RD's cabin…

"What the hell !?" said RD to no one as he compared the website address written on the paper and the one on the Internet browser. Again, he typed the address, hoping that it was only connection error problem, but again, he could not access the file. Propping his chin with his right hand, he pondered. "Odd… did they forget to upload the file ? Or there's internal error ? I know ASB for quite a long time, and they can't be this messy."

He picked up the phone and dialed a number specialized for ASB freelance agents such as himself. A few rings passed, and the operator answered. "ASB freelance agency line. Please state your call name and password."

"Name, Zhao Chi Lung. Password, 26-3-12." replied RD. 'Zhao Chi Lung' was his registered ASB's name, and the numbers for the password were from each first letter of his ASB's name (Z = 26, C = 3, L = 12).

"Name and password are incorrect, please state your name and password." said the operator.

"What on earth…" thought RD, shocked. Again, he stated his registered name and password, and again, he got the same reply. He hung up the phone. "Now this is super odd. First the website, then my name is wiped out from the database. Something really nasty is going on." He stood up and took his blue jeans jacket, then went out of the cabin.

Fighter's Hospital…

Meliza woke up and felt the pain in her head like being stabbed by small needles. She groaned and tried to focus her vision. "Where am I ? What's going on ? Locke…" She winced as she felt another course of pain in her head when she tried to think what had happened.

"You're awake." A female voice.

She focused her vision on the voice owner and saw it was Ayame who was speaking. "Ayame ? What's going on ? Where am I ?" She tried to get up, but again, the pain came and made her dizzy.

"Shh, Meliza, calm down okay ? You're hurt. You're in the hospital now." replied Ayame as she held Meliza down.

She lied back on the bed and held her head with her right hand. "God, the pain. Ayame, what's going on ? Why am I here ?"

"I don't really know what happened, I was watching Kay when I heard a commotion. Then I asked around and found out that you were unconscious. Do you remember what happened before you collapsed ? What were you doing in the hospital room, anyway ?" replied Ayame.

"I… I was visiting a friend. The last time I remember, there was someone sneaking into the room, and that's it… I guess."

"Well, try to get some rest okay, I'm going to call the doctor." said Ayame as she stood up and left the room.

"Thanks Ayame." replied Meliza. When Ayame was out of the room, she tried to recall what had happened before she collapsed, and about Locke. "Locke, I hope you're alright…" she muttered.

In a room in a hotel on Fighter's Island…

The room where the lovely ASB secret agent stayed still bright from the lights from the lamps on the ceiling of the room. Robin, in her pink pajamas, was typing furiously on her laptop. Sweats formed on her smooth forehead as she tried to access the official ASB's website. She had tried many times using different ways to access it, but still she couldn't access in. She shut the laptop, finally giving up trying to access the website. "What the hell is going on ? Well, if the modern way won't do, then we'll use the traditional way." She took the phone and dialed the bureau's number. When the operator answered and asked for her name and password, she replied. The reply from the operator shocked her more than ever, her name did not exist in the database.

"What the heck is going on ? How on earth could my name doesn't exist in the database ?" thought Robin. She hung up the phone. "Okay, calm down and think." Suddenly she heard shuffling sound outside her room on the hallway. She closed her eyes and focused her hearing sense. She heard a faint familiar click. Moving as quick and limber as a cat, she rolled backward and took her gun - a 9 mm Barrette - on her bed. She pointed the gun at the door and wait.

Suddenly, her room's door was kicked open, and a man in crimson red uniform entered the room carrying an automatic gun. Behind him, Robin could see at least two more men in similar uniform. Without waiting for response, she released a shot, nailing the man in his chest. The second man came in and received pretty much similar welcome, a bullet in shoulder and another in his chest. There was a pause for a moment after the second man went down. The third proceed carefully. He sprayed some bullets into the room before taking a quick look inside the room. His effort was rewarded with a bullet flying an inch beside his head and stuck in the wall. He cursed and jumped back outside.

Robin waited. Suddenly, she heard a click and a ping sound. Understood what they were about to do, she quickly dove out to the balcony and grabbed a rope that she already prepared in case of emergency like this. The grenade explode, but rather than normal explosion, it released gas. "Sleeping gas. So they want me alive." she thought. She released two quick shots to discourage anyone who was going to enter the room. She held the gun with her teeth and jumped off the balcony, still holding the rope. She flew down a couple floors until the rope reached its maximum limit. The rope's yank caused her hands felt like being burned but she didn't let go. She swung onto the wall and started to climb down.

The two warriors stood a fair distance away, each facing the other with one nursing his jaw, while the other observed silently. Shadow Dragon raised his wrist, glancing at his watch. The illuminated display read 5:02. He groaned inwardly, taking care to keep it inaudible to Astaroth. So much for catching a quick nap until daybreak...

"She's your sister?" Shadow Dragon gave a quizzical eyebrow, which was something he realized himself getting into the habit of. Astaroth replied with a similar gesture, then narrowed his eyes. "Yes..."

"Then this is not the place..." the Kai Master replied as he removed his hand from his jaw. Already he could feel his skin tissue repairing themselves, growing with a relatively rapid pace across the wound as they knitted themselves together, then closed and stopped the trickle of blood, something which was invisible to Astaroth due to the darkness. The meaning of his words, however, had not escaped his adversary. A fairly audible grunt reached his ears, which he assumed was a form of how Astaroth expressed agreement.

The latter tilted his head slightly, staring towards the ground as his hands curled up into fists. Small swirls of energy formed around his arms, slowly growing in speed and length until they orbited around his form like a miniature crimson tornado of energy, causing Shadow Dragon to give another raised eyebrow, this time in interest.

"Follow me..." Astaroth growled in a low tone, followed almost instantly by him launching himself into the air, leaving a trail of red energy in his wake. Shadow Dragon's eyes trailed his Astaroth as he levitated with ever-increasing height, then streaked towards the north in a blur of speed.

"Well, well... whaddya know?..." the Kai Master chuckled as he shook his head, then cast a quick glance towards Natalie. A rectangular shape protruded from underneath her tank top, with the tip of the CD case jutting out almost unnoticeably from the edge of her outfit. He nodded, hoping that whatever was in that CD was worth the trouble he'd been through...

"Shadow Wing!"

Outside the hotel where the action was on…

RD was walking quietly and quickly to the hotel where his ASB's contact stayed. He was worried. He tried calling Robin, but she didn't answer. He tried calling the hotel, but the receptionist on duty said that the phone was not answered. He had called his team and warned them about the danger that could come at any time. Of his team, he was sure enough they'd okay. Among his team, Zarkoff was his second command, and being the oldest in the group, he had a lot more experiences than him, so he was pretty much felt fine to leave his team under Zarkoff's command.

Just when he reached the hotel's lawn, hhesosounds from the fifth level of the hotel. He ran, and when he reached the fountain just a couple meters from the front door, he looked up and saw…

Robin was dangling on the second floor balcony. She had scored another point when she was going down the rope, she shot another enemy. Just when she reached the third floor, the rope was cut. She had acted fast enough to grab the balcony ledge on the second floor, but in doing so, she lost her gun, and nearly tore her arms out of her socket. She watched helplessly as an enemy on the fifth floor tried to aim his automatic gun at her. Then she heard a shout.

"Robin, jump !"

She looked down and saw RD on the hotel lawn looking up at her, and the ground that was ready to receive her body - which could cause some broken bones and her life gone- if he missed. Then she looked up and saw the gunman ready to shot her. "Aww what the hell !" She reacted quickly. She kicked the wall and released her hold on the balcony's ledge. She flew down and suddenly felt two strong arms held her on her back and thighs in mid-air. Both agents landed on the ground quite hardly. "Ooof…" She rolled to ease the fall. "Dragon !" She gave RD a glare.

"Sorry, you're not exactly light, you know." said RD as they got up and quickly run toward a big tree to get some cover from the gunman up there.

"How come you're here ? Not that I 'm complaining." asked Robin when they took cover behind the tree.

RD scanned the area and looked back at the fifth floor, the gunman was not there anymore. "There're something strange with the bureau. I couldn't get in."

"You couldn't either ?" asked Robin.

"Nope, there's something wrong, but we'll discuss later in my place." replied RD.

"'kay, let's get out of here." said Robin.

"By the way, nice P.J." said RD as he started to run toward the gate. Robin followed a split second later after rolled her eyes heavenward for RD's comment. They quickly dashed toward the gate, but stopped suddenly when they saw seven men guarding the gate, one of them is Balrog, the boxer.

"Okay, this is suck, remind me to bill the bureau heavily after the mission." said RD to Robin.

"After the mission, if we still alive." replied Robin.

"Locke?"

Locke Koh didn't move, causing Memphis Long to release an annoyed grunt. "D*mmit, Locke, wake the hell up."

Locke Koh still didn't move. Raising his foot, Memphis squinted as he took aim at Locke's toes, then stomped downwards swiftly. Despite the cushioned soles of Memphis's Air Jordan's, the assassin's stomp did deliver the sufficient amount of pain to Locke for the latter to snap his head up abruptly, only to hit the wall behind him with an unpleasant sound.

Locke breathed in deeply, drawing in air from between his clenched teeth as he clamped his mouth shut by sheer will, and succeeded in not letting out a cry from the dull pain on his right foot and the back of his skull. Memphis snorted in disgust. "So you've finally decided to cut short your beauty sleep..."

"Memphis..." the word came with undisguised anger. "You... wait a minute..." Locke paused abruptly as he rattled the shackles binding his ankles and wrists to the wall, securing him in an upright position. Then he realized that Memphis was bound in an identical fashion. Locke blinked several times to clear his vision as he took stock of his surroundings, only to discover that metal shafts protruding from the wall at their eye level prevented him from seeing in any direction except for straight ahead, and left... where Memphis's face was.

"You were saying?" Memphis asked, a note of sneering haughtiness in his voice. Locke sighed.

"Never mind what I said. "How... why... WHERE are we?"

Memphis's reply was a brief motion of his head towards Locke's wrist. "Turn your left wrist around."

"Why?"

"I need to know the time."

"You need to know the TIME?!" Locke snorted, confused between whether to laugh or sneer at his unwelcome companion. "Memphis, we're locked up here in God-knows-where by God-knows who for God-knows what and..."

"Locke, for the love of St. Peter, will you display at least a fleeting semblance of SELF-CONTROL here?" Memphis hissed angrily back, his eyes glazing with a silver hue as he stared at Locke. "Turn. Your. Wrist. Around."

"That won't be necessary, gentlemen..." a voice echoed from behind them, followed by the tapping of polished leather shoes against smooth marble. Locke turned to see whom it was, only to be promptly reminded of the metal shafts. A look towards Memphis drew a smirking expression from the latter. Locke groaned. "I can't believe this..."

Urien stepped into view, clad in a full tuxedo outfit with his hands behind his back. "Ah, gentlemen. I was... expecting you two."

Balrog smiled as he saw the lovely agent. He started to walk toward both agents, and when he saw RD's face, his smile gone and he growled. "You ! You were that karate kid in the tournament." He pointed at RD.

RD shrugged. "Yep, the one who punched you into the dream land. Want another round, Balrog ?" He grinned.

Behind him, Robin was looking at him in disbelief. "Dragon ! Are you mad ?" She hissed.

But Balrog was already in fury, he gathered his chi and threw a punch at RD's midsection. In his mind, he saw RD's broken body lay on the ground. What he didn't see though, were two circles of energy already gathered around both RD's palms. RD spun his hands in circular motion, creating a half-black and half-white circle, the symbol of Tao, in front of him. The circle caught Balrog's fist and started to spun him round and round like Ferris Wheel.

The other soldiers did not dare to shoot, afraid that the bullet might hit Balrog instead. After five seconds spinning, RD shoved his hands outward, and the circle exploded, sending Balrog tumbling on the other soldiers. Taking the advantage while their opponents were down, RD quickly grabbed Robin's hand and teleported away. When the soldiers and Balrog disentangled, both agents were already gone.

"Lee... come over quick."

The burly fisherman paused from the current task he was engaged in, which was packing the night's generous catch along with ice and slush into giant thermos containers aboard the small fishing ship. He looked towards the hull, where his partner was standing, hands on the rail, slack-jawed as he stared out towards the horizon. "What now?"

He picked himself up from the wooden stool, years of training enabling him to maintain a rock-steady balance on the deck of the rocking vessel as he made his way towards his companion, Hong. "What is it?"

"See for yourself..." Hong's voice trained off as he pointed out towards the sea. Lee strained his eyes, scanning the darkness as he tried to catch sight of what was it that had disturbed his partner. He heard it before he saw it. A screeching voice reached his ears, like the call of an eagle, but far louder and sharper by comparison.

The sound of waves came next, akin to giant surges of seawater smashing themselves against the beach, but, like the first sound, amplified to an unnerving scale. And the sounds were getting closer by the second...

Then he saw it. Two shining flashes - one of crimson-red, the other of silver-blue amidst the darkness - were making their way towards the ship with incredible speed. Magnificent plumes of foamed water at least 10 meters high trailing behind them, whipped skywards by the objects' terrifying speed of travel and leaving a fierce spray of mist in their wake. Lee's jaw dropped. For a split-second horror overcame him, but experience and professionalism kicked in an instant later.

"ALL HANDS HIT THE DECK!!!" Lee yelled out at the top of his lungs as he dove downwards, as curled up as he possibly could while his hands sought a grip on the rail. Out of the corner of his eyes, Lee could see the flashes of light streak past both sides of the ship, followed instantly by the crashing of waves.

The boat rocked violently as the twin pillars of water came crashing down on the small vessel, the force that powered them fading away. Lee sputtered as the stinging saltwater engulfed him, filling his ears and mouth, tugging at him as theyflowed swacross deck and back into the sea. Timbers creaked in protest, a sound that Lee could distinctly hear amidst the roar of the waves and the yells of his companions...

As suddenly as it had arrived, chaos faded away from the scene.

Lee maintained his death grip on the railing, not sure whether to let go or not as groans echoed from every corner of the ship. One thought filled his mind.

"What the hell was that ?"

A man and a woman walked down the street of Fighter's Island. The man had an Asian look and wore white T-shirt, blue jeans jacket and pants. He didn't wear any shoes. His shoes were worn by the woman on his side. She was a Caucasian judging by her looks.

She wore only a set of pajamas and a pair of sneakers that were too big for her feet. Her long blond hair was in a mess after previous encounter with Shadowloo's agents and soldiers. The man was Ryu Dragon, a freelance agent of Australia Security Bureau. The woman was Robin, a top intern agent of ASB. Both were sent together with RD's team to find out and if possible to stop Shadowloo's evil plan.

"No answer." said RD as he turned off his mobile. He had tried to call his friends to warn the danger that may come, but their motel's phone was not answered and neither Rogue's mobile phone. Her mobile seemed to be switched off.

"Maybe they were off to sneak into the Shadowloo's secret base. They said that they're going to infiltrate into the base in these three days to look for information." said Robin trying to ease RD's feeling.

He still felt worried. "Well, whatever they're doing now I hope they'll stay alert. This mission is getting sucker and sucker."

Her expression was grim. "Tell me about it."

"So how long have you been ASB's agent ?" asked RD.

"One and a half year." She replied. "How 'bout you ?"

He shrugged. "Three, four years, not counting."

"How many cases have you been assigned ?" asked Robin.

RD's forehead wrinkled as he counted. "Twenty, I think. Fifteen of them finished successfully, three unfinished, assigned to other agents, and two failed. You ?"

She counted. "Ten. Nine finished, eight of them alone. One unfinished and closed."

"Hmm… you've got excellent records." replied RD.

"Thanks. But all those experience didn't prepare me for this kind of troubles anyway." said Robin grimly.

"Me neither." said RD. "So if we finish this off, you'll be a really top score agent, huh ?"

"Let's just stay alive for now, huh ?" replied Robin. She smiled a bit. "Hmm… So what are we going to do now ? We lost support from ASB. Not much resources left."

RD sighed. "Guess we have to reveal ourselves to the others. From the situation now, we have to work together with other agents available."

Robin frowned. "Guess you're right. I don't like the idea exposing ourselves though."

"Sometimes you don't have to like it, mate. You just have to do it."

"It's risky though. Did you read the fighters' files?" asked Robin.

RD shook his head. "I didn't get a chance to download the file. Did you ?"

She nodded. "I did. My concern is that there are several fighters that were captured by M.Bison before. And from what I read about Bison, he's the kind of guy that like to mess with human's brain."

"Such as ?"

"Such as mind control, brainwash, hypnotic mind control, psychotic drugs, etc. etc." replied Robin.

"And who are the fighters that get caught before ?" asked RD.

"Ryu Hoshi…" said Robin. At RD's surprise look, she added. "Yes, your idol. Along with him was his adopted daughter, Iwa Hoshi. They were saved by the join forces of Interpol, U.S. Air Force and some street fighters."

"Okay. So they got caught before, but they seemed alright, I mean, no sign of mind controlled or brainwashed." replied RD.

She chewed her lower lip as she thought of something. Then she replied. "Bison uses high technology and psycho power to do the experiment. I just afraid that there're hidden effects still lingering."

Pain…

Darkness…

She felt pain in her head. It's was like there were forces inside her head that were trying to blow her head off.

The pain subsided. She looked up and saw a doctor holding a syringe. It was empty.

She saw another man. He was in crimson red military uniform and wore a gray cape. On his red military cap was a grinning skull pin attached. "Who… who are… who are you ?" she asked.

The man grinned. His grin was so evil, she felt chill passed through her spine. "Who… who are you ? What… what do you… want ?" again she asked, but then she collapsed.

The scene changed. It was all darkness.

She saw two figures emerged from the darkness. She tried to reach out, to call for help. The two figures came closer, and she knew instantly who were they. They were the two people that she respected most. Ryu Hoshi and Chun Li.

When she saw them, she felt like a heavy burden was lifted off her. She walked toward them. But she couldn't. She looked down and saw her legs were trapped in a purplish energy from knees to feet. She looked up and shouted for help. But there was no voice coming out.

Then there she was. Or a clone of herself. The clone had a sword that was similar to hers. It unsheathed the sword and walked toward Ryu and Chun Li. It intention was clear. She tried to reach out, to stop it. But she couldn't move even an inch.

She tried to summon her energy, to stop it. But she couldn't . It stopped a foot away from Ryu and Chun Li. Then raised its sword. With a swift movement, it decapitated the two people that she cared most.

She was stunned. She looked down at the two heads near her trapped feet.

"Iwa…" a ghostly voice called her name.

She looked up and saw her best friend Kumori, her 'sister' Lily, and other friends, Yang, Yun, Aaron Volpe the private investigator and her guardian, Charlie, Guile, Cammy, Ken, Crimson the Bushin student, Guy the Bushin master, Cody, and many others. She saw the clone walked toward them and started to decapitate them one by one while laughing psychotically.

"Stop." She tried to shout, but not even a squeak came out. She could only watched helplessly as her clone continued its massacre. Finally, when there was no one left who was not decapitated, the clone turned on her. It walked slowly toward her. She tried to move her body, but her body didn't respond even a little bit.

It stopped a foot away in front of her. It grinned evilly. The same grin as the man that she saw before. It spoke. "You are mine, Iwa. Mine." It began to change it form. When it finished changing, the same man in red military uniform stood in front of him. He grinned evilly. His hand glowed. "You are mine, Iwa. Mine!!!" He shouted as he attacked her.

"You are mine, Iwa !!"

"Iwa !!"

"Iwa !!"

"Iwa !!"

"Iwa !! Iwa !! Wake up !! Iwa !!" shouted Kumori as she shook her best friend's body.

"Nooooo !!!" Iwa shouted as she woke up and reached out with her hand. Her movement made Kumori yelped and jumped back a bit.

Kumori rushed at her. "Iwa !! Are you okay ?" When Iwa didn't respond, she repeated her question while shaking Iwa's shoulder.

"Bison… Bison… He is here… He killed Ryu-gor…" whispered Iwa. Her expression was a mess and she was perspiring. She looked up at Kumori and grabbed her shoulder. "He was here… He was here… Kumori… He…"

"Iwa, calm down okay. You were having a nightmare." said Kumori as she tried to calm Iwa down.

"No… no… no you don't understand, he was here… he… he killed Ryu-gor and Li-cie… and the other… everyone…" She looked down again.

Kumori shook her shoulder. "Iwa ! Listen to me ! Look at me !" When Iwa looked up and their eyes met, she saw madness in her best friend's eyes. She was shocked, but quickly concealed the feeling and said "You were having a nightmare. Bison is not here. Ryu-gor and Li-cie are still alive. You hear me, Iwa ?"

Kumori's words began to register in her brain. The madness was slowly seeping away and she calmed down again. "I… I… God… Kumori…" Her eyes welled and she fell on Kumori's chest and began sobbing uncontrollably.

Kumori hugged her friend softly and whispered soothing words. When Iwa stopped crying, she looked at her friend and said "Look at you, girl. I never see you smessy like th."

Iwa smilea bit although she still sobbing. "Kumori… I…" She began to speak but her friend stopped her.

"Iwa, we'll talk later in the morning. We need to get rest now, or to be more exact, I need rest. My head is still aching from those sake I took at the party." said Kumori.

"Oh. Yes. Sorry to wake you up." said Iwa sheepishly.

"It's okay. I'll get you some warm water, okay ?" said Kumori as she stood up and walked unsteadily toward the door of their room.

"Thanks, Kum." said Iwa.

Kumori nodded and got out of the room. She closed the door and leaned on it. She recalled Iwa's mad expression and felt afraid. "Iwa… What's gotten into you ?"
 

========================

Three minutes later...

Shadow Dragon quickly scanned the frozen tundra, then located a suitable landing site atop a small ledge of frozen ice which he positioned beneath himself, his feet connecting with a faint 'tap' shortly after he cancelled his levitation spell.

His body reacted naturally to the sub-freezing temperatures, his Kai Discipline of Nexus automatically regulating his body temperature and increasing his metabolism as the hellish cold gradually warmed to more tolerable relative temperatures. He tilted his head slightly upwards and to the right, regarding Astaroth who was perched on a similar outlying ledge of ice, arms at his sides as he also displayed no apparent susceptibility to the bone-piercing cold.

"Ready?" Astaroth mouthed his question silently, a restless glint in his eyes. Shadow Dragon gave a small nod, indicating his preparation to initiate the struggle. Astaroth's eyes narrowed.

The two warriors launched themselves off their respective standing spots simultaneously as they hurtled towards each other, Astaroth with a drawn-back shoulder, Shadow Dragon with a thrust foot. Both connected with each other in mid-air, trading their respective blows. Astaroth's fist found its target in Shadow Dragon's gut, only to have the latter deliver a swift kick to Astaroth's midriff. Both fighters were thrown backwards a slight distance, only to have gravity dictate its will on the two...

Astaroth cast a quick glance downwards, discovering with a sinking feeling that the ice and snow formed a giant fissure at the bottom of the valley, a fissure that now both of them were now hurtling towards. Shadow Dragon recovered, only to grab Astaroth's shirt. Astaroth growled, sweeping his opponent's hand away, creating enough space to send an elbow strike at Shadow Dragon's jaw. Retaliation came almost instantly in the form of a slashing knee swipe, stunning Astaroth for long enough for Shadow Dragon to re-enact his grip, this time on Astaroth's throat instead. With a yell Shadow Dragon vaulted over while keeping his grasp, planting both feet firmly on Astaroth's chest before kicking downwards with as much force as he could muster.

Astaroth was sent catapulting downwards as Shadow Dragon kicked off, succeeding to stop the inertia of his fall and recast his Shadow Wing spell, then turned his attention towards his rapidly falling opponent. With an expectant grin, the Kai Master thrust an open palm downwards, taking aim at Astaroth's receding form.

"ZERO BLAST!" Shadow Dragon yelled, feeling the familiar tingle of energies as his palm flared, then coalesced itself into a cylinder-shaped energy projectile that was sent through the air and towards Astaroth. It connected squarely, exploding into a brilliant flash of silver-blue energy sparks as a dull boom reverberated over the frozen tundra. Shadow Dragon hovered in mid-air, training his eyes on the mouth of the gorge as he waited for Astaroth to reveal himself...

An energy signature made itself known to Shadow Dragon's psychic senses as he suddenly found himself staring into a pair sea-green irises, the expression not at all friendly. With a roar Astaroth slammed a fist upwards from below in a fiery uppercut, causing Shadow Dragon to double over as Astaroth rose upwards with explosive force, delivering punch after punch into the midsection of his adversary with a flurry of revolving uppercuts, each one carrying him higher than the last until Astaroth finally reached the peak of his ascent...

"You should hone your skills better, Kai Lord..." Astaroth uttered as a clawed hand was reached to Shadow Dragon's right arm, then plummeted the both of them towards the nearest available ledge, dragging Shadow Dragon along against his will. Astaroth's aura flared back into existence as he picked up speed, gathering momentum as they approached the rockface. At the last possible moment Astaroth thrust his arm outward, holding Shadow Dragon before him as both of them crashed into the ice, Astaroth's arm still locked on the shoulder of his adversary.

"Dammit, he can teleport he can teleport he can teleport dammit all to hell…"

"You're a bigger nuisance than I thought you'd be..." Shadow Dragon muttered in exasperation. Astaroth's knee jerked upwards to strike his opponent, but the Kai Master already had the latter's head in his grasp before the blow connected, the wide grin readily prominent on his face. "Heads up, fellas."

Astaroth's head was swung downwards and crushed into the ice as Shadow Dragon extricated the grip on his shoulder. Pulling Astaroth's head up again, a second slam was delivered for good measure before Shadow Dragon yanked him bodily upwards, then flung himself into the air. Stunned and bloodied, Astaroth felt himself soaring through the air, then plummeting downwards as the momentum of the throw started to wear off...

A fleeting shadow materialized for a single instant above him as something hard plunged itself with a furious vengeance into his gut, driven with an immense amount of force that assisted in his descent. The roar of the wind increasing with a steady tempo in his ears, Astaroth felt himself collide with the ground, the snow doing whatever it could to cushion the impact...

================

The two tuxedoed men gave Locke and Memphis a shove each, pushing them through the doorway before the double doors closed themselves with a resounding boom.

"Have a seat, gentlemen," Urien motioned to the dining table that was set in the middle of the room, which seemed to be decorated in medieval style. Locke looked around, inspecting his new surroundings, which, although somewhat vast, provided nothing eye-catching in particular, the one possible exception being Urien. Pictures of kings and queens hung from the walls, which suits of medieval knight armor rested against at a certain distance from one another, each bearing a sword, spear, lance or some other hand weapons. The sole illumination turned out to be the fireplace, which Urien was tending to at the moment, stocking it with a good amount of firewood.

He took a cautious step forward, the chains that bound his wrists and ankles together producing a painfully obvious clanking sound as they dangled from Locke's limbs and dragged behind him on the floor. He winced, taking sour comfort in the fact that Memphis was bound in a similar fashion as he was. Seating himself on the table, he watched as Urien strode confidently across the hall, then took his seat at then end of the table.

"Why are we here?" Locke asked, the tone of his voice surprisingly flat. Urien merely smiled.

"Business," came the cheerful reply. "What else?"

"What about it?" Memphis growled. But he had a sick feeling that he already knew the answer. The smile on Urien's face receded somewhat, but he was still grinning. Leaning forward on the table towards Memphis, Urien clasped his hands together.

"Allow me to refresh your memories, gentlemen. Several weeks before, a total of fifty million in US currency was transferred to two accounts which only you good sirs had access to," Urien's countenance became utterly serious as he pushed himself up from his seat, pacing across the hall with a deliberate slowness. "along with a five hundred thousand dollar bonus each. The money, gentlemen, was an exchange in return for your... promises for service of bringing the celestial beings known as the Nine Essences under your capture, and turning them over to... me," Urien stopped pacing, then spun around on his heel to hold Locke and Memphis under his burning gaze.

"It appears that you gentlemen haven't been making much effort as of late."

Locke could feel his heart sinking to the very bottom of his shoes.

==============

Outside the Shadowloo's secret base…

A group of five people was sitting near the ventilation hidden by a tall and thick shrubs. The group consisted of three men - one could be considered gigantic by his size - and two girls. Each wore a set of black clothes and a pair of black rubber shoes. A black backpack full of equipment was slung on one of the girls.

"So let me ask again, why do I have to get inside too, I mean look at my size." said the gigantic man. "It's gonna be hard for me to crawl around the shaft."

The girl with the backpack sighed. "Zarkoff. We already discussed this. You're the strongest among us, well physically. And if I have to play mission impossible, I need someone who I can be sure to hold me up." Then she grinned. "Besides you've got the Earth Gem which can make you as hard as steel, if the situation gets worse I can hide behind your thick hide."

Zarkoff grumbled. "Fine, let the giant take the bullet." "Okay, we'll meet back here in one hour. If we don't, you guys have to inform Dragon, got it ?" he asked the other three members of RD's team, Rinai, Frank and Andy. The other three nodded in unison. "Okay, let's go."

The girl with the backpack, Rogue, nodded and followed Zarkoff into the ventilation shaft.

===============

Astaroth brushed the pieces of crystallized ice flakes off himself, noting with a somber expression the blood that stained them.

Shadow Dragon landed softly atop the surface arms crossed as he took the opportunity to catch his breath, silently thankful that Astaroth was in a similar condition and content to break the fight for several short minutes. Wisps of white, translucent vapor wafted from the mouth and noses of the two fighters, as each sought to repay oxygen debt and re-assess the other's condition.

'Just asking, but would you mind telling me your name?'

Astaroth's eyes narrowed as Shadow Dragon's voice spoke softly from within his mind. Incapable of replying via telekinetic means, the former chose the more conventional method of speaking out loud. "Call me Astaroth."

"Astaroth..." Shadow Dragon mulled over the name for several moments. 'You don't happen to be an immortal, do you?'

"You will find out soon enough, Kai."

Shadow Dragon merely cocked an annoyed eyebrow in response as he continued searching his memory for any hint of familiarity whatsoever of Astaroth's name, drawing a complete blank. Of all the scrolls, texts and tomes he had recovered from the ruins of the Kai Monastery on Magnamund, none of them offered so much as a fleeting mention of this warrior. He cast a critical glance on his adversary. He was young... about his own age. And he seemed disturbingly human. The last piece of information bothered him in particular as a nagging voice in his head told him that there was something of pressing importance that he should've remembered, only to have a mental block standing in his way.

His train of thought was cut off abruptly as Astaroth launched himself forward, closing the distance and landing a straight punch to the jaw before he could react, sending a spurt of blood from Shadow Dragon's already-injured jaw across the snow. The blow itself lifted the Kai Master into the air as Astaroth leaped upwards with a crescent slash kick. The second attack, however, was parried aside by an irate Shadow Dragon. Astaroth surged up past Shadow Dragon from his leap, only to have the latter grab and violently twist his right leg, throwing Astaroth completely off-balance...

"Hyper SONIC!!" Shadow Dragon yelled gleefully as he shot upward diagonally in a burst of speed, towing Astaroth on behind with a grip on his ankle. Reaching the intended height, the Kai Master spun violently around, followed by him releasing his grip on Astaroth and sending him flying outwards in a wide arc.

*CRUNCH*

Astaroth gritted his teeth against the pain as his path was halted by a vertical, slim peak of ice, a pain that quickly intensified as he felt the self-propelled human missile that was Shadow Dragon slammed into him, preceded by an outstretched foot that stabbed at his chest. The force of impact blasted the two warriors through the ice pillar, causing it to crumble and snap flimsily in two, allowing the two fighters to fall behind it amidst a rain of glinting ice shards. Astaroth forced his eyes open groggily, noticing that the ground below was fast approaching, and Shadow Dragon apparently intent on a forceful landing for him delivered via a bodyslam.

"Fate often changes, Kai Lord."

The turgid screaming of rushing air covered Astaroth's whisper, but the actions were not lost to Shadow Dragon as he felt Astaroth place both palms on his shoulders, then tightening his grip. He winced, delivering a quick knee strike to Astaroth's gut, followed by another, and another. And they hurt. But Astaroth merely wore a grim expression as he absorbed each and every one of the blows, the strength of his grip undiminished as wisps of gray fire slowly burst to life on his arms, travelling upwards to his hands before exploding in a destructive blast right in Shadow Dragon's face.

"Handou Dousa..." Astaroth nodded silently to himself as he felt he and Shadow Dragon detach from each other as they continued falling towards the ground, he gracefully, his adversary not. He landed on his feet, instinctively performing a short dive away as Shadow Dragon trailed behind and above him, landing in a muffled thump that sent a burst of snow flying towards all directions. Astaroth ended his roll, using his momentum to vault back on his feet as he saw Shadow Dragon already regaining his balance. It was a risk he could not take.

"KAZE BARAI!!" Astaroth screamed as he slashed a knifed hand downwards, creating a familiar wave of gray fire that surged towards Shadow Dragon. The Kai Master had partially regained his balance at best, and, struck by Astaroth's fiery projectile, was sent flying unceremoniously backwards, crashing against a boulder in an undignified heap. Determined to press his advantage to its maximum potential, Astaroth responded to his adversary's temporary disadvantage by leaping upwards into the air, red flames once again beginning to surge forth from his form and granting him the ability of flight. Astaroth flied, directly upward as hands were brought to his torso.

"Taikyoukuu..."

The fiery red aura that had powered Astaroth's dramatically accelerated flight slowly began to fade from existence as he gathered every last ounce of energy he had left from his battered body, channeling them towards his cupped palms where they collected into a brilliant, shimmering crimson-red globe. His aura faded entirely, and, for several seconds, nothing but the momentum of his rapid flight skywards sustained his position in mid-air. Below him, a badly-wounded Shadow Dragon had recollected his senses, bracing himself for a split-second response to whatever it was that Astaroth was going to throw at him, inwardly nodding in approval of his opponent's apparent resiliency at the same time...

"...HAOUKEN!!!!"

"SHADOW WING!!"

The Kai Master took off with a kick and into the air at low altitude as a beam of pure, focused energy streaked from Astaroth's palms and blasted into the spot where he was standing on less than a nanosecond ago, the searing heat instantly melting the snow and transforming it into a flowing torrent of water. Astaroth's scream of frustration and anger echoed through the frozen landscape as he instantly pivoted around, directing the deadly energy beam towards a silver-blue speck that moved with incredible speed across the background of white. Shadow Dragon spat unmentionable curses in Chinese dialect, desperately weaving back and forth across the surface as he tried to throw Astaroth's aiming off-track. But the beam tagged him with a dogged persistency, always no more than inches behind him as he maneuvered across and around the mountainous snowy terrain. Growling, Shadow Dragon executed a final gambit as he soared up against the surface of a mountain, feeling the heat of the beam still tracking him.

He still had one last ace up his sleeve, though. Astaroth didn't know he could teleport. Reaching the peak of the said mountain, the Kai Master immediately began a sweeping pattern, leading Astaroth's beam across the mountaintops...

================

TS squinted, shielding his eyes from the glare of white snow as he observed the battle, and grinned. The Kai and the dark one. The invisible demigod counted three seconds as Shadow Dragon led the energy beam around on a wide path before the attack faded, then snapped his fingers, causing a flash of multi-colored sparks to erupt and dissipate after several seconds...

================

"Zarkoff, can you read a map ?" asked Rogue, annoyed. They had wasted ten minutes going around the ventilation shaft, and there wasn't a sign - not that there was any sign in the ventilation duct - that they're getting closer to their destination.

"We're almost there, so stop nagging, okay ?!" replied Zarkoff.

After another left turn, and a couple of steps straight, Zarkoff stopped. "This is it."

"Finally." said Rogue as she peered through the filter. The computer room that they're after was dark and empty. She unslung her backpack and took out a toolbox and some climbing equipment. She handed the climbing equipment to Zarkoff, then opened the toolbox and picked a tool to detach the filter.

Meanwhile, Zarkoff was busy setting up the climbing equipment. After detaching the filter, Rogue put on a climbing belt and a pair of infrared goggles. She tied the black climbing rope to the ring on her climbing belt, then took out a small box containing several blank CDs. After testing the strength of the equipment twice, she got through the hole. Zarkoff held the rope and started to lower Rogue slowly.

==================

'By the way, Astaroth, seems like Naar didn't teach you too much about geography and science back in Dazganon, did he?'

Astaroth merely hovered in mid-air, his breath coming in short gasps as the telepathic message echoed in his mind. He jerked his head up, warily scanning his whereabouts for any sign of his adversary and detecting none.

'I have one word for you, boy...'

Something crashed into his skull with immense force, catching Astaroth by surprise as his levitation abilities was abruptly interrupted and sent him careening towards the ground in an uncomfortable fashion. Above him, Shadow Dragon grinned, both palms thrust outwards at the falling Astaroth as they started glowing with a cold blue light. Astaroth hit the ground painfully, but the impact did little but stun him as he quickly climbed to his feet angrily, fixing his gaze on Shadow Dragon.

It was then did he realize that he couldn't move his limbs.

He looked down. Blocks of solid ice had somehow appeared around his legs and arms, trapping them and holding him in position. With an angry roar, gray flames flared fiercely to life on his palms, melting the ice that held him captive, and discovering with no small amount of horror that the ice re-froze itself -- or rather, by Shadow Dragon's will -- as fast as he could melt it.

'... avalanche.'

"What?"

'Avalanche...' Shadow Dragon repeated slowly, then paused for a while. 'Look left.'

Astaroth did, only to be greeted by the visage of a magnificent sheet of ice and slush that roared down from the mountaintops and towards him.

======================

"And what if we refuse?" Memphis probed gently, careful to keep his tone of voice neutral.

Urien shrugged. "You must realize, Mr Shouzou Long... fifty million dollars is no small amount by any standard," he paused, awaiting Memphis's response. None came. With a small shrug, Urien downed his small glass of champagne in a single gulp. "If that comes to pass, I am afraid that you two are... swindlers, and will have to be treated as such."

"We'll refund the money," Locke replied coldly, "... every last cent. In this profession, I get to choose my employers, and it's a tradition I intend to keep."

"I am surprised," Urien raised an eyebrow, setting his glass down on the table before dabbing the corners of his mouth with a small handkerchief. "I was informed that you two gentlemen were the best money could buy. What could possibly... be hindering your completion of this little mission?"

Memphis shrugged. "Job ethics. You could put it that way."

"You are looking right at the biggest paycheck ever in your mortal lives," Urien continued, his expression dangerously blank. "Choosing now, of all times, to acquire a conscience would be a tad foolhardy."

Both assassins remained silent, faces betraying no hint of emotion whatsoever. It was a job requirement, and a test both of them had passed a long while back. In the field of an assassin, one was often needed to keep petty emotions in check... or at least not allow anyone else to see them.

Urien sighed. "I was hoping it didn't have to come to this, gentlemen, but I do have this little leverage that the two of you may be interested in..."

A small, previously-concealed LCD panel slid upwards from the tabletop, drawing raised eyebrows of mild surprise from the two ex-partners as Urien spoke. "This small monitor will display the visual data from a security camera from our little satellite. Now, if I may have your attention for a few moments..."

The panel flickered to life as Urien silently depressed a button located below the tabletop. Static reigned for the first few seconds, followed by a blurry image that rapidly sharpened into a fully contrasted view. Both Locke and Memphis leaned forwards, their jaw dropping simultaneously as they recognized the figure, laying on a hospital bed.

Meliza.

Locke was the first to recover from the shock, turning up to face Urien. "She has no place in this, you bastard."

Urien brushed off the insult as his smile returned. "Your reaction was expected, Mr. Koh. I had originally planned to simply leave her alone when my men found her with you... but she proves to be quite a convincing point, as I'm sure you gentlemen will agree."

Both assassins' expressions were grim, Memphis's even more so. Meliza WAS the Incarnate of Wisdom, which was something he knew and Locke didn't, and apparently a fact that Urien was ignorant about as well...

================

Vega (Balrog) was sitting silently in the main control room as he pondered about how beautiful he was. He was also thinking about the new generation of fighters that he had encountered with a couple of times and was defeated. His rage rose as he thought about the defeats. He was defeated by fighters much younger than him !

His rage was so thick that he almost did not notice the red light on the control panel bleeping silently. He quickly scanned the monitors in front of him and searched for the cause of the alarm. He saw a figure dangling in front of the mainframe in computer room, doing whatever it was. "A woman ! It's been a while since I had a woman to play with !" he thought. He picked up his metallic mask and claws and proceeded to the computer room. He didn't even bother to alert the guards. He could take care an agent or two. He wanted to play.

================

*Crinkle*

Shadow Dragon paced slowly through the snow, using his innate abilities to cleave a path through the semi-frozen ice that parted aside with every step he took, as if he was preceded by an invisible battering ram. Already his body had triggered its own healing mechanisms, sealing broken and charred flesh and mending shattered bones with every step he took, but his own concern was the last thing on his mind at the moment. Infra-vision penetrated through the snow, guiding him towards Astaroth's unconscious body; there were several things that he needed to know, and willingly or otherwise, the required information would be coming from Astaroth.

He reached a hand into the snow, feeling the back of Astaroth's shirt on his fingers. The unmoving fighter was unearthed as Shadow Dragon dug the snow off him and recovered his unconscious body, setting him against a conveniently positioned boulder. A relaxed, unresisting mind was one of the easiest to work with, which was something he was thankful for. He knelt down in lotus position, then closed his eyes and launched a mental probe at Astaroth's mind force.

Memories of the evil teenage warrior fleeted past him from all directions as Shadow Dragon found himself within Astaroth's mind. Reaching out, he tentatively touched a fragment of psionic energy as Astaroth's life unfolded before him. Of his training in Dazganon, his experiences in Naar's dread fortress, as well as the numerous assaults he spearheaded on various worlds in multiple dimensions across the known universe. The Kai Master sifted through the onslaught of recollections, searching for any useful information aside from the arduous training and tortures Astaroth had been through, but found nothing that he already knew of... The fighter had no memories before he reached the age of seven, which was something Shadow Dragon noted with interest. Casting aside Astaroth's memories, he probed deeper, searching for Astaroth's spirit.

It was then did he realize that something was terribly wrong. He furrowed his brow at the latest revelation as his mental probe located Astaroth's mind force, but not his soul.

"What the HELL is this...?" Shadow Dragon wondered 'aloud' to himself as he coasted around Astaroth's mind force, staring at the empty shell where his soul should have been. Of all years of experience, he had never encountered a situation as this. Astaroth was certainly not a mindless drone, that much he knew. But without a soul, he could not possibly be one with free will either...

He gasped, detecting a surge of intense evil from within Astaroth's mind that permeated his entire being, an evil of such magnitude that he felt his own powers slowly wane as a sickening, cloyed feeling overtook him, threatening to force him to throw up. Tendrils of black mist curled slowly from around the empty soul-shelter, slowly coalescing to form a black cloud that hovered motionlessly in the 'air'.

Shadow Dragon took an involuntary step backwards. "Oh... my... God..."

Psionic tension reigned within psychic space as a deep rumbling echoed from all directions, disrupting the stability of the space. Multiple arcs of psionic energy crackles around the cloud, illuminating all surroundings with a malevolent yellow hue as small explosions of psionic energy erupted all around Shadow Dragon, triggered by the imbalance of soul-energy caused by the cloud. The Kai Master was paralyzed by an abject, indescribable terror as he stared into the cloud, knowing full well that it was the incomplete manifestation of Naar -- the King of Darkness.

'Disciple of Kai, you know my name. Will you not deign to speak it?'

Shadow Dragon steeled himself against his morbid terror, gathering enough courage to reply. 'I will never acknowledge you.'

'You may be Kai's favorite minion,' retorted the voice in a chillingly mocking tone, 'but you will always be mortal. You would do well to remember that in my presence...'

Shadow Dragon drew a sharp intake of breath as he sensed a terrifying channel of hostile psionic energy collecting at the centre of the cloud, hurriedly erecting a defensive psychic barrier around his own mind as Naar's attack was launched towards him in one breathtaking moment, a normally-invisible attack intense enough to manifest as faint energy waves as it crashed against Shadow Dragon's formidable mind shield, crumpling it as if it was no more than a mere piece of paper. Shadow Dragon stifled a scream of pain as the assault sliced deeply into his psyche, causing him to fall involuntarily to his knees.

'Now that you bow before me, Shadow Dragon, I will impart to you your fate, for I am the true master of Daziarn. You have foolishly entered of your own free will, allowing the means of destroying you to me. For within the insignificant speck of time in which you have existed, you have become an impertinent obstacle to my conquest of Aon...'

Rings of white-hot psionic energy encircled Shadow Dragon's mind, skewering themselves against his psyche and preventing him from creating another defensive psionic barrier as the cloud slowly increased in size, until it was towering above the defenseless Kai Master.

'... for that, you will forfeit your soul.'

'Enough...'

In a single overwhelming instant Shadow Dragon sensed the presence of another formidable psionic force within Astaroth's mind. Bewilderment filled him, but not for long as Naar's psychic attacks was abruptly interrupted. The pain lingered, but left him free to exercise his psionic abilities as normal.

'Leave,' suggested the voice. Shadow Dragon nodded thankfully, unable to detect its presence, yet sensing it all the same. Immediately he severed his psionic link with Astaroth's mind, feeling himself surging away from Astaroth's core as he opened his eyes, finding himself within the frozen tundra once more.

Astaroth was gone.

Shadow Dragon climbed to his feet shakily, totally unnerved by the past five minutes as he held his head in his hands before silently uttering two words...

"Shadow Recall..."

=============

The theme of Mission Impossible played in the teenager girl's mind as she was lowered slowly toward the mainframe. As she was low enough to reach the keyboard, she tugged the rope twice to signal her partner to stop lowering her.

She flicked the computer on and waited for a few seconds for the computer to enter the system. When the computer was ready, she slid in a blank CD into the CD ROM. She began to search for the information that they needed, then copied them into the CD. Five minutes passed, she changed another CD, then began to copy more data. As she was on her fifth - and the last - CD, she felt a presence behind her, and the lights in the room were flicked on. "Damn." She thought as she turned and saw a blond man wearing a metallic mask, claws, a pair of tight pants, and a pair of white and red cloth boots.

"So, what do we have here ?" asked Vega rhetorically.

"Err… intruder ?" said Rogue innocently.

"Wrong, little lady. You are my toy." said Vega as he walked toward Rogue.

"Toy ? Don't think so. Besides I don't have time to play." She tugged the rope to signal Zarkoff to lift her up. She didn't get the chance to finish the last CD, but with her health at risk, that was the last thing on her mind. Up she went after the tugs, but Vega was quick. He run toward the wall and jumped and bounced from the wall. He swiped his claws at the rope and it was cut down.

Rogue fell down. As her head was going to kiss the floor, she used her wind controlling ability to propelled her upward a bit and then somersaulted and landed gracefully on her feet, ready to fight.

"Impressive." said Vega. He charged at her and swiped with his claws. Rogue ducked and rolled under the attack. She swiped at Vega, but he easily jumped back to avoid the sweep. "My, you're a fast one." Then he set his stance. "But I'm much faster." Then he charged at her.

She sent a sidekick, which was evaded by Vega. He return the attack with his claws slashing at her. She dodged the attack, but the next slash caught her surprise on her right arm. She jumped back and roll to evade the next claw swipe. She recovered quickly but was awarded with a sidekick that cost her balance and another slash on her left arm. "Damn, he's too fast !" she thought as she dodged another slash and countered with a roundhouse kick that surprisingly connected squarely on his left cheek. She followed with three straight punches to his head, chest and stomach, sending him back a couple of steps.

Vega quickly recovered from the shock and jumped back to evade another attack. He leapt to the wall and bounced toward Rogue with a punch. The punch connected to her chin. She fell on the floor and quickly rolled to avoid Vega's stomp. "S*** lucky for me he didn't use his claws." The fight went on with the two fighters exchanging blows. Vega used his rolled attack to nail Rogue, but she was ready. She punched upward on the last second to use her defensive technique, Typhoon Uppercut. A column of wind was created in front of her and sucked Vega and propelled him upward. Caught surprise, he landed rather uncomfortably on his back.

Rogue jumped back and readied her stance. She knew to followed the attack was too risky. Her opponent was an experienced street fighter and was stronger than her, so she had to play defensive and waited for the right moment. Vega rose up. The two fighters stood unmoving to catch their breaths before continue pounding at each other.

The fight started again, this time Vega took on full offensive. He leapt to the wall and bounced and bounced again. His speed was so fast that Rogue could only see blurs. She tried to follow his movement, but found that she couldn't. She couldn't see his movements and at times, Vega attacked her with claws or kick or punch. Four attacks were connected despite her best effort and speed to dodge the attack.

"This is hopeless. Can't see his movement. What… to do…? Hmmm… I wonder…" she thought. She closed her eyes and let her instinct guided her 'third eye'. Twice she was attacked while trying to sense him, but she didn't let up. She went deeper into her mind and recalled whatever training she had. "Come on… come on… a little bit more… Now !!!" As Vega claws were closing in a few inches from her head, A giant tornado was created around her sucking Vega in and sending him upward. The tornado did not only crashed him onto the ceiling, but also cut him in almost every part of his body. The tornado dissipated, and Vega fell unceremoniously on the floor.

She sank onto her knees, her breath ragged, and she was so exhausted that she didn't realize that Vega was painfully rose up to his feet. He walked slowly toward her. Cuts and bruises were seen on every part of his body. His mask was gone and his face had several cut injuries. His expression was insane. "You… you dare to injure my face. You'll pay, little girl. I'll cut you into pieces and pieces." She tried to get up, but she barely had energy to crawl away from Vega. As Vega stood a few inches in front of her, she looked up.

"I think you should look up." she said.

"I'm not that dumb, little girl." replied Vega. His tone was menacing.

"Fine. I still think you should look up." said Rogue as she shrugged.

Curious with her manner, Vega looked up and his mouth opened wide as he saw a gigantic figure fell on him. Taking the advantage of the distraction, Rogue rolled away as Zarkoff fell flat on Vega.

*CRASH !!!*

*BOOM !!!*

Zarkoff fell flat on Vega. He slowly got up and saw Rogue winced at the sight of Vega in a crater shaped like himself. "Ouch, that should hurt."

"You're okay ?" asked Zarkoff.

She sighed. "Been better. You surely taking your time to help me, eh ?"

"Want to see you fight. Besides, I see that you were not beaten up so badly."

Rogue rolled her eyes heavenward. "Thanks a lot for the vote of confidence." She got up painfully and slowly. Zarkoff helped her onto her feet, then picked up the last CD and shove it into the CD pocket.

"Can you climb up ?" asked Zarkoff.

"Give me a minute." said Rogue. She summoned the healing properties from her Wind Gem. Her gem was one of the two Elemental Gems that had healing properties. The other one was the Water or Ice Gem, owned by another member of RD's team, Andy Gracia. A minute passed and her wounds were already closed. They quickly climbed up to the ventilation shaft and crawled back to their teammates outside the secret base.

=================

In the morning in detective Li's cabin (lots of cabin, eh ? ^-^)…

Chun Li got out from her bedroom. Her eyes were still heavy from the lack of sleep last night. She walked past the living room toward the kitchen to get some water. As she walked pass the couch, she saw Ryu still sleeping.

She smiled as she thought "He look cute when he's sleeping." She stopped by the couch "Hmm… should I ? Aww what the heck, a woman has to live in danger sometimes." She leaned toward him and gave a quick peck on the corner of his lips. Suddenly Ryu moved.

Chun Li quickly straightened up and jumped back a bit. "Yikes !" she silently yelped thinking that Ryu was about to wake up. But Ryu was still sleeping. She sighed, then smiled.

Suddenly she heard a rustling sound from the cabin's door. She went to the door and saw a piece of paper under the door. She picked it up and unfolded the paper. She read the message and frowned. She quickly opened the door to see who's sending the message, but the messenger was already gone.

After scanning around a bit, she closed the door and went to the phone. She dialed a number and when the call was answered, she said "Volpe ? I want you to come straight away, we've got a problem." Then she hung up and went to the bathroom.

Thirty minutes later, Ryu, Chun Li, Ken, Guile, Charlie, Cammy and Aaron Volpe were sitting in the living room in Chun Li's cabin. On the table there were several cups of hot coffee.

"So there's a spy among us ?" asked Guile.

"I received this message this morning." said Chun Li as she handed the message to Guile. "I know he's my partner in tournament, and he doesn't look suspicious, but we don't know anything about him aside that he's from Australia and came here for the tournament."

Guile read the message then handed the message to Charlie. "True. Well, Charlie can look up some information about him, and I'm sure you can find something about him through Interpol. Cammy can try her contacts, and Volpe…?"

"Yep ?" asked Volpe as he was reading the message.

"Got any other resources that we haven't covered yet ?" asked Guile.

"Well… Last night Crimson told me something about him. He saw Dragon with a pretty lady on the beach. He said that the lady wore something like Scully in the X-Files and gave him a paper, he doesn't know what, but what made him suspicious was that they met at four O'clock in the morning." said Volpe.

"Now that is something. I'll go and contact my sources in MI." said Cammy as she stood up.

Chun Li nodded. "Fine, I'll try the Interpol, and Guile, Charlie and Volpe can try the military, see if we can come up with something."

Cammy was just opened the door when she saw RD and Robin in front of her. "Speak of the devil." she whispered.

Two hours later after SD and Astaroth unofficial match...

"So you were the hero," Shockwave murmured softly. His elder brother shrugged.

"More or less. How do you feel?"

"Okay for somebody who's been through what I've been through, whatever that means. What's my prognosis?"

Shadow Dragon reached to the end of the bed, removing a small-attached clipboard before gazing at its contents with a raised brow. "4 shattered ribs, broken left kneecap, 34 percent second degree burns, 5 percent first degree burns." He winced. "Ouch."

"I'll survive," Shockwave coughed as he propped himself up on his bed. "I'm a Kai."

"A sorry excuse for one."

"Hey, watch it," Shockwave glared at his brother in annoyance, then gave a sigh. "Who was he?"

"Natalie's brother."

"Tell me something I don't know."

"He's one of Naar's elite executioners," Shadow Dragon muttered darkly, "along with Kekataag and the others. Check this out; he's human. With no memories at all before he was seven years old. My guess is that Naar sent his guys to nab him, erased his mind and assimilated him."

ShockWave chewed at that piece of information for a while. "Why would Naar want to do with a human?"

"A human that bashed you up like crap," Shadow Dragon corrected. His younger brother gave an exasperated snort.

"You know what I mean," Shockwave growled. "Compare him to Zorkaan, Kekataag, or even Kimah. What do you get? A snob-headed kid hotshot who went down faster than Monica Lewinsky on his first field test."

"You don't know half the story..." Shadow Dragon's voice trailed off, a troubled gleam in his eyes which he took care to shield from his younger brother by looking the other direction. Silence reigned for several seconds as each of the brothers tended to their own respective thoughts.

"You know, I've been thinking, bro..." Shockwave began, his voice unusually quiet and subdued.

"Yes?"

Shockwave sighed and fidgeted uncomfortably as he twiddled his thumbs. "Been thinking... what I've learned so far..." Shockwave fixed his eyes on Shadow Dragon, his expression being one of quiet regret, "... is nothing but a candle in the sun compared to you, isn't it?"

"That is so..." the corners of Shadow Dragon's lips tugged into a faint, contented smile. "Here, relax... this might tickle a bit..."

Shadow Dragon reached out with a hand, yanking off the covers on Shockwave's bed as an open palm was placed gently on the younger Kai Master's chest, weak silver-blue flames emanating softly as Shadow Dragon invoked his healing abilities. Channeling its beneficial powers through his palm and into Shockwave's body. The latter merely slumped back on his bed, pleasant waves of a warm, comfortable sensation radiating from his chest to spread over his entire body. The lingering pains on his body faded away, then disappeared completely.

Shockwave sat upright on his bed as he glared at his brother. "You could have done that SOONER, you little..." he paused as he realized his brother's annoyed eyebrow. "And you waited until NOW?"

"I had to make sure you learnt your lesson," Shadow Dragon shrugged. "You learnt pretty quick."

Two successive knocks rapped sharply from the door, prompting Shockwave to quickly grab his shirt and pull his back on. "Come in."

The door creaked, opening a slight crack for Natalie to throw a quick glance around before entering. Shockwave stood up, brushing down the wrinkles on his clothing as Natalie approached him. "Are you okay?"

Shockwave looked down at himself. "I sure feel like it..."

"You heal fast," Natalie commented, the mild surprise evident in her voice as Zero1 entered the room behind her, causing Shockwave to raise an eyebrow. "So do you... by the way, this is my brother... you met him at the inn last..." Shockwave turned around, extending a hand at Shadow Dragon.

Or rather, where Shadow Dragon had been ten seconds before. The chair was empty. Shockwave's hand fell as he palmed himself on the forehead. "I knew it, I knew it..."

"There is something I'd like to talk with you about..." Natalie continued after a short pause of confusion at Shockwave's erratic behavior, which she decided to ignore for the time being. Reaching into her jeans, she drew a plastic CD carrying case from her pocket, which encased within was a compact disc. "I found this in my... dress, and I was wondering if you knew anything about it..."

Shockwave accepted the case from Natalie's outstretched hand, flipping it open and inspecting the media contained within it. The CD itself was plain, devoid of any designs or diagrams. His brow furrowed as he made a mental memo to himself to ask his brother the next time he caught sight of him. With a shrug, the disc was handed back to Natalie. "Why don't you check it out?"

"Okay, solet me get this straight." said Chun Li. The Interpol agent along with the others that were in the discussion before was interrogating the two Australian agents. "You two are agents from the security bureau in Australia. You two were send to find out Bison's plan and if possible to stop him ?" Then she leaned toward both agents. "If you two think you can stop him alone, you're nuttier than a fruitcake."

Both agents looked at each other. RD shrugged then replied. "That was the original plan. But both of us were betrayed. We tried to access the bureau last night but couldn't get in. Someone on the top is a spy for Shadowloo." He sighed. "So we decided to abandon the plan and work along with other agents such as you are, Miss Li."

Chun Li shook her head. "I still can't believe your story yet. Who knows that you're Shadowloo's agents? Besides, why didn't you two tell us before? Why wait?"

This time, Robin replied. "It was the order from our supervisor. And I do have concern about some of the fighters that were captured by Shadowloo before." At Chun Li's questioning look, she continued. "I've read some of the fighters' files, and I know that Ryu Hoshi, his adopted daughter, Iwa and Aaron Volpe were captured by Bison. I have concern about the lingering effects that might still be in them after the experiments."

"Ryu, Iwa, and Volpe? Can't be. I know Ryu had problem with his dark side, but that was resolved. Volpe, well… he's over there. He's weird, I know that, but pretty much harmless. And Iwa, although she is a bit weird…"

"Li." Said Ryu.

"Okay, only at times. But I don't think there's any effect of psycho hypnosis left." said Chun Li. "And we still have not yet done with you two. Knowing these facts does not mean you are who you are."

"Fine." said RD. He took a piece of paper and a pen then wrote a name and a telephone number. He handed the paper to Chun Li. "This is the name and number of a high level military general in Australia. He can vouch for both of us."

Chun Li took the paper, looked at it and handed it to Charlie. "Check this out, Charlie."

He took the paper and went to the phone and dialed the headquarter.

RD yawned and stretched. "Mind if I sleep?" Then he lied on the couch and fell asleep straight away.

The others around him looked at him with amazement. Robin shook her head. "How did he managed to stay alive all this time is a mystery to me."

"Who's there ?" asked Kay in his mind realm. He felt a presence, an evil being.

Suddenly, it appeared. It was Zorkaan. He smirked at Kay.

"You ! You're the one that we fought err… What's your name ?" asked Kay when he saw Zorkaan. He was surprised to see Zorkaan in his mind realm.

"It doesn't matter, mortal. You won't remember about me anymore in a few moments. Now be a good boy and surrender your body to me." replied Zorkaan with a menacing tone.

Kay frowned his mind face. "My body? Mmm… Let me think." He looked up a few seconds. "Nah, don't think so."

Zorkaan shrugged. "Fine, have it your way." Then he unleashed his Psionic attacks.

But Kay was ready for the attacks. He raised his Psionic shield multiple times to deflect the series attacks from Zorkaan. He returned with his own attacks after the onslaught was done. The two fought furiously in Kay's mind realm. Kay was defending his body, and Zorkaan was trying to take over Kay's body. In the reality as they fought, Kay's body was shaking violently.

When she saw Kay's shaking, Ayame and Meliza quickly went to see Kay. They tried to stop the shaking by holding Kay's body to bed and calling his name, but he still shaking more and more violent. "Ayame, call the doctor !" ordered Meliza. Reluctantly, Ayame went out to get the doctor.

"Give up, mortal !! You are not a match to my might !" shouted Zorkaan taunting Kay as he unleashed more and more attacks. Kay didn't reply, he needed to focus his every skill and power to defy Zorkaan's onslaught. The onslaught went on, and Kay was getting tired. Zorkaan's onslaught was getting too much to handle. His stamina was depleting, and still there was no sign of Zorkaan letting up his attack.

Suddenly Kay felt a familiar psychic presence "Meliza!" he thought.

"Kay? What's going on?" asked Meliza telepathically.

"Meliza, I need help!" replied Kay. That was the only thing he could say before another series of attacks from Zorkaan came and plummeting his psychic shield. "Nooo !"

"Kay !! Kay !! Answer me !! Kay !!" Meliza shouted. She was getting more panic when Kay didn't reply her call. She tried to probe into his mind, but there was a psychic barrier preventing her to probe further.

Afternoon time, nearly evening…

"Project Insurgence." said Natalie. She had checked the content of the CD that was given by Shockwave's brother, Shadow Dragon. She continued reading the information in the CD when Zero1 asked her.

"Project what ?"

"Project Insurgence. I think this is about why Bison wanted the essences and how to extract them for his own use." replied Natalie as she scrolled down the page.

"And how can he do it?" asked shockwave. They were in Natalie's cabin at the moment. The doctors in the hospital were shocked to see how quickly Shockwave healed, but nonetheless they let him go from the hospital.

"Doesn't really explained in here. Only a brief explanation." She sighed. "Your brother had found a lot, but I wish that he could get more. Probably he was in a hurry when he copied them."

"I see if I can find him." said Shockwave as he stood up and head for the door.

The phone in the cabin suddenly rang. Natalie picked it up and listen intently while answering shortly. "Okay, fine, we'll be there." She hung up and called shockwave.

"What's going on?" asked Zero1.

"We need to go to Chun Li's place." replied Natalie as she took her jacket and the CD, then head toward the door.

30 minutes before…

Crimson, Guy and Cody were training in the backyard when they heard two knocks on the cabin's door. They went to the door and opened it. A cute teenage girl was there. Behind her, were a gigantic man that they could mistook him as Zangief, a thirty something old man that looked like a wanderer needing a shave, a Japanese girl that looked so elegant, and a young Italian man in a set of designer casual clothes. Crimson, who knew the teenage girl said "Oh, you're RD's girlfriend, right?"

Rogue smiled. "Yes, my name is Rogue, err… is Dragon in?"

Crimson shook his head. "Unfortunately, no. He wasn't in last night either, I don't know where he went." He turned to Guy and Cody and asked if they knew where RD was, but they didn't know either.

Rogue's expression was worried. "He wasn't ?" "Where could he be ?" she asked herself softly.

"Actually, can I speak with you for a moment ?" asked Crimson to Rogue.

"Yeah, sure." said Rogue. She asked her friends to wait outside while she went with Crimson to the kitchen.

As the two fighters disappeared into the kitchen, Rinai whispered to Zarkoff. "Is it alright to let her ?"

Zarkoff nodded. "It's alright, Rogue can take care of herself."

"So what do you want to talk about ? Do you have any idea where Dragon went ?" asked Rogue to Crimson.

"I might." said Crimson. "Well… actually… did you know if he was seeing someone else ?"

Rogue frowned. "What do you mean ?"

"I don't mean to be nosy, but, well… a couple days ago, I saw Dragon went to the beach and met this foxy lady. Just wonder if you know…"

"You mean Robin ?" asked Rogue.

"I don't know her name." replied Crimson.

"Oh my…" Rogue stammered. She quickly whipped out her mobile phone and turned it on. There was a message for her. She went into the menu to looked at the message. "Damn…"

"Err… what's going on ?" asked Crimson.

"Do you know a fighter called Chun Li ?" asked Rogue.

"Yes, I know her. She's RD's partner." answered Crimson.

"Do you know where her cabin is ?" asked Rogue.

"Yeah, I know. Why do you ask ?"

"I have to go there, he's in trouble."

"What kind of trouble ?"

"Look, right now, we need to go there. I've got some important information about Shadowloo, and I know she is an Interpol agent, so let's hurry up, okay." replied Rogue ashe rushed out to theliving room.

Crimson followed her out and asked Guy and Cody to come along, then the eight fighters went on their way to Chun Li's cabin.

About 10 minutes before Natalie, Zero1, and Shockwave went to Chun Li's place…

Iwa and Kumori were sitting on a rock near the forest. Maru was sleeping on Iwa's lap, and Brand was sleeping besides her. "I don't know what's going on with me, Kumori. That last night nightmare was so real, too real."

"Well, Iwa, it might be that you're just… you know… recalling the past experience. I mean, Bison had tortured you for I don't know how long. I think its only a part of the trauma, you know." said Kumori.

"Yeah, I guess so." said Iwa, unconvinced. She scratched Brand's head slowly. "But the murder… Kumori, it's too real, it can't be just a nightmare. I'm sure there's something."

"Maybe. But we can't be too sure, Iwa. Maybe…" Whatever she was about to say was cut abruptly by Iwa's mobile phone ring tone.

Iwa quickly took out her mobile and pressed a button to answer. "Hello…" She listen intently for a moment then said "Yep, we'll be there." She turned the phone off and leapt down from the rock. "C'mon, Kumori, we've got to go to Li gie's place. We also need to find Lily and the twins."

"What ? What's going on, hey, wait for me." said Kumori as she leapt down the rock and followed Iwa.

20 minutes later…

RD woke up and saw a lot of faces near where he slept. He knew all of them, or at least seen them somewhere in the arena.

There were Ryu - his idol, Ken, Chun Li - his tournament's partner, Charlie, Guile, Cammy, Guy and his blonde friend, the twins that were not exactly alike - and he forgot their names, Dan the Saikyo-Ryu master, and Sakura. There were also Aaron Volpe, Crimson, Iwa Hoshi, Kumori, Lily Yin, Victoria, Shockwave, Natalie, and of course, his teammates.

"Wake up yet, sleepy head?" asked Rogue.

He looked at her and saw her grinning. He quickly hugged her tight. "Rogue. Thank God you're okay."

"We're fine too, thanks for asking." said Andy sarcastically - which was pointedly ignored - and received an elbow from Zarkoff on the ribcage.

"Dragon… Can't breath…" Rogue squeaked.

"Oh, sorry." Said RD as he let her go. He looked around and saw the others were looking at him, and he and Rogue grinned sheepishly. He turned to Rogue and asked "What's going on ? And where's Robin ?"

"Relax, she's sleeping in my room." said Chun Li.

"Oh, so we're clear with this 'spy' issue ?" asked RD.

"We're clear with that. General Kirk vouched for you and your friends. He also found the spy in ASB, and turned out to be the head of the bureau." replied Charlie.

"Jonathan ? Really ? I mean it's just that I know him quite well…" said RD. He found it hard to believe that Jonathan, whom he knew quite well turned out to be a traitor.

Rogue put her hand on RD's shoulder. "Dragon, sometimes people was not like what he look like."

He put his hand on her hand. "I know… Anyway, what are we going to do now ?" he asked.

"Well, your teammates here had found important information from Shadowloo, about Project Insurgence, and about our enemies. I figure we might attack the enemy after we make a plan." said Chun Li.

Back to Kay's mind…

"Must get up… Can't lose… Ayame…" Kay got up slowly and painfully after a series of psychic attack from Zorkaan hit him multiple times.

"You're quite impressive as a mortal." Zorkaan gave a mock look. "But you still a weak mortal that is not a match for me."

"Ayame…" Kay tried to picture her in his mind to fire up his spirit. He summoned every ounce of his power and ready to unleash it.

"Still not giving up ? Fine with me…" Zorkaan shrugged. Then he charged toward battered Kay.

As Zorkaan got closer, Kay charged toward Zorkaan. Caught surprise, Zorkaan didn't had a chance to react as Kay grabbed him by his neck. Zorkaan was about to break Kay's arm when suddenly a pillar of blue energy burst out from the ground.

Zorkaan screamed as he felt an unbearable pain caused by the attack. When the attack was done, Kay lets Zorkaan go as he collapsed and fade into darkness. He didn't see Zorkaan still alive and got up slowly and laughed victoriously.

In the hospital…

Meliza still trying to probe into Kay's mind, but the barrier that preventing her from probing into Kay's mind was so strong that she could not penetrate it. She didn't dare using too much power, fearing that she might injuring Kay's mind. Then suddenly, Kay stopped shaking. He opened his eyes and blinked a couple of times trying to adjust with the environment around him.

"Kay ? Kay, you're awake !" said Meliza excitedly. Then she was surprised when Kay suddenly grabbed her neck and lifted her up. She tried to pry loose, but Kay's grip was so strong. "Kay ? Kay, what are you doing ? Let me go !" Then she heard footsteps getting into the room and heard Ayame's voice.

"Kay ? Kay, what are you doing ? Let her go !" shouted Ayame. Behind her were a doctor and a nurse. They tried to pry Meliza loose, but Kay simply shoved his hand and the doctor and the nurse were slammed to the wall and fell unconscious.

Kay grabbed Ayame bye her neck. He smiled evilly and said "Two essences are here. How fortunate." Then he laughed, but his laugh was not like his normal laugh.

In Shadowloo's secret base…

"FOOL !!! HOW DID IT HAPPENED THAT WE WERE INFILTRATED TWICE IN A DAY AND WE DIDN'T EVEN CAUGHT A SINGLE PERSON ?!" Bison was in rage. His fists shook and his psycho aura flared around his body.

In front of him, Sagat and Balrog could only looked down shamefully. They dare not to speak a single word.

"HOW COULD ALL THE PEOPLE THAT I HIRED WERE SO FOOLISH !" "YOU !" he pointed at Sagat. "YOU WERE DEFEATED BY A MERE CHILD !"

He shook his head in disgust "And to think you were called the King of Muay Thai."

"AND YOU !!" He bellowed at Balrog who could only squinted. "YOU WERE DEFEATED FOUR TIMES !! TWICE BY THE SAME MAN, AND TWICE BY CHILDRENS !! I TOLD YOU TO FETCH A MERE AGENT AND I GAVE YOU SOME SOLDIERS TO MAKE SURE IT WENT SMOOTH, BUT YOU COULDN'T DO EVEN A SIMPLE JOB LIKE THAT !!" His anger began to get down a bit.

"Get all of our fighters and soldiers. We're going to attack them tonight." Both fighters bowed down and went away from the room, silently grateful that their lives were spared.

Back to Chun Li's place…

They were still trying to cook up a good plan to attack the enemy, and it had better be a great one, because their main enemy is a god. Although they knew that the Essences were the key to defeat Naar, but they didn't know yet how to utilize the true power of the Essences.

Iwa suggested that the Essences to gather and helped each other to tap the hidden power, especially since there are none among the Essence bearers that were able to fully understand the hidden power. The others agreed to her suggestion. Just when they were about to contact the other two Essence bearers, Meliza and Ayame, a loud noise came from outside of the cabin. Crimson, the closest to the window looked outside and was shocked at what he saw, a big, dark blue airplane.

"Guys, we've got company." said Crimson.

The others quickly rushed to the window. "Damn, he just have to come at this time." said Chun Li.

The airplane landed. From inside, Bison, along with his henchmen - Sagat, Balrog, Vega, Birdie, Adon, Sodom, and many others - came out.

"This is bad." said Guile. "Okay, here's what we have to do, some of us will fight them to allow the Essences to get away from here." Seeing Iwa and Kumori were about to complain, he continued. "No buts. You guys are our hope to win this war. We have to do what we have to do. Personal interest have to be set aside."

"Guile's right, Iwa, Kumori." said Ryu. "You guys are the key to win this war. You have to leave, there's no other choice, we can't risk any of you getting caught."

No one protested.

"Okay, so here's the plan." said Chun Li. "All the Essences have to stick together. Guile, Dan, Natalie, Volpe, Yang, Yun, and Dragon and his friends have to go along and protected them. The rest of us will stay and buy some time to get you guys away."

"Istay. There are too many of t" said Guile.

"No. You're the most with military experiences. I want you to ensure their safety." said Chun Li. For a moment, they glared at each other, but finally Guile gave up.

"Fine, I'll go." He quickly got the fighters that have to go and the information obtained ready to go.

"Be careful, eh ?" said Iwa to Ryu and Chun Li before they left.

"Don't worry, we'll be fine." said Ryu.

Then Guile's group left.

The rest of the fighters got ready for the big fight when suddenly two people came in from the door where Guile's team left. They were Natalie and RD.

"What are you two doing here? You have to go now!" commanded Chun Li.

"My mission is to stop Bison's evil plan, so I'm staying with you guys." said RD grinning.

Chun Li rolled her eyes exasperatedly. "And you?" she asked Natalie.

"Not taking orders from anyone." replied Natalie simply.

Chun Li sighed.

"Alright, you two can stay, but try not to be a burden, eh?" said Ken cockily and ignored the glare from both agents.

They went out of the cabin and found that the number of the enemies had increased with Urien, Locke Koh, Memphis Long and Akuma.

"Now isn't this gonna be interesting?" asked Cammy rhetorically.