Chapter Eight: The Champions Reunite

As they walked down a hallway within the Special Forces Base, Lieutenant Sonya Blade was updating her companion on the current situation. Said companion, a former Lin Kuei named Kuai Liang, listened quietly to the blonde as she explained. "We finally got some new info on this "Red Dragon" clan. Apparently, they've been spotted somewhere in South America. More specifically, someplace called the Botan Jungle."

Kuai nodded his head. "I see. I have heard of that place. It has been abandoned for many years, yes?"

"That's right. A few locals claimed to have seen some men in red cloaks heading in the direction of the jungle."

"Is there anything of value within the Botan Jungle?"

"I don't think so." Sonya placed a hand under her chin. "I mean, there is this old temple up there, but it's pretty much run-down."

"The Temple of Argus." Both Kuai and Sonya stopped when an unexpected voice interrupted their conversation. Behind them, Lord Raiden stood with his arms folded and he bowed his head to his two champions. "Greetings Sonya Blade. Kuai Liang."

Kuai bowed his head in return to the thunder god. "Lord Raiden. It is good to see you."

"Yeah." Placing her hands on her hips, Blade looked at Raiden with an arched brow. "But I thought you had some business to take care of."

"Indeed, I did. And it has been handled, Lieutenant."

Suddenly, a gust of wind flew past Sonya and Kuai and the two watched as it began to form into the shape of a man. A pair of legs was the first to come into view followed by the upper body and then finally, the head. Standing by Raiden's side now was a slim, yet muscular man who seemed to share the same stoic expression as Earthrealm's protector. But that soon change when the man smiled kindly at Kuai and Sonya. "By "business", I do believe you are referring to me."

Raiden then motioned his hand to Kuai. "Fujin, this is Kuai Liang. As I recall, you encountered his brother, the former Sub-Zero, in the past."

"Yes, Raiden." Fujin held out his hand to Kuai Liang. "My condolences to you. May your brother one day find peace."

Kuai Liang frowned as he shook Fujin's hand. "Thank you, but...you said you have met my brother before?"

"Indeed, I have. You may recall the incident at the Temple of Elements, where your brother fought against the temple's guardians. Earth, Water, Fire, and —" Fujin summoned a rush of winds that coiled around his form like snakes, but they quickly diminished as fast as they came. "Wind."

His eyes widening, Kuai finally realized who Fujin really was. "You are...the wind god. I thought the name "Fujin" sounded familiar. But to be honest, I had believed you would harbor ill will against Bi-han and... me."

Fujin chuckled. "No, of course not." The wind god patted Kuai on his shoulder. "Especially in your case. You had nothing to do with what happened that day. As for your brother...well, I suppose I was disappointed in myself for allowing him to escape with Shinnok's amulet. But I also could not help but admire his fighting spirit. His determination. He was truly a great warrior."

"Yes..." Kuai Liang trailed off and looked away from the wind god. It hurt him to think that the brother he had looked up to for all these years was now an undead servant of Quan Chi. The former Sub-Zero, now known as Noob Saibot, even lost the powers that defined him and Kuai, the power of cryomancy. Kuai Liang could suddenly feel the urge to call upon the ice to do his bidding. To bend it and wield it as he so desires. For a moment, Kuai was sure those intrusive thoughts were going to win.

"Kuai." A hand on his arm pulled the cryomancer back to reality and Kuai could see the concerned look on Sonya's face. "...It's okay."

Confused as to why the blonde said that Kuai Liang looked to where Sonya's hand was placed on his arm and noticed how his own hand was covered in ice. He must have unconsciously called upon his cryomancer powers. With a sigh, Kuai commanded the ice to recede from his hand and crossed his arms. "...Forgive me."

Sonya smirked and nudged the cryomancer with her elbow playfully. "Don't worry about it, tough guy. I won't tell anyone."

"And you must be the lovely Sonya Blade." Fujin bowed his head to Sonya. "Raiden has told me much about you as well, Lieutenant."

Sonya raised a brow. "Oh really? I hope all good things."

"Why, of course. My brother would never speak ill of any of his champions."

A very audible gasp suddenly echoed throughout the hallway, and the four warriors each turned to face Johnny Cage, who stood pointing at Fujin with his mouth wide open. "Y... You're his...and you—!" Cage then pointed to Raiden. "You and him and—!" The actor could only sputter words as he furiously pointed back and forth between the two gods. Kuai Liang only shook his head at the display while Sonya sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"And I assume this is the famous Johnny Cage, Raiden?" Fujin snickered while looking at Raiden, who was so used to Johnny's antics that he did not react to them anymore. Not like the thunder god reacted much to anything in the first place.

"K-Kabal!" Johnny Cage suddenly shouted for another of Earthrealm's champions, who was by the actor's side in a millisecond. The speedster was not wearing his signature mask, which at first was a necessity as it provided air to Kabal's damaged lungs. But now that he had his own special respirator that hung around his neck, Kabal only wore his mask when he was out on a mission. He had to protect his pretty face, the speedster would say, even though some would consider his burned flesh a grotesque sight.

"What's up, Cage? Something wrong?"

Johnny pointed to Fujin once more. "Brother. He is. To Raiden."

It took Kabal a moment to understand what the actor was saying, but once he did, he too gasped and turned to Raiden. "Holy shit, Raiden! You have a brother!?"

Now Fujin burst into full blown laughter. It was hilarious seeing his brother's champions so shocked about this simple revelation. "Indeed, my friends. I am known as Fujin, the god of wind."

"You know—" Kabal looked between Raiden and Fujin and placed his hand under his chin in thought. "I can kinda see the family resemblance. Wait a sec..." The speedster's eyes slowly widened, and his gaze fell back onto Raiden. "Do you have hair!? This whole time, I thought you were bald!"

Johnny shrugged at that. "I mean, he could be bald under there. He probably cut his hair, is all."

"Come on, Cage! You don't have hair that nice and then cut it!" Kabal was referring to Fujin's long white hair, which was currently pulled back into a braid. "Raiden, I thought I knew you!"

"Okay, boys! Meeting. NOW." Motioning her head towards the doors beside her, Sonya stopped Cage and Kabal from interrogating the two gods any further. "Everyone else should already be inside, so go." The blonde then placed her hand on a scanner on the wall next to the doors, and once her identify was confirmed, the doors slid open. "Move it."
The two men groaned, but they obeyed Sonya without much protest. "Yes ma'am."

When Johnny and Kabal disappeared inside the meeting room, Sonya shook her head. "It's like I'm on a team with children."

"Ahem."

"Not you, Kuai."

"Thank you."

Sonya laughed at Kuai Liang and the two soon entered the meeting room themselves followed by Raiden and Fujin. Inside, most of the other Champions of Light were present. Johnny and Kabal had joined Officer Kurtis Stryker, Kabal's partner in the police force. Kung Lao soon joined the trio followed by his cousin and the current champion of Mortal Kombat, Liu Kang. Jackson Briggs, who was Sonya's commanding officer, was conversating with the two cyborgs of the team.

The yellow cyber ninja, Cyrax, was typing something on the large computer in the middle of the room. However, the dark blue cyborg known as Hydro just stood next to him, mostly leaving the talking to Cyrax and Jax. He looked away from the two fighters when he heard the entrance doors open and if not for his cybernetic boy, he would have smiled at Kuai Liang. It was always a relief for Hydro to see his students considering that they had their fair share of enemies to look out for.

Kuai instantly approached the blue cyborg's direction and bowed his head. "Greetings, Sifu."

"Greetings, Kuai. It is good to see you. And in one piece, of course."

Kuai chuckled. "I hope to keep it that way in the days to come."

"As do I." Hydro crossed his arms, and when he spoke again, his voice took a more serious tone. "So... any changes?"

Knowing what the cyborg was referring to, Kuai Liang's smile faltered and was replaced with a deep frown. "...No. Nothing."

Hydro sighed and slowly nodded. "I see."

"Alright everyone, listen up!" Kuai and Hydro's conversation was interrupted by Sonya's voice demanding to have the champions' attention. The two warriors decided to continue their talk later, so they could listen to what Blade had to say. "Before we head out, I think it would be best that we go over the details of our mission one more time. Cyrax."

Immediately, Cyrax typed something into the computer and soon after, a holographic image appeared above it. The hologram depicted a large model of the Botan Jungle, and it slowly spun around so that everyone could see it from every angle. Now standing next to Sonya, Jax looked around the room for a moment before he started to speak. "Okay, after the whole incident in Prague...which we're still investigating—" Jax whispered the last part but quickly continued. "We've discovered an organization known as the Red Dragon clan. Kabal was able to fill us in about this clan's origins."

"What little I know anyway." Kabal sighed. "Look, sometime before I left the Black Dragon, a few of our guys suddenly decided they didn't want to work for Kano anymore. Said they were going to do things their way and be their own bosses. One of them was this guy named Mavado, a total asshole if you ask me." The speedster looked down at his hands. "I lost a great pair of hook swords to that bastard."

Johnny Cage frowned as he spoke to Kabal. "So, this Mavado guy is the one calling the shots for the Red Dragon?"

Kabal shook his head. "I don't think so. Mavado's never been one for "subtlety". I'm sure he's a part of it, but...someone else pulling the strings."

"Yeah... you're right." Everyone's gaze instantly went to the entrance, where a surprising figure could be seen leaning against the wall next to the doors. He was looking down at the floor, but the bags under his eyes were still evident. He was exhausted and that was clear even his voice, each word sounding strained and drawn out. Slowly, he raised his head and gave an awkward wave to his comrades. "Hey everyone. You guys weren't going to have all the fun without me, ri—?"

Before he could finish his sentence, Johnny, Kabal, and Kung Lao tackled the poor man to the ground and forced him into a bone-crushing group hug.

"Tomas, you crazy son of a bitch!" Kabal shouted to the dazed Tomas, who was struggling to breathe under the pressure of his friends' embrace.

"Thank God! Or gods...anyway, we've missed you, dude!" Cage expressed his joy for the silver-haired man's return.

"Can you stay away from the brink of death for one day?" And Kung Lao expressed his mild annoyance over Tomas' recent near-death experience. But honestly, the monk was just as overjoyed as anyone to see his ally alive and well.

Tomas let out a chuckle. "N-Nice to see you guys too. Now please...let me go."

After realizing that they were doing a little too much, the three men quickly released the silver-haired man and helped him to his feet while apologizing. Johnny suddenly frowned as he looked at Tomas. "Hey, I'm glad you're up but...maybe you should rest a bit longer. You look—"

"—like shit."

Rolling his eyes, Tomas knew instantly who had insulted him and he smirked. "Beats being a walking air conditioner."

Kuai Liang crossed his arms and sighed. "But Johnny is right. You should be resting now."

"Maybe." Tomas stuck his hands in his hoodie pockets. "But after what happened last night, I don't have time to rest." The silver-haired man expected more protests from his comrades, but instead an uncomfortable silence filled the room. He looked over his friends one by one in confusion. "Is something wrong?"

"Tomas." Breaking the silence, Hydro slowly approached Tomas and grabbed his student's shoulder. "I do not believe you understand just how much time has passed, boy."

"Wait, what do you mean, Sifu? Was I in a... coma or something?"

"...You could say that."

Tomas' eyes widened and he placed his hands on the back of his head. "Oh gods, I've missed whole years of my life and —"

"Wha—NO!" Facepalming herself, Sonya took a deep breath before explaining things to Tomas. "Look Tomas, you've been out of it for a week, okay? Last night for you was days ago to us."

"A week? It's already been a week?" Tomas shook his head. "Wait, what...what about Delia? Is she okay!? I remember—!"

Raising his hand to stop Tomas, Raiden calmly answered the silver-haired man's questions. "She is alright. It is because of her that we know as much as we do. But she was adamant about sharing her knowledge in further detail until you awoke from your slumber."

Tomas placed a hand on his chest and breathed a sigh of relief. He was glad to hear that Delia was alright. However, he could not help but worry about Pyros' well-being too. The silver-haired man was sure that Pyros had escaped before his friends showed up to rescue him and Delia. Tomas just had to pray the pyromancer would appear out of nowhere at a random time like he usually does.

"Okay...well, I'm up, so let's hurry and talk to her—"

"Woah, woah, woah." Hydro grabbed Tomas' arm before he could leave the room. "Easy, boy. One step at a time."

Tomas clenched his teeth and pulled his arm out of Hydro's grasp. "There IS no time, Sifu!" The silver-haired man ran a hand through his hair. "This is all my fault! I should've done more to stop them! But everything happened so fast with this Red Dragon, and then Daegon—!"

"Daegon?" In a gale of wind, Fujin appeared before Tomas, who took a step back from the wind god. Fujin realized that his sudden action must have startled the former Lin Kuei. "My apologies, but I need to know. Were you referring to Daegon, the youngest son of Argus?"

"Y-Yeah, but um...who are you again?"

Raiden teleported in between Tomas and Fujin in a flash of lightning. "Tomas, please. Are you absolutely certain you saw Daegon?"

"Yes!" Tomas practically shouted at the thunder god. "Me and Delia saw...wait—" He stopped mid-sentence and frowned. "Did Delia not tell you about Daegon? What exactly has she told you?"

Kabal sighed and shrugged. "The bare minimum, man. Like Raiden said, she didn't want to really talk to us until you were up. But anyway, this Daegon guy. You said he's one of Argus' sons, right? Wasn't Argus a god or something?"

"Yes, and the former protector of Edenia." Fujin explained to Kabal. "Unfortunately, he perished during Shao Kahn's invasion of the realm. It was believed that his family was lost as well."

Kabal nodded his head. "Yeah, I remember you talking about him, Raiden. But I guess the whole story about the family being dead has been proven false, huh?"

The room fell silent once again, but it did not last as Johnny was the one to break it this time. "Wait, so if that's the case...then what about his other son?" The actor placed a finger under his chin. "What was his name? Frank? No, no, that's not it. Alexander? Xavier?" Then, as if a light bulb went off in his head, Cage's eyes widened, and he smiled. "I got it! It was Steven!"

Almost everyone in the room groaned loudly at Johnny's exclamation. Tomas just chuckled. "It's Taven, Johnny." His face grew serious again. "But you might be right. Daegon did say he was looking for Taven. He said something about them being separated for some quest..."

Tomas trailed off as he thought back to his meeting with the demi-god at the Red Dragon's stronghold. Maybe he should have taken the time to listen to Daegon's story. But the silver-haired man had been so focused on finding answers about his past at the time.

"Look, everyone." Tomas was pulled from his thoughts by Sonya's voice addressing her fellow champions. "This is all a lot to take in, I know. But as Tomas said, we don't have much time. We need to head out to the Botan Jungle before the Red Dragon disappear again."

"Right. So, let's get going—"

"You're not going ANYWHERE, Tomas." Sonya pointed a finger at Tomas and spoke to him in a firm tone. "You can help us get answers from Delia later, but for this, I'm putting my foot down. You'll stay here and rest until you're a hundred percent, got it?"

"But Sonya—"

"This argument is a waste of time." A trail of smoke suddenly surrounded the group and it soon formed into the body of a man. The newcomer ran a hand through his long, crimson hair and smirked. "I think we both know that Tomas is not one to stay still. Would you not agree, Blade?"

Rolling her eyes, Sonya arched a brow at the red-haired man. "Enenra."

"Always a pleasure, Lieutenant."

The blonde scoffed. "...You're not going to let us leave Tomas behind, are you?"

Enenra shrugged. "Who knows? After all, I am a demon. I cannot be trusted, yes?" The demon laughed and Sonya could have sworn she saw Enenra's eyes glow for a second.

Annoyed, the lieutenant shook her head and put her hands on her hips. "...Fine." She then looked back at Tomas. "Fine. You can come. But when we get back—" Sonya glanced over at Enenra. "I got words for you, asshole."

Enenra, who was not at all intimidated by the blonde's words, nodded his head. "Yes, ma'am. Looking forward to it."

"Just one more thing before we go." Tomas held up a finger as he talked. "Um...where's Jade?"