Joran scratched the ledge of his bottom lip with the blunted tips of his upper teeth. His eyes were downcast on his hand as they collected at the table in front of him. One pincered the index and middle finger like a cigarette needed to be squeezed between them but only air folded in that space. The other reached over to comfort it with a dull scratch.

He barely looked up to see the blonde cop in black sit down in front of him. His eyes lids were weighted, and his maw sealed tight like the mummies of Egypt. He didn't want to look up, but his brain forced him as the world around him changed and snapped his attention to the only thing threatened his current mooted world view.

"Good morning, Jordan." She spoke, kinder this time, he noticed, but still curt. Still a detective.

He let out a small noise she may have deciphered as a grunt or sigh. She had to have heard the news that he was still do for the electric chair. Someone wanted him dead and the city would never know a crazy man like him was being put to death in the most barbaric way he could imagine.

"Is it possible for me to speak to the sorcerer?"

Jordan shook his head, half hearted, half there at all.

"I have some questions for him."

Jordan was unmoved and sat with a glare that carved into her eyes like the sweat that rolled down his face.

"We can do this the easy way or–" He stopped her.

"No!" He spat. "I said that no one talks to anyone until I get a deal!"

She sat back and looked down on him. He could feel her disappointment burrow under his brain, but somewhere in the microscopic marvels of mental illness was a voice that begged him to speak, and another that wailed for him to strangle her.

She pardoned herself.

He lifted his eyes from the table to watch her leave. The small glass on the white door showed her and a taller black male and one of the doctors. He could hear the muffled tones of speech, but not the words they spoke.

Outside, Sonya crossed her arms and looked toward Jax to one side of her and the radio in his hand.

"We've got the connections to do it, Sonya, but you really want this child killer to walk?"

"He's not going anywhere, Jax. We let him escape an illegal execution, he still remains here in his cell. Death by another means."

"I guess you're right, but something not right about defying orders."

"Who's orders?"

They turned toward the doctor.

"I don't know. It came in from government channels we have no power over. Signed by the mayor, but it was an digital scan of his signature."

"Could be anyone." Jax added.

She looked back inside to see the man stare at her for a long, ugly pause.

Sweat rolled hard down his forehead. His hand wiped itself against the now stained cuffs of his sleeves. He was hot, but yet Sonya, as she came back in, looked as though she was completely unaffected. She didn't even seem to notice the amount of sweat that covered him.

"It's done. I'll personally make sure of it." She assured, but he didn't believe her.

He leaned over and in her cold, curt tone, reflected back at her said, "bullshit."

"My partner back there and I served time in the military. We made a lot of powerful allies in Washington. One phone call and you're free to live out your life in this padded cell."

He looked over her shoulder to see the man was indeed on his radio. Jordan leaned back and looked deep into her eyes. He squinted heavy and grimaced as the heat began to rise and squirmed to find some semblance of comfort.

"Can't you feel it?" He finally asked her as he realized not a single bead of sweat dropped down her flesh.

She just watched him.

"Let me speak to him." She asked and noticed his discomfort as she let that question hang in the air, but soon the wait paid off as the posture of the man straightened and his eyes dug into her with desire and wisdom far beyond her own.

"My beautiful Sonya, you have returned."

"Shang Tsung?"

"In spirit." He spoke so seriously, yet always had some coy curve that she couldn't tell if this was all an act or serious.

"How do you know Kano?"

"Quan Chi has enlisted the Black Dragon and promised them riches beyond their worth to assist in claiming the tenth victory over Earthrealm in Mortal Kombat."

"What does that even mean?" She wanted to call bullshit, but she mused.

"You have not heard from the Thunder God? I would have assumed so late in the game that he would fetch his most prized possession."

"I belong to no one." She bit, but had to ask, "now there's a Thunder God in there?"

"Not in here. Only me, your father, and a vengeful spirit that threatens to consume us all." He stared hard into her soul as though he felt her disbelief hang off her sleeves. "You should have been on a plane to Hong Kong by now."

"Why Hong Kong?"

"That's where my ship travels to every generation to gather the Earth realm warriors. Kano will be on that ship in mere days and you have so few hours left to meet him before you may never find vengeance."

"Bullshit." She leaned back, confident. "The newspaper is handed down to the patients every day. You would have read about the raids on the black dragon here in the city, of our search for Kano."

Shang Tsung curled his lips and shook his head. He was more disappointed in Sonya at this moment than the pathetic mould of flesh he was forced to enter to seek her out.

"What?" She glared. "Prove that you are telling me the truth, or I'll let you sit on that chair and watch you fry, myself."

This didn't affect Shang Tsung. Not a single mannerism of the patient she had entered the room with. He leaned forward and looked at her as though he held the greatest hand of poker and she was too foolish to finish the game to see it.

"You'll have your proof, my dear Sonya, but you'll also lose your father and Kano in the process."

"Kano killed my father."

"Not his soul." His flesh began to redden and he leaned back to watch it all unfold as fire began to encapsulate the patient. His eyes whitened like that of a ghost, but as he faded and burned to cinder before her, his lips whispered one last gasp to warn her.

"Until you free me, Sonya Blade, your father's soul is mine."

Jax and a team of white coats entered the room as the she pushed back against the table and the body fell. Blankets smothered the coil of flesh.

"Bullshit." She stared at the burnt coal of human flesh in disbelief.