Chapter 29: Prepping for Outworld Part 1
Everyone returns from their trip to Edenia. But some of them are carrying some nasty wounds, particularly Meia and Diana. Sindel, Jerrod and Sheeva too. The Shokan Queen has been transported to another nearby camp with her Shokan to heal from their recent experience.
Damian carried the two technological cubes to Mister Terrific and Batman.
"Not bad. And they're both in one piece. I'll go ahead and get to work on them right away." Mister Terrific said as he took both of them off of Damian. His father approached him.
"Nice one. I knew you would be able to pull it off." Batman said.
"I didn't do it for you." Damian scoffed. "I'm only helping to get back home and go my own way. I don't see a point of being with the Regime any longer. If Diana is gonna quit, then that's fine. But if she's gonna rejoin you, then she's an idiot."
Damian walked away to be alone. Alex thought about having him and Diana be put away in cells, but Bruce convinced him that they are truly allies. Bruce knows them too well and would consider them foolish to actually try and pull any tricks on them.
Diana approached Bruce with sustained injuries.
"That dragon. She's unlike any other monster we've faced. I don't even know if someone like Kara, Kal or even your two god friends can take her." Diana described Adrelita.
"Liu Kang was not kidding about this creature. It's more than mythical. I don't think anyone can stop it." Bruce replied.
"What do we do now? Diana asked.
"For now, get some rest. We'll be sending another team to Outworld now that they're aware of your betrayal." Batman said.
"That means Kal and Adam will find out and they won't be happy. They're bound to find us now." Diana realized.
"Let them come." Batman said as he walks away to help out Michael Holt.
In the infirmary, Sindel and Jerrod are being tended to by SF doctors from their previous battles. As Sindel and Jerrod stay close, the fire god slowly walks in. The doctors leave to give them some privacy.
"Lord Liu Kang." Jerrod sees him.
"Your majesties." Liu Kang bows his head to them.
"Liu Kang. Is it true?" Sindel stood up. "Tell me. My daughter. My only daughter Kitana. Is she….?"
Liu Kang knew they would ask such an unbearable question. He closes his eyes and lets out a deep breath. He remains silent for a minute before he finally spoke.
"…..Yes." Liu Kang confirms with a hint of anger in his voice. "Your daughter sacrificed herself so we could live on. And I was powerless. I can never be forgiven. Nor what happened can never be forgotten."
The fire God's gone still carries the burden of responsibility, and he still secretly blames himself for Kitana's sacrifice. If there is one thing he hates, it's failing those he loved and cherished.
Sindel silently walks up to the fire god and gives him a hug. Her whispers to his ear remind not to blame himself for what happened. As everyone knew that Kitana was willing to die for Outworld, her people and family.
Sindel sits back down close to her dear husband and he holds her tightly. They promised to never let each other go.
Liu Kang looks at them with a sorrow look on his face before he looks up and sees the comatose body of Cassie Cage.
This did not escape Sindel's attention. She turns to see Cassie and immediately recognized her.
"By the gods. Cassandra Cage?" Sindel asked in shock.
Alex, who was sitting by his wife's side, heard Sindel's whisper and walks up to the queen of Edenia and gives her a hug as well.
"Sindel. I'm so sorry for what happened. My condolences are with you as well as my support."
"Thank you, dear Alex." Sindel smiled a little. "Your heart is as strong as ever. I do pray that your wife will be alright."
"I hope so too." Alex said. Liu Kang puts a hand on his shoulder and gestures him to come along.
As Alex and Liu Kang leave, Chang Bao and Daisuki approach the king and queen as the two young ones hug the rulers. All Sindel could do now was shed tears while holding her granddaughter Chang Bao close.
Liu Kang walks with Alex in the bunker for some private training. Alex figured this would happen. Ever since he learned that he sustained Kronika's power, he hasn't stopped wondering about what he could do.
"It is time, Alex. Time for a new step in life." Liu Kang said. "You can access Kronika's power on your own now. But you do not know your new potential. There are many ways you can use it. I have mastered all techniques. It has taken me years since this New Era. You can too. But there is only much I can show you for now until we defeat Darkseid, Mileena and Superman."
Alex listened carefully and he said he understands. He always considered Liu Kang the most powerful among them since becoming a Titan.
"Yeah. I hear that. I'm no Titan. But there are so many things to do. I can only remember so many things that Kronika did. But where to start?" Alex asked.
"From what Sonya Blade would always say. Best defense is the best offense. Do you remember the one person who was responsible for disrupting this timeline?" Liu Kang asked.
Alex thought hard about who exactly. Geras was responsible for bringing back their enemy's memories. But the true person responsible was the one who brought Geras back in the first place.
"Skarlet. I remember now. Kronika used some sort of time shield to make sure that Skarlet still retained her memories. She was her backup plan in case she lost." Alex realized.
"Your memory serves you well. I will admit it was clever on Kronika's part. I have said this to Raiden once; that if I were to be her true successor, I must not fall to temptation should someone I care about pass. I swore an oath to the Elder Gods to never use my time powers for personal gain. It would require me to restart history in order to bring back those we lost. Interfering with past events will only lead to consequences." Liu Kang said.
"So we can use her powers to turn the tide against Darkseid. Now I see why you never bothered to do it unless for a last resort. You had hoped that we would kill Shang Tsung. And you knew Taven would beat Shao Kahn for Blaze. And given how much of a threat Darkseid is compared to Shao Kahn, I can see why you waited." Alex realized.
"Precisely. Had I found out about your hidden powers sooner, to be honest, I was not sure if it was my place to tell you, given the pain you suffered and how you were nearly pulled into the darkness with no way out." Liu Kang said.
"The temporal shields would be the easiest thing to start with. But I'm gonna bet my life savings that none of this is gonna be easy." Alex stated.
"Yes. But I know you will learn sooner than you expect. Time is on our side. And as a safety measure, I have created temporal shields around all of our hiding spots to ensure that none of our enemies will find us. Now, listen carefully to what I am about to say. And watch my movements." Liu Kang instructed.
Liu Kang chants an incantation slowly just so Alex could understand him clearly. He watches as the Titan waves his arms in a good motion. He waves them sideways and down and slowly puts his hands together for a moment before they separate and then he thrusts his hands down and then the temporal shield glows around him for a brief moment before it turns invisible. Now he dismisses it with a mere thought.
"Wow. So that's how Kronika did it in the first place. But, are you sure I can do this? I mean, I don't understand why I have to learn this. You are the most powerful person I know, Liu Kang. You could simply do this to everyone fast." Alex expressed.
"I understand how you feel, Alex. My role was forced upon me. But I learned to embrace it. You embraced yours time and time again. But I cannot do this alone. Not this time. If we are to truly win, then I need your help most, Alex. Think about your wife. What do you think she would say?" Liu Kang asked.
Alex didn't think he would bring up Cassie. He has been trying too hard not to dwell on his true love and has been praying that she lives. And Liu Kang knows him too well.
"Cassie has always been my lightning rod. She helped me through the toughest times. But I know I can't rely on anyone forever. And I know it's hard for both of us, because we share the same pain now. I'm keeping high hopes up." Alex said.
"But your mind is focused on your wife. Have faith that she may live. She would want you to focus on the task at hand for her." Liu Kang tells him.
Alex knows that deep down, he's not wrong. He would have to forget about what happened recently and do what's important now. Now that he's the acting leader of the Special Forces. He takes some deep breaths and steps up.
"Now repeat after me while simultaneously using the gesture patterns." Liu Kang instructed.
Liu Kang does the same thing again as Alex watches. After he was done, it was his turn. Alex turns on his new form and starts using the same gesture patterns as Liu Kang did. While he managed to get the patterns down, he's having a bit of a hard time pronouncing the incantation. Of course, the fire titan was there to help him.
After a few tries of trying to pronounce it right, he finally gets it down with the pattern and timing before he finally finishes and was able to summon a temporal shield around himself.
"Holy shit! I did it!" Alex smiles.
"Well done, Alex. Not bad for a few tries. But there is much more to it than just yourself. You can also use it on others around you, just as Kronika did with Skarlet. Not only that, it can also work on inanimate objects. To prevent anyone or anything from being affected by anything powerful regarding space, time and reality." Liu Kang said.
"Care to give an example?" Alex asked.
Liu Kang takes a fighting stance and uses his time powers and fires a time sphere at an old Jeep, which disintegrates into sand. Then he does the same to Alex. He fires a time sphere straight at his chest. But this time, Alex does not flinch upon making contact with the attack. And he's still standing and not dying.
"Had you not had that shield up, you would have been wiped from history. There is much more to learn with temporal shields. I have a feeling it will be most useful." Liu Kang smirked.
The two gods continue training. Alex can't help but wonder what else he could do now that he has Kronika's new powers in the palm of his hand. He hopes to find out soon enough.
The first lesson was over. Alex has more to learn about his time powers. But for now, he and Liu Kang take a quick break to discuss strategies regarding Outworld. It won't be easy since Darkseid resides there.
Alex brings out a holographic map of Outworld and all of its regions.
"Thanks to Cyrax, Smoke and Batman, we have locations of all of Darkseid's parademons. Darkseid and Steppenwolf also reside at the Outworld palace next to the colosseum. And just as Diana stated, Doomsday is onboard Darkseid's ship, scheduled for labs. We gotta get rid of him before he could use his DNA and fuse it with the parademons. We need him off our backs to grab the next set of the trans dimensional gateway. Just like with Edenia, once that is done, we get out of there." Alex tells everyone.
"But no one can beat that freakish monster. That thing killed Superman once. And Kara can't handle him alone this time." Catwoman replied to Alex.
"I can be of assistance." Fujin walks in, surprising everyone.
"Fujin? I am surprised you're here instead of Kung Lao." Liu Kang said.
"I am needed here. We need all the help. I may have lost to Superman, but I am up for a challenge." Fujin stated.
"Good. Fujin will do. Good to see you again, good friend." Alex smiled. He nods in reply before he continues.
"There's the Tarkatan Region and Sun Do. And the Khan Kove where some people are still held hostage. We need the most experienced people in those fields. While Kara and Fujin distract Doomsday and hopefully beat him. I discussed the plan with Kotal." Alex said. The Osh-Tekk stepped up.
"I will take my Osh-Tekk to the palace to confront the general Supergirl calls Steppenwolf. Li Mei is the most experienced with Sun Do as it is her territory. King Baraka will sneak around his region and keep the parademons occupied while he and Li Mei retrieve the devices. This is our only shot." Kotal stated.
"With your kind permission, general." Li Mei steps up. "I would like to have some backup with me just to be safe. Perhaps the Shirai Ryu and Grandmaster Takahashi. I would need their assistance since Sun Do's defenses are destroyed."
"No need, Li Mei. Because they're already here." Fujin said as Takeda and his family show up, having heard the entire plan.
"Glad to be of help. If it's a fight they want, they're gonna get their wish." Jacqui cracks her knuckles. "I need to vent my own anger anyway."
"Looks like I'm gonna have to get in line then." Alex joked before he hugs his best friend.
"Wait, you're not coming?" Jacqui asked.
"Liu Kang needs me here for some special training. It's a surprise." Alex answered.
"I love surprises, but only if they're from the good guys. Hope you bring the best, uncle Alex." Vera fistbumps her uncle.
"So when do we leave?" Satoshi asked.
"Soon. I suggest that we all get some training and some rest. That is what I always do before taking on a journey such as this." Kotal advised.
"I am coming with you." Jade tells her husband.
"No, Jade. You must remain here." Kotal places a hand on his wife's shoulder. "Cyan and Shu-Shang will need you. Chang Bao and Daisuki will come with me instead. Liu Kang has already given me permission after his son and daughter have asked. I do not wish to lose you too. Not like Kitana."
Jade sighs in defeat and hugs her love tight. The last thing she needs is to lose her husband like she did her closest friend Kitana. She would also hate to lose her children or her little brother Alex. She wants to be his emotional support.
"Very well. Just promise that you do not come back with anything broken. Or else we will have a serious talk." Jade playfully threatens him, causing him to snicker.
Things are settled and everything is planned out as everyone takes their leave to start making their own preparations.
Note: Now things are starting to pick up, but things will get harder for the heroes as time progresses. I did a lot of research on time powers and chose a select few for Alex to use and get familiar with. I don't want to add too many, as Liu Kang knows most of these time powers by now.