Skarlet had returned to the Flesh Pits that were located underground beneath the Living Forest. It was the only home that she knew. Baraka who was one of her escorts to assure that she returned to the Flesh Pits and didn't wander off had stopped at the entrance but her other escort who was Ermac, continued to take her through the Pits. Skarlet immediately remembered why she hated this place: the disgusting smells of rotten flesh and blood, the filthy and cold rooms, and the horrific looking creations that made random appearances. Ermac being a Flesh Pits creation himself, knew his way around the Flesh Pits but unlike Skarlet he saw nothing wrong with the Pits as his mind had been successfully molded into approving of any act committed by the current ruler of Outworld. Ermac and Skarlet had finally arrived at Skarlet's plane of the many levels within the Flesh Pits.
"Shao Kahn has ordered for Us to lock the door as We leave." Ermac informed.
"I understand." Skarlet said in compliance. "Thank you, Ermac."
Ermac nodded before leaving, locking the steel gate door as promised. Skarlet then curled up in a ball on the hard surface.
"Are you ok?" A skinless body who was chained against the wall asked.
"I'm fine, Meat." Skarlet replied untruthfully.
"So how was it?" Meat questioned. "Being outside this place?"
"It was great." Skarlet informed. "There was so much beauty, I got to see so much nature and colour."
"I must admit that I'm jealous." Meat admitted. "Maybe someday I'll experience the outdoors."
"I hope I get another chance out there." Skarlet wished. "I upset my father."
"I'm sorry to hear that." Meat apologized. "May I ask how?"
"I failed him at the tournament." Skarlet stated. "And then I intentionally avoided coming home to him."
"I don't blame you." Meat replied. "I would've done the same and explored the world too."
"But…"
"But you came back eventually." Meat added. "And while you shouldn't have, I'm glad you did."
"Ermac didn't put me in restraints." Skarlet suddenly realized.
"I can see that." Meat responded.
"Usually I'm chained up like you." Skarlet recalled. "Sorry, I should probably help you out."
"Please." Meat requested politely. "I thought I was going to be a loner once more."
"I'd never leave you." Skarlet promised as she used her blood magic to cut through the chains that bound Meat to the stone wall. "You are pretty much all I have."
"Pretty much?" Meat repeated.
"I made some friends after the tournament." Skarlet informed. "I met a trio of Saurians and Prince Goro himself."
"You mean Goro as in the Mortal Kombat Champion?!" Meat asked as even he was aware of the greatness of Goro being a nine time in a row Champion despite living underground his whole life.
Skarlet nodded. "Former Champion though." She corrected him. "He was defeated in the most recent tournament."
"That's a sentence I thought I'd never hear." Meat said as he was still surprised. "So you're friends with the Goro?!"
"Yes, we met on a beach… The Bay of Maul I think it's called… This was after the island hosting the tournament suddenly collapsed." Skarlet described.
"Lucky." Meat said with obvious jealousy. "Meeting Goro I mean, not the island falling apart."
"I'm sure he'd be happy to meet you." Skarlet informed. "When… if I meet him again then I'll tell him about you."
"I appreciate it." Meat thanked. "What are the people out there like?"
"Most that I met were kind." Skarlet thought.
"I meant are they like me?" Meat elaborated. "People without skin?"
"I'm afraid not." Skarlet informed.
"A shame." Meat replied. "I guess I really am a freak."
"Don't say that!" Skarlet demanded. "Someday somebody will finish you."
"Finish me off." Meat corrected. "There's no chance that someone would want to complete me."
"You don't know that." Skarlet stated.
"There's a much higher chance of me being left for dead than being finished." Meat claimed. "But you have a chance to become a princess…"
"Which I blew away." Skarlet interrupted. "I was supposed to be his most dangerous enforcer... and now look at me…"
"What happened?" Meat asked.
"I was hungry for blood as I have been for some time now," Skarlet began explaining. "I slaughtered some of Shang Tsung's fodder at the tournament but I was defeated by some Earthrealmer called Nightwolf. Later the island began sinking and I made it back to Outworld which is where I met my new friends. As I experienced nature some more, I became torn between my hunger and my desire to not harm living beings."
"That's better than turning into a monster." Meat assured. "Trust me, that's a good mindset… I think…"
"How would you know?" Skarlet asked as she began to tear up.
"A sense of mine is just telling me it's a good thing." Meat described oddly as he wiped the tears from Skarlet's face, which left blood stains on her. "Oh sorry."
"It's fine." Skarlet replied as she absorbed the blood from her face. "Thanks for talking to me."
"No problem." Meat responded. "I saw a blood pool in the other room if you're hungry."
"The gate is too strong." Skarlet said as she tried using blood created weapons to cut through the metal.
"Stand aside." Instructed Meat who suddenly detached his head and threw it at the gate with such force that it broke off its hinges and crashed to the floor. "I learnt this trick one time when I was bored and using my head as a ball."
"I see." Skarlet responded, impressed but disturbed by Meat's technique. "Shall we?"
Meanwhile at the entrance of the Flesh Pits, Kitana and Mileena had arrived with Baraka standing at the entrance.
"Baraka." Mileena greeted.
"You came!" Baraka realized. "And… Kitana?"
"We wish to look into the Flesh Pits." Kitana informed him. "Can you let us past?"
"Shang Tsung could arrive any moment now." Baraka warned.
"Good." Mileena replied. "I will gladly kill him depending on what we find in this place."
"Good luck with that." Baraka said as he began to make way for the two sisters. "I won't stop you."
"Thank you!" Mileena said gratefully before kissing Baraka on his head. "We'll see you soon."
"Be careful." Baraka instructed.
Kitana and Mileena walked through the rooms in the Flesh Pits. It started off as merely a cobblestone hall, then a stairway down to another hallway but this one had prison bars for walls and many mutated freaks being held captive. Mileena, while scared, approached one of them.
"H-hello?" She greeted cautiously.
The mutation responded by grabbing Mileena's arm and dragging her into the metal bars. It tried sinking its pointy teeth into Mileena's arm but Kitana quickly stabbed her fan blade into the creature's head.
"Wh-what was that?" Mileena asked as she backed away.
"It looked like a half-breed of Vampire and Saurian." Kitana guessed.
The creature that attacked Mileena had the regular teeth of a Vampire but that was all that was regular about them. They had deformed wings and flesh that was covered in scales on random places on their body. Its fellow 'roommates' were also mutations of random mixes.
"What about the other ones?" Mileena questioned further.
"I don't want to know." Kitana admitted.
"Me neither." Mileena agreed. "We… we should keep going."
"Are you sure you're alright to continue?" Kitana asked, concerned for her sister's wellbeing.
"I have to find out the truth." Mileena said with determination but also fear. "Your theory that I'm one of these… things… it's all been adding up."
"We'll always be sisters." Kitana reassured her. "No matter what your true origins are."
"I know." Mileena nodded. "Let's keep moving."
Mileena and Kitana continued their descent through the Flesh Pits, trying their hardest to ignore the sudden appearances made by random disfigured mutations. Fortunately, they were all behind bars but it made Mileena feel sympathy for them.
"These things were created just to be failures." Mileena realized.
"And their creator didn't have the decency to put them down." Kitana added.
"Wicked sorcerer." Mileena cursed. "And what are these tanks for?"
The room they had just entered had many tanks filled with water that had become green due to unknown reasons standing against the wall. The tanks were made mostly out of glass but had become steamed from the water within them. Mileena cautious but curious, approached the tank and wiped her hands over the glass in order to clear the steam. She was then horrified by what she saw.
"What's wrong?" Kitana asked as she noticed her sister's frightened face.
"It's… me…" Mileena muttered.
Kitana peered through the cloning tank closest to her and saw an identical replica of her twin sister.
"I'm so sorry." Kitana apologized.
"It's... a clone… of me." Mileena repeated. She was still in shock.
"Wrong." Spoke a familiar voice.
"Shang Tsung!" Mileena yelled as she quickly turned to face the sorcerer.
"It's not a clone of you." Shang Tsung revealed. "It's a clone of your 'sister'."
"What are you saying?!" Mileena asked.
"No…" Kitana had already realized the truth.
"Yes," Shang Tsung mockingly responded. "These are all clones of Kitana with a hint of Tarkatan DNA… including you, Mileena."
Mileena fell to her knees as she began sobbing. Kitana ran over to comfort her sister.
"This revelation doesn't change anything." Kitana comforted. "Remember what I said?"
"We're still sisters." Mileena repeated Kitana's words between sobs.
"I have no time for this!" Shang Tsung interrupted. "You pair of traitors have postponed my plans."
"We aren't the traitors!" Mileena cried out. She looked up, her eyes now a bright orange. "Our 'father' has deceived both of us for thousands of years."
"I created you as a replacement for Kitana." Shang Tsung made another revelation. "It's a shame that you've defied Shao Kahn but it's no matter, I have spares."
"Is this place just a playground for you?" Kitana asked. "Making creations for your own amusement?"
"Most are." Shang admitted. "But in a field like this one must… experiment."
"You make me sick." Kitana stated.
"I have more important matters to deal with." Shang Tsung informed. "So let's make this swift."
"Gladly." Mileena replied as she sprung to her feet and grabbed her Sai.
Mileena teleported to Tsung and kicked him in the face which sent the sorcerer to the solid floor. Mileena then slashed her Sai at Shang Tsung's chest as he climbed to his feet. Tsung fought back with attacks performed by his hands that were shaped like snakes which staggered Mileena. Shang Tsung then blasted a flaming skull at Mileena's chest which threw the clone against a wall.
"It truly does sadden me when I have to kill my creations." Shang Tsung said with an evil grin. "Unfortunately not everything can be a masterpiece."
Kitana then stabbed Shang Tsung in the back with one of her fans and Mileena joined in by stabbing Tsung's front. The sorcerer kicked both of them back but was still impaled by their signature weapons. Mileena, being fueled by rage, immediately charged back at Shang Tsung and kicked the Sai that was impaled in his stomach which caused it to turn and thus cut into more of Tsung's flesh. Shang groaned in pain and bravely ripped the Sai out of his stomach before throwing it back at Mileena. Shang went to strike at Mileena but Kitana came from behind and booted into her fan blade that was still stuck in Tsung's back, more or less repeating the act that Mileena had performed moments ago. The sorcerer fell forward into Mileena's grasp who pulled her mask down and sank her Tarkatan teeth into the sorcerer's neck. As Mileena was biting down on him, Kitana continued to stab Shang Tsung in the back and once the two sisters finally ceased the attack the sorcerer collapsed to the floor.
"What's the matter?" Mileena mockingly asked the sorcerer as he weakly crawled away.
"You evil coward!" Kitana insulted as she stomped her foot on Tsung's body. "What do you want to do with him?"
"Please don't kill me!" Shang begged, now realizing that his life was in peril. "My own creation… about to kill me…"
"I will give you the same thing you gave me," Mileena informed. "Life."
"Such a foolish decision." Shang scolded.
"And a foolish response." Kitana commented. "You should be thanking her."
"Shao Kahn won't be as fortunate." Mileena added.
"What's going on?" A concerned Skarlet asked as she and Meat wandered into the room.
"Skarlet!" Shang Tsung called out. "Help me!"
"You." Meat recognized the sorcerer. "Father."
"H-how are you unchained?" Tsung questioned.
"Because of my friend." Meat answered, pointing to Skarlet.
"Another traitor." Tsung muttered.
"I'm no traitor." Skarlet claimed. "I just want to live a life outside this vile place!"
"It's not about what you want." Shang stated. "It's about what the emperor wants."
"The emperor will be dead soon." Kitana promised.
"You can't stop him." Shang warned.
"I've heard enough!" Mileena yelled. "Lets go."
"We've got to meet up with Jade and Li Mei." Kitana informed her sister.
"Are you two coming?" Mileena asked Meat and Skarlet.
"Us?" Skarlet asked.
"Yes." Mileena confirmed. "You two are like family as well."
"How so?" Meat asked.
"You two come from the Flesh Pits." Mileena pointed out. "Just like me."
"I'd be happy to get out of this place." Skarlet commented. "Meat?"
"The others need to be saved." Meat said, referring to all the other trapped Flesh Pits creations.
"We will." Mileena promised. "But we have a task to complete first."
"Then I will help you with whatever this task is." Meat informed.
"Thank you," Mileena said, grateful for the new company. "My family…"