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Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Mortal Kombat; it belongs to its creators Ed Boon, John Tobias, John Vogel and their crew.

Chapter Seven

Two days ago I made a deal with one of my deadliest enemies. I still wasn't sure if it was the right choice. Nobody but me knew of it, explicitly I mean. All of my team members saw me speaking with Ermac that day, but they didn't know what was going down. I didn't even know what was going down, not fully, and I still don't. I have no idea what it is the host expects from me in return for handing Kano over to me. Sure, I had some clue. He did say he wanted me to fight in a tournament of his, a supposed 'fundraiser', but what all did that entail? I should've asked these questions before making this agreement but I was intent on having Kano taken in; and plus he was right there, bound and everything. I just couldn't let that kind of blessing go to waste: but was it really a blessing?

Everyone at the office treated it as one.

As soon as my team surrounded the tied-up crook, more forces arrived upon my request. We sacked the underground lair of his and brought at least twenty-odd men into custody. That was a small number in comparison to the Black Dragon members that either got away or were killed in the conflict, but it was a victory for OIA nonetheless. As of now, the Black Dragon was on the decline, close to being dissolved. And everyone was glad for it. I was hailed as some kind of hero, along with the other members of my team. Lots of people down at headquarters sent their praise my way. But it didn't feel right. None of this felt right. Or real, I should say. It was like being in a dream where everything goes according to plan; I had a feeling I would wake up from all this and Kano would be on the loose yet again with his organization wreaking terror on the modern world.

I sighed and laid my head on my arms. They were folded against the cold dining room table. I didn't know how long I'd been sitting there, but it had been a while. I was just thinking about everything that had gone down. My phones, both the land-line and my personal cell, had gone off several times today, but that was nothing compared to how frequently they were ringing just after the big bust. That's what I called it, our mission. Right now the phone was ringing again but I didn't answer. The only time I'd moved since getting up this morning was to feed French. Since then he hadn't bothered me.

There was a knock on the door.

I turned my head towards it and brushed the hair out of my face. My hair was down, a true testament to how wrapped up in thought I was. Usually I'd comb it back in a ponytail or some other neat do but not today. I hadn't even gotten dressed properly: an old t-shirt and sweatpants was what I'd chosen to wear.

There was another knock at the door.

Because of recent events, I debated on ignoring it. My neighbors had heard about what happened and had taken to coming over to visit me. As much as I appreciated their kind words, I didn't feel like dealing with any of them. I just wanted to be alone with my thoughts. I wanted to sort all this out.

Whoever was at the door was mighty insistent; they knocked yet again. Faster and more harshly this time.

I decided to go answer it.

Barefoot I trudged across the carpet and didn't bother looking through the peephole. I had a weapon on me and knew how to use it if it came to that. But when I opened the door, I was greeted not by a hostile, but by a friend. Two of them.

"Well it's about time," One of them griped, "We were freezin' our asses off out here."

I smiled and said, "Sorry about that."

It was Mileena and Nightwolf. And it was indeed cold outside. I instantly felt bad for making them wait so long. They both stepped past me and I shut the door behind them.

"Can I get you anything?" I asked politely.

Nightwolf, who had to duck under the doorway to get inside, looked especially tall in my modest apartment. And also out of place, with his long black coat. He had his hair down and was looking around speculatively. I think this would be the first time he's been inside my place. The chief put his hands deep into his pockets and gazed at me.

"No thank you," He replied, "We won't be staying long. We just came to congratulate you on your recent victory."

"Oh," I said, "Uh, thanks."

"How did you know about what happened?" I asked the couple.

Mileena replied, "I was off the reservation the other day and saw it on one of those t.v things."

"So you guys drove all the way out here?" I inquired.

"No," She answered, "Nightwolf used a portal."

"Ah." I said.

Mileena left the room and headed towards the bathroom. She didn't bother asking me so I didn't have time to warn her that the bathroom was one of French's favorite places to hide out. Her subsequent shriek let me know she found out on her own. There was a hiss after that. I wasn't totally sure who it came from, her or the cat.

"Excuse me," I told Nightwolf.

He nodded and took a seat on my couch while I went to investigate. When I got to the bathroom, I smiled a little bit at my friend's expense. There Mileena was, standing on top of my toilet with French at the bottom of the commode glaring and hissing at her.

She told me, "I can't even take a piss without him harassing me."

"Harassing you?" I asked.

Mileena only climbed down when French walked over and stood behind my legs. She folded her arms in a peeved kind of way.

"I was in here, minding my own business," She explained, "Then this crazy fucker comes hopping out from behind the shower curtain."

"You must've scared him," I reasoned, "He likes to come in here and drink from the bathtub faucet."

"Whatever," Mileena muttered. "I had to pee but I guess I'll just hold it."

I said, "No, just let me put him in my room."

She gave the cat as wide a berth as possible as she left the bathroom. That didn't stop my pet from swiping his paw at her leg. Mileena made a little noise and quickly moved her ankle out of reach, then gave the grey feline a dirty look. I didn't understand why they couldn't just get along. I guided the cat to my bedroom and shut the door behind him. Now that she had some privacy, Mileena went back to the bathroom while I headed to the front room.

It was just me and Nightwolf and both of us were quiet. I was still preoccupied with my own problems and the chief, being perceptive as usual, picked up on this.

He asked, "Is something the matter, Sonya?"

I smiled because it had taken some time for him to stop calling me 'Miss Blade'. But then I pondered his question. Nightwolf seemed like the type I could go to for advice, so I decided to let him know what was bothering me. Not in full detail, though.

"Yeah," I answered him, "I did something I'm not so sure I should have."

Astutely he asked, "Does this have anything to do with your triumph over the criminal Kano?"

"Actually it does." I replied. "I made a deal with someone and I. Well I don't think I went about things the right way."

The shaman was silent as he listened to my cryptic confession and took a while to respond. When he did, his voice was quiet and contemplative.

"Sonya," He said, "Sometimes we must do things we aren't proud of to achieve a certain means to an end. Whatever choice you've made, be firm in it."

Not the kind of advice I was seeking, but okay, I thought.

I need answers that Nightwolf couldn't give me. Answers about Ermac and what he was up to. Something occurred to me then: maybe Nightwolf couldn't help me with those answers, but someone else could.

"Do you still stay in contact with Raiden?" I asked the chief suddenly.

He told me, "I do. Would you like me to pass along a message of some sort?"

I nodded, "Yeah. Tell him I need to speak with him. It's important."

Nightwolf nodded firmly and said, "It will be done."

The chief was a man of his word. Not even a day later, the god of thunder himself had graced my apartment with his presence. I still hadn't left said apartment for all my worrying.

"You wanted to speak with me?" Raiden asked.

In my living room I bowed to the honorable god. Once I stood, I felt supremely self-conscious for a moment. There Raiden was in his pristine white attire and I was dressed in a pair of old jeans and a long-sleeved, plaid flannel shirt.

If I had known Nightwolf would follow through so quickly, I would've dressed more decently.

As it was, I shifted from one bare foot to the other and folded my arms. Where to begin? I decided to get straight to the point.

"I was in Outworld, in the Living Forest about a week and a half ago," I explained, "And while I was there, I made a deal with Ermac."

Raiden's expression was clearly that of disapproval but I continued anyway.

"In exchange for aiding in the capture of a wanted criminal," I stated, "Ermac made me promise to compete in an upcoming tournament of his. He said it was a fundraiser, but I don't think I believe that."

The thunder god replied, "And you shouldn't, because it's not. This tournament of his is being held for merging purposes."

"What?" I frowned.

"Ermac is planning to merge Earthrealm with Outworld." Raiden elucidated.

I scoffed and said, "I should've known. He was acting so strange the other day. I should've never made that deal."

"What's done is done," Raiden told me, "But what you're telling me is rather curious. Where did you say you made this deal?"

"In the Living Forest of Outworld," I repeated.

Raiden said, "That's what I thought you said. It makes me wonder, then, how that deal was possible."

"Huh?" I frowned.

"You should know Ermac was nowhere near the Living Forest last week." He said.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Ermac is in Northern Outworld, at Kahn's fortress," Raiden continued, "He's been there for the past two weeks."

"Are you sure?" I immediately asked.

Raiden nodded. "I've been monitoring the host ever since he petitioned the Elder Gods to allow this tournament of his. By my observations, he has not left the North since he arrived."

"Well then something strange is going on." I assessed.

"Indeed," Raiden acceded.

I asked, "Do you think you can take me to where Ermac is now? I have some questions for him."

"Absolutely," Raiden answered.

I then excused myself so that I could grab my shoes. Once I had them on, I approached Raiden and we left the apartment. In the next second we were in Outworld. What surprised me most was how loud it was, and how dark.

Not only were we in Outworld, we were inside a huge mansion or palace of some sort. Was this Shao Kahn's fortress? The last time I'd been here was during the previous tournament. Things sure had changed since then. Now it was full of servants. Every one of them looked like humans but here in Outworld there were plenty of humanoid beings, like Edenians, so I couldn't be totally sure. All of them were running to and fro, busy with their own tasks. It looked like they were fixing up the place, getting ready for something.

Raiden and I bypassed all the servants and entered what seemed like a dining room. The room was wide open and had a tall ceiling. There were men hauling in various styles of furniture to fill the nearly empty space. It was in this room that we found Ermac. He was all the way on the other side, hovering near the high ceiling hanging a chandelier. It was as if he sensed me looking at him because he immediately turned and locked his intense eyes on me.

"We warned you not to return here," He spoke forebodingly.

The host then gave a signal and that was all the warning I got before a bunch of guards came barreling my way. Those guards were burly men armed with staves or spears. Before they could close in on me, Raiden erected an electric barrier to hold them at bay.

Why is Ermac attacking me? I wondered, Didn't we just close a deal the other week?

"Call them off," Raiden demanded of Ermac, "You might be emperor but I don't think you have a disposable army as of yet."

Ermac touched onto the ground and strode towards us. Although he called off the guards, he still appeared as menacing as ever. Funny how he didn't seem so hostile when he was in the Living Forest that day.

The host folded his arms and asked, "What do you want? Here to pester us about Kano again?"

Okay, if I didn't know something was amiss before, now I'm sure. Why else would he be asking about Kano if he had already handed him over to me last week?

I told Ermac, "Why did you say the tournament was a fundraiser if it's really to merge Earthrealm with Outworld?"

In the back of my mind, I regretted confronting the subject like that. Should've been a bit more delicate but it was done now. Ermac's expression seemed to darken and consequently, I backed up from him.

"How do you even know about the tournament?" He asked suspiciously.

I frowned and said "You just talked to me about it last week."

In the next moment I could feel that Ermac was in my head. He was staring hard at me, rifling through my memories none-too-gently. I already knew what he was looking for. Maybe because of his presence in my mind, we both came to the same conclusion: Shang Tsung.

Now that surprised me.

Ermac working with Shang Tsung? That doesn't sound good. Why would they be working together? Is Shang Tsung the one behind this tournament? What plans do they have for Earth?

"As you can now see," Ermac began, "It wasn't us who made that agreement with you."

"So it was Shang Tsung?" I asked, "But why would he pretend to be you?"

Ermac didn't answer me so I assumed he wasn't in on this.

If they were in an alliance, why would the sorcerer sell out one of Ermac's supposed allies? And why didn't Shang Tsung do it as himself instead of as Ermac? None of this made sense.

"We will excuse your being in our realm in this instance, given the circumstances." Ermac stated,"But you are still not welcome here."

I started to ask him something but he held up a gloved hand.

"No." Ermac said, "No questions. Just go. Before we change our mind."

"But" I began.

This time it was Raiden who stopped me.

"I know you want answers," He said, "But right now it's best to do as Ermac says. He is emperor and has full jurisdiction here; if he were to lash out and kill you, he'd be within his rights and I could do nothing to stop him. I have no dominion in Outworld."

It only took me one glance at the malevolent host to know that Raiden was right. Ermac was not a patient being and if he said to leave, I'd better get out of here. But I still wanted to get to the bottom of all this. The tournament for one, and of course Ermac's alliance with Shang Tsung.

Not for the first time, Ermac was seeing red. They had been since they'd spoken with the Earthrealmer and the thunder god. They didn't appreciate being confronted in such a way and was intent on finding a certain sorcerer and making him answer to this latest turn of events.

How foolish of us to have trusted that slimy bastard, Ermac thought vehemently, No wonder he wanted us to move to the North; he was probably getting us out of the way so that he could commit atrocities in our visage, behind our back.

Ermac was itching to get to the bottom of this debacle, then planned on hanging the sorcerer by his toenails for his treachery. Never again would the host be had in such a way. They'd be sure of it.

Along came Noob Saibot.

Ermac hadn't seen the wraith appear by their side all of a sudden. They didn't know where Noob had come from and frankly, they didn't care. Although the wraith matched pace with Ermac, the host refused to acknowledge him. Steadily Ermac strode through the halls of Kahn's fortress. Until Noob sank through the ground and reappeared in front of their path.

"Out of the way." Ermac growled.

Noob stepped aside at that tone but asked, "What's going on? What happened?"

Ermac suddenly realized that his alleged ally, the one who walked the halls with him now, was to blame for all this. In a way. That made the host stop and round on Noob.

"What's going on?" Ermac repeated, "We trusted you and were made a fool of, that's what!"

"Excuse me?" Noob asked.

"Shang Tsung has betrayed us." Ermac stated. "He has been impersonating us, making deals in our name."

"Ah." Noob murmured, "I uh, I see how that would make you upset."

Although 'upset' is putting it mildly, the wraith thought to himself.

"Perhaps the sorcerer has a good reason for doing this," Noob suggested.

Ermac gave the wraith one of their most lethal glares.

"Or not." Noob replied, "So I take it you're hunting him down?"

The host nodded curtly.

"Well before you do, there's something you should know." Noob spoke.

Ermac said impatiently, "Make it quick."

"Alright." Noob conceded. "One of my sources said they saw Tanya of the Black Dragon."

"Not this again," Ermac interrupted.

Noob ignored him and said, "They saw her traveling with Rain. The demigod. Where they were headed has not been confirmed, but Tanya did say the organization was looking for new members; she might have recruited the prince."

Ermac snorted and said, "Rain? In the Brotherhood? He wouldn't join."

Noob said quietly, "He would to get away from you. Er, no offense."

Ermac scowled and said, "Whatever. We don't have time to worry about him. If Rain is gone, he's their problem now."

"Indeed." Noob nodded. "Well I just thought you should be aware of that. Good luck finding Shang Tsung."

As Noob left, he couldn't help but pity the sorcerer. He would not want to be on the receiving end of Ermac's wrath.

Tonight I had a house full. Not only were Nightwolf and Mileena back at my apartment, but also Kurtis Stryker, Liu Kang, Kung Lao, my healed C.O., and Raiden. It wasn't easy getting them all under one roof but the thunder god had helped tremendously. I stood in front of the small crowd and felt a wave of nostalgia. This was part of the rag-tag alliance Nightwolf had created back when Chi was doing his thing being evil and all. It was nice to be together again, in a weird way. I just wish it were under different circumstances.

"Thanks everybody for coming," I told them first off, "It means a lot, especially on such short notice."

It was true. Once Raiden and I got back from confronting Ermac, I knew I had to take some kind of action. So the two of us went about planning this impromptu meeting the very next day, gathering up our various allies. Not everybody could come, but those who could were seated on my couch or in chairs in my living room.

"Now I know this was last minute," I began, "But I called you here because there's something going on that concerns us all."

I could tell I had everyone's attention now. I glanced at Raiden, who stood by the door, and he gave me an encouraging nod.

"By now you probably know Ermac is emperor of Outworld." I stated.

Apparently someone didn't.

Stryker asked, "Ermac? Is that the guy who can make lightening come from his hands, sorta' like Raiden?"

I knew who he was talking about but it was Mileena who set him straight. She sat almost in Nightwolf's lap at one end of the couch.

"No, you're thinking of that punk Rain." She corrected. "Ermac is more powerful; he's the one that uses some kind of freaky mind control, uh, telekinesis I think."

That seemed to jog the officer's memory. With that cleared up, I continued.

"In about a month," I explained, "Ermac is hosting a tournament. If he and his forces win, he'll merge Earthrealm with Outworld."

"Impossible." Liu Kang immediately remarked. "The ancient rules in place forbid this. It hasn't been 500 years since the last one."

He was right, it had barely been three since the last tournament we'd all fought in. But this was where things got tricky. I let Raiden take it from here.

The thunder god explained, "Ermac made a pact with the Elder Gods that allows for an immediate merger upon his victory in the tournament."

Kung Lao frowned at his seat beside Liu Kang. Both monks sat in my dining room chairs, but Kung Lao appeared more relaxed. When Raiden mentioned that last part, though, the younger monk stiffened.

"Why would the Elder Gods allow this?" He wanted to know.

Raiden said, "There's a loophole in place. So long as Ermac has no ill intentions for the merger, it can occur."

Liu Kang asked skeptically, "And Ermac doesn't have ill intentions?"

"According to the Elder Gods, no. He doesn't." Raiden answered.

I was glad to look around the room and see the suspicion on all of my allies' faces. At least I wasn't the only one to find this situation really fishy. The monks were the most inquisitive tonight, I found.

Liu Kang asked next, "What if Ermac's lying?"

Raiden replied, "If he is then the pact would end. The merger would dissolve and Ermac would be punished as the Elder Gods see fit."

Stryker then asked, "So what's the threat? If something goes wrong in all this, that Ermac guy will have to pay the price. Why should we be worried?"

"It might not be Ermac that is the threat," Raiden presumed, "But his ally, Shang Tsung."

At that name everybody in the room reacted in their own way. Stryker seemed to understand the gravity of the situation. Liu Kang wore a deep frown. Kung Lao's shoulders dropped and his eyes narrowed. Jax scowled, as did Raiden, and Nightwolf was studying Mileena. She was the most affected of all. She was looking down at her lap and her expression was hard to pinpoint. She seemed to be feeling many things at once so it was hard to distinguish the varying emotions. And me, well, I wasn't too pleased to learn that Shang was back in business either. He gave me the creeps.

"If Shang Tsung is up to no good, we need to make sure this tournament turns out in our favor." I told everybody.

Liu Kang asked, "How?"

Raiden replied, "The old-fashioned way; recruit warriors and fight to win."

"There is a price, though." I interjected. "I'm not sure what it is, but it's monetary. Ermac wants this to be a fundraiser."

Mileena snorted under her breath and said, "Greedy bastard."

Nightwolf gave her a disapproving look and asked, "When can we expect to have all the details of this event?"

"In order to get those details," Raiden said. "I'll need an ambassador willing to speak to Ermac on Earth's behalf."

Again Mileena spoke, saying, "Good luck with that."

Stryker asked of Raiden, "Why can't you talk to him?"

"I would," He answered, "But I planned on appealing the Elder Gods for the cancellation of this tournament."

In other words, he'll be busy. So I could see how we were screwed because there was not a one of us who was on Ermac's good side. I sighed. Finding that ambassador wouldn't be easy.

"In the meantime," I said aloud, "Some of us should be scouting for fighters."

I wasn't surprised when Kung Lao and Liu Kang shared a glance. They obviously were up to the task. But as I watched them a moment longer, I noticed that the look wasn't the only thing they exchanged; Liu Kang reached in one of the pockets of his traveling cloak and handed his friend an envelope with a knowing smile. I wondered what that was about but didn't ask. There were more important things to worry about.

As the meeting came to an unspoken end, I rubbed my hands over my face tiredly. Those 'more important things' were starting to wear on me. There was just so much to be done in such a short while now. But I wouldn't say that was a bad thing. A part of me liked having something to occupy my time with.

If only it wasn't something so dire as the welfare of the entire planet, I thought wryly.

"Sonya?" Nightwolf asked softly.

I blinked and saw that the shaman had approached me. He had an air of solemnity about him and I was wary of whatever it was he was approaching me with. I didn't want any bad news.

"Yeah?" I replied.

Nightwolf paused and considered his words carefully. When he spoke again, it was in that same soft tone, even though everyone else in the room was occupied with their own conversations. Or in Mileena's case, with my cat. I forgot to put French away.

"I must ask something of you." The chief said.

"Go ahead," I told him.

"It concerns Mileena," He admitted. "I'm worried about her."

I frowned, "What do you mean? Is she in trouble or something?"

"No, nothing like that," Nightwolf assured me. "But she is terribly lonely. She doesn't exactly fit in at the village. The elders, they give her a hard time and as chief there's only so much time I'm able to spend time with her."

"Oh. I see." I murmured.

Nightwolf said, "Yes. She has made only one significant friend that I know of, but he is so young. And he's a healer now."

I had an idea of the young man Nightwolf was referring to. He was right; Elan was only a kid from what I could remember.

"What I'm saying is," Nightwolf sighed, "I think Mileena would benefit from spending more time with you."

"Huh?" I asked.

Nightwolf looked incredibly forlorn when he repeated, "Here with you, she might be happier than in the village. She already leaves the reservation so often when I'm not around."

I hated to hear this. It was obvious that Nightwolf was busy as chief and couldn't always be with Mileena, I understood that much. But I didn't see how he could part with her. I didn't mind having her over but I could see plainly that Nightwolf didn't relish the idea of not having her by his side. I told the chief I'd do what I could. If it meant having her over more often, so be it.

"Thank you, Sonya." He told me. "I will speak with her about the matter later this evening."

A/N: Thanks for reading! Don't hesitate to drop a review telling me what you think so far...

or who you'd like to see brought up

or what you think is going to happen

or anything else that's on your minds!

Stay tuned for the next chapter and until then...

~DymondGold~