Author's Note: I had two different versions of this chapter. I chose to post the one you are reading. Depending on how this story progresses...I may replace it with the other version. We shall see...
Disclaimer: Do I own Mortal Kombat??? Sadly, no.
Sub Zero stood outside the office door and watched Master Wei retreat back down the hallway in the direction they had come. He would definitely have to have a talk with the man before he left to head back to the Lin Kuei headquarters. While Sub Zero had much respect for Wei, his tactics in dealing with the girl were not with keeping with the image of the "new" Lin Kuei. During the walk over Wei had indicated that the girl had rejected the invitation to meet, even at the urging of her own teacher, and had to be "escorted" to the compound.
Sub Zero hesitated only a moment to collect his thoughts before he pushed the key into the lock and opened the door. Before him, sitting rigidly in a chair, was a young woman. Her gaze was fixed on a spot on the floor in front of her. She didn't even look up as he crossed the room and took a seat in the leather chair across the desk from her. Her only acknowledgement of his presence was to tighten her grip on the armrests of the chair she was sitting in.
He took a moment to look her over. She was quite lovely. She had delicate features, a long, slender neck, and a slim, fit physique. Her dark blonde hair was pulled back in a twist. She seemed to be studying the floor, her eyebrows drawn together in a look of intense concentration. It was impossible to tell what color her eyes were with her gaze downcast and Sub Zero fought the urge to reach across the desk and force her to look at him. Sub Zero took a deep breath.
"I want to apologize for the way my associate treated you this morning. It was completely uncalled for and I do not encourage nor condone such action. Be assured that he shall be disciplined." Sub Zero's voice broke the silence, startling the girl and causing her head to snap up. Her bright green eyes locked onto his brown ones.
"I was hoping this meeting would be a pleasant one," he continued. "If you are willing to stay and speak with me, I am sure we would have things of great interest to discuss."
The girl cocked an eyebrow at him curiously. "What if I'm not willing to stay and speak to you?" Her voice was soft and quiet.
"In that case, it has been my pleasure to meet you and you are free to go." Sub Zero motioned toward the door.
"So thats it? I can just go home?" The idea of walking out and going home seemed to make her brighten considerably.
"Yes." Sub Zero watched her carefully. She sat tensely on the edge of her seat, looking like she was ready to spring up at any moment and bolt toward the door. Her eyes darted to the door and back to Sub Zero suspiciously.
"If I stayed...", she swallowed nervously, "what would we be...discussing?"
"I believe you have a pretty good idea." His gaze never faltering as he continued to study her. She looked longingly at the door once more then back to meet his eyes. She took a deep breath and leaned back in her seat.
"Alright.", she said. "I'll stay." She seemed to relax ever so slightly.
"Excellent. Allow me to properly introduce myself. They call me Sub Zero. I am Grandmaster of the Lin Kuei. And you are?"
"I think everything you need to know about me is in that file." She nodded toward the file on the desk.
Sub Zero picked up the file and tossed it aside carelessly. "I would prefer to hear it from you. I like to get my information from the source. What's your name?"
"Wren." , she said quietly. "My name is Wren."
"Wren," he said, getting a feel for the name. "Wren what?"
"Wren Michelle Matthews." She glanced toward the door again before looking back at him.
"Changed your mind already, Wren? Want to leave?"
"No..." She sounded unsure.
"Very well then. How old are you, Wren?"
"I'm twenty-two."
"How did you come to be here? In China?" he asked.
"My parents moved here when I was four. My mother was offered a job at the university."
Sub Zero hesitated to ask his next question. He had read her file. He already knew the answer but he wasn't sure how she would feel about answering it. He knew how he felt when he thought of his parents, his mother especially. He along with his older bother were taken away from her by their father at a young age and brought to the Lin Kuei, and although he didn't show it, the loss still affected him greatly. He often found himself wondering what his life would have been like had he been allowed to remain with his mother. The sense of safety and security he had felt in her presence as a child was something he hadn't felt since and he missed it terribly.
"Wren...what happened to your parents?" He asked the question as carefully as he could, unsure of how she would react.
Wren mulled the question over in her mind. She really didn't like to think about her parents. Even after all the time that had passed, she still had the occasional nightmare about her mother. They weren't as intense as they were when it first happened, but once in a while they were bad enough to make her wake up drenched in a cold sweat. She wasn't sure how to answer. Did he want the simple explanation or did he want details?
"Wren?" He gently prodded.
Her face clouded over. "They're...they passed away when I was six. My father was killed in an accident. My mother couldn't deal with the loss and she...I found her in the bathroom. I couldn't wake her up." She dropped her eyes to her lap.
"I'm sorry. I had to ask." She looked very vulnerable at that moment. He had to restrain the sudden impulse to go around the desk and comfort her.
"It was a long time ago." Wren snapped back into the present.
"That's how you came to be with Master Xiong?"
"Yeah. He was a close friend of my father. He was always like a grandfather to me. I don't have anyone else. He and Misato are all I've got." Thinking of Xiong and Misato made her smile.
"He's taken good care of you. From what I have gathered, he has taught you a lot. Martial arts?"
Wren laughed. "Not so much. He says fighting for the sake of fighting is unbecoming of a lady. He taught Misato and I San Soo...just in case, but he didn't push it. His specialty was swords when he was younger, the jian. He was a master swordsman."
"He trained you to use the jian?"
"I could lop someones head off if I had to." Wren shrugged. "Its not exactly a situation that comes up all the time."
"You'd be surprised..." Sub Zero said under his breath.
"What?" Wren asked.
"Nothing. What about your other...abilities?" he asked.
"Abilities?" It took Wren a second to grasp what he was asking.
"Yes, your freezing abilities. How long have you had them and what do you know?" This was the part of the conversation Sub Zero had been anxious to get to.
"Oh...I don't know. I was maybe ten or eleven. I don't really know that much. Master Xiong has always discouraged me from using it."
Sub Zero frowned. "Discouraged you? Why?"
"Because of this. Sitting here talking to you. He said the Lin Kuei were like a pack of rabid dogs, mindless killers and thieves, and if they ever found out...well...he said it wouldn't be a good thing. Apparently he has changed his stance on the subject."
Sub Zero nodded. He couldn't argue with the truth. He had been a killer and thief. He had changed. Things were different now. The Lin Kuei was different now.
"Can you control your power at all?"
"Just a little bit. I guess Master Xiong's feeling was always that if we ignored it maybe it would go away...but after the accident with the Shar Pei..." Wren trailed off.
"Shar Pei?" Sub Zero raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah. Misato had a Shar Pei. It was her birthday present. I was home alone and the stupid dog wouldn't quit barking and it was getting on my nerves. I was really tired of listening to him so I decided I was just going to throw him outside until she got back. I opened the door and grabbed him...and I don't know what happened. The next thing I knew, he was frozen solid. Just like that." Wren snapped her fingers for emphasis. "How do you explain something like that to somebody?" Wren asked the last question seriously.
Sub Zero had to bite the inside of his mouth to keep from laughing out loud. "You froze the dog?" An amused smile played around the corners of his mouth.
"It was an accident. After that Master Xiong figured I should at least know how NOT to freeze the family pet. He said I needed to learn restraint. What I've figured out I've figured out on my own and it isn't much. I never anticipated it serving a useful purpose so I saw no reason to hone my skills."
"Are you able to give me a demonstration of what you are able to do?" Sub Zero, although he appeared calm, was full of anticipation, eager to see any physical manifestation that showed she shared the same power he possessed.
Wren's eyes widened at the request. "Ummm...you mean like right now?"
"Certainly. If you are so inclined. I would love to see it." He looked at her intently.
"Ummm..." Wren's eyes searched the room. Her gaze fell upon the decanter full of water that rested on the edge of the desk. She bit her bottom lip as she slid forward in her chair and reached for the decanter. She wrapped her fingers around the glass. Inside the decanter the water began to freeze as frost formed over the outside surface. The change in temperature from the rapidly cooling liquid caused the decanter to crack along the side. Once the water inside was frozen solid, Wren removed her hand and slid back into her chair. She looked back at the Grandmaster, waiting for what would come next.
"That was..." Sub Zero tried to control the tone of his voice. "That was perfect. Outstanding."
Wren shrugged. "It'll have to do because thats about the extent of what I've got."
Sub Zero actually laughed. "No, really. That was fantastic. I thank you for your time and for speaking with me."
"That's it? We're done?" Wren felt slightly let down. This whole thing seemed terribly anticlimactic to her.
"For now. With your consent, there are some things I would like to speak with Master Xiong about. Would that be alright?"
"Uh, sure. I can go home now?" Wren stood up.
"I'll walk you to the door." Sub Zero stood as well and moved toward the door. Wren followed. She was shorter than him and her head only came up to his shoulder. 'She probably weighs next to nothing...I bet I could pick her up and throw her across the room...,' he thought absently. They reached the door and he opened it for her. He gave her a small, polite bow as she exited the room. Once she had turned the corner out of sight he went back inside the office and shut the door.
He sank back down into the leather office chair. His search was over. He had found another that shared his gift. He could teach her. He could help her learn how to control her ability. He could teach her how to control her power and how to fight. He thought of Frost. In his mind, he had failed Frost. He wasn't able to instill in her a sense of humility. He had tried so hard to get her to see reason and to embrace the values he had come to abide by. Try as he might, he couldn't make Frost understand. It still pained him. It haunted his sleep at night. It would be different this time. It had to be. He needed it to be.
Sub Zero ran his hands through his hair. His mind was going a mile a minute. He needed to speak with her master. He had a proposition for him that he hoped he would accept. More importantly, he hoped Wren would accept. In the meantime, he needed to have that talk with Master Wei on how to treat a lady. He rose from his chair and left the room to find him.
End of Chapter 4
And that my friends is Chapter 4. I hope to have Chapter 5 up in a few days. I hope you're enjoying the story so far. In the next chapter or two there's gonna be more action...I PROMISE! I'm still just getting warmed up, lol. R & R!!!