Chapter 6
Sonya, Kano and their companions looked around in awe as they stepped through the portal into Chaosrealm. The night sky appeared darker from the storm clouds that loomed above them. Flashes of lightning throughout the sky alerted that inclement weather was eminent. There were large floating rock formations throughout the skies, much like the one they landed on when stepping through the portal. In the distance they saw what appeared to be a city in ruin. Havik's Pyramid triumphantly stood among the devastation.
"What happened to this place?" Sonya asked Kenshi. "This is the realm formerly known as Seido, or Orderrealm. The Havik of our current timeline sought freedom from Seido's stringent laws and aligned himself with a powerful mage known as Rain. Their combined efforts allowed them to overthrow Seido's government effectively ending its rule. While Rain returned to Outworld, Havik sought to rebuild Seido to reflect his anarchist ideals. What stands before you is the birth of Chaosrealm."
"Wait a minute. There are two versions of Havik?"a puzzled Sonya inquired. "Yes, the Havik of this present timeline is subservient to his Titan counterpart. Our Havik is permitted to reign over Chaosrealm as he sees fit, while the Titan Havik has started his quest to conquer other realms to spread his vision of chaos among them," Kenshi explained. "Funny how Liu Kang neglected to mention this other version of Havik," Kano said.
Sonya reasurred Kano, "This changes nothing; we still have the same objective as before. Now we just have to factor in this other Havik into our plans." "Well first things, first, we need to get off of this floating rock. Tremor, you think you can help us out with that, mate?", Kano asked. Tremor nodded; his mastery of Earth elemental powers allowed for him to manipulate natural objects such as rocks to move at his will. He raised his arms and within seconds the rock formation they stood on floated toward the ruined city. Tremor slowly guided them down for a safe landing just outside the city's walls.
As they approached the city; they observed the peculiar behavior of the some of the inhabitants. Men and women would walk together backwards, while others walked forward. They muttered in reverse speech; often answering yes for no among other absurd sayings. However, what drew their attention was an altercation between two men in the main city square.
Two men appeared to exchange heated words, resulting in one of them punching the other in the face. Unexpectedly, the two men started to laugh hysterically while continuing to hurl fists at each other. Kano stared in utter amazement. "These are some sick, twisted buggers, eh?" Sonya grimaced at the sight of the bloodied men; with each punch inflicted, their laughter seemed to increase. "They seem to enjoy physical pain," Sonya observed. "If this is any indicator of the foes we are up against, this is not a good sign." "Not at all," Kano agreed.
The group stealthily moved on toward Havik's Pyramid, which was beautifully lit to stand out among the night sky. The pyramid was actually a glorious palace and was stunning in its stature. There were three levels; the first two had wide balconies, the last level hid a secret entrance on top. Grand twin obelisks preceeded each side of the pyramid. The palace guards were prominently stationed by the main entrance.
The group took notice of the appearance of the soldiers guarding the pyramid palace. They all had strange tattoo markings on their heads or faces. Their faces also appeared to be either scarred or horribly disfigured. Other warriors stood with the guards that seemed to possess various elemental powers, such the ability to channel fire or ice. "It's going to be difficult to get past the guards without being seen; there are too many of them," Kira stated.
Smoke surveyed their surroundings to assess the threat of their enemies. Speaking to Kira, he said, "I can create a diversion to get us past. Scorpion and I will also accompany your climb to the top of the pyramid."Kira nodded. "We could use your skills; we don't know what else we are going to encounter once we get inside." Sonya looked onward toward the guards. "Be careful once you get in there. We will meet you inside soon."
Smoke summoned a great smoky cloud that completely cloaked their presence. Kira, Scorpion, and Smoke and their remaining team quietly moved past the confused guards who were still trying to determine where the smoke was coming from. Once they reached the back of the pyramid, Kira pulled out a small set of magnetic devices and strapped them to her hands and feet; these would be used to attach to the walls of the pyramid. Kira started to climb, followed by her remainder of her Black Dragon team. Scorpion and Smoke, both pulled out hooks to aim them in their climb.
While Kira's team was making their way toward the top of the pyramid, Kano decided to take advantage of their smoky diversion to attack the guards at the pyramid entrance. He and Sonya led their team toward the unsuspecting guards. Kano specifically targeted the elemental guards as they posed as the greatest threat. He positioned himself behind three elemental guards and in a matter of seconds, quickly slit their throats. Following Kano's lead, Sonya silently moved on to the last of the elemental guards and slit their throats as well. When the smoke finally cleared, the remaining guards looked on in horror of their fallen comrades on the ground. As the guards were distracted, Kano and Sonya mercilessly attacked them along with their team.
Kabal, and Kenshi took to one side of the pyramid, while Kobra and Tremor attacked guards from the other side. Kabal flew past the guards in a whirlwind of circles. Once the guards were in a dizzy state, Kabal violently impaled them with his hook swords. Using his beloved sword Sento, Kenshi both impaled and decapitated the guards. Tremor hurled gold and silver formations at the guards that charged him. Kobra and the remaining Black Dragon ruthlessly defeated the remaining guards that surrounded them. Once the last guard fell, Sonya waved her hands to everyone as a signal to enter the pyramid.
From the second level of the pyramid palace, Havik stood from the balcony and watched below as Kano and Sonya's team finished off the last of his guards to gain entrance. A palace guard nervously approached Havik to brief him of the impending threat. "Lord Havik, there are insurgents that are attacking the pyramid. We have reason to believe that they have already entered the palace." "No doubt, these are Liu Kang's warriors looking to stop our rule." He wickedly smiled. "No matter. I have a feeling that I will be able to make them see things our way..."
Kira and her team finally arrived to the top of the pyramid. After Jarek pried open the door, one by one, they slowly lowered themselves to the floor below. The group hid themselves among large columns to avoid being seen by multiple passing guards. They each waited for the guards to approach their hiding place before slicing their throats. It wasn't long before they had finished off all of the guards on that floor. Led by Kira, they silently made their way down a long hallway.
As they made their way toward the end of the hallway, a soldier walked into their path. "Intruders!" he yelled. Suddenly, twenty more soldiers appeared behind him. Drawing their weapons, they charged at Kira's small group of ten. Smoke created a large smoke cloud to divert the charging soldiers. Taking advantage of their cloaked position, Jarek and Kira along with the rest of their team drew their blades to slaughter the unsuspecting soldiers. Once the smoke cleared, Kira did a mental head count of her team to make sure all were accounted for.
She noticed, however, that Scorpion was missing. "What happened to Scorpion?" she inquired. "I don't know." Smoke answered."You don't suppose that he tried to find Havik on his own?" Kira asked. "My brother would not act so impulsively." A worrisome thought then entered Smoke's mind. "It is likely that he was taken during the course of our fight. Which could mean that Havik is on to us." "Let's not waste any time then. We need to find him," Kira stated.
As they made their way through the palace, Kira was drawn by the sound of a familiar voice. She called to Smoke, "You guys go on ahead and keep looking for Scorpion. I hear Sonya. She and Kano must be near. I will fill them in on what's going on and we will regroup with you soon." After they separated, Kira continued to follow the sound of Sonya's voice hoping to rejoin her and Kano.
Unbeknownst to her, Kira was being watched by a distant figure. Kira knew she was heading in the right direction as Sonya and Kano's voices grew louder. As Kira prepared to turn the corner to meet them, a strong hand clasped over her mouth and another hand tightly grabbed her arm. She felt a sharp blade cut her arm. Havik held her tightly as Kira suddenly went limp in his embrace. "You will rejoin your comrades soon enough. But first, I have a job for you to do..."
Smoke and Jarek headed their team towards the second level of the palace. They suddenly noticed a motionless figure standing toward the end of the balcony. Smoke and Jarek cautiously approached the figure only to realize that it was Scorpion. Smoke realized something seemed a bit off as he regarded the vacant expression in his eyes. "Kuai, what has come over you, brother?" Scorpion's eyes widened as he drew his hook spear. "GET OVER HERE!" he shouted as he aimed it directly towards Smoke. Lunging his body of the spear's path, Smoke evaded the immediate threat. The spear however, connected with a Black Dragon behind him who was hurled over the balcony to his death below.
Smoke pleaded with Scorpion. "Kuai! What have you done?!" Fueled by rage, the other Black Dragons raced towards Scorpion to take their revenge. They attempted to subdue him with both blades and gunfire, however, the men were no match for Scorpion as he easily set their bodies ablaze with fire. He then turned his attention toward Smoke who was frozen with shock at the horrid deaths of his comrades. He and Jarek were all that remained of their team.
"Brother, I do not wish to fight you!", Smoke pleaded with him. Scorpion's empty eyes showed no remorse at the words of the man that he revered as his beloved brother. "Then you shall die." Scorpion threw massive fireballs at Jarek and Smoke. Both men evaded the fireballs by diving out of their paths. "There is no point in reasoning with him, Tomas, we need to run!" Smoke shook his head. "I cannot leave him like this, Jarek! Something is wrong! He would never betray us like this!" "We cannot do more for him! We need to run and get back to the others!" Jarek screamed. Smoke reluctantly agreed and ran with Jarek back inside the palace. Scorpion did not pursue them, but rather, just simply turned to face down from the balcony once more.
Meanwhile, Kabal, Kano, Kobra, Sonya, Tremor and the rest of their team had made their way toward the second level of the palace. They had walked through numerous rooms with no guard in sight, which was a strange deviation from what they had encountered from the floor below. The palace soldiers that they fought were more powerful than the previous ones that guarded the entrance.
Despite that each room they passed through were clear of any visible threats, Sonya felt that something was amiss. "I don't like this, Kano; it's odd that no one is on this floor. I can't shake the feeling that something's wrong here." He nodded in agreement. "You're right, something feels off..." Kano averted his attention to Kira who seemingly appeared from no where.
Kano let out a relieved sigh. "Kira, glad its you. Where are Jarek and the others?" Kira stared at him blankly with no emotion in her eyes. Kano looked at her curiously."You alright, love? You don't seem yourself." Kira reached from behind her to pull out a butterfly knife. Without any warning, she threw the blade into Kobra's eye, killing him instantly. Then, in a split second, she threw a second knife into the right side of Kano's chest. Clutching his chest, he slid to the floor.
In what seemed like a flash, Kabal raced behind Kira and held his hook knife to her throat, all while restraining her with his other arm. "WHAT THE FUCK DID YA DO, KID?!" Kira grunted as she violently struggled in his grip. As Kabal kept his restraint on Kira, Sonya knelt in front of Kano and assessed the damage to his chest. Luckily his injury wasn't fatal as the knife missed his lung by inches, however, it was embedded firmly into his flesh. "Try not to move," she said. " Kano's face twisted from the pain. "I'll be alright, love. Go to Kabal to get Kira under control."
Kira was still resisting Kabal's grip when Sonya approached them. "Kira, I don't understand. How could you do this?"Kira's lack of reaction confused Sonya more. She knew that Kira was fiercely loyal to Kano and devoted her life to the Black Dragon. It made no logical sense for Kira to attack them in the way she did. "Kira, answer me! What the hell made you do this?!" Suddenly, Havik stepped into view. "I made her do it."
"Havik, I presume?" Sonya asked. "You would be correct," he answered. "I am the lord of this glorious realm." The sound of Havik's voice made Kira become still. Sonya observed Kira closely; she stood motionless, waiting for further commands. While grateful that KIra had not betrayed them, Sonya was infuriated that her mind was now under Havik's control. Sonya stood across from Havik; her energy bracelets formed pinkish rings that brightly glowed around her fists. "Release Kira!" Sonya commanded. "Now why would I do that? She and your other friend make excellent additions as my new loyal guards."
At this, Scorpion stepped into the room and stood next to Havik. Kabal looked on in shock. "Oh, shit, this can't be good." While he was distracted by Scorpion's presence, Kira forcefully knocked into Kabal's face with the back of her head. Kabal's nose gushed blood from the force of the blow. She seized Kabal by pulling back his long black hair and pressed a knife to his throat. As she was about to kill him , Kano had forced himself into a standing position and aimed his laser beam directly to her hand. Kira howled in pain from the laser burn causing her to drop the knife. Kabal then knocked Kira out with the side of his hooksword, causing her to fall to the floor.
Meanwhile, Tremor faced off against Scorpion. Scorpion proved to be a deadly adversary due to his mastery of fire. Tremor however, was just as formidable an opponent as he wielded elemental earth power. Scorpion's fire attacks were ineffective against Tremor as fire was also an element that he could control. He shielded himself by putting on lava skin to avoid getting burnt by the fireballs. Scorpion then charged at Tremor to fight hand to hand combat. Tremor punched the ground to create an earthquake that knocked Scorpion on his back. Tremor then jumped on top of Scorpion and started to punch him multiple times until he was sure that he was knocked out.
Sonya challenged Havik, but realized very quickly that he was unlike any enemy she had encountered before. Sonya started shooting Havik with her pistol but the bullets had little effect on him. "What the hell is this guy?" Despite his weakened condition, Kano attempted to help Sonya by firing his laser beams but quickly realized that they were also ineffective. Kano tossed his knives at Havik's body but noticed that he would regenerate from any damage inflicted. "This is pointless! Nothing we are doing is working!" Sonya shouted after her energy rings failed to inflict any kind of injury into Havik's chest.
Kano ducked out of view while Sonya continued to fight Havik. Sonya kept increasing the strength of her energy rings but her efforts were for nothing as they created no damage. Then with all of her might, she punched Havik in the face. Havik picked up Sonya with ease and threw her body across the room. Her back landed hard against a column; she rolled on the floor onto her stomach. As she weakly lifted herself up, Havik took his own arm off and repeatedly beat her with it, ultimately knocking her out. Kano jumped from behind Havik and pulled his neck back. With a swift motion, he severed Havik's neck so that his head was hanging backwards.
Kano rushed to Sonya's side. Lifting her chin to examine her face, he gently tried to rouse her awake. "Sonya, are you alright?" She woke up at the sound of his voice. "I think so," she answered. As Kano steadied Sonya to her feet, they both looked down at Havik's dismembered limb.
"Havik threw his arm at me, like it was a weapon." Kano gave her a puzzled look. "How the fuck is that possible?" Sonya shrugged. " I don't know but it could explain why everything we were doing before did not hurt him," she rationalized. Then they turned their attention toward Havik's motionless body. "Shouldn't be a problem anymore, now that he's dead," Kano said. Sonya nodded. "Let's get to the others. His control of Kira and Scorpion should have ceased with his death."
As they entered the room, they were met by a dazed Kira and Scorpion, along with Kabal and Tremor. Jarek, Kenshi and Smoke had just arrived. Smoke looked at Scorpion's startled expression and realized that the murderous version that he encountered earlier was no longer present. "Brother, welcome back to us," Smoke said after embracing his brother. Scorpion looked confused. "I am not sure what happened to me before, Tomas. I was not in control of my own actions. For that I am deeply sorry."
He looked at Kano and Sonya. "I took the lives of some of your men while I was under Havik's influence. I don't know how I will be able to atone for this, but I will continue to fight along side you as long as you would have me." "Ah mate, there is nothing to atone for. That Havik fellow was playing mind games with ya."
Kano slumped down and his breathing became more ragged. Sonya tried to steady him as Kira approached them. Kira looked at Kano in absolute horror; it had suddenly dawned on her that she was the cause of his injuries. She had so much sorrow in her eyes. Kira crouched down on her knees before him. "Oh my God, Kano, WHAT HAVE I DONE?" Tears covered her face as she was riddled with guilt. "Kobra...I KILLED KOBRA!" she said in shock. Kano lifted her chin to look at him. "Love, it's not your fault. You were under that prick's control. You had no idea what you were doing."
Kenshi walked over to them. "No sign that Titan Havik is around. He must have left hours before we arrived. The only evidence that he was here is a large map of each of the realms showing how they will exist once they are conquered under his new regime." "Well we were able to eliminate Havik, so that is one less threat to worry about," Kano said.
Kenshi nodded. "That's promising. Then our presence here in Chaosrealm is no longer needed." "Then we leave immediately; Kano is in serious need of medical attention. We need to get back to the base," Sonya said. "Agreed. Once we return to Earthrealm, I will go back to the OIA and continue to search for Titan Havik's whereabouts. I will update you on my progress."
Back at the Black Dragon base, Sonya went to the infirmary to check on Kano. It had been a couple of hours since Kano had the knife removed from his chest, but was told by the warehouse medic to rest and stay in the infirmary for observation. He was accompanied by Kira who was doing her best to lighten the mood by telling jokes. Kano laughed a little too hard and grimaced from the pain in his chest. Kira gave him a nervous look, but Kano reached for her chin and softly caressed it. He told her not to worry to appease her of any guilt that she may have felt.
Sonya knew that it should not have bothered her to watch them together but she couldn't shake off the twinge of jealousy she felt. Kabal stood next to her and regarded her curiously. "Was there ever anything between them?" Sonya asked. "No. Kano sees Kira more like a kid if anything else. Besides, he made it a point a long time ago not to get involved with the women he works with. He's done it once or twice before, which ended badly, so now he just avoids those type of relationships."
Kabal noticed the look of disappointment in Sonya's eyes as he said the latter. "He's got the right idea". Kabal regarded her expression. "Do you honestly believe that?" Sonya was startled at his question. "What is that supposed to mean?" Kabal narrowed his eyes at her. "I think you know what I mean by that. You care for him."
Sonya scoffed. "What you are implying is absurd. To even suggest that I have feelings for Kano. He and I..." she sighed and shook her head. "Given our history, Kano and I would never make sense." "Oh I know it doesn't make any sense, but I know what I see. You forget that I know you so well that I can read you like a book. You are falling for him."
She rolled her eyes at Kabal. "Well since I can't convince you otherwise, do me a favor and keep that ridiculous thought to yourself. The last thing that I need is for Kano to get the wrong idea. That would make our arrangement even more complicated than it needs to be." Not believing a word she said, Kabal smirked at Sonya as he began to take his leave. "Alright, have it your way, kid."
Kano moved his eyes from Kira to look toward Sonya standing in the doorway. "Bout time you showed up," he said with a smile. Kira got the sense that he wanted to be alone with Sonya. "Boss, I am going to turn in for the night." Kira smiled as she walked past Sonya. "Your turn to play nurse," she said with a wink. Sonya patted Kira's shoulder. "Glad to see you're doing better. See you tomorrow."
"How are you feeling?" she asked Kano. His eyes watched her as she gently checked the bandaging on his chest wound. "Better now. Just need to take it easy for a while... What about you? You gotta be sore after how Havik tossed you around like a rag doll." Sonya gave a small smile. "I've had better days," she said while she grabbed some more gauze. Kano sat still as she removed a bloodied gauze and started to clean the wound on his chest.
"We worked well together today." Sonya looked up at him. "Yes, I suppose we did." She resumed cleaning his wound. "It's going to take me time to trust you," she said after a brief silence. Kano nodded. "Aye, love, but I need ya to try. That's the only way that we can make this work and see each other as partners." Sonya finished bandaging his wound. "Okay. I will try." "Off to a good start," he said with a wink. "Let's head upstairs for the night and have us some beers. I don't know about you, but I plan on getting shitfaced to forget about this God awful day." Sonya laughed. "Count me in," she said as they left the infirmary together to go back to his suite to end the night.