"NOOOOO!" Jessie screamed, sobbing.
"Jess?" Elphaba asked, wrapping her arms around Jessie tightly.
Jessie shrugged her off. "No! Don't touch me! I gotta get out of here! He's coming for me, and if I'm with you, he'll hurt you too." Jessie said, still very shaken up by what she had just seen. She gets up and heads to get dressed quickly.
Something was very wrong, she must have had one hell of a nightmare. "Jessie, calm down. Who's coming?" Elphaba asked.
"Shang Tsung! He found out where I was. He's going to kill all of you to get me! Please, I love you, but get Fiyero and Glinda, and get the hell out of here while there's still time." Jessie said, her voice sounding like it was a direct order.
Elphaba was about to move to Jessie's side when she felt a powerful wave of magic enter the room. She quickly puts up a shield over herself and Jessie.
"He hasn't found you yet, Jess." The voice said, before a man in a flowing white robe and pesant hat appeared in the room with them.
"Who are you? What do you want with Jessie?" Elphaba asked, stepping in front of Jessie with green energy crackling.
"That's Raiden, God of Thunder, and protector of the Realm of Earth." Jessie said, a defeated sound to her voice. This was the last person she wanted to see in Oz.
"You've been following us, on Earth and here." Elphaba said, furious, and getting a quirked eyebrow from Jessie. She looked over her shoulder at Jessie, "He is the source of the magical energy I have been sensing ever since I met you."
"She's right, I have. I've been following you since I pulled you from Shang's Island." He said.
"Why?" Was all Jessie could ask, her eyes as furious as Elphie's at that news.
"To keep you safe, until the time was right. Jessie, he sensed me in this realm, and activated his magic on your weak signal. He has no idea exactly where you are, and won't for a few weeks. You're safe." Raiden assured her.
Elphaba was absolutely furious at this man right now, how dare he puppet her and Jessie around like pawns. That thought is what fits the pieces together in Elphaba's mind about the strange journey they have been on. "That's why you transported us here with no warning, isn't it?"
He laughed, nodding. "That's correct, Elphaba. You are as brilliant as I had hoped you would be." Raiden said, smugly.
"What?" Elphaba asked, wide eyed.
"I heard your prayers and pleads from Oz, Elphaba. I've heard them your entire life. Because no one from my realm was here, I couldn't intervene. When you cast that spell, and stepped through the portal, you entered my realm. When you went to Las Vegas, I knew that Jessie and you would eventually meet. So when she was scheduled to be in Vegas for the fight, the truck they were driving broke down in front of the motel. Shang's timing did the rest." He said.
"So you manipulated things to force us together?" Elphaba asked, a low growl to her voice. Jessie shook her head in disbelief.
"No, not exactly. All I did was manipulate circumstances to put you both in the same place. I knew Jessie was the embodiment of what you'd always desired your entire life. With her heart and mentality, I let nature take care of the rest." He said, with a shrug.
Elphaba took two steps towards him, before slapping him hard across the face. "How dare you! How dare you manipulate our lives like that!" She said, seething.
"Under normal circumstances I assure you, I wouldn't have. However, both Jessie's and Sonya's lives hung in the balance." He said.
"Really? They hung in the balance of a woman that should not exist+ to you at all? Why did you need me so badly?" She asked, rolling her eyes.
"Because you sense magic like no creature I have ever known. You sense it in Jessie, and you can help her hone it. In fact, I honestly believe only you and Glinda can teach her how to control it properly." Raiden said.
"First of all, I am a PERSON not a creature. Second, only me. I've almost destroyed Glinda and Fiyero's lives once, I won't do it again. I'll teach her how to use it, if there's time. How is Shang finding her, and don't you dare say you don't know." Elphaba warned, she didn't like that they were getting forced into this right NOW. However, she wasn't going to let him choose how they proceed from this point on.
"It's the brand," Raiden stepped closer, taking Jessie's arm, "When he branded her, he created a pathway into her mind. Just like this one," He showed her the carved part in her arm just above the brand, "Makes her more aggressive due to the emporer's magic. When in a life or death struggle, it activates. It may be the one good bonus she obtained from the experience."
Elphie, unable to stop herself, tenderly kissed the spot on her arm from the brand and the carving. She had seen the marks before, but never asked Jessie what they were. "What do you want from us?" Elphaba asked, irritated.
"I need you to help her, if there is any hope of saving Sonya from her fate." Raiden said.
"Is she OK?" Jessie asked, tears in her eyes.
"As OK as she can be given the circumstances. Shang made good on his promise to torture her worse. Shang revives her when she is on the brink of death, but she won't give up. She is still a shell compared to the Sonya you knew." He said, grimly.
Elphie pulled Jessie close. "What do you need me to do?" Elphaba asked, with a deep sigh. She didn't want another fight, but knowing what Jessie had told her. She knew a battle was coming.
"I want you to teach her to harness that magic. Shang Tsung doesn't know she has any magical ability at all. All that he knows is that she is hard to kill, and he has tried many times." He said.
Elphie tightened her grip on Jessie protectively. "So now you wish her to go back to that?" Elphaba said, her hands trembling.
"No, I want her to be freed of her guilt and shame, and I want to have Sonya freed from her bondage. Once you teach her to harness that power, she can return to the island, and have a fighting chance against Shang." Raiden said.
"It takes years to properly harness magical ability. I can accelerate it, but she will be limited at best." Elphaba said, the irritation at his suggestion evident in her voice.
"Limited is still a better choice than nothing. However, if you are with her…." Before Raiden could finish, Jessie pulled out of Elphie's arms.
"No! You want to risk me, that's fine, but you will NOT put her in danger for one of your cockamamie plans! If you knew what the blue fuck you were doing, Sonya would be home by now." Jessie said, trembling from rage.
"Jessie, the plan failed because Tarek betrayed you both. If he hadn't, it would have worked fine. I assure you, Elphaba would sooner die than betray you." Raiden said, getting shoved by Jessie.
"Don't you dare, EVER, insinuate that my WIFE would betray me. I trust her more than I trust you at the moment, you arrogant sonuvabitch." Before she can move anymore, Elphaba hugged her from behind restraining her.
"That's my point, Jessie. Calm down, please." Raiden said, steadying himself.
"Calm down? The man tortured me and tried to kill me, and now you want me to turn Elphaba over to him, too? Hell no!" Jessie said, breaking away from Elphie, and getting toe to toe with Raiden.
"Me, and me only, you got it?" Jessie said, enraged.
"OK, Jessie. I understand, calm down." Raiden said, soothingly. He was impressed with the power he could sense from Jessie. It seemed that Elphaba made her stronger.
"Like hell you understand. Jessie, why are you so afraid of this man? He's a man, like Jac or any of the others." Elphie said, irritated.
"Not quite, Mrs. Thropp." Raiden said, getting a glare from Elphaba.
"If you insist on addressing me by my last name, it is Reynolds." Elphie said through gritted teeth.
"Elphaba, Shang Tsung is far more dangerous than your wizard and Morrible combined. He's tortured Sonya and Jessie in ways that you can't fathom." Raiden said.
"I can fathom a lot, Raiden." Elphaba said, rolling her eyes.
"Can you fathom this?" Reaching out, he took Elphaba's hands. The worst of Jessie's treatment was sent flashing before her eyes. She watched Jessie be branded, cut on, bull whipped, and worse. Elphaba began trembling, hearing and feeling the pain and anguish Jessie had suffered through. Things around the room began to fly off the shelves, and the walls began to shake as her anger built.
"Stop it, Raiden." Jessie said, not knowing what he was doing.
"She deserves to know the truth, Jessie." Raiden said, stabilizing Elphaba, as the flashes continued. At the breaking of Jessie's knee, Elphaba relayed a blood curling scream.
"NO! No more," Her eyes flew open, and focused on Raiden, pure rage in them, "So be it, then. If it is a war this Shang Tsung wants, it is a war that I will give him." She said, her voice was ice cold as she set her mind on the task at hand.
"No, Elphie, please." Jessie said, turning her around.
Elphaba's hands locked on Jessie's temples like a vice. She needed to know what was in that nightmare. Jessie could feel her inside of her mind. She tried to block off the dream, but Elphaba plowed through her defenses like paper. As the dream ended, an evil cackle escaped Elphaba's lips. "So the sorcerer desires the souls of the witches. Over my dead body."
"Not exactly. He wants Jessie. You are simply a pawn in his plan." Raiden said, smiling. He knew exactly what it would do for Elphaba to see that, but he was impressed at how much her control had grown with her own abilities. He didn't see her hand moving until the slap landed across his face.
"And you want to deliver her to him? Over my dead body." Elphaba seethed.
"No, I want you to have her ready for this battle. Without your help, Elphaba, her and Sonya are as good as dead." Raiden said, grimly.
"So, you decide to wait until the day AFTER our WEDDING to come waltzing in here to tell us that we are soldiers in your little 'plan' and we have to go now?" Elphaba said angrily. Depending on his answer she just might slap him again.
"I'm not your father, Elphaba. Or that wretched Morrible. How can I prove to you that I am being upfront? If you name it, I can make it happen. Without your and Glinda's help, Jessie has little chance of surviving this. I stand to loose not only her, but one of my chosen warriors. That price is far higher than anything you could request of me." Jessie listened to him, slack jawed. She had never heard Raiden that humble in her life.
Elphaba's jaw tightened, "Anything I want huh?" She thinks about this for a few minutes, "Fine then, here is what I want. Take us to a location where we can train that is not here, or Jessie's world. I refuse to involve Glinda in this, we are set up that her and Fiyero can live their lives in peace here. I'll be damned if I mess her life up again. Once we are ready, WE will go kill Shang and save Sonya. Then you will provide us with a home that is between worlds. That way no one can finds us if we want to disappear. Those are my terms."
Raiden paused a moment, considering, "I can meet all of those demands. Do you have any you'd like to add, Jessie?"
"I want her safe. If it looks like this could go south, you transport her to that world we trained in or back here. You know how much I love Sonya, right?" Jessie said.
"Yes." He answered.
"I love her even more. If anything happens to her, I promise you, the elder gods, the emporor, Shang - You're all history." Jessie's fists clinch.
"I believe you." Raiden said, seeing a red hue around Jessie.
Elphaba didn't like that deal, but she was going to keep her mouth shut right now. Which is a very difficult thing to do, always has been. Looking at Raiden, "How soon can you get us to the training island?"
"As soon as you would like. However, I would suggest at least staying in Oz a few more weeks. Your friend, Glinda, could be a large help to you." Raiden suggested.
Elphaba shakes her head, "I don't want Shang to know this world exists. Unless you can guarantee that he can't find us, we need to leave immediately." She was not going to ruin the peace in Oz by having that bastard follow them here. Glinda, Fiyero, and the people of Oz don't deserve it. Not now that everything was peaceful.
"Right now, he has no clue this world exists. Because of that brand, he can enter her mind at will. I assure you Glinda, Oz, and even you are perfectly safe. All he knows is Jessie has been dreaming of a green woman. Given the nature of Jessie's Earth, there are many to choose from." He said it with a playful grin.
A tiny spark of hope ignites in Elphaba, "If the brand is removed does he lose the ability to enter her mind? If not is there a way to prevent him from entering her mind?" Elphaba knew she could link her mind with Jessie's if there was a way to keep him out of her mind, they could make a smoother exit out of Oz.
Raiden nodded. "Yes. The brand denotes that he owns her, and allows him access. Just like the carving," He motions to the design above it, "Is a primal mark encouraging aggression in combat. The fact that she stopped when you told her to with the Wizard tells me you may have a stronger influence than outworld magic on her."
There was a little bit of pride in Elphaba when he said that. "Do you know of anyway to remove this brand? Don't lie to me either, false hope is not what we need right now."
"You'll find I don't lie to anyone, Elphaba. It's a waste of energy. No, I'm not sure how to remove it. Since it's a magical symbol, I was hoping you or Glinda might." He said, truthfully.
That really wasn't as comforting as statement to her as he might hope it is. "If there's a way I'll find it. Since you seem to be keeping an eye on us..." which truly irritates her on an entirely different level, "if Shang had even an inkling of where we are I want you to pull us to that training island. Is that understood? Otherwise, we will spend two weeks here before leaving."
"You have my word. In two weeks." In a flash of light, Raiden vanishes.
Once he leaves, Elphaba goes to Jessie and pulls her into a tight hug. Would she ever get a happy ending?