Pounding on the frozen doors that he himself had sealed had been the last thing Subzero had expected as he smashed his fists against them.
"Come on!" he shouted pounding his fists against the door and rattling the handle. The corridor had gone dark and mysterious. The air was suddenly much colder and an eerie laughter was floating down it coming closer. It spoke the following words:
"You've grown strong Subzero since we last met, but not all that strong. You don't understand how powerful I've become"
"Scorpion?" he quivered, "Why are you trying to kill me"
"Because you are responsible for everything that happened to me"
There was a crack and the doors opened. Ice shattered across the floor.
"Are you running from me Subzero? You killed me once before don't you remember? Are you dishonoring me by running away from this rematch"
"I'm a fucking Lin kuei!" roared Subzero defiantly, "I run away!" and he did charging down the steps.
He slipped on his own ice and fell painfully down the steps onto his back. The doors swung back and forth as if an old wind were blowing them from another time. Standing to his feet Subzero only just lifted his hands in time as the ninja specter leapt through the doors and kicked crossing down the steps he hit Subzero squarely on the arms. Although very much a ghost it seemed that Scorpion's power to destroy was very much a reality. He staggered back and Scorpion attacked fast and deadly. Dodging aside Subzero rolled out of the way and came to the broom cupboard. Hands glowing blue he aimed at the floor and froze everything up to Scorpion's feet. The ninja slipped as he ran and landed on his back. Reaching into the cupboard Subzero took the first thing to hand, which happened to be the mop from the day before. Slipping forward he almost fell himself he brought the mop down on the specter twice and hard. The third time it snapped and he tried to jab the sharp end in the specter's face.
Scorpion grabbed the other end and almost managed to throw him over his head. Subzero staggered back slipping and let go only just counterbalancing what Scorpion had attempted. Grabbing the nearest door he shakily made his way through and ran on towards the exit unsure of how to continue the fight.
"You can't run!" called Scorpion's voice behind him. The laughter followed him through the passages.
"Maybe if I get to sunlight," thought Subzero to himself, "I can escape him, he is after all dead"
Everywhere Subzero ran in the palace there were now signs of chaos and confusion. Weapons were lying withdrawn on the floor. Blood stained the walls from unknown fights and confusion. He passed the door to the throne room, which was half closed on an arm that lay limp on the floor presumably part of a body inside. As he passed it the door handle fell off and tinkled on the floor. Passing through a corridor he jumped over the two soldiers that he and Jonny Cage had killed. Finally he came to the long entrance hall and ran towards the exit. As he opened the doors he heard the hiss of an unfamiliar blade behind him. He broke through the gap jumping he span round so that his body was perpendicular to the ground he came out and watched as a harpoon blade or something like it flashed below him in mid air. He landed painfully on the courtyard floor and grasped the tiles to get to his feet. His hands were red and raw from the fall. The rope of the blade was trying to rap itself round his foot like a snake. Quickly he pushed and tugged it off and aside before it could tighten.
The harpoon retreated and the ninja specter appeared out of the hallway sucking up the long cord of rope in his hands. This harpoon or whatever it was had become part of Scorpion's new ghostly power.
The Blade would have pierced Subzero's flesh and brought it back to the ghost for destruction had it not missed. Subzero watched standing to his feet as it retreated snakelike all the way into his hand. A ball of pure fire appeared in the specter's hands, which he thrust forward and Subzero avoided only just in time. There was a bang as it hit the ground and Subzero dived for cover. In the smoke and fire he ran away and Scorpion followed.
"Where is Shangtsung to protect you now little Subzero?" called the ghost after him The buildings passed away either side until the only exit to the palace came in sight. The pit. Subzero ran across the spikes looming up below everywhere. His feet pounded across the stone beneath him with nothing to stop him falling should he slip or make a mistake. As he reached half way there was a flash of flames and smoke ahead of him. Scorpion strode forward and raised his hands in an offensive pose.
"You can't be serious!" exclaimed Subzero, "You can't make me fight you here there's a forty foot - whatever drop down to spikes on either side! We'll probably both die"
"I'm already dead," growled the specter walking closer.
Subzero turned the other way and started to run. Scorpion followed expectantly ready to chase him all the way back into the palace. However that didn't happen. Suddenly and unexpectedly for the ninja Subzero turned round and fired an ice bolt straight at himself. Scorpion swerved aside only just dodging it he balanced managing to stay on the bridge literally by the heels of his shoes. As he finally balanced himself Subzero attacked sideways on punching swiftly to the head, which Scorpion blocked and to the lower body hitting his hipbone. Scorpion jabbed out at lightning speed and smashed Subzero straight on the nose. He screamed in pain staggering back as blood started pouring out fast. The bone was broken and he kept one hand to his nose. He blocked a second blow which would have brought him to the floor with the second hand. Lightly he froze the area that had been effected only lightly to stop it from continually bleeding. His face was in dreadful pain. The ninja attacked with a sweep kick and Subzero jumped and kicked Scorpion in the head who fell onto his back and luckily for him not over the edge.
"Fucking bastard dodge this!" roared Subzero and hands glowing with a searing blue light he polar blasted with a light humming sound in the air. There was a huge flash of ice vapor and Scorpion dived aside. The bridge was frozen and Subzero made his way quickly over. Scorpion hung to the edge and was desperately trying to get up but every time he tried to get a leg on it slipped. Quickly Subzero kicked him in the head and himself slipped falling onto his back. He felt a hand clasp round his ankle and realized it was the ninja. He tried to get it off but he was too slow and he was quickly pulled his hands digging into the ice as he went over the edge. He hung on only just and Scorpion was hanging on to his leg. Desperately Subzero tried to shake him off seeing dizzily the spikes in their long lines below.
"Let go you freak!" he shouted, "You're dead! Don't you get it? Die"
"You're coming down with me!" hissed the specter digging his hands tighter. An icicle had formed under the bridge which now in that once place was sparkling prettily. They hung in-between the pillars of spikes that held up the bridge. Subzero grabbed the icicle and snapped it off. Flinging it down it pierced
Scorpion's hand just at the wrist vertically it went in his arm almost up to the elbow. Blood gushed everywhere spurting out all over his hand and arm and over Subzero's leg. Scorpion: his mouth opened in shock and a moment later he fell down and down towards death. The sound of metal against flesh and a loud whump were all that could be heard.
Subzero scrambled to his feet. He found himself with the same problem that Scorpion had had. Every time he tried to get a leg up he slipped. After some wiggling he finally managed to work his way up and onto the bridge. He crawled carefully across the icy patch and back to where the bridge was solid stone. Slowly he stood to his feet and placed a hand on his nose. Precariously he looked over the edge to see the blood seeping out below. He looked back once at the palace. Four or five soldiers could be seen distantly running into different buildings. They looked tiny compared to the surround structures. Subzero crossed the bridge and ran on into the forest. He could see no path and so he just ran on and on through the wilderness of which he had always presumed would be suicide to try and navigate alone.
He had been walking for a long time. The trees were strange and exotic and everywhere he looked was that special tree with the nectar that had tasted so sweetly and yet so were the trees that were poisoned. For a person who became steadily thirstier as time progressed it was a living hell. The jungle was not easy for Subzero to navigate. There was no clear path and he had to make it through as best as he could. He would be lucky if he found any water at all that day, or come to mention it ever. This was a foreign land and he had no idea what to do. The last thing that happened was that he had killed Scorpion. But how was that possible? How was it possible for him to have killed a ghost? He had seen the ninja die falling down onto the spikes below. Did this mean he was now rid of his assassin forever?
Was he as Shangtsung had said truly the chosen one destined through Mortal Kombat to defeat Shangtsung and Goro? If he was surely he should not be running away as he was at the moment. Where was there to go to in this place? All he had seen from the beach was trees and more trees. The forest for all he knew could go on forever and never finish.
The sky above was bright and happy but Subzero felt dull and at his wits end. The forest seemed somehow against him. If there was anywhere he could go he did not know of it. The only thing he knew was that he could not return to the palace. Scorpion and Shangtsung would be waiting. Somehow though he had to survive or Earthrealm would perish. Mortal Kombat dictated that Outworld had to win victory over the Earthrealm and its competitors. Sonya, Kano, Jonny Cage, Liu Kang may all have been dead, but while he the last Subzero still lived on there could be no final combat and the Elder God Law would not be completed. If Subzero died by accident then surely the law would decree that he had not been defeated via natural means? Surely then Earthrealm would be free at least until another Mortal Kombat? Would it cause an eleventh tournament if he were to commit suicide?
The trees cleared suddenly after so long to something Subzero would never have expected. He found something in the forest. Something strange - very strange. It was a temple. A vast wall of solid stone stretched out either way and went for as far as he could see in either direction. It was well worn with strange symbols everywhere one the walls. Directly in front of him was the entrance. A roman type triangle shape was above with pillars supporting the roof. Light could be seen at the other end although the passage was dark with vines and creepers climbing out of it.
Subzero felt he had no choice and decided to walk through it. He came out at the other end into something that amazed him. Beneath his feet was a scripture in a strange language but in the distance was a garden. Here it seemed were not grown plants (although there were trees here and there, scattered and themselves beautiful and well shaped) but statues. Each was as perfectly carved as if by Michelangelo, every time producing a perfect David. Every statue looked as real as if it were alive, caught up in the sands of time. They all seemed to be warriors of some sort or other. Everywhere he looked there were rows and rows of statues. It was a perfect place for hide and seek. Distantly he could see the walls that separated the temple from the forest.
What was even stranger was that as he ventured deeper into the gardens he recognized statues. Here there was the sorcerer Quan chi wearing his dark clothing. The expression was his commonest one - a sly smile thinking always of other more important things. As he passed down the rows he found another statue this time of Madame Dit doe the goddess of luck. What was strangest of all was that he found Cyrax amongst the statues and next to him on another pedestal was a stone robot of some sort. It looked real to life just as Cyrax did. It looked surprisingly out of place amongst the other warriors. What did this place mean?
He came upon the center of the temple where he found all of what he had expected. The dragon symbol was on the floor and in quick succession along the row he discovered everyone who had appeared in the tournament. Kano, Jonny Cage, Liu Kang, Sonya the Shokan prince Goro, himself and even Scorpion. It was here that he sat down amazed by it all looking at a statue of himself.
"I'm the last one," he whispered looking down at the stone floor, "It ends here"
Carefully he placed his hands together in prayer and prayed to Raiden. There was a soft glow of blue and a slab of ice appeared inside his palms. Carefully he cut it against the ground chipping bits away until it became sharp and deadly - a razor blade of sorts.
"One wrist then the other," he whispered, "and it all ends"
Carefully he took the ice and rested it against his left wrist. He felt the blood throb inside the vein. Something wasn't right about this. Why couldn't he kill himself now? What was wrong. He knew how to do it and there was reason enough to do it now that he had no hope of ever getting back to Earthrealm again.
Suddenly he knew what was wrong before it even happened. Dropping the blade he ducked and there was a whoosh of wind. The harpoon lodged itself in the statue of Goro where his head would have been.
"No!" roared a voice, "How dare you! How could you even think about it? How dare you try and damn me to the eternal void again"
Subzero stood to his feet and watched as the specter approached.
"You will die at my hands Subzero!" said Scorpion pointing his other hand. The harpoon withdrew with a metallic clunk and shot across the ground.
"Scorpion," said Subzero quietly, "If you kill me then Mortal Kombat ends with Outworld victorious. Whatever I did to you in your life, it is not as bad as what the emperor will do to our world or the world that you lived in when I too am dead"
"It is beyond that now!" insisted the ghost, "This rivalry is beyond the emperor and Mortal Kombat. It is between you and me and I shall succeed"
There was silence between them.
Subzero nodded, "You know I never liked you Scorpion. Always in the Lin kuei when I was trying to get to the top they always talked of you. Scorpion, now there's an assassin who cannot be conquered, there's a ninja who never fails. Will they ever catch him? They were all very complimentary of your skills but what of me? What of mine? I mattered nothing in my achievements. I knew very early on that there was nothing I could do that would give me the edge over you save one thing - destroy you"
"And my clan as well you fool, well you went too far and now you will pay for your dishonor with your life"
"What are you talking about?" said Subzero in disbelief "You know very well Lin Kuei. Do not try to pretend now that we have met thus far. Your end is nigh and you know it. As I am now, it is impossible for you to destroy me"
Scorpion rushed forward and before Subzero had a chance to say anything further he attacked. Scorpion this time took a different tactic. He aimed low and the idea worked. Subzero cringed taking several blows to the shins he almost fell until he was able to kick back and bypass some of the ninja's kicks. They passed a statue of a woman with wings who was so real that you could almost hear her growl.
The ninja was rushed and manic in his blows unafraid of death he made mistakes. Punching wildly Subzero caught the arm and yanked the ninja forward. Scorpion tried to trip but Subzero knew the ninja's style and dodged hopping forward he held the ninja in an arm lock. Bending the specter down he pushed Scorpion's face into the dirt and with a quick yank snapped the arm at the shoulder and pushed it upwards with a horrible noise so that it cracked behind and over his head. There was a sharp blow and Subzero fell back reeling from a kick to the belly.
"Didn't that even hurt?" groaned Subzero who quickly got up from the floor The arm still hung loose.
"It hurts nothing compared to what I'm going to do to you before I finally kill you," replied Scorpion turning round. Grabbing the broken limb there was a flash of flame and he pulled it stretching the costume ripped followed by the flesh. The broken limb burst off with a fresh spray of blood he flung the limb aside.
Subzero watched. He felt like he was going to throw up. The blood for some reason stopped as if it were all that were left in the body. The severed arm hung the bone sticking out of the flesh dripping on the stone slabs below.
"Let me show you what I've become," said the specter reaching up with the one hand. The mask wobbled as he took hold of it from above the head. That was the strange thing. It wasn't just the mask which came off - but the entire face as well. He flung it aside to reveal a shinny white skull with burning red eyes.
"Do you see my hate Subzero? Do you see how it burns inside me always? It burns on and on until it will consume you"
Subzero dodged knowing better. His mouth opened and a roaring flame rushed out as the eyes burned. The statue stopped the fire; it coursed round him on either side himself shutting his eyes.
"What the fuck are you!" screamed Subzero and turning he ran through the alleyways of faces. There was a blast of flame and it missed. He turned a corner and Scorpion was waiting there. Quickly he dodged aside just in time the flames coursed out from his mouth burning the grass that grew in between the slabs of stone. Subzero ran on until he came to an exit from that place. Distantly he could hear the rushing of water. Flames followed him as he left the temple singing the back of his body he felt the flames burn him and he screamed diving he rolled across the ground hitting a tree root. Scorpion followed from the entrance. He jumped out and landed with a laugh. Subzero ran on through the trees.
The trees burned scorched by the fire, which would no doubt cause a major forest fire. The palace itself might even be burned if it wasn't stopped immediately. Subzero ducked behind a tree panting for breath. Silence followed as he waited. He could hear the ninja distantly stepping through the trees looking for him.
"Where are you Subzero?" he whispered, "Its no use hiding - you know I will find you. You thought you could run away from me didn't you? But you were wrong - you see I can always smell you. I can find you wherever you hide. Its your hate, your smell, the way you are impure. I can feel your cold"
A bird squawked distantly and crossed the sky. The sound of rushing water sounded nearby this time louder. It continued fast and furious. There must have been some kind of river.
"Come out, come out wherever you are"
Bending down Subzero put his red raw palm round a small shinny round stone. That proved it, there had to be water of sorts round here or once upon a time. As quietly as he could he flung it into the air in the opposite direction that he wanted to run in. Scorpion's mutterings stopped. A moment later there was a blast of flames and Subzero ran.
"Aha! There you are!" came the shout from behind him He ran on and on until he thought his lungs were going to burst. After what seemed like an eternity of running the forest suddenly cleared and Subzero only just stopped himself from falling head first into trouble. Below him roaring was a huge river with jagged rocks. The chasm fell almost a mile deep with great foam and froth raging below. The water moved fast and furiously. Quickly he looked right and seeing nothing but a distant waterfall looked left. A rickety wooden bridge was hung across the chasm. Planks had fallen out of spaces and the wood looked old and rotten. It was however his only chance.
Subzero ran towards it just as a jet of flame shot out across the chasm where he had been standing. Running he turned onto the bridge that swayed rapidly from side to side. Quickly he tried to cross and not lose his balance at the same time. There was very little to stop him from falling over and down into the river below. There was a bang and Subzero turned his head. The bridge had caught fire at the entrance. Leaves burned as a tree began to catch fire. Up above the canopy of the forest he could see smoke from the fires that the ninja had caused. He ran on but to no avail. There was a flash of flames and Scorpion appeared on the other side of the bridge barring his path.
"Say bye-bye!" he laughed.
Subzero looked either side of him. In a moment the bridge would fall. The specter took in a deep breath. Subzero panicked.
"Bye bye!" he shouted hands growing blue he polar blasted the spot where Scorpion stood. The flames shot out but were frozen and dispersed mid way. The body with one missing limb stood a frozen mass of ice on the opposite side the frozen planks twinkling in the sunlight. Quickly he ran towards it but at that moment the bridge broke. He knew there was no other way. Leaping backwards he dived down spinning the fiery planks passing beneath him he finally came to a halt and placed his hands forward in a prayer shape closing his eyes. If he belly flopped he would break every bone in his body. If he hit a stone, he would never open his eyes again. The sound of air and wind passing his face and ears was like a roaring torrent. He touched down and there was a great splash of water. The frozen statue fell backward and broke.
"SUBZERO!" roared the desperate voice of the specter until all faded into silence.