The battle to preserve the current timeline had finally begun. The shoreline of the island had become a massive warzone. Things were looking tough for the forces of Earthrealm. Even with their great warriors, the sheer numbers that made up Kronika's army proved to be overwhelming. Salvation came in the form of Cetrion opening a portal. Stepping out from the portal was Jade. She smirked under her mask.

Jade silently pointed forward with her staff. When she did, dozens and dozens of soldiers poured out from the portal that was now behind her.

Tarkatans, Shokan, and Kotal's guardsman all joined in the fray, giving the heroes a much needed reprieve from the onslaught. Indeed, things were quickly turning around. It seemed that things were finally going in their favor.

With things looking good, Cetrion called forward four warriors to accompany her approach to the gateway of main hall of the island. This is where Shinnok and Kronika would be found. The four warriors chosen were present Johnny Cage, Kung Lao, Sub-Zero, and Scorpion.

The five of them quickly made haste but were then intercepted by Noob and Sektor. Sektor grabbed Sub-Zero from behind with a chokehold and Noob Saibot partially crawled out from the ground and grabbed Scorpion by the ankle. Scorpion pointed forward, "Go on without us!"

Sub-Zero agreed, "We'll take care of these three! You must continue forward!"

Cetrion knew that time was running out, so she had little choice but to continue forward. Johnny and Kung Lao followed after her.

Sub-Zero broke free of Sektor's grasp and ice slid away from him to get some distance. Scorpion lit his legs on fire, forcing Noob to let go and sink back into the ground. The Shirai Ryu and Lin Kuei warriors stood back to back.

Noob rose back out from the ground with Sareena at his side, both of them with a dead look in their eyes. Sub-Zero looked to Scorpion, "Something seems off..."

"Something is off," Scorpion asserted, "I can sense it. Quan Chi's hold over him is no more. Something far worse has taken him."

"What do you think it is?"

"Shinnok."

Sub-Zero's turned his gaze back at his brother with a sense of despondence hidden just beneath his cold exterior.

"Take on Sektor. I want to see my brother personally," Sub-Zero suggested.

Scorpion nodded as the two switched places. Sub-Zero approached Noob. The wraith didn't even react to seeing his brother.

"No clever comments about seeing me, Noob?" Sub-Zero said, if only to add some levity to this situation.

Noob simply stared forward. He wasn't even making eye contact with Kuai. It was clear that whatever was left of Bi-Han and even Noob was completely gone. Kuai clenched his fist as he gritted his teeth. Wordlessly, he charged forward with his fist wound back behind him.

He swung his fist forward but hesitated. He stopped just before the hit landed. His hand was mere centimeters away from Noob's chest. He didn't even move. However, Sareena stepped in front of Noob and grabbed Sub-Zero's fist. Sub-Zero was taken aback by this. He tried breaking free of her grasp, but her grip was surprisingly strong. As he struggled, Noob then retaliated by slamming his palm into Sub-Zero's jaw. Sub-Zero crashed into the sand.

Sub-Zero got back up, cracking his neck, "Not bad." They both came running at him. He leapt above Sareena, shooting an ice blast at her. She was frozen. Unfortunately for him, Noob had disappeared in the interim. Suddenly, Noob reappeared behind Sub-Zero and put him in a choke hold. As he did that, he also shot a shadow ball at the frozen Sareena, breaking her free from her icy prison. Sareena unsheathed a pair of small daggers. She rammed them both into Sub-Zero's shoulders. He screamed in agony as she dug them deeper. After this, Noob kicked him to the ground.

Kuai slammed into the dirt face first. He tried pulling himself back up but was only met with Noob stomping him back down each time. With blood leaking out from his shoulders and mouth, he felt like that now was his time to die.

With nothing left to try, he cried out to his brother, "Bi-Han!" Noob paused, tilting his head. This gave Sub-Zero a chance to turn around and look his brother in the face. For the first time in the entire fight, Noob was actually looking directly at him. Kuai called out to him, "I'm sorry I gave up on you all those years ago, Bi-Han. If I hadn't...then perhaps, I could have saved you."

Noob knelt down. He held his hand out. Kuai looked at the hand and then to Noob himself. There was emotion in those eyes. Kuai took Noob's hand and he pulled his brother back up.

"Shinnok's control is broken." Noob stated.

"I didn't know it was going to be that easy." Sub-Zero said.

"That old fool should have known why Quan Chi let us retain some form of free will." Noob replied. "If he didn't, we would have broken free of our control much easier. If you give something the illusion of free will, it will remain under your control. Take away that illusion, then it will take any chance it has to escape."

Sub-Zero pulled out the daggers still in his shoulders, "Shinnok's a god, he thinks us mortals will just bow to him. He couldn't be more wrong."

Sareena interrupted their reunion by lunging at Sub-Zero. She wrapped her hands around his neck as she sneered and growled. Her skin started to shift to a craggly gray hide. Her entire face melted away to revealing a snarling demonic skull-like visage with glowing yellow eyes and sharpened teeth. The markings on her face were now etched into her skin with a molten, glowing outline. Sub-Zero threw her off and backed away. Sareena stood back up, now standing taller than him. In spite of her height, she was abormally thin in this form, with gangly elongated limbs and bent back hind legs. She swiped her claws at Sub-Zero, who just narrowly avoided it by diving backwards.

Noob called out her name, "Sareena!"

Sareena turned her head back at him.

"You don't need to do this." He said as he cautiously approached her with his hands in front of him. "You broke free of Quan Chi's grasp. I'm certain you can break free of Shinnok's too."

At first she snarled and growled as he closely approached her but the closer he got, the more calm she became. Sareena placed her hand upon his cheek. As she did, she reverted back to her more human-like form. She nearly fell to the ground but Noob caught her before she did. She softly smiled at him with her eyes half shut, "I never even learned your real name."

"Bi-Han," he answered as he held her in his arms.

"Thank you, Bi-Han." Sareena quietly said as she fell limp.

Sub-Zero looked down at her with concern, "Is she...?"

"No," he responded, "she just need to rest. Assuming that form takes a lot of energy out of her."

However, their touching moment would be cut short as Sektor laughed.

"Isn't this touching?" Sektor sarcastically asked as he tossed aside a fallen Scorpion.

Scorpion was barely able to say, "I'm sorry, Sub-Zero. He was just too strong." After that, he completely collapsed.

Sub-Zero limped forward, ready to fight the cyborg menace. "I beat you once, Sektor. I will do it again."

Sektor laughed, "I'm stronger than I was back then! I have more upgrades. Besides, you're not looking so hot."

Bi-Han stood in front of Sub-Zero, "I'll take care of him. You need to rest, brother."

"I already lost you once-" Sub-Zero tried to say but Bi-Han stopped him, "You won't lose me again."

Sub-Zero obliged after that, stepping down to take a rest.

Sektor shook his head, "That's such a shame. I liked you better before, Bi-Han. What about our plan?"

"Shinnok has already seen through our plan." Bi-Han answered. "He knows everything. He's smarter and stronger than I had thought. He had me brainwashed until my brother broke me free. We couldn't have ever hoped to take control of his plan."

Sektor crossed his arms, "Bah! That's what you think! If you refuse, then I'll just take him on myself."

"Are you insane?! He's an Elder God! There's not only him, but there's also Kronika. You have no chance alone! We're stronger together. If we all unite, we might be able to beat them."

"I am beyond even them at this point." Sektor retorted. "My technology is flawless. I am the closest a mortal has ever become to feeling like a god. I have an endless legion under my command, all willing to do as I say. I can transfer my mind between any of them or even all of them at once! Soon, I WILL be a god!"

"Your technology is a crutch to make up for your lack of skill." Bi-Han said with much disgust.

Sektor snapped at him, "Just as you and your brothers' powers were? You've always had it easy. You're just mad that I've finally surpassed that power."

"I've got more than just power backing me up," Bi-Han replied as he dive kicked at Sektor. Sektor grabbed him by the foot and tossed him into a nearby boulder. He then charged forward and rammed Bi-Han with his shoulder. The boulder smashed into pieces as Bi-Han flew backwards, kicking up sand in all kinds of directions. He sank into the ground just before Sektor rammed his fist into him.

Bi-Han reappeared from the ground and uppercut Sektor. Sektor then teleported away himself. He reappeared over Bi-Han and slammed him into the dirt. He began wailing on Bi-Han as dozens of his drones surrounded him. The hoard was simply overwhelming, even if he defeated Sektor, he'd just reemerge in a different body. Perhaps it truly was over.

But then, Sub-Zero leapt in with a large freezing blast. He formed a pair of ice axes which he then used to slice well over half of the frozen robots in half. However, the other half broke free and then turned their focus to him.

Sub-Zero was still exhausted, it took a lot of effort to summon that large blast and then his weaponry. There was no way he could just do it again. One by one, the androids piled on to him. He tried to fight them back. He slammed an axe into one of their heads and kicked it away. He sliced off another one's head and threw it into others. Yet, they just got back up. In spite of his best efforts, there was nothing to be done. He looked out across from the surrounding hoard and saw Bi-Han struggling with Sektor.

It seemed that just as the two brothers were reunited, they would now die together. At least they could take solace in that they reunited before they died. However, just then, something unexpected arrived at the island. It was present timeline Frost. She raised her hand and the group of robots all stopped as they began convulsing in an erratic manner. They then collapsed to the ground.

Sub-Zero couldn't believe his eyes, "Frost? What are you doing here?"

"When Sektor took my army, I vowed I'd shut down every last one of them as revenge." She bluntly answered. "I located all of his secret hideouts. Every single one of them. You wouldn't believe how many there were, all across the world."

Sektor stopped fighting Bi-Han as he took notice to her. He directed his attention to her, "Well done! But the knowledge of those bases is meaningless as long as I still survive."

He charged at her and the two began to grapple. Sektor gloated, "Your cyborg body is still inferior to my fully robotic body! There's no way you could possibly hope to defeat me in a fight."

Sub-Zero then joined in to defend her, dropkicking Sektor. Sektor let go of Frost and stumbled back. He laughed, "So the master has come to save the student?"

"Why did you do that?" Frost asked.

"You're still my student. I won't let you die. Not by his hands."

Sektor backhanded Kuai and then kicked him in the stomach, "Touching! How very touching! But a foolish mistake! You could have escaped but now, you have sealed your fate!"

Just then, past Frost appeared and froze Sektor to the ground. She then slid in and uppercut him. Sektor flew high into the air, but didn't come down. He stayed in the air with his jet boosters. He came down and slammed right into her. She went down to the ground with a loud thud.

Cyborg Frost was baffled seeing a younger version of her, "Is that...? Oh my god."

Sub-Zero called out to her, "Frost! Get out of here! Save yourself!"

Again, Cyborg Frost was astonished, "He...he's willing to sacrifice himself to save me?"

Past Frost refused her master's demands, "No! I won't let this bastard kill you!"

Sektor picked her up by her throat and began to choke her, "Ahh! Isn't that sweet? Then I shall let you two die together! How's that?" He strutted towards Sub-Zero and grabbed him by the throat too.

"And she's willing to die for him...?" Cyborg Frost thought to herself. She looked at her past counterpart and now her present master. She closed her eyes and lower her head. She flew towards Sektor and rammed him upwards. Both went flying high into the sky.

Sektor again gloated, "You think you can fight me?! Your cyborg body is no match for my fully robotic body! I've fought Scorpion, Noob Saibot, your past self, and your master to a standstill today! My power is unmatched!"

"You're right," Frost said, "that's why I'm not gonna fight you." After that, she blew up. Sektor was taken aback by this sacrifice as he was swallowed whole by the explosion. After those two were blown up, all the cyborgs across the battlefield also exploded, vastly decreasing Shinnok and Kronika's forces.

Sub-Zero looked up to the sky as he reached out, "No! Dammit! No!"

Past Frost turned to him, "Who was that blue cyborg?"

"That was you," Sub-Zero answered, "your counterpart in the present."

"My what?!" Frost asked while panicking. "That was ME?! That's my destiny?!"

Sub-Zero placed his hand on her shoulder, "No. We've already changed your future, Frost. Shame it was too late for her, though. But at least she did something good in the end."

Frost picked up a piece of scrap from her future counterpart's remains and stared at it intently. She then held her head with her hand, "Time travel sucks."

Bi-Han walked towards them, cradling Sareena in his arms and with a limping Scorpion using him as support.

"I'm sorry I couldn't have helped you more," Scorpion said, "but Sektor...he fought like a monster."

"It's alright." Sub-Zero replied. "He bested all of us today. If it weren't for Frost's sacrifice, we might all be dead right now."

"I can't believe what happened to Sektor. Was I like that?" Bi-Han asked.

"Yes." Sub-Zero replied directly. "However, unlike Sektor, it wasn't of your own volition. Quan Chi made you a monster, Sektor was always one."

Scorpion looked across the dwindling Netherrealm forces, "Looks like we're winning. Let's hope Johnny, Kung Lao, and Cetrion will be able to say the same."

Been awhile since the last update, huh? Not like that's unusual at this point. I can keep apologizing for this but like I said, I've been struggling for ideas. Today, though, I finally decided to sit down and finish this chapter. There was A LOT to fit in here. There would have been even more if I decided to write Scorpion and Sektor's fight rather than leaving it offscreen.

I hope nobody finds that to be upsetting, by the way. I don't want Scorpion to come across as a jobber, that wasn't the intent. Sektor pretty much beat EVERYONE in this chapter. Except for Sareena. If she wasn't out, she actually might have been able to take him on in her demon form. Still, I wanted Sektor to come across as a genuine threat since they've been treating him so poorly in the games lately. Again, sorry if you're upset by that but I just didn't want to write it.

I really like how this chapter came out, actually. First time I could say that in awhile. Hopefully, you'll agree. Either way, we're really closing in on the ending soon. Hopefully, I'll be able to finish this fic soon. We'll see. Until then, thanks for reading!