Chapter Twelve: Confrontations – Cassie Cage, Part Two
SNAFU'S NOTES: There's plenty of references in this chapter. Enjoy.
With Cap, Colossus and Shao Kahn…
With Cassie distracted with fighting the Black Dragon mooks alongside Cyclops and the White Queen, Shao Kahn moved in to blind-sight Cassie with a sneak attack.
He just didn't expect Cap and Colossus to intervene.
WHAM.
Kahn was blind-sighted by a shoulder tackle from Colossus, while Cap leapt in with a spinning backhand from the shield. The Outworld Emperor was knocked back several steps.
"He looks tough, Comrade Kapitan," Colossus noted as he stood alongside the First Avenger. "I think we should work together in bringing this bastard down."
"Your aid is welcome, Rasputin," Cap replied, before addressing Kahn. "There will be no killing or kidnapping today, Shao Kahn. You'd be wise to surrender."
If anything, Kahn looked insulted. "SURRENDER? ME?! Pathetic fool! I am Shao Kahn, Konqueror of Realms! You shall taste no victory, nor will you deny me my prize!"
"Nyet," Colossus replied as he and Cap advanced on the Konqueror. "If anything, you shall taste defeat this very day."
The Wrath Hammer disappeared from the ground and materialized in Shao Kahn's hands once again. "Then the both of you shall die braver than most!"
Kahn started off the battle with his Charging Spikes; his body enshrouded with green energy as he lunged forward, his target being Cap. The First Avenger barely had enough time to raise his shield, just as Kahn's shoulder rammed into him, knocking him back.
Colossus moved in. Ever since the Skrull-Hulk Incident back in New York, Colossus had been training himself into the ground. Russian Sambo, Krav Maga, Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. And of course, boxing. But Kahn kept him at bay with that blasted warhammer.
WHAM.
Kahn was so focused on Colossus, that he didn't see the thrown shield until it was too late. Captain America was back in the fray. Bouncing off of Kahn's head, Cap caught it.
"Petey! Fastball Special!" Cap ordered.
"DA!" Colossus replied. Grabbing Cap by the back of his neck and the seat of his pants, the disciple of Cyytorak spun Cap around one good time, picking up some serious momentum before chucking the old soldier at Kahn.
The brutal impact of Steve putting his weight behind his shield knocked Kahn's helmet off his head. A somersault kick soon followed, Cap showing off his acrobatics. A backhand with the shield's edge drew blood. Then, Kahn was knocked back by Colossus with a brutal haymaker that would've turned any lesser man's head into paste.
But Shao Kahn was no ordinary man, despite being knocked down.
Kahn felt something warm trickle down the side of his face. Touching it with clawed fingers, the sight of crimson greeted him. Blood. His blood.
"You made me bleed," the Kahn of Outworld grumbled as he got back to his feet. "It has been a while since I saw my own blood. Not even Kotal could accomplish such a feat."
"There's more were that came from," Colossus said.
Kahn spat out the blood from his mouth and chuckled darkly. "I see something in you..." he addressed Cap. "Yes...something in you...that makes me feel like a Konqueror again. Not even Liu Kang could accomplish such a feat!"
With that, Kahn reentered the battle with renewed vigor. Steve and Colossus both learned that Kahn was just as fast as he was strong. A quick jab with the butt of his hammer stunned Cap, followed by a vicious Charging Spike that made Steve spit up blood. Kahn concluded with a hard uppercut with his free hand, knocking Cap on his back, leaving Colossus to face the Outworld warlord alone for the moment.
Colossus wasn't backing down. He backed up several steps, so that Kahn's warhammer missed driving him into the ground as Kahn quickly covered the distance with a powerful leaping overhead swing. The massive lance, however caught Colossus off-guard, as it replaced the Wrath Hammer as Kahn tried to impale the Russian mutant.
TING.
Kahn's eyes widened as the lance failed to penetrate the torso of Cyytorak's chosen. Colossus's smirk rapidly evaporated when Kahn released his grip on the lance and spun, materializing the Wrath Hammer in his hands.
WHAM!
Wrath Hammer met organic metallic skin and Colossus was sent flying back towards the ocean. Kahn had put all of his weight into the swing, meaning that Colossus was going to be out for a while. Cap, in the meantime, had gotten back to his feet. But Kahn was back in the air again, warhammer raised in another giant overhead swing.
Cap barely had enough time side-step the blow. But he quickly capitalized by backhanding Kahn with his shield, making the Outworld Emperor stagger and drop his hammer. A hard uppercut rocked Kahn's head back. The double drop kick staggered Kahn backwards, causing him to trip over his own feet.
But Kahn rallied, and charged back at Cap. A hard kick to the First Avenger's sternum was blocked by the shield. But the spinning back kick that followed knocked Cap down. Using the momentum, Cap performed a suicide kip-up; landing on his shoulders and kicking himself back to his feet, and once again, letting his shield fly.
But Kahn was ready for it. One swing from the Wrath Hammer had sent it flying, and far out of Cap's reach. Once again, Cap was fighting a defensive battle. This guy was no Thanos, but with what he had seen and experienced, Shao Kahn was definitely a credible threat, even more so than Thanos.
Had Tony been there, he would wonder whether or not Thanos could win against Kahn. But no, he had to deal with Cassie's dad.
Cap cried out as a hard kick to his shin from Kahn made his stagger. Kahn followed with a hard stomp to Cap's feet. After a Charging Spike, Cap was sent flying with an uppercut.
Kahn looked around. He saw Cassie, fighting Kano's men. His prize was so close. And she was full of surprises, it seems, as Kahn watched Cassie wield dark, crimson flames. Cassandra was full of surprises, it seems. Kahn could sense her power, the darkness that Cassie commanded. And it excited him. She was not this strong when she kombated Shinnok. Oh, the thought of breaking her and remolding her into his finest enforcer excited him. He would not be denied.
But he had to deal with the one who dared to challenge the Konqueror.
"Foolish little man." Kahn paused to retrieve his helmet and placed it back on his head. "A valiant effort, but you never stood a chance against Shao Kahn!" Now, he stood over the injured Captain America. "Prepare to die, mortal!"
"Wasn't trying to win," Cap groaned.
Kahn's eyes narrowed as he paused his raising his Wrath Hammer. Then, they widened as the realization dawned on him.
The worm on the ground was distracting him this entire time!
SNIKT.
'Baraka?' Kahn wondered, as the sound sounded similar to when the Tarkartan would unsheathe or sheathe his blades.
"RAAAHHHH!"
SLASH.
Kahn realized two things. First, it wasn't Baraka, as the Tarkarta were not into personal hygiene. Their stench would reach you before they did. You did not know the word stink until you smelled a Tarkarta. Second, the slashes across his back hurt like crap.
Cap immediately capitalized by slamming one booted foot into Kahn's crotch. No matter how bad you were, a good shot to the junk or the lady parts will do the trick.
Ironically enough, Cap learned that lesson from Cassie.
Kahn's knees buckled. Looking up at the looming shadow before him, he saw that Colossus was back on his feet. In his hands, was his Wrath Hammer.
POW.
For the second time today, Kahn's helmet was knocked off his face as Colossus tomahawk-ed the warhammer with all his strength, catching the Konqueror full in the face, sending him flying back several feet.
Colossus dropped the hammer and rushed over to Cap, accompanied by Wolverine, having made the save by answering Cap's homing beacon.
"You call this a 'diplomatic solution,' Steve?" Logan sniped, looking around at the carnage surrounding them.
"At least Cassie didn't attack me," Steve groaned as Colossus helped him to his feet. "They're after Cassie."
Logan looked around at the carnage. He saw Cassie fighting alongside Cyclops and the White Queen against a horde of mooks. He recognized the one-eyed freak as Elektra's murderer. He had his hands full with Black Widow. "Cass and Nat are holdin' their own, along with Frost and Slim. Looks like you two can use the hel..."
Logan didn't get the chance to finish that sentence. As he turned around to face Shao Kahn, he saw that the aforementioned warlord was back on his feet...and Logan found himself being hoisted into the air by means of Kahn's lance impaling his torso.
"LOGAN!" Colossus and Cap shouted in horror.
Kahn wasn't finished. Two consecutive slashes across his chest, followed by a rising spear strike that knocked the hairy Canadian into the air. Kahn followed Logan in the air, smashing his shoulder into Logan's torso, knocking him further into the air. Kahn grabbed Logan's ankle and flung him back to the ground. Logan's body bounced from the impact, right before Kahn impaled Logan through the kidney.
With a roar, Shao Kahn slammed his hammer into the side of Logan's skull.
CLANG.
Had Kahn done this to a normal human, they would likely be dead. But as Shao Kahn would soon discover, James Logan Howlett was anything but normal.
At the same time, with Widow and Kano...
Kano spat out blood from his mouth. "So yer a Slav, eh?" He pulled out a second set of knives. "The way ya move...yer a professional. An assassin."
"The finest the Red Room has ever produced," Widow replied. "Your spirit, or your body."
Kano frowned. "What are you goin' on about?" he demanded.
"Exactly which part of you do I break first," Widow clarified. "They call me the Black Widow for a reason. The black widow is considered to be the most dangerous of predators."
"There's dangerous...and there's me, love," Kano replied, before attacking the Russian S.H.I.E.L.D. operative. Widow responded by charging towards the Black Dragon boss.
Natalia A. Romanova wasn't lying when she said that she was the best the Red Room had to offer. She had been an assassin and secret agent before signing on with the Avengers. Killing was a last resort, but she knew that Cassie or her family wouldn't shed any tears over Kano's death. The fact that he killed Elektra Natchios had already showed that he was dangerous.
Kano was getting a first-hand look as to just how dangerous the Black Widow was. Highly-skilled in knife kombat, as well as Xing Yi and Akido, Kano was dangerous. Then again, so was his opponent.
Kano was on the offensive, mixing up punches and his knife attacks, while Widow calmly parried, blocked and deflected his attacks.
Widow, for her part, was feeling Kano out. She easily identified his styles as commando mixed with the two aforementioned styles. Styles she herself was familiar with. A quick uppercut from Widow made Kano bite his tongue. Rapid jabs to his torso, followed by a hard roundhouse kick to the face that knocked the Black Dragon boss down.
"Boss!"
Three Black Dragons broke off from fighting Cassie, Cyclops and Kano, and made a mad dash to aid their boss.
While Kano was down, Widow still knew that he was the bigger threat. Powering up her gauntlet, Widow aimed at Kano and fired. The electrodes were painful, but not fatal. They would keep Kano down until she dealt with the trio of unwanted visitors.
While Natasha's Widow's Bite played haywire on his central nervous system, Kano was forced to watch as Natasha quickly and cleanly dismantled his goons.
First, Natasha ducked under a wild knife swing from the first mook. She took him down with a hard, open-palm strike to his nose, driving the cartilage into his brain. As he fell to the sand, dead, she was on mook number two. Armed with a knife, she tried for a wild swing at Natasha's throat. Within seconds, Natasha had disarmed the mook, the knife now in her hands.
In one smooth thrust, Natasha shoved it through the second mook's trachea.
The third mook had on a pair of sunglasses, which alerted Natasha to Kano's recovery. Seeing his reflection through the shiny lenses Natasha went with her gut instincts, and ducked...
...just as Kano flew over her in his signature Cannonball. The mook cried out in pain as Kano smashed into his chest. Flipping out of the move, Kano landed in a crouch, somersaulted forward, and planted both booted feet – blades extended - into the chest of the final mook, taking out both his lungs.
Only then, upon looking at his handiwork, did Kano realize his mistake.
"That's a pretty nasty move," Natasha commented from behind him.
Kano spun around, and was greeted with a boot to the face, courtesy of Natasha's crescent kick. Kano ducked under the second one, and lunged at Natasha. Grabbing her by the waist, Kano hoisted her up and slammed her to the ground. While it knocked some of the wind out of Natasha, it didn't have the desired effect, due to Nat being dropped on sand.
Nat quickly responded by rolling backwards to avoid Kano's bladed foot from making a nice hole in her throat. But Kano was upon her. On her knees, did Nat swatted Kano's foot to the side. A hard punch to his kneecap made him stagger, allowing Widow to follow through with a series of rapid Silat-style strikes, attacking his knees. The Russian followed through with a hard punch to the gut that made Kano double over, and the right cross staggered him.
But Kano rallied, and countered with a punch of his own that connected to Natasha's jaw, followed by a headbutt, the metal faceplate drawing blood from the former assassin. Infared eye glowing, Kano let loose with a laser blast. Natasha blocked it with her gauntlet, at the cost of rendering it unusable. No matter, she still had the gauntlet on her other hand. Taking aim, she fired another Widow's bite at Kano.
Kano's screams and the fact that the eye laser had stopped firing was the big clue for Natasha that her attack connected. A hard kick to the groin made Kano double over in pain. Acting out of skill, Widow flipped, trapping Kano's head in between her thighs. Three hard strikes to his head via elbow, and Natasha flipped him in a Huricaranna-style move, creating some distance between them.
"LOGAN!"
Kano was surprised to see that Natasha didn't turn her head at the horrified shouts of both Cap and Colossus. All she did was look from the corner of her eye to see Kahn brutalizing Wolverine with his lance and hammer, before turning back to him.
"Yer not concerned for yer mate?" Kano sneered.
Natasha responded by cracking her neck muscles. "Logan? He'll be fine. Miracle of having a healing factor." She chuckled at Kano's shocked expression. "He'll be up and even more pissed off in a couple of minutes." She reached for her batons, still secured in her boots and pulled them out.
Kano chuckled. "Been a while since I had such a good fight. You'd be at home with the Black Dragon, love. How about it? Kiss and make up an' help me catch Cassie?"
"Tempting, but no. Guys like you are but a dime a dozen her," Natasha replied. "To me, you're just practice."
Kano growled as he pulled out another pair of knives. "I'm gonna enjoy breakin' ya, Red. Nice and slow."
"Far better men have tried. And failed. You may have Cassandra and her family spooked, but your theatrics doesn't impress me, Kano."
"Guess I'll hafta try harder, then."
The mercenary and the secret agent went back at it anew.
With Alex and Tasia...
Tasia saw no wasted movement as in one quick move, Alex deflected the bullet, sending it back towards the gunman. He ended up collapsing onto the ground, choking on his own blood after the bullet went through his throat, the sands absorbing the blood as it gushed from his open wound. Then, he was still, the blood soaking the sands.
Alex pointed his sword at Tasia. A silent challenge. A sadistic smile spread across the older woman's face. Challenge accepted.
They stepped away from the others. Alex just stood before Tasia, not in a stance. He was a prodigy when it came to swordsmanship. Amatsu-Mikaboshi saw the potential in Alex and trained him to be a living weapon, one that would bring the downfall of his father and all of Olympus. Surprisingly, though, when Alex was free of Amatsu-Mikaboshi's influence, he retained his skills.
Skills that he had kept sharp.
Japanese swordsmanship wasn't the only style he learned. Alex also trained under his father in the more traditional Greek swordplay. And he was a frequent visitor to the Shirai Ryu, where he not only sparred with both Hanzo Hasashi and Takahashi Takeda, but also learned some Shirai Ryu swordplay from the God of Hellfire himself.
Ironically, it was Hanzo's intervention in regards to fighting Gorgon was what saved Alex's life, and would ultimately lead Alex to a relationship with Cassandra Carlton Cage.
The same woman that was now being coveted by Shao Kahn.
No way in the foulest pits of Tartatus will some two-bit warlord and his hired help are gonna take his fiancee, let alone try and kill him. But this woman...she was one of two who had kidnapped both Cassie and Jacqui back in Earthrealm.
Tasia, for her part, looked at the sword. Then, back at the man wielding it. She licked her lips as she anticipated the battle and inevitable bloodshed that was to come.
Then...Tasia hesitated, as something foreign to her began to creep down her spine. It was a feeling, an emotion that she not had felt in her years of being a Black Dragon. It was a feeling she had relished seeing on many of her victims in the past.
That feeling was fear.
Alex grinned. "I can sense your fear, Tasia," he said. "You've never fought someone the likes of me, before, have you?"
"I've lost count over how many people I've killed." Tasia replied, shaking off her fear. She pointed one of her blades at Alex. "You will be just another mark to my tally after I break you in front of Cassandra."
Alex smirked as he readied himself for battle. "None of your past victims was the God of Fear, you old bitch."
Tasia snarled and immediately went on the attack. She was the best swordswoman in the Black Dragon, and after seeing Alex's stunt with sending the bullet back towards the Black Dragon, she wasn't taking any chances with him.
Even more shocking was that Alex was keeping up with the pace she had set for the battle. Then, the momentum changed. When Tasia vanished in a plume of purple smoke, Alex wasn't concerned. If she tried to sneak attack Cassie, then she would sense her coming. He remembered the last time someone tried to attack her from behind. The poor bastard was reduced to a pile of ash.
But no. She was trying to attack him from behind.
His intuition proved him correct when Tasia reappeared, swords poised to slash at his back.
CLANG.
Tasia's eyes widened in surprise as Alex performed a spinning flourish, Kusanagi blocking Tasia's attack. Her world exploded in pain as one booted foot slammed into her nose, knocking her back.
Tasia barely recovered in time to avoid Kusanagi's attempt to decapitate her. But now, Tasia was forced on the defensive.
That foreign sense of fear was now back. Fear that she might lose this battle. Fear that she might lose her life.
Then, Tasia hesitated. And it cost her.
Alex's fist smashed into her face. Once. Twice. Thrice. Tasia was then sent spinning to the ground with a powerful backfist. Not one to waste an opportunity, Alex attempted to end this match with an overhead strike.
But Tasia vanished in a plume of purple smoke yet again.
"This again?" Alex taunted, but still on his guard. "Show me something new, will ya?"
"LOGAN!"
At the sound of Cap and Colossus's voice, Alex turned his head, and was greeted with the sight of Shao Kahn mauling Wolverine. Nothing out of the ordinary, as Alex himself seen the little hairy Canadian get hit with much, much worse. If Wolverine's Adamantium-coated skeleton can withstand repeated head-shots from Skrull-Hulk, then a mallet to the skull wouldn't do that much other than piss the little Canadian off.
Alex closed his eyes and raised his sword in a meditative stance. Then, he moved slightly to his left, taking a single step in order to avoid Tasia's overhead attack; having reappeared above Alex, blades poised to split him from gullet to groin.
Then, Alex counterattacked.
The ferocity of the God of Fear's attacks forced Tasia in the same position as Cap found himself with Shao Kahn; a defensive battle. One powerful swing from Alex's sword had sheared one of her katana's blades in two, rendering it useless. Now, Tasia was forced to defend with her remaining katana.
Mentally, Tasia was cursing herself. She had underestimated the younger man. He was skilled. A shame, really, as she could've taken him on as her pupil. Here was a real warrior, unlike that failure Kano called his son.
Kano was wise in killing the bastard. Weakness was not allowed in the Black Dragon.
Tasia had hoped that Alex would've been distracted by Logan being mauled by Shao Kahn, but that had been a move of deception on his end. And she fell for it like a rabbit drawn to a carrot.
For Tasia, Alexander Aaron was a man worth killing.
At the same time, with Cassie, Cyclops and Emma Frost...
Before anyone else could fire their weapons, Emma struck. Blue-tinted lips twisted into a smirk as the various firearms' clips ejected from their weapons, screws untwisting rapidly, causing the weapons to fall into pieces.
"Let's make this a fair fight, shall we?" Emma taunted as her skin hardened.
Kano's response was to unleash a blast from his infrared eye, Kano assuming that her powers were similar to Subzero's cryomancy, he let loose a powerful eye blast. Instead of melting, Emma looked unscathed.
"Nice try. Diamond-covered skin," Emma sneered. Without turning to Scott, she said, "Show him how it's done, baby."
Scott took aim at Kano, and fired, Kano barely managed to avoid the optic blast which took down three of Kano's Black Dragons.
Meanwhile, Emma had charged head-first into the horde of Black Dragons, accompanied by Cyclops. Despite Cassie's animosity towards Scott's main squeeze, Emma can hold her own in kombat, but Cassie was her superior, as she had more experience.
Holstering her pistol, she faced off against Kano. The Black Dragon boss was getting back to a vertical base, having avoided Cyclops' optic blast. Gripping his knife in his hand, he saw that Cyclops had his hands full with fighting off the Black Dragon alongside that blond bitch.
But Kano's desire to gut the leader of the X-Men would not come to pass, due to Cassie's intervention. A flying knee caught Kano's jaw, causing him to drop his knife. But Cassie wasn't alone, as the Black Widow joined the demigoddess of fire in the fight, knocking Kano on his ass with a flying kick, Cassie ducking as she sensed Widow from behind.
"Go and help Emma and Scott, Lieutenant," Widow ordered. "I got this."
"Be careful, Nat," Cassie warned. "Kano's not to be underestimated."
The Slavic redhead turned to Cassie and grinned. "Neither am I. Now go."
'You saw the laser beam,' Cassie warned mentally, 'but be on the lookout for his Cannonball. Mom and Dad says that it hurts like a bitch. Plus he's got knives stashed in his boots.'
"Dolzhno byt', Kassandra." (Duly noted, Cassandra.) Widow turned back to Kano, as Cassie rushed in to assist Cyclops and Frost.
Cassie holstered her pistol, not wanting to hit any of the heroes with friendly fire, and leapt into the fray.
Cyclops had already taken down three Black Dragons with his Optic Blast and Emma had just crushed the windpipe of a fourth. She would've intervened when Kano tried to stab Cyclops from behind, but Widow got that situation covered.
Six Black Dragons down. Twenty-four to go.
Kano got his hands full with Natasha. Good thing that Emma was filming all of this. Kitana had upgraded her drone and Cassie was testing it out at her request. And Cassie had it recording this entire debacle ever since Cap and Summers showed up. Alex was dealing with Tasia and Cap and Petey were busy keeping Shao Kahn at bay.
Which meant that she could help Cyclops and the White Queen fight off the Black Dragon thugs accompanying Kano.
While she was against taking lives unless absolutely necessary, Cassandra Cage had past grievances with Kano and his crew of maniacs. And just like a Blade, she had a long memory when it came to grudges.
Cassie arched her back, bending it like Beckham, just as a metal pipe whistled where her head was moments earlier. Three Black Dragons tried to bushwhack her from behind.
Cassie responded by using her telekinesis to ensnare two of them and smash their heads together, putting them out of commission. The third found his pipe being forcibly wrenched from his hands and into Cassie's waiting own.
His shock lasted only five seconds, as Cassie bashed his skull in.
'You have some serious explaining to do, Cassandra,' Emma remarked as she sent a Black Dragon spinning to the ground with a powerful roundhouse kick. 'Just who are these people?'
'Ghosts of my family's past,' Cassie replied as she incinerated a Black Dragon down to the bone with her pyrokinesis. 'I'm surprised it took them this long to find us.'
'And what other skeletons shall emerge from your closet?'
'If Shao Kahn and Kano are any indication...trust me, you don't want to know.'
Cyclops, for his part, had his hands full with three Black Dragons. Each one of them had knives, and were trying their hardest in slipping the blade in between his ribs. That attempt ended with a second optic blast that sent them flying. 'That bad, Cassie?'
'You don't know the half of it.' Cassie then added, 'Watch your left, Scott.'
Emma saw the Black Dragon coming from Cyclops' blind side. Armed with a baseball bat, he would've succeeded in cracking Scott's skull like a melon had not Emma intervened.
The mook found his bat being yanked from his hands, just as Cassie had done with the pipe just moments earlier. Only this time, he was hoisted into the air.
"Hands off the merchandise," the White Queen snarled. "No two-bit crook is gonna lay their filthy hands on my man."
The mook was sent screaming into the San Francisco Bay by Emma's telepathy. Tragically, the mook didn't learn how to swim, as Emma consigned him to a watery grave.
"Coming from someone who used to run with the Hellfire Club, I'm not impressed," Emma sniffed, offhand backhanding a Black Dragon trying to sneak up on her.
"It's not the mooks you should be worried about," Cassie replied, going into the splits and punching another female mook in the lady-parts. Pulling out her pistols, she took aim at the bulging eyeballs, and fired, the last thing the female mook saw before eternal darkness was the dual muzzle flash of Cassie's guns. "It's Kano and his lieutenants."
"No to mention Shao Kahn," Cyclops added.
"LOGAN!"
Cap and Colossus' screams were soon followed by the sounds of impalement and something hard hitting something else encased in Adamantium.
But Cassie, Cyclops and Emma continued to fight on. They knew what Logan was capable of, and Cassie knew that unless Shao Kahn stole Logan's soul, then his healing factor will kick in. If that happens, then Logan will be even more pissed.
Cassie wondered how Shao Kahn would handle a pissed-off Wolverine.
Back to Shao Kahn and the heroes...
"You weak, pathetic fool!" Shao Kahn sneered as he looked at the mangled body of Wolverine, still impaled on the lance. "Now you learn your place!" He turned back to Cap and Colossus. "Just as you two shall know your place before you die." His lips twisted into a malicious grin as he savored the look of distress on the faces of both the First Avenger and the newest Juggernaut.
Kahn gripped the Wrath Hammer tighter in his hands as he advanced on Cap and Colossus. "You will not die for my entertainment in my arena," he snarled. "You will experience the same feelings as every other cretin who dared raise arms against me. You will learn loss. You will watch as I take my prize and deliver those two whores over to Kano. You will know what is feels to lose. To believe that even in your desperation, that you are right, only to fail. You will dread it. Even try to flee from it. But in the end, destiny arrives all the same."
"And you talk too much, bub."
Kahn's monologue died in his throat. He spun around. Red, hellish eyes widened in shock.
Wolverine was back on his feet. His mask had been ruined from where Kahn had slammed his Wrath Hammer into his skull. Wolverine removed his mask, giving Kahn a good look at his face. The impact from the warhammer had knocked his eye out of its socket, the optical tissue still hanging from its stem, and instead of bone from the massive gash in his head, Kahn saw what appeared to be metal.
Kahn saw as Wolverine's wounds began to close. The slashes on his chest had healed, leaving only gashes in his costume and blood. His eye was pulled back into his socket, back in place.
"Impossible! You should be dead! I killed you!" Kahn roared. "How can this be?!"
Wolverine cracked his neck muscles. "Two words: Healin' factor. Gonna take more than a poke in the ribs and a head-shot from a glorified mallet to stop me."
Kahn gripped his hammer tighter in his hands. "Then I shall torture you until you die for real!"
There were several things that pissed Logan off. Bad cigars were one. Insulting his mother was another. But try and kill either him and his friends...
Wolverine rolled out of the way as Kahn tried another charging overhead swing, coming up behind the Outworld warlord, and counterattacked.
SLASH!
Kahn screamed as Wolverine slashed across his back, causing him to once again, drop the Wrath Hammer. Looking down, Logan saw that he had rolled near Cap's shield.
"NOW!" Logan bellowed, picking it up, and throwing the weapon at Cap.
Cap and Colossus charged. Cap leapt into the aid, caught the shield and sent it rocketing towards Kahn. His aim was true, and the shield bounced off against Kahn's ridged skull once again. Colossus followed through with a shoulder tackle that kept Kahn off-balance. But Kahn was fast, even in his rage. Kahn responded with a punch of his own, staggering the Russian. But that left him exposed to Cap and Logan.
When Kahn went for his lance again, Logan was ready for it. He dodged Kahn's thrust and cleaved the massive spear, severing the tip from the rest of the shaft.
Then, Logan went for the face.
SLASH!
Kahn screamed once again as the Canadian's Adamantium claws raked his face. They missed his right eye, but his left wasn't as fortunate, as Wolverine's swipe blinded Kahn in his left eye, leaving a ruined socket.
WHAM!
With a yell, Colossus clobbered Kahn with a Superman punch, knocking the warlord down. But Kahn was if anything, a fighter, and incredibly stubborn. He got back to his feet, one eye closed while the other one glared hatefully at Logan, Cap and Colossus, the three standing before him, ready to fight to the death.
Kahn growled. This was not how this battle was supposed to go. The Black Dragons accompanying Kano had been dealt with, and now, Cassie, Cyclops and the White Queen stood alongside Cap and the others. Both Kano and Tasia were forced to retreat after seeing the battle had shifted. Now, Kano and Tasia stood on either side of Shao Kahn, having knocked their opponents back to gain some distance.
A battered Alex and Black Widow soon joined Cassie, the X-Men, and the Avengers.
"Your guys were worth every penny," Emma sniffed, motioning to Kano's mooks. "Truly, they were."
Cassie, for her part, had her guns aimed at Kano. "Gonna take you down, asshole."
"Not gonna happen, Sonya Two," Kano retorted.
"Shinnok said the same thing," rebuked the demigoddess of fire.
Kano, despite the circumstances, smirked. "The big man's gonna want a do-over regarding that." He looked at Tasia. "Ready, love?"
Tasia brandished her remaining katana. "Always. To the end."
"For them," Kano said.
"Get ready," Cap said.
"KILL THEM!" Kahn bellowed.
That was the plan, until Kahn, Tasia and Kano leapt back to avoid being incinerated by an energy blast. The culprit was floating overhead, hands encased with energy, ready to fire once again.
"All I need is one reason to reduce you to atoms," Nova said, having been cleared to assist by Maria Hill. "Just one. Surrender. Or else."
Behind Kahn and the two Black Dragons, a portal opened. Deciding to live to fight another day (and to heal from their injuries), Kano and Tasia leapt through the portal, followed by the surviving Black Dragons accompanying them.
Kahn, seeing that the battle was lost and his prize denied, followed Kano and Tasia through the portal. "Another time, Cassandra!" he shouted as the portal closed behind him.
The battle was over.
Cassie breathed a sigh of relief. The battle had gone better than expected. Good thing Blue and Scott arrived, otherwise the battle could've gone differently, even with her powers. "Everyone okay?"
Nods in the affirmative, along with a couple of 'Yes."
Cassie turned to Logan. "Hey, old man. You okay?"
Logan grunted. "Been hit with worse. Trouble seems to follow you everywhere, Cassie."
"Only in days ending in 'Y.'" Cassie then noticed Nova, as he lowered himself to the ground. "You're part of the Nova Corps."
Nova nodded. "Sam Alexander. You must be Cassandra Cage. I've been looking for you."
"Or rather, what's inside of me. Its only a part of the Phoenix."
"Never mind that, now," Cap said. "You knew Kano and Shao Kahn."
"Like I said, Kano and my family have history. But this was the first time I met Shao Kahn," Cassie replied. "Hold on. I gotta call Dad and let him know." She retrieved her phone and unlocked it. Quickly scrolling through her contacts, she stopped at Johnny's number, of which Cassie had entitled PAPA CAGE.
Cassie had originally wanted it to be a private call, but chose against it, and activated the speaker. Her father connected on the third ring.
"Heya, Punkin. Now's not a good time." Johnny's voice greeted her. He sounded more annoyed than anything, Cassie noted. "Stark and T'Challa are both here. They know about the Phoenix Force and your team."
"We got bigger problems, Dad," Cassie replied. "Earthrealm came calling. Tried to make a play for me."
"What?! Who?!" her father thundered.
"The Black Dragon unfortunately..." Cassie began.
"Kano?! HERE?! Are you alright? Where's Alex?! I thought he was with you!"
"I'm here, Chairman," Alex spoke into the phone, addressing his soon-to-be father-in-law by his formal title regarding his role as Chairman of Cage Incorporated. "I'm fine. Cassie and I are both fine."
"There's more, Dad," Cassie continued. "Kano and Tasia weren't alone. Shao Kahn was with them, and he wants me as his personal fucktoy."
Now, Johnny was angry. "Shao Kahn? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! HE WANTS YOU?!"
Cassie and the others winced at the God of Wind's outburst. And given the situation, they honestly couldn't blame him.
Cap moved in to interject himself into the conversation, but Cassie stopped him with a sharp look. 'Just listen. Don't say anything, Blue,' she ordered.
Cap looked at her, then nodded.
"Dad! DAD!" Cassie shouted. "I'm fine, okay! Alex was with me! Plus I had backup in Cap and Cyclops!"
Johnny calmed down. "Rogers and Summers were with you? Thank God."
"Dad, listen. Find Kitana, and tell her to pull the video from Emma. I had her record everything that happened."
"Not trying Dad,' Kitana's voice said close by. "Already found it."
"Yeah. Kitana just pulled it up," Johnny said. "The stealth camo's working pretty well. And there's Summers and Frost." A pause.
"So much for a diplomatic solution," Cassie and the others heard Tony mutter.
"And there's Kano. Shit," Johnny cursed. "Alright, listen, Cass. I'll have Kitana send Sonya and the others copies of the video. I want you to head over to the hospital and pick up Vera. Take her to my place, and lock it down. Understand?"
"Will do." Cassie ended the call. She turned to Alex. "Alex, you're with me."
"Hey! Wait a second!"
Cassie turned around, and faced Nova. "I'm not gonna run. Where exactly can I go? My choices are pretty much limited. Given the choice of the Avengers and the X-Men...I'd be more worried about Kronika kicking in my door. What we've all seen here was just a taste. Shao Kahn and Kano are just the iceberg. There's no saying what's gonna happen next." She turned to Blue. "I'll be in touch."
Without giving Cap a chance to reply, both Cassie and Alex were engulfed in a pillar of fire. When the fire dissipated, they were gone.
"Oh, come on!" Nova shouted. He turned to Cap and the others. "You're just gonna let her go?"
"She does have a point," Cap defended. "There's nowhere for her to run to. And Cassie isn't going to consider going AWOL just to get away from us." Turning to Cyclops, Colossus and Emma, he said, "For the time being, I call a truce. There's a lot more going on than we realize, all of it centering around Cassandra and her family."
"So what do we do now?" Emma asked.
"For now, nothing," Cyclops replied. "I've known Cassie far longer than you, Emma. She's not gonna run. If anything, she'll contact us. For now, we'll return back to Utopia and figure out what the hell just happened here."
"Gotta bad feelin' about this, Slim," Logan said. "What we saw just moments ago...somethin' tells me that's just the beginnin'."
In the coming days, Logan's words would ring true. The X-Men and Avengers have fought against the likes of Doctor Doom, Thanos, Ultron, Hela, and even Apocalypse.
But nothing could prepare them for the threat of Kronika.