On the beach of a large island, a group of boats were docked. A few guards were patrolling around, some chatting amongst each other, while others did their duty in silence. From one of the boats, we can see a figure with a hat emerge when one of the guards wasn't looking. He looked relieved to finally be out of wherever he was hiding, doing some maneuvering to get past the guards and off the boat.
"That was easier than I thought…" He says to himself, putting his hat on, "Now to get to the courtyard undetected…."
"Hey! Intruder!"
So much for that.
He sighs, turning to see the guards rushing up to him with their spears drawn. With swiftness, the man in the hat takes them on, doing everything he could to fight them off. Nearby, a portal opens up, Rei stepping out of it and onto the beach, dusting off her tunic.
"Ugh… I feel sluggish…" she complained, stretching a bit, "Couldn't Mom just send me here directly?"
"Fraid not." Corliss' voice says in her head, "This is a location in the OBR's past, and only I have the tech that could send you there.'
"Well, that's just dumb."
"Deal with it. Welcome to Earthrealm, by the way."
Rei looks around, walking forward a bit. She nearly stumbles, and now regrets wearing heels in a sandy area. She stops to take off her heels, walking barefoot on the beach. "It's not too bad here, it just feels… strange."
"Well, this is your first time outside of Purgatory. It will take some getting used to."
"Yeah… what's going on over there?" Rei looks over to see the fight going on. The man in the hat is tossing it like a frisbee at a few of the guards, cutting two of their heads off with it while he kung-fu combos two more into the ground, catching his hat with his hand effortlessly and not cutting himself. However, one more was right behind him, sneaking up with a dagger. She gasps and takes one of her heels before throwing it as hard as she could, knocking the guard square in the face hard enough to knock him out.
The man in the hat looks at the KOed guard behind him, picking up the shoe in his hand. Rei walks over, stepping over the guards.
"You're welcome, can I please have my shoe back?"
"This was your doing?"
"Yeah. He was about to backstab you."
He looks thankful as he gives Rei back her shoe. "Who are you? You don't seem to be Earthrealmer in origin… are you from Outworld?"
She shook her head. "Nope. I'm from somewhere else entirely. Just came to check out the tournament and see if the ones we hold back home even hold a candle to it. Why are you here?"
"Well, one of my fellow monks was chosen to represent Earthrealm in the tournament instead of me." He answers, "Despite me and him being equals. Both of us here would give Earthrealm a better chance of winning the tenth tournament."
"This is the tenth one?" She asks, "Geez, y'all suck that much to lose 9 in a row?"
He glares at her a bit, making her wave a hand in dismissal. "I'm just kidding. Outworld is pretty tough. I don't blame you guys for losing. My realm beat them through a gambit we pulled."
"Mind if I ask what that was?" the man asked, moving to pick up the unconscious guard's mask, looking thoughtful.
"Well, my realm's ruler is a very powerful woman. And she doesn't take kindly to intruders, yet at the same time, she is one who likes to toy with her opponents." She explains, watching as he started stripping the guard of his clothes, "So, she hatched an idea. Purposely lose 9 out of 10 tournaments to give Shao Kahn a sense of victory and make him think we were weak. Then, we come to the tenth tournament…"
"What did she do?" He asks, motioning for her to go on.
"For the 9 tournaments before it, she had been secretly training a woman by the name of Ti Fa Rin, teaching her very powerful magic and expert kombat tricks. Ti Fa Rin's job was to completely and utterly curbstomp Outworld single handedly, all just to piss off the Emperor."
"Did it work?"
"Yeah. It worked a little too well." Rei says, the man putting on the clothes of the guard, "Shao Kahn was PISSED. He tried to the take the realm by force, but our ruler, satisfied that she was able to essentially troll him out of victory, decided to anger him even further by unceremoniously booting his ass out of the realm with all her power, and used what remained of it to put some sort of lock in our realm. It basically means no one that isn't my species can get in or out unless someone from my realm takes them out or brings them in."
The man sets his hat aside to put on the mask, seeing if it fit. "Interesting. Your realm's ruler seems to be very powerful."
"She is." Rei adds, "By the way, what are you doing?"
"Disguising myself as a guard so I can sneak into the tournament." he answers, kicking up one of the spears into his hands, "They won't suspect a thing."
"Nice. You'll blend in perfectly." She chuckles, "By the way, what is your name? I'm Rei." She holds out a hand.
The man accepts her handshake offer. "I am Kung Lao. Very nice to meet you, Rei."
"Do you know where this courtyard is? I have no clue where to go from here." she asks, "I'm eager to see if Earthrealm can win this one."
He picks up his hat, motioning her to follow him. "It's this way. I'll take you there as thanks for saving me from a backstab."
"Sweet."
"All I ask of you is to not blow my cover, ok?"
"I won't, I swear."
In the center of the courtyard stood a tall man in a bamboo hat, looking calm and quiet as he patiently waited for this tournament to start. Next to him was a monk in red and black, looking as calm and quiet as the other man. Many others had already gathered there, some chatting amongst themselves while others stood quietly. Without warning, the man in the bamboo hat gasps, holding his head in his hand, shutting his eyes. The monk sees this and turns to him.
"Lord Raiden, what is wrong?" he asks.
"Strange visions…" answers Raiden, opening his eyes again. A cracking sound is heard, causing him to take his amulet off his chest and look at it. It had cracked in several places.
"Your amulet!" the monk sounded worried as he looked at it. Raiden just dismisses it, pinning it back.
"It is nothing, Liu Kang. The tournament begins."
The two turn to face the throne as a procession of monks walk towards them. A man in sunglasses stood next to a woman who looked to be in the military. Slightly behind them were a trio of men who looked to be dressed as ninjas: one blue, one yellow, and one red. Up on the throne, two woman, one in blue and one in green, flank an elderly man in strange robes, looking akin to a sorcerer. A strange looking humanoid also follows them, large rows of teeth exposed in his face and arms having pointed stone-like growths on it. A Native American man standing on the other side of Raiden watches them cautiously, while near the sunglasses man and army woman stood a white skinned man with tattoos and a man covered head to toe in yellow and gold watch impassively. The monks finish their walk, sitting before the stretch of courtyard meant as the arena. The disguised Kung Lao steps into the pit between the area and the monks with some other guards, keeping quiet. And from behind everyone stepped in Rei, who had put her shoes back on. She was quiet as she leans against the wall, examining everyone as the elderly man on the throne started speaking.
"Kombatants, I am Shang Tsung!" He announced, "In the coming days, each of you will fight. Some are here of their own violation, others were brought here by chance…." As the sorcerer scanned the Kombatants, he then noticed that there was an extra one in the very back, looking furious.
"...and one that was uninvited." He says, pointing at Rei, "Leave this place, Asali!"
Rei barely had time to react before three spears were pointed at her neck, her hands in the air.
"Hey, hey, hey!" she says, "What the hell did I do? I just got here!" Her expression went from shock to smugness.
"Or are you still salty about your loss against my mother and realm?"
"You befoul this place…." hissed Shang Tsung, "Rubbing salt in the wound…"
Rei just casually bends all three spears with her hands, kicking the guards in the nuts before walking forward, the others moving away.
"As much as I would love to, that isn't why I am here." She says. Kung Lao held his spear towards her just to keep his facade up, "I'm merely a spectator in this. If I really wanted to rub salt in the wounds, I would have. Now, unless I actually do something you disapprove of, you will back off."
"...how can we trust you?" he asks.
"Well, for starters, I didn't kill those three." She points to the guards as she struggled to get up, "And the Elder Gods don't seem to disapprove of me here either, so…. Yeah." She just shrugs, "Haven't done anything wrong yet."
Shang Tsung thinks it over a bit before glaring at her.
"Your death will be swift if you assist any Earthrealmer." He threatens, "Otherwise, you are free to spectate."
"Wonderful, now continue with your rousing speech, old timer." she grins, his glare sharpening before fading away so he could continue the speech. She walks back to the others, standing near Raiden. As Shang Tsung resumed his speech, the sunglasses man turns to his right to the army girl.
"Hey, beautiful. Johnny Cage." He introduces himself with a smile.
"Good for you." She says in a deadpan tone, not seeming to care.
Johnny looks upset at her response. "What? 'Massive Strike', 'Citizen Cage', 'Ninja Mime'? None of these ring a bell?" he asked. She ignored him in favor of watch the new kombatant enter the arena.
"Kano…" She all but growled in anger, Johnny raising a brow in confusion.
"'Kano'? Wasn't in that one…."
"You participate in the most important Mortal Kombat in history!" Shang Tsung spoke, much to Rei's amusement as she mockingly waved at him, which earned a glare from the sorcerer, but he continued anyways.
"This tournament, the tenth after nine Outworld victories, will determine Earthrealm's fate. If you defeat all of your opponents, you will face one final challenge… me." The sorcerer finished.
Johnny grinned at the thought. "Huh! That old geezer's the final challenge? They might as well give me the belt right now. They do have belts, right?"
A cough is heard behind Johnny, prompting him to turn around and nearly jump at the sight of Shang Tsung behind him. "What? How did you…"
"Looks can be deceiving." He answered before levitating back to his throne. Once he sat down, he spoke again. "Our first kombatant will be Mr. Cage!"
The man in question laughs defiantly and strides forward.
"That's right! That's right! Who's it gonna be?" He asked, looking ready to kick some ass.
"Reptile!" Shang answered without missing a beat, prompting Johnny to look towards the rooftop of the arena. A reptilian creature materialises on the rooftop, having observed them while invisible, and jumps to the arena floor to the monks' applause.
Johnny actually looked impressed. "Nice stunt! Who's your agent?"
"Begin!" Shang Tsung announced, prompting both kombatants to get into a battle stance.
"Alright, it's showtime!"
The battle begins. Rei moves to stand closer to Raiden, now able to get a better look at him. She grins. Raiden was very nice to look at up close. However, he notices her staring from the corner of his eye.
"It is not polite to stare, madam." he says, getting Rei's attention. She tilts her head.
"I'm no madam, big guy. I'm not that old. At least not yet." she says, "Who are you anyways?"
Raiden looks at her. "You have not heard of me?"
Rei shook her head. "Nope. The odds of me knowing who you are are the same as this realm spontaneously turning into a grapefruit. And I'm pretty sure that applies vice versa as well."
Liu Kang snorts a bit in amusement at such a comparison. Raiden doesn't seem to object to it either.
"Who are you?"
"Rei, guardian of Purgatory and Goddess of Darkness." She answers, flashing her still intact amulet, "Come here on behalf of my mother to see how things go. Also partly due to me wanting to see an old guy get his ass kicked. And you?"
Raiden seems surprised at the sight of her amulet and what she had said. So he wasn't the only realm guardian here. However, he felt a bit on edge at knowing she was a deity whose dominion was that over darkness. She didn't seem too threatening despite kicking three people in the family jewels earlier.
"Raiden, guardian of Earthrealm and God of Thunder." he answers her finally, flashing his amulet at her. Rei tilts her head.
"Why is it cracked?"
"I have no idea."
"Wow. You're helpful."
"And your insolent tongue will get you nowhere."
Rei just blows a rasp at him. "It's sorta my thing, Raiden. You think I'm bad, my mother is worse." She takes the opportunity to look him over again.
"Modest, much?" she jokes, Raiden glaring at her a bit.
"I do not feel the need to dress otherwise." he says, "Unlike you…"
"Hey, don't hate." She gently punches his arm, "In a way, we're dressed the sa- DUCK!"
She, Raiden, and Liu Kang quickly duck to dodge the airborne Reptile, who crashes through a wall nearby. The Dark Goddess laughs.
"That's your last big hit, buddy!" she taunts.
"You got Caged!" Johnny taunted as well behind them. The actor continues to gloat while Liu Kang and Raiden watched with equal amounts of disgust. Rei just grins.
"He's got the bark and the bite to back it up."
It was then Johnny stalked up to several of the observing kombatants.
"And I'm taking you down, I'm taking you down, I'm taking you out, I'm taking you out, and I'm taking you out…" Johnny now stood in front of the army woman, "…for dinner." He snickered at her disdainful reaction. The sorcerer didn't look impressed, and neither did Rei, but she remained silent while he spoke.
"Your second challenge, Mr. Cage. Baraka!" He announced as the Tarkatan roared loudly and jumped to the arena floor to the applause of the monks.
"Hmm… ok, nice makeup, but is it really necessary?" Johnny asked. Baraka only unsheathed his blades in response. "Whoa!"
"They will taste your flesh!" Baraka threatened before they started fighting. Despite having already fought a rather intense battle with Reptile, Johnny still had enough stamina to fight Baraka. Rei watches quietly, but then gets an idea. Cupping her hands around her mouth, she speaks.
"Hey, shove his blade up his ass!"
Raiden and Liu Kang both look at her in mutual shock, but she just grins as Johnny found the idea rather appealing and does just that, much to everyone's complete shock and Rei's laughter.
"OH SWEET ELDER GODS, HE DID IT!" She howled in laughter, falling over. Raiden had a hand over his mouth, Liu Kang had his over his ears, and the Native American man had his over his eyes at the sight. Johnny looks smug as hell as he stands there, catching his breath. Shang Tsung couldn't get mad, for he did find it a bit funny himself.
"Man, I love those blades!" Johnny complimented as he caught his breath, "My agent has got to meet you! We're doing 'Tommy Scissorfists' and…"
"Congratulations, Mr. Cage." Shang Tsung cut him off after he finishes chuckling under his breath, "Now, FINISH HIM!"
"He's already finished…" Rei giggles, Raiden zapping her in response, the girl yelping loudly at that and glaring at him, "Bitch…"
"Finish him? Yeah, right!" Johnny said, standing up straight. Shang Tsung's expression didn't change.
"Kill him!" He ordered. It was then Johnny looked to the crowd. The yellow and red ninjas look on in anticipation, as did the other yellow one and the tattooed man. It was there that the actor finally realized what he had gotten himself into and threw his hands in the air.
"Whoa! Whoa, whoa, wait a second! I'm not gonna kill anyone!" He shouted in protest. Liu Kang throws a confused look at Raiden, who takes in the scene impassively. Rei, however, seemed rather bored and yawned.
"We would be better off without Baraka, honestly. Too bad you can't straight up kill him." mused Corliss, Rei nodding.
"Very well." Shang Tsung stated, standing up from his chair, "The tournament will resume at dawn!" And with that, he turned around and departed. The monks all rise and did the same.
"What, that's it? Really?" Johnny asked, earning no answers in return. He shrugged it off and turned around, rubbing his hands together in anticipation.
"Now, where'd that hottie go?" He mused as he starts to leave, only to find Liu Kang, Raiden, and Rei walking up to him. Raiden was first to speak.
"You fought well." The Thunder God complimented. Johnny grinned.
"Thanks. Nice hat." This seemed to bother the Shaolin Monk, as he decided to speak.
"You should be more respectful of Lord Raiden." He scolded, "He is the protector of Earthrealm, the God of Thunder, the-"
"Look, I don't know what kind of role playing you guys are into, but count me out." Johnny cut him off. He then saw Rei and smiled again.
"Hey there, you're pretty cute." he says with a grin.
Rei just gives him a sour look. "You wanna keep your manhood?"
Without missing a beat, Johnny decided it was best to leave choosing to indeed keep his manhood, but Liu Kang stops him in his path.
"This tournament is more than a chance for personal glory." He spoke, "We are fighting for the very survival of Earthrealm."
"What are you talking about?" The actor asked in confusion.
"You last opponent was Tarkatan. He was born with those blades." Raiden explained.
Johnny scoffed. "Yeah, those things are real." He said, his tone filled with sarcasm. Two guards picked up Baraka's unconscious form and carry him off, being mindful of where one of the blades was at.
"He represents Outworld. Had you lost, the emperor Shao Khan would have come one step closer to physically absorbing our world into his." Raiden continued. Rei decided to throw her two cents in.
"Outworld is a plague on the realms. We'd be much better off without it, but due to some fate mumbo-jumbo, it's part of the Big 6 that are necessary for the realms to live. However, if it takes Earthrealm, you're fucked."
"Outworld, yeah right, right…" He shrugged it off. Raiden looked slightly annoyed.
"The Elder Gods created the Mortal Kombat tournament to give Earthrealm a chance to defend itself. But if we lose this time, Shao Khan will conquer all." He once again explained.
"Dun dun dunnn!" Johnny dramatically threw his arms up in the air, Rei sighing in annoyance at that, shaking her head. He continues talking.
"…look guys, I'm an actor. I save the world for the cameras. If this emperor is really a threat, call the military. Me, I've got a date with a blonde. Ciao!" He slapped Raiden on the arm and proceeded to leave. Rei loosens one of her shoes and kicks it off in his direction, hitting him on the butt. He yelps, but says nothing, glaring at her through his sunglasses before leaving.
"What do you see in him?" Liu Kang asked Raiden, the Thunder God not missing a beat with his response.
"He is a hero, Liu Kang, though he may not know it yet." he says, watching Rei reclaim her shoe and slip it back on.
"I'm going with Liu Kang here. That guy's kind of a douche." she says, walking back over to them, "I don't appreciate being hit on."
Raiden mumbles something under his breath, Liu Kang unable to make it out. He just assumes it had something to do with what she said.
On a bridge far above a large pit filled with spikes, the army woman was speaking into her wrist comm.
"Triangulating your signal for evac, but…"
The radio on her wrist comm becomes briefly distorted for a second before a voice was heard, "….there is no island."
"I'm standing on it!" She assured, "Just lock into my wrist comm!" She didn't notice Johnny walking onto the bridge and smiling.
"Understood. What is your current status?" The voice from the comm asked.
"They have Jax. And if I don't fight in this crazy tournament, they'll kill him. I'm gonna try to-"
"Need help?" Johnny cut her off, "I specialize in rescuing damsels in distress."
The woman looked very annoyed and said, "You again. Listen, I've got serious problems here. I'm in no mood to be hit on by some movie star."
"C'mon, a girl like you shouldn't be wandering around this freak show alone." The actor attempted to justify, only to earn a sigh from her before she walked off. He then went to grab her by the arm.
"Look, baby, I can't let you run loose without an escort." This was a bad move on Cage's part, as she proceeded to punch him in the stomach and across the face, knocking him down and assuming a fighting stance.
"I don't need an escort, and I'm sure as hell not your baby!" She said in anger as Johnny got up and proceeds to get in a brawl with him.
"So far, so good!" Corliss muses happily, kicked back in her chair. Azriel was laying on a couch nearby, sipping on a margarita and looking relaxed.
"Yes, things seem to be moving well. How is that Temporal Tree thing looking?" she asks. Corliss pulls it up on a separate screen. The tree-like formation looked to be slowly shrinking, some of the smaller sub-branches starting to vanish.
"We're already having an effect." Corliss muses, "It's gonna be slow, but we'll get there."
"Wonderful."
Corliss switches back to the other monitor showing the woman and Johnny's fight. "Geez, Sonya is whooping his ass."
"Of course, she's had military training." Azriel gets up, walking over and still sipping her drink, "Want a sip?"
"What is it, Peach Daiquiri?" Corliss says as she takes the drink from her, the Elder God nodding as she got a good swig of it.
"Oh wow, this is good."
"No getting drunk on the job, Lissy."
"Damn, I was gonna ask you to make me one."
"Maybe later."
After a few minutes, Johnny comes out victorious.
"Ha haaa! Not bad for a… girl…" He seemed to regret getting caught up in the moment and offered a hand to Sonya, "Look, sorry about that…"
She slapped his hand away. "I don't need your help." Johnny simply shrugs.
"Fine. Have it your way. I'll just leave you to your… problems."
"Good idea!" The actor was then grabbed from behind and thrown off the bridge by a familiar sleazeball from earlier: Kano. "Now that he's softened you up, it's my turn!"
"Not man enough for a fair fight?" Sonya sneered.
"I don't do 'fair'." Kano answered without missing a beat, using his eye beam to blast Sonya with, the woman shouting in pain, "No need to get up, love."
Down below, Johnny has grabbed onto one of the spikes protruding from the bridge, clinging to it for dear life. He tries pulling himself up, but is having trouble doing so.
"So tell me… how are things at Command?"
"Bastard!"
More screams from Sonya as Kano continued to blast her again and again.
"Gullible bitch. Just had to point you in the wrong direction. Couldn't have done it without ya!"
"S.F. is on the way. You won't get far."
"Oh, I got a knack for survival. You, on the other hand, are gonna die here."
That right there enraged Johnny, empowering him enough to pull himself up, flipping back onto the bridge.
"Step away from the lady!" He demanded as he stalked toward Kano, dusting himself off, "Fans think my moves are all wire work and special effects. Truth is… I AM the special effects." With that, Johnny sucker punched Kano, starting a fight.
Sonya coughs a bit as she sits up, watching the two brawl. As she watches them, she sees Rei on the other bridge, tilting her head. She wondered what she was doing.
Down on said bridge, Rei was walking around, talking to Corliss.
"So, things are going as intended?"
"Yeah, the sub-branches are starting to vanish. Once they vanish, the main ones will follow suit."
"That's good." She grins, nodding, "So far, they've been pretty nice to me. Though, Raiden's a bit of a stubborn ass from what I can tell."
"That's just how he is, Rei." Corliss says, "He's just strong willed and stuff. Though, I doubt he even saw what you told Johnny to do coming. That face is meme-worthy."
"I couldn't help myself." Rei laughs out loud, "Anyways, I better get back before the next round starts. Mom, you better stay out of my Green Rosella stash."
"Try me, bitch." Azriel speaks, Rei rolling her eyes as she heads for the courtyard, unaware of what had just happened on the bridge across from her.
Kano is knocked unconscious via Johnny elbowing him hard in the face, falling to the ground while the actor stood over him.
"Throw that on your… barby… shrimp." Johnny fumbled a bit. He goes over and offers to help Sonya up. This time, she accepted.
"Thanks."
"No problem. Who was that guy anyway?" The actor asked.
"His name's Kano." Sonya began to explain, "He was an informant in our Black Dragon investigation. Big-time arms dealers. Turns out he was their leader and giving us the runaround. Lot of our guys got killed because of him."
Johnny's eyes widened behind his sunglasses. "So that's not a costume? You're actual military?" He asked.
Sonya nodded. "Special Forces."
"Get out!" Johnny gasped, "So you know about this 'threat to the world' stuff, right? Raiden called in the cavalry."
"Raiden?" Sonya looked confused, "No idea who you're talking about." She looks around, and then notices something.
"Dammit!" She says, "He's gone!"
"What?" Johnny looks around, noticing he was indeed gone.
"Where'd he go?!" Sonya looks over the edges and everywhere.
"I dunno, but he can't be far." Johnny assured.
"He'll have to wait." Sonya offered her hand to the man, "I appreciate your help, Cage."
The actor accepted it and shakes it. "Johnny." He corrected. Sonya didn't seem to heed it.
"But right now I've got things to take care of. My C.O. is locked up on this island somewhere. I have to find him." With that, Sonya walked away, leaving Johnny to watch her in admiration.