Kitana had served faithfully under Shao Kahn for millennia – with Jade at her side, she had killed thousands of enemies who had opposed him. During this time, she had often wondered about what had happened to her mother, who Shao Kahn never spoke of, but kept these thoughts to herself – she rarely interacted with him save for receiving new orders and carrying them out diligently.
However, shortly after her 10,000th birthday, after having slain a Tarkatan dissenter who had attempted to start a riot, Shao Kahn confronted her.
"Well done, Kitana. You have made me very proud"
Kitana was not used to receiving compliments from him, and was consequently very shocked.
"Kitana, you are a wonderful daughter – the best I could possibly have hoped for. For thousands of years you have obeyed my every whim, and allowed Outworld to remain as a prosperous realm. I truly could not have asked for a more accomplished assassin to be my child"
"I…" Kitana began. "Thank you father, but-"
"And I know that in all this time, I have never once breathed a word about your mother"
Kitana went pale, stunned that she would at last receive answers to the questions that had been burning inside her for as long as she could remember.
"It is a sad tale…" Shao Kahn bowed his head, and put a hand on Kitana's shoulder. "When you were young, very young, your mother became consumed by an illness for which there was no cure"
"An… illness?" Kitana began to cry.
"Yes, my daughter, an illness of the mind. In almost an instant the woman that I had loved so dearly became a stranger."
There was a long pause. "Please father, what happened then?" Kitana asked.
"Your mother… she took her own life"
Kitana's eyes glistened, and tears fell down her cheeks. "No…"
"You must understand that this is nothing that we can blame ourselves for. Your mother loved you dearly – her only enemy was her own mind. She always loved you, Kitana. Always"
Kitana sighed deeply. As horrible as the circumstances of her mother's death were, she acknowledged that there was some relief in the sense of closure that her father's revelation had provided her.
"You may retire for the evening", Shao Kahn said. "I have business to attend to in Shang Tsung's Flesh Pits, but you deserve to rest your tired body"
Shao Kahn walked away, with several servants following him. Kitana stood motionless, tears still resting on her face. Suddenly, Jade entered the throne room.
"Princess Kitana", Jade addressed, bowing.
"Jade…" Kitana's tone was wistful – Jade walked to her and stood at her side.
"Is anything wrong, Kitana?"
Kitana looked over at Jade, then quickly turned away. "My mother… she ended her own life…"
"What?!"
"It's true – Shao Kahn told me"
"The Emperor? He is not the sort that would normally rely such information"
"I know. But he did. And now I know"
"Kitana, are you alri-"
"Of course I'm not alright!" Kitana snapped. "How could I possibly be alright?!" Jade was stunned. Kitana sighed again. "I am sorry, Jade. It's not your fault. Tell me – what did you wish to tell me?"
Jade's facial expression turned into one of discomfort. "Actually, it is about the Emperor…"
Kitana's eyes widened, and she turned sharply towards Jade again.
"I am growing suspicious of his activities in recent times"
"How dare you question the Emperor!"
"Kitana, please, hear me out – I do not want to doubt him anymore than you do, but I've been very uneasy with how he's been spending his time"
Kitana's rigid body stance relaxed slightly.
"Have you not noticed how long he has been spending in the Flesh Pits recently?"
Kitana's eyes shifted. "Actually I had not noticed any –"
"Kitana, I've been your friend for ten millennia – I know when you're lying. He has spent nearly every evening down in those Flesh Pits; he's up to something, and I sense that you're doubting his actions as well"
"It is none of our business what he chooses to do. Besides, you know that we are forbidden to enter the Flesh Pits"
"Indeed. And that is why I need your help to break into them tonight"
"Absolutely not! How dare you suggest that we violate the Emperor's commands!"
"But why? Why do we always have to do whatever he says without giving it a second thought? Why should he get to keep secrets from us, while our own lives are public property?"
"Because that's just – "
" – the way it is. I know, I know. Look, you don't have to help me if you don't want to, but I'm going to break into those pits regardless of whether or not you wish to aid me"
Kitana pondered – deep down inside, she also had a burning desire to know what occurred within the Flesh Pits as well, but she knew that if she was to retain her honour, she could not admit this openly, not even to her best friend. "In that case, I will accompany you on your reckless quest, if only so that I have a chance to talk some sense into you closer to the time. What are your plans?"
Several hours later, as a new moon glowed in the night sky, Kitana and Jade set off towards the Flesh Pits. However, as they walked through the Forbidden forest, they noticed two Tarkatan soldiers walking in the opposite direction. Instinctively, they unleashed their blades, and approached the two of them.
"What do you two think you're doing here at this time of night?" one of them asked, while the other growled.
"I fail to see how that is any of your business", Jade replied.
"This path leads directly to the Flesh Pits", the soldier continued, "which no one is allowed to enter except the Emperor and Shang Tsung"
"My, but I admire your deduction skills", Jade said. "Maybe you should moonlight as a detective"
"Silence! I do not have time for your crude insults! Leave now or things will get messy!"
"Jade", Kitana whispered, "I will think we should go now"
"Not a chance! We want answers, and we're not giving up until we get them!"
Upon hearing this, the two soldiers lunged towards them, blades at the ready. One of them lunged at Kitana, but she blocked it with her fan and delivered a swift kick to the head, knocking him over. Jade's techniques were much more forceful in nature – she ducked under the other soldiers' blow and poked her staff into their jaw, shattering it and leaving them reeling in pain.
"Jade, what are you doing?!" Kitana shouted. "If the Emperor finds out about this –"
"I don't care!" She threw her razor boomerang straight into the chest of one soldier, and smashed the head of the other with her staff. Once they had both fallen unconscious, she calmly put away her weapons. "No one will stop me from getting answers – no one! I'm nobody's servant anymore!" Kitana, still stunned by her friend's sudden turn against her superiors, followed her as they continued their path towards the Flesh Pits.
Soon enough, they had arrived at the entrance. However, as Jade began to descend the staircase, she paused briefly and turned back. "Still having doubts, princess?"
Kitana frowned, her soul burning with an unquenchable resolve. "No. You are right – we must find out the truth. My father has kept my mother's fate a secret from me for my entire life, so who knows what other secrets he might be hiding from me?" The two of them travelled downwards, step by step, until they had entered the chamber. High above their heads were several corpses of various Outworlders, who had been cut apart and had most of their skin removed – blood dripped onto the floor from various cavities.
"This is disgusting", Kitana said. "What in the world is all this?!"
"Kitana, look over there!" Jade pointed at the far wall – Kitana went over to her. Lying pathetically on the floor, drenched in blood, was the unconscious naked body of a woman who looked almost identical to Kitana. The only physical difference between the two was that this woman had elongated and extremely sharp teeth, like a Tarkatan's. Both hands clinged tightly onto a sai.
"But… she looks like… she looks…. like… m-m-me…" Kitana was too stunned to speak coherently "How could this happen?"
The creature stirred, and stood up, staring intently at Kitana. Kitana had her fans held out, ready to defend herself, but was confused by the creature's response.
"My sister!" She hugged Kitana tightly; Kitana was too confused to attack. "Master said that someday I would meet you, and now you have arrived! Our father will be so pleased that we are united at last!"
"Who ARE you?!" Kitana asked.
"I am Mileena, your beloved sister, of course. And Skarlet is over there" Mileena pointed to the opposite corner of the pits. "I must awaken her at once"
Mileena hurriedly rushed over, and Kitana and Jade followed her. Skarlet did not resemble Kitana like Mileena did – she had bright red hair rather than black, and had a more svelte figure. After Skarlet had been aroused from her slumber, she was similarly excited to meet Kitana.
"The time has come!" she cried. "Are you going to take us to the Emperor?"
"No!" Kitana said. "The emperor must not know that we were here, understood?"
"But why would you forsake our father like that?" Mileena asked. "He is our saviour – we have been waiting down here our whole lives for him"
"Your WHOLE lives?" Jade asked incredulously.
"From the moment we were formed", Mileena continued, "Master has subjected us to purification, so that we may be purged of all imperfections and be able to stand at our father's side, to serve him forever"
"Listen", Jade said. "Our 'father' is a backstabbing liar – he does not offer salvation for anyone, least of all us!"
"You lie!" Skarlet flung at Jade, but she blocked it with her staff and pushed Skarlet away.
"Do not threaten us!" Jade shouted. "We have been trained as assassins for far longer than you creatures ever have – don't make us use any unnecessary force"
"But we are her sisters!" Mileena shrieked, looking intently at Kitana.
"You are NOT my sisters! I will NEVER stand by the likes of you!"
"And you won't have to, princess" Kitana and Jade turned around to find Shang Tsung walking towards them. "My oh my, aren't you two naughty? You've gone and woken up our guests!"
"Save it, you disgusting maggot! You and your father have been plotting this all along, haven't you?!"
Shang Tsung sucked his teeth. "I suppose you could say that"
"You never cared about us at all – you saw us as disposable workers, and now that you've created appropriate 'replacements' you want to be rid of us!"
"Now, now princess, don't jump to such nasty, nasty conclusions. I HAVE used your DNA to help produce these clones, yes, especially in Mileena's case, but it is simply to perfect your fine body"
"Lecherous swine!" Jade screamed. "Human lives are not your playthings! Who do you think you are?!"
"The Emperor's most trusted advisor", Shang Tsung stated. "And though it's a mighty shame to have to cut this family reunion so short, I'm afraid that you must pay for disobeying the Emperor's orders"
"No!" Kitana shouted, and struck the middle blade of her fan straight into Shang Tsung's stomach. He gasped in intense pain as blood began to ebb outwards. "People like you DO NOT deserve to live!" Quick as a flash, she swung her other fan through the air and decapitated Shang Stung effortlessly.
"You have killed Master!" Skarlet screamed. "You have condemned all of us!"
"You have been offered a false salvation", Jade said. "Your only choice not is to accompany us and set things right!"
"And why should we ever follow you?" Mileena asked snidely.
"Because there is a far greater life out there than could ever be found within this despicable madmen's den – come with us, and we shall gain our own liberation, without any men telling us what we can and cannot do!"
Skarlet and Mileena looked at each other, and then at Kitana and Jade, their eyes filled with sadness.
"Please, you have to trust us", Kitana said. "Shao Kahn will pay! I promise"
An hour later, Shao Kahn was idly sitting on his throne, having just gotten up to begin yet another day of conquest and suppression. However, he noticed that Shang Tsung was not there.
"Urgh, that little worm may have magic beyond my own means, but he's so unreliable. Probably sleeping in as usual, the lazy slu-"
Shao Kahn's mumbled ranting was interrupted by the sound of the throne room door being forced open. Kitana and Jade entered the room, followed shortly afterwards by Mileena and Skarlet, who had been granted the dignity of clothing for the first time. Each woman had their weapons poised, ready to attack.
"Ah, Kitana, it seems that you have found your sibling. How wonderful"
"Silence!" Kitana ordered. "You've been lying to me my entire life, you bastard! I bet that what you told me about my mother isn't even true!"
"Oh no, Kitana", he said, rising from his throne and walking towards them, stopping just in front of her. "Your mother DID kill herself, and she WAS driven mad by an illness of the mind. But do you know WHY this happened to her?" He picked her up by the waist and held her high in the air. She struggled to free herself. "It was because I was the one that killed her father, took over her realm, and forced her to marry me. She was so easily overpowered – defeating Edenia was child's play. And the ONLY reason I allowed you to live was because I was convinced that you would be a trustworthy and reliable servant to my commands; evidently, I was mistaken there"
He chuckled evilly. "But that doesn't matter – the mistake shall be corrected. Right NOW." He now put both hands over her throat and began to strangle her. Kitana choked and sputtered, struggling against him.
"Hey! Put her down right now!" Jade cried, and hit him in the head with her staff. He did not fall over, but the force was enough for him to drop Kitana to the ground. Shao Kahn slowly turned his head towards her.
"Change of plan", he said. "Mileena! Skarlet! Finish these two!"
Immediately, Mileena grabbed Kitana, and Skarlet grabbed Jade, and threw the two of them against the wall. Jade and Kitana dropped their weapons as they were thrown – they were defenceless.
"Please, you can't do this!" Kitana shouted. "We're family, remember? You said so yourself!"
"Shao Kahn is NOT the saviour you think he is!" Jade cried. "He'll betray you two the same way that he betrayed us!"
Mileena and Skarlet stood paused for a few seconds.
"What the hell are you waiting for?!" Shao Kahn was livid. "Finish them!"
Mileena and Skarlet turned to each other and nodded. Then, instantly, they turned around and threw a sai and a dagger at Shao Kahn. Both weapons hit him in the face. He screamed with pain. The two of them then rushed at him, and began slicing and dicing him with their weapons. Shao Kahn was unable to counter this fast flurry of attacks.
Meanwhile, Kitana and Jade got up and retrieved their weapons, and joined in the attack. Combined with Jade's boomerang and steel rod and Kitana's fans, Shao Kahn was completely defenceless. Soon enough he fell to the ground, bloody and bruised.
With impeccable team work, each woman sliced off one limb – he was now completely incapacitated.
"So…" Kitana said. "Who should have the honour of the killing blow?"
"Well, I personally think we should all do it at the same time", Jade said.
The other three nodded, and so each woman sliced his body with expert precision. With one last intense scream, Shao Kahn's eyes closed for the final time.
The four women looked at each other in amazement. "We've… done it" Kitana said. "Shao Kahn shall trouble us no more"
"But there is still much work to be done in liberating people across the realms" Jade added.
"That's OK. We can do it. After all, we're all sisters, aren't we?"
The four of them placed hands together over Shao Kahn's mutilated body and made a solemn promise.
"From this day forward, I pledge myself to the sisterhood, and will devote myself to the liberation of all women from tyranny"
The sun rose and shone upon their faces – a new age was beginning.