Shao Kahn's Throneroom

The Lin Kuei had reported back to Outworld after their altercations with Sindel. The Emperor was furious that Sindel was not among them, and that they weren't exactly in one piece.

"What is this?! Where is Sindel?!" Shao Kahn bellowed upon their return.

"The Queen has become quite violent, Emperor," Sektor replied.

"How so?"

"I told her that we had been sent to accompany her. Sindel then laughed in our faces and attacked us. As you can see, she broke my arm."

There was a long silence. A scary one, at that.

"It seems she may have defected, Emperor," Tanya spoke.

Those words alone were enough to push Shao Kahn over the edge. The Emperor slammed his fist on the armrest of his Throne. The slam was so powerful that the room shook and all of the nearby warriors toppled over.

"This is why I remind myself to NEVER be too dependant on my DUMBASS WARRIORS!" The Emperor bellowed.

He got up and summoned his Wrath Hammer, and activated a portal.

"Reiko, you and Tanya must go to Earthrealm. Capture some soldiers and use their souls to create a Soulnado. I will need it to multiply my strength, so that I can destroy Raiden and his forces, and conquer Earthrealm," Shao Kahn ordered.

Tanya liked the idea very much. She was going to be alone…with Reiko. The dark-skinned woman had had a crush on her ally for quite some time, and she could now do something about it.

"Yes, Emperor," Reiko said. He too, was happy about this, for the same reasons as Tanya.

The Streets

Sindel had been walking in the Streets for quite some time now, and was feeling very tired and thirsty. She didn't want to stop along the way to grab a drink or have a rest, as the Queen would sense Shao Kahn's presence in Earthrealm.

She began to freak out upon sensing him, now that she had come to her senses. The Lin Kuei had probably told him about what she had done, and Sindel would probably be punished for this. Sindel did know how to fight, but Shao Kahn was an exceptionally powerful man, and probably wouldn't have stood a chance against him.

As she got to the Cathedral, Sindel noticed an unconscious man nearby. His skin was marred with burns, and he was heavily decorated with life support equipment, such as a gas tank and a mask that would help his breathing. She could not help but feel sorry for the man.

"Oh my God, what happened to you?" Sindel asked, her voice in a gentle tone. She gently shook the man in order to rouse him, and slowly but surely, it worked.

The man opened his eyes and blinked a few times before coming to. "Who…are you?"

The woman smiled. "My name is Sindel. I have come here to warn the Earthrealm people of Shao Kahn's invasion. Who might you be?" The Queen asked.

"Shao Kahn…that's the Emperor of Outworld, right? And as for my name…it's Kabal."

"What happened to you?"

"I was burnt alive, and brought back by sorcery. Though it healed the rest of me, the magic was unable to cure my lung problems. That is why I am heavily decorated with life insurance equipment…"

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be."

Sindel then stood up, and upon doing so, helped her new friend up. "The Cathedral is nearby. It is where we must go," she said.

"Why?"

"I must warn the Earthrealmers of Shao Kahn's plans, and we also need to join them in this coming battle. I will not forsake my friends to that bastard."

Kabal laughed at that. "Neither will I. I need to find somebody called Stryker. He is my friend, and I have not seen him since my rebirth."

"I do not know of a Stryker, but I do think he will be in the Cathedral with our friends."

No words were passed between them as they walked to the Cathedral. Opening the door, they saw all of the Earthrealm warriors standing around the altar. Skarlet, Kitana, Jade, Nightwolf, Stryker, Raiden, Liu Kang, Kung Lao, Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Sonya, Jax, Cyrax and Johnny Cage.

My suspicions have now been confirmed, Sindel said to herself. Her and Kabal walked towards their allies. The Queen knew that she would have some explaining to do, and that she would have to put her guard up.

"How do we know? Raiden could be having visions of possible futures, not the future," Sonya spoke up.

"Sonya's right. The future is still in peril even after our victories, which is the solution Raiden originally sought," Jax spoke up, proving his partners point.

Kitana was annoyed with everybodies' negativity. "This isn't helpful. We can't constantly second guess our decisions. Raiden, what are your thoughts?"

No answer.

"Raiden?"

Coming to his senses, he half-heartedly replied. "Yes, that is best."

The warriors suddenly heard nearby footsteps, which belonged to none other than Sindel and Kabal. Kitana was shocked to see her mother alive, as were the other warriors who knew of her death.

"Mother…" the Princess rasped.

"Kitana…" she replied.

"How are you still alive?"

"Shao Kahn has resurrected me….."

Everyone's ears perked up at that, and they immediately took their fighting stances.

"…but he was stupid enough to use magic that could not ensnare me to his will for long enough. I am fighting for Earthrealm, so do not fear. I do not have ties with any enforcer of Shao Kahn, so there is no funny stuff. I promise you."

Everyone's arms dropped to their sides. "It is good to see you, Sindel. Who is this man beside you?" Raiden asked.

"My name is Kabal," he interrupted.

Stryker's ears perked up upon hearing his name. He turned to face his friend, and got the shock of his life when he saw what had become of him. He knew that Kabal would never be the man he once knew, but that didn't matter to him. Stryker was relieved that his friend was alive.

"Shao Kahn plans to invade Earthrealm as we speak. Reiko has deceived him into thinking that the Elder Gods will do nothing," Sindel informed them. "He has also tasked Reiko and Tanya to create a Soulnado to multiply his strength," she continued.

"Well, we now know what we must do," Raiden said. "The battle with Shao Kahn is mine and only mine. I will have to send some of you to stop Reiko and Tanya in their tracks."

The Thunder God had a sudden vision of Kano, Goro and Kintaro kidnapping several soldiers at St Domenic's Tower, and Reiko and Tanya using another group of soldiers to create the Soulnado at the Graveyard.

"I must go to the Graveyard. I have a score with Reiko I must settle once and for all," Scorpion said. Though he was now human, his powers of fire remained, and he was as capable in fighting as he was before.

"I will go to the Clocktower. I have a grudge with Kano I must settle," Kitana said. The Black Dragon had made several advances at the Princess during her time as an assassin for Kahn. She would now use this chance to kill him.

Sonya smirked at this, and wished she could have joined Kitana. Raiden nodded at both warriors. "Very well. Leave on your quest. I fear it will only be a matter of time before the Soulnado is complete."

The two warriors teleported to their respective locations with the intent of eliminating their rivals once and for all…

-Sindel and Kabal will NOT be a pairing. What do you think this is?!
-I seriously think Shao Kahn has some anger issues.

-I will NOT have the Earthrealm warriors be resurrected as Reiko's servants. No. I hated that in Mk9 so I will not be having it here. End of story.