Chapter Seventy-One: Lover's Tale

The glow in Sektor's robotic eyes faltered once or twice before they finally settled, indicating that the cyborg was now awake. But that did not mean that he was fully functioning. Unable to move his legs and arms, Sektor quickly made a mental scan of his body and he soon realized that only a small portion of his body was still able to move, which was his head. Someone had hacked into the cyborg's system and now his weapons were offline and his ability to move had been tampered with. He could not even send out a distress signal to his comrades because his communications had been shut down as well. And there only one person Sektor knew for a fact could have done this to him.

Looking up from the ground, Sektor was met face-to-face with Cyrax, who was kneeling so he could be at eye level with his prisoner. Alongside the yellow cyber ninja was Sub-zero, who was leaning against the wall with his arms folded across his chest, and Hydro, who was twirling a kunai knife between his fingers. Sektor almost laughed at his former allies' poor attempt to intimidate him.

"I will tell you nothing. You know that."

Cyrax nodded.

"We know."

"And I assume you will attempt to collect information from my data if you have not already."

"That is right."

"So, why am I still alive?"

Sub-zero scoffed as he stood up from the wall and let his arms fall to his sides.

"Maybe it is because we enjoy seeing you in pain. After all the things you have done to us, this is the least that you deserv-"

"Kuai."

Kuai Liang looked to his sifu, who was shaking his head.

"Do not fall to his level. You are better than that."

The cryomancer sighed, but he kept his mouth shut otherwise. Hydro then turned back to Sektor.

"Unlike you, we do not enjoy seeing others miserable, Sektor. We are not going to kill you, but we cannot allow you to return to the temple. So, in other words, you are our prisoner."

"I am no one's prisoner, you old fool. This is nothing but a temporary setback. Others will come to free me."

"Maybe so, but we will be ready when that happens. The Lin Kuei have already lost many numbers from your ambush. It will take some time before the Grandmaster plans another."

Sektor chuckled.

"Speaking of numbers, where is Smoke? He must be upset after I humiliated him in our battle."

"Smoke was holding back."

The red cyborg was surprised to see Raiden enter the room. He stopped a foot away from the cyber ninja with his hands clasped behind his back.

"If he wanted you dead, you would have been the moment the battle began."

"Hmph."

Sektor said nothing more and looked back down at the floor. But his silence did not last long when Cyrax started speaking to him again.

"While I was scanning your neural net, I discovered that a virus has been implanted into your data. If I try to hack into your memories directly, my own data will become corrupted. That goes for any other source of technology."

"If that is so-"

Cyrax turned to Sub-zero as his friend spoke.

"-Can you find some way around that virus, Cyrax?"

"I am willing to try. But it will take time."

The yellow cyborg pulled out what appeared to be a red computer chip. The rectangular object had the Lin Kuei insignia engraved within it.

"I will see what I can do. In the meantime, we must keep our eyes on HIM."

Cyrax jerked his head to Sektor. Not that anyone did not understand who the cyber ninja was referring to. Cyrax then stood from the floor and walked away, leaving Kuai, Hydro, and Raiden alone with Sektor. The four men sat in silence for some time, Sektor glaring at his captors while they glared back. Sub-zero, however, began to become agitated by the constant staring and quiet.

"I pity you, Sektor."

Sektor scoffed at the cryomancer's words.

"I do not need your pity."

"And to think we used to fight alongside one another. We could have been friends."

"We were never friends, Sub-zero! And we never will be!"

"And why is that? You always believed that you were better than everyone else just because your father was the Grandmaster!"

"I AM superior to you in every way!"

"And just how superior are you now that Oniro is dead!?"

The room fell silent once more, but Sub-zero was not about to let it stay that way. He scowled at Sektor with his fists tightly clenched at his sides.

"We-"

Kuai Liang motioned his to himself and then Hydro.

"-Have every reason to hate Oniro. But you, his own son-!"

"You know nothing!"

Despite his voice being heavily affected by his cybernetic body, Sektor's angry was clear within it. Sub-zero must have hit a nerve.

"…Do you know why I hated him? Why I do not care about his death?"

Kuai was not interested in his former comrade's daddy issues, but he was curious as to what the answer was to Sektor's question.

"…Fine. Why?"

"Because despite our blood…I was never Oniro's son. You, Cyrax, Bi-han, you were his prized fighters. But Tomas…Tomas was the son Oniro had always wanted."

Both Sub-zero and Hydro were taken aback by Sektor's response. The cryomancer even found himself feeling less angry and more…sad. Sad for Sektor.

"As a child, when he first came to us, I was actually excited about meeting Tomas. Oniro came in that night smiling. Smiling like he had when my mother was still alive. It made me happy to see him happy, so I wanted to meet the person who was responsible for making him smile again. And when I did, I genuinely wanted to be his friend. We WERE friends for a short time. Tomas probably does not even remember that."

"But as the days went by, Oniro was constantly comparing me to Tomas. He always praised Tomas for everything he did, but I cannot recall a time he said he was proud of ME for anything. And then, I came to a realization. I could never beat Tomas. How can you defeat a monster from the Netherrealm when you were nothing but a human?"

"How can you call Tomas the monster here?"

Sektor looked up at Sub-zero. The cryomancer was shaking his head.

"I have never met a person more passionate about life than Tomas. He is a honorable man with a bigger heart than any of us. He is not the monster you claim that he is!"

Sektor laughed, angering Kuai once again.

"Maybe not. At least not yet."

Suddenly, Sub-zero grabbed the red cyborg by his neck and held him against the wall. Hydro was by his student's side in an instant but made no move to pull Kuai away from Sektor. He only watched as Sub-zero started yelling at the cyber ninja again.

"What do you mean that!? Tell me! If you hurt Tomas in any way-!"

"It is not me you need to worry about, Kuai Liang."

"Then who!?"

"…Even if I were to tell…it would be too late."

In another room within the temple, Jade sat beside Tomas' bed, watching as the silver-haired man slept. He was looking much better than he had before with coloring returning to his face and breathing even. But Jade could not stop worrying about Smoke's well-being. Why did he pass out like that? Was there something seriously wrong with him?

The Edenian shook her head. She needed to think positive. Tomas was going to be fine. Everything was going to be fine.

"Jade?"

Jade jumped when she heard Sindel's voice, unaware that the queen had been standing there for some time. Regaining her composure, Jade bowed her head to Sindel.

"My queen, I apologize. I was distracted."

Sindel chuckled, not at all angry at the younger Edenian.

"No need for apologies, dear."

The queen took a seat beside Jade and her gaze landed on Tomas.

"I know how a man can become a-"

Sindel tilted her head slightly to left with her finger on her chin.

"-Distraction."

Jade kept her head turned to the queen, but her eyes were on Smoke's unconscious form as well. She sighed.

"My queen, I-"

"I remember the first time Jerrod and I met."

Sindel interrupted Jade, but she was upset about it. In fact, the young Edenian was happy for the interference. Jade did not know what exactly she wanted to say. Sindel continued.

"You would think it was, how Earthrealmers say, love at first sight. Allow me to confirm that was not at all what happened."

The queen smiled as she remembered her husband.

"As a child, Jerrod was a bit of a troublemaker. He did not wish to be the next in line for his father's throne. But after his parents' passing, Jerrod believed he needed to take the responsibility of being king for their sake. I felt that he had regrets about his relationship with his father and wished that they had more time to spend together."

"And when we met a few years later, Jerrod was not his normal self. He had locked himself in his palace and he looked as though he was on the verge of death. He would not eat, he would not sleep, and to make matters worse, one of his housemaids, a dear friend of the family, passed away. Jerrod was alone and miserable. And I wished to help him."

Her smile faltering, Sindel reached into her cloak and pulled out a small, blue pendant. It was round and smooth like a pearl.

"I soon began work as a housemaid in Jerrod's palace. But I was more of a personal assistant to him than anything. I helped him dress, I helped him with his royal duties, and more importantly I helped keep his mind in one piece. It was tiresome work, but I quickly grew to enjoy it. And Jerrod's company."

Sindel looked from her pendant to Jade.

"I suppose you know the rest of this tale. And I hope you know that I still love Jerrod dearly to this day. My life with him brought me wonderful gifts, such as Kitana. And you."

Wrapping her arm around Jade, Sindel pulled the young Edenian closer to her and laid her head atop Jade's.

"I love you, Jade. And I hope whoever you choose to spend the rest your life with will shower you with love and happiness just as Jerrod did for me."

Jade smiled at the queen.

"I love you too, my queen. Thank you."

"Of course…my dear daughter."

Sindel laid a small kiss on Jade's forehead, much like what she used to do with Kitana before her death. It was comforting to the young woman.

"Now then, I suppose I should leave you two alone."

"You do not have to do that, my queen."

"My dear, a couple consists of two individuals, not three."

"My queen!"

Laughing, Sindel immediately walked out of the room before Jade could say anything else. Jade chuckled and then turned back to Tomas. She felt much better now thanks to Sindel, and she truly believed that Smoke would be okay. The Edenian gently grabbed Tomas' hand and held it in both of her own.

"You are a good man, Tomas. A good man who deserves the best life has to offer."

Jade stood from her seat and leaned over Smoke, smiling down at the man.

"I may not be the best, but…I do hope to be yours."

The woman then lowered her head and was about to kiss Tomas on his cheek, but she froze when she heard the silver-haired man groan. Jade scrambled off the bed and watched as Smoke moved his head back and forth on the pillow, more moans and mumbles coming from his mouth.

"Tomas? Tomas, can you hear me?"

Jade waited for Tomas to answer, but the only response she received was a low growl as the man gritted his teeth together. His eyes were still closed, but Jade could see that Smoke was trying to open them. It was like he was trapped within his own dreams. Or maybe nightmares by the looks of it.

Smoke grabbed the blanket he was laying on into his fists and he continued to growl as Jade called out to him again.

"Tomas, it is okay. It is only a dream. You can stop fighting."

But Tomas was not hearing any of it. Jade tightened her grip on his hand and spoke and a louder, firmer tone.

"It is not real, Tomas! It is a dream! You must wake up!"

"I am afraid he cannot, my dear."

Jade had no time to act before someone hit her in the back of her neck. The Edenian's eyes rolled to the back of her head, and she fell to the floor with a thud. She was knocked out cold.