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Fan Fiction
| MK Annihilation (Reprised) |
| Round 1 |
By: Jeremy J. Banks |
The Temple of the Elder gods was like a haunted house in the desolate desert. The inside, however, was alive with life and vigor. The five Elders, Earth, Wind, Fire, Water, and Love all watched as their guardian of the Earth, Lord Rayden, and his chosen warriors prepared for Mortal Kombat once more. Rayden’s chosen ones included the three original winners of MK, Liu Kang, Johnny Cage, and Sonya Blade, three newcomers, Kabal, Kurtis Stryker, and Sub-Zero, and finally Edenia throne heir, Princess Kitana.
In addition to their natural martial arts skills and individual chi powers, Rayden and his warriors used a variety of artificial and space-age weaponry as well. The masked warrior, Kabal, wielded twin razor sharp blades which were very wicked looking. Kitana focused her chi through a pair of fans from her home realm. Stryker focused his through a baton and used an assortment of military and police weaponry, including a tazer gun. Liu, Johnny, and Sub-Zero relied more on their martial arts and chi and did not use any weapons except grapplers, and things of that nature. Nightwolf, a Native American shaman, had alerted them an hour before of an attack on the Temple of Light, which was also Liu Kang’s former home. He was responsible for constructing all the hi-tech gadgetry and weaponry used by the Defenders of the Realm.
As the Thunder god and his warriors made their way to the vehicle bay, they found that the Elders were already present there. The Thunderbolt, the sleek one-man jet of Rayden, waited for its occupant. Before Rayden could board his jet, Cage stopped him. “Wouldn’t it be easier if we all used cars? We could pick up more chicks that way,” he said enthusiastically.
“You see, Elders,” Rayden began. “This is exactly why 007 works alone.” With that statement, Rayden boarded the craft and started the ignition. Love said, “Do try to bring it back in one piece, Lord Rayden. The Native American worked long and hard on it.” The Thunder god simply waved, smiled, and flew off in his jet. He was slightly agitated by the fact that with the recent invasions of Earth, his power had diminished somewhat, forcing him to get around like a mortal. The platform where the Thunderbolt was parked in split in two halves to open up and reveal three large, sleek jets in the shape of dragons. These, used by the Kombatants, were conveniently called Dragon jets. Stryker, Sub-Zero, and Kabal boarded the first of the jets. Johnny and Sonya took the next one. As Kitana and Liu boarded the final jet, Liu turned to the Elders and said,
“Don’t you all wait up, Elders. This one may be an all-nighter!” “Fight with honor, Liu Kang,” Earth said. The three jets took off and soon caught up with the Thunderbolt. Inside the Bolt’s canopy a small TV screen came on revealing Nightwolf. “Lord Rayden, five Outworlders have attacked the Temple of Light. They’re taking the souls of the monks and desecrating their sacred grounds. They’re being led by your brother, Shao Khan,” he said. “Shao Kahn,” the Thunder god repeated. He took a deep breath and a memory appeared in his mind. He saw him and Kahn, both younger, practicing in the Elder’s dojo on Outworld, before it was decimated. He thought, “Can we ever go back to those days again?” He shook the thought off and spoke into his speakers to his fighters. “Full speed ahead. We haven’t a moment to lose!”
The Temple of Light was a different story altogether. The bodies of lifeless (and soulless) monks lay everywhere. Over half of the temple grounds were destroyed. A greenish energy field surrounded the entire temple. Several monks, who all served as the temple’s ‘bodyguards” rushed to the central platform. The Outworlders and their death-masked Emperor smiled as they approached them. Shao Kahn lifted his mighty Soulhammer, which he used in battle, and for capturing souls, and sucked the monks’ souls from their bodies. He then said, “All hail the almighty Emperor!” Two of his generals, Rain and Ermac, brought the head elder, who was also the grandfather of Liu Kang, to the Emperor’s feet. “Please!” he begged. “Show some mercy!” “You dare beg me for mercy, fool!” Kahn answered lifting his weapon and extracting his soul.
He then directed his attention to his other three generals, the Shokan female warrior Sheeva, the Centaurion Motaro, and the newly resurrected Sindel, original and rightful queen of Outworld. “The Almighty Lord God created the Earth in six days, so shall it be destroyed in six days. And on the seventh day, mankind will rest in peace!” he shouted. The five generals cheered and applauded their leader as a sudden breakthrough in the energy field caught their eye. A giant eagle then emerged from the opening. Queen Sindel shouted, “Look, Kahn, a giant eagle!” Kahn replied, “That’s not a eagle! It’s my brother Rayden!” Sub-Zero, Stryker, Kabal, Johnny, and Sonya dropped down through the same opening after the eagle. Sub-Zero manipulated his powers to form a 30-foot ice slide. The eagle landed atop the slide and morphed into none other than Rayden.
“Hi, Kahn! It’s Rayden again!” The Thunder god slid down the ice slide and then propelled himself towards his brother. When Rayden connected with Kahn, he landed at the Emperor’s feet. Kahn, pushed back by the Electric One, swung his Soulhammer at Rayden who kicked it out of his hands and high into the air. Rayden jumped up to face his brother. Rain and Ermac tried to attack from opposite sides but were met by Rayden’s fists.
The Soulhammer landed in Rayden’s hands but before he could use it, Kahn grabbed one end with both hands and flipped his sibling to the other side of the platform. “You will never win!” Kahn said evilly. Rayden simply smiled and pointed towards yet another opening in the Outworlder’s energy field. Hanging onto dragon-like gliders, Liu and Kitana entered the battlefield through the new opening. Keeping their attention on Liu and Kitana, the Outworlders did not notice Rayden corkscrew kick the hammer out of Kahn’s hands to another end of the temple. When Kahn turned around to fire a green Nova blast at his brother, Rayden had flipped over them to join his warriors. Queen Sindel grabbed a monk whose soul had not been taken and hurled him at the Thunder god. “That’ll keep that lousy Thunder god busy!” she whispered. Rayden caught the queen’s “gift”, sat him up straight, and sent him on his way. “Nice catch,” Liu Kang congratulated. “If they all die it’s gonna be on your head,” Rayden said in a firm tone.
“Grab the Soulhammer!” Kahn shouted. “Kill Rayden and his minions!” From opposite sides of the temple, ninjas dressed in all black appeared. They carried bo staffs, Japanese hama, and other weaponry. The ninjas formed a circle around the chosen ones and their leader. “Oh great! Renegade ninja Outworlders from Hell!” Stryker exclaimed. The first ninja made his way towards Rayden but was felled by a blue Orb blast from Johnny Cage. Another ninja rushed towards Liu Kang with an axe aimed at his head but ended up on the receiving end of the Flying Kick. The Emperor smiled at what he saw. Mortal Kombat had truly begun again. As more ninjas poured in, the Emperor shouted, “Yes, kill them! KILL THEM! Destroy . . . . . everything!” Four ninjas dashed towards Sonya and a fifth behind her. She caught the ninja behind her with the Leg Throw and threw him into the other four, who all fell like dominoes.
Kitana used one of her fans to sweep one ninja and performed her Fan Lift and Flying Punch on three more that had tried to sneak her from behind. Two ninjas approached Sub-Zero and he bowed in honor to them. As he got into his fighting stance one of the ninjas snickered, “Save your honor bull for someone who cares, traitor!” They rushed him but were caught with a punch and side kick to the floor. Sub-Zero then said, “No honor, no victory.” The ice ninja fixed his eyes on Stryker, who had been knocked to the ground by a ninja and was about to be killed by the blade of a hama. Without thinking twice, Sub-Zero fired an ice blast at the ninja, causing his arms to freeze and break off. “Thanks, ice ninja,” said Stryker sarcastically. “I think.” Sub-Zero shook his head in disappointment. None of the other Earth realm warriors really trusted him, due to his past experiences with the Lin Kuei clan. Two ninjas rushed Rayden and Liu Kang, knocking them both to the ground. Both man and god stared at each other for a brief moment and then jumped right back up. “You get the hammer, I’ll get Kahn and his goons!” Rayden shouted to Liu Kang and the others.
The Thunder god then made his way back towards the central platform. He was met by a host of ninjas, but knocked them all to the ground with a quick Lightning Tornado. Kabal and Stryker were back to back with five ninjas apiece. Kabal did a Web Spin on his five, turned his blades flat, and hit four of them and roundhouse kicked the fifth. Stryker executed his Rushing Throw on three ninjas and crescent kicked the fourth. He then threw a grenade at the feet of the last ninja. The blast blew him high into the air. Kitana ran towards the Soulhammer with three ninjas on her tail. She rendered them unconscious by slapping them all in the face with her fans. She picked up her “foster dad’s” weapon and said, “Yes.” She ran to Rayden who had just taken out two ninjas with a bo staff that he picked up from a felled ninja. “We fulfilled our half of the bargain. What about you?” she asked mischievously.
She showed him the hammer and the god fixed his attention towards his brother who had moved to a statue of Buddha. “What does a someone do when they’re terrified?” Kahn asked his enemies. “Scream!” Queen Sindel then positioned herself in front of the statue and performed a 30-second Sonic Dizzy. The 60-foot statue began to collapse. As the great replica came down, Rayden motioned his fighters to move to safety. Once the statue came down, it crumbled into pieces. The debris created a dark cloud that made it almost impossible for the Earth warriors and the Outworlders to see. In the confusion, a ninja sneaked up behind Kitana and elbowed her in the back, causing her to drop the Soulhammer.
Another ninja used his bo staff to launch the hammer out of the Kombatants’ reach. Johnny Cage was cornered by four ninjas. Determined to get the Soulhammer, he fired an Orb blast to get them out of his way. Liu Kang saw Kahn and his generals making their way towards an odd-shaped craft on the left side of the central platform. He then grabbed a 10-foot lamppost that had been severed and pole-vaulted to the front of the craft. He then found himself face to face with the Emperor and his servants. “Going somewhere? The party’s not over yet!” he said getting into his fighting stance. “Give it to me now!” Kahn shouted turning to the battlefield. A ninja used his hama to hit the hammer back into its owner’s hands. Rather than take Liu’s soul, the Emperor blasted the ground on which Liu Kang stood, knocking him high into the air.
Before he could hit the ground, Stryker leaped into the air and grabbed him. Once they landed Stryker asked, “You ok, pal?” “Yeah,” Liu answered. “Thanks, man.” Both men focused their attention to Shao Kahn. Kahn then exclaimed, “What a great game! We’ll play again another time soon!” The generals boarded the craft first and were followed by their master. A door with the MK dragon symbol engraved on it closed after them. Inside, Kahn clicked some buttons and the odd machine came to life. The craft rose and the Earth realm warriors saw for what it was. A 20-foot serpent-shaped “missile”. A dragon-sculpted head was about to close over the top. Rayden didn’t think twice. He threw his staff into Kabal’s hands and morphed into the eagle again and flew into the serpent just before it closed up.
Rayden returned to his god form and was greeted inside by his estranged brother. “Thanks for dropping in, little brother,” Kahn said sarcastically as he sucker punched his sibling to the floor of the serpent. A blast of fire from the bottom of the serpent signaled that it was about to take off. Liu Kang used his Dragonhook to hook onto the craft and pull himself up on it. The serpent broke through the energy field thus vaporizing it. Wanting revenge for his grandfather, Liu desperately tried to find an opening in the serpent. Inside, Rayden tried to climb a small ladder that led to what appeared to be an emergency exit, but Kahn, by kicking him to the floor once more, thwarted him from opening it. Ermac and Sindel combined their chi to bond the Thunder god’s hands to the ladder.
“I’m sorry it had to end this way, brother,” Kahn said apologetically. “You were the best of us. Now you have to be utterly destroyed. Anyway, once this serpent reaches this pathetic planet’s orbit, it will drop back down to it and explode, causing the temple and anything and anyone else within a two-thousand mile radius to be destroyed! “Kahn, you’re out of your damn mind. If this damned thing explodes it annihilate thousands, possibly millions!” Rayden shouted. “Well, that’s the idea, Lord Rayden. More deaths, more souls, more power!” Kahn said crazily. “I’ll give your pitiful regards to father!” Six openings let Kahn and his generals out of the serpent and into the night air. The generals formed a circle around their emperor. Shao Kahn then used his Soulhammer to form a pink energy field around them all. Through an opening in the serpent, Liu Kang made his way inside.
The serpent was now high into the air and was about to reach space. “What the hell are you doing here?” Rayden asked seemingly upset. “Just hooked up with a serpent and thought I’d drop in,” Liu answered enthusiastically. “Just figured you were going to stay with the others and kick some more Outworld ass!” Rayden exclaimed. “I didn’t get him for what he did to Grandfather!” Liu said. “Didn’t the fight with Tsung teach you anything about revenge?” Rayden asked. “You know something, Thunder god?” Liu asked. “You’re an ungrateful immortal something!” He used his Dragon fireball to free the god’s hands. Liu watched as Rayden attached a circular object to a side of the serpent. “What do you need with a Kombat bomb, Thunder god?” Liu asked mystified. “This serpent must be eradicated or else the temple monks and countless others are doomed!” answered Rayden who was now making his way towards one of the openings. “Watch your back, Jack!” he shouted as he used his Body Launch to get out of the serpent. “Let’s catch a wave, Immortal!” Liu Kang shouted as he performed a Flying Kick out of the serpent. The Kombat bomb beeped and the serpent exploded.
Rayden and Liu Kang used self-created “chi-boards” to glide towards the ground. They soon caught up with Kahn and the generals, who were unaware of their presence. As Rayden got closer to the Outworlders, he lost his “chi-board”. Sindel saw him burst through their energy field and shouted, “Look out, Kahn!” but was too late. Lord Rayden had burst through the energy field and grabbed his brother from behind, causing the Soulhammer to fall out of his hands and breaking up the generals’ circle. As Rayden and Shao Kahn descended towards the ground, Liu Kang grabbed the Soulhammer. Sheeva and Motaro tried taking him out with their fireballs but ended up blasting each other instead. In Outworld, Centaurions and Shokan warriors were engulfed in an intense blood feud and this little incident did not help the matter at all. “Next time, losers!” Liu yelled as he lost his “chi-board” and fell to the ground. Shao Kahn managed to free himself of Rayden’s grip and fire a Nova blast directly into the Thunder god’s chest. The blast knocked Rayden back.
Kahn then motioned his fighters to blast the top of the main tower of the temple. They, including Kahn, did, and the roof of the main tower was destroyed. The Emperor and his generals dropped through the tower and landed safely at its base. Rayden manipulated the wind to help him land and Liu Kang used his Dragonhook to repel to the tower’s base. As the Outworlders exited the tower through its back entrance, Sonya and the other fighters joined the man and the god. Without thinking, Liu flung the Soulhammer into Johnny’s hands. Rayden and the mortals pursued Kahn and his followers all the way to the back of the temple. Backup ninjas were waiting for the defenders as they chased their enemies. Rayden felled two ninjas and Liu Kang downed another three. Once the last ninja was tossed aside, the Outworlders turned to face their foes.
Johnny saw his chance. “The death-masked clown is mine!” he yelled as he performed a Shadow Kick straight towards Kahn’s head. “Johnny, NO!” Rayden screamed. Shao Kahn caught Johnny out of the air by his neck. He then snapped the actor’s neck and threw his lifeless body to the floor. Rayden rushed to Cage’s side, kneeled, and then took the body into his arms. A dimensional portal opened behind the Outworlders. They were about to enter it when Kahn suddenly turned around. “If I must little brother, I’ll annihilate your worthless fighters one at a time!” he scowled. There was no reply from the Thunder god or the mortals who fought with him. Kitana noticed that Sonya had begun to cry. “All expectations are destroyed,” Kahn continued. “Nothing will ever be the same. What will you fools do? Chase us to Outworld where your god of lightning has no powers or mourn your friend. Rayden, you have hid behind them your entire pathetic life, that’s why this round is mine! Till next the go round, sibling! IT HAS BEGUN!”
The Emperor and his generals entered the portal. Before the portal closed, Kahn and Sindel poked their heads out from the other side. Sindel rolled her eyes and licked her tongue out at the warriors and Kahn smiled and threw a middle finger at his brother. He then picked up the Soulhammer and said, “I almost forgot something. Ciao!” The villains disappeared into the portal and it closed. Rayden picked up Johnny’s body and placed it into an energy pool he created. He held his hand over it and a blue beam poured from his hand. He then lifted Johnny’s body out of the pool and let it suspend in the air. The Elders had taught him how to do this in order to keep a human corpse from rotting. “I know damn well we’re not going to let that death-masked son of a bitch get away with this!” Sonya said angrily. Rayden only stared at her with an uncertain look on his face.
The end of round I
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