Sonya Blade wasn't someone to panic.
The events of the day that led to her being shoved through an inter-realm portal by her own daughter were threatening to change that.
"Woah, what happened?!" Asked Gemini after Sonya, Jax, Johnny, and Hanzo had come tumbling through the portal and back into the Special Forces base.
"You're asking us?!" Responded Johnny. "I haven't got a fucking clue myself!"
"Open the portal back up, right now!" Sonya demanded.
"It has a twenty minute cooldown time!" Gemini informed her.
"Dammit!" Sonya shouted, turning around and banging her fist on the portal device in a way which reminded her of the way her aging father treated his old TV.
"Woah, Sonya, easy," Johnny advised, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "The kids are smart, they can take care of themselves. Plus they've got Mo' and Vera with em'."
"Take care of themselves?!" Sonya repeated. "They just went AWOL!"
"Cage, I know you're trying to help, but my wife and daughter are stranded in Outworld right now!" Interjected Jax. "So why don't you look away from the bright side for once in your fucking life and live in reality!?"
"Ok Jax," Johnny responded. "The 'reality' is that a man is dead, we're gonna have Kotal Kahn and the rest of Outworld's army on our doorstep after Operation Assassinate A Foreign Leader didn't work, Raiden's been using our zombie friends as some kinda hit squad without telling us, and our kids were the only ones with the good sense to decide they weren't gonna take this shit anymore! 'Reality' is that you're not the only one freaking out right now!"
"Oh, look who finally woke up!" Jax yelled back.
"You sonuva-"
"One thing I know," Hanzo spoke up over them both. "Is that misdirecting our anger will not get us anywhere. I speak from experience."
"H-He's right." Added Gemini, a bit shaken by the behavior of her compatriots, not having seen them act like this in many years.
"Priority Number One needs to be preparing for the Outworld invasion that's bound to be on its way," Sonya reasoned. "I need to meet with the Defense Chiefs and brief them on the situation."
"Uhh, Sonya," chimed in Johnny. "Priority Number One should be finding our kids."
"It is for us," Sonya agreed. "Not for the entire Special Forces. As much as I might want to, I can't put my family first when we've got a war to get ahead of."
"So you want us to do nothing?!" Johnny asked.
"I didn't say that," Sonya clarified. "I have to do my job, but I'm trusting you to find our kids, Vera, and your friend and get them back home safe. And maybe be able to help them process all this. I know it isn't easy for them right now."
"Cassie could use your help too." Johnny pointed out.
Sonya shook her head. "You're better at that kind of thing than me, Johnny." She admitted.
Before leaving, Sonya did something no one expected, and pulled Johnny in for a kiss.
"Good luck." Was the last thing she said before exiting the room.
"Ok then…" Johnny said. "Let's get to work."
"Gem, see if you can pull up their tracking." Jax suggested.
Gemini began typing away on the computer console. About a minute later, she responded:
"No good," she explained. "They must have turned off. Even with them in Outworld, we should be able to get some kind of signal."
"They don't want us following them," Jax surmised. "But why?"
"Perhaps recent events are something they feel they need to figure out themselves." Hanzo offered.
"I don't like it," Jax replied dismissively. "They're putting themselves in danger like this."
Johnny was stuck in thought, hands on his hips and eyes on the floor.
"Johnny, you alright?" Jax asked, walking over.
"I'm… I'm fine…" Johnny replied distantly.
"Look, I'm sorry about before man." Jax said.
"Yeah, me too," Johnny agreed. "It was outta line."
"Now let's work together and get our kids back." Jax suggested.
"It's not that I'm thinking about," Johnny admitted. "I trust Cass, especially with her team to back her up. Mokap's a good guy too, and I don't need to tell you how great your wife is. It's… it's Sonya."
"What do you mean?" Jax asked.
"She's… she's avoiding it all again," Johnny explained. "S'why we split up, y'know."
"I remember." Jax confirmed.
"You've known her longer than me, you know she'd never admit it," Johnny continued. "But I can just tell she's freaking out right now."
"We're all freaking out right now," Jax pointed out. "Weirdly, the calmest one right now is Scorp."
Hanzo chuckled. "I appreciate the compliment, Major Briggs," he shook his head. "But believe me, I am concerned for Takeda's safety. I only hope that I trained him well enough for whatever might be ahead."
"You're right, Jax," Johnny admitted. "Still, this whole thing, weird as it might be for me to say this, it all kind of reminds me of when we first found out we were parents…."
It had been just a few hours since Sonya had told Johnny that she was pregnant. Shortly after, the two had decided to convene at a nearby restaurant to discuss the matter.
Sonya stared down into her coffee cup, while Johnny waited for her to say something with a patience she didn't expect from him.
"You uhh… how you holding up?" Johnny finally asked.
"For the first time in my life, I don't know what to do." Sonya told him.
"Hey, don't talk like that," Johnny cautioned. "You're Sonya fucking Blade! You bust up Black Dragon gangs and stomp sorcerers in the balls, and-"
"Exactly," Sonya cut him off. "I chose this life for myself. Putting myself at risk, trying to keep the wolves from Earth's door just a little longer. The life I live isn't one that's cut out for a child."
"I know how you feel." Johnny started.
"Oh don't give me that!" Sonya yelled.
"Seriously, I do!" Johnny insisted. "Look, I'm not a soldier. I haven't been risking life and limb as long as you have. I'm not gonna pretend that I have. But I do know what it's like to be so caught up in your work that you feel like there isn't any time for a family."
"Acting has its own challenges," Sonya surmised. "Fine, you have a point. Neither of us knows what the hell we're doing. So what kind of life are we setting up for our kid?"
"Look, it's gonna be hard," Johnny admitted. "But I know me, and I think I'm starting to get to know you, and I think that we can make this work."
"I wish I was as confident as you are, Johnny," Sonya responded. "I just…. I just don't know."
Johnny shrugged. "Well, nobody does, really. That's part of life. Figuring things out as you go along. We can't see the future. Well, Raiden can, but umm…. that didn't exactly work out very well."
Sonya sighed. "That's what scares me the most. If… if I die, and our child has to go through what we did losing all our friends. I can't… I can't do that to them."
"I… I get it," Johnny sympathized. "That's hard to even think about. Maybe you could use some backup."
"I thought you were done with the SF after Shinnok." Sonya recalled.
"So did I," Johnny admitted. "But it's clear to me that you need help, especially with a kid. And I want to be there anyway I can."
"You, Johnny Cage, want to be someone I can depend on?" Sonya asked.
"Well…." Johnny said as he dug into his pocket. "There is a reason I bought this."
He took out a surprisingly modest ring given the actor's reputation.
"I umm… figured you wouldn't want anything too flashy." Johnny explained.
Sonya started at it for the next several moments without saying a word.
She locked eyes with Johnny. "You're serious."
"You uhh… tend to bring out the 'serious' in me." Johnny admitted.
She cracked up, a rare occurrence for her. She put her hand out, and allowed Johnny to slide the ring on.
"We're in this together, alright?" Johnny told her.
She nodded, clearly still worried about what would come next in their lives.
"Alright…"
"Parenting's never easy," Jax said knowingly, pulling Johnny out of his own memories. "Some days I'm still trying to get used to Jacqui being grown. I think Sonya's going through the same thing with Cassie. And it gets even harder when they do things you wouldn't expect."
"Like toss you through a portal." Johnny joked.
Jax sighed. "Yeah…."
"Hey, guys," said Gemini. "I still have the energy readouts from when we were trying to figure out the deal with that Mokap guy. If we send some drones to Outworld to look for that energy signature, we might be able to find him and the kids."
"Smart," Jax complimented. "That might do it. We can try it out when the portal is ready to go up again."
"Where…."
The four turned their heads to see Kenshi slowly walking into the room. He still hadn't fully recovered from his ordeal with the Red Dragon, using Sento to balance himself like a cane. He was still visibly in better condition than he had been mere hours ago.
"Where is Takeda?" He asked. "I can't sense his mind, nor Jacqueline's for that matter. Where are my son and future daughter?"
Given the recent ordeal, no one in the room was entirely sure how to respond.
Since Kenshi was a telepath, they wouldn't have to. Each of them could feel him probing their minds, searching their recent memories for an answer as to his query. Going even further back, he was able to learn of Takeda's prior verbal confrontation with Raiden, which helped to contextualize more recent events.
Kenshi gritted his teeth.
"Raiden…" Kenshi growled. "He's gone mad!"
"Ease yourself, Kenshi," Hanzo cautioned. "This is no time for attempting to assign blame."
"Assign blame?!" Kenshi repeated. "Who else is responsible for the turmoil my son must be going through now! Who else is responsible for Bo' Rai Cho's death!?"
"Do you forget that I once killed an innocent man as well?" Hanzo asked. "And yet I have been accepted as your ally, and to you Kenshi, a friend."
"You were manipulated, Hanzo," Kenshi argued. "Remember what Kuai Liang told you: Quan Chi was Bi-Han's true killer. Raiden has no one in his head, he is simply blinded by his crusade. And unlike me, I fear he may not learn a new way to see before it's too late."
"I cannot give up hope," Hanzo insisted. "Raiden offered me redemption, and I am honor-bound to repay him."
Kenshi shook his head. "I hope you know what you are doing, my friend."
Hanzo nodded. "Thank you." he said before pushing past him to leave.
"Hey, where the hell are you going?" Johnny asked.
"I must return to the Shirai Ryu," Hanzo explained. "I fear my clan will need to prepare for whatever will happen next."
"If that is what you feel is right." Kenshi responded.
His friend's words lingered in his head as Hanzo teleported out of the Special Forces base in a burst of hellfire.
Kenshi turned his attention to his allies still in the room. "The moment you locate them, please inform me at once."
"I'll keep you in the loop." Gemini assured him.
"At this point, I'm hoping we can find them before Raiden decides to do something else crazy," said Johnny. "I mean, the bastard tried to blast my daughter!"
"I'd never seen anything like that before," Jax agreed. "If it wasn't for Bo', I probably would've stepped in myself."
"You and me both, buddy." Johnny affirmed.
"The best thing to do now is ensure that Bo' Rai Cho's sacrifice does not go in vain." Advised Kenshi.
"Yeah," Jax responded, nodding in agreement. "You're right."
"I didn't know him, but…" Gemini paused briefly. "I'm sorry about your friend."
"Thanks," Jax responded graciously. "It's just…. man, you think you know somebody."
"Seriously," Johnny agreed. "We used to ask Raiden to babysit!"
"It is not just Raiden that concerns your mind," Kenshi said knowingly. "You are thinking further in the past, Jackson."
"Oh, you thinking about what happened with Hsu Hao?" Johnny questioned.
"Yeah," Jax admitted. "Raiden turning like that reminded me a lot of him. It's weird in a way, Raiden was the one who busted him…."
It was ten years after Shao Kahn's failed invasion of Earthrealm, eight years after Shinnok's first defeat and Jax's return from being a revenant, and a mere two years before Kenshi would join the Special Forces.
At the time, the Special Forces' main concern was attempting to rout out the Black Dragon clan, who had strengthened their reach during the time the world had been rebuilding from both Shao Kahn and Shinnok's onslaughts.
Collecting data on the clan in an effort to pinpoint their location and find a pattern to their activities fell to Gemini and fellow Special Forces member, former Chinese Military Officer Hsu Hao. The task wasn't easy given how erratic Kano was known to be, although the activities of other Black Dragon leaders like Jarek and Tasia were far more logical and easier to follow.
Jax walked into the room, carrying two cups of coffee which he placed down for his coworkers.
"How we doin'?" He asked casually.
"Still trying to break up the Black Dragon's underground fighting rings," Gemini informed him. "Why do they have so many of them?"
"They are guided by bloodlust rather than logic," Hsu Hao concluded. "To your query, Major Briggs, we located an arms dealer in Afghanistan who was connected to the Black Dragon. Unfortunately, the target fled after a confrontation with a group of unrelated terrorists which ended in their deaths."
"Damn," Jax responded. "Just when you think they can't get more cutthroat."
"Major Briggs," said Hsu Hao. "I have found in my experience that there is no true limit to the depths the Black Dragon will lower themselves to."
"Hah! You said it, man." Gemini agreed, although Hsu Hao did not respond.
The doors slid open, catching the attention of Jax and Gemini while Hsu Hao stayed focused on his work. Sonya and Raiden walked into the room, occupied by discussion of inter-realm events.
"The civil war in Outworld grows larger with each passing day," Raiden informed. "I had hoped that we could appeal to what nobility Mileena may have inherited from her sister, but this 'Kotal Kahn' makes the situation far more unpredictable. Still, he too could be reasoned with if we appeal to the common good of both our realms."
"Not sure that would even really work with either of them," Sonya responded honestly. "They both seem pretty pissed off."
"We-I killed the only father Mileena has ever known," Raiden pointed out. "Shao Kahn was a monster, and I do not mourn his death. But I understand the need to grieve, especially after the losses we have suffered ourselves… like Liu Kang…."
"Yeah…" Sonya agreed, thinking back to all of the comrades that had fallen in the Outworld invasion.
"I do not yet understand what drives Kotal Kahn," Raiden admitted. "Hopefully, he wishes to break the cycle of Shao Kahn's tyranny."
"I dunno," Sonya disagreed. "People who launch coups don't usually have the best intentions."
"Was your own nation not founded through revolution?" Raiden asked.
"Fair enough," Sonya conceded. "Hey… speaking of our old friends. We're working on getting a lead on finding Quan Chi, and with any luck, being able to get them back. We have a contact in the Netherrealm, she helped us find Quan Chi's fortress when we got Jax and Sub-Zero back, so she seems pretty reliable so far."
Raiden looked noticeably distant. Sonya was naturally confused. Tracking his gaze, she noticed that it fell upon Hsu Hao.
"Yo Raiden, everything alright?" Jax asked.
"No," Raiden answered. "Everything is not alright."
He pointed at Hsu Hao. "This man is an infiltrator for the Red Dragon clan. He plots to betray you!"
In response to the accusation, Hsu Hao stood up and glared at Raiden.
"Raiden, what are you talking about?!" Sonya asked. "Hsu's been with us for years!"
"And what the hell is this about a Red Dragon?" Jax questioned. "We've never heard of em'."
"They are an ancient and secretive clan," Raiden explained. "And Hsu Hao is their undercover operative. He has been since the day you met him."
Raiden and Hsu Hao locked eyes, but the accused party remained silent.
"Look, Raiden, I trust you," Sonya assured. "But you can't throw around claims without any evi-"
"I foresaw his betrayal in my visions," Raiden revealed. "If he is allowed to remain among you, he will-"
"Speaking as the ex-revenant in the room, I ain't really putting a lot of stock in your 'visions'." Jax interjected.
"The visions are not to blame," Raiden argued. "My efforts at abating the events they foretold are what led us to tragedy."
"It wasn't your fault." Sonya insisted.
"I will do what I must to prevent further lives from being lost," Raiden said adamantly, summoning blue lightning into his hand. "Hsu Hao, surrender now and this matter can be ended without violence."
Jax stepped between his two allies. "Raiden, I'm telling you, he is not-"
"Major Briggs," Hsu Hao finally spoke up. "With all due respect, do not waste your time tending to my defense."
Jax started turning around, only to be met with a punch to the face. Jax stumbled back before steadying himself by placing his hands on a nearby table. Understandably surprised by all this, Gemini swiveled in her chair and opened her mouth to ask the question that Sonya ended up asking first
"Hsu, what are you doing?!"
"General Blade," he addressed her formally. "And, congratulations on the recent promotion. I will not insult your intelligence by attempting to feign ignorance to Raiden's accusations. I believe after our time as workplace proximity associates, that would be unfair."
Hsu Hao removed his heavy military coat to reveal his cybernetic heart unit.
Raiden shot out a blast of lightning, which clearly seemed to damage Hsu Hao's cybernetics, forcing him to fall to one knee.
Raiden walked over to make sure the infiltrator was down, as Jax started to get his bearings.
"What the hell man?!" Jax yelled. "We trusted you! We've been working together for years! I even thought we were friends!"
Jax walked over to let his metal fists do the rest of the talking, but Hsu Hao turned out to not be as disabled as he seemed.
The red glow of his chest implant intensified. Hsu Hao moved himself into an upright position while still down on one knee, and fired the device's powerful laser directly at Raiden, knocking the Thunder God through the nearest few walls. Hsu Hao found himself glad that his request to his superior Mavado for the implant to be modified in order to withstand large amounts of electricity had been granted.
Once the initial shock of the moment faded, Gemini and Sonya both unholstered handguns and aimed them at Hsu Hao.
"Put your hands over your head, you fucking traitor!" Sonya shouted.
Hsu Hao surprisingly complied, only for Jax to punch him in the face as payback for the infiltrator's earlier blow.
Jax went for another punch, but Hsu Hao surprisingly caught his arm, pulling Jax in front of him to obscure Sonya's shot.
"Damn you!" Jax yelled in his ear.
Hsu Hao did not respond, simply shoving Jax towards Sonya and using his weight to knock her over. Sonya's gun discharged as a result, but the bullet only managed to hit the ceiling.
Gemini had a much better shot, and managed to put a bullet in Hsu Hao's rib cage before the Red Dragon could make another move. Hsu Hao pretended to go down, only to grab Gemini's chair out from under her and knock her to the ground. Another second and she would've stood up and avoided this tactic entirely. Timing was of the essence for Hsu Hao, who swiftly kicked her gun away.
"You boast impressive firearms proficiency for a communications officer," he surprisingly complimented, before grunting in pain. "Had you aimed higher, you would have ended me."
"Good thing I was just trying to slow you down." Gemini retorted, as Hsu Hao saw both Jax and Sonya running straight towards him.
Before the two could reach him, Hsu Hao clapped his hands together out in front of himself, resulting in a shockwave that threw both of his former subordinates back and tore up much of the room.
With Jax and Sonya disoriented, Hsu Hao looked at his watch. Except it wasn't really a watch at all, as he flipped it up to reveal a small red button. As he was about to press it, Gemini punched him in the face. She went for another punch, but Hsu Hao grabbed her arm and threw her into a nearby monitor, shattering the screen upon impact.
Jax and Sonya got up shortly after, followed by Raiden teleporting back into the room, lightning crackling in his hands.
It was too late. Hsu Hao pressed the button on his watch.
Suddenly, there was a huge explosion that rattled the building.
"What the hell was that?!" Jax asked aloud.
"The complex containing your prototype inter-realm portal device," Hsu Hao explained. "You have been useful to the Red Dragon cause in terms of wiping out the Black Dragon day by day, but we could not allow interference in our holdings beyond Earthrealm."
"You sonofabitch!" Jax shouted, running at Hsu Hao and punching him. Hsu Hao fired his chest laser, but it missed Jax.
"Not very good aim with that thing, huh?!" Jax mocked.
"You erroneously presume that you were my target, Major." Hsu Hao responded.
Jax turned to see the large hole blown in the wall, revealing the ruins of the Special Forces compound that Hsu Hao had destroyed with his bomb.
"Oh god, he wasn't bluffing…." Sonya realized.
"Motherfucking mass murderer!" Jax shouted, pulling his arm back to throw another punch only for Hsu Hao to kick him back.
Seizing the opening, Raiden let loose another blast of lightning, which Sonya coupled with her energy rings. Hsu Hao was thrown back to the other side of the room, his body slamming into the metal door.
Sonya and Raiden moved in to apprehend Hsu Hao, who slowly climbed to his feet. Jax meanwhile had been knocked nearby to Gemini, and seized the opportunity to check on her condition.
"You doing alright?" He asked.
"I'll be pulling glass out of my back for weeks," Gemini said with a grunt. "Otherwise," she cocked a smile. "Just peachy."
"I'll feel better when this backstabber is behind bars." Chimed in Sonya.
Before she and Raiden could make their move, their attention was taken away by the door opening and Johnny and Vera entering the room.
"What's going on?" Johnny asked.
"We were gonna go check on how Mokap was doing with the kids." Vera explained.
"When the whole building exploded!" Johnny finished for her.
"Hsu Hao is a traitor," Raiden explained. "He destroyed that compound and murdered several of your comrades."
"And he's gonna fucking pay." Jax added.
"This is not a personal vendetta, Major Briggs," Hsu Hao argued. "I was assigned a mission to complete, and I have done so. In spite of that, I maintain much respect for yourself and General Blade. So please, don't follow such a worthless path as revenge."
"Just give up," Sonya advised, aiming her gauntlets as Johnny and Vera prepared to back up her, Jax, and Raiden in any way they could. "We've got you pinned."
"I would advise heeding General Blade." Added Raiden.
"We have more in common than I believe you realize, General," Hsu Hao countered. "Namely, that we do not 'give up'."
Right after he said that, a swirling red portal opened right in the frame of the hole Hsu Hao had previously created in the wall.
"The detonator was also a signal for evac." Hsu Hao explained, feeling he owed his former allies at least that much.
Sonya was about to fire, when suddenly a red cable with a silver claw at the end shot out of the portal and wrapped around her arm, pulling her and redirecting her energy rings at Raiden, knocking him into a wall.
Afterwards, a man in a black trench coat came out of the portal and kicked Jax in the face.
"Sorry all," Mavado said with a devious smirk. "But we'll be leaving now."
Before anyone could react, Hsu Hao stomped his foot on the ground, creating a shockwave powerful enough for them to fall down and shake the entire room.
"You've all been wonderful hosts!" Mavado declared mockingly, before turning his attention to Hsu Hao. "C'mon, let's go!"
Hsu Hao nodded, running for the portal and extremely narrowly dodging a lightning blast from Raiden. Once he and Mavado had both entered the portal, it closed behind them.
The same events that ran through Jax's mind as he paralleled that betrayal to Raiden's recent actions also went through the mind of Hsu Hao himself as everything that had happened to the Red Dragon following his death was being explained to him by Daegon himself over the dinner the Red Dragon leader had ordered prepared for his loyal soldier's return.
The news that Mavado had been killed stung the most, but Hsu Hao retained his composure as he allowed his leader to brief him. Every event he was informed of, he thought about how he could have aided his clan had he not been discovered as an infiltrator, or been killed by Scorpion.
As ruthless as Daegon was towards his enemies, he did not blame Hsu Hao for any of this. In fact, the Red Dragon leader was quite pleased to have one of his most accomplished officers return from the dead. He did not even seem concerned with Hsu Hao's altered state as a result of the Netherrealm. Hsu Hao preferred to simply be briefed and allowed to get back to work anyway, so he had no complaints.
What was of concern for the loyal Red Dragon was his clan's alliance with their century-old foes, the Black Dragon. On principle, Hsu Hao understood the purpose of the alliance. They were stronger against Raiden and the Special Forces together, especially with the allies from other realms Daegon had informed him of Raiden gathering. Hsu Hao understood this.
"I question not your wisdom in creating this alliance, Lord Daegon," he explained. "I must however question the competency of those who we are now aligned with."
"An understandable concern," Daegon conceded. "However, without Kano, their operations are not as disorganized and chaotic. Jarek and Tasia have made surprisingly admirable efforts to reign in their subordinates… though some are more unruly than others."
Daegon stood up from the table.
"Come," he commanded. "It would be best if you are to meet our new allies directly. Get a sense of their ability."
"Very well." Hsu Hao complied, following his leader out of the room.
They walked down the hallway and into a planning room. Within the room, the Black Dragon leadership were sat down around a large table. They were clearly mildly irritated by having to wait for Daegon, and soon after surprised to see Hsu Hao enter after the Red Dragon leader.
"What the fuck?!" Shouted Tasia.
"Isn't he dead!?" Jarek asked.
"Was would be the operative word," Hsu Hao responded. "The Netherrealm works in mysterious ways.
"Other realms can be strange, but fortuitous." Tremor said knowingly.
"The flame of a loyal Red Dragon cannot be extinguished," Daegon boasted. "Hsu Hao has returned to aid us against our enemies. And that my friends, brings us to our topic of discussion."
"Oh good," Tasia said, crossing her arms. "Actually getting to the fucking point. Don't have to listen to any of Kano's bad jokes."
"Awful jokes." Tremor corrected.
Virgo had stayed silent so far, but glared at the two for their slight at her father.
Hsu Hao took notice of her quickly. "Lord Daegon, I have reservations about the prospect of allowing them access to Doctor Zane's augmentations."
"I am no ordinary Black Dragon," Virgo argued. "Especially not anymore."
"Rest assured," chimed in Daegon. "Virgo is the only Black Dragon who will ever receive the good doctor's gifts."
"We're right fucking here." Tasia pointed out.
"I did not forget your presence," Hsu Hao explained frankly. "I simply was not speaking to you."
"Too good to talk to some 'Black Dragon dogs', right?" Jarek guessed.
Hsu Hao shook his head. "No. Dogs are loyal, dependable. They can be used for hunting, defense, companionship. Black Dragons are far more like rats. Scurrying about, serving only themselves, leaving only filth in their wake. Inspiring disgust, rather than fear."
"Tough talk from the guy who got turned into a dead man by a dead man because he couldn't kill a blind guy," snarked Kobra as he entered the room followed by Kira, No Face, and Nimbus Terrafaux. "Least, that's how I heard it."
"Yes, I failed my mission," Hsu Hao confirmed. "Attempting to mock me about it will not elicit the reaction you desire. I hold no shame in admitting failure."
"Hey Hsu, been a while." Kira greeted casually, waving at him.
"Even for a defector, I thought you too skillful to lower yourself to associating with the Black Dragon, Kira." Hsu Hao said frankly.
She grabbed Kobra's arm. "Yeah, well some of them are cute."
Kobra, one to put a lot of stock in his reputation, tried desperately to hide his blush.
"I am already bored!" No Face complained. "Can we blow something up?!"
"Enough!" Shouted Daegon. "I will be deciding our plan of action."
"I thought this was a partnership," Jarek argued. "No one said you could boss us around."
"If you don't like me giving orders, reign in your subordinates." Daegon argued.
"Ok then," Tasia said casually. "Everyone shut the fuck up! The guy who thinks a bald head and a goatee are a style has something to say!"
Having been an observer thus far, Nimbus burst out laughing. "This shit is priceless!"
Hsu Hao glared at him, but he didn't stop laughing. Ignoring the man, Daegon started talking:
"Firstly, I wish to compliment you all on aiding to organize the consolidation of our assets in Earthrealm," he started. "However, Earthrealm is only one piece of the puzzle. My agents in Outworld have informed me that mere hours ago, Raiden himself launched an assassination attempt against Kotal Kahn. He failed.
My agents in the Realm of Order also informed of Raiden having forged an alliance with their military force, the 'Seidan Guard'. This grants him a substantial force not bound by Earthrealm law or concerns. War between the realms is upon us."
Tasia shrugged. "So what? We lay low and let them take each other out. Not like we're on good terms with Kotal Kunt anyway these days."
"She raises something of a point, Lord Daegon," Hsu Hao admitted. "Involvement in previous minter-realm conflicts, such as that which involved the Blood Daggers, have resulted in loss of troops and resources for both the Red Dragon and Black Dragon clans. Chiefly the Special Forces apprehension of Kano during an Outworld refugee migration, and… the loss of Mavado."
"You are both mistaken," Daegon responded. "This time, we will not be taking any sides on the inevitable conflict. We will be waiting in the shadows, capitalizing on the right opportunities to terminate key figures among our enemies. In addition, it is paramount that we protect our holdings in Outworld, as well as…. certain interests."
"We don't have any holdings in Outworld," Jarek clarified. "We completely pulled up stakes after Kano wasn't able to kill Kotal Kahn."
"That dumbass pissed off both sides of the damn war," Tasia added. "Didn't help that he used our nuke on the Shokan."
"In short: the Black Dragon are… unpopular in Outworld," Tremor summarized. "So the only 'holdings' and 'interests' that would be in need of protection… are yours."
"That may be so," Daegon partially admitted. "But allow me to reframe the situation this way: the Special Forces and Raiden have been shutting down both our clans' operations in Earthrealm at an alarming rate. That is the very reason we have joined forces to begin with, if you recall.
Outworld has been on Raiden's list of enemies millennia longer than we have, and Kotal Kahn is certainly no ally. Recall that 26 years ago, Raiden eliminated Shao Kahn. Recall that one year ago, Shinnok was defeated by the very same group of people who apprehended Kano and cost my clan Mavado. The circumstances of the death of my clan's previous ally, Reiko, are unknown, but I think it can be reasonably assumed that Raiden had some involvement in that as well."
"If I may add," chimed in Hsu Hao. "While attempting to discern my means of escape from the Netherrealm, I witnessed Raiden and his allies annihilating the Brotherhood of Shadow. From a safe distance, naturally."
"Really now? Thank you, Hsu Hao." said Daegon.
"You're going on and on all about all this shit," Kobra complained. "Get to the fucking point!"
"Babe, don't piss them off." Kira half-whispered.
"Very well," Daegon said to Kobra, before returning his attention to the group as a whole:
"If this is how Raiden treats his enemies, and now that he has dealt with all that opposes him in the Netherrealm…. once he is finished with Outworld, who do you think will face his wrath next?"
The Black Dragons all went silent. Nimbus had ceased his laughter. They all started passing glances to one another as the realization collectively hit them.
Jarek sighed.
"What do you want us to do?"