Chapter 17: The Shocking Truth

"You're following me, Jade?" asked Kitana toward Jade, who was rightfully concerned over her figurative sister. The two were in the middle of the wasteland after the Princess' bodyguard overheard what happened after Kitana's reluctance to execute a Shaolin Monk after her easy victory. That in itself perplexed Jade as her friend wouldn't hesitate for a moment to kill an enemy.

Jade tried to reason. "Kitana, I-"

However, the Outworld Princess had cut Jade off, not believing her friend would even think of lecturing her. "You're following me after I specifically asked to be left alone, and then you upbraid me? I will not be scolded like some child."

Manerva saw that interaction between the two after losing a possible love interest earlier in the day. Though Kuai Lang's death would be painful to overcome, at least she could be in front of her friends. But the sight of a gigantic rift between her two guardians was enough to send Manerva in a state of panic.

"Kitana, please..." the emerald assassin pleaded, only to have her best friend turn around in utter annoyance, already knowing what Jade would attempt to do. Even Malcolm became concerned about Kitana's unbefitting behavior while also lamenting his sister's state of mind after her new friend met his demise at the Coliseum.

Being the persistent woman, Jade tailed her assassin counterpart. "You are a Princess... your father expects-"

In a matter of moments, Kitana's anger reached a boiling point as she sharply turned on her heels and got in Jade's face. "I know what he expects!"

The sudden outburst took even Jade by surprise. Whatever was fuming inside Kitana's mind had finally come out and not in the gentlest way. Though she didn't intend for it to get to that point, Jade was hurt, yet a bit peeved at her friend's unwillingness to even hear her out, and the tone Kitana used didn't help matters at all.

"We will talk later... when you are more than mind to listen." Jade finished, not even bothering to let Kitana try to apologize before walking past the two siblings. "Come, Malcolm. We will leave the Princess alone with her thoughts." Her words were sharp like the blades of her boomerang, which unnerved everyone there.

And so, Kitana and Manerva watched as both Malcolm and Jade headed to the forest. When they disappeared from her view, Kitana shook her head in frustration at herself. What just transpired wasn't how she wanted to end the conversation, treating her only good friend like that when she was trying to help. Kitana's pride had taken a hit.

"Do you wish for me to leave as well?" Manerva softly asked, her voice barely audible after seeing Kitana and Jade argue.

Immediately, Kitana said to her, "N-no, your company is welcomed." An exasperated sigh left her mouth. "You've also lost something today. If anything, I'm not hurting as much as you are." On the Princess' face was a sad smile while gazing at the forest when the fellow Edenians heard a boom of thunder along with a streak of lighting, revealing three figures walking in their direction. Raiden brought Johnny Cage along with Smoke after discussing what plan of action to undertake due to Sub-Zero's capture and possible recreation into a cyborg. While not the most popular decision, the Thunder God decided to ask Shao Kahn's ward for assistance, hoping her encounter with Liu Kang in the first tournament would bear some fruit for diplomacy.

"Princess Kitana, I seek an audience..." Raiden began.

However, the Outworld Princess shook her head at the sight of him with his chosen warriors. Knowing this could turn ugly, Kitana motioned for her maid to stay out of harm's way before shouting aggressively. "Earthrealmers! You dare to approach me?!"

Johnny, being the hotshot and wisecracker, tried to sweet talk the beautiful woman. "Now listen, honey. We don't want to fight."

Manerva could only shake her head in disappointment, smiling sadly at what Johnny attempted to do. 'He's not helping his own situation,' she thought.

Smoke, however, wasn't looking to indulge in the playful banter as he prepared to fight. "But we will if we must."

Seeing that ninja again forced Kitana to narrow her eyes. Her rematch with him was at hand, something she wanted after suffering a humiliating defeat in this very area. Having Johnny join in on the assault would make things difficult for the Princess. But in her current state of anger, they would find out the hard way why you don't trifle with Shao Kahn's daughter. "You will learn respect!"

Kitana battled Smoke first. In their last encounter, he insulted her, calling her one of Shao Khan's housemaids. This time, Kitana gained the upper hand after landing her first two kicks of her Blue Blood combo with an uplift before backing that ass up on him. Johnny tagged in and tries his hand, but the Princess was far more skilled than he counted on. The movie star was out cold after several unanswered combos, forcing Smoke to try and gain the advantage. But Kitana made him pay for his earlier insults and defeated him.

"Shao Kahn wants death to follow kombat," she uttered with venom. "I will give it to him."

Raiden finally stepped in to prevent another casualty on his hands. "Perhaps Liu Kang was wrong about you. Perhaps he sensed, as I do, that there is conflict within you. Something whispers to you that the circumstances should be different, that you should be different. You are much more like Sindel than..."

He stopped speaking as yet another vision made its way into his mind. This one was rather disturbing with the scene of Sindel screaming in peril. Raiden didn't know what this could mean for the future, but whatever it was, he needed to ensure his warriors were prepared to handle it as it could secure the balance of power shifting one way or another.

"But... she is dead." Raiden finally said.

The mention of her long deceased mother brought up even more unpleasant feelings within Kitana's soul. "Yes, my mother is dead. Why-?" She began but was interrupted by the Thunder God.

"You need answers, Kitana. I can help you if you trust me." Raiden stated before saying, "Go to Shang Tsung's Flesh Pits. Much will be revealed there."

A puzzled looked graced the Princess' face. What could be down there that would help quell the number of questions swimming in her head? "The Flesh pits...?" Kitana questioned. "But I'm forbidden to..."

Manerva was also confused as well, always told where not to wander by accident... be it Malcolm, Jade, or herself for that matter.

"Yes, you are... And why is that?" the Thunder God asked in a rhetorical tone.

Kitana needed more information than that, desperation getting the better of her. "Please, tell me..."

Raiden merely shook his head, never interfering with others' personal affairs directly. He had his own issues to address. "You must discover your true path, alone," he told her as he along with his warriors teleported away, leaving a confused yet determined Princess. With her mind made up, Kitana turned to Manerva and instructed her to follow. The maid didn't need to be told twice and caught up with her Princess.

Living Forest:

At night, the Living Forest could be intimidating, if not downright scary to tread. Every single tree had a face to it, displaying different emotions to confuse their visitors. They could be mocking, sad, or just having fun. Time was running short for Kitana and Manerva as they gathered their courage for this treacherous quest, walking in unison in the woods. Both were uneasy, growing more accustom to others' presence in this time of uncertainty and harsh reality.

Before going into the heart of the forest, Kitana halted Manerva with a single hand gesture. "Show yourself, Jade. I know you're following me... again." The last word left her mouth with resignation behind them.

Manerva could sense that Jade wasn't alone either, her eyes closing to sense precisely who it was. "I know you are following us too, Malcolm. It isn't your style to be stealthy."

Knowing they were caught, Jade and Malcolm appeared from the nearby living tree and confronted their friends. Tension could be felt around the four Edenians and for a valid reason. Neither was allowed to trespass into the Flesh Pits, lest they incur the unsettling wrath of the Emperor for disobeying a direct order.

Jade took a few steps towards Kitana, trying to settle this without conflict. "Following you still."

"You've grown bolder, sister. Knowing where I am and going where you shouldn't." Malcolm interjected, reluctantly scolding Manerva.

"We are ordered to prevent you from going there." Jade declared, taking no for an answer.

Kitana eyed her best friend suspiciously. "And why is that?"

"I do not question the Emperor's command." Jade simply stated. "Kitana, please turn back."

"I will not!" Kitana stubbornly exclaimed, not wanting to let this chance of finding the answers she wanted to slip through her fingers. "This path may lead me to the truth." The Princes then took up her stance. "I am sorry Jade and Malcolm. But I will not allow either of you to stop me!"

Having no other choice, Jade sighed and asked Malcolm to not interfere in this fight between close friends. Much to the dismay of the siblings, it was for Jade to stop the Princess, but Kitana could detect the emerald assassin was holding back. Malcolm shared the same thoughts on the matter, wishing that it never came to this as both Jade and Kitana were headstrong women in their respective ways. Shifting her position, Manerva stayed close to her brother as the fight raged on.

"You think Kitana deserves to know the truth?" she asked.

Malcolm didn't turn to meet his sister's eyes, focusing on the battle before them. "Something tells me Jade wants the same thing for her."

While not the answer she was expecting, Manerva accepted it as she knew neither assassin wanted to do harm to the other. But alas, Kitana thoroughly defeated Jade, putting the green-eyed woman on her back, but not harsh enough to render her unconscious.

"I'm sorry, Jade," she apologized. "But this is something I have to do."

As much as Jade didn't want to admit it, Kitana was right. This might be a breakthrough to find out exactly what is going on behind the scenes. Shang Tsung has been eerily quiet as of late when not observing the tournament. He and Shao Kahn were planning something. And the Edenians knew it was nothing short of sinister. With a knowing look, Jade nodded in agreement and relented in her pursuit of stopping Kitana, allowing her to go forward with the plan. As Kitana continued to the Flesh Pits, Malcolm immediately raced to Jade's side, helping her back to her feet. She sported a couple of bruises but nothing that would suggest a debilitating injury.

"Are you ok?" Malcolm asked.

"I will be," Jade answered, making eye contact with him. "This goes against my better judgment, but we cannot allow Shao Kahn to know anything about this." She then looked down. "I hope Kitana knows what she's doing."

In the midst of the forest, Manerva was nowhere to be found. Looks as though she departed with Kitana to keep a close eye on her should something happen. "I will make sure Kahn stays preoccupied about the tournament. Follow your sister and keep her safe." Jade ordered, groaning in pain at the shot she took in the ribs from one of Kitana's strong kicks.

Concern etched itself on Malcolm's face. Jade was hurt more than she was leading on. "You're still in pain. I can-"

Jade stopped him with a finger to the lips, her small yet visible smile showing through her mask. "I appreciate your protection of me, Malcolm. Truly, I admire that. But you must not worry about me. Now go. We'll speak in private when you return."

Not wanting to push the issue, Malcolm silently nodded and followed the trail Kitana and Manerva took, leaving Jade there in the forest. Her affections for the boy were growing, and she found it hard to keep that blush down after touching his lips with her finger. However, Jade knew Tanya was still lurking around, no doubt to take her chance to steal the boy and kill her. The emerald assassin's eyebrows twitched at the thought as she made her way back to Shao Kahn's fortress.

Flesh Pits:

A foul stench roamed the air in the basement, green smoke making visibility quite scarce. The trio of Kitana, Manerva, and Malcolm walked down the stairs and arriving in a rather unsavory room with blood splattered everywhere. It was a sight none of them wanted to even dare remember.

"So... this is the horrid Flesh pits?" Manerva asked in a squeaky voice.

Malcolm looked disturbed and troubled by what the room held. Along with the spilled blood, the Pits contained various tubes filled with some sort of liquid. But that wasn't the worst of it. Inside each tube laid a sleeping woman, every subject different than the other as far as genetics were concerned. One woman had her DNA spliced with Shokan blood, another with Tarkatan blood, both fast asleep and unaware of their surroundings. Farther along in the room laid an almost completed clone, which oddly looks unsettling to the Princess as she cautiously approached it.

"What in the name of..." Kitana said to herself, disbelief written across her flawless features.

By this point, Manerva was tightly holding her brother's arm. "Malcolm... I'm starting to feel that this truth... might be horrible."

The older sibling wasn't going to disagree with Manerva. Everything in this room was of evil intentions, no doubt the work of Shang Tsung. But why clones, and what purpose would they serve?

As the endless questions ate away at his mind, Malcolm kept a close eye on the clone Kitana hovered over. A close inspection of the barely clothed hybrid showed a cross breed of an Edenian and Tarkatan into one body and face. But neither Malcolm or Manerva could prepare themselves for what their Princess would say next as she inspected the sleeping woman's face.

"She looks like... me!?" Kitana concluded, nearly fainting on the spot at the revelation. Not as soon as those words left her mouth, the siblings quickly gathered around the table and saw that Kitana was speaking the truth, seeing the resemblance right away despite the disturbing sight of Tarkatan teeth the woman possessed.

Kitana's fears were confirmed by her maid. "By the Gods, she really does almost look like our Princess."

The Clone then opened her eyes, taking the trio by surprise as they backed away from the table. Slowly rising from her resting place with only a thin line of white fabric covering her intimate parts, Kitana's lookalike eyed them all with a flirty yet dangerous look in her golden eyes.

"Sister..." the Clone spoke, removing her body from the table while sauntering to her audience. "So pretty, so fair... So sad and alone…" Then, she let out a flurry of mad giggles before saying, "Come... let us be family!" Her tone and posture looked as if she was going to attack.

Not taking any chances, Kitana readied herself for another heated battle, hardening her resolve against this vile creation. "You are not my family! You are a monstrosity!"

Kitana fights her "clone," incensed that her blood was used to create this being in front of her. What perplexed the Princess was how her blood was obtained in the first place. She was sure it was that wretched sorcerer who was behind this. Who else would spend a majority of their time down here to manifest failed clones in Kitana's likeness? Like herself, this clone possesses incredible speed and skill with the ability to roll into a tight ball on the ground, fire sai projectiles, and teleport with a kick to the head. Kitana fell all three moves in succession, only adding to her agitation. While this woman was quite skilled after awakening, she lacked the discipline of an Edenian, therefore giving Kitana the edge she needed to floor the half breed, although it took quite the effort to do so.

"Farewell, "sister." Kitana sounded and readied herself to destroy this abomination. She wouldn't get the chance though as Shang Tsung himself could be seen walking down the stairs and into the peripheral vision of his three subordinates.

He gazed down at the defeated form of his latest creation before turning his attention back to Kitana. "This is not the way to treat your sibling."

"Despicable swine!" Kitana labeled him. "Do you think my father will stand for this... these abominations you've created here?"

The smug yet uncaring look never wavered from Shang Tsung's face. "I am merely perfecting you, Kitana, as difficult as it may be," he casually answered.

If Kitana's rage hadn't hit its apex yet, it certainly did when her second boss only to Shao Kahn cared little for the violation of her person in the form of this clone and the many others as well. His insolence will be treated in the harshest way possible. A complete and utter beatdown.

"Silence!" Kitana screeched in a fury. "I will drag you before Shao Kahn by your pointy beard!"

Kitana would make good of her threats, beating the living daylights out of the sorcerer with everything in her being. Nothing would stop her from delivering an ass kicking what many thought was overdue. Although Tsung was unprepared, he fought back with his fireballs. Each time he does this, Kitana deflected his power with her Bounce Back. Shang Tsung was utterly overwhelmed as his fireballs failed to score a victory. Kitana beat him rather viciously.

"Get up!" Kitana ordered after grabbing his shoulder blades to stand him up. "You will stand before Shao Kahn and confess your deeds!" She shoved the beaten sorcerer to the stairs as Malcolm and Manerva followed close by, satisfied with Kitana's victory and the punishment that was soon to develop.

Throne Room:

"I would not disturb you, father if this matter was not important," Kitana explained to the Emperor.

She along with the two siblings brought the weakened sorcerer to Shao Kahn's feet and alerted him of the unsavory activities and deeds he has done while going unnoticed by everyone during this new tournament.

"I thought you should know of Shang Tsung's doing as of late. This conjurer was creating horrid replicas of me, crossbred with Tarkatan blood. One of them awoke and attacked me," she accused.

After finishing her side of the story, Kitana waited for her father to say something... anything. His silence was very off-putting, causing the Princess to become a bit anxious. A pin drop could be heard in the room as the ruler of Outworld calmly rose out of his chair, switching his attention between his daughter and the sorcerer. "Well done, Shang Tsung."

Kitana and the siblings looked in shock at the Emperor's acceptance of this crime. In fact, the Princess' look was one of abject horror that he would allow something like this to happen.

"You knew… you approve?" she asked incredulously. "How could you? My own father-"

"I AM YOUR EMPEROR!" the Emperor bellowed harshly, causing the trio to yelp as Kitana backed away. "You father was a weakling Edenian king. I annihilated him and merged Edenia with Outworld and took his queen as my wife." Kahn admitted without a shred of dignity. "If only I had not allowed Sindel to convince me of your worth... but now I have a true daughter!" he said proudly toward Shang Tsung, who stood in agreement.

Not believing her own father had selfishly cloned her, Kitana stared at him with sadness with hated mixed in as well. "Raiden was right," she uttered. "You have lied to me my entire life."

Fed up with this nuisance of a daughter, Shao Kahn ordered, "Escort her to the tower." Two guards took hold on both arms of the Princess. "I will make an example of her." His attention then turned to Malcolm and Manerva before pointing at the maid. "And take her away as well!" Neither had time to react as two more guards roughly grabbed her and dragged her the same path Kitana was heading towards. "You didn't think I'd fail to realize what you and Jade were up to?" Shao Khan asked rhetorically. "This will ensure you will work without question..."

His attention quickly turned back to Shang Tsung. "Bring my daughter to me, Tsung," he ordered. "Bring me... Mileena."

Malcolm felt as if his entire world came crashing down on his head. Not only was his Princess taken away to be executed, but the same fate could also fall on his only living family member. Like his fellow Edenians, he's been lied to all this time. Shao Kahn and his cronies will pay dearly for this. But first, his sister and Princess needed to be saved. But before he could go that way, a pair of hands came out of nowhere and grabbed Malcolm by the mouth, rendering him silence while dragging him into a dark secluded area. The assailant's strength was on par with his, making it extremely difficult to break out of the stranglehold.

"Shhh... relax. It's only me," the soft voice whispered in Malcolm's ear. It was at that moment he knew who it was.

Jade.

Relaxing, Malcolm stopped struggling and eased his body as his ally allowed him to turn around. Jade remained in her assassin attire after quickly dressing her wounds from Kitana's onslaught earlier. No one questioned her about them, figuring it was part of a training session she endured. But Malcolm and Manerva knew better.

"You were listening in?" Malcolm asked, keeping his voiced hushed.

Jade's response was quick. "Yes. We've been lied to for who knows how long."

She then saw Malcolm had his head down, trying to keep his composure after seeing Manerva being taken away. "My sister... we have to help her and Kitana. I don't want to... lose her."

Sympathy never was Jade's strong suit in her time as Shao Kahn's assassin, but spending more time with this boy caused this emotion to manifest in her spirit. She made a miscalculation. Malcolm wasn't a boy anymore. He was a man, willing to put it all on the line to rescue his only sibling. That drew the emerald assassin closer to him. Being extremely handsome helped his cause as well.

Taking her left hand, Jade carefully slipped it under Malcolm's chin, bringing his face up to her own to study his eyes. As she expected, small but noticeable tears threatened to fall down his face. If the others saw this, it would show signs of weakness unbefitting of a warrior. But Jade knew deep down there was nothing weak about caring for someone you love. Before the boy could say anything else, Jade moved her mask down her face and softly kissed his cheek, letting her mocha lips linger for nearly five seconds. She then pulled away, studying Malcolm's eyes while wiping his tears away with her free hand, her own green eyes hypnotizing him.

"Listen closely, Malcolm. We'll free them from their captivity. I promise you we will not let them perish." Jade told him. "I've failed Kitana for my shortsightedness in the Emperor's real intentions. And I've failed you as well. We must make amends and save them." Taking another risk, Jade held his face with both hands, her breath tickling his lips after taking a deep breath. "All I ask is that you place your trust in me. Do you trust me?"

Sensing she was speaking the truth, Malcolm wasted little time nodding his head. He was going to get his family back, one way or another.

Assured of his trust, Jade kissed Malcolm with a feathery touch, massaging his lips with her own. The mere touch of this stunning woman was enough to make the young man's heart explode out of his chest. He couldn't move or find the courage to even try, his legs frozen to the ground as to not ruin this display of affection before finally kissing her back. Jade smiled in her head at finally being able to have a quiet, serene moment with Malcolm, although under difficult circumstances.

The couple slowly broke away from their lip lock, a happy and satisfied sigh escaping their mouths. No other words were needed between them, knowing what must be done. After nodding to each other, Jade and Malcolm left the Emperor's throne room undetected.