The river flowed fast and furiously. Down the waterfall he passed like a rag doll but he was not broken against the rocks. He lived on. He passed down the stream at high speeds grabbing on to whatever he could. He lost consciousness as his hands touched the shore. He dreamed:
He was passing across factories where the hammers continually slammed. He passed over the prisons where the souls screamed in pain. The sea boiled below over the bridge of immortality. Ghostly hands stretched up below. He entered the pyramid and passed through the passageways the way he remembered them uncontrollably he came to the god - Shinnok.
"There's a place for you here," whispered the god, "I am eagerly awaiting to see you again Subzero. I did not get the chance last time we met to fully show you how much I was angered by what you did"
The image faded and Subzero felt soaked and cold. His hands and feet were in the mud. The river water lapped against his body. He felt his head and realized there was a vast bump on it bruised and aching from the plummet. Footsteps sounded in the darkness of the night squelching in the soft mud.
"Here... now you have me Scorpion and so it all ends," he choked. He gripped the sand. A voice laughed in the darkness.
"I'm not Scorpion you idiot. Its lucky I found you before he did"
"Who... are you?" he whispered looking up in a blur. The thunder god stood on the beach. Electricity flickered down his body. The hat so round and pointed was like a beacon of light and hope in the darkness.
"Do you hate me?" asked Subzero looking up Raiden laughed again and bent down one hand holding onto his long white staff. He held out his hand and Subzero took it. He felt a spark go down his body and slowly he stood to his feet. He touched his nose and it hurt badly stinging right into his face. It was still cold.
"I do not hate you Subzero. What you did was very courageous little do they realize it. You condemned yourself to face Shangtsung alone. It was inevitable that you would fail with Scorpion in the picture"
"Are we alone now thunder god? Is it just you and I? Are we all that is left?" stuttered Subzero choking on water. He almost fell and the god lifted him up and back onto his feet. He sunk down unable to stand by himself. Raiden pulled him towards the forest.
"No," he replied solemnly, "We won"
"How?" coughed Subzero, "How could we win? We were all dying"
"I should have seen it all along," laughed the thunder god, "Liu Kang"
Subzero widened his eyes, "He"
"Yes Subzero. It is he who is the chosen one, protector of earth. I was blinded by your power and your track record, which after all involves the destruction of four guardians. It was simplistic of me to think that you were the one destined to save Earthrealm. Liu Kang and Jonny Cage; it was they who ventured down into the dungeons once you locked them in. Your logic was better than you ever could have imagined. They found him and Liu Kang defeated Goro in Mortal Kombat. When Shangtsung found out he was enraged and challenged Liu Kang to a battle in desperation. He accepted"
"What happened?" said Subzero urging the god on, "Please tell me what happened"
"There is nothing to tell," replied the god, "Liu Kang beat him in mortal Kombat. He beat Shangtsung and now the 10th mortal Kombat has ended in our victory. In the eyes of the elder gods we have proven ourselves worthy to live. Shaokahn will not be able to enter and the portals will remain closed - forever"
"It is done then," smiled Subzero, "It is finally over"
There was a flash of lightning and a portal opened in front of him. Raiden pointed the way forward with his stick.
"Your servants are waiting for you Subzero. You must go to them"
"What of Scorpion"
Raiden shook his head, "Only time will tell"
"Why are you saving me thunder god"
"You ask a lot of questions... mortal. As an answer: why not"
Turning Subzero stepped through the portal and disappeared. It closed behind him and Raiden chuckled.
"Its not over for you yet Subzero. Although the world maybe safe there's still a lot you must do. The Lin kuei is not going to let you have a peaceful retirement if that's what you hope for"
Turning he faced the water. Raising the staff he brought it down once in a flash of lightning and was gone.
It was a dismal day as Subzero came through the portal. He was in some kind of abandoned house. The windows were all broken and outside on the streets rain was pouring down and cars were hooting.
"Thanks a lot Raiden, " he grumbed, "You could at least have dropped me somewhere where I could rest"
Walking over to the wall he found a door in the darkness. He tried to open it.
"What's going on?" said a voice in the darkness Subzero turned in the direction to see a dark shape against the wall. A homeless man was blanketed up and obviously had been woken by the bright light.
"Go back to sleep," said Subzero rattling the door knob. It didn't open so carefully he pushed the remaining fragments of glass out of the window and climbed out. He wasn't feeling right at all. His head was spinning.
Coming out onto the road he managed to eventually hale a Taxi. The driver stopped and Subzero got in the back.
"What the hell happened to you"
"Take me to the So-ho docks - warehouses," growled Subzero "Heh... makes sense"
"Can I castle now"
"No because you've moved the king," said Kanashi the dark haired warrior "But you castled only a moment ago and you'd moved the king," said Wurrow the blond haired warrior "No I didn't"
"Yes you did"
"No I"
The doors opened and Subzero staggered in, "Where's Hydro?" he demanded "Subzero!" exclaimed Kanashi standing to his feet. Wurrow did the same.
"Where's Hydro you scum?" demanded Subzero again "He's upstairs sleeping," replied Wurrow "And Jarek?" interrogated Subzero "In his room like he usually is. He's speaking to some assassins who want to bump you off or rather er... Hydro off. What's going on"
"We're leaving right now!" said Subzero staggering across the room. He grabbed a black dragon coat off the wall and put it on. Quickly he grabbed another two and threw them to Wurrow and Kanashi who caught them clumsily.
"What do you mean? Where are we going"
"Back to the Lin kuei! I don't know where Kano is and I don't want to find out. Jarek will have me on his hit list and the real me at that if he finds out. If all goes to plan Hydro will - never mind come on we leave now"
The three walked out into the rain and Subzero once he was close enough to the main road hailed a taxi. Getting in he ordered them to be driven to the nearest airport.
"Are your hurt or something?" asked Kanashi in the car. Subzero turned angrily to face the servant with his blooded nose and black eye, "Do I look hurt Kanashi? Does my nose look okay to you? Do you think I am feeling okay you dumb idiot"
"Sorry!" he spluttered immediately shutting up When they finally arrived at the air port Subzero was keen to get straight on the correct aeroplane. His head was spinning all the more and the pain in his nose and every other bruise where he had been kicked and punched by the spectre was returning. One of his teeth felt loose. He poked it with his fingers trying to push it back into place.
The plane took off with Kanashi and Wurrow sitting next to him. Subzero looked at the window and the ground below departing. He hadn't been on a plane many times in his life. Usually Lin kuei missions were much closer to home. The headache intensified and the cold stinging broke out in his hands. The world spun and he lost consciousness.
Rice bags and wooden paneling. Blurred light. Subzero woke up on a soft pillow.
"Where am I?" he asked A dark haired girl looked down on him, "Oh!" she said briskly, "You're awake" and immediately she left the room. Subzero quickly got himself out of bed and looked about him. He knew the room, it was Wong's place. He had been here before. Wong was a friend of the Lin Kuei and was the stepping-stone between the Lin kuei head quarters and the real world. Every Arch Assassin in the Lin kuei knew of Wong's place. It was a restaurant that dealt in unsavoury business. Looking through some draws Subzero found his clothing. He looked at it and held it up to the light that came in through wooden shutters illuminating the dusty air. The main piece smelt of sweat and blood. What was worse was that light was coming in one side and going out the other. There was no way he'd be able to return wearing what he had left in. Turning he took a towel off of a rack and walked into a room opposite where he found a bathroom. He hadn't had a shower in over a week.
There was a knock at the door. It was Kanashi's voice, "Subzero! Are you awake? Are you in there"
"Fuck off maggot!" he shouted back and continued with his shower.
"Yeh, he's in there alright," came the guard's voice through the door. Subzero closed his eyes and rubbed at the bruises. It was a miracle he was still alive.
When he was done Subzero emerged from the room wearing a blue t-shirt and jeans. He had put the mask on even though it still smelt of sweat. It was Lin kuei priority to be masked at all times and he intended to do so however much it cost him. There was no way he'd let Wurrow and Kanashi see him without one. Even they would probably see the insult and dishonour in such an act. There were rules for what one could and couldn't do if a mask was lost or destroyed. In this case the mask hadn't been destroyed and so he still had to use it as much as he was fed up with the thing. He looked ridiculous to say the least wearing it on top of everything. He made a promise to himself to take it off once he got back and for a long time. He sat down at the table and looked out facing Wong. Wong the owner of the restaurant used to have red hair but at the moment it all seemed to have been shaved away. His head was shinny like an egg with only the touch of red showing through. Kanashi and Wurrow sat down either side of the owner.
"Don't worry," he sighed, "These two have already told me what happened"
"The Lin kuei will no doubt"
"...Reimburse me for anything you take yes I know. Trouble is I've only got three horses and to cross the Gobi Desert"
"No Wong!" sighed Subzero putting his elbows on the table, "You have at least fifty horses. You've grown stinking rich and I know it from everything I've heard. Give me something good because I've had a long hard week and if I hadn't had a long hard week we'd all be dead so stop being so fucking stingy"
Wong widened his eyes.
"How rich are you now anyway? And where's Mialta your servant"
Wong laughed, "Servant? Your behind the times Subzero. I married her two or three months back"
"Married?" questioned Subzero "Yes and its been fantastic. I love her to bits. We've got other servants now to do her job easily. Between you and me this isn't the only restaurant I own"
"I know," said Subzero quietly. He looked at the table, "She's a nice girl. You're a lucky man. My congratulations go out to you"
"Thank you," smiled Wong, "Listen I'm sorry. I'm just a cheap bastard by nature - its what I do. I'll give you and your friends something good to ride don't worry about it"
"Fine," said Subzero, "Fine"
"Just keep you hands away from my neck Subzero - not like last time"
"Agreed," muttered Subzero staring at the table, "Right now I don't really feel in the condition to do any of that at the moment anyway"
"You don't look good. Have you seen a doctor"
"I'll see a Lin Kuei doctor when I see fit," replied Subzero stubbornly
Wong's place was a nice place to stay. There weren't too many customers to bother them at the moment. There was some kind of religious festival on and people wanted either to stay at home or do other things. Wong accepted it as part of the years profit. Kanashi and Wurrow Subzero noted amused themselves with some new game they had found called chess. It worked the same principally as most other games seemed to work. One player would try to defeat another. The men were assembled across the board each one with a different function or ability to move. The one Subzero just couldn't understand was a piece called the knight. Why did it move in such a funny way? No horseman would ever jump forward two spaces and then one either side. It didn't make sense at all. Another was the bishop. Why would a bishop want to kill someone? And come to that why were castles sliding round the board on wheels? And why was the King such a coward getting the queen to do all his dirty work for him? He watched the two play the game for a while before giving up he went for a walk around the town.
The three of them crossed the desert on horseback. The wind swept up the sand softly so that it looked like a sea in the distance. The time was morning as they had spent the night at Wong's. Their footprints stretched back across the Gobi desert the stretch of sand that separated the Lin kuei Headquarters from the world. Kanashi had a thought on his mind that he needed to speak. He asked the question that had been burning at him for the past few days.
"Are you ever going to tell us what really happened? You fell unconscious on the way back so you must have gotten into quite a beating"
Subzero sighed looking at the sunrise, "Its not really worth knowing you know," he replied with a laugh, "What I did, I did. I entered a tournament for the Grandmaster and I didn't do very well. Heck the whole thing was rigged from the beginning anyway"
"Rigged how so?" asked Wurrow, "Did you lose the fight through fowl means"
"I was given an indestructible opponent," replied Subzero, "And I hope to god I never see him again. The champion had four arms and we were all expected to take him on"
"Four arms?" laughed Kanashi, "You're kidding me right"
"Yeh... just a joke," said Subzero, "But take it from me... it was rigged"
Dragon's gate was the entrance to the Lin Kuei head quarters. Nobody was allowed in except members of the Lin Kuei. Nobody was allowed out unless they had express permission from the Grandmaster. Nobody was allowed to leave the Lin Kuei permanently. That was the rule, and part of the oath that all members swore. Once in the Lin Kuei, it was a job for life.
"Who's there? " called the voice of the guards, "Speak or we shoot"
"Its me Subzero you useless fools!" he called back, "I've returned successful from a mission now let me in before I throw your worthless "
"Let him in Baruna, I know this one, " came a voice from inside. Subzero didn't stop speaking until the large metallic doors opened. The dragon symbol split in two covered in rust it had not been attended to for generations.
"Subzero? You what? He's still alive? How the...? Send him in"
The Grandmaster watched as his elite guard hurried out of the room. The Grandmaster drummed his longer fingers across the armchair in a frenzy in grinded his teeth. A moment later the person the Grandmaster had expected to see return from the grave least of all entered. Subzero walked through the door and coming through bowed in the usual Lin kuei fashion.
"Subzero!" exclaimed the Grandmaster, "What a surprise! I heard you were dead... How did you er... fare in the tournament"
"Excellently my lord!" said Subzero with a grin, "I was given first place amongst all the fighters of the world and Shangtsung himself said that my fighting was above all the best he had ever seen"
"Where is... er Shangtsung... I must speak with him again," said the Grand master quickly looking in either direction as if hoping to have him come out of the shadows and tell him it was all a joke.
"I'm afraid Shangtsung is busy preparing for the next tournament. I don't think he will have time to visit us," sighed Subzero, "a great shame. Now when do I get paid for my ventures my master? I seem to remember there was quite a lot in this one heh almost as if you didn't expect me to come back"
The two of them laughed awkwardly.
A low light bulb hung from the ceiling. A dark haired man wearing a long trench coat looked across the desk at the man called Jarek.
"So we're agreed then," said the dark haired man. He had sharp eyes, "You reveal the location of this - Subzero. Then me and my men dispose of him. Following that you receive your money and we overlook your devious bank job. I think that's quite a good deal. Why however am I speaking to you? I find it insulting that that split-a-way turd Kano will not speak to me face to face"
"I am sorry about that Mavado," said Jarek, "Kano is currently busy and also was not willing to risk the company of such er ... enemy clients to the organization as yourselves"
"Organization?" laughed Mavado, "You think this leaky warehouse and pathetic group is an organization? Let me tell you that the only reason the Red dragon hasn't come in and completely obliterated every single one of the Black dragon so far is because it is a waste of our time. A split away group such as yourselves is a minor inconvenience to us. Don't make it become a major one - tell your Kano that from me or he'll need robotics in-between his legs to add to that fucking eye of his"
"Yes Mavado I shall tell him all you have said," replied Jarek worriedly, "Thankyou for being so generous"
"Stop wasting my time. Where is Subzero? I don't usually spend my time in such a dump for no good reason"
"Subzero is in this very building. Let me take you to him," smiled Jarek secretively Mavado raised an eyebrow, "He is? What the fuck is he doing here"
"Never you mind," said Jarek with a grin, "You wanted him dead yes? Lets get about doing it"
Leaving the room they walked up some dark steps and came to one of the former offices. When the where houses had still been owned by respectable companies this would have been where a manager or janitor would have kept his possessions.
"This room, " whispered Jarek pointing to the door. Mavado nodded and reaching into his coat took out a small pistol and a short sword. The men following him did the same.
"Shoot once as you enter at him," whispered Mavado quietly to his men, "And then again more precisely. If he attacks close use your blades. He's good so expect anything. Ready? Three- two - one"
Mavado dashed in turning the handle gun fire sounded from inside and Jarek took a step back as the assassins rushed in heads low and flapping black leather. Several shots sounded and then silence. Mavado left the room and came into the corridor to face Jarek.
"Is it done?" asked Jarek Mavado glared, "Jarek what the fuck is this?" he growled Jarek raised his eyebrows suddenly afraid. Did he know?
"What's what?" asked Jarek trying to hide his fear "He's already dead that's what!" shouted Mavado.
Jarek opened his mouth and closed it. Suddenly his brain clicked, "And that's how you wanted him no? We simply thought we'd prepare him for you"
"And you did this by putting the seal of the Shi Ryu on his head yes? A clan which I know very well to be extinct"
"How do I know you are lying Mavado and that it was not you who put that there"
"How would you like to talk to my blade"
"You double-crossing bastard," growled Jarek and quickly he stepped back and shouted, "Everyone up here it's a rumble"
Mavado pounced and Jarek took out his own larger blade as Black dragon men came running up the steps. The two organizations burst into conflict.
"Ahhh... Shangtsung - greatest of my servants. The armies of Outworld stand ready at my command. As soon as the portals open I shall place you over all Earth Realm as my ambassador... I trust the portals will open?"