Episode 13 – Insolence Not Ignored – (Unsettled scores)
On the last exciting episode of Street Fighter II – Deep Core Crisis! An assassination attempt on Cammy and Guile shook the entire city, as a huge explosion wiped out an entire building; luckily both Cammy and Guile survived the onslaught. Meanwhile Chun-Li has agreed to stay in Vega's mansion.
- USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63), Balearic Sea, 13:15 PM –
A strong horn echoed throughout the massive hallways of the warship, Ken opened his eyes to a bitter morning, he hadn't slept well and things weren't under his control. He felt helpless and insignificant as if forces beyond his control were holding him back.
"Good morning Ken." He could hear Ryu underneath his bunk, he only sighed.
"What's the time?" Ryu looked at his wrist watch.
"One fifteen…" Ryu replied and got out of his bunk and put his jeans on, while fumbling around his bag he found his old bandana, he let it glide out of his palm, and closed his eyes for a short moment.
"Ryu what's wrong?" Ken asked while crawling down his bunk.
"Heh, nothing…" Ryu turned to face him and just grinned sheepishly.
"Listen, about last night…" Ken struggled to form a sentence, forcing Ryu to step in.
"No, you had a right to be angry. What happened was a terrible thing. I only hope that the spirits won't punish us for letting it unfold. But we could do nothing." Ken's breathing intensified.
"I am getting sick of just thinking about it." Ken proclaimed.
"I understand." Ryu nodded. The door to their cabin opened and a marine stepped in.
"Gentlemen the general requests your presence." Both Ryu and Ken looked at each other for a second before heeding the call. As they made their way through the narrow corridors they could hear turmoil in the general's office.
"How could this happen! 89 percent casualty report is unheard of! Especially for your level of expertise Karenina! Those were good men with wives and children, god damn it!" Ken and Ryu stepped in.
"You were requesting our presence sir?" Said Ken, and stepped forward together with Ryu.
"Yes I did, take a seat." Hendricks ordered, and they both complied. Ken looked to his side and revealed a battered Logan who seemed to have taken damage not in a physical sense but emotional.
"What happened last night has got to be the lousiest operation I have ever supervised." Hendricks scowled.
"Mr. Masters do you recall what happened last night?" Ken began to inform the General of every detail he had information about. After a while the general settled down in his chair.
"Good, now I will tell you what you will do next." Ken looked bewildered.
"Sir I just told you about war crimes committed by Logan Karenina and his men? Aren't you going to do anything about it?" Hendricks started giggling.
"Mr. Masters calm down. You were a part of this covert operation you will at all time withhold information about its whereabouts." Ken stood up in protest.
"In other words… It never happened." Logan added.
"This is outrageous! The European commission will be most displeased when they find out that the US military has operated illegally within their borders. You are going down for this I can guarantee that I will go public with this." Logan started laughing.
"What's so funny you idiot?" Ken growled at him.
"Another one of those green peace activists…" Hendricks commented.
"You won't be laughing when justice prevails!" Ken lectured Logan. Meanwhile the general with his stoic expression seemed unaffected by Ken's threats.
"Let me tell you something boy! If you go public you will be court marshaled, for breach of conduct and you will go down the shitter. So I suggest you shut your mouth boy and appreciate what we have done." Hendricks said with his southern accent.
"Appreciate! You slaughtered innocent kids! Don't you think someone will notice that we bombed the coast of a European island!" Ken countered.
"I will do whatever it takes to ensure our freedom! Those training camps would have eventually aided Shadowlaw! We did the world a favor by eliminating them. Now I know this won't look good on an international level but rest assured we won't go down for this. We never go down for this sort of work, you understand. You are dismissed, both of you!" Ken looked down in dismay, the General then turned his gaze to Logan. "You are going back to Barcelona again and you will aid the Interpol agency."
"Wait a minute, Barcelona? We're coming as well." Ken used a sharp tone.
"Very well… You might even prove useful." Logan added before they dismissed. As they walked along the long hallways Ken "accidently" pushed to Logan forcing him to stumble and fall to the floor. Logan quickly centered his gaze on Ken and observed him with a furious expression. The man stood up and grabbed Ken by the collar and pulled him closer.
"You and me outside… now!" He let go of him and proceeded to walk to the nearest exit. Ryu face palmed for a moment and approached Ken.
"Is this really what you want?" Ken just smirked at his question. As they continued to the nearest exit the7y greeted by sharp rays of sunlight, there on the landing field was Logan who patiently waited for Ken's arrival.
"It seems that we attracted some audience." Ryu noted the presence of a dozen marines all keeping a watchful eye on the conflict at hand.
"You want to challenge me, Masters?" Logan tore off his camo shirt revealing a heavily muscular upper body, well concealed underneath the clothing, it was apparent that Mr. Karenina was much more than his superficial appearance would reveal. Ken giggled at his attempt at intimidation.
"You were after me the entire time, now is your chance Masters! You want me, I'm right here." Ken turned around and headed inside again much to Ryu's relief.
"What's the matter Ken, are you too chicken to face your anger? You hold a grudge against me and we might as well settle it here!" Ken stopped in his tracks.
"Don't do it Ken." Ryu advised, but Ken displayed a bitterness rarely seen.
"You started it, now end it!" Karenina shouted. Ken grid his teeth and clenched his fists.
"You want to make me pay for shooting all those Shadowlaw trainees? My entire team has been killed! You want to take me down also?" Logan played his cards right, and Ken turned around and faced him.
"You want to avenge that scum of the earth? Be my guest." Ken started to walk toward him. Other marines encircled them and started cheering their hero Logan on. Meanwhile General Hendricks was informed about the conflict which was taking place on the landing strip; he only smirked and let it pass like nothing had happened.
"You gonna bleed boy! Hysterical marines shouted at Ken.
"This is between the two of us! So stay out of this." Logan made it perfectly clear, before getting hit by Ken and landing on the ground for a second time in one day.
"Hey that's not fair you hit him while he was talking to us!" The marine squad grew angry.
"Don't waste your time Logan your second grade fighting technique won't win you any tournaments." Ken said arrogantly and turned his back to Logan, this would be a big mistake as Logan furiously attacked him from the back landing a brutal roundhouse kick to Ken's lower back.
"Don't turn your back on me!" Logan displayed great strength as he lifted Ken up holding him with stretched out arms and threw him in the air, but Ken quickly realized that he needed to act and swiftly landed on his feet. He showed his trademark battle stance and enticed Logan for another attack, as the CIA agent made his way to him Ken quickly used a distraction maneuver to occupy Logan with his left fist opening Logan's defense for a tricky kick in the abdominal region which sent him a few steps back into the crowd who pushed him back into the "ring". Ken's next move was poorly calculated as it gave Logan an opportunity to grab hold of Ken from behind and pull one arm towards him in an attempt to break it; luckily for Ken he managed to swing his leg backwards and hit Logan in the crotch freeing himself momentarily and delivering a devastating full range kick to Logan's neck. Logan had kissed the concrete for a third time and blood made its way down his nose and ears, a sign that the kick had produced a great ordeal of damage, but still he was getting up despite being outclassed by Ken Masters.
"You are better than I thought, but I've had girlfriends tougher than you!" The other marines cheered Logan on. Ken smirked at Logan's attitude.
"You're not my type Logan." Ken said amused.
"Hey, I never said I like blondes either." Logan swung his leg forward and forced Ken to duck, yet Logan seemed prepared as he swung his leg again parallel with the ground swiping Ken off of it and regaining control of the fight. Ken landed on his back, but found himself underneath Logan who positioned his hips near Ken's abdominal region and used his legs to lock up Ken's movement, Logan then started pounding Ken with his fists inflicting great damage to his face and effectively ending the fight. Ken's face was swollen, blood trailed down his nose and mouth it was evident that he had indeed underestimated his opponent who was willing to use any dirty trick to win.
"Ryu!" Logan shouted. Ryu looked distressed.
"I have nothing against you, you do not need to fear me In fact I hope we will work together again, but please help your friend get up on his feet, I'll be seeing you later." And with that Logan left the strip. Ryu was by his friend's side and carefully helped him regain balance of his own beat up body.
"What happened?" Ken looked baffled.
"He surprised you, but you need to rest now, you fought very well but he just used his opportunities better." Ryu tapped him on the back and witnessed what he rarely did, Ken's pride was broken, he knew that he hadn't taken it too lightly this was not the Ken he knew.
"I'm an idiot…" Ken looked down in dismay and spit out some blood before slowly and painfully retreating to his quarters. Meanwhile…
- Unknown Mansion in the outskirts of Barcelona, 15:13 PM –-
Silence was ever present in the mansion placed on the outskirts of Barcelona; it was a haunting ambient, the lack of noise made this architectural wonder uninviting and hostile to the senses. She lay on her bed curled together and with opened eyes, her senses numbed from the medication she had received.
"How could she…" She whispered into the sheets.
'I trusted her… She put poisoning in everything I took…' Her thoughts drifted. The harsh realization that Alanza the house maid had fiendishly administrated drugs to her was another stab at her heart. She got up on her feet, and went out to the gardens, she found no more bird singing and the sun had been engulfed by thick layers of clouds, black clouds which seem to have been formed due to the smoke that had emitted from the burning ashes of where the huge explosion took place downtown. Chun-Li could only imagine the extend of the damage, she feared for her good friend Guile; she knew that he was amongst enemies around every corner. Finally her senses awoke as she heard footsteps behind her, as she turned around she saw an inviting figure standing before her, it was Vega. He bowed politely and smiled beautifully at her.
"Come... It is time for dinner…" His lips delicately pronounced the words with a mix of accent. But he was met with disdain.
"I am not eating anymore." She said with a cold gaze and turned her back on him observing the city not far from them. But her anger rose as she heard his tittering.
"My dear… the sedative is not in the food… or water." She observed him from the corner of her eyes.
"You see I sneaked in to your bedroom every night, and administered a shot of a mixture of herbs that made you harmless, but this was a couple of days ago lovely one. The effects of these herbs won't dissipate until the next week. But I can assure you that I only did this once…" She frowned immediately.
"Liar! You just said you sneaked into my bedroom every night! What were you doing other than giving me drugs?" He blushed for a moment.
"I observed your beauty… But I have gained so much from these past days. I respect you more than you could know; I would never touch you in any inappropriate way." Her anger was building; every word he spoke was a contradiction of what was really going on in the mansion. She felt his hands every night, how they trailed down her body, how they caressed her sensitive parts, her very dignity was at stake, she felt offended in every way possible, and she was unable to react because of her dizziness and lack of strength.
"You want to fuck me?" His eyes widened at this remark. She playfully unbuttoned her dress so that her bra was visible and she turned around and pushed against a bench lifting one leg and rested it on the bench, and provocatively lifted the dress to reveal her thighs slowly lifting more to reveal her panties, an inviting pose was on display, Vega trembled from fear, her display of decadence caught him off guard.
"Just put it in me already…" He stared at her speechless.
"What's wrong? You've degraded me before? This isn't anything new? Isn't this what you were after?" She was about to shift her panties, but Vega cried out loud.
"No! Stop it!" Tears were running down his cheeks.
"Why would you do this?" He took a step back.
"This is what you have done to me… You are trying to break me down, but I won't be broken I will give you whatever you want, but I won't lower myself into your games Vega, take what you want from me, but know that I will always be cold from inside no matter what you do, I will never want you!" Vega ran away from her sight. She smiled cunningly before going back inside the mansion. Meanwhile…
- Barcelona, 15:46 PM -
Panic had erupted in the streets of Barcelona, people everywhere were fleeing into their homes; the explosion had left the city in utter shock.
"A dirty cop? I don't get it why would he blow up the entire building…" Cammy told Guile while they were making their way to a police station.
"It was a calculated hit, he wanted us dead." Guile replied before stopping in his tracks, he pulled Cammy back.
"Hold it… There he is…" Guile showed Cammy where their attacker had parked his patrol car, he entered the station unaware of his two followers.
"Let's bust his ass, sir!" Cammy looked eager for revenge, but Guile was silent.
"We are only going to get into trouble if we just march in there…" Guile crossed his arms and started thinking.
"We'll wait for him in his car. Cammy you get in the backseat, he won't see you." Cammy nodded and skillfully made her way to the car, she sneaked inside of the backseat, all while Guile hid behind another car. The man came out and looked around, almost knowing that he was being followed. But the coast seemed clear, and the man haplessly went into his car, only to be surprised by Cammy who took out a combat knife and held it to the man's throat.
"Don't move… Or I'll shove this knife up your ass." She said with a playful voice, meanwhile Guile sat on the right passenger seat.
"That's enough Cammy, can't you see he is shitting himself."
"My gosh! Sir, you are right, he is shitting himself. What is that god awful smell?" Guile proceeded to laugh.
"I think he just pissed in his pants." Cammy smirked.
"Alright, now you tell me why I shouldn't blow your brains out." Guile pulled out his desert eagle and pointed it at the man's ear.
"Please, they threatened they would kill my family." The man trembled.
"You moron! Do you know how many families died when you blew up that diner!" Guile exclaimed angrily.
"Who threatened you?" Cammy asked.
"A man called Balrog… He…" Cammy and Guile looked at each other.
"Shadowlaw, sir!" Cammy pointed out.
"Alright, you little skunk tell us where to find him." Guile was persistent.
"He told me, to meet him at a park after the job was finished." Guile smirked before burying his fist in the man's stomach.
"That's for trying to run me over asshole! Now drive!" The man coughed violently.
"But they will kill my family if they see me with you!" The man spat.
"Don't worry we will figure something out, now listen to the lieutenant!" Cammy ordered, and the man started the engine, and proceeded to follow their instructions.
"Why didn't you go to the police with this, you are a police officer for god's sake!" Guile lectured the man while they drove.
"They own the police, I had no choice." The man started to weep.
"It takes some fucking guts to blow up women and children, you sick fuck! I will personally hand you over to the authorities when this is over." Guile clapped the man on the head.
"Carefully sir, he is going to get a concussion if you keep hitting him on the head like that." Cammy added to which Guile only looked away in bitterness.
"I deserve everything what is coming to me, I only pray for my wife and child…" The man spoke silently not wanting to anger Guile any further.
"Pray for your soul…" Cammy said with a sense of disdain for the man. Meanwhile…
- Unknown mansion located in the outskirts of Barcelona, 16:26 PM -
Chun-Li looked around for Vega, and confirmed that he was out; this was her window of opportunity. She carefully entered Vega's office, knowing that this was her chance to dig deeper into Vega's past and uncover his connections to Shadowlaw. She carefully opened the drawers in his desk, and searched for important documents, but none were to be found. She made an effort not to leave anything changed as it would be spotted by Vega in an instant. By closer inspection she found nothing in his office, it baffled her how a perfectionist like Vega did not posses valuable documents which were of importance to him. She was just about to give up until she noticed a beautiful painting of his mother located just above the office chair. It seemed as if it didn't connect fully to the wall. Her slender fingertips trailed down the painting she felt that it was not hanging like an ordinary painting. She pulled on one side at it opened up just like a door, there she found a safe that was built into the wall, and there were no numerical digits on the keyboard. She smiled as she realized she had found what she was looking for. But in a split second her senses sharpened as she heard footsteps near the door to the office, she quickly hid underneath the desk and awaited the approaching figure. The footsteps echoed down to her heart, for each step her pulse intensified, she feared that he had played with her, and lured her into his office, but alas it was only Alanza! She smiled to herself for a moment, and breathed out. When Alanza had finished dust cleaning she went out and locked the door, leaving Chun-Li trapped inside the office; this was highly unfortunate for Chun-Li, but she had come too far to give up now. She stood in front of the safe; a password was all that was preventing her from entering Vega's world. She leaned back against the chair and rolled with her eyes before asking herself what the password could be.
"It's worth a try…" She wrote her own name and awaited the answer.
"Incorrect password…" Red letters painted the screen.
Meanwhile…
- Secret underground Shadowlaw base, Barcelona 16:32 PM -
A commanding officer entered M. Bison's quarters.
"Sire! The numbers are catastrophic!" A young officer exclaimed with shaking hands.
"What?" Bison looked unaffected.
"We just lost an entire generation of soldier trainees last night! They were all wiped out sir!" Bison nodded and shrugged.
"What has happened has happened." He smirked provocatively before turning his chair to face his large window where he could monitor the progress of the laboratories which were all located a level beneath.
"I am sorry to hear that…" The young office laid the documents on the desk and was about to leave, but Bison would not have it.
"Stay…" Bison's deep voice cut through the officer's heart.
"You seem like a reasonable officer in charge." Bison evoked the man's interest.
"Sir, how could we have been surprised like this?" Bison only smirked.
"All calculated measures have their price." Bison answered bluntly.
"But they were only pupils?" Silence followed.
"Yes, they were my assets and I used them, we knew of the attack, but I had to see for myself what forces we were up against." Bison used a remote control to switch to a monitor which showed footage of the events that took place at Menorca. He fast forwarded and stopped at the very end, where the camp was burning. He then zoomed in and spotted the assassins.
"You see this man." Bison asked.
"Ken Masters… A world famous martial artist." Bison clicked further.
"That is Ryu, our mortal enemy." Bison laughed manically.
"Sir?"
"You are still young I see. Ken Masters is more of a threat to us than Ryu."
"I see…"
"Their commander he showed no mercy, and neither shall we. Kill him; this is your new assignment, but leave Ken and Ryu to me." Bison grinned manically and snapped with his finger signaling that he wanted to be left alone.
- Streets of Barcelona, 16:48 PM -
A car parked outside an alley, Guile and Cammy got out, and found a lookout point. The car then continued to stroll until it came to a halt near a park. The police officer exited the car and entered the park, he sat on a bench and waited for his contact to arrive.
"Sir, are you sure that we haven't been spotted yet?" Cammy asked.
"I don't know, but it's our only chance to see who ordered the bombing." The police officer was approached by an afro American, he sat next to him and they started a conversation.
"That's him, the asshole…" Guile commented.
"Gosh, you are right it's Balrog." Cammy confirmed.
"You did us a great favor, Alejo."
"Is my family safe?" Balrog grinned.
"Yes… But I am afraid that we will have to terminate your contract. You've been spotted Motherfucker!" The man shook from fear.
"But…" Balrog grabbed the man and curled his strong arm around his throat.
"Easy… Your family was spared, but you will have to die…" Capillary veins burst into bloody tears as the man was choked to death.
"Hold it!" Guile pulled his gun at Balrog.
"Mofo! You again!" Balrog was surprised to see Guile.
"You missed me? I am ready for round two!" Guile put his gun away and threw himself at Balrog. They rolled on the grass before they started fighting, Cammy checked Alejo's pulse but it was too late. Meanwhile…
- Unknown Mansion located in the outskirts of Barcelona, 17:00 PM -
Chun-Li had almost used up all of her tries before the system would lock up, she had two tries left, and she looked around for clues, and finally realized something. It was not his birth date or anything else that could be the password, but a certain individual. Everywhere she looked she saw a portrait of his mother, she was an important figure for him, this she knew.
"Here goes nothing…" She typed the word "mother" in Spanish and it was accepted! The safe opened and Chun-Li waited impatiently before the lights turned on and she could see what was inside. She found a thick diary; it was not Vega's but someone else's. She also found cut up newspapers all containing information about murders committed in a period of many years, some even dated back to 1976. She grabbed it all, and locked the safe, before heading out through the window. She knew she had to hide her findings and try to win as much time as possible to extract valuable data from all of this.
On the next exciting episode of Street Fighter II – Deep Core Crisis! Chun-Li discovers Vega's darkest, meanwhile Guile and Cammy face a grueling challenge, all while Ryu recruits an old friend. Stay tuned for the next episode! – GONNA BURN SOME MUSCLE!
I hope this chapter has been worthwhile, I thank everyone for their dedication to this fic, without you it would all be worthless. Stay tuned for an update, coming to you soon.