Love & War

Chapter 33: We Are Not Brothers

At Shao Kahn's throne room

"Earthrealm is finished. It will not be missed," Noob Saibot said.

"Very well. You will return," said Sektor. Noob and Cyrax walk off into the portal with several Tarkatans with them.

"You report late. Where is the intruder?" Sektor asked Sub-Zero.

"I killed him in Earthrealm."

"He should have been saved for interrogation."

"He was formidable. I had no choice."

"Follow me. We must lead a new mission."

Sektor and Sub-Zero took a portal back to Earthrealm on the subway.

"What mission brings us here?" asked Sub-Zero

"I have scanned your neural net, 520. Your neuromodulators have been recalibrated."

"Impossible."

"The experience has been deleted from your system. Remove your access panel."

Sektor moves in, but Sub-Zero grabs his wrist and palm strikes in the chest, sending him careening across the subway platform.

"Your programming is corrupted."

"My soul was corrupted. Now it is cleansed."

Sub-Zero battles Sektor. The fight was one-sided and in his favor as sets Sektor offline. He would have been a match for Sektor without his cybernetic upgrades.

"Artificial enhancements are no substitute for the human soul."

Sub-Zero gained access to Sektor's mainframe. Upon hacking into the system, he discovered Sektor's true orders. They are to escort military prisoners from Vogel University to St. Dominic's Cemetary for processing, with uncooperative prisoners being expendable. He also found a path being taken from the station to the university and the cemetary.

"Thank you, Sektor."

We are now at the clock tower of St. Dominic's cemetary. Eight army soldiers are held prisoner, with Kano, Goro and Kintaro watching them, Kano blasting the soldiers with his laser. "Oy! Run about, will ya?"

Sub-Zero enters the clock tower.

"Finally! C'mon. We gotta get 'em to the graveyard at St. Dominic's. On yer feet, all of ya!"

"For what purpose?"

"Don't care, really. So long as I get paid."

Two ice blasts were delivered to both Goro and Kintaro. He then gives one to Kano. He takes the opportunity to free the soldiers.

"Go. All of you. Now!"

The soldiers made their just in time before Goro and Kintaro broke free of the ice.

"Your treachery will be punished!" said Kintaro.

Sub-Zero was facing impossible odds as he takes on both Goro and Kintaro. Facing both at once is already a lost fight for a normal human, but Sub-Zero is no ordinary human even before he was turned into a cyborg. After a hard-fought battle, Sub-Zero defeats both Shokans.

"All those teeth and claws, yet still overmatched."

Suddenly, the clock tower starts shaking, bells ringing. Near the exit, the soldiers that were escaping got thrown back by some telekinetic magic. They get behind Sub-Zero as Ermac approaches. Sub-Zero remembered Ermac as he defeated him once at the Soul Chamber. The fight began, but like the last time, no match.

The soldiers congratulate Sub-Zero.

"Thanks. I thought we were done," one soldier said.

"I must go. I need to investigate the graveyard."

"We'd go with, but have to return to our unit," another soldier said.

"That is for the best."

At the cemetary, Noob Saibot is magically drawing two lines across the ground, creating a ring around another group of soldiers. Quan Chi is nearby, chanting in Netherrealm tongue. Sub-Zero is at a gravestone undetected. He gets in contact via wrist-com.

"This is Sub-Zero. I found Quan Chi. He appears to be casting some type of spell."

Back at the church, the Forces of Light's base of operations, Sonya has her wrist-com on speaker for the others to listen in. At that moment, Chris arrived. Raiden had another vision, showing a soulnado.

"Raiden, what did you see?" asked Nightwolf.

One of Shao Kahn's soulnados."

"Soulnados? What are those?"

Jax explained, "Think of a tornado, with souls."

Chris had a sickening feeling in his gut. He had just got back from the war against the Tarkatans and other Outworld forces, while his team and the allied insurgents remain on the battlefield.

"On a scale I thought unimaginable. All of Earthrealm's souls imprisoned, absorbed by Shao Kahn, multiplying his power!"

Now Chris felt even more sick. He feared his team could face their demise at this point as well.

"No matter my efforts, the future is in peril. How could I have failed Earthrealm?"

Nightwolf replied, "Do not lose faith in the spirits, Raiden. They will guide you. Protect you. Sub-Zero, we will disrupt the soulnado. I will be there mometarily."

"Hurry. The spell is almost complete."

Sub-Zero goes into the clearing.

Quan Chi notices this, "Who's that?"

Noob replies, "The one Kano warned about. He's mine."

Sub-Zero and Noob face each other.

"You. You are not worthy of the name Sub-Zero."

"Who are you to judge?"

"I wore those colors before you."

"Bi-Han?"

"Yes. Kuai Liang. It is I. Quan Chi restored me."

"Restored? You and I both. We are flawed copies of our former selves."

"I have no flaws. Quan Chi perfected me."

"For what end? To serve the Netherrealm and Outworld?"

"It suits my purpose."

"But, brother..."

"We share blood. We are not brothers."

"Then I will not regret your defeat."

Bi-Han my have had powers granted to him by the Netherrealm, but Sub-Zero's cybernetic upgrades saw him through this fight. Kuai Liang finally defeats his brother.

"You are right. We are not brothers..."

Quan Chi completes the spells and the soldiers are absorbed into the soulnado which reaches into the heavens.

Nightwolf show up.

"Go. Your soul is not safe here."

Sub-Zero departs.

"Earthrealm's fate is sealed, Nightwolf."

"Not yet. We fight until the end!"

Nightwolf faces off agianst Quan Chi. Nightwolf's protection from Quan Chi's magic and his own powers of the spirits give him equal footing. After an intense battle, Nightwolf defeats the sorcerer.

"Your time is over!"

Before Nightwolf could finish the sorcerer, Noob Saibot rushes Nightwolf. Nightwolf countered Noob's attack with right cross to the face. Noob tried a backfist, but gets countered again and took a shot to the left kidney. Nightwolf went on the offensive, but Noob counters a downward punch and twisted his arm and strikes him in the chest with palm strike. Nightwolf charges in with a solid punch across Noob's face and kicks him into the soulnado. As he got pulled in, the soulnado got infected from his wraith-like powers. Quan Chi escapes through a portal. The soulnado turned from glowing green to purple. Nightwolf generated a mystical shield to protect her as the soulnado gathered itself andexplodes outward. Nightwolf was thrown off her feet as a shockwave travels across the cemetary, destroying everything. Nightwolf was unharmed.

"Pilamaya," he said which is Lakotan for "thank you."