The Search For Johnny Cage

Ch6: Back At The Farm

Smallville, Kansas in the Briggs farm house at 4:30 AM Jax and Vera are asleep in bed, Jax is talking in his sleep saying "No... please... make it stop". Inside the mind of Jax a recurring nightmare is raging on, this nightmare is his time as a revenant under the service of Quan Chi and Shinnok. The nightmare is during the war between Earth and the Netherrealm, Jax in the service of the Dark Brotherhood leads an army of demons through a city in China, Jax snaps the neck of a soldier shooting at the army of undead and steals his AR. The revenant Jax hears some rumbling in a store and runs in looking for what caused that noise. He scans the store until he comes across the door to a supply closet, ripping the door off of it's hinges to find a middle aged couple holding each other in absolute terror. Jax puts the couple in his sights as they beg for their lives. Right as Jax is about to pull the trigger he wakes from nightmare screaming and in a cold sweat, this wakes up Vera. The bionic commando is trying to calm himself down by taking deep breaths but it seems to have little effect. Vera holds him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders.

Vera: It's okay baby, I'm here. Nobody's going to hurt you. Shhh

Jax's heartbeat begins to slow down and holds on to his wife's hand. He is no longer as frantic and looks at his wife, he has tears in his eyes because he hates burdening her with his trauma.

Jax: I'm sorry.

Vera hugs him tight and he just lets the emotion pour out of him. Jax feels so lost and hates that the pain he feels continues to affect the others around him.

Vera: It's okay. But you know where we have to go to later right?

Jax: I'll text Dinah, I'll let her know.

Jax goes to take a shower and clean himself up a little bit. He sends a text to Dinah Lance AKA The Black Canary, who along with a handful of other members of the hero community have been making efforts to expand Sanctuary's resources to more than just talking out their feelings to an AI and halfway house. Jax has been going to Sanctuary on a monthly basis ever since it was recommended to him by Clark Kent AKA Superman. Later that morning Jax drives all the way to the most remote part of Nebraska from his farmhouse in Smallville with his wife in shotgun. The couple get out of the trunk and see Dinah waiting for them on the front porch with two others those being Doc Samson of the Avengers who has served as the therapist of the Hulk and J'onn J'onnz the Martian Manhunter. The group is in their civilian clothes Doc Samson wearing a suit jacket along with a black long sleeve shirt under it with his green hair in a pony tail and khakis, J'onn J'onnz wearing a leather jacket but blue button up and jeans yet still in his martian form, and Black Canary who is wearing a black jacket and pants. Canary has a smile on her face and greets the two of them by hugging them both.

Canary: Jax! Vera! It's good to see you! I hope you don't mind I brought some people I think can help, this is Samson and J'onn.

J'onn nods and Samson waves politely at Jax and his wife. Vera smiles back and looks at Jax thinking he'll be happy that the therapist for the Hulk and one of the most well known telepaths of the superhero community could help Jax but his face remains unchanged. Jax walks up and shakes both of their hands. The group goes into the house and into the room designated for therapy each of them take a seat.

J'onn: Dinah tells me you are having nightmares from your time as a member of the Brotherhood of Shadow.

Jax: Almost every night. Some nights I get lucky and don't remember my dreams. I woke up from a nightmare real early this morning, I was storming some city in I think China and uh...

Jax looks down at his boots and takes a deep breath trying to find the words but is unable to describe what he lived through.

Canary: It's okay Jax. You don't have to tell us anything you don't want to tell us.

Vera: Is there anything we can do to make this better?

Canary: Coming to Sanctuary is good and I'm always a phone call away, but we've also been looking into other options as we expand Sanctuary's resources.

Jax: Such as?

Doc Samson: Well I'm sure you saw the news of the Hulk almost leveling Dragon Mountain in Japan. We actually asked Hanzo Hasashi to help both Banner and the Hulk. We're still investigating what happened but if it weren't for Hanzo, that pale man with the red tattoo, Zatanna, and Constantine very conveniently also being in Japan... I don't know what we would do.

Canary: We are going to give Hanzo some more time with Doctor Banner was done perhaps you would want to go-

Jax: I'll pass, Hanzo is a good guy but I have too much going on for me here. The farm, I'm playing sax again, and I don't want to leave just yet.

J'onn: We understand Mr. Briggs. But the Fire Gardens are not the only annex facility we have in mind. We are working on treatment centers with different specializations in Boston, Wakanda, and other locations. The options are there whenever you are ready.

Canary: Vera would you give us all a minute.

Vera looks at her husband, he nods letting her know it's ok so she gets up and leaves the room. It's now just the four heroes in the room. Jax looks around at them nervously but the others have calm looks on their faces.

Canary: Have you reached out to Bucky like we talked about?

Jax: Because he's a bionic commando too?

Canary: Because he was forced to do horrible things on someone else's behalf.

Jax: Are you saying I can't come here anymore?

Canary: Not at all, there's a reason why Clark recommended this place to you. Like I said earlier, I want to expand this facility to for more than just capes, masks, and our immediate allies talking to a computer.

Doc Samson: I think meeting with Bucky would be a great start.

Jax just nods along and listens to what they have to say. Meanwhile somewhere in the backroads of Kansas, a black SUV is barreling down the road and not too far behind it is an RV. The SUV is driven by a determined Sonya Blade and in the RV Tom Sheldon and Rico Rodriguez tail behind her. Inside the RV Sheldon is making the best of this road trip, the radio of the RV is playing "Run Away From It All" by Black Berry Smoke he sings along until Rico gets back into shotgun and lowers the volume of the radio.

Rico: I don't know why you insisted on making Sonya stop to grab the RV when she very well could've flown us out to Smallville or use a teleporter.

Sheldon: I distinctly remember her getting team to open a portal and now were only a little ways a way from Smallville. Besides I got somethings in here that might sway Jax a little bit. Open the glove compartment for me if you don't mind.

Rico opens the glove compartment and sees a scarp book, he opens it revealing that it was made by a younger not yet jaded Sonya Blade, Rico flips through the pages to pictures of a young Tom Sheldon and Sonya Blade at various different ages from when she was a little girl, high school proms, and finally a picture of her in uniform alongside a younger Tom Sheldon and a private Jackson Briggs who still had both of his arms.

Rico: You can't be serious.

Sheldon: Small world! That was right before I sent them off to Sokovia, that's kinda where they dynamic between me and Sonya changed.

Rico: What did you do?

Sheldon: They were on a recon mission. We wanted confirmation that the Black Hand was using Sokovia as a supply drop for a lot of their European clients... including Hydra.

Rico's eyes widen and asks the question "You and Von Strucker were business partners?" to which Sheldon replies "Very funny, when the agency had their deal with Espinosa and Di Ravello they thought that would include other clients like Strucker and that wasn't the case, at least officially."

Rico: So what happened?

Sheldon: I sent them and a couple others off to check out this Hydra and Black Hand joint operation and of course the Agency requested me to be there to help renegotiate with the Black Hand and of course, Jax and Sonya found me and they weren't exactly thrilled to see me.

Rico: I can imagine.

The RV and Sonya's SUV drive past a sign that says "Welcome to Smallville. Meteor Capital of the World!". A few hours have gone since the emergency appointment at Sanctyary, Jax is now back at his farm in Smallville working on repairing the engine of his tractor. He hears the sound of an SUV pulling into his property but instead of coming out of the barn to see who it is he's un-phased by it. A couple more minutes go by and Sonya Blade walks into the barn but Jax continues to work on the tractor. Jax asks Sonya without even looking up "Let me guess, Vera told you I'd be out here?".

Sonya: Call it a hunch. She told me you joined a jazz band in town since the last time I saw-

Jax: I'm not helping you find Johnny. I got enough on my plate as is.

Sonya: We have a solid lead, we could use the manpower.

Jax: Sonya, you'll always be family... But I can't help right now. I'm dealing with things you couldn't possibly understand.

The voice of a notable Texan can be heard telling Jax "Well explain it then partner!", Jax looks up from his work bench to see Tom Sheldon with a big grind on his face beaming at Jax but he doesn't reciprocate.

Jax: Sheldon!

Sheldon: Long time no see!

Jax: For a reason!

Jax's arms begin to glow through their coverings and he angrily marches over to Sheldon causing the Texan grin to turn into a look of concern for his own safety. With every step Jax gets angrier and angrier, "You brought this bastard to my home Sonya?!". Jax raises his fist but before he can actually swing at Sheldon the grappling hook of Rico Rodriguez grapples on the back of Jax's robotic fist. The retired bionic commando looks over his shoulder to Rico holding on tightly as he can to hold Jax back.

Rico: There was a time where I would've let just whale him on Major Briggs, but we need Sheldon's strategic mind to be intact if we are going take down the people that took Johnny.

Jax grimaces back at Rico, he lowers his fist so Rico can detach from his robotic hand. Sonya now stands between him and Sheldon. Rico begins to walk over to stand along side Sonya and even check on his mentor. The voice of a sweet old lady can be heard from behind the group and says "I'm sorry I hope I'm not interrupting!", they all turn around to see Jax's neighbor Martha Kent with a pie in her hands.

Martha: I'm sorry Jax, Vera invited me over and I was already making pie I should have enough for every-

Jax: Thank you Martha, but they were just leaving.

Sonya and Sheldon both turn to Jax but he walks right past them and walks Mrs. Kent to his front door. Before he goes back in the house Jax tells them "It was good to see you Sonya. Rico, I'm told you're a good guy but don't ever grapnel my hand." Sonya and Rico both turn to Sheldon.

Sheldon: Don't look at me!

Sonya: Let's just get out of here, hopefully the others have made more progress on either finding Johnny or people willing to help find him then we did.

The three of them get back in their respective vehicles and drive out from the Briggs' family farm empty handed and defeated. Once they get out of town Sonya radios to Cyrax and Dr. Rattman to open a portal.

Sonya: Cyrax, Doctor Rattman requesting portal back to base.

A portal then opens a few feet away from their vehicles, once they drive thru the portal closes and they have returned to Special Forces HQ ready to begin planning the rescue of Johnny Cage but across the world others still search for those to give the edge in fighting the Shin-Tan...