A few minutes later, the group of rebels sat inside their new headquarters, gathered around like children about to be told a story. Mileena's newfound doubles proved useful for more than combat, bringing the group drinks and some food, making sure to give special attention to Tanya in particular, bandaging the wound she had received from Karbrac. Where, how, and who they procured the blood that was served to Skarlet and Nitara from was a question no one decided to ask.
Before delving into the story of her resurrection, Mileena spared a curious glance at allies she didn't quite recognize.
First, she addressed the Edenian. "Emerald, right?"
Emerald nodded. "Yes ma'am, I joined your movement a few months prior to your—" She then elected to stop herself.
Mileena nodded, recalling Emerald from the time before her seeming death. Another Edenian patriot was always a valuable asset in the interest of fulfilling the promise Mileena had made to her dearest Tanya to free the realm. It also helped that Emerald was a generally pleasant person. Mileena then elected to shift her attention to the newcomer in the room, her gaze falling on Nitara.
"I don't think we've ever met before." Mileena acknowledged.
"I am Nitara, of Vaeternus." The vampire explained.
"Ah, another one of fath—sorry, Shao Kahn's conquests." Mileena recalled. Looking into the faces of the victims of the man she considered a father was always difficult. Considering that she surrounded herself with Edenians, perhaps she should be used to it by now. Still, she worried she might have offended Nitara by referring to her realm as simply one of her father's conquests.
Nitara herself didn't seem to take offense, and simply nodded. Perhaps she understood the former empress's point of view. As such, she shared her own:
"My people are no supporters of Kotal Kahn. By contrast, you have already promised the freedom of one realm, so—"
"You're not planning on falling in love with me too, are you?" Mileena asked, a statement which caused Tanya's face to adopt a noticeably reddish hue.
Nitara laughed. "No, no, I could never put myself between you and your lover." She explained. "In fact, Tanya was the one who provided me with the opportunity to aid your movement."
Mileena looked over at Tanya, hoping for further elaboration.
"I led the rebellion in your stead, empress," She explained. "It was Rain's idea."
"We wished to see you avenged." Rain further explained.
"Well I'm very grateful to you both for doing so." Mileena said.
Rain had a feeling her appreciation was aimed more at Tanya than himself, but didn't particularly mind.
Mileena then returned her attention to Nitara.
"So I assume you wish to see Vaeternus freed from Outworld when I retake my throne." She assumed.
Nitara nodded. "I have long sought my realm's freedom, but my previous efforts have all unfortunately failed."
Observing the conversation, Skarlet seemed to be… confused by the discourse. All her life, she had only known Outworld. What was so great about places like Edenia or Vaeternus eluded her. And besides, a large part of her still saw Shao Kahn as her father, even in spite of the fact that he'd never been a particularly good one to her, and seeing his hard work undone didn't quite sit well with her.
Still, Mileena seemed alright with the prospect of freeing these other realms, though Skarlet had a feeling her love for Tanya skewed her judgment somewhat. That, or Mileena was more like their other sister than she'd care to admit.
"Reiko had promised Vaeternus's sovereignty in exchange for my knowledge of blood magic," Nitara continued. "Although considering both you and your rather talented sister here were double-crossed by that snake and his puppet master Havik, you can guess how that turned out."
"Yes, aligning with him was certainly one of my poorer decisions..." Mileena admitted, before adopting a sly grin. "Though he did have his other uses, didn't he Skarlet?"
Skarlet's cheeks flashed red. "Y-You could say that…"
Nitara let out a small laugh.
"Something funny?" Skarlet asked with a mixture of embarrassment and irritation.
"Just seeing Shao Kahn's 'deadly assassin' get so embarrassed." Nitara responded, followed up by another chuckle. "Although I must admit, at the same time it's ...kind of cute."
Skarlet's face was slowly becoming redder than her clothing, noticeable even in spite of her mask.
"So, anyway, empress," Tanya interjected, redirecting the conversation back to its original purpose and rescuing Skarlet from the spotlight. Whether she did so intentionally or not was anyone's guess. "I'm still curious as to the details of your resurrection and how you recruited your…...siblings."
"Ah yes, I do owe you an explanation my dear, after being gone so long." Mileena admitted. The lips at the center of her hybrid maw curled into a smirk. "As well as…..something else later tonight."
Tanya gave her lover a look which conveyed both surprise and a hint of excitement.
Rain rolled his eyes, already familiar with the two's propensity for nigh-incessant flirtations.
"Well," Mileena began. "It started with the end…..and the beginning."
Mileena awoke from her seeming demise at the hands of D'Vorah in a dazed state. Her head was throbbing and her vision blurred. Had she been poisoned? No, the insect had chosen a different means of execution. And she would pay dearly for it.
As the world came back into view, Mileena realized exactly where she was. Not the usurper's throne room, but the Flesh Pits. The place she had been "born". Mileena remembered the look of this horrific place well. It seemed to be almost made out of organic matter, hence its name. Mileena looked down, noticing that her armor was a darker shade of purple than she remembered.
Strange.
She continued to look around as she climbed to her feet, noticing another alarming sight.
More of… herself. Dozens of them. Lining the walls, held within tubes containing some manner of alchemical liquid of Shang Tsung's creation. Each one was dressed in a simple shirt and pants, more than the mere bandages Mileena recalled once awakening in.
Upon beholding the clones, a single question burned in her mind. Why were they there? Had Shao Kahn intended to replace her, as she was meant to replace Kitana? Were they some kind of backups, in just such an event as her death?
And then it hit her. She had been killed, hadn't she? Much as she was loathe to admit it, that bug has done her in. This wasn't even her original body. She herself was some manner of backup. And yet she retained all her memories.
Mileena then remembered that if Shang Tsung was knowledgeable of anything, it was souls. Her soul must have migrated to this body when the original was killed. Mileena then realized what this meant. It meant that she had a soul to begin with. She was truly an individual, not some mere replica.
That fact made Mileena feel very good indeed. Affirmation that she was a person, more than just a clone. She could certainly use the boost in confidence after suffering such a humiliating defeat.
Plans quickly began forming in Mileena's mind. With this collective of extra bodies, she could cheat death itself, at least for a good while.
As Mileena focused on the clones, she was quickly taken aback when their eyes opened. Mileena stepped back, fearful of what might result in her others coming to life. There was something unnerving about beholding a living replica of oneself. In the back of her mind, Mileena considered the possibility that this feeling of discomfort was exactly what Kitana must've felt when first learning of her existence.
It was then that Mileena experienced a rather odd sensation indeed. She could suddenly see what each of the clones was seeing, simultaneously. Thankfully it didn't seem that she shared sensations with them. She felt no feeling of being basked in liquid. This was probably fortunate, pain in particular would've been troublesome to deal with.
The clones also seemed to mimic her actions. As Mileena focused, she realized she could command their movements individually.
A shared consciousness, some kind of psychic connection perhaps.
And even better, an army. An army under one mind. Mileena knew she was not an undefeatable warrior, but an army of her skill? That Osh-Tekk fool wouldn't stand a chance.
Mileena thusly commanded her clones to free themselves from the tubes, and soon after had them follow her throughout the Flesh Pits, searching for potential answers to this strange but advantageous occurrence.
She discovered sets of armor for each of the clones to wear in one room, all much like her own. The room also contained a more royally designed attire for herself. Whoever had done it was quite the tailor. She noticed that the outfit also included her crown, which she had not seen since being deposed by Kotal. She would wear this new outfit with pride, confident that the throne of Outworld would be hers once more.
Once all items of interest were removed, Mileena commanded her clones to fan out and see what else they could find. Several extra sai were in one room, a pair for her and each clone, and upon further inspection they were already mystically enchanted like her original pair. Mileena had a sneaking suspicion that Shang Tsung must've been the one to arrange all this, and that he himself must've cheated his own seeming death. But no matter where she looked, she couldn't find the sorcerer. Her.. creator.
Why would he have done all this anyway? Perhaps the sorcerer considered himself her true father, or perhaps Shao Kahn's return was imminent and this was some manner of preparation. Mileena initially thought that the latter possibility would be a pleasing one, but instead she felt a sense of dread when thinking of her emperor.
One oddity after another.
Mileena continued her search of the Flesh Pits. It didn't find her Shang Tsung, but it did yield something else of interest. One of her clones had discovered a cage. There was some manner of creature inside it. Mileena, through the clone, peered into the cage. Seemingly equally curious, the creature moved closer to the bars. In terms of general shape, he was a man. But he had no skin.
"Who are you?" Mileena asked.
The creature seemed confused. Mileena thought it might be because he couldn't understand her.
The actual reason was quite different.
"Y-You actually care?" He asked in return.
Mileena nodded. Such a dour statement. She felt bad for him. She wasn't used to feeling bad for others.
"No one's ever actually cared about who I am before." The skinless man continued. "I've always just been some kinda… test subject, I guess."
She felt worse. What was this feeling?
Then it hit her.
She was experiencing sympathy. So this was what it felt like.
Mileena nodded. "I do." She considered what to ask next, before deciding on his origin as her next query.
"Did Shang Tsung make you?"
He nodded. "But he never finished. I escaped before he could. Didn't get too far, as you can tell."
"Why?" Was all Mileena could think to say.
"I didn't wanna be his slave," the creature explained. "Or the big skull man's."
Mileena presumed that he was referring to Shao Kahn..
"Well, they're not here anymore." Mileena told him. "Far as I know, they're both dead." It was half-truth. She was fairly confident that Shao Kahn was dead. Shang Tsung was far more of a mystery...
"You're like me, aren't you?" He inquired. "Another…creation."
Mileena was surprised by the question. She contemplated for a moment, before lowering her veil.
"Yes," she answered. "My name is Mileena."
"That's a pretty name." The skinless man responded, smiling as much as he was able without lips.
Mileena smiled back. "Why thank you." She took another moment to think. "Do you have a name?"
He frowned, before sighing. "Shang Tsung only ever called me 'Meat'."
"Meat," Mileena repeated. "Well, any name is better than none at all."
Meat shrugged. "Guess so."
"Here, let me get you out of here." Mileena offered.
Meat nodded in silent acceptance of the offer.
Due to the Tarkatan DNA used in her creation, Mileena commanded impressive physical strength. Alas however, it was not enough to break the thick metal bars.
At least, not single handedly.
Summoning her doubles, the prime body included, Mileena was able to free Meat from his cage.
"Thank you." Was the first thing Meat said to her upon stepping out of the cage.
Gratitude from others. Something else Mileena wasn't used to experiencing.
This had been a strange day indeed.
"So, you're all the same person?" Meat asked, gesturing to the identical duplicates of his liberator.
Mileena nodded. Her clones did as well, although she hadn't intended for them to do so. This whole thing was definitely going to take some getting used to.
"Pretty impressive that you can do that." Meat complimented.
"Why thank you, Meat." Mileena replied.
"Say, if Shang Tsung made you to…." Meat wondered aloud. "Does that mean you're my sister?"
Mileena stopped in her tracks. She hadn't even considered it. But the more she thought about it… well, he was right...wasn't he?
"Yes…" Mileena responded. "I suppose it does."
Family. Something Mileena was familiar with, but still felt as if she'd never had. She'd been made to be eternally loyal to Shao Kahn, to see him as her father. But upon reflection, upon thinking about it for herself and not what she was supposed to think, she realized he'd been quite distant. He really didn't treat her much differently compared to any of his numerous minions.
Maybe that's all she'd been. A minion. A servant. A thrall. Maybe that's why Kitana…..her sister ...felt she'd had to break away. To be free of him.
Kitana. She'd always treated Mileena like something unnatural. Although, Mileena supposed she was a bit unnatural. She now knew what it felt like to stare into your own eyes and see them look back at you. She understood Kitana's unease now, but Mileena knew she was no mere copy of Kitana, not like the copies she now commanded.
They were sisters. If only either of them had realized that fact before it was too late. Before they were enemies.
All these thoughts occupied Mileena's mind as she walked throughout the Flesh Pits, looking for a way out, her clones and her new brother Meat in toe.
"Mileena?"
Meat's voice snapped her out of her self-induced trance.
"What is it...brother?" Mileena asked, trying out this new familial connection.
"There's somebody in this room." Meat told her, pointing to a door.
Mileena peered into the room. In it was a woman, shrouded in shadow and chained up like Kitana had once been in Shao Kahn's arena so many years ago.
Was it Kitana?
Mileena couldn't tell. Besides, she was almost certain Kitana had died in the invasion.
Whoever this was, Mileena was clearly in a generous mood, and decided it best to let them out.
It took the combined force of three of her clones to break down the door. Once that was done, the prime Mileena stepped into the room.
Upon further inspection, she realized who the woman was.
Skarlet.
The blood sorceress looked up, red eyes locking on orange.
"M-Mileena?" She asked. Her voice almost sounded...weak. How unusual for Skarlet.
"Skarlet?" Mileena asked in return. "What are you doing here?"
Skarlet raised an eyebrow. Mileena's tone didn't convey aggression. She sounded ...genuinely concerned. A stark contrast to their last encounter.
"I could ask you the same thing," Skarlet pointed out. "You'll notice my legs are doing better."
Mileena looked down at Skarlet's fully regenerated legs, reminded of how she had brutalized her when they last met.
"I...I'm sorry I did that," Mileena said. "Really, I am."
Skarlet scoffed. Then she gave Mileena a questioning look.
"You're serious, aren't you?" Skarlet asked.
Mileena nodded.
"Well, water, or blood under the bridge. Besides….." Skarlet sighed. "Reiko fooled us both. You were right."
"That bastard is long gone, don't you worry about him anymore." Mileena assured.
"Good," Skarlet said simply. "He was a terrible boyfriend anyway."
Mileena burst out laughing. "You can say that again…."
"Guess we both have poor taste in men." Skarlet further added.
"I've found that I have better luck with women." Mileena replied, still chuckling a little.
Skarlet merely tilted her head, a bit confused. She had no idea who Mileena might be referring to.
"Oh that's right, you haven't met Tanya." Mileena realized.
"Mileena...what do you want?" Skarlet asked. "Come to torture me? Mock me?"
Mileena shook her head. "Thought about it at first, but no."
"Well then, why come here?" Skarlet inquired further.
"Pure coincidence, actually," Mileena explained. "About an hour ago, I was dead."
Skarlet looked around, noticing the clones. "That would explain the spares. It's certainly one way to evade death."
"It certainly is," Mileena agreed. "How about you?" She then asked. "How'd you end up here?"
"Kotal imprisoned me here after that business with Reiko was over with," Skarlet explained. "Thought it would be ironic to imprison me in the place of my 'birth'."
"Well I assure you Skarlet, we're going to make that bastard pay for that and so much more." Mileena said confidently.
"We?" Skarlet repeated.
"Skarlet, do you remember what you said when we last met?" Mileena asked.
Skarlet gave her another look of confusion.
"You told me that you were as much Shao Kahn's daughter as I am," Mileena reminded. "You know what that means, don't you Skarlet?"
Skarlet had no idea at all, she had only said it at the time to mock Mileena's insistence on her right to the throne.
"Well, what does it mean to you?" She decided to ask.
Mileena smiled at her, something else the blood sorceress would never have expected.
"It means we're sisters, Skarlet."
Mileena took out her sai. They glowed with bright purple energy. Skarlet winced, expecting this to be the moment that it all turned out to be a trick.
But then...Mileena used her weapons to cut through Skarlet's chains, rather than Skarlet herself.
"And sisters don't leave each other behind." Mileena finished.
Skarlet looked at her own hands, baffled to see them freed by Mileena of all people, who now saw her as not an enemy, but...family?
She looked at Mileena, the two locking eyes again.
"A-Alright…" she said awkwardly, still adjusting to the new situation. "Sister…."
"After that, it took quite a while but we eventually found our way out of the Flesh Pits," Mileena explained, finishing her story. "But between the three of us, we were able to determine the layout of the place."
"So…..where have you been?" Asked Tanya.
"Oh my love, I'm so sorry!" Mileena exclaimed, fully realizing the impact of her absence on the person she cared about most within a split second, and mentally cursing herself for not seeing it until now. "I should've come back to you sooner, much sooner! I know it must've hurt you, my being gone. Please forgive me!"
Mileena got up and embraced Tanya, holding her tightly.
"It's alright, Mileena. Really, it is," Tanya assured, petting her lover's hair. "I guess it takes losing what you really care about to realize how much it means to you. Besides, I've met people in my life who would have never come back at all. But you...you're just so different."
Mileena looked up and released her love, looking into Tanya's eyes. Tanya then allowed the fiery glow that illuminated them to subside, and it was mere seconds before they kissed again.
"Well anyway…." Skarlet chimed in. "We laid low for a little while, not wanting Kotal to know we were back just yet."
Rain fired a small blast of water out of his hand, directed at Mileena and Tanya.
"RAIN!" They both shouted.
"Sorry to interrupt your 'moment', but we have guests." Rain reminded.
He looked over at the others. "If I don't do that they're not going to stop, if you catch my meaning." He explained.
Mileena smirked. "Don't want to watch, Rain? Or are you just jealous?"
Rain scoffed. "Privacy exists for a reason." He didn't answer the second question, however.
Mileena let out a purposefully exasperated sigh. "Rain, what will we ever do with you?" She said, before looking back at Tanya. "Later, my dear. As promised. "
Tanya grinned at that. Rain groaned.
"We eventually devised a plan," Mileena continued explaining to the group. "We heard that Kotal had begun taxing the Outworld citizens to finance his army."
"So that's why he let Kollector out of the dungeon." Rain surmised.
Ermac nodded. "We were present. The Naknada would have otherwise been executed, but Kotal saw use for him."
"I decided I'd use my others to mess the whole thing up." Mileena elaborated.
"Murdering Kotal's tax collectors…" Tanya realized.
"And thus I became the Bandit Queen, hero of the people." Mileena finished.
"Did you keep the money?" Rain asked.
"Yes, we could probably use it." Tanya added.
Mileena shook her head. "I gave it all back to the people Kotal's men took it from."
"Why?" they both asked.
Mileena shrugged. "I don't know, there was just something about helping people, being appreciated instead of feared, hearing 'thank you'. It made me feel ...good."
Tanya and Rain were a bit baffled by this. They were people used to looking out for only themselves and a select few others. Acts of kindness towards complete strangers were a foreign realm to them.
"I see…." was all Tanya could think to say.
"Could've used it, rebellions aren't cheap." Rain muttered.
"I think it was a very kind thing for you to do, Mileena," Emerald chimed in. "Your mother would be very proud of you."
"Mother?" Mileena responded, momentarily confused. "Oh, you mean Sindel."
"You didn't get to know her very well, did you?" Emerald asked.
Mileena looked down. "I met her briefly while she was under Shao Kahn's spell. She was kind to me despite her enslaved mind. I hope the real Sindel is similar."
"I served under Queen Sindel before Edenia was conquered," explained Emerald. "I can assure you, that kindness is very much her true self. And it seems you have inherited it."
"Well…." Mileena spoke, unsure of what to say. "T-Thank you Emerald. That means a lot, actually."
Emerald nodded. "Pleased to be of service, Empress Mileena."
Skarlet seemed to be ignoring the discourse, her focus instead on Meat.
"You've been rather quiet, brother." she finally decided to say aloud.
Meat looked up and over at her. "Sorry. I'm… not used to being around this many people."
"Shang Tsung kept him caged up for who knows how long," Mileena explained to the group before turning her gaze to Meat. "It's alright Meat, you're safe here."
Meat silently nodded.
"None of us are exactly the most sociable individuals anyway." Rain pointed out.
"So I've noticed." Meat responded before chuckling.
"Oh good, a comedian in our midsts." Nitara joked.
"I try," Meat said humbly. "Gotta compensate, since my sisters got the good looks."
The group shared in a moment of laughter, all except Ermac, who remained silent. Contemplating, it seemed.
"We do not wish to alarm anyone," He finally said aloud. "But we believe it would be best to begin discussing strategy."
"He's got a point," Mileena admitted. "Kotal knows I'm alive now, and of Ermac's true allegiance."
"He'll most definitely want to hunt us down now," Emerald added. "More than before, I mean."
"What should we do, my empress?" Tanya asked.
"What indeed, dearest Tanya," Mileena replied, already contemplating her next move to reclaim the throne of Outworld. "What indeed."
"If there is one thing we have learned in our collective lives," said Ermac. "It is that the future is often uncertain."