A/N: Hey, and welcome to Arc II of Gone, but Not Forgotten! Before we head in, I will say that Arc II is going to cover MK 2, but when I inevitably get to Arc III, it won't include MK 3 and so on, just a quick note. I don't have much else to say right now, so let's get started. I am currently listening to: In a Sentimental Mood by Duke Ellington, and John Coltrane.
Seven Days later: Trainer's Estate 11:00 A.M.
Callie's POV
The smell of sweat, the sound of punches, and kicks missing flesh. Then comes the crunching effect when a punch or kick does land. Man, it feels great being able to fight correctly again! With Benji (reluctantly) agreeing to be my only sparring partner, I feel like I'm breaking ceiling after ceiling! While he complains about the intensity of our sparring matches whenever the chance rears itself, I see his improvement.
Moreover, so does he.
It's a perfect case of give and take. Benji learns how to strike more effectively, and I learn how to grapple with better technique. Exhausted from how our match went today, Benji sits down on the dojo floor, heaving audibly. My brother has the stamina of a fighter plane, so wearing him down in an hour is a personal accomplishment to me.
The ones surprised by this feat are our teammates, Sareena and Kenshi.
The past four days (when Benji agreed to do this every day) they have both stared in awe at how well we counter each other. My legs finally give out as I flop down in the same manner as Benji, somehow managing a couple of laughs despite my elevated breathing.
"I forgot how wonderful it is to spar with you on the regular, Benji; I learn something new every time," I spoke. "Don't you feel the same way?" I mean sure, the match ended in a draw, but for the first time in years, I enjoyed a fight.
"Not really, no," Benji answered. "I only spar with you because no one on this world deserves to endure such torture. Hence why I became your sacrificial lamb."
His attempt at mirth with a straight face didn't amuse me at all. As much as I love Benji, the fact he does almost every verbal action with such a stoic expression annoys me to the point where I'm starting to worry about him. In all of my years, I rarely see him angry as he has methods to contain his fury like listening to music, meditation, and destroying training dummies. However, my brother tells me that he has to remain calm in the face of overwhelming odds or oppression. That was something I hold nothing but the utmost respect for Benji. He may not be a war tactician like myself, but he knows how to get into someone's head mentally while also telling me that no one should have to deal with me when I'm angry. In reality, Benji is the Maddox sibling you don't want to push.
Enough of my rambling. I laugh at Benji's jokes despite the added sarcasm. "You know I don't mind. You're the only person whom I benefit from sparring with, so I guess your sacrifice is the only way everyone wins. Besides, it's not like you're learning from this too." I shot back while somehow standing back up before helping Benji stand.
"Well, you're not wrong. Pankration is pretty vague, so finding a place to focus on is the smart decision. So I suppose I have you to thank for the revelation," Benji mentions.
I nod contently. "You're welcome, Benji."
"As much as I would love to watch you spar for another hour or two, you do have plans today; remember?" Kenshi inserts himself in the conversation. "The Award Ceremony for Liu Kang?" Kenshi reminded me.
"Why is Liu Kang getting awarded?" I immediately got an attitude over the notion of being rewarded for something you're supposed to do. "It's not like he was the only survivor on Earthrealm's team during the last MK Tournament." Everyone could tell I'm annoyed at the very prospect.
Kenshi, thinking he understood my mentality, tried to piece it together, keyword tried. "Do you wish to be rewarded as well?"
That thought wasn't even in my mind if the shake of my head was any indication. "Of course not. I'll put this in two ways. One, you should never be openly rewarded for your job. Two: 'A Genius is never understood in its own time.' - Bill Waterson. Being remembered in the moment? It's not good for your lasting legacy." I rant. "What Liu Kang should be doing is training. Earthrealm is safe, sure, and will be for another 98 years. However, knowing whom we won her independence from, we should always be ready to defend her. The ceremony isn't necessary." I finish.
Benji then suggested, "If you want, we can blow it off. Not like Raiden can kick us out, and if he does inquire, we can lie and say we were in a different realm."
He's taking my dislike for ceremonies into consideration, but I shook my head, however. "No, that would be disrespectful towards the White Lotus if we didn't go. Plus, you've known most of the monks there for their whole lives. It would do them good to see you again."
My brother nods in agreement as he hasn't seen any of them in quite some time. "Fair enough." His attention turned to our friends. "Will you two be joining us?"
They both shake their heads in response, not surprisingly. "I may be well acquainted with the White Lotus, but I don't wish to crash their ceremony," Kenshi answered.
"And as far as I know," Sareena chimed in. "Raiden doesn't even know of me and of me joining you. It wouldn't be wise for me to go either, despite our camaraderie."
They both made good points. Besides, Raiden never specified Kenshi, and Sareena was right about her assessment. I sigh, already tired of this ceremony despite not even arriving there yet.
"Well, I guess it's just you and me, Benji," I remark.
"So it seems," he says. "I'm going to get ready by taking a shower."
I nod in acceptance. Out of the corner of my eye, I swore I saw Sareena blush a tad, but didn't want to embarrass the poor girl. I suspect she's finding the idea of my brother naked and wet from a warm shower very appealing. With that, I turned my focus on getting dressed for this pointless occasion with there only being one shower in the estate. Benji and Kenshi leave the dojo. I start to follow them, but Sareena stops me by grabbing my arm.
"Problem, Sareena?" I ask, curious about what she wanted.
"No exactly, Callie Ann," Sareena revealed. "I just wanted to thank you for taking me in on such short notice. Benjamin has told me of how you have issues trusting others."
I scratch my head at the realization. She wasn't wrong though. Trust from me is a hard thing to earn, especially given the fact that Jerrod was responsible for us leaving our home and the bastard that murdered our family, who knows how many generations fell because of him.
"Live life like me, and you'd have trust issues too." I start, keep my response simple. "But I don't see a glaring problem with you, enough to a point where I would have difficulty trusting you with anything. On top of that, you're well acquainted with Uncle Okada. That itself is enough for me, and by extension, Benji to welcome you with open arms."
Sareena nods, happy that I didn't find an issue with her.
"Thanks again. I do hope to prove my worth to you and your brother." She continues before looking at where Benji exited. "But he's so…"
"Blunt?" I intercept, my eyebrow raised.
Sareena, revelated by my answer, responded accordingly. "Yes! It's amazing how he can casually carry a conversation yet display such a 'straight to the point' attitude. You're his little sister, how do you manage to break him out of that?"
I could put two and two together, but I toss those thoughts aside for now. Sareena's only known us for eight days, so there's no need to make baseless assumptions.
'Hmmm. How do I explain this as clearly as possible?' I ask myself, scratching my chin in thought. After coming up with a decent explanation, I snap my fingers. "Got it!" I exclaimed a little too loudly for just us two. "Apologies for my loudness."
Sareena unexpectedly chuckles. "It's fine. Please, explain."
I begin my analogy. "Benji is like a reinforced fortress, as there are many ways to enter. Sure, you can break down the walls, but if you do it without a suitable, or intelligent plan, the security will notice. They deal with you accordingly, kick you out, then rebuild the wall. As a result, the wall grows stronger, making it even harder to break down again. Instead, it would help if you took potshots; chip the wall down, piece by piece. Depending on your pace, the guards won't notice you got inside. Sure, they'll rebuild their walls, but they can't force you out because they don't know you got in." I then shrug before finishing. "Or it can be as simple as the guard letting you in, which in all honesty is a lot easier than it sounds." My rambling finally coming to an end.
Sareena looked awestruck at my full elaboration, not surprising since I do tend to get carried away when speaking on such complicated matters like how my brother's mind works.
"Did that make sense? I tend to ramble when I do stuff like that." I ask, hoping for clarity.
Sareena nods, content with the analogy. "Yes. It couldn't have made more sense if you wished for it, Callie Ann." She bowed. "Many thanks."
"Not a problem. Now, when Benji and I leave, you and Kenshi are going to have to watch the estate. I've never seen you fight before, and while I know of Kenshi's capabilities, not knowing yours is unnerving." I eye her carefully. "Can I trust you to do this?"
"Of course, Callie Ann! You can count on us." Sareena exuded confidence, a good sign.
I nod, knowing that I don't have a choice on the matter. We leave the dojo, and by the time we made it to one of the recreational areas, Benji was out and dressed in his garb from the MK tournament. I can see once again that Sareena is eyeing him rather closely. This development may be something to keep a close eye on.
"Well, I guess it's my turn," I say before making my way to the bathroom. "Wait here, Benji. I won't take long."
Benji didn't answer back as he sat down on a couch. As I head to shower, I notice Sareena sit next to him, striking up another conversation. I see that she's putting my theory into practice already. Best of luck to her, I guess. Numerous thoughts run through my mind as I'm under the shower head. How long will it be until Skull face himself rears his ugly head again? No doubt he's waiting for an excellent opportunity to strike when we aren't expecting it. Why is Sareena all of a sudden getting close to my brother? That's not to say they wouldn't work out, but I'm positive Benji is more into that Edenian who follows Kitty like an obedient dog. Maybe I should ask Benji about her.
After I take my shower, I dress in my MK tourney garb and meet with Benji who waited for me by the door as Sareena had a noticeable smile on her face.
"Ready?" Benji opened the door.
"Uh, huh. Let's go." I said.
We both take the front door and start our walk to the Wu Shi Academy. While on the trek, I give Benji a once over and notice the bandanna Raiden gave him two years ago. He saw my glance right away.
"Something wrong with my bandana, Cal?" Benji asked.
"I'm not saying now, but when we inevitably go to another realm, I don't think you should keep that around your neck," I told him. "Best to try and not making ourselves look like Earthrealmers when we go cross-realm. Just a thought."
He nods in agreement with my reasoning. "Yeah, you're right."
Benji then unfurls the bandana from his head and stows it inside his back pocket. I can see it hang but not enough to where it will fall off. I give two thumbs up after seeing this, and he cheekily returned my playfulness.
"Perfect," I respond.
We then walked in silence and randomly I bring up… I forgot what her name was, but I had a feeling Benji still remembers her name. After all, I could tell from a distance that he had the hots for that woman. I can't necessarily blame him. She was quite attractive in her own right. Too bad she hung around that spoiled brat for a Princess. It wasn't my place to ask, but curiosity got the better of me.
"Hey, Benji," I began. "What happened with uh- what's her name again? She wore green, and had tanned skin?" I asked.
As expected, Benji gave me an annoyed look briefly before returning his neutral expression. Just the mention of whom I was referring to had brought up some either positive or negative emotions from my brother, either or depending on their private interactions.
"You mean Jade?" he revealed her name.
I snapped my fingers. How could I forget a name as quickly as that, particularly when it matches her attire? "Yeah, Jade! Y'know I feel like a dunce now that I remember, but yeah. What happened to you two?"
Once again, my query may have rubbed Benji the wrong way due to his sarcastic roll of the eyes. There must be something about Jade that makes my brother feel like this. Hell, it's the only woman I can remember who's had him always think about her. No, Sheeva doesn't count.
"What do you think, Cal?" Benji asked rhetorically. "She went back to Outworld; nothing came from our brief interactions."
Not once did I buy that bullshit answer, my annoyance showing through my tone. "Even though Jade kissed you? On the lips, no less?"
Benji's non-caring attitude on the subject wasn't going away. "It was just her way of showing thanks for healing her arm. I did break it a few minutes before you found us."
I showed my apparent disbelief. That can't be all that happened between them. My brother may be indifferent to women, but I can see with my two eyes that Jade was no ordinary woman. She wasn't just a ditzy girl by any means, not to mention Jade can fight and possesses a large amount of loyalty. People like that are rare these days. It does make me wonder what Jade sees in my brother. I hope she doesn't take advantage of him, but I don't think Jade will, even if she is working for Shao Kahn.
"I don't know, Benji. Things were getting intimate with you two before we won," I pointed out. "From my perspective, you were ready to ask her to be a couple."
That got him, thus stopping our walk together. Immediately, Benji's cheeks became scarlet red. Usually, I would take this kind of information and milk it for what it's worth as Benji rarely (and I mean rarely) gets flustered at any point in our lives. However, I decided to be a good sister and comfort him. He's dealing with a lot right now, and the last thing my older sibling needs are my antics.
"Sorry, it wasn't my business to ask," I apologized. "I'm just verbalizing what I saw those two years ago. I mean, I may not trust anyone save for you, but I wouldn't mind you and Jade being together." I say as I softly rub his back. "She seems to have taken a liking to you."
He sighed audibly, which didn't sound promising. "I don't know Cal. Maybe if two years hadn't passed, then I would believe you. I doubt that Jade remembers me now, let alone the few moments we did end up sharing."
His tone was light and somber in mood. Damn, he does care for Jade immensely, maybe more so than I realized since she's Edenian like us. I wish I could do something to help, but don't want to give off the impression of setting him up. Plus, Shang Tsung might also be a reason that Jade hasn't shown herself since the tournament. I would not be surprised if he somehow prevented her from getting in contact with my brother.
The guilt I held felt like a knife wound to the gut how it hit me at Benji's despondent body language. "Sorry, Benji. I didn't mean to-"
Benji held a hand up to stop me. "It's all right. Hearing you give me consent regardless is nice. Shows that you're still looking out for me." He started messing with my hair.
I laugh before responding, "Hey! I may not have done anything fancy with it, but don't do that to my hair!"
My brother laughed with me, lifting his mood a little. "Ok, ok. You do have a point. I would like to see her again and get to know her better. Maybe something can come out of it."
Stepping closer, I put my hand on his shoulder. "I believe it. Jade may be likable to me, not like that Shokan bitch."
Benji nods. "Something we agree on."
We continued joking around the rest of the way to the Academy, lifting his spirits in the process. I didn't expect him to feel that strongly for Jade even now. I kept that in mind along with Sareena's supposed inklings as we finally arrived. Raiden, like when he took us to the Trainer's Estate for the first time, waited outside. When we catch up to him, he greets us both, and we both bow.
"Welcome, you two," the Thunder God greeted us. "I take it the trip was safe?"
"Yes, Raiden," Benji answered. "Nothing but a short walk from the estate."
Raiden nodded contently. "Wonderful. Please, come inside. The ceremony is about to begin."
Since neither Benji or myself are with the White Lotus anymore, we had to stand outside the main ground, choosing instead to look on in one of the nearby buildings. Liu Kang arrived and with the other monks looking on, Kung Lao amongst them, he bows. Raiden awards him with a Mortal Kombat medal; a Dragon carved in the middle. Everyone respectfully claps, we included. Much to my surprise after the applause concluded, I glance to my right to see Sonya and Jax. I was confused.
"General Maddox?" Sonya asked, shocked at seeing us here.
"Sonya, or should I say, General Blade?" I coyly respond. "It's good to see you and Jax again."
"Y'know, General. Hearin' you call us by our first names is still a little shocking." Jax told me.
My fold my arms in slight annoyance. "Well Jax, get used to it, and I'm not the General anymore so you can stop calling me that. Just Callie Ann or Callie is fine. It's like I'm talking to Kenshi all over again."
"Force of habit." Sonya countered.
I didn't take that comment very well. "I don't want to hear that from you, Ms. New General. Remember the last thing I said at my retirement speech?" I rhetorically ask them both.
They each look at the floor, probably saddened by the memory of my final words as General of the Special Forces.
"I'm General Maddox no more. My name is Callie Ann Maddox. Let's be friends." I spoke like I did that day.
"We're sorry, General. Can't just break that habit." Sonya spoke up.
"It's been two years, Sonya. A lot has changed since then," I said. "To be fair, I gave Kenshi a good scolding for honorably discharging when you became the new General, so don't think for a moment I'm not fair. I had to get a grip on myself. I'm not here to start arguments. "Now, what brings you to the Wu-Shi Academy?"
"Raiden invited us both. We freed our schedules and came in the hopes of seeing you again," Jax explained. "Seems like we're both correct. It's a little odd not seeing you around Special Forces HQ, so we wanted to see how you were doing. How's your spine?" Jax inquired.
"Perfectly healed," I then point to my brother. "Thanks to Benji here. You know he has magic hands." I prod his arm playfully.
"My healing magic had little to do with your recovery, more so with physical therapy," Benji stated.
Sonya then did the unexpected. "Maybe with your two-year rust, Jax and I can finally best you in the ring," she verbally challenged.
Big mistake on her part. "Don't get ahead of yourself. I can still floor both of you and have time for lunch. During lunch break." I shot back.
Sonya winced at the immediate response; I smile inwardly. That woman won't learn. No wonder she couldn't beat me in all our matches at the base. Her ego is as inflated as mine, but at least I back it up with action.
"Glad to see that you haven't changed, General," Jax commented, puffing a cigar, which was his custom.
I shake my head. "Eh. Having my spine fractured humbled me, but sometimes I can't help myself. I know I have a loudmouth, but I know when to use it. After my spine healed, Benji and I spar every day, and dare I say I'm probably stronger than I was two years ago."
It was a relatively enjoyable moment to catch up with some of my old subordinates. I'm not even mad I'm here anymore at this ceremony though I still believe there shouldn't be one. Everything was going well until we all heard a voice unrecognizable to all of us.
That was before he revealed himself. "Is that so?"
We all turned, and the disbelief written on our faces told the entire story. Shang Tsung, his youth wholly restored. All of us were shocked, no words formed from either of us. Before we can even get a word out, Raiden teleported in front of us.
"Here to congratulate the Maddox Siblings on their victory, sorcerer?" Raiden asked sternly.
Shang Tsung snickered. "Hmph." He turns to me, and it didn't surprise me that he would remark on what Goro did to me during his sham of a tournament. "It seems that having your spine fractured did nothing to scare you. Congratulations, General Maddox." His eyes then locked onto my brother. "And you too, Doctor."
"You have been revitalized. I didn't realize Shao Kahn had a habit of rewarding failure." Raiden spat.
That's when I chimed in. "Funny, we were talking about you yesterday. We're surprised you're not dead. Skull for brains must be outraged from your loss on top of Goro's death." I eyed him cautiously. "Why are you even here?"
"Emperor Shao Kahn has an offer, Raiden," Shang Tsung ignores me, holding Raiden's attention. "A new tournament."
I scoff at the mere premise. "I didn't chalk you to be a comedian, Shang Tsung. You oughta work on your material because that was a horrible joke."
"I see no reason to participate in any plan of yours." Raiden followed up on my comment, his arms folding.
Shang Tsung, disregarding his rebuff of the offer, continued. "The Emperor proposes a single tournament to replace the current system of 10. It will be held in Outworld. If Outworld loses, Shao Kahn will abandon his claim to Earthrealm forever. However, should Earthrealm fall, Outworld will absorb it. And-"
"And? You're already breaking the rules that the Elder Gods established by even setting foot in Earthrealm when a Mortal Kombat tournament isn't taking place. Tch, now you're manchild of an emperor wishes to offer another tournament even though he lost his claim to Earthrealm for another 98 years?" Benji inquired angrily.
Shang Tsung, in response, shot my brother an icy glare, obviously livid that Goro's soul was no longer his to absorb. "Do not think I haven't forgotten about what you did to Goro, Doctor. Shao Kahn is furious that his champion has died by your hand. So, on top of Earthrealm being absorbed if she loses, Shao Kahn has chosen to announce a bounty."
"A bounty on who, sorcerer?" I questioned, already not liking where this is going.
"Well, despite the fact that you and your brother are survivors alongside Liu Kang, it was he who bested me two years ago. So, if you were to accept our proposal, Shao Kahn will place a bounty on both your heads. Whoever on Outworld's side manages to bring either of you to Shao Kahn will earn a high favor, one for each sibling. The reward for your capture will be up to the captor. Which means that if I were to capture you both," Shang Tsung inflames his hand. "I'll extract both your souls."
We all give him looks similar to: "You're retarded." This lunatic truly believes we're going to accept this new proposal. I might as well put on a ballerina outfit to make it worthwhile to show my displeasure with this bullshit.
Shang Tsung then turns his back, his next words aimed at my brother. "Oh, and Doctor; please do consider the offer yourself, seeing as though Jade's very life could hang in the balance."
Oh no. I could see Benji's hands clench tightly, so much so that blood began seeping from his palms. In an instant, he charged forward to try and tackle Shang Tsung, who turned around with a smug grin on his face. It took the combined efforts of myself and Jax to restrain him adequately.
"You stay the hell away from her, bastard!" Benji furiously yelled.
"Ah, so my intuition was correct," Shang Tsung replied before igniting his other hand.
Within moments, the dark sorcery revealed a scene played out two years ago. I was able to make out what the pictured entailed. It was Benji meditating in silence before Jade walked in, speaking on how Shang Tsung commended my brother on his matches earlier that day, but that Shang Tsung ordered her to dispose of him. So, this is how it all began.
"I did instruct Jade to trail your movements after you surprised both of your opponents with convincing victories. However, not even I counted on her trying to take you on head first, knowing the consequences that could befall on her. That wasn't what intrigued me," Shang Tsung babbled, the scene shifting to Benji and Jade sharing a kiss just before I arrived, my brother having a longing look on his face as she walked away. "Jade seems to have a keen interest in you, Doctor. Why that is, I don't know, nor do I care, though I have a feeling its due to your shared Edenian heritage." He extinguished the flame on his hand. "It has proven to be a useful piece of information."
Benji's rage increased, making it harder to hold him back, even with Jax and I's combined strength. "If you lay one finger on Jade-"
Shang Tsung raised one of his hands. "Save your energy. I have done nothing to your precious emerald rose. Not yet, of course. Should Jade continue seeing you behind mine or the Emperor's back, she'll be dealt with... severely."
"Send the emperor our regards," Raiden answered bluntly after stepping in front of us.
Possibly predicting this outcome, Shang Tsung summoned a Tarkatan Horde, and they immediately start attacking and killing monks all over the compound. Raiden swings on Shang Tsung, their battle as ferocious as one would expect. Jax, Benji, Sonya, and I jump down the balcony and begin warding off the Tarkata passing through Shang Tsung's portal. They were no Baraka's; that's for sure. For the most part, they were easy to repel with all our efforts.
I scan the battlefield, blood littering the sacred ground, numerous bodies of monks scattered around. The sight made me want to vomit. That pointy beard
"How's everyone?" Benji checks on everyone first.
"I'm ok," I acknowledged. "Not worse for wear. Jax? Sonya?" I yell out.
Nothing.
"Jax? Sonya?" I yell again.
Silence. After I kill a Tarkatan creeping behind me, I take another view at my surroundings. Benji is consuming the soul of a fallen Tarkatan, Jax is on the ground out cold. And Sonya? No trace of her I could see; abducted, I assume. What a fucking disappointment! At this point, I'm glad I retired.
It takes a while, but we kill the rest of the Tarkatan invaders, on top of the rest who made it through. Johnny (who arrived late) chipped in to help us down the rest. The Academy is practically in ruins, both Tarkatan and Monk corpses strewn all over. Finally, Jax wakes up after having his bell rung. Raiden comes and meets with us all. Shang Tsung wasn't with him, however.
"Where is Shang Tsung?" I demand, clearly agitated by what took place.
Raiden shook his head in disappointment. "He gained a momentary advantage during our kombat and escaped. I now realize what we must do."
"Wait," Jax interrupted him. "Where's Sonya?"
"Abducted. The Tarkatan Horde took her while we weren't looking." I wasn't happy in the slightest, anger present on facial expression.
"Shang Tsung has made it clear that Earthrealm will continue to face threats for as long as we refuse the offer," Raiden finished during the momentary silence.
Benji sighs audibly, and I can tell he's more than frustrated by what happened here, but also with what Shang Tsung said about dangling Jade's life in the process. "As much as I would love to refuse, the invasions will start to spread. I guess we don't have a choice, even if it means putting a bounty on our heads."
"The bounty is irrelevant. No one is going to capture us on their best day," I snapped. "Accept the offer, Raiden. We've been looking for an excuse to go to Outworld and the tournament is a perfect scapegoat." I turn to Jax, my anger failing to dissipate. "I'm disappointed in you. You're the Major for arguably the most dangerous faction in the realm, and you fell to a bunch of nameless Tarkatans. Sonya herself got abducted. You two are much better than this."
Though I wanted to eviscerate him further, my brother's hand on my shoulder stopped me from doing so. "Come on, Cal. We have to head back to the estate and prep ourselves."
I nod in agreement. "Let's go, Benji. We'll meet you all later."
We leave the Academy and book it back to the estate. Before we completely exit we hear Raiden accept Shao Kahn's offer. "Hear me, Elder Gods! I accept the terms offered by Shao Kahn!" Raiden proclaimed.
Benji and I run towards the Trainer's estate. When we arrived, we slam the door open. Sareena and Kenshi heard the bang from the other side of the estate and ran up to meet us.
"Callie Ann? Benjamin? What happened?" Kenshi asked us, alarmed at the scars on our bodies, though they weren't serious.
"Shang Tsung infiltrated the Academy and forced Earthrealm into another tournament," I spat out. "Raiden just accepted the proposal. On top of all that, Sonya has been abducted."
"Sonya was taken? This is not good," Kenshi spoke sadly.
Benji issued a simple command. "Prepare yourselves. We're heading to Outworld."
Everyone separates to get ready. I head to the dojo to get my Litchfield and .308. I head to my room and grab my Combat Knife and holster. I kiss the blade. "It's that time again."
I sling the holster around my calf and place the Combat Knife in the holster. Both rifles are hooked around my shoulders. I catch Benji in the recreational area applying tape on his fingers and wrists, his 9mm safely seated on the table. He finished taping his hands and looked up to see me armed.
"Cal," he stated before continuing his tape work.
"Have any tape to spare?" I ask.
Benji tosses me his roll of solid tape. I quickly went to work in taping my trigger fingers and hand for better grip and comfort, something I'll need when the fights stray away from the arena.
Benji was justifiably confused. "Why just your trigger fingers?"
"To prevent blisters," I said before giving him back his tape. "Here."
He put it away and stored his 9mm in the back of his pants. Just from his actions alone, I could tell my older sibling was quite apprehensive about returning to Outworld, and I'm not just speaking on the bounties Shao Kahn graciously placed on our heads.
Sareena comes with a unique looking sword, her face betraying her earlier look of fear when we returned.
"What's that?" I ask.
She taps the handle a couple of times. "My sword named the Devastator. Okada made it for me a couple of years ago."
Sure enough, Kenshi appeared with Sento in his possession. "I'm ready."
I sigh, hoping that whatever Shao Kahn and his pathetic excuse of a sorcerer had up their sleeves would fall through like their last plot. "Ok, then. Let's go to Outworld."
"I think this is the time to intervene." A feminine voice spoke. No one can direct where it came from at all.
"I think I'm finally going mad," Benji said to no one in particular.
The voice came back on with eerie happiness. "No, Doctor. Far from the truth. Allow me to introduce myself. I am the Artifical Optimal Intelligence or AOI for short. I'm the AI of the Trainer's estate. It's nice to meet you all finally."
"AOI, as nice as it is to meet you, we have to head to Outworld," Benji informed her.
"Yes, you have said so," she remarked. "If you wish, I can transport you all there. That way the Doctor won't have to use any of his Magic Pool."
We all agree as that would preserve my brother's needed energy. "Amazing. Please do that, AOI," I requested.
"Yes, General. Transporting the four of you in Three. Two. One."
I felt a lot lighter; my vision was starting to see substantial doses of blue. "See you all on the other side," I say before I don't see everyone anymore.
"Safe passage, you four. I wish to introduce myself better when you all return." AOI spoke before her voice became nonexistent.
For a few moments, I saw only white. When I could see again, I see wastelands for miles. Luckily, I see civilization in front of me though it was a decent sized trek for us to embark. The teleportation went through, and I didn't lose anything, weapons or limbs, to boot.
"Is everyone all right?" I ask.
Silence greets me. Odd. I talk again. "Benji? Are you there?" I ask once again.
No one said a word.
My heart skipped at the possibility. I turn around and see no one within my general vicinity. Shit. AOI fucked up the teleportation process, separating us all across Outworld, Gods know where.
I'm alone in enemy territory with a hefty bounty on my head.
"Wonderful. Just wonderful." Those were the only words I could say before inevitably starting my treacherous journey in Outworld.
A/N: Well, shit. The team has been separated when AOI teleported them to Outworld! I think this is an excellent time to repeat this. Welcome to Arc II! The separation is a major plot point this Arc. Now we'll see how the Maddox Siblings fare without each other for once. While they have to fight off possible hunters for the bounties on their heads, will they survive and stave off a possible invasion from Shao Kahn? Stick around and see if they do in Arc II of Gone, but Not Forgotten!
Now the usual.
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