Disclaimer: See previous chapters

AN: Unfortuately, I couldn't get in contact with Virogtheconq in order to proofread this, so just pay no mind to any grammar mistakes that you may encounter in this chapter. Sorry for the delay. Now let's continue...

Chap. 29

Hong Kong, Interpol HQ

"I'm here to see the body."

Chun Li stood before the coroner's office for admittance into the morgue. She had just arrived the day before after her flight from the States. Behind her, Ryu stood silently awaiting the coroner to check over his list.

"Let's see. Oh yeah. Chief said to expect you." Lifting her head, she waved lightly at Chun Li. "Go on."

Chun Li nodded and entered the room. Ryu followed from behind, but the coroner put out her hand to stop him. "Hold on, sir. You don't have…"

Chun Li didn't turn as she spoke. "He's with me. Let him pass."

The woman looked over at her and then moved her hand away, allowing him to continue onward. Ryu nodded lightly and continued behind the Chinese woman, who was currently in thought as to his presence.

'Why did you come, Ryu?'

She wasn't too surprised when after she had told him of what had happened to her former and first teacher that he decided to come with her. But it was still confusing. Ryu didn't know Gen (at least to her knowledge) and he had been waiting the return of Ken for all that time. She had given him the opportunity to back out of it by, but Ryu had insisted on joining her.

'Maybe he believes I need his support.'

No, that couldn't be right either. In any case, she dismissed those thoughts and came upon the section that held the cadaver. She grabbed the handle, but paused in opening it. She had seen death before, a thousand times over and she knew what to expect. But the sight of seeing a dead loved one had always unsettled her. Pushing it aside, she yanked it open, revealing the body covered in a white cloth. Grabbing the top of the cloth, she pulled it slowly, her eyes hardening as it revealed what she had expected. The cadaver was sliced at the neck, indicating to both of them that it was in battle with another immortal. But that wasn't what caught her attention. What did was the reason why her chief called her in.

'Bullet wounds.'

The body was covered with bullet wounds; five in his upper torso, two in the lower and one on the head. As an immortal, such wounds would have healed upon recovery. Which could only mean that he was shot down and then beheaded.

"He didn't deserve this."

Chun Li turned to Ryu, who made the comment. "What do you mean?"

Ryu moved beside her. "I've heard of Gen and the kind of fighter he was. He didn't deserve to be killed like this."

Chun Li nodded in understanding. Ryu was speaking about the fact that whomever did this had to shoot him dead before easily taking his head and power. It was a dishonorable act.

"He would probably disagree with you. He wasn't the type to make excuses. Either you lived or died." She turned an eye to him. "But…he would appreciate it too."

"Who do you think was responsible?"

"That's why the Chief called me here." she replied, pulling the sheet back over the body. "It was believed to be an agent of Shadowloo. Possibly even one of their high-ranking members."

"What makes you say that?"

Chun Li explained. "A field agent who had been tracking a possibly connection to Shadowloo had last reported of gunfire and then flashes of light."

'A Quickening' he mused.

She continued. "The agent barely got away from it and was struck down by some debris that had fallen from the result."

"Is the agent alright?"

"Yeah. Just a minor blow to the head. He's already recovering in the infirmary."

"Then he would know who did it."

"I know." Chun Li said, underlining Ryu's unspoken question. There was no reason to come see the body if all the evidence was elsewhere. Speaking softly, she turned back to the covered body of her former teacher. "I just wanted to see him…one last time."

"Would you like a minute?"

"No." She pushed the draw close, sealing the body inside. Closing her eyes briefly, she turned around refocused. "No, we have to hurry and find out who his killer is. If we're lucky, we may even find Shadowloo's loc..."

She was suddenly cut off when an attendant rushed into the morgue, panting.

"Ms. Li. There's an emergency."

"You're late, Dan."

"Sorry about that." Dan apologized as he entered the room. "So what's the emergency?"

A rugged man who had been sitting on a stool replied to the question. "No emergency. Just a notice. The numbers of declining fast."

"Well, that's to be expected, right?" Dan retorted. "I mean it is the Gathering and all. And I don't think you would have called me here for something unless it was serious."

The stranger nodded. "True, but the head guys seem to find it going a little to fast." The man looked out toward a window nearby. "It's getting aggressive out there."

"Let me guess." Dan sighed, sitting down beside him. "Shadowloo?"

"You already know."

"Damn." The pony-tailed man swore. "If he keeps getting stronger, no one will be strong enough to stop him."

"Well, there's nothing we can do." The rugged stranger took a drink out of a glass that was in front of him. "I just wanted to give you the heads up, that's all."

"Thanks."

Dan stood up from his seat and made his way to the door. The man swiveled the chair around. "Be careful out there, Hibiki."

"You too, Joe."

"What happened?"

"We found him on the floor next to the bed. He had been strangled to death."

Ryu and Chun Li had joined the agent that came to them earlier to the medical bay. On the floor was the covered body of the agent that had been recovering. Had, being the key word. Around the room, other agents checked over space to determine what exactly happened.

"Who?" Ryu questioned.

"We don't know." the agent replied. "We're checking the surveillance cameras now, but whoever it was, I doubt they came in through the front."

'They could if it was Shadowloo' Chun Li frowned. She knew their connections spread out far, so getting into places most would deem inaccessible would be nothing to them.

"The window then?"

"I don't see how. We're several stories above ground."

At that moment, the Chief entered the room; a grim look plastered on his face. Chun Li noticed it immediately and hesitantly asked. "What is it?"

"The cameras had been tampered with for that precise time so it's possible that this was an inside job."

Now she knew why. She was right. The other agent's eyes widened at the implications. "A spy?"

"Either that or someone in Shadowloo that knew the functions of this HQ." The Chief replied. He then glanced at the body on the floor that was currently being taken away and spoke softly. "Either way, they didn't want Tao telling us what he had seen."

Chun Li matched his gaze, but turned away a little after. "Who was he trailing in the first place?"

"We don't know. His reports were sketching. He didn't want Shadowloo to know that he was tailing them, so he kept his reports to a minimal." The Chief approached the window. "He did indicate however that all of his records were stored at home. In his last report, he indicated that he was close and may have moved them elsewhere." He began to turn. "You job is to find those records and the killer if possible. And Chun Li..." He stared dead at her, implicating the seriousness of this situation. "We need him alive."

Chun Li needed no reminder. "Understood, sir."

"He is your prey. Kill him for me."

"Yes, my lord."

"No, please! My children! Don't do this! AHHHHHHHHH!"

gasp!

Cammy shot up from her bed in a cold sweat, breathing heavily as she began to regain her focus on reality. Leaning forward, she crossed her arms across her chest, with one hand holding on to the silver cross on her neck. 'The same dream, again…' Swallowing hard, she removed the covers and lifted herself out of bed. Seeing as how sleep would not return to her any time soon, she moved to the side of the room, grabbed her robes and made her way quietly out of the room. Heading toward the kitchen area, she was surprised to find someone else there as well.

"Father Jonathan."

The elder man (by looks only) raised his head at her from his drink and smiled. Cammy blinked again, wondering why he was awake at this hour. But before she could ask, he beat her to the punch.

"Nightmares again?"

She sighed and he nodded to himself. "Come. Share some tea with me."

Cammy didn't reply but she did make her way over to the table and took a seat on the opposite side. Jonathan passed her a cup and poured the tea in. Cammy stared at it a bit and then took it in her hands.

"What are you doing up at this hour?"

Jonathan took a sip. "I'm not sure. Guess I'm getting restless at my age." He paused. "Or maybe the Lord thought you could use some company."

Cammy smiled lightly and finally took the cup to her mouth. The tea began to help her relax a bit and on lowering the cup, she saw the man staring at her.

"Better?"

"A bit." she replied.

He continued to stare. "Want to talk about it?"

Cammy lowered her head again. She wanted to say something, but the words never came out. Seeing her frozen apathy, the priest simply nodded.

"I understand."

"I know you do." She answered. "It's just that…"

"Don't worry about my feelings." The man smiled. "I know that there are things that you have seen or done that I will never grasp. Just know that you have support if you need it."

Cammy looked up at him and recited. "Take my yoke upon you… I don't know if I could do that to you, Father."

"I won't have to." His eyes lifted up to the cross that was on the wall nearby. "He has done it already. Just allow him to help."

Cammy sighed despite herself. She had had these same conversations with him and it usually ended up in the same way. Usually, she paid it little mind, seeing it as a friendly gesture of help from the man. But this time, she decided to give it further thought and meditation. 'Maybe…all I need is faith.'

"Thank you for the tea." Cammy said finally, rousing herself up to go back to bed.

"You're welcome." Jonathan replied. "Good night, Camilla."

"Looks like Shadowloo got here first."

Ryu and Chun Li arrived at the apartment building of the fallen agent, only to find that it was trashed. Papers, desk items and some furniture were literally scattered all over the place. Judging by the fact that nothing seemed stolen, they could only conclude that someone had been searching for something.

"Let's just hope they didn't find what they were looking for." Ryu replied.

The two began their search through the wrecked apartment, looking for any places where Tao may have kept the information. As Ryu exited the bathroom in a failed search, he looked over the damage again. 'This seems so…random. Were they really looking for something like this?' His eyes continued to sweep until he caught sight of Chun Li at the far end of the room. Her back was turned to him, but he could see her holding a small framed picture in her hands. Moving closer, he saw the picture clearly. It was Tao, laughing along with a few other officers, one of whom was Chun Li.

"A friend?"

Chun Li didn't move as she continued to hold the picture. "Not closely, but we met on several occasions and missions. He…always talked about making the big case. Upholding the law and helping people. To be the hero." She then added softly. "I know everyone in the department." She began to put down the picture. "Ryu, why are you here?"

"I thought you could use a hand." he replied simply.

She shot him a sharp glance. "That's not what I meant."

"I know. But I still thought I could help you." Even though she felt was being sincere and being truthful, a she also felt that he was leaving something out. He continued speaking. "A friend in need…"

"…Is a friend indeed." she finished. She sighed lightly and was about to say thank you when she felt something strange. Looking down, see noticed that she was still holding the photograph light. She had just let it go, but felt a slight bump on the back of the frame. Flipping it around, she found a small slit in the base of the frame. Pulling it up, she saw a shine within the flap and pulled at it. Her nail hooked onto the object and she pulled it out.

"What is it?" Ryu asked.

"A compact disc." she replied, producing mini-disc in her finger. "This might be the data we've been looking for."

"We should get this back immediately."

Nodding, Chun-Li slipped the disk into a pocket and began to walk toward the door. However, she felt a nagging feeling in her mind.

'Something's wrong. If Shadowloo was here first, they should have been able to find it.' Narrowing her eyes, 'This was too easy.'

Unfortunately, her feelings were justified, for just outside the window in one of the buildings above, a black-clad woman had been watching them with a set of high-powered binoculars. On seeing them leave, the woman lifted her arm and switched on a communication device.

"Sir. They have found the data as you predicted."

-"Of course. Ms. Li is persistent in that regard. I'm so glad she did the work for us."-

"Your orders?"

-"Leave the area. This is Balrog's mess. He'll have to clean it up."-

"Yes sir."