OutWorld Palace. Living Room

On a scale of one to ten of how much trouble Scorpion was in, it was safe to say he was around about a twelve.

The other two points were due to A) His girlfriend was unconscious and B) Said girlfriend was marked for death by a bunch of cybernetic lunatics who were currently advancing to kill them both.

Thinking about his girlfriend, he stared at her slumbering form. She looked eerily peaceful. Her visible wounds did not look fatal, but the dark magic she'd been assaulted with had affected her in some way. He tried his best to silence the painful thoughts that she might be slowly dying right there in front to him and he was powerless to help her, just as he was for the last love of his life.

Please Elder Gods, do not do this to me again.

After the attack, he moved as fast as he could to Mileena's Palace, knowing that he needed to keep her somewhere safe until the fighting subsided.

Thankfully, Baraka, the royal family's butler and commander of the guard, was there to let them in, but unfortunately, he informed them Mileena's father wouldn't be back from his discussion with Raiden for another hour.

So until Shao Khan or Sub and the others showed up, it was just Scorps and Baraka.

In short, Scorpion was very far from happy.

"Even if the cyborgs don't kill me, when Shao Khan see's that I brought his daughter back unconscious and covered in blood, he's going to rip my balls off".

"Don't be so dramatic", the Tarkatan butler chided. "Princess Mileena is stable, for now".

"But…"

The Tarkatan looked directly at Scorpion.

"Now listen to me young man. If what you told me is true, we have at least fifty dozen cyborg warriors enhanced with dark magic heading towards us. That is our priority. Mileena is a powerful warrior and her mixed Tarkatan and Edenian physiology accelerates her healing process, so as long as we keep those degenerate from her…", he grabbed Hanzo by the shoulders to both reassure him and to make him focus, "She. Will. Be. Fine. But only, if we do our jobs here and now".

Resolved, Hanzo nodded. "Right, what's the plan?"

Baraka pointed to a glowing fissure that was appearing beside the coffee table, as out stepped Kitana, Jade, Tanya, Rain, Sareena and Sub's Lin Kuei faction.

"Sup bitches?", Frost tactfully greeted.

"We came as soon as we could. Where's….", Kitana cut herself off upon catching the sight of her little sister, wounded and lying on the couch, completely motionless.

"Milly…", she gasped.

"She is Okay Princess", Baraka assured. "But we need to make sure she stays that way. So, Lin Kuei, scout the building's perimeter. You know these miscreants better than any of us which means you know where they'll be hiding. Thin out their numbers and limit the amount that can reach this room".

"On it. Smoke, Frost, move out", Sub commanded.

"You two Edenians, you're guarding this entrance". Tanya and Rain nodded. "We won't let Milly down", Rain swore.

"The rest of you, remain here with Mileena. If they get past us, you're her last defence".

Kitana, Jade and Scorpion bowed their heads.

None of them were about to let Sektor take Mileena from them.

"Very good. If we can just hold out for the hour, the Princess should be safe".

Baraka turned to walk out the living room door.

"Where are you going?", Kitana demanded.

Baraka gave a short chuckle. "I shall do as the butler is meant to, your highness…", he said, revealing his long forearm blades.

"And answer the door".

OutWorld Palace Exterior

Sektor stood at the front of his forces, staring at the large door that prevented them from breaking into the palace.

This would be the end of his nemesis. He would burn her alive in her own home.

"This is it. Units of the Lin Kuei, prepare to blast the door down!"

Sektor's warriors approached the door with great haste, only to stop dead in their tracks just a few feet before it, as it slowly opened.

From the entrance, a lone Tarkatan walked out, hands behind his back and as calm as a Spring breeze.

"The Khan is not available to take visits today. Please come again some other time", Baraka smugly advised.

Sektor was not letting this lapdog of Shao Khan stand in his way.

"My business is not with the Khan, fool! It is with his Gods-cursed spawn! Step aside or burn, either works for me".

"Oh I don't think you want to fight me", the butler smiled.

"Oh? And why's that?"

"Because I think you'd rather fight him".

"Him? Who…", Sektor was cut off as about half a dozen of his cyborgs were blaster with ice and frozen, before toppling over and smashing into a million pieces.

His optics darted up to see his hated rival, Sub Zero, flanked by Frost and Smoke.

"Sub Zero…", he growled.

"Come on up Sektor. Let's finish this once and for all. By the end of tonight. Only one leader of the Lin Kuei will, stand".

"For once, we agree. First three squads with me. The rest of you, take this palace and bring me that Tarkatan whore's head!"

With that, Sektor and his dregs leapt atop the roof top, ten feet away from Sub Zero.

"Shall we do this traditionally?"

Sketor chuckled. "Very well. Units, take the traitor's pets. Leave this scum to me".

"Go. Thin them out".

"Right on man", Smoke nodded.

"We'll fuck em up real bad boss", Frost grinned.

The duo ran, leading Sektor's forces away, so the two leaders could fight alone.

The silence between them was deafening.

"May the strongest warrior prevail".

"I intend to".

And with that, they charged.

The Door

"So…" Baraka said. "Who's first?"

The Lin Kuei wasted no time in rushing the butler.

He simply raised his arms, flicked out his blades and held his arms out wide and spun around rapidly, decapitating about seventeen cyborgs.

At the sudden and brutal slaughter of their brethren, the cyborgs halted their charge, and instead approached more cautiously.

Not that it mattered. Their deaths were guaranteed the minute they threatened Baraka's masters.

"Such fun", Baraka chortled.

Two Lin Kuei ran to catch him off guard, only to find themselves impaled through the chest and tossed into the crowd, knocking a few over.

He somersaulted into the air, cleaving three of them in half upon landing, whilst biting a fourth's head off.

"Get a grip on yourselves brothers. He's just one beast. We are a legion of the most advanced…", the Lin Kuei warrior was silenced by a spark blast hitting the back of his head and melted his entire skull.

The molten mess of flesh, bone and metal dripped to the ground, scorching it with its touch.

"Fights are for fighting, not talking", the Tarkatan quipped.

If it wasn't for the fact most of the Lin Kuei had their emotions suppressed by their augmentation, they'd have been terrified. Nevertheless, one or two of them good be seen shivering.

"Now then…", he growled.

"Which one of you young chaps would like a demonstration in what it means to ruin the lawn I just mowed, vandalise the roof I shingled last week and interrupt my late night tea break, whilst simultaneously insulting my masters?"

"For the Lin Kuei!", one bravado fuelled cyborg yelled, charging full speed, only to be rewarded by having her sword arm caught in the tight grasp of the grinning Tarkatan butler.

"Ah. A volunteer. How delightful". With that, the overeager cyborg's power core was torn from her chest and rammed into her skull.

Seven more surrounded him, their own wrist blades extended as Baraka parried with great ease each of their attempts to land a strike on him.

Limbs went flying across the battlefield, throats where torn out by Tarkatan teeth and metal and flesh fused together in a molten slag as spark blasts rent the cyborgs armour with awesome levels of heat.

When at last, one remained, the poor fool tried to catch Baraka from behind, feigning a charge only to teleport behind the butler and prepare to stab him in the back.

But a Tarkatan's reflexes are not to be underestimated.

Baraka leaned forward, letting the blade sail over him and lunged for the arm wielding it, sinking his teeth into the limb, before jerking his head to tear the arms clean off and then ram his own blade through the right optic of the cyborg and out the back of the skull.

Baraka, dusted off his shoulder in bemusement.

"So this must be the technology you children are into these days. Honestly, I don't know what all the fuss is about…"

The entire area around him seemed to glow green and dozens more Lin Kuei joined the battle.

"Analysing fallen unit records. Weaknesses identified. Do not repeat their errors", said the leader of this new wave.

"Hmmmm", Barak mused.

"Well then, I do hope you prove to be at least a momentary diversion for me".

He began rapidly scraping his blades off of each other.

"Though I'm doubtful this will be long", he said, as he rushed towards his opponents, ready for the kill.

The Rooftop (Frost and Smoke)

"Freeze in hell, cocksuckers!", the foul mouthed Frost roared, as she froze more Lin Kuei, before swiftly smashing them with her cryo hammer.

One nearly stabbed her from behind, but Smoke descended upon them, landing on him with a super-heated kick and turning the would-be-assassin into oily paste.

"Thanks Smoke", she wheezed out. "Ah fuck me sideways, how many of these bastids are there?"

There was no time to answer as a great many more Lin Kuei made their way towards the duo.

Frost looked to Smoke and they shared a nod. Smoke then twirled, creating a smokescreen so thick that even the Lin Kuei's optics couldn't see through it. As they stumbled around blindly, they soon found their terrain was mysteriously more treacherous.

Had they been able to see the ground, it was completely frozen. As each warrior slipped, a massive icicle emerged from the frozen floor, impaling the cybernetic assassins.

As the smoke faded, many cyborgs had been revealed to have fallen victim to the duo's snare.

While their constant bickering had made them appear too incompatible, Smoke and Frost were a great team when they got together. Smoke stunned the enemy and Frost decimated them.

When you're outnumbered a hundred to one, teamwork is essential for survival.

As more and more cyborgs encircled them, Frost and Smoke continued their dance of destruction and death, Smoke appearing and taking out those Lin Kuei in smaller groups or those who were preparing a ranged attack, while Frost armoured herself up with thick sheets of ice and tanked the masses encircling her, her cryo hammer stained black from the fallen cyborgs innards splattering all over the place.

It looked like they were going to pull through this.

Then several cyborgs glowing with Necro energy showed up.

"I'm thinkin, now would be a good time for some back up".

The cyborg mystics charged their attacks, when suddenly they were engulfed by a green energy net and were sliced into small metal cubes.

Several yellow spheres were thrown into the fray and exploded, clearing the Lin Kuei away from the two ninjas.

A familiar yellow cyborg landed beside the desperate duo.

"Cyrax!?", the two ninja's exclaimed in shock and joy.

"It seems we're all traitors now", he chuckled.

"Welcome to the club man", Smoke welcomed.

"Uh, hate to break the reunion boys, buuuuut…", she pointed to the advancing cyborgs encircling them.

Cyrax nodded and got into fighting stance.

"Three against about seventy six. Doesn't seem fair", Cyrax commented.

"Yeah it's not", Frost concurred, before smirking under her mask, "But we don't have time for them to bring more friends".

The three of them fought with all their might. They took a few hits, but for every blow they suffered, two cyborgs fell. At last, their numbers were dwindling.

"This is it. The final wave. Prepare to destroy all targets".

"Sure thing, Chrome Dome".

"It's Cyrax!"

"Gonna have to get used to it Shiny".

The final few cyborgs had formed in teams of three, each one composed of Necro energy wielders.

Frost created an ice shield to protect her comrades, while Cyrax and Smoke tossed bombs over the barrier in an artillery fashion.

Cyrax and Smoke teleported beyond the ice wall, in between the team trios. Cyrax dispatched his quickly, before being ganged up on by the second. He was quickly joined by Frost, sliding under one of the cyborgs and tossing three ice daggers into the metal chest of her victim while they were still in mid-air.

As she rose up, she created and ice sword and used the momentum of her slide to spin around with full force, decapitating a second cyborg.

The final of the trio assaulting Cyrax and Frost was about to fire an arc blast from its chest, until Cryax rammed a sphere into the chamber, with Frost swiftly freezing the explosive in place.

And then, the poor cyborg exploded into a molten mess.

"Huh. Not so tough now, are ya, ya stupid fu-"

"Gaarh!"

Frost and Cyrax whipped round and to their horror, two of the remaining trio facing Smoke were currently blasting him with Necro energy. His flesh was burning, the smell was foul and strong, as if it was just rotting right off the bone.

"F-frost, help me….", he wheezed, his own vocal chords turning to a gelatinous goo as his body decayed at a horrific rate.

Enraged, Frost slide tackled on of the cyborgs responsible for her friend's torment and formed an icy pair of brass knuckled and proceeded to pummel his head in.

"Take! This! You! Piece! Of! Shit!", she grunted. Cyrax flipped in the air, avoiding the remaining cyborgs blast at the yellow Lin Kuei, and used his buzz saw to slice the Lin Kuei mystic into three pieces.

It was over. The roof top had been won.

But at a cost.

"Smoke!", Frost called out in terror. She cradled her comrade in her arms, desperately searching for some sign of life.

"He's gotta pull through. He is not dying like this!", she yelled, almost begging for him to be spared this terrible fate.

Cyrax looked down at Smoke's mangled body. He didn't have long left.

At least, not if he remained human.

He sighed.

"What?", Frost asked, unusual worry in her voice. "What is it?"

"I can save him".

"What? How?"

"There is one method. But…" Cyrax stopped himself looking to Frost for approval.

The snow haired assassin realised what Cyrax was alluding to.

She knew just how Cyrax could save Smoke.

Frost hesitated.

She wanted Smoke to live. Even if it went against what they stood for.

She looked Smoke in the eyes. He looked back weakly and nodded.

"Do it", she confirmed. "I'll answer to Sub if he disapproves. Just…just save him. Please".

Cyrax nodded, his hands glowing green, with several complex symbols being projected.

"Target acquired. Cyberization process initiating".

Rooftop (Sektor and Sub)

Sub went to bring his cryo hammer down, but Sektor's flamethrowers melted it before it could reach him.

The red cyborg's back unleashed a volley of missiles that went straight towards Sub, only to be rendered useless by several well aimed freeze blasts by Sub.

"You still love your toys don't you Sektor?", Sub breathed heavily.

Honestly, he wasn't doing too well. Sektor, for all his faults was one tough son of a bitch. His metal exterior made all of his hits hurt twice as much, which really showed on Sub's bruises and cuts.

While Sektor, seemed to be fine. Unbeknownst to Sub, the amulet in his chest core immediately reducing any damage done to him by Sub.

"I'm afraid these toys put me far above your meagre skillset. Not that it was ever a question that I was superior to you, dog".

"This dog bites back, you crazy metal bastard", Sub shot back, clapping his hands together and pulling them apart, summoning an arm mounted ice blade on each arm and striking a fighting stance.

Sektor sighed in amusement. "Still playing with the Old Ways I see. Well Kuai…"

"Heh heh".

"What?"

"Icy".

"…Beg pardon?"

"Still playing with the Old Ways I see", Sub chuckled. "I see, Icy? Couldn't help it man".

"…I'm going to kill you. I'm going to kill you painfully, slowly and I'm going to record it so I can fall asleep to it every night. Any puns for that you cretin?"

"…..Chill out?"

"DIE!", Sektor yelled, unleashing his duel flamethrowers. Sub used his slide attack to get underneath Sektor's flamethrowers and sliced the tubes feeding the weapons fuel.

Sliding past Sektor, he heard an explosion behind him, telling him that his move took out Sektor's flamethrowers. Though he knew the cyborg had plenty more tricks in that armoured suit of his.

Turning to meet his opponent, Sektor had triggered his own Lin Kuei wrist blades.

"Fine then you outdated fossil, we'll play it your way", he barked, crossing his blades in an "x" formation.

Sub repeated the gesture and the two leapt in the air.

Ice met steel as each strike caused a bright clash of sparks off of the duo's blades.

Sektor had been the dominant one, using powerful kicks to disrupt Sub's footwork and throw him off balance and striking with such precision and strength that Sub's defences meant nothing.

Yet Sub was quick to change tactics.

If he couldn't defend, he could evade, and to this end slid under and flipped over Sektor, feigning vulnerability to allow Sektor a hair's length away from a hit, only to deny him by dodging his strike and at the last nanosecond, infuriating the cyborg.

"Stand still and fight, cringing dog!"

"If I stand still, I won't be standing long, will I?"

"That's the point!"

"No…", Sub interrupted, clanging their swords together, the two's eyes and optics locked onto each other with burning rage as they stared each other down. Sub swiftly stepped back, creating an Ice Clone and kicking it from the back, sending it smashing into Sektor, freezing him over.

He then placed his palms out forward together, before slowly parting them and summoning his Ice Sword, "This is the "point".

"Argh, enough puns!"

"You say so", he performed a run and jump impale on Sektor, his sword going straight through the heart.

"It's over Sektor. I've won".

Sektor groaned for all but a few seconds.

Then he began to chuckle, much to Sub's confusion.

Sektor was tough alright, but he wasn't immortal. Something wasn't right.

Sektor stood up and grabbed Sub's sword and smashed it into pieces, side kicking Sub away from him, sending him tumbling a good five feet away from him.

"How?"

Sektor's chuckles turned to cackles. The gaping hole in his chest slowly sealed itself as Necro Energy glowed around his torso, undoing the damage done to him.

Sub Zero was horrified by just how quickly Sektor was being repaired. Even more unsettling was his command of the dark magicks involved in the healing process.

His chest plate opened up to reveal Shinnok's amulet had been inserted into his core processor. Sub was struck silent.

"Awe inspiring, is it not? The raw power of dark magic, amalgamated with the efficiency and precision of machinery. At long last I have achieved what no other warrior ever has before. I have become the perfect warrior".

Sub slowly got to his feet.

"You…you did it. By the Elder Gods Sektor, you made a deal with Shinnok! Are you insane!?"

"Typical. You always were small minded".

"Small minded!? You've sold your soul to the father of all evils! And to top it off, you've condemned your own brothers and sisters to the same fate", Sub spat, disgust clear in his voice.

"Was our rivalry this bad that you would stoop to these levels?"

Sektor shook his head chuckling. "Do not flatter yourself Sub Zero. Destroying you is only a bonus to my true goal. I obtained this power for one reason. To finally slaughter that half breed whore".

Sub was fuming. "Are you fucking kidding me!? You went this far, because Mileena made you look bad in a fucking sparring match!?"

"Ignorant as ever. No Kuai, her insult aside, Mileena possess a threat far greater than you know".

"What do you mean?"

Though it couldn't be seen, Sektor was grinning. "I'll tell you after I kill her", he said, his voice laced with venom.

"Never!", Sub cried, sliding toward Sektor to continue their fight. Sektor nonchalantly blasted him aside and turned his back on the rival Lin Kuei leader.

"Face me you coward!"

"Alas, as much as your death at my hands would make me happy, I have someone else who is more than willing to dispose of you for me".

Sub fired a cryo blast at Sektor which hopelessly missed as the deranged cyborg teleported away from the rooftop and the blast was easily deflected by a black, shadowy figure, who used a strange form of dark ice to counter Sub's attack.

The shadowy figure shook his head in apparent disappointment.

"I thought I'd taught you better than this, brother. How very disappointing".

Sub's entire body was still.

Despite the black hood and mask hiding this man's face, he knew who he was.

"Bi Han?"

The Door

As Baraka impaled one last Lin Kuei with his right arm blade and raised him up to spin him around and slice his limbs and head off with his right arm blade.

Truth be told, he was somewhat disappointed. He'd expected at least one of these miscreants would have given him some sport, but alas, this was but a mere distraction.

"Well, if that's all then…"

Were it not for his superb Tarkatan senses, he would not have been able to hear the sudden buzzing noise getting gradually louder.

He stepped swiftly to the left, dodging what appeared to be a projectile of some sort composed of swarming insects.

He sharply turned around to see a Kytin in a dark robe, bobbing her head and smiling.

He wasn't sure which action annoyed him more.

"First technical support, now pest control. Well I'm certainly putting my wide range of skills to use tonight".

"This one does not believe you grasp the gravity of the situation".

"And this one would very much like to know who you are and why you are here. But if I had to guess, you're here with the metal brat, aren't you?"

"Hmmmm, about half right. But you will not need to know more than that".

Baraka leapt forward with his two blades aiming right for D'vorah's heart and brain, but before he could hit her, she flew above him and descended with alarming speed, delivering a powerful kick to his spine, sending him tumbling to the ground.

Baraka shook his head, his wits returning to him and growled, annoyed though admittedly, impressed.

"Finally, a fight that might actually be worth of my time".

D'vorah launched more bug bombs at Baraka, who deflected them with his blades as he rushed towards her.

She then extended her top pincers, using them to counter Baraka's blades. While Baraka focused and slashing and rapid slices, D'vorah used her height advantage to stop Baraka's attack before they truly began, stabbing at his blades from above.

She flicked out her bottom pincers, using them as stilts to bring her feet to the same level as Baraka's head and then smashed his head with both her feet.

As Baraka tumbled backwards, he grabbed her extended legs, catching her off guard and pulling her down with him.

Baraka rose first, raising his right blade to impale D'vorah while she was still down, but was launched into the air by a bug mine placed underneath his feet.

Leaping back up, D'vorah glided above him, using her bug bombs in some form of airborne artillery, to which Baraka responded by launching spark blasts in retaliation.

Unfortunately, D'vorah's superior Kytin vision allowed her to aim with astonishing precision, and managed to land a shot that went straight through Baraka's leg.

The butler fell to the ground, roaring. He tried to stand, but the hole in his leg made it too painful.

D'vorah strutted up to the wounded Tarkatan.

"This One hopes our fight was "worthy you your time", because it was just about worth mine".

Baraka just snarled and spat out blood. "Well, played…", he spluttered.

A green energy emission materialised behind D'vorah, revealing a Lin Kuei cyborg, significantly taller than the others Baraka had fought earlier.

It was no lithe, assassin like its bretheren. Rather it was a hulking beast, covered in armour so tough that it looked more like a tank on legs

"LK Special Weapons Unit online. Prepared to terminate hostiles".

"Go. Bring me back their charred corpses", D'vorah ordered.

"Acknowledged. Proceeding to destroy organic targets", the behemoth boomed as it smashed the door down with its giant fists and entered the building.

D'vorah looked back down at Baraka.

"Such a pity. This one hoped that you would provide more sport. Nevertheless, this One shall gain the respect of my peers at long last, once I deliver Shao Khan's lapdog's head to Lord Quan Chi", she cackled, launching her pincers at Baraka to extract his brain and heart.

However, before they could penetrate, Baraka caught the pincer heading for his heart with his hands and tore the one speeding towards his skull with his teeth, earning a wail from D'vorah.

"I am no lapdog. I am a BUTLER!", he growled, scraping his blades against each other so fast, it appeared to be a blur of steel and sparks, forming an orb of heat that he forced towards his own leg, cauterizing his wound. He recovered his footing, grunting in pain but standing once more.

He then fired a large spark ball into the air and crossed his blades together.

"You want to use my corpse to gain respect? Very well", he snarled, getting into stance. "Come claim it".

D'vorah scowled, but then smiled sadistically.

"This One will enjoy your death".

Hallway

Rain and Tanya saw Baraka's spark blast from the window.

"Shit that's the signal. Someone made it through", Rain spat.

"Well, look on the bright side. Baraka probably only missed a few, how bad could it be?"

The ground shook as the thundering of large, mechanical footsteps grew closer. The whirring of hydraulics drowned the hallway's atmosphere.

A large, green armoured Lin Kuei cyborg rounded the corner, standing just about a couple dozen feet away from Rain, Tanya and the door that was keeping their friends safe.

"That, Tanya, is how bad it could be".

"Shut it".

"Hey Iron Giant, mind giving us your name?"

The super-sized synthetic focused its optics on the Edenian duo.

"This unit is designated as LK Special Weapons Unit. Codenamed: Ross".

Rain and Tanya looked each other, confused by such an intimidating figure having such a relatively ordinary name.

"Mission: Destroy barrier preventing leader Sektor from terminating target Mileena. Permission to act with extreme prejudice:..", the giant boomed as two miniguns emerged from his arms and Tanya and Rain's jaws dropped.

"Granted".

Tanya facepalmed herself. "Seriously? I thought Sektor was bad with rocket launchers, but what kind of order carries fucking miniguns and still tries to call themselves stealthy?!"

"I really don't know T".

"Prepare to be exterminated", Ross said as he unleashed a hail of bullets straight towards them.

Rain threw up a large water sphere just in time to shield them from the blast, creating a miniature whirlpool on the inside, causing the captured bullets to spin rapidly, before releasing them to be sent straight back to Ross.

It did very little to deter him though. His armour absorbed his returned firepower like rain drops splashing on a tank. He geared up to launch a second barrage of bulletfire, when Rain and Tanya both became encompassed in a water sphere, which teleported them from the door to behind Ross.

"Tanya, torch those guns!"

"On it", the pyromancer grinned, sending a pair of fire balls to Ross' guns, hitting them in their vulnerable barrels and melting them, nullifying the threat they previously presented.

"Analysis: Primary weapon destroyed. Remedy: Proceed with "direct" approach".

With that, Ross turned around far quicker than either of his opponents could have believed a being of his size could move and grabbed Tanya and Rain in his massive hands. Then he swerved around sharply, smashing them into a wall and pressing against them.

The two Edenians could hear things inside of them beginning to break, grunting in pain.

"Urgh! Rain, any suggestions?"

"Yeah. Let's go with the "Steampunk" move".

"Worth a shot", with that, Tanya and aimed their palms at each other. Rain launched a jet of water while Tanya unleashed a stream of fire. As the two elements combined, a large cloud of steam built up, clouding Ross' vision.

"Warning: My vision is impaired", Ross bellowed, releasing Tanya and Rain to wipe the condensation from his optics.

"Thanks for the update, jackass", Tanya grinned, sliding underneath the behemoth and pouncing on his back. She then proceeded to fire a concentrated stream of fire at the back of his neck.

Rain fired rapid lightning bolts at the vulnerable joints at his arms and legs, causing the heavy hitter to fall.

"Well, you know what they say. The bigger they are, the harder they…"

"Hit", Ross finished, slamming his back against the wall dealing Tanya a tremendous amount of damage.

"Tanya!"

The Edenian assassin, couldn't get up, struggling to even just crawl.

Ross, now back on his feet, opened his chest core to fire a blast of energy at Rain, who attempted to counter with an arc of lightning, but was unable to match his larger opponent's strength.

Rain was pushed back and landed on his side, groaning from slight plasma scorches.

Ross stomped over to Tanya, holding her up into the air and slamming her down to the ground, bringing his foot down to crush her. Tanya put up a valiant struggle, holding back the large metal appendage from smashing her chest.

A sphere of water appeared underneath Ross' foot, tumbling the giant and allowing Tanya to roll away, joining her similarly wounded partner.

"Thanks for the save".

"No, argh, problem", Rain wheezed.

Ross' blast had really done a number on her partner. He was covered in scorch marks and she could smell the smoke coming off him.

As for herself, if she wasn't pissing blood by tomorrow after being slammed into the damned wall, it would be a miracle.

Speaking of the big bad Lin Kuei, Ross was currently charging right towards them.

"Oh shit!"

"Tanya, burn a hole in the floor".

"He's coming too fast".

"I meant under us".

"What?!"

"Do it, now!"

Tanya, fresh out of ideas, used what little strength she had left to melt the floor underneath herself and Rain, until it was nothing more charred concrete.

Ross was a but a second away from turning the two Edenians into paste, when Rain managed one last teleportation sphere, sending Tanya and himself away as Ross' massive bulk betrayed him, as the weaken floor gave way and he plummeted down to the bottom of the palace.

Rain and Tanya reappeared looking down the whole.

"Is…is he…"

"He's gotta be. No way he isn't…"

Before Tanya could finish, the rumbling of jets was heard from several floors down.

"No. Fucking. Way", the two Edenians said in synchronisation.

Ross erupted from the floor, the force of his entrance sending Rain and Tanya tumbling backwards.

"Declaration: This has become frustrating. Solution: Maximum extermination".

Rain and Tanya looked to each other, worried.

Ross' chest core charged up, the build-up of plasma fire humming loudly, then turning into a high pitched squeal.

"Tanya, it was fun workin with ya".

"Same to you buddy", she concurred with a smile, as the two shook hands.

Ross fired his blast and the Edenian duo were eclipsed by blue light.

When it passed, no sign of either Rain or Tanya remained, save two holes in the ground.

Satisfied, Ross turned his attention to the door.

"Priority: Destroy barrier to door. Proceeding to…"

Ross was cut off and then cut through by a small and organic projectile going through his chest.

"Coo Gee Kaa!"

From the two holes where Rain and Tanya once were, both Edenian reappeared in the fists of a giant hulking monster, with a red bag on his head.

The smaller creature, currently lodged in Ross' chest, squirmed out of the torso and back flipped onto the back of the brute, who gently laid Tanya and Rain down.

Ross, with a final hum, finally fell to the ground.

"Spark Spark, down. We help", the smaller one chirped.

"Who…are you?" Tanya strained.

"Me Ferra. Him Torr", she pointed as the bigger one groaned in response, seemingly happy to meet the two".

"Where did you come from?"

"Downstairs".

The two were confused by the bluntness of her answer.

"Um. Downstairs?"

Ferra nodded quickly.

"Yeah yeah. We sleeping in lab way down stairs. Then, metal man fall down floors", she followed up with some very creative smashing sounds to mimic what happened.

"Woke Ferra/Torr up. Ferra cranky. Wanted to hurt metal man".

This, did little to clarify things for them.

"You live in a lab in Mileena's basement?"

"Who Leena?"

"The person who owns this house".

"No, no. Made in Flesh Pit".

Tanya and Rain looked at each other in understanding, "Professor Tsung".

"Yup. He make us. Metal man wake us. We break em. We no break you".

Well, that's comforting.

"Not that I'm complaining, but why won't you break us".

"Metal man wake Ferra/Torr. You hurt metal man. Ferra/Torr like you".

Again, her simple logic was astounding.

"Well…it's nice to meet both of you. I'm Rain, this is Tanya".

"Drip drop and white eyes friends now. We hug!"

"Wait, hold on-", the two were too late as Torr hugged their already broken bodies.

"Well, at least they dealt with the last…no", Tanya's optimism died as she saw an all too familiar figure in red.

"How touching", he cackled.

"Nother metal man. Smash an' bash, Torr!"

Torr roared and charged, but Sektor teleported behind him and gave him a short blast of Necro energy, sending him toppling.

"Trickery! Deceit!"

Tanya and Rain were equally displeased to see Sektor.

"You stay away from Mileena you son of a bitch!", Rain shouted.

The duo fired twin streams of fire and lightning, but Sektor's powers allowed him to absorb the blasts and redirect them to their casters, taking them out of commission.

"Now, whilst the thought of disembowelling you two idiots is tempting", he turned to the door separating him and his prize.

"I have an old friend I need to see".

He then used his jets to smash through the door and erected a barricade of Necro energy around the entrance, stopping Tanya, Rain or their newly found Flesh Pit spawned friends from protecting Mileena.

Sektor turned to see Jade, Kitana, Scorpion and Sareena all starring at him.

"Well now", he chortled. "Who's first".

OutWorld Palace. Living Room

Sareena launched several flaming skulls at Sektor, who kicked them aside as if they were not but a nuisance.

"Really Sareena? I would've expected you of all people to understand NetherRealm's powers require more effort than that".

"No, what I should've expected was that you'd be so vindictive that you'd actually stoop to serving Quan Chi", she growled, earning a kick underneath her chin by an annoyed Sektor.

"I serve no one!"

Sareena landed to the floor, but used her lowered position to perform a leg sweep and knock her crimson opponent down. She pounced on top of him and stretched her palm out.

"Now let's see if we can't find, ha! Gotcha", she cheered, locating the source of Sektor's new found power. She pulled the chest plate open, only to be horrified by what she saw.

"No. That can't be…."

Sektor fired a concentrated chest blast of Necro energy that sent Sareena right off of him and landing with a thud, smoke still emitting from her body.

"You…you damned fool…", she weakly choked out. "You…have no idea what kind of power you playing around with".

"I am done, "playing", Sareena. I am fulfilling the Lin Kuei's true destiny. After tonight, with this new power, the Lin Kuei will not only take their rightful place as the most powerful Kombatants in the Realms, but as the true rules of the world".

Sareena coughed out blood. "Shinnok, won't let that happen. He's using you".

"Then he will die like all the rest who have denied me my destiny".

He turned to Jade, Kitana and Scorpion, who were still protecting an unconscious Mileena.

"She will be the first to die".

Jade and Kitana leapt into attack. Jade used her pole to cover Kitana's exposed points, as the Edenian princess closed in close with Sektor, slashing at him with her fan-blades.

Sektor attempted to intercept the assassin, but each time he tried, he was countered by Jade, who was too far to deal with while he was currently being pestered by Kitana.

Catching a break, he eyed an opening that Jade had not covered and kicked Kitana in the knee, causing her to stumble, to which her followed up with a knee to her face, smashing her nose upon impact.

Kitana fell, while Sektor launched himself at Jade. Before anything could be done to the green clad warrior, she swung round on her pole, delivering a kick to the advancing cyborg that sent him flying back.

Sektor was then caught, mid-air, by Scorpion's Kunai, and yanked towards the fire demon, who trapped him in his takedown manoeuvre and proceeded to punch his faceplate in.

"You will not hurt her, you bastard!", he vowed.

Hellfire had formed around his fists, melting the cyborg's helm into his own face and searing the metal to the already deformed flesh. The pain was intense, if Sektor's screams were anything to go by.

But as ever, Sektor's pride and rage allowed him to ignore it.

Sektor wrapped both his arms around Scorpion and used his jets to launch both himself and Scorpion in a curved ascension, before dropping down and smashing Scorpion's head against the floor.

Sektor loosened his grip and let Scorpion fall, groaning. He raised his foot to curb stomp his downed opponent, but felt a piercing sensation in his back, turning his head to see Jade's throwing disc embedded in his back.

Shinnok's amulet kept him alive nonetheless. However, it did not necessarily heal him. The amulet would never imbue the powers of life to another. What Sektor was ignorant of, was that he was not truly being healed. More appropriately, the amulet was keeping him together.

Jade watched in horror, as he pulled her weapon out of his back, the blades covered in spinal fluid and marrow, as well as several different synthetic fluids.

"By the Elder Gods, what are you?", she breathed.

"The future", he replied, with as much arrogance lacing his words as usual.

Jade struck out with her pole, but Sektor caught it and pulled her towards him, head-butting her before delivering an uppercut that sent her right off her feet.

Jade rolled with the blow, standing on her feet again, though very much shaken by the attack.

Sektor used her disorientated state to his advantage and leaped into the air, delivering one final kick to her ribs to take Jade out of the fight.

"Well, if that's all there is", he wheezed out, looking to Mileena's body.

"I've waited long enough for this". Sektor approached Mileena slowly, enjoying the sensation of being so close to ending his rival once and for all.

He was only two feet away when he was swept up into the air by a blue vortex, swirling him around.

"Now what!?", he roared.

Kitana, blood dripping from her face and rage in her eyes, had regained her fan-blades and created a miniature tornado that had engulfed Sektor.

Scorpion, hazy from having his head smashed in, weakly walked up behind her, his hands outstretched and gradually increasing the amount of Hellfire surrounding them.

"I don't care, how many bones you break. How much of my blood you spill…", Kitana spat.

"You will not hurt Mileena. Not while we still stand", Scorpion said as he vented a charged blast of Hellfire into Kitana's fan-blade vortex. The searing flames swirled around Sektor, roasting him alive in his own armour and melting steel and plastic into his mutilated and rotting flesh.

Synthetic screams drowned the room and eventually, Sektor was no longer visible as the swirling flames engulfed him, the cascade finally culminating in a fiery explosion.

Scorpion and Kitana shielded themselves and their two downed comrades from the repulse from their manoeuvre.

The smoke and ash cleared slowly to reveal…

"No…", Scorpion choked out.

Kneeling on one knee, burnt to a crisp and disfigured by molten steel drenching his ruined flesh, with an amulet glowing green at the centre of his chest, Sektor slowly stood back up.

His faceplate had now completely melted into his face, parts of his skull now visible and galvanised with steel or charred black.

His optics still remained in working order, now focused on Scorpion and Kitana, shining with dark magic and menacing delight.

"As I told your weakling friend. I am the future. I am forever!", Sektor's voice, while still sounding synthesised, now boomed with a dark echo of his unnatural power source.

Scorpion launched his Kunai, but Sektor grabbed it with one hand and pulled it, tossing him against the wall, smashing against it with a loud thud and slumping to the ground.

Sektor, or whatever remained of Sektor in this deformed, mutilated creature, strolled towards Kitana, who weakly placed herself between the attacker and her fallen comrades.

Sektor batted her weapon out of her hand and grabbed her by the throat, lifting her up to meet his horrid face.

"I do wonder if I should wait until the filthy half breed wakes up to kill you. Oh ho ho, imagine the look in her eyes as I snuff the life out of her wretched false sister…"

Sektor was cut off from another vortex being generated underneath him, tossing him away from Kitana, though he used his jets to land perfectly.

"Your efforts are in vain Kitana. Your tricks will no longer…"

"That wasn't her who did that, asshole".

Sektor stopped.

He turned slowly to see, much to his frustration, Mileena, fully healed, bathed in a glowing, magenta aura and wielding two ethereal fan-blades.

"Get away from my family, you undead, cybernetic prick!", Mileena growled.

Sektor did indeed turn away from the other to face Mileena.

"I have been waiting for this moment, half breed. For too long, this rematch has been a dream. But now, seeing you here, sickens and delights me".

"Face me, or prove you're the coward everyone says you are".

Sektor gave out a distorted chortle.

"Oh don't worry. I'm more than happy to oblige".

He walked up a few feet away from Mileena, both of the Kombatants staring daggers at the other.

Sektor got into stance, relishing every moment leading up to his long awaited shot at retribution.

"With your death, the new age of the Lin Kuei will arise".

The amulet in his chest hummed with unnatural power, charging his exoskeleton's weaponry.

"It's almost a shame you won't be there to see it".

Mileena simply laughed, an act that had visibly irritated Sektor.

She then followed suit and used her newly enhanced ethereal powers to increase her strength, as she raised her fan-blade constructs in a manner similar to her sister.

"Don't count me out yet", purred with a lick of her lips.

"Darling".

FIGHT!

And because I'm a cruel little bastard, that is where the chapter ends.

Now then, really sorry this one was delayed, but other commitments have really taken up my time. And for that, I do apologise.

Also, to clear a few things up: Yes, I felt D'vorah and Baraka needed a showdown after his tragic demise in MKX. Yes, Smoke will become a cyber Lin Kuei. Yes Mileena chose Kitana's fighting style when she peered into Blaze's flames and yes, Ferra/Torr are here to stay. There is an explanation for their sudden appearance. Remember a couple of chapters ago, it was mentioned after the school meeting, Shang Tsung got a call from his landlord that something was happening? TA DA! Trust me, Chapter 9 will clear up their story a little more.

Also to look forward to, Mileena and Sektor's final showdown, brother vs brother when the Sub Zeros slug it out and the answer to the long awaited question…Will I ever kill Ross? (Even I don't know).

Once again, thank you all SO much for your patience. This T-Rex Marine is seriously hoping for some shore leave from exams!

Until next time, this is T-Rex Marine saluting (with his tiny two fingered hand) you readers and wish you an awesome time and look forward to hearing from you again.