Hers was an existence of eternal suffering.
She had been created for the purpose of replacing her genetic template and serving her emperor. Her desire to fulfil these duties was so overpowering, that she really had no say in the matter. As such, where was the justice in Kitana dropping her into a prison cell for years and leaving her down here, forgotten? It seemed that their time as 'sisters' under their 'father's' rule meant far less to Kitana than to Mileena.
They had fought three times now. Well, the first of those could hardly be considered a fight; moreso an execution. That had been Kitana's immediate response to learning of Mileena's true nature: butchering her like diseased livestock. Her resurrection had come soon after, but merely as a test for the much more important resurrection of Queen Sindel.
Even so, Mileena had dutifully followed her emperor's commands, eventually leading to a confrontation between herself and Kitana, as the latter attempted to free her mother from Shao Kahn's mind control. Mileena failed to protect her 'mother' and was thus exiled from Outworld by the emperor. She had found herself in the newly-restored Edenia, remaining undetected for quite some time.
It was then that Baraka, her fellow tarkatan and servant of Shao Kahn, had approached her. She had been shocked to see him, given his supposed death at the hands of Kung Lao in the invasion. He had informed her of the coming conflict: the fallen Elder God, Shinnok, had escaped his imprisonment in the Netherrealm, thanks to the machinations of the demonic sorcerer, Quan Chi. Quan Chi had recruited Baraka in the Netherrealm as a personal enforcer, for when he made his move against Shinnok. Baraka's first thought had been to track down Mileena, justifying this decision through Mileena's inherent memories copied from Kitana making her a valuable asset as Shinnok made his way into Edenia - though Mileena suspected there was more to it than that. Regardless of the reason, she was just happy to have a new master to serve. At least, until Liu Kang defeated Shinnok and Kitana imprisoned Mileena beneath the Edenian Royal Palace.
But multiple years had passed since then. The only familiar face she had seen in that time was Jade, occasionally coming through to interrogate Outworld spies. Kitana hadn't even felt inclined to come down and taunt her. To Kitana, Mileena wasn't worth even that.
Mileena probably could have found a way to escape, if she properly applied herself. However, her depression left her utterly devoid of energy. As such, she did nothing. She simply sat there, barely driving herself to eat the food she was given. At times, she felt her mind simply shut off, sitting catatonic for a while, until inevitably being brought back to reality by a guard or the screaming of another prisoner. Even death would hardly be a comfort, placing her back in the Netherrealm, where she was sure to run into Shinnok or Quan Chi, both of whom she had failed.
She was in one of her near-comatose states when she heard a commotion outside. Guards rallying against some attacking force, only to be slaughtered en masse. She chuckled weakly, enjoying the sounds of the screams.
And then the door of her cell opened. The silhouette in the doorway was difficult to make out from the light behind it, but it was the voice with which it spoke her name that snapped Mileena out of her hopeless depression.
"b...barak..." she struggled to say.
She got a better view of the tarkatan general as he stepped into the moonlight shining in from overhead. His armour was new - dark blue breastplate that served only to compliment the splotches of red Edenian blood that coated his body - while his pants were a dark maroon that made the blood impossible to make out down there. Both of his armblade where extended and fully reddened.
Without a word, he sliced through the metal chains holding her arms above her head, bringing the greatest relief she had ever felt in her life as they fell limply to her sides. He retracted one blade and use that hand to tear off the mask covering her mouth and lift her chin to face him. He held up the other armblade towards her mouth, which she slowly licked clean. There was something special about Edenian blood, she had learned during her service under Shinnok, that made it taste far better than any other race she had yet consumed. Lapping it up completely rejuvenated her.
She reached up and placed both hands on the back of her saviour's neck, pulling him in close and pressing her forehead against his. He allowed her to do this for a few minutes, basking in the screams of the remaining Edenian guards as they were massacred just beyond the threshold of the cell. Eventually, they pulled their heads back, Mileena flashing a grateful, toothy smile. Baraka retracted his other blade and placed both hands under her arms. With her arms securely around his neck, he lifted her to her feet and allowed her to lean against him for support as she gained her footing.
Once she was able to stand on her own, Baraka led Mileena outside. Each tarkatan soldier they passed along the way bowed to her, surprising her with the level of respect they each held for her. Passing over countless corpses, Baraka brought Mileena out into the courtyard that led to the dungeon. There, she found the most incredible sight. Standing before her, taller than even the tallest of shokans, was a reptilian entity - a winged demon with horns the length of Baraka's blades. She had heard enough stories of Shao Kahn's conquests to know the visage of Onaga, the long-dead Dragon King.
Baraka took a knee before him, indicating him as his new master. Mileena then followed suit. Onaga took a thunderous step closer and chuckled. "Stand," he commanded, and the two obeyed. "This is the one?" he asked to Baraka, while eyeing up Mileena.
"She is, Emperor," Baraka replied.
'Emperor?' The word shook Mileena to her core. Onaga seemed to either notice or anticipate this.
"The usurper is dead. As are the two sorcerer's that claimed his life. Outworld is mine once more, as will soon be all the realms."
Mileena let this information sink in. Shao Kahn was dead. With that, her original purpose was well and truly lost to her. She supposed she should be happy about this, now being liberated to determine her own destiny, but she found this news strangely terrifying. Despite having been treated as a tool and a failure, Mileena was still bound to Shao Kahn's will, and the idea that she might never again be able to serve him left her stomach in knots. Before she could dwell on this any further, Onaga brought one massive finger, as long and thick as her entire forearm, up to her chin to get a better look at her face.
"You spoke truthfully of the resemblance, Baraka. Interesting." The Dragon King's voice, despite its much more intense baritone, was not quite as commanding and imposing as Shao Kahn's (though that was likely because Mileena had been created to obey that voice). "Tell me, Mileena, for what purpose do you exist?"
Unable to avert her gaze, or stop herself from trembling, Mileena responded, "To serve the Emperor and replace Kitana."
Onaga nodded thoughtfully. "Exactly what I wanted to hear. I have need of such talents and Baraka tells me you are quite adept at both. You will serve me now. I am sure you already know the alternative?" It was rhetorical, yet Mileena felt compelled to answer.
"There is no alternative. I am yours to command, Emperor."
Onaga let out a deep, intimidating chuckle. "It seems my old protégé found the right man for the job when creating you; loyal and fit for purpose. Once we get you cleaned up and fitted for your new attire, you will be near indistinguishable from the real thing."
At these words, a woman stepped out from behind Onaga's impressive wingspan. Mileena's eyes narrowed as her exact mirror image stepped into view. The new attire seemed out-of-place on her body - effectively a robe that left much of her torso exposed, including much of her breasts, and nothing more than knee-high boots and a thong on her lower body - but the woman's identity was unmistakable.
"KITANA!" Mileena screeched, finding new strength in the overwhelming hatred she felt towards the woman. She lunged forward, covering a good few feet and knocking Kitana to the ground. Mileena didn't have her sai with her, but her teeth would suffice to rip open Kitana's throat like a stuck pig. But that would be too quick a death for this bitch. Mileena began pummelling her, after which she would gouge her eyes, bite her all over and only then would she go for the neck.
Before she could go much further, however, she felt a pair of muscular arms wrap themselves under her own and meet up behind her neck. Had she not been imprisoned for as long as she had, Mileena could easily have broken free of Baraka's hold. As it was, Mileena was no match for his strength and resigned herself to whatever was in store for her.
Kitana, surprisingly, did nothing to retaliate. Instead, she simply stood and dusted herself off, checking the impact sites for blood with a stone-still, utterly neutral face. Mileena was at a loss for words until she noticed the way in which the gap between the two's appearances had closed back up: her eyes. Much like Mileena since her original death, Kitana's eyes were now a blank, milky white. Baraka seemed to notice the way she was looking closer at Kitana, the way one would look for blemishes and dirt in a mirror.
"The princess and her comrades were killed in the battle with Quan Chi and Shang Tsung," he explained. "Emperor Onaga used the same magic Shang Tsung used on Sindel, to make them his puppets."
"E-Even Liu Kang?" Mileena was stunned to hear of this, her legs buckling and forcing Baraka to lower her to the ground and release her. There had always been something about Liu Kang that had fascinated Mileena. It could have been simply due to his immense kombat prowess and her tarkatan nature drawing her towards power, or it could have been that Mileena's taste in men simply mirrored that of her genetic template.
Before Baraka could elaborate, Onaga spoke up. "No doubt, you are drained from your long imprisonment. You may return to Outworld with Baraka and get caught up on current affairs, or you may join us as we assault the palace. I leave that choice to you." Without another word, Onaga began his march towards the nearby palace, commanding his army to follow. Baraka waited behind to hear her decision. As she watched Kitana obediently march behind her new master, ready to battle her own mother and reclaim Edenia for Outworld, Mileena grinned widely.
"Come, Baraka," she said gleefully as she rose to her feet. "Let us join our master's conquest, and observe the ruination of my 'sister's' home.
Baraka nodded and followed alongside her, filling her in as best he could. The so-called 'Deadly Alliance' had claimed the lives of Shao Kahn and Liu Kang, and then Kitana and four other Earthrealm warriors, before they and Raiden were all overpowered by the unstoppable Dragon King. His victory was all but assured, and Mileena would be there to serve at her emperor's side, alongside Baraka and her 'sister'. Just like the good old days...
This chapter was intended to be a short that featured Mileena and the introduction of the mind controlled heroes. As I was writing the next chapter, I tried to add that scene to at as the introduction, but it didn't really fit. As such, I split it off and planned to use it as the closing scene for this one. The story I ended up writing just didn't go in a direction where that would fit. Maybe I'll be able to fit it in somewhere, but for now, it's a no-go.
