One thing. Sonya only agreed to participate in this death trap of a tournament for one reason. Her only motivation was to destroy the black dragon. Specifically to kill Kano. He'd killed so many of her friends, some of them so close she considered them family. Of course her brother had fallen victim to Kano as well. A fact that ate away at her as she tried to recover from her ptsd. It was obvious she'd never be able to move on so long as Kano was alive. She didn't expect to feel better after killing Kano. She'd been a soldier too long to believe revenge would make her any happier. She just wanted justice.
And her one opportunity to get it was stripped away from her. Any chance at revenge was gone. Stolen by Johnny Cage, someone she was just starting to come around to liking. Sonya felt like he wanted to rescue her like she was damsel out of his films. That made her sick. She needed his help on the bridge, she could admit that even if she didn't like it. Now she can't even find a reason to stick around on this island. This tournament is a waste of time.
She struck a tree with her fist again as she unleashed her rage. Her fist now bleeding as she punched it again and again.
"Hey, Sonya are you…." Stryker began before Sonya turned to him with a glare that would scare away a shokan.
"What do you want?" She spat, annoyed with him and everyone else apparently.
"Lance was worried about you. He asked me to check in on you." He answered plainly.
"What, he couldn't bother himself?" She spat before turning back to the tree.
"Well, he wanted to go with Johnny after he beat Kano. Which you would know if you stuck around."
"I knew he'd win." She answered calmly. "That's why I'm pissed, he shouldn't have done that. Lance shouldn't have defended him. It should have been me."
"I'm not gonna pretend to know what your history is with Kano, but I know it must be pretty serious. And I do understand what it's like to want to take matters into your own hands."
"You wouldn't be about to confess a crime to me, would you?" She asks somewhat sarcastically.
"Not exactly, but you may be interested to know Kano is still alive. Johnny didn't kill him" Stryker Stated.
"Of course not, he doesn't have the balls to kill someone. Problem is I won't be able to get to him when he's being protected by Shang Tsung."
"Protected? Shang Tsung had him and the other two thrown into a couple of cells. Guarded probably, but not for their safety, that's for sure."
Sonya froze just then as she finally realized what Stryker was actually here to offer her. "You know where?"
Stryker nodded. "Yes, but I'm going with you. That's my condition."
"Lance knows you're doing this?" She asked as she finally stopped striking the tree trunk.
"Are you crazy? I haven't told anyone. I know we need you to win this tournament. And this is the best way to get your head straight. So let's just go get it done." Sonya smirked.
It took a while for them to get to the caves, which Stryker claimed to lead to the caverns below. All the while she knew the others were fighting and potentially dying. Johnny Cage, Liu Kang, Kung Lao, Felix, Kenshi. She didn't really care about any of them. Sure she didn't want them to die necessarily, but her mission took precedent. Kill Kano and his Lieutenants, she'd happily leave the fate of earthrealm to Raiden and his white lotus society. She hoped Lance and Pedro would follow suit, but the duo had fallen in line with the rest of Raidens champions. They even supported Johnny when he challenged Kano. The last of her team had accepted the alternative mission of defending earthrealm. She couldn't blame them, they still had something left to go home to, something to defend. Sonya lost the last of her family at Kanos hands. She had nothing to go back to.
"Sonya." Whispered Stryker. "Hey I think we can use these caves to get down into where they are holding any prisoners."
"Perfect." She stated as she marched down the first path by random. Stryker followed her closely behind.
"So what's the plan?" Asked Stryker as he followed, trying not to lose her in the darkness.
"Once we find Kano I kill him, Tasia, and Jerek. You stay out of the way." She answered bluntly. Stryker shook his head as the duo barged into a room, Sonya on the warpath.
Rain stood waiting with his arms crossed, his cape flowing dramatically in the heat. Beside him, Tanya spun her kobu jutsu staff with a smirk. Across from them, Sonya Blade and Stryker stood ready, their determination unshaken despite the hostile terrain.
"Looks like the Earthrealmers are out of their element," Tanya taunted, her voice dripping with venom.
"Shang Tsung said you'd be unable to resist the opportunity to catch Kano. Now you face two edenians, you will not survive this encounter unless you surrender." Stated Rain.
Stryker twirled his riot baton, stepping forward. "And you're about to see what happens when you underestimate Earthrealm's defenders."
Rain scoffed, the air around him shimmering as water droplets formed. "Let's see how well you fight when drowning in a storm."
Sonya cracked her knuckles, a cocky grin spreading across her face. "Bring it, waterboy. I'll mop the floor with you."
Rain struck first, summoning a powerful water blast that surged toward Stryker. The Earthrealm cop dove out of the way, rolling to his feet and dropping a concussion grenade. The explosion forced Rain to retreat, water spraying from his shield to block the impact.
Meanwhile, Tanya dashed toward Sonya, her staff spinning in a deadly blur. Sonya ducked under a sweeping strike, countering with a sharp uppercut that sent Tanya stumbling back. Tanya retaliated with a flaming kick, her heel grazing Sonya's shoulder and leaving a scorch mark.
"Is that all you've got?" Sonya taunted, landing a series of punches and finishing with a hard knee to Tanya's gut. Rain, seeing Tanya faltering, summoned a tidal wave to separate the two. The wave surged across the battlefield, forcing Sonya and Stryker to leap onto a higher rock platform.
Stryker shouted, "We need to split them up!" He threw another grenade at Rain, the explosion disrupting the water wielder's balance. Sonya took the opportunity to charge at Tanya again, flipping over the wave with acrobatic precision.
Rain and Stryker faced off on one side of the lair. Rain unleashed a flurry of water daggers, but Stryker expertly dodged, closing the gap with his baton. The cop landed a hard strike to Rain's ribs, following up with a taser that sent a jolt of electricity through his opponent's body. Rain grunted, recovering quickly.
"You'll regret that," he snarled, summoning a vortex that yanked Stryker off his feet. He slammed the Earthrealmer into the ground with a burst of water pressure, leaving him dazed.
On the other side, Tanya and Sonya traded blow after blow. Tanya used her staff to block a series of rapid punches, countering with a spinning kick that knocked Sonya back toward the edge of a fire pit.
"You're done!" Tanya shouted, lunging forward, but Sonya flipped backward, landing on solid ground and retaliating with a powerful energy ring. The projectile struck Tanya square in the chest, sending her skidding across the stone floor.
Seeing Rain charging at Stryker with a rising geyser, Sonya leapt into action, tackling Rain mid-air. The two tumbled across the ground, with Sonya locking him into a grapple. Tanya rushed to assist, only for Stryker to intercept her with a flashbang grenade. The bright light disoriented Tanya, giving Stryker enough time to land a brutal baton strike across her jaw.
Rain broke free of Sonya's hold, summoning a rainstorm that drenched the battlefield. The slippery floor caused Sonya to lose her footing, and Rain prepared to finish her with a lightning strike. But Stryker threw his baton with perfect aim, knocking Rain's hand aside and disrupting the attack.
Tanya, regaining her composure, lashed out with a fiery kick that caught Stryker in the side, sending him sprawling. "Enough games!" she shouted, her staff igniting with energy.
Sonya, despite her injuries, vaulted over Tanya and landed behind her. Grabbing Tanya by the waist, Sonya flipped her over and slammed her into the ground. "Stay down," Sonya growled. Rain was about to rejoin the fight, but when he saw Tanya was unconscious he opted to escape instead. Sonya and Stryker watched as he stepped into a puddle disappearing into the water without a sound.
"What a joke." Said Sonya, unamused. Stryker, panting, looked at her curiously. "What?" She asked. Stryker merely shook his head in response as the two continued towards the holding cells.
"According to Raiden this is the only spot on the island where Shang Tsung keeps prisoners." He explained as he looked around the empty cells.
"He just told you that?" Asked Sonya curiously.
"I didn't exactly tell him why I was asking, but yeah." Answered Stryker. The duo came to a stop as Sonya peeked around a corner into a large circular room lined in holding cells. Several masked guards held the area, patrolling the room, and presumably up and down the corridors.
"You ready?" Asked Sonya with a sadistic grin as she loaded her pistol. Stryker couldn't even answer before she rushed in. Gunshot rang out as three of the masked guards fell with one shot each. Stryker covered her as he ran past the other guards searching for Kano. He dropped several more guards with a pistol of his own before the room was clear.
"I get it, you in a hurry, but you need to be careful!" He shouted.
"I didn't ask you to come along, Supercop!" she yelled back.
"What do we have here?" asked Shang Tsung as he stepped into the room, cutting them off, with several fighters in tow. He glanced at the bodies of his guards, scattered and lifeless.
"You, Sonya Blade, have been busy."
"Where's Kano?" She asked bluntly. Erron Black chuckled from behind Shang Tsung while the sorcerer smirked. Over a dozen masked guards each getting ready to charge her and Stryker. "Perhaps you should be a bit more worried about yourself."
"What do you want with us?" Asked Stryker, cutting in.
"From you, Kurtis Stryker? I merely want to consume your soul. As one of earth realms top fighters, you will be quite useful as a slave to my power." he stated before turning to Sonya. "But for you my dear Sonya, I have planned so much more."
Just then all the hairs on her neck shot up. The very sight of Shang Tsung would make anyone squirm, but his intentions for her were apparently worse than she thought. His hungry grin told her all about the sorcerer's desires. Why he set this trap up for her, why he had ordered his men capture her alive.
Shang Tsung's obsession with Sonya Blade stems from a twisted combination of desire and domination. Her fierce independence and unwavering resolve ignite his lust, as he craves to bend her spirit to his will in ways he doesn't care to do to most. To Shang, Sonya represents a challenge, a symbol of Earthrealm's defiance and purity. Qualities he seeks to corrupt. His obsession is not merely physical but rooted in a sadistic need to claim her as a trophy, proving his superiority over Earthrealm's defenders, over her. For all his pretending, he's no better than Kano.
Once she realized this it became clear to her that Raiden was right. She was still afraid. Afraid that what happened with Kano will happen again if she's not careful. And that she isn't ready to stand among earth realms greatest champions. "Stryker, we need to run." He nodded before turning and tossing a few smoke bombs at their opponents.
"They're trying to use the smoke as cover." spoke Erron Black as he patiently watched the smoke fill the room.
"Reptile." called Shang Tsung. "Track them, follow them lower into Goro's lair. Eventually Sonya Blade will be mine." he finished before taking his leave.