Jessie stepped out on the other side, her eyes widening. She was standing on a military base, she quickly deduced from the soldiers all around. She reached into the pocket of her jacket, fumbling, as she got a cigarette out, and lit it, taking a deep drag. Raiden took her arm.
"Come on, she's around here somewhere." He said, leading her towards a building.
"Wait a minute. I gotta get myself together here a second. You're not jerking my chain, are you? I'm really about to meet The Sonya Blade?" She asked, like a kid asking if they were really going to Disney World for the first time. She puffed nervously on the cigarette, cracking Raiden up.
"Yes, you are about to meet Sonya Blade," Raiden said, laughing harder, as Jessie paced, puffing on the cigarette deeply, her hands literally shaking. Jessie could already feel herself becoming overwhelmed. She normally could care less what anyone thought of her. But this was different. This was standing face to face with her hero. The actual person the character was based on. Jessie suddenly felt like she was about to throw up, "Calm down, Jess. She's just a woman, just like you."
"Yeah, and Clark Kent is just a guy. Not like he's Superman or anything." Jessie said, dismissively, causing Raiden to laugh even harder.
"Oh, are you in for a rude awakening," He said, chuckling, as Jessie stomped out the cigarette, "Are you ready, Jessie?" He asked, still seeing the sheer panic in her eyes. Jessie nodded, slowly, as Raiden opened the door. They walked inside, and to the gym. They stood at a plate glass window, watching Lieutenant Sonya Blade pound a bag. Jessie was dumbfounded, unable to do anything but stare openmouthed, watching Sonya land punches and kicks on a bag. Sonya suddenly looked up, noticing the eyes on her. She frowned, wiping the sweat off her face with a towel, before walking out.
"Who's invading this time?" Sonya asked Raiden, raising an eyebrow at Jessie, who was frozen like a deer in headlights.
"And why does someone need to be invading for me to visit one of my favorite mortals?" He asked, as Jessie stared at Sonya. Sonya shifted, noticing the smaller girl's stare.
"Because that's usually the only time I see you." Sonya said, looking Jessie over, cautiously.
Jessie was so overwhelmed, she had to remind herself to breathe. There she was, the Sonya Blade. Not an actress, not a character, the real life flesh and blood Sonya Blade. Jessie had to remind herself to breathe, as seeing her hero standing mere feet away from her was more than her mind could handle. Oh, my God! It's really her! Oh, my God! It's really Sonya Blade. The Sonya Blade. Oh, God! Kept racing through her mind, any other thoughts muted for the moment.
"Not this time, Sonya. I have a favor to ask." Raiden said, chuckling, as he took Sonya's shoulder, leading her away from Jessie.
"What's up, Sparky?" Sonya asked, still watching Jessie.
"I need you to keep an eye on her," Raiden motioned towards Jessie, "for me."
"You're kidding. She's, like, catatonic. Does she speak?" Sonya asked, as Raiden laughed.
"Believe it or not, until about five minutes ago, I couldn't shut her up."
"What the hell is going on?" Sonya asked, angrily.
"She's in trouble." Raiden explained.
"I can see that. The poor girl looks like she's in shock."
"Oh, I'm certain she is." Raiden said, laughing, as Sonya's expression became worried.
"Is she bleeding? Does she need medical attention?" Sonya asked, as Raiden laughed.
"No, she's having a religious experience. She thinks she's in the presence of Jesus Christ." Raiden said, laughing harder, as Sonya began loosing her patience.
"If she's in trouble, why didn't you call the police? I do have cases going."
"Well, since they don't know I exist, that would be interesting to explain." Raiden answered, smirking.
"Well, you can't leave her with me. I'm in the middle of a case. Even if I wasn't, I'm nobody's babysitter."
"It's for a few days until I can find out what's going on."
"No good, Sparky. I'm about to go undercover."
"Oh, good. Then she can help." Raiden said, as Sonya looked at Jessie, rolling her eyes.
"I doubt it. The girl hasn't moved a muscle since I walked out here."
"Talk to her." Raiden said, calmly. Sonya shook her head, frustrated.
"You can't do this to me, Sparky. I don't have time for this!" She declared, as Raiden smiled.
"Make time, Sonya. You owe me." Raiden said, vanishing before she could protest further.
"Great," Sonya groaned, looking back at Jessie, before walking slowly over, "I guess we're both stuck. I'm Sonya Blade," I know! Jessie thought to herself, before Sonya continued, "And you are?"
"J . . .J . . .J." Jessie sputtered. She willed herself to speak, but it just wasn't happening. Come on, Jess. Say your name. It's your name! She mentally scolded herself, still unable to get more than a few sounds out.
"OK, your name is Juh?" Sonya asked, chuckling. Déjà vu! She thinks you're an idiot! Way to go, Jess. Jessie scolded herself again. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. Say something, you bumbling idiot!
"J . . . Jessie." Jessie finally got out. For a woman with a comeback for anything, speechless was something that rarely happened. Yet, she found herself barely able to form words, as Sonya gave her an annoyed look.
"OK, Jessie. I know you can walk. I saw you walk in. Follow me." Sonya said, walking down the hallway. Come on, Jess. You can do this. Walk. One foot in front of the other. Jessie slowly turned around, feeling like her knees were going to give out on her any second, as she shakily followed Sonya to a small break room, "Have a seat." Sonya said, sitting at a small table. Jessie sat down, her eyes still wide as saucers, "Are you OK? Do you need to go to the infirmary?"
"No . . . I'm . . . I'm OK," Jessie said, breathing deeply, "You're really . . . I mean you're . . . You're Sonya Blade." Jessie said, still not believing what she was seeing.
"Yeah, that what's my ID badge says." Sonya said, watching her face light up.
"You . . . You're . . . You're my hero." Jessie said, in a desperate attempt to explain why she was shaking like a leaf. Jessie's face fell, as Sonya rolled her eyes.
"You've never met me, and I've never seen you. How am I your hero?" Sonya asked, as she rubbed her temple. All this was giving her a migraine.
"Raiden brought me here from another Earth. You . . . You're like, the best there is." Jessie said, getting another eye roll.
"Well, you're not there, you're here. Unless you're trying to drive me up the walls for the next few days, you need to calm down, OK?" Sonya said, as Jessie slowly nodded.
"I'm . . . I'm trying. I really am." Jessie said, as the door swung open, revealing Major Jackson Briggs.
"Hey, Sonya, I've been looking for you." He said, walking over. He sat next to Sonya, looking Jessie over, "Who's she?"
"Jax, this is Jessie. Jessie, this is . . ."
"Major Jackson Briggs." Jessie interjected, finishing Sonya's sentence.
"OK, how do you know me?" He asked, confused.
"Raiden just dropped her here from another Earth. Apparently we're heroes there." Sonya said, groaning.
"About damn time we get the credit we deserve." He said.
"Wow!" Jessie said, sitting back, taking it all in.
"Look, calm down. I don't know what we're like there, but we ain't all that here." Jax said, seeing Jessie's excited expression.
"She . . . She's all that, period. She's Sonya Blade!" Jessie said, grinning, as Sonya rolled her eyes, getting up.
"Her? She ain't all that." Jax said, teasingly, as Sonya got a bottle of aspirin from the cabinet. She opened it, popping two in her mouth, before getting a bottle of coke from the minifridge against the wall.
"Oh, hell no! You did not just say that! Sonya Blade kicks mucho ass." Jessie said, angrily.
"Calm down! That's my partner. I can rip on her all I want." Jax said, chuckling at how angry the girl was getting.
"Not in front of me, chump." Jessie informed him, as Sonya sat back down, glaring at both of them.
"If you two children are finished, we do have bigger problems. Partner, Raiden's not coming back for a few days." Sonya said, as Jax growled.
"Shit, we can't stop now." Jax said, worriedly.
"Maybe I can help." Jessie offered, causing both Sonya and Jax to laugh.
"Yeah, right, half pint." Jax said, blowing her off.
"I'm a mixed martial arts fighter on my world. I'm up for a professional championship." Jessie said, defensively, as Jax looks her over, grinning.
"OK, mouthpiece, let's see what you've got." Jax said, standing up, as Sonya waves him off.
"Come on, partner. Raiden will never forgive me if she gets hurt." Sonya said, watching Jax take off his uniform jacket.
"Don't worry, partner. I won't hurt her. I'm just gonna teach her to stay out of business she can't handle." Jax said, laughing, as Jessie stood up.
If there was one thing Jessie was good at, it was fighting. She took off her jacket, and helped Jax move the tables out of the way. She was overdue for a sparring session anyway. Jax took off his button down shirt, revealing a black wife beater. Jessie smirked, stretching out a bit, as Jax popped and flexed, doing the same.
"You ready?" Jax asked, chuckling.
"We going full contact?" Jessie asked, smirking.
"You trying to get hurt?" Jax asked, laughing, as Jessie fell into the Sonya Blade fight stance.
"Way I see it, you're gonna be the one getting hurt." She said, grinning evilly.
"You got a big mouth, you know that?" Jax said, chuckling.
"Come shut it, big man." Jessie said, winking. Jax laughed, throwing a half hearted front kick. She caught his leg mid kick, sweeping the other, as he fell down unceremoniously onto his back. Sonya watched, in disbelief, as Jessie reared back, throwing a hard punch, stopping it centimeters from a shocked Jax's chest, "Come on, I know you're better than this. Get up." Jessie said, letting his leg go, and stepping back. Jax got to his feet, grinning.
"OK, you really wanna play. Alright, let's see what you've got." Kick, block, punch block. Jessie and Jax traded blows for nearly an hour. Sonya watched, as they matched each other move for move. Jessie jumped onto a chair, and then onto the table, doing an impressive back flip over Jax, landing a kick to his back almost immediately after landing, sending him sailing stomach and chest first into one of the tables. She immediately broke the attack, running over to check on him.
"Are you OK? Jessie asked, gently grabbing his shoulder. He grabbed her arm, locking it behind her back, laughing.
"Yeah, are you?" Jax asked, as Jessie grinned, kicking backwards. Jax moved his legs out of the way, leaning a bit on her for balance, and found Jessie's elbow flying into his face. It connected, stunning him, as he eased his grip. Jessie straightened her arm, grabbing his, and flipped him over her with an arm drag takedown. She held onto his arm, turning him onto his side, pinning his free arm, and gently placed her boot on the side of his neck for show.
"Good enough?" She asked, grinning.
"You pass." Jax said, laughing. Jessie let him go, sitting across from him, her back against the wall. Jessie had just started catching her breath, when Sonya handed her and Jax a bottle of water. Jessie raised it to Sonya, and took a long drink, "How long have you studied?" Jax asked, shaking his arm, as he drank.
"About five years seriously. Your arm OK? I wasn't trying to hurt you." Jessie said, apologetically, as Jax laughed.
"Yeah, it's fine. You had some pretty good torque on it at that angle. Wasn't expecting you to be that good." He admitted, as Jessie grinned.
"Nobody does. My biggest advantage. I don't look like I can do half of what I do because of my size." Jessie said, taking another swig of water, as Sonya smirked.
"Ready for round two yet?" She asked, cracking her knuckles.
"Not against you. I'd sooner kick my own ass than lay a hand on you." Jessie said, as Sonya laughed.
"You're that scared of me?" Sonya said, taunting her.
"No, ma'am. I have that much respect for you. Fear has nothing to do with it." Jessie said, calmly, as Sonya rolled her eyes.
"Respect? You don't know me. How in the hell do you have so much respect for someone you don't know?" Sonya asked, confused.
"You really don't understand." Jessie said, taking a deep breath, seeing the anger on Sonya's face.
"You're right, I don't. And I don't have time to double as your shrink. Raiden dumped you on me. I don't have time to deal with a star struck kid following me around like a God damned puppy." Sonya said, as Jessie looked up at her, a smile on her face, but tears in her eyes. Frustrated, Sonya threw up her hands, walking out. Jessie pulled her knees into her chest, lowering her head into them.
"Hey, you OK?" Jax asked, as Jessie raised her head, nodding. She clears her throat.
"Hey, I just got slammed by Sonya Blade. I'll be telling my grandkids about this." Jessie said, trying not to cry, as Jax chuckled.
"Don't take it personally, kid. She's got a lot on her mind right now."
"She hates me." Jessie said, sadly, as Jax laughed.
"Nah, she doesn't hate you. If she hated you, you'd be in the infirmary by now. I've seen her beat the crap out of someone for looking at her wrong. I'm going to check on her. You gonna be OK?"
"Yeah, I'm cool." Jessie said, lowering her head again.
"You sure?" He asked, concerned. She gave him the thumbs up, not raising her head. As soon as she heard him leave, she quietly cried into her knees.
"Not quite what you imagined, is it?" Raiden said, appearing next to her, putting his arm around her comfortingly.
"I spazzed, again. Second fucking time. I suck." Jessie said, clearing her throat.
"She just destroyed you."
"Because I can't stop staring. I can barely form words around her. She thinks I'm an idiot."
"And you think she's a god. She's not, you know." Raiden reminded her.
"Man, it's like standing in front of a superhero. What in the hell am I supposed to say to her?" Jessie asked, almost more to herself than Raiden.
"Start with hi." Jessie looked up, seeing Sonya, in uniform now, standing in the doorway.
"Hi." Jessie said, clearing her throat, and quickly wiped her tears away. She didn't like to show her emotions anyway, but crying like a bitch in front of Sonya was doubly bad in her mind.
"Do you always talk to yourself?" Sonya asked, walking in. I'm gonna kill that dude. Jessie thought to herself, as Sonya pulled a chair in front of her.
"Not usually, but I have been recently." She admitted, as Sonya laughed, sitting down.
"A visit from Raiden tends to have that universal effect. Look, let's start over. I'm Sonya Blade, and you are?"
"Jessie Reynolds." Jessie answered, much calmer.
"Good, you didn't stutter this time." She said, causing Jessie to laugh.
"Well, you told me to calm down."
"Good. Now, why are you under the impression that I walk on water and catch bullets in my teeth?" Sonya asked, curiously.
"It's a long story." Jessie said, her stomach growling. Sonya looked down at her watch.
"Raiden feed you before he brought you here?" Sonya asked.
"No, ma'am. Came straight from the hospital."
"Figures. Come on. I'll buy you lunch, and you can tell me when I started being ten foot tall and bulletproof." Sonya said, extending her hand. Jessie took it, as Sonya helped her up.