Johnny Cage's Nightmare

I'm Johnny Cage, movie star, filmmaker, and former titleholder of the sexiest man in the world. Life was freaking sweet, man! After my buddies and I kicked the Deadly Alliance's ass (we never found Quan Chi, but we were okay knowing that Shang was dead and that the mummies weren't a threat thanks to them not doing anything anymore), we all headed back to Earthrealm and said we'd celebrate together once we fixed everything in our own lives... I was doing pretty good with that when I got out of a movie I didn't want to do, and I was set on making my own, showing off how I kicked Shang Tsung's sorry butt to Hell (I would've given Kung credit, but I figured he wouldn't care anyway).

I spent a few weeks writing the script, hiding away from everyone, ignoring the media, and just writing and planning my biggest production since Raiden brought me back to life those few years ago... When I thought it was gold, I called the best in the business to help me make my movie. I even called up my ol' pal Mokap to see if he was interested in showing off his stuff! He sounded psyched until I said we'd film on location in Japan. I don't know what got into him; he just started saying, "No way Johnny, we can't go there!'' and I just hung up on him. I was a busy man, I got his answer, and I needed to move on and scout some locations and talent in Japan.

I didn't want to go through the hassle of buying tickets and going through customs, so I flew my own private plane, and decided to scout for areas in Japan myself and visit some martial artists personally. The plane started having engine problems, so I had to land in the parking lot of a mall. Finding space wasn't a problem; the entire lot had no cars... It was a Sunday afternoon and the entire place was friggin' empty!

I looked around the lot to see if anybody was there, like a security guard or a cop, but I couldn't find anyone... There was blood on the ground, garbage flying in the wind, cars turned-over, and even a few tanks wrecked on the streets. I started thinking that going to Japan wasn't such a good idea and headed back to the plane, but when I turned around, I saw what looked like a missile blow up my beautiful, expensive plane!

It wasn't long before another missile came at me; I jumped out of the way in time and saw what was shooting at me. He (or it, I don't know what to say) kind of looked like Smoke, only red instead of purple... I remember Sub-Zero talking about a red robot that wanted to kill him, and I guessed this was the guy. I didn't know what the heck his problem was, but I didn't care; he blew up my plane, and I was going to turn him into scrap metal!

I rushed at him, getting my Shadow Kick ready to send him all the way to Shanghai, when I was blasted from the side. The bot didn't even twitch, so I couldn't figure out what attacked me, until I saw another red robot! I got up and they both charged at me, so I fought them hand-to-hand, and was practically kicking their asses, until guess what? I was knocked from underneath my legs by a third red robot.

I fought at all three of them, but they were teleporting all over the place... They came at me from every side, and there was nothing I could do... It was almost as bad as when I fought those centaur-freaks of Shao Kahn a few years ago... I wasn't going to die again! Not at the hands of these giant tin-cans! I had to use every ounce of my strength to stay alive and keep on fighting, so I reached deep into my soul and pulled out the source of my Shadow abilities. I only ever did it once, and it was to save Sonya's life when she helped me get back to Earthrealm a while back, and now I needed to save myself.

My body glowed red with the Shadows, and filled my heart with rage, my mind with murderous thoughts, and my body with the strength of a Demon. Since I became faster and stronger, three machines stood no chance against me. As they each teleported towards me, I dodged and countered them, breaking through their armour with my fists and sending them into the sky with my patented Shadow Uppercut. I thought I was in the clear, until another robot appeared out of nowhere. Then another. And another. Everywhere I turned, I saw nothing but red robots appearing out of thin air. I was surrounded by a small army and had no way of escaping.

I tried flying out with my Shadow powers but these bots were a lot faster and sent me to the ground. They jumped me and kept on smacking me into the floor, leaving me no chance to fight. As they beat me down, I pounded my fists into the ground and fired a blast to launch me up and knock some of them off. I struck at every robot I came up against, but wave after wave of them kept on fighting back. Where were they all coming from? For every one I busted up, two more came back. It just wouldn't end!

Off the top of my head, I couldn't tell you how long I fought them off, but I do know that I kept it up 'til I jumped over a few and took a bad hit in the back... I remembered the rain falling, the roar of the Centaurians around me, shouting as one centaur cut my spine with his sharp tail... I collapsed onto the ground... I couldn't move again! It was happening a second time! I could swear that I saw those horse-freaks looking down at me, laughing at me, aiming their weapons... My Shadow powers faded and I cried and screamed. I wanted to kill them all, but my body was broken and useless.

I was paralysed again and the robots surrounded me. Tears streamed down my face as I saw one of them open its hand and charge some kind of laser, but two stopped it from firing. One said they needed me alive, but the bot with his hand open said that I was useless if I couldn't move. The third indicated that they didn't need my body... Just my brain. A whole bunch closed in on me, and I blacked out...

I awoke and felt numb... I couldn't feel anything and I was someplace new. I thought I was still paralysed, but I realised I could move my head, even though I couldn't feel it... I looked around and saw I was still surrounded by red robots, but these ones looked different though, different kind of armour and shape. They all moved aside as a clanging noise neared us all. The floor shook and I heard a series of hums and whirrs as this giant, scary-as-fuck, red robot stared at me and boomed with some mechanical howl. It lifted its giant arm and shoved its massive finger into my stomach. I heard so many weird noises and felt the pressure of this thing's weight and force, but when I tried to look at what it was doing to me, the robots held my head down. I couldn't feel a thing, and I was thankful for that, because I had a guess what was coming...

The big robot backed up and the table I was on tilted towards it. I wasn't being held anymore... I wanted to kick his ass for kidnapping me, but I couldn't move. The machine stared at me and proclaimed me the next generation... The perfect unit... I couldn't control myself as I bowed down to it. This was when I saw my legs... They were red... They were metal... Inside I screamed but it was pointless... What happened to me with the Extermination Squads was nothing compared to this; I was a machine. I was the latest advancement for the Tekunin army.