A/N: I was requested to do a prompt on Tumblr and I thought I would also add it to my list of stories here on Fanfiction. The theme that was proposed to me was the theme of 'sanctuary'. In which someone takes refuge in a church or sacred place and cannot be forced out temporarily (example, Hunchback of Notre Dame)?
I was inspired by Sonya and Jax's ending and the quote "Don't look for sanctuary in anyone but yourself" - Buddha.
This is a short one shot despite the way it ends.
Enjoy :)
Sanctuary
Nightmares tended to be as forgetful as most of her other dreams. However, if they had ever been as intense and realistic as the one that jolted her out of bed, she would have never slept again.
Sitting upright in bed, Sonya clutched her sweet coated shirt with her palm over her racing heart; as if it were the only thing preventing it from leaping out of her chest. The General shuddered with each heavy and frightful breath that achingly worked its way out with each forced exhale.
Sonya Blade had seen horrific things in her military career in Earthrealm alone. Battles with Netherealm demons, Gods and monsters were just another addition to her record. She had always been resilient in not letting any of those things bother her. Never had those tragic, horrific memories weighed down her capability to be what she always was. A soldier. Bold and persistently fearless.
Sonya was stronger than this; an unmovable stone and it would have taken Atlas himself to move her. Much to her displeasure, it seemed the brute had done so and he wore the mask of who she despised the most.
Kano.
What alarmed her the most was the realism portrayed to her in the dream. As if the event was an authentic recollection and not a fabrication of her worst fears.
She could feel her lip quivering when she recalled the scene. With a shudder, she wiped the tears that disobediently escaped; camouflaged with the sweet on her face that rolled off in rivets.
Sonya could see them – all three. Cassie and Jax battered and with too many bruises to count. They were broken and defeated and standing victorious between them was Kano holding a gun. They were helpless; their broken bodies tied to chairs.
Kano gloated at her, enjoying her utmost despair when he asked her: "So what's it gonna be love? Your best mate? Or your sweet baby girl?"
The sound of his voice in her head was a like a damnable siren's song. One that always succeeded in luring her to the island that stored every vengeful and violent emotion she possessed.
There was rage, but mostly all she felt was indescribable misery when Sonya knew the answer before he even had to ask. Kano knew as well, she could see it in the devilish grin he leered at her with. There was nothing she could do. There was no way to negotiate with him.
Sonya rubbed her wrists and she could swear they felt tender from where her hands were tied on the armrests of the chair.
She was a mother first and a friend second. It didn't help settle the consuming guilt that ate at her stomach.
She had chosen Jax to die. Her friend for so long, a godmother to his child and his wife's closest friend.
She had exchanged one last look with Jax as the leader of the Black Dragon pulled the hammer of the gun back. He gave a melancholy but understanding nod. Jax accepted his fate and his sorrowful eyes begged her not to falter and feel liable. There was no surprise on his face, just a silent goodbye. As soon as the gunshot echoed in the dirty dungeon and she saw Jax's brains paint the wall behind him, there was nothing else to do but to falter. It ripped her heart out of her chest.
Sonya had let out a wail in the dream that crossed over when she sprang up into consciousness. A scream that had turned into mournful sob; coming out of her lungs like acidic coughs. The pressure in her chest was unbearable and she had difficulty catching her breath between the terrified whimpers.
Sonya barely heard the pounding at the door over the sound of her heartbeat in her ears. After she took a gulp, she called out. "What is it?" The voice she heard couldn't have belonged to her. It was strained, fearful and it didn't resemble anything close to her voice. As if a ventriloquist was forcing her to speak in such a manner.
Johnny entered the room. Sonya caught the hesitance and despondency on his face before it immediately flashed into one of concern when he saw her distraught state.
"Sonya, are you ok? What's wrong"? Johnny questioned uneasily. Her ex rushed over to her bedside and crouched down, placing a hand behind her back. He rubbed it in comforting circles as she slowly felt herself begin to claim control of her breathing.
She held up her hand, silently signaling to him that she was alright. With a frown on his face, his hand retracted back; giving her the space she desired. He waited patiently, understanding that she still needed to gather a moment before she could tell him.
"Just like giving birth, remember. Take your time control your breathing," Cage joked with a weak smile. The light humor fell flat on both of them, but she still heeded his advice despite the grip of anxiety that clung to every nerve in her body.
"What happened? Tell me," Johnny implored with a soothing tone.
Sonya couldn't tell him, not because she didn't trust him, but because she did not want to say it out loud. The General wanted to forget about the dream - the one that seemed impossibly too palpable. It still hung around her like a noxious gas; pulling the air from her lungs the more she gave it thought.
"Just... just a nightmare," she informed him quietly.
"You were screaming. Must have been pretty bad, babe," Johnny pointed out. "Are you sure you don't wanna talk about it?"
"It's fine, Cage," Sonya snapped. Johnny's mouth tugged to the sides in a cheerless expression. Her reprimand stung him, but she ignored it.
Sonya's eyes studied him and she could see through him like crystal. He never was the best actor and even he knew that and she could tell he was doing so now. He was hiding under a veil of worry for her, although she could see the somber parasite he was carrying as if it was stuck to his tattooed chest in plain view. Something was the matter.
She opened her mouth to ask, but he nodded and quickly answered for her; knowing she was silently interrogating him.
"Kotal Kahn's merc attacked Cassie and the others," Johnny said with a flat but dismal tone.
Sonya immediately began to sit up straighter, her eyes wide in alarm. He waved a hand at her hastily, telling her to calm down. "Cassie and the kids are fine... they are at the Sky Temple safe with Raiden. He didn't get them."
Reluctantly, she leaned back in bed as he wanted but felt horror start to smother her when Cage grabbed her hand and squeezed it tight. "Johnny?"
"Jax... he's, umm..." Sonya felt tears start to form at the edge of her lids. Those tremendous feelings of torment she experienced in her dream resurfaced once more. She couldn't breathe...
Through the dense watery haze, she could see a tear roll down Cage's face that he quickly wiped away. "He's gone, babe. I'm sorry... Jax is gone..."
Rain always fell heavy upon the Sky Temple, but if not for the steadfast personality of Jacqueline Briggs, they would have been a pittance compared to the quantity she could shed right now. She didn't cry out of respect for the dead.
"No tears baby. Tears ain't gonna patch it up. No use in pouring them out."
"Dad... no... C'mon, you're gonna be fine. You can beat this!"
"There ain't nothing to beat, Jacqui... it's no contest..."
Jacqui looked down at her shaking hands, free of her gauntlets but covered nonetheless. Her father's blood stained her clothes and arms, dry as she sat inside the Sky Temple. Cassie sat next to her, tears also streaming down her dirty face; leaving clear rivers against the gray contrast of dirt and blood that covered her usually flawless face. Takeda was on the other side, holding her hand and wordlessly begging to ask what he could do. She had already told him - there was nothing he could do.
Kung Jin stood next to Raiden and explained to the Thunder God what had happened. An indignant disposition graced his usually stoic face, especially when he was told the news that Jax was dead due to an Outworld assassin after his newest champions.
Erron Black had fired upon them, springing from the cargo like a rattlesnake. They were all caught off guard—all but one.
Her father hadn't hesitated and blocked himself in front of them, using his arms to deter the bullets away from their intended targets. Kotal Kahn had wanted all of them dead, it was the only reason he would send the ex-Earthrealm bounty hunter after them.
The Specialist felt nothing but numbness and the only thing that was not catatonic was the scenario that played over and over in her mind.
The metal shots rang against Jax's arms, ricocheting out of the group's path. Cassie, Takeda, and Jin bolted into action. Takeda's barbed whips managed to pierce the gunslinger's hands and knock the revolvers away— releasing a couple of snafu shots.
They clanged to the ground but the mercenary managed to roll in a summersault forward, collect them and dodge the arrow that whizzed by his head. Cassie was quick to met him as he stood. Getting in close to his chest, she snaked her forearms inside and with a push, jerked his arms out wide; barely missing the bullets that exploded out of both barrels.
Black head-butted her, causing her to flounder back and cover her broken nose. His revolver aimed for her, but it was torn out of his hand by Takeda's whip. Rotating on his feet, he aimed the other revolver at the Shirai Ryu, but screamed in agony when an arrow pierced the hand holding the gun.
Kung Jin smirked devilishly at him and said something snarky Jacqui couldn't recall; it wasn't significant enough to remember. With a wrathful expression, Black broke the arrow tip coming out of his palm and with a swift tug, pulled the shaft out of the top of his hand.
Jacqui kept a watchful eye as Black reached for the sword strapped to the holster across his back. The makeshift sword connected with the Shaolin's bow staff, pulling the bow out of Jin's path. With an underhand swipe, he managed to knick the Tarkatan arm-blade into Jin's side. The Archer clutched his side and placed the staff horizontally in front of him, blocking the sword from lodging into his face.
Cassie, her nose bloody, gave Black a side kick to the ribs. He groaned and stumbled. The mercenary swiped at her head, but she managed to slide forward on her knees and punch him squarely in a crotch.
Black covered his groin, a pained groan escaping from behind his leather mask, before the dragon skull of Jin's staff connected with the back of his head and sent him to the ground. Cassie stomped on the sword and with a shove pulled the blade out of his reach with a swipe of her boot. Erron Black growled and responded by punching her in the ankle. She cried out and buckled to her knee, just as he prepared to throw a sand grenade at her face.
He let out a startled howl when Takeda's whips latched on to his ankles and pulled him. The grenade rolled harmlessly away and dragged the mercenary towards the angry ninja.
Her attention was on her Dad when she heard him groan suddenly.
"I'm ok," he told her. Jacqui should have known he was lying— especially with the way he was grimacing.
Jacqui placed her face in her hands and failed to hold back the tears that spilled forward into her palm. She felt Cassie wrap her arms around her and pull her into an embrace.
"I got you, girl," she told her compassionately. Jacqui could feel a tear from Cage drop and sink through her military garb. Jacqui held on to her friend tighter, shutting her eyes and refusing to let her father down. No tears, baby.
Takeda had managed to wrap his whip around the mercenary's neck— choking him— while he kept him still with a foot in his lower back. It allowed Cassie and Kung Jin to pound him until he went slack.
Motionless, Takeda let the cowboy trash drop to the ground in a bloody heap. His mask soaking through with blood and the parts of his face uncovered, bruised and red with his own blood.
As soon as Erron Black was unconscious, that was when her Dad had crushed her shoulder. When she looked down and saw the red spot over his heart enlarging with each second, panic and heartache barreled into her as powerful and fast as a train.
Jacqui vaguely remembered crying out 'no.' It was a sorrowful and terrified reaction she could not help. She wasn't sure if the bastard had shot him intentionally in the heart, or if it was a lucky shot. Whatever he had done, Jacqui knew from experience it was irreversible.
She only had minutes left to spend with her father...
Jacqui refused to believe it— she would not lose him! Her dad was the toughest person on this Earth. A Goliath incarnate. Nothing could slow him down. Not even death could keep him permanently defeated. The thought of him returning back to his revenant state shot her with unrelenting trepidation and caused her to press down on the wound harder. Determined to stop the bleeding.
"Oh no..." she had heard Takeda breath out in disbelief.
"Jacqui..." Cassie had her hand covered over her mouth; her face twisted in hopelessness.
"You're going to be ok, Dad. We're gonna fix you."
It was a lie on her ears and it only filled her with more suffocating affliction.
"You know... that ain't happening..."
Jacqui started to cry as she held her Dad's heavy body, cradling him in her lap as he gave a weak smile. She felt a cold metal finger brush her cheek, wiping away the evidence of her woe. She didn't hide behind her tough exterior, she exposed it for all to see without a care who was watching.
"No tears baby. Tears ain't gonna patch it up. No use in pouring them out."
"Dad... no... C'mon, you're gonna be fine. You can beat this!"
"There ain't nothing to beat, Jacqui... it's no contest..."
"Don't you leave Mom and me!" she screamed, shaking him roughly as anger twisted on her face.
He gave a melancholy and sorrowful last look as his hand cupped her cheek, begging her not to falter and feel liable. A silent goodbye. He didn't answer but still gave it anyway when his hand dropped and clanged against the pavement with the intensity of a church bell.
Jacqui let out a mournful cry, fighting Takeda and Cassie that tried to pull her off him. They had managed to pull her to her feet but her knees buckled. Takeda caught her and let her grieve into his shoulder. He held her and even over the sounds of her own sobbing she could hear Cassie whimpering as well; her own heartache for her godfather emerging.
It was only when she arrived at the Sky Temple did she start piecing together what happened after that, and why they were here.
Black had woken up and escaped just as Kung Jin and Takeda helped move Jax's body into the plane. Cassie had stayed with Jacqui, providing her with consolation. Johnny Cage had informed them to head to the Sky Temple. With Erron Black on the loose hunting them and the temple being the closest safe haven, it was their best option.
Jacqui didn't care where they were. If they were in the black hole of Calcutta, in a dump heap or sitting on hot coals at the moment. Her father was dead. Her father saved them and he was dead.
She would never see her father again. Never hold him. Never endure his overbearing lectures that she secretly chuckled at. Her mother would never see her husband again.
It was her fault. Erron Black came after her team- not her father. She wished it was his bullet that entered her heart; it felt about the same, anyway. She felt poison run toxic and hot through her veins. As her tears dissipated, her face contorted into malice against Cassie's shoulder.
Black has escaped. The bastard that killed her father had slipped away like a vermin.
A rabid determination filled her, infecting her like a pestilence with only one cure.
There would be no sanctuary in her heart until there was a bullet in Erron Black's.
Unlike her, there would be no place safe for her father's killer to hide.
A/N: Thank you for reading and feel free to leave a review. Otherwise, thanks for stopping by. :)