The New Era: Mortal Kombat vs Marvel Universe

A Mortal Kombat/Marvel Crossover Event

By Snafu the Great

DISCLAIMER & SNAFU'S NOTES: Mortal Kombat belongs to Netherrealm Studios, and Marvel belongs to Marvel Comics and (eugh) Disney. Good news to all my fans and haters: I'm not dead yet. So...after I posted the update for Mortal Kombat vs Marvel Universe, my laptop crashed, and I lost all of the data for my fanfics, including my novel. So it was no surprise that I lost my shit and ended up taking a baseball bat to the piece of junk. While thankful that I kept backups on my hard drive, this set me back by a couple of days on some stories, but months on others. Unfortunately, the months-long setback was where this story fell under. So In my rage, I canceled the story, and took a break from writing altogether. So yeah the original MK vs Marvel is discontinued as of this moment.

Then, Mortal Kombat 11 was announced and I decided to give the story a second chance. While originally inspired by Mortal Kombat: Desperation for the original one, this one won't have Raiden as the bad guy. Also, this fanfic also deals with the plot line of reincarnation, as it had been an idea for one of my old MKX fanfics that I had scrapped in the past. It This fanfic also incorporates elements from one of my earlier MK fanfics, Mortal Kombat: Ascension, in which several of Raiden's champions become Gods. So why not make some of Raiden's champions Gods and their children/charges demigods, and throw them into the mayhem that is the Marvel Universe?

Of course, the story will take place during the Civil War and later, the Avengers vs X-Men storyline. That won't change.

DRAMATIS PERSONAE

I. THE EXILED GODS/RAIDEN'S REMNANTS

The Exiled Gods consists of five of Raiden's most trusted champions. Outnumbered and outgunned against Kronika's forces, Raiden and the Elder Gods (save for Cetrion) hatched a desperate plan to give Raiden's champions a fighting chance against Kronika and her forces. That plan was to create new Gods out of Raiden's champions and send them to the New Earth to prepare for the inevitable war that was to come.

JOHNNY CAGE. Born Jonathan Carlton. God of Wind. Husband to Sonya Blade. Father and adopted father to Cassie Cage and Kitana Kahn respectively. Former Champion of Earthrealm. Former Hollywood actor-turned-billionaire industrialist. Co-founder of Cage Incorporated alongside his sister, Rebecca Cage. Nicknamed the 'King of San Francisco' due to being the city's patron. Reigning full-contact martial arts champion for nearly two decades. Business rivals with Tony Stark. Friends with Rand Corporation boss Daniel Rand and Olympic Group President Hera Argeia.

SONYA A. BLADE. Goddess of Thunder. Wife to Johnny Cage. Mother and adopted mother to to Cassie Cage and Kitana Kahn respectively. Formerly the General of Earthrealm Strategic Defense. Now a Lieutenant Colonel and Executive Officer of the Army Rangers' Special Operations Inferno. Military Liaison to Cage Incorporated. Currently stationed at the Special Forces Desert Command in the Mojave Desert. Had a falling out with Carol Danvers that came to blows during the Superhero Civil War.

JACKSON BRIGGS. God of Earth. Father and adopted father to Jacqueline Briggs and Jade Briggs respectively. Former Major in Special Forces. Former Netherrealm revenant. Now a Colonel and Commanding Officer of the Army Rangers' Special Operations Inferno. Currently stationed at the Special Forces Desert Command in the Mojave Desert. Friends with James Rhodes, Luke Cage and King T'Challa.

HANZO HASASHI. God of Hellfire. Adopted father to Liu Hasashi. Mentor to Takahashi Takeda. Shirai Ryu Grandmaster. Code-named Scorpion due to his talents with the kunai. Slain by Bi-Han (Noob Saibot). Former Netherrealm revenant. Remarried, as his wife is not only a master kendoka, but also the demigoddess daughter of Kagutsuchi, the Japanese God of Fire and niece of the Sun Goddess Amaterasu. Located at the Shirai Ryu Fire Gardens, disguised as a Japanese resort town. Has a mutual respect with Keniuchio Harada, the Silver Samurai and Danny Rand.

KUAI LIANG. God of Ice. Lin Kuei Grandmaster. Younger brother of Bi-Han, now Noob Saibot. Adopted Uncle to Kung Liang. Descended from a line of Outworld Cryomancers. Former Cyber Lin Kuei roboninja and Netherrealm Revenant. Operates the Lin Kuei near the Chinese-Russian border. Married to a Russo-Chinese woman who is descended from the Russian snow women on her mother's side of the family. Mistaken for a Frost Giant by Thor in the past.

NIGHTWOLF. Real name Black Sky. Niece of Grey Cloud, the previous Nightwolf. Goddess Of Light. Protector of the Matoka tribe. Mentor and adviser to the Exiled Gods and Inferno Squad. Master shaman and sorceress, having been trained by Master Yao (the Ancient One). Mentored Jade Briggs in the mystic arts. Works as a physician in a small town in South Dakota. Modeled after the actress Tonatzin Carmelo.

II. TEAM S-F

An elite squad of kombatants created and trained by Johnny Cage, Inferno Squad is a quintet of demigods under the command of Cassandra Cage. Instrumental in the defense of Earthrealm, the Elder Gods imbued them with the power of the fire being Blaze, thus creating the first demigods of Earthrealm. While they share the power of telepathy, they also have a secondary elemental power. Cassie Cage was originally the host of the Phoenix Force until the Ancient One and the Exiled Gods split it into four halves, bestowing it upon the other members of Team S-F. Their effectiveness as a team has drawn the attention of The Avengers, who seeks to recruit the team into S.H.I.E.L.D.

CASSANDRA C. CAGE. Daughter of Johnny Cage and Sonya Blade. Demigoddess with the power of fire. First Lieutenant in Special Operations Inferno. Squad Leader of Team S-F. The brains to Jacqui's brawn. Mentored under Hanzo Hasashi in learning how to control her pyrokinesis. Mentor to Illyana Rasputin and Rachel Summers. Master markswoman. Learned the Center Axis Relock from Sonya Blade. On friendly terms with Captain America and Professor Xavier. Romantically involved with Alexander 'Phobos' Aaron, the son of Ares, God of War.

JACQUELINE BRIGGS. Daughter of Jax Briggs. Demigoddess with the power of electrokinesis. Second Lieutenant in the Special Operations Inferno. The brawn to Cassie's brains. Former Olympic kickboxing champion and hand-to-hand specialist. S-F liaison to the Shirai Ryu. Mentor to Illyana Rasputin and Rachel Summers. Mentored under Sonya Blade to better control her electrokinesis. On friendly terms with Captain America and Professor Xavier. Engaged to Takahashi Takeda.

TAKAHASHI TAKEDA. Son of the late Takahashi Kenshi. Demigod with the power of terrakinesis. Master ninja in the Shirai Ryu. Mentored under Jackson Briggs in learning how to control his terrakinesis. Stealth specialist of the group. The strongest telepath in Inferno Squad. Shirai Ryu liaison to S-F. Master in Shirai Ryu Ninjitsu and Japanese swordsmanship. Engaged to Jacqui Briggs.

KUNG JIN. Cousin of the original Kung Lao. Demigod with the power of aerokinesis. Former highwayman and former Shaolin Monk. Member of the Lin Kuei clan. Mentored under Johnny Cage in learning how to better control his aerokinesis. Master archer and tracker. Lin Kuei liaison to S-F. Co-owns a martial arts school and runs a Lin Kuei safehouse with his companion in San Francisco's Chinatown.

III. THE REINCARNATED KOMBATANTS

During Shao Kahn's failed invasion of Earthrealm, four of Raiden's chosen had fallen in battle, their souls claimed by Quan Chi and turned into undead Revenants, their souls purged of all what made them good in their lives. However, the Elder Gods took the good parts of their souls and flung them across time and space, where their souls manifested and were reborn. Taken in and raised by the Exiled Gods and their families, the reincarnated champions became aware of their past lives upon reaching adulthood. In order to better prepare for the trials ahead, the Exiled Gods sent the Reincarnated Kombatants on a two-year long training trip.

KITANA KAHN. Adopted daughter of Johnny Cage and Sonya Blade. Reincarnation of Princess Kitana. Trained in Baguazhang and Taekwondo. Learned advanced Tessenjutsu (iron fan combat) techniques during the year-long training trip. Certified genius. M.I.T. Graduate at 13, earned her doctorate from Oxford at 16. Seventh-smartest person on the planet. Works at Cage Incorporated as a scientist, yet autonomous. Romantically involved with Liu Hasashi. Friends with Princess Shuri of Wakanda.

LIU HASASHI. Adopted son of Hanzo Hasashi. Reincarnation of Liu Kang. Nicknamed 'The Dragon of the Shirai Ryu.' Mutant with the power of pyrokinesis. Lifelong member of the Shirai Ryu. Family murdered by The Hand. Trained in Shirai Ryu Ninjitsu by his adopted father and Wing Chun Kung Fu. The muscle of the group. Spent a year in Hong Kong learning from a Wing Chun master. Master tactician. Romantically involved with Kitana Kahn.

JADE BRIGGS. Adopted daughter of Jax Briggs. Reincarnation of Jade. Junior Olympic kickboxing champion. Trained in Muay Thai and Muay Boran. Learned bojutsu from Sonya Blade. Descended from a line of Edenian mystics in her former life. Prodigy in the mystic and arcane arts. Nicknamed 'The Green Witch.' Mentored under Nightwolf. Trained with Doctor Strange and Illyana Rasputin during the training trip. Works as a freelance archaeologist.

KUNG LAO LIANG. De facto nephew of Kuai Liang. Reincarnation of Kung Lao. Nicknamed 'The Lin Kuei's Wild Winds." Mutant with the powers of aerokinesis. Hand-to-hand expert specializing in the Lin Kuei style of jujitsu and Wushu Kung Fu. Spent time in Shanghai under a legendary kung fu master. Mentored under Johnny Cage to better wield his aerokinesis. Self-proclaimed ladies man. Friendly rival to Liu Hasashi.

IV. OTHER CHARACTERS

REBECCA CAGE. Born Rebecca Carlton. Younger sister of Johnny Cage. Disgraced computer programmer and former hacker back in Earthrealm. Currently the Vice-Chairwoman of Cage Incorporated and President of Cage Incorporated's Science Division. Oversees Cage Incorporated's European interests. American expatriate who resides in London with her family. Modeled after Dina Meyer.

VERA BRIGGS. Wife of Jackson Briggs. Mother and adopted mother to Jacqueline and Jade Briggs respectively. Trained psychologist, as she helped Jax with his PTSD from his time as a revenant. Currently the Chief Nursing Officer at Alameda-San Francisco Medical Center and Medical Liaison for Cage Incorporated. Modeled after voice actress Mara Junot.

HOTARU FUKADA. Wife of Hanzo Hasashi. Demigoddess daughter of Kagutsuchi, the Japanese God of Fire, and niece of Amaterasu, the Sun Goddess. Master swordswoman in kendo and ninjitsu. Joined the Shirai Ryu in the months after its formation in the New Earthrealm. Runs a tea house in the Shirai Ryu Fire Gardens and is the clan's senior weapons instructor. Modeled after Tao Okamoto.

ELENA CHEN. Wife of Kuai Liang. Honorary aunt to Kung Lao Liang. Chinese father, Russian mother. Spent time in both Russia and China. Descended from Quing nobility on her father's side. Mother was the fabled Snegurochka (Snow Maiden), hence her own cryomancy powers. Joined the Lin Kuei and works as its healer. Modeled after Gong Li.

ALEXANDER AARON. Also known as Phobos, God of Fear. Formerly a demigod, now a full god. The son of Ares, God of War. Trained in both Greek and Japanese swordplay. Has ties to S.H.I.E.L.D., as he once worked under Nick Fury. Fought Hanzo Hasashi to a stand-off. In a committed relationship with Cassie Cage. Modeled after Jai Courtney (in his appearance as Varro from Spartacus: Blood and Sand).

Prologue

Part One: The Beginning Of The End

Snafu's Notes: For most of the Prologue, the characters used are in their Mortal Kombat X incarnations until they de-age into their younger counterparts seen in MK11.

"If you know your enemy and know yourself, then you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself and not your enemy, then you will fall in every single battle."

He knew his ex-wife's weekend schedule like the back of his hand. She was a creature of habit, even for the General of Earthrealm Strategic Defense.

There were three people who knew Sonya better than herself, their daughter notwithstanding. The first was the bane of his ex's existence – and thankfully, not him – who was currently hiding out in Outworld, trying to rebuild his troops.

In all honesty, Kotal Kahn should have just gutted Kano and be done with the bastard.

The second person was her partner. Well, former partner. He had retired from S-F and taken to the simple life of a farmer. In all honesty, he didn't blame Jax for not coming back. Being dead and turned into one of Quan Chi's revenants had taken its toll on the man.

And finally, there was himself. He and Sonya had been married, for over a decade before their split. He was able to find a balance between being a dad, Raiden's golden boy, and his film career. She could not find that same balance between her family and her job.

As much as she claimed she didn't need him around, believing him to be a hindrance, he remained close by. Mainly to keep her from flying off the deep end.

Sonya worked sixteen-hour weekdays, and was off on weekends. She used to work around the clock until Secretary Blake ordered her to take the weekends off. It wouldn't look good for the General of S-F to burn herself out. And there were plenty of people who wanted to see Sonya fail.

Not him, though. He wanted her to succeed. Just that she could've done a better job at doing it, and not sacrificing her marriage and her relationship with Cassie.

People tend to underestimate him, due to him being an actor, a showboat and a goof. You think after helping Raiden seal Shinnok away, people would stop underestimating him. But as he once told Jax, "Don't let my personality fool you. Beneath these chiseled good looks and my natural charisma lies the fucking devil."

"Cage."

Ah. Here she was. Showtime.

She saw him at the entrance to the base's fitness center. He had been waiting for her.

The fitness center was mostly deserted during the weekends, allowing her to get in an hour's worth of Yoga in.

It had been one of her ex-husband's ideas. Following the birth of their daughter, Johnny had introduced her to an old high-school friend of his who ran a Yoga studio in Venice Beach. The owner was a military brat, like her, while her husband worked with the L.A.P.D.

After the first class, she was hooked.

After twenty years, she could teach Yoga on the side if she wanted, her old instructor having finally retired.

Mentally, Sonya Blade had to admit – albeit grudgingly – that he chose his spot to ambush her well. The fitness center had only one main exit and several emergency exits that would trip the fire alarm if she tried to double back and use them.

He was civil towards her, even after their divorce, mostly for Cassie's sake. But what surprised her was that he supported her in her career, rather than push her into acting. She would overhear Cassie telling Jacqui that while being a Beverly Hills girl was all fun and stuff, she couldn't follow her father in film, lest she would knock someone's teeth out during production.

He had been hired on as a 'freelance contractor' by Secretary Blake as a kombat instructor, teaching the soldiers Krav Maga.

One thing about her ex-husband was that he was very through. Johnny learned the style, training for eighteen months from a former IDF instructor, preparing himself for the role of Krav Maga's founder, Imi Lichtenfeld. He found himself liking the style so much that he incorporated it into his fighting style.

Unknown to her ex, Sonya had been silently observing Johnny from a distance. Ironically, it had been Kuai Liang who told her that there was more to Johnny than just the glitz, glamour, and extreme shallowness.

"Do not judge your former spouse too harshly, General. His shallowness is only dwarfed by his selflessness. You yourself had seen that many times in the past. There is more to him than meets the eye. He is a lot smarter than you realize."

And now, here he was. Last she heard from him, he was in Seido on a two-week training run. Now, he was back, dressed in his usual attire; blue henley, khaki pants, hoodie and steel-toed work boots.

"Cage."

Her tone was flat, mixed with a hint of annoyance and surprise. To Johnny, that was good. Keep her off-balance. But she'll recover.

He turned to Sonya. "Sonya."

"That's General Blade to you," she snapped. She quickly calmed down when he frowned. "What do you want, John?" she asked in a more civil tone.

"Just need a moment of your time," Johnny replied.

Sonya caught the seriousness of his tone. She looked down at her watch and set the timer. "You got five minutes," she said as she exited the fitness center.

She did not see the victorious smirk on her ex-husband's face as he followed her out of the fitness center.

The wind was starting to pick up as Johnny caught up to Sonya. Looking at the clouds, he wondered if Raiden or Fujin was going to make an appearance, or was it actual rain.

Funny thing was that he couldn't smell it in the air. Something was off.

"Clock is ticking, Cage," Sonya said as Johnny walked alongside her.

"Fine. I'll make it quick," Johnny said. "I've been kicking this idea I had in my head for a while now. Only when I was in Seido, did I give the idea some more thought."

Sonya mentally groaned. "If you plan on asking me to use the base for your next production, then the answer is no."

"Actually, I wanted to pitch the idea of forming a strike team with the other factions."

They were short-cutting behind the motor pool, situated near several old tank bunkers that had been decommissioned, heading towards her quarters. Sonya was waiting for the green light from Blake to have those torn down and rebuilt.

"You said it yourself that the relationships between the Lin Kuei and the Shirai Ryu could be better," Johnny continued. "This could not only help thaw relations, but also serves as good PR for all parties involved."

Again, Sonya was thrown for a loop. She tried to see the flaws in Johnny's plan, but found none. She stopped and turned to Johnny. "Go on."

"Thought I had five minutes," Johnny said.

Sonya responded by raising her arm so that Johnny could see the watch, and stopped its timer. "Go on," she repeated, more emphatically.

"When I came back from Seido, you know as per the old man's orders, I had to stop by the Sky Temple to check in," Johnny said. When Sonya nodded, he continued on. "Hanzo and Kuai were both there, so I killed three birds with one stone. I pitched them the idea to the three, and they all support it. However, the Snowman can't commit to sending a representative."

"Because of Hanzo?" Sonya inquired.

"That and the one he wanted to send was Frost," Johnny said, speaking of Subzero's star pupil. "She's talented, sure. Even gave Cassie a run for her money back in the deathmatch a couple of years back, but I have to agree with Kuai on not letting Frost join up."

"Why's that?"

"Remember the last time Frost was in the same room with someone wearing Shirai Ryu yellow?"

"Oh. Right." Sonya then did the math. "That means that there is an extra spot in your group."

"I know. S-F gets the second spot."

Sonya weighed her options. But she knew she had to clear it with Blake. "Let me talk to Secretary Blake. I need his approval before I agree to this."

She turned and didn't even take a single step before Johnny responded. "Already talked to him. He's given me the green light."

Sonya slowly turned around, feeling the anger creeping back into her again. "You talked to Blake? You went over my head?"

Now, Johnny was amused. "Going over you head, Sonya, would mean that had I spoken to Blake after you said no."

Sonya raised one pointed finger and opened her mouth, but nothing came out as she thought about it. Damn. He had her there. Sonya couldn't fault Johnny over that. It was a loophole, and a very effective one. He had all but effectively backed her into a corner. She was outvoted. Sonya closed her mouth and lowered her finger. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and mentally counted to ten.

"You got your team," Sonya said, opening her eyes, now calm.

She was expecting a fist pump and a whoop, but got none. He had quite the poker face whenever he got serious. So she continued on. "But I don't like to be forced into a corner, least of all from you, Cage. For that, there are several conditions that I have in order for you to have S-F's support."

"So long as they're within reason."

Sonya held up her index finger. "First, I choose the S-F representatives."

Johnny said nothing snarky. It was more than a foregone conclusion that Sonya would pick both Cassie and Jacqui for the team, mostly to placate the former. "Fair enough."

"Second, since this was your idea..." Sonya poked her finger into Johnny's chest. "...you train them. They will be your responsibility."

Again, Sonya was disappointed when Johnny didn't object to her second demand. Instead, he smirked as he replied, "Done...but I have a demand of my own."

Sonya folded her arms across her chest. "Fine."

"I want total autonomy over my team. I'll answer to you and Raiden, but other than that, no outside interference," Johnny posed. "I'll pass on bi-weekly progress reports on their training to you. Other than that, you don't interfere." He extended his hand. "Agreed?"

Sonya looked at him. Then, she looked at his extended hand. She unfolded her arms and shook his hand. "Agreed."

The word was barely out of her mouth when a flash of gray light from he side caught their attention.

"Johnny Cage. General Blade."

The voice was that of a woman. Both Johnny and Sonya turned their heads. A woman stood in front of a closing portal, the color a stormy grey. She looked to be in her late thirties, Native American or Hispanic, brown eyes clear and alert, with dark hair tied back in a single braid. With the way she carried herself, she was a fighter, and can hold her own, despite the fact that she wore a pair of light blue hospital scrubs and a pair of tennis shoes.

Usually, whenever someone emerged from a portal, they were mostly the bad guys. But she didn't look the part. However, Johnny and Sonya were on their guard.

"My name is Nightwolf," the woman introduced herself. "I need to speak with the both of you."

"You can't be Nightwolf," Sonya said, shaking her head. "He's dead. Been dead for over 25 years."

"I know. The Nightwolf you knew was my uncle and predecessor," the female Nightwolf replied. "I'm his successor to the mantle."

"So Nightwolf wasn't his real name," Sonya said. "Right now, you're trespassing on a military installation. Explain yourself."

"Look, I wouldn't be here if it wasn't important," Nightwolf said. "And I'd probably be overselling it if I told the both of you that you're in serious danger."

Johnny shrugged his shoulders. "For you, it's life-threatening danger. For us, it's Tuesday. Who is it this time? Kano? Daegon? The Netherrealm? Military brass? Studio execs?"

Nightwolf shook her head. "No. Something much worse."

Now, the wind was starting to get stronger. Stronger to the point that Johnny's hoodie jacket was flapping hard in the breeze, as was Sonya's braid, whipping around her head. Years of inter-realm intrigue, fighting in several wars, and training in Seido had sharpened their instincts to the point that they knew that something was wrong.

And the twister made out of golden sand which had materialized several yards behind them sure as hell was setting off the proverbial bullshit meter to dangerous levels.

"Is that Fujin?" Johnny half-shouted.

"You'll wish it was in the next couple of minutes!" Nightwolf replied.

The golden twister vanished, leaving in its place, a man. No, not a man. Tall as Jax and just as built, the physique perfect, naked from the waist up, wearing pants and boots. Lines marred his body, as if he had been put together like some kind of Frankenstein's monster. A strange, battery-like piece was on his chest, with an even larger piece on his back In various places, his body was lined with what it appears to be gold.

Sonya mentally swore. Both her wrist radio and the talisman she used to contact Raiden was in her office. She prepared herself for what was to be a fight to the death.

"Who the hell you pissed off now?" Sonya whispered at her ex.

"Who haven't I pissed off?" Johnny shot back. He then asked Nightwolf, "Who's the stock villain?"

"Geras," Nightwolf whispered back. "Time golem. Can manipulate time and sand. Very dangerous."

Sonya groaned. "Well that's comforting."

Johnny frowned. "Coulda sworn I fought something like this on 'Fatal Infinity.'"

The golem opened his eyes. They were an unearthly blue, glowing with power. Sand began to form and encase his right hand, hardening and transforming into a massive, golden fist.

"Oh, shit," Sonya cursed.

"I have...seen things..." Geras' voice was deep, radiating power. "Things that you would not believe."

"Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion?" Johnny shot back. Sonya and Nightwolf both rolled their eyes.

Geras pointed to the former couple. "Johnny Cage. Sonya Blade. Your lives are forfeit. Surrender. Lady Kronika demands it."

Confused, Johnny and Sonya looked at each other. "Who?" Sonya demanded as she and her ex-husband turned back to the golem.

"Shinnok will be released from his Amulet," the golem continued, ignoring the question. "His return is inevitable. Your progeny shall defeat him."

'Progeny…?' both Johnny and Sonya thought in confusion. Their eyes widened as they came to the same conclusion. 'Wait...CASSIE!"

"Your deaths will ensure that will not come to pass," Geras intoned, taking a step forward. Nightwolf, Sonya and Johnny took a step back. "Surrender, and I will make your deaths quick." Then, he saw Nightwolf, standing behind the pair, and recognized the woman almost immediately. "Matokan wench."

Nightwolf smirked. "Ah. You remember me."

As Johnny and Sonya remember of the original Nightwolf, he wielded a tomahawk and a gunstock war club as his main weapons of choice. They also remember of his penchant of wielding knives and using bows made of pure green energy, similar to the warrior bloodline Johnny had passed onto Cassie.

The same type of bow that the female Nightwolf had materialized in her left hand, while an arrow appeared in the other. With speed hone from years of practice, the Matoka warrior nocked the arrow back, aimed, and fired.

One second. That was how long it took for Nightwolf to attack first.

Geras raised one hand. The arrow, made of pure green energy, slowed to a stop in front of his face. "Predictable. Just like your predecessor," he sneered.

Nightwolf's smirk deepened. "Am I? That's no ordinary arrow."

Sonya's eyes widened as the hovering arrow turned from green to white. She barely had enough time to turn away before the arrow detonated like a flash-bang. Johnny, for his part, watched the detonation, barely managing to get his shades on in time.

'That was cool,' he thought.

Geras screamed as the intense arrow's detonation seared his retinas. Holding one hand to his eyes, he staggered about.

Nightwolf quickly capitalized on the situation. Summoning three more arrows, she took aim and fired. Geras was promptly impaled in the stomach, heart and the neck.

Once the first arrow was impaled inside Geras, Nightwolf charged forward, tomahawk in hand. With a yell, she leapt into the air, and as she came down, drove the deadly weapon into the side of Geras's head, the golem now dead on his feet. Rolling backwards, Nightwolf assumed a vertical base and raised one hand to the skies.

"YAK-TO-HAI!"

CRACKLE! BOOM!

A bolt of lightning shot down from the heavens, striking the tomahawk. Acting as a conductor, Geras was electrocuted. Then, an explosion, as Geras' head was blown off from the shoulders.

Geras' body fell over, smoking, and dead.

"That was easy," Johnny said.

"Not quite," Nightwolf replied. "Geras is in a fixed point in time. You kill him, he'll just come back to life, stronger and more pissed off. Believe me, I tried."

Johnny and Sonya looked at Geras. Sure enough, Geras' body began to heal itself, its head rolling back to its bloodied stump, the eyes now healed.

"Tell me you got a plan," Sonya said.

Nightwolf rolled her eyes. "Now what kind of shaman I'd be without a plan?"

She turned back to Geras and began to chant, hands weaving and glowing as she began her spell.

Geras' head secured itself onto its stump, healing. Like Frankenstein's monster, the time golem rose to his feet. Eyes glaring at the Matoka warrior, Geras snapped his head back in place.

Then, Geras felt his arms being forcibly pulled to his sides. Try as he might, he could not break free. Steel chains materialized, wrapping themselves around Geras several times over. A steel anvil also materialized, the end of the chain fusing itself onto the forging material.

Behind Geras, a portal opened. Seawater splashed onto the ground.

"Drowning cannot kill me, Matokan," Geras grunted. "Neither will the ocean's pressures."

"I know," Nightwolf replied. "But a couple of years stuck in the Marianas Trench will do us plenty of good. Hopefully, it'll be a while before something makes a snack out of you."

Stretching out one hand, Nightwolf ensnared the anvil with her power and flung it through the portal. Geras soon followed, his screams being silenced as he made contact with the water, the portal snapping shut, the last thing he saw was Nightwolf giving him the finger.

"So much for him," Nightwolf said. She turned back to face Johnny and Sonya. "Got a place where we can talk in private?"

Office of General Sonya Blade, moments later...

The photograph was an old one. Nightwolf carried with her, as it was the last photo of herself and her uncle. Before Mortal Kombat. She had been a teenager back then.

"His real name was Grey Cloud," Nightwolf explained as Johnny and Sonya looked at the photo. "The Matoka are a sub-branch of the Lakota tribe, specializing in the defense of the tribal chief by kombat and the mystic arts. In peacetime, we are scholars and historians."

"You're no ordinary Matoka," Johnny said.

"The scrubs gave it away, huh? I'm a physician by trade," admitted Nightwolf. "Dr. Black Sky. Nice to meet the both of you. It's my own personal balance, of sorts. I can heal and harm."

"You two were close?" Sonya asked.

"I looked up to him. Before becoming Nightwolf, he was a delinquent, a criminal. Easy pickings for a certain one-eyed Aussie we all know and hate."

Johnny and Sonya looked at each other and deadpanned, "Kano."

"One and the same. Tried to sweet talk my uncle into giving up the Matoka's treasures for profit. Almost succeeded. Kano didn't like that and nearly killed him. But the Great Spirit came to him, saved his life and made him defender of my people. He ran Kano off and served as protector until he caught the eye of Raiden. The rest is history."

"Geras said that Shinnok will be released from his amulet," Sonya said. "Is that true?"

Nightwolf nodded. "Afraid so. Shinnok will be freed by Quan Chi, but not before Grandmaster Hasashi will take his head." She looked at Johnny. "Shinnok and the Revenants will take you hostage and haul you off to the Sky Temple."

Johnny accepted the news with a grain of salt. "Well, shit." Then, he remembered something. "You said that Cassie would kick Shinnok's ass, right?"

Nightwolf nodded. "She does this while Shinnok is powered up from the Jinsei." She smiled. "You should be proud. Your daughter and her team will save Earthrealm." Her smile soon fell. "Once that happens, Raiden will purge the Jinsei of Shinnok's corruption, and will eventually take Shinnok's head. Once that happens, we'll be living on borrowed time. We'll have two years to the day Raiden decaps Shinnok before things go bad."

"Kronika?" Johnny asked.

"Yes. Unfortunately."

"Who is this Kronika?" Sonya asked.

"There's a pecking order within the ranks of Immortals," Nightwolf explained. "You got the demigods, of which Rain and Daegon fall into that category. The Gods, of which you know Raiden and Fujin fall under. The Elder Gods, who are above the Gods themselves. And there are the Titans."

"Kronika is a Titan?" the actor asked.

"Yeah. She's the strongest of them all. She's the Keeper of Time, Architect of the Destiny of the Realms, and so on..." Nightwolf replied with a wave of her hand.

"So I pissed her off. Story of my life," Johnny said, shrugging his shoulders. "What's her problem with me?"

Nightwolf smiled meanly. "You had to guess that Shinnok had to come from somebody. Hi, Mom."

"Oh..." Johnny and Sonya both said in unison.

"There's more," continued the Matokan sorceress." She has a second child that's seated on the Elder Gods' council. The Goddess of Light and Virtue, Cetrion."

Sonya blinked. "Nature Girl? Seriously? There's no family resemblance."

Johnny frowned. "So its safe to say Nature Girl is a Momma's Girl. Is there anything we can do to stop Kronika?"

Nightwolf sighed. "Sorry, Johnny. There is none. Kronika's rise is inevitable. Believe me, I know. I even asked Master Yao if there was a way to stop it. There was none. If you decide to stay and fight...well, the results aren't pretty."

"Do the Elder Gods know?" Sonya asked.

"They do. I answer to them, save for Cetrion. I'm the contingency plan," Nightwolf explained. "The Elder Gods already have a plan in place. Only problem is that I'm not privy to those plans, nor are Raiden or Fujin. At least, not yet."

Sonya then decided to play the devil's advocate. "What happens to us if we choose to make a stand in Earthrealm?"

Nightwolf leveled her gaze upon the female general. "You sure both you and your ex wanna find out?" she asked.

Both Sonya and Johnny nodded.

Sighing, Nightwolf complied. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

And Nightwolf showed them. Shadows of what was not to be, but could be. Sonya saw her death, trapped underneath fallen rubble in the Netherrealm, sacrificing herself for the mission, making the power play by pressing the trigger on the detonator as Cassie pleaded with her not to. Johnny saw his own demise at the hands of the Black Dragon, stabbed in the back by Kano.

And Cassie...

Kano had his way with her, even as Cassie wailed and screamed for her parents to come and save her, Kano taunting that both her parents were dead as he raped her repeatedly. He would have his way with her until he himself slit her throat and pulled her tongue from the open injury, Cassie having been broken physically and literally begging for death.

With Cassie's death, Kano had finally won. S-F was destroyed. The Cage-Blade bloodline was finally extinct.

The Briggs family were not much better.

Both Jacqui Briggs and Takeda Takahashi were slain by the Red Dragon, Daegon himself taking their heads. This drove Jax over the edge. He had committed suicide days after the funeral. A vengeful Frost, now cyberized, led the attack on the Lin Kuei, Frost facing and defeating Kuai Liang with the aid of Sektor. Frost took sadistic delight in making her former mentor into a robo-ninja once again.

The Shirai Ryu were obliterated by a resurrected Quan Chi and his revenants, with that damned necromancer claiming Hanzo Hasashi's soul once again. He was not the only one. Those who had died in Earthrealm's defense had their souls claimed and transformed into revenants, including the both of them, as well as Cassie and Jacqui.

The Revenants led the attack on the Sky Temple. Fujin sacrificed his godly essence, but it was no use. Liu Kang, now the Netherrealm Emperor, took Raiden's head.

And they saw her. A bald woman with unnatural blue eyes, watching all of this with a malicious grin on her face, standing behind a massive hourglass.

Kronika. Behind her were Cetrion and Shinnok, now restored.

"It is done. Let the New Era begin."

Just as it had begun, it was gone. The visions were gone, and Johnny and Sonya were fighting the urge not to throw up.

"Go ahead and puke," Nightwolf said. "I know I did."

Sonya rushed to her personal restroom. Johnny opted for the wastebasket next to Sonya's desk.