Untitled Ch.9
By Shadow Dragon

Sagat rapped on the steel door curtly. Guy could hear fumbling sounds from inside as a small slit slid open in the door and a pair of eyes peered out. A few seconds later, the screech of a drawbolt being pulled open scratched at Guy's ears uncomfortably. Two guards stood at attention beyond the door, and they saluted as Sagat strode purposefully past them, but they frowned as they saw five other people following Sagat.

"Master Sagat, these people.. who are they?" a guard asked.

"Prisoners. Their energies will be used to recharge Lord Bison's Psycho Drive," Sagat didn't even look at them as he continued to the stairs at the other end of the room. The guards seemed satisfied with Sagat's account, until one of them looked up at Fei's hands.

"Master Sagat, if these are prisoners, why are they left untied?"

"Yeah," piped up his companion. "How come dey be walking in front of ye?" Out of the corner of her eye, Chun-Li could see their hands creeping towards their rifles. Sagat turned around and stared coldly at the guard, who did the same.

"Screw this.." Sagat muttered as he swung a massive forearm at the temple of the taller guard, sending him crashing back into the door and land on the floor in an unconscious heap. The remaining guard instantly whipped out a walkie-talkie clipped to his belt.

"Mayday, mayday!" the guard screamed desperately as he scrambled away from Sagat's knee strikes. "Intruder alert! Sagat.. gak!" Charlie held the guard's throat in his right arm. In a single, fluid motion he slammed the guard down on the cement floor in a chokehold, crushing his windpipe instantly.

"We must hurry." Sagat said as he removed the rifles from the two guards and handed them over to Guy and Fei. "They know we're here." Sagat descended down the stairs with the others following him.

"Thanks to you, yes." Chun-Li said sarcastically. "So much for that stupid plan of yours."

"And I suppose the brilliant Miss Li has a better idea?" snapped Sagat.

"I still say we go up there and get a piece of Bison's ass.." Guile cracked his knuckles.

"No. The core of Bison's power now lies within the Psycho Drive. Bison cannot sustain his enhanced energies for long; he has to return to the Drive to recharge himself."

"Then we should call Dan and the others back first!"

"They," smirked Sagat, "will serve their purpose to distract Bison well enough." Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Sagat pointed to one of the six passages that were leading away from the room they were in like spokes of a wheel. "That.."

Sagat never finished his sentence as gunshots rang out. Diving down, he missed the bullets aimed at his head by mere inches. He cursed. Behind him, a flash of light burst out as Charlie hurled a Sonic Boom down a passage, knocking the five guards out cold in a single hit. But muffled shouts echoed down from the other five passages, indicating that more troops were on their way.

The group ran down the first passage quickly. Passing the unconscious bodies of the five guards, Guile spotted a few hand grenades and ammunition packs and pocketed them. As they turned a bend, he yanked the pin out of a grenade and tossed it behind.

"Cover your ears," Guile grinned. There were screams of terror as a few guards noticed the explosive incendiary just before it blew up. A deafening "Whooomph!" echoed loudly down the pasage as a gout of light and flame burst out from the bend before dying out.

"Yow.. what was that?" Guy asked.

"A grenade. Here," Guile gave the ammo packs to Guy and Fei. "Use these."

Sagat chuckled softly as he cast an eye on Guile, a sinister expression on his face. Then he turned and walked forward, the group following him. Guile felt someone nudge him.

"Are you sure trusting him was such a good idea?" Charlie whispered. "For all we know, he could be leading us right into Bison's trap."

Guile shrugged. "Well, too late to back out now anyway. Its a gamble. If he's telling the truth, we get to destroy both Bison and the Psycho Drive. Otherwise, we're dead meat."

=====

Dan cursed silently as he felt the car's body heat up from Bison's attack. Instantly he leapt away, a split-second before the fuel tank combusted and blew up the car. Dan yanked a nearby "no-parking" sign out of the ground and hurled it at Bison, who dodged it easily.

"Hey, Bison!" Sakura yelled. "Eat this!"

Bison turned just in time to see Sakura aim a fat water pipe at him carefully before a high-pressured water stream blasted him right into the chest and knock him into the road dividers. Stunned, Bison missed blocking Ken's attack, a pillar of supernatural flames which rushed at him in the form of a Shinryuuken. Ken landed gracefully, running his hand through his hair and giving Bison a thumbs-up. "Yatta ze!" Ken smiled just as an uprooted parking meter flew towards his face, striking a glancing blow and wiping the smile off his face.

"Why you motherf---er.." Ken snarled as he wiped the trickle of blood from his temple. He aimed a lunging kick at Bison's face, but the target was long gone before Ken even got close. Ken turned around to see Bison exchanging a flurry of blows with Dan and Ryu before blowing them away with a Psycho Field.

"Give it up, you insignificant little gnats," Bison growled as he parried another thrust from Sakura. "Your inferior skills cease to amuse me!" Bison leaped back and threw rapid bursts of Psycho Power at the four Shotokan warriors, forcing them to scramble for cover. As soon as the barrage of firepower ended, Ryu rolled out from behind a brick wall and leaped into the air..

"Shin.." Ryu whispered as he blocked a Scissor Kick. Frail wisps of energy started to swirl around his form. From behind the car he was using for cover, Dan's jaw dropped as he sensed a sudden increase in Ryu's chi energies.

"What is that, Ken-san?" Sakura asked. Ken grinned.

"You'll see. Variable combo everyone, get in position!" Ken yelled.

".. Shou" Ryu continued, sidestepping another Head Stomp. A distorted blue aura formed around Ryu's body, flickering with his every move. Bison stepped back, evidently alarmed at Ryu's sudden energy surges. For the first time since the fight, a flicker of doubt and unease crossed his dark eyes. Bison slid across the ground in a crouch, trying to stop Ryu's technique, but the Shotokan master slipped aside with ease, grabbing Bison by the shoulder and hurling him to crash into an eatery.

".. Ryuu.." Sparks started to fly as Ryu's whole body started to glow from the intense power he was holding and channeling into his right fist. Ryu rushed towards Bison, who teleported behind him. Bad mistake.

"KENNN!!" Ryu screamed as he turned around and delivered a powerful rising uppercut. The first hit slammed into Bison's gut, stunning him as two more rapid blows landed on his chest and chin. Both Ryu and Bison were carried into the air more than 20 feet with Bison impaled upon Ryu's fist.

"Now!" Ken yelled.

Tracking the trajectory of Bison's falling body perfectly, Dan unleashed a wave of superheated chi fire at Bison in the form of a Shinkuu Gadouken, which connected perfectly. Bison was tossed some fifty feet down the street to crash into a truck, but teleported out instantly, lunging at Dan with a snarl. Dan backflipped over and behind a car to allow Sakura continue the attack.

"SHINKUU HADOUKEN!!" Sakura screamed as a blue cupola of crackling energies arced towards Bison. Carried forward too far by the momentum of his lunge, Bison was unable to dodge in time and impacted squarely with Sakura's fireball and thrown right into Ken's Shouryuu Reppa, getting pummeled for another seven hits. Bison landed on the ground with a solid thud.. on his feet.

"What the.." Dan hollered silently. He never thought that anyone could take that much punishment and still end up standing. Bison took to the air again with a smirk on his face, and Dan brought up his arms.

"Ha ha ha.. very good, Ryu. It appears your fighting potential has exceeded even my expectations.." Bison said in a sickly sweet voice. "Oh yes, this is the best workout I've received in years... I regret to say I cannot stay any longer, but I have a city to destroy."

"Your point?" Dan asked.

"My point is, I am bidding you farewell.. a final farewell." Bison cackled as purple flames surged around his form, his cape fluttering behind him. "PSYCHO CRUSHER!!"

"Oh shit.." Dan groaned.

=====

Meanwhile..

"How long is it gonna take?" Chun-Li complained. "My legs are getting sore."

"Be quiet, woman. You are becoming a constant source of irritation."

Chun-Li glared at Sagat but didn't say anything.

"This base runs the entire underground of Rio de Janeiro," Sagat continued after a moment's pause. We should be nearly there."

"Isn't there an easier method to get around here other than walking?" Guy asked. "I'm getting sorta tired too."

"There are shortcuts," Sagat said. "We are taking a long detour to avoid meeting any more guards. These back passages are the least guarded in this complex. This way.." Sagat turned left at a junction. Here there was absolutely no light at all.

"Whoa! You sure this is the right way?" asked Chun-Li. Sagat didn't reply, but she could hear him groping in the dark. Finally, there was a metallic 'clank' as Sagat yanked off a sheet of metal from the roof of the tunnel. Light streamed into the passage as well as cool air from an air-conditioner. Without a word Sagat pulled himself up through the hole.

Guy shrugged. Slinging his rifle over his shoulder, he did the same, emerging into a room approximately the size of five world-class football fields. Guy gasped in surprise at the sheer immensity of the room.

Chun-Li was the next to come up. Sagat turned to her.

"You might recognize this place," he said. A scowl returned to Chun-Li's face as she remembered the control room from which she had escaped from less than 48 hours ago. Turning, she helped to pull Fei Long, Charlie and Guile up.

"Looks like Bison was right after all," a voice smirked behind them. Guile turned instinctively, but froze in position as he recognized the face of Cammy White, who, unfortunately, was pressing a Magnum to his chest.

"C.. Cammy??" Guile asked in shock. "What are you doing here?"

"You know my name?" Cammy raised an eyebrow. "But that is of no consequence. Your life will be terminated shortly."

Guy and Fei Long snapped their rifles, but Cammy didn't even flinch.

"Drop your weapons.. or he dies."

"Cammy, don't you know me?" Guile asked in wonder. His mind flashed back five years ago, when Cammy went missing in operation while serving under the British Secret Service. Futile efforts were made to find her, and her file has been marked for termination.

"As a matter of fact, I do. You are the enemy." Cammy turned to Charlie, who stared back unnervingly.

"You.. step aside," she commanded, waving her weapon threateningly at Guile. Charlie complied. In a swift motion, Cammy slid her gun so that it was pointing at Charlie instead.

"I must congratulate you for defeating me that day," Cammy said in a flat tone. "But all your fighting skills will not help you now."

"Cammy, wait!" Guile cried out desperately. "Don't you remember anything at all? The British Intelligence? Captain Wilby Psichfer? Your Award of Honour for busting Bison's drug syndicate in 93??"

Cammy looked at him for a second. Then she turned her attention back on Charlie.

"No." The last thing Guile remembered hearing was Cammy's voice as a gunshot rang out..