TEKKEN: THE COLD AND THE WARM


ACT 20: Iridescent

On the top of a building, La Défense, Paris, France

While Yggdrasil had continued their operations in that skyscraper in La Défense, there was no guarantee that their presence would go unnoticed. Because right now, there were eyes and ears all around the building itself. On top of a nearby skyscraper, several men were watching every movement with a pair of binoculars. Although no denizen of Paris knew it, these men were henchmen from Kometa.

How long they had been spying on Yggdrasil and its activities, no one knew. But obviously they reported everything they saw to their superiors. Or was it perhaps someone more specific?

"Things look quiet in there so far. What are they even doing?" one of the soldiers noted as he observed the building up and down.

"Keep being vigilant. Sooner or later, they will send someone out of the building. When they do that, we'll strike" his partner encouraged him.

Not bothering questioning him, the soldier proceeded to be on the lookout. But it didn't take long before something really managed to catch his attention.

"Hey! I see something! It's coming out of the garage! Look!" the soldier got his partner's attention.

As they looked through their binoculars, the two soldiers could see two vehicles driving out of the building itself. It was a pair of white Mercedes-Benz Sprinter vans. Both their windshields were black tinted, so it was impossible for them to see who was driving them. But the fact that they came out of the building gave the pair of soldiers more than enough reason to suspect what it was.

"They're heading west. That's the direction towards the Arc de Triomphe. But why would they go there?" the soldier asked his comrade.

But his comrade was already holding up his walkie-talkie. He seemed to have figured out what their real destination was.

"It's not the Arc where their destination is. They most likely plan on changing lanes on the highway at the Avenue de Neuilly. Following that highway eventually leads to the Charles de Gaulle International Airport outside Paris" the partner informed.

"I see. So they plan on making a run for it to the airport? We best send word to Grant" the soldier said.

"Already on it" his partner said as he spoke through the walkie-talkie. "Come in. We spotted two white Mercedes-Benz Sprinter vans heading west across the Seine towards the Porte Maillot. They're taking the fastest way towards the airport. Inform the boss and make sure there those two vehicles do not reach the airport. Over" he proceeded to call or assistance.

"Affirmative. Coordinates received" the voice belonging to a man could be heard from the walkie-talkie.

With that settled, both men moved away from their location. They had hoped to move into another location.

Meanwhile, the two Mercedes vans were already driving on the bridge: Ponte de Neuilly. It was a traffic jam, and the vans were driving slowly towards the tunnels. But eventually, the jams loosened and all vehicles were able to drive up to normal speed on the highway.

The two vans drove into the tunnels. But while driving through, neither of them noticed the two grey Citroën Relay vans that were driving at a slow pace on the lane beside them. Even so, the two white vans drove past them.

But the minute they did, the passenger doors of the Citroën opened and men with assault rifles opened fire. The shooting caused quite the chaos inside the tunnel and all vehicles behind them stopped quickly. Some of the drivers and passengers got out and ran for their lives.

The shooting continued and the two Mercedes vans stopped driving. Even so, they rolled along the road ahead of them. Their wheels already had holes in them. The men in the Citroën vans continued firing their weapons. But it was stopped by a command from one of their superiors.

"HOLD YOUR FIRE!" Edgar Grant gave the order and they all withdrew their weapons. He proceeded to look at the Mercedes vans with full of holes on them. Edgar smirked. "This should be enough to put their motors out of commission. Now get outside and form a ring! We will surround them all!" he then called out.

Without delay, the two grey Citroën vans stopped and Edgar and his soldiers got out of them. They started to approach the destroyed vans with their weapons aimed at them.

Edgar mused to himself as he watched his targets getting cornered by his subordinates. Feeling so high and mighty, the British assassin proceeded towards the destroyed vehicles.

"Sorry, Jin Kazama. But I'm afraid that you and your friends won't be getting out of France anytime soon. I already told you about my plans for you, didn't I?" the British assassin spoke as if Jin could "hear" him.

As Edgar joined his men, he could see that nothing had come out of the vans so far. This made him wonder why.

"They don't seem to respond, sir. We must've killed them all when we shot through them. Perhaps they are already dead" one of the soldiers informed Edgar.

But he wasn't satisfied with that answer. As such, he approached one of the vans carefully. Holding his handgun, he walked over to the driver's door.

"There's no use in hiding in the van anymore, vermin! You have nowhere to run!" Edgar called out, proceeding to open the door. "Now all of you, get out and put your hands in the air before I…" the assassin immediately froze when he and his men could see what was inside.

Believe it or not, the ones sitting inside the driver's seat of the van were two Combots. They were both out of commission due to the shooting from earlier.

"Bloody hell…." Edgar was so stunned that he almost let go of his weapon. "Are those…Combots!? Those same humanoid robots Violet Systems produces!?" he was in disbelief of what he saw.

"Over here, boss!" one of the soldiers had opened the door of the other van. "There are two Combots here as well! At the driver's seat!" he told him.

Edgar couldn't believe what he heard. "Those…damn…...ARSEHOLES!" he yelled as he threw a fit.

Now Edgar was really furious, for he realized that he had been tricked by Jin and his allies. But he knew who specifically could have come up with an idea such as this.

"Damn you, Lars Alexandersson and Lee Chaolan!" Edgar cursed their names as he slammed his right fist into the van itself. "How could I have failed to notice how smart these robots were! They are capable of anything! From cleaning houses to babysitting children and…" his thinking was interrupted when something happened.

Just then, the backdoors of each van suddenly opened. Edgar and his men were stunned as groups of Combots suddenly came out of the vans. Once they were out, they started attacking Edgar's men.

"Sir! More Combots! They appeared to have survived the shooting!" a soldier cried out in shock.

Edgar scowled. "Then don't just stand there, you useless twats! Open fire!" he commanded them.

The soldiers did as Edgar ordered. Even so, the British assassin was outraged at being fooled by his enemies. He started to wonder why Jin and his allies had done this to him.

"Was all this just a ruse? A ruse to goad me into action…...while making an escape out of Paris!? But if they really are then where the hell are they right now!?" Edgar struggled to puzzle the pieces together.

In time, Edgar came to the conclusion that all this had indeed been a ruse to lure him and his subordinates away from Jin. He figured out where they might be.

"Men! Activate all the Rippers! Make sure they search through all corners and streets of Paris! We're not stopping until Jin Kazama and his pack his found!" the assassin ordered. They all saluted in return and did as commended.

With that being said, Edgar devoted his attention to some of the destroyed Combots on the asphalt.

"Those cheeky bastards! I'll get my hands on you for this humiliation!" Edgar cried as he kicked one away from his standpoint.


In the sewers beneath Paris itself

With all this confusion affecting Edgar and his men, Jin, Lars and their friends had used the chance escape from Paris via the sewers. Although most of them objected to it at first, Lars and Lee convinced them that it was smartest and safest way of getting out of the city without having to deal with Kometa.

Right now, they were passing through a long pipe, all while trying to navigate through a sewer system which had existed since 1370. Needless to say, wandering through the sewers was complicated.

Luckily, they had Alisa to show them the way. She possessed a map which would help the group find a way out of Paris and eventually to Orly Airport itself.

"Everything clear so far, Alisa?" Lars asked her, as the group had stopped.

Alisa nodded. "Yes. We are to proceed towards that direction" she said while pointing her hand towards it. "These sewers may seem like a maze, but my map should help us getting out safely" Alisa then informed everyone.

With that said, the group proceeded moving through the sewers. Still, it had started to take a toll on the moods of the fighters, especially Steve's.

"Is it still a long way till we're out? I'm on the verge of throwing up by smelling shit every stinking second!" Steve complained.

"Oh, come off it, Steve. You've been through worse things than this" Julia chided him, yet she too was disgusted by the sewers. "Yes, I also don't like sewers very much. But if they are the best options of getting us out of Paris unnoticed then it's completely worth it" the Native American woman remarked.

"Well said, Julia" Leo spoke in agreement of her assertion.

"She speaks the truth, Steve" Lars said as he briefly looked over his shoulder to face the Brit. "Now that Edgar Grant and his cronies are too distracted by our bait, we will use the confusion to our advantage" he went on.

Jin found himself smirking. "That trick and Lee came up with sure was creative. Sending two vans out of the building in order to divert attention away from us. Who knew how useful Combots could be" he mused.

Lars did the same thing, and the others was also finding some amusement in this idea he and Lee had created. It had worked perfectly so far.

Steve chuckled. "Man, I wish I could've seen the look on that knobhead's face right now" he noted humorously.

"It will certainly make a complete ass out of him, that's for sure" Lars remarked, with a light chuckle coming out afterwards. "All the more reason for why we best keep moving. And know that these sewers won't take us directly to the airport. We'll have to get out of it eventually and continue towards Orly on foot" he informed everyone.

Everyone proceeded to follow Lars and Alisa. As they kept walking, Alisa started used her map to figure out where they specifically were underneath the city.

"Based upon my estimation, we are currently underneath Montparnasse" Alisa told everyone.

Lars nodded his head. "I see. That means we still have a long way to go. But we'll keep pushing on. Time is of great essence here" he responded.

"But can't we at least take a quick break? We've been wandering these sewers for a couple of hours" Julia suggested.

"Alright. But we can't afford to be here any longer. We have to make sure that Kometa does not know our current whereabouts. Still, I guess we deserve a break" Lars agreed with her.

The group then took their time to relax. Despite the foul stench, not to mention the lack of lights, they surprisingly managed to accommodate themselves in these narrow underground tunnels.

"Well, at least the rats thrive in these tunnels. They do love the stench after all" Steve sarcastically remarked.

Leo frowned at his words. "Please don't say such, Steve. It's so disrespectful" she scolded him.

Yet the young Brit shrugged off his friend's protests. "I'm just telling you as it is. Sewers are their natural environment, factually speaking" he replied.

Julia felt disgusted. "As much as I hate to agree, Steve is right. But you will find rats in other habitats such as rainforests, marshes, forests and swamps. I wonder why does it not get mentioned so often" she was curious, yet nobody seemed interested as she was.

Jin, knowing that the time was right, felt the need to say something to his friends. He was specifically addressing this to Steve, Leo and Julia.

"Listen. I do appreciate you helping us freeing Xiaoyu and Asuka. But I have a favor to ask each of you" the Japanese man told them, his frown becoming deeper. "Once they have been freed, I want the three of you to keep them safe and far away from me as possible" he then told them.

All their eyes widened in surprise. "You're kidding, right?" Leo couldn't believe her own ears. "You mean you don't want to at least see them after they've been rescued?" she asked him.

Steve crossed his arms. "I don't know, Jin. Doing such seems very selfish to me. After all, it's due to you Xiaoyu and Asuka are in this predicament" he chided his half-brother.

"I know that! But it's for their own safety" Jin tried his best to not sound aggressive when countering their arguments. He lowered his head to see his gloved hands. "The reason why I say this is because I plan on fighting that exorcist and make sure he stops hunting me forever. In other words, I am willing to unleash my power to its fullest. That's why I want you to help me get them away from me" he added.

Julia shook her head at him weakly. "But that's exactly what Claudio wants! He wishes to hunt you down. If you take his bait, he'll kill you" she pointed out.

Jin narrowed his eyes. "I don't plan on dying, Chang. As you probably recall from our conversation in Hyde Park, I have a long way towards redemption. Which is why I plan on not just defeating Claudio Serafino. There are other dangers to this world. Revenant and his cultist are lurking in the shadows, waiting for the opportunity to strike. Then there's Kazuya and his cronies at the G Corporation. They must all be opposed" he explained to everyone.

This made Jin's friends realize the wisdom in his words.

"Of course. I had almost forgotten the G Corp. They're still waging their war even as we speak" Leo realized, the German girl thinking about her enmity towards Kazuya. "I can't imagine the amount of suffering Kazuya is bringing upon the world. Dieser Bastard" she cursed in German.

"And we also can't forget about Kometa and that satellite of theirs" Julia pointed out. "Yes. I have a feeling that the climatic changes will only worsen now that the war continues. The satellite must be downed. I just hope Mr. Lee and Prime Minister Sobieska knows what they're doing with that plan of theirs" the four-eyed woman noted.

Steve scratched the back of his neck. "Damn. Kazuya killing Heihachi really opened new problems to the world, didn't it?" he wondered.

Most of his friends stared at him disapprovingly, yet Steve didn't pay much heed to them.

"What? They may be my dad and grandfather, but I sure as hell don't feel anything for them! Especially the latter, who's responsible for me even being on this Earth!" Steve retorted.

"That's not it, Steve" Leo chided him. "It's about you describing as if Heihachi's death somewhat caused Kometa to make their move" she told him.

"But didn't Kometa have dealings with the Zaibatsu before that old goat died?" Steve questioned her. The young Brit sighed. "Sorry if I come across as a wanker now, but I really am glad that Heihachi is gone. Even if he was my grandad, I feel nothing for him" he then said solemnly.

Jin nodded his head weakly at his half-brother. "And you have a very good reason to feel that way. I don't fault you for it" he told Steve, who looked at him

Alisa looked at the half-brothers rather concerned. "Considering what he did to each of you, I really can't fault you for feeling this way towards him" she specifically told them, only to look at Lars. "Surely you can relate to them. Wouldn't you agree, Lars?" she asked him.

For a while, Lars had been silent while the others had talked about their current situation. But clearly, the Swedish man had now a good reason to be talkative now.

Lars closed his eyes. "Well, it's very complicated, Alisa. Because as much as I despised Heihachi, the same thing couldn't be said for some people. Especially those who knew him on a personal level, including loving him" he uttered out, only to open his eyes while facing everyone. "I'm talking of course…about my mother" he then revealed.

This made everyone know what Lars was talking about. Yes, they knew he was Heihachi's illegitimate son, but they never knew much about his mother.

Everyone was calm, until Alisa started to ask him in a soothing voice.

"You mean to say that your mother loved Heihachi, even after knowing all the horrible things he did?" the android asked him, sitting close to Lars in the process.

Although Lars didn't really feel like speaking about this subject, he knew that Alisa, Steve and Jin deserved to at least know more about his past.

"That's ridiculous" the voice came from Jin. "I mean no disrespect to your mother, Lars, but she must've been naïve to have not known about Heihachi's true nature" he told his half-uncle.

Lars shook his head. "That's where you're wrong, Jin. You don't know the type of woman Madicken Alexandersson was. She was many things, but naive was not one of them" he firmly responded to Jin. The spike-haired man faced the ground to reminisce about the one person who had mattered a lot to his upbringing. "Despite being a single mother, she managed to raise me into the man of honor and justice I am today. I owe her a great debt because of it" Lars sounded quite emotional when speaking of his mother.

Those around him faced him with sympathy. Even Jin could fully relate to his half-uncle's pain, no matter how different their pasts were.

"You've never told us much about your background before the Tekken Force. How was your life back in Sweden?" Julia lowly asked him.

Lars looked at her, sighing deeply. "Growing up, it was hard. And it wasn't just about being biracial in Sweden. Not having a father in my life affected me greatly. For me, it was always tough going to football practices and not having a dad there to cheer for me when other kids had that. I remember all the times my classmates would taunt me for having an unmarried mother, as well as calling her a whore or a prostitute" the young man gritted his teeth at the thought of it. "But none those harsh words made me want to beat up those childish bullies. Because my mother taught me better than to give into such temptations. Even so, I still longed for a father figure in my life" he went on.

"Yeah. We get it. It's understandable how much that absence affected you" Leo expressed her sympathies. She eventually found herself smiling weakly. "I can tell that you and your mom were close. I know how that bond feels like" she sadly recalled the bond she shared with her late mother: Emma Kliesen.

Steve was also saddened to learn about what a tough life Lars had. But he felt like asking him more.

"Since when did you find out Heihachi was your father? I mean, your mom must've kept it secret for some reason, right?" the young Brit asked him.

This made Lars recall back to that fateful day that changed his life forever. "I remember when I was 10, I asked Madicken about who my father was. She'd previously told me that he was a Japanese businessman working abroad, but I really wanted to know who his identity. That's when my mother finally came clean. She told me that Heihachi Mishima was my father" Lars recalled back to how he learned the truth. "I was shocked when I was told that. At that time, I'd only learned about Heihachi on the TV. He was constantly portrayed as a devious executive with shady dealings. Not that it was untrue, of course. Anyway, finding out that infamous Mishima Patriarch was my father really had an effect on me" he then revealed.

"Yeah, I can't imagine how finding out being Heihachi's son feels like" Julia remarked. "I mean, he already had Kazuya. But now he has…...another son who's younger than his firstborn. Did your mom ever tell you about how she and Heihachi met?" the brunette asked, feeling somewhat disgusted with Heihachi fathering Lars with someone like Madicken.

Lars shook his head weakly. "Even to this day, I still have problems understanding Madicken's choices. But from what she told me, Heihachi was a completely different man once you came to understand who he was beneath all his harsh persona. Mother even said Heihachi was "troubled by eternal traumas and losses" as she described him. I therefore believe that my mother, being the compassionate soul she was, took pity upon Heihachi" the Swedish man spilled the beans.

Hearing this made Jin come up with a hypothesis as to why Heihachi even began a relationship with someone like Madicken. He thought to himself.

"Somehow, I can't help but to wonder whether that is true or not" Jin noted, careful not to open his mouth. "But considering how Heihachi once feared that he possessed the Devil Gene, he most likely "used" Madicken to cast away that fear. And seeing as how Lars does not possess the Devil Gene, it appears that Heihachi got the answer he was looking for" the Japanese man carefully reflected on his grandfather's selfish actions.

Lars closed his eyes, still reflecting back to his past. "But I wouldn't be able to get more answers out of my mother anytime soon. When I was 13, she passed away due to an illness. On her deathbed, mother always told me to follow whatever my heart desired. She also encouraged me to never succumb to the likes of evil and other injustices" he recalled back to the day his mother died, no matter how sorrowful it was. "I had relatives in Sweden, but I couldn't just stay there without knowing much about the man who was my father. Why did my mother fall in love a universally despised man such as Heihachi Mishima? Emboldened by that question, I decided to leave Sweden and join the Tekken Force. I wanted to know how what brought Heihachi to the Nordics, which then led to my conception" Lars explained, finally opening his eyes.

All the others listened to him with interest. This emboldened Lars to proceed explaining how he ended up joining the Tekken Force.

"I joined a youth organization which was known to train young and new recruits for the Tekken Force. This was an organization which was known to take in recruits from all over the globe. With my athletic skills and charisma, I was able be enlisted into the Tekken Force, even rising up in the ranks. Still, I withheld my blood relations to Heihachi with my fellow soldiers, even Tougou" Lars started to recall the one he had probably considered as his only friend.

Alisa remembered who he was. "Tougou. He was really important to you, wasn't he?" she asked him.

Lars had to smile as he started recalling the fond memories of him and Tougou. "You could say that. Me and Mamoru Tougou joined the Tekken Force around the same time. As friends and comrades, we are inseparable. I still feel as if he's walking beside me as I lead Yggdrasil" he spoke fondly of his late second-in-command.

But as much as Lars wanted to keep reliving those memories, he just couldn't. He stood up on his feet.

"But this is not the time for reminiscing. We have a plane to catch. So we best move on before…" Lars' explanation was stopped when they all heard the loud noise of saws being activated.

The group of fighters got cautious, yet Alisa was already ten steps ahead with detecting the movements.

"Enemy troops approaching. Yet somehow…..they do not appear to be human" even she was stunned by what she could find.

The fighters would be given an answer when the wall suddenly exploded. As soon as the dust settled, they were given a shocking view. Three "humans" were blocking their way. These humans seemed tall and were adorned with robotic and metal components, especially on their heads. They also wore combat trousers and boots. Two of them carried additional weaponry, such as flamethrowers, blades and turret guns.

"My God…what are these things!?" Steve couldn't believe what he saw.

Lars looked at Alisa. "You said you noticed cybernetics inside them, right?" he asked her, to which she nodded. The Swedish man gritted his teeth in frustration. "Damn! Then I suppose these must be the "Rippers" the UN agents informed us of" he remarked.

Leo got a closer look. "So it's really true? Kometa has somehow brought these dead humans back to life via scientific means?" she felt horrid of whatever these people had been put through.

"That's just depraved!" Julia scowled. "If they are really using dad humans like that then those Kometa-bastards really needs to be stopped!" she added while cracking her fists.

"Let's not lose sight of what we need to do now" Jin suddenly stepped before the group, standing beside Lars. "The fact that these things are down here can only mean one thing" he looked at his half-uncle.

Lars nodded weakly. "True. Edgar Grant must have sent them down here to search for us" he said before readying his combat stance. "We must defeat them and reach Orly before more reinforcements show up" the Swedish man told him.

Jin readied his powers. "Then let's make haste. We should give these people the rest they truly deserve" he replied.

And so, they fought the Rippers, determined to reach Orly. Hopefully, they would also prevent any word getting to Edgar and his lackeys.


At the United Nations Office in Nairobi, Kenya

Ever since he was freed by the agents from the UN, Dr. Lukas Hayes had been at the custody of UN. Due to his dealings with Kometa, including leading their experiments, Lukas had been ordered to make up for his past wrongdoings.

Among the things he had been ordered to do was to reveal every single detail about Kometa's operations to the UN, including its leaders and the satellite called Salacia. On the other hand, Lukas had also started his own research. He hadn't forgotten his "promise" to the Kometa-executive Shin Kamiya.

Although he had traveled with Master Raven and Raven in their stealth submarine, Lukas had been sent to the Kenyan capital of Nairobi in to be held at the UN's headquarters for interrogation. So far, Lukas had made good on his promise to cooperate with the UN.

Now under heavy surveillance from the UN, Lukas was inside an office while doing some research with regards to Kometa. The place was tightly secured, so the scientist had no hope of escaping from this captivity. But quite frankly, the scientist had come to see the error of his own ways.

He had hoped that cooperating with the UN would reduce whatever sentence he would receive, if he would ever be granted a trial, that was.

"I see. So Lee Chaolan is on his way to Geneva to get the cannon Kometa erected near Matterhorn. I only pray his expertise in engineering his good. Because it will be hard to get access to that cannon" the scientist prayed as she kept browsing through the pages.

Remembering his promises to Shin Kamiya, Lukas had begun digging up some valuable information with regards to this M-Cell Project conducted by the Mishima Zaibatsu. Shin had been one of its many guineapigs, as well as the only survivor.

"I just have to find out whether it really true. Did Heihachi Mishima somehow discover how to make a human immortal?" Lukas wondered, his glasses reflecting the computer screen's light. "But that's impossible. If Heihachi wanted immortality so much, he would've underwent the experiment himself. Something doesn't seem right here" he scratched his head in confusion.

But as he tried to ponder through this question, Lukas received something. It was an email. He wondered who had sent it. But for some reason, he couldn't identify the sender.

"Who could have possibly have sent me a message? It's not from those Tekken Force rebels. Neither is it from the UN. Who sent it?" the scientist decided to open the message anyway.

As he opened the message on the computer screen, the eyes behind Lukas' glasses widened in shock. Despite the message being long, he started reading it carefully.

To the esteemed and good-hearted Doctor Lukas Hayes.

Forgive me if I am interrupting whatever research of repentance, but I cannot help but to deliver you this message. Though you and I have never officially met, it appears that we somehow share a connection. Yes, I am aware of this "grudge" you hold against me, not to mention that you stole the blueprints of my J Robots.

But I want to make one thing clear to you, Hayes. It was never my intention of ruining your career. I have never desired infamy nor fame. The only thing that interests me most is helping those in need, especially those less fortunate than us wise ones. As men of science, we are supposed to come together and share our ideals and goals for the good of humanity. Surely you can agree with me on that, can you, Hayes?

With that said, I do not resent you for stealing my blueprints for the J Robots. Those pesky robots were imperfect anyway. Still, I cannot forgive your involvement with the likes of Kometa. You helped them create weapons that are beyond reprehensible. Right now, that satellite floating above the Earth is creating rapid climatic changes across the globe. And what scientist would use dead human bodies as their basis of creating weapons? I have only known one man capable of such depravity: Doctor Cain Abel. Only that madman would possess enough audacity to create weapons of mass destruction. You know the type of man he was.

So let me ask you this, Hayes. Why did you sink down to such a low level? Did your desire for vengeance and acknowledgement corrupt your ethics? Every scientist must have limits when it comes to research. For all the mischief you have been involved in, I had expected you to at least have such. You are not Abel, after all.

But even as I write down these condemnations of you, I feel that I have no right to judge. After all, I too have done things that I am not proud of. When I worked for the Mishima Zaibatsu's research team, I prioritized scientific achievement over morality. Creating weapons for Kazuya Mishima and Jin Kazama does not make me a perfect man of science either. That is why I will not fully condemn you for your choices. Even I have blood on my hands.

Since we are speaking of choices, we should perhaps speak of what we can do to redeem ourselves for our past mistakes. I have heard about your true intention of creating that satellite. It warms me up to find out how you intended on helping humanity. But when working for someone such as Lana Lai, your projects are bound to be exploited.

But now that you have been freed from Kometa's clutches, there is still a chance for you to return to your goal. Do not throw it away, Hayes! While you are still making up for your past mistakes, it is not too late to help make the world a better place. And you will not do it alone. I will gladly help you.

You heard me right! There is so much we can accomplish together. With the world currently affected by Kazuya Mishima's mad crusade, it falls on us to try helping the world's most vulnerable. Do you agree to a hand in friendship? Send me a message if you say yes.

You and I will meet someday, trust me. But for now, it would be best if you did anything the UN asks of you. You are at their mercy after all. But though as it may seem, you are at the very least safe there in Nairobi.

Best regards, Doctor Grigory Bosconovitch

PS: I hear that you are, in secret, an avid chess player. Well, so am I. I look forward to play a round with you once we meet. It has been quit lonely playing by myself inside the laboratory.

After reading the entire message, Lukas as so shaky that he literally took off his glasses. He had reason in doing so. Believe it or not, the infamous Dr Bosconovitch himself had sent him an email offering Lukas a hand in friendship.

The scientist was filled with so many thoughts swirling in his head. He didn't know how to respond.

"I can't believe it…." he stammered as he looked at the computer screen. "For years…I had always envied you…hated you…even stolen some of your ideas…..yet you are now willing to make friends with me?" Lukas didn't know what to even think. "Then again…you are not the exact man I had expected you to be. But at the very least…you possess humility. I wish I had known about this earlier" he prayed as he looked down at his lap.

Something started to change inside the meekly scientist. He had learned that Dr Bosconovitch was perhaps not the type of man he had despised so much. That said, a feeling of optimism had emerged in his head.

For the first in a very long time, Lukas had regained the confidence he had lost as a man of science. He now knew what he needed to do in hopes of atoning for his past mistakes.

"I know what must be done. This is not the time for me to dwell on self-pity. Whatever it takes to end Kometa…..I will work to make sure their plans are ruined" Lukas said as he started browsing through the pages on the computer screen.

Hopefully, Lukas would be released from the UN's custody. After that, he would seek out the infamous doctor. And this time, they would come together was friends rather than bitter rivals.


In the dungeons of Fort Saint Elmo, Valetta, Malta

Asuka Kazuma and Ling Xiaoyu were still being held at these dungeons of Fort Saint Elmo. Still being held captives by the Archers of Sirius, the two girls were still uncertain what fair awaited them. They knew that Claudio had planned on using them as bait to lure Jin Kazama. But several days had passed, yet there were no signs of him.

"I can't take this anymore" Xiaoyu groaned as she threw away the empty plate on her lap. It cracked as a result, yet the Chinese girl didn't care. "How long are they going to keep us caged like this?" she wondered.

"No idea. But I'm slowly starting to feel a little claustrophobic by this cell" Asuka shrugged, yet she smiled at her friend. "But at least I have you here with me. I don't think I could've managed himself being alone here" she remarked.

Seeing her friend say that forced a soft giggle from Xiaoyu. Yet she was already feeling troubled of what might happen. Asuka could see that.

"For some reason, I fear that this outcome of whatever scheme these exorcists have will be far worse than expected. I don't know why, but I just have this feeling in my gut telling me this" the Chinese girl revealed.

Asuka responded by gently patting her friend's left shoulder. "You sure that's not just your belly telling how you're still hungry? Because I'm sure as heck tired of being fed such crappy food" she told her.

"No. That's not it. It's just that…" Xiaoyu suddenly stopped speaking.

She and her friend could hear steps coming from outside the cell. They looked up and could see someone standing before the iron bars. It was a woman dressed in a white-hooded robe. Despite her sleeves being folded together, they could still see her mouth and chin.

"Who are you?" Xiaoyu asked as she looked at this stranger. "We've never seen a nun here before" she continued.

Asuka looked at the individual rather dismissively. "What's this, another "devious" attempt to get us to fully support this demon hunt of yours? Well, too freaking bad! We don't need your blessings or whatever baloney you have underneath your sleeves" she practically reprimanded her.

Despite being spoken to like this, the woman had done nothing in return, let alone opened her mouth to speak. This stunned the girls, as they didn't know who she was and what reason she had for being here. Asuka was getting slightly agitated by this woman's silence.

"Okay. Now you're starting to creep me up" the young Osakan expressed her opinion of this stranger's behavior.

Xiaoyu was also finding this hooded woman to be a nuisance. "Yeah, drop the silent treatment. We know you have a motive for approaching us. So quit whatever charade you're doing and…" she didn't get to finish her statement.

"Be silent, children. You would do well to not make noise in these dungeons. Someone could hear us" the familiar voice coming out of the woman's lips made both Asuka and Xiaoyu freeze.

They knew who this woman was. As such, they didn't bother speaking anymore. Still, this hooded woman seemed content with carrying on with this conversation.

"Right now, nobody is allowed to see you two. Not even me. That is why I ask you respectfully to keep your voices down. No one can know that I was here without Claudio's permission" she told the girls.

So far, neither Xiaoyu nor Asuka could fathom why this woman would do such thing.

"This doesn't make any sense" Asuka blurted out. "Weren't you the one so very dedicated to that jerkface and his goals?" she asked her with a raised eyebrow.

Xiaoyu crossed her arms. "Something tells me that you have an ulterior motive for this" she pointed out, yet Xiaoyu seemed to recall an earlier conversation with this woman. "Ah, now I see. So you really do have second thoughts about capturing us?" she pointed it out mischievously.

"Which means: you don't fully condone what Claudio's doing" Asuka joined in on stating the obvious

Judging by the frown on the hooded woman's lips, she didn't seem pleased with the girls' assumptions. But she had remained quite calm and composed so far, not giving in to whatever teasing they had in store for her.

"What I regret is not for you to decide. Only I can determine such" the woman's voice was soft, yet it bore some hints of frustration. "Now as for you being captives. That may no longer be necessary at the moment, seeing as how our plans have changed" she then informed them.

Both Asuka and Xiaoyu's widened in realization. They could tell what this woman was about to reveal.

"So that means…Jin and the others…now know that we're here?" Xiaoyu weakly asked the hooded woman.

A weak nod was all she needed to confirm the question. "That is right. He and his allies have already been notified of the two of you being here in Fort Saint Elmo in Malta. They are already on their way down here even as we speak" the woman informed them.

Asuka was stunned. "Malta? Are you telling we're on an island in the Mediterranean!? Man, that's sick!" the Japanese teenager couldn't believe where she and her friend had been for the last days.

"What did you tell them!?" Xiaoyu wanted to know it wall.

The hooded woman remained unfazed, yet she did open her mouth. "We told them that we were willing to free you, as long as our terms for it were met. You two will be set free if Jin shows up tomorrow morning at Fort Saint Elmo alone. That was what we said" she explained the details.

Xiaoyu was understandably upset with that answer. "Damn you. So you're really this desperate to get your hands on him, is that it!?" the Chinese girl didn't hide her antagonism towards this woman.

"I can't tell whether what you did was stupid or not. Because Jin will definitely come down here for you this instant" Asuka couldn't tell whether the exorcists had done a good job at revealing this detail to Jin or not.

Even so, the hooded woman showed no change to her deep frown.

"Yes, we are aware that this will most likely set Jin off. But fortunately, we are counting on it" she was still having her sleeves folded. "Which everything said, there will be no need for baits to lure him anymore, since he now knows where we are hiding. Therefore, it's time that we put an end to this charade" she revealed.

The two girls were confused once they heard a clinging noise coming from underneath the woman herself. Had she dropped something? Either way, Xiaoyu and Asuka knew that there was something underneath the cloth itself.

Using her right foot, the woman pushed something underneath the hem of her robe. It was a key. The two prisoners watched in surprise as the hooded woman kicked the key under the door of iron bars, the key landing between them.

Asuka and Xiaoyu looked, each girl stunned as to what this familiar individual had done just now. They looked at the hooded woman in complete disbelief.

"Are you…freeing us?" Xiaoyu stammered.

"Not quite" she immediately shut down the girl's assumption. "This is a key to your chain balls. Tomorrow morning, use that key to free yourselves from them. Now as for the door. You will have wait until the guards comes to pick you up for the exchange" the woman went on explaining.

Asuka found herself giggling mischievously. "Ah, I see it now. We'll make our move when the guard opens the door, all while he's completely unaware of us being free from the chain balls. Now that doesn't sound hard at all" she remarked.

Xiaoyu had to giggle herself at seeing how optimistic her friend was. "Yes. We can perfectly handle a clumsy guard" she spoke in favor of Asuka's opinion.

The Japanese girl faced the hooded woman. "So you are sort of indirectly freeing us? Not exactly the best way, yet still decent enough" Asuka commended her.

"Do not get the wrong assumption. What I am doing now is not out of pity towards the two of you. The only reason that I would risk my friendship with Claudio Serafino is…" she sighed, realizing that saying this would be tough. "…because it is the right thing to do. I will not give up on my ethics…no matter how desperate I am feeling" the woman concluded.

Xiaoyu and Asuka watched her, each of them wondering how she was truly feeling with regards to her inner demons. Even so, they didn't bother asking her any questions.

"But nothing still changes. Jin Kazama will die tomorrow morning. His death will deprive Azazel a source of his reemerging" the hooded woman was firm on this subject.

"No!" Xiaoyu snapped, even rising up to her feet. This was surprising, given how heave the chain ball was. "I will not let that happen! That I promise" she insisted.

Asuka was stunned by this level of determination her friend possessed. Yet the woman across them was hardly impressed.

"Are you really so willing to risk your life for the sake of one man who does not love you? You suffer from a dangerous delusion, Ling Xiaoyu" she spoke the girl's name.

Xiaoyu scowled, not appreciating this insult. "You're lucky this door is separating us from each other. Because if it weren't for that and this chain ball, I would've personally kicked your ass right now" she didn't mince words.

Her friend was amused by Xiaoyu's choice of words. "Yeah! You tell her, Xiaoyu!" Asuka chimed in, she too facing the woman with defiance.

The hooded woman grew weary of speaking to these prisoners. She so was about to take her leave. Yet she didn't mind leaving some words of advice to these girls.

"Very well. Once you are out of this cell, you may do as you wish. But I am warning you. If I see either of you in this fort's courtyard tomorrow, I will not hesitate to harm you. Make sure you get that into your tiny, silly heads" she told them and turned around. "I best take my leave. Now as for this conversation, it never happened between us. One word to the guards about me being here, and I will come back and deal with you personally. Until we meet again, foolish girls" this was the final words before she disappeared.

Xiaoyu stuck her tongue out, while Asuka flipped the bird. Neither of them was willing to take this woman's words to heart.

"Finally, she's gone. My head was starting to explode by listening to her annoying figure of speech" Asuka breathed out a sight of relief. She then looked at the key between her and Xiaoyu. "But on the positive side, we can now get rid of the chain balls. I swear, my ankle was starting to hurt really bad" she grinned.

"Yes, I suppose you're right" Xiaoyu agreed with her. "But listen, Asuka. Now that Jin and the others are on their way here, that means we too must come up with a plan on escaping from this fort" she told Asuka.

Asuka scratched the back of her head. "True, but this fort's gonna be crawling with guards. Plus, I bet that Jin and Claudio are in for one hell of a battle. Maybe we should do something to help him" she suggested.

Xiaoyu looked down at her lap. She was carefully considering what her friend just said.

"You know something, Asuka. That might be what we'll do" Xiaoyu smiled and she looked at the young Osakan. "Wanna hear this crazy idea I got?" she asked Asuka.

Asuka smirked back. "Count me in! I'm listening" she informed Xiaoyu.

The two friends then started chatting, planning on what to do with regards to escaping from this fort.

Meanwhile, the hooded woman who had just given the key to Xiaoyu and Asuka was now leaning against a wall. There was nobody around, so she decided it was the perfect opportunity to take off her hooded robe. Once it was down, she revealed herself for nobody to see.

All along, Zafina had disguised herself as a nun in order to move around these dungeons unnoticed. And not only that, she had also done something Claudio would not approve of. But Zafina had somehow expressed her discomfort with Claudio's way of using these girls as baits to lure Jin. So now, she felt as if she had done something which was fair.

"I am sorry, Claudio. But now that Jin knows we are here, I see no reason to keep these girls locked in the dungeons. But I hope you can at least understand why I am doing this. It is for our sakes. We must never become the kind of people we despise" Zafina apologized to her associate.

As much as she wanted to kill Jin as he did, Zafina would not go down to this level. That was not her way. She would not mention this to Claudio and the other exorcists. After all, all that mattered was that Jin was defeated, for the sake of the world.

Zafina looked at her bandaged left hand. Even now, she could feel the demon inside her laughing and grinning.

"I CAN FEEL HIS ESSENCE. IT CALLS TO ME. LONGS FOR ME. DESIRES ME. WITH EACH PASSING DAY, MY FORMER PUPPET APPROACHES HIS LAST DAY OF LIVING" Azazel's voice was enough to make her agitated.

She held onto her bandaged hand, trying her best to make the demon's influence disappear.

"Damn you…..get out of my head!" Zafina cursed, but it was no use.

"WHY EVEN BOTHER RESISTING THE INEVITABLE, MORTAL? FOR IN TIME, YOUR PURPOSE AS MY VESSEL…..WILL COME TO AN END SOON" Azazel laughed, taking pleasure in Zafina's inner struggling.

In time, his voice disappeared and Zafina took her time to catch her breath. No matter how many times she was drained of energy, Zafina was used to these taunts and insults from Azazel. Hopefully, they would come to an end soon enough.

"I best get out of here before anyone sees me" she then said, starting to vanish from the scene.


At Orly Airport, Paris, France

Lars, Jin and the others had finally arrived. Having used the sewers to escape from Paris, the group of fighters now found themselves behind the fence of Orly Airport. While this airport was large, it was smaller than Charles de Gaulle International Airport north of Pars. This one was much further south.

But even though they had taken a safe route, the group had stumbled upon a group of Rippers stalking in the sewers. But Jin and Lars had made quick work of them, and they had gotten out of the sewers quickly. Luckily, they had not encountered more enemies.

Now that thy were in the airfield of Orly itself, Lars and his friends took their time to asses their current standpoint. Right now, they were standing in a very open area.

"Alright. We've finally made it" Lars told his friends.

"That's nice and all. But where's this cargo plane you told us we'd be using?" Steve asked as he surveyed the airfield. "There are tons of planes here. Not just passenger ones" he remarked.

Jin stepped forward. "I assume that we have contacts here at Orly who will guide us to it" he spoke up, to which Lars nodded.

"Yeah. We have certain moles in the French Air and Space Force who are willing to let us do business here in Orly. But this cooperation is done so without the knowledge of French authorities" Lars answered.

Julia adjusted her glasses. "Well, they better come here quickly. I have this feeling in my gut that those Rippers we encountered in the sewers were willing to share info with their superiors. If they know we're here, it's over" she expressed her own worries.

"We just have to be patient. Me and Lee spoke with them yesterday. They said they would be willing to help us. There's no way….." Lars was interrupted when Alisa suddenly spotted someone.

"I see an individual approaching" she was cautious and activated her chainsaws.

It was indeed a man approaching them, but he didn't look conspicuous at all. Judging by the clothes he wore, he seemed to be working on the airfield. He was a little startled by Alisa's chainsaws, though.

Lars smiled. "Stand down, Alisa. He's no enemy. This is our informant" he told her and Alisa did as he requested.

The informant then approached the group. "Bonjour, Monsieur Lars Alexandersson. I will be your guide to the plane. Pardon my insolence, but I was under the impression that you and your friends would be here at Orly earlier" he told him, sounding somewhat distressed by their late appearance.

"It couldn't be helped, sir. We ran into troubles in the sewers along the way" Lars said with a formal bow. "But rest assured we're all set and ready to leave" he then assured him.

The informant shrugged his shoulders in return. "Si tu le dis" he groaned in French, only to motion his head backwards. "This apron bus near us will take you to the hangar where the plan is. You will start takeoff as soon as we have everything in place" he then informed the group.

Leo was curious of seeing the apron us. "An apron bus just for us? Fancy" she had to admit that she was impressed.

The informant rolled his eyes. "Argh. Suivez moi simplement. We have no time to waste" he told everyone.

As they walked to the apron bus that was standing in the middle of the airstrip, Julia couldn't help but to notice something. It regarding Jin and his hood.

"I know that you're not showing your hair, but I'm surprised that this guy doesn't recognize your face. I mean, it's practically recognizable" the Native American woman told him.

Jin shook his head weakly. "Try not to pull any of my legs now, Chang. Because quite frankly, I prefer my remaining the opposite of what you said it was" he gave her a clear answer.

Julia scoffed at his words in serious. "Please, you should know that's something I would give anything for that to happen" she threw a jibe at him.

The Japanese man ignored Julia, preferring not to start an argument at a time like this. What mattered to him now, was to get to the plane and save Xiaoyu and Asuka.

The apron bus took the group to the hangar where the cargo plane was waiting for them. Lars took his time to confer with the team and crew. They were allied with Yggdrasil, so of course they knew what they were in for.

After carefully checking their surroundings, the cargo plane took off from Orly without any problems. Onboard the plane itself, there was a great of sense of relief among the group of fighters. Now they didn't need to worry about Edgar Grant and whatever dangerous things he had serving him.

Steve was particularly satisfied with this. "Thank God we didn't need to see that smug bastard's face again" he expressed this relief with his friends.

"I agree. Edgar Grant sure is a nasty person" Leo spoke in favor of Steve's sentiment.

"Let's not celebrate just yet" Jin broke the peace, facing everyone with seriousness. "While we may have shaken off him, we still have to contend with Kometa and its other executives" he told them the brutal truth.

Julia nodded. "Jin's right. Whatever twisted plans they have, this world cannot overcome them. Everyone's already have their hands full with the ongoing war happening" she pointed out.

Alisa was starting to gather some information about what Julia just said. She was reading some news on the Internet.

"According to some of my research, the G Corporation have now taken complete control of the Iberian Peninsula. They have also started attacking Morocco and Ireland as of now" the android revealed.

"Shit. They've already expanded their invasion forces to other countries now? Then I suppose it won't be long before Britain and France are next. Good thing we're leaving now" Steve spoke up his worries.

"That may be true. But we shouldn't consider us safe just yet" Lars said while watching what appeared to be a map of the Mediterranean. "The G Corp is now occupying the Balkans and Greece, while moving to attack Turkey, Cyprus and countries in North Africa. We're heading to Malta, which is right between Europe and Africa" the Swedish man pointed out.

"In other words, we'll be heading to a dangerous place. It's only a matter of time before Malta is attacked as well" Leo was concerned.

Steve slammed his fist upon the deck. "Damnit all! Is there any nation that has yet to not be under the threat of an invasion? At this rate, Antarctica may be the safest place to go to if we want to avoid the G Corp" the Brit expressed his frustrations.

"I know this is hard, but this is not the time to run away. In the end, all countries will face Kazuya's wrath" Lars tried to calm Steve down. He then tried to find something positive about this. "But on the bright side, Yggdrasil will now receive more allies and sympathizers across the globe. The international community now realizes that Kazuya cannot be negotiated with. He must fall, if we are to end this war" he revealed.

Jin smiled weakly, yet it soon changed back into his trademark frown. Clearly, he too was growing agitated by such violence happening.

"We all know that. But the mission to end Kazuya will have to wait for now. Xiaoyu and Asuka must be rescued first" Jin said as he looked at his gloved right hand before clenching it. "Once they are free, I will come for them all. Claudio Serafino. Lana Lai. Revenant. Kazuya. None of them shall be free from my wrath" he was determined to fight them all.

His friends seemed pleased with Jin's resolve. They could tell that Jin was doing this to atone for his wrongdoings. He was as much as guilty as Heihachi and Kazuya was for putting the world in its current state.

Alisa looked at Lars. "Is it time for us to plan our rescuing mission?" she asked him.

Lars was already on it, as he put on a map of Valletta at the deck for everyone to see. On the map, they could also see the place where the exorcists were holding their captives: Fort Saint Elmo.

"We'll have to be very pragmatic here. Claudio will not let Xiaoyu and Asuka go until he sees Jin appearing in the fort's courtyard all by himself. However, we can't assume him to be dumb, as he most likely anticipates us to be there as well" Lars started the planning by giving everyone the details.

"Then what do you suggest, Lars?" Julia asked him.

"Do we send Jin on his own and hope that slimeball honors his agreement?" Leo chimed in.

Lars shook his head. "Negative. We must remember that in an exchange such as this, everything is possible. What if for example Xiaoyu and Asuka were not in Fort Saint Elmo, but at another location? That is something we should also have in the back of our heads" he tried to make them see the point.

"Ah, so if we cannot figure out the exact outcome, then we'll just have to improvise. Isn't that what you're saying?" Steve quizzed in return.

"Being an accurate assessment, yes" Lars responded with a smug smile. But he eventually directed his attention towards his other half-nephew. "Jin. I know that you may want to save your power for your battle against Kazuya. However, there is a big chance that you'll have to use it when fighting Claudio" the Swedish man pointed out.

Jin, as reluctant as he seemed of doing that, understood the gravity of the situation. From what he had heard about him, Claudio Serafino was unlike any of the exorcists he had heard of. He was rumored to possess a strange power which had unfamiliar roots. Regardless, Jin knew what he had to do.

"I know. And you can bet that I'm not planning on holding back against that man. He will be my warm-up for my upcoming fight against Kazuya" the Japanese man revealed.

And so, the group of friends started planning the rescue, the night descending upon them in the air. They would sleep and wake up for the mission itself. But how it would end, none of them could ever now

To be continued…