KUNG LAO: I die in the Koliseum? You on a rooftop, fighting Lord
Raiden? Our future, Liu Kang… it is insane!
LIU KANG: Obsessing over it will not change it.
KUNG LAO: Neither will accepting our destiny as evil undead
warlords.
LIU KANG: I’m not. But we can’t change a future we don’t fully
understand. Lord Raiden will guide us.
KUNG LAO: Can we trust him? It appears he got us both killed.
Both men stop walking at these words. Kung Lao almost says more,
but glances behind Liu Kang instead, towards the staircase leading
to the Academy that they have reached. Halfway up the stairs, the
bloody remains of a slain monk can be seen. Kang and Lao both
ascend the staircase to the corpse. As they take the grisly sight
in, they look forward and proceed through the broken open doors
of the Academy itself.
The courtyard of the Academy presents an even more disturbing
visual; dozens of monks lie dead on the ground.
LIU KANG: So many Shaolin… They died defending our sacred
ground. The Netherrealm will pay!
The scene cuts to inside the Academy itself. The Shaolin monks
have reached an underground corridor with only minor debris
being any indication of intruders. Before them is a circular
shaped entrance, with three large swinging axes – wide enough
to cover the whole entrance – slicing back and forth. Kang and
Lao pause in their tracks to examine the deadly obstacle.
LIU KANG: Whoever came here knew how to disarm these traps.
KUNG LAO: Do you know how? The monks never taught me.
LIU KANG: More likely you did not attend class. Watch for the
pattern… and pick your moment.
Liu Kang breaks into a run and dives straight into a gap left
between the swinging axes. He clears them in the nick of time
and rolls to his feet on the other side, glancing back with a
smile to Kung Lao. Lao smiles back and slowly removes his bladed
hat, before suddenly throwing it into the side of the corridor.
The hat jams between the corridor side and one of the swinging
axes, pinning it in place. This in turn causes cogs turning the
entire mechanism to clog up, preventing the other axes from
swinging. Kung Lao nonchalantly walks through the corridor,
pausing only to remove his hat from the ruined trap and put it
back on his head.
KUNG LAO: Easy enough. What’s next?
They walk into what appears to be a giant arena. The entire
ground is littered with more dead monks, but also with spear
traps and a giant spiked wrecking ball that is attached to the
ceiling. There are several pathways exiting from this area.
LIU KANG: Everything. Poison gas, shooting spears, flame jets…
KUNG LAO: How about we avoid those?
As he speaks, all off the pathways are blocked off by metal
bars that slam into place.
KUNG LAO: I did not do that.
A metal kunai on a chain slams into a pole right next to Kung Lao.
He looks at it in shock, and then at the person who threw it.
UNSEEN: I did.
With a quick tug, the kunai is pulled back into the hand of its
owner – the ninja spectre known as Scorpion. It is clear that
this Scorpion is not the Hanzo Hasashi of the modern era, but
the vengeance driven hellspawn of the past. His clothing matches
his look from over 25 years past almost exactly.
LIU KANG: Scorpion. Of course YOU survived the time merger.
SCORPION: You will not stop Kronika from restoring my family and
clan.
—–
[PLAYER CHOOSES LIU KANG]
LIU KANG: If Scorpion doesn’t kill us, these traps will. Find a
way to shut them down!
Kung Lao runs off as Liu Kang faces Scorpion down.
LIU KANG: Let’s see who’s fire burns hotter.
They fight. Scorpion’s fighting style is as every bit as powerful
and deadly as he was when Liu Kang fought him in the Mortal Kombat
tournament, but even with Quan Chi fighting alongside him then Liu
Kang prevailed, and without the sorcerer in play the battle ends
much quicker, and in the Shaolin Monk’s favour.
LIU KANG: Your fire is out, Scorpion.
Kung Lao runs back to Liu Kang.
KUNG LAO: I can’t stop them!
[PLAYER CHOOSES KUNG LAO]
KUNG LAO: Can you stop the traps?
Liu Kang runs off as Kung Lao faces Scorpion down.
KUNG LAO: I learned my lesson, fighting you at Shang Tsung’s
tournament. This time I am prepared.
They fight. Scorpion’s speed and control over hellfire have
not waned in the time that has passed since the tournament, but
Kung Lao proves the truth in his words as he takes the fight to
the ninja spectre. After a brief but fierce melee, it is Kung Lao
who emerges the victor.
With Scorpion down, Liu Kang runs back to Kung Lao.
LIU KANG: I can’t stop the traps! The locks have been changed!
——
Scorpion struggles back to his feet, clutching his side. He looks
around and sees a cloud of poison gas swelling at his feet. Before
it affects him, he teleports away in a tornado of hellfire. The
gas spreads quickly to the Shaolin monks, but before they can act
a steel cage slams down from the ceiling, imprisoning them.
It doesn’t take long for the gas to reach their lungs. Liu Kang
and Kung Lao begin coughing and fall to their knees. But before
they fall unconscious from the deadly fumes, the traps around the
room start to reset and the gas is blown out of the arena through
the other entrances.
KUNG LAO: It’s stopped…
He coughs for a few moments, but regains his composure. He and
Liu Kang manage to stand up again.
KUNG LAO: Why?
The cage holding them in rises back up to the ceiling. One of the
pathways also opens up as well, and Scorpion walks back into
the arena, but this time he has company – the revenant Jade.
JADE: Our plans require that you live.
LIU KANG: Jade? What happened to you?
JADE: An untimely death. Like yours, due to Raiden’s incompetence.
LIU KANG: You cannot turn us against him. We know about our deaths.
They were caused by our mistakes.
JADE: You have been deceived, Liu Kang. The truth is… Raiden
murdered you.
——
[PLAYER CHOOSES LIU KANG]
As Scorpion and Kung Lao walk aside to do battle, Liu Kang faces
off against the revenant Jade.
JADE: Raiden killed you because you stood in his way.
LIU KANG: You lie, Jade!
They fight. In death, Jade still proves to be a fast and
formidable opponent, but Liu Kang was always faster and his skill
in battle outshines the revenant assassin. After a quick melee,
Liu Kang leaves Jade down and out.
LIU KANG: You will not test my faith.
With Jade down, Liu Kang joins Kung Lao in fighting Scorpion.
Scorpion manages to kick Lao away following an exchange of fists,
but Kang lands a solid left hook then throws a barrage of punches
that Scorpion is forced to block. One punch eventually breaks
through his defenses and Liu Kang follows through with another
left hook that sends the spectre to the floor.
[PLAYER CHOOSES KUNG LAO]
As Scorpion and Liu Kang walk aside to do battle, Kung Lao faces
off against the revenant Jade.
KUNG LAO: Lord Raiden may make mistakes, but he doesn’t murder his
followers.
JADE: Is it not murder to send an ill-prepared warrior to his
death? Raiden’s mistake cost your life, Kung Lao.
They fight. Jade’s speed and weapons would easily kill when
striking from the shadows, but in a straight up battle Kung Lao
is able to anticipate her attacks and take the fight to her.
Not long afterwards, the Shaolin monk stands victorious over her.
KUNG LAO: I like the “real” you better.
With Jade down, Kung Lao joins Liu Kang in fighting Scorpion.
The spectre manages to stun Liu Kang with a chop to the neck
and a left cross, but Kung Lao charges in with a barrage of
strikes that force Scorpion to block. Lao finally breaks
through the defense with a roundhouse kick to Scorpion’s sternum
that sends the hellspawn to the floor.
—–
Realising he has lost, Scorpion teleports away in a flash of
hellfire. The Shaolin Monks regroup and head toward a partially
opened door. Ahead of them, the blue light of the Jinsei reflects
off the rocky ceiling of the pathway.
LIU KANG: The Dragon Grotto is through there.
KUNG LAO: What if the next revenants we have to fight are… us?
LIU KANG: Then we fight them, Kung Lao.
Together, the monks lift the barred door upwards, allowing them
passage to the Grotto.
The scene cuts to the chamber of the Elder Gods, based in an
unknown dimension between the realms. Raiden teleports onto
a circular podium situated below several thrones. Above him are
the forms of the Elder Gods, their forms a hundred feet tall
and currently shrouded in shadow.
RAIDEN: Elder Gods. I have come to seek counsel. The realms are
in crisis.
As one, the forms of the Elder Gods light up with a turquoise hue.
They all speak to Raiden at the same time, saying exactly the
same sentence.
ELDER GODS: The crisis is grave indeed, Raiden. Every being will
be erased in a temporal Armageddon, even we Elder Gods. Already
our power weakens.
Though the Elder Gods speak as one, Raiden looks to one of them in
particular; a woman who’s hair appears to be plant roots and who
has floating rocks hovering at the back of her head.
RAIDEN: I will fight, Cetrion. But how?
CETRION: You must find Kronika’s Keep and gain control of her
hourglass. Only then will time’s momentum be restored.
RAIDEN: It will be done.
Raiden turns to leave, but pauses for a moment and hangs his head
in contemplation. Cetrion quickly picks up on this.
CETRION: Speak your mind, Raiden.
RAIDEN: Since this time merger, I have learned about my future.
That my champions fall. That I become a tyrant. If Kronika is
defeated, will I be consigned to this grim fate?
CETRION: The restoration of time will not predetermine your
destiny.
She points directly at Raiden.
CETRION: That is for you to shape.
Raiden takes in these words and bows his head, lost in thought.
The scene cuts to Liu Kang and Kung Lao, still walking down the
pathway to the Dragon Grotto. They come across another barred
door, but this one has a human shaped hole in the middle of it.
There is no other damage to the door, indicating that whatever
forced its way through erased what was in its way. The Shaolin
monks proceed past the door, and Liu Kang quickly holds up a
hand to Kung Lao, getting him to pause.
Inside the Dragon Grotto, the human-like construct seen at
Kronika’s side earlier is standing over a pool of Jinsei. He is
taking samples of the Earthrealm life force, which are stored in
a strange device hovering above the pool.
LIU KANG: Is there any point to us asking you to put those back?
CONSTRUCT: They said you’d come.
KUNG LAO: Who said?
A voice from the side attracts the monk’s attention.
O. KUNG LAO: Who do you think, Kung Lao?
They turn to spot what they had been fearing – the revenant Liu
Kang and Kung Lao – walking down another passagway towards them.
O. LIU KANG: Welcome to your future. Courtesy of Raiden.
Y. LIU KANG: Our future may be tragic, but it’s not Lord Raiden’s
fault. You’ve both been warped by Shinnok’s evil.
O. KUNG LAO: Shao Kahn snapped my neck in the arena.
The young Kung Lao puts a hand to his throat in shock.
O. KUNG LAO: Raiden saw it coming… and did nothing!
O. LIU KANG: I would have defeated Shao Kahn, but Raiden wanted
the glory. His lightning cut me down.
Y. LIU KANG: No! I don’t believe that!
The revenants have now reached their younger counterparts.
O. LIU KANG: One day Raiden will betray you. Then you will believe.
——
[PLAYER CHOOSES LIU KANG]
Kung Lao throws punches at his revenant, causing him to back up.
Liu Kang faces his older counterpart in a fighting stance but
doesn’t attack immediately.
Y. LIU KANG: You spew Shinnok’s lies. You attacked Lord Raiden and
he defended himself. He did what he thought right to protect
Earthrealm.
He feints a lunge at the revenant, who backs up a step.
O. LIU KANG: Protect?! Raiden enslaves Earthrealm!
He quicksteps back towards his younger self.
O. LIU KANG: How was I ever so blind as you?
They fight. Both versions of Liu Kang prove to be just as fast, as
skilled and as strong as each other. However, the revenant Liu
Kang deliberately holds back in battle for some unclear reason.
The younger Liu Kang quickly takes advantage, and not long
afterwards he defeats his revenant.
Y. LIU KANG: How did I get so deluded?
To his side, Kung Lao still fights his revenant self. The undead
Lao gets the advantage with a kick to the gut, but the young Lao
blocks a follow up strike and hits a barrage of chest and face
punches. He finishes with a sidekick to the heart that leaves
the revenant down and out.
[PLAYER CHOOSES KUNG LAO]
As Liu Kang attacks his revenant, Kung Lao smiles and throws a
punch at his doppleganger, causing him to backpedal.
Y. KUNG LAO: The thought of becoming you sickens me, but I won’t
blame Raiden.
O. KUNG LAO: You owe Kronika. She saved your life by stopping
time.
They fight. The old and young Kung Lao’s skill and finesse are
equal to each other, but the revenant Lao does not press the
attack as hard as he might, for reasons unclear. The younger Lao
holds no such qualms and takes the fight to his revenant, leaving
him down and defeated.
Y. KUNG LAO: You shame our family name.
To his side, Liu Kang still fights his revenant self. The undead
Kang scores with a punch to the gut and a follow through punch to
the face, but the younger Kang fights back with a high kick,
forcing the revenant to defend. The young Liu Kang hits a right jab
to his revenant and follows through with a left hook to the face
that knocks him unconscious.
—–
With their revenants defeated, the Shaolin monks regroup.
KUNG LAO: Is it me, or could they be telling the truth?
LIU KANG: Worry about it later. We have bigger problems.
They walk toward the Jinsei pool. The human construct is still
gathering vials. He stops the Shaolin monks approaching and walks
to face them.
CONSTRUCT: You should’ve listened to your revenant counterparts.
He holds up a belt with several vials attached to it.
CONSTRUCT: With this power, Kronika will remake history.
Kung Lao throws his razor bladed hat directly at the construct,
who makes no effort to dodge. The hat slices directly through
his neck, decapitating him in an instant. The hat rotates in
mid-air and returns to Kung Lao, who catches it just as the
construct’s body and head fall to the ground. Lao runs his
fingers across his hat and smirks at Liu Kang.
KUNG LAO: That was easy.
As soon has he says those words, the construct’s head dissolves
into sand, which – along with some swirling magic – attaches
itself to the neck of the construct’s body. Both monks watch in
confusion as the sand reforms into the head of the construct,
turning it back to its original form. The construct stands to
his feet, with no visible sign of any damage.
CONSTRUCT: I, Geras, am a fixed point in time.
He cricks his neck on both sides.
GERAS: With every death and rebirth, I grow stronger.
Liu Kang and Kung Lao both attack. Liu Kang strikes first with
a punch to Geras’ face, but his follow through punch is blocked
and Geras headbutts him. Kung Lao throws a kick to his side that
Geras doesn’t even register, then Geras blocks a chop from Lao
and smacks him aside with a haymaker punch.
Liu Kang pulls out his nunchukau, and after twirling them around
for a moment, he catches Geras with a strike to the face, stunning
the construct and making him drop the belt containing the Jinsei
vials.
——
[PLAYER CHOOSES LIU KANG]
Liu Kang looks to Kung Lao.
LIU KANG: The vials.
Kung Lao frowns, but nonetheless walks off to grab the vials,
leaving Liu Kang to face Geras down. For a moment, Geras does
nothing but pace around, looking at the Mortal Kombat champion.
LIU KANG: Sizing me up?
GERAS: Kronika has a keen interest in you. It’s why she
recruited your revenant self. Serve her, she will bless you.
They fight. The battle is an intense one, and to Liu Kang’s
dismay, he realises that nothing he does is able to stop
Geras from coming forward. Every killing blow is shrugged off
by the construct. But Liu Kang does not give up, and manages
to floor Geras with a final assault.
[PLAYER CHOOSES KUNG LAO]
Kung Lao puts a hand on Liu Kang’s shoulder.
KUNG LAO: Fetch the Jinsei, “Chosen One”.
As Liu Kang fetches the Jinsei, Kung Lao turns and walks toward
Geras, facing him down.
GERAS: You’re good, but you’re no Great Kung Lao.
KUNG LAO: You’ve met my ancestor?
GERAS: He stood a chance against me. You have none.
They fight. Try as he might, Kung Lao finds out there is no
stopping Geras. It doesn’t matter whether he is knocked down
or killed; he just keeps coming back for more. But nonetheless,
Kung Lao keeps fighting and manages to beat Geras to the floor.
—–
Undeterred by the assault, Geras rises to his feet once more.
GERAS: You Shaolin monks exceed your reputation. I respect your
spirit, but Kronika’s will must be done.
Liu Kang and Kung Lao once again get into a fighting stance and
lunge at Geras together. This time, Geras holds his hand out,
which glows with magic energy. The monks are suddenly frozen in
mid-air as Geras stops time entirely. He retrieves the Jinsei
vials from them without further issue.
As Geras turns around, Kronika teleports into the Dragon Grotto
with a swirling of sand magic. Geras hands the Jinsei vials to
her, then looks back at the monks.
GERAS: It’s dangerous to let them live.
KRONIKA: If they die, their revenant selves will cease to exist.
We need them to defend the Keep.
She floats over to Liu Kang and looks him in the eyes.
KRONIKA: Yet again, Liu Kang, you’ve chosen the wrong destiny.
Time suddenly restarts, and the Shaolin monks fall flat on their
faces. As they pick themselves up, they realise that Geras and
Kronika have escaped.
The scene cuts to the interior of Kronika’s Keep. The Keeper of
Time floats over to three of her minions – the revenant Kitana,
Shao Kahn… and a familiar looking red-coloured cyborg – Sektor.
KRONIKA: I now have the energy to resculpt the Sands of Time. The
Netherrealm’s undead army will protect the Keep as I work. Shao
Kahn, when will you deliver the Outworld army?
SHAO KAHN: Soon. It will be mine once Kotal is killed.
KRONIKA: And what is your progress, Sektor?
SEKTOR: The Cyber Lin Kuei factory is modified to your
specifications. Production exceeds projections.
At these words, Kronika smirks.
The scene cuts to the desert outside of the Special Forces base.
Raiden teleports in, finding Liu Kang and Kung Lao sparring with
each other. They stop as soon as they see Raiden and walk toward
him.
LIU KANG: Lord Raiden, what did the Elder Gods say?
RAIDEN: We must find Kronika. Wrest the control of history from
her. If we succeed, our destiny can change.
They walk toward the base.
KUNG LAO: So what we were told is true? You were… involved…
in our deaths?
RAIDEN: Yes. Had the timeline continued, my decisions would have
led to your deaths. But the Elder Gods assure me that such a
future is not inevitable. This is but one of many possible
timelines.
KUNG LAO: That is a lot to take on faith.
Liu Kang slaps him lightly in the stomach at these words.
RAIDEN: Rest assured, Kung Lao. I am aware now of what may come. I
will not bring harm to either of you. You have my vow.
They all come to a halt.
LIU KANG: Thank you, Lord Raiden.
Liu Kang and Kung Lao clasp their hands and bow to him, though
Kung Lao still remains suspicious.
RAIDEN: We must find Kronika’s Keep and strike it, as hard and as
fast as we can muster, before all is lost.
The scene cuts to inside the Special Forces command centre. Raiden
is speaking with Cassie over the holographic command table.
RAIDEN: What have you learned about Kronika’s effect on
Earthrealm?
CASSIE: We’re tracking sites around the globe with major temporal
anomalies. Picture’s still fuzzy…
While she’s talking, the older Johnny Cage (sitting with the
younger Sonya) looks over at her.
JOHNNY: Our kid’s something, isn’t she?
SONYA: Umm… Cage, I’m not “your” Sonya.
Johnny immediately looks abashed at this reminder.
JOHNNY: Sorry. Too easy to forget.
As he steps away, Cassie continues talking.
CASSIE: We’ve prioritized info that correlates attacks from the
Netherrealm with time anomalies.
RAIDEN: Helpful. But we have more to worry about than the
Netherrealm.
CASSIE: Yeah, we do. Grandmaster Sub-Zero reports heavy losses to
his Lin Kuei clan. The time merger has resurrected his old enemy,
Sektor.
RAIDEN: Sektor? Was he not the Grandmaster who years ago enslaved
the Lin Kuei?
CASSIE: That’s him.
She generates a holographic image of Sektor in his robotic form.
CASSIE: He’s reactivating and upgrading the same factory he built
to convert the Lin Kuei into cyber killing machines.
RAIDEN: Undoubtedly to construct new and more powerful Cyber Lin
Kuei. Kronika may seek to co-opt them. What of Sub-Zero?
CASSIE: Already on his way to shut down the factory. Grandmaster
Hasashi is going with him.
RAIDEN: Grandmaster Hasashi? Hanzo Hasashi?
The scene cuts to a quarry carved on a mountainous terrain,
littered with construction vehicles.