Mortal Kombat - Smoke Ch. 01

Sub-Zero turns to face my boss as he waddles over. Mr. Fowler is a big man, but big in the sense that he's wider than he is tall. He's still got a full head of messy brown hair, but his once-bright eyes have dulled and sunk into his face. He always wears tight dress slacks and a button-down shirt adorned with the most hideous ties available on the market.

Don't get me wrong, Mr. Fowler looks like the angry, middle-aged boss everyone hates, but he's actually a great guy. He's one of the rare bosses who doesn't believe that the customer is always right. More often than not, he'll side with his employees of he even thinks you're being an ass or uncooperative. He's a good boss, but he'll chew you out if you step too far over that invisible line of personal conduct.

I blush involuntarily as he walks toward us, the action making our argument seem even more real. "Sir, I caught these three idiots just as they had finished destroying the snack aisle. The place is a mess. I was trying to tell them that even if they pay, we still can't have them in our store."

"Mr. Fowler, this young lady was harassing us the entire time. She was yelling at us non-stop and began shoving my friend out the door." Sub-Zero sounds genuinely pissed.

Mr. Fowler looks at me for a moment, then at Sub-Zero. "If you did ruin one of our displays, we will ask you to leave. Whether you pay for the damages or not is irrelevant."

I smile for an instant, happy he believes my story, them my face falls and a new bubble of panic starts to rise in my gut. This whole act is a lie. We never even went near the snack aisle on our way out. If Mr. Fowler finds out I was lying to him, I could really lose my job.

Oh no. Please, dear gods, let him believe us.

Mr. Fowler reaches down and grabs his radio, pressing the button on the side and waiting for the static to clear. "David. Get down here now. I need to ask you a question."

My mood falls even further. David's the resident kiss-ass in the store, doing anything and everything he can to win the boss' favor, despite being a complete idiot and a thief. Luckily, Mr. Fowler sees right through his scheme and keeps him as a janitor, never letting close to the registers.

As quick as lightening, David comes racing through the storefront and skids to a halt next to us. Dressed in black slacks and his signature navy polo, he's the essence of over-confident model look-alike. He's got the Johnny Depp cheekbones, Brad Pitt jaw and Hugh Grant smile that makes all the women around him (except me, thank the gods) swoon. Unfortunately, he's got the spoiled-brat attitude to match, making him completely off-limits to my attention. He slides up next to Mr. Fowler and gives him his trademark model smile, awaiting instruction like a good little brown-noser.

Mr. Fowler turn and looks at him intensely. "David, Sara's told me the she's been having an issue with these men."

"Has she now?" David looks at me and grins, trying to use his charm to make me melt like all the other women.

I pull back a millimeter in disgust. David's handsome no doubt, but he's a total ass who's more concerned with his looks than his work ethic. He knows he looks good and uses his appearance to get almost anything he wants. He's also a huge playboy who loves the chase, going after women for months before discarding them once they agree to hop into his bed. So far, I'm the only girl who's ever consistently said no to him for an extended period of time -- I'm talking two years -- so he's been after me non-stop since I was hired, trying to get into my pants.

Mr. Fowler continues. "She says that these three men have wrecked the whole snack aisle. Supposedly, the whole area is wrecked and they've done hundreds of dollars in damage. Is that true?"

Oh no. Here it comes.

David sighs and slumps his shoulders. "Yeah. It's a mess back there. Chips and popcorn and salsa everywhere. It's going to take Max and me hours to clean the whole place up."

I somehow manage to hide my shock and mask it with a small smile of triumph. Still, my head is spinning. David wants me, but he's not kind-hearted enough to lie for me just to get me into bed. He's a player alright, but he's still more concerned with himself than anything else. If keeping his job means stepping over you or lying through his teeth, he'll do it. In this case however, it seems he's telling the truth. Somehow, the snack aisles did get trashed, so my story is technically true despite its false start

But...how?

I look up to Mr. Fowler, wanting to ask how much damage was actually done to the aisles -- something to clear up my confusion -- when Smoke catches my eyes, standing off to the side with Stryker. He's staring at me intensely, waiting for me to notice him. His chocolate eyes hold my gaze for a moment before flicking to Mr. Fowler, then to David, then back to me. My own eyes follow his path, coming to rest on him with just as much confusion as I'd had before. Then, without saying a word, he winks at me.

The enenra.

The pieces of the puzzle fall into place. Smoke knew our argument was just a ruse, and that the entire plan would crumble to pieces if some part of it wasn't validated. He must have sent his enenra back into the store to actually ruin the store so our story looks legitimate.

I smile gently at him. That enenra of yours isn't so bad.

He nods slightly. He has his uses.

My eyes scan the room, seeking the shadow creature out. I can't see him, nor can I sense him. My gaze floats back to Smoke.

Where is he?

His eyes widen slightly as he shakes his head. Don't give him reason to come out.

I blush and nod, pulling away just in time to catch the last of Mr. Fowler's conversation with David.

"Don't worry, sir. We'll get it cleaned up. We'll rope off the adjacent aisles so nobody slips." David grins again, being the good little kiss-ass that he is.

Mr. Fowler nods and smiles. "Good. Do what you can and don't try to get the stuff you can't reach. We'll call a professional cleaner after lunch to get the hard stuff."

With a flick of his hand, he dismisses David. Before leaving to clean up the mess, David smiles at me and gives me a quick wink. I blush and smile back shyly, quickly averting my gaze from his. His smile widens an inch as he skips away, incorrectly thinking I've finally fallen for his oversexed charm.

"Now then," Mr. Fowler turns towards Sub-Zero. "Since the three of you have successfully trashed my store and lied about being harassed, I'm going to ask you to leave."

Despite his mask hiding most of his face, Sub-Zero manages to look outraged. "Ignorant asshole! We come in here to do legitimate business with you, and all you and your employees can do is berate us and threaten to throw us out!"

Mr. Fowler scowls. "It's not a threat, sir. This is a promise. I'll also have you banned from our store."

Now Stryker, who has finally caught onto the scheme, chimes in. "Listen here, buddy. My friends and I were just having a little fun. So we busted a few bags of chips. You're part of a huge multi-national company. It shouldn't matter that much. Besides," he crosses his arms over his chest menacingly, "I think you're just trying to kick us out because we're not dressed like everyone else and you don't like it."

Mr. Fowler turns his attention to Stryker. "Let me make this clear: Whether you are or aren't real cops or ninjas is irrelevant. You and your buddies have trashed my store, which impacts our inventory. But you've also insulted and falsely accused my employee, who's just doing her job. That is what has me upset. So as far as I'm concerned, you three can take your costumes and never come back in here."

Stryker looks pissed. "You arrogant asshole! I'll sue you for every cent you've-"

I step up and grab Stryker by the shoulders, spinning him around so I can push against his shoulders again. For the second time, I start shoving him out the door, feeling hundreds of eyes staring at me as I do. Stryker goes easier this time, knowing his role in our little game, but still puts up a believable fight.

"Just leave, damn it," I bark. "You've done enough damage already."

"Listen, lady! I'll make sure everyone employed here is fired! Just you wait!"

Despite needing to keep up the game, I don't like yelling at an ally. Thankfully, we reach the main doors of the store quickly and I push him out into the parking lot. I shove him forward, watching him stumble before regaining his balance and storming off. I scowl at him and place my hands on my hips, watching as Sub-Zero and Smoke come racing out of the store after him. Sub-Zero gives me an imperceptible nod as he rushes by, heading towards Stryker. Smoke also races past me, his dark brown eyes locking on mine.

Wait for me out here. I need to sign out and get my stuff. We'll leave as soon as I'm done.

He nods. Will do.

Fifteen minutes max. I promise.

He nods again and speeds towards his friends, slowing down as he reaches them. I watch him place a hand on Sub-Zero's shoulder to tell him something. Sub-Zero nods, looks back at me and nods again. I return the gesture and make my way back inside, wanting to get out of here as soon as possible.

Mr. Fowler is waiting for me as I walk back in, arms folded across his chest and glaring out the door. I walk up to him sheepishly, the realization that I've just shoved people out the door -- whether they were acting or not -- and it could end up costing me my job. I stop a foot in front of him, clenching my hands nervously and staring at the floor. Finally, his gaze shifts to me.

"You alright?"

I look up at him, confused. Of course I'm fine, but that little charade we just pulled is a huge no-no in the corporate world. I'm honestly worried that my attempt to save those men, along with everyone else in this store, could get me fired.

His eyes soften and he frowns. "Those men were twice your size, Sara. You shoved the big guy out that door like you were herding a small child. They could have seriously hurt you."

I blush. "Oh... yeah, I'm fine."

His eyes narrow at him worriedly. "You sure? I know they trashed the store and you were doing the right thing, but they were still pretty pissed. The blue guy sounded serious about filing harassment charges against you."

I shrug. "If they try anything, I'll just dropkick them and throw them out again. I can defend myself."

Mr. Fowler sighs. "Still, I don't want you getting hurt. You're one of my best employees, and I'd hate to lose you because some numbskull decided to take his anger out on you instead of the Doritos."

And this is why you're an awesome boss.

I smile and shrug my shoulders again. This is why I love Mr. Fowler. He's big and tough and mean-looking, but he's one of those guys who will defend his employees to the death and isn't afraid to chew out an unruly customer. He's the first boss I've had who's stood up for me, and I'm more than willing to give him rave reviews on the annual report.

He reaches out and puts an arm around my shoulder, pulling me away from the main doors and leading me back to my register. "Come on. You've had on hell of a day today and you're almost an hour past your time. Let's get you clocked out so you can head home."

I smile up at him. "I'm still getting paid for the extra hour, right?"

He smiles back. "Yes, and if I could pay you separately for all the times you've had to throw someone out of this store, I would."

The company would be broke if you did that.

I'm not kidding. In this part of town, we get a lot of crazy people walking through these doors. While I'm certainly not the biggest or the most bad-ass person who works here (Nathan, our security guard, is built like an ox), I'm the only one who's got a background in ass-kicking. If anyone is being extremely unruly or acting like a total dick, Mr. Fowler has given me the green light to knock them on their ass and toss them out of the store. Being the daughter of the Japanese Necromancer lieutenant-general has its perks, sometimes.

We reach my register and I pull away from him long enough to clock out and retrieve my till. I close the drawer and turn around, following him back to the main office. As per our store rules, one of the other male workers comes around the line of registers and follows behind me while I carrying my drawer. Our store is always busy, meaning that our registers usually have a good amount of money inside them. We've had a few people try to grab at our drawers on our way back to the office, so Mr. Fowler has every cashier flanked by another worker to discourage any thoughts about making off with the cash.

Once we get to the main office, Mr. Fowler unlocks the door and lets me inside first so the other worker can go back to his post. Mr. Fowler follows behind me and closes the door, keeping it unlocked but always making sure there's a heavy box stuck behind it as a block, just in case. I sit down in the plush chair on the opposite side of his desk and set my drawer down. I sit quietly and fold my hands in my lap, waiting patiently as Mr. Fowler counts out the money in my drawer.

Please wait for me. Please wait for me.

"Alright, Sara," Mr. Fowler chimes. "You're right on. And you did a great haul for today. Probably your best to date."

I smile proudly. "Thanks."

He smiles back, then frowns, contemplating something. "Sara, when do you work next?"

I pause, scanning my schedule in my head. "I open tomorrow and I clock out at noon."

He nods slowly. "Take tomorrow off."

My jaw hits the floor as I stare at him, completely dumbfounded. Mr. Fowler is nice man and a great boss, but he'd rather chew a mouthful of carriage bolts than change the schedule without notice. Sick days, pre-made plans and emergencies are always allowed, but if you simply request a day off without doing it well in advance, good luck getting a break. Having Mr. Fowler tell me to skip work tomorrow is both a blessing and a conundrum.

"Y-you sure?" I stammer, still in shock.

He sighs and leans back in his chair, folding his hands across his chest. "Sara, you had the busiest register today, got hounded by an army of horny old men and stayed an extra hour dealing with three bulked-up assheads who trashed the snack aisle. Take tomorrow off. You deserve that."

Holy shit. Super score!

I try my best to hide my enthusiasm, and instead give him a shy, grateful smile. "Thank you, sir. I'll see you on Monday."

He nods and smiles at me as I stand up and leave the office. I turn and head down the rows of food aisles towards the two massive loading doors at the back of the store. I push through them and turn to my left, going through a smaller bright red door and into the employee break room. I open my fluorescent-yellow locker and grab my stuff, closing it behind me as I pull my jacket on.

I exit the break room and head back out into the main store area, stopping at Emma's register so she can call James over. He smiles at me and checks my purse, looking for anything suspicious. By now, every employee the store knows I carry a switchblade in my purse, so James scans over it before giving me a thumbs-up and walking away. I slide behind Emma just long enough to sign out of my shift, then spin around and head for the door.

Emma's hand wraps around my wrist, pulling me back a bit. Startled, I turn around and look at her, seeing a huge grin on her face.

"That was kick-ass, Sara," she chirps.

I laugh shyly and shrug. "Thanks."

She continues to grin, but her eyes flick towards the doors for an instant before sliding back to me. "Those guys were twice your size! I'm surprised they didn't try to smack you.
I shrug again and smile. "If the did, I would have killed them."

"Damn straight," she pauses, now looking wistful. "Seriously, though...I think the silver one liked you."

I blush so intensely I nearly faint from lack of blood to my brain. I have no idea if Smoke has any interest in me. If anything, I'm attracted to him. For all I know, he could just see me as an ally against Shang Tsung and nothing more. It's that damn enenra that has latched onto his soul that's drooling over me. The man himself remains a mystery.

... You were drooling over the girl the moment she walked up to Stryker...

Maybe Emma's right. Enenras have the uncanny ability to spew their owner's darkest secrets into the waking world with out permission, so it's actually believable that what he was screaming about his host was true. Maybe he does like me as well...

"Maybe, maybe not. after that commotion with his friend in blue, I'm not tempted to ask." I cover my tracks quickly, hoping to hide any fleeting traces of my embarrassment.

Emma nods. "True, that."

I smile and turn towards the doors, waving. "Later, Em!"

She waves back. "See you tomorrow."

I grin and quicken my pace. "Nope. Fowler gave me the day off."

Her jaw hits the floor. "Hell no!"

My grin widens. "You kidding? After that fiasco, I deserve a week off! Bye!"

She laughs and waves again. "Lucky bitch!"

I laugh and walk out the door, letting it close behind me. It's fur in the afternoon and freakishly hot for May. The sudden change from air-conditioned store to blazing outside heat, knocks me back a few steps before I regain my balance. Now that that boys and I are out of the store, we can get moving on finding Raiden and the rest of their group.

I do a quick soul scan of the parking lot, searching for any trace of the Tarkatans or Scorpion. I find nothing, so I start heading down the rows of scorching asphalt and empty cars until I get to mine. It's a semi-new navy Subaru Impreza that's had its share of having doors slammed into it, but it's still a damn good car. I dig my keys out of my pocket and turn the lock, opening the door for a moment so the melting heat can escape.

"Sara!"

I turn to see Stryker and the others walking towards me, somewhat happy to know I've finally escaped from my prison of idiots and horndogs. I'm relieved, too, since this means we can finally get going. As they near my car, I hit the unlock button on my door so they can get in.

I smile at them. "Just so you know, you three are officially banned from my store for life."

Stryker grins. "Damn. And you have a really good selection of knives in there, too."

I shrug. "You should have thought about that before trashing the snack aisle." I lock eyes with Smoke as I say this, then look back at Stryker, who smiles slyly.

I toss my purse into my car and sit down, motioning for the doors. "Get in."

All three nod and move quickly. Sub-Zero takes the passenger's seat while Stryker and Smoke take the back. I close my door, hit the emergency lock button and start the engine.

"Where are we going, boys?"

"Taco Bell?" Stryker offers.

I manage to hold back my laughter and disguise it with a playful scowl. "After we meet with Raiden, I'll buy you a bean burrito."

He grins and smacks his leg happily. "Yes! It worked!"

I roll my eyes, and reach up to adjust my mirror.

"We need to head back towards the city center," Sub-Zero offers. "Once we get there, get onto the interstate and head north."

I pause, turning to look at him. "North? Where the hell are we going?"

He stare me straight in the eyes. "New York."

My jaw crashes through my car floor. New York? We're driving to New York? That's at least three days on the interstate if we go non-stop! I have a half tank on gas, no food and three armored men sitting in my car. And I'm supposed to drive to New York?

Shoot me.

I regain control of my shock and suppress my urge to scream. "So...we're going to see Raiden in New York?"