Chapter 24: Element of Surprise
Geras has finished regenerating himself. As soon as he wakes up, he notices that the hourglass has stopped glowing. He yells in frustration at the meaning. "No! This was not meant to happen! Not when the goal is getting closer!"
"You shouldn't have underestimated Liu Kang and Alex. They found this Keep. They'll be on the way here to bring you down, fucker." Cassie said.
"Then I'll let them come. It'll only be a matter of time until Shang Tsung betrays them all. They will fight each other for me. Kronika always had backup visions. And you, Cassie. You will be the first to bare witness to Kronika's return. Since you defeated Shinnok, you will be the first to die as soon as your children are born." Geras said.
"And I thought Shao Kahn was the sore loser. I was so wrong." Cassie said. Geras backhands her in the stomach, but not too hard. This ends up causing her to throw up more.
"Your children will belong to Kronika. Your husband will die with you if he has to." Geras said. He turns to see Sektor coming in. "What is it?"
"The assimilation is completed as you said it would. The Cyber Lin Kuei has once more exceeded all expectations." Sektor reports. He turns to Frost. She is once more cyberized into part Cyber Lin Kuei, fitted with a face mask and completely silent. Geras smiles at this. He feels that he would win despite the setback. Cassie, despite not being used to Frost being a good person now, feels bad that she has been assimilated against her own will. Regardless, she faith in her family and friends has not let up.
In Edenia, Sindel and Sheeva have been busy assembling the edenian fighters and shokan to head to the Sky Temple in Earthrealm. Jerrod on the other hand is busy with… other things.
"All things have been going steady. Just as Shang Tsung has predicted. They foolishly believe that they will succeed without any trouble. We are planning on redevousing at the Sky Temple. Geras is keeping Kronika's Keep there." Jerrod said. His eyes briefly glow green for a second before going back to normal.
"Because they put too much pity on sentimental values. Even Sindel and Kitana. I preferred them more when they served me. But you have done much better than them combined." Shao Kahn said.
"They are fools for following the god of fire and lightning. How disappointing. Thankfully, Shang Tsung has shown me how to cast portals and remove barriers." Jerrod said.
"Good. Do not keep me waiting, Jerrod." Shao Kahn said before the holo caller turns off.
"Jerrod. My love. Are you feeling alright?" Sindel comes in out of concern.
"I am fine, my lady. I shall never tire of seeing your gorgeous face. Just the smile I wanted to see just like old times." Jerrod said. Sindel walks in and they hug.
"I feel the same way. When this is all over, I would like for us to remarry. To start over on our marriage and forget that it has happened." Sindel said.
"I would enjoy that with you. To remember the memories we have and cherish our future. Us and Kitana. We can never ask for a better daughter." Jerrod said.
"Kitana has made me proud of being Kahn." Sindel smiled. "I must go and help Sheeva finish preparing our fighters for the coming battle."
"I must make my request to you." Jerrod asked.
"You don't need to ask me for any requests. You're the king. My husband." Sindel said.
"Of course. But I would like to honor Kitana and Fujin. Fulfill that honor by accompanying you in battle." Jerrod said.
"Of course. Edenia is all about honor." Sindel said.
"Thank you, my love." Jerrod said before they hug. "I shall meet with you shortly." Sindel nods and leaves. Jerrod smiles deviously. His eyes once again glowing green.
At the edge of Edenia, King Jerrod sneaks off to a secret location. He made sure that no one was following. Once he made sure he was alone, he waves his hands around while speaking in a foreign language. A green portal opens and after a couple moments, Shao Kahn reenters Edenia. He smiles evilly, finally somewhere other than the Netherrealm.
"Ah. At last, a fresh breath of familiar air. It is good to finally be out of the Netherrealm. Well done, Jerrod. I have you and Shang Tsung to thank for this." Shao Kahn said.
"It was my honor to serve you, my league." Jerrod bows his head to him.
"A pity that Quan Chi is no longer with us to witness this. This will help us turn the tide. This time, we have the element of surprise." Shao Kahn stated.
In front of the temple, Sindel and Sheeva await King Jerrod. Sindel seems to be worried about what has happened. What could be taking him so long? "I hope he will not keep us waiting too long. We must hurry and help the others." Sindel said. She feels worried about her husband.
"He will come. I have faith in him." Sheeva said.
As Sheeva said that, they hear screeching coming from afar. She looks around to find the source of the screeching. Sheeva spots many undead marching down the hills from both sides. Sindel sees this and looks from afar and now knows what has happened. "No. No!" Sindel yelled.
The undead and cloned Edenian warriors start attacking the Shokan and real Edenian warriors. They fight as many off. Plenty of them have been killed, but so have Sindel's warriors and some Shokan. Sindel and Sheeva fight their way through to find the source of the problem. However, the problem has come to them.
"Shao Kahn! You dare come back here?!" Sheeva glared at him.
"Queen Sheeva. I must say I am impressed that you made it as queen of the Shokan. But at the same time, I am disappointed that you sided with the enemy. The same enemy you swore to protect."
Sindel walks over to Jerrod. She was about to ask why. Why did he betray them? Why follow Shao Kahn after everything he's done. Until she sees the look in his eyes. "By the gods. What have you done to Jerrod?!" Sindel snarled at the conqueror.
"He has been hexed. Thanks to sorcery. He is now mine to command. Jerrod here will succeed to where you failed to do in the Old Era, Sindel. I will watch him kill your daughter. Just like you have before." Shao Kahn said.
"That no longer haunts me to this day, Shao Kahn. I killed you once, I shall do so again." Sindel said. She brings out her spear.
"I will handle Shao Kahn. You must confront your husband." Sheeva said. Sindel reluctantly nods and goes to fight Jerrod.
"You betrayed me once, Sheeva. But there is a second chance to join me in the Next Era. You will have more power over your people than what Kitana has given you." Shao Kahn offered.
"I will submit to Kitana and Sindel's rule. Not yours. You know nothing about power. Once Geras is finished, you will be nothing." Sheeva said before they fight.
Sheeva throws fireballs at Shao Kahn, but he dodges them. Shao Kahn backhands her in the chest and punches her in the head. Shao Kahn lands an uppercut up her gut, grabs her by the head and knees her face. He then shoulder bashes her and kicks her chest, sending the Shokan queen sliding down. Sheeva gets back up. She slams two fists down while launching fireballs at the same time, injuring Shao Kahn. Sheeva picks him up by the ankles and punches his face four times and backhands his stomach twice before slamming him down. Shao Kahn summons a spear and swiftly stabs Sheeva in the right thigh, pulls it out and swings the endpoint at her head. Shao Kahn then summons his wrath hammer and swings it upwards at the queen's chest and sending her upwards. Shao Kahn grabs her by the ankle, pulls her in, slams her to the ground. He then lifts her up, punches her in the face and headbutts her. Sheeva slides down once more, defeated.
"Now you understand true power, Queen Sheeva." Shao Kahn smiriked evilly. Meanwhile, Sindel continues to fight Jerrod.
Sindel is reluctant to hurt her only husband. As much as she doesn't want to hurt him, she wants to help him. "Jerrod. Please. You must fight it."
"I am fighting only you, my dear wife. As revenge. You stood there and allowed Shao Kahn to kill me. You could have done something to save me, but he taught me that you are a coward. That's why you committed suicide." Jerrod said, pointing his sword at her.
"That isn't true. I did it to protect the other realms. I succeeded at the cost of my own life. My life and Kitana's. I must break your hex by beating you." Sindel said as they resume fighting.
Jerrod and Sindel continue to clash weapons. His sword against her spear. They fight rapidly. That is until Jerrod, powered up by the hex, managed to disarm Sindel of her weapon. Jerrod uses his magic to pull Sindel in and swing the handle of his sword at her forehead, back kick her across the jaw and a swing kick on the forehead. Jerrod uses magic to teleport behind her and kicks her in the lower spine and back of the head, stabs her left shoulder with his sword and throws her. Jerrod smiles gleefully as Shao Kahn slams a fist down on her head, knocking Sindel unconscious. "You couldn't disappoint the family name more, my lovely wife."
Shao Kahn stands over Sheeva's and Sindel's bodies. This pleases the mighty conqueror. "Well done, King Jerrod." Shao Kahn said. They both see the Shokans and Edenian warriors coming to fight. Shao Kahn and Jerrod nod to each other. The emperor and Jerrod use their hex magic to influence both races. Their eyes also turning green, just like Jerrod's. "Shokan. Edenians. We musn't fight. Sindel is a false empress. A traitor. She served us in the Old Era. So have Sheeva. They are traitors. They hold you back. They ally with Liu Kang. Our enemy. They lead you astray. He uses you. They and the fire god do not keep promises. But we can grant you eternal clemency and riches in my Next Era. I promise this to all who follow me instead." Shao Kahn said. Almost immediately after the speech, the brainwashed Shokan and Edenian fighters bow to him and yell and cheer for their 'leader'.
"Shall we kill them, my league?" Jerrod asked.
Shao Kahn thought for a few moments before deciding. "No. Imprison them below. Let them drown in their defeat as we take down their allies next. We must get to the hourglass before anyone else does. I want them all to witness a new age of conquest under my hand." Shao Kahn tells him. They watch as Sheeva and Sindel are both dragged away. Both covered in bruises and a little blood in defeat. Shao Kahn watches in satisfaction as he got his payback on Sindel for originally killing him a year ago. Their next stop is the Sky Temple.
In Earthrealm, Major General Sonya has just finished assembling her teams along with Johnny and Kabal. Sonya and Jacqui salute each other as they were the last to walk through the portal to the Sky Temple. As the portal closes, Sonya sighs. She is hoping that her daughter is feeling alright.
Kabal walks up to the Major General. "Private Kabal reporting for duty, ma'am. Ready to start kicking some ass."
"Slow down there, new guy. We still gotta wait for Sindel, Sheeva and Jerrod." Sonya reminds him.
"Just wanna help out and such. Where the hell are they anyway?" Kabal asked.
"Don't know. They shouldn't be taking this long. They should be here anytime now." Sonya said, pointing to where Johnny is waiting with the team.
Johnny stands ready for the signal. He waits patiently for Sindel and the others to show up. All he can think about is getting his daughter back from Geras. A portal opens, but not what they were hoping for. It was a green portal. "INCOMING!" Johnny called out. More undead and clones start charging at them and quickly start slaughtering several soldiers.
"What. The. Fuck?!" Sonya yelled. She was not expecting enemies to come attacking them. She then sees in their eyes that they are not acting right. Something must be wrong.
Johnny fights off many undead, clones, real Edenian warriors and Shokans. He helps shoot down as many as possible with his rifle. One Shokan tries to grab Johnny and kill him, but Johnny manages to cross punch him, kick him in the chest four times, do a shadow back flip kick to the chin and kill him with a strong shadow kick through the chest.
"Try that on me, Johnny Cage!" Shao Kahn jumps and slams his hammer down on him, but Johnny barely moves out the way, only to be chopped in the throat, punched in the forehead and knocked out by a strong kick to the head by the brainwashed Jerrod.
"Shao Kahn!" Sonya runs over with Kabal and they take out their hook swords and ring gauntlets. "What the hell have you done?!"
"Sonya Blade. The fiercest woman in the Special Forces. You would make a fine spot in my Next Era. You will bow and serve the empire." Shao Kahn said.
"Make us, authoritarian asshole." Sonya said in denial.
"I want her." Jerrod said, pointing his sword at her. Shao Kahn allows this and attacks Kabal who is swiftly dodging his attacks.
"You're not thinking straight, Jerrod. Whatever Shao Kahn has done to you, this needs to stop. It's happened to your wife before." Sonya tried to tell him.
"I'm a better man than what she would've been. A fierce woman like you would make a good gladiator for Shao Kahn. That is, until your death." Jerrod said, smiling.
"What I always say to Cassie, death smiles at everyone. But the blade women? We smile back." Sonya said before they fight.
Sonya draws two electric baton and she comes swinging at Jerrod's sword. Her fierce training has been paying off for her. Jerrod felt surprised by how fast she was keeping up with him. Jerrod swings at her, but misses, giving Sonya an opportunity to tase him by the waist, knee him in the chest twice and sending him backwards with an energy ring blast. Jerrod quickly recovers, and swings his sword at her legs, but she jumps over the blade, allowing Jerrod to execute a strong kick to the stomach, a chop strike to the neck, a palm strike to the face, and a drop kick to the top of her head, dropping her to the ground. Sonya quickly recovers and recovers her batons. The weapons collide, but Jerrod uses his sword to disarm her of one of her batons and punches her across the face, forcing her to turn around and stumble. The king takes his chance and pulls her in by the arm and kicks her spine, cracking it, punches the back of the head and jumps and strikes her with a strong punch to the head, cracking and sending the Major General down in defeat. "Not smiling anymore, are we?" Jerrod mockingly asked.
Shao Kahn is starting to gain the upper hand against Kabal. While Kabal was faster, his hook swords are not as strong as the hammer. Kabal blocks it, but is kicked back to a wall by the conqueror. Kabal lifts his head up and sees the defeated Johnny and Sonya lying on the ground. He feels sad about what is happening right now. He has enough strength to recover.
Shao Kahn seems rather annoyed by this. "Why do you bother wasting time fighting for these weak soldiers, Kabal?"
Kabal secretly pushes a button before finally standing up. "Because those soldiers are stronger than many of you combined. You know what? Fuck your tricks! Fuck your amusement! There's nothing here but Kombat! You want to party, huh? Alright then! Let's party!" Kabal said with more newfound respect for the Cage family.
"Perhaps I haven't broken enough bones. Too many times you have failed Kano and the Black Dragon. I have heard you killed him personally. Why Sonya Blade chose to spare you makes me laugh. I don't pity weak." Shao Kahn said before they resume.
"You're about to find out how strong we are." Kabal said.
Shao Kahn throws a wrath spear, which Kabal dodges with his speed. He punches the conqueror's chest and kicks the jawline and speeds through him. Kabal attaches his hook swords onto Shao Kahn's shoulder armor pads and kicks the right leg and knees his lower spine. Shao Kahn grabs him from behind and pushes Kabal in front of him and slams a fist down on his right shoulder, punches his forehead and throws another punch at his left rib cage, cracking it. Kabal is pushed backwards and is on his last leg. Kabal uses his speed to run around the mighty conqueror to deprive him of oxygen. Shao Kahn sees through this and slams his hammer by the top part, making a minor shake, nearly making Kabal trip. Shao Kahn takes the sharp endpoint of his hammer and thrusts it into his left leg, making it bleed greatly. He then stomps on his other leg, breaking it, and uppercuts him by the chest, cracking it. Kabal tries to get up, but loses all strength to go on. Kabal lies to the others defeated.
"Perhaps Kano was wrong about you. I'm rather impressed, Kabal." Shao Kahn said. "Maybe you'd make better use in our services."
Jerrod turns to the brainwashed Shokans. "Take all survivors and lock them up in Edenia. My wife would love some company of her own." He ordered. The Shokans oblige and they carry Johnny, Sonya, and Kabal away back to Edenia. Kabal's device is still beeping unknown to the brainwashed fighters. It appears to be transmitting something.
Sonya manages to regain consciousness, her vision is a bit blurry. She sees Jerrod and Shao Kahn gloating in victory at their progress. "Liu Kang. Alex. You're our hope. We are all hope."
Note: I am officially mind blown by the fact that Geras is making his return in Mortal Kombat 1, this time as Liu Kang's partner. I am curious on how it'll last. I was not great with him in MK11, bit I'm willing to give him another shot. Only a few more chapters to go!