A/N: Fun fact, Deadly Alliance was the first Mortal Kombat game I played. And it was basically love at first sight when I saw Sonya on the character roster screen. I loved and still love her MK:DA design (and I wish it could be in a klassic kostume pack one day- Kali Sticks included).

It just so happened that Kenshi was introduced as a new character in Deadly Alliance as well, and he was super quick to become my secondary fighter. That telekensis shit was bomb back then. (Tournament!Kenshi is basically DA!Kenshi, so they could bring those costumes back, just saying.)

So low and behold, I finally manage to beat the Sonya's story tower, and Kenshi just happens to be in it too. And that was basically when I started shipping them. Just off of that one screenshot from her ending lol- and the damn ship has survived all the way to MKX, which only strengthened my love for them all over again.

So, after all these years, I finally decided to go back and pay tribute to that initial scene.

When the initial reports began to flood in, Sonya knew in her gut that something was wrong.

At first it was just a reported explosion at the O.I.A., with no further details on whether or not it was a terrorist attack- on whether or not the explosion was intentional or accidental.

It was common knowledge that the portals the O.I.A. created and maintained were always at risk of becoming unstable. And it was a known risk that the energy needed to anchor the portals could become unreliable in return. The slightest fluctuation of power could cause the stabilizing-energy to pop like a needle to a balloon; it was why the O.I.A. had three back-up generators and ran off of two power grids.

Of course, there were security and safety protocols in place that would kick in if such an event even thought about happening- but there was always that small possibility of an error occurring.

It was something that all O.I.A. officers were trained to take into account.

But the O.I.A. had a number of working decades under its belt and not once had an event like that even come close to occurring.

So when Major Briggs finally broke the news that the O.I.A. had been purposely targeted and destroyed, that all means of inter-realm traveling for the Special Forces had gone up in flames with it, Sonya knew that there was something else going on.

Whatever had happened to the O.I.A. had been more than just an ion-pulse bomb rigged to explode.

Someone had set them up.

Someone who knew the workings of the O.I.A. and knew that it provided the only available means of transport for the Special Forces into Outworld.

A sabotage like that would usually have fingers pointed to the ruthless workings of the Black Dragons, who served as the biggest threat to the Special Forces. And considering that most of their black market dealings took place in Outworld, it would make sense for them to cut the Special Forces out of there.

But the Black Dragons had been splintered and damn near destroyed by the war Sonya had lead on them the year before.

Not to mention, the work of destruction done to the O.I.A. was too sophisticated for the simplistic tactics of the Black Dragons.

The only contender after that was the Black Dragons counterpart, their former conjoined twin, the Red Dragons.

They were smarter, they were more sophisticated and organized than the Black Dragons.

And their leader, Mavado, stayed under the radar, while Kano openly flaunted himself.

But the Red Dragons very rarely dealt with the Special Forces; they hardly crossed paths at all, even though they kept a tight eye on the illegal clan. Unlike their unholy brethren, the Red Dragons worked on a different agenda- one that didn't involve selling weapons on the black market. So by all accounts, there was no reason for them to suddenly launch an attack on the O.I.A.

It wasn't completely out of the question, but the evidence was minimal at best.

Still, Sonya felt as though the pieces were there.

She just couldn't figure out how to connect the whole mess together.

And that wasn't even the full hand of their problems right now.

Despite the destruction of the O.I.A., despite the open attack on the Special Forces, Raiden was pushing for them to deal with Shang Tsung and Quan Chi first. The deadly alliance between the unlikely duo had already brought on the death of Lui Kang, Champion of Earthrealm; it was a hefty blow to undertake and it went without saying that the death count would not stop there.

With such an open strike, Shang Tsung and Quan Chi intended to start an all-out-war against Earthrealm- but under what army?

Even with their combined dealings in black magic, a Sorcerer and a Warlock would stand little chance against the soldiers of Earthrealm, even without the fighting presence of Lui Kang.

There was something else going on.

She knew there was.

Still, despite the conspiracies, Raiden insisted that their priorities lie with the Lost Sea, with Shang Tsung's island.

He insisted that the Earthrealm forces return to the grounds of the first Tournament.

He insisted that it was the only way to bring this ordeal to an end before it could go on any further.

The Lost Sea was the last place that Sonya wanted to go back to to begin with...

And with her gut dictating that she stay focused on the O.I.A. ordeal, she was even more reluctant to answer to the Protector God's call.

"Lieutenant Blade, you and I both know-"

"I know, Raiden, I know," Sonya interrupted, cutting the Protector God off for the third time that morning- the third time in the same argument even.

She could see Raiden's patience with her wearing thin, but Sonya knew that she was sporting an equally worn and frustrated expression just the same. The two of them had been going head-to-head for the greater part of an hour now, just barely keeping their voices low enough to avoid attracting attention to her barely-insulated office.

The sounds of transport and soldier units moving about outside gave them some coverage, but they were both fairly vocal when it came to arguing.

Especially considering that they were both equal parts strong-headed.

Or perhaps thick-headed at this point.

"But as I previously stated, I am not leaving my agents trapped in Outworld while we go fight in another war," Sonya continued. "There is no telling when we'll return- if we'll return to begin with- and they've already been trapped in Outworld for a week and a half now. We have no communication, no form of contact, no visuals- we lost satellite tracking the same time the O.I.A. went down. I need to know what's going on and I need to find my agents."

"We have a small window of time to deal with Shang Tsung," Raiden pressed.

"I won't be gone long," she countered.

"You do not know that and you have no stand in promising it either," the God countered in return; a damning counter at that. "The fate of Earthrealm rests on this."

The near suffocating feeling of the Thunder God's energy filling the small space of her office was uncomfortable enough on its own.

But now it was pushing on the fact that Sonya could feel herself getting trapped in a corner here, getting trapped on the losing end of this argument. After a near hour of back-and-forth arguing, finger-pointing, and talks of mixed loyalty, all of which had somehow managed to avoid drawing Major Briggs' attention, Sonya could feel her standing on the situation beginning to slip out from underneath her.

It was an uncomfortable feeling to realize, to come close to coming to terms with.

And even Sonya had to admit that it was beginning to make her feel desperate.

And unfortunately, desperate times called for desperate measures.

"You either transport me to Outworld or I refuse transport to the Lost Sea."

An ultimatum.

Abet, a poorly-constructed one made in the heat of the moment.

But Sonya knew that Raiden needed her for this upcoming battle.

He wouldn't think to depart without her.

And that thought clearly crossed the God's mind as Raiden now bore a look that made it seem as though she had physically slapped him across the face.

"You would forsaken Earthrealm's protection for the fate of two agents- both of whom you have little to no knowledge of?" Raiden pressed, a sound of disbelief, a subtle bite in his tone now.

A strongly-worded response but he was not entirely wrong.

"I do not leave men behind, Raiden- that is not what the Special Forces is about," Sonya continued, changing the angle on her stance now. "Earthrealm's safety is greater in numbers and I need those agents back home, lest they fall into someone else's hands. In which case, we cannot risk the information they know getting out and getting to the wrong person."

She stopped to let the thought settle in and took the time to study Raiden's reaction.

The God hadn't completely given up on his own stance, that much was certain, but Sonya could see a hint of understanding now- a hint that he could at least see where she was coming from in this argument. He could understand why she was so venomously against him at this time.

And that was the small opening that she needed.

The small opening that she could exploit in her favor.

"Give me five hours, Raiden," she started. "Five hours in Outworld and if I can't find them than we can leave for the Lost Sea as soon as possible."

The Thunder God was still at odds with her offer, with her ultimatum, but even he could sense her equal persistence regarding the matter. And if such was the case, then he could also sense her determination- which meant that there was no way in Hell she would go to the Lost Sea until she had her people with her. And there was no way in Hell that he could force her to go either.

"And what would Major Briggs think of this?"

Of course.

One final wild card up his sleeve.

Raiden knew that Major Briggs was her weak point; her loyalty to her Superior couldn't be questioned.

"Jax won't have to think of this because he won't know of this," Sonya replied. "Isn't that right, Raiden?"

Another swing of the sword.

Another swing in her favor.

What Major Briggs didn't know wouldn't hurt him, and it wouldn't scorch her loyalty either.

Not that Jax wouldn't understand where she was coming from with her stance.

Raiden closed his eyes and the subtle spark of electricity in the air around him told her that she had won this battle. For now.

"Five hours, Blade," he warned.

"Thank you, Raiden."

Outworld was the same dry, God-abandoned realm that she remembered it as.

Soulless and devoid.

Taking a deep breath, Sonya pulled a notebook out of her jacket and looked at the coordinates she had hastily written down before her departure. These were the last recorded coordinates that she could find for both Special Agent Cyrax and Special Agent Kenshi. The numbers were outdated by almost two weeks now but they gave her a starting point.

She could only hope that the two of them had remained in the area, that they had remained close to the rendezvous point for the O.I.A. extraction. If anything, she hoped that they had crossed paths somehow and had opted to stay together for security sake. It would make it easier for her to search and easier for her to find them- dead or alive, willing.

It was hard to shake the feeling of bad news that was itching at the back of her neck though.

The Special Forces had allies in Outworld, despite the differences between their realms.

If her agents had been able to locate and group with some of their allies than she could breathe easy- but as luck would have it, they couldn't get in contact with any of their allied posts.

So for what it was worth, she was still flying blind here.

With five hours against her back, she moved ahead.

Two hours in and Sonya had to admit she was surprised that Major Briggs wasn't yelling at her over the radio.

Raiden must have kept to his word of keeping this mission under wraps, for now at least.

Sonya didn't advise the God to go out of his way to lie about her whereabouts; in fact, she had asked him not to. As long as nothing was said to begin with, than nothing needed to be questioned. Major Briggs had enough to deal with given the O.I.A. destruction. Not to mention, he had been put in charge of getting a temporary portal hub hooked up in the meantime.

No such luck on it so far, though.

But Sonya knew that Jax would eventually go looking for her.

She knew that he would ask around, trying to figure out where she had gone, trying to figure out why the base was so quiet- and eventually he would go to Raiden.

In which case, the gig would be up.

Even then though, given the reveal be in an hour's time or even half-an-hour's time, there was nothing that he could do.

Five hours was the deal.

And she intended to stay; she intended to run those hours dry.

She intended to force Raiden to track her down and rip her out of this God-forsaken realm.

Three hours in and Sonya found... something.

On an open pathway about seven miles from the O.I.A., it looked like a war zone, like a bomb had gone off. The ground was torn up in random patches, like something or someone had been slicing through it- or like someone had been digging in their heels and kicking the dirt up. She could make out footprints in what solid pieces of the ground remained, but they did little to give her a direction or anything to go on.

Whoever or whatever had been fighting here had made a scene of the place.

Even some of the surroundings trees had been damaged- some splintered, some cracked in half across the trunk.

Sonya didn't think much on it at first.

It was obvious something had happened, but this was also Outworld, and it's wildlife was known to get crazy enough on its own.

For all she knew this was some subspecies of the living forest, and the destruction around her was just the remains of the fight of its previous victim.

Of course, the thought didn't make her feel too secure about being in the same area, or being around the same crooked trees. If anything, it made her move a little faster and be a little more cautious about every little hint of movement in the corner of her eye.

But then she started to see the blood splattered across the patches of grass underfoot.

At first it was just a few droplets, nothing uncommon in Outworld, and certainly nothing uncommon so close to the forest.

But then it turned from scattered droplets to noticeable spills, to collected pools that were still wet underfoot.

And it was then that she was finally convinced to stop and examine the blood a little closer, to take it as more than just nature's course.

Sonya came up to the next patch of blood and knelt down close to it, trying to avoid any physical contact with it. She found herself almost hesitating as she reached down and ran her fingers over the thick blades of grass. And she tried to convince herself that the wet sensation on her fingers came from the morning dew, or maybe a recent shower- excuses that she easily called bullshit on herself.

Her fingertips came back dressed red.

The blood wasn't warm and it was slightly congealed but... it was still wet.

It was still fresh by a few hours at least, given the size of the blood pool- but the humidity of the environment could've been speeding up the process as well.

It could still be fresh by only an hour even.

And again, she felt her gut instinct kick in- and somehow it knew.

Sonya actively started to follow the spotted trail now, following the splotches of red further and further down the path. And she realized, once she hit solid ground again, that there were footprints that went along with the blood. It served as confirmation that it was a person, not an animal that had been wounded at some point- that had been wounded maybe only an hour before.

The more she followed the trail, the more she felt her stomach twist and knot inside of her.

Somehow she knew full and well that whatever she was going to find at the end of the trail was not going to be good.

Her gut instinct, maybe some kind of premonition, sixth sense sort of thing had her convinced that it wouldn't be a victim to the Outworld environment.

It wouldn't be a victim of the wildlife or even a victim of the forest.

All she knew was that it wouldn't be pretty.

And it wouldn't be what she wanted to find.

(All she could do was hope that it had been merciful.)

Desperation continued to grow with each step and Sonya eventually found herself sprinting alongside the trail as it extended further than she thought it would. Whoever had been bleeding out had managed to draw the battle on for longer than it should've been- or maybe they had been trying to run and had simply made a longer escape than planned.

It didn't matter what the cause was.

She had to know who was at the end of the trail.

She had to know if it was one of her own.

And as Sonya hit the forest clearing that parted itself in front of her, she found the answer she had been looking for, the answer she didn't want.

The sunlight that barely peeked through the intertwined tree limbs overhead brought out the small highlights of the red and blue armor that she had gotten too familiar with.

"Oh fuck- Kenshi!"

Sonya went into a dead sprint as she ran to him, disregarding the potential dangers of this being a well-laid trap.

Her eyes still caught the mess of blood that continued to trail up to where his body remained laid out against the thin grass underfoot. There was so much blood around him, it had turned the once green foliage red and slick. She felt her knees go weak at the last minute as she dropped down next to him, unsure exactly of what she could do for him.

Even the dirt underneath her knees was soft from the blood it had absorbed.

Her eyes tried to take in every piece of visual information she could see.

Kenshi's armor, which nearly formed a full suit of protection on its own, was badly damaged- more so than she thought was even possible. The blocking armor on his forearms was broken, enough so that the pieces on his left arm were completely gone even. His chest plate, which had been an odd mix of firm and flexible armor, giving him a wider range of movement, was half missing; the pieces that barely remained were partly caved in from blunt force trauma.

It was almost too easy to see where he had taken a majority of the blows from whatever fight he had been involved in.

But even then, it seemed as though every piece of armor had taken a hit of some kind.

Even the plating on his thighs and legs were damaged.

The plates that were missing revealed the armored suit that the swordsman wore beneath his armor, which added a second layer of protection that had once hardly seemed necessary. But even that under armor had been torn open and cut into just the same.

And it was difficult to not stare at the bloodied, flayed skin that had been sliced open underneath the suit.

Sonya moved her fingers to Kenshi's neck to see if she could find a pulse, just something to confirm or deny her fear- but the thick under-armor prevented her from feeling anything; and the clinging hold it had to his skin kept her from being able to pull it down.

The same went with his wrists, which had managed to avoid being cut or injured in any way.

When both options failed to give her result, she resorted to hovering her hand over his mouth, hoping to feel for any signs of breathing at least.

And she swore that she did find something.

It might've been nothing, it could've just been a passing breeze instead, but it gave her something to cling to.

Something that wouldn't make these past three hours useless.

Her fingers moved to the radio on her belt and Sonya fumbled with getting it loose, only realizing then just how badly her hands were shaking. She switched the frequency back on and listened for the comforting buzz on the other line that let her know it had re-connected. She had turned the radio off the moment she was in Outworld; it cut her off from Earthrealm contact, but she wouldn't run the risk of someone being able to pick her up by it, of someone being able to track her whereabouts with it. Even now she still wasn't certain of just what or who was behind this- but now she was even more convinced that it wasn't just a coincidence.

"This is Lieutenant Blade calling in. Raiden, are you-"

"Sonya, just what the hell are you doing?!"

Shit- alright, well Jax definitely knew about her plan at this point.

And her running around with her radio off didn't help her own case with it.

"I'm following Special Forces code," she replied. "Now, is Raiden there? I need immediate evacuation."

"What happened? What's going on?"

"I've located Special Agent Kenshi and he's in critical condition," Sonya answered, putting it lightly at that. And while she would've liked to have left it at that, with some sense of hope, details would dictate urgency; it would get Raiden here faster. "Possible causality."

"Fuck-"

She and Jax were the ones who had originally recruited the blind swordsman in the first place. His unique skills involving extensive telekinetic and telepathic abilities in conjunction with one another was something that the Special Forces couldn't pass up on. They were always looking for good soldiers, but good soldiers with special abilities were a commodity. And given the inter-realm creatures and fighters that the Special Forces were often pitted against, any kind of extra abilities went a long way.

Not to mention, the swordsman's questionable past left him as a potential tracking target anyways.

In fact, it was a surprise that the Special Forces hadn't already been following and tracking him as it was.

Then again, the man was surprisingly easy to lose in a crowd.

Even Raiden himself seemed to know of the man's former detrimental past- although the Thunder God would say little about it.

Regardless, they were lucky that the swordsman seemed to jump at their offer; enough so that Sonya was almost convinced that the man had planned and somehow set up the crossing of paths between them.

Kenshi cleared through their exams and evaluations with near perfect scores.

And maybe their eagerness in bringing the man aboard had short-sighted his training; a fault that now resided on their shoulders.

"I'll let Raiden know. He'll be able to find you."

"Thanks Jax, and let him know-" Sonya started, only to have a choking cough next to her cut her off.

She damn near dropped her radio at the sound and even found herself fumbling to keep the damn thing in her hand as the coughing continued, growing more and more violent as it proceeded.

"Hey, what's going on?! Sonya-"

"I'll call you back!" she interrupted, before she dropped the radio next to her and turned her attention back to the perceived dead man.

She heard Kenshi force back a cough, heard it wheeze in his throat as he did so, and she watched as fresh blood spilled out between his lips and down his chin.

He was audibly breathing- labored and ragged- but he was breathing.

"Kenshi, it's me; it's Sonya," she started, as she moved a hand to his cheek- the only spot of visible skin that hadn't been sliced open. She knew his telepathic abilities replaced his lost eyesight; she knew that he used it to take in information that he normally wouldn't be able to get- a way that no one would be able to. But she also knew that when telepathy failed, his increased sense of touch, of contact, provided a useful back-up. And right now, it felt like it was the only way to let him know who she was; it was the only way to let him know that someone had found him here, in the dead middle of nowhere. "What happened? Who did this to you?"

He was injured, potentially dying even.

She didn't know if he could even speak to begin with.

But if he could, then she needed to know what had happened.

She needed to know who was behind this.

This had to be a missing piece; this had to coincide with the O.I.A. destruction.

It had to be connected to the same person.

Kenshi spat blood with difficulty, barely clearing his throat as a hacking wheeze escaped through bloodied lips.

"Mavado."

His voice was ragged and heavy; a far cry from his youthful, smooth speech that had almost swayed her.

"Mavado?" Sonya repeated as she brushed her fingers across his face, feeling the cold sweat of his skin. He was pale against her hand, which wasn't saying much considering that he had always been pale to begin with- but now it was even more blatantly evident.

She had toyed with the idea of the Red Dragons before, but had convinced herself otherwise.

This wasn't exactly their kind of game to play.

But now it seemed like she was wrong in that assessment.

Her fingers brushed against the cut remains of his blindfold before she decided to leave it where it was- knowing how he rarely removed it to begin with.

"The Red Dragon's leader? Why would he want in on this?"

"Shang Tsung hired him-"

"Stop, stop talking," Sonya interrupted, hearing the painful strain in his voice as Kenshi choked through his own breath once more. She could hear the air that wheezed between each breath; she could see the uneven jerking of his chest, which almost seemed to be counteracting his breathing. "Save your strength, I got you," she continued, gently cupping his face with one hand now, while the other brushed through his hair, smoothing it away. "Raiden's on his way. We'll figure out what happened when we get back to HQ, but for now I need you to hold on until then."

Kenshi seemed to take her advice for now and settled on trying to catch his breath, easily struggling between each one.

Christ, it was painful to watch.

She wasn't expecting to find him alive, let alone conscious.

And while he seemed to have some clue, some answer to the puzzle she was trying to solve, she couldn't put her needs above his own. She wanted the answers, she needed them, just to prove to herself that there was a bigger picture to undertake here. But not like this. She wasn't going to force him to choke through his own blood just to play twenty questions.

She came out here for the sole purpose of bringing him home, and that was what she was going to do.

"You're alright, you'll be alright," Sonya whispered, attempting some form of good bedside manner. She touched on the idea of getting him into a more elevated position, wondering if it would help with his ragged breathing. She could help prop him up if need be, but there was no telling what kinds of internal injuries he had. He could have a concussion, a spinal injury, an injury that could be made worse by her moving him. She couldn't take the risk.

It didn't help that her eyes continued to be drawn to the massive open wounds over his ribcage.

She couldn't identify the weapon markings, but it looked like it had to have come from two separate weapons, both of which had somehow managed to puncture through his armor and had gone clean into his chest.

It was hard to evaluate the damages from the outside, but given his difficulty breathing, she had fears that a rib had broken off and had pierced his lung in some way. Or maybe his chest had been crushed in and was putting too much pressure on his lungs.

She couldn't ignore the other wounds that he was covered in either; the injuries that had cut through skin and meat.

With how much blood he had lost, with how pale and cold his skin was to the touch, Sonya was surprised that he was still hanging on.

Hell, she was surprised that some Outworld creature hadn't already come by to finish him off.

Then again, she didn't know how long exactly he had been like this.

"I got Raiden on call," Sonya repeated, pushing down on the fears that he wouldn't make it before the protector God got here. "He'll be here soon enough."

She heard Kenshi bite through another coughing fit before he moved a hand to brush against one of her own. And again, she tried not to focus on the weak grip of his fingers as they just barely curled against her wrist; a far cry from the gentle yet firm hold he always carried. If anything, she tried not to think about it at all- trying instead to focus on the thought that Raiden would be here soon enough. He had to be.

"The Red Dragons intend to align themselves with Shang Tsung to invade Earthrealm."

Sonya stilled at the sound of his voice, smooth and youthful once more, all while taking note that his lips didn't move with his words. And yet she could still hear them- and she knew it was his voice; it was distinctive enough to stand out.

His telepathic abilities had been noted in his file and Kenshi had mentioned before that they allowed him into a person's head at will; the ability allowed him to hear someone's thoughts, to feel their emotions- but it wasn't a skill that he showed off all too often. Although perhaps, it wasn't a skill that he could physically show off to begin with- and in retrospect, they would be none the wiser if he had been using it this whole time.

But to hear his voice projected into her own head, that must've been it.

"An invasion?" Sonya repeated, watching as Kenshi nodded in return. "How is the Red Dragon involved in this?"

"Hsu Hao infiltrated the Special Forces under Mavado's orders. He saw to it that the Special Forces eliminated their biggest competitor, the Black Dragons. Once the Black Dragons were out of the picture, Mavado ordered Hsu Hao to destroy the O.I.A. and all of the portals with it. Hsu Hao then escaped to Outworld before the bomb went off, ensuring his safety, and ensuring the Red Dragon's protection from Earthrealm interference."

Sonya remembered crossing paths with Hsu Hao a few times on the Special Forces main base, as well as in the O.I.A. building. She never would have suspected the man to be of Red Dragon rank- but that edge now explained the man's eagerness in joining her in her war against the Black Dragons.

The realization that she and Major Briggs had once spoken to and trusted the man only to be inevitably back-stabbed in return felt cold.

And in the same junction, it pissed her off.

Thirteen Special Forces soldiers had died in the O.I.A. explosion.

"What does this have to do with Shang Tsung?" she asked.

Sonya didn't know if Kenshi had much longer to live, but it was clear now that he had come across a lot of information during his time in Outworld.

Information that she needed.

If he didn't make it, the information had to be put to use somehow, to ensure it wasn't all in vain.

And given the situation, this was was something they needed to know before they headed out to the Lost Sea.

It felt like she was constantly changing sides on the situation.

At first she wanted to know what had happened, and then she had stopped him from telling her, hoping to convince him to save his energy, and now she was pressing him for details anyways.

But maybe Kenshi had been reading her thoughts up until now.

Maybe he knew how much she wanted, needed whatever information he had come across.

And right now, this was the only way he could rely it to her- to stop them making a mistake.

"Shang Tsung found out that I was spying on him and had Mavado track me down. He offered Kano as payment. All Mavado had to do was eliminate me and then he would get Kano, thus eradicating what was left of the Black Dragons for desertion- not to mention eradicating the clan completely," Kenshi continued. "From there, the Red Dragons would join Shang Tsung in the Lost Sea and help with the invasion of Earthrealm.

Sonya realized now that she had been missing more than just one piece to this puzzle.

The O.I.A. explosion had only been the tip of the iceberg.

"So let me get this straight, Shang Tsung hired Mavado to kill you in exchange for the opportunity to kill Kano," Sonya repeated, watching as he nodded in confirmation.

"Ensuring that I couldn't escape was another advantage to having Hsu Hao blow up the O.I.A.," Kenshi spoke. "Since my only exit was eliminated, all Mavado had to do was track me down, and from there everything fell into his hands."

Yeah...

Mavado sure as hell made a show of eliminating him too- or at least attempting to.

The Red Dragon leader had either underestimated Kenshi's persistence or he never had the intention of killing the swordsman outright to begin with. Perhaps Mavado was hoping to use the Outworld wildlife to his advantage- figuring if he just incapacitated the special agent, than something else would certainly come along to finish the job.

Or maybe Mavado wasn't expecting her to blackmail Raiden into giving her passage to Outworld, thus providing a passage into the realm that couldn't be blown up as easily as the O.I.A.

Whatever the answer was, Mavado had fucked up on his timing.

Her arrival combined with Kenshi's perseverance had overlapped just enough to give her the information Shang Tsung had been hoping to hide.

But now that she knew the truth of it, now that she knew how everything looped in together, she was glad that she had blackmailed Raiden in the first place.

Running to the Lost Sea to fight Shang Tsung and Quan Chi was dangerous enough, even with the fighters that Earthrealm had on their side.

But there was no way in Hell they would've survived if the Red Dragons were there in solidarity with the deadly alliance as well.

But they knew about it now, which meant they could appropriately prepare for the ambush ahead.

It was a lot of information to take in, but there were still questions left.

"Do you... do you know where Cyrax is?"

"Cyrax was dealing with a woman, a vampire. That's the last I heard of him."

"A vampire? What the fuck..." Sonya whispered. She knew vampires existed in Outworld, but their numbers were small and their clans were few and far between. There hadn't been a recorded encounter with a vampire in almost ten years now- not by Special Forces documentation anyways. "But he's alive, right? The portals are gone and if I can't find him, I can't get him back to Earthrealm."

"The vampire can get him out."

First the Deadly Alliance.

And then the ordeal with the O.I.A.

And now the Red Dragon clan was involved.

And now there was something about a vampire holding her last agent hostage.

It was hard to keep up with all of it; it was hard to believe that so much had happened in such a short amount of time.

And if it wasn't for Kenshi getting this information, if it wasn't for her coming out here and finding him by chance...

They would've been none the wiser in going out to the Lost Sea; they would've been slaughtered.

And despite all of this, despite the new plan of actions that were going through her head right now, Kenshi was still bleeding out in front of her. And there was little else she could do in this situation to help him.

"Alright, well regardless, Cyrax is doing better than you are right now," Sonya offered, as she slowly let her fingers brush through his hair once more. "... Mavado really put the beat down on you."

It could've been another choking cough, but it sort of sounded more like a short laugh.

"Yeah," Kenshi started, before he moved his other hand to his chest, touching at the open wounds between his broken plated armor. "He got me with his Hookswords right here and here. Cracked open most of my rib cage. Definitely pulled my lower ribs clean off."

Well then she knew exactly why he was breathing the way he was then.

Christ, where the fuck was Raiden?

He should've been here by now.

Of course this would be the one time he wasn't breathing down her neck.

Sonya heard Kenshi take a few deep breaths, or at least as best he could with the open wounds and broken ribs of his chest. And again, she felt that touch of panic, that hint of worry that his lungs were going to give out underneath the pressure, underneath the stress. "You alright? You think you can hold out for me for a little while longer?"

She wanted to ask how he was feeling, or maybe what he could feel, but she also knew that she didn't want the answers.

"I have been this entire time, so it's possible," Kenshi started. "It's just... it's getting harder to breathe. It feels like I can't catch my breath."

"A loose rib might've punctured something," she replied. "Could be a lung, but it's possible something damaged your diaphragm too- which could be a cause as to why you can't catch your breath."

"So I'll either suffocate or drown in my own blood then."

"The fuck you will."

There was another brief choke, but Sonya was more confident that it was an attempted laugh this time.

She felt Kenshi briefly squeeze her wrist, a firmer sort of grasp this time, maybe to prove a point, before his fingers released and brushed up against her forearm instead.

"Humor me?"

Sonya hesitated before she realized what he was asking.

And again, she remembered that despite his abilities, Kenshi still took in information through physical contact, through touching.

And she remembered the occasional bumps and grazes of his hand against her own, against her arm a few times; she remembered the soft apologizes that came with them a few seconds later.

"Yeah," Sonya replied, as she took his hand in her own and brought it to her face. Given the state of his ribcage, lifting his arm wasn't the smartest idea, but she wouldn't refuse a potentially dying man's last request.

She felt the way his fingers gently spread across her cheek and felt the touch of his palm as Kenshi seemed to be cradling her face the same as she was doing to him. She felt the dampness of his glove against her skin with the motion, and she was certain that there was a clear blood smear on her cheek now.

But the stillness of his touch only lasted for a few lingering seconds, before his palm pulled away, allowing his fingers to have a looser sense of movement as they moved down along her jaw. And Sonya felt the way Kenshi traced the shape back and forth where he could reach it, memorizing the slight square shape to it, feeling the way it shaped her face.

Once he seemed satisfied, his fingers moved back to her cheek, following the curve of her cheekbone as he did so, before fingertips gingerly traced the shape of her eye. Sonya remained as still as she could during the motion, trying not to disturb his focus- although it was hard not to pick up on the subtle quiver of his fingertips. The shaking was either from the pain or perhaps from his own concentration.

Again, once Kenshi seemed to have the shape and form committed to memory, he trailed his fingers to the bridge of her nose before he followed the shape down to the tip of her nose.

His fingers slowed down considerably as they grazed over her lips, before they slid down to her chin.

"What do you think?" she questioned. "Do I look how you imagined me to?"

"No," Kenshi replied, as his hand pressed against her cheek once more. "But... I think I now know why everyone keeps calling you pretty."

Sonya chuckled lightly as she felt his fingers trace the shape of her cheekbone once more. "Well, I know that 'pretty' isn't exactly the word they use," she corrected, hearing the subtle choking laugh in his throat in response. She moved her hand to cover his own before she pulled it away and wrapped her fingers around it, feeling the way he returned the gesture.

"Yeah, I might've also heard a few remarks about your ass."

"Okay, when we get you fixed up again, you're giving me a list of names."

"It hurts enough to breathe, don't make me laugh again," Kenshi started, although he still managed to crack a grin at her.

It seemed like a stupid conversation to be having given the circumstances, but if all she could do right now was keep him in good spirits, than that was what she was going to do.

A spark of lightning striking the ground only a few feet from them broke the moment.

Sonya felt the heat of it wash over her for a split second.

She caught the subtle grimace on Kenshi's face in response; no doubt his heightened sense had taken more of a blow from the arrival than she had.

"Major Briggs informed me of the news," Raiden announced, as the lightning and smoke cleared. "I came as quickly as I could. Is your agent-"

Sonya looked back at the words, at the way they cut themselves off, and watched as the Thunder God approached them; she took in the way he seemed to react to the carnage around him in stunned silence. If she were any less of a person, she would've picked now to be the time to remind the God of how he wanted to ignore the ordeal with Outworld and rush out to the Lost Sea. She would've loved to have reminded him of their earlier argument, of how he had questioned her of why she would care so much about her lost agents.

But given the look on his face, she knew he was already dealing with it.

This wasn't the place to dwell on the right side of the argument.

But she would speak to Raiden about it later, when it was more appropriate.

For now, she had more important things to be dealing with.

"I'm fine."

"He's busy choking on his own blood, so he can't exactly answer for himself," Sonya replied, both snapping the God out of his momentary trance and ignoring Kenshi's self-made answer. "So how about we stop wasting time, and you get us out of here and back to Earthrealm. Kenshi found some interesting information for us, we'll need to discuss it before we head out to the Lost Sea."

Any trace of questioning the God had once held against her was gone now.

"Of course."

Finally.

Christ, it felt like it had been hours since she had made the call.

Sonya turned her attention back to Kenshi and squeezed the hand that was still in her grasp. "Alright, just hold on for a little while longer, okay?"

"I'll try."

Walking the long corridor, Sonya took in the surrounding quiet and took the moment to enjoy it.

While the military hospital was far from being quiet in a normal sense, it was certainly more so compared to the chaos back at the Special Forces base. Their recent victory at the Lost Sea had triggered a wave of activity that had taken hold and had yet to settle down. It felt like this was the first time in days that she had been able to hear her own thoughts.

Everything from the past two weeks still felt like a blur of memories.

Starting from when Raiden had transported both her and Kenshi back to Earthrealm, back to the sanctuary of the Special Forces base.

Major Briggs had been waiting for them and Sonya figured that if Jax hadn't immediately noticed how critically-injured Kenshi was, he probably would've torn her a new one right then.

Running off to Outworld without her Superior's approval, let alone his acknowledgement, wasn't exactly stellar Special Forces behavior. Especially not for a Lieutenant- and especially not one that carried the name that she did.

But potentially saving a Special Agent's life and retrieving new-found information was her saving grace.

Their rush to greet Shang Tsung and Quan Chi at the Lost Sea had been put to a halt to discuss the Red Dragons involvement. And it went without verbal consensus that an ambush like that would've thrown all of their plans off-course, if not completely derailed their whole operation to begin with. Even Raiden himself seemed perplexed by the clan's sudden involvement, given that there was little advantage for them to gain in the event.

The infiltration, the O.I.A. explosion, hunting down and almost killing a Special Forces agent- all because Mavado wanted to kill Kano.

There was plenty more behind it, sure, but it seemed like everything still boiled down to that simple reason.

Then again, Sonya supposed that she would've done the same given the chance to kill Kano herself.

In the wake of the retrieved information, they tripled their numbers.

The Shaolin, who forbade combat while in mourning, forgo-ed their ritual and heeded to Raiden's request for more fighters. Kung Lao served as a persuasive member, having already committed himself to going to the Lost Sea in the first place, to avenge the death of his friend and mentor. Raiden's presence with the Shaolin could almost be described as holy, but it was Kung Lao who convinced the Shaolin to join. He convinced them that mourning would do little good and that Lui Kang's spirit would be better comforted knowing that they did not allow evil to persist.

Even Edenia joined and gave over more fighters as well, with Princess Kitana herself eager to lead the new forces. The woman was eager to exact revenge for the loss of her friend and restore the balance that had shifted into corruption. Just the same, she had her own plight to bring upon Quan Chi, and made it known that she would strike the first blow.

So when they inevitably arrived at the Lost Sea, they had turned the tables on the would-be ambush.

The Red Dragons didn't stand a chance against the Shaolin and Edenian combined forces.

And Shang Tsung and Quan Chi did not stand a chance against the Earthrealm soldiers.

With the threat of the Deadly Alliance now behind them, the Special Forces were focusing on more important matters. Things were in full gear with restoring the O.I.A., which Major Briggs was still spearheading, and the Special Forces were investing more into upping their defenses against future attacks and invasions. Things were in full swing.

Raiden had stayed back at the Lost Sea, on Shang Tsung's island, remarking that someone should remain on-guard given the dangers of the place; after all, Shang Tsung's famous Flesh Pits were still active. The Thunder God quipped that there was something else that he wanted to look for as well, but he didn't go into details about it.

And at this point, Sonya wasn't worried about what it was.

It was over.

That was all that mattered.

Sonya looked up as she came upon the room number she was looking for. She smiled as she pushed her way into the room, shifting the vase of flowers she was carrying into the crook of one arm.

"I heard you coming down the hallway."

She heard Kenshi speak before she saw him, but she still caught the slight curve on the corners of his lips when he did.

"You're not exactly quiet."

"I brought you flowers," Sonya spoke instead, as she pushed the door closed behind her before she walked over to him. Setting the vase down on the table next to him, she put them close enough so that if he wanted to touch them, he could. "You can thank me for them later."

"Or I could thank you now."

"You could but I doubt that you will," she replied, before she eased herself down on the edge of his bed. There were a few chairs around that she could've used but she liked the idea of him being able to feel the weight of her close by. Just so long as a doctor or nurse didn't come in; they didn't seem to enjoy her sitting like this the last time she was by.

Sonya let her eyes settle on the man, taking in the oddity that she had never seen him outside of his armor until now. It had taken a near death experience just for her to see skin that wasn't on his face or hands- and even then it was mostly under bandages. Kenshi was sitting up this time, which was an improvement, but she could see the way he was trying to avoid leaning forward too much- trying to avoid putting pressure on his still healing ribs.

His chest was still wrapped and taped up in medical bandages, although they didn't seem to be packed as heavily as they had been before. More importantly though, he didn't have the tubes going into his chest to help pump the fluid out of his lungs and chest cavity.

She let her eyes settled on his own now, which were without his trademark blindfold. Milky-white and scarred over, but she could still see a hint of blue that remained underneath. She had put in a special request to have his room equipped with low-florescent bulbs instead, hoping that he would heal easier knowing that he didn't have to worry about whether or not the lighting would hurt his eyes. Especially considering that he didn't appreciate the medical staff simply taping his eyes closed last time.

"You're looking better than you did last time," Sonya remarked.

"Yeah?" Kenshi questioned. "Which was the last time exactly? When I had the tube down my throat or when I threw up on you?"

After being admitted under critical condition, it took almost four days before he regained consciousness again. And after that, it took about three more before he could even talk, and even then it was almost forced, just like it had before.

Kenshi couldn't recount the entire battle, but he still clearly remembered the defining moment of it- the would-be fatal wounds that had punctured through his chest. And it would've been a lie to say that that was all she wanted to hear about.

During the fight against Mavado, the Red Dragon's leader had somehow managed to hook his Hookswords underneath Kenshi's ribcage by puncturing them through his midsection. Kenshi didn't remember how exactly the man had managed to get close enough for him to do so, or how Mavado had managed to break through his armor, but Kenshi distinctively remembered the first Hooksword catching him.

And as the name would imply, the Hooksword went under his lower ribs, penetrating the protected cavity, before it hooked up and broke out through the middle of his ribcage.

Once in the weapon's grasp, Kenshi couldn't break out of it due to the entanglement of it with his ribs.

Thus allowing Mavado to hook him with his second Hooksword just the same.

And if that wasn't enough, the Red Dragons leader had then used the leverage of both weapons to lift Kenshi off of his feet, using his own body weight to crush his lower ribs- putting an end to the fight.

By the end of the battle, the Hookswords had caused extensive damage to his ribcage and had ripped through a portion of his liver, and stomach.

And as Sonya had suspected, part of Kenshi's diaphragm had ruptured as well- either by cause of the Hookswords or by his own splintering ribs. Or by blunt force trauma considering that Mavado ended the battle by slamming him into the ground, which inevitably caused one of Kenshi's broken ribs to pierce through his right lung. Which then lead to him coughing up blood, which was only hindered further by the ruptured diaphragm.

Sonya had originally thought that to be all, it seemed like an easy diagnosis when coughing up blood was involved.

But in the moment, she had failed to notice that it was a mixture of coughing and vomiting blood at the same time.

Kenshi remarked that he had been well aware of it but didn't think it was worth bringing up- especially considering that either way, he was choking on blood regardless. And telling her that everything from the ribcage up felt like it had been stripped open wasn't exactly a good conversation piece.

So given everything that had been broken and punctured, he initially did have a tube down his throat that helped him breathe while everything was healing.

And, as no one could have predicted, he ended up having a bad reaction to one of the pain medications the hospital was keeping him on. Kenshi could only tell her that it felt like it fucked with his telepathy, and that it felt like it robbed him of his other senses; which with any other person, it would've been fine, but given his sensitive nature it didn't bow over well for him. It eventually resulted in his body trying to reject the medication the only way it knew how- and unfortunately she had front row seats for that one.

Overall, it was a miracle that he had pulled through to begin with.

The military doctors said he was probably an hour from losing consciousness with no hope of regaining it- which was something Sonya ensured to make sure that Raiden knew. In fact, she had made the God stand through the whole medical report, as well as Kenshi's recalling of the event.

Losing him would've been a damaging loss to the Special Forces.

And to her.

"Or was it when I was dying?"

Sonya chuckled lightly at the question. "All of them combined really, so take it as a compliment," she replied. "You feeling better?"

"Yeah, just restless," Kenshi answered. "I can't remember the last time I've had to stay in one place for so long."

"I figured as much. The medical staff says you've been causing them issues," she noted, "specifically in that you keep taking the bandages off."

"I kept asking them what the injury looked like every time they changed the bandages, but no one would give me an answer," he replied. "So I figured, it's my body, if I want to see what it looks like, I will."

And that was the issue.

His sense of looking was replaced with touching.

And the medical staff didn't exactly appreciate the patients pulling their bandages off and running their fingers over the sutures whenever they felt like it. Even if it was out of morbid curiosity.

And given how bad the wounds looked to begin with, and all the internal fixings that he needed before the wounds could be closed, Sonya didn't exactly picture the healing process to be cute.

"You want to see it? It's pretty grotesque."

"No, that's fine- I'll wait until the moment's special," she answered, garnering a quick laugh out of him. "I'm sure you're looking forward to getting out, but you'll still need rest and you can't push yourself like you normally do- you'll just break your ribs all over again. And don't even try it, I've seen you in the training room before- you will break your ribs."

"Suddenly concerned for my well-being, are you?" Kenshi teased. "Well I hope my near-death experience hasn't altered our professional relationship."

Somehow she wasn't surprised that he was still a cocky son of bitch.

Some things never change.

"Of course I'm concerned for your well-being, Special Agent Takahashi," Sonya started, noting that he seemed amused by the sense of mock authority in her tone. "I can't risk losing a team member before I even get a chance to put the team together."

And now she caught the questioning, almost puzzled look on his face now- a subtle transition with her words. "Is that so?" he replied. "Because last time I checked, Lieutenant Blade, I was just an agent, not a solider. And I certainly wasn't on any team. If anything, I recall Major Briggs referring to me as an on-site consultant- and once as a freelance psychopath."

He wouldn't be wrong with that.

Major Briggs had originally referred to Kenshi as an on-site consultant to take some heat off of who the man was exactly. After all, Kenshi refused to adhere to Special Forces dress code and needless to say, his attire made him stick out in a crowd. The higher-ups were cautious about his presence on the base, so Major Briggs downplayed Kenshi's involvement by referring to him as an O.I.A. consultant that they had decided to bring on-board.

And the freelance psychopath thing was in reference to seeing Kenshi using his telekinetic powers in training. The swordsman had been able to deflect four other people in a single move, which had been an impressive feat to witness.

Of course, Major Briggs didn't exactly have a great experience with the last telekinetic master they had run into.

Needless to say, their working relationship was somewhat strained because of it.

"Yes well, my actions before, during, and after the events of the Lost Sea has netted me a fairly nice promotion," Sonya explained. "In fact, you're speaking to General Blade now."

"General?" Kenshi repeated. "That's quite the promotion."

"Yes, and with the new position, I've been given allowance to manage and run my own team," she continued. "And I want you on it."

Despite the scarring, she swore she could still feel his eyes on her, looking her over, as though trying to figure out if she was serious or not- as though this would be the perfect time and place to pull a fast one on him. He cocked his head slightly and continued to study her, as though waiting still on that last minute pull.

"Is that so?" he finally spoke. "I have to ask, General, is this out of respect or do you just feel bad that I almost died?"

Sonya offered a laugh at the remark. "I can understand your hesitation; the last time you were sent out on a mission under my command, it did not end well for you. But despite the circumstances, and your own near-death experience, you completed the task given. We would not have been victorious at the Lost Sea had you not gotten that information for us. In fact, there's a good chance that those of us who went would've been slaughtered. All in all, I feel as though I partly owe this promotion to you. So believe me when I say that there was no sympathy made in this decision- you earned your own right to join. And while there is no pressure to, I do hope you accept my offer."

She caught the subtle curve on his lips and wasn't certain if it was a genuine expression, or if he was simply amused by her persuasive speech.

He was an uncanny character and even now, he was difficult to make sense of.

But that didn't phase her decision-making.

And it didn't phase her hope that he would say yes.

"Well, to be honest, I don't have much else lined up," Kenshi started. "And considering how well the first mission went and how well it ended for those involved, I doubt anything else will be able to match it." There was a pause before he held his hand out to her. "General Blade, I accept your offer."

She didn't fight back the smile as she reached out to take his hand in return.

Once more feeling that gentle, firm grasp behind it.

"I'm glad to hear it."