(We head to the Xiaolin Temple and inform the Monks of Kano's return and him taking the Moby Morpher and the new Shen Gong Wu)
Raimundo: So Kano's back and he's taken the Moby Morpher and the Maestro's Mandolin, right?
Kimiko: What would Kano want with the Shen Gong Wu anyway?
Sofia: I don't think he wants them, but he did say someone sent him to get them.
Clay: I doubt Jack Spicer sent him. He says he's the world's greatest evil genius, but he's not smart enough to tie his own shoes.
Me: If we're going to get the Shen Gong Wu back from Kano, we need to figure out where he's going. Luckily, I was able to pinpoint the Maestro Mandolin's exact location.
Sofia: Of course! If we find it, we find Kano!
Me: Exactly! Now let's gear up.
Project MV Zone
Hero Chapter 4: Maverick Hunters
New Society Hideout, City of Dawn, South America
4 Days since the Dimensional Convergence
A robot in blue armor is watching over the New Society's base through a telescope. Suddenly, a red and white armored robot with long, free-flowing blond hair slowly approaches the blue-armored robot from behind. Once he turns around, the red-armored robot unsheathed an energy sword.
"Your hearing is failing, X." The red robot commented.
"I recognized your footsteps, Zero." The blue robot, X, added.
"I was skeptical of what Dr. Light told us about a new virus at first, but now, I know what to expect, but not from someone like Blackheart." Zero sheaths his sword.
"This city has been void of visitors, isolated from the public, until the mass Convergence," X said. "Now Blackheart has taken refuge and is using Sigma's formula for the Sigma Virus to create a more powerful bioweapon."
"I see why you needed me." Zero assumed. "So have our "new friends" arrived yet?"
X notices the Bat-Wing fly overhead. "Right on time." Both of the Maverick Hunters jump from their lookout point and meet with Harley, TJ Combo, Maya, Cassie, and Sub-Zero.
"I take it you're the two robots Batman mentioned." Combo guessed.
"That's us. My name's X, Mega Man X. This is Zero." X gave them his and Zero's names. Zero nodded to them.
"You're a lot younger than we expected," Harley commented.
"Don't let the looks fool you, missy," Zero huffed.
"So, have you found Blackheart?" Cassie asked them.
"For the most part. We found where he's hiding out and it appears that the demon leading the New Society has some kind of speech for them." X said. "Follow us." They lead the team to the New Society's base. They take cover behind some stone pillars. They see Blackheart take the stage.
"City of Dawn, our time has come. In a few short hours, we will break the yoke of oppression… forever!" Blackheart started speaking to his followers. "No more Avengers. No more Ghost Rider. Today, the world welcomes its new masters: THE NEW SOCIETY!" Blackheart chants as the key members of his "New Society" come forward. Those members are Nikolai Dmitri Bulygin, Dawn Bellwether, Tira, Kano, Reaper, Cinder, Mayor Muldoon, and Aganos. "Today, we show the world that we stand tall! Today, we will bring anyone who would dare stand against us to their knees! And today, we will unleash…THE FIRES OF HELL UPON THEM!" All of Blackheart's soldiers raise their swords and shields in true agreement with their leader Blackheart.
"Low self-esteem? Not his problem." Combo commented.
"That's a lot more than a few members… it's all of them!" Harley deduced.
"They're headed into the temple, out of sight from the soldiers. Zero and I will see what they're planning." X informed them. "Harley, keep the jet warm. Be ready to bail us out on our signal." Harley winks to the Maverick Hunters.
"We'll keep those hooligans busy. Be careful." Kuai Liang wished them luck as they broke from the group.
Inside, Blackheart leads Bellwether, Aganos, Tira, Kano, and Nikolai in a separate room. "You sure laid it on a little thick, Blackheart. You kidnap Stark's speechwriter or something?" Bellwether asked him.
"Soldiers need to be properly motivated to sacrifice their lives, Ms. Bellwether," Blackheart replies.
"Fear and hate are what motivate true soldiers," Nikolai commented.
"You better not turn that fear and hate on us, or this New Society is done," Kano warned.
"As long as our goals are shared between us, Kano, you have nothing to worry about."
"You mean as long as we follow your orders," Tira added.
Cinder walks into view. "What's the status, Cinder?" Blackheart asks.
"We're ready to move out," Cinder reported.
"Perfect. Go and tell the others. Tira, Kano, you will join the first wave." Blackheart commanded.
"We already lost a shipment at Christ's Crown. Here's hoping your silent partner can still deliver." Kano said as he and Tira left with Cinder.
"Maybe it's about time you spilled the identity of our "silent partner" since we're relying so much on him. Or her…" Bellwether suggested.
"His presence will be known in time. But for now—" Blackheart informed him before another voice interrupted him.
"But first, a few friendly words from the Maverick Hunters!" Blackheart turns to the source of the voice and sees X and Zero. The New Society attempts to attack them, but X uses his Rising Fire to knock them back.
"I always thought of you as a pacifist, X," Zero commented.
"There are some fights you just can't avoid," X replies.
"So Sigma's words about the Maverick Hunters are true after all," Blackheart noted. "Hmph. I leave them to you." Blackheart and Aganos leave Bellwether and Nikolai to the Maverick Hunters.
"I got first dibs," Bellwether said as she pulls a dart gun from her holster.
Choose Your Fighter
X Zero
"You take the metal man. I'll handle the sheep girl." Zero said as X breaks away to take on Nikolai and Aganos. Zero uses his Z-Saber to deflect Bellwether's darts.
"Betraying Zootopia wasn't enough for you, Bellwether?" Zero asked.
"Fear is what gets you power, kid. And with Blackheart's help and the Mind Stone, I'll get plenty." Bellwether said, dangling the Mind Stone hanging around her neck.
"You've become a lost cause when you turned your back on Zootopia and you're fighting for lost causes now."
"You sound just like Judy. She'll soon understand the meaning of fear, as will you." She engages Zero in battle.
Bellwether fires a dart but Zero ducks under it and counters with a kick to the midsection. Zero deflects two darts with his Z-Saber and fires his Hyper Zero Blaster. Though the Mind Stone helped Bellwether deal a bit of damage, it wasn't enough to best Zero as a couple of swings from Zero's saber finished the fight.
"Fear and power are not equals," Zero commented just as X is flung back. "Ooh! That was graceful." Zero helps his partner up to his feet. "Where's Aganos?"
"He must've bailed with Blackheart," X told him just in time to see Nikolai approach them, Soul Stone in hand.
"One of us needs to keep him busy while the other disables the reactor."
"You mean the one on his back?" Zero asked.
"Yes."
"How kind of Thomas Light to send his best soldiers out here. I'll be happy to send you back to him… in pieces." Nikolai smirked.
Choose your Fighter
Zero X
"I'll keep this brute busy," X told Zero. The red-armored robot goes off to the side. X readies his Mega Buster. "Sizing me up?"
"Sigma has a keen interest in you. It's understandable why he turned Maverick and created the Sigma Virus. Serve him and he will bless you with his strength." Nikolai engages X in battle.
X fires his Mega Buster at Nikolai, but his Tesla Blitz deflects it. The BPS Captain of Strike One dealt some strong punches amplified by the Tesla Blitz, but X withstood it. They traded blows, but X was much faster. Even with the Soul Stone capable of healing him during the fight, he was no match for X's speed. He got up, only to collapse to his knees.
"Zero, now!"
Just as Nikolai gets up, Zero pierces the generator on Nikolai's back with his Z-Saber, disabling it. Nikolai yelped as his generator shut down. Nikolai stood up weary from the surprise attack. "No!"
X took this chance to knock out Nikolai with an uppercut. They look over the defeated Nikolai.
"Now where'd that damn dirty demon go?" Zero asked. The wind suddenly picked up. A small twister forms and Fujin appears from it.
"I have come to you as a great shadow falls."
"Fujin?"
"X, Zero, in the past, I, along with many gods before me, have shielded you and Earthrealm from danger. But a grave crisis looms – and I do not know if I have the power to stop it." Fujin spoke.
"You mean Blackheart and his gathering of goons? We've got that covered." Zero informed the wind god.
"Blackheart is the pawn of a master far worse than he. A new era is near. My brother in arms Raiden has foreseen it. I suggest you leave with me now, while you can still be saved." Fujin said.
"If that's the case, then we're staying here. Batman will need our help." X declined.
"Everyone and everything you know will die in a dimensional Armageddon," Fujin warned the Maverick Hunters. "I can shepherd you to a safe place, lest you suffer their fate. By force, if need be."
"I think this god's gone off the deep end," X commented.
"Then let's help him back on it."
Choose your Fighter
X Zero
"I'll handle this," X told Zero as he left him to face Fujin.
"You should've stood down when you were given the opportunity. This is not your battle."
"As much as I'd like to stop, it's like I said before: there are battles that are unavoidable," X then started fighting Fujin.
Fujin struck first with his sword and dealt a few wind attacks, but X fights back with a Sonic Slicer and counters with a Rising Fire followed by a Boomerang Cutter. Two more Boomerang Cutters and a Sonic Slicer from X finished the fight. Fujin can hardly stand.
"Blackheart just made it our battle," X glared.
Fujin recovers from the battle. X and Zero head to his aid. "Sorry about the beating, Fujin."
"No, I should be to blame." Fujin apologized. "I need to confer with the Elder Gods, pray they will intervene before it's too late."
"Too late for what, Fujin? What's going on here?" Zero asked. "Spill it!"
"As much as I'd like to, the Elder Gods' magic bars me from conveying information to outsiders, be they enemy or ally," Fujin told them. "Raiden has changed history too many times. This new realm's destiny is no longer certain. Whatever comes next, mortals cannot stop. For better or worse, your fate is in the Elder Gods' hands." Fujin left on a small tornado.
"That was…scary." Zero commented.
"I hear you. C'mon, let's find Blackheart and make tracks."
X and Zero search for Blackheart and they find him and a few of his demon followers. Blackheart tosses an unconscious Harley to their feet. Zero readied his Z-Buster.
"I'm afraid you've overstayed your welcome." Blackheart glared.
"Believe me, we'd be more than happy to check out, but you're coming with us." Zero fired a shot at him, but Blackheart used his telekinesis to stop it. He crushes the energy blast like a walnut.
"It's bad enough having to fight a demon from the Crown, had to throw in telekinesis." Zero groaned.
Choose your Fighter
Zero X
"Leave the big guy to me," Zero told his partner. X then attacked the smaller demons with his Rising Fire, leaving Zero and Blackheart.
"You were once one of Sigma's Maverick Hunters. That you would turn against him baffles me." Blackheart stated.
"We did not turn on him! He betrayed us!" Zero corrected the demon. "I understand turning some of his fellow soldiers against us with his Sigma Virus, but using it to infect other worlds? Now he's gone too far!"
Zero swung his Z-Saber at Blackheart, only to be blocked by the demon's quills on his head. The Prince of Hell fought back with teleportation and telekinesis. Zero hardly stood his ground, but one move was all he needed to win the fight. He fired his Z-Buster at Blackheart's head, which stunned him. He then blasted him with a barrage of blasts and sword slashes. He finished things off with a max power Genmu Zero that sent the former King of Hell plummeting to the ground.
"Let that be a warning to Sigma," Zero glared at the downed Blackheart.
"Not bad, Zero," X complimented. A group of demons walked by and Zero whistled to gain their attention. The demons wondered what was going on. Zero aimed his Mega Buster at Blackheart, showing the demons that they defeated their leader. They scrambled out of the temple. After that, Zero cuffs the Prince of Hell with large shackles that nullify his powers.
"I'm surprised that worked. Let's clock out and get Harley and the others out of here." X said. They suddenly hear Blackheart laugh loudly.
"It's never good when you slap the cuffs on a villain and then they start laughing."
"Pitiful Reploids. You have won this battle. But you've already lost the war."
Suddenly, a portal opens below and sucks the Maverick Hunters into it. Blackheart laughs victoriously as he stood up, still shackled.
Netherrealm – Shinnok's Throne Room
4 Days since the Dimensional Convergence
The Reploids land on their feet. They look around the gloomy throne room. "Zero…?"
"Sorry, X. I'm drawing a blank," Zero admitted.
"I'm impressed that two mere Reploids were able to defeat the Prince of Hell," They hear a voice from within the throne room. A dark shadow forms around them. They jump back just as a pair of bony hands clasp. Appearing from them was the fallen Elder God Shinnok.
"So, you must be this Shinnok Batman warned us about," X guessed.
"The one and only."
"You just made our jobs much easier," Zero said as he charged at Shinnok with his Z-Saber. Shinnok easily dispatched Zero with a fireball.
"Zero!" X shouted for his friend.
"Do not cry for your friend – he will live," Shinnok assured. "Of course, you will be among the many who will soon witness the true power of death."
"What do you want!?" X interrogated.
Shinnok simply walked to his throne. "I'm only seeking to defeat Raiden. When I was defeated and my power was stripped, my plan to infect Earthrealm with death was thwarted. But as Raiden tortured me, I had a vision."
"Do you believe someone told you to merge our worlds with yours so that you can conquer them?" Zero asked, still feeling the pain from the fireball.
"Exactly right – of course, that was a task I did not perform alone."
"We will never serve the likes of you," X glared.
The fallen Elder God simply let out a low chuckle. "As I have said to Raiden years ago, remove the shadow from the light, the shadow grows. You will serve me eventually, and my new Revenant Virus will see to that."
"Raiden stopped you before, he'll do it again!" X snarled.
"I'd like to see him try." He sees Brainiac coming in. "Seize control of communications. I want everyone in this new world to hear my message."
Earthrealm – Special Forces Base
4 Days since the Dimensional Convergence
Sonya Blade is looking over what emergencies are going on in this merged world. She turns to Jacqui and her dad.
"Any news from Cass's team?" Jax asked.
"Nothing yet. They should've got hold of Blackheart by now." Sonya reported. "I'll contact them – figure out what's going on." She then called her daughter on her wrist communicator. "Commander Cage, come in. Do you read me?"
"I read you loud and clear, General."
"What's the status of your mission?" Sonya asked.
"It's not good. X and Zero managed to subdue Blackheart, but they disappeared. We tried to lock onto their signal, but something's blocking us. I don't know what's going on, but-" Suddenly, Cassie's voice is cut with static.
"Commander! Can you hear me? Please respond!" Sonya pleaded to hear her daughter, but what she heard next sent chills down their spine.
"I am afraid your daughter is occupied right now."
Jax and Jacqui do not recognize that voice. "Who is this!? This is a restricted channel – Special Forces soldiers only!"
"I am aware of that fact, Sonya Blade." She was shocked to hear that the mystery voice knows her name. "My name is Brainiac. I am a collector of worlds – preserver of vast knowledge, and I bring to you a message on the behalf of the former Elder God you call 'Shinnok.'"
"Shinnok!?" Jax gasped in total horror. "But Raiden and Cassie beat him."
"I guess Raiden neglected to finish the job," Jacqui added.
"The union of your worlds was just a taste of Shinnok's newfound power. He now seeks to infect all with a powerful virus that turns anyone who is exposed to his loyal revenant followers." The Coluan informed them.
"A virus that turns people into revenants? Now I've heard everything." Jax started recounting his days as a revenant under Quan Chi's control.
"If any of you listening were wise, you would surrender your soul to Shinnok right now. Resistance is futile." Brainiac's words echo across the base as the connection is cut.
"I've got a really bad feeling about this," Jacqui's words escaped her mouth.
"Sonya, you have got to check this out!" Johnny Cage spoke up, gaining the General's attention. "Sat feed's caught some meta-human activity in Metroville."
"Metroville? There can't be any metas out there." Sonya deduced. "It's so far."
"It's got to be the mass Convergence," Johnny reminded them.
"By the Elder Gods. Where else besides Metroville?" Jax asked.
"New York. Paris. Tokyo. So many large-scale cities, all affected by this." Johnny Cage named the places affected by the Dimensional Convergence.
"What will we do about it?" Jacqui thought aloud.
"If Shinnok or any of his goons harms a hair on my little girl, he will pay!" Johnny Cage glared.
"Send a recon unit to the City of Dawn!" Sonya commanded. The soldiers immediately got started setting up for a recon mission.
(After grabbing some Shen Gong Wu from the Vault, I use my tracking device to locate Kano)
Me: Huh? The tracker said he's here at the temple, but we're the only ones here.
Sofia: Something doesn't add up.
Master Fung: Is something the matter?
Kimiko: Oh, good timing, Master Fung. We're in a bit of trouble. We were looking for Kano, but Archer's tracker saying he's here.
Master Fung: Ah, that is troubling.
(Suddenly another Master Fung walks in clutching an injury in his ribs)
Master Fung 2: Kids, run!
Omi: Two Master Fungs? How is this possible?!
(We all look at the first Master Fung who smirks evilly. He morphs into his true identity: Shang Tsung)
Sofia: Shang Tsung!?
Shang Tsung: Did you miss me?
(We attack Shang Tsung, but he overpowers us with the Eye of Dashi. He leaves us on the ground. I was able to recover thanks to the Senzu Bean Goku gave me months ago)
Master Fung: Are you alright?
Me: Yeah, but if it weren't for you, Shang Tsung would've taken our souls. I better get them to the base and have Vivian treat their wounds. You readers know what to do here. Stay safe!