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. From this point on, the story is heavily influenced by Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm & the first Mortal Kombat movie. I hope that helps. Now onto the story!

Chapter 10: Game Over, Pt I

Ice places Sub-zero onto the bed of snow that she had made. He has not awakened from the attack and this worries her a great deal.

"Come back to me, Yukio." She whispers as she brushes away some stray snowflakes from his cheek. "I need you now more than ever."

Ice suddenly jumps to her feet then turns around when she hears the sound of approaching footsteps.

"You…" she hisses at her discovery.

Kiroshi, the masked Sub-zero, looks from Ice's hatred fueled stare to his brother lying on the ground.

"How did this happen?" he asks her. It comes out as more of a command than a question.

"He was wounded by Shang Tsung." Ice tells him as she looks down at Sub-zero. Even after the disturbance, he's still unconscious. At least he's breathing. She turns her eyes back to Kiroshi. "But I thought you didn't care for your brother. After all, you turned your back on him and sided with his hated enemy."

Kiroshi grabs Ice's arm in a powerful grip and roughly pulls her to him. "Do you think I want him dead, woman?" he growls in her face. "If that were the case, I would have finished him off back in the subway or any of the other times we saw one another!" He gazes over her shoulder just in time to see Sub-zero slightly stir.

"I will only fight my brother in fair combat." He says in a more calm tone as he releases Ice's arm. "Scorpion prepared me for the battle against Shang Tsung. I am grateful for that. As for his hate for Yukio, I do not share it. Once I am victorious over the demon sorcerer, my part in this game will be over."

"Well I guess you're done because Shang Tsung is dead. I killed him." Ice says.

She jumps when she feels something brush against her ankle.

"Ice…"

Ice quickly turns around then looks down to see Sub-zero awake and looking up at her. Glad to see that he's awake, she kneels down next to him. She then leans over and places a quick kiss on his lips.

"How do you feel?" she breathes into his ear.

"I'm fine." Sub-zero responds softly. He tries to sit up, but his body is still too weak.

"Don't move." Ice tells him. "You haven't totally recovered from the attack."

He takes her hand and brings it up to his cheek. "It's my fault. If I had not been so cruel to you, you wouldn't have been captured by Reptile—"

"Shhhh. Don't do this to yourself."

Sub-zero looks away from Ice and that's when he sees his brother is with them.

"Kiroshi…" Sub-zero attempts to sit up again and this time succeeds.

Kiroshi stands his ground, showing no emotions toward his brother. He only looks down at him with cloudy blue eyes. Ice watches the silent exchange. Seconds later, her eyes grow wide in shock as Kiroshi reaches down and helps Sub-zero to a standing position.

"What are you doing?" Ice scolds him. "He's still hurt!"

"If we don't move, we will be targets for Shao Kahn's soldiers!" Kiroshi snaps back.

"He's right, Ice." Sub-zero adds in an unsteady tone. "I'm surprised that we haven't been found already."

Although she did not agree that Sub-zero should be moved, what Kiroshi and Sub-zero said is true. Ice reluctantly places Sub-zero's arm around her shoulder and helps Kiroshi take his brother across the bridge.

Kitana, Liu Kang, Jade, Sonya and Jax walk single file down a moonlit hallway.

"Kitana, you've been quiet ever since we've entered this hallway. Is there something disturbing you?" Liu Kang whispers to the princess.

"I was only thinking of my world and how Shao Kahn sucked the life out of it. Just like he's doing here." She replies.

"That is not all that is troubling you."

"You are right Liu. I was also thinking of my mother. Although I am happy to see that she is alive again, I am saddened that Kahn is using her for her evil purpose."

The group enters a large circular room. Three sets of curved stairs lead to a second level. A huge marble design of the MK logo is in the center of the floor while six smaller circles surround the logo. Liu Kang touches the stone wall as memories of a battle long ago replay in his mind.

"This room contains a short cut to the throne room." Jade tells the others.

'If my memory serves me right, we should come out through an opening right beneath the throne itself." Kitana further explains.

"I don't see anyone or anything." Sonya says as she surveys the area. "What are we waiting for? Let's go."

Just as Sonya steps out into the opening, something swooshes down, grazing Sonya in the left shoulder then strikes the stone floor. Sonya quickly grips her shoulder and hisses in pain while her eyes focus on the sai sticking out of the floor.

Kitana and the others also see the sai. They quickly join Sonya in the clearing.

"The only way you'll be getting to Emperor Kahn's throne room is through me!"

A female's sinister laugh echoes through the room, but the source could not be found.

"Mileena, only a coward would hide in the shadows. Show yourself!" Kitana shouts as she looks around the room.

"A coward?" No. A champion who will bring Shao Kahn the head of his adopted daughter."

Without warning, many of Shao Kahn's soldiers surround the group. Their various weapons are pointed at them, ready to do major damage.

Kitana and Jade look to the second level to see Mileena and several more soldiers glaring down at them. Mileena is an exact copy of Kitana, except under her mask laid a VERY big difference.

"Welcome home, sister!" The purple clad female assassin purrs as she withdraws her other sai. "To bad it will be cut short."

She does a forward flip from her position and lands out of reaching distance

"Soldiers….Finish them."

Kitana instantly draw out her razor sharp fans and takes out two soldiers that try to attack her. A soldier grabs Jade from behind. She quickly takes action by elbowing him in the abdomen then following it up with a Judo Throw. Before the soldier can get to his feet, she pins him down them delivers a fierce punch to the face to knock him out.

"You're mine, Mileena." Kitana hisses as she sends a flying right punch to her sister's jaw.

Mileena can't move in time as the punch connects and the force sends her flying backwards. It also separates her mask from her face.

"You were never as good as me, dear sister." Kitana walks over to the fallen clone. "Get up!!"

Mileena jumps up and pounces on her sister. They roll around on the floor until Mileena is able to pin Kitana beneath her. With the mask off the purple assassin's evil and hideous nature now has a face to match: two rows of knife-edged choppers just like Baraka's.

"I will enjoy tearing you to pieces." Mileena growls, her face is mere inches from Kitana's.

A flying kick out of nowhere knock her off of the Edenian Princess. Kitana scrambles to her feet to find Liu Kang.

"It's too many Princess." He tells her. We must get to the second level."

'Liu! Kitana! Come on!" Sonya shouts as she runs up a set of stairs to the next level. When she gets to the top, she sends down an energy ring to the soldiers that tried to follow.

After Jade goes up the last set of stairs, Jax follows but not before giving the floor a mighty pound with his first. The shockwaves from the pound causes the floor to crumble beneath the remaining soldiers. They and the resulting debris fall to the second level below.

"The doorway is through here." Jade says as the others join her. She points to a darkened hallway.

"STOP!!!"

The group turns to see Mileena climbing the stairs.

"If I die, I will take you pathetic fools with me!"

While still looking at Mileena, Sonya hands Kitana the sai that her sister had thrown at her earlier. Without any hesitation, Kitana flings the pointed weapon directly at Mileena. The sai makes it mark as it goes right through Mileena's forehead, to the hilt, and sends her plummeting backwards into the caved in floor.

The walk across the bridge has helped Sub-zero. He is now walking under his own power as he, Kiroshi and Ice enter a large semi-dark room.

"Ugh! What is that smell?" Ice says as she covers her nose. "Smells like something died."

Both Sub-zero and Kiroshi also notices the smell. The odor can only mean one thing: something (or someone) has been killed in that room. And from the pungency of the smell, it had been very violently and recently.

Sub-zero grabs one of the torches from the wall. He walks ahead of the group to further search the area.

"What's that?" Ice asks as she spots an object on the floor. She walks over to it, but when she tries to pick it up she jerks her hand away and lets out a hiss.

"What happened?" Kiroshi inquires as he joins her.

"I cut my finger." Ice mumbles as she sucks on the injured digit.

Sub-zero brings the torch over to put more light on the object. Ice instantly recognizes it as Kiroshi carefully picks it up.

"It's Kung Lao's hat."

"But where is Kung Lao?" Sub-zero thinks.

Ice's audible gasp jerks him out of his thoughts. He follows her shocked gaze to the cause. Kung Lao's bloody and beaten body is impaled on the sword of a humanoid soldier statue. A puddle of blood had formed from the blood that dripped there.

"We have to get him down." Ice whispers as she swallows down the urge to cry. She turns away as the brothers do just that. Neither her heart nor her stomach can take the sight.

"I knew he would die…" she says in her head. "I didn't know he would die like this."

Ice grabs a torch then begins to look around the room again. She only gets a few steps before tripping and falling to the ground and losing the torch. She curses to herself as she gets up then retrieves the torch. Suddenly Ice gasps when she discovers when she tripped over. It's Phoenix's body in a large pool of blood.

"Oh Matt…" she cries softly. Just as Ice is about to cover up a sob, that's when she notices that her hand has blood on it. She looks down at her clothes to see that some of the blood has gotten on them.

Kiroshi and Sub-zero join Ice.

"There's only one thing that could have done this." Sub-zero grumbles.

A roaring laugh echoes through the room.

"More pitiful humans for me to play with." A voice booms around them. "Today must be my lucky day."

A gigantic muscular arm wraps around Ice's waist. Ice instantly struggles against the grip. The grip immediately tightens around her ribs, causing her to cry out in pain. Motaro steps from the shadows, his tail whipping behind him.

"Your two friends were not so lucky." He rumbles over his captive's protest. "But if it's any consolation, they fought with honor." His sinister laugh fills the room.

"Quit toying with them and finish them off, you stupid Centaurian!"

Motaro's laugh is cut short and he glares menacing at his hated enemy entering the room- the four-armed queen protector, Sheeva.

"Shokan wench! This has nothing to do with you!" He yells. He tosses Ice into Kiroshi and Sub-zero. "Shao Kahn knows that I don't need your help!"

"If you didn't need my help, then why haven't you gotten rid of the insect infestation?" Sheeva responds in a smug tone.

Motaro can't take any more of the Shokan's interference. He rushes over and with his huge right hand he grabs her by the neck.

"I will crush the life out of you!!!" he bellows as he squeezes his hand.

While the two monsters are occupied, Kiroshi, Ice and Sub-zero for a triangle around them.

"NOW!" Sub-zero shouts.

All three ice warriors shoot an Ice Blast. Sheeva and Motaro are unprepared as the triple blast encases them in solid ice. Kiroshi wastes no time in finishing them off with an Ice Bomb.

"Let's go." He says to his traveling companions as he starts to walk away.

"No."

Ice walks over to Phoenix's body. She kneels down then gently turns him over. 'I can't leave him here."

"He's dead. You can't do anything more for him."

"Can you cure Phoenix and Kung Lao with your healing snow?" Sub-zero inquires.

"I'll try."

Ice tries first with Kung Lao. Her brown eyes linger on the bloody cavern in his chest. She inhales deeply then as she exhales, blows out a breath of wind and snow over his body. Once Kung Lao's body is covered in snow, she stands up and watches the healing snow do its magic.

Kiroshi looks on in awe as the mortal wound in the monk's chest closes and the bruises fade away. After the healing is done, Ice checks Kung Lao's pulse.

"Nothing." she signs in disappointment. She places her hand on his chest. She feels no heartbeat. "He's been dead for too long."

Ice wipes away tears as she stands. She whispers an apology to the fallen kombatant before walking over to Phoenix.

"I guess when I got this power, it was meant only to heal." Just like with Kung Lao, she kneel beside Phoenix. "And even if I could, I don't got what Phoenix needs. If Shang Tsung's right, he needs the fires of hell to—"

Just like that, it dawns on her! It's only one person-or walking dead- that could get Phoenix what he needs.

"SCORPION!"

Sub-zero and Kiroshi exchange shocked glances. Did she just call Scorpion? Surely she didn't think that he would help her? Sub-zero quickly walks over to her and grabs her arm.

"What are you doing?" he demands of her.

"Scorpion's flame is close enough to hellfire and that's what I need to help Matt."

"What makes you so sure that he will help you?"

"Oh he will. I just know it."

Ice pulls her arm out of his grip then walks off. "Scorpion do you here me?!" She calls out. "I challenge you to MORTAL KOMBAT!!"

"No Ice! You don't know what you are—"

An enormous wall of flame burst into existence in front of Ice. The heat from the wall is so intense that the torches in the room respond by flaring into bright blazes. Suddenly an arm shoots out of the wall and grabs Ice by her throat.

"So you wish to challenge me in Mortal Kombat?" Scorpion's voice looms in the air around them.

"Yeah," Ice forces her voice to come out in a commanding tone. "I didn't stutter.'

Scorpion's chuckle echoes in the room before he pulls her through the wall of flames.

"ICE! NO!"

Sub-zero attempts to grab for her, but the flames quickly disappear. The torches return to their dim glow.

"Where did they go?" Sub-zero asks his brother. His eyes never leave the spot where Ice vanished.

Kiroshi responds, "To his realm. Hell."

"How do we get there? Ice can't take him on by herself!"

"We don't. We will just have to wait."

The lake of fire and lava gives off unbearable heat, but Ice does not let it get to her. She faces the yellow clad ninja, ready to fight him.

"Why do you want to challenge me, little girl?" Scorpion wants to know. He faces her with his arms crossed.

"You have something I want and I intend to get it." Ice says.

"And what is that?"

The heat is slowly draining away the Real World Kombatant's strength, but she holds he ground and wills herself to not show weakness to the specter.

"Your flames. I need your flames to save my friend Phoenix."

Scorpion laughs as he relaxes his stance then walks away. Ice becomes annoyed. How dare he walk away!

"Hey you dead son of a—"

"COME HERE!"

Without warning, Scorpion spins around and releases his spike at Ice. Ice sees it coming, but doesn't move. The spike wraps around her waist; after that she's yanked into his waiting arms.

"You don't seem ready for Kombat" He breathes into her face as he pulls her even closer to his body.

Ice, meanwhile, doesn't flinch or fight back. Instead she dares him to make the next move with the stern look in her eyes.

"I haven't forgotten what you did to me before. I could kill you now just for that interference."

With his free hand, the dead ninja removes his mask. At first, Ice is disgusted with the flaming skull looking back at her, but she quickly hardens her facial features. A thought however does cross her mind. Are they gonna fight or stare at one another? She needs to get that fire quickly! She notices how Scorpion's gaze slowly leaves her face then lingers on her breasts. Ice sighs loudly and rolls her eyes.

"I can why Sub-zero is infatuated with you." Scorpion brings his flaming gaze back to Ice's face. Next, he traces her jaw line with his index finger. "I will give you my fire, but first, you must do something for me."

"And what is it?" Ice whispers harshly.

Scorpion chuckles evilly before covering her lips in a lust consuming kiss. Ice immediately starts to push and punch at his shoulders.

"Get off me!" she screams against his lips.

The heat around her is now becoming really unbearable. Every nerve in her body feels as if they are burning like an out of control inferno.

"Let my flames embrace you.' Scorpion's voice fills her thoughts. "I am your master. I own your soul. Ice is no more…Fire lives…."

Sub-Zero can only stare angrily at the spot where Ice had been previously. He keeps his back to his brother, not wanting him to see the tears that threaten to fall.

Then suddenly, a wall of fire appears several steps in front of him. The ice assassins cover their eyes against the brightness of the flames. Seconds later, the flames' intensity fades as two figures step through the wall. One is Scorpion. The other is an unfamiliar female with ignescent red hair and is wearing a red costume similar to the other female ninjas. Her eyes glow with the same hellish fire as Scorpion and over her left eye is a red scar just like Sub-zero's.

"Ice!" Sub-zero gasps in recognition. His eyes snap furiously over to his arch enemy, "What did you do to her?"

"Just like you took my life away form me, I've taken yours."

Scorpion's evil laugh echoes in the room. Sub-zero's hands clench tightly into fists as a growl passes through his lips.

"Your Ice is my Fire and she will only serve me."

"No…" Sub-zero hisses in response. He steps over to her; his intention is to get her far away from the specter. When his hand wraps around Fire's wrist, Sub-zero quickly pulls back. Her skin is so hot that he can't hold on. Fire hisses in anger at him, causing him to step back.

"She does not know you anymore."

"Master Scorpion, why have you done this?" Kiroshi questions. "She only wants to save her friend."

As Fire walks over to Phoenix's body, Sub-zero makes another grab attempt. She reacts by flinging a fireball at him. The blast hits him in the chest and sends him sliding across the floor. Now that her distraction is out of the way, she can continue her quest.

"Like the Phoenix's rise from the fire, so too you shall rise." The female fire ninja says before blowing a kiss of fire onto Phoenix's body.

Everyone looks on as the hellfire engulfs the body. A few moments later, a hand reaches out of the flames, then another. Next, the body while still on fire moves to a standing position. The fire is drawn into the body leaving an untouched Phoenix.

"KUNG LAO! LOOK OUT!" he shouts. The last action before he was killed come back to him in a flash.

"Kung Lao is dead." Kiroshi tells him.

Phoenix spins around to face the ice assassin. A confused expression takes over his face when he looks from Kiroshi to Sub-zero who is just now getting to his feet.

"Wha…what? What's going on? Where's Ice?"

He looks away from the brothers to Fire.

"Ice? What the hell-"

Fire blasts Phoenix right into a far wall with a Fire Ball. He bounces off the wall then falls face first to the floor.

"Uhhhhh," Phoenix groans as Kiroshi and Sub-zero help him to his feet. "What up with Ice and why is she with Scorpion?"

"She gave herself to that bastard to save you." Sub-zero whispers harshly as he peers angrily at Scorpion. His eyes shift over to Fire and just for a moment, he could feel the weight of the hurt in his heart over the loss. If he hadn't been so mean to her back at the base…now Ice's with his worst enemy.

"Master, let me finish them off." Fire tells Scorpion. "Their demise will be my gift to you."

If Scorpion could smile, he would. He's very pleased with how well his power over Fire is working. He steps back to grant her request.

Fire forms a rope of fire while facing her prey. Phoenix, Sub-zero and Kiroshi immediately jump into defensive poses. It is obvious that this isn't their friend any longer. They have no choice. Suddenly Fire spins around and lassoes the unsuspecting specter with the rope.

"GET OVER HERE!" Fire yells as she yanks him toward her then follows it with a strong clothesline.

Phoenix, Sub-zero and Kiroshi are in total shock as they see her straddle Scorpion, grab him by the collar and give him the same lust-engulfed kiss he gave her. Scorpion's eyes grow wide in terror as his body grows stiff. He can't move! All of the burning rage and evil that he put into Fire's body drains away and the person known as Ice surfaces once more.

"It can't be…no, it can't happen…." Scorpion gasps as snow crystals take over his body.

"What? You thought that you could keep me?" Ice flashes a cocky smile as she gets to her feet. "I got what I needed. I don't need you no more." Her expression then turns serious. "Love equals warmth. Lust is an out of control inferno. But Ice is unfeeling, merciless and unforgiving. In other words, I win. Flawless victory. Fatality."

With a flick of her hair, she walks away and over to Kung Lao's body. She falls to her knees then carefully picks up the hat that lay next to it.

"I wish I could have saved you too." Ice leans over to place a kiss on his forehead. "I guess I couldn't change fate."

Ice gets to her feet then rejoins the others and they all leave the room leaving the crystal statue of Scorpion and Kung Lao's lifeless body as evidence of their presence.