Disclaimer: I do not own Mortal Kombat or any of its characters. All rights belong to Ed Boon, Nether Realm Studios, and Warner Bros.
Kurai wakes up after one of Outworlds monsters managed to get the drop on him and tackled him over the side of the bridge above him, where he fell unconscious when both of them landed.
He gently shakes his head then looks over to the side and sees that his attacker was not as lucky as he was. The monster's head was twisted in such a way that was highly unpleasant to look at.
Kurai just scoffs before he stands up and dusts himself off as he can still hear, and see the chaos happening in the city. "Ok, Kurai. You've been out long enough. Time to get back to work." He says to himself before running off to help fend off Outworlds army.
Meanwhile, in Outworld...
Wheezing breaths can be heard as the Black Dragon clan member, Kano, puts together parts to help with the person's breathing, and he does so with a smile on his face. He puts the last part on the person's face, a metal mask, before activating the parts then briefly walks away.
The man lying on the table inhales a deep breath and coughs before groaning painfully. "Easy there, mate. You've just had a rough one." Kano says to the man while walking back up to him.
"Ugh... Kano?" The man on the table says as Kano looks down at the man before smiling.
"Heh! In the flesh, mate." He says to the man with a light laugh before walking away again over to a weapons crate.
The man on the table groans as he tries to remember what had happened to him. "Ugh... I was... on fire." He says to Kano as he reaches up to rub his head, but flinches when he feels he's wearing a mask.
"Haha! Yep! Burnt to a crisp, you were. Good thing I found ya!" Kano tells the man off to the side as he searches for something inside the crate. "Now, where did I put those bloody things?" He says offhandedly as he continues to search the crate.
The man was confused for a moment, but then realizes what happened when the memory comes back to him. "I'm... Ugh... I'm hideous." The man says with a dejected tone as he clenches his fists tightly.
"Don't worry, mate! Shang Tsung's magic managed to heal the rest of ya, but your lungs? Yeesh!" Kano informs the man as he continues to search for something inside the crate more aggressively.
The man looks over at Kano. "Take these off." He tells him assertively, but Kano shakes his head.
"Sorry, mate. Can't. It's permanent." He bluntly tells him, which causes the man to finally snap his gaze at Kano.
"What...! What do you mean it's permanent?" He asks incredulously as he sits up slightly.
Kano says nothing at first, he just shrugs before answering. "Exactly what I mean. Permanent. No mask, and you won't be able to breathe." He explains before he finally finds what he was looking for. "Ah-ha! Here are the damned buggers!" He says before pulling out two hook swords with a smile.
"I'm... I'm a fucking freak...!" The man says with a dejected tone again before sitting up fully and hopping off the table. He examines himself more closely at what he was wearing. He was no longer wearing his NYPD officer uniform. Instead he was wearing a gray, cloth vest, black pants, black spiked gauntlets with leather gloves, and black combat boots.
"Ah, I wouldn't worry too much about it, Kabal. Now that yer back, you'll fit right in with the crowd I'm with now." Kano says to Kabal trying to cheer him up as he walks over to him with the two hook swords in his hands. "Here, go on. Give'em a whirl." He continues as he walks towards Kabal with the hook swords held out.
Kabal looks at the two hook swords and can only look at them with disgust as memories of his past come flooding back. He refuses and shakes his head. "I don't need those, Kano. That's not who I am anymore." He tells the Black Dragon member, who only scoffs.
"Yeah, yer all proper police now. The Black Dragon ain't been the same without ya, mate." Kano says to Kabal with a hint of sarcasm from the fact that Kabal is a police officer now, but he still tries to persuade his old friend to come back to his side. "You should come back, Kabal. We're in the money on this war." He explains enthusiastically, but Kabal pieces together what he was saying.
Kabal glares at Kano under his mask once he figures out what Kano had told him about "the crowd" he was now with. "You... You sold those monsters their firepower, didn't you?" He says with an accusing tone. Then his suspicions were confirmed when Kano just smiles proudly at the fact.
"Haha, yep! Guilty as charged." He says happily before Kabal suddenly punches him in the face, staggering him as he stumbles backwards and drops the hook swords.
"This... THIS is your fault, Kano!" Kabal shouts with an enraged tone while pointing at himself and his now grotesque appearance.
Kano picks a tooth out of his mouth and spits out some blood before walking towards Kabal with an angered expression. "What you on about, eh?! Yer here ain't ya?! I thought you'd be happy to be alive ya ungrateful prick!" He says angrily, expecting Kabal to be grateful that he's still alive.
But Kabal didn't care, he left and stayed away from the Black Dragon for good reasons. "Ungrateful?! You didn't help me because we're friends, Kano! You need me back because you know you're nothing without me around! You always were!" Kabal shouts at his former friend, who glares angrily at him for what he just said. "I should be dead! Now you're about to be!" Kabal continues and picks up the hook swords.
Kabal vs. Kano...
Kabal runs towards Kano with the two hook swords in hand and slashes downwards his chest, but Kano jumps back and uses his laser eye to burn Kabal just a little more, but Kabal ducks down and rushes towards him.
With a surprising burst of speed, Kabal comes upon Kano in a split second before hitting the Australian in the gut, which causes the man to double over from the sudden pain before Kabal stabs the ends of the hook swords into Kano's feet.
Kano yells painfully before Kabal uppercuts the Aussie and sends him flying in the air before he lands roughly on his back. He groans as Kabal steadily walks over to him and stomps on one of his knees, which causes Kano to cry out painfully again. "Why? Why, mate? Why are we fighting? What did I do wrong?! I saved yer skin, didn't I?!" He says to his old friend angrily, reminding Kabal that he was still here because of him.
Kabal kneels down and grabs Kano by the collar before pulling him up close to his masked face. "No, Shang... whatever the fuck his name is, HE saved my life. You wouldn't have been able to on your own. And you? You just put together whatever was convenient so you could try and get a hold over me." He tells Kano before leaning his face closer.
"But not this time... buddy. You'll never get a hold on me ever again. And I'll never be under your heel again. I'll die first before that happens." He continues before flinching when Kano grabbed one of his combat knives and slashed Kabal's face.
But he only, idiotically, slashed the mask. Not the skin. Kabal grins under his mask and shakes his head. " Tsk, tsk, tsk. Should've seen that coming, but I assure you... mate... it WON'T happen again." He says as Kano gulps silently.
"Well, I'm right fucked." He thinks to himself before Kabal roughly brings him up to his feet and punches him hard multiple times in the face, even denting his metal cybernetic eye and cracking the red lenses. He punches him again, this time in the gut then uppercuts him before Kano stumbles over his feet and falls backwards to the floor with a thud.
KABAL WINS!
Kabal stomps over to Kano, who was breathing with wheezing gasps, before kneeling down beside him. "Now, how do I get out of here?" He asks the Black Dragon member, who coughs and glares up at him.
"Not so keen on being dead now, are ya?" He says mockingly with a smile to his former friend before sitting up slowly. Kabal presses one of the hook swords to Kano's neck hard, threatening to cut his throat if he doesn't answer.
"I'll ask you one last time, Kano. How do I get out of here?" Kabal repeats with a growl as he presses the hook sword harder against Kano's throat, but the Aussie just laughs mockingly.
"Heh. Good luck, mate. Go ahead and kill me then. You won't get out of Outworld without Shao Kahn's say so." He explains truthfully, but Kabal was rapidly losing patience and began to get even more frustrated.
"What the-?! Outworld? Shao Kahn? What the fuck are you talking about, Kano?!" He asks exasperatedly as Kano sighs before shaking his head, but grins after since he is loving his former friend's confusion.
"Shao Kahn is the big boss round here, mate. The big man. Literally. And soon, he'll be Earth Realm's new master." He explains with a cocky grin before Kabal presses the hook sword against the throat more, cutting skin this time as a small bit of blood began to trickle down Kano's neck.
"Where is he?" He asks with a demanding tone.
"Don't bother. You can't get near him." Kano answers simply with a cocky smirk before Kabal pulls the hook sword away with a sigh. Kano wipes the blood off his neck and massages it with relief, thinking he's now safe before Kabal looks back at him ominously.
"You know what? Maybe I can't. But... I'm guessing you can." He says as he grins underneath his mask. Kano instantly lost his cockiness and his smirk.
Minutes later, Shao Kahn's Throne Room...
Mileena, a few Tarkatans, and a couple of Cyber Lin Kuei ninjas all walk through a green portal with a large wooden slab. On top of it is the body of the centaur that Johnny Cage was fighting earlier on the bridge before Raiden intervened.
Noticing his daughter walking in, Shao Kahn acknowledges her. "Mileena? What is this?!" He asks angrily while walking towards her. Off to the side, Sindel is seen wearing very revealing, black form fitting clothing with purple accents. She watches the scene closely as Mileena bows to Shao Kahn.
"Raiden has killed Motaro, father." She informs him as Kabal, holding Kano at knife point, walks into the throne room.
Kabal's eyes widen in shock under his mask when he sees the emperor's size. He's never even seen a street thug that size during his time as a cop. "That's him? On the throne?" He whispers to Kano quietly before Kano looks back at him with an amused expression.
He laughs lightly before shaking his head. "Yer a right genius, you are." He says mockingly before Kabal presses the knife into his back lightly as a warning to keep quiet. Kano grunts in slight pain and frustration before he and Kabal watch the scene unfold in front of them.
Sindel walks up to Shao Kahn and scoffs coldly at the sight of Motaro's broken body. "It's no great matter, my Lord. I will go to Earth Realm and finish Motaro's work." She says confidently as Shao Kahn looks at her, thinking what his decision should be.
Then he smirks wickedly, coming to a decision. "Hmm... Yes." He says before looking over at his longtime sorcerer. "Shang Tsung." He calls as the sorcerer steps forward.
"Yes, Emperor?" The man obediently asks as he stops just beside Shao Kahn.
"The empress requires something of you." The man says as Shang Tsung steps closer to hear of it, but is in sudden pain when he feels all of his power being forcefully, and painfully, stripped from him. He barely manages to make a pain filled scream before he loses all feeling in his body then collapses to the floor no longer youthful. All that remains of Shang Tsung is a hollowed husk of what he used to be, an old man.
Shao Kahn holds Shang Tsung's former power in his fist before he begins transferring that power to Sindel. Kano smiles as Kabal stands in shock at what he just witnessed. "See there, mate? I'm thinking he's going to be a bit much for-"
WHAM!
Kano doesn't get the rest of his sentence out when Kabal knocks him unconscious. "I'm sure I could take him, but I don't have the time." He says as he begins to subtly walk towards the portal while Shao Kahn, Sindel and the others are preoccupied. While Kabal walks towards the portal, Sindel smiles with sadistic glee at the feeling of power flowing into her, feeling even more life in her than before when she was resurrected. She felt herself returning to her prime.
Noob Saibot and Mileena notice Kabal walking towards the portal, so they move to intercept and stop him. "Where do you think you're going? You are not permitted to use a portal." The black clad revenant says to Kabal as Mileena walks up beside him.
"No one enters Earth Realm until father says so!" The Tarkatan hybrid snarls as Kabal looks between the both of them before looking at the portal.
Just as he finishes transferring Shang Tsung's power into Sindel, Kahn notices what is happening behind his warriors and quickly looks over at the only remaining sorcerer. "Quan Chi, seal the portal!" He orders the pale sorcerer, who quickly begins chanting an incantation to close the portal, but Kabal wasn't having it.
"Sorry, emperor, but I've got better places to be. And it's sure as hell not here." He says to Kahn directly before rushing past Noob Saibot, Mileena, and the other fighters, that had surrounded him, with surprising speed again before entering the portal as it begins to close.
He turns around just in time to see all of them rush towards the portal while Shao Kahn roars furiously while the portal closes. "Ok, time to go home." He says with relief, but knows that the fight isn't over yet as he jumps out the other side of the portal and back on the bridge where he was attacked by Kintaro.
He sighs with relief as he finds himself feeling exhausted from the raw emotions he was feeling. He then examines his body and laughs. "So I'm fast now. Gotta say, the speed is incredible. Must be a side effect of the Outworld magic though." He says as he looks at his surroundings.
"You there! Are you of Outworld?" Someone says from behind him. He turns around to see a man dressed in blue and black ninja clothes walking towards him.
"Me? No. I know I look the part, but I'm not one of them. You sure seem like it though. I've seen enough ninjas today that fought with those freaks." He says to the man with a combative tone, which makes the blue ninja narrow his eyes.
"I am not one of those scum. I am Sub-Zero, and I will show you what happens when you accuse me as such." Sub-Zero says aggressively as he and Kabal prepare to fight, but Kurai suddenly jumps down in between them to stop them.
"Whoa, wait! Stop! Both of you!" He says to them, causing Sub-Zero to relax, but Kabal remains on edge. Kurai looks back and forth at them before his eyes land on Kabal. "You're Kabal, right? An NYPD officer?" He asks him curiously to make sure he knew who he was speaking to.
Kabal, still on edge, nods his head slowly. "Yeah. Who's asking?" He asks combatively as Sub-Zero raises his fists, but Kurai waves him off, causing the blue ninja to calm down.
Kurai walks towards Kabal calmly and introduces himself. "My name is Kurai. Prince of Edenia. You've met Sub-Zero already." He says while also introducing Sub-Zero as Kabal looks over at the blue ninja and nods slowly.
"Yeah, we've met. So... are YOU one of them?" He asks Kurai cautiously, which causes Kurai to smile and laugh softly.
"If I were, would you and I be talking right now after you just escaped?" He asks him seriously, making Kabal to think for a moment before nodding his head and smiling under his mask.
"Good point. So, what are you doing here?" He asks Kurai curiously as both he and Sub-Zero now stood closer to Kabal.
"I'm glad you asked. You're friend Stryker asked some of us to keep an eye out for you. Thankfully the portal you went through brought you to the spot you were taken from when... well... Kintaro burned you." He explains to Kabal about Stryker and motioning to Kabal's burns on his body.
Kabal looks at his arms and chest with a sigh before shrugging. "Yeah... shit happens, sadly. And you said Stryker asked SOME of you to keep an eye out for me? You mean there's more of you?" He asks with confusion, which causes Kurai to nod.
"Not much more, but yeah. We're a small group of people that's doing our best to combat Outworlds forces and keep them at bay. Unfortunately..." He explains before pausing and gestures to the now ruined city of New York. "Our best can only go so far." He continues as Kabal nods.
"Right. Well, where is he? Is he still alive?" Kabal asks the prince with a desperate tone as both Kurai and Sub-Zero nod their heads.
"Yes, your friend is still alive. We have a base of operations inside a church. It's not too far from here. We can take you to him if you wish?" Sub-Zero explains while Kabal quickly nods his head.
"Yes, please. And if there is anything I can do to help your group, I'll be more than happy to help." The former Black Dragon member offers to them, which causes Kurai to smile and nod.
"We'll be glad to accept any help you offer, Kabal. We'll take you to Stryker." He says to the masked man, who smiles happily under his mask before the three men start to walk away, but stop when they here loud stomping footsteps behind them.
The three of them turn around to see a female Shokan, Sheeva, walking towards them with a calm expression. Kurai wasn't expecting a fight with Sheeva, but he decides to hold her off just in case. "Sub-Zero, take Kabal with you to the church. I'll meet you all there." Kurai says to the Lin Kuei ninja, who looks at the prince to protest.
"Kurai, I can't just-!" He begins to say, but stops when Kurai glances at him from the side with a serious expression.
"I'm not asking, Sub-Zero." He tells him bluntly as Sub-Zero hesitates for a moment, but nods.
Both men take off running and leave Kurai to deal with Sheeva as the female Shokan stops just short of where Kurai is standing. "I honestly wasn't expecting to see you here, Sheeva. Is Goro in Earth Realm too?" He says politely to the female Shokan, they were enemies at the moment, yes, but even enemies can respect each other.
Then to Kurai's surprise, Sheeva kneels down on her knees and bows low to Kurai. "Sheeva? What... What are you doing? Get up, there's no need for you to bow to me." He tells her tenderly, but Sheeva shakes her head somberly.
"No, my prince, I'm afraid I must. I... I bring with me the most depressing information. I am almost unsure if I should tell you." She says to him with a dejected tone, which only makes Kurai more curious as he walks over to the female Shokan. He kneels down to her level and gently grabs her shoulders before making her look at him.
"What is it you want to tell me, Sheeva? What information do you have that is so depressing that you almost don't want to tell me?" He asks her softly as she looks at him with a saddened expression. She places her lower hands on his waist, and her upper hands on his cheeks tenderly before she takes a shuddering breath.
"Prince... I mean, Kurai... what I am about to tell you may sound... like madness, but I assure you, it's the truth." She tells him softly, making him nod his head in understanding before she leans close to his ear to whisper.
"Kurai, what are you doing?!" A voice calls to Kurai, making the prince and Sheeva look in the direction of the voice to see Smoke and Raiden running towards them. "Get away from him, Shokan!" Smoke shouts and builds up smoke in his hands to attack Sheeva, but Kurai holds his hand up to stop him as the female Shokan curses under her breath for not telling Kurai in time.
Raiden puts a tender hand on Smoke's shoulder to stop him from attacking Sheeva since to him, she and Kurai were not fighting each other. But if Smoke attacks her, that could change quickly. "Stand down, Smoke. They don't appear to be fighting. But if you attack Sheeva now, that may likely change." He calmly tells the gray Lin Kuei ninja, who looks hesitant for a moment, but nods as the smoke in his hands disappear.
Kurai looks back at Sheeva. "Ok, Sheeva, what do you have to tell me?" He asks her curiously, but his heart drops when she shakes her head and stands up, causing him to do the same.
"I'm afraid that you will find out soon enough. I've already spent too much time searching for you in this city, Kurai. I must return to Outworld quickly or Shao Kahn will question all of my clan's loyalty." She tells him and begins to walk away, but stops when Kurai grabs one of her hands.
She turns to look at him to see him with a worried expression. "Sheeva, please. You said this information was important. If this is true, you must tell me now so I can better prepare myself and the others for what's coming." He pleads with her, which causes her heart to ache before she sighs deeply and nods before leaning in again to whisper to him.
"Your mother has been resurrected, Kurai." She begins bluntly, which makes his eyes widen in disbelief before she continues. "But she is not herself, she's been... changed somehow. She's become... cruel and unforgiving. Nothing like the woman I guarded all those years ago. I suspect it to be Quan Chi's doing. She will be coming here to Earth Realm soon to confront you and your allies. When she does, do not think less of her, my prince. I beg you, Kurai... save her. Save your mother... somehow. Only you can. I know this." She finishes before kissing his forehead softly before quickly walking away through a portal back to Outworld.
Kurai then collapses to his knees as he feels he has just been punched through the chest. He trembles with each breath he takes as Raiden and Smoke run up to him to check on him. "Kurai? Are you alright, my friend? Did the Shokan do something to you?" Smoke asks him with concern, but Kurai manages to get his bearings and let out a deep breath before shaking his head.
"No, Smoke, she didn't do anything to me. But she did tell me something that I was not expecting. Not even from Shao Kahn." He tells the both of them, which causes the ninja and thunder god to look at each other in shock before looking back at Kurai.
"What did she tell you, Kurai?" Raiden asks him curiously as he, Smoke and Kurai all stand up to their feet, but the prince shakes his head.
"I'll tell you, but not here. Let's get back to the church. Kitana needs to hear this too." He tells the thunder god, who looks uncertain, but nods as he, Smoke and Kurai all quickly make their way to the church.
As they made their way back to their comrades, one thought was raging through Kurai's mind. "Mother, if what Sheeva said is true, and that you have been resurrected, then what have you become?"