Disclaimer: I own no properties used within this story, including the story itself. Only persmission to archive it so future generations can enjoy a classic.
Outworld-Ruled Earth
A scream parted the air. It was a human scream, a man, screaming for mercy as two mutants dragged him up to Motaro, Captain of the Centauran Guard.
"What did you see?"
"It wasn't me! I wasn't trying to escape! It was them! The Raiden followers! I came and told you immediately!"
Motaro cracked his knuckles once. "I didn't ask you that. What. Did. You. See?"
The man's eyes widened with Motaro's threat of violence. "There was seven or eight of em! A cop, a Native American, a couple of military types, this guy with a hat, Henry Rollins..."
"Who?"
"Henry Rollins. The singer. And then there was this weird-looking guy in kinda goggles, and some guy with a red headband..."
"RED HEADBAND? Was he Oriental in complexion?"
"Yeah! Yeah! He was!"
Motaro looked lost in thought. "Well, now we know what happened to Liu Kang. Shao Kahn will not be pleased."
"And there was this thing with four arms..."
"WHAT? Bring Sheeva to me immediately!" An underling galloped off. Motaro turned back to the human. "So, you can tell us nothing else?"
"That's it! I swear! I just wanna live!"
"Hmmmm. An understandable desire."
CRACK! The man dropped instantly.
"But not one I can grant."
The Grimdancer
Aboard the ship of Pyron, there was scheming.
"Hmmmm." muttered the lord of fire. "So it is true. The victor's soul becomes supercharged for one year..."
Huitzil stood in the corner, motionless, powered down.
"HUITZIL!"
With a grinding of gears, the robot came alive.
"We are going to attend the second Ultimate Video Rumble. There is something there... that I want."
Thailand
"So you say that this samurai, Haohmaru...his soul is now supercharged?"
Akuma nodded. "According to the scrolls, its energy could power countless spells. This world could be ours." Or mine, thought the warrior.
"Even though it hasn't happened yet?"
"For us, it has not happened yet. But, let us remember that we are talking about time travel here."
Bison laughed. "I have no doubt...Sagat! Birdie! Adon! Sodom! Come! We go to capture what is unrightfully ours!" *Or, rather, mine.* thought the dictator.
Outworld-ruled Earth
"So...the last of our enemies have gone to the Ultimate Video Rumble. As a preparation for the final battles with us." Shao Kahn relaxed upon his throne. "Excellent. We shall join them."
Sheeva, Captain of the Shotokan Brigade, spoke up. "Unwise. We might as well wait for them to return. Honor demands we fight here."
"Idiocy. We can dominate them anywhere we please."
"Motaro is correct, Sheeva. At any rate, we have other reasons to go to the Rumble. Firstly, we must prove ourselves above all others. Secondly, was there not a Shotokan among the number of the fugitives?"
Sheeva shook her head. "My company stands in full number. The captive was lying."
Motaro laughed scornfully. "Nobody lies to Motaro."
Sheeva glared at him. "As you said, idiocy."
Shao Kahn stood. "Stop your petty bickering. We shall determine the truth of the matter at the Rumble. But there is one more reason to go."
Shang Tsung, who had been silent until this time, looked at his master. "And what is that, my Kahn?"
"The samurai. Haohmaru. His soul, thanks to his victory at the Rumble, is now the most powerful soul in existence. If we can obtain it, we shall be able to muster the power to attack other worlds with blistering force. No one shall oppose us." He waved to his court. "Sindel, Shang Tsung...prepare the portal. Kano, prepare a complement of weapons for the Centauran Guard. Sheeva, choose a Shotokan to command the Brigade while you are gone."
Sheeva looked upset. "But master! We must be there in full force! Honor demands no less!"
"Honor's demands are insignificant compared to mine own. The Centaurans have proven themselves in the Earth invasion, while your Shotokans have obsessed themselves with honor. They shall be my honor guard. They have earned the right."
Sheeva sullenly complied, and strode off. Kano walked with her a ways.
"So, His Bastardness toldya something you dinnit like?"
"Kano, even for a human you smell. Remove yourself from my presence immediately."
"Oh, come on! You don't really like working for Shao Kahn, do ya?"
"He is my master. It is an honor to serve."
"Like Goro?"
"Goro died honorably in the line of battle. There is no higher accomplishment."
"And what about Kintaro?"
Sheeva suddenly grabbed Kano and thrust him against the stone wall. "Do not speak the traitor's name. He sided with Liu Kang and Raiden! He deserved the death Shao Kahn gave him!"
"I heard...him talking with Kung Lao before the last few matches in the Outworld, Sheeva. Apparently, he'd decided it was a matter of honor for him ta fight Shao Kahn. Odd, innit?"
Sheeva dropped Kano forcibly to the ground. "I shall walk away now. Do not follow me."
Kano looked as Sheeva stormed off. Suddenly, he turned around. Had he seen...no. It couldn't have been.
The flicker that Kano had seen, but had not seen, suddenly moved away.
Rugal's Palace
"Supercharged, you say?"
"Very much so."
"How wonderfully odd." Rugal stretched back. "And you propose an alliance to garner this...spirit?"
Number 27, head of the biotechnology corporation that sponsored the Killer Instinct tourney, nodded. "There is more than enough power for the both of us to share equally."
"I rather doubt that. But I'm not in this for power anyway, so why not?" A slight ting! was heard as Rugal picked up his wineglass with his metal hand. "I can easily convince all the fighters from the KOF tourney to go. And possibly I can get them to work for me. Some of them, anyway...and the ones I can't, will travel there just to stop me."
"Likewise, I can get the Killer Instinct participants to enter. They signed. I basically own them now."
"Well then." Rugal stood. "It appears we have an agreement."
"Yes. We do."
Rugal smiled, and shook hands with Number 27. Fool. You should pay attention to my words.
Long Dojo, Japan
Ryu stared at the paper in confusion. "I don't get it. It keeps saying "again" but we've never been to this tourney."
Guy shrugged. "It's hardly important. We'll just go."
Ken rose up. "But look! They said, 'to get there, press this button!' What's up with that? Is it like a walkie-talkie or something?"
Ryu shook his head. "Don't touch it until tomorrow night. It said we can't summon our ride until we get there."
"What about Chun Li? Her name's on this too."
"So we'll invite her along, Guy." Ken smiled.
"We hardly know her! She just arrived here yesterday from China!"
"Well, I'll certainly know her by the end of the tourney..."
Westchester Mansion
"Oh, come on! We did security work there last year!" Iceman pleaded.
"He's gotta point, bub. Besides, we're gettin' rusty ever since that chip exploded. Hank's gonna be weeks getting the Danger Room back up and runnin'."
Cyclops looked at Wolverine. "But MAGNETO will be there."
Colossus nodded. "All the more reason we should be there, tovarisch."
Cyclops looked around. "Okay. I give up."
Outworld-ruled Earth
Two robotic cyborgs stood motionless at the top of a cliff.
No motions. No movements. Robots don't generally pace.
Suddenly, a third cyborg appeared out of nowhere. "LK-46 disengaging cloaking unit."
"LK-46, report." This from the red one.
"Target: Sub-Zero. Reported headed to event referred to as "Ultimate Video Rumble Two." Event is a competitive fighting tourney."
"Method of transport?" The yellow one.
"Advanced dimensional vortex device." The grey cyborg pulled something out of a side hatch. "Recommend further study after usage."
"Noted, LK-46. Method of usage?" Red.
"Exert pressure on point A" (a small spotlight highlighted it) "and remain motionless. Vortex will enact transport."
"Noted. Operate device."
Thailand
"So Bison left the country. Well, this is just great."
The blond man took a sip of his coffee. "Don't worry, Rose. We'll find him."
"Dammit, Charlie! How can you be so calm?"
"Simple. Because I know a) We're gonna get him, and b) a contact should be meeting us here any minute with the necessary knowledge for us to find him and nail him."
Rose slapped him on the shoulder. "Why don't you tell me these things in advance?"
"What, and ruin the surprise?"
A young blond man walked up. "Excuse me...'Guile', is it?"
"That's my codename. Who are you?"
"I'm your contact, 'Garcia'."
"What's yer handle?"
"Ten-four and all's clear."
Rose looked at them. "WHAT are you talking about?"
"Just some simple verifications. Okay, kid, you got what we need?"
"Yep. Apparently, all we have to do is press this button in about twenty minutes."
"Waitaminit. What's this we business?"
"I'm coming too. Bison killed my father! I have a right!"
Charlie grimaced. "All right. BUT: you screw up and I kill you."
The young man grinned. "Wouldn't expect it any other way. I'm Dan."
"Charlie. The lady is Rose. We'll probably exchange last names sometime in the next century when we have time."
Professor Tym's TymCart
"Everybody strapped in?"
"How did you get it so roomy this time, Professor?" called out Erick.
"Pocket dimensions! It's probably better if you don't know!"
RumbleDome
"BRANT!"
The bespectacled techie looked up. "What?"
"Why. Are. The. Time. Killers. Returning?"
"Hey, they signed up. And after Rancid's showing last year..."
"But then they decided to throw a party! They totalled half the Dome!"
"Oh, it's easy enough to fix."
Birdman sighed. "I can't take this any more..."
"Hey, you gave Videonews the contract to help with publicity! That should take off your workload some!"
"I don't know this Loomis guy from Adam! That just makes me worry more! And Boobwod's sick! We need a new security head!"
"We'll find somebody! Relax!"
A dusty road in 17th Century Japan
"HA! SO, ONCE AGAIN WE HAVE GATHERED TOGETHER TO FIGHT FOR JUSTICE, HONOR, AND GLORY! HOWEVER, IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT ONLY ONE SHALL BE VICTORIOUS! AND THAT ONE SHALL BE I, HAOHMARU, FOR ONLY A LEGEND SHALL TAKE THE GOLDEN TROPHY A SECOND YEAR! FOR MINE IS THE WARRIOR'S WAY, THE NOMAD'S WAY, THE COWBOY WAY..."
"SHUT UP!" chorused everyone else.
"AM I PERHAPS MAKING YOU FEEL SMALL? I MUST APOLOGIZE, THEN! FOR, AFTER ALL, IT HAS BEEN A HARD YEAR...OSHIZU HAD THAT FIGHT WITH HER PARENTS, MASTER NICOTINE HAD THAT BACK PROBLEM..."
"It was nothing major, Haohmaru! I didn't need to go to that monastary!"
Haohmaru continued, oblivious. "...AND FOR SOME REASON ALL THESE DEMONS KEEP POPPING UP AND SCREAMING SOMETHING ABOUT MY SOUL AND ETERNAL POWER. OF COURSE, I DEFEAT THEM ALL, BUT IT IS RATHER TIRING TO KEEP KILLING THEM IN SO MANY WAYS!"
Suddenly, the TymCart appeared out of nowhere. Professor Tym stuck his head out the window. "Come on, already! I've only got about forty fighters in here, and I've gotta get some Darkstalkers next!"
It was a bright sunny day at the Rumbledome, now holding 180,000 screaming, cheering fans. The Primal Rage Zoo was still holding court, drawing lots of little kids. (Blizzard, in particular, was enjoying himself immensely with the wee ones.) The Power Instinct bunch were in hiding from the Bloodstormers, who were hunting them again.
Of course, this being the Rumble, far more was happening.
Birdman's Office
"You see this footage?"
Birdman clicked on the TV. His new chief of security, Scott Johnson, was watching impassively.
"Look at this. I had to scramble to get this cut out of the videotapes last year. First, of course, the footage of the mutants and Shadoloo troopers running amuck in the basements..."
"Is that SIX troopers in Colossus' arms?"
"Looks it. But that's not the worst." Birdman flicked a button. "Look at this. The brawl that broke out in the Eliminated seats. Over two hundred fighters running amuck. Boobwod, our previous chief, couldn't handle it due to the problems downstairs. So..."
Scott retched. "Oh god."
"Yup. Charlotte thought little Yoshi there was Reptile, and skewered the poor little fella. You should have seen the litigation Princess Toadstool raised. I didn't even know the Mushroom Kingdom had lawyers..."
"And...oh man, Scorpion's gonna Toasty Erick...geez! He missed! And he hit...are those the players from NBA Jam?"
"A good number of them. They didn't even bother to put it out, because they were so excited to be on fire..." Birdman clicked the TV off. "Anyway. This is your job, Chief. I do NOT want this happening again."
"Done."
"Watch out for Shao Kahn particularly. The scumbag always tries something."
Room 245, RumbleDome Hotel
Morrigan tossed her hair. "Why did you call us here, Pyron?"
Pyron stared at her. "You and Lord Raptor have demonic masters. They owe me favors. I have called them in. For the duration of this tourney, you serve me."
"To what end?"
"To MY end. I want Haohmaru, the samurai. I require him, preferably alive. Before Shao Kahn or Bison or another gets him."
Demitri stared at him. "I have no master. Whyever should I serve you?"
"Power."
Demitri smiled. "You certainly know me."
Lord Raptor grinned. (Of course, he didn't really have a choice, the way his face was.) "So, who's the babe-a-mint with the fuzzy wonder, flame-boy?"
"I am Mizuki, impetuous one. I have formed an alliance with Mighty Pyron that we may both benefit."
"And who's Mr. Downcast, then?" Lord Raptor bounced over to the sullen figure.
"This is Neo-Dio. He was willing to sell his soul to get back in the action." She smiled. "Weren't you, dear?"
Room 345, RumbleDome Hotel
"I knew it! I knew it! That scummy bloodsucker and his pals aren't up to any good!" Jon Talbain started pacing across the room, his ears up off the floor.
"What is the problem, Jon?" Bishamon sat in serene silence. Duct-tape covered various bits of his armor.
"Demitri and Morri-bitch and that undead weasel Raptor are all working for Pyron! They wanna get that Haohmaru."
"Haohmaru?" Bishamon grimaced. "Much as I hate to admit it, I seriously doubt whether there is ANYONE who can defeat him."
"And I also heard that Mizuki talking. She's in with them on this."
"Interesting. Why would Haohmaru be valuable?"
"Dunno. But, we'd better watch out for 'im. Pyron said that others were after him too."
"Should we warn him?"
"How can we? He's sequestered. We all are. That's kind of the point of these dressing rooms."
Bishamon sighed. "I guess I have no choice, then." He peeled off one piece of duct-tape off his armor. A tiny blue flame shot out of it instantly, and floated in front of the undead samurai.
"HAH! YOU GOT SOME NERVE! I MEAN, SEALING ME UP LIKE THAT!"
"Shut up."
The flame was subdued.
"Now. I need you to find Haohmaru, from the Samurai Shodown, and tell him that his life is in danger. Do this now."
"Yes SIR! Right away, SIR!" The flame sped off. "WhateverhisbloodyRoyalMajestywishesSIR!
The flame shot out into the middle of the hallway and sped down it. All of a sudden, it saw a candle in an empty room.
"WHOA! Hubba hubba! Hey, baby, how 'bout I come over there and we expend some oxygen, you know what I'm saying..." Suddenly the flame remembered what it was supposed to be doing. "DAMNDAMNDAMN! I gotta get the message QUICK! Who can I tell..." It saw a busboy moving past.
"HEY! Yeah, you! Do me a favor? Great! Go tell Haohmaru that Bishamon says his life is in danger! Okay? Thanks!" With that, the flame sped into the room with all due haste.
"Ummmmm...okay." said the busboy.
Room 820, RumbleDome Hotel
"So, then. We are agreed?"
Iori Nagumi nodded. "You're buying myself and my compatriots' services. Perfectly fair."
Rugal nodded. "Very good. And you two?" He stared at Chang Koehan and Choi Bounge.
Chang spoke first. "Well, we thought it over. And this is it. We like the money, and we'll work for you, but we aren't touching Kim no matter what. He's a good guy, maybe a bit uvva yutz at times, but I'm not gonna hurt him. Neither is Choi."
Rugal smiled. "Perfectly understandable. And agreed." He turned to face Number 27. "And yours?"
"I've informed them all. They all saw no reason not to accept bonuses for a little extra work..."
Rooms 730-734, RumbleDome Hotel
A busboy wandered in and saw something of incredible proportions. About ten fighters, from various different nodes, were busily stretching out kinks, meditating, and generally preparing for the Rumble.
"Ummmm...dang, I can't remember the name...Oh, yeah, Haohmaru, Bishamon says your life is in danger and here are your towels." The busboy dumped a load of towels from his cart and wandered off.
Captain Kidd's eyes shot up from where he had been applying the body oil. "What? Ha! He just said Haohmaru's life was in danger!"
Jubei Yagyu grinned at the sharpening stone where he was finishing work on his daisho. "Of course it is. Everybody's after him, after what he did last year."
Kung Lao returned the grin as he did situps. "And notice who sent the message. Bishamon. The guy who was runner up. Looks like someone has a grudge."
Guy and Takuma Sakazaki sat in contemplation, oblivous to the world. Heavy D!, who had managed to get into the Rumble for reasons unknown, was busy at a punching bag. Rose was busily trying to contact Charlie on her cell-phone with no success, and Sie Kensou was looking on at her, completely ignoring everything else, and trying not to grin goofily. Iceman was fixing himself a nice hot chocolate, Wolf Hawkfield was practicing howls on the balcony outside, and the ninja, Jago, was shadow-fighting with the sun shining behind him. Bishamon's message was apparently in vain.
"IDIOTS!"
The horrendous shout startled everybody. As one, they turned to the doorway from which it had came. A figure stood there, cloaked in shadow. The only distinguishing feature was a single gleaming red eye.
"You don't understand, do you? When Haohmaru won the Rumble last year, a freak nodal anomaly supercharged his soul! The power to gained from it is immense! If he lives free, it will dissipate after tonight's Rumble. If he is captured, or killed and then captured, whoever gets it will be more powerful than the ruler of a dozen nodes! It could be the end of all your worlds!"
Wolf stood. "So we have to protect the loudmouth?"
"As best you can."
Jago stood, troubled. "But...I have signed an agreement. Number 27 wished Haohmaru dead as well. We all agreed, as honor demanded. I cannot protect him!"
"Do you have a family, Jago?" The figure looked concerned.
"Two sisters and an uncle, yes."
"You won't if Number 27 gets that soul. Quit whining and be a hero."
Jago lowered his head. When it arose again, a new fervor was in his eyes.
"So, it's us, and Bishamon, and of course Haohmaru, against basically everybody else? I DON'T like these odds..." muttered Rose.
Kung Lao stood. "Hardly. The other Earth warriors from my node will quite happily fight with me. I imagine we all have a couple of allies we can turn to..."
"But we can't contact them before the Rumble!" grumbled Wolf, "We're basically alone."
Captain Kidd summed it up best. "Oh, crap."
Jubei turned to the shadow again. "How can..."
But the figure was gone.
Kung Lao was thoughtful. "One red eye. Hmmmmmm. Sounds awfully familiar. What does Kano stand to gain from this?"
Elsewhere in the RumbleDome
The figure that had been cloaked in shadows stopped. It would have to do. His hopes were all on those few, and the ones they could manage to join them.
And, of course, himself.
Original Authors
Chris "Birdman" Bird
Brant Rogers
Scott Johnson
Austin Loomis
