Chapter 2
Several Beautiful Beginnings, or
Thrice An Eye To Hang By
For a place where, every five decades, dozens of fighters from dozens of different realms and cultures came to either prevent or cause the destruction of a world by participating in brutal death matches, Shang Tsung's Island was fairly pleasant.
The temperature was enjoyably warm; not scorching or humid. The beach where they arrived had fine, smooth sand. The fauna was luscious and varied. It was a shame, in Liu Kang's opinion, that they would have to degrade this peaceful beauty with their presence. On the way to the opening ceremony, he'd shared his thoughts with Lord Raiden, who straightaway made it clear that so long as the tournament was held in Earthrealm, he didn't really care. Although Kang would have to agree, the response still made him feel a bit dejected. The god must have noticed, for he promptly added that it was a shame, but a necessary evil nonetheless.
As the contestants slowly gathered around the arena by the courtyard, the host with his entourage entered the stage on the opposite side. Kang's eyes immediately landed on one of the young women.
She was dressed in a sky blue halter-neck dress with a short skirt, simple except for the light patterns in silver thread, paired with detached sleeves that left her upper arms bare. The outfit was completed by a matching veil. Despite half of her face being obscured, one could not deny her loveliness: delicate features accompanied by a slender frame; a fair complexion contrasted by a mane of inky locks. Her posture was graceful and dignified, causing her to appear unquestionably regal.
Completely transfixed, Kang didn't see that Raiden had stopped walking; he was roused out of his reverie when he collided with the Thunder God's back.
"What are you doing?" Raiden asked in an irritated tone as he twirled around.
"Sorry, I was just…" Kang trailed off whilst looking at the stage. "Who is she?" he asked.
"Who?"
"Her! In the blue dress!"
"Oh. Her. That's Kitana, Crown Princess of Outworld," Raiden said.
"She's beautiful…"
"She's also the enemy."
"Do you think she'll be fighting…?"
"…are you in heat?"
Realizing what he'd said, Kang's cheeks flushed. He promptly lowered his gaze.
"No!" he said. "I'm just… analyzing enemy forces!"
Raiden snorted.
"Mmhmm. Right," he said, clearly unconvinced. "Well, whatever. As long as you keep it outside the arena. You'll need your concentration when you're fighting."
Kang grunted in response, face still red and eyes stubbornly glued to his feet. Not until he could confirm that Raiden's attentions were set elsewhere did he dare look up again.
Kitana. It sounded familiar. Quickly he remembered that he'd heard he name before, when Raiden briefed him on Outworld and its key people a few weeks prior. So that was Shao Kahn's daughter. To think that someone so stunning could be related to a complete monster.
And if she was the Princess, in that case, he presumed, the similarly veiled girl in the throne farthest to the right must be Mileena. Her hair was shorter and she was clad in a deep magenta colored dress with long, loose sleeves, bare shoulders, and black details.
Unlike her sister, Princess Mileena sported a cleavage – a deep one. Her dress was also obviously shorter, with a slit up one thigh. To add to the contrast, instead of sharing Princess Kitana's poised and proper manner, Princess Mileena sat slumped in her chair with one elbow propped upon the armrest and her cheek in her palm, visibly bored out of her mind. However, despite their differences there was no question that they were indeed sisters, although Princess Mileena did have a lot more to brag about involving both hips and bust. In truth, the revealing dress that barely covered said curves, together with the fact that she was obviously the younger one – mid-teens as opposed to Princess Kitana's early twenties, he guessed – made her quite uncomfortable to look at. Kang swiftly averted his eyes to the last woman, who stood behind Princess Kitana.
She was taller, with a darker complexion, pitch-black hair tied back, and more noticeable muscle. Her attire consisted of tight long pants, slim boots, and gloves. Everything was in black, except for a snug, dark green vest with golden accents and a corresponding mask hiding her lower face.
Jade – Kang identified her as – the Princesses' bodyguard. That, coupled with the much more practical outfit, might mean that she would be participating.
Between the Princesses sat a graying old man in a long robe decorated by golden flames and black snakes – Shang Tsung. He wasn't coming across nearly as intimidating as Kang had been told. Of course, old was seldom the same thing as harmless.
Behind Princess Mileena – mirroring Jade's position – stood a truly hideous being. Burly and standing somewhat hunched with pasty skin and tusks so enormous they couldn't be contained within its mouth. How he could successfully eat or even speak, Kang did not know. In any case, it could be nothing but a Tarkatan. If Kang recalled correctly, it was Baraka, one of Shao Kahn's foremost enforcers.
He if anyone would fight – no doubt about it.
"Kombatants!"
Shang Tsung had risen from his chair; with a complacent face and his arms outstretched in a dramatic gesture, he spoke with a rough, croaky voice.
"I, Shang Tsung, greet you all most cordially. It is my great honor to be your host, which I this time share with the Princesses of Outworld themselves!"
Kang stole another glance at Princess Kitana. She was attentively listening to Shang Tsung's speech, sitting straight-backed but relaxed, occasionally beholding the masses. And then her gaze fell on him.
She must have felt him watching her, for her head snapped in his direction without warning. Kang started when she did, quickly looking away even though he knew he'd reacted too slowly and that she'd already caught him gawking at her. Mortified, he fixed his eyes on Shang Tsung again, trying to fight the heat that spread over his face. He kept stubbornly staring at the old man for what he thought must've been several minutes, before allowing himself to watch the Princess from the corner of his eye.
She was still looking in his direction. Actually, no, she was still looking at him.
Kang carefully set his sights back on her. She didn't seem upset with him for blatantly staring; her face had the same soft expression as before. By the way her cheeks appeared to have risen slightly, it almost gave the impression she was smiling behind the veil.
So, Kang did what any respectable person would have done in his situation, and sent a stiff wave her way. Her eyebrows shot up in surprise. Kang sincerely wished the matches would begin soon so that someone could put him out of his misery.
Princess Kitana shifted in her chair – took a quick look to the left, to the right – before she hastily lifted her hand and waved back.
Kang blinked, dumbfounded. Then he noticed himself beaming. He bashfully tried to contain his reaction, but simply couldn't. On the other end of the arena, Princess Kitana quivered with silent amusement. She brought up one hand to brush at her bangs, and peered over at him, locking their eyes together. Even at the current distance, he could tell they were dark and surrounded by thick lashes.
"Liu Kang."
Kang almost jumped at the sound of his name. Raiden was looking daggers at him, eyes ominously shadowed by the brim of his hat. Kang hesitated before sheepishly turning to the god, shoulder drawn up to his ears.
"Ehm… Yes?"
"Pay attention!"
"Yes sir!"
He turned back to the podium, standing erect, head steadily directed at Shang Tsung. Next to the still talking sorcerer, Princess Kitana was laughing again.
"…the most important Mortal Kombat to date! This tournament, the tenth after nine Outworld victories, will determine Earthrealm's fate." Shang Tsung's eyes hung over the fighters, having become much crueler than when he started speaking. "If you defeat all of your opponents, you will face one final challenge – me."
A loud snorting sound erupted from a few meters away from them. A blond, well-built man, wearing sunglasses and a tux that would have been better suited at a gala of some kind, was clasping his hand in front of his mouth, doing his best to keep the hysterics at bay.
"Oh, please excuse me," he said, without any remorse in his intonation, when he became aware of everyone's eyes on him. "I didn't mean to interrupt. Please continue, Mr. Final Challenge."
Kang's jaw dropped.
"Lord Raiden," he whispered. "Is that Johnny Cage?"
"Indeed it is," Raiden said.
"Why is he here?"
"I invited him."
"What? Why? Surely, you don't think that-"
Kang cut himself off when Raiden cleared his throat indignantly. The Thunder God was looming over the young monk, eyes dangerously narrowed.
"Do you doubt my judgement, Liu Kang?"
His own eyes widening, Kang took an instinctive step back.
"N-no! Of course I don't!"
Raiden's glare lingered on him, dissecting his facial expression as if trying to conclude whether he was lying, before the god's face lit up.
"Good!" he said, finally straightening up and backing away. He returned his attention to the stage, inclining his head as a suggestion for Kang to do the same.
On the podium, Shang Tsung snickered affably.
"You are confident, Mr. Cage. But I advise you to be careful; appearances can be deceiving." The sorcerer took a few steps back to seat himself on his throne. "Our first kombatant for day one will be Johnny Cage!"
Cage laughed as he strode out onto the arena.
"Oh yeah, that's right!"
"And fighting on behalf of Outworld…" Shang Tsung paused momentarily, his manner self-assured. "Reptile!"
A tall, lean figure materialized from the shadows and stepped into the ring. Silent and graceful, he took his place opposite the actor, fastening his yellow gaze upon him.
The Saurian…
The last one, they said.
With the dull, green scales, sharp talons, and slit eyes staring intently he already looked intimidating enough without suddenly emerging out of thin air. It seemed that Johnny Cage agreed, standing stunned and slack-jawed. But then he reverted back to the cocky grin from before, actually coming across as more eager to fight than earlier.
"Alright!" he said, cracked his knuckles, and rolled back his shoulders. Reptile emitted a small growl as he assumed a fighting stance. Shang Tsung looked between the two, a hand raised towards them.
"Fight!"
Reptile leapt, claws extended and ready – probably to end things quickly by ripping the actor's throat out or something equally gruesome – when Cage glid forward, glowing with a greenish aura, and placed a kick square in his opponent's thorax. The Saurian was sent flying off the stage and crashed into the structure at the far end.
The seconds that followed were deathly quiet as everyone gaped at the scene before them… until Cage laughed triumphantly and boxed the air in front of him. Kang's mouth hung open; his eyes must have been the size of saucers when he glimpsed up at a smug-looking Raiden.
Far to the right Reptile rose from the heap of debris, snarling. Cage turned to the Saurian with a buoyant expression, boldly beckoning to him with his hand. Reptile answered by unhinging his jaw and spitting a large droplet of nauseating green slime at the actor, who just barely brought his arm up to block.
"Yeow!"
Cage yelped as he trashed about before managing to rip off his suit jacket and throw it to the ground, where the acidic fluids quickly ate it. Cage grimaced at the display.
"That," he said whilst giving Reptile a pointed look, "was Italian silk. Costs $2,000. Just FYI."
He charged up his right hand with the same greenish energy from before and threw the "energy ball" at Reptile. The Saurian dodged, nimbly vaulting towards Cage until he was close enough to slice at him with his claws. Cage stepped back, but still received a long gash on his upper arm, and another smaller on his cheek.
Hissing in pain, Cage hit Reptile in the face. The uppercut caused the Outworlder to stagger before regaining his balance; he quickly spun around to kick Cage's torso. He delivered two quick blows to the actor's face, and was ready to slice at his legs when Cage thrust his knee into Reptile's chin and elbowed him in the face. Reptile produced the same acidic slime in his hand and tried hitting Cage in the chest, but Cage shirked. Neither of them were seemingly able to outmatch the other.
And then Cage went into a split and punched Reptile in the groin.
Kang felt his nether regions twisting as he involuntarily sucked in air through his teeth. Among the spectators, muffled winces and groans could be heard (and possibly a few stifled sniggers as well).
Reptile, standing doubled over, trembled as he forced his head up to growl feebly at the actor.
Cage merely smiled as he got up, took a stance, and somersaulted backwards in a tauntingly flashy manner. He kicked Reptile in the chin, sending him flying and landing with a thump.
He wriggled on the ground, attempted to rise one more time… and collapsed on the stone arena as his arms finally gave in.
Cage stood ready for a few seconds. When it was certain his opponent was not getting up again any time soon, he started cheering proudly.
"You just got Caged, my friend!" he crooned, pointing at his opponent.
On his throne at the podium, Shang Tsung smiled.
"Yes," he said in a honeyed voice. "Very well done. And now…" He looked over at Reptile's unmoving, but still conscious, form, a tranquil fury flickering in his otherwise cold eyes. "Finish him."
Cage ceased his self-celebration within an instant, turning to give the old man an odd stare.
"Ah, excusez-moi, but when you say 'finish', do you mean as in 'kill'?" Cage asked, squinting at the sorcerer over his sunglasses.
"Yes!" Shang Tsung said impatiently. "Do it now!"
Cage looked one last time at the immobile Saurian; then he laughed, a short, snorting chuckle.
"Pfft, no way! I'm not killing anyone!" he said whilst slowly walking backwards to his spot in the crowd. "Do it yourself, Lo Pan."
Shang Tsung seethed on his throne, eyes narrowed into thin creases. He gestured to the guards below him, and then begun to announce the next match while they hurried up to the arena to drag Reptile away.
Kang spotted Johnny Cage, who had returned to stand among the spectators. He was pressing his hand against his cheek, his face contorted, muttering something inaudible.
To his left Raiden was still smiling contentedly, seeming pleased with the course of events, and in all probability with himself as well.
Lastly, he allowed himself another of view of Princess Kitana, over at the podium.
Her eyes were closed; she was breathing deeply with one hand clenched into a fist and pressed against her breast, against her heart. From behind, Jade inconspicuously laid one hand on the Princess's shoulder to squeeze it in what seemed to be a comforting manner. She leaned down to whisper something, to which Princess Kitana slowly nodded. Straightening her back, she removed her hand and opened her eyes to continue watching the second match as serenely and regally as she had the first one.
Close to seven hours and more than a dozen fights later, Shang Tsung stood to proclaim the first day of the tournament officially over. During this time, Kang hadn't been called to move from his place at Raiden's side – which meant that he would have to wait until the next day. He wasn't sure if the wait was preferable.
A few fights had been horribly unbalanced, ending in seconds by one opponent pretty much pulverizing the other. Most of them had been fairly even, however, and by the end of the day, Earthrealm had almost as many wins as Outworld did. Raiden still looked to be in a pleasant mood too, so Kang figured things were boding well.
The Thunder God put one hand on Kang's shoulder in order to steer him forward in the swarm of people that were beginning to dissipate and move away from the arena. Some of them paused to send quick signs, bows, and greetings their way. Kang wondered how many people Raiden had taught and mentored in anticipation to the tournament. Before he could ask, they abruptly stopped walking.
The sun set at least half an hour prior, but Johnny Cage was nonetheless wearing his sunglasses. He had discarded the tie, though, and rolled up his shirtsleeves, probably to treat the cut on his arm.
"Hey! Sweet hat!" he said, grinning at Raiden.
Kang scowled at the brazenness, but decided not to say anything when Raiden didn't seem to mind.
"Thank you, Mr. Cage. You fought well."
Cage mouth dropped open, and he slowly pulled off his glasses. Kang was surprised he actually had eyes.
"I recognize that voice! You're the guy on the phone! You never said anything about killing!"
"My apologies," Raiden said wryly. "But I couldn't risk you not showing up."
"Yeah? Why not?"
"Because all of Earthrealm is at risk!" Kang blurted out.
Cage looked down at him in a manner that said he didn't notice him standing there until now.
"What."
"This tournament was created by the Elder Gods as a means for earth to defend itself. If we lose this, the whole world will be conquered by Outworld."
"The Elder what?"
Kang gave Raiden an exasperated look.
"Ancient immortal beings," the god said. "Nearly omnipotent. Outworld's ruler, Shao Kahn, has long tried to merge his realm with ours, which only can be done after ten successive wins in Mortal Kombat. This will be the tenth win, unless we do something."
Cage stood, arms crossed and silently tapping his folded up sunglasses against his brachium. After a few moments, he nodded.
"So… As long as we survive this whole debacle, we'll be safe?"
"Yes," Raiden said.
"I didn't think you'd believe us this quickly," Kang admitted.
Cage snorted as he slid the sunglasses back on.
"Kiddo; when I was six, I nearly made my mom go bald while braiding her hair because this happened," he said and lifted his hand for them to see, which right away blazed up with green.
Kang mumbled incoherently and shuffled his feet. That had been a pretty stupid assumption, hadn't it?
"Also, I just kicked around a lizard-dude that spat acid at me."
A really, really stupid assumption.
Raiden stepped between them, a hand on each of their shoulders.
"Well. Why don't you two acquaint yourself some more – I have a few things to take care of," he said and briskly left. Before Kang could call any objections after him, he'd disappeared into the mass together with a tall man with long, dark hair put up in a ponytail.
Kang sighed, defeated. Cage slung one arm over his shoulder with a grin.
"So, kiddo. You know a lot about all this, huh?"
Kang glared up at him.
"Don't call me a kid! I'm 22 years old! My name is Liu Kang."
"Alright then, Liu Kang. I'm going to have a look around this place. You in?"
Kang hesitated. It was late, and he was to fight the next day. He needed to be well rested.
"Come on!" Cage said. "You've seen this place, right?"
"I guess…" he said. As soon as he did, Cage grabbed him by his wrist and dragged him away.
They went downhill the same path they'd gone up earlier that day, continuing almost all the way to the beaches. Occasionally they stopped to take a closer look at the fauna, the old temples, and statues that in all probability were spread out everywhere on the island, some of them more downtrodden than others. Cage made conversation the entire time, frequently making observations on how much of the property reminded him of other stuff. Mostly it was of sets where he'd filmed and resorts he'd visited, but a few comments regarding his childhood home in California kept popping up every now and again.
It was right after they exited the Shrine of Warriors (where Cage had gotten visually impressed when Kang knew both the name of the monument as well as some of the people depicted therein) when Cage finally paused for breath, and directed his full attention to Kang.
"What about you?" he asked. "Where are you from?"
"Central China," Kang said, and, because it didn't seem enough for Cage who kept curiously looking at him, added, "I grew up in a monastery."
Cage hummed.
"Monks aren't supposed to get busy, right?"
"No," Kang said with a smile. "My parents died when I was two."
"Oh! Um… I'm sorry."
Kang shrugged lightly.
"I don't really remember anything about them. The monks have been my family for as long as I know. My cousin's parents died as well – it was a car crash – so we grew up together, like brothers."
Cage gazed up at the sky contemplatively.
"I haven't got any siblings. What's it like?"
"It's fun, I guess. You never have to be alone." Kang quieted for a short while before asking: "What's it like to have parents?", to which Cage chuckled.
"It's okay. My mom is a violinist in an orchestra. My dad's an accountant; wanted me to become one too. Can you imagine his disappointment when I said I wanted to act?" Cage pretended to grasp a pair of invisible lapels, pulled down the corners of his mouth into a comically exaggerated grimace, and spoke with a droning tone. "'Son, you must see this acting business will never get you anywhere in life.'" He grinned broadly, indicating to himself and his ruined $2,000 suit. "And as you can see, I've led a very hard life."
Kang giggled. He realized he'd been wrong about the actor. Sure, he did talk a lot, and mostly about himself, but Kang found himself liking Johnny anyway.
"Mom was more supportive," he said, smiling fondly. "I remember this one time when I was eight: she'd been hired to play during a local rendition of Peter Pan, and we got free tickets for the opening night."
"Was that what made you want to become an actor?" Kang guessed rather than asked.
Johnny laughed heartily. "How did you know?"
Kang made a gesture of uncertainty and was ready to ask what Johnny's father thought of his choice of career nowadays, when Johnny grabbed hold of his shoulder.
"Hey, do you know what that is?" he asked, pointing over at a stone bridge suspended between two triangular pillars that rose out of the mountain. Kang rummaged through his memory as he considered the landscape.
"I think it's the Pit," he said. "There's supposed to be spikes and rivers of blood on the bottom of it."
"Nice!"
To reach the bridge they had to find an entrance farther down the mountain and walk up a long flight of stairs. Inside the hollowed out rock there was also a passageway going to the left and – by the looks of it – around to the other side. Another staircase led underground – possibly to the depths of the pit, possibly somewhere else. Kang preferred not to think about it, hoping the stairs wouldn't branch out as they moved upward. The very notion of getting lost didn't even seem to enter Johnny's mind, however, for he marched on without apprehension, using long strides that required Kang to jog in order to keep up.
And it turned out for him to be right not to worry when the pale moonlight became visible just up ahead and they arrived safely on the top.
They were just going to exit the mountain when Johnny came to an abrupt halt, and Kang nearly collided with a second back that night.
"Heeeelloooo…" the actor said. Craning his neck to see over his shoulder, Kang got a view of a tall, young woman standing on the bridge, looking at her wristwatch.
She had long blond hair pulled back into a low ponytail, and was dressed in black cargo pants, a black shirt, combat boots, and what seemed to be a bulletproof vest. It was plain she was on edge; her face had a strained expression and her posture was rigid.
"It's the hottie from before!"
"Huh?"
"She stood beside me earlier tonight, but she disappeared near the end," Johnny said and began walking towards her, when Kang seized his arm in an attempt to pull him back. "What?"
"Umm…" Kang looked over at the vexed woman, visibly struggling not to scream out into the night, and frowned. "I don't think that's a good idea."
"C'mon! You'll be my wingman!"
"I really don't-" Kang said, cutting himself off when Johnny strode forward. In spite of his reservation, the monk hesitantly followed.
"Blade to Command; do you read? Come on!" the woman said, frustration coating her inflection as it got louder. Kang heard a cracking erupt from her wrist as they came closer. When a muted and slightly distorted reply came from it, he understood the watch was in fact a communicator of some kind.
"…hear you, Blade, but… breaking up… status?"
"No sight of Kano yet, and Jax is missing. We need immediate backup, and possibly evac."
"Understood… coordinates… nothing… island's gone…"
"What? How the hell-"
"…tried triangulating… no island nearby…"
"Just lock onto my wrist comm.!"
"…signal is vague… all over the place… impossible…"
The radio crackled ominously before falling completely silent. The woman called out again, but when it became obvious that she'd get no response she snarled at the device before shutting it off and buried her head in her hands.
Johnny cleared his throat.
"Need help? I happen to specialize in rescuing damsels in distress," he said as he sent her a dazzling smile.
The woman glared at him, her eyes so bright blue you wouldn't think them capable of looking so angry.
"You again," she said with a sneer. "Look, I'm having a situation here. I'm not in the mood for any bullshit."
"I'm not going to offer any," Johnny said, confidence never faltering. "Girl like you shouldn't be wandering around all alone, you know."
She gave him a hard stare, shook her head and turned to leave, but Johnny quickly caught her wrist.
"I'm serious, baby, you-"
She whirled around, yanked her hand back and pointed her finger in his face, sizzling with anger.
"Don't call me 'baby'!"
Johnny held up his hands apologetically, just one the verge of saying something when Kang felt he needed to interrupt.
"M-ma'am, there's no point calling for help, the barrier won't let anyone through…"
He trailed off. The woman's head twisted to him, her eyes widening a little bit. Kang suspected she hadn't become aware of his presence until just now.
"No one will get on the island, and we can't get off… not until the tournament is over," he said quietly. "That's why you're having problems with your…" He pointed to her wrist communicator.
She stared at him for a few seconds, then shut her eyes tightly and took a deep breath.
"Just… What the fuck is all this?"
"Um, Mortal Kombat. Earth's last chance of freedom before Shao Kahn merges it with Outworld."
She blinked several times; then looked over at Johnny.
"I didn't know until an hour ago either," he told her cheerfully.
More silence went by as she looked between them, perhaps waiting for someone to shout a belated "April fools". When they didn't, she brought one hand up to rub her eyes tiredly.
"So what that old guy said before is…"
"True," Kang said, nodding for emphasis.
"Okay," she said. "That'll have to be dealt with. But first I have to find my C.O."
She snapped to Johnny, pointing at him again just as he opened his mouth.
"Alone! You go do whatever you like, but don't follow me!"
Slowly she walked backwards, eyeing them warily, until she reached the opening in the rock that Johnny and Kang came through minutes prior, where she swiveled around and departed into the darkness.
Johnny folded his arms as he watched her leave. When she'd been gone for just about ten seconds, he turned to Kang.
"Let's follow her!"
Kang gave him a look of disbelief. "But she just said-"
"Liu!" Johnny said, gripping Kang's shoulders tightly. "She clearly has no idea what's going on yet. I don't know yet. She'll need us."
"Well…"
"You wouldn't want to be walking around this freak show alone, at night, right?"
Kang contemplated the actor's words, chewing his lip and taking in the peaked mountain with the murky entrance. He ran a hand down his face and sighed.
"Okay… Let's go."
She hadn't gotten far; while they couldn't see her, they did hear her footsteps echoing below. Kang felt his heart sink when, instead of exiting the mountain, the woman continued underground. That flight of stairs was far longer than the one going up; the discomfort grew within Kang with each step. It seemed like an eternity had passed when they finally made it to the narrow hallway on the bottom. On the other end, the warm flames of torches shone like minuscule dots in the distance. With Johnny still in the lead, they slowly crept forward to it, peeking out of the shadows.
It was a dungeon. Bulky iron bars in front of cavities in the walls made for crude cells. Remains of different creatures hung from the ceiling in shackles. The air was humid, the smell of body fluids and decay biting.
In the middle of the chamber was the blonde woman, with her back towards Johnny and Kang, standing akimbo while scrutinizing her surroundings.
She groaned as she brought up her hands to knead at her temples.
"I told you to stay away!"
The breath caught in Kang's throat. He and Johnny exchanged quick glances; for a second, a fleeting hint of alarm came over Johnny's face. Then he plastered on his usual grin and stepped out into the open.
"Did you? I must have missed it due to your deafening beauty."
She glowered at him, teeth gritted, fists clenched. Kang trod forth to stand in-between them.
"You really shouldn't be here," he said.
The woman cried out in exasperation. "I've had it! I don't want your help! Will you get that into your thick skulls?"
Kang looked back at Johnny, silently asking what to do next. Johnny opened his mouth, but all that came out was a shocked "Oof!" as something seized the neck of his shirt and hauled him back into the dark corridor.
There was a thud, something heavy hitting the ground. The woman rushed up beside Kang, gun drawn and eyes attentively trained on the spot Johnny had been standing. After a moment without sound, a large shape stepped out of the shadows.
"'Ello, baby… Did you miss me?"
The man was huge, almost as big as Raiden. Metal covered the upper right side of his face, a mechanical eye illuminating his features with a disturbing red glow.
"Kano!" The woman spat out the word as if they physically hurt her. The giant laughed.
"In the flesh! So tell me… how're things at Command?"
"Bastard!" she screamed, aiming at his legs. Kano grinned.
"If you wanna threaten me, you should've removed the safety," he said before propelling himself at her, knocking her to the ground and raised his arm to hit her in the face. Just as his fist was about to land, Kang threw himself around his neck, pulling his arm back. Kano made a strangled growl.
"What do you think you're doin', flea?" he said, gripping Kang's head along with his shoulder and tearing him off. Kang flew to the side like a ragdoll and smacked into the bars of one of the cells. Gasping for air, his head throbbing, he saw the woman kick Kano off her. He was swiftly back on his feet, pulling out a knife that he began slashing at her with. She jumped back, kicked him in the ribs, punched him when he doubled over.
As he stumbled back, knife dropped, she did a handstand, grabbing Kano's torso with her legs and lifted him up in the air, then slammed him into the ground behind her.
Roaring, Kano got up again. A beam of red light shot from his eye, hitting her square in the chest. He brought forth another knife, holding the blade as if he was going to throw it, but was thwarted by a ball of green energy striking his face.
Behind them, Johnny was standing in the corridor's opening.
"Hey! Step away from the lady!"
Kano's eye lit up again. Kang saw his chance. Flinging himself forward, he kicked the brute in the stomach and head, then spun so his heel struck Kano's temple. He punched him rapidly three times, and climbed on top of him to kick him in the back of his head, making him tumble forward.
Johnny and the blonde ran up to them. She jumped forth, about to kick Kano again as he stood, when he grabbed her leg mid-air. Whirling around, he chucked her into Kang and Johnny, leaving them in a heap on the ground.
"Love to stay an' chat, darlin'," he huffed, backing away. "But I got business to take care of."
And with that, he scurried out of the dungeon, back to the staircase.
"Oh, no you don't!" she said, untangling herself from the men and sprinting after him.
"Does she ever give up?" Johnny asked while groaning as he and Kang followed suit.
Kang's head was still pounding; he saw colors and blinking lights dancing before his eyes. All his concentration went to drawing deep breaths and not tripping on the steps.
The cool night-air was like a punch to the face. The first thing Kang could make out after his vision cleared was the woman failing to strike Kano as his hands closed around her neck. He pressed her down on her knees, strangling her so viciously it made her whole body shake, and cackled like he was mad.
Kang didn't think, only leaped and kicked the huge man in the head. The woman fell to the floor, wheezing and coughing. Kano glared at Kang.
"Gettin' tired of you now," he grumbled, picked Kang up liked he weighed nothing, and tossed him over the edge.
At the last minute, Kang managed to grip one of the gigantic spikes that stuck out from under the bridge. Above him, he heard the scuffle continue. He tried to climb up, but could only dangle over the lethal trap on the bottom.
"Johnny!" he screamed, panic rising. "Help!"
"What?"
Johnny's head came into view over the border, his jaw dropping.
"Shit! Hold on, I'll just…" he said, lying down on his stomach and extending his arm to Kang, but the gap was too big.
In the background, the racket had subsided.
"What are you doing?" the woman asked, annoyed. She leaned over the side of the bridge, eyes widening. "Damn!"
She tried to reach as well, but her arm was even shorter than Johnny's.
The sweat poured down Kang's forehead. The palms of his hands were turning clammy; he started to slip.
"Do you have anything to pull him up with?" Johnny yelled.
"No! I don't… Wait! I know!"
Kang glimpsed down. He wasn't sure how long the drop was, but he'd be lucky if he only broke his legs on impact.
His hands slid down the spike. He screamed as he fell.
It felt as though his shoulder would pop out of its socket when he lurched to a stop. He looked up. The woman was hanging off the bridge with her upper body in the air, Johnny holding her legs so she wouldn't fall off. She tightened her grip around Kang's wrist.
"I've got you, kiddo!" she said, eyes burning triumphantly.
Kang only bobbed his head, dazed, whilst they pulled him up. Once he was back and safe on the bridge they all sunk to the ground, utterly wiped-out. Behind them, Kano lay face down on the stone.
"Thanks," Kang said between noisy inhales, looking at the woman. She lowered her gaze.
"Thanks yourself," she breathed out.
Johnny made a pained grunt as he stood up to straighten his back with a cracking sound.
"So," he said whilst jerking his head in the direction of the unconscious man. "Who's the Terminator?"
The woman massaged a bruise that had begun to form on her neck, and allowed Johnny to pull her off the ground when he offered his hand to her.
"Kano," she said. "Leader of the Black Dragon – arms dealers, mainly. He was also our informant. We didn't realize he'd fooled us until he'd gotten over a dozen of our men killed."
She looked behind Johnny, her face screwing up in fury. "Fuck!"
The spot where Kano had been lying was empty. Kang sighed.
"We can get him, no big deal," Johnny said unconvincingly, but the woman shook her head.
"No, it can wait. First I need to find my C.O."
"First you need some rest," Johnny said, peering at her face lined with fatigue.
"Yes please," Kang said weakly from the ground. Johnny chuckled.
"Alright, Liu. I got you…" he said and slung Kang's arm over his shoulder, in order to half-carry him off the bridge and to the courtyard where their accommodations were located.
"Liu… That's your name?" the woman asked as she walked beside them.
"Liu Kang," Kang said with a nod. "Hi."
Johnny started to introduce himself. "And I'm-"
"Superstar Johnny Cage; yes, I know," the woman said with a roll of her eyes. Then her features softened; she awarded them a thin smile.
"I'm Sonya Blade," she said, holding out her hand. "Nice to meet you."
Oh my god, what have I gotten myself into, writing fight scenes is so harrrrrd!
Anyway. Raiden is inspired a bit by the movies and a lot by the Conquest TV-series. Jeff Meek's Raiden is honestly my favorite.
I'm not really sure if I'm making Kano speak Australian, or simply "Thug". I'm not even sure there is a difference between them, har har har.
At the part where Raiden, Kang, and Johnny talk, I misspelled 'treat' as 'threat' at first. The reason I'm mentioning this (and the reason I found it so funny) is that I seriously and completely believe that threatening their injuries in order to make them heal is absolutely a thing people in the MK universe do.
By the way, I'm not nearly as well-versed in movie references as Johnny is, so expect them to be basic.
Thank you for reading, and please review. Positive or negative, it will be appreciated.
