Scorpion sat on the edge of his bed, meditating. Maria had gone walking, and he figured she wouldn't be back for a while. His mind was free of all thought, that was until something began to happen. It seemed like a vison, although he'd never had one so he couldn't be sure. He could see Maria walking along a path in the woods, singing something. Suddenly she turned, a frightened look on her face. She screamed and sprinted down the path until finally she fell onto her hands and knees. She was being attacked by something, but he couldn't tell what. Unable to stand it anymore, Scorpion transported himself to the woods near Sun Do in a whirlwind of fire. Maria lay on the ground, crying. Long, bloody gashes crisscrossed her arms and legs. He rushed to her side.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

She sniffed, "It was a crow."

"What?"

"A crow," she repeated, "It came out of nowhere, and it chased me..."

Suddenly a thought occurred to Scorpion.

"Jay Yung," he breathed.

"What? No, Scorpion it couldn't have been Jay..."

"Who else do you know of that can transform himself into a crow at will?" he asked.

"Maybe it wasn't a person though," Maria replied, "Maybe it was just a normal crow."

"No," Scorpion said, "It wasn't. Maria, go back to the village."

"Where are you going?" Maria asked, letting him help her stand.

"Go back to the village," he repeated, then he was gone.

Back at the palace...

"You don't have to do this," Jay said.

Ashlynn shook her head, "Yes I do. Quan Chi is still a threat."

"I don't want you to go alone."

Ashlynn looked at him, wishing he could come with her.

"No," she said, "I have to do this alone, and you have to look for Cherin."

"If I lost you..."

He stopped, unable to bear the thought.

"You would move on," Ashlynn said, "For Arilayn and-

Suddenly she was thrown backward in a flash of fire, landing in one of the courtyard gardens. Jay rushed to her.

"I'm fine," she said, standing. Then she noticed Scorpion, standing not five feet from them, his eyes gleaming.

"What's wrong with you!" Jay demanded.

Scorpion blinked, then looked at Ashlynn.

"You should leave," he said, "Or I will kill you too."

Ashlynn gasped, "What!"

Without warning, Jay was sent backward, crushing one of the benches.

"Stop! Why are you doing this!" Ashlynn cried. She wanted to run to Jay, but Scorpion was blocking her path.

"He attacked Maria," the ninja replied.

"No," she said, "He's been here all day."

"No, I saw it. I saw what he did to her!"

"Listen to me," Ashlynn said, trying desperately to calm him down, "You have to stop and think about what you're doing. Jay didn't-

"Ashlynn, Maria was attacked by a crow," Scorpion interrupted.

"But...Jay would never...he couldn't have..." she stuttered.

"Stop trying to protect him," Scorpion said, "I am telling you the truth!"

Ashlynn glanced at Jay, still unconcious, lying in the rubble of the ruined bench.

Just then, Raiden appeared. Standing between Ashlynn and Scorpion, who was on the verge of attacking her.

"I would think you would have learned by now," the thunder god said, "That crow was not Jay Yung, it was-

"I told you," Ashlynn said.

"Silence Ashlynn," Raiden said, "That crow was a creation of Quan Chi. Scorpion, he was trying to turn you against Jay Yung. The sooner the sorcerer is destroyed, the better."

Jay was awake now, and he managed to pull himself to his feet.

"Ashlynn," Raiden said, "You must leave. Quan Chi must be destroyed, we can waste no more time."

Ashlynn was busy trying to steady Jay.

"What about Cherin?" she asked.

"She will have to wait a while longer I'm afraid," he replied.

Somewhere in the wastelands of Outworld...

Cherin had been wandering across the plains of Outworld, lost, for days. The only light now was the glow of the two moons overhead. She shivered as a breeze blew across her skin, giving her goose bumps.

"There has to be something here," she mumbled.

Her stomach growled, reminding her how long it had been since she'd last eaten.

"I have to-

She gasped as her foot caught on something, and she fell to the ground.

"Dammit!"

Suddenly she heard a soft growl, coming from somewhere behind her. She stood.

"Hello?"

She heard another growl, and then a woman's voice.

"You have stumbled into the wrong place intruder!"

Peering through the darkness, Cherin could see the figure of a woman, slightly taller than herself, and behind her, some sort of camp.

"I will rip the flesh from your bones!" the woman growled.

Cherin stumbled backward.

"Wait," she pleaded, "I'm lost!"

"That is no concern of mine," the woman said, walking toward her. As she stepped forward, the moonlight illuminated her. She had dark hair, pulled back into a ponytail, and she wore a veil over her face.

"I m sorry to inform you that you have stumbled across a Tarkatan camp," the woman said, "And I am even sorrier to inform you that currently residing in this camp is none other than Baraka himself."

"Baraka?" Cherin asked, she'd heard of him. He was supposedly the most feared Tarkatan in Outworld, and she didn't exactly feel up to an encounter with him. Then it struck her, this woman with the veil, she could only be...

"Mileena," Cherin said, "That's your name isn't it?"

"Yes," Mileena replied.

"If this is Baraka's camp," Cherin said, "Then what are you doing all the way out here?"

"Scouting," was all Mileena said before charging forward with a growl that sent a chill down Cherin's spine. She managed to dodge, and hit Mileena with a punch to the kidney. Mileena was quick to jump back up, a sai in each hand. She tackled Cherin, who hit a nearby boulder. She barely had time to move before Mileena lunged at her with the sais. Cherin came up behind her opponent, sweeping her feet out from under her. Mileena fell onto her back, gasping when Cherin pressed her foot down onto her throat. Quickly, she caught Cherin's ankle, pulling her to the ground, slashing at her stomach with one of the sais. Cherin tried her best to ignore her bleeding abdomen as she aimed a kick at Mileena's knee. She heard a satisfying crack, and the other woman fell, dropping the sais. Cherin wasted no time. She snatched up one of the weapons and plunged it into her enemy's heart. Mileena let out a howl of agony, then was silent. Cherin, more exhausted than she'd ever been in her life, stumbled backward, catching herself on the boulder.

"I have to find help," she panted, knowing she could probably die if she didn't find someone soon. She began to walk, her wound screaming in pain, until finally she could no longer take it. The world faded to black, and she fell.

A few hours later...

Cherin pried her eyes open. She was no longer surrounded by the darkness of Outworld, and she was staring up into the face of a stranger. The man was holding a cloth covered in blood, her blood, she realized. He smiled, helping her sit up. His eyes caught her attention. They were a deep brown, and had a strange innocence to them. He was wearing a baseball cap, which told her he was probably from Earthrealm, and a jersey that was two times too big for him.

"Where am I?" she asked.

"Well," the man said, "You're still in Outworld, is that's what your wondering."

He had a New York accent, he was definitely from Earthrealm.

"This is my temporary er...home, I guess you could call it," the stranger continued, "Until I can get back to Earthrealm."

Cherin glanced around. She was sitting on a cot, in a tiny wooden cabin. A small fire was burning in the hearth on the far end of the room.

"What's your name?" the man asked, taking off the hat to smooth his shaggy brown hair.

Cherin blinked, trying to shake off her drowsiness.

"Cherin," she replied finally.

"I'm Kurtis, but you can call me Stryker. So tell me, what are you doing in the middle of Outworld?"

Cherin sighed.

"I was in this...camp...in Edenia," she said, she avoiding saying rehabilitation camp, "I left through a portal and I ended up...well, somewhere I didn't want to be. So I went back through the portal and got stranded in Outworld."

"What about that?"

It took her a moment to realize that Stryker was referring to the wound on her side.

"I was attacked by a Tarkatan," she said.

Stryker nodded.

"I can't stand those things," he told her, "They're always coming around here trying to steal what little I have."

"Since I told you my story," Cherin said, "Why don't you tell me yours?"

"I'm really not very interesting," he replied, "I worked in the L.A.P.D, I was head of the Riot Squad, until..."

"Until what?"

"Until I found out about Outworld," he continued, "I realized the forces of this place were a huge threat to Earthrealm, so...here I am."

"You just left everything behind?"

"To tell the truth," Stryker said, "There wasn't much to leave."

"How long have you been here?"

"Almost three months now," he replied, "I've been looking for the biggest threat to Earthrealm."

Cherin shook her head, "That'd be Quan Chi."

"Never heard of him...So, he's the one trying to take over Earthrealm?"

"His goal is to ultimately control all of the realms," Cherin said.

"Do you know where I can find him?"

Cherin was shocked by this question. She couldn't imagine anyone wanting to find Quan Chi. She couldn't help but smile.

"You really are new to this aren't you?" she chuckled, "You can't go after that guy. You'd be dead before you even knew what was going on."

"If I can't confront him," Stryker said, "Who can? Is anyone a match for this guy?"

"Yeah," Cherin said, smiling a little, "A friend of mine. She knows his weaknesses. If anyone can beat him, it's her."

"She?" Stryker asked, raising an eyebrow, "You're saying the one to kill this guy and save Earthrealm is a woman?"

Cherin's eyes narrowed.

"Yes," she said, "If you knew her you wouldn't even consider asking that question."

Stryker seemed ashamed.

"Forget I even mentioned it," he said, "Sorry."

Cherin shrugged.

Quan Chi slammed his fist down on the table.

"My plan has failed," he growled, "Ashlynn will be on her way here by now..."

"Is there anything I can do Master?" Rain asked.

"Yes Rain," the sorcerer replied, "When she gets here, I want you to stall her."

"How Master?"

Quan Chi glanced at him.

"Any way you can," he said, "Use your imagination."

"Yes Master..."

"Meanwhile, I have a surprise for her. My backup plan. You must keep her occupied for as long as you can."

Rain blinked, trying to think of how he would possible stall the Earthrealm woman.

"What are you standing there like an idiot for? GO!"

Startled, Rain scampered out of the room. The sorcerer stood from his chair, approaching the shimmering red pool in the center of the room.

"Come," he said, "Your master is calling."