Disclaimer: Tekken 2, King of Fighters, Streetfighter Alpha 2, and all associated characters are trademark of Namco, SNK, and Capcom, respectively. Everything else is my creation. Please don't sue. Author's Notes: Hello, one and all! Welcome to the first installment of my Obscure Female Fighters fanfic series. This is also my first net-published fiction, and I would appreciate any type of input. Praise is always welcome, and flames are ..........given a fair chance. My E-Mail address is available at the end of the story. Ho-kay! With that said, on to the story. Enjoy. -----------------------/Begin Theme Song: "Simply Irresistable"\---------------------- ------------------------------ Studio Fan Presents.........----------------------------------- (We see Jun Kazama from Tekken 2 dressed in a black business suit, facing a board of officials. A gavel comes down, and some generic-looking dude is screaming at her. We zoom in up close on her face, and when we zoom back out, she'd dressed in the white vest, black pants suit she wears in the game as she takes out a bunch of generic thugs) ----------------------An Underused Character Fanfiction .......------------------------- (We see Sakura from Streetfighter Alpha 2, as she was in the game, sailor suit and all. The view swirls around her and we see that she has become a little older, a better fighter, and her headband is now red. She closes her eyes and hugs her arms to herself, as the silhouette of a man in a headband and karate gi forms behind her.) -----------------------------------The OFF Squad------------------------------------------ (The setting is a Shaolin Temple. As we pull back we see Athena Asamiya from King of Fighters 94 and 95 standing atop a hill overlooking the temple. She has a sort of grim look on her face as the view closes in on her and the background changes to that of a glitzy Tokyo night. We can see Sie Kensou, from the same games, looking over his shoulder at her with concern as he walks away) Fight One, Round One: A Chance Encounter Brought to you by Dare ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Epsilon City, USA 7:51 a.m. The RV pulled slowly off the rain-slicked highway. The downpour was still going strong, though it had lessened considerably in the past few minutes. The driver of the winnebago -of course, it was more like a house on wheels- looked wearily out at the window. All she saw was rain, and the gray sky above the city. *I wish I was back in Japan.* she thought with a sigh. *These American cities seem so cold, so.........._dead_.* She reached over to the empty passenger seat, and picked up a green plastic mug with the logo "Gloria Jean's Coffee Bean" emblazoned on it. With a quick twist of its protective seal-top, a heady vapor welcomed her. *Although I must say, the coffee is excellent.* She relished the still hot feel of the cup in her hand as she took a sip. *I doubt green tea could have kept me going through the night.* She glanced into the rearview mirror, and almost winced at her image. A usually pretty Japanese girl, with shoulder-length black hair, who now had dark circles underneath her eyes and that sort of ashy overtired look one gets after driving for eight hours. *I look like a dead cat.* she groaned mentally. *And I don't feel much different, either. I suppose I should be thankful we didn't get into an accident last night, when this accursed storm started up. Still, I think a day's rest in a hotel should do nicely right about n-* Then, a rustle behind her snapped her out of her reverie. After a moment, a younger girl with close-cropped brown hair stepped into the cab. "Ohaiyo, Jun." she said, sliding into the passenger seat. "Ohaiyo." Jun responded, the sound of her native language reminding her how homesick she was. "Remember, Sakura, we're in the States. We should practice our English." "" Sakura sighed. " "" Jun sighed. "" "" "" Sakura smirked. "" Jun gave Sakura a look and then turned a little red, as the younger girl enjoyed a silent laugh. "Anyway," Sakura said. "You're probably wondering why I'm up this early." "It did cross my mind." Sakura was a notorious noontime riser. "I thought I'd take the wheel for a bit. Give you a break." "That's thoughtful of you, but we've already reached Epsilon. I'll be looking for a hotel, soon." "What, we're there already?" Sakura said, taking a look through the rain-streaked windows. "Funny, doesn't look like much." "My thoughts exactly. But also, it's raining. I'm guessing the place looks nicer in better conditions." "Let's hope. I'd hate to be holed up in some place like New Jersey." "You've been to New Jersey?" "No, but its reputation isn't all that great." "I see." Sakura reached underneath the seat and pulled out a cardboard carton. She reached inside and extracted a crusty brown ring of fried dough. "Doughnut?" she offered. "Ugh. No thanks." Jun said, making a face. "Oh. Right. I forgot you don't eat sweets." "It's not that. I just can't see how you can eat that garbage." "Aw, don't knock it till you've tried it." Jun held up the coffee cup. "My Hawaiian kona blend will suit me just nicely, thank you." Sakura smiled as she took a bite. A second later, she half-spat, half- yanked the pastry out of her mouth. Jun raised an eyebrow as her companion made those little "spppt, spppt, sppPPPTTTT" noises. "Problem?" she said, utilizing her uncanny gift for deadpan. After wiping her tongue with a napkin, Sakura said "Mental note: Buy fresh groceries. Try to find a hotel within walking distance of a supermarket or something, okay?" "I'll try." "Here." Sakura said, picking up the RV's mobile phone. "You want me to call around and make the reservation?" "Not quite yet." Jun said. "I want to find the place we're looking for first. Perhaps we can find accommodations that would make our task easier." "Sure." Sakura said. "By the way, what's the name of the place?" "It called the National Agencies Department Center. It's the American branch, anyway." "And why exactly are we going there?" " Information on everything from corporations to covert military organizations can be found there. Sort of like a secret police for secret police. More secretive than Interpol, even. Whether it be CIA, KGB, Mossad,........." "Or, perhaps even the Fey Syndicate?" Sakura ventured, catching on. "I see now. You're hoping to dig up more on FeySyn's US operations." "Exactly." Jun said. "Whatever DeVane gets his paws on within the US, it is probably documented somewhere in that building." "So, we're just going to walk in there and ask to root around in their files, which are no doubt confidential?" "Not necessarily." Jun said. "I'm still registered as part of E.A.R.T.H Guard. Hopefully that will make it easier for us to get what we need." "I sure hope so." Sakura agreed. "Where is the place, anyway?" "If what my last contact said is true, we should be coming upon it any minute now." "You want I should go and wake Athena?" "I really don't see why. We're not going to see any action this early in the morning, and I plan to find that hotel right after." "Okay." Another ten minutes of driving, the rain had become a light drizzle and they came to a tall, four-story building located near the city's epicenter. It was all gray stone, had few windows, and generally seemed to be a rather depressing looking place. "I guess one thing's for sure." Jun said, peering up at the foreboding structure. "Bureaucrats' offices look the same no matter what part of the country you're in." "You got that right." Sakura agreed. "The place looks........well, creepy. You sure we have to go in _here_?" "Well, yes. I mean, I don't think my clearance goes as high as the CIA or anything." "That didn't stop us in Japan." "That may be so." Jun said. "But if my contact was right, this place should be crawling with Secret Servicemen. And I've learned to put a little faith in what this Mr. Chen tells me." "All right, so what do we do, just walk through the front door?" "Basically. As I said before, there shouldn't be any problems, as long as my E.A.R.T.H. Guard status is still on their computers. But in case something goes wrong, and we can't get in through the normal channels, we'll need to come up with something else." "We always do." Sakura smiled. "I don't know how, but we always do." Jun smiled in return. "Well, the place shouldn't be opening for another two hours. We'll all be able to function better after we find a place to rest up." "_You_ need to rest up more than either of us. You've been driving for the entire night." "I'm fine." Jun insisted. "Even so, you can't be at full speed right now." she picked the phone up. "Holiday Inn?" "Sounds good." Sakura began to dial as Jun started the car again. BLAM! "What the-?!" Sakura yelped, dropping the phone. Jun snapped her head outside the window. At first, she didn't see anything. But then, a small figure came clambering over the fence that surrounded the building and then hit the ground running. She was wearing a jumpsuit with a hood, so Jun couldn't make out much as she ran past the winnebago. A few moments later, six of what could only be secret servicemen bolted past in hot pursuit. One of them was carrying a gun. "What's going on?" came a sleepy voice from behind them. "You're up finally, eh?" Sakura bristled at the disheveled teenager who had joined them. She was wearing a nightshirt with that Keroppi frog on the front, and had a sleeping shade shoved up onto her forehead. "It's a bit early for you to be up, isn't it? After all, it's not spring, yet." "Oh, do hush up, Sakura." Athena Asamiya shot back. "Jun, was that a gunshot I heard?" "Yes. Yes it was." Jun answered, still a little stunned herself. "Some kid broke into the N.A.D.C. building." Sakura explained. "Oh, is that all?" Athena yawned. "Alright, I'm going back to bed." "Not quite yet, Athena." "Hm?" Jun shifted into drive abruptly, throwing Sakura back into her seat, and Athena almost off the ground. "What are you doing?" Sakura yelped, struggling to get back into an upright position. "We're going after them." "WHAT?!" Sakura and Athena gasped in unison. "Jun, I don't think six servicemen really need our help." Sakura said. "That's the point." Jun replied. "Huh?" "_Six_ armed men against _one_ girl?" Sakura thought for a second. "That _is_ a bit suspicious." "That doesn't mean anything!" Athena said. "She could be one of those foreign spies, or something." "Foreign spies?" Sakura raised an eyebrow. "You were watching 'Mission Impossible' last night, weren't you?" Athena turned red. "At any rate." Jun interrupted as she turned a sharp corner. "I don't know how else to explain it, but it just .......seems wrong. If she had a gun, she would have stopped to use it or something, she wouldn't just run. Something's just not right here, I can feel it." "So, we're going to try and stop armed government agents on account of your bloody sixth sense? That works at random?!" Athena almost yelled, incredulous. "It's never failed me in the past." Jun said, simply. "Great." Athena muttered under her breath as she headed back into the trailer. "Where are you going?" Sakura said. "To change. I'm not fighting anyone looking like this." Jun broke the speed limit at least twice, circling the block with sharp turns. "Now, where did they go?" she said, almost to herself as she scanned the rain-misted streets. "There they are!" Sakura said, pointing. Jun could make out the girl and her pursuers heading down what was probably an alley. "Whoever it is, she's probably trapped." "Then we have no time to lose." "I'm ready." Athena announced, re-entering the cab. She was now wearing a sort of Chinese-style black sleeveless tunic, but with dark blue cotton trousers. Her fighting togs or "sweating clothes" she called them. It never ceased to amaze Jun how fast she could dress. What's more, she was immaculately groomed. "How do you _do_ that?" Sakura said. "Do what?" Jun brought the RV to a screeching halt in front of the alleyway. Sakura and Athena leapt out. "Remember," Jun said. "Three minutes. If you're not back in four, I come in after you." "Yeah, just like every other time we've done this, right?" Sakura chuckled coldly as she pulled on a red headband and then smacked one fist into an open palm. "C'mon, Athena." "I'm coming, I'm coming." The two headed off down the alley as Jun pulled into the alley across the street. She set the timer on her wristwatch for three minutes. And then prayed nothing went wrong. Running down the alley, Sakura and Athena kept an eye out for their objective. "_What_ are we looking for, again?" Athena whined. "A girl in a gray windbreaker. Six yuppies with guns." "Right." Suddenly, they heard another gunshot. "It came from over there!" Athena hissed, pointing towards an opening along the right wall. The two jogged silently to the corner and then peered around the edge. Sakura breathed a sigh of relief. Whoever it was, she hadn't been shot or killed. The teenager was a shortish girl, not much younger than Athena, backed up against a chain link fence. Her hood had fallen back to reveal a Caucasian face with long blonde hair tied up in a high ponytail. She scowled with eyes of fear and hate at the suit who held a gun. "That was a warning shot." said the suit, a weaselly-looking man with greasy hair and a jaundiced complexion. "I don't have to miss." The girl said nothing. "This doesn't have to be so difficult." the suit continued. "Just return to us what you stole, and we'll all just walk away." "See?" Athena whispered. "She stole something. That's why they were after her. We don't need to get involved." "Will you be quiet?" Sakura hissed. "Something's fishy." "Shove it, you creeps!" the girl yelled. "I don't care who you are or who you work for, you're not getting anything back from me!" "A pity you have decided not to cooperate." the suit snarled. "It seems we have no choice." He leveled the pistol at her......... "_NO!_" Sakura surged forward, a blur of motion. Two of the other suits saw her coming and moved to intercept her, but it was too late. She leapt into the air and lashed out with a foot on either side, taking them out. "_Che_." Athena muttered under her breath. Sakura had committed them to action now, and the only thing left to do was fight and sort it out later. She ran forward, blocked a punch to her head, kneed her attacker in the gut, and then knocked him out with a punch of her own. Sakura made short work of the fourth man with a stamp kick to the kneecap, armlock, and then a shoulder toss, finished by a elbow to the head. Mr. Greasy Hair snapped his attention behind him where his men were getting the absolute crap beaten out of them by two Asian girls. "What the devil-" For a moment, he took his eyes off his cornered prey. That turned out to be a mistake. The girl jumped forward and knocked the gun out of his hand with a high snap kick. It went sailing end over end into some garbage cans, safely out of reach. "You little-" he snarled, lunging for her. She bobbed under his clumsy charge and swung both fists into his ribcage. He made a half-gurgling, half- gasping noise, as he stumbled backwards....... Right into Sakura and Athena. Athena pasted him on the side of the head with a jumping crescent kick, and Sakura finished him off with her own specialty. "_SHO OU KEN!!_" She rushed right into him, and with each step she connected with a powerful punch to his face and torso, ending with an uppercut. He slammed into the pavement, out cold. There was no one left standing in the alley except for the three females. For a moment, no one spoke, each of them catching their breath. "Well." Sakura said, at last. "So much for these clowns. Everything cool with you, Athena?" "Never better." Athena mumbled, smoothing out her hair as she looked into a compact mirror. "That jerk made me smear my toner." she groused. Sakura groaned. "Could you just _once_ stop thinking about your looks?" Then she remembered they weren't alone. The other girl was leaning with her back against the fence, and she stared at the other two reproachfully. "Hey." Sakura said, gently. The kid was scared, she could tell that much. "Are you all right?" she took a step towards her. The girl backed up a step, making to leap for the fence and climb away if necessary. "Hold on, we're not going to hurt you." Sakura continued, a gently as possible. The girl calmed a bit. "Who are you?" she said, finally. Athena shot Sakura a look. Should they tell her their names? "I'm......I'm just a friend." Sakura said after another silence. "We're....uhm, tourists. Passing through." The girl raised an eyebrow. "Right." she said, distrust apparent in her voice. "Tourists? And you just _happened_ to be passing by just as my butt gets chased into a wall by these slimebags." "Well, yeah." Sakura replied. "How do I know you're not one of them?" "Oh, for heaven's sake!" Athena said, exasperated. "Sakura, she obviously doesn't trust us, and we've done our part here. Let's go." "Hold on, Athena!" Sakura snapped. "Why were those guys after you?" she asked. "I don't know!" the girl shouted, obviously lying. "Look, we're not with the police or anything." Sakura insisted. "I don't care. I've had enough of strange people asking me questions today. I-Hey, _look out_!" she screamed suddenly. At first, Sakura thought it was some juvenile ploy to distract her, but she heard the scraping noise behind her. She whirled to see one of the suits haul themselves off the ground and hurl himself in their direction. He had a stiletto in his hand. He was too close and getting closer, Sakura had less than no time to react. She closed her eyes and waited for the blow. Athena, who was more off to the side, saw the goon bear down on Sakura. In the space of one second, she shut her eyes, concentrated and then thrust her hands out in front of her. "_PSYCHO BALL_!" A glowing red sphere of light formed between her hands and then shot forward. The attacker was caught squarely full force. The energy sphere blasted him off his feet and into the brick wall. He slumped to the ground again, and did not move. Sakura opened one eye and saw that the threat had been ended. She was both relieved and disgusted. She had been sloppy, and Athena had bailed her out. No doubt she would be hearing about this for a _very_ long time. Even so, she rushed to Athena's side as she sank to one knee. Her psionic attack was powerful, but could really drain her if done without proper concentration. "You idiot!" Sakura chided, helping her up. "You know you get all screwed up when you do that too fast." Athena scowled slightly, sweat beading on her forehead. "Well, excuse me. Next time I'll just _let_ the thug with a knife skewer you. Would that make you happy?" Sakura's face softened a bit. "Anyway, thanks." "Don't mention it." Athena groaned, steadying herself against the wall. "Now do you believe us?" Sakura said, turning back to the girl. Who wasn't there. "Wha-?!" Then she saw her at the top of the chain-link fence. She had used the surprise attack as a distraction to scale the fence. She swung herself over the top and dropped to the ground. "Hey, wait!" Sakura cried, running up the fence. "Sorry." the girl said. "I can't afford to trust anybody. Not now." With that, she turned and began to run. Sakura let out a curse and banged her fist against the fence. Athena had recovered by this point. She was dusting off her clothes as she looked with disgust over the over-dressed goons unconscious on the alley floor. "Hey, Sakura?" she said. "Yeah?" "Didn't you say there were _six_ of these men?" Sakura whirled and did a speedy count of the scum lining the ground. "Five." she said. "I was sure there were six. Where's the other one?" Another scream. The girl had been caught halfway down the other side of the alley. The missing suit had probably circled around when his fellows had cornered her. This bruiser was larger than the rest, with a shaved head and scars lining his face. He had a hand wrapped around her throat, tightly. Without a word, he drew another of those long knives. Sakura cursed inwardly, there was no way either she or Athena was going to be able to climb the fence and make it in time. The goon raised the stiletto, prepared to strike. The girl shut her eyes as the blade came down. Suddenly, a hand came out of nowhere and stopped the arm that held the knife. The girl opened her eyes to see that another Japanese lady had the goon's forearm in a iron grip. "Jun!" Athena yelled. Jun tightened the hold on her opponent's arm, utilizing the pressure points along the radius to make him drop the knife with a grunt. The girl was totally confused. Where the heck were these people coming from? Then, her captor threw against the wall, where she banged her head and then sank to the floor, dazed. He then tried to force his arm free. With a quick twist and a flip, the thug found himself on the ground. Swearing, he scrabbled to his feet as Jun fell back into a ready position. Seemingly a more experienced fighter than the rest of his cohorts, he threw a high kick to Jun's face, which she dodged under and then locked her arm around his ankle. She balled her other hand into a fist and brought her elbow down on his knee, _hard_. The thug screamed as his kneecap dislocated. Wrenching his leg free, he found that it would not support him. He turned to face Jun, crippled. Jun spun and whirled a heel into his face. End of fight. Sakura and Athena, who had by now scaled the fence themselves, came running up to her, relief on their faces. "You really know how to make an entrance, don't you?" Sakura quipped. Jun held up her wrist with the watch. "Four minutes." was all she said. "I saw this one circle around the other side." Jun gestured to the suit she'd just taken out. They could hear sirens getting louder. No doubt someone had heard the gunshots and had called the police. "Great." Sakura muttered. "Once the police get here, these guys are going to give them our descriptions." "We're here less than an hour, and already we're going to be fugitives." Athena groaned. "Actually," Jun said, stooping to pick up the dropped stiletto, "I think it could be a lot worse than that. Look." She turned the knife butt-end up. Carved in the bottom of the black-handled blade was a symbol. It was a six-pointed star, with a dragon's head in the center. It was the symbol of the Fey Syndicate. "Whoa." Sakura breathed. "These are DeVane's men?" "It would appear so." Athena blanched. "DeVane has secret servicemen on his payroll? This is worse than we thought." "We'll worry about that later." Jun said. "Meanwhile, what do we do with our friend over here?" They looked at the crumpled form of the girl, who made no sound other than a groan. "Are we supposed to do _anything_?" Athena asked. "Sakura and I overheard one of those men say she stole something. Shouldn't we just leave her for the police?" "Athena, are you kidding?" Sakura said, incredulously. "We can't just leave her here." "Well, what do you want us to do?" Athena snapped back. "DeVane or not, these men are government agents, and they're going to tell police what we look like, and we're probably going to be wanted for obstruction of .........well, whatever we just obstructed. Do you want to be charged with harboring a criminal, too?" "B.S., Athena. We've had enough run-ins with FeySyn to know that nothing is what it seems. We don't know the whole story behind this, and I'd rather not let any more of DeVane's goons gets their hands on someone who may be innocent." "But-" "That's enough." Jun interrupted. The sirens were getting louder. "We do not have the time to argue about this right now. Sakura, bring her." "Right." Sakura bent down and picked up the girl. "Jun, what are-" Athena began. Jun stopped her with a glance. "We will take her with us, and question her when she wakes. If she is indeed guilty of these crimes, we will hand her over to the proper authorities. If not, we'll......figure something out. Let's go." Her tone was final. They headed out of the alleyway, Jun in the lead, looking around every corner. Sakura followed, her burden heavy in her arms. Athena brought up the rear, grumbling to herself quietly. "Quickly, now." Jun whispered. They made the final stretch over to where their vehicle was parked. Jun swung herself into the driver's seat, as Sakura and Athena piled in through the side door. Sakura lay the girl down on a sleeping bag, removing the tote bag slung around the stranger's shoulder. "Everyone set?" Jun called from the front. "Yeah. Go!" Sakura answered as she and Athena buckled themselves in. Jun pulled out quickly and set off down the street. She drove cautiously, but calmly so as not to attract attention when five patrol cars passed her on the main road. When they had gone a few miles, and we sure no one was following them, they let out a collective sigh of relief. "Well, what now?" Athena asked. "Yeah, where do we go from here?" Sakura joined in. Jun tossed the cellular phone behind her to where she sat. "The Holiday Inn." 10:23 a.m. Her world was pain. The girl opened her eyes, slowly and her surroundings swirled into focus. She was in a hotel room.....................somewhere. It had probably been only a few hours since she had been knocked out, as the sunlight coming in through the crack in the curtains was still early morning bright. She was on a bed, she noticed, and her knapsack was missing. "Looks like someone's awake." said a voice. She jolted upright. One of the girls who had come to her aid, the one with short brown hair, was reclining in a chair. What was her name, again? Satura? She gave start, scooting herself back towards to bed's headboard, scanning the room for any possible avenue of escape. Sakura put down the tea she was drinking sand spoke in a calm voice. "Look." she said. "I don't know who you are, or what you were doing at the N.A.D.C. building, but you have nothing to fear from us." The girl seemed to calm down just a bit. "Who are you people?" she repeated. Sakura sighed. The only way she was going to get her to trust her was to show that this trust was mutual. "My name's Sakura. In a way, I _am_ a tourist, but one with a mission. More of an adventurer, really, for want of a less romanticized term." The girl seemed to take this in for a second, and then asked another question. "Why did you help me?" Sakura chuckled lightly. "I really couldn't explain it. You're gonna have to ask Jun about that, yourself." "Jun?" "Oh, that's right. You didn't really get too much of a good look at her. She stopped that one guy from killing you." The girl's face burned hotly. "And that other girl? The one who was with you?" As if one cue, the bathroom door opened up, with steam wafting through. Athena stepped out, sheathed in a towel, with another one wrapped around her head. She stopped and regarding their guest on the bed. "I see she's awake." Athena said, with a slight condescension to her voice that the girl immediately disliked. "Yes." Sakura replied. "Give us a minute, will you? I'm talking here." "I wouldn't dream of interrupting you." With that, Athena went through the door connecting to the adjacent room. "That was Athena Asamiya." Sakura continued. "And yes, she's _always_ like that." The girl didn't seem to be paying much attention. She was looking around on the floor, on either side of the bed. "Where's my pack?" she demanded. Sakura sighed, and pulled the weather tote out from under her chair. She tossed it over to her. The girl caught it and then hurriedly opened it up, rustling around inside, as if the make sure whatever she had put in it was still there. "I don't suppose you'll believe me," Sakura said, "but we didn't touch a thing in that bag. Sure is heavy, though." After she was sure everything was where it should be, the girl zipped the bag up again, and then stood. "Where do you think you're going?" Sakura said, also standing. "We've proven that we're trustworthy, haven't we? If you let us know what's going on, maybe we can help you." The girl closed her eyes and spoke calmly. "Look." she said. "You guys did save me, and I'm thankful for that. But I have something I have to do alone, a mission of my own, and I can't get stuck waiting around with you guys. As for trusting you three, I'm sorry, but trust is a luxury that I can't afford right now." Sakura just looked at her. "Nice speech." she said. "All right, you want to go, fine. But I know that more of those guys that were chasing you are still out there. They can be anywhere, anyone. You aren't going to last an hour with them waiting for you. Not only that, but you're also probably wanted by the police just now. Running isn't going to get you anywhere, except possibly into a jail cell." The girl cleared her throat. "I'll take that chance." "Sheesh!" Sakura exclaimed, throwing up her hands. "I'd seen American action movies before, but I didn't think you *all* talked that way." Then her tone became serious. "Bottom line, sister, you are not leaving until we get some answers." The girl's face became steel. "Is that a threat?" Sakura grinned back. "More like a statement of fact." The girl locked eyes with Sakura. In them, she saw the iron strength of a trained fighter. Her own face was reflected there, among the fires of a dozen battles fought. Looking back, Sakura saw a familiar expression on the girl's face. A look of youthful stubbornness and determination that made one think she could conquer the world. She knew that look, for she had worn it herself not five years ago. With speed rivaling a coiled serpent, the girl lashed out with a kick to Sakura's midsection. Sakura brought her leg up to block it, then countered a punch with an inside block. The girl fired a reverse hook kick. It was an amateur one, Sakura noted, judging by the stiffness of her hip, and the lack of precision with which she struck. She dodged it easily, got inside her defenses, and then utilized a Yang-style _tai chi chuan_ maneuver by placing both hands against the girl's midsection, and then shoving lightly. The sloppy kick had offset the girl balance, so Sakura's double push hands easily sent her to the ground with a thump and overturning the bedside table. Sakura briefly entertained the hope that the fight would end there, but even the scant little she knew about her opponent quickly dashed it. This young girl had some skill, to be sure, and considerable speed. The courage with which she had attacked the man with the gun earlier this morning was testimony to an iron will, though it was misdirected right now. From the ground, the girl swung her foot up into the back of Sakura's knee, sending her to the ground also. She then used the diversion to roll back onto her feet. Sakura also rolled backwards, and then flipped back up into a ready position. The girl came at her again, this time a storm of punches and kicks. Sakura blocked most, but a few glanced off her body. She let out a grunt every time she felt an impact of a foot or fist. This girl was _strong_ too. Sakura wasn't worried about getting hurt, but she _was_ worried about the racket they were causing. This distracted her long enough for a heel to slam into her midsection. *I'd better finish this, and _fast_.* Sakura leapt and forward flipped over her to land on the second bed. She grabbed hold of the sheets and yanked them off as she dodged another roundhouse by cartwheeling back onto the floor With a toss, she threw the wide cotton sheet over the girl, who quickly became hopelessly entangled. Sakura took this opportunity to drop to one knee and sweep her feet out from under her. The girl found herself on the floor once again, this time Sakura stayed where she was, rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet, at the ready. Just then, the door in the wall swung open. "What is going on in here?!" a very weary-looking Jun said. She looked from the girl on the floor, to Sakura, to the strewn furniture. No one said anything. Jun waited for an answer. Finally, Sakura spoke. "Our friend here is insistent on leaving. I was informing her that it wouldn't be in her best interests to do so." "I see." Jun said, raising an eyebrow. "So instead you decided to keep her safe by trying to beat her to a pulp? "No!" Sakura exclaimed. "That's not it at all!" "I know, Sakura, I know." Jun chuckled. " A small joke." Jun turned to the girl who was getting up. "Are you injured?" For the first ime, the girl didn't remain silent. "I'm......okay, I guess." she said, rubbing at a bruise on her shoulder. "I'm guessing you're Jun." Jun smiled. "Yes, my name is Jun Kazama." She bowed slightly, out of respect for anyone who could face off with Sakura and come out with only scrapes and bruises. "And you are?" The girl's face darkened, but not as much as before. "I tried that, Jun." Sakura said with a sigh. "Scary as it is, I'm starting to agree with Athena. Why don't we just let her go? It's pretty obvious she doesn't trust us, and never will." Jun sighed. "As you wish." she said. "Bu one thing remains: We saw you running out of the N.A.D.C building." She began. The girl tensed at this. "Sakura has probably told you that he police and other less desirables are looking for you by now, as you are most likely wanted for trespassing, resisting arrest, and whatever reasons those men may come up with." The girl's eyes widened as the logic of what Jun said sank in. She continued. "If you will perhaps explain what you were doing in a federal building at 8 in the morning, and why those men were chasing you, we could do possibly something to help. If not," Steel crept into Jun's voice, an uncommon occurrence. "we will have no choice but to turn you over to the authorities." The girl seemed to stop breathing, until she let out a long breath. By the way she slumped into a chair, Sakura could tell that defeat was something of a rarity to her. "All right." the girl finally said. "You win. What do you want me to tell you?" "Your name seems the best place to start." Jun suggested, sitting down on the edge of the bed across from her. "My name is-" The door opened again, Athena came through, holding the ice bucket. "What's going on?" she asked. "What was with that racket earlier?" "Shhhh!" Sakura hissed. "Don't interrupt." "Hmph!" Athena hmphed. "Well, excuse me." She saw that the girl was sitting calmly in a chair now, ready to speak. She set down the ice bucket, and listened from where she stood. "Go on." Jun said. The girl took a deep breath and let go of what she had been hiding until now. "My name is Guile. Melissa Guile. And my father.........." She paused looking at the three other women, with rapt attention on their faces. "My father is missing." Somewhere. The office penthouse was dark, though it was the middle of day. The windows had been shut by electronically powered blinds and the lights turned off. The room was also silent, deathly silent, save for the barely distinguishable sound of breathing. A liver of light ran down the middle of the room, as the huge doors on the opposite wall slowly opened with and ominous groan. Mr. Greasy Hair was half-pushed, half thrown into the room and the doors slammed hut behind him. He was engulfed in the darkness and silence, deprived of all his senses, except for the fear that froze his mind. Out of the darkness, from behind the desk, came a voice. “Well?” it said, a man’s voice that was both soothing and terrifying. Mr. Greasy Hair could hardly control his quivering. “”I-I-I’m sorry, Mr. DeVane.” he blubbered. “We l-l-lost her.” “Did you.” said the voice. “Y-y-yes, sir.” The voice became harder, deadlier. “The only question I have now is how you and five other of your men could let one frightened teenager slip away.” “P-please, sir.” Mr.Greasy hair pleaded. “I can explain.” “Then do so. I am in need of amusement.” “Two women.” he said, rather desperately. “They interfered just as we were going to .......reclaim the item.” “Two women?” thew voice gained a hint of intrigue. “Tell me, were they two Japanese girls?” “Yes, sir! And Anatoly says that he was crippled by another.” “I see.” The voice dropped in tone, then sighed. “Hasam, Hasam. I’ve always had such high hopes for you. You are one of my best men. That’s why I had put you as head mole in the Secret Service.” The snap of fingers could be heard, like a gunshot in the darkness. “Sadly, there can be no room for incompetents in the Fey Syndicate.” Hasam fell on his knees and began to weep shamelessly. He did not beg for mercy, for he knew there was none for the asking. His fate was sealed. Two men in black bodysuits entered the room, and then stood at attention. “Take him away.” DeVane said, simply. The two swiftly dragged the wretched underling away. The door slammed shut once gain, redelivering the penthouse in blackness. “Intercom.” he said. The voice-activated intercom system responded with a beep. “Janos.” A few seconds passed, as the computerized system sought out its objective. “Yes, master?” came a second voice, though it was slurred by static from the speakers hidden in the room. “I need you put the word out to our men on the street.” “As you command. What shall I tell them?” “It would seem that our dear Miss Kazama has followed us here to Epsilon City.” A pause. “Surely not, sir. There is no way she could have found out about our move.” “Nevertheless, she is here somewhere. Inform the Cadre. Give them the descriptions of her and her little friends. I want results by late afternoon.” “It shall be done, master.” “Good. Intercom off.” The intercom crackled into silence. DeVane stood and then strode over to where the window was. With press of a button, it opened and daylight shone down on him. It shone on his unassuming frame, black suit, blond hair, and the twin scars that ran down his pale face, over his eyes. He gazed with unseeing eyes out at the city, his home for the next few days, until he had to relocate once again. “So, Miss Kazama,” he whispered, “you have found yet another way to interfere with my vision. It seems no matter where I go, you dog me. It would appear that you wish to hunt me, as a cat hunts a mouse.” A cold smile creased his face. “But who is the cat, now, and who is the mouse?” Then he began to laugh. END PART ONE NEXT TIME ON THE OFF SQUAD: Jun and Co. find out more about Melissa and the situation she is in. Meanwhile, who is this DeVane guy, anyway? And who is this dude following Athena? Find out in the next thrilling chapter of the OFF Squad. Fight One: Round Two Revelations Over Room Service ( Tentative title) AFTERWORD: Whew! Not bad for a first installment, eh? I know it’s dragging a bit so far, but fear not! A lot is going to be explained in the next part. At this time, I am swamped with school responsibilities, so getting these stories out is going to be slow. If you can’t wait, I have an series outline available. Be forewarned, though, it does tend to change as I get more and more information regarding the characters. Please E-mail me if you can, with comments, suggestions, praise, and flames to dare@prairienet.org Thanks, and see you next time.