I step out of the portal onto the next floor.

It's funny. Compared to the floor downstairs, this one is in pristine condition. Probably because very few, if anybody, has made it here. Couldn't help but. Feel a sense of pride well up inside me.

I take another few steps into the hall. Nothing's come out to kill me yet, so I can celebrate that. I glance back at the portal before it closes. No turning back now. Only one floor remained.

A grin flashes across my face. I'm feeling pretty good about myself. But…

I look down.

Sub-Zero is still down there, somewhere. I don't know where. Every fibre of my being is telling me to run. Barrel past any potential threat in my way and get the hell out of here.

"You're sooooo close now," Saibot's voice spoke in my head. I couldn't help but agree. "Clear this floor and the next, and you're home. Hell, you might make it before I get here."

All true statements. Yet…

"What about Sub-Zero?"

Saibot stops. He scoffs. "What about Sub-Zero? What's he ever done for you to warrant this concern?"

"He saved my life," I tell him. Multiple times, in fact, but I don't mention that fact. Seems kind of pointless.

"So what?" He shakes his head before walking up to me and placing a hand around me. "In this place, it's every man for himself. He had his chance to escape with you, but he didn't take it. Now he's either dead or back in hiding. I haven't found him at any rate."

I shake my head. "Am I just supposed to leave him behind?"

"Yes! That's exactly what you're supposed to do!" He says it like it's the most obvious answer to this solution. Which… yeah, it probably is. I'll be honest, it would be so easy, but I just can't shake the guilt I would feel if I just left him. I've lost one friend. No, I wouldn't consider Sub-Zero a 'friend'. But it just feels wrong to leave him behind.

"Where is he?" I ask, staring directly at Saibot for the first time.

"Do you not have ears? I don't know," he reminds me. He walks over to a door and leans on the frame. "Besides, I wouldn't be worried about him. He's survived here for, what, years? I doubt it would be that easy to kill that son of a bitch. So you worry about getting yourself out of here. After all…" He steps closer to me, a sinister grin clearly planted on his face. "Isn't that what Kenshi wanted you to do?"

Without thinking twice, I spit a loogie in his direction. It passes right through him, landing on the wall, but he gets the idea. But the grin doesn't disappear. Instead, he starts laughing. "You are adorable when you get angry, you know that?"

And, without thinking, I throw a punch. It passes through him, of course, and it slams directly into the wall behind him. I swear it splits a couple knuckles. So obviously the correct thing to do is punch it a couple more times. Saibot had disappeared while I continue to punch the wall.

"You keep doing that, you'll break your other hand."

"Will you shut up?!" I shout directly in his face. "I can't stand you! You are annoying, you are irritating, you have done nothing to help or hinder me, so I have to ask, why are you here?! Just to annoy me?! Playing some mind games?! Trying to be a master manipulator or some bullshit like that? 'Look at me, I'm Saibot! I get my jollies trying to mentally break some guy who doesn't even know why he's here!'"

Saibot just looks at me silently.

"To be honest, I'm actually looking forward to when you show up and kill me! That way, I won't have to be constantly annoyed by just your presence and your unending prattle. So, how about you do me a favor, and fuck. Off!"

He just stood there. He wasn't moving. His eyes were as thin as slits, staring into my soul. Then he stepped forward. I couldn't help but flinch and step back. He walked straight up to me. "I'd suggest you deal with your visitor."

He then disappeared. I looked dumbly ahead, having no idea what the hell he was talking about. And then I heard that roar. Great. That guy. Didn't I just bash his skull in with a fire extinguisher.

I threw myself behind a desk as a fireball slammed into it. Turns out, a desk wasn't the best thing to seek cover behind. The impact sent the table into me, sending me to the ground. It hurt like hell as I could feel several more bones breaking.

I hold my side, feeling as though something got broken there. I looked up to see the man on fire stalking towards me, fire now back in his eyes. I look for another fire extinguisher, and I deflate when I see none. There's gotta be something. There's the broken apart desk. I could pick up a piece of that to fight back. No, that's stupid. If bullets couldn't stop him, these won't either.

He's walking towards me now. I crawl away as fast as I could, which wasn't very. There's nothing… I'm dead. I can't believe this is how it ends. Facing a fiery demon, barely able to stand at this point, with no means of defending myself. Can't say it's not unique. I can certainly think of worse ways to die.

Wait… something catches my eyes. The sprinkler system, above. I look to my left. Fire alarm. Oh, please let this work. I muster up as much strength as I have left, throwing myself self to it. I grab hold and pull. The alarms go off. The sprinklers activate.

Water drops down on both of us. My hair and body is almost immediately drenched. I have to spit some out of my mouth before I turn to look at my enemy. He's in pain. His hands are clutching his head, as he begins snarling and growling. He tries to step forward, but all he does is fall into the wall to the side. However, I notice the fire is going out. My plan is actually working.

After about thirty seconds, which feels like an eternity, the man on fire is now just a man. He looks at his hands, not believing what just happened. He then jerks his head backs towards me.

I can't believe I'm about to do this.

"Please…" I say, using the wall as support. "You don't have to do this." I wrack my brain. Saibot called him something when we first met. What was it? "Scorpion, right?" He tilts his head. "Let me pass. Please. You're not bound by that son of a bitch."

For a moment, it looks like he's considering it. Then he lets out a roar and clutches his head. Again. Something is happening. I have no idea what. Scorpion then goes silent and stands at his full height.

Then he cracks his knuckles.

Oh, shit.

He charges at me so fast I barely have enough time to dodge out of the way. His fist smashes into the wall, splintering the wood. My eyes go wide. Okay, water just puts the fire out. He can still break me like a Kit-Kat. Good to know.

I grab the nearest object to me and chuck it. The vase smashes across his back, some flower petals stick to him. Scorpion barely flinches, just rips his arm free and stomps towards me. My hands clamoring for anything and everything. But, no, there's nothing. He grabs me by the collar and smashes me into the wall.

A small cough escapes my mouth as his hand grabs me again. A punch across the face nearly knocks me out. It certainly hurts like a bitch. Another punch makes my vision go all fuzzy. I can taste the blood now. I think I'm missing a few more teeth now. Yay.

Before my eyes completely shut, Scorpion let me go. I fall to the ground in a rather pathetic heap, curling up in a ball. I clutch my head and look up, seeing Sub-Zero grappling with him.

I notice the sprinklers have stopped before a small smile cross my face, just as Sub-Zero sends a right hook across Scorpion's jaw.

Then I black out.

Again.