Love & War 4
Chapter 31: Johnny Cage & Sonya Blade
After his dream, Chris looked at Tanya. She slept peacefully. He knows she will face her evil twin on the island. He knows that Melody is in tears, waiting for him to rescue her. The thought of his daughter's abduction and impending death made him tear up. He's lost too much over the course of 20 years. He would be damned if he lost Melody. But because Jade, Kitana and Li Mei are already there, he felt some relief. With Tanya, he felt much better. She was a wonderful aunt to Melody, and trained her to add more flexibility, which greatly improved her style of combat. The fact that she lacks experience, Tanya assured Chris that with her abilities, she'll be able to handle herself. That thought alone and with Tanya's kind words put him at ease. He then fell asleep, knowing his rescue mission for Melody will begin on the island, the same island where he met Jade and Kitana, where Liu Kang defeated Shang Tsung, and where Chris and Sonya brought Kano to justice. It'll seem like old times, he thought to himself.
Sonya and Johnny were in their quarters.
"Come on, Sonya. There's plenty of room on the bed."
"I'm fine. Go to sleep."
"I know what you're thinking. This isn't my idea. And you can't blame Kotal for thinking we'd share the same bed. Look at Chris and Jade."
"They're happily married, Cage. Right now, Tanya is with him until they meet on the island."
"Sometimes I wonder where we went wrong."
"We were wrong from the start."
Years ago at the Jinsei Chamber...
"...J..Johnny...?"
"Easy, Sonya. This place will heal you."
"Shinnok is gone?"
"Hell yeah, and Raiden's got a plan to make sure he doesn't break out again."
"In the battle, I've never seen you act like that."
"Like what?"
"Selfless."
"Aw that was notihng. You took a direct hit from Shinnok's amulet. You would've been a goner. While you're feeling the Jinsei high, there's something I want to ask you. Now that the war is over and beofre we go back to our separate lives, can I take you out to dinner?"
"...as long as it's not one of your movies..."
Four months later, Sonya rings the doorbell at Johnny's condo.
"No solicitors, unless you're from the studio..."
"It's Lieutenant Colonel Blade."
"Sonya? I'll be right down."
Johnny opens the door, wearing nothin' but a blue towel.
"Is that how you answer visitors?"
"Only the pretty one."
"We need to talk."
"The phrase every boy is just dying to hear."
They sat on his sofa.
"I'm actually glad you came. Last time you bailed before trying my famous Shadow Pancakes. And I get it, you don't have a boyfriend. We're two consenting adults who saved the world, like adults. Unless, maybe, you fell in love with me...
"For once, shut up!"
Thank you!
"I'm pregnant."
Say what?
A few years later, Sonya was loading up her pistol equipped with a suppressor.
"Sonya?"
"It's 3 a.m. What the hell...?'
"Kenshi is in trouble. I sent him undercover with the Red Dragon before Cassie was born. Now he needs a exit strategy, and I'm leading a extraction team."
"Can't someone else handle it? What about Shaun and Onabru? You'll miss Cassie 's birthday."
"I'm the one who put Kenshi in harm's way. I'm responsible for him."
"And you're responsible for a little girl, too."
"I don't want to miss her birthday."
"Then don't. She won't forget it, Sonya."
"No, but what Chris told me long ago at the tournament was true: When duty calls, we make sacrifices."
"I'm sure he sacrificed in times of war."
"He sacrificed 20 years of his life, Cage. He was always at our beck and call when we needed him."
10 hours later in Pakistan...
"This was supposed to a stealth operation! I thought you ditched these guys in the Himalaya!"
"I did!" Kenshi replied. "Turns out Red Dragon paid off every local terrorist from here to India."
"We need out of this meatgrinder. Shaun, where the fuck is helo?"
"We're...taking...shots...moving... checkpoint beat."
"Kenshi, our ride is to the south."
"Copy that."
They went to the extraction point.
"That's our bird. I'll cover us."
"RPG at 6 o'clock," yelled Chris in the chopper. "Can you neutralize?"
"Got her in my sights?'
She hesitated.
"Sonya, what are you doing?"
"Shit. Look away, kid."
And now...
"She kept watching me, even after I pulled the trigger."
"You didn't..."
"No. Just the mother. Part of me wanted to set the little girl free. Free from a mother who cared more about field artillery than field trips. Chris was right. I was pushing her away. Reflecting on what he said to me earlier, it made sense."
"I'm sorry, Sonya. I didn't.."
"You never asked."
There was a knock on the door.
"The island is on our horizon."
Sonya was getting dressed.
"It'll be a while before we get to the island. We can talk more..."
"What more is there to say, Johnny? I gave up my daughter's childhood to make her world safe. It was the right thing to do until a few weeks ago when she ran away. Now we're at the end of the world, under the kindness of a barbarian, our trusted soldier and our former enemy of Edenia. Who knows what she's seen on the island. What kind of torture would they inflict on her... All I know is if we fail, if we don't rescue our daughter, then all those years I gave up will be for nothing. I never knew my daughter, and she never knew... how much a mother cares. I can tell Chris feels the same way. When he lost his family years ago, I could only imagine him alone in the world, but the Homefornt Warriors were like a family to him than a military conglomerate. Now he has a daughter I've never met, a beautiful wife who was one of our allies and another beautiful woman who took part in Outworld's Civil War to dethrone Kotal Kahn. I heard that Tanya planned to free Edenia from Kotal's clutches, but it is as if something changed. She became our ally thanks to Chris, and the love they share with each other made me realize that she deeply cares for him as he does her. Now her so-called "evil twin" wants her dead. And she plans to eradicate that twin to free herself. According to her, that twin may be on the island. I really hope Tanya knows what she's doing. Her very life depends on her success."
Sonya exited the quarters to find Chris and Tanya ready to go.
"You two as well?"
"I only got a few hours of sleep," Chris replied. "But it's good enough for me."
"You ok, Tanya?"
"I would feel a lot better once this is over."
"This will not take long."
They went outside where D'Vorah was waiting for them. Kotal Kahn sees the island from a distance
"We land at dawn. The forests off the beach is too dangerous to traverse by night."
In the cell, Cassie heard clunking noises. She faced the door when it turned open, busting her in the nose.
"What the...?'
She then gets kicked in the jaw. She looked up and saw Jacqui...corrupted! There was a cut on her left arm.
"Jacqui!"
"Good news, Cage. We're saved," said Jacqui. "Skarlet can free us... with the blood code!"
"Hold her down, Briggs."
It was Skarlet in her alternate MK9 outfit.
"We have important guest, Cassie. Your parents."
"Bite me, Skarlet! If you ever..."
"You'll give them a proper bloody welcome."
Skarlet cuts Cassie, which now corrupts her as well.