It was nearly midnight, and a sole man was wandering in what at first seemed to be a vast forest or park. However, if one was to look at it from the outside, one would see that it was part of an enormous estate. This property belonged to the wealthiest man in the entire city, and one who had near absolute power.
This of course meant that he had many enemies, on both sides of the law. Since some think he may be one of the most influential men in the city, and perhaps the world, many lesser crime bosses want total control of his power, and will stop at nothing to achieve this. He knows this, which is why he had some of the best men that he could find as part of his enforcers. These men are loyal, powerful, and will follow his orders with few questions. He tolerated these only because of the abilities of these men. In answering the few questions that were posed to him, his men gave it their all. This was about to change.
"Hey, old man! Don’t you know it ain’t safe to be out alone at night?" came a voice from his back.
Quickly, he whirled around, and as he did, he was soon surrounded by ten men covered from head to foot in black. The night hid their faces from view, not that it mattered to him.
"Silent to the end, eh? You can say your prayers. Your guard dog is at some warehouse of yours, and you are without protection," came the taunt from another of the figures.
Again, the man only glanced around at the ten figures surrounding him. He then closed his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest.
"Quiet to the end, good."
"He’s scared!"
"Look, the prune’s praying to his maker!"
"I pray he winds up where he deserves; IN HELL!"
They all started to laugh, and their guns were all off target. His moment had come. His hands started to glow hot-blue and he lifted them above his head.
"What the HELL is he doing?"
"Get your hands down, idiot."
They went down, as he thundered, "RAGING STORM!"
There was an earth-shattering explosion, sending each of the thugs flying into trees, bushes, and a lake. All of them were dead from the force of the impact; they weren’t strong enough to take the hit, even if they had blocked it.
Just then, his "dog" came in with half of security.
"Hey, boss, what happened? We heard the blast and...ah, jeet! What the bloody hell happened?"
"Nothing to concern yourself with, Billy. Some petty wanna-be sent some collectors here. They’ve collected. Now, gather up a clean-up crew and dispose of this garbage!"
Billy got started right away, drilling the men there as to who would handle what. He then remembered what he had come to see his boss about.
"Hey, boss, wait up!"
"What is it?"
"We found out what was going on with the dump. And we found something that should really interest you."
Go on..."
"Come on, Andy, don’t worry so much. You know how steamed Mai was with you earlier. It will take her some time to cool off."
"Besides, Mary’s with her. You know how Mary is. They probably went out looking for a fight with some guys who can’t tell a hook kick from an ax kick," added Terry.
"Yeah, I know. Mai was really mad with me, and I guess I can’t really blame her. I can’t help it, I still have the vision of our father’s dead body in my mind! But Mai has been there for me a lot..." Andy finished as his voice trailed off with his troubled thoughts.
"Look at it this way, you can make it up to her on her birthday Andy! You can really show her how much you love her, my man," said Joe with a wicked grin shinning on his face.
The two brothers looked at Joe for a moment, which made him feel like a jerk. They then looked at each other, and laughed hysterically. After a second, Joe did too.
Just then, Mary rushed in, with a look of shock on her face that threw a sense of death over them. They all stared at her waiting for her to catch her breath. She panted at an alarming rate, and the three gathered around her, ready to hear what she said. As she caught her breath, Terry was the first to question her.
"What’s wrong? Are you ok? Where’s Mai?"
"I don’t know. We went to an old abandoned warehouse of Geese’s to get some info from a tip I got. Then, Kane and some goons came in, and we got separated. I had hoped she would make it back here."
"So that would mean that Mai’s probably back at Geese’s," concluded Andy.
Just then, the door opened, and in came Billy with a few of Geese’s men.
"Hey Andy, boy-o! If you want to see the girl, come to the KOF! Ah, Mary, you’re here, too. Give them their gifts."
One of the men gave them each a letter, with entry forms for the tournament. With that, they left.
"I don’t know what they want, but to find out, we’re going to do it the old-fashioned way. Here we go again!"
As they drove back, Billy thought back to events which had transpired just a short time back.
"Ok, Billy, what is it? This had better be good. I’ve been interrupted once tonight, and you know that that is once too often for me."
"Yea, boss. Trust me, when you see what me and the boys found at the old BIT Project, you’ll be overwhelmed."
"Those who lack vision will be overwhelmed. I on the other hand have nothing that can overwhelm me"
He did not dare respond to that. He knew that the boss was in a foul mood. In those kinds of moods, anyone who got in his way was subject to immediate termination, even those that are as loyal as him.
They made their way into his office, where four of his men stood on both sides of the enormous door.
"What’s the meaning of this? Why are they guarding my office?"
"Easy, boss. I had them there to guard what we found there. I figured the best place to keep something like this would be in your office. Shall I send them away, sir?"
Geese made no response. Instead, he burst through the door as the men stood aside for him to enter. Inside, he saw a beautiful, if somewhat strange clad blond sitting on a sofa. He then let out a mad laugh.
"Um, boss, what’s so funny?"
Geese spun around to face him and then shouted, "Billy, you idiot! Is this what you dragged me here for. Some two-bit hoe! She’s nice, but it is not something to bother me with at such urgency! You are pushing me to the breaking point!"
Now, worried about what the boss was about to do, he took out a photocopy of what he had found, "Wait boss, read this!"
Geese did, and Billy summarized what had happened.
This time, she spoke in English, "Why that’s me! According to that, I’ve come forward in time nearly 200 years!"
Geese thought for a few minutes, then laughed maniacally! He then had his men escort her to the guest room for his best clients and had Billy go and send out for the best fighters in the world to come and fight.
Soon, there will be a new King of Fighters Tournament!
©1999