Chapter 2: The Safe Haven

Sub-Zero opened his eyes. He looked about and saw that nothing had changed. The bodies of his Lin Kuei still littered the base; their stench filled the air with a sickening aroma. Memories from his arrival again flooded his mind, and again he endured the pain and terror of losing his entire clan. His very soul gently wept for those lost.

He attempted to rise to his feet, but his body did not respond. Stunned, he sat in silence as his mind raced to find a conclusion to this strange issue. Was he paralyzed? He didn't recall fighting anyone or anything in days. He then realized that the world around him was viewed in a different shade of color through his very own eyes. Everything seemed dark and dreadful as if life had passed it all by.

'I can sense your conscious mind searching for answers, brother,' Noob Saibot growled into his mind. Sub-Zero then remembered the altercation that took place when he called out to his ancestors. He remembered the struggle that ensued, and he cursed the fact that his older brother had won the struggle. But how was it that his brother could still communicate with him when there was no spiritual link being attempted? Sub-Zero rolled the question through his mind as he laid against the wall, completely unable to move his body.

'The answer is simple, brother. I am inside you. We are one,' Saibot spat with a sinister laugh. Like many wraiths of folklore, Noob Saibot obtained the ability to possess the living after becoming a formless, damned soul. However, he would need to link to a wandering soul before leaving his Netherealm confinement. 'I was able to sense your soul as it wandered across time itself to speak with the ancients. You have hidden from me very well over the past few years, my brother, but I found you. Your body will be the pilot for my vengeance. The blood of Shao Kahn will be spilled by your hands, brother. It is you who will damn this existence even further than it is already forsaken.'

Sub-Zero desired to cry out to his brother in rebellion. He wanted to fight this wicked grip that Saibot had on his body, but he was powerless to do anything. His soul was weakened, and he was unable to even respond to his brother's wicked tongue.

'Mourn not for those who have fallen to Kahn's forces, Sub-Zero. Mourn not for those who will suffer greatly once I have obtained ultimate power. Mourn for yourself, dear brother, for you will soon know what nightmares are made of. Mourn for the unholy suffering that you are about to endure.'

"The safe haven isn't too far from here," Stryker informed the team as he looked out the window toward the vast, deserted plains. It was Stryker's suggestion that the survivors set up a camp out in the middle of a desert. Obviously extermination squads would check urban areas first, but would they bother to check deserts? Stryker felt that challenging that question was everyone's only hope for survival. Fortunately, he had not been wrong yet.

The OIA riot van raced toward a large fence with a reinforced gate to prevent infiltration. Stryker and many others made several material runs through the urban areas all week for supplies and the right metals to create such a door. He was certain the door could keep a single extermination squad out, but he didn't want to imagine what would happen to the safe haven if Kahn sent an entire fleet to eradicate them. He closed his eyes and sighed at the very thought.

"So what exactly do we do when we get to your base or whatever? Shack up and hope all of this blows over?" Jax quipped. He had been bitter and easy to anger since they left the abandoned town. He felt that the distress call from an unknown CB radio in the town could have been a trap, but Sonya urged him to at least check for survivors. They arrived to find the carnage that Jax had expected, and the left with the memory of a fallen comrade fresh in their minds. Special Forces agent Cyrax died with honor that day, and Jax would never forget the sacrifice that Cyrax made for his realm.

"Look, I don't know what we should do. I didn't exactly plan to have extermination squads come trampling through cities and killing everything that moved. I didn't expect to be driven to the center of a desert to find safety. I'm sure you didn't expect to be jumped and nearly sliced to chunks out there in that street. This is the safest thing to do right now, and I would appreciate it if you would cooperate with me," Stryker growled at Jax. He laid back into the riot van's back seat and let out a sigh as he looked toward the ceiling.

Jax reached over and grabbed Stryker by the throat with his cybernetic hand. He glared directly into the eyes of the struggling Stryker as the police officer flailed his legs about and reaches for his throat. "I want you to understand this right now, boy. Don't talk down to me like you're the only one who understands the severity of this situation. One of my men DIED out there. Those monsters tore him apart like a cheap doll ..."

"Stop! Jax, stop! Sonya took her right hand off of the van's steering wheel and placed it on Jax's shoulder. Jax looked over and met eyes with Sonya. He could see that she was feeling the same pain that he was enduring. He wanted to kick the passenger door open and dive out of the moving van.

Jax released Stryker and returned to his upright sitting position in the passenger seat. He let out a heavy sigh and stared out into the skies above. How could the gods allow this to happen, he wondered? How could they turn their heads from the horrible acts that were occurring in the realms without lifting a finger to stop it. The only good thing he could think of right now is how windy the desert climate was. Hopefully the wind would be able to cover the van's tracks.

As the van drew closer to the fence, Jax and Sonya could see that the safe haven was actually nothing more than several hastily constructed huts with a giant fence around them. Each hut had been built with whatever materials the runners could find in nearby urban areas. The roof of each hut was made of weak sheet metal that were hammered down into the walls below it. There were no doors for these huts but rather shredded cloth that cloaked the entrance way.

A guard waved them down and purposely made his battle rifle visible when they were no more than fifteen feet from the entrance gate. A man dressed in a camouflaged uniform and shiny leather boots approached the van. He wore black shades to keep the sand out of his eyes, and there was a fresh gash across his right cheek. The man had stubble forming around his face and looked to be in his late thirties. His dark hair was neatly cut in a flattop style. He looked very strong, and very serious.

"These are extermination squad survivors, Sarge. I've fought by their side before. They need a place to stay, and they will be helpful in case of attack," Stryker called out to the uniformed man and waved so he could be seen.

"Excellent. Welcome to what is possibly humanity's last shred of hope. You can call me Sarge. What are your names?" Sarge asked in a fierce, stern voice.

"Major Jackson Briggs, sir. I am accompanied by Lieutenant Sonya Blade. We are possibly the surviving members of the Outerworld Investigation Agency," Jaxx replied, his voice shaking a little as he muttered the last sentence.

"It's always good to have members of the force aboard. You are welcome to stay as long as you'd like. We are expecting an attack within the week, though. We can't hide from those monsters forever," Sarge informed with a stern look.

Jaxx and Sonya were assigned to a small hut to the west of the base. There were not enough materials to spare for personalized huts, and it certainly didn't bother either party to share the living quarters. The hut's floor consisted of spare plywood that was gathered by the supply runners. The windows were nothing more than holes cut out of the materials that were used as the hut's walls.

The two members of the OIA were invited to dinner that evening - an honor that they quickly accepted. Neither of them had eaten a decent meal in days. The dinner was held in a large tent in the center of the safe haven. The tent's walls were reinforced with steel and various other metals collected. Several large tables were placed to the left and right of the tent, each neatly placed in rows of three. The chairs for each table consisted of whatever the supply runners could gather: stools, office chairs, wicker chair, and various styles of domestic wooden chairs. The floor was constructed with a plywood foundation followed by various carpeting materials that had been gathered. The tent was filled with the warm aroma of beef stew.

Jax and Sonya were summoned and seated by two of Sarge's commanding officers for the evening meal. They were promptly seated in the center of table two, and their meals were presented to them in surprisingly clean bowls with fine silverware spoons. Jax lifted his eyes from his dinner to peer about the tent, surprised to find plenty of happy, smiling faces in clean uniforms among the tables. He felt like an outcast in his rather dirty and worn OIA uniform, and he personally found no joy in the fact that they would soon be discovered and eradicated.

The chatter and laughing grew silent as Sarge entered the tent and sat in his place at the very end of table one . Sarge was dressed in his very best social formal attire, and he looked freshy shaven. He looked toward everyone with a bright smile and hope in his eyes. He stopped his gaze on Jax and smiled a vibrant smile and nodded. Jax, already uneasy and now visibly confused, returned the nod and fixed his gaze on the bowl of stew before him. Sarge then stood up from his seat and audibly cleared his throat to gain the room's attention.

"Today is an important day for our camp. We have gained new allies today, friends. We have gained the help of a brave, accomplished team who holds an uncanny reputation and many honors. Tonight, we dine together and provide a warm welcome to Outerworld Investigation Agency members Jackson Briggs and Sonya Blade," Sarge boomed so everyone could clearly hear him. A round of applause was quickly silenced as Sarge put his hand in the air to signal that he wished to continue. "I stand before all of you in my best attire to honor these brave warriors who have assisted in the defense of Earthrealm on several different occasions. My camp and the United States Marines both honor you, friends. Please, Major Briggs, tell us of your accomplishments in these dark days, " Sarge spoke in a rich, impressive tone as everyone else in the tent clapped in approval and fixed their gazes on Jax.

Jax was immediately struck with an incredible pain in his stomach. He did not want to relive the horrors that he and Sonya had endured over the past few weeks. He had witnessed horrors that would make a normal man question heaven above, and he had lost dear friends. He looked out to all of the eyes that were watching him as he sat before his bowl of stew with an uneasy look smeared across his face. He breathed a heavy sigh as he stood up from his seat and quickly took a stern standing position.

"Major Jackson Briggs, of the Outerworld Investigation Agency reporting to you who have taken my men and myself into your shelter. My team consists of chosen Earthrealm warriors, blessed to withstand the destructive forces of Outworld by the thunder god, Raiden. Our mission: to investigate and eradicate all threatening forces that lie within Outworld. We were attempting to stop the forces out Outworld from obtaining the intense power that the elemental, Blaze, possessed - but we failed. We lost contact with Private First Class Kenshi after the battle at the pyramid. He is presumed to be dead. We recently answered a distress signal from a nearby urban area, but we were ambushed by Tarkata as soon as we arrived. It is with deepest regret that I inform everyone in this tent that we lost Private First Class Cyrax that day. May the Gods rest his brave soul. We now accept the mission to protect this safe haven from any hostile activity by any means necessary," Jax boomed out so everyone could hear him. He then turned to Sarge and offered a salute to Sarge. Sarge accepted, and they were then both seated.

"I am deeply sorry for your losses, Major Briggs. Your unit has our full respect and support," Sarge said to Jax as he picked up his spoon and scooped up a small bite of the stew. "We welcome to you stay as long as ..."

A large explosion broke his sentence, and everyone in the tent froze in place. Shouts and the sound of scampering feet could be heard outside, and another explosion sent the voices into a panicked frenzy. A young man dressed in full combat gear and helmet covering the top of his head ran into the tent with a look of panic on his face. "Sarge, we are under attack!"

"By who?" Sarge roared at the young man. He stood up from his chair and pounded his large fist against the dining table in anger.

"Tarkatans, sir! They are everywhere outside, and they are armed with explosive weapons! They are breaching the eastern wall!"

"Well! You heard him! Battlestations, now! Get moving!" Sarged barked at everyone in the tent as he stormed out of the room. "Get my weapons ready! We will not fall!" Jax and Sonya looked at one another with an uneasy look on their faces. They then stood up from their seats and rushed out of the tent with the rest of the soldiers.

They were soon lost in a sea of panic as soldiers rushed all about the base to prepare for combat. Search lights were practically strobing all across the base, increasing the immense amount of panic in the air. Soldiers were standing in line and given weapons at the armory. Another blast echoed through the air, sending several soldiers soaring through the air and crashing to the ground in a bloody heap. The smell of sulfur and fresh blood quickly filled the air.

"Sonya! We have to take cover! These guys are getting massacred!" Jax yelled to Sonya. He then ran toward a small nook between the gate and one of the armory huts.

"Wait, Jax! We're cannon fodder if we don't find better cover!" She called back to him and swore under her breath. 'Who in the hell taught them how to use those weapons?' she silently asked herself. The sound of an explosive whistling through the air broke her concentration, and she made a desperate run toward Jax. She quickly dashed past the panicking soldiers and dove for cover next to Jax. The ground not even ten feet behind her became a large crater with a deafening explosion.

Another vicious explosion forced the east wall of the base to shake immensely and finally fall over. The soldiers opened fire upon the unknown enemy as soon as the wall fell, and the screams of tarkatans filled the air. Dozens of tarkatan warriors charged through the opening in the base, and many were simply too fast for the soldiers to pick off with their weapons. The soldier who informed Sarge screamed in terror before a tarkatan rammed its arm-blade through his skull. The tarkatan lifted the soldier's corpse in the air with its blade and slammed it onto the ground with a vicious growl. Droplets of blood soared through the air and rained onto the ground.

"Find the Earthrealm warriors!" a tarkatan dressed in fine red and black silk growled to the others as he joined them inside the safe haven. The surrounding tarkatan hoard nodded and began searching in every available area while combating any defenses they ran into along the way. It was painfully obvious at this point that Jax and Sonya had come to this peaceful community and brought a deadly plague along with them. So many lay dead, and it was because they had come here.

Upon hearing the commanding tarkatan's orders, Jax stood to his feet with a look of rage washed over his face. He wasn't certain who sent these beasts or who taught them to use these weapons, but he would stand for this no longer. He would crush all of them by himself if he had to. He reached over to the control panel for his cybernetic arms on his left forearm, but Sonya quickly grabbed his wrist and tried to pull him back out of sight. "What are you doing? We're outnumbered, and we need to stay alive!" she whispered in a stern tone.

"To hell with this, Sonya! These men are out there dying because we came here. Can't you see that they never would have been found if we hadn't come here? I'm gonna do the right thing! I'm gonna bust me some Outworld ass!" Jax sneered. He quickly entered the code to activate his arms and looked back at the tarkatan hoard. Every single one of their mutated, horrible faces reminded him of Cyrax, and today his comrade would be remembered. Today Cyrax would be avenged.

Jax quickly charged out from his hiding place, wildly swinging his arms about like he was armed with tree trunks. He swung his forearm directly across the chin of one tarkatan, decapitating the monster from the shoulder up. Blood sprayed Jax in the face as the disembodied head took flight and the headless body slumped to the ground. The bloodlust had consumed him, and he howled in fury in retaliation to its call.

Visibly frightened, the hoard called out to the units that were still outside of the safe haven's walls in an unknown language. More tarkatan spilled through the breach in the fence, and Jax was thrilled to see them. He quickly grabbed two tarkatan by the back of the head and crushed their skulls together, sending the corpses slumped to the ground. In a show of unchecked, brute strength, Jax then grabbed the arms of another tarkatan and tore them clear from their socket. He then turned to the rest of the approaching hoard and fought them all back with rage growing in his eyes.

The roaring blast of a gunshot filled the air, and Jax quickly snapped out of it. He then saw the red and black clad tarkatan holding a large rifle that was pointed toward the air. Smoke rolled from the barrel, and the apparent leader smiled a unsettling, fang-filled grin. "You are done, Earthrealm scum. Where is the girl?" it hissed.

"Son, I hope you plan to use that little toy. I don't exactly scare easy."

The tarkatan pointed the barrel at Jax's forehead. "I'll ask again, 'Where is the girl?'"

"Wait! Don't shoot!" Sonya ran out of her hiding place and stood next to Jax. She put both of her hands in the air. "I surrender. You've got both of us alive. There's no need to hurt any more of these innocent people."

"An what a luv-ly trophy that is, eh luv?" A familiar voice echoed from outside of the gates. A man dressed in a black combat suit with red linings stepped into view. A small knife was sheathed on both of his combat boots, and he carried two more on either side of his belt. His face looked as if he had began to age into his mid-life, and the right side of his face was encased in a metal covering. His eye was gone and was replaced with a glowing, red glass covering. He sported a widow's peak hairstyle and a sinister look across his face. "Ah was hopin' ta get yer little robot friend as well, but this'll do," the man said, baring his teeth in a maniacal grin.

Author : Patrick Breeden

Creation date: 2011-3-27-14-41

Modification date: 2011-3-27-15-4