Mileena didn't feel good. Her body ached and something inside her didn't feel right. "It wss that amulet. It must have some side effects."
She sat in a tent at the camp her forces had in the jungles of Outworld. Beside her, chained to a tree trunk that was used to support the tent, was the being she had seen in the city.
His pale skin reflected the thin beams of sunlight that shone down into the tent through holes in the material, his eyes closed and breathing shallow.
"I have never seen anytning like him." a voice spoke from behind her, making Mileena jump. Whipping around and drawing her sai, she saw Rain standing in the tent door.
"How dare you sneak up on me?!" Mileena hissed as he seemed to sigh softly. If his plan worked out right, Rain knew the amulets's power would slowly kill Mileena and take away her life force...only after they had gained control of Outworld. That would leave him the ruler.
"I came to check on the prisoner." he told her as Rain looked down at the small man. "He doesn't look so special now."
Mileena scowled at her ally. "This being could be the key to use taking Outworld from Kotal Kahn!" she hissed as the being seemed to stir on the ground.
"I'm what to taking where from who?" Mileena and Rain jumped a little as the mystery person suddenly kicked up onto his feet from his back. The two emerald eyes from before carefully served them both as Mileena's own fiery orange eyes glared back.
"You were listening the entire time? Why?" she demanded as he shrugged and seemed to smile for a minute.
"Seemed like fun." he told with a voice that was not loud or commanding, more soft and full of emotion. "Now, do you mind telling me where in the blue hell I am?"
Rain, not liking his attitude, swiftly struck out at this figure and punched him in the jaw. The pale man staggered back but did not fall as he felt the place where he had been hit with shuckled hands,
"Now see, that wasn't very nice." he told him in darker voice and glaring at the ninja. "Got another one in ya?"
Rain's eyes narrowed as he struck the man again, this time in the stomach as he doubled over in pain. The man coughed as he was only held out by his chains.
"Keep going. Maybe it'll start to hurt." Again, the mystery man mocked Rain as he made the ninja madder.
As Rain drew back again, Mileena's voice sliced through the air as she stepped between her ally and prisoner. "Enough! Go check on supplies and leave the prisoner to me!" she ordered as Rain stopped and stared hard at them both before obeying her.
When Rain left, Mileena's eyes fell to the chained up man. "Now tell me your name and we shall discuss terms for your release!"
Smirking a bit, the pale man looked her dead in the eye and Mileena couldn't helo but feel the tiniest of blushes come out under her mask. Just the way he looked at her made her feel...strange.
"My name is Alpren," he told her, leaning back against the tree trunk. "And I don't think I know you, but I'm not one for remembering faces either."
Scowling at this apparent trickster, she clamped a hand around his throat as she leaned closer. "I am Mileena, rightful fuller of Outworld and daughter to Shao Khan!"
She waited to see the realization hit his face but it remained in the same goofy smirk. "Never heard of you or him, but it's always nice to meet someone new."
He had to be human. This 'Alpren' reminded Mileena of that other smart mouthed human, Johnny Cage. So she decided to make her means known.
"Don't play games with me, human! You will help me take back Outworld and I shall spare your li-" she began but stopped when she saw his smile fade and hatred in his eyes. There was a snapping sound as the shackles holding him snapped open and he lunged forward.
Mileena found herself face to face with Alpren, his milky white skin without scar or bruise. They were the same height as Alpren drew very close to her face, lips curled back in a growl.
"Don't...ever...call...me...a...human!" he snarled before drawing back. "They are a heartless and cruel race. There is no one I hate more than those who hurt me the most in my life."
Never one to back down, Mileena decided to show Alpren what was behind her mask. It always scared or at least disgusted most males. Even people close to her like Rain and Tanya seemed uncomfortable if she didn't have her mask on. Baraka was the only one to not be scared of her true looks, but her former mate was not what she would call 'in it for the love'.
Upon showing him her razor like fangs mixed in with normal teeth, she thought she saw his eyes twitch a little. But he made no movement only an emotional change:confusion.
"What is it?" she asked. "Tell me why you look at me without disgust or fear! I am warrior and monster who will rule Outworld with an iron fist."
Alpren just stared at her before she saw his skin bulge. Before she knew it, Mileena was looking at the creature she had first seen in the city during her attack on Kotal Kahn.
His manibles twitched as he let out a low hiss and now towered over her, claws digging into the ground. "Because," Alpren hissed in a deeper voice. "I know what it's like to be hated because you look a certain way."
The body changed again, shrinking back down to his pale skinned size before smiling again. "You said you want to conquer Outworld and rule with an iron fist. That's not the way to go about it."
At this point, Mileena's mind was racing as she thought what to say next. "What do you mean? Are you insulting my leadership?" she demanded, sounding insulted.
Alpren put his hands up in defence. "Of course not. But, as much as I hate the humans, I've spent enough time in Earthrealm to see who the best leaders are. And they are the ones who are the people's champion. People chosen by society to lead them because the population has faith in them."
Mileena thought about this for a long time, but shook her. Shao Kahn had taught her how to rule and that is how she would rule. "Get back in your chains. I shall return when I have need of you." she hissed as she turned her back to him.
Surprisingly, Mileena heard a clink of chains as she glanced over her shoulder at him. Alpren stood a ways back, arms once again locked in the shackles as he stared blankly at her. She turned to go but his voice stopped her.
"Before you go, I want to get you thinking on a couple of things. You said you wanted to rule Outworld because your father did. Is that what you really want?" Alpren asked in an unusually sincere voice as Mileena felt her doubt creep up inside her.
"I..." she began but was at a loss for words as she looked at him. "Why would you care what I want?"
Alpren could only look down and smile. "You'll find out soon enough." he told her before she glared and exited the tent.
Night was falling and Alpren was alone with only his thoughts...and memories. When you boil it down, that's all he had left. No home, no family, no friends, and no meaning...just memories.
Memories that he knew would haunt when he fell asleep. Memories of the pain inflicted on him and the ridicule he faced everyday since his creation.
Some memories only hovered in his head for a minute, barely memorable and intact while others clung to his brain and refused to be out of mind.
When he had the time and planning, Alpren promised himself he would make good on his word and take revenge on those who tortured him for hours upon end.
He wasn't the only one either. He could see it in Mileena's eyes as well. That look of loneliness and pain that dwelled in the depths of a mind and seemed buried under a mountain of personality and emotion.
Eyes of someone that had been toyed with and faced ridicule simply because of the way they looked or maybe because they had never been given a chance.
Someone who had been deprived of comfort and compassion all through their existence, like he was.
There were people in this one who were totally alone and he was one of them. Alpren now sat alone in the dark, these thoughts running rampant through his hand as he wished for a small feeling of hope or even happiness. He just concealed this feeling of despair with an attitude that felt...right.
Alpren's stomach growled as he realized the last thing he ate was...well was a Outworld guard that had come looking for him. At least he had cooked him over a fire.
How he longed for some meat or even bread he occasionally found on travelers. Most of all he wanted something to quench the ever growing parched taste in his throat.
Alpren knew he had no hopes of getting anything from Rain, the bastard. Tanya, one of the other leaders here, probably wasn't of any use as she wouldn't come near the tent. And he doubted Mileena would do it with her plans of tyrannical rule.
"So I'm a mere tool again. Great." he sighed to himself as tried to get comfortable in his chains.
His ears perked up as he heard a twig snapping just outside the tent. His eyes immediately went to the door, waiting for a captor, an enemy, or even a savior.
To his surprise, Mileena walked through the flap, carrying a small clay mug and plate with a small piece of browned meat. She watched Alpren the whole time as she walked toward him, setting the plate down in front of him.
"I had you figured wrong Mileena. I would never have thought you to have the ability to bring a prisoner food." Alpren sneered, raising an eyebrow as he picked up the mug. Clear water sloshed in the bottom as he tilted upwards and took a long drink while Mileena sat down cross legged in front of him.
"You could break out of here anytime you want...why don't you?" she questioned as he brought the mug back down. The question had been gnawing at her ever since she saw him break out.
Looking back at her, Alpren thought for a moment. "I'd like to see how this plays out. And really, I don't have anywhere else to go."
"That's it?" Mileena asked before Alpren picked up the piece of cooked meat on the plate. It was about the size of a fist as he took a bite out of the side.
"Let me answer that question with another question. If you conquer Outworld, with or without me, what then? What do you do?" He asked after swallowing the dry meat.
Narrowing her eyes, Mileena hissed. "I know what you are trying to do. You're trying to manipulate me into not taking control of Outworld!"
Closing his eyes, Alpren shook his head. "I have no love for Kotal Kahn. His soldiers tormented me and were nothing but a nuisance."
"You lie!" Mileena yelled as she stood up in front of him. She still felt the pain from the amulet, but worse now. "You are a spy from Kotal Khan! This has all been a ruse!"
Alpren saw her grimace as he suddenly reached out to steady her fall. He grabbed her leg as she regained herself and glared down at her. "Don't you dare touch me, filth!"
She slapped his hand away as she stood back a ways. The tent flap was pushed aside as Mileena exited, hateful eyes now on Alpren before disappearing out of sight.
He sighed, shaking his head in disappointment. He now felt the same pain in him Mileena had felt. Alpren had a very special ability to go along with his transformation. He could take sickness, injury, or cause of pain away from someone on a touch and then have it himself. He could also disperse this on another touch to another person if he chose too.
And he had taken the force that had been killing Mileena. Not because he wanted to save her, but for a different reason.
He wanted to inflict it upon the very person he felt responsible for his suffering. The person who ordered and headed his creation in Earthrealm. The person who had told the god Raiden to banish him to the wastes of Outworld.
That person was Sonya Blade.