Chapter Seventy-Two: Hell's Prisoner

Sindel was already back in the main hall, her attention still on her pendant. After speaking with Jade about Jerrod, the queen quickly realized just how much she missed her dear husband. What she would give to have her family all together again. Sindel kissed the pendant once and placed it back under her cloak. She then joined the rest of the Forces of Light and Johnny Cage was the first to speak to her.

"Hey. How is he?"

Seeing the worry in the actor's eyes, Sindel gave him a small smile and patted his shoulder.

"Do not worry, Johnny Cage. Smoke is just fine, I assure you."

Cage let out a breath and nodded.

"Thank god. How about Jade? She looked pretty upset when we left."

"She is alright as well."

"That's good. But I bet she's really worried about her boyfriend."

The room silent when the word "boyfriend" slipped from Johnny's mouth. Kabal was standing next to the actor in a second.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait. Smoke and Jade are a thing?"

Cage smiled and gave the speedster a thumbs-up.

"Totally a thing."

Sonya rolled his eyes at the two men.

"They are not a "thing," Johnny."

Jax joined the conversation after Sonya.

"She's right, guys. Leave 'em alone."

But behind the blonde, Jackson was nodding his head furiously to say otherwise. Most of Earthrealm's champions were already aware that there was something going on between Tomas and Jade, but everyone decided not to say anything about it until the two were ready to proclaim their love. Sindel chuckled at Jax, and she saw Raiden, Sub-zero, and Hydro exit the room behind the African American. She quickly went to the thunder god's side.

"Did you learn anything new?"

Raiden shook his head.

"I am afraid not, your highness. Sektor is quite the stubborn foe."

"Always has been."

Raiden and Sindel both turned to Sub-zero, who was walking in the direction the queen had just come from.

"I am going to check on Tomas."

"He is fine, Kuai Liang. Jade is with him now."

Kuai stopped, but he did not turn around. He sighed.

"I know, and I believe you. It is just…it will help me if…I see him for myself."

The cryomancer said nothing more and continued walking. Sindel understood, but she hoped Sub-zero was going to be interrupting anything. As he walked, Kuai finally took the time to process all that has happened since the war began. With each event he recalled, however, the cryomancer's thoughts were pulled back to Tomas. The plane falling, Goro's attack, Hydro's return. Smoke had played a vital role in each of these incidents.

And Sub-zero was sure his friend had an even bigger role to play in this battle. Kuai balled his hands into fists and frowned.

"Who are you, Tomas? What does everyone want from you?"

Sub-zero thought to himself just as he reached the door to his comrade's room. He knocked on the door first so as to not be rude.

"Jade, it is Kuai. I am coming in."

Opening the door, Sub-zero let out a small gasp when he saw Jade unconscious on the floor. He immediately knelt beside the Edenian and called out to her.

"Jade, are you okay? Jade?!"

But Jade did not answer. Kuai Liang looked to the bed and felt even more panicked when he saw that Tomas was not there. Where was he?

"Shit!"

Sub-zero hissed as he scooped Jade up into his arms. He then placed the woman gently on the bed that was now unoccupied and once he was sure she was alright, Kuai ran as fast he could back to the others.

"He is gone!"

Earthrealm's champions jerked their heads in the cryomancer's direction as he shouted to them. Raiden met Sub-zero halfway across the hall and grabbed his shoulder

"Sub-zero, what is it? Who is gone?"

"Tomas! I went to his room and found Jade lying on the ground. She had been knocked unconscious and-"

"Jade!?"

In a flash of blue, Kitana was already running past Sub-zero to Smoke's room with her mother right behind her. Everyone else ran after the two Edenians and they arrived a moment later at the room. Jade was still lying on the bed and Sindel knelt beside the bed to get a better look at the younger Edenian. She let out a sigh of relief when she found that Jade was not seriously injured. Just knocked out as Kuai had said.

"Allow me."

Sindel turned her head and watched Raiden approach her and Jade. The god placed his hand on Jade's head and a soft glow radiated from it. A second later, the Edenian's emerald eyes fluttered open, and her vision slowly came into focus. Sindel gently held the woman's hand.

"Jade?"

As soon as her named was called, it was as if a flip had been switched and Jade bolted upright in her bed. She then scanned the room for any intruders, but Jade calmed down when she saw only her comrades. However, her panic took over again when she did not see Tomas in the crowd. The Edenian grabbed Raiden's hand to get his attention.

"Where is he? Where is Tomas!?"

Raiden gently grabbed Jade's shoulder and held her still. He shook his head.

"We were hoping you could tell us, Jade. What happened?"

"I…I do not know. I was hit from behind and…oh gods, how could I have let this happen?"

"Jade, do not blame yourself. This was not your fault."

Her face contorting with anger, Jade let go of Raiden and stood up from the bed despite Sindel's protest.

"My dear please, sit down and-"

"It was Quan Chi."

Everyone was shocked at the Edenian's statement. Raiden, however, was not too surprised. After all, Quan Chi was known for his cunning and treachery. Kidnapping would not be below him.

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely. I heard Quan Chi's voice before he attacked me. It was him alright."

Raiden nodded his head.

"I believe you."

"But why did he only take Tomas?"

Jade and Raiden looked to Johnny Cage, who was scratching the back of his head.

"He should have known that Jade would recognize his voice, so why would he leave her here to te-?"

"Because that is what he wanted, Johnny Cage."

Standing up, Raiden turned to the rest of his champions.

"Quan Chi wants us to come to him. For what reason, I do not know. But I shall go to the Netherrealm and confront him myself."

"I am going with you."

The thunder god sighed and felt Jade grab his arm as he would do when he was about to teleport someone with him.

"Jade, I think it would be best that you stay he-"

"That was not a request."

Everyone, including Raiden himself, was surprised by Jade's threatening tone. Even the Edenian could not believe she spoke that way to Earthrealm's protector.

"Lord Raiden, I…I do apologize. I mean you no disrespect. But Tomas was taken on my watch. So, it is my responsibility to help bring him back to us."

Raiden then felt another hand take hold of his other arm. A cold hand.

"I am coming as well."

The god should have known that Kuai Liang would want to come too. He was Smoke's best friend. There was no use in arguing with them, so Raiden simply nodded.

"Very well. So…would anyone else care to join us?"

Pyros soon appeared from a mass of flames into Tomas' mindscape, feeling deep down in his heart that something was wrong. At first, the telepath did not see anything amiss, but his eyes soon landed on a small crack within of the white walls. Pyros stepped closer to it to examine the crack further and when he peeked through it, there was nothing but darkness. Or so he thought.

"-at are you doing!? Stop this!"

A voice shouted from the other side of the wall. Pyros immediately recognized it and started to bang on the wall to get the person's attention.

"Tomas!? Tomas, are you alright!?"

As if to respond to the telepath's question, something crashed into the wall and now the crack was big enough for Pyros to see Tomas getting up from the floor where he was thrown. Pyros reached for the silver-haired man's shoulder and Smoke instantly turned around, ready to fight.

"Easy, my boy! It is me!"

Tomas relaxed a little, happy to see Pyros, but his happiness did not last long when the two men heard a roar coming from the darkness. The telepath grabbed Smoke and dragged him through the crack onto the other side. Just before a giant, clawed hand extended beyond the crack in an attempt to take Tomas. The duo scrambled away from the hand and watched as it blindly tried to reach for its prey. As they took a moment to catch their breath, Pyros finally asked his charge what was going on.

"What happened in here, my boy? Where is Enenra?"

"That thing IS Enenra!"

"What!?"

The two turned back to the monster as more cracks began to appear on the wall. It would soon break free if Tomas and Pyros did not do something.

"I-I do not know what happened. One minute we were talking, and the next…we have to help him."

"Well first, we need to get you out of here."

"What? No! I cannot just abandon Enenra!"

"Tomas, you have to! Listen to me. You are no longer in Earthrealm. You have been taken prisoner."

What? By who? Where am I?"

Another crash pulled the men's attention back to Enenra. The demon was trying to break through the wall ramming its body into it. Pyros gritted his teeth and shoved Smoke behind him.

"Go now! Be careful and do not trust anyone!"

Before he could even get a word out, Pyros pushed Smoke in his chest and a blinding light soon surrounded the silver-haired man. When it died down, Tomas found himself back in the real world. And Pyros was right. Smoke was definitely a prisoner.

Iron bars were the first thing Tomas saw when he opened his eyes and he tried to sit up from where he was laying on the ground. But when he saw his hands in front of him, Smoke noticed that they had been handcuffed together with the same restraints the Lin Kuei used. Was Tomas back in the Lin Kuei temple? This cell did not look like any one he had seen at his former home though. This looked like an actual dungeon.

At the very least, the handcuffs did not weaken Smoke like they had before, so the man was free to move around his chamber. Tomas stood from the hard floor and looked behind him to see a small window within the brick wall. He took a step forward and looked out to the outside world, which was not at all what he was expecting. Instead of the usual blue sky, there was a dull orange sky in its place. Black spires loomed in the distance and below Smoke were multiple staircases with torches on each side leading to a pair of giant iron gates.

Narrowing his eyes, Tomas could see that the gate's sentries were not human from their grotesque appearances. With their charred skin and long horns, Smoke thought they looked like demons. Wait…were they demons? If that was so, then-

"Welcome to the Netherrealm, Tomas Vrbada."

Smoke whipped his head around and looked to the bars again. This time, however, there was someone standing on the other side. The stranger's face was covered by shadows as he leaned against the wall. Tomas scowled at the newcomer.

"Who are you? And how do you know my name?"

The stranger looked down at the ground, seemingly offended by Smoke's words.

"…You really do not know, do you?"

"Obviously I do not. If I had, I would not have asked you."

Despite Tomas' sarcasm, the stranger laughed.

"Ha, ha. No need for the attitude, Vrbada. Didn't Hydro teach you better?"

"How would you know? You were not th-"

"Tomas."

The stranger took a step forward and grabbed onto the bars of Smoke's cell. His face was clearer now that he was in the light, but Tomas still did not recognize who the person was.

"Look at me, Tomas. Really look at me."

Smoke did as he was told and stepped closer to the iron bars. He stopped when he and the stranger were only a few inches apart. But as he did, the silver-haired man could see under the stranger's black hood, where a pair of white eyes stared back at him. While at first they did appear all white, however, Tomas could see a hint of blue barely visible within the surface. A once bright and even beautiful sapphire at one time. Realization then hit Smoke like a train and he looked at the person in front of him in disbelief.

"B..Bi-han?"

"That is right. It is good to see you, brother."