Kano ran his secret shiv gently across his cheek, trimming the excess hairs from his immaculately groomed face. He'd started going grey a fair few years ago, and dyeing it felt like a sign of weakness to the crime boss. Instead, he opted to simply maintain it, do something unique with it, to give it some flair. A small braid, akin to the vikings of old, was just what the doctor ordered. He idly wondered if vikings had ever fought in Mortal Kombat as he ran his fingers over the now slightly shorter hairs on his jawline. He gave the braid a slight tug and nodded in satisfaction.
He was lucky his cell at the O.I.A. base had a mirror to keep him occupied. Once was a time when Kano could sit patiently in a cell, waiting days or weeks for his boys to bust him out. But that was so long ago now. Since then, he had turned sixty. He was now sixty-three years old, and he was starting to feel it. Sonya Blade had gotten older as well, but she was still in the first half of her fifties. And yes, she looked damn fine as a MILF, he wasn't afraid to admit.
But she was still just as tough and brutal as she had been all those years ago - back during simpler times, when they had that cat and mouse game going. Time had only made her more moody and vicious. He hadn't killed any of her family since 1993, but her mother had died fairly recently, he understood. There was also the whole 'working with her ex-husband' thing and her daughter being on a mission in Outworld to deal with.
He almost felt sorry for the woman. Sure, they'd been mortal enemies for over three decades by this point, but she was doing her best to keep her home safe. He could respect it, even if he would take it all away from her in a severed heartbeat. Especially with all the bruises he could feel coming on from the beating she'd given him earlier. He was actually thankful to Johnny Cage for his intervention, keeping her from killing him.
Actually, there were a lot of Earth's fighters working at this base, yet no one had come to interrogate or torment him since he'd given up Mileena's location to Sonya. Maybe it had something to do with that commotion earlier. Even locked underground as he was, he'd heard whatever it was going on up on the surface, but not enough to identify anything or anyone involved.
Kano stashed his shiv as a guard walked by, not wanting to give his advantage away just yet. They thought he was harmless with that replacement chest implant they'd created from Dr. Rotwang's final schematics. The old kraut had finally popped his clogs a few years ago, leaving behind a legacy of advanced technology that was still used by multiple tech-based Earth factions and those they'd shared their work with - the Black Dragon included.
Of course, Kano had been reliant on Rotwang's work for decades, since even back before he learned about other realms. Rotwang, like Kano, had been the loyal-to-money sort. Kano earned top dollar from the likes of Shao Kahn and Mileena, and passed a not insubstantial amount on to Rotwang for his latest upgrades. To think, the old git had created a plug-in for a device only Kano used, designed to weaken the user. He wondered if Rotwang had regretted his affiliations with him and had plotted to destroy him. Of course, the answer had been taken by the good doctor to his grave.
And now, Kano's laser and vision advantages were all gone. He was no better off than he had been back when he'd first been upgraded. He didn't need to change batteries on an external bandolier, sure, but his advancing age held him back enough to equalise. He felt a shaking in his bones, as if his body was starting to reject the technology that ran through much of his nervous system.
After a moment, he realised this shaking was not coming from within his body, but without. The entire cell was shaking, in fact. Dust rained down from the ceiling, cracks formed in the walls, even the stone around the rivets holding the iron bars in place was giving way. An earthquake? Coming so long after the earlier commotion, he doubted it was connected. But he was sure of what the source of this earth-shaking was.
The guard came back from the rear of the cellblock, checked briefly that Kano was still in his cell, then headed off towards the exit, rifle in hand. He managed to fire a single burst of four rounds before his weapon clattered to the floor, followed soon after by his body. A jangling of keys accompanied the approaching footsteps as Jarek jogged into view. He spotted Kano and held up the keys for him to see. By the time the cell door was open, Tremor had also joined them.
"Awright, lads. Fancy meetin' you 'ere."
"You look like shit, Kano," Jarek said, trying to look his old friend over.
"Try sayin' that in a decade, when you've got as many years holdin' you down as I 'ave," Kano spat in retort.
"Yeah, he's fine," Jarek reported.
"He won't be if we don't leave now," Tremor informed. "Our window won't be open much longer."
"I trust you 'ave an exit plan."
Tremor held out a large golden stone - a portal stone. It was a type of Outworld magic Kano had come to find exceedingly useful in the years since he aligned with Mileena's regime. Great for opening a small portal for quick escapes without lugging around large portal projectors. God, what Kano wouldn't give to have a projector build into his implants...
"We entered inside the cell block," Jarek explained. Kano understood what this meant. Portal stones left a residual field of magic interference in their wake, which made following someone using one rather difficult, as it was nigh impossible to use another in the vicinity of one recently used. If they were going to use one to escape the heart of this base - and they'd be suicidal to do otherwise - they had to get out of the underground and find a spot in the open far enough away to make it work.
"Lead the way then, lads."
Outside, it was pandemonium.
The sky above them was a blood red. Kano hadn't seen anything like it since Kahn's invasion of Earth. He didn't even remember how many years ago that was now. He felt like he'd lived multiple lifetimes since then. Whatever the case, Earth was in a bad state, and he certainly didn't want to be here when whatever it was that was happening went down.
The Outworld refugees were panicking all around them, clearly fretting over the red sky. Funny; you'd think people from Outworld, with all its sky colours from the many realms merged into it, wouldn't feel so threatened by a change in colour.
A woman in purple that Kano sort of recognised, probably an Outworlder from her style of dress, was trying to calm and direct the people, which kept her from noticing the three men as they made their move through the base. Occasionally, a soldier spotted them, but a quick rock to the face from Tremor would deal with that issue, and occasionally cause greater panic around the fallen trooper, creating further distraction.
It didn't take long for the three to reach a good enough distance to pop the portal stone. It wasn't often that the other side of a portal could be seen, so Kano was delighted to see the old Ukrainian hideout on the other side. Kano was the first to hop through, followed by Tremor. Jarek was grabbed from behind.
"Goin' somewhere, Jarek?" asked the unmistakeable voice of Jackson Briggs.
"Jax!? I thought you were going to-"
"Thought I was what, retired? You can thank your buddy, Kano, and his Outworld chums for me bein' back."
Kano had a rifle plucked up from a nearby table and aimed at Jax, who held Jarek out in front of him as a human shield. These kinds of thug tactics weren't typical of these soldier types. Sonya and Jax's daughters must've been over in Outworld right now and going through some real shit to get the two in this kind of mood.
"The portal's closing," Tremor reported, holding the stone in one hand and trying to manipulate the earth around Jax with the other. But his geomancy didn't pass through the portal, and he couldn't get back through if he went to retrieve Jarek now. Maybe they could wait for word from their spies about Jarek's holding cell and try a similar run to bust him out next.
That idea flashed through Kano's mind, right as Jarek's spun in Jax's slightly loose grip, swinging for the former retiree. Then a bullet whizzed through the back of Jarek's skull, spitting out grey matter like a cracked eggshell. A few stray pieces of pulp and bone fragments shot out and flew through the portal before it closed fully, a rifle-wielding Sonya Blade visible just long enough on the other side to leave Kano and Tremor in stunned silence at the sudden death of the man that had helped keep the Black Dragon alive these last three decades. And Jax had put the idea in Jarek's head that it was Kano's fault, right before they did him in.
A handful of gang members arrived to investigate the commotion. They probably knew Jarek had gone with Tremor on this op. Their silence, their lack of welcome, said all that needed to be said. Kano felt an inferno blazing within him. Fire enough to power up his lasers tenfold. He tore out the suppressant implant, tossed it, and grabbed a fresh replacement, which immediately powered up, unleashing a torrent of crimson plasma upon the offending device, scorching the floor around it black until Kano ran out of juice. He looked up at his gang, all of whom were terrified by the now slagged implant that was likely fused into the floor after that display.
He looked at Tremor, the last remaining original. No Face, Tasia, Kabal, Kira, Kobra, and now Jarek. None of them were around anymore. Tremor was the only one left now. The only one whose name Kano had bothered to learn, anyway.
He spotted one person, in particular, and pointed at her, terrifying the woman. "You," he growled. "Get me all yer files. I want names. We're goin' recruitin'. Then, we're goin' to fuckin' war."
The weeks that followed Kano's release brought an explanation for the red sky incident. Shinnok had returned, trying to corrupt Earthrealm's lifeblood. The O.I.A. had put a stop to it, and Raiden was making sure Shinnok was never a threat to Earthrealm again.
Kano had the head of his spy division provide the files on potential recruits for the gang. There were some rather reputable candidates there - former Red Dragon, notorious terrorists and arms dealers - the typical sort. Kano brought some of them in, but these efforts were foiled when the O.I.A. launched a surprise raid on the Ukraine facility. Kano's suppressant implant had most likely contained a tracker that had pinged its location just long enough for the O.I.A. to prep a strike team.
Said team was led by a shockingly young woman with blonde hair. The spymaster would later provide evidence to suggest she was Cassandra Cage, Sonya and Johnny Cage's daughter. Kano and Tremor were lucky to get out with as much of the gang as they could, but most of their resources were left behind. Kano had rigged the place to blow for just such an event, but he doubted that would be enough to kill a Blade.
As he sat in the Siberian hideout's VIP lounge, looking over files, the sound of Tremor initiating some new recruits drifting in from below, Kano began to ponder this newest development. Kano was old. Sonya was getting there as well, but she compensated for this with a fresh, young, tireless new class that could pursue Kano more doggedly than he could flee. At this rate, it was only a matter of time until he was caught or killed.
He ran his finger down the list of active BD bases, many of which had been crossed off in the months since, as this new squad raided one after another after another. The Black Dragon was likely done for good this time.
As he looked over Cassandra Cage's file, grinning at the '(deceased)' additions after her uncle and grandparents, Kano found a sudden wave of inspiration. The O.I.A. was getting younger. So could the BD - a whole new generation of Black Dragons to stand toe-to-toe with Sonya Jr. and her little kindergarten troupe.
And he knew exactly who to get to start off this new generation...
James Cardo had not had an easy life. Things had started simple enough. As a child, he was one of the cool kids on the playground because his uncle was a celebrity. Regardless of what adults thought of his uncle, the kids at school thought it was just so cool that their classmate was related to a genuine superstar.
When that uncle died during an invasion of Earth from another dimension, James found himself flooded with condolences from classmates and teachers alike. Not as much as his mother - his uncle's sister - received, but still... he was treated very kindly by everyone around him.
But that all changed when he was six years old and his uncle came back from the dead. Allegedly. Most people believed it had all been a publicity stunt - the waning star faking his death during the greatest cataclysm in human history, dying a hero, only to later return to reap the rewards. After that, few of James' friends wanted anything to do with him. Because nobody wanted to be friends with Johnny Cage's nephew.
The bullying was fierce. James asked his uncle to teach him some self-defence, but the older Carlton recognised his intentions and refused. Some 'martial arts aren't for beating people up' bullshit. Fortunately, the local mall had a place James could turn to for cheap and easy lessons. Armed with that knowledge, James was able to make sure no one would bully him again.
The beatings he dished out were severe, and were met with harsh punishment. His mother, Rebecca, never understood. She just yelled at him. Demanded to know why he'd do something so stupid. Refused to accept 'the school didn't do anything to help' as an excuse. Grounded him for several weeks too. The atmosphere at school was different after that, and Rebecca was asked to transfer her son elsewhere.
He was able to pass as a nobody at that school for a few months, before his classmates inevitably found out who his uncle was, and the cycle started over again. Of course, word of the incidents at his last school also got around, and the bullying this time was more vicious. So he was too.
Juvie. That was what he got for defending himself from yet more bullies who hated him because of who he was related to. James was never the same after that. He took to telling people upfront what he was going to do to them if they kept fucking with him. Most of them backed off, freaked out by how morbid his descriptions were. Others were too dumb to take the hint. Well, they took it, but as a challenge. James never lost a challenge.
Eventually, James' mother pulled him from school entirely. She had him home-schooled instead. This worked out better for the increasingly antisocial teen, as he was able to learn in a safe environment - both for himself and his non-existent peers. He was able to become a functioning member of society after that.
But his temper was drastically shortened by his experiences.
Eventually, James wound up in tabloids more often than his uncle did. Of course, they only cared about his outbursts because of the association with Johnny Cage. For some, it was a way to further smear the movie star's name; suggesting the whole family tree was rotten. It seemed many were resentful of Johnny, even long after the validity of his resurrection was accepted with the invasion by the death god and his army of undead. Johnny's reputation was salvaged, but change was something many refused to accept.
And that trickled down to James and his sister. If James was thankful for one thing, it was that he took the brunt of it, distracting those vultures from defaming his sister as well. Janet didn't deserve that. Especially for simply being related to their real targets...
But James managed to live a relatively normal life, in spite of it all. He even had a steady job, a happy marriage, and a baby on the way. He could still remember the girlish squeals Janet and their cousin Cassie made when they learned they were going to be aunties. And the looks of dismay on Rebecca and Johnny's faces as they realised just how old they had gotten to be a grandmother and great uncle, respectively.
But then, he punched out his manager. In fairness, the bitch had refused to let him take time off for important check-ups about the baby, and she was generally a dick. When he was accused of being responsible for the register being down forty bucks, without proof, that was the final straw. And now he was on unpaid suspension, pending an internal investigation that was very likely to result in permanent dismissal. And unlike in his school days, a simple transfer to a similar place would be difficult with the reasons for said dismissal permanently tainting his record.
James turned to drink, but only for one night. He still had a family to support, after all, and he couldn't guarantee that Uncle Johnny would lend him the money, given how in-flux his film career had been for the longest time. He'd drown his sorrows tonight, then be a man and confront his problems tomorrow.
That was the plan, anyway. A couple of hours into his pub crawl, he met a middle-aged man that was determined to change James' fate.
"Evenin', mate. You look like you need a drinkin' buddy." Australian, probably. Maybe British?
The stranger had a Phantom of the Opera mask over his right eye. This would have looked odd, were it not so close to Halloween. Given how Christmas encroached so heavily on Halloween's territory these days, James couldn't fault an enthusiast for getting into the Halloween spirit a little early. But even so, James wanted nothing to do with him.
"No, thanks. I'm good."
"Aww, come on, mate. Don't be like that. 'ow's about I pay for yours, eh? I got plenty a' cash. It's just the company I'm lackin'."
James contemplated the offer. After all, he knew he couldn't spend too much money on booze, for his family's sake. If someone else was willing to pick up the tab, he'd get the best of both worlds.
"Fuck it, why not."
"Good lad," the man replied with a clap on James' shoulder. The man pulled out his wallet and fished out forty bucks, which he handed to the bartender and paid for their drinks.
A few hours in, James was starting to open up about his money troubles. The stranger - an Australian, James was now fairly(?) certain - listened to James' problems with what appeared to be great interest. Once James had laid out all of his concerns, the man nodded solemnly, giving him a sympathetic look with his one eye.
"Aye, that's a real doozy, mate. I've been poor an' starvin' before. Ain't anythin' you wanna put yer family through. I've got a lotta boys 'oo need feedin' meself. Not kids, mind. But, all the same, no one wants to see their family suffer, eh?"
"Yeah," James grumbled, staring at the bottom of his near-empty pint glass. "It's not easy getting work with a record like mine."
"Tell me about it, mate. I got a record, meself. At a certain point, you 'ave to consider bein' yer own boss."
"Self-employment isn't much easier. You need capital to get started."
"Aye, true. Y'know, I actually run me own business. I didn't start it - I inherited it from me stepdad. But, it's not a bad gig for people without much to lose."
James fixed the man with a doubtful stare. "Criminals."
"Well, some call it that. A criminal's not strictly a bad thing, though. A criminal's just someone 'oo breaks the laws of the current society. Rebels and vigilantes are criminals, but does that make 'em bad guys? No. Most laws an' rules are bollocks anyway. Put in place by the rich an' powerful to benefit an' protect them, while keepin' everyone else the fuck off their mountain. Can't rightly say it's wrong ta' show those bigwig wankers that we're all created equal, an' we all deserve a shot at makin' it. So, if me 'n' me boys 'ave to take that shot by force, well... so be it."
James was sure this spiel was all pre-planned to lure in those with anarchic or criminal urges, offering a supposedly similar worldview to their own to make them buy in. But it wasn't like it didn't resonate with him. Anarchism and criminal acts weren't to his liking, but he knew how fucked up the world's power structures were. He'd seen enough in school and work. He'd had enough.
"And what, exactly, do you and your 'boys' do, sir?"
"Whatever the fuck we want, to be honest. There's criminal shit, sure, but that's not all we're about. There are people out there, protectin' the current power structures - y'know, cops an' soldiers an' the like - 'oo just don't get it. They're told by their leaders that we're bad guys, because we're a threat to the 1%. I tell ya, the amount a' capital we've nicked from them bougie twats...
"An' then, it's ours to do wiv as we please. Some of us 'ave families ta' feed, so it's good fer them. Could be good fer you an' all, mate. Ain't got any meself, but I'm informed that kids ain't bloody cheap. All else fails, it's not a bad alternative, eh?"
James mulled over the idea. He was actually contemplating it! Why the hell was he contemplating joining a criminal organisation? Because the world didn't leave him much choice. That's why. Cristina and their child were the most important things in the world to him. And if society was going to beat him down and stop him from supporting them, then... "Fuck it. I'm in."
The older man grinned widely. "Good lad." He held out a hand, which James shook with vigour. "The name's Kano. Welcome to the Black Dragon."
"The Black- ...Oh, fuck."
"Evenin', Jim. 'ow you findin' the life, then?"
A week had passed. Kano's recruitment group was slowly building in their L.A. hideout. It was fortunate for James, since it meant not having to move away from his family. The Black Dragon had access to portal technology and magic, but it was difficult to use without being tracked by the Outerworld Investigation Agency. For which his uncle, aunt and cousin all worked. Needless to say, James wasn't looking forward to having to spend time away from his wife.
Fortunately, Kano was far more understanding than the stories he'd heard about him from Uncle Johnny and Aunt Sonya had led him to believe. Kano was definitely a bad person, for sure, but that didn't mean he was entirely devoid of positive qualities. He seemed genuinely invested in the wellbeing of his followers, James included.
James had participated in a few burglaries thus far - all targeting rich Hollywood elite, which James supposed made L.A. the ideal locale to set up shop. They'd be leaving L.A. for a while in a few days, and James was just about done convincing his wife that he'd gotten a new job that would require business trips to other states and countries, but would pay better, which would benefit the family in the long run. Cristina had her brother to help look out for her whenever James left.
Kano often spoke of his right-hand guy, who went by 'Tremor'. Tremor was apparently at the main base in some undisclosed location, training up new recruits and obtaining more equipment from 'unscrupulous Eastern-Europeans'. James imagined he wasn't being given all the details because of his familial connections. Not that James had any intention of selling Kano out, given the opportunity he'd presented him. It was more than even Uncle Johnny could provide.
"Yeah, it's... different."
"And rewardin'." Kano eyed a large pile of still-unsorted memorabilia stolen from some actress friend of Johnny's named Jennifer two days prior. It had certainly been a rush to break in while she was off filming.
"Yeah, true. Hey, you're still looking for more guys, right?"
"Always. Got any mates ya wanna put forward?"
"Well, no... But I've heard about this guy. He's apparently a big deal over in Texas. I've got family over there, so I hear about this kind of thing. Absolute monster with gunplay, apparently."
"Oh, yeah? This guy got a name?"
"It was... It's a really old name, I think. Erron Black?"
Kano dropped his beer at the mention. Erron Black was one of Kotal Kahn's boys. A sheriff, effectively. Kano had had run-ins with this guy a number of times during his service to Mileena. He was a hell of a shot with his revolvers and rifle, but not nearly as effective in close quarters. But then, one had to actually get into close quarters to neutralise his gunplay. According to Tanya's spy network, Black had been some sort of assassin for Shang Tsung, originating in Earthrealm. The sorcerer had granted him eternal youth, in return for his services. He now put those services to use maintaining the peace in Kotal's regime.
Or, that was what he thought. Kano had heard that Kotal had brought a small force into Earthrealm during the Shinnok conflict, which had set Earthrealm/Outworld relations back several decades. Had Black retained a sense of loyalty to his homerealm and abandoned Kotal? Had he been serving under duress and seized an opportunity to get back home? There was only one way to find out.
"Alright, lad. Pack yer bags. We're goin' ta' Texas."
"Uh, we?"
"What are you, French? Us. Both of us."
"Like... right now?"
"No, obviously not," Kano sighed, slightly annoyed. "Tomorrow. Tell the missus yer goin' on a last-minute business trip. You know more about this guy's current whereabouts, so I'll need you in on this."
"Ah, alright, fine."
"Good lad. Now, we're gonna need a new name for ya. Don't wanna risk jeopardisin' yer family's safety over this, yeah?"
"I guess that makes sense. Is there some kind of theme to these things?"
"Not really. Just whatever works to hide who you are. But don't rack yer brain too hard over this. Sometimes, the most obvious pick is the hardest ta' crack."
"They'd think it's too obvious to be right."
"Bingo. So, any suggestions?"
"Yeah. I got one: Jimmy Cage."
It took little time to track the alleged Erron Black's location once Kano knew to look for him. He didn't tell Jimmy this, of course, but Kano had guys positioned in Texas at all times, and not just to take advantage of open carry and the proximity to the border.
Erica Blade had only recently passed. Since reclaiming the Black Dragon back in '03, Kano had been keeping tabs on Sonya's last blood relative, just in case he needed leverage. By all accounts, she was just a normal woman who had lost her husband and son to Kano. To a point, Kano was glad she had passed of natural causes. Fortunately, Sonya still had a daughter and a soon-to-be ex-ex-husband he could 'make use of'. And a nephew.
Anyway, Kano's guys had been reassigned following Erica's death, refocused on recruitment and border smuggling. And they corroborated Jimmy's claims of a gun-slingin' cowboy making serious waves in the criminal underworld. They had his location in short order. He spent time in a local dive that Kano was already rather familiar with.
The Dusty Hole was... certainly a choice of name for a dive bar that wanted to keep attention off of itself. Kano couldn't really complain about it, seeing how it did keep outsiders away enough to not draw law enforcement's attention. But even a man of ill repute such as he could not say he was 'going down to The Dusty Hole' out loud. Even in this day and age, Kano had never known a single person who wasn't shocked to learn that the owner was a woman, and that the fairer sex could be just as crass as their masculine counterparts - if not more so.
Stylistically, the place was a celebration of Texan heritage, using an old west saloon as its aesthetic, with some modern amenities included, such as TVs, barbecue grills and free wi-fi. A few of the locals raised their glasses upon spotting Kano, which he returned with a phantom pint. Most of these guys would've killed it in the Black Dragon, but were unwilling or unable to commit to the nomadic lifestyle, or the constant conflicts with factions of Earthrealm and other realms. Shame, really. Kano could've used some more guys he could trust (to a point) right now.
Spotting his target was easy. Even with the theming, nobody else wore the classic cowboy style; and certainly never with a ninja mask. Interestingly, this mask, Kano could tell from decades of experience, was not fashioned from tarkat steel, as his previous mask had been. This one looked to be Earth-based in its construction. The rest of Black's attire was more Earth-y as well, swapping out the Outworld body armour for biker leathers. It was a look that certainly worked, but did little to convey the full breadth of the man's lifespan. If anything, it made him look younger.
The man was up on the second deck, the stairs to which were just to the side of the bar, allowing those situated there to get a good view of the rest of the place. It was a popular spot for big-time criminals, for both the vantage point, and the secret escape hatch that Kano himself had use on two separate occasions. If Black spotted Kano, he'd have an easy out. That is, assuming he wouldn't shoot first. Fortunately, Kano could fire off a laser from his implant without the need for any sort of motion, meaning he could shoot first, if he caught the other man's arm reaching for his pistol.
Kano and Jimmy seemed to have gone unnoticed by the cowboy for now, allowing Kano to slowly make his way up the stairs, formulating his exact approach as he went. Black was facing away from the stairs - a bold move, suggesting a cockiness seen in only the freshest or most experienced of faces. A cockiness one either lost or died for, and could then reclaim if they earned it with decades of success. Although, in Black's case, it was likely closer to centuries of success.
Kano was noticed by Black's entourage immediately. Of the four, three recognised him, two subtly reached for their sidearms below the table (visible to Kano even without his x-ray vision mod), and one was too afraid to move a muscle. Black took note of their reactions and held up a hand to stop his companions. Had he actually noticed Kano's approach and hidden it behind a poker face so rigid that even Kano couldn't detect it?
Black turned slowly, his raised hand intended to serve as a distraction tool to keep Kano from noticing his other hand slowly descending in a relaxed manner towards his own weapon. But one didn't live the way Kano did for half a century without being able to see right through such rudimentary tactics, effective though they may be against the layman. Kano wondered if Black was actually using this obvious ploy as the real distraction tool to keep Kano from noticing his real ploy. Kano was likely the only person besides Black who could keep up with such criminal mind games.
"Now, now, fellas," Black spoke up casually, slowly, in a relaxed and confident manner. One could almost describe it as lazy. "We don't wanna cause a ruckus for Patricia downstairs, now, do we? Let's all take a sec, calm on down, an' discuss whatever quarrel we got goin' here on like gentlemen. Huh?"
Several things were amiss here. First, Black's attitude. Erron Black was always the serious type when dealing with Kano back in Outworld. There was no chance that simply no longer serving Kotal had let him become this much more casual and relaxed. Second, his voice was a lot less gravelly, more smooth and seductive. Less Batman and more Green Arrow. And third, Erron Black did not have this deep a southern drawl. His accent was that of the average Outworlder, which would make sense, given his history.
The man sat before Kano was not Erron Black. If he didn't know any better, he'd think this was the Hollywoodised bastardisation Johnny Cage would put into one of his horseshit movies. The kind Kano could get a good laugh at for being so off-base, on the level of Cage's now regrettable deification of his ex-wife. But this was not a film set, no matter how much it may look like it. Kano almost suspected this was all a sting - Johnny Cage sending his nephew to trick Kano into walking right into a sting operation where some O.I.A. grunt was doing his best Erron Black impersonation to keep Kano busy while Sonya and her progeny moved into position to pounce.
Now suspicious of everyone present, Kano planned the exact sequence of punches and holds he would use to shift Black's two buddies out of the way of the hatch so he could leg it. Of course, pretending he wasn't suspicious of any of this was the crucial first step in this plan. He feigned calm, nodded his supposed agreement, and moved in to take one of the offered seats at another table a little deeper into the deck, but closer to the balcony - the ideal spot to plant your target while a shooter below lined up a shot.
"I was told Erron Black would be 'ere," Kano said, unprompted. The way this imposter responded would help inform Kano's next move.
"Yer lookin' at 'im, pardner," the other man responded with a smooth 'you like what you see?' motion with his hands. "'Course, 'snot every day I get to meet a fan."
Kano scoffed. "A fan, 'e sez. Clearly, you ain't the real Black."
"And, uh, what exactly makes you say that, friend?" Even with Kano's attitude, Black's character never broke. That smooth, sexy cowboy attitude stayed firmly in place.
"The real Erron Black knows exactly who I am, an' why I wouldn't consider meself 'is fan."
Erron chuckled. "Really, now? You think you've met the 'real Erron Black', huh?"
"Yeah. An' 'e ain't you. 'e'd've pulled 'is gun the second 'e caught sight of me beautiful mug."
"Well then," Black began, only for his revolver to be lasered through by Kano, who had led Black into this exact action; something he was certain the real Erron Black would not have fallen for. The hired goons went for their weapons, but Kano already had his hand on the back of one man's head, slamming it down into the table, knocking him out on the spot.
Another man raised his pistol, but Jimmy had his grip tightly on the barrel to keep it from firing. It was a technique Kano had taught him since he'd joined. He combined it with his own moves, some learned from various martial art senseis and some from watching his uncle's movies. If nothing else, Kano knew Johnny Cage was a damn good fighter, and his kin was rather adept at understanding each component of the moves' processes. Johnny refused to teach his nephew his moves, but he still couldn't stop himself from doing so. Weapon sealed, the man ate a swift kick to the jaw that dislodged him from the hold and his weapon, followed by a spinning kick that sent him into the wall before he crumpled onto the floor.
Kano launched a knife at Black's other revolver, allowing it to be drawn from its holster so it could more easily be knocked away from its owner. The third man had a bottle in his hand, swinging for Kano's head. Kano had seen enough bar brawls to know exactly how ineffective such a move was against his steel-plated skull. And how effective letting the hit connect and do nothing was against the attacker's confidence. One downward punch to the man's head put him in position for Kano to lift him into the air and powerbomb him through the table he and his compatriots had been drinking around.
Jimmy dealt with the final man, punching him in the stomach (slightly off from his uncle's trademark move), elbowing his chin, grabbing his arm and throwing him in Kano's direction. Kano then grabbed the man's arm and launched him over the railing, onto the bar and onto the floor. Patricia, behind the bar, glared up at Kano, almost making him flinch. He was probably building up an immunity to Patricia's pissed-off expressions, by this point. But only building it.
The proprietess had few rules for conduct for her bar, but 'No killing on the premises' was an iron-clad #1. The guns had been drawn to maim, but not kill. Killing in Patricia's space left one open to being gunned down by every other scumbag customer in the place. Kano performed a quick scan of the man downstairs, saw he had maybe a concussion at most, and knew he was safe.
He dropped the expected roll of bills to buy Patricia's forgiveness - the cost of repairs and clean-up, plus the $500 forgiveness charge - down to her, and returned to his seat, as if nothing had happened. Jimmy joined him in the next chair over.
"Goddamn, fellas!" The cowboy was having trouble keeping his composure now that his guns were out of reach. Finally, something accurate to the real one, Kano mused. "Thuh hell's this all about?"
"You, usin' that name," Kano responded, pointing a finger accusatorily. "I don't give a fuck about the integrity of Erron Black's name, but I wanna know who you are an' why you're usin' it."
"Christ, alright, fine," the cowboy grunted through the pain of having a gun yanked out of his hand by Kano's knife toss. "Look, Erron Black was the greatest goddamn outlaw to ever grace the west. Then, one day, he up'n vanished, leavin' behind his wife an' son. Three generations down from that boy, you get ta' me. I'm Erron Black's last descendant. So, I'm usin' the name to build my own legacy. You happy now?"
Somehow, Kano felt like he had heard this story before. He shrugged off this odd sense of déjà vu, and contemplated the story. It made sense that Erron Black could have a descendant four generations removed, given when Shang Tsung granted him his longevity. And depending on the state of his home life, he may have abandoned his wife and child willingly, been forced into Outworld until it was too late to return, or anything in between.
Fortunately, Kano had a way of verifying some of this story. Back when he'd upgraded to Dr. Rotwang's final generation of cybernetics, one of the new upgrades was a DNA scanner. Designed for the purpose of properly planning replacement organs and the like, the good doctor had thrown it in as a bonus for Kano being such a 'loyal customer'. Kano had tested it on a whim after a showdown with Kotal's forces, in which he's managed to get a good knife slash on the turncoat lawman. He hadn't used the feature at all since, but Erron Black's DNA was now on the database Kano had access to.
Standing up and retrieving his knife from across the deck, Kano casually cut the faker across the forearm, in the space between his sleeve and his glove. He scanned the fresh blood while the other man complained. The technology of Dr. Rotwang was such that the result came back in only a dozen seconds.
"Well, I'll be. You really are the old man's descendant."
"I guess my word isn't good enough..." 'Erron' grumbled.
"You did lie about your name, to be fair," Jimmy observed.
"Okay, yeah, fair..."
"Wanna know how I know yer tellin' the truth?"
'Erron' said nothing.
"Well, I just so 'appen to 'ave your ancestor's blood on file from a fight I 'ad with 'im a few years back. 'e's alive, lad."
"Bullshit."
"What, you don't believe me?"
"You cut my arm and knocked out my buddies."
"Eh, fair. But, it's true. Look." Kano switched his eye to its projector function, displaying a twelve-inch-tall holographic display of Erron Black, infamous Outworld lawman, standing in a ready pose with his hands prepped to unholster his twin revolvers. 'Erron' watched the display with keen interest.
"Damn, your eye can do pretty much anything, huh?" Jimmy said in awe.
Kano chuckled. Way back when, Jimmy's uncle hadn't been all that impressed by Kano's eye. He'd called him a 'Terminator fanboy' and Shadow-Kicked him across the deck of Shang Tsung's Nethership. In fairness, Kano was the one who started that fight, but he still derived some mild pleasure from Cage's nephew being more impressed.
"This is him. Erron Black. Turns out, 'e went an' joined the Outworld side back in 'is day. A sorcerer stopped 'is ageing, an' he's livin' in Outworld, as we speak. Truth be told, when Jimmy over 'ere told me about you, I though the real Erron 'ad made 'is way back 'ome. Thought I might be able ta' convince 'im ta' join up with me. Probably didn't 'ave much of a chance with 'im anyway, seein' 'ow we ain't on the best of terms, on account of us bein' on opposites sides of a civil war. But maybe you can fill the gunslinger-shaped hole me crew's got in its lineup. What d'you reckon?"
"Helluva way a' recruitin' people there, fella." 'Erron' shook his head. "Suppose I say no. What then?"
"Well, me 'n' Jim'll walk away. You'll never see us again, and you'll never get another chance to meet your idol."
"Wait, wait, wait. Meet my idol? What?"
Kano grinned. "Well, me 'n' the boys've got access ta' some interdimensional portals. We do lots'a' dealin' in Outworld, where Erron Black is currently situated." Kano was laying his intentions on a little thick, but he didn't have a reason to worry. As blatant as the bait was, it was some damn juicy bait to the younger man. And just like Jimmy, even if he knew he was being played, he was definitely going to bite.
"So, what? I join your gang an' I get to meet the real Erron Black?"
"That's about the long an' short of it, yeah."
"And, what exactly is it you people do?"
Kano's grin grew wider, almost reaching Shang Tsung levels. "We're the Black Dragon, mate. One might almost think it was destiny for us to meet like this, Mr. Black."
"You might be right about that," 'Erron' admitted, nodding slightly.
"We can give you a few days to mull it over, if you'd like," Kano offered, knowing when best to pull back and offer kindness to convince people.
"No. That's not necessary. I was gettin' bored of the same ol', same ol', day in an' day out. It's time for a shake-up. An' if you're seriously offerin' me a chance to meet the original Erron Black, well... how can I refuse?"
Kano nodded. "Alright, then. Erron Black'll do as an alias for when we work, but I don't suppose you'd be willing to give us yer real one, eh?"
"Salazar," the cowboy said without much convincing. "Salazar Black."
"Good lad. I'll always welcome more Black into the Black Dragon."
The days that followed saw a surge of new recruits; although Kano had no specific thoughts on any of them. Tremor could generally be relied upon to find good people, but they would need to prove themselves for Kano to take notice, when placed alongside such gleaming jewels as his own new recruits. From where Kano now stood, he could see his two new recruits earning their place in the gang.
Jimmy was opening up in his new role, embracing his 'Cage' alias and becoming more sociable. He was particularly popular with some of the ladies, that immutable Carlton family charm putting in the work. But he was always quick to assert that he was a happily married man. And that made the sheilas love him even more. Kano wondered if he might have to intervene before they tried to murder his wife. Even Kano wasn't comfortable with the idea of killing a pregnant woman, even if he would show absolutely zero hesitation in doing so if he needed to. He just wouldn't feel good about it.
Salazar, meanwhile, was showing off his shooting skills. The ancestor's style was certainly more efficient than the flashy, show-offy style of the descendant, but there was an undeniable skill on display as Salazar took shots behind his back and ricocheted bullets off the walls to hit the bottles in the shooting range.
With his next generation Johnny Cage and Erron Black in the bag, Kano had only two more individuals he had his cybernetic eye on recruiting. This next one was one he would need to bring in alone. It wasn't that he didn't trust the others, nor that he was worried about spooking the lad. It was just a rather personal task.
Kano looked down at the mugshot, stolen from a Australian police database. Having the photo on the coffee table before him beside his phone, whose black screen reflected his own handsome mug back at him... the resemblance really was uncanny. Kano might almost have thought he was looking at an old photo of himself at that age, were it not in HD quality. Eyes aside, Dominic was the spitting image of his old man.
Kano had to wonder if his bad attitude was heretical. Abandoned by no-good parents, drawn to violence and crime, father to another young criminal. It almost made Kano proud to imagine his lineage continuing long into the future to continue to make life difficult for the Blade family.
As for how the boy had come to be, Kano had had many sexual escapades across the decades. He'd lost his virginity in his teens with a girl in his class back in Japan. He'd dropped out of middle school at fifteen to join Old Trev, and left Japan soon after. Of course, there was always business to be found in countries with strict gun control laws for Trev and his ilk, and Kano had come back with him at seventeen to act as a guide to the customs and culture of the island nation.
By chance, he had bumped into Kaho-chan again while running some errands for Trev. She was a sweet girl, who'd always been interested in foreign cultures. That was probably what had drawn her to him, the one white boy in their class. They went somewhere to eat, and were fucking in a love hotel not two hours after she spotted him. They saw each other a few more times before Kano once more left Japan, and he never saw her again.
Kano realised he was actually feeling nostalgic about an unimportant teenage fling. He found himself hoping Kaho-chan had ended up having a good life. She deserved it. Looking at the photo of his son, he idly wondered if he might have gotten more than one woman pregnant over the years. Maybe even Kaho-chan...
But Rachael was an Aussie lass. White, brunette, missing. It seemed she had disappeared six years prior, and no one could be certain if it was an abduction, running away, or even a secret suicide. Whatever the case, she had dropped off the face of the Earth, leaving her son to fend for himself.
Said son was now twenty-one and a regular at his local precinct in the same way an alcoholic was a regular at his local bar. The underground cage fighting Dominic often partook in, and was occasionally busted for, was actually one of Trev's ideas from back in the day. It was good to know that Trev's legacy was still going strong. and it was thanks to Dominic getting involved with this and being put in the system that Kano was made aware of his son's existence. As sure as he was Trev was burning in Hell, Kano almost felt like his old mentor was still guiding him from the other side.
Putting that sappy crap aside, Kano tracked down the jail his son was currently being held in. Fortunately, it was just jail and not prison. That would make extracting him far easier. Armed with a hologram projector he could use to disguise himself, Kano walked towards the station in Perth. A brief scuffle with some of the locals later, and "Richard" was being taken to a cell, where Dominic was sat waiting for God-only-knew what. His mother certainly wasn't going to show up and bail him out. It seemed, it was up to his father to do so, then.
At first, Kano sat across from his son and watched him, using the disparity between his eyes and the hologram's to mask that he was doing so. The resemblance really was undeniable when this close. Of course, it was a far younger Kano he resembled - one who hadn't existed in reality in decades. Kano silently observed for a while. But it wasn't part of his plan to do so.
In truth, Kano had no idea how to go about interacting with his son. The man could negotiate with Shao Kahn and his cannibal daughter, deceive and evade the SF for decades, steal, smuggle, murder, assassinate; had outlived Trev, half the Blades, the Red Dragon, Kabal's Black Dragon, even Shao Kahn. And yet... the thought of fucking this up, of driving his son away... it terrified him. Kano hadn't even known the young man existed until just a few days ago, and hadn't seen him in person until maybe half an hour ago.
But still, being in his son's presence, Kano found himself wanting nothing more than to guide this young man, to groom him into his ideal successor who could continue his legacy. And more than that, he wanted to bond with his son - to teach him all the many uses for a good butterfly knife, how to negotiate with arms dealers, how to cut through to a man's heart before he died of blood loss. But if he got his opening move wrong, he may not get another chance to win his son over.
"You gonna keep starin', mate, or you got somethin' to say?"
Kano certainly didn't expect Dominic to initiate the conversation, but it made it easier for his father to speak up. "Wot gave me away?"
"Ain't got the body language of a man contemplatin' 'is situation. Or one tryin' to occupy 'is time. An' that face is a hologram."
Kano had to check that his projector wasn't faulty. It wasn't. It seemed the boy had sharp eyes. Hopefully, he wouldn't lose one like his father. Out of respect, Kano shut off his hologram. Dominic's expression was difficult to read. It was clear from the glint of recognition in his eyes that he knew who the cyborg before him was. Johnny Cage had gone to great lengths to depict his wife's nemesis accurately and negatively in his movies.
"You're Kano," Dominic uttered in awe. The exact kind of awe, his father couldn't identify. But he didn't move to be ready for an attack. If nothing else, he didn't seem to assume the infamous killer was out to get him.
"Guilty," Kano responded with a grin. "And you, my friend, are Dominic Lawson. Yer mum was Rachael Lawson, yeah?"
Dominic pulled a secret shank from under his bench. He'd smuggled the thing in past the cops. That, or he'd made it while inside. Either way, Kano was proud of his son's resourcefulness and guile. Kano responded in kind, revealing his own smuggled shank (the one he'd made while in O.I.A. custody) and trimmed a few beard hairs. He then placed it flat on the floor and slid it across the cell with his foot.
"I give you points for resourcefulness, but that there is a real shank. Look it over, see what you can learn from it."
Cautiously, eyes never leaving his cellmate and blade constantly held at the ready, Dominic reached down and picked up the offered blade. His eyes left Kano for only brief moments, but it was enough for his awe at the craftmanship to become apparent. Once Dominic was pushing his thumbs against the two blades to compare their sharpness, Kano knew he had him.
"Not bad, right? I've been doin' this since I was younger than you are now. That there is five decades of experience. You, my son, have a long way to go. Lucky for you, you've got plenty a' time to get there."
"What is it you want?" Dominic asked, placing the shiv back on the floor and kicking it back to its creator. That was trust.
"Well, lad, you know who I am, so I don't need to explain what I do. But I'm lookin' for more people to help me do it. I've got a few wacky characters back 'ome. Got a brawler an' a shooter. But wot I really need is a good stabber. You get me?"
"You're offerin' me a place in your... Black Dragon, was it?"
"That's right. Good to see Johnny Cage is useful for somethin', besides keepin' 'is wife busy."
"Temptin' offer. But why me?"
"Two reasons." Kano held up two fingers, keeping his hand facing outwards to avoid offence to the Aussie lad - unheard of for Kano. "First, I've seen the CCTV footage. You've got potential as a proper cutter. A man after me own 'eart, to be frank."
"Sounds reasonable," Dominic nodded. "And the second reason?"
"I didn't know Rachael all that long," Kano stated with all the sincerity he could muster, "but we spent a few nights of booze an' drugs together. I compared our DNA soon as I saw your picture. You're my son, Dominic. Crazy as that sounds."
"You're... What?"
"Yeah. You're my son, my heir. These last few months've made me realise I'm gettin' on in life. Then, I find out I've got a son who takes a surprising lot after me, despite 'avin' never met me. Watchin' footage of you fuckin' up those guys in the cage matches... I felt proud. I barely ever feel pride in anythin' but meself. Let me tell you, I was not ready for that kind of experience. But, I'd quite like to experience more of it, if you'll let me be yer dad."
"This..."
"It's a lot, I know. It's gotta be like learnin' Charlie Manson was yer dad."
"I was thinkin' more John Wayne Gacy," Dominic responded with a smug grin.
"Cheeky bugger," Kano replied good-heartedly.
"Actually, more like Ted Kaczynski. Or Jack the Ripper."
Kano nodded, satisfied. "That's more like it. Bombs an' knives do 'appen to be my specialties. An' there's a lot I can teach you about both, if you're willin' ta' join up."
"I mean, family or not, what 'ave I really got to lose?"
Kano smiled proudly. "Good lad. I guarantee, you'll fit right in. Come on. Let's go 'ome." Kano stood and walked over to the cell door.
Dominic jumped to his feet and approached the door as well. "You goin' to pick the lock?"
His sentence wasn't even finished by the time Kano fired out an eye laser and melted the lock to slag. "In a sense," Kano grinned. Dominic returned it.
Tempted as he was to walk right out of there, past all the terrified cops, to impress Dominic, Kano didn't want to risk one of the cops doing something stupid and hurting his son. So, Kano instead showed his son how to break out of the place unseen, as he himself had done twice before. By the time the cops knew they'd escaped, the father and son duo were long gone.
"So, what d'you think o' the place?" Kano asked as he poured a couple of pints for himself and Dominic.
"Place is mental. That rock fella? What's that about?"
"Tremor's one o' the best. Been wiv me since... eighty-nine, I think. I trust 'im like me own brother."
"You trust someone?"
"You didn't let me finish." Kano handed his son his pint. "That is to say, I'd stab 'im in the back if I 'ad to. But, 'e's proven reliable. So 'e stays."
"An' where does that leave me? You gonna stab me in the back too?"
"Only if you give me a reason to. But honestly, if you could genuinely get one over on me, I'd be proud. Just let me wrap things up with Sonya before you do. Wipin' out her family's been me life's work."
"Sounds like quite the tale. Actually, you said you've got five decades of experience?"
"Yeah, what of it?"
"No, just... I mean, look at you. Over fifty and still a ripper." Dominic punched his father in the shoulder.
"Over sixty, actually."
"Bloooody 'ell."
"I'm glad you're impressed. To last as long as I 'ave, you've got to be at the top of yer game. And I intend to show you exactly 'ow to get there, Son."
"I'm ready for whatever you've got to teach me, Boss."
"Good lad. We'll start with shiv construction in the mornin'. Yours is good..." Kano lobbed Dominic's shiv at a nearby dartboard with Johnny Cage's face printed on it, hitting the bullseye. "However..." He then threw his own shiv directly into Dominic's, breaking his son's blade into its base components. "That's a knife."
"Really? Dundee? You're a terrible Aussie."
"Well, that's me secret, Dominic. I'm not an Aussie."
"The fuck?"
"Yeah. Didn't expect that, did ya, cunt? Get yerself some truth bombs like that, and you can set up just about anyone for a..." Kano mimed a knife across Dominic's throat with a "swick" sound.
"And when are you gonna teach me knife-throwin' like that?"
"When I can break a shiv of your current calibre with one of your new ones. It's no good knowin' how to use an improvised weapon if you can't make one to match yer skills."
"I'll keep that in mind."
"Good boy. Now, some of us in the BD like to use codenames. Tremor, you've probably guessed, wasn't wot 'is parents picked out fer 'im at birth."
"Like you and 'Kano'?"
"Technically. The point is, take some time to think up some good nicknames while you train. It's what you'll be most known by in the future."
"Alright. You'll still call me 'Dominic', though, right?"
"Well, of course. Can't imagine Tremor's dad callin' 'im 'Tremor, me boy', can you?"
Dominic chuckled. "I suppose not. But can you call me 'Dom' instead? It's what me mum used to... well..."
"If that's what you want, Dom, I'd be 'appy to."
"Thanks... Dad."
With the biggest prideful smile, Kano poured out another pint each and placed them down on the table. Dominic took Kano's glass and downed it.
"The fuck?"
"You're over sixty, right? I don't think you should be drinkin' so much at your age, Pops."
"Cheeky bugger."
"Ma'am?" Cassie said as she entered the O.I.A.'s command centre and saluted.
"Sergeant," Sonya responded with firm military discipline. She indicated towards a space at the command table for her daughter to stand. No matter how proud she was of her daughter for saving Earthrealm from Shinnok, Sonya knew she must maintain discipline. It was all she really knew how to give to Cassie. Still... "At ease."
"Thanks, Mom."
"'Mom'?"
"I assure you, I said 'Ma'am', Mom."
"Alright, wiseass. One more and I'm taking away that medal you're so proud of."
"Pfft." Cassie rolled her eyes. "You can't do that."
"No, but I can take away your cell phone."
"M-Mom, I'm twenty-three!"
"And I'm still your C.O."
Cassie sighed. "Sorry, Ma'am."
"That's better," Sonya replied, satisfied.
As unprofessional as the two were acting, it was the furthest thing from a bother to the command crew. They were happy to be past the family drama of the Blade-Cages. And for those that had been around back then, it delivered nostalgic feelings for the old Johnny Cage/Sonya Blade banter from their first marriage.
"Now onto business," Sonya said, returning to serious mode. "We have an urgent matter to attend to. With the rest of your team on leave, I want you to put together a new team and be on standby for deployment."
"Outworld?" Cassie asked, concerned. Even after having taken down Shinnok, she wasn't quite confident about facing Kotal Kahn's forces again. Especially without Jacqui, Takeda and Jin at her side.
"No, Earthrealm. A lot of notorious criminals have been ceasing their activities lately. From all over. And a recent one in Perth, Australia is cause for concern."
"Australia, huh?" Cassie noted, putting the pieces together.
"Local authorities had this man in custody." Sonya pulled up Dominic Lawson's file on the holographic display. "That is, until he suddenly disappeared from the station, along with a new arrival. All they left behind were a melted lock and some shaven hair samples." Images of the evidence popped up in front of Cassie. "They sent over the samples at our request."
"Let me guess. Kano."
"Affirmative." Sonya pulled up several more files, some with only the barest essentials to justify a file in the system at all. "This has to be connected."
"You think he's planning Black Dragon: The Next Generation?"
"He lost Jarek a few months ago. Tremor's the only one of the old guard left. I can't imagine he plans to keep going with just him."
Cassie placed her hands on the command table and began analysing the files. She was already compiling a list of logical O.I.A. members to draft into her team to counter these presumed new BDs. Sonya nodded, satisfied that she could leave this task to her daughter. Of course, when the time came to take down Kano himself, she was going to be there. And she couldn't imagine Johnny would sit it out and leave his girls to it.
This was a family affair. Always had been, really. Whatever Kano was planning with this new generation of Black Dragon - even without Jax and the rest in her corner - it was nothing that the Blade-Cage family could not overcome together.
At that exact moment, Kano was once again looking over his files. He had already formulated a plan to get his final recruit onto his side. She'd be a tough nut to crack, but if he could pull this thing off, the reward would be the greatest in his long, long feud with the Blades.
He downed the rest of his beer and tossed the bottle into the trashcan, clear across the room. He stood up from the table and left the file behind. He wasn't going to need a photo on-hand to identify Cassie Cage.
I have a lot of fun delving into Kano's character and giving him something beyond his very flat personality in all media outside 2021. I mean, the fact that nothing is different between MK11's two Kanos, unlike everyone else with a counterpart, says a lot about how he's written.
Jimmy Cage was an interesting one to make work. Jimmy is from The Federation of Martial Arts, a weird web series set in Threshold's film continuity, where Johnny's BD-associated brother Jimmy Cage shows up. He made sense for a new BD recruit, especially when combined with Johnny's 'Season of Lawlessness' skin from MK11's Kombat League. But since I'd gone so deep into Johnny's family in the Superstar Trilogy, suddenly establishing that he'd had a secret brother all along, especially one actually named 'Cage' and not 'Carlton', wouldn't work. But those same stories had established Johnny's sister as having had at least two kids, so I had an opening to make Jimmy his nephew instead.
Alongside this, my concept for Erron's descendant is here, as discussed on Wasted Plotential. I did consider having the descendant be a woman, as Brian chard said Erron was originally conceived as, but that changed before even the concept art phase, and the idea IS built around MK11 Erron, so keeping him male and giving him Erron's original name fits better.
Originally, Jax was the one who killed Jarek. I was already thinking of changing it to Sonya to better fit with the characters and set up some stuff for this story's sequel, soon after writing that version. So, here's the version where Jax just executes Jarek, unprovoked. Obviously, I'd have given him a reason to do it, if I'd kept him as the killer.
"That idea flashed through Kano's mind, right as Jax released Jarek's neck, wound both arms back, and brought both large, metal fists together at either side of Jarek's skull, crushing the bone like an eggshell. A few stray pieces of pulp and bone fragments shot out and got through the portal before it closed fully, leaving Kano and Tremor in stunned silence at the sudden death of the man that had helped keep the Black Dragon alive these last three decades. And Jax had put the idea in Jarek's head that it was Kano's fault, right before he did him in."