Time passes to night. Still at the Wu Shi Academy, Jax is smoking a cigar while contemplating recent events with Raiden.
RAIDEN: I do not understand why my amulet is furthur damaged. “He must win”. If not Liu Kang, then who?
JAX: Ya got me. Not sure anybody coulda done what he did. Made Shang Tsung look like a chump.
While they’re talking, a much younger looking Shang Tsung walks up to them seemingly unnoticed.
RAIDEN: (Not looking at Tsung) Here to congratulate us on our victory, sorcerer?
Jax turns round and throws away his cigar.
JAX: What? Shang Tsung?!
RAIDEN: You have been revitalised, I see. I didn’t realise your master was in the habit of rewarding failure.
SHANG TSUNG: The emperor has an offer, Raiden. A new tournament.
RAIDEN: Heh. I see no reason to participate in any plan of yours.
SHANG TSUNG: The emperor proposes a single tournament, to replace the current system of ten. It will be held in Outworld. If Earthrealm does not win, Outworld will absorb it. But if Earthrealm wins, Shao Kahn will abandon his claim to it forever.
RAIDEN: Give your emperor my regards.
Tsung smiles and generates a large portal across the courtyard. Out of it emerge hundreds of Tarkatan warriors. Furiously, Raiden begins fighting with Tsung while Jax jumps into the rampaging army. He clotheslines one Tarkatan down, headbutts another, punches and knees yet another, throws him down and finishes him with a head stomp. A fourth Tarkatan sucker punches him, a fifth hits him and the fourth then kicks him in the face, sending him sprawling. As he lies on the ground, the Tarkatan brings his boot down hard on his face, knocking him unconscious.
Jax starts hearing Raiden’s voice as he comes to, and spots Johnny Cage kneeling over him. The Academy has been devastated by the Tarkatans, but Liu Kang and Kung Lao as well as Cage are uninjured.
RAIDEN: He gained a momentary advantage during our kombat and escaped. I now realise what we must do.
JAX: Uggh… Anybody get the number o’ that? Wait. Where’s Sonya?
RAIDEN: Shang Tsung has taken her.
JAX: We’ve gotta find her!
KUNG LAO: We must follow them!
RAIDEN: Shang Tsung has made it clear that Earthrealm will be under constant threat unless I agree to a new tournament.
Raiden then receives another vision; one of Liu Kang punching a hole through Shao Kahn’s chest.
JAX: Another vision?
RAIDEN: Yes. I saw Liu Kang win the proposed tournament. I believe we must attend. But my earlier vision, of your victory over Shang Tsung, was not the solution I sought. Therefore this premonition must show an event I need to change. Perhaps “He must win” refers to another.
Liu Kang looks a bit downcast at this.
RAIDEN: Hear me, Elder Gods! I accept the terms proposed by Shao Kahn!
A light from the heavens briefly absorbs Raiden, which is presumably their acknowledgement of this.
RAIDEN: We go to Outworld.
In Outworld, Goro brings what appears to be an amulet with a ying-yang symbol in the center to Shao Kahn. Kahn studies it, then returns it to the Shokan. Raiden enters the scene with Jax and Johnny Cage flanking him.
JAX: I assume that’s the Big Man himself.
JOHNNY CAGE: The wrestler guy with the cow skull on his head? And why aren’t the Kung Fu Twins here helping us?
RAIDEN: I sent Liu Kang and Kung Lao to free their Shaolin masters. I expected Sonya Blade to be here with Shang Tsung.
JAX: She’d better not have a scratch on her.
Jax stalks toward the throne.
RAIDEN: Wait! This is a tournament!
SHANG TSUNG: Ah! the Earthrealm delegation has arrived. And we have a volunteer for First Kombat!
JAX: What?
SHAO KAHN: The tournament will begin!
The Tarkatan crowd in attendance roars in approval.
SHANG TSUNG: Jackson Briggs! You will face… Baraka!
The Tarkatans cheer louder as Baraka unsheathes his blades.
JAX: Damn, you ugly.
BARAKA: My blades will find your heart!
They fight. The match is a brutal, bloody affair, but Jax’s strength and power sees him eventually triumph against the Outworld nomad.
JAX: You shouldn’t be runnin’ with those.
While Baraka tries to pick himself up, Jax approaches Shang Tsung.
JAX: Where’s Sonya?
SHANG TSUNG: Tell me, Major Briggs; Do you and she do anything other than rescue one another?
Jax growls as the Tarkatans behind him laugh.
SHANG TSUNG: Your next opponent will be
Reptile appears behind Tsung and starts whispering in his ear.
SHANG TSUNG: What is it?
Reptile continues whispering.
SHANG TSUNG: Excellent. It seems I have a pressing matter to attend to. With the emperor’s permission, we will reconvene later.
Shao Kahn approves with a wave of his hand. As he rises from his throne, Jade and Kitana look knowingly at one another and walk off.
JAX: What was that all about? I think we should follow ‘im.
Raiden receives another vision; this one of Sonya in shackles.
JAX: You ok?
RAIDEN: Sonya Blade… she is to be executed. My powers are compromised here in Outworld, but I will be able to transport us near enough to her.
They all depart the throne room. The scene cuts away to Shao Kahn’s armoury. Apparently Raiden was unable to teleport them where he wanted to go.
JOHNNY CAGE: Maybe you could try for even nearer next time? Where are we?
RAIDEN: I will inform you the instant I know.
Jax tries fiddling with his wrist-comm.
JAX: Wish this damn tracking device worked in here.
JOHNNY CAGE: This is just like my movie “Time Smashers”. We were goin’ around in ti
JAX: Give it a rest, will ya? Makin’ my ears hurt.
JOHNNY CAGE: So what’s the deal with you and Sonya, anyway? She’s smokin’ hot!
JAX: It’s not like that. I’m her C.O.
JOHNNY CAGE: Honey like that, under my command? Oh I’d be so
JAX: You’ll wanna stop talking now.
JOHNNY CAGE: …But if it’s not like that, then you won’t mind if I
JAX: That’s it! Time somebody shut you the hell up!
They fight. Jax shows next to no restraint while beating the crap out of Johnny. After a while he has the movie star beaten and on the floor.
JAX: How you like that, Mr. A-List?
RAIDEN: Enough! Jackson Briggs, you will restrain yourself.
JAX: Yeah well, I
Raiden stops him with a raise of his hand.
RAIDEN: Someone approaches.
JAX: Good. Maybe somebody else needs their ass whooped.
He walks up to the newcomer, Jade.
JAX: You lookin’ for somethin’?
JADE: The Armoury is restricted. You will leave now.
JAX: Gonna have to ask nicer than that.
They fight. Jax shows that he’s an equal-opportunist when it comes to fighting and doesn’t hold back on the Edenian woman. Eventually Jade is put down for the count as well.
JAX: Wrong place, wrong time, lady.
Johnny approaches Jax, rubbing the back of his bruised head.
JOHNNY CAGE: Feel better?
JAX: Uh, listen, Cage, I
JOHNNY CAGE: Don’t worry about it. Guess we know where we are now, thanks to her.
RAIDEN: Yes. And where we must go.
JAX: Let’s do it.
They take off, leaving Johnny alone.
JOHNNY CAGE: Uh, um
JAX: C’mon, Cage.
The scene then cuts to several octagon dice with unknown symbols rolling on the floor. Several guards of an unidentified Outworld species are playing a game in the Dead Pool area. Sonya is tied up nearby and being guarded by Sheeva.
SONYA: What is it with you Shokan and underground cesspools?
SHEEVA: If you had not dishonoured yourself by attempting escape, we would not be here in this sewer.
Jax, Raiden and Cage show up at the other end of the pool.
JOHNNY CAGE: Sonya!
Everyone turns around and notices them.
SHEEVA: Guards! Stop them!
JAX: So much for the surprise attack…
The door behind them slams shut. Jax charges forward, ducks some swipes from a guard with a two edged mace, grabs the weapon and clobbers him with it. The guard falls into the pool and is dissolved into nothing but blood within seconds. Jax throws down the mace and leaps over the remaining guards. Cage and Raiden charge from behind and engage them while Jax faces down Sheeva.
SHEEVA: She is the emperor’s property, human.
JAX: She’s nobody’s property.
They fight. Like all Shokan, Sheeva is powerful and possesses magical abilities, but Jax is not about to let that stop him. Through sheer brute force he manages to overpower Sheeva and leave her unconscious.
JAX: I guess extra arms don’t make a difference.
He walks over to Sonya.
SONYA: You sure have a way with women.
JAX: You know me. I’m a class act.
He picks her off the hook she’s on and cuts her restraints with a knife.
SONYA: Thanks. What took you so long?
Cage and Raiden walk up to them.
JOHNNY CAGE: He was busy hitting me in the face.
Jax and Sonya exchange smiles at this. Something then perks up on her wrist communicator.
SONYA: That’s weird. I’ve got two sets of readings, heavy tech signals, both of ’em.
RAIDEN: Technology… Then they cannot be of Outworld. We need to confront the source of each signal. We might discover the one whose victory I must insure.
JOHNNY CAGE: Wait. What about us? What are we? Chopped liver?
Raiden stares at Cage for a moment.
JOHNNY CAGE: What?
RAIDEN: Perhaps you are right, Johnny Cage. You will stay close to me.
JOHNNY CAGE: Great, I
RAIDEN: Close as a shadow, and twice as silent.
JAX: Sonya, you’re with me. Keepin’ my eye on you. Raiden, looks like you’ll wanna teleport yourself about thirty klicks that way.