Disclaimer: We (meaning Indy Croft and me her co-author Chibi Sonya) don't
own the MK characters. If we did than we'd have made sure that the reject
MK:A script was used for the only thing that it's good for and that's at
the bottom of a birdcage. Alas, it wasn't meant to be-ah well, enjoy the
story.
The beginning of this story is a concoction of the scene from the movie and from the novel, because it's easier to cut down both and put them together instead of going into exact detail from both. To make things a bit easier to understand, as this idea is based off of the novelization, here are a few things you might not know. When Sonya fought Kano, she let him live, instead planning to throw him in jail. When Shang Tsung captured Sonya, he told her she was the most amazing female warrior he'd ever seen, and demanded to possess her. He wants her as his wife, and will make her such if she cooperates by fighting him and losing in the final battle of Mortal Kombat.
Ever After?
Inside the Black Tower, the Special Forces lieutenant and chosen warrior Sonya Blade glared with barely concealed disgust at the demonic human sorcerer, Shang Tsung. He stepped close to her, his dark robes swishing silently behind him, and gave her a chilling smile.
"Have you made your decision, young Sonya? You must fight me now, or yield Earth to the emperor."
Sonya chewed her lip but shook her head. "No, I won't fight you, Shang Tsung. I won't play your game, whatever it is."
"But there is no else. If you don't fight me, the Realm of Earth will forfeit the tournament, and its portals will open to our great emperor."
"I do not yield Earth, it is not mine to give," Sonya replied. "But nevertheless, I will not fight."
"So be it. Take her away to prepare her for the wedding."
"No!" Sonya shouted as two monks stepped closer to her. "No, my friends will come!"
Shang let out a quiet laugh. "They're already here."
"What do you mean?" she asked suspiciously.
Shang Tsung stepped closer to her as he continued, a soft smile on his face and his voice flowing like silk. "They arrived a short while ago, in hopes of saving you. But they were outnumbered and captured. They are waiting in my dungeon now, waiting for you to make a decision."
"You're lying," Sonya hissed.
"Unfortunately, no. I am not." His smile became reassuring. "It was a valiant effort, but to no avail. However, as I so admire their eager determination, I will spare their lives. if you fight me now."
"I don't believe you. It's a trick, and I won't fall for it."
"A skeptic. You need proof? So be it." He snapped his fingers and a scuffling sound came from the hall that Sonya could not see. A few moments later, a number of monks appeared, Johnny, Liu and a dark haired woman (Sonya remembered her name was Kitana) were chained up and unwilling being dragged along.
"No."
Shang grinned. "As you can see, my sweet Sonya, this is no trick." He gestured to the three that were forced to their knees along the outer ring of the dragon engraved on the floor. "I will promise you this, Sonya. If you fight me and you lose, as you must, I will spare your life and theirs."
Sonya eyed the sorcerer with contempt. "And if I refuse?"
"Sonya, you can't! Or earth is lost!" Liu suddenly shouted from the side. He groaned as he was knocked on the back of the head by a blunt object one of the monks was carrying.
"Now do you believe me, dear Sonya? Your friend speaks only the truth. So now I leave you with this offer: Fight me in Mortal Kombat. Do you accept my offer, or do you yield?"
The lieutenant's face became creased in worry and hate. She was torn between her friends and her stubbornness. What was she supposed to do? Her eyes drifted from Shang's gleaming ones over to Johnny Cage, who was kneeling expressionless, his eyes never leaving her form. What do I do, she pleaded to him silently. He gave a simple nod, and she could almost hear him say, you can do it. Try.
She took a deep breath and turned back to the sorcerer. He was right. She could not turn down a challenge, especially one so important. With a tight nod, she declared two words. "I accept."
The two monks freed her hands and she was pushed forward into the ring. Tsung threw off his silk robe, removed the black cap atop his head, and tossed them to the side. He bowed before his opponent. Sonya returned the gesture, but only partially. Her mind was slightly distracted by her small, silky clothes that felt so different from her combat issue outfits and by the stiffness in her shoulders and back from being chained to the pillar for so long.
The two stared at each other for only a moment before Tsung charged her with a spinning elbow. She blocked his left jab, his right jab, and but was unprepared for the foot sweep that made her lose her balance. As she fell, Tsung reached for her arm farthest from him, as he planned to spin her body and pin her down on her stomach. Sonya went with the move, instead thrusting herself into the turn rather than away from it. This caused the sorcerer to flip over her and land on his back, while she landed on her side. She rolled into a back walkover that nailed him in the chin just as he was standing. Stunned, he was unprepared for the vicious combination of quick hooks and uppercuts that Sonya attacked him with. Her feet were flying at his head at incredible speed, and her punches were so focused that they moved like a blur of flesh.
Cries of encouragement from the sides cheered her on, but it was useless as Tsung was still faster and Sonya was still a bit weak from being chained to one spot all night. While a few hits landed, he was soon able to detect a pattern in her attack, and he began blocking her hit for hit. She attempted a few more kicks, including a jump roundhouse toward his temple, but she only ended up landing painfully on her back. As she flipped up to her feet, Tsung came out with his own deadly combination that Sonya tried to dodge, but soon grew too tired from the furious power of his blows. Her arms were bruised and swollen and she could barely feel them. The blocks became slower, and soon she was openly taking in each hit to the stomach, to the chest, and to the head. With the last ounce of her strength, she caught an opening at his head, and kicked up with all her might.
But her foot hit only air, and then she felt her supporting leg bend at the knee, and she was swept onto her back. Her head took the brunt of the fall, and she was blacking out as Tsung stood over her. Someone was shouting for her to get up, but she felt so heavy, everything weighed so much. A dark shadow with flame filled eyes stood over her, and two words flowed into her ears before she blacked out.
"Flawless victory."
A flick of his wrist allowed the monks to step forward and pick up the unconscious warrior. "Take her to the room in the east wing, and see that her wounds are treated. She must be in fit condition for tomorrow's ceremonies."
"No!"
Shang Tsung turned with a sickening smile to the two men struggling against their captors. The third warrior, Kitana, stood stoically, expressionless, with a regal patience that symbolized her royalty. "You're in no position to argue, Mr. Cage." "Rayden was right. You are a coward, Tsung. A spineless lowlife with no dignity or honor," Liu interjected. "You are a disgrace to everything sacred about this tournament."
The sorcerer grinned at the Chosen One. "And what would you know of the sacred rules of Mortal Kombat? You, who have only lived for a few decades, what could you possibly know?"
"I know that men who fight without honor are no men at all."
"I kept my bargain with Johnny Cage, I challenged Sonya, I gave her a choice, and she made it. What is so dishonorable about that?"
"You ran from your fear instead of facing it," Liu answered.
"It's no secret, Shang Tsung," Johnny continued. "Liu is the best of us and you avoided him like a frightened dog with his tail between his legs. You know you couldn't win, so you rigged the tournament in your favor."
"I did no such thing," Shang reassured in a calm voice, the smile never falling from his face, though his eyes burned with anger at the insult made to his pride. "I am not to blame for the loss of your planet. If the blame is to go anywhere, Cage, it's to you. After all, you accepted my deal, without stopping to think of the consequences. Once again, your rashness has lead to your defeat, just like with your pathetic career choice."
Johnny flinched in return as he realized that the sorcerer's words rang true.
Liu noticed this and shook his head. "Your deceptions will be your downfall. I will come for you, sorcerer, and next time you won't be able to run from me."
Tsung laughed and nodded to the monks. "Take these two below to the dungeons. I will see a proper ending for them later, if they have no use for me in the future. As for her highness," Tsung mocked to the woman that had remained silent through the entire battle. "See her to her suite and keep her there until I return." A chilling smile made the three fighters ill in heart and spirit. "I have to send word to the Emperor. so the destruction of Earth can begin." With mild amusement, he watched the three be dragged away, Kitana up in a different direction, and he couldn't deny the pleasure he received from hearing their cries of revenge.
"Impudent mortals." Pivoting on his foot he turned away and waved his hand up to the far wall. Waving his hand like a hypnotized snake caused a portal to open and he stepped through into a giant hall lit by torches and decorated with rotting skeletons and bits of armor collected from vanquished warriors. The sight was enough to make any other man chilled to his soul, but the sorcerer disregarded them as he would an ant, stepped closer to the throne, and bowed in greeting.
"Your eminence," he announced humbly.
"Shang Tsung, my darkest sorcerer. What news do you bring me?"
The human demon straightened and smiled proudly. "Earth is ours. Flawless victory."
The hall filled with a deep rumble of laughter that reverberated off of the walls and traveled through out the dark castle. "Excellent. Rasheem!" he barked to a nearby soldier. "See to it that the armies are sent out at once. Earth's destruction begins now." When the soldier marched off, the Emperor again spoke to the sorcerer. "And the warriors? Have they been executed?"
"They will be, at your command. Though I request that the female be left unharmed. I would like her for my own personal prize."
"And you shall keep her. She is not the Chosen One; she is no concern of mine." The large muscular man stroked his hairless chin. "As for the others, do with them what you wish. They are no threat. I have what I want."
Difficulty breathing. Stiff shoulders. Aching legs. These were the things to which Sonya awoke. After a few initial blinks, she looked around the dark painted room with finely carved wood furniture and elegant tapestries hung all about her quarters. The silk sheets around her were of an emerald color, and as she sat up to take in her surroundings, they slid off her body in a cascading display of shimmers. It was then she noticed the black corset wrapped tightly to her pale and slightly bruised form. With no memory of having put it on, she could easily guess that someone had stripped and changed her while she was passed. out.
An image came into her mind so suddenly that the color drained from her face. She was in a dark circular room with the dragon insignia of the Tournament. Her hands hurt from the shackles that had held her. Monks were lined up around her. Shang Tsung, the Demon Sorcerer, was smiling down at her in victory. The Final Kombat. A small gasp escaped her. With dread coiling itself in her stomach, she reminisced the final fight that ultimately determined the fate of the Earth realm.
And she had lost.
It hit her like a shotgun round to the stomach. She lost, and everyone on Earth was damned to become slaves of Outworld, be it they were not executed on sight by the Emperor's armies. Her realm was going to be devastated and demolished, and she could do nothing to stop it now. She had let her friends down.
Her friends! Oh, god, where were they now? Liu and Kitana and Johnny. Sonya quickly moved off the queen sized bed and over to the door. Were they all right? What happened to them? The wedding! Sonya froze as another wave of nausea crashed into her. Because she lost, Shang Tsung was going to make her his wife. When was it going to happen?
The blonde lieutenant shook her silken straight locks in defiance. "No," she thought aloud. "I'm not going to be his anything." Her chin lifted. She was going to find her friends and they were all going to escape from wherever they were, and set things right. They would find Rayden and would stop Shang Tsung once and for all. With determination in every step, her long black leather dress swept around her feet as she opened the door and slipped out into the hall that was designed like a gothic cathedral; and smacked right into something. She looked up in surprise, which quickly turned to disgust.
"Ah, you are awake. And just in time, I might add." Shang Tsung smiled down at her sincerely, and it gave her chills that she refused to let him see.
"For what?" she asked bitterly. With a gasp, her arm was grabbed and suddenly she felt the world around her shift. When things came back into perspective, she found herself standing on a stone platform hovering in a sky mixed with black rolling clouds and crashing thunder. Lightening illuminated the sorcerer standing next to her; the contours of his face causing shadows that made him appear almost wolfish. She shuddered at the glow in his eyes and quickly turned away. "Where have you brought me?"
"Look for yourself, dear Sonya, and get a glimpse of the world you will rule."
Sonya shot him a glance that had fear hiding behind her eyes, and slowly she made her way forward to the stone railing. Everything below her was dark as another flash of lightening blinded her. Then, slowly, her night vision returned and she was left to stand in abject horror at the world revealed to her. It was Washington, DC, reduced to rubble and set a flame. Thousands of deformed warriors with blades for arms and jagged teeth raided the buildings that were nothing more than skeletons of scorched metal and powered brick. Humans were lined up by the hundreds, hands and feet chained together, being dragged along by creatures that reminded her vaguely of the ex Mortal Kombat Champion Goro. Those that fled in terror were cornered and executed, either by a falling blade or by fire. Even from hundreds of miles up, she could hear the screams of fear and agony, and it wrenched her gut to the point of excruciating pain.
As the pentagon collapsed and the White house was trampled and burned by the four-armed creatures, Sonya turned silently to face the sorcerer. She knew she couldn't mask the pain obvious in her eyes, so she didn't bother to try. Though through the guilt and the regret and the absolute hatred for the man before her, she did not cower away from him or show him any sign of weakness.
Shang watched her with quiet contemplation. Something about his piercing eyes unsettled her, because she could sense no mockery or triumph in his observation. Frighteningly, she could almost make it as being. sympathy? Mentally she shook herself. Clearly such a thing wasn't possible, so she wouldn't consider it. "I will never forgive you for this."
"I don't recall asking for your forgiveness. However, you should thank me."
"Thank you?!" Sonya spat, incredulous.
"I have saved your life, and I am offering you a chance to rule over your home planet. I could have easily seen your planet completely annihilated, but I reclined out of respect for you." A soft smile formed on his lips. "And I have kept your friends alive."
Blade's eyes widened. "Where are they and what about Rayden?" When the sorcerer reached his hand up to touch her cheek, she snapped her head away. "Don't touch me," she hissed.
His eyebrows lifted. "Soon you won't have a choice in the matter. As for Rayden, all I know is that he's now a mortal stuck in Outworld and will most likely be captured by the Emperor's army." He turned to face the chaos before them. " While I see the now mortal god as a nuisance, the dispute between him and my master has lasted for ages if not longer. No doubt that the Emperor will boast about our victory in his face." He faced her again and the satisfaction on his visage was all too obvious. "But enough of this, we have a ceremony to prepare for." A wave of his hand and they were back in the gothic hallway in front of her room. He snapped his fingers and three female servants appeared. They were hideously deformed and walked with painful steps. Sonya could only imagine the torture they went through. and what had brought such severe punishment upon them. "These are your escorts and your hand maidens. They will serve you in whatever way you need and request. Right now, they will help you prepare for our uniting."
"I am NOT marrying you, demon!"
He laughed and again approached her. She tried to back away, but could go nowhere as the wall stopped her. Clearly, he was pleased to see her swallow her discomfort and stand defiantly, proudly, almost in a challenging way to his approach. "Sonya, my beautiful warrior, you have been given a great honor. You and I, we can rule over Earth Realm together. The Emperor has bestowed upon me complete reign over this new part of Outworld, as I helped him win one of the most powerful realms in existence. You can have whatever you want; you can do whatever you please. Just ask, and I shall grant it."
"I want you to rot in hell, you spineless son of a bitch," she spat.
His calming smile never left his face as his controlled voice, soft as a summer breeze, continued to persuade her. "You have already lost your realm to the Emperor. Already he has begun taking souls of those who have resisted imprisonment. The entire planet is under house arrest, awaiting its fate, that once again falls on you." A second time his hand lifted to her face, and he ran his fingers through her hair.
Gritting her teeth and clenching her hands was all she could do from attacking him. But what he was saying put a sinking stone in her stomach that made her full lips pull into a taut line. "What do you mean?"
"Marry me willingly, and you may decide what happens to your people. You may rule however you wish, and I will only interfere when I deem necessary, such as to subject those worthy to proper punishment for disobedience." His voice dropped lower, softer, but into a more threatening tone. "But if you try to fight this union, I will subdue you into my own personal slave, and I will rule this realm with an iron fist. I will destroy what I want, who I want, when I want. And your entire planet will be filled with nothing more than pathetic slaves awaiting death at my hands. your friends included."
Sonya's eyes narrowed though her heart skipped a beat. As terrible as this whole ordeal was, at least she knew her friends were alive. But her relief wasn't long lived as she weighed Tsung's hefty words. Marrying him was one of the most frightening fates she could imagine for herself, but to turn him down would mean the utter destruction of Earth and it's people, and a life of bondage for her. Not that she really cared what happened to her when so many other lives were at stake.
However, if she did agree to marry him willingly, and he kept his word, she would be the ruler of Earth. Though this place of power wasn't something that interested her at all, she could use it to her advantage to save thousands of lives, considering she played her cards right. Of course, Tsung could be lying, with no intention of giving her Earth as her kingdom. But was that a chance she was willing to take?
It was her fault that this fate had fallen upon the earth. Now she had to do whatever she could to rectify her loss. For a few more minutes, she stared the sorcerer down, and when he asked for the final time her choice, she nodded in acceptance, albeit hesitantly. "If you swear to me that my friends live and that Earth will be mine to oversee. then I accept your proposal."
Tsung's wide smile of victory made Sonya want to crawl into a corner and die. She felt as though she had just sold her soul to the devil. "Have her ready by dusk. We will be wed at the last rays of the sun. And you, my sweet," he whispered as a finger traced her jaw. "Will be mine. forever."
With anxious trepidation, Sonya watched the sun fall lower toward the horizon. Her hands were trembling, in anger or fear she wasn't sure, but she knew that no matter what she felt, she had to follow through with the dreaded events of the evening. Two of her maids busied themselves with fixing her white, silk gown that clung to her every curve and cut off just at her bare feet. Black and green dragons clashed in intricate designs on the dress, their red eyes glowing with anger and domination. It reminded her so much of the sorcerer that she knew she had to wed, and her anxiousness only continued to grow. But she had to do what she could to save her friends and her home planet. She owed it to them.
A gong echoed through the room, making Sonya nearly jump out of the dress. Her hands were shaking so much and her breathing was close to rapid panting. 'I don't want to do this!' But her feet walked toward the door where a number of servants stood waiting patiently. The maids beckoned to her to follow, and she did just that. When she passed a mirror in the long, torch lit hallway, she noticed how pale she was, and how her silken blonde locks thrown up on her head in a stylish bun with braids falling at the sides accented her soft blue eyes that were wide with anxiety. She looked unusually beautiful, and it made her heart sink even more.
Minutes passed in silence with only feet slapping against stone, and then they were turning around a corner into a wide hall. Black flowers and tapestries woven with the most brilliant of colors decorated the room. Monks and servants alike were lined up along the walls, heads bowed as she passed on her way to the alter covered in black cloth with gold fringes and beautiful, jeweled encased cups and plates.
Finally, her eyes fell on the bridegroom. Surprisingly, he too was dressed in white, with dragons and demons entailed into the silk cloth. His hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail. Sonya didn't want to admit it, but in someway he looked almost handsome. A gloved hand stretched out to her and hesitantly she let herself be pulled up to his side. His eyes roamed over her for a moment, making her coil slightly, and she turned her head toward the altar and the monk standing before them.
Words in a tongue she couldn't understand filled the hall, and all of Tsung's servants repeated them softly. A moment later they kneeled. Slowly she became disconnected from things going on around her, and as her mind wandered, so did her eyes. From the tapestries to the stone statues, she took it all in as she realized that soon this would be the world she would live in for the rest of her life. Over to the servants her eyes drifted, observing their fine clothes but humbled moods. It saddened her to see the confinement in which these individuals were forced to live.
Her heart fell to her feet. Lined up next to the monks, chains wrapped around wrists and ankles, stood her friends. Liu glared angrily at the sorcerer who remained oblivious. Kitana's face remained expressionless, but a small, comforting smile was granted to Sonya to show no hard feelings. Johnny stood with taut shoulders, hands clenched at his sides, and his eyes fixed pointedly on the floor. Sonya willed him to lift his head, to forgive her for failing them, but a sudden jerk on her hand pulled her eyes back to the front, where she noticed the monk pulling their hands together, and a band being tied around their wrists.
"Reshigalok sounnamaclurel ihohasanliege." A knife appeared in the monk's free hand, and she flinched ever so slightly as he slit both their palms, causing the deep red blood to drip into a bowl below them. Then the monk pressed their hands together in unity, and performed a loud, deep chant that was repeated by the other servants. When the chant finished, the matrimonial cord was cut loose. It disappeared in a ring of coppery sparks that hardened to form a metallic band of entwined gold and copper on their wrists. The monk then backed away and bowed to the humans. Shang turned to Sonya, lifted her chin, and pressed his lips to hers.
They were cold and unfeeling, and Sonya never felt more disgusted with anything in her life. Though she didn't resist him, she didn't return his embrace, and suddenly he was gone and rising, pulling her to her feet, and they were walking away from the altar. All of Tsung's servants fell into lines that followed them out without a sound, though a loud gong was ringing every few seconds. With heavy feet and a heavier heart, Sonya let herself be led away from the 'church.' Though as she passed her friends, she couldn't keep herself from looking their way. Already they were being forced back to wherever they were being kept, and with their backs to her, she couldn't express to them through her eyes the sorrow she felt for their predicament.
Her arm hurt by the too tight grip, and her hair was screaming to be released from the painful angle it was being pulled. Metal glinted in her eyes for just a moment, and then she cold feel something cut into her throat. She was being dragged away from her husband, and when she lifted her eyes to his, she froze at the immense hatred burning behind his black eye.
"Well, now ain't this just a hell of a thing? Pretty little lassie getting married, eh? And to an enemy, no less. Seems to me she's got a darker side after all."
Sonya's blood turned to ice and her eyes reflected her sudden attitude change.
"Kano." she growled.
"Shut up!" He pressed the knife deeper into her skin.
"You incompetent fool. How dare you interfere in such matters?" Shang Tsung hissed quietly. He had just found out that his wife wasn't at his side and wasn't at all pleased to find her with Kano holding a knife to her throat.
"I dare because I can deal quite a bargain with you for your sexy slut of a wife."
Sonya could feel herself being dragged away with the Black Dragon leader, and she was torn between staying with him and escaping or breaking free to go back under Shang Tsung's protective wing. "When I get the chance, Kano--"
"Now this is what we're gonna do, Mr. Shang Tsung," Kano mocked, ignoring Sonya's threats. "Me and Sonya here are gonna take a nice little walk around the city, and when you pay me for my service to you. Then you get her back, and never hear from me again. Unless I need a loan."
They were almost to the far back door of the hall, and Sonya's eyes moved back and forth as she looked for any soldiers that may attack them. Her eyes suddenly caught Johnny's, who watched them with trepidation and. hope? Something grabbed Kano from behind, yanking roughly away his grasp on her. She was pushed away with such force she fell, and she cowered back in surprise at the tremendous growl. When she looked up, the four armed and tiger striped creature standing over her, holding the Black Dragon member horrified her.
"Well, well. What is this?" the creature growled loudly.
Kano struggled to speak but his windpipe was being crushed by the massive grip of the shokanite.
"My dear," Shang called to his wife, and when she looked up he was suddenly at her side, helping her stand. "It appears I have a suitable gift for you after all." He gestured to the criminal. "I place his fate in your hands. You may have our bodyguard Kintaro kill him now, or you may deal with him personally later." He smiled wickedly at her. "What shall it be?"
Blood boiling and hatred practically seething off of her, Sonya regarded the pitiful mortal struggling for his life. To kill him now would be such sweet pleasure, but once again she knew Tsung would take his soul, and would own her, as Liu had said when she battled Kano on the island. "I suppose," she allowed. "A more fitting fate would be enslavement, so he could work off his crimes."
"Excellent choice. Kintaro," Shang nodded, "take him down to the dungeons. Perhaps the emperor could use another worker in the Cobalt Mines, he'll most likely die down there anyway so it really doesn't matter."
The shokanite bowed and changed his grip on the criminal so as not to suffocate him. While being carried away, Kano's voice drifted back threats of excruciating pain and ultimate death upon the bitch that condemned him. Despite her lack of interest in his words, she shivered as she realized she had just played judge and jury when she had no right to do so. Her body was pulled into Shang's embrace, her chin was tilted up as he examined her neck.
"Does anything hurt?"
Sonya thought she would faint in shock. Was he actually questioning her well being? Mutely she shook her head. Satisfied with her answer he continued walking toward the entrance of the great hall, where she passed his servants, passed the monks, passed her friends that watched her leave but could say or do nothing about it, and out into the hall.
"Where are we going?" she asked him quietly, though flatly as to appear bored with everything taking place around her.
"Dinner. A great feast has been prepared by the Emperor in our honor. And after that," he turned to her with an unreadable expression in his eyes. "We will retire to my room."
For the first time in her life, Sonya wanted to die.
.. To be continued.
The beginning of this story is a concoction of the scene from the movie and from the novel, because it's easier to cut down both and put them together instead of going into exact detail from both. To make things a bit easier to understand, as this idea is based off of the novelization, here are a few things you might not know. When Sonya fought Kano, she let him live, instead planning to throw him in jail. When Shang Tsung captured Sonya, he told her she was the most amazing female warrior he'd ever seen, and demanded to possess her. He wants her as his wife, and will make her such if she cooperates by fighting him and losing in the final battle of Mortal Kombat.
Ever After?
Inside the Black Tower, the Special Forces lieutenant and chosen warrior Sonya Blade glared with barely concealed disgust at the demonic human sorcerer, Shang Tsung. He stepped close to her, his dark robes swishing silently behind him, and gave her a chilling smile.
"Have you made your decision, young Sonya? You must fight me now, or yield Earth to the emperor."
Sonya chewed her lip but shook her head. "No, I won't fight you, Shang Tsung. I won't play your game, whatever it is."
"But there is no else. If you don't fight me, the Realm of Earth will forfeit the tournament, and its portals will open to our great emperor."
"I do not yield Earth, it is not mine to give," Sonya replied. "But nevertheless, I will not fight."
"So be it. Take her away to prepare her for the wedding."
"No!" Sonya shouted as two monks stepped closer to her. "No, my friends will come!"
Shang let out a quiet laugh. "They're already here."
"What do you mean?" she asked suspiciously.
Shang Tsung stepped closer to her as he continued, a soft smile on his face and his voice flowing like silk. "They arrived a short while ago, in hopes of saving you. But they were outnumbered and captured. They are waiting in my dungeon now, waiting for you to make a decision."
"You're lying," Sonya hissed.
"Unfortunately, no. I am not." His smile became reassuring. "It was a valiant effort, but to no avail. However, as I so admire their eager determination, I will spare their lives. if you fight me now."
"I don't believe you. It's a trick, and I won't fall for it."
"A skeptic. You need proof? So be it." He snapped his fingers and a scuffling sound came from the hall that Sonya could not see. A few moments later, a number of monks appeared, Johnny, Liu and a dark haired woman (Sonya remembered her name was Kitana) were chained up and unwilling being dragged along.
"No."
Shang grinned. "As you can see, my sweet Sonya, this is no trick." He gestured to the three that were forced to their knees along the outer ring of the dragon engraved on the floor. "I will promise you this, Sonya. If you fight me and you lose, as you must, I will spare your life and theirs."
Sonya eyed the sorcerer with contempt. "And if I refuse?"
"Sonya, you can't! Or earth is lost!" Liu suddenly shouted from the side. He groaned as he was knocked on the back of the head by a blunt object one of the monks was carrying.
"Now do you believe me, dear Sonya? Your friend speaks only the truth. So now I leave you with this offer: Fight me in Mortal Kombat. Do you accept my offer, or do you yield?"
The lieutenant's face became creased in worry and hate. She was torn between her friends and her stubbornness. What was she supposed to do? Her eyes drifted from Shang's gleaming ones over to Johnny Cage, who was kneeling expressionless, his eyes never leaving her form. What do I do, she pleaded to him silently. He gave a simple nod, and she could almost hear him say, you can do it. Try.
She took a deep breath and turned back to the sorcerer. He was right. She could not turn down a challenge, especially one so important. With a tight nod, she declared two words. "I accept."
The two monks freed her hands and she was pushed forward into the ring. Tsung threw off his silk robe, removed the black cap atop his head, and tossed them to the side. He bowed before his opponent. Sonya returned the gesture, but only partially. Her mind was slightly distracted by her small, silky clothes that felt so different from her combat issue outfits and by the stiffness in her shoulders and back from being chained to the pillar for so long.
The two stared at each other for only a moment before Tsung charged her with a spinning elbow. She blocked his left jab, his right jab, and but was unprepared for the foot sweep that made her lose her balance. As she fell, Tsung reached for her arm farthest from him, as he planned to spin her body and pin her down on her stomach. Sonya went with the move, instead thrusting herself into the turn rather than away from it. This caused the sorcerer to flip over her and land on his back, while she landed on her side. She rolled into a back walkover that nailed him in the chin just as he was standing. Stunned, he was unprepared for the vicious combination of quick hooks and uppercuts that Sonya attacked him with. Her feet were flying at his head at incredible speed, and her punches were so focused that they moved like a blur of flesh.
Cries of encouragement from the sides cheered her on, but it was useless as Tsung was still faster and Sonya was still a bit weak from being chained to one spot all night. While a few hits landed, he was soon able to detect a pattern in her attack, and he began blocking her hit for hit. She attempted a few more kicks, including a jump roundhouse toward his temple, but she only ended up landing painfully on her back. As she flipped up to her feet, Tsung came out with his own deadly combination that Sonya tried to dodge, but soon grew too tired from the furious power of his blows. Her arms were bruised and swollen and she could barely feel them. The blocks became slower, and soon she was openly taking in each hit to the stomach, to the chest, and to the head. With the last ounce of her strength, she caught an opening at his head, and kicked up with all her might.
But her foot hit only air, and then she felt her supporting leg bend at the knee, and she was swept onto her back. Her head took the brunt of the fall, and she was blacking out as Tsung stood over her. Someone was shouting for her to get up, but she felt so heavy, everything weighed so much. A dark shadow with flame filled eyes stood over her, and two words flowed into her ears before she blacked out.
"Flawless victory."
A flick of his wrist allowed the monks to step forward and pick up the unconscious warrior. "Take her to the room in the east wing, and see that her wounds are treated. She must be in fit condition for tomorrow's ceremonies."
"No!"
Shang Tsung turned with a sickening smile to the two men struggling against their captors. The third warrior, Kitana, stood stoically, expressionless, with a regal patience that symbolized her royalty. "You're in no position to argue, Mr. Cage." "Rayden was right. You are a coward, Tsung. A spineless lowlife with no dignity or honor," Liu interjected. "You are a disgrace to everything sacred about this tournament."
The sorcerer grinned at the Chosen One. "And what would you know of the sacred rules of Mortal Kombat? You, who have only lived for a few decades, what could you possibly know?"
"I know that men who fight without honor are no men at all."
"I kept my bargain with Johnny Cage, I challenged Sonya, I gave her a choice, and she made it. What is so dishonorable about that?"
"You ran from your fear instead of facing it," Liu answered.
"It's no secret, Shang Tsung," Johnny continued. "Liu is the best of us and you avoided him like a frightened dog with his tail between his legs. You know you couldn't win, so you rigged the tournament in your favor."
"I did no such thing," Shang reassured in a calm voice, the smile never falling from his face, though his eyes burned with anger at the insult made to his pride. "I am not to blame for the loss of your planet. If the blame is to go anywhere, Cage, it's to you. After all, you accepted my deal, without stopping to think of the consequences. Once again, your rashness has lead to your defeat, just like with your pathetic career choice."
Johnny flinched in return as he realized that the sorcerer's words rang true.
Liu noticed this and shook his head. "Your deceptions will be your downfall. I will come for you, sorcerer, and next time you won't be able to run from me."
Tsung laughed and nodded to the monks. "Take these two below to the dungeons. I will see a proper ending for them later, if they have no use for me in the future. As for her highness," Tsung mocked to the woman that had remained silent through the entire battle. "See her to her suite and keep her there until I return." A chilling smile made the three fighters ill in heart and spirit. "I have to send word to the Emperor. so the destruction of Earth can begin." With mild amusement, he watched the three be dragged away, Kitana up in a different direction, and he couldn't deny the pleasure he received from hearing their cries of revenge.
"Impudent mortals." Pivoting on his foot he turned away and waved his hand up to the far wall. Waving his hand like a hypnotized snake caused a portal to open and he stepped through into a giant hall lit by torches and decorated with rotting skeletons and bits of armor collected from vanquished warriors. The sight was enough to make any other man chilled to his soul, but the sorcerer disregarded them as he would an ant, stepped closer to the throne, and bowed in greeting.
"Your eminence," he announced humbly.
"Shang Tsung, my darkest sorcerer. What news do you bring me?"
The human demon straightened and smiled proudly. "Earth is ours. Flawless victory."
The hall filled with a deep rumble of laughter that reverberated off of the walls and traveled through out the dark castle. "Excellent. Rasheem!" he barked to a nearby soldier. "See to it that the armies are sent out at once. Earth's destruction begins now." When the soldier marched off, the Emperor again spoke to the sorcerer. "And the warriors? Have they been executed?"
"They will be, at your command. Though I request that the female be left unharmed. I would like her for my own personal prize."
"And you shall keep her. She is not the Chosen One; she is no concern of mine." The large muscular man stroked his hairless chin. "As for the others, do with them what you wish. They are no threat. I have what I want."
Difficulty breathing. Stiff shoulders. Aching legs. These were the things to which Sonya awoke. After a few initial blinks, she looked around the dark painted room with finely carved wood furniture and elegant tapestries hung all about her quarters. The silk sheets around her were of an emerald color, and as she sat up to take in her surroundings, they slid off her body in a cascading display of shimmers. It was then she noticed the black corset wrapped tightly to her pale and slightly bruised form. With no memory of having put it on, she could easily guess that someone had stripped and changed her while she was passed. out.
An image came into her mind so suddenly that the color drained from her face. She was in a dark circular room with the dragon insignia of the Tournament. Her hands hurt from the shackles that had held her. Monks were lined up around her. Shang Tsung, the Demon Sorcerer, was smiling down at her in victory. The Final Kombat. A small gasp escaped her. With dread coiling itself in her stomach, she reminisced the final fight that ultimately determined the fate of the Earth realm.
And she had lost.
It hit her like a shotgun round to the stomach. She lost, and everyone on Earth was damned to become slaves of Outworld, be it they were not executed on sight by the Emperor's armies. Her realm was going to be devastated and demolished, and she could do nothing to stop it now. She had let her friends down.
Her friends! Oh, god, where were they now? Liu and Kitana and Johnny. Sonya quickly moved off the queen sized bed and over to the door. Were they all right? What happened to them? The wedding! Sonya froze as another wave of nausea crashed into her. Because she lost, Shang Tsung was going to make her his wife. When was it going to happen?
The blonde lieutenant shook her silken straight locks in defiance. "No," she thought aloud. "I'm not going to be his anything." Her chin lifted. She was going to find her friends and they were all going to escape from wherever they were, and set things right. They would find Rayden and would stop Shang Tsung once and for all. With determination in every step, her long black leather dress swept around her feet as she opened the door and slipped out into the hall that was designed like a gothic cathedral; and smacked right into something. She looked up in surprise, which quickly turned to disgust.
"Ah, you are awake. And just in time, I might add." Shang Tsung smiled down at her sincerely, and it gave her chills that she refused to let him see.
"For what?" she asked bitterly. With a gasp, her arm was grabbed and suddenly she felt the world around her shift. When things came back into perspective, she found herself standing on a stone platform hovering in a sky mixed with black rolling clouds and crashing thunder. Lightening illuminated the sorcerer standing next to her; the contours of his face causing shadows that made him appear almost wolfish. She shuddered at the glow in his eyes and quickly turned away. "Where have you brought me?"
"Look for yourself, dear Sonya, and get a glimpse of the world you will rule."
Sonya shot him a glance that had fear hiding behind her eyes, and slowly she made her way forward to the stone railing. Everything below her was dark as another flash of lightening blinded her. Then, slowly, her night vision returned and she was left to stand in abject horror at the world revealed to her. It was Washington, DC, reduced to rubble and set a flame. Thousands of deformed warriors with blades for arms and jagged teeth raided the buildings that were nothing more than skeletons of scorched metal and powered brick. Humans were lined up by the hundreds, hands and feet chained together, being dragged along by creatures that reminded her vaguely of the ex Mortal Kombat Champion Goro. Those that fled in terror were cornered and executed, either by a falling blade or by fire. Even from hundreds of miles up, she could hear the screams of fear and agony, and it wrenched her gut to the point of excruciating pain.
As the pentagon collapsed and the White house was trampled and burned by the four-armed creatures, Sonya turned silently to face the sorcerer. She knew she couldn't mask the pain obvious in her eyes, so she didn't bother to try. Though through the guilt and the regret and the absolute hatred for the man before her, she did not cower away from him or show him any sign of weakness.
Shang watched her with quiet contemplation. Something about his piercing eyes unsettled her, because she could sense no mockery or triumph in his observation. Frighteningly, she could almost make it as being. sympathy? Mentally she shook herself. Clearly such a thing wasn't possible, so she wouldn't consider it. "I will never forgive you for this."
"I don't recall asking for your forgiveness. However, you should thank me."
"Thank you?!" Sonya spat, incredulous.
"I have saved your life, and I am offering you a chance to rule over your home planet. I could have easily seen your planet completely annihilated, but I reclined out of respect for you." A soft smile formed on his lips. "And I have kept your friends alive."
Blade's eyes widened. "Where are they and what about Rayden?" When the sorcerer reached his hand up to touch her cheek, she snapped her head away. "Don't touch me," she hissed.
His eyebrows lifted. "Soon you won't have a choice in the matter. As for Rayden, all I know is that he's now a mortal stuck in Outworld and will most likely be captured by the Emperor's army." He turned to face the chaos before them. " While I see the now mortal god as a nuisance, the dispute between him and my master has lasted for ages if not longer. No doubt that the Emperor will boast about our victory in his face." He faced her again and the satisfaction on his visage was all too obvious. "But enough of this, we have a ceremony to prepare for." A wave of his hand and they were back in the gothic hallway in front of her room. He snapped his fingers and three female servants appeared. They were hideously deformed and walked with painful steps. Sonya could only imagine the torture they went through. and what had brought such severe punishment upon them. "These are your escorts and your hand maidens. They will serve you in whatever way you need and request. Right now, they will help you prepare for our uniting."
"I am NOT marrying you, demon!"
He laughed and again approached her. She tried to back away, but could go nowhere as the wall stopped her. Clearly, he was pleased to see her swallow her discomfort and stand defiantly, proudly, almost in a challenging way to his approach. "Sonya, my beautiful warrior, you have been given a great honor. You and I, we can rule over Earth Realm together. The Emperor has bestowed upon me complete reign over this new part of Outworld, as I helped him win one of the most powerful realms in existence. You can have whatever you want; you can do whatever you please. Just ask, and I shall grant it."
"I want you to rot in hell, you spineless son of a bitch," she spat.
His calming smile never left his face as his controlled voice, soft as a summer breeze, continued to persuade her. "You have already lost your realm to the Emperor. Already he has begun taking souls of those who have resisted imprisonment. The entire planet is under house arrest, awaiting its fate, that once again falls on you." A second time his hand lifted to her face, and he ran his fingers through her hair.
Gritting her teeth and clenching her hands was all she could do from attacking him. But what he was saying put a sinking stone in her stomach that made her full lips pull into a taut line. "What do you mean?"
"Marry me willingly, and you may decide what happens to your people. You may rule however you wish, and I will only interfere when I deem necessary, such as to subject those worthy to proper punishment for disobedience." His voice dropped lower, softer, but into a more threatening tone. "But if you try to fight this union, I will subdue you into my own personal slave, and I will rule this realm with an iron fist. I will destroy what I want, who I want, when I want. And your entire planet will be filled with nothing more than pathetic slaves awaiting death at my hands. your friends included."
Sonya's eyes narrowed though her heart skipped a beat. As terrible as this whole ordeal was, at least she knew her friends were alive. But her relief wasn't long lived as she weighed Tsung's hefty words. Marrying him was one of the most frightening fates she could imagine for herself, but to turn him down would mean the utter destruction of Earth and it's people, and a life of bondage for her. Not that she really cared what happened to her when so many other lives were at stake.
However, if she did agree to marry him willingly, and he kept his word, she would be the ruler of Earth. Though this place of power wasn't something that interested her at all, she could use it to her advantage to save thousands of lives, considering she played her cards right. Of course, Tsung could be lying, with no intention of giving her Earth as her kingdom. But was that a chance she was willing to take?
It was her fault that this fate had fallen upon the earth. Now she had to do whatever she could to rectify her loss. For a few more minutes, she stared the sorcerer down, and when he asked for the final time her choice, she nodded in acceptance, albeit hesitantly. "If you swear to me that my friends live and that Earth will be mine to oversee. then I accept your proposal."
Tsung's wide smile of victory made Sonya want to crawl into a corner and die. She felt as though she had just sold her soul to the devil. "Have her ready by dusk. We will be wed at the last rays of the sun. And you, my sweet," he whispered as a finger traced her jaw. "Will be mine. forever."
With anxious trepidation, Sonya watched the sun fall lower toward the horizon. Her hands were trembling, in anger or fear she wasn't sure, but she knew that no matter what she felt, she had to follow through with the dreaded events of the evening. Two of her maids busied themselves with fixing her white, silk gown that clung to her every curve and cut off just at her bare feet. Black and green dragons clashed in intricate designs on the dress, their red eyes glowing with anger and domination. It reminded her so much of the sorcerer that she knew she had to wed, and her anxiousness only continued to grow. But she had to do what she could to save her friends and her home planet. She owed it to them.
A gong echoed through the room, making Sonya nearly jump out of the dress. Her hands were shaking so much and her breathing was close to rapid panting. 'I don't want to do this!' But her feet walked toward the door where a number of servants stood waiting patiently. The maids beckoned to her to follow, and she did just that. When she passed a mirror in the long, torch lit hallway, she noticed how pale she was, and how her silken blonde locks thrown up on her head in a stylish bun with braids falling at the sides accented her soft blue eyes that were wide with anxiety. She looked unusually beautiful, and it made her heart sink even more.
Minutes passed in silence with only feet slapping against stone, and then they were turning around a corner into a wide hall. Black flowers and tapestries woven with the most brilliant of colors decorated the room. Monks and servants alike were lined up along the walls, heads bowed as she passed on her way to the alter covered in black cloth with gold fringes and beautiful, jeweled encased cups and plates.
Finally, her eyes fell on the bridegroom. Surprisingly, he too was dressed in white, with dragons and demons entailed into the silk cloth. His hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail. Sonya didn't want to admit it, but in someway he looked almost handsome. A gloved hand stretched out to her and hesitantly she let herself be pulled up to his side. His eyes roamed over her for a moment, making her coil slightly, and she turned her head toward the altar and the monk standing before them.
Words in a tongue she couldn't understand filled the hall, and all of Tsung's servants repeated them softly. A moment later they kneeled. Slowly she became disconnected from things going on around her, and as her mind wandered, so did her eyes. From the tapestries to the stone statues, she took it all in as she realized that soon this would be the world she would live in for the rest of her life. Over to the servants her eyes drifted, observing their fine clothes but humbled moods. It saddened her to see the confinement in which these individuals were forced to live.
Her heart fell to her feet. Lined up next to the monks, chains wrapped around wrists and ankles, stood her friends. Liu glared angrily at the sorcerer who remained oblivious. Kitana's face remained expressionless, but a small, comforting smile was granted to Sonya to show no hard feelings. Johnny stood with taut shoulders, hands clenched at his sides, and his eyes fixed pointedly on the floor. Sonya willed him to lift his head, to forgive her for failing them, but a sudden jerk on her hand pulled her eyes back to the front, where she noticed the monk pulling their hands together, and a band being tied around their wrists.
"Reshigalok sounnamaclurel ihohasanliege." A knife appeared in the monk's free hand, and she flinched ever so slightly as he slit both their palms, causing the deep red blood to drip into a bowl below them. Then the monk pressed their hands together in unity, and performed a loud, deep chant that was repeated by the other servants. When the chant finished, the matrimonial cord was cut loose. It disappeared in a ring of coppery sparks that hardened to form a metallic band of entwined gold and copper on their wrists. The monk then backed away and bowed to the humans. Shang turned to Sonya, lifted her chin, and pressed his lips to hers.
They were cold and unfeeling, and Sonya never felt more disgusted with anything in her life. Though she didn't resist him, she didn't return his embrace, and suddenly he was gone and rising, pulling her to her feet, and they were walking away from the altar. All of Tsung's servants fell into lines that followed them out without a sound, though a loud gong was ringing every few seconds. With heavy feet and a heavier heart, Sonya let herself be led away from the 'church.' Though as she passed her friends, she couldn't keep herself from looking their way. Already they were being forced back to wherever they were being kept, and with their backs to her, she couldn't express to them through her eyes the sorrow she felt for their predicament.
Her arm hurt by the too tight grip, and her hair was screaming to be released from the painful angle it was being pulled. Metal glinted in her eyes for just a moment, and then she cold feel something cut into her throat. She was being dragged away from her husband, and when she lifted her eyes to his, she froze at the immense hatred burning behind his black eye.
"Well, now ain't this just a hell of a thing? Pretty little lassie getting married, eh? And to an enemy, no less. Seems to me she's got a darker side after all."
Sonya's blood turned to ice and her eyes reflected her sudden attitude change.
"Kano." she growled.
"Shut up!" He pressed the knife deeper into her skin.
"You incompetent fool. How dare you interfere in such matters?" Shang Tsung hissed quietly. He had just found out that his wife wasn't at his side and wasn't at all pleased to find her with Kano holding a knife to her throat.
"I dare because I can deal quite a bargain with you for your sexy slut of a wife."
Sonya could feel herself being dragged away with the Black Dragon leader, and she was torn between staying with him and escaping or breaking free to go back under Shang Tsung's protective wing. "When I get the chance, Kano--"
"Now this is what we're gonna do, Mr. Shang Tsung," Kano mocked, ignoring Sonya's threats. "Me and Sonya here are gonna take a nice little walk around the city, and when you pay me for my service to you. Then you get her back, and never hear from me again. Unless I need a loan."
They were almost to the far back door of the hall, and Sonya's eyes moved back and forth as she looked for any soldiers that may attack them. Her eyes suddenly caught Johnny's, who watched them with trepidation and. hope? Something grabbed Kano from behind, yanking roughly away his grasp on her. She was pushed away with such force she fell, and she cowered back in surprise at the tremendous growl. When she looked up, the four armed and tiger striped creature standing over her, holding the Black Dragon member horrified her.
"Well, well. What is this?" the creature growled loudly.
Kano struggled to speak but his windpipe was being crushed by the massive grip of the shokanite.
"My dear," Shang called to his wife, and when she looked up he was suddenly at her side, helping her stand. "It appears I have a suitable gift for you after all." He gestured to the criminal. "I place his fate in your hands. You may have our bodyguard Kintaro kill him now, or you may deal with him personally later." He smiled wickedly at her. "What shall it be?"
Blood boiling and hatred practically seething off of her, Sonya regarded the pitiful mortal struggling for his life. To kill him now would be such sweet pleasure, but once again she knew Tsung would take his soul, and would own her, as Liu had said when she battled Kano on the island. "I suppose," she allowed. "A more fitting fate would be enslavement, so he could work off his crimes."
"Excellent choice. Kintaro," Shang nodded, "take him down to the dungeons. Perhaps the emperor could use another worker in the Cobalt Mines, he'll most likely die down there anyway so it really doesn't matter."
The shokanite bowed and changed his grip on the criminal so as not to suffocate him. While being carried away, Kano's voice drifted back threats of excruciating pain and ultimate death upon the bitch that condemned him. Despite her lack of interest in his words, she shivered as she realized she had just played judge and jury when she had no right to do so. Her body was pulled into Shang's embrace, her chin was tilted up as he examined her neck.
"Does anything hurt?"
Sonya thought she would faint in shock. Was he actually questioning her well being? Mutely she shook her head. Satisfied with her answer he continued walking toward the entrance of the great hall, where she passed his servants, passed the monks, passed her friends that watched her leave but could say or do nothing about it, and out into the hall.
"Where are we going?" she asked him quietly, though flatly as to appear bored with everything taking place around her.
"Dinner. A great feast has been prepared by the Emperor in our honor. And after that," he turned to her with an unreadable expression in his eyes. "We will retire to my room."
For the first time in her life, Sonya wanted to die.
.. To be continued.
