Title: Ultimate Mortal Kombat
Rating: PG-13
Characters: UMK3 Characters/OC
Summary: Five friends are sucked into their favorite break time activity: an Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 arcade game. Now they must fight for real to get out.
Disclaimer: Story idea is mine. "Mortal Kombat" concept belongs to Ed Boon, John Tobias and Midway. UMK3 belongs to Midway. The five main OC characters are based on real people but their MK counterparts are my creations.
A/N: This story was written back in 1996-1997(ish). Also, I had a theory about the 2 Sub-zeros. My theory at the time was the Sub-zero from MK1 had returned in MK3 & UMK3. Instead of being killed by Scorpion, he had actually been hurt so bad that he needed a lengthy time to heal. That would explain why his brother appeared in MK2. I hope that helps. Now onto the story!
Chapter 7: A Taste of Things to Come
Before arriving at their main destination, the party decides to take a quick rest stop at the sub-way station.
"What is this thing you got with Sub-zero?" Phoenix inquires as he; Steel Dragon, Bladestryke and Kiroyo join Ice.
"There is no thing going on." Ice responds as she turns away from her friends.
"No thing?" Kiroyo steps in front of her. "No thing? It looked like something to me."
"Yeah." Bladestryke adds with while suppressing a grin. "Sub-zero's in love with you."
Steel Dragon puts his arms around Ice then slightly pulls her close him.
"Hey no body's gonna make fun of you if your boyfriend is a video game character."
"Whatever, man!" Ice says irritably as she shoves his arm away.
"Come on! We're just playin'." Kiroyo says as she walks away. "IIIICCCEEE!!!"
Ice quickly separates herself form her friends by running deeper into the subway.
"Does Sub-Zero like me?" she asks herself.
She slows to a walk, finally takes a seat on a bench. "No way!" she speaks out loud. "How can he like me when we don't have nothing in common?"
A noise coming from her right causes her to bolt from her seat. Without thinking to investigate, she shoots an ice arrow into the darkness.
"AAGGHH!!!!"
Shock grips Ice as Sub-zero stumbles them falls into the beam of the fluorescent light before her, the ice arrow jutting from his left arm.
"Oh sh…" she gasps as she throws down her weapon. She didn't even hear it shatter on impact as she goes over to Sub-zero. "I'm sorry. I didn't even…"
Ice could tell he's in pain just by the look in his eyes. How stupid could she be? So worried about…other stuff! The fact that she did this causes a few tears to fall.
"I'm gonna have to pull this out…." She tells him while blinking away said tears.
Sub-zero uses his right hand to wipe at a tear that tries to make a path down her cheek.
"Do it." He whispers.
While battling more tears, Ice firmly grips the ice arrow with both hands. She mentally counts to three before giving it a hard yank. Sub-zero clenches his teeth to muffle his cry of pain as the arrow comes free.
Ice frowns at the deep wound that is left. Looking at Sub-zero once more, she cups her hands to mouth then blows into them. When she draws her hands away, she has a mound of snow in her palms. She places the snow on the wound and within seconds, Sub-zero could feel the pain vanishing.
"How?" He looks at the patch of snow. Once the pain is totally gone, he brushes off the flakes. To his amazement, the wound is gone!
"Thank you." He says as they both get to their feet.
"If you wanna beat me up, I'll understand." Ice mumbles. Her eyes are cast down at the concrete floor.
Though he wears an expressionless mask, on the inside, the assassin knows what she did was done out of survival. He can't, however, reveal his feelings to her again. Three times already he has done this. His reason why he is so cautious is that he knows very little about her. She had been under Shang Tsung's spell, now she isn't. Maybe she's still under his spell.
"I must keep my guard up. No more lapse in my defense." He rationalizes in his mind.
Sub-zero suddenly realizes that his gaze on Ice has captures her gaze on him. He abruptly breaks his visual hold then turns away.
"How did you produce that snow to heal me?"
Ice is so dumbfounded by his last reaction that she stumbles over her explanation.
"I…uh…don't know. I guessed that what makes you strong had to also be your "life-force". Hot to hot. Cold to cold, you know? I thought of snow and just did it."
Before Sub-zero can respond, he sees from the corner of his eye, an Ice Blast coming toward them. Ice lets out a surprised outburst as she is carried to the ground with him to avoid the projectile.
"What the hell?" she pants out.
"Hello, brother."
The two glance up to see a figured dressed just like Sub-zero, except for a mask and eyes the color of a clear sky on a frigid day.
"Classic Sub-zero." Ice thinks as her eyes grow wide with the discovery.
Sub-zero's eyes narrow as he gets to his feet then helps Ice to hers.
"I see that you are still with the Earth Warriors, Yukio." The masked Sub-zero.
"Yukio?" Ice raises an eyebrow at hearing the name. A faint smirk appears on her lips. "I can see why he calls himself Sub-zero,"
"My cause has meaning." Sub-zero retorts. "Unlike yours, Kiroshi."
Ice looks from one brother to the other. She's amazed, yet knows that Kiroshi must have evil intentions. Considering his current influences…
"By the way," Sub-zero continues. "Tell your demonic teacher that I killed him once, I can kill him again."
Kiroshi gives a low, devilish laugh. "Idle threats do not faze Scorpion, nor do your cutting remarks toward me hurt my feelings."
He turns his blue eyes to the curvaceous figure next to his older brother. Ice becomes very uncomfortable under his scrutiny. She cringes as she takes several steps back.
"I see that you have at least one advantage, big brother. Your company is very pleasing to the eyes."
He advances toward Ice, but is immediately halted with a push by Sub-zero.
"Stay away from her!" he growls.
Faint shouts and sounds of energy blast filter their way into the area. Ice looks into the direction of where the others are.
"Let's go!" she yells as she takes off down the tunnel.
"This isn't over. Sub-zero mumbles to his brother just before following his teammate.
Ice and Sub-zero arrive to see an Outworld Invasion army and their friends in an all out fight. Kicking and punching her way through, Ice makes her way over to Kung Lao.
"What happened?" she shouts as she sends several Ice Shrunken into the body of an Outworld soldier.
"They surprised us!!!" comes the reply. "They must have followed us from the cyber-ninja ambush!"
Five soldiers rush Ice just as she turns around. Immediately, she releases her Ice ribbons, capturing them in the tangles like a spider's web. As they struggle to get free, electric sparks dance down the ribbons into the bodies. Within seconds the soldiers change into ice sculptures. Ice then grips the ribbons and pulls hard, sending shards of ice flying everywhere.
"Fatality." She whispers as a malicious grin appears over her lips.
Kiroyo furiously chops down any soldier that gets near him. Out of nowhere his is quickly taken down.
"Get off me, you son of a bitch!!" he yells as he kicks off his assailant.
"I told you that it wasn't over and it won't be until you scrubs are sent back in pieces!"
The afro-wearing warrior scrambles to his feet when he hears the voice. His brown eyes grow wide in shock when he discovers who took him down.
"Kano!" he croaks out. "How the hell did you-"
"Ya think I was goin' to let you go so easily now did you? I was followin' you the whole time." Kano pulls out one of his laser blades. The glow form it bounces off the metal plate on his face. "Nobody makes a fool outta me and lives to see another day."
Bladestrkye surprises him with a chokehold from behind.
"Remember me, punk?" he snarls as he applies more pressure. "I'm the scrub you tried to cut up!"
Kano's response comes in the form of stabbing Bladestryke in the leg. That only makes Bladestryke angrier. He again tightens his arm around the thug's neck. Kano's one good eye bulges almost out its socket.
"Wrong damn move!"
"Give me a break will ya?" Kano begs in mid gag.
With one quick twist, Bladestryke snaps his neck. He then tosses him to the ground and looks up the corpse with contempt.
"There's your break bitch…"
Bladestryke viciously kicks the body. "You gonna cut me now, fool?" he screams. "Get up and cut me!"
Kiroyo grabs his friend around the waist and pulls him away.
"Chill out, Tonio! He's dead."
Sub-zero and Steel Dragon are putting away some soldiers when they hear Ice's scream behind them. When they spin around, they see Ermac holding her in mid air by her neck.
"Let her go!" shouts Steel Dragon.
"Afraid we can't do that." The echoes known as Ermac's voice say. "It seems that the ice princess has a date with Shang Tsung."
"NO! I'm not going back!" Ice struggles within his grip. "I'll die first!"
She gasps when Ermac brings her face to face.
"Don't bother. Shang Tsung might see to that." The look in their eyes causes their captive to pale. "Maybe he'll let us have the pleasure of skinning this beautiful rabbit alive…"
Sub-zero can not hold back anymore. He rushes at the red clad ninja with a shoulder takedown. The blow causes Ermac to lose their grip on ice. Steel Dragon takes her out of harm's way as Sub-zero proceeds to pummel Ermac's face and head. The gathered spirits gather enough strength to grab him by the neck then toss him off. They quickly get to their feet and put as much space as they can between them and the warriors.
"This isn't finished, Lin Kuei trash!" They look at the others with fiery hatred. "You will all pay!"
With the last of the Outworld soldiers either dead or retreating, the other kombatants gather around Steel Dragon and Sub-zero. Steel Dragon still has Ice in his arms.
"Ermac…is he..."
Ice takes in huge gulps of air. It is difficult for her to speak.
"He's gone. No doubt back to Shang Tsung." Steel Dragon answers.
"Why does he want me back? Shang Tsung's power didn't last long over me."
She breaks away from her friend then walks over to Sub-zero. She suddenly stops when she notices the arctic gaze he gives her.
"Why?" Her eyes seem to question as she slowly retract her steps.
In a dark corner several feet away, two figures watch the situation unfolding before them. One is Shao Kahn's demon sorcerer. The other is the sorcerer's reptilian protector.
"It seems that Ermac did not perform as I had hoped. It is up to you now, Reptile. Follow them and capture Ice. I need her for my plan."
Shang Tsung fades away into the night as Reptile continues to trail the Earth Warriors.