Chapter Fifty-Six: Rippling Memories

Back at the temple Sonya Blade spoke of, Raiden and Sindel were discussing plans for Shao Kahn's invasion. Since the emperor had started his takeover early, there was not any time for the thunder god and his champions to prepare. And with Sindel with him, who was an excellent strategist herself, Raiden was sure they could come up with something.

"Even though I have been resurrected for the time being, the barrier I had created to protect Earthrealm still needs time to fully fade. That gives us time to get everyone we can out of the city before Shao Kahn's arrival."

"Of course. So how do you think we should proceed with that, Sindel?"

"Well, it seems that Shao Kahn's minions are only concerned about this city in particular. That is good. We should not allow them to spread and wreak havoc in other places. We need to defeat as many as we can, here and now."

Raiden nodded.

"I agree. Fortunately, the others are out there looking for survivors as we speak, and I am sure they will eliminate any enemies they come across if necessary."

"But we should be assisting them as well."

The thunder god sighed as he laid his hands down on the stone table that sat between him and Sindel.

"I know you want to help them, Sindel…but it is dangerous for you. We cannot risk Quan Chi taking your soul, even if you now have your physical body. Your soul is still vulnerable to capture and to keep you safe, you must remain out of sight. Shao Kahn may know that you have been brought back to the realm of mortals, but he has yet to know of your exact location. We need to keep it that way."

Shaking her head, Sindel turned away. She knew Raiden was right, but she hated standing idly by while everyone else, including her own daughter, was out there fighting for their lives. She literally had DIED for Earthrealm, gave her life to protect the realm from Shao Kahn, and now she was supposed to just let all her efforts go to waste? There had to be something the queen could do to help.

"Sindel."

The Edenian looked over her shoulder at Raiden.

"Is there anything you can tell us about Shao Kahn's plans? Surely, he was organizing this invasion before your sudden passing."

"Indeed he was, but it would have been foolish of him to share his plans with me. We have been…married…but considering how I came to be his empress, Shao Kahn must have known I would try to stop him if I could. Despite his efforts to keep me in the dark, however… well, you know the rest."

"And I am forever grateful for what you have done for Earthrealm, Sindel."

"Of course, Raiden…. although…"

Sindel placed her hand under her chin and started pacing around the table. Raiden watched the queen as she walked and waited patiently for her to speak again.

"I think there is something we have been overlooking this whole time."

"What do you mean?"

"Have you ever wondered why Shao Kahn invaded Edenia in the first place?"

Raiden frowned and crossed his arms.

"Well, Edenia became an easier target for invasion after Argus and Delia's deaths. Without the protection of a god, Edenia was vulnerable to attack."

"That is true, but that is not what I am talking about. You see, when I was alive, I happened to overhear Shao Kahn speaking with Shang Tsung one night. It had something to do with…with…"

Sindel's eyes widened as she trailed off. The queen looked truly terrified and Raiden had to know why. So, he walked up to Sindel and placed his hand on her shoulder to try and comfort her.

"Please, Sindel. Tell me what you heard."

Taking a deep breath, Sindel nodded and continued.

"…It was…about Armageddon."

Raiden was taken aback by this. The last thing he expected to hear from Sindel was something about Armageddon. He instinctively reached for the amulet on his chest.

"Raiden… your amulet is supposed to help us prevent Armageddon, yes?"

The thunder god nodded as he pulled the amulet off his shirt and looked at it. A few more cracks appeared on the amulet's surface. Raiden sighed.

"Yes, it is."

Sindel could see just how tired Earthrealm's protector was and she wished she could do something to ease his worries. He may be a god, but cannot do everything on his own. The queen grabbed Raiden's hand and held it with both of her own

"You are doing the best you can, Raiden. I have faith in you and you should have faith in yourself. We can stop this…together."

A small smile made its way across Raiden's face when he heard Sindel's words. He had not known just how much he needed to hear that until those words were spoken to him. They gave the thunder god hope and hope was in short supply at the moment. Raiden nodded his head in agreement and looked straight into Sindel's eyes.

"Thank you, Sindel…thank you."

Sindel smiled back and gently squeezed the god's hand before letting go. Taking a step back, Raiden felt as though he was truly seeing the queen for the first time. They only met on occasion when Sindel was alive due to Raiden's meetings with Argus. And with all his duties as Earthrealm's protector, he had no time to visit the royal family for casual visits. So now that the Sindel was standing in front of him now, Raiden could see why Edenian women were praised and worshipped like goddesses. Sindel was incredibly beautiful both inside and out.

Raiden's frown suddenly returned. Were the thoughts appropriate for a god? More importantly, should he really be having these thoughts now? He could see the concerned look on Sindel's face, but before she could say anything, the thunder god decided to get their conversation back on track.

"Can you tell me what else you heard in that conversation? The one involving Shao Kahn and Armageddon?"

Sindel had almost forgotten about that. She mentally scolded herself for getting distracted and nodded as she recalled what she had planned to tell Raiden.

"I shall tell you everything I know. I just hope we can put this information to good use."

"The Lin Kuei."

Tomas angrily stated this obvious fact as he, Kuai Liang, and their new masked comrade stared down at another of Oniro's mechanical abominations. This cyborg had dark blue armor and its eyes glowed white as he scanned his surroundings. Its gaze first landed on the masked fighter and the cybernetic ninja tried to identify him using facial recognition. None of the people in the cyborg's database matched the man's description.

"You are not authorized for portal use."

The speedster laughed at the cyborg's statement.

"You know, your friend said the exact same thing before I dismantled his metal ass."

The man cocked his thumb in the direction of another cyborg, who laid lifelessly on the ground with half of its head missing. The blue cyborg paid it no attention though.

"You might be a different color from that guy, but that doesn't mean shit to me. So back OFF."

The cyborg ignored the speedster's threat and instead turned to Smoke and Sub-zero. As soon as it saw the two men, information immediately appeared on the screen.

"Rogues identified. Smoke, Sub-zero, you shall return with me to the Lin Kuei temple to begin your transformations."

Smoke and Sub-zero quickly fell into their fighting stances. The speedster glanced at the two warriors as he reached for the hook swords on his back.

"Guess we can finish introductions later."

"As long as you are not fighting against us, introductions do not matter at the moment."

"Couldn't have said it better myself."

The masked man grabbed the hilts of his weapons and drew them out in the blink of an eye.

"How 'bout I take care of this chump?"

Before Smoke or Sub-zero could answer his question, the speedster took off towards the blue cyborg. But the two former Lin Kuei knew something was wrong. Thinking back to how Cyrax and Sektor were the only cyborgs they have seen with colored armor, Tomas and Kuai figured the reason for that was to show how the two cyborgs were of high ranks within the Lin Kuei. If that is true, then this cyborg must be someone of importance. Someone dangerous.

And their theory was proven correct when the masked man zoomed past the cyborg and turned to throw a punch. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion to the man, but what he did not know was that the cyber ninja was fully aware of his movements. Just before the speedster's fist could meet its target, the cyborg simply tilted its head to the side to avoid it. It then grabbed the man's arm and hurled him over its head and onto the ground. The impact forced the speedster to cough up blood and he instinctively reached up for his mask. The cyborg saw the respiratory tube that was wrapped around his neck and it was about to grab it, but his sensors suddenly went off as an ice blast came towards him and froze him on the spot.

While Kuai Liang was finishing his handywork, Tomas ran to the masked man, who had just broken free of his captor's grasp. The silver-haired man held out his hand to the speedster.

"So…that's why he's called Sub-zero, eh?"

The speedster grabbed Smoke's hand and just as he was about to push himself off the ground, the man heard something cracking. Tomas heard it too and looked over at the frozen cyborg. The ice that held the ninja captive now had cracks that were growing at an alarming speed and the silver-haired man had no time to get him or his comrade out of the way before a cybernetic hand seized him by his neck. The masked man scrambled to his feet and dashed away from the cyborg before he could be grabbed again. He also took one of his hook swords that he had dropped earlier and pointed it at the robot.

"Let him go, asshole!"

Smoke clawed at the hand that was wrapped around his throat, but the cyborg would not release him. He gagged as the ninja's hold tightened and he was struggling to breath.

"Get out there! FOCUS!"

Hearing Enenra's words, Tomas closed his eyes and his body quickly dissipated into a cloud of smoke. The masked man's hold on his weapon faltered slightly as he looked at Smoke's gaseous form in awe.

"Annnnd that's why you're called Smoke."

Stopping some distance behind the cyborg, Tomas changed back to his human form and coughed a few times as he rubbed his neck.

"He is a more formidable opponent than the others. Keep your guard up."

Smoke nodded as he took in deep breaths and kept his attention on his opponent. The cyborg had its back to him while the speedster stood to its left and Sub-zero stood to its right.

"Are you alright, Smoke?"

Tomas turned to Kuai, who had his signature Kori Blade in his hand and was in his fighting stance. The silver-haired man nodded again and pulled out two of his kunai knives.

"I am fine, do not worry."

Sub-zero nodded back and raised his hand to summon another ice blast, but he was stopped when the cyborg called forth multiple waves of water that hit the three men. The cryomancer was thrown into a wall of a building, the speedster was pushed into a nearby truck, and Smoke was completely overwhelmed by the water. It surrounded him and tossed him all around the place, so he could not get any of his bearings. But even though he was being thrown about like a rag doll, Tomas did not panic. Instead, the silver-haired man was left in a state of confusion.

Something about this situation seemed all too familiar and Smoke suddenly felt like a child again, training in the dojo of the Lin Kuei temple. He had been in this predicament before as a boy and he remembered how scared he had felt while he was trapped in the freezing water. He struggled for as long as he could before black dots appeared in his vision from lack of air and he wanted to just close his eyes and allow the darkness to take him.

"Do not give up, Tomas."

And Tomas remembered that voice. It was not Pyros or Enenra. It was someone he had known and admired ever since he was a kid. Someone who had disappeared so many years ago and had been presumed dead.

"Think, Tomas. There is always a way out. Always."

The silver-haired man was flung back into reality when his body hit the ground and the water around him had dispersed. Fortunately, Smoke had been wearing a mask, so he did not have to worry about any water in his lungs, but he was a bit disoriented by being tossed around by the water. He placed his hands on the ground to push himself up and he saw the masked man, who was frozen on the ground, and Sub-zero, who was kneeling on the ground coughing up water. Smoke's own body felt cold, and it was not just because of the water. He glanced over his shoulder and saw bits of ice on his legs and his fingers had been frozen as well.

But as he looked back at his adversary, realization hit Tomas like a train. This man, this…machine was no ordinary Lin Kuei assassin. He had a heart, a soul like no other. But now they have been taken away from him and he has become the perfect slave. The perfect killer. Smoke felt tears welling in his eyes and they began to blur his vision, but he could care less. Only one thing was on his mind as he stared at the cyborg's form.

"…Sifu."