A/N: Hey GUYS! Long time no see! Lol. Sorrry abt the late update! but hey! I explained didn't I? Well, for better or worse, this is going to be my last chapter *sniff! Sob! cry!* its like losing in touch with all of you beautiful people! *sob!* BUT! Look out for tomorrow, coz I'm also gonna put in a 'cast & credits' chapter! And you wouldn't wanna miss that one! I'll put in all the names of everyone who was casted in this short 'game' so to speak ;-). SO! Off with the future and in with the present! (I kept this chapter waiting for a lo-oh-ng time! sorryz)
(Note: words in italic are thoughts of Kung Lao and the voices he is hearing. Words in both italic and ' " ' are Raiden's words.)
CHAPTER XI
"What?" Sonya Blade's voice silently whispered in the dark room, the flame from the fireplace was the only source for light. As the thick, dark layers of clouds filled the night sky outside, the three mortals who were awake on a night like this had their minds totally confused. Kung Lao was still sitting on the wooden floor. Next to him laid the sleeping, and sometimes snoring, bodies of Nein Lee, an Asian teenager, Agent Kenshi, a blind swordsman working for the O.I.A, and Jackson Briggs, the major of the O.I.A (Outerworld Investigation Agency). On the old chairs, next to the 'dining' table sat Johnny Cage and Sonya Blade, what they were doing alone all this time was yet a mystery, but the two were the only persons from the first tournament decades ago. And those two and Kung himself were the three woken mortals.
"Ah . . . Kung, you're starting to freak-me-out!" The actor nearly yelled, but the amount of sound his vocal cords would let him speak, only came out as a statement.
"Shh . . ." Sonya hushed Johnny loudly enough to remind him about the sleeping other three. "What . . . are you talking about? How can Liu be alive?" She continued, turning her head away from the movie star. She was concerned that a monk doesn't always joke about life and death.
"I . . . had a dream." Kung Lao finished, his voice clear; but never above a whisper. The roaring sound of thundering outside, echoed through the room as soon as those words were said.
Both Cage and Blade were frozen still, not knowing how to re-act on their friend's comment. When a person dreams, what he saw in the dream can not always be true, especially when someone dreams that his or her best friend returned back from the dead.
"Oh great! So now he is dreaming!" Johnny Cage hysterically agreed, mostly to mock the young monk.
"At least I don't waste my dreams wondering about the cheap sunglasses you wear! You Tom Cruise wannabe." Kung blurted out, this was an argument he wanted to fight.
"My sunglasses cost more than the salary you get per-year! And as for Cruise I--"
"Johnny please . . . just . . . Shut up! Alright? Shut-the-hell-up!" This time the General of the O.I.A butted in to stop the hustle. But her anger got in the way, resulting her shouting at the actor. Kung 'shhed' at her, indicating with his fingers to 'lower the volume'.
"Well he started it!" Johnny again complained like a 6-year-old.
"Did Not!"
"Did To!"
"DID not!"
"DID to!"
"DID NOT!"
"DID TO!"
"QUIITE!" Blade's last command was loud enough to completely shut-out the two men. It was also loud enough to drag Nein Lee's light-sleeping brain out. The poor teenager sprang from his 'bed' and sat-screaming gabbled up words together.
"Wha? What happened . . .?" His brain could finally let him speak.
"Your 'boss' here can't keep up a simple conversation without ending it in AN ARGUMENT!" Sonya screamed with her lungs one last time at Johnny, who had his teeth clenched.
"Yeah well . . . keep it down! People are trying to sleep!" Lee collapsed on his pillow soon after, entering a world where shadows walk.
Jax and Kenshi were both deep sleepers. So they had no trouble about the shouting.
"So you were saying?" The General raised her eyebrows at Kung Lao, waiting again for his explanation about Liu's death. But her answer never truly came. Kung sighed out a deep breath and decided not to tell his friends about the upcoming threat. All he said was "Nothing . . . just . . . it was just a dream."
He couldn't sleep a wink that night, so he went up from the bedside of the room and had coffee with his long time compatriots. He knew that they had 2 more days before they would reach the Lost Island. 2 more days before they would had to fight in MORTAL KOMBAT.
As the storm continued to fall outside, the sound of thunder growling was the only sound they could hear from the world on the on the other side. This night had finally passed.
On the eve of the second morning, the storm stopped at a sudden as soon as the Nethership floated near that island. Rainwater changed into a mist of thick fog and nothing could be seen for even a meter ahead. The cache these six chosen warriors were taking refuge in, slowly became abandoned as they packed their belongings and met at the front deck. Of course the yellowish fog also poured itself on it. Silence curved upon every breath, the cold winter weather on a July morning wasn't something you can always feel.
Kung dropped his bag on the floor the minute he could see a hazed shape of a mountain up ahead. As if hissing from a horror movie, a voice of a familiar male echoed through his body. The voice of Shang Tsung's spirit if it may. 'Come to me~' No, not Shang, someone far more demonic, the one person who was waiting till that very moment on the mountain . . . on this forbidden island. 'Come to me ~ . . .' It hissed once more before stopping. No one other than the young monk could hear this call, and he again knew it was no dream.
"There it is," Kung announced clearly forgetting his fear. The shape of a mysterious island came barely to view, "Shang Tsung's Lost Island."
"'Lost'?" The youngest member, Lee, spoke out in the midst of confusion.
"Yes . . . 'Lost'. Not all mortals are allowed to enter this land." The blind man, Kenshi answered not only to Nein, but the rest as well.
Soon as they neared the island, the only sight to see was the path they would have to go. As if in some magical way, the fog showed them the path to their ultimate destination. Beautiful as the scene would seem, a mix of fear and evil had engulfed the oxygen. The ship slowly came to a full halt and by the look and direction of the fogs; a wooden platform was there. Just as any other dock.
"Let's go!" Major Briggs quoted, fixing the sunglasses on his bald eyes. He made his way down the ramp. Followed by Johnny Cage, who at least, took half of his luggage and left the rest to carry Nein Lee with. The teenager had his eyes wide-opened at the sight of the beach.
"Whoa . . ." was only he could whisper. Forgetting the load he was dragging. As Sonya Blade, Agent Kenshi and Kung Lao continued down . . . the whistle or 'mouth of the dragon' on the Nethership blew steamily to indicate it's departing time. But the ship was there to stay, not depart. Once standing on the heavily moisture sand, the six stood at a place to clear their heads first.
"Ah . . . yeah," started the martial arts actor, his gaze looked deeper into the large re-modeled structure of a mountain cut into a building shape.
"Are we supposed to climb up those 20-thousand-stairs again? Coz my feet are really—" Johnny was cut off by Jax' loud mouth. This didn't please the actor one bit.
"Nah, I don't think we're gonna have to go up there again. The man in white said we were supposed to have a meeting here . . . somewhere."
"Oh, reeally?"
"What does that suppose to mean?!"
"It's supposed to mean that: Are you saying you know better than me? Hmm? I've been here more than once okay? So I think I know what to do!"
"Well for your 'information' I've been here more than twice!"
"You wanna get smart with me baldy?"
"Guys! Guys!" Kung's interfering made the fight stop for the moment, "We are not allowed to argue on these grounds."
"Hah! See? We are not allowed to do that stuff! Now what is it with you guys? You are all trying to pick on me! Why? Just cause I'm the rich guy here?" Cage now stood on the opposite side, his back was towards the temple/mountain/building/chamber (whatever).
"At least you are here," a 7th person spoke out, emerging from the mists, "Not everyone can even survive the journey this far." Mark Montalban, or 'Smoke', the Lin Kuei master walked his way across the free space, his master Subzero and the ninja Frost followed.
"And you are . . .?" Sonya Blade asked the new person with a touch of British gentleness, not something you normally get from the O.I.A General.
"Mark, Mark Montalban. A pleasure to meet you." He shook her hand, this made Johnny roll his eyes "Yeah sure," he whispered to Jacks and meaning the 'pleasure to meet you' part. His then looked at Frost and stuck out his hand, saying: "Hi, I'm Johnny Cage and you are?" The ninja just roller her own eyes and walked away from him. Ignoring the poor actor.
"Her name is Frost. You met her on the last tournament." The Grandmaster Subzero informed as he entered the crowd. The metal mask he was wearing disguised his scarred face. The shore was now full with 9 fighters. And these 9 fighters would soon face another team of 11 fighters. For the Dragon King was still waiting in this island. The faith of millions will depend on these 9 warriors who will represent the forces of light at its best.
"Where is Raiden?" Kung's questions started, "He told us to meet him here . . . where is he?" A good question, the rest noted mentally. The current where about of the Thunder God was what they wanted to know, and more importantly why has the God of Thunder called them.
"Lord Raiden is waiting inside. He told me that he will contact with us once the appropriate time had passed." Subzero confirmed with his cold voice.
"Well we better get going, we can't just sit around here all day." Major Briggs said and steadied his backpack. With that in mind, the others agreed.
"The smell in the air, and the mist of the humid. Directs us to head north of the mountain. Not inside it, we should be going there." Kenshi, the blind agent, slowly stated and started walking towards the direction of the fog. Kung Lao, Johnny Cage, Sonya Blade, Smoke, Frost, Nein Lee, Jax and Subzero proceeded with their luggage. Even as the time was 9:30AM, the sky had darkened due to the cloudy weather. A weather condition like this on the Lost Island would acquire only once an eternity, only once . . . when danger had a different form.
As the nine fighters deepened into the island, the only pattern they were following led not in the mountain-shaped building, but inside the depths of a jungle-like background. The time soon changed, it was nearly sundown once they were on the core of the vast jungle. Trees, which seemed centuries old and flies and insects that, covered the land. It was a spectacular sight to any nature-lover. The fogs had now changed phase; instead of masking the outline of the scenery, the heavy-mist had marked the path with which they were to travel. Later on, a temple in the midst of the forest was in view. And the yellow condensed vapor 'walked' in this temple. Old as it seemed, the temple was actually newly made.
"This is new . . ." Frost thought out loud at the first glimpse, her statement wasn't answered by any of the mortals. Setting foot inside the wooden council, one-by-one each individual fighter gathered around a burning fire, placed just in the middle of the small round room. A gold-plated gate was located on the left side while lit flame-sticks covered around the walls. Sifu Subzero and Blind Kenshi shut closed the double-doors from which they entered, causing an echo in the silent room.
"Ooh, its cold out there!" the major shivered near the fire.
"Welcome to 'the-wooden-temple-like-thing-located-in-the-middle-of-no-where!' the weather will be fully chilly tonight as usual so you might want to stay in-doors." General Blade joked, forming a smile only on Nein's face. The remaining group was pretty much serious and not in a joking mood.
"So now what?" A frustrated Kung Lao pleaded for his answer. He saw the coffin of the dragon king. All he wanted to do was to talk to Raiden. Only Raiden could give him the correct answer. Those voices, those visions, all were related to the ancient King.
"We wait," The Grand Master of the Lin Kuei announced more than informing, "We wait until Raiden arrives." Said he.
"But you said Raiden was here?" His pupil, Smoke questioned.
"Yes I did." But Subzero's assertion ended before it was finished. The golden door on the left of the room suddenly flung opened! And emerging from the cold smokes of it, was the Edanian warrior . . . Princess Kitana. Not surprisingly, the warriors of Earth had their eyes locked on the Princess. She looked not even a day older since their last encounter. Kitana was ageless. Meaning she would not grow. Long ago when Kitana was the adopted daughter of Shao Kahn, the Emperor cursed her with an unbreakable spell. She would never age another day from her 29th Birthday. Ever since, the Princess of Edenia had trained to be an assassin to work for Kahn. Unfortunately, after she had mastered all of the fighting styles of Outworld, Kitana betrayed Kahn and came to Earth to join Liu Kang and the rest of the chosen fighters. After Kahn's fall during the invasion, Kitana took Edenia, or Outworld, and ruled it along side her mother Queen Sindel.
But after the death of both Liu Kang and Goro, an ally of Kitana's armies, The Princess had declared that she would use all her powers to help protect not only Edenia, but Earth-realm as well. For it was for the people of Earth only that she could take her rightful place back from the evil grip of Shao Kahn.
"Princess Kitana." Kung Lao spoke out first, emphasizing her name after six-months.
"Young Kung Lao . . . How have you been?" She asked, Kung had been like a younger brother to her ever since Liu introduced the two, so very long ago. Smiling, the young monk nodded, indicating 'well'. Sonya was standing next to her, they shared a hug and smiled at each other. Over the years both Sonya and Kitana had fought back-to-back, the friendship they bonded was like having a sister. Unlike Kitana's twin sister who was a mutant and worked for Kahn.
Letting go of her friend, the Princess looked at Nein Lee, she had never seen the young boy before and finally asked:
"And who is this?"
"I'm ah . . . I'm Nein Lee ma'am, I work for Mr. Cage"
"'Mr. Cage'?" Mister Cage walked in front to greet his long-time friend. "Since when did you call me Mr. Cage?"
"Hello Johnny Cage," Kitana greeted a 3rd time, accepting Johnny's handshake.
"Hey Kitana,"
"I saw your movie--"
"I didn't know they released it on Outworld?"
"—It was a flop."
". . . Oh . . ."
"You all have come here! This is a surprise!" The Princess of Outworld turned away to meet the remaining fighters.
"Yeah, Raiden told us to meet him here." Jax declared.
"Did he tell you why you were to meet him here?"
"No."
"I thought so."
"He said something about the tournament." Smoke informed the royal member.
"Smoke's son I believe?"
"Yes,"
"So Kitana . . . Why can't our O.I.A agents open a portal to Edenia?" Sonya went straight to business. Her men had been trying to open a portal for months. But due to some technical or magical failure, the operation never fulfilled.
"You couldn't?" Asked the Princess in surprise.
"No, our scientists confirmed a spiritual locking?"
"Spiritual?"
"Wait a second." Frost, the now youngest member interfered on their conversation. "O.I.A? as in the Outerworld Investigation Agency? You're Lt. Sonya Blade of the Special Forces?!" She clearly shouted at the older woman.
"Yes! What's wrong?!" Sonya Blade yelled back. Turning down on a fight was never her motive, but fighting a kid? That wasn't her motto!
"YOU BITCH!" Frost screamed again, raging with all her strength, she grabbed Sonya by the collar!
"What is WRONG WITH YOU?!" Blade pushed the younger female away, only to be grabbed by her again with more rage! Frost screamed:
"YOU KILLED MY FATHER!"
"I DID NOT!"
"FROST!" Subzero now tried to stop his pupil.
"YOU MURDERER!"
"SHUT UP! I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT THE HELL YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT!"
"REMEMBER 'KANO'?!" That stopped the General, this was her arch-enemy's daughter? 'Kano' the most wanted man on the Special Forces' list, how can he even have a family?
"You're Kano's daughter?"
"You wicked Murderer!" Frost cried from Subzero's arms. That confirmed it. Years' worth of rage poured down her eyes. All these years she wanted to know and kill the person who took her father's life. She once explained it to her Sifu and he was trying to stop her?
"If I hadn't killed your father, then he would have killed countless other fathers! HE was the murderer!" Sonya shouted at the young ninja. Trying, wanting for the first time in her life to stop this kid from getting into a fight.
"You LIE!" The troubled girl leaped out of her master's arms and tried to kill the person standing before her. The anger she had – the hatred reflected on her face. But suddenly a huge foundation of lighting and thunder blasted from the floor to the roof, and a heart-shattering voice that echoed from everywhere demanded:
~*~*~*~~*~*~*~~*~*~@"ENOUGH!"@~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*
Between both Frost and Sonya, a man now stood with white-clothing, his eyes were glowing with electricity. This old man was the God of Thunder and Lighting, this was Lord Raiden. His sudden appearance froze everyone in the room.
"THIS wasn't why I called you here!" Raiden's voice sounded calm . . . but loud enough to wake the dead.
"Whining like children . . . IS THIS WHAT YOU ALL HAVE BEEN TRAINING FOR?!"
"Raiden . . ." Kung Lao wanted to relax his mentor down. He had never seen him so angry before.
"—There is more serious matter at hand. More serious than the PATHETIC way you're wasting your strength in!"
Frost wanted the God of Thunder to be on her side, "But she--"
"Don't." Raiden slowly walked towards her, glaring down at the young girl. The electricity had stopped forming on his eyes, "Your father – Kano, was on their side. He never cared about you, nor anyone else besides himself! He betrayed his own master for money! You think that such a human being should have lived to kill more people?" Frost's head was bowed down. Small tears re-forming on her eyes because she knew those words were true. Her father was a member of the Black Dragon organization. And no matter how much she wanted to regret it, only terror-rising people were members of that clan.
"You have NO idea what dangers lie ahead do you?" He now spoke for the entire 10 men and women who were there.
"Tell me this, do you know who the Dragon King was?" No response came, meaning not everyone had the knowledge. Kung Lao knew it, but he kept quiet anyway.
"I should have known. Long ago when the reptiles dominated the world . . . there was a great ruler by the name of; The Dragon King. He was a dragon, unlike the dinosaurs. He breathed fire. Knowing that he will not survive the upcoming ice-age. The King stored his last known egg in a hidden underground chamber, saying that one day his son will take earth back from the humans."
"What happened to the egg now?"
"The egg was kept safe by human priests later on. But some enemies cursed the egg with a spell thought to be unbroken: the egg's soul would take on a human form and upon the man's death, the egg shall hatch. Gaining the ability to change into his human form whenever he wishes. Now, that day has arrived. The egg has hatched. and one of our oldest adversaries; The Dark Lord Shinnok, has—"
"Shinnok is a Dark Lord now? I thought he was an Elder god?"
"Yes, he was, but now he has grown more powerful. Surpassing even me. Shinnok has volunteered to lead the Dragon King for his world domination. Agreeing on the term that 'who so ever wins in hand-to-hand Kombat will be crowned as Earth's new King'! If you win this last and final time . . . the realm of Earth will be safe, but if Shinnok wins – Earth will again be his to take."
Kung Lao's eyes were wide with fear. "Oh My God!" Said he, "This is it. This was the dream I had! 'The Rise of the Dragon King' . . . what does it mean Raiden?" His question, the one question that had been haunting Kung Lao ever since Liu's death . . . "What is my connection with the Dragon King?" Not only Kung, but also the other fighters that occupied the room were also waiting for Lord Raiden's response, a bit shocked by Kung Lao's choice of word 'connection'.
"I have nothing further to teach you on this journey Kung Lao. You will learn your answers soon – very soon."
'It wasn't fear' was all that ran through the young monk's mind. He needed to know now!
On the right-most side of the circle-room, where Blind Kenshi had been leaning, the wall suddenly slid opened, as if it had some kind of mechanism. It slid to a full door-size, and a shadowy figure stepped out—
"Scorpion!" Subzero quickly recognized his old some-what 'friend'. But the ninja specter had other things in his agenda. Before Subzero could walk towards Scorpion, the wall next to him also slid opened the same way. This time, however, the nomadic mutant Baraka stepped out. He was still wearing the Red-Dragon mask. Then the wall next to that one, then next to that one and again and again secret doors kept on sliding open. Literally circling the round room. Each time, a fighter stepped in front. Now, they stood in an official order:
Scorpion, Baraka, Noob Seibot, Lei Mei and five other new unknown enemies stood there.
"What's going on?" a confused Nein asked to everyone, but none answered to the teen due to the entry of another villain.
The golden-gate on the left side had a stairwell sloping from it. And who seemed like a familiar friend, was now a foe.
'You came . . .' That voice hissed on Kung's ears again! This was the creature from his dreams! This was his answer!
But instead of a viol dragon, Liu Kang stepped forward! As if really returning from the dead! Liu Kang was the Dragon King! It now all fell into place, his ability to change into a full dragon while others had animalities of a half-animal. The nightmares that haunted Kung Lao, the way Liu defeated Shinnok all those years ago!
"Liu . . .?" Kung could barely speak, the others being shocked at the sight of their deceased ally standing before them. "Liu? How could you . . .?" A large hand gripped at 'Liu Kang's' left shoulder. Shinnok appeared behind the former champion of Mortal Kombat. "Not Quite Young Monk." His gleaming voice echoed not in the room, but on the ears of every mortal present in that floor. As if echoing to their soul. Screaming at their hearts.
"Meet your new King. Ha, ha, hah, ha, BOW to the Dragon King!"
'to the dragon king'
A huge thunder stroke outside, meaning the unavoidable storm will hit now. Kung Lao, Johnny Cage, Sonya Blade, Agent Kenshi, Jackson Briggs, Nein Lee, Frost, Smoke, Subzero and Princess Kitana were the only ten fighters who had the power and strength, to defend the realm of Earth from the clutches of an old friend, in a tournament called 'Mortal Kombat'.
As Raiden just said:
"IT HAS BEGUN."
THE BEGINNING OF THE END
A/N: MORTAL KOMBAT!!!!!!!! Lol. So did ya like it? I've decided to end it here. Why? Well, because I think it is appropriate to end the battle at the beginning of the battle. Like what happened in the old 1992 Mortal Kombat comic-book remember? It's a Mortal Kombat- thing that they would stop a cinematic thing when it all begins! So are you guys okay with it? y'know, if it werent for you guys (and stop me if you heard this one before) this story had been a total disaster! YOU guys made it all happen and encouraged me to write more and more. and that is what makes me happy! Well, come back here tomorrow for a special 'THANK YOU' chapter dedicated to YOU guys and YOU guys only! Cyaz laterz.
~ TheNav