Gina (two days later)

"One hundred forty-eight. . . One hundred forty-nine. . . One hundred and fifty!" I wake up to the sound of something being slammed down to the ground. I get up in a sitting position to find Lao brushing his hands off before he walks away from a large boulder that had crack from being dropped. I just shake my head with a smile as I stretched my arms over my head and bending back until cracks ran along my spine.

"Did I wake you?" Lao ask while sitting down across from me.

"You have to make a lot more noise then what you did to get me up," I say with a smile. "I'm can sleep through an earthquake if I wanted to."

"I see, you're one of those heavy sleepers," Lao says before he shivers. "At least you don't snore like Master Bo'Rai Cho. He once awoken Lord Fujin by being louder than Raiden's thunderstorms."

"I know. He still does it when I last saw him," I reply with a chuckle. "Because Fujin now has to wear earplugs whenever Bo'Rai Cho's around for a time." My comment causes the Shaolin to laugh, in which causes me to join in. I got to say, Lao's laughter can be quite contagious when you get him to laugh.

"So, did you sense anyone nearby while you were asleep?" Lao asks when we calm down from our happy fit.

"I was kind of hoping that Raiden would be around here in this cave," I answered. "Then again, it's been a while since I last did my Aura Search. I need to properly meditate to see where everyone's at."

"I understand," Lao nods as he pulls on a jacket. "I need to train on my teleporting. I won't be far from the camp."

"I don't mind you joining in on meditation," I reply, making Lao pause for a moment. "I'm just saying that it might help you clear your mind a little more, just in case."

"You sound like Liu Kang when you said that," Lao looks at me with a stare.

"Sorry, it's just. . . I meant that I would appreciate it if you stay while I meditate," I say while looking down. "It'll make me feel more comfortable with some company being here." That's when I look up to see Lao having a slight red color on his face.

"Lao, are you okay?" I ask the Shaolin. "You're turning red. Did you catch a cold?"

"N-no, I'm fine!" Lao says rapidly. "I can stay here for a while." With that, he sits down before taking a breath and closing his eyes, starting his meditation. All I could do is shake my head with a small smile before closing my eyes and opening my senses. I soon learn from the auras that as of now, Jax and Sub-Zero have met up with Kenshi. I can tell that Sub-Zero has recovered from having his power stripped. But something was off about Kenshi, as his aura was weak as Lao's when I restored him from the cursed life Quan Chi had upon him. However, before investigating more, a rush of telepathic screams came crashing in, making me shout while accidentally hitting Lao in the process. I clutch my head in pain, yet I remain calm while pushing back the voices away. It becomes silent the moment I become calm.

"Are you alright Gina?" I open my eyes to see Lao with a concerned expression.

"Sento's not with Kenshi," I confirm. "I ended up getting an earful of souls."

"Are you sure it's Kenshi Takahashi's sword and not Ermac?" Lao asks.

"Lao, if it was Ermac, I would've heard Shao Kahn among the souls," I look at the Shaolin straight in the eye. "And believe me, I know Shao Kahn when I sense him. I know better than not to forget his aura, even after Raiden and the Elder Gods destroyed him."

"Ermac has Shao Kahn's soul? But wasn't Shao Kahn destroyed completely?"

"Physically, yes. But not spiritually. It's a miracle that Quan Chi didn't get his soul before Ermac did. Otherwise it would've been ten times worse for both Earthrealm and the Netherrealm. Shao Kahn would've broke free from Quan Chi's control and conquer all if he had the chance." That's when Lao places a hand on my uninjured shoulder, causing me to relax from the shaking that I didn't notice.

"Gina. . . Did you meet Shao Kahn the hard way?" The Shaolin asks carefully. I nod as tears start to roll down my cheeks.

"My mother sacrificed herself in the coliseum in order to keep me safe," I say with heavy breath. "Otherwise I would've been taken to train my abilities as an assassin. I was the only child my parents had after my older brother was killed while serving the Edenian Rebellion. Mom couldn't stand losing another, so she sold herself as a gladiator. Right when I was in Shao Kahn's grasp, right before he could hand me over Princess Kitana's bodyguard, Jade. However, before she drew her last breath on the battlefield, she managed to whip up a spell that caused my Kanji to appear. Her last gift to me before she died. But Shao Kahn let me go, as my mother was a demonstration to those who tried to overthrow him." When I was done, I realized that Lao had me in a comforting embrace with one hand rubbing my back while an arm was around my lower back. And I was crying right on his shoulder.

"I'm truly sorry about your mother," I hear Lao's voice in a calm manner. "And I also apologize for asking about Shao Kahn. But I will do whatever it takes to help you find the others. You're not alone in this fight."

"Lao. . . Thank you," I wrap my arms around the Shaolin's neck, taking calming breaths in order to get out of the meltdown I was in. When I get calm down, I let go of Lao before wiping off the tears.

"I'm okay now," I say after taking a deep breath. "But we're packing up. Liu Kang's on Skarlet's side now. We got about an hour before he gets here."

"What? But Rieko took Liu Kang's power away from him," Lao says with a concerned look.

"Before Sento called out after I found Jax with Kenshi and Sub-Zero, Liu Kang's aura was weak and disturbed," I explained while rolling up the sleeping gear. "And it wasn't because of his Revenant state. It was as if someone tortured him until he cooperated. It's most likely that whoever Skarlet's working for must have hit a personal nerve. Might've threatened to capture Kitana if Liu Kang didn't join forces."

"That theory I can agree on," Lao admits after putting out the fire. "After Quan Chi resurrected Liu Kang, my brother swore to do whatever it took to keep Kitana safe. Those two were inseparable since they got together again."

"I can understand that," I nod the moment I get the remaining supplies into the bag. "Raiden told me how Liu Kang was fond of Kitana before they died. It's a shame that the former Champion not only became under Quan Chi's influence, but also be too blinded by his grudge against Raiden. Despite the fact that Liu Kang's death was an accident, he believes that the Thunder God murdered him."

"Liu Kang's death. . . was an accident?" Lao says with confusion.

"I know that you were told otherwise," I hoist up the bags on my shoulders. "But it was an accident. Raiden was trying to defend himself from Liu's Infinite Fist when his electricity and Liu's Dragon Fire combined and attacked Liu. He ended up being burnt severely."

"Liu Kang. . . " I look to see a distressed expression on Lao's face. "Why would he. . . " But the Shaolin couldn't bring himself to finish the question.

"Liu attacked Raiden because of his anger for Shao Kahn's invasion hitting Earthrealm and his grief for losing Kitana blinding him," I softly say while placing a hand on Lao's shoulder. "He had enough of Raiden's Armageddon visions, therefore Liu accused Raiden of going insane." But the moment I even touched Lao, I begin to see memories from his strangely balanced past. I saw all that Lao was remembering, from the time he met Liu Kang as a kid to the time he lost to his Shaolin brother for a place in the tournament. Then it was from the time he lost to Scorpion in Mortal Kombat to the last memory of life before Lao was killed by Shao Kahn. After that it was the time Lao was resurrected as a Revenant by Quan Chi to the recent memory of me making him human again. And when I blink, I find Lao looking at me with a concerned, yet surprised expression. That's when I realized what I allowed myself to do.

"I am so sorry," I quickly withdrew my hand. "Sometimes I can't help it to look at people's memories by physical contact and--It won't happen again, I promise."

"It's fine," Lao says calmly. "We're even, since you also allowed me to see your memories as well. I can now understand your past."

"Oh, dammit," I say with a smile and a facepalm. "I'm such an open book. Well, the moment's gone. Let's get out of here, 'kay?"

"After you," Lao says while gesturing before me. I couldn't help but chuckle as I walk towards the direction of where Sento could be. And who knows, maybe Lao and I might run into someone. Just as long as that someone is an expected ally.

Lao

"Oh hey, I need to ask you something," Gina suddenly says before going any further. "There was I time I saw you with Sub-Zero and Jackson Briggs. What happened that caused you to be in the cave that we met in?"

"I volunteered to search for help," I answered while ushering the telepath to keep going. "But that resulted into being chased by Tarkatans. I lost them the moment I got into this cave."

"That makes a whole lot of sense," Gina nods before walking ahead. I can't help but admire her courage on doing her rescue mission. She's also strong, confident. . . . Beautiful. . . . Wait, what am I saying?!

"You okay, Lao?" Gina looks back to see my flushed face. "Are you sure you're not catching a fever?"

"I'm fine!" I quickly say, though half of that was true.

"If you get sick on me, I'm kicking your backside for that," Gina replies before walking forward. I blow out a quiet breath of relief before following her. But why am I starting to feel a lot more mutual towards her? Is it because of her amusing personality? Her confidence of protecting others? Her willingness to survive? But I shake my head as I catch up with Gina. I was a Revenant for too long. There are things that I have done that I am not the most proud of. However, I am willing to do whatever it takes to succeed to redemption for the actions against Earthrealm.

Scorpion (Hanzo Ego)

"What do you mean by Akuma being Taven's sister?! That makes no sense at all!!" Tairell exclaims.

"Tairell, I know that it's hard to believe, but it's true," Taven steps forth. "Shinnok deceived Delia enough for Akuma to be into existence. Then again, I had no knowledge of this until I visited the Edenian Archives."

"But the question is, what exactly is she doing in the Krypt?" Kung Jin asks. "What does she want with all the powers of the Kombatants?" We were all in a meeting chamber, with Raiden now present. But instead of the armor that he wore after purifying the Jinsei, the Thunder God wore a blue tunic with black trousers. Despite the fact that he's still powerless from Skarlet's attack against him, Misteria's been helping him getting from one place to another.

"Master Isamu!" we all turn to see a woman run in. "Scouts have reported that Gina Everhart's on the move with an Earthrealm warrior. He's wearing some sort of hat with a glowing brim, but it's confirmed that they're back on searching for the other fighters. The scouts were going to intercept them, but the Tarkatans cut us off."

"Gina must still be with Kung Lao," Raiden crosses his arms. "I do hope for their safety if they're bound to find the others."

"But if the Tarkatans are going after my scouts, then it seems that Akuma's patience is running thin," Isamu replies. "Which means we must find a way to have a patrol to guide Gina and Kung Lao to proper places that any warriors could be hiding."

"Have you heard any movement from anyone else?" Misteria asks. "Any sign of any warriors that my team are supposed to find?"

"I doubt that the fighters would move out of hiding unless they were forced to," I speak clearly. "More than likely, Skarlet and Mileena are possibly postponing their search for Gina."

"It's not Mileena anymore," we all turn to see the healer that managed to purify Raiden. "It seems that Akuma has been reasoning, or more likely torture, some of the fighters into joining her forces."

"What makes you say that, Torian?" Isamu asks.

"A patrol just arrived with major injuries," Torian answers. "One of them looked like he took a swim while three others had third degree burns. And those burns had shape of a fist."

"Liu Kang," Raiden bows his head. "He's one of the fighters, isn't he?"

"Unfortunately, he is," a voice says before a man in a army vest appears as his metallic arms were crossed. "But he was blackmailed in doing so."

"Jax?!?" Misteria and Jin became shocked enough to fall out of their chairs. Even Raiden rose from his seat in surprise.

"The good counselor helped out with the patrol that fought Liu Kang," Torian explains. "He, Takahashi Kenshi, and Sub-Zero were escorted here."

"Wasn't easy finding those two on my own before the Wolf Clan showed up," Jax took a seat next to Jin. "Then again, my communicator broke, so I probably have SF pretty tensed up about me being gone for a long time."

"You have no idea how much Sonya's worried about you, not to mention Jacqui," Misteria recovers from her shocked state. "But it's good to see you, Jax."

"Yeah, same here," the former SF agent nods. "So, what can I do to help?"