It's not that MK: Annihilation was horribly BAD, it's just that it wasn't horribly GOOD either. I mean, the sub-par costumes here and there were excusable {even if Raiden wasn't.} Jumping from MKI to MKIII could have worked. But the other flaws just dragged it down. There were too many characters for one movie; there were too many characters that were gone in five minutes… you get the idea. It just… didn't have that magic and awe of the first movie.
So forget Annihilation, because if we're all lucky and my writing holds up, this'll be much better. My aim here is to make a better sequel to the fist movie, it still picks up right after the first movie left off and goes into MKII instead of MKIII.
And in keeping with movie adaptation traditions, the games' continuity might be liberally interpreted at places :)
And for Cthulhu's sake think of Raiden as Christopher Lambert -_-;
Enjoy!
---
Mortal Kombat II
By Alhazred
I. Prologue
"Bow to me… you weak pathetic fools! I've come for your souls!"
"I don't think so!"
Raiden's eyes crackled with electricity as he and his chosen ones, with Princess Kitana at their side, took up defensive stances. Of course, it didn't look like their opposition cared.
But the massive cloud-form of Emperor Kahn made no move to attack, no offensive. Shao Kahn almost seemed… hesitant.
"Sometimes, Raiden, even I must admit that you are correct," he bellowed.
Raiden's face became laden with surprise. Kahn wasn't known to admit something like that. "Then what are you here for?"
"I am… impressed, by your warriors, Raiden. By all rights, our tenth victory in the tournament should have been as assured as the previous nine…"
Kahn stopped talking for a moment. His swirling form dissipated into the dark purple clouds. But the clouds themselves, still crackling with an unnatural lightning, started to take another shape. Curling down lower in front of the temple that Kahn had hovered over, the colors spun into a dark vortex.
A portal.
And out of the portal walked a man. He was at least eight feet tall, but probably could have passed for human if he wanted. His body was pure muscle and home to red, spiked armor that had an odd shimmer to it. A blood-red cloak fell from his shoulder pads, topping it off was a helmet, a half-skull with horns and decorations put on. The sockets were the perfect size for his eyes.
Next to him was a rather unobtrusive priest-like figure, draped in a cloak from head to toe.
"What do you want, Kahn? How is it you've entered this realm," Raiden demanded, unwilling to accept the possibility that was stuck in his mind.
"The rules of the tournament say that I may," he paused in his speech as he approached, half-searching for the right word and half-waiting to be closer to Raiden's entourage. "Visit Earth Realm at any time I chose, if my intentions are peaceful. And they are." He paused again, and turned his gaze. "Kitana, I'm so very, very disappointed in you."
"I've always been disappointed in you, Shao Kahn," Kitana spat back, holding her ground against him.
"Is that any way to talk to your father?"
"You're not my father," she snarled.
"Nor am I blind, Kitana, I've known about your treachery for a very long time. But I've let you run around because I have no desire to kill you. You should be thankful."
Raiden stepped between them. "What do you want?"
Kahn turned away from Kitana, almost as if Raiden were a distraction. "As I said, Thunder God, I am impressed that you and your warriors managed to save your world at the last moment."
He turned around, facing the portal that lead to Outworld. "So I offer Earth," he yelled, as if he wanted the whole planet to hear him. "Another tournament, my own tournament, in the tradition of Mortal Kombat, I invite anyone to battle for glory rather then a cause, to fight the best from either of our worlds…"
"To keep you amused while you wait for the next ten generations to pass?"
Kahn turned to Johnny Cage. The actor was perceptive about these things. "Well, that too."
And Emperor Kahn laughed, an evil, cackling sound, before he disappeared in a flash of light. The portal stayed, a tranquil but dark invitation to another realm. The dark twilight still hung over the sky, despite it being 1pm.
"He's up to something," Kitana thought aloud. "I know it. This is not like him…"
"I agree," Raiden added. "But what? What can he accomplish by this?"
"Maybe he wants all of Earth's best fighters to die now so they can't raise another generation to win the tournament," Sonya added, feeling a need to put in her two cents.
"That's kind of ludicrous," Johnny answered.
"So sue me," she retorted. "I just work here."
"Oh really?"
They looked up. It had come from Kahn's priest, who was still standing there, still unobtrusive, to the point where he was forgotten.
"I know that voice," Sonya suddenly said, stomping toward the cloaked figure. She grabbed the hood of his cloak and flung it behind his head.
"Kano!"
"Hey baby. That was pretty mean, what you did to my neck. Maybe I'll return the favor."
She threw a punch at the normal side of his face, but he saw it coming a mile away and ducked underneath. Before she could catch herself, Kano grabbed her from behind.
"You know that Shao Kahn fella's kinda likable, givin me back me soul and all," he taunted the others. "Come after her if you dare!"
Liu and Johnny rushed forward, but Kano and Sonya disappeared much like Kahn had long before they were close.
"…I don't believe it," Liu said, stunned. Things had gone from great to very bad in the span of five minutes.
---
"There she is, just like ya wanted 'er."
Sonya stood from where Kano pushed her onto the ground and found a wall of flesh in front of her. She slowly looked up, and Shao Kahn looked right back into her eyes.
"It is about time," called a voice from the side.
"You are one to talk of time," Kahn replied in disgust. His cape swished across her as he turned and walked away, but she didn't notice, instead turning to where the voice had come from as soon as she heard it. Like Kano's, it was familiar.
"What is this," she sighed, exasperated, "Night of the living dead?"
"Your tongue never ceases to amuse me, Sonya Blade," Shang Tsung replied. It was like he'd never been injured, never been killed. His overcoat hung from his shoulders once more, his hair spread freely from his head.
"This had better work, Shang Tsung," Kahn intoned, sitting on a large throne. Sonya took the chance to look at her surroundings. She was in the center of a courtyard, what looked like bleachers on one end and Kahn's dark tower on the other. It was built into the base of the spire. A warm sun shone down, and Sonya found herself surprised that Outworld actually had a natural source of light. Even so, the realm didn't lose it's dark, twisted splendor.
"Oh, it shall work, Emperor."
Realizing she was being ignored in the banter, Sonya started edging away. There was an open entrance to the Tower not far from where she was, and while running around Outworld wasn't her idea of a good time, it was better then staying with Kano and company.
"Yeah, we got Sonya here so her friends'll come. Might even get that wacky lightnin' dude," Kano added, tearing off his cumbersome robe. Unlike Shang Tsung, his appearance had changed quite a bit. He now wore a black uniform, laced with red. Throwing knives were strapped to his ankles and there was a utility belt around his waist. Most noticeable of everything, Kano had gotten a haircut and was now bald.
"The Lin Kuei have gotten wind of their assassin's death, they'll send another to see to it his job is finished," Shang added. "Reptile has… indicated an interest in participating, along with a friend of his."
"The slippery little thing is alive?" Kahn asked, puzzled.
"Mmm, it seems Liu Kang didn't hit hard enough, he survived. Despite having his brain half-falling out of his skull, I might add."
"Very well. Mileena is ready for battle. That leaves you and any Earth warriors who come."
Kahn stood. "Oh, of course, how could I forget Kintaro…"
Sonya was there, tempted to break into a run right now, but she wanted to put as much distance between her and her captors before they noticed she was missing. A few more steps and she'd be inside the Tower.
But she stepped right into a wall. Spinning her head to see how far she'd gone off to the side of the entrance, she found that it wasn't a wall at all.
"GOING SOMEWHERE?"
She screamed instinctively and jumped back, but there wasn't any escape from the massive hand that clamped down on her shoulder and literally lifted her from the ground as if she weighed nothing.
Kintaro walked with Sonya in his grasp back towards the group. She turned as best she could to get a look at her capture and found herself speechless. The thing was bigger then Goro, obviously of the same race with it's four arms and three-fingered hands. It had to be at least as tall as Shao Kahn himself and just as buff.
"Ah, what's that human saying," Kahn said to himself. "Oh yes, 'speak of the devil.'"
---
"I don't care if he wants us to go after her, He'll just get what he wants," Johnny fumed, his patience wearing thin very quickly. He had started pacing around in front of the portal a few minutes ago and looked like he wouldn't stop until he'd worn a foxhole into the ground.
"Rushing in isn't going to do anything except get us killed, Johnny. You can't save Sonya if you're dead," Liu answered, making sure Johnny understood the last part.
Johnny understood, and Liu could tell from the change in his expression, but that didn't mean he was going to stop pacing.
Liu let Johnny have his nervous habit for the moment and looked around. The Order of Light was nowhere near oblivious to what was going on, but with the sudden bout of inaction after Shao Kahn left, they had tried to at least get back to their everyday business.
Liu decided it was past time he talk with Grandfather. He had a feeling the old man knew he wasn't going to hang around. It took Liu a few minutes but he eventually managed to find his grandfather giving a piece of paper to younger priest.
"Liu," he smiled. "You and your friends are leaving soon?"
"Yes, Grandfather, I wanted to see you before we left. Well, I guess I wanted to get away from Johnny too, but that's beside the point. As soon as Raiden comes back, we're leaving."
Grandfather became puzzled at that. "But what can Raiden do if you're going to Outworld?"
"I dunno. But we'll find out, I guess."
"He asked me to send a message to someone before he left," Grandfather confessed. "To a friend of… Sonya Blade?"
"I don't understand," Liu confessed.
"So what else is new?"
Liu whirled around to find Raiden behind him. The Thunder God once more looked like a beggar. The cone-shaped straw hat half-obscured his face as he chuckled at his joke, but a blue vest replaced the long coat over his white clothes. A staff sat in his left hand.
"C'mon, let's go."
Johnny didn't stop pacing as he looked up at Raiden and asked, "What happened to you?"
"Looks flashier," Raiden answered. "You're an actor, you should notice these things, heh heh heh."
"Whatever."
"So, are we going?"
"We," Kitana echoed. "I thought you had no power in Outworld."
"If I'm invited, like Shao Kahn has done to all of Earth, I can enter Outworld freely. I'll become mortal, but I'll still be your resident god of thunder and lightning. I wonder if Kahn knows that if he invites me once he can't undo it… ah well. This is going to be quite a challenge, are we all up to it?"
"We just saved the world," Liu answered, "I think we're up to anything."
"Ready when you are," Kitana agreed.
"Whatever," Johnny repeated, finally standing still. "So what's the plan, anyway?"
"Plan," Raiden echoed with a chuckle. "Never been good at plans. My advice would be that we simply enter Shao Kahn's tournament and go from there. He'll have his own warriors set up for it, I'm sure, so we'll have plenty to deal with while looking for Sonya."
"Alright, let's go," Johnny stated quite matter-of-factly. Without another word, he walked through the portal.
"This is not going to be pleasant," Raiden voiced, following him.
"I have a very bad feeling he's right," Liu added, stepping up with Kitana.
Kitana sighed. "Nothing is pleasant when the Emperor is involved," she said as they went through.
---
"Oh Christ, this is so not what I need," Sarah yelled at herself, rolling down her window. Living in a ninety-nine percent white neighborhood defiantly had it's cons to the one percent of African-Americans like her, a wannabe KKK being one of them.
Of course, they ever learned. So she had to pack heat. It was pretty damn stupid of them to wear the pillowcases on a crowded street before trying to grab her.
"Okay, you know what you jackasses? I do NOT have time for this, so you go to hell!"
With that, she grabbed the pistol next to her seat and blew out a tire on the truck next to her.
The light changed to green, and she stepped on the gas, hoping they would be smart and stay the hell away.
Rolling up her window to keep out the night air, she sighed. Her side-mirror caught a glimpse of a motorcyclist behind her, same distance he'd been for the past half-hour. Apparently, stalkers were another addition to the con list of her hometown. She wondered if he knew she realized he was there. The guy wasn't exactly discreet: his bike was within hearing distance, and just from her mirror she could see dark blue chevrons streaking his otherwise white helmet and hockey jersey. His jeans were a little baggy.
This sucks, she thought. She'd weaved around a bunch of turns but her follower never seemed to be taken in the slightest. She didn't have long before the airport, if she wasn't being paranoid, he'd have no problem catching her when she went to get her flight.
"Damn psycho. I don't have time for this…"
She glanced at the box sitting in the passenger's chair, a simple wooden thing. With the top opened it would have revealed a scroll, but she didn't need to see it at the moment. Especially since she couldn't read whatever language it was written in.
But she had a friend in China and called him on a whim. After she described some of the characters, he'd rationalized that some were Chinese and others weren't. It was a start. But he'd have to physically see the thing. The obvious course of action was scanning it and sending it over the Internet, but none of the scanners she tried would pick up the ink. It was bizarre.
And now she had a stalker. "If I miss my flight because of you, asshole…"
Without warning, she made a quick and probably illegal turn to the left and sped up. The speed was definitely illegal, but she slowed after rounding another corner.
Far behind, the cyclist had jumped to an equal amount of irritation as Sarah. He hadn't expected her to make an abrupt turn and had over-shot the street.
Damnit… I knew she's seen me.
What was worse, his mirrors spotted a police cruiser pulling out and turning it's lights on behind him. They were turning to chase her for reckless driving. That wouldn't help at all, it would slow her up and in so doing, slow him up as well.
So Sub-Zero made his own illegal u-turn and sped back the way he came. At the turn, he took a sharp right, clearly startling the officers in the police car. But he wasn't about to let them give chase to him or his target.
Slowing and edging to the side of the road, Sub-Zero twisted himself to the side and reached an arm behind. A swirl of ice-particles gathered around his hand, spinning inward and forming into a rough sphere before shaping into small oblong projectiles that shot behind the cycle.
He would get the 3rd degree from the clan for making such a spectacle of himself in public, but sometimes the advantage of doing so outweighed it. As the frozen car spun off the road and against a building, the cops were given a story that they would never tell their grandchildren for fear of looking insane. Sub-Zero found himself vaguely curious about their reactions right now, assuming the ice hadn't reached them inside, but there were more important things to worry about.
Pushing the throttle forward, Sub-Zero scanned the traffic ahead for his target. He couldn't find the car, and the street wasn't even that busy. A glance to the side forced him to do a double take as he spotted the car, peacefully parked next to the sidewalk. There was a line of cars to it's front and back, however, and the closest parking space was about thirty feet away.
Not bothering to gripe, Sub-Zero steered toward it and spun into the empty space between two cars. He was off as the kickstand touched the ground; turning off the engine and pulling the key on the off chance a gutsy thief happened by.
Not bothering to take his helmet off, the Lin Kuei walked quickly down the sidewalk toward his target.
"Hey, Biker-Boy!"
Stopping dead in his tracks after hearing the female voice, Sub-Zero mentally kicked himself for rushing ahead and not thinking about something like this.
My brother would have seen it coming, he thought as he turned. "Sarah Lean, I presume?"
"Yeah, that's right," she answered. "Now, are you gonna tell me why you're on my ass or am I gonna to hafta kick yours?"
"Violence isn't necessary," Sub-Zero answered, "you merely have something I need, a simple scroll worth nothing to you."
"Hey man, don't tell me what's worthless to me," she shot back, disgusted. "Tell you what, since I'm in a hurry, you can have it."
She reached behind her and pulled something from her belt, the wooden box that held the rolled up paper and tossed it to the ninja.
Sub-Zero threw it to the side a second after catching it. "Do you think I'm a fool?"
The box tumbled open and revealed itself to be empty, far too light-weight to have had it's contents in place.
"Actually, yeah I do," she casually answered, trying to see his face but noticing the visor on his helmet was mirrored. "You want the damn thing, you're gonna hafta beat me down to get it."
"Fine!"
The ninja stepped forward, poised to attack. He was surprised when Sarah Lean took the initiative and threw a kick at his head, but not so shocked that he couldn't guard and fight back. The thought had never crossed his mind before, but Art Lean was a renowned martial artist so it stood to reason his sister would have picked up a few moves.
But Sarah wasn't her brother, and as much as she could fight, it didn't take her long to realize that her opponent was more skilled then she was. She defended herself as much as possible, her inexperience keeping her from noticing any opening in her assailant's technique.
But she wasn't totally inexperienced. Taking a chance, she looked for the biker to throw a punch and dived back the instant she saw it coming. In what looked like a reverse handspring, she balanced on her hands and kicked her feet up, sending her boots into her assailant's chin.
Sub-Zero staggered back, his helmet lost from the impact. It clanked onto the ground a few feet behind him, and as Sarah went on an offensive, he almost tripped over it stepping back.
The scar running from the right side of his forehead down through his eye caught Sarah's attention long enough for her punch to come out sloppy. The ninja caught her arm and held it, trying to force her down. She pushed against him but he simply had more strength. With her other hand, she reached for her back again, this time pulling her gun.
But Sub-Zero wasn't going to be deterred. He released a hand from her arm and took a hold of her wrists before she could take aim.
"Why is it so important to you," he demanded.
"Because my brother took one look at it and left. I haven't heard from him for days."
She pulled back and kicked him in the midsection, breaking his hold. The Lin Kuei prepared to attack again.
But a siren took his attention and prompted him to whirl around. He either hadn't done a thorough enough job of freezing the cops earlier, or concerned citizens had seen the brawl and called themselves.
"Shit!" Sarah cursed. Her car was too far to get to before they got to her. She glanced behind herself. Her pursuer's motorcycle, on the other hand, was in a perfect position. She wasn't quite ready to give in, however.
He wasn't blind to the situation himself. He turned back to her. "I'll make a deal, give me the scroll and I'll get you out of here."
She hmphed at him, having waited for him to say it first so she could haggle. "Uh-uh, you get me outta here, I share. I'm not giving it up."
Sub-Zero took another look at the proximity of their antagonists. He wasn't in the bargaining position after that, and no matter what, he had a mission to accomplish.
"Spare helmet's on the side," he answered, dashing forward and grabbing his own headgear from the ground. Sarah was pulling her's on by the time he jumped on the bike. His hand had shoved the key into the ignition before he was sitting down.
"I don't suppose you have some kind of idea on how to get away?"
"Lean to your left," the ninja answered, pushing the throttle as far as it would go. A busier street was just ahead and it would be easy to get lost in it if they didn't have pursuers right behind them.
"Talk about reckless driving," Sarah felt a need to comment as her newfound companion took his eyes off the road and looked behind them, her leaning allowing him to do so. He raised his arm. "If we smash something I'll… I'll…"
Sarah found herself stuttering off as particles of ice formed and swirled around his hand. Sub-Zero let it gather and gather, much longer then earlier. When he blasted the ice out, it coated the entire width of the road behind them for fifteen feet.
Sarah broke out of her stupor and looked ahead. "Hey!"
He jerked around and found a car heading right for them, but not close to the point where they would collide. Sub-Zero turned back into the right lane that he had drifted from and kept an eye on one of his mirrors.
It couldn't have worked out better if it was rigged. The car they'd almost hit touched the ice and skidded from one end as the cops hit the other. Both slammed into each other and came to a dead halt.
"What the hell," was all a dumbfounded Sarah could mutter.
---
William Boyd wasn't a stupid man. He knew that some things were to be feared no matter what, and only a fool would deny that emotion in a circumstance where fear could make one alert and cautious.
Fear could be a lifesaver.
He contemplated how many, many years ago it had saved his own life. That day was fresh in his memory as he read and re-read the scroll in his hands. The wooden box he had found it in lay on his desk.
His memory replayed the scene of decades ago, when he had been given one of these very items by the post office, as the mailman had told him there was a package too big for delivery waiting for him.
He still had it buried deep in a closet under other memorabilia. He knew if he went and dug for it, it would be in the exact same condition as when he'd put it away. He'd tried to burn it first, but it wouldn't ignite.
He should have known better.
But he knew better when he turned down the invitation to Mortal Kombat. In recent years, he kicked himself for being such a coward back then. But he didn't want to die. He knew the tournament he had been invited to ended up being Shang Tsung's ninth straight victory. He assumed the recent tournament had actually been won by the Earth warriors, else he wouldn't be standing here now.
And here was his worst fear, one he never even knew he had, come to fruition. Johnny Cage had been like the son he never had when he took him as a pupil. He taught his student everything he knew, and was pleasantly surprised when Johnny began acting.
Not once had it ever crossed his mind that Johnny would be invited to the next tournament. And he was mentally abusing himself for that foolishness. How could he not see it coming? Johnny was at least as good as he was and if he was deserving of an invitation, then Johnny certainly was too.
But if he was killed…
The scroll flew from his hands as the doorbell rang. Boyd closed his eyes and leaned back his chair. "You're getting to damn old for this," he said to himself.
The doorbell rang again, reminding him of what had shocked him in the first place. Boyd threw the scroll back onto the desk in contempt, not caring that one end was rolling at a curve. The doorbell rang again as he made his way to the living room of the small apartment. Boyd had an above average income, but he never felt like he needed a large place to live. The sight that greeted him upon opening the door was a well-built black man, decked out in military field gear. It didn't give him the largest sense of comfort, since military men weren't the only ones equipped for military actions.
"Are you William Boyd?"
"Yeah, that's me," Boyd answered, pulling off his glasses. "Can I help you?"
"Major Jackson Briggs, US Special Forces. Could I have a moment of your time?"
"Of course," the old man answered, stepping outside rather then letting him in. "How can I help you?"
"I'll be quick," the man assured, pulling out a folded piece of paper from his pocket and handing it to Boyd. "I recognized Johnny Cage's name and came to you from that. This mean anything to you?"
The old martial artist looked at it. The Western Union logo flashed in a corner. It was a telegram, a rather inexpensive one at that.
* * *
To: Major Jackson Briggs, US Special Forces
CO: Order of Light/Raiden
Jax,
Need your help fast. Come to China. Look for Johnny Cage or Liu Kang if you can't find me.
---Sonya
* * *
It implied that Johnny was alive, if nothing else. It also meant a little more then Boyd was going to let on.
"I know where the Order of Light is in China, that's about all I recognize," he answered, careful to mention that specific fact.
"I see. Would you tell me?"
He thought about it. He could always go himself no matter what, but something seemed odd about the situation. Mortal Kombat was over. Earth had won, yet the Order of Light was sending a distress call for an army officer who knew Johnny? Going with someone who was looking for a friend of Johnny's logically increased his chance for success of finding anything.
"Will you let me go with you?"
"Mr. Boyd, you're a civilian, if…"
"Major Briggs, I know absolutely nothing intricate about the military, but I do know that you, showing up on my doorstep alone like this, is not normal. This tells me you are either not who you say you are or you're acting of your own volition. Either way, my being a civilian shouldn't really matter."
"Mr…"
"That's the deal major, take me and I'll take you there."
Jax sighed, his shoulders slumping. He hated this, spending his so-called leave looking for Sonya didn't bother him but having to do it without the SF's help was aggravating. And now this.
"Mr. Boyd," he started, making sure his tone indicated that Boyd's proposal was absolutely out of the question. "I assure you it would be no problem for me to find where this Order of Light is, but you were on my way to China and it would save me a lot of time if you would tell me yourself."
"I see," the martial artist answered, his own voice not betraying his realization that plan A hadn't worked. He reached into his pocket and pulled a pair of sunglasses. "And how would you plan on asking them where your friend is?"
"Excuse me?"
"The Order of Light is made up entirely of an Asian population, Major. Not to say they have no sophistication, but unless you know Chinese, they aren't going to understand a word you're saying. And I just happen to know Chinese."
Boyd slipped on his sunglasses again so the dark lenses would cover is eyes. He was blatantly lying and he didn't want Jax to pick up on it. Everyone in the Order of Light could speak Chinese and English, at least, to say nothing of the professional translators of the world.
But then, they weren't free.
"Alright Mr. Boyd, you have yourself a deal," Jax conceited, wondering what he was getting himself into and deciding he didn't want to know for as long as possible. Ignorance was bliss, after all. "How long will it take you to pack?"
"Five seconds," he answered, going back into his apartment. Jax waited for those five seconds as Boyd reached under his bed and pulled the suitcase he kept packed for just such an occasion. After flinging on a leather jacket and shoving the scroll inside his pocket, he turned off the lights, locked the door, and followed Jax downstairs and to a running van.
"So, what's the airline of choice?" Boyd asked as Jax drove.
"Military cargo transport that, lucky us, is going to China and doesn't have a full load."
"Well, at least it's free."
"Yeah," Jax chuckled. "Like you."
Well, that worked better then I thought, Boyd smiled.
"But I'm afraid the in-flight movies leave something to be desired," Jax sighed. "This is going to be interesting…"
---
NEXT: [Dunno what the title is yet, sorry :P}