Author's Note: It has begun! The fourth and final installment in my MK AU series. I know this one took FOREVER to come out, but I really wanted to make sure I told a good story as well as got the scenes to fit the tone and feel everyone liked in the first story. Hopefully, this will be a conclusion everyone loves. It will follow the events of 11 and Aftermath to an extent, while also incorporating some new stuff to give it an original feel.

Ready? Here we go!

-Chapter 1: It Was Going So Well...

"Do you, Magnus Shadrix, pledge your love to Mileena Kahnum? For good or for ill, through sickness and health?"

"I do."

"Do you, Mileena Kahnum, pledge your love to Magnus Shadrix? For good or for ill, through sickness and health?"

"I do."

"Then by the power vested in me by the Elder Gods, in accordance with the rules and traditions of Outworld, I pronounce you husband and wife..."

It was months after the Netherrealm's attempted takeover of Outworld, months after the alliance of Skarlet and Sebastian Shadrix, better known as Erebus, was thwarted by Empress Mileena and her allies, months after Mileena had proposed to Magnus and their following wedding, and all was well in the realms.

Walking arm in arm and only a few months into marriage, Magnus and Mileena took in the sunset atop the Outworld Palace. Mileena's abdomen was heavily swollen, the Empress now well into the phases of pregnancy as she carried her and Magnus' child. Magnus could not be happier with how things were proceeding and had long since forgotten Kronika's words. These present circumstances were far better than anything the so-called 'Keeper of Time' could've promised.

But while he was happy, Mileena was concerned about their coming child.

Memories of the past filled her, concerning her own upbringing and treatment. While she had allowed most comments about her look to waver and falter, she did not want their child to be treated the same way she had been. And that boiled down to how much of her was present in them...

"Magnus, there is something I must speak with you about." She finally spoke, ready to broach the topic. Magnus slowed and turned to her.

"What is it?"

"It's about our child. Something has been troubling me," Mileena began. Magnus took that as a physical worry and immediately grew concerned.

"What's wrong? Are you okay? Is something the matter?" He hurriedly asked. Mileena eased his worries with a soothing hand along his cheek.

"Physically, I am fine." She promised, her husband breathing a sigh of relief. "But... Magnus... what if your child looks like... me?" She wondered. Magnus chuckled.

"That is hardly a bad thing." He remarked.

"But for so many years I was deemed so many cruel and horrible things. I do not want our child to endure that as well." Mileena stated, dark memories from her time in the Mortal Kombat tournament surfacing. Magnus guided her fallen gaze back towards his.

"Mileena, do you trust me?" He asked. His wife nodded. "Then trust me when I say that all will go well for them." He vowed. "I will love our child no matter how they look. And I promise you that I will do everything in my power to ensure they have a good and healthy upbringing." Mileena nodded slowly, accepting his words. She was pleased her husband was understanding of her fears and conscious of her hopes as well.

"Your words give me hope, Magnus. But I admit, the fear has not abated." She softly replied. Magnus pulled her close, one hand rising to her cheek while the other reach down to trace her swollen abdomen, knowing that just beneath that layer of skin and muscle lay their child.

"So long as we do this together, we can quench that fear together." He promised, kissing her.

Months later...

Mileena lay in bed, Magnus by her side, as she cradled their firstborn. A son, with black hair just like his parents. Along his infant arms were tiny little bumps that would one day become the bony protrusions common among Tarkatans. His face remained like that of a human's with no indicator of the iconic Tarkatan teeth. He was a prime blend of both of his parents.

"So peaceful..." Mileena cooed, brushing a few strands of hair as her son slept in her arms.

"Yeah." Magnus agreed with a nod and a smile. "Still... I can't believe there were twins." In his arms, wrapped in a blanket, was their daughter. Having been born mere minutes after her brother, their daughter shared the black hair of her parents but did not have the little bumps along her arms. What she did have, along the corners of her mouth, were the makings of a set of teeth just like Mileena's.

"Our son does seem to take after you." The Empress mused. "And our daughter... takes after me." Magnus detected the somber note in her voice and shimmied closer, keeping his daughter close with one hand while the other encircled Mileena. "She has my teeth, Magnus." She said aloud.

"I know. And she'll grow up to be just as beautiful as you." Magnus whispered, his compliment making Mileena smile. "Arashi is a gift. Not a mistake. Neither is Soren. They're both a perfect fusion of us both." He stated.

"I know. I just want her to have what I never had... a loving family." Mileena said.

"You and I can give them exactly that." Magnus promised.

They put their children to bed and went for a walk, husband and wife having not had a moment to themselves since Mileena went into labor and gave birth to the twins. Mileena forsook any sort of regality or formal stature and just clung to Magnus as they stood alone. She was tired after becoming a new mother and hadn't had a proper moment alone with the love of her life since then. In honesty, the notion of being a mother frightened Mileena. Not only was there so much responsibility involved, but there was also

"We will be good parents, won't we?"

"Nobody's perfect, we'll get some things right and some things wrong, that's a given. No parent is perfect." Magnus replied. "But so long as we raise them with love and good intentions, we're already better than some." Mileena did not reply, but Magnus knew she was troubled. On the day she gave birth, the notion of twins startled them both, but Mileena seemed even more rattled. Magnus knew of her fears well in advance, he and Mileena having shared several late-night talks prior to the birth of their children. Now that a new reality had dawned upon them, they were both adjusting... but Mileena was still having trouble with the notion of being a mother. "You don't have to do this alone, my love. I'm right here with you." He promised, kissing the top of her head.

"Thank you, my love." Mileena hummed. Cozied up to Magnus, Mileena basked in this intimate closeness. Her husband was perfect; always there for her, always ready to help when needed. She could not have asked for a better man... and she doubted she'd ever meet a man who was better than him. The Empress was about ready to request they retire to their room when a sudden thunderbolt struck the ground not far from them. Magnus and Mileena turned to see a figure materialize within the bolt of lightning. Recgnozing the conical zhang zhang douli hat, the white and blue robes, both of them knew in a heartbeat who this was.

"Mileena Kahnum. Magnus Shadrix." Raiden greeted. While the god of thunder was cordial, his expression was grim and his pace an urgent one.

"Lord Raiden." Magnus greeted, bowing in a show of respect. "What brings you to Outworld?" He asked.

"The Netherrealm are amassing their armies again and seek to strike out against the realms. They are fully relying on Shinnok's Bone Temple to empower their forces." The thunder god replied.

"Another attack? My brother must have reliable intel for them." Magnus mused.

"Erebus is proving to be as crafty as Shang Tsung." Raiden agreed.

"Then we have to stop them, before they can strike." Magnus decided and Raiden nodded in agreement.

"I make for Earthrealm to rally their Special Forces." He continued, "Will you join me, Magnus Shadrix?" Thinking the offer over for a moment, Magnus knew he needed to act in order to keep his realm safe... especially now that he had to protect Mileena and their children.

"Yeah. I'm in." He decided.

"I will come too." Mileena declared.

"No, Mileena. You must stay," Magnus stated, turning to his wife.

"As Empress, I must defend my realm-" Mileena protested.

"And as a mother," Magnus gently countered, placing his hands on her shoulders, "you must stay." A dejected Mileena nodded in understanding. As much as she wished to fight side by side with her husband, she should not abandon their children. "I will return to you all. I promise." Magnus vowed, kissing her forehead.

"If you do not uphold that promise, I will kill you myself." Mileena threatened with a sad smile.

"I'm counting on it." Magnus replied with a gleaming smile. He did not want to leave Mileena, but any potential threats to their family needed to be handled swiftly.

Leaving his wife's side, Magnus stood with Raiden as the thunder god teleported them both with another beam of lightning...

In Earthrealm...

Recently promoted 'Commander' Cassie Cage walked with her boyfriend Liam and her parents, Johnny Cage and Sonya Blade as they escorted Johnny to a chopper that would take him away from SF desert command and back to civilization. In the time since destroying Quan Chi's fortress, life had progressed well for Earthrealm and the Special Forces units sworn to defend it from interrealm threats. In her own squad, her best friend Jacqui Briggs and teammate Takeda were a couple and on the verge of getting engaged... so Jacqui readily believed. Kung Jin was still around and was good friends with Liam now. Said fifth member of their team was now Cassie's boyfriend. A few months after joining the SF and becoming a member of Cassie's squad, the friendship the two had started upon meeting had swiftly blossomed into a romance. Sonya didn't take to it at first, given how Liam was the son of Kano, but warmed to him when she realized he was polar opposite to his father; honest, determined, truthful and loyal.

Things were going well for Cassie and the last thing she wanted was for her father to leave, especially when they could all celebrate together regarding her promotion.

"C'mon Dad, do you really have to go?" Cassie wondered.

"Well, you've got your duty 'Commander' and I've got mine." Johnny replied, knowing he'd signed a contract and needed to honor it.

"Starring in yet another Ninja Mime sequel isn't what I'd call duty." Sonya remarked and she playfully nudged her husband.

"I need to provide for you in the manner to which you've become accustomed." Johnny smoothly replied, pulling Sonya in for a prolonged kiss.

"Geez, guys... we're right here." Cassie grimaced, always uncomfortable whenever her parents got all lovey-dovey around her or her friends. Johnny broke it off,

"Oh come on Cass, I know you and Liam get up to far worse." He father replied with a wink. Liam turned beet-red and looked away, Cassie quickly playing ignorant.

"Whaaaaat? I dunno what you're talking about, Dad." She lied.

"Trust me, honey, I know those noises. Your mom and I used to make them all the time before you were born." Johnny added with a smirk, causing Sonya to roll her eyes. Their chatter was interrupted by a bolt of blue lightning not too far away, the four Spec Ops specialists recognizing Raiden's signature white and blue robes trimmed with gold as well as Magnus' white robes dotted with silver armor. Electromancer and thunder god advanced towards the Spec Ops family with serious looks in their eyes.

"General Blade. Cassandra Cage." Raiden spoke, his eyes gleaming with electric power.

"What is it Raiden?" Cassie inquired.

"The Netherrealm is amassing their forces again." Magnus told them.

"We must act quickly, before they attempt another invasion." Raiden continued.

Deciding that Ninja Mime 4 was less important than this, Johnny delayed his travel plans and joined his family in the briefing room alongside Raiden and Magnus.

"Is there any way we could get through to them? Liu Kang and Kitana were friends once." Cassie inquired, hopefully that a possibly peaceful solution could be reached.

"They've been irreparably polluted by Shinnok's evil. They are no longer the champions we once knew, Cassandra Cage." Raiden responded.

"I for one am all for taking the fight to them." Sonya announced, pulling up a holographic render of the dark fortress the Netherrealm rulers used as a focal point for their activities, created with prior scans made by investigating recon teams. "What's the target?" A single red blip highlighted a subterranean structure beneath the fortress.

"Buried deep beneath Liu Kang and Kitana's castle is the Cathedral of Shinnok, the seat of their power. Destroy it and their undead army will fall, removing its threat to Earthrealm." Raiden explained.

"It'll be just like when you took out Quan Chi's fortress." Magnus chimed in. "One less power node for them to tap into."

"Aren't your powers weaker in the Netherrealm?" Cassie inquired of Raiden.

"Yes. But I will have sufficient strength to occupy the undead army." The thunder god promised.

"That's also why I'm here." Magnus added. "Since I draw on naturally occurring electrical energies, I can make up for whatever Lord Raiden might be lacking. You could call me an extra set of muscle." He explained, Raiden nodding in agreement.

"That'll buy us enough time to infiltrate the Cathedral. Destroy it from the inside." Sonya mused.

"But if we get pinned down in there, there's no way out." Cassie cautioned.

"That's what worries me too." Liam agreed. "We need to know absolutely everything before we hit this place. No offence, Lord Raiden, but we can't exactly rely on divine intervention all the time."

"To ensure Earthrealm's survival, we must all be willing to sacrifice. Myself included." Raiden offered in response. "I know the risks and I know you do too, each one of you. But if the seven billion inhabitants of Earthrealm are to live peaceful lives... if children are enjoy the love of their parents and not lose them like Magnus did, then we few must be willing to give everything for their sake." Magnus' gaze sank a little at the memory of the previous Netherrealm incursion. Of course he didn't want anyone to have to endure what he did, but he also did not want to leave Arashi and Soren without a father, or Mileena without a husband.

"No offence, one point twenty-one gigawatts, but you gods don't exactly have a family to lose." Johnny stated, none too thrilled with Raiden's casual dismissal of the odds. "You can drone on about sacrifice but it doesn't really affect you the way it affects us." The thunder god's demeanor shifted and he fixed the movie star with a steady, piercing gaze.

"I know loss, Johnny Cage." He simply responded.

"Raiden's right, Johnny. The Netherrealm is ready to go again, and it's been less than a year since we hit them last time. Some parts of Earthrealm are still recovering from the invasion from twenty years ago, we're not ready for another war. We've got to take out their army now, before Liu Kang can bring it here." Sonya determined. Her mind was clearly made up and Johnny accepted that.

That didn't mean he had to like this plan.

In the Netherrealm...

Storm clouds conjured by Raiden transported the Earthrealm strike team into the Netherrealm. Multiple spec ops troopers armed with high-caliber assault rifles quickly created a perimeter as Sonya, Cassie, Liam, Jacqui, Takeda and Kung Jin emerged, geared up and ready for a fight. Magnus was the last to arrive, his bright white robes a stark contrast to the dark hellscape of the Netherrealm. Tightening his headband by its rear streamers, the electromancer stood by Raiden's side as the soldiers sized up their environment.

Standing at the back of a canyon, the black outline of the dark castle stood broad and imposing, jagged spires rising high into the ash-filled air. Framed by rivers of magma and twisted, ruined terrain, the picture was completed by swaths of undead warriors lining the plains in front of the castle. There were more than any one of the soldiers could count, revealing the true power the Netherrealm had been amassing.

The strike team skirted around the plains, doing their best to avoid alerting the horde below. Cassie tracked their movements with a PDA, observing what looks like millions of contacts just a hairs-breadth away from them.

"We're in position. Hope Raiden and Magnus got one helluva diversion planned." She logged, desperate for this plan to work.

Master and student had adopted a far more direct approach, emerging from the billowing smoke directly in front of the Netherrealm's army. A grim-faced thunder god allowed his powers to crackle within his hands, drawing the attention of the warriors. Several quickly approached them, Magnus observing violent intentions within their postures.

"Withdraw! Or face the wrath of Earthrealm and Outworld's Protectors!" Raiden boomed. His words did little to dissuade them, the undead circling and surrounding the two as Magnus allowed his own ablities to spring to life, electricity rippling across his forearms.

"Guess they're not into diplomacy." He quipped, assuming a Nan Chuan fighting stance.

"They are but mindless brutes. All they know is death and violence." Raiden replied, fashioning two lightning blades from his hands. "Remember our fight together in the destroyed city?"

"Just like old times." Magnus replied, grinning a little. The odds might be great, but he and Raiden would rise to the challenge. Especially himself... for his family. As the undead charged, he unleashed twin beams of lightning that tore through their ranks, arcs of electricity branching out and striking other warriors close by. Raiden swung with his blades and attacked those closest, the undead disintegrating as his godly power cleaved through them. There was no rhyme or reason to their fighting, only the urge to fell as many as they could before they were overwhelmed. Magnus electrified his limbs and attacked the undead with powerful kicks and punches, crackling electrical discharges pounding the Netherrealm's forces as he felled one after another. As he did, Magnus generated an electrical field around them, offering Raiden a source of energy to tap into as his godly powers were strained by the hellish environment. Their battle was mighty, thunder booming overhead as thunder god and electromancer fought back to back while the undead horde encircled them.

From atop their castle, the dark rulers of the Netherrealm; Emperor Liu Kang and Empress Kitana, watched the fight unfold. They deemed the actions of Magnus and Raiden foolhardy, surely a suicidal effort for just the two of them to attack such a massive army. But if they wanted death, then they would gladly give it to them and tasked more of their forces to pour forth from the castle's gates...

Right where the Spec Ops unit was waiting.

Concealed on either side of the gate, they moved inside as soon as the last of the undead had passed. A straggler, however, made to attack them, only for Kung Jin to stop him with an arrow to the head before one of Takeda's whips severed his head with a shower of blood. They moved deep into the castle, making their way underground and following a long ornate staircase. They were in the heart of enemy territory now and every one of them was on high alert. The decor certainly had a morbid flavour to it, age-old bones lining the floors as a few candles offered eerie illumination that wasn't entirely total. The shadows were their enemy, and there were plenty of them about.

Arriving at a massive gate, Sonya and Cassie took point and peeked inside. The central chamber was in fact the focal point of Shinnok's Cathedral, the still-living head of the god of death mounted within a frame of bones near the back. His dark powers seemed to flow from him and empower the new rulers of the Netherrealm. All of it was so devilishly orchestrated, and the team felt better knowing Raiden's intel was sound: this place needed to come down.

They made to enter, only to stop as another door opened, the spec ops retreating behind their cover as demonic warriors filed out into the room. The crew watched as dozens of demons made to stand before Shinnok's head, lead by a pair of revenants: Kabal and Jade.

"Should Raiden or Magnus get this far, eliminate them." She tasked the demons as they stood rank and file before Shinnok's head. Kabal and Jade bowed before it, their minds twisted from their usual personas. Now they lived only to serve the will of Shinnok.

"Kabal and Jade. Now there's a pair." Cassie mused.

"Be careful, you know how fast he can be." Sonya cautioned. "Take out him and Jade, I'll go downstairs and plant the explosives." She instructed. They'd devised teams beforehand, so the whispered orders were confirmation for the rest of the unit to split up.

"Roger that." Cassie affirmed. Giving a quick nod to her team, the two burst into the room, assault rifles blazing. Sonya and Jin cut right, their soldiers following them while Cassie led her crew against the Netherrealm demons who were quick to react. They charged the Earthrealmers, showing no regard for their own wellbeing as they stormed headfirst into a hail of bullets, many falling long before they even reached the Spec Ops. But their numbers eventually won out and the situation swiftly devolved into kombat, trooper forced to go hand to hand against the demonic hordes. Some of the oni carried knives and started stabbing their way through the troopers, bloody wounds left in the bodies of those who fell, and many wondered if simple slug rounds would be enough to handle the demons.

This question stretched even further as Kabal charged into the fight, his hook swords a blur and deflecting bullets with ease. A poor trooper found himself impaled by the revenant and turned into a human shield, Cassie's rounds simply striking her ally moments before Kabal ripped him in two and attacked. Jacqui found herself in a similar situation as Jade drew close and attacked with her glowing staff, her assault rifle no longer a viable option. Takeda quickly made to help her, his whips snaring one of Jade's arms and dividing her attention between the two. But with the revenants otherwise occupied, Sonya and her team quickly made for the bowels of the fortress. Descending a flight of stairs, a lower level revealed the support columns that held up the entire structure. Just as their data had indicated.

"Move! Charges on every column!" The General directed as she, Jin and their team began to place their pieces of C4 on each one.

On the floor above, Jade snapped out her arm and caught Jacqui on the cheek with a right jab, Briggs quickly recovering and blocking her next two strikes before retaliating with a pair of hammerfist blows. Takeda quickly joined in with a swift pair of kicks, taking out Jade at the knees and priming her to take a push-kick from Jacqui right to the face. With Jade down, more demons attacked them, Jacqui quickly shredding one's face with her arm cannons while Takeda somersaulted away from the oni attacking him, gaining enough distance to launch his whip and snare his neck with a winding tendril. Quickly popping the blades long his whip, the demon's head came flying off with a stream of blood as Takeda yanked hard and beheaded him.

On the other side of the room, Cassie tried to fend off Kabal's hook swords only to have her rifle cut in two as a result. Kabal swiftly closed the gap between them, only to be flung into the nearby wall as Liam struck him with a plasma beam from his power glove. Upgraded with Spec Ops tech, his weapon now sported a far sleeker and refined look as well as sporting some extra tech built into it. The revenant lept to his feet as Liam stepped beside his CO and girlfriend, the two of them facing off against Kabal as he cracked his neck in anticipation.

"You're a dead ringer for your mother." The former Black Dragon told Cassie. "Emphasis on 'dead'."

"I'll kick your ass on her behalf." Cassie retorted.

"Up for a little tag-team kombat?" Liam inquired, raising his fists.

"You read my mind, babe." Cassie agreed, deploying the B.U.D.D.I. drone that had been resting on her back. The revenant sized up his opponents.

"Two for the price of one? I do like me a deal." Kabal chuckled, brandishing his hook swords once more.

Liam took a step back and let Cassie take the lead, unleashing a shadow kick that caught Kabal on the jaw. The revenant was not to be outdone, though, and spun back into a ready position to catch her follow-up roundhouse kick with his swords, promptly throwing her to the ground. Her drone bought her some time by triggering an energy burst that blinded Kabal, enabling Cassie to turn her recovery into a cartwheel kick that caught Kabal on the jaw once again. Priming her pistols, Cassie ducked low and fired off a string of shots, some of them nailing the revenant in the legs before he brought his hook swords around to ward off the rest. Taking a single step, Kabal barreled forward, slamming into Cassie and raking his swords across her armored body. The force of his strike was enough to spin Cassie around like a top, enabling Kabal to grab her by the foot and slam her into the ground. Liam intervened as a throwing knife speared Kabal in the chest before he was peppered with low-intensity plasma blasts. Disoriented, the revenant remained out of it long enough for Liam to land a lunge kick that pitched Kabal to the ground. Stooping down, he helped Cassie up.

"You alright?" He wondered.

"I'll be good, I've had worse. Remember Kurdistan?" His girlfriend replied.

"Don't remind me." Liam grimly remarked as he backed off now that she was on her feet. Kabal had recovered too and Cassie thought quickly before he started running again. Drawing a pistol, she banked a shot off her drone that struck Kabal in the chest before hitching a ride on her drone to add some extra power to her shadow kick, her boot crushing his ribs on impact. Landing on her feet, Cassie launched into an uppercut and followed with with a left hook and a right elbow smash, Kabal's respirator uttering a hiss as a portion of it cracked. Using her momentum, Cassie followed up with a roundhouse kick and ducked low, unleashing her version of her dad's famous 'nutkracker' punch. Kabal doubled over, groaning in pain as Cassie tagged out to let Liam have a go.

"All yours, babe." She offered, high-fiving him like wrestlers would.

"Showtime!" He said with a grin, quickly gunning for the recovering Kabal. The revenant, however was ready for him. Adjusting a toggle on his belt, he vented his respirator just in time to hit Liam with a cloud of noxious gas that stunned him, allowing Kabal to get in close with his hook swords. A low sweep took out Liam's legs and dropped him on the ground, Kabal quickly stabbing his hook swords into his back and dragging him across the floor, throwing him the wall seconds later. Liam crumpled and Kabal advanced, only for the Spec Ops specialist to get off a show of plasma that took out the revenant at the knee. With a twitch of his fingers and explosive disc skittered across the floor until it detonated beneath Kabal and knocked him onto his back.

With a groan, Liam forced himself to his feet, rolling his body as he worked through the pain flashing through him. "Ready to take five, Cass. Do me a favor and finish him." He called out as Kabal picked himself up.

"Already on it!" Cassie stated as she jumped Kabal from behind and put him in a partial headlock. Whipping around, her drone using a targeting laser to line itself up between his legs and barreled into his crotch. The hard metal crushed Kabal and caused him to double over, whimpering in pain. As he tried in vain to straighten up, Cassie took aim with her pistol and shot him in the back of the head, Kabal collapsing to the floor and not moving again. "You lose as fast as you run." Cassie remarked, spinning her weapon around before holstering it.

"Maybe not fast enough." Liam grumbled as he strode over.

"Aw, buck up handsome. 'Tis but a flesh wound." Cassie jabbed, elbowing him and earning a slight chuckle in response. It was then that Jacqui and Takeda joined them.

"Jade bailed, couldn't stop her." The Shirai Ryu ronin announced.

"Gone to get help for sure." Jacqui added. Furrowing her brow, Cassie knew that this was about to get harder. Their outside diversion was no longer viable, the Netherrealm would come for them now, effectively crunching their time. She cued her comms,

"General, how we doing?" Sonya's reply came moments later.

"Need ten minutes, maybe more. The columns are further apart than we thought." That wasn't good.

"Damn." Cassie muttered. "You need help?"

"Negative. Just watch our back." Sonya ordered. Having overheard the conversation, the group was getting antsy about the shift in plans.

"Ten more minutes? We needed to be tail-lights in five." Jacqui stated.

"That last fight took enough out of us, we don't have the manpower to hold off for another ten minutes." Takeda added.

"Maybe get Jin up here, offer some more ranged support." Liam suggested.

"No. She needs all the hands she can get down there," Cassie responded. She broke off as a sudden roar and the clamour of a throng of demons echoed several floors above them, causing everyone to look up. "Besides, we're in the shit now." She grimly remarked. Knowing they were in for one hell of a fight, Cassie thought quickly and devised a plan of her own. She turned to Jacqui and asked, "We have extra C-Four, yeah?"

"Yeah. Why?" Her friend replied, Cassie simply responding with,

"Let's buy ourselves some time." As she advanced towards the door that led deeper into the fortress...

Outside, Magnus and Raiden continued to throw down with the demonic hordes, butchering their way through every single oni that opposed them. The horde grew thicker with each wave of reinforcements unleashed from the fortress, but the pile of bodies laying at the feet of the thunder god and electromancer continued to grow as well. Raiden's heavenly blades disintegrated demon after demon, a whirlwind of movement that tackled every oni itching for Kombat, while Magnus channeled beams of electricity that dropped whole clusters of Netherrealm warriors. He occasionally resorted to using his fists and feet, pummeling one demon after another alongside Raiden. The twin protectors seemed unstoppable, at least for the time being.

From their position, Liu and Kitana continued to watch with growing concern at the lack of success their forces were having. This deepened when Jade arrived.

"Emperor! Empress! Earthrealmers have taken the Bone Temple!" She urgently reported. Sharing shocked looks, they turned back to the display below them.

"But... Raiden and Magnus-" Kitana trailed off, trying to understand why. Then things clicked and Liu Kang made sense of it all.

"They're the diversion!" He realized.

Within the fortress, Cassie had strung up the extra C4 with a trip wire and mounted it on either side of the door, resulting in a nasty trap the incoming demons would run straight into upon arrival. The setup complete, she and Jacqui returned to the makeshift line they'd constructed, where Liam and the remaining troopers were waiting alongside Takeda, who had an assault rifle for him and Jacqui at the ready.

"Liam, full-power blast straight down the hall. Bottleneck them." Cassie tasked as she loaded her pistols.

"Full-power or full full-power?" Liam inquired.

"You burn out the reactors, I'll buy you some new ones." Cassie promised.

"Deal." He replied, priming his power glove until the knuckles began to emit a bright orange glow. The thunderous noise of what sounded like a thousand footsteps echoed overhead, the Spec Ops glancing upwards as they sensed their opponents drawing very near. The instant he sighted a line of demons at the far end of the hall, Liam snapped out a fist and sent a mighty beam of plasma energy scorching past the doors and ripped through the waves of oni approaching them.

It was not enough to stop the rest, however, and they kept coming.

Liam fired another beam, disintegrating the demons with the full power of his plasma caster. He managed to fire off two more beams before the glow in his gauntlet died and could not put out anything further. "I'm out!" He announced, lowering his arm as he drew his assault rifle.

"Lock and load, people." Cassie ordered, pointing her pistols forward. Liam had likely drained some of the Netherrealm's manpower, but not all of it. A fact proven when the demons tripped the C4, unleashing a fiery plume that several simply jumped through. The horde was lit up by the Spec Ops' weapons, mowing down the oni as they charged. But then Jacqui noticed several oni attacking them from behind, having arrived the another entry. She emptied the clip of her assault rifle and cast it aside, letting her twin arm cannons light up the attacking demons.

"Tak! Need some backup here!" She called out as a blitz of fire shredded a demon's face. Takeda quickly abandoned his position and his weapon, aiding his girlfriend by lashing out with his whips. His bladed tendrils swept through the demons like a scythe, blood and dismembered bodies spilling across the floor as Takeda went to work with his lashers, spinning them in controlled patterns that left dozens of oni dead at a time.

They seemed to be making progress, and Jacqui was grinning as her cannon blew out a demon's back. But then she wasn't, as someone new arrived on the scene.

Liu Kang thrust his hands forward and sent a burning skull flying through the air. Jacqui dodged in the nick of time and Cassie narrowly avoided it by leaping out of the way. She was quickly put on the move once more as Kitana attacked from above, rolling to the side as her bladed fans dug into the floor. Cassie scurried back as low swings from Kitana narrowly missed her, the dark empress not offering her any room to recover. She finally managed to rise when Liam attacked Kitana from behind with a flying blow, knocking her silly for a second as Cassie scampered to her feet. Kitana then swung back around with a cry, her blades leaving deep cuts in Liam's chest armor. He quickly backpeddled until he was standing beside Cassie.

"You alright?" She asked.

"'Tis but a flesh wound." He replied, repeating her earlier statement. His girlfriend sized up their opponent.

"Kitana. 'Empress' of the dead." She mused, raising her fists.

"I've not forgotten our last encounter at the Sky Temple." Kitana said as she lowered a skull mask over her eyes.

"How are your scars healing?" Cassie jabbed, earning only silence from the revenant.

"You got this?" Liam queried.

"Take point. Frustrate her for me." She replied, deploying her drone once more.

"On it." Liam began by throwing a pair of knives which Kitana deftly blocked with her fans, Liam surging forward and executing a lunge kick that Kitana ducked under. She retaliated by whipping up a whirlwind that tumbled Liam about until Kitana threw her fans forward, the spinning bladed edges cutting deep into Liam and knocking him out of the updraft. "Not how I wanted that to go." He winced, forcing himself up as Kitana advanced, her fans returning to her hands. Liam stood ready and countered Kitana's swings with his gauntlets, resorting to good ol' kombat techniques in order to hold his ground. He parried and retaliated with a pair of jabs and a swift kick to the ribs before launching himself forward to deliver his empowered fist right to Kitana's skull mask, cracking it on impact. Kitana would not be outdone, however, and managed to swing her sharpened high-heel around and cut through Liam's side, staggering him. A swing of her fans generating enough of a gust to propell her backwards and, in the strangest of moves, drive her ass into Liam's face and bowl him over. "The hell was that?" A stunned specialist wondered as Kitana leveled her blade towards him with a sinister chuckle.

"Your ally will join you in death soon enough." She stated before a pair of pistol rounds struck her shoulder and cut her off.

"No one gets to sit on his face but me!" Cassie remarked, quickly hitching a ride on her drone to bolster her shadow kick. Striking Kitana in the torso, she could converted it into a rising arc kick, launching Kitana into the air where she let her drone knock her back to the ground.

"I second that!" Liam cried as he executed a lunging roll, driving a fresh knife deep into Kitana's chest. Dropping an explosive behind him, Liam sprang to his feet and shielded himself as the ensuing blast sent Kitana into a nearby alter. She crumpled on impact but managed to recover, the revenant a lot tougher than she seemed. "Your turn." Liam said, bowing out.

"Gladly." Cassie agreed, cracking her knuckles. She stepped forward as Kitana brushed herself off, looking bloody but still able to fight. Waving her fans, the revenant sent a wind funnel gliding across the ground, Cassie leaping over it to unload the remains of her pistol magazines into Kitana, several rounds being spliced by her fans as the dark empress fully recovered. Cassie continued her assault by executing a forward-rolling heel strike, her boot crashing into Kitana's fans as she sprung to her feet to deliver a lunching uppercut. Kitana held her own and swung her fans wide, the blades narrowly missing Cassie's face as she nearly bent over backwards. Retaliating with twin kicks to her midsection, Cassie struck with a hard overhead blow, a swift punch to her already-wounded chest and then a rising elbow, her limb smashing into Kitana's jaw and putting her flat on her back, knocking her out cold in the process. Offering the downed revenant a smug smirk, Cassie flipped her hair back just as her comms crackled.

"Move! Move! Move!" It was Sonya, ordering her team out of the lower levels. Kung Jin led the way as the troopers swiftly filed out, the C4 set and armed. All they had to do now was leave and get clear of the fortress. Unfortunately, someone had other plans.

A flurry of blows pummeled Jacqui's face before a single fiery palm strike sent her skidding across the floor. Takeda attempted to intervene only to be blocked, then parried, then took a dragon kick that send him flying across the room. Liu Kang smirked as he advanced towards the stairwell, ready and waiting for the Spec Ops team as they began to ascend. Jin spotted him and loosed a trio of arrows, all of them deftly blocked by the corrupted monk. A fireball swiftly knocked Kung Jin back down the stairs, the rest of the troopers arming their assault rifles and taking aim. An unfazed Liu Kang promptly unleashed billowing streams of fire towards the room, destabilizing the rock and causing it to collapse around the trapped team. Sonya tried to help up Jin, but dozens of pieces of falling ceiling made that impossible as she and her entire team became trapped under the rubble. Cassie tried to reach her mother, her comms offering nothing but static. The entrance to the stairwell was now fully filled with broken stones, nothing short of a bulldozer able to clear out the mess.

"She's trapped, Cassandra Cage." Liu sneered as he advanced towards her. Cassie quickly got over her shock and hardened her expression.

"How 'the Chosen One' has fallen." She growled, clenching her fists. "Raiden's right. Whatever Shinnok did to you, you're a lost cause!" She snarled, quickly assuming a kombat-ready stance. She did need Liam this time. She wanted to handle this revenant herself.

Liu Kang offered no reprieve by lunging ahead to executed a double dragon kick, Cassie narrowly sidestepped him, retaliating by executing a shadow shove, her shoulder slamming into his back. Liu recovered speedily and whipped around to throw a roundhouse kick, his spiked boot catching Cassie across the face. He used her stunned state to his advantage and executed a bicycle kick, pummeling Cassie over and over with his boots before a final stomp knocked her to the ground. Her resilience bolstered by her festering anger, Cassie executed a kip-up and promptly attacked Liu with a hook kick that he blocked. She continued to press in and unleashed uppercuts and overheads, trying to offset the revenant and wear down his block. But Liu casually drew his nunchucks and smacked Cassie around a few times, the rigid metal pommels leaving dark bruises in their wake. Cassie stumbled, managing to wipe blood from her mouth as Liu enveloped his hand in fire and reared back to deliver a crushing palm strike.

But Cassie was ready for him.

When his hand shot forward, she wrapped her arm around his and drove her palm into his jaw, stunning him. Then she drove her knee into his crotch, Liu loosing a gasp of pain as the air was forcefully expelled from his lungs. Releasing his arm, Cassie executed a backflip kick, her boot shrouded in green energy as it crashed into Liu's jaw. The revenant stumbled back, staggered as Cassie summoned her B.U.D.D.I. drone and caught a ride, using it to launch a dive kick that further disoriented Liu Kang. Using his state to her advantage, Cassie let her anger power her ahead as she laid into Liu with punch after punch. Heavy-handed blows smashed into his face before Cassie drew one of her weapons and pistol-whipped him, sending blood spraying from his mouth. Sufficiently stunned, Cassie drew her second sidearm, crossed her weapons, and fired twin rounds that blew through Liu's knees. Before he could fall, Cassie grabbed him and emptied a magazine into his torso, bullets blowing out his back as Liu Kang was thoroughly defeated. His body collapsed, wounded and unconscious, and Cassie looked on with a venomous glare.

"Fuck. You." She spat, shoving her weapons into their holsters. Rage still coursing hotly through her veins, Cassie panted for air as she recovered from the fight. The defeat of Liu Kang seemed to signal the end of the fight, the oni brought with him now sufficiently defeated alongside their rulers. Cassie's emotions swiftly shifted from dangerous to horrified as she jogged over to the collapsed entrance. Not knowing where to start with such a mess, Cassie opened her comms. "General? Can you hear me?" Nothing. She knelt by the rocks, trying to see if she could spot a body between the cracks. "General?" She called again. Still nothing. "Mom?!" Beneath the rubble, trapped between heavy boulders and among the broken, crushed bodies of her troopers and Jin, Sonya managed to get her comms online with one hand.

"I'm here... Cass." She coughed. Thick dust filled her lungs, the rocks blocking out most light as she tried to orient herself. She heard Cassie breathe a sig of relief.

"Hang tight. We'll get you guys out." Her daughter promised. Coughing again, Sonya knew that was an impossibility. They didn't have the equipment nor the manpower, and the timeframe for their mission was running out.

"They're gone, Cass." She reported. It was a miracle she alone survived the cave-in, if only barely, there was no way Jin or the others survived. "And I'm not gonna make it." She couldn't feel her legs. Either they had fallen asleep in the worst position or they were straight up broken. She had no way of freeing herself.

"What? I'm not leaving you behind!" Cassie vowed, still clinging to hope.

"Get your team home. That's your order. Your duty." Sonya replied. "Mine's to finish the mission." Her fingers felt out the detonator trigger, still active and primed. Pressing the switch would arm the C4 and a countdown would begin.

Once the timer reached zero, Shinnok's temple would be bone dust... herself included.

"Mom, no! We can save you!" Cassie implored. Sonya heard the quaver in her voice.

"Raiden was right. We have to be willing to sacrifice everything... for everyone else." Sonya responded. She didn't want to die, but there was no other way. She'd wanted to be there for Cassie and Liam's inevitable wedding, to maybe one day call herself a grandmother.

But unless she pulled this trigger, that day might never come.

"I love you, Cass." She sadly whispered, her fingers tightening around the detonator. "Give your Dad a kiss for me." With that, General Sonya Blade clicked the detonator, sealing her fate.

"No, Mom, don't!" Cassie cried, starting to dig through the rubble in desperation. Jacqui suddenly received a notification on her PDA; the C4 had been primed and was rigged to blow.

"She started the detonation sequence!" She stated. Cassie turned around to face her friend, her face pale.

"Override it, Jacqui!" She cried, almost screamed, before turning back to keep digging.

"There is no override." Jacqui sombrely told her. She reached out to pull Cassie away, but her friend shoved her back and kept digging. Liam stepped in, helping Jacqui forcefully pull Cassie to her feet. She tried to shrug them off, vainly squirming in Liam's grip to try and escape so she could go back and dig, but he trapped her in a bear hug and did not let go.

"Cass, listen. Listen!" He hissed, forcing her eyes towards his. "Our orders are to leave. You heard your mother." Cassie felt the stinging burn in the back of her eyes as she looked up at her boyfriend. Maybe if she hadn't had ordered Liam to fry those demons he might have enough left to clear out the debris. Was this her fault? Could she have done something different?

The screech of oni interrupted her thoughts as another wave stormed into the room, Liam releasing her as they tried to fend off the horde. But Cassie depleted her remaining mag quickly and she had no spares left to reload with. They were running out of men and ammo. They had no choice but to retreat.

"C'mon!" She mournfully ordered, the team beating a hasty retreat to the exit as the demons gave chase. Fortunately, none of them had any ranged options. They could chase but they could not shoot, which bought the Spec Ops time to move.

The few who still had ammo flanked the column as the evacuated the fortress, Cassie leading the way at a dead sprint. The oni outside had mostly cleared out thanks to Raiden and Magnus, giving them an easy path to the fighting Protectors.

Raiden hewed down another pair of demons with his blades, Magnus electrocuting another party as he viewed the inbound Spec ops. Behind them, the fortress erupted into billowing clouds of flame, spires and towers collapsing in on themselves as flames consumed the entire building.

"Time to go, Lord Raiden!" He called, quickly generating a thundercloud and issuing forth a lightning storm to ward off the remaining oni.

"Follow me!" Raiden ordered, generating storm cloud and leading the Spec Ops into it. One by one, Cassie, Liam, Jacqui, Takeda, and their men filed into the thunderbolts as a cloud of debris from the fortress' destruction followed them. Magnus blasted a few final demons making to pursue before vanishing into the clouds and letting the shockwave roll over the remaining hordes.

In Earthrealm...

The team surged out of the storm clouds into friendly territory, many of them comforted to be back in their home realm.

They had returned... but many had not.

Cassie slowed to a halt before collapsing to her hands and knees, the death of her mother suddenly hitting home and hard. The tears began to fall as Jacqui and Liam knelt beside her, Cassie lifting herself up long enough to throw herself into her boyfriends arms, Liam holding her close as she openly cried. Jacqui offered a reassuring hand to rub her shoulder, Takeda standing nearby in a sullen state as he realized they had lost Kung Jin as well. Their original foursome had lost one of its original members.

Raiden stood by, accounting for the losses. Magnus stood by him, realizing Earthrealm's forces had taken a heavy hit with this mission. Neither of them were satisfied with their victory, it had come at too grave a cost. Cassie managed to look up as Raiden stepped over, the towering thunder god's eyes dim with the pain of loss.

"Your mother died a warrior's death. May we all be so fortunate." Raiden intoned.

"You did not just say that." Jacqui snapped, thinking Raiden's remark uncouth and ill-timed. The thunder god's electric gaze was immediately upon her.

"Do not mistake my stoicism for lack of grief, Jacqueline Briggs." Raiden stated. "I have known Sonya Blade for many years. To know she has fallen saddens me greatly." He explained. Gods had different ways of expressing their sorrow, their eternal status blinding them to the regular pain mortals felt. Raiden knew the emptiness of loss, but not quite as painfully as Cassie did.

"Sonya Blade was the mightiest of women. She will be dearly missed." Magnus said, adding his condolences. He touched Raiden's arm. "I need to go back to Outworld. The Empress needs to know what's happened." He continued.

"At once, Magnus Shadrix. Your aid has been invaluable today." Raiden replied. Magnus nodded slowly, casting a glance at the mourning Cassie.

"But was it enough?" He wondered to himself, starting to walk. As he did, Johnny emerged from the base and jogged over.

"Thank God you're back." He called out, slowly his pace as he neared. The team slowly turned to him. "How did the mission-" Johnny trailed off as he saw the despondent looks on many of their faces, as well as the sheer number of the original team that had not returned. One look at Jacqui, Takeda and Liam's apologetic faces and Cassie's tears told almost the whole story. It was sealed when Magnus stopped by his side and set a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm so sorry, Johnny." He whispered before continuing on. The gravity set in and Johnny realized Sonya was nowhere to be seen.

"No..." He softly groaned, kneeling before Cassie. She managed to look to him through her tears, leaving Liam's side to embrace her father. Johnny hugged her tightly as Raiden and the others looked on, a dark mood settling over them as they mourned the loss of a friend... a leader... a mother... a wife...

The forces of Earthrealm would forever grieve today... the day that Sonya Blade died.