Chapter 15: Peaceful Realm
The Special Forces, minus Alex and Cassie, return to the base with help from Liu Kang. There, they inform Kenshi of events that happened. The sudden return of Geras, and their uneven alliance they have with Shang Tsung. Kabal, while doing maintenance work, listens in on their conversation while supervised, pretends to ignore it.
"We are teaming up with Shang Tsung?! The very same monster who has done so much damage?! You forgotten the time he took away my eyesight?!" Kenshi said. He sounds really furious.
"I know you don't like it, Kenshi. None of us do, actually. But we don't have much of a choice. Geras is back whether we like it or not. If what he says is true, then Geras has to be destroyed. He's a far bigger threat than Shang Tsung." Sonya tells her friend.
"Have you considered the possibilities that he could be deceiving you? For all we know, as soon as we kill Geras, then he may try to create his own timeline. Kill us, even Liu Kang." Kenshi said.
"That's why we're going to be prepared for whatever comes up. Besides, Liu Kang has a plan. Only he, Fujin, Alex and Cassie know. Liu Kang is having Raiden, Fujin and Nightwolf watch him so he can't pull any tricks on us." Sonya said.
"Why is it that only they know, by the way?" Jacqui said. Not that she suspects her two best friends, but still questions Liu Kang's decision on not telling everyone.
"Maybe because not all of us will agree to the idea. Any idea one of us has will always have risks. Some of them meaning that could cost lives. He probably did not want to risk telling us his plan in front of Shang Tsung." Takeda said.
"Exactly. But I know Liu Kang. He won't let us down. Neither would Fujin, Alex and Cassie. Whatever his plan is, I hope it'll be good." Sonya said.
"I gotta agree. The fire god is more powerful than that smartass old man. He's no threat to us." Jax said.
"Besides, father. Shang Tsung speaks the truth. Part of Kronika's subconsciousness is in Alex's mind. I saw her myself. She's too powerful for me to counter. No one has ever resisted our telepathy before except Ermac and the Red Dragon." Takeda said.
"I see now. Alex didn't want to come back out of fear of putting everyone at risk. He's been a remarkable man that no one has ever seen." Kenshi said.
"Knowing him and Cassie, I sure hope they will be safe. I would hate to see Alex being forced under her control for all eternity." Kung Jin said. "Speaking of. I wonder where they will be going?"
"I think I have a pretty good idea where they're going. Somewhere to get away from the fighting and be safe there." Johnny said, smiling. He seems very happy at the fact that Alex and Cassie are having a baby. Johnny knows deep down in his heart that they will make better parents than he and Sonya were. Not that he and Sonya were bad parents. They did good at raising Cassie despite the first rocky marriage they had which led to them divorcing. Despite all of that, they were happy as a family, even after they met Alex.
A portal opens in a different realm. Sindel steps through with Jade. They land in Edenia. The realm looks far more better than how it was before Shao Kahn invaded. The water is clean, there are no fires, the buildings and houses have been fixed. The palace itself looks bigger than before. The edenian warriors are helping out new edenians and villagers, living in peace. There is also a huge army of warriors of many kinds training to fight. Many that fight bare-handed. There are others that use weapons like swords, staffs, sais, and fans. Armies have since extended after Shao Kahn's defeat and first death. Refugees have returned from either hiding from Shao Kahn or held prisoner. They are more than pleased to have Sindel as their leader and willing to fight for them.
Queen Sheeva await for her empress's return along with several guardians, Shokan and Edenian. "Empress Sindel. We welcome your return." Sheeva bows her head to her.
"At ease, my old friend. Always glad to have royal friends on our side. After all these thousands of years of helping my family. I could not ask for a better queen such as yourself." Sindel said.
"Thank you, Empress. I assume there are some bad news that you wish to discuss with us. Dire bad news that I will not like." Sheeva said.
"Indeed. It is something that we all do not like. Especially my daughter, our guardian Jade, and our two guests." Sindel said.
"Two guests?" The Shokan Queen wonders. Sheeva was not expecting two more guests to appear. Alex and Cassie appear outside as well. Alex bends to his knees once again, catching his breath.
Cassie on the other hand, doesn't seem to be very good. "Oh, god. Why are those portal spells so damn hard to master? I wish you could teleport us like Liu Kang could with lightning."
"Sorry. I still wish I can do more. Hate to disappoint you in front of everyone." Alex tells her apologetically while trying to catch his breath.
"I'm only messing with you. You can never disappoint me. I'll always love you foreve-" Cassie gets cut off when she suddenly has a sick look on her face. Cassie tries to speak, but immediately falls to her knees and starts throwing up.
"Cassie!" Alex yelled, immediately rushing to her side alongside Jade. "Cassie, talk to me!"
"Cassandra! Deep breaths!" Jade tells her.
"What is this?" Sheeva suspects.
"Forgive me, Sheeva. But we have much to discuss. Come. Let's head to our council room." Sindel said.
"And what of the earthrealmers?" Sheeva asks, referring to Alex and Cassie. Sindel looks at them out of curiosity. Jade on the other hand looks very worried about Cassie.
"Please help. Cassie. My wife. She's pregnant. Few weeks. I brought her here to get away from the fighting" Alex pleads with them.
Sindel's eyes widened. She almost forgot that Alex and Cassie told her about the latter's pregnancy. The empress turns to two of her guards. "Send word to the palace. Tell them that I need healers and medics as soon as possible." Sindel ordered them. The two bow their heads out of respect. They run back to the palace to tell them what Sindel instructed.
Jade and Alex help Cassie up and she puts an arm around Alex. "I'm fine. I can still walk. Thanks, you two." Cassie said, catching her breathe.
"I will always be by your side as well, Cassandra." Jade said. Since Alex told Jade about how he met Cassie and them falling in love, Jade also felt the need to protect Cassie like she has been doing with Alex. Jade sees her as special for the same reasons Cassie's husband does other than her defeating Shinnok.
At the palace, Sindel discusses recent events with Queen Sheeva, walking with her while Jade and some healers and medics tend to Cassie. Queen Sheeva was correct on assuming the news would be bad. "So Shao Kahn has returned alongside Geras. And you formed an alliance with Shang Tsung. The man who cloned your daughter."
"Unfortunately. I do not like the idea as much as you do. Neither do Kitana and Jade. But Geras is a more powerful threat than the sorcerer and Shao Kahn. I have seen how he fights and regeneration abilities. So have Alex, Liu Kang and Raiden. They failed to kill him." Sindel tells her.
"I remember him now. He attacked my people. Drawn Kitana Kahn, Jade and Kung Lao away from their friend to stage an assasination attempt. And you say that he carries part of the titan's subconsciousness in his mind? Why bring him here?" Sheeva asks, feeling suspicious. Unlike Sindel, Kitana and Jade, Sheeva is not the biggest fan of earthrealmers, but does not hate them. Sheeva somewhat trusts Alex, but at Kitana's wishes. She somehow respects Liu Kang even though he is a god. The Shokan Queen would not be one to disobey her leaders unless absolutely necessary.
"I understand your suspicions, but he is here as part of Liu Kang's instructions. He must not fight, or else risk getting angry and lose control and allow Kronika to take control of him. He brought his wife so she would not fight. They are starting a family." Sindel said.
"If what you say is true, then if Shang Tsung dares to betray us, even during their objective to the Netherrealm, then I will crush him." Sheeva said.
"In time, my friend. I want to kill him as much as we all do for what he has caused us alongside Shao Kahn. But we cannot let our guard down. We must double our defenses and stay on guard in case Shao Kahn and Geras' shared army decides to attack." Sindel suggests.
"As you wish, Empress Sindel." Sheeva acknowledges her command. "What of the half god and earthrealmer?"
"We must make sure no one touches them. Jade will have more than several of my best soldiers. Geras will try to take Alex and kill Cassandra. If that happens, then there is no more hope." Sindel said.
As Sindel and Queen Sheeva think of strategies to counter any attacks that may come through, Cassie is being tended to with Alex and Jade watching. They help keep Cassie cool and give her more water and keep it down. Alex couldn't help but worry about his wife's safety.
"Not to doubt them, Jade. But have they done something like this before?" Alex asked.
"Yes. These healers have been trained for centuries and passed down to descendants. Empress Sindel has experienced this while pregnant with Kitana." Jade reassures him.
"You know, I never got to ask. What happened to your parents?" Cassie asked, looking a tad worried.
"I never knew my own parents. Shao Kahn murdered them during his invasion here. He spared me only to be one of his deadliest assassins and train and protect the daughter of Jerrod." Jade said, looking down.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked that. I had no idea. I never knew what it was like living in a ruined world. It was hard for me to believe all of this shit being real with blood magic, cybernetic assholes like Kano and real ninjas and different races." Cassie said.
"It is alright, Cassandra. Me, Kitana and Empress Sindel all share this pain. Sindel was like a mother I never had even before her suicide. If only I knew them still, but I have learned to not dwell on the past." Jade advises her. Cassie nods in understanding. She remembered that horrendous day. The last mission her mother went on before she died.
"I hear that. In the Old Era, I lost my mom. Revenant Liu Kang buried her in a big pile of rubble. I didn't want to leave her behind, but she ordered me to leave. It was the first time I felt that pain. Seeing her past self still made me feel like I wish I could've gone back and made things different and save her. It was hard for me to become the new leader of the Special Forces. I didn't know what to do at first, until Alex convinced me to step up. Everyone thought I'd be her best choice." Cassie said. "I learned to move on before the New Era and when that happened, I put it all behind me."
Jade felt pity on Cassie. She understands completely about the time Cassie went through after losing Sonya in the Netherrealm. She was more than happy to have her mother back in the New Era. Cassie felt more protective of her friends, husband and family and hopes that history would not repeat itself. Jade also wishes to do so for Kotal, Kitana and Sindel after what they originally went through and felt horrified at what her became of her future self.
Alex also knows exactly what she means. He wished he could have met his parents. "You know. I never got to know my parents. When me and Liu Kang shattered Kronika to pieces, I tried. I tried really hard to bring back my parents. I don't understand why I couldn't. My only guess was Kronika probably made sure that someone like them never came back. I still blame myself for their deaths. Kronika told me they met during Shao Kahn's invasion of Earthrealm, but it doesn't make sense. I should've been able to do something. If only I wasn't such a burden they would still be here. Like I want to hear their voices, know what they look like." Alex said. He tries to resist dropping a tear. Not only he failed to save them, he dreamed to picture what they would look like.
Jade gives Alex's shoulder a squeezing comfort. She, along with Kitana, figured that Kronika killed Alex's parents when they first met him. They couldn't help but feel bad for him but regardless, see how much he has done to protect Earthrealm. "Alex. It is okay to let it out. Do not deny how you feel. All three of us here share this pain. Resisting your emotions will only make it worse." Jade tells her friend.
Cassie reaches for Alex's hand and he grabs it and holds it tight, mainly to help calm them both down. At the same time, Alex couldn't resist it anymore. His eyes start dropping a few tears and cries a little. Despite avenging his parents, he still couldn't help but feel responsible for their deaths. He feels as if they actually stopped Kronika, then they wouldn't need to worry about sacrificing themselves for his sake. His life wouldn't also be a lie as Kronika manipulated his life until he turned his life around.
"You know. I just want to say I owe it to you all. You guys, especially you, Cassie, changed my life. I wouldn't have gotten this far without everyone. Somehow, I knew from the start that I was meant for you, Cass." Alex smiles at her. "And you, Jade. I could never ask for a better guardian, friend and sister figure like Jacqui."
Jade feels touched by his words. To her, he seems like the nicest earthrealmer alongside Cassie and Liu Kang. She shows how flattered she is by giving Alex a friendly hug." I appreciate it, Alex. Thank you."
"I just like to be honest with people I care about most. And me and Cassie promised to never lie or keep secrets from each other when we first started dating." Alex said.
Cassie chuckles. She remembers their first date and their first kiss all too well. "You're right. You've always been the special one." Cassie said before gasping and bends over. Jade rushes to her side and places a hand on her shoulder. "I'm fine. I promise."
"Is there anything I can do to help?" Jade asked.
"Just more water. Do you have anything in terms of fruit or vegetables?" Cassie asked.
"Yes. We have regrown our gardens with plenty of food after we took back our home from Shao Kahn." Jade said. She looks at one of the healers and she understands what Jade meant and Jade and the healer go to fetch some food for Cassie.
"Alex?" Cassie asked.
"Yes, baby?" Alex asked his wife.
Cassie pulls him in for a tight hug. "We're going to make it through this. I won't leave you. No matter what. You're strong. We can hold out and crush our inner demons together."
"I won't leave you either. I guess our dreams are coming true. About damn time, right?" Alex smiled.
Cassie giggles at his words. "You bet your ass. I think you'll be the best dad ever. A sexy dad that is."
Alex couldn't help but blush at her words. "Is that right? I think you'll be the best, sexiest mother ever." Now it was her turn to blush. She responds by stroking his cheek and giving him a kiss. They gently touch their foreheads together. The couple can feel their own hearts beating. Alex and Cassie could not help but feel excited for their baby to come.
The married couple soon to be parents continue to look into each other's eyes. As they do so, a guard knocks on the door. "Cassandra. Empress Sindel would like to speak to you alone." The guard said.
Cassie looks at her husband, and he nods in approval. "It's okay. I'll be fine."
"Alright. I'll be back." Cassie kisses Alex's cheek before she stands up with help from the medics to go speak to Sindel. Alex wondered what Sindel would want with Cassie. Probably something to do with mother-like advice.
Truth be told, Sindel has summoned Cassie to her. She couldn't help but feel proud of what she and Alex have accomplished. Cassie is led to the throne room where Sindel awaits her. The guard leaves them to be alone.
"Welcome, Cassandra. Are you feeling alright?" Sindel asked.
"I guess so. I figured this was going to happen at some point or another. Sorry about the mess back there. I couldn't control myself." Cassie said, feeling a bit nauseous.
"It is alright, Cassandra. This has happened before when I was having Kitana." Sindel said. Despite the tragedies she went through after Shao Kahn happened and losing her husband, Sindel always considered Kitana's birth her happiest memory.
"I assume you wanna talk to me about advice or something?" Cassie asked.
"Precisely. I thought it'd be best for me to help out since you had to separate from your Special Forces. You said that you've been feeling this way for a few weeks?" Sindel asked.
"About four weeks now. I'm not gonna lie, I'm also a little nervous. It's damn hard for me to hide my emotions and other signs from everyone else. I wanted Alex to know first." Cassie said.
"That only shows how loyal you are to him. Not to mention that from the look in your eyes, you wish to learn from your mother's mistakes." Sindel said.
"Yeah. She wasn't perfect. She did kinda rubbed off of dad because she put too much focus into her work, which led to them splitting up. Despite that, they were my heroes. I'm just happy she and dad got back together. Mom realized that she was at fault for the divorce, not dad. I have some parts from both of their personalities. I may be brash and cocky, but I don't have an ego." Cassie said.
"I see. My advice to you is always learn from past mistakes and embrace every moment with your family, no matter how difficult things can get. Raising fine children of your own can help live up to your legacy. Do that and your legacy will be remembered and passed down to descendants. My mistake was leaving Kitana in the hands of Shao Kahn. But I also knew that I had to stop him. I amended my mistakes with Kitana." Sindel said.
"I understand. I know it'll be hard at first, raising a family while being commander of the Special Forces. But me and Alex always discussed how to learn from my parents past mistakes. How we can improve and such. Let our own children decide what they want to do with their lives." Cassie said.
"That is exactly what I was thinking as well, Cassandra. Have faith in your future with your husband." Sindel advised. She briefly placed a hand on her cheek. "You will make a fine mother."
"Understood, Empress Sindel. Thanks." Cassie bows her head to head as the guard escorts her back to her room with Alex. Both he and Jade are waiting for her. Cassie sighs happily, remembering Sindel's advice on being a better mother. She felt saddened about her parents splitting up, but hopes that the name lasts forever.
Note: I'll be honest regarding writing these chapters about Cassie's pregnancy. I actually went to a couple friends of mine, one of them I used to work with about symptoms of pregnancy. I am aware of the symptoms but I wanted to be absolutely sure. Such as mood swings, nausea, cramps, food cravings. I hope I've done my best regarding this. I did my best to describe them as much as I could. And I'm so glad we're getting Li Mei, Tanya and Baraka for Mortal Kombat 1. I'm surprised by who our DLC characters are, including Takeda, Omni-Man and Homelander.