Chapter 2: A Good Fake (or #2 Fake in the Japanese version) is the second issue of the limited comic series Street Fighter 6: Days of the Eclipse. It's illustrated by Panzer.
Synopsis
Ken comes under attack, but is guarded by Interpol agent Chun-Li. When a video is released suggesting his involvement in a terrorist plot, Ken realizes he is now a suspect. With the hope of clearing his name, he decides to take flight.
Story
At the Nayshall martial arts fighting tournament arena, Johann Petrovich asks his assistant Kalima the whereabouts of Ken Masters, and she replies that the same truck that took him was sighted driving to the old town, being the only lead. Johann finds it hard to believe that the opposition has been radicalized this much, however, he still wants to proceed with the press conference. He notes that after the conference, they'll contact the security forces to see if there's anything to find the former champion.
On the way to the city, Luke tells Mel that they'll arrive soon. However, Mel looks frustrated and only replies with a sigh.
Amnesia broadcasting a message to the world.
Back at the arena, Kalima greets the people attending the press conference, saying that the NGO Terra Network Partners, which supports developing nations, will be represented by the head of the NGO, Johann Petrovich, who will explain the features of the newly-renovated arena, Johann also announces that he's acting policy advisor to the government of Nayshall, a country he considers his own home. He remarks how this once ancient shrine is now reborn as the nation's mixed martial arts arena which will once more be the venue of a glorious fighting tournament. The drone then shows several videos of Ken fighting various opponents. Johann says that they have invited the renowned fighter Ken Masters as their planning advisor, who has assisted them in the rebuilding of the ancient venue. Meanwhile, Luke and Mel finally arrive at the arena. Luke says that the rehearsal will happen after the press conference, but Mel notices that his father hasn't replied to his message, so he tries to call him. While Johann explains to the conference that they've received full financial support from Ken, the videos stop playing. Johann thinks that they're having technical difficulties, however, a mysterious footage starts playing. A man wearing a cloak and a bird-like mask is talking to a businessman. The masked man asks if they can move more money if they spread more chaos throughout Nayshall, and the other man agrees. The footage reveals that the businessman is none other than Ken Masters, and everyone at the conference is shocked, including Luke and Mel who try to call him again. The masked man asks about their reward and Ken says that the Master Foundation will continue to support their operation and that they're doing it all for themselves. The footage gets cut and starts showing an image of the mysterious organization. They call themselves Amnesia, a group of hacktivists who demand true freedom and equality of information. Everyone in the world is watching the broadcast. The hacktivists are planning to expose the agents of chaos to the world and to warn everyone about the dangers of excessive capitalism and its imminent self-destruction. They claim that they're speaking for the oppressed and that the Masters Foundation is actually working with the radical opposition in order to destabilize Nayshall, and that the Vice-Chairman, Ken Masters, is providing weapons and funding to these radicals, while also abusing the cryptocurrency system by taking advantage of the chaos to commit fraudulent transaction for his own benefit. However the group managed to seize their funds, and they planned to use them to bring down the heads of all capitalist exploiters. The people at the conference start questioning the identity of Amnesia and whether the Masters Foundation is supporting terrorists, however, the drones start falling and landing near the people. Luke and Mel leave the arena since Luke is worried that Mel won't be safe. In the chaos, Johann notices Kalima leaving the arena.
Chun-Li talking to Ken.
Ken wakes up in a apartment and sees a man watching him. Ken asks who he is and tries to get up, but he's still recovering from the gunshot wound. A woman comments that Ken shouldn't move yet, and while the bullet went through his arm, they were fortunate that the bleeding stopped. The woman is none other than Chun-Li, much to his surprise. Chun-Li asks Ken if he remembers his car being attacked. Ken asks what happened to Jackson, and she says that they couldn't get to him in time, Ken is saddened to hear of his death. Chun-Li apologizes for what happened to his friend but tells Ken that he needs to remain in their custody, for his own safety. Ken asks why is she in Nayshall, and Chun-Li informs that she is still with Interpol, that she's currently director of their special criminal intelligence division, which is investigating international financial crimes happening in Nayshall, and that Ken is being held as a material witness. She then shows Ken the video that was broadcasted with the masked man and "Ken Masters". She informs him that this was released all over the world, as a declaration by the hacker group Amnesia. Ken gets angry and shouts that he had nothing to do with this, but Chun-Li knocks him back and points a gun at him, telling him to calm down. She's aware that Ken is being framed and that they're currently looking for a way to prove his innocence, however, because the whole world saw the video, he wouldn't be safe, and so he can't leave. Ken then asks what happened to Mel, and Chun-Li is shocked that his son is here. Ken begs that he needs to call his son, however, she leaves the room and makes a call, making Ken frustrated.
Li-Fen confirming the inauthenticity of footage to Chun-Li
Chun-Li calls Li-Fen and asks if she has any news, and Li-Fen points out to her that it looks like a deepfake, and that as long as someone feeds the AI with enough raw footage, they can create any kind of doctored video, making it difficult to explain to the public why this is a computer-generated fake, however, with a full technical analysis, any expert could prove it at trial. She then adds that there are other strange anomalies besides the video. After its release, searches related to Nayshall and the tournament have gone viral, along with the cryptocurrency transactions, as if there's some kind of online betting related to the tournament. Meanwhile, Ken starts wondering who would do this and remembers the coversation he had with Kalima about how the drones still need improvements. Ken asks Tsujimoto if he can help with the gunshot wound and he complies. Li-Fen wonders if the money being moved is related to financial crimes, and Chun-Li thinks that the betting is how they're laundering the money, even though the cash flow is too fast to track, and wonders about the purpose of the video. She then asks Li-Fen another favor to find Mel Masters, which annoys her for working way too hard, but Chun-Li promises to make it up once she get back. However, she hears a sound and sees Tsujimoto knocked out and notices that Ken escaped through the window.
Ken on the run.
At the city, Luke is talking to someone and informs that Mel is trying to contact Ken, but the call won't go through, and thinks about the video he saw. They're currently investigating and they also learned that Ken's car was attacked, which angers Luke, He then notices Mel who looks angry after listening to the video about his dad. Luke asks if Ken is a terrorist, though they're not sure if the attack was a double-cross or a stage to cover his escape. Either way, they decide to cut ties with him. Luke is disappointed since Ken is their client, but the man says the only clients are the government of Nayshall and the Terra Partners Network NGO. He then orders Luke to return to HQ and that they'll look after Mel.
Meanwhile, Ken, who's now wearing a blanket so that he doesn't get recognized, tries to find the culprits behind this and to clear his name.
Characters
- Johann Petrovich
- Kalima
- Luke Sullivan
- Mel Masters
- Ken Masters
- Geki (Footage)
- Tsujimoto
- Chun-Li
- Albert Jackson (Mentioned)
- Li-Fen
Trivia
- Li-Fen's room has several easter eggs, such as the Nemesis poster from Resident Evil 3 remake and a Mega Man-esque figure from the Mega Man series, both being Capcom franchises. **It also has Pokémon easter eggs, such as the Pikachu figure and what appears to be a Bulbasaur in a poster.
- Among the reporters seen during JP's speech, there is a female who bears a resemblance to Velma Dinkley from Scooby-Doo.