"Look out!" Cammy screamed, pointing past Vega to the man behind him. Even the colonel was startled when a bright flash of purple crackled through the grass, concussion rushing through the air to throw them all off their feet. The fear in Vega's eyes was plain as he whipped around to face what he knew was going to be the death of him.
"Fall back!" Wolfman shouted, mostly to Luwanda who was still securing the area. The woman spotted the problem immediately, and complied, racing for the chopper.
Cammy felt a strong hand on her arm, and she was being dragged back by Wolfman, Chun-Li racing along beside them. She threw a glance over her shoulder, and saw Vega lifted from the ground by one strong hand around his throat. His feet kicked madly, never finding footing, hands clawing at the arm that held him. He knew Bison was beyond furious, which made his calm exterior even more frightening. An eyebrow was raised over white eyes, electricity crackling over his fingertips. "This has been a most poor decision on your part," he said, tightening his grip.
"No! Wait!" Cammy screamed, shaking her head. This wasn't fair. They couldn't leave him. He'd be dead before they even left the ground! She pulled her arm from Wolfman, trying to get away. But then she was in the chopper, being pushed into her seat. Chun-Li and Luwanda were strapping in as Wolfman began to help Cammy with her own restraints, but she refused. "No! We have to help him!"
"Cammy, no!" Chun-Li shouted over the noise, shaking her head. "You can't risk yourself over him!"
She unsnapped her restraints and met Chun-Li's stern gaze with a fierce look of her own. "He did for me!" She looked over to Wolfman, who was already shaking his head at her.
"This is mad! Do you see that creature out there? He'll kill you!"
"It's a risk I have to take," she said as she stood up, searching the cabin quickly for the item which she was looking for. Coiled up neatly, there was a light-weight, metallic ladder, and she picked it up. "I'm going back out there. Have them take the chopper back over the woods, and I'll meet you there." She paused as she hooked the ladder into place. "Any help you all want to offer is welcome, but I would certainly understand your hesitation." Chun-Li and Wolfman exchanged worried glances, unsure of what to do.
"Cammy," Wolfman said gently. He wanted to tell her this plan was suicide. That he couldn't let her do this. But he knew that look in her eyes, that determination. If they left without following the instructions she'd set out, she'd likely jump from the chopper and go back for the guy herself. But if she had company, maybe she would make it back alive. So Wolfman pressed his lips together, looked towards the cockpit, and shouted, "We're going back out there! Keep it low and steady and be prepared for us to board!"
Ginzu looked back at them over his shoulder. "Are you all insanse?"
"Just do it!" Cammy demanded. They were running out of time. Ginzu and McCoy looked to each other, and eventually shrugged. Cammy knew they'd have to do this quickly, and headed back out of the helicopter without any further instructions.
They were moving cautiously, the wind and rain biting at their skin. Cammy glanced back, spotted Chun-Li behind her. For her protection, she knew, more than out of a favor to Vega. The colonel came after, and Luwanda brought up the rear. McCoy had climbed into the back, awaiting their return. Being the biggest, he'd be able to help them in on their climb up.
Her boots squished noisily in the muddy ground. She didn't wait for the others to catch up, instead running off in the dark, heart racing. She heard a cry up ahead, the sound of someone being tortured, saw purple sparks light up the night through the trees. The fear finally overcame the adrenaline, but it was too late to turn away from this now. She hesitated at the tree line. Bison's back was to them. Vega had been thrown to the ground at his feet. The others caught up, waiting with her in the dark.
"I'm not sure if I should kill you, or not," she heard Bison say, tilting his head as he listened to Vega gasp for air. Cammy bit her lip as she saw him try to crawl away, panting and grimacing at the pain. He looked like a dying animal cornered by its hunter. "If I kill you, then I can't cause you anymore suffering. And I think you deserve to suffer." She winced again as she saw Bison kick Vega in the stomach. He was wrenched up by his hair, and Cammy caught sight of blood running from the corner of his mouth. He still looked lucid enough to glare at Bison who squatted in front of him.
"Why couldn't you leave her-" Vega didn't get to finish that sentence, instead screaming and writhing in pain as bright violet sparks erupted from the hand tangled in his hair. Cammy didn't think she could watch anymore. Her hand found its way to the knife she'd taken earlier from Vega, and suddenly his warning came to the front of her mind. To get out of here, she'd have to dirty her own hands with someone's blood. Squeezing the handle, she frowned. This was different. This was self-defense. She wasn't the one attacking someone, threatening someone. It had to be different than murder.
"I've told you this before," Bison said in a condescending manner. "She gladly left you here to die. Are you so delusional that you can't see what's plainly in front of you?" Vega was released, and he fell into a heap in the wet grass. He struggled to push himself up from the ground, too proud to quit.
"Are you sure you want to do this Cammy?" Chun-Li whispered as she crouched beside her friend. "You don't owe him anything."
"I owe him my life, twice over," she said. "Time to pay my debts." With a nod to Wolfman and Luwanda, who were each carrying their own firearms, she crept silently out of the woods towards Bison. She thought for sure the whole world could hear her heart pounding. There stood not more than a few meters away Bison, and she was going up against him with little more than a knife and her own determination. All for the life of an unrepentant killer who she had to change.
Bison sensed the attack seconds before it came. Just as she pulled back her arm to strike, he was gone and she stumbled forward from the momentum. Vega blinked rapidly at the sight of her as he pushed himself to his feet. Was Bison toying with him? Hadn't he gotten her to safety?
"Where'd he go?" Wolfman said in a low voice, bracing his weapon against his shoulder and searching the area.
"I say we leave now before he comes back," Luwanda said quickly.
"Got him!" Wolfman shouted , and both soldiers aimed right for him, emptying a few rounds at their target. But he was gone as soon as he'd appeared.
"Damn it!" Luwanda growled under her breath, searching for the man again.
"Everyone keep close," Cammy whispered. "Don't give him any room to get between us." She took hold of Vega's wrist, and he pulled it away. It startled her, and she asked, "You want to get out of here too, don't you?"
"He knows better than to try to hide from me." The voice startled all of them, and then Cammy's muffled screams brought their attention to her. Bison reappeared mere centimeters in front of her, one strong hand covering her face. With the help of his psycho power, he lifted her from the ground, watching her struggle.
"Let her go!" Luwanda cried, gun aimed. He disappeared again, and they all felt their stomachs drop, terrified that they'd lost her forever. But then, they heard her scream again overhead.
"If that's what you'd like," Bison called down, and let go of her. She flailed for a second as she fell, the ground rushing up so quickly to meet her. Wolfman ran for her, arms outstretched, and they both crashed to the ground.
"Just run!" Chun-Li shouted, coming to their aid. And all of them did, not daring to hesitate again. Luwanda took up the lead, ready to shoot at whatever got in her way. The chopper could still be heard up ahead, hovering above the trees. She glanced over her shoulder. Chun-Li had an arm around Cammy. Wolfman was on her other side. She'd sprained or broken something in the fall, and she limped along with their support, every step sending pain up her leg. And that other fellow-the one Cammy was so determined to find-was bringing up the rear. He was straggling, but he didn't seem to be ready to give up yet.
The jungle was dark, and the rain still fell hard. They were all on edge as they threaded between the trees, searching for any sign of Bison. And he was there, toying with them, grinding their nerves. A flash behind, beside, up ahead. He would appear for seconds, just long enough for them to see him and react, and then disappear again to repeat the process. The group came to a grinding halt when finally he appeared just inches in front of Luwanda. The woman gasped, raised her weapon, tried to stop and shoot, but then he was gone again.
Then, he appeared between them, emitting a blast of psycho power as he did. They were all knocked from their feet, the energy of the attack leaving them with the feeling of being stung. He found Cammy, and smiled. "There we are." In a few strides, he reached her, and pulled her up by her hair. Cammy growled and kicked her unharmed foot at whatever she could manage to hit, trying with her hands to force Bison away. But he ignored her like a parent disregarding a child's tantrum as he searched for Vega.
"Let go of me!" Cammy cried, thrashing. It hurt to even move one of her legs, but she was too desperate to let the pain keep her from trying. "Stop!"
"Let her go! Put her down or I'll shoot!" Luwanda threatened. Wolfman also had his weapon leveled at the man, who didn't seem at all concerned.
"Now," Bison said loudly, unable to locate Vega as he turned another circle. Chun-Li had regrouped with the two Delta Red members, pistol searching for a shot. Cammy still struggled, demanding her friends to shoot, even if it meant risking hitting her. She'd rather die than be in his hands again anyway. Bison cocked his head when he heard something in the woods around them. It was too difficult to see anything. "Running already, Vega? Your good deeds are short-lived, aren't they?" He turned again as he heard another noise. "Let's see if I can't find a way to get you back here." He looked down at Cammy, who was still struggling. Purple energy ran along his arm, over his fingers, and into Cammy.
She shrieked, body twisting around in an effort to get away from the source of the pain. But it just kept coming and she couldn't get away. The others were shouting for her, unsure of how to help or what to do. Wolfman looked to Luwanda, hoping she had some idea, but received nothing. Chun-Li shook her head, unable to stand the sight of her friend being tormented. Gritting his teeth in rage, Wolfman finally decided to not try was worse than anything Bison was doing to her, and with a scream, charged at the man. Luwanda and Chun-Li followed suit, and Bison raised an eyebrow at them. The pain lessened marginally for Cammy as he focused some of his energy on defense, throwing up a barrier just in time to knock his assailants back. Then, it returned full force, one last burst of fire in her veins. The others pulled themselves to their feet, rage mounting as they frantically racked their brains for a new tactic.
Bison relented for a second, leaving the girl gasping for air, groaning, struggling less now. She'd never felt a pain like that before, but she couldn't let it stop her from trying to get away. She still pushed against his hand, tried to pull herself from him. "Come now, Vega, this is just cruel and selfish on your part," Bison mocked, knowing the man had to be near enough to hear her screams.
"L-let...let me..go," Cammy panted.
Bison responded with another attack, another wave of intense, horrible pain and she screamed. How could a man be capable of this? She'd do anything to get away from it, tried desperately, fingers clawing at his arm, but that only made it worse. Her friends watched, feeling helpless, unable to get her away from the man. Physical attacks left them thrown back on the ground. Bullets couldn't penetrate his psycho power. Cammy screamed again, barely able to breath.
Something dropped from the trees above, and landed on Bison's back. The man flinched, unwilling to let go of Cammy just yet, and tried to pry the attacker off with his other hand. Pulling his assault rifle up with both hands, Vega slipped the shoulder strap under Bison's chin, and started twisting it around as fast as he could. Bison's eyes went wide, and he shoved Cammy away. Her friends rushed to her immediately. They had to use this distraction to get away from Bison. As she was pulled up by Wolfman, she gasped, "Help him? Too? Please...?" She felt too weak to say much more, and the colonel seemed greatly conflicted.
"I'll do what I can," he said, handing Cammy over to Luwanda and Chun-Li.
"Colonel?" Luwanda whispered harshly, shaking her head. "He'll kill you!"
"I said I'd do what I could," the man repeated. "But I can't promise anything." He would try, for Cammy's sake.
Back with Bison, Vega was still holding on, the shoulder strap wrapped tightly around Bison's throat. He was clawing frantically at Vega, unable to breathe and focus long enough to muster up any psycho power attacks. He knew even trying to teleport was useless, as Vega would still be there, strangling him all the while. Vega knew it too. Contact was key to preventing Bison from running. Colonel Wolfman burst in on the gruesome scene as Bison threw himself to his knees. The momentum threw Vega from his back. Vega was left in the dirt, disoriented for a minute. He was jolted into awareness when he felt a pair of hands on his ankles, dragging him through the grass. He tried to sit up, and there was some minor relief when he saw it wasn't Bison. "Can you get up?" Wolfman asked. Vega did so, pushing himself to his feet, the world seeming to tilt and spin around him.
It wasn't too far to the helicopter, and both men were relieved to see that Cammy had made it up safely with the help of Chun-Li and Luwanda. Wolfman smiled, ready to be done with this entire fiasco. He took hold of the rungs, and started climbing, glancing down to make sure the other man was following. Wolfman pulled himself up into the chopper with the help of Luwanda. Thanking the woman, he squatted, holding a hand out to the other man below, ready to pull him up as well. He wasn't so sure who this guy was, why he was dressed in Shadaloo's uniform, or how Cammy knew him, but if he was important to her, then he'd do what he could to help him. He took Vega by the arm but there was some resistance. The alarmed look on the other man's face told him everything he needed to know.
Wolfman didn't hesitate, yanking his sidearm out of his holster and leveling it at Bison's head. The man had somehow followed them up here, and was currently latched onto Vega's ankle. Before Wolfman could squeeze the trigger, his hand was slammed back against the seat beside him without Bison touching him. Chun-Li took hold of Cammy protectively, and Luwanda screamed at the pilots to get moving. Bison grunted, trying to pull himself in as Vega kicked madly at him, slamming a foot into Bison's face a few times before the man's pupils turned white. Purple sparks shot out over Vega's leg. He screamed, fingers digging against the metallic floor of the chopper. Sparks raced from his fingertips, fizzling out along the floor.
"Do something!" Cammy cried, starting forward to help, but Chun-Li held her back, not wanting her friend to get hurt. Vega clawed at the floor, kicking, doing anything he could to free himself. Bison dug his fingers into Vega's leg for more support as he hung halfway out of the moving chopper. The whole cabin was in chaos as everyone shouted to each other to do something, but what? Vega tried to pull himself in but felt too weak. He tasted blood in his mouth, his muscles spasming under his skin. He thought his bones were splintering, couldn't take anymore of the torture.
It was Chun-Li who smashed her foot down onto the side of Bison's head, hard. It left him disoriented enough to give Wolfman a clear shot, and the man didn't hesitate. It didn't quite make its mark, instead burying itself just above Bison's collarbone. Before Wolfman could take aim again, Bison was gone, having lost his grip on Vega. Chun-Li seized the lightweight ladder, pulling it in quickly before Bison somehow found his way onto it again. They were too high off the ground for him to survive that kind of fall. But she knew somehow the man would still be alive down there. It wasn't easy to kill him.
"Is that guy gonna make it?" Luwanda asked, cringing at the man in question spitting a mouthful of blood onto the floor.
Wolfman helped pull him into the chopper, but shook his head. He hadn't ever believed those hyped-up tales of Bison's supernatural powers until this night, and had no idea what sort of toll it would take on a person. Cammy had been hurt by it, but she seemed to be doing a bit better than the man curled up on the floor in a pool of his own blood.
"Rose," Cammy said. It was clear in her voice that she felt weak and in pain, but she did her best not to show it. "Find Rose, she can help us." If she didn't, that psycho power Bison had turned on them would keep burning its way through their bodies. Not her idea of a pleasant experience.
"That purple-haired gal?" Luwanda said, nodding.
"She came with us out to Bangkok. Said we'd need her help by the end of this mess," Wolfman said.
"Then she refused to come with us on the chopper. I thought she was just trying to get a free trip out of us!" Luwanda said. "So she might be some help after all?"
Chun-Li nodded. "If there's anyone on the planet who will know what to do, it's her."
Cammy leaned her head onto Chun-Li's shoulder. It hurt to even breathe, but Rose could help them. She'd know how to deal with whatever Bison had done to them. Then she frowned again, eyes settling on Vega and all of that blood. Would he make it? Would he stop bleeding, or would he be dead before they landed? He didn't seem quite lucid, not with the way he was staring, so oblivious to everyone around him. Luwanda and Wolfman were doing what little they could. But Rose would fix this. Rose had to fix this. And maybe after seeing how badly Bison could harm him, how badly he could treat him, then she could convince Vega to change. Maybe he would forget who he was, like she had forgotten who she was after escaping Shadaloo. Maybe it was all naive and childish of her to think, but she had to hope. Not just for him, but for herself and the fate she'd been made for as well.