Disclaimer: See previous chapters

Chap. 30

Hong Kong

The Hong Kong sky rise gave way to several tall building, each one twinkling with their own variety of lights in the night. Within one of these high-rise buildings, a large, dark-skinned man lifted himself out from under the covers of his bed in a richly expensive bedroom. Two women soon came out from each side of him, smiling and holding onto him. He wrapped his arms around them, grinning as well. That was until he sensed the presence of an immortal. The wind wisp lightly, but he noticed a shadowy visage just within the dark corner of the room. His face sunk slightly before he turned to his companions.

"Hey girls. How 'bout getting some room service up here."

The woman giggled and rose up from the bed to leave the room. Neither one of them saw the shadowy figure as they left, nor heard when the figure moved out of the corner to confront him.

"You dolls look better every season, I'd say."

The figure, a woman in a black jumpsuit, was unfazed by the comment. "A trail has been established linking you to Shadowloo. Lord Bison wants you to deal with it."

"Is that all?" he replied, moving his hands behind his head. "No problem. Who's the pest?"

The woman briskly tossed him a folder. "ICPO agent Chun Li."

Barlog looked over the file and eyes the photo. "A woman? Sure. Sounds like a sweet deal."

"She is immortal."

"Pity for her."

Interpol HQ

Chun Li made her way to her laptop computer. After finding the disk, she headed straight back to headquarters and into her office. Within, she quickly worked to open it. There were a couple of system blocks, but she managed to get past them and into the main directory. There the file came up on Tao's target.

Name – Balrog

The photo of a large dark-skinned man emerged, showing Chun Li who she was dealing with. Barlog was quite well known in the area and his name had come across her attention more than once. He was a known drug trafficker, with various ties around the world. However, there was nothing to make it stick, largely because those who had investigated would either wind up with dead ends or they would mysteriously vanish. 'Except for Tao, it seems.' Continuing, she discovered a hidden access file. Clicking on it, a message popped.

Password

'I should have known' she fumed lightly. It would only be natural that Tao would have it locked down in case the wrong people found it. But she still had to determine what the password was. It could be any number of things. She went to work, typing in whatever she could thing of, from his birthday to his last name or even a few nicknames she discovered in his personal file. So far, nothing. And she had spent right up to a good hour with no result. Tiredly, she sulked low by the computer, wracking her brain in thought of anything she could have missed.

"He…always talked about making the big case. Upholding the law and helping people. To be the hero."

'Well it's worth a shot.' Her finger danced in slowly as she typed in the words. Hero Clicking enter, she was quite surprised to discover that that was the correct password. The file open and various sorts of information practically flooded the screen.

Oh my…

The Chinese immortal's eyes roved over the screen as she took in the information that came up. Dated calls, photos, contact locations… All of it revealed one thing. Balrog had some deep connections with Shadowloo. There were even some sketchy notes indicating that he may have even been one of Shadowloo's top officials. Working to contain her excitement, she continued to go through the data. This was just the break she needed. Not just a contact, but a possible Shadowloo official. If she could reach him, she could find the main base itself, perhaps even the leader as well.

"What did you find?"

It was at that point that Ryu just had the office to check in on her. He stayed back for a bit to allow her to do her work, but ultimately he stopped in, hoping he didn't interrupt her too much.

"A lot." she answered. "Tao had been tracking a man named Balrog, who may be a top official of Shadowloo itself."

Ryu strode beside her to look at the screen. "That sounds like good news."

"Yeah…"

Ryu had noticed the drift in her voice and looked over at her. Her face seemed tense and her eyes at indecision.

"Is there…something else?"

She shook her head. "Oh no, nothing. I was just thinking."

Her expression didn't change and that caused him to worry a bit. He thought about pressing the matter, but he could tell that she wouldn't answer it. At least right now.

'Thinking about what, I wonder?'

Atlantic

In a Concorde airplane soaring over the Atlantic Ocean, the small family sat aboard heading for home. Mel was asleep in the window seat while Ken was reading through a magazine. Eliza appeared to be relaxing, but Ken looked up to see a thoughtful gaze in her eyes.

"Something on your mind?"

Eliza looked at him briefly and then sighed lightly. "Are you sure you wanted to leave? We could have stayed a bit longer."

"Nah, it's okay."

Her gaze hardened. "I told you I wasn't worried."

"Huh?" Ken blinked. "What do you mean?"

"I mean…" She turned away from him. "She looked like she could use a friend a bit longer."

"Oh." Now he knew what she was talking about and he shared her concern. But he knew Cammy a long time. She had had her share of problems and issues, but she had always forged on.

"She'll be fine. It may take some time, but she gets through these things. She's strong. And besides, if there was a big problem, she would have told me."

"Would she?" When he looked at her questioningly, she continued. "I don't know. It just…something in her eyes."

Ken blinked again and then a light grin came over his face. "Hm. She's right about you."

Now it was Eliza's turn to look at him questioningly. "What do you mean?"

"She said…you had an old soul."

"Oh…"

Ken quickly added. "Don't worry. It was a compliment."

She nodded in reply. "I know."

A voice soon came over the intercom. "We will be landing in a few minutes. Please fasten your seatbelts and make sure your tray tables are in their upright and locked positions."

The pair did as ordered and Ken shook Mel to wake him up. Looking back to Eliza, he finished the conversation. "She'll be okay. She didn't live this long just to break down now."

But somehow…something didn't feel right.

Interpol HQ

In the lower level of HQ, Chun Li stood leaning on one of the walls next to the drawers in the morgue. Gen's body had long been disposed of, so it was pretty much empty. But the memory remained in the woman's mind and therefore she stood in place. It had been a nagging thought since she started this assignment and now…

'Hm…'

She sensed the presence of an immortal, but didn't bother to turn around. It could have been anyone else, but she knew who was there. However, he failed to enter the area and she figured out why. He wanted to give her some space, even though his proximity took away the privacy. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately.

"You can come in, Ryu."

At her beckon, Ryu slowly entered the morgue from behind. He strode up to her, but stopped short, keeping an open space between them. Chun Li noted this as she looked over at him, but said nothing about it. Rather she decided to focus on his reason for being there in the first place.

"I know what you're thinking."

"Actually, I was just wondering what you were thinking." Ryu replied.

Chun Li turned away and looked back at the drawer. "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few."

"Or the one."

"Heh." It was an old movie quote they knew, but it applied to this situation. "Gen was so close to me. He was like…"

"Your father."

She nodded and a single tear escaped her eye. "He taught me how to survive. How to live on. But now…This man…" She soon became silent trying to find what more to say. But she didn't have to. Ryu already understood her dilemma. In order to reach Shadowloo, she needed to get to Balrog. But what worried her was that since Balrog killed her teacher, she would be driven to kill him in return. The question of revenge or justice hovered over her head. Logically, capturing Balrog was priority. But she knew that in the heat of battle, logic might not always play a part. She shook her head lightly, trying to dismiss the negative thoughts, especially since Ryu was there, waiting.

"Maybe I'm thinking about this too much, huh?"

"Not at all." he replied, stepping closer. "He meant a lot to you."

"And his death…will be not be in vain."

Ryu nodded, but thought about the light stress that was constant in her voice. But he didn't have to guess why. She had already told him. And because she was weight down with this, a confrontation with this Balrog would certainly prove dangerous. Not only because he was an immortal and a member of Shadowloo, but also because Chun Li's focus would be off. That could prove dangerous, especially in the heat of battle.

"No. Not in vain."

Hong Kong, Lower East division

"Arrangements are set. The shipment will arrive within the hour."

With that, Balrog hung up the phone and simply stared out of the window. Now that his business was now done and over with, it would be time for him to check in to HQ and relocate. Of course, there was still that matter of the Interpol agent to deal with, but that shouldn't be a problem. He would simply lead her in and take her down. And when the time was right, he'll have her head and her Quickening.

Speaking of Quickenings…

Balrog suddenly lifted her head up, sensing an immortal coming near. 'Looks like I'm gonna have to get better security' he mused as he swiveled the chair around to the door. 'Well, this will make things easier.' As he faced the door, he lowered his hand under the desk and pressed a button underneath. Then he placed his hands on the desk and calmly waited for the intruder to enter. This wasn't the first time an immortal has come after him, but he would make sure this is the last time for this one. At that moment, the door opened and the invader stepped in, very different from whom Balrog expected.

"I am Ryu of the clan Hoshi."

Balrog looked unimpressed for a moment. "Yeah, what of it?" His eyes then widened a bit as he took a better look at the man before him. "Ah yes. I heard about you. You have quite the reputation among us."

Ryu's eyes narrowed. "You mean Shadowloo."

"I guess that means I can't let you here alive."

Ryu frowned within. So far, Balrog hadn't moved at all from his seat and his expression was calm. Something was obviously up. He remembered back to how Gen was killed by a gunshot and then beheaded. He had to be wary of that.

"Then draw your sword."

"Sword?" The dark skinned man laughed." Ha, we don't live in the Dark Ages no more. But I've got to say, you've got a lot of balls to come here by yourself."

He snapped his fingers and suddenly a group of men came in and surrounded him, each one of them holding a gun of some kind. Ryu looked around at the opposition briefly before looking back at Balrog. Balrog was right about one thing; him coming alone was a bit foolish, especially considering that Balrog was associated with Shadowloo. But he had hoped to subdue him before Chun Li arrived so that her decision would be easier. But it looks like he would have to work hard for it.

"Can't fight your own battles?"

"Please. When you're as powerful as I am, there's no need for it." He then stretched a bit and sat back further in his seat. "Well, this has been entertaining, but I have other business to attend to. Make it quick, boys."

"Got it, boss."

Ryu's eyes returned to the group surrounding him. There were a total of five men, two of them armed with pistols, two with rifles and one with a submachine gun. 'That's a bit much', he mused to himself. But they couldn't have been professionals, that given two reasons. One, by the way they dressed and two, by the fact that they were surrounding him too closely.

Major mistake…

In a snap, Ryu dropped his sheathed blade, whirled around to one of the men who had a pistol, grabbed his arm and snapped it around, causing him to cry in pain and drop the weapon. The others were surprised by the sudden quick action and backed away. But as they did, Ryu shoved him into the group, following him in as well. Two of the men were caught by the fall of the third and tumbled back as well. The remaining two had managed to back away on opposite sides enough not to get caught and Ryu sprung to the one on the right.

Luckily, he had a rifle and the chaos had caused him to lower it. When Ryu came upon him, he wasn't able to lift his gun in time to stop him and was promptly decked in the face as a result. The second one had a pistol, so he was able to recover fast enough to let out a couple of shots. Ryu ducked down and the bullets hit his partner instead. Ryu then rolled forward, hoping to reach the man before he fired again. His luck held, and he managed to get beside him. Without wasting a minute, Ryu sprang to his feet, fist clenched and he shot his fist into the man's side.

"Guah!"

A broken rib, maybe two… In any case, he was out of this fight. But to be safe, Ryu grabbed the gun arm and flung him downward, tossing the gun away in the process. Meanwhile, the other two were just getting up. The one with the submachine gun got up first and let the bullets fly. Ryu dashed around, just barely avoiding the bullets behind him as he ducked behind a couch. The man continued to fire, tearing up the furniture in the process. The bullets stopped briefly to reload and the man took the time to reload while his partner moved in close. But in another surprise move, Ryu jumped out from behind the couch, his hands placed to the side.

"Hadoken!"

The surge of energy flailed out at the man reloading the machine gun and blasted him back. The other one, a man with the rifle, was surprised by the act and fired out automatically. Ryu was hit in the shoulder and landed hard than expected, but he managed to continue forward, tackling the man a bit awkwardly and taking him down. The man lay still and Ryu rose up. Looking at his wound briefly. It had only grazed his arm and was already healing. Now he could continue his 'talk' with Balrog.

Bang! Bang!

Ryu's eyes widened as he slumped down to the ground, rolling partway to the side. Balrog had gotten up from his seat, holding a smoking gun in his hand.

"Well, if you want something done right…"

Barlog finally moved out from around his desk, circling the bleeding Ryu. Ryu tried to get up, but Balrog had hit him in the right spots and he could feel the life leaving his body. Balrog moved over to the sheathed sword Ryu had dropped and unsheathed it.

"Hey, this ain't half bad." Balrog said as he examined the blade. He swung it around in motion while Ryu drifted off. Returning to business at hand, he grasped hold of the sword with both hands. "Too bad there can be only one."

Ryu was helpless as Balrog lifted the sword and readied to strike down. But Balrog stopped short and Ryu could just barely sense why.

There was another immortal…

Balrog looked over to the door, waiting for whomever it was to enter in. But instead, one of the other doors opened behind him and the click of a gun could be heard. Despite this, Balrog turned around to face whoever it was.

It was Chun Li…

'Damned security…' Balrog thought upon seeing another intruder. But then again, this was much better. Now he wouldn't have to waste time in having her brought here

"Ah, Chun Li, is it? I heard you would be looking for me."

The Interpol agent took a step in, keeping her gun leveled on him. Her eye glanced down to see Ryu still on the ground, some blood oozing out onto the ground. It would only be a matter of time before he revived so she wasn't concerned about him. Her main focus was the man stationed before her with his sword.

"Where's Bison?"

"Ah, ah, ah. You didn't ask nicely." Balrog taunted as he began to turn. But Chun Li cocked the hammer of the gun and he went still. He wasn't a fool to risk getting shot and then beheaded. He decided it would be better to play the only card he had at the moment.

"You're gonna to shoot a guy in the back?"

The Chinese immortal narrowed her eyes. "From what I hear, that seems to be your MO."

"Hey. Whatever it takes to survive. Although that old fart came close."

Bang!

Chun Li fired, but not at Balrog himself. Rather, she had hit his gun, knocking it out of his hand and sending the weapon across the floor. Balrog grasped his hand in shock and turned around to glare at her, but the gun had now returned upon him, aimed straight in his face.

"So now what?" he snarled. "Do we join hands and sing?"

Saying nothing in return, Chun Li simply emptied her gun and tossed both it and the clip away. She then reached to her back and unsheathed her own blade. Balrog was a little shaken by this. After all, he thought she wanted him alive. But it seemed to be just the opposite. Still, if he played his cards right, he might be able to get out of this situation.

"Fine then. I can do this old fashioned."

Suddenly, Balrog slashed forward with Ryu's blade still in hand. Chun Li quickly twisted her arm around to block with her own sword, resulting in a loud clash of metal between them. Chun Li quickly away slapped the opposing blade and brought hers in to strike. Balrog jumped back and made his way around the side, but his movements were slowed due to his bulk and Chun Li quickly pressed the advantage with a higher strike. Balrog was backed up by the attack and in rage; he swung with one of his own.

Chun Li parried the blade and brought hers in once more, aiming for his head. He nimbly ducked the slash, rotated his sword and made for a cut to her abdomen. Chun Li hopped back in avoidance and Balrog saw this as an opportunity to move back to his desk. Opening one of the drawers, he grabbed a second gun inside and began to lift it up. But Chun Li had disappeared from his sight and before he realized it, Chun Li had dove of from the side of the very wall, slashing her blade out and cutting his very hand in half.

"Aaahhhh!"

The man staggered back, immediately grabbing hold of what was left of his hand. Chun Li slashed down once again, disarming him of his other weapon and knocking the sword away. Now backed up against the wall, Balrog was faced with Chun Li's sword at his throat.

"You B&$!"

The woman wasn't fazed and inched the blade closer. She had long figured that Balrog wasn't the type to use a blade at all and the exchange of strike was prove of that. He only knew the basic techniques and even those were sloppy. Not to mention that his bulky size had slowed him down in the confined room, while speed had been her advantage.

It was no contest…

"Where is Bison!" she repeated.

Balrog staggered, glaring at her in anger, but helpless to do anything about it. He had lost…to a woman. He didn't care if she was immortal or not.

"F$)$U!"

Chun Li frowned. This wasn't getting anywhere. She reached back, keeping her sword on him and produced a pair of handcuffs. Though sliced, his wrists were still in tack and she would be able to hold him and bring him to HQ for questioning. It would take some time and she didn't know if she would be able to get any definite results, but all in all, this had worked out well. She hadn't noticed one of the men, whom Ryu had knocked out earlier, beginning to revive behind her. Reaching for his gun, he began to lift it up to the woman's back. Chun Li moved in to place the handcuffs on, unaware of the danger when she heard a rustle of movement from behind.

"Rah!"

The gunman was surprised when Ryu dove at him from the floor. The gun went off and Chun Li, after seeing him, dodged away to avoid the fire. Balrog saw this as his opportunity to escape and quickly made a dash for the door. Chun Li got up from the floor and took off after him while Ryu wrestled with the gunman. After a brief struggle, Ryu knocked him out and staggered up from the floor. He had just revived and was still a little dazed from his reawakening, but he made his way out the door after the two of them.

The hallway was empty as before and there was no trace of the other immortals around. But he could still sense them in the vicinity somewhere. Looking down, he then sees a trail of blood across the floor heading off in one direction. He followed it to the right where it led to a staircase, where it continued downward. Going down the stairs, it led out into a parking lot. Moving toward the exit, he soon found Chun Li standing by the opening and looking out into the busy street for a while.

"What happened?"

The woman didn't move at first, but then she turned to him slowly and strode straight to him. Ryu couldn't make out the stiff expression on her face. There was something there, but he couldn't tell what.

"Chun Li…"

She didn't let him finish and cut him off with a hard slap to the face. Ryu was stunned by the blow and looked over at her while she glared at him.

"What the hell were you doing here!"

Ryu turned back, his face slightly red from her slap. "I thought it would have been easier if I dealt with him."

"You didn't think I could do it on my own?" she shouted. "I don't need you babying me, Ryu."

"I… just wanted to help."

That did little to sate her anger. "I didn't ask for your help! Now he's gone and it could be years before I could find him again, if ever!"

"Chun…" he pleaded softly. But she cut him off once again.

"Save it! Just go away and leave me alone!"

With that, she stormed away, leaving the stunned warrior behind.

The next day,Chun Li awoke in her office after an exhausting night of work. After she left Ryu, she returned to her office to give the captain her report. He was disappointed in that she had gone after him all by herself, but she was simply upset that he had gotten away. Afterward, she had literally dove back into her work, seeing if she could find anything else that Tao may have left behind for her to track. But mid-way, she dozed off and fell asleep at her desk, with the computer still on. Stretching, she made her way to the coffee machine when a knock came at the door. With a light yawn, she opened it and found that it was one of the other agents there.

"Ms. Li. A note was left for you."

Grumpily, she took the note and sat back down. Opening it, she was surprised to find that it was from Ryu, whom she had noticed, she hadn't seen or even sensed since last night.

Sorry for getting in your way. I'll take my leave of you. Until our paths cross again.

-Ryu-

AN: I'm sorry again for taking so long with this. I've decided to focus on one fanfic at a time until I can focus enough for this one. Luckily, some of the fics I am working on are almost completed, so I've decided to complete them before continuing. It will be less distracting to focus on one so when I get to this one, I won't be all over the place. This does not mean I have given this fic up though. I have every intention of finishing it. So stay with it. At least this time, I have a reason to be gone for a while from this one.