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Fan Fiction
| Mortal Kombat: Afterlife |
| Chapter 2: Crossroads |
By: Iced Guardian |
DISCLAIMER: The MK characters do not belong to me, I'm just borrowing them from Midway.
I'm not trying to make any money, so don't sue.
The story line and other players are mine, though, mouhahahaha (OK, try to imagine that as
some sort of evil laughter for enhanced dramatical effect)
FEEDBACK: Really really appreciated. You can do it via e-mail ( icedguardian666@yahoo.com)
or reviews at fanfiction.net
OK, if you're reading this, I assume you did read the first part and enjoyed (or at least somehow)
the story. Sorry it took SOOOO long, I had decided that I would only work on my story if I'd get
at least 5 reviews. Actually, half of this part had been written along with my first post, but I didn't
know if the story would go on...
Anyway, back to the story: Stryker and Nightwolf are joining the cast and there will be more
violence in this chapter, so I guess it would be an R rating.
Hey, this is Mortal Kombat, not Street Fighter...
OK, I'm not 100% sure about what I'm gonna do next about the story: I can do it the short or
long way. I personally prefer the long way, but I'd like to hear some comments from you guys.
Hope you'll enjoy...
Iced Guardian
Walk on fighting...
Don't look ever back...
Walk on fighting...
Don't you look back to your cries...
"Walk On Fighting", Edguy
Mortal Kombat: Afterlife
Chapter 2: Crossroads
Stryker stopped in his tracks as he realized the trail he had been following for quite a while
actually seemed to go to an end. In front of him was a small clearing. He cringed at the sight.
This was the perfect site for an ambush since there was no cover at all. He didn't want to go in,
but he didn't really had the choice since he couldn't find a way out of that blasted forest. If there
was any. He sighed and closed his eyes as his fingers nervously tapped his holster.
He opened his eyes and took a deep breath.
Let's do it, he thought.
He had almost reached the center of the clearing when he heard a cracking sound behind him.
He quickly spun around and drew his gun, ready to fire at anything that was there.
A masked man armed with a long staff and wearing a black and orange uniform was standing in
front of him. Stryker guessed he was a ninja or something equivalent. Stryker was a bit
startled by the clothing and the fact that he was alone. He looked around in confusion.
He wasn't expecting a single man alone to sneak on him.
"Listen, pal!" Stryker called out. "I'm not looking for any trouble!"
The man just stood there and didn't respond. He simply spun his staff several times in the air
and switched hands in the process. He then stopped and took what Stryker assumed to be a
defensive position. He was holding his staff high in the air while his right hand was extended
in front of him.
"I don't wanna fight, OK?" Stryker tried to reason.
Again, the man remaint silent. He slowly reached for his belt with his free hand.
"Don't go for it, pal!" Stryker warned.
As a result, the ninja erupted into laughter.
"And what do you want to do with that toy, fool?"
"I'm not afraid to use it!" Stryker replied.
"Then just do it!" the man barked as he extended his arm in a swinging motion and threw a set
of stars at Stryker.
BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!
Stryker had already pulled the trigger the moment his opponent had moved. As he saw what the
ninja was up to, he, still firing, jumped aside and crouched down as the stars flew past
him. To his surprise, his assailant did the same and jumped aside to avoid the bullets, only his
jump was much higher than Stryker's and he covered a much bigger distance. Not to mention the
fact that he did a rather spectacular side flip in the air while he was at it. As he landed, the ninja
threw another set of stars. Stryker, who was still on one knee, rolled over to evade the projectiles.
He jumped back on his feet and saw his opponent standing still and obviously waiting for him to
move. Stryker aimed at the man's legs and fired twice. His opponent jumped up and did a back
flip in the air to evade the bullets. While the ninja was in the air, Stryker raised his gun and
aimed for the chest, but the man simply stood aside and arched his back as soon as he landed.
Stryker's jaw dropped. The man was actually dodging bullets.
* * *
"Great..." Johnny muttered and rolled his eyes as he heard several gunshots. "Things are just
getting better and better..."
He quickly crouched down to search the body of his adversary in case he had anything else he
could use as a weapon. The moment his knee touched the ground, he heard something behind
him. He jumped back on his feet and turned around. He could see another pair of masked men
in front of him. Their uniforms were almost identicals to the one Johnny's first opponent was
wearing, except the orange part was now blue navy. One of them was holding a long wooden
staff while the other one had a nunchuku. They didn't seem friendly at all.
"Are you by any chance not here to kill me or something to that effect?" he cringed.
None of them answered. Instead, they both charged towards Johnny.
"Damnit..." he muttered as he saw the two men charging at him. His sword wouldn't be of much
use against two weapons and he wouldn't propably stand a chance if these two guys were as
strong as his previous opponent. He was pretty sure he could at least kill or seriously hurt
one of them, but that would probably give enough time for the other one to knock him stone dead.
Suddenly, a purple portal appeared between Johnny and his two assaillants.
Two figures wearing white long robes jumped out of it. One of them was a tall man with short
gray hair while the other one was a smaller woman with shoulder-lenght brown hair holding a
crossbow. The portal vanished as they hit the ground.
The two ninjas stopped in their tracks the second the portal appeared and looked at each other.
Johnny squeezed the handle of his sword tighter, unsure of what was going to happen.
He was a bit startled by the fact that the new players didn't seem to pay attention to him.
The two ninjas tossed their weapons away and drew swords from their backs before charging at
the two newcomers. The white warrior nodded at his companion as he raised his arms. Two
swords materialized above him, one for each hand. A second later, he charged at his two
opponents while the woman turned to Johnny who had been motionless the whole time.
"Go help the other one!" she screamed as she threw him the crossbow.
"What?" Johnny asked extremely confused as he didn't make any effort to catch the weapon.
"Just go!"
"But where?" Johnny cried as he looked at her companion. To Johnny's surprise, he jumped up
and seemed to fly towards the two ninjas. They stood still until he was close enough and they
both jumped up too. Johnny was pretty sure the white warrior was going to be cut to pieces, but
his jaw dropped as he saw him spin his swords in perfect coordination with his whole body
at an uncanny speed and agility. In the air.
To his amazement, the ninjas seemed to have no problem blocking this impressive assault as
they swung their weapons with an equivalent speed. Johnny wasn't even sure if they were
attacking or defending themselves. Hell, they were going at it so fast he couldn't even tell how
many clashing sounds there had been. The three fighters landed perfectly and graciously as
they hit the ground.
"Just follow the trail!" the woman shouted again as she ran towards the trio, which made Johnny
pop back into existence. "Go!!" she repeated.
"OK, OK!" Johnny yelled as he bent down to pick up the crossbow and noticed she was now
holding two nasty looking blades. He took off and followed the trail as instructed.
He took one last look only to see the four warriors now fighting in pairs.
* * *
"I told you it would be useless!" the man shouted as he slowly walked towards Stryker.
"I can see that for myself!" Stryker replied as he reloaded his gun and put it back in his holster.
"I guess we'll have to do it the hard way!" he added as he grabbed his baton.
He assumed a defensive position and waited for his ennemy to come closer.
The ninja spun the stuff a few other times above his head before grabbing it with his two hands
and holding it in front of him.
"Come on! Show me what you've got!" Stryker challenged.
The response came instantly. The ninja went for a high attack on the left side and then a lower
attack on the opposite side. Stryker easily blocked both of them with his baton but barely
managed to move his weapon fast enough to block a third attack on the lower left side.
Stryker crouched down and tried to trip up his opponent with his baton as he went for another
high sweep. The ninja jumped up to evade the attack and rotated in the air as Stryker's baton
missed his ankle. He extended his leg as he finished his rotation and kicked Stryker in the face.
Stryker fell backwards and quickly jumped back on his feet only to be greeted a kick in the chest.
He took a few steps back and fought to not loose his balance.
Unfortunately for him, his ennemy used those few seconds to prepare his next attack. He was
now holding his staff like a javelin and tried to hit Stryker in the stomach. Stryker half-blocked
the blow with his elbow, but the staff hit him hard on the side. He yelped as the ninja hit him
again on the right thigh this time. Stryker's assailant went for a high attack to the head, but
Stryker violently warded off the weapon with his baton in a swinging motion. The ninja was
taken aback by that defensive move and Stryker used that opportunity to step forward while
turning around and kick him in the ribs. Stryker stepped forward another time and crouched
down to hit him on the stomach with his baton. In the meantime, his ennemy had almost
recovered and swung his staff as Stryker attacked. Stryker hit him first, but the ninja smacked
his staff on the side of Stryker's head. Stryker fell down to his side while his
adversary took a few steps back before regaining his composure. Stryker rolled over and got
back on his feet, ready for another assault. He was perfectly aware of the fact that he wouldn't
resist for long with such a deficiency in the weaponry department. He had to do something
about it and fast.
The ninja chuckled and spun his staff a few times in front of him before attacking. He went for
an attack on the right side. Instead of using his baton, Stryker extended his left arm to block
the staff. He yelped as the weapon hit his forearm, but he stepped forward at the same time and
hit his ennemy right in the face with his baton. The ninja stumbled backwards and let go of his
staff with his right hand. Stryker didn't waste any time and jumped. The ninja raised his staff
in a futile attempt to shield himself, but Stryker's foot landed directly in his face and he fell down.
Stryker jumped towards his fallen opponent and raised his baton, not wanting to loose such an
opportunity. The ninja rolled backwards fast enough to evade and went for a low sweep as
Stryker was still on one knee. Stryker caught the staff's end with his left hand and lifted his
baton in an uppercut motion, which was enough to break the staff in two and hit his ennemy
under the chin. The ninja took a step back while still holding both ends of the now broken
weapon. Stryker quickly stepped forward before he could fully recover and hit him on the left
temple. The ninja fell down hard while Stryker raised his staff and waited. Stryker smiled as his
opponent tried to jump back on his feet. He threw his baton as his ennemy was halfway up.
The ninja's reflexes, obviously altered by Stryker's last attack, weren't fast enough to save him
from the baton that was spinning fast and heading straight for his face.
He tumbled again while Stryker drew his gun to finish him.
BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!
The ninja rolled over in a useless attempt to evade the bullets, but he wasn't fast enough.
It seemed he miraculously managed to dodge the two first ones, but the last three hit him in
the side and stomach. He stopped rolling and ended up on his back. He let out a groan as he
looked up at Stryker who had come closer. He chuckled.
"What's so funny?"
"You think you've won... idiot." the ninja coughed. "More of us will come. You won't be able
to defeat them all..."
"Don't worry, I'll be waiting for them." Stryker said before pulling the trigger and emptying his
magazine on his opponent's chest.
* * *
BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!
"And I'm actually trying to get involved in a firefight, huh? Why wouldn't this seem logic or
reasonable on any other day?" Johnny muttered as he accelerated his pace.
The gunshots were now very close and he hoped he wasn't too late to save whoever needed
his assistance.
* * *
Stryker finally allowed himself to drop to his knees as he looked at his ennemy's dead corpse.
He ran a hand on his face and held it in front of him. Blood. He hadn't noticed it during the
battle. How long had it lasted anyway? That's when it hit him. He looked around and realized
he had no idea from where he came from. The fight had distracted him and he wasn't sure of
where to go now. He couldn't even spot the trail he came from. He shook his head and decided
to not stay any longer in the open like this. He got up, grabbed his baton and jogged to the
nearest batch of trees while reloading his pistol. He was only a few meters from the cover of the
trees when he felt a sharp pain in the back of his right leg. He yelped as he turned around and
raised his pistol. He pulled the trigger without even looking as another star found its way to his
right ankle while a third one ended up in his right shoulder. He fell down on his knees and had
to use all of his strenght to not let go his weapon. He looked up and saw another masked man
wearing a black suit in front of him. He raised his weapon, but it was kicked away by someone
Stryker had obviously not seen. A kick in the face made him fall on his back the hard way.
There were now two men standing in front of him.
"He doesn't look that strong. I wonder how he survived that long." one of them commented.
"Maybe it was that shooting device." the other shrugged as he took a glance at the pistol.
"Maybe. It doesn't matter anyway. The mission is accomplished. Our lord will be pleased."
"Are you kidding? If we don't bring him in, we're as good as dead!"
"Do you have to put it that way?" he shook his head. "Now, come on, help me..." he started
as he took a step forward. He stopped suddenly and his eyes grew wide as he let out a small
groan.
"Wha..." the other one let out as he saw his partner fall to his knees, an arrow sticking out of his
back. He quickly turned around only to receive a projectile in the chest. He stood still for a few
seconds as he tried to remove the arrow. Another arrow hit him in the head this time.
Stryker raised his head only to see a man wearing black trousers and a turquoise shirt tossing a
crossbow away. The man bent down and grabbed a sword before charging at the first ninja who
was still alive. The ninja produced a dagger from his belt and raised it in an obvious attempt to
throw it at his assaillant. Unfortunately for him, Stryker's saviour saw it too and threw his sword
with all his might. The ninja dropped the dagger and let out a cry as the sword penetrated his
chest. Stryker didn't even look at him fall down, because he was busy crawling and trying ro
reach for his gun. He was pretty sure his saviour wasn't after him, but he wasn't willing to take
any chance.
"Hey, no need for that, bro! I'm not the ennemy!" Johnny called out as he realized what Stryker
was up to. As predicted, it didn't stop Stryker. Johnny shook his head and raised his hands
to show his good faith as he looked at Stryker struggling for his weapon
Stryker finally got his weapon back and sat up. He removed the star from his shoulder as he
watched a smiling Johnny walking towards him.
"I just saved your life! Doesn't that mean anything?" Johnny asked annoyed.
"Appearances are often deceiving."
"Ok. How about this? Are there psychotic carnival freaks trying to kill you?"
Stryker just raised an eyebrow.
"Well?"
"Why ask when you already know the answer?" Stryker sighed.
"That's my point! Me too!" To Johnny's dismay, Stryker didn't respond. "Come on! Do I look
like a fuckin' homicidal maniac to you?" he asked, looking down at his clothes for emphasis.
"OK, poor choice of words." Johnny flashed a smile, realizing how his last sentence must've
sounded. "Let me rephrase: do I look like..."
"Enough. Just stop it, I believe you." Stryker interrupted Johnny as he put his gun back in his
holster. "Thank God bad guys aren't that talkative." Stryker rolled his eyes and shook his head.
"That's the spirit." Johnny chuckled. "So what's the name and what are you doing in this
hellhole?" Johnny asked as he bent down and extended his hand.
"The name's Kurtis Stryker and I can't answer the second one. How about you?" he asked as
he shook Johnny's hand.
"What? You mean you don't recognize me?" Johnny's face fell down. He stood up with a
shocked expression on his face. "You're kidding, right?"
"Should I know who you are?" Stalker asked confused.
"Wait a sec, this'll refresh your memory." Johnny said as he reached for his breast pocket.
He stopped his motion as he remembered he didn't have them any more. "Dammit" he muttered
as he remembered how he lost them. He cleared his throat.
"I'm Johnny Cage!" he exclaimed, trying to do his best impression of himself.
Stryker just raised an eyebrow.
"The well known actor? The number 1 action movie star in the world?"
Stryker just looked at him.
"My three last movie combined grossed more than a billion dollars worlwide? All of them were
number 1 at the box office for several weeks?"
"I'm sorry, I don't really..." Stryker started apologitically.
"For Christ's sake, don't you watch TV or read tabloids?" Johnny threw his arms up in defeat.
"All apologies, my work doesn't give me much free time." Stryker smiled.
"Ohhh... It's OK. It seems I only meet people who don't know squat about me lately..." he
sighed. "So what do you do anyway?"
"Leader of the riot brigade in New York." Stryker answered with a hint of pride.
"I see." Johnny whistled. "Rough?"
"Let's say we sometimes get our share of action. Anyway, do you have an idea of what's this
place and why we're here?"
"I have my own theory for now, but I don't wanna go into it. Kinda depressing." he closed his
eyes for a second. He opened them and looked down at Stryker's legs and the stars that were
sticking out of them. "These wounds look nasty. We should take care of it right away."
"I was about to ask." Stryker sighed in relief.
"OK, I'm gonna remove the stars." Johnny explained. "Just promise you won't hit me or
something, all right?"
"I can't promise. But I'll try. Real hard."
"Thanx, that's real reassuring. OK, here we go and..."
Stryker let out a small groan as Johnny removed the star, but didn't move. Johnny quickly took
care of the other one.
"You think you can walk?" he asked seriously.
"What kind of dumb question is that? Do I look like I can..." Stryker rolled his eyes.
"Ok, Ok, I'll help." Johnny said as he put an arm around Stryker's shoulder and helped him
stand up and walk.
"Hey, by the way, thanks about earlier."
"No problem."
"That was quite impressive." Stryker complimented.
"Yeah, I know. I was quite surprised myself, because I never actually used a crossbow before
and it just..."
"I meant the sword." Stryker clarified.
"Oh yeah, that too." Johnny grinned. "So, do you have any idea of how to get out of this place?"
"Not at all."
"Then we have a problem." Johnny sighed.
"Indeed." Stryker nodded.
"So what now? We flip a coin or something?" Johnny asked without expecting an answer.
"I do not think it would be the best choice. Especially when you could have a friendly, dashing
and brilliant guide like me." a third voice broke the silence.
.
"What the..." Johnny breathed as he looked behind him and helped Stryker turn around.
Stryker's hand wandered near his holster. In front of them was a man with long dark hair wearing
ridiculous indian-like clothes that were probably stolen from a western movie set. Not to
mention the horrible make-up. Only the tomahawk is missing, Stryker thought.
"I wouldn't do that if I'd be you." Nightwolf warned as he extended his hand. Stryker's gun flew
right from its holster to the indian's hand.
"You won't need it here anyway." he added while unloading it and tossing it away.
Great, Johnny thought, we get rid of the ninjas, now we're stuck with a crazy indian.
"Now, that's not a nice thing to think, Cage. And why don't you like the outfit, Stryker? I don't
think you're the one who should be giving fashion advice..." Nightwolf scolded with a grin.
Johnny and Stryker just looked at each other.
"How did you..." they started at the same time
"Now, don't be scared. Me and my friends are here to help you."
"Friends?" Johnny asked suspiciously.
"Yes, you met them earlier. Don't you remember, Johnny?" Nightwolf replied.
Stryker gave Johnny a confused look.
"What? Didn't I mention that?"
"No, you didn't." Stryker accused.
"Listen, that's not important for now." Johnny turned to Nightwolf. "If you really want to help,
mister mind-reader, could you please answer a few silly questions before we go any further?"
"I'll be glad to."
"Ok, first of all, who the hell are you and what do we call you? Two: Where the fuck are we?
Three: When are your friends supposed to show up? and finally, why the fuck are we not
moving? We're sitting ducks and I'd really feel safer if we could get the hell out of here."
"Wow. And in only one breath." Nightwolf smiled playfully. "I'm Nightwolf. My mission is to set
lost souls on the right path."
Come on..., Johnny mouthed as he rolled his eyes.
"I'll explain everything about this dimension later."
Dimension?, Stryker mouthed with a raised eyebrow.
"Don't worry about the ninjas, my friends are taking care of them. They should be done by
now and will be here in about three seconds." he concluded, while looking at an invisible watch.
As he finished his sentence, a purple portal appeared behind him. The gray-haired warrior
Johnny saw earlier jumped out of the portal. The scene was pretty much the same only the
warrior was alone and the portal didn't vanish. Plus the fact that his robe was now partially red.
"Elranel, you slacker, what took you so long?" Nightwolf greeted while opening his arms.
"It's good to see you again, Nightwolf." he chuckled as he hugged him. "You know, that was a
very close call. You could have told us earlier." he added, pulling away from their embrace.
"I couldn't, actually. Long story, I'll explain later. Here are Stryker and Cage." he introduced
them while they respectively aknowledged at the mention of their name with a nod.
"It is an honor." Elranel said with a bow.
"Likewise." Johnny said while Stryker nodded again.
"Well, you'll have plenty of time to introduce yourselves properly. I suggest we hit the road and
head back home. I'm hungry." Nightwolf said while walking towards the portal. "And you still
owe me that meal, Elranel. I didn't forget our bet" he smiled.
"Of course you didn't." Elranel rolled his eyes
Nightwolf turned to Johnny and Stryker. "Just you wait till you get a taste of my friend's culinar
talents, it will knock you off your chair." he explained with a wink. "You know, without that
whole warrior of Light thing going on, he could be a great chef." he added.
Elranel shook his head and smiled while Johnny and Stryker looked at each other.
"Well, aren't you coming?" Nightwolf asked before walking through the portal, noticing how much
Johnny and Stryker were not following him.
"OK..." Johnny breathed as he and Stryker started moving.
"Geez, and I thought you were annoying..." Stryker muttered.
"I'm too shocked to give you a proper answer right now." Johnny replied, refering to Nightwolf's
attitude, which was rating quite high on his scale of disturbing things.
Just as they were about to enter the portal, Johnny paused and looked at Elranel.
"Is he always like that?"
"It sometime gets worse." he chuckled. "Now, let's go. We've wasted enough time."
"All right..." Johnny shrugged. "You ready?"
"Anytime." Stryker nodded.
They stepped through the portal and Elranel followed a few seconds later, the portal closing
behind him and taking with him all traces of their passage. Except all the dead bodies in
the now peaceful forest, that is.
To be continued...
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