"I used to hate you," he says.

Processing.

Response: "I do not understand hate, Commander. Explain."

He sighs-an exaggerated exhalation used in order to indicate a degree of agitation. Commander Vega does this quite often when he speaks to me. "To hate is to dislike something. More than dislike it. It's this burning, seething, awful feeling in you. You hate something because it angers you, it upsets you, it hurts you. Do you remember those?"

I consult my database for these words, and their meanings are present, added to my database by him eighteen days ago, twelve days ago, ten days ago, respectively. "Affirmative." I consider the statement with all its implications as I come to an understanding of 'hate'. And now I must know-"Why do you hate me, Commander?"

He shakes his head slowly-body language used in the negation of a statement. "I don't hate you anymore. I did."

"How does one change hate?"

The commander takes time processing this query. He then replies: "I realized my hatred for you was misplaced." He looks down at the dirt, sits against the hood of the car, both feet flat on the ground. He is not dressed in uniform, and he does not wear his mask. I have informed him of the risks of such negligence. Were the commander to be identified, he may be apprehended due to his level of notoriety in certain countries. A small percentage of Shadaloo's employees and soldiers come from these countries, and there is some chance they may recognize him. He tells me that he does not need to hide from me, because he trusts that I will not give up his identity. This is correct-I can not surrender a Shadaloo operative to any authority save that of General Bison's. "You had no choice in what you looked like, or that you were created at all."

"My appearance and existence causes you hate?"

"In a way." He closes both eyes briefly. One must always be aware of one's surrounding, and disabling the primary method of doing so is not recommended. "No, I mean that-" He is unable to form a complete response. His confidence ratings are currently low. This is often the case during specialized training. On missions or in regular combat training, his confidence ratings are high and perhaps this is why he was selected for his position. He is very exact and quick to respond to a situation. If his ratings were to fall too low during an assignment, I would then be authorized to make decisions of my own in an effort to ensure success. This has never happened. He looks me in the eye as he speaks, an indication of the seriousness of the matter. "Do you know how you were created?"

"Affirmative. General Bison's DNA was used in my creation. Your DNA was also selected from a group of individuals whose genes were observed to be most resilient when exposed to the ambient levels of psycho power which General Bison would infuse in his substitute body. Your DNA was then modified to optimize the substitute, producing a female due to the Y chromosome's lessened durability against psycho power, with a more efficient immune system, improved eyesight-"

"But do you know what that entails in regards to your appearance?" he asks before I can finish.

"My appearance is not relevant to my function."

"It is to me."

"I do not understand. Explain, commander."

His mouth starts to move. No sound comes out. His hand covers his face, moves into his hair. I consult my database for the meaning of this body language. It is not present. "You look like my mother. Somewhat." His voice is unusual. The rapid movement of his eyes indicates a level of increased agitation.

"I do not understand 'mother'. Explain, commander."

"A mother is, in the most clinical sense-the sense which you will most easily understand-is half the reason for a human's creation. It takes a father and a mother-or, a male and a female-to create a child."

"Do I have a mother?"

His hands cover his face again and his shoulders are shaking. This can mean two things-that one is laughing, an expression of pleasure, or that one is crying, an expression of intense sorrow. This is what the commander has taught me. When his face is unobstructed by his hands, I see no tears. Tears may indicate laughter, but more often are generated by crying. He does not appear to be crying, and I have never witnessed him do so, but facial expressions are difficult to decipher. His lips are curved up-a smile-as though he was laughing. His eyes do not have a smile. Emotions are complicated, especially Commander Vega's. But in spite of their difficulty, he continues to try to teach them to me. Because I can not process, I ask: "Commander, status report?"

"No," he says with a tone I recognize as anger, and shakes his head. "No, ask me, 'how are you, are you okay,'" So I do, and he is satisfied with this. "I'm upset. Do you remember that?"

I nod. I have never felt upset. I have never felt anything. The commander wants me to, however, it seems detrimental to my functioning. "What makes you upset, commander?"

"You don't have a mother, abejita." He calls me this because he does not like to call me a killer. This rationale is confusing. I do not understand how one can kill, and teach others to kill, to follow their given orders, but be upset when another does the same. General Bison will not allow him to address me by this new name, or any other, and so he must use my given name in most circumstances. But here in specialized training, he refuses to address me as such. "And I don't either."

"I do not understand. How were we created without a mother? You have said a mother is necessary-"

"You were made. Not born, but made. In nature, a mother bears a child. But Bison, he's gone beyond nature, and creates things without the need of a mother and a father."

"You were made as well?"

"No," he says. "I had a mother. I had a father."

I notice the use of past tense in his statements. "They were terminated?"

He nods. "I miss her. And now, you look just enough like her to-" He stops, and the muscles of his jaw clench. He is looking away from me. "That was why I hated you. I couldn't stand seeing her in you. Of being reminded of her when I looked at you." I do not understand the statement, but he continues: "And you were soulless. You weren't her. Not anything like her. You were some shell, some robot. It was difficult to deal with."

"I do not understand 'soul'. Explain, commander."

"It's what makes you a person. I want you to be a person. You're beautiful and you deserve it."

I understand beautiful. It is a very complicated subject, but one which Commander Vega is proficient in. The sky may be beautiful at sunrise, but it is not beautiful in the same way that I am beautiful. The rain may be beautiful, but in other instances, it is not beautiful. I am still learning how to properly parse beautiful. "Do you have a soul, commander?"

His eyes widen at the question, an indication of surprise, bewilderment. "I don't know anymore." In most cases, the commander is what is referred to as 'very confident'. He believes he is good at his work, superior in skill level to those he works with, and that must be the case, as he is in the highest position within Shadaloo which he could possibly currently obtain. When I am in his presence alone, however, he is different. When he teaches me words like 'upset' and 'anger' and all of the others, he often displays them. He displays them quite often with those he trains, as well, but he displays to me others which he generally does not in front of others-happy, funny, sorrow, sad, love.

"Have you lost it? May it be replaced?"

"I don't know," he says. His voice is quiet. Perhaps it is sad.

"Perhaps if you may find me a soul, then we will find yours as well, commander."

Slowly, his lips curve up again, and he nods. "Maybe, abejita. Maybe."

She kept her eyes closed, not really ready to wake up yet. It wasn't even light out, why was she even awake? She hated being up so early, it was simply depressing that not even the sun was up to greet her yet. She rolled onto her side. The sharp pain in her leg made her gasp, and that's when she realized she wasn't in her own bed. Heart racing, she slowly peeled back the blanket and glanced down at herself. Still quite feminine. There was one horrifying possibility ruled out. And this bed was too comfortable for a cell in Shadaloo. This place was familiar to her though she couldn't place how just yet.

She got out of bed. Her sides ached. Her throat was raw. Her ankle hurt. She could feel it was wrapped tightly to limit movement, and she tried not to walk on it. Using a wall as support-and a means to better navigate the dark-she limped out of the bedroom and into the hallway. Slowly, she began to see where she was, and she smiled. She was safe in Rose's small home in Italy. Soft voices reached her from up ahead in a dimly lit room, and she began to pick out their words.

"Why did you help him?" Chun-Li asked.

"A gamble." Cammy didn't understand what Rose meant by that, but that was normal.

Cammy stepped out of the hall finally and approached the two women. "What's going on?" she asked.

Chun-Li smiled to her but Cammy could pick up on the hint of concern in her face. "You shouldn't be on that leg, you know," Chun-Li said, lending an arm to Cammy for support. She helped her friend to an unoccupied seat beside the couch. A few bloodied cloths littered the table, and Vega was asleep on the couch.

"Will he be okay?" Cammy asked.

Rose didn't sugar coat it. "He will die." Cammy felt her heart drop, even though she knew she probably shouldn't feel anything over that. He was a killer. He'd go on to kill more. But it was so difficult to hate him when she knew the lengths he'd gone to for her. And did giving up his own life for her help exonerate him? No, not for the number of wrongs he committed, but surely it was a start? Evidence that he could be fixed like she'd been? "Not now, maybe not even within the next few months, and if he's lucky, maybe not for a few more years. The attack Bison made against Vega has left a residual energy that will continue to deteriorate his body from the inside out. What Bison has done to him will, in time, kill him, unless Bison decides to take it back." Rose pressed her lips together and shook her head. "And I doubt very much that he would do such a thing."

"Can't you do anything?" Cammy asked quietly.

"I'm afraid I can't," Rose said. "I know that it upsets you, Cammy. I'll admit, it is difficult for me to sympathize, but I understand how it makes you feel."

Cammy looked down at him. So he was asleep, not already dead. And maybe he had a little time left. Maybe with his impending death, he'd change some. She'd heard stories of similar situations changing others' outlooks on life, so why not his? "Is he going to wake up again? Before..."

"Yes," Rose said with a nod. "And I'm sure he would be most happy to know that you're all right."

Chun-Li crossed her arms and shifted her weight. It made her uncomfortable to help Vega. She didn't exactly advocate the killing of others, but if he was already dying to begin with, and by his own leader's hand no less, why interfere? He'd done enough harm, and had potential to do so much more. She'd seen criminal cases in which a victim of some deadly terminal illness lost all appreciation for the lives of others, and killed indiscriminately. A sort of sick mindset that if they were dying, they'd take as many down with them as they could. And she could very much see Vega adopting such an attitude. She couldn't agree with saving him but in the end it wasn't her decision. When Cammy had her mind set on something, she did everything she could to get it.

Cammy frowned as she looked at him, tapped the toe of a mud-encrusted boot. How long had it been since they were dashing through the jungles of Thailand? How long ago since she killed in a corrida as him? How long ago since she woke up in his bed, in his body, shocked and horrified? The events seemed as if they'd lasted years. "When is he going to get up? And do you think he'll need somewhere to hide from Bison?"

"Cammy," Chun-Li began again, worried for the interest her friend was taking in this dangerous criminal. "You don't have to worry about that. You know what we have to do with him."

Cammy bit her lip and frowned. "But he helped me."

"And he's killed so many others," Chun-Li replied as gently as possible. Cammy tended to have a childish mindset sometimes, but Chun-Li understood it wasn't a result of a willfully immature personality. She just hadn't had the time to grow up yet. "We can't leave him to wander around freely, even if he's finished with Shadaloo. I'm sorry Cammy, but he needs to be put in prison. Then no one has to worry about Bison taking him back."

"But if he's going to die anyway, can't you at least give him a chance?" Cammy tried.

"He's used up all his chances, Cammy. The second he murdered his first victim, he gave up his chances," Chun-Li said.

"And what about me? Have I given up all mine?"

"That's an entirely different matter," Chun-Li said, shaking her head. "You're a completely different person now."

"What if he is, too?"

"I don't think it's wise to wait and see."

"I do!" Cammy said, frustration mounting. Part of her knew she was grasping at straws and that Chun-Li was probably right. But most of her wasn't prepared to face it. Even if Vega did so much right for her, he'd done everything wrong for everyone else. Why did it have to turn out that way?

"Cammy I'm really having a lot of trouble understanding why you're fighting so hard for-"

"Because he's my brother!" she blurted finally. Chun-Li stared for a moment, unsure she'd heard that right. They were all silent for a moment, though Cammy figured Rose already knew all of this. She felt tears sting her eyes as she admitted this to her best friend. "I hated him so much but he just always wanted what was best for me," she said, trying not to cry. "And he is horrible! You think I don't understand that? I'm so aware of it, because that's all I'm made of, is pieces of awful people with awful lives who do awful things! What's that make me?! If he can't change, if he doesn't change-doesn't have a bit of goodness left, what-can I? Do I stand a chance?" She couldn't stand all the emotions bottled up in her and they all spilled out at once as she began to cry into her hands. She didn't want to be crying right now. She should've been relieved she was alive and safe. Instead she just felt confused and hopeless.

"I'm sorry, Cammy," Chun-Li said, coming to her friend's side immediately. What Cammy had to say was a bit of a shock to her. As she moved her hand in comforting circles over Cammy's back, her eyes wandered from her friend to her unconscious enemy. And she could see it now. Not just the blond hair and blue eyes. Cheekbones, jawlines, the shape of their eyes, the way they fought fluid and graceful but quick and deadly, even some facial expressions. Not twins by any means, but now it made her wonder how she'd never noticed before. "I'm sorry," she repeated. Cammy seemed to be calming down some, so she tried speaking to her a little more. "I didn't know. But you shouldn't ever feel like you're predestined for anything. Your life is your own, Cammy, and I don't plan on letting anyone change that anytime soon."

Cammy nodded, wiping her eyes. "I didn't mean for such an outburst-"

"If anyone deserves outbursts, Cammy, it's you."

She smiled a little, but didn't feel any less confused about her life and Vega's influence and place in it. Before the conversation could advance any further, a cry went up into the air from the hall, and all eyes turned towards the source of the noise. There stood Luwanda and Wolfman. "When'd you wake up? And you don't even say anything?" Luwanda cried, trotting towards Cammy and throwing her arms around the girl. Cammy smiled and hugged back until Luwanda pushed her away to hold her at arms' length. "Are you all right?"

"Oh just-sneezed, made my eyes water," she said quickly. The members of Delta Red were her friends, but it might be awhile before she confided in any of them what she'd just told to Chun-Li. It was better for her to take some more time to process it all.

"The bastard did a number on your ankle, but I suppose we're lucky that's all you broke," Wolfman said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"It's not so bad," Cammy said. He was right, after all-Bison could have done much, much worse to her. "How long have I been asleep?"

"About a day and a half," Wolfman replied.

"Yeah, you got to miss the hell we had to go through just to get the pair of you out of Thailand! When you passed out, I thought you were a goner for sure, but Rosie there made sure you were okay," Luwanda explained.

"We were worried at how long you were sleeping," Wolfman said. Then he smirked. "But then we all realized, it's about par for the course for you."

"Are you insinuating that I'm lazy, colonel?" Cammy asked, feigning offense.

"I don't know anyone over the age of five who naps as much as you," Wolfman replied, throwing an arm over her shoulder and pulling her into a hug to show the statement was good-natured.

"Where are Ginzu and McCoy?" Cammy asked.

"Back in England. They had to get our equipment back home, put in the report. We let them know you were all right, though," Luwanda said.

Cammy smiled, considering all of her friends, and said finally, "I'm quite lucky to have all of you." Her friends had all fought hard to bring her back home as safely as possible, and she couldn't ask for more.

Luwanda waved her hand and wrinkled her nose. "Ahh, leave it. You're making the mood all sentimental now."

"All right then," Cammy said with a shrug. "Then...might we get something to eat now? I'm terribly hungry after all this."

"You're terribly hungry after damn well near anything," Luwanda said, sticking out her tongue.

Cammy smiled, but said, "Thank you, all of you."

"It's what friends are for, Cammy," Chun-Li said, embracing her friend. It was a relief that all of this was over. Granted, the rescue of Vega brought on a whole new set of issues, but she supposed she'd rather deal with him than Bison.

"Friends are for infiltrating dangerous terrorist organizations and facing off against supernaturally powered madmen?" Cammy asked.

"Well, if not for that, then what?" Luwanda replied with a shrug and a smile, throwing an arm around Cammy's shoulder as she lead them to the kitchen. It made walking a lot easier to have someone to lean on. Her ankle still hurt, but she was trying to be careful with it. There were aches and pains all over her body, she supposed from the use of Bison's psycho power. But she was designed to be as resilient as possible. She watched as her friends talked, wondering what to eat. A simple, mundane conversation after the intensity of the past few days. She felt like she was home, and she smiled. Her eyes followed their movements as Rose asked someone to fetch one ingredient, someone else to grab another. Even with the now jovial atmosphere, her mind still wandered back to her possible fate. Because of her genetic makeup, was she destined to become a monster? Twisting around in the chair, she tried to catch a glimpse of the room they'd just come from. Unable to see what she was looking for, she stood up.

"You should keep off that ankle," Wolfman advised. "If you need something, just ask."

"No, it's fine," she said, limping towards the opposite side of the kitchen. Glancing through the threshold to the other room, she saw the couch was empty. Was Vega awake? Had Bison, so incensed by rage, come here to finish the job he'd started? Her heart began to beat faster at the notion, and she limped towards the room. Bracing herself against the wall, she looked around the room.

"Cammy, what is it?" Wolfman asked.

"Oh, you're friend's awake?" Luwanda asked. Chun-Li tensed up, eyes shooting towards Cammy. She set the bottle of spice down on the counter, and in a few quick steps, was at Cammy's side.

"Where is he?" Chun-Li said, pushing into the other room cautiously. She made sure to keep her back to her friends, not wanting to give Vega any advantages as she searched the small area. The room was empty, and she looked down the unlit hallway. Rose's home was not large, and there were only so many places for him to hide.

Luwanda stepped into the room after Chun-Li, a little confused with the way she was acting. As she glanced around, she noticed the front door was left ajar, and said, "Well, here, he must've wanted some fresh air is all. The door's open."

"He shouldn't be walking around much," Wolfman said. He pushed open the front door, and glanced around outside. He drew his brows together, spotting nothing. "Well, he isn't out here."

Cammy looked back towards the empty part of the house. "Try back there," she nodded. But she was already beginning to put two and two together. The open front door was misdirection. He hadn't gone out that way, or they would have seen him when Wolfman stepped outside. Luwanda, Wolfman, and Chun-Li all searched the rest of the house, but came up with nothing.

"It's like he disappeared," Luwanda said. "Where'd he run off to?"

Cammy dropped onto the couch where he'd been. "I don't know," she whispered, feeling defeated. Had he left on his own? Had someone taken him away? Why would he leave without saying good-bye? Her eyes drifted towards Chun-Li, who was pulling on her shoes. "Where are you going?"

"Outside. I have to find him," she said.

And then it struck her. He hadn't been kidnapped. And he probably hadn't been asleep while she and the others had been talking about him. He ran off to avoid being arrested by Chun-Li.

"Well, don't go out alone," Wolfman said. "It's still dark out."

"He may have headed into the woods around back of the house," Chun-Li said. "We can look there first."

Cammy watched as Chun-Li and Wolfman disappeared through the back door, once again feeling helpless. How long would he keep running? Bison was probably after him. Now Chun-Li was dead set on jailing him. And in his injured state, how far could he actually get? Even if all of this was over for her, it seemed like it never would be for him. But that was his decision to make.