"I'll get it!" Johnny yelled as he jumped from the top of the landing to the front door. He wore a blue t-shirt with a black vest and hoodie. He had his tan pants on with his black belt and silver buckle. He also had biker gloves on, but his were black. He opened the door and there stood Sonya Blade. She was wearing her general's uniform and was wearing a squat hat. She looked very imposing, even though she was smaller then Cassie. Sonya crossed her arms and looked inside the door. "Hello? Earth to Sonya!" Johnny said as he waved a hand in front of Sonya's face.
Sonya looked at Johnny and asked, "Alright. Where's the food?"
Cassie could only hear snippets of her parent's conversation and it didn't sound good so before things got ugly, Cassie walked up behind Johnny and said, "Hey mom." Cassie peered around her father and saw Sonya staring at her. It made her feel like she did something wrong.
"Sergeant Cage," Sonya said as she stepped inside the mansion and towards Cassie. Cassie reached out to give her a hug, but Sonya held back. "Are you prepared to leave now?" Sonya asked with hands on her hips. Cassie stared at the ground and nodded yes. She HATED the feeling that her mother gave her. Like your not good enough to be here. Sonya nodded and turned on her heel back to the car that awaited them. Cassie sucked in a bunch of air to try and slow her heart rate.
Johnny must have noticed because he said, "Hey. Don't let your mother get you down. You'll always be one of the greats." Cassie looked at her father and smiled, the sinking feeling gone from her stomach. Cassie then marched out the front door, more confidence in her then any other time.
She choose to sit next to her mother in the front. Johnny sat in the back. "How are you doing in school?" Sonya asked as she started the car.
"I'm doing fine. I got A's in math and social studies and B's in science and E.L.A," Cassie replied cheerfully as she buckled her seat belt.
Sonya looked over at her daughter and asked with a smirk, "How was game day?"
"Well, other then the fact that the house smells like piss and was covered in a bunch of crappy food, it was all good," Cassie said sarcastically. Sonya chuckled.
"Hey! Way to throw me under the bus!" Johnny yelled from the backseat. He kicked Cassie's seat pretty hard.
"Hey! No roughhousing back there!" Sonya barked as they pulled out of the driveway onto the main road. Cassie laughed. 'Mom's back,' She thought with a smile.
The car stopped right in front of a warehouse. Cassie stared at it and got goosebumps on her arms.
"Are you sure this is the right place?" Cassie asked as she popped her gum Johnny gave her. Sonya give her an are-you-serious look.
"I wasn't made a general for no reason," she grumbled as she stepped out of the car. The warehouse stung Cassie's nose with the bitter smell of oil and she nearly gagged. Sonya give her a look and walked over to the double wood doors and took out a key. The door opened with a lurge. Cassie cautious walked over to the door and peered inside.
"Okay mom. I've seen some pretty scary things in my 17 years of life, but this has got to be one of the worst," Cassie said as she took out one of her hand guns.
"Yeah Sonya. If you were going to kill me, why didn't you do it at the house?" Johnny said as he walked up behind Cassie, scaring the shit out of her.
"Raiden told me to meet him inside here for some sort of meeting. And believe me if I was going to kill you, you would already be dead," Sonya snapped as she stepped over the threshold. It took a couple of seconds for Cassie to fully understand what her mother just said.
"Raiden contacted you and you didn't tell us!" Johnny called as he followed Sonya into the gaping jaws of the old warehouse.
"Cassie, if you can't come into a old warehouse then you have no business being a sergeant," Sonya snarled when she saw Cassie was still outside. Anger inside Cassie boiled to the surface as she marched inside, with a haughty spring in her step. As soon as Cassie was next to her mother, a freak wind blew the giant doors shut. Cassie turned around quickly, clinking her guns into position. Sonya grabbed her arm and yanked her around.
"What the hell, mom!" Cassie shouted as she wrenched her arm away.
"It was only the wind," Sonya said coolly as she adjusted her arm bands.
Cassie nodded her head and shouted, "No. Why didn't you tell us that we were coming to see Raiden!?" Sonya breathed in deeply, rubbing her temples.
"Because, Raiden didn't want me to tell you. To make sure only the people who were supposed to come came."
Cassie rolled her eyes and snarled, "Wow. That excuse is a bunch of bullshit." Before Sonya could say anymore, the lightning struck. Cassie had to close her eyes to make sure she wasn't blinded. Then there was a feeling like she was falling. Out of pure confusion, she screamed. Then it stopped. She hit the ground with enough force to knock the wind out of her. Something cold and wet was running down her back and gave her goosebumps.
"Need a hand?" a voice asked right in front of Cassie. Cassie looked up and gasped when she saw Jacquinn standing in front of her. She reached her hand out and Jacquinn yanked her to her feet with a good amount of force.
"Hey, Jacquinn," Cassie said slowly as she clutched her side in pain.
"So, how was the trip?" Jacquinn asked with a tease in her voice.
Cassie didn't hear her though. "We're back at the Sky Temple," Cassie whispered as she looked at the Jinsi Chamber's entrance. And at the Earthrealm greats entering it.
"Yeah. My dad told me that there's some sort of meeting," Jacquinn said as she steadied Cassie from stumbling.
"I've gotta find mom," Cassie mumbled as she pushed Jacquinn out of the way.
"Okay. Good catch up," Jacquinn called as Cassie descended into the heart of the Sky Temple, gripping her gun all the way down.
The Jinsi Chamber was alive with blue energy as Cassie stepped into the chamber. It smelled of fresh dirt and metal, like magik. The room was filled to the brim with heros, some so famous you'd have to be stupid not to know them. Cassie cautious made her way through the crowd, her fingers never leaving her gun. 'Some of these guys have a rep,' Cassie thought as she came to a halt next to the Jinsi Chamber's life force. 'Better safe then sorry.'
"Cassandra Cage," a voice said behind her. Quickly, Cassie clinked her gun into place and turned around to meet her attacker head on, but instead she found herself pointing a gun in Sub-Zero's face. He wore a blue vest with chinese symbols running down both sides. He wore no mask and Cassie could see a scar that ran down one eye to the other. Cassie froze as Sub-Zero placed a hand on the gun, freezing it solid. She dropped it from shock, smashing it into a million pieces as Sub-Zero said smoothly, "I do not wish to fight you, Cassandra. I wish only to tell you that you and selected others are to join Raiden outside for a conference. Make haste, for we will be starting soon, with or without you." With that said, Sub-Zero turned on his heel and walked away, leaving only a very confused Cassie. 'Okay then,' Cassie thought as she made her way back to the world outside. 'What could be a more ridiculous way for mom to yell 'Cassandra Cage! Get your ass up here now!''
The first thing that greeted Cassie as she emerged from the belly of the Sky Temple was a burning smell. "Somethings on fire," Cassie mumbled to herself as she stood next to the entrance of the Jinsi Chamber. Then she saw what it was. Far off, she could see that something or someone was on fire. Then it just disappeared. Cassie frowned and examined her buffed nails as she waited for her mother, hoping that she wouldn't be mad that she went off by herself. 'I'm a grown woman now,' Cassie yelled silently. 'I can do whatever I want!'
The burning smell was back and it was stronger then ever, roasting the inside of Cassie's nose. She hacked a little and was going to find a new spot if it hadn't been for the flames that engulfed her. The pain she felt now was nothing compared to anything she had ever felt before. She let a small cry and felt the feeling of falling again. Everywhere she looked there was fire. She tried to reach her metal rod on her back, but she burnt her fingers trying to grab it. Just as quickly as it came, the fire subsided and left a coughing, burnt Cassie in it's wake. Cassie could hear talking but couldn't make out the words. Her vision blurred and Cassie almost passed out, but she then felt something freezing cold on her neck. She jumped up and almost gave herself whiplash. Behind stood Sub-Zero, applying frost to one of her burns. She hissed in pain as the frost found a tender spot. She turned around quickly and slapped Sub-Zero's hand away.
"I'm fine," Cassie snapped as she patted out a bit of fire still on her arm.
"Cassandra Cage!" a voice called from behind her. Cassie made a face and turned around to see her mother barreling towards her. "Where the hell were you!" Sonya barked as she threw her arms around Cassie, pulling her in for a hug.
Cassie wrenched her way out Sonya's grasp and said, "I was still at the flipping Sky Temple! Why didn't you tell me you were leaving?"
Sonya gave her a puzzled look and said slowly, "I texted you that I was going to the forest. Why didn't you respond?"
Cassie smiled slyly. "You should ask dad that question." Sonya sighed loudly and rubbed her temples.
"Well. We shouldn't be anymore late then you already are. Let's go. MOVE IT!" Sonya started walking back towards the trees she came from when Cassie shouted, "I'll be right there, mom!" Sonya turned around and said as she walked backwards, "Follow the line of trees to a rock. Press the keyhole!" Sonya turned back around and ran into the trees.
As Cassie watched her go, she asked Sub-Zero, "How'd you know I'd be here?" Sub-Zero looked at her with his crystal like eyes.
"I knew Scorpion would teleport you to this place. So I came to make sure the wounds did not harm you too much. I wished that savior of Earthrealm would not succumb to the flames of hell fire," Sub-Zero said slowly as he walked over to her.
Cassie thought for a moment and then said with a thumbs up, "Good answer."