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Edenia, Royal Palace, Next morning...

The next morning after the incident in the palace was eventful, to say the least. Many of the royals were clamoring and demanding that the visitors from Outworld explain themselves for why they "attacked" the palace during the banquet.

Other royals, seeing reason, came to their defense and explained that they had defended them against the demons during the attack and allowed them to escape safely from the palace. The conversation soon turned into a heated exchange between all the royals with no end to it in sight.

Kurai shakes his head with annoyance before whispering to Mileena that maybe it would be a good idea for her and her group to head back to Outworld. Edenia isn't exactly where they want to be at the moment with a riot threatening to happen.

Mileena agrees and orders Goro and the test to escort her back to Outworld until everyone in Edenia cools down. The royals soon turn their attention to Kurai and begin demanding also that he be held accountable for what had happened, but Sindel immediately jumps in to silence them.

Frustrations and tension runs high as the Queen of Edenia angrily expresses her disappointment with the royals for how they've been acting and treating Kurai. After spending a few minutes telling off the royals and telling them to go home and calm themselves, Sindel walks over to Kurai with an exhausted expression.

Kurai snorts and smiles with amusement. "I have to say, I don't think ever seen you shout and scream that much without using your screech attack. I'm genuinely surprised that it didn't slip through during that rant." He tells her with a laugh, causing her to chuckle before walking up to him and leans her head against his chest.

"By the Elder Gods, I swear all the royals can be so exhausting when they're not using their heads. But I'm tired of them thinking they can walk all over me because they restored the palace and Edenia. I don't care about the palace. Without my family, the palace isn't worth it." She tells him somberly before wrapping her arms around him and hugs him tightly.

Kurai gently wraps his arms around Sindel and hugs her back as they stand in a comfortable silence. Then Ophelia walks up to them while Jade and Kitana order the palace guards to spread out and search for anyone that may not have escaped the palace in time.

"Sindel? I hate to interrupt your moment with Kurai, but may I speak to him alone for a moment?" She asks hesitantly as Sindel looks up at Kurai then back to her old friend.

She nods then places a kiss on Kurai's cheek before patting his chest softly. "We can talk later." She tells him with a smile, causing him to nod and smile in return before she walks away to help with the guards.

Kurai walks up to Ophelia with a curious expression, but begins to feel worried when he sees the look of slight panic on the Rebel Captain's face. "Ophelia? What is it? What's wrong?" He asks her with concern as she looks at him worriedly.

Looking to make sure Sindel, Kitana and Jade weren't nearby, she leans in close and whispers to him. "I got a report from one of my rebels last night before the demon attack. Tanya's missing. We don't know where she is." She whispers urgently as Kurai looks at her in shock.

Then an Edenia guard runs over to Sindel then takes a knee to bow. "My Queen. We have visitors." He informs her as she sighs with frustration before looking at the guard curiously.

"Who are they?" She asks him.

"They're from Earth Realm. I'm assuming they're friends of the Prince. They're with Raiden." He answers, shocking Sindel before she nods and orders the guard to send them her way. She then looks over at Kurai and calls him over.

"Kurai! We have more guests! They're your friends from Earth Realm and Raiden is with them!" She says to him, confusing him and Ophelia before they walk over to her just as Raiden approaches them with Jax and Sonya behind him.

Raiden approaches Kurai and shakes his hand with a friendly smile. "Kurai, my friend, it's good to see you again. And I'm glad you're all safe." He tells him with relief before Kurai shakes Jax's hand while Sonya hugs him.

Kurai then turns his full attention to Raiden. "Not that I'm not happy to you guys, but what's this about? Why are you here?" He asks the thunder god curiously, which causes Raiden to glance at Sonya.

She takes a step forward with a tablet in her hands and brings up a recording before handing the tablet to Kurai. "We're here, Kurai, because of a message that was given to us last night when a ship patrolling the Hudson River was attacked by demons. And the message we received... was directed to you." She explains with a worried tone, which confuses Kurai before Sonya plays the recording.

The recording was from a body cam of an Earth Realm Special Forces soldier that was stationed on the tanker ship that was patrolling the Hudson River just outside New York City. The visual footage is blurry due to the heavy rain, but everyone paying attention to the recording could hear the audio fine.

A few minutes into the recording, Kurai and the group suddenly hears loud inhuman roars from the demons as gunfire and screams of terror could soon be heard. The soldier eventually finds himself inside the ship but the lights are all off, leaving the soldier to rely on the flashlight attached to his assault rifle to see where he's going.

Kurai can't tell where the soldier eventually ends up, but it's clear to him and the others that he is beginning to panic from the way his breathing sounded, as though he was hyperventilating. The visual is unfortunately still blurry from the droplets of water still on the cam but the soldier eventually comes across what appears to be a man in a narrow hallway.

"Freeze! Stay where you are! Do not take another step, pal!" The soldier shouts at the man, but he doesn't seem to listen if the soldier's next reaction is any indication.

"I said freeze! Don't take another step! DON'T-" The soldier shouts and opens fire on the man but apparently misses and sounds of a struggle ensues before the soldier is brutally knocked to the floor. Kurai and the others couldn't see what was happening but they could hear it.

The soldier screamed in pain while he was being brutalized and beaten by the unknown man until eventually he eventually stops and allows the soldier to sit up against the wall inside the ship, his breathing shallow and labored. "Who... Who are you? Why are you attacking us?" The soldier asks through pained breaths.

The body cam captures the man kneeling down in front of the soldier, but Kurai can't see his face, the visual was still blurry and had become damaged during the struggle. The man answers and it's a voice that Kurai instantly recognized. "Who I am is none of your concern. You're not the one I'm after." The mysterious man says as the soldier coughs.

"What...? Then... Then why are you-"

BANG!

Kurai and the group, minus Raiden, Jax, and Sonya, all jump from the gunshot they heard from the video. Even though the soldier was now dead, the body cam was still recording the scene. "Are you listening? I hope you are. Because you're next. Come and find me, Kurai. I'll be waiting. I won't lose to you again. Not this time." The man says before another gunshot goes off, this time destroying the body cam and ending the recording.

Kurai looks up in shock at Raiden. He recognizes the voice, as does Raiden, but it shouldn't be possible. The man is supposed to be dead. "Kurai, do you have any idea who this assailant is? Or why he attacked the ship with the demons?" Sonya asks him curiously, but Kurai keeps his shocked expression focused on Raiden.

"Raiden, it's impossible. He's dead. We both know this. Shao Kahn killed him after he betrayed him during the tournament in Outworld." Kurai explains to the thunder god with an almost angered tone as Raiden nods with understanding.

"Yes, Kurai, I know. But it stands to reason that he has somehow been brought back to life. Although, I'm afraid I don't know how." Raiden answers somberly as Jax and Sonya feel slightly irritated that Sonya's question was ignored.

"Ok, yeah, hello? Kurai, who are we talking about here? Who is this guy?" She asks him seriously before Kurai looks over at her and Jax.

"You don't know who he is, Sonya, but he is a threat. And a dangerous one." He begins ominously. "I don't know how, but Percival Silva is still alive." He says to them, shocking Jade and Kitana as they only had brief interactions with the former Dark Wu Shi Temple Master during his time in Outworld. However, that time was relatively short lived when Silva rashly, and foolishly, betrayed Shao Kahn out of arrogance and paid the price for it.

As far as Jade and Kitana were aware, Silva had been taken to the Dead Pool beneath the dungeons in the Shao Kahn's palace and was left to die after Kurai had crippled him in the tournament. But someone must have infiltrated the palace and took Silva's body before bringing him back to life. But who resurrected him to begin with and why bring him back at all unless they had something planned for him?

Kurai shakes his head dejectedly before handing the tablet back to Sonya and walks away with an irritated sigh. "It's just one fucking thing after another. Of all people, why Silva...?" He whispers quietly as Raiden walks up to him and pats him on the back.

"Never fear, Kurai. Remember, unlike before, you're not alone in the fight anymore. You've got allies that will help you." He reassures the prince, causing him to smile before looking at the others, who all nod with reassuring smiles.

Kurai loses his smile and glances down at the ground before looking back up at Raiden. "I'm assuming you also came here to ask me to come back with you to Earth Realm?" He rhetorically asks the thunder god, who nods.

Kurai nods and continues. "Who else are we bringing into this? I imagine that you want to bring Liu Kang or Kung Lao into this, right?" He asks curiously, but shockingly, Raiden shakes his head, surprising Kurai.

"No, Kurai. That was my initial intention, but Liu Kang and Kung Lao have recommended Kai to accompany you on the journey. And I agree with them fully. Kai has come a long way in his training and is willing to help. I asked him to prepare himself before I left the Wu Shi Academy to come here." The thunder god explains as Kurai nods his head when a thought pops in his head.

"Alright, Raiden, I'll go with you. But we'll need to bring Drake into this as well. I'm sure he'll be more than happy to help if Silva is still around." He offers Raiden, but the thunder god was hesitant. He remembers how Drake was treated by Silva while he was held prisoner in Outworld. He worries that Drake will be more focused on revenge than helping the others, but Kurai senses Raiden's hesitation and continues.

"Raiden, trust me. Drake may still feel sour from how Silva treated him, but he has always cared more about his friends than seeking revenge on others that have wronged him. It's one of the reasons why I've been friends with him for so long." He reassures Raiden with a confident smile.

Raiden, feeling a little more confident now, nods his head while smiling. "Very well, Kurai. Clean yourself up and we'll leave. We'll grab Drake and Kai then Sonya will inform you on what she and the Special Forces has planned." He says to him, causing Kurai to nod and walk away.

But Kurai pauses when he sees Jade and a thought flashes through his mind. "You waited too damn long, Kurai, and everything is happening so fast. It's not ideal to tell her now, but you have to at least give her a clue or hint. I'm sorry, Tanya, but if you're missing, Ophelia and I will have to tell Jade, Kitana and my mother." He says to himself before walking towards Jade.

Jade notices him walking over to her and grows concerned when she sees the look on his face. He walks up to her with an expression of urgency. "I can't be long. I'm leaving soon with Raiden, but can we talk a moment?" He asks her seriously, which causes her to nod as she looks at him with concern.

She and Kurai walk away from the rest of the group as Sindel informs Raiden, Sonya and Jax what had happened last night during the banquet. Jade looks Kurai worriedly before she gently grabs his hand.

"What's wrong, Kurai? Are you alright?" She asks him with concern. He nods before he begins to speak.

"Jade, I..." He begins to say, but pauses and growls with frustration when he struggles to find the words to tell her about Tanya. So he decides to take a different approach that he hopes will soften the blow when he finally tells her.

"Jade... do you trust me?" He asks her, which confuses her but decides to answer anyway.

"Of course I do. You know that. Kurai, what's going on?" She asks him with concern as she gently squeezes his hand.

Kurai brings her hand up and kisses it softly before he continues. "Then... Listen, there's something I have to tell you. I've desperately tried to find the right time to tell you, but I waited too long. Now, I'm afraid that if I do or don't tell you or if you find out on your own, you'll never forgive me." He tells her somberly as he lowers his head.

Now Jade was more concerned as she sees the mixture of emotions showing on Kurai's face. "Kurai, hey, it's alright. You don't have to tell me right now. With everything that's going on at the moment, it can wait. Whatever it is." She tells him tenderly before placing a hand on his cheek.

Kurai sighs with a nod and smiles before kissing her hand. "Please, just... if, IF, you somehow find out on your own. Just know that... that I did not keep it a secret to hurt you. I did because... because I was protecting a friend." He explains as Jade nods with understanding and smiles.

"Kurai, I know full well the type of person you are. Whatever the secret is, whether you tell me or I find out on my own, I promise to hear you out. You have my word." She promises him then kisses him softly.

Kurai smiles and nods again, but was still uncertain. "I hope you do, Jade. I really do." He thinks to himself before kissing her one last time before leaving to clean himself up and leave with Raiden, Sonya and Jax.

Kitana, meanwhile, watched Kurai leave and looks over at Sindel with a worried expression. She wants to talk with her brother before he leaves, but hesitates and shakes her head before walking away, but hopes things will work out. "I'll talk to him when he gets back. It'll be fine. It has to be." She thinks somewhat confidently to herself, but was still feeling uneasy.


1 Hour Later, Earth Realm, Dark Wu Shi Academy...

Raiden appears in a flash of lightning inside the Dark Wu Shi Academy and watches as Kurai quickly runs off to find Drake. He, Jax and Sonya don't move from the spot and just wait for Kurai to return.

Kurai runs towards the training grounds, but doesn't find him there. He decides to try his room next and runs in that direction. Along the way, Kurai bumps into Drake, who was on his way to the training yard to continue his daily training. But seeing Kurai here at the academy unexpectedly was very surprising for the young blonde.

"Kurai? What... What's going on? What are you doing here?" He asks with a surprised tone since Kurai never makes a surprise visit, at least not like this.

"I'll explain soon. But first, we've got to talk to Han. Raiden is here with Jax and Sonya. They need our help. It's important." Kurai tells him urgently, which shocks Drake for a moment, but nods anyway and walks with Kurai to speak to Han.

Kurai and Drake head towards the main temple to find Han in his usual spot inside the temple. The two walk towards him while he was sipping his morning tea before he notices them. Han looks at Kurai with a confused expression and was about to ask why he was back at the academy, but Kurai spoke first.

"Han, I don't have a lot of time to explain so I'll make this quick. Edenia and a ship here in Earth Realm were both attacked last night by demons from the Nether Realm. Raiden has asked for my help to figure out why and I'm asking you to allow Drake to come with me. And besides the attack, the demons weren't alone. Percival Silva was with them and aided in the attack on the ship. He's been resurrected, but we don't know how." He explains as best as he possibly could as both Han and Drake's eyes widen in shock after hearing that Silva is still alive.

Han knew that Kurai would not be here at the academy for long, but he really needed a moment to process that information. After taking a few moments to calm himself, Han nods and looks at Kurai seriously. "Alright, Kurai. Drake, go with him and help Raiden. If Silva has been resurrected then there are dark forces at work here and we've been allowing it to happen without realizing." He says as Kurai and Drake both nod before the Grandmaster continues.

"You two better get going, but be vigilant. If Silva is back, he'll no doubt have a deep grudge against both of you. Look after one another... and be careful." The older man says to them with concern, causing Kurai and Drake to nod before bowing respectfully to Han before quickly exiting the temple.

As they leave, Han sighs deeply and shakes his head with disappointment. "Oh, Percival, what have you gotten yourself into this time?" He quietly asks somberly while he sadly thinks of his old student. Whatever was going on, things were moving quickly. Too quickly. And if dark forces were operating all this time right under their noses without any of them realizing, then he dreads to imagine how far they've come during that time.

Han can only hope that Kurai and the others will be able to stop them before they can progress any further.


Moments Later, Wu Shi Academy...

After Kurai brings Drake with him to Raiden, the group doesn't waste time with happy reunion as Raiden teleports them to the Wu Shi Academy in China. There, they find Liu Kang and Kung Lao waiting for them with Kai, the young man that Liu Kang took under his wing to teach him the ways of the Shaolin.

Kai approaches Raiden and bows respectfully before standing beside him with the others. Raiden just nods as no other words were said while Kurai looks over at Liu Kang and Kung Lao as the three of them nod to each other before Raiden and the group teleport away.

The two Shaolin monks look up at the sky and sigh deeply before looking at each other with concern. They have all the faith in the world in their friends, but with the way things are moving so quickly, they're worried that they have been severely caught off guard after what Raiden had told them.

They can only hope and pray that this whole situation is resolved before things potentially get worse.


Earth Realm Special Forces Base, Just Outside New York City...

Raiden and the group appears in the middle of the Special Forces base, surprising everyone but quickly relax when they see Sonya and Jax with Raiden, but they don't recognize Kurai, Drake or Kai, and that put them on edge.

Until a voice rang out. "Kurai, Drake, Kai? Hey, guys!" A male voice calls out to the three of them. They turn to see Johnny Cage walking up to them with a bright smile on his face before he embraces each of them in a hug.

"How've you guys been? It's been a while." Cage says to them happily, causing the three young men to laugh while the Special Forces soldiers all relax from Cage's interaction with them.

"We've been ok, Cage. Just been busy." Drake explains as Kurai and Kai nod, which Cage nods his head and is about to ask another question, but Sonya interrupts.

"Sorry, boys, but we don't have time to catch up with each other. We've got business to discuss. Come on. We need to brief you guys in on what we're going to do." She says to them, patting Kai on the back before heading into the base with Jax and Raiden following close behind her.

Kurai, Drake, Kai and Cage all look at each other and chuckle before shaking their heads then follow them into the base.

Once inside the base, Sonya leads them all into a command center where she and Jax began to spend the next few hours of briefing Kurai, Drake and Kai on what they will be doing, where they're headed, and what they should do when they get there.

The tanker ship that was attacked by the demons had gone radio silent and all communications were cut off after one of the last remaining soldiers had informed them that there barely any survivors left. After that, the ship just went dark and it's now dead in the water in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

After that is when Sonya called upon Raiden and asked him to find Kurai and ask him for help, along with anyone else who might be willing to.

"Ok, so when do we head out, Sonya? If there are any survivors left, shouldn't we be heading to the Atlantic, right now? What are we sitting around for?" Drake asks Sonya curiously. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense to Drake to be waiting to make a move when there might still be lives at stake. Kurai and Kai both glance at Sonya, having a strong feeling on what her answer was going to be.

Unfortunately for them, they were both right. Sonya sadly shakes her head. "Unfortunately, Drake... we are still waiting for word from Washington on what we should do. If there are no survivors left or if they feel that the ship is too much of a security liability, they'll decide to..." She explains to them before trailing off.

Kurai walks up to her and places a gentle hand on her shoulder. "They'll decide to what, Sonya?" He asks her with concern, wondering what the people in Washington told her.

Sonya looks up at Kurai with sadness then sighs dejectedly. "If the ship has become a security liability and there are no survivors, then they'll decide to... damn it... they'll send in fighter jets to blow the ship out of the water." She finally answers, shocking Kurai, Drake and Kai.

"Wait, Sonya. What if there are survivors but they don't have access to a radio? What if they're lying in wait to make sure that the communications equipment is still working before they make contact? There's just... there are too many possibilities to consider. What if the President makes the wrong decision?" Kai asks with concern as Sonya nods at the prospect.

Jax then walks up to Kai and pats him on the back. "Look, brother, we hear you, alright? We do. But Sonya and I are still soldiers of the U.S. government. We may have our own private military group, but the Earth Realm Special Forces is funded by not just the U.S., but also the entire world's governments. Our hands are tied here, buddy. We just have to wait." Jax says somberly before walking back over to his spot.

Kai and Drake both lower their heads dejectedly, but Kurai had a thought come into his head. "Your hands might be, Jax. But Drake, Kai and I? We're not soldiers of the U.S. government." He says to them slyly, shocking Sonya and Jax as Drake and Kai look up with hope.

"So, technically speaking, we can do what we want without having to wait for the President's decision. If there are still survivors on that ship, then we have to at least take the chance to find out before we make a decision that we'll most likely regret. Like they say, better to ask forgiveness than permission." Kurai continues as Drake and Kai glance at each other and nod.

Jax and Sonya look at each other, both pondering whether they should agree to this or not, even though Kurai did have a point. They're asking for his help for a reason. They didn't bring him back to Earth Realm just to wait for a decision from a man he doesn't answer to.

With knowing looks, they both nod to each other then look at the three young men while Raiden smiles.

"Right. Well, screw it. The President can deal with our decision since America has to deal with his decisions." Sonya says with a amused grin, which causes the group to laugh before walking out of the room to prepare themselves for what's to come.


8 Hours Later, Above the Atlantic Ocean...

After handing them radio communicators to keep in touch, Sonya, Jax and Raiden sent Kurai, Drake and Kai on their way to the middle of the Atlantic by helicopter. But not before telling them to be extra cautious while they're there.

Drake asked why Raiden couldn't just teleport them in before they left, but the thunder god explained to him that if there are still any demons onboard the ship, they'll sense his presence just from him teleporting them to the ship. It would quickly draw too much unnecessary attention to themselves if they did that. The idea for now is to find any and all survivors before establishing radio contact for pick up.

So the helicopter was the best approach since the new helicopters that the Special Forces have now are much more silent than others for stealth operations and can fly greater distances. Which is exactly what Kurai, Drake and Kai are now riding in while heading towards the ship that is now dead in the Atlantic.

After sitting for many hours waiting in anticipation for what's to come, the three young men notice that the sky has grown darker along the way, and a vicious rain storm suddenly comes from no where. Kurai makes his way to the cockpit to see the rain hitting the glass of the helicopter while thunder and lightning crash in the distance.

During the lightning strikes, Kurai can see the silhouetted shape of the ship in the distance as the thunderstorm sets the tone of this next journey. He glances at the thunderstorm with a determined expression as the helicopter draws closer to the ship.

All the while violent lightning strikes flash across the dark sky and the rain heavily falls down on the helicopter.