Chapter 9: Closing in
Spinning, the world was spinning, and he was only getting dizzier being upside down. Gathering himself the best he could Guile managed to unbuckle his seat belt. His head was aching from the impact, but he had to get himself out of the trashed vehicle. Smashing out the window with a quick elbow, the soldier managed to scurry out from the wrecked car.
"Well well," a familiar, sly voice said. "Looks like the soldier boy came to play too, ha! ha!"
Guile gritted his teeth at the sound of her voice, and he quickly got the nerves to get to his feet and face her in the middle of the highway. His eyes burned with anger as thoughts of his previous encounter took shape in his memory.
Wait...he thought to himself. "It was you who hurt Chun li!"
Juri's eye lit up and her grin grew twice as wide. "Hah! You got that right! That girl just can't take a hint! ha! ha! ha!"
Her laughter at his injured comrade infuriated Guile and he charged forward. Propelling himself forward, the captain thrust his knee forward to his opponents chest. Juri's wouldn't let her cockiness get the best of her like her last encounter with Guile and was prepared. Before the move could connect she slipped past him with lightning speed and got in her fighting stance.
"You know this is pointless, right?" She smiled as she stood in her flamingo stance relaxed. "Why don't you just go home, or else I'll REALLY make it hurt, heh"
The military officer stood in his fighting raring to give it his all. "What do you want with Ryu?" Guile asked.
Juri tilted her head slightly. "Why should I tell you anything?"
"Fine! I'm get an answer out of you one way or another!"
Guile flexed his arms outward and swung them inward unleashing powerful Ki energy "Sonic Boom!"
The yellow flash of energy shot forward fiercely. Before the projectile could reach Juri, she swatted the ki energy away with a kick. After neutralizing the attack she hopped in the air in a spinning motion. Channeling her chi into her leg she kicked hard as she unleashed the energy from her limb launching her spiritual energy that surged towards her opponent in retaliation.
The captain of the American air force barely managed to block the attack on time and his arms started to tingle from taking on the attack. He began his approach on her and tried to stay low. Guile was more of a ground fighter and did his best when on the defensive. Unfortunately time was of the essence and he couldn't afford to waste time with Juri. He kicked low hastily then followed through with a spinning back fist. Juri blocked the low kick with ease, and ducked lower into almost a spider-like stance when she evaded the spinning backfist. Before Guile could finished pivoting Juri unleashed a low chop at his kidneys, and followed through with a fierce pinwheel kick.
Guile was sent flying into the air from the multiple kicks that connected to his jaw. His brain was rattling and didn't get better upon impacting the ground. It was clear the car crashing still had him shaken a bit, and it was becoming clear that should this continue he might not be able to hold up well against such a dangerous opponent.
"Aww..." Juri said leaning forward to the downed Guile. "You're not even half as into it as you were before. Don't tell me the little car accident got you all dizzy. Serves you right for trying to run me over instead of a straight up fight you bastard!"
The American wasn't even paying attention to her taunts, and tried to focus on getting to his feet again. He thought of his lovely wife and his beautiful daughter back home waiting for him. That alone gave him the strength he needed and he got back to his feet. "Sonic Boom!"
"Again...?" Juri said in an annoyed tone as she leaped over the attack. She then sought to punish Guile for disappointing her. She dove speedily towards the soldier, but then the unexpected happened.
"Flash Kick!"
Guile sprung up from his low stance and delivered a solid somersault kick to her chin. The pain coursed through Juri's face; from the pain followed anger. Managing to catch herself she landed flat on her feet hunched over her arms hanging from her shoulder.
"Well now..." She muttered. "Look who suddenly felt like playing!"
Her Feng Shui engine began to glow in her left eye socked. The chi energy began to emanate around her rapidly. The air grew dense and dread descended upon Guile.
In an instant she was in front of him, on 2 feet away. The American reacted by throwing a mean right hook, but before he could extend his arm, Juri planted a solid elbow into his gut, followed my a shin strike to his thigh, and a knife hand chop to his face. Her assault continued as she leaped backwards, then dove at him with a kick, followed by a second impact, and a third strike with a pivoting thrust kick in midair.
The final blow was bolstered with an surmountable amount of chi energy and the solder was sent skidding across the road.
Once Guile came to a stop, he attempted to lift himself off the ground. The pain surged through his road-skid shoulders, his chest ached when he breathed, and his vision was going dark. The soldiers arms gave out ans he collapsed back onto the asphalt.
Juri shrugged seeing that fight was clearly over and it was time to finish the job. The C.E.O. of S.I.N. would make damn sure that this meddlesome symbol of authority wouldn't interfere with her plans again. She casually made her approach towards the soldier, considering if she should cause more pain on him before she ends Guile's life. Little did she know the decision would be made for her as she heard a strange humming sound in the distance.
The taekwando practitioner stopped in her tracks and looked in the direction the noise was coming from. There in the sky she could see a distant helicopter. It was traveling in her direction with haste and it didn't seem like a standardized aircraft. She waited for it to come closer so she could get a better look, and it was then she saw the symbol on the side of it. Shadaloo...
Juri's eyes went wide when she realized something. "Ryu...! Dammit!"
Ryu meditated silently by the oak tree located in front of Ken's mansion on the massive front lawn. His thoughts reminiscing about all that was happening around him. The pursuit of Shadaloo, the danger his friends could be in, and that powerful woman who seems to be stalking him wherever he goes.
Thinking back on his fight with her in Ken's dojo, he could tell she wasn't fighting to her fullest potential her all. Her techniques were vicious, but half-hearted. She wasn't striving for the victory as Ryu was. Could the artificial eye truly be a replica of the dark power that once haunted me? Ryu wondered. It's power was unquestionable.
Thinking deeper of the fight he had with Juri, he began to see something he believed to be the drive backing her fighting spirit. It was something he was familiar with; vengeance. Known sensations surfaced to his thoughts. The desire to seek retribution against Akuma for believing him to have killed his Master, Gouken. Perhaps Juri lost someone close to her to fill her with so much malice?
Chun li is not so different in that respect. She lost her father and devoted all her efforts to getting revenge after Bison killed her father. But Juri actually has the power and capacity to accomplish her vengeance with that eye of her. If that strange eye it's anything like the dark hadou, it's power will be so seductive that it could easily consume her.
Ryu himself knew the path of vengeance all too well, it almost lead him to his own destruction. Were it not for the guidance of Master Gouken the world warrior would have fallen to the same fate as Akuma. Perhaps he can stop Juri from treading down that road, perhaps he could guide her away from her destructive ways or perhaps she is too far gone. The Japanese warrior knew it would only be a matter of time before Juri crosses his path again.
Suddenly Ken broke Ryu away from his thoughts with an outburst. "Dammit...!" Ken said. "Guile won't answer his cell phone. I am starting to worry, man. He should be been here by now."
Ken had been leaning against the tree Ryu was meditating under, waiting to hear from his brother-in-law.
Ryu opened his eyes and looked down at the grass of Ken's enormous lawn. He remained silent for a moment. "We must stay calm and not jump to conclusions." He spoke calmly to his concerned friend.
Masters glanced down at his cel phone, then back at Ryu. "Yeah," He sighed as he tucked his phone away in his jean pocket. "You're right."
Getting to his feet Ryu turned to face Ken.
"Once Guile gets here, what will you do then?" The Japanese warrior asked his friend.
"I'm getting Eliza and Mel the hell outta here. I'll probably take them somewhere safe and take a big family vacation somewhere safe from Shadaloo; at least until things settle down. My father showed me some sweet tropical spots when you just want to disappear from the world."
"That's a good idea."
"What about you?" Eliza asked as she approached the two with the baby in her arms. She was wearing a beautiful soft pink summer dress. Her hair done in a way that made her look nothing less than a celebrity. "What are you going to do Ryu?"
"I will continue my journey and walk the path of self improvement. I have yet to become a true warrior. I've been thinking of passing through Mexico, I know a couple really strong fighters there." He explained.
"That's pretty typical of you buddy." Ken sneered as he playfully punched Ryu in the arm.
It was then the three people heard the sound of a large hovering aircraft in the distance. They looked up to the sky and a helicopter flying in their directions. Ken and Ryu felt something was wrong, and they both stepped in front of the mother and child.
"Eliza," Ken addressed. "Go back inside. If trouble starts, hide in the secret room."
"Okay," She said, having an idea of the situation. "Stay safe, and give them hell!"
Ken looked back over his shoulder with a confident sneer. "You got it babe!"
With that Eliza quickly made her way to the Masters' Estate. By the time she past the doors, the chopper was hovering in front of Ryu and Ken and a few cords dropped down from the large aircraft. Men began sliding down the cables with the exception of one.
Balrog leaped down and swung off the cable and landed in front of both pupils of Gouken. "Boo!" Balrog grinned with five Shadaloo soldiers behind him armed with assault rifles. Ken and Ryu were not intimidated, they have fought men with guns before, and Ryu had already defeated Balrog a short while ago.
"Alright Ryu, you're coming with me!" The monstrous black boxer demanded.
Ryu's eyes shifted to his best friend's direction briefly, and Ken nodded. "So be it..." The world warrior spoke sternly as he stepped forward. "We Fight!"
The world warriors rash action caught Shadaloo agents off guard when he suddenly grabbed balrog and pulled him in the soldiers line of fire. They couldn't shoot without risking hitting their superior.
"Now ken!"
"Alright!" Masters grinned and he whirled past them with a powerful Hurricane kick knocked all the soldiers away. Upon landing Master's acted fast and fired off a hadouken at another soldier. A soldier barely managed to get to his feet, but before he could open fire, Ken landed a crippling punch to his gut, grabbed him and threw him into another soldier who tried to reach for his weapon.
As Ken was dealing with the Shadaloo soldiers, Ryu and Balrog were still struggling with one another. "Get off me wimp!" Balrog roared as he smashed his head into Ryu's chin. The Japanese warrior's grip loosened and the American boxer landed a heavy low hook to Ryu's kidney. "I'm gonna crush you to tiny pieces!"
Ryu's sides ached but he managed to force himself into his fighting stance and prepare for the assault from Balrog.
A barrage of punches came forced Ryu to maintain his defensive stance. Without Vega around, Balrog didn't have to worry about coordinating his attacks with the sadistic ninja. But Ryu knew that this boxer was tough and stubborn; too stubborn to adapt and change his tactics to better fight against the pupil of Gouken.
Waiting patiently and avoiding the vicious punches as much as he could, Ryu waiting for an opening. And sure enough, it came. Upon charging forward, with acted fast and delivered a powerful uppercut to Balrog's chin. "Shoryuken!" Both Ryu and Balrog soared into the air, but only one landed gracefully.
A loud thud was heard when the heavy boxer hit the ground. Giving his head a shake the Shadaloo warrior looked up at his opponent was still standing strong. Shifting a glance to the left he saw the soldiers getting pummeled by Ken.
"Leave now!" Ryu told him. "You cannot defeat me."
Balrog smiled a toothy grin as he remained low to the ground. "I'm not done here, but you are! Shoot him!"
The world warrior noticed the boxer was looking past him at one of his soldiers who was pointing his assault rifle straight at Ryu. He must have managed to slip past Ken with all that was going on his aim was dead-set on the center warrior's back. Time suddenly stopped for Ryu. There was shock, panic, fear all these feeling rushing through him. His years of training and traveling around the world came rushing through his mind. People he's met, journeys he's taken then...there was nothing.