CHAPTER TWELVE
DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN MORTAL KOMBAT OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS! YA DIG?
The ride back to Earthrealm was quiet…and awkward. Cassie's parents and friends were in so much shock that they couldn't talk. Sonya was so infuriated that she couldn't really think straight. She didn't say anything because she wanted to cool down a bit. Johnny wasn't angry, he was…sad. He was sad that his little girl was involved with his enemy's son. He didn't get it…why would Cassie be with that guy? He raised her to defend Earthrealm…raised her to be a good person. And now she was involved with a member of the Black Dragons? Johnny was very concerned about his daughter.
Cassie, Jacqui, Takeda and Jin sat in their individual cockpits. Sonya, Johnny and Kenshi stood up, holding the hand straps of the jet. Cassie and Jin's cockpits were right next to each other. Jin looked over at Cassie to try and say something, but no words could come out of his mouth. Cassie refused to make eye contact with Jin or anyone else on the jet. She just continued to focus on maneuvering the cockpit controls. Fortunately, the ride back to Earthrealm was short. After arriving back in Special Forces, they got off the jet.
"Sergeant, my office. Now." said Sonya, walking to her office.
Cassie sighed and followed her mom. Johnny went along as well. When they got into Sonya's office, Sonya closed the door and walked up to her daughter.
"You're involved with Wyatt?!" she yelled angrily. All the pent up anger she had just came out. Sonya glared angrily at Cassie.
"What the hell are you thinking?! You do realize that Wyatt is Kano's son right? You know Kano? The sick, psychotic killer who has tried to kill me, your dad and our friends numerous times? Are you fucking stupid Cassie? You've done a lot of stupid shit but this takes the cake! Getting involved with a Black Dragon? Wyatt is just like his father! He's a no good for nothing, insane criminal!"
"No he's not!" said Cassie, raising her voice. "He's a good man! You don't know him like I do!"
Sonya scoffed.
"Well you just answered my question…you really are fucking stupid." said Sonya.
"Sonya!" Johnny exclaimed.
"What? It's the truth!"
"You don't need to say harsh words to her Sonya." said Johnny.
"Oh will you stop being soft to her! I've always been the disciplinarian and you've always been the fun parent. Maybe if you actually disciplined her instead of being her buddy…then she wouldn't be doing stupid shit like dating a fucking Black Dragon!"
"Oh, so now this is my fault?"
"Guys stop!" Cassie yelled. She looked at her parents and sighed.
"I don't want you two to fight because of me." said Cassie, her voice back to normal. "Listen, I know Wyatt. He was born into the Black Dragons, but he is nothing like Kano, nothing. If you guys would just give him a chance, you would see he's a good person."
"Punkin…" said Johnny gently with concern. He put his hand on her shoulder. "…just because Wyatt helped you escape, doesn't mean he's a good guy. He's the son of Kano. He's a Black Dragon. He's the enemy. He can't be trusted."
"I'm not with Wyatt because he helped me escape. I'm with Wyatt because I know who he really is. Beyond being a Black Dragon, beyond being Kano's son…Wyatt is a good man…an amazing man. Wyatt can be trusted. I trust him…I care about him and I…I love him."
"Cassie…" said Johnny sadly. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Not only was Cassie romantically involved with this guy, but she was in love with him? She was in love with a Black Dragon? Are you kidding me?
Johnny remembered when Cassie was seventeen and she dated this irresponsible guy called Evan. Evan was in the same grade as Cassie before he dropped out. He had a lot of tattoos, he smoked, drank alcohol and sold weed. During his sophomore year, he was arrested and sent to juvenile detention for shoplifting.
Johnny and Sonya hated the fact that Cassie was dating Evan. They forbade her to stop seeing him, but she wouldn't listen. She would sneak out to see him and even when she got caught…even when her parents punished her…she still continued to date him. After dating for a while, they finally broke up and Johnny was so happy. Johnny never thought that Cassie would date anyone worse than Evan. Compared to a Black Dragon, Evan was a model citizen as far as Johnny was concerned.
"You love him?!" Sonya exclaimed. "You love a Black Dragon? Are you batshit crazy Cassandra Cage? Oh no…you're sleeping with him aren't you?"
"Could you not bring that up in front of me?!" said Johnny, mortified.
"Please tell me you're not sleeping with him." said Sonya.
Cassie scoffed and crossed her arms.
"That's none of your business mom!"
"Cassie listen…I know you're a grown woman, but we're still your parents. You'll always be our baby girl. And as your dad, I forbid you to see Wyatt ever again!"
"You forbid me? Dad, I love you and I respect you, but you can't control my life." said Cassie, walking away.
"Cassandra Cage don't you dare walk away! We're not done talking to you." said Sonya, sternly.
"Well I'm done talking to you two!" she said angrily. She opened the door and sighed. "I'm sorry to break it to you guys, but Wyatt and I love each other. You're just gonna have to get used to that."
Cassie slammed the door. Sonya and Johnny looked at each other and sighed.
Later that night…
After a crazy day, Cassie went home and took a shower. She changed into a sleeveless pajama top and pajama shorts. Cassie was feeling so tired. She was exhausted from fighting all those Tarkatans in Kotal Kahn's palace. She was also exhausted from arguing with her parents over Wyatt. Cassie was so tired that she just wanted to lie down and go to bed. She looked at the time and saw that it was 10:30pm. It was still early in the night. Cassie change her mind about going to bed. She decided to stay up for a bit.
Cassie put on her cozy slippers and went to the kitchen. She retrieved a quart of pistachio ice cream from the freezer. She got an ice cream scoop and put a lot of ice cream in a bowl. She put the quart back in the freezer. She sat down on the living room sofa and sat crossed legged on the sofa. She took a spoonful of ice cream and turned on the TV. Cassie took another spoonful of ice cream, when all of a sudden, there was a knock on the door. Cassie groaned. She just wanted to try and relax and forget about all the shit that happened today. There was another loud knock on the door. Cassie angrily stood up. She put down her spoon and bowl on the coffee table.
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
"Ugh! Calm the fuck down! I'm coming!" said Cassie, raising her voice as she went to the door. She looked through the peephole. She sighed when she saw who was outside.
She opened the door. Jacqui, Takeda and Jin stood in the hallway.
Takeda and Jacqui were smiling. Jin had a pissed off look on his face and he was crossing his arms.
"Hey girl." said Jacqui, smiling. "Can we come in?"
Cassie sighed.
"Sure. Come on in."
They went to the living room.
"Ooo, is that pistachio? Can I have some?" Jacqui asked.
"Skip the small talk Jacqui. I know why you guys are here." said Cassie with an angry look on her face. She crossed her arms. "You guys are here to talk shit about me and Wyatt. Aren't you?"
Jacqui sighed.
"Cassie, we're you're friends and we love you. We're just concerned about you."
"There's nothing to be concerned about. Wyatt is a good person." said Cassie.
"Are you fucking kidding me? Do you hear yourself?! Wyatt is a Black Dragon Cassie. Not just a Black Dragon, but the Second in Command of the Black Dragons! He's Kano's right hand man! And speaking of Kano, he's Kano's son!" Jin yelled angrily. "Jacqui is being nice, but I don't give a shit! I don't give a shit if I offend you!"
"Woah, Jin, take it easy…" said Takeda.
"I won't take it easy!" Jin yelled. "What the hell is your problem Cassie? How could you be with that guy? He's the same guy that helped Kano escape. The same guy that attacked Special Forces Headquarters. That guy and the Black Dragons are criminal scums!"
"You don't know him!" Cassie yelled. "He is nothing like Kano and the Black Dragons! He was born into the Black Dragons but he is a good person! I'm trying to convince him to leave the Black Dragons and join Special Forces. Trust me, Wyatt's a good man, he's just on the wrong side. He's just been misguided his whole life. He'll come around and be one of the good guys. Believe me."
Jin scoffed.
"He's a good person? He'll come around? You believe that?" Jin asked, glaring at her.
"I absolutely do." said Cassie, also giving him an angry glare.
"I don't get it Cassie…I thought you were smart, but I guess I was wrong." said Jin. "If you really love this guy…if you really think he's a good person…then you're either stupid, or delusional, or both."
"You know what Jin, fuck off. I don't give a fuck what you think of me and Wyatt. You don't know shit about Wyatt. So stop being a judgmental jerk!" Cassie said, angrily.
"You know what Cassie, fuck you too. Why did I bother coming here? I knew there was no point in trying to talk some sense into your thick head. You and your criminal boyfriend can go to hell! I'm out of here! I'm not listening to this bullshit!" Jin said angrily, walking away.
"Jin come on!" said Jacqui.
Jin stormed out and slammed the door.
"I'll go after him." said Takeda.
Takeda left and closed the door. Cassie sighed and sat on the sofa.
"So Jacqui...would you also like contribute to Jin's insults?" Cassie said sarcastically.
Jacqui sighed.
"Sorry about Jin. You know how blunt he is. He cares about you and he's worried about you. Being harsh is his way of showing he loves you." said Jacqui.
Cassie chuckled. She knew that Jacqui was right…Jin was just giving her some serious tough love.
"Cass...you're my best friend...my sister. I love you and I care about you." said Jacqui. She stretched out her hand and held Cassie's hand. "Do you really believe all those things you said about Wyatt?"
"I do Jacqui. I do. I love him. He's a good guy…trust me. When you get to know him, you'll see just how good of a person he is."
Jacqui sighed.
"Like I said, you're my sister. I don't get you and Wyatt. But if you really love him and all that stuff you said about him is true...then you have my support. Just...just be careful Cass. Okay?"
Cassie smiled and squeezed Jacqui's hand.
"Thanks Jacqui."
"You're welcome." said Jacqui, smiling and also squeezing her hand.
Just then, Takeda walked back into the living room. He went up to the girls.
"I tried convincing him to come back, but he refused, so he drove back to his place." said Takeda. "He'll come around Cassie. Just give him time to cool off."
He put his hand on Cassie's shoulder.
"I don't trust this Wyatt guy, but you know him. If you love him and you trust him...then I trust your judgment. But if he hurts you...I'll kick his ass."
Cassie chuckled.
"He would never hurt me. But thanks for your support Takeda."
"Anytime buddy." he said, smiling.
"Okay, now that conversation is out of the way...can I please get some ice cream now?" Jacqui asked.
Cassie giggled.
"Yes Jacqueline, you can have all the ice cream you want. Help yourself!"
"Thanks." said Jacqui, going to the fridge to get ice cream.
Cassie, Jacqui and Takeda hung out. They were talking and watching TV. They were having so much fun that next thing you know, it was 3am in the morning. Cassie didn't want her friends driving back home so late. She offered them to stay over. Takeda and Jacqui slept in her former room, while Cassie slept in her room. Cassie felt happy hanging out with her friends after having such a stressful day.
A few hours earlier…
Black Dragon Headquarters...
Norah was in her room doing push-ups on the floor. Just then, there was a knock on the door.
"Come in." She said, panting as she did a push-up.
The door opened and Wyatt was by the door.
Norah stared at him angrily.
"Can I come in?" He asked.
"Whatever." said Norah, as she did another push-up.
Wyatt sighed and entered her room. He closed the door.
"You're mad at me aren't you?" Wyatt asked. "You haven't said a word to me since Kotal Kahn's palace."
Norah didn't say anything. She stood up, crossed her arms and kept glaring at him.
"It's because of Cassandra and I, right?"
"No shit asshole." she said.
"Norah..."
"I mean really Wyatt? Are you for real? I mean, I knew you had a crush on her when she was held hostage here. I get that you didn't want Kano to kill her because you had a soft spot for her. That's why you helped her escape and I covered for you. I thought it was just some stupid, meaningless crush. I didn't think you'd actually fall in love with the bitch."
"Norah..."
"She's the enemy Wyatt. She's probably using you to bring us down. Probably placed a tracker on you. She's gonna trace our headquarters and she and her little friends will attack us. They'll attack us, arrest us and destroy everything the Black Dragons have worked for! All because of that obnoxious, blonde bitch!"
"Cassandra is not using me! She would never do that. I trust her."
Norah scoffed.
"Wyatt, you're not my brother by blood...but you're still my brother. I care about you. If you care about me and the Black Dragons, you can't be with Cassie Cage. You can't be loyal to the Black Dragons and be sleeping with the enemy."
Wyatt sighed.
"I am loyal to the Black Dragons and I love Cassandra. She and I will be together forever."
"You can't have it both ways. You have to pick a side Wyatt."
"I don't have to do shit!" he said, raising his voice." I love Cassandra and I'm not leaving her."
Norah sighed. She uncrossed her arms and went up to him.
"I'm not gonna tell Kano about you and Cassie. I don't even wanna think about what Kano would do to you if he knew about this. Word of advice...you should stop seeing Cassie, or Kano will eventually find out. I don't want him to really hurt you Wyatt. Don't risk your safety because of that bitch. She's not worth it."
"Like I said...I love her. And she is worth it."
Norah sighed and walked to the door. She opened the door and was about to walk out. She turned to Wyatt.
"I love you, but I'm so disappointed in you, brother. I really hope that Kano doesn't find out."
She walked out of the room. Wyatt sighed and walked to his room.
Kano was in his office, sitting on his chair and leaning his legs on top of his desk. He was so angry that the assassination plan failed. The TV in his office was on, showing a popular 90s sitcom. Kano was so pissed off. He wasn't even paying attention to the show on TV. The volume was really low too. Kano just angrily stared into space, twirling around his knife in his hand. Just then, there was a knock on the door. Kano groaned.
"What?!" he yelled.
The door opened and Reese walked in.
"Sorry to bother you Boss, but there's something important I gotta tell you. It's about Wyatt."
Kano removed his legs from the desk and sat down properly. Reese was one of the Black Dragons' top engineers. He was an expert at cybernetics and a genius at hacking. Kano had been very suspicious of Wyatt ever since Cassie Cage 'escaped'.
Kano became even more suspicious of Wyatt these past few days. He was always away from Headquarters and his excuses just didn't add up. Kano asked Reese to hack into Wyatt's communication device which was located in his wristband.
Wyatt was an expert in technology as well. If Reese placed a tracker in his wristbands or motorcycle, Wyatt would be able to spot it. No matter how inconspicuous the tracker was, Wyatt would be able to know. Every time he visited Cassie, he always checked his motorcycle and wristbands for trackers. He didn't want the Black Dragons to know where Cassie lived. He didn't want to put Cassie's life in danger. Reese knew that Wyatt could discover a placed tracker. However, Reese was still able to hack into Wyatt's wristband. Even without Wyatt taking off his wristband, Reese was able to hack into it.
"So, what about Wyatt?" Kano asked, looking at Reese attentively.
Reese sighed.
"It took me hours to hack into his wristband. Fortunately, I was able to hack into his communication device before his wristbands got damaged in Outworld. After hacking, I found the most recent communication data, which was this earlier today in the afternoon."
Reese opened his laptop and opened a file. The file began to play an audio. Kano's eyes went wide in shock as he heard his son talking with Cassie.
"The Tarkatans agreed to be allies, if we helped them kill Kotal Kahn. They want revenge for Baraka and Mileena's deaths. We're on our way to Outworld to do this assignment. You and Special Forces need to come to Outworld and stop this."
"Oh fuck me…Wyatt why the hell are you just telling me this?!"
After the audio ended, Kano had an enraged look on his face.
"I'm sorry about Wyatt." said Reese. "But once I found out, I had to tell you. You had to know the truth."
"Wyatt that little shit." said Kano.