Reiko marched through the slum district of the city, closest to the exit and the empty row of caravans outside the gates. Behind him moved in step with him remnants of Shao Kahn's army, two large knight-like armored behemoth of men Skull and Hideyoshi. Behind them, to close the gates from that district entrance, King Gorbak's son, brother of Goro, Prince Durok and ally Zenkaro.
"We're here for the two women. For the Brotherhood of Shadow." He reminded them. A great wooden mole hung over his shoulder and the people of the city fled around them.
"Lead the way Reiko Kahn." Prince Duroc marched in step behind him.
Turn after turn, the wooden shambles of Edenia's poorest under Kitana, it seemed easier to break their way through the tent city than to use their makeshift roads that twisted like the veins of a helix toward the a more middle-class district.
As they rounded the corner into the next second of city, they were stopped by a pole arm wielder, the Outworlder Li Mei. Covered in blood, already bruised and breathing heavy, she held herself like stone to the reapers of this madness. When she recognized Reiko, she thought to lower her weapon, but something about his demeanor. The Naginata's point remained between his eyes.
"Why are you here, Reiko?" She demanded an answer, "you are in Kotal Kahn's army."
"I am loyal to the Brotherhood of Shadow." He answered, and gestured with his free hand, "kill the traitor."
The two knights charged first. One at each side, Li Mei tilted her pole arm down to block a hip strike from one, and pivoted on the point so the blade could roll off the sword of another. She made a dash between them for Reiko.
Unmoved by her motions, he stood in place as the two Shokan of Goro's blood crossed the distance for her. Quickly, Li Mei danced between with a forward roll and swept under them with the pole arm, but it only took one grasp of a leg and she was high above the ground. The weapon was forced from her grip and each Shokan took a limb.
Without hesitation the two Shokan carried out Reiko's order and ripped the body limb from limb. The remaining mass squirmed and bled, the head screamed and cried out until it was just rubble beneath Duroc's massive right foot.
At the palace, as Reptile ascended the tower toward Kitana's chambers, a demon-like creature emerged from her doorway. An entity of the Netherrealm, Reptile almost saw a Saurian resemblance in it however, having the facial features similar to Earthrealm's extinct Triceratops in the crest that extended from its skull like face and blood red skin from head to toe. Onyx spikes jutted from its crest and pauldrons.
Behind it climbed along the wall another Zetarran. Reptile shot for the creature in black and reptilian green, but this was no ally. The other Saurian lunged for Reptile and spun off the wall to kick him into Scorpion who had appeared from below, still chased by the Tekunin.
"The Kahn gave orders to kill all but the two." Hissed the Saurian back at the demon of the Netherrealm.
"Moloch and Drahmin should have them now." The demon spat back.
In the market square, Tanya and Kia continued the fight together, Skarlet having crossed to the rooftops after Daegon escaped. Kia traced the shadows to take out the Tekunin, with Tanya creating a firewall to block the passage through.
The machines melted, exploded, or sparked as they moved forward with only their programming to execute. Kia leapt to the rooftop of a nearby merchant's building and called for Tanya. As the Edenia turned to join Kia, she called for her as well, as two women, blond and muscular had grabbed her sister in Shadow.
Kia was dragged back to the edge of the building that bordered the market square and the commoners streets. Tanya closed the distance. The two women, Outworlders by the looks of them, threw Kia down to the street and charged Tanya.
Tanya rolled between them and lunged for the edge to check on her ally. Held prisoner between two large Shokan, Kia was immediately crumbled before Reiko's feet. Tanya checked her surroundings, but the two women had stopped their move on her.
"Get down here!" Reiko demanded.
Tanya declined and stood at the ledge.
"Let her go first!" She commanded Kotal Kahn's forgotten lackey.
"You do not deny the Brotherhood of Shadow any longer! You will know your place when I have Outworld."
Tanya snickered.
The two woman closed in on her. Just as they reached at each side to push her, Tanya dropped down. Just under the ledge were two armored med that towered over her. Caught between a rock and two Shokan, she threw her arms up.
"Bi-Han wants us that bad?" Kia glared up at the whites of Reiko's eyes.
"We are the Shadow, and there is no escape from it."
"Belokk and Komodai will have cleared the Queen's chambers. Zara, Aynos, make sure these two are taken to Bi-Han." Prince Duroc ordered. Reiko's task here had been completed. The orders for the Shadow at least, but he added, "my father will join us after he kills Ko'atal." Addressed to Tanya, "there is another way through all of this than Kitana's and Daegon's."
The portal in Outworld rippled open and the war in the city shocked Raiden. He raced through, Ferra/Torr and Nightwolf close behind. Erron Black refused without Kotal Kahn and King Gorbac.
"It's your rodeo." Erron turned to Kotal Kahn. "We doing this damn thing?"
Kotal Kahn pushed forward, Erron close behind. As his foot embraced the portal and he prepared for combat, he felt a large pressure crush his shoulder back and throw him from the ground.
The Shokan King, father of the slain Goro had betrayed them. Erron shot off two rounds from his waist, the pistol not even cleared its holster. The Shokan shrugged it off as he advanced toward the fallen Kahn.
"Son of a bitch." He just laughed it off as the shotgun came out. "Now, you don't want to go acting like a horse's ass King Shithead."
The Shokan turned and roared out. Such disrespect.
"I've been wanting a Shokan head in my trophy room since I got to here. Right along side the last Centaur." Erron shot off a round that blasted a chunk from Gorbac's right upper biceps.
The Shokan charged. Erron held his ground and loaded up the next shot. Once Gorbac was just on top of him, he dropped to a knee and aimed high for the chin.
Before the round came out, Ermac thrust the Shokan to the ground beside Erron. As Shang Tsung passed through the portal, Ermac remained to aid Kotal Kahn.
"Well, shit, now this is like shooting fish in a barrel." Erron laughed and followed the tug of war between Gorbac and Ermac. "Still fun to shoot 'em."
The shotgun clicked, the barrel loaded and pressed against the Shokan's head. Ermac held the great beast in place.
Kotal Kahn tilted the barrel up off of the Shokan and put himself between Ermac and the Shokan, though he wouldn't dare break the entity's hold on Gorbak.
He leaned down, squeezed the massive Shokan's chin in his hand as he pulled the skull up to stare down into his eyes.
"You betray Outworld? Betray your son?" Kotal Kahn squeezed and demanded an answer, only to receive a thick wad of spit back.
Kotal Kahn kicked the Shokan's skull into the ground and forced the two through the portal. A disrespect not to slay him, for the disrespect of betrayal. Once the portal closed, Gorbak, free of the spiritual energy, slammed on the ground with each great fist.
Far and away, Mileena traced the hall past Sektor when the machine was lured out of the dark. Each able body struck and struggled with the red Tekunin. Built better, more violent, Sektor was not easy to handle. Sonya, only when Fujin was able to distract Sektor from her, rushed after Mileena. If Kitana was here, or even Jax, only Sonya could know where.
The double doors down the hall that Sektor had hidden behind lead to another stairwell. Down here the air chilled and the lights all dark. This was no issue for Mileena with her low-light vision, but Sonya cautiously flickered on the flashlight.
There was only one room, far behind three metal gates. The first was open, the second closed, but not locked and the third chain locked. A simple blast from Sonya's wrist tech threw the door ajar, but the chain held.
"Wait here." Mileena could squeeze through.
She pressed between the metal bars and traced the darkness to a long hall of what appeared to be prison cells. Upstairs they could here the group struggle with the Brotherhood of Shadow and Sektor's advances. Sonya struggled to remain in place.
"Hurry!" She couldn't wait long.
Her flashlight shook as it followed Mileena from door to door until finally she opened on, paused, and rushed in. It had to be the one.
Sonya's flashlight flickered and cooled in her hand. The temperature dropped to a ghostly degree. She aimed back at the door of the room Mileena entered, but it was sealed shut and hard to trace behind a fast moving shadow.
Bi-Han had dropped down behind her and drew the sickle at her throat. Sonya paused and pulled herself up by the bars of the door. As he Bi-Han arched the sickle over her chest to curve between the second and third rib, the right spot to hit the heart, she was stuck.
Slowly she twisted her wrist. The blinking display for the pulse of energy was ready to blast. The sickle began to pierce her clothes, her flesh and tickle at the bone.
"You cannot kill what is already dead." He warned her. His voice a guttural whisper that echoed and fell like gravel through the hall.
Still, she shot the pulse between them. The sickle embedded into her at an angle as the shadowy corpse was forced back. Through each door and shattered into a pool of shadow, Bi-Han dissipated. Sonya crumbled beneath her own weight and held to the bars as she hoped Mileena had gotten what they came for.
Lightning shot from the sky. Like precise rounds of bullets that targeted each Tekunin and soon surged through them as a single unit. Raiden was furious and his wrath coursed through each machine. Those that fled from the battle, Reiko's forces, the Black Dragon elite and Daegon's were no where to be seen when the smoke lifted into the air. At the foot of the tower, Reptile had a wide gash in his abdomen, a chunk bitten out of him. Ashrah and Sareena tended to him, but only when Raiden descended from the highest top of the palace, would he be pulled from the brink of death.
The others, not as serious of injury, but it would take the entire night to discern the true damage done. The bodies, the betrayals. His brother had been rash, but Raiden himself would have fallen for the trap to save Kitana.
All they could do now was wait and rebuild as best they could.
"We need more people, Raiden." Kotal Kahn urged him. "We must seek allies from the Chaosrealm and Orderrealm, from anywhere we can find."
"Let us wait for Fujin's return first."
Inside the prison cell, Kitana hung slack by her chains. Naked and beaten, her blood stained the floor around her, and bruises spotted her flesh. The door slammed hard behind Mileena.
One of the machines, as big as Sektor and shaded black and grey held Kitana up by the throat to present to Mileena. It shook the Queen of Edenia awake.
"Go!" Kitana cried out.
"I came to get you out, we're leaving together." Mileena argued.
"Just listen to me for once?" Kitana spat.
The dark grey Tekunin rattled and chirped in deep tones. Its eyes activated blue, grey, and yellow.
Mileena dropped into an offensive right stance. The machine reacted with a tug on Kitana's body. The chains pulled out of the ceiling and slapped her body. Its right hand held her throat like a metal collar that squeezed with each breath. Its left hand released a blade from the wrist, sharp like a sai, and deep enough to pierce Kitana's gut to the spine.
"How do we do this?" She spoke to the machine now.
"We don't." It scrapped its fingers across the Queen's neck. Bladed edges dug into the pale, bruised skin and opened four thin red lines that melted with blood down her bare chest.
The new Tekunin then stabbed through Kitana's chest and broke the blade from its wrist to escape Mileena's charge.
There was no strength to pull from as Kitana fell to the ground and embedded the blade further. Her face slack against the floor and now pooled in the blood.
Mileena turned her over. There was little light left in those eyes. Kitana flickered like the Sonya's stupid flashlight.
What she could breath out, she pushed herself to, and Mileena covered her throat to desperately slow the bleeding.
"You are not the first." Kitana choked. "Whether we," she coughed and the blood spilled over Mileena's useless attempt to save her. She let Kitana continue, knowing it would be her last words. There was no going back from this. "Whether we fight or love each other, you are my sister."
"I'm a construct, I am not real." Mileena argued, she fought back her own tears, her hands firm around Kitana.
"We are." Kitana, she pulled from what strength she had left to lift her hand and scrape the blood from the floor to grab Mileena's fingers.
Locked together, she eyed up at the half Tarkatan, half Edenian.
"They made you out of me." She breathed, "my blood runs through you. Like it or not."
She tried to speak, to finish, but she couldn't. The canal of blood that filled her maw and coursed through her to her stomach drowned her words out, and the eyes that looked at her with such frustration and yet love, now blank.
Mileena's maw widened and an empty scream echoed the room. She grasped her sister tight as she felt someone pull her back.
She fought it.
She fought until she was on the ground in the blood stained city with Raiden, Fujin, and the others around her.
Covered in the same blood that ran through her sister, Mileena accepted that as Kitana finally had.