Sooo here we are again! Chapter 3 is quite important so you might want to read it. By important, I mean that Kuai and Cassie meet for the first time, wohoooo! =3
Just thought I'd share with ya what's been bugging me for the last few days - the age of the MK characters. I did some research and there are a lot of inconsistencies between the comics and the games. I will explain more at the end of this chapter. Any suggestions are welcome!
Enjoy. ^_^
The Double.
Kuai Liang had a hard time healing from his wounds even though the Shirai Ruy people brought him to the infirmary and with great care tended to his wounds. He wasn't sure how much time has passed since he was saved, but in between his unconscious states, he managed to take a glimpse at who had brought him there. His savior was undoubtedly Hanzo Hasashi. The last time Sub-Zero saw him was when Scorpion and young Takeda were trying to retrieve the Kamidogu dagger for Raiden — something he should've done but somehow ended up being possessed by the demon within it. Whenever he ruminated on the misdeeds he had brought upon innocent people while serving the warlock Quan Chi, Kuai was feeling pessimistic about his future. He swore that he would never allow himself to be shackled by monsters or fallen gods again and that he would clear the name of the Lin Kuei.
He felt feverish and kept hallucinating for two days. On the third day, he broke free from the nightmares and regained consciousness. As he rose from the bed, his head still pounding and muscles still stiff, the warrior noticed a small cup full of crystal liquid on a table next to him. There was also a box with typical Japanese food in it— rice, tempura and two small grilled fishes. In just a few seconds, the wounded man emptied the box, sighing happily when he finished. With shaky hands, Kuai took the small mug knowing very well what the content of that drink was and with a quick sip, he drank the sake. Frowning, he smacked his lips loudly. Sub-Zero never learned how to enjoy alcohol properly.
The Cryomancer slowly stood up and as the burning liquid spread through his aching body, the sound of approaching footsteps was getting louder. Even though he was still feeling disoriented, Kuai managed to distinguish the whispering voices of Hanzo and Johnny coming from behind the door. Moments later, the three men were in the same room.
'Oh, my…' was the only thing Cage could say as his usual smug was replaced by a puzzled expression. The same could be seen on Liang's face as he noticed how different his acquaintances have gotten.
'Johnny Cage? Is that you?' The Lin Kuei warrior wasn't sure if his blurry vision was the problem, so he shook his head in disbelief and hoped that when he opened his eyes again, he would see things normally.
It did not work.
'I could ask you the same question, Kuai. Is that really you?' this time Hanzo was doing the talking but his voice was harsh, his face frozen in an angry expression.
Sub-Zero looked at his body, touched his face, as if he was unsure of what was real and not, then nodded and said, 'I think so, at least. What happened? How did I end up here?'
'We were hoping you could tell us. First you die and then months later you jump out of a portal - half dead and 25 years younger. ' Johnny could not hold his emotions anymore. The sadness, the anger, and the excitement were too much for him, so he yelled, 'What the hell, man?!'
Kuai quickly tried to find a mirror of some kind, so he could affirm Cage's words and luckily, there was a katana hanging on the wall. He went to it and observed his appearance in the reflecting surface of the weapon, letting out a relieving sigh after seeing that he looked just as he remembered himself – a normal, 30 something-year-old, handsome warrior. Even the bruises looked good on him.
'I haven't changed a bit; you're the ones that look different. You are both… older?' He paused for a second and took a good look at them. They were in their 50s, at least.
'Could someone tell me what is going on? Why am I being questioned like a criminal? Why are you acting as if you don't know who I am?!' Sub-Zero's desperate cries for answers have drawn an audience, and he noticed that among the Shirai Ruy students was a young woman with short blond hair, wearing military outfit.
'Dad, is everything all right? We heard someone shouting and we thought that… OH MY GOD, IS THAT THE GRANDMASTER?' Cassie's eyes widened, as she was obviously admiring Kuai's alluring stance. Her excitement quickly shifted into bashfulness and he noted that interesting reaction. Remembering the first part of her sentence made him shiver.
'Did you just call Johnny 'dad'? What on Earthrealm is happening here?!'
'Tell us what you can remember last, Sub-Zero.' Hanzo's face has become concerned now, as he questioned his ex-rival.
'I... I am not sure. Everything is in a haze. I remember that the last time I saw you was when you and Takeda were trying to get the Kamidogu dagger from me… or at least what was left of me. Then Bo' Rai Cho found me... he and Raiden helped me get back on track. A few months later, I found a way to stop the Cybernized Lin Kuei madness. Overthrowing Sektor came at a great cost... my clan was completely destroyed.' Kuai felt he is about to crumble and as he sought a way to maintain his balance, Cassie quickly aided him by holding him up before he could collapse. She helped him get back to the bed where the Cryomancer sat down quietly and resumed his monologue.
'I remember seeking the Dragon Medallion. I cannot recall if I came into possession of it. My only wish was to start clean and to establish a new Lin Kuei clan where the warriors would fight with honor and have a spotless reputation.'
Cassandra noticed that Kuai's hands were shaking, so she held them in hers. She did that with no intention to flirt or to make herself look good in front of the others - this action came to her naturally, as a reaction to the pain behind his eyes and words.
'How is this possible?' Johnny almost whispered the question.
'I have no idea.' Hanzo mumbled in response. Suddenly, his voice rose and the serious expression was back on his face, 'But we have to find out sooner than later. Kuai, if you're really who you say you are, then we have a mystery that is beyond our comprehension. I need you to relax and to allow yourself to heal completely. Hopefully, your memory will be restored, so we can put some of the missing pieces together.' Scorpion hesitated, not sure how to continue. Everyone in the room knew that Sub-Zero was unaware of the situation as much as they were but he also needed answers. Answers he might not like.
'You became the Grandmaster of the new Lin Kuei and an irreplaceable protector of Earthrealm. You were not only our best ally but also a friend, and we went through a lot, man, I can tell you that.' Johnny's explanation was a bit chaotic but it perfectly substituted Hanzo's silence. At that time, he was too confused by what's happening to notice that his daughter was holding hands with Kuai.
'The last thing we heard about you was that you got killed in one of the fights against the Outworld army. You died a hero! We didn't have any details about your death and it was a huge bitch slap for all of us.' Johnny went on, his voice trembling. 'I guess what I'm trying to say is that… even though you're not the Sub-Zero I hoped to see when I came here, dude, you really are a sight for sore eyes! We'll find out who is responsible for all of this. Together!'
Kuai stood up, suddenly feeling vigorous and with a cunning smile on his face said,
'There will be a reckoning.'
So yeah, that was chap. 3, folks. I hope it makes *some* sense. =D
Now, about the age stuff. In the comics, it looks like Kuai is in his 30-40s. I'm saying 'looks like' because he might be older but as we all know he was a revenant and also possessed at some point (let's assume he didn't age visibly because of these factors). According to the MKX, he is 50+ years old, so we can stick to that here (meaning in this fanfic he died at the age of 50-60). When Johnny said '25 years younger' it doesn't have to refer to his actual age but to his appearance as well. If you're having trouble picturing Kuai that young and you haven't seen his Clark Kent version in the comics, please inform yourselves. Check issue 36, page 6 for a badass Subbie.
When it comes to Cassie I think that she's 15-17 in the comics and at least 23-25 years old in MKX. So the main problem here isn't her age. I'm wondering if Sub-Zero knew about her existence until their encounter in the MKX game where she said that Johnny has always spoken highly of him. To me, that means that she hadn't met him until then but that doesn't mean he didn't know about her. So his surprise when meeting her now might be because he wasn't aware Johnny had a daughter OR because he was expecting a child, not a young woman.
Confused already? Good, let me make it worse. It's neither of those things and I will explain why in the next few chapters. Don't hate me, please. :D
Thanks for reading!
