Chapter Twenty-Nine: A Nobody

"Alright, make your hand into a fist."

As the six Earthrealmers entered the medical bay, they saw a multiple doctors tending to injured Special Forces members. Sonya and Jax greeted one of the soldiers, who was having his arm put into a sling, and Johnny followed them. As they conversated with the soldier, Raiden stood by the entrance and urged Smoke and Sub-zero to go on. The two walked around the various beds and tables until they spotted a familiar face among the crowd. Their friend was with a doctor with bright, orange hair and he had a clipboard in his hands.

"Do it one more time, please."

Tomas and Kuai quickly approached the doctor and his patient. The orange-haired man turned around and immediately recognized the two warriors.

"Oh, you must be the guys Sonya informed us about. Your friend here is good to go."

He stepped aside to let Smoke and Sub-zero see his patient. Small gasps escaped the two when they saw the yellow cyborg. Now that he was free of the slaving protocol, Cyrax did not try to attack Tomas or Kuai. Instead, he stayed where he was, sitting on a metal table, and looked down at the floor. The robot did not even acknowledge his comrades until Smoke spoke his name.

"Cyrax..."

The cyborg slowly turned his head to the side to look at Tomas. Green eyes stared down the silver-haired man as he placed his hand on Cyrax's shoulder. After a moment, the robot looked away without saying a word.

"Cyrax, are you...are you okay?"

"...No. No, I am not okay."

Cyrax shrugged Smoke's hand off of him and stood up from the table. He turned his back on his friends and shook his head.

"I was...I could have...Elder Gods, why?"

Tomas slowly approached the cyborg.

"It was not your fault, Cyrax. You were being controlled and..."

"THAT DOES NOT MATTER!"

Cyrax's outburst made all the occupants of the bay go silent. Everyone's attention was drawn to the robot, just in case Cyrax ended up going rogue. The yellow cyborg put his head down again and sighed.

"I'm sorry. I had no right to yell at either of you."

Tomas smiled at Cyrax.

"No need to apologize. Besides, I missed that wonderful voice of yours. Even if I can barely understand anything that you say."

Cyrax looked up at Smoke and stared at him again. If he was still human, the Botswanan would have had a deadpanned expression on his face. Despite all that had happened, Tomas still had his sense of humor. And Cyrax was grateful for that. The cyborg chuckled, or that was what Smoke and Sub-zero believed Cyrax was doing, at the silver-haired man's joke.

"You will never grow up, will you?"

"Do you really want me to?"

Kuai Liang and Cyrax both rolled their eyes, but Tomas just laughed. At the same time, Johnny Cage had made his way to the trio and wrapped his arms around Smoke and Sub-zero's shoulders.

"Yo, Cyrax, aren't you going to thank me for saving your life?"

Cyrax jerked his thumb at the actor, confused.

"What is he talking about?"

Smoke rubbed the back of his neck.

"Well...Johnny was the one who helped you free yourself of Oniro's control. So in a way, he did save your life."

The cyborg face-palmed himself. Johnny was not about to let Cyrax live this down.

"Do not expect a thank you. This just means that we are even."

"Fair enough."

Now it was Raiden's turn to enter the conversation.

"Forgive me for interrupting your reunion, but there is an important matter I wish to discuss with Smoke."

Smoke looked at the thunder god and placed a hand on his chest.

"Me? Now?"

"If that is alright."

"Uh...Of course."

Tomas told his friends that he would be back momentarily and he and Raiden went outside the bay. The silver-haired man leaned against the wall with his hands in his pockets and the god stood just a few feet away.

"What is it that you wish to discuss, Lord Raiden?"

"...Your past."

"My...past?"

"Yes. I do recall you telling us that you suffer from amnesia and have no recollection of your life before you were recruited by the Lin Kuei."

Smoke nodded.

"That is right. It was not until recently that a few of my memories had returned to me."

"What sort of memories?"

"Just... some things of me as a child and my parents."

"I see."

A long silence passed between the two. Tomas was not sure what else he should tell Raiden. He trusted the thunder god, but he felt some things should be left unsaid.

"I must tell you the truth of my departure in Outworld. When I went to consult with the Elder Gods."

"Yes, you told us that you were there to discuss some strategies for the tournament."

"That was not all. The main reason I wished to speak to the Elder Gods...was you."

Tomas frowned at Raiden.

"Me?"

"Yes. I needed information about the origins of your powers."

"And you must have known beforehand that I did not know anything, so you went to someone who you believed had the answers you wanted."

"That is correct."

"But...why?"

"I must admit, I have not taken such interest in anyone else's abilities before, but after your battle with Sektor..."

Raiden trailed off. A moment later, Smoke nodded his head to urge the god on.

"What about that battle?"

"...An incredible power resonated from you. Just before you punched a hole in Sektor's chest. I saw how confused you looked when you realized what you had done. That attack was not intentional, was it?"

"...No."

"That power...no. That was a completely different entity from you. One that will not hesitate to kill in your stead."

Tomas said nothing. He looked away from Raiden and took his hands out of his pockets.

"...What did the Elder Gods tell you?"

"That is what I want to discuss with you. Smoke...they knew nothing about you."

At that, Smoke's eyes widen and he jerked his head up.

"What?"

"In their eyes, it is as though you do not even exist. You...are no one."

"I...do not exist?"

Tomas placed his hands behind his head and started to pace around the hall. This was a lot to register in his mind. If the gods did not even know of his presence, then...maybe Smoke really was not meant to exist. And that was why he could not remember anything. There was nothing to remember. But those memories...he saw himself as a child, he saw his father. They were real. So Tomas had to be real too, right? None of this was making any sense.

"Why did you tell me this?"

Raiden walked behind Smoke and grabbed his shoulder to make him stop pacing.

"Because you are very real in my eyes, Smoke. You are a person and you are lost and confused. I only wish to help you find your path. To help you find out who you were and who you were meant to be."

Smoke dropped his hands and turned around to face Raiden.

"Sometimes I wonder if I even want to know. Maybe I am better off not knowing."

"Do you honestly believe that?"

"No, but..."

Tomas shook his head and started walking back inside the medical bay.

"I am not sure if I can take the truth."

With that, Smoke left Raiden in the hall by himself. As soon as the door closed, Tomas was trapped in a bone-crushing bear hug.

"Hello again, Fireman!"

Tomas struggled to breath as Master Bo Rai Cho hugged him even tighter. Li Mei rushed to Smoke's aid.

"Master, stop! He is turning blue!"

Bo Rai Cho looked up at Smoke's face and quickly let go when he saw that his student was right. Tomas bent over with his hands on his knees and started coughing while Bo Rai Cho patted his back.

"My apologies. Are you alright, Fireman?"

"I would be "cough" so much better if you "cough" would stop calling me Fireman."

After his coughing fit, Smoke stood up straight and smiled at the drunk.

"But it is good to see you, Master Bo Rai Cho."

Bo Rai Cho smiled back and Li Mei properly hugged Tomas, which caught the silver-haired man off guard. But he immediately hugged the woman back.

"It is good to see you too, Tomas. My master and I were worried for you and Kuai."

"Indeed we were. Li Mei more than I, but..."

Li Mei lightly punched her master in his arm, but it only made Bo Rai Cho laugh. It was funny seeing Li Mei mad over such trivial things. As Tomas started laughing, Kuai Liang walked up beside him.

"I see you two finally made it here."

"I am sorry we took so long to come. Did you see your friend Cyrax?"

"Yes, we did."

Hearing his name, Cyrax headed in Sub-zero's direction. While Kuai introduced their friend to Bo Rai Cho and Li Mei, Tomas looked back at the entrance door. He figured that Raiden must have left shortly after Smoke stormed off. He felt guilty about that, but Tomas was not thinking at the time. All he could think about was what the thunder god had said.

"In their eyes, it is as though you do not even exist. You...are no one."

Smoke did not know how to take that. He knew Raiden meant no harm when he uttered those words, but they still stung. A god literally told Tomas that he was a nobody. How was anyone supposed to deal with that?