Souls
January 1943
"Reptile?" A weary Sub Zero called, his eyes still drooping.
"I'm right here, no need to panic." Reptile scraped the tip of his finger along his bottom lip, his finger was wet with spit. He rubbed it on the sore skin of his mouth. Reptile could feel the brisk winds of Stalingrad rush along his torso, he shivered, reacting to it.
"Are you cold?" Sub Zero asked, ripping the sleeves off his tanned uniform, his own skin was absent of goosebumps, he was comfortable and felt in his element.
"No, of course not, we're in Russia during the winter." Reptile dead panned.
Sub Zero snickered, ripping the cloth up and placing it in the opening of several bottles.
Reptile arched an eyebrow, "What are you doing?"
"Making a 'Molotov cocktail,' Soviets have been making these to throw at tanks, plus, I'm not Scorpion, I can't conjure fire from the depths of hell."
"You're not looking too swanky are ya? I think even I have better fashion sense."
"That's because...you're a pussy." Sub Zero smirked under his mask, Reptile just hissed.
The two Mortals left the small house preparing to abandon it. Several Soviet squads walked, malnourished and demoralised. A commissar yelled orders from the roof of a destroyed German tank, Sub Zero and Reptile paid no attention, sticking to the mission of aiding their allies. They marched with their foreign cousins and Sub Zero handed the bottles to them.
Nevada
Stryker stood in the low lit room deep underground. Kabal saw men in suits and styled hair, standing alongside the colonel and immediately wondered what was going on.
"Er...Colonel?"
"Ah, Kabal, I was waiting for you to come by."
"What...what is going on?"
Stryker took the scientist to one side and bowed his head down as if to take a breath. "I talked to President Roosevelt and he agrees with me tha-"
"He agrees with what? That you shut down the program? Who are these people?"
Stryker gripped Kabal's shoulder tightly, "If you let me finish I'll tell you."
Kabal nodded solemnly, Stryker continued, "The president has agreed that we need more results and I told him that you could get me those results."
"Which means?"
"Which means that my men are going to recruit some more eligible soldiers."
"But...the prospects take months to develop their abilities an..and...practice them...!"
"We could lose this otherwise. Your concerns are noted. As always."
Stalingrad
Reptile held one German's head, making him watch Sub Zero dispatch his friends. The German soldier tried to hold back tears, Reptile pulling his face back tightly, pinching his neck. Shooting an injured man, Sub Zero turned to see his comrade holding the enemy.
"What are you doing?"
Reptile looked innocent, "I was letting him watch the show."
Sub Zero walked over sternly, his shadow cast on to the walls, tiny flames flickering through the now abandoned house, Reptile let go and Sub Zero turned his head aside and pulled the trigger on the captive.
"Now...if we had been killed by another gang of Germans, how would this have seemed to them? Holding a captive and torturing him by making him watch?"
Reptile didn't know if Sub Zero wanted a genuine answer but he decided to reply regardless, "The same as it would if we hadn't done it or got killed. Their beliefs are warped beyond belief."
Sub Zero tapped Reptile on the back of the head, the green mask almost coming off. He grabbed an MP40, walking towards the hole in the wall.
"Come on you idiot." Sub Zero continued, Reptile simply laughed.
The Mortals walked through an abandoned warehouse and several houses and streets, encountering nobody yet hearing the sounds of life around them. They arrived in a house which was still warm with the embers of a dying fire, the two decided to settle for a few minutes. Reptile crouched and rubbed his hand on a door frame, carvings made by a family, measuring their children's height. He thought back to his father doing the same for him. By the time he was ten, his father had stopped chiselling into the broken grandfather clock, just after Reptile's mother passed away. Sub Zero lay his hand down on the mantelpiece, feeling the detail on a small, painted doll. It was smeared with soot, seemingly cradled and placed in the wrong direction not long before they arrived.
Reptile drifted to the carpet, catching a glimpse of a photo frame, he crouched to get a better look.
Sub Zero noticed him, "What you got there?"
"It's a picture of the family. I guess it is anyway."
"Here." Sub Zero held out his hand and Reptile passed it over. The family in the picture looked to be wearing aristocratic clothing but their faces were obscured by ash. Sub Zero felt puzzled by the photo.
"We're near the poorer area of Stalingrad, why would they wear these clothes?" He asked.
"Beats me. We're in a strange place," Reptile hissed softly.
Sub Zero gently lifted the back of the frame, pulling it out and easing the picture out. He gave a small laugh, "It's the old royal family."
"What? How do you know that?"
"I read."
A clopping of heels outside suddenly awakened Reptile and Sub Zero, they got below the windowsill and listened to the foreign language, Sub Zero heard 'go back inside' whereas Reptile had sneaked out of the house to which Sub Zero held back his frustration.
"Reptile! Reptile you son of a bitch get back here!" He said in hushed tones. With Reptile gone, Sub Zero reached out to his MP40 that hung from a chair, taking care not to be seen. When he reached it, the door opened and a boot stepped through, the owner of the boot looked bemused more than angry. That soon changed to fear once the sub machine gun was fired, the soldier backing into the now bullet riddled door in a pool of his own blood. The others suffered a similar fate as they stepped over their deceased friend. Sub Zero was thankful there was only three. That was when the front of the house lit up, brick by brick, the wall began to fall and shake and Sub Zero made haste out the back.
Loud, heavy footsteps smashed through the empty street, Sub Zero was sprinting as a light touch of snow fell from the clouds. His exhalation followed him, his body contorting so he could get a better view of what followed him. Sub Zero's developed arms were exposed, his hood nearly shredded.
"Reptile!" He called as he ran, the noise from the connection of boots to cobbles nearly drowned it out.
A black clad figure hovered, a green aura surrounding him. It shot pure energy at Sub Zero, chasing the Mortal. Sub Zero kept running only to be met with Germans at the edge of the street.
"Shit..." The opposition walked towards him, weapons drawn, but still some distance from him.
A wall of emerald appeared before him, forcing him to turn and face the mysterious man they tried to defend themselves against in France. He opened his mouth, the wrappings around his head moving with it. The man spoke.
"It has been a long time my American foe." His voice sounded disembodied, almost static.
"Who are you?"
"My name is not important."
"Tell me before I crush your Nazi face in."
"An empty threat. You failed to even phase me in France, what make you think you can scar me here?"
"Adaptation."
A laugh came from the figure, his accent seemed conflicted. "An excellent answer."
"You still didn't answer my question." Sub Zero stood his ground.
"Very well. I am Ermac."
"Ermac?"
"Yes." Ermac replied, his nostrils flaring, his eyes glowing a dark green.
Sub Zero casually stood up, placing his weapon on the floor, "Well then, you've got me. I'm not one to argue with a better fighter."
"I knew you would understand...yet, that does little to satisfy me or achieve my orders."
Ermac pulled his hands to his waist, channelling energy, his eyes smoking from charging. Sub Zero closed his eyes, knowing what would happen.
"Feel our power!" Ermac's voice overlapped with several others, he fired the beam towards his foe.
Diving, Sub Zero avoided the fatal blow, Reptile leapt from a roof, his invisibility shadowing him from the powerful being. Punching him, Reptile caught the man off guard, immediately grabbing his throat. Ermac fell to the snow with the furious man digging his fingers into his neck.
"I'll rip it out!" snarled Reptile, burying deeper, drawing blood.
Ermac's hands emanated light, Reptile's did soon after. Ermac used Reptile's own hands and removed them from his throat. Reptile stood up, Ermac flicked his wrists and Reptile began strangling himself. Desperate cries for help came from Reptile and Sub Zero responded, firing balls of ice at Ermac, he ran towards the German who parried each projectile. Sub Zero used this to his advantage, jumping at him, kicking him with a large amount of force. He could feel himself connecting with Ermac's chest. Ermac exhaled and coughed as Sub Zero held down the Nazi's hand, and punched him repeatedly.
Reptile's own hands were now free and he saw the rotation and movement of Ermac's unshackled hand begin to charge energy. Seizing the moment, Reptile rushed over and held it down with a knee as he took his mask off, licking his dry lips, he sunk his razor sharp teeth into the now pulsating hand. Ermac let out a scream, his eyes losing their glow to reveal oily irises on a grey canvas.
"Kill this bastard Reptile."
Reptile unclasped his jaw, his mouth foaming acid and obeyed, diving his teeth towards the German's face. Ermac lit his hand up briefly, a quick burst of energy erupted from his chest and threw the duo from him. When they looked up, he was gone and the German soldiers surrounded them.
"Great..." mumbled Sub Zero, he rolled his eyes and exhaled sharply. Reptile was nowhere in sight.
A.N. As always, thank you for reviewing and I should hopefully have a new chapter out within a week.
