OOC: And the story is done! Thanks to everyone who enjoyed it. This was only meant to be a short one. :)
Johnny's body was burning. Both with fever, and a need to find Nitara. Fortunately that part wasn't hard. It was…what? A homing beacon? A message? Whatever it was, drove him to drive without much regard for the speed limit. Soon after he arrived at what appeared to be a warehouse.
Johnny took out the handgun he had stolen from the guard and checked the ammo. Four bullets. He only needed one to end this…one way or another. He got out of the car, moved past the gate and entered the warehouse, gun at the ready. It was pitch-black, and quiet. Far too quiet.
"Johnny Cage. I've been waiting for you," Nitara said seductively.
Johnny kept the gun at the ready. He couldn't quite tell where she was. "Whatever you're selling lady, I'm not interested. I already have an ex-wife who's quite the bloodsucker. I'm not in the mood for another."
Nitara chuckled. "When I bit you, I didn't expect your blood to taste…so divine," she said greedily, emerging from the rafters. With a gentle flap she landed on the ground. "There is something in you, Earthrealmer, to make it that way. I want more than just a taste."
Johnny levelled his gun at her. "I've got a better idea. I shoot you in the heart, and that cures me of whatever infection you've put in my blood."
Nitara laughed. "Bullets have no effect on me, Johnny Cage. Besides, we both know that you want this, just as much as I do. My gift is not an infection. It's an opportunity to be free of the binds that shackle you. I can give you so much more than what you are. A purpose. Love," she added seductively. "One that has no divorce. We would be linked, eternally."
Johnny really tried to shoot her. His finger was frozen on the trigger, though. He tried to recall every memory of Cassie to force himself, but it just wasn't enough. With one casual swipe of her hand the gun went sailing off into the darkness. Chuckling, she removed the bandage from his neck. The wound never really healed.
"You will be mine, Johnny Cage. And afterwards, you will live on to serve Quan Chi and help me get Shinnock's amulet from your own base."
"Quan Chi?" Johnny frowned. "Is that who-"
"Enough talk." Suddenly Nitara bit him, and Johnny lost all interest in who was behind this. All he knew was a joyous, feeling of bliss.
Followed by a sudden, ravenous hunger.
###
Two minutes later, special forces surrounded the building.
Sonya turned on her radio. "All units, keep this place locked down. No one goes out without my permission. If you see Johnny, take him down hard and fast. He may have abilities we are unaware of," Sonya said, calmly taking control of the situation as she joined Cassie over by the truck.
Cassie was loading her guns but hesitated and glanced at her. "Mom-" she began.
"I know, Cassie," Sonya said softly, putting a hand on her shoulder. "We're not going to hurt him anymore than we need to. Nitara, on the other hand, is a whole different story."
Cassie nodded in agreement. "All right. As long as we're on the same page. What if it doesn't work? Killing Nitara?"
"Oh please, you think I'm just going to follow movie logic to help your dad?" Sonya said jokingly, breaking the tension. "I already have a few plans in the works. Trust me. We'll get him back."
Cassie nodded, and they both entered the building.
What they saw sickened Sonya to the core. Nitara was there, feasting on Johnny's neck. "Snack-time's over," she said coldly, taking out her gun. She fired a precision shot, one that hit Nitara's open wing in an attempt to force her to let go.
Nitara hissed in pain, dropping Johnny in surprise. "Those bullets shouldn't have hurt!" she snapped.
"Coated in Jinsing, bitch," Cassie said, and fired her automatic rifle. Nitara fled upwards amongst the rafters to avoid being hit. Cassie glanced at her. "Do you-"
"I've got this. Go!" Sonya ordered as Johnny struggled onto his feet.
"Now you're really pissing me off, Sonya," Johnny said, glaring at her. His teeth were now sprouting a set of fangs.
"Abandoning your family? Being a slave to Outworld? Doesn't sound much like the Johnny Cage I know," Sonya threw back at him.
"I'm not abandoning anyone," Johnny returned, his eyes glowing red. "All I have to do is bite Cassie, and we can be together again. And anyone else I choose. You…well maybe I will, maybe I won't. Your blood might be too cold for my taste."
"And there it is. Even possessed you can't help but bitch about your issues," Sonya spat.
"Just shut up and fight."
This time she didn't hold back her punches, and neither did he. He slammed a punch into her side, one that would definitely leave some bruising later. She came at him hard and fast, and he dodged and blocked as he moved. His body was glowing slightly with that same green energy. Whatever it was, Sonya couldn't let him use it.
"On the other hand," Johnny taunted as she blocked his next attack. "You can always kill me and have an excuse to tell Cassie."
That hurt, far more than it should have. She and Johnny had a long history together. And sure, the recent years had not been great. But that didn't mean the two of them had years of friendship, love, and mutual respect between them that wasn't so easy to ignore. That verified that this was Nitara in his mind, not him talking. "I would rather save you," she said firmly, and kicked him into a cement pillar. As he tried to recover, she punched him in the head with all of her strength. He went down in an instant.
Sonya glanced at one of the Special Forces. "Keep him secure," she ordered, and ran off to help Cassie.
Cassie was shooting at the beams above their head every time Nitara tried to land somewhere. Eventually, she was forced to land on the ground.
"You're finished, Nitara," Sonya said. "Tell me how to fix this and I might let you live."
Nitara chuckled. "My gifts cannot be reversed," she said.
"Fine by me," Sonya said, stepping forwards. She grabbed a wire between her hands, and used Nitara's shoulders to jump over her, causing the cord to wind around Nitara's neck. She pulled once, almost separating Nitara's head clean from her shoulders. As she crouched Cassie shot Nitara's chest full of Jinsing bullets, just to make sure. Within seconds she was dead.
"Did that work?" Cassie asked.
The two of them ran over to where Johnny was sitting, with his hands handcuffed behind his back. Sonya lifted up the corner of his mouth, and still saw the fangs. She sighed. "No. Damn movie logic."
"I hope your back-up plans are good ones, mom," Cassie said uneasily.
###
An unknown time later, Johnny slowly opened his eyes, waking up in the base's hospital. A heart-rate monitor was beating steadily nearby. His heartbeat. He wasn't undead, but he felt so incredibly tired…and old. He glanced to the left and saw Cassie sitting asleep in a chair nearby. "Hey, Cassie," he tried to say, despite his dry throat.
Cassie woke up. "Hey yourself," she said with a smile.
He frowned. "How long was I-?"
"Two days. We had to completely cleanse your blood. Raiden also suggested you spend some time in the Jinsing chamber. That cured whatever was left almost immediately," Cassie said.
"Yep. Good old Raiden," Johnny said, struggling into a sitting position.
"You scared the shit out of me," Cassie confessed.
Johnny smiled and gripped her hand. "Hey. I'm not going anywhere, okay?"
The door opened, and Sonya entered. "You're up," she said. It was impossible to tell what she was thinking behind her eyes.
"Looks like I am," Johnny said. "Sonya, what I said-"
"It wasn't you," Sonya said, quietly but firmly. "I'm just glad you pulled through."
"Still, it was nice of you to come by," Johnny said.
"I have a duty to make sure everyone under my command is all right," Sonya said.
"Yep." Johnny exchanged a smile with Cassie. "Of course." His expression turned serious. "It was Quan Chi who wanted that amulet, by the way. Didn't have time to ask why."
"That's disturbing. We'll increase our security," Sonya said. "Take it easy for the next day or two."
"That's what I plan to do," Johnny said. "You know, being a vampire was lame for the most part. Couldn't fly, couldn't get a cool cape, couldn't control an army-"
"We're going to be hearing a lot of vampire jokes, aren't we?" Cassie asked.
"Trust me, I've got a list going in my head already. I might even make it my next film," Johnny said.
For a rare moment, the tension between him and Sonya eased. "I'm glad you're back, Johnny," she said.
"Yeah. You know, she promised me 'ever-lasting love'. The full cliché speech."
"It obviously didn't compare to the people who truly cared about you," Sonya said. "All of us at the base, I mean."
Cassie was smiling as well. "Mom even tried to kill the head vampire to save you."
"She followed movie logic? Sounds like one of my plans," Johnny said
"Small wonder it didn't work then," Sonya teased, and hesitated. "I really have to-"
"Go. Be the big boss." Johnny watched her leave, but gripped Cassie's hand before she could go. "Hey Cassie?"
"Yeah?"
"She called me 'Johnny'."
"Eh, she'll deny it later."
"Maybe," Johnny said, but couldn't help but smile. Maybe, finally, something had repaired between all of them.
And all it took was being undead to finally do it.
THE END.