Of Love, Honour, and Revenge Ch. 7
By Matt Lawson

Hong Kong

Sagat looked up at the window when he heard the alarm sirens howl. Guess someone must be trying to escape. He suddenly heard gunfire through the hallway that his cell was located. No, not escape, break in. He didn't realise that he was the one who was to be broken out.

Adon commanded the strike team with precision, commanding the agents where to attack, and which corridors to try out. His mission was to locate his teacher, Sagat, break him out of his cell, and get him the h*ll out of there, as well as any other Shadowloo agents who ere unfortunate enough to be there as well. What he didn't know was the person who gave him those orders.

Bison was dead, it was certainly clear. Vega and Balrog were in their seperate countries, Balrog running a small crime wave in Las Vegas, Vega nursing the pain of his so-called 'beautiful' face being 'scarred' back in Spain. It was just a bruise, for sh*t's sake!

Adon reverted back to the mission. When this was done, he was to take Sagat to a strange temple in South America, some sort of Aztec temple that no-one knew was there. What he'll find there, he didn't know, but he was sure as h*ll going to find out.

Maybe they found some new leader to run Shadowloo, now that Bison's gone.

An agent walked up to him. "Sir, they've located the target and are pulling back. They've even located a few prisoners and are bringing them back as well."

"Good, signal them to set a C4 charge in Sagat's cell before they leave. With any luck it should surprise the guards long enough for them to escape. Order them to return to the meeting point as soon as they've finished. "

"Yes sir!"

Adon watched as part of the prison exploded outwards into the night sky. The agents packed up their belongings, including communication equipment and weapons, and walked up to the meeting point, where a stolen Chinook would take them to an old airstrip, where they would travel to South America on a C-130 transport. Adon would have a few words with Sagat before then.

Sagat followed the Shadowloo agents, still confused as to why they were rescuing him. Wasn't Bison dead? He knew he was when he heard the report that Ryu had killed him. So if Bison was dead, who was commanding these guys?

He gave a sudden gasp as he saw a familiar face.

"Hello Sagat. Did you enjoy your stay?"

"Adon?"

Sagat looked at his former student, now wearing a shadowloo officer's uniform. He still wore that Muay Thai headband around his head though.

"Why are you here? Don't tell me that you're head of Shadowloo now."

"Nah, not for me. But someone is rallying Shadowloo together. We don't know who, but he wants you to come back, as second-in-command."

Sagat was stunned. They were asking him to return to his position in Shadowloo. Sagat only joined because Bison promised him that he would lure Ryu to him, but he failed. Sagat knew

that Shadowloo could not be trusted anymore, and this new lord was not going to let HIM join again.

"What the h*ll are you talking about?"

"Shadowloo is being reunited again. Our former glory shall be renewed. I am willing to work for you again, if you will join us in this new era."

"You would work for me?" Sagat mused over his student's speech. "Doing what?"

"What we always did beforehand. Sagat, you will be a great....."

Sagat interrupted Adon with a sudden outburst, "Listen Adon, let me make it f***ing plain! I'm done with all that! The only reason I joined that f***ing crime syndicate was that Bison said that he would lead me to the man who left me this tortuous mark, and he never did. I'm tired of playing the second-in-command all the time, and I don't want to join Shadowloo for as long as I live. Have you got that into your head yet?"

Sagat was about to leave, when Adon suddenly spoke. "Hmmmm.....I guess that's a no then. My orders were to get you back to Shadowloo whatever the cost. I guess we'll use the hard option."

Adon took off his uniform. Sagat, sensing a fight, flexed himself to do battle. He never expected that one of the agents would club him in the head with the butt of his rifle, sending Sagat quickly to the floor.

"What a pity. I would have probably enjoyed that fight....." were the last words that Sagat heard before he slipped into unconsciousness.

Los Angeles

It was raining heavily,a cold, blowing shower that came from the sea. Ken was alone on the front porch, rocking gently in a swing under a thick blanket, lost in a dream world as the sound of the city was heard from behind. The door closed, and Eliza walked to the swing. She lifted the blanket and tucked herself next to him. Ken held her firmly; if not, she would've fallen onto the porch.

She was easy to hold.

A strong gust threw mist in their faces, and they squeezed tighter. The chains holding the swing squeeked louder, then faded as they almost became still. They watched the clouds swirl above the land. Time was of no importance to them.

"What are you thinking?" Eliza asked softly.

Everything and nothing. Away from the city, Ken could look back for the first time and try to make sense of it all. 5 months earlier, Ken was a Street Fighter, participating in tournaments, fighting for awards and money, living at home in the Masters estate with his father and mother. In essence he could have been a complete stranger to the woman was now holding. How could life change so drastically in 5 months?

Ken didn't dare think of the future; the past was still happening.

Before Ken married Eliza, he realised that he had to change his life. He wasn't going to ruin it for Eliza and their new kid by going away fighting around the world. He retired from the world of street fighting. Because of his newly found patience and determination, he was finally offered a job from his father's company, which he gladly accepted. Ken took to it pretty well too, and managed to settle down immediately. The board of directors was impressed by Ken's attitude towards his work, realizing that Ken would make a fine heir to the company. Ken also spoke Japanese fluently, which certainly helped on his business trips to Japan, which was what his job often involved. It was on one of these trips that he found Ryu again. After traditional greetings, Ken told Ryu the news about his engagement to Eliza, and asked Ryu if he would like to be the best man. Ryu, amazed, took up the offer. It made Ken's wedding into a tremendously happy occasion for both him and Eliza. Even Ryu's best man speech went down well, which was surprising for someone as quiet as Ryu.

During the five months after Ken married, he moved home from the Master's estate to his own home on the outskirts of the city. Life was just getting better and better, but he realized that he still needed to train. A young man called Sean, who lived in the same area that Ken lived in, had seen Ken fight in a tournament and asked to be his sensei. Unlike Ryu and Sakura, Ken decided to accept immediately.

So Ken took Sean under his wing. What he enjoyed about being Sean's sensei was that Sean was just like him when he was a student of Karate himself. Brash, arrogant, but dedicated. It gave Ken a thrill to be teaching Sean to control his personal problems. Ken thought that he would train Mel, his son, when he was older. Might as well pass off one skill to the family.

Ken and Eliza sat on the swing, huddled together, gazing lazily as the rain stopped, and the clouds parted to reveal bright rays of the sun.