TEKKEN: THE COLD AND THE WARM


ACT 18: Best of You

Inside a tall skyscraper in La Défense, Paris, France

Jin Kazama was walking through a corridor. Judging by the expression on his face, he was angry yet conflicted. Yesterday had been too much for the Japanese man to take. Despite having survived an ambush by Edgar Grant, coming to Paris had not brought him the peace needed. A hacking into Lee Chaolan's computer by the cultist calling himself Revenant had given Jin some confusing clues.

Still, he did not believe that. There were so many things he didn't trust about Revenant.

"That bastard…..he dares playing games with my emotions!?" Jin gritted his teeth with rage as he kept recalling yesterday's conversation.


Flashback, yesterday….

Revenant had finally stated the truth. His was revealing a very important secret. Everyone in the office were silent in face of the cultist's revelation. None of them could fathom what he had just revealed. Truth is, he had just dropped a bombshell.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves here" Lars Alexandersson stood beside Jin as he looked at Revenant on the giant screen. "You know where the Archers of Sirius are holding Xiaoyu and Asuka captive? Is that what you're alleging?" he directly asked Revenant on the screen.

Revenant was unfazed by that question and everyone could see it on the giant screen. "I am not alleging anything, half-Mishima. What I just said is the truth. After all, the Acolytes of Pluton have eyes and ears all across the globe. Even amongst the Archers of Sirius, we have some who are willing to trade information for a price" the masked man said through the screen.

Lars narrowed his eyes, not appreciating what Revenant had just called him. "Never call me a half-Mishima" he slightly raised his voice.

"You cannot deny your bloodline. But then again, that isn't your fault. No one wants a sperm-donor as their father" Revenant vulgarly insulted Lars by mentioning Heihachi.

Everyone in the office were horrified of the kind of demeaning language the cultist used when referring to Lars' late father. Even so, none of them seemed to mourn the fallen Mishima Patriarch, especially his relatives.

As angered as Lars seemed with Revenant's remark, he didn't necessarily show it out in the open. He surprisingly kept it to himself without letting anyone see it.

"My blood relation to Heihachi Mishima is of complete irrelevance to this case" Lars said this while closing his eyes.

Revenant chuckled. "Is that so? Well, I beg to differ. Because Heihachi is a good reason why you and your half-nephew are still standing and breathing as of now. That being said, you might as well…." Revenant was interrupted by someone.

"ENOUGH!" the angry voice of Jin made everyone turn their eyes upon him.

All of them could see the devilish rage that was slowly beginning to take shape. Even so, Jin fought tooth and nail to keep it hidden.

"I don't have time to listen to your insults" Jin said, clenching his fists tightly. "Given your efforts to stoke darkness across the world, what makes you think I will believe anything you say about the whereabouts of Xiaoyu and Asuka? Because even as we speak, I know you have an ulterior motive for this" he didn't trust Revenant.

"Whether you want to believe in me or not, that is your burden to bear. However, since all of you are so eager to find those measly girls, I will just tell you their location here and now" Revenant said this with not regard of these people's mistrust towards him. "Normally, the exorcists are holed up at their silly cathedral behind Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome. But they have other secret holdings all across the Mediterranean. According to my moles, Ling Xiaoyu and Asuka Kazama are currently being held….at Fort Saint Elmo in Valletta" the cultist leader revealed as his eyes glowed more purplish.

Everyone's eyes widened after he revealed the alleged location of where Xiaoyu and Asuka were being held prisoner.

"Valletta?" Julia asked in astonishment.

"But that's in Malta, far south in the Mediterranean" Lars spoke up.

"So you mean to tell us that the Archers of Sirius have a secret base near the country's National War Museum?" Lee directly asked Revenant.

He just chuckled through the screen. "Precisely, Lee Chaolan. After all, the Archers of Sirius prefer having their holdings in Catholic countries. And given Malta's location and rich history, there is no disputing them using Fort Saint Elmo. From what my moles gather, the exorcists are performing some strange rituals inside those ruined catacombs and dungeons" Revenant responded with a quick explanation.

Hearing all this made Lidia Sobieska, Prime Minister of Poland, question something.

"Could this mean these exorcists have some secret holdings in Poland as well? No, I refuse to believe anything this madman says" Lidia noted to her thoughts. She kept looking at Revenant in the screen. "Still, there must be other reasons for Revenant to reach out to Yggdrasil rather than just telling us all this" the platinum-haired woman remained firm.

"Fort Saint Elmo?" Leo inquired, trying to recall what she knew about that place. "I've never been to Malta before, but I hear that fort is filled with history. Heck, it's even listed among UNESCO's World Heritage Sites" the German girl remarked.

"Is that so? Then that explains why those nasty exorcists are using it as a base of operations" Steve noted, only to direct his attention towards Revenant on the screen. "Now you listen here, creepy bastard. Whatever your reasons for helping us are, know that none of us standing here will ever feel indebted to you! Is that clear?" he wanted to make sure the exorcist knew that.

Revenant chuckled. "Come now, manufactured spawn of Kazuya. This has nothing to do with altruism. As a matter of fact, I could care less about those snotty children. What matters to me is that the Archers of Sirius gets their operations in Malta deprived, which can only be done so by your efforts" he reminded Steve while throwing a jibe at him at the same time.

Steve scowled, feeling the urge to punch the very screen itself.

"Shut it, wanker!" he swore at the cultist leader, as he hated being reminded of his blood relations to the Mishima.

All of a sudden, Jin took gradual steps towards the screen. He made sure Revenant took notice of his movements. It worked, seeing as how Revenant turned his gaze upon the Japanese man. But even by just looking at those glowing purplish eyes, Jin refused to back down.

"Well, Jin Kazama. I suppose you stand here knowing everything about me. About how I've fought your pathetic family and survived. As well as how your wretched bloodline began" Revenant spoke, trying to get under Jin's skin. "But none of that matters anymore! Your dearest grandmother is gone. So is your deluded grandfather. That leaves only two closest relatives of you still alive, besides from these wretched illegitimate ones, that is" he tried to bring Lars, Lee and Steve into his insult.

The three men clearly didn't appreciate Revenant's insult, despite it being geared towards Jin.

"How rude. And I'm not even a Mishima biologically" Lee expressed his distaste.

Yet Jin had remained unaffected by Revenant's words so far. "Get to the point, cultist. What exactly do you hope to prove here? As I said earlier, I know the kind of man you really are. That's why there is no way I would ever fall for any lies you tell us!" he spoke up without even holding back his antagonism towards this man.

"So you want me to tell you more truths? Very well, I shall happily oblige" Revenant sad while holding his metallic fingers close to one another. "When I said that two closest living relatives of yours still being alive, I was speaking with zero deception. You see, Kazuya is not the only one. There is someone else too" he revealed a very sensitive detail.

Jin's formerly serious eyes widened. Obviously, Revenant's words had brought back something so traumatizing.

Seeing this, Revenant was encouraging to proceed with telling him another shocking detail.

"Yes, child. It is as you suspect. Your mother, Jun Kazama…still lives and breathes!" he dropped the bombshell upon the Japanese man.

As shocked as everyone inside the office seemed, Jin was understandably the one most affected by this allegation. In fact, it only helped unleash the anger he had so far repressed.

"BULLSHIT!" he unleashed a dark like aura which brought a wind around him.

Those around him were caught off-guard by the wind, with some of them even falling onto the floor. In addition to that, several cracks started to appear on the large windows inside the office.

"Such incredible impact!" Lee exclaimed at what he just felt.

"Oh no! Jin's close to unleashing his Devil Gene to the fullest!" Julia was growing very concerned.

"But if that's true…...then the unleashing impact will be much worse!" Alisa joined in on expressing her worries.

Lars gritted teeth out of frustration. "Damnit, Jin! You said you now had the power to temper the Devil's rage. You better stay true to your word!" he noted as he watched Jin getting closer to the giant screen.

So far, Revenant was having amusement in watching Jin exposing his devilish power second by second. His chuckling hinted also to how impressed he was.

"Impressive. So that is your Devil's energy? To tell you the truth, this is the first time I have seen it being exposed" Revenant commended Jin for his powers. "Regardless, I still can't decide whether yours is more powerful than your father's. Having fought him personally, I must say that he is strong indeed. Perhaps…..." Revenant didn't get to finish, seeing as Jin interrupted him once again.

"SHUT THE HELL UP!" Jin's angry yelling didn't unleash a terrible impact as he did earlier. Still, the rage upon the young man's face was evident for everyone to see. "I couldn't care less if you insulted Heihachi or Kazuya…but don't you ever bring my mother into this! She has nothing to do with anything that is happening right now!" he yelled out towards the screen.

Revenant remained unfazed at the Japanese man's rage. "And what makes you say that? After all, that woman has indeed been alive to witness it all. From you turning into that demonic monstrosity, to your warmongering across the world. She has been watching you from afar, which have left her completely…" the cultist tried to explain what he meant.

"She's been dead for many years!" Jin bellowed, closing his eyes while struggling to reminisce about that fateful day, when Ogre approached their home in the woods of Yakushima. "On that cursed day…our home got attacked by Ogre, who sought to defeat the strongest fighters across the world. I tried to fight him…but I was too weak" he painfully recalled that day while clenching his fists tightly.

As he explained what had happened with Jun, those around him was beginning to see Jin for what he really was. This included those who'd previously held very antagonistic attitudes towards him.

While Julia, Lars, Alisa and Lee already knew everything about Jin, the revelation changed whatever views Steve, Leo and Lidia had about him.

"So he lost his mother as well…" Leo stammered, closing her eyes as she recalled back to her own personal grudges and losses. "Then I guess…...me and Jin aren't so much different after all" the German girl realized as she lowered her head in slight sadness.

Steve closed his eyes. "Alright. I'll admit that I've been acting like a total cunt towards Jin for the last couple of days. Hell, I did it without even knowing much about him" Steve thought, admitting to himself how he'd been unnecessarily rude to his half-brother. "And although his childhood is million times better than mine, Jin have undoubtably experienced traumas throughout his life as well. But I guess that's what it means to be a Mishima" the young Brit summarized it all.

Surprisingly, even the usual stern-headed Lidia was slowly begging to feel something for Jin. Was it empathy? Pity? Whatever it was, the Polish woman was slowly beginning to have another view of Jin.

"I guess being born with such destructive powers into a twisted family is bound to change one person's point of view" the Prime Minister remarked, her eyes fixated upon Jin. "But as much as I pity this man's origins, none of it excuses his past transgressions. Yes, he must still atone for them" Lidia concluded as she observed Jin.

Jin opened his eyes, turning his wrathful gaze towards Revenant on the screen. "With all that said, I don't believe for a second that my mother still lives! She is dead!" the Japanese man was adamant about the fate of his mother.

"You poor, confused boy. The only reason you are saying this is because of your refusal to accept the truth. Just imagine what would happen if not just her, but also your greatest enemies were still alive. That would have been a huge shocker to you, would it not?" Revenant continued on with these verbal tricks.

The more Jin listened to these words, the more agitated and angered he became. He knew what the cultist was talking about when he was mentioning greatest enemies.

"Now you're trying to convince me that Ogre and Azazel are still alive? That's even more ridiculous!" Jin retorted back.

A chuckle came out of Revenant once again. This time, it seemed that he had grown weary of trying conversing with Jin, let alone everyone in the entire office.

"Very well. I believe that I have wasted enough time delivering these messages. You may do as you wish. But know that the Acolytes of Pluton will not stand idle should you move against our interests. That is my only warning against you. With that said, I bid you farewell, Yggdrasil. Enjoy your peacetime while it still exists" he told them.

With that said, the screen was shut off completely. Everyone in the office took their time to reflect on what they had just heard from Revenant.

"Well, that was…unexpected" Lee remarked, bearing no sarcasm in his voice while saying that. "To think that these cultists are capable of hacking into my data. How they did that, will elude me for a very long time" the business magnate added.

"But can we really trust this information he gave us? Is Xiaoyu and Asuka truly being held in Malta?" Alisa asked both Lars and Lee.

"No!" that resounding no came from Jin, who was all too eager to put down any attempt to trust Revenant's words. "We all know what his goals are. He's only misleading us!" Jin continued voicing his protest.

Lars looked at him in a somber manner. "You're right to not take his words for granted. But we should not rule out that possibility ether" he insisted.

"Then why don't we just start investigating? We'll search across the web with regards to suspicious activities near Fort Saint Elmo" Julia suggested to everyone.

"Sure, but there's no guarantee we'll find any. For as I said earlier, it's a UNESCO Heritage Site, which means lots of tourists visiting it every single day" Leo pointed out.

"Stop believing his leads!" Jin was angered at everyone for taking Revenant's words to heart. He sighed as all eyes were on him. "Can't you see what you're doing? That cultist is only goading us to do his bidding!" the Japanese man was frustrated.

"Yeah, but don't you wanna save Asuka and Xiaoyu too?" Steve asked him plainly. "Plus, even if they were being held at a different place, we still would've gone there and wrecked up whatever hideout those exorcists had. So in a way, we'd still be doing his dirty work regardless" he tried to reason with his half-brother.

But Jin would hear none of that. Turning around, he walked towards the office's door.

"I'm going to sleep. This day has been too much for me to bear" Jin stopped before looking over his shoulder. "While I know that I'm in no position to command you, I still advise you against trusting Revenant's words. Do not make the same mistakes I did" he told them before exiting the door.

This left everyone in the office pondering with the big question: was Jin right.

Steve didn't think so. "Smartarse. Always so sanctimonious while ignoring his own hypocrisy" the young boxer remarked.

"But he had a pretty good reason this time" Julia pointed out to Steve, while making sure he, Alisa and Leo were following her as well. "We were all there near Puʻu ʻŌʻō where Revenant almost succeeded in stealing our life sources. If it hadn't been for Wang Jinrei's valiant effort to stand up against him, let alone his sacrifice…all of us would've died" the four-eyed woman recalled back to that fateful day.

"You're right. I sometimes get nightmares from seeing it" Leo admitted.

Lee stepped in between the young fighters, eager to reassure them in face of this great dilemma they were in.

"I think it's time that we all got some rest. We will figure out on what do with Revenant's revelation tomorrow" Lee suggested to everyone as he looked at Julia, and her friends. "Given today's uncomfortable ride underneath the English Channel, you guys must be tired. Let's save some of the energy" he then added with a smile.

Lars seemed to be in favor of it was well. "Lee's got a point. We have a lot of work to do tomorrow morning. But now, it's time to go to sleep" he encouraged everyone.

With no protest, everyone went outside except Lars, Lee and Lidia. In fact, she wanted to have some words with the two men in private.

"Now what is it you wanted to ask us about, Mrs. Prime Minister?" Lee charmingly asked her.

For some reason, a confidential smirk crept on the Polish woman's lips. "I have a request that I would like to make" she told them.


End of flashback…

Walking through the corridor, Jin reflected on what he had done and said yesterday. The true reason he had been bearing such hostility towards Revenant was not just because of him claiming to know where Asuka and Xiaoyu were being held. What had truly set Jin off was the outrageous claim about his mother still being alive.

Even to this very day, Jin still believed that his mother was long gone. He still missed her, no matter how many years had passed. The terrible picture of their home on Yakushima burned to the ground still haunted him. Still, Jin had avenged Jun's death by slaying her murderer: Ogre.

Reflecting on Revenant's claim of the ancient deity still being alive, Jin growled. There was no way that could be true, seeing as how he had personally defeated that thing with his bare hands.

"Ogre is dead. The same goes for Azazel. That damned cultist believes he can sway my mind by coming up with such pathetic claims" he thought, realizing that Revenant was as threat to the world as much as Kazuya was. "After I've rescued Xiaoyu and Asuka…I'll deal with Revenant next!" that was his vow.

When Jin entered Lee's office, he was surprised to see everyone already present and waiting for him. The only one missing was Lidia and her aide. Still, that explained why Jin hadn't seen anyone in the corridors of the building.

"What's the meaning of this?" Jin asked them nonchalantly. "Have you all gathered here to scorn me for not agreeing with your suggestions?" he added with bitter sarcasm.

Lars weakly shook his head. "Quite the opposite, Jin. Because we have gotten hold of a whole lot of new information since yesterday's meeting" his half-uncle responded with what looked like an optimistic smile.

Jin was confused. "What do you mean?" he responded as he approached the table.

Lee was already sitting by the computer and he turned around the screen so that Jin could see what it was showing. He too seemed to be smiling a little.

"This video message was sent to us early in the night. You might want to see it" the business magnate informed him.

Activating the video, Jin looked closely to see which man was on the screen. His eyes widened. It was Claudio Serafino, the mysterious leader of the Archers of Sirius. What was he doing in this video? The Japanese man paid close attention to it.

"Saluti, Yggdrasil. Or I should perhaps call you by your names: Lee Chaolan, Lars Alexandersson…and Jin Kazama. You are most likely aware of my identity. Sonno Claudio Serafio. On behalf of the Archers of Sirius, I greet you all" Claudio began speaking as he was standing before a table while being surrounded by several masked exorcists.

This made Jin scowl, angered at Claudio's false display of courtesy towards him and his friends.

"Now then, I believe you are looking for two young ladies by the name of Ling Xiaoyu and Asuka Kazama. Lucky for you, we happen to know where they are. They are under good supervision from us as of this moment. I can also assure you that no harm has been brought upon them so far" Claudio continued, this time mentioning the girls.

This really set Jin off. But he wasn't the only one feeling resentful towards Claudio. Steve, Leo, Julia and even Alisa had begun expressing different forms of antagonism towards the Italian exorcist.

"You wish to see these girls go free? My brothers and I will be more than happy to let that happen. But it will happen on only one condition: bring Jin Kazama directly to us" he finally made his demand known.

Now everyone realized the true purpose of Claudio kidnapping Xiaoyu and Asuka. He was planning on using them as bargaining chips, in order to get Jin.

"Since you are probably there with your friends, I believe I will address the rest of this message to you directly, Jin. You see, I have been searching for you alongside your wretched father. But unlike Kazuya, you seem to have so many bonds left. And that is your weakness. A weakness which I will use for my demon hunt" the exorcist revealed.

The more he listened to this, the more Jin felt an urge to tear Claudio to shreds for trying to torture him mentally.

"If you are so eager to see your former schoolmate and your distant relative, I suggest to head down south to Malta, the tiny island nation between Europe and Africa. Find your way to Fort Saint Elmo, where me and my brothers will be waiting patiently for your arrival. Once you are here, we will set those girls free. But be aware that your elimination will commence the minute they are gone. For we will make sure that not even you will escape us" the exorcist continued with this video message.

Jin's rage had slowly started to calm down, yet he could not turn away his gaze at the screen.

"The exchange will begin tomorrow in the midday. I except you to be right inside the fort's courtyard the next time we meet. But on the other hand, you have caused tremendous amount of pain across this world. It is only fitting that you accept your fate by handing yourselves over to us. That should be your divine judgement. To be bathed in the light of Sirius itself. Until we meet again, Jin Kazama. Ciao!" that was the final words before the video message ended.

After hearing it all, Jin lowered his head as he reflected on the message from Claudio. The anger upon his face had gradually vanished.

"I do not know what could possibly have prompted Claudio to send us this message. But now it's clear to us all where Xiaoyu and Asuka truly are" Lars summarized it all.

Julia chimed in. "But that also means…Revenant was right!" she remarked in slight astonishment.

"Yeah. As much as I hate to admit it, that wanker was actually telling us the truth yesterday" Steve shook his head weakly. "But that doesn't matter now. I still don't trust him!" the young Brit added.

"Same here. But let's forget about that creepy freakshow for a minute" Leo encouraged Steve and the others before looking at Lee and Lars. "I bet you two have cooked up a plan on how to go through with this, right?" she then asked them.

Judging by their faces, both Lee and Lars had indeed been coming up with a plan.

"We have actually, given all this new information" Lee admitted, only to face Lars with a smug smirk. "But perhaps you should explain your part first, Lars" he asked his adoptive half-brother.

Lars nodded and everyone moved close to the table as he showed a map of Europe on the screen. But he zoomed in so that it showed them a digital map of Paris.

"I'll start by explaining the details. Yggdrasil has a transport plane standing in a hangar at Orly International Airport. We'll use that to fly ourselves south to Malta. But how we'll get to Orly, I'll fill you in on later" Lars explained, only to face the young fighters standing around him. "Are all of you standing here willing to partake on this mission?" he asked.

While everyone showed the same willingness, Alisa was perhaps the one who expressed it so eloquently.

"Yes! I am!" the android didn't even hide her emotions.

Lars looked at her with slight concern in his eyes. "Alisa. With all due respect, this mission may be the toughest you'll ever be involved with" the Swedish man told her, gently putting his hand on her left shoulder.

"I know that. And the last trip to Hawaii really was intense" Alisa stammered as she faced down. Yet spark of fire soon took form inside her eyes. "But I can't stand on the sidelines. My friends are in grave danger. And I promised Miharu and Panda that I would bring Xiaoyu and Asuka home safely. There's no way that I could go back on such vow" the pinkette revealed.

Lars was stunned to see such spark within Alisa, yet he was not the only one. Even Lee had to chuckle, amused at how Alisa had grown up in such a short period of time.

"She has a point, Lars" the silver-haired man told him. "You said it yourself, didn't you? That Yggdrasil would need all its allies it could get their hands on. Well, now's the time to be more pragmatic" Lee then pinpointed.

Weakly shaking his head with a huff, Lars ignored his adoptive half-brother's antics.

"Then we shall both go. As will all of us" Lars responded to Alisa while making sure the other young fighters were with them.

"Damn right!" Steve said while banging his knuckles. "I'll be more than happy to punch that smug bastard right into his face for what he did to Xiaoyu and Asuka" he sounded enthusiastic about this.

"I couldn't have said it better myself, Steve" Julia agreed with a smile.

But Jin was feeling as if something was not right. "But once we've arrived there, we better have a plan on how to infiltrate Fort Saint Elmo" he suggested to everyone around him.

"True. But given the circumstances, infiltration is perhaps not the easiest solution here" Lars replied while looking at his half-nephew. "Claudio wants you, not to mention that getting those two to safety is paramount" the Swedish man said.

Jin nodded his head weakly, realizing that there was still time for them to plan their assault upon the fort.

Lee felt satisfied with what he was seeing, so he decided to tell them all what his part of the plan was.

"While all of you will be busy enjoying the Mediterranean, there is another matter that needs to be attended to…...in Switzerland" Lee said while pointing his thumb at himself. "That's where I come in" the business magnate said.

"You're not coming with us?" Leo asked him.

Lee responded by showing them a picture of what appeared to be a large cannon built on a mountainous landscape. Still, they also noticed the large, imposing mountain in the background.

"Hold on. I know that mountain! Is that really….." Julia exclaimed as she adjusted her glasses.

Lee nodded. "Indeed, it is, Mrs. Julia. That is Matterhorn. And this large high-tech cannon has been built in the surrounding landscape. The man behind this design is Dr. Lukas Hayes, a scientist formerly working for Kometa" he revealed.

Alisa's eyes widened. "Dr. Lukas Hayes? Are there more scientists that are well-known?" she wondered.

"I wouldn't necessarily classify him as famous when compared to your father and Dr. Abel" Lee insisted. "Still, it appears that this satellite floating across the globe, also known as Salacia, was built by Dr. Hayes" he then went on.

There were several gasps amongst the fighters, yet Julia and Leo seemed to be the one most horrified.

"Then those climatic changes…it's all Kometa's doing!" Julia was filled with outrage over what she heard.

"They are putting millions of people and animals at risk by emitting so much radiation towards the Earth. And not only that, they're also committing ecocide!" Leo was also angered.

Lars nodded his head. "True. And rest assured, Dr. Hayes will answer for his crimes. From what I gather, our allies in the UN managed to snatch him from Kometa's clutches. He's currently being sent to the UN's office in Nairobi for interrogation. But from what the agents have told us, the doctor has already been cooperative towards them with regards to Kometa" he explained.

Steve smirked. "So those fancy ninjas are in on this as well?" the boxer was amused.

"Indeed. In fact, they alongside Yoshimitsu have begun infiltrating the cruise ship Kometa uses as their mobile base of operations. From what we gather, it's called the Amphitrite" Lee revealed.

"That's good to know. More allies in this fight are just great" Steve remarked.

Lee decided to be clearer with what his plan was. "Anyway, as I was saying, this cannon was built in order to target Swiss cities, including Geneva where the UN has one of their other headquarters" he told them. "But what if that cannon could be used to down that terrible satellite?" he then asked everyone in a smug manner.

The young fighters were stunned when they realized what Lee was getting at. Even Jin was surprised.

"You mean to tell us that you're planning on downing that satellite by…" Jin didn't finish, seeing as how Lee confirmed it with a thumbs up.

"Exactly. With my great mechanical intellect, I should be able to man that cannon and aim it straightly towards the sky itself. But what will be challenging is determining how far this blast will go up in the air, let alone where Salacia floats" Lee informed everyone about his plan.

Alisa seemed to be a bit worried for Lee. "But are you planning on doing this alone? It sounds dangerous" she expressed her concerns.

Yet Lee only shrugged their worries off. "Fear not, young lady. I will have a lovely companion with me during this trip. Someone I know will keep me company, as well as making sure I stay focused on the objectives" he assured them.

Before anyone could ask Lee who that companion was, someone barged into the office. They all turned around to see Lidia standing there, only in a different outfit. She no longer wore her formal clothes.

Instead, Lidia wore a patterned black and red sports top with an imprint of an eagle and text which said "Polska". She also wore leather sparring gloves which had a symbol of an eagle on a shield, as well as red sports tape and a protective elbow pad on her left arm. She had a white gi, the top of which hangs around her waist. On her gi pants there was a badge, which had a glossy silver motif of wings. There was also a red rim on the pantlegs. Alongside this, Lidia wore a pair of leather sandals with red accents and a red headband tied around her head.

All the fighters were stunned, seeing as how this young Prime Minister was dressed for combat. Never had they seen something like this.

Her eyes finally caught sight of Jin, who had remained mum so far. Lidia's lips curved into a smug smile.

"Jin Kazama" Lidia spoke up, her raised voice ringing in the office. "I have been looking for you" she told him.

The Japanese man remained nonchalant, unwilling to let her have any interest from him.

"And why is that?" Jin asked with his arms crossed. "Unless you haven't realized it, I am quite busy now" he added.

Lidia huffed. "Oh, you're going to feel more than that soon enough" the young woman said, only to point a finger straight towards Jin. "Because I challenge you to a duel…RIGHT NOW!" she finally stated her purpose.

Everyone in the office, save for Lars and Lee, were stunned by what Lidia just exclaimed. She was challenging a young man who had won a King of Iron Fist Tournament, let alone being one of the strongest Mishimas to have ever lived.

"What makes you think I will agree to it?" Jin questioned her.

The platinum-haired woman was still facing him with so much confidence inside. "Just think of it as a preparation. It's a chance to see if you can fight and control your emotions at the same time" she told him.

Growing slightly more intrigued by this young prime minister challenging him, Jin decided to accept her demand.

"Very well. Then let us take this downstairs" Jin finally accepted it.

"Dobra odpowiedź, Kazama" Lidia responded back in Polish.


Inside a hotel in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, Alpes-Maritimes, France

Saint-Paul-de-Vence was one of the many medieval towns located on the French Riviera. Given it's location, it was not far from large French cities such as Nice, Cannes and Antibes. As a medieval town, there were traces of culture inside Saint-Paul-de-Vence itself, including chapels and museums. In other words, the place was a favorite place for artists to visit, both domestic and foreign ones.

But inside this hotel nestled between the streets of the town, someone was already enjoying a bath all by herself. And that person was Nina Williams.

Having followed Jin in order to learn more about their motives, Nina also made sure Edgar Grant would not get his hands on either one of them. However, the British assassin had proved himself quite sneaky and cowardly with his attacks, something the Irishwoman could still remember.

Relaxing by the bathtub, Nina lifted her right leg up from the water in order to study her wound. It was where Edgar had stabbed her with a knife.

"It appears that the wound has slowly started to fade away. Never would I imagine that it would regenerate itself so quickly. I guess this must be one of the few positive aftereffects of the cryosleep experiment" Nina noted.

But as she kept studying her almost-cured wound, Nina could remember the not so cordial conversations she had with her biological son, Steve Fox. They had fought off Edgar and his Kometa-goons together, yet none of it had helped them bond any closer.

Nina was angered at Steve for not just butting in the fight between her and Edgar, she also complained to him about letting Edgar escape.

That had led to nothing but quarreling between mother and son. Rather than sticking by Jin and his group, Nina had piloted the Eurostar, driving it all the way to Paris. She had then boarded another train bound south to Nice, deciding to seek comfort in the countryside of the French Riviera.

By settling at this tiny hotel in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, Nina had hoped to avoid attention, including being followed by Kometa and their spies.

Even so, Nina couldn't help but to reflect on the way she had parted ways with Steve. From an average mom's standpoint, it could be considered reprehensible. Yet Nina had never herself felt like a parent. Heck, she had never experienced living with a normal family like others had. Slowly, Nina started drifting back to her own childhood.

"What would anyone know about parental love? This world is not exactly black and white" the Irishwoman stammered.

Growing up during The Troubles, Nina was introduced to violence at an early age. But it was not just due to her being a daughter of an infamous IRA assassin, who'd been instrumental in carrying out killings on important British politicians and military leaders. At one point, Richard met and married an English spy, who was a master at Akkido. They began a relationship and as a result, Richard disaffiliated himself with the IRA in order to live with his English wife in secrecy. This wife became the mother of Nina and her younger sister Anna.

It was her blood connection with this Englishwoman which also helped expose Nina to violence at an early. During The Troubles, having English blood was a great sin in the eyes of the Irish people. It was considered the blood of their oppressors. Because of that, Nina and Anna were frequently targeted by angry mobs of Irish nationalists, as well as other bullying schoolchildren. But Nina, being the girl Richard favored and trained most, managed to beat back her bullies and attackers. After that, nobody dared going after Nina, seeing as they were horrified by how such a young girl could possess such violent skills.

Anna was not so lucky. Although she was also trained in the arts of Akkido, she never managed to get much approval of Richard. Her attempts to impress him by cooking skills didn't help much either. That resulted in Anna often being defenseless against those violent bullies.

Regardless of what happened, Nina's tough childhood made it impossible for her to understand what love from a parent was, seeing as neither her mother or father taught her anything about it. She was trained to be a killer at a young age.

But Nina suddenly snapped herself. She got out of her thoughts and started rubbing her face.

"Why am I reminiscing? Nothing about my past has an effect on what I do!" she scolded herself.

Or was it? Seeing as how neither of her parents had taught her much about love between a child and its parents, was Nina secretly trying to break the cycle? Did she really wish to save Steve so that he would know what parental love was like? This was something that Nina secretly desired. She didn't wish for Steve to go down the same path as her. As such, this was another symptom of Nina slowly embracing her motherhood.

Nina got out of the bathtub, watching as the water slowly got sucked down through the drain shoe. She had already put on a bathrobe.

"I shouldn't really be thinking about all this crap. I've got enough dirt on my hands to deal with" the blondie groaned as she got out of the bathroom.

She came into her cramped up hotel room. Lying herself on the king-sized bed, the Irishwoman let out a deep sigh. Nina took notice of a bottle of scotch lying on her nightstand. Feeling tempted to relax, she decided to have some.

But just as Nina was about to lean to her left, she heard some noises to her right. Specifically, it came from behind the door to her terrace which was already covered by a curtain. Even so, Nina felt that something was amiss.

Using her quick reflexes, she threw a knife so fast that it pierced through not just the curtains, but the window of the door as well.

"AARARRGHHHHH!" a large scream could be heard.

This confirmed Nina's suspicions. She got over there and tore away the curtain to the door. What she witnessed got her really angry.

Out on what appeared to be the hotel's fire escape, a lone slick-haired man sat on his behind, desperately trying to pull out the knife from his right shoulder. He was dressed in such a fanciful tuxedo. It reminded Nina about someone she'd encountered on previous jobs. This man stopped with what he was doing once Nina opened the door to the fire escape.

"You fucking puttana…I will….." this man tried reaching for something in his pockets, only to have Nina pull out a gun at him.

"Don't even try it, scumbag! Sit still and don't make any fuzz!" Nina didn't hold back her hostility, and she got closer to the injured man. "Now speak up! Who are you and how did you find me here!?" she demanded some answers.

So far, the man hadn't responded. He was wincing his pain and gritted his teeth in order to remain calm. But it was no use.

"Judging by the outfit you're wearing, let alone how you just insulted me in Italian…I'll say that you're with the Mafia, isn't that it?" Nina started assuming what she thought was the case. "Which means…you must've been hired by Anna to assassinate me after I took out her fiancé. Am I right?" the blondie pushed on.

The man chuckled in what appeared to be a cocky manner. "And what if I was?" he asked her, only to have Nina directly point his forehead with her gun.

"Try not to be a smartass with me, greasy fiend. While I do carry no grudges against the Mafia, I've got no qualms putting out their men should they dare attack me" she coldly told him. But there was something else Nina had on her mind. "Besides, there's no way you were hired by Anna. After all, it was the Mafia itself who'd hired me to put that lousy con artist out of his misery. That can only mean one thing: did Kometa hire you to do this? Does the name Edgar Grant ring a bell to you!?" she started getting more threatening towards him.

Even so, the Italian assassin didn't yield to her demands. And to add insult to injury, he even spat at the Irishwoman.

"Like I would say a shit to you! The only thing I was hired to do was to observe your movements. That's why I…AAARRGHHHHHH!" he screamed in pain since Nina kicked the knife further into his shoulder. Blood streamed out from his wound.

"I told you not to be a smartass! So let's try again one last time" Nina said as she got closer to the assassin's face. "Did Edgar Grant send you? Just say yes or no" she wanted a true answer from him.

Despite crying out in pain and panting, the Italian man was still chuckling. He possessed enough strength to look into Nina's cold-blooded eyes.

"You got those eyes…the same eyes as that British asshole that was torn out of your womb!" he spat, only to be given a powerful slap to his face.

Nina seemed to have figured it out what this man's deal was. "I see. So that means Edgar hired you to put an end to me? So predictable" she remarked, finding it easy to figure out the answer.

"Risposta sbagliata, signora. You are only talking to a messenger" he responded in Italian.

"We both know that's bullshit" Nina replied nonchalantly, then pointed her handgun at the wounded man. "Still, spit out whatever words you have for me. The sooner you're finished, the quicker I can get back to my relaxation" she then demanded.

The Italian man laughed bitterly. "Bene. Then just listen to what will happen. Because as of now, that halfwit son of yours is holed up in Paris along with those Tekken Force rebels. They plan on working together….as well as take a little trip to Malta" he told her.

Nina's eyes widened a little in surprise. But it wasn't about the fact that Steve and Jin were joining up with Lars and the others. No, it was the latter.

"To Malta?" Nina inquired, turning her wrathful gaze upon the wounded man. "For what exact reason?" she questioned hm.

"The answer to that…..is already obvious. There is a fort where an order of exorcists is hiding. They plan on rescuing someone from that place" the man told her, blood streaming down from his lips. "However, they will never make it. Our men are already in position to take them out before they can even leave Paris. Which means…they will all die" he chuckled sadistically at the end.

Rather than sticking around to converse with this wounded stranger, Nina turned around and got back into her hotel room. She practically left the assassin out on the fire escape. Still, that didn't stop the Italian man from mocking her.
"What's the matter, Nina Williams? Are you feeling conflicted? Don't you want to rescue that wretched halfwit that is your son?" he started mocking Steve.

This surprisingly made Nina stop. She stood still, never turning around to look at the wounded assassin.

The Italian man smirked, seeing this as a success. He even got up to his feet. "I thought so. After all, there's on way that an assassin could possibly feel any love or empathy towards a child. You already know that, don't you?" he continued with his verbal torture. "But that's not really surprising, seeing as your parents never taught you anything about those concepts! That's what will happen to Steve Fox in the future! He will become a heartless, miserable assassin just like…." he didn't get to finish that sentence.

Nina had secretly hidden her silencer pistol beneath her bathrobe. She'd fired a couple of bullets at this man. Seeing as how he'd been standing, the impact of getting shot resulted him falling off from the fire escape. He practically fell down to the alley outside the hotel. But he was already dead by then, lying in a pool of blood.

Blowing off the smoke from her pistol, Nina put the gun down and proceeded to close the door to the fire escape. Judging by her expression, Nina was completely unaffected by the hateful words the man had just given her.

"That should shut him up. My ears were getting grated by listening to all his nonsense" she sighed out of relief, unaware that her son had similarly said that sentence.

With that taken care of, Nina got over to her laptop, hoping to get more information about the things she's heard.

"There must be a good reason for why Claudio Serafino and fanatical cult would have a hideout as far as Malta. But what is it?" Nina pondered as she browsed through the pages.

The more she dug through the files, the more she realized what Claudio's motives were.

"Of course. He captured Ling Xiaoyu and Asuka Kazama in order to lure out Jin. Clearly, he's still obsessed with getting his hands on him" Nina realized as she thought through Claudio's goal. "He was also hunting Kazuya. But given Jin being in a more vulnerable position when compared to Kazuya, it was convenient for Claudio to target the former. That said, the exorcist probably also used a weakness of Jin: his compassion" the Irishwoman continued.

That's right. She knew that considering how Jin valued his bonds with those close to him, specifically Xiaoyu, it was easy for Claudio to advantage of it. But Nina couldn't help but to wonder whether Jin would've come for her had she herself been captured by those exorcists. She knew that he was after her too.

"No matter. Those brats were too weak to handle themselves, so it's no wonder why they got captured so easily" Nina cynically remarked, continuing browsing through her pages.

She would find out whether the Archers of Sirius were being holed up in Malta or not. But was she planning on going there to help Jin rescue Xiaoyu and Asuka? No. She had other reasons for doing that. None of it revolved around those girls, let alone Jin for that matter.

"Alright then. Time to do some research" Nina encouraged herself. "If all this mess will somewhat benefit me, then I guess I'll see what I can do with it" she added while tapping on the keyboard.


At a hotel in Sharm el-Sheik, Egypt

Sharm el-Sheik, and Egyptian city, was a popular tourist destination on the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula. Given its close location to the Red Sea, thousands of beachgoers dotted the shorelines. The warm water, as well as the beautiful underwater scenery, attracted them. And not only that, it was also a city noted for its casinos. That's why the city was sometimes called "The Las Vegas of Egypt". In other words, Sharm el-Sheik was a magnet for those wishing for a relaxation at a holiday resort.

Given the many tourists visiting the city, there were thousands of hotels to accommodate them. Among them was a fancy hotel of white marble. In addition to being near the beach, it housed a large swimming pool in the middle. This hotel was arguably one of the most expensive in Sharm el-Sheik altogether.

Inside what appeared to be conference hall, there was dancing, eating and all kinds of socializing taking place. There was a nearby stage, where musicians were playing and singing songs from artists. Right now, the song "Europa" by Carlos Santana was being played in the background.

"Gosh…" Julia Rizal, the young model/fighter from the Philippines, exclaimed in wonder as she looked at the azure lights shining everywhere in the hall. "Everyone here seems to have a good time, despite the ongoing worldwide crisis" she remarked before drinking some champagne from her glass.

Shaheen, her Saudi Arabian compatriot, smiled in return. "Oh, they are aware of it all. But rather than to dwell on the obvious negativity, these people would rather celebrate as if nothing serious is taking place" he pointed out as he looked out to see the dancing. Still, he found himself frowning a little. "Even so, they should take caution. The G Corporation has launched their attacks on several countries in the Arabian Peninsula. Yemen, Qatar and Kuwait have all reported to be under G Corp-occupation" he grimly noted.

This brought nothing but worry on Josie's face. "That's terrible. I bet it's only a matter of time before Saudi Arabia or Iran gets invaded" the Filipina noted as she closed her eyes. She started thinking about her own homeland. "So far, the Philippines have been spared from any assault. But given how the G Corp now as their headquarters in Indonesia, there's no guarantee that they will be spared from any attacks. I just hope my family knows about what to do" Josie prayed for her home country.

So far, Shaheen and Josie were sitting by this table alone. There were others around them, yet they were too preoccupied to pay attention to the couple of fighters. This enabled them to focus on other things as the music played in the background.

"Anyway" Josie decided to change the subject. "Are we really going through with this plan of yours? I'm sorry to say this, but I think I didn't quite catch some of the important details" she apologetically admitted.

Still, that didn't seem to offend Shaheen in the slightest. "You need a recap? Sure. There's no need to apologize. Plus, it would be wise to go through with it once before we start" he said before tapping on what appeared to be his tablet computer.

It showed the couple of fighters a map of Egypt. It also showed the Red Sea, as well as the infamous Suez Canal.

"According to our moles inside Kometa, their moving HQ: the Amphitrite, is nearing the Gulf of Aden. Clearly, they have used some kind of hypersonic speeding machine to drive across the Indian Ocean faster than what a normal cruise ship usually does. That's how they got there so quickly" Shaheen informed Josie as the map showed them the path. "They are planning on sailing into the Mediterranean, but they usually stop in the Suez Canal in order to load up some supplies. That's where we come in" he went on explaining the details.

"I see now. So while that ship's docked inside the canal, we'll sneak onboard without getting noticed?" Josie looked at her partner.

Shaheen nodded. "Correct. Apparently, Kometa buys a lot of weapons from several Egyptian sheikhs. We will hide in the cargo and make sure that we get onboard without any complications" he told her before looking back at the map on the tablet computer. "Then, we can begin the infiltration of Kometa. We must learn more about their goals. That said, Lana Lai and her associates must be stopped" Shaheen's eyes narrowed as he said that.

Josie seemed to be in full agreement of it. "Yeah. But a big question is whether we'll be able to down that satellite of theirs. I don't mean to sound pessimistic, but I don't think there's any weapons on that ship that is capable of doing that" she seemed a little concerned about it.

"You are most certainly right, Josie. The more radiation that satellite emits towards the Earth, the worse the climatic disasters become" Shaheen agreed with her. "Fortunately, I've discovered that Kometa's chef scientist, who built that thing, has been captured by the UN and brought to one of their offices in Kenya" he revealed with a smirk.

The young girl's eyes widened. "So that means…" Josie found herself gasping in relief.

"Indeed. By snatching this Dr. Lukas Hayes from Kometa's clutches, the UN has deprived them of a valuable asset. Although he's already created many robots and other forms of weaponry for Kometa, him not being with them will mean that production of those stops permanently" the Saudi Arabian man revealed.

Josie sighed. "Thank God. That means the UN, and probably us too, can at least get more information about Kometa and its workings" she remarked. Yet the Filipina didn't feel as if this made it entirely safe. "Even so, we still have to figure out what their goal is. I mean, for what reason could they have for travelling to the Mediterranean?" Josie then wondered.

"I believe we can ask those UN agents onboard the Amphitrite about that" Shaheen answered, catching Josie's attention. "Obviously they are already onboard doing their own infiltration mission on that ship. We will try making contact with them and find out what that twisted organization's goal is" he then concluded.

"You got it!" Josie exclaimed with so much confidence in her voice.

Suddenly, the song stopped, yet another was soon being played. This time, there was a singer on the stage and all those dancing paid attention to him. In time, the music started and everyone realized what it was. This song was "Momentos" by Julio Iglesias. As the music played, all those with dance partners started moving slowly to the melody.

Shaheen looked at Josie, the young Filipina unable to stop blushing. But why was that? Shaheen had, after all, lied about his reasons for the inviting her to the gale in Dubai. Even so, Josie couldn't help but to find this man handsome and attractive. He reminded her of Miguel so much.

The man with the shemagh reached out his hand towards her. "Josie Rizal. If this is not too much to ask, may I have this dance?" he asked her so gently and smoothly.

A bomb suddenly exploded inside Josie. To be asked for a dance with someone like Shaheen was…..breathtaking.

"What's going on!? I still resent him for lying to me, so why do I feel so…enamored!?" Josie desperately tried finding an answer inside her head.

However, she managed to get a hold of herself. Smiling, Josie gently took Shaheen's hand.

"Of course. It will be my pleasure" Josie smiled, yet she seemed pretty nervous. "But I'll warn you, though. My dancing skills are very rusty" she just had to say it.

Still, Shaheen didn't take it so personally. He even laughed at it.

"No need to feel ashamed. Dancing is not my greatest strength either" he replied as he led Josie to the dancefloor. "But given the wonderful atmosphere, I just can't help but wanting to blend in with it" Shaheen noted as he looked at the lights and the many couples dancing.

As Josie listened, she agreed with her partner. "Yeah…I guess you could say that. The music's very nice" she replied.

Once they found a good spot between the many dancing pairs, Shaheen and Josie started dancing. Given this song's smooth melody, there was no need for any serious dancing moves. The two fighters took it easy, not bothering with anything else around them.

"I must say, you look fabulous with those earrings and that red headband. They suit you" Shaheen complimented Josie's accessories.

She giggled. "Oh please. You're making me blush!" she jokingly scolded him.

As they kept moving, Shaheen realized that there was something he felt Josie needed to hear.

"I understand that you're still upset with me about my deception earlier. But to be fair, I really can't blame you for feeling that. Had I been in your shoes, I would've been that too" the Saudi Arabian man told Josie. "Believe me, I personally was against deceiving you. But my superiors insisted on it. That's why I followed through" he went on.

Josie looked at him. "It's okay. I have slowly started to let go of my misgivings" she said before letting out a sigh. "Besides, between you and me, I've probably done worse things. I mean, who nobody wants to be with someone who's been in the…" she didn't get to finish her sentence as Shaheen cleared his throat.

"Madam, please don't bring that name up now. We are in the middle of a dancefloor with many people around us" he reminded her.

This left Josie embarrassed. "Gosh, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to….." she struggled to find the correct words.

"No need to stress. Perhaps it's time we do as these people and enjoy life before we commence the mission. Everything will be alright in the end, trust me" Shaheen assured her.

Smiling mischievously, Josie felt like agreeing with him to the fullest. "Alright. If you say so, Shaheen" she agreed with him.

The dancing continued and there were no signs of distress inside this hall. But could people just pretend that everything was normal with the ongoing war happening outside? These people seemed to think so. Still, one could never make a false picture of a perfect world. In a world, there was always good things and bad thing about it. But in this world, however, the negativity and despair was slowly outmaneuvering the wonders and peacefulness of it.

To be continued…