Mortal Kombat III
CHAPTER 14: CYBER FOGHORN LEGHORN

(ENTER CYBER VISION)

"That's it—" stated a voice that sounded like Boog's—"here goes nothing. . . ."

"Are you certain it will work again?" asked a voice like Danny Fenton's voice.

"Heck no! I've never done it before—let alone two times in one day. It's not like there's a manual."

The blue screen turned red for a moment reading the word ::OVERRIDE:: across it before turning black.

Turning blue again, messages appeared as followed:

OVERRIDE ENGAGED
CONNECTING TO WIRELESS UPLINK
CONNECTION FAILED (UNABLE TO RESOLVE HOST)
ERROR (COMMAND AND CONTROL MODULE MISSING)
SLAVING PROTOCOLS DISENGAGED
AUTONOMOUS COMMAND MODULE ENGAGED

Across the Cyber Vision screen, Danny's face appeared. "Foghorn?" The young Lin Kuei looked away for a moment. "Can he hear me?"

Boog's voice spoke up again. "He should."

"Foghorn?"

Foghorn Leghorn then spoke up. "Yes, Danny."

"How do you feel?" asked Danny.

(EXIT CYBER VISION)

With Razor, T-Bone, Boog (now fitted with mechanical arms), Danny, Samurai Jack, and Tarzan surrounding him, Foghorn slowly sat up, finding himself in the Earthrealm allies' hideout.

The blue-and-silver-clad Cyborg found his compatriot Raimundo Pedrosa leaning against a wall, with his mask out of his face (but still wearing his Cyborg attire) while reading a book called Feelings: A Collection of Poems and Essays, the latter amiably smiling at him and giving a thumbs-up before turning to his book again. Foghorn then grunted from being out for so long.

"What is it?" Danny inquired again.

Foghorn paused for only a moment. "I remember. . . . The things I have done for Aku. . . . Things, that is."

"Like to read from the new book I got?" offered Raimundo. "They're really empowering. . . . It's as if reading these poems and essays help me remember and get in touch with my human side. Well, mortal side, looking at a bigger picture."

"Maybe later, son—later, that is. . . . Aku can't be, I say, can't be allowed to merge the realms. Merge, that is."

"Samurai Jack, how can Foghorn Leghorn and Raimundo Pedrosa best help us?" Tarzan inquired.

The Thunder God, his arms still folded across his chest, shook his head. "I do not know. My attempts to alter future events have had negative consequences. Foghorn Leghorn should never have undergone his transformation. Enlisting him and Raimundo Pedrosa may only further divert the flow of time."

"We need intel, right?" asked T-Bone. "Let's send them back to Outworld undercover."

"They will be," nodded Foghorn, "I say, they will be unaware of our defections. We could deceive them—deceive, that is."

Everyone present thought about the concept—even Raimundo thought about it as he stashed his book into his cybernetic chest cavity and lowered his mask, knowing what the answer would be.

Back in Aku's throne room, Hannibal Roy Bean and Steelbeak conversed while a horde of Tarkatan waited patiently.

"Earthrealm is finished—" stated Steelbeak—"it will not be missed."

Hannibal nodded. "Very well. You will return."

It was then that Foghorn and Raimundo entered the throne room through the portal.

As Steelbeak departed, the two Earthrealm allies walked up to the red-clad Cyborg.

"You report late. Where is the intruder?" Hannibal inquired.

"Dead—" lied Raimundo—"never to be a nuisance to Aku again."

"I killed," lied Foghorn, "I say, I killed him in Earthrealm—Earthrealm, that is."

Hannibal shook his cybernetic head in disappointment. "He should have been saved for interrogation."

"He was formidable—the intruder, that is. I had no, I say, I had no choice."

"Follow me. We must lead a new mission."

And with that, Foghorn and Raimundo followed Hannibal through the portal.

On the other side of the portal, the three Cyborgs entered the subway station that T-Bone and Shere Khan brawled in earlier.

"What mission brings us here, son?" inquired Foghorn.

Raimundo nodded his head. "I'm curious about the same thing myself, Hannibal."

Suddenly, a handful of gray Cyborg lackeys appeared, surrounding the Earthrealm heroes in a semi-circle.

The red-clad Cyborg looked at them, with hatred in his voice. "I have scanned your neutral nets, Five-Two-O and Four-D-Four. Your neuromodulators have been recalibrated."

One word escaped from both the yellow-and-black-clad and blue-and-silver-clad Cyborgs: "Impossible."

"The experience has been deleted from your systems. Remove your access panels."

As Hannibal reached out at Foghorn, the latter grabbed the red-clad Cyborg by the arm and punched him, blasting him a short distance away with frost.

"Raimundo," said Foghorn quickly, "I'll take, I say, I'll take care of Hannibal—see if you can keep those guys off me—off, that is."

Raimundo shrugged his shoulders. "Fine by me—just be careful."

"Will do, son."

As the blue-and-silver-clad Rooster Cyborg crouched into a fighting stance, Raimundo faced the Cyborg lackeys, ready to fight. "Besides, I have a score to settle with them."

With the yellow-and-black-clad Cyborg fighting off his former compatriots from off-screen, Hannibal stood back up and faced Foghorn. "Your programming has been corrupted."

Foghorn squared up against the red-clad Cyborg. "Our souls were corrupted—souls that is. Now they are cleansed."

After dodging one of Hannibal's rockets, along with his punches, Foghorn used the opportunity to ice-blast him away again.

It looked to be a mistake on Foghorn's part as the red-clad Cyborg disappeared underground—but the blue-and-silver-clad Rooster Cyborg had an idea as he coated his entire body with frost and when Hannibal came back up to deliver an uppercut, he became frozen solid.

As the tables turned on the red-clad Cyborg, it left an opportunity opened for Foghorn to deliver a dive-kick, which was followed by the latter creating an ice crook (that you would see in cartoons and comedies in response to a bad stage act) and grabbing the former by the neck with it before using his free hand to knock the Outworld ally out with an ice mallet.

"Artificial enhancements are no substitute for the human soul, or a Rooster's!" declared Foghorn.

After knocking out the last gray Cyborg, Raimundo caught up with the blue-and-silver-clad Cyborg.

Foghorn crouched down to the unconscious Hannibal and tinkered with his mechanisms. Doing so, the Earthrealm ally was able to pinpoint what the Outworld ally's next destination would have been: London.

"So now what, Foghorn?" asked Raimundo.

"Next," answered the blue-and-silver-clad Rooster Cyborg, "I say, next stop—London, son."

Up in the bell tower of London, a group of Earthrealm soldiers were being tortured by Yosemite Sam's laser eye, while the said ruffian, Francis, and Pete evilly laughed at their expense.

"YEEEEE-HAAAWWWW! Run about, will ya!" exclaimed Yosemite Sam before snickering maliciously.

It was then that Foghorn and Raimundo entered the room.

"Finally!" groaned the Black Dragon Clan leader in annoyance. "C'mon, we gotta git 'em to the graveyard at St. Dominic's." He then stared down at the fettered soldiers. "On yer feet, all of ya's!"

"For what purpose?" asked Foghorn.

Sam just shrugged carelessly. "Don't cares, really. So long as I gits paid."

"He said on your feet!" roared Pete.

Francis glared down at them, motioning all four of his Shokan arms. "C'mon. Up."

"Get up!"

"Hey Foghorn, aren't you forgetting something?" asked Raimundo in a sly tone.

"I dunno, what?" shugged the Cyborg Rooster.

"Don't you remember?" The yellow-and-black-clad Cyborg then winked either of his cyber eyes. "You had a present to give our friends."

"Oh right!" nodded Foghorn, getting the idea (while catching the scruffy man's and the two Shokans' interests). "I remember—I had presents for our friends."

"A present? For us?" asked Yosemite Sam in excitement.

"What are they? What are they?" grinned Pete, clapping either pair of hands.

"Can we have them? Huh, can we?" happily begged Francis.

Lifting their masks up, Foghorn and Raimundo smirked at the readers.

"Heh, we must be dreaming—" chuckled Raimundo—"it couldn't be that easy."

"I know right?" asked Foghorn before thumbing in the three villains' (off-screen) direction. "Those boys are about as sharp as a croquette ball."

As he and his friend put their masks back on, the blue-and-silver-clad Earthrealmer looked at the villains. "Sorry boys, but you—I say—but you have to wait until Aku takes over Earthrealm to get your gifts—your presents, that is."

"Aww, c'mon! Be a couple of good guys and let us have our presents!" begged Sam.

The three villains then happily exclaimed in unison, "Gimme-gimme-gimme!"

"Well Foggy," shrugged Raimundo, "they want us to be a couple of good guys."

"Yep," nodded Foghorn, "that they do. . . . All right boys we'll give ya your presents now, but just remember . . . ya'll asked for it!"

Using his ice powers, Foghorn froze the two dumbstruck Shokan in place.

"Hey!" exclaimed Yosemite Sam. "What're y—"

But the scruffy man was cut off when the blue-and-silver-clad Rooster froze him in place as well.

It was then that Flash the Sloth appeared from his usual spot, slowly laughing. "HA. . . . HA. . . . HA."

After Flash slowly panned out again, Sam muttered through his frozen gritted teeth. "I hates Sloths. 'Bout as much as I hates Rabbits. And Roosters. And teenagers. And Kats."

As he and Raimundo ignored Yosemite Sam's ranting, Foghorn directed his attention on the soldiers. "We will help you."

Using his ice powers, the Cyborg Rooster froze the chains into ice and shattered them, freeing the soliders from their binds.

One of the soldiers looked up at Francis and Pete, noticing them breaking out of the ice.

Noticing that as well, Foghorn looked at the soldiers. "Go! All of you! Now! Raimundo, escort them to safety!"

"Right!" nodded the yellow-and-black-clad Cyborg.

"C'mon! Let's go!" exclaimed the soldier as Raimundo led them out of the bell tower.

Soon the two Shokan busted out of their ice cases, furiously glaring down at the Cyborg Rooster.

"What's the matter? Can't take a joke, campers?" inquired Foghorn as he squared up to fight.

"Your treachery will be punished!" roared Pete.

After fighting the two Shokan off, Foghorn performed the same move on Francis that he used on Hannibal earlier, throwing him on top of Pete and knocking them both out.

"All those teeth and claws," taunted Foghorn, "yet still overmatched."

Suddenly all the bells in the tower started slowly ringing. It was then that all the soldiers and Raimundo found themselves tossed back into the bell tower, with Shere Khan appearing.

"Behind me!" exclaimed Foghorn. He then stood ready to fight the specter. "Come no further, fiend of Outworld!"

While the fight appeared to be a stalemate between them, the Cyborg Rooster was able to freeze Shere Khan in place before performing a low spin attack and knocking the latter off his feet, ending their (second) scuffle.

Foghorn then pointed down at the specter. "You are not so fearsome—fearsome, that is."

The group of soldiers gathered around the two Earthrealm Cyborg allies, congratulating them.

"Thanks," smiled one of the soldiers, "I thought we were done."

"I must," said Foghorn, "I say, I must go. I need to investigate the graveyard—the cemetery, that is."

"We'd go with," said another soldier, "but we have to return to our unit."

"That is for the best. Raimundo, make sure these boys stay safe."

"Are you sure, Foghorn?" asked Raimundo in concern. "I can't let you go off alone."

"I know, but I'll be fine, son. . . . Think of it, I say, think of it as regaining your honor and humanity again."

". . . It shall be done then, my friend."

"I thought you'd agree, boy." With that said, Foghorn walked out of the bell tower.

The first soldier piped up. "Good luck, man."

The second soldier smirked in confidence. "He ain't gonna need luck."

"Trust me," affirmed Raimundo, "no he doesn't."

Down in the graveyard, Steelbeak formed markings on the ground and encircling an unfortunate group of soldiers with his dark magic, while Freakshow started chanting in an otherworldly language.

Spying from behind a tombstone, Foghorn watched what they were doing, confused about the process. "What're they up to?"

Freakshow then summoned magic, slowly growing in his hands.

The Rooster Cyborg activated his communicator and whispered into it. "Foghorn Leghorn, speaking."

Back at their hide out Samurai Jack, Kim Possible, Ron Stoppable, Danny Fenton, Boog, T-Bone, Razor, Tarzan, and Raimundo Pedrosa (who came back after escorting the group of soldiers from the bell tower to safety) listened to their blue-and-silver-clad Cyborg ally.

"I have," continued Foghorn, "I say, I have encountered Freakshow. He seems to be casting a spell—a spell, that is."

Samurai Jack then experienced another vision: the city of New York getting engulfed in a tornado of dark magic.

The Thunder God gasped as the vision ended.

"Samurai Jack, what is it?" asked Tarzan in concern. "What do you see?"

"One of Aku's Soulnados," answered the Thunder God, "on a scale I thought unimaginable. All of Earthrealm's souls imprisoned . . . absorbed by Aku, multiplying his power!"

Kim and Boog looked worried.

"That is what Foghorn has found?" Tarzan inquired again.

Samurai Jack took off his amulet and saw it crack even more. "No matter my efforts, the future remains in peril. How could I have failed Earthrealm?"

The shaman put a reassuring hand on the Thunder God's shoulder. "Do not lose faith in the spirits, Samurai Jack. They will guide you. Protect you. . . . Foghorn, we will disrupt the Soulnado."

Back in the graveyard, with his mask lifted up temporarily, Foghorn looked worried.

Tarzan reassured, "I will be there momentarily."

"Hurry, son—" pleaded the concerned-sounding Cyborg Rooster—"the spell appears to be nearly complete."

Foghorn decided to take action into his own hands in the hope of slowing down the spell's progress as he walked up to Freakshow (still chanting) and Steelbeak. The dark magic surrounding the trapped soldiers seemed to thicken around them.

"Who is this?" asked Freakshow as the necromancer noticed the Cyborg Rooster approaching them.

Steelbeak glared as he extinguished his magic and started to confront the intruder. "The one Yosemite Sam warned about. He is mine."

As the two Kombatants faced each other, the Rooster wraith pointed his index finger at the blue-and-silver-clad Cyber Rooster. "You. You are not worthy to wear the cryomancer colors."

"Who are you to judge, boy?" questioned a determined Foghorn.

"I wore those colors before you."

It was then that Foghorn, never realizing it before, recognized the dark being: his own brother. "Steelbeak!?"

"Yes, Foghorn Leghorn," nodded the wraith, "it is I. Freakshow restored me."

"Restored? . . . You and I both. We are flawed copies of our former selves."

"I have no flaws. Freakshow has perfected me."

"For what end? To serve the NetherRealm and Outworld?"

"It suits my purpose."

"But brother, we are—"

"We share blood. We are not brothers."

Foghorn squared up to fight. "Then I will not regret your defeat."

Steelbeak seemed to prove more than a match for Foghorn, from the former's ghost balls to his shadow attacks. Yet the younger brother finally gained the upper hand as he managed to evade the wraith's oncoming shadow; Foghorn then froze Steelbeak with an ice bomb, followed by a series of punches and dive kicks before defeating the evil brother with the same finishing move he made on Hannibal and Francis.

Foghorn straightened up as he looked down at his evil brother. "You are right. We are not brothers."

As for Freakshow, he continued chanting his spell, the Soulnado appearing above the trapped soldiers as its power intensified.

"WHAAAAAM-A-DOODLE!" exclaimed a wide-eyed Foghorn as he lifted his Cyber mask, trying to keep his bearings from the powerful wind tunnel. "I'm too late!"

Tarzan appeared, aghast at the sight of the Soulnado.

Freakshow just looked up, smirking with satisfaction at the Soulnado's progression.

Oh no! What could Foghorn and Tarzan do now? Could it be the end of Earthrealm as we know it? Has Aku truly won? Or do our heroes have a chance still? Stay tuned!