Chapter 9: Exposition

"The Thunder God is dead." When Fujin, it was soft and grave.

Sonya's heart sank as she realized Shao Kahn had been telling the truth.

"The mortal is still alive and kicking, though."

Sonya's head whipped around behind her at the raspy voice. Hands clasped behind him, dressed in a simple brown robe, hair long and dirty with dust, Rayden smiled at her.

Sonya immediately noticed something was wrong, and as his words hit her, she realized he seemed less ethereal. He looked as human, and as haggard, as the rest of them. The energy that had once made him radiant was replaced by bone weary exhaustion, yet his smile was still strong. He may no longer be a god, but he was far from dead.

"Mortal?" she asked. "What…"

"A lot has happened while you've been away." He placed his hand on her shoulder when she flinched. "Don't. It's not your fault."

Sonya's fists clenched. "You didn't have the fate of the world on your shoulders," she said lowly. But that wasn't quite true, was it? She shook her head. Her mouth opened to speak but he cut her off.

"Forget about it. What's done is done. Even the gods can't predict the future."

"What can the gods do, now that the realms have merged?"

"Intervene, but not interfere," a quiet voice answered.

Sonya looked over to the man with glowing eyes. It didn't take a genius to make the leap. "So which god are you?"

"Fujin, wind god, and the new protector of Earth Realm." He nodded in greeting. "I have been assisting in the orchestration of Earth's resistance. I am forbidden from many things or else I could lose my place as the protector."

"Wait." Sonya turned to Rayden. "Why are you no longer a god, and if you had no power outside of Earth, and the realms merged," she looked back at Fujin, "then how are you still a god?"

"Once the merger began, I knew Shao Kahn would come to end my life," Rayden answered. "I choose not to give him the satisfaction. I gave up my right as protector of Earth and my immortality to disappear. Fujin is my successor. His lack of participation in anything Earth or other realm related has made him a disinterested party to the Emperor. Shao Kahn sees no threat in him.

"As for the powers, gods can move freely across realms, but are limited in how they interact with others, especially with mortals and their affairs."

Sonya scoffed. "But Kahn can invade and enslave realms without limitations? Why don't the rules apply to him?"

Fujin answered. "He is not a god. He is only a powerful immortal."

Jax leaned down next to Sonya. "Yeah, I didn't get that either."

"I hate politics," she hissed. She turned back to Fujin. "All right, fill me in. What have I missed?"

"Once the merger began," Fujin said, "I searched out Earth's Chosen Ones. Nightwolf was the first." He gestured towards a Native American with a painted face, who nodded in greeting to Sonya. "His ability to call on the spirits enabled us to use his reservation, these hallowed grounds, as a place of protection against the Outworlders. Only those who are invited may enter here."

"Shaman?" she asked him.

"Yes. How are you feeling?" He stared hard at her.

She was surprised by the question. "Fine. Better than I can remember, actually." She raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"You were afflicted."

"A spell," Rayden answered her confused stare. He lifted her palm where the scar from the wedding continued to scab, as if it refused to heal. "A trickery on your mind to increase doubt, make you less stable to cope with stress."

Sonya stared at her hand, recalling the searing pain and the flashes, and then the confusion and the increasing fear. It never occurred to her how unlike herself she had been. She should have been angry, she supposed, but instead it gave her a small bit of satisfaction knowing Tsung had to resort to magic to control her.

How pathetic. "This won't happen again, will it?" Sonya asked Nightwolf.

"It shouldn't."

"Good." She looked back at Fujin. "Continue."

"After Nightwolf began bringing humans here for safety, our first contact from Outworld arrived. I understand you two know each other."

Sonya looked over at the woman adorned in green. "Do we?"

The woman sniffed, but her smile held no bitterness. "To me, you are a bitch, and to you, I am nothing more than another bloody stain on your boot."

She scanned the woman, a distant memory returning to her from not long ago. "You were at the tournament. I… oh."

"Yes, my face still hurts from that swift kick to the head."

Sonya supposed she should feel sorry, but frankly, she didn't care. "I regret nothing."

Jade laughed. "Neither would I. I'd like to say you fought well… but I never had the chance to see, did I?"

"You fought for Outworld. Why are you helping us now?"

"Kitana. I was her bodyguard and she was my friend. She was a good woman who didn't deserve to die. Kahn has always been the root of treachery, and she believed Earth could be the key to his destruction. I've sworn to avenge her, and to return my home world of Edenia to its former glory in her honor."

"Jade gave us the information about Kitana, Kahn's and Tsung's plans, and your purpose in Outworld," Fujin continued. "She's also provided us with hundreds of warriors from different realms who have chosen to rise up against Kahn. They were the ones who helped in the night of the attack."

"You were also the one following me?" Sonya asked.

"No, that was Li Mei," Jade corrected.

"Damn, I must be slipping. How long did you know?"

Sonya looked over at a young woman with long dark hair and a skimpy purple outfit. "I caught you twice."

She rolled her eyes. "Great." She looked again at Sonya. "Did Tsung ever say anything?"

"No."

"Good. I was spying on him, reporting his movements back here. I just checked up on you every once in a while."

"You mean twice?"

Li Mei simply gave her a look.

"You're a member of Jade's group?"

The young woman shook her head. "No, Tsung enslaved my village and murdered my family. I'd like to return the favor."

"Yes, he is Mr. Popularity right now," Sonya sighed. Her eyes darted around to the others at the table. "And the rest of you?"

"You've already met Stryker," Fujin pointed out. "He and his partner Kabal set the explosives." Both waved at her. "Smoke was the one helped you away from the tower."

Sonya looked at the dark clad ninja, really noticing for the first time the gray wisps that seemed to appear from his tunic. "You look like the other two from the tournament," she commented.

"Scorpion and Sub-Zero," he replied. "We are all assassins… some better than others."

"Thank you. For the lift."

He nodded.

"And sitting over in the corner is Bo'Rai Cho." Sonya turned to look at a great dough ball of a man, apparently passed out deep in the folds of his robe. She gave him the once over.

"Is he a pastry chef or a priest who loves his sacrificial wine?"

Fujin smiled. "A great warrior from Outworld, actually, and one of Liu Kang's teachers."

Sonya scoffed. "Yeah, right." Then his words sank in. Her eyes darted around and she had a moment of self-reproach. "Wait, Liu and Johnny. Where are they?"

"They're here, thanks to Bo'Rai," Rayden interjected. "They're fine, just resting."

"There's something else you should know," Jax muttered. "Johnny and Liu didn't come alone."

Sonya turned.

"We have Jarek. And Kano."

Sonya stared. "Alive?"

"Yes."

She grabbed his sidearm and performed a sharp about face towards the hallway. Jax plucked the gun from her hand, halting her forward motion, and sighed.

"No."

"Fine, I'll use my bare hands," she growled.

"No, Sonya, we're keeping them alive."

"Whatever the hell for?"

"They are Chosen Ones," Fujin answered, "and it's my job to protect all of you."

"And I thought Shang Tsung knew how to feed a line of bullshit," Sonya snapped.

Rayden grabbed her elbow. "He's right. Despite their immorality in human affairs, they are still considered the best of Earth's warriors. We may need them."

"The only thing they're good for is target practice."

"Amen to that," Jax added.

"Your personal opinions mean nothing to me," Fujin intoned. "They are being kept separate for their sake as much as yours," he addressed Sonya. "But they will not be harmed. Is that clear?"

Sonya cocked an eyebrow at him. "Of course. But for the safety of these fine warriors," she gestured to the group, "in the event of an escape and resisted arrest, they will be shot on sight. Is that clear?" she mocked.

"Sonya," Rayden warned.

Fujin glared at her and she stood firm. After a moment of tense silence, she spoke again. "So what now?"

Fujin took a breath, choosing to lay to rest the previous topic. "Last night had a turn of events we weren't expecting. When we learned you and Tsung would be named overseers of Earth, we planned to ambush after Kahn had departed. We hoped to kill Tsung and retrieve you, then regroup and attack Kahn in Outworld."

"That sounds like suicide," Sonya commented.

"So unbelievably daring Kahn wouldn't consider for a moment it would happen?" Jade remarked. "That's what we were going for. The arrogant bastard wouldn't know what hit him."

"But he didn't give us Earth."

"Right, and we don't know why," Rayden said. "Do you?"

Sonya shook her head. "No, I was just as surprised as everyone else. So was Shang Tsung."

Fujin frowned. "The emperor betrayed him." He looked at Rayden. "He never does anything without a reason."

"I know." Rayden looked back at the ex-lieutenant. "Sonya, did you see or hear anything that seemed wrong?"

"You mean aside from being in another realm with sorcerers and a psychotic immortal?"

"You know what I mean."

She sighed and rubbed her forehead. "No, I can't… wait." She focused on the night before, the introduction of Sindel, the conversation before she was placed in battle. "Shang Tsung said something last night. He mentioned the plan for another realm… OrderRealm." She looked back up at Rayden. "And something about Talismans."

Rayden turned sharply to Fujin. Neither spoke but a conversation still seemed to occur between them.

"What is it?" Jax asked.

"You don't think…" Fujin started.

"I wouldn't put it past him," Rayden answered.

"Um, silent dialogue doesn't work for me," Stryker spoke up. "The rest of us would like to know what's going on."

"The kamidogu," Rayden said.

"And the One Being," Fujin finished. Taking a deep breath, he explained the creation of the realms by the Elder Gods who defeated the One Being. Separating his consciousness into six separate talismans, the kamidogu, the Elder Gods attempted to ensure the One Being could not combine again and extract revenge. For centuries, rumors had abounded of the One Being taken possession of creatures in the attempt to merge the realms and return the One Being to unity. The individual that could accomplish such a feat would be granted unimaginable power.

"So the legend goes," Fujin finished.

"Kahn already possesses Edenia, Outworld, and OrderRealm, and now he has Earthrealm," Jade interjected. "He only needs two more."

"One more," Li Mei interrupted. She looked up as the others turned to her. "Quan Chi is in league with Shao Kahn."

"So he has access to Netherrealm as well," Fujin said.

Kabal spoke up for the first time. "One thing confuses me."

"One thing?" Stryker muttered.

"If Kahn has OrderRealm… then what plan was Tsung talking about last night?"

Rayden sighed. "Of course." He leaned against the table. "By the gods, he's cleverer than I expected." His gaze lifted to meet Fujin's. "ChaosRealm."

The wind god nodded in understanding. Jax threw his hands in the air in frustration. "Jesus, how the hell are you all following this?"

"I'm not," Smoke admitted.

"ChaosRealm and OrderRealm are opposites and rivals," Rayden stated. "OrderRealm is aligned with Kahn while ChaosRealm is still under its own reign. But if its merged into Outworld, war would break out between the two realms, likely eradicating each other."

"Why would Kahn care?" Smoke asked.

"He wouldn't, but his representative and the governing ruler of OrderRealm would."

"Still not getting it," Jax piped in.

"Kahn is still held back from complete tyranny by the rules set by the Elder Gods," Rayden explained. "He is restricted by the rule of 1st through 7th, positions that are filled to represent a Realm, with one overseer."

"Kahn and his Dark Lords," Sonya clarified.

"Yes. As the 1st, he has incredible power regarding association with the realms, but he cannot simply invade them."

"You said he has to win the Mortal Kombat tournaments," Sonya said.

"Or receive a unanimous vote from his council to invade… if the grounds are justified."

Everyone looked at him in confusion. "If?" Li Mei asked.

"Like you said, Sonya, politics. There's always a loop hole, if you look hard enough. But OrderRealm would never agree to an invasion of ChaosRealm, knowing its own survival would be threatened."

"So what does any of this have to do with Tsung?" Jade asked.

"If he was made ruler of Earth, as a Lord over a realm, he could challenge another Lord for the right to rule his realm."

Sonya's eyes lit up. "He was going to challenge OrderRealm's ruler, kill him, and take over the realm, leaving me in charge of EarthRealm under his spell-"

"-to ensure a unanimous vote would be found in favor of invading ChaosRealm-" Rayden continued.

"-and the immediate acquisition of the kamidogu once ChaosRealm fell, rather than waiting for 10 Mortal Kombat victories," Fujin finished.

Kabal shook his head. "If that was the plan, then why did he try to kill Sonya? Who was the other woman that showed up?"

"Sindel, his wife," Jade spat. "She was Kitana's mother and was forced to marry Kahn when he took over Edenia. She came to Earth to protect it… but he must have found a way to bring her back, and now he's controlling her."

Sonya nodded. "Tsung can still challenge for OrderRealm but he no longer needed me for EarthRealm's vote." She looked at Fujin. "This just got a lot more complicated."

"Yes. There is much more at stake than just saving EarthRealm," Fujin mused. "Now we must save everything else."

Sonya turned to Rayden and shrugged. "Ok, business as usual. Once again, I ask. What now?"

"Kahn's soldiers already know that powerful magic protects this place," the wind god replied. "It's only a matter of time before he puts two and two together, and comes here to crush the resistance."

"So let him come," Sonya answered. "We'll stop him right here."

"Sounds great, Lieutenant," Jax quipped. "We just need to kill an immortal, no problem."

"Yeah," Stryker added. "You know, that's not something I got trained on in SWAT. What do we use? Garlic, silver bullets, salt?"

The room went quiet. Sonya looked back and forth between the ex-god and his successor. "Well? What's the plan?"

"The plan was to banish him to the Netherrealm," Fujin answered. "But with Quan Chi on his side, that won't work now."

"What about the others?" Rayden asked.

"I will speak with them, but you know how the other gods feel about involvement. If the Elder Gods won't stop him, they see no reason to interfere." He looked around the table. "I will be back soon. In the meantime, I recommend everyone get some rest, and be ready for an attack on the grounds." With a flash and a gust of wind, he was gone.

The others began mingling among themselves. Sonya turned to Rayden before he moved away. "I want to see them."

"This way."

/

Liu met them in the hallway. Sonya was relieved to see that aside from looking pale and thinner than before, he was okay. He asked after her well being, swearing that Shang Tsung and the rest would pay for everything. She became nervous, stumbling over her words as she tried to apologize for the Final Kombat.

Liu never gave her the chance. He pulled her into a brief hug and then moved off down the hall with Rayden, leaving Sonya by herself. She turned to the room Liu had occupied, its door slightly ajar, and took a breath.

Just what the hell was she nervous for?

With a shake of her head, she knocked and pushed on the door.