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Through the Eye of the Tortured

Chapter 3: A Fate Worse than Death

Kano continued to fall down the chasm, the intense fire blazing all around him. With his quickening descent, he was terrified by the horrors he observed as he saw former allies from the Black Dragon clan looking as hideous and demented as the monstrosities in the Netherealm. They pointed and laughed at him, shouting his name, threatening to perform disgusting acts to his immortal soul, and hoping that the judges would keep him from becoming a Demon for a long time. These creatures could not be real though; Kano remembered the perversions of his childhood enemies taunting him earlier, and refused to believe that his friends could be this cruel to him. Why would they be, to their trusted leader?

"Because you're a traitor."

Kano knew that voice. It scared him. A lot. It was a friend, but this was a friend he knew was dead, and did not belong in Hell. The world grew brighter and brighter around him, and the next thing he knew, Kano was embathed in white light, and landed softly on fresh, dew-covered grass, surrounded by a blanket of cool fog. He was now clothed in a white t-shirt and shorts, and the wounds he sustained since his death had all healed. He was no longer covered in the laser burns from his death, and miraculously, his rotted eye was now healthy and allowed him to see. The fog slowly cleared away, gently pushed along by a breeze, with a harmonious chorus played in the background. Kano felt a draft from above and looked up to see a figure descending towards him; on six white, angelic wings, and sporting a magnificent white suit with a black shirt and white tie, his former friend and rival Daniel Blade touched down and smiled.

"It's good to see you again, Kano," Daniel said, brushing off his suit with a black handkerchief and fixing the tie around his neck, his slick, brown, gelled hair shining in the brillant light. Kano could hardly believe his eyes. Was this a dream? Another hallucination brought on by the Netherealm? "Even in death, you're the centre of attention, Kano, coming out either as a lucky jackass, or just a jackass. I really gotta know, how the fuck did you get high-ranking Demons on your case?"

"Daniel, we both know that ever since I was born, I was set to go down a bad path and fail at every turn. Even when I turned to you for a way out, look what happened."

"You weren't looking for a way out, you were trying to get rid of two birds with one stone, and you'd have gotten back into the game anyway, because that's how you are. All you wound up doing was piss off my sister and not make it to our meeting until after she found my beaten corpse."

"I didn't realize how deep it had gotten with the Red Dragon infiltrating your Special Forces! And I told you specifically to get there alone and not tell anyone!"

"Yeah, you're right on that. I didn't know Hsu Hao was a dirty scumbag. He did it good too, made it look like an ambush from some thugs, even scrapped himself up to make it more believible. The best part was the laser burns he put into me himself - small enough to look like that robo-eye of yours."

Kano smiled. He was glad that at least Daniel knew he didn't set him up. Daniel Blade had pursued Kano and the Black Dragon for years when they had become more known in North America, and with their many encounters, a bizarre rivalry and respect for one another formed. This was before Kano became a proficient killer, when they were both in their late-twenties and before Sonya became lieutenant of the Special Forces. The Black Dragon clan had developed a reputation for being spectacular thieves, but Kano learned that the centuries old Red Dragon clan was not only unknown beyond large crime circles in Asia, but also remained hidden because the clan found ways to pin their crimes onto other organisations, in particular, the Black Dragon.

Eventually, Kano learned that the Red Dragon had infiltrated the Special Forces, and decided that it was time to make the Special Forces know who the real threat was before more Black Dragon members were captured. Kano contacted Daniel to let him know there were criminal spies in his team and the two worked out a deal. It was a win-win situation for Kano; the two would meet and Kano would give Daniel Blade names and information about key Red Dragon operatives who had enrolled in the army, navy, FBI and Special Forces. The Special Force's energy would be concentrated on the Red Dragon, revealing the clan to the American government as a threat to national security and resulting in the intense pursuit of several high- and middle-class members around the world, hindering the clan's ability from rising any further in power, and possibly eradicating the ancient organisation once and for all.

With all this, several Black Dragon members would have to be exonerated for crimes they did not commit, putting them back on the street. Kano himself would receive protection and disappear, using his ill-gotten gains to lead an easy life for the rest of his days. It was a simple, but well-thought plan... That is, until Daniel let Sonya know that he would be meeting Kano for information, never mentioning what the information was, thus never mentioning the Red Dragon clan. She insisted that Hsu Hao go with him in case Kano was lying, and from there, Hsu Hao informed Mavado, who ambushed Kano before he could meet Daniel, preventing the Special Forces from learning the truth.

When Kano did arrive, he was already too late, and Sonya and Hsu Hao attacked him. Though it was never proven that Kano killed her brother Daniel, Kano's mechanical eye was enough to convince Sonya. He forever lost the trust of the Blade family and was branded a priority criminal, his image spread in every city. Overnight, he became one of the most wanted men in the United States, and from then on, Kano continued down the path of a cunning and crafty murderer, and elevated the fears everyone had of the Black Dragon.

"So what're you here for," Kano asked, "giving me a pat on the back and telling me I tried my best and better luck next time?"

"I'm here because it was written that we'd see each other one more time before it ended for you," he sighed. Daniel looked at the ground and frowned, "there won't be a next time, Kano. Nothing short of a resurrection will allow you to try again, and if my being here, straight from the Heavens, giving you a glimpse of what you'll be missing out on, is any indication of what's to come, there is no hope. Nobody wants you back in the living realms."

Kano stared in disbelief and pondered what he just heard. No hope for freedom? All his hard work and suffering for nothing useful? Just eternal torture? He looked behind Daniel and saw his step-parents, both living happily in a retirement home in Melbourne. Another image materialized, this time of Kabal, looking as handsome and rugged as ever, having a good laugh while drinking with Stryker and Nightwolf. He saw images of his other friends and old flames from his life before joining the Black Dragon, and the happiness they expressed was compounded with the thought that every single one of these people were happy without Kano in their lives. Another horrible thought dawned on Kano; he did not see any Black Dragon members except for Kabal... All this time, he thought Kabal had been killed by Mavado, but it was much worse than that. He painfully realized that he saw so many Black Dragon faces on his way down the chasm because they were all dead. They were not illusions, but the tortured souls of his comrades. He now understood the feeling of disappointment he heard from the voices, and why they felt he was responsible for their deaths... They blamed him for their damnation.

Seeing Daniel lament with the heavy burden of breaking Kano's spirit and hope was more than enough to push Kano over the edge... He fell to his knees and cried. Daniel comforted him as best as he could, but Daniel was not there for that. His job was done, and soon, once again, he would be written out of Kano's life.

It was Daniel's time to go and as he flew into the air, Kano, after sobbing for so long, cried out, "I could've been so much more, Danny-boy... I've been on the wrong path since I was a youngster. The Gods didn't care about my fate, they just put me there without even givin' me my real mum an' dad. I had no chance! Everyone brought me down here, everyone! All the choices I made were wrong to the Gods and Demons, but what was I supposed to do? I did what I could to get the best life had to offer, to be come the biggest and best thing out there, and all I got for it is nothing. Nothing!"

"Kano, there have been hundreds of people who stood up to the same odds you did who made different choices," shouted Daniel, "the best for yourself and your Black Dragon clan led to the worst for others. It's time to see your Judges, Kano. Be strong, and defend yourself!"

As Daniel flew high into the air, Kano heard shrieking and felt intense heat. A burst of flames blinded Kano momentarily, and when the haze cleared, he was no longer on the grassy field. He was back in the Netherealm, in a brightly-lit cavern adorned with golden skulls and decorative torches. The walls were almost perfectly smooth, and the room was cooler than any other location in the realm. He would have deemed the room almost comforting had he not felt a drop of blood splash onto his forehead. He looked above his head and noticed a gruesome touch of Netherealm decor; a woman, wearing a pink sports-bra and jogging pants hanging from the ceiling by a chain wrapped around her neck. She was covered in thin, bloody cuts, her motionless body dangling back and forth, dripping blood onto the floor in a steady rhythm. It was time for his judgement.

Author : Marco Pennino