Raiden's sudden arrival at the Special Forces has been a surprise to be certain, except perhaps to Sonya Blade, but what he had to say was an even bigger surprise, and a shock to everyone.
As if on cue, Jax walked into the room, a report in hand. "Hey Sonya, I was gathering eyewitness reports from the survivors of that last missio—"
Jax's sentence came to a grinding halt when he saw Raiden.
"Aw hell…"
"Uhh…. is anyone gonna tell me what's going on?" Asked Mokap. "And who Kotal is?"
"The green asshole in charge of Outworld we told you about." Cassie explained.
"Summon the others," Raiden ordered. "I do not intend to repeat myself."
Sonya nodded, contacting Jacqui, Takeda, and Kung Jin via their com links. Within a few minutes, all three arrived along with Kai, Vera remaining at the medical bay to tend to Kenshi.
"Excellent," said Raiden when they were all gathered. "Now then, as I was saying."
"Oh what do you want now?" Takeda asked angrily, only for Jacqui to pull him back.
"Easy Taki, easy," she urged. "I'm pissed at Raiden too, but he's usually onto something important. Let's hear him out."
"Yeah I think my problem is what you were saying," Johnny then spoke up. "And I quote, 'bring an end to the reign of Kotal Kahn'. Have you fucking lost it?"
"Kotal Kahn's ineffectual rule of Outworld has allowed chaos to grow within that realm for many years," Raiden explained. "It is no longer something that can be ignored, nor tempered with treaties not worth the paper they were written upon."
"That's not my problem," Johnny clarified. "Look, that asshole tried to kill my daughter, but…. are you saying we should go to war with Outworld?! The thing we've been trying to avoid ever since you slept Shao Kahn with the fishes because lots and lots of people would die?"
"Open war is our last resort," Raiden assured. "I intend to deal with this matter at the source rather than waste time battling Kotal Kahn's armies."
"You want us to assassinate the ruler of Outworld." Sonya realized.
"Countless lives in both Earthrealm and Outworld would be saved by this action," Raiden argued. "The refugees that Li Mei has delivered to us would be able to return to their homes. You would no longer need to fear retaliation for attacking Kotal Kahn's forces when he tried to align himself with Shinnok. His end would bring about peace."
"And what about when some other asshole climbs to the top?" Countered Kung Jin.
"I have procured the aid of the Seidan Guard of Orderrealm to stabilize Outworld after Kotal Kahn falls," Raiden explained. "Should she prove that she will not follow in the footsteps of her father, perhaps Mileena can ascend to the throne. Conversely, if she poses a threat to Earthrealm, she too will be dealt with."
"Uhh… Raiden? Mileena's kinda…. dead." Cassie informed him.
"Mileena was dead," Raiden corrected. "I have received news of her sudden return to life, fully reigniting Outworld's civil war, and keeping Kotal Kahn's attention away from Earthrealm."
"Huh… I find that oddly conscience clearing…" Cassie said in response to the news of Mileena's resurrection.
"Same." added Jacqui, Takeda and Kung Jin in unison. None of the four had been happy about allowing Kotal Kahn to execute his political rival, but had figured it was preferable than risking war with Outworld for defending her. Still, it was one of the parts of their jobs that kept them up at night.
"Kotal Kahn is too distracted by the civil war and… other concerns to expect any move against him by Earthrealm," Raiden continued. "All we must do is gain entrance to his throne room and from there, we may swiftly end him."
"Why do we need to kill the guy?" Kai asked. "Shouldn't our job be to lock guys like that up?"
"Yeah, he's right," agreed Kung Jin. "Why don't we put Kotal wherever it is you're keeping Shinnok these days."
Raiden did not reply. For his allies to cooperate, he still needed them to believe that he had merely imprisoned Shinnok, rather than tortured and decapitated him.
"I think we can figure out what to do with Kotal Kahn after we take him off the throne," argued Sonya. "That raises the question though. How do we get in?"
"We shall tell Kotal Kahn that Earthrealm wishes to offer its aid in bringing order to Outworld." Raiden explained.
"You want us to lie?" Mokap asked. "That doesn't sound like the kinda thing good guys do."
"It is not a lie," Raiden argued. "We will quell the chaos in Outworld. If Kotal Kahn's arrogance causes him to believe that this means aiding him, then that is his error in judgement."
"Always a way to help yourself sleep better at night, huh?" Takeda asked.
"I do not sleep, Takeda Takahashi," Raiden responded. "Rest is a mortal concern."
"Yeah, I've got a 'mortal concern'," chimed in Johnny. "We signed a nonaggression pact with Outworld after the Shinnok fiasco. The second one, I mean. The deal was we go to Outworld and it's war, same as if they come to Earthrealm."
"Kotal Kahn will be dead before there can be a war," Raiden said darkly. "We can negotiate terms after Outworld is at our mercy."
"At our mercy?" repeated Cassie. "That sounds kinda… conquerory…"
"It makes sense, negotiate from a position of strength," argued Sonya. "When we put together that nonaggression pact, we were roughly even. We take out Kotal, Outworld doesn't have much choice left but to cut us a fair deal."
"Wait, so we're actually talking about killing this guy?" Asked Kai. "I know I'm the non-soldier in the room-"
"That makes two of us." Added Mokap.
"But that doesn't seem right." Kai finished.
"That also makes two of us." Mokap agreed.
"Trust me, he wouldn't be kind enough to spare us that kind of thought." Sonya told them.
"We were there when he had Mileena executed," Jacqui recalled. "It was brutal…"
"And I had to stop his goons from executing a guy just for stealing bread." Added Kung Jin, starting to come around to the same viewpoint as the others.
"Seriously?" Kai asked.
Jin nodded. "Oh yeah. Sounds like the kinda thing I'd make up to mess with you, but I'm serious."
"He also tried to kill us," Takeda recounted. "More than once."
"His cowboy goon was one of the assholes who kidnapped me and Jacqui about six years back," Cassie additionally added. "Enjoyed kicking that guy's ass a few times…."
"I think he still thought he was in the right when Sonya went off on him while we were putting the agreement together." Jax tried to remember.
"Wait, mom. You flew off the handle?" Asked Cassie, genuinely shocked.
Sonya sighed. "Wasn't one of my finer moments, not that he didn't deserve it…"
It had been only a month since Shinnok had been defeated, and fears of renewed conflict between Earthrealm and Outworld were high on both sides. After multiple attempts at making contact, the Special Forces has successfully procured an audience with Kotal Kahn and his council.
After the Outworlders were escorted by SF personnel into a secure facility, Kotal Kahn took his seat in front of a table, with General Sonya Blade sitting on the other side. Two Special Forces soldiers were guarding the door, with two more standing beside Sonya, and Jax to one corner of the room. To either side of Kotal were Erron Black and Reptile.
After several moments of awkward silence, Kotal attempted to initiate the discourse.
"General Blade," he said, trying his best to play the diplomat since Earthrealm had the home field advantage at this moment. "I am pleased that you have agreed to meet with me. Seeing as the time of the Reiko Accords has now passed, I believe it would be beneficial for both our realms to come to an agreement, so that we may work toward a better futur—"
"Shut the fuck up." Sonya interrupted.
"Excuse me…?" Kotal asked.
Sonya stood, put her hands down on the table, and looked the emperor of Outworld right in the eyes. "I said, shut the fuck up. You're not here to talk, you're here to listen."
"How can you treat the emperor of Outworld with such disrespect?!" Asked Reptile demandingly.
"I'm not talking to you Koopa Troopa, I'm talking to Mr. Tough Guy over here." She snapped back, jabbing her pointer finger into Kotal Kahn's chest."
"What is the meaning of this?!" Kotal Kahn demanded to know. "Did you not wish to be allies?"
Sonya burst out laughing. Jax considered stepping in, but decided against it.
"I cannot believe that you are acting like you wanna play nice right now!" said Sonya. "Let's go down the fucking list, shall we?! You violated the Reiko Accords, assuming they ever really meant anything in the first place! You tried to join up with Shinnok when we were in trouble. You tried to kill my fucking daughter, and her entire team!
And don't try to claim I'm lying, I got a full report on every last detail of what went down from all four of them. I know exactly what you did."
"I falsely believed that they posed a threat to the safety of Outworld," Kotal explained in an attempt to justify himself. "I apologize."
"Save your fake ass apologies, you would've had them killed without a second thought, just like you did with Mileena!" Sonya argued, causing Kotal to sneer. "Didn't think I'd know about that, did you!? Now she and I may never have been friends, but I used to know her sister, so that definitely isn't getting you on my nice list."
Oh, and speaking of people we both know, after I arrested Kano, he told me aaallll about how he'd been doing your dirty work for years. I have to admit, I've got to thank you for getting him to waste that nuke the Black Dragon managed to get a hold of. We were pretty worried about that one. That nuke by the way, pretty destructive stuff, huh?!"
"Yes…?" Kotal agreed, not sure where she was going with this.
"Well just for your information, my country alone has six-thousand eight hundred of those," Sonya revealed. "So do you still think you can scare us with swords and acid spit!?"
"Sonya, easy!" Urged Jax.
Kotal merely looked at her in complete shock. "You would dare to—"
"Yeah, that's what I fucking thought," Sonya interrupted. "Oh, one more question. Do you happen to know where that overgrown cockroach you call a minister crawled off to? She's kind of accountable for aiding and abetting the recently deceased Quan Chi and attempting to instigate an inter-realm war by nabbing Shinnok's amulet."
"D'Vorah is no longer within my service," Kotal explained. "She has been branded as a traitor to Outworld for aiding Shinnok."
"Funny, so people are only allowed to help Shinnok with your say-so? Is that how it works!?" Sonya asked sarcastically.
"I believed that Shinnok would spare Outworld if—"
"If you brought him those kids' fuckings heads!?" Sonya cut him off. "That's what my daughter told me you said, you barbaric jackass!"
"Did you invite our emperor here simply to voice your frustrations, or is there a point to what you have to say?!" Asked Reptile.
Erron meanwhile had lowered his hat over his eyes and was just trying to avoid the entire conversation.
"You better watch that extremely long tongue of yours before I cut it off, swamp breath!" Sonya threatened. "And don't think I don't see you, kidnapper. Takeda told me about you being from Earthrealm, and that gives me jurisdiction to arrest your ass."
"You're welcome to try…" Erron replied.
Sonya was about to walk right up and punch Erron in the face, when Jax stopped her by putting a hand on her shoulder.
"Sonya, we're to prevent the fighting." He reminded her.
She sighed, and returned her attention to Kotal.
"I wanna lay out a new agreement," she explained. "A simple non-aggression pact. You don't come to Earthrealm, we don't go to Outworld. We don't need to get along, we just need to stay the hell out of each other's way. Do we have a deal?!"
Kotal sat in contemplation for a few moments, before standing up.
"I find your terms agreeable." He said, swallowing his pride in a very rare instance of him doing so and offering his hand.
Sonya reluctantly shook his hand. "Good. Now let's hope you and I never have to cross paths again."
"Damn mom!" Was Cassie's immediate reaction to the story.
"Remind me to never get on your bad side." joked Kai.
"If we may refocus," urged Raiden. "Do I have your aid for this mission?"
Sonya looked around the room. The others seemed to be thinking it over themselves.
"Ok," she eventually decided. "We'll do it."
"Very good." Raiden responded.
"I Uhh… I'll come along too," volunteered Mokap. "For… support and all that."
"Same here," added Kai, putting his arm around Kung Jin and pulling him closer. "Gotta look after this knucklehead."
Kung Jin dipped his head in an effort to hide his blushing.
"When are we heading to Outworld?" Asked Cassie.
"Cassandra Cage, I have a separate mission in mind for you." Raiden revealed.
"Oh?" She replied.
Raiden sighed. "I have recently received word… that Shang Tsung is alive."
All those who knew of the sorcerer were shocked by the news.
"Ok… how?!" Johnny asked. "First you mention Mileena being alive again and now this?! What's going on, Resurrection Day?!"
"I am unsure of how exactly Shang Tsung has returned to life," Raiden admitted. "This was likely achieved through his formidable sorcery. Nonetheless, he is a secondary threat within Outworld and must be dealt with. And I believe that you, Cassandra Cage, are suited for the task."
"Ok… but why me?" Questioned Cassie.
"You have proven yourself a capable warrior, Cassandra Cage," Raiden complimented. "Both in defeating Shinnok and slaying the Red Dragon commander Mavado."
"Yeah… I… I did…" Cassie said, breaking eye contact with Raiden as less than pleasant memories returned to her.
Jacqui, who had been present for the ordeal, went over to comfort her. "It's ok, Cass. We know you didn't want to kill him."
"And in doing so you have removed a threat to Earthrealm." Raiden pointed out.
Jacqui ignored Raiden and focused on trying to help her friend. "It wasn't your fault, Cass."
Cassie took a deep breath. "What should I look out for?"
"A withered old man…" Raiden explained. "In… brown robes. Be warned, Shang Tsung is known to mimic the abilities of other warriors, making him an exceptionally deadly adversary. He will also have allies, expect him to fight alongside Saurians and other Outworlders."
"Saurians… the lizard guys, right?" Cassie asked.
Raiden nodded.
Cassie gave him a brief salute. "Understood. I'll take care of it"
"Maybe somebody oughta go with her," Johnny pointed out. "Sonya, Jax, and me have seen Shang Tsung in action. He is not good news."
"I have faith in Cassandra Cage's abilities," assured Raiden. "And I require the rest of you for our primary objective. Kotal Kahn will likely be guarded by his closest allies. Shang Tsung is but one, with few supporting him, those who guard Kotal Kahn are far more numerous."
Sonya sighed. "He's right. We need to be split up as little as possible in case things get hairy."
"So we're sending our daughter alone again the soul sucker?!" Johnny asked.
"Our daughter can take care of herself, Johnny," Sonya argued. "And make decisions for herself."
She partially relented, turning to her daughter. "Cassie, are you sure you want to do this?"
"Yes," Cassie said confidently. "I can do this. I'll take him down."
"If you need any help, contact us," Sonya instructed. "We'll be there as quickly as we can."
"Prepare yourselves," urged Raiden. "We must make haste. Hanzo Hasashi and the Shirai Ryu will be lending their aid in this effort. I will recruit Nightwolf to join us as well. She is best suited for countering the magics of Outworld."
"And for helping out our undead buddies," pointing out Johnny added. "We are still doing that, right?"
"After the matter of Outworld is dealt with." Raiden answered.
"Always looking to send people into battle rather than save them…" Takeda said disdainfully, especially annoyed that it was now his teacher being put in harm's way to service Raiden's bidding, in addition to his fiancé, something that already worried him..
"It is through our battles that lives are saved." Raiden argued, before teleporting away.
As the Special Forces prepared for their impromptu journey to Outworld, there was another individual preparing to make the trip.
Bo' Rai Cho had already packed up everything that he felt he would need to take with him into a bag which he had fastened to his back. All that was left to do now was procure his means of inter-realm travel.
Luckily, he happened to be close friends with the God of Wind. Granted, portals had little to do with Fujin's elemental jurisdiction, but they were one of the abilities innate to any of the Lesser Gods that safeguarded the realms on behalf of the Elder Gods.
Bo' Rai Cho approached Fujin, who was in the midst of a training session with Liu Chow.
As beneficial as sparring practice could be, Fujin preferred to use other methods when training students. One trait that Fujin was particularly fond of teaching was inner strength, rather than physical might. In this particular instance, the God of Wind was utilizing his aerokinetic power to summon powerful gusts of wind, not strong enough to knock Liu Chow over, but enough to make it more difficult for him to press on. In spite of the wind, Liu Chow marched forward.
"The key to defeating your enemies is not mere brute strength," Fujin explained. "No battle, no war, had ever been one by material might alone. The strength that will grant you victory is the strength to persevere, to continue in spite of all odds that might be stacked against you, and to use that determination, to channel it, manifest it into the physical world."
All the way in Outworld, this very same lesson was being taught by Shujinko to Li Mei, while they and Khameleon had taken a brief stop on their journey to the Abyss of Fire, which Shujinko believed would be a good moment to further educate Li Mei in harnessing her chi.
"Now, show me your power, show me your will to fight on, no matter what!" Commanded Fujin and Shujinko.
At the same time, in two different realms, Liu Chow and Li Mei manifested their chi.
For Liu Chow, his fist became enveloped in a flame so hot that it burned blue, the culmination of 26 years of learning, something he wished his brother could have seen and joined in him.
For Li Mei, her chi manifested quite differently, in the form of a bright pink glowing sphere of light energy summoned from her hand.
She marveled at it, while in Earthrealm, Liu Chow immediately sought to use his flame, going in for a punch before Fujin unleashed an even stronger gust of wind to knock him back and onto the ground, dissipating the flame.
In the two realms, Khameleon and Bo' Rai Cho clapped in reverence for the accomplishments of their respective allies. While Shujinko went to congratulate Li Mei, Fujin went to help Liu Chow up.
"You possess the strength and determination of a warrior," they both complimented, but their next words differed:
"I believe that you possess the capacity to overcome any evil that would try to conquer you." Shujinko said reassuringly.
"But there is an anger burning inside you, one that I fear may destroy if not controlled." Fujin chastised.
"Thank you Shujinko, I couldn't have done it without your help." Li Mei responded modestly.
"My rage is one that I direct at injustice, the evil-doers are the only ones who will be burned." Liu Chow argued, getting up and brashly hitting his shoulder against Fujin's as he walked away.
"Give him time, he is still hurting from the loss of his brother." Bo' Rai Cho advised.
"We should continue on with our journey, we still have quite a ways to go." Suggested Khameleon.
"The loss of Liu Kang wounds us all," Fujin reminded him. "But… I know it pains Liu Chow most of all."
"You are right, Khameleon, let us go." Shujinko agreed, as the three of them set off into the Outworld horizon.
"Liu Kang and Liu Chow were orphans," Bo' Rai Cho recounted. "Left for the White Lotus to care for, and so we did."
"Their parents were also Shaolin," Fujin recalled. "Alas, Liu Lee perished in Mortal Kombat against Outworld's warriors, and Liu Lin, striving to avenge him, died in the next day's round of matches."
"She entrusted us with her sons before she went to battle," Bo' Rai Cho remembered. "You, and I… and Raiden. I often wonder if we've properly honored her wishes…"
"As do I, old friend," Fujin empathized. "And I'm sure Raiden often does as well…."
"Before Shinnok made his second assault on the Jinsei, Raiden told me that Liu Kang and Kung Lao were like sons to him," said Bo' Rai Cho. "Much similar to how you and I cared for them. The pain he feels for their deaths is surpassed only by Liu Chow and Kung Jin."
"I suppose that would make them my nephews…" Fujin decided. "As it would Liu Chow…. I hope to the Elder Gods that I can help him."
"I have faith in you, my friend," Bo' Rai Cho assured. "I always will."
"What of you, old friend?" Fujin asked. "You seem well-packed. Intending to take a trip?"
"Aye," Bo' Rai Cho confirmed. "I must pay visit to my home. To Outworld. Much has happened since Shao Kahn fell, and I have only sparsely been there to witness it."
"Be careful, my friend," cautioned Fujin. "Outworld is still in the grips of its civil war, and possibly heading for worse if Raiden fears for the security of the Kamidogu."
"Perhaps," Bo' Rai Cho acknowledged. "But if my home realm is heading towards disaster, that is all the more reason I must be there to do all that I can to avert it."
Fujin nodded, using his divine powers to summon a glowing white portal.
"Very well," he said. "Safe travels, my friend."
"Thank you, Fujin." Bo' Rai Cho said graciously, as he walked through the portal.
Whereas hope was what kept the likes of Bo' Rai Cho, Shujinko, Li Mei, Fujin, and Khameleon strong in these changing times, it was fear and uncertainty that ruled the minds of others. Namely, the minds of Frost and Sektor.
The first thing Frost could remember when they arrived at the Tekunin base was being knocked unconscious. When she came to, she found herself forcefully strapped to some kind of table. Her heart was racing at this point, fearing that they would cyberize and brainwash her… and then do worse, and turn her against the Lin Kuei.
From another room, she could hear screaming in a roboticized voice. She faintly remembered Sektor being reactivated before her capture, and assumed they were torturing him. She assumed it had to do with Sektor having nearly killed Wu Lae. If that were the case, and this was all built upon that prior encounter, Frost feared that cyberization would be their twisted form of gratitude towards her.
There was something else that she could hear as well… metal footsteps in the room she was in.
"Wu Lae? Are you there?" She asked aloud.
"Activate the optical implants," instructed a metallic voice, but not Wu Lae's. "I wish to enlighten the little blind girl on a few things."
Suddenly, Frost's vision returned to her in spite of the prior slash across her face. But something was….different. It was almost as if she was viewing the world through a computer screen. There were displays of the time, her vitals, the current temperature, as she focused, she found that her eyes could now zoom like a camera, and a stray line of thought had her wondering if they were capable of a WiFi connection.
"What did you…." she then came to a horrifying possibility. "Did you take out my eyes?!"
A silver cyborg walked into her field of vision, looking down on her with a glare of cold steel.
"Oh no no no. The eyes are among the most complex parts of the human body," the cyborg explained. "Why remove what I can simply enhance?"
"That's…. oddly reassuring…" Frost decided. "And who are you anyway? Where's Wu Lae… or… 'Triborg' I guess."
The cyborg laughed at her. "So, the ruse worked then?"
"Oh no, I know he was brainwashed," Frost clarified. "And I guess that means…. you're the guy really in charge."
"My my, some genuine intellect," said the cyborg. "You see, Cryomancer… I am Triborg."
Frost smirked. "Be honest, were you halfway between saying that and saying you were my father?"
"What father?" Triborg asked. "And yes, I know more about you than you realize, orphan."
"Touché…" Frost responded through gritted teeth. "So, what the hell do you want with me?"
"Really only to test a few things," Triborg admitted. "Do you like my optical implants? Your eyes were rather badly damaged after you attempted to battle Wu Lae. I must commend your bravery, illogical as it is. You may also notice another augmentation."
He pointed to her arms. Frost looked over at them and noticed something she found deeply unsettling. Stopping just above her elbows, she noticed that her arms now bore unusual lines across them, making them almost look like they were made of multiple panels rather than being one singular part of her body. Furthermore, the wound she had suffered to one arm was also no longer present.
"What did you do to me?!" She asked demandingly.
"Strength enhancers, common procedure for all of my Tekunin," Triborg answered very frankly, as if he were some twisted manner of doctor. "Somewhat experimental in this case, embedded within the organic arm instead of being added with the rest of the cybernetic armaments. You will be as strong as one of us, but appear human."
Frost realized exactly what Triborg intended for her. "You want to turn me into your terminator…"
"An infiltration unit, yes," Triborg clarified. "Steel hidden behind flesh. Admittedly, quite like that film. Or so I've heard anyway, I have little time for films."
"You don't get outside much, do you asshole?" Frost asked.
One of the grey, drone-like cyborgs in the room walked over and blasted her with an electric shock from its hand, shocking her and causing the implants to briefly glitch.
"Be grateful that I have chosen you to be my infiltration unit, child," Triborg said more like a command than a suggestion. "Otherwise I'd simply saw off that mouth of yours!"
"And I thought Sektor had a temper," Frost mocked. "Speaking of which, what are you doing to him?"
Triborg simply stared at her for a moment, before finally responding:
"You actually care," The realization caused Triborg to emit another metallic cackle. "If you must know, that defective model LK-9T9 is currently being subjected to the proper penance for his betrayal. He is being analyzed. Taken apart piece by piece. Ordinally I induce unconsciousness before a procedure, it lowers the chances of something going wrong due to resistance, just as when I began to scratch the surface of your enhancements, but for him… I had something far more painful in mind."
"You're a sadistic monster," Frost said plainly. "And what betrayal? I would've guessed almost killing Wu Lae, but since you're the real head honcho and you brainwashed him, I assume that's not it."
"You recognized that his mind had been tampered with yet believed that nonsense about the Tekunin being the next evolution of the pitiful Tengu," Triborg observed. "Amusing. You know, your 'friend' Wu Lae was actually quite grateful for you saving his life. When my followers and I arrived to assimilate his clan into our forces, he even told me that the Lin Kuei were no longer their enemy. I'm sure some sentimental fool like your so-called 'Grandmaster' would have found it touching."
Frost narrowed her eyes and spat in his face, the saliva freezing against Triborg's silvery plating.
In response, the Tekunin leader simply snapped his fingers, summoning two of his underlings. In unison, the cyborgs channeled electricity into their hands, before hitting Frost with a sufficient shock to render her unconscious.
When she awoke, she found herself upright, cylindrical metallic binds encasing her hands and feet and holding her in place. Due to the electricity, her visual implants suffered minor glitches as she came back into consciousness.
When she was able to see in front of her again, she saw Triborg standing in front of her with two grey cyborgs. One of them, curiously, appeared to be holding something in both hands.
Frost wasn't having any of this. "Alright bastard, enough playing arou—" she suddenly yelled in pain as she was struck with an electrical shock.
"This containment system was designed specifically to hold Cryomancers," Triborg explained. "If the system detects any lowering in the body temperature of your limbs, like for instance, your instantaneously prevented escape, it will administer bolts of electricity designed to cause you pain, but keep you conscious. Essentially, it is designed to put you in your place."
"Even if you brainwash me, turn me into your l-little sleeper agent, Kuai Liang will stop you," Frost said with absolute certainty. "The Cyber Initiative was stopped before, and it will be again."
"So, you've finally put the pieces together," Triborg observed. "Well yes child, the Tekunin is the rebirth of the long-forgotten Cyber Initiative. Your Grandmaster was a fool to think he had defeated us, and Sektor was a fool to think he had defeated me."
"[Amusement] and yet we were both victorious." Came a familiar voice from the object one of the cyborgs was holding.
"Ah yes…" Triborg recalled. "Allow me to introduce your… 'cellmate'."
Triborg took the object from his minion. Frost's eyes widened as she saw it was:
The disembodied head and lower arm of Sektor, removed completely from the rest of his body and connected together only by a few wires.
Triborg threw the head and arm onto a nearby table, which they clanged against briefly before ceasing their movement.
"Ordinarily, I would complete both of your… procedures with haste," Triborg informed them. "But unfortunately a… tentative ally of mine requests that my forces be on standby within this realm for some gambit he's planning against the current ruler. The arrangement should at least yield some fascinating test subjects, given the wide variety of species."
"Wide variety of… we're in Outworld?!" Frost asked.
"Worry not child, I will return you to Earthrealm… once your operation is complete, that is." Triborg said darkly.
"Never thought a robot would have a torture fetish." Frost mocked.
"And I never thought a Cryomancer would be so easily defeated," Triborg shot back. "Thank you for this, by the way."
One of the cyborgs then handed their master the Dragon Medallion. The sight of the artifact in Triborg's hands worried Frost deeply, as her mind dared to conjure what he might do to her Lin Kuei, to her family, with that kind of power.
"Unit TG-WU143 was fortunate that you are unable to fully master its power, otherwise we may not have been able to apprehend LK-52O's prized pupil for my planned objective."
"It took me a few years to be able to use that thing," Frost recounted. "I hope it tears you apart."
"Such vitriol is unbecoming of your supposed 'Lin Kuei'," Triborg mocked. "A pity that the name will die with your Grandmaster, but alas he has tainted it to the point of no return, and my Tekunin must carry on the Lin Kuei's true legacy."
"I won't let that happen." Frost promised.
"My my, LK-52O has filled your head with such delusion that you believe you have any choice in the matter." Triborg responded, clearly amused.
Frost rolled her eyes. "Right, I'm the delusional one."
"Do not presume you possess any wisdom," Triborg demanded. "You are a child, your mind is easily molded. First by LK-52O, and soon, by me."
"[Amusement] Even after all you've built, after becoming 'Triborg', you're still afraid of Cryomancers, old man," Sektor mocked. "Sending your underlings to apprehend her, and then restricting her ability to use her powers."
"BE QUIET YOU FAILED EXPERIMENT." Triborg shouted, slamming his fist on the table and causing Sektor's head and arm to bounce to the air briefly.
The Tekunin Grandmaster was then quick to regain his composure.
"Sit here and await the inevitable," he commanded. "I will return."
With that, Triborg left the room, the two cyborgs remaining behind as guards.
"Yeesh, someone's got a temper." Frost commented.
"[Hatred] You have no idea…." Sektor responded.
"So… there's one part of this I don't get," Frost admitted. "He made it sound like he knew you."
"[Shame] He's my father…." Sektor explained.
"Oh…" Frost responded. "Yikes. I can Uhh… see the family resemblance."
"[Irritation] Is this your attempt 'lightening the mood?" Sektor asked.
"Never been much of a comedian," Frost confessed. "So if he's your dad… does that mean he's the Grandmaster of the old Lin Kuei? The guy who started Cyber Initiative in the first place?"
"[Confirmation] Affirmative." Sektor answered.
"So all that stuff Kuai and Cyrax told me about… when they got turned into cyborgs… that was all because of him." Frost realized.
"[Consolation] I was disappointed to find out that he wasn't dead as well." Sektor replied.
"He was always… pretty hard on you, huh?" Frost asked. "I mean, I couldn't even imagine somebody doing something like, well this," she motioned towards him with her head. "To their own son… it's awful..."
"[Irritation] I do not need your sympathies…" Sektor answered annoyedly.
"I wasn't lying before, you know," Frost clarified. "About how I used to be like you. I know what it's like to feel like you're the only one you can count on, to have all this anger building up inside you. And..." she took a deep breath. "Considering I've never heard your or Triborg mention your mother…. I can guess that we have something else in common too."
"[Aggravation] Enough," Sektor demanded. "[Dismissal] Time spent discussing feelings and other such nonsense with you is time that would be better directed towards my escape from this facility."
The two cyborg guards heard this, one stepping over and beginning to channel electricity into one of its hands.
"All dialogue pertaining to escape is to cease immediately." The cyborg commanded. It reached for Sektor's head, but before it could grab onto it, Frost made an effort at a rather unorthodox use of her powers: freezing the trace amounts of water molecules in the air as well as some of her own saliva into the shape of a shuriken which she held with her teeth. With as strong a neck motion as she could muster, she launched the shuriken towards the cyborg, the ice weapon embedding itself in the side of its head, cutting a few wires and causing the visual systems in its right eye to malfunction. The half-blind cyborg stumbled around briefly, before grabbing onto Sektor's arm, sending the electric shock towards it as well.
"[Mocking] Thank you, drone," said Sektor. "For sending sufficient energy into my weapons systems."
Without the rest of his body, which contained the fuel for it, Sektor's flamethrower was of no use. But he did have another weapon in his arm: a small laser cannon which flipped out and fired a bolt of red energy at the cyborg guard, blasting through its hand and reaching its head, the cyborg falling dead seconds after.
The other cyborg attempted to intervene, but Sektor used his hand to maneuver the arm into position so that it could fire at this cyborg as well, shooting another laser and the cyborg dropping soon after.
"[Amusement] I see that the old man didn't exactly use his best material on these." Sektor mocked.
"Those were people once, y'know." Frost pointed out.
"[Argumentation] Whoever they were died when they converted into Oniro's disposable infantry," Sektor reasoned. "[Command] Now hold still so I can destroy your restraints."
"You're… helping me?" Frost asked, having hardly expected to receive any aid from the red cyborg.
"[Admittance] I am a head and the lower half of an arm," Sektor pointed out. "I do not possess the proper means to escape this facility without you."
"Fair point." Frost agreed.
Sektor maneuvered his arm so that the laser gun was aimed at the restraints holding Frost's arms. One after the other, they were blasted, falling to pieces. Frost then created a pickaxe out of ice which she used to dig into and destroy one of the restraints holding her legs, doing the same with the other until finally, she was free.
"Ok," she said as she went over and took what was left of Sektor, holding his head to her side like a basketball and his arm in her other hand. "Let's get to work."
Perhaps however, Frost and Sektor would not be alone in escaping the Tekunin.
Since the Tekunin attack, Cyrax had been hard at work pulling what information he could out of the cyborgs that the Lin Kuei had managed to defeat in the ensuing battle, with a decent amount of assistance from Chloe. He had also taken the time to analyze the cyborgs, noting them as being more advanced than the original Lin Kuei Cyber Initiative models, but definitely based on the same designs, a fact which confused him.
"It doesn't make any sense," he mumbled to himself, while hooking up the databanks of a cyborg head that had been blasted off by Sareena to the Lin Kuei's computer systems. "Even if the Tengu were able to reverse-engineer the cyborg tech from Sektor, there's no way they have the resources or the know-how to make advancements like this."
"Maybe they had some help," suggested Chloe. "Black Dragon, Red Dragon. Those guys are known to carry around pretty advanced stuff."
"Maybe." Cyrax repeated, his face to the monitor.
"What are you doing now?" Chloe asked.
"We've combed through all the data we could get from these guys," Cyrax recounted. "There's some deep memory files I can't gain access to, probably their memories from before cyberization. While that might shed some light on the situation, I think we're better off focus on something similar."
"Especially if we wanna save Frost quickly." added Chloe.
"Right," Cyrax agreed. "I'm trying to see if I can trace their teleportation signal. I was going to do the same with Sektor, but he was too heavily damaged for me to make any real progress. Your estimate about a homing device being placed in Sektor was correct, that was their anchoring point for the teleportation here. Nice work, kid."
"Thanks." Chloe said with a smile.
"Now what I'm trying to figure out…." Cyrax explained. "Is where they teleported in from."
"Well it has to be somewhere here in Articka," Chloe reasoned. "I mean, why else would Wu Lae and his goons try to fight with us over territor-"
"I've got it!" Cyrax exclaimed. "They were teleported from a base in Outworld!"
"Outworld?!" Chloe repeated.
Cyrax nodded. "We have to inform Kuai Liang immediately."
"Wait, how can we get there without the Dragon Medallion?" Chloe asked.
"I ran an analysis after Kuai Liang returned from that Cryomancer tomb he found," Cyrax explained. "I don't understand a lot about magic, but from what I could get from the energy signatures, his grandfather's armor should react with the ice portal similarly to the Medallion."
Cyrax got out of his chair and began running down the next hall, Chloe following behind him to the best of her ability.
The two were soon able to reach Kuai Liang, who was teaching Sleet some new combat techniques while Sareena, Ashrah and Stryker spectacted.
"So, when are you gonna tell him about his brother?" Stryker whispered to Sareena.
"He's going through a lot right now," Sareena reasoned. "I'll tell him when we've rescued Frost and things are calmer."
"We've found them!" announced Cyrax seconds later.
Sub-Zero immediately focused himself on the news. "Sleet, you are dismissed. We will continue training at another time."
"Ok, Sifu." he responded, bowing briefly and then leaving.
"So," Sub-Zero said to Cyrax. "You have located the Tekunin?"
"Affirmative," Cyrax answered. "I was able to trace their teleportation signal to a base in Outworld."
"Outworld?" Sub-Zero asked.
"That's what I said." admitted Chloe.
"If we have our destination, we should make haste," Ashrah suggested. "Our allies are counting on us."
"Of course," Sub-Zero agreed. "Cyrax, Chloe. Assemble a group of our best students. Sareena, Ashrah, Kurtis, if you are so inclined, you may join us on this mission."
"Umm… of course we will!" Stryker exclaimed.
"Frost needs our help, and so do you," Sareena said firmly. "I'll tell Kia and Jataaka about our mission, but I doubt they'll want to help."
"The effort would still be worthwhile," Sub-Zero reassured, prompting Sareena to leave the room in search of them as he returned his attention to Cyrax and Chloe. "Excellent work, both of you."
"We're going to get her back, Kuai," Cyrax assured, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I promise you."
"We have to," Chloe agreed. "She's part of the family…"
"And family don't leave each other behind…"