Alternate Ending
Kitana opened her eyes.
The bed was broken in and old, but comfortable enough. She lay in a bare chamber of cobblestone with few trappings and a small balcony. The smell of ash and smoke was in the air, which she assumed was due to the lit brazier in the corner, but the familiar purple sky let her know she was back in Outworld.
She tried to remember how she'd gotten here after the battle on Onaga's pyramid, but her memory was a blur. She tried to sit up, and soreness wracked her body. The fighting must have taken a greater toll than she assumed.
"You're awake, finally."
Mileena was sitting beside her bed. Though still masked, she saw some cuts and fading bruises on her sister's face. She flinched upon seeing her on reflex but quickly brushed it off. Even if they were still enemies when this was over, Mileena wasn't a threat at the moment.
"What happened?" she asked. "How did we get here?"
"You've been out for two days," Mileena said. "That final fight really did a number on you."
She managed to sit up despite the pain in her sides and head. "Did we win? Is it … is it over?"
Mileena stared at her, her yellow eyes piercing and intense. For a moment, Kitana thought she would lunge at her and attack. "You're really going to make me say it, aren't you?"
"Say what?"
"Have it your way." She took a breath and closed her eyes. "Yes, we won. And yes … we owe it all to you. Happy, you brat?"
Different emotions hit Kitana at once. Confusion that she was apparently the key to their victory. Exasperation that even now Mileena was resentful of her. But prevailing above all was relief. They'd saved the realms from Onaga's madness. Suddenly, her aches and pains seemed to diminish and a great weight lifted from her shoulders.
"And, fine, I'll even admit it," Mileena added, crossing her arms and grumbling. "You impressed me."
"Praise from you?!" she said, getting out of bed. "Am I still dreaming?"
"Don't get used to it."
She limped to the balcony and looked out over the Outworld landscape. The Wastelands lay just beyond the keep with the usual ruins and remains of battles recent and ancient. It seemed strange they should end up in Shao Kahn's old fortress, but she supposed in the confusion they went wherever was convenient.
"What happened?" she asked. "How did we defeat the Dragon King?"
The view of the Wastelands was as she expected, but there was something about the horizon that troubled her. Instead of a range of mountains and valleys, she saw a series of towers made of glass and steel. Most appeared damaged, and some were on fire. It was an unusual sight for Outworld, yet somehow still familiar. She'd seen those buildings somewhere …
"What's the Dragon King?" Mileena asked.
Kitana's gaze drifted to the outer wall of the fortress, and her blood went cold upon seeing it was lined with heads on spikes. Freshly severed heads of various people … some she recognized. Meanwhile, Tarkatans, Shokan and soldiers marched outside under a familiar banner.
The door to her chamber opened, and a deep voice declared: "There she is! The Hero of Outworld!"
Shaking, she turned and saw him standing there—alive and as strong as ever, towering over all. Shao Kahn's eyes burned beneath his skull helmet, but she saw pride written on his face. Beside him was her mother, watching her with sinister eyes and a pleased smirk of her own.
"My daughter!" Kahn said. "Who secured our victory by slaying Liu Kang in Mortal Kombat herself!"
"This is a great day, Kitana," said Sindel. "At long last, Earthrealm is ours. And we owe it all to you."
The world seemed to spin. Kitana's strength left her, and she crumbled to her knees. Of course, she realized. It had all been a dream—Onaga, the Kamidogu … none of it was real. Even before that—the Sea of Blood, Kronika, learning the truth … it was all just a dream. Just a long, horrible dream.
She screamed. The nightmare was over, and she was back where she belonged. She was Shao Kahn's daughter, and she had won her father his greatest victory. Earthrealm was theirs, and his reign would be eternal. She continued screaming.
Everything was as it should be. All was well.
She was home.
Author Notes:
This was something that came to me when I was writing the scene in Chapter XIII when Kitana says she sometimes wishes she never found out the truth about her past. I thought it would be a messed up twist if it turned out Kitana's "perfect world" wasn't an Edenia that was never conquered by Shao Kahn, but one where she never turned on him.
But that wouldn't fit with what goes on with the other characters and kind of make a mess of the story. I also already had her going through enough with Jerrod joining Seido and the evil Sindel returning to terrorize her.
Deleted Scenes
"Sareena & Her Men"
(would've taken place in Chapter VI when Scorpion and Sareena stop to rest before running into Ermac)
"Who are you to Sub-Zero anyway?" he asked. "How did a demon of the Netherealm wind up an ally of the Lin Kuei?"
She adjusted herself, holding her stomach and wincing from the pain of moving. "It was Bi-Han, actually," she said. "He'd ventured into the Netherealm to retrieve Shinnok's Amulet. My sisters and I were tasked with preventing him from reaching Quan Chi. He defeated me, and …" She paused, and an almost wistful look came to her eyes. "He could've killed me, but he spared my life. When he fought Quan Chi, I—"
"Why you?"
"Excuse me?"
"Bi-Han spared your life," he said. "Bi-Han. Kuai Liang's brother. The man who killed me."
He didn't mean that to sound as aggressive as it came out, but the suggestion the elder Sub-Zero was capable of mercy disturbed him. From what he knew of his one-time rival, Bi-Han had always been unapologetic when it came to death and murder—as cold as his code-name suggested.
But of all beings … of all opponents … it was the demon woman sent to kill him he showed mercy to?
The question wasn't lost on Sareena, nor was Scorpion's apparent outrage over it. "Y-yes," she said. "I never understood why either. He just … he let me live."
She shrugged, looking embarrassed and nervous. Scorpion stood up and paced about, angry but trying not to take it out on her. It was Kuai Liang's capacity for mercy that earned his respect, but somehow learning Bi-Han was also capable—and simply ignored it—made him angrier.
And why Sareena? He allowed that she seemed to mean well, but he only came to see that when she saved his family. How could Bi-Han have known? Did she remind him of someone he knew? Even if he, for some reason, had feelings for her, why? After everything, was his hated enemy just a sucker for a pretty face?
"I've often wondered myself," she said. "I learned more about him when I met Kuai Liang, and from what he's told me, mercy wasn't Bi-Han's strongest attribute." She sighed and adjusted herself again. "Maybe it's just me, and I attract certain types of men? Quan Chi, Bi-Han, Reiko … that weird revenant with the breathing mask."
"Kabal?" he asked. "Scars all over his body? Uses hook-swords?"
"Is that his name? I don't know who he is. I was on a mission in the Netherealm and crossed paths with him, and he just started following me around. I think he's in love with me. I just want him to leave me alone."
Scorpion sat down again, scratching his hair. He was vaguely aware of the fighter known as Kabal—his breathing mask was hard to forget—but knew almost nothing of the man. He did have something of a reputation as an unpredictable wild man. Perhaps that included being infatuated with a lady demon?
Of course, though she didn't say it outright, it seemed to him Sareena harbored feelings of her own for Kuai Liang, which was a peculiar match in itself. But he couldn't judge, he supposed. He remembered there were some who thought he was a poor match for Harumi, but she loved him all the same.
Author Notes:
I wanted to include a nod to Kabal's MK11 ending. My head-canon is that he saw Sareena at some point in the Netherealm and instantly fell in love … but it's completely one-sided and she has no idea who he even is. I also thought it might be fun to acknowledge that Scorpion would probably not be happy to learn Bi-Han was willing to show anyone mercy. I cut the scene because, though amusing, I thought it dragged and didn't add much. I also thought it would be weird for Scorpion to acknowledge talking seemed to aggravate Sareena's wounds just for him to spark a conversation.
"Heights"
(would've been in Chapter XII when Kitana, Mileena and Ermac are using the elevator in the Sky Temple)
Mileena, too, was bruised and battered, but at the moment, the rickety lift seemed to worry her more than anything. She clung to the railing, her body stiff, and seemed to be making an effort not to look down or even around.
"Mileena," Kitana said. "Are you afraid of heights?"
"What?" she replied. "No! What? Why would—? No!"
"I'm not mocking you. It's just I'm not, so I think it's interesting that you—"
"Just shut-up, all right!"
There was a loud clank, and the lift began to sway. Mileena sucked in a breath and went stiff again. She then locked her eyes shut and muttered something under her breath. Kitana decided to let it go and turned to Ermac.
Author Notes:
I like adding little quirks to the characters when I can, like Mileena's drawing and a small hint Kitana's interested in astronomy. I cut this because, though I thought it funny, it didn't fit with the tone of the scene and, more importantly, felt like it was setting something up that I knew wouldn't pay off. If Mileena wound up facing her fear of heights later in the story, I might have kept it, but I knew it wasn't going to come up again, so I cut it.
"Hubris"
(Chapter XIX when Kung Lao saves Liu Kang)
Liu pulled himself to his feet and looked out the window. The Tarkatans appeared to be in retreat, but the damage was done. The bodies of many Shaolin were strewn about the grounds, and fires still burned. They survived, but this was no victory.
Behind him, Kung Lao removed his hat and bowed his head before his fallen ancestor. "What do you remember, Lao?" he asked. "Is it coming back to you, too?"
"Too much," he replied. "I see a life where I wanted nothing more than to be Champion of Mortal Kombat that ends in death and damnation. I see another where I never wished to be Champion and was content to leave it to you."
He stood up and put his hat back on before going to Liu and checking his wound.
"In the latter, I lived to see Armageddon. I suppose there's a lesson about hubris to be taken from that."
Author Notes:
This came up when I first wrote Chapter XIX, and I liked the idea of acknowledging one of the first big character motivation/personality retcons in Mortal Kombat. But I cut it because it felt unnecessary and also inappropriate for Lao to make sardonic observations over his dead ancestor's body.
Notes & Trivia
- I was reluctant to include Sub-Zero's sister in the story. Even though she does (or did) exist in canon, we were never given a name, and I felt weird assigning one to her. I also thought her name should fit with her brothers, and I don't speak Chinese. Luckily, I did find a name that suited her. Someone more familiar with the language might correct me, but according to Google at least, Xue Tianshi translates to "snow angel."
- If it wasn't obvious from her description and the bit of foreshadowing in the first chapter, Harumi becomes essentially an onryō, a vengeful spirit in Japanese folklore. I almost did refer to her as one in the story, but I decided to cut it because I didn't want to suggest it was its own form—like how there's apparently a difference between a spectre and a wraith and a revenant in the MK-verse. Her weapon of choice are basically Freddy Krueger claws, and if she was to have a character name, I would probably call her Thorn or something along those lines.
- Kobalt is completely made up, and there's no suggestion in the canon Jade has siblings. I wanted his name to link with hers, so it was a choice whether it be another word for green or another gemstone. I went with the latter (though cobalt blue isn't really a gem). Jade's folks were Edenian nobles and apparently pretty scummy, so I think implying they're snooty and pretentious enough to name their children after gems and such works.
- The two ancient Edenian words that Kitana remembers in Chapter VII are made up. I cobbled together Japanese and Elvish (as in The Lord of the Rings Elves). Mélie is a combination of the Japanese word ie (meaning "house") and the Elvish word méla (meaning "loving affection"). And Sekemenai is a fusion of the Japanese sekai (meaning "world") and the Elvish cemen (meaning "earth" and pronounced with a hard C).
- When Onaga uses the Kamidogu to unleash everyone's worst fears, I was briefly tempted to have Johnny Cage get attacked by his ex-wife Cindy. I was double-checking certain characters' names, and according to his MK1 bio, Johnny does indeed have an ex-wife named Cindy Ford. I pictured her storming the house and trying to stab him with a pair of scissors. But I figured that wouldn't suit the tone of the scene, so I left it at Motaro. Maybe she'll have her vengeance some other day.
- Like Kitana and Scorpion, Kabal remembered everything from the start and never believed Onaga's perfect world. Unlike them, however, it never occurred to him to seek out Raiden, and since he's not unnatural like Ermac or Sareena, Onaga never sent anyone to eliminate him. So Kabal just spent the week very, very confused.
I guess the big question is whether there'll be a sequel, and the truth is I don't really have one planned. In fact, one of the reasons I even wrote this was because it was a fairly straight-forward beginning, middle and end story. The purpose of the epilogue was to follow up on certain hanging threads and show that, even with the bad guys defeated, there will always be new threat around the corner.
If I'm thinking about what happens next, I know what the beginning of a sequel would look like, there are certain scenes/moments that I have in mind, and I do have ideas on where the story would go. But they're not very developed and I don't know how they'd tie together.
So it's basically a J.J. Abrams movie at the moment—hiyooo!
I won't say it'll never happen, but I wouldn't count on it anytime soon. I have other things I should be working on, and I need a break anyway. I'm kind of impressed with myself I managed to put out a chapter a week.
At any rate, whatever happens, I want to thank everyone who read this and left comments. I hope you enjoyed my yarn about the broken souls and rejects of Mortal Kombat coming together to save the realms.
Cheers.