Here is a short story for you guys.

I got the idea from MKX. This is a spin-off of an MKX story I plan to write. So many of the questions will not be answered here.

Sub-Zero flew through the air astride his frost dragon Miyukiko, his wife Jade seated behind him. Five other Lin Kuei warriors surrounded them astride their own dragons, forming a protective circle for the two leaders of their clan. They were traveling to a part of the Amazon jungle where a new temple was being set up. Sub-Zero had hoped to expand the Lin Kuei throughout the world and provide better protection for Earthrealm. He had sent Frost, his most promising protege, to oversee it and become the leader of this branch.

At first things had been going very well, the temple's construction was going smoothly and Frost had even informed him of many new recruits entering the fold. However, recently Lin Kuei had begun to disappear. For a while this had gone unnoticed, it being assumed that they had been called away on missions by Sub-Zero. But then weeks would pass with no word or any type of reports coming from the missing ninja. Then the bodies began to turn up. When Sub-Zero had asked what had caused the deaths, Frost had insisted that he see it for himself, she could not bring herself to voice it.

This worried Sub-Zero greatly. He had been intending to make a trip down there to observe the progress and now was just a good a time as any. Now here they were flying astride their new dragons to the new temple. As they did, Sub-Zero's thoughts began to wonder what kind of injuries could have killed his men. Frost was a strong warrior, the sight of blood and death a familiar sight. What on earth could be so bad that she could not speak about? This worried him and made him wonder just what kind of enemy they were facing.

Behind him, as if sensing his thoughts, Jade gently squeezed his waist. His wife had always been able to guess what he was thinking.

"It will be alright Kuai Liang," she said comfortingly. "I'm sure you can handle whatever is down there."

Sub-Zero turned to face his wife. Every time he saw her, her beauty astounded him. Being Edenian, she already had years on him, being over ten thousand years old, though she looked like she was in her early thirties. Her long black hair, tied in a ponytail, flowed behind her on the wind, a green mask covering the lower part of her face. When he had first met her, she had worn a very revealing green jumpsuit but having moved to a much colder area, she had donned much more appropriate attire, though still green and not the traditional Lin Kuei blue. An array of shuriken as well as her bow staff, which could extend and retract, hung from her belt.

She and Sub-Zero had met during a Mortal Kombat tournament, the one that would have decided Earthrealm's fate in fact. At the time he had gone by the name Tundra, his older brother Bi Han going by Sub-Zero. Kuai Liang had been given permission to accompany his brother to the tournament but had been forbidden by the Grandmaster from participating. Jade at first took no notice of him but when Bi Han had been killed by Hanzo Hasashi, then known as Scorpion, she had been the first to offer condolences. From then on a romance had bloomed and when she got the chance to betray Shao Kahn and join Earthrealm's forces she took it. The two had been married ever since.

"Thanks hon," Sub-Zero said. He smiled behind his mask even though Jade could not see it. She seemed to get the message though and laid her head on his shoulder.

They flew for a few more hours, the sun sinking in the sky. As the afternoon neared dusk, the temple came into sight. The last rays of the setting sun shown off the many spires and the metal work where the temple was still being built. Landing pads had been erected on the sides of the temple for the dragons to land. Sub-Zero and the others made for one of these pads and began their descent. As they did, Frost emerged, followed by two other Lin Kuei ninja. Sub-Zero couldn't help but notice that their hands rested on the hilts of their swords and their heads turned back and forth as if looking for something. The situation must be really bad if they had to be on guard like this inside the temple.

Once they landed, Sub-Zero slid off of Miyukiko's back, helping Jade down as well. She seemed a lot more careful as she slid down. This struck Sub-Zero as odd. She usually slid off Miyukiko's back with the agility and grace of a cat. He hoped that nothing was wrong.

Whatever problems his wife had though had to wait. Frost and her guards had just reached them.

"Grandmaster," she said, bowing as well. "Thank you for answering my summons so quickly. Follow me into the temple where we keep the bodies. You must see what we are up against."

They and Jade made their way into the temple, leaving the others to tend to the dragons. As they did, Sub-Zero could feel the tension in the air. Each one of his ninjas were on edge and as he observed the perimeter wall he saw that the guard was double compared to his temple. The Lin Kuei had never needed a heavy guard around their temples, each ninja able to take on at least five men at once. What could possibly have them in such a state?

"There was another attack last night," Frost said as they entered the temple. "We kept the bodies for you to observe. However, we were fortunate to have a survivor this time. She did lose an arm though and is currently recovering in the infirmary."

"I would like to speak with her," said Sub-Zero.

"Of course Grandmaster," Frost responded. "I tried to question her myself but there was very little she could tell me. At least what I could understand. Maybe you can learn something from her."

"I intend to."

The three of them made their way down to the lower levels of the temple. It was here that the dead were prepared for burial and where their final resting place would be. Frost led them down a side passage to a dimly lit room. Torchlight flickered, casting an eery glow over the three tables that were the only things in the room. All three had sheets over them, hiding the bodies underneath.

"What did you do with the other bodies?" Sub-Zero asked.

"We had the crypt built first in case such an occasion were to arise, or lives being as dangerous as they are," Frost responded. "We placed each body inside."

"Good," Jade said. "Each one deserved that at least."

"My thoughts exactly," said Sub-Zero. "You did well Frost."

"Thank you Grandmaster," Frost said, bowing again.

They approached the tables slowly. Sub-Zero was nervous to see the horrors underneath those sheets. Jade clutched his arm tightly. She too was nervous to see what those sheets hid. Frost said a command in Japanese and three Lin Kuei seemed to materialize out of the shadows. Each one stood next to a table and took the sheet in hand.

"I warn you, this will come as a shock," Frost said. "In all my years in the Lin Kuei I have never seen anything like this. These are the most gruesome deaths I have ever seen."

"Just remove the sheets Frost," Sub-Zero said.

Frost nodded at the others and the sheets were removed. Jade let out a gasp and looked away. Sub-Zero just stared in shock. Each body had been killed in a different way, each more gruesome than the last.

The first had a huge hole in his head as if a bullet had killed him. However, it looked more like it had been burned through. This was not a type of wound a bullet would leave. Sub-Zero could not think of any weapon, in Earthrealm or any other, that could leave a wound like that.

The second body looked like it had been completely stripped of skin. The muscles were exposed to the air and there was no way you could identify the body. This was only seen when a hunter was skinning his prey.

Then there was the third body. He was laid down on his face where his back could be seen. Or more accurately lack of back. It looked like it had been surgically cut open and when Sub-Zero looked closer he noticed that some bones had been removed. The entire spine and the skull had been ripped from the body with no precision.

The sight of seeing three of his ninjas like this filled Sub-Zero with rage. He was not angry that they had been killed, that was a common occurrence in the life of the Lin Kuei. What angered him was the blatant disrespect to the bodies themselves. Who could have done this? What creature had the skill or strength to rip a man's spine and skull from his body? This was nothing that Sub-Zero had ever seen before.

"What do you make of this Grandmaster?" Frost asked.

It took Sub-Zero a few moments to respond.

"This is nothing that I have seen before," he began slowly. "No creature on Earthrealm could have or would have done this. If it had been the Shirai Ryu we would know it, they would have left a mark of some kind informing us it was them. Plus, since Master Hasashi has reinstated them honor has been their main focus. Not only that but they are not known for taking trophies, which is the only explanation for the missing spine and skin.

For an Earthrealm force, the only other logical explanation would be Kano of the Black Dragon. His robotic eye can burn through a man's skull like that and I would not put it past him to skin any person he killed. However, he does not have the strength to separate a man's spine from his ribs. He would have to saw them off and if you look closely you can tell that these bones were ripped apart. Not only that but Sonya has had him on the run from years. Rumors even say that he has left Earthrealm all together. And an outright attack against an enemy is not Kano's style. He is more about deception and what benefits he can gain. No, I do not believe that whatever killed them was from Earthrealm."

"What about Outworld?" Jade asked shakily, the bodies having deeply affected her. "I could see many of the people there inflicting wounds like these."

Frost nodded in agreement. "I was thinking along those lines as well. Could a being from Outworld have killed them?"

Sub-Zero pondered about this and took a while before answering. "I do think that someone from Outworld could have indeed caused these men but..."

"That settles it!" Frost interrupted. "We should go to Outworld and show those cowards what it means to cross the Lin Kuei!"

She began to head toward the door but Sub-Zero stopped her before she could get very far.

"Wait a minute Frost," he said, a hard look in his eye. "Let's think about the facts before we set out to destroy them. The first is that Kotal Kahn is trying to settle the war against Mileena's rebellion. It would not be a wise move to instigate a war with a whole separate realm while his own is divided. Add on to that the fact that he has signed a non-aggression pact with us. This goes completely against that treaty and from everything I have seen and heard about him he is a man of his word.

This enemy is not from either Earthrealm, Outworld or in fact any of the known realms out there. What we face is a ferocious new enemy that kills for sport and that has enough skill to ambush and defeat trained ninja."

Silence filled the room as he finished.

"What should we do Grandmaster?" Frost asked, her voice shaking.

"First, I need to get more information on what we are facing," Sub-Zero answered. "Take me to the survivor. And have these three buried properly. They deserve that much."

"Yes Grandmaster," Frost said. With a gesture from her the sheets were placed back over the bodies and rolled to their final resting place. She then led Sub-Zero and Jade out and to the infirmary.

Sub-Zero followed Frost into the back of the ward to where two Lin Kuei healers were tending to a woman who was lying on the cot. Her face looked drained of any color and was contorted in pain. Gashes covered her face and left arm. They looked deep and serious Where her right arm should have been was instead a stump which one of the healers was spreading a salve over. Frost uttered another command in Japanese and the two healers bowed themselves out.

"I would like to speak to her alone," Sub-Zero said. "A large audience may unsettle her." Frost nodded, following the healers out. Jade planted a kiss on Sub-Zero's cheek and also left. Once the ward was quiet, Sub-Zero began trying to wake her up.

"Warrior I must speak with you," he said softly. The woman began to stir, letting out a quiet moan of pain. Her eyes fluttered open and she squinted against the light. Once she got her bearings she turned her head to see who her visitor was.

"What is your name?" Sub-Zero asked, removing his mask and letting her see his smiling, bearded face.

W...Wanda," she stuttered placing a hand on her forehead, still trying to wake up.

"Do you know who I am?" Sub-Zero continued.

"Gr...grandmaster Sub-Zero," she responded.

"It is good to see that your memory is still intact," Sub-Zero said, smiling again. "Wanda, I have to ask you. What did you see when you were attacked?"

Her eyes lit up in fright at the question. Sweat began pouring off her forehead and into her cuts. Her lip trembled and tears welled at the corners of her eyes.

"I know that the incident was traumatic for you," Sub-Zero said, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, "but I need you to tell me everything you can. Your companions will have died needlessly and unavenged. I intend to hunt down this beast and end its pathetic life. But I cannot do that without your help."

These words seemed to encourage her. She swallowed nervously and nodded her head. When she looked back at Sub-Zero, there was a hard glint in her eyes, one that showed anger, fear and a desire for justice. Wanda took a deep breath and began her story.

"It happened so fast," she began. "My companions Ronin, Mavrick, Quill and I were out on patrol, under orders to find whatever had been killing our warriors. We were not far from the temple when we heard this voice. It called for us to come to it, that it had found something. At first we didn't think anything of it, there was another patrol out with us. It wasn't until we came to heavy brush that we began to get suspicious. All the reports had spoken of being hit while going through terrain like that. Yet, we kept hearing the voice coming from within the brush. It sounded human enough so we continued onward but kept our guard up.

We went a few more feet and the voice still called to us. Our worries were increased when it got louder but we could see no sign of any Lin Kuei. That was when Maverick stopped us. He had recognized the voice as one of our comrades who had gone missing. We began to head back but it was too late. Quill stepped into a trap and he was taken up into the trees and out of sight. We heard his cries of pain and began making our way up to save him but then a blue light shot from the trees and blasted Mavrick in the head. Ronin then told me to go down and see if anything could be done to help him and then headed up into the trees.

I followed his orders and landed next to Mavrick's prone body. Once I did though I knew there was nothing that could be done. The shot had gone straight through his head and killed him instantly. Suddenly, I heard Ronin scream up above. He managed to choke out the order to run and I did. It wasn't long though until whatever was in those trees caught up to me.

Something big rammed into me and knocked me to the ground. The air in front of me seemed to shift as if the jungle itself was trying to kill me. Two golden eyes stared at me and made there way over and soon were standing right over me. I heard blades be unsheathed and the distortion looked like it raised its arm, prepared to strike. In retaliation, I raised my own blade ready to die fighting. But I got nowhere with that. Before I could make any move, a sudden pain shot up my right side and I was shocked to see my arm gone. Suddenly, voices could be heard. The creature must have heard them too because it let out a low growl unlike anything I had ever heard and was gone. The next thing I know I was waking up here."

Sub-Zero pondered her story for a few moments. "You say that the air in front of you shifted as whatever it was came to you? What do you mean exactly?"

Wanda shivered at the memory. "When the thing came toward me, all I could see of it was an outline but it blended in with the surrounding forest. It seemed to have no shape or form at all."

Sub-Zero again thought over what she had just said. What could all of this mean? What was killing his men? He would take what she said and meditate on this. Maybe there was something in the library that could help. He would also consult Jade and see if she had any reasonable conclusions. For now though they were still in the dark.

"Thank you Wanda," he said finally. "Your information has been truly helpful. Maybe we can come to an answer before too long. For now though you have nothing to worry about. Just sleep."

"Thank you Grandmaster," Wanda said and drifted back into a restless sleep.

That night Sub-Zero was inside the quarters prepared for him and Jade, still pondering over the things Wanda had told him. He paced back and forth across the room still at a loss to what they were dealing with. Jade sat on the edge of the bed watching him. She was wrapped in a bathrobe that was given to her by some of the acolytes.

All day the two of them had poured over the information. However, nothing gave them a clue into what they were facing. There was no writings within the tomes that spoke of a beast with no form, fired blue balls of fire or that cold mimic the voice of its victims. Neither of their own memories could remember a creature like that from either Outworld or the Netherrealm. It was strange indeed. However, they were able to deduce that it hid using a cloaking device. No spirit could do the damage that had been done to the victims.

"If you keep pacing like that you will wear a hole into the floor," Jade chuckled. "Come to bed."

"I can't while the Lin Kuei are in danger," Sub-Zero said exasperated. "As Grandmaster they expect me to find and defeat this creature. I cannot let them down."

"And you won't," Jade said. "I know you will figure out exactly what is out there and I cannot think of any warrior in Earthrealm that could defeat it other than you, even Liu Kang. But do you honestly think that by staying up all night until you have an answer will help you? It will instead only make you worry more and even weaken you so that fighting it will be almost impossible. I am sure that the beast is resting, getting ready for the next hunt. You should too."

Sub-Zero let out a defeated sigh. How often his wife spoke wisdom. If it wasn't for her he had no doubt that he would be dead by now.

"You are right hon," he said chuckling to himself.

"Of course I am," Jade responded with a grin. "Now get over here and let me help you relax."

"Your wish is my command," Sub-Zero responded. Maybe this night would not be a total waste after all.