Love & War 4
Chapter 30: Tanya
While Chris and the crew were on their way to Shang Tsung's island, Chris and Tanya were sleeping in their quarters. Chris started dreaming of Tanya and how she came to be. In the original Mortal Kombat timeline, I first thought Tanya was an innocent woman caught in the middle when Shinnok invaded Edenia a millennia ago. He corrupted her with his necromancy, forcing her to worship him and betray her home. I actually thought Rain was the one that convinced her since he was refused to have his own army by Shao Kahn. Even after Shinnok's defeat, Tanya was never heard from again until years later when she was appointed enforcer for the Deadly Alliance, though she preferred the term 'ambassador." She was later encountered by Baraka and gave her a choice: Serve Onaga or die. She chose to serve the Dragon King, thinking it was another opportunity to take ultimate power for herself, but unknown to her, anyone who allied with the Dragon King would seize to exist, including her. She was one of the many warriors that died during the battle of Armageddon. In this new timeline, I noticed that Tanya's storyline has changed. When she was seen on MKX's story mode, I had no idea who that was. It turns out Tanya was an ally of Mileena, who calls her "dearest Tanya." I'm thinking, "what is going on with them two?" That's just part of the game itself. However, in the first Love & War, one night in the Living Forest, Tanya found a young man under attack by Kano's Black Dragon. She took him to her campsite and treated his injuries. The next night, they fell in love. She knew right then that he was the real deal when he defeated Shao Kahn at his Koliseum and again in Earthrealm. However, five years later. Chris was ambushed by the Black Dragon again, only that time, Tanya revealed herself to be in their ranks. Chris soon realized that he made a terrible mistake falling in love with her, not knowing she was only pretending to be in love with him. Li Mei, the townswoman who rescued him, helped him escape. What Tanya revealed to him was that she was going to murder Jade, her hated rival for many years. Jade found him in the Living Forest. He revealed that he made a mistake with Tanya. Jade first saw her with him at the Wastelands. She warned him to be careful. He failed to oblige these words. Soon afterward, Chris, joined by Bo' Rai Cho and Li Mei, went to Edenia with Jade and Queen Sindel for a briefing on how to handle the Dragon King. That night, Jade and Chris fell in love. It wasn't the first time as he remembered giving both her and Kitana the business. Tanya somehow learned of this and earned his love and trust, only to break it. Jade was given a blessing by Chris to kill her, but before the Dragon King's defeat, Tanya was sleeping, not knowing what was happening to her. Her body was aching. Something was released from her. It is as if her soul escaped, but instead a blue aura that was released from her took on a form of her former self. Tanya's eyes were back to normal. She was cleansed of the corruption that plagued her for so long. She was Tanya again. She then reflected on the terrible things she has done for the Forces of Darkness. Realizing that her twin plans to kill her one day, and also due to the fact that Jade will encounter her with murderous intentions, she needed to change her appearance. She cut her hair in a graduated bob hairstyle. She rid herself of the yellow leotard and sported a Egyptian-style top and leather pants with gold trims on the sides. She kept her yellow skirt.
The Dragon King was defeated, and a few months later, Tanya heard the terrible news of Kitana and Jade. They were killed by Shang Tsung, who was supposed to have been dead by Raiden's sacrifice. Somehow he survived, and has the revenants with him, created by Onaga himself. One day, she was encountered by Kano. He tried to persuade her to join Shang Tsung, but she refused. He gave her a photo of Chris, saying she'll be compensated greatly for his death by her hand, but again she refused. She did not want to take another life like she had over the years before her metamorphosis. As a result, Kano was attempting to rape her, but Chris got there in time to stop him. He was sent by Queen Sindel to find Tanya. Little did he know is the Tanya he sees is different from the Tanya he knew before. She was beautiful, sexy, just like Jade, whom he married before she died. They made love that night. They recalled their histories together. He later rescued her, Li Mei and Skarlet, Shao Kahn's last resort in his vain attempt to take over Earthrealm from the Netherrealm without incident. They embarked on another adventure, involving the Black Moon satellites. They met with many great characters from Street Fighter and got a surprise visit from Samus Aran. Chris defeated M. Bison, leader of Shadaloo in space. Jade and Chris accepted Tanya in their lives after Shinnok's defeat 20 years later. Now, Chris and Tanya are together. Tanya knows she'll meet her evil doppleganger on the island. Fierce combat will ensue no doubt, but with the love Chris gave her, she will no doubt destroy her, and she'll finally be free again. There can only be one Tanya, and it's the one who wants nothing more than to be the woman she wanted to be, a woman whose love and compassion had strengthened her. In the eyes of this woman, she became a shining light that will illuminate the future.