This story is an amalgamation of four previous MK Khronicles chapters: "The Superstar's Revival", "The Superstar's Comeback", "The Superstar's Reboot" and "The Successor's Potential". The original versions were set in a universe more akin to that of the games, with two timelines. This version is instead set in a universe where there is only one timeline (see "The Hero's Tale"). As such, while you may have already read the original stories, some details have been changed, as have numerous contextual details, and even the timeframe and order of the events from Reboot. Additionally, multiple lengthy new scenes have been added to help tell the full story of Johnny Cage from MK1 to MKX. The originals total approximately 26 pages, while this version reaches 54. So, even if you have read the original stories, I hope you'll still give this version a read.
October 1992
John Carlton was not impressed.
The California-born action superstar had aspired to greatness in Hollywood from a young age, fuelled in-part by his older sister, Rebecca, starring in a family sitcom in her teens. John had been brought onto the set to play the bit part of Casper Cage, a young karate student in the same class as his sister's on-set brother. The six-year-old John had impressed the production team with his acting chops and ability to quickly take to the moves he was taught. In particular, his flooring of his on-set counterpart and closing the take with the ad libbed line, "You just got Caged," won over the executives, leading to his small cameo quickly being expanded into a recurring character. At the insistence of his parents, John was credited under a pseudonym: Johnny Cage.
The show lasted four more seasons, with Casper quickly becoming a fan favourite. John would then move on to numerous commercials and bit parts until hitting it big with Time Smashers, an American adaptation of a Japanese tokusatsu series. Thanks to his interest in martial arts being piqued by his first role, John had continued to practise Karate, specialising in Shorin Ryu and Shindo Ryu, both of which proved advantageous for his role as the Blue Ranger, Jeff Conrad. While working on the show, he also took up the practice of Jeet Kune Do.
From here, John would star in several independent martial arts films with fellow cast members from Time Smashers. As the primary source of funding, and the biggest star, these films would rely on Carlton's star power in their titles and marketing: Caged Rage, Cage Match, Citizen Cage, and You Got Caged. At this time, Carlton would also make regular appearances on the television series, Wu Shu, though the Hollywood movie adaptation would replace the entire cast with bigger stars.
Following the debut of the movie version of Wu Shu, Carlton would be sought out by an agent, who would book him several film roles, including 24 Karate Gold, Sudden Violence, and Dragon Fist. Role offers began flooding in following these films, and Carlton would legally change his name to Johnny Cage.
Through hits such as Exiting the Dragon of Death, The Gist of my Fist, Iron Claw, and World's Most Wanted, Cage rose into the upper echelons of the Hollywood elite. It seemed like nothing could damage his image, even such flops as Aquatic Assault or Who's That?. Cage also expanded his career into several ventures outside of acting. He would release a cologne named Cage Cologne, record a rap album titled Johnny Uncaged, win an episode of Celebrity SMASH TV, and he even had a brief stint as a professional wrestler.
In recent years, however, Cage's star had waned. Following his highly-publicised divorce from his wife of three years, Cindy Ford, many of Cage's opportunities had dried up, thanks to his spiteful wife's many connections in Hollywood. He had gone from such major hits as 7 Poisons, Tommy Scissorfists and the Dragon Fist Trilogy, to such bargain bin garbage as the parody film Breaknose Mountain, the CGI monstrosity Every Dog Has Its Day, the creatively-titled HWAAAAA!, and the currently in-production Ninja Mime.
The production was a nightmare. Aside from the embarrassingly tight costume he was forced to wear in his role as the titular mime, Cage was also acting opposite French actors who didn't speak a word of English, performing fight scenes with severely under-trained extras, and having to deal with the intense California heat on top of the excessive makeup and black fabrics of the costume. He was at the end of his rope with this shit.
As such, it was probably a bad idea for the director to insist on setting a fight scene inside a burning building. The fire was controlled, of course, but that didn't make it any less of a problem when Cage opened the door to the 'building', ready to leap into action to save his love interest, only to be smacked across his white-coated face with a wall of heat that he swore made him instantly lose twenty pounds of sweat.
He slammed the door shut, separating himself from the rest of the crew, all of whom were confused by Cage's sudden decision to restart the take. But when he didn't open the door again, the director called out to him: "Cage, come on, we don't want to have to rebuild the set if it burns down!"
Johnny responded by putting a hole in the 'wall' with his fist. Then another with his knee. And another with his fist. He emerged from behind the wall and launched into a tirade, criticising every aspect of the production from the director's insistence on casting genuine French actors that couldn't even act all that well; to his slavish devotion to practical effects, with the insistence that they were always better than computer-generated effects, despite the magic Cameron's team had done on T2 a year earlier; to the incomprehensible script he had personally written for the film. By the time he was face-to-face with the director, screaming in his face, Cage's tirade had moved on to the director's clear disdain for the original newspaper comic the movie was based on, turning the original costume into a stereotypical mime costume, which was far less comfortable than an accurate recreation of the comic version would have been.
The director, to his credit, made no move against Johnny, neither pushing him back, nor hitting him to get him under control. To his discredit, he jabbed a finger into Cage's chest and began to make his own complaints about Cage, accusing him of attempting to sabotage the film for the sake of his ego, bruised by the messy divorce.
Cage punched the dick in his dick and walked off the set.
"And these stunt doubles don't even look anything like me!" he concluded, storming past the place where the trio were sat, leaving Pesina, Ashby and Mullins looking deeply offended.
"Johnny, come on!" Chuck, the actor's long-time manager cried, attempting to make his client see reason. "You got a week left a' this thing an' we're done! Just put up with it for one more-"
"No, Chuck, I can't deal with this shit anymore. Fuck that asshole! I'm done with this f-" He threw the hat on the ground and wiped most of the makeup off with his glove. Chuck seized this opportunity to speak again.
"Look, I know it's bad, Johnny, but ya can't blow the paycheck or the publicity chance here. One more week, baby! One more-"
"I'm not doing it, Chuck. Fuck it. This movie'll kill my career, not bring it back from the brink." Not that he needed to finish the film to achieve that effect. No doubt, the tabloids would have a field day with this 'has-been's on-set meltdown'.
Chuck had no idea how to talk Johnny down and decided it might be best to give him a little space to calm down by himself before trying again. Hopefully, he would have some good news to cheer his friend up with by the time he came back from the meeting.
Luckily for Chuck, Johnny had indeed calmed down by the time he returned from his meeting. "I'm back from WB," he explained as he entered the trailer. Johnny perked up at that, though his expression - not obscured by his trademark $500 sunglasses - appeared apprehensive.
"You didn't book me for Massive Strike, Fight Dirty, or Fly High, did you?"
"Huh? No, ta hell with that stuff. Johnny, I got in with the DC guys."
"DC? Really?"
"Really. Batman's a big friggin' deal right now, so they wanna capitalise wid some otha characters. So, I put your name forward and they're interested."
"Oh, yeah?" Johnny was visible excited at the prospect of getting another shot at the big leagues. Or rather, the big League. "Who as?"
"Now, don't be mad," his agent replied after bracing himself. "They're interested in you for one role. But it's not Green Lantern or Superman."
"Then who? Flash? A villain?"
"They think, given your more comedic roles, that you'd be a good fit for Booster Gold."
"No," the actor said instantly, standing to leave the trailer. His agent had to move quickly to block the door and make him stop.
"Heyheyhey, Johnny just... listen, alright? Blue and Gold is really popular right now and a little unconventional for the genre. This could be your big break!"
"I don't do side characters, Chuck, you know that." He moved to push past, but the shorter man put a hand on his chest to stop him.
"Johnny," he said with a serious tone. "You know I love ya. Your indie stuff was what got me interested in managing ta begin with. But you've gotta let go of your pride, buddy. You're not big like ya used ta be. Your star's dwindlin', man. Ya gotta take the parts ya can get, an' even if it's second billin' in a smaller movie, this deal is... well, golden. Big payout, guaranteed multi-film contract, major push from Doubleya Freakin' Bee! Ya gotta do this, Johnny. Opportunities like this are rare, especially for a guy whose career ain't exactly in a great place no more. You saw what this stuff did for Reeves an' Keaton. C'mon, man. Ya know I'm right."
Johnny removed his sunglasses and let out a deep sigh. He looked his agent square in the face and said, "I'll think about it."
"Yes! I promise ya won't regret it, Johnny! I'll go let 'em know you're interested. And who knows? Maybe another director at the studio might be able ta hook us up with some more opportunities. I hear Burton's got somethin' big comin' up soon!" Chuck continued expositing about how great this opportunity could be, even as he grew too far away for Johnny to be able to make out his words.
The star let out another sigh and exited his trailer. Chuck was right. Of course, he was. It was why Johnny had taken him on as his agent over a decade ago. His prospects were looking pretty grim right now. If this kept on for another year or so, he'd have to follow his sister's example and look for another field of employment. He was only twenty-nine, so stunt work or martial arts mentoring weren't out of the question, at least. He could probably do some modelling, even if he had lost out on 'Sexiest Man Alive' to Patrick Swayze again.
While out getting some fresh air, Johnny overheard a couple members of the stunt crew talking over their smoke break. They were talking about some rumour about a martial arts tournament being held by some eccentric old man on his private island. Supposedly, it was held every fifty years there, and the best fighters in the world were travelling to the island to compete. The boat would be leaving from a pier in Honk Kong in two weeks' time, and it was open to all challengers.
Where these crewmen had heard these rumours, Johnny had no idea, but a brief investigation around some of the seedier nightclubs he'd been known to attend did bring up a few other mentions of this tournament. Not enough to be considered public knowledge, but enough to make this thing seem legitimate. When asked if there was any kind of prize, a few of those supposedly in the know suggested money, while others claimed the winner's name would be known throughout the world.
This sounded, to Johnny, like it could be a good opportunity to win back some of his lost fame. He was under no delusion that he could be considered the world's best, but if he could get at least one win in a tournament of the world's finest, it would be a boost to his public image. And really, what was the worst that could happen if he snuck off to compete after filming wrapped on this dumpster fire? It certainly couldn't be any worse for his health than seeing Ninja Mime through to completion...
2 Weeks Later
Johnny was inspired.
Despite barely escaping with his life, the events on Shang Tsung's island had given the struggling actor a brilliant way to revitalise his career. Screw starring in other people's movies - he'd write his own. He'd take inspiration from the fantastical tournament to determine the fate of the Earth and write a fantasy martial arts movie he would also star in. But the best thing was that he could take as many liberties as he wanted, and no one would be able to decry the film for historical inaccuracy. After all, who would ever believe anyone who accused Johnny of historical revisionism surrounding a mystical tournament with undead ninjas, four-armed men and literal gods? Thanks to this, he could simply make a few tweaks, such as expanding the role of the character based on himself to make him the hero. With a few name changes to avoid being sued by Liu Kang or Sonya Blade, it would be easy to pass off as a fictitious event he imagined himself.
For his own role, he couldn't just base the character entirely on himself. After all, starring as himself would seem desperate at worst, and like an Adam West-esque dead end for his career at best. No, he needed a character tailored to his strengths as an actor - charming, charismatic, tough - but different enough so as not to be immediately apparent where he got the idea from - serious, damaged, probably celibate. He needed a name that suited this kind of character; far from the flashiness of 'Johnny Cage'. Something that conveyed the idea of a down-to-earth, grizzled hero, like the action heroes of the '80's. Not another John though. There were enough of those. Michael worked. Michael Grimm.
Grimm would be a special forces operative, as well. That way, Johnny might be able to hire on Sonya Blade as the military adviser for the film and work closely with her as 'research' for his role as their amalgamated counterpart, eventually convincing her to let him take her out to dinner. He couldn't quite put his finger on what it was about a fairly masculine woman who didn't take his shit that Johnny found so appealing, but his mind kept wandering back to her when he wasn't working.
Grimm would be joined in his quest by an Asian martial artist. Rather than a Shaolin monk, he would instead be Japanese, because that would better appeal to those Japanimation fans. Yoshitsune Minamoto, descended from the real Minamoto clan and trained by some mountain clan in various martial arts and sword styles. That would appeal to the samurai-loving crowd as well.
They would be roped into competing in a tournament held by the demonic sorcerer, Shang... Lao, who would drink the blood of his victims, rather than stealing their souls. It was less of a high concept notion that would be more palatable to the atheist demographic, while also capitalising on Coppola's upcoming Dracula film. The four-armed monster that served him would be named... Gongoro, because that mofo was gone (Johnny cracked himself up). He considered giving him six arms, but worried about the animatronic budget and left it at four (going purely practical would appeal to up-their-own-ass film snobs).
The godly mentor, who was likely the inspiration for the Japanese god, Raijin, could have that name, Johnny supposed. There was no copyright on mythology, after all. As for the two ninjas, Scorpion and Sub-Zero... well, Johnny hardly wanted to incur either's wrath, if either one was still active. One would be a member of the same clan that trained Yoshitsune, revived from the dead as Shang Lao's undead servant, while a member of their rival clan was hired to assassinate Earth's heroes. That should be different enough from the Lin Kuei and Shirai Ryu to avoid an assassin coming for him in his sleep. The actual plot would play out largely the same as the real events, aside from Grimm defeating Lao, and the two ninjas both being killed by the heroes.
Johnny was satisfied with his script. If he pitched it right, he was sure to get a deal. He'd compare it to Big Trouble in Little China, and say it was, 'Enter the Dragon, starring an inoffensive white guy'. Those kinds of phrases were like catnip to movie producers.
But, despite his enthusiasm, there was something missing here. The story was intriguing, the threat was exciting, the characters were relatable, but the story was lacking a certain... emotional hook. As he pondered this, lightning struck outside Johnny's trailer. It wasn't raining, either before or after the strike, causing the actor to slowly turn his head towards the door.
"No way..." he muttered in disbelief. He thought that whole ordeal was over. "No, no, no, no." He scrambled to hide the evidence of his script as he dreaded what the man now knocking on his door might have come for. He had saved Johnny once before, but he didn't want to think what might happen, should the Thunder God have become enraged by his exploitation of those real events for his own gain. His life had been on the line every second he'd spent on that island, dammit! And not a second of it had been recorded or televised. He deserved to make something from that experience!
He almost bashed the door open and expressed all of this to the man outside, but found pause as his fingers touched the door and felt the tingle of static electricity. He had to calm himself down and try not to piss off the literal god that had at least respected his privacy enough to arrive outside and knock, rather than forcing his way in - which Johnny knew first-hand that Raiden was more than capable of...
He opened the door, slowly, hoping that he'd imagined the lightning and the thunder and the static electricity, and that it was just Chuck, back from another meeting with the WB guys. That, or a fault with the equipment. He could live with that.
But, alas, no. Before him stood a man in a white and blue tunic, his face obscured by a black cowl surrounding his face, and a Japanese conical farmer hat casting shadow across his face and leaving only the area around his glowing white eyes visible. He seemed oblivious to the gawks and mutterings of the cast and crew that had noticed his arrival, likely thinking he was some weird tribute to Big Trouble that had been suddenly added to the script.
"Johnny Cage," the man said, that thunderous baritone unmistakable.
"Ah, shit," Johnny muttered under his breath. "Look, Raiden, if this is about the script, I-"
"There are more important things at stake than your career, Johnny Cage," the thunder god interrupted.
"Gee, thanks, Raiden..." the actor replied sardonically. He'd been told this in practically the exact same wording by others before but hearing it from a man he knew to be a god somehow made it feel like an official statement from the universe itself.
"Earthrealm requires your aid for a second time, Johnny Cage."
"Okay, first, stop calling me by my full name. I know you spend most of your time in China, where that's normal, but in America, it isn't. And secondly, I've been in one of your tournaments. I did my part and that shit was terrifying, so I am never taking part in another one." Johnny wasn't sure why he was feeling bold enough to talk down to a god now, but it was strangely thrilling.
By now, more people were gathering to observe this strange discussion between the washed-up actor and this mysterious trespasser. Two members of security approached Raiden from behind. Johnny tried to open his mouth to warn them, having seen the horrific deaths Raiden could inflict when angered. By the time his second word was escaping his lips, the two men were struck by the electric aura that surrounded the thunder god. They were both thrown back and left lying in an unconscious heap. Johnny supposed they were lucky they didn't go for their tasers, or they might have lost their hands. Raiden, for his part, seemed to barely notice the presence of the two men.
"Shao Kahn has challenged Earthrealm directly, Mr. Cage. This tournament will determine the fate of Earthrealm on a permanent basis, regardless of the victor."
"...What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
"If Outworld wins, Earthrealm becomes the emperor's dominion. If Earthrealm wins, the emperor loses his claim to Earthrealm forever."
"How the hell did that come about? Earthrealm won, so we should be safe until long after I'm dead."
"Putting aside the potential reward for a consecutive victory, Shao Kahn took additional steps to 'encourage' my agreement to his terms."
"Wh..." Johnny's throat was feeling strangely dry, all of a sudden. "What did he do?"
"He sent his forces to the Wu Shi Academy. They massacred the majority of the monks, to spur Liu Kang into action. And they also captured Sonya Blade and took her back to Outworld."
A sudden surge of mixed emotions filled Johnny's soul. He sympathised with Liu Kang's plight, having become friends with the monk during the tournament. He dreaded what might become of Sonya, having found himself quite smitten with her during the tournament. And he felt frustrated that Raiden seemed to be telling him this to manipulate him into going with him. And worse, that it was working. He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.
"Alright," he said, finally. "I'll go. Earth needs the best fighters it can get and I'm provably up there." He grabbed a shirt and jacket, making sure his sunglasses were in the pocket where he'd left them. He closed the trailer door behind him and allowed Raiden to place a hand on his shoulder, despite knowing that the coming teleportation was likely going to make him hurl again.
1 Week Later
It was easy for Johnny to regret his decision every second he spent in Outworld (oh, yes, Raiden had neglected to mention that part when he'd come to recruit him), but by the time he was back in Earthrealm, Johnny felt incredibly satisfied. He had played his part in Earth's final victory in the tournament and, while no one would ever know about the part he had played (outside of those that had joined him in Outworld), he was satisfied knowing that he had helped to ensure Earthrealm's safety from Outworld forever.
But more importantly, the experience had given him fresh inspiration with which to complete his script. It was while watching Liu Kang with Shao Kahn's daughter, Princess Kitana, that Johnny realised what was missing from his reimagining of the story: romance. Johnny was apparently the first person to notice the two's flirtatious interactions; though he sensed that Scorpion was strangely aware of it as well.
It made sense, though, as Johnny now knew that Scorpion had been a father prior to his death at the hand of the first Sub-Zero (yes, it turned out there were actually two Sub-Zeroes). As such, Johnny now had extra elements to add to his script to give it more heart. First off, one of the two ninjas would now have a wife and child - though he struggled to decide if it should be the dead ninja with a widowed family, or the living ninja as a widower. Eh, he could figure that out later. What concerned him more was adding in Princess Kit...sune, the fan-wielding assassin daughter of Shang Lao, who betrays her father upon falling in love with the hero... Michael Grimm. Johnny wondered if Sonya might get jealous from watching him perform the love scenes with the hot Asian actress who would play the femme fatale...
Thanks to the trip to Outworld, Johnny was already formulating plans for a sequel based on the Outworld tournament once the first film was successful, granting the production a higher budget to recreate the hellscape of Outworld. And Shao Kahn's He-Man-esque physique would be a good fit for Shang Lao's true form in said sequel, to avoid repeating the same final battle from the first film. There was probably room to make a trilogy out of this thing, but Johnny didn't want to tempt fate by planning for that.
With the script complete, Johnny called Chuck over to read it. He felt bad for his agent, who had been left to explain Johnny's disappearance from the set of his last film. While he'd been fired from that film, Chuck had been able to spin the 'disappearing thunder guy' as an abduction to dampen the blow to Johnny's career.
"Wow," was all he said for a while after he finished reading the document front to back. "Johnny, this... this thing's great! How tha helldya come up with widdis?" Chuck's accent was never difficult to spot, but it tended to force its way to the forefront when he was surprised or annoyed or excited. Johnny hadn't yet told Chuck about the nature of the tournaments; only that he had competed into two such secret affairs. Chuck, naturally, concluded that these were illegal underground cage match-type events, which Johnny had laughed off, saying that Chuck had watched Cage Match one too many times. Chuck was, of course, concerned for both Johnny's safety in such seedy events, as well as the damage to his reputation that would follow news of it getting out. Johnny had reassured Chuck that anyone speaking out about it would only be painting a target on themselves, suggesting to Chuck that he meant a hit, but really referring to the nice men in white coats.
All this to say, Chuck concluded that Johnny had merely drawn on the concept of the secret tournaments for the film and fabricated the rest. After all, undead ninjas, four-armed abominations, and ancient mystics were too unbelievable to be real, right?
"You know, sometimes, I even amaze myself," Johnny said with a smug, well-practised grin. "Maybe, I should pursue a career in screenwriting instead of acting..."
"Yeah, don't do dat."
"...Yeah, thanks, Chuck..."
"I mean, it's good, but I wouldn't quit acting ta make this your career."
"...You're a dick, Chuck."
"This from you, Johnny? Really?"
Johnny shook his head. "You got me there, bud."
"Really, Johnny, it's good stuff ya got here, so it could make a decent safety net if the DC thing falls apart again. Oh, speaking a' which, ya gotta stop pullin' these disappearin' acts. Tha WB guys're gettin' antsy about it. Ya gotta show more commitment, even ta tha craptastic gigs ya got straddled with."
"I know, Chuck. Trust me, though, bud. I'm gonna stick with this and get this thing greenlit, even if it kills me."
1 Year Later (August 1993)
This Mortal Kombat stuff was gonna kill him.
Around a year after the tournament in Outworld, Shao Kahn made his return. Somehow, despite the stipulations of the previous tournament and the rules put in place by the Elder Gods, the emperor had managed to open up a massive portal right over New York and send through an army of tarkatans, shadow priests and the like to conquer Earthrealm. They even had assistance from the Black Dragon, while the newly-cyberised Lin Kuei served as an enemy-of-my-enemy-type faction for the emperor. Johnny supposed Princess Kitana's home had fallen in much the same way.
A big, ugly gothic palace was dropped into the middle of Central Park, adorned with a massive Rushmore-eque image of Shao Kahn's head. No doubt, that was his base of operations. Unfortunately, the defences were too numerous and too dangerous for any of the NYPD or military attempts to attack it to be at all successful.
By now, Sonya Blade and her superior, Jackson Briggs, had gotten their superiors caught up on all this Outworld stuff, with help from Raiden. Liu Kang and his cousin, Kung Lao, had been tasked with helping those in need around the city and finding other capable fighters to join them, such as the Native American shaman, Nightwolf.
Johnny's role was much the same, though he was having a harder time of it, due to being recognisable as the fallen star he was. He managed to meet up with a police unit and convince their commander to meet up with Sonya's guys at a nearby outpost, in spite of the man's clear disdain for both Cage and his movies.
After a while, Johnny found himself at a bridge running over a canal downtown. Another bridge further down the road was the site of an intense battle taking place between Sonya and Jax's team and a group of four honest-to-god centaurs, right out of a Harryhausen flick. After witnessing two four-armed men, a soul-stealing sorcerer, and a guy with blades in his arms, Johnny really shouldn't have been as surprised as he was by this, but he couldn't help himself.
From the looks of it, these four horse men were completely bulletproof, as they seemed entirely unfazed by the hail of bullets being sent their way. Johnny hoped Sonya had brought better ordnance with her. As he thought this, he noticed a downed military helicopter in between his position and hers. The wreckage wasn't burning or sparking to any major extent. From the looks of it, he'd be able to pillage the thing without risk of explosive death.
Rushing over, he found a dead SF soldier inside, having presumably been killed in the crash. Based on the large, bloody hole in the cockpit, the pilot had been dragged out by something. Whether that was before or after the crash, it was impossible to surmise. Aside from the body, all that remained inside the chopper were the dead man's handgun and a rifle, a few blocks of C4, and a LAW rocket launcher. Little else was left, so it had likely already been picked clean; by Sonya or the cops, hopefully, rather than the Black Dragon or the Outworlders.
Johnny had undertaken firearms training for a couple of his previous roles, and while he'd rather keep it a secret so he could rope Sonya into giving him such training for his Mortal Kombat film, he'd rather she live to not do so than die here. Still, given the choice, he'd rather let the professional soldiers handle the gunning down Outworld monsters part.
A quiet snarling alerted Johnny to a presence behind him. He recognised it immediately as a tarkatan. Same with the quiet sliding of its armblades at it prepared to sneak up on the actor. Being bred primarily to fight, tarkatans weren't the stealthiest or smartest of creatures. Baraka had seemed the only exception, in Johnny's experience, so this guy was not as dangerous as the fallen general. Of course, letting one's guard down around a tarkatan was still a serious risk, and that was if the creature were attacking alone.
Hoping that was the case, Johnny contemplated firing a shot from the handgun from under his other arm, as he'd done to take down the main villain in Every Dog Has Its Day. Of course, Johnny's actual firearms training was not nearly as extensive or exaggerated as Doug Wolfe's was, so a less badass, more practical option was best right now.
Holding the rifle around the barrel like a club, he whirled around and swung for his would-be assassin's head, putting his training for the baseball episode of Wu Shu to good use. The tarkatan was smarter than Johnny had given it credit for, however, raising its right blade arm and allowing the actor to cut his own weapon in two by his own power.
Taking advantage of his momentary shock, the Outworlder drew back that same arm and then plunged it toward his chest. Luckily, Johnny managed to get his left leg up in time to push the arm back, the tip of its blade mere inches away from his chest. The tarkatan attempted the same with is left arm, but Johnny went on the offensive this time. He thrust the remnants of his rifle into the creature's open maw with enough force to knock loose a few of its jagged teeth as he rammed the weapon down its throat.
This halted his foe's attack as it gagged on the metal shaft threatening to choke it to death. Seizing the chance, Johnny kicked the monster back out of the chopper and went for the handgun. By the time he'd pried it from the hip holster of the poor guy who had been KIA before his boots even touched the ground, the tarkatan was on him again, its bloody mouth excreting a gargle of fury aimed at the man who'd so damaged its pearly whites. Honestly, Johnny could relate.
But that didn't stop him from whirling around, weapon raised, and emptying the full magazine of around sixteen rounds into its chest. Well, most of them hid the chest. He was fairly sure a couple missed and one definitely hit it in the neck. Fortunately, unlike their four-legged counterparts, small arms fire was as effective against tarkatans as it was against humans.
And against his stomach, as the realisation that he had just ended a sapient life hit him hard enough to make him vomit. Despite having taken part in two consecutive death tournaments, Johnny Cage had never taken a life more advanced than a bug. Supposedly, that 'nobility' was what had led Raiden to making him one of his chosen warriors. But that was little comfort now, knowing that he'd killed this tarkatan.
He wasn't sure it was guilt. After all, family wasn't as much a concept for the tarkatans as the tribe, so he didn't think they were sentimental enough to miss this guy. Plus, it had made the first move. An argument could very easily be made that it was to blame for its own death. All the same, it was kinda sad to think that Johnny didn't even know this creature's name. It really would be forgotten, likely with none of is brethren ever knowing what became of it, even if they did care enough to wonder.
The sound of gunfire in the distance brought Johnny back to reality. He had taken a life and that was awful, but right now, Sonya and Jax might well join the tarkatan if Johnny didn't get his ass in gear and get these weapons over to them.
Quickly gathering the small stockpile up, he hopped out of the wreckage and sprinted towards Sonya's position. By now, one of the centaurs had been killed and was now slumped over the bridge's guard rail. How they'd done it, he wasn't sure. A bullet in its mouth or eye, maybe? Regardless, these things were now proven fallible. However, Sonya's squad had been cut down by half by now, leaving only her, Jax and three others. One looked to be a medic, so some of the fallen may still be recoverable.
Johnny clambered up some nearby rubble to get a better view of the battlefield before him. The soldiers were doing a good job of keeping their distance from the centaurs, aside from Jax, who was managing to keep one of them at bay with his new cybernetic arm sleeves. Spotting an opening with the other two, Johnny prepped the LAW and fired his single shot directly at the one in back, slightly further away from Sonya than the other one.
The blast rocked the area. Johnny narrowly avoided being buried as more rubble fell from the building above. He got up close to Sonya and her team, just as Jax capitalised on the confusion by grabbing his opponent by the horns and ramming a knee into its face, then slamming its thick neck onto the guardrail and slamming his metallic fist down onto it repeatedly, until it eventually broke.
"Hey, Sonya," Johnny gasped, dropping his supplies and leaning against the stone pillar behind which the soldiers had taken cover. He was in damn good shape, so he'd normally be fine, even after that sprint, but this whole situation had really taken it out of him.
"Cage?" Sonya asked in shock. "Was that... Where the hell'd you get a rocket launcher?"
"Downed chopper," he replied, pointing over his shoulder with his thumb. "Some poor guy's gone KIA. Lost the rifle in the tarkatan attack. But... I managed to get out with some C4. I'm sure you guys can do some damage with it."
"We were just running out of our own supply here." Sonya was working to suppress a smile, but the look of concern she switched to as she commented, "Didn't take you for a killer," was bare for all to see.
Sonya had been held in chains beside Shao Kahn's throne during the Outworld tournament, giving her a front row seat of Johnny's flat-out refusal to kill his opponents, even against Shao Kahn's demands. He had even given the emperor the finger when his demands persisted. That was the moment she'd concluded that the movie star might actually be quite heroic. And she later found him surprisingly dependable when he helped Jax to free her from her bondage.
"I'm not," Johnny gasped. "These boys were #2 and 3. The tarkatan back there was #1."
Sonya's expression grew even softer. "It's not easy, is it?"
Johnny shook his head.
"Hey. Look at me." Sonya place a gentle hand on his shoulder. "It feels bad now, but each one is a little less sickening. A little less painful. You just have to focus on why you're doing this, instead of what you're doing. We're fighting to save the Earth. They're the instigators in all this. We're just defending ourselves. And billions of lives are riding on this."
"No pressure, huh?" Johnny said with a weak chuckle.
Sonya's reserved smile returned. "Well, you filmed Ninja Mime in six months. Can't imagine the pressure's much higher than that."
"Wa... Was that a joke I just heard from you, Lieutenant Blade?"
"One or two won't hurt anyone," she shrugged.
"Shame. Otherwise, I'd have this whole thing wiped up in an afternoon." Even Johnny wasn't sure if the return of his usual cockiness was a front or not.
"Your jokes are pretty hit or miss, Cage."
"IIIIIIII can't even dispute that."
Despite her best efforts, Sonya's smile was growing wider.
"I'm sorry to hear about your dad," Johnny said after an awkward silence. "You holding up okay?"
General Herman Blade had been killed in a bombing very early in the invasion, while Sonya, Jax and Raiden were explaining the situation to government and military officials. No one knew for sure who was responsible, but Sonya was absolutely convinced that it was Kano, and no one was of a mind to dispute that suggestion.
"I'm hanging in there. This isn't the first time I've lost somebody. Not even the first I've lost to Kano." Sonya didn't take losing friends well, especially after what had happened to her brother, Daniel, and the rest of their squad. Johnny was equal parts surprised and impressed that she was holding up as well as she was.
"We'll find him, Sonya. I promise you."
The smile returned to Sonya's face. "Yeah. Thanks, Cage."
"What the fuck is Johnny Cage doing here?" one of the other soldiers whispered to the medic as she patched up another of their squadmates.
"Being a real hero, apparently," she replied.
"Cut the chatter, you two," Jax commanded as he approached. "Thanks for the assist, Cage."
"Eh, no problemo, Jax. Now that the star's here, you guys've got nothing to worry about." Johnny wasn't entirely convinced the two didn't see right through his false bravado. After all, they'd heard the real thing enough times for contrast by now.
It was at this point that a spear impaled another of the soldiers out of nowhere. From the direction it had been thrown, from the other side of the bridge, three more centaurs emerged. One of them kept his arm held high, as if intending to make it clear that he was the one that had just reduced their number. He was adorned in a less armour than the others so far, but more warpaint. He looked to be their leader.
"You killed four of my best warriors," he called out, surveying the aftermath of the skirmish. "I'd expect nothing less from Raiden's chosen. Unfortunately for you, it is Raiden's chosen that the Kahn has tasked me with hunting down and slaughtering."
"Yeah, good luck with that, asshole," Jax taunted, stepping forward and clanging his metal fists together.
The lead centaur motioned with his head for his two fellows to ride out. The one to his right charged towards Jax, who managed to grab it by the horns as it charged and keep himself grounded to the spot. The second went for the others. Taking advantage of the waist-high rubble before them, Johnny and Sonya both leapt into the air to deliver a synchronised pair of kicks to its chest, Johnny kicking off its chest to hit it in the chin with a flip kick. Both landed on their feet and backed up into their fighting stances.
The centaur moved to engage but was stopped by a word from his superior. "You deal with those humans. These two are mine." The other centaur obeyed and gave chase to Sonya's team. "I am Motaro, General of Shao Kahn's armies," the centaur declared as he walked around the two to retrieve his spear from the body of the fallen soldier unlucky enough to be skewered by it. "I saw you fight in Outworld, Johnny Cage. This should be a fight to remember. If nothing else."
"Remember this," Johnny retorted, spinning a full 360 to wind up his Forceball.
Motaro blocked with his forearm, then used the same arm to thrust his spear towards his attacker. Johnny dodged to the side as Sonya fired off her energy rings from her gauntlet. This caught Motaro off-guard, but the attack did little damage. He thrust from above this time, but Johnny was able to get a Shadow Kick off the ground to knock the weapon free of the centaur's grasp.
With surprising speed, Motaro spun around, batting Johnny aside with his massive tail. With a hop toward Sonya, he once more spun, but only on his front legs this time, and went to kick Sonya with his powerful hind legs. Sonya narrowly managed to cartwheel out of the way.
Motaro went to retrieve his spear, but Johnny kicked it away before he could reach it. Motaro went to grab Johnny, who dropped into the splits below the centaur's attack and punched it right in the groin as hard as he could. He then remembered that a horse's nether regions weren't at the front. Motaro grabbed him by the shoulders and lifted him over his head.
Before Motaro could perform a follow-up, Sonya kicked his front legs out from under him, forcing him to drop Johnny. He recovered quickly, though, grabbing Sonya and putting her into the same position Johnny had just been in. Johnny, likewise, did as Sonya had and forced Motaro to drop her, but in his own unique way. With Motaro's back to him, Johnny now had a clear shot of the centaur's actual groin. This time, his opponent reeled in pain: the first real damage either one had done to him thus far.
Motaro reciprocated with his own devastating strike, donkey-kicking Johnny in the face as he was getting back to his feet, sending him flying end-over-end across the ground. Ears ringing, nose broken, lip busted, and sunglasses broken in two, Johnny was lucky he hadn't broken his neck. But, despite the pain, he had to keep fighting. It had taken Jax's augmented arms to take down one of these guys without explosives, and Motaro was likely even tougher than that. Sonya didn't stand a chance without backup, and everyone else was preoccupied.
Motaro had retrieved his spear again by now, which Sonya was only narrowly avoiding. For a creature his size, Motaro was deceptively swift. One dodge was so narrow that the spearhead managed to graze Sonya's scalp deeply enough to draw blood, and cut through her scrunchie, forcing her hair out of her usual neat ponytail. With her hair flowing wildly and blood starting to pour down her face, Sonya was only going to have more trouble staying ahead of the emperor's general.
Motaro feigned a thrust and turned the attack into a strike to the side of her head with the tail end of the weapon. With a follow-up punch from his free hand, Sonya was sent flying, much like Johnny had been. Unlike him, however, she didn't have someone to distract Motaro while she recovered. Or, at least, not until Johnny sprang into action. Motaro had his spear raised to deliver the finishing blow to Sonya, only for Johnny to strike the leg that had kicked him with a Shadow Kick, again managing to harm the centaur.
Motaro swung his spear around wildly, which Johnny had no issue dodging, but the follow-up was another kick with the rear legs. This time, the hoof collided with Johnny's spine, sending him reeling once again. This time, as he tried to get to his feet, he found that his legs refused to move. He couldn't even feel them, or anything else below the waist, for that matter. He tried in vain to drag himself across the ground with only his arms, but he wasn't making nearly enough progress to get away from the spear-wielding centaur looming over him.
Motaro raised his spear, as he had with Sonya, but no one struck Motaro before he could plunge the spear down into Johnny's chest, right through into the concrete beneath. It was hard to tell whose screams, Johnny's or Sonya's, were the loudest in that moment, as Sonya scrambled her way over to Johnny's body and Motaro pulled his spear free from the flesh of the fallen hero. Jax let out his own scream, but his was not one of agony or anguish. This was a war cry.
He tore the head of the centaur he was fighting off and threw it at Motaro. Caught off-guard by this act, Motaro soon found his face rocked by Jax's metal fist striking him. Jax then grabbed his spear, snapped it over his knee and stabbed him in the side with it. Motaro recovered enough to kick Jax back with his front legs, buying him enough time to pull the spear out.
Before either could make another move, small arms fire rained down on Motaro from numerous directions. Multiple military platoons had heard the battle and come to back up their fellows. Too little, too late for Johnny Cage, but Motaro knew they had weapons that could deal serious harm to him if he wasn't careful. He produced a small glass orb from his belt and threw it to the ground behind him. The sphere shattered, opening a small portal that remained open only long enough for him to retreat through it.
Jax observed as the other soldiers made their way into the area. A blast went off near the downed chopper where Johnny had found his equipment. From the looks of it, the other centaur was dead. Surveying the other squads, Jax didn't see any medical personnel. He tried to call his own medic over the radio, but the thing was fried.
"Sonya, keep pressure on the wound, I'll get Nicolau." He tried to keep his tone level, but it was no use. Neither was heading off to retrieve a medic, honestly. All three knew that.
But Sonya did as she was told. There was little else she could do. Her hands did little to stymie the flow of blood oozing out of the wound in Johnny's chest. Sonya couldn't stop her mind from going back to that awful day four years prior, when she had watched her brother get his heart cut out by Kano. Some nights, she could still feel the blood on her face. The crimson liquid covering her hands now carried that same horrid sensation.
She'd done an admirable job of keeping everything locked deep down inside until now. She'd taken great pains to keep herself occupied every waking moment since the bombing. But even she had her limits, and they had finally been reached.
"No, no, don't cry," Johnny said weakly, trying to reach up and wipe her eye with his finger, but lacking the energy to do so. "Your eyes are too beautiful for that."
"Shut up, Cage," she said, her voice uncharacteristically uneven. "Don't do this to me. Don't make me c-" In truth, it wasn't just Johnny's death that was breaking her. She'd been holding off on mourning her father's death because she had a duty to fulfil. But when it rains, it pours, as they say.
"I'm sorry I can't... help you take down Kano now." The regret on Johnny's face was heartbreaking to Sonya. She almost tried to reassure him that he could, that he was going to pull through. But they both knew that wasn't going to happen. "At least, I got a heroic Hollywood death, huh?" He forced a smile.
"N-No, don't you do this. Don't you fucking leave me too, Johnny!"
Johnny chuckled through the blood oozing from his mouth, his smile turning genuine.
"What? What is it?"
"You called me... Johnny..."
The following day, August 16th 1993, the world learned that movie star Johnny Cage had been killed in the defence of Earthrealm.
"I have failed you, Emperor," Motaro reported, his head bowed in disgrace. Given the punishment the Shokan had faced for their failures, Motaro expected no less for himself. His wound was still fresh, as Shao Kahn demanded reports from his warriors before allowing them to have their wounds tended to. This frustrated the cleaning slaves to no end.
"You say you killed Johnny Cage," the emperor said evenly.
"Yes, Emperor. But Sonya Blade and Jackson Briggs managed to force me to retreat."
Shao Kahn rose from his throne and slowly stepped forward. He placed a hand on Motaro's shoulder. The centaur instinctively raised his head and made eye contact with his master.
"One of Raiden's chosen is dead. I would hardly call that a failure. Remind me, which one was this... Johnny Cage?"
"One who refused to kill at your behest, Emperor. The one who made that, no doubt, offensive hand gesture toward you when you demanded the finisher."
"Ah, yes. That one. The most impudent of Raiden's chosen. Did he suffer before his life ended?"
"A broken spine and a spear through the chest, followed by exsanguination, Emperor."
The emperor's features broken into a wide grin. "Well done, Motaro. Already, you prove the worth of the centaurs over the Shokan."
Motaro's eyes glanced in the direction of Sheeva, who glowered. He couldn't help but smirk.
"Have your wounds seen to and get back out there. I want another of Raiden's chosen dead by the end of the day."
"As you wish, Emperor. Johnny Cage will be but the first of many."
2 Months Later
Mortal Kombat would be but the first of many movies in a long-running franchise. Chuck shopped the script around to a few studios after the invasion, as per Johnny's instructions. Johnny had already told him the way he intended to pitch it, with strong buzzwords and references to key movies to help guarantee a purchase. Of course, Johnny always intended to play the lead role of Michael Grimm to show off what he was capable of as both a martial artist and an actor. However, it was now clear that Johnny's full vision for the story of Mortal Kombat would never be brought to fruition.
It was fascinating to Chuck, to see the discourse on the news and talk shows surrounding Johnny shift overnight from washed-up has-been whose attempts to cling to his career were pathetic and cringeworthy, to a criminally underrated actor and stuntman whose career was cut tragically short.
Details were still scarce on what the fuck had happened in New York, but the government had promised a statement about it for later that month. The only things anyone knew for sure were that a big fucking portal had opened in the sky over New York and dropped a gigantic fortress in the middle of Central Park, bringing with it an army of centaurs and dudes with metal blades in their arms and, most significantly to Chuck, giant men with four arms.
Chuck recognised the idea as the big bad champion Johnny's character had to take down in the movie. This, coupled with eyewitness reports of Johnny fighting these creatures alongside other people that seemed suspiciously similar to the characters in the script, told Chuck that Johnny's fantastic work of fiction was, perhaps, closer to the truth than he had initially believed. All of a sudden, Johnny's sudden departures from the sets of his movies made perfect sense and only served to improve Chuck's image of his now former client tenfold.
In a way, Johnny dying heroically in a demonic invasion was the best thing that could have happened for Chuck's business, as his office was inundated with aspiring actors looking to be clients of the agent of the fallen hero. Chuck was sure most of them were only looking to use the name on the door to boost their own presence in auditions, though, so very few had found replies waiting for them on their answering machines. Even without the duplicitous serpents looking to leech off of the stardom of a dead man, Chuck would have gladly given up this boost to his business if it meant having his friend back. Now, though, all Chuck could do was ensure that Johnny Cage's movie saw the light of day.
Ultimately, it was Warner Bros. that Chuck found himself accepting the offer of. Aside from the money they could pump into it to better bring the film to life, and the fantastic action directors they had on-call, Chuck had managed to build a good relationship with some of the execs in his attempts to salvage Johnny's career and secure the DC gig. As such, he was sure he could get some say in the way the film was produced, to keep things true to Johnny's vision.
In light of Johnny's deeds, his old friend was given a producer credit, and asked for approval on a few changes. First off, the studio, now knowing that the events depicted were at least partially factual, wanted to use Johnny's name for the character of Michael Grimm. Chuck knew it was primarily to boost ticket sales with the 'Based on a true story' tag, but Chuck wanted his friend's legacy to be properly honoured. After an hour-long call with Johnny's older sister, he had the approval of the Cage estate to use the name. The character would be split into two, with the military backstory Johnny had planned now being given to a new character, whom the studio opted to recast as a black woman to appeal to those demographics. Chuck felt a slight sense of trepidation about this, but, so long as Johnny was Johnny, the specifics of the fictitious sidekick characters didn't matter.
On the subject of casting for Johnny himself, Chuck recommended some of the old stunt crew from Ninja Mime, Johnny's last film before the first tournament. Ashby was ultimately chosen for the role, with the others on-hand for stunts and minor roles. Chuck was sure Johnny would agree with the decision, were he around to have a say (well, he'd have demanded to play himself or take the script elsewhere, but Chuck still thought it was a good choice).
Several liberties were to be taken with Cage's backstory, which Chuck, while disagreeing with them, knew he'd have to let go to have more say in bigger details. For one, Chuck would be replaced as the manager character by some celebrity cameo. Though disheartened, Chuck saved up his veto bucks for when it really counted. Cage was a struggling actor whose star had dwindled, as was the case in real life, but the director and new screenwriter were insistent on adding some grit in the form of drug and alcohol abuse. The initial pitch for the idea presented it with some degree of subtlety which, based on his thirty years of experience in the biz, Chuck knew would balloon into extensive, unsubtle scenes by the third draft. Chuck pushed back hard against that one and it took a conference call with Rebecca to get them to relent (though, he swore he saw a few of the execs share a 'We'll get it in the sequel' look).
Most of the tension in the film's pre-production came from Chuck disagreeing with the proposed changes, and he had an ever-growing suspicion that his relationship with WB might end when this film wrapped. By the time the script was finalised, Chuck felt defeated. He had managed to hold off the more character-assassinating ideas, but the film could only be described as 'inspired by true events', at best.
Chuck visited Johnny's grave the following day, finding Rebecca there with her and Johnny's parents, Robert and Rose Carlton. He apologised for the changes that would be making their way into the film, deciding 'to hell with the NDA, they deserve to know'. They held no grudge against him, instead thanking Chuck for helping to advance Johnny's career and for doing what he could to keep his friend's portrayal as accurate as possible.
When it released later that year, Johnny Cage's Mortal Kombat broke box office records and raked in over a billion dollars worldwide. WB was quick to greenlight a sequel, Mortal Kombat: Invasion, drawing on eyewitness accounts and official statements from the government, which would release the following year. Chuck, surprising no one, was not involved with the sequel, giving him no power to deny the scrapped changes from making their way into the sequel.
2 Years Later (April 1995)
Preparations were almost complete.
Since the invasion two years prior, Sonya and Jax had put forward a plan for a U.N.-funded agency designed to deal with Outworld threats. This way, they were not bound by the U.S. government and could more easily bring in foreign experts to strengthen their defences. Despite their move away from their government, however, they were still considered part of its military, retaining their ranks (since raised for their valour in the invasion) and taking on regular operations with them.
Additionally, the U.S. government had been investing heavily into portal technology to help the Outerworld Investigation Agency with their operations, no doubt spurred on by the invasion being launched directly into the heart of the nation. Sometimes, it paid to work with a nation with such a hard-on for military spending. The current build of the device was quite finicky to get set up and required a ridiculous amount of power to get working. Fortunately, the generators Sonya and Jax had attached to it had been powered up by Raiden before he left to consult the Elder Gods. With any luck, they'd have the portal to Edenia ready to go before he got back.
Thanks to some good luck and foresight on Liu Kang's part, Edenia had been freed from its ten-millennia-long fusion with Outworld at the tail-end of the invasion. Queen Sindel had been snapped out of her brainwashing and restored to the throne, now a wiser and more dedicated monarch than she had been before. However, with her realm still in the process of rebuilding, it had been quite easy for a new threat to emerge and depose the queen.
Shinnok had once been one of the Elder Gods, specifically presiding over the concept of death. He had rebelled against his fellow immortals millennia ago, but Raiden had managed to defeat him in the final, cataclysmic showdown. He had been banished to the Netherrealm for his crimes, and had now managed to escape his confines in Hell after deposing the previous rule of that realm, Lucifer.
Raiden surmised that Shinnok was once again aiming to seize Earthrealm, using the much weaker Edenia as a site to launch his invasion from, since the boarders between that realm and Earthrealm were weaker, due to their status as allies. Raiden hoped the Elder Gods might intervene this time, given the severity of the threat Shinnok posed, even to them.
Given how abrupt the call to action had been, most of those that had fought in the invasion were missing. Johnny and Kung Lao were dead and the Edenians were trapped in their own realm. Stryker, Kabal, Nightwolf and Scorpion were all either unreachable or missing entirely. Only Sonya, Jax, Sub-Zero and Liu Kang would be taking part in this mission, alongside Fujin, the last remaining Earthrealm god, and Kai, Liu Kang's protégé in his attempts to rebuild the White Lotus.
"Lord Raiden," Liu Kang bowed the second the lightning struck to signify the Thunder God's return. The person accompanying him was more shocking than even Raiden's signature attacks. "And... Johnny Cage?"
Sonya whirled around at this.
"Hey, Lou," Johnny said with his signature Hollywood grin. "Ya miss me?"
"The Elder Gods have agreed to allow Johnny Cage to reinforce us in our time of need," Raiden explained.
"They intervene when they're the ones who're threatened, huh?" Jax noted, supplying the cynicism towards the Elder Gods on behalf of the late Kung Lao. "Convenient."
"Alas, yes," Raiden confirmed reluctantly. It was somewhat reassuring to know that their Protector God sympathised with their discontentment with the Elder Gods. "But take solace in the fact that this return is not only for the duration of this conflict. Should we succeed, Johnny Cage will be fully restored to life on a more permanent basis."
"And ready to get some blockbuster movies made." No one had the heart to tell Johnny what had become of his precious intellectual property.
While Jax, Sub-Zero and Liu Kang welcomed their comrade back to the land of the living, and Fujin and Kai introduced themselves to him, Sonya remained silent. Only once the others were done did she approach.
"Hey, Sonya," he said, somewhat awkwardly. He may well have been the first person in human history to come face-to-face with a person he had given his life for.
Sonya responded by slapping him in the face hard enough to knock his new sunglasses right off his face, revealing the Sindel-esque blank white eyes of an undead. Then, she kissed him. If the former stunned Johnny, the latter left him flabbergasted.
"W-What-"
"That's for dying to save me, you son of a bitch."
"Uh, which part?"
Rather than answering him, Sonya placed a hand on his chest where Motaro's spear had pierced him. The skin was smooth and unblemished. Without knowing the details of Johnny's death, one would never have guessed that a spear had killed him.
"Not a scratch on you," she said quietly, though Johnny wasn't sure she actually was speaking to him.
"I'm sorry," he said, genuinely.
"No, I... I'm just being... No one can fault you for doing what you did. It was brave and heroic and I'd be the one missing out on two years of my life if you hadn't. It's just that, with everything that happened back then, like with my dad, I-"
"Shhh." Johnny placed a finger to Sonya's lips. "I get it. You weren't in a good place at the time and it was more about things with your dad being unresolved. And then, I died without you getting to say thanks for saving you. Anyone'd be overwhelmed and confused in that situation. It'd make for compelling drama in a movie."
Sonya sighed. "Does everything have to be about movies with you, Cage?"
"Well, I gotta show off my knowledge of storytelling now that my white eyes're gonna limit my acting opportunities."
Solemnly, Sonya crouched down and picked up Johnny's discarded sunglasses. She placed them back onto his face and said, "It's a shame, really. Those blue eyes of yours were quite nice. I'm sorry they're gone now."
"Eh, no worries. Your baby blues are deep enough for the both of us."
"Oh, my god, stop." Despite her words, Sonya's tone was light.
"Only if you agree to go on a date with me," Johnny said, 100% in jest.
"Alright, sure."
"Wh... What? No, you're supposed to say 'no'."
Sonya shrugged. "You did die to save my life. It's the least I can do, right?"
"Uh, sure?"
Sonya couldn't help but grin at seeing Johnny so caught off-guard. "You'd better show me a good time, Cage. My standards are very high."
"Uh, you got it?"
"What's happening right now?" Jax asked quietly from the sidelines.
"Shang Tsung's sorcery, perhaps?" suggested Liu Kang.
"Well, this is... different," Johnny observed, recovering from the shock of Sonya's response. "But, I'm glad to see some things never change," he added, looking Sonya over.
Sonya raised an eyebrow and looked herself over to figure out what he meant. Her current attire was less military and more what one might expect from some kind of secret agent. Her green top and black pants were tighter than her previous military attires, but her arms and stomach were on display, as usual.
"You like shirts that show off your stomach," he clarified.
Sonya looked up at him and smiled. "With abs like these? Damn right, I do."
"Hey, you ever considered a career in-"
"I'm gonna stop you right there, Cage. The job I've got right now is way more important than whatever Hollywood crap you were going to suggest. Speaking of which, I need to get back to..."
Johnny followed Sonya's gaze to find that the others were gathered around the portal device, rather awkwardly, watching Jax work.
"Oh, yeah," Sonya said, cheeks slightly red. "I forgot the others were here."
"Yeah, that tends to happen to women around me," Johnny said with a possibly artificial bravado. "I become the centre of the universe for 'em."
Sonya smiled and rolled her eyes. She playfully punched him in the arm before heading over to join the others.
Johnny rubbed his arm, his own smile growing wider. "I still got it," he said, before heading over to the now open portal as well.
1 Week Later
As was promised by the Elder Gods, once Shinnok was imprisoned once more, Johnny Cage returned home. "Finally, they did something useful" was the general sentiment among the Earthrealmers; particularly, Kung Lao, who it turned out had actually survived the invasion, and joined Kitana and the also surprisingly-alive Goro in providing reinforcements for the final battle.
Johnny's first port of call, naturally, was his parents' house. Accompanied by Raiden, Johnny explained the situation to his parents and sister. While it was clearly difficult for them to wrap their heads around the idea that their Johnathan had actually come back from the dead, especially with his now blank white eyes needing to be constantly hidden beneath his impenetrable sunglasses, they were still elated to have him back.
The next stop, of course, was Chuck. Rebecca had warned Johnny that Chuck wasn't in a good place right now. He'd apparently taken Johnny's death quite hard. Deciding a more delicate approach might be best here, Johnny sent Raiden away and approached Chuck's apartment alone. His knock was greeted by the sound of bottles clanging together, which did not give Johnny hope for what he would find inside. The door opened slowly, restrained by its chain. A pair of bloodshot eyes appeared in the near total blackness on the other side.
"Hey, Chuck," Johnny said cautiously. "I'm back."
Chuck remained silent for a moment before drunkenly slurring, "Yeh, das wutcha sed las' time."
"Last time?" Johnny asked, concerned, hoping there hadn't been a Mileena-esque doppelganger of him created while he was gone.
"Las' nite wen ya caym rownd fer *hic* a visit."
"Chuck, I wasn't here last night."
"Shhhhur ya wer. Yawways ere wen i get drunk."
"Chuck, I'm not a hallucination. It really is me."
"Yawways say dat. Butcha never let me tuch ya. Yer a gost man."
"Chuck, really. I'm alive again."
"Uh-huh, shuuuurrr..."
Seeing he was getting nowhere, Johnny rolled his eyes and brought his hand down on the chain, shattering it. Compared to the stone blocks he'd shattered on the island, this flimsy chain was nothing to Johnny's iron fist. The sudden strike sent Chuck reeling back inside and Johnny opened the door fully. He let the evening light illuminate the room enough to find the light switch and closed the door once the lights were on.
The apartment, shockingly small given the money he was making when Johnny was alive, stank of beer. Naturally, empty bottles and cans littered the floor with barely enough free real estate to even stand in the room. Johnny crossed the room to open the window, noting how the terrified Chuck kept his eyes glued to him every step of the way. Once fresh air began circulating, Johnny turned back to his old friend and flashed him his trademark Hollywood smile.
"It really is me, Chuck," he said.
"J...Johnny?" Chuck seemed barely able to comprehend that Johnny really was back from the dead. Not that Johnny could blame him. After all, the only people Johnny knew of that had ever come back from the dead were Scorpion, Sindel and Mileena. He'd never met the former two prior to their deaths, and barely knew the latter before hers. He supposed it must have been a whole different kettle of fish to wrap one's head around the notion that a person one knew in life had died and then come back. Then again, Johnny supposed it was fitting for 'J.C.' to return from the dead, at least.
"Yeah, buddy. I'm back." Chuck reached out slowly. Johnny did the same and took his hand. "For real this time."
Chuck broke down and cried.
It was some time before Chuck was able to gather himself. A cup of coffee helped the older man to sober up enough to explain what had happened since his death. Johnny had been told by his family that Chuck had attempted to get his movie greenlit, and how it had been posthumously dedicated to his memory and tweaked to more accurately reflect the true events of the tournament. They had also told him that the film was, unfortunately, not a particularly good one, but was a smash hit at the box office, producing two sequels, the latter currently being in pre-production.
Chuck explained exactly how bad it had gotten, seemingly able to recount details and recite dialogue from memory. From the sound of it, it was a tragic misfire stemming from a fundamental lack of care for the original story. Johnny, despite himself, attempted to remain positive about it as he cleaned up the bottles scattered around the room, while Chuck began recounting the problems with the sequel.
"Come on, Chuck, how bad could it really-?"
Johnny was cut off as Chuck stood up from the table and turned him to face the full body mirror in the corner. Johnny found himself staring at his mirror image, holding a half-empty beer bottle, with an array of already empty bottles scattered around the room behind him. Johnny's eyes widened as he understood what Chuck was getting at.
"No... They wouldn't..."
"I'm sorry, Johnny," Chuck confirmed dejectedly. "I tried ta stop-"
"Hey, hey, it's okay. I know you tried. Becky told me you kept most of the really offensive shit out of the first one, at least. It's commendable, you staking your professional relationship with WB to stand up for my honour. You did good, Chuck. I'm lucky to have a manager with as much integrity as you."
Chuck hugged Johnny tightly. Although rendered uncomfortable and exasperated, Johnny let Chuck do his thing, for his sake.
"What do you say, tomorrow, we head down there and tell those asshats that the real hero's back and ready to make the movie the right way?"
"Hell yeah, Johnny. Hell fuckin' yeah."
It didn't quite go as planned. Of course. Why should anything in Johnny's life ever go according to plan?
His attempts to fix the franchise had failed. Despite Sonya and Jax backing up the story officially, few people believed Johnny truly had come back from the dead, instead accusing him of faking his death for the publicity. An official investigation found him innocent of such a crime, but this did little to sway public opinion. Before this whole Mortal Kombat mess, people just didn't care about Johnny Cage. Now, they fucking hated him.
Apparently, being dead also meant the studio now fully owned the rights to Johnny's franchise and he'd have to play ball if he wanted his own fictional depiction to be portrayed accurately. The studio was quick to offer to halt pre-production and let him rewrite the script, so long as he based it further on true events. They even offered to let him star. But they seemed to regret that decision rather quickly, considering the backlash towards Johnny that emerged soon after. No doubt, the suits would have loved any excuse to get rid of the 'problematic' element, but the contracts had been signed, so Johnny was locked in.
Apparently, his character was set to die in this film to set the stage for the black lady sidekick to take over the franchise, in light of her actress becoming suddenly very successful. Johnny was allowed to keep his character alive to serve as a supporting character, but not the star. Feeling bad for Mr. Ashby, whom even detractors of the films agreed did a fine job with the material, Johnny opted to have Ashby reprise the character in the film's opening scenes up to his death, whereupon his soul would enter a new body (Johnny) and he would take over from there. It wasn't the most elegant solution, but it was the best he had, within the restraints of the studio's mandates. God, Johnny missed the '80's...
The film under-performed at the box office, while receiving generally more favourable reviews from critics. It was theorised that Johnny's involvement, while making the product better, led to the notable drop in ticket sales. It could have also been the quality of the second film, but Johnny seemed just as likely a cause to most. Despite this issue, Johnny's contract guaranteed him at least two more sequels, so they were stuck with him.
Unfortunately, nowhere in the contract was it stipulated that said films were guaranteed a theatrical run. They could make them direct-to-video in a year or two to get it over with and give him the boot. Luckily, the executives weren't quite that heartless, so they gave Johnny one last theatrical shot with film #4 (the battle in Edenia, he supposed, even if it wasn't publicly known about yet) and he had two years to make it happen. If this one failed to perform, it'd be the bargain bin for the next film. And by extension, his career.
2 Weeks Later
It was quite fortunate timing that Sonya had agreed to take Johnny up on his offer of a date. It gave him something to look forward to and help him destress while tyring to figure out how to make Mortal Kombat: Risen work.
While he was dealing with that, Sonya and Jax had been pushing for better funding and facilities for the O.I.A., which was going about as well as Johnny's reclamation of his IP. It seemed that word from Sindel and others that had been involved weren't quite enough to prove to the U.N. that the invasion of Edenia had actually taken place.
"Maybe my movie'll prove it to 'em," Johnny suggested over dinner.
"I'm tempted to say no, but most people learn history from movies nowadays, so you're probably actually right," Sonya replied cynically.
"You wanna be the military advisor to make sure the action is authentic then?"
"Pass. You didn't even put me in the film."
"In my defence, I didn't put me in the film either. It was gonna be Michael Grimm as the hero. But studios sure do love making and saving money, so plastering a recently-deceased celebrity's name all over the marketing was a no-brainer."
"The government really is just one big studio then."
"Man, I've been saying that since my teens. 'Fuck the little guy doing cool and new stuff, let's give the cash to the jaggovs who can fund their own shit.'"
Sonya had to hold herself back from laughing. "Maybe you should join the O.I.A. then. We could use a 'charismatic charmer' like yourself to help us negotiate for better funding."
"I heard those air quotes just now, Ms. Blade. I'm hurt that you'd ever feel the need to use those when describing me."
"Uh-huh. Maybe if you actually proved you were one, I wouldn't have to."
"I convinced you to go on a date with me, right? That's gotta count for something."
"Heh. Well, you got me there."
"You almost sound like you're having fun."
"All an act, I can assure you."
"Damn. You almost had me, box office darling Johnny Cage, fooled with your acting chops."
"Maybe we should swap careers then. You join the O.I.A. and get it better funding, and I'll go star in some Oscar-bait period piece."
"Don't. These Hollywood guys are as cut-throat as the Black Dragon. You, at least, got rid of those guys. By the way, what did happen with that Jarek guy?"
"Oh, don't even get me started on him." While she tried to deny it every step of the way, it was clear that Sonya was enjoying herself.
The night ended with Sonya taking Johnny home, after insisting that, while him taking her home was the gentlemanly thing to do, the past-his-prime-but-still-filthy-rich movie star was far more likely to be targeted than the tall, muscular special forces operative. He wasn't sure he agreed, but he accepted her viewpoint.
"Thanks for tonight, Cage. I needed this after... everything that's been going on."
"So, you admit you had a good time."
Sonya sighed in a somewhat playful manner and smiled. "Yes, Cage, I had a good time. Honestly, I was expecting something like what you'd see in some generic rom-com from about five years ago."
"Harsh, but fair," Johnny conceded, eliciting a chuckle from Sonya.
"I wish you didn't have to wear the shades, though. It might work for other celebrities, but they're part of your image. You'd be less recognisable with your face fully exposed, white eyes aside."
"Eight years ago, I wouldn't have had a choice. They were prescription back then."
Sonya raised an eyebrow. "You had bad eyes?"
"Video games."
"But it'd be 'lame' to wear 'nerdy' glasses."
"Right. By the time I hit it big and could afford the surgery, they were an iconic part of my image. And let's be honest, I make it look good." Johnny mimed a kiss.
"Ugh," Sonya responded, playfully rolling her eyes.
"One downside of having sunglasses as part of your iconic look? No subtle winks."
Sonya grinned. "Fair."
"So, $500 sunglasses aside, we can call this date an official successful mission, Major Blade, Ma'am?"
"Maybe until the sequel."
"Now, you're speaking my language."
"I thought movie terms might be more appropriate, seeing how you'll be getting back out there with your next movie."
"I... Huh?"
"Risen. You're gonna go out there with your next script, it's gonna be a big hit, and you'll be back at the top of Hollywood's most wanted."
"I thought you wanted me to join the O.I.A."
"God, no. Never mix work and relationships, Johnny. I thought you'd know that after your last one."
Johnny should have been annoyed that Sonya brought up his spiteful ex-wife, but he was too focused on the implications of Sonya's words to be bothered by it. "'Relationship'?"
"Well, depending on how well the after-credits scene goes over."
"Damn, Sonya. You are one hell of an incredible lady. Any guy on Earth'd be lucky to get to call you his."
Sonya pulled Johnny by the tie and kissed him on the lips. The kiss lasted longer than he expected. It made him realise that his idea of what a kiss was was based on those seen in movies, having had his first with the co-star of his first feature film. And when Sonya had kissed him upon his return, it had been an angry, frustrated kiss - a way to vent, more than anything. But this was something altogether different. This was special.
She eventually released him, and her grin mirrored his own.
"Hell, any guy'd be lucky to call himself yours."
"You want to audition for that role, Mr. Cage?"
"Oh, baby, you always know just what to say." The front door clicked open and Sonya held up a hairpin for the confused Johnny to see. "Did you just-"
"You'd take too long," was all she said before she pulled him inside.
2 Months Later (June 1995)
The two began dating soon after their first night together. Johnny asked Sonya to move in with him, but she wanted to stay close to the new O.I.A. base, so she could be on-call at any time. Johnny offered to have his house relocated closer, brick-by-brick if need be, but the amused Sonya turned him down.
A few months after they officially became a couple, the O.I.A.'s first excursion into Outworld was given the official greenlight. The realm was going through a period of change with the disappearance of Shao Kahn after the invasion. His presumed heir, Mileena, was imprisoned in Edenia by Kitana during the conflict with Shinnok. Shang Tsung had yet to make his seemingly inevitable bid for the throne, since he had been missing for as long as the emperor had. There was no real leader for the realm, and Kitana and Goro were attempting to drum up support from those that had been oppressed by Shao Kahn for eons.
Sonya and Jax were joined by Cyrax, one of the unfortunate victims of the Lin Kuei's Cyber Initiative. His humanity had been restored by Sonya and Jax, and he had opted to stick with them, rather than join Sub-Zero's newly-reformed Lin Kuei, beyond accessing the old LK database to suggest potential recruits for his old comrade. It was a good thing Cyrax had joined them, as it made extracting Jax that much easier.
Jax was wounded in a tarkatan ambush, led by Baraka. He'd been wearing a samurai-esque helmet reminiscent of Shao Kahn, according to Sonya, as if he was planning to become the new Kahn himself. Regardless, Jax's injuries were quite severe, but not life-threatening. Unfortunately, with Raiden now busy with his new duties as an Elder God, Jax would have to recover the old-fashioned way.
Sonya spent most of her time helping Jax recover. She felt bad for having so little time for Johnny, but he repeatedly assured her it was more important for her to be there for Jax. She appreciated that. Besides, Johnny had his scriptwriting to keep him occupied.
Johnny was surprised when Sonya called him up one day and asked if she could come over. Her tone was less suggestive or excited and more... concerned. She assured him it had nothing to do with Jax, who was right on track with his recovery. Also, it wasn't about breaking up, which was his next question.
Sonya arrived in the evening after visiting Jax again. After taking Sonya into the living area, Johnny went to get a drink for her, asking about Jax as he went.
"He's doing good. He'll be starting physio proper tomorrow."
"Good to hear. He'll back up 'n' at 'em again in no time."
"Yeah. He's the toughest guy I've ever known. Anyway, that isn't what I wanted to talk to you about."
"Alright. Lay it on me."
"Finish that gulp first. I don't want you doing a spit take on me."
"That serious, huh?" Johnny asked after swallowing his drink.
"Yeah. Very." Sonya took a minute to gather her thoughts and think of how best to break the news. "Johnny, listen. I... Phew, this is big."
"Sonya. Breathe."
"Right. Right... I... I'm pregnant, Johnny."
Johnny froze. "You… You are? P... Preg... With my..." Despite being all white, Sonya was sure she saw his eyes roll back in his head before he fell face-first onto the coffee table.
"Great. Centaurs and demons and Elders Gods don't phase him, but fatherhood? That's the real fear..."
After he woke up and had time to process that, yes, Sonya Blade was indeed pregnant with his child, they managed to have a serious conversation about the topic.
"So... You and me, huh?"
"Yeah."
"We're gonna be parents."
"Yeah."
"That's... Wow, okay. We can make this work, right?"
"I hope so."
"You hope so?"
"I... I'm scared, Johnny."
"What is there to be scared about? If it's Outworld stuff coming up before the birth, then me and Cyrax and the rest have got it covered."
"It's not that. It's just... What if I'm not a good mother?"
"What on Earth would give you an idea like that?"
"When I was a kid, I didn't dream of having a husband and kids like the other girls. I wanted to be a soldier. I didn't care about starting a family. I didn't even bother with sex until we..."
"Wait. I was your..."
"Yeah. I never bothered before then."
"Oh, wow."
"I don't know how to be a mother. The military's all I've ever known."
"Alright, listen." Johnny took Sonya's hand in his firm grasp and looked into her worried blue eyes. "My sister Becky's had two kids. They're six and four. If we need any advice, she can help. Even if we didn't ask, she'd probably move in with us anyway to make sure I don't screw up."
Sonya chuckled at the thought.
"If anything, I'm the one we should be worried about. You've got the discipline, the patience, the leadership qualities. You just need to work a little on your less stern side and you'll be a great mother. Trust me." Johnny kissed her hand reassuringly.
Sonya nodded and smiled. "Alright. I trust you."
"Then, it's settled. We'll go visit Becky tomorrow and-"
"Actually. There's someone else I want to be the first to know.
"Well, whaddaya think?" Jax asked as he showed off his new cybernetic sleeves. They were bulkier than the previous set, thanks to the new built-in heating system made possible by the advances in cybernetics Sub-Zero had enabled by sending various Lin Kuei schematics their way after deposing Sektor.
"Y'know, when I said he'd be up an' at 'em in no time," Johnny said, slightly exasperated, "I didn't mean literally no time. And the last thing I thought was that he'd be up and testing out new tech. I was thinking... maybe some shadow boxing or something."
"Someone's gotta test this stuff out," Jax replied casually, as if he wasn't still in a military hospital for recovery. "No one knows this stuff better'n me."
"It's admirable, but it makes me worry," said Nicolau, the medic from Jax and Sonya's team since the invasion.
"You and me both," Sonya replied.
"Sonya, c'mon. You know me. There ain't no tougher S.O.B. in all of Earthrealm."
Sonya considered this for a moment. "That's probably accurate."
"Jackson!" Johnny suddenly exclaimed in a rough approximation of an Austrian accent. "You son of a bitch!" The two recreated the iconic arm-wrestling shot from Predator, a personal favourite of both men, and one of the few subjects they had common interest in.
"What's wrong, Cage? Warner Bros. got you pushin' too many pencils?"
"Damn," Johnny said as they broke off and shook his hand. "That's quite the grip you've got there, my man."
"Well, I'm going to get going before I drown in all this overflowing machismo," Nicolau said. "Don't push yourself too hard, and make sure you get some actual rest, Colonel."
"Ah, you worry too much."
"Only to balance out you worrying too little. You agree, right, Major?"
"Definitely," Sonya replied, nodding.
"Not you too. Cage? You're on my side, right?" Jax was sounding desperate now.
"Sorry, Jax, but take from someone who does his own stunts. Sustaining a career-threatening injury sucks. Same with dying. You wanna put that one off as long as possible."
"Alright, alright, you win. After this trial, I'll get some rest."
"Good," Nicolau said, nodding in satisfaction. "But I'll be back later to hold you to that."
"Yeah, yeah," Jax replied, waving her off dismissively. "I promise I'll be good, Vera."
"Oh, it's 'Vera' now?" Sonya asked suggestively once the woman in question had departed.
"What? She's a good friend."
"No, Sonya is a good friend," Johnny said, unconvinced. "You and her are the leads in a romantic comedy."
"Agreed," Sonya nodded.
"And what does that make you two?"
"Awesome segue, Jax. Like an expertly-written script."
"We've got big news," Sonya said, ignoring Johnny's comment so as not to disrupt said segue any further. "And I wanted you to be the first to know."
"You got a promotion?" he asked hopefully.
"Not since we took down Shinnok, no. It's that... Well, Jax, I'm... I'm pregnant."
"Pregnant? From who- You gotta be fuckin' kiddin'!"
Johnny grinned like an idiot.
3 Months Later (September 1995)
"You look beautiful," Johnny said, grinning like an idiot, as Sonya stepped onto the altar in her gorgeous white dress.
"You're not so bad yourself in a real suit that's not blue and pink."
"Really? We're doing this now?"
"No. You really do look good."
"Quite the pair, huh?"
"Yeah. But, it's not just my beauty that had you so surprised, is it?"
"I guess I expected you to wear a suit as well."
"With this belly? Are you insane? Or, did you just think that because I'm a tough-as-nails military woman that I wouldn't want to wear a wedding dress on my big day? You have a lot to learn about women, Cage."
"You know you're gonna have to stop calling me 'Cage' now that you're about to become Mrs. Cage, right?"
"If you two are finished with your little rom-com routine," Jax interrupted, eliciting a laugh from the rest of the attendees, "I'd like to get started."
"Right. Sorry, Reverend." Sonya almost lost her composure at Johnny's quip.
It turned out that Jax was qualified to legally marry people, and that Herman Blade had put in his will that he'd wanted Jax to be the one to marry his children off.
"And if I may say, Reverend, it's a shame you didn't couple that suit with your metal sleeves for a unique-"
"Cage? Shut up. You still wanna do this, Sonya? There's still time to back out."
Sonya turned to her husband-to-be, then looked down at her swollen belly, at Cassandra Erica Cage, who would be born in fourth months' time.
"I do."
5 Years Later (August 2001)
"Sonya, will you relax? You've been squirming in that thing for ten minutes now."
"I just can't get comfortable when I'm away from work, Johnny."
Johnny and Sonya were currently 'relaxing' on a beach in Italy. Both were sat in deck chairs, a large parasol protecting them from the blazing Italian sun. Johnny was wearing a pair of black shorts with a blue stripe running up the side of each leg. "Branding", he'd declared in response to Sonya's reaction. The less adventurous Sonya herself, meanwhile, had opted for a simple red one piece.
"Sonya, this is a vacation. The idea is to relax and forget about work."
"I'm not made for relaxing, Johnny. I get antsy and feel like I should be doing something. The O.I.A.'s still struggling to justify its funding since we've seen no new incursions since Shinnok-"
"I know, I know. I get it, really. But you're trying to shoulder too much by yourself."
"Because who else will, Johnny? Raiden's an Elder God now, Fujin's barely around, Sub-Zero and Liu Kang have their rebuilding of their old organisations thing going on, Kai's on his spirit quest thing, and Edenia's back to rebuilding for the second time."
Johnny sighed. "Yeah, I know. A lot of folks have their own things going on these days, so it can feel like we're all alone out here. But, just for a minute, will you look over there?" Sonya lowered her sunglasses, exposing her blue eyes to the sun's rays, as Johnny pointed towards a young blonde girl, no older than five, running along the shoreline, being chased by a darker-skinned girl of around the same age, occasionally slowing down to splash water in the other girl's face.
Sonya watched, entranced, as Cassie Cage and Jacqui Briggs played in the water, oblivious to the threats their respective parents faced in their day jobs.
"That's your real job. And you're damn good at it, I might add."
Sonya continued to watch Cassie and Jacqui play as they ran up the beach towards Jax and Vera, who were getting in a round of ice cream for the group.
"Yeah. Yeah, you're right."
"I usually am. For instance, I would be right if I said that not only are you a damn good mother, but for a woman of thirty-five, you've still got a slammin' body."
"I'll slam your body if you're not careful, Mister."
"Is that a promise?"
"Only if you promise you've got the stamina for it, old man."
"Ooh, ouch, Sonya. Even Baraka's blades aren't that sharp."
Sonya chuckled. Then laughed out loud.
"Man, I forgot how beautiful you are when you smile."
Sonya looked like she was struggling to decide how to respond. Ultimately, her grin grew wider as she shook her head. She then rested her head on his shoulder. "Thanks, Johnny. I really needed this."
"If it's positive reinforcement you need, I-"
"No, no, not that. I just needed to remember what it is we're fighting for."
1 Year Later (October 2002)
Johnny had another thing worth fighting for, besides Cassie.
The stigma that had crippled Mortal Kombat: Risen had pretty much murdered Mortal Kombat: Vengeance. It performed even worse, and the horrendous sequel clichés Johnny had been mandated to include made the film rate even lower among critics than any of the previous films.
The mandate for this final entry in the series (before the inevitable reboot) was the most bizarre one yet: Mortal Kombat: The Death of Johnny Cage would see Johnny Cage killed off for good... multiple times. They wanted him to die and come back repeatedly. It seemed that one of the new execs really had it in for Johnny over his 'deception' (another proposed title) and demanded this be the plot to 'provide a sense of catharsis for the audience'.
"Asshole," Johnny muttered every time a new mandate came in. It was soul-crushing to know that this film he had worked so hard to make, hoping it would reinvigorate his career, had taken his death to get greenlit, and then produced a series of terrible sequels that were likely to sink his career entirely.
It was while preparing for the day's shooting, filming the scene where Johnny would have his neck snapped by Shao Kahn, that Johnny took a glance at the calendar and realised that it had been ten whole years since the tournaments. Ten years since all of this madness had begun. Ten years since he'd first met the love of his life on the godforsaken island. Ten years since Raiden had come to rescue him from the terrible movie he was making and take him away to Outworld to risk his life in what was somehow a less terrifying prospect than being stuck making that godawful piece of crap. He almost wished Raiden would show up and take him away for such an occasion again.
He exited his trailer in costume, ready for makeup, when the actor playing 'Raijin' approached, walking with purpose. "Morning, Carlos," Johnny said casually.
Carlos raised an eyebrow at this. He looked to either side, as if making sure he wasn't being pranked, before holding up a finger and running a charge of electricity along it. Raijin's electricity was mostly CGI, so that meant...
"Oh, shit. Raiden!?" Johnny hadn't seen Raiden since he had helped him explain his resurrection to his family so many years ago. He was honestly happy to see him, even if his arrival heralded another possible death for the actor.
"'Carlos'?" Raiden questioned.
"Oh, sorry about that. He's the guy playing you in the movie. I haven't seen you in so long, I guess I forgot what you looked like."
Again, he raised an eyebrow, this time looking down over his new, but no less recognisable white and blue ensemble. "I would have thought my attire a tad too iconic to forget. Although, resurrection is occasionally known to cause memory loss."
"Ah, funny guy..."
"If you are quite done with this needless banter, Earthrealm has need of you once more, Johnny Cage."
As had been the case ten years ago, the appearance of Raiden was drawing the attention of the rest of the crew. The difference this time, of course, was that they now had the context to understand what was happening.
"Honestly, Raiden, at this point, I'd do anything to get out of this hellhole."
"Good. But we will be returning to your home first. This new development may be the direst we have yet faced, and I would prefer you and your wife have your affairs in order first."
"Why?" Johnny asked cautiously. "What's got you so spooked?"
Raiden took a deep breath - a first, as far as Johnny was aware. It was as if he was buying himself time to put off having to explain for as long as possible. The Thunder God had never seemed so human to Johnny before, and that alone was cause for concern.
"Liu Kang is dead."
"Oh, Jesus," Sonya murmured after Raiden got her, Johnny and Jax caught up on the situation at the Cage home. Vera had taken the girls upstairs while Raiden explained how Shang Tsung and Quan Chi had formed an alliance and taken the lives of both Liu Kang and Shao Kahn. The former tournament master had also taken Liu Kang's soul, meaning his resurrection would be impossible until Shang Tsung was slain.
"What's their endgame?" Jax asked.
"As far as I can tell, simple conquest of Outworld, for now, utilising the undefeatable army of the Dragon King, Onaga."
"'Dragon King'?" Johnny queried.
"The former ruler of Outworld, slain by Shao Kahn millennia ago. Shao Kahn was once to him what Shang Tsung was to Shao Kahn."
"And both managed to get one over on their master," Sonya noted.
"Indeed. Dealing with the two sorcerers alone would be bad enough, but Quan Chi is in possession of Shinnok's amulet. The real amulet."
The three mortals were left puzzled by this statement. "'Real one'?" Johnny asked on the group's behalf.
"It seems that, at some point in the last twelve years, Quan Chi managed to create a replica of Shinnok's amulet, so exact in its design that even Shinnok and I were completely fooled by it. It was this amulet that Shinnok wielded in his battle with Liu Kang, while Quan Chi retained the original."
"So, in conclusion," Jax said, making sure the group fully understood the situation, "Quan Chi and Shang Tsung have Shinnok's amulet, a half-resurrected unkillable army, whoever else they can rally to their cause in the wake of Kahn's death, and Liu Kang's soul to power Shang."
"That is just about everything, yes."
"And the Elder Gods aren't going to be stepping in any time soon, huh?" Sonya said bitterly.
"Unfortunately, no. The Elder Gods refuse to intervene unless they themselves, or the stability of the realms are directly threatened. I had to relinquish my own status as Elder God to return for this conflict."
"Who do we have helping us then?" Johnny asked.
"We will be meeting with Princess Kitana, Sub-Zero and his apprentice, Frost, and well as Kung Lao and his and Liu Kang's master, Bo' Rai Cho, before we depart for Outworld."
"No one else?" Sonya asked. "No Fujin? Kai? Sindel? Goro?"
"Prince Goro was recently slain by Noob Saibot in a battle in Outworld. Sindel and Jade remain in Edenia to defend it while Kitana assists us. Fujin returned my title of Protector God following Liu Kang's death and has departed to find Kai. He intends to meet us in Outworld once he has gathered a few of our comrades to provide backup. Unfortunately, the longer we delay, the more powerful the sorcerers' forces grow. We must depart as soon as possible if we are to succeed this time."
"Dammit," Sonya sighed.
"Tell me about," Johnny said, placing a hand over hers. "Anyone else thinking we really might not make it back from this?"
"Never give up hope," said Raiden. "Even without Liu Kang, our forces still include many of the finest warriors Earthrealm has ever seen. I dare say that his past victories may not have been possible without the likes of you three providing assistance. You have each achieved much in your own rights, both in battling the forces of evil, and in your personal lives. If anyone can put a stop to the machinations of these vile sorcerers and save the countless souls they have stolen and corrupted over the centuries, it is you three and your comrades.
"Sonya Blade. You are a bold leader and a tenacious warrior. Your determination to slay the man responsible for the murder of your brother has led you to becoming the vanguard in Earthrealm's defence. You prepare for threats to Earth's safety before they have the chance to strike. In many ways, you remind me of myself.
"Jackson Briggs. Even before you adopted your cybernetic enhancements, you were a force to be reckoned with. Even the mighty Kintaro struggled to match your ferocity when the life of your closest friend was on the line. And you have only grown more powerful since, as Motaro and his centaurs were dismayed to discover.
"And Johnny Cage. Although you began your journey as a man simply trying to prove his worth, you have grown into a fine warrior who is willing to die to protect others; and who need prove himself to none but the daughter he so lovingly cares for.
"And that is not to mention Kung Lao, more than a match for Liu Kang's skill; Sub-Zero, redeemer of the Lin Kuei; Bo' Rai Cho, one of the finest masters in all of Outworld's history; and Princess Kitana, a general in the war to extinguish Shao Kahn's influence forever. Together, you have what it takes to once more put a stop to the evils of Outworld and the Netherrealm and save you own world."
"Not bad, Raiden," Johnny said, nodding slowly. "I'm gonna steal that speech for my next movie."
"Of course, you are," Sonya said, rolling her eyes.
While Johnny checked with Vera to make sure she had Rebecca's number in case of an emergency, Sonya and Jax said their goodbyes to their daughters.
"I'm going on an important mission with your dad, Uncle Jax and our friends, okay, Cassie?"
"Is it dangerous?" Cassie asked, clearly worried. While the young girl didn't know exactly what her mommy did for work, she did know that it was typically very dangerous. And she also understood instinctively that it must be more dangerous than usual if her daddy was also taking part in this mission.
"It is," Sonya admitted. Her policy was to be honest with her daughter and not try to shield her from the realities of the dangers her mother faced in her work.
"But you're gunna come back home, right?"
It always broke Sonya's heart to see Cassie this scared, but she believed that she would do more harm than good by lying about it. "Honestly? I don't-"
"Of course, we will, Cass," Johnny interrupted, jovially ruffling his daughter's blonde hair. His parenting style could easily be considered more traditional than Sonya's. "Death couldn't keep your old man down nine years ago, he certainly can't do it now that I've got you and your mom to come back to. And no force in this world or any other's gonna stop your mom from making her way back to you either."
"Same here," Jax said, more to Jacqui, but also to Cassie. "Between me, these two and Raiden, we're more than enough to deal with these two clowns. We've kicked both these losers' asses plenty-"
"Language," Vera chastised severely.
"Vera, I love you, but ya can't interrupt me when I'm tellin' the kids how me, Aunt Sonya and Uncle Johnny're gonna go beat up the bad guys."
"Yeah, Vera, you're such a party pooper," Johnny chimed in. The girls laughed at the word 'pooper'. Vera sighed and Sonya cast her a sympathetic expression. The girls did tend to side with their fathers.
Once the trio were just about ready to depart with Raiden, Vera asked to speak with the Thunder God off to the side. "You bring them all back home. You hear me?"
"Rest assured, Vera Briggs. I vow to do everything in my power to protect them. Even at the cost of my own life."
"I don't find that reassuring."
"In light of Liu Kang's death, no, I suppose you would not. However, even if any of them die in this conflict, I will not rest until they are returned to life, as was Johnny Cage previously."
"I guess that helps a little."
"I apologise for not being able to better reassure you. But you must trust in their abilities and their wills to live and return home to you and the children."
"I do. Of course, I do. I just... I worry about Jax. I know it's to be expected with a career soldier. I was one too. But this Outworld stuff is way beyond anything I was prepared for when I first enlisted. You must think I'm a selfish coward."
"Not at all. Some are better suited to defence than offence, and that is nothing to be ashamed of. One might even go so far as to say that you being here to keep watch over the children is what will allow those three to fight to their fullest potential, not held back by worry for their daughters' safety."
Vera couldn't help but smile. "I guess that's true. Wow, you really are good at this."
"I have had millennia of practice." Vera could almost swear she saw a smirk cross Raiden's lips briefly.
"You behave for Aunt Vera," Sonya told Cassie.
"I will," her daughter replied.
"And Aunt Becky, too, if you see her," Johnny added, knowing how his daughter liked to use exact wording as an excuse to disobey.
"Aww. Okay."
"That's my girl."
Once the four were gone, Vera turned to the two girls in her care. "Alright, girls. Who wants to go see a movie?" The two were very excited by the prospect. This was a regular tactic for Vera when the other three were away on work and she was left to worry about her husband and Sonya. It was an easy way to keep the two entertained and help Vera to put the danger her husband was facing out of her mind and convince herself that he'd be fine for a while.
1 Month Later (November 2002)
Dying sucked.
Dying twice sucked more.
Knowing he would definitely one day die a third time sucked even more than that.
Johnny had, along with four of his allies, including his wife and Jax, been killed in battle with the so-called 'Deadly Alliance'. Unlike their more significant victims, Liu Kang and Shao Kahn, however, Johnny's group had been quickly revived by the, himself, recently revived Onaga, and placed under his mind control, as Sindel had been during the Invasion of Earthrealm. They had been saved, fittingly enough, by Sindel herself, alongside Jade a reformed Ermac and the now free spirit of Liu Kang.
Admittedly, it wasn't the most heroic moment in his career as a defender of the realm, so there was no way he was going to include it in any of his movies (assuming he had a career left after this next disaster). He'd just make something up from scratch. After all, who would speak out against his claims? As if Sonya or Jax would admit to having been in the same boat. And Raiden, Kitana and the monks would probably never even see the movie... which was kinda depressing, now that he thought about it.
Sindel and Kitana had offered some Edenian magic to make his eyes blue again for the first time in almost a decade. And they provided the same for the others, allowing Sonya's beautiful eyes to remain their natural deep blue. That was a positive, at least.
Liu Kang, still a wandering spirit, could sympathise with Johnny for having died twice, ironically making The Death of Johnny Cage more true to life now. As such, Johnny made a request of his old friend. Liu Kang joined Johnny in his confrontation of the execs in charge of the Mortal Kombat franchise and 'politely' asked them to give him total creative control over the franchise.
"Hi, I'm Liu Kang, real life champion of Mortal Kombat and also a ghost," the monk said politely, following the script Johnny had prepared for them both.
"That's the thing about me," Johnny said, setting up his retort in response to the execs' predictable demand for answers. "People think it's all special effects, but I am the special effects. Or, at least, I'm good friends with the special effects." It wasn't his best work, admittedly, but he hadn't had long to write it before pre-production got back on track. "See, my buddy here is the greatest fighter on the planet and he can also possess people's bodies, so you can imagine the havoc he could wreak on your professional and personal reputations." Johnny's shit-eating grin hadn't been on full display like this since the closing quip of World's Most Wanted.
This threat was enough to wrestle back control of the franchise and allow Johnny to write, direct and star in a reboot. Johnny returned to his home, spirit monk in tow, to plan out his big reworking of the franchise.
"You know, regardless of my feelings on your acting ability-"
"Come on, man..."
"I can't deny, your writing is surprisingly competent, for the short time you had to write it."
"I know you literally don't have a heart anymore but, dude. Seriously."
"I'm mostly joking."
"You really let that Mortal Kombat title go to your head, huh?"
"Perhaps... What do you intend to do with the films now?"
"I wanna do it right this time. No spin about me being the big, bad saviour of Earthrealm; the real story. Your story."
"That's very respectable of you, Johnny. Might I recommend Jet Li to star? I rather enjoyed his performance in Shaolin Temple back in '82."
"...As you? Wait, you watch movies?"
"It's the twenty-first century, Johnny. Of course, I watch movies. Just not yours."
"Okay, you're going back to the academy now."
1 Year Later (July 2003)
With control of his franchise now back where it belonged, Johnny and a now rehabilitated Chuck spent the months following the reclamation working on the script for the reboot and meeting with casting directors, stunt co-ordinators and various others to make arrangements for the film's production the following spring. Pre-production went surprisingly smoothly, considering it was the to be Johnny's directorial debut, and his reputation was still in a bad place after his first resurrection.
Still, he felt better about this film than he had any other production in the last decade and a half. At age forty, Johnny Cage was finally working on a film he knew he could be proud of for reasons beyond box office intake. Everything was finally on-track for filming to begin... just as yet another crisis arose, and this one promised to bring with it the highest stakes Johnny and his allies had yet faced.
Armageddon was coming. And neither the hero nor the mentor were here to heed the call to adventure. In Liu Kang's case, his body had been exhumed from his tomb and, according to some rumours, had been seen killing group of bandits and crooks in various places around the world. Until it was reclaimed, the monk would remain a wandering spirit, only able to remain in the mortal realms thanks to a powerful connection he felt towards his comrades; Kitana, in particular. Kitana had visited the monk at the Wu Shi Academy some months ago, unwittingly causing his soul to become bound to her as she returned to Edenia, dragging him along with her.
As for Raiden, though he too had been killed in the battle with the two sorcerers, sacrificing himself in a massive explosion that killed Shang Tsung and freed the champion's soul, he had returned to life soon after, but now a darker, more vengeful Thunder God. He was rarely seen nowadays, and when he was, the surrounding area was sure to be covered in heavy rainfall, constant flashes of lightning, and the charred remains of those who threatened the safety or purity of Earthrealm.
Sonya was close to labelling Raiden as a potential threat to his allies, but he had yet to target anyone he deemed to serve Earthrealm's best interests. Given how much the betrayal of Hsu Hao had cost Sonya and the O.I.A, it was no surprise that she was ready to kick in the door of Raiden's Sky Temple before he could even think about turning on his comrades.
One positive to come from all this was that Fujin had begun to take a more active role in Earthrealm affairs since. He was haunted by the fact that Liu Kang had died on his watch, and his relationship with Raiden had been damaged by that; though only after Raiden's transition into this darker phase he was currently going through, Fujin had noted to the Cages in confidence.
It was clear to Johnny and Sonya that Earthrealm was currently lacking in leadership. And this became a problem when Johnny started having dreams about Shinnok. Well, 'dream' was only an accurate descriptor in that they only came when Johnny was asleep. In truth, they were closer to prophetic visions. Shinnok had regained control of the Netherrealm, which he had lost with his defeat at the hand of Liu Kang eight years prior. He was communicating with people in other realms, though Johnny couldn't tell who they were.
He told Sonya about them, but she wrote them off as just dreams. After all, it had recently come to light that Shao Kahn had actually faked his death at the hands of the two sorcerers and was in the process of rebuilding his forces. Sonya concluded that these dreams were a reflection of that. But Johnny knew better. The images were too vivid to be just dreams. And why would he dream about Shinnok as a stand-in for Shao Kahn? Johnny had no connection with Shinnok. Of course, that did raise the question of why only Johnny, of all people, would be having these visions, but that particular why didn't matter. The one that did was why the visions were being sent to anyone at all.
Interestingly, quite a few of these visions were not set in the Netherrealm, where Shinnok was presumably imprisoned. Raiden and Fujin had theorised that Shao Kahn's evasion of the Elder Gods had been thanks to help from Shinnok, who could make Shao Kahn invisible to their eyes. If that were possible, why couldn't he do the same for himself?
So, Johnny set off to uncover the truth. For once, he wasn't leaving the set of a movie to deal with threats to Earthrealm, since Mortal Kombat: Last Hope was still in pre-production. For now, he couldn't travel to Outworld without telling anyone, so he investigated the sites in Earthrealm. The first site was in the land of the Matoka, Nightwolf's tribe. The shaman himself was also investigating the alleged presence of the dark god and believed Johnny's claims of visions.
"There are those whom my people believe are chosen by the Great Spirit to serve as messengers or agents of salvation. If your claims are true, then I will accompany you in tracking this corrupt invader of our land."
Nightwolf had no answers as to why Johnny might have been chosen, beyond the suggestion that, with Liu Kang dead, the Great Spirit had sought out another who had played a part in every conflict Earthrealm had faced in this generation. He assured Johnny that, although the Great Spirit was often unclear in intent, faith in said spirit had never led the Matoka astray; something which could no longer be said of Earthrealm's Protector God.
Nightwolf did serve three vital functions, however. First, he was a seasoned hunter and tracker, allowing him to better survey the sites and interpret the evidence. Second, his spiritual power allowed him to share in Johnny's visions while they were in close proximity, making the task of identifying the locations a smoother process. And third, he provided a convenient excuse for Johnny's extended absence, under the guise of research into the Matoka's culture so as to properly depict them in the movies (which had unfortunately been far from the case in the previous films).
At each site, the two found evidence of Shinnok's presence - well, of someone's presence. Without having seen the visions herself, Johnny had doubts Sonya would believe it was definitely Shinnok. But, having seen the visions and thus having greater context for what each piece of evidence meant, Johnny and Nightwolf continued to investigate each site.
From what they could tell, investigating each in the order he'd seen them led to the evidence being fresher each time. So, once they caught up to the most recent vision, they knew Shinnok was within arm's reach. Once the next vision came, they set off immediately.
This one was on Shang Tsung's Island, where this all began. It was a fitting place for this encounter to take place. Upon arrival, there was no evidence of Shinnok's presence where he had stood in the vision: in Shang Tsung's throneroom. Nightwolf suggested that the vision may have been prophetic in this instance.
Johnny had just recently read the latest Harry Potter book to Cassie, so his mind instead went to the idea that Shinnok had become aware of the visions and was using them against the two. Nightwolf did sense that they were being observed by a creature not native to Earthrealm, so the two moved to the stands in the courtyard to get a better view of the area and hopefully avoid an ambush.
After a while, a portal opened and Shinnok stepped through, flanked by an entourage of demons, oni, and even a trio of human-looking women in skimpy black leather outfits. They didn't seem to notice the two as they observed, but that could simply have been Shinnok pretending.
The presence that had been observing them before Shinnok's arrival disappeared soon after, which concerned the two greatly. Whatever it may have been, though, their focus had to remain on Shinnok. They moved quietly in Shinnok's wake as he made his way to the throneroom, as seen in the vision.
He stood before the throne and held up what appeared to be his amulet. Johnny quietly filled Nightwolf in on the situation with the two amulets; the real one having gone missing following Onaga's defeat. For all they knew, Shinnok may well have reclaimed it since.
What followed shook the two Earthrealmers to their cores: Shinnok's amulet cast an otherworldly light that formed a new body, piece-by-piece, on the throne. As the skin, hair and eventually robes formed on the body, it took on the unmistakeable shape of an elderly Shang Tsung. Even without having seen the man at this age, Nightwolf knew instinctively who it was.
The sorcerer looked over this withered, near-skeletal hands and noted, "I was hoping for something a little more... youthful."
"Be grateful you have your free will intact, sorcerer," Shinnok retorted, presumably with a glare. "Were it you who had escaped Raiden's blast instead, Quan Chi would not."
"Free will is not much good if I am still bound to the will of another."
"That freedom is one that is earned, not freely given. Play your part in this coming conflict and you will be left to your own devices."
"And how long will that last, I wonder."
"Hm. Until you become more trouble than you're worth."
"I am fortunate, then, that my value is rather high."
"Ha! Indeed. For now, gather your strength. I cannot open a soulnado if I wish to evade the Elder Gods' sight, but I trust one as wily as yourself will have little trouble in that endeavor."
"Perhaps I would, were the Kytinn hive not destroyed. Your doing, I presume?"
"No. The Fire God wiped the tunnels clean a decade ago. The Kytinn took your monks as hosts for their young. Perhaps their souls still linger in your domain."
"You truly are heartless, Lord Shinnok." Despite his words, Shang Tsung flashed a respect-filled grin.
"As will you be, should you fail to heed my call when the time comes, Shang Tsung. Remember that."
"I will be there when you ask. If nothing else, I owe you at least this much for my second chance at life."
Shinnok nodded and began the walk back to the portal with his entourage.
Johnny and Nightwolf remained hidden until the portal was closed. They waited until a skinny, green-skinned creature with six arms approached the throne from the shadows and welcomed its master home. Using the distraction to their advantage, the two slipped away and headed for their boat.
"God, I hope he didn't notice us on the way out," Johnny shuddered as they hopped onto their exit vehicle.
"I doubt he didn't," Nightwolf replied wearily.
"Yeah, me too. But, fuck, Shinnok and Shang Tsung working together?"
"And he implied that Quan Chi escaped Raiden's sacrificial blast."
"You caught that too, huh? And Sonya's been busy with unusual Black Dragon movement lately, too. You think that's connected to this?"
"I wouldn't be surprised. I have little doubt this next conflict will be far greater in scope and consequences than we could possibly imagine with the little information we have right now."
"Same. This may well be an all-hands-on-deck kinda deal. And without Raiden or Lou around-"
"It falls to us to gather our allies."
"Yeah. I'll get Sonya, Kung Lao, Sub-Zero and the Edenians onboard. Can you track down some of the others, like Kai and Shujinko?"
"Write me a list, and they'll be there."
"I can't believe we managed to get everyone," Sonya said in amazement, looking out over the camp in Edenia.
Not only had Nightwolf managed to track down everyone on the list with help from Fujin, but the full forces of the Special Forces, White Lotus and Lin Kuei were making preparations for the battle to come with Shinnok's forces. Even the Edenians, currently being welcomed to the camp by Kung Lao, had managed to muster up a large force in spite of their numerous crushing defeats since their realm's restoration.
"Quite the sight, huh?" Johnny said with a smile.
"A sight we wouldn't have if not for you, Johnny. I'm sorry I didn't take your visions seriously."
"Eh, no biggie. Considering the kind of dreams I've had in the past, I can't blame you for thinking that's all they were. I mean, you remember that one about super horror crossover?"
"Yes, Johnny," Sonya sighed. "Freddy, Jason, Leatherface, Alien, Predator, Terminator, Robocop, and Ash all in one project," she recited from memory, the full list having been permanently burned into her brain from how many times he'd talked about it.
"And we all know that's never gonna happen. So, with that kind of track record, you not believing me at first is totally understandable. What matters is that you believed me when it really counted. I couldn't've convinced half these guys of what was going on without you."
"He's not wrong, Sonya," Jax chimed in as he carried a crate of weapons past them, his newest cyber sleeves being put to very good use. "No way I woulda believed 'im."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Jax," Johnny mumbled.
Sonya chuckled and playfully punched his arm. "It's a good thing we're together then, huh?"
Johnny smiled. "Yeah. We make one hell of a team."
"Yes. Yes, we did."
"Huh?"
"We did. ...We made one hell of a team." She indicated out into the camp.
"...Oh! Oh, you mean- Ah, okay. I gotcha. Man, you suck at this."
"And you suck at acting."
"Hey, that's going too far."
"It's not all bad, though. It means I know you mean it when you tell me you love me."
"Then, I guess you know I mean it when I say I always will."
"Yeah. I know you will."
3 Months Later (October 2003)
Earthrealm was so fucked.
It was a hard reality to accept, but Earthrealm had so few warriors left after the battle, and their enemies had only increased in number in the time since. Even those that had survived the battle had scattered. Earthrealm's only real line of defence against the inevitable next conflict was the O.I.A. and even their numbers had gone down.
Although he had survived the battle in Edenia, Jax had not returned the same man. He no longer wore the cybernetic sleeves, as he no longer had arms to wear them. Sonya had been close enough at the time to cauterise the wounds and get him back home, and the latest advancements in O.I.A. technology had allowed the most recent sleeves to be adapted into full-blown cybernetics.
Thanks to some extreme luck on his part, he would be able to return to the fray and fight alongside his comrades, but it was clear that he would never fully recover, even with Vera, now a fully-certified doctor, in his corner. He had promised to help out in major conflicts, but when it came to smaller incidents, he was going to have to sit them out.
Johnny's relationship with Sonya became somewhat strained as a result of all this. With so many of their comrades out of the picture, Sonya had been forced to take up command of Earthrealm's defences. And without evidence of what exactly went down in Edenia, the higher-ups were about as useful as the Elder Gods.
And to make matters worse for her, given what Jax had been through, Sonya and Vera had agreed that it would be best to keep him out of military affairs, as much as possible. As such, Sonya's oldest friend, her brother and mentor, was no longer available to her as an outlet for advice and venting. While Johnny was her husband, he knew he could never replace Jax in that regard. He could, however, try to ease her burdens.
Sonya seemed to partially blame herself for what had happened to Jax, though she'd never say as much out loud. It was just a feeling Johnny had, and he believed like he knew her well enough after all these years to trust such feelings. In a sense, Sonya was lucky to have survived the battle. Of Earth's most prominent defenders, she was arguably the weakest, lacking any kind of powers or incredible equipment. Johnny was sure that this was exactly her problem. 'Why did she make it through unscathed when so many other, more powerful and useful warriors died or received such grievous wounds?'
She probably wished it had been her instead of Jax to give Earthrealm a better chance. But, one must make the most of the hand they are dealt, and Sonya was pushing herself harder than she ever had before in her training and preparation, according to other O.I.A personnel Johnny had spoken to.
Johnny set off to find Kenshi Takahashi, the blind swordsman that had briefly joined the O.I.A. to gain access to Outworld to hunt down Shang Tsung shortly before the Deadly Alliance conflict. He had been saved from a near fatal Red Dragon ambush by Sub-Zero, around the time Shang Tsung was killed by Raiden's blast. While the two had worked together throughout the Onaga conflict, Kenshi had remained a lone wolf, only returning to assist in the battle in Edenia at Nightwolf's behest.
Tracking him down did require Johnny to leave the set of his Mortal Kombat reboot, but it was public knowledge that he was also a part-time operative for the O.I.A., so he didn't need much in the way of excuses. Since Johnny wasn't even starring in this film, so long as he had Chuck, the second unit director, and Johnny Cage actor Matt Mullins on-set while he was gone, he trusted things would go smoothly.
In a bamboo forest on a mountainside in Kyoto, Johnny found his guy. The two had met very briefly in the camp before the battle, but one could hardly say they knew each other. Johnny waited nearby and observed as Kenshi practised his sword moves on some dummies. Johnny had taken some sword training for a few of his films, so he could tell how masterful Kenshi's strikes were. After silently observing for a while, Johnny plucked up the courage to walk out and meet with him.
"You should learn to mask your presence, Johnny Cage," the blind man said.
Johnny froze for a moment before continuing his approach. "Easy for the man with psychic powers to say," he replied, trying to sound as nonchalant as he could.
Kenshi smirked. "I hardly need psychic powers to hear you lumbering in from a mile away."
"Alright, Matt Murdoch, there's no need to get snippy."
"As unique an experience as it is for a famous movie star to seek me out, I'm afraid I must ask you to get to the point."
"Hey, if I could abridge the script for 7 Poisons down to half the length-"
"Caaage."
"Right, sorry. You were there in Edenia. While you couldn't see it, I know you could at least feel the devastation, the death. We lost a lot of people back there. And it's only going to get worse from here on out. Shinnok's been plotting something for years. I'd bet my left nut his involvement in the battle was a smokescreen to cover it up, and that his supposed death there was also faked. He's gonna make a move against Earthrealm real soon. We're gonna need all the help we can get, and you're at the top of my list."
"Why me? What made you choose to come for me, in particular?"
"I can tell from your stance and your strikes that you're a hell of a swordsman."
"You can tell that now that you've seen me in action. You didn't know that before you came here."
Johnny sighed. "Okay, look. We lost a lot of people. Sonya, the woman you took advantage of to get to Outworld a couple years back? She's my wife, and Earth's defence has pretty much all fallen into her lap. And it's eating her up on the inside. So, I decided to track down as many of the survivors as I can to help ease her burden."
"Is that so?" For the first time in the conversation, Kenshi's interest was piqued. "I didn't take you for a family man, Cage."
"Well, getting married and having a kid'll do that to a guy."
"Not every man is changed in such a way."
"...You've got a family yourself. Haven't you?" Johnny noted the small house a little further down the mountainside. "Wife? Daughter?"
"Wife and son. But I placed revenge before them and sought out Shang Tsung. And it was all for nothing."
"And now, you feel like you're not worthy of being called a father."
Kenshi said nothing.
"Then come fight for Earthrealm again. Help us make this world a safe place for Mrs. Takahashi and little Takahashi Jr. We can even offer protection for 'em while you're with us. Really, there's no reason not to join us again. Sonya might take some convincing after you betrayed her trust, but Sub-Zero vouched for you, so I can too. And hell, if Shinnok's the next threat, he'll probably have Quan Chi working for him again. That guy's basically Shang Tsung, but bald and white."
"You have an interesting way of pitching this, Mr. Cage."
"How else do you think half my movies got greenlit? You seen those things?"
"I did listen to one of them once. The commentary for the visually-impaired was very well done. And from the descriptions, your moves are quite impressive, assuming they're real."
Johnny had been beaming at the praise, up until the doubt about his moves came up. "Buddy, let me tell you something: my moves aren't all flashy special effects. I am the special effects."
"So, I've heard."
"You wanna go right now? I'll show you I'm the real deal."
Kenshi smirked. "Sounds like fun. Very well. Have at you, Johnny Cage!"
"What do you want, Lieutenant?" Sonya asked irritably as Johnny entered the command center. He had signed up for the O.I.A. right after Jax stepped down from his co-leader position and left the organisation entirely under Sonya's command. It would likely be a temporary thing, but Johnny was given an official rank, nonetheless. While she never said as much, he could tell she had struggled to get permission to sign him right up with this rank, and he didn't want to add regret to the ever-growing list of stresses she was attempting to quash in her every waking moment.
"Well, I figured, in light of our unfortunately short list of on-call allies, that we should try tracking down people we've worked with before and bring 'em back into the fold on a more permanent basis."
Sonya's body stiffened up. Johnny knew that reaction. She was surprised by Johnny's dedication. She turned, trying to keep this fact from her face, but Johnny could see the subtle signs of relief in her attempt at a stone-faced expression. Then, she saw who he'd brought.
"Takahashi," she growled, though it was clear she hadn't meant to come off so aggressively.
"Major Blade," he replied, sounding less confrontational, which Johnny knew would only make Sonya feel worse about her own antagonistic slip.
"Seriously, Johnny?" Sonya demanded, arms folded and glaring daggers at him. Her dropping of his rank and speaking less formally let him know he was in trouble.
"Okay, look, I know there's bad blood between you two after what went down- But!" he continued quickly to stop Sonya from retorting. "Right now, we don't have a lot of options. What else are we gonna do? Reach out to Edenia, who are once again struggling to rebuild their forces? Earth is probably on its own in this. And against Shinnok with... even Fujin doesn't know backing him, we need all the help we can get.
"Now, are we going to let personal grudged impede out ability to protect our home and our families, or are we going to bury the hatchet, work together and kick that grey motherfucker's ass so hard that he never thinks to cross Earthrealm again?"
Silence reigned for a few moments.
"Goddammit, Johnny," Sonya muttered under her breath. "You're right." She extended a hand and waited a few seconds before realising. "Oh, right. I'm holding out my-"
Kenshi smirked and took her hand. "I know. I heard the ruffling of your sleeve as it brushed past your hip."
"Well, welcome back to the O.I.A., I guess. But, how did Johnny convince you to come back?"
"He and I relate to one another as fathers. And, I sensed his sincerity when we fought."
"I won," Johnny added smugly.
Sonya rolled her eyes. "Hoffman."
"Yes, Ma'am?" the younger woman said as she approached.
"Take Mr. Takahashi to the guest quarters to get settled in."
"Yes, Ma'am."
"We'll meet later to discuss how best to reintegrate you into the O.I.A."
"Do you need me to take your-?" Hoffman began.
"No, no. I have telekinesis." Kenshi's luggage rose off the ground with a blue aura and followed him out the door to where his wife and son were waiting.
Once the two were gone, Sonya turned towards Johnny.
"Admit it. You're impressed."
"A little," she shrugged in that adorable way she did when she didn't want to admit how happy he was making her. "We're looking after his family too?"
"At least, until Shinnok's dealt with. He wants to do right by 'em."
"Based on the kid's age, he was already around when he went off to Outworld. I'm guessing they weren't in the know."
"You're sharp as a... well... Yeah. He's on a redemption quest. Maybe I've spent too much of my life immersed in movies and TV, but I believe that everyone deserves a chance for redemption for failures and bad things they've done. Within reason, obviously. Fuck Kano."
Sonya snorted. "Thanks, Johnny. I needed that." She leaned in and kissed him on the lips. Normally, she refused to show affection to her significant other when on the clock. "Dismissed."
"Any time, Major." Johnny saluted and headed off after Kenshi. He practically skipped as he muttered to himself, "I still got it."
2 Years Later (April 2005)
As Johnny had suspected, the Shinnok that had fought alongside his alliance of villains and fallen in the battle in Edenia had, in fact, been a doppelgänger, sent to imply that he was more invested in the outcome of the battle than he truly was. In truth, his aim was to allow his many enemies and potential future enemies to kill each other, then bring back the best fighters among them as undead revenants, on a grander scale than either Shao Kahn or Onaga had attempted.
Many that lost their lives in the battle had since returned, corrupted by Shinnok and Quan Chi's magics. Quan Chi had always been well-versed in the art of manipulation; a talent that had only increased with study and lessons learned from his failures. He had learned full-on mind control in the years since the Earthrealmers had first faced him, and he was now quite adept with necromancy. Together with the former Elder God of Death, he had raised a number of Earth's best warriors to fight for them as they invaded Earthrealm directly.
Raiden, who had been working alongside Shinnok's forces in a bid to seize the power of Blaze and use it to destroy them all, had since gone into exile. Even the Elder Gods could no longer see him, which led to concerns that he may still be working alongside Shinnok.
The one piece of comforting news was that, according to Fujin, Shinnok and Quan Chi were only able to revive a set number of warriors, as reviving and maintaining control over them required a constant connection to their respective necromancer. Additionally, they could still be purified by the Jinsei, Earthrealm's life essence, if captured.
With Raiden now divorced from his former allies, Fujin frantically darting around the globe to assist where he could, and many of Earth's defenders either dead or undead, it once more fell to the Cages to organise Earth's defences. And that meant production halted on Mortal Kombat: All or Nothing. At this point, Johnny doubted this movie series would ever manifest into anything of worth. With things as they were, even if production hadn't halted, he would still have had to step down again to fight against Shinnok's forces, so maybe it was time to consider leaving the franchise to someone else. Regardless, he had to put the movies out of his mind and focus on O.I.A. operations.
One particularly urgent operation arose when a group of revenants attacked the area where Cassie's school was located.
"Sonya, no!" Johnny insisted when Sonya attempted to leave to save her daughter.
"Get out of the way, Lieutenant," she commanded, emphasising his current military rank to impress upon him her superiority.
"Not a chance."
"I'm giving you an order, Cage!"
"And as your husband, I'm telling you to stop and think. Who's gonna co-ordinate things here if you go out there? All of our top guys are already out on missions. You're needed here, Sonya. I'll go save our little girl."
"I can't just-"
"I like to think all our years together have taught you that you can trust me. You know what I'd do when you're in danger. Imagine what I'd do for her."
Reluctantly, Sonya nodded her agreement. She leaned in and kissed him on the lips. "Please, Johnny" was all she said before he took his sunglasses from their resting place, hanging from his collar, and handed them to her.
"Look after these for me. Ah'll be bahck."
Despite herself, Sonya couldn't help but crack a smile at his terrible Arnold impression.
"There we go," Johnny said with a smile, before entering serious mode and turning towards Jax. "Jax, you're with me."
"I'll make sure he makes it back in one piece," Jax reassured her as he followed Johnny out of the command center.
Though he had already been honourably discharged, a major threat like this required Jax's presence. And despite his trauma, there was still no one Johnny would rather have helping him save these kids than the father of his daughter's best friend. There was no question that this was a targeted attack, and whichever dumb son of a bitch had thought threatening the daughters of Cage and Briggs was a good idea was in for a beatdown so legendary, their goddamn ancestors would feel it.
Since the invasion from Outworld a decade prior, schools and businesses had begun educating members of staff on what to do in the event of another invasion. This particular school had the teachers take the children down to the basement to hide. Fortunately, they had not yet been found by the time Johnny and Jax arrived through an intrarealm portal created by the O.I.A.
Jax drew first blood. His new arms, thanks to the lack of human flesh underneath, had room for more advanced augmentations, such as built-in guns. His left arm contained a submachinegun, while the right contained a shotgun, adding considerably more oomph to Jax's already rather mean right hook. The shotgun punch tore the lesser oni in two.
It wasn't long before Johnny and Jax's team had located the kids and the teachers. Johnny took point, knowing his celebrity status would do a better job of keeping everybody calm and quiet than the guy who looked like Barret Wallace (not that Jax had any idea who that was).
"Dad!" Cassie rushed over and hugged her father as he entered. Jacqui, spotting Jax behind Johnny, did much the same.
"Hey, Cass," Johnny said in a soft tone as he held his teary-eyed daughter. "You holdin' up alright?"
"N-Not really."
Johnny gently stroked his daughter's hair. "Well, that's all about to change. Your Uncle Jax and I're gonna go kick the ass of whoever thought it'd be a smart move to attack this school. Can I count on you to be brave for just a bit longer?"
Cassie nodded.
"That's my girl."
That was when the soldiers behind them began getting struck down by arrows. A demonic-looking hatchet then flew past the soldiers and almost struck Johnny, only for Jax to block it with his arm. The weapon lodged itself deep into Jax's arm, providing one of the rare instances where Jax was grateful to not have a real arm under the metal.
Johnny and Jax ushered the kids back through the door and closed it. As expected from the weapons, it was Nightwolf who stepped forward past the oni that were approaching their team.
His transformation was quite stark. Of course, there were the standard ashen grey skin and glowing yellow eyes and veins typical of revenants. But there was more than just that. Typically adorned in red warpaint around his eyes and keeping his chest and arms on display, he was now coating most of his face in warpaint; black on the upper half, white over his nose and mouth, and red to split the two up. The pattern of the red almost resembled tears of blood, while the red streaks running down his arms more resembled thick bloody veins.
His attire was mostly in keeping with his usual style, save for the addition of a shoulder pad on his right arm, spiked gauntlets and kneepads, and the teeth of some sort of predator adorning his headband in place of the usual feathers. His weapons were more primitive, yet clearly of Netherrealm origin, unlike his usual spirit bow and tomahawk of the Matoka.
Jax tore the new tomahawk out of his arm and tossed it at Nightwolf, who caught it with barely any visible effort, quickly preparing it for its next attack. Jax, meanwhile, decided to keep Nightwolf talking while the self-repair unit in his arm did its thing.
"You've seen better days, Nightwolf," he taunted.
"As have you. Full cybernetics?"
"Netherrealm-forged weapons?"
"Attacking kids now, Nightwolf?" Johnny chimed in. "Never took you for the type."
"Things have changed. Though I do regret targeting them, it was the most efficient way of luring you out. You are at the top of Lord Shinnok's list, Johnny Cage. And so, you must die."
"Ask him how much dying slowed me down the first time. I still got some good hits in. You remember, right?" he added, turning to Jax.
"Yeah, that nutshot must really be hurting his pride, all these years later."
"You have both died already. And the Elder Gods will not bring you back this time. This will be your final deaths."
"That's only true if we get killed," Johnny noted. "And no offence, Nightwolf, but the two of us've faced down guys a hell of a lot tougher than you and we're still standing."
"You are both past your prime, while we revenants are as fit as we were at our peaks."
"And yet, your Great Spirit took away your powers," Jax observed.
"Observant as always, Jackson Briggs. But even without those powers, my aim and my skill with a tomahawk are more than a match for the two of you."
Johnny snorted. "Okay, yeah. Show us what you got, Wolfie."
The fight was brief, but intense. Neither Johnny nor Jax had ever fought Nightwolf, but they got the sense that his power had been augmented to, at least, compensate for the loss of his connection to the Great Spirit. Jax largely played defence, keeping Nightwolf's weapons from striking his partner, while Johnny focused on dealing damage.
Johnny went low to punch Nightwolf in the crotch, only to hurt his hand on what felt like an armoured codpiece in the process, while Nightwolf seemed no more harmed that if he'd been punched in the arm.
"Protective magic from Lord Shinnok," Nightwolf explained before swinging for Johnny's head with his new gunstock war club.
"That shit ain't right," Jax said after backhanding Nightwolf hard enough to knock him back through the air. With an expert flip, Nightwolf reorientated himself and fired an arrow into Jax's thigh. While it wasn't deep enough to do any lasting damage, it did knock the man off his feet and leave him open to a follow-up shot.
Johnny's reflexes proved quick enough to catch the thing in mid-flight. "What was that about getting old, Nightwolf?" he taunted. He even managed to deflect the next arrow with the one in his hand. "Either all that stuff about being at your peak was a lie, or you were never any good to begin with." He didn't mean any of this, of course. It hurt a little to insult Nightwolf like this, but it was a tried and true method of making his foes screw up.
And it worked. Nightwolf's next shot went wide, allowing Johnny to close the gap with a Shadow Kick. As he recovered, Nightwolf threw down a portal sphere behind him, opening a portal that more oni began to emerge from.
It was then that a powerful bolt of lightning struck the ground before the former shaman, making Johnny think for a second that he'd gotten his spiritual powers back, before realising the lightning was red, meaning only one thing.
Raiden emerged from the lightning and very quickly blasted his former ally backwards through the portal, knocking back most of the oni, before closing the portal himself. He then created blades of lightning form around his hands to finish off the oni that had made it through the portal and sent a blast down the corridor to where the initial group of oni were now fighting Johnny and Jax's squad, reducing the demons to dust.
"Good to see ya, Raiden. Been, what, two years, no phone call?"
"Do not sass me, Jackson Briggs. I have been dealing with numerous threats to Earthrealm's security since the battle in Edenia."
"We didn't hear about any other threats," Johnny replied.
"Precisely," the Thunder God rumbled darkly.
"And I take it you showing up now means shit got too real for you to handle on your own."
"You show your growing wisdom, Johnny Cage," Raiden said as he pulled the arrow from Jax's leg and began healing the wound.
"Fuck, Raiden. Ya couldn't be a little more gentle?"
"Time is of the essence. Gather the children. I will take you all back to your base of operations. I must inform Sonya Blade of the latest developments."
In less than a minute, the kids and teachers were being shuffled off to the guest quarters by Hoffman, aside from Cassie and Jacqui, who were taken aside by Vera.
"Shinnok's goal in this invasion is to seize the Jinsei Chamber," Raiden explained, "an access point to Earthrealm's life essence house at the Sky Temple. His forces have now reached the temple."
"And you left it to come here because…?" Sonya questioned.
"Fujin and Kung Lao's forces can hold them off for a time, but we will need your aid to fight them off."
"I get that Shinnok's tough-" Johnny started.
"Liu Kang is leading this attack."
"Liu Kang is a revenant?" Sonya said in disbelief.
"His spirit was bonded to Nightwolf during the battle in Edenia. When Nightwolf died, both their souls were pulled into the Netherrealm. Liu Kang's body and soul were reunited by Shinnok after the new life the former was given was snuffed out in Edenia."
"I always thought if any of us could resist mind control, it'd be him." Sonya and Jax nodded in agreement with Johnny's assessment.
"Revenants are consumed by their own inner darkness. My betrayal in the desecration of Liu Kang's body birthed a darkness in his heart that Shinnok and Quan Chi now exploit to make him do their bidding."
"Wait, that was you? What the fuck, man?" Jax demanded.
"I admit, my actions back then were rash-"
"No, fucked." Johnny concurred.
"-but my regret will have to wait. For now, we must stop Shinnok and Liu Kang before they can corrupt the Jinsei."
"What happens if they do?" Sonya asked, remaining a little more levelheaded than the other two.
"The Jinsei will have a corrupting influence on the Earth and those that inhabit it. It is a way to kill, or even corrupt the denizens of this realm into Shinnok's followers. And with Liu Kang leading the charge, it is only a matter of time until he succeeds."
"You say that like you already fought him."
"I did. Even I am no match for Liu Kang as he is now."
"So, you're saying he's just as good as he was when he was alive," Johnny noted.
"If not better."
"Well, shit."
3 Years Later (June 2008)
The Second Invasion of Earthrealm was brought to an end in a climactic battle between Johnny Cage and Shinnok. After managing, somehow, to beat back Liu Kang, the team of Johnny, Sonya, Jax and Kenshi penetrated Shinnok's defences and faced off with him and his other followers inside the Jinsei Chamber itself.
Shinnok unwittingly awoke some ancient bloodline technique in Johnny during the battle, allowing him to tank hits like a... well, a tank. Raiden sealed Shinnok inside his own amulet and then took it away to ensure he couldn't return again. Johnny's special power had awoken while trying to defend Sonya from one of Shinnok's attacks. What this mysterious power was, even the two gods were flummoxed.
There was a brief conflict when Quan Chi was tracked down by Sareena, who alerted the O.I.A. to his whereabouts, leading to a joint operation between the O.I.A., the Lin Kuei and even the newly-revived Shirai Ryu, which resulted in a few of the revenants being detained and restored in the Jinsei by Fujin.
After this, there was peace in Earthrealm for many years. But things were not so peaceful in the Cage household.
"Sonya, we need to talk," Johnny said in a serious tone as he entered the command center.
"Not now, Lieutenant," she snapped, turning her attention back to Kenshi.
"Could we not reach out to other realms for aid?" Kenshi asked. "There are more realms than just Earthrealm, Outworld and the Netherrealm."
Sonya sighed and shook her head. "Fujin says Outworld's still in turmoil after Kahn's death. Mileena holds the throne, but some named Kotal is leading a rebellion against her. Vaeternus is still dealing with its own internal politics since Nitara was overthrown, and there's another inter-realm conflict going on with the Order and Chaos realms. We're on our own."
"Shao Kahn really did a number on the universe, it seems," the swordsman noted.
"Just make sure you're on standby. I'll keep you informed. Dismissed."
Kenshi saluted and walked past Johnny, giving him that expression he used to let him know exactly what kind of mood Sonya was in.
"Sonya-"
"This really isn't a good time-"
"Then when the hell is a good time, Sonya!? Huh? Cuz it seems to me like you never have time for me and Cassie."
The room was dead silent, aside from the continuous humming of the computer equipment. This wasn't the first time the Cages had had a fight in the command center, but Jax's retirement from his temporary advisory position earlier that year meant that he wasn't there to keep the peace anymore. Everybody else knew it was best to keep their heads down and pretend they were able to work in spite of the loud verbal confrontation.
Sonya turned to face Johnny, her fury evident on her face. "I'm sorry I have to be here to co-ordinate Earthrealm's defence since no one else will. I'm sorry I can't have a cushy little acting job. I'm sorry I can't-"
"Be a mother?"
"Don't you fucking dare, Cage."
"Or what? You'll have me court-marshalled? I don't work for you anymore, remember? I quit the O.I.A. to raise Cassie. Our daughter. Not mine. Ours. But half the time, it feels like Cassie's only got one parent."
"And what do you want me to do about it!? Prioritise our family over the safety of Earthrealm?"
"Yes!"
After a moment of silence, Sonya managed to force down her frustration and reply in an almost civil tone. "I can't. There's too much at stake for me to take time away from this."
"Yeah? Well, you're gonna have to choose. Because I'm sick to death of having to explain to Cassie why she's the only kid in her class whose mom is never around for parent-teacher conferences and field days. Did you even know she played you in her school play? I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't, seeing how you weren't there to see it!"
Sonya remained silent for a while, not wanting to say what they both knew was coming, but knowing there was little else she could say instead.
"Get out," she grumbled before turning her back on him.
Knowing he'd say or do something he'd regret if he stayed any longer, Johnny turned his own back on her and said, "I'll hire the divorce lawyer," before storming out of the room.
Neither of the two left the argument with dry cheeks.
Along with the divorce, Johnny also stepped down from his position in the O.I.A. Things would be far too complicated for him to be around on a regular basis. He told Sonya he'd be there to fight for Earthrealm if another major incident came up, but much like Jax before him, he was only a reserve member now. He felt bad for leaving things to Sonya again, but it would surely be more stressful for her ex-husband to be around regularly with the ever-present risk of another argument, than to have one less person to help her plan operations.
With that job out of the way, Johnny now had more time to work on his movies. All or Nothing went into full production before too long, and this sequel was shaping up to be far better than the original Part 2. Of course, Johnny and Chuck had to rewatch the original series for the first time since Johnny had been brought in to rework the script for Invasion. They were flawed, sure, but they had merits Johnny had been blind to back then; even the ones he himself had been involved in. Of course, modern discourse was about as favourable to them as it was to the Star Wars prequels.
All or Nothing was seen as a breath of fresh air after what many had deemed an improved retelling of the original entry, if a tad repetitive due to telling a story that had already been told, even if it was done in a new way. People were actually excited for the third entry.
Naturally new writers were brought in by the studio to help 'modernise' the series, due to its sensibilities being deemed outdated by… somebody. Of course, the fact that the films were set in the '90's was completely lost on them, and the film suffered for it.
Mortal Kombat: Annihilation capped off the promising trilogy by jettisoning much of what Johnny had set up in the second instalment and creating a complete mess that was impossible to follow. When the Cage Cut 'leaked' online years later, the general consensus was that studio interference was the primary of the film's final form being so poor.
"I give up, Chuck," Johnny sighed over a beer. He had walked out of the premier the second the credits began to roll, dragging Chuck to a local bar. They were soon joined by the cast and much of the crew that had attended. The bar was practically hosting a wrap party.
"Come on, Johnny, ya can't let 'em get ya down now. Ya've been through too much ta give it all up. So, they screwed up one movie-"
"Beyond recovery."
"Beyond recovery, sure. But, movies drop the bad sequels for a do-over all tha time! Halloween's done it, like, four times; and Godzilla's been doing it since the '80's."
"They'll just screw it up again. I can't deal with studios anymore."
"Then… why not go independent?"
"What?"
"You've got the capital. And the internet's openin' up all sortsa possibilities for people ta get their movies out there. Or hell, start up your own studio. 'Carlton Films'! Not bad, huh?"
"It's a good idea, sure, but I wouldn't be able to carry on from the last good one. I'd have to start fresh. I mean, another reboot? Hasn't even been a decade since the last one."
"True, but do ya wanna tell dis story right or not?"
"Well… yeah."
"Then, you go do it. Sure, ya lose the name, but it ain't like WB have the trademark on real events. Hell, I don't think they can even trademark Mortal Kombat anymore, seein' how it's a real tournament. Maybe it'll be like that whole thing with Universal and Kong if we look into it."
"Yeah, but I've been through this twice already. Do I really wanna go through it all again?"
"Maybe ya just need a new angle. Or!"
"A new format!"
"Bingo! TV's starting ta get serious push these days."
"Smaller budget, but more time to tell each key figure's story properly. That could work! I mean, I always hated how much I had to scale back my and Son…"
"Ah, crap. I'm sorry, Johnny."
"Don't be. So, she and I didn't work out. Plenty more fish in the sea."
Of course, Chuck knew Johnny hadn't dated since the divorce. It was clear that Sonya had been something special.
"And hell, maybe you'll get to be my best man for a third time."
"Third time's the charm, huh?"
"Hell yeah, third time's the charm! Yo, who wants to be in Carlton Films' big TV debut!?"
The response was unanimous.
As was the response to the end product, Mortal Kombat: The Untold Story. Johnny wouldn't appear in the show, beyond home movies from his youth being used to establish his character's backstory. Cassie made her acting debut there as an extra, however, as a Hoffman-esque assistant to Sonya, who was portrayed by Emily Blunt.
The show would last ten seasons, telling the full story of Johnny Cage and his comrades as they fought to keep Earthrealm safe from the threats of Shao Kahn, Shinnok, the Deadly Alliance, Onaga and Armageddon itself. Even as the show neared its end, more threats would emerge to be beaten down and provide new material for Johnny and Chuck to use in the show.
6 Years Later (July 2014)
"What the hell, Cage?" Sonya Blade demanded the second Johnny Cage opened the door.
"Good morning to you too, honey," Johnny replied spitefully as Sonya pushed her way inside.
"You let Cassie enlist!?"
"I thought you'd be happy. It's about time she got something from you that wasn't her hair colour."
"You think I want my daughter to put herself in harm's way? After what happened to my brother-" Sonya stopped herself before she continued. She knew she'd only make things worse if she didn't take a minute to calm down.
"Sorry," Johnny said sincerely. "I didn't mean-"
"I know," Sonya sighed. "I just... You know, after Danny and my dad... I don't... I can't..."
Johnny moved to embrace her, but stopped himself, thinking it might be inappropriate. "You won't. She's got you looking out for her, right?"
"I'm a general, Cage. I don't have time to watch over her training or her operations. Jax retired and Kenshi's away on assignment right now. There's no one else who can make sure she's ready enough to deal with what we've been fighting all these years. She's going to die!"
Another awkward silence fell between the two.
"Sign me back up."
"What?"
"Sign me back up. I'll pull some strings with Secretary Blake, get my old rank reinstated. I'll oversee her training and her missions, so you can continue your work without worrying about her safety."
"I'd rather she not be in the O.I.A., period. Even following your footsteps as an actor would be preferable."
"Sonya, there's nothing we can do to stop her. She may be a Cage in name, but she's a Blade in spirit. She wants to protect her home, just like her mom and her grandpa, and there's nothing you or I can do to stop her. All we can do is make sure she's ready. If it has to be me who does that, so be it."
"And what about your film career?"
"If I was willing to give it up for you when I was in my prime, what do you think I'd be willing to give up for Cassie now that I'm past it? Cass'll be ready for whatever comes her way by the time I'm through with her. If you've ever trusted me before, trust me now."
Sonya nodded slowly. "Alright. I trust you. But don't screw this up. This is more important than anything you've ever done before." Sonya made her way towards the door.
"Even more important than fighting Shinnok at the Jinsei Chamber?"
Sonya turned back, her hand on the door handle. "Far more." And with that, she left.
"Is it safe to come out now?" Cassie asked as she peered around the corner.
"Mornin', Cass. Didn't know you'd snuck back in yet."
"Fuck. I hoped you wouldn't notice."
"First of all, language. Second, I pulled the same crap back when I was your age. Of course I noticed."
"Sorry, Dad. But, at least, Mom's okay with me enlisting."
"Only with me as your C.O. So, you'd better get used to calling me 'Sir'."
"Don't let the power go to your head, Dad," Cassie quipped as she poured herself some cereal.
"Cass, I'm not gonna be Fun Dad at work. I'm gonna be pushing you to your breaking point to make sure you're ready."
"Damn. Is it too late to back out?"
"It was too late when I had to tell Jax about how you convinced Jacqui to enlist with you."
"Eye still swollen, huh? Good thing shades are part of your image."
"You're gonna have to take this more seriously, Cassandra."
Cassie sucked air through her teeth. She hated when Johnny used her full name. It meant he was serious. Despite his usually lax demeanour, when Johnny got serious, there was no debating him.
"Alright, Dad- Sir! I'll take this seriously."
"Atta girl. Now, be in the gym in ten. I'm gonna whip you into shape so you can make your mom proud."
4 Years Later (August 2018)
"Alright, kids. Let's get you all introduced." Johnny stood before the four members of the new squad, each representing the next generation of Earthrealm defenders. "Cassandra Cage, daughter of yours truly and expert in martial arts and gunplay. She'll be your squad leader. Jacqueline Briggs, expert in robotics, boxing and capoeira. Kung Jin, White Lotus Shaolin and master of stealth and archery. And Takeda Takahashi, Shirai Ryu ninja, telepath and master of serrated wrist whips. We're gonna be spending the day getting to know one another and what each of you is capable of. Tomorrow, it's a training mission where you'll have to put those skills and that knowledge to the test. Any questions? No? Good. Let's get down to the simulator then."
The O.I.A. simulator was like any number of holographic training rooms seen in superhero comics. Numerous past O.I.A. missions were recreatable for training purposes, such as the assault on Quan Chi's headquarters. The first exercise was against holographic training dummies based on Baraka, Reptile, Kano and Noob Saibot. The goal was for each to show off their skills to the others.
For the second, Johnny set the team up with some basic AI-driven enemy types: Black Dragon thugs and the fictional White Talon ninja clan, which secretly stood in for Lin Kuei and Shirai Ryu.
"How are they doing?" Kenshi asked as he entered the observation deck and joined Johnny.
"Not too bad. Your boy's about to stick a knife in one of those ninjas from behind. Ooh, nice and clean."
"He took to Hanzo's training quickly, thanks to his earlier training with his mother. And Cassandra?"
"She's got a ways to go yet as a leader. But as a soldier, she's a damn good one."
"Good to hear. Let's hope they're ready for their first mission."
"I've got that covered; don't you worry."
"If this was when we'd first met, I would worry. You've matured quite a lot since then."
"Gotten more jaded, maybe. The divorce changed a lot."
"I can imagine. Regardless of how it happens, losing one's wife is never easy."
"I hear that. You ever get the guys who killed Suchin?"
"As far as I know, yes. But the Red Dragon remains active. I hope Takeda and I will get the chance to stamp them out for good once he's fully trained."
"Oh, trust me, by the time he graduates the Cage Academy of Ass-Kicking, you'll be backing him up while he takes out whoever's in charge right now."
"Heh. You certainly have a way with words, Cage."
"I know. I wrote some of my better movies."
"Even that Mortal Kombat sequel? Annihilation, was it?"
"Man, I don't have the time to get into that one. I've gotta go deliver my evaluation in a couple minutes."
"Understood. Go easy on them. It's their first time operating as a team."
"Yeah. I can see that."
A few minutes later, Johnny was standing before his four 'Kombat Kids', as he decided to call them. He had jotted down his thoughts on a notepad, though their strengths and the key issue were clear enough for him to not need the thing.
"You all performed well as individuals. Jin, fantastic twofer shot at the end there."
Jin remained silent.
"Takeda, your ninjaing puts Ninja Mime to shame."
Takeda bowed.
"Jacqui, distracting the enemy with the drone and striking with the turret was a smart move."
Jacqui saluted.
"And Cass. You executed your mom's moves flawlessly."
Cassie beamed at the praise.
"But, there's just one problem with this team: you guys aren't operating like one. You all went off to do your own thing. Even when we were just a ragtag group of fighters wandering around Outworld, us older guys worked in teams. Liu Kang and Kung Lao, Sonya and Jax, even Scorpion and Sub-Zero sometimes.
"Outworlders and Netherrealmers aren't like disorganised street punks or rival ninjas. They're generally tougher and meaner than us Earthrealmers, and you guys're gonna have to learn and co-ordinate all of your skills and abilities if you're gonna take on serious operations in other realms. Especially if, God forbid, you wind up engaged with the revenants. But, if you guys can gel better as a unit, you four have the potential to surpass us old fogeys and do great things. Don't disappoint us now.
"Alright. Again. Let's see you guys really work as a team."
Cassie saluted with a smile. "Sir! You can count on us, Sir!"
"I know I can, Cass. I know I can."
1 Day Later
"Okay, you've got your mission," Johnny said in an uncharacteristically professional manner. "Gear up. I want you all ready to go in fifteen." As the four cadets stood and saluted, he added, "Cass, hold up a sec." After exchanging a concerned look with Jacqui, Johnny's daughter nodded for her to go on ahead.
"Sir?" Cassie asked once the two were alone.
"Off the record," he clarified.
"Dad?" she corrected.
"You doing okay?" he asked, any professionalism melting away, leaving only the tone of a concerned parent.
"Huh? Y-Yeah, I'm fine."
"Cass, you inherited a lot of things from your old man, but his acting ability isn't one of 'em."
"Not that there's much to inherit there," she quipped.
"Point proven, wiseass. Now, come on. Something's clearly bothering you. It won't do you any good to let it nag away at you on your first mission."
Cassie sighed. "It's nothing, it's just... Dad, why did I really get assigned as squad leader? Is it just because I'm the daughter of the General and Earthrealm's hero?"
Johnny cocked an eyebrow. "Is this about what Jin said?"
"No. Well... kinda."
"Okay, first of all, fuck Jin and his-"
"I don't think he'd be up for that."
"Just... zip it for a sec, alright? Listen." He placed both hands on his daughter's shoulders, firmly. "You got the job because you're the best. I learned my lesson about nepotism after I let my cousin David write the screenplay for Ninja Mime 2... Your mom and I both know what you're capable of. Between your mom's proficiency with firearms and my quick wit, you were the obvious choice. Jin's got a major chip on his shoulder about other people, Takeda's not had an equal in his clan since the Reiko incident, and Jacqui gets a little too sensitive when it comes to her dad. Given time, they could each be good leaders in their own right, but for now, you're the only one fit to be a leader."
"So, it's because I'm somehow the least fucked up," Cassie replied, dejectedly.
Johnny sighed deeply. "Cassandra," he said, resorting to using her full name, a tactic he and her mother only employed when she was matching Sonya's impressive stubbornness. "This isn't about who's the least bad choice, okay? Whether or not you or your teammates believe in you, I do. That's why I put your name forward to be squad leader, and that's why I fought your mom when she disapproved."
Cassie looked up, shocked. "Mom disapproved?"
"Of course, she did. You know how she is. She assumed, like you and like Jin, that it was because you're my girl. You wouldn't believe how long I had to spend talking her around. It never took me that long to talk her into sex-"
"Ew. Dad. Come on."
"Look, the point is... I wouldn't have spent the better part of two hours debating her if I didn't really believe you were the best fit for the job. Now, I want you to go out there and show your team, and yourself, that you deserve your position through your own talent. Go prove your old man's intuition is better than his acting chops."
Cassie smiled warmly. "Well, it's hardly-"
"Don't ruin the moment, Cassie."
"Okay," she replied, hugging her father. "Thanks, Dad."
"Any time, kiddo. Now, run along. A leader shouldn't keep her squad waiting."
"Yes, Sir," she said with a crisp salute, before spinning on her heel and leaving to join her squad.
"I'm never gonna get used to that," Johnny mused, shaking his head. "Sergeant Cage, huh?"
"What the hell, Dad!?" Cassie demanded.
Johnny exchanged a look with Sub-Zero, who indicated towards a nearby room with his head. "Alright, you three head back to the plane," Johnny told Cassie's squad before leading her into the room and closing the door behind them.
"A training exercise!? After all that shit you said about proving myself on this mission, it was a goddamn training exercise!?"
"Hey, the point of this exercise was to test your ability to work as a team in the face of an opponent who's far out of your league. I asked Sub-Zero because he is just that, and his ability to assess a warrior's shortcomings is unparalleled. Evidently, that ability was necessary here."
"But why didn't you tell me this wasn't a real mission?"
"Will Kano call ahead to let you know when he's planning to make his move? Or Mileena? Or Quan Chi?" Johnny's tone was more serious now, his growing irritation as his daughter's immaturity growing clearer with each word he spoke.
"N-No, but-"
"And that's the point. So, this mission wasn't what you expected. You have to be prepared for the unexpected and react accordingly, Cassie. And if this had been a real mission, one where the lives of you and your squad really were on the line, what would you have done then?"
He gave his daughter a chance to respond. When she didn't, instead opting to avoid his gaze and look at her feet, he answered for her.
"You would've died. All four of you. You're not ready for a real mission, clearly. That's why I didn't tell you beforehand. Now, I may be your dad, but I'm also your C.O., and I won't tolerate that little outburst out there. It was unprofessional and, if anything, only confirms Jin's suspicions that you're undeserving of the position."
"Goddammit," Cassie muttered under her breath. Not because Jin was proven right, or because she knew Johnny was right in his admonishment. It was because she was actually starting to cry in the face of this harsh truth. Cry! Like a goddamn child! "Why am I so fucking useless?"
She felt Johnny wrap his arms around her and pull her in close for a tight, warm embrace. "Listen, Cassie. You know I'm only doing this so that you can be deserving of your position, right?"
"I know," she whispered between gasps.
"You have it in you to be the best. You're a Cage and a Blade, after all. But don't let that be all that defines you, alright? Use what we've given you to be the best Cassie you can be."
Cassie gently pulled back to look up at her father with a smile. "Geez, Dad, did you let Uncle David write that one too?"
"Hey! Most of my best lines are improvised."
"Well, you coulda fooled me."
"Alright, smartass, let's get you back to your team before I have to have you court martialed."
"You, court martial me?"
"Yeah. Me, court martial you. I am your superior, you know."
"You keep telling yourself that, old man."
"One more and I'll cancel your Netflix subscription."
"Ah-! Hold on! That's not fair!"
"Life's not fair, kiddo. Now, get back to the plane."
Cassie saluted, before spinning on her heel and leaving to join her squad. Johnny followed soon after, stopping to thank Sub-Zero for his assistance.
"Any time, Cage," the Grandmaster replied with a bow. "If you find that discipline is still lacking in young Cassandra-"
"No thanks," Johnny replied. "I'm practically with Jax on letting the girls join O.I.A., let alone your little ice kingdom up here."
Sub-Zero shrugged. "Even so, the invitation remains open. The Lin Kuei colours quite suited her last Halloween."
"I knew I should've forbidden her from posting those... Wait, you guys have internet up here?"
"This is the twenty-first century, Cage. Yes, we have internet. We even have wi-fi and a Friendships fan page. Now, best not to keep your apprentices waiting. And I sincerely hope they are better prepared when next I meet them."
"Oh, they will be. In fact, I bet my kids-"
"Best not to make bets you've just been proven you'll lose, lest people think your team's shortcomings are on your head."
Johnny's mouth hung open for a moment before he slowly closed it again. "Point taken."
1 Week Later
"Outworld, huh? Big day for us," Cassie said in a tone that suggested she was struggling to keep her shit together. "And to think, just days ago, we were getting our asses kicked by Sub-Zero."
"I'd rather it not be you too, but we've not got a lot of other options right now," her father replied.
"And Shinnok's amulet. This really is out of our league."
"That may be true-"
"Gee, thanks..."
"-but Kotal's been keeping Mileena off her game for years now. He's got some of Outworld's best on his side. Like Ermac. They should be able to help you guys keep things under control."
"'Should'?"
"They say the first casualty in any battle-"
"-is the battle plan. Yeah. Mom's told me, like, a million times."
"You guys are gonna be alright."
"After we got our asses beat in a training exercise?"
"After you were shown what you need to work on to be better."
"With only a few days in which to use that information, while also recovering from the bruises."
Johnny sighed. Cassie had definitely inherited her mother's stubbornness, at least where her self-doubt was concerned. "Do you know why your mom and I chose to name you 'Cassandra'?"
"Added Alliterative Appeal?"
"No. Well, a little. In Greek mythology, Cassandra was cursed to be able to see the future, but never be believed. Given your lineage, I knew people wouldn't believe in you, whether it was my footsteps you followed, or your mom's. But just because people don't have faith in you, doesn't mean you're wrong; or unworthy of your position, as the case may be. Despite what anyone says, you are the hero of the future."
Cassie was silent for a while as she took in this explanation. "Wow, Dad. I never knew you put so much thought into it."
"What kinda monster wouldn't put that much thought into the name of their firstborn child?"
"The guy named Jackson who named his daughter Jacqueline?"
"In fairness, Jax almost died on a mission before Jacqui was born, so Vera chose the name to honour him, just in case. Then, she became too attached to it and it stuck."
"Huh. Didn't know that."
"Yeah, a lot more thought went into you two's names than you might think."
"Honestly, I always thought mine came from Cassandra from SoulCalibur. Y'know, replacement character for her more established relative who's still more relevant to the story than her."
"You'll still be relevant long after your mom and I are gone, Cass."
"Please don't take this in a depressing direction like that. You and Mom'll never die. She's too stubborn to die and you just keep coming back no matter how many times you die."
"Well, maybe Johnny is vampire."
Cassie chuckled. Then laughed. "Thanks, Dad. I needed that."
Before Johnny could respond, Kenshi poked his head into the tent the two were talking in and said, "General says you're on the clock, Cage."
Johnny rolled his eyes at Sonya's strict professionalism that he'd once found so attractive. "Guess you'd better be off then."
"Yeah. Wish me luck, Sarge." With a quick salute, Cassie turn and left the tent.
Johnny let out a deep sigh. His confidence in Cassie had, of course, been mostly an act. He didn't necessarily doubt his daughter's abilities, but he was still a worried father, who would likely never fully believe his daughter would be fine, even on a simple night out on the town. He could only pray that the Elder Gods would get off their lazy asses for once in their miserable lives and watch over his little girl.
3 Days Later
"I can't believe I ever thought Kotal Kahn was any better than Shao Kahn," Cassie Cage growled as she dropped into the cot in her prison cell. The aforementioned emperor had imprisoned Cassie and her team after he deemed Earthrealm incapable of keeping Shinnok's amulet safe. He now had the amulet in his possession, and Cassie worried he might use it to launch an invasion of Earthrealm while she and her friends were imprisoned in Outworld.
Her team seemed to be handling the situation better than she was in their own adjacent cells. Across from Cassie, Kung Jin was engaged in some of that Shaolin meditation/Tai Chi stuff, either oblivious to, or intentionally ignoring Cassie's outburst. Takeda seemed just as calm in the cell next to Jin's, but without the kata. She supposed that made sense for a ninja. He had two fingers to his temple, so he was likely trying to scan the minds of the guards outside.
"Calm down, Cass," Jacqui urged from the next cell over. "We won't get anywhere if we lose our cool now. We gotta do like your dad said: use our unique talents in conjunction with one another to find a way out."
"Yeah. Yeah, you're right," Cassie nodded. "Jin, you're good at getting in and out of places. Can you pick that lock?"
"With what?" Jin asked, his tone suggesting annoyance despite his serene movements. "Unless you brought a bobby pin, there's nothing I can do."
"Shouldn't you be the one who brought one of those?"
"Please. I use professional tools for my infiltrations. Professional tools that Kotal's guys took when they took my bow."
"And you didn't bring a backup?"
"I didn't expect our fearless leader would be so bad at leading, on top of negotiating. Oh, wait."
Cassie was about to snap back when Takeda spoke up. He sounded annoyed at having his concentration broken by their spat. "What he means to say is that he didn't expect Kotal to be so brash with his breaking of the Accords. Right, Jin?"
"Whatever."
God, Cassie wanted to punch that asshole so bad. Though, which of the two assholes that were pissing her off right now she wanted to punch most, the green one or the archer, she wasn't sure. Punching Jin, at least, wouldn't cause an interdimensional incident, she supposed.
Jacqui sighed as she sat on the cot at the back of her own cell and removed her boot. She reached inside and pulled out, first, the inner sole, and then a small remote. She fiddled around with the latter for a few seconds before Takeda asked what the remote was for.
"Escape plan," she replied quietly, hoping the guards wouldn't hear. "Wish the inner sole was a little thicker, though. I always feel like I'm gonna crush this thing."
"Oh, I've been there," Cassie replied with a nostalgic smile. "My dad freaked when I stepped on the remote to his new ceiling-height TV and broke it."
"How new we talking?" Takeda asked.
"Like, six hours after delivery new."
"Ooh, that's a rough one."
"To be fair, he was more worried about his six-year-old daughter possibly getting plastic shards stuck in her foot. I was bawling my eyes out, after all."
"You shoulda' seen me first time I saw my dad without his arms on," Jacqui chimed in. "Those metal ports in his shoulders freaked me the hell out."
"You think that's bad? I cried for days after I found out my mom didn't go by 'Sonya Cage' at work."
"You were always closer to your father, huh?" Takeda observed.
"Yeah. Mom was always too busy with work. It's why they got divorced and why Dad raised me pretty much on his own. I get it, obviously. She has an important job, but I didn't understand that back then. But what about you, Takeda? You're quite close with your old man, huh?"
"Now, yes. But he left me twice in the past. First, to go after Shang Tsung during the whole Deadly Alliance thing, and he nearly got himself killed by the Red Dragon. Then, my mother was murdered by the Red Dragon and I guess he felt like it was his fault. He dropped me off with Grandmaster Hasashi and went to get revenge, which he still didn't manage in the end."
"Geez, I'm sorry-"
"Not as sorry as he is. I think he realised how much of my life he'd missed by obsessing over revenge like he did. Maybe Grandmaster Hasashi turned him around on it or something, but he's been trying to make it up to me ever since. I just wish my mother was still alive to see it."
Cassie felt awful for bringing up such a delicate subject, but Takeda seemed less torn up over talking about it than Cassie and Jacqui were from hearing it.
"What about you, Jin?" Takeda asked.
"Not interesting in sharing," the monk replied bluntly.
Takeda shrugged. "I guess it's your turn then, Jacqui."
Jacqui squirmed in her seat. "I feel kinda bad talking about it after all that. My parents are both alive and still married. My life's always been kinda easy, honestly. The only real bump in the road was when Dad lost his arms."
"What happened to them?" Takeda asked. "Uh, if you don't mind my asking, that is," he hurriedly added.
"It's fine, Takeda. He used to use cybernetic sleeves over his real arms, starting after the Outworld tournament. But even without them, he apparently held his own against a shokan general."
"I can believe that, somehow."
"The human spirit is an incredible thing, if you give it enough motivation. Like saving Cass' mom," Jacqui added in a suggestively teasing tone.
"She's like a sister to him," Cassie explained, ears slightly red, before either of the boys could get the wrong idea. "Just get on with the story."
"Fine, fine," Jacqui sighed in mock exasperation. "Anyway, Dad used those sleeves during the Outworld invasion and the original fight with Shinnok, right on through the Deadly Alliance and Onaga conflicts. During the Battle of Armageddon, though, he lost his arms in the battle. Luckily, Aunt Sonya cauterised the wounds and got him back home in time to save him. Thanks to the schematics Sub-Zero gave the O.I.A. when he took down Sektor years before, proper cybernetic prosthetics had been developed and iterated on enough that Dad got his own pair soon after. It took him a while to adjust to the added weight and lack of real feeling, but Mom was always there to help him through it."
"Sometimes, it pays to have a doctor with military experience as his wife," said Cassie. Jacqui nodded.
"Your parents must have a reinforced bed to support those things," Takeda noted. Whether he was suggesting something dirty or not, Jacqui couldn't say.
"Oh, no, he has a few sets," Jacqui corrected. "You've only seen him with the heavier ones he used to use for fighting. And now for building and repairing stuff. He has a few sets of smaller light-weight arms for downtime and more delicate tasks. Mostly made of plastic. My mom says he was terrified he might hurt Bo with his original replacements, but technology had advanced a long way by the time he was born. Hell, Mom coulda' destroyed him, seeing how she crushed one of Dad's downtime hands from squeezing during Bo's birth."
"You're kidding."
"No, Vera keeps that thing in her closet to bring out during family gatherings," Cassie chimed in.
"Dad almost went full prosthetic when Mom damn near broke his hand giving birth to me," Jacqui added with a smile.
"My dad did get his hand broken when I was born," Cassie added.
"Didn't that hold up production on the movie he was working on at the time?" Takeda asked.
"Yep. Probably for the best too. Gave him time to give the script another pass."
"I did notice the script was unusually tight in that one."
Cassie bowed. "You're welcome. Believe it or not, that's a story my dad likes to bring up at family gatherings."
"Must be nice to have a family get-together with topics other than family legacy," Jin finally said, but still continuing his practice unimpeded.
"Because of Kung Lao?" Takeda asked.
"Yeah. Until Liu Kang, our family's only notable achievement was the Great Kung Lao's victory over Shang Tsung five hundred years ago. Since then, we've all been nothing but disappointments. Especially when one turns out to be gay."
"Wait, who's gay?" Jacqui asked after a moment of surprised silence.
"I am."
"You are?"
"Mm-hm."
"So, all those times I teased you and you had no reaction," Cassie asked thoughtfully, "that wasn't-"
"Shaolin discipline? No. You were just barking up the wrong tree. Uh, not that I'm calling you a bitch or anything. I mean, I do think you are one, but I wasn't calling you one just now."
"Love you too, babe," Cassie quipped with a wink.
"Is that why your family rejected you?" Takeda asked. "Because you were unlikely to continue the bloodline?"
"Partially. Even among the Chinese, the Kungs are a very old-fashioned family. You know, Cousin Lao was named after our ancestor because his old man thought it might earn him some boon from the Elder Gods or spur him on to better himself."
"Well, it worked for Sub-Zero," Cassie noted.
"True, but he chose to take the name on after his brother died," Takeda explained. "Kung Lao is stuck with his name for life."
"Exactly. So, even with the benefits of the White Lotus, I was hardly going to be allowed to marry, even if I wanted to. At least, until Raiden found out. Sometimes, it pays to have a Thunder God in your corner."
"Who'd have thought a literal god would be so progressive?" Cassie asked to no one in particular. "Actually, speaking of, I've been meaning to ask. Aren't Shaolin Monks supposed to be, like, chaste? And bald? Your family's been nothing but Shaolin since at least Kung Lao. How does that work?"
"The White Lotus offers various benefits to those training for the tournament. Partly so the Kung bloodline will continue-"
"And partly to let 'em enjoy life while they can," Jacqui concluded.
"Bingo. Each tournament since Kung Lao's defeat had a Kung taking part."
"Every one? Ooh, that musta' sucked for your Kung Lao," Cassie noted sympathetically.
"Oh, you have no idea. Probably for the best, though. He was only in his early twenties at the time, like Cousin Kang. If they're gonna die that young, it'd be cruel to force such a restrictive lifestyle on 'em. So, if they want hair or a wife, there's no reason not to let 'em indulge for a few years, so long as it doesn't interfere with their training."
"What about you, Takeda?" Jacqui asked. "Are Shirai Ryu allowed to marry?"
"Grandmaster Hasashi allows it, but he discourages it. It makes sense, given how his own family was murdered because he failed his mission."
"What mission?"
"About... thirty years ago? Back when Grandmaster Hasashi still went by 'Scorpion'. He and the older Sub-Zero were both hired by Quan Chi to obtain a map for him. Sub-Zero killed Scorpion, and the Lin Kuei's payment for completing the mission was the annihilation of the original Shirai Ryu, which included Harumi and Satoshi Hasashi."
"Jesus, that's so..."
"Fucked up? Yeah. So, like I said, he doesn't want any of his followers to go through what he did, but he'll allow it if he thinks we're capable of protecting our prospective families."
"And?" Jacqui asked, leaning forward. "Are you?"
"I dunno. I've not exactly got someone I'd need the grandmaster's approval for. Not yet, anyway." He winked at her, and she smiled. "Oh, hold that thought. Guards are coming."
"Can't you, like, mind whammy 'em?" Cassie queried.
"One, sure, but the other would notice by the time I started on him. And there're two more upstairs."
"Lucky for us, my dad's robotic arms've drawn me to the field of robotics since I was a kid," Jacqui said with a smile, looking down at her remote one last time before stashing it back in her boot.
"Oh, so that's why," Takeda nodded.
"Yep. And my baby's almost here. Just needs the right opportunity."
The two guards Takeda had initially sensed came down the stairs with some bread for the four. From where they stood, it looked stale.
"Really, man?" Jin called out. "Stale bread? And I thought the bread thief from the marketplace had it bad. He'd at least've gotten something soft if he'd made it outta there. Guess you're Kahn's not as much of a step up from ol' Shao as he likes to think."
One of the guards stepped closer to Jin's cell and slammed on the bars with his club. "Watch your tongue, Earthrealmer. The Kahn has given us permission to cut them out if need be."
"Thanks for proving my point, asshole."
The guard raised his club again, and hit the bars a few more times in a vain attempt to silence the insolent prisoner.
"Your Kahn really should've embraced technology by now," Jacqui said to the other guard, who remained closer to the stairs. "It makes life so much easier. Like, thanks to some Cyber Lin Kuei schematics, my baby now has..." With perfect timing, Jacqui's drone, KC-KG (or 'Casey' for short) appeared from nowhere, right behind the approaching guard and blasted him in the back with electricity, knocking him unconscious. "...cloaking tech."
The guard that was harassing Jin turned at the sound of his comrade hitting the floor, only to be grabbed from behind by the monk and slammed loudly into the bars of his cell four times, before being allowed to join his fellow on the floor.
The other two guards heard the commotion, just as Jin had planned. As they descended the staircase, Takeda targeted the one in the back with his telepathy, rendering him unconscious and making him fall forwards, landing on his comrade and causing both to tumble down the stairs and land in a heap. The one in front was still conscious, up until Jacqui reached through the bars and clobbered him with her reinforced boot. Jin grinned and Takeda applauded. Jacqui bowed.
"Wow, great job, guys," Cassie praised, though she did her best to hide the feeling of impotence at having played no part in their escape plan. She turned to the drone and quipped, "Jack, rip this door," to make herself feel better. Only Jacqui got the reference.
Casey fished out the keys from one of the guards' belts and opened Jacqui's cell before handing her the key and beginning the depositing of the team's confiscated equipment onto the floor. It took less than a minute for the entire team to be released and rearmed.
"Thank you, baby," Jacqui said, kissing the drone on its top, before she started to put her boot back on. "Go get JX and meet up with us later." Given the drone's limited carrying capacity, it had been forced to leave its 'big sister', the walking turret JX-VR, in a safe place for later retrieval. At her command, Casey recloaked and departed.
"You really made that thing yourself?" Jin asked, showing surprising interest in the hobbies of one of his teammates.
"I did," Jacqui replied, beaming with pride. "Now I know how Sonya felt when Cassie made squad leader."
For once, Jin held his tongue about nepotism. Instead, he responded, "Let's just hope it's not as short-lived as Kung pride during tournament season."
"Aww, it almost sounds like you care," Takeda teased.
Jin rolled his eyes and made his way up the stairs, followed by Takeda. Jacqui stopped as she noticed Cassie not moving, deep in thought.
"Cass? You good, girl?"
"Huh? Oh, sorry. I was just... thinking."
Jacqui quickly realised what the problem was. It seemed that it was quite beneficial to have a lifelong friend on your team. "Don't let it bother you, Cass. You'll get your chance. Your dad went through a ton of major incidents before he got his time to shine. And I guarantee, you'll shine even brighter than he ever did."
"My dad beat Shinnok, Jacqui. I can't even help in a prison break."
"I only pulled double duty because my cell happened to be closest to where those guards fell. If it'd been you in that cell, I'm sure you'd've been the one to take your boot off and bash that guy in the head. Then again, your dainty little feet are smaller, so I dunno if your boot would've done much good."
"Oh, don't even go there, Big Foot."
"Ouch. Cassie, you wound me. You should put that sharp tongue of yours to use and go wound some of Kotal's guys instead."
Cassie let out a chuckle, in spite of herself. "Alright. I'll just have to make up for my lack of usefulness by kicking twice as much ass from here on."
"Atta girl. Now, let's go show Kotal why he shouldn't've fucked with Briggs and Cage."
"That's Cage and Briggs. I'm your superior in the field, you know."
"In rank, maybe. In a fight, however..."
"Ooh, you bitch!"
"Prove me wrong, girlfriend."
"Oh, I will. You can bet your sweet ass on that."
"It is pretty sweet, huh?"
"If you two are done flirting," Jin interrupted, connected to the two via Takeda's telepathy, "we're gonna need the full team up here to take out all of these guys."
Jacqui let out a mock sigh. "Boys."
"Let's go show 'em what a real fight looks like."
"Yes, Ma'am," Jacqui gave a mock salute and headed for the stairs.
"I'll show you I have the right to be here," Cassie muttered, more to herself than anyone else, before heading up to join her team and continue their mission to secure Shinnok's amulet. And if Kotal Kahn got in their way, he'd be just another warlord beaten down by Earthrealm spirit.
1 Week Later
"Hey, how you feeling?" Sonya asked as she entered Johnny's hospital room.
Thanks to Quan Chi's machinations, Shinnok had returned and easily beaten the older warriors, including Johnny and Sonya. Johnny had been taken by Shinnok as an act of vengeance, wanting his old foe to witness his corruption of the Jinsei. Cassie and her team had taken him and his followers down, reclaiming the Jinsei with help from Raiden and saving Johnny's life. In fact, it was in saving Johnny from Shinnok that Cassie had awoken her own bloodline powers.
"Oh, you know me, Sonya. I bounce back fast."
"From box office bombs, maybe, but from D'Vorah's torture?"
"Harsh, but fair. But, I've bounced back from death twice before, so this is nothing. Vera says I'm well on my way to recovery. Should be out in a few days."
"That's good."
"Where's Cassie?"
"She's out in the hall. I wanted to talk to you alone for a while first. Is that okay?"
"Yeah, sure. What's on your mind."
"You. And me. Well, us, I suppose."
"'Us'?"
"Yeah. After you were taken by Shinnok, I realised how much I'd been missing thanks to my work. You were right about me never finding time for you and Cassie."
"Well, you were right about-" Sonya placed a finger to his lips to silence him.
"I was scared. More scared than I've been in a long time. Scared that you wouldn't be coming back this time. That Cassie was going to lose her favourite parent. That I'd never get a chance to tell you I'm sorry. God, what the hell have we been doing all these years? All the arguing and the fighting. What was the point of it all? In the end, all we accomplished was depriving Cassie of a real childhood."
"And depriving ourselves of each other."
Sonya stared. "'Each other'? You mean..."
"Come on, Sonya. It was too hard to keep going as we were; you with your work, and me having to put everything aside to raise Cass. But that doesn't mean I hated you or stopped loving you. If I'd had my way, we'd have stayed together. Not just for Cassie, but for us as well. You might not feel the same, but-"
"I do. I do, Johnny! God, I wanted to take back everything I said after you left, but I was too damn stubborn. And I suppose I thought it would be better for Cassie if I was officially out of the picture. I've regretted it every day since I signed those papers. Cassie must hate me now."
"Hey. Don't think like that." Johnny held out a hand and placed it on Sonya's cheek tenderly. "All throughout her training, Cass wanted me to teach her some of your moves. It made a great incentive to keep her going when things got tough."
"R-Really?"
"Really," Cassie confirmed from the doorway. "Sorry. I couldn't help but overhear, and I couldn't just stay quiet. It's true, Mom. I don't hate you. Part of why I joined the O.I.A. was to make you proud."
"Cassie, I didn't want you to enlist in the first place. How would-?"
"Did Grampa Herman want you to enlist?"
"Well, no. Hmm..."
"I didn't always understand why you weren't around, but once I did, I was so incredibly proud to have you as a mom. That's why I wanted Dad to teach me your moves. I was so happy when he finally did. And that Arc Kick of yours? Knocked Shinnok's fuckin' teeth out."
"Language," her parents both reprimanded.
"What, I save Earthrealm from an Elder God and you guys're still on my ass about swearing?"
"Yes," both reaffirmed.
"You guys suck."
"She's got us there, Sonya," Johnny said with a big smile.
Sonya chuckled. "Yeah, she has."
Johnny took Sonya's hand and kissed it.
Sonya leaned in and kissed Johnny's cheek.
Both kissed each other's lips.
"Uh, guys? Still here?"
"Come on, Cass. If not for this, you wouldn't be here to begin with."
"Ew, no. Mom!"
"Well, he's not wrong."
"Come on!"
1 Week Later
"Here we are again, huh?"
"Yeah. You're just as beautiful as you were the last time we were here."
"Johnny, stop."
"You think so too, right?"
"I was a fetus last time, Dad."
"What about you, Jax? You remember, right?"
"I remember this banter needlessly draggin' things out."
"Et tu, Jax?"
"May he now kiss the bride, Uncle Jax? These heels are killing me."
"Only if they take each other, 'til death do they part. For real this time."
"In our defence, we did stay together until we died. And even longer."
"He's got you there, Jax."
"Look, do you vow to stay together this time? I don't wanna have ta make this a trilogy."
Johnny gazed into Sonya's steely, but soft blue eyes. "I do."
Sonya gazed into Johnny's deceptively deep and caring blue eyes. "I do."
I'd like to thank LadyYozora, LuckyLuxa and Gitzenberg for looking over the story and giving feedback.
The prison cell scene was originally written as a standalone story before even "The Hero's Tale" was written. I wanted to finish this one first to lay the foundation for the merged timeline that The Team's Bonding would build upon. But, I realised that it worked quite well as a piece of Cassie's arc that this story set up and wrapped up, so it fit better as part of this larger piece. Thanks, Luxa, for helping me decide in the end.
I contemplated having a Black Dragon member kill Johnny in the invasion, but establishing Motaro as a threat made more sense.
I struggled to place the beach scene, between its original place right after the wedding scene, and Post-Deception, when things are more dire. Ultimately, I settled for the former, as it fits better as Cassie and Jacqui's introduction. Here's what the others version looked like:
"I'm not made for relaxing, Johnny. I get antsy and feel like I should be doing something. The O.I.A.'s still struggling to recover and justify its funding after Hsu Hao sabotaged us-"
"I know, I know. I get it, really. But, you're trying to shoulder too much by yourself."
"Because who else will, Johnny? Liu Kang is dead, Raiden's gone rogue, Fujin and Kai are M.I.A., Kenshi was just using us to get to Outworld, Kabal's set up a new Black Dragon so we can't trust him, and Edenia's back to rebuilding for the third time."
Johnny sighed. "Yeah, I know. We lost a lot of good people and it's tough moving forward without 'em. But, just for a minute, will you look over there?"
Another name considered for the story was "The Superstar's Retcon".
The idea of Jacqui being into robotics and having the drone and turret instead of Cassie and Sonya came from DrakeVagabond: /DrakeVagabond/status/1267753257918705666
