Mortal Kombat - Smoke Ch. 01

The newly-formed silhouette is entirely pitch black and made of nothing more than darkness and smoke, giving him an unearthly, murky appearance. There's a gloom that emanates off of him that makes me shiver with dread. Despite his shady appearance, I notice that he had the same features as the warrior he stood by: long flowing hair, silver armor, strong arms. This man went without a mask, however, so I can see the finer details of his face.

A strong, narrow jaw line highlights mile-high cheekbones and a sharp, aquiline nose. His eyes shine silver in the fluorescent lights, causing them to seem almost demonic. A slightly upturned mouth with lips that beg to be devoured finishes off his appearance, making this shadow one of the most attractive and unsettling creatures I've ever seen.

At it again, are they? The shadow's eyes narrow as he stares at their companions. His voice is dark, calculation and deadly.

The silver warrior nodded sharply. It would seem so. I wish they wouldn't. We don't have time.

Dear gods, no! Not one of them!

I nearly faint out of panic. The shadow being is an enenra, a dead creature made of smoke and vapor and the soul of a hideously tortured man. That would explain the holes in the warrior's soul when I scanned him. He must have suffered a gruesome, untimely death, and the pain and anger he experienced created the enenra that stands beside him. The fiend then resurrected its former body as a host, feeding off his rage and pain while the man went on with life.

That's why he's been affecting me so deeply. The dead creature within him, as well as the man himself, has been pulling at me, beckoning for me to come closer and fall into their dark spell. I catch my breath and close my eyes, hoping it hasn't laid its trap intentionally and noticed that I've fallen straight for it. If it does, neither myself nor the man it inhabits will come out of this unscathed. Or virgins.

Fear and arousal boiling under my skin, I turn away to stare at something -- anything -- but the twin men beside me. If I don't make eye contact, they may just ignore me and continue to argue. But try as I may to stay out of their sight, I can't stop their conversation from seeping into my head.

The enenra scoffs. You know Sub-Zero. He's been looking for a fight ever since his brother was killed.

True, but we can't waste valuable time bickering over knives. Raiden needs us back as soon as possible.

Just smack them, the darker man snaps. If we need to go, then let's go.

I can't. You know Sub-Zero's temperament as well as I do, so there's no use in trying. All we can do now is wait for them to talk it out and move on.

The enenra snarls and glares at his other half. We can't stand here for the next ten years while they talk it out! We need to get moving before Raiden-

The enenra's shining silver eyes locked on me, widening in both shock and intrigue. He stares at me for a moment, those unearthly eyes of his making my skin crawl and my cheeks flush. The shadow elbows his earthly twin, his eyes never shifting from mine. Inside, I start to panic. It's seen me, so it's only a matter of time before it figures out what I am and decides to come after me.

And who is this delicious little thing? His lips pull back in a wicked, hungry smile.

The silver warrior's eyes widen, then snap closed as he draws a deep breath. Not now.

Come on. The shadow nudges his partner again. Introduce us.

No.

And why not?

I said no. I won't allow you to touch the girl.

Stingy, the enenra spits at his twin. He looks at me again, his smile becoming less wicked and more intrigued. She's pretty.

Yes, but my answer is no.

The enenra scowls again. Oh, come now! Not everything in our life must be dictated by that dried up old wretch! We can have a little fun while we're out. Sektor chases women around all the time.

The silver warrior narrows his eyes. Absolutely not. I won't sink to that despicable creature's level.

His other half snorts angrily. You and I couldn't sink that low if we tried. That boy has more than a few bolts missing in his head. His scowl deepens. The fact that he's the Grandmaster's son doesn't help his attitude much.

True, by my answer is still no. I'm not going to drag that woman into this. Into us.

The darker half snarls again, crossing his arms over his chest. Stubborn little brat. No wonder the Grandmaster labeled you a problem child from the start.

The silver warrior's eyes narrowed as he squared his shoulders. You have my answer.

The darker man growls in frustration. I'm only talking one night! A single, solitary night that the two of us could let loose a little! How long has it been since you've had a dream about any woman? Not since you were fourteen? All it would take is one quick roll in the sheets and we'd be set!

My heart starts pounding in my chest. Not only has the enenra seen me, it's interested. That's never a good thing, especially for my kind. Enenras are inherently dark, malicious creatures with very low impulse control. Once they have their mind on something, they don't let go until they either own it or destroy it. Unfortunately, when it comes to mating, they've developed a taste for Necromancer flesh. If they can, they'll kidnap any female of my race and take off, keeping her hidden within their shadowy world while they mate continuously.

Even more disturbing is our role in this horrific game of theirs. For some unknown reason -- be it supernatural or otherwise, we don't know yet -- Necromancers are drawn towards the enenras themselves, so we're by no means an innocent partner in all of this. They make us physically hunger for them, sending our bodies into reproductive overdrive. For females like me, it's a call that's almost impossible to ignore.

I scowl to myself, silently cursing my bad luck. Not only have I fallen directly into an enenra's trap, its host is unnaturally attractive, making it a double dose of raging hormones being dumped into my bloodstream. It's a one-two punch that would knock out any female of my kind. And I'm trapped here, staring at the two of them while they bicker over what to do with me. I can only hope I've concealed my bloodmark enough that it won't sense my heritage.

All I'm asking for is one damn night! A few hours with a girl like that and you can be celibate for the rest of your life! The shadow continues to glare at his twin as he shouts silently.

The answer is no. We have more discipline than that.

This isn't about discipline. This is about getting you to relax a little bit and enjoy yourself for once. Even Sub-Zero joined the others on that little hiking adventure. By all accounts, it was a fantastic time that we missed out on because of your attitude.

The silver warrior sighs. No.

The enenra growls at him. Damn you. It would be so easy, too. All you'd need to do was knock her out, carry her back to the temple and she's yours! Stun her, toss her over your shoulder and head back before the others even know you're gone.

You're talking about kidnapping a girl we've seen for ten minutes. We don't even know her. There'd be too much risk to even try.

The shadow rolls his eyes. Take a chance one in a while, will you? She'd be perfect. A sly grin graces his lips. I'll bet she's a spitfire in bed.

Stop. The silver warrior squeezes his eyes shut in frustration. That's enough.

You're infuriating! The darker half snarls again. A single night. A single fucking night and we'd be done with it. Look at her. That body is practically begging to be laid across a fur pelt. It would only take a few hours, but it would worth the effort just to-

The enenra pauses, his eyes shifting to me again. I force myself to stare at a collection of knives in the cases, but I can still see him from the corner of my eye. His gaze narrows at me in concentration, widens in shock, then narrows again, this time accompanied with a slow, sinful smile.

I knew it, he purrs.

His twin freezes. What?

The evil smile remains on the enenra's lips. She's a Necromancer. That's why she smelled so delectable.

My heart nearly stops. I can usually go undetected by even the strongest of supernatural beings, but apparently I didn't hide my scent well enough here. My panicking has dulled my concentration and allowed a small amount of my bloodmark to slip through, giving away my heritage and the obvious connection it carried.

You're sure? The silver warrior's eyes widen in shock but remain focused on his companions.

Absolutely. She's hid her scent well up until now, but the blood of a Necromancer is unmistakable. His grin widens an inch. And delicious.

His twin closes his eyes again and sighs. Careful with this one. She may have sensed us as well. One wrong move and she'll run for it.

His darker half shakes his head slowly, dangerously. Well, we can't have that. We'll have to keep her penned in somehow.

No. Leave her be. We don't have time for your petty impulses and there's no reason to drag her into this.

The enenra pulls back an inch. Still...Why waste such a delectable thing? He stares at me intensely, taking his time to inspect me. Imagine her straddling us in bed...

Damn you! I said enough! The warrior, obviously furious, squeezes his eyes shut, trying desperately to block out the thoughts he secretly feels but doesn't want to acknowledge.

Don't get pissy with me. It's not like this is anything you haven't thought about already. You were drooling over the girl the moment she walked up to Stryker. The enenra's eyes soften for a moment, starting at me cautiously. Besides, it would be better that she was with us. If either of the sorcerers found her-

My head snaps up. Despite blushing furiously during that last exchange, I was able to keep my head down and avoid suspicion. But the mention of sorcerers has caught my attention. They're notorious for finding ways around our resurrection laws and causing mayhem around the world. We usually end up executing them to make sure they don't make the same mistakes again, but a few of the strongest have evaded our grasp. If the spell casters these two are discussing are of any importance, then I need to know. It could mean finding a few rogue mischief-makers and taking them down.

Taking a deep breath and closing my eyes, I reach out and slip into the warrior's soul, mentally linking us together. Neither he nor his enenra half will feel my presence until I make it known, but it's the easiest way to converse with them without anyone else knowing.

Which ones?

The warrior and his shadow half freeze, their eyes narrowing in confusion as they scan the room for intruders. I can't blame them for being confused. It's not everyday that you hear a completely new voice in your head asking questions about you private conversations. My heart is out of control, but I do my best to focus on keeping the link tight.

The enenra decides to take the chance. Which ones of what?

You mentioned sorcerers. Which ones?

The silver warrior sighs and closes his eyes. Well done. She's found a way into our conversation. I hope you're satisfied.

He opens his eyes and turns to look at me, those dark chocolate orbs boring into my own. He looks both furious and intrigued, but I'm more concerned about getting lost in his gorgeous eyes than I am about his temper. I shake myself and refocus, hoping to find out something of significance.

Shang Tsung and Quan Chi.

God damn it!

I nearly scream, but all I allow for a physical change is narrowing my eyes. I know those two worthless pieces of garbage very well. They're two of the worst offenders when it comes to breaking our laws. They're also the most dangerous, turning their resurrected souls loose on innocent people and using them to help Shao Khan try to gain control of the realms.

Shang Tsung is hazardous as far as sorcerers go, but he's controllable. All those stolen souls he keeps locked in his body make him extremely powerful with magic, but they leave physical body vulnerable. A few good hits to his head and he's out of commission for a while. Quan Chi's the nastier of the two - self-absorbed, friend-less and a certified nutcase. He's the ultimate opportunist and will take down anyone who gets in his way of grabbing more power.

I literally growl inside my head. Damn it, I was hoping those two had died in a fiery crash somehow.

The silver warrior relaxes slightly, relieved that I'm not clueless about the darker workings of the world. Unfortunately not. Both of them have partnered with Shao Khan to merge the realms.

I stare at him, stunned. Merge the realms? That's impossible. Khan's an Outworlder. He's not allowed to merge anything until Outworld wins ten Mortal Kombat tournaments in a row. Earthrealm broke his streak by winning the tenth round least year, how could he...

I break my stoic character and cup my face in my hands. My mind starts spinning in circles, trying to catch up to itself. An enenra, two rogue sorcerers, Shao Khan breaking the Kombat rules...this is too much for one day. I need a ham sandwich and a Diet Coke now, before my brain decides it's had enough and self-destructs.

Raiden. Get to Raiden. Or find the Elders.

I stop my impending panic attack and refocus. Finding Raiden or my Elders is the safest bet. I may be strong for a female Necromancer, but I'm nowhere near powerful enough to take down Shao Khan and two sorcerers. I need help, big time.

Where's Raiden? If all three of those nutcases are lose, we're screwed if we don't get help.

He's at the Shao Lin temple with the others.

I perk up a tiny bit. Others? There are more of you?

The silver warrior nods. We fought alongside Raiden in the last tournament to keep Khan under control.

I give a small sigh of relief. Good. At least we'll have some help. I'm going to suppose you don't have an army behind you, but we'll take what we can get. I flick my eyes towards the other two men, still bickering beside us. Are they part of your team?

He nods again. Stryker and Sub-Zero.

How well do you know them?

I've known Stryker since the last tournament. He's an excellent fighter and extremely loyal, but a bit bull-headed. Sub-Zero and I trained together at the Lin Kuei.

My happiness falters slightly, and a new wave of pity for this man washes over me. The Lin Kuei. The Gods damn those sadistic bastards. Kidnapping children and forcing them to become assassins and thieves against their will. The good news is that they're given the best training possible when it comes to martial arts. The bad news? They become damn good at their jobs, taking down their targets without anyone noticing until the corpse is found.

None of the Necromancer clans have ever gotten along with that organization, and we probably never will. It's not the assassins that we disagree with -- we understand perfectly that this fate wasn't their choice -- it's their Grandmaster. He's a tyrannical old bastard who demands complete obedience over anything else. He alone is the reason we can't get along with the Lin Kuei. We've offered him help and suggestions before, but he's turned us down each and every time. He's so ingrained with his archaic teaching and so suspicious of outsiders that he kills off anyone who comes near his temple.

As if kidnapping and brainwashing kids wasn't bad enough, he's implemented a new program called the Cyber Initiative. Teaming up the oh-so-reliable Black Dragon group, he's started turning every warrior he has into a cyborg, effectively stripping the men of their minds and souls in order to increase productivity. It's the epitome of inhumane, and our Elders have issued a kill order on both the Grandmaster and the program itself.

So you've known each other since you were kids, I sigh inwardly.

Yes. The Lin Kuei warriors are my only family. Sub-Zero is like a brother to me.

I look him in those amazingly gorgeous eyes, confused. You don't remember your parents?

He shakes his head. I have no memory of my childhood at all

Oh...

I'm speechless, though my mind quickly puts the pieces together. He's an enenra, so technically he's died at some point in his life. If he has no memory of his childhood, then it's possible the death occurred while he was still a kid, and his resurrection by the enenra within him must have wiped any memories he had.

Oh, poor thing...

Who?

I blush furiously. I've forgotten that our minds were still linked! I drop my head and fiddle with the case locks, trying to avoid any more embarrassing mental outbursts.

Sorry, I forgot we were still linked. I'll leave.

I understand. Would it be wise to inform Sub-Zero and Stryker of our conversation? Knowing you are an enemy of Shang Tsung may help ease Sub-Zero's fury a bit.

I look at the silver warrior, my eyes flicking to the man in blue for an instant. Those two have a nasty history, huh?

He nods. Shang Tsung played an active role in his brother's death.
Oh...I nod slowly. Yeah, that'll do it.

I turn to look at the blue warrior, watching him with guarded interest. Sub-Zero.

It's a moniker that fits him well. Suddenly, the chill that poured from his skin and his icy blue eyes make perfect sense. A Cryomancer.

I smile to myself. I've never seen one, but the tales our Elders tell paint them as a powerful, honorable race from the dark corners of Outworld who worked closely with our kind. Purebloods haven't been seen in Earthrealm for centuries, but it's known that they travelled here as refugees during the Edenian wars and mated with human females. This man must be a descendant of that clan, which means that he's probably heard of his family's close ties to the Necromancers. If things go bad, he and I would most likely get along well and not try to kill each other.

I look back at him, curious. So he's Sub-Zero, and the cop is Stryker. And you would be?

He inclines his head regally. I am called Smoke.

Sara Ishigawa. I smile softly and nod. You said something about his brother's death...

His elder brother was also named Sub-Zero. After his death, Tundra took his place to honor him.

I see. Brotherly love at its best.

I suppose, although it's made him a bit of a target for the other Lin Kuei.

I nod, pursing my lips in annoyance. Of course it would. How dare he throw a wrench into that haggard old nutball's perfect little android army.

I pause, blushing again. I've just insulted the Lin Keui's Grandmaster in front of one of their best and brightest warriors. I nearly slap myself for my stupidity.

Sorry. I didn't mean for you to hear that.

He shakes his head slowly, his eyes pained. There is no insult. Since the Cyber Initiative, Sub-Zero and I have become disillusioned with out leader. What was once a proud, honorable family of warriors has devolved into a breeding ground for greed and abuse.

How so?

He looks away for an instant. The Grandmaster has ordered that every warrior within the ranks is to undergo the Cybernetic transformation.