticism in the man's voice. The man was right, the Zaibatsu was bombed a few days ago he thought to himself. The building was completely destroyed. However, he will not be satisfied until every Mishima soldier is put under the ground. He refused to accept no less than that.

Lee was about to respond to the man's inquiry, but stopped when he felt someone tapping him on his shoulder.

"I'll take it from here."

Lee turned around and saw a tall, young man with sandy-blonde hair that was styled and spiked in a very unusual manner. Lee looked on befuddled as he stepped aside. The young man simply looked at him and smiled. Lee momentarily wondered how many cans of hair spray he goes through on a daily basis to keep his hair that way.

"My name is Lars Alexanderson." The young man said with utmost confidence. "I am a former… and I repeat, former… Mishima Zaibatsu soldier."

The room suddenly exploded in chatter from the man's revelation.

"Please quiet down everyone." Lars said as he tried his best to calm the tension in the room.

"I am now in full cooperation with your government and I can confirm that the Zaibatsu stands. The only thing that was destroyed was a building. His followers… His ideology… They still exist." Lars paused as he looked intently at the crowd. "There is trusted intel that his organization is regrouping. To add to that, Jin Kazama's whereabouts are unknown and the country of Japan remain under siege by the Zaibatsu."

"So bombing the Zaibatsu did absolutely nothing!?" A woman yelled from the back of the auditorium.

"Oh, it did!" Lars said and smiled. "That rebel group… whoever they are… did the world a huge favor. They slowed them down and halted whatever plans the Zaibatsu was conspiring. This gives us an opportunity to strike back! Ending this conflict before it really gets out of control." Lars smiled and nodded. He turned to Lee; signaling him to take the podium once more.

Lee looked at him feeling thoroughly intrigued. He was very curious about the former Zaibatsu soldier. But now was not the time to ponder such things. He quickly cleared his throat as he shifted his attention to the inquisitive crowd.

"Thank you Mr. Alexanderson." Lee said and softly smiled at the man. "As he said, that intel was the reason why I was contacted to help. With Combot, I assure everyone here that this upcoming battle will end quickly and swiftly with little to no casualties."

"What about Jin Kazama!?" Yelled another reporter. "If he's still alive, will you really fight against your own nephew?"

Lee immediately frowned. He didn't want to be associated with the Mishima bloodline anymore. He hated it when someone mentioned his family lineage.

"People tend to forget that we are not related by blood." Lee muttered sternly. "I do not consider myself a 'Mishima' and I never will." He said and sighed dismissively as he tried to brush aside his anger. "I believe this concludes this conference, I thank you for attending." He politely smiled before swiftly walking off the stage.

"What about your father, Heihachi? Do you know if he played a part in this?" Another reporter blurted out.

Lee frowned; choosing to ignore the inquiry. Suddenly everyone started to yell out random, trite questions about his past as he departed the room. Lee muttered angrily under his breath as he briskly walked down the hallway towards his designated dressing room.

"Well that went well." Samantha said sarcastically as she rushed to catch up with him.

"They were nothing more than a room full of idiots!" Lee grumbled under his breath.

Samantha solemnly looked down, not knowing what she could say to lighten Lee's mood.

"No matter what I do, my past always precedes me." Lee said as he entered his dressing room.

"Well, look on the bright side…" Samantha sighed as she closed the door and slowly walked towards him. "When the world sees what Combot can do… When your creation saves the world… they'll praise you as a hero." She rested a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

Lee raised his head and returned her smile. "Don't you mean, they'll praise 'us' as heroes?"

Samantha blushed. "I suppose…"

Lee chuckled. "You always know the right thing to say."

They both stared into each other's eyes but suddenly stopped when someone knocked and opened the door.

"Uh… hello? Mr. Chaolan?" Lars said as he entered the room. He saw Lee standing very close to his secretary. He felt slightly uncomfortable. "Did I come at a wrong time?"

"Oh no…" Lee said dismissively as he quickly walked over and extended his hand to greet him. "Lars… is it?"

"Yes." He smiled as he shook his hand. "I just wanted to properly introduce myself since we will be working very close together."

Lee immediately perked an eyebrow. "Are we now?"

"Yeah" Lars sighed as he crossed his arms. "That's what I've been told."

"Interesting…" Lee said as he rubbed his chin. "Well, this beautiful young woman is Samantha." He said with elegance as he gently placed an arm around her waist. "Not too many people know this, but she also played an important role in creating Combot. She deserves the same recognition as me."

Lars politely greeted and shook her hand. "wow, well I didn't know that. I'm pleased to meet you." He politely greeted her and shook her hand. "I have to say that I am impressed by your work though it seems like those reporters are more interested about your past." He said and chuckled.

"Yes, I agree…" Lee spoke despondently. "It's very unfortunate."

Lars smile softened as he sensed Lee's change in mood. He really wanted to speak with him about a different matter… A more personal and one. But based on what had transpired during the conference and witnessing his attitude towards his adoptive family, he knew now wasn't the right time to tell him that they have a much deeper bond than mere acquaintances.

"Well…" Lars said uncomfortably as he passed a hand through his hair. "You must've had a busy morning. Perhaps we can talk later?"

"Oh, yes, of course." Lee said and smiled.

Lars nodded and quietly exited the room.

Lee sighed dismissively; not knowing what to make of the young man. It seemed like he had something more to say, but chickened out at the last second. This made him feel incredibly curious but he quickly decided to brush his curiosity aside for the time being. He had something more important to do.

"Samantha, what time is it?"

She quickly pulled out her phone. "It's 10:32am."

His lips formed a devious smile. "Good." He said tersely. "Let's go, I do not want to miss my flight."

The horn of a cargo ship blared loudly as it docked on to American shores. Its siren echoed through foggy, overcast skies. It was late in the evening when the ship made it to shore. The sun was almost set in the horizon. A few crew members rushed as they prepare to secure the large vessel to the harbor.

Anna waited as the crew members rushed by. She carefully looked around making sure the coast was clear before running towards the nearest porthole. She peered through the tiny window and smiled when she realized that the ship finally made it to land. She ran back towards where her group was resting to tell them the news.

"We're here." She whispered as climbed over a tall stack of wooden crates. She hopped down and gracefully landed next to her sister. She was inwardly happy that her sprained ankle had almost fully healed.

"Good." Nina muttered. "I can't stand to spend another day on this ship."

Anna sat down next to her and noticed that she was changing the bandages to her wound. "How is it?" She asked full of concern.

"It's getting better though it may scar." Nina said nonchalantly as she prepared to tape a piece of gauze.

"Can I have a look?" Anna said as she tried to get a better view.

Nina quickly cupped her hand over her cheek; hiding her wound. "You should wake them up. We have to get out of here as soon as possible." She said angrily.

Anna was surprised by her behavior. Her sister seemed embarrassed or ashamed of her injury. She wondered if she felt… insecure? It seemed impossible, but she had to wonder.

"It'll heal just fine." Anna said reassuringly. She quickly left before her sister can say anything more.

Anna sighed as she looked at the amount of wooden crates before her. They provided a good place to hide, but they were hell to traverse over. She was happy that they were able to retrieve their belongings before boarding the ship. Both Bryan and her were able to change out their tight and stifling Mishima soldier uniforms into something a bit more casual, loose fitting and more their style.

Anna stretched her arms in preparation for her physical task. She carefully climbed and squeeze her small frame around and over the ship's cargo until she reach the two men.

She couldn't help it, she smiled when she saw the two of them sleeping in an enclave of boxes. She thought it was cute to see a pair of extremely dangerous men sleep so soundly.

She also thought it was odd to see Dragunov sleeping at all. For some strange reason, she assumed he never did. The silent man moved and behaved so mechanically that sleeping seemed so unnatural for him to do. Anna had to laugh at herself for actually having such a thought.

She slowly walked over to Dragunov and cautiously stretched her arm. Dragunov suddenly opened his eyes and grabbed the woman's hand before she had a chance to wake him. He yanked her hand at full force causing the woman to tumble onto the floor in front of him. Anna let out a short yelp in pain.

The noise caused Bryan to jump from his sleep. "What's going on!?" He quickly looked around surprised with his hands balled into fists prepared to fight.

"Ow…" Anna said as she rubbed her injured shoulder. "Why'd you do that for?"

Bryan sighed. "Oh, it's you." He said in more of a relaxed tone. "What happened?"

"I was just trying to wake you guys." Anna said in annoyance as she shot Dragunov an angry glance.

The Russian grunted uncomfortably as he looked away and rubbed the back of his neck. Anna could sense that he was embarrassed.

"Well, that's what you get if you sneak up on people like that." Bryan said and chuckled. "You're lucky I didn't lay one on ya too."

"Anyway…" Anna said bluntly as she stood up. "It's time get out of here, the ship has made it ashore."

"Finally!" Bryan said as he gathered his things. "It took us three fuckin' days to get here."

"Well, at least we had some time to recuperate." Anna said in a more optimistic tone. "My ankle is feeling a lot better."

"Good, then you'll have no problems fetching the money you owe me for all poker games we played." Bryan said and laughed.

"Ha, ha, very funny." Anna mocked. "I'm sure you wouldn't be laughing if Dragunov had played with us. I bet you would have owed him money."

"Probably." Bryan said in agreement. "If only he and Nina weren't such duds we could have made the time go by a lot faster. At the very least, I would have better competition." He said snidely.

Anna shot him an annoyed glance which caused Bryan to chuckle.

They slowly to make their way around the cargo and met Nina on the other side. Nina quickly greeted and signal them follow her. They carefully and quietly sneak around ship's lower deck and avoided being seen by the crew. They were lucky that the ship was understaffed. They were not many crew members aboard to begin with and Nina was almost certain that most were busy topside preparing to unload the cargo. It took a while but they eventually found a large, open door and gangway that connected the vessel to land.

Bryan poked his head outside and made sure that it was safe to exit. He silently signaled the rest of his comrades to depart the ship. They all ran as fast as they could down gangway and on the pier.

The group felt a sense of exhilaration as they ran. Their ordeal was almost over. Nina was happy to be back on familiar ground once again. Anna was especially elated. She felt like she had found redemption and smiled from ear to ear. Bryan was relieved that he managed to complete this mission with his life intact. He hoped that the doctor will keep his word and repair his failing generator.

Suddenly, Bryan halted in his tracks. "Shit!" He yelled. He couldn't believe his eyes. He saw Lee Chaolan standing next to a tall crate as if he had been there a while just waiting for them.

"What is it?" Nina said as she and rest of them ran to Bryan's side.

A sense of dread consumed Anna when she saw him. "It's Lee!" She gasped in fear when she saw her former lover dressed in an all-white tuxedo. A devious smile was plastered on his face.

"So, you've finally made it!" Lee yelled and clapped. "Congratulations." He said forebodingly.

"How did you know that we're here?" Bryan said as he clenched his fists in anger.

Lee chuckled as he pulled out his phone. "Remember that trick you told me about? When Anna went… 'missing?'" He said as he waved his device in the air. "All phones can be traced."

Bryan cursed under his breath. He couldn't believe he overlooked that little detail. He felt like an idiot. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He crushed it with his bare hand as if he was squeezing an empty beer can.

"It's a little too late for that, don't you think?" Lee said feeling thoroughly amused.

"Just taking extra precautions so you won't find me again." Bryan said snidely.

"Oh!?" Lee was both surprised and amused by his statement. "What makes you so sure that you will get away this time?"

"There's no way I'm letting your pansy-ass beat me!" He said through gritted teeth.

"Hmm…" Lee said as he rubbed his chin in thought. "You must be all out of stimulants by now are you not? Even if you do beat me, you won't have much longer to live, am I right?"

Lee's cold words made Anna's body shiver in fear and guilt. It was her fault that Bryan is in this situation. If she didn't ask for his help, he wouldn't have been in this situation.

"Just let us go!" Anna cried out. "You got what you wanted, right? The Zaibatsu has been destroyed! Bryan has fulfilled his promised to you!" She pleaded.

Lee growled upon hearing Anna's voice. She had hurt him most. "Shut up!" He muttered angrily as he glared at her. "You're the worst of all you parasite! You're nothing more than a gold-digging whore! You use people for what they got and leave their life in ruin."

His words cut like a knife. Anna immediately cowered and her eyes began to water.

Lee chuckled. "Am I wrong?" He said sarcastically. "I'm sure that… 'woman' had left hell in her wake when she entered each of your lives." He said nonchalantly as he began to pace in front of the large crate.

"Nina, wasn't she responsible for the death of your father?" Lee said in amusement. He laughed when he saw her face furrow in anger. "Mister Dragunov, I've heard she almost kill you a few years ago." He glanced at the silent man. "I don't expect you would regale me with any details, but I know it's true."

"And you Bryan… Her latest victim…" Lee stopped his pacing to stare at the scarred man. "Because of her actions, she nearly had Violet Systems burned to the ground. The same company that develops the medication that you need to live."

Bryan said nothing. He simply glared at him.

"Doesn't that make you angry?" He said as he searched the man's face for a response. "You should have taken my side! Mine!" He said as he angrily pointed to himself. "That woman had done nothing but given you a death sentence but you still chose to help her!?" He said feeling dumbfounded. "You really are a fool."

"I'm no fool." Bryan muttered in frustration. "You forget that you were the one who betrayed me first! You lied and made me risk my ass in Brazil when you had no intention in upholding your end of the bargain. If you did, well…" Bryan shrugged. "This story would have ended differently." He smirked evilly.

"Hmm…" Lee said as he rubbed his chin in thought. "Then I suppose we are on the same page." He said more calmly. "Neither of us can forgive treachery so I guess we might as well get this over." He shrugged as he walked over to the crate.

Lee pulled out a small remote and pressed a button. Suddenly a loud humming noise can be heard as if something was powering up. Lee then pried open the crate revealing one of his Combot robots. The machine's eyes lit up and it slowly walked out of the box. The very tall machine was clad in chrome. Lee laughed when he saw the surprised look on everyone's faces.

"What are we going to do?" Nina whispered at Bryan. "We don't have any heavy artillery for this."

"We don't have a choice." Bryan muttered back. "If we were able to beat that Alisa robot I'm sure we can beat this one. We just have to do it quickly."

"You see Bryan?" Lee said as he pointed at his machine. "I've perfected it… the generator…" He said feeling proud of himself. "It could have been yours, but not anymore."

"So what?... You're gonna use this tin can to beat me? How disappointing." Bryan mocked. "Do you know how many machines, robots and other shitty science experiments I've beaten?"

"Oh really?" Lee said bemused. "Well, the government is paying me lots of money to use my technology for the upcoming war." He said matter-of-factly. "I've thought it best to conduct its final test run on you." He said with a devious smile. "I hope you all are ready."

Without saying another word, Lee pressed a button on the remote which caused the machine to lunge towards Bryan and his comrades. They all manage to jump and dash out of the way as the robot zipped by.

The Combot quickly turned around and punched Dragunov in the chest. The blow sent him flying down the pier.

Nina quickly opened her duffel bag and pulled out her rifle. "Keep it busy while I assemble my gun." She barked.

Anna nodded and ran towards the machine and swung her leg around to kick it. The robot swiftly caught her leg. It then swung her around and slammed her body against the wooden planks of the pier. Anna screamed in pain as her body and her leg wrenched pain.

Dragunov slowly stood from the ground. He quickly shook off any pain he was feeling. He approached the machine again and began to fight it. But no matter what he did, the Combot blocked and parried his moves.

Lee laughed and applauded excitedly. "It's no use. You can't defeat it! I programmed my machine with a plethora of martial arts styles. It knows exactly how to block and counter your moves!" He said and laughed.

"Shit." Bryan muttered under his breath as he watched the Russian struggle with the machine. Everyone was still recovering from their battle at the Zaibatsu. He instinctively placed his hand over where his heart should be and felt the generator whir in his chest. Lee was right, he thought. If he were sustain any injury from this fight, he would not have any more stimulants for his generator. At the same time, he had an idea.

"Are you almost ready?" Bryan asked as he continued to watch the fight.

"Almost." Nina said as she began to attach the scope onto her gun.

"Good." Bryan quickly ran to help the Russian fight the robot.

Anna slowly stood up. Her wounded leg ached in pain but she tried her best to ignore it. She wanted to fight. She had to She owe it to her newfound comrades and friends. She wanted to make up for her past mistakes. She quickly joined the fight.

Dragunov, Anna and Bryan teamed together to fight Lee's creation. Their efforts seem to be working. The Combot was having difficult time fighting them off.

Nina finished assembling her gun. She quickly peered through her scope and patiently waited for the right time to strike.

The three continued to fight against the machine, but they were quickly getting exhausted. In a last, ditch effort, Bryan jumped up and tried his best to pry the metal chest plate from the machine. Using every ounce of his strength, he ripped the metal plate off; exposing the perpetual generator. The generator shined brightly blinding Bryan's vision. Suddenly lurched in pain as the machine punched him directly in his chest. It then grabbed him and tossed him across the pier. His body collided into Anna and they both crashed over the pier and into the icy cold water.

Anna yelped at the shock of being submerged in the freezing waters of the ocean. She grabbed onto the ledge of the pier and struggled a few times before successfully pulling herself up. She instantly turned around and extended her arm to help Bryan.

"Come on!" She yelled desperately. "Take my hand!"

A sharp pain shot across Bryan's chest as he struggle to catch his breath. The blow had knocked the wind out his lungs. He quickly grabbed Anna's hand and she tried her best to pull the man out the water. After a few failed attempts, she manage to pull him onto the pier. Bryan rolled onto his back feeling totally exhausted from the ordeal as he gasped for air. His chest still hurt from the attack he had received.

Anna gasped when she saw Lee approached them with gun in hand. She instinctively got up and run to Bryan's aide. She stood in front of her former lover; blocking him with her arms spread out. "Stop Lee! Don't do this!" She pleaded.

Without saying a word, Lee struck her hard with the butt of his gun. Anna was rendered unconscious. Her body went limp and collapse on the ground.

"Shoot it! Shoot it in the chest!" Bryan yelled out as he catch his breath. Lee slowly approached him with his gun at the ready.

Determined, Nina steady her rifle and carefully aimed her rifle. Dragunov, who was fighting the machine alone, glanced at the silent assassin and quickly ducked; providing her with the clear shot she desperately needed. Nina exhaled as she pulled the trigger.

Lee chuckled and smiled deviously as he aimed his weapon at the fallen man. "Thanks for the tip." He muttered as he fired his gun.

With divine synchronicity, the bullets fired hit their respective targets. The Combot machine sputtered and collapsed on the ground. Its lights dimmed and faded as its generator slowed to a stop.

Lee looked at his fallen creation. He felt a little disappointed but quickly brushed the feeling aside. "Reinforce the chest plate, duly noted." He mumbled to himself as he pocketed his gun.

His thoughts was immediately interrupted when he heard Bryan coughing as gasping for air. He looked at the dying man who was bleeding out on the ground. Lee felt pity as he witness the man struggle to live. He once considered him a friend, but that bond was severed that day.

Suddenly, a helicopter can be heard as it quickly approached the dock. It hovered over Lee as a rope ladder was tossed out of the craft. "Come on! Climb aboard!" Samantha called out from the craft.

"Well, I'm off!" Lee said as he climbed onto the ladder. "Perhaps we'll meet again in the afterlife."

The helicopter pulled off; leaving them behind.

Bryan struggled with each breath he took. The pain was intense. He felt the generator struggle to keep his body alive. This is it, he thought. It's the end of my life. He knew there was no possible way he could survive this injury. Lee shot him point-blank directly in his weak spot.

"Shit." Bryan mumbled in pain as his vision began to blur. He heard someone screamed, but he wasn't sure who it was. He wanted to ask, but didn't have the strength to form words anymore. Bryan watched helplessly as blurred figures surrounded him. He wanted to see their faces but he couldn't, no matter how hard he tried. He watched in agony as his vision faded into darkness.

A/N: Last chapter will be posted sooner than you think!

'Til Next Time!