"Hey, Jax." Sonya greeted her close friend as she entered the Special Forces' medbay where Jax was recovering from a gun wound in his leg.

"In treatment again…" Jax said with boredom.

"At least you won't need metal legs." Sonya joked.

"Yeah," Jax replied. "One of the medics managed to get the bullet out yesterday."

"That's great." Sonya commented with happiness for her friend. "Do you just have to wait for it to heal now?"

Jax nodded. "Spot on."

"How are you doing now?"

"Bored but being in the medbay is better than hospital, also there's a lot of things to unpack in my mind but other than that I'll be back to work in no time." Jax answered honestly and truthfully. "How about you?"

"I'm not the one missing my arms and a bullet wound in my leg." She referred to Jax's recent injuries. "So I cannot complain."

"You don't need to worry about me, Sonya." Jax told her in case she needed reassurance.

"But I do." She admitted.

"Everybody's overwhelmed by the invasion." Jax reminded her. "We'll get through this and things will go back to normal."

"I know," Sonya said as she held onto Jax's metal hand. "I expect things being in the Special Forces to be tough but not whatever the hell that was."

"It's all over now." Jax assured. "Hsu already told me about Outworld's new leadership and how they wish to be our allies."

"Wait what?"

"You didn't hear?" Jax was surprised. "Mileena is the new Empress."

"How did Hsu know this?"

"I don't know," Jax said with a shrug. "Does it matter how?"

"Not really."

"Any other news?"

"Oh!" Sonya was quickly reminded of something. "Kano and that No Face guy are in our custody."

"Great!" Jax cheered. "Well done."

"There's so much going on that I almost forgot." Sonya explained.

"Make sure there's more people watching over them please." Jax requested.

"I'll go right now." Sonya informed him. "I'll talk to you in a bit."

"Bye." Jax waved as she headed out the room as Johnny Cage entered.

"Wait, you're leaving?" Cage asked.

"I've got to check on our visitors." She explained. "I'll catch you later, Johnny."

"Don't leave me with him!" Jax jokingly begged.

"Have fun you two." Sonya said with a wave before moving in a hurry to check on the two prisoners.

"So how are you doing?" Cage asked as he took a seat by Jax's bedside.

"I'm holding up finely." Jax responded. "How come you didn't come in with Sonya?"

"Well I got a phone call from a friend and I then got distracted by the tanks you guys have." Johnny retold his actions. "That shit is insane."

"You have friends?" Jax said with a friendly laugh.

"He's a friend and colleague." Cage elaborated. "Motion capture guy, helps in some of my movies."

"Oh please tell me you aren't starring in another one." Jax continued to joke, clearly Cage's light hearted and goofy behaviour was rubbing off on him.

"Too late." Cage said as he jumped out of his seat to present his idea. "I've already pitched for Ninja Mime 3: starring Johnny Cage!"

"Eugh, Ninja Mime 2 was a cheap copout." Jax reviewed.

"Gee, thanks." Cage said sarcastically. "I'm surprised you even watched them."

"The world is a strange place ain't it?"

"Especially now that there's Gods and realms and…" Cage was interrupted.

"I know, I know." Jax said with a smile. "Thanks for coming here."

"Oh anytime." Cage replied. "Hope you have a speedy recovery, pal."

"Thanks, Cage." Jax said gratefully. "What are you doing next?"

"Meeting another friend." Cage answered. "Cya, Jax."

Meanwhile in the headquarters interrogation room, Hsu Hao was indeed busy interrogating Kano and No Face. Though he had tried the… usual tactics, they were of no effect as Hsu had predicted. In response to their lack of compliance, Hsu Hao decided to turn off the security cameras that were recording the interrogation and he began contemplating what he should do next.

"Back here again, hm?" Hsu Hao stood above a seated Kano who was bound to a chair with his metal eye's laser being restricted by a piece of metal being clamped against it, just like last time.

"And again you won't get any answers." Kano uttered boldly.

"Not from you," Hsu clarified. "From him."

Hsu Hao turned to No Face who was in a similar position to Kano. He then began menacingly approaching the mad crook.

"Tell me where your main headquarters are." Hsu demanded.

"No." No Face mumbled in refusal.

"Speak up, boy."

"NO!" He screamed.

Hsu Hao then knelt to his level. "I will hurt you." He warned.

"Surely this ain't how you SF bastards handle things!" No Face assumed. "This is brutality!"

"I'm not an SF bastard, y'see." Hsu revealed.

"Oh you're a bastard alright." Kano remarked.

"And what are you?" He asked. "Also for your information, I'm no Special Forces."

"What?"

"Two words: Red Dragon." He said before clocking a blow over No Face's head which knocked the lunatic's mask off, revealing his horrifically scarred face.

"Wh-what?!" Kano was trying to process Hsu Hao's confession.

"Shush now."

"Just wait until I'm outta here!" Kano yelled. "Because I will be! And I will ruin you!"

"Your clan is already falling apart because of you, Kano." Hsu Hao informed him. "So I find that statement difficult to believe."

"Do your worst."

"As you wish." Hsu Hao said with a sadistic smile on his face as he grabbed Kano and began throttling him while also pressing his bare torso close by his cybernetic heart which began burning his flesh with its painful laser.

Kano's screams made the already approaching Sonya Blade hurry herself up as she rushed into the interrogation room to witness Hsu Hao delivering a vicious assault on Kano.

"Hsu, stop it!" She ordered. "This isn't how we do things!"

Hsu Hao ignored his comrades' demands and continued strangling the life out of Kano.

"Look, I want to beat him as much as you do," Sonya said in an attempt to relate to her ally. "But this just isn't right!"

"He deserves it!" Hsu argued as he tightened his grip around Kano's throat.

"It's still inhumane." She stated.

"Let him go!" No Face pleaded. "Please…"

"A Black Dragon bastard showing manners?" Hsu Hao finally released Kano as he once again turned his attention to No Face once more.

"Shut up." Was all No Face could think of as a response.

"Give me two minutes most with him, General Blade." Hsu Hao requested.

"Hell no!" she refused.

"Do you want answers or not?!"

"I…" Sonya began reconsidering. "Just keep him in one piece."

"Fine." He complied.

"Ello Sonya…" Kano greeted her weakly.

"You should be thanking me." She replied. "Come on now, you're going to your cell."

"Sod off!" Kano yelled but a kick to his nose made him change his attitude quickly. "Agh! Alright, alright, I'm moving!"

Sonya took Kano out of the chair that he was tied to and cuffed him to restrain him as she escorted him down the corridors in the Special Forces base's holding cells.

"Now," Hsu Hao refocused on his target. "Where were we?"

"I won't tell you shit!" No Face yelled. "I won't! I won't! I won't!"

"All I need to know is the location of the Black Dragon's main hideout." Hsu Hao informed him. "Can you tell me that?"

"I can but I won't." No Face said as he stared at the grey concrete floor.

"Then let us see what other burns we can leave on you." Hsu Hao said as he prepared his cybernetic heart to unleash another burst, this time at No Face.

"Fuck…" No Face cussed. "Fuck! Everything has been ruined! Everything!"

"Tell me the location of your hideout and you won't be ruined to any more extent than you already are." Hsu Hao promised. "I'll count to five…"

"Just kill me already!" No Face begged.

"I wish I could." Hsu cruely replied. "Oh I wish I could just tear your heart out… just like what you Black Dragon rats did to me some years ago."

"Cry me a river." No Face suddenly began mocking his misfortune, another sudden shift in his personality.

"One!" Hsu began counting.

"Don't care." No Face said in dismissal of the warning.

"Two!" the counting proceeded.

"Still don't care."

"Three!"

"Hurry it up already."

"Four!"

"You aren't getting shit out of me!"

"Five!"

No Face had dismissed the warning and was now going to suffer the consequences. Hsu Hao immediately kicked No Face in the head which sent him stumbling back in his chair. Hsu Hao then jumped up and landed both his feet down on No Face's stomach, completely winding him as he gasped for breath.

"Give me an answer!" Hsu demanded as tore No Face out of his restraints and lobbed him into the wall on the other side of the room where he smashed head first into the hard brick.

"No…" No Face refused weakly.

Hsu reacted to No Face's lack of compliance by smashing the wooden chair over No Face's back as he tried to crawl away with what energy he had.

"D-Do you re-really think that I care about pain?" No Face asked. "I burnt off my own face y'know…"

"And what about Kano?"

"What about him?"

"How does he respond to pain?" Hsu questioned. "Specifically, how would you respond to his pain?"

"Wh-what are you suggesting?"

"I can bring him back right now and melt the rest of his face off." Hsu threatened.

"You bluff."

"Oh?" Hsu began approaching the exit. "I'll go get him then."

"Don't!" No Face pleaded.

"Tell me where you rats are hiding out then!"

No Face had to think quickly. He didn't want his closest friend to be harmed but he certainly didn't want to expose their clan's new main hideout. That's when a genius idea hit his unhinged brain: the old hideout! The defectors had forced them out their former main base so it was the perfect opportunity for No Face to rat them out.

"We transformed an abandoned hospital into a base." No Face revealed. "It's hidden in a forest in Connecticut."

"Give me specifics."

"...In Newington." He pretended to reluctantly answer. "In the forest past Cumberland Farms."

"See? That wasn't so difficult." He said as a way to add further insult and mockery to the already beaten down No Face.

"Leave me be…" He begged as the light in the room suddenly flickered off for a reason unknown to both men.

"Fine." Hsu granted No Face's wish as he cuffed his hands one again before delivering a final kick and leaving the room to figure out why the lights had gone out.

"The generator has been shut off!" Yelled one of the Special Forces soldiers, informing everybody in the corridors who were in confusion.

"How come?" Hsu asked as he approached the soldier.

"Grenade explosion apparently." They informed him.

"Well what the hell are we waiting for?" Hsu asked. "Let's have a look."

Hsu Hao gathered a group of soldiers to check the electricity generator that lived in one of the corners in the Special Forces base with the base itself being surrounded by an electrical chain link fence with barbed wire resting atop the fencing. Sonya and a few other soldiers were also at the scene as Hsu Hao and company arrived.

"What happened?" Hsu asked Sonya.

"One of our watchmen spotted a man lob an explosive over the fence and at the generator." She explained.

"Well that explains the fire." Hsu remarked as the top of the generator was ablaze. "Who do you think the man was?"

"Black Dragon if I had to guess." Sonya answered. "Or just a madman."

"Somebody put this fire out!" Hsu ordered. "And is the attacker being followed?!"

"He got away in the forest ahead." Sonya explained, which caused Hsu Hao to roll his eyes is disappointment of both the news and the poor efforts of those tailing the criminal themselves.

"Who the hell drives all the way to a confidential military base just to do that?" Hsu continued to ask questions.

"Maybe there's a reason for it…" Sonya considered the possibility of a more significant reason for the vandalism of the generator. "The holding cells!"

"What?"

"We have to check the prisoners," Sonya realized. "This was just a diversion!"

Sonya and Hsu Hao ran back to the inside of the base and sprinted towards the holding cells only to find that everything was as normal as it should usually be, even Kano was still in his cell.

"Sorry," Sonya apologized. "I was almost certain that-"

An explosion that sounded nearby cut Sonya off as the soldiers who were still in the building began surrounding the interrogation room where the noise came from.

"Is No Face still in there?" Sonya asked her comrade as the two pushed past their comrades to the only entrance into the room.

"Well let's find out." Hsu said as he kicked down the door and charged into the room before immediately halting himself as he glared in anger at the giant hole in the wall opposite him with no No Face in sight. "He is not…"

"Did you get any answers from him?"

"Fortunately so," Hsu Hao informed her with pride in his success. "No Face claimed that their main hideout is located within Coconino forest which is down in Arizona."

This was a lie. But Hsu Hao couldn't possibly be caught out for if they realize that the main hideout wasn't located there they would simply assume that No Face fibbed. However, this was still a location of one of the Black Dragon's gang hideout's that the Red Dragon had disclosed details of so the lie was killing two birds with one stone. The Special Forces can deal with some of Kano's lackeys while the Red Dragon get their rightful attack on the main hideout where they could seize both vengeance and possible information regarding the clan as a whole. A perfect plan.

"I'll write that down." Sonya promised. "Try and see if you can track down No Face and any other Black Dragon goons in the meantime."

"Can do." Hsu replied in compliance. "Anybody with me?!"

Some soldiers rounded up to follow Hsu Hao as they strode outside the building where they watched a car drive away which they rightly presumed was where No Face was being escorted in.

"Bring us an armoured car." Hsu commanded a soldier who nodded in respectable compliance and in mere minutes the soldier returned in the driving seat of a vehicle which was kitted out and ready to tail No Face and company.

"Are you alright, Damien?" The Doctor asked who had orchestrated the attack to rescue No Face as well as referring to No Face's real name.

"K-Kano... " No Face called out. "He was in there… you've gotta go back for him."

"We tried." He lied. "I'm sorry, son, we couldn't get him before we were spotted."

"Shit." No Face cussed.

"Did you tell them anything?" The Doctor asked. "You better have not exposed our new spot…"

"Of course I didn't!" he shouted defensively. "I did reveal the hideout those traitors are currently occupied in though."

"Excellent work, my boy." The Doctor praised with a crazed applause. "We will have time to rebuild after our… severe losses."

"If only Kano was here to help." No Face remarked.

"We don't need him." The Doctor insisted. "Under his leadership and in my absence our clan has been divided, Kano needed his behind rescuing twice, you got caught up in his idiotic shenanigans, and you were threatened into doing a sorcerers work."

"You can't blame Kano!" No Face yelled.

"You're right," The Doctor agreed. "It's my fault for not being there to shut him up."

"Hey!"

"Oh, hush!" The Doctor demanded. "Despite this major setback we will survive, as long as you follow my leadership."

"Fine, Doc." No Face reluctantly complied.

"Also does somebody, anybody, care to explain what actually occurred in my absence?"

"Well…" No Face went to explain but was cut off by the sound of a car speeding behind them.

"Drive faster, Quinn!" The Doctor commanded the man driving the car.

"Yes, Doctor Rotwang." Quinn said in blind loyalty as he pressed down hard on the accelerator pedal as a couple Black Dragon goons rolled down the windows and began firing at the armoured car to no effect.

In response to being fired at, a turret emerged from the top of the vehicle that was being operated by Hsu Hao and he began firing rapidly at the car with no remorse.

"The bubble!" Was all Rotwang could utter, which was fortunately a good enough of a command for Quinn to understand and to quickly slam down on a button on the dashboard which created a forcefield of some sort which surrounded the car and deflected the bullets back at the SF's vehicle.

"The hell did you just do?!" No Face asked in confusion and surprise.

"You seriously thought I would just send a regular Mazda to rescue you?" Rotwang asked before laughing as he thought of a new plan involving his hand crafted technology. "Slow down Quinn, let them catch up."

"Yes." Was Quinn's simple reply of continued compliance.

"Are you insane?!" No Face ironically asked Rotwang.

"Oh c'mon son, cheer up." Rotwang advised. "The No Face I know would love this."

"No Kano, no party."

"Whatever you say." Rotwang said in dismissal of No Face's clear desire for Kano to be rescued. "Quinn, activate the lightning!"

No Face was tired of questioning things and just let the events unfold as lightning began zapping the entire surrounding area of the transparent forcefield that surrounded the car via a pole that had somehow been wired to emerging from the roof of the car upon a button being pressed and transmitting the seemingly invincible forcefield that also had the ability to emit electric shocks upon command. With the armoured vehicle approaching the side of the Mazda, it suffered a deadly shock which penetrated through it's armour and immediately set it aflame. Hsu Hao and his fellow soldiers had to quickly evacuate the car before it inevitably exploded as Quinn continued driving away, now with no oncoming threats.

"We're in the clear, Doctor Rotwang." Quinn informed his boss.

"Fantastic work." Rotwang continued with his oddly kind praise. "I wish you'd take a page out of Quinn's book on how to deal with things, Damien."

No Face simply responded with a middle finger directed at Rotwang.

"How mature," reacted Rotwang. "Also, we need to eliminate those traitors to our clan before they become another problem on top of the Special Forces and Red Dragon…"

At the entrance to the former hospital that was now a criminal compound stood Tasia as she leant against the entrances gate with a cigarette in hand. She dug her available hand into the pockets of her skinny jeans that she was wearing, expecting to find a lighter only to be disappointed to find herself empty handed.

"Fuck!" She cussed aloud as she kicked her foot against the gate behind her.

"You okay?" Spoke Jarek who was approaching the gate.

"You being here isn't much help!" she snapped.

"Can I ask you something?"

Tasia sighed. "What is it?"

"Why are you so angry all the time?"

"Fuck off."

"This is what I'm referring to." Jarek stated as he pushed the gate open to join his ally.

"I'm fine." Tasia said unbelievably.

"You can talk to me if needed." Jarek offered while retrieving his own lighter. "Need a light?"

"Yes please." Tasia answered with surprising politeness as she held the cigarette out towards Jarek so that he may light it. "This whole thing is just so stressful sometimes."

"I know what you mean." Jarek said in relation to her. "Lost half our allies along with all that Outworld shit."

"And my face is a mess." Tasia added, dragging her finger gently down her still healing cut that's guaranteed to leave a large scar.

"I think it makes you look tough." Jarek gave an attempt at complimenting Tasia.

"Sh-shut up." She ordered.

"Sorry." Jarek alologized.

"No," Tasia said before taking another quick smoke. "I'm sorry… I keep being aggressive with you."

"Ya don't say…" Jarek remarked.

"You're not helping!" she shouted.

"Ah, sorry again." He once again apologized.

"Look," Tasia paused before speaking her next point. "You helped me when I got smacked by that Shao Kahn bastards hammer and I still treat you like shit."

"Don't sweat it."

"And you're still offering to help me…" Tasia realized.

"Because I'd like to think of us as close friends." Jarek explained.

"Yeah, friends." Tasia agreed. "Just friends."

"Glad you feel the same way." Jarek responded with a fittingly friendly smile.

"I… appreciate you." Tasia informed him, one of the nicest things that Jarek had ever heard her say.

"The feeling is mutual." Jarek assured her. "I value this whole group more than anything."

"And now you've made things way too sentimental." Tasia remarked before finishing with smoking her cigarette.

"So-" Jarek went to apologize again but was almost instantly silenced by Tasia making a throat clearing noise.

"Don't." She demanded. "It seems like we're screwed here."

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean!" Tasia yelled. "This is the only place that we have access to, we lost a shit load of stuff because we thought it'd be a great idea to split away from Kano and now we're even more wanted than before when we actually had power!"

"Calm down," Jarek instructed. "We'll all get through this together."

"You're right," Tasia agreed. "We'll all die together living like this."

"That's not what I meant…" Jarek stated.

"Nobody will harm us." Tremor reassured her as he joined the pair. "I won't allow anybody to do so."

"Thanks, big guy." Jarek said in reply whereas Tasia did not say a word.

"What's wrong, Tasia?" Tremor surprisingly asked as he had genuine concern for his friend.

"Why do you care?" Tasia gave Tremor a question of her own. "You could just leave us to do something actually worth your time."

"I could repeat the very same thing to you." Tremor pointed out.

"I can't leave!" Tasia yelled in anger. "It's been over five years since I joined the Black Dragon and I've made too big of a name of myself to just start a new life."

"You joined when you were sixteen?" Jarek did the maths as he had the knowledge of Tasia being the age of twenty two with Jarek himself being only a couple years older.

Tasia nodded and took a deep breath to prepare herself to tell a story that she wished to share. "A year before joining, fucking around in school had finally caught up with my ass and I got kicked out of highschool. Little me didn't really care but when I stopped doing anything my mom was getting pissed at me and was demanding that I find work. I found work but not in the way she expected me to… I started to do crime. I wouldn't stop and it then became too serious that I couldn't stop. First it was pickpocketings and petty theft like stealing small belongings from stores but it began getting more serious as I began getting involved in muggings, drug dealing and many robberies. I came home one day from what I had told my mom was a job as a cashier and I saw my mom sitting at the kitchen table with a cop. I was too afraid to face the consequences of my crimes so I killed the officer and ran from home… and joined the Black Dragon."

"I never knew," Jarek replied, not entirely sure of how to comfort Tasia but made the effort to put his arm around her. "I'm sorry."

"I became addicted," admitted Tasia. "And it spiralled out of control."

"We will eventually be able to disappear and start new and happier lives." Tremor continued to try and reassure her. "And I will continue to protect this clan to make sure this future is possible."

"Nobody can get past you, Trem." Jarek said to compliment Tremor's immense strength.

"The pasty bald bitch did." Tasia reminded them. "But thanks guys."

"Anytime." Jarek replied. "Happy to help a friend."

"As am I." Tremor added. "We still need a new name for our clan."

"Yeah," Tasia agreed. "Being referred to as 'The Black Dragon Betrayers' isn't going to cut it."

"Well how about the White Dragon?" Jarek suggested. "I know it's generic when there's already red and black but white is usually associated with good things such as pureness, so how's that sound?"

"I don't really mind." Tremor said honestly which was to nobody's surprise.

"Well we're anything but good," Tasia argued. "But I like it."

"I'll ask for more ideas from the others in the morning," Jarek informed them. "I'm gonna head to bed now."

"As will I." Tremor stated.

"I'll be out here for a bit longer," Tasia decided. "Have a good night guys."

In the distance, lurking in the forests that surrounded the entire compound was a small group of Red Dragon soldiers that were being led by Mavado himself. They remained low, hiding behind the trees and bushes that were even more well hidden by the night sky.

"What do you see?" Hsu Hao asked over the phone.

"Pass me the binoculars." Mavado ordered one of the soldiers who passed a pair of high tech binoculars that were designed by the Red Dragon themselves which came equipped with a toggle for night vision.

Mavado began examining the compound, using the night vision to counter the fact that now light was being emitted from the hideout. His eyes soon fixated on Tasia who was still at the front of the compound and who was also of course a well known member of the Black Dragon.

"No Face didn't lie." Mavado informed Hsu Hao. "This is indeed a hideout belonging to the Black Dragon."

"That is good to hear, sir." Hsu Hao responded.

"You haven't shared this location with the Special Forces have you?"

"No, sir." Hsu answered at a very alert pace with complete honesty. "I had made up coordinates to a different location and pretended that this was what No Face had revealed to me."

"You once again impress me." Mavado praised.

"Thank you, sir." Hsu replied, very grateful of his superiors praise.

"I shall inform Daegon of all this and we will structure an attack on this hideout as soon as possible." Mavado explained his plan.

"What if No Face returns?"

"My scouts will make sure that he won't." Mavado said with complete certainty. "I shall now leave you be, Hsu. Good work as always."

"Thanks again." Hsu replied. "Goodbye."