Hornbuckle looked to his side and saw Scorpion, prepared to fight. Hornbuckle shook any doubt away, and got into a fighting stance. Scorpion just stood there, waiting for the Irish combatant to take the first swing.
Shang Tsung shouted, "Fight!"
Hornbuckle rushed Scorpion, and punched him in the jaw. Scorpion staggered back, but then kneed Hornbuckle in the stomach. He hunched over, and began coughing. He looked up, and saw Scorpion's boot flying towards his face.
He was sent back a good two feet, and Scorpion walked over to him, and hoisted him up by the neck. The Shirai Ryu looked into the Irish man's eyes, and said, "I'm going to enjoy this."
He slammed Horbuckle back on the ground. Hornbuckle spat out some blood, and rolled on his back. Scorpion climbed on top of him, and began throwing lefts and rights at Hornbuckle's body. Scorpion delivered an especially painful blow in the jaw that loosened a few teeth.
Hornbuckle felt the blood flowing inside his mouth, and looked up at Scorpion. He let out an inhuman growl, and did a kip up. He side-kicked Scopion in the gut, and slammed his elbow in Scorpion's face. The assassin staggered back again, and grinned.
He then pressed a button on his wrist gauntlet, and pointed his wrist towards his competitor. He pressed another button, and a kunai shot towards Hornbuckle. He almost dodged it, but it got lodged in his right arm.
Scorpion grabbed the yellow rope, and shouted, "GET OVER HERE!" He tugged, and Horbuckle flew towards him. He grabbed Hornbuckle's neck again, and pulled the kunai out of his shoulder. Hornbuckle screamed, which warranted a right punch across his face.
Scoprion head-butted the Irishman a few times, and then punched him in the gut. He then backhanded Hornbuckle across the face, and threw him to the side. Hornbuckle propped himself up with his arm, and looked at the approaching assassin. He got up again, and looked over. He grinned, and rushed Scorpion in a last ditch effort.
Hornbuckle spear tackled Scorpion to the ground, and began punching him again. Scorpion's head was knocked back and forth, until he no longer tolerated it, and caught the sixth punch. He looked at Hornbuckle, and waved his finger. He said, "Tsk tsk tsk."
He kneed Hornbuckle in the groin. Hornbuckle let out a scream, and got up. Scorpion did a kip up of his own, and punched Hornbuckle in the temple, shattering the Irishman's skull. Hornbuckle fell on his back. Scorpion walked up to the fallen man, and stomped on Hornbuckle's chest, shattering all of his ribs.
Scorpion pulled him back up to his feet, and punched him in the face again, knocking more teeth out. He looked back up at Shang Tsung, before punching Hornbuckle in the gut again. After shattering the last remnants of the Irishman's ribs, Scorpion backhanded him, breaking his jaw. Scorpion grabbed Hornbuckle's neck, he began closing his hand, hearing the cracking of Hornbuckle's spine.
Shang Tsung said, "Finish him."
Scorpion looked over to Shang Tsung, and nodded. He pulled on Hornbuckle's neck, ripping his head off with twelve of his vertebrae still attached. He raised it above his head letting out an inhuman shout of victory. He slammed it on the ground, where the head exploded in blood.
Shang Tsung smiled, and said, "Scorpion wins. Fatality."
Scorpion let it fall on the ground, and walked over to his team. He stood in line, and Stryker looked over and asked, "Why'd you kill him?"
Scorpion looked over, and answered, "It's a tournament to the death. What did you expect?"
Stryker nodded and looked over to Shang Tsung. He looked at Kenshi, and asked, "Isn't that the guy that blinded you?" The blind swordsman simply nodded, and Stryker left it at that.
Shang Tsung stood, and said, "Warriors! The first fight was very short, but it was brutal. Ermac! I want you to meet with me and Bi-Han in my chambers." Ermac bowed. "The rest of you may go to your sleeping chambers and get ready for the next fight."
Everyone dispersed, and the Red Team went to the third floor of the four story complex. Smoke went into his room to exercise, and the four men sent here by the Decon Police met in a certain room. Scorpion took his mouthpiece off, and sat on the bed. He looked over to Kenshi and Stryker, who were planning a form of attack on Shang Tsung.
Kung Lao was looking out the window, thinking to himself. How could something like this happen, he thought. He felt a hand rest on his shoulder, and looked back to see Kenshi looking at him. "What's going on?"
Kung Lao asked, "What do you mean?"
"I could feel your emotion change. It happened when Shang Tsung said, 'Liu Kang'. What's up," asked Kenshi.
Kung Lao sighed, and said, "Him and I, we have a history together. I mean, I was a Shaolin monk. I joined the order back when it was in China. When we came to Decon City, it's like we changed. At least, he changed. He became much more violent in the next few years, until he thought of nothing but the mission."
Stryker said, "It looked like you two didn't part ways on the best of terms."
Kung Lao shook his head, and replied, "No, we didn't. A few months ago, back when they were deciding who should represent the Shaolin monks. We… had a disagreement. Essentially we fought, he won, I left. Simple as that. But I have a feeling that Scorpion also had an interesting backstory." They all looked over to the yellow-clad assassin, who was just sitting there.
Evidently he looked up, and asked, "What?"
Kenshi replied, "What is the story between you and that Bi-Han guy? You really seem to hate him."
"That's because I do. You don't know what he did to me. If I had it my way, you'd never know," answered Scorpion. He slowly stood up, walked up to Kenshi, and said, "And I pray to whatever god might be out there that you never have to experience what I did."
He pushed Kenshi aside, and walked out of the room. Kenshi looked over to Kung Lao, as if asking permission to follow him, but the monk just shook his head. Kenshi nodded, and walked over to Stryker, who had the apartment blueprint laid out in front of him.
The NYPD officer said, "I hope he gets his revenge."
Shang Tsung was sitting in a chair with his chin rested on his hand, when he heard a knock on the door. He said, "Come in."
The red ninja walked in and bowed.
Shang Tsung got up, and said, "Ah, Ermac. It is good to see you. How've you been?"
Ermac replied, "We are well. Thank you. We ask why have you brought us here?"
Shang Tsung then said, "I have brought you here to discuss who you shall be fighting today."
Ermac said, "We'd like to fight the blind one. He seems like easy pickings."
Shang Tsung nodded his head, and said, "It shall be done, friend. Tell Bi-Han of your plan so he can break the news to Baraka. He can fight that Stryker guy instead."
Ermac bowed again, and left the room. The red ninja had something wrong with his head. Many doctors thought he was simply bipolar, but that still didn't explain why he spoke like he thought he was more than one person. They simply wrote him off as insane. He eventually lost everything he had, and soon became homeless.
That is, until Shang Tsung found him.
The old man took pity on this former ninja, and decided to take Ermac under his wing. Due to his strange speaking manner, Shang Tsung has called him the Warrior of Many Souls. Since Ermac IS legitimately insane, he took this literally. Shang Tsung did not pay any attention, mainly because he didn't care. He just took him in because he felt that one more person is better to his army.
Shang Tsung grinned, and leaned back in his chair.
Scorpion was all alone in his room, holding his mouthpiece. He traced the large crack in the piece that he'd received ten years ago. He rubbed his forehead, and thought to himself, Has it been that long already? He laid down on his bed, and looked at the ceiling. He remember that day as if it had happened only yesterday. While most of his physical scars healed, his mental ones did not. He closed his eyes, and let himself drift off into a deep sleep.
Next time, on Mortal Kombat: Rebirth,
The Lin Keui and the Shirai Ryu have never had good feelings towards each other. But that fateful day ten years ago changed everything.
A/N: That's right, the next two chapters will be flashbacks to what the fuck happened with Bi-Han and Hanzo. While some stuff will be ripped straight from MK: Legacy, I will do most of it as original. After all, this takes place in 2013. The actual story, not the flashback. Do your math correctly, and the flashback takes place in 2003.
Anyway, I've already lined up the next fight in chapter 9. Yes, mainly because the next two chapters will be flashbacks. For the most part. And there will be a future chapter telling of how Kenshi was blinded, and shit like that. So, hope you had fun reading this story, because I had fun writing it.
Spino, out.