Neo City; Tatyana's Apartment - Two Weeks Later:
Master Raven leaned against the wall with crossed arms as she stared at the polished hardwood floors beneath her heels, car keys in hand while waiting for Raven to finish getting dressed. He stepped into the living room not wearing his upgraded mission suit but instead an all-black outfit: dress shoes, suit pants, a brown leather belt and silver buckle, and a button-down shirt tucked into his pants. The collar's top remained unbuttoned, and both sleeves rolled to his elbows. His classic leather gloves were over each hand, added with a high-tech watch on his left arm. One hand held his shades while the other had her dark red tie with its clip already on it.
Placing his shades onto his face, Raven tugged at his collar. "I forgot how constricting formal clothes were. How do I look?"
Master Raven stood from the wall, placing a hand on her hip with a knowing smile. "It fits you, but I prefer the full uncovered version."
He chuckled, walking over to loop the tie around the collar of his girlfriend's dress shirt. "Of course you do."
They shared a small kiss, and the slight smile on Raven's face was replaced with a quizzical expression while tying her tie. "Don't you think it's crazy how we haven't been called on a mission or for intel updates these past few weeks?"
"Although odd," Master Raven began. "it could just be a pause in the Mishima War. Either way, us being called in could mean something big."
Click.
Raven ran a finger over her tie clip. "As reassuring as that is, maybe it's something we're not expecting."
"You think so?"
"Only one way to find out."
UN HQ - Victor's Office:
Victor rubbed a hand over his chin, eyes focused as he glanced over his agents standing at attention before him, hands behind their backs.
"Despite the momentary peace with a few ongoing fights with the Tekken Force, we have a new and old problem. One involves Sergei Dragunov." He picked up his tablet from his glass desk. "Please, sit."
Each did so in a dark leather chair facing their superior. Victor placed the tablet in the middle of the desk, a holographic screen with three smaller ones on its left projecting.
"While deploying several soldiers to aid in fighting off groups of Tekken Force soldiers, I found something interesting."
The holographic screens displayed a fully dressed Sergei Dragunov entering warehouses and empty lots. Each camera gradually zoomed in to find him 'talking' with Tekken Force soldiers. At the bottom of each screen was the location. Raven's gaze narrowed as Dragunov held and pointed at a wanted poster of Nina Williams before one of the soldiers slid open the warehouse door: New Zealand, United Kingdom, Ireland, France.
Master Raven tapped the tablet's screen, and the holographic feeds faded out of sight as she sat back. "It seems our old friend has found new acquaintances."
"Possible recruits into the Russian army?" Raven suggested.
"Maybe as a separate unit," Victor replied. "Russia isn't one to integrate with outsiders so willingly."
The blonde-haired agent raked his hand through his short hair. "Or it's a possible bribe involving Nina's head for their cooperation."
"Seems likely with the Tekken Force left to occupy the eastern side of the world. Either way, I'll need one of you to shadow him."
His subordinates looked over at each other in apparent confusion.
The Frenchman chuckled. "I've figured out a simple triangulation of places Dragunov visits for these meetings. His most popular spot resides in Warsaw. Summers, you'll track Dragunov while Raven and I are on standby to provide backup during his next meet-up in two days. He'll either be near the Vistula River below Roweki Bridge, Żerański Footbridge, or Port Żerański. Oddly enough, Dragunov seems to be most comfortable near water."
"A second escape if there's a bust. Local police probably don't have boats on hand," Raven deducted.
His superior nodded. "With that being said, prepare for a stakeout."
"This should be easy," Master Raven remarked, smirking.
Warsaw, Poland; PKP Cargo Connect Terminal - 8:22 P.M.:
The rear tire of a motorcycle slid across the gravel and sand, its engine's roar quieting to a calm purr under the bridge.
Nina stood from one of the concrete pillars. "Didn't think you'd be able to get it back."
"Aw, come on, Nina."
The man's smirk accentuated his thick Australian accent with rising laughter. He was slightly shorter with pale skin, short, spikey brown hair, bright green eyes, and a matching stubbled beard. On his feet were black combat boots, a sleeveless camouflage collared shirt, dark gray cargo pants, and a holstered Smith & Wesson M&P R8 Revolver strapped to his left leg. He dismounted the motorcycle, his boots' soles resonating from the ground, which signified a heavy foot habit as a way to announce his presence.
"You know I always get my vehicles one way or another," he added with a grin. "I never fail when it comes to a pair of pretty wheels."
"You're reckless, Mech," Nina stated with a knowing look.
The shorter man rolled his eyes. "I don't get it. What's the point of an epic alias if you shorten it? Making me sound like a stupid robot. Mechanic, Nina. The Mechanic."
She chortled before approaching the bike, her preference for transportation on the ground - a black BWM R 1250 RS Achilles Drag Bike. Nina's eyes narrowed as she inspected each feature, instantly spotting the modifications on the outside. Two rear wheel carry cases.
"Would you prefer if I called you by your first name, Toby?"
His jaw clenched. "Always the difficult one."
"Anything I should know about the upgrades?"
The Mechanic kneeled, placing a hand on the padded leather seat as he looked over the engine. "Couldn't do much for the engine itself, but I did upgrade the brakes for a smoother drift, loosen the back wheel's suspension just enough to increase the speed, and added the nitrous kit under the seat pan."
Nina's eyebrows furrowed. "Took notes from Jin's Enigma Type 5843?"
The Mechanic nodded. "That kid was a genius with the technicalities of that tech'ed up piece. A lighter back wheel with high speeds gives you a nice nitro drift for wide and sharp turns, emphasizing the torque's power. Too bad he let it get destroyed. It's taking me forever to find which dump it landed in. Thanks for the blueprints, but I wanna get the real thing to understand the machinery better. Besides that, there are dual cases on the back end. One can hold the sniper on your back, and the other is for extra ammo."
"Thanks, Mech," Nina said before sliding onto the motorcycle. "Don't worry about payment. My partner will wire it to you soon."
"Still working with that stickler Tekken Force Commander?" He questioned with a bored look.
"Haruto gets results and keeps his mouth shut."
"Ah!" The Mechanic remarked before his expression turned into angered annoyance. "Yeah, yeah. I get it. So, we still meeting that Russian guy, right?"
"Correct, but I'll do it alone for the first one. I need to make sure Dragonuv won't double-cross me."
"Right. See you around, blondie?"
Nina slipped her glasses on. "Don't call me that."
The Australian man shrugged his shoulders, giving her a wide cheesy smile. Nina pulled on the motorcycle's throttle and lifted her feet as the vehicle quickly picked up speed. A trail of wheel marks was left in her wake as the Mechanic watched Nina disappear into the night. The engine echoed into silence, and soon saw nothing but distant street lights, the pitch-black sky, and darkened calm waves of the ocean.
Beep.
He slipped his phone from his pocket as a new text notification from a familiar contact met his eyes. Commander H.
Money has been wired. Next time, don't ask questions. Two Days from now: Port Żerański [8:32 P.M. Sharp] DON'T BE LATE.
"Does she always need to have him in her ear listening?" the Mechanic grumbled before walking away. "That hot blonde... If the money wasn't so good, I'd blow that guy into bits and turn his bones into a prize for my car's front bumper."
Vistula River; Coastal Loft - 11:17 P.M.:
Cli-Click!
Victor opened the polished wooden door and entered the simple living room of the quaint loft. His agents came in afterward, each looking around.
"I know it's not much or what you both are used to," Victor began, shoving his hands into his pockets. "But it's the best I can do to keep our arrival in Poland discreet. We can't risk word of us being here getting to Dragunov and scaring him off. Four bedrooms, an underground lab to freshen up your weapons, or bring extra gear for the mission. Feel free to spar outside or meditate under the river. The extra bedroom is for checking the surveillance cameras around the area and another way to stay in contact."
One of Master Raven's slim eyebrows raised. "You're not staying?"
"Negative. I'm heading a small squadron to set up new cameras and see if we missed anything. I should return before 1 A.M. Can you behave while I'm gone?
A smirk formed on the woman's face. "We're not kids anymore, Vic."
He chuckled while heading for the door. "Don't wait up."
The tall silver-haired fighter exited outside to the armored UN Hummer parked outside.
Master Raven viewed the brick wall on the right side stretching to the small kitchen. Empty shelves lay where books used to be, and surprisingly, modern furniture and décor clashed with the antique drawers and ceiling fans. There was even a nearly empty bookshelf with a bright red record player and a cart of vinyl records. The house was a weird mix of a homey rustic foundation of brown wood and brick with black and dark gray modernity. It teetered on the edge of being ugly, nearly displeasing to the eyes for its inability to be symmetrical.
"Well..." Master Raven began, her face twisting into something of disgust. "At least it's not entirely dated. Victor could've asked me to redecorate beforehand."
She was accustomed to more sleek, modern designs that blended with its environment. Perhaps that was due to Victor's influence. Either way, there were better setups.
Raven closed the door behind her and locked it. "Honestly, I would've preferred the original furniture to this."
"Same."
"But, now that Victor's gone..."
Raven placed his single carry-on luggage by the door before his hands slipped around her waist, a playful smirk on his lips. "You and I could converse over wine out on the roof."
She laughed at his suggestion. "Raven, come on."
He laid a soft but teasing kiss on her neck. Master Raven inhaled sharply, closing her eyes as several tempting thoughts filled her mind. She gripped his shoulders but regained a semblance of control even as Raven worked the loose knot of her tie.
Unwillingly, Master Raven stopped his hand from pulling the tie completely loose. "I need to focus on this mission."
He pouted playfully. "Just when I was getting used to having a vacation. We should familiarize ourselves with our current surroundings."
"Yeah. However..." Master Raven gave him a deep kiss, her following words enunuced with a drawl. "That doesn't mean we can't continue this later."
Warsaw, Poland: Rynek Starego Miasta [Old Town Market Place] - 12:18 A.M.:
Victor walked amid a sparse crowd near the narrow street leading back to the city, appreciating the simplistic peace. People laughed and talked while enjoying the street food, art, and desserts of several vendors around the courtyard. He even spotted a lucky woman being proposed to near the stone guardrail near the ocean. Nice to know there were places untouched by the war.
"I don't have time to deal with a mute Russian. Unless you have information on Nina, get out of my sight!"
He paused mid-step, that velvety tone laced in silk and ice vividly familiar - a biting voice of a particular female. Victor turned left and spotted two armed Russian soldiers guarding a stone doorway beyond the alley. He quickly slipped behind the corner of a building just as one soldier turned his head. Looking upward over the corner, Victor saw a flag pole with a red flag with golden words in Polish and a picture of the prime minister in her Karate Gi. He chuckled while channeling his Ki.
Bzzzt!
Victor teleported to the flagpole and crouched into the building's shadow as he overlooked the square courtyard below. Inside the small building courtyard were some familiar faces. Anna Williams and a fellow next to her were confronted by Sergei Dragunov and what seemed to be his translator. Several armed Russian soldiers stood around as well. The brunette assassin wore a brown mink coat over her red dress and golden sunglasses. She had a hand on her hip, standing with impatience and purposefully showing off the throwing needles strapped to her upper left thigh.
The guy beside her was brown-skinned, shorter than Dragunov but taller than Anna. He had a sharp, faded buzzcut of hair with a goatee and matured, chiseled features. He wore an all-black outfit consisting of dress shoes, suit pants, a leather belt with a pure gold chain hanging from the belt loops on the left side of his pants, a dress shirt tucked into his pants but halfway unbuttoned in a blatant attempt to draw attention to his muscular upper body. A blood-red collar fastened around his neck with a rose quartz bar hung from the center. Over his shirt was a leather trench coat with white fur lining its opening and collar. The right side of his jacket was decorated with red designs that resembled slash wounds from a knife. Sitting in the chest pocket was a single fresh red rose. Golden shades with mirrored lenses sat on his face, golden studs in his ears, and a bowler hat atop his head with a satin red band around it. Several gold rings were on his right hand as they gripped his cane, a striking white shaft and a rose quartz handle shaped like a bishop chess piece.
Victor couldn't help but smirk at the show-offish attire, reminding himself of when he still had his natural black hair and beard. Two guys in dark red suits stood behind Anna and the guy. One holding a black, metal-braced suitcase. Dragunov seemed to growl in annoyance as the guy spoke.
"Listen, old man," the guy quipped with arrogance, the tone of a typical American playboy.
"I suggest you get lost before I have to get ugly." His face turned dark with intent to kill as the grip on his cane increased. "Anna and I got a place to get to."
The Russian glared at the guy, but Anna spoke before he could say anything else. "Wait, Bishop."
Dragunov extended his hand to hold out a wanted poster. Anna took it and skimmed over the information about her sister from Mishima Zaibatsu. The bounty was well over $550,000 in cash. She could do a lot with that money, not that Anna needed more. However, having newer weapons, jewels, and VIP club nights to create a harem of men to amuse her appetite sounded appealing since Lee was pissing her off about her latest enemy.
Anna flipped over the poster to see words written in thin, cursive black ink. Tomorrow - Port Żerański [8:32 PM]
"So... you're looking for Nina as well?" Anna questioned.
Dragunov nodded with shrugged shoulders.
"Sorry to burst your bubble, but Nina is mine."
He held his hands in a mock surrender just as the translator cleared his throat. "Oh, no. Sergei has no intention of taking that from you. He has something else in mind."
He extended his hand, offering a handshake.
Anna looked at his hand in confusion, hesitating before she took it. "A truce. I'll be there."
Dragonuv nodded triumphantly before walking away.
Bishop looked over at the brunette. "That is one weird-looking dude."
Victor watched as the assassin and Bishop departed for their red and white 2024 Rolls-Royce Spectre EV with gold trimming and rims. 'Anna et Dragunov... Il semble que nous ayons plus de probléms que nous ne le pensions.' (Anna and Dragunov... Seems we might have more trouble than we thought.)
He teleported back to the ground, walking away while pressing a button on the right side of his sunglasses. "Démarrez le véhicule, je dois retourner au loft immédiatement." (Start the vehicle, I need to head back to the loft immediately.)
The soldier cleared his throat. "In English, sir. We have a rookie driver, remember?"
"Right," Victor remarked. "Start the car. We're going back to the loft."
"Understood."
Coastal Loft - 2:50 A.M.:
Master Raven sighed while reviewing a book, tapping a stylus on the polished wooden counter in her formal clothes. Her suit jacket and tie hung on the back of the chair she sat upon. Next to the book was a tablet lit up at an angle, its screen filled with unfinished blueprints. She eyed the diagram of the brain's nerves correlating to the eyeball, the book 'Theory of a Cyborg' littered with sticky notes she'd made over the years and something she never traveled without. To be sure, the late Dr. Cole Able was a man with ill intent behind his genius. Yet there was no denying his work proved fruitful after his death. In fact, it became the very foundation for some of the most notable gadgets in the unit - her suit being the latest example.
"Human nerves are just wiring in a different material," Master Raven breathed. "I need to find a way to refix it."
She sighed frustratedly, stuck on finding a solution to intertwine the optic nerve to the wiring of a powerful scanner with overlaying abilities without ruining the connection to the brain or damaging the user's sight. Master Raven considered adding an extra bio-sensing alarm to alert nearby agents when the wearer reached critical condition. So far, she had trouble with such things.
Raven walked into the kitchen wearing nothing but black shorts, rubbing his eyes with a voice hoarse from sleep. "Still brainstorming?"
"Yeah."
She glanced down at her half-done blueprints and layouts of an unnamed piece of cybernetic technology. Raven landed a small kiss on her head, causing her to chuckle with a small smile that was soon placed by exasperation.
"You want me to make you a cup of coffee?" Raven asked, curious about her design.
"Thanks, but no. "I'll be heading to bed soon."
He almost laughed. "You said that two hours ago."
She closed the book but bookmarked the current page. "Just stuck. Can't get past the nerve wiring with optic, abducens, and trochlear nerves."
Raven smirked, loving how she got nerdy about things like this despite only having a basic understanding of such terms. "Ever tried combining it into one wire?"
Master Raven huffed before sitting back in the swivel chair. "That's the thing. Doing so would cause them to overload the scanner. Trying to manage multiple functions beyond overlaying information on the pupil will eventually make basic eye movements extremely difficult."
He raised an eyebrow. "What about separate ports in one wire?"
"That would need an entire skull rescale."
Raven paused, looking at her with a look of vivid confusion.
She laughed before elaborating. "Resizing the skull to fit more wiring means splitting it open and filling the space with metal, not to mention a skin graft."
His expression was now one of blatant disgust and horror.
Master Raven laughed. "It's only an idea. The other thing I'm working on is nearly done. I need some assistance polishing it to use for the unit."
"New early Christmas tech?" Raven asked cheerfully, rubbing his hands together.
"Not yet, but—"
Cli-click!
Both agents turned to find Victor standing at the door, a stone-faced expression they only saw when things or situations grew drastic during a mission.
"Victor," Master Raven greeted. "What did you find?"
3:31 A.M.:
"Dragunov and Anna..." Raven slowly paced through the dining area. "Didn't think she'd be low enough to partner with Dragunov to cross her sister."
Master Raven cocked an eyebrow. "It's not surprising. She's not known to be sleazy for no reason."
"If that's the case, I should go with Tatyana. We need more on the inside to detain them."
Victor coupled his hands behind his back, "I don't need two of my best cards on the table at once, Raven. For now, we're only shadowing Dragunov until we know his intentions. He could have something else planned, and we risk being caught in something else if we act too soon."
"But—"
"Tatyana can handle herself well against both Anna and Dragunov. We continue as planned and proceed from there. Don't think I've forgotten your growing hatred for Dragunov as your sworn enemy. I cannot afford emotionally charged mistakes on this mission."
Raven sighed. "Understood, sir."
Victor nodded. "Good. I need to discuss a few things with your superior."
The blonde-haired agent rubbed a hand over his neck before walking down the hall back to his room. Master Raven watched him leave, catching the tension in his back muscles. She was sure Victor noticed, but neither chose to speak until he entered his room and closed the door behind him.
"Vic," Master Raven began. "I know you meant the best, but you didn't need to say that."
He shook his head. "I know... but Raven can get passionate given the chance. This needs to be played safe rather than test his patience. Raven nearly lost sight that day, and I don't want to find out if he's willing to return the favor. It's something that's weighed heavily on my consciousness."
"Of course. Just be mindful is all I'm asking." She turned back to the tablet and book. "Did you pin a location?"
"Tomorrow at Port Żerański, eight thirty-two in the evening."
"Got it. Anything else?"
Victor placed a hand above his chin. "I caught sight of one of Anna's allies, an American guy called Bishop. Reminds me of when I was younger, a show-off with a sense of style. Anna seems to have powerful allies. We'll need to detain him for questioning and possible crimes."
"If Bishop's close to Anna, he's probably been a shadow accomplice to her assassinations."
A small silence sat between the two. Master Raven could tell her superior was looking over her shoulder to view her research on her tablet and book, intrigued as always when she was creating new tech again.
"Making another upgrade?"
She shrugged. "Two, actually. Nothing concrete yet, but I have a basic idea of what I want them to be capable of doing."
"Oh?"
"A retinal scanner and bio-sensing alarm. It's to display the critical condition of an agent on a mission."
Victor nodded. "As much as I would love to assist in these ideas, you need rest after going at this for a few hours. I'll review and add a few notes. Get rest, Tatyana."
Sighing, Tatyana placed the stylus pen on the counter. She grabbed her suit jacket and tie before walking down the short hallway, stopping at the door next to Raven's. "Goodnight, Vic. See you in the morning."
"Of course. Oh, and I'll be making breakfast."
"Nooooooo!" Master Raven groaned playfully, earning a laugh from the older man as she disappeared behind the closed door of her room.
11:56 A.M.:
Victor scooped a ball of vanilla ice cream onto the second plate of crepes, one with light chocolate crème instead of the usual vanilla. Setting down the small container of ice cream, he grabbed his powdered sugar shaker and sprinkled a light blanket over each plate.
Click!
The pair of footsteps reached his ears before being joined by another.
"Good morning," Victor greeted, pouring two glasses of orange juice.
Master Raven and Raven sat at the counter, neither wanting to start a conversation before eating. Usually, their superior started conversing, especially with an apron over his dress shirt and suit pants. That usually meant they were going somewhere right after breakfast.
Victor chuckled. 'Just like teenagers.'
He placed the plate of chocolate crepes in front of Raven and the other by Master Raven. Each had a fork and was topped with several blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries.
"I suggest you both eat up. We have some catching up to do."
The woman raised an eyebrow as Victor gave them their glasses of orange juice. "What for? Sparring? Assessing a point of infiltration?"
"Yes, among a few other things. Considering how you two actually woke up in time for breakfast, you must've tamed your desires well enough."
His agents looked at each other, sharing confused expressions.
"What?" said Raven.
Victor crossed his arms, leaning against the oven and showing a knowing smirk.
The blonde-haired agent shook his head before stuffing a crepe into his mouth. "Are you going say it or make us guess?"
A laugh emerged from Victor. "Although I understand that relationships can complicate things with work, the timing of your lovemaking just before the interrogation was amateur hour at best."
Raven nearly choked on his crepe, coughing as he pounded a fist into his chest. Master Raven almost spit out the orange juice in her mouth but swallowed hard to avoid spraying it at her superior.
"VICTOR!"
His smirk widened at her outburst, almost becoming a grin at their evident surprise. "Sure, I get it to ease off tension. But it seems you two forget I'm no stranger to such a thing. I know a thing or two, especially with my history of rumors and trail of women I once left in my wake."
"Lost my appetite." Raven dropped his fork onto his plate, pushing it away with a deep frown. "Thanks, Vic."
Master Raven's face was buried in her hands. "This can't be happening."
"Though your attempt to be discreet was clever, I know well what you didn't say," Victor continued. "With that being said, keep that part of your lives on a strict basis where it doesn't interfere with work. I need you both on time until I say otherwise. Do I make myself clear?"
Raven nodded his head, eyes slightly narrowing. Master Raven continued concealing her face as the only action to save herself from further embarrassment.
"Crystal..."
Victor slipped the apron over his head and folded it into a neat square. "Notwithstanding... I do wish you both sustained happiness. Eat up. We have much to do before the evening arrives."
Their superior stood by the door, picking up his tie from a chair and tying it around his neck. "Next time, at least have the decency to show up on time or do it on an off day if you can't be bothered to get up. I'll be in the waiting car outside."
Slipping his suit jacket on, Victor left the house and approached the silver 2023 Cadillac CT5 V.
Raven shook his head with calmed, measured breathing. "I hate it when he does that."
This was a rare occurrence for the Frenchman, which is why neither agent was prepared for such a turn in the conversation. One had yet to happen since they were nineteen and twenty, respectively. Every time it occurred, they would always be left feeling more embarrassed than ever in years. Raven looked over at his girlfriend, who'd finally removed her hands from her face.
Master Raven released a shaky breath of relief. "I swear I've grown since sixteen, but that's just... ew."
Raven almost chuckled. "Ditto."
The car ride to Port Zeranski was silent. Neither agent wanted to speak since they still felt the after-effects from breakfast. Sure, it was delicious, but it didn't distract from the awkward silence between everyone. Master Raven stared out the window, watching the other cars, people, and buildings pass by.
She eyed her superior via the driver's mirror. "Was earliernecessary, Vic?"
"I do mean well, truly," he stated, focusing on the road. "Just needed to ensure you each knew there's a time and place for such things. However, I know plenty of things if you need any extra ideas or advice."
Victor looked in the rearview mirror to meet Raven's gaze, the latter's eyes rolling in annoyance. "Especially on—"
"Gross! Change the subject!" Master Raven exclaimed.
Victor laughed. "You did ask, to be fair."
"I didn't ask for that."
"So, I looked over your notes for your Retinal Scanner and thought it would be better to make it a contact lens that connects to the Visual Cortex."
Master Raven nodded. "That might work. That still leaves the trouble of squeezing the processor into the brain and integrating metal with organic material."
Victor tapped a finger on the leather steering wheel. "Plus, we still need a central point for the microchip made with compatible software that can't be hacked or bugged."
"I could use the same software from my suit for the Retinal Scanner but would need to modify a few things and compress it without getting rid of its foundational coding."
The silver-haired agent hummed. "Doing all that would take several days. You plan to get the upgrade soon?"
"Negative, it's just an idea. As for my bio-sensing tech, it would take a simple update of the shared software for the unit's ear communication devices. Should take a day at most."
"Confirmed," Victor nodded. "Remind me to start on that once we return to Neo City."
The trio of fighters crouched on the roof of a building overlooking a run-down and seemingly unused warehouse near an empty docking area. The only sounds to be heard were the rolling waves, distant sounds of traffic behind them, and the occasional beeping of a truck reversing from the loading area.
"This is the place?" Master Raven asked, looking over at her superior.
Victor nodded his head. "But it looks..."
"Empty," Raven finished. "Perhaps that's the point. Nobody will check for an empty warehouse at night when there's nothing around it to move or ship off. The perfect setup for a meeting with two escape route points. A car in case the police block the port entrance and a boat at the docking area for a sea getaway."
"Now I get it, but I don't understand why Dragonuv wants to meet here. It's practically out in the open. Our vantage point is the perfect spot to set up a lookout and sniper."
"They never suspect what's in front of them, Master Raven."
Victor's reminder was followed by pressing a finger to the button on the right side of his shades. The warehouse was covered in a blue outline. Soon, two parts were visible in a yellow tint. The open window at the second-level catwalk and by the ocean where a boat could be placed, ready to leave if there was trouble.
"You have two points of entry. By the water or through that small window."
"I'll take the window. The catwalk is the best place since I'm just there to observe. But I'll watch for any guards and deal with them quietly."
"Good—"
The trio paused, lowering themselves to the roof as the warehouse door slid open. A guy with spiked brown hair dressed in a sleeveless camouflage shirt and gray cargo pants exited. He looked around before scratching the back of his head. No sooner had he taken three steps, a 2024 Rolls-Royce Spectre pulled up toward the entrance, the same one Victor recognized yesterday and the driver who promptly exited the vehicle. A confident smirk etched his face as he left his car door open with his cane in hand.
"Bishop," Victor remarked.
"That's him?" Master Raven asked.
Her superior nodded. "This is no ordinary meeting."
They all fell silent, watching and listening to the men conversing below them.
Bishop leaned against the hood of his car, gripping the cane handle as he glanced over at the shorter man. "This is the spot?"
The guy nodded. "Yeah."
Bishop licked his lips, seeming to glare at the warehouse in disgust. Chipping paint, rusty outer piping, and foggy old widows. "Not my type of scene, but if it's what Anna wants, she gets. At least the inside looked better than the outside."
The other guy sighed, placing his hands on his hips, "It's not about the look, Bishop. We're just here to secure a deal."
"Speaking of," Bishop interjected before standing from his car. "Mechanic, you still owe me a new ride after your last stunt turned it into a flaming scrap heap."
"The Mechanic and a Bishop," Raven stated. "Clever codenames, but we can track them on that alone."
Master Raven stood as she backed away from the roof's edge and out of the two men's sight. She tapped the underside of her armored wrist, holding up her arm at an angle as the holographic screen faded into place.
"Your custom GAZ model is inside the warehouse. It's on this supped-up car ferry, and I even had it modded and painted the way you wanted."
Bishop narrowed his eyes, leaving a tense silence between the two while carefully choosing his following words with a glare. "I'll believe it when I see it. And if it's not there, ya girl's gonna need to find a new Mechanic."
"Bishop, come on—"
He began to walk back to his car's open door. "Don't worry yo scrawny little ass 'bout it. If you're right, you shouldn't be nervous. This deal needs to happen, and you better not fuck this up."
"I won't!"
"Good."
Bishop slammed the door to his car without another word. The Rolls-Royce backed away and swiftly turned around, turning left at the gate and slipping into the sparse traffic back into the main city streets.
"Americans... fucking assholes."
The Mechanic shook his head before disappearing back into the warehouse, the door sliding closed again.
Raven and Victor stood from their lowered crouch, walking over to Master Raven as she pulled up new information about The Mechanic and the Bishop. The screen splits in half, with each side showing a headshot of the two men, basic information, and their list of crimes.
"THE MECHANIC"
NAME: Toby Greene
AGE: 34
HEIGHT: 5'8
ORIGIN: Perth, Australia
WANTED IN: Australia, Italy, Spain, Brazil
KNOWN CRIMES: Arson, Breaking & Entering, Grand Theft Auto, Vehicular Homicide, Smuggling [Weapons], Street Racing, Evading Authorities
KNOWN ALLIES: Silent Assassin, Bishop, The Doctor
"BISHOP"
NAME: Jacob Ares
AGE: 31
HEIGHT: 6'0
ORIGIN: Riverdale, Georgia; USA
WANTED IN: United States, Spain, Egypt, Italy, Poland, UK, Japan, North Korea, China, South America
KNOWN CRIMES: Murder, Kidnapping, Smuggling, Arson, Aiding Tekken Force Soldiers
KNOWN ALLIES: Silent Assassin, Thorned Rose, The Mechanic, The Doctor
"That's weird."
Master Raven's eyebrows furrowed at the names of the known allies for both men. She tapped the last name of Toby's known allies. The trio of agents was stunned at the new profile that filled the screen. Not even a mug shot of the guy appeared in his profile.
"THE DOCTOR"
NAME: Aron Atlas
AGE: 27
HEIGHT: 5'7
ORIGIN: Brookhaven, Pennsylvania; USA
WANTED IN: United States, Canada, Japan, China, Australia, UK, France, Italy
KNOWN CRIMES: Medical Malpractice, Unauthorized Human Experimentation, Murder, Serial Kidnapper
KNOWN ALLIES: Thorned Rose, Silent Assassin, The Mechanic, Bishop
KILL ON SIGHT
Victor rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Whoever The Doctor is, he must be quite the threat - a wolf in sheep's clothing. You'll need to exercise extreme caution. Eliminate Aron if deemed necessary."
"Understood," Master Raven replied, the screen fading from sight as she lowered her arm.
Port Żerański - 8:37 P.M.:
Master Raven watched as Dragunov and his translator entered the warehouse, the door sliding closed behind them. The flags at her shoulder blades waved behind in the calm wind, but she could only hear the muffled but audible voice from inside the warehouse.
"Finally, I was getting impatient," Anna declared, placing a hand on her hip. "It's rude to make a lady wait."
The young translator cleared his throat. "Our apologies. We had to make sure we weren't followed. Although UN soldiers weren't discovered, we can never be too careful with our shared number of outside interferences."
Master Raven took a few running steps forward, jumping off the edge of the building and diving towards the open window. She curled into a ball and landed in a low crouch with a hand on the ground to keep balance. Her eyes flicked right just as a Tekken Force soldier stepped in her direction. She rolled behind him, hooking both hands around his chin and the back of his head to twist with one swift movement. She carefully placed his body on the floor with as little sound as possible before lowering into a crouch again, watching the scene below her from the guardrail. The warehouse was mostly empty except for a modified car ferry with the body of a speed boat and an attractive custom-made car. There were several military-grade boxes probably carrying ammunition and weapons. Bishop sat on the car's hood while armed Tekken Force soldiers stood in attention.
"So, how do you suggest we take Nina out? Trapping her won't be easy, especially if she has The Doctor and Haruto behind her."
Dragunov held up his hand, a sign to stop, before he pulled out three pictures from his pants pocket and tossed them onto the box next to him. Master Raven thought her eyes were deceiving her, but they weren't. The pictures were of her, Raven, and Victor.
Anna was none too pleased. "What the hell do those ninjas have to do with anything?"
"Brash as usual, airhead..."
As her moniker suggested, Nina silently appeared into view behind a back door. "If we're going to have an alliance, we must eliminate our common enemy. It's better to start with Raven and work our way up. An ambush does us no good and isn't an option. We have to play this smart."
Click!
A pair of muzzles were aimed at Master Raven's head. "Hands where I can see them. Now."
Reluctantly, Master Raven rose from her crouch with a low growl as the soldiers kept their guns pointed at her.
"Sir, we have company," the soldier announced.
The group of criminals watched the guards approach the ground floor. Anna glared venomously at the new intruder, Nina smirked, and Dragunov held a cold focus. At the same time, Bishop seemed to ogle the woman up and down. He licked his lips, smirking with a blatant lust that the intruder easily ignored.
"Anna, let me handle this one. I could show her a good time while your three handle—"
"Shut it, Bishop!" Anna snapped.
"Isn't this ironic?" Nina quipped, taking in the taller woman's angry stare with pleasure. "Didn't think you'd be stupid enough to get caught so soon."
Anna twirled a knife in her hand before gripping it. "Enough talk. Let's save ourselves the trouble and kill her now."
"My thoughts exactly."
Nina's tone had turned dark with the intent to kill, her hand already hovering over the pistol holstered on her left leg. Before either Williams sister could attack, Dragunov stepped before them, pointing at the three pictures and tapping his temple. He stepped back as Nina sighed in disappointment, unable to enjoy splattering the woman's blood across the concrete and tossing her body into the sea for her comrades to find.
"Fine..." Nina through her teeth before her glare grew icy at their prisoner. "Consider yourself lucky."
Master Raven smirked. "Luck has nothing to do with it. So, the great Nina stoops to allying herself with Dragunov after Heihachi's fortunate end. I guess everyone hits rock bottom at one point or another." She eyed Anna. "Your emotionally constipated sister isn't useful without her sugar daddy, Chaolan. Now the scarlet cougar has a neanderthal at her disposal." Her attention turned to Dragonuv. "And emo boy here is child's play at best."
The Russian growled audibly, his leather gloves squeaking from tightly clenched fists.
"If I were you, blondie, I'd be wary of my partners' own interests. Anna is no stranger to double-crossing for her own benefit. I'm sure you already knew that since Mommy and Daddy aren't here. It must be a fun party for them in hell. "
That last remark enraged the Williams sisters', their shared anger apparent with each word Master Raven spoke. Anna's grip on the knives in each hand tightened to the point where her knuckles turned ghostly white. Nina clenched her jaw, fully gripping the gun at her leg but resisting the innate urge to shoot the taller woman's throat and watch her slowly choke on her own blood as she drifted into death's cold embrace.
"I hope twiddle-dee and twiddle-dum come with more than just words the next time we cross paths."
Poof.
Snap!
The throwing knife in Anna's hand broke into two clean pieces. "THAT DOES IT! THAT BITCH NEEDS TO DIE!"
Victor stood from leaning on the armored Hummer, a smirk on his face as he looked at his subordinate. "Was that last part really necessary?"
Master Raven crossed her arms, unamused in the slightest, with an expression that nearly looked like visceral anger. "It's time to upgrade. I want that retinal scanner."
Victor's smirk disappeared in a blink before glancing over at Raven and then turning back to her. "Uh, about that..."