TEKKEN: THE COLD AND THE WARM


ACT 13: Carry On Wayward Son

At a G Corporation lookout on the island of Ushishir, Kuril Islands

The Kuril Islands, having long since been disputed between Russia and Japan, had now been taken over by the G Corporation. By controlling this volcanic archipelago near the Sea of Okhotsk, they hoped to use the Kurils as staging grounds for their attacks upon different countries, from Northern Japan to the Russian Far East.

On this particular island called Ushishir, everything seemed to be so green despite it being volcanic in nature. Even so, the G Corp had already erected on of their tower-like lookouts on top of that island. Down in the bay of Yankicha, G Corp warships and frigates were docked, ready to be sent out to the naval battles.

Night had arrived upon the Kuril Islands, and things were looking quite grim. But it was on Ushishir where things appeared to be worse.

Inside one of the many hallways of the lookout, Lucky Chloe was wandering around, feeling very anxious. The poor teenage girl was still traumatized by the massacre of journalists in that conference hall in Jakarta. Ever since then, Chloe had tried to stay far away from Kazuya and his closest associates as possible.

Yes, she knew that it was impossible for her to run away from the G Corp. They knew everything about her. One move of defiance, and they would get rid of anything she held dear…...including her parents.

"Mom…dad…I really love the two of you" Lucky Chloe stammered as she walked past several G Corp soldiers.

They paid no attention to her and proceeded walking on patrol. That was actually fortunate for Chloe, seeing as she was about to confess something.

"But I think…...I think…...I can't come back to you anymore" the teenage otaku was on the verge of tears.

Clearly, Lucky Chloe was having second thoughts about becoming the G Corp's number one brand promoter. She knew everything that happened behind the cameras. But now that the G Corp would resume their war effort, she feared that her name would be associated with the conglomerate's atrocities across the globe. She had discovered this recently.

"My fanbase…it's already started to dwindle…" Chloe remarked.

That was true. On social media, Lucky Chloe had probably become a frequent target of ridicule and hate. She was being accused of profiting from all those crimes the G Corp committed. As such, her music videos had been taken down. One could say that Chloe had become nothing more than pariah on the Internet.

"Why don't they understand…..that I had absolutely nothing to those killings!? Hell, I never asked for anything of this at all!" she yelled as tears fell from her eyes.

But then again, Chloe had to realize that even before the massacre in Jakarta, there were certain red flags that already hinted to the kind of man Kazuya Mishima was. After all, he had withheld his Devil-form hidden from the entire world, including his employees. At the same time, the downing of the Mishima Zaibatsu's satellite, which had resulted in tremendous loss of human lives across the globe, was Kazuya's doing. And the more Chloe started thinking about it, she remembered Gigas. He had ben experimented upon to be used as a biomechanical weapon.

"The more I think about, the more I realize…that I could've left the G Corp long ago, based upon those red flags. Yet I didn't" the teenage blondie remembered, only for her to face the floor once again. "Because I was selfish. I was too invested in my career that I believed them winning against the Mishima Zaibatsu would result in the world being peaceful. But I was wrong…very wrong" Chloe admitted her greatest mistake.

Chloe suddenly walked by what appeared to be a large open balcony. Yet she was still in deep thought about her own troubles. She even started pondering her way out of all this.

"There's gotta be a way that I can get out of…." Chloe's pondering was interrupted when a familiar voice called out to her.

"Why hello there…Lucky Chloe" the teenage blondie froze when she realized where that feminism and seductive voice came from.

Believe it or not, there was someone out in the balcony, but that was not just it. There was a big hot tub placed there, yet only on person was in it. Anna Williams was there relaxing while holding a glass of red wine.

"Fancy seeing you here, at a faraway base like this" Anna said as she raised her glass a little.

As soon as Chloe got a glimpse of the brunette's predatory eyes, she shivered. Seeing Kazuya's personal secretary in that hot tub caught her completely off-guard.

"Anna Williams…" the young otaku uttered out her name. "W-what are y-you d-doing…" her stutters seemed to amuse Anna.

She only laughed. "At ease, darling. I just came here to assess the situation, as well as getting some R&R. But what a coincidence seeing you here" Anna remarked.

Approaching the hot tub, Chloe did her best to not sound like he was afraid of seeing Anna here.

"R-really? I also did the same thing" the blondie insisted. "I wanted to see how things were going on the Kurils" Chloe tried to lie.

Telling her that worried Chloe. After all, Anna was good at detecting lies. Yet for some reason, she seemed to fully accept her explanation.

"You don't say" Anna said as she drank a little red wine from her glass. "Why don't you join me in the hot tub for a minute or two? I know it's cold out here, but it sure is warm down here. Plus, it's wonderful watching the view here at Ushishir" she then suggested.

This was very awkward to Chloe. One of her superiors was asking her to join in the hot tub with her. They were both females, so there was no problem with that. Regardless of whatever reluctance she had within her, Chloe weakly nodded her head.

"S-sure! Why n-not" the teenage otaku did her best to look appreciative of Anna's offer.

The smirk on Anna's lips indicated that she was glad at hearing Chloe say that. She pointed her thumb backwards.

"Good. I've set up a room divider behind me. Go undress yourself there. And don't worry about any perverts lurking around. I've told anyone who'd dare try that they would get a kunai in their eye" Anna informed her.

Lucky Chloe got behind the room divider. She then joined Anna in the hot tub. Admittedly, it felt nice, especially with the cold climate in the air.

"My, you really do love those headphones, don't you?" Anna pointed out.

Yes, Chloe was still hearing her cat-like headphones. Being told that flustered her a little.

"They are my favorite things. I just can't take them off. But I always do that when I shower or go to bed" the young blondie insisted.

"Well, it's your choice, not mine" Anna responded before holding her glass of red wine. "Would you like some red wine…...whoopsie, you're underage, of course. How silly of me to forget" she playfully scolded herself before taking a drink of it.

On the other hand, Lucky Chloe felt like she wanted to ask Anna something. And of course, she did her best to not sound nitpicky or anything.

"Where had you been before you came to Ushishir?" Chloe asked her.

"In the Caribbean. Bruce and I had gone out on a little recruitment drive. Honestly, it's incredibly how many volunteers approached us without even hesitating" Anna recalled back to where she had been. "Our armies received thousands of new recruits. Jamaicans, Cubans, Haitians and even Puerto Ricans were more than interested. That said, we spared those islands from further invasions as a result" the Irishwoman went on.

"Oh….that's nice" Chloe didn't know a better word to come up with. "B-but weren't we supposed to take control of these islands? They could potentially reach out to the Mishima Zaibatsu for assistance" she expressed her worries.

Anna scoffed at Chloe's words. "Unlikely. Those puny island nations have witnessed our military superiority, so they would think twice before standing up to us" she said before drinking a little red wine. "Besides, what chance does the Zaibatsu have? With Heihachi dead, their "leader" is none other than that ridiculous pet bear of his. And he doesn't appear to be have the same leadership capabilities as his master had" Anna proceeded to insult the unofficial leader of their rivals.

Chloe giggled, yet it was pretty false. She most likely did that to go along with the joke, as well as trying to get Anna to trust her more.

"Right! Can you believe that? A bear as their leader? That's totally lame!" the otaku joined Anna in ridiculing Kuma.

Anna giggled a little, yet she put her glass of wine away and looked at Chloe with rather alluring eyes. The poor girl didn't know why, yet Anna seemed to have something in store for her.

"Say, Chloe. Let me ask you this bluntly. For what exact reason did you come to this base?" she asked her.

This made Chloe confused. "What? I told you before, I came here to see if things were going…" she tried answering, only for Anna to do the unthinkable.

Before she even knew it, Chloe was faced with a kunai straight to her face. It was Anna, who had somehow hidden it well in the hot tub. But now she had pulled it up from the water to use it. The tip of the blade was barley touching the teenager's nose.

Being faced with such weapon scared Chloe to the fullest, and she absolutely wanted to scream in terror. Yet for some reason, she didn't. The shock was too much for her to bear.

On the other hand, Anna held the kunai. She was completely remorseless of what she was doing. Even so, she found herself smirking.

"Don't play dumb with me, you little bitch. I'm not so easy to manipulate" the Irishwoman said this nonchalantly.

Chloe tried her best to open her mouth to respond, yet the tip of the kunai's blade made her less than willing to speak. Being at the mercy of Anna was a terrible thing to experience.

"I've noticed how off you've been for the last couple of days. And that has made me awfully suspicious about where your loyalties lie, Lucky Chloe" Anna admitted to her reason for coming to this outlook. "That said, you're probably thinking about running away from us, are you?" she proceeded to ask her that question.

The otaku's eyes widened in shock once she heard Anna ask her that. She barley possessed enough courage to muster a response.

Still, that didn't matter to the brunette. "Your reaction alone proves it. And quite frankly, I'm appalled that you would even consider doing such. So I'm just gonna give you some honest advice for your own good" Anna said as proceeded to get her face closer to Chloe's. "You wish to survive all this? Then keep your shut and don't even think about making a run for it, let alone ratting us out to our foes. If you do that…your precious parents and loved ones will suffer" the normally flirtatious assassin gave such a cold threat.

Lucky Chloe just couldn't respond. She was too distraught by the threat Anna made to her. Even as the Irishwoman pulled away and got out of the hot tub, Chloe was still shivering while trying to make of this dangerous threat.

Anna, who had already put on a crimson bathrobe and some slippers, smiled sadistically at the frightened teenager in the hot tub.

"Now that I've gotten that off my chest, I say it's time we get some rest. You shouldn't be staying in a hot tub for too long" she acted as if nothing had happened between them.

With that said, Anna switched off the hot tub, thus ending the bubbles. But as the bubbles stopped, the brunette was treated to something so disgusting. Chloe's uneasiness made her do something in the pool. She could see that based upon the chlorine in the water.

"What the hell…...did you just piss yourself!?" the brunette asked, bursting out into laughter. "Pissing in the hot tub!? Oh my God, that's so nasty of you!" she continued ridiculing the poor teenager.

It was true. Chloe was so afraid that she had lost her ability to control herself. As such, she accidentally urinated in the hot tub. The more Anna laughed at her, the more humiliation and pain she felt.

In time, Anna stopped laughing and took her glass of red wine with her.

"Well, I'm off to bed. Still, it was nice having some girl talk with you" Anna was about to walk away, only to stop as if she had more to say. "By the way, I won't mention this to Kazuya or Bruce. Nobody wants to find out their marketing girl doing the unthinkable in a hot tub. So it will be our little secret. Sweet dreams…...Unlucky Chloe" the brunette added with a jibe before proceeding into the building.

Poor Chloe. She remained stuck in the tub, with tears slowly streaming from her eyes. Clearly, her "conversation" with Anna had revealed something to her. There was no way Chloe could escape the G Corp so easily. They had every leverage to coerce her into doing what they wanted.

"Why…." Chloe stuttered. "Why is this happening to me!?" she cried while sobbing.

The teenage girl did not want to risk her parents, as well as the lives of others. Still, she had to find a way to get out of the G Corporation's eyes.

The more she sat there and lamented her position, the more Chloe realized what she could at least do in order to hurt her much-hated employers.

As a matter of fact, she seemed to have a plan in mind. And no matter how risky it was, Lucky Chloe was determined to go with it. Everything to make sure the G Corp was put in a bad situation.

A spark of determination was building within her, and one could see it by just looking into her eyes.

"Stupid Anna. You may think that your threat has made me unwilling to pull this. But it hasn't! Now I'm more than willing to turn against you…...without an ounce of regret inside me!" the otaku idol showed remarkable courage for someone at her age.

She would find a way to weaken the G Corp and she knew just what to do. And this time, Chloe would have no reservations about it. In her mind, turning against the likes of Anna and Bruce was worth it.


At the foot of the Hindu Kush, near the Himalayas, Pakistan-Afghanistan border

This mountainous terrain was home to the world's tallest peaks. There was not a single human living in these parts. Only wild animals like ibexes, snow leopards and some birds roamed these parts.

But there was one single being currently wandering around this terrain. It was the creature known to most fighters of the world as Ogre. Ever since his strange reemergence, the so-called God of Fighting had craved nothing but vengeance against the man who had defeated him in the past: Jin Kazama. To further his aims, Ogre had "allied" himself with the Acolytes of Pluton.

Still, this deadly deity was growing weary of the cultists' incompetence, not to mention the unhealthy relationship between him and the cultists' leader: Revenant. That's why Ogre had taken the initiative to further the preparations for the return of the Gods of Old. To accomplish that, Ogre needed to dispose of those he deemed as obstacles for their plans.

That had led Ogre to partake on a "quest" in India. He had hoped to find and take down a certain woman, whom he had clashed with in the past. This woman was near the city of Varanasi, helping an Indian martial artist with getting to safety. Ogre had confronted her and the two had fought in a battle.

Sadly, the fight didn't end as Ogre had hoped it would. Kazumi had fought her only to buy some time for that Indian martial artist master to escape. Once her tiger had returned, Kazumi had gotten on it and disappeared from the ancient being's eyes.

"Damn you, Kazumi Mishima. You think you can outrun me!?" he scowled while cursing the woman's name.

That's right. Ogre had fought Kazumi, until she and her pet tiger had fled. Angered, the evil deity pursued the pair, hoping to find them in the Himalayas. To Ogre's frustration, he found neither Kazumi, her pet tiger, the Indian martial artist nor the other woman Ogre held a grudge against.

Ogre had searched every mountain for their whereabouts, yet there wasn't so much as a trace left of them. This had convinced him that they had lured him to the Himalayas while making their escape to someplace else.

"That wretched spirit and her pet dares to hide rather than facing me in combat until the very end!? They…must…DIEEEEE!" Ogre roared as he punched a large rock to his right.

One single punch was enough to crack the rock into many smaller pieces. His roars also created echoes throughout the mountains. In terms of geography, he was pretty high above the average ground level.

Furious, Ogre proceeded to move through the stony ground. He was still furious over not being able to finish off Kazumi.

"She and that accursed Hachijo clan. They should have been wiped out ages ago! Their toying with dark arts has led to them becoming a pestilence to the Gods of Old!" Ogre continued, this time taking aim at Kazumi's clan of birth. "I have yet to uncover how they managed to get their hands on the Devil's blood. Who gave them that power?" the deity wondered.

That's when he recalled back to a conversation he had with Revenant not so long ago. They were arguing about how he had been unreliable in terms of fulfilling the Gods of Old's wishes. Then there was also the fact that the Mishimas were the only obstacle against them.

"Azazel…of course" the name came out of Ogre's lips. "You had a hand in this! It was you who offered your power to those lowly humans! And that power eventually ended up in the arms of the Hachijo clan" he was trying to puzzle the pieces together.

But the question was if Azazel had indeed bestowed his power to lowly humans, for what reason could he possibly have? Was there an ulterior motive for him to do so? Ogre seemed to believe that was the case.

"The bestowment of your powers…...was all part of your plan to defy the Gods! You are a traitor, so-called Rectifier!" Ogre's realization brought nothing but anger inside him.

He thought that if Azazel had not done anything, he would've never ended up getting defeated by Jin. Instead, he would have triumphed over everyone daring enough to call themselves martial artists. In other words, he would rule the world of martial arts with the title of God of Fighting.

The more he understood it, the more Ogre knew who to go after from now on. After a few moments of silence in the windy terrain, Ogre opened his crimson eyes.

"It all seems clear to me now. The biggest obstacle are not those foul women, let alone those pesky fighters. Kazumi Mishima and Jun Kazama are only ants when compared to Azazel. Yes, he must be disposed of for good" Ogre remarked as he turned his gaze westwards.

Ogre still recalled the conversation with Revenant. He understood that although his physical form had been defeated by Jin, Azazel's power and spirit still resided within a magical orb. But to his knowledge, that orb was being safeguarded by a tribe of spiritual warriors somewhere in Egypt.

"If he truly still lives, then I have the chance to crush his existence in my own handpalms. He must be extinguished while the chance is still here" Ogre noted as he looked at his right handpalm.

Changing his direction, the grey-skinned deity jumped up in the air. He proceeded to fly to the skies. It was clear where he was headed to now.

"You will suffer for your betrayal, Azazel. Still, you are not the only one who deserves to meet his end" Ogre remembered the sole man he truly wanted dead.

Although his current priority was Azazel, Ogre still hadn't given up on his quest for vengeance. After he was finished with that devilish creature, Ogre would then turn his wrath upon Jin. The memory of him being bested by that cursed human boy still haunted him.

"That foolish boy. After Azazel, you are my next victim!" Ogre made a promise, even though Jin was too far away to hear it.


Inside a carriage in the Channel Tunnel, underneath the English Channel

Inside this carriage with dead corpses and shattered glass pieces, Edgar Grant sat there while holding onto his stomach. He and several soldiers of Kometa had snuck aboard on the Eurostar, intending on capturing Jin Kazama. As they finally faced off, Edgar had revealed his true reason for coming after Jin.

Apparently, he wanted to use Jin for his own benefit. He wished to wrestle control of Kometa, first of by getting rid of Lana Lai.

Even so, Jin had refused, and so had half-brother Steve Fox.

"Damn you….STEVE FOX!" Edgar swore as he tried to slowly get up on his feet.

Blood ran from his lips, not to mention the aftereffects from Steve's incredible punch. Having been sent flying through the doors of the carriages, Edgar felt pain in his back as well.

"Sir! Are you alright?" one of the soldiers asked him, he even tried helping Edgar, only to have his hand swatted away by the assassin.

"Do I look alright, ya fucking knobhead!?" Edgar vulgarly spat, the soldier quickly backing away from him as a result.

He then noticed the other soldiers, who had already gone through the next carriage to confront the four fighters inside. Gunshots were heard and electric sticks were activated. The assassin knew what he needed to do, so he communicated with his cellphone.

"Send in reinforcements! I will retreat to the driver's cabin! Do not let anyone pass!" he said through his device. "You two! With me! The rest of you, keep pushing on!" Edgar commanded two soldiers who were near him.

"YESSIR!" the soldiers saluted and did as he ordered.

Edgar then retreated back, with the two soldiers tagging along with him.

Meanwhile, Jin, Steve, Julia and Leo were already having their hands full with the attacking soldiers. But right now, they had managed to move into the carriage Edgar had been punched into. They were met with more enemy soldiers with electric sticks.

Even so, the four friends managed to put up a remarkable defense. Leo had to dodge a swinging stick, only to deliver a knockout to the soldier afterwards.

"Verdammt! There sure is a pack of these soldiers. How in the world did they manage to sneak onboard the Eurostar!?" Leo wondered as she quickly ducked to avoid getting shot.

"No idea!" Julia responded as she took out a soldier that was about to enter the carriage from behind. "But I'm way more stunned by that punch Steve delivered that guy" the Native American woman remarked.

Steve, who was so far trying to see to several passengers being evacuated off the train, had no words. Judging from this, he really didn't wish to speak about it.

"Regardless, Steve managed to defend himself against Grant's tricky maneuvers" Jin told them, only to look at his half-brother with a slight smile. "I commend you for punching him. It would seem that you beat me to it" the Japanese man complimented Steve.

Steve scoffed, yet he probably did so to hide how flattered his was of Jin's comment.

"I only punched him to shut him up. Nothing else" the young boxer insisted.

Even so, Jin was still smiling. Perhaps he knew this beneath this disguise Steve was putting on.

"So what do we do now?" Leo asked as she faced the door to the next carriage. "I say we chase him down. While Steve's punch did land a blow on him, he's still able to get on his feet" the German girl narrowed her eyes.

Jin was already facing towards the same direction.

"I agree" he spoke, clenching his fists. "He created all this unnecessary bloodshed just to get to me. There's no way that I will let that stand!" Jin seemed determined to chase after Edgar.

Unsurprisingly, Steve seemed to be as well. "Then what are waiting for? Let's go get that bastard while he's vulnerable!" he urged his friends.

Julia didn't know whether this was a good idea. Still, she also believed that Edgar needed to answer for his crimes.

"Alright, we'll go. But remember, we must capture him alive. Then we can interrogate him about Kometa and whatever plans they're having" Julia said.

"But didn't he say something about using Jin to take over Kometa?" Leo questioned her as she recalled to what Edgar had said earlier.

Jin scowled. "That will never happen! And I will make sure of it sending him a message with my….." he and the others suddenly dived sideways.

A soldier from behind was shooting towards them with a machine rifle. He and his compatriots were moving towards the carriage the group of fighters were in.

"We've got them trapped! Move in!" the soldier commanded his comrades.

The group of fighters were now sitting ducks in the carriage. Because of Steve breaking the doors with his powerful punch, the soldiers could just shoot them from their current standpoint.

"Damn! I probably shouldn't have punched those doors down" Steve cursed, only to realize something. "Though to be fair, it was that wanker's size and weight that caused them to break down" he then tried justifying himself.

Leo shook her head slightly. "You're not helping us in this dilemma, Steve" she chided him.

Jin, knowing that they were probably in trouble, knew that he had no choice but to use his inner power. Given the advantage these soldiers had with their weapons and position, it was impossible for them to even make a run for it.

"I had really hoped to not use it and save it for the fight against Serafino. But given this predicament we're in, there is no other choice" Jin thought as he closed his eyes. "If using the Devil's power will benefit all of us, then so be it!" several markings started to gradually appear on his forehead.

But he dispelled his powers once he and the others could hear screams and gunshots. The screaming wasn't from the frightened passengers. It came from those soldiers!

"What the…...is there someone else onboard?" Julia wondered as she heard the soldiers dying from the gunshots.

"I don't know. Why don't we just take a look?" Leo suggested.

Slowly, the fighters stuck their heads around the corner to see who had taken out those soldiers. They were all stunned to see the one standing in between the carriages.

"It's…you…." Steve was completely surprised.

"Nina Williams..." even Jin was stunned to see his former bodyguard from his days as leader of the Mishima Zaibatsu standing there.

Right now, Nina was loading her gun, having "loaned" some ammo from her dead foes. As soon as her blue eyes caught a glimpse of Jin, she smirked.

"Surprised to see me here, Jin?" Nina asked, trying to be a little sarcastic towards him.

Hearing this made Jin frown. "Not in the slightest" he responded back nonchalantly.

That response didn't wipe off the smirk on Nina's face, and she walked into the next carriage as if nothing had happened.

"I'll take that as a yes" the blondie told Jin.

For Steve, seeing the woman who was his biological mother all the way beneath the English Channel stunned him.

"Hey. Why are you here?" Steve began catching Nina's attention. "What made you follow us to the Eurostar?" he went on.

Not surprisingly, Nina glared at him quite dissatisfied. Things were getting less than cordial between mother and son.

"And what makes you think I followed you?" the assassin questioned him. "To tell you the truth, I was following Edgar Grant and his henchmen" she went on breaking down the things Steve was hoping to hear.

This made Steve glare at her in return. Clearly, he had hoped for a different answer than this.

"But for what reason would you do that?" Julia questioned Nina with her hands rested on her hips. "There's something you're not telling us. I just know it!" the four-eyed woman expressed her opinion.

Nina turned her glare towards Julia. "If you must know, I was approached by Edgar several days ago in Belfast. He had offered me a hefty sum of money if I assassinated a certain prime minister for him. But I turned it down, finding it boring and out of my interest" she bluntly told them everything.

The fighters each looked surprised to hear Nina tell them this, yet Julia had a hard time believing that.

"That sounds pretty farfetched if you ask me" Julia responded.

"If I was lying then I wouldn't be telling you all this" Nina hissed at Julia, yet the brunette stood firm. This made the blondie smirk at Julia. "Then again, I don't expect a deluded environmentalist to believe me anyways" she openly ridiculed Julia's passions.

That didn't set well with the Native American woman, who got closer to Nina's face.

"What did you just call me!?" Julia was THIS close to throwing a punch at Nina.

Clearly, the assassin was amused by this expression of anger. "So, you really have grown a spine? That's impressive. It's not everyday that people like you get off your computers and do something more productive" Nina didn't hold back ridiculing Julia.

Before fists could fly, Steve and Leo interjected just in time to separate the two from one another.

"Alright! That's enough bickering for now!" Leo made sure to separate Julia from Nina.

On the other hand, Steve had more questions for Nina. Something seemed to have weighed heavily on him.

"So you refused his job offer? Then it's no wonder why he's been targeting me. He's taking revenge on your rejection of him by taking out all this stupid nonsense on me instead!" the young Brit's outrage was on full display.

"First of all, me and Edgar were never a thing! I don't know why you would even believe every word he says" Nina clapped back at him. "And second of all, he's more interested in Jin instead of you! You may wield Mishima-blood too, but he's the one Edgar truly want" she added while looking at Jin.

Jin nodded his head weakly. "I know that. He told me his reasons for wanting me at his side" he insisted to Nina. "Regardless, I don't have time to play his games. We need to get to Paris as soon as possible" the Japanese man went on.

Nina found herself mildly intrigued about this. "Let me guess: you're heading off to Paris to regroup with that Swedish half-uncle of yours to fight Kazuya?" she asked him.

"That's partially true. But Kazuya is not my priority for now. I need Lars' assistance with locating the whereabouts of Xiaoyu and my relative" Jin told her.

"You what?" Nina slightly raised an eyebrow.

"He's right. Xiaoyu and Asuka have been kidnapped, by that Italian exorcist" Leo pointed out. "We're meeting with Lars to come up with a plan on finding and rescuing them" she added.

"I see. So those persistent girls managed to get themselves caught?" Nina had to chuckle weakly at hearing all this talk. "A shame that they were too weak to handle themselves" the assassin added with an insult.

None of the fighters accepted the tone in Nina's voice, especially Steve. He could not believe how this woman could be so dismissive towards the suffering of other people.

"Don't talk shit about Xiaoyu and Asuka! As far as I recall, that exorcist was also after you as well!" Steve practically bellowed.

Nina responded by glaring at her son in an intimidating manner. She was able to look him in the eyes.

"I'm smart enough to not get caught by Claudio Serafino and his cult. I can't say the same thing about you, who always gets into trouble" Nina started grilling the young man.

Completely shocked by the lack of empathy within this woman, Steve refused to argue with her any further. He looked away, pretending that he had just spoken to the assassin.

"Anyway" Jin began getting serious for once. "We can't let Grant and his lapdogs stand in our way. That's why we need to get rid of him" he told everyone.

"No, we need to capture him alive so we can interrogate him about what sort of plans Kometa has in mind" Julia insisted.

Jin looked at her rather irritated, yet Julia remained firm in face of this. Sighing, the Japanese man decided to agree to it.

"Fine. But if were gonna interrogate him, we need to capture him first. Any ideas on how we'll do it?" Jin asked everyone around him.

Nina smirked. "I got one. But I'm gonna need you to be of some assistance. Want me to explain it in quick details?" the blonde Irishwoman suggested.

While Nina and the group of four were planning on how to capture Edgar, the British assassin himself was by the entrance of the driver's cabinet. He was trying to communicate with his soldiers on the other end of the Eurostar.

"Come on! What's the status!? ANSWER ME!" Edgar was furious as he got no response from his cellphone. This only indicated one thing. "Damnit all! How could they have died so suddenly!?" he was furious over this situation.

"Sir!" one of the soldiers called out to Edgar. "They got our message! A getaway vehicle is on its way here as soon as possible to pick us up!" he informed his superior.

Although he was relieved to hear it, Edgar remained embittered how he'd failed to capture Jin. And now, Jin and his friends were moving towards him. Failure infuriated Edgar to the fullest.

"Damn you, Steve Fox! I will gut you the next time we met!" he spoke as if the boxer was near his current standpoint.

"Why not just try doing it here right now!?" Edgar's eyes snapped as he looked to his left.

It was just as he dreaded. Steve, Jin, Julia and Leo were all entering inside the final carriage right before the driver's cabinet. The very sight of them filled him with distress.

"YOU AGAIN!?" he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Steve smirked. "Who else would it be, dumbarse?" he hit back before banging his fists together. "That punch I gave you earlier still stings, doesn't it? Well, that's why some fans often call me Stinging Hook. Because my punches always land!" he didn't even hold back with roasting the assassin.

Edgar, fuming with rage, gave the order to his men. "KILL THEM ALL!" he commanded them.

Sadly, Leo and Julia were too fast for his men to draw out their weapons. The soldiers were beaten up in an instant.

Desperate, Edgar quickly made run for it to the driver's cabinet. He intended on escaping through the broken window he had destroyed. But as Edgar was just about to climb up, he was given the most uncomfortable surprise attack.

Nina dived through with a powerful kick to his face. This sent Edgar flying back. The blondie stood in the driver's cabinet, wielding a smirk as she looked down at the distressed assassin.

"Going somewhere, Edgar?" Nina asked him, her tone only hinting to mockery.

The British man gritted his teeth the sight of Nina right before him.

"Nina…you bitch!" he swore at her as he got up on his feet.

But right now, he appeared to be surrounded, as Jin and the other fighters were now blocking his way from behind. At this rate, he was cornered like a rat.

"Normally I would give you more doses of ass-whopping. But these kids wanna have a few words with you first" the blondie informed him.

Edgar scowled. "So that's why you're here? You came to save your halfwit son from me?" he demanded while wiping off the blood form his lips.

Nina narrowed her eyes in return. "Wrong! I'm only here to take pleasure of seeing you getting mauled" she shot down whatever suggestions Edgar had in mind. Still, her frown turned upside down. "On the other hand, you deserve worse than that, especially after what you did to John years ago" she then mentioned a certain individual from their past.

Edgar scoffed. "Oh please. You really think I'd believe that you came here to avenge John Doe? As far as I recall, you wanted him dead as much as I did" he hit back at her.

Steve and his friends got confused at hearing the name of this man.

"John Doe? There was actually an assassin with that name? Shocker" Steve remarked from what he heard them say.

Jin, on the other hand, grew weary of such nonsense. He made sure to stand behind Edgar, so that he wouldn't get away.

"Enough bullshitting! It's time to get serious!" the Japanese man informed everyone, with his eyes fixated upon the British assassin. "Alright, Edgar Grant. Answer us this! What is it Kometa has in store for this world?" Jin demanded some answers out of him.

Edgar chuckled, looking over his left shoulder. "Why, you of all people should already know the answer to that, Jin Kazama. Just think, with your dear grandfather dead, and your demonic father warring against the entire world, where does that leave Kometa? After all, we've only played the Zaibatsu and the G Corp against each other" he questioned Jin.

Jin seemed less than pleased with being asked about this. He knew exactly Edgar's motive in doing so.

"Don't try using my past wrongdoings as a coverup for your own machinations. I already know how selfish my actions were" he said, his eyes never leaving sight of Edgar. "That said, I will not let you and Lana Lai use this war to your advantage!" he then declared.

Somehow, Edgar was still acting all defiant in face of being surrounded by foes. They couldn't understand why he felt that way.

"Do you honestly believe that Kometa is the only actor in this fight? For having been the Zaibatsu's CEO once, you truly are gullible" Edgar mocked Jin, yet the assassin seemed to have more words to share with him and everyone else.

Julia could see that. "What do you mean?" she asked him.

"Just imagine the many underground actors willing to make their move to fulfill their aims. One of them would of course be those ridiculous Tekken Force rebels you're affiliated with. But that's only one faction. The Archers of Sirius, the Acolytes of Pluton, the Manji Party, the United Nations' intelligence bureau…and of course, old enemies you previously thought were defeated" the way Edgar explained everything made it sound so devious.

Still, those around him were confused by the last things the assassin mentioned.

"Old enemies? What's he even talking about?" Leo was having a hard time figuring out Edgar's words.

Steve snorted. "Don't know, don't care! Either way, we're too smart to listen to this load of bollocks" he said as he stood in his Boxing stance. "Because I'm more than ready to punch the smugness out of ya once again! Would you like that, wanker!?" Steve was more than prepared to attack Edgar.

Despite seeing this, Edgar seemed far from intimidated, viewing Steve's threat with nothing but annoyance.

"Sorry, chap. I've got no time for your empty threats" the assassin suddenly clenched his fists together. "Especially…since this is where we say our goodbyes!" he dropped something down the floor.

What appeared to be small balls started sprouting out smoke. The group of fighters were caught off guard, yet Nina already had her mouth covered.

"Damn! Smoke bombs from the MI6! I should've known he still had those with him" Nina started jumping out from the driver's cabinet through the broken window.

But as soon as she landed on the railway tracks, she quickly drew her knife out. Someone was just about to attack her form the right. It was Edgar, of course. He was wielding his own knife. Their clashed knives.

"Resorting to cowardly tricks to escape, I see. You really haven't changed at all, Edgar" Nina mocked her former partner-in-crime.

On the other hand, Edgar seemed more eager to cut Nina rather than chat. As such, he was more than willing to continue this fight.

"Quiet, doxy! Because of you and that misbegotten son of yours, my plan on unleashing that Mishima-brat's powers has been averted!" Edgar shot back, trying to use his strength to push Nina against the wall. "So before I take my leave, stay still and let me gut your body till it's open!" his brutality seemed pretty unusual for him.

Despite hearing such brutal words, Nina remained unfazed. She even found herself smirking at her fellow assassin's choice of words.

"How amusing. You're calling me a doxy, despite wanting my hand in marriage once? Your double standards are not impressive" Nina said, only to use her right foot to trip her opponent. She then held him by the collar of his t-shirt while holding the dagger close to his throat. "And just so you know, you're the only one who's getting gutted in this fight" she told him remorselessly.

As frustrated as Edgar seemed to be, he had already drawn out his handgun and was prepared to shoot Nina in her left cheek. It was pointed right at it.

The two assassins were each at the mercy of each other. Still, none of them made any attempt to attack each other.

"I don't know what made you decide to meddle in my affairs. But all things considered, you really DO care for that boy" Edgar remarked as he faced Nina in her eyes.

Her blue ones narrowed. "He's totally irrelevant to this!" Nina snapped at him, yet she felt like asking more from Edgar. "Now about what your "plans" for Jin. You really think Lai will not realize that you're turning against her? And under what theory do you believe you can wrestle control of Kometa from her?" the Irishwoman wanted some answers.

Edgar grinned at her. "Oh, her time will soon come. After all, that wench is too blind by power to even realize that her downfall is nearing. But it matters not, for I have already made some preparations for her demise" he responded.

Nina didn't seem to buy it. "You're a terrible liar, Edgar. Without Jin to back you up, the only weapon you have is your dick to wag with!" she insulted him.

"Then believe what you want! But know that I will not tolerate anyone standing in the way of my ambitions!" Edgar suddenly did the unthinkable.

Nina cried in agony as she could see what the British assassin had done. While they'd been up close to one another, Edgar had secretly stabbed Nina's right thigh with his knife. The blondie was down on one knee and she watched the knife being stuck in her thigh.

"ARRRGH!" Nina yelled as she tried to get the knife out, quickly. But it was stuck.

She looked up to see the type of sadistic smirk she disliked so much. Edgar was standing there feeling all high and mighty.

"Remember the number one rule of being an assassin, Nina. Never get distracted by anything. How sad of you to have forgotten it!" he chuckled, aiming his gun at her.

This made Nina furious. "YOU COWARDLY ASSHOLE!" Nina swore at him, feeling as if Edgar had pulled a cheap trick on him.

"Come now, there are no "fair" fights between assassins. We use whatever means to achieve victory" Edgar scolded her, putting his finger near the trigger. He was preparing to end her for good. "What that said, it's time we said our goodbyes forever. Farewell, Nina Willia…..AAARGHHHHH!" the British man's attempt to shoot Nina was interrupted by a bottle being thrown at his head.

The one responsible? Steve himself, who had barley started climbing out of the window at the driver's cabinet. Judging by the defiant look in his eyes, Steve didn't regret doing that to save his mother.

"You leave her alone! We still have some unfinished business!" he called out to him.

On the other hand, Nina was completely taken aback by Steve's action. "What in the hell are you doing?" she wondered beneath her breaths.

Edgar was furious at Steve for interfering, so he aimed his gun at the young boxer.

"You fucking cunt…..I WILL PUT YOU IN…" before Edgar could even pull the trigger, the sound of a vehicle came from the railway platform behind him.

It was a black Range Rover Velar. This model seemed pretty much new, and it was driven by soldiers from Kometa. Two of them even got out of the car and aimed their weapons at both Nina and Steve.

Realizing that his time for departing was now, Edgar put his gun down and turned around to face the soldiers who stood up on the platform.

"About time you showed up" he sarcastically noted as he was helped up by those soldiers.

Steve jumped down to his mother, staying at her side as they watched the assassin getting inside the vehicle.

"I may retreat now, but know that you haven't seen the last of me, Steve Fox. You and your mother will die should you dare stand in my way!" Edgar warned them, yet he was not finished speaking. "One way or another, Jin Kazama's demonic side WILL work for me. Then you will see how serious I am in claiming control of Kometa!" those were the last words he said before he took off.

As the Range Rover continued driving on the platform and away from the Eurostar itself, Steve realized that going after them was, at this point, meaningless. Instead, he devoted his time looking at the knife being stuck in Nina's thigh.

"Are you okay? Here, let me took a look at the….." Steve was about to, only to be given a powerful slap by Nina herself.

The slap itself was so swift that it left a red handprint mark on Steve's cheek.

"The hell you think you're doing!?" Steve demanded while rubbing where it hurt most.

Nina looked at her dispassionately. "Don't give me that bullshit. Why didn't you go after Edgar while he was distracted!? You should've done that instead of being near me!" she scolded her son.

This stunned Steve to the fullest. He couldn't believe what Nina had just said.

"Are you joking? I just saved your sorry arse and showed genuine concern for you, yet that is what you wanted me to do!?" Steve felt offended by what Nina had wished for him to do. "The fact that you're feeling ungrateful seems very…cunty to me" he responded.

Nina scowled. "I don't give damn about what you think! Edgar Grant is a threat that should be eliminated! But because of you and your stupid compassion, he got away!" she scolded him.

Steve threw his hands up in the air. "Well excuse me for being empathetic towards my own mother, despite her being a complete bitch!" the young Brit's frustration was on full display.

Even so, Nina didn't seem to care and she started to pull out the knife in her thigh. Crying in agony while pushing it out, the blondie managed to get it out in the end. But the pain was too much for even her to bear.

"When I get my hands on that slimeball, I'll find the most unique way to kill him" Nina muttered and she reached for something in one of her pockets.

Steve stood and watched as his mother pulled out what appeared to be a bandage roll. He had his arms crossed.

"Next time, just tell me that my aid is not required. It's better than slappig my face" he suggested to her.

Nina rolled her eyes in return. "Have you seriously forgotten what I said to you back in Kyoto? I swear, even to this day, you're still a thorn in my side" she remarked.

As much as Steve remembered that painful conversation months ago, he managed to put that memory aside. As a matter of fact, he found himself chuckling over what Nina had called him.

"A thorn in your side, huh? Well, at least you acknowledge my presence" the young Brit mused to himself.

Nina, continuing wrapping the bandage around her thigh, ignored whatever her son was doing.

"Hey! Steve!" he turned around when he watched Leo, Julia and Jin stand on top of the platform.

Seeing them, including Jin, made Steve smile. As such, he climbed up to join them.

In time, the entire group was resting against the wall, with the evacuated passengers close to them. They had a discussion about what to do now.

"All the passengers seemed to have gotten out of the train. But they're still unsure of what to do now" Julia noted as she looked the large crowd standing not far from them. "Good thing I managed to call the rescue teams. They're sending a British one and a French one to pick those who either wish to continue to France, or those who want to return to Britain" the four-eyed brunette added.

"That's good to know" Leo said, yet she found herself sighing. "A shame that not everyone survived this boarding, though. Not to mention how these passengers are traumatized by all this bloodshed" the German girl expressed her sympathy towards them.

Steve scowled. "Those Kometa-bastards really have no respect for human lives at all! They're just as scummy as the Zaibatsu and the G Corp" he didn't hold back with expressing his outrage over this situation.

"Yet you allowed the very man leading them to escape. Not the smartest choice in my book" Nina interjected, earning her a glare from Steve.

When hearing her speak, Jin felt that it was time to ask his former bodyguard a serious question.

"Nina. For what exact reason did you follow me?" he asked her, yet Nina didn't seem to grasp what his question was. But Jin wouldn't have any of it. "There's no sense in masking your intent any longer. I know for a fact that you didn't do it just to go after Grant. He is the least of your priorities" the Japanese man pointed out.

"I really have no clue of what you're speaking of, Jin. Honestly, are you gonna give me a hard time after all the favors I've done for you? If you ask me that sounds pretty ungrateful" she questioned him while expressing her dissatisfaction about this.

Hearing this made Steve cross his arms while leaning against the wall with a huff. "Hah. I suppose you're jealous that Jin's not your biological son, seeing as he's the only one in this universe you seem to like" he literally threw a jibe at not just Jin, but his own mother as well.

"Steve…." Leo chided him.

Yet Nina didn't seem to take her son's words personally. She even got up from her seat and started walking away.

"You don't have a single clue about who I like. Nor do you know about the hardships I went through. Perhaps you should consider growing up instead of groveling like an idiot" the assassin's words were too much for Steve to hear.

He was about to actually go after her, only for Julia to stop him by grabbing his right shoulder. She shook her head at him.

"Don't, Steve" she encouraged him. "We already know what an indecent human being she is. Please don't sink down to her level" the Native American woman then advised him.

Looking at Julia's eyes, Steve knew that she was right. As such, he stopped right where he was and faced the floor.

"Perhaps…..it's a good thing that I got adopted instead of being raised by her" he noted lowly to himself.

Jin, seeing the kind of pain his half-brother was in, tried to console him as best as he could.

"Steve…I…." his hand was immediately swatted away by Steve.

"Piss off" he rudely responded.

Seeing the obvious pain in him, Jin decided not to say anything in response. After all, he knew that despite them sharing the same father, their mothers were completely different. The Japanese man still recalled the fond memories of his childhood, when his mother Jun raised him with love and wisdom. Then came the day when Ogre appeared, which resulted in his mother's disappearance for eternity. That had led to Jin beoming the person he is now, along with many other tragedies.

But Nina was not the same as Jun. She was an assassin, and assassins were born to kill, not to love. The more he looked at it, the more Jin realized how Steve was an unfortunate victim of Heihachi's machinations. He'd never asked to be brought to this world. Yet due to their grandfather's selfish actions, Steve became what he was.

Ulike Jin, Steve had never had the joy of being raised by a mother who cared about him. Although he was grateful to his adoptive family, Steve still longed for the emotional connection between him and one of his birth parents. But with Kazuya as his father and Nina as his mother, Steve probably knew that finding such connection was not possible.

"So this is where you guys are?" the group of fighters were stunned when they heard a familiar voice calling to them from behind.

They were all surprised. Standing there was Lars Alexandersson and Alisa Bosconovitch. Lars smiled weakly, while Alisa waved at them all I her happy manner.

"I was beginning to worry about whether we wouldn't find you in these tunnels. But thanks to Alisa, we succeeded" the Swedish man remarked as he looked at the gang.

"Lars..." both Steve and Jin said in unison.

"Hello, everyone. It's been a while" Alisa said, the pinkette's smile never vanishing.

Julia and Leo both happily hugged the android, with Alisa only returning the favor.

"Alisa! Boy, have I longed to see you again!" Julia remarked as she looked at him.

"Yeah! All those cool things you can do, as well as those chainsaw arms. I've missed seeing those" Leo joined in.

Alisa didn't know what to say, yet she still felt flattered by Leo's words.

"I'll take that as a compliment" she told her friend, only to notice Steve and Jin in the background. "Hello to you too, Steve and Jin" she waved her hand at them.

Steve waved back at her while Jin gave only a weak nod. The two men resumed speaking with Lars.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were with Lee in Paris" Jin asked him.

Lars nodded his head weakly. "We were. But when Lee discovered something was strange with the Eurostar's routine, we had no choice but to venture outside" he answered, only to look beyond the men to see the crowd of passengers. "And from what I see here, I say that you were in for a nasty boarding. A rescue team from Paris is already on its way to pick up those who wish to continue to Paris" he then informed them.

Steve smiled. "That's great news. While they won't get over the trauma, they'll at least be transported someplace safe" he expressed his relief. "Which reminds me, did you and Alisa drive through the service tunnels to get here?" he then asked Lars.

"Certainly. Our vehicle is parked about just 10 minutes from this location. As soon as the rescue teams have arrived, we will also depart. You guys can fill us in on what happened along the trip" Lars told them both.

"Agreed" Jin stated, only to look around to see where Nina was. "Strange. Nina doesn't appear to be around here. Where did she…" his question was soon answered.

All of a sudden, the Eurostar started to gradually move on the railway, thus surprising everyone on the railway platform. The passenger were stunned, seeing as they knew that the driver himself had been killed. So why then was the Eurostar moving? Or more importantly, who was driving it?

But the group of fighters seemed to know who it was that was driving it, particularly Steve.

"You gotta be kidding me!" Julia exclaimed by what she witnessed.

"How could she possibly be THAT selfish!?" Leo was outraged.

Steve facepalmed, finding it embarrassing to even see this in the first place. "Fuck me…" he lowly lamented.

"Is Nina Williams piloting the train?" Alisa asked, yet she could tell based on everyone's reactions that it was the case. "Oh…...I see" she then realized, not wishing to discuss the subject any further.

Lars shook his head weakly, finding it mildly amusing that Nina would even pull something like this.

"Well, she IS an assassin. And they're known to keep to themselves" he noted, only to turn his attention towards the four fighters. "Speaking of assassins, the one who lead this boarding was affiliated with Kometa, am I right?" Lars asked them.

Jin took the initiative to answer. "Yes. But Edgar Grant was after me for a reason. He wanted to use the Devil inside me for his own ends" he informed Lars.

"Sounds troubling when you look at it that way. Once we get to Paris, we'll need to show you guys something that has happened throughout the world. And no, it's not about the G Corp's continued war effort" Lars said, yet he had more words on his heart. "Still, that doesn't mean we'll abort our mission to rescue Xiaoyu and Asuka. Trust me, we'll come up with a plan to find them" he assured them all.

They all were relieved to hear it and were thus growing a little optimistic in light of what dangerous trials awaited them.

"Then Paris is where we're heading towards next" Leo spoke in favour of it.

To be continued…