Author's Note: rocketing on ahead, next chapter is the end of this arc! Get ready for A LOT of kombat and signature violence.

-Chapter 25: The Desecration-

The Hacienda had not seen much upkeep over the years, the living area resulting in a dingy dirty space with cracked walls, peeling ceiling, and ruined floors. A rough dilapidated table sat in the middle of the room, where two people were seated. One of which was Kano, leaning back and picking his teeth, with Kira and Kobra flanking him.

On the other side of the table sat a fat middle-aged man, his head completely hairless save for a thick, bushy moustache that concealed his mouth from view. His dark eyes peered intensely at the Black Dragon ringleader, his thick fingers folded together and resting against the tabletop. He was also flanked by two of his hired guns, his 'cholos' as the locals would call them, mere men in plain clothes carrying SMGs. "Ya know yor decor is a bit shit, eh? Why doncha try sprucin' this up a bit, if this 'ere's yor meetin' room?" Kano suggested.

"You test my patience, Kano." El Balde retorted. "You come claiming you have good news for me, but instead you waste my time with meaningless talk."

"'S called small talk, small fry. Ya might wanna try it. Improves yor public image." Kano replied with a grin and a smug look in his good eye. Before El Balde could speak again, he reached for his belt and withdrew Shang's vial. "Got a hot tip fo' ya. Tarkat. Shit's eatin' up tha eastern mahket." Kano said, setting it gently down on the table. It fit snugly in one of the old bullet holes.

"A new drug? I have not heard of such a thing."

"That's cause yor not tapped inta tha global mahket like I am." Kano explained, easing his chair back onto all four legs and leaning closer. "Figa'd an up an' comin' drug lord like yorself would wanna be all in on tha priciest trends."

El Balde looked at him askew. "It is… good? It makes a lot of money overseas?"

"A lot?" Kano barked a laugh. "Balde, mate, this shit'll make ya a king. It'll make anyone a king. It's… what's tha phrase? Sellin' like hotcakes… or tacos or whatevah tha fuck passes fo' food 'round 'ere." He pointed to the vial. "They say a drop'll do a man. Ya can make fat stacks off less than a quartah ouce! Keep's 'em comin' back fo' mor' 'cause it's cheap." Lifting the vial, he rolled it arcoss the table where El Balde snatched it up. He looked at the golden liquid curiously, studying it with scrutinizing eyes.

"You are certain of this? This had better not be an even bigger waste of time." El Balde threatened. Kano frowned.

"It's a hot tip. When have I evah steered ya wrong, Balde? I got ya tha coke shipment an' tha meth shipment, didn't I? I'm in this just as much as you is." The Black Dragon countered. "I helped ya out, didn't I? Outta tha goodness of my heart, I turned ya from a rock-kickin' lil' shit inta tha big bad pushah ya are now. Why would I, me, Kano, evah pull tha rug out from undah ya? This shit's all tha rage an' I'm givin' ya tha chance ta cornah tha mahket befor' anyone else picks up on it. Cheap, real easy ta make, hella addictive too, drop'll do ya an' all that." Kano stood and gestured for Kira and Kobra to follow him out. "Sample's on tha house, free 'o charge. Y'all are welcome ta sample it yorselves… if yor man enough ta risk a lick." Kano teased with a snicker. "But you jus' lemme know if ya wanna start pushin' out 'ere. Ya'd be tha first ta do so. Prolly cornah tha mahket." With that tantalizing promise lingering, the three Black Dragon took their leave. El Balde said nothing and took several long minutes studying the golden liquid.

"Tarkat." He muttered. Popping the cork, El Balde took a sniff. The act of cold indifference towards Kano was all for show. He was very interested and very curious about this new drug. He had sampled every other ware and knew the high quality products the Black Dragon shipped him. Surely this would be no different. "One drop, you say? Pfft, as if." El Balde knocked back a brief shot of the liquid before plugging the vial again.

A tingle spread across his tongue, followed by a glowing sensation in the back of his mind. He felt lighter than air, free, jubilant, extravagant… which was then followed by a raw, piercing sensation as if his soul had been seared. His throat began to burn and El Balde coughed, clutching at his neck as his veins bulged beneath his skin. "Dios mío." He rasped. Perhaps it was the intensity Kano was warning him about. "You two… come… try." He ordered his men between coughs, holding up the vial to them both. He wanted to see if they experienced the same effect.

Sharing uncertain glances, but unwilling to risk a bullet in their skulls, the two cholos approached to take a sample of the sample…

Elsewhere…

The chicken clucked. It was a taunting, irritating sound. Kenshi growled as he chased after it, his spirit sight weak without Sento on his person. He could glimpse only fleeting images of where the chicken was, but it moved so quickly it was never where he was grasping. The swordsman chased it around a sectioned-off portion of the fortress courtyard, his efforts watched by a shrewd Bi-Han overseeing his training. "You can stop only when that bird is in your hands, Kenshi." He commanded.

"If I had Sento…" Kenshi grunted, making another failed swipe at where he though the chicken was, "this would be over by now!"

"Ease is not the point. The point is to prove yourself capable." Bi-Han said, slowly circling the perimeter as Kenshi continued to feel ever the fool. "Your senses must be in peak condition in order to hone your arcana. The stronger they became, the stronger your power will be and the more worthy of Sento you will feel."

Kenshi jumped, missing the chicken by a solid foot as he face-planted in the dirt. "I am a blind man. Sento is my walking stick." He grumbled.

"Sento is your weapon. Your tool. Not a crutch to uphold you." Bi-Han retorted sharply.

"But with it I can see. Without it I'm nothing."

"And that is exactly why we are training." Kenshi dove again, tumbling across the dirt as the chicken clucked well out of reach. He pounded the ground with a growl.

"Can't we do something a little more… you know, feasible? It's impossible to catch this damn thing!"

Bi-Han stamped his foot down, a path of ice shooting straight towards the animal until a burst of cryomancer froze its feet together. The chicken gave a startled Bawk-BAWK before falling silent and pecking at the ice around its feet. "It is not that hard." The Lin Kuei mused in a mirthful tone.

"Easy for you to say." Kenshi huffed, wiping sweat from his brow. "Why are you putting me through this anyway? I've been fighting these Outworlders with Sento and they haven't so much as put me down. Doing this… I feel like a fool and I bet I look like one, too." He asked as he stood.

"You have been victorious with Sento in hand, not without. If you rely entirely on just one of your senses, you will fall when it fails you." Bi-Han sagely replied. "Better to look like a fool here among friends than in kombat against a vicious enemy." He turned Sento over to the swordsman who grasped it eagerly and relished in his restored sight. Kenshi could see Kai and Art sparring, a practice in utilizing agility and precision. Art's nimble flicks of the nunchaku deftly turned away the probing thrusts from Kai's blade, a question of control and technique that would allow Art to get away with striking his opponents more quickly and deftly.

"You sure we can't just spar or something?"

"You are an accomplished swordsman, Kenshi. Training is not about what you can do but what you cannot do." Bi-Han responded. "Rest. And then try again." He commanded, a wave of his hand causing the ice around the chicken to thaw and melt, allowing the bird to wander around clucking again. Were it possible, Kenshi would have rolled his eyes at the sound.

"I hope the others are having a more enjoyable time than I am."

Meanwhile, in another part of the realm…

The large island was totally isolated in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, forged from a long-dead volcano that had arisen out of the sea and formed its own landmass in the wake of its dormancy. Half of the island had grown into a lush, beachfront paradise, while the remainder had formed into a perilous rocky cliffside, sheer and dangerous. Forming at the base of the cliff was a cove that grew into a subterranean cavern, the result of an old volcanic vent.

And it was in this open space that the clamour of kombat echoed loudly.

Ashrah slashed her kris back and froth, unleashing waves of heavenly light that slammed into Jataaka and sent her sprawling across the cave floor. Her body transforming into particles of light, Ashrah darted forward faster than comprehensible. If only Jataaka's demonic senses were slower to react. Blade met blade. Sparks erupted. "You are a fool to stand with the Earthrealm, sister." Jataaka hissed.

"I saw the light. You can, too." Ashrah retorted, parrying as slash from the demon sword with a riposte from her kris. "I refused my demonic state, just as I refute you."

"Traitor." Jataaka snarled. "I'll flay your soul myself!"

Adjacent them, Syzoth slid forward on a trail of slime before shoulder-checking Sareena. He morphed into his beastial form and spat a glob of acid in her direction. The demoness harnessed her momentum from the check and backflipped over the projectile, landing on her feet with crescent blades in hand. She hacked and slashed at the Zaterran only to be met with a big heavy tail clubbing her across the face. Syzoth pounced, snapping her leg between his jaws and shaking viciously back and forth.

Kia held her own against the god of wind, forced onto the backpedal as he fought her for control of the Kitai Portal Stone. It stood on a pedestal of stone, surrounded by ancient carvings representing titanic figures of myth and lore, sigils from a long-dead tongue begging the divine for protection and reciting stories of uses past. All that remained to decide the portal's fate was the greater of the kombatants.

The face of the demoness was twisted into a scowl as she hammered away with her swords at Fujin's unbreakable defence. His kusinagi wove a silver streak through the air, bolstered by gusting winds enhancing his motions. He broke through her defence, launching into a sweeping suite of wind-powered kicks that knocked the demoness onto her back. In a flash of ash and flame, she assumed her true form, conjuring up a column of flame all around her. "Your godhood is no match for the fires of the Netherrealm!" She vowed with a wicked grin, sending the flame vortexing in his direction.

"Hellfire is still fire, Kia." Stated Fujin, churning up a powerful tempest that blasted the demoness with such force her hellfire was extinguished and her body was propelled down the length of the cove where she slammed into the back wall, cracking the rocks on impact. Fujin strode forward and quickly retrieved the Kitai Portal Stone from its stand. "The stone belongs in Earthrealm and in Earthrealm it shall remain. Ashrah! Syzoth! Let us take our leave of this place." The two broke off their entanglements and hurried over to the wind god's side, where he teleported them away long before any of the demoness' could reach them.

But as the arcane energies faded, each had a pleased look on their face.

Domingo was sweeping the ancient stones of the courtyard with a straw broom. Dawn was coming, the sun rising in splendor across the arid savannah. The first rays turned the roof of the steeple, the Holy Roman Catholic Church of San Simon, into silver fire behind him.

The air was warm and yet clear. Domingo felt simple satisfaction in performing his task well. But more than that, he felt pride. Once he was little more than an orphaned street rat. That was until the clergy of the church had taken him in, given him a purpose in life and a real promise of living again. Truly, Domingo felt alive.

He was still young, still growing. But already he was more than he'd ever thought he'd be. He was clothed, educated, the clergy were paying him (a pittance but better than nothing). No longer an urchin, Domingo was pleased with his lot in life.

He thought briefly of the other orphans in San Simon, those who would have a chance at something better if they just reached for it, but they did not have faith.

Domingo was startled out of his reverie by the sound of birds. All of the pigeons who roosted atop the church bell tower had suddenly taken wing. He looked up, still holding his broom.

No one was there, except one man - a stranger - walking slowly across the worn stones that Domingo had just swept. The startled flock of pigeons whirled, then flew off rapidly across the bay. Domingo had never seen them act like that, and despite the warm air of the morning, he felt a chill.

The man approached. When he had come within a double arm's reach, he halted.

The stranger's face was young, his body hard under his rich silks. And his mouth was cruel.

"Buen día señor," Domingo greeted, "I'm sorry but the church is closed for now. You'll have to come back in an hour or so."

"Do you serve them? These holy men?" the stranger asked, his words forming a question although his tone said he already knew.

"Yes," Domingo replied. "Yes, I do."

"Do you know that this building was constructed over something old and ancient?" The stranger asked. "Something I both need and want."

Domingo looked at the stranger warily. "Perhaps you are mistaken, señor. I-I don't know anything about another building under the church."

"I never make mistakes in that regard," the man replied.

Domingo gazed into the man's eyes, and then he knew why something felt off. The eyes were dark, deep and dark, with fire burning far away within them.

Demon eyes.

"W-Well… m-maybe you should come back later to talk to the priest, bueno?" Domingo suggested. "I don't have the keys to open up anyway… not that I'm allowed to."

The stranger snickered, red silk robes falling away from his raised arms to reveal mechanical devices strapped to each wrist. They unfolded into Tekko-Kagi claws.

"No… I think I will enter now."

A black Chevrolet Suburban SUV rolled up to the very outer limits of the town of San Simon. Parked out of the way and just off the road, Jax stepped out of the driver's seat while Sonya emerged from the passenger seat and Johnny crawled out of the very back. "Man!" The actor winced, shielding his eyes from the unchecked sunlight. "Someone call lighting and tell 'em to back off!" He quickly slipped on his shades. "Man. And I thought the Outworld Drylands were bad."

"Nothing in the world like Mexico." Jax remarked, rolling his shoulders. The sun glinted off the polished metal of his bionics. At the right angle they were absolutely blinding. "Served on a few bases in the country."

"When we filmed Mirage, the crew just used places in Utah, New Mexico, Arizona… apparently there was some kinda embargo on going to actual Mexico." Johnny regaled him.

"What was that… late nineties? When the drug and gang crisis skyrocketed. Dangerous for anyone to be here, including Mexicans."

"If you two ladies are done gossiping, let's hurry up and get to work." Sonya interrupted, slapping a ballcap on for some extra shade. "We need to start asking locals if they've seen any gang activity recently. That should point us towards the Black Dragon and maybe that Temple we need to find."

"Hey, you got another one of those?" Johnny asked.

"Should've packed one yourself, drama queen." Sonya retorted. She led the way into the town, Johnny wishing his vest came with a hood as he brought up the rear behind Jax.

The corpse was propped up next to the broken-down church doors, dried blood coating the old concrete stairs after having pooled across the entire top step. A perfect slash from collar to navel, performed with the precision of an incision, spilled Domingo's guts out into his lap. Intestines coiled around his legs while his stomach and liver baked in the hot sun. Another cutting slash had taken his jaw clean off, telltale triple claw marks marking either edge of his neck where the attacking weapon had cleaved through his flesh. Head rolled back, eyes glassy and vacantly staring upwards, Stryker couldn't imagine who could have done this… let alone wanted to do it.

Having been briefed on the notorious violence of the gangs and drug lords, the agent had steeled himself for the eventuality of discovering grisly corpses. But even this, to a simple choirboy, this seemed too much… a step too far in this lawless corner of the world. "The priests found him here, like this, when he was late for morning orations." Officer Garcia explained. "Helluva thing to uncover. Especially in a town like this."

"Let me guess, everyone knew him?"

"Sort of. Domingo was an orphan, the kind of street rat that are just trying to make it through the day. Then the priests took him in and he became everyone's favourite diligent worker here at the church." Stryker looked over the church.

"Either someone was trying to send a message about this place or Domingo here was in the wrong place at the wrong time." He cast a glance at the Latina constable. "Ever hear about drug lords or gangs using this place?"

Garcia shook her head. "The priests would never allow it." Stryker grunted in response and shifted his DEA-branded cap lower to keep the sun off his face. He was wearing a pair of blue-tinted sunglasses and he wished he could wear something other than his work uniform.

It was a pitch-black body suit marked with blue highlight beings veins running up and down the sleeves, pant legs, and around the collar. It allowed him to store his favourite matching multi-use truncheons on his back, in addition to the sewn-on holster for his Glock .34 and collapsible SMG. He stuck out like a sore thumb here in San Simon and he knew it. Garcia giggled. "What?"

"You look like a superhero in that." She commented, looking him up and down. "I didn't realize you took the whole 'super cop' thing so seriously."

Stryker sighed. "I don't like it either." He grumbled. "Lotta space-age tech went into this thing. It's made of silicon carbide discs, ceramic matrices and accompanying laminates, to make a kind of 'cutting-edge' body armor. Stops bullets but leaves bruises." He looked himself over, knowing the life-saving properties of the suit while simultaneously despising how much heat it retained. "I hate how it looks. But it helps me do my job more efficiently, so looks are a small price to pay."

Garcia smirked. "If you say so."

The pair rounded the back of the church. "You get a chance to interview the priests yet?"

"One of my officers did. They said an office was ransacked. No idea what was stolen, if anything."

"So whoever killed Domingo wanted something…"

A clamour arose. Shouts, screams, the unmistakable splintering of wood and shattering of concrete. It came from somewhere further into the town. Kurtis and Garcia shared a brief look before they charged after the noises. The rounded a side street, scampered through a narrow alley, and emerged into a sight of pure chaos. A side market was filled with panicked people running in every direction, notably away from a monstrous humanoid thing ear the end of the market.

While it looked like a man, it certainly lost all resemblance to one. Jagged bone spikes broke through the flesh all over its body, sporting protrusions across the chest, from the head, along the arms, and down the legs. The mouth had been grotesquely contorted to make way for reaching fangs as sharp as a tiger's, which were already red with the blood of several early victims. "What the hell is that thing?!" Garcia gasped as they pushed to the edge of the crowd.

"We'll find out during the autopsy." Stryker whipped out his Glock and squeezed off two shots, each impacting the head and coring out the brain. The monster keeled over, dead, hitting the ground with a wet thud. Stryker grunted in mild surprise as he holstered his sidearm. "I'm surprised it went down that easily."

"That's 'cause it wasn't alone!" Garcia exclaimed, drawing her own pistol as three more of the same kind of creature came charging down the street. She fired once and missed, the creatures suddenly bounding off walls as their fingers-turned-claws dug into the side of buildings to give them greater maneuverability. She fired again, emptying half her magazine and succeeding in killing one of them. Stryker drew and fired again, killing the second of the three. The third was on them, pouncing atop Garcia and snapping its massive fangs right in her face. The beleaguered officer fought back against the thing, saved only when Stryker bored a clean shot right through the side of its head. She threw it off, cursing its disgusting appearance.

"That thing… I think it used to be human." Stryker observed.

Garcia dusted herself off. "I don't wanna meet what turned it into that. What the hell is going on?"

"I don't know." Stryker openly confessed. "Get back to your people, have them move everyone indoors and away from open areas... especially the edge of town. I'll reconnoiter and see where these things are coming from."

"Alone?" Garcia questioned. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"No choice. There's a limited amount of manpower and the important thing is to keep civilians safe." He jerked his head back towards the church. "Go." Stryker didn't wait for Garcia to say or do anything, merely reloading his Glock as he pressed on down the street, determined in his course.

Mulling over the information in his head, it did not seem like a coincidence that someone was murdered senselessly, a church broken into, and then these monsters set loose on the town, all one after another. What the point of connection was, he didn't know. But Stryker was determined to find out and had a hunch that the same drug lords and their gangs he had been sent to stop were behind it. Somehow. If common criminal scum were experimenting with biological mutagens, then he needed to report back to his DEA superiors as soon as possible. This was bordering on biological warfare…

Stryker had no idea what kind of world he was stepping into.

Leaving the street, he approached the edge of town and gunned down two more of the monsters. When the buildings parted and the openness of the Mexican landscape greeted him, Stryker was stunned by the sight of an entire roaving band of the monstrosities coming closer to San Simon. "What the hell…" He breathed, shocked. Swapping his Glock for his SMG, Stryker took to action with quick burst rounds that felled the closest monsters and spurred the others into motion. Stryker kept firing, his aim thrown by the increasing proximity of the monsters. The bullets were digging into their innards, slowing the creatures but not outright killing them. Stryker made a mental note, which he hoped he would live long enough to exploit.

One of the monsters pounced, too fast and hard for bullets to stop. Stryker went down, SMG clattering out of his hands. Wanting to reach for his truncheons, he was trapped by the brute strength of the creature. It took every ounce of strength in Stryker's fit and athletic form to hold off the snapping jaws and reaching claws of the beastial thing. Others closed in, sensing an opportunity for more bloodshed. Stryker growled, arms shaking as he held back a maw of sharp, tearing teeth. The stench of its breath was unbearable; a rotted concoction of old blood and dead flesh. His would join the mix if he wasn't careful.

A whistle filled the air before a trio of arrow-like objects imbedded in the monster's skull. They couldn't be real arrows, Stryker reasoned, because they glowed green.

The sudden assault spurred another monster into action, leaving Kurtis behind under the bulk of its friend and advancing on an unseen enemy. It took sufficient strength to force the corpse off of him and Stryker looked up to see the other monster stunned by a glowing green tomahawk piercing its scalp. Some unseen force propelled it up into the air where a massive spirit bear grabbed the monster in its paws and promptly tore it in two. The apparition faded and a man strode from the orange glow. He appeared Native American, dressed in a mixture of leather and sculpted metal, with long black hair and a blue bandanna around his war paint decorated his face.A black and blue vest sat atop a tight low-cut black shit, revealing toned pectorals underneath. His arms were bare except for some wrist and hand guards, each woven with feathers, beads, and paws from hunting trophies.

With a flash of green light, a pair of ethereal spirit daggers appeared in his hands, flung forward to impale the remaining monster close at hand right in the face. The body keeled over as Stryker shoved the corpse off of him. The mystery man approached and offered his hand. "Who are you?"

"I am Nightwolf, Guardian of the Matoka and avatar of the Great Spirit. I am on your side." He stated. Stryker accepted the hand up.

"And just what side is that?"

"The side of good. Justice. All that's right in the world." Nightwolf replied.

"Well, you're not one of them, so that's a plus in my book." Stryker responded. He collected his SMG and reloaded the clip.

"There are others who stand against these creatures." The Matokan said, brandishing his tomahawk and fashioning a spirit duplicate as he did. "We need only await their arrival."

"I don't think these things are going to take five." Kurtis opened fire on the first mutant creature rushing them, gunning it down with a quick headshot. "Aim for the heads. It kills them outright." Nightwolf threw out a tomahawk, nailing another in the head. Cloaked in assist energy, he rushed ahead and rammed his shoulder into another, leaping up and burying his tomahawk in the scalp, nearly splitting the head in two. Stryker went to work creating a perimeter, gunning down multiple monsters in quick succession. His magazine ran dry and he hurried to reload, only for another to lunge with claws reaching for his neck…

It was shot out of the sky by a violet energy blast.

Sonya Blade blew the heads off two more monsters in quick succession, joined by Jax as he clapped his hands together and obliterated the skull of one more. Johnny Cage landed a shadow kick that snapped the spine of a monster on impact, the thing keeling over unnaturally as its entire upper torso sagged like a ragdoll. "And that's a wrap!"

"Less talking more fighting, Cage!" Sonya snapped. Another monster came charging towards her and she discharged the energy buildup from her cuffs to blind it. She lashed out with a backhand and followed with a right hook, spinning hook kick, and then a crescent kick, stunning the creature before launching into a forward handstand. Her boots clamped onto its head and brutally snapped its neck, killing the monster instantly.

Jax battered another of the brutes with three rapid uppercuts before he wound up and delivered an overhead hammerfist so powerful it caved in the skull and turned the brain to mush. "Where the hell did these things come from?" He asked aloud.

"You're guess is as good as mine." Stryker replied, watching with some incredulity as Johnny Cage landed a backflip kick that knocked the head clean off another monster. "Who are you people?"

"It's a long story. Name's Jax, the blonde is Sonya, and the hotshot over there is Johnny Cage." The major replied. Stryker grimaced.

"There's a named I'd hoped to never hear again." The absolute butchery of their kind prompted the scant few reminding monsters to flee the scene, charging off into the desert and the distant horizon of green shimmering at the edge of their sight. Stryker holstered his SMG and regarded all the newcomers. "Thanks for the assist. What are you, para-military?"

"Short answer, we're Special Forces. Mostly." Sonya answered. "Long answer… fuck, I don't know where to begin." She had no idea how to introduce a total stranger to this weird and wild world she was now engrossed in. Raiden and the others were far better at it.

"Is it just me or do these things look like Tarkatans?" Johnny asked. Sonya and Jax looked over the remains around them. The bone protrusions certainly seemed to be a dead giveaway, recognizable on all the variants of the beasts they'd battled so far and matching every account recited. "No one? Just me?"

"The bone bits seem too erratic. They don't match what we've seen in the field or the Shaolin records." Sonya noted.

"So we're dealing with a new strain? An offshoot?" Jax wondered.

"Dunno. But if they're here, you can bet one of the sorcerers is, too." Sonya surmised.

"Sorcerers? Shaolin? And what the hell is a Tarkatan?" Stryker demanded with creased features.

"Well, you see, newbie-" Johnny abruptly paused and raised his sunglasses, looking the agent over thoroughly before he stopped with a look of shocked recognition. "Holy shit, it's Kurtis Stryker!"

Sonya raised a brow. "Who's that?"

"You've never heard of THE Kurtis Stryker? This dude's a legend! One-man SWAT team, New York's 'Super Cop', die-hard Riot Control Officer-"

"I'm just doing my job." Stryker interjected, sounding exhausted by Johnny's praise.

"You thwarted those terrorists in the Greenburg Tower Incident! A-And saved all those people on that runaway bus rigged to explode! Oh, you can't tell me that's just 'doing your job'. You're this close to a real-life superhero!"

Stryker's expression never changed, his gaze turning to Jax and Sonya in resignation of the fact he'd been identified. "Got so bad, Hollywood wanted to make my life into a movie." He said with a sigh.

"Not just one movie, a trilogy!" Johnny added emphatically.

"I drew the line when they wanted him to play me." Kurtis grunted as he jabbed a thumb in Johnny's direction. Sonya glanced at the actor then back at the agent.

"Smart choice."

"Well, before all this happened, I was sent here to track down an increase in drug trafficking activity. On-site reports indicated the local drug lords and gangs might've signed up with someone big. An export/import kinda business."

"The Black Dragon. SF command has been tracking their movements and noticed an uptick of their activities in this area."

"Sounds like we're both on the same path." Stryker observed. His gaze flicked to Nightwolf. "Though I'm not entirely sure of your story, stranger."

"As I said, I am Nightwolf. The Great Spirit speaks to me, she told me that there are warriors of the realm who need my aid. She led me here." The Matokan replied. He looked to the trio opposite Stryker. "You have served with Haokah, the thunderer."

Johnny brightened. "Who? Raiden? Yeah, we know 'im. Mister Electric Boogaloo sent me along to make sure we stop a sorcerer from building some kinda doomsday machine called a Soul Harvester. Where's my phone, I took notes on this…"

"Then you are the ones I am here to assist." Nightwolf stated. "I offer my skills to aid your cause."

"Wouldn't hurt to have a little extra muscle." Jax surmised. "How about you, Stryker? You coming with?"

"If these things are even remotely related to my job here, then, yeah. Safety in numbers and all." The DEA agent said. "Now we just need to figure out where they came from."

Sonya looked back in the direction they came from, calculating how long it would take to get back to the SUV. "I think I have an idea. Jax, the drone's in the trunk, right?"

Technology retrieved in short order, the team put together a scouting mission within the hour. Sonya's drone included high-definition surveillance cameras with zoom functions to pick out targets in perfect detail even from high altitude. At 50 meters in the air, the old hacienda surrounded by a crumbling stone wall stood prominently above the flat desert terrain. Also noticeable was the vast yard of construction-like materials behind the house. "A drug den if ever I've seen one." Said Stryker.

"Look at all the uglies milling around. Like they haven't come to their senses yet." Sonya noted.

"Or caught the same bloodlust-bug as the others." Jax added.

"We're going into the thick of that? Just like the climax of Citizen Cage all over again." Johnny remarked.

"The five of us together can handle them. Defeating these creatures will bring us closer to the truth you seek." Nightwolf decided. Johnny shrugged.

"If you say so, Tonto."

Knowing the deadliness of the half-Tarkatan monsters, the group did not hesitate to run down as many as they could in Jax and Sonya's SUV. Stryker handedly helped gun down the remainder outside the hacienda. "Anyone else think it got real quiet all of a sudden?" He asked.

"Probably 'cause all the ugly mofo's are dead." Jax chuckled.

"I dunno. Everytime this happens in the movies, usually some real shit is about to go down." Johnny commented.

"Well, good thing this is real life and not the damn movies." Sonya snidely retorted. She drew her own pistol and started moving towards the house. "Stryker, watch our six. Jax, Cage, stay behind me. Nightwolf, was it? Help me cover up front." The men moved into position, slowly approaching the exterior of the hacienda while carefully observing their surroundings.

"Okay, so, what are the odds these ugly things vacated the joint long before we showed up?" Johnny wondered. No one could answer him for certain. Shadows seemed to dart around the front windows, though neither of them could ascertain if it was a trick of the light or some kind of interior activity.

The group reached the edge of the perimeter wall when a rumble caused the entire hacienda to shake. "I don't like that…" Stryker murmured. Nightwolf pulled his spirit bow taut and Sonya tensed, aimed right ahead at the single brown door between them and the interior.

"What was that about real life versus movies, princess?" Johnny remarked, though there was no smugness or satisfaction in his voice. The front door suddenly shattered into splinters, wood and concrete dust torn from the wall and frame around it, as a massive figure barreled into the open. What used to be a human was now twice the height and width, covered in bulging mutated muscles layered with spiked bone protrusions. The face just barely resembled a human, with a bushy moustache flayed out over a maw full of tiger-like teeth, hiding underneath a hooked nose and beady red eyes. "Holy shit!" Johnny cried out. Sonya opened fire, Nightwolf following with two spirit arrows. Bullets and arrows struck the hulking mutant and did nothing but earn a bellowing roar from the creature. Bone blades emerged over clenched fists.

"Is that one of those Tarkatan things you mentioned?" Stryker asked.

"Yes! Now MOVE!" Sonya barked, the five humans scattering as the massive creature came swinging towards them. Jax met him head on, bionic arms raised to ward off the incoming blades. Sparks erupted and Jax retorted with rapid-fire slugs to the abdomen, buckling the beast but not doing any real damage.

"Ah, hell, not this again!" The super Tarkat-mutant grabbed Jax by the arms and lifted him up until he was eye-level to his snarling face. "Good thing I packed a few surprises this time." Thanks to the neural interlink that allowed him to move his arms, Jax could access a couple new subroutines built into his bionic replacements. The rear of the biceps opened up and vented excess heat energy. It was so hot it scalded the skin right off the monster's fingers. With a howl of pain, it dropped Jax, revealing skeletal fingers.

"It can be hurt." Nightwolf observed, throwing a spirit dagger that caught the monster in the shoulder and drew its attention.

"Seems delicate. Which is more than I can say for the ugly bastards I've dealt with before." Johnny added, landing a shadow kick that caught the monster on the hip and dropped it. With startling readiness, it clambered back up to its feet and started swinging its arms more readily. Nightwolf darted out of the way while Johnny was caught by a wild elbow and flung across the ground.

Stryker opened fire with his SMG, peppering the mutant with bullet rounds. It charged him, blades digging trenches in the dirt at the end of low-hanging arms. Stryker rolled under a sweep, tossing his SMG aside as he reached for one of the truncheons across his back. He whacked a heavy his right into the ankle of the thing, earning a bellow of pain before he had to leap away from a downward thrust. The bone blade just narrowly missed his leg.

Jax and Nightwolf bailed him out, a lunging tomahawk swing burrowing into the arm of the beast as Jax landed a left hook that clubbed the hip of the thing, dropping it down low as he landed a dash punch that blistered its skin and shattered a few teeth, cracking the skull on impact. Ripping his weapon free, Nightwolf chopped into the chest of the thing, throwing it onto its back.

Stryker managed to get a good look at the disfigured, mutated face before the beast launched itself back onto its feet. Bone blades swung, one blocked by Nightwolf, one parried by Jax. A forceball from Johnny nailed it in the face before Sonya let loose with her energy cuffs. In the chaos, something jogged Stryker's memory. That face… he'd seen it in a mission dossier.

He missed the next swing from the bone blade and praised the space-age tech in his suit as the concussive force sent him sprawling against paving stones. No damage had been done, the blade hadn't even pierced the suit. Sonya covered him as Johnny lending a hand with Nightwolf and Jax with a flip kick that struck the beast on the jaw.

"That thing… I know that thing." He said aloud. Sonya heard and gave him a quizzical glance. "He's my target. The suspect my higher-ups had in mind when they sent me here." He elaborated. "His profile's a little messed up, but he matches the description of the leading goon the DEA has had their eye on; El Balde."

Johnny and Nightwolf came sailing overhead and the pair took cover behind the remains of a wall, Sonya venting the heat buildup on her cuffs while Stryker drew his pistol and checked the mag capacity. "That's your man and he mixed up in our stuff. Odd little coincidence but we'll take it." Sonya stated, certain they were moving in the right direction. "Right now, he's between us and our mission objective. Time to put an end to his criminal reign." The DEA agent nodded.

"Got it. A little police brutality comin' right up!" Rounding his cover, Stryker emptied the clip of his Glock into the monster before drawing one of his truncheons and triggering its built-in taser function, shocking the mutated El Balde on the side of the head while shoving his pistol back into its holster, grabbing his second truncheon and ramming it so hard into the monster's gut the blow shattered its ribs.

Stryker backed off and Sonya stepped up, driving her boot into his leg and breaking it, before landing a heavy punch across his face that sent blood flying from his mouth and then landing a second gut shot that was further amplified by a blast from her photon glove that ripped clean through him, exploding out his back. Jax stepped up right after her, grabbing the monster's right arm and tearing it clean off before he wound up and swung it like a baseball bat, breaking its jaw.

Nightwolf swung his tomahawk hard, burying the blade deep in the other side of El Balde's jaw, creating an excellent split that allowed him to tear off the jaw along with a good chunk of the neck, exposing the throat. Johnny Cage then threw El Balde onto the ground, seizing the back of his head and proceeded to violently and repeatedly smash El Balde's face against the ground using his Shadow powers to enhance the speed, reducing it to mush. Stepping up, the actor dusted off his hands. "Nothing like a little improv to win the scene." He mused, quite satisfied with the kill.

"This is gonna make for one helluva report. I doubt my superiors will even believe me." Stryker sighed, scratching his head. The rest gathered around the corpse.

"This thing is definitely some kinda Tarkatan." Sonya mused.

"Well, he wasn't before, not according to all the info I got." Stryker told her.

"Begs the question how the hell he went from human to… this."

"My money's on Shang Tsung. Damn sorcerer has too much free time on his hands to cook up some shit like this." Jax decided.

"The only way to know for sure is to investigate further," Nightwolf said, gesturing with his tomahawk to the house El Balde had burst from, "like the den of the bear, or the nest of the eagle, there will be evidence in his home."

"What do you mean by 'sorcerer'? Those things don't exist except in, like, movies and comic books. Right?"

"Well, it's a long story, super-cop. But long of the short is, from what I've figured out, Shang Tsung is some kinda alchemist-meets-Satanist. Real nasty bastard." Johnny elaborated, draping an arm around Stryker's shoulders. "You wanna be in the deep stuff with us, well, you better brace yourself for shit your superiors will never believe."

They entered the hacienda cautiously and quickly discovered a vial, with a mere pinprick of a golden liquid remaining in the very bottom. Jax picked it up and held it to the light. "I dunno about you, Kurt, but I ain't seen a gold-coloured drug in my life."

Stryker pulled a sample bag from a pocket on his pants. "If it's what turned El Balde and his gang into these Tarkat-monsters then it'll be a new one in the DEA system."

"Weird Tarkatan-making shit, Mexican drug lord, Black Dragon ties, how does it all make sense?" Johnny scratched his head.

"We know from the tournament that Shang Tsung has the Black Dragon in his pocket," Sonya mused, pacing the floor of the wrecked hacienda, "Black Dragon funds this upstart, gives him a vial of stuff that could only come from Shang Tsung, they wreak havoc…"

"If you were aware of such a presence beforehand, then it stands to reason that perhaps this was meant to throw you off the sorcerer's trail." Nightwolf theorized. "This level of mayhem and destruction has certainly occupied your time."

Johnny smacked himself upside the head. "No shit, Sherlock! Why didn't I think of that? Same thing happened in Murder Hornets. Thanks a bunch, badass." He realized. Thinking quickly, he snapped his fingers. "Stryker, the DEA give you the lay of the land? Important locations, notable people, that kinda stuff?"

"Sure. Why?"

"You wouldn't happen to know where the Temple of Buluc is, would you?"

Later…

It was a classically-styled Mesoamerican pyramid; stepped, with a temple on top, more similar to the Mesopotamian ziggurat than the Egyptian pyramid. Within the boxy temple structure, Shang Tsung held the Blood Crown of Octazumeh in his hands. It was made of a glassy, ruby-like material that caught the glimmer of the sun to reflect blood-red light on every surface. The sorcerer could feel the magick coursing through the artifact; an arcane power ripe for him to manipulate.

Long ago, pillaging conquistadors had taken whatever objects of value they could carry off from the locals and stored them away in ancient vaults. The one under the church in San Simon held the key to the secret repository in the Temple of Buluc where the Blood Crown was kept from the marauding Spaniards. Having torn his way through the church to acquire the key, it took only a little arcane foresight to determined the location of the crown's hiding place. An elementary task for Shang Tsung.

A portal snapped open behind him and Quan Chi emerged into the realm, carrying the Eye of Chitian with him. "It appears your efforts were as successful as mine." The warlock mused, offering the stone with a cunning grin.

"Indeed. The Soul Harvester is ready." Shang took it from his grasp and conjured magicks to levitate the five artifacts. He then began to recite an arcane spell, filling the room with green mists. The temple walls began to transform, disassembling themselves brick by brick until they were a churning maelstrom of masonry around the two. The bricks reshaped and reassembled to form a conical base with four spires reaching towards the sky, settling where the boxy temple had once been. With a sweeping gesture of his hands, Shang Tsung maneuvered the artifacts until they settled perfectly into place along the base of the harvester.

"Marvelous." Quan Chi praised.

"The greatest of war machines, fueled by the most powerful of magicks. Impossible without your aid." Shang Tsung responded.

"The souls the Netherrealm will reap were well worth the effort." The warlock conjured his own magicks. "I am prepared to engage this machine if you are." Shang Tsung smiled smugly.

"Then let us ignite the firestorm that will tear this world asunder and force Raiden to do the bidding of Outworld."

The spectacle was breathtaking from below. A flash of green at the top of the pyramid was all the five humans needed to see for them to know what was afoot. At the base of the pyramid sat a long-forgotten courtyard compraised of flattened paving stones and remnant columns of chiseled rock, forming a series of square patterns by their perimeter markings. It was among these ruins that the fivesome dove for cover upon the ignition of the Soul Harvester.

"Shit… this just went from bad to worse." Sonya muttered.

"And if Shang flicks on his doomsday machine, it'll go from worst to bratwurst." Johnny added.

"How the hell are we supposed to stop something like that?" Stryker asked.

"Not alone, that much is certain." Nightwolf said. Sonya reached for one of her pant pockets, withdrawing the sigil Raiden had given to her before they left Ying Fortress.

"Any idea how that thing works?" Jax asked.

"Raiden didn't bother giving me an owners manual. Let's hope it's simple," she lifted it up, keeping the weighty amulet level with her face. "Raiden? Lord Raiden, are you receiving?" She asked, falling back on military communication protocols. Lightning abruptly crackled above the amulet, slowly coalescing to form the upper torso of the thunder god.

"Woah… like something outta Star Wars." Johnny breathed.

"Sonya Blade. Have you found something in Mexico?"

"We've been had. Scorpion's intel was false. Shang didn't need eight artifacts, only five. And he has the five he needs to jumpstart the Soul Harvester. He kept us busy long enough to grab the Blood Crown."

Raiden's head tilted down, concealing his gaze behind the brim of his douli hat and showcasing a rare moment of human emotion. Sonya could read his body language; he was frustrated. "This correlates our other findings. The Eye of Chitian had been removed from the tomb of Asizi the First before we arrived." He surmised. Raiden looked up again. "Remain where you are. Do not engage Shang Tsung until our arrival." His form dissipated and the electricity faded away.

"Do not engage… yeah right."

"Are you outta your damn mind? You know what Shang Tsung's capable of. Let a god handle him!" Jax exclaimed.

"A god isn't here right now, Jax. And if I can buy him time to shut that green shit down, so be it." Sonya whipped out her drone remote and began to steer the machine higher into the sky, flicking a few switches to prime the weapons system. It didn't take her long to lock on to the two sorcerers. She let loose the two missiles stored underneath the chassis and opened fire with the nose-mounted Gatling gun. Small explosions detonated in the midst of the two and bullets struck arcane shields around both.

Shang Tsung turned and struck the drone with a tether of magick, freezing it in place. "It appears we have interlopers." He mused, crushing it with a flick of his hand. "Sooner than I expected, but not surprising."

Sonya tossed away her useless remote control. "Shit. Gotta do this the old fashioned way." She primed her cuffs and took off at a run, firing photon rounds up at the top of the pyramid. The men followed her, not wanting Sonya to go after the villainous pair alone.

Diverting their attention from the Soul Harvester, Quan Chi conjured a skull which he shot towards the ground below. The impact blew the men off their feet as shards of concentrated magick peppered them. Shang morphed into the appearance of a gigantic fiery serpent, slithering right down the innumerable steps of the pyramid before coiling around Sonya and morphing back into his human form. Magick gripped the blonde, forcing her arms and legs apart. "You will kneel before me, mortal." Shang hissed, the dark fire in his eyes glittering like onyx.

"Hey! Shang-ri-Nah!" Johnny launched himself up the stairs and landed a shadow elbow strike that caught the sorcerer on the chin. He converted it into a rolling side kick that clubbed Shang in the face. Sonya fell back to her feet, momentarily dazed.

"Insolent welp! You should know better than to lay hands on your betters." The sorcerer growled, unleashing a fiery skull that slammed into Johnny's chest and threw him back down to the base of the pyramid. At the base, Nightwolf threw a spirit tomahawk that was easily batted aside by Shang. Harnessing a magick shield, he rebuffed Sonya and sent her tumbling back down to join the rest. "None of you could ever hope to match my power! All of you are beneath me!"

A bolt of lightning struck the steps behind Shang and Raiden appeared within it. "Then test your might against one above you, Shang Tsung." The thunder god boomed.

He conjured a blast of lightning that struck Shang in the chest and blew him off his feet. Up above, Quan Chi saw what was unfolding and fashioned another arcane skull. But he was knocked over when a strong gust of wind from Fujin bowled him over. Quan Chi righted himself and conjured a demon blade to meet Fujin's kusinagi. The warlock moved impossibly fast, meeting every piercing lunge and tempestuous slice from the wind god. He conjured a second sword to try and give him an edge, only to be met with hurricane wind kicks that launched him right off the pyramid and he vanished into a portal.

Shang Tsung rolled away from Raiden as the thunder god summoned his staff and plunged it into the ground where he had lain. "Raiden, you fool, you cannot stop me now! The process has begun. In a matter of moments the Soul Harvester will consume the souls of every mortal in this side of the hemisphere." The sorcerer sneered. "You alone are powerless!"

"I am not alone." Said Raiden.

Lightning bolts struck the ground around Shang Tsung, teleporting the champions of Earthrealm onto the scene to surrounding the sorcerer. Mileena, Magnus, Liu Kang, Kung Lao, Art, Kenshi, Kai, Sub-Zero, Syzoth, and Ashrah drew their weapons and held Shang at bay. He took one look around and promptly vanished in a plume of arcane fire. "Well, that was disappointing." Art commented.

"What matters most is shutting down the Soul Harvester." Raiden interjected. "Fujin and I can combine our magicks to disable it, but it will take time." He was silenced by a thunder not his own, a reverberation that split the air.

A giant portal opened up just beyond the courtyard of the pyramid. Shang Tsung and Quan Chi emerged, looking smug and confident. They were joined by leagues of Tarkatans, Outworld soldiers… and one of the deadly Centaurian extermination squads.

"Motaro!"

Raiden heard the clatter of hooves, and instantly recognized the horned, half-human creature rearing up before him as a Centaurian warrior from the highlands of Outworld.

"Baraka!"

The bald, powerfully built Tarkatan snapped his jaws to expose rows of meshing, razor-sharp teeth. Gleaming blades of living, organic metal simultaneously sprang from his arms like the claws of some monstrous jungle cat.

Shang Tsung strode to be level with both Baraka and Motaro. "Take whatever trophies you desire," he told the pair, "but their souls are mine!"

"An army…" Liu Kang breathed in shock.

"Not to invade, Liu Kang, to merely protect Shang Tsung's interests." Raiden clarified. "There's no way we can fight them all off and shut down the Soul Harvester at the same time."

"Then deal with the harvester. We will handle Shang Tsung's masses." His eyes met Magnus, who stood stoic and resolute. "You have trusted us this far, Lord Raiden. Trust us a little longer yet." He asked. "We fought in the tournament. We have bled for our realm. We are not done yet." The thunder god surveyed them all, studying each of his chosen champions. They stood resolute, united, determined. Their fears and worries had been shuttered.

They were ready.

"Very well."

Raiden took flight to join Fujin at the top of the pyramid. The champions on the ground rallied, standing as one against the horde of Outworlders. "So… we're gonna fight all of that." Johnny said, staring at the legions of monsters. "Something tells me we're all gonna die."

"If we are to die, then we will die fighting. As one." Magnus decided. "I grow tired of Shang Tsung trying to bully us down his chosen path. This day will end with his blood on my blades."

"That's a whole lotta ugly to deal with." Jax noted.

"We can stop them. But only together." Liu Kang stated. He and Magnus led them on. Mileena, Kung Lao, Johnny Cage, Sonya, Jax, Art, Kenshi, Kai, Sub-Zero, Stryker, Syzoth, Ashrah, and Nightwolf following the two men towards the Outworld hordes, onto the inevitable field of battle. A distant caw filled the air and Magnus looked to see two great black birds soaring over the land. He smiled.

Ravens. Odin is with us.

"Odin eier dere alle!" He roared, leading the charge as his allies followed. The hordes of Outworld broke into runs towards the Earthrealmers, eager for blood…