Chapter Thirty-Five

One day before Round Four of The Blood Tournament.

Forest Area

The sun was barely rising when both Sub-Zero and Matrik met up in the forest area not too far from the cave. After Matrik won her match in round three, they met up and decided to proceed with their plans early the next morning.

Once they did meet up, they began their journey to Noob and Sektor's hideout. Their main focus; to rescue Sub-Zero's old ally Smoke.

Though Matrik desired to take down her former cyborg master the moment she saw him, it was best that she held off her grudge until the entire tournament was completed. This was especially true since Raiden strongly advised all the chosen ones not to go off on their personal affairs during the tournament and that Matrik respected.

However, to Sub-Zero and Matrik, rescuing someone was different.

Their walk lasted about an hour before a view of the cave was seen from where they stood. "Doesn't seem like much of a hideout," Sub-Zero said upon seeing it.

"I thought the same," replied Matrik, her robotic voice reaching the ice ninja's ears. "But there is actually a hidden lair within."

Sub-Zero nodded. "With the empty space between here and the cave, I think it's best that we go in separately. That way, we don't get noticed."

"That's fine," Matrik agreed. "There's a dark pathway along the way before a wide opening. Be careful upon approach." With that, Matrik began walking forward and towards the cave.

Sub-Zero watched her as she did. The thought of Smoke came to his mind as he waited for Matrik to reach the cave that led to the hideout. He sighed to himself as he realized that it has been nearly a decade since he last saw Smoke, when the both of them were right here in Outworld. What has happened to him during all this time? Exactly when did Smoke start working with Sektor and his unnamed ally?

He remembered the day he and Smoke were given one assignment in particular during the old Lin Kuei days, and to him, it felt like only yesterday;

"Come forward, Sub-Zero!" the Grandmaster of the Link Kuei called out.

Sub-Zero walked forward and bent his knees in front of him as a sign of respect. The young man knew that his Grandmaster called upon him because he was about to be assigned a mission.

"I await your orders," Sub-Zero said.

The Grandmaster continued. "Your brother was not able to carry out his mission to assassinate the sorcerer Shang Tsung. As you already know, this was due to his demise by an unknown person at the Mortal Kombat tournament. A new tournament is about to take place and we have no doubt that Shang Tsung will be there. Your task is to finish what your brother started."

Sub-Zero nodded and stood himself up. "I will take my leave immediately."

"Not so fast!" the Grandmaster called out. "After your brother's demise, we cannot afford to lose anymore skilled warriors. Therefore, I am sending an accomplice to assist you in your mission. Come forward, Smoke!"

A ninja dressed in gray stepped forward from the shadows. Puffs of smoke surrounded his body and the process seemed as though it was endless. There were many members of the Lin Kuei, but Smoke seemed to stand out the most.

Smoke bended down to the Grandmaster. Once he did, the Grandmaster spoke. "Smoke, your focus is to watch over Sub-Zero during his mission. You are not to interfere in his quest. I suggest that you stay in the shadows once you arrive at your destination. Is that understood?"

Smoke stood up. "Yes master."

"Good," the Grandmaster replied, satisfied. "You two may take your leave."

Sub-Zero and Smoke bowed to their Grandmaster before departing from the headquarters.

For some time after departing, the two traveled to the island where the last Mortal Kombat tournament took place. There, they would have access to the portal which would lead them to Outworld. In Outworld, the new tournament would take place.

By early morning, they finally reached the island. The portal itself was located in the main building, which has been since abandoned.

Sub-Zero stayed focus as they entered the building. Once they got inside, Smoke spoke up. "Have the mission on your mind?" he asked, noting the serious look on Sub-Zero's face.

Sub-Zero was a bit surprised that the gray-clad ninja spoke. Without turning his head, he replied, "Yes."

Smoke nodded. They soon reached the portal itself, which was activated. Obviously, other Earthrealm fighters going to the tournament were coming here for access, hence it's activation.

Before entering, Smoke spoke again. "No matter what happens, you will not die here. I will make sure of that."

"Thank you," was all the blue-clad ninja said.

They soon entered the portal to begin their mission.

Sub-Zero sighed to himself again as he remembered the promise Smoke made all those years ago. Smoke was able to keep his word. Sub-Zero always wondered if maybe he made that sort of promise, perhaps maybe Smoke could've been saved from becoming a cyborg.

The ice ninja quickly shook the thoughts out of his head. He had to focused on the mission at hand, especially since it involved rescuing Smoke.

Once Matrik got through the doors, Sub-Zero began making his way over to the hideout.

Not Far From the Cave

At Ibuki's grave, Yang and Maki came over for a visit. Silently, they left Outworld wildflowers near the stone baring her name amongst others. Once they did, they stood quietly, reflecting on memories they had of her. Neither one of them was sure how long they were there. Eventually, Maki got out of her thoughts when Yang took her hand and motioned her to take a walk. Maki looked down at the large rock one more time before they departed.

They walked for about a minute before Maki spoke. "Why do people have to die?" she asked with a small sigh.

Yang slightly squeezed her hand. "Unfortunately, it eventually happens to everyone. That's the way the world works, I guess. It's the one thing we all have in common… we're all born to this world and eventually we all die. It's the worst when one dies so young." He sighed to himself. "It's going to be weird when my grandfather goes. I've known him my entire life and I can't imagine life without him."

Maki managed to smile a little. "Well, I'm sure it won't happen anytime soon."

Yang sighed again. "Unfortunately, he's going through leukemia as I speak. He was diagnosed a couple of months before we came here. The doctors gave him a year."

The young woman bit her lip upon hearing 'leukemia.' It was the same disease that took the life of her sister Rena four years ago…

"My older sister died from the same illness," Maki mentioned. "At the time, she was engaged to be married to my friend Guy. Our father had died a year before so it was a hard thing to deal with. I've been trying my best everyday to move on since then. Rena was such a great person. Despite all we've been through, she always smiled and she was such a friendly person. Everyone who came into contact with her loved her."

Then, Maki managed to giggle a little. "I remember when we were kids training in our martial arts style, Rena was serious about her training and I was always goofing around. So sometimes, I always picked on her and she would get mad so easily."

Yang couldn't help but laugh at Maki's childhood memory. "So did she ever attend tournaments like you?"

"That's the ironic part," Maki replied. "Once our training was complete, I went on to participate in tournaments and Rena didn't want to use fighting as a part of her lifestyle."

"Heh, that is ironic," Yang agreed. He then found himself chuckling a bit. "I won't forget what happened a couple of years ago. Yin was still living with our aunt in Beijing and Yun and I were helping our grandfather with his restaurant. Well, Yun once had a girlfriend named Hoimei who worked at the restaurant with us. One day, as normal, they got into a fight over… well, I can't remember but that's not important. Anyway, the fight was bad enough that Yun wanted to get back at her. So he thought it would be funny to put hot sauce in her dinner that night after the restaurant closed for the night. Well, the soup was made, put in their bowls, and Yun put the sauce in Hoimei's bowl. However, when he was serving the bowls, the blockhead ended up losing track of the bowl and it ended up in front of grandfather."

Maki began cracking up. "That poor guy. So what happened next?"

Yang managed to smile. "Well, I have to admit, the look on his face after taking a spoonful was priceless. However, he knew that it was a prank. Yun felt so bad, since he never intended to do that to grandfather, that he immediately admitted to the deed and stated his reasons, which he normally never did. Needless to say, Yun had to do extra training for the next week. Hoimei, however, didn't speak to him for two weeks."

"Wow," Maki said still laughing. She then managed to get herself to stop. "Well, it's good to talk about good memories, even during the most grim time."

Yang nodded in agreement. "Yeah. I just hope that grandfather is doing fine back at home. I know there are people taking care of him while we're gone, but still."

"Don't worry," Maki assured him. "I'm sure that he's doing fine."

"Yeah. I bet you're right."

In the Cave

In the lounge area, Rose was cleaning up some dishes from breakfast, humming to herself in the meantime to keep herself entertained during the boring chore.

While she was doing that, Raiden happened to walk into the room. He stopped for a moment, looking a bit surprised upon seeing Rose. He then quickly shook his head and proceeded to walk forward.

However, he only managed to take three steps before Rose called out, "Good morning Raiden!"

Raiden stopped in his tracks almost immediately. What nearly caught him off guard was the fact that Rose sounded, well, quite cheerful, which to him seemed unlike her.

"Um, good morning Rose," Raiden replied eventually. "It's been quite the tournament, hasn't it?"

"It has indeed," Rose said as she cleaned off some dishes with a cloth, her back turned to Raiden. "As a matter of fact, our own plans, being involved with the tournament, seems to be going well so far. How is that 'alter ego' of yours?"

Raiden laughed heartily. "You mean 'Nediar?'"

"Yes. Though I must admit, coming up with that name was, putting it lightly, quite unoriginal."

Raiden began to slowly walk forward, heading towards the cooler. "I have to agree with you for once. It was at the spur of the moment and even now I'm regretting it. I'm just lucky that I haven't fought in the courtyard yet, since Shang Tsung knows who I am and will most likely recognize my powers."

"We've talked about this already," Rose reminded him. "You would resist using your powers if it came to that."

"Indeed."

Soon, Raiden reached the cooler and was just reaching for the door when Rose happened to turn around to face him. A look of horror came upon the woman's face as she noticed a bottle of Outworld liquor in Raiden's left hand.

"AHA!" Rose called out, pointing an index finger at him. "You may be a God, but even you can't get that past me! I cannot understand why you're being irresponsible at a time like this!"

Raiden straightened himself up, cursing himself for getting caught. Upon hearing 'irresponsible,' he immediately became irritated and he quickly realized that they were going to escalate into their first argument since before Round three of the tournament began.

"You shouldn't be talking!" Raiden called out. "I saw that bottle of wine in your room the other day! I didn't bring it up because you were being nice for the past few days!"

Rose gasped. "And why in the world were you doing in my room?"

"Daily checks my dear."

Rose blinked. "We never talked about that… wait… this doesn't make any sense!"

"Neither does that hair of yours!" Raiden mentioned as he stared at Rose's wild purple hair. "It breaks all the laws of physics! I can only imagine what your hairy legs look like under those stockings!"

That did it.

"I HATE YOU!" Rose screamed out. Quickly, she grabbed yet another mug and threw it at Raiden. Just before it hit him, Raiden quickly teleported out of the room and the mug ended up breaking against the walls of the cave.

Rose stomped her foot on the ground in frustration afterward. "I swear, one day, I'm going to strangle him!"

Outside On the Cave Grounds

Coming out of the forest after some training, Ryu was heading back. He looked up at the light purple sky and guessed that it was close to lunch time. He didn't have much for breakfast and was definitely looking forward to having lunch at the palace.

Soon, Ryu reached a clearing. Not too far, he saw a figure coming towards him. For a few seconds, Ryu didn't recognize the person, but once he did, he recognized Jin. The two had only talked a few times since the whole thing began, including their first meeting in Hong Kong when they were boarding the ships to Outworld.

Ryu kept walking, but once Jin looked up and noticed him, both men stopped in their tracks. Just like their first meeting, they both sensed each others energies, both having a mix of light and dark.

Without thinking, Jin got himself into his fighting stance. No words needed to be exchanged. He wanted to spar with Ryu. Despite just training himself, Ryu smirked a little before getting into his stance as well, accepting Jin's offer.

Not too much time passed before Jin launched himself at Ryu. Ryu stood where he was until Jin was close enough to throw a punch at Ryu, who quickly blocked it. Afterward Jin followed with another punch, an uppercut, then a short roundhouse kick, all in which Ryu managed to defend himself from. Ryu then attempted some combos of his own, which Jin blocked.

Then, Jin dodged a kick and got himself behind Ryu. Standing back to back, Jin grabs Ryu's arms and was able to throw him over his head and shoulders. Ryu landed face first into the ground, nearly surprised by the move. Jin then lifted a foot to stomp it down on Ryu, but Ryu managed to roll out of the way, causing Jin to stomp on the ground instead. The older fighter then got himself back on his feet.

Ryu and Jin circled each other for a moment before covering the distance between them again. Ryu was able to deliver a couple of punches and kicks before Jin managed to get himself on offense. He was then able to punch twice with both fists before a red energy formed around them. He used his left fist for the third punch, this one sending Ryu flying back a few feet.

Luckily, Ryu was able to keep his feet on the ground. Quickly, he collected energy in his own hands before shooting them forward.

"Hadouken!" he called out as a blue projectile was shot out. It headed towards Jin, who ducked under it. The projectile instead hit a tree at the edge of the forest, causing black marks to appear.

By then, Ryu was a foot away from Jin and attempted to bring down a foot to Jin's head. However, Jin was able to catch it and pushed him back a bit. While Ryu stumbled, he quickly grabbed him and was able to kick him on one side of the face. He attempted to kick him a second time on the other side of the face, but Ryu managed to duck under the foot before delivering a blow to Jin's abdomen, causing him to rear back.

Ryu pulled himself back in the meantime before gliding himself forward with one first out. The move connected and Jin was knocked back a bit, but was still able to keep his feet on the ground.

While Jin tried to recover from the blows, Ryu managed to jump up and performed his hurricane kick. Jin saw the move in time and stepped a few feet aside, keeping a distance between him and Ryu.

Once Ryu landed back on the ground, he got into a fighting stance as did Jin. Once again, they stared at each as they waited for the other to make the next move.

"Well don't stop now!" they heard someone call out.

Both Jin and Ryu turned their heads to the voice. They were a bit surprised to see that ten of their allies from the cave had gathered around to watch the two of them spar.

"Awe it's over," said Sakura as she pouted a little.

Jin rubbed the back of his own neck as Ryu scratched his forehead. "It was just a sparring session," said Jin.

Ken gave them a thumbs up. "It was a cool sparring match to watch. However, my sparring matches with Ryu are better."

Maxi, who was also in the group looked at him. "I don't know about that."

Yin spoke up then. "Well anyway, it's lunch time."

"Oh good you cooked," said Ryu. "What's for lunch?"

Yin grinned. "Liver and onions."

Everyone looked at her in shock and horror upon hearing that. "You're kidding me right?" asked Cody who felt like he was going to puke.

"I was kidding!" Yin laughed. "We're having beef teriyaki and rice."

"Oh good," replied Ken.

And so the group heads back to have their lunch. However, one question remained on Cody's mind.

"Where does she get all that food?" he asked.

Ken shrugged. "Beats me."

Sektor and Noob's Hideout

After entering the cave, Sub-Zero was surprised to see how narrow the place was. He realized that his hunt for Smoke was going to take longer than he expected. Lighting a torch he took with him as a precaution, he headed down the long, narrow hall.

Some time passed, but soon Sub-Zero reached the large area Matrik mentioned. He saw the destroyed tech that she had mentioned to him, but other than that, all was quiet around him.

"I get the feeling that this may have been a wild goose chase," he muttered to himself.

It was at that moment that he heard footsteps behind him. Sub-Zero, thinking that it was Matrik, quickly turned himself around, but saw no one there. He began to get suspicious then, especially once silence followed after the footsteps.

As a matter of fact, it became too silent.

Before Sub-Zero had the chance to move, he was suddenly hit from behind as though an uppercut was performed. He found himself stumbling back, dropping the torch in the process, the flames immediately blown out to nothing upon impact.

Sub-Zero turned himself around, then got back on his feet. His eyes widened immediately upon seeing the person before him… this person now being a gray cyborg.

"Smoke!" Sub-Zero called out. Even with his old friend standing a few feet from him, it still surprised him that he still existed, even after all these years.

However, upon seeing Sub-Zero, Smoke got himself into his fighting stance. It was what Sub-Zero expected. Smoke was indeed being controlled.

If only Sub-Zero was able to get to his arm panel, he would be able to reactivate Smoke and hopefully, bring him back to who he was the last time he saw him.

Being cautious, Sub-Zero got into his own fighting stance, prepared for any of Smoke's attacks. He wanted to try to talk to him, try to remind Smoke of who he was, perhaps maybe try to trigger old memories. However, it would seem that it would most likely be of no use this time around.

It seemed as though the only way through this was to fight, even if it meant Sub-Zero's own death.

Before either of them moved, however, a sudden crash was heard and one of the stone walls quickly crumbled. Sub-Zero and Smoke stepped back, both surprised by what just happened.

Once the smoke cleared, Sub-Zero realized that Matrik was lying amongst the rubble, part of her covered in black marks from what looked like from battle. Immediately, Sub-Zero ran over to her to see if she was all right. During that time, Smoke managed to make his escape.

Before he could reach her, another figured stepped out from the hole that was just formed. Sub-Zero looked over at the figure and saw that he was completely a black form with the exception of a pair of glowing white eyes.

"Seems that she has an ally as well," the figure said, his voice deep.

Matrik managed to speak. "Be careful," she warned Sub-Zero. "Noob Saibot is definitely a strong opponent."

Sub-Zero nodded as he stood up to look at Noob. For what seemed like sometime they were like this. During that time, Sub-Zero couldn't help but wonder why Noob seemed so familiar. Perhaps a foe from the past? He tried to pinpoint it in his mind, but couldn't come up with anything.

Unknown to Sub-Zero, Noob immediately recognized him, realizing exactly who Sub-Zero was. However, he chose not to reveal himself just yet. He decided to save it for another time.

"I suppose you're the one running this whole thing?" asked Sub-Zero.

"As is Sektor," replied Noob. "But that's not important. You and Matrik invaded our hideout."

"Where's Sektor?" Sub-Zero questioned as he got himself in a fighting stance.

"That's none of your concern," Noob answered as he got into a fighting stance as well.

Without saying anything else, Sub-Zero launched after Noob and the two engaged in battle. Both of them performed various combos while trying to defend each other in the process. Sub-Zero noted how fast Noob was and came to the realization that was indeed going to be a challenge.

Sub-Zero jumped up and performed a roundhouse, which Noob ducked under before following with a back hand to the chest. Sub-Zero was able to block the move before Noob jumped back. He lashed a hand out and a handful of shurikens were thrown at Sub-Zero. Sub-Zero dodged from the small weapons and they ended up whizzing passed him and planted themselves against the opposite wall.

Once he recovered, Sub-Zero quickly shot out an ice projectile. Noob ended up shooting out his own projectile, while looked ghostly like with a very dark purple tint around it. To both fighters' surprise, their projectiles collided with one another, causing a small explosions before dispersing in the air.

During the fight, Matrik managed to get herself back on her feet. Still a bit weary from her previous battle with Noob, Matrik could only watch the fight before her.

Some time passed before Sub-Zero and Noob stopped fighting, realizing that they were quite even. Then, to Sub-Zero's surprise, Noob quickly sank into the floor and it seemed as though he disappeared. Sub-Zero stayed on his guard, waiting for Noob to come back.

However, Matrik was able to walk a few feet towards him. "There's nothing else we can do," Matrik said. "Noob is too strong. We need to make another plan."

Sub-Zero clenched his teeth in frustration. Unfortunately, Matrik was right. Despite being prepared to fight Sektor's ally, they had not counted on his strength and brutality. However, this would mean that rescuing Smoke would have to be postponed. How long, he wasn't sure.

"Let's go," Sub-Zero finally said and began walking. Matrik followed him as they made their way out of the labyrinth.

Over a Decade Ago…

In a dark labyrinth, a young man looked down at the well that was covered with a heavy stone. "So," he said to the old man who stood behind him. "You say that the sword lies within here?"

The old man nodded. "Yes. You will find the sword in that well."

A few days ago while in Japan, the old man had approached him after winning a duel. The old man was impressed with his fighting abilities and felt that a powerful sword he knew about in China would reflect his skills. Though the younger one didn't buy his story right away, the old man was able to convince him to go with him. He considered himself the greatest swordsman in the world and this sword may be able to reflect that.

The young man's thoughts were interrupted by the old man. "I wish that I could help you with the stone. However, my strength is not what it used to be."

Not minding, the young man accepted the task and he began to pry the heavy stone off the cover of the well. Soon, he managed to get the stone completely off as it fell over to the ground just two feet down.

However, upon peering into the depths of the well, a green blast of energy suddenly hit his face and he fell back completely stunned.

It would be the last thing the young man would ever see.

The old man laughed sadistically and he suddenly shape shifted into a more youthful man with long black hair and a goatee. Raising a hand, he collected the green energy that had emerged out of the well. The young man laid on the ground, weakened by what just happened as the realization of suddenly losing his sight came to him.

"It would seem that your ego has gotten the best of you," the shape shifter said. "Remember the name Shang Tsung as you die alone in this labyrinth."

With that, the sadistic sorcerer left the young man to die.

Present Day, Forest Area

Clenching on to the hilt of his sword, Kenshi continued with his training, even despite the thoughts of what happened to him long ago. He swung his blade in different directions, surrounded by only silence.

Obviously, Kenshi was able to live through his ordeal despite losing his vision. It turned out that the sword that Shang Tsung offered really did exist and, having unworldly powers, led Kenshi out of the depths of the labyrinth.

That same day, the sword spoke to him and told him that the souls that the sorcerer had consumed were once Warrior Kings, a group of fighters hailing from both Asia and Europe. It also told Kenshi that he was a descendent of these warriors.

From that moment on, Kenshi vowed revenge as well as redemption, constantly training to better himself and get his other remaining senses on track. He would defeat Shang Tsung not only to redeem himself, but to also rescue the souls of his ancestors and return them to their resting place… that being the very sword he now held in his hands.

Over a year ago, he was discovered by Sonya and Jax, both who believed that he had great skills to join Special Forces. At first Kenshi wasn't interested. However, upon hearing that they had access to portals which would take them to Outworld, the swordsman realized that it was a chance to exact revenge against the sorcerer. After some tests, he was soon accepted as a free agent.

There, he met new allies, joining with the Outerworld Investigation Agency branch of Special Forces. He never minded gaining new allies, it was what he did during his travels as a swordsman after all. However, his allies in Special Forces were different. Unlike his quiet nature and meeting a majority of people with the same demeanor in his travels, most of the soldiers he met had upbeat personalities and were quite loud at times. They always tried to include Kenshi in activities during their free time, even though he told them numerous times that he preferred a quiet evening. There were, however, a few times where he was convinced to go mainly because he figured that they would be satisfied for a while before the cycle starts again.

Even so, it was the first time in his life where he was able to relax for once. They always told him that he needed to do so anyway. A couple of times, they tried everything they could to crack even a small smile, but they always failed.

Out of all of his new OIA allies, Alex Walker seemed to stand out a bit more, probably because she was an introvert (though less so than he was) and was a lot less wild than the other soldiers. She had once told him that, as much as she didn't mind spending time with their colleagues, that even she needed time to herself. Between this, as well as working well together under many assignments, the two of them had long formed an understanding between each other. Perhaps he could call what they had 'a comfortable companionship.'

However, it didn't mean that he was going to go off and tell her everything. He preferred to keep his problems to himself anyway. It just meant that when he talked to her, he was able to be more like himself without being told to loosen up. Perhaps if they knew of his past, things may be different.

Then again, he didn't want pity... not from anyone.

His thoughts were soon interrupted when he heard his name being called. Kenshi recognized the voice immediately. "Alex?"

"Hey," Alex called out. "I figured you'd be here. I wanted to tell you that lunch is ready. We're having beef teriyaki and rice."

Kenshi debated in his mind whether or not to go now or wait later. However, his rumbling stomach made the decision for him. He placed his sword back in it's scabbard before walking towards Alex. "Sounds good," he said.

As they walked back to the cave area, Alex spoke. "Just to warn you, Rose is not in a good mood today. I think she and Raiden got into an argument again."

"Figured," Kenshi replied. "You would think that they'd get along."

"Tell me about it," Alex agreed. "Other than that, it's been pretty dull, though I heard there was a good sparring session between Jin and Ryu that I missed." She then changed the topic. "Well, round four begins tomorrow and you and I will be in. Have any predictions?"

Kenshi shrugged a little. "I don't know. I try to focus on the fight at hand really."

"Good for you," Alex said. "I'm sure I'll-"

It was then that she ended up tripping over a rock and began to fall forward, letting out a small yelp in the process. Sensing her fall, Kenshi quickly extended his arms out and he managed to catch her, wrapping his arms around her waist. Alex sighed of relief once he was able to stop her fall.

"That was a close one," she said as she straightened herself back up. Afterward, she eyed him. "Hey, don't you have telekinesis to do that?"

Kenshi shrugged again. "I didn't think about it at the time."

"I'd hate to know what would happen if you 'didn't think about it' from ten feet away," she joked. It was then that Alex realized that Kenshi still had one arm around her. She laughed a little and smiled a bit. "Um, you can let go now."

Once she said that, Kenshi realized where his arm was and he pulled it back. "Sorry," he said.

"Hey!" someone called out not too far from them. Alex turned her head and saw Sonya waving over to them from the edge of the forest. "You two better hurry up, we're almost out of beef!"

Immediately, Kenshi and Alex walked over to Sonya. Kenshi went on ahead as Sonya pulled on Alex's arm a bit. Alex raised an eyebrow at her friend upon see the smirk on her face. It took a moment for Alex to realize exactly why Sonya was smirking at her like that.

"It's not like that," Alex quickly said.

Sonya's smirk turned into a grin. "Whatever you say Alex. I just thought that since you two-"

"Don't even start," Alex warned.

"All right, I won't mention it again," Sonya replied. From there, they began to head back.

Near The Cave An Hour Later

Coming back empty handed, Sub-Zero and Matrik returned to the cave area. Neither of them said anything since escaping the hideout. Both of them realized that, the moment they made their escape, Noob, Sektor, and Smoke were definitely going to move their business elsewhere.

Perhaps they should've held their rescue mission off until after the tournament.

Once they were in view of the campsite, the only person outside was one of the newer chosen ones, Ashrah. They seemed worn from what looked like a battle. However, that wasn't what caught Ashrah's attention. What really caught her attention was Matrik's cyborg technology.

The white-clad woman stood up, catching Sub-Zero and Matrik's attention. Both of them stopped in their tracks as Ashrah approached them.

"Is everything all right?" she asked. "You two looked as though you've returned from battle."

Sub-Zero nodded to her. "It's a long story. We prefer not to discuss it."

Ashrah nodded once, understanding. She then looked over at Matrik. "I'm curious to know, looking at your nano-technology. Do you happen to know someone by the name of Noob Saibot?"

This immediately caught their attention and Sub-Zero grim look seemed to brighten a little bit, more out of curiosity than anything. "Why do you want to know?" he asked.

"I've been after him since I came to Outworld. I knew him during my time in the Netherrealm, and you could say that he 'assisted' me in escaping that dreadful place. However, he was able to come here somehow and he has something of value that I wish to get back."

"I see," said Sub-Zero. "Matrik and I were originally after another cyborg named Sektor. Only during the past week we've discovered that he was allied with Noob and Smoke for reasons we're unsure of, other than the fact that they're out to achieve their own agendas. Obviously, you know of Smoke since you recognized Matrik's technology. We think that, for whatever reason, they're allied for their own personal gain. It doesn't seem like they are working with the Emperor of Outworld."

"It seems that we have a common foe," Ashrah said. "Perhaps we should ally together. We can help each other take down the three."

"Actually," Matrik spoke up. "Smoke is being controlled by the both of them and was once a friend of Sub-Zero. We're hoping to free him from their control."

Ashrah nodded again, now realizing why Smoke nearly malfunctioned back in the Netherrealm. "Before I left the Netherrealm, Smoke seemed to malfunction, as though there was some good in him. Even those with an once of good cannot survive the depths of the Netherrealm."

"Seems like there is some humanity left after all," said Sub-Zero feeling hopeful for the first time since early this morning. "The thing is, since we invaded their hideout, they'll obviously find a new place to hide."

"I understand. For now, rest for the day and during the next few days, we'll make preparations. I assume your main focus will be to rescue Smoke, which will be our first task."

Soon, the three of them began heading back into the cave. As they did, they walked over a shadow on the ground that was coming from the tree. Unknown to any of them, two small glowing white circles laid within the shadows… the small circles seeming as though they represented a pair of eyes…

It was why Noob escaped after battling with Sub-Zero. He just had to know exactly where they were hiding. He was a bit surprised to see that they were also allied with Ashrah, but now wasn't the time to worry about how she ended up here to begin with since he thought she was staying at the palace.

Either way, he was going to use their 'hideout' to his advantage in the future.