Redemption: The battle between Scorpion and Sub-Zero

The sky shifted, the grey clouds working their way across the afternoon sky. Condensation seemed to hang in the air, and a lone crow flew overhead, low to the ground. A storm was brewing.

The bird's single call seemed to herald the beginning of activity, for at that moment, the red doors from the palace halls creaked open wide, and the Shaolin monks made their down the stone steps leading to the dusty marble floor. Across it they walked, their sandaled feet making not the slightest of noise as they went, coming to the seats stationed before the grand courtyard. As they sat, they gave no thought to the palace guards who were already positioned before them, spears at their sides. They would not waste a moment on these inhuman abominations, imported directly from the dark Emperor's realm upon the seizing of the Mortal Kombat tournament by his minion, Shang Tsung.

It was all just as it had been the previous nine times. No harm came to them - they were permitted to maintain the care of the tournament itself, although all control was ultimately in the hands of Tsung himself, the aged demon servant of the dark one. Perhaps the invaders were simply too lazy to bother soiling their hands with labor themselves. It was irrelevant. They were content, at the very least, to be permitted to live, as well as watch the bouts as they went.

They had no way of knowing, the monks, but their forced service to Shang Tsung was at an end. Minutes ago, Liu Kang, a proud Shaolin himself, representing the Order Of Light, had leapt forward with a powerful kick which had connected with Tsung's chest, knocking the sorcerer out - possibly killing him - and putting an end to nine consecutive Outworld victories. He had defeated Goro as well, avenging the death of his ancestor, the great Kung Lao. For that, before they had done battle, Tsung had commanded his legions to attack the Earthrealm warriors. Those were comprised of the Thunder God Raiden, the movie star Johnny Cage, the Special Forces agent Sonya Blade, Kano, member of the criminal Black Dragon organization, and two others. Kano, Sonya and Cage had been charged with fending off the Shokan prince Goro, whilst Raiden and the other two had single-handedly battled against several hundred of Tsung's guardsmen, not unlike the ones who stood before the arena.

Once the battle had come to an end, the soldiers decimated, the other two had departed from the battle scene, making their way a short distance off to the courtyard. They came seeking an open space to do battle, without the bodies of the dead marring their movements. The monks, from inside the temple, had witnessed their entrance, and so they had emerged. They had assumed that this was simply another round in the once sacred, now profaned tournament of Mortal Kombat.

They were understandably befuddled by Shang Tsung's absence. They murmured amongst themselves, until another figure appeared before them in a blast of light. This was Raiden, God of thunder and lightning. His eyes blazed with a white fire as he raised his head, bare details of his face becoming visible from underneath his coolie hat as he addressed them in a loud voice.

"The Tournament of Mortal Kombat has ended! Rejoice, mortals, for these proceedings have come back into your rightful ownership. Shang Tsung has fallen!"

There were excited gasps and smiles from the monks. Chants of "'Praise Lord Raiden" rang out as they fell to their knees in gratitude. Those palace guardsmen who stood at attention turned and fled, sensing the god's words to be true. Raiden allowed them to go, instead continuing to speak to those gathered now before him.

"If any, your worship is devoted to Liu Kang, champion of the Order of Light. It is he who has destroyed Tsung's villainous designs upon your world." At that, Raiden gestured over to the left of the dais where Kang himself now stood, having ascended from the lower reaches of the island, the lair of the Shokan prince Goro, leaving Tsung's body where it lay.

Bruised and beaten, but contented at his victory, Kang made his weary way towards the monks who now rushed toward him. Skin covered with cuts, burns, and scratches, they led him into the stands, and he clasped the hands of those who reached out to him, thanking him. Smiles and nods were all he could manage, exhausted as he was.

One monk turned to the deity. "But my Lord...if Mortal Kombat is ended....what of them?"

He pointed over to the Courtyard proper, where the two warriors who had come to this place continued to stand at the ready, gazes locked, motionless in their battle stances.

One was garbed in the dark garments of the Lin Kuei, the clan of Chinese assassins who were infamous for their secrecy, efficiency, and legendary elemental powers. This one wore a blue overmantle across his shoulders, tapering down to his waist where, tied by a belt, it ended in loincloth. This covered a black bodysuit, which concealed the legs, chest, neck and head. Only the eyes and the bridge of the nose were visible, the lower portions of the face concealed by a mask the same shade of blue as the overmantle and shin guards. The arms were for the most part also exposed, covered only by forearm guards. The eyes were a cold blue.

A killer though he was, he was fiercely devoted to his craft. He considered himself very near he epitome of a self-made man, having much at his disposal. Wealth and power were his, although he cared little for them. His life was his work, the constant test of his skill and strength against worthy opponents was what he lived for. He had pride in himself, his clan, and his brother, who himself was a member.

A killer though he was, he had never considered himself to be evil. Not until recently. Recent events had pitted him on a difficult course through earth, fire, water and wind, even down into the land of the damned itself. He had learned later that the reason he had been able to enter that place was that his soul carried an evil taint, presumably due to the many missions of murder he had undertaken through the course of his life.

This had given him cause for thought. He had no desire to spend eternity in the fiery pits, and he had briefly considered leaving his clan, and seeking a course of salvation.

Then he had received an offer to compete in the Mortal Kombat Tournament. It had been the perfect opportunity, for his clan were possessed of a client who had offered a large sum of money for the death of the tournament's headmaster, Shang Tsung.

His course became clear. He would accomplish this mission, and it would be his last. He would retire from his career as Lin Kuei. His loyalty he felt, had been proven. With this final payment, he would live life in peace for the rest of his days. As for salvation, he felt that could be achieved by ridding the Earth of Tsung himself. He knew the menace Kahn's Outworld hordes posed to his home world. Perhaps this final victory could be all he needed, and afterwards, he could rest.

That was denied him, however. The Shaolin monk Liu Kang had struck down Tsung, and so he had made the decision to do what he could by aiding Raiden against the minions of Tsung. The road to redemption, it seemed, was one long traveled. He would not be able to retire just yet...but in the future, he would destroy only those who merited death. He would find his peace, of that he was certain.

But not just yet. He had one more matter to attend to. Alongside Raiden, against the minions, had fought one other, the one who he had murdered. Who had since tormented him, both in dreams and in the waking world, at first rising up to battle him in the pits, only to be defeated again. He believed him to be truly dead that time, but no. He had confronted him once more upon Shang Tsung's vessel, when it had borne them to this island in the Lost Sea, even going so far as to lay hands upon him and threaten him before the tournament had even begun. The way he saw it, the specter had no honor. It angered him.

The specter stood before him now.

He was clothed in exactly the same fashion, identical in everything - even height, size, and shape - to his enemy. The only differences were the color of the overmantle, mask, and shin-guards he wore, which were yellow rather than blue. The eyes too, were different. They were white. No pupils denoted color. No life, no sign of emotion was visible in them, save one.

Rage.

For he was dead, this one. Had been dead ever since that night almost a year ago, when he had embarked on that mission to the Shaolin temples in order to acquire a map. A simple mission it had seemed, but he had no way of knowing that it would be his last. For another had been sent on the same mission, this one from the rival clan of the Lin Kuei, hated enemies of his own Shirai Ryu. He also had no way of knowing that they had been sent by the exact same individual, for his own sinister purposes. He did not know then, and he did not know now.

There was much he did not know, in fact. These were not things he remembered, they were simply facts. For after the other had ended his life that night, and he had been remade by the dark forces of another world, nearly everything had been erased from his memory. Well, almost all. He remembered who killed him, and in that dark place, it had been revealed to him that not only was he dead, but that other and his ilk had also gone about exterminating his family, and his clan. The Shirai Ryu no longer existed. A fued of ages was ended. The Lin Kuei were victorious.

But all he knew were the names, and the facts. He did not remember the faces of his loved ones, his friends and allies, or his other enemies. The only face he knew now was that of the one who stood before him. His fists clenched as he remembered the waves of cold washing over him, the lack of emotion in the other's eyes as he had grabbed hold of the neck, the plea for mercy falling on deaf ears. The sudden pain that had gripped him as the other pulled swiftly, separating vein from vein, muscle from muscle, vertebrae from back, head from shoulders...

And then there had been the blackness, and the change.

He remembered approaching him in the Netherrealm, the place of his birth, and doing battle with him there briefly. Why he had come there, he could not say. Nor did he care. He had fallen a second time, but it had been more of a test of his own powers than anything else. After that however, he had received a warning from he who had transformed him, that if he were to fall in combat to his nemesis once more, his spirit would be forever extinguished. However, if he were victorious, he would exist forever. His resolve was strengthened a thousandfold now.

Yes...no emotion whatsoever. But it was different now, he could see it. He had driven the other to rage. Any would be wearied and irritated, were a specter harassing them. He remembered as well the fear in the other's eyes when he had approached him a third time, upon the vessel that had brought the mortals to this place, and his warning then, that he would be revenged.

But if there was fear in the other's eyes now, it did not show. Just rage.

This was the fourth time they had met, the third time they would combat, and it would be the last. They each knew it.

One was a killer devoid of compassion or remorse. One was killed and fueled with a thirst for vengeance.

One was alive, yet dead inside. One was dead, but alive inside.

One was Sub-Zero. One was Scorpion.

"Theirs...is a personal quarrel."

It began. Sub-Zero shifted his posture, bringing his left arm about and before him as he stepped in softly, right hand palm out at his side. Right foot crossed over the left. The step was mirrored by Scorpion, moving leftwards and in even as his nemesis did so. He brought his arms up slowly, right arm raised above his head, fingers stiff, palm down, left at his side clenched into a fist.

"You must go," Raiden announced to the monks. "Shang Tsung's life-force kept this island intact...it will soon begin to destroy itself."

As if to confirm his words, one of the immense stone columns supporting the dais opposite Tsung's seat overlooking the battleground collapsed, the structure crumbling. The earth trembled.

But none could move, for all eyes were now locked on the arena, upon the battle about to take place.

"This ends now," said the Lin Kuei. "No more will you stalk me. No more will I feel your shadow over me. You were unwise to return. On this day, I shall destroy you forever."

"It is you who is unwise," the specter retorted in a voice that chilled the bones of the spectators. "You were unwise to kill me without a shred of honor or mercy. Unwise to kill my family, my clan."

"I told you. I did not kill your loved ones. Your blood may be on my hands - it was a matter of business - but of their deaths, I am innocent!"

They continued to circle.

"You are a liar."

"And you are a coward. Why can you not accept your defeat? Twice now have I bested you in combat. What makes you think this time will be different?"

"You bested me with an unfair advantage, and you insulted my memory by murdering those I cherished in life. You are the coward. But this time...we may fight on equal grounds. You have your powers...and now, I have mine."

"I defeated you even with them in the Netherrealm."

"A practice bout."

"A proof of your weakness. And so it shall be again."

"No..."

"It is as you said to me on that night, Scorpion..."

He tensed his leg muscles, waiting for the moment.

"...you will fail..."

Rage burned in the dead eyes.

"...I will succeed."

"NEVER!!!"

Scorpion leapt, his rage having the better of him, fingers clawed and grasping for Sub-Zero's throat. Playing right into his trap, Sub-Zero dashed backwards, feet leaving an icy trail behind him as he released a frigid cloud from his hands. It froze the dead Shirai Ryu instantly where it touched him, the yellow mantle covered by a layer of frost. His movements slowing, Scorpion stopped in his tracks, trying futilely to brush off the ice that was spreading across his chest. He didn't need to bother - the frost was shattered as Sub-Zero twisted and brought his leg around quickly, a devastating roundhouse that caught Scorpion in the chest and knocked him backwards, sending him rolling along the ground. As he lay there stunned, the specter looked up to see a black shape silhouetted against the grey skies, growing in size quickly. He rolled out of the way as Sub-Zero came down from his leap knee-first, creating an indentation in the floor where the blow landed.

Scorpion hoisted himself up onto his palm, and swung his body, momentum carrying his legs backwards and up. The kick connected with flesh and bone, Sub-Zero grunting as he was knocked off of his position, but he arched his back, landed on his palms, and cartwheeled back onto his feet. By this time Scorpion had also risen, and they met once more. He struck first, a backfisted blow aimed to connect with Sub-Zero's face, but found it deflected, and himself on the defense once more as he parried aside a palm thrust meant for his own jaw. He leaned back, and raised his knee sharply. That too was blocked, but it was a feint, and it left the Lin Kuei open. He grabbed Sub-Zero by the shoulders and hauled him forward even as he brought his own head forth. The headbutt was solid, and Sub-Zero stumbled back, clutching at his nose. Advancing, he brought his right arm down in a chop aimed for the neck, but his hand was seized by the wrist, and instantly he found a hand around his own throat. He stared into furious cold eyes above a mask that was reddening with blood from a broken nose.

"I will again rip your head from your body. Only this time, I will mount it on my wall!"

The specter hissed in reply, and in turn grabbed the wrist of the hand that clutched at him. Slowly, he pulled it away from his throat. The power struggle continued for a moment longer, and then Sub-Zero leaned back, swinging his legs up even as his arms stretched, both feet connecting with Scorpion's jaw. The hold was broken, and Scorpion fell backwards onto his back as Sub-Zero landed upon his left foot and right knee. As his enemy rose, Sub-Zero dashed forward on a trail of ice, putting his strength into a shoulder charge. But Scorpion was prepared, quickly turning his back as he sidestepped, and catching Sub-Zero around the neck as he came, forearm to his cartroid artery. He did not squeeze, rather pulling forward and turning further, using his enemy's momentum against him and releasing, sending the Lin Kuei warrior headfirst into a nearby stone pillar. It crumbled, and Sub-Zero sunk to the ground among debris.

The earth trembled again, and the onlooking monks were uneasy as the sky began to darken. Nearby, a tree collapsed, bringing down with it a canopy with familiar dragon motif.

The island was beginning the process of shaking itself apart, but still none dared to tear their eyes from the destiny unfolding before them.

"Is that all you have to offer, Lin Kuei? Where are your bold words now?" The tone was mocking.

Sub-Zero rose slowly, brushing off debris and dust as he did. Unflinching, he stepped forward, and esed back into his battle stance.

"This is only the beginning, ninja. The beginning of your end."

"My end has come and gone. This is a time for new beginnings."

"So you say."

It was Sub-Zero who attacked now, beginning with a forward flip and catapulting himself into the air. As Scorpion brought his hand forward in preparation to stop the attack, he felt a sharp pain there, and saw a shuriken embedded in his flesh. That moment of distraction was what Sub-Zero needed as he landed atop Scorpion's shoulders, grabbing his head between his feet. He leaned back for the fall, felt the sensation of his enemy grabbing his ankles, trying to pry them loose. But it was too late. He landed upon his palms, and pulled forward with his legs, hauling Scorpion off of his own feet, and bringing him through the air to land with a sickening crunch on his head. Before Scorpion could rise, Sub-Zero had gotten to his feet once more, and was launching kicks at the downed ninja's chest and head. Scorpion attempted to fend the bows off, but to no avail. There was a short pause, and he then found the back of his head slammed into the earth by a boot laid upon his face.

He was then grabbed by the collar and pulled to his feet. He saw the arm cocked back, fist clenched, and reacted. As Sub-Zero threw his blow, Scorpion willed himself away, disappearing from sight so quickly he left a mirror image of himself where he had been. The blow passed through the mirage, leaving the Lin Kuei completely off-balance. Scorpion reappeared behind him, and kicked Sub-Zero in the back of the knee, hard. As a gasp of pain involuntarily escaped his lips and he leaned back, he looked up to see Scorpion's forearm come down. There was pain, and he found himself lying on his back, leg bent beneath him. Anger rushed through him again, and he planted his hands to the earth, pushing himself up with a torrent of ice. As he arose, he brought his right fist up and forth, taking Scorpion in the stomach and winding him. Snarling, he backpedaled, and prepared another blast of ice.

But Scorpion rose quickly, tensing his arms as he brought them upward. The gesture at first seemed useless, but a gout of flame rose from the ground, and consumed Sub-Zero. The Lin Kuei screamed as he burned, the hellfire blistering his exposed skin. A kick to the face propelled him backward, and he rolled along the ground, the flames outing themselves.

He got to his feet once more, beyond furious. Scorpion advanced on him again, murder in his eyes. Reaching into his belt, Sub-Zero threw three more shuriken, each of them connecting with Scorpion's torso and driving him back. But despite the agony he felt, he was unabated. Sub-Zero watched with mixed awe and horror as the specter ripped the stars from his own flesh, one by one, and crushed them within his fist.

Fear took him for a moment, but only a moment. He planned his next attack, remaining still as Scorpion came at him again. The specter's stride became a run, and when he was within distance, Sub-Zero froze the ground before him. His enemy lost balance, and as he slipped, Sub-Zero pivoted on his own axis, and placed three roundhouse kicks in quick succession to Scorpion's face, sending him spinning to land in his hands and knees. The Shirai Ryu was stunned, and he pushed himself upwards, rising to one knee. But Sub-Zero was before him in a instant, and as Scorpion looked up, he was kicked in the face and sent hurtling back again.

Sub-Zero raised his arm, tensed it, and moisture condensed in the air around it. In his hand he formed a ball of ice, and there he focused his Fa Jing, his energy, until it glowed with a soft blue light.

He threw it at his enemy, and Scorpion saw it coming toward him. He pushed his hands out, and formed a wall of flame before him to stop it. The ball exploded upon contact with the fire, and the concussion sent Scorpion sailing back through the air, impacting on his back ten feet away. He did not move.

Sub-Zero said nothing, but walked forward, losing no footing despite the earth's continued rumblings. Above, the throne of Shang Tsung toppled and fell. The dais collapsed on itself. Lightning split the sky.

Raiden addressed the onlookers once more. "Leave this place, now. Flee the island. You will find a portal close at hand..."

The monks nodded, and left their seats, directed by Liu Kang's calls to boats tethered to a nearby pier.

As they made their way to safety, Sub-Zero walked step by step over to where Scorpion's prone body lay.

"It is finished," he said. "Again, you have failed to slay me."

Scorpion slowly arose, pushing himself up, shaking his head to clear away the disorientation. His vision was blurred. He could barely make out the shape coming toward him.

"You have had your final opportunity. Now, it is you who shall fall."

He stopped, and slowly raised his hands, stopping at waist level, absorbing even more moisture from the surrounding atmosphere. A crystalline blue ball began to form in the air between his fingertips.

"No..."

The ball had grown in size, the energy around it pulsing out from the center. The ground around Sub-Zero froze, and the cold expanded outwards slowly.

"Go back to the fiery pits. Trouble me no more..."

Scorpion was on his feet now, but he could barely stand. He tried to move, but his steps faltered. The earth trembled and quaked, splitting between the two.

And Sub-Zero released the blast.

Under the eyes of Raiden and Liu Kang, the sole spectators, all became frigid. Kang turned away, his arm raised, shielding his eyes from the blinding light as earth, stone, marble, grass...for a full twenty meters before Sub-Zero, all was frozen solid in a thick casing of ice.

When he turned his head back, he saw now what Sub-Zero beheld, incredulous:

Scorpion was not there.

Sub-Zero's eyes searched the wasted grounds.

"How...?"

"A power you cannot ever imagine."

Sub-Zero turned at the sound of the voice, his arm coming around instinctively to fend off the blow he knew was coming. But he was not fast enough, and fist collided with flesh and bone. The backfist to the temple knocked Sub-Zero to the side, but he recovered quickly, and brought his own right arm forward in a punch aimed at Scorpion's face. To his horror, Scorpion caught his arm with both hands, and moving swiftly, kicked Sub-Zero in the shin. Keeping his leg outstretched, he pushed down on the arm as he brought the knee back up.

The pressure on the wrist in addition to the impact with the elbow resulted in a sickening pop.

Sub-Zero screamed in pain and stumbled back, grasping uselessly at the dislocated joint. The forearm was bent at the wrong angle. The pain was excruciating. His eyes were closed against it, and that was his mistake. He could not see to avoid the punch to the gut as it came, the chop to the neck, the swift elbow which broke a rib.

"Yes, S ub-Zero...I will return to the N etherrealm. But not alone..."

Sub-Zero threw another blast of ice, but it was small, ineffectual. He had drained too much of his inner power, he could feel the wave of dizziness overcome him. Fear churned his gut again...and refused to leave as he saw the blast impact with the Shirai Ryu's arm, only to be shaken off, almost casually.

He panicked, and threw a wild punch, which was nowhere near its target. He was caught by the wrist nevertheless, and Scorpion lifted his leg up and around, standing on his other toe, and kicking Sub-Zero in the chin. It was the first in a rapid-fire combination of kicks, and the four blows knocked the Lin Kuei to the floor. He tried to rise again, but could not, at first.

Scorpion allowed him to.

He tried to snap his arm back into place, and found he didn't have the strength. He doubled over, coughing up blood. He felt one of his teeth roll about on his tongue, tasted the red.

Scorpion cartwheeled back, landing firmly even as a portion of the arena crumbled away, falling deep into a chasm in the earth. Trees swayed and collapsed, blown apart by sudden gales.

He clenched his fist at his side, and summoned up his own weapon, felt the steel in his hand.

Sub-Zero looked up as he threw the spear, the cord whistling through the air.

It impacted, tearing through flesh and bone, puncturing his heart. He couldn't even scream as he felt the line grow taut.

"GET OVER HERE!!"

And Scorpion pulled back swiftly, pulling Sub-Zero helplessly through the space between them, reeling him in. As he came, the specter clenched tight his fist once more, and slammed his fist into his hated enemy's face in a vicious uppercut containing such force that it alone was sufficient to tear the weapon from the chest, send the Lin Kuei backwards through the air once more. He impacted with a nearby wall, and slid down.

After a moment more, he got to his feet...but it was no use. Blood poured from his mouth, the wound in his chest. He fell to his knees, all semblance of strength gone.

"Please...no..."

Scorpion stepped forward, but did not attack.

"Why should I show you mercy...? You had none for me and mine..."

He reached to his own face, to his neck. He took hold of the edge of the mask there.

"I..."

"I have known suffering such as you cannot imagine...and now, you shall too..."

He pulled, and in a swift motion, removed it.

Sub-Zero's eyes widened as he beheld the horror of what he saw. For there was no face, no skin. Above Scorpion's neck sat a skull, eye sockets as black and cold as...

"...death..."

The words came from an unmoving skeletal jaw, echoing now in his head, filling his every sense with terror.

"You...cannot...I...my..."

The hollow sockets blazed now, a fire lighting inside them.

"yes...look into my eyes, Sub-Zero...see redemption there..."

The jaw opened, and he saw the light there, too. They sky above rumbled.

"...not yours...but mine!"

Sub-Zero began to shake his head, his body trembling. He managed somehow to rise to his feet, but it was not enough.

"NOW, JOIN ME IN DEATH!"

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!"

As the fire spread from Scorpion's mouth, Sub-Zero's final thoughts were not of his clan, not of his brother, but of Raiden's words to him, on a night not so long ago...

"Quan Chi told me you sent me because my soul was tainted with evil...is that true?"

"You are a superb warrior, Sub-Zero. but only you are in control of your destiny. Not even teh gods can alter your chosen path of life."

"Was that a yes, or a no?"

"That was a yes...but only you can change it."

And his final regret now was that he had not, could not, in time.

The fire seared flesh from bone, destroying utterly the man, and melting the ice from the floor beneath where he stood.

When the flames had dissipated and the smoke had cleared, nothing remained of Sub-Zero save for a charred and blackened pile of bones that lay upon the ground.

The specter stood in place for a moment, and slowly raised his skull to the sky. He laughed, a mirthful, chilling laugh that was somehow filled with joy.

"Ha...hahahaha...it is finished...at last...it is finished..."

His laughter increased.

"VENGEANCE IS MINE!"

The instant he uttered the last words, his body burst into flame, fire crackling and blazing in a mighty inferno. The sound of the burning mixed with the laughter, and the blaze became a pyre. Moments later, the flames vanished, and where Scorpion had once stood laid now a pile of ashes.

And it was over.

Raiden turned to Liu Kang, whose eyes could scarce comprehend the spectacle he had witnessed, despite the things he himself he had seen and done. He tried to speak, but stopped. After a moment, the Thunder god placed a hand on his shoulder.

"This confrontation was inevitable. It was not our place to intervene."

Kang nodded, but said nothing.

"You must go, Liu Kang. I will find your comrades."

Kang smiled weakly, and departed for the final remaining boat. In a flash of lightning, Raiden disappeared.

Shang Tsung's island crumbled, palace and ground and sea intermeshing, mingling, becoming one in fire.

And in the empty, ruined courtyard, the first drops of rain from a mighty storm fell, mixing with the ash and ice that lay there.

Author : Bob J Dole

Creation date: 2005-1-25-43

Modification date: 2005-1-25-53