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Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Mortal Kombat; it belongs to its creators Ed Boon, John Tobias, John Vogel and their crew.


Chapter Eight


Having not found an ambassador after three days, I decided to step up to the plate and take on the task myself. There was no time we could afford to waste and since everybody else wasn't willing or able to go, I figured I would; finding information was a skill of mine anyway. And I wouldn't be going alone. I'd most likely ask Jax to come with me, and perhaps Mileena. A three days she was still here at my apartment. She had decided to spend some time with me after all, and Nightwolf was right, she did seem to be happy with me.

"Sonya, come get your devil-cat out of the bathroom!"

Well, most of the time she was.

I trudged from the kitchen where I was fixing myself some cereal and headed to the bathroom to stave off yet another confrontation between her and my pet. When I got there, I saw that French wasn't hissing at Mileena or glaring at all. He was rubbing his head against her ankles while she stood stock-still.

What?

"French." I spoke.

The cat stopped circling between Mileena's legs and walked over to me. This had to be considered a love-hate relationship if I ever knew one. With my cat in tow, I headed back to the kitchen. After feeding French, I went back to my cereal that waited on the counter. With a banana and some orange juice, it made for an appetizing breakfast. No sooner had I brought it all to the dining room table did my phone ring. I already had an idea of who it was.

"Good morning, Chief." I greeted into the device.

Nightwolf's voice sounded over the other end. I could hear noises behind him and figured he was working or something. It was his way to call every morning see if things were going okay over here. I thought it was sweet of him. Cumbersome, but sweet.

"You wanna talk to her?" I asked him knowingly.

"Please." he affirmed.

I put the phone down and called out, "Mileena, telephone!"

She wasn't dressed yet in her shorts and tight t-shirt but, Mileena still came hurrying from the bathroom anyway. When she took the phone from me, her face lit up with this huge smile. It made me smile. She really looked forward to Nightwolf's daily calls. Even after three days she still missed the shaman. Like I said, this was sweet, but cumbersome. I didn't see myself getting all excited over a phone call when I had just talked to the person the day before, but that was just me.

As usual, the conversation didn't last long and when it was over, Mileena stood there holding the phone and looking contemplative.

"You okay?" I asked her.

She nodded and handed me the phone, then went back to the bathroom. I went back to my breakfast. A little while later she came out again, this time dressed in black pants (an old pair of mine) and a short-sleeved white shirt (also mine).

Note to self; take this girl shopping one of these days.

The jacket that was black and fit tight on her belonged to me as well but not the black moccasins. Those were solely hers, no pun intended. She had fixed her hair so that half of it was up and half down, with two bangs on either side of her face. The style was new on her and drew attention to those expressive eyes. She came and sat at the table.

"Food's in there," I told her.

She laid her head in her palm and put her elbow on the table.

"I know," She told me. "What are you doing today?"

Since she's been here, Mileena has watched me go back and forth to work and occasionally went with me to run odd errands. Nothing exciting. Today would be different because today I was going to do some more investigating.

That should liven things up, I thought wryly.

"I'm going to Outworld." I replied to Mileena.

At that she perked.

"Can I come?" She asked.

"Yeah," I told her, "I thought you might want to."

But then I hesitated because something occurred to me: Nightwolf was extremely protective when it came to Mileena. Especially after all that happened to her during Chi's reign.

"On second thought, maybe not." I said.

Mileena frowned and asked, "What? Why?"

"I don't know if Nightwolf would be okay with this," I told her.

She made a face and said, "He probably won't mind."

I wasn't so sure about that.

"If something were to happen to you out there," I trailed.

She finished with, "It would be on me. I'm a grown woman, I don't need anyone's permission to go to Outworld. And I'm not staying here with your cat from hell anymore."

I shrugged. "Fine. Come if you want to then."

"What's your plan?" She inquired.

"I want to get some more information about this tournament." I told her.

She drummed her fingers on the table and said, "From who? Not Ermac. I don't know about you, but he pretty much hates me."

"Who doesn't he hate?" I quipped.

Mileena tilted her head and after a pause, answered, "Noob."

"Huh?" I spoke.

I hadn't expected a reply to that.

She repeated, "Noob Saibot. He and Ermac are allies. Or at least they were when they took down Paste-Face together."

Oh yeah. Now that she mentioned it, that was true; Noob was indeed a strong ally of Ermac's. Maybe I could go to him instead of the volatile host.

"How do we get in touch with Noob, though?" I asked her.

Mileena shrugged her shoulders, "I dunno. He rules the Netherrealm. But we can't exactly go waltzing down there."

Hm. That was true.

"Come on," I said, "Grab something to eat. We're going to OIA."


"You have five seconds to explain yourself."

Upon being confronted in his gardens by the furious host, Shang Tsung merely lifted a brow.

"Don't play games, sorcerer." Ermac growled, "You've been impersonating us: why?"

Calmly Shang explained, "You have given us free reign to do whatever was necessary to ensure the tournament's uninhibited success, did you not?"

"What does that have to do with your treacherous behavior?" Ermac wanted to know.

The host was losing their patience fast.

Shang Tsung remained calm as he stated, "I only acted in your best interest, Emperor."

"How so?" Ermac gritted out, "Your deception cost us an ally."

"No great loss," Shang Tsung claimed.

"We will be the judge of that," Ermac retorted.

Shang said, "By giving Kano over to OIA, I save you time, energy, and in an indirect sense; money."

That stopped the host in their murderous line of thinking.

"Kano was a liability," Shang continued, "Protecting him was futile. Sonya Blade is a persistent mortal and can only be gainsaid for so long."

This was something Ermac knew firsthand.

"The time you would've spent dealing with her interference can now be used to monitor affairs with the tournament." Shang Tsung pointed out.

"Furthermore," The sorcerer spoke, "OIA had every right to pursue Kano; they have the proper inter-dimensional warrants proving as much. As emperor, you must honor that, unless you wish to involve the Elder Gods."

Ermac just barely got said gods to approve their petition to have the tournament. They didn't want to face them again. Those beings weren't the most pleasant of beings, and they weren't at all subtle in their disdain for the host.

"That doesn't explain why you had to impersonate us," Ermac stated, "You've made an enemy of Kano, and under our guise."

Though Ermac's tone was still quite testy, the host had calmed considerably since speaking with Shang.

"You needn't worry about Kano," The sorcerer assured them, "He's behind bars. And his organization is being dissolved."

"So how do you expect us to make up for the money the Black Dragon was pulling?" Ermac wanted to know.

"If the tournament is successful, you'll gain more revenue through business with Earthrealm." Shang rationalized.

Ermac was silent, somewhat assuaged now. They still didn't trust Shang Tsung after that impersonation stunt. The sorcerer seriously rubbed them the wrong way. But for now, Ermac decided to tolerate him.


Not for the first time fate had surprised him. When he went to investigate the final name inscribed on the parchment that had gotten wrinkled in his back pocket by now, Reptile was proven wrong. For this person was not only living, but significantly younger than the others. That was the trend, though, he had found. The further along he went down the list, the younger the mortals were. Those at the very top had long since been dead while this last one was merely a child.

Reptile had taken the small human from their bed at this late hour and had returned to Outworld straightaway. It wasn't hard tracking this child down, despite there being a distinct lack of legal files, documentation, or paperwork regarding them like the other names. That was mainly due to the child being a ward of the state. Reptile was no stranger to the concept, but in Zaterra things were handled differently.

No sooner had the Saurian exited the portal with the child in his arms did his master confront him. He could only take about four or five steps forward on the shores of the island before Shang Tsung spoke.

"Give it to me."

In concordance with the command, Reptile lowered the barefoot child onto the sandy ground and untangled their skinny arms from around his neck. The Saurian led the child by the small of their back towards the sorcerer. Not a word was spoken by either of them: the little one was mute and as for Reptile, he just had nothing to say.

"This is the last of them?" Shang asked.

Reptile nodded.

Once the child was in front of him, Shang Tsung enacted his next move quickly. He crouched to the the young one's height and cupped his hands over the sides of their head, then gave it a rough jerk. For the child, death came swiftly, but his soul would know no peace; from the small lifeless body Shang Tsung extracted not only the child's soul, but that one piece of his own as well.

Rising to his feet Shang said, "It is done. Now my soul is complete."

And then he left.

Reptile didn't know what to make of what had just transpired. It shouldn't have caused any dissension. His temporary master had issued an order and he had acted accordingly. So why did it seem as though something were...

As for the death of the child, Reptile felt absolutely nothing. It didn't move him. He'd had a part in it and yet it meant nothing either way. But he did wonder about some things. Like if this child would have mourners all dressed in black and with the same pinched faces as the other grieving mortals.

Probably not, he figured: the child was an orphan.

Reptile felt the makings of what he knew had to be some sort of kindred spirit. That child had never uttered a word, it couldn't, and yet Reptile could sense the like loneliness that he was familiar with. But only the makings of that he felt, not much more.

Perhaps I should mourn for this child, he thought.

But that was ludicrous. He hardly knew how. However, he didn't think it would sit right with him to just leave this tiny dead mortal lying piteously in the sand. So he hoisted the young one over his shoulder and took a portal to Zaterra. He buried the child there. Not out of respect or any like emotion, but because this child was alone.

And he was alone.

And he would want to be mourned.


With the advanced technology at OIA, getting to the Netherrealm was fairly easy. No, the hard part comes now because now Mileena and I had to find the wraith who owns the place. Already we'd been wandering around the dismal region without any luck. That wasn't good. As mortals, every second counts down here. I glanced away from the sight of dozens of writhing bodies and made a face at the awful stench. That alone would be the undoing of a lesser man or woman. If I didn't have the sort of training, and more importantly the personal experience that I did, I may have fainted from the sight of so much gore and unpleasantness.

"Let's split up," I suggested while covering my nose. "We can radio each other if we find Noob."

Like I said, OIA has a surprisingly expansive budget; it would seem the president didn't relish being subjected to Kahn's previous invasion attempts. Because of that, the organization has the funds to produce the type of technology that greatly benefits me and other agents. One such gem were the radios Mileena and I were equipped with right now; even though we were in Outworld, it operated at normal frequency and could be used without worry of interference.

I was ready to go and search for the wraith but Mileena was not. I thought it'd be faster if we split up but the look on her face was making me rethink that.

"Is that really a good idea?" She asked warily.

"I don't know," I admitted, "But we have to try."

She pushed her hair out of her eyes and nodded. Although we'd come to a conclusion, we couldn't act on it because not a second later both of us were grabbed. Noob had me by the arm and his alter, Saibot, had scooped Mileena up off the ground by her waist.

"You know," The wraith drawled, "I have a strict policy against mortal trespassers."

I tugged at my arm but Noob had it in a superhuman grip. There was no getting away. Only one look behind me told me that Mileena was not faring much better. In fact, she had it worse than me. For all her jerking and twisting, Saibot was only laughing at her and tightening his grip. I think the best thing to do would be to remain calm.

"We don't want any trouble. Just answers," I told the wraith in a clear voice.

He tilted his head and said, "You know I'm not obligated to give you anything."

Both he and I looked over when Mileena started to get especially aggressive in her struggle to be free. She kicked at Saibot but her legs phased through his body.

"You think this is funny, you bastard? Let me go so I can kick your slimy ass!" She growled fiercely.

Noob chuckled but at that released me and signaled something to Saibot. The entity dropped Mileena hard onto the dirty, sooty ground and then launched himself back into Noob. My friend was thoroughly vexed. I went over and helped her to her feet.

Noob stretched his hand forward and formed a murky-looking black and indigo portal. I think he expected us to step through that shady thing. No way: I wasn't giving up that easily.

"Just hear us out," I spoke.

I stood tall with Mileena still scowling beside me and waited for the wraith's response. He ended up closing the portal, conjuring a seat made of old cracked bones, reclining in it and crossing his arms.

"Start talking." He ordered.

I resisted the urge to smile. He was actually listening! Who would've thought? Well, I suppose that of the two, Noob is more reasonable than Ermac.

To begin I stated, "We're looking for information regarding an upcoming tournament that Ermac is hosting."

Noob shrugged and said, "I don't know anything about that."

I said slowly, carefully, "You must know something."

"I don't." The wraith replied.

Mileena snorted and said, "Bullshit."

Now Noob stood and said, "Why don't you ask Ermac yourselves?"

"You know damn well why," Mileena retorted.

I gave her a pointed look that should've told her to reign in the attitude. I couldn't really blame her, though, what with the way she'd been manhandled and mocked by Saibot earlier. It was no wonder she was so testy.

And as much as I tried to hide it, I couldn't deny how badly my arm was smarting right now. Noob had grabbed me in the same spot where Kano had burned me. And even though the wound was old, all it took was for the wraith to clutch it in that iron grip of his to remind me of the pain. But Noob couldn't read minds like Ermac, so thanks to my neutral facade, he had no way of knowing how much he'd hurt me.

"Ermac and I are...not on good terms." I explained while rubbing my arm.

The wraith said quietly, "I see. That's the case with so many. But what about Mileena?"

Said girl blinked and asked, "What about me?"

Noob said, "Ermac might listen to you."

Since Mileena was too busy raising a brow skeptically, I tried to pick apart the wraith's words.

"Why is that?" I asked him.

Noob clasped his hands behind his back and focused on Mileena.

"Didn't he ask you to be his Empress a while ago?" He inquired.

"What?" I frowned.

I looked to Mileena and found the unbelievable confirmation in her subsequent embarrassed blush. She worried the edge of her lip and looked away. There was obviously a can of worms waiting to be opened here. This was a topic I wanted to delve into later.

"Didn't he?" Noob reiterated.

Mileena mumbled, "...Yeah. So?"

"Ermac wouldn't ask that of just anyone." Noob claimed, "If he asked you to rule with him, then he must have some respect for you."

"I doubt it." Mileena muttered.

But something about her demeanor, the great change in it, told me otherwise. This was an interesting subject to explore indeed. But not right now.

"So you think he'll listen to her?" I asked curtly.

Noob again shrugged and said, "Maybe. Maybe not. You never can tell with Ermac. He's so fickle, you know."

Oh, do I ever, I thought wryly to myself.

But if Noob was right about Ermac and his unusual interest in Mileena, then this was definitely worth a shot.


How could she be tired, sore, covered in sweat and aching deep in her muscles yet still have a smile on her face? Jade could only wonder about herself. The reason for this phenomena could be attributed to the fact that she enjoyed her new job just that much, despite how much it wore on her. It was a rewarding job, but she was glad that the day was over and she could rest in the comfort of her room.

Though comfort isn't exactly the right word, she knew.

Just by looking around she could tell that this new flat of hers was a far cry from her space in the palace. It was smaller and more simplistic here, behind the military barracks. There was one main room and another smaller one that was similar to what Earthrealmers dubbed a 'bathroom'. As soon as she walked in, there was the bed on the left wall with her weapons lying on or around her dresser to the right. There were no windows, but that didn't bother her.

The floor was wooden and creaked loudly and the closet door across from the entrance refused to close all the way. In between the space of the closet and the bathroom was a full-length mirror; it was there mainly to give the illusion of space, to make this place seem less cramped. That was almost futile with the desk that was beside the entrance door. That desk was neat enough, with only writing utensils and stacks of paperwork arranged atop it. Those papers were mostly her mandatory weekly logs, fresh and unfilled as of yet. She smiled just thinking of all the progress she'd document on those crisp sheets. After spending a few days with the new troops, she had faith that they would come quite a long way.

Hm. Right now I'll need a hot shower and a good night's rest, She mused, before I have to get up in the morning and do it all over again.

The shower part she managed to complete uninterrupted, but when she moved to climb into her bed and sleep, there was a knock at her door.

Jade sighed.

It was late. She was tired. And she was hardly dressed to speak with anyone in her short nightgown; it wasn't so ventilated here on the outskirts of Edenia as it was in the cushy palace. Still she trudged over to the door and greeted the person on the other side.

It was Liu Kang.

He was dressed for action with his black pants, knee guards, and wrist plates. The traditional Shaolin lace-up shoes and the presence of his red headband let her know that he was probably not on his way to bed. He was dressed for mild combat at the very least.

"Going somewhere?" She asked him curiously.

He nodded and said, "China. Kung Lao and I are on a mission."

At the name of his friend Jade couldn't help but perk just a bit. Liu didn't miss this and found humor in the fact.

"Speaking of Kung Lao," He added, "I've got another letter for you."

The monk's smile was friendly but awfully knowing. Jade felt slightly defensive, and then confused because of that. What did she have to defend against? There was nothing going on between her and Kung Lao. Just casual communication from one comrade to the other.

Jade took the envelope from Liu and said, "Thank you. Have a safe trip."

"Thanks, we'll try." Liu grinned.

With him gone, Jade sat upon her bed and pulled the quilted covers over her legs. She turned the dial on her oil lamp, the one on the nightstand beside the bed, so that the light in the room was brightened. Then she crossed her legs and read each word on the letter as objectively as she could.

Jade,

Congratulations on your promotion! I know it's been a few days since the last letter so are you enjoying your new job? What does it consist of, if you don't mind my asking? I hate to seem too nosy, but I'd like to know more about you. It that's fine with you. Liu Kang and I are going on a mission so I won't be able to write for a while. I'd still like to hear from you, though. If you do choose to write back, have the letter (or letters-a guy can hope, right?) sent to the Wu Shi Academy.

Kung Lao


"You know you don't have to do this."

"I want to."

"You have your radio?"

"Yup."

"And the recorder?"

"Uh-huh."

.
.

"I mean it. You don't have to="

"I want to do this. If it'll help."

"Okay. Just be sure of what you're getting into."

"I am."

Now that was a lie and both Mileena and I knew that. After she and I left the Netherrealm, I'd gone to Outworld to return the gear we'd borrowed. No sooner had I entered the parking lot did Mileena insist on doing this, approaching Ermac for information. Since I was already curious about what Noob had said and if it were the truth, I didn't immediately refute her. But now that we were in Outworld I was starting to have doubts. Ermac was so volatile and Mileena had almost as short a temper as he. But she claimed to me that she could handle him, that she could get the information out of him that we needed. I don't know why this is so important to her. There were other ways for us to get the intel, granted those ways weren't quick in coming. But if there was anything I've learned over time, it was that I shouldn't let opportunities like this get by. I jumped on the opportunity to bring Kano in and that hasn't proven to be a regret.

So far, I thought.

I fiddled with the tiny recorder that was fixed under the collar of Mileena's jacket and from the close vantage point, I could detect the miniscule tremble in her bottom lip. She was nervous. Naturally. I mean, it was Ermac we were dealing with. He was a touchy figure. Crossing him could cost you your life. I wouldn't want to be in her place and I also didn't want her in this situation.

"Are you sure about this?" I asked her one last time.

She nodded and said, "Yeah, now stop asking me."

The girl was adamant.

"You know I've got your back." I told her. "One call and I'll be there."

"Kay." She murmured.

Then she closed her eyes and took a deep breath through her nose. While she was gone handling business, I'd be here on the shores of Shang Tsung's island. I didn't want to go too far from her but I knew I had to get away from the palace. I didn't know Ermac's range on his telekinesis so I had to be safe. If he were to find out that I was here, our cover would be blown out the water and things would no doubt get ugly.


A/N: Thanks for reading, tell me what you all think in a review!

~DymondGold~