Chapter 3: Stepping Up
Triborg watches the explosion from a different base. Despite being a cyborg, this does not stop him from having emotions. For the first time in forever, he felt triumphant. He has finally completed one of his two main goals. And that was committing the death of Kuai Liang. Sub-Zero is dead. With him gone, there was little they could do to stop him. Despite Frost and the others escaping, he still plans to kill them as well and proceed with further planning.
Triborg looks at the head of Kuai Liang held in a status tube. He can't help but think of all the setbacks he was put through. "You have prevailed over me for the past years in the Old Era and the New Era. I have held back. But no more. And look where this has gotten us. Soon, the rest of your clan will be dead." Triborg said to the head of Sub-Zero. One of his cyborgs have came to him.
"Lord Triborg. We have tracked the escaped survivors. We are tracing them back to their temple." The robot reports.
"They will plan to launch a counterattack. We cannot afford to waste anymore time. Send three squadrons to that temple and destroy it. All of it. Make sure there are no survivors." Triborg ordered. The cyborg nods in acknowledgement and makes its leave. Triborg looks at the schematics of the map of Articka. He looks on motionlessly. What he could be planning is anyone's guess. It could be more than just benefits for the New Cyber Lin Kuie, more than killing the original clan and Sub-Zero. Triborg still has the same personality as Sektor. For the first time, he is standing on his own.
The survivors have managed to escape Triborg's trap and wrath. But they cannot afford to stop and plan a counterattack. Frost, Smoke and Cyrax hurry back to their Lin Kuie temple as quickly as possible. As much as they want to grieve, now is not the best time. Right now they have to focus on evacuating everyone else before it was too late.
"We have to collect what's most important to us." Smoke suggested.
"Grab all the stealth cloakers and trackers you can. We don't have a lot of time left. We must evacuate everyone from the temple now!" Frost said.
"Before Triborg gets to them first." Cyrax said.
As the three survivors reached the temple, they noticed that everything seemed to be too quiet. They look around to find the members of the Lin Kuie. Frost looks everywhere, but no one is around. The temple is next to empty, leaving only the three of them. All that is seen are stains of blood almost everywhere, some spines and other bones laying on the floor. "No. No! Where is everyone?!" Frost asked as she looks around.
"Frost. No one seems to be around. What could have happened to them?" Smoke asked. "It can't be possible. It can't be. We shouldn't be so easily ambushed, even after the cyborgs were terminated."
"This can't be happening. We can't be the only ones left." Frost said.
"Triborg. That bastard. He ambushed the temple after he lured you and Liang away from here. He easily picked us off." Cyrax realized. His fists close in anger. He feels more angry for not only did Triborg kill their friend, he killed the entire clan. But how did this happen so fast?
Frost checks her systems and detects almost a hundred cyborgs heading towards their direction. "We got incoming. Small army. We can take them." Frost said.
"Something isn't right. Why aren't they capturing us like they have before? Something does not add up to this." Smoke said.
"If they wanted to capture us, they would've taken us by surprise. The question is why are they coming back now?" Cyrax asked.
Hearing what Cyrax said suddenly hit her. "That's because they don't plan on taking us alive. We need to leave! Turn on your cloakers!" Frost tells them.
The three hold up their cloakers and they vanish. They run out of the temple as quickly as possible, hoping it isn't too late for them to survive longer. The Cyber Lin Kuie close in on their temple and with orders from their leader, they fire missiles away. More than several of them all head straight to the temple and there was a big explosion. The Lin Kuie Temple was no more. Reduced to ashes and fire going everywhere. Triborg, looking over the results, wants to be absolutely sure.
"Report immediately. Have you found any bodies?" Triborg asked.
The cyborgs look around, turning over debris and scanning for any life forms. They put out the fire while continuing their search. They left no stone unturned as they searched for bodies. There was nothing they could find except for dried up blood stains. "Lord Triborg. We have found no traces of the remaining Lin Kuie. All that is left are blood stains and destroyed technology of their own." They all report.
"At long last. The Lin Kuie are finished. Even if Frost, Smoke and Cyrax managed to survive, we will finish them. If so, they are leaderless. For now, return to base. We must remain on schedule. We cannot waste anymore time on my plans." Triborg said. The cyborgs all teleport back to base. Their job is done. The Lin Kuie temple is gone. The survivors are left without a home. No clan. No master.
Frost and the others watched from a safe distance as their home is destroyed. They look on in horror of what they all witnessed in one day. They feel despair in hopes that they think they rid themselves at their worst enemy. The enemy that refuses to stay dead. Sektor has died many times before and this time as Triborg. Now with their defeat, the Cyber Lin Kuie continue with their mysterious plans. The survivors hide in a cave close to underground. It was the only other way to hide without being caught. Luckily the Special Forces have improved the cloakers to work indefinitely based on their identification. Frost, Cyrax and Smoke mumble in defeat at the heavy losses they had.
"I can't believe this is happening. So many things lost to us. Why? We don't deserve this type of suffering." Frost said. She slams her fist down and covers a bit of the ground in ice.
"This cannot be. Sub-Zero. He's gone. He did not deserve this fate. First he was cyberized in the Old Era, and now they do something worse. This is outrageous." Smoke said.
"Sektor has always disgraced the clan. Even before and even now. Always manipulating everyone against their will. Like he did with Cyrax, Sub-Zero and even me. We have to do something. The Lin Kuie cannot just let this go to waste." Frost said. Frost really wants to avenge her clan and her master, but is unsure how. Inner doubts are starting to get to her.
"And who is going to step up as leader? You?" Cyrax questions Frost in a distrustful voice.
"Who else? What other choice do we have? Lay down and surrender our lives to Triborg and let him lay ruin to Earthrealm?" Frost said, glaring at him.
"I am not saying we should quit the Lin Kuie. I am saying that I do not think we should follow you." Cyrax tells her.
"And why am I hearing such things from you, Cyrax? You were not like this when Sub-Zero was grandmaster." Frost reminds him.
"It was because I have known Sub-Zero for a long time. He told me everything you have done in the Old Era, Frost. You betrayed them willingly. Became a cyborg yourself, not caring about the truth." Cyrax points out. He really does not like her very much.
"That timeline doesn't matter anymore! I wanted to show redemption in the New Era! I am not going to let it go to waste. I chose to sacrifice myself three years ago to ensure everyone's survival, yours included." Frost said.
"And look where that has brought you. A cyborg once again. After what I have went through because of Sektor and Kronika, I have learned to loathe cyborgs." Cyrax said. He could never forget the horrible days he has went through as part of the Cyber Lin Kuie in both timelines, during Raiden's attempt to change the future and during the time merger.
"That is enough! Arguing is not going to get us anywhere. Nor will it bring back Sub-Zero. We fight for the same goal. Think about what he would've done if he caught us arguing like children. This isn't how the Lin Kuie will thrive and survive." Smoke said. He too shares this big level of pain at the big loss of their friend and clan. Smoke knows Sub-Zero well about his intentions, including sparing Frost.
"But where can we go from here? We have no grandmaster. We do not have a leader. Without one, we cannot prevail over the Cyber Lin Kuie." Frost has doubts about it.
"But Sub-Zero has already chosen one to take his place one day." Smoke said, looking at Frost.
Frost sees his eyes and immediately got what he means. "I'm not worthy of being a leader. Not while I am like this. A cyborg. Someone who was Sub-Zero's student. I can't." Frost looks down in self-doubt.
"Frost. I understand what you mean. But he chose you for a reason. Not because you're a cryomancer. Because you are you. Despite what you are, you still have your soul. He said the same thing with Cyrax in the Old Era and knowing he still had a soul when he was a cyborg himself. If Sub-Zero believes that, then so do I." Smoke tells her.
Frost was still unsure about what to do. She still doubts herself about becoming a good successor to Sub-Zero. But she also understands Smoke's words and thinks he may be right. She sighs out of reluctance. "I remember what he has reminded me of. The truth of our past. What the clan is about. About souls and free will. If he chose me to be his successor, then I may have to step up. For now at least."
"Embracing what we have had here in the New Era will give us strength. But our strength alone is not enough. We must put that together. You must put it all together." Smoke said.
Frost turns away from them for a moment and closes her eyes to think. She remembers the times Sub-Zero has trained her. About what the clan is about. She remembers what Sub-Zero has said about the responsibilities as a leader of the Lin Kuie. Put others before oneself. Frost opens her eyes and turns back around.
"If that is what you think, Smoke. If what our friend Liang says is true. Then so be it. He has always talked to me about making me his successor. Though I still feel reluctant to take this position, then I will have to step up. As acting leader of the Lin Kuie." Frost said.
This gives a Smoke a sense of relief. He bows his head to Frost out of respect. Though Cyrax remains extremely skeptical about Sub-Zero picking Frost instead of him or Smoke. He decides to go along with it for now. "Have it your way, Frost. We will follow your lead for now. What do you suggest we do?" Cyrax said.
"For now, you two must rest and recover from what you have been through tonight. Since I am part cyborg, I don't get tired. I will keep watch. We can discuss plans in the morning." Frost said. Smoke and Cyrax nod in acknowledgement and they find somewhere in the cave to rest. Frost looks into the sky wondering how she will handle the new burden that has now been brought down upon her. One day she will truly understand what it is like to be a master of the Lin Kuie. Frost holds up her left wrist and looks at the data she downloaded and looks at the map of Articka. The same thing that Triborg is looking over right now. What are his plans exactly?
Old Era
At a Lin Kuie temple, Sub-Zero attempted to meet with Hanzo Hasashi about restoring the clans to their former glory, Hanzo felt hesitant to do so, remembering what has seemingly happened between them. But then, Frost attacked Hanzo attempting to kill him. Sub-Zero froze her in place and went on to explain what really happened. That Sektor and Quan Chi murdered the Shirai Ryu, including Hanzo's wife and son and Hanzo and Kuai Liang learned to forgive each other and decided to make peace with each other and put their differences aside. However, this does not sit well with Frost.
"You let him go?! Why?! He is our sworn enemy!" Frost exclaimed, glaring at her master.
"You misunderstand, Frost. Hanzo was being used by Quan Chi. He tricked Hanzo into killing my brother. A brother who came back and willingly became Quan Chi's slave." Sub-Zero explained.
"Bi-Han was worthy as Sub-Zero. He still is your brother. If he was here, he would have disagreed with you." Frost said.
"He became dead to me when he betrayed us." Sub-Zero tells her. Even though he can't deny that they share blood, they no longer consider each other brothers. Not after how they saw each other. With Bi-Han becoming Noob Saibot and Kuai Liang becoming Cyber Sub-Zero, albeit against his will.
"Betrayed us? You were the one who betrayed us! You made peace with that scum! I should've killed him the moment he stepped into the temple! For all we know, he could be using the Lin Kuie!" Frost said in anger.
"That is enough, Frost. Hanzo felt guilty for killing Bi-Han. But I told him that Quan Chi was responsible, not us. We set aside our differences. You must do the same!" Sub-Zero tells her.
"Never! You turned against your own clan, yet you call yourself a master. If I was the master, the Shirai Ryu would have been extinct by now." Frost said.
"Being the leader of the Lin Kuie is not an easy task. Bi-Han would have made a horrible master. Same with Sektor. It is my responsibility to ensure the safety of my clan, yours included. Give our new allies a chance." Sub-Zero said.
"You're even worse than Sektor! You took an oath to put an end to your enemies by any means. Yet you let the worst ones live! You are not worthy of being grandmaster. It should be me, Sub-Zero." Frost glared at him.
"Do not do this, Frost. Do not make me have to fight you." Sub-Zero felt reluctant.
"Too late, Liang. Once I put an end to you, I will take the Lin Kuie myself and kill Hasashi and put an end to this whole thing." Frost said, bringing out two ice daggers.
"Then you leave me with no choice." Sub-Zero said as his hands flow with ice.
"You are a traitor! I will destroy you! The Lin Kuie will be mine and I will be the better master!" Frost said before they fight.
Frost leaps forward to stab Sub-Zero in the neck, but Sub-Zero easily steps to the side, elbows her left rib cage, punches her head, kicks her lower spine and chops the back of her neck. Frost throws both swords, which Sub-Zero catches and crushes them with no injuries. Frost attempts to jump kick, but the Lin Kuie master blocks it and blocks another kick. Frost tries to throw a couple of punches, but Sub-Zero grabs the fist, palm strikes her left shin, punches her chest with an ice cold fist, cracking her chest, and throws an ice dagger into her right shoulder, cracking it and making it bleed. Sub-Zero creates an ice ceiling above her and uppercuts her into it and Frost collides into the ceiling and she falls down in defeat.
"You are the traitor, Frost. You attack your own master, nearly committed treason, nearly committed murder. You lack judgement, Frost." Sub-Zero said.
"Y-you are the one who has no judgment. Letting the Shirai Ryu live despite them being enemies for years. You fail to see that. Compassion blinds you." Frost said.
"Compassion and judgement are what help keep the Lin Kuie strong. You have neither of those traits. If you truly understood what it is like being the master, then you would have had second thoughts." Sub-Zero said.
"My judgement is you are not worthy of being my master!" Frost said. She tries to attack him once more, but Sub-Zero grabs her wrist and punches her in the face, sending her backwards. Frost is then picked up by two members of the clan.
"Or maybe you are not worthy of being my apprentice. If you will not see my reasonings, nor understand the burden of being the leader, then you leave me with no choice. Frost. As of this moment, as master of the Lin Kuie, you are hereby exiled from the Lin Kuie. Be grateful that I chose to let you live this time. Should you ever step foot here again, do not expect mercy." Sub-Zero said before turning to the two members holding her. "Escort her out of here and make sure she leaves. I will let Hanzo know what has happened."
The two members nod to him and carry the injured ex-student out of the temple. Frost still has enough strength to walk and look back at her now former master. "You will regret your choice one day, Sub-Zero! You hear me?! I'LL TAKE YOUR PLACE AND RESTART THE CLANS MYSELF! YOU WILL BE NOTHING! NOT EVEN A MEMORY!" Frost yells in revenge. She is escorted out by Sub-Zero and his followers and they overlook as she walks away from the temple in exile. Frost closes her fists in anger as she swears revenge against Sub-Zero and Hanzo Hasashi. She hopes to become a better leader.
New Era
Dawn is slowly rising up. As Smoke and Cyrax start to wake up, Frost was sitting down, eyes closed. She remembered the day she was exiled from the Lin Kuie by Sub-Zero. To her, since the New Era started, she felt horrible about her actions and the words she said. Even to this day, she could not help but feel guilty about the horrors she did in the Old Era. Sub-Zero has since forgave her for her actions, but still couldn't help this feeling. Although Frost does want to be the new leader, she feels reluctant about it because of her actions and being part cyborg.
Frost continues to meditate as Cyrax and Smoke begin to wake up. They both immediately notice their de facto leader being quiet. Moments later, Frost opens her eyes and stands up to face the two. "Cyrax. Smoke. Are you two alright?" Frost asked out of concern.
"I am fine, Frost. My wounds from Triborg have healed, but still painful. These cyborgs seem more powerful than before." Smoke said.
"Right. Not to mention that they read our movements. When we tried to escape, more of them caught up to us. Triborg knows all fighting styles of the Lin Kuie." Cyrax said.
"That's how he was able to overpower Kuai Liang. Triborg has Sektor's style, and Liang's and both yours and Smoke's. He planned this in case we were to kill him back when he was Sektor. It appears that he is standing on his own now." Frost said.
"With Shao Kahn and Geras gone, I highly doubt he would once again reforge his alliance with Mileena. Given all of his failed attempts." Cyrax said.
"The question is will he target them and not just all of Earthrealm?" Frost asked.
"We don't know that for sure. All we know is he plans on attacking Earthrealm first. But the problem with that is, we have many powerful allies from here, Outworld and Edenia." Smoke said.
"So Triborg must be after something very valuable. Something to help make him more powerful to invade all realms, possibly including the Netherrealm. I know for a fact that Triborg has a map of the entire continent of Articka." Frost said.
"And what information have you downloaded from his database?" Smoke asked.
Frost holds out her hand and the palm opens up to show a projection of the map of Articka. And it shows four different locations being highlighted at the corners. "These four locations must be holding something. These must be whatever Triborg is after. According to the data, these marks highlight the corners of this continent. Without a doubt, Triborg will send many of his Cyber Lin Kuie to these corners and collect whatever is there." Frost said.
"It must be very powerful. Chances are not many people know alot about these whatever they are." Smoke said.
"I suggest we split up. We can each search on our own for these four locations." Cyrax said.
"No. That leaves too much of a chance. Triborg thinks we're dead. We need to keep it that way.
Besides, if he finds us on our own, he'll pick us off one by one and capture or kill us. And we cannot risk contacting anyone for help. That leaves too much of a chance." Frost corrects him. She realizes that contacting someone like Outworld or Special Forces would be too risky. Otherwise, Triborg would have immediately found out they're still alive.
"Frost is right. We have powerful allies, but you've seen what these new cyborgs can do. You've seen what Triborg could do. What he did to Sub-Zero. We must keep casualties low as possible. Avoid any possible mistakes." Smoke defends her.
"But remaining as a group is also risky. It will only take longer to get to these four locations. Triborg may be on the move now for all we know." Cyrax said.
"As the acting leader, it is my responsibility to ensure the safety of all members of the Lin Kuie. To keep casualties from happening. Put others before oneself. A lesson Sub-Zero told me. As much as I am reluctant to take up this mantle, I must do what I must. This is what he would've wanted." Frost points out.
Smoke and a reluctant Cyrax look at each other and they both nod to each other, They too remember the things they learned from Sub-Zero. Smoke is one to agree with Frost. He understands the burden to bear. He was once told by Sub-Zero how hard it can be being grandmaster of the Lin Kuie. Cyrax, while he doesn't like being a leader, still doesn't like the idea of Frost. But for Smoke's sake, he reluctantly agrees.
"When do we leave, Frost?" Smoke asked.
"Now would be the best time. The southeast corner is the closest one to us. We should start there. But we must remain on guard and use speed and stealth to our advantage. Stay as far ahead of Triborg as possible." Frost suggests.
The three members nod to each other. They use their cloaking tech before they set out on their journey. Frost and the others start making their way to the closest location highlighted on their map. Whatever this item is, it can prove dangerous for all they know. Regardless, Frost is willing to take risks to ensure the future of Earthrealm. As reluctant as she is becoming the new leader, she wishes to do this for her friend Sub-Zero.
Note: And so begins their quest to stop Triborg. Frost will be tested in a few different ways and the story will explore her relationship with Smoke and Cyrax. It's still a bit odd to see Cyrax and Sektor as cyborgs in Mortal Kombat 1, lol.