DISCLAIMER: This is all NOT mine!!!! I DO NOT own these people! They were created by people much smarter than I!! AUTHOR: Tara Depp ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: I'd like to thank Martha Stewart, my wonderful friend MaDa, Chris Carter, Brian Thompson, The Smokin' Guy, Mr. Wright, Vito, Bree, Wendy, Johnny's Girls, Gillian Anderson, David Duchonvy, The Well Manicured Man, Naps, Mrs. Redding, Dawn, Eliza, Dude (Jenni Jo), Mindy (pronounced MIN-DAY), Jennifer Jud, [NOT Chase,] Slash, The sextet of: Idle, Chapman, Palin, Cleese, Jones, and Gilliam [I'll give you a biscuit if you e-mail me with the name of the group these 6 belong to], Curtis, Mindy, B., Dameon, Jason, Anna, Andrea, Chris, Justin, Kelli, Max, Kristen, Lindsay, Shane and Michelle. I think that's it. RATING: PG-13 for Gore (no, not Al Gore. I wouldn't put you through that) I also will issue a Humor alert for later on in the story. Sorry, but some situations you have to make fun of. WARNING: Here's some information that you're going to need to know before reading this: ----Brian Thompson, the Alien Bounty Hunter on X-Files (Colony, End Game, The Unnatural, Pacient X, The Red and The Black... etc) played Shao Kahn in Mortal Kombat: Annihilation. ----Trevor Goddard, Kano from the first Mortal Kombat movie, was in an episode of X-Files called, Triangle. In this episode, Mulder sailed into the Bermuda Triangle, searching for a ship named the Queen Ann. The Queen Anne, a luxruary liner from 1939, had been borded by Nazis under the suspicion that it was carrying munitons. Anyway, Mulder sails into the "Triangle" and hits a storm, which breaks up the boats he's sailing upon into a million pieces. When our dear, handsome Fox regains conciousness, he finds himself upon the Queen Anne in 1939. And to my utter surprise, one of the British crew members pulling Mulder to saftey is none other than our wonderful Kano (Trevor Goddard). And then, later on, they proceed to get into a conversation about Forrest Hammer but that's really not important. Okay, with that read, you may proceed...... *On with the show* ______________________________________________________ CROSSING OVER (A MORTAL KOMBAT/X-FILES CROSS OVER) ______________________________________________________ ------------- PART 1 ------------- WASHINGTON, D.C. THE J. EDGAR HOOVER BUILDING THE OFFICE OF THE UNEXPLAINED AND PARANORMAL NOVEMBER 14, 1999 8:30 A.M. Special Agent Dana Scully was hunched over a case file when she heard the door to the X-Files office swing open with reckless abandon. She didn't even bother looking up from her study. "You're late." she said simply and went back to taking notes. "I know!!" said a dark male voice that was laced with excitement. Scully caught the excited pitch and gazed upward into two familiar, yet stunning hazel eyes. And at the present moment, these eyes were wide with something that was caught between fear and titillation. Ready for an explanation, Scully set down her pen and pushed back in her chair, crossing her arms. "What now, Mulder?" Special Agent Fox Mulder grinned, his handsome face alight with intrigue. He shook off his trench coat and threw it onto his desk as he began his story . "I was heading toward work today when I saw this--- hole open up in sky right above Alexandria Avenue. At first I thought I was imagining everything, but then the most incredible thing happened." he paused for effect. Scully arched an eye brow. "Yes?" "People began falling out of the sky. They were dropping like--- like stones from the sky. Thousands of people, Scully." he licked his dry lips and went on. "Thousands. This went on for a few minutes before they just stopped. Like someone turned off the faucet." "Mulder, are you the only one who saw this?" she asked slowly, leaning forward. He shook his head. "Unlike my usual Modus Operandi, I wasn't the only one. Motorists were out of their cars watching. And I even heard about it on the radio while I was trying to find a damned parking place." Dana looked at him. "Mulder, I'm sure that if something like this had happened, someone would have been kind enough to come down here and tell us we're being invaded by aliens from outer space." Fox exhaled in an annoyed fashion. "They weren't aliens, Scully. They were people!" "Yeah, well, so was Soylent Green." Scully shook her head. "Listen, Mulder-----" A phone ringing interrupted Scully's sentence. Mulder, who was closer to the phone, snapped it up. "Fox Mulder---oh yes, sir---sure--my God--" he glanced over at Scully. "Right away---thanks." Scully watched Mulder turn pale as he hung up the phone. "Who was that?" she asked. Fox looked at her. "Skinner." he paused. "He said that the President has just issued a State of Emergency. Apparently, we have been invaded. And they're saying if we resist, they'll turn the entire United States into a pile of rubble." WASHINGTON D.C. THE J. EDGAR HOOVER BUILDING THE HISTORICAL FBI BUILDING TOUR NOVEMBER 14, 1999 8:30 A.M. "I wonder if I can find J. Edgar's lost dresses around here." whispered Johnny Cage to his newly wedded bride, Sonya Blade (who'd retained her maiden name), as they stood together on the FBI Headquarter's tour. Sonya elbowed him in the side. "Shhh. This is interesting." Johnny rolled his eyes as their tour guide droned on about the FBI Academy at Quantico, Virginia. To satisfy his boredom, Cage casually strolled over to a huge window. He looked out into the gloomy D.C. day, scanning for something interesting to stare at. Johnny looked around for a few minutes and was about to join back up with the group again when something caught his eye. "What the..." Johnny began, squinting at the sight. Finally, the actions transpiring below struck a chord in his mind. His eyes grew wide. "Oh my God." Not wasting any time Johnny briskly walked over to Sonya, grabbed her by the elbow and yanked her toward the window. "Johnny, I was listening to that! What's wrong with you?" she demanded, clearly upset. All Johnny did was point. Sonya looked curiously at him and then at the area he was pointing at. Within seconds, all the color drained from her face. Blade took a step away from the window, shaking her head. "I thought the Earth was safe..." she muttered. "I thought *we* were safe." Johnny put a hand on her arm. "Don't get hysterical babe." he looked back out at the scene. "Just stay calm. There is no reason they'd even come to this building, so for the moment we're safe." Sonya was gazing past Johnny and Cage shook her, fearing she was starting to "lose it". To Cage's shock, Sonya pushed away from him and ran to the window. He followed and then saw why she had been gazing past him. A hoard of black clothed men were marching directly toward the J. Edgar Hoover Building. "Are we still safe?" Sonya demanded. Johnny looked at her dumbly. WASHINGTON D.C. THE J. EDGAR HOOVER BUILDING THE OFFICE OF THE UNEXPLAINED AND PARANORMAL NOVEMBER 14, 1999 8:50 A.M. The Evacuation Order came at 8:45. Dana Scully heard the order and wasted no time packing her things into her carrying bad. Meanwhile, her much slower partner took his time packing. "Mulder, come on!" Scully snapped, her patience wearing thin. Fox Mulder didn't look up from where he was sorting through files. "Go ahead Scully. If you wait, you'll never beat the traffic." Scully gave him a look. She paused for a long while. "Okay. But I want you to call me the moment you get home." He nodded, still not looking up. "Yeah." he said, sounding far away. Dana gazed at him for a second and then tore herself away from the fine specimen standing behind his mahogany desk. Sighing, she left the office and closed the door behind her. As she walked down the hall toward the elevator, Scully began to think about the day's transpirings. The main thing on her mind was the "invasion" by unknown assialaints from an "unknown origin". Scully had thought to herself privately that maybe this invasion story was just another Orson Wells-hyped gimic. But those thoughts had disapeared when the order came drown from high and all government faciliites and buildings were shut down indefinately. Something inside Dana's gut told her this was no joke. Still thinking, Scully approached the corner that lead to the elevator. But just before she got to the corner, she heard a snap from her left foot. Looking toward, Dana saw that the heel had snapped off of her pump. "Great." she breathed, and kicked off her high heel. Just as she was picking the pump off of the floor, the elevator door dinged. Worried that she'd have to wait longer for the lift, Dana sprang forward and called out: "Could you hold that for--?" Scully stopped in mid sentence, flustered as she saw the inside of the elevator. A male and female agent lay in pools of their own blood. Standing over them were three black clad men, holding long metal poles with some sort of barb wire balls at the end of them. The only part of the mens' body that was visible were their feet and their eyes; The rest of them was covered with a shiny black material. Upon seeing this, Scully's eyes widened and she dropped the broken shoe she'd been holding in her hand. Once the shock had worn off, Dana's FBI trained mind jumped into mind. She dropped her carrying bag and grabbed her Walter PPK from under the blazer. "FREEZE! FBI!!" Scully knew this was a foolish thing to say, but nothing else came to mind. "DROP YOUR WEAPONS!!" The men looked at each other and then at her. They started forward. Scully took a step backwards and was in mid-step when she realized she was wearing only one shoe. But she realized this too late. Slightly off balance, Dana fell backwards onto her butt. Her gun flew out of her hands, hit a wall, ricocheted off the cement pillar and sailed right in between the feet of her antagonists. "Shit." Dana cursed softly. Fortunately for her, the men didn't stop to investigate the gun. They continued their pursuit of her, now lowering their staffs. Thinking fast, Scully kicked off her remaining shoe and whisked the smaller PPK out of her ankle holster. "STOP WHERE YOU ARE!!" she commanded. They didn't even seem to hear. Scully made up her mind and squeezed off five rounds at the first man and watched the bullets careen into his chest. The First Man fell like dead weight and lay still. The Second and Third Men didn't even seem phased as the kept walking toward the petite red-haired woman. Dana took a step backwards and fired six rounds into each of the men. They fell, their staffs clanging noisily on the cement ground. Their bodies stayed motionless. Scully lowered her gun and let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Keeping an eye on the bodies, she edged toward the hallway that led to she and her partner's office. WASHINGTON D.C. THE J. EDGAR HOOVER BUILDING THE LOBBY NOVEMBER 14, 1999 8:50 A.M. Johnny Cage couldn't believe his eyes. Sonya Blade couldn't believe her eyes. Their tour group had been led, by their guide back, down to the lobby where the instructions were being given for evacuation procedure. But Johnny Cage and Sonya Blade weren't listening. They had their eyes concentrated on the scene outside of Bureau Headquarters. "It's all happening again, isn't it." Sonya's words weren't a question; they were a statement. Johnny nodded solemnly, his eyes staring out the huge windows. For the first time in his life, he was speechless. And he had good reason. Outside of the J. Edgar Hoover building, three figures dressed in black were perched upon horses. Swarming around them were typical warriors--- typical Outworld warriors. These warriors were dressed in black, like the men on the horses, but their eyes were visible. They also were holding staffs with barbed wire balls or spears on the end of them. None of them looked like they would negotiate peacefully. "Is this a demonstration?" asked an elderly woman near Sonya. The Special Forces agent looked at her. "I'm sorry, ma'am. I wish I could say it was." A moment later, the group was moving hastily toward a back exit, leaving the army behind them. Sonya and Johnny exchanged looks but didn't move from their spots. The responsible tour guide, who was standing behind the bulk of the group, turned to Johnny. "Sir, the emergency exits are this way." she said in a kind voice. Johnny gave her a winning smile. "That's okay, Miss. We'll stay right here. Thanks." She gave them a strange look. "Sir, the President has given an order to evacuate the city. You have to leave." Sonya put a hand on the woman's shoulder. "You do your job and we'll do ours." The tour guide, obviously fed up, turned a cold eye on Sonya. She was preparing to return a remark when the glass doors and windows in the lobby of the E. Edgar Hoover building imploded. Johnny and Sonya ducked instinctively, turning their heads away from the blast. As for the tour guide, she stood frozen to the spot and merely shielded herself by throwing her hands in front of her face. Unfortunately, that didn't protect her much from the flying shards. She dropped dead to the ground after the glass pieces had stopped raining inward, two large pieces of glass protruding from her chest. Sonya saw this and stood slowly, her anger boiling over. Johnny also stood, his eyes searching the crowd of angry Outworlders. A booming voice spoke suddenly. "Ah! Sonya Blade and Johnny Cage. How nice it is to see you again." Sonya noted that the voice was coming from one of the three men riding on horseback. Bravely, she spoke. "Who are you?" The laughter was heard again. "I'm surprised you don't remember me, Miss Blade. It's hard to believe that your memory doesn't recall the voice of your lover's executioner." Sonya's eyes grew wide. "Shao Kahn." she breathed in a low voice. Johnny heard what she had said and he narrowed his eyes. "So you're the bastard that gave me one hell of a chiropractor's bill." Shao Kahn threw off the black hood that was residing on his head. "Guilty as charged." he paused and then continued. "You poor, poor mortals. Thinking that your Realm was safe for eternity..." "We won Mortal Kombat and Liu Kang killed you." Sonya hissed. "You cannot be alive." "Things just have a way of working out, don't they?" Kahn smiled and then raised his hand to signal his minions. "It was nice chit-chatting with you all, but we really do have a job to do." he then shouted, "ATTACK!!!!" Hundreds of warriors poured forth, heading straight for Johnny and Sonya. The couple didn't even have to exchange looks; they spun on their heels and ran. "Where are we going?!" Sonya yelled to Johnny as they sprinted deeper into the building. "I don't have the slightest clue!" Cage yelled back as they turned a corner sharply. He swept the area with his eyes and spotted an elevator sitting to their right. Johnny reached over, grabbed Sonya's hand and yanked her to the elevator. He stabbed the Call button and the two waited impatiently. "Come on!" Sonya pleaded. Scatterings of footsteps were sounding from only a few hundred yards from the couple. Just before their antagonists appeared around the corner, the doors to the elevator opened. Johnny turned around to scout out the Outworld warriors present location, when he saw a look of complete and utter horror on Sonya Blade's face. "Sonya?" he asked. Blade pointed into the elevator and Johnny followed her indications. What he saw almost made him sick. A male and female agent were sprawled on the floor of the lift, their bodies mutilated horribly. The female agent's throat had been slashed wide open and her arm was twisted at an impossible angle. Her hair was matted with blood while her reading glasses lay next to her, smashed to pieces. The male agent was worse off. He was lying face up, unlike the woman, and his eyes were open in a silent plea for mercy. His limbs were sprawled out and each looked as if it had been broken or at least fractured. His dress jacket lapels and sides were drawn back due to the way he'd fallen, exposing the white shirt and tie he wore underneath. There was blood all over the white tee-shirt and two holes were visible in his chest. Johnny was repulsed but he knew that this couldn't stop them for escaping. He held tight to Sonya's hand and sprang into the elevator, pulling her with him. The two tumbled into the elevator a few seconds before the doors shut, locking out the fierce warriors. Johnny sighed heavily and then blindly jabbed a button, now more interested in how his fiancee was faring. "You okay?" Cage asked, turning Sonya toward him. She was staring down at the dead bodies but managed a nod. Johnny didn't press her for details. Instead he reached down and searched the bodies for weapons. All he found was a Walter PPK strapped into a holster on the man. "Thanks." Cage said slowly and then closed the man's eyes. Sonya silently stood next to Johnny, trying to keep her Marine-like stance. So far, she was doing an excellent job. WASHINGTON D.C. THE J. EDGAR HOOVER BUILDING THE OFFICE OF THE UNEXPLAINED AND PARANORMAL NOVEMBER 14, 1999 9:00 A.M. Fox Mulder finished packing his files for the evening when he heard the door to his office fly open. He looked up, genuinely startled. There stood his partner, Dana Scully, looking breathless and shoeless. Blood was spattered on her navy blue blazer jacket. "Scully?" he asked, puzzled. Dana didn't say anything. She spoke no words as she locked the doors to the office. "Scully?!" Mulder repeated, more urgently. "What's wrong?" His partner walked over to him and gazed up into his liquid hazel eyes. Her blue eyes were streaked with confusion, adrenaline and fear. "I was on my way to the elevator," she began slowly, "when my heel broke and I stopped to fix it. The next thing I know, I hear the doors to the elevator opening so I ran out to make sure someone held them for me when---" Mulder saw her shaking and put his hand on her shoulder. He didn't know what to say. He'd never seen her act like this before and, frankly, it was unsettling. She continued after a brief pause. "---these men ran at me. They had spears or something like that and then there were these agents and they were dead and---" Mulder was very alarmed now. Without thinking, he grasped her hands with his and squeezed them. "Are you all right?" he asked, holding her hands tightly. Scully shakily brought in a breath. "They didn't hurt me. I, uh, shot them before they were able to attack. After they were down, I came back down here." "Okay, okay." he released her hands, feeling like he might have intruded her personal space. "Listen, I'm gonna gather up my stuff and then we'll head out." "Yeah." Dana sounded far away. "Yeah..." Mulder nodded and then turned away to get his things when he heard a light rapping at the far office door. He looked over at Dana. All the color had drained from her face. Fox moved toward the door but Scully's hand shot out, wrapping itself around his upper arm. "Don't." she said in a frightened whisper. "There may be more of them out there." The rapping continued and Mulder looked over at the door, torn between decisions. He finally drew his weapon and checked the clip. He gently pulled his arm away from Scully. "Stay here. I want you to cover me if something goes awry." Dana nodded slowly and drew her weapon. Mulder lowered his gun and put one hand on the door knob. As soon as Scully was in position and had her gun leveled, he threw open the door to reveal--- A barrel of a FBI issued Walter PPK. Mulder dropped his gun and put up his hands. The person behind the barrel of the gun did the same, showing his face. At first, Mulder didn't believe who he was seeing. "Johnny Cage?" Fox asked, puzzled. The man grinned. "Guilty as charged." The woman standing next to him brushed past the men and into the relative safety of the office. Johnny Cage followed her and Mulder shut the door behind them, locking it. "I didn't think we actually had movie stars touring Headquarters." Fox remarked, holstering his weapon. He took a step toward Johnny. "Special Agent Fox Mulder." Cage grinned and struck out a hand. "Johnny Cage." they shook. Johnny turned slightly toward the blonde woman who was standing just behind him. "This is my wife Sonya." "A pleasure, Ma'am." Fox held his hand out to her. Sonya gripped his hand. "Nice to meet you too... but please don't call me ma'am." "Of course." Mulder said quickly. A heartbeat later, he felt someone brush up to his side. Without looking over he said, "This is my partner, Special Agent Dana Scully." Scully shook hands briefly with the two. She then took a step behind Mulder. Her face was painted with tension and fear. Sonya caught the look and guessed what she was worrying over. "You met them, didn't you?" Blade said quickly, giving Scully an understanding look. Dana met her eyes. "*Them*?" "The Outworlders," Sonya explained. "Those men dressed in black with those javelin-looking weapons." "I was attacked." Scully said simply. "But that's all I saw. But frankly, I want to know what the Hell is going on." Sonya and Johnny exchanged looks, exhaled in unison, then turned back to the couple. "Have a seat..." Johnny started. WASHINGTON D.C. OUTSIDE THE J. EDGAR HOOVER BUILDING NOVEMBER 14, 1999 9:50 A.M. Emperor Shao Kahn sat upon his black horse, a smile upon his evil face. He watched as humans were led out of the Federal Building, hands in air. A few foolish ones tried to challenge the strength of the Outworld guards holding them captive but only death applauded them. "This is truly a glorious day." grinned the figure to Kahn's right. "Yeah." a voice from Kahn's left said. "I've been wanting to get these bastards back for years now." The emperor nodded. "I know what you mean, Kano." Kano looked over at Shao Kahn, his one red metallic eye gleaming. "I just hope they didn't kill Sonya. I wanted to deal with her personally." The figure who had been sitting to the right of Kahn looked over at Kano, his demon eyes piercing Kano's. "We will see about that, Mr. Kano." "I swear, Tsung, you're still hung up on her." Kano said with a snicker. Shang Tsung glared. "And you're not?" Kano was about to reply when Kahn held up his hand, signaling silence. The two were quiet as Admiral Tarkin, leader of the Outworld warriors, approached. Behind him was his second- in-command, General Piett. Tarkin's long, black cape swirled around him as he bowed deeply. "Honorable Emperor, we have secured the building. Everything is as you have wished." "Excellent." Kahn smiled widely and then added, "And Johnny Cage and Sonya Blade? What of them?" A look of nervousness crossed over the admiral's face but he forced a vivid smile. "They-- they have been recovered, sir." "I would like to see the bodies, Admiral." Kahn said quickly. Tarkin licked his dry lips. "I beg forgiveness, your Majesty, but they were burned in the fire. Yeah... the fire." "The fire?" Kahn asked curiously. "Yup." Tarkin gained even more confidence. "We had the two cornered in a room with many others. We figured the only way to exterminate our problem was by burning them." Kahn looked displeased but waved his hand at the Admiral and his General with reprimand. "Very well. Carry on." "Yes sir!!" chimed Piett and Taking in unison. They both then turned on their heel and continued back toward the mass of Outworld warriors. As soon as they were out of ear shot, Piett turned to his commanding officer. "Sir, why did you tell Emperor Kahn that Blade and Cage had been captured? We haven't even seen them!" "Shht!!" Tarkin warned, gazing behind them. "General Piett, if the Emperor knew that those two were still.... running around somewhere, he would have made target practice out of us!" Piett's eyes widened. "But sir, I can't lie----" Tarkin turned around sharply and stared Piett in the eyes. "General, I am your superior and I expect you keep your silence? Sonya Blade and Johnny Cage are dead! End of story!" "Yes sir," Piett said stonily. "Good." fired back Tarkin. "Now, report back to the squadron." Piett said nothing but carried out the Admiral's orders. Tarkin watched him go, then turned around to view the three perched upon their mighty steeds. He caught Kahn's eye and bowed again before turning back to his path. ______________________________________________________ WASHINGTON D.C. THE J. EDGAR HOOVER BUILDING THE OFFICE OF THE UNEXPLAINED AND PARANORMAL NOVEMBER 14, 1999 10:00 A.M. "...which leads us to today." Fox Mulder looked at Johnny Cage, his beautiful hazel eyes disbelieving. "So, you're saying that we've been invaded by an army of people who want to turn the Earth into a part of their world? And you're also saying this is some sort of surprise because we won this Mortal Kombat thing, which guaranteed our safety for another generation?" "Yes." Johnny replied. "And if we don't stop them, we're going to be enslaved for eternity." Mulder looked thoughtful. "Hmm.... I've heard that somewhere before----" Scully broke in. "How can we stop them?" Sonya looked at the agent forlornly. "We can stay alive. That's the only thing I can tell you." "What about this Liu Kang guy you were talking about?" Fox asked. "Could he help us out?" Johnny's eyes brightened for a second. "You know, that's not a half bad idea. Do either of you have a phone?" Within two seconds, three phones were thrust under Johnny's face. Two of which belonged to Mulder. Cage looked at him strangely as he took one of Mulder's phones. "You never know when the battery could go dead!" Fox protested weakly. Confused stares were hooked on him. "Well you don't!!" Scully rolled her eyes as she pocketed her phone. "And you wonder why you've got such a high phone bill." Mulder cast her a sideways look but kept his voice down as Johnny Cage dialed Liu Kang's phone number. ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA THE RESIDENCE OF LIU AND KITANA KANG NOVEMBER 14, 1999 10:13 A.M. The shrill ringing caused Kitana Kang to nearly jump out of her skin. She looked over at her husband and cautiously edged toward the phone, her hand sweaty as she picked up the receiver. "Yes?" Kitana said, trying to keep her voice stable. "Kit, it's Johnny." Kitana collapsed into a nearby chair. "Johnny, you scared the Hell out of me." "Sorry." Cage said apologetically. "Uh, Kit, have you heard the news---" Kitana interrupted him. "Yeah, you could say that. Johnny, where are you?" "Washington D.C." Cage laughed. "We're stuck in F.B.I Headquarters, surrounded by about ten thousand Outworld warriors." "Who's leading the attack?" Kit asked quickly. "Your foster step-dad." The words hit Kitana Kang like an icy punch. Her face instantly paled and she dropped the phone. She sat there, mouth agape and eyes not focusing as her husband picked up the fallen receiver. "Johnny, what's happening?" Liu Kang said, moving to sit next to his wife as he spoke. Johnny spoke quickly. "Kahn's back. And we're running out of time." "I know." he let out a shaky breath. "Where are you?" "D.C." Johnny told him. "We're trapped here." Liu reached over to squeeze Kit's hand. "Listen Johnny, I've got to go." With that Liu Kang hung up. Hatred boiled in his veins as he looked over at the dark cloaked figure standing beside him. The figure spoke. "Excellent Liu Kang." Liu said nothing. The figure moved closer. "Now, tell me, where are you friends?" Liu kept his silence. So the figure turned to Kitana. "Princess, why don't *you* tell me where Johnny Cage is." "You'll have to kill me first Shinnok." hissed Kitana. Shinnok grinned sickly. "How about killing the next best thing?" he moved his hand and a guard disappeared into the house. Kitana and Liu were slightly puzzled into the guard returned, their infant son in his grimy arms. Kitana sprang forward, anger vivid in her beautiful features. Two of Shinnok's personal bodyguards reached out and restrained the Princess before she reached her son. "You bastard!" she spat, struggling. "Don't you dare touch my son!" Shinnok laughed and held his hands out for the child. "This boy would be a good apprentice, don't you agree?" This time, Liu moved forward. It was a foolish move and Kang was attacked by yet another guard. The guard struck Liu in the throat, stopping the former Mortal Kombat champion in his tracks. He then threw Kang backwards into the wall. Liu fell and crumpled until he was picked up by his antagonist and held back. "That's better." Shinnok said quickly. "Now, are you ready to cooperate?" Kitana glared at him. She looked away but then back up at him. Her face was ever-defiant. "Never will I help you." Shinnok laughed. "As you wish." the boy began to fuss and Shinnok set him up against his shoulder. "Until you come to your senses, Princess Kitana, I will keep your son as collateral." "You can't--" Kitana struggled weakly against her captors. Liu spat, "If you hurt him, Shinnok, I swear I'll..." Shinnok interrupted. "You'll what?" he chuckled. "Mr. Kang, you are no position to threaten me. Now, if you two
lovebirds will excuse me, I have a schedule to keep." "Han!" Kitana called out, using her son's first name. The name rang out as a porthole opened and Shinnok departed. The guards holding Liu and Kitana threw them brutally down before making their escape. A gust of wind blew through the house and then the porthole was gone. Kitana Kang pulled herself into a sitting position. She then looked over at her husband. "Liu, are you okay?" Liu sat up, wincing. "For the most part." he pulled his wife to him. "What about you?" "He's got my baby." Kitana said hollowly as she wrapped her arms around him. "He's got my baby, Liu." "We'll get him back, I promise." he told her, cradling her in his strong arms. "But right now, we have to find Johnny." THE WHITE HOUSE THE OVAL OFFICE NOVEMBER 14, 1999 10:59 A.M. "Father, Father, look at this!!" Shao Kahn yelled excitedly as his father, Lord Shinnok, entered the door to Kahn's new office. Shinnok, who was still holding young Han Kang, humored his son. "What?" Kahn was jumping around excitedly. "This office! It's oval!! There are no corners! And look at the space under this desk! Wonder what the former President needed all this space for..." "That's great." Shinnok said with a fake smile. A second later, the baby began to fuss. "Oh geez...." Kahn looked over at his father. "What's that?" he asked, pointing at the child. "It's a baby!" Shinnok snapped. "A baby?" Kahn was puzzled. "Whose baby is it?!" Shinnok winced as Han began to cry. "Liu Kang's first born son." "Oh." Kahn nodded. "What are you doing with his baby?" "I was trying to get information on the whereabouts of Johnny Cage and Sonya Blade. But, the Princess was obstinate so I took her kid. And until she tells me where the other two fighters are, I'm keeping him." "Good plan, Father." smiled Kahn. "But, do you know how to take care of a child?" "I raised you, didn't I?" snapped Shinnok. "Actually, Mom took care of us because you were too busy scheming." Kahn admitted. "Oh yeah, that's right." Shinnok became increasingly annoyed by the crying child. "Why didn't I just kidnap Kitana with the baby?! That way this kid would shut up!" Kahn moved next to his father. "Maybe if you bounced him on your shoulder, he'd quiet down. Or try feeding him. He's probably hungry." Shinnok threw a sideways look at his son. "Do you want to take care of him?!" "No!!!" shouted Kahn obstinately.... but then his stern face dropped. "Actually, I've always wanted a son. Can I hold him?" "Sure!" Shinnok handed over the child to Kahn. Instantaneously, the child stopped crying. "I think he likes me." smiled Kahn. A few seconds later, he spoke again. "So, Cage and Blade are alive?" "Yes." Shinnok replied. "And I know they are somewhere in D.C." "Strange." Kahn said as he gently rocked the infant. "I was told they were killed in a fire..." Kahn looked down at Han; He was asleep. He handed the child carefully to a nearby guard, who took him out of the Oval office and toward a comfortable resting place. Once Han was gone, Kahn turned to his Father. "They still have to be in the J. Edgar Hoover building. I'll sent someone to alert Kano of their positions since he's taking over the F.B.I ." Shinnok smiled. "So, you've given control of the Hoover building to Kano? That was smart. He'll use the resources well." he paused. "And Shang Tsung?" "He's setting up camp at that domed building with the water pond in front of it---" Kahn looked down at a stack of papers on the desk. "Ah. The Capitol Building. He has the army there, planning how to administer the rest of the Earth." "For the first time, my son, nothing can stop us! We will be victorious!" Shinnok laughed. "Nothing!!" TO BE CONTINUED