"I would not disturb you father, if this matter were not of utmost importance."

Shao Kahn remained quiet as his daughter spoke, only slowly standing up and descending the stairs from his throne.

"I felt you should know what Shang Tsung has been doing as of late," Kitana continued, gesturing to the bearded man who was on his knees. He was flanked by two Tarkatan guards that wore identical uniforms, a simple tunic with black pants held by a sash. The only thing differentiating them being the color of their tunics. One wore red while the other gold. Their eyes were featureless save for the glow they seemed to emanate in the dimly lit throne room.

The only source of light besides the glowing eyes of the guards were the burning torches to the rear of the arched room, it's flames producing flickering lights over columns that lined the walls, and the eerie glow of Shao Kahn's own eyes. The rest of his face save for below the nose was obscured by a decorative skull that covered his face. If the skull was only merely decorative or belonged to a living being in the past was unkown, but it was most likely the latter, given both Outworld and its Emperor's track record.

Shao Kahn came to a stop, standing just ahead of the kneeling bearded man, Shang Tsung, and his daughter.

"This conjurer has created horrific replicas of me," she pointed an accusing finger at the robed man.

"Crossbred with Tarkatan blood-"

Even the two guards, perhaps out of curiosity, glanced at the princess and then at Shang Tsung. The guard nearest to Kitana looked almost baffled, his head doing a double-take. Even with their surprise, they remained disciplined enough to remain silent.

To Kitana's puzzlement, Shang Tsung only seemed to smirk as she explained what she saw.

"One was alive--and attacked me!"

As she said this, Shao Kahn glared down at Shang Tsung. Shang Tsung was silent, only holding the Emperor's gaze. To Kitana's discomfort, he seemed entirely too at ease.

"I see," he said simply, his baritone voice echoing around the room.

His reaction seemed to be...dull, in comparison to what she was expecting.

"Father-"

Shao Kahn raised a hand, silencing her. "I will deal with this...development." He finally turned to face Kitana. "Return to your quarters."

"Are you not going to do something about those abomina-"

"Now, Kitana!" Shao Kahn ordered, his tone allowing for no argument. In nearly 10,000 years, all through her childhood and into the young woman she was now, her father had never so much as raised his voice at her.

Kitana hesitated, wanting to know why he seemed so blasé when confronted with this news. If she were foolish, she thought, she would think that her father was almost dissapointed that she'd come across the revelation of the clones.

She bowed her head, deciding that she would ask him after some time had passed and he was in a better mood. She quietly excused herself, looking back, her face betraying her confusion as she left.

He again turned his attention to Shang Tsung.

"Well done, sorcerer," he praised. Shang Tsung only smiled, slowly standing up. The two Tarkatan guards quickly bowed their heads and made to take their leave, but Shao Kahn raised a warding hand.

"Make sure Kitana does not leave her room," the Emperor ordered the two guards. "Remain on post until you are relieved by Sheeva." The two guards bowed their heads and quickly vacated the room.

Now, the Emperor and his advisor were the only two that remained.

"My lord, your project is completed," Shang Tsung confirmed. "The tarkatan DNA along with the mental conditioning took well."

"And just in time," Shao Kahn replied coolly. "If Kitana had discovered her any sooner, you would have failed."

Shang Tsung swallowed, not forgetting the threat from his most recent failure to win the Mortal Kombat tournament. Keeping his thoughts to himself, he held his tongue.

"However, this turn of events pleases me. Fulfill this next order, and I will grant you more souls."

The prospect of even more youth to add to his own lifespan was an offer Shang Tsung could not pass up. "Of course, my liege."

"Fetch me my true daughter, Mileena," he commanded.

At this point in time, Kitana was compromised. But perhaps he could use this to his advantage...

The previous day, Kitana showed mercy to an enemy kombatant during the tournament, for the first time in what had to be centuries at the very least. And then suddenly, she happens to be curious enough to visit the flesh pits? The same place she was expressly forbidden to go, on his own orders? All of this happening within two days of each other?

Yes, perhaps Raiden or that shaolin monk had somehow gotten to her.

"It will be done," Shang Tsung assured. "And what of Kitana? Surely she will suspect and become a...problem if she sees the construct again."

Shao Kahn raised a dismissive hand, allowing Shang Tsung to leave. "I will be dealing with her shortly-- you are dismissed." His advisor bowed respectfully before leaving to fetch Mileena.

Mileena, his true daughter, was already proving useful, Shao Kahn thought approvingly. If Kitana was already being swayed by the Thunder God, then Mileena would be the perfect mole-- to gain their trust and destroy them from within.

Shao Kahn couldn't be sure how long the alterations to Kitana's memory would hold now. If her sudden displays of mercy to her enemies were any indication, it wouldn't be long until she decided to turn against him to join Earthrealm...if she hadn't already. Which was why he would jeed to act first, and already be two steps ahead.

Kitana sighed, closing the door to her own quarters behind her, leaning her back on it.

Why did her father react the way he did? Why was Shang Tsung so unbothered when she reported what he did? She held her hand to her forehead, as if she were able to physically prevent a headache with the gesture.

It was almost as if they were conspiring together.

But that was just her own delusions, wasn't it? Perhaps the news was shocking to her father as well, and perhaps it was taking longer than even for her to process what he'd heard. Surely, the Sorcerer would be swiftly punished. Or better yet, dead, Kitana thought, the image of her own reflection in the flesh pits, identical in every way except for its lower face flashing unbidden in her mind. She suppressed the urge to shiver.

A loud, metallic noise followed by a reverberating thunk hit her ears. Her door seemed to shake for but a moment, making her stand up straight in surprise.

"What was that?" she asked aloud, not expecting an answer. She immediately gripped the handle of the door, not entirely surprised that it didn't yield. She hit the door with the side of her fist twice and hard.

"What is the meaning of this?!" She demanded, pulling again on the door.

A voice answered back from the other side of the door. She recognized it as one of the guards that helped her escort Shang Tsung to the throne room.

"We are sorry, Princess. Your father's orders."

Kitana didn't say anything more, only that the hairs on the back of her neck seemed to raise.

Something was very wrong.

"I don't suppose you will let me out?" she asked. In her mind, she already knew the answer.

There was no response.

Kitana took a shaky breath. Her conversation with Raiden came to the forefront of her memory.

Raiden seemed to know something about her past, and was even the one to suggest she inspect the flesh pits.

She needed to escape from here and confront the Thunder God... He seemed to hold all of the answers.

She turned her attention away from the door and to the rest of her room. Her bed was lined up parallel to the left wall, adjacent to a dresser and a vanity table. Atop it were objects that ranged from spare fans to a haircomb. None of that was important, so she ignored it, looking at the center wall ahead of her. There was only a single window, and with it, her only way of escaping the room.

Closing the distance, she slid the curtains aside, just enough to peek through.

Her room was situated stories above the ground, so simply leaping out of the window was out of the question.

She scoffed when she saw what was down below.

Scattered along the grounds directly below her window were countless Tarkatan guards. There'd be no way to avoid detection.

Before she could try to formulate a plan, she heard what sounded like furniture being destroyed directly outside of her room.

Glass shattering, and then muted grunts, and then silence.

Kitana stepped away from the door quietly, hefting her fans in front of her. For but a moment, there was the irrational fear that she must have angered her father.

The sliding noise she'd heard earlier now sounded in reverse, and she knew someone was unsealing the door.

She quieted her breathing, taking aim.

The door flung open, but instead of it being her father, it was instead her dear friend.

She wore a green-tinted uniform, a tightly cinched muted gold sash around her waist that held together an elegant but still militant attire.

"Jade," Kitana breathed in relief. She lowered her guard, closing in to give Jade a tight hug.

"Princess Kitana, are you well?" Jade quickly asked, giving her a once-over.

"I'm fine, but something is terribly wrong," she said, finally stepping through the door. Strewn on the floor were the two Tarkatan guards, unconscious.

"You're not safe here," Jade announced, nodding toward the corridor that would eventually lead out of the palace. The hallway looked mostly undisturbed, besides the damaged columns that the two guards were most likely thrown into. Bits of rubble lie scattered near Kitana's door.

"We need to find Raiden," Kitana said. "He seemed to know something about that clone-"

"Mileena," Jade cut in as they moved as quickly as they could to the hallway. "Shao Kahn referred to someone by that name as his true daughter while he was speaking with Shang Tsung."

Kitana's eyes widened. "I had brought him there to be punished! I had arrested him!" This whole situation was making less sense as time passed. What was her father doing?

"Then we need to go," Jade said. "When they find you missing, Shao Khan will know I've helped you."

Kitana understood the unsaid statement.

Both of them were in danger, now.

They had made it through the hallway without incident, but as they reached the large room leading to a spiraling staircase, they weren't alone.

"Princess, I insist you comply with your father's request. Return to your quarters."

Sheeva.

She was easily twice her and Jade's height, and her muscles were easily visible through her four arms and what could be seen of her legs, which were partially obscured by a red colored gi and securely strapped sandals that evoked the i.age of a gladiator. She had a shield strapped to her hip and an axe sheathed to her sash.

"Sheeva, please, let us through," Kitana pleaded. "This is a matter concerning my safety."

Sheeva's draconic yellow eyes seemed to narrow in concern, but she did not budge.

"Then return to your room. No one save the Emperor will get past me."

The Emperor may be the problem, Kitana thought gravely.

"Sheeva, I am sorry, but we will not ask again," Jade warned.

"Nor will I," Sheeva immediately replied, moving to block the pathway to the stairs.

Jade and Kitana shared a brief glance, options running through their mind.

In a straight fight, they knew they had no chance against Sheeva, yet they sprinted toward the archway anyway.

Sheeva immediately struck her arms out, attempting to knock them off their feet.

While Sheeva was physically superior, she was still holding back. Kitana was Shao Kahn's daughter after all, and Jade her sister in all but blood. While Kitana ducked under the Shokan's swing just in time, Jade had attempted to parry by guiding Sheeva's swiging arm.

There was so much force in the attack, that Jade was still launched off of her feet.

Recovering quickly, Jade used the momentum to land on her feet after stopping from a roll.

"Jade!"

"Go, Kitana! Find Raiden!" Jade urged, running again towards Sheeva. Jade attempted to sweep the legs, but to the smaller fighter, it felt like she was kicking an immovable object. Sheeva barely budged at all, much less fell over. With a quick movement, Jade was put in a sleeper hold from Sheeva's upper pair of arms before she could react.

Her airways constricted, she used the last of her fading consciousness, waving Kitana away, and attempting to pry Sheeva's arm with her other hand.

Kitana hesitated, but ultimately decided to make a break for the exit. She reached the bottom of the stairs, glancing up to see Sheeva placing an unconscious Jade down on the floor.

Raiden glanced down at the medallion in his hand. With what started as hairline cracks in the jewelry began to spread across the surface, becoming more and more noticeable.

As of now, it was still thin fractures, and he hoped he could eventually reverse the phenomenon. If Kitana could be successfully convinced to their cause earlier than the...previous timeline--

Raiden glanced once more at the medallion before affixing it once again to his tunic.

Then perhaps Armageddon could be averted.

He sighed, hoping that these visions he was receiving would somehow prove clearer and less vague in time.

Looking from under the brim of his hat, his glowing, white eyes surveyed his surroundings.

Outworld wasn't known for its hospitality, but here in the fortress of Shao Kahn, some foliage did survive, as ironic as the notion was. There were trees that looked similar to Earthrealm's palm trees, and next to him was a small lake, it's water easily reflecting it's environment. The place looked very similar to the courtyard where Shang Tsung had shot down one of the SF helicopters to prevent Sonya and Jax's extraction.

Liu Kang, Raiden's champion of Earthrealm, was running through his forms next to this lake, while Sonya and Johnny were conversing about something.

Johnny was finally able to change out of his tuxedo, and into something more appropriate for a fighting tournament, forgoing the suit and tie in favor of black sweat pants and shoes. Not wearing a shirt, his tattoo was on display on his chest.

Kung Lao was also present, and he was seated on the upraised wall which separated the lake and the courtyard grounds. He was examining his hat.

Liu Kang breathed in through the nose and then out through the mouth as he completed one of the Shaolin Temple's many forms and brought his hands together into a short bow. He looked over to see Raiden contemplating something as he looked out at the lake.

"Are you alright, Lord Raiden?"

The Thunder God acknowledged the Shaolin with a short nod. "I am still trying to discern these visions," Raiden admitted. "Tampering with time can have unforseen consequences."

In particular, one flash seemed to resonate in his memory.

"He must win," he echoed the command of his future self quietly. But if that was all, why send a message through time to state what should be a given?

"I trust your judgement, Lord Raiden," Liu Kang encouraged with a nod. "If we simply must win, that that is what what we will do." The thought of his run in with Kitana came to the forefront of his mind, and the monk hoped he'd have a chance to see her outside of Kombat again.

Raiden nodded, agreeing with him. "You are right, I cannot lose focus on why we are here."

Footsteps echoed from the far side of the courtyard, and Liu Kang turned to see Kitana approaching them. Apparently, she'd changed into different attire, her tunic containing shades of purple and violet.

"Kitana," Liu Kang greeted, a smile forming on his face. "It's good to see you again." His smile disappeared though, as worry replaced his happiness to see her.

"Is everything alright? If you are here, something must have happened." The tournament was still not over, after all.

Raiden, Sonya, and Johnny noticed her arrival as well, and walked over.

Kitana sighed. "I wish this was under different circumstances," she said. "Jade has been captured by Shao Kahn. I need your help."

"That was the lady in green, right? We fought her at the armory a while ago before--," Johnny glanced at Sonya's severe expression, deciding not to continue the line of thought. Kitana nodded in confirmation at Johnny's question.

"You were right," Kitana continued, glancing between Liu and Raiden. "I saw something strange when I was in the flesh pits--" Kitana seemed to be thinking of something as she looked down.

"Jade helped me to escape, but I fear they are going to execute her in the coliseum!"

"That's where the next match is supposed to take place," Sonya supplied.

Raiden nodded. "Liu Kang, go with Kitana," he asked, already aware that Liu Kang wished to help. "We will be close behind. I would teleport us, but my energy is still recovering," he said. His reserves were still not completely replenished from teleporting to and from the armory.

Liu nodded, asking Kitana to lead the way as he followed behind her.