Hello! I apologize in advance if characters are OOC or I get timeline events incorrect. Thank you for viewing/reading and I always appreciate feedback! :)
1995 - How It Started
The warriors stood in Lord Raiden's temple, each taking turns practicing their skills. Nightwolf and Kung Lao were in the ring squaring off at the moment.
Sonya watched from the sidelines waiting for her turn to be called. She stood in between the Shaolin monk and the movie star. Lui Kang on her left, Johnny Cage on her right.
She could feel Johnny's chocolate brown eyes on her. She wanted to slap of that silly smirk on his face too but she knew she'd get her chance in the ring.
"Oof!" Nightwolf exclaimed as he hit the sand.
Kung Lao had dropped him with a blow winning the round.
"Kung Lao wins. Get ready for round two!" Raiden instructed.
The Motokan Indian, stood up, brushed the sand of his pants, and positioned himself. The monk who wore a wide brimmed hat with a sharp edge bowed to his opponent. Raiden gave the order to fight and the two began again.
Sonya tried to concentrate on the fight but she kept thinking about when it would be her turn and what her strategy would be. The movie star was still brazenly checking her out and she could feel her fuse getting shorter and shorter.
Sonya audibly sighed. She turned her head to make direct eye contact with Johnny and gave him a death glare. She rolled her eyes as she turned her attention back to the fight. Johnny chuckled.
"Why don't you take a picture, Cage?" Sonya asked, tone laced with sarcasm.
She continued to look straight ahead at the training and kept her voice low to avoid attracting attention to them.
"It lasts longer," She added.
Johnny snickered. He leaned in and whispered:
"I'm sorry. It's just I can't help but wonder: that outfit of yours actually meet military regulation?"
He snickered again.
Sonya swore she was dealing with a grown ass man who had the mentality of a fourteen year old.
He was referring to what she wore: a green, black and white high neck sports bra with matching leggings, a low slung circle chain belt and white tennis shoes. Her light blonde hair was pulled back into a high ponytail and accessorized with a black headband. She wore black gloves on her hands and black cuffs just above her elbows.
"Do they have a Jazzercise unit in the Army?" Johnny joked.
"This is my training outfit, asshole." Sonya said, beyond annoyed. He laughed in response.
She hadn't been a part of this tournament for long but she could see why the others were invited there. However, the showboating actor standing next to her was a mystery. Why was he here? She wondered. More importantly, who the hell thought he would ever be useful in a crisis? All he ever did was run his mouth. Talking about himself and his movies to anyone who would listen. He got on everyone's nerves. She had to admit to herself he had a body you could bounce a quarter off of. But that didn't mean squat if he couldn't actually fight. He seemed like a liability more than anything else.
She turned to look at him and pointedly accessed his attire and scoffed.
"You got a lot of nerve to give me shit about my outfit," she said.
"What's wrong with mine?" He asked, defensively.
He was shirtless, naturally, with a pair of black track pants and blue shin guards. Ridiculously emblazoned on his muscular chest was a tattoo of his own name written in a Gothic style font. His silver belt buckle, custom-made no doubt, had "CAGE" embossed on it. Blue and white high top sneakers were on his feet. He wore black Ray-Ban shades and his hair style looked like it was swiped from one of the male leads on a popular high school TV show.
"I'm sure you got a full length mirror in your place." Sonya quipped. "Figure it out, 90210."
Johnny feigned offense but was smiling.
On her left, Sonya heard Lui Kang stifle a laugh with a cough. The monk was listening to their exchange, amused. Johnny shot a look at Lui Kang who quickly straightened his face.
"Hey, look here, Army princess, "Johnny said turning back to Sonya. "Johnny Cage doesn't follow the trend. Johnny Cage IS the trend."
"Yeah, sure." She quickly retorted. "You look like a reject from a goddamn L.A. Gear commercial."
Lui Kang couldn't hide his chuckle with that remark. Johnny's well defined jaw dropped out of genuine surprise. He made a show out of slowly pulling down his sunglasses. He peered over the bridge, locking eyes with her. The eye contact became so intense, neither one spoke a word or dared to look away. Sonya felt an electric current generate throughout her body. This man was something else. He made her feel things she didn't have the time to entertain. Especially involving a guy like him. Not now. Not ever. No way.
"Johnny Cage! Sonya Blade!" Raiden's voice broke their stare down and they quickly turned their attention to the Elder God.
"In the ring. Both of you. Now." Raiden commanded.
Judging by his tone, Sonya assumed she and Johnny had been caught not paying attention. All eyes were on them as they made their way to the center.
Johnny took off his sunglasses and tucked them in his waistband.
He clicked his tongue and grinned at Sonya.
"Don't worry, baby," He told her as he took up his fighting stance. He put up his fists, covered in white hand wraps. "I'll be gentle with you."
He wiggled his eyebrows. The innuendo was not lost on her.
Sonya tightened her headband and cracked her knuckles. She put up her hands. She couldn't wait to pound on the cocky son of a bitch.
"Don't," She replied. "Give it to me good and hard."
She then added, low and deliberately flirtatious:
"Just the way I like it."
Her final comment must have caught him off guard as she intended it to because when Raiden gave the order to fight Sonya didn't waste any time. She swung and her right fist made contact with Johnny's upper lip. He yelped with surprise and stumbled backwards. He touched his lip and lightly gasped when he saw she had drew blood.
"Hey, watch the face, GI Jane!"
"Oh, shut the hell up already and show me what you got! "
Sonya went on the attack again and this time she had Johnny's full attention. He blocked her swings and came at her with his own strikes.
She had heard the rumors about him, about how the movie critics claimed he was a hack and had stunt doubles doing all the real work for him in his films. Those claims didn't seem to hold up as she fought him. He obviously had more marital arts experience than she expected.
She ducked a roundhouse kick but he quickly knocked her on her back as he swept her legs out from underneath her.
With a grunt, she flipped herself up, and came at him with a series of her own kicks. She had legs and knew how to use them. One of her kicks connected and he fell down.
"Sonya Blade wins," Raiden announced. "Get ready for Round Two."
"Quit holding back, I can take it," Sonya said to Johnny.
Johnny stood up and brushed the sand off his pants.
"Come on, babe, take a chill pill. I don't wanna hurt you."
She knew he was meaning well but something about what he just said triggered her. He was just like all the other doubters and haters in her life. They thought she was just a weak woman. A cute, kitten pretending to be a lion. Everything she had, she had to work for. She constantly had to prove herself. He didn't want to hurt her he says? Fine. But if he wasn't careful she was going to hurt him. Couldn't say she didn't warn him.
"Fight!" Raiden yelled.
She all but went full beast mode on him. She landed a few punches and kicks on him and she saw his eyes flash with anger. He was getting pissed off. Good.
He expertly blocked her next moves. She went to kick him up high again but he surprised her when he dropped low, doing the splits, and hit her square in the crotch.
"Ahhhhh!" She cried.
"What the hell, Cage?!" Sonya exclaimed.
Johnny slid back up.
"Thought you said you could take it?" He said, his voice now held a sharp edge to it.
"That was a cheap move and you know it!"
She didn't wait for him to answer. Instead she decided to play dirty as well. She went down low and latched her legs onto his and pulled him down before he had time to think. She rolled over him, making sure to plant her knee as hard as she could into his chest. She heard something crunch under her weight and knew it wasn't bone but his precious sunglasses tucked in his waistband. She thought about putting his head into a leg lock but she had wasted enough time indulging the clown.
She stood up and looked down on the now winded movie star.
"Let me give you a break," She said.
She proceeded to swiftly kick him in the groin.
"Ohhhhh!" Johnny cried, clutching his groin. "Owww, my dick! Awww, what the fu -..."
Raiden ordered the fight to stop.
"Oh, NOW you tell her stop?!" Johnny cried, sitting up, rubbing the area where Sonya kicked. "Great timing as always, Ray-Dude."
"Enough of these childish games," Raiden calmly said. "We need to work effectively together as a team to defend Earthrealm."
The Elder God was looking at the soldier and the movie star when he spoke but his words were meant for everyone.
"Yeah, you hear that, babe?" Johnny said to Sonya as he gingerly stood up.
He brushed off the sand of his pants and skin and shot her a look. He reached in the waistband on his pants and pulled out his cracked sunglasses. Frustrated, he tossed them at her feet.
Sonya walked over to him. If he was afraid she might hurt him again, he didn't show it.
She leaned in and whispered harshly to him:
"Let me make something very clear to you, pretty boy. I'm not here for yours or anyone else's entertainment. I am Sonya Fuckin' Blade, United States Special Forces. I'm not "GI Jane" or "Army Princess" or whatever else you want to call me. And I sure as shit am NOT your "babe" or "baby". Not now. Not ever. Got it?!"
She thought she penetrated through a layer of his thick skull because Johnny simply nodded.
"Got it," He answered.
They locked eyes again briefly before Sonya turned her back and began walking away.
"Sooo, Sonya? You think I'm pretty, huh?" Johnny called out as he slowly followed her back to the sideline.
His jokester demeanor had returned and she knew without looking that he was smiling again.
She kept walking, ignoring him but couldn't control a smile spreading slowly on her face. Of course out of everything she just said, that was the one thing that stuck out to him.
She took her place back in line, this time on the end, far away from him.
The next fighters were called to the ring and the training began again but Sonya overheard Johnny talking to Lui Kang.
"The hell you laughing at, Bruce Lee?!"
" ... " The monk's reply was inaudible.
"Yeah, yeah. Say whatever you want but I think I'm in looove, man!"