Chapter 4

Sonya was pacing back and forth in Kano's living room as she found her current predicament to be unsettling. "Do you really expect ME to live under the same roof, with YOU? Working with the Black Dragon? Are you INSANE?!" she snapped. "Oh I am not done, love. You haven't heard everything I have to say. I have a proposition for you," he coaxed her. "I will make this arrangement worth your while." Sonya abruptly stopped her pacing to glare at him. "Suppose I pretend to entertain what you are about to suggest. Just how exactly will this work?"

Kano took a step towards her. "You will be my second," he said. "You will call the shots, and my men will follow you as if you were me." Sonya found the concept somewhat alluring. "You want me to be second in command of the Black Dragon?" She shook her head. "This will never work, Kano. I have fought most of your men. I have even put some of them in prison. I highly doubt that they will be so eager to take orders from me." Kano crossed his arms. "They will because I ordered it. This arrangement isn't by choice, Sonya, it is a necessity."

A necessity. Usingthat word to describe this arrangement felt so foreign to her. Especially coming from Kano. She never imagined a possibility of having to work along side him, never mind the idea of sharing a roof with him. Yet, despite their toxic history, Kano seemed more than willing to put their differences aside and she realized that regardless of how she felt, that it was time for her to do the same. She didn't have to like it though.

"I will need to make my partners at the FBI aware of our newfound arrangement," Sonya said. "Fair enough," Kano said. "We may even need to involve them at some point; it will give us more of a tactical advantage for sure." Sonya thought for a moment. "There are two colleagues of mine that I have been working closely with at the OIA. I am going to reach out to them; they might be able to provide some insight into the Tarkatan attacks which may lead us to Havik's whereabouts." Kano nodded, "Do what you need to do; I am going to take an inventory of our weapons and see what we can use. In light of things, I am going to have to halt my shipments for a while."

Sonya reached out to Stryker and their other partner, Kabal. They listened in silence as she described the events of the night before, her meeting with Liu Kang, as well as her new alliance with Kano. "I don't like any of this Sonya," Stryker started to say. "I don't think that you have any clue as to what you are getting yourself into. You were only supposed to do research, but now you are about to endanger yourself on the word of some lunatic that refers to himself as a firegod." "Curtis, if you read my report, then you have to agree that Liu Kang's explanation only validates my research. I didn't ask to be a part of this, especially to work with Kano, but apparently an alliance between us is needed," she said.

"About that, how are you supposed to live and work alongside Kano when you can't stand the sight of him? The Black Dragon are not going to be so welcoming of you either..I am not liking this at all Sonya. How do you know that he won't double cross you at a moment's notice?" Kabal interjected. "You forget that I know that bastard better than anybody. If Kano had intended to kill Sonya, she would already be his captive and would be subjected to torture. The fact that he is not only keeping her alive, but is letting her co-lead alongside him means that he sees the need for this alliance as much as Liu Kang does."

Stryker sighed. " I will contact our superiors to make them aware of what is going on. I am also going to reach out to Jax and Kenshi at the OIA as they likely have been monitoring the recent massacres. They may be able to pin point us to this Havik fellow." Then he paused. "Kabal will assist you; he knows all about the ins and outs of the Black Dragon and will be a valuable help."

Prior to his life with the FBI, Kabal was a famed member of the Black Dragon. Kabal had gained notoriety for his super human speed and his skills with hookswords, which had made him a deadly and effective killer. Becoming tired of that life, Kabal had left the Black Dragon much to Kano's disdain. He had sought redemption for his crimes, and over time he eventually ended up with the FBI.

Sonya was startled at the suggestion. " Absolutely not. I cannot ask this of Kabal, not after he worked so hard to get out of that life. It wouldn't be right to drag him back into it." "Don't be foolish Sonya. You're about to dive into the snake pit. As a former member, I can help you navigate that environment as well as keep my eyes on Kano." "Kabal are you sure that you want to do this?" Sonya asked. "Absolutely; you can tell that asshole Kano that I am on my way over there. Trust me, he will not object."

Once Sonya wrapped up her conference call with Kabal and Stryker, she sought out Kano. Sonya saw him spread out multiple guns and knives over the dining room table and appeared to be studying them. "What are you doing?" she curiously asked. "I just spent the last twenty minutes on the phone with Liu Kang. He was telling me more about Havik as well as these Tarkatans; their strengths and weaknesses . I am trying to figure out the best way that I can enhance these weapons so that we stand a chance against these bloody folk."

Sonya picked up a couple of the guns from the table to get a better look at them. " I talked to my partners at the FBI . Kabal is going to help us. He is on his way over here as we speak." Kano raised an eyebrow. "Kabal? That is a name I did not expect to hear. He left us and never looked back. He can't stand the sight of me, so he must be here for you." Sonya sweetly smiled at him. "Well I can't stand the sight of you either, but I am putting on my best face for this mission." Kano gave her a flirty smile. "Ah love, don't worry. I'll grow on ya soon enough."

Sonya rolled her eyes at him. "Alright, there is something else that we need to talk about. Since I am going to be here indefinitely, where am I expected to stay?" "You liked your room last night, right? You can stay here in the suite." Sonya gave him a perplexed look. "Excuse me? I thought that was a one time thing. You want me to stay here with you?" Kano smiled. "Yup, you're my new roommate, love. While we were out, I had Kira get everything that you will need to be comfortable. Welcome home, baby," Kano winked. Sonya grimaced."Oh, I am going to be sick," she said.

"Ease up love, don't get your panties in a twist, it'll be fun," Kano nonchalantly said. "C'mon, let me show you how we get things done around here." "Where are we going?" she asked as she followed him out of the suite. "Downstairs to the gym. My men and I train everyday, as will you." Sonya was intrigued as she was interested in seeing the Black Dragon's training regimen. "Alright, let's go."

The gym was large enough to accomodate multiple centers for training. One center had men practice their skills wielding an assortment of weapons such as chain whips, katanas and knives. Another center featured typical gym equipment for weight lifting, punching bags, and speed bags, to name some. In the center of the room was a large mat, where multiple members would pair up and spar against one another. Directly in front of the mat was a section of bleachers where other members would watch and cheer on the matches.

Sonya and Kano made their way toward the bleachers and sat down to watch some of the matches. Sonya's face would twist and turn as she watched some of the brutal ways that the members would spar against one another. The Black Dragon were trained to fight dirty; and despite it being a sparring match, they were not above using weapons, regardless of the injuries some of them sustained.

Sonya drew her attention to a match between Kira and Jarek. Her face gasped as she watched Kira slice up Jarek's right arm with her butterfly knife. Despite the obvious pain that he felt, he continued to challenge her head on. "Is this brutality really necessary in their training?" Sonya asked Kano. "There is a reason that the Black Dragon earned a reputation for their ruthlessness; it's because they can take a hit. They are trained this way to remain versatile to withstand any fight."

Sonya noticed that Jarek moved his left arm to wield his knife just as proficiently as his right and Kira was having a difficult time trying to overpower him. Jarek eventually disarmed Kira. He forced her to her knees and grabbed her in a chokehold claiming victory over their match. Sonya looked on impressed; as brutal as this training method was, she did agree that it did make the Black Dragon more deadly and formidable in combat.

As Sonya and Kano watched the matches, Kobra and Tremor walked in. Tremor greeted Sonya with a nod, however, Kobra couldn't mask his hateful expression toward her. The two had numerous run ins over the years, even a few that resulted in his arrests. Tremor greeted Kano while Kobra stood back with his arms crossed.

"Welcome Ms. Blade." Then the ninja gestured with his arm toward the mat. "You should spar against one of us; it would be a great way to test your abilities." Sonya looked toward Kano, whom nodded in agreement. "That's not a bad idea." Kobra grabbed Kano's arm earning him an instant death stare. "Boss, let me spar with her." Kano shook his head. "Shove off, Kobra. I saw the look you gave her when you walked in. That's not happening any time soon until you learn to deal with your shit."

Pushing Kobra to the side, Kano started to scan the room for an opponent. "You'll spar with Kira." Then he reassuringly winked at Sonya. "Show her what you can do." Sonya approached Kira on the mat for their match. Both women stood across from one another as if sizing each other up. Sonya knew from past experience that Kira was a difficult opponent to face. Kira's fighting technique oddly mirrored both Kano's and Sonya's style. Her weapon of choice was the same as Kano; butterfly knives.

Kira held out a dagger. "Are you any good with one of these?" Sonya glanced at the weapon. "Honestly, no." Kira lightly tossed the dagger to which Sonya caught it by its hilt. "Today, you will start your training on handling one of these beauties. If you are working among us, you will need to learn how to master fighting with these."

Kira started to show Sonya a few moves on how to handle her dagger as well as blocking exercises. When she knew that Sonya's guard was down, Kira charged her with a butterfly knife. Sonya immediately got into a defensive stance and successfully blocked Kira'a attack and did a counter strike of her own. All eyes watched in a mesmerized trance as the two women battled each other.

Sonya tried her best to deflect Kira's attacks, however, she knew that she did not fare well with a blade. In a swift move, Kira slashed one of Sonya's arms. Sonya dropped her dagger to the floor as she was riddled with pain. Kira continued to charge towards Sonya, believing she had the upper hand of their match. Refusing to give up, Sonya countered with a backflip kick and knocked Kira to the ground, effectively disarming her in the process. Sonya stood over Kira, victorious. The other Black Dragons cheered and whistled at Sonya's win, much to her surprise.

Kira looked up at Sonya with a grin. "You are a tough bitch, Blade. You suck with a dagger and will need more work, but you put up one hell of a fight." Sonya looked at her bloodied arm; Kira had made a clean cut; it would heal but undoubtly would be sore for some time. Sonya extended her uninjured arm to help Kira to her feet. Kano looked at both of them with admiration. "Good show, ladies. Sonya, let's get that arm looked at."

Kano brought Sonya to the infirmary room to get her arm cleaned up. As she sat on the examination table, he brought out a kit. She looked at him curiously while he gently dabbed at her arm to clean the wound. "Is this something that you normally do when your members get hurt during a match?" Kano met her eyes with a small smile. "No, not particularly... just trying to help you get around since this is your first full day here." Once he was confident the bleeding had stopped, he applied an antiseptic to her cut.

"OUCH!" She jumped from the pain. "Ease up, love. Almost done." She watched as Kano gently applied antibiotic cream to her wound. While observing the care that he put into addressing her wound, she found it increasingly hard to view him as a prick. He caught her gaze as he finished bandaging her arm. "Good as new," he said as his gaze fixated on hers. "Thanks." Sonya noticed that he started to gently stroke her arm. She found it surprising that she enjoyed the feeling of his fingers caressing her skin and for a brief moment, she desired him.

Sonya mentally fought with herself to snap out of her confusing feelings. "Should we go back to the gym to finish training?" She quickly pulled her arm out of Kano's reach. Attempting to brush off any feelings of desire for her, Kano resumed a serious demeanor. "No. Didn't you say that Kabal was on his way over here? We should head downstairs to meet him." "Yes, Kabal should be here any minute actually." Sonya was grateful for Kabal's impending arrival as it was a welcome distraction to the awkwardness that was developing between herself and Kano.

Kabal had arrived to the warehouse and stood in front of the main entrance, which was a large garage door. He impatiently waited at the door to get buzzed in. Given the circumstances on how he left the Black Dragon, he was refused entry until Kano gave his order to allow him in. "Hey asshole! Buzz me in! I got business here!" Kano smirked as he viewed Kabal through the security cameras. "What a dill." He looked at Tremor, "Quit toying around and buzz him in." Tremor complied and buzzed Kabal in. As the door slowly lifted, Kabal was met by both Kano and Sonya at the entrance.

"How ya doing, kid?" He embraced Sonya in a hug and then left his arm around her as he looked at Kano. "G'day, mate. Welcome back." Kabal gave Kano a sharp look. "Let's get one thing straight, asshole. I am NOT coming back to this seedy shithole. I am only here to lend a hand to Sonya and to keep tabs on you." Kano gave a smug expression. "No need mate. Sonya and I are getting on fine, aren't we love?" Sonya happily looked at Kabal. "Don't worry, things are okay here."

Sonya's phone started to buzz; it was an incoming call from Kenshi, one of her colleagues at the OIA. She put the phone on speaker so that Kano and Kabal could hear."Hi Kenshi, did you and Jax get a chance to view the report I sent you?" "That's why I am calling Sonya. We have a lot to discuss. We might have a lead as to the source of those attacks." "I have some information that may be relevant to yours. What do you know of a Titan named Havik?", Sonya became silent on the phone. "What do you know of Havik?"

Sonya quickly briefed Kenshi in on her introduction to Liu Kang, as well as her new alliance with Kano. "I fought alongside Liu Kang and other Earthrealm warriors merely months ago. We encountered the Tarkatans during our time in Outworld. These people are innocent but due to the nature of their disease, they have become dangerous. Havik is taking advantage of their infliction as a means to further his goal of creating chaos in our realm." Then he hesitated for a moment. "This situation must be worse than I thought if Liu Kang is looking for new recruits."

"I think that we are going to have to bring the fight to Havik," Kano said. "Kenshi, you seem to be more familar with this Havik fellow. Do you have an idea where we can find him?" "There is reason to believe that Havik currently resides in the newly conquered Chaosrealm. There is a large pyramid structure in the center of the city, if anything that is where he will be. However, many warriors will seek to protect the pyramid. There must be a way to infiltrate it without drawing too much attention to ourselves. "

"Than that is what we will do." Sonya looked at Kano. "Do you think that the Black Dragon are up to the task?" "That we are. Mate, anyway that you are able to get some sort of survelience images of the pyramid? Based on those images, I might be able to enhance them to view all possible entry points inside." "Not too long ago we had some drones go through a portal to take images of it. I will send them to Sonya." Kenshi paused. "Sonya, I am going to reach out to Liu Kang as well, we have other comrades that may be able to aid us."

Hours later, Kano was in his den working on enhancing Kenshi's video of Havik's pyramid. His desk had three computer monitors; he was using the middle one to manipulate the video with the new enhancements. Sonya looked on impressed at how Kano enhanced the images of the pyramid. "It's scary what you can do with a computer." Sonya leaned over Kano's shoulder as he was taking screen shots of the zoomed in images. "There's more to me than meet's the eye," he said with a wink. "Let me show you what I have really been up to."

Seconds later an image of rifle prototype appeared on the right monitor."What is this?" "My latest weapon design," Kano replied. Sonya was amazed at the design of the weapon, as she had not seen anything like it. "You do this often?" "I design all of our weapons and then my crew builds them. In addition to using them we also sell our weapons to anyone willing to pay top dollar for them. This has been my new focus for the Black Dragon as there is more bank to be made in weapons dealing."

Sonya contemplated his last statement. In recent years, their criminal activity had seemed to come to a significant halt. Now it made sense to her as to why. "That's impressive. How long have you been working on this particular model?" Kano looked at the design. "A couple of weeks, normally it takes me half the time, however, I have been obsessed with trying to get this one right."

She looked at the time; it was 1:00am. "It's getting late. I think I am going to start heading to bed. Are you going to keep up at this much longer?" "Don't plan on it. I think I have the shots that I need. I just want to do one more thorough look and then I should be done." Then he glanced at her. "How does your arm feel?" Sonya looked at her arm and remembered their brief moment in the infirmary. She felt slightly flushed at the memory.

"It feels a little sore, but otherwise better." "Alright, well get some sleep. In the morning, we can go over these shots and make a plan on how we can infiltrate this pyramid. Hopefully, we can get out there in a few days time." Sonya nodded. "That sounds like a good idea. Alright, good night." "Good night, love."

As Sonya left his den, she appreciated that Kano seemed to have forgotten about what happened earlier. His talk about their morning plans was all business; this was needed to make their working relationship more productive. Still, the feelings she developed earlier confused her, as she never saw Kano in any capacity other than an enemy. She chalked it up to being a fluke, maybe even a moment of weakness. She resolved however, that going forward, there would be no other distractions in their partnership.