I still don't own Mortal Kombat.
Everyone in the realms was sure to tune in to tonight's broadcast. After all, it promised to answer the question of what had happened to the beloved Queen Sindel and why she no longer behaved like herself and seemed to have a different set of memories.
Convincing Sindel to become a guest had been difficult, as she did not value the opinions of a being like Syzoth, who had been a henchman his entire career. Still, she ultimately consented to come on the program as the most effective way to deal with these rumors that she was not the Queen Sindel that everyone remembered. She was also impressed with the way Syzoth had shamed Shao Khan into discipling Milleena and wanted to see if the Saurian guru had any suggestions that she could use to tighten her own hold over Shao Khan.
Syzoth himself however was a bit worried. Ever since her attitude change, Sindel brooked no criticism, and part of the show's structure depended on back and forth verbal banter which more often than not led to the guest being insulted. However, Syzoth could use the fear factor to subtly insult Sindel while coming across as flattering her.
"Folks, I want you to give a loud round of applause for this week's guest. Seriously, she will kill whoever stops clapping first."
Reptile motioned for the Tarkatan in charge of the camera to zoom in on him.
"We know her, we love her, but lately she just hasn't seemed like herself. Here, tonight, to find out if we are in our own timelines, I give you…Queen Sindel!"
The crowd erupted into applause as the gray skinned queen of Outworld levitated on to her chair. She basked in the audience's salutations for full five minutes before descending and shouting, "Scilence!"
"It is truly honor to have you as a guest on our show, most excellent Queen Sindel," Syzoth began.
"Yes, I predict that your ratings will sky rocket this week and then fall of massively," She said, staring straight into the camera and not making eye contact with Reptile.
Choosing to save his head rather than his pride, Syzoth complimented the queen, "So poised and sure of yourself," turning to the audience he said, "Take notes. This is how a sovereign carries herself."
Syzoth gulped as he asked the next question, "My queen, while you are radient as ever, I must ask—and it looks completely stunning with your purple clothes—what has happened to your skin and eyes?"
Sindel quickly examined her hand and arm, "Are you trying to ask if I'm still a revenant?"
Reptile nodded.
"My dear lizard, I did this to my self by harvesting the souls of all rebel Edenians long before Quan Chi ever touched me."
"I understand that not everyone accepts that he's the party responsible for your death?"
"I don't understand why not. He murdered the Shirai Ryu just to play head games with Hanzo Hasashi, and spent millennia manipulating every decision Shinnok ever made. It's not like murdering the rightful queen of Outworld and Edenia is beyond him."
"No, it's not beyond him, but corrupting yourself by harvesting innocent souls should be beyond you!" A voice called from the audience. Reptile tried to locate its source.
"Who are you?" Sindel called out.
"I'm you!" The woman stood to reveal that she was identical to Sindel apart from not having gray skin or glowing eyes.
"What is going on here?" Reptile demanded.
"I'm Sindel in one of the previous timelines, and in my version of history Quan Chi did not kill me. I sacrificed myself to create a protective ward around Earthlream."
The crowd started cheering. This was the Sindel they remembered, the Sindel they wanted.
"So, you are my weaker counterpart from this timeline," the evil Sindel said menacingly.
Reptile now felt brave enough to blurt out, "She has just confirmed it herself—Shao Khan's current Queen is not the Sindel from our timeline!"
"Shut up, lizard!" Evil Sindel wrapped her hair around Reptile and flung him into one of the cameras.
"I used to be exactly like you," Evil Sindel said to her good counterpart, "Weak, compassionate, but our paths diverged when Shao Khan conquered Edenia. I saw then that only the strong survived. I saved myself and Kitana by surrendering to Shao Khan and killing Jerrod myself."
"Traitor!" Good Sindel screamed.
"Survivor!" Evil Sindel pointed to herself.
"Not if you ask your Quan Chi!" That definitely stung. "What did all of your treachery and backstabbing get you in the end? You died in your timeline just like I did in mine."
"At least I didn't kill myself," the evil one hissed, "So I kept more self-worth than you did, Mrs. Miserable Trophy life."
Good Sindel let out a scream that broke the glass in all of the cameras.
A dazed Reptile looked all around to see if even one camera was still getting this epic Kombat.
"I sacrificed myself to protect Khan's next target from sharing Edenia's fate. You sold out your loyalty for personal gain. You're the trophy wife!"
The good Sindel punched the evil one in the jaw, only to receive a kick in her abdomen. Evil Sindel tried to follow with an uppercut, but good Sindel blocked her, sidestepped, and tripped her. Evil Sindel got to her feet and let out a sonic scream just as Reptile grasped a still functioning camera.
Pointing it to himself, he said, "Folks this is Chaosrealm-level insanity. Two alternate versions of the same woman are fighting each other to be the only remaining Sindel!"
"Shao Khan likes me; Mileena likes me!" The evil undead Sindel screamed. "No body wants you!" She struck the good Sindel in the cheek.
"Oh, no? Ask the fanbase!" Good Sindel rubbed her cheek with one hand and pointed to the crowd with the other.
"Sindel! Sindel! Sindel!" The audience erupted into loud cheers.
"What is that supposed to prove? We're both Sindel," Evil Sindel said. Immediately, the audience began booing.
"I think they've spoken," Good Sindel said.
"Ooh!" Evil Sindel huffed at charged at good Sindel. The good siren queen stepped aside. Evil Sindel was now on a collision course with the audience. At the last minute, good Sindel swung her head and with a massive sweep of her hair tossed her evil counterpart backwards and sent her flying into Reptile.
The host dropped his camera and fell to the floor.
Evil Sindel's buttocks lay heavily on Syzoth's head. She growled and said, "Get off me, Lizard," before standing and kicking Syzoth in the ribs.
"Ow…" Syzoth moaned, almost totally insensible from the pain. It didn't really matter though. He was conscious of the fact that his ratings were going the roof, if listless about everything else.
"This timeline isn't big enough for two Sindels!" Evil Sindel crouched as she prepared to loose a sonic scream that sent good Sindel flying backwards into the audience—specifically into Ermac's lap.
"We remember you," the red clad collection of souls said, "When one of us ruled Edenia…"
"Jerrod?" Sindel asked
"He is here," Ermac pointed to himself.
Sindel, happy to be reunited with her first husband kissed Ermac where his facemask where his mouth would be if he had full physical form.
There were noticeable "Aw"s from practically everyone excluding the angry evil Sindel on stage and the semiconscious Syzoth.
"You're pathetic!" Evil Sindel said. "First, I beat you, then you pick Ermac to be your lover? He's a henchman! He's only a little better than Baraka or this moron," she said, pointing to the still dazed Reptile.
Good Sindel got to her feet and pointed to her evil counterpart. "Ermac is not my lover. He's a collection of souls. One of them, however, happens to be my dead husband." She through a look at Ermac and smiled for the fraction of him that was once Jerrod.
"So part of him used to be your husband," Evil Sindel said. "I think it says something about your taste in men that you still love him when he's a soul fragment. You can hang on to your soul fragment! I've traded a king for an emperor!"
Good Sindel began walking steadily back to the to evil Sindel's position.
"I have three words for you: round two, fight!"
The Sindels began fighting again just as Reptile sat up.
"What did I miss?"
Syzoth scurried offstage carrying the camera. Taking a vacant seat, he squared the lens midway between the two Sindels.
Good Sindel kicked evil Sindel in the face. Evil Sindel responded by throwing her long hair like a whip, but good Sindel caught the end of it and yanked, pulling evil Sindel face first toward the floor. She tried to stand but good Sindel loosed a siren scream that kept her evil counterpart clutching her ears. Good Sindel quickly ran towards her, maintaining the scream all the while, and kicked her on the side of her head. Evil Sindel moaned and collapsed, unconscious.
"Sindel wins," Syzoth said. He noticed one of his Tarkatn employees loitering by the exit.
"You!"
The Tarkatan started quivering.
"Drag the evil one off stage and then hold the camera for me!"
Reptile glanced around the set. None of his other employees were there. They all must have run away during the Sindels' fight.
Typical. It's impossible to find good help in this realm.
Reptile kept the camera focused on good Sindel while the Tarkatan drug evil Sindel off stage.
"So, your majesty," Reptile began, still seated in the audience, "You mentioned you were from an alternate timeline?"
"No," Sindel said, "I'm from this one. Kitana and Liu Kang freed me from my revenant state."
"So, the weird one was you from the timeline where Shao Khan killed everyone on the pyramid? I thought you were good in that timeline too."
By now the Tarkatan had returned. Reptile handed him the camera and took his original seat in the host's chair while Sindel seated herself on the couch.
"To answer your question, I'm not sure which timeline she came from. I think it's very far removed from this one and Kronika just recruited her to mess with everyone's heads. Unlike Shinnok, she's actually competent."
"So, Sindel, you must be quite proud of the Kitana of this timeline, being an Elder Goddess and all that."
"Quite, though I worry about the actor and the other monk on her council."
"Cage and Kung Lao?"
"That would be them."
"I can understand how Liu Kang might want an old friend on the council, but other than friendship, what exactly qualifies Kung Lao? And it's a complete mystery why either of them wanted Cage."
"A week ago, I would've blamed it on Sonya, but after hearing her view of him, i'm less inclined to do so. Now I think it's more like Liu Kang and Kitana recruited Sonya for beating the squid titan, Sonya recruited Cassie, and Cassie recruited her father."
"Such rampant nepotism," Syzoth clicked his tongue. "Makes one worry for the realms."
"Not just the realms, but entire timelines," Sindel added. "That's what doomed the last council. Shinnok and Cetrion got to be Elder Gods just because their parents were Titans. And Shao Khan and Raiden got to be protectors of Earthrealm and Outworld just because Shinnok was their father,"
"And we can confirm that is the case for Shao Khan. He told everyone the DNA results on this show," Reptile looked at the camera before turning back to face Sindel, "Which would technically make Shinnok your father-in-law."
"Yes, the literal father-in-law from hell."
"Quan Chi was the real ruler of the Netherrealm, and Shang Tsung in Outworld. Shao Khan is a meat head and Shinnok is just a sad pathetic looser."
Sindel's eyes became fixed on nothing for a moment while she considered something deeply.
"No," she shook her head and resumed eye contact with Reptile, "No, it's something evil me would think of."
"Do tell," Reptile said,
"Evil me, Quan Chi, Shang Tsung, D'vorah, and Kano could form a council where at least there would be checks and balances."
"It might actually work," Reptile mused.