She felt like screaming but no sound came out. Kabal was dead? He was too strong, to smart, to talented; this was not happening. She sat by a tree unable to find the strength to move.
'oh crap.' Kobra knew this would happen. He went up to her, standing over her like a drill sergeant. "Does it matter? We still have a job to do."
Kira took a moment to compose her response; he was screwing with her! This was all a trick! "You ***! You Sick ****" she lunged at him punching as hard as she could with each word until he was on the floor.
Kobra was ready for this. He produced and threw down Kabal's mask, as if he had removed it before burning the body. In actuality Kabal had been airlifted out of the area with proper medical care (where he would get a new version of the mask.)
Kira picked it up, and looked at it for a long time. She was becoming more convinced, but her anger did not make her want to charge head first in to battle; it made her want to go in to deep analysis, question, and try to find her faith. But on the other hand she did make a promise.
"Can I keep it?" she asked Kobra of the mask.
"um sure..." that was unexpected.
"I need to get to a computer." she said in a calm voice. Kira needed to access the info she stole from Sonya's headquarters.
They went in to the next city over and accessed the internet and a local coffee shop. The way she accessed her remote drive was by going to an ip address that appeared to the naked eye as a randomly generated porn site. She would then zoom in on an image and put on glasses at see the hidden text that was just under the jpg images. From the information she knew where she needed to go; Las Vegas. Hidden among the bright lights and construction sites was a portal.
She used a fake credit line to get plane tickets for herself and Kobra (incase she needed backup- or a punching bag.) It would be along flight. They took their seats in first class with assumed identities and luggage filled with items that would not get them flagged as terrorists. (Which is less suspicious then no luggage at all.)
"Kira, what makes you think that Mavado will still be there?" he asked as he sat down in the widow seat.
"It was not just any portal," she said in a whisper, "it was a portal to Netherrealm." Those were the last words she said to him for the entire flight (even when he asked more questions.) Eventually Kobra drifted off to sleep with his head to the window.
Kira tried to sleep but her mind was still filled with sadness. But due to the 'good sleep' she had the night before she couldn t sleep even if she wanted to. She looked at the little chart on the tv, watching the plane get closer to the destination. Her mind drifted to memories of her past; there were so many reasons for her heart to be filled with pain. So many deaths so much deception (although that was kinds fun when it went her way,) so many broken families, broken bodies, broken trust, but though it all she never felt anything.
Perhaps this was why she felt a sense of comfort to be headed to Netherrealm, the one place where she had never been; that was where she belonged. After the plane touched down she immediately took off for the location of the portal. She ran; she ran from the airport, all the way to the strip, all the way to the construction site what would someday be a mall. There was allot of construction going on in the tourist filled district of Vegas, but this particular construction project had lasted longer than most people would have liked; as if it were cursed. She sat down to let Kobra catch up. It would take him 20 minutes.
"how did you memorize the location?" he asked when he sat down next to her to catch his breath.
"It calls to me." was her answer, even though it made no sense. "we must hurry." She pulled his arm as she started off again, all the way to a --- porta potty. Kira said a prayer and suddenly the porta potty opened to another world.
"You need to go first so I can use the 'hidden' spell; or some human on a bathroom break will be in for a big surprise." Wait! That would be hilarious! But no, there was also the possibility that local news crews might discover it and lead to mass hysteria. So she said the prayer to re-hide the portal as she jumped through.
"Welcome to Hell." said a creature known as Drahmin. What a creature he was; a man made of exposed flesh, with a dark green mask, and a club for an arm.
"He's covered in flies..." said Kobra restating the obvious. Yes, Drahmin's body looked to be decaying as he spoke. Kira was not at all afraid. "Drahmin, I have heard of you." She said, maintaining eye contact, "a once great warrior."
'I am still great,' or something cheesy along those lines would have been an appropriate response, but Drahmin was entranced by her. "I can see something in you, that I used to see in myself." Her beauty, her strength, her passion.
"Will you help us?" Kira asked, with her hand on his arm, then his shoulder then his chest. It was a 'beauty and the beast' moment.
"what's in it for me?" he asked. She moves in close, almost holding him. His stench would have killed anyone weaker, but she felt pity for him; a pity that hopefully gave the appearance of love. He was human once; he had pride and hope once.
"Help me locate and destroy my enemies," she looked in to his eyes, again something that most people do not care to do. "you will have my eternal gratitude- after all you still have your killer instinct?" Ok that was flirty enough.
Drahmin agreed to help her find Mavado, because according to his sources Mavado was still there.
He was hiding out with Quan Chi, discussing the plan for....Kano.