After she and Kuai Liang had bolted from the hospital and climbed into the GMC, Sonya took off down the road, barely waiting for the moronic guard from earlier to let her through. And then she swerved onto the main road so quickly that the Cryomancer had to grab the overhead handle to keep from falling into her. Sonya raced towards the highway, dodging in and out of traffic as she drove, barely missing some of the other cars as she sailed by. Some of the other drivers shook their angry fists at her, and even more waved their middle fingers at her, though Kuai Liang wasn't entirely sure what the gesture meant. He made an educated guess though, and gave her a stern look to tell her to slow down. She ignored him, though, and soon she merged onto the highway and followed the signs towards New York City.

With an angry grunt, the Cryomancer looked out the window to scan for portals and intruders. He saw nothing out of the ordinary, but as they flew down the highway, he noticed the sky had changed color. A sickly, cancerous green spread like India ink over the sunset, washing away the reddish-orange sunlight until the landscape turned gray. It was almost like an eclipse.

"Sonya," he muttered. "Are you seeing this?"

She peered around. "Holy shit," she muttered. "Jax," she said after she tapped her wrist-comm. "Something's happening to the sky. The sun is gone."

"Not gone," Kuai Liang corrected, studying the sky in distracted awe. "Just...muted somehow."

"Baby girl, we've got monsters coming through the portals," the Major replied through the radio. "Right now, they seem to be concentrating their attention on major metropolitan areas. And somehow, they got their hands on some serious firepower. Where are you and Ice-man?"

"We're on the highway into New York, ETA thirty minutes," she announced. "There's very little traffic."

Indeed, on the other side of the median, Kuai Liang watched the mass exodus of cars trying to leave the city. It was wall to wall traffic, and it was at a standstill. The Champions' side of the highway, however, was free and clear with no vehicles ahead of them impeding their journey. He did notice in the side mirror, however, a faded blue car trailing behind them, the only other vehicle on this road besides them. It looked like a piece of junk about to die any second, so he thought nothing of it and returned his attention to the sky. The driver probably had no idea what was going on inside the city, anyway.

"Good," the Major replied. "Get your asses here ASAP. I'll be looking for you."

"Yes, sir," she sharply replied. "Sonya out." She tapped her wrist-comm again.

The Earthrealm Champions rode to Trinity Church in absolute silence, and as the Army Ranger sped along, Kuai Liang's thoughts shifted to his mother. He deeply hoped he hadn't made a mistake leaving her at Rockford. What if one of these invaders attacked the hospital and hurt her? But why would they focus on one lousy mental hospital when they had entire cities to contend with first? The thought was only slightly reassuring, but then he remembered how protective that nurse, Annalise, was. Dr. Anderson had been right; his daughter was a mama bear. Kuai Liang almost chuckled at the thought of her, but he stifled his amusement and maintained his expressionless mask. God help whoever went to Rockford looking to hurt Maggie Sullivan. He felt better knowing that his mother was in her care.

Trinity Church was a medieval gothic cathedral stretching to cut the ceiling with its climbing spires and towers, nestled deep in the heart of a bustling, contemporary city. Kuai Liang, however, had no time to admire its architecture as Sonya parked in front of it and ushered him inside. There, beneath stained glass windows and familiar Christian icons, nearly a hundred people sat in pews praying. Kuai Liang thought it odd that they weren't trying to escape the city, but perhaps they felt safer here, like their odds weighed more heavily in their favor if they huddled at the base of a cross. He passed no judgment on them, vaguely thinking that if the world was about to end, this place was as good as any to die.

He and Sonya quickly found their fellow Champions readying their weapons and preparing for battle in the parish hall. "Coldilocks!" Johnny enthusiastically cried when the pair entered and joined them. "Did you bring ice cream?"

Kuai Liang scowled and began to respond, but Sonya beat him to the punch.

"Fine staging ground you've established here," the Ranger hissed at Raiden as she fearlessly marched to him. "I mean, I don't know if you've noticed the huge targets we all have on our backs, but it's great to hang out in the church where a shit-ton of innocent people are going to congregate."

"This is holy ground," the Thunder God explained. "Consecrated to the forces of good. Even if you do not believe in this particular deity, the powers that protect this church will shield you all from detection by the forces of Outworld. That's true of any church, mosque, synagogue, or temple, regardless of faith. Remember that."

"Holy ground, Highlander!" Johnny joked.

Kuai Liang shot him a dirty look. "Be quiet," he hissed. "You're not funny."

"There can be only one," the actor smirked, crossing his arms as he gazed at the Cryomancer. Kuai Liang shook his head in annoyance, not quite understanding what his fellow Champion was talking about.

Sonya ignored them and glared at the Thunder God. "And if the bad guys figure out we're in here, will this place shield us from attack?" she demanded to know.

"Unfortunately, no," Raiden replied as he gripped the edge of the conference table and glanced at the maps that Jax had brought with him.

"So you're just gambling with those people's lives," she snarled. It was a statement, not a question.

"Calm down, Sonya," Jax tried to soothe.

"This isn't a crap shoot!" she exploded.

Kuai Liang understood her frustration. "We're endangering those people by being here, Raiden," he began coolly, defending her point of view. He scowled at the Thunder God. He was not a particularly religious man, and had become even less so during the last two weeks, mainly because he believed they were cruel and sadistic. But he did not appreciate that Earthrealm's Protector was so careless with the humans' lives in his charge.

"If they die in here or out there, who cares?" Johnny flippantly interjected. "At least in a church, they'll feel better about themselves when they bite the dust."

"I oughta crush your head," Jax muttered as he lit a fresh cigar with a flip-lighter.

"That's what she said," he retorted with a cocky smirk, glancing at Sonya.

The Ranger put her hands on her hips and scowled. "Do you want my boot up your ass?" she threatened.

The Major also narrowed his eyes and immediately followed up with his own threat. "After this is all said and done, we're gonna settle this," he said, blowing a smoke ring.

"Enough of this in-fighting!" Liu cried before Johnny could answer. "Raiden, what's happening? How is this invasion even possible?"

"It would seem that Shao Kahn is alive after all," the god declared. If the announcement weren't so dire, the way the Champions' jaws simultaneously dropped would have been hilarious.

"How?" Kuai Liang asked when he'd recovered from his shock. "Everyone here – well, except Jax and Sonya – watched Liu kill him. He ripped out his heart, remember? How could he possibly have survived that?"

"Quan Chi somehow healed him and gave him the means to invade," he replied. "I must consult with the Elder Gods to put a stop to this madness."

"Because they're so reliable about helping us out," the Cryomancer hissed, thinking bitterly of Himavat. The Elder God of Water only seemed anxious to help when it suited himself, and not when it suited others.

"This invasion is a clear violation of the rules," Raiden declared. "I am confident they will help. I must go before them now to plead our case. While I am gone, I want you all to defeat as many of the invaders as you can, and protect the human population to the best of your ability. If all goes well, I will not be gone long. Nightwolf, you will come with me," he ordered. With that, they both were gone in a flash of lightning.

"Okay, listen up people," Jax declared after they'd departed. "I think we should split up. We can cover more ground that way. Me and Jade have the Bronx. Sonya, you take Kitana to Queens. Liu and Johnny, you've got Brooklyn. And Sub-Zero, you stay in Manhattan. Are we all clear?"

"Um, just one question," Johnny said, lazily raising his hand.

"What?"

"Why can't I go with Sonya?"

Jax sighed at the same time Sonya groaned in disgust. And then the two Army Rangers walked from the parish hall with everyone else trailing behind them. Outside, Kuai Liang immediately spotted the blue beater that had followed him and Sonya on the freeway parked on the street behind the Ranger's GMC. Leaning against it was Annalise with her arms crossed, still dressed in her nurse's scrubs, and she scowled at him fiercely as he headed towards her. He was suddenly annoyed that no one was back at Rockford to watch out for Maggie.

"Are you following me?" he demanded to know as his teammates headed in all different directions. He frowned at her.

"I am," she replied defiantly, sticking her chin out. "I wanted to see what was so damn important that you'd leave your mother only five minutes after reuniting with her."

"So you believe that I'm her son now?" he sarcastically snorted. "Well, that's something at least."

"Hey, pal, I'm not convinced, especially now," she growled. "But she is, and I'll be damned if I just let you swindle her. That poor woman has been through far more shit than anyone I've ever met, and I'm going to do everything in my power to see that no one else hurts her."

"Why is it so hard for you to believe that I'm telling the truth?" he asked.

"Because I haven't met a man yet who has," she shot back.

"Hey, Frosty, who's the girl?" Johnny asked as he swaggered to the Cryomancer and casually draped an arm around his shoulder.

Kuai Liang grunted in disapproval as he shoved the actor's arm off him. "Don't touch me," he snarled. "Don't ever touch me."

"Hel-lo, nurse!" the other said as he pushed down his sunglasses and ogled Annalise. "Well, aren't you just the prettiest thing I've ever seen?"

Annoyance and anger coursed through the Cryomancer's heart, and he recognized the jealousy blooming through his chest. He felt it often standing in Bi-han's shadow. It had always been painful for him to accept that there were some people in the world greater than him, surpassing him in some profound way in all of his accomplishments. Now, here in New York, it was hard not to envy Johnny as well, even though his tone was perverse and Annalise looked at him like a toad. He was better-looking than Kuai Liang, and he understood this completely foreign world better than Kuai Liang. He might even be a better warrior. And because of that, he was a threat to him. When the Cryomancer came to this realization, he had half a mind to gouge out the actor's eyes with an ice pick. But he simply seethed and said nothing as his teammate leaned towards her with his hand extended. "Hi, I'm Johnny Cage," he greeted.

"Uh huh," Annalise replied dispassionately, daggers shining in her eyes as she looked at his outstretched hand in disgust.

"You could definitely be in the movies," he complimented. "You know what I'd like to do sometime?"

"Jump off a big cliff into a lagoon full of man-eating sharks?" she hissed. Kuai Liang suddenly had to conceal his smile as she continued, "Oh, wait. That's what I'd like to see you do."

"Jesus, what's with all the hostility from the women today?" he replied as he threw up his arms in the air and then headed down the street after Liu.

Annalise returned her attention to the Cryomancer. "Special Forces? Actors? You're really a piece of work, Connor."

"Anya-"

She abruptly cut him off. "No, you're not allowed to call me that," she snapped. "Only my friends are, and you're not my friend. To you, I'm Annalise. Better yet, Miss Anderson."

Her words stung like he'd been slapped, but he stifled his disappointment and continued. "Annalise," he corrected, looking at her in earnest, "I don't have time to argue with you. Nor do I have time to explain. But in case you hadn't noticed, bad thing are happening right now, very bad things, and I have to take care of them. We all do. Even that idiot." He rested his hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eye. "Please. I'd feel much better if you were back at Rockford with my mother. I don't know many other people in this country besides you, and I've seen how tenacious you are about keeping her safe, so that means you're the only one I can trust to protect her. I just got her back. I really don't want to lose her again."

"Protect her from what?" she asked. Her face had softened slightly, but her lavender eyes were still hard and skeptical. Kuai Liang had no idea how to explain the situation quickly, but as he struggled to find the words, Annalise gasped and pointed. "Oh, my God!" she squealed. "Look!"

He whirled around to see a lone police officer dressed in a vest with the word 'SWAT' printed on the chest running towards them at a sprint, occasionally turning around and firing rounds from his gun wildly into the air. Behind him, a large creature wielding a morning star chased him. Half man, half draft horse, Kuai Liang recognized the species from studying Greek mythology as a child: a Centaur. His favorite. His eyes widened in surprise and disbelief as the beast he spent many enjoyable hours reading about galloped after the cop. Interestingly, long black horns protruded from his scalp, and thick talons sprouted from his fingertips. The creature suddenly lowered his head as if to gore the police officer, but the man quickly threw a canister of tear gas at it, and the subsequent explosion of pepper spray momentarily stunned the beast.

"Run!" the blond man yelled to Kuai Liang and Annalise as he drew near.

"Not today," the Cryomancer mumbled aloud as he ran into the street to meet the officer. They met in the middle, and finally the cop turned to face his attacker.

"What are you doing?" he snarled as he panted. "This is no game."

"Never said it was," Sub-Zero replied as he calmly stood to face the Centaur.

The policeman didn't argue further, and instead pointed at the beast that was currently wiping his eyes. "What is that thing?"

"Dog food," he blandly replied as the Centaur bounded to them and abruptly stopped.

"I will trample your bones into dust, puny hu-mans," he threatened, putting strange emphasis on the second syllable of 'humans' so that it sounded like 'mons'. He gripped his morning star tightly, preparing to swing. The weapon's steel globe, minus the two-inch long deadly spikes, was roughly the size of a basketball.

"Yeah?" the cop retorted. "Screw you and the horse you rode in on!"

"I will give you the death of a warrior," he said, twirling his weapon dangerously.

"So what are you waiting for?" Sub-Zero coldly responded.

He waited for the creature to attack. Immediately, the Centaur stood on his back haunches and kicked his hooves at Sub-Zero's face. The Cryomancer gracefully flipped backwards and caught his opponent in the chest with his foot, knocking him off balance and forcing him to fall on all fours with a loud clomping. The ground shook a little under their feet as his morning star flew from his hands and crashed to the ground, and the cop stumbled to the asphalt. The monster saw the human fall, and he sneered and stomped his long leg at the man, not expecting him to counter with a taser gun. Unexpectedly, two prongs full of electricity burrowed into the Centaur's muscular inner thigh and sizzled as the beast groaned in pain. It didn't stun the creature like it would've done to a human, but regardless he stumbled backwards as he ripped the barbed ends from his flesh. Blood so red it was almost black spilled from the wound.

Now the angry Centaur took one look at the cop and started to charge at him with a ferocious roar, prompting Sub-Zero to spring into action. He instinctively aimed his ice-charged palms at the ground and sprayed a shower of ice onto the ground. A blue-white sheen grew and expanded across the monster's path, and because the Centaur was running so fast, he could not bank his direction to avoid stepping on it. His smooth hooves did not agree with the ice, and he lost his balance the moment they made contact. He instantly crashed into the pavement with a pained grunt.

The Centaur's talons brushed his nearby morning star, and he roared again as he gripped the handle in his hand and used the weapon to help push him up. He staggered to his feet and then instantly swung it at Sub-Zero, who leaped to the side a split second before the spikes could bite into his chest. The action had caught him off guard, so though he successfully avoided the Centaur's attack, he fell to his knees because he lost his balance. The Cryomancer recovered quickly, however, and flipped backwards to avoid a second attack, and a third. The fourth time the Centaur swung the morning star, it missed him but found Annalise's car.

From the sidewalk, she yelped loudly in surprise as the tinted windows exploded and the terrible screeching sound of metal ripping metal echoed through the air. The Centaur tried to pull the morning star out of the badly damaged sedan, but its teeth bit too deeply into the driver side door, and it would not be dislodged. With a frustrated grunt, the Centaur yanked violently on the handle, pulling the chain on his weapon taut, and inadvertently flung the car into the building across the street. Sub-Zero and the policeman barely had time to duck before the car took their heads off.

"Annalise, get back! Run!" the Cryomancer barked at her. She was going to get killed if she stayed where she was. But she didn't run like he wanted, opting instead to back up against the church's façade and watch the fight with a look of terror and astonishment plastered on her face. Dammit! Why wouldn't she listen to him?

"A little help?" the cop cried, capturing Sub-Zero's attention once more.

The Centaur, now focused on him, swung his morning star at his head. The officer somehow managed to duck every attack, but the monster backed him up until he finally stood on a manhole cover. With a chopping motion, the beast brought the weapon down, only to have the cop spring out of the way at the last possible second. The morning star plunged into the metal cover so powerfully that it smashed it in two. In the distance, Sub-Zero heard metal clanking and scraping for a brief moment before landing in the sewer water with a loud splash. Immediately, a little burst of steam exploded in the Centaur's face, distracting him long enough for the cop to run.

But the Centaur, only momentarily blinded, quickly recovered and charged once more after the cop. Sub-Zero chased after the beast, and watched in amazement as the policeman caught a pole attached to a nearby stop sign, swung himself around with his body fully outstretched, and then launched himself onto the monster's back. All of this happened in the blink of an eye, and with the added agility and dexterity of a trained ninja assassin. He only had a split second to be impressed with the man, however, because the Centaur promptly flailed around to buck the cop off his back.

"Yee-haw! Ride 'em, cowboy!" the cop whooped as he clung tightly to the Centaur's long, matted locks of hair.

The beast, in his irritation, reared back on his haunches, exposing his vulnerable underside in order to shake the man from his back. Sub-Zero, who stood before the animal, knew he had to dispatch him quickly before he hurt Annalise. He'd be damned before he let this creature rip her apart with his morning star. As resolve and an inexplicable sense of protectiveness surged through him, he felt sharp ice spring from his palms. Instantly, he held a large kori sword in his hands, which he promptly stabbed into the Centaur's belly. With a loud grunt of his own, he sliced through ribs and internal organs, spilling the animal's guts onto the pavement with a loud splash of blood.

The Centaur stopped flailing, and as Sub-Zero looked up at his astonished face, he choked. A deep, gurgling sound welled up in his throat, the thick blood and spittle finally spilling over his lips in a gruesome waterfall. The cop quickly hopped off before the monster fell to the ground in a dead heap, his surprise still croaking from his gaping mouth. The Cryomancer stared at him for a long moment, then remembered Annalise and threw his kori sword to the ground, smashing it into several pieces. He turned and dashed to her.

Still against the wall, her hands covered her mouth as her eyes bugged from her head in shock. "Oh, my God," she kept muttering to herself repeatedly. And that was the moment when Kuai Liang realized she hadn't refused to run out of stubbornness. She'd refused to run out of fear. And he couldn't blame her, really. It wasn't every day that a mythical creature galloped into the world, hell-bent on killing every human it came across with its morning star, which was a terrifying weapon in and of itself, even if a human wielded it.

"Annalise, are you hurt?" he asked in grave concern, looking her body up and down to find any trace of injury. She didn't seem to be wounded. More frightened than anything.

"Do I need to call an ambulance?" the cop asked as he joined them.

"No," she finally answered, trembling. "I'm fine." She looked at Kuai Liang, her lavender eyes full of emotion. "You...you killed it." Her eyes were stunned, not accusatory.

"Well, it was him or us," he dismissively replied. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"You...you...you froze..." she trailed off as if she didn't quite believe what she was saying. "How did you do that?"

He smiled thinly. "It's a gift," he said drily.

"Am I crazy?" she mumbled, looking off into space. "Am I losing my mind?"

Now the cop answered. "You know, if this were any other day, I'd say you were," he told her truthfully. "But I just fought a bloodthirsty man-horse thing. And this after I saw a sloth the size of the Empire State Building stamping down 5th Avenue like some kind of goddamn Godzilla. So, if you're crazy, then so am I."

"Oh, thank you, I feel so much better," she mumbled sarcastically. She looked at her wrecked car across the street and sighed. "Think I can get a lot on trade-in for it now?" she joked in a small voice as she stepped off the sidewalk.

Kuai Liang felt bad for her, so he followed her and rested a hand on her shoulder. "I think that's the least of your worries right now," he said gently.

"I suppose you're right," Annalise answered. She seemed to be in a fugue. It was shock, he knew. Battle had a way of doing that to a person. Hopefully, it would wear off quickly. Shock had a way of encouraging people to do stupid, desperate things, or worse, slow everyone around them down and endangering their lives. But he also hated to see her face twisted into confusion like this. He squeezed her shoulder to reassure her.

"So, I never said thanks for jumping into that fight with me," the cop began. "I think I'd be dead now if you hadn't. So, thank you. My name's Stryker. Kurtis Stryker."