Chapter 13
"Inferna, welcome back," Rayden told her. "My name isn't Inferna," she said bitterly. Sub-Zero poked her in the side with his elbow. "What? It's not," she protested.
"Brianna, please, come with me," Rayden instructed her. Sub-Zero had a look of dread on his face, Brianna saw, and she slowly followed Rayden who had turned and started down the hallway. "It's cool," Brianna told Sub-Zero, although it was more of a comment to help calm herself down instead of him. Running, Brianna finally caught up to Rayden who was still walking ahead of her.
"You must learn to understand, Brianna. You have understood that you must learn to fight, and you seem to have no problem with that. But it is your home that you must forget," he told her. They were now walking into a courtyard that reminded Brianna of the old labyrinth made out of bushes in the movie `The Shining'. "Why? Why do I have to be here? I'm nothing special, just another face in the crowd. There is no need for me to be here in this dimension or whatever it is," she complained.
"You still do not believe in yourself," Rayden said, "you know deep down inside of you that this is your rightful place. Now, please, you must forget your past. The fate of the world depends on you, Inferna."
"Would you please stop calling me Inferna! Why did Sub-Zero come after me? LEAVE ME ALONE! LET ME GO BACK HOME! My name is Brianna, not Inferna, and I have a life, Goddamit!" Brianna screamed at Rayden. "Enough," he said, and lightening flashed across his eyes. Brianna didn't seem to be intimidated. "No, I'll scream at the top of my lungs and you can't stop me from doing so," she said stubbornly. "You dare to defy a God?" Rayden asked her. The sky grew dark and there was thunder heard in the distance. "I'll defy whomever I please," she said bitterly, red eyes glowing. A bolt of lightening came down and struck of the bushes, setting it aflame.
"Please, you don't want to upset me. Now look, you are stuck here and there is nothing you can do about it. When all evil is defeated, then maybe you can go back home, but that will not happen unless you are here to fight it. Do not be selfish; the world is counting on you," Rayden said. At first Brianna just stood there and thought about what he had just said. Finally, she sighed heavily. "I guess I could get used to being called Inferna," she said. Rayden beamed. The sky grew light again and sunlight poured down from it. "You must find your way back," Rayden said, and disappeared.
"SHIT!" Brianna, or Inferna, exclaimed. She turned around and tried to find her way back. She came to a dead end. "You know, this is nothing but a bush," she smiled. "Why don't people in the movies just like chop it down or something?" she thought, shooting a flame from her finger tip The bush burnt to the ground and Brianna was met with a brick wall right behind it. "Fucking great!" she said.
Again she turned around and took another route. She got a little further this time, but she reached another dead end. Soon she was running through the maze, fear creeping through her body from her stomach. "Come on, there has to be a way out!" she said aloud. She made a quick left and right, and met another wall. "MOTHER FUCKER!" she screamed. Once again she turned around and looked for a way out. Inferna ran and ran until the sky started to get dark. She reached another dead end, and she couldn't take it any more.
"Help me get out of here, please Rayden," she whispered. She walked up to the bush and leaned her back against it and expected to come across another brick wall, but instead she fell right through the branches and landed inside the castle. Her head smacked against the marble floor with a thud. "Ow," she moaned and propped herself up on her elbows. She was in the computer room. It was completely empty, except for Sonya who was sitting at the computer. Slowly, Brianna rose to her feet.
"Hi, Sonya," she said painfully. "Hello Brianna. Nice to see you come back from the labyrinth," she said in a tone that was bitterly sweet. Brianna found a chair and pulled it up alongside of Sonya. "Hey, um, can I talk to you?" Brianna asked her. "Sure," Sonya said, not taking her eyes away from the computer screen. "How did you get here?" Brianna asked her. "I originally went to Mortal Kombat on ship a few years ago. I managed to survive and now I'm here," she said simply.
"But...didn't you miss your family and friends? I mean, you're from Earth, right? How were you able to cope?" Brianna asked, desperately. "I had no family or friends. I can't trust anyone, I never could."
"You trust Johnny," Brianna protested. "Not fully. I'm just close to him, it doesn't mean I trust him," Sonya responded.
"That's no way to go through life. Trusting only yourself can be pretty boring. You'd have no friends, no one to talk to, and masturbating can get pretty old pretty fast," Brianna tried to joke. Sonya, though didn't find it very funny and only stared at Brianna while she laughed.
"Don't you miss Earth though?" Brianna asked her. "I did, but I soon realized that even though I trusted nobody, everyone had to trust me," she said. Sonya turned and looked at Brianna. "I know how much a new environment can upset someone. It must be especially hard on you because you had so many people back home that you cared about. But Brianna, you have to realize, you can't go back home. Even if you tried to escape, we'd come find you and bring you back here. You have to stay. You have no choice," Sonya tried to convince her.
"You're making it sound like I made a deal with the fucking Mafia or something. I know I can't go...but how do I learn to stand it here?" Brianna asked her desperately.
"Time," Sonya said, turning back to the computer. She worked typed for a few minutes and Brianna just thought about what she had to say. "Thank you for the outfit...Kitana told me you helped her make it," Brianna finally blurted out.
"Well, Kitana did all the sewing, I just designed it," Sonya said modestly.
"So how did everyone get here?" Brianna asked her. Sonya told her how her, Johnny and Liu were on the same ship to the Tournament. She told her about their stories and about Kitana being the cruel Emperor's stepdaughter.
"What about Sub-Zero? How did he get here?" Brianna asked. "Sub-Zero? Now there's a story worth telling. Sub-Zero was in the clan of the Lin Kuei. They were a cruel group of skilled ninjas that only the most elite of people could be in. They were taught how to control an element, and were brainwashed into being unmerciful assassins. Sub-Zero, though, didn't like his lifestyle, and neither did his friend Smoke. They ran away from the Clan, but the Lin Kuei found the two in a cave. Sub-Zero managed to escape, but Smoke wasn't so lucky. They turned his friend into a robot and Sub-Zero continued to run and wander around until he found Rayden who brought him into the Forces of Light," Sonya finished.
"But wait, I thought Scorpion came and killed Smoke," Brianna said, remembering her meditation session. "No, the Lin Kuei found Smoke, not Scorpion," Sonya said. "What's the deal with Sub-Zero's little spat with him, anyway?" Brianna inquired. "When Sub-Zero was still in the Lin Kuei, they attacked the Shirai Ryu. Sub had to kill a man by the alias of Scorpion. Now Scorpion is nothing but a specter that seeks revenge on Sub-Zero," Sonya answered.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Master, here is the information in which you seek," the timid servant presented a scroll tied with a piece of rope to his master. The man on the throne snatched the scroll from the boy's hand and untied the rope.
"She is inexperienced," the Grandmaster said to his peers in a surprised tone. "She does hold the element of fire, correct?" the second Grandmaster asked. "Yes, she does. She is with the Forces of Light, for now. In order to obtain her we must have her kidnapped and brought to us," the first Grandmaster said, eyeing the piece of paper that he held in his hand. "An easier said than done task," the second Grandmaster said. "Then we must send our best. Sky will find this Inferna and bring her back to be the first female Lin Kuei warrior," the Grandmaster said.
*~*~*~*~
Smoke blocked a kick from his opponent. "C'mon, Sky, you gotta have more than that," Smoke taunted the light blue and black ninja that he was practicing with.
"Shut up, Smoke, I'm kicking your ass!" Sky protested. He then threw some acid rain at Smoke's face. It narrowly missed him. Smoke retaliated by emitting some of his name throughout the training room. Through the smoke, a cyborg walked into the room and coughed mechanically. Smoke immediately dismissed his power and was not surprised to see Sektor standing there impatiently.
"Sky, the Grandmasters wish to see you. Immediately," Sektor said addressing the warrior that stood before him. "At once," Sky said, bowing. He mouthed the word `bye' to Smoke and followed after Sektor who had already started on his way to the great throne room.
"Sky, you have been assigned a mission," the first Grandmaster said as he saw Sky enter and bow before him and the other two Grandmasters. "What is your bidding, sire?" Sky asked respectfully.
"You are to go into the Forces of Light's headquarters. There you will find the infamous Inferna and bring her back here with you where she will bring great power to the Lin Kuei. Do you understand?" the third Grandmaster told the warrior beneath him. "I do," Sky answered.
"Good, you will leave now," the Grandmaster instructed. Sky bowed and left the throne room and made his way to the Portal that would take him to his destination.
"Inferna, welcome back," Rayden told her. "My name isn't Inferna," she said bitterly. Sub-Zero poked her in the side with his elbow. "What? It's not," she protested.
"Brianna, please, come with me," Rayden instructed her. Sub-Zero had a look of dread on his face, Brianna saw, and she slowly followed Rayden who had turned and started down the hallway. "It's cool," Brianna told Sub-Zero, although it was more of a comment to help calm herself down instead of him. Running, Brianna finally caught up to Rayden who was still walking ahead of her.
"You must learn to understand, Brianna. You have understood that you must learn to fight, and you seem to have no problem with that. But it is your home that you must forget," he told her. They were now walking into a courtyard that reminded Brianna of the old labyrinth made out of bushes in the movie `The Shining'. "Why? Why do I have to be here? I'm nothing special, just another face in the crowd. There is no need for me to be here in this dimension or whatever it is," she complained.
"You still do not believe in yourself," Rayden said, "you know deep down inside of you that this is your rightful place. Now, please, you must forget your past. The fate of the world depends on you, Inferna."
"Would you please stop calling me Inferna! Why did Sub-Zero come after me? LEAVE ME ALONE! LET ME GO BACK HOME! My name is Brianna, not Inferna, and I have a life, Goddamit!" Brianna screamed at Rayden. "Enough," he said, and lightening flashed across his eyes. Brianna didn't seem to be intimidated. "No, I'll scream at the top of my lungs and you can't stop me from doing so," she said stubbornly. "You dare to defy a God?" Rayden asked her. The sky grew dark and there was thunder heard in the distance. "I'll defy whomever I please," she said bitterly, red eyes glowing. A bolt of lightening came down and struck of the bushes, setting it aflame.
"Please, you don't want to upset me. Now look, you are stuck here and there is nothing you can do about it. When all evil is defeated, then maybe you can go back home, but that will not happen unless you are here to fight it. Do not be selfish; the world is counting on you," Rayden said. At first Brianna just stood there and thought about what he had just said. Finally, she sighed heavily. "I guess I could get used to being called Inferna," she said. Rayden beamed. The sky grew light again and sunlight poured down from it. "You must find your way back," Rayden said, and disappeared.
"SHIT!" Brianna, or Inferna, exclaimed. She turned around and tried to find her way back. She came to a dead end. "You know, this is nothing but a bush," she smiled. "Why don't people in the movies just like chop it down or something?" she thought, shooting a flame from her finger tip The bush burnt to the ground and Brianna was met with a brick wall right behind it. "Fucking great!" she said.
Again she turned around and took another route. She got a little further this time, but she reached another dead end. Soon she was running through the maze, fear creeping through her body from her stomach. "Come on, there has to be a way out!" she said aloud. She made a quick left and right, and met another wall. "MOTHER FUCKER!" she screamed. Once again she turned around and looked for a way out. Inferna ran and ran until the sky started to get dark. She reached another dead end, and she couldn't take it any more.
"Help me get out of here, please Rayden," she whispered. She walked up to the bush and leaned her back against it and expected to come across another brick wall, but instead she fell right through the branches and landed inside the castle. Her head smacked against the marble floor with a thud. "Ow," she moaned and propped herself up on her elbows. She was in the computer room. It was completely empty, except for Sonya who was sitting at the computer. Slowly, Brianna rose to her feet.
"Hi, Sonya," she said painfully. "Hello Brianna. Nice to see you come back from the labyrinth," she said in a tone that was bitterly sweet. Brianna found a chair and pulled it up alongside of Sonya. "Hey, um, can I talk to you?" Brianna asked her. "Sure," Sonya said, not taking her eyes away from the computer screen. "How did you get here?" Brianna asked her. "I originally went to Mortal Kombat on ship a few years ago. I managed to survive and now I'm here," she said simply.
"But...didn't you miss your family and friends? I mean, you're from Earth, right? How were you able to cope?" Brianna asked, desperately. "I had no family or friends. I can't trust anyone, I never could."
"You trust Johnny," Brianna protested. "Not fully. I'm just close to him, it doesn't mean I trust him," Sonya responded.
"That's no way to go through life. Trusting only yourself can be pretty boring. You'd have no friends, no one to talk to, and masturbating can get pretty old pretty fast," Brianna tried to joke. Sonya, though didn't find it very funny and only stared at Brianna while she laughed.
"Don't you miss Earth though?" Brianna asked her. "I did, but I soon realized that even though I trusted nobody, everyone had to trust me," she said. Sonya turned and looked at Brianna. "I know how much a new environment can upset someone. It must be especially hard on you because you had so many people back home that you cared about. But Brianna, you have to realize, you can't go back home. Even if you tried to escape, we'd come find you and bring you back here. You have to stay. You have no choice," Sonya tried to convince her.
"You're making it sound like I made a deal with the fucking Mafia or something. I know I can't go...but how do I learn to stand it here?" Brianna asked her desperately.
"Time," Sonya said, turning back to the computer. She worked typed for a few minutes and Brianna just thought about what she had to say. "Thank you for the outfit...Kitana told me you helped her make it," Brianna finally blurted out.
"Well, Kitana did all the sewing, I just designed it," Sonya said modestly.
"So how did everyone get here?" Brianna asked her. Sonya told her how her, Johnny and Liu were on the same ship to the Tournament. She told her about their stories and about Kitana being the cruel Emperor's stepdaughter.
"What about Sub-Zero? How did he get here?" Brianna asked. "Sub-Zero? Now there's a story worth telling. Sub-Zero was in the clan of the Lin Kuei. They were a cruel group of skilled ninjas that only the most elite of people could be in. They were taught how to control an element, and were brainwashed into being unmerciful assassins. Sub-Zero, though, didn't like his lifestyle, and neither did his friend Smoke. They ran away from the Clan, but the Lin Kuei found the two in a cave. Sub-Zero managed to escape, but Smoke wasn't so lucky. They turned his friend into a robot and Sub-Zero continued to run and wander around until he found Rayden who brought him into the Forces of Light," Sonya finished.
"But wait, I thought Scorpion came and killed Smoke," Brianna said, remembering her meditation session. "No, the Lin Kuei found Smoke, not Scorpion," Sonya said. "What's the deal with Sub-Zero's little spat with him, anyway?" Brianna inquired. "When Sub-Zero was still in the Lin Kuei, they attacked the Shirai Ryu. Sub had to kill a man by the alias of Scorpion. Now Scorpion is nothing but a specter that seeks revenge on Sub-Zero," Sonya answered.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Master, here is the information in which you seek," the timid servant presented a scroll tied with a piece of rope to his master. The man on the throne snatched the scroll from the boy's hand and untied the rope.
"She is inexperienced," the Grandmaster said to his peers in a surprised tone. "She does hold the element of fire, correct?" the second Grandmaster asked. "Yes, she does. She is with the Forces of Light, for now. In order to obtain her we must have her kidnapped and brought to us," the first Grandmaster said, eyeing the piece of paper that he held in his hand. "An easier said than done task," the second Grandmaster said. "Then we must send our best. Sky will find this Inferna and bring her back to be the first female Lin Kuei warrior," the Grandmaster said.
*~*~*~*~
Smoke blocked a kick from his opponent. "C'mon, Sky, you gotta have more than that," Smoke taunted the light blue and black ninja that he was practicing with.
"Shut up, Smoke, I'm kicking your ass!" Sky protested. He then threw some acid rain at Smoke's face. It narrowly missed him. Smoke retaliated by emitting some of his name throughout the training room. Through the smoke, a cyborg walked into the room and coughed mechanically. Smoke immediately dismissed his power and was not surprised to see Sektor standing there impatiently.
"Sky, the Grandmasters wish to see you. Immediately," Sektor said addressing the warrior that stood before him. "At once," Sky said, bowing. He mouthed the word `bye' to Smoke and followed after Sektor who had already started on his way to the great throne room.
"Sky, you have been assigned a mission," the first Grandmaster said as he saw Sky enter and bow before him and the other two Grandmasters. "What is your bidding, sire?" Sky asked respectfully.
"You are to go into the Forces of Light's headquarters. There you will find the infamous Inferna and bring her back here with you where she will bring great power to the Lin Kuei. Do you understand?" the third Grandmaster told the warrior beneath him. "I do," Sky answered.
"Good, you will leave now," the Grandmaster instructed. Sky bowed and left the throne room and made his way to the Portal that would take him to his destination.