Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Mileena had a rather low opinion about Kano. He was rude, uncouth, greedy and a whole list of unflattering personality traits that would have him executed were Mileena on her throne.

But, in spite of his numerous faults, he was rather adept in Earthrealm weaponry. The best example being the metal object lying on her war table. It was decently large, a metal shell protecting the unknown contents within. She recalled the day he delivered this item amongst the crate of firearms.

Kano held the metal device in his hands, presenting it like a trophy to the group of rebels.

”Now, I’m sure you’re all wonderin’ what this thing is. It’s a psych bomb. An old buddy put it together and now it’s perfectly designed to send a deadly message.”

Kano mimed pressing the button, causing some of the rebels to flinch in alarm. He chuckled, before handing it over to Mileena.

"Be good, or I ain't getting you more toys.," Kano warned her as he waited for a portal back home. But before the request could be obliged, Rain spoke up.

"And what does this device accomplish that we cannot do ourselves?"

Kano grinned cruelly, reaching into his pokcets.

"Well, I could tell you, but I think it's best to show rather than tell."

He pulled out a series of photos, only for the half-god to snatch. Kano didn't seem offended, using his device to open a portal back to Earthrealm.

"You kids have fun!"

The photos were graphic and thorough, detailing what the explosion would do not only to surrounding area, but to organic matter. It was horrific, yet strangely attracting.

Oh, she could imagine the look on Ko'atal's face-

“Mileena.”

Mileena was brought out of her memory by the sound of her ally. Skarlet had entered her tent.

”What is it, Skarlet?”

”I just wanted to remind you of our deal. Once you get your throne, you’ll give me what I want.”

Mileena chuckled, standing up and walking to her ‘sister.’ 

“But of course. I’ll have my throne, and you get your toy knife.”

Skarlet’s voice bristled with bitter venom.

“The kamidogu is no mere toy," Skarlet stated, offended that Mileena would refer to such an arcane weapon so dismissively. 

”But it is nothing compared to this device. Has our message been delivered?”

Skarlet nodded, taking out a vial of blood and using her magic to swirl it between her fingers. A part of Mileena craved that blood magic, but it was a part that she ignored. Skarlet was too reliant on the magic for her tastes.

”Yes, do you believe he will agree?”

Mileena’s answer was somewhere between casually arrogant and vindictive.

”It doesn’t matter. Our terms are clear, and my victory will soon be complete. That will be all."

With Mileena's permission, Skarlet left the tent. She took out another vial of blood, pouring it onto her bare skin and letting it seep in. She sighed as she felt strength return to her. While she wasn't in immediate danger, so long without blood to keep her magic under control was draining her.

She felt the call of the kamidogu. Just one cut would satiate her for days, not even mentioning the power it would bring her magic.

But Mileena had her terms. And none betray the empress.

None, unless you are smart enough to survive it.

As Skarlet wandered around the camp, her mind somewhere else, she ended up crossing paths with one of Mileena’s most trusted advisors. Tanya of Edenia.

Skarlet’s interactions with Tanya were few and far between. Neither had a particular reason to seek each other out.

”Is something on your mind?”

”Nothing you need to concern yourself about.”

Tanya turned her attention away from her nails and to Skarlet herself.

”I must ask, what will you do once Mileena is Kahnum? Has she promised you a station?”

Skarlet scoffed, looking away.

”I’m more than her lackey. I have my own goals.”

”I suspect related to the kamidogu?” Tanya stated calmly. That should have been expected, Tanya was a survivor by her own admission. And being a survivor meant being observant of both foe and friend.

“I suppose everyone has secrets to keep. Just remember what’s important, understand?

Skarlet didn’t honour her with an answer and simply kept on her way.

After all. She had plenty of time to wait.

Kotal massaged his temples. Mileena had been relentless, and without his kamidogu he couldn’t use glimpse the future to prepare. 

He could only assume they were attempting to sow distrust in the eyes of his citizens. Show that he could not help them.

As he at in his throne room, the anxious silence filling the room like the scent of blood, his messenger entered the room with a scroll in hand.

"Emperor, Mileena's forces have written letter for you!"

Kotal leaned forward, wordlessly requesting for the man to read it.

"We will relinquish the kamidogu and the device, in exchange for you handing your throne to its rightful owner. Once you have made your choice, we will meet at sunset. We suggest you make your decision fast before we detonate the device."

His guard folded up the scroll, awkwardly waiting for an answer.

"Bring my council, I need to discuss this matter."

"Of course, sir."

As his guard scrambled out of the room, Kotal felt a deep sigh escape his throat. If he had taken Mileena as a proper threat sooner, perhaps this situation wouldn't be occurring.

But there was no point thinking of the past. All he could do was discuss the present and hope for a future.

Chapter Text

After going through training at the hands of both her parents, Cassie had assumed her internal clock would be at peak condition. And with her alarm to provide a sudden sound, there was no way she'd wake up later than a few minutes.

But now, waking up one hour later than she was supposed to, Cassie was struck by the frustrating fact that her internal clock was still fallible. Improvement was still to be made.

"Note to self, never engage Jin in an argument about history," She muttered as she exited the bathroom after her shower. She got dressed into her uniform before heading downstairs for breakfast.

"Busy night, pumpkin?" Johnny asked good naturedly. Cassie gave a little shrug as she poured herself some cereal. Hopefully the sugar would energise her. 

The news was on, providing some extra background sound. A reboot of her father's Wu Shu tv series was in production. Cassie watched it when she was thirteen and eager for some martial arts action. Too bad that was all it had to offer with some cliched quips.

Still, she decided to join the watch party.

A young man in a black and white gi stepped out of a dark alleyway, looking to a WUSHU poster.

”Ever since the dojo was overthrown, this town has become a breeding ground of filth and corruption. No honour remains, only blood and broken bones.”

The man punched the wall, cracking the bricks. He is soon surrounded by black suited martial artists. A devil logo was on their suits.

”It’s time for me to bring it back.” The man stated, the tattoo on his upper bicep glowing bright blue. 

He yelled a battle cry as he rushed with a lunch, the trailer cutting to black just as the fist connected.

"So, how are you feeling about a reboot?"

Johnny switched the channel back as the trailer blared, giving his little review.

"The main guy looks okay. Acting's a little wooden but if the action's good..." He gave a little so-so gesture with his hand. Cassie grinned in good humour.

"Jealous that you weren't brought on?" She teased, pointing her spoon almost accusingly. Johnny responded with his own pointed glare.

"Watch it, kiddo."

They locked eyes for a few seconds before they both burst into chuckling. Johnny had a prideful smile on his face as he switched off the screen.

"Taking after your old man, I'm so proud," he mimed wiping a tear, causing Cassie to roll her eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, don't oversell it."

A few more mouthfuls and her breakfast was done. As she rinsed it out, Johnny stood up and clasped his hands together.

"Well, we should get going soon. Head to the garage when you're ready to go. If you're fast you might beat Jacqui."

Cassie shot him a thumbs up, earning her a chuckle as Johnny headed to start up the car.

She put the newly cleaned bowl in the cupboard and closed the cabinet. A new day had a lot of potential, and although she'd failed to wake up on time, the day was filled with possible successes.

Maybe for the mission, her subconscious nagged.

She ignored it and headed to her room to grab her sunglasses.

After all, there's nothing wrong with keeping a trademark.

Chapter Text

Jacqui being ready earlier than she probably needed to be was a habit she saw no reason to break. What was it? the early bird gets the worm?

Something like that. Besides, she needed the spare time to... rehearse. There was something she wanted to ask her father, but she had to be perfectly sure that it'd work out. To achieve this end, she used one of her drones, this one called Wall-Y for obvious reasons, as a test subject.

"So, how was that?"

The drone chirped cheerfully, but shook itself left and right, Jacqui deflated, sitting on her bed.

"You're right. Too long winded."

Jacqui sighed, placing her hand on her forehead. 

"Look, even though we have permission for another shot, we can't just rush in blindly and hope it works out. We need a proper plan. And who better to ask than the ex-military?"

The drone chirped agreeably, rubbing Jacqui's neck. Jacqui chuckled at the strange sensation as she plucked her audience off her shoulder.

"You know, you're a pretty good listener."

Her drone chirped happily and Jacqui shut them off.

Such a good listener deserved a reward.

Predictably, Jax was in the garage fixing up the tractor. He’d always been a bit of a fixer upper, according to Jacqui’s mother.

A part of her felt guilty to interrupt when he’s in his element, but she needed some closure before school.

“Hey, dad?” 

“Yeah?”

Jacqui paused rubbing her arm up and down.

”When you fail a mission, and you get a chance to make up for it, how did you go about it?”

Jax paused twisting his wrench to meet his daughter’s eyes.

“That’s… quite a question. What made you think of it?”

Jacqui chuckled lightly.

”Just, you know, missions.”

Jax smiled as he searched through old memories of service. Ignoring the dark parts, and focusing on when things made sense.

”Well, during one of my first couple assignments, Sonya triggered an alarm and put the whole place on high alert.”

He chuckled nostalgically, shaking his head.

”The commander gave us hell for that. Once it was over, we looked over our reports and pinpointed what we did right and what we did wrong. The next assignment, we rounded up all the BD in cells before noon.”

He placed a metal hand on Jacqui’s shoulder.

”If you ask me? Talk with your team and look over what you did in the past. You never know what'll happen, but that's a risk you have to take.”

Jacqui nodded and the pair shared a moment of content silence before her father finished with tuning up the tractor.

”Now, here’s my question fur you. Are you ready to go?”

Jacqui gestured to her backpack, and gave a thumbs up.

”Affirmative.”

Nailed it.

Chapter Text

Jin’s natural curiosity was a habit that had always stuck with him, even during his less than successful period as a thief. The realms, their histories, their cultures, all if it fascinating and probably the reason he was top in the history class.

He smirked to himself. How small that title felt given what he was training to become. Did his ancestors ever feel this way? Probably not, they were trained at the shaolin temples from birth while he had only started proper training a few years ago.

"You've got that look on your face,": Ling's voice pointed out.

Jin returned to the present as his eyes caught Ling feeding the household pet, Fang.

"What look?" JIn asked as he returned to his book.

"You know, the look when you're thinking to yourself about something really important? That look."

Jin smirked, but it felt forced.

"Do you categorise my facial expressions into various looks?"

"So what if I do? Now, what's on your mind?"

A question reached Jin’s mind and he spoke it aloud.

“Why get a snake? Why not a dog or something you can actually take outside?”

Ling’s answer was quick and concise.

”I like snakes.”

That answer wasn’t particularly satisfying and Ling seemed to realise that.

"I won't bore you with tales from my childhood. Let's just say I'm fond of the little critters. They look scary but they're total softies if you treat them right."

She spared a pointed look to Jin.

"Kind of like you."

Jin glared at Ling, wordlessly demanding an explanation.

"Well, when you started living here, you were quite a little shit. But after we talked some things out and you trained with Raiden, you've gotten better. I think you like being part of a team, don't you?"

Jin fell silent. Even now, even after confiding in Cassie and growing to trust his team more than before, there were some secrets he preferred to keep close to the chest.

Ling understood the silence, choosing to switch to another topic.

”Anyway, I can drop you in a couple minutes. Sound fair?” 

Jin nodded and Ling headed upstairs to grab her briefcase. But not without throwing a little jab at her relative.

"Oh, and another reason why I like snakes? Fang reminds me of you."

As Ling left upstairs, Jin spared a look to the pet snake.

To be perfectly honest?

He didn't see the resemblance.

Chapter Text

Takeda’s free time was often spent doing one of three things. Training with his weapons or powers, reading comics, or chatting with his father about whatever came to mind.

Today was the first of those, but rather than train his body, Takeda was instead training his mind. To reach out with his psychic abilities and truly understand the grasp of his powers.

In simpler terms: He was meditating in his private quarters. He could faintly sense minds from outside his quarters. He couldn’t keep track, his mind had to be utterly focused on maintaining control.

”Could you sense that I was coming?”

”Faintly. Is that good?”

Kenshi stroked his beard thoughtfully.

”Well, it’s a start. But we have plenty of time to train."

Takeda spared a look to the clock. He’d be leaving soon.

”We’ll need to save that for later. School, you know?”

Kenshi nodded and levitated Takeda’s school bag over to him after a moment.

Takeda took the bag after a moment’s silence and slung it around his back. Was his bag heavier than usual? It didn’t really matter.

”Well, see you later.”

Takeda left the room and began his journey to normalcy through the base. And as he did so, he heard his father’s voice in his head.

”I left you a gift in your bag. Have a good day.”

”You too, dad.”

The drive to school was the same as any other, but Takeda was fine with that. In all the… experiences the world had given him, some predictability was nice.

”Alright kid, we’re here,” announced the driver, pulling Takeda out of his own introspection. Thank the gods for that.

”Cool, thanks,” Takeda responded after handing over a tip.

He exited the vehicle and took a deep breath. Takeda could sense others thoughts very faintly, but chose not to properly engage for obvious reasons.

”Hey, Takeda!” Called a familiar voice. Takeda traced the psychic link and entered the building.

Takeda found his team inside the school, assembled outside the locker halls. He walked up casually.

“Did you know I was coming?” He asked.

Cassie popped a bubble.

”You show up around this time, I decided to make a game out of it. Which reminds me…”

Cassie held out her hand, Jacqui rolling her eyes and passing over a twenty dollar note. Takeda watched in amusement.

”You two bet on me?”

Cassie shrugged.

”I bet on a lot of things. Must be the Cage genes.”

Jin scoffed.

”Gambling isn’t something to be proud of.”

”Are you seriously trying to claim moral high ground?” Jacqui challenged, smirking.

The school bell ring, signalling the beginning of the day.

”Let’s get this show on the road.”

Chapter Text

Kotal had spent the last hour discussing Mileena's message with his entourage. Many plans were suggested, some better than others. Ferra agreed with whatever was most violent, surprising absolutely nobody.

"Emperor, are you certain?"

Kotal sighed, hands pressing against his temples.

"As certain as I can be. This is not a situation with victory. If I refuse, more of my subjects are endangered, but if I hand over the throne to Mileena... we all know how that will go."

Kotal watched a few of his subjects bristled with faint uncomfortable memories. Reptile especially, stiffening up for a second. Erron, having no baggage from the previous ruler, spoke plainly.

"Why don't we just pretend to agree, and when she comes in to take the throne, we get a bunch of the guards to stab her?"

Ferra and Torr agreed with that plan, cheerfully giggling and volunteering to stab Mileena.

Reptile snapped back at Erron.

"Such an action would dishonour us all."

"Yeah? I'd rather keep my job than be honourable. It's how I've survived this long."

"Then why don't you simply-

Before an argument could break out, Kotal's booming voice silenced them.

"Enough, every moment we spend fighting is a moment lost to our enemies. Until our guards return with news of the device's whereabouts, we will do nothing."

He sighed.

"But, if it comes to it and I am forced to surrender my throne, you are all welcome to save yourselves."

Reptile placed a hand on Kotal's shoulder.

"We will not abandon you, Kotal. You know that."

Kotal wanted to smile, but didn't.

"You all may leave, I will call you once news returns.

Surprisingly considering the upcoming sports carnival, todays P.E class was remarkably low key. Instead of sprints or soccer practice, Mrs Burch simply split the class into teams and did dodgeball. Something about “letting you kids have some fun before I really start working you to the bone.”

It was weird, but Cassie wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth. 

She craned her head to dodge a rubber ball ditched at her head. Unsurprisingly, her team and another student was still on the field. Sometimes all that rigorous training paid off.

“So, you guys doing anything after school?” Tom asked, being one of the friendlier students.

“Not much, think we’re gonna go someplace and shoot the breeze.”

A ball collided with Tom’s back, causing him to join the rest on the bench.

That was the team’s message to get serious, no nonchalant dodging and low key conversation.

Jen shot a ball towards Jin, but found it caught, automatically getting her out. 

Jacqui shot the ball right at Chris, hitting him directly in the cheek. 

He stumbled back, but no real lasting damage. Within minutes, the enemy team was eliminated and the victors joined the rest of the team on the bench. Jacqui exchanged a high-five with Cassie.

As Kotal discussed the matter with his entourage, Mileena's rebel were finishing the preparations.

“It seems that Kotal has yet to decide. What do you think, Tanya? Should I detonate one of the devices just to speed things up?”

Tanya shook her head.

”Not yet, perhaps Ko’atal simply needs time. If he chooses to attack, then we will show him the error of his ways.”

A low rumbling escaped Mileena’s throat. 

“I’d love to consume that Osh-Tekk oaf. To execute his entourage for their betrayal.”

Tanya stroked Mileena's cheek, smiling slyly.

”And we will, in time.”

Mileena smiled in return, oh, this plan was flawless. Soon, everything she deserved would be hers. And if anyone disagreed?

Well, fear was an excellent way to keep people in line.

“Did you hear the sound Chris made when you ditched the dodgeball?” Cassie asked Jacqui with a look of satisfaction.

Jacqui rolled her eyes. To be honest, she was relieved that the ball didn’t break any of his teeth. 

“Yes, I know, I was there.”

Jin flipped the page of his book and Takeda had his eyes closed. Cassie flicked a pea to the young ninja, who caught it with his eyes closed.

”Nice.”

Chapter Text

The drive to base after school was about the same as usual, and Sonya gave the expected speech about how important this assignment was.

"If you come back empty handed, I will close this investigation permanently, is that understood?"

Cassie and her team nodded, saluting. The leader of the team voiced a request.

"Before you send us out, do you think we could take a vehicle?"

General Blade raised an eyebrow. Cassie instantly gave her justification.

"It'd save time when we're in Outworld.  And Jacqui's been taking her driving tests."

The general sighed, but obliged.

"It'll take a minute when you're through, but you'll pay if it's damaged."

Cassie nodded and the Outworld portal soon opened.

"Good luck out there."

Cassie’s tablet picked up tech signals. Either someone finally installed internet in Outworld, or something dangerous was afoot.

The latter seemed far more likely.

"What's the plan, Cage?" Takeda asked, twirling one of his kunai.

”We don’t have time to go to Kotal’s palace. Jacqui, did you bring any drones with you?”

”Just Cassidy. I've upgraded her too."

Cassie nodded.

”Ok, switch her on and send her to Kotal. We'll explain everything.”

Jacqui crouched down, pulling the drone from her backpack and setting her up.

Through a portal, a military car entered the area. Jacqui hopped in the front, pointing her thumb to the back.

”Get in, losers. We’re going hunting.”

The team buckled themselves in, Cassie claiming shotgun before Takeda could. They drove off, ready to begin their mission.

Reptile was spending his time hunting for food. He didn’t think that Kotal would genuinely hand over his throne to Mileena. He had a plan, Kotal was worthy of his faith.

As he chewed into his prey, he smelled something else, something… electric.

He lashed out his tongue, wrapping around something metal. He pulled it in, finding a  voice coming from the strange device.

"Hey, hey! Please don't eat this, it's not edible."

Reptile snarled, did these earthrealmer's think he was a rabid animal? He could smell whether or not something had flesh to consume.

"Earthrealmer's. Speak now."

"It's kind of hard to say, but we've got tech signals coming from a nearby village. If you'll take us to Kotal, we'll explain everything."

Reptile growled, but obliged, Ferra and Torr caught him on the way.

"Snake-Face? New toy?"

"Out of my way, child, This is for Emperor Ko'atal."

Ferra frowned, but moved on while grumbling about her boredom. Reptile shook his head with a brief chuckle. he entered the throne roo, finding Kotal standing with his hands behind his back.

"Emperor. We might have a way to turn this situation to our advantage,."

Kotal turned his head, and Reptile set the device down and pressed the green button.

"Perhaps this would be the good news they needed.

The tech signals were coming from Sun Do. The village was surrounded by Mileena's rebels and they obviously wouldn't let them in without force.  Cassie ran through a plan in her head, turning to her team.

"Okay, Jacqui, head through the front and distract them. Jin and Tak, you two do some stealth, take out any guards and I'll search around the place because I'm picking up weird signals."

The team nodded, splitting off to their objectives.

Jacqui entered the village with her hands up, the guards pointing their blades at her stomach and neck.

"Hey, I'm not here to cause trouble."

The one with an armguard put Jacqui's hands behind her back, likely intending to tie her up. Luckily, Jacqui had friends in high places.

A pair of arrows hit both soldiers in the neck, distracting them enough for Jacqui to slam her fists into their faces. Jacqui shot a thumbs up to Jin and entered the room to find a tied up man in dark blue clothes.

She removed the gag, letting him speak.

"What happened here?"

"Mileena's rebels overran the place, chained us all up and put a strange device in here. Said that if we tried to escape, she'd detonate it."

Jacqui nodded. 

"Well, my teammates will get this place secure. Do you have any idea where this device is?"

The man pointed to the corner of the room,, finding a metal box with a blinking red light.

Jacqui radioed Sonya.

”Hey, we’ve got a device here, I think it’s some kind of large explosive. If I send it, do you think you can disarm it?”

"Most liekly, do you have any details?"

"Large metal box, blinking red, code is PB_BD01."

Sonya's voice bristled.

"BD? Must be Kano's delivery. Send it here before someone catches you."

"Got it."

The door burst open and Jacqui instantly activated some cloaking tech from her gauntlets. A tarkatan entered the room, growling as he searched for any signs of life.

"If you come out, your death will be swift," He called, bone blade dragging along the wooden wall.

Jacqui stayed silent, noticing the vase on a nearby table. The tarkatan noticed the untied ropes and turned his attention to them. He crouched down, trying to smell where the captor had fled. Jacqui took the time to snatch the vase and ditch it at the figure's head. As soon as it shattered, she stood up and punched him directly in the face.

Once that was done, she put a shield generator near the door, giving her some cover to begin her work.

'Alright, let's get this thing out of here."

Kotal and his entourage met Mileena's faction outside Z'unkahrah. Each side bristled with barely withheld aggression, all except Mileena who looked very pleased by the situation.

"Well, it seems that even you can make the correct decision, Kotal."

Syzoth snarled but stayed his claws. Kotal spoke calmly, as though the situation wasn't dire.

”I am not doing this for you, but for my subjects.”

Mileena rolled her eyes.

“Spare me the rhetoric and give me back my throne.”

Kotal folded his hand behind his back.

”First, you must uphold your end of the deal. After that, I will escort you to the capital and publicly relinquish my throne to you.”

Rain stepped forward, projecting his arrogance through his posture.

“Trying to buy yourself time?”

Erron pulled out his revolver.

”Step back unless you want a bullet in that head.”

Mileena snapped her fingers and a pair of her loyalists placed a golden chest in her hands. She offered it to Kotal.

”Here, consider it a parting gift

Kotal stared at the chest for a moment.

“Place it on the ground and step back,” Kotal requested.

Mileena did so, growing impatient. Kotal opened the chest. Inside was an obsidian dagger faintly tipped with dried blood. It was a well used weapon, experiencing lifetimes of battle.

The same dagger that took Zeffeero’s life at the start of this whole mess. But in spite of the expert craftsmanship, there was a glaring problem. It wasn’t the kamidogu.

Mileena spoke up.

”Well? Take it.”

Kotal took the dagger from the chest, inspecting it.

”While I appreciate the gift, I believe that you have, as the Earthrealm saying goes, been duped.”

Mileena’s eyes widened in shock and narrowed in rage. Skarlet betrayed her. Of course that rancid wretched leech couldn’t control herself!

“Since you did not uphold your end of the bargain, I am under no obligation to keep mine. Begone.”

Mileena chuckled.

”Oh, you naïve usurper. Did you forget about your incentive?”

A set of guards blocked Mileena as she pulled out an Earthrealm triggering device. Syzoth lashed out with his tongue just as Mileena’s thumb pressed on the button.

A moment passed with no distant destruction. Syzoth snatched the device from Mileena’s palm and handed it to Ferra.

”It seems that you forgot about my resolve. Did you truly think I would surrender my throne to the mad empress? Now I offer you the chance to walk away and fight another day.”

Mileena's forces showed their weapons, Mileena's sai ready to spill blood

"I did not come this far just to surrender!"

Kotal pulled put his sickles.

"Perhaps not, you have come this far to die."

Cassie entered the large building, gun at the ready. Instead of enemies, Cassie found Li Mei chained to a wall. The village chief seemed mroe annoyed the afraid of her position.

"Ah, the earthrealm soldier. Not my first guess for a rescue."

"Nice to see you too."

Cassie shot through the chains with her pistol, freeing Li Mei.

"Mileena's rebels overrun the place, used a strange power to make us kneel."

“Don’t worry, my team and I are taking care of it. You go get your people out.”

Li Mei nodded before her face suddenly turned to surprise.

”Behind you!”

Cassie narrowly dodged a blast of crimson liquid. It dripped on the ground, almost like…

Shit…

Cassie turned her gaze to find Skarlet looking right at her. The traitorous assassin chuckled.

”Look at this. Sun Do’s chief and an Earthrealm child ready to be slaughtered. How lovely.”

Li Mei was in a fighting stance.

”I’ll handle this.”

Li Mei nodded, shooting a purple projectile at Skarlet to cover her escape. The traitorous assassin turned to Cassie.

"You know, I am glad to see you here. I never thought I'd get to test these powers."

Skarlet cut her wrist with the dagger, and her eyes started to glow a powerful crimson. Her voice gained a slight echo as well.

"Prepare to face the power of the kamidogu."

Cassie only had one though in her head.

"Fuck my life."

Chapter Text

The battle outside Z’Unkahrah was a bloody one. Blades clashed and cut through flesh, yells and roars melding together.

Reptile spat acid at a tarkatan, before dashing forward and slitting the next one's throat open with his claws.

Torr tossed Ferra at a rebel, letting her stab her hand claws into their chest in a feral rage. Ermac tossed a group of then into each other as Erron fired and reloaded at a rapid rate.

Tanya dodged her opponents’s swings, digging her tonfa into their throats, Rain sliced with blades of water, and all the while, their leaders were locked in their battle.

Mileena’s fighting style was a mixture of wild swipes and stabs and acrobatic flips and kicks. Kotal’s was a combination of force and technique.

He kicked Mileena away, but she sunk under the ground in a flash of pink energy. She reappeared above Kotal and drove her sai into his shoulders before he threw her off.

"My forces outnumber yours, you cannot-

"I' am so tired of your meaningless prattle! Just close your mouth, and die!" Mileena shouted back, no less aggressive.

Kotal sighed, ready to fight on.

He could only wonder how long the battle would take.

Cassie slid back on the ground, quickly pulling her radio and calling to her team.

"Can you guys give me a han-

A lash of blood knocked it from her hand, Skarlet chuckling as her voice lightly echoed.

"Come now, why spoil the fun?"

"Okay, I get it, you're mad with power- fuck!" Cassie narrowly ducked a bladed swipe and kicked Skarlet's shin and punched her across the face. Skarlet recovered quickly, blocked and chopping Cassie's neck.

A bloody tentacle wrapped around Cassie’s neck, squeezing her breath out of her throat.

"Did you truly think you could defeat me alone? A single earthrealm child?"

The tentacles grip loosened ever so slightly. Cassie made a little gesture with her head.

"I had my hopes. But in case I was wrong..."

Skarlet whirled around to block a plasma shot from Jacqui’s gauntlet. Joining her was the rest of her teammates brandishing their weapons.

”I called in some backup.”

Takeda shot his whips forward, wrapping around Skarlet’s arm and slinging her against the wall on the other side. Jacqui delivered a powerful punch to her face and joined facing her opponent with Takeda.

Cassie was tossed to the corner of the room, slamming hard against the wooden wall.

Cassie coughed to get her breath back, her eyes focused on Skarlet’s knife. It seemed like she got more powerful with every slice and drop of blood. But without it?

It might be a different story.

”Cage, get up.”

Cassie met Jin’s eyes and formulated a plan in her head.

”Takeda and Jacqui are fighting the lady in red. We need to help out.”

Cassie gestured Jin to lean in.

”First, I have an idea.”

Jacqui traded blows with Skarlet, blocking the dagger swipes with her gauntlets and switching out with Takeda.  But even with the numbers advantage, Jacqui and Takeda were having trouble contending with their sorcery-powered opponent.

Jacqui was lifted into the air by bloody tentacles around her arms, allowing Skarlet to saunter closer to her. Her eyes flickered to Jacqui's gauntlets with disdain.

"I will never understand Earthrealm's reliance on fancy technology."

"Hey if sorcery gets me looking like you, I'll stick with what I do best."

Takeda's fist slammed against Skarlet's head, and Jin soon joined up, double teaming her with their martial prowess.  Cassie fired shots from her pistols, Skarlet narrowly avoiding them but finding her other opponent's lightning fast. She stumbled back and felt the pain of the blood magic even stronger. She didn’t have much use left until she'd start running out of strength.

She needed to end this now.

Skarlet yelled as she sent out a trio of bloody whips that slammed three of her opponent’s against the wall.

”I have had enough of this. I’m going to drain you all to husks and do the same to this village.”

Skarlet outstretched her palm, intending to drain Cassie’s lifeblood, but felt a subtle shock as she tried. She pulled her hand back in surprise.

Interesting…

”I have had enough of this. I’m going to drain you to a husk and do the same to this village.”

Skarlet reached for the dagger by her belt, but found nothing but empty air.

"Missing something?" Jin called out, near the door with-

The kamidogu! Skarlet shouted internally.

Jin fled the area, Skarlet chasing after him and dropping the other three down in the process.

Skarlet escaped outside and found the entirety of Sun Do's armed forces with their weapons ready. Archers from the rooftops had a clear shot and the boy who stole the kamidogu was beside them. Li Mei Stood authoritatively.

"Skarlet, under Outworld law, I suggest that you surrender peacefully.

Skarlet turned her head to find her earthrealm opponent's blocking her exit. While she could try to teleport up to the rooftop and steal back her weapon, that was inviting a massacre. She was wounded, surrounded, and without the kamidogu to replenish her strength she was on borrowed time.

Her ambitions would have to wait.

"I will have what is mine..."

Arrows met the empty ground as Skarlet vanished in a flash of red.

Li Mei ordered her scouts to spread out, just in case as she met with the Earthrealm team.

”You four put your lives on the line for this village. And for that, you have my thanks,” Li Mei bowed her head respectfully.

The team lowered their heads in response, not wanting to be rude. Cassie recovered the quickest.

”Thanks, but don’t worry. It’s what we do.”

”I mean, if you’re offering payment for our services…” Jin began, clearly joking.

”Jin…” Takeda warned.

”I’m not serious!

Jacqui rolled her eyes and returned to the matter at hand.

”What about Skarlet? She’s still on the run.”

”I know, but she’s wanted by both Kotal and Mileena and without the kamidogu to satisfy her bloodlust she’ll need time to replenish. If she comes back, we’ll be ready.”

Jacqui nodded.

”Well, we should get going. Do you need any help!”

”You four have done enough. Safe travels.”

Cassie looked to her team, feeling pretty satisfied with how things worked out.

”So, how’d we do?”

“Well, we tricked a blood mage into giving up her weapon, got her to run for the hills, and disarmed a bomb," Jacqui counted on her fingers before grinning.

"Pretty good, I'd say."

Cassie turned her eyes to the vehicle parked outside.

"How about we visit Kotal and give him our severance package?"

The team agreed, with Takeda having a smirk on his face as they walked.

"Hey, Cassie?"

"What is it?"

"Shotgun."

"I say again. Surrender." Kotal declared, looking to his opponent. Both armies were panting, yet kept their hands on their weapons.

Mileena looked to see her army’s numbers depleting. Kotal’s army was numerous and inspired. Tanya waited for her order, looking ready to fight another day. 

"This isn't over, Kotal. That throne will be mine."

Shattering a small gem in her palm, Tanya was swept up by a swirling vortex that the rebels soon followed into.

Erron fired his revolvers at the retreating foes, nailing a few in the head and even Rain in his shoulder, but the remaining rebels managed to escape through the portal. The vortex closed and Kotal felt a sense of silent relief. The chest with the false kamidogu was left behind, a symbol of their victory in a sense.

”It’s over.”

Silence filled the air. Of mourning and of victory. Their enemies had been pushed back, and with numerous sacrifices-

A honking sound drew everyone’s attention. They saw four Earthrealm soldiers in a large vehicle. The archer was holding a small chest.

”We’ve got a gift for you.”

Kotal paused for a moment. He could sense blood magic from the chest, how did they...

"And I have questions for you."

"Could we do it somewhere without dozens of corpses lying around? By the way, your kid is plucking eyes out of them."

Kotal saw Ferra doing just that, holding them up to Torr as if to judge his opinion. Perhaps, a change of scenery was required.

"That would be wise. Come, we have much to discuss."

As they left the bloody battlefield behind, Kotal felt Syzoth come up closer to him.

"I suspected you had a plan."

Kotal smiled, a rare occurrence these days.

"I'll admit, I was, as the Earthrealmer's say, flying blind."

The quiet amusement from Syzoth stayed with Kotal as they left the bodies to be buried by the wind.

The battles were not over, but they'd earned this victory.

Chapter Text

Kotal listened as the earthrealm emissaries recounted their events. They’d infiltrated Sun Do, disarmed the explosive device that Mileena had purchased from Kano, and stole the kamidogu from Skarlet in the heat of battle.

Quite impressive accomplishments for a group so young.

”And do you have any news about Skarlet’s whereabouts?”

Cassie answered.

”We’re afraid not. She escaped after we got her surrounded. Li Mei said that she’d be on the run for a while.”

Ferra giggled in the back.

”Red lady run?”

”More like teleported. If you want help tracking her, maybe we could help?”

Kotal shook his head. These four had already helped enough.

”That is unnecessary. We will sort out our problems. In the meantime, you have my gratitude. Can I interest you in some reward?”

“No need, it’s what we’re trained for,” Jacqui replied. But Jin had his own request.

”Actually, I’m curious. What’s so important about the dagger? Whenever Skarket cut herself, she got stronger but more exhausted.”

A sigh escaped Kotal’s lips.

”The kamidogu isn’t an ordinary dagger. It is an ancient talisman, from before our recorded history. It can impart great power, but overuse can cause problems. Skarlet might have overtaxed her body with the power, and doomed herself in the process.”

Uncomfortable silence filled the room.

“Well, we’ll head back to base. If you need anything-

“I will let you know.”

Kotal’s arms were folded behind his back, D’Vorah voicing her opinion.

”This one believes we should try and find Mileena’s camp. Finish her while she is weak.”

“Undoubtedly. But our guard must be give time to rest and recover. And, I believe we should celebrate a rare moment of victory. Would a feast suffice?”

Sounds of agreement came from the group. Kotal nodded his head, eyes resting on the chest with the kamidogu inside.

“I must return this to its chamber. You will be informed when the feast is ready.”

Kotal placed the chest on its placement and held out his palm to make a magical binding around it.

That would hopefully make stealing it a little more difficult.

Sonya watched as her strike team returned to base, their vehicle along with them.

”How was your mission?”

Cassie went into military mode to respond.

”A satisfactory outcome. We found the assassin and disarmed her. She’s on the run and the emperor will take care of it from there. You can close the assignment.”

Sonya nodded, looking over her team. Light bruises dotted their faces, yet their posture remained faintly proud.

”Understood. Excellent work, all of you. Nothing more to report. Dismissed.”

The team nodded and left to get changed and dropped off home.

Sonya looked to the swirling Outworld vortex. 

“Herman, can you shut this off?”

“Yes, General.”

Mileena stood in isolation within her tent. The plan was perfect. Kotal’s army surrenders the throne or Sun Do was decimated by Kano’s device. But Skarlet ruined everything.

Mileena’s hand trembled. If she saw that wretched leech again, she’d make sure she’d regret crossing her.

But first, she had to make a new request.

Kano’s voice spoke through the communication device. His voice was slightly slurred, but still decipherable.

”Sorry, but I can’t do that easily. A bomb like that ain’t cheap.”

Mileena snarled, hand trembling in rage.

”You dare to try exploit me?” She seethed, before hearing Kano’s chuckle.

”Easy, big teeth. I’ll sort somethin’ out. Keep in touch.”

Mileena ended the call, before grabbing her sai and slamming it into the makeshift war table. Tanya soon arrived.

”Worry not of today’s failure’s, my empress. Victory will be within reach.”

Mileena slowly calmed down at Tanya’s honeyed words.

”You always know what to say.”

Skarlet panted in relief as she absorbed some blood from her vials.

She still couldn’t believe how she’d been deceived. By earthrealm children no less. She’d managed to leech enough blood to stave off the kamidogu’s withdrawal for a moment, but there was still the matter of speaking with her employer.

Pulling out a crimson talisman, Skarlet used her blood magic to activate it’s power. 

A deep voice spoke from it. Smooth and calculating.

”Ah, Skarlet. Do you have the kamidogu?”

”That is most disappointing, given your determination in taking the assignment. Did you gain anything from this besides bruises?”

Skarlet remembered the strange power from the earthrealm soldier.

“Wait. One of the earthrealmers possessed a strange power in her soul. With your sorcery, it might serve as a fitting substitute.”

The voice paused for a moment.

”Interesting. I will consider your suggestion, in the meantime. Do try to keep yourself alive.”

And with that almost humorous advice, the voice left. Skarlet pocketed the talisman and sensed figures approaching.

"Under order of the Kahnum, you are to be delivered and executed for your betrayal!"

Skarlet smiled under her mask, pulling out a stolen short sword.

She could use the distraction.

Ending the conversation, Skarlet's patron turned to his enforcers. Undead revenants, heroic souls twisted into something stronger and far more obedient.

"What is the news from Outworld?" Spoke a fallen champion, slain by his own mentor.

"There has been a change of plans. Outworld's kamidogu is unavailable, but our lord's freedom may yet be at hand."

The champion bowed.

"We await your command, Quan Chi."

The pale demon smiled. How the mighty had fallen. Or rather, risen. Better to serve anyone other than the foolish Thunder God.

"I am aware. Leave me, I'll inform you when you are needed."

Liu Kang left, allowing Quan Chi a well earned moment of peace. He overlooked the view from his fortress. Ever since Shinnok's imprisonment, The Netherrealm had become a touch more chaotic. Although, given the realm's state of being, perhaps that was to be expected.

But soon, it will learn it's true ruler. and then, Earthrealm will be next.

And from the comfort of his fortress, suspended above the boiling magma, Quan Chi smiled.