Los Angeles
Johnny Cage sat in his mansion in Bel-Air, sipping some Zima and reading over the new
script that he'd been given from his agent. Stan, his agent, was sitting on the sofa across
from Johnny, a gleam of hope in his eyes. Johnny took another sip and then crumpled up
the sheets of paper, and threw them in the trash bin. Stan's eyes lost the hopeful gleam.
"Johnny," he said, "You have got to do another picture! And soon! I heard that Ken
Masters is winning over your audience! His latest film, Double Smash, outsold your last
two combined!" Johnny looked up from his Zima and said, "How can I get back my audience
doing movies like this garbage?" Johnny nodded toward the trash bin. "okay Johnny, if you
won't do a movie, then at least enter some tournaments! I'm begging you!" Johnny
looked annoyed. "Alright," he said, "What tournaments are scheduled?"
"The world champion Kempo competition."
"Won it last year."
"The K-1 kick-boxing tournament is being held in a few weeks."
"Won it the year before."
"Come on, Johnny! There's nothing else! Wait...Something called Mortal Kombat?"
"Huh? Mortal Kombat? Never heard of that one. Where is it held? What're the stakes?"
"It doesn't say where it's held, just to get on a boat and they'll take you there. Doesn't say what
the stakes are. But come on Johnny, can't you tell this is a scam?"
"Hey, do I pay you for your inept opinion?"
"No."
"Then get me tickets for that boat and shut up!"
Hoshi Island, off the coast of China
A blue-clad ninja kneeled on a stone floor, his eyes averted from the grandmaster addressing him.
"You are our most cunning and dangerous assassin, Sub-Zero. You will travel to the
Emperor's island on the Dragon Boat. Go to the East docks of Hong Kong. Do not
shame the Lin-Quei, Sub-Zero, or the penalties will be severe." Without a word, the
blue clad ninja bowed low and walked out of the room. As Sub-Zero exited the
Lin-Quei secret headquarters, he sensed something. He couldn't quiet put his finger on
it, but he knew it wasn't good. He lept forward, just as an energy ball destroyed the
ground that he was standing on the moment before.
He whipped his head around to see who tried to kill him, and his eyes widened. It was a
ninja dressed exactly like him, but yellow and black instead of blue. But Sub-Zero knew
this wasn't a man. It was a ninja from an opposing clan, Scorpion.
One day, the two of them had fought each other to see whose clan was strongest.
Scorpion wounded Sub-Zero in the throat with a throwing knife. As Scorpion stood over
Sub-Zero he thought the battle already won, and turned to walk away. The name Sub-
Zero was a fitting one, though. He silently placed his hands in front of his
stomach, palms facing each other, and a cold wind began to blow. The wind gathered in
his cupped hands, forming a swirling ball of ice, over 250 degrees below zero. Scorpion
noticed the cold wind, and turned around, only to see Sub-Zero's arms outstretched and
the ball of ice flying towards him. Scorpion was literally frozen in his tracks, and Sub-
Zero walked up to him to deliver the killing blow.
Scorpion looked at him, hate filling his eyes, and said, "I have learned you will be entering the tournament, Sub-Zero." Sub-Zero's eyes narrowed. "yes," he said, "What of it?" Scorpion smiled under his mask. "I too, will enter the tournament, to get a chance at avenging my unfair death. Do you know what it is like, in the great void? An eternity of nothingness awaits me if I fail. But fail is one thing I will not do. I will kill you, Sub-Zero. I will even protect your life from others, just to make sure that it is I who will kill you, and I who will earn entrance into my clan's victory halls!" Scorpion lifted into the air, a yellow energy gathering around him. Sub-Zero shook his fist at the spectre. "Do your worst, demon! You will fail!" With that, Scorpion flickered, then disappeared. Sub-Zero started to walk away. "This is very bad." he thought to himself.