Here's the first chapter folks, happy reading!

Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Mortal Kombat or its characters/themes/settings.

Chapter One

Dear God I was sore. That was the first thing that came to my awareness as I awoke this morning. My back, my neck and my legs were all so stiff.

What on Earth possessed me to sleep in a chair last night?

I blinked and looked at the clear glass table in front of me. It was littered with the evidence of my obvious answer; work. My laptop was still open though its screen had switched to black. The notebook and pen I was using to jot things down were to the left of the device and on the other side was a manila folder with tons of files spilling out onto the surface of the table.

Now I remember.

Late last night I was searching up on the latest lead I'd gotten on that scum Kano. I'd deduced his location to be near some remote island in a country I'd only vaguely heard of. I only planned to stay up for about an hour gleaning what I could about this place before calling it a night but by the looks of it, I'd never made it to bed. Typical really.

I yawned and scooted to the edge of the black cushion on my kitchen chair so that I could arch my back until it popped. When I did that, my phone fell from my lap onto the floor with a thud. It startled me. I rolled my neck, tugged at my arms, and did some overhead stretches before bending down to pick it up. I pushed one of the buttons so that the screen alighted and revealed the time; it was late. After twelve in the afternoon. I froze: I was supposed to be up an hour and a half ago to open the door for my monthly visitor!

"Mileena is gonna' kick my ass," I groaned to myself.

"Well I would have," A feminine voice started teasingly, "But it looks like all that paperwork beat me to it."

I whirled around and saw that the woman in question was already here, sitting barefoot on top of my kitchen counter. I breathed a sigh of relief. There she sat atop the white tile with her legs crossed and a plastic bowl of microwave hot wings in her lap. Her fingers were coated in the synthetic orange sauce but she soon licked them clean. I made a face but didn't comment. I already was used to her strange taste in food.

"How did you get in?" I asked her.

She took a moment to lick her fingers and said, "Your bedroom window."

I rose a brow. "I'm on the third floor."

"I know," She replied.

"Well how did you get up there?" I wanted to know.

She shrugged. "I got creative."

"How long have you been waiting?" I then asked her.

Mileena hopped from the counter and smirked, "Bout fifteen minutes. I would've woken you up but you looked pretty cozy."

I watched her dump the bones from her bowl into the trashcan and drop her dish into the sink. I was thankful for that, her not waking me that is. The rest did me good. Even if I was a bit sore. I stretched some more as Mileena reached into my cabinet and took down a glass before filling it with warm tap water. I rolled my eyes.

"Somebody's made themselves at home," I remarked.

She ignored me in favor of downing her drink. To be honest I really didn't mind. I was glad Mileena had finally begun to get comfortable around me and my place. She started visiting me about eight weeks ago, and now it's become a regular thing. At the end of each month she would come over and stay for a couple of days.

I leaned over the table and started gathering my materials from the heap they were in. I put all the files back into the cream folder and shut my notebook and laptop simultaneously. Then I slipped the things one by one back into my black messenger bag. All of the things fit nice and snug as usual and made up what I liked to call my 'traveling office'. I slipped the strap over my shoulder and headed to my bedroom to put it away. The walk was short and once I got there I crossed the navy carpet to get to my oak nightstand. Into the bottom drawer I stored the bag and flexed my shoulder blades; the bag was anything but lightweight.

Once that was done I looked around. My room was neat, probably because I hadn't touched it last night. The full-sized bed was still made up in plain blue sheets and there was not a scrap of clothing or a pair of shoes littering the expanse of plush flooring that spanned the entire room. I stepped over to my closet which was beside the nightstand and took my jacket and a pair of pants from their hangers. Then I went over to the tall wooden dresser across from the bed and pulled open the third drawer. I took out a plain white t-shirt before closing it back. I needed to change; I was still dressed in my pajamas.

I slipped off the cotton clothes folded them neatly, then tucked them under my pillow. Having done that, I tossed my jacket onto the bed and walked back to my dresser to suit up. All my supplies were in the top drawer and it took me a good five minutes to strap on all my gear. My armbands, my holster and the piece that went inside it, my wrist-com, the little first aid kit that had seen me through some sticky situations, and other small but useful items. In the second drawer was my Kevlar vest and gloves. The vest was so slim and thin I could wear it under my shirt above my bra and it would go unnoticed. It was tough as nails, though, a benefit of working with the state-of-the-art OI Agency. I got on my pants and my belt and socks and combat boots and finally pulled on my jacket. It was a chore to put everything on every day but it was worth it to me; you never know what might happen after all.

From the bedroom I trudged to the adjacent bathroom and washed my face, brushed my teeth, put my hair up. I caught sight of Mileena's pink plastic toothbrush and smiled as I put it in the little cup beside mine. I left the bathroom feeling refreshed and was greeted by a peculiar, but increasingly familiar sight. Mileena was curled up on the couch with her dark eyes narrowed and lips curled back as she actually. She was.

The girl was hissing at my cat.

The grey-haired cat was a charity case I'd taken up a few weeks ago. He came from the shelter and his name was French; I didn't get why but since it was what the feline answered to I never changed it. The slim green-eyed beast was just past kitten-hood and was quite antisocial. The only times it came out of the bathroom was to eat and drink. And to harass Mileena. I shook my head and walked over to the animal, then nudged him off the coffee table before things could get ugly.

"I don't see why you keep that little spawn around," She huffed, "The thing's evil incarnate. And it hates me."

I sighed, "That spawn is my pet and he's not evil. Are you sure you didn't provoke him?"

Mileena shook her head. Then she asked, "Are you going somewhere?"

"Yeah, downtown. I need to run some errands." I told her.

She perked and asked, "Oh? What kind?"

I crossed my arms. "Grocery shopping for one, since somebody here is keen on eating me out of house and home."

Mileena shrugged, "I know, that fat ass cat of yours really puts out."

"What else?" She inquired.

I lifted a brow but stated, "I have to go to HQ and pick something up from my office."

"Aren't you banned from there for like, the next two months?" Mileena replied.

"I'm on paid vacation. Might as well be the same thing though," I said with a frown.

At OIA they forced me to take five months off from work. They claimed that after everything that had gone down regarding Quan Chi and Johnny getting killed, I needed some time to recuperate. Jax told me it was because they were afraid I'd go psycho on a mission or something from the supposed 'pent up grief'. No matter how much I tried to argue and convince them I really was over it all, they refused to let me come in until...about nine more weeks. If anything, the extra time off has given me the chance to hunt down that bastard Kano.

"Hey we're both dressed alike," Mileena observed as she slipped into her black moccasins.

"Sort of like twins," She amended.

She was right. We both wore black pants, shoes, a white shirt, and a black jacket. Though her pants were tight on her and the shirt showed just the slimmest line of midriff. Mileena got a thoughtful look on her face as she followed me to the front door.

"Speaking of twins," She drawled, "I got another letter from Kitty Kat the other day."

I glanced back at her, "What did she say?"

Mileena shrugged and responded with, "Oh same thing as last time. Just checking up on me is all."

"She really is looking out for you," I mused.

Mileena looked down at her feet quietly. "Yeah. It's...weird."

"Are you gonna write her back?" I asked her.

She shook her head and sighed. "No. I never do. Don't know what to say really."

I fell silent. I wanted to offer her some advice but I knew to keep out of it. This was between her and Kitana. At least she seemed to be accepting her twin's advances towards a friendly relationship. That was a start. I reached up and grabbed my keys from the hook beside the door.

"Are you ready?" I asked Mileena.

She nodded but still asked, "Aren't you gonna eat anything?"

I suppose that would be a good idea.

I strode into the kitchen and reached on top of the fridge to get to the box of granola bars. I pulled one out and reached near the microwave for a banana from the fruit bowl. Mileena called out to me.

"Can I have one?" she implored.

I rolled my eyes but got her one too. I tossed it to her when I got to the door then exited my home, locking the apartment up behind me.

Looking around him at the array of masked faces donning the legendary colors of black and yellow, Scorpion felt nothing but pride and accomplishment. Ever since that fateful day many years ago when the Shirai Ryu were overwhelmed he knew this day would come. He had avenged his family and clan by slaying Quan Chi, now it was time to preserve the Shirai Ryu legacy through a new set of warriors.

And here they were.

Scorpion and his cyborg companion had left the Netherealm shortly after defeating the evil sorcerer, much to a certain wraith's displeasure. From there they journeyed to the sacred land of northern Japan where his ancestors built the very foundations that lasted several generations. That was where the spectre had begun re-establishing the clan. It had taken him several weeks to identify, locate, and round up suitable bloodlines but over that period of time Scorpion had gained about thirty or forty-odd young men. They had been his arms and legs, doing the grunt work of building huts and other structures from scratch. In return he trained them all to be strong and formidable ninjas capable of defending themselves and their new home. Additionally, Scorpion organized teams of warriors to do other such tasks he didn't have the time to, such as scouting out new recruits or looking for willing women to integrate into the budding clan.

The spectre looked again at all the men gathered before him in his camp. They were all garbed in the same black tunics, black pants and boots with yellow obi's and armbands. The crest of the Shirai Ryu was etched into the fabric of back of their tunics, emblazoned proudly in bright gold. They stood at attention, awaiting the spectre's orders. Scorpion knew he was a hero in their eyes and that they served him with a loyalty and fervor that bordered in intensity on that of a group of zealots; he had brainwashed them just a bit but it was necessary, he figured. However, unlike before he didn't brand into their subconscious that unending hatred for all things Lin Kuei. He warned them to be wary of the blue-clad ninjas, er, warrior assassins, but that was about it. That kind of hatred was cause in part for the Shirai Ryu's former destruction so Scorpion would have none of it. These young men were the future of his homeland so it wouldn't do to have them blinded by old wounds, especially since none of them were even alive to have born the slights of the warring clans. No, hatred wouldn't do. It was best to bury that feud and start fresh. Scorpion truly did have faith in his new breed of warriors. He had, after all, hand-selected each and every one of them.

"This meeting is adjourned," The spectre said at last.

He watched all of the men bow accordingly and begin filing out of the cream-colored tent. The huts and homes weren't finished being built yet so Scorpion had made camp with a series of tents so that his men had some place to lay their heads at night. As they all left this particular one, Scorpion felt that something was amiss. He followed his men out of the tent and couldn't brush the feeling that there was something wrong. His second in command, Smoke, was posted near the flaps on the outside.

"Go," He told the cyborg, "Monitor them."

The gleaming white unit nodded once and fluidly sauntered away towards the group of warriors. The cyborg was a great help to Scorpion, which was a surprise. Scorpion did bring it 'back to life', but it was not something the spectre held over Smoke's head. He in no way forced the unit to remain at his side, Smoke did so of his own volition. Perhaps he thought he owed the spectre for restoring him. Or maybe the cyborg had nowhere else to go. Whatever the reason, Scorpion appreciated the help. Smoke was the one who voluntarily trained the warriors on a daily basis in hand to hand combat and battle techniques. Also, he monitored the up and coming ninjas and was sure to 'report' back to Scorpion if anything went wrong. The men respected the cyborg since it was obvious Scorpion did a great deal.

After Smoke had left and he was alone, Scorpion started to walk around the tent cautiously. He could sense another presence and the aura was familiar to him but only vaguely so. He couldn't put his flaming finger on where he'd encountered such a presence before and it aggravated him. He stepped towards the back of the tent but saw no one.

"We're ready to leave out, sir!" A youthful voice called out dutifully.

Scorpion whipped his head around and saw that the party of three that served as one of his recruiting squads was standing near the front of the tent. They wanted his permission to leave. With a curt nod he granted it and then gave the area near the tent one last look. Nothing but grassy flatland met his eyes. He shook his head but went about his business.

"That's the last of them," I muttered to myself as I loaded up the back of my car.

There weren't many groceries to move into my vehicle but the two-ton bag of cat litter was the thing that made it a chore. I set the heavy sack onto the floor and shut the door. As I got into the driver's seat Mileena snorted. That was her way of telling me she wouldn't be of any assistance where the cat was concerned; they had some weird vendetta, it only made sense that she wasn't keen on doing it any favors.

I started my black OIA-issued car and pulled out of the grocery store parking lot. It didn't take long for me to get to HQ downtown. Once I was there I tried to pull into my usual spot but was shocked to find some sporty white top-down convertible already there.

"Not even gone a couple months and already they've replaced me," I frowned to myself.

Into another empty space I pulled into and parked before killing the engine.

"Stay here," I told Mileena, "I'll be right back."

Mileena huffed and folded her arms. "I don't think so. I'll freeze out here."

Oh that's right, she isn't really used to the cold, I remembered. Back in Arizona things were nice and toasty, even in early spring.

"Fine, come on then." I conceded.

She and I got out the car and made our way to the front doors. We got past the clean white steps and walked into the clear double glass doors that gave way to the quiet lobby. There were black plastic chairs aggregated along the area left of the receptionist's desk. In front of the chairs was a long, short table filled with magazines and office brochures. I pointed to the area and nudged Mileena.

"You have to stay in here. You don't have clearance to any other floor," I told her.

She made a face but went to go sit down. While she did that, the doors in between the sitting area and the help desk burst open and someone emerged from the depths of the building.

"Neither do you, not for eight more weeks." They told me.

I cut my eyes and said, "Jax this is important. I just need to grab something from my desk."

My C.O. lumbered over to me in his slacks and pressed shirt. He folded his bulky arms and gave me a concerned but stern look.

"You shouldn't be here, girl." He warned.

"And where should I be?" I challenged.

He lifted his brows and said, "I don't know. On a beach somewhere with your feet kicked up. You need to be takin' it easy."

"What I need is to get to my office," I countered.

Jax sighed and I could see I'd won.

"Just tell me what you need, I'll get it," He offered.

I shook my head, "No, I need to get it myself."

Again he breathed heavily through his nose but went over to the double doors and swiped his card. I smiled gratefully and thanked him but he just waved me on through and said make it quick.

"I'll be right back," I called to Mileena.

"Yeah, yeah." She replied absently with her nose in a Better Home and Garden.

The faces she was making were priceless, I would've laughed but I had to get going. I hurried past the doors before the could close and made my way swiftly to my office. I had to take the elevator. I knew I was probably being watched my my vigilant C.O. Once I got to my cozy work space on the fifth floor, I walked past it and headed for the stairs. I bounded down two flights and snuck around to the back hallway of the third floor where the vaults were kept. I reached into my pocket when I got to the metal door and pulled out my own key-card. Thankfully this wasn't warded against me like the lobby doors. I shut the door quietly behind me and padded silently through the dark room on the balls of my feet. There were file cabinets lining the walls. This place was a goldmine of information on some of the most wanted criminals on Earth, and not just from this Realm.

My memory served me well so I knew just where the K's were. Once I was in the right section, I pushed a button on my wrist-com and used it as a light source. I didn't have the luxury of having a key to these cabinets, but I made due. I took my hair down from its high ponytail and pocketed the band, then used the specifically hidden bobby pin to pick the lock. I was no novice so in seconds the lock gave and popped open satisfactorily. I shined my light into the cabinet and rummaged through the files looking for Kano. Just as I was pulling it out, my surroundings alighted.

I blinked in the bright white light and knew I was caught. I didn't need to look over at the door to know it was Jax who'd flipped on the switch. I guiltily shut the cabinet and stuck the bobby pin in my jacket pocket, then turned to face my C.O. He had a knowing smirk.

"Thought I'd find you here," He quipped, "Just grabbing something from your desk, right?"

I let the corner of my lip slide through my teeth nervously. "Jax, I..."

"Sonya this case is closed." He chided. "It has been for months."

"I know that but I'm onto something this time!" I claimed.

He sighed, "Yeah, that's what you always say."

I was about to retort but Jax stuck out his hand. I instinctively clutched the thick plastic binder of files tightly in one hand and held it behind me. He still had his hand out.

"Give it to me," He ordered gently.

"Jax," I started.

He shook his head, "I don't want the files. I'll let you have those. But I do have to take your card."

I breathed out in relief and gladly handed the square thing over to him. It wasn't a punishment for me, I already had what I needed. As long as he wasn't taking the files I was fine. He put my card into his pocket and shook his head.

"I'm sorry I had to do that Sonya but I already am going against protocol as it is," He said genuinely.

I headed to the door and he followed. I was about to leave the room when he put his hand on my shoulder. I froze and faced him.

"Look," He said, "If you do decide to go after this creep again, you're gonna need backup. I better be the first one you call, you got that?"

I smiled because I knew that was his tough way of letting me know he had my back. He would put his life on the line for me and I for him. It was nice to know nothing had changed in our relationship. I nodded and assured him I would alert him when I got something solid on Kano.

"Thanks again Jax," I said.

It felt good having him trust me on this. Especially since every old coot in charge of OIA thought I was some mental case at the moment. Jax held the door open for me and shrugged.

"Yeah, yeah," He murmured, "You just keep this between us two."

A/N: Short but I needed to get the ball rolling. Please leave a review, tell me if you want more or not. Also, I'd like to hear what you think so far. If you do want more, I'll have the next chapter up soon! Until then, over and out people!

~DymondGold~