House Guests

Bobby slept very well that night and woke the next morning unaware of what else had happened. He stumbled into the kitchen with droopy eyes to find his parents already half-way through a conversation.

"I'm telling ya Peg it's the truth." Said Hank. He'd been retelling the story of what he'd witnessed of his son the night prior." They were standing in the middle of the road and-" It was at this moment that Bobby walked into the room and got the attention of both his parents." Morning Bob" Hank greeted with a big smile.

"Mornin." Bobby grumbled his reply.

"Here son." Hank said pushing out the chair next to him." Come and have a seat next to your old man, your mom will make you breakfast." Peggy nodded and got up planning to do just that. Bobby leaned against the table still half asleep while Hank beamed at his son." So Bobby how did last night go?" Bobby shook his head removing the last thoughts of going back to bed from his head and sat up more.

"Fine." He yawned." Everything went" He remembered the kiss he'd shared with Sonya the previous night, unaware that his father had seen that." Fine."

"Anything special happen?" Just then there was a loud bang on the glass sliding door. The Hill family looked up to see Bill dressed in his Army Uniform standing there.

"Bobby! Bobby!" he cried as he opened the door and ran into the house." There's trouble! Trouble at the base!"

"Wow slow down Bill." Said Hank." What's the problem?"

"It's Fort Blanca! There was an accident!"

"Accident?!" Bobby and Hank exclaimed.

"Their calling all units into the Fort."

"You'd best get going, son." Hank said to Bobby. So within a few minutes Bobby dressed himself and was riding with Bill to the fort. As they got closer they saw Police Road blocks, Fire trucks and finally the base.

"Please don't let the barber shop be destroyed." Muttered Bill." Please don't let the barber shop be destroyed." They drove into the base and Bill parked his car. Both men got out and began looking around.

As they approached they saw a whole bunch of Army personnel walking about and inspecting he sight. Bill was relieved that it wasn't the Barber Shop that was destroyed but Bobby was distraught since he recognized the barracks as the one the Special Forces used. He began looking around to find Kenshi, Hsu Hao, Jax or Sonya. And every second he didn't see one of them he only became more frantic.

But then amongst the crowd he noticed a blonde headed figure. Bobby quickly turned and began marching over to her.

"Sonya." He addressed her. She slowly turned around to face him.

"Corporal." She said addressing him as usual as if the night prior hadn't happened. But given the circumstance she didn't correct him on calling her Lieutenant.

"What happened here?" asked Bobby as they looked at the rubble that was once their base.

"I don't know. They said it was a fire."

"Where are the others?" Bobby asked with a frog in his throat. Sonya dropped her head and that was answer enough for Bobby. Jax, Kenshi, Hsu Hao and even Kano had perished in the fire.

"This was all they managed to find." Sonya said. Bobby looked at her noticing for the first time she was holding something in her hands, a sword. But it was no ordinary sword it was Kenshi's sword." Take it, I think he'd want you to have it." Bobby took the sword I his hands and holstered it much like Kenshi had shown him.

"So what do we do now?" he asked Sonya. By the chain of command that means she is technically in charge of the Special Forces now, just her and Bobby.

"I don't know." She replied. The base was destroyed which meant any intel or operations they had were destroyed." We've nowhere to go now."

"So what do we do?"

"You may go where you like." She replied." I will" But then her voice trailed off. It now occurred to Bobby that he'd really only ever seen Sonya in the Army Base and it dawned on him that this is actually where she lived.

"You know um" He said getting her attention." If you need a place to stay I have extra room at my house." A short awkward silence followed after that and Sonya realizing she had nowhere else to go began nodding her head.

"Alright." She said.

"Okay." Bobby nodded. Then he turned to leave expecting her to follow him.

"I've got to get a few things first." She said." I'll stop by later."

"Okay you know where my house is right?"

"Yes." She replied.

Bobby turned to leave. In the background Bill was overjoyed to see his precious Barber Shop had survived the blast.

But the Army weren't the only ones affected by the fire last night. Kabal had been hurt during the event and had quickly been rushed off to the Hospital once he'd been found. He had serious 3rd degree all over his body but due to quick medical procedure they managed to save him.

Joseph and Stryker showed up at the Hospital expecting to visit him, however they were denied visiting rights. So the two stood outside Kabal's door.

"This is lame." Said Joseph." Let's just go in."

"No." said Stryker stopping him." They said he needs his rest, c'mon we'll visit him later."

"Okay." Joseph said and the two began making their exit.

Kabal lay on the bed inside the room. This was the first time he was waking up since the procedure. He didn't know if it was true or not but he thought he heard Stryker and Joseph outside.

"Stryker, Joseph!" he groaned. But the voice he heard wasn't entirely his own, it sounded different. He slowly sat himself up as he tried to remember what happened. The Black Dragon, the Special Forces, went to save Kano, and then Fire!

Kabal turned over in his bed and rested his feet on the floor. The he looked up and into a mirror, seeing himself fully for the first time. His skin was burned but had been covered in machine parts, a mask covering his face and allowing him to breath. He was hideous, a freak!

Kabal let out an angered cry and punched the glass, breaking it.

Later that day in the alley. Hank was retelling the story he had just told to his wife earlier to his friends. Bobby meanwhile was inside talking the situation over with his mother. He informed her that a friend was going to need a place to stay and Peggy agreed though she wasn't aware of who the friend was.

"And they stood out here in the middle of the road and that was it." Hank said proudly.

"Well how far did they get?" asked Bill.

"How should I know?"

"Well I'm just saying there's a lot of different versions of kissing now a days."

"What?" Hank questioned.

"Yea I tell you what man." Said Boomhauer." Dang old kids now a days man they be kissing everywhere. Dang ol French kissin man, tongue kissin, dang ol kissin for everything man." Hank looked disgruntled.

"So which was it Hank?" asked Dale. Hank adjusted his glasses as he thought it over, however uncomfortable it made him.

"Well it just seemed like a pure good old fashion kiss to me." His friends nodded their happy agreement. Just then the great roaring of a car engine got all their attentions. The four shot their heads to the right in synchronization to see not a car but a motorbike riding their way.

The four expected the cyclist to drive by them, leaving them with annoyed looks and ringing ears. But they were surprised when the motorbike stopped right next to them. The four covered their ears until the bike's roar came to a halt. The cyclist got off the bike, the four men looking curiously as it happened.

"Um Hello." Said Hank." Can we help you?" The cyclist put both hands on the edge of the helmet and tore it off, letting long blonde hair flow in the wind. Bill, Dale, and Boomhauer dropped their jaws in shock and gasped to see the cyclist was not a man but a woman. And to Hank this woman looked very familiar. In the aftermath of the silence Boomhauer stepped up.

"Dang pretty lady what you doin out here in a place like this?" he said as fast as a hummingbird and too fast for Sonya. But she stood there silent and confused looking him over. But then she looked behind them at someone coming their way.

"Sonya." Bobby said as he walked out into the street." I didn't think you'd be here so soon."

"I told you I had to get something." she motioned to her bike." This was it."

"Your bike." He said looking at it.

"I'm going to need a place to keep it."

"I think we have space in the garage." Bobby turned to his father who was still confused. At this moment Peggy walked out of the house and joined the group.

"Bobby honey who is this?" she asked looking at the woman he was standing next to.

"This is the friend I was talking about mom." Bobby said." She needs a place to stay and I told her here was okay." Peggy nearly gasped. When she agreed to such a thing she didn't think Bobby meant and girl and she was 100 percent sure it wouldn't be a girl that looked like Sonya." She needs a place to keep her motorbike."

"Of course." Peggy said." We've got some spare space in the garage."

"Thank you." Sonya said. Then she grabbed onto her bike and began walking it into the Hill's garage with Bobby walking alongside her. Hank along with his wife and friends watched the couple go as they walked across the driveway and into the garage.

"Well she seems….nice." Peggy said." What do you think Hank? Hank?" she looked up to see a dull expression on her husband's face.

Now Hank finally remembered. The woman who he had seen Bobby with last night and the woman who had just arrived were the same person.

"That's her." Said Hank.

"That's who Hank?" asked Peggy.

"That's the woman I saw Bobby with last night." Hank told. His three friends were so surprised they spat out their beer, Boomhauer even dropped it to the floor.

Meanwhile with Kabal.

He was certainly a changed man. The accident which now covered him in machine parts and opened his eyes and his soul to a new task. With a new mission in mind he escaped from the hospital and returned to the police station.

He stormed into the building flashing his badge at anyone who got in his way. Sitting in a cell by himself he saw Jarek. The younger man picked his head up and saw a mysterious figure standing before him, breathing heavily.

"Who the hell are you?" he asked jumping to his feet.

"Jarek, follow me." He said as he opened the cell. And although his voice was raspy he could make out something familiar about it.

"Kabal? What the hell happened to you?"

"Let's go. Follow me." Jarek was cautious at first but when he realized nothing would happen he followed Kabal out of the building. Once they were outside Kabal turned to Jarek." How many other Black Dragon members are there in Arlen?" he asked menacingly." Where are they?"

"Only a small handful of us. Kano got captured and Kobra ran. I don't know where any of the others are."

"Kano is dead." Kabal told.

"What?!" He paused a moment." Then… Then I guess that means I'm in charge."

"Wrong." Kabal turned to him." Kano and I founded the Black Dragon, that means I'm in charge."

"You?"

"Is that a problem?"

"No." Jarek shook his head." What's our mission then, Grandmaster?"

"I've got something big in mind." Kabal hinted.

The explosion had changed Kabal. He'd given up on protecting the simple citizens of Arlen, he now had a bigger goal in mind. It started with restarting the Black Dragon and Destroying its Enemies.