Part Four
Snafu's Notes: Here it is. The final chapter of Mortal Kombat: Consequences.
Unknown Location.
"Praised to be the Order that has been brought forth from the very edge of Chaos."
The meeting of the senior members of the Black Lotus was now underway. And Number One was not very happy. "Report," he ordered. "What the Hell happened?!"
Sister Pluto, wearing a simple mask, but her uniform showed that she was part of the South Korean military, gave her report. "We have underestimated the PMC that General Blake had called in," she explained. "He hired Executive Outcomes."
"I know of them," Mother Earth said. "Loose cannons. They prefer to shoot now and ask questions later. I was able to find out that they found and tortured one of our number in order to get the location of the hideout where Blake's family was located. Then they killed him. By the time we discovered his body, the raid was taking place."
"Probably the first time that we were not responsible for the deaths of innocents," Number One grumbled. "Do we know where the main HQ for Executive Outcomes is?"
"Yes, Number One. We do," confirmed Lady Venus. "Their main headquarters is in Paris."
Number One nodded. "Good. We gave them fair warning, that if anyone interfered, then they will be pay the price. I want Executive Outcomes a footnote by the end of the week."
"Yes, Number One," Venus said.
Number One sighed irritably. "Do anybody have any good news they would like to share?"
Elder Jupiter cleared his throat. "We do. Ironically it coincides with General Blake and his son."
"How is that good news?" Number One demanded.
"We now know the identity of The Director of Strategic Solutions," Jupiter explained. "Secretary Blake, in his desperation, tried to appeal to The Director of Strategic Solutions for aid. Our mole has confirmed the identity of The Director."
Number One leaned in his seat. The other members of the Council now had their attention on Jupiter. "Well?" Number One demanded.
Jupiter turned to Saturn. "You owe me five grand, you old Russian dog."
Saturn's eyes went wide at the realization. "Bozhe moi," he muttered in Russian.
While Saturn continued to curse in Russian, Jupiter addressed the other. "The Director is Sonya Blade."
"This has been confirmed?" Number One asked.
"Our mole confirmed it. Blade herself also confirmed it, as she founded the organization with her husband," Jupiter replied. "There's more. Our mole's cover has been compromised."
The Council fell silent at Jupiter's words.
"Apparently, Director Blade was privy to the fact that 'Elena' was sent by us for quite some time," Jupiter continued. "She knew, but did nothing, as she correctly assumed that we sent 'Elena' to see if she was a threat."
"And 'Elena?'" Number One asked.
"She's alive and well. Although Director Blade will let her go once her contract with Strategic Solutions expire. There's something else. Director Blade is proposing a non-aggression pact between her organization and us. We don't interfere with her business and she will do the same with us."
"Hmm...interesting," Number One mused. "Just when I think I've seen it all. What better way to hide in plain sight than to act as an employee...okay, majority vote. All in favor of the non-aggression pact proposed by Director Blade?"
Nine hands raised in the air.
"Motion passed," Number One said. He turned to Jupiter. "Contact 'Elena.' Tell to relay to Director Blade that we have agreed to the terms. On second thought, belay that order. Contact 'Elena,' and have her give me Director Blade's number. I would like to contact her myself."
"And 'Elena?'" Jupiter asked.
"Just to be on the safe side, bring her out of California. This meeting is adjourned."
East Potomac Park, Washington, D.C. - the following day.
Secretary Drew Blake sat on a bench, looking out at the Potomac River.
He had been here all night, catatonic and numb. He had cried for the deaths of his wife, his daughter and her unborn child, and his son-in-law when he had left Los Angeles. By the time he had arrived back in Washington, he had no more tears to shed. He had ignored the calls from his fellow co-workers offering their condolences once it became known that his family had been slain.
In his lap, was his Glock 19 pistol. Next to him, was a sealed envelope, addressed to his brother-in-law, who was a detective in the D.C. police force, and his cellphone. His cellphone had rang for the umpteenth time, but he didn't answer it. Probably one of his co-workers offering their condolences in regards to his family.
Blake looked down at his phone. Sure enough, it was a missed call from his brother-in-law. Blake picked up the phone, stood up, and flung it into the Potomac. He then walked back to the bench and sat back down. He regarded the matte-black Glock in his hand, as if it was his best friend. The slide was pulled back, showing that the weapon was not loaded.
But not for long. He pulled out a clip from his pocket, and loaded it into the Glock, the slide snapping into place. Blake pulled the slide back, loading a round into the chamber. He placed the weapon back into his lap, and turned his attention back to the waterfront.
The Glock in his hand had been a gift from his father. It was also the same weapon he had used to end his life. He had stopped by his home before coming to the park. There, he found his father in the study, on the phone.
[Flashback]
Hours earlier...
Secretary Blake found his father inside the study, on the phone. General Blake looked up, and saw his son enter. The elder Blake looked at his son's face. The cheeks were puffy from crying, while the eyes showed not only the look of a man who had lost everything, but also the unmistakable glint of anger in them...combined with madness.
"I gotta go. My son is here. I'll be in touch," General Blake said, hanging up the phone. He turned to his furious son. "Look, Drew...I was only trying to help you get your family back. I know you're mad, believe me, I would be too if they killed my..."
"They didn't kill my family," Blake replied in an eerily calm voice. "Your trigger-happy mercs did that." He took a step inside. "They killed Sarah, my wife of thirty years..." He took another step. "...my daughter, Jessica..." Another step. "...my unborn grandson..." And another step. "...and my son-in-law." The final step now has him in front of the desk.
"Drew, listen to me. I'm not the bad guy here," General Blake insisted. "It's the Black Lotus. It always has been the Black Lotus. They started this when they kidnapped your family, and I'll be damn sure to finish it. What Sonya had done to the Black Dragon and the Red Dragon will pale in comparison to what we'll do."
Blake looked at his father. Even now, he refused to take responsibility for the fact that he was responsible for the deaths of his wife and family.
"Five days, Dad," Blake said, still in that eerily calm voice. "All we had to do was wait for five days, and they would have been released. You killed my family."
"Now see here, boy..."
"You didn't pull the trigger, yet you condemned them to death all the same," Blake continued. "And you try and weasel your way out of responsibility."
"Now that wasn't me," General Blake said. "Okay? What happened to Sarah and the others was a tragedy. But for you, you're still fairly young. You can rebuild and start over."
"No."
General Blake blinked. "No?"
"No. You misunderstand, General," Blake said, ironically using Sonya's words from when she had resigned her commission all those years ago. He slowly brought the Glock 19 pistol he had hidden into view. "You won't finish it. I'm going to finish it."
General Blake looked at his son for several seconds. Then, as he looked at the gun, and back at his son, the elder Blake had come to a realization.
With the loss of his family, Drew Blake has clearly snapped.
"You disappoint me, boy," said the elder Blake. "However, I'm going to look at this as you grieving over the loss of your wife and family. You're not thinking clearly. Eject both the clip and the bullet, put the gun on the desk and back away, Drew."
Instead, Blake calmly flipped off the safety, and slowly raised the gun, taking aim at his father.
"So it's come to this, has it?" General Blake sneered. He rose from his chair. "I've put time into you, Drew. Blood, sweat and tears in making you what you are today. Without me, you would be nothing. People die everyday, boy. It's a fact of life. What happened to Sarah and the others...it was a misunderstanding."
"I loved her, Dad," Blake said of his wife, his voice cracking. "Sarah wasn't perfect. She wasn't the debutante that you wanted me to marry. But she was mine."
General Blake snorted. "Never really liked Sarah anyway. Not only was she not from a solid family of good standing, but she didn't give birth to a son, one who would carry our family name. Both her and Jessica were a major disappointment. Nothing more. They were only good for spreading their legs..."
BANG.
The gunshot was loud inside the study. General Blake felt as if he had taken a sledgehammer to his side. Looking down, he saw blood coming from the entry wound in his chest. His son had just taken out his lung. He had thought that his son wouldn't dare to shoot him.
He was wrong.
General Blake looked at his son, disbelief on his face as he collapsed back into his chair. The gun's barrel was smoking. "You...shot me," he said. Now, despite the pain, disbelief then gave way to anger. "You ungrateful little bastard!"
"..." Blake was silent.
Blood began to pool into his mouth as General Blake uttered his final words. "You...you're no son of mine!"
"I am your son," Blake replied. "Always have been."
That said, he unloaded the remaining fourteen rounds into his father's chest.
CLICK. CLICK.
Blake stopped squeezing the trigger once his gun was dry. He looked at his father, who still had a look of disbelief on his face, knowing that it was his son that had killed him.
Blake ejected the clip and walked over to mini-bar, where after taking a swig of liquid courage, opened a drawer, where he kept a spare box of ammo and several loaded clips. Blake retrieved a clip, pocketed it and walked out of the study, leaving his father's corpse for the maid to find some hours later.
[End Flashback]
"Drew."
Blake opened his eyes and turned his head. Standing behind him, was his brother-in-law. Aaron Malecki was a Detective First Grade with the Washington D.C. Police Department, and the younger brother to his late wife.
"You alone?" Blake asked.
Aaron nodded. "I'm alone," he replied. He walked over to his distraught brother-in-law and sat down beside him.
"How'd you know I'd be here?" Blake asked.
"Sarah loved nature. You took her here on your first date," Aaron replied. "She told me."
"You're here because of my dad, right?"
"Yeah. His body was found inside your home by the cleaning lady earlier this morning. He was shot repeatedly."
"I know," Blake replied. He showed Aaron his Glock. "I killed him."
The younger man remained cool as a cucumber as his brother-in-law casually confessed to murdering his own father as if he was discussing the weather.
"He sent the PMC in to rescue Sarah and the others. They shot Sarah and Jessica down. The Black Lotus, despite kidnapping them, were innocent of their deaths. And do you know the worst thing about it is? My dad didn't take responsibly for his actions. He took everything from me and didn't even care. He called my wife and my daughter whore in all but name."
The distraught secretary motioned to the envelope. "My confession...and every single bit of dirty laundry my father and I had done over the past fifty years."
Aaron nodded and retrieved the envelope. He swallowed. "You know I got to take you in, Drew."
"Not going to happen," Blake said as he thumbed off the safety to the Glock.
Aaron swallowed. "Drew...listen to me. You shoot me, then you'll get the death penalty."
"I know. Stand up, and step back, Detective. And keep your hand where I can see them."
Aaron complied. He rose from the bench and took several steps back, hands in view of Blake, who now has his gun aimed at him. Aaron knew that his brother-in-law was a very good shot, and he did not want to be on the receiving end of his brother-in-law's wrath.
Blake slowly stood up, gun still leveled at Aaron. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry for giving you so much grief these past years," he said. "And I'm sorry that you'd have to see this."
Blake turned the gun on himself, opening his mouth and jamming the business end of the Glock into his gullet.
"NO!" Aaron shouted, lunging towards Blake.
BANG.
Drew Blake was dead before he hit the ground, the nine-millimeter round leaving an exit wound the size of an orange in the back of his head. His brother-in-law, originally coming to offer comfort to the distraught man, instead instead discovered that he was the one who had killed his father and was a witness to his suicide.
"Dammnit," Aaron cursed, wiping the tears from his eyes. "It didn't have to go down like this, Drew. Damn it all."
His phone began to ring. Looking at the caller ID, he saw that it was his boss. Aaron answered the call. "Malecki...yeah, I found him. He's dead, self-inflicted gunshot wound. Send the coroner...Yeah, turns out he was the one who offed his father...he confessed it to me...I'll file my report when I come in. Malecki out."
Aaron Malecki would be later found standing over the corpse of his brother-in-law by the D.C. police force.
Cage Family Home, later that morning...
Today was Jax's birthday. Jax had planned on spending the day at the family farm. But Vera had convinced him otherwise, which is why he and his wife were at the Cage family condo in Venice Beach, visiting Sonya and her family.
Sonya Blade had emerged from the bathroom, fresh from her shower, dressed in an old T-shirt with the word ARMY emblazoned on the front, a pair of her favorite track pants - black with red trim - and a pair of tennis shoes. The smell of breakfast - mainly Johnny's self-proclaimed famous shadow pancakes, bacon and sausage - drifted into the bedroom from the open door, along with the morning conversation.
As Sonya pulled her hair back into a ponytail, rather than her signature braid, her phone began to ring. Looking at the caller ID, Sonya saw that it was a blocked number.
Curious, the Director of Strategic Solutions picked up the phone and answered it. "Hello?"
"Director Blade, I presume?" the male voice asked on the other end.
"You presume correctly," Sonya replied. "To whom am I speaking to?"
"My name is not important. You can call me Number One of the Black Lotus Society. A pleasure to finally speak with you, Director Blade."
"Likewise. I take it that Elena gave you my number?"
"That she did. I must say that I was very surprised to find out that it was you who was the head of Strategic Solutions and Logistics. Here, I had my money on the crazy Frenchwoman on your payroll."
"What better way to hide than in plain sight?"
"Indeed. As to the reason as why I am calling. Elena has told The Council of your proposal. We took a majority vote, and we agree to your terms. Rather than have Elena deliver the news, I chose to do that personally." Number One paused. "Although...your offer was quite a shock for the Council, as well as myself. How do I know that you will honor your end of the pact?"
"How will I know if you will do the same?" Sonya replied. "You are the head of a criminal enterprise who is for all accounts, the successor to the Black Dragon. I should be asking you that question."
"Hmm...fair point. Will my word of honor suffice?"
"I supposed it will do," Sonya said. "You have my word of honor as well."
"Very good," Number One said. "In regards to your identity as the Director, I will keep that a secret. As for Elena, it seems that you will need a new teaching assistant, as she was ordered to return for new orders. You have my thanks in not harming her, Director."
"Shame. I actually liked her. Had she not been on your team, I'd liked to have her on as a permanent member. Give her my regards when you see her next time."
"I will. Good day, Director."
"And you, Number One."
Sonya ended the call and pocketed the phone. She let out a sharp breath. Having the head of the Black Lotus was something that even she did not expect. But she was surprised to find out that the man was affable and courteous. Honestly, she did not expect the Black Lotus to accept her offer, but sure enough, there was now an non-aggression pact in place, which meant that the Black Lotus would not be a thorn in the side of Strategic Solutions.
At least, now she can focus on the Liu and the other revived kombatants.
The Cage children and the Briggs family were seated at the table, tucking in breakfast. Johnny was in the kitchen, mixing the final batch of his famous pancakes while the others were digging in. Sonya walked in the kitchen, gave her husband a peck on the cheek, before joining her daughters, her niece and her parents at the table.
"Glad you decide to finally grace us with your presence, Mrs. Cage," Jax joked as he took a sip of juice.
Sonya gave her former boss a fake smile. "Call me that again, Mr. Briggs, and you'll be spending your birthday in the hospital."
"Sonya, manners," her husband called from the kitchen. "We don't threaten our guests."
Sonya ignored her husband as she speared several pancakes onto her plate, followed by a couple of pieces of bacon. Meanwhile, Vera gave her husband the stink eye for his barb. Jax recognized the look and quickly muttered an apology to Sonya.
Cassie mimicked a whip cracking, complete with sound effect. "Whipped." She snickered as Jax glared at his niece.
"Cassandra, behave," Sonya scolded.
"She used your real name," Roxy noted. "That means she's serious, Cass."
Cassie shot her twin sister a glare, but remained silent.
Johnny emerged from the kitchen, a plate of hot pancakes in his hands. "Settle down," he said, placing the plate on the table and taking a seat beside Sonya. "This is Jax's day. No fighting."
"Sorry, Dad," the twins mumbled.
"Any more antics out of the both of you, and you'll be spending the weekend at the farm," Sonya threatened.
"You really have got to give me the recipe for your pancakes, Johnny," Vera said. "And you make these from scratch, too?"
Johnny nodded. "Yup."
"One of his few redeeming traits," Sonya added. "He cooks like a professional chef while I can't hardly boil water."
"How come you can bad mouth Dad while we can't?" Roxy pouted.
"Marriage privilege," her mother replied.
"Goes both ways," Johnny added. "She has her faults too, just as I have mine."
'Some more than others,' Jax thought as he took another pull of juice. To Sonya, he asked, "You talked to Cass and Jacqui?"
"About the both of them wanting to join the military?" Sonya replied. "Yeah. We had a family meeting about it. I gave them my blessings."
"And what about after we do our time in the Army?" Jacqui asked. "Did you talk to the Director about us, Aunt Sonya?"
Johnny and Sonya exchanged glances. They had talked about this the day news broke of the deaths of Secretary Blake's family. They both agreed that now was the time to come clean.
"You know something, do you?" Jacqui asked. "Aunt Sonya? Uncle Johnny?"
"Mom?" Cassie prodded. "Dad?"
"In regards to the Director of Strategic Solutions..." Johnny began.
"She's me," finished Sonya.
"You?" Cassie, Roxy and Jacqui said in unison.
Sonya nodded. She then looked at Jax.
"It's true," Jax confirmed. "Both her and Johnny founded Strategic Solutions. But it's Sonya who runs the show. She does work as an analyst and consultant, but that's just to throw our many enemies off her and Johnny's scent."
"I've been trying to get your dad to come and work for me, but he keeps saying no," Sonya said.
"Strategic Solutions brings in plenty of coin," Roxy said. "Which means..."
"Your mom and I are pretty much billionaires," her father finished. "Cassandra. Roxanna. Jacqueline. What we're about to tell you must not leave this room. It concerns the origins of Strategic Solutions. I find out that you broke your promise...well, there are fates worse than death, such as a year-long tour in Seido. Agreed?"
The three girls nodded.
As breakfast continued, Johnny and Sonya told Jacqui, Cassie and Roxy about Jax and Sonya's rivalry with the Black Dragon. Of how Sonya's first fiancee had been killed in front of the twins' mother and of how Sonya had lost her first unborn child to Kano. Of how in the months following Sonya's dismissal that she and Johnny led Kano and the Black Dragon into a trap, leading to the demise of Kano and their lieutenants. And lastly, of the chest still full of gold bars in the garage, stolen from the Black Dragon.
Cassie and Roxy knew of that chest that sat in the corner of the garage. Sonya had labeled it 'Machine Parts For Motorcycle,' and they had left it at that.
"So in effect, after stealing a sizable chunk of the Black Dragon's wealth..." began Jacqui.
"Your dad, Hanzo, Kuai, Kenshi and both Sonya and myself are litteral billionaires," Johnny finished. "Hanzo and Kuai used their share to rebuild their clans. Kenshi opened up several orphanages and a kendo school. And Sonya and I used some of our share to form Strategic Solutions."
"At least you're using the money for a good cause," Roxy said.
"Plus, being a philanthropist is a nice tax write-off," her father added, as both girls knew that their father donated to various charitable organizations, and still do.
As the conversation continued, Sonya's phone began to vibrate. She retrieved it from her pocket and activated it. It was a message from Flagg.
Director. Secretary Blake dead. General Blake dead. Blake gunned down his father before turning the gun on himself. Flagg.
Johnny looked over at his wife. "Sonya?"
Sonya set the phone down. "Yeah?"
"Work or...other?"
"Just a message from Flagg. Nothing serious," she replied, not wanting to mess up the good mood.
Johnny decided to leave it at that. He'd question Sonya about it later.
Later...
With Jax and Vera gone to check out the farmer's market, and Jacqui and the twins training in the workout room upstairs, Johnny cornered Sonya in the living room. She was watching the news on the living room's flatscreen, the news of the hour being that of Blake's murder-suicide.
"I take it that's what Flagg's message was about?" Johnny asked as he stood beside Sonya.
Sonya nodded. "Blake returned home, and gunned down his father, before heading over to Potomac Waterfront Park, and killed himself in front of his brother-in-law, a D.C. police officer. But not before handing over a confession in regards to all of the stunts that he and General Blake had pulled over the years."
"So how do you feel?"
"Pity," Sonya replied. "General Blake wanted to play kingmaker to his son, and he didn't care who had gotten in the way, or who had gotten hurt, as I can bear witness. General Blake didn't show no remorse over the deaths of his son's family..."
"...and Blake snapped," surmised Johnny.
Sonya nodded. "Yeah." She paused. "The leader of the Black Lotus called me earlier this morning."
"What?" Now Johnny was alarmed.
"Everything's fine, Johnny," Sonya said. "We now have a non-aggression pact between Strategic Solutions and the Black Lotus. We stay out the other's way and everything will be fine."
Johnny breathed a sigh of relief.
"You had no faith in me, didn't you?" Sonya asked, amused.
"When it came to those guys, nope," admitted Johnny. He extended his hand, and Sonya took it. "Come on. Cassie thinks she can take you down."
Sonya grinned. "That's what she said the last ten times," she said as she cut off the TV. Tossing the remote to the side, she allowed her husband to lead her to the workout room. She felt bad for Blake and his family, but that is a chapter that Sonya had long since closed.
Blake chose his own path. And he chose the wrong one.
For Sonya, she had nothing but the future to look forward to. Sure there was the resurrected kombatants in Edenia and Seido, but for Sonya Blade, it was nothing that she or her family can't handle. Her teaching career was thriving, and Strategic Solutions was bringing in coin. Sonya would make sure that Cassie and Jacqui would lead it into a bright and prosperous future.
But first, she had to knock her more rebellious daughter down several pegs.
Brookhaven Bistro, Brookhaven University - ten years later.
Brookhaven Bistro was a coffee shop and internet cafe located on the grounds of Brookhaven University that was popular with both faculty and student alike.
Sonya Blade had time before her next class, which is why she was there, seated at a table, sipping a cup of coffee. Some said that she was aging gracefully, as she had just turned fifty-three, while her husband was three years older than she was. Others said that she was subjugating herself to daily Botox treatments on her husband's dime, which is why she still looked thirty.
If only they knew...
The truth was a lot stranger than fiction. It was a year after the murder-suicide of Secretary Blake and his father that the Cage family, Jax and Jacqui Briggs decided to venture to Shang Tsung's Island in order to receive closure in regards to the Blood Code Incident. They were accompanied by Kuai Liang and Hanzo Hasashi. While there, they decided to explore the old fortress, revisiting old haunts.
Sonya had found the helicopter wreckage that still held the remains of the S-F squad sent in to rescue her and Jax, the crew now reduced to skeletons. The mangled remains of Havik and Reiko were still in the heavily-damaged throne room. Johnny had showed Cassie and Roxie the courtyard where he and Sonya had first met nearly 20 years ago.
It was also where the elder kombatants came to contemplate their future.
It was on their final day there, that Johnny had made a discovery. Hidden inside what was once Shang's chambers, was a chest. Johnny had brought this discovery to Sonya and the others. The chest contained an ancient tome, written in Shang Tsung's hand. Shang Tsung had discovered the secret to Edenian long life, and Erron Black, the gunslinger on Kotal Kahn's payroll, turned out to be Shang's first test subject.
It was no coincidence that Johnny had discovered the book. He suspected that Raiden had a hand in guiding him to its location.
With Liu and Kitana becoming belligerent towards Outworld, it would only be a matter of time before they turned their attention to their former allies in Earthrealm, and Raiden wanted those kombatants whom he can trust.
As Johnny had said, "Looks like retirement will have to wait."
The two families and the grandmasters had talked it over at their beachside camp with Raiden, who confessed that he suspected that Shang was onto something regarding Edenia, but had to make sure. Fortunately, he knew of the trip to the old island fortress that Johnny and the others were taking, which provided him with the perfect opportunity.
Johnny and Sonya had agreed to subjugate themselves to the ritual granting them long life. Jax only agreed when Raiden promised that Vera would be by his side. Cassie and Roxy also agreed, as did Jacqui. Takeda would soon follow alongside his parents. Hanzo and Kuai both agreed, as did Kenshi and Suchin.
Of course, virtual immortality meant that they would always remain at their prime, and unable to age. Sonya would still look like she's thirty, while Johnny appeared to be in his mid-thirties. But they knew that it would also draw unwanted attention, which meant that they would have to relocate once Sonya retired in five years.
Both her and Johnny were still making plans. By that time, Cassie and Jacqui would be ready to take over Strategic Solutions. Roxy, on the other hand, had came into her own as an actress. However, Johnny and Sonya both agreed that Hawaii would be a nice place to hide out for about 30 years or so. Johnny could open a dojo under an alias (while claiming that he worked in film as a stunt double for...himself) while Sonya continued to teach down there.
"Thought I'd find you here."
Sonya turned from the window and looked at the woman that stood over her table. It had been ten years, but Sonya recognized her instantly. "Elena."
Elena smiled. "You remembered. I'm honored." She took a seat when Sonya offered it to her. A passing barista took Elena's order for a bottle of water. "Still teaching here, huh?"
"Not for long. I plan on retiring in about five years," Sonya replied. "And you? You're still with them?" she asked.
Elena nodded. "More than that, Sonya. They call me Number One now."
"Congratulations. So what brings you here?"
"Recruiting. Then I heard you were here and decided to say hello."
"Catch up on old times, huh?" Sonya asked.
Elena nodded. "Although...I am curious as to how you managed to find out that I was sent as a spy."
"Now I can't tell you all my secrets, Elena. All I can say is that you were made by an ally of Strategic Solutions, who in turn, told me." She took a sip of her coffee.
"Is that the truth?"
"When have I ever lied to you, Elena?"
"Not once...well, aside from hiding your identity as The Director. Word has it that you're grooming your niece and one of your daughters to become your successor."
"It's true. Cassie and Jacqui should be ready when they're both thirty. I have high hopes for the both of them."
The two heads of Earthrealm's most powerful entities continued to chat and banter, just as they had done when Elena was Sonya's assistant. It was like old times.
She had toyed with the idea of rejoining the military once she and Johnny relocated to Hawaii. But she declined. She missed the old Army life, but she enjoyed teaching more.
For Sonya Blade, with her family and friends behind her, there was nothing that she couldn't do. In a way, being kicked out of the Army 25 years earlier had proven to be beneficial for Sonya in the long run. It had forced her to grow as a person, and for the most part, she was all the better for it.
The future was not written in stone. There was still Outworld, the Netherrealm and Edenia to contend with.
No matter what would happen, Sonya Blade would be ready.
END.