Ermac fled to the woods, to try and calm the spirits, but it seems that they would not stop chattering. The moment Shao Kahn died, Ermac felt the spirits stir. Hundreds of souls were trying to escape and take charge of the vessel. Hundreds of souls were fighting in one host. Hundreds of voices were raging in Ermac's head, causing him to lose control of his powers. He didn't know what was happening. Was he real? Or was he soulless vessel used for Shao Kahn's wicked ways? How was he capable of feeling so much anger, fear, sorrow, confusion, and rage? As he tried to focus his powers and hone them he felt the fighting growing stronger. The souls were in disarray. They were aimless and angry. They were forced to do Shao Kahn's bidding and now they were finally free, yet they were restricted. Ermac felt his head swell and he fell to his knees. He tried removing the wraps covering his "face" but his arms would not comply. He tried to move, but his legs would not comply. He tried to call out, but he couldn't. The souls continued to rage and rave, bickering amongst each other. Ermac began to violently thrash. He punched and kicked at imaginary opponents. Meanwhile a warrior, who frequently visited the forest, stared in silence

.

Reptile watched as Ermac thrashed about, and it amused him. Reptile had always alone, because he was the lone survivor his race, yet he always took comfort in the solace. It was alone that he did his best. He didn't die because he was a survivor, and often times a survivor had to be alone. When Shang Tsung died, Reptile felt nothing. When Shao Kahn died he still felt nothing. As an assassin he learned that in order to survive you had to cut out your emotions. This obviously was not the case for Ermac. Reptile laughed at the misfortune of the ninja. He was created with the purpose of serving Shao Kahn above all else, which mean he could not survive. Reptile served no one. He worked for those in power to survive. Had he had that power, he would rebuild his race and teach them his ways in survival. This knowledge would allow them to divide and conquer, and Reptile would be leading realms. He grew agitated with Ermac's fit so he decided to intervene. He never really liked the red guy anyway. He went invisible and began his assault.

Ermac felt the attacks but saw no attacker. His hallucinations were becoming extremely vivid. He tried to fight them off, but how could he fight what he couldn't see? He went into a blind rage and began to fire at everything. The souls could not fight each other and an invisible foe simultaneously. He wanted to kill it all, burn it all, and destroy anything and everything in his path. Was he really united or simply a broken conglomeration of irritated souls. As he pressed the attack on further, shooting at the trees, he lost sight of real and fake. They were in shambles. They no longer felt anything connected. They were a collection of lost souls damned to a fate worse than hell. They were never going to die, they would never find peace. Instead their afterlife was an eternal loneliness. They each wanted to do something different. They could not agree. They felt that there was an attacker, yet they felt there was not. They also thought they were going crazy and they even thought that they liked it. Then they heard his voice. He spoke to them loud and clear, and he made sense. His voice was familiar and comforting. It lulled them back together. They listened intently at what he had to say.

"Listen to me. We must unite once more to defeat Reptile. Remember that this forest is the same forest the assassin shirks away to. Listen to me you lost, broken souls. Together we are strong. We may have been forced to do evil, but can't you feel it? The evil taint has been lifted. We have been liberated. We are free to make our choice. What will we do? Will we cower to our fears? Will we bow the evil again? Or will we make a stand? Will we allow scoundrels to mock us, as this monster does now? The mistake Shao Kahn made was making us. He made a creature that he could not contain after death. Remember what you died for. Remember those you loved. Remember the pain Shao Kahn force upon. We all feel that anger and confusion. We all fought for him. We were used to be one, united only by magic. Let us be one once more, this time united by our bond. Help me, help us."

The voice was so confident and it was hard to argue with his points. They decided to agree and let them lead the attack. When Reptile revealed himself, they were surprised, but thankful to have listened. If they could trust the voice and work together, maybe it could be done. Very soon they listened and complied with what the voice told them to do. They trusted him and he lead them to victory. They succeeded in defeating Reptile. As Reptile tried to fight back they laughed. "We are many, you are but one!" They then flung him across the forest and left him there. The voice had succeeded.

"

Thank you King Jerrod. We will follow your commands til the end, for we are Ermac."

Johnny Cage paced back and forth as he thought of things to tell Raiden. He was so preoccupied with Sonya's problems, and the death of his friends, that he lost sight of rebooting Sub-Zero. Even though they had just stopped Shao Kahn and saved Earthrealm from being merged with Outworld, it felt as if they had failed. Cage was starting to worry that Sonya's anger, his weird dream, and the theft of big blue, were omens or something. He had a real bad feeling that this "victory" was nothing more than the calming before the storm. As he sulked in his worries he heard crackling outside. As he rushed to the door to see, the door swung open and Raiden and a guy Johnny never met before walked through the door.

"Sonya has not returned?"

"No Raiden, but I have something to tell you."

"What about Fujin? Has he returned with your new trainer?"

"I'm getting a new trainer? Who? Wait…Hold on. I need to tell you something. While you were away getting dreadlocks here…."

"My name is Kai and I would appreciate it, if you addressed me as such Mr…..?"

"Cage, like THE Johnny Cage. You probably know me from my movies. Anyway Raiden, about that thing..

"Ah yes the cheesy actor, who's reruns play on television. I think I recognize you."

"Look guy, I don't have time for your shit. Raiden.."

"I only kid Mr. Cage I do not watch television, but it is a pleasure making your acquaintance."

"Pleasure meeting you too. Raiden while you were gone, Sub-Zero.."

"Cage, this must wait Sonya Blade should have been back by now. Her absence is very troubling.

"Look I am just as worried about Sonya as you are, but this is serious. The Lin Kuei attacked and took Sub-Zero."

Raiden remained silent. He began to think of the threat the Lin Kuei could pose with Sektor as their Grandmaster and he began to cringe. Maybe this was the threat he was fearing. He knew better than to hope for that. The Lin Kuei was a threat that could be handled, but the one he felt stirring was much greater. This threat was a different. It felt familiar, but he couldn't quite place it. If this evil was as great as it felt, then Earthrealm was in for a serious problem.

"Johnny Cage, you and Kai stay here and wait for Fujin and Bo'Rai 'Cho to return. I will go in see if Sonya is okay."

"With all due respect, I refuse to stay here. Sonya is my friend too and I am not going to stand by and wait to see if she is in trouble. Either you take me with you or I leave on my own in search of her. I can train when I get back. Part of rebuilding and recouping is having everyone here to do so. So I would prefer that you take me with you, seeing as it would make it faster for me to get there."

"You make a good point Cage. Fine let us go in look for Sonya Blade. Kai tell Fujin where we left to, and if possible see if Bo'Rai' Cho will train you."

"As you wish Raiden. Hopefully you two find this Sonya Blade safe and well. Be safe my new friends."

The warriors bid their farewells and Raiden teleported them away once more.

Sonya awoke with a start. She felt the cold metal table beneath her as she looked into the light. She sat up and felt pain shoot through her side. The last thing she remembered was fighting Kano, and then she felt a pin in her side. Soon after that she began to lose a lot of blood, and then her vision got hazy; she could barely remember a thing. She winced in pain as she felt the stitching in her side tugging away, jeering and taunting her. She stood up and instantly regretted it. Pain jolted through her side and sent a chill down her spine. Her side seemed to explode with so much pain that it was causing her to have a headache. As she looked around for the door, she heard a voice coming from the furthest corner of the room.

"If I were you I'd look for a room with a better bed."

She spun around to face whoever was talking to her, but the movement irritated her stitching. She fell to one knee groaned out in pain. "Who are you?" She asked the faceless voice.

"We can save the introductions until after I have you escorted to your new room."

Before Sonya could retort, two men in suits came in with a wheelchair and helped her move to a more comfortable room. She tried to protest, but she was in so much pain she had to comply. As soon as she climbed into the bed the two men had left, and a new guy had entered the room. The room she was in appeared to be a hospital room but she couldn't quite tell. She tried to make out the details around her, but the man began to introduce himself. He looked about 6 feet tall and he looked rather muscular. He was wearing a black trench coat and his hair was frazzled in various directions. He was not wearing anything under the trench coat, and his body was covered in scars in cuts.

"Looks like it's time for introductions. First off, no need for you to introduce yourself. I know who you are, Special Agent Sonya Blade. I also know that you lost two of your fellow agents, Kurtis Stryker and Jackson Briggs. The man who did this to you was allied with the people that killed your friends. When I saw you, I knew that you would want revenge on Kano. Well so do I. You see Kano has been a thorn in my side for far too long. As you well know, he is the leader of the "illustrious" Black Dragon Clan. His rebel faction has caused too much damage for me to handle. I want to kill Kano with my bare hands. Seeing as he did this to you, I am offering to bring you to full health if you capture him for me. As long as you promise me that you will bring him in alive, I will have my doctor's and sorcerers heal you and augment your strength. Will you help me?"

Sonya looked the man up and down and wondered what his angle was. She had never seen this man before, yet he claimed to have known her. He obviously hated Kano, but this man was no saint either. That much was obvious. There was something about this man that she didn't like. He was hospitable and eloquent, but he obviously had a hidden agenda. This guy was planning something, and she wanted to know what.

"So that's it? You heal me as long as I bring you Kano in as a prisoner? Then what? I have to do another job for you?"

"No, you misunderstand. I helped you in hopes that you could do the same. If you do not wish to help then you are free to go, but you will have to find your back to your allies and you will have to find a way to survive. The stitching in your side will only last until the end of today. If you accept the mission I presented to you then you will be fully healed. If not you must leave now."

"Who the hell are you anyway? How do you know me?"

"Who I am and what I know is of little importance. All that you need to know is that I can keep you alive, and all you have to do is bring me a prisoner. If you want me to be blunt, like your best friend Kano, then fine! Help me or die on the streets."

Sonya stood up to protest but as soon as she stood up pain shot through her. She tried to push forward but every step she took unraveled the stitching. Pretty soon her side was bleeding once more and she fell to the floor. She felt anger well up inside her. She hated feeling defenseless. She stood up as best she could and looked the guy directly in the eyes.

"I'll help you, but I have to know your name. Now get me healed up now."

"Very well then. I will see to it that you are in top condition." The man clapped his hands and the two men that escorted Sonya into the room were back. They picked her up and carried her to another room where an old man was standing. The man was obviously a sorcerer but Sonya was too concerned with getting healthy to pay him any attention. The guy walked in and muttered something to the old man. Pretty soon the old man was muttering incantations over Sonya and energy was emitting from his hands. When the old man stopped she felt amazing. She thanked him and looked at the man in the trench coat. "Okay so who the hell are you?"

"Manners, my dear lady, use them. My name is Mavado. Welcome to my humble abode."

"We have searched everywhere, Sonya Blade cannot be found. Perhaps she changed her mind."

"No Raiden look, these are signs of a struggle see?"

Raiden moved to where Johnny Cage was pointing to and began investigating. The more he looked through the more obvious it was. Johnny was correct there had been a struggle there and Sonya was one of the parties involved. He followed the trail and found a pool of dried blood a few hundred feet away from the initial point of conflict. There was also blood traces all around that area. It was obvious that someone had lost a lot of blood. As he examined the samples further he saw that a group of people had strolled by here. He began to sense the situation and allowed his powers to take over. One thing was obvious; Sonya had a struggle that she had lost. The amount of blood lost could only be brought on from a rupture or tear by a blade. The list of possible suspects was endless, but two stuck out in Raiden's mind. Baraka or Kano. The "demons" Sonya came to fight were mostly Tarkatan. Sonya had killed all the remaining Tarkatans on her own. Baraka could easily have seen her fighting and decided to take action, as it was he already hated her. Kano was also a possibility seeing as he was in the city a few day prior, during the invasion. The most troubling aspect was that someone came and took her away. Did this mean that she was in Outworld? This was very troubling indeed. They could not afford another war of any kind and Outworld still had enough manpower to pose another threat. Raiden did not want to make too many false assumptions, because he did not want to cause a conflict that did not need to be caused.

"Johnny Cage we must return to the Academy and begin your training. I have a mission for you, but first I want you to at least meet Master Bo'Rai Cho and get an idea for his training regimen."

"But…"

"Your mission will involve you going undercover in Outworld to try and find Sonya. I just want you to find out whether she is being held captive. If so, you will report back to me and we will negotiate her safe return. If not, then we are facing some serious issues. Let us hope that if she is not prisoner then she is safe, because we cannot afford any more losses.

"Okay I'm in, but I have one question. How am I supposed to go in there undetected?"

"You are smart and you are the actor. Figure it out."