Smoke and steam filled the dark hallway. Stone bricks lined the walls and ceiling, while

water dripped through the cracks. A lone man in a dark robe walked down the hall, a hood

covering his face. He coughed, and his breath was visible in the air, a white mist,

indistinguishable from the smoke. A rat scurried along the floor, his toenails clicking on

the polished stone.

The man stopped suddenly and cocked his head. A noise was heard, footsteps, coming his

way. He lowered his hood and revealed his face for the first time, which was that of a

middle-aged man. His hair was a dark brown with light blue streaks, which were not

really blue, but actual frozen strands of hair. He grimaced, and his lips were also blue, as

though he had a constant frostbite.

The air in the hallway began to rise in temperature, and an orange glow appeared around

the corner in the hall. Throwing off his cloak, we see that the man is wearing a dark blue

ninja outfit, with a gold medallion hanging from his neck. A burst of heat blew his hair

back, and, assuming a fighting stance, he waited for his opponent to show himself.

Scorpion stood just outside the tunnel in a small cove. Cracking his knuckles, he grinned

and rubbed his palm.

"Show yourself!"

Scorpion reached behind his back feeling a long sharp metal spear and smiled.

Scorpion then lowed his arm and smiled. He scratched the underside of his mask, then

stepped out into the hall.

"Hello, Scorpion ." said the man in blue.

"Hello yourself, my friend."

Scorpion raised one hand, palm upward. It looked as if he was about to extend some sort

of peace offering, then---

"Get over here!" he shouted. Thrusting his hand forward, a spear tip attached to a long

chain shot out of his palm, flying across the hall and stabbing the blue man in the

shoulder. Scorpion yanked his arm backward and pulled the man with it, blood dripping

down his shoulder. Suddenly the line snapped, and the chain was pulled back to

Scorpion's arm empty. He growled in rage, and looked up to see that the

chain was frozen, and the man had ripped it out of his shoulder with relatively no pain.

The man in blue smiled. He held out one hand, face down, fingers curled. Taking a deep

breath, he closed his eyes and concentrated. To Scorpion, it seemed as if all of the

moisture was being sucked out of the air. A twirl of mist and water began to form under

his hand, then turned to ice. He spread his fingers out wide and the ice ball flew towards

his opponent, hitting him in the left leg.

Scorpion screamed in agony as his leg froze instantly, freezing itself to the cold stone

floor. The man in blue opened his eyes and pulled his hand back towards him, a smile on

his face, as if he had just won a small battle. His smile only irritated Scorpion, who

removed a dagger from his thigh holster and proceeded to hack away at the ice

surrounding his limb.

Fast as lightning, the man in blue threw out his arm to touch Scorpion on the shoulder.

Ice instantly formed around his hand, and reached down Scorpion's arm and torso.

Slowly, the blue man knew, Scorpion would soon lose feeling in his muscles and be

unable to move.

"Say it." The man spoke in a cool, calm voice. Scorpion struggled, but now only his head

was free of frozen entrapment. He sneered. "Never."

"Say it." The man said again.

"Fine. You win this round, Sub."

The man in blue, whose alias was Sub-Zero, removed his hand and the ice began to thaw

instantly. Scorpion struggled, and soon the ice shattered, and he collapsed to the ground.

Smiling, Sub-Zero held out a hand of support, but Scorpion batted it away.

"You've been practicing." He said, trying to regulate his breathing.

"And you haven't. Who was your last opponent, a ten year old girl?" Sub-Zero laughed at

his own joke, but Scorpion did not find it funny.

"I've been busy." He said.

"As have I." replied Sub-Zero. "And as such, I assume you are here for the same reason

that I am?"

"The awakening?"

"Yes." Sub-Zero waited as Scorpion pushed himself off of the ground and adjusted his mask. "Come, we don't have much time."

Not very far away from the two ninja forms, a man crouched in the shadows. His black

outfit blended in perfectly in the dark hall, and if his leaders had been right, he would not

have to hide for much longer. Watching the two men battle had been educational for him,

and he now knew that this would be no simple attack. He must be careful, but as he

followed them down a long flight of steps, he knew that careful was a long way away.