"On the first day, Earth will faultier and loose one of there best warriors. It will be then that the Elder Gods will begin there fight, and you my Lord will be freed from the pits of the Nether-realm. We then will unleash our wrath upon the humans, we will re-open open the portals of Outworld to Earth, and Rayden and the mortals will no stand a chance against our armies. This will be the period of Retribution."
- Quan Chi
The sun was setting, red and orange light filled the autumn, evening sky over New York City. It was a cold night, the weather getting considerably worse as the week drove on. Everywhere people rushed to get home, to get out of the weather that was coming.
"About a ninety percent chance that the city will see some snow tonight." the radio weather man over the airwaves as a strange man stood outside of a car parked in a small alley. He reached into the car and turned off the radio as he looked over at a man standing behind him. The man was middle aged, unshaven and sleep deprived. "Jarek you that crazy man, say when the snow comes I will come along." The man said as Jarek walked away fro car. "I aint gonna do it man." the man said as he began to turn away and walk off.
Jarek stopped and looked over his shoulder as the man walked away. "We agreed to this job, we agreed to avenge Kano and find Sonya Blade." Jarek said. "We must do this to get to her." Jarek said.
The man stopped and turned to face Jarek. His face was filled with fear and uncertainty. "ok, if I don't feel comfortable I'm out." He said as he walked back to Jarek. "Sonya Blade will pay."
~~~~
It was an empty warehouse somewhere in New York. Years of neglect had cause most of the building to fall in, but some parts where still in good shape. Jarek and the other man walked slowly through the dark empty building. The sound of broken glass could be heard under there feet as they walked.
They came to a large area surrounded by large cargo boxes. "This must be the shipment." Jarek said as he walked up to one of the boxes. He reached up and felt the side of the box, it was ridged and cold. He felt the cold on his hand, but a strange feeling came over his body as he felt the cold around his neck, the coldness of steel.
Around his neck he felt the sharp blade of a hook sword. He slowly turned as the man behind him had moved out of the way. "Movado, very brave." Jarek said as he looked Mavado in the eye. "Kano is gone, now it's down to you an me, for so long have I waited for the moment I look the great Jarek in the face." Movado said as he took the sword from around Jarek's neck. "Jarek, you fool you alone should have seen it coming." Mavado said as he raised his two swords. "You along should also Movado, that even with your weapons you an defeat me in battle." Jarek said.
"Fool." Movado said as he began to swing at Jarek with the two hooked swords. Jarek dodged the swings as the swords tore into the wooden boxes behind him. "You will escape this time Jarek." Movado said as he hurled one of the swords at Jarek. The sword missed and embedded itself into the crate behind Jarek. Jarek came up from his crouched position and flew through the air hitting Movado with a kick to the chest.
"With or without your weapons you can defeat me." Jarek said as he ran toward the fallen Movado. As he ran he felt something in his face, he felt the pain run through his body as he fell to the ground. He was picked up by tow Red Dragon members as they held him against the boxes.
Movado got to his feet and walked toward Jarek, now being held down by two men. "Now it ends." Movado said as he raised his sword. He was ready to strike as Jarek suddenly turned a glowing blue. Jarek suddenly was hurled thought the air and into a stack of the huge crates. The other two men felt themselves fly backwards into the stack of boxes behind them.
Movado looked around him as he felt the wind pick up behind him. He turned as he saw man drop from the ceiling. The mans features where hidden by the dark, the only thing Movado could see was a red mask covering the mans eyes, and the unmistakable glean of a sword.
There swords clashed. Movado could not keep up with the speed of the strange swords man. He felt himself being pushed back closer to the loading docks of the warehouse. Movado held off the man long enough to reach under his coat and grab a grappling hook. He hurled the hook toward the ceiling where it caught hold of a beam. He pulled himself up and pushed a button on his belt. Suddenly a small winch began to pull the wire the hook was connected to. Movado swung himself into the air throwing the wire around the waist of the masked man. "You loose sucker." He said as a brilliant flash of light illuminated the room. Movado with the masked man in his grasp flew into the air and suddenly disappeared through a portal. The lights dimmed and the warehouse was empty.
Jarek started to move around in the pile of boxes. He looked around the warehouse, he found himself alone. He stood up and began to run toward the exit of the building. He ran out of the door and make a quick glance behind him to see if he was being followed. He walked along the alley looking toward the ground. He began to get cold from the falling snow as he walked along. He looked up in front of him to see NYPD Police cars sitting around him.
He stopped in his tracks and put his hands into the air as he saw the figure of a female walking from the police cars. "You got me Sonya." he said he went down to his knees.
~~~~
The Shaolin temple stood quiet in the midday sun, the breezeways filled monks as they quietly moved from place to place. The wise men had talked of an approaching evil in the deeps of the Earth. These men prayed to the elder gods for peace but now they new this evil could not be stopped.
Lui Kang had been warned that his time would soon come again. His life path had taken many turns as Kitana and Sindel had recently returned from Outworld, a realm now in chaos since the fall of Shao Kahn. They had made plans to return to Outworld and with the help of Fugin, the god of Wind. But there plans were spoiled upon the mysterious disappearance of Lui Kang and Kitana.
It is believed they have returned to America to find Liu Kang's friend and partner, Kai. The Order Of Light has sent out search parties to find Lui Kang, but with no luck. It was until this moment that all hope was about gone.
~~~~
"Where is Kenshi Jarek?" Sonya said slamming her hand down onto the table in the police station. "I don't know I said, the last thing I remember is being slammed into some boxes then being arrested by you." Jarek said "Slammed how?" Jax said as he looked across the table at Jax. "I told you…" "Cut the crap Jarek, you know where Kenshi is and your not telling us." Sonya said once again slamming her hand down on the table.
Jarek looked up at her. "Ok, here is how it happened. I agreed to move a shipment of weapons to China for the guy called Chi, I never saw him only talked to him over the phone. He told me he could deliver you to me." He said looking up at Sonya. "So what the hell, I wanted to avenge Kano so I took it. Well I went to meet this guy and see the shipment. Well I got to the location and he wasn't there, well I as luck would have it I ran into Mavado, a Red Dragon member. Well me and him had an altercation, and the last thin I remember was being slammed into the crates. I awoke I saw light I saw Movado and a guy with a rd mask disappear like a bat out of hell into the sky. I hit my head, I may not have seen it I don't know." Jarek said looking at Sonya.
"We followed you to that warehouse, those boxes were empty, and to top it all off the Red Dragon has not been seen or heard since the disappearance of Kabal. SO all the evidence says your lying." Jax said standing up "And we have nothing on any guy called Chi. SO try something else." Jax said walking around the table. "That is the truth believe if you may, but I'm not changing my story." Jarek said as Jax and Sonya walked out of the door.
Outside they stood as they looked back in the window. "What is he is telling the truth, could this Movado be part of the Red Dragon." Sonya asked as she looked up a Jax. "He's lying his ass off and he knows it. Where could he have taken Kenshi anyway…." "Outworld." they heard a voice say.
Jax looked behind Sonya where a man stood. The man was dressed in civilian attire his face a pale white. "He was taken to Outworld, you should know about that place." the man said. "Who the hell are you?" Jax said as he walked toward the man. "Jax, Sonya your place is not here, there is an evil coming that I can not stop alone." The man said as he turned and started to run down the hall way. "Hey stop." Sonya yelled as her and Jax ran toward the man. They ran around a corner in the hall only to find it empty. The only door at the end of the hall.
"This guy is fast." Jax said as they ran into the main office of the police station. "Did a guy in white shirt just run through here?" Jax asked as they ran into the office. "No one through here Major, but this just came in for you." one of the local officers said as he handed Jax a fax.
Jax, Sonya, meet me at Ford's Dinner across the street this afternoon at 4PM
-Lui Kang
"Who is it?" Sonya asked. "It's Lui, he wants us to meet him at Ford's Dinner at four." Jax said putting the paper in his pocket. "We better get going then, its going to take some time to get there." Sonya said. "Can you put Jarek back into a cell, we'll be back." Jax said as they walked to the door.
"That was to weird" Sonya said as they walked out into the cold afternoon air. "What if something is stirring up again, you remember what Raiden said, evil is never dead only halted." Jax said as they walked to the door of the dinner. "I don't want to know." Sonya said opening the door. The dinner was empty except for one female working behind the counter.
"Welcome." they heard a voice say from the corner. The voice was very familiar to them, but not that of Lui Kang. They looked to see the man from the station sitting there. "What the hell.." Jax said pacing toward the man. "You are safe here." the man said standing up and looking out of the window. "Where is Lui Kang?" Sonya demanded reaching into her holster and grabbing her sidearm. "You know that can't hurt me." The man said looking out the window. "Listen to me, your skills will once again be put to the test, follow them, let them guide you. This battle can not be won by Mortals alone, you will need our help." the man said looking back at Jax. "What the hell are you talking about, and who the hell are you?" Jax asked grabbing the man around the neck.
The man looked at him, seeming unaffected by the strong grasp of Jax's powerful hand. "Two armies are massing right now in this city, the war for Earth is about to happen once again and you must learn!" The man said as his eyes started to glow a dull gray color. Jax let go of the mans neck as his body seemed to dissolve under him. "It has begun."
Sonya and Jax stood and looked at the now empty dinner, everyone was gone even the woman behind the counter. They evening sky began to get cloudier than normal as Sonya and Jax walked back into the street. People were running as lightening filled the sky. The winds whipped through the streets. "Jax Sonya." they heard a voice say, it was Lui Kang.
Lui Kang ran up to them with Kitana. "What's going on?" Lui Kang said looking toward the sky. "I wish I could tell you." Jax said as suddenly a large flaming hole opened in the sky above the police station. "Oh no not again.: Sonya said looking up into a large ball of fire that slammed into the station, destroying it. All around the city similar hole opened in the sky as fire dropped destroying the city. "Portal are opening from all around, but is not Outworld." Kitana said as she ducked under an overhang to avoid the flaming debris. "From where?" Lui Kang asked. "There is only one place with fire…." Kitana said as smaller portal opened in front of them.
The portal was much smaller and lacked the flames. Two figures made there way from the portal. One dressed in maroon and black. His empty eyes surrounded by black. The other dressed in Black, his shoulder attire with long spikes reaching to the top of his head. His eyes filled with pure evil, a red mark just above his eye brows, all pitted against a cold white face.
"What a place, I never understood the human ways. Oh look, our hero's all clustered together in one place." The man said turning and looking at them as the portal closed behind them. "As you can see my armies, and loyalist are gathering in this city, and in all cites around the world. By the way I am Quan Chi and this is Reiko, and you must Raiden's pride and joy. Pathetic." Quan Chi said as he and Reiko began to circle the humans.
"What are you doing here." Kitana asked as she looked Quan Chi in the eye. "And hello to you also Kitana. Lets see where do I start. Well first I had to have a motive to invade, so I looked in the pace most people won't dare to go and found it. Shinnok. I aided him in escaping from the Nether-real and getting retribution on Earth for the death of his son. In only a matter of minutes the gates of the nether-realm will open and release a furry upon this Earth that not even Shao Kahn himself could ever inflict on this hopeless planet. You see it was me that brought you here, Sonya and Jax you seek Jarek, so I played Jarek like a bad poker hand, I got him here and then had Movado turn on him, he was supposed to kill him but Kenshi had to ruin it for me. Now Kenshi is trapped in Outworld a place he doesn't want to be. Lui Kang you are just plain weak, you came searching fro your friend Kai, it was all me I can get in your head. " Quan Chi said getting into a fighting stance.
Suddenly the winds around them started to pick up as trash from the chaos started to form up between Quan Chi and the humans. The trash started to form the figure of man. Quan Chi suddenly stepped back. "You fool!" a voice said as the trash floated away revealing a man. "What are you doing Quan Chi?" the man asked looking into the eyes of Quan Chi. "Fugin, so you're the new protector of Earth, Raiden did a better job." Quan Chi said looking at him. "You have gone to far this time sorcerer, this time you will die." Fugin said. "Your to late, wind god." Quan Chi said as a he hurled his hands out in front of him. A green skull came flying fro his hand and hitting Fugin in the abdomen.
Quan Chi and Reiko stepped back as a portal opened. Before Fugin could get to his feet the portal closed taking Quan Chi and Rico with it. Lui Kang, Jax, Sonya and Kitana rushed over to help Fugin up. "Who is that?" Sonya asked as Fugin got to his feet. "Quan Chi, a power hungry sorcerer." Fugin said. "listen to me, and listen to me good, Quan Chi has helped Shinnok escape from the Nether-realm. We are facing two very dangerous and deadly adversaries we are going to need help. Lui Kang find Kai, we need him. Jax and Sonya, I need you to find Kenshi, you can get to Outworld through the Nether-realm, use the velisphere to get you there. I will find Raiden, and Sub Zero, we will need there help especially Sub Zero." Fugin said as he turned to walk the street.
The sky turned black as large portals opened all over the city. "Where do we find you?" Lui Kang asked. "Find me here. The battle will be here." Fugin said as the wind once again picked up and he disappeared into the sky.
~~~~
Shinnok and Quan Chi walked down the streets as people fled from the Outworld Nomadic hunters released during the invasion. "Every man woman and child who defies me I want dead Quan Chi. This time I will not fail in taking Earth." Shinnok said as they walked. "My Lord you have my guarantee I will take this planet for you, the only thing I ask in exchange is complete control of Outworld." Quan Chi said stopping. "I told you before, we will see when I get control of Earth not before. Now do I have your guarantee that your pawns are loyal to us?" Shinnok asked. "Reptile is easily persuaded, and Scorpion will surely destroy Sub Zero." Quan Chi said. "Good, how about the others?" Shinnok asked. "Reiko once served you, and Movado will make sure Sonya Blade, and Jax are dead." Quan Chi said. "You better not fail me, or your soul will be mine, is that understood." Shinnok said. "Yes, our first target is Nightwolf, he will be out of hair in a few hours." Quan Chi said.
"So be it." Shinnok said as he walked off. Quan Chi stood looking as his master walked away. Reiko soon joined him. "Reiko, send out the extermination squads, any human the defies us die, those who do not bring them to the tower." Quan Chi said walking away. "And another thing, send out our best warriors, find Fugin and his mortals, and bring them to me in Outworld." Quan Chi said stopping. "It will be done." Reiko said as he turned and vanished into a portal.
~~~~
Night fell over the city, the flames from the hundreds of fires burning all over the city now lighted the dark, powerless city. As the more and more of Shinnok's rule fell over the Earth, the more and more human resources started to disappear. Many people still moved around the city, hiding from the extermination squads launched by Quan hi earlier in the day. These survivors, some successful in killing the Nomadic Hunters from Outworld, but most finding them selves dead, there souls now Shinnok's.
Footsteps of someone running could be heard coming up one of the many dark alley ways. His camera swung around his neck as he ran through the blinding snow beginning to fall. His face cold and chapped from the blistering winds, his breathe clouding around him as he ran. He ran harder trying to gain speed but his legs failing him now as he fell to the ground in exhaustion. The young man quickly crawled and hunkered himself into a corner as he saw a dark figure moving down the alley toward him. "Here, take my wallet but please don't hurt me." The frightened man said as he threw the wallet at the feet of the figure walking toward him.
He hunkered in closer into the corner as a grasp the camera in his hands. As he held the camera in his cold shivering hand a small reptilian like creature grabbed onto the camera. The creature began to pull back as the man tugged back on the camera. "Come here!" he heard a voice say as he tugged on the camera.
The sling on the camera began to tear as the man pulled back on it. He looked from the corner of his eye to see a hand grab the base of the head on the creature. The hand broke the creatures grasp on the camera. Suddenly the creature and the long tail leading back to dark figure began to stiffen and freeze. "Scorpion you always were a fool." Sub Zero said as he kicked the spear causing it to shatter into pieces.
Sub Zero stood in the open alley, his scared eye fixed on the empty white eyes of the yellow ninja. He stood as Scorpion moved from the shadows into view. "When will this end?" Sub Zero said as ice began to form around his hands. "Get over here." the voice of Scorpion said as he released another spear from the opposite hand. Sub Zero quickly evaded the spear with his ice clone.
"You still beat that trick can you." Sub Zero as he released a ball of ice from his hand head for Scorpion. The ice came at Scorpion as he moved from the freezing projectile's path, watching it strike the wall behind him, leaving a sheet ice. Scorpion turned back to Sub Zero and ran at him. Jumping and kicking his leg out Sub Zero blocked the upcoming kick from Scorpion sending the yellow ninja into a nearby trash dumpster.
Sub Zero kicked at Scorpion's head, missing as Scorpion quickly moved as the blue ninja's foot slammed into the medal. Feeding on the fault of Sub Zero, Scorpion hit Sub Zero with series of punches knocking him of his balance. The battle raged through the alley as the two ninja's made there way into the open street.
A series of fierce of quick hard punches from Sub Zero startled Scorpion, causing him to go down to one knee. Catching himself with his hand he was able to miss the fierce blue fist of Sub Zero as a massive bolt of ice came from the blue ninja's hand freezing the already cold ground. The yellow ninja regain his composer as he send a fireball from his fist toward Sub Zero, striking the blue ninja, and sending him to the ground.
"You weak fool." Sub Zero yelled as he got to his feet and quickly slide across the ground toward Scorpion. As he got closer the yellow ninja seemed to engulf in flames and disappear. Sub Zero slide past the flames as Scorpion vanished into thin air. Looking around he saw nothing in the empty streets, he was all alone, Scorpion was gone.