Wagner sat in the corner of his cell looking as though he was in a daze. He tried to clear his mind from the horrors of last night, but couldn’t. Five of the men who were held along with him were killed after experience another one of Shadowlaw’s torture, something for their own sadistic pleasure. One man had tried to escape and was kill immediately. The other four were killed from all the torture they received. And finally, the only girl held hostage was taken two days before and was never seen again. Wagner’s guess was either they killed her or added her to their ‘puppet collection.’

It was only him and another recruit named Ben Turner left, who’s cell was across from Wagner’s. He wondered why he and Ben were spared. Wagner had tried to figure it out all night, but he was constantly distracted by the dripping water nearby.

Then, Wagner shifted his eyes over to Ben, who had spent the night weeping for his life and comrades. The man, who was not much older than he was, was a Second Lieutenant. His dark hair was already streaking with gray from the stress he had endured. His brown eyes were circled with darkness and his tanned skin was paler than yesterday. He too sat in the corner, but was asleep.

As his find flashed, Wagner grew more angry. Shadowlaw had demanded 2 billion dollars within a week from the Air Force or else the recruits would be dead. They had lied with 5 dead and one missing now.

‘So this is their way of torture,’ he thought remembering Guile’s stories from when he was a prisoner of Shadowlaw. Wagner was willing to survive this just like Guile had.

He then thought about his friends. He knew in his heart that they were alive, but he had hoped that they knew he was here and not dead, especially Liz.

‘What can I do to see her again…’

Then, his mind wondered to Agent Viper, the Shadowlaw doll who managed to capture him. She had once flashed in his mind, but he couldn’t understand what it meant.

‘Perhaps my own mind was trying to warn me to stay away…’

Before he knew, he soon drifted off to another cold sleep.

Guile wasted no time the next morning. He called Jake, Cammy, Liz, and Debbie to meet with him at his house this afternoon. Although he trusted his recruits, he felt that he needed people who had more experience with the Shadowlaw operation. The first person he called was Agent Chun-Li Xiang of Interpol, Hong Kong Division. Years ago, they had worked together in an attempt to take down Shadowlaw and separated when they had thought their duty was completed. Both were fully aware that Bison was still alive and his operation was larger than ever.

After waiting for quite some time, Chun-Li finally answered the phone. “Agent Chun-Li Xiang,” she said in the receiver.

“Hey Chun-Li, it’s Guile.”

“Guile! I haven’t heard from you in so long! It’s good to hear from you again.”

“Same here Chun. I wish we could catch up on what’s going on with our lives now, but right now I need to ask you a favor. Do you have any assignments right now?”

“Not really, just some minor stuff, mainly being taken care of by the other agents. Is something wrong.”

“Shadowlaw.”

Chun-Li’s perky tone immediately became grim and serious. “What about them?”

“They’re in the Thailand base and they are holding 8 of our recruits including Wagner.”

Chun-Li gasped upon hearing Wagner’s name. She had met him a few times before when she and Guile visited one another. She never imagined that he would ever be in a situation like this.

“Guile, that awful. I’m assuming you want me to take the next plane to Los Angeles?”

“If you can.”

“You know I will. If I go now, I can get there in the morning. I’ll see you then.”

“Bye,” Guile said before hanging up. Then, he moved up to one more call. Though this one he slightly dreaded, he had no doubt about calling this person in. He had helped destroy Shadowlaw as well. It was none other than the US Martial Arts Champion Ken Masters…who was also Guile’s brother-in-law, married to Jane’s younger sister Eliza.

After the butler in the Masters house called, he handed the phone over to Ken. “Ken Masters here.”

“Ken, it’s Guile.”

“What’s up?”

“Shadowlaw.”

“Shadowlaw?” Ken asked confused. “You found their base did they?”

The Masters had, of course, heard what happened to the LA Air Force as the rest of the world. Ken and his family were saddened by Wagner’s demise, who he had met plenty of times in family gatherings. They had been in the Bahamas at the time and were not able to make it to the memorial and only came back yesterday.

“Ken, I know you only just came back from the Bahamas, but I need you right now. We managed to discover the Shadowlaw base and need some people to get in there. I volunteered to lead the team. As much as I trust my recruits, they don’t have as much knowledge of Shadowlaw. You, Chun-Li, and Ryu do, at least the only ones who I can contact. I’ve already asked Cammy and some of Wagner’s friends to meet with us this afternoon.”

Ken drew in a breath before continuing. “We’re destroying Shadowlaw again, right?”

“Not only that, but we’re also a rescue party to get those 8 recruits. Yesterday we discovered that Wagner was one of them.”

Ken was shocked to hear this. “He’s alive?”

“Yes and in trouble if we don’t get to them soon. Are you able to get here today?”

“You bet I will. And don’t worry, Ryu is actually here, he was taking care of Mel while we were gone.”

“I can’t imagine Ryu being a babysitter…”

“Yeah, but he did well. I’ll be heading to my private jet. We’ll see you in a couple of hours.”

“See you then.” Then Guile hung up the phone back on to the receiver. He rubbed his face with his hands before leaving the room.

Five hours later, the group united at Guile’s house in the kitchen. He explained to Cammy and the others what was going on. When he told them that Wagner was alive as if of yesterday, their spirits were lifted, especially Liz’s. Ken Masters and the legendary warrior Ryu met with him after their flight from San Francisco.

“We will be having another joining us in the morning,” Guile announced. “Her name is Chun-Li, a detective of Interpol in Hong Kong. She has high knowledge of this organization and has personally dealt with them plenty of times before. Once she gets here, we will head to Thailand.”

Guile turned his head to the younger recruits. “I know revenge is in your hearts, but I have one rule for all four of you. Once we rescue the recruits, get out and get home. We’ll take care of Shadowlaw.”

“Do you at least have a map of the base?” asked Jake.

Guile slowly shook his head. “The only part of the base we know about is the entrance. Most of those who entered the Thailand base never came out alive. Those who did immediately left the military and disappeared.”

“That won’t happen with us, we’ll live and honor our people,” Debbie assured.

Guile smirked at her. Debbie was always determined and focused, which he believed was why Jake admired her so much. He then continued. “The best we can do is be cautious once we get there. There’s no telling what could happen. And Heaven forbid, if anyone ends up being faced to face with Bison, I advise you to do not use your weapons. They won’t be of any use, trust me. I learned that the hard way.”

“Then what do we do?” asked Liz.

“I won’t be good if he saw you, but if you see him before he does, run and don’t look back. Like I said before, Ken, Ryu, Chun-Li, and I will handle him.”

“I know you dealt with him last time and won,” said Jake. “But what if-”

“If you don’t hear from us in two days…”

Everyone fell silent then.

Throughout that meeting, Cammy stayed quiet. She had dealt with Shadowlaw before, but in a whole different way. She was once Killer Bee, Bison’s favorable doll assassin. She was determined to save Wagner, but was more determined to avenge her parents’ death and herself.

The meeting continued on through the evening. Everyone went to be that night with determination and hope.

To Chapter Thirteen