PROLOGUE
The Vogel Estate, Los Angeles. EARTHREALM
Surely, the guests had not foreseen their evening going like this. If they had, they wouldn't have worn such precious jewelry, flashy gold watches and diamond necklaces that dropped into the bosoms of wealthy dates. Or maybe, they would have. It made Tasia no difference.
"Alright, everyone, this won't take long," the Asian woman shouted from atop a table. "My associates will be coming around the room. They will be confiscating any cell phones, jewelry, wallets, prized possessions, family heirlooms. Don't try to be a hero and we'll be out of your hair before your food's cold."
Her associates; two men, one in a leather jacket and a cowboy hat, sported two golden six-shooters on his hips. The other wore a smooth white mask and bandoliers with dynamite across his chest, a flamethrower strapped to his back. The dinner guests relieved themselves of their possessions as the men walked around the room.
So much for the wealthy and powerful, Tasia laughed. She'd stripped them of their power when they'd crashed the dinner, and in less than ten minutes, she'd stripped them of their riches. All without lifting a finger…or the two katanas strapped to her back.
She could get used to this.
There was a rhythmic knock against the double doors and in came Jarek with another in tow.
Johnny Cage was used to the roar of applause when he walked in a room; the flashing lights from cameras catching every angle; the fainting of women who'd never stood in the presence of true talent. He did not expect to find the world's elite held at gunpoint. And flamethrower-point.
Tasia hopped down from a nearby table and jumped into Johnny's arms.
"Johnnyyyyy," She squealed in his ear. "I can't believe you made it!"
"Took me forever to find this place," He chuckled nervously, looking at the guests' panicked faces. "Am I interrupting…something?"
"We're just about done here," a man in a smooth white mask approached, accompanied by a man dressed as a cowboy. Both dropped heavy duffle bags full of jewelry and collectibles.
There were murmurs through the crowd. Who is that?-Cage-is that Him?-Johnny Cage–What's he doing here?-Cage–
"Good," Tasia unlinked her arms from around Johnny's neck. "Search upstairs, see if you can find the safe." She turned and shouted at the guests. "There is a safe upstairs, right?"
"Y-yes!" A guest spoke up. "Upstairs, in the master bedroom. Just don't hurt anyone else, please!"
"Take him with you," She commanded the cowboy. He obliged, pushing the guest out the double doors, followed by Jarek.
"What about him?" The man in the smooth mask referred to Johnny.
"I'm her plus one." Johnny shot back quickly. It appeased the masked man.
Johnny turned to the hostages. "Just stay calm, everyone," he said in his everything will be okay voice. "Do as the nice lady with twin katanas says."
The murmurs grew louder. He's with them?!- Johnny Cage– There's no way– Cage– Criminal– Thugs– Cage– Black Dragon–
Johnny turned his attention to Tasia. "Can we have a huddle real quick?"
"A huddle?" Tasia asked in disbelief. "What, right now?"
"Just a quick one," Johnny assured. "I'm sure he's got this. Hey, No-Face, you got this right?"
The man in the mask trained his flamethrower on the cowering crowd. "Yeah, I got this."
Johnny flashed a smile, Tasia rolled her eyes dramatically and followed him to the far corner of the room.
"No-Face..," The man in the mask said, once they were out of earshot, in a sinister tone.
Meanwhile, outside…
"Two members just left with one of the hostages, Major," the Special Forces officer in the driver's seat reported as he looked through his binoculars.
"And Cage?" Briggs monitored a computer built into the Bearcat's dashboard.
"In the dining room as well, sir." The officer's tone was solemn. "Looks like the Black Dragon were expecting him."
The Major swore under his breath. As if rescuing twenty five of the world's richest and smartest wasn't enough of a pain. He pulled a nearby radio off its dock.
"Heads up, kids," His eyes darted from the monitor to the mansion. "Shit's getting spooky in there, looks like the Black Dragons have a new player on the board. The mission remains the same. Is everyone in position?"
There was silence in the car. Then a short blip as the radio crackled to life.
"Leo, in position."
"Fox, in position."
"Shark One, in position."
"Kilo, in position."
"Blade, in position." The final voice confirmed.
Chapter One
The Kobalt Mines of Shokan. OUTWORLD
There were no days or nights in the mines, only shifts. Kintaro thought about this as he and the tall man, Kotal, walked away from the disgusting Earthrealmer.
"Your companion repulses me," Kintaro said in his native tongue.
"The sentiment is shared," Kotal responded in turn. "Though I would like to think such filth is–common–around the mines."
"Most bodily fluids are unacceptable," Kintaro shook his head at the thought. "Blood is always welcome."
Kotal chuckled in agreement. The two Outworlders walked through the sea of bodies and around great mounds of chipped ore to a vacant railtrack. The cacophony of tinks played quieter here.
"The names you seek," Kintaro began. "Have you read the list?"
"I have not. One of your guards broke the seal." Kotal spoke truthfully.
"My name is on there." If Kotal was shocked, it did not show in his face. Nor his scent.
"Do you expect condolences?" He simply asked.
Kintaro curled up his lip and scoffed. His bottom hands closed into fists.
"What would the Emperor want from me, or my people?"
"For you to participate, as far as I know." The diplomat answered.
Kintaro's eyes flared. "Do not play with me!" He growled at Kotal. It was Kotal's turn to sneer.
"His request is simple," Kotal spoke plainly. "Earn your freedom in the eyes of the Emperor, and all of Outworld, or continue to fade out of existence in these mines."
Kintaro's anger boiled. "Freedom is worthless! We allied with your Emperor and now our prince's legacy lies in an empty tomb."
Kotal was unfazed. "Then perhaps this is an opportunity to redeem your people's honor as well."
The mob of withered men and creatures shambled forward like the dead. Surely if there were any remnants of conscience left in these poor souls, they felt the relief in their aching shoulders; the strangeness of no longer holding a tool or carrying a bucket; or the freedom from their sentences. Some did register their removal from duty, sharing looks of unglazing confusion amongst one another. They, too, shuffled along.
Kano had amassed a small army and was quite pleased with himself. His number two, Shithead, huffed and waddled by his side, parchment crinkled around his massive fist.
"Say, Shithead." Kano smiled as his number two perked up at the sound of his new name. "How far are we into the list?"
Shithead didn't understand–What a lovable oaf, Kano thought–so Kano pointed at the parchment, which Shithead held up for him to see. It was "written" in Outworlder, so he just pointed somewhere in the middle of the list.
"What about him?"
Shithead's brow furrowed, then he shouted something at the mob behind them. The mob stopped, mumbling and chattering amongst themselves before a lone, feeble shout came from the far back. Shithead looked to Kano, orange eyes lit and seeking recognition. Kano snorted the phlegm out of his lungs and spit it on the ground. Shithead returned the gesture with glee.
Kano's attention returned to the surrounding workers. It was good to know he was halfway through the list, maybe more, but the crowd he'd collected weren't going to fill the carts above ground. It was time he started picking players.
Chapter Two
SOMEWHERE DEEPER IN THE MINES
There were no days or nights in the mines, only shifts. And there was one shift that all that dwelled these damned parts looked forward to. Jade gripped her shoddily-carved bowl with all her strength. The bowl was misshapen and oddly deep. Its contents, a dirty soup of various critters captured throughout the mineshafts, sloshed recklessly but never spilled over.
She maneuvered through the sea of denizens and found a vacancy along the nearest wall. The cavern they were in was larger than the ones they toiled in, allowing enough space for the population to scatter about. Even so, her solitude was short-lived.
"Dust rat again," Tanya groaned as she plopped down beside Jade. "They must've had another litter recently."
Tanya noticed her eyes constantly scanning the wide hall. Jade brought her bowl to her lips.
"Every day, you stare," Jade spoke flatly.
"You keep an eye on everyone else, someone has to look after you" Tanya replied, sipping her soup. "Nevertheless, my ear…"
Jade placed the bowl at her side. "What have you heard?"
Tanya leaned closer. "Carse tells me the Emperor's men are here."
Tanya watched as Jade's eyes froze in place, as did she. The moment of silence between them became nothing in the sea of chewing, grunts, and slop that echoed through the chamber. And then Jade was back.
"Nonsense." She spat, quickly snatching her bowl and rising to her feet. "He lies."
It was Tanya's turn to stand. "How would you know that? He is a reliable source." She was almost offended.
"Carse?" Jade said the name with disgust. "His true name is Carse the False."
"He told me he was given that name after he lost his throne…" Tanya said with a hint of confusion.
The blare of a loud horn cut through their argument and silenced the entire cavern. Heads turned to the entrance, where two shapes stood. One of them shouted and Jade watched the miners closest to the shapes disperse and line up against the wall. This action continued until they were all in line, facing the entrance.
The shapes entered the cavern, and Tanya's eyes widened at the horde that trailed behind. They slowly began around the perimeter, one pointing at miners and the other forcing them into their ranks.
"What is this?" Jade asked herself aloud.
"What Carse was telling me about," Tanya said with a twinge of fear in her voice.
The shapes finally came close enough that Jade could identify the short, stocky grabber as a guard. The other, a human with a bandage over his face, was clearly not a denizen of the mines.
"This one," The man said in Earthrealm tongue and pointed to an imp-like creature gnawing on a dustrat bone. He skipped the ogre woman, the Shokan with stumps where two arms should have been. The guard accompanying him expressed disapproval, referring to a piece of paper in his hand.
"Osir," The guard declared. "This is Osir."
"What are you going on about? Look at him. " The man kept walking.
"Osir! Osir!" The guard continued.
"Spare me," The Shokan pleaded. "I would rather live out my days here than feel the Emperor's wrath."
"Worthless," a hunched woman in the men's ranks spat at the Shokan. "Just like your dead prince and race! Worthless"
The bickering quickly gave way to both masses yelling amongst one another as Kotal and Kintaro entered the cavern. Jade saw her chance in the chaos, grabbed Tanya's wrist, her plan to maneuver around the other side of the cavern and out of the entrance.
Kotal and Kintaro pushed through the draftees, and the protesters fell silent as they saw their former chastiser stomp towards the hunched woman. He grabbed her by the back of her head, and lifted her with one hand. She wriggled and kicked and demanded to be put down. Her cries made Tanya stop and turn her head, her hand fell out of Jade's grasp.
The savage Shokan plunged two clawed hands into the woman's back, and the sick sound that followed as he snapped her ribs like brittle branches made Kotal's face flinch. Her scream cut short and her body went limp with his hands still in her torso. Kintaro finally pulled his hands–along with the woman's lungs–out of her body and held her up for all to see.
"Long Live Prince Goro," He roared. "Long Live the Mighty Shokan!"
His brethren roared in response. Kintaro, still holding his kill in the air, turned his attention to Osir. The wounded Shokan hung his head; his choice was made. Kotal and Kano watched as Kintaro pounced on Osir next.
"So that's what Puss was going on about," Kano said to himself, mostly. Kotal gave him a look. "I thought he'd said something 'bout my mum. I'm kinda glad he didn't."
"He will prove an excellent participant," Kotal replied, taking the parchment back from Kano's companion, shithead.
By this time Jade had pushed her way to the entrance. Her heart was racing, she did not feel herself colliding with the endless sea of bodies. Her mind was focused on escaping this cavern, and the hand of the Emperor that had come–come for her. Her foot slipped in a puddle of slop and she tripped into some prisoners.
Another wave of fierce roars erupted from the Shokan as Kintaro stood over Osir's mangled corpse. Kano spat on the ground. A stirring commotion caught his attention and he looked past the grisly display. Further into the crowd he could see another woman, frail but much more of a looker than the dead one, fighting to get away. Kano loved a chase, but he was getting tired of this.
"Shithead," he simply said and pointed in the woman's direction. Shithead barked something he didn't understand, and the prisoners swarmed the woman, holding her down. She fought hard, but the strength of the rallied Shokan proved too much. When Kano approached, Shithead by his side, Jade was restrained in a tight bear hug.
Kano gave her a once-over with his good eye and smiled sickly. "Hello, baby. Did you miss me?"
"I'd much sooner miss an infection," Jade seethed.
"Yeah, I get that a lot," Kano mused. "Wanna know what else I get a lot of? Sun. Fresh air. Do you miss those, or have you taken a liking to the smell of shit-stained rocks?"
"It will mean all nothing when Shao Khan declares you've outlived your–"
Kano gave the Shokan holding her a look, and as if planned, a massive hand covered Jade's mouth. It did not stop the torrent of Outworld curses that flowed from her mouth into the Shokan's palm. Kano laughed.
"Outlived my what? Usefulness?" He pulled a long jagged knife from his waistband, waving it high enough to see the blade's glint reflect off Jade's eyes. "Have you ever heard of a knife running out of uses?"
Kano stood in front of Jade and their eyes locked. He gave the knife one last spin before wrapping his fingers around the handle and lining the tip of the blade with the center of her breastbone. If he couldn't present her, then the Emperor would have to settle for just her heart.
"WAIT," a young girl's scream cut through the chaos.
Kano stopped, and when the mob cleared, he saw her. Small and frail, her bright eyes full of fear. She was young, a teenager?–her skin a shade lighter than the bitch Puss had in his arms.
"What'd you say?" Kano approached her with deliberate slowness. She didn't step back, Kano liked her guts already.
"Let her go," the girl spoke again.
"You know English?" His eye lit up. "Isn't this fucking great! I've been stuck with Shithead here–" Shithead perked up, ready for orders. "No, not you." Kano got closer to Tanya. "What's yer name, girlie?"
"Tanya. Not Girlie."
"Right, right. Apologies, Miss Tanya."
Kintaro's massive hand muffled Jade's outbursts. His lower arms squeezed tighter around her chest; the anger turned to pain.
"Say, Tanya," Kano continued. "Shithead's been such a help to me so far." He now stood beside Tanya, with her hand on her back. He turned to point with his free hand at the guard he called Shithead. "I've been meaning to thank him. Can you do that for me?"
Tanya looked confused at the request. The guard–Shithead– looked at her eagerly. Tanya thanked him in Outworlder. She looked to Kano, expecting more.
She got nothing but a warm smile. "Now how hard was that?" He said.
"N-not hard at all," she replied.
"Right," Kano's tone lowered, his hand still on her back. "Now think how hard it would be for Puss to kill your friend." She didn't respond. "How hard would it be to rip your heart out of your tiny chest? and make you the next example?" Still no response. "Get in line." And she did. The mob slowly congealed around her.
Kano looked proud of himself, congratulated by Shithead and approached by Kotal and Kintaro, still carrying Jade. She wriggled weakly in his arms, Kano could see she had not lost her fight.
"Quite smooth, don't you think?" He gloated. "Feel like I coulda been an assassin myself."
Jade spat in his face, and was sure to aim for the unbandaged side. Kano smiled, taking two fingers to wipe the spit off his face and inserted them into his mouth.
"Congrats, love." He said with a sick grin. "You just earned a ticket to the Emperor's games."
END
