Final Confrontation

by Jcarlton

Stories that start before the first MK movie and then pick up after it ended. The world holds surprises for the kombatants once they return from Shang Tsung's island, and some adversaries refuse to stay dead. Note that MK Annihilation never happened.

5. Final Confrontation 5

The airport seemed to be more busy than it actually was. Sonya was patiently waiting among the crowd at the airport for the arrival of the airplane from Hong Kong. It was already about twenty minutes late, but she reasoned that the delay would be worth it if things worked out the way she hoped they would. As she finally saw it touching down on the runway, she knew it would only be a matter of minutes until she saw her comrade.

Sure enough, within a few minutes, Scott emerged from the entrance to the visitors' lounge holding a gym bag in each hand. He was accompanied by major Jackson Briggs, who was only a few feet behind him. One of the first things Sonya noticed about the pair was that Scott was dressed in civilian clothes while Jax was still wearing the familiar dark commando outfit. Another fact that caught her attention and pleasantly surprised her soon afterwards was that Scott was walking without the help of a cane or crutches. Not wanting to wait any longer, she hurried through the crowd to greet them.

"Guys!", she waved to attract their attention as she was several steps away.

"There she is!", Scott was the first to spot her as he pointed her out for Jax.

"Welcome back", she smiled as she came closer.

"Thank you", Scott smiled back.

"Wadda you doing here, major?", Sonya asked then as she looked at Jax, "I didn't know he had company".

"Well, you know him", Scott smirked, "He just had to come with me to make sure I didn't get lost along the way".

"Of course", Jax held on to his serious facial expression, "I'm always concerned about the well-being of my soldiers, be it they're now ex-soldiers".

"Well, I'm touched by your consideration, major", she let him know.

"That and this was a stop on my trip to Langley", Jax added.

"Oh, so much for the concern. Forget what I said", she smiled and sighed, "It was great to see you, though. I can never repay for everything you've done for me, major. From day one".

"There's no need for repayment. We helped each other out", Jax responded, "Well, I better get back in. They said this stop would not be very long, so I wish you both luck in whatever you're planning".

Major Briggs extended his right hand to Scott first and the ex-commando in the civilian uniform gripped it. He then repeated the action with Sonya.

"Lieutenant?", he remembered her former rank, as always.

"Major", she answered as she shook hands also, "It's been an honor".

"I could say the same thing".

"Make sure to stay in touch", Scott added from his side, "You do have my email address".

"Well, I'll think about it", Jax went on, "But I ain't promising anything".

"No, really", Sonya offered, "The next time you have some vacation time, you know where we are".

"Wherever that vacation is, I'll just be glad if it's not in Israel. That's all I ask". Jax smiled for the first time before turning around and heading back towards the aircraft.

"You want me to take one of the bags?", Sonya offered after she and Scott were alone and heading towards the airport exit.

"I ain't gonna refuse", he responded.

"I'm so glad to see you walking like this!", she seemed excited as she took one of the gym bags and placed it over her right shoulder.

"Yeah, I started like this about a month ago. Haven't touched the cane since then".

"Things finally worked out, huh?".

"I'm hoping so...", he stopped talking briefly as they neared the exit and he stared at her, "Look, Sonya, we need to talk. Can we go somewhere lessss... Crowded?".

"Sure", she heard the statement she was waiting for, "The car is in the lot just outside that door. It's less than five minutes away"...

The multi-floored parking lot was relatively unoccupied, with only a handful of other people among at least two hundred cars. After placing both his gym bags in the trunk, Sonya opened the driver's side door and stood there without entering the car. She reasoned this was as good a time as any to bring up the subject that filled her mind. She told herself she could drive to another place if Scott wanted to first, but if he was content with talking here, so be it.

"Did you get a job yet?", Scott spoke first.

"Yeah. It's minimum wage, although the work area is pretty nice and all. I had to take the day off to come meet you here", she answered, "My boss understood... Thank Rayden".

Several seconds of silence followed.

"So", she amiably stared at him as he rested his elbows on the roof of the vehicle next to the closed passenger side door, "You wanna tell me now why you decided to come back?".

"Well", he grinned, "It's a long story".

"I got time", she grinned back.

"Well", he pushed his elbows off the roof and stood back up straight, "I had a lot of time to think about my... situation when I was in Hong Kong".

"Uhuh".

"After what happened in Israel, I got to thinking real hard about where my life was heading...", Scott continued, "I figured we had several choices, and one of them was to live life like a couple of stupid characters that you see in movies. You know what I'm talking about, don't you?".

"Uh, not really", she had to admit.

"The kind of characters...", Scott sighed, "The kind of people who know they care for each other but they let their stupid pride and their stupid morals keep them apart. And the only time they see each other is when one needs the other one's help. It's little more than a business relationship. They're willing to risk their lives to help each other, but that's all. They're not allowed to talk, to spend time together. It sucks. That's what we were heading towards, you and me".

"I'm glad you're back, Scott", she spoke up, "But I just don't want you to make a decision that you end up regretting. The military was your life, you loved it, you wanted to go back so bad".

"That's right, wanted, as in the past", Scott repeated, "I was doing really good in my physical therapy in Hong Kong. But think about it, Sonya. If you have a choice between working with a soldier who's fresh and one who's got two pieces of lead in his stomach and hip, which one would you pick? I figured I might as well cut my losses and move on, the military would be much happier like that".

They locked eyes for a few seconds as he stopped talking.

"Besides", he continued, "I got something more important to go after".

The grin on Sonya's face widened at the same time as her eyes did.

"You mean...", she began pointing towards herself.

"What you said to me as I was leaving really stuck in my head", Scott interrupted as he made his way towards her around the car, "You said having me around was like having your brother back and it hit me when I was in Hong Kong. Sonya, when we were together before Goro came into the picture, that was like the best time I ever had! Now, granted, I had two holes in me and I couldn't walk, but that's besides the point... The point is, I never had a sister, and that experience was great. And life is too damn short to waste by walking away from your friends because you're going after some career, real friends are really rare".

Sonya was speechless as he walked up to within two feet in front of her.

"Look, even if I get my old position in the Special Forces, it's not gonna be worth as much as before", Scott pressed his right hand palm-down on his chest, "I'd like for things to go back to how they were before. I can just get a job here and live in this city here. That is, if you still wanna go back to the way things were before".

"That so sweeeeeet! Oh my God!", she embraced him with more speed than he thought she possessed.

"I'll take that as a 'yes'", he answered, "Just don't get all emotional on me".

"OK, OK, I can do that", she slowly calmed herself as they pulled away, "But you can just stay with us until you find a place of your own, right?".

"Yeah, sure".

"Great! Get in the car".

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Back home, Sonya's father was seated on a couch watching the news when she led her former partner into the living room. Herman Blade stood up as he saw Scott and his daughter setting down the two bags they had brought along.

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss you, son", he uttered with a forced smile.

Sonya could see the constraint in her father's facial expression and wasted no time pointing it out.

"Daddy? What's wrong?".

"Look, if it's me....", Scott wanted to point out his willingness to live somewhere else if it was a problem.

"No, no", Sonya's father halted him, "It's not you at all. It's a pleasure to see you again... There was just another death".

"What??", Sonya blurted out, "Again?? That's the third one!".

"I know".

"What's going on here, if you don't mind me asking", Scott was naturally curious.

"There have been two deaths in the last five days", Sonya explained, looking disappointed and angry at the same time, "This was the third. All three victims were electrocuted as if somebody strapped them into some goddamn electric chair and fired it up. The only problem is that those people were killed at the exact spot where they were found, they weren't moved. Go figure".

The next scene both Scott and Sonya witnessed on the television screen was detective Olsen being interviewed by several reporters. Recognizing the familiar face, they habitually wanted to know more.

"Daddy, turn the volume up!", she kept staring at the screen.

As her father increased the loudness, they intently listened to what the young detective had to say.

"...saying now is that we're looking at all possibilities right now and we're not excluding anything", Olsen went on, "Obviously, we're tormented since this is exactly like the previous two. But we can't jump to any conclusions right now and I want to ask the public to use the same kind of caution. Paranoia isn't gonna help anybody".

"Do you have any kind of ideas as to the cause?", an eager reporter asked.

"We're still looking at all the possibilities", Olsen carefully avoided answering, "For all we know, he could've been hit by lighting".

"Lightning?", Sonya's father repeated incredulously, "There wasn't a cloud in the sky for the last God knows how many , that doesn't explain why we've had the numbers in casualties so far", Olsen kept on talking, "When we have more to say, you guys will be the first to know, I promise. For now, I must go back to work and I want to ask everyone not to panic over this".

Detective Olsen walked away from the death scene and proceeded towards his vehicle, knowing he couldn't answer any of the questions that were being thrown at him.

"Just more good news to cheer everybody up", Sonya stared at Scott with a face that was relatively grim when compared to how she felt in the airport parking lot, "But it doesn't have anything to do with you. I'm making all three of us lunch, we need to celebrate you coming back here. Besides, we need to do it today because I gotta be at work all day tomorrow".

"Actually, I already had lunch on the plane".

"Well then, it's dinner", she countered, "Come on, help me with the food"...

Early the next morning, as she was dressed in blue jeans, sneakers and a short-sleeved plain blouse to walk to work, Scott was partly awake and still in his previous day's clothes.

"I should be back by about six", Sonya informed him, "Just make the best of things until then. Try to enjoy life, isn't what you told me once?".

"Funny", he uneasily stood up, "I'm going job hunting. That is, assuming I wake up first".

"Take your time", she patted him on the back before she opened the door, "You've had a long flight yesterday. Give your body a chance to relax first".

As she was about to take her first step outside, she was stopped in her tracks by two men who walked up to her from outside. One of them was carrying a news camera while the other quickly introduced himself.

"I'm lieutenant Leisan from the police department", the man in his late thirties pulled out his badge, "Are you lieutenant Blade from the U.S. Army Special Forces?".

"Former lieutenant", she pointed out as Scott forced himself to be more alert, "What is this about? I need to go to work".

"No you don't", Leisan responded as he put his badge back into his pocket, "We already contacted your employer and told him your assistance was needed. He was... more than glad to let you make up the lost time tomorrow".

"What is this about?!", she pressed on, getting agitated.

"Detective Olsen informed us about where we could find you, lieutenant", Leisan explained, "We need your help. It's about the recent wave of homicides in this city that were involved with electricity".

It took a few seconds for the information to sink into her mind.

"And who is he?", she pointed to the cameraman.

"He's just an employee of a studio that is producing a documentary about this case", the police lieutenant went on, "He's of no concern at the moment".

"Well, I'm glad you guys are having so much fun with this", she crossed her arms in front of her chest, "But what do you want from me?".

"We believe the culprit responsible comes from a military background, thus, he has experience. No one in our department has enough knowledge on military know-how to satisfactorily do this assignment for us".

"Thousands of cops and not a single one has enough military experience?", she wasn't being convinced.

"The point is, we need your help. Will you help us?".

She stared into the police lieutenant's eyes for several heartbeats as she considered the benefits and consequences.

"There is something in it for you, miss Blade", Leisan pointed out.

"Really", she made it obvious she did not believe him.

"We found out why you were kicked out of the S.F. to begin with. We could help you get your old position back if you cooperate with us".

"And what makes you think I even want my old position back? You think I miss serving under the politician who kicked me out?".

Leisan sighed heavily.

"Look, miss. I don't mind telling you we're desperate. You think I like asking a total stranger for help? But we're trying to save someone else from getting fried here. You wanna help us out or not?".

By that time, Scott had sharpened up his senses and positioned himself next to her in the doorway. As she let her arms fall back down by her sides, she stared at him and recognized the familiar sharp look in his eyes. She nonverbally asked him what he would do if their roles were reversed.

"It's your decision, boss", he simply let her know, "Whatever you decide on doing is fine with me".

"Fine. Wadda you want me to do?", she turned her attention back to Leisan.

"Just to help us search his estate", the lieutenant answered, "Maybe you'll recognize something we won't".

"Can he be there with me?", she pointed at Scott.

"Oh sure".

"Fine. Just give me a minute to change", Scott told her as he went back inside her home.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The apparent estate of the suspect was a one-floor residence that looked like any ordinary home on the outside. The main difference was the large back yard that was part of the property. It was indirectly attached to the residence because the rear door leading to it was missing. Sonya and Scott combed the inside of the place as well as could be expected considering they had no police training whatsoever. The Special Forces taught them how to hunt and kill, not how to look for miniature pieces of evidence. Despite their effort, their lack of success was quickly apparent.

"I don't even know what you expect us to find here, lieutenant", Sonya addressed him, "What kind of results do you expect when we don't even know what this suspect looks like or how he lives?".

"Yeah", Scott finally put in a word of his own, "Why wouldn't you let us see his picture in the first place?".

"It would be better for everyone involved", Leisan explained as he looked over the inside of the living room as well, "We don't want any false impressions with anyone until we're ready to crack this case".

"I just don't understand what good we're doing you here", Sonya still didn't figure out their usefulness.

"Well, just keep trying, I'm sure something will come up soon", Leisan told them both as he stretched in front of the cameraman.

None of them noticed the housecat that quietly snuck into the living room from the void doorway that led to the backyard. The feline licked its front left paw as the four individuals in the room took no attention.

"Look, I'm gonna go over to my car and call headquarters to see if there's anything else they want done", Leisan explained next, "If we don't find anything within the next few minutes, I'll just call it off. I'm starting to see that detective Olsen probably made a mistake".

"I'm sorry", Sonya regretted for her ineffectiveness, "I didn't think there was anything I could do about it from the start. I'm still confused about why we're here".

"Thanks for trying anyway", the lieutenant said as he walked out while staring at the reporter who was with him, "Were you satisfied here Mr. cameraman or do you wanna annoy the precinct some more?".

The cameraman said something under his breath as he followed Leisan outside while Sonya and Scott remained in.

"That sure was something I didn't expect to do when I woke up this morning", Scott told her.

"You're telling me", she answered, "I was just looking forward to...".

She abruptly stopped because she unexpectedly noticed about half a dozen colorful butterflies floating around the ceiling.

"That's funny", she recalled as Scott saw them too, "Where did they come from? They were nowhere to be seen a second ago".

They both watched as one of the butterflies fluttered down from the ceiling towards the floor. Both their gazes followed as it then headed for the housecat, which was now seated in the intersection of two walls. The butterfly landed on the cat and stayed still for about two seconds. As Sonya's attention turned back to Scott, she heard a deep shriek from the cat's direction. Surprised, they both faced towards the wall intersection to see the cat trembling as currents of electricity ran through its body. The trembling ceased within a few seconds and the feline dropped to the floor dead.

Feeling the surprise turn to fear, Sonya next watched another butterfly sinking from the ceiling towards Scott. Her former partner kept standing in place as the butterfly came closer. Panicked, she bolted towards him and covered the few feet that separated them within the blink of an eye.

"NOO!", she yelled out as she tackled him and pinned his back against the floor.

The butterfly ascended a few inches as she looked up at it. Then, she saw it descending back towards them. The adrenaline shot through her.

"GET UP! GET OUTTA HERE!", she pulled Scott back up to his feet before shoving him towards the main door.

Scott crashed through the doorway still feeling confused as she rapidly ran outside after him. Once she was breathing the clear morning air, she held on to Scott and quickly put as much distance between the grounds and the two of them.

"What the hell was that?!", her former partner asked no one in particular as he held his jaw because it had crashed into the door and still felt dazed from being tackled hard and pinned.

She stopped after dragging him about thirty feet away. She then stopped and turned around to look at the property as she tried to catch her breath.

"IT WAS LEISAN!!", she barked at him between breaths, "HE SET US UP!!".

"What??", Scott's mind was still not clear.

"He left just before those goddamn insects were released!", she calmed down slightly, "He used us!".

While Scott was still trying to clarify the events, she spotted Leisan's car parked several yards down the street. There was at least one occupant in it, so she gently let go of Scott and charged towards the vehicle with her eyes on fire.

"Yo, where you goi...", Scott began and stopped as he saw the car as well.

Sonya reached the auto within seconds and angrily yanked the driver's side door open. The key had already started the ignition as she recognized Leisan behind the wheel. As that one began to protest, she gripped his collar and pulled him out of the open doorway before throwing him face-down on the street. She didn't notice the cameraman who was seated in the front passenger's seat as Leisan's face slammed into the unforgiving ground several feet away.

"Please! Please!...", Leisan began as he crawled a few feet away from the car and turned on his back, trying to get back on his feet.

"SHUT UP!!", she snapped as she bent over and sent her right fist into his jaw, flattening his back against the street.

Before he had a chance to rise, she gripped his throat with her right hand and pressed her entire weight on her right arm, easily choking him. Leisan desperately tried to resist as his fingers clawed at her right forearm, but her grip only became stronger with every bruise he inflicted on her skin.

"You figured risking a cop's life in a test would make you look bad, so you decided on an expendable instead? Is that it?", she irately questioned by staring down at him, "Someone who already has a history and isn't very popular in front of the cameras to begin with? It was those goddamn butterflies! That's how people were being killed, wasn't it??".".

Leisan couldn't construct any intelligible words since he only managed to emanate a wheezing sound as his life crept out of him within every second. The entire scene was taking place as the cameraman was out of the car and busy recording everything on tape. The next feeling Sonya became aware of was a hand on her left shoulder. She briefly looked in that direction to see Scott squatting next to her as he too tried to catch his breath.

"Let him go", he said just loud enough to be heard as he withdrew his hand.

Sonya's grip didn't loosen as she turned her infuriated attention back towards her victim, whose vision was beginning to fade. Leisan's fingernails now dug deep into her throat and resulted in ugly red gashes as he was getting more desperate because her grip felt more like steel with every passing moment. Unfortunately for him, Sonya did not feel any kind of compassion. The only feeling that engulfed her was hatred as she clenched her teeth together hard enough to almost crack them. While Leisan had only an instant more to live, she heard Scott's next word clearly although he merely whispered it.

"Sis", he gently said as he put his hand back on her shoulder, "Let him go".

She instantly extended her right fingers apart and released Leisan's throat as that one coughed and held on to his own windpipe. He didn't have long to rest, though, because Sonya next stood up and gripped his collar one more time with both hands. She then unceremoniously pulled him up to his feet and brought her face to within inches of his, although he was still dazed and coughing.

"This isn't over, though guy", she savored every word, "I am going to make you sorry you ever heard my name! By the time it's over, you're gonna wish I had finished you".

With that, she shoved him back towards the car. The push was so strong that Leisan almost flew the distance between her and the vehicle before the back of his thighs came into contact with the hood. With a scream, the side of the car unnaturally stopped his legs from moving. His torso snapped backwards and his head and back crashed into the top of the hood as his legs then were raised in a horizontal position and projected out of the front of the vehicle.

Sonya decided not to pursue him at that moment and turned in another direction. She saw the cameraman for the first time, but she didn't care at all as drops of blood from some of the deeper wounds in her neck lazily slid towards her collar.

"Come on, let's take a look at that neck", Scott placed his left arm around her shoulders as he walked her away.

In a moment of compassion that she would not have thought of at any other time, she wrapped her right arm around his lower back and rested her head on his shoulder...

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"This couldn't have been what Olsen had in mind when he mentioned me", shetried not to flinch when Scott carefully applied alcohol on the bruises on her neck once they were back home.

"Yeah, that much I'm sure of", Scott agreed, "Olsen wouldn't stoop this low. But what the hell was Leisan thinking of?".

"I want to report him", she evenly added.

Scott stopped momentarily and stared at her with a poker face.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?", he asked with an innocent tone of voice.

"Why not?".

"Well, you're gonna be reporting a cop's wrongdoings to another cop", he clarified.

"I didn't do anything wrong!", she protested.

"No. Just that that moron of a cameraman has you on tape while you almost killed a police lieutenant. Don't you think Leisan could use that against you if push came to shove?".

She did not answer for a few instants, since she was in deep thought.

"I can't let him get away with this!", she resumed with a fraction more resolve in her voice, "He almost killed the two of us. Besides, if I don't do anything about it, he might do the same thing to someone else somewhere down the road. Have you even thought about that?".

"Hey, he would've been busted already if the police really didn't want his kind on the force", he countered.

"Look, Danny, I'm not...", she froze in midsentence with her eyes wide open.

She gave a deep sigh.

"I'm sorry", she whispered, holding her right hand palm-up towards him.

"Don't be", Scott smiled, "This is probably gonna take some getting used to".

At least he wasn't upset, she told herself.

"Come on", he said next as he put the alcohol bottle away, "Let's report him".

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

At the police precinct, detective Olsen was genuinely surprised to see Scott again, since he had no word of his return. The next scene that greeted him was an extremely somber-faced Sonya. It didn't take him long to notice the red marks on her neck from Leisan's fingernails.

"What the hell are those??", Olsen turned to Scott in an accusing fashion.

"Don't look at him that way, detective", she interjected, "It's not him. If anything, it's one of your own that did this".

"What?", the detective became confused.

"Do me a favor, detective", she went on, "Next time you feel like giving my name, know who you're talking to. Not that I'm not flattered of how highly you think of me, I really am, but you gotta keep better company".

Olsen was quiet, eagerly waiting for her to finish her explanation.

"That idiot Leisan you gave my name to, remember him? He used both me and Scott as a pair of goddamn guinea pigs when he was experimenting with the causes for the three murders where the people were fried. He's one sick son of a bitch".

"Lieutenant Leisan did what? And what is this about the three electrocuting murders? Do you know something we don't? If you do, you must tell us", Olsen pressed.

"Detective", Scott sighed, "I don't know if you know this, but the killings are carried out by butterflies. They look just like ordinary butterflies, but once they set on you, it's like you just sat in an electric chair. The only reason we know is that one of those things fried a cat instead of us. Leisan trapped us in some place without knowing the cat had snuck in, so we were really lucky".

"I'm not following you guys", Olsen rubbed his forehead, "If lieutenant Leisan knows about the cause of the murders, why wouldn't he tell us? We're getting desperate here, he knows it. What you guys are saying is ridiculous".

"It's the truth! Whether you wanna believe it or not!", Sonya objected.

"Listen, why would Leisan even experiment on people? He doesn't even know you guys! How did you find him?", the detective pointed out.

"We didn't find him, he came to us!", she shot back.

"What??", was Olsen's only reaction.

"He told us you gave him my name!".

"No I didn't! There's something we're not seeing here", the detective picked up a phone and dialed, "Hello, is lieutenant Leisan there?... Good, tell him this is detective Olsen and I need to see him as soon as possible... Can he come down to the second floor now? It's an emergency... Good".

He hung up.

"Leisan was in. They said they would send him over right now", he told them next, his hands on both sides of his stomach, "We're gonna get some questions answered real soon".

Abouttwo minutes later, as they were still waiting, a bald man in his early sixties walked into the room.

"Detective? You said you had a problem?", he asked.

"Yes. Close the door please", Olsen said, "I want all three of you to stay here until this matter is resolved".

"Hi", the old man saw Sonya and Scott.

"Hi", Sonya answered before turning to Olsen, "So where's Leisan?".

Olsen's eyes narrowed.

"Guys, that is lieutenant Leisan", he told them.

"What? No!", she disagreed, "That's not him. Leisan was just a few older than you!".

"Trust me, miss. It's me", the old man crossed his arms, "What exactly is going on here?".

"These two people were accosted by someone impersonating you, lieutenant", Olsen answered, "Whoever this guy was, he might've made an attempt at their lives. And I think they also know something about our serial case now... Wherever I go and I get confused, you guys are always there".

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The first thing Sonya and Scott did was guide a team from the police department to the residence where they came into contact with the butterflies. Then, after spending hours answering what seemed like a thousand questions, they were allowed to go back home. Feeling more confused than ever, they wearily waited for Sonya's father to return home as the afternoon slowly changed to evening.

"I don't know what's going on", Scott told her as they both paced the living room floor, "I wish I did".

"I just wish it would stop", she extended her hands palm-up in front of her torso, frustrated, "Just stop! Why does something weird have to happen every so often in my life?? Just when I thought I was going to have some peace when I came back home from the tournament, Kline shows up. Then, when you're trying to piece your life together, Goro and Sub-zero show up. When that's over, Blud comes back for round two. And now, simply because I thought I was gonna have some relaxing times with daddy, you, Johnny and Liu, this happens! What am I, a magnet for problems?".

"Well, we beat everything else", he reassured, "We can beat this too. We will beat this too".

She sighed.

"I need a vacation", she then complained, "Somewhere far away from organized crime and sorcerers and militants and four-armed ghosts and electric butterflies".

"Huh, tell you what. After I get a job, maybe I could save a few paychecks and take you to Hawaii for a couple of weeks".

She finally smiled.

"As sweet as that sounds, that's not what I had in mind", she responded, "See, my idea of a vacation is when I can wake up in the morning, go to a job I like, and come back home in the evening with a paycheck. That's it, just a day without something weird happening. Though I'm wondering how long it'll take me to get another job that I enjoy now that the army's finished".

As she was saying that, Sonya moved towards one of the walls and stared at her reflection in a hung mirror. While that took place, Scott crashed down on the nearest couch as the setting sun flooded the living room window to his left with a red streak. Although his eyes expected the red sea outside, a small bright star twinkled and caught his attention from outside the window. From curiosity alone, he twisted his head towards the left and glanced out the window. The next fact that registered in his mind was that the twinkle came from the scope of a hunting rifle -a rifle that someone was pointing through the window and into the living room.

Scott didn't know who the rifle was pointed at, but he couldn't duck for cover and leave his new sister's life in the hands of the outside gunman. Without having a chance to scream out a warning, he lunged towards her and reached her just as a round burst from outside. A bullet pierced the window and left a perfect quarter-sized hole in the glass as it sped towards the mirror that Sonya was using. Since Scott had been so swift to react, he pushed her down and to the right as the bullet tore its way into his own left upper arm.

Sonya realized what happened after Scott slammed back-first against the living room floor, holding his bloody left arm.

"Son of a bitch! I don't believe this!", he hissed from the pain.

Careful to keep her head down, she reached for the phone and began to dial.

"I can call for help", he gritted his teeth as he reached for the receiver, "GET HIM!".

"Put pressure on it", she advised as she handed the receiver to the man who had saved her life, yet again.

She quickly stood up, believing the assassin would have run as soon as the first round was fired. Although she understood that he was no longer aiming at her home from outside, she decided it would be a mistake to assume that he wasn't expecting her pursuit. If she bolted after him through the main door, he might be waiting for it. So, she charged straight for the window which currently seemed to contain a spider web.

Sonya jumped through the window and flew towards the outside of her home amidst the explosion of glass. With the grace of a cat, she landed on the pavement on her feet and in a squatting position. Her torso was pushed forward so she used her fingertips to keep from falling on her face. Coldly standing up and brushing pieces of glass off her skin and clothes, she spotted the assassin about thirty yards ahead as he dropped his rifle and dashed away from her. It didn't take her long to recognize him as the cameraman who had accompanied them and lieutenant Leisan's impostor.

The hit man bolted away as fast as his legs could take him as she chased after him, calmly and evenly zeroing in on the middle of his back. She was gaining on him as he reached a public park about three blocks away that was surrounded by an old metal fence. Finding a hole that might have been large enough for him to enter, he took his chances and went through it. Sonya followed him through the hole several seconds later and ended up cutting her left cheek in the process because of a thin sharp metal obtrusion. Ignoring the minor pain, she entered the park and, still touching the fence from the inside, scanned the area in order to search for her prey. To her disappointment, the assassin was nowhere in sight.

She slowly began to walk towards her left in the same direction as the fence itself, keeping her vigilant eyes open for anything out of the ordinary. She passed several trees, bushes and kids on her right, but the hit man would not show himself. Then, while examining a tree that was just to her right, about four feet from the fence, an arm holding a hunting knife shot out of a small hole in the fence itself. Being caught offguard between the tree and the fence, the knife cut a second scar on her left cheek that was much deeper than the first one. She didn't see the knife or anything unusual. The only thing she heard was herself screaming in pain and confusion.

Sonya instinctively pushed herself as far to the right as possible. She crashed face-first into the tree and turned around to face her attacker. The cameraman's arm was still through the tear in the fence, but because the hole was only big enough for an arm, he couldn't advance towards her himself. His adrenaline kept him from withdrawing his arm once she was just inches out of his knife's range, and she took advantage of his mistake. With blood racing down her left cheek, she gripped his wrist with both her hands, looking to pay him back. Having him at her mercy, she released her right hand from his wrist and used it to grasp his knife.

Before the hit man could protest, she held his knife in her right hand and his arm in her left. With a swift thrust, she inserted the entire six-inch long blade into his forearm and pierced it, sending a stream of blood flowing out of it. The assassin screamed and desperately tried to pull his impaled arm back, but she turned out to be the stronger of the two because her hold on his wrist remained. While he screamed and violently shook like a fish out of water, she pulled the knife out of his forearm, dropped it on the ground and held his hand with her own. With a second merciless drive, she pushed his hand as far down as possible and they both knew the hit man's wrist was broken as the back of his hand touched his forearm.

She finally let go of his wrist and he quickly pulled his arm back, holding it and bending over in a yell. A few seconds later, he looked up across the fence to see where she was, but she was gone. Worried and nervous, he twisted around to hopefully spot her coming his way. It was too late because she was already standing several feet behind him with her arms crossed in front of her chest. As his throbbing eyes met hers, he suddenly became very scared. Her eyes were not occupied with pain or anger, as he might've expected, but with a look that was frighteningly calm. The second scene he noticed was the blood that completely covered the lower half of her left face as well as her neck. He forgot the pain in his arm as he saw her uncrossing her arms, indirectly telling him she wasn't finished with her revenge.

Before her first blow came though, the assassin finally saw something that put a smile on his face. His partner, Leisan's impostor, stood several steps behind her holding a lead pipe. Sonya knew she was outnumbered the instant she saw his facial expression change. She quickly took a large step backwards and turned around in a ninety degree angle, not completely facing either person. She held her hands out at arm's length, one palm facing each opponent, as she twisted her head back and forth, anticipating who would attack first.

"You shouldn't have come here alone, lieutenant", Leisan's charlatan said.

"I didn't", she lied, hoping to distract them with a conversation so she could attack first, "My brother's here too".

"Come on! You really think we're that stupid?", the impostor looked insulted, "We did a background check on you. Your brother's been six feet under for years.".

"Really?", a newvoice caught all three of them off-guard.

Sonya looked forward and each man turned to see Scott approaching them with a bloody and hastily-prepared bandage and tourniquet wrapped around his left upper arm.

"You again?!", the impostor exclaimed, "Who are you?".

"I'm her brother, stupid", Scott stopped and stood in a fighting stance several feet away, "I know what you're thinking, 'he sure looks great for a dead guy', right?".

"I got the healthy one!", Sonya yelled before charging towards Leisan's impostor.

As she reached him, that one swung the lead pipe, missing her head by mere inches because she hastily ducked. Before he hand a chance to pull his swinging arm back to its normal position, Sonya held it with her left hand and yanked the pipe out of his hand with her right. The next thing her opponent saw and felt was a roundhouse kick to his jaw, which sent him staggering several steps back. She walked up to him and, as he made the mistake of standing at his full height, sent the inch-thick pipe hard into his stomach. While he bent over, gasping for air, she calmly raised the lead pipe over her shoulders before slamming it into the back of his head like a hammer on a nail. Her opponent fell flat on his stomach, seeing stars but still conscious.

Scott, in the meanwhile, saw the injured cameraman rushing towards him. He twisted to his right and sent the bottom of his left foot straight into that one's knee, easily breaking it. As his opponent dropped on the ground, not knowing whether to hold his wrist or his knee, Scott eagerly kicked him just above the ear. The cameraman didn't move after that. The next thing Scott saw was Sonya picking up Leisan's impostor and facing his direction.

"Your way!", she warned before hurling him towards her former partner.

The charlatan staggered several steps until he reached Scott, where he was instantly put on the receiving on of a massive uppercut. He then dropped on his back and didn't get up.

Liking what she saw, Sonya walked towards Scott feeling grateful for his assistance. She wore the most beautiful smile on her face that he had ever seen as she reached him and held her hand up for a potential high-five. Unfortunately, Scott felt the pain in his stomach from the old bullet wound getting suddenly stronger and he almost collapsed with a gasp.

"What? What happened?", she asked as she rushed over to hold him up, getting stained from his bloody left arm.

"Aaaahgh! It's nothing", he clenched his teeth, "This is why the doctor said 'no more fighting'. I gotta start listening to his advice".

"Do you want me to take you home?", she offered, "I'm assuming you already called an ambulance".

"Don't bother. I called the cops too. Told them there was shooting around this area. They'll find us... I think", he refused, "Besides, if you wanna find out why this prick's doing this, you might wanna ask him now before Olsen and company come by to help".

"Only if you're sure".

"I'm sure", he assured, so she helped him to the ground.

After seeing that her former partner was seated on the grass, Sonya reached the supposedly unconscious charlatan and gripped the back of his collar. With a clean yank, she pulled him up to his knees. He was still awake, although barely.

"Start talking, dirtbag!", she warned.

"Why should I?", he whispered back.

"Because if you don't, you won't live long enough to be arrested", she countered, although she knew she would not kill him, especially not with a handful of witnesses around.

Before the impostor could say anything else, the cameraman shakily pulled himself up on his hands and knees before withdrawing a second hunting knife with his good hand. He couldn't let his accomplice rat on the organization, he thought, and he knew he would never talk himself. So, before Sonya saw him and Scott could warn her, he threw the knife as the handful of witnesses around them screamed. The blade lodged itself in the upper left side of the impostor's back, around where the heart would be. That one collapsed into Sonya's arms without a sound as she realized what happened. Letting him fall on his stomach, she rushed over to the cameraman as that one stood on his knees and swung back. Before he could brace himself, her right knuckles crashed into his jaw and knocked him out for good this time.

She next walked back to Leisan's impostor as he was lying motionless in his own blood with the handle of the knife sticking out of his back. Picking him up by his shoulders, she turned him around so she supported the back of his head with her left hand as she looked down into his face. This way, he lay in her arms and she was the only thing he saw as he wearily looked up.

"You're dying", she frankly told him, "You don't have long. I didn't want to do it this way, but we're both stuck. How do you want this done?".

"Get me a priest, please!", he gasped because it hurt more when he talked.

"Don't have time", she bluntly answered, "If you wanna confess, it's gonna have to be to me".

"Fine", he made his peace.

"Who are you?", was her first question.

"Assassins. Me and him both", he tried to point at the unconscious cameraman, "Black Dragon assassins".

The mere name sent chills up her spine.

"We were told to take you out after you...ki... killed Kano and Benson", he went on, "Crane took over afterwards, he was our chief hit... hit man. He was obsss... obsessed with you after he found that you ccc... came back from the tour... nament while Kano didnnnn't".

"Then why the butterflies??", she demanded, "If you wanted me, then you could've taken a shot at me! Why set those butterflies loose on the city?".

"The butterflies had nothing to do with you, llllieu... lieutenant", he told her, "They were just an experiment in sadism. Crane figured as long as... we're gonna experiment, we might as well... do it in your city.... The butterflies die after a few hours, so he figured maybe... he could try to test them and get you...at...at the same time. Like icing on the cake... But all those butter...flies are dead now... Those were the last ones that... you saw... They were the last and they... died soon after... Crane ffff... figured it wasn't enough to hold the cccity hostage like that... He...wwwants to... wants something bbbetter...".

He laughed weakly.

"What's so funny?", she asked, curious.

"My partner is nnnobody... Heee was... taping you choking me so if you killlled me, he'dd get you fffor mmurder...", he smiled, "Haaa... When we said... that we told your employer where you... wwwere this morning... We lied... I think you... you lost your job... Sorry".

"That's the last thing on my mind now", she countered.

"It should be", he stopped smiling, "Kano called Crane be...before he went with you... on the boat to the...iiii... island... Crane is on his way to that iiii... island. He wants to... to... find Kano's body becccause he knows Shang Tssssungg was magical... Crannne wants to try to revive Kan....no. The island is hidden, bbbut Kano... gave Crane... cooooo.... coordinates. Crane knows wheeeere to llllook. You may get to killll Kano yyyyet again".

Sonya knew he wasn't joking from the look in his eyes. The assassin was being completely honest as he began to laugh again.

"Llllook, I didn't wannnnna do it", he continued, "I mmmmean, I don't wanna k...k... kill someone as pretty as yoouu. Bbbut, Cccrane. He was obsessed. He llloved Kano like a brother. Hhhhe had to ggget you at any cost. Why couldn't you jjjust leave Kannno alllone? We wwwould've all been better off".

"Kano murdered my partner back in Hong Kong", she calmly told him, remembering lieutenant Richards, "He was younger than you, even a bit younger than me. He died just like you. The only difference being that he died alone. Nobody had a chance to hold him when he died".

"I understand", the assassin whispered as sirens were heard approaching.

"Where's this Crane guy now?", she hurriedly asked.

"He went to Attt... Atlantic... City yesterday. He has a boat... Yyyyou should follllow him... But be careful, he's got mmmuscle... Three of them. Maybe bbbetter than you".

"I'll be careful", she said as he slowly closed his eyes.

"Good llluck", he managed to add before he died.

"I'll see you", she lowered him to the ground as he stopped moving.

XXXXXXXXXX

"I'll probably be outta here by tomorrow", Scott reassured her as she stood next to his hospital bed, "Stop worrying about me".

"I can't help it, bro", Sonya answered, still not having gotten used to the large bandage on her left cheek, "You know what they say. Easy come, easy go. I don't anything to go wrong".

"Trust me, sis. This did not come easy, so it ain't going easy. Trust me", he added as Johnny and Liu walked into the room.

"Hey, guys. Did you guys miss the show", she greeted them.

"Are you two allright?", was Johnny's first question as he took his sunglasses off, noticing that Sonya's clothes were soaked with the blood from the dead assassin.

"Just great", she found herself reassuring them in turn, "But we might have a problem. Or at least I might".

"Don't even talk like that", the actor asserted, "Your problem is our problem. You know that".

"Of course", Liu agreed, "What is the problem? We came by your home after Johnny showed me around that theme park and your father told us you were both in the hospital".

"Yeah, both", Johnny repeated, pointing at Scott, "Since when were you back?".

"Since yesterday", he answered.

"You should've told us", the actor next stared at Sonya.

"I was still wondering how I would put it", she tried to smile, "I still am, but I guess there's no need now".

"So, the dilemma is?".

"Some idiot from the Black Dragons ordered a hit on me", she began her short explanation, "That's over for now, assassins are out of the way. But we were told he was going back to, are you ready for this, Shang Tsung's island. He hopes to find Kano's body there in order to try to bring him back to life".

"What??", was the actor's reaction.

"He can't do it...", Sonya stopped, needing a confident response, "Can he?".

"We knew Shang Tsung and Shao Kahn were capable of such magic", Liu went on, "But could a mortal accomplish that feat?".

"I don't know", Johnny was disappointed at his lack of knowledge.

"And even if one could", the White Lotus monk continued, "What could we do about it? We do not know where Shang's island is located. We had to be taken there for the tournament. We did not know it's location".

"Good point", she told him, "But I also know that Kano knew the coordinates to the island and told this nut just before he left. The only question is, how do we get there?".

Both kombatants were speechless.

"I really wanna get this guy, too", she continued, "He was the one who's responsible for the three electrifying murders this week. He somehow gave some butterflies the ability to fry anything they touch".

"Are you serious?", Johnny asked.

"Yeah", she answered, "Blud did say that some of those lifers were smart. Now I know why".

"Astounding", was the only thing Liu could think of saying at the moment.

"Anyway, let's think about it at home", she added, pointing at Scott with a grin, "This guy doesn't want us baby-sitting him because it hurts his pride".

"Or at least what's left of it", Scott grinned back.

"You're sure?", Johnny asked him, "You haven't lived until you've heard me reading a bedtime story".

"Get lost! All of you! Go, go!", Scott waved them back, "I need my sleep".

"I'll come back tomorrow, OK?", she gripped his hand before walking out.

"I'll be here", was his response.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I just wish I had some idea!", Sonya wished out loud as they drove up to her home in Johnny's convertible, "I could make sure Kano stays like ash and also get rid of this Crane clown. It'd be like killing two birds with one stone".

"I don't suppose there's anybody we can go to ask about this", Johnny joined as he was seated behind the wheel.

"It was nighttime when we sailed", Liu pointed out, "We were seeing our opponents for the first time as well as Lord Rayden. Nobody brought a compass along to see the direction we were headed. Honestly, it was because nobody was hoping they would have to go back to that island once the tournament was over".

Johnny parked the car and all three exited, walking up to her front door.

"There has to be something we can do", the actor told them, "We can't just sit here and...".

His words were interrupted by a bright flash of lightning and thunder that simultaneously exploded in the sky. Then, slowly, a snow-white twinkle appeared in between the three of them and the door to her home. The twinkle lazily spread until it developed into the silhouette of a human being. Several moments passed before the silhouette became more dense and acquired human features. All three kombatants watched without uttering a word as Rayden soon appeared in front of them, wearing a white robe as well as a straw hat.

"Lord Rayden!", Liu placed his palms together in front of his upper chest and touched the edge of his fingertips with his lips.

"Hey! Good to see you again", Johnny smiled, copying Liu's bow in a more carefree manner.

"Wait a sec", Sonya gladly stared at him without moving, "You're here for us, aren't you? You're gonna help us, just like at the tournament".

"It is good you haven't lost your vigilant mind", Rayden told her with a smile in his usual voice.

"Do you know what's going on?", she almost cried out.

"Yes", the thunder god bowed his head slightly, "It is an imbalance in the realms. The island of the Mortal Kombat tournament should only be used once a generation by warriors from Earth and Outworld. By using it for his own personal reasons, Crane could unleash dangers that cannot be anticipated on the short run. He has to be stopped. I only assumed you three would wish to become involved since you proved to be reliable in the past".

"Tell me you can get us there", Johnny told him, "Nobody takes a shot at one of us and gets away with it".

"I can. But, as in the original tournament, I cannot help you once you are on the island. I can only bring you back when you desire to return", Rayden said somberly, "Whatever happens on the island itself is only dependent on you three, unless of course, there are others you would want to accompany you".

"No, we're it", Sonya replied, "But there are two questions. One, can you wait until we're better prepared and two, that hit man said Crane had three bodyguards who were good. Can you tell us about them?".

"I can wait as long as you request", Rayden gave a slight smile, "Only you three can see me currently in my state. I am invisible to everyone else. As for the three 'bodyguards', they are a force to be reckoned with, maybe even a match for you three".

"What? That can't be!", Johnny protested, "At the start of the tournament, you said we three were the best. Those yahoos weren't there!".

"That is true", the god agreed, "But the tournament demanded the best warriors from the Earth realm who would voluntarily defend it. The souls of the three who are presently on their way to the island were too corrupt to be used as a weapon for your realm. There was a considerable risk that they might even have struck a deal with Shang Tsung to betray your realm, if given the chance".

"You mean, we're not the best?", the actor demanded, "So much for my ego".

"I am sorry if you had misunderstood", Rayden apologized, "You are the best among the Earth realm dwellers who are willing to save the realm. It is possible that there are others who are just as good, and maybe better, who do not share your selfless determination".

"Pricks, in other words", Sonya added.

"You may describe them in whatever way you wish", Rayden smiled again, bowing.

"You don't have to go, Sonya", Johnny informed, suddenly feeling worried, "This guy won't be able to revive Kano, that's ridiculous".

"Probably", she told him, "But what if he actually does?".

She involuntarily shivered at the thought and all three men saw it, despite her attempt to hide the reaction.

"Besides, he's responsible for the three murders", she added, "If I let him get away with it, I'd never be able to forgive myself".

"And we can't... unleash the dangers that come by unbalancing the realms", Liu indirectly pointed at Rayden, repeating the god's warning.

"Can we go soon, guys?", Sonya looked at Johnny and Liu, "You know, to catch up to Crane and his idiots. He does have a headstart on us".

"I can have you on the island in a moment", Rayden seemed proud.

"I'm ready", Liu said first.

"I need a few minutes", she told them, "I need to pack some heat and also to tell my father I'll be absent. He can tell Scott tomorrow, assuming we're not back yet".

"That's fine", Johnny joined her, "I'd rather get outta these clothes and wear something more comfortable if we're on our way to that dump again anyway. I could be back from my hotel in fifteen".

"Rendezvous here? In thirty minutes?", she asked both.

"Sounds good", both kombatants agreed.

"See you then", Rayden declared.

His body dispersed into numerous bolts of electricity before vanishing.

XXXXXXXXXX

After Johnny had driven back to his hotel to change clothes with Liu in the passenger seat, Sonya found herself in her room staring at a pitch-black tank top and pants. She swore to herself that there would be never be a reason to put her commando outfit on again after she returned from Israel. But her conscience and instincts persuaded her from getting rid of the outfit, and she was presently glad she returned to the motel room to retrieve it after Blud was dead. Slipping into the tank top, pants and boots seemed to take only a matter of seconds. Her next priority was to tie her blonde hair into a tail at the back of her head, as she always had done when the outfit was on.

Before reaching under her pillow for her trusty 9mm Glock, she was standing in front of the bathroom mirror inspecting her face. She had decided to remove the bandage because it felt too uncomfortable and also because she knew she had to get used to seeing the cut from now on. Holding the edge of the adhesive that glued the bandage to her cheek with her thumb and index fingers, she gently pulled it off. Once the bandage was in her right hand, she simply stared into the mirror as she held her face five inches away from it. The almost unsightly red scar stood out on a face that was otherwise smooth. She knew it would heal after some time, but also that the mark wouldn't completely disappear. She understood that a mild knife cut wasn't the worst experience in the world, but that did not mean she had to like it.

Sonya was careful. Remembering the doctor's advice to keep the wound clean, she washed her face with soap and water to also get rid of the viscous residue left on spots where the adhesive used to be. After drying off with a towel, she found a pen and paper and began writing, feeling somewhat glad her father wasn't around to see her as she was about to leave.

"Dear daddy", she read along as she wrote, "I'll be with Johnny and Liu because something came up. I may not be back tonight, but if not, I'll try to be in by tomorrow. Please remember to drop by Scott's room to tell him if I'm not back by tomorrow morning. Don't worry. I'll be fine".

She signed her name at the lower right corner of the paper and placed it on her father's bed. The only thing left for her to do afterwards was to grab the 9mm semiautomatic and to check to make sure it carried a full clip. She positioned the Glock in a black hip holster before searching her room for two more items. The first was a four-inch long switchblade knife, which she secured next to her right ankle. Then, after finding a second clip and placing it on the special belt of the commando outfit, she summarily stepped out of her home without looking back.

Once standing outside her door, she saw Johnny and Liu were not back yet. She wasn't alone for long, though, because a spark of electricity appeared six feet in front of her before it quickly expended to take on Rayden's shape.

"What?", Sonya gave a slight smile, "You're here to keep me company?".

"Would you rather be alone?", Rayden copied her grin.

"No".

"Besides, despite all the marvelous and eye-catching advances, society is still almost as dangerous at this moment as it was thousands of years ago", the thunder god told her, "It is not a good idea to be alone".

"Huh, I guess you would know, of all people".

"Yes", the deity bowed his head in agreement, "I've seen... many... people in my time. Both brave ones and depraved ones. But I never lost count, nor did I ever forget a face. At least so far, the depraved ones have never been able to outnumber the brave ones".

Just then, Sonya heard a car engine from her left. She turned her head to see Johnny driving up, wearing his sunglasses as always. He got out of the vehicle almost before it had stopped and Liu followed close behind him. As the two kombatants approached, Rayden asked the obvious question.

"Are you ready?".

"Definitely", Johnny answered for all three as he saw the cut on her cheek for the first time, "Who the hell did that?".

"He's in custody for murder", Sonya let him know.

"Let's do this", the actor told Rayden, seeing she did not want to talk about it now.

Rayden placed his palms together as bolts of electricity smoothly flowed out of his eyes. The pure white electricity surrounded all four of them and soon became a perfect half sphere, containing them and blocking out the sky along with everything else. The ground they were standing on suddenly changed from concrete to electricity also, although none of the kombatants' feet felt different. After a few more instants, Rayden separated his hands and the half sphere that contained them vanished. The first sound their ears heard was that of waves crashing gently into the sand. Sonya, Johnny and Liu then looked around as they found themselves standing on the beach of Shang Tsung's deserted island, as expected.

The kombatants were on the very same spot on the sandy shore where they had originally disembarked after being brought to the island for the original tournament. In their minds, they could almost still see the small dragon-shaped ships that had transported them from Shang Tsung's boat to the seashore.

"Are they here?", Sonya inquired Rayden, meaning Crane and his men.

"Not yet", the deity frankly responded, staring out to sea, "I will keep you informed".

He vanished like he had before and left the kombatants alone, wondering what they should next.

"You guys feel like revisiting some of our old hangouts?", Johnny spoke first without trying to hide the sarcasm in his voice.

None of them ever cared for the island since it brought them nothing but memories of a brutal conflict with lunatics, but they decided to follow Johnny's announcement. After walking along the trail they had been led towards in the original tournament, each person lost in his or her own thoughts, they reached a long flights of stairs. Johnny found himself giving thanks that he wasn't being burdened by almost a dozen suitcases as he had been when he first met Sonya and Liu. The recollection of him trying to climb the stairs and losing his hold on the luggage placed an unexpected grin on his face. Maybe the island wasn't so bad, he thought to himself, perhaps it was only their interpretation of it that made it look so gloomy.

They slowly climbed the stairs with Liu in the lead, still feeling anxious. That was because they had been taught to be on the lookout for enemies during the tournament and they were currently completely alone, almost lonely. The nostalgic feeling almost overtook the White Lotus monk as he entered the dangerous, yet beautiful, room where he had seen Princess Kitana for the first time. Liu smiled broadly at the memories.

"Wow!", he exclaimed, twisting his head back and forth to glance over the entire place, "I never thought it would actually be nice to see this place again".

"You know, guys", Sonya grinned and decided to be the first to admit it because she was submerged by sentimental feelings too, "I actually feel sort of nostalgic about this place. When we were here originally, we never really got a chance to see this place for all it was worth. We were too worried about how we'd get out of here alive. But now, as long as we're here alone, maybe we should make the best of it. Maybe we should explore, just for the hell of it".

"I'm with you, man", Johnny agreed, "We could really have some fun if we wanted to. And Rayden told us he'd be on the lookout. So, until those clowns get here, maybe we should make the best of it".

"Fine with me", Liu told them, already knowing where he wanted to go, "We could separate, each of us taking one spot to... explore".

"Great, I'll go left", she said.

Even before she had finished her short statement, Liu was busy proceeding straight ahead with a pace so quick that Johnny and Sonya knew it had to be uncomfortable.

"I wonder where he's so anxious to go to", Johnny told her as they watched him leave.

Almost as excited, Sonya walked into a straight path,into unfamiliar locations while Johnny wandered towards the right. Unknown to them, Liu was headed towards the series of natural bridges that were about four feet wide and hung over what seemed like bottomless space. The bridges had fascinated him ever since they had used one to travel through just prior to reaching Goro's room and seeing the Prince of Shokan for the first time. Upon reaching the beginning of one of the bridges, he stared up and down in awe as he kept walking, hearing several bats fluttering overhead. The first feeling he experienced was thechilly air which he anxiously inhaled as much as his lungs allowed. About twenty yards ahead of the base of the bridge, he squatted and held on to the flat bridge as he stared down over the edge.

Despite staying immobile in such a way for almost a minute in order to give his eyes a chance to adapt to the darkness, he still was not able to see the ground down below. Impressed, the White Lotus monk stood back up and stretched. Then, standing in the middle of the narrow bridge and staring straight ahead into the darkness, Liu assumed his fighting stance. With his eyes still on the darkness, he smoothly executed a perfect roundhouse kick into the air. Without stopping, he quickly followed it with a leg sweep and then a high front kick.

Once back on his feet without a fighting stance, Liu examined the other bridges that neighbored the one he was on. A second bridge ran about a dozen feet under his own from the right direction. It intercepted his bridge about thirty feet ahead from his position, so from his spot, Liu could see that the second bridge was approximately fifteen feet to his right. Confident, he turned to his right and stood on the very edge of his bridge as he inhaled. Squatting his legs slightly, he then exhaled and jumped over the edge. He rolled 360 degrees in midair and, as expected, landed feet-first on the second bridge which was a dozen feet below and fifteen feet to the right.

This second bridge led to a completely different destination because, looking back, Liu could see that it did not originate from the same base as the first one did. All the bridges apparently led to a different place. Eager to follow the second one to wherever it would take him, the monk quickly proceeded towards the dark unknown. Just then, he was disappointed when he heard Johnny's voice calling out from what felt like miles away.

"YO GUYS! COME HERE!", the actor yelled in an amazed tone, "LIU, SONYA, COME HERE! YOU WON'T BELIEVE THIS!".

Liu considered not responding, or at least yelling out that he wasn't interested, since the second bridge had a tight grip on his curiosity. He desperately wanted to see where it led, especially since the first one led to Goro's residence on the island. He craved to know if all the bridges led to such an exotic and dangerous end as well.

Finally, he decided his friend's desire to see him was more important than his curiosity. Besides, he justified to himself, he could always tell them about the bridges and come back, maybe even bring them along. So Liu ran back for about thirty feet on the second bridge until he was standing directly underneath the first one. Looking up at the original bridge he was on, which was a dozen feet over his present on, he jumped up with his hands extended vertically. His fingers just managed to dig into the edge of the first bridge above and he then curled his arms before swinging his legs over the edge. He crawled back on the original bridge, stood up and ran back towards the direction from which he had come.

Liu ran past the room where he had first encountered Kitana and followed the direction of Johnny's voice into a second, barely noticeable room. The room, as it turned out, was simply a small hallway towards a much bigger open area. He quickly stopped running because he found himself just a few feet behind Sonya and Johnny. All three stood at the beginning of a rectangular area that was open to the sky. It was about eighty feet long and forty feet wide and made entirely of marble. One side of the length was occupied by seven statues. First in line was a marble statue of Scorpion or Sub-zero, since both fighters looked alike except for the color of their uniform and all the statues were marble-white. Next to it was a statue of Johnny and then Kano. Next to Kano stood Goro and next to the Shokan prince stood Liu, then Rayden and finally Sonya. All the statues were in a fighting stance, except for Rayden, who had his hands together as if in prayer. They were also approximately ten feet tall each, except for Goro's which was about fifteen feet high instead. Eight marble columns held up a nonexistent ceilingas Liu covered his eyes, not having expected a bright marble room after he emerged from the dark cavern.

"Here's something we definitely didn't see when we were first here", Johnny told them both.

"Is this a warrior shrine? For us?", Sonya thought out loud, "I wonder why Shang Tsung didn't let us know it existed".

"He did not want us to know we were respected", Liu explained the truth as he saw it, even while he was amazed at the sight, "Look, our statues are considered equal to Scorpion and Sub-zero. It would not be wise to inform people of their strength when one is trying to beat them".

"I know Rayden said Outworld won nine Kombat tournaments before us", the actor gave his thoughts as well while he admired the statues, "I'm wondering, did they have a shrine for every generation of fighters for the last five centuries? And who in the world carved these things? They're a great replication".

All three ended up looking at Goro's statue, whichwas larger than any creature they had seen before. They heard nothing except the comfortably cool wind as it steadily blew against them, almost as if urging them to start another fight against whoever the could find.

"As much as I hate seeing that four-armed statue, it's a beautiful place", Sonya added to no one in particular, "It'd be the perfect relaxation place to go if you wanted to clear your mind".

Just as she finished talking, Rayden appeared several feet behind them with no warning, reminding them all that they were here for a mission and not a sight-seeing tour.

"I thought you might want to know", the deity informed, pointing outside of the shrine, "Your adversaries have just arrived".

All three kombatants followed his direction, not stopping to ask why he did not follow them. Rayden vanished as they exited the shrine and quietly made their way down a natural cave before ending up on the hillside where Johnny had fought with Goro. There, standing behind natural rock obstructions to avoid being spotted, they glanced down. About two hundred feet below their level, a white yacht was anchored to the island as wild waves shook the vessel. Four men were exiting, carrying supplies. One of them dressed almost formally considering where he was, Sonya realized had to be Crane, and the three others who were clothed in ninja outfits. At least they now knew who they were up against, she thought to herself as she watched the four men slowly crept inland.

For some unknown reason, all four men suddenly stopped moving and rested their supplies on the ground, simply standing their ground. As the kombatants kept looking, one of the ninjas walked ahead with his portion of the supplies and soon disappeared into the island down below. After he was gone, the three remaining men put on what looked like regular schoolbags through their arms and on their backs.

"What the hell's going on?", Sonya whispered despite the great distance between them and the people they were spying on, "Why did they stop?".

"I wish I knew", Johnny whispered.

None of them noticed the ninja who appeared from the inside of the natural cave behind them as they were still busy staring at their immobile opponents. Liu was the first to sense a difference in the air around them, but even he was too late to react because the ninja moved with lightning speed. As the White Lotus monk raised his head, feeling suspicious, the ninja leapt forward and delivered a powerful punch into the back of Sonya's head. She saw stars a split second before falling forward unconscious. It was sheer luck that she was standing far enough from the edge that she did not fall over but instead fell on the ground on her stomach. Liu and Johnny quickly turned around, each in his own fighting stance, to confront opponent whose eyes were the only things visible.

"He saw us!", Johnny exclaimed, surprised, "Man! That's one hell of an eyesight he's got!".

As they both rushed against the ninja, Crane and the other two ninjas activated their portable rocket propellers and shot up towards them. They reached their cliff side within seconds and both ninjas instantly slipped out of their propellers as soon as they were about fifteen feet over the kombatants' heads. They dropped towards the kombatants as they rocket propellers flew up without stopping. Crane slowed the speed of his propeller and proceeded to set down more gently as ninjas # 2 and 3 landed on their feet on either side of Johnny and Liu despite the long jump. All three ninjas' outfit were alike, pitch black from head to toe with only the eyes visible to an opponent.

Ninja #2 rushed at Johnny first and the actor twisted to his left and sent his right foot into that one's stomach. Despite the precise hit, the ninja was only pushed back about two feet without any sign that he was in pain. The pitch-black ninja then delivered a swift and high front kick without a sound. The bottom of his foot slammed under Johnny's chin and sent the kombatant flying backwards before he landed hard on his back. Looking up, Johnny saw that he had landed just a short distance away from ninja #3, so he took advantage of his position as leg sweeped that one. Johnny's sweep sent him falling on his side, although they then got up at exactly the same time, ready for another attack.

Liu saw ninja #1 dashing towards him and he executed a perfect roundhouse kick to greet his opponent. The back of his foot impacted into that one's jaw, sending him staggering several steps back into the natural cave. But Liu next felt a sharp hit into the back of his head, one that was delivered by ninja #2. He swayed a few feet forward, in pain and a level of shock, as he spun around to face ninjas #1 and 2 coming against him. The first ninja reached him and swung with an arm which had plenty of momentum behind it. Liu ducked as his opponent's fist flew overhead. The ninja's adrenaline level was too high for him to stop and he was involuntarily pushed forward. Seeing it, Liu stood back up and grabbed his uniform at the same time. Putting his muscles to the test, the monk lifted the ninja on his shoulders before simply tossing him several feet away. The ninja still didn't emanate any sounds as he contacted against the hard ground as Liu tried to turn around to see the second opponent he knew was there. As soon as he faced the second ninja though, that one hit him with a strong hook punch, twisting Liu backwards. The first ninja was already on his feet by then and delivered a kick to Liu's stomach, knocking the wind out of him as he bent over, gasping for breath. The next thing he felt was a second hit into the back of his head. He fell down on the ground, still conscious but defeated, for now.

Johnny, in the meanwhile, punched ninja #3 in the jaw. Almost like a reflex action, the ninja punched him in the jaw right back. Not discouraged, the kombatant sent a fist into his adversary's stomach. Unfortunately, before he knew what happened next, he was hit from behind and saw nothing but black...

The first thing Sonya saw when she regained consciousness was Johnny and Liu sitting with their hands tied behind their back with rope. They were several feet away from the side of the cliff, where she was lying. The second thing she saw was that Johnny didn't have his sunglasses on any more.

"I must ask you to drop your weapon", Crane had an uzi submachine gun pointed at her as he stood with his three ninjas surrounding him triumphantly.

She bitterly got back on her feet, thinking to herself that Crane was desperately trying to pretend that he had class. She withdrew her semiautomatic and dropped it around her feet as she stood at her full height.

"Kick it away", he ordered next and she complied.

"Now, as you can see, you're no match for me", Crane continued, pointing at Johnny and Liu, "I don't personally care for these two here, but you, lieutenant Blade of the U.S. Army Special Forces, have interested me quite a bit".

She was waiting for him to make his point, so he did.

"How would you like to join my organization?", he asked, "Not just as a simple member either, although that alone is an honor for anyone. But I'm talking about being my personal assistant, the number two leader of the Black Dragons. I could use someone like you, lieutenant Blade, as my recent... test with the two assassins has proven. Even if we end up reviving Kano, I'm sure he could be persuaded to allow you to keep the position".

She only stared at him, motionless.

"Come on! It can't be a hard decision to make!", Crane was surprised, "I'm offering you the chance of a lifetime here! You're practically unemployed! What would you rather be doing? Going from one dead-end job to another, unemployed and having to depend on your father or being the head of the most powerful organization on Earth? Besides, who's gonna hire somebody who can be nicknamed Scarface? Forget about these two losers here, you can start a brand-new life with us".

"In your dreams", she crossed her arms before continuing, "Loser".

"Come on!" he shot back, "Do you really think you have a chance when these two couldn't handle my crew? These guys are the best fighters money can buy".

Her comment clearly angered Crane, as was apparent from the expression on his face.

"You're nobody!", he barked as his ninjas closed in on her, "You always will be!".

"No, you're the one who's a nobody", she changed into her fighting stance, "I'm Sonya, the mortal kombatant. Start dancing".

All three ninjas rushed forward as one. Sonya twisted to her left with her right arm bent, swung hard and caught the assassin at the farthest left in the jaw with her right knuckles. As she was surprised her victim didn't show any sign of pain, the second ninja sent a powerful uppercut that hit her under the chin and sent her flying back. She landed on her back and crawled as far as her disorganized state of mind could take her. She then stood about ten feet away from Johnny and Liu with the three ninjas again closing in on her as one from about ten feet in the other direction.

Before any of them could act, she reached down and smoothly withdrew the switchblade from her right ankle. The sharp blade snapped open after a slight push of her thumb as she held the weapon next to her face. For a few heartbeats, she seemed to be waiting to use it on the ninjas, and they stood back, pondering about the best way to overtake her. But before they knew it, Sonya just bolted towards her fellow kombatants. Crane could have shot all three of them then, but he was overly confident about his assassins' abilities and decided to watch an entertaining fight.

With the ninjas bolting towards her, she reached Liu first and swiftly cut the rope that bound his hands together. The White Lotus member was free before any of the Black Dragon assassins reached her and she was busy freeing an eager Johnny.

"Didn't anyone tell you that was no way to treat a lady?", Liu angrily snapped as Johnny's hands also flew apart, both kombatants simultaneously standing.

Liu jumped forward towards the three ninjas with his right fist extended. His knuckles slammed with a vengeance into the teeth of the ninja that had uppercut Sonya only seconds earlier. That one's head snapped back hard as blood from his mouth stained the lower half of his facemask.

"Now at least it's a fair fight", Johnny told himself as he executed his patented shadow kick.

The bottom of his foot impacted into the throat of one of the two ninjas who wasn't bleeding from the mouth. The kombatant's victim flew back and the back of his head hit the ground before any other part of his body. He desperately tried to stand up, only to be kicked in the stomach by a Johnny who was now taking his anger out through physical force.

"That was for taking my sunglasses, asshole", the actor let him know.

The last ninja leapt towards Sonya in a flying kick. She jumped to one side and rolled on the ground as she let go of the knife in order to successfully avoid his leg. Since she had never practiced fighting with a switchblade before, she knew the weapon would be useless now. The jump that helped her get out of the ninja's path of harm positioned her just two feet from the side of the cliff, so she kept the lack of space behind her in mind. As her ninja rushed forward, she twisted to her left and kicked him in the head with her right leg. Her ankle snapped his head to one side as he painfully staggered to her left.

Crane, in the meanwhile, knew that he needed some help if he had any hope of recovering Kano's body. Realizing that these fighters were on this island before, he did not want to open fire because he could've used one of them alive. Instead, he ran over to the edge of the cliff, recognizing that his side could win the fight with just a slight tip of the scales in his favor. As Sonya's ninja recovered from her kick to his head, she saw Crane coming towards her as fast as his legs could carry him. From the experience she had, she should've been able to sidestep him, but, as happens often to everyone, she momentarily froze. The next thing she witnessed was Crane hitting her as hard as he could and her being pushed back, over the edge of the cliff. Her eyes widened as she was forced back and felt no solid ground behind her.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!", was the only instinctive yell she managed as she felt gravity pulling her down a 200-foot long drop to a watery grave.

"SONYAAA!!", Johnny swiftly let go of the ninja whose head he was pounding into the ground and charged towards her.

He managed to grab her hand with one hand of his own after she was already over the side. She hung over the sharp and rocky edge of the cliff, with his single hand being the only thing that kept her from a certain death.

"It's OK", he whispered as his eyes locked with hers, clearly seeing fear for the first time, "I got you".

Unfortunately, he did not get a chance to pull her up and she did not get a chance to use her hold of his hand to climb. That was because as Johnny let go of his opponent, two ninjas were left free to attack Liu. While Liu was then overwhelmed, the third ninja was free. That one quickly delivered a massive blow into Johnny's spinal cord, sending a jolt of pain through his body and forcing him to involuntarily release his grip on Sonya's hand. The last thing Johnny saw and heard was Sonya screaming and falling towards the waters down below. He then passed out.

While two of his ninjas pinned an agitated Liu against the ground, Crane ordered his third one to carry the unconscious Johnny towards the direction the kombatants had emerged earlier.

"Listen good, you vermin", Crane told Liu as he aimed the uzi at his head while his ninjas released the monk, "One of you is already dead. If you don't want the same to happen to the second one, you have to do something. I know you've been here before, during some kind of a tournament. Personally, I don't care why, but that means you know your way around this island more than us".

Liu stood up, wishing Crane wasn't armed.

"If you wanna see your friend alive", that one continued, "Find me Kano's body in one hour. We'll worry about the rest. If you have the body within one hour, your friend lives. If not, he'll never wake up again. Come on, guys".

The three ninjas calmly followed him without any hesitation, leaving Liu alone a few feet away from the edge of the cliff. The first thing the White Lotus member did was look over the edge. He didn't know what he expected to find, but he saw only the fierce waters crashing into the rocks down below. His heart broke as he came to terms with what happened to Sonya and he pulled himself away from the edge with his face in his palms.

XXXXXXXXXX

Unknown to Liu, the three ninjas who followed Crane were following further instructions from their leader.

"I want you to look for Kano's body as well", Crane spoke out loud as he headed down the natural path on the island.

He did not turn to look at the three masked fighters who were following him as he gave them the new orders. While one of the ninjas carried Johnny's unconscious figure over his right shoulder, the second of the three fighters asked the question that was on all their minds.

"But how are we supposed to do that?", the second ninja asked.

"I don't know, and I don't care", Crane still didn't turn around to face them as all four individuals kept walking, "But there's a good chance that chink we left behind doesn't know where to look. We might as well start a search party of our own".

"This island is quiet large, and we have no idea where Kano's body would have been stored", the same ninja replied.

"Then you better start looking", Crane added, "You have a lot of ground to cover".

Sonya, on her part, had thought her life was over for sure. No one could've survived such a fall, so she made her peace in the few seconds she had left as the edge of the cliff had gotten further within each passing moment. But then, instead of crashing hard into the water and feeling broken bones and the inability to breath, she saw white and felt her back landing suddenly on a smooth object. Despite the softness of the area she landed, her body ached badly because of the momentum she had gained as she fell. In shock and unable to talk, she watched motionless as she was quickly, yet gently, carried towards the anchored yacht down below. She still could not form any thoughts as she was brought to rest at the bottom of the rocky island, a mere ten feet away from the angry waves. Whatever carried her placed her on her feet and then vanished.

Still extremely confused, Sonya lost her balance and fell straight on her back. Shaking her head to make sure she hadn't imagined the occurrences of the last several seconds, she sat up and tried to stare up at the edge of the cliff. The next thing she saw was Rayden taking on his human form in front of her.

"How are you?", the deity asked.

"I'm fine!", she shakily stood up, understanding more, "It was you! You did this! You saved my life!".

"Yes", Rayden humbly smiled.

"My God!", she continued, still hysterical, "I was done for! I was done for! I felt myself falling down!".

She stopped, briefly staring at him as she calmed down before resuming.

"Wait a sec. I thought you said you couldn't help us once we were on the isle", she remembered, "What changed?".

"I am not allowed to help mortals once they are here", the god explained, "If I had tried something like this during the tournament, Earth would have been disqualified and the portals would have swung open for Shao Kahn. But the tournament is finished now, so there is less at stake".

"But you did save my life", she told him, feeling more grateful than words could explain.

"I merely felt like flying", Rayden explained with a smile, making it obvious he was lying, "The view of this island is beautiful when one is in the air. The fact that you happened to drop on me, and thus take advantage of the situation to save your own life, is only a coincidence".

"I don't know what to say", she smiled, "There's no way I could ever...".

"There is no need to repay me", the deity pointed up, towards the edge of the cliff, "They need you presently. You should go".

"Definitely", she looked up, already planning her payback.

It took Sonya about ten minutes to follow the rough trail until reaching the natural cave that led to the cliffside. Her body ached from the accelerated impact with Rayden as she tried to ignore the pain and hoped to find Liu and Johnny alive. Although Rayden's words of them needing her assistance was encouraging, she still braced herself for the worst. She hurried towards the edge and saw Liu as he was seated with his back turned to her and was facing towards the empty sea, obviously planning a strategy in his mind.

"Hey you!", she spoke up to surprise him, "You know of a good place that serves fast food around here?".

Startled, Liu spun around and sprang to his feet, ready to fight. Seeing his fellow kombatant shocked him to the point that his body snapped back so far that he almost stumbled over the edge himself. It took him a heartbeat to regain his composure, although his eyes remained wide open.

"How?", he asked more himself than her, "Are you a ghost?".

"I hope not", she smiled back, "You can't see through me, can you?".

"How is this possible?", he cautiously approached her, with his right hand extended in front of him.

"Rayden saved my life", she held his hand with her own and pulled it towards her. She pressed his palm against her left cheek and the cut that was there. It was only after this that Liu was totally convinced she was alive. The next thing Sonya noticed was the fact that Johnny couldn't be found anywhere.

"They are holding him", Liu read her mind as he withdrew his hand, "They want us to find Kano's body and to deliver it to them in exchange for his life".

"How are we supposed to find it?", she asked.

"That is a good question", he answered.

She thought for several moments.

"We're not gonna find it", she finally told him, "Even if we did, they would never let us get off this rock alive. We're a threat to Kano and his kind as long as we're alive and Crane knows it. You can bet they're gonna ambush us even if we do what they say. So, the best chance for us to get Johnny back is to ambush them first".

She spotted her Glock lying on the ground and proceeded to pick it up.

"When do they want Kano?", she asked him next.

"It was an hour after you fell", he told her, "Less than an hour now".

"Did he say where?".

"No", he had to admit, "That's just another factor that's in their favor".

"No, we're better than those ninjas. That's our edge", she picked up her semiautomatic, "Why do you think they cheated every time the fighting started? During the first time, they took me out and made it three on two. During the second time, Crane had to push me over and again make it three to two in order for his losers to get the upper edge. They're cheating because they're afraid of us... Look, if they didn't say where to meet them, that means they plan to find you. Be at that warrior shrine in less than an hour, Liu, and we'll have a surprise waiting for Crane and his puppets".

"Assuming they did not murder him already", Liu looked and felt disgusted at his opponents' actions.

"Right", she repeated, "But if he is alive, we'll get him back. See, we have an advantage. They're only expecting you, not us. It's gonna end right here and now".

Sonya and Liu reached the warrior shrine in about twenty minutes and scanned the place. Finding no one watching the area or them, they plotted.

"Stay here, partner", she advised, looking at her watch, "When one hour hits, in less than thirty minutes now, I have a feeling they'll be looking for you. When they find you, we'll have some fireworks ready".

"Come again?", he was confused.

"I'll provide fire cover for you to try to grab Johnny out of their hands", she told him.

"Where will you be?".

"There", she pointed at Goro's fifteen-foot tall statue.

Sonya walked up to the statue and began climbing it, the muscles in her back protesting in agony. She ignored them and soon positioned herself behind Goro's massive upper back. Once there, she hid behind it to lessen the odds of being spotted and patiently waited for Crane and his assassins.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Crane and the ninjas found Liu sitting in the middle of the warrior shrine about fifteen minutes after the hour had passed. One of the ninjas carried an unconscious Johnny on his shoulders as all four men entered the shrine together, looking up in awe at the magnificent statues.

"What the heck is that?", Crane saw Goro for the first time as he made his way towards Liu, still carrying his uzi submachine gun.

His attention soon changed towards the monk as that one calmly stood up and faced his foes.

"Did you find Kano?", Crane demanded from about fifteen feet away.

"No", he frankly answered.

"That's fine, because we already did", the Black Dragons leader said with a large grin on his face, "But I told you what would happen if you didn't come through for us. The less people leave this island alive, the less the chances our surprise has of being discovered before we want it to".

"So did you bring him back from the dead?", Liu questioned, not knowing whether to believe his opponent's words.

"It's being worked on", Crane went on as he pointed at Johnny, still smiling, "We've put him on an alter which we think will do the trick. But too bad no one will be bringing you or your friend here back after we kill you both".

"You do what you have to", the monk crossed his arms.

The ninja set Johnny down on the ground and withdrew a few ounces of grayish powder from inside his uniform.

"He woke up after we took him", Crane explained, "But he proved to be a bit too... unruly. So we had to deal with him again. Anyway, I want him to be awake to see the end coming".

Johnny snapped awake within seconds as the powder was spread under his nose. Seeing the ninjas, he angrily jumped back on his feet, lunging at Crane.

"YOU ASSHOLE!!", he yelled as two ninjas restrained him, "I'LL TEAR YOU APART!! I'M GONNA PUNCH YOUR HEAD OFF BEFORE THIS IS DONE!!".

"Please", Crane seemed unimpressed as two of his ninjas overtook the actor and twisted his arms behind him.

Johnny saw Liu standing several feet away. He could tell the monk was waiting for something, maybe for a more vulnerable target to strike at, the actor guessed, one where he wouldn't be put in danger.

"Liu!", he told him, still shaking vigorously within the ninjas' grip, "Go ahead and attack, man! Don't worry about me. Just tear that motherfucker apart. You gotta do it for her, man!".

The third ninja who wasn't busy with the actor reached into his outfit and withdrew a five-inch long, razor-sharp curved knife. He menacingly approached Johnny with it, who was not helpless once he swung the blade. Johnny was still wondering why Liu didn't strike, he was about to be murdered for crying out loud, he thought. Liu couldn't possibly put him into any more risk than he was presently by assaulting them.

"Liu, man, come on!", he said as the ninja was within three feet of him and advancing, "After all we've been through, you can't...".

He didn't get a chance to finish because Sonya peeked out from behind Goro's upper back. She was holding on to the statue with her left hand and had the semiautomatic in her right as she aimed her weapon. The slight change in the air was enough to warn the three ninjas that something was wrong, so all three turned their attention towards the statue. The ninja who was about to slash Johnny turned, looked up and saw Sonya's face and hand amoment before she pulled the trigger once. A 9mm round shot out of the Glock and found its mark at the center of his chest. He let go of the knife, was hurled backwards and crashed into Crane, still without a single sound. Crane pushed him off and he fell on the ground on his back, bleeding to death and unsuccessfully trying to breath.

The second ninja struck back as he and ninja #3 released Johnny. He withdrew four small, shiny spheres that he threw towards Goro's statue. The spheres hit Goro's chest before Sonya could fire for a second time and exploded on impact, tearing a two-foot deep hole in the statue's chest. The force of the explosion pushed Sonya off the back of the statue and she dropped the handgun as she fell the eight feet between her spot and the ground. She landed painfully on her injured back, although managing to stand back up fast.

She was alert enough to see Liu executing a flying kick towards the ninja who had forced her off the statue while Johnny tackled Crane. Ninja #3, seeing an unfair battle since it would've been two of them against three kombatants as soon as Johnny finished Crane, decided to run. He turned and bolted towards the entrance from which they had come. Sonya guessed that he was headed back for the yacht, so she decided to try to intercept. Without stopping to pick up her trusty Glock, she zeroed in after him.

Johnny and Crane fought for control of the uzi as the weapon began firing in every direction into the air. The kombatant proceeded to kick him just below the knee, sending Crane down on his knees as he let go of the weapon and screamed. Although still dazed from being knocked out twice in one day, Johnny followed with a smooth roundhouse kick to the side of his opponent's head, knocking him down on his back. Johnny next picked him several inches off the ground by his collar with one hand and proceeded to send an endless hail of punches towards his face with the other hand. Every decisive punch destroyed Crane more by breaking his nose, several of his teeth and tearing his lips. With his adversary clearly defeated, Johnny easily pulled him and made him stand back up on his knees.

"Since you like hitting people in the back of the head so much, see what I learned over the years", the kombatant said before stepping around him.

Johnny stood behind him by holding the back of his collar with a left grip. The kombatant then turned his right hand into a potent fist and punched the organized crime leader in a specific spot on the back of the head. Crane's eye sockets exploded in pain as his eyes burst out of his head. He fell forward on his stomach and landed on the ground about two seconds after his eyeballs did. After a brief glance at him, Johnny knew he was dead.

Liu swung his body forward and leapt towards the remaining ninja as he pedaled his legs as if he was riding a bicycle. He struck the ninja in the chest about a dozen times in that fashion before he was forced to come back down on his feet. The second ninja swung with his right arm, the right fist colliding with Liu's jaw before the ninja's elbow then slammed into the same exact spot. Although enough to virtually destroy an ordinary opponent, the blow barely intimidated Liu. He struck back with a sharp and high front kick that cracked into his opponent's chin. Distracted, the ninja tried to execute a high front kick of his own, but Liu saw the bottom of his shoe coming at his face and caught his opponent's ankle with both his hands. Before the ninja could try to pull his leg back or strike in another fashion, Liu let go of the ankle with his right hand while still retaining his left grip on it. Curling his right arm, the monk sent his elbow squarely into the ninja's kicking knee. The ninja finally screamed as his knee snapped and was bent backwards against its natural angle, clearly broken. Liu let him go and, seeing him limping and struggling just to remain standing, sent a roundhouse kick towards his face. The ninja dropped to the ground and crawled away as Liu kept coming towards him.

The ninja pulled out a knife much like the one that his dying partner had tried to kill Johnny with. Trying to stand up, he swung the blade in a threatening manner. Liu easily grabbed his wrist with one hand and forcefully pulled him up to his feet with it. The ninja was yanked up before Liu punched him in the stomach with the free hand and made him release his grip on the knife. The next thing the ninja saw was Liu's palm coming straight for his face. The kombatant's palm struck him in the nose at a perfect angle and the ninja saw stars before he slowly fell on his back, deaddue tothebone fragments from his noseentering his brain.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

As the third ninja ran for the yacht, he personally believed he was free. He reasoned that all three of their opponents would be busy finishing off Crane and the second ninja and he would be sailing away before anyone caught up with him. He remembered the way on this inhospitable island and knew that the yacht was anchored around the corner from the naturally rugged passageway that was covered by hills. He eagerly ran around the last corner and stopped cold as he saw the expensive boat anchored about a sixty yards away, dancing in the wild waves. The reason he stopped was because he saw the blonde in the black pants and tank top standing halfway between him and the boat itself. She had her feet planted on the ground, but her upper body was slightly swaying back and forth around her still feet, waiting for the upcoming confrontation.

"OK, tough guy", she told him as he calmly approached her in a steady walk, "Let's see how good you are when it's one on one".

The ninja had no idea how she survived the fall over the edge of the cliff, all he knew was that once she was through with her, he would make sure she remained dead. He positioned himself in his fighting stance about twenty feet away as Sonya ceased the oscillating. They faced each other in such away, two fighters dressed in black and about to lock in combat. With her back still annoying her with pain, Sonya struck first.

She rushed three steps forward and concentrated her strength in her left leg as she twisted to her left and flew towards him with her right leg extended. The ninja, ready for a flying kick, smoothly stepped to her right and she flew past him. During the flight, though, as her upper body met his, he extended his left arm in front of him and her neck impacted into his forearm. Sonya's torso snapped back as she fell disorganized on her back. She was on her hands and knees for a split second, trying to catch her breath, when the ninja kicked her in the stomach. The two hits together almost flattened her body on the ground and made her cough, but she succeeded in rolling away as she saw him raise his leg to crush her head under his foot.

Sonya quickly forced herself back on her feet, staring at her opponent from about six feet away now. She wasn't sure, but locking eyes with him, she believed he was smiling under the mask. Desiring to wipe that possible smirk off his face, she twisted and executed a roundhouse kick aimed for his head. The ninja raised his forearm a few inches in front and to the side of his head and the back of her ankle crashed into it, hurting both her foot and his arm. Before he could counterattack, she flipped upside down and planted both her ankles on either side of his chest. This time, the ninja was caught unprepared and he found himself being hurled in a perfect semicircle over her before he landed on his back several feet behind her. With the waves crashing thirty yards away, the ninja got back on his feet just as Sonya flipped right side up again, both in their fighting stance again. She decided not to attempt a leg toss again because he would be expecting it and he would duck, leaving her vulnerable while she was supporting her body on her hands alone.

She twisted to her left, raising her right leg and sending it straight towards his stomach in a kick that would've proven to be painful if it found its mark. The ninja saw it coming and carefully sidestepped to the right again, letting her foot sail past his stomach into the air from several inches away. As she withdrew her kicking leg, he kneed her in the stomach. Bent over and gasping, Sonya quickly withdrew several steps away in order to keep him from striking again. He eagerly, yet controllably, followed her, reinforcing the notion in her mind that there was no retreat possible. With her abdominal muscles protesting, she stood up straight as he reached her and sent a sharp left uppercut under his chin. Surprised to be on the receiving end of the blows, the ninja's head snapped back and he momentarily held his mouth.

Taking advantage of his distraction, Sonya sent a second right fist into his stomach and forced the air out of his lungs in his own turn. Before she could deliver a third hit, the ninja gathered his thoughts and formed a tight fist with his right hand. He then sent his fist straight into her neck with all the strength he could muster. Sonya felt a paralyzing force that was almost enough to crush her windpipe as she was thrust back so fast that her legs shot up into the air before her back slammed into the ground. Turning on one side, she instinctively held her throat with one hand as she frantically tried to breath. She only heard a snoring sound exit her throat every time she tried to inhale or exhale. She knew the fight was over if she couldn't regain her breath and, to make things worse, the ninja proudly bent over and gripped her throat with his right hand. He easily pulled her up to her knees while she still couldn't breathe.

The ninja swiftly positioned both his hands around her throat as he stared down into her eyes and applied all the force his fingers could manage. Coughing and trying to shake her head out of his choke hold in a futile attempt, she grasped one of his wrists with each of her hands. Still locking eyes, he pushed his strength her throat and she pulled away from it. Initially, it was clear the ninja was the stronger of the two because his hold on her throat did not yield, and neither did the benumbing effect that the lack of oxygen brought. Not willing to give up, Sonya summoned all the strength and anger she had available and concentrated them on her hands alone. Tightening up all her muscles, she tried to pull his hands apart with every ounce of energy she possessed. Unfortunately, her opponent proved to be too great an adversary this time and her attempt failed. His grip only seemed to get tighter with every bit of resistance she put up. Her eyesight began to fail as she felt her body involuntarily shaking in his grip. She heard a dying moan that originated deep in her throat and it slowly faded away, her life fading out of her body with it.

Sonya's strength finally gave out and her hands merely rested on the ninja's wrists without exerting any more pressure against them. Her eyes began to close and she felt the suffocating hold on her throat less with every second that went by. Still looking up at her executioner, her eyesight dimmed and everything she saw began to darken.

The ninja was so immersed in his work by then that he didn't notice Johnny and Liu as they reached him from behind. Although Sonya didn't know it, Liu placed one hand on the ninja's shoulder from behind and spun him around. The ninja involuntarily let her go and turned around just in time to see Johnny's enraged fist coming straight at his face. The kombatant's knuckles impacted into the bridge of his nose and spun him back towards the direction he was faced before. With his eyes wide open for a second, the ninja saw stars and then closed his eyes as he fell unconscious on his side. While still on her knees, Sonya fell flat on her back just two feet away from him. Her eyes were partly open, but she couldn't see anything. Her body convulsed as she slowly, and painfully, accepted air into her lungs.

XXXXXXXXXXX

It took her over half an hour before she was able to exhale completely, although her lungs still complained. She had already returned to the warrior shrine and had recovered the Glock, which was back strapped in her hip holster. She was also squatting near the sharp rocks with her feet a few inches in the water as she washed her face. She stood up straight and stared at the still inanimate ninja who lay about thirty yards away, with Liu standing over him. Johnny walked over to her, believing he had stayed away long enough.

"How are you feeling?", he asked as soon as he reached her.

"Just fine", she gave half a smile, "And you?".

"The same", Johnny told her.

Before she was about to turn to see the only Black Dragons assassin left, he stopped her.

"I gotta know something", he simply had to satisfy his curiosity, "How did you survive that fall off the edge when Goro didn't?".

"It was Rayden. He saved me", she let him know.

"Just make sure you don't do anything like that again", he warned, remembering the look in her eyes when he let go of her hand.

"What if they need a stuntperson for a movie somewhere?", she snickered.

"Don't joke about that, Sonya!", he countered.

"OK, OK", she held up her hands.

"Nobody should have to look into someone else's eyes when that happens", he recalled.

"I know", she embraced him as she noticed Rayden forming several steps away.

"There are places more appropriate for such actions", the deity told them in his usual voice, smiling.

"Ooh, that's funny", Sonya looked at him while separating from the actor, "A comedian now? You too? Well, I guess you deserve it after what you did for us. I'm glad to be with both you guys. And Liu too. He must've been sooo worried when he saw me going over".

The White Lotus monk heard his name heard his name being mentioned and only waved towards the trio, still not wanting to leave the unconscious third ninja's side.

"So what happens to this dirtbag here?", Johnny asked him, pointing at the ninja, "He's still alive, I think".

"We should turn him over to the proper authorities", Liu answered from thirty yards away, "It is the only sensible thing to do".

"The proper authorities? The proper authorities?", the actor repeated, "And what are we supposed to tell'em? That he tried to commit two murders in some magical island somewhere?".

"Allow me to take care of this individual", Rayden announced with a poker face and a steady voice, revealing nothing about his plans.

Trusting the thunder god, Liu stepped away from the ninja and towards the others before Rayden placed his palms together. When he pulled them away, a small and shiny sphere slowly made its way towards the ninja. The sphere expanded until it had a radius of approximately six feet. It then engulfed the ninja before Rayden placed his palms together again. Both the sphere and the god slowly vanished.

"Don't forget about us", Johnny told him while traces of him still remained, "Or we'll have to take Crane's yacht back home".

"Do not worry", the deity answered and then disappeared completely.

"One thing that is still on my mind", Liu said after Rayden was gone, "What alter was Crane talking about?".

"Huh?", was the actor's response as the monk came closer.

"Crane said he had found Kano's body and had then placed it on an alter in an attempt to revive him", Liu went on, "But he did not mention where".

"Well, you don't think it's even poss...", Sonya's statement was interrupted as all three individuals saw movement from about a hundred yards away.

All three fighters turned to see a figure in a red outfit emerging from the inside of the island towards the beach, and thus them. The person was staggering, as if he was in a daze. It took the three kombatants a few seconds before they realized the person who was incoherently approaching them was Kano. Sonya's eyes widened as she saw her old mortal enemy alive, though Kano did not seem to be fully awake yet.

"Son of a bitch", she whispered, "That prick Crane did it. He actually did it. And he gave him a brand-new uniform too".

Before Johnny or Liu could say anything, she withdrew the Glock and aimed it directly into Kano's chest as her adversary kept advancing and trying not to trip. Kano still could not identify the individuals who now stood motionless about twenty yards in front of him, as his state of mind was still not totally developed since being brought back from the dead just a short time ago by the island's mystic alter. He thus did not realize that the woman who pointed an unrecognizable metallic object at him was actually a threat. Before he took another step, though, Sonya had seen enough.

"Go back to being dead, tough guy", she told him out loud.

Kano stopped advancing for an instant, his metallic eye staring at her with a confused look on his face. He grunted once, unable to understand her words, before Sonya pulled the trigger once. A 9mm round exploded into Kano's chest and knocked him down on his back. The former Black Dragons leader crashed on the ground and was dead again within seconds.

Seated on the sandy beach, Sonya was staring at the sky over the beach of the island about thirty minutes afterwards. Rayden still hadn't returned, although she was sure he would be back soon. She just wanted to enjoy the cool sea air while she still could. Besides, she reasoned, her lungs felt better in a chilly environment. That was good because the ache in her lungs had quickly made her forget about her back.

"Wadda you thinking about?", she heard.

She looked up to see her two fellow kombatants sitting down next to her.

"Nothing, I guess", she told them the truth, "It's just hard to believe how nice this place looks when people aren't fighting or killing each other".

"I have to agree on that", Johnny told her, staring at the waves.

"It's just that, I'm thinking what's gonna happen when I go back home", she added, "Here, we're three of the best ever. We've got purpose. I'm gonna go back home to get a nine to five job in a grocery store. It's almost reason enough to stay here for good. But then again, there's daddy and Scott back home and not here".

"We'll always be the mortal kombatants", Liu assured, "That is not changing, no matter where any of us are".

"Yeah", she smiled, "I just better remember that when I'm busy filling out applications. That guy from the Dragons told me he didn't tell my current employer about my absence. Meaning I lost my job".

"Well, maybe you can tell him you got mugged on your way to work", Johnny advised, "You could also say you had to spend all day at the hospital. You've got the scars to prove it".

"Yeah", she said before she thought about it and realized the plan would probably work, so she smiled, "YEAH!".

She turned to Johnny with the smile.

"Thanks!", she looked grateful.

"You're welcome", the actor said, "I'm always full of good ideas".

"Yeah", she turned her attention back towards the sea, still smiling, "But you guys are planning to stick around once we're back in the states, right? I mean, you're not just gonna leave the next day and drop me a line once every three or four years".

"I'll be around", Liu said.

"Me too", Johnny added, "You're not getting rid of me. Even if you want to".