An uneasy tension fills the dark synagogue, the news each share fills the grand building with more dread.

Jackson Briggs: Missing, presumed to be killed by Outworld world Forces.

Jade: Killed by Outworld Forces.

Kabal: Killed by Outworld Forces.

Curtis Stryker: Killed by Outworld Forces.

Tomas Vrbada: Killed by Outworld Forces.

Raiden's Amulet has continued to crack.

All who remain contribute to the Temples melancholic atmosphere. Sub Zero is the first to resume speaking

"Tom... Smoke warned me his assailant knew of Stryker's rendezvous, they must know of our hideout, we must remain vigilant.

Liu Kang turns to Kitana, "It looks like you have something to say, is everything alright?"

Kitana answers, her voice gloomy. "Our comrade's killer is my mother, Sindel. She has been reincarnated and brainwashed by Shao Kahn to help his invasion."

Raiden and Nightwolf glance at one another, then to Kitana, concern briefly shows on their stoic faces.

Kitana continues, her voice now more apologetic than gloomy, "I should have said so earlier but I-

Raiden cuts Kitana off, his voice reassuring. "There is no need to apologize, all that matters is you found the strength to tell us before it mattered."

Raiden continues, "I must go, it is urgent I speak to the Elder Gods about my amulet. Nightwolf will lead the group until then."

Before he can leave, Liu Kang approaches, he questions Raiden.

"May I join you Lord Raiden? I have my own concerns I wish to bring forward to the Elder Gods."

A slight scowl develops on Liu Kangs face as he mentions the Elder Gods.

Raiden contemplates for several seconds and responds, "Very well Liu Kang, but it must be brief."

Liu Kang bows, "Thank you, Lord Raiden."

Liu Kang turns and smiles warmly at Kitana.

Raiden and Liu Kang disappear with a powerful flash.

Johnny Cage breaks the silence, " Anyone else notice our champ look annoyed when he brought up the Elder God's?"

"I cannot blame him. He is losing faith, our luck has soured since Kung Lao's tragic fate in the coliseum." Nightwolf responds, softening his words out of respect for Kung Lao.

Kitana continues Nightwolf's poibt, "He's had his entire worldview shattered, his faith in the Elder God's, and even if only a little, his faith in Raiden."

Nightwolf affirms Kitana with a nod.

Kitana continues, "When he smiled at me before he left, his eyes looked, tired and uncertain."

Sonya begins to speak, but Johnny interrupts her. "We all have that look right now, especially you Princess. Your makeup looks so smudged from that cry- oowww!"

Sonya elbows Johnny in the ribs hard, glaring daggers at him.

Kitana sighs, "Crude comment aside, Cage is right, knowing my mother has been revived by Shao Kahn to be a tool in his invasion and that she has been killing my friends, it makes the burden of protecting the realms from Kahn's konquest... far heavier."

A raspy mechanic chirp, directs the attention to Sub Zero.

"My apologies for that horrible noise, my voice is still weak. I sympathize and feel what you have described, Princess. I am still at odds that my friend, closer to me than my own brother is gone and that because of interference in the timeline, I live the fate he was spared."

Sonya's features soften, she nods solemnly. " I've seen wars and bloodbaths, I always thought I'd take on anything even losing... Jax, but... an interrealm war where our defeat could domino effect to the destruction of all worlds, is something I've never considered could even happen."

Johnny Cage looks to the ground nervously and speaks tentatively, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "OK, I'm also a little uncertain and maybe my world has been turned upside down. I might also be little shaken up that a giant centaur almost trampled me to death and that I'm only alive because a Thunder God flying tackled him off the bridge."

"Do you have something, Nightwolf?" Sonya questions.

"I am fortunate I have not shared those same life changing experiences all you have. But I give my condolences; perhaps this moment of clarity and realization were what you needed to take some of that burden off your shoulders."

Nightwolf continues this time to himself, "Perhap's Haokah chose me to lead for that reason."

"That's great that we had this little therapy session and all, but didn't Sub Zero say that Sindel intercepted Stryker and Smoke at their rendevous? Meaning she could easily find our location."

Johnny sighs slightly, "Meaning you know, we should leave?"

He blurts bluntly.

Nightwolf contemplates before his response.

"No."

Johnny lowers his shades and looks incredulously at Nightwolf.

"If we leave, we are vulnerable to ambush. Sindel knows she cannot pick us off while together. She will come with reinforcements."

Johnny gestures to Sonya, his earnest intentions betraying his flirtatious tone. What do you think, Miss Military Guru?"

Sonya ignores Johnny, she turns to Nightwolf.

"He's right, if we hunker down here we can set an ambush and pick off the Outworld forces by using the temples architecture to our advantage."

"Alright, lets get to it." Johnny exclaims, he spins around towards the door.

"Wait!" Blurts Sub Zero

"The Lin Kuei... I can sense them, they surround us." Sub Zero whispers cautiously.

Kitana prepares her fan.

Nightwolf grips his tomohawk.

Johnny removes his sunglasses.

The stained glass of the church shatters as dozens of cybernetic ninjas repel into the church.

A wretched, high pitched scream knocks down the door.

"Mother..." Whispers Kitana sadly.

Sindel looks at Kitana dismissively, then she charges Sub Zero.

The Lin Kuei follow behind her.

Sub Zero jumps back to avoid the slash of her Kwan Do, he counters with a punch and slash of his ice blade. Sindel continues forward unfased.

Kitana ducks under a punch for a cyborg, she decapitates it with a fan. Another attacks from behind, she side steps and slashes its body open with her bladed fan. A third charges, she spins her fans rapidly, forming an upward gust, launching the cybrorg through the chappels stony ceiling.

Nightwolf avoids two consecutive punches from the side, he splits the metal head with his tomohawk. He rips out the tomohawk, throwing it at two behind him, the tomohawk pierce's both effortlessly.

Sindel continues her advance on Sub Zero, she fakes a slash of her blade and grabs Sub Zero by the neck with her hair when he flinches.

As her grip tigthens, Johnny charges Sindel and she knocks him and two Lin Kuei back with a powerful scream. Sonya shoots an energy blast at Sindel, breaking her grip. She charges forward and engaes Sindel.

Sub Zero returns to his feet in time to react to a charging cyborg. He blocks two punches to the head and body, skewering the them on his blade.

Sindel lets out her loudest scream yet, Sonya flies against the church wall unconcious.

Johnny stops slamming an unconcious cyborg against the wall and turns to the commotion.

"Sonya!" He cries out.

Sindel notices all of the Lin Kuei have been defeated, her face wears an expression of annoyance.

"I will finish what the Lin Kuei could not!" She proclaims boldly.

"Like hell you will!" Responds Johnny angrily.

Johnny charges recklessly towards Sindel, followed by Kitana and Nightwolf. Sub Zero hides behind the altar, trying to repair his damaged cables.

Such pathetic cowardice for a Lin Kuei, he chastises himself internally.

Sindel unleashes another scream, Johnny ducks underneath the blast, Nightwolf and Kitana cannot react and fall a knee. He flying kicks Sindel in the jaw.

Cage continues his blitz, he lands a jab, hook to Sindel's jaw as well as a powerful knee to the body.

Sindel recovers quickly, she returns with a knee to Johnny's head, knocking him unconcious.

Kitana, Nightwolf and Sub Zero rush to cover Johnny.

Kitana attacks Sindel's jugular with her fans. Sindel sidesteps and throws Kitana towards the wall.

Nightwolf flanks from the side with his tomohawk, it cuts Sindel's shoulder deeply.

Sub Zero comes from below with his ice slide, he switches his attack at the last second to a heel kick to Sindel's jaw.

Kitana recovers, she kicks Sindel in the body hard.

Sindel catches the kick, she stabs her Kwan Do into Kitana's torso and throws her to the side.

Sub Zero ignores his untended injuries and rushes Sindel boldly with a right cross, hook to the body and a chopping leg kick that spins Sindel around. Sub Zero presses again and stabs with his sword.

Sindel parries his attack and stabs the Kwan Do into Sub Zero's torso, sending him to his stomach. She attempts to break Sub Zero's neck with her prehensile hair but recieves a tomohawk between the eyes. She removes it carefully and turns to Nightwolf.

"You are the only one left, Shaman."

Sindel's words are complete gibberish to Sub Zero, his world is hazy and spinning. Sindel's blade must have punctured one of his life support systems.

He tries to returning to his feet, he is unable to reach his knees.

Sub Zero is oblivious to his wounded comrade Kitana next to him, also bleeding out. As well as Sonya and Johnny, trying in vain to stop both of their bleeding.

A final thought flashes through Sub Zero's head as his vision goes black.

I am sorry... to everyone... I've failed...

This chapter has been my hardest by far, I ended up shifting farther from the canon than my outline did, so I had to come up with where the story would go on the fly. I think this reflects in my writing, While this chapter shrinks the Sindel massacre, spreading it out to off screen mentions and a sub chapter to make it less ridiculous, the action sequences are limited because I wanted the bulk of this chapter to be about the mental consequences of the invasion than the physical consequences.