Chapter Seventy-Four: Friend or Foe

Smoke and Bi-han were sprinting down another hallway, the only source of light being the torches that hung on the walls. As they ran, Tomas thought the hall would never end, and he could have sworn they have already passed the same crooked torch twice. Were they going in circles? Before he could ask Bi-han about it, a stabbing pain erupted in Smoke's head. He howled as he was brought to his knees and Bi-han instantly turned to his comrade.

"Tomas!"

The black-garbed man knelt beside Tomas and reached out to him.

"N-No."

Waving his hand, Smoke slowly stood from the floor with his other hand on his forehead to steady himself.

"I am okay. I am fine."

Bi-han looked unconvinced by his friend's words, but he said nothing and stepped back to give Tomas some space. The pain was still there, but Smoke could not worry about it right now. He looked to Bi-han.

"Where are we going, Bi-han?"

"An exit, of course. What kind of question is that?"

"But why? Why are you helping me?"

"Because you are my friend. You know that."

"Yet, you are serving Quan Chi."

"He has perfected me, Tomas. I must serve hi-"

"You do not have to! You owe him nothing!"

Tomas then took a deep breath to calm himself. He had to remember that Bi-han was not here willingly. Since his soul was brought back to the living by necromancy, it was also tainted by Quan Chi's magic. Bi-han probably was not aware that what he was doing is wrong.

"I…I am sorry, Bi-han. This is all just so confusing. I am not sure what to believe anymore."

Bi-han nodded his head.

"I understand. And I know I am not making things any easier for you."

Smoke let out a dry laugh.

"Trust me. Things were not easy for me from the start."

"…I know. I cannot change the past, Tomas, but…I believe I can help make things better for your future."

"And how exactly do you plan to do tha-UGH!"

The pain in Tomas' head suddenly increased, feeling as thought multiple knives were stabbing into his brain. He would have fallen to his knees again if Bi-han had not caught him. The black-garbed ninja threw Smoke's right arm across his shoulder and allowed the younger man to lean against him as they stood.

"As I said, there is not much time. Whatever Quan Chi did to you is taking effect."

"Wha- what did he do to…me?"

So, Quan Chi was the one responsible for what was happening to him and Enenra. And as Tomas thought about the demon, he wondered what in the name of the Elder Gods was happening in his mindscape. It was rather strange having to guess what was going on in your own head.

Pyros dodged another strike from Enenra, the demon's growing bigger and stronger with each passing second. The telepath was even finding it difficult to avoid his opponent's attacks, yet that should not have been possible. Any other time, Pyros would have no problem defeating Enenra in his mental state since his strength mostly came from his telepathy. The demon was easy to manipulate due to his short temper and rash decisions, but it seems that Enenra's time within Tomas has changed that. Even so, that could not be the only factor here that was causing Enenra to act out like this.

Something was seriously wrong with the demon and Pyros needed to figure out what it was before it was too late. The telepath summoned a fireball and tossed it at Enenra, the projectile bursting into sparks of flame upon contact. The impact sent the demon's head flying back for a moment, but he immediately regained his composure and the small bruise Pyros managed to make from his attack healed instantly. Pyros let out a low growl, his frustration growing.

"What in the name of the gods is wrong with you, demon!?"

Of course, Pyros had not expected for Enenra to answer, but he was surprised to hear the demon's voice. Raspy and barely audible, but it was there.

"I…can't…"

"Enenra? Enenra, please, tell me what is going on! Why are you doing this!?"

"…Poi…son…"

"What?"

Tomas stumbled down the hall, barely able to focus. Bi-han was practically dragging the silver-haired man through the fortress, but he refused to stop.

"Come on, Tomas. We are almost there."

"I…can't…"

Unable to walk anymore, Smoke again would have fallen if not for his comrade. Bi-han quickly grabbed Tomas by his waist and held him upright.

"Tomas, PLEASE. We have to keep going."

"…No…more…"

Smoke was then hit by a sudden coughing fit. His throat began to burn and he felt that something was trying to force its way up it. Tomas covered his mouth and coughed a few more times before he stopped. But as he looked at his hand, Smoke froze. He had expected to see blood, if the metallic taste coming up his throat was not warning enough. But his blood…it was black.

Wiping the rest of the liquid from around his mouth, Tomas again looked at his hands, praying that his eyes were just playing tricks on him. But his blood remained pitch black much to his horror. Despite clearly seeing that his friend was not well, Bi-han kept urging Smoke to keep moving.

"Get up! We cannot stay here! We need to-!"

Suddenly, Bi-han was forced to draw back from Tomas when a wall of flame arose from the ground. Both warriors were caught off guard by the attack, but Smoke was even more surprised when someone grabbed him from behind and covered his mouth. When the fire finally disappeared, Bi-han clenched his fists in anger when he saw that Tomas was nowhere in sight.

Enenra looked on as he swung his clawed hand at Pyros. He was unable to control his actions and he was struggling to hold on to the last bit of sanity he had left. Again, he tried to speak to Pyros telepathically, pain erupting with each syllable he uttered.

"Quan Chi…poisoned…us…"

Another crack was made in Tomas' mindscape and Enenra's darkness began to seep through it as a black mist. The sulfuric smell it produced even made Pyros' eyes water and his throat felt as though it was burning inside, but he tried his best to ignore it.

"Do you "cough" do you know what exactly this poison is? How can I "cough" cure it?"

"I…do not know. I can hardly…think right now. My demonic instincts are…are beginning to take over me. I cannot…I will not stop until…until…"

"Until what? Enenra!?"

"Quiet, you fool. I have not come to harm you."

Tomas finally stopped struggling against his captor when they spoke to him. The voice was familiar, but Smoke could not say it was comforting to hear. He glanced over his should and his silver eyes met a pair of white, seemingly soulless ones.

"S-Scorpion!?"

"Now are you going to keep quiet and listen to me?"

Not seeing any other options at the moment, Tomas slowly nodded his head. Scorpion then removed his hand from the silver-haired man's mouth and gave him some time to catch his breath. When he did, Smoke scowled at the specter. He did not have much energy to do anything else.

"What are you doing here, Scorpion?"

"I thought that would be obvious."

Spreading his arms out, Scorpion looked as though he was arching a brow by the movement of his mask. Smoke rolled his eyes.

"Yes, I get it. Netherrealm specter. I know your place is here, but why are you HERE? With me?"

"If I am to be honest, I…am not exactly sure myself. But maybe you should thank the little girl for contacting me."

"Little gir-?"

Smoke immediately realized who Scorpion was referring to. Soliel must have used her telepathic abilities to speak to the Shirai Ryu. But why would she contact him of all people? Was Scorpion not an enemy? Scorpion sighed.

"She sounded so worried. So…scared. I could not help but come at her request."

"Why? I thought you were on Quan Chi's side."

"…I was never on his side. I just believed that I had no choice but to serve him after my resurrection. But you-"

Scorpion took a step forward, but Tomas instinctively took a step back. Who could blame him? The specter had tried to kill him before. What if all this was a ruse so Scorpion could finish the job? But…something deep down within Smoke was telling him that Scorpion was being sincere. And that worried him, because with Bi-han…it felt more like Tomas was forcing himself to believe in his former comrade.

Seeing how cautious the silver-haired man was of him, Scorpion stepped back. He understood Smoke's lack of trust in him.

"You made me realized that I was wrong. I CAN choose. And right now, I am choosing to do the right thing. It is what my family would have wanted."

Images flashed through Scorpion's mind. Memories. A memory of the Shirai Ryu rubbing his wife's belly when she was pregnant. A memory of him holding his son for the first time. So many happy memories, yet Scorpion and his family could have made so much more. Just thinking about that made the specter's heart ache, even though he had believed he lost his heart the day he died. Smoke began to relax and finally spoke to Scorpion.

"So…you believe what I said? Back on the roof?"

"…It was the very moment I began to doubt Quan Chi. The bastard had even confessed to it."

"What?"

"That does not matter. What matters now is getting you out of here. Come."

Scorpion turned around and started walking away.

"Wait. What about Bi-han-"

"Noob Saibot is no longer the man you once knew. The faster you accept that, the better. Understand?"

Noob Saibot? Was that the name given to Bi-han by Quan Chi? Any other time, Tomas would have laughed at the name, but the seriousness in Scorpion's tone told him that it was not something to laugh about. Smoke looked back in the opposite direction of where Scorpion was heading and sighed.

"I am sorry, Bi-han."

Just as he said that, the pain in Tomas' head grew and he again found himself on the ground. Scorpion was by his side in an instant.

"I know you are in pain, but we cannot stay here."

"I…am well…aware of that."

"Let me help you."

The Shirai Ryu then grabbed Smoke's arm and slung it over his shoulder.

With a roar, Enenra again slashed his claws at Pyros, successfully landing a hit. It was only a small cut on the telepath's teeth, but Enenra could tell that Pyros was growing tired and he would soon be unable to dodge any attacks. Pyros called out to the demon again.

"Enenra, you have to stop this! At this rate, Tomas will-!"

That was when realization dawned on the telepath. This is what Quan Chi wanted. The poison was only affecting Enenra, but it was not meant to kill him. It only put the demon in a crazed state, a state where he would be easily susceptible to mind control. And with the damage Enenra was causing to his host's mind, it would not be long before the demon had complete control over Tomas' body.

Quan Chi desires for Enenra to become a slave to the Netherrealm like he was all those years ago, but Smoke was getting in the way of that. So…he needed to be disposed of. And what better way to do that than from the inside? Enenra was going to eliminate Tomas, both mind and soul, from his body and Quan Chi would have the demon by his side once more. But the sorcerer did not account for one thing. Pyros would die before he allowed that to happen.