EXT. MOUNTAINS - NIGHT

 Zhongling, running for all he's worth. His shoes blast 
 through the snow as he powers across the forest. HEAR the 
 sound of his breathing.

 He looks back at every ten paces.

 Ermac pounding snow not far behind.

 Then he looks back ahead, and in SLO-MO, skids to a complete 
 stop. Eyes going wide because --

 ZHONGLING'S POV: Scorpion emerges from behind a tree. His 
 head swivel to face him.

 Everything feels like slow-down dream-time.

 Zhongling scurries backwards, looking back to see Ermac 
 thundering towards him.

 CLOSE-UP SCORPION raising his hand. A cut appears across the 
 palm, and something STIRS inside.

 Zhongling quickly takes to his heels, running like the wind 
 away from the two.

 But Ermac has the angle. He LEAPS, ready to tackle Zhongling 
 when --

 The LIVING SPEAR erupts from Scorpion's palm, shooting like a 
 comet, and with a sickening crunch, punches through the armor 
 of Ermac in mid-air. Bands of red ENERGY explode from 
 Ermac's backside.

 SCORPION
 GET OVER HERE!!

 Zhongling hears it, slips on the icy surface. He slams down 
 hard on the snow, staring up as Ermac is jerked violently off 
 screen right into --

 SCORPION'S HARD UPPER-CUT, and Ermac is again lifted into the 
 air in the opposite direction. The body comes crashing 
 through trees in a shower of SNOW and SPLINTERS. Ermac 
 convulses on the snow, making spasmodic snow angels. He 
 dies.

 Zhongling scrambles to his feet, not believing what he saw. 
 He looks at Scorpion, now watching him under the pupil-less 
 eyes.

 Screw this. Zhongling makes tracks away from Scorpion.

 EXT. SHARP INCLINE - MOUNTAINS - NIGHT

 Zhongling leaps onto the sheer slope of a hill. 

 His footing fails, slips, a painful GRUNT, but his hand is 
 instantly snatched by Scorpion already near the top. How he 
 got there so fast we have no idea.

 SCORPION
 GET UP HERE!

 Zhongling gives an amazed look.

 Scorpion pulls him up top effortlessly. Zhongling backs 
 away. Scorpion stares impassively.

 Before he can say anything, the clip-clop of many hooves 
 alerting them to below. 

 TIGHT ON SEKTOR -- flying through the air, landing sideways 
 on the cliff like some giant fly. It looks down.

 Scorpion sees the machine, grabs Zhongling closer. 

 A FLASH OF LIGHT -- SCORPION'S PORTAL

 Sektor launches itself towards them, and WHAM! Sektor lands 
 on the ground. The machine stares at the empty surroundings.

 EXT. WIDE ANGLES - SAN FRANCISCO - NIGHT

 In the aftermath,

 THE GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE -- charred and torn, unstable, swaying
 in the wind.

 Across the San Francisco Bay, we see the ruins of the city 
 protruding from the wasteland like the blackened ribs of a 
 long-dead corpse.

 The PHENOMENON remains in the sky, unmoved.

 DISSOLVE TO:

 INT. RAYDEN'S TEMPLE - DIMLY LIT

 TIGHT ON LIU KANG leaning against a wall, shattered, forlorn, 
 looking out a hole/window.

 Behind him, a torch EXPLODES to life, to reveal Rayden.

 One by one, each of the other TORCHES are lit on their own in 
 succession, illuminating the room. The chamber is massive. 
 The walls are covered with hieroglyphics and carvings. Giant 
 support pillars carved into the rock run up along the walls 
 to a smooth ceiling of serpent carvings.

 At the center of the room is a raised STONE DAIS with the 
 Mortal Kombat serpent insignia carved in.

 Behind him, Sonya, rubbing her arms up and down, is being 
 soothed by Kitana. Her face showing she's been crying for 
 one hell of awhile.

 KITANA
 Any news from the Temple?

 RAYDEN
 No. The survivors, they will be hiding 
 in seclusion. We can only pray.

 LIU KANG
 What happened?

 Rayden still looks unsure.

 RAYDEN
 Only through Mortal Kombat can Shao Khan 
 enter Earth, which we know cannot 
 happen. I don't know how else he could 
 have done it. There should not be 
 another way.

 LIU KANG
 You must have forgotten something.

 RAYDEN
 I do not forget, Liu Kang.

 LIU KANG
 Then try explaining this to me. Why 
 we lost Johnny Cage... why the Order of 
 Light was destroyed?!

 He grabs Rayden by the robe.

 LIU KANG
 You brought this to us!

 Rayden gives him his best nonchalant expression, and it 
 works. Liu Kang eases off.

 LIU KANG
 I'm sorry.

 RAYDEN
 Keep hope alive inside of you, Liu Kang. 
 I have told you, we will find a way.
 (turning to the others)
 I must speak with the other Elder Gods. 
 If Shao Khan can open a portal like this 
 at the whim, he can do it with...

 KITANA
 Wait.

 Rayden looks at her. We see the dark expression across her 
 face.

 KITANA
 I... I believe I know how Shao Khan has 
 opened up the portals between our 
 realms. He said he was here to reclaim 
 what is rightfully his...

 Rayden nods. Kitana's barely able to bring herself into 
 saying it.

 KITANA
 My mother... when Shao Khan conquered 
 Edennia, he took my mother as Queen. He 
 erased her memory of the entire invasion 
 and the memories of my father.
 (beat)
 It didn't work completely. 

 RAYDEN
 Your mother, Queen Sindel? She 
 remembered?

 KITANA
 Yes, eventually, and the moment she 
 realized what Shao Khan had done, my 
 mother fled.

 RAYDEN
 Sindel could have arrived here on Earth, 
 however, regardless, he cannot open any 
 portals while she is here on her own 
 free will unless...

 Rayden meets eyes with Kitana.

 RAYDEN
 He has the right to reclaim the body of 
 his Queen. If that is all he can 
 do... in six days the portals will close. 
 They will not last indefinitely.

 LIU KANG
 Is there any way he can keep them open?

 RAYDEN
 No, the sacred rules of Mortal Kombat 
 binds everything, including Shao Khan. 
 As innocent as this appears, it is not 
 like him to just come for this reason.

 SONYA
 Why are we even discussing this? I say 
 we find him, and kill him. 

 LIU KANG
 Against his entire army?

 RAYDEN
 Enough!

 Rayden turns, WAVES A HAND at the raised dais. 

 A RUMBLING NOISE B.G. followed by the grinding SOUND of stone 
 scraping stone. The areas not part of the serpent design 
 RECEDE back, while the serpent is pushed upwards. LIGHT 
 FLARES through the seams and --

 FWOOMP! The light forms into a crown around the dais circle. 
 A digital image of the Earth appears, floating in air, 
 revolving slowly.

 RAYDEN
 Shao Khan knows I have no powers in 
 Outworld, as he does not here in this 
 world.

 LIU KANG
 So he can be killed?

 RAYDEN
 Perhaps. He has weakness... mortality, 
 but it might not last.
 (beat)
 Many thousand years ago, I defeated a 
 evil God, Shinnok, in the first Mortal 
 Kombat. He needed a special amulet to 
 retain his powers here in a foreign 
 world. Shao Khan will no doubt seek the 
 same amulet.

 KITANA
 What do we do?

 RAYDEN
 We will find the other champions and 
 concentrate our efforts in guarding the 
 amulet in this Temple, until the sixth 
 day has passed.

 SONYA
 You're kidding me, right? We're just 
 gonna let him tear up Earth while we sit 
 on our butts?

 RAYDEN
 Exactly. When the portals close, his 
 Extermination Squads will not be able to 
 interfere. If he destroys every one of 
 you now then Earth faces annihilation. 
 We cannot run the risk of exposing each 
 of you. Not at this stage.

 Sonya stomps off in frustration.

 RAYDEN
 You must choose your battles carefully.

 He stops the spin of the globe. Several BLIPS light up. We 
 see one on the Asian continent and two more on the North 
 American continent. Rayden indicates the blips.

 RAYDEN
 These are the locations of the other 
 Champions. This is how Shang Tsung 
 found each of you.

 Sonya paces back and forth. Rayden places a gentle hand to 
 her shoulder.

 RAYDEN
 I know you have all lost much in this 
 world, but do not lose hope. As long as 
 we remain strong, Shao Khan will find it 
 a difficult task to gain control of this 
 realm. 

 Sonya gathers herself, looks up at the globe.

 SONYA
 I know that place. That's N.O.R.A.D. 
 Colorado. Jax is stationed there.

 RAYDEN
 I will take you to find your friend, and 
 then the two of you will travel to San 
 Francisco to locate the others. Liu 
 Kang, take Kitana, and return to China. 
 I will go to the Elder Gods to condemn 
 what Shao Khan has done.

 LIU KANG
 How will we know who they are?

 RAYDEN
 You will. Now follow.

 INT. PORTAL CHAMBER - DAY

 Rayden, Liu Kang, Sonya, and Kitana emerge in another dark 
 chamber, archaic like the previous, but smaller.

 Surrounding the room are about a dozen GATEWAYS, locked.

 RAYDEN
 They will take you to where you need to 
 go.

 And with that, he touches each gateway. They UNLOCK.

 RAYDEN
 Be careful. The portals can sense 
 alignment. Anything suspicious, they 
 will close. I just hope they still 
 work.

 Liu Kang stares into the watery surface.

 LIU KANG
 You never used one of these?

 RAYDEN
 I have no need. 

 SONYA
 Wonderful.

 RAYDEN
 (grinning)
 If you want, I can hold your hand on the 
 way. Ready?

 SONYA
 Ready.

 RAYDEN
 Here we go!

 Sonya and Rayden leap into their portal, and they vanish. 
 Liu Kang and Kitana exchange glances. They breathe in deep, 
 like before taking a high plunge.

 WE FOLLOW Liu Kang and Kitana as they jump through --

 INTO THE PORTAL STREAM

 The sound of their HEARTS BEATING, pounding as they whip-
 snake through the streams of light. 

 The speed picks up, the turns more violent, sharp. Their 
 hearts beat faster and faster.

 Out of reflex, Kitana grabs hold of Liu Kang in a tight 
 embrace. Her arms wrapped around his neck, legs around his 
 waist. 

 The move is slightly erotic, but nothing registers on Liu 
 Kang's mind because right now his flesh is being plastered 
 against his skull from the sheer velocity.

 The two accelerate off, dwindling into dots down the stream.

 INT. CATACOMBS - DAY

 The moaning wind rushes past a tall cloaked figure, SHINNOK, 
 as he watches from underneath his cowl, EVIL-LOOKING PRIESTS 
 surrounding an enormous altar at the center of the catacombs.

 The altar is a platform jutting out from the stone wall of 
 the cavern. TILT DOWN to reveal an enormous ANCIENT COFFIN.

 SHAO KHAN (O.S.)
 How much longer?

 The voice ECHOES in the cavern. Shao Khan makes his 
 appearance down the stairs.

 SHINNOK
 Patience, my large friend. Resurrection 
 is a delicate process. I am sure your 
 sorcerer can tell you.

 SHAO KHAN
 His usefulness lies only on Earth. If 
 not for his knowledge, I would have left 
 his soul rotting in your forsaken 
 underworld.

 Shao Khan moves towards the altar, runs a hand along the 
 length of the coffin. This is made of obsidian black, giving 
 off that coldness as the air around, complete with brass 
 ETCHINGS and MARKINGS. At the side is a stone DIAL.

 More PRIESTS appear, each carrying smoking-billowing urns to 
 the altar.

 SHAO KHAN
 Soon I will have my powers, and no 
 longer will I need to resort to this 
 witchcraft.

 He gives Shinnok a look, grips the dial, TWISTS clockwise. A 
 LOUD CLUNK. The lid SPLITS down the middle, SLIDES off to 
 the sides and BANGS against the stone platform.

 INSIDE THE COFFIN

 lie the DECOMPOSED REMAINS of a human, we think, ENCASED in 
 some black dull steel with veins running in and out like the 
 wings of a butterfly. Meet SINDEL. Shao Khan looks in.

 SHAO KHAN
 She remains beautiful as I remember.

 SHINNOK (O.S.)
 Tell me, a couple of million souls for 
 hers? Your love must be unmatched by 
 any force of the cosmos.

 Shao Khan looks up.

 SHAO KHAN
 The body is all I need.

 SHINNOK
 (grinning)
 Yes, an answer I expect from any man.

 SHAO KHAN
 Don't sass me. Remember who holds the 
 other end of the bargain.

 Shang Tsung appears down the stairs.

 SHANG TSUNG
 Emperor Shao Khan. The deal is made.

 He steps near the platform, offers up the scroll for display. 

 SHINNOK
 The nefarious sorcerer at last. Did you 
 make them beg for mercy before ripping 
 their hearts out of them?

 Shang Tsung looks him right in the eye.

 SHANG TSUNG
 Of course. All for his eminence.

 The wind starts to pick up, HOWLS out of the tunnel high 
 above the temple, the PRIESTS chant in response to the 
 strange tunnel music.

 SHINNOK
 It's time.

 He waves Shao Khan and Shang Tsung to step away.

 A huge CLAP OF LIGHTNING and the chanting stops. The silence 
 is chilling as Shinnok draws up close by the end of the 
 coffin, pulls back his cowl.

 Now this is a man who looks as vile and diabolic as the 
 unholy entourage that are in the room. Shinnok's red-rimmed 
 eyes glare from the sunken sockets in his sinister face.

 Behind him, Shao Khan and Shang Tsung watch silently.

 Another clap of lightning, and Shinnok raises both arms up, 
 beginning the incantation.

 The priests start up the chant once more, HUMMING, strikingly 
 similar to the chorus when the first portals appeared.

 TIGHT ON SHINNOK lifting his head back, eyes rolling from red 
 to white, opening his mouth. The sound of AIR SUCKING into 
 some vacuum heard. Life is being drawn from high up.

 As the incantation rises into a fever pitch, sounds of stones 
 juddering, rattle, but nothing in the chamber is moving.

 Then, BLOOD, seeping from the depths of the Earth flow 
 through each of the veins, into Sindel's corpse! More and 
 more, until the flow becomes a torrent. 

 HIGH UP ABOVE, some mystical energy, a giant SPARK, comes 
 crashing down into the coffin. It explodes into a thousand 
 balls of light from impact. Everyone avert their eyes.

 As the light dissipates, Shao Khan smiles from underneath his 
 mask.

 SHAO KHAN
 My Queen...

 ANGLE ON SINDEL, nude in all her glory, and very much alive, 
 bolts upright from her tomb, SCREAMING to wake the dead.

 SMASH CUT TO:

 INT. CAVERNS - SAME TIME

 Kitana stumbles, dropping to her knees. Liu Kang grabs her. 

 LIU KANG
 Kitana! Are you okay?

 She looks up. Her face near ashen. Maybe she heard?

 LIU KANG
 What's wrong?

 KITANA
 Nothing. I... it was nothing.

 LIU KANG
 Are you sure?

 Kitana shakes the feeling off.

 KITANA
 Yes. The portals were faster than I 
 remember. Help me up.

 Her swift explanation isn't popular with Liu Kang, but he'll 
 accept it for now. He pulls her up, and starts following the 
 path up. 

 The cavern is wide, spacious, and dark. Wind moans along the 
 walls. Water drips from the moisture gathered at the tip of 
 stalactites. Heavy smoke rises up from a gorge God knows how 
 deep.

 KITANA
 Liu Kang... wait.

 LIU KANG
 What is it?

 KITANA
 (loses her nerve)
 If anything happens to me, I want you 
 to...

 Liu Kang puts two fingers up to her lips.

 LIU KANG
 Kitana. I have lost everything, but I 
 am not going to lose you. 

 He embraces Kitana... holding her tight. She responds, 
 closes her eyes, feeling safer with his words. 

 Then something alerts Liu Kang -- like the WHINE of 
 hydraulics, the SHADOW looming over them.

 Liu Kang goes wide-eyed, shoves Kitana aside just as --

 SEKTOR from high up, lands a piston-force kick which sends 
 Liu Kang flying backwards.

 Kitana hops back to her feet. The machine rushes at her.

 Shang Tsung's army of ROBED WARRIORS, same uniforms we saw 
 from Scorpion and Ermac but all GRAY, mixed weapons, appear. 
 Liu Kang sees them, chases Sektor. He leaps onto a giant 
 stalagmite, catapults himself off, tackles the machine to the
 ground.

 Kitana attacks the Warriors. She grabs a swinging arm, spins 
 in the motion, doing a backhand punch.

 Liu Kang punches Sektor. PING! Bad idea. He grabs his fist 
 in pain. Sektor lands a roundhouse kick, Liu Kang flips to 
 the floor. He recovers, rolls away from an incoming axe 
 kick.

 Kitana pulls out her tessens, unfurls them. 

 A WARRIOR'S POV: Kitana spins one of the iron fans like a 
 wheel of death. 

 The blades cut into chest and chin, the Warrior thrown back 
 from the force.

 CUT TO:

 EXT. CAVERN MOUTH - NIGHT

 Zhongling is crouching, idly slinging rocks into the air. 
 Scorpion is standing a few feet behind him, watching the 
 mountain like a Doberman.

 The elevation makes the air cold, frigid, but they don't seem 
 affected by it.

 ZHONGLING
 My brother told me stories about you, 
 Scorpion. 
 (looking back)
 You... were Shirai Ryu, right?

 Scorpion glances down at Zhongling, and nods. Zhongling goes 
 quiet for the moment, contemplates.

 ZHONGLING
 He told me you were both sent after a 
 map, and you were killed because my 
 brother recovered it first.

 Again, Scorpion nods. Not a word spoken. Another long 
 moment between them, then --

 SCORPION
 I am here...

 Zhongling looks back, stunned. Scorpion has more than a two-
 word vocabulary!

 ZHONGLING
 Well, it's a start.

 INT. CAVERNS - NIGHT

 Back to the fight,

 Sektor whips its arm like a steel girder, which --