The scene cuts to Team S.F. and Manado at the cockpit of their plane, currently in the air and heading towards the Sky Temple. Jacqui and Takeda are in the pilot's seats, with Cassie and Jin at the computer screens just behind them and Manado standing in the center.

"We land in fifteen minutes. We'll enter the Sky Temple from the terrestrial entrance." Cassie says.

"Why not go straight there?" Takeda asks.

"It doesn't exactly work that way Takeda." Zaveer says.

"Zaveer's right. It exists in a different quantum state, slightly out of phase from our reality. It can't be reached by conventional means." Kung Jin explains.

Takeda breaths out a heavy sigh, which Jacqui notices.

"What?" Jacqui asks.

"It's just us. No one's coming to help. We either pull this off or–" Takeda says before being cut off.

"We WILL get it done." Manado assures.

Warning buzzers sound off through the plane. Before it looms the clouds that have been corrupted by the Jinsei. Cassie and Kung Jin get out of their seats for a closer look.

"By the... what is that?!" Kung Jin asks.

"Dunno. But it's headed right for us." Takeda says.

"Elder Gods have mercy." Kung Jin prays.

As the cloud looms closer, it produces turbulence that rocks the plane.

"Buckle up, people! I gotta put her down." Jacqui says. Cassie and Kung Jin race back to their seats while Manado finds a seat to sit down on.

Later in the forest near the temple, Jacqui has landed the plane without crashing, and Team S.F. and Manado have exited without issue. The corrupted light from the clouds above them has given the forest a distinctly red hue.

"Looks like the temple entrance is fifteen clicks that way." Jacqui says as she points off to the distance.

"A moonlight walk in the woods. Another time, it'd be relaxing." Zaveer says.

"I wouldn't have pegged you for outdoorsy." Jacqui says..

"My mother and I use to travel in forests a lot like this. Really takes me back." Takeda says.

Jacqui smiles at this as it's quite clear she's warming up to Zaveer's charm.

"After we wrap this up, we should go." Jacqui says.

He looks at her and smiles back. They spend a brief moment staring warmly at one another, before looking over to Cassie and Kung Jin standing on one of the plane wings, repairing the motor. Cassie slams down her tools in frustration.

"Fuck me! We're grounded. That shockwave fried the leads." Cassie informs.

"Then let's get going. We're almost outta time." Jacqui says.

A portal then opens up behind them. Kotal Kahn emerges, flanked by Erron Black, Ermac, Ferra/Torr, Reptile and several of his soldiers.

"Oh no." Manado says to himself.

"What are they doing here?" Kung Jin asks.

"Looking for the amulet, I bet." Jacqui says.

"We have to tell them about Shinnok. Call a truce." Zaveer suggests.

Kotal then spots Team S.F. and Manado and does not look happy to see them. He points in their direction with his macuahuitl and addresses his soldiers.

"Bring them to me!" Kotal Kahn commands.

His soldiers then roar out battle cries and charge forward.

"Or not." Cassie says.

"The woods! C'mon!" Jacqui suggests before they flee.

A while later Kotal's forces are walking through the woods, searching for their prey. Cassie and Jacqui hide behind two large trees as the search party walks past.

"They quiet. Sneaky." Ferra says.

"Ermac?" Kotal Kahn asks.

"We sense them. But the forest teems with souls." Ermac informs.

"Yes... So close." Reptile says.

Explosions suddenly rock the forest around Kotal's forces, throwing them into disarray. Two trees fall down, crushing several soldiers beneath them. Cassie chucks some grenades at the trees, Kung Jin shoots their bases with arrows and Jacqui uses her gauntlets to shoot plasma blasts at the tree bases. The end result is the trees continuing to fall on Kotal's forces. Manado sends out his shadow Camazotz as they grab unsuspecting soldiers and fly up in the air to drop them to their deaths.

One of Cassie's grenades lands at Reptile's feet. He notices and leaps up into the air, just narrowly avoiding the explosion. The fallen trees catch fire, giving Kotal's forces more issues to contend with. Ferra shrieks in fear at the flames.

"Divine fire and earth!" Kotal Kahn yells.

He looks over the battlefield and spots Kung Jin shooting off arrows. Meanwhile, Reptile scurries high up a tree and spots Jacqui. She has her back to him and continues to shoot plasma bolts at Kotal's forces.

"I see you..." Reptile says.

Zaveer runs up to Jacqui and spots Reptile.

"Jacqui, look out!" Zaveer calls out.

His warning comes too late. Reptile leaps from the tree and lands on Jacqui, pinning her to the ground. Zaveer charges towards him, but Reptile notices and spits a glob of acid into his face. Zaveer screams in agony and clasps his face in his hands as the acid burns into it.

Reptile turns back to Jacqui, who is still struggling in his grip. He raises one claw to smash her face in, but Jacqui rallies and punches him in the chest. She follows up with a headbutt and throws Reptile off her. They both rise to their feet.

"You hurt him, you answer to me!" Jacqui says.

They then fight. While the Zaterrean's speed and fighting abilities are not trivial threats, Jacqui fights with a rage that he is unable to overcome. Utilising her specialised gauntlets to their full potential, she unleashes a beatdown on Reptile that does not stop until he is unconscious at her feet.

"Go crawl back under your rock, Reptile." Jacqui says.

With Reptile down, Jacqui rushes back to Zaveer, who's still trying to wipe his face with his hands.

"Stop! You need water." Jacqui informs.

She then produces an emergency hip flask.

"Lean your head back." Jacqui says.

He does as he is asked and she then pours the water onto his face. It does the job of clearing his eyes.

"Can you see?" Jacqui asks.

"Yeah, yeah. It's fuzzy, but–" Zaveer says before Jacqui pours more water on his face.

"Better?" Jacqui asks.

Zaveer's blurry visage clears up quickly into a close up of Jacqui's face.

"Beautiful." Zaveer says.

Their tender moment is then interrupted by Ermac, levitating a considerable distance above ground level, uprooting the tree that Zaveer was resting by.

"Hold that thought." Jacqui says.

They then flee just as Ermac brings the tree down where they were standing. He flies after them, shooting blasts of soul energy as Zaveer and Jacqui dodge as best they can. After a while, it seems like they manage to outrun him, but then they come face to face with Kotal Kahn and his soldiers. Ermac soon floats into view behind them.

"Well... Lady's choice." Takeda says.

"I've got Ermac." Jacqui says.

As Zaveer rushes Kotal, Jacqui charges at Ermac. She shoots off a plasma bolt that hits Ermac to no effect. In response, he telekinetically lifts her into the air and slams her into a tree. She struggles to rise as Ermac floats down to ground level.

"You are spawn of Jackson Briggs." Ermac says.

"And damn proud of it! I know what you did to him." Jacqui snaps.

"We took your father's arms. We will take all of you." Ermac says.

They then fight. The battle proves to be one of the toughest of Jacqui's life, as Ermac brings the power of a thousand souls to bear against her. But hardened by resolve and the will to avenge her father's maiming, Jacqui takes the fight to the Outworld construct. After a fierce battle, she manages to emerge victorious against Ermac.

"That was for you, Dad." Jacqui says.

As Jacqui rushes back to where Zaveer is fighting Kotal, Ferra/Torr jumps into her path. Ferra laughs and Torr roars, taking a massive swing at her with his meaty fists. Jacqui dodges two swipes and barely escapes as Torr almost pounds her into the ground. He manages to grab Jacqui and lift her into the air with both his hands around her waist.

"Squeeze, squeeze, Torr!" Ferra orders. Torr complies, and Jacqui's bulletproof vest begins to crunch under the strength in his hands.

"Your eyes, so bright." Ferra says as she readies the metal claws on her wrist. "Gonna carve 'em out!" Ferra yells.

She slowly brings the claws towards Jacqui's face. In the nick of time, Jacqui's gauntlets finish charging up. She unleashes a plasma blast that rocks Torr backwards, letting her loose of his grip. He doesn't fall though, and neither does Ferra.

"Trickery! Deceit!" Ferra yells.

Jacqui shoots off a plasma bolt, but it isn't charged and doesn't faze Torr. He throws two more meaty punches that Jacqui barely avoids. She gets into a fighting stance.

"No more tricks. Just a straight up beatdown." Jacqui says.

They then fight. The sheer power and brutality of Ferra/Torr force Jacqui to use all of her kickboxing skills to avoid their mighty attacks. She proves to be up to the challenge, and with the help of her charged gauntlets she lands multiple blows on the two Outworlders. After a long brawl, they eventually fall unconscious at her feet.

"Two for one. I'll take it." Jacqui says.

Back with the rest of Team S.F., Kung Jin blocks the sword of a charging soldier with his staff, and Cassie kicks him in the side, staggering him long enough for Kung Jin to put an arrow through his brain. He swings his staff around just in time to parry a sword blow from another soldier trying to cut down Cassie, allowing her to kick him in the stomach and smash her knee into his face, knocking him out.

A third soldier charges Kung Jin, who again blocks the sword strike with his staff-bow. Cassie punches the soldier in the kidney twice and knocks him down with a right cross, and Jin swings his staff-bow around and fires an arrow straight through the head of a fourth soldier, causing him to backflip from the force. Takeda then takes out one of his whips and sends it through a soldier's skull before throwing his body into another soldier, knocking them back.

As Manado knocks down another soldier, he looks to see Kotal Kahn still fighting Zaveer. Gritting in anger, he rushes to his aid. As for Zaveer, he smashes Kotal in the face with a right hand, but the Osh-Tekk kicks him in the stomach, forcing him back. Zaveer holds back for a moment, allowing Kotal a chance to speak.

"We know D'Vorah is here. Where is the amulet?" Kotal Kahn asks.

"Kotal Kahn, the situation has changed–" Takeda says before being cut off.

"Do not fling your spittle at me." Kotal Kahn says.

"Kotal Kahn!" Manado calls out as he then stands by Zaveer's side.

"What you are doing will threaten everyone's lives, including Outworld's." Manado points out.

"Silence Chujin! I will hear no more of this!" Kotal Kahn snaps.

Gritting his teeth, Manado looks Kotal dead in the eye.

"I should've left you to rot in the flesh pits where I found you." Manado says.

Angered, Kotal then charges at the Chujins and attack. Manado and Zaveer block his punches, but then Zaveer takes a kick to the chest that knocks him down. As he rolls to his feet, he then teleports behind Kotal and kick him in the back of the head, causing him to stagger. Manado then takes advantage and manages to punch Kotal twice in the face and sending a palm thrust to his chest knocking him back. Kotal regains his focus and charges again. This time he is prepared and manages to grab the Chujins by their necks and throws them to the side. As they rise back to their feet, Jacqui runs up to them both.

"You tell 'im?" Jacqui asks.

"Not yet!" Takeda replies.

"Working on it!" Manado says.

"He needs to kno–" Jacqui says before being cut off.

"Busy!" Zaveer says.

"I will kill you all." Kotal Kahn says.

"Kotal! Shinnok has been freed. He's at Raiden's Sky Temple. And he's already infected Earthrealm's life force." Manado explains as he gestures to the sky.

Kotal looks up at the red clouds and realises the truth of his words.

"The heavens boil... Earthrealm is lost!" Kotal Kahn realizes.

"Not if we hang together!" Jacqui says.

Kotal draws his macuahuitl from the scabbard on his back and readies it for kombat.

"I will appease Shinnok. Bring him your heads. Gain time to bolster Outworld's defenses." Kotal Kahn says.

He then swings the weapon at Zaveer, who barely ducks in time. Kotal backhands it towards Jacqui, who blocks with her gauntlets. Kotal holsters the macuahuitl as Manado throws a punch that he blocks, before he punches him in the kidney and kicks him in the ankle, knocking him to the ground. As Manado rises, Ferra/Torr charges straight towards him. Manado ducks under Torr's attempted grab, but the behemoth slaps away his follow up kick. Zaveer looks and notices Ermac and goes to battle him.

While the Chujins fight Ermac and Ferra/Torr, Jacqui now goes up against Kotal Kahn alone. She deflects one of the Kahn's punches and one of his roundhouse kicks with her gauntlet, and shoots off a blast of plasma that stuns him for a moment.

"You need to help us, Kotal Kahn!" Jacqui says.

"It is too late for Earthrealm. Shinnok is now it's master." Kotal Kahn says.

They then fight. With both kombatants fueled with desperation for their realms, the battle proves to be a long and hard one for Jacqui. The Emperor of Outworld brings everything he has to the fight, and Jacqui only barely manages to defend against it. Calling up on her last reserves, she throws everything she has right back at Kotal Kahn and amazingly manages to defeat him.

"You shoulda been with us." Jacqui says.

Kotal Kahn rises to his feet, growling impatiently. Erron Black steps in, flanked by soldiers, and aims one of his revolvers right at her.

"That's enough." Erron Black says.

Kotal's forces slowly back Jacqui, Cassie and Kung Jin towards each other in a clear part of the forest. Cassie tries to shoot her pistol, but she's out of bullets. She holsters the gun and readies her fists.

"Fuck me!" Cassie says.

Ferra/Torr stomps back into the fray, with Manado's bound body in Torr's arms. Torr lifts them up and throws them toward the clearing. He lands hard as Ferra laughs, and Jacqui helps him to his feet. Zaveer then gets telekinetically thrown into the center by Ermac but Manado helps him back to his feet.

Team S.F. and Manado are now completely surrounded on all sides, and have all backed into one another.

"Don't know about you guys, but I'm living the dream." Jacqui says.

"No offense, but you have odd dreams." Zaveer says.

"Chattel. You die tonight." Kotal Kahn says.

He then calls to his soldiers in the Outworld tongue and they begin to close in. Manado's eyes then begin to glow red, as if waiting for the next strike.

Ferra/Torr charge forward... and are frozen solid by an ice blast. More blasts follow, freezing the soldiers who come too close to Team S.F. and Manado, whose eyes return to normal.

Sub Zero walks into the clearing, followed by his Lin Kuei disciples. The warriors then charge into battle without hesitation, forcing Kotal's forces to engage them. Team S.F. and Manado then break free and make a run for it, stopping as Sub Zero walks towards them.

"You stood together against formidable odds. Lesser warriors would not have fared so well." Sub Zero says.

"Thanks, Grandmaster." Cassie replies.

"I will remain here to push Kotal Kahn back to Outworld. Proceed to the Sky Temple. Earthrealm's fate lies with you." Sub Zero says before team S.F. and Manado head off as Sub Zero walks toward the battle.