Cue the sitcom laugh track. That's the only route this mess was going. Cass sighed and tried to smile at there inter-realm transportation - somebody's tiny greeting card looking granny.
"Mother was so powerful, Shang Tsung himself sought her out. But we've kept her hidden." The marketplace woman, Annouse, boasted. Hidden was an understatement. Grams was nearly buried alive, tucked in the back of this dark, burrowed out home.
"Hi?" Jacqui sounding as dazed as Cass was feeling. The little crab apple face grinned toothlessly from under swaths of fabrics covering her hair.
Why was she even trying to plan any more? There was no way such a frail little person was gonna have the strength to pull open a rift and then displace the weight of all of them. Leading a team meant she was responsible for their safety and the top priority was getting asses home. Doing the math in head, that was Jacqui, Tak and Jin-and that gonna be a stretch. Kuai was a Lin Kuei warrior, he would insist on getting the younger members out and he was best prepared to deal with Netherrealm. Dude knew the areas and could fight.
"Cass, all of us? She can't." Jacqui shrugged.
"How many are we speaking of?" Annouse interupted.
The sergaent rolled her shoulder and straightened her back. In charge."3 adults.".
"Hold up now. There's-"
"3." Cassie reiterated, ignoring her friend.
"Agreed. Any more would be too hard on Mother." Annouse sniffed. "Her time left with us is valuable."
Hint taken. Cassie peeled off a glove and removed a gold ring with a small opal stone. That had been her little gift to herself for moving up to sergaent. No big. Next came the thick herringbone weave bracelet, something she hadn't taken off since it had been gifted to her. Sorry, Aunt Vera. Jewelry was nice and all but maybe she would understand when it meant her only child's life. Cass gave both pieces to her host. Annouse smiled and turned her eyes to Jacqui. After a moment's surprise, her friend plucked off her gold hoop earrings and handed them over,too. You could count on Briggs, none of that cheap shit.
Small bounty though it was, gold was extremely rare in Netherrealm. That family would be living it up Bill Gates style now. "Bring your people here. I'll get Mother ready."
She nodded. Duty. Responsibility.
The young sergeant marched across the marketplace, looking for her soldiers. Behind her, Jacqui jogged to keep up. "At least tell me what the fresh hell is going on here? Cass? " At the sight of Kuai, prowling where they'd left him, she threw her arms up in frustration. "Talk to her because I can't get through. This is bullshit."
Like he had any sway with her. "What is going on, Jacs, you are escorting Beavis & Butthead home. You have to get to mom and deliver a message. K?"
"But why? What the hell happened to recon-"
Kaui was staring at Cass, watching the exchange, but she refused to include him. Homegirl deserved answer but she didn't want her to panic, either. "All you need to know is something's not right. I need you to get to the general, and only the general, and tell her 'scout's honor'." 'Scout's honor' was a private joke with mom, their little code for 'I can't trust any one but you'. Sonya would get that this meant deep shit. "You're the only person I can trust to handle business, Briggs."
"Wait, so leave you here, shit knows how long, with no provisions and maybe 1 weapon? Nu uh" Jacqui shook her head, ponytail of braids swinging angrily. " No, I stay with you. Takeda can do whatever has to-"
Loyalty like that was what made this girl her bestie. Still...at times like this, it was damned nuisance. "Takeda follows orders when it suits. " Usually. Mostly never. "He's got a friggin hero complex and he'll try to arm up and get back here on his own. Jin will blab to whoever he gets to first, possibly the person who set this up. We don't know who in the foodchain did us dirty." Cass sighed. Pride be damned. " And the truth is, I need the grandmaster here." When her friend started to protest, she cut her off. "In a fight, he's better than all of us combined."
"You could not compel me to leave Netherrealm, Miss Briggs. I am honor bound to stay and protect Cassandra." He said it to Jacqui but he was staring at her. What's with the staring? Like she was going to argue.
She just resisted the urge to make a face that said what she thought of his honor. No sense being petty now that she was depending on him.
"I don't see why-" Takeda started arguing again.
"Because shut up." Jacqui snapped, saving Cass from having to go through it all again. The younger woman shoved her boyfriend into the wavering portal of light energy with gusto. "Go!" She ordered Jin.
"Not milita-" his words were cut off with a shove. The two woman exchanged a meaningful look.
"Be careful, ok, Blondie?"
Cass nodded to her friend. "Counting on you, Briggs." And then she was gone, having stepped back into the walkway between realms. Crackling blue waves filtered over the the portal and it was sealed, as bright and violent as it had opened.
Tension held her shoulders stiff; behind her the little granny woman hacked and wheezed. Kuai knelt on her left with one gnarled hand held in both of his. Opposite to him, Annouse sat, smoothing damp strands of wispy hair from her mother's face.
"Our thanks, brave one." he soothed the elderly rifter. Nice gesture and Cass didn't have the heart to tell him she was deaf as a doorknob.
Annouse glared Kuai's way and then turned back to Cassie. Still not feeling him, apparently. "You must leave quickly. Strangers in the village and energy disruptions will not go unnoticed long."
"Thanks, Annouse. We'll get out of here and find a place to take cover for the night." Which was going to suck. She wasn't going to be tense around the grandmaster, not like before, but it was still gonna be awkward stuck together alone. Plus it was highly unlikely she'd be able to rest, even with standard 'taking turns on look out while the other sleeps' thing. Too much was going on in her mind.
"Go east," Annouse swept her arm out, indicating the direction away from the market. "That old grain barn his clan was using sits empty now. You'll be well hidden for a few hours."
Ok, hold. The. Fuck. Up. Liang beat her to it. "My clan? In this area?"
Eyes rolling as if he was stupid, "Yes, the blue clad warriors. They wore your same emblem. Before harvest, they came through many times. Moving boxes, great, massive crates."
"Of what?" Cass squeaked.
"None of us knew or wanted to know. But they were marked, girl, with the symbol of your tribe." a long brown finger pointed sternly at the American flag where it was embroidered onto the sergeant's uniform's shoulder. "I saw that same marking at least a dozen times over the season. You must leave now. Mother has to sleep."
Silenced loomed between the two as they walked; Cass was buried in her own mind and likely Kuai was sorting this out, too. From what she could piece together, the Lin Kuei were moving American equipment, maybe the alleged nukes that started this whole romp. Granted, a whole lot of info was still eluding her but, going off what she had, Sub Zero's clan was the liaison for the Black Dragons. Which took this to a whole nother level of fuckery.
Why, though? And Liang? She actually felt ...bad for him. It would mean he was betrayed by his own family and very likely sent to be killed with Special Forces. "Was there any ..y'know, like indication..." Shit I don't wanna talk about for 500, Alex.
Kuai made a hmm noise and kept his gaze focused ahead. "That members of my family were courting alliances in Netherrealm? That a faction of my own people might arrange for my murder? No, Cassandra. Nothing has prepared me for this." Not knowing what to say, Cass stayed silent. After a few moments, he offered , "Perhaps the fault is mine. After Shinnok's defeat, I have not concerned myself with leading as I should have. Much of my time has been spent in isolation." Now he stood still, looking at her.
Because of what happened? He didn't only ghost on her, he had left everything? Great time to bring that up, too.
All this stupid fucking intrigue and unspoken motive shit had officially gotten old. She stalked away. Later, they'd talk. Right now, they had to find cover for the night.