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Fatal Instinct
Chapter 6
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Anna was experienced in finishing these missions with ease, but this one was more of a challenge. Nevertheless, Kazuya was a much bigger fish compared to the other jobs she had done in recent past. She watched both opposing sides clash with each other, relentless in their attempt to kill. Each side suffered a light amount of causalities, but that did little to slow the fight as neither of them showed signs of giving in.
Heihachi caught his son with a swift right hand to the jaw, knocking him several feet away with explosive power. Kazuya regrouped and returned the strike through grabbing his father and slamming him against the wall. If this kept up, they would soon kill each other. Not that Anna had any problem with that.
"You're no longer in charge, old man. I'm running the show here." Kazuya said as he gritted his teeth through the next assault.
"Over my dead body!" Heihachi shouted through the blaze of gunfire.
"That can be arranged. And this time…I'll make sure you're gone for good!"
Kazuya hit Heihachi with a ruthless uppercut, both their bodies radiating with electricity. It was not long before they drew each other's blood, more so along the facial area.
"That the best you've got?" Kazuya spat, wiping away the blood dripping from his bottom lip.
"I got loads more." Heihachi sneered and pounded his son down with a heavy combo of punches and kicks. Through out the rest of the battle, the former Zaibatsu owner seemed to be the one in control. Kazuya's forces were diminishing quick, leaving him to a pack of hungry wolfs ready to pounce on him. They took their shots all at once like a mugging before one soldier came from the furthest hall with another.
"Heihachi, sir. This building is getting ready to fall soon. We have to get out of here!"
"How are you so certain?" He folded his arms.
"Explosives rigged at the bottom. Some rigged at the top and middle. Looks like someone did the work for us."
"Oh all right then." He grabbed Kazuya by the throat, shaking him out of his dazed state. "I shall leave you here to die with your own creation. Consider your cloning program… a failure!"
He threw his son across the hall and followed his remaining forces up the hole in the ceiling via ladder.
"Come…back! You—you--coward!" Somehow, though all of that Kazuya managed to stand.
Anna did not hesitate to take advantage of this opportunity. She cocked her pistol, aiming for the back of his head with a grin. "Looks like the old man left you to me, sweetie. We're going to have soooo much fun together. Too bad it won't last for too long, though."
Anna had yearned for this moment for so long. At last, she would make him pay for kidnapping her sister and using her as an experiment. She would make him pay for all the cruel, inhuman things he did to society. And, she would make him pay for the way he treated her many years ago.
Kazuya was silent, turning slow to face her. His body trembled, the glare upon his face intensifying, as he looked at all the carnage around him. "This all began with you. You and your constant meddling. Everything is ruined. Now it will take a while before I can reestablish anything. But…I still have you."
"Awww, Kazuya. I hope you're not too mad at me for ruining your plans." She snickered.
"Go ahead and joke. You have been a thorn in my side for the last time, Anna. Prepare yourself…" His voice choked at the last sentence. The color in his eyes shifted to an eerie red, a third eye beginning to sprout from his forehead.
Anna's cackling discontinued, replaced with a gasp as she took a few cautious steps back. Then she saw it, his flesh turning purple, dark wings jutting out from his back as the curled horns added in the final touch.
"The Devil Gene…" Anna muttered, realizing what she was up against. She was so into the moment she had almost forgotten about Kazuya's trump card. No longer was she staring at the face of man, but of a demon hell-bent on her destruction.
Before she could act with her pistol, Kazuya's eyebeam melted it. He raised his head at the hole made in the ceiling, gesturing they take this fight up there. With the spread of his wings, he brought himself into the air. Anna was not far behind with her grappling gun.
Just as she emerged from the hole, he fired another beam to get the first attack in. She rolled out of its path and hid behind a stack of crates, finding a pump-action shotgun there. There was only one problem.
'Crud, the damn thing's empty!'
Kazuya swooped in as a hungry hawk did on its prey, leaving Anna with only one option. His attempt to scratch her with his razor-sharp claws went unsuccessful as she butted him with the end of the shotgun. He shook the damage off with an irate growl and swooped down again. Anna felt arms tighten about her waist before she realized she was about twenty feet off ground.
"Got ya." He hissed in her ear, ready to sink his gleaming fangs into her neck.
"Don't—be--so--sure!" She readied the last flash grenade in her arsenal, but he had already dropped her. Landing back on solid ground, she tossed it into the air. Her head turned away as it detonated in Kazuya's face. Pained screams confirmed success as she scrambled for the weapons his dead soldiers once carried. A pistol would not be enough to eliminate this beast.
Most guns she found were empty, and for the others… damaged beyond repair. There was little time left as Kazuya started to regain his sight, focusing all three eyes on her. Her gaze swept the room for any tool she could use to defend herself, spying a box of shotgun ammunition a few crates away. However, Kazuya stood between her and that box, making the possibility of obtaining it harder.
The glow in his eyes brightened, warning her of another attack. Before firing, he took to the air in attempt to surprise her. She dodged the beams piercing through everything they touched. His eyes flared once more, but she rolled underneath it to catch him off guard with a heeled kick. He caught her ankle just before it made contact with his chin, squeezing it as he spun and flung her across the room. Her body crashed onto a pile of dusty crates, breaking them into several hunks of wood on her back.
Kazuya's shadow loomed over her, pressing his foot against her torso. Anna screamed, trying to jerk free, but her efforts proved useless.
"This is where it ends." The monster snarled.
Anna grunted at the amount of pressure his foot had on her, reaching down for one last hope. "Don't count on it." She drew the double-edged knife and stabbed it into his leg, drawing an inhuman whimper from him.
He backed off, trying to remove the deadly instrument from the wound it created. As he did this, Anna drew the only remaining knife she had left. She flipped it upside-down between her fingers and chucked it toward his face, lodging it deep into his third eye. It paralyzed Kazuya enough for her to claim the ammunition and insert it into the shotgun. She blasted him with a powerful array of punctuated shots. He froze in place, falling to one knee.
He was still alive, panting, his purple skin fading back to normal with everything else.
'Strange. That was too easy. I expected him to be more formidable than this.'
As he fell, Anna noted the small object rolling her way from out his pants. It rolled into the front of her heel and she picked it up for examination. It was a locket, containing a different picture of that Jun woman.
Kazuya looked up at her, defeated. "Go on…finish me."
Anna pointed the gun at his chest, grateful to carry out the request. It was ironic, as she had once sought to protect Kazuya years before from her sister. Now, here she stood, on the opposite end, looking to end his life. "Very well. If you insist." In a few seconds, Anna was about to do the world a huge favor in eliminating this scumbag.
However, she hesitated, looking back at the picture of Jun. In the previous missions, she had no problem taking out her targets since they were usually uncaring, greedy, and self-absorbed. However, the passion, the feelings Kazuya showed toward this woman were uncommon of any other individual she had killed.
The sad look in Jun's eyes seemed to plead with her…plead with her not to do away with the man she cared for, possibly loved.
Anna was unsure what to do. Killing Kazuya meant she would have fulfilled her mission and her quest for revenge. Yet, it also meant that she would be hurting someone she had no quarrel with, possibly killing her too. Anna closed her eyes and made a decision--a hard one. She lowered the pump-action shotgun and tossed it aside.
Kazuya raised a brow, stunned. "What are you doing?"
"I—I--can't do this." She said, not even making eye contact with him.
"Bah, you are much too soft." He spat, not showing the least bit of appreciation. "You call yourself an assassin? You'll never be like your sister."
Anna glared at that last comment. "And I don't want to be."
"Heh. I can see that you've changed. You are not the same woman as you were once before." He spoke in a much different tone this time, seeming to compliment her. It was odd, but it was almost as if he respected her, although she could not tell if he did or not. "What made you change your mind?"
"Let's just say you have somebody out there watching you that made me think a bit differently."
"Bah, it doesn't matter." Kazuya spit up a bit of blood from his tongue. "You don't have the guts to anyway."
She grasped the shotgun and aimed it at his head. "Try me!" She hissed and paused, pondering what he had said about Nina.
"You have a choice, Anna. The longer you stall, the more you lose the chance to save your sister. So, what's it going to be? Are you going to kill me...or save her?"
The sudden screams bursting from the door prompted Anna to hide as they came her way. She peeked around the corner, seeing a few of Kazuya's remaining forces help him up.
"Mr. Mishima, sir. We have to get you out of here! This place is gonna blow any minute."
The chance was there for her to stop them, but she did not take it. Nina was more important. Anna trembled as she watched them take leave, mind switching to the other matter at hand. She dropped back through the hole just in time to meet Dr. Boskonovitch, trying his best to keep a half-naked Nina on her feet. "She's a little dizzy. They drugged her good."
"Great, now lets get out of here." Anna helped him carry her sister's sagging weight. "We don't have much time."
"But how can we? There's nothing here to take us."
"Just follow my lead." She nodded with reassurance, leading them to the rendezvous point.
She could see the aircraft hovering toward them from the distance. The flare-gun did the job of grasping its attention, and Anna waved it in. Once in range, it lowered the cable down for them. Anna let Boskonovitch go first before reeling herself and Nina up together. They sat inside, relieved to be safe after going through all that hell. As the aircraft pulled away, a huge explosion shook the entire complex before it crumbled down into the dark depths of the sea below. The mission was now complete…somewhat.
"You didn't say we were picking up passengers." The pilot looked back at her with a scowl.
"You won't tell, will you?" Anna leaned back, gaze veering to her still sister's body as she slept in the doctor's arms.
"Squealing isn't apart of my job, so there's no need for it."
Anna breathed a sigh of relief, the communicator beeping in her hands. She answered the call, though she did not want to. "Report," came the gruff voice.
She cleared her throat. "Mission accomplished. Kazuya's experiments have been destroyed and the building is now at the bottom of the ocean."
"And what of Kazuya…is he dead?"
Anna looked off into the horizon, shaking her head. "No. He got away…again."
She heard him sigh in displeasure of the news. "What am I going to do with you, Williams? You've been like a daughter to me, yet you continue to get the job only half done."
"I…I don't know." It hurt to lie like that, but she had no other options at this rate.
"At least you got one thing right. Return to base and we will discuss your future."
"Understood…" She flickered the device shut and put it down. "We'll drop you and Nina off." She said to Boskonovitch without turning to face him.
"You gonna be all right, Anna?" The doctor did not seem concerned with what happened to his former employer. A guess would tell that he just wanted to go home and continue with his work.
"I'll--I'll be fine." She lied again, a single tear streaking down her cheek.
The beach was quiet, much too quiet for her standards. Often Anna found herself socializing, but today she was not in the mood for any of that. For the most part, she had considered this day as dull as waiting in line for one of those rides at a local amusement park on a busy afternoon. Children played soccer in the distance; she watched with minimal interest.
She was supposed to meet Bruce here over a half hour ago, and so far, she had seen no sign of him. The pain from Kazuya's claw scratches were still there, still burning whenever she moved or tried to bend over.
Just when she started to give in and leave, a woman stood in her way.
Her eyes widened at the way her sister just appeared there, unable to find the exact words to speak. "Nina…"
"Anna…" She replied, that cold gaze never leaving her face. "Fancy meeting you here."
"Likewise." Anna rubbed the back of her head, using a careful choice of words. She did not know if sheer coincidence was to blame for them meeting like this, but did not give it much thought. "Nina, listen. I know we've had our differences, but I would like things to change between you and I. I think it's time we put our old history aside and start fresh." She extended her hand for Nina to shake to make things official. A truce was something they both could use to put an end to this sibling war.
Nina folded her arms and ignored the offered handshake. "I can't promise anything now, especially not with you." She walked away, turning back with a small smile, giving Anna some sort of clue as to what that meant. "But in the future…who knows."
Anna smiled too. Perhaps one day they would have peace with each other and be sisters. Not far from shocking, Nina did not even bother to say 'thank you' to her younger sibling. Maybe she just did not know how.
A strong hand came to touch Anna's shoulder and she identified it as Bruce's.
"You're late. What took you so long?" She nudged him in the stomach with her fist, glad to see a friendly face for once since returning home.
"That's not important." He checked her over, as if observing if she had any scars or wounds. "You all right? You still didn't tell me what happened."
She turned away from him in defiance. "All you need to know is that everything was a success."
Still, she had not counted on him of asking one thing. "And what of Kazuya?" He desired the truth. Lying did no good since he saw right through them with ease.
"He's gone." She made the answer seem vague on purpose, but even that was not enough for him.
There was silence before he spoke again. "What do you mean he's gone? Did you waste him or what?"
"I let him go, Bruce." She awaited his response, although knowing what was to come.
"You did what?" His voice rang in her ears. "Why?"
"Something held me back, made me realize something. He's not so bad …as I once thought. He actually has a heart." Anna could not believe the words she had said, and for a moment, Bruce could not either.
"But you're an assassin. It's your job to--"
She shook her head. "I know what my job is, and I don't need you to remind me. Now please, Bruce. Just leave it at that."
He had been pondering something to say for over a minute, but nothing came. Maybe he was out of things to blast her with, or could see how sensitive the issue was. She changed the subject, doing her best to lighten the mood. "So, how'd your little date go?"
The frowning expression he gave was enough to tell her it did not go as planned. "Had to dump her. She was a real weirdo." The tone of being upset from the earlier news was still there.
Anna smiled, sensing a fib hidden within his words. "Are you sure that she wasn't the one doing the dumping?"
"Eh, uh, you don't believe me?" She gave him a sarcastic expression. "Oh all right, fine! She said I was too stiff. Needed to loosen up some. Heh, women. Who needs 'em."
She leaned against his shoulder, giggling soft. "Look on the bright side: at least you got me … and Elissa. By the way, how is she?"
"She's doing fine." He admitted. "Girl couldnt stop talking about you since you left. Would have brought her here, but I couldn't get her off the television. You know how children are with their cartoons."
"I look forward to seeing her soon. I still have a promise to keep." No way was she going to forget that, not even for Bruce's niece.
"Promise? What kind of promise?" He lowered his head to her eye level in suspicion.
She feigned innocence to ensure she gave nothing away. "You know, girl stuff. Nothing you'd be interested in."
He waved off her statement. "Pssh. I don't think I want to know. You girls and your weird little discussions. Count me out."
The strong vibration in her purse prompted her to cut the conversation short. "Listen, sweetie. I gotta run. We still on for cards tonight?"
There was a nod from him. "Of course. Some time around eleven. Bring a snack if you want. Well, see ya then."
"All right then." She gave his cheek a couple of soft pats.
Once he was out of view, she brought out her communicator. "I have another job for you, my dear."
Anna lifted her gaze to the full blue sky, a smile curving at the edge of her lips. Perhaps this day would be a bit more interesting after all...
Author's Notes: Well, that's it boys and girls. At last, a story that I can be proud of for once. I had a lot of fun writing it as you can tell. But the adventures of The Lightning Scarlet don't end here though. Why is that you ask? Well, because I have a sequel in the works, silly. Actually, it's almost done and ready for shipping since I started work on it early. Trust me, you'll know it when you see it.
For those wondering, the identity of Anna's boss was never meant to be revealed (sue me).
Secondary Notes: Before all the Kazuya lovers and enthusiasts pelt me with stones and rotting garbage and rant on and on about how impossible it is for Anna to beat him since he was in devil form etc etc etc, there's a reason behind it. A reason that won't be touched upon for a while at least. Like I said, not everything is fully canon. More of a slightly AU universe.
Anyway, I would like to thank the likes of Indigo Siren, Xjmaster, Kapsule corp, JunKing, PsychoBlue, Ran Nuankai, jc-1225, and everyone else for taking the time to read and comment. Thanks a bunch, guys!
Weapons and gadgets used in the story:
Hypnotic perfume – A special homemade perfume made by Anna herself. Renders any male victim who breathes in its substance through the nose or mouth helpless and unable to resist Anna's charms. Pretty much an arousal drug. Anna often sprays herself with this when she needs to obtain information that might otherwise be impossible to get.
Semiautomatic pistol – A self-loading handgun. Fires one cartridge for each trigger pull until it runs out of stored ammunition. This makes it easier to conserve ammo and for Anna to plan her shots wisely before she fires them.
Combat bow – A modern bow with pulleys or cams at the end of each limb through which the bowstring passes. Meant for silent kills.
Silencer – Lessens the noise a gun makes so that it will not alert anybody nearby.
Double-edged combat knife – Another weapon meant for silent kills on unprepared sentry, other foes, or just knife fighting. Can also be used to cut through ropes too.
Pump action shotgun - (Update soon)
Flash grenade – Often used by SWAT officers and other military units. Meant to confuse, disorient, or shortly distract a potential threat for up to five seconds after detonation.
Anna's grapple gun– a gun with a small electric motor, and a rope cartridge with hook. The motor enables Anna to pull herself up (by wheeling the rope back to the launcher, while the hook is caught onto a solid anchor) or to drag objects and people.
Spy crafts – These vehicles take Anna where she needs to go, depending on the location and distance.