The invasion on the Wu Shi Academy was considered by others to be successful. The Tarkatans were celebrating their conquest by eating and telling each other about the slaughter of the Shaolin Monks at the academy. Baraka even proclaimed himself to be more powerful than all of them because of his beating a mercenary named Jax. Reptile was near the main foyer when he heard the name. The same person who he saw beaten and injured at the prison cell he was guarding.
"You should have seen him," Baraka spoke. "He was tough, but not good enough to stand against a Tarkatan like me."
He then laughed while the others cheered. Then he caught sight of Reptile, who was staring at him with much jealousy and anger. All that he remembers is acting like a coward when guarding him, and hiding when Sonya had come to free him, not after beating Sub-Zero and Raiden.
"What are you looking at freak," Baraka proclaimed from the group of Tarkatans. "If you're as weak as you say you are, then why bother remaining here? You're nothing but a waste of time, and a coward. You're a disgrace to the name of Shao Kahn and of Outworld."
Baraka continued to reticule Reptile for not too long, for Reptile then began clawing at his face and then started to spit streams of acid at him. Baraka dodged the acid stream in time, but before he could strike back, he and Reptile were grabbed by Sheeva and were pulled apart from each other.
"ENOUGH OF THIS," she screamed, and the room became silent. "Do you both wish to continue this madness in the presence of our master, Shao Kahn? If you both value your lives, you'll stop this now."
When she finished, she let them both down and they soon parted ways. The Tarkatans gathered around Baraka, who had quietly said that he'll soon have Reptile's head. As for Reptile, he soon left the foyer and made his way towards Shang Tsung's laboratory. But he soon intervened by Sheeva, who stopped him midway and blocked him entry to the laboratory.
"What happened in there," she asked.
"It was nothing," he replied.
"I doubt it was. I overheard the entire 'conversation' you and Baraka had. Don't think that I haven't heard everything he said to you."
"He was always the bragging type, he and the rest of his goddamn race!"
"Insulting him back, and even trying to fight back, wouldn't change anything. It will only make the situation worse for you and for the rest of Outworld."
Reptile looked at her, but also continued to listen to her words. She ended repeating the quote she had said to him before about controlling his anger. But to him, it was a task that cannot be completed. He stood there, ashamed, while Sheeva continues to look downward to him. It felt like he was being judged for his character. He felt weak once more.
Sheeva caught on to what Reptile was feeling and soon approached him. She put her top arms on his shoulders and the bottom arms on his waist. Reptile looked to up to see her.
"Please Reptile, I'm only telling you this is because I care about you." These words would spark something inside him. Something that would forever change the way he would look upon others. "You must learn control. You must learn how to use it. You are yourself to manipulate, not the other way around."
But then, a bright light soon enveloped the hallway and Sheeva took her hands of Reptile. They both looked up and knew what had happened. Another Mortal Kombat challenge had been issued.
"So, it begins once again," Reptile said, after the light had died away. He looked to Sheeva, who had now started to walk away from him. But before he could ask her, he remembered that he was supposed to go Shang Tsung's lab. And so, he went.
Reptile arrived inside the lab. There tubes of water that were filled with what looks like poorly cloned Tarkatan females. Almost a lot of them are disfigured and a few of them look normal, but were soon labeled "to be terminated." He then went up to a table with one of the "normal" looking clones. It looked almost like Kitana, but with shorter hair and with sharp Tarkatan teeth. She was barely wrapped completely around her body, for it only covered minimal of her. He tried to look away, but knowing that he would always look upon Sheeva in her one piece, he had gotten used to seeing another almost naked.
Then he heard some screaming and cheering coming from the main foyer of the palace. It would have seemed that the Mortal Kombat challenge had already begun. But then he heard gargling coming from the clone body. It began to start fidgeting and flailing around, coughing blood all over its body. Reptile soon got it restrained to the table and it soon went dormant. Reptile then quickly ran to the main foyer to report what he had seen to Shang Tsung, who is no doubt hosting the second Mortal Kombat challenge with Shao Kahn.
When he arrived, he witnessed something that would make feel amused. He saw the aftermath of the first fight; Baraka and Jax were the first contestants, and to his surprise, Jax had beaten him to a pulp. The once "mighty" Baraka had fallen, even to his gesture of bragging about his victory at the Wu Shi Academy.
As Baraka was lifted to his feet, he and Reptile exchanged glances. Knowing Baraka, he would soon wipe the smile of Reptile's face, but walked away. Reptile reached Shang Tsung, who was about to call out the next fighter.
"What is it," he asked, almost impatient.
"Master, the clone began to act funny. It started to go crazy, but I had it restrained."
Shang Tsung then asked permission from Shao Kahn to continue the tournament another day, whom he granted, and then went to his lab, with Reptile following close behind.
After many hours, the subject was under control. Shang Tsung explained to Reptile that this Tarkatan-bred clone is named Mileena, and that he was ordered to create another daughter for Shao Kahn since he doesn't find Kitana useful for his purposes. Reptile looked upon her and sees nothing more but a worthless pile of flesh. But after helping Shang Tsung with the shipment of weapons that were delivered from Kano, and also losing in another fight, but by Smoke, he ends up looking after the clone body as punishment for his failure.
He then hears something from above and turns invisible. He walks into the tube aisles and waited for the person to come. He then sees that it was Kitana, the daughter of Shao Kahn. He was bit surprised to see her for the first time in this room. She looked a bit shocked when saw the clone of her Tarkatan counterpart, but then something else had surprised Reptile even more. Mileena had risen from the table, but didn't start going crazy like before. But Kitana was disgusted when Mileena asked to be part of her family, but Kitana retaliated against her and fought her off.
Reptile was about to strike back against the princess, but then he spotted Shang Tsung arriving inside. Kitana ended up taking him as her "guest" to explain what she witnessed to her father. Mileena then started to groan and Reptile turned visible to help her.
"Ugh, what the hell is her fucking problem?" She was still bruised, but she could still stand. "Why did she do that? Why did she try to kill me when I offered to be part of her family?"
"She was just… a bit surprised to see you, that's all." He tried his best to calm her down a bit. "I'm sure she'll learn to accept you one day."
"I doubt that she'll learn. I think she needs to be taught a lesson."
"Please Mileena, don't use your hatred to fight against your own kind. You may have different blood, but you still are related to her by family."
Mileena looked upon Reptile with deep admiration. She would've never expected to hear these sorts of words coming from warrior like him. The tissues on body then began to slowly slide off her body. Reptile tried to look away, but Mileena turned his head backed to her and removed his face plate.