This is my latest story, "MK: Escaping Hell." Ermac's by far my favourite character in the series, so I figured I'd write a story starring him as the protagonist. This story takes place minutes after the ending of MK9, so there will be spoilers. It is also based partially on Ermac's arcade ending. Enjoy!

Oh, and I haven't dropped any of my other projects. I'm going to be writing "A Reason to Fight" alongside this one, and I'm currently doing major revisions to "Lightning Strikes Twice."

Pain. That was all he felt. A storm of relentless pain as every soul in his body fought for control. Shao Kahn was no longer controlling him, and with that control gone, so too was the force that kept every soul in place. A fresh wave of pain blasted through his skull, and he fell to the ground unconscious.

"Jerrod?" That was Ermac's first thought as he awoke on the cold floor of an Earthrealm subway. "I am... Jerrod?" Suddenly, a voice in his head spoke to him

"No, you are Ermac. I am King Jerrod, one of the many souls inside you. I will lead you forward on your new path. A path free from Shao Kahn's will." The voice was strong. It cut through the many other voices inside, displaying an aura of power, of dominance. "Earthrealm may be safe for now, but it came at great cost; many strong warriors fell. We will seek redemption by defending that which we once sought to conquer."

"I... Yes." Ermac was too confused to question Jerrod's judgment. The war fought inside of him, and Jerrod's subsequent subduing of the other souls that comprised his being had given him something he had previously lacked. A sense of... individuality? He no longer heard the clamoring of the many souls inside him. It was still there, but it was just noise in the background, easily blocked out. It was a new feeling, to have control over his actions. It was a feeling that he savoured. He could pursue his own destiny, instead of having it decided for him. He would make the most of this newfound power.

"You must seek Raiden, he will help you understand your existence. He will help you understand what you must do."

"I... I think that makes sense. And I think I know where to find him. When Shao Kahn died, I... felt... the location. He's somewhere in the city."

"Good, we must find him quickly." There was an urgent tone to Jerrod's voice, one that seemed... afraid? No, that wasn't it, was he excited? No, excited implies happiness... I think. Suddenly it occurred to him. He was... worried? It was a strange thought. Emotions were new to him, something he had never felt before. Yet even so, he could tell that something was bothering the powerful soul that guided him. Maybe Raiden will know, Ermac thought to himself. Suddenly a dark realization hit him.

"I was a servant of Shao Kahn. Won't they attack when they see me?"

"It is a likely scenario. That is why you must show them your good intentions. If you do not harm them, they will realize that you no longer serve Shao Kahn. Still, it is best to be wary. Your own safety takes priority."

Although Jerrod's words were not very reassuring, he was confident in his ability to defend himself. Using his telekinetic abilities, he floated over the stairwell exiting the subway, and found himself in a wide street, still littered with the carnage wrought by Outworld's invasion. His first intention was to refrain from using his psychic abilities as they would only draw attention to him, but he quickly realized that the bandages covering his body would do that anyway. Then it occurred to him that he could just teleport to his destination. Without giving it another thought, he did just that, vanishing in a bright flash of green energy.

Sonya Blade was furious. She was furious at everything. At Shao Kahn, at Outworld, and at life itself. They were all gone. Jax, Stryker, Kabal, Liu Kang, Kitana, and Nightwolf... the list went on. They were all dead because some immortal freak wearing a skull on his head wanted more power then he already had. She wanted to kill something, inflict the pain she was feeling on someone else. But who? They had defeated Outworld, and she didn't know where Kano was. Who else could she kill? Her answer arrived in a bright flash of green.

"Ermac!" she growled fury evident in her voice. He had ripped Jax's arms off. He fought for Shao Kahn. He was associated with the death of her friends and comrades.

He would pay.

Sonya whipped out her pistol and fired a quick burst of shots, all aimed at Ermac's head. Unfortunately for her, Ermac had created a telekinetic barrier around his body upon hearing the obvious hostility in her voice. The rounds bounced harmlessly off the powerful energy field, completely useless against the psychic warrior. Without thinking she charged forward, bringing her fists to bear. Her gun might be useless, but that barrier wouldn't protect him from everything.

Ermac let out a quick sigh. He had hoped to gain entry to the building peacefully. It was apparent now that peaceful entry wasn't an option. He waited the few seconds it took Sonya to close the distance and caught the female warrior in a telekinetic grab, holding her in the air above him. Now that she was no longer a threat, he took the time to examine her. I know I've seen her before, Ermac thought to himself. He tried to figure out where she was from, but the memory eluded him. Maybe I should ask? That's probably the best thing to do, he decided. He was about to ask his question, when the woman spoke up.

"What are you waiting for?" she asked him. "You going to kill me now? You've already got me, and it's not like I can fight back."

"Why would I do that?" he asked her, surprised. Did I kill someone when Shao Kahn controlled me?

"Why would you do that?" the woman exclaimed. "I don't know, why would you rip Jax's arms off? Why would you throw Stryker through a subway?"

"I... I did what?"

"Oh, don't play ignorant, you know what you did."

"I... I might. I just... it's all blurry. It's there, but it's not, and-" he was cut off as a torrent of memories washed through his head. He saw it all. Everything he did while under Shao Kahn's control. Shattering the arms of a man while the woman in front of him watched, throwing another man into the subway he had just left. As his mind tried to sort them all his control over his abilities weakened, and he his grip on Sonya was broken. He was helpless as she pointed her gun at him.

Why can't I pull the trigger? Sonya asked herself, as she pointed her gun at Ermac, who was helpless before her. She had seen him... explode Jax's arms without a second though, seen him throw Kurtis Stryker through a subway station, so why was she hesitating now? There's something different about him now... He could've killed me when he had me in that grip, but he seemed almost... shocked... at the idea of it. But why? He never had a problem with it before... Suddenly a realization donned on her.

He referred to himself as I, instead of we! He referred to himself as a single being rather than a collection of malevolent souls! Shao Kahn's death must've triggered something in him! Raiden can probably make more sense of it than I can. At the very least, we might get some useful information. Without another thought Sonya walked over and smacked Ermac on the head with the butt of her pistol, knocking him to the floor unconscious. That was for Jax you son of a bitch.

With her urge for revenge somewhat sated, Sonya slung Ermac's limp form over her shoulder and carried him to the elevator. She would head to the top of the tower and tell Raiden about Ermac's sudden change in heart. He would know what to do. She pressed the button for the roof, and waited as the elevator began is ascent.

Raiden hadn't moved from his position on the roof in over ten hours. He just sat on the edge of the building, staring out into space and observing the destruction wrought by Outworld's armies. He couldn't get his mind of their deaths, how almost every one of them had been brutally murdered by the resurrected queen of Edenia. It was his fault. He had left to petition the elder gods, knowing what their answer would be, yet hoping against hope for some sort of intervention. And that pointless venture had resulted in the deaths of so many... Yet that wasn't the worst of it. It would've been one thing to see them dead, but to see their souls corrupted and shackled by Quan-Chi... and being forced to fight them... Raiden sighed to himself. Shao Kahn might have been defeated, but it didn't seem like a victory.

The sudden chime of an elevator caught his attention, interrupting his musing. He sighed when he saw Sonya Blade step out. He wasn't prepared to talk to her, not anyone... at least not yet. He was about to send her away when he noticed the limp form slung over her shoulder. Covered from head to toe in dark green bandages it could only be Ermac. "Where did you find him?" Raiden demanded, his tone sharper than he had intended. "And why didn't you kill him on sight? He was a servant of Shao Kahn, you saw what he did."

"Yes I did," she replied. "And I did attack him on sight. Attacked him on sight without even thinking about it, letting my rage cloud my judgments. He beat me easily, and left me helpless in the air."

"Then, why are you carrying his body?" Raiden inquired, his curiosity piqued. "Why didn't he kill you?"

"I actually asked him that same question, expecting him to just laugh and rip my arms off. You know, like he did to Jax. But when he answered, he asked me why he'd do that, and it might have just been me, but he sounded almost... shocked at the suggestion."

"But why?" Raiden asked, completely confused. "He didn't have a problem with it before."

"I know, and that's why I told him. I asked him why he ripped Jax's arms off, why he threw Stryker through that subway. He said he didn't remember any of that, and when I pressured him, he fell to the ground incapacitated, said something about blurred memories, and lost his grip on me. I didn't really know what to do, so I figured I would knock him unconscious and bring him up for you to look at. He wanted to talk to you anyway."

"Wait, he wanted to talk to me?" Raiden asked, surprised.

"Yeah, that's not the strangest thing though. You know how he always refers to himself as we?"

"Yes, I thought that was because he was made up of many different souls."

"Well whatever the reason, he's not doing that anymore. He refers to himself as I, and his voice is different too. It sounds... normal, almost."

"Shao Kahn's death must have done something to him." Raiden had an idea on what might've happened, and was about to explain, when another voice interrupted him.

"Jerrod?"

Raiden gasped at the name. He looked over at Sonya, but she hadn't spoken. And if it wasn't her, then it had to have been...

"Ermac," Jerrod's deep voice resonated. "You need to wake up. You need to talk to Raiden. I will provide help when you need it."

"But what do you me-" Ermac stopped speaking when he realized that he was no longer unconscious. Instead he was staring into the face of the thunder god himself, Raiden. Instinct caused him to shy away from the thunder gods imposing figure, expecting some sort of electrical attack.

Instead the man spoke. "You," he began, pointing a figure in Ermac's direction, "have some explaining to do." There was no venom in his voice, and Ermac simply nodded as he began to explain the events leading to his abrupt arrival at the tower.

Raiden listened thoughtfully as Ermac finished his story. It made sense, but there was one thing that the telekinetic warrior hadn't explained. "I believe your story, but I don't think you've told me everything. What does King Jerrod have to do with this?"

"Jerrod?" Ermac began. I-" Raiden cut him off.

"Both Sonya and I heard you say his name before you woke up."

"Oh..." He had wanted to leave that part out. It sounded far-fetched to say the least, and he wasn't sure how is guide would feel about being revealed. But now it seemed like he had no choice. "He's... He's my guide, I think."

"He's your... guide?" Raiden asked, completely baffled. How could a long dead Edenian king be Ermac's guide?

"He was one of the souls inside of me. When Shao Kahn's control was broken he beat out the others. When I woke up in the subway station he... spoke to me."

"But Jerrod's been dead for centuries! Shang Tsung only created you recently." Raiden felt a pang of guilt over his use of the word created. If his story was true then Ermac was no longer just a fighting machine. Still, he had to get the point across. "Are you sure it was him? Not someone else? I don't see how-" Raiden didn't get to finish his last sentence. A deep, almost booming voice cut him off.

"Raiden, I am the true Jerrod," the voice stated, his voice echoing across the rooftop.

Gasping in surprise, Raiden looked around the area. The voice had come from Ermac, but he knew it wasn't Ermac speaking. "Jerrod?" he asked, his tone respectful. "How are you speaking through him?"

"Ermac did not lie. I am one of the souls inside of him. I have taken control of his body for the moment, to discuss things with you."

"What manner of things?" Raiden asked.

"My family." he stated, a hint of desperation evident in his tone. "I need to know what happened to Sindel and Kitana."

If there was ever a question that Raiden had not wanted to answer, it was this one. He had to tell the disembodied voice of King Jerrod that his wife had slaughtered most of Earthrealm's defenders, including their daughter. Then he had to tell him that Quan-Chi was now in possession of their souls, and had corrupted them for his own gain. All while Jerrod was in control of an exceptionally powerful telekinetic warrior. The prospects were unsettling to say the least. After a long period of silence, he finally answered. "They were killed by Shao Kahn, along with the other Earthrealm defenders," he confessed, purposely leaving out Sindel's involvement in their deaths.

"I see..." was all Jerrod replied.

"You don't sound surprised."

"As a result of his connection with Shao Kahn, Ermac had many memories of his invasion of Earthrealm. But I had to know for sure."

As Jerrod finished speaking, a long period of silence ensued, everyone waiting for someone else to speak. Finally, Sonya, who had been quiet until now, spoke up, her words directed at Raiden.

"Aren't you going to tell him about..." she paused, searching for the right words, "about what happened... after?"

Raiden sighed. It was a subject that he had wanted to avoid. It caused him enough pain as it was, and he hadn't had family among those that had fallen. But Jerrod had heard Sonya speak; it was unavoidable now.

"That's not all, Jerrod. Their souls... Quan-Chi has them. Has them in the Netherrealm."

"No," Jerrod protested, disbelief apparent in his voice. "That's not possible! How could he have gotten their souls? Someone would need to have taken them by force and the only one who could have done that is Shang Tsung, who would've kept them for himself."

And now I have to tell him anyway... Raiden thought to himself. All that time spent dancing around the issue of Sindel's involvement had been utterly pointless. I knew I would have to tell him sometime. No point in avoiding it for any longer. Taking a deep breath, Raiden began to speak.

"Kitana was killed with the rest of the earthrealm defenders as a result of one of Quan-Chi's spells. The spell was one designed to resurrect Sindel and corrupt her mind. Her mind was wiped of her past memories, making her believe that she had always served Shao Kahn. When he ordered it..." Raiden paused, not wanting to continue. Strengthening his resolve, he spoke again. "When he ordered it, she killed them all without a second thought, taking their souls through a device given to her by Kahn himself. In the process, Sindel herself was also killed."

Jerrod wanted to protest against Raiden's speech. To deny everything he'd said. Yet he couldn't. Not when he knew it was true. Even in death, Shao Kahn had still managed to steal everything from him. Still, he couldn't give in. There had to be a way to bring them back, to free their souls and bring them back to Earthrealm or the newly freed Edenia. "Can't the elder gods bring them back?" Jerrod asked.

"No," Raiden answered. "I've already petitioned them. All they said was that we would have to find a way to free them on our own. I've thought about sending someone to try and free them, but with the Netherrealm still hostile, anyone we send in would be attacked on sight. With our strongest warriors corrupted to serve Quan-Chi it would be impossible without a large-scale invasion. As much as it pains me to admit it, I can't see any way to get them back."

The earthrealm defenders are effectively enemies of Quan-Chi and can't be sent to the netherealm with any chance of living. We can't use force to get them back, but infiltration... "What if we infiltrated the Netherrealm?" Jerrod asked Raiden.

"Who do we have that could get in without being detected?" Raiden asked, intrigued by Jerrod's idea.

"Nobody from earthrealm could get in undetected, and the residents of Outworld aren't likely to help us, but there is someone you haven't considered."

"And who is that?" Raiden asked, still intrigued.

"Ermac. He's been a dedicated servant of Shao Kahn for his whole existence, excepting the few hours he's been awake since Kahn's death. The only people who know of his change in allegiance are you, the woman beside you, and the souls that reside inside of him. If he offers to join Quan-Chi, it is doubtful the sorcerer would ask many questions."

The idea is sound... Raiden admitted to himself, and it is far better than anything I've come up with. But I'm still not sure if I trust Ermac. "So you will control Ermac and take him to the netherrealm?" Raiden asked, hoping the answer would be yes.

"No," Jerrod responded. "Ermac is no longer a puppet to be controlled by those stronger than him. He will have to decide for himself whether or not he wishes to help us. However, I have a feeling that he will say yes. He wants to prove his allegiance to you."

"I suppose it's the best chance we have of getting your family and the defenders of earthrealm back. I can open a portal to the netherrealm for you, but you'll need another way to get in, to provide an excuse for Quan-Chi. Fortunately, the leaders of the Special Forces have been constructing a portal of their own with my guidance. Tell him that you got in that way, after that you'll be on your own."

"Very well. I'm releasing control over Ermac's body, and will not be retaking control again. Give me a few minutes to explain our plan before trying to talk to him." Jerrod released control over Ermac's body, and withdrew into what was effectively Ermac's conscience. He waited the few seconds it took Ermac to regain control, before speaking to him. "Ermac, I took control over your body for a short period of time in order to convince Raiden that you were no longer an enemy. During that time a number of things were revealed to me, and we came up with a plan that would not only prove your loyalty to the forces of good, but would weaken the netherrealm, and substantially boost Earthrealm's defenses. However, we weren't sure if you would be interested in volunteering."

"Why do you need me?" Ermac asked.

"Because you are the only person who could safely infiltrate the Netherrealm without attracting to much suspicion."

"You want me to infiltrate the Netherrealm?"

"Yes," Jerrod answered, hesitantly.

"Without any help from the other realms?"

"It is not an easy mission. It will be exceedingly dangerous. That is why no one is forcing you to go. You are your own person now Ermac, and you're no longer bound to the servitude of Shao Kahn. You can make you own decisions without them being forced upon you by others. I will not take control of your body again, no matter what decision you make. It is understandable if you do not wish to undertake this kind of mission mere hours after being freed from Kahn's influence."

Ermac pondered Jerrod's words for a few moments. I can make my own decisions, regardless of the opinions of others. The will of others no longer dictates my actions. Raiden and Jerrod are asking me to go down there, not forcing me, and they'll let me go my own way if I don't go down. With these realizations in hand he made his decision.

"I will go," Ermac told Raiden, slightly surprised by the forcefulness of his own words.

"You will?" Raiden asked, trying to keep the surprise out of his voice. I hadn't expected him to agree, let alone agree so quickly. "If I may ask, why do you want to help us?"

"For all my existence, I have been controlled by Shao Kahn, forced to destroy anyone who opposed him. I've done bad things, things I regret doing, but I can't change that. Now, I finally have the ability to make my own decisions, to atone for the things I did under Shao Kahn's control. This freedom is a luxury for me, and now that I can finally make my own decisions I want to make sure they're the right ones." Ermac had never felt more confident then did as he finished his speech. Every word he'd said was true, and if Raiden didn't like his answer than he would just have to find another way down to the Netherrealm.

Wow, Raiden thought to himself. I had expected a simple answer, something like "It's the right thing to do," or "Jerrod asked me to." But he truly wants to do this, to do the right thing and make up for his past actions. I guess Jerrod was right; Ermac is the right person for this mission. "Very well Ermac, you can take some time to prepare, and I'll open the portal when you're ready." As Raiden finished speaking, he heard Sonya quietly whisper something to his ear.

"Are you sure this is a good idea Raiden?" she asked.

"His words are truthful. Ermac is trustworthy and will be an asset to the defense of Earthrealm." Raiden spoke loudly so that Ermac could hear him.

"I guess... but what if you're wrong?"

"I'm not. He wants to help, and he has Jerrod in there with him to act as his guide." Ending his brief conversation with Sonya, Raiden looked towards Ermac, who hadn't moved. "Don't you have anything you need to get ready?" he asked him.

"No, I have everything I need. I can leave as soon as you open the portal."

"Then wait no longer." With a wave of an arm Raiden opened a glowing orange portal in the air beside him. "Go through here and find Quan-Chi. You will need to gain his trust before you can try and free our warriors. And remember, you entered the Netherrealm through a prototype device built by the Special Forces."

"I will get them back," Ermac stated, determination evident in his voice.

"If anyone can, it's you. Remember, I have complete faith in you, but once you're in the Netherrealm, you will be on your own with only Jerrod as your guide. Neither I nor anyone else from Earthrealm will be able to assist you."

"I understand." With those words, Ermac stepped through the glowing portal, travelling vast distances in seconds. Suddenly, a bright light appeared in front of him and Ermac found himself in the most hellish place he could ever have conceived. And he was not alone...

So that's the end of chapter one. I know it's starting off a bit slow, but there will be plenty of action next chapter. If you like the story… leave a review! It's always helpful to know what people like and don't like in a story.

Also, I'm pretty new to the MK series, so if I screw up the MK universe in my story please let me know so I can fix it. I haven't played MK's one through Armageddon so I'm pretty unfamiliar with much of the story.