"You really think one of my guys would sell us out? That's fuckin' bullshit, and you know it!" Kano shouted across a table at Kenshi who was standing across from him with gritted teeth. Kobra's severed torso was laying upon the table.
"How else would they know where I was? They already knew my objective before it would've been possible for me say anything?" Kenshi shouted back as he pointed downwards at the torso.
"How the fuck should I know? Mavado might've found a leak somewhere. He knew where I was at the whole time!" Kano explained. Kenshi shook his head, and laughed in disbelief.
"Well how do you think he knew that? Obviously somebody hit him off!" Kenshi retorted. Kano was taken aback by that. With all that had been going on he never even thought to think of a mole, and the way Kenshi had brought it up he may have been right, but that was impossible.
"I don't even know where to begin to look if we have a mole." Kano sighed in thought.
"Well let's look at the obvious. Who would've known you were at the night club?" Kenshi asked quickly.
"Only Jarek, and Tasia, but no. Never, neither of them would've done that. That isn't a possibility." Kano washed away any thought of either of his friends betraying him to the Red Dragon. Kenshi wasn't too happy with such a quick dismissal, considering his life had been put on the line for a trap.
"Why wouldn't they? What makes them more loyal than your average goon?" He spoke bitterly. Kano was not happy at that.
"Look mate I know you about died chasing a dead end, and all so I'll let that one slide, but my crew aren't goons. I grew up with Tasia, and Jarek. Jarek is like my brother, and Tasia is one of my closest friends. Neither of them would be capable of that." Kano expressed sincerely.
"What about Kabal then?" Kenshi asked finally. Kano looked disgusted with Kenshi for quite a time before whispering in rage.
"Tell me you didn't just say that! You'd dare say that? You really think Kabal would side with the sons of bitches who murdered his own brother? You'd have to be insane to even think that! Kano spat in a hush.
"Maybe you're right, that is a stretch, but either way we need to get to the bottom of this before it's too late. Keep your information tight." Kenshi warned carefully. With that the door to Kano's office opened, and a gloom looking Kabal entered. He was clean, and freshly shaven. Kano noticed he was looking slightly better than when he had climbed aboard the helicopter. Some amount of youth had been restored to his aging face. Kabal noticed that Kano, and Kenshi had gone quiet when he'd entered. Noticing the awkwardness Kenshi excused himself from the room leaving Kano, and Kabal alone. Kano had leaned back in his chair, and put his hands over the back of his head.
"Well you're looking well. How'd you sleep?" Kano asked with a smile. Kabal had pulled his hair back into a man bun, and was dressed in a white tee shirt, and a pair of blue jeans.
"Like a baby." He grinned back in response. With that Kano arose from his chair.
"Glad to hear it mate, it's good to have ya back. I'd want nobody else by my side when Shao Kahn's invasion hits." Kano cheered. Kabal looked over sideways at Kano, and spoke.
"Speaking of that. I was thinking maybe you should put the eye back on. You're gonna need it, and since Mavado knows we're here it doesn't really matter if you have it off now." He examined Kano's appearance.
"Yeah I thought about that meself. Figure I'll give Herman a call tomorrow, and have the damn thing put back on. The bloody surgery, I hated it last time." Kano admitted. Kabal crossed his arms, and smiled as he leaned against one of the rooms walls.
"It was the only thing that saved you against Hsu Hao though. Without it he'd have strangled you right there." Kabal recalled the tournament. Kano gave a hearty laugh.
"You know me. You know I'd find out a way with or without the eye." Kano retorted with a chuckle.
"You're right, I would have had to come in, and save you for the millionth time." Said Kabal with short laugh.
"Well I hope I can count on you doing it a million more times come this invasion." Kano spoke warmly. Kabal uncrossed his arms.
"We'll see." He responded shaking his head.
"So any word from Jax or Sonya since I've been broken out?" Kabal asked seriously. Both he, and Kano knew they'd be furious with the Black Dragon for that one.
"Haven't heard a thing, but you can bet your ass they'll come looking." Kano said as he eyed Kobra's torso. Kabal had also set his gaze upon it.
"What's that about?" Kabal asked as he nodded his head in the torso's direction. The smell coming from it was hideous, and foul. Kabal thought his nostrils were going to catch fire when he first entered Kano's office, and the sensation never once faded during their conversation.
"That right there is the work of the Red Dragon. They've been targeting everybody these days. Even those who literally are only connected to us by a single thread. That's Brian Dumas's son Kenny. He was named Kobra in the Viper Clan." Kano explained quickly as the rancid torso continued to stink up the room.
"I swear to you Kano I'm going to kill that bastard." Kabal spoke darkly. His whole demeanor changed in an instant. Kano had again seen the new face Kabal would make everytime the Red Dragon, or Mavado were brought up. It scared Kano a bit. He'd never once seen eyes filled with such hatred.
"As you should mate, and that time will come sooner, rather than later, but I think we should talk about Devlyn." Kano braced for Kabal's reaction, and Kabal did seem rather disinterested as soon as his dead brother's name was uttered.
"You know what happened, as do I. Talking about him won't bring him back. The only way I'll ever accept his death is if I'm the one to end his murderer." Kabal dismissed Kano from attempting to speak about the topic after he said his peace.
"I need you level headed Kabal. In this war we need to be focused. I just need to know you won't go off running after him the first chance you get." Kano warned. Kabal gave a short laugh of disbelief.
"I'm not stupid if that's what you need to know. All I'm saying is when the time comes where I do get my hands on him he's done." Kabal finished bitterly.
"Good. I just needed to know that you're not gonna put yourself at risk out there." Kano summarized.
"It's a war Kano. We're all gonna be at risk." These words struck Kano hard, and Kabal was completely right. Kano, and Kabal looked back down once again at Kobra's dismembered torso, both knowing that they could share a very similar fate.
(I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on the story so far, who's your favorite character in this universe, and who do you hate the most? The next chapter should be out either just before or after the holiday.)