TEKKEN: THE COLD AND THE WARM


ACT 12: Long Train Running

Inside a run-down apartment in Bangkok, Thailand

Things looked quite troubling in the Thai capital of Bangkok. For some reason, the enormous crowds were overseen by several convoys of policemen and military personnel. It was as if everyone was prepared for war. That could perhaps be the case, because people were actually protesting.

At this rundown neighborhood in Bangkok, sights like that were common, seeing as large group of demonstrators protested against whatever was meeting them.

From one of the apartments overlooking this street, Sergei Dragunov was watching the events unfold through the window. He only watched it with zero emotion on his face. Soon after, he lost interest and turned around to see the others inside this apartment.

Bryan Fury, Feng Wei, Armor King and Kunimitsu were all inside, each of them taking different seats as they were now having a meeting or some sort.

Ever since their failure to capture Fahkumram, the group had retreated to Bangkok, deciding to lay low. They had, after all, broken into a base belonging to the Royal Thai Army, all the more reason for why it was important getting off their radar.

"I say screw this mission! It's not worth it anymore!" Bryan said this while sitting on a chair.

"Funny. Because I recall you being so enthusiastic about it" Armor King pointed out, causing Bryan to snort at him in return.

"Only because I thought it would be entertaining. But our target managed to get away. Now he's out there doing who-knows-what" the cyborg replied.

Feng closed his eyes. "But will he be able to evade capture? I doubt it. Considering his abnormal size and appearance, the Thai military will eventually capture him" the Kenpo fighter pointed out.

"I don't think they'll be able to capture him, though" Kunimitsu, sitting on a table, chimed in. "You witnessed his strength. It was unlike anything I had ever seen. He was even able to defeat each of you singlehandedly, all the more reason for why I doubt anybody could get him" the kunoichi recalled back to seeing him fight her allies.

Armor King, Feng and Bryan didn't appreciate her saying that. The masked woman could tell by looking at the glares she received. Still, she didn't mind it at all and even mused to herself of what she'd done.

"What's the matter? Did I unintentionally offend your fighting capabilities a little?" she teasingly asked them.

"Do not patronize me, niña! You should be careful not to run your mouth too much" Armor King bellowed, the luchador not even hiding his rage.

"Yeah, you got some balls doing that when neither you nor Rusky did anything to help us!" Bryan joined in on berating Kunimitsu.

Dragunov took offense to Bryan's insult, yet paid no heed to him and directed his attention to something else.

But Feng found himself chuckling as he heard Bryan's words. He crossed his arms as he leaned onto the sofa, closing his eyes once again.

"So even the infamous Bryan Fury needs backup? I never realized you were that much of a weakling" the Chinese didn't hold back roasting the cyborg.

This really infuriated Bryan and he even pulled out his handgun. "Want me to put a bullet between your eyes!?" he threatened the Kenpo fighter.

Still, Feng was hardly intimidated. "Go ahead and pull the trigger. It will not make a difference" he responded before finally opening his eyes. Those were that of a dragon. "I have the power to put you out of your misery" Feng was being quite blunt with his threat.

Bryan scowled. "Just try me, dragon-face!" he insulted Feng's appearance.

Armor King, to the surprise of some of his cohorts, didn't join the argument. However, he did facepalm and shook his head weakly.

"Why do I always get stuck with idiots?" he contemplated to himself.

Kunimitsu was giggling to herself, finding this confrontation between Bryan and Feng amusing somewhat.

"This is getting exciting" she noted, trying her best to not let her amusement get noticed.

While all this bickering went forth, Dragunov had in secret done some research with his laptop. Sitting on a bench close to the window, the Russian man had tried to dig in some files regarding Kometa. And what he discovered, surprised even him.

He had done this research while communicating with his superiors at Spetsnaz. Right now, he read an e-mail sent to him in Russian. As such, everything was written in the Cryllic alphabet.

Privet, Sergei Dragunov.

I trust you that your mission has been worth the experience so far. The Kremlin was right to send you for this mission. But now, I will fill you in on several important details we have discovered.

This "Kometa" is more than just an underground syndicate. Their influence stretches across the globe. And just when we thought Lana Lai was nothing but a mere Triad leader's daughter. Somehow, she has changed it into an organization capable of wielding such influence. In fact, they have sold intel to both the G Corporation and the Mishima Zaibatsu, thus playing the two sides against each other.

Which brings me now to reveal you something very interesting yet troubling. I believe you recognize this man: Yuri Gogniyev.

Dragunov's eyes widened a little once he saw the picture of this man. He remembered this man. Yuri Gogniyev had been a member of Spetsnaz once. However, he was often described as being lazy and oftentimes incompetent when doing his job. Because of his conduct, Yuri had been court-martialed and was expelled from the unit.

The reason I bring up Gogniyev is the fact that he at one point joined Kometa, ending up becoming one of its many executives. That had worried us, seeing as how he could've leaked our own intel to that foul woman and her followers. But it is to our knowledge that Gogniyev is now deceased. Some of our agents found him lying dead in a bathtub at a hotel in Khabarovsk. So far, we cannot confirm what killed him, but we managed to recover some interesting documents he possessed. And what they contained will shock you. But let's just put that aside for now and fill you in on our current affairs.

This revelation had surprisingly piqued Dragunov's interest. Such was rare for him to do, seeing as only things like Jin Kazama had done so in the past. Nevertheless, he resumed reading the mail.

While we at Spetsnaz are more than happy to assist you with your endeavors, I am afraid that our attentions are focused somewhere else. Right now, armies of the G Corporation have taken control over the Kuril Islands, using them to attack our motherland as well as other countries. We fear that Vladivostok has already fallen. That svoloch Kazuya Mishima thinks he can bring us down, but we will fight back the invaders.

Surprisingly, Dragunov grew worried about this invasion of his homeland. He knew how much this world war had affected Russia, so he dreaded seeing images of his motherland in flames.

But know this, Dragunov. Your orders are still the same. You are to continue pursuing Kometa and eliminate their threat. After reading some of the files we recovered from Gogniyev, we discovered something very troubling. Apparently, Kometa is responsible for much of the recent climatic changes in this world, due to that cursed satellite that floats above the Earth. We first assumed it belonged to the Americans seeing as it was shot up from their country, but we were all fools. Right now, that satellite is capable of sending radiation towards Earth, thus endangering our climate. We have notices that with how less cold it has gotten in Siberia recently.

Dragunov, despite feeling reluctant about now returning home to Russia to join his comrades, understood the importance of him continuing this mission. He was not the type of man to question his superiors. On another note, the reports of Siberia's cold climate changing disturbed him.

Use whatever allies you need and eliminate this Kometa-threat. Deprive the G Corp and the Zaibatsu of an important asset. We will not let either of them use their intel against Mother Russia. At the same time, downing that satellite does a great service to the entire world. Make sure that we live to fight another day. We will keep correspond to each other in the coming days.

Udachi tebe, Tovarishch Dragunov. The motherland is counting on you.

Vash komandir

With that message read, Dragunov took his time to process through. He just realized something. The entire world would probably be too distracted by the G Corp's many invasions to notice the climatic changes, let alone the fact Kometa controlling it. Therefore, it was up to, as well as others possessing knowledge of their operations, to end their ambitions.

But he really needed a plan. Looking at his cohorts, an idea popped into Dragunov's mind. And it them involved with it. But if they were to be of any assistance, they would need to know the truth about Kometa as well.

Ignoring whatever arguments Feng and Bryan were having, the Russian soldier took his seat by the table, everyone's eyes on him.

"You have been sitting with that computer for quite some time. What is it now?" Armor King asked, only for Dragunov to show everyone what he had been doing.

Everyone got a look at the files Dragunov's superiors had given him, including the satellite belonging to Kometa. This revelation gave each of them a whole different view of the criminal organization they had aided.

"So, it really is true" Kunimitsu remarked lowly. "Kometa wields so much influence in the criminal underworld that both the G Corp and the Zaibatsu has relied on their aid for intel in the war" she was practically in disbelief.

"Needless to say, Kometa has played each side against the other. They did that by broadening their influence throughout the world" Armor King tried to summarize the situation. "Damn those Mishimas. Yet another reason why those bastardos are an omen to this world" the luchador added.

"Then it all makes sense" Feng chimed in. "That satellite of theirs is the one causing those natural disasters throughout the world" the Chinese Kenpo fighters.

Reading through the files Dragunov had gotten access to, the group learned what sort of plans Kometa had for them had they ever to capture Fahkumram for them. He's done that with some assistance from Russian hackers.

"Those sneaky sons of bitches….." Bryan muttered once he learned everything. "They have the balls to plan on whacking us after doing a favor for them!?" his hostility towards Kometa was visible.

"Which means that in other words, even if we had delivered "Fahkumram" to them, they would've only killed us afterwards. Some nerve they have" Kunimtsu sounded very resentful at learning this.

"I always knew they were untrustworthy" Armor King admitted, crossing his arms while leaning against the wall.

But in time, all eyes were on Dragunov once again. It was clear that each of them knew what the Russian soldier wanted from them. Since he had been so "gracious" as to share with them Kometa's backstabbing plans, he wanted some payment.

"We know what your game is!" Bryan snorted as he glared at Dragunov. "You want us to help with whatever mission those vodka-drinkers sent you on, which includes getting rid of Kometa and downing that satellite? Is that what you want?" the cyborg tried to summarize it as quick as possible.

Although he didn't appreciate Bryan's insult towards his superiors, Dragunov never said anything at him. Still, he nodded weakly as to confirm Bryan's summarization.

"Pfft. Get real! As I would ever tag along on something like that!" Bryan exclaimed.

"But if you just leave Kometa to their own devices, wouldn't that endanger you as well?" Kunimitsu suddenly pointed out, the cyborg looking at her rather moody. "Yes, Kometa succeeds in destroying the world, you won't get the chance to find Yoshimitsu. Same thing goes for me" she then brought up an important detail.

In response, Bryan scowled. "Smartass…" he rudely replied to the kunoichi.

On the other hand, Feng chuckled. But this time, it was out of amusement at hearing Kunimitsu's words.

"That child is a lot smarter than she appears to be. She speaks the truth. Kometa carrying out their own master plan does not benefit us as well" he remarked.

Dragunov looked at the Chinese Kenpo fighter, his cold ghostlike eyes meeting Feng's own.

"White Angel of Death, I have no obligation assisting your petty government of crooks, but eliminating Kometa does indeed serve my interests. I cannot allow anyone, not even a Dragon Head's daughter, to keep the secret of the God Fist scrolls away from me. Therefore, I am willing to aid with whatever plan you have in motion" Feng explained, mentioning Lana Lai.

Armor King, despite being silent for a while, seemed content with joining this group. "I too am in favor of disposing them. However, I will only do so on one condition" he stated.

Dragunov looked at him nonchalantly, not taking the luchador's words for real. Still, since he was gonna cooperate with Armor King, he would at least hear him out.

"If we somehow succeed in ending Kometa's operations, you and your Spetsnaz-gilipollas are to give me any assistance I desire with regards to tracking down Craig Marduk" Armor King stated his terms for doing this. "Now remember, this is like me asking for a favor or anything like that. It is a condition. If I assist Russia with their plans, they will repay me" the masked luchador didn't hold back with his demands.

"Same here" Kunimitsu spoke up with a raised hand, giggling as she said that. "I bet Spetsnaz know more about the Manji Party and it's operations" the young woman told him.

"Then my repayment will be them helping me locate the missing God Fist scrolls" Feng remarked.

Bryan smirked, feeling like he didn't necessarily need any favors in return. He could see the slightly annoyed expression on Dragunov's face.

"I'm not interested in getting repaid…..well, maybe trying out some Russian tanks and weapons….but that's not important. I've changed my mind about this mission" he admitted as he looked at the soldier. "So what do you say, Rusky? We got ourselves a deal here?" the cyborg quizzed him.

Ever so nonchalant in face of his comrades, Dragunov weakly nodded his head at them in response. Bryan grinned, feeling satisfied of seeing him agreeing to those terms.

"Now that's awesome. You know, my spirits were now lifted a little. I get to crack some skulls after all" Bryan remarked, not even hiding his lust for violence.

"Then we are all in on this. We will take down Kometa together" Kunimitsu exclaimed. "But the only question is how we proceed with attacking them" she then wondered.

"That is easy. We just inform our contacts that we have captured their precious Muay Thai fighter. Once their men show up, we will capture those men and interrogate them about Kometa's operations" Armor King suggested, before looking over at Dragunov. "Is that what your plan for confronting them is, Sergei Dragunov?" he then asked the soldier.

Never the type of guy to answer, Dragunov seemingly nodded his head. He then started tapping on the keyboard of his laptop, showing them what appeared to be a plan or some sort. From what his cohorts could tell, Dragunov had already set the plans in motion. He'd even sent an email to Kometa with regards to "capturing" Fahkumram.

"So you have already made up a plan on how to turn their backstabbing to our favor? I must admit that you impress me a little" Feng complimented the Russian soldier.

Brushing off whatever words he heard, Dragunov proceeded to show them what his plan was. But given that he was voluntarily mute, his cohorts had problems understanding him. In time, though, they managed to learn exactly how to proceed with this convoluted plan of theirs.


At a suite inside Burj Khalifa, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

This building in Dubai was the tallest in the world, a monument to the strong economy of the United Arab Emirates. During the day, a view from up the highest floor would give anyone a spectacular view of not just the city, but the Persian Gulf as well. In other words, Burj Khalifa was a testament to the art of neo-futurism.

Inside one of the many suits, a gala was being held by the hosts of the International Fashion Week Dubai. The event itself was sponsored by many rich investors, all the more reason why it took place at a place such as Burj Khalifa.

One of the many models attending it was the Filipina named Josie Rizal. She was dressed in a fancy black dress and heels. Another thing noticeable was her golden earrings.

Josie sat at a longtable, where also other guests, from models to sponsors. That meant they served all kinds of fancy food and drinks for this gala.

Having been invited by one of the many sponsors, Josie felt more than happy to accept. She believed that her modelling career had now started to regain its footing. This was good, seeing as how Josie wished to leave behind her past membership in the Tekken Force.

The one who had given her the invitation was Shaheen, a bodyguard working for one of the companies sponsoring the event. For some reason, Josie had taken a liking to this unfamiliar man. There was something about his features which made her feel a little attracted to him. Still, Josie tried her best to not let such feelings get in the way of making a name for herself.

"We really appreciate you joining us for dinner, Mrs. Rizal" a sheikh, who appeared to be Shaheen's boss, told Josie as he and Shaheen sat across her at the long table.

Josie knew she had to reply, even if she didn't know the right words to use.

"Eh, no big deal. I'm just g-glad that someone's taking notice of my talents" she stuttered as she answered.

The sheikh mused at this. "Oh, you were terrific on the catwalk" he smiled before looking to his right. "Would you not agree, Shaheen?" the black-bearded man asked his bodyguard.

"Naeam sayidi. I do agree with you" he responded back in Arabic.

Josie had a hard time understanding the way Shaheen and his boss communicated with each other. Fortunately, they spoke English with her, so there was nothing for her to worry about.

"Gotta say…." Josie decided to start a conversation by holding up a stick with what appeared to be chicken and some vegetables. "The food here is pretty good. What is this?" she asked them both.

"That is what we call shish tawook. It's a traditional Arabic dish" Shaheen responded.

"Oh really?" the young Filipina wondered, looking at this stick she was holding. "Still, it tastes good. I especially like it's consistence" she proceeded to comment.

As the eating continued and music was being played in the background, Josie as under the impression that things were going perfectly for her this evening.

Just then, the sheikh coughed his throat, looking at the young girl with a smile beneath his beard.

"Well, Mrs. Rizal. I think it's time that we moved on to more pressing matters. You see, I have a special interest in you and your talents. Would you like for us to discuss it with you?" the sheikh informed her.

Josie's eyes lit up when she heard those words coming out. She knew what this meant. A bright smile formed across her lips, her white teeth shining due to the lights of this suite exposing them.

"Y-yes! Absolutely! I w-would love to!" the young model tried her best not to get overexcited.

The sheikh was amused and proceeded to stand up from his seat, with Shaheen doing it simultaneously. "Then let us go somewhere more private. We don't want to attract any unwanted attention, don't you agree?" he suggested.

Not feeling an ounce of suspicion towards these men, Josie quickly got up from her seat with a determined expression.

"Yessir!" she replied.

With that said, the trio left the gala and got into one of Burj Khalifa's fast-driven elevators. The trip down was fast, so it didn't take long. But in the meantime, Josie started thinking about the various things this sheikh would ask about her.

"Oh gosh! I'm getting nervous!" Josie thought, realizing that she was at the point of breaking out in tears once again. She usually did that whenever she was nervous. But somehow, Josie sucked it up. "No! I can't let that happen now! I gotta to stay focused! These guys aren't gonna be interested if I come across as a crybaby" she clenched her right fists and gathered some courage within herself.

"There is much that we have to discuss, Mrs. Rizal. Something that we have taken great notice of with regards to your reputation" the sheikh informed her.

Josie stared at him with curious eyes. "Is that so?" she remarked, only to smile once she got the whole picture. "Wow, this is getting better than I thought!" she thought gleefully to herself.

But just then, the Filipina noticed how they were going a floor under the first one. This made her confused.

"Oh…..are we heading down to the garage?" she quizzed them.

"Indeed. Our ride is waiting for us" Shaheen answered as the elevators just stopped.

As the doors opened, the two men got outside first, giving Josie a good look of this fancy vehicle that was just parked right beside the elevator. She couldn't believe her own eyes.

"Whoaaaaaa…." Josie uttered out as she watched Shaheen and his boss approach the vehicle by the right passenger door

It was a white Lincoln Continental limousine, and boy did the metals look polished. Shaheen opened the passenger door for the sheikh to get inside. Once he was in, the Saudi Arabian man turned his attention to Josie. A smile was formed in the process.

"You may enter" he told her.

At first, Josie had somewhat been smitten by Shaheen's handsome features. But his voice had snapped her back into reality. Without even hesitating the entered the vehicle. Even so, she had to admit she was impressed with his gentlemanly persona.

As she and Shaheen got inside, the passenger doors were locked and the limousine drove off slowly.

The interior inside this limousine was impressive to say at least. There were couches on each side in the back. But at the edge, there were to seats that were separate by what appeared to be a minibar. Shaheen and his boss sat there, facing Josie across the floor.

The young Filipina sat there, feeling slightly awkward as nothing had been said so far. Eventually, the sheikh broke the silence when he started to speak.

"Before we start, I would like to apologize for our little deception" he opened his mouth.

This made Josie dumbstruck. "Deception? What on earth are you talking about?" she asked him.

Shaheen sighed. "What my boss is trying to say is that we have not been forthcoming about who we truly are. I believe you remember me telling you how I served in the Saudi Arabian military once, remember? And that I now work as a bodyguard" he explained.

Josie nodded, albeit doing so weakly. "Well….I remember that. Are you really a bodyguard for that Emirati company?" she asked him.

"He is. But I am not an Emirati businessman. Nor do I hail from the UAE. Like Shaheen here, I hail from Saudi Arabia" the sheikh revealed.

Something hit inside Josie. Personally, she felt as if she had been caught in a trap or something. Even so, Josie refused to believe that these men villains or some sort.

"What do you mean? What kind of organization are you?" Josie asked them.

The sheikh suddenly handed over something that appeared to be documents. Carefully Josie grabbed them. But as she read on what was written on those papers, she froze.

"Hold on….." Josie immediately looked up to glare at the two men across her. "Your company…..it's a Saudi private military firm! You lied to me!" the Filipina snapped at Shaheen.

The man with the shemagh narrowed his brown eyes in return. "I believe I am not the only one guilty of such deception…..former Tekken Force officer" he said it bluntly.

In that moment, Josie felt as if she'd been hit by a bullet. She started sweating all over her body, from her forehead to her arms. It soon became obvious what this was all about.

"So this is it then?" Josie scowled, her fingers tightening themselves on the seat's fabric. "This invitation was all part of luring me to you, so that you could interrogate me about my actions with the Tekken Force!?" she pretty much yelled out that question.

Regardless, the two men before her were calm. As a matter of fact, there was a moment of silence between them. Josie still couldn't tell whether they gave her this treatment due to her being right or not.

"While you are correct with the former, you misinterpret our reasons for wanting you here" the sheikh finally broke the silence. "The true reason for our interest in you….is because of your fighting capabilities" he revealed.

The young Filipina's eyes widened in surprise. "My…...fighting capabilities?" she uttered out.

Shaheen nodded his head weakly. "Yes. On behalf of our company, I wish to enlist your aid with a mission. A mission that is of uttermost importance to the safety of the world itself. It will require me to partake on a dangerous infiltration. That is why we reached out to you" he answered.

Josie, as stunned as she was about this revelation, felt somewhat agitated of hearing all this info.

"A mission? With me?" Josie spoke up, only for her to snap at them. "Okay, time out! First of all, this is a bit TMI. Second of all, I'm done with all this traveling and infiltration stuff. And third of all, I couldn't give a rat's ass about the Mishima Zaibatsu. They tried to kill me during the previous tournament!" she was furious.

"Yes. I know" Shaheen shut down whatever rantings Josie wanted to unleash. "However, we have not brought you here to judge you for your past mistakes. Whatever wrongdoings you did….is your business alone" he informed her.

Josie was taken aback, seeing as how humble and forgiving Shaheen seemed to act when speaking to her like that.

"Besides, Zaibatsu are not the ones I hold a grudge against. The G Corp on the other hand….." Shaheen closed eyes, finding it hard to suppress his resentment towards that conglomerate and its leader.

"What Shaheen and I wish, is to discover more about those seeking to use this ongoing war to your advantage. Surely you have noticed the various climatic changes happening across the world, have you not?" the sheikh told the young Filipina.

"Now that you mention it…..they have indeed happened" Josie remarked, resting her hands onto her lap. "Gosh, I fear that another cyclone will hit the Philippines in the coming days…" she expressed her worries of her country, or more specifically her family.

Shaheen smiled weakly. "Then you know that we must act" the bodyguard said before holding up a tablet computer. He was showing something on the screen.

As Josie leaned forward to get a better look, she nearly froze at seeing the pictures of the screen.

"I don't believe it…is that a…satellite?" she asked.

"It is. And after some careful research and verification, we believe that this satellite is the one causing those global challenges. Even now, its wings keep sending radiation towards the Earth, thus melting the icy poles quicker than ever" Shaheen informed her.

"We have also discovered that this satellite does not belong to either the Zaibatsu or the G Corp. In fact, we have learned an unfortunate truth" the sheikh revealed as she tapped on the screen of the tablet computer. "There is an unofficial third player in this game. Someone who seeks to take advantage of the ongoing battles to further their goals. It calls itself Kometa" he went on.

Josie was almost rendered speechless. "Gosh, that's horrible! We gotta do something fast!" she seemed a little frantic, yet composed at the same time.

Shaheen smiled. "So that means you're with me on this mission?" he asked her.

"Yeah. But don't assume that I'll forgive you for deceiving me like this. I really hate it when someone does that….." Josie sighed as she faced the lap, her hands resting on it. "Especially when it comes to my former employers" she said, still feeling embittered over being stabbed in the back by Heihachi.

To the young Filipina's surprise, Shaheen reached out his hands and patted hers. While stunned at first, she realized that he did so gently. It was also clear to her that Shaheen was doing it out of sympathy.

"As I said before, your past is not any of my business. You only did what you thought was right. That said, life consists of difficult choices we make. Sometimes, some of those choices may be considered mistakes. However, it is possible to learn from those mistakes. That is why I believe you have done so in the last few weeks" the Saudi Arabian man's words left an impact on Josie.

As much as she wanted to burst out in tears, she didn't. A single tear ran through her left eye, yet Josie quickly wiped it out. Courage had begun taking hold within her, and Josie knew what she would have to do.

"Then I'll do something that will redeem myself from my mistakes. By helping save this world, whatever it takes" Josie declared with a clenched fist. She then looked at the men sitting across her. "So what's this plan you guys have in mind? Tell me everything, because I'm all up for it!" she insisted.

Amused by the young model's enthusiasm, the sheikh and Shaheen decided to inform Josie everything. It was only fair, seeing as she would become a valuable ally against Kometa and whatever threat they faced.

"Then let us proceed" Shaheen suggested and his boss was in full agreement.


At St. Pancras International railway station in London, United Kingdom

Having already decided to leave London, Jin Kazama, Julia Chang, Steve Fox and Eleonore "Leo" Kliesen found themselves standing in a long line inside the station called St. Pancras. Having been in communication with Lars Alexanderson and Lee Chaolan, the four friends had decided to head over to Paris in hopes of regrouping with Yggdrasil. At the same time, they had also done so in hopes of getting Steve out of Britain, and Jin away from Kometa's eyes.

Even inside the station, there was a long line for almost very train. This included the Eurostar. Jin was particularly wearing his hood, hoping to disguise his identity.

"Damn….I've never seen so many lines and crowds in St. Pancras before" Steve remarked as he looked around.

"What? Isn't it always like this in here?" Leo quizzed him. "I mean, this IS a train station, so you have to expect this kind of density" she pointed out.

Steve was unsure of what to say in return, yet Julia suddenly interjected.

"It's already obvious why everyone's desperate to get onboard a train to leave London" Julia insisted.

The four fighters then looked to their left and saw several giant televisions showing them different news channels. What they had in common was showing the grim news about the continuing war effort, as well as the massacre of journalists in Jakarta.

As he watched those different pictures, Jin scowled. Seeing those journalists' corpses and citizens fleeing the G Corp's onslaught filled him with a calm, yet burning rage.

"Kazuya…." Jin uttered out the name of his father, hinting to how he still refused to address him as such. "You've gone too far this time" he struggled to hold back his resentment towards him.

"Right. As if you're any different" Jin snapped once Steve said those words to him. He looked at his half-brother, who was already facing him with his arms crossed. "You're getting all upset over these pictures when you created thousands of those yourself? Seems very hypocritical if you ask me" Steve didn't hold back.

"Steve!" Julia chided him by nudging her elbow against him.

"What? I'm only stating the obvious here. If he thinks he can act all shocked by all this….." Steve's argument was interrupted by the voice Jin.

"You're correct" the voice of the hooded Japanese man made all three of them look at him. "I absolutely have no right to be like that. But unlike Kazuya, I'm capable of remorse, as well as acknowledging how my wrongdoings have affected people" he then told them, although he was specifically saying that to Steve.

For a moment, there was nothing but silence between them all. Not even Steve possessed enough strength to respond.

"But this is not the time to start arguments. We best get onboard that train and pray that the G Corp's attack on Europe will cancel the trip" Jin suggested.

Both Leo and Julia smiled in agreement, while Steve's frown never turned upside down. Still the expression on his face only indicated to Jin that he was in favor of his suggestion.

"Well said, Jin. We better hope this line gets a move on" Leo praised him.

With it, the four fighters patiently waited for their turn to pay the tickets. Both Jin and Steve had been given false ID-cards, in case of the toll guards asking for who they were. Hopefully they would get onboard quickly.

Unbeknownst to them, however, someone was standing in the line, albeit further back in terms of position. It was a certain woman dressed in a black coat and heels. She also wore what appeared to be sunglasses and a fedora hat.

Although her appearance seemed to mask her identity, this was none other than Nina Williams. The assassin, having tracked every moment of Jin and Steve, had been awfully curious to know where exactly they would be heading towards.

So far, the group hadn't taken notice of her being in the station, which was obvious, given how busy it was inside. But on the other hand, Nina herself took caution with regards to her surroundings. She scanned through the other crowds and lines, trying to find any person worth of suspicion. So far, it had been in vain.

To make sure it was safe, Nina even looked up to the station's ceiling of glass to see if there was anybody up there. She saw none.

"No sign of Edgar or any of his cronies so far. Still, it's too soon to assume everything's safe. As of now, they're aware of me tracking their movements, so they will try getting close to Jin by being sneakier" she summarized her surroundings.

As the long line began picking up the pace, Nina returned her attention to the group of four. She could barley see them, yet it didn't matter to her.

"Just what do you think you're doing, bringing that boy along with you? You must've had a good reason I doing that, Jin" she remarked, eager to know more about his intentions.

The fact that Nina was willing to keep an eye out for not just Jin, but her son as well, seemed pretty odd. Was there a particular reason for why Nina had begun acting a little protective over Steve? Had a small tint of maternal instincts begun to fester her mind.

No. Nina refused to believe that. She was an assassin, trained to kill at a young age. And assassins could never start a family, let alone fall in love. Yet her late father had done that exactly.

"I'm not doing so because I care. All that I want to know is why Kometa is so keen on getting their hands on Jin. Edgar is knowing more than he's letting me in on" Nina spoke of her former compatriot in the assassination business.

After an hour of waiting in the long line, the group of four got onboard the train. Theirs seats were inside the middle carriages. It was two sets of seats facing each other with a table separating them from each other.

As they had taken their seats, Julia, who had made sure that Jin and Steve would be sitting near each other, giggled as she watched them feeling awkward. Leo also joined in on having amusement at this.

"So? What do you think? Those fake ID-cards pretty much fooled those guards pretty good" Julia boasted pridefully.

Jin shook his head weakly at her saying that. "Jin Sakai…that was almost too close to comfort. Isn't that the name of a video game character?" he asked Julia as he looked at the false ID-card.

"Tch, big deal! You only had your surname changed" Steve muttered as he looked at his own false ID-card. "I mean, Dean Earwicker? Come on! Not even the drunken blokes at the pubs goes by names like that" he pointed out.

Julia continued to giggle while Leo shook her head at hearing the men complaining about their fake IDs.

"Get a grip, you two. Julia only did this so that the security wouldn't notice your identities. After all, who wouldn't want to have a famous Boxing star and a wanted fugitive around their arms" Leo tried defending Julia's actions, while joking at the same time.

Both men gave her dirty stares, indicating to how they didn't appreciate Leo's jibe.

"You're right. It's not funny. I take it back" the German apologized to them.

With that said, the train started to move slowly. But it didn't take long before it was out of St. Pancras, then towards the outskirts of London and finally in the southern English countryside. With this level of speed, it wouldn't be long before they reached the town of Ashford, where the Channel Tunnel started from Britain.

"So how long does this trip take?" Steve asked as he looked outside the window.

"It depends. But normally it's about 2 hours and 37 minutes. Bear in mind that we're travelling underneath the English Channel" Leo answered.

"Which makes this trip a wonderful opportunity for you and Jin to get to know each other more" Julia said, only to be given dirty glances by the half-brothers. "Come on, if we're gonna work together on this mission then at least we gotta know how to trust each other better. You've already taken several steps, so why not continue?" the Native American woman pointed out.

Jin shook his head as he looked at Julia. "I don't recall asking for your assistance with that area, Chang. Personally, I would've preferred if you let us deal with it at our own pace" he politely chided the four-eyed woman.

"Can't believe I'm actually saying this, but I agree with Jin" Steve chimed in.

This made Julia completely dumbfounded, and she even scoffed at the way they spoke to her.

"Gee, I'm just trying to help" she muttered while bringing up her tablet computer.

"Well, this tells me that they're definitely brothers at least" Leo mused to herself.

In time, lunch was served and the four fighters took their time to enjoy their meal. Fortunately, the servitor didn't recognize Jin's face, so there were absolutely no problems with that. Soon after, they entered the Channel Tunnel.

"We are now entering the Channel Tunnel. So good so far" Jin remarked as he looked outside.

"How long is the tunnel, by the way?" Julia asked Leo.

"To my knowledge, the length of each tunnel is 31 miles. But given the speed of the Eurostar, it shouldn't take long before we're in France" the German girl asked.

Steve smiled as he heard her answer. "I guess travelling by train wasn't such a bad idea after all" he admitted as she took a drink from his cup. "Hopefully, Lars and Lee will greet us at the train station if possible" he joked.

This reminded Julia about the mission they were supposed to receive. She showed them a map of Italy.

"I've been trying to dig up some intel about the Archers of Sirius, as well as their operations. But so far, its proven difficult" Julia said as she started swiping the screens. "According to what I've found, those exorcists have holdings in towns and cities across Italy. Specifically, it's beneath their chapels and cathedrals. But their real HQ is believed to be a cathedral somewhere between Rome and the Vatican" the four-eyed woman explained.

"Meaning that we should search every Italian cathedral to find them?" Steve asked her. "But that will take months! It will be much than finding a needle in the haystack" the British boxer remarked.

"Remember, we're specifically looking for Claudio Serafino. Given the fact that he's the exorcists' leader, this secret HQ in Rome should be the obvious place to go look for him" Jin reminded everyone, yet there was still something troubling him. "But then again, we can't say for sure that he's even there. Serafino could be someplace else" the Japanese man admitted.

"But where else could be besides Rome hypothetically? Isn't that the point? Capturing those closest to you and use them as bait to lure you straight to him?" Leo asked Jin.

Jin looked at the German girl rather dispassionately. "Who said I was gonna play his game? If he so desperately wants to fight me, he shall have it. My only concern is that Xiaoyu and my relative gets freed from his clutches" he insisted.

Steve didn't like the way Jin spoke to Leo, so he decided to intervene.

"Hey. I get that you're all worked up about this, but you're not gonna talk like that to those who're compassionate enough to accompany you on this trip!" Steve interjected.

Now Jin looked at him with an irritated glare. "Stay out of this, Steve. This is not your business" he actually had the nerve to say that to his half-brother.

And boy did Steve not appreciate Jin's tone.

"What did you say!?" the young Brit got close to Jin's face.

"Alright! Settle down, both of you!" Julia stretched herself across the table and tried separating the two half-brothers from one another. Surprisingly, neither of them had done anything to escalate this argument. "We're all deeply concerned for Xiaoyu and Asuka. And there's no doubt that they're being used as pawns by that celestial slimeball. But if we're to find some clues to where they are, fighting like this can't happen" the Native American woman told them.

Barley looking into each other's eyes, Steve and Jin eventually turned away from each, each brother not willing to look into each other's faces. Steve huffed, looking out through the window in order to make sure his attention was paid elsewhere.

However, Jin's expression started to soften a little. He knew why. Being harsh on his half-brother seemed pretty much immoral to him. After all, Jin had to be lucky that Steve was willing to help him find Xiaoyu and Asuka. Even so, there was not a single voice coming out from Jin as he faced the table.

Both Julia and Leo watched this concerned. Perhaps this didn't turn out to help the half-brothers connect as Julia had hoped to.

"This is not what I had in mind" Julia commented from her observation.

But while everyone was busy with doing whatever things they did onboard the Eurostar, things were quiet inside the driver's cab. The sole person sitting there was busy driving the incredible train. Right now, things were dark due to driving in the Channel Tunnel. Luckily, the train's lights managed to show him the railway. Right now, the Eurostar itself was driving at 300 kilometers per hour.

"Well. Halfway through the tunnel. Can't wait till we're on the other side. Driving through here always gives me goosebumps" the driver noted as his eyes were on the railway.

Just then, he heard the door open behind. The driver didn't look, assuming it was one of the staff coming in to ask him about something.

"What's going on? We're halfway through the tunnel, so in case you're…." the driver stopped speaking once he felt something pointing at him behind his head. And not only that, a clicking noise came along.

"Sit still and shut up. And don't even think about doing anything stupid such as calling for help" the voice sounded very remorseless.

The literarily froze and stopped with whatever he was doing. Who was behind him?

What he didn't realize was that the Kometa-executive Edgar Grant was standing in there along with two soldiers wearing a strange form of armor. Right now, Edgar was having the driver at a gunpoint.

The British assassin smirked. "Good, you're finally staying put" he commended him.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" the driver asked lowly, remaining seated. "How did you get those weapons inside…" the trigger was pulled and the driver was dead with a bullet in his head.

Still, Edgar was far from fazed by this. "Did I not tell you to keep your mouth shut? At least you'll do it permanently" he said as he looked at the dead man's corpse.

Motioning his subordinates, the two soldiers started to pull the breaks of the train, as well as making sure that the train's radio were ready and functional. In the meantime, Edgar made sure to make contact with someone via his cellphone.

"The driver's cabinet is ours. Now's the time to strike. Shoot anyone who dares resist us" Edgar told them.

It didn't take long before everyone onboard the Eurostar noticed how it gradually started to slow down. They were confused at first, wondering whether a malfunction had happened or something.

Sadly, the answer to their question soon come once the train stopped.

"Greetings, ladies and gentlemen. As well as madames and monseiours. We interrupt you to inform you about the reason why we're stopping this train" the voice from the radio could be heard from anyone onboard.

Jin and his friends wondered what was happening.

"What happened?" Julia asked, yet none of her friends seemed to have an answer.

Yet Steve and Leo couldn't help but to notice something awfully familiar about this voice. They had heard it from somewhere.

"We have stopped this train to apprehend an important person, as well as a wanted fugitive. Former CEO of the Mishima Zaibatsu, Jin Kazama, is currently onboard. He is to be apprehended by our soldiers and brought to our custody. Until then, remain seated and cooperate with our soldiers. If anyone of you sees Kazama, report him to us. That is all we ask of you" the sound from the train's radio continued.

This brought nothing but gasps amongst the passengers. They couldn't believe what they just heard. Jin Kazama, formerly the world's most wanted man, was on this train.

When Jin had heard these message, he hadn't taken off his hood. He leaned closer so that he would whisper with his friends.

"What is going on here!? How did they know I was here?" he practically hissed that question.

"Or more importantly, who are they? This can't be the work of the staff" Julia pointed out, yet she started wondering whether it was what she thought it was. "Is the G Corp behind this?" she then wondered.

"Don't think so, Julia. Because I recognize that smug voice like it was yesterday" Steve answered before looking at Leo. "You know who I'm talking about, right Leo?" he told her.

Leo nodded weakly. "It has to be that assassin we stumbled across the other day. Edgar Grant. He and this Kometa are probably onboard as well!" she expressed her worries.

"Damn! That means he's been following us!" Jin cursed through seething teeth.

"But what are we gonna do now? Given that there are enemy soldiers onboard, getting off this train will be hard. Not to mention that we're stuck in the middle of the Channel Tunnel" Leo pointed out.

"Yeah. And I bet those bastards have shut off communications to Gare du Nord, so we can't count on them sending someone to save us" Steve agreed with Leo's assessment.

But as the group of four were planning a way to avoid getting caught, it was too late for them. On each side of the carriage, the doors opened. Guards armed with weapons quickly marched in, aiming at whatever passenger they could.

"Freeze! Put your hands in the air! Don't move!" one of the soldiers commanded them.

Most passengers cowered in fear, some refusing to even look at the soldiers. There were some children and elderly onboard, so they were traumatized by the appearance of such men.

The soldiers started searching through the passengers one by one, forcing them to give them their passports or tickets. Most of them cooperated, in hopes of not getting hurt.

But for Jin, he couldn't stay silent. Watching these passengers being subjected to such unfair treatment because of him was too much to bear.

"I can't let this stand….." Jin muttered lowly, clenching his glowed fists. "This….has gone far enough!" the Japanese man rose up from his seat.

He angrily walked towards the nearest soldier, with his friends shocked about what Jin was about to do.

"Jin! Wait! What are you…." Julia couldn't believe what she saw.

It was already too late, as Jin delivered a powerful punch that sent this soldier flying against the door.
The soldiers, especially the one behind Jin, took notice and was about to shoot him. But he didn't get the chance, since Steve quickly ran up to deliver a powerful punch at him, thus knocking him out.

Steve gritted his teeth. "Great! Now you're really getting us into trouble!" he berated his half-brother, yet Jin was unfazed at this.

Realizing that hiding was no longer an option, both Julia and Leo got up form their seats as well. They each took out a soldier, later joining Jin and Steve on taking out anyone daring to attack them.

Given the narrow space of this carriage, taking out the soldiers proved to be challenging. But that didn't stop the four fighters from doing what they could to help these innocent passengers.

"Well, at least this carriage is secure" Leo noted before looking around. "Is everybody okay?" she asked the passengers.

So far, none of them had any courage to respond, seeing as they were already too worried about more soldiers.

"There's no use in asking them that, Leo. We already put them in danger by attacking those men" Julia assured her.

Meanwhile, Steve looked at Jin, surprisingly smirking at him for some reason.

"I must say, your Karate really is something" the young Brit complimented Jin, suddenly pointing his right fist against him. "Too bad that my Boxing's better" he told him.

While surprised hearing Steve say that at first, a weak smile formed as a result. This indicated that he was mildly amused about it.

"Try not to punch above your weight" Jin replied, which made Steve frown at him.

But this frown was formed out of annoyance rather than anger.

Just then, more guards emerged out of the doors and they were accompanied by someone Steve and Leo really detested.

Walking through the door was Edgar Grant, the assassin himself smirking as he and his men aimed their weapons at the four fighters. Edgar himself was holding a handgun, the same handgun he'd shot the driver with.

"Well, well, look what we have here?" Edgar said, his smug smile never fading. "The Boxing prodigy Steve Fox. And of course, his infamous half-brother: Jin Kazama" he called out to both men.

Both Steve and Jin were furious at hearing him say those words out in the open. But then again, they weren't sure whether all the passengers heard that, seeing as they were busy cowering for mercy.

Still, Jin glared at Edgar, feeling an urge to punch a hole through that man. But he knew better than to give into his devilish rage.

"So you're Edgar Grant? The former MI6-agent turned Kometa-executive. You have quite a reputation" Jin spoke up.

"How flattering of you to say, esteemed Mishima. You seem to remember who it was that aided you against your dear father" Edgar explained.

This made Jin growl. "Never call me by THAT name!" his rage was calm, yet exposed.

"What do you want from us!?" Julia demanded some answers out of him. "I mean, why are you after Jin?" the four-eyed woman pressed on with the question.

Edgar looked at her rather dismissively. "Oh? You haven't figured it out yet?" he mockingly asked her. "Considering your reputation is an errand girl for Lee Chaolan, I'd expected you to know a little bit more about Kometa's operations" the assassin went on.

Julia clenched her fists tightly. "I'm nobody's errand girl! Get that straight!" she hit back at him.

"Whatever. I honestly could care less about you and your pitiful streaming career" Edgar told Julia before diverting his attention to Jin once again. "But you on the other hand. Kometa has a great interest in ensuring your safety" he revealed.

Jin narrowed his eyes. "Safety from whom? Kazuya? Kuma? The Archers of Sirius?" he brought out some important names. "Sorry, but I do not require any protection. Whatever plans you have for me, I could care less about them!" the Japanese man spat out.

"Really? Then what about….." Edgar aimed his weapon at Steve, the British boxer standing still as a result. "…..your dearest lab rat of a half-brother? What if something were to happen to him? I cannot imagine how that would feel like" he practically took pleasure in aiming his gun at Steve.

Jin knew what the assassin was planning on doing. "Leave Steve out of this! You and your leaders are after me, not him!" he demanded.

"While you are correct, it is not just you we want" Edgar answered, his smirk creeping even further. "In truth, we want the Devil inside you" he revealed.

The four fighters all froze when hearing the words coming out of his mouth.

"The Devil inside him?" Leo uttered out, only for a realization to hit her head. "That means you're after his Devil Gene, aren't you!?" she tried figuring out Kometa's motive.

Edgar scoffed at the German girl's allegation. "Not even close. What I mean is….him becoming a weapon for Kometa. One that will aid us with expanding our influence…as well as help me wrestle control from that wretched witch Lana Lai" he was finally forthcoming with his goal.

Steve, as surprised as he was, had to smirk when hearing Edgar's desires to use Jin.

"So in other words, you need Jin in order to get rid of your boss?" Steve quizzed, only to chuckle afterwards.

But he was not the only one. Julia, Leo and eventually Jin joined in on ridiculing Edgar's plans.

This irritated the assassin. "What's so damn funny!?" Edgar demanded an answer from them.

"Come on, isn't it obvious? If you're that dissatisfied with your salary, then why not just get another job? It's just that bloody simple if you ask me" Steve pointed out, his friends laughing as a result.

For some reason, the way Steve mocked Edgar reminded him of someone. As such, he aimed his gun while several steps towards the British boxer.

"Shut up, you wanker! Nobody gets to insult me that easily! Especially someone with blood relations to THAT Irish bitch!" Edgar's rage started everyone around him.

The moment Steve heard what he was refencing to, he stopped smirking. Edgar, seeing as how the young man had gotten his insult, grinned sadistically.

"Poor, little orphan. No mother or father to take care of you at birth. Ending up at a Zaibatsu research facility instead" Edgar mockingly told Steve.

"You don't know anything about his life!" Jin lashed out against him before looking to his half-brother. "Steve! Don't listen to him!" he tried to make Steve see it.

Edgar knew he had the upper hand in this. "Don't I? Please, I was with Nina Williams years before any of you ever took your first steps. And my was she quite the lass during the old days" he spoke fondly of Steve's biological mother. "A shame that we never married, though. I keep thinking the things we could've done together had we actually gone down that path" Edgar went on

Leo raised an eyebrow at hearing this story. "What the hell is he even talking about?" she asked Julia.

"Don't know. But so far, Steve has been awfully quiet the minute he spoke about Nina" Julia answered, the Native American woman looking at Steve with great concern.

"But even as she has learned about you, has Nina ever done anything to show you some motherly affection? No, I suppose not" Edgar told Steve. "Which means…you're unwanted, Steve Fox" he spoke with so much venom in his voice.

Jin couldn't stand this, yet seeing as Edgar had moved closer to Steve's current standpoint, he couldn't do anything to prevent him from attacking his half-brother.

"Damn you…" Jin cursed beneath his breath.

"Speaking of which, what is your mother if she hasn't marred anyone in her life? Oh, I know the answer to that. It makes her a doxy" Edgar insulted Steve's mother.

This made Steve's eyes widen, as if he was pierced by something. However, it was just Edgar's words that had made him do that.

Leo was furious with the way the assassin spoke of Steve's mother. "Why that sanctimonious piece of….." she tried to control her rage.

Realizing how much satisfaction torturing this man verbally brought, Edgar proceeded to continue.

"You know that a doxy is, don't you chap? It could be anything. A lady lifting up her skirt for a few pennies, a lady finding herself in the bed with a married man….or a lady selling her own body to undergo some wicked experimentation" the assassin's words were beyond outrageous.

But even as Steve's friends tried calling out to him, he was still in deep thought about the agony of Edgar's words. This only encouraged the man before him to finish him off.

"That's what your mother was and always will be…JUST A POXY DOXY!" Edgar was about to pull the trigger.

But in that moment, something extraordinary happened. In the speed of light, Steve delivered an uppercut on Edgar's right hand. The assassin's handgun was punched upwards, and it was out of his hand. Yellow lighting sparkled around Steve's arm as he did that. Yet there was more to come.

Before he even knew, Edgar was delivered a powerful punch on his stomach by Steve. It was so powerful that it actually sent the assassin crashing through the doors. And once again, the yellow lighting was enveloped around Steve, this time from his gloved fist.

Everyone was practically speechless as Steve stood there with a burning determination on his face. But in time, that serious look changed into that of a cocky fighter. A cocky, yet honorable fighter. His wide smirk on his face only hinted to that.

"That should shut you up. I was getting my ears grated by listening to all your nonsense" were the only words coming out of Steve's mouth.

To be continued…