Article: 12942 of alt.games.mk Path: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu!bloom-beacon.mit.edu!spool.mu.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!cs.utexas.edu!convex!news.duke.edu!news-feed-1.peachnet.edu!concert!bigblue.oit.unc.edu!jpickett From: jpickett@med.unc.edu (James E. Pickett) Newsgroups: alt.games.mk Subject: STORY: Sub-Zero (02/??) Date: 26 Aug 1994 15:07:45 GMT Organization: UNC-CH School of Medicine Lines: 143 Distribution: world Message-ID: <33l0g1$14tp@bigblue.oit.unc.edu> NNTP-Posting-Host: cahaba.med.unc.edu Originator: jpickett@cahaba * * * Note: This is fan fiction. It does not represent the opinions of Midway, my employer, or anyone else I know. -Jim Sub-Zero, Part 2 One week later, I was on my way to Shang Tsung's island by helicopter. The images of my dream ran through my mind. Scorpion, Reptile, Tsung. I wondered what I would find when I got there. Looking down at the ocean below me, I noticed two boats heading towards the island. One looked like some sort of U.S. Navy patrol boat. The other was a yacht, the kind that only really rich people owned. I was going to get there before them. I guess knowing some of the corporate types has it's advantages after all. I sat back in my seat, ignoring the small talk the pilot tried to make. I was heading to an assassination. The last thing I wanted to do was chat about it. I went over my plans again. I would kill Tsung before the others got there, before the tournament started. I still hadn't figured out an escape, but right now, that didn't really matter. The helicopter landed on the beach, kicking a ton of sand into the air. I jumped out and ran over to the safety of the foliage, making sure no sand got in my eyes. After a few seconds, the helicopter took off and headed back to the mainland. I stepped back out to the beach, checking out my surroundings. I quickly recognized the island from my dream. It was HOT! I made my way through the thick vegetation towards the temple. I noticed the smell of smoke in the air as I got closer. I arrived at the temple gates, or at least what was left of them. It appears that there was a large scale fight of some sort that had left everything in ruins. I made my way past the doors into the courtyard. Everything appeared to be deserted, except for the occasional body lying around. I recognized the monks bodies from the crowd that was watching the fights in my dream. I leaned over one of the bodies. This one's neck had been broken. I examined some others, finding some of them burned, some killed by some sort of edged weapon, and others literally ripped in half. "Shoa Kahn's price for failure." I spun around, startled. It was the man with the straw hat from my dream. "Who are you?" I asked. "I am Raiden. That is all you need know. I am pleased that you came, Sub-Zero. You must help us defeat Shoa Kahn, or this will be the fate of the rest of man kind." He pointed at the bodies strewn about the courtyard. "I do not know Shoa Kahn. I have no quarrel with him at this time." "I believe you do. He is the master of Shang Tsung. It was he who ordered Tsung to take the souls of all who die in his presence. It is he who now wants the Earth Realm as well as the Outworld. You must go there and challenge him. You will have your opportunity to kill Shang Tsung there as well." "You said I must help 'us' defeat Shoa Kahn. Who else is here?" Raiden closed his 'eyes' for a few seconds and concentrated. "You are the first to arrive, but others will soon follow. Beware of them, Sub-Zero. They may not trust you. Your brother's reputation precedes you. Do not look to them for help, yet. I will join you in the Outworld, but give no hint that you are in league with me. And if we must do battle, fight as if you do not know me, for I shall do the same. Find the portal, Sub-Zero. Farewell." With that, Raiden vanished. I nervously looked around the courtyard and decided to explore some more. I found a room of statues. Some of the fighters looked familiar, especially the two of my brother. My skin started to crawl as I realized that one of them was Scorpion. I mentally kicked myself for not asking Raiden about him. Looking at the other statues, I recognized Raiden and one other. I couldn't quite place it at first, but then realized it was Johnny Cage, the actor. What was he doing here? I never really liked any of his movies. They were not very realistic, although I did not doubt his skills as a fighter. I heard voices approaching. Quickly, I concealed myself behind the statue of a four armed monster. Three people stepped into the room. One of them was Johnny Cage. I did not recognize the other two, although one of them resembled another one of the statues. He wore red pants and a bandanna to keep his hair out of his face. The third man was wearing some sort of hat, which had a strip of metal around the brim. The one with the bandanna look uneasy. "We are being watched." The other two started looking around nervously. "Kung Lao," he said, pointing towards the statue I was hiding behind. Kung Lao removed his hat and threw it towards the statue. It sailed right through on of the arms, which started to fall to the ground, towards me. I jumped out of the way, revealing myself to them. Johnny Cage was the first to speak. "Why, Sub-Nothing, I thought you were dead! Now, now, don't give us the cold shoulder. Well, at least now WE get to kill you ourselves." He started walking towards me, but the man with the bandanna held his arm out to stop him. "Aw, C'mon, Lui Kang, let me hurt 'em!" "Not yet, Johnny. What are you doing here, assassin?" I stood in my fighting stance, not moving, saying nothing, ready for one of them to attack. I quickly noticed that Kung Lao's hat was back on his head. That was strange. Kung Lao stepped forward. "Many of my ancestors were killed by Lin Kuei assassins. It will bring honor to them if I were to kill you today." He took off his dreaded hat, and look prepared to throw it. "HOLD IT!" a voiced echoed from behind them. I took the opportunity and froze Kung Lao where he stood. I then turned and ran for the door behind me. A foot connected with the back of my neck, causing me to roll on the ground. I looked up to see Lui Kang. Impossible. He must have jumped twenty feet to hit me like that. "DAMNIT, I SAID HOLD IT!" The owner of the voice was dressed in a standard U.S. military outfit, holding an M-16. A few shots rang out into the air. "It's okay, I'm an American!" Cage had turned his attention towards their new threat. I didn't lie around to find out who he was. I knocked Lui Kang's feet out from under him and ran out the door. A spray of bullets hit one of the statues on the way out. I ran back into the courtyard, where I would have been a sitting duck. Turning, I headed into another structure. I raced through the corridors for a few seconds, then found a convenient niche in the wall where I could hide. I waited, catching my breath. After about ten minutes, the man from the Army walked towards me, gun in one had, and some kind of locator it the other. As he walked passed me, I could tell he was a Major. "Damn it, Sonya. Where are you?" he said under his breath. He turned to a large door, across from where I was hiding. Red light filled the room beyond the door. The Major walked through the door, down some steps. I waited for a few minutes, then followed. When I got into the dungeon, the stench almost made me want to throw up. Bones littered the floor. The red light was coming from a strange spiraling vortex that extended beyond where the wall should have been. On the ground was a gun and the Major's uniform. This must be the portal Raiden told me about. I looked into it. I could see lightning striking occasionally across the center. My stomach was tied up in knots, but I knew that Shang Tsung was on the other side. After another moment of hesitation, I jumped in. Still more to come.....probably