3/1/2022

Brockton Bay

Boardwalk

Walking along the Boardwalk is Apep who thought that a good walk could help clear his mind as nothing weird has happened since he left the hospital, but his mind was still a wreck over what he went through as well as having to deal with cops following him for a few days until they decided that he wasn't likely to trigger again at this time.

"I've been given a bit of time off work so maybe I should look into getting a hobby or something to help take my mind off things." Apep said to himself as he took a seat on a wooden bench to think about what he should do for a bit before he noticed a telephone pole covered with flyers and out of curiosity Apep got up and grabbed a random flyer and looked it over.

"Self Defense classes." Apep said to himself as a local gym was promoting classes for self-defense when you get a gym membership and honestly Apep would make good use of a gym membership so with a shrug Apep made his way to the 'Golden Gloves' gym.

The walk was decently long but soon enough Apep came up to the gym and entered the moderately busy place as he spoke to a few people and sat in an office to go over the gym membership procedures and soon enough he had a membership with the gym and signed up for the evening self-defense courses and since he had plenty of time today he decided to get a work out today since he was already dressed for it since he is dressed in a grey hoodie and jean shorts with sneakers.

The personal trainer that was available to train him is a woman named Orchid. She was a bit older than Apep but she wasn't any less eye catching with a athletic and desirable figure along with black hair combed down to her shoulders with a neon green headband around her forehead and is wearing a full body exercise suit that was also a neon green and stopped below her shoulders and just above her knees as the suit was form fitting but it did hide things as well and she is also sporting matching green boots as the suit also has yellow lines on the sides of it as well.

"Haven't I seen you somewhere before?" Apep asked as the woman helped him with a heavy barbell as Apep could have sworn that he recognized the woman.

"I don't think so." Orchid said back. "Now start focusing and give this training everything you've got." Orchid said sternly as Apep focused on his exercises before she had him switch to the treadmill and them some free weights and other standard exercises and soon enough Apep's body felt like it was barely being held together by strings being commanded by a puppeteer.

"How did I do?" Apep asked as he stretched a bit before looking on at the self-defense class that was about to start.

"Not bad. We managed to figure out your bodies limits and now we can come up with an appropriate routine. Keep in mind that not everyone improves at the same rate so try not to compare yourself to others." Orchid advised.

"I understand. Also do you know who is teaching the self-defense class?" Apep asked as he saw an old man in tan robes stand in front of the class.

"That is Shujinko. A martial art master." Orchid said as Apep made his way over and joined the class as Orchid smirked before leaving to help another person.

"Greetings everyone. Today I am going to show all of you some standard techniques to protect yourself but before I start, I must remind all of you that this information is for self-defense only. Seeking out violence and bullying others with this knowledge will get you banned from these classes." Shujinko said before he started the class and Apep was able to learn a bit more self-defense.

Granted his time in the military taught him how to throw a punch or two but this was different and Apep did enjoy the lessons despite how exhausted he felt and soon enough Apep made his way home and took a hot shower before sitting down in the living room and watched tv for the rest of the day and part of the night before going to bed.

X

Midnight

Currently walking the shady streets of uptown Brockton is a Tibetan man simply known as Jago. Jago is a built man as he shows that he pushed his body to the limit as he has black spiky hair combed to the right and is wearing a simple white martial arts gi and trousers without shoes on his feet and a red sash around his waist.

"You picked the wrong place asshole. This is Empire turf and we ain't letting you walk out of here in one piece." A person said from behind Jago as the monk turned around and saw four Empire 88 gang members as two had iron pipes and one just had brass knuckles while the last one had no weapon at all.

"I strongly suggest that you reconsider this course of action." Jago said bluntly and with a serious expression.

"It looks like your death and stupid. I said you ain't leaving in one piece." The leader of the group said before he and the other gang members rushed Jago who easily evaded the attacks of the sloppy gang members before he countered as he struck down each gang member with brutal kicks and punches to the point that the gang members coughed up whatever they had for dinner.

Before Jago could say anything or do anything his senses roared to life as he jumped back and avoided an invisible blast of power that cut into the concrete ground as Jago looked for the source of the attack and standing a fair distance away was a cape known as Stormtiger.

Stormtiger has pale skin with an athletic build and is a bit on the tall side as he is wearing loose fitting pants accented with chains and a white/pale blue tiger mask over his face that hid his identity.

Now if this was a comic book or something Jago or Stormtiger would say something witty or ask questions, but the reality of the situation was that Jago was in hostile territory and Stormtiger is not an enemy to be taken lightly. Then in one swift movement Stormtiger swiped his clawed hands towards Jago and sent another blast of razor-sharp wind at Jago but this time Jago countered by thrusting his hand out and sent out a ball of yellow energy towards the wind blast and when the two energies collided it formed a large cloud of dust that allowed Jago to quickly escape before Stormtiger blew away the smoke and saw no signs of the monk.

"Fuck." Stormtiger cursed as he walked over to the downed thugs under his employ before kicking one of them to make sure he wasn't dead.

Now after running at faster than human speeds the monk known as Jago stopped running as he came up to the Brockton Boardwalk.

"You are an idiot for going in alone." A familiar voice said as he turned around and saw his older sister Orchid dressed in some casual clothes along with Jago's former teacher Shujinko who was still dressed in his robes alongside the hero's Armsmaster who was in his heroic and technological suit and halberd in hand, All Might who is dressed in his inspiring suit and the magician known as Zatanna dressed in her magician's uniform.

"If the Empire is in league with Ultra-Tech and Gargos than we need to strike now." Jago said with mild anger in his voice.

"Jago I didn't teach you to rush to violence. This anger of yours will do more harm than good if you let vengeance control your actions." Shujinko said wisely as Jago just took a deep breath and looked away from his teacher.

"Gargos hasn't entered this reality yet, but I can still sense his otherworldly influence in Brockton. The city is turning into a powder keg of powers and when the fighting reaches its peak Gargos will enter this world." Zatanna explained grimly.

"We still lack evidence to go after Ultra-Tech but taking on the Empire can be done with enough manpower behind us." All Might said as the situation was grave and sadly only a select few people knew about it and the danger that Brockton Bay is in.

"What do you suggest we do?" Orchid asked the PTR Hero's.

"Right now, we need to gather more evidence and buy our time." Armsmaster said as nobody knew what the proper move should be, and they could only agree that waiting is the best decision and just like that the group separated.

X

3/19/2022

Brockton Bay

Currently in a private self-defense class is Apep and Shujinko as the both of them are sparing as Apep made quick progress with his self-defense techniques and was approached by Shujinko himself as the man offered private lessons since Apep showed a lot of potential for martial arts.

Apep ducked under another kick from the old martial arts master before countering with his own kick that Shujinko blocked before delivering a solid punch to Apep's chest which sent Apep back a bit before he rushed back in and attacked with various strikes that Shujinko blocked, dodged and parried before Apep ultimately stopped attacking all together and was just bent over with his hands on his knees as he was a bit exhausted and sweaty.

"Good job Apep. You're progressing rapidly and honestly you remind me of myself back when I was young." Shujinko said with fondness in his voice.

"Really?" Apep asked as he looked up at the old man who nodded his head.

"Indeed. I was once a young man who wanted to learn the ways of combat but that is a story for another time. Now I believe our time is up." Shujinko said before he held out his hand to shake and when Apep took the hand Apep and Shujinko where both shocked.

Shujinko was shocked because he sensed something powerful within Apep's very soul and in turn Apep was shocked because his senses screamed at him to run away from Shujinko for some reason.

"I should go." Apep said before he quickly left the sparring room they where in as he rushed out of the gym and ran for a bit before he stopped at a building wall and took several deep breaths as he was in a mild panic. "What the hell was that?" Apep asked before a new sensation made itself known as the world around him changed.

He wasn't in Brockton Bay anymore and instead he found himself in what looks like a destroyed version of the city that was void of all forms of life and the sky is a bright amber color as a cold wind washed over Apep.

"Its about time you showed up." A dark and hauntingly familiar voice said from behind Apep as Apep turned around and saw a mirrored version of himself, but the eyes glowed the same color as the sky, and he seemed to be emitting some kind of purple aura.

"Apex." Apep said with fear in his voice as the name almost instantly came to his mind and it felt as if he had known Apex his whole life somehow.

"Got it in one buddy. Now I've been waiting for you to show up for a while now. A partnership like ours needs to be made out of trust." Apex said whimsically as he looked around as he spoke.

"What partnership? And where am I?" Apep asked.

"Where in your soul. Or at least a modified version of your soul after I made myself at home here and our partnership is that I needed a proper host in order to survive and in return I help you out whenever you need it or whenever I feel like it. And since you've made it here, I will give you a portion of my power, but you'll need to earn the rest." Apex said as Apep was completely lost but when Apex snapped his fingers Apep felt something inside him change.

He felt like he had static surging through his brain as he somehow knew what the change was, and he knew how to use this new ability he has been given but instead of being happy or excited he simply felt drained.

"What did you do to me?" Apep asked as he fell to his knees.

"It looks like the change was a bit too much for you at the moment. Oh, well." Apex said before he got ready to snap his fingers again. "Let's talk again sometime." Apex said before he snapped his fingers and after swining through a sea of shadows Apep found himself back in the real world as he still stood against the building wall.

He felt completely drained and he needed to rest and recharge as well as sort out what was going through his mind and as a result, he slowly made his way to a coffee and curry shop named Leblanc as he ordered some coffee and curry before taking a seat at an empty booth.

"Here's your food." A young man with messy black hair and glasses said as he brought Apep a cup of coffee and a plate of curry.

"Thank you." Apep said before he took a slow sip of his sweetened coffee before taking a deep breath as he thought about the visit, he just had with the mysterious being known as Apex.

"It's no problem." The messy haired teen said before he walked away. So, Apep simply put his coffee back down before he looked over at his right hand and focused before he saw a mark on the back of his hand as the mark looked like a Japanese dragon head inside of a circle as it is a deep purple color and almost seemed to vibrate as he moved his hand.

"Excuse me but would you mind if I had a seat here?" A woman asked as Apep looked to the side and saw a woman named Wakaba Isshiki who has black hair done in a bowl cut with bangs over her forehead with black eyes and glasses over her eyes and she is wearing a knee length black and sleeveless dress with matching heels and a brown bug slung over her shoulder.

"Not at all." Apep said as the woman took a seat at the opposite side of the booth, and she quickly spoke up.

"If you don't mind me asking. I need to ask why you have the mark of an Astral force on your hand?" Wakaba asked bluntly which took Apep by surprise.

"You can see this?" Apep asked as he raised his hand but quickly focused and made the mark vanish as Wakaba nodded her head.

"I could before it vanished from my sight." Wakaba said before the messy haired teen came back and took Wakaba's order and soon enough the both of them sat and talked as they talked about how Apep got the mark.

Now Apep wasn't sure if he should talk to this woman about it, but it seemed like she was the only option available to him that could help him figure out how Apex managed to turn his life upside down.

"And that's everything." Apep said as Wakaba hummed in thought.

"An Astral being attached itself to you and gave you power but not at its maximum potential which means that you might have to earn more help from that being or it could mean that your body isn't capable of handling all that power at one time but either way this is very interesting." Wakaba said as she took a sip of her coffee.

"What exactly is an Astral being?" Apep asked.

"An Astral being is a living entity that exist outside the normal laws of space and time but finding out more about those beings has been a bit difficult. They also interact with people and bond with them in someway and grant them power which sounds like that is something that has happened to you." Wakaba explained as a fair bit of things are going over Apep's head, but he at least had a bit more of an understanding of what Apex is.

"It sounds like I won't be getting rid of Apex any time soon if that's the case." Apep said to himself as he messed around with his empty plate.

"If you don't mind Apep. I would like to study you a bit and whatever abilities you have access to as a host to an Astral being. And I know a few people who would also want to learn about this development, and we could pay you for your time of course." Wakaba said as Apep didn't really see a downside to this deal since he would learn more about himself and get paid in the process.

"Where would this take place?" Apep asked.

"We would start gathering information about you at the Ultra-Tech building." Wakaba said as Apep did want to take a tour of the Ultra-Tech building and now it sounded like he would be getting more than a simple tour.

"Well, I don't really have a reason to say no." Apep said as Wakaba smiled.

"Wonderful. If you don't have any plans, we can go to the building now." Wakaba said as they paid for their food and coffee before leaving the shop as Apep saw that Wakaba came to this place in a black limo with bodyguards and after giving him the eye they allowed him to enter the limo with Wakaba after she had told her guards that it would be ok.

So, after a long limo ride they where in the uptown area of Brockton Bay and walked into the massive building known as Ultra-Tech as Apep actually saw a tour being given now but ignored it as he followed Wakaba and the bodyguards to a elevator only accessed by the staff as they headed down below the first floor and entered a laboratory type of floor where Wakaba took Apep to speak with the lead scientist and after explaining the situation to him Apep was actually given a job at Ultra-Tech as an official lab rat in the simplest terms.

"Ok we are going to be testing you in various ways to determine just how strong you are in a physical and mental sense of the word. Now first we need to get you a official job here and by working here you would have to leave your current job. Are you ok with that?" The lead scientist asked as Apep thought about things for a moment before nodding his head.

"I am. I need to know more about what is going on with me and you guys are my best bet to figuring things out." Apep said to the scientist who toke down a few notes.

"Alright than. So, if you are willing, we can start testing you today but in order to start we do ask that you get changed into the proper clothes." The scientist said before he had a aid bring in a basic blue track suit and pants.

"No problem." Apep said as he entered a nearby bathroom and changed into the tracksuit as an aid took his street clothes for him before the tests had started.

Now these tests are each different as Apep was tested physically by lifting various weights and running on the treadmill with monitors attached to him as he also had to train with his hand eye coordination by catching rapidly fired tennis balls and pass several written tests and the tests lasted long into the night before he was allowed to change back to his normal clothes and was sent back home in a company car.

X

Midnight

"Ma'am it seems that some of the lab rats have started running experiments on who we suspect is an Astral host." A leading man in Ultra-Tech said to his boss as he stood in the middle of a long hallway and looked up at the womanly shaped artificial robot that sat in a large chair as this robot is a bright yellow color with blue accents as she is known as Aria.

The owner and leader of Ultra-Tech.

"Excellent. Keep a eye on this new host and have Cinder be his handler and in the meantime how are our connections to Kaiser?" Aria asked as the man swallowed the saliva in his mouth.

"We have once again failed to reach a proper agreement with Empire 88 as they are refusing to give us the artifacts that will aid us in commanding Gargos or Eyedol." The man said as Aria couldn't narrow her eyes or glare, but the man knew that she was looking at him with anger.

"How are things going with Eyedol?" Aria asked in a grim voice.

"He is still imprisoned in Egypt and our security detail and mercenaries are making sure that he isn't going anywhere but we have had incidents where Eyedol came close to breaking containment." The man said before Aria stood up from her seat.

"Leave." Aria said plainly as the man left without a second thought as another woman made her appearance known as she descended from the ceiling via spider threads that came from her wrists and ankles.

This woman is Sadira who is dressed in a simple red robe with a gold mask over her eyes.

"Things are not going as planned." Sadira said bluntly as Aria walked up to the plain glass window that not only served as the wall of this octagonal shaped room but it also offered a clear view of Brockton Bay.

"On the contrary. Things are proceeding just as I envisioned, they would, and the only new development is the new Astral host willingly coming into Ultra-Tech." Aria said as she placed her hand on the glass.

"What are you going to do with him?" Sadira asked.

"For now, Cinder will handle him, but you will also keep a eye on him outside of the building and report to me if he is in contact with any wards or hero's." Aria ordered.

"Understood." Sadira said as she left the room through the door this time as Aria took the time to look at the city, she all but owned.

"A new piece has entered the game. I will make sure that it is a piece that I alone will control." Aria said as she had too many setbacks already in the forms of Sabrewulf, Jago, Orchid, and the hero's investigating her, and she is determined that this new Astral host isn't going to become the newest problem that she will have to deal with.

X

"This is bullshit." An angry hero said as she jumped rooftop to rooftop in the slums of Brockton Bay as this hero is none other than Shadow Stalker who has her crossbow in hand as she fired another steel bolt at the mass of shadows known as Grue.

Now she had no clue where his friends are, but she didn't care as she decided that she would put an end to her enemy once and for all. But sadly, Grue wasn't looking for a fight today and hid himself in a mass of darkness as he ran, and Shadow Stalker was more or less shooting at a nearly invisible target.

"I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to be using steel bolts." A familiar voice said from behind her as Shadow Stalker turned around and saw the villain Star Sapphire who in one quick moment knocked Shadow Stalker out with a light construct shaped into a bat that Shadow Stalker couldn't dodge and she certainly didn't see it coming so she couldn't phase through it in time.

Than after knocking out the ward Star Sapphire raised her and emitted a massive light which signaled Grue to stop releasing his darkness and soon enough after a minute or two the Undersiders where all on the rooftop with Star Sapphire thanks to Hellhound's dogs.

"Thanks for the assist, Sapphire. You where just what we needed to put this bitch into a trap." Tattletale said with a smile as she had rope in her hands and went to work tying up the hero as the rope was metallic thanks to some tinker tech and made sure that Shadow Stalker wasn't going anywhere.

"You get what you pay for. Now I believe this ends our partnership." Star Sapphire said bluntly.

"It does but we still owe you one. This bitch has been gunning for me for weeks and now there is proof that she is going for the kill instead of acting like an actual hero." Grue said as he pulled a crossbow bolt out of his side and dropped it near the hero as the bolt had blood on it and served as proof that Shadow Stalker was acting as a vigilante without the PRT knowing about it.

"It's a shame. A girl like her would have made a great partner but it is what it is." Star Sapphire said as she flew off into the air with a violet glow around her.

"Can any of you get a read on her?" Regent asked.

"Not even close." Grue said back bluntly before Tattletale took out a disposable cell phone.

"Alright the PRT will be here soon after getting this message so let's beat it." Tattletale said before they all hopped on the mutated dogs and left the scene.

When morning came Shadow Stalker aka Sophia Hess was placed in a waiting room while the people in charge of the PRT of Brockton Bay talked about how to punish the hero for breaking her probation and attempting to kill someone.

END

A/N: Okay this seems like a natural stopping point and there isn't much to say other than the fact that Mortal Kombat has been around for 30 Years.

How fucking cool is that?

So, yeah you can expect some MK characters in this story because I intend on celebrating this moment in style and in written form and also things in the story are starting to get juicy and dramatic.

Also if you couldn't tell I am taking inspiration from various sources to make this story and the main characters powers will be similar to the powers of Morgan Yu from Prey because that game is fire and there isn't much else to say other than please fav, follow and review.

Bye.