Sonya can only see darkness but can still hear. A rabid crowd can be heard cheering as her eyes slowly open to take in the sights of the crowd, separated by a large steel cage, amidst a dingy looking bar with purple lighting.

In the center of the cage - filled with broken bottles, used bed mattresses and other assorted junk - Sonya sits up and tries to get her bearings. A voice chimes in over the loudspeakers:

"Rise and shine, Sonya." Younger Kano says.

Sonya gets back to her feet. She looks down at her arms and finds that she's no longer wearing her wrist gauntlets.

"Wha...?" Younger Sonya asks.

"Yeah, you won't be needing that stuff, love." Younger Kano says.

She then looks up to the top of the cage, which is covered by patches of razor wire. Both Young and Old Kano look down at her from a makeshift stage.

"One thing we Black Dragon know, there's no fun in a fair fight." Younger Kano says.

A heavy door opens behind the crowd and a newcomer makes their way through the crowd, who all step away from them. The newcomer is Kabal - the unburnt young Kabal from another timeline. He looks up to the stage that both Kano's are on.

"So Sonya's the skank who burns me?" Younger Kabal asks.

"Oh, she more than burns you, Kabal. She goes black-ops on your arse. Shocks, knives, the bloody works. Patched you back together meself. Well, most of you." Kano falsely explains.

Kabal's eyes narrow in anger and he clenches his fists in rage.

"She's dead." Kabal says in anger.

The crowd around him start cheering encouragement. Young Kano looks over to his older self.

"Miss Law and Order really does that to him?" Younger Kano asks.

"Nah. But now he's motivated." Kano says.

Both Kanos smirk in an identical fashion.

Below them, two Black Dragon goons open the cage door. Upon spotting the open door, Sonya immediately turns and makes a run for it, but she is bowled over as Kabal charges her with his super speed. Evidently, whichever timeline this Kabal is from, he had the speed even before being burned by Kintaro and healed by Shang Tsung's magic. Sonya picks herself up as Kabal slides to a halt in front of her.

"Hope you're ready for some pre-emptive vengeance." Younger Kabal says.

"What the hell are you talking about, Kabal?" Younger Sonya asks.

"You, torturing me to get dirt on the Black Dragon." Younger Kabal says.

They then fight. Augmented with Black Dragon technology and weapons, this version of Kabal is no less deadly then his revenant counterpart, and Sonya is at a further disadvantage without her wrist gauntlets. But she still has years of Special Forces training and fighting experience, and Sonya calls on everything she's learned to take the fight back to Kabal. After a brutal exchange, she finally leaves the Black Dragon lackey down and out.

"Don't believe every rumour you hear." Younger Sonya advises.

She then looks out toward the crowd around her.

"I'm done entertaining you clowns!" Younger Sonya says.

She then turns toward both the Kano's overlooking her.

"Get in here, you cowards!" Younger Sonya yells.

Across the bar, two more goons drag in a semi-conscious person.

"Tempting, love. But we think our next contender is a beaut." Younger Kano says.

Sonya looks over to the cage door and to the person the goons are dragging in. She recognises him immediately.

"Shit." Younger Sonya says.

The door is then opened and the goons chuck the young Johnny Cage into the arena, to the cheers of the crowd around them. Sonya immediately runs past Johnny and through the open door, but she is quickly grabbed by the goons and shoved back into the cage. They slam the door on her again, and despite her best efforts she is unable to force it open. She then turns back to the badly beaten Johnny and helps him to his feet.

"I won't fight him!" Younger Sonya says.

The crowd then starts booing. Bottles of beer are thrown at the cage and shatter into pieces.

"You'll damn sure fight, or you'll both die!" Younger Kano threatens.

"Cut the shit! You'll kill us whether we fight or not!" Younger Sonya points out.

"Ah, you caught me, love. But put on a good show, eh? It'll be less painful." Younger Kano says.

Now standing on his own, Johnny tries to assume a fighting stance. It becomes quite clear that he's doing all he can to even remain upright.

"C'mon. You've been dyin' to hit me all day. Here's your chance." Younger Johnny says.

"And give them the satisfaction of watching us fight? Like hell." Younger Sonya asks.

"You said it: they'll kill us whether we fight or not. Fighting buys us time to find a way out. So... quit being a diva and hit me!" Younger Johnny says.

Reluctantly, Sonya assumes a fighting stance. Young Kano lightly punches his older self in glee and anticipation. After some hesitation, Sonya cocks her right fist and punches Johnny square on the nose, drawing blood. The crowd roar in delight as Johnny tries to get his bearings.

Sonya then delivers a barrage of punches to Johnny's ribs, and Cage is so battered that he can't even block the strikes. Nonetheless, he remains standing from the assault.

"Take a dive!" Younger Sonya suggests.

"No way. These people know a dive when they see one." Younger Johnny says.

Grimacing to herself, Sonya winds up for another punch. Before she can hit Johnny again though, a garage door to the bar is blown open with a massive explosion, throwing aside the two guards standing next to it. As Sonya stops, Johnny finally falls to his knees.

Cassie charges into the Black Dragon bar, firing her dual pistols. Behind her, a Special Forces squadron charge in as well, firing their assault rifles in much the same manner. Two Black Dragon goons try to return fire but they are cut down by Cassie's bullets. Two more close in but Cassie leaps into the air and knocks them both aside with a mid-air split kick. She lands on her feet, raises her pistols to either side and shoots two more thugs through the head.

Cassie shoots another goon with a perfect headshot, shoots a female goon in the leg, then as she goes down to one knee, Cassie steps onto her shoulder and springs off, perforating the goon's back with bullets as she lands. A male thug tries to put a pistol to Cassie's head, but she blocks his arm with her own, then shoots another nearby thug through the head. She turns back to the thug who tried to shoot her and blows the brains out of another charging goon by firing a shot over his shoulder.

The thug pulls out a knife and tries to stab Cassie with his free hand, but Cassie smacks her pistol into the side of his head. He drops the knife and Cassie jumps onto him, locking her legs around his waist and rolling backwards. The resulting flip ends with the thug on his back and Cassie on top of him. Cassie turns around and shoots both a charging female and male goon through the head, before standing up and running further into the bar, flanked by her fellow squad members. She and they open fire on the crowd before them.

Back in the cage, Sonya helps Johnny back to his feet. On the stage, Young Kano angrily motions with his head to a third person standing with them, the young Erron Black. Erron steps down from the stage, ignoring the fighting between the Black Dragon thugs and the Special Forces. Both Kanos remain where they are, both now wearing equal looks of contempt and anger.

The cage was padlocked by the thugs shortly after Johnny was thrown into the cage. Both Sonya and Johnny kick at the door, but it doesn't budge.

"Three... two..." Younger Sonya says.

Before she can say "One", the padlock is shot off by Erron Black. Both Sonya and Johnny backpedal as the masked gunman opens the cage. Johnny bravely steps in front of Sonya to face Erron Black down, who promptly draws his pistol and shoots Johnny through the arm. He recoils in pain, but charges in with a punch before Sonya can stop him. Erron Black easily dodges the punch and he clubs Johnny in the back of his head with his pistol, knocking him out.

Erron Black pulls out his other pistol and aims directly at Johnny's head, but in doing so he turns his back to Sonya, who punches his facemask before he can fire. Erron Black turns back to her and fires off his pistols, but Sonya rolls backwards to dodge the shots. She rolls to her feet and dodges some more bullets with a jumping corkscrew pirouette.

Sonya cartwheels toward Erron Black, avoiding his shots, and tags him with a jumping roundhouse kick that staggers Erron Black for a moment.

"Now ain't this a thrill. Bagging the legendary Sonya Blade." Younger Erron Black says.

They then fight. Without her weapons, Sonya remains at the disadvantage, but she is by no means helpless in a close quarters battle. In his arrogance, Erron Black manages to underestimate the fighting skill of the Special Forces lieutenant and Sonya uses that to her advantage. The fight is intense, but eventually Sonya manages to prevail against the Texas cowboy.

"Lieutenant!" Cassie calls out.

Sonya turns around and spots Cassie running toward the cage. A Black Dragon thug charges in and swings his fist at her, but Cassie ducks his attack, punches him in the face and bowls him over with a roundhouse kick. She pushes the cage door open and walks up to Sonya.

"(Looking at Johnny) He needs a med evac. We're gonna have to fight our way out to the rendezvous." Cassie explains.

She then hands over a pair of wrist gauntlets.

"You'll need these." Cassie says.

As Sonya takes the gauntlets and reattaches them to her wrists, Cassie walks up to Johnny and helps him along through the chaos of the fight club. Johnny limps along as best as he can, though every step is clear agony for him. Sonya, Cassie and another Special Forces soldier move alongside him. As they reach the fight club entrance, Cassie hands Johnny over to Sonya and draws her dual pistols. She fires directly ahead and to her sides, taking down Black Dragon thugs before her.

The soldier to her left suddenly catches a hail of gunfire, screaming in pain as the bullets rip through his armour and vital organs. As he falls, Cassie guns down the goons who killed him with precision shots.

Cassie, Johnny and Sonya step out of the club into a construction site covered in derelict structures and vehicles. Snow has fallen recently and it covers the ground beneath them in patches. As they run through the site, Cassie turns around and shoots even more charging thugs dead with pistol fire.

As Sonya and Johnny take cover behind a nearby truck, Cassie finishes gunning down the last remaining Black Dragon goons. Just then, the older Kano emerges from the fight club... carrying a minigun.

"Where do you think you're going?" Kano asks.

Cassie gasps and sprints for cover, just narrowly avoiding a barrage of gunfire that would have torn her into shreds. She ducks behind the truck that Sonya stands behind, while Johnny is seated next to them, far too wounded to do much of anything else. The truck is thankfully bulletproof, providing sufficient cover against the deadly hail of minigun fire.

Kano stops the barrage after a moment. Cassie tenses, readying herself to step out and shoot Kano dead, but unbeknownst to her Kano activates an advanced X-Ray vision display using his cybernetic eye, allowing him to see Cassie from behind the truck. He winds up the minigun and fires again just as Cassie emerges. The resultant barrage tags her in the right arm before she can get a shot off and knocks her off her feet.

Sonya grabs her before Kano can finish the job and drags her behind the truck, next to Johnny. With Cassie out of commission and Kano stepping ever closer to the truck, Sonya looks at her wrist gauntlets and activates them.

"No! It's too dangerous!" Cassie points out.

Sonya looks back at her future daughter and says nothing, focusing her mind to the task at hand. Kano has now reached the other side of the truck, and he stops firing the minigun for a moment. He slowly approaches where Cassie and Johnny are hiding, but doesn't notice that Sonya has climbed the truck and is looking down at him from the roof.

He suddenly looks upward and spots her, but as he raises the minigun Sonya shoots off a sonic blast from her gauntlets, striking the firing mechanism of the gun and rendering it useless. As Kano steps back and drops the minigun, Sonya

launches herself off the truck and tags him in the chest with a diving kick. She lands fully on Kano and rolls into a crouching stance.

Kano picks himself up quickly and throws a knife at her. Sonya moves her head in the nick of time and the knife buries itself into a steel pole just inches away from her face. Kano breaks into a run and Sonya chases after him, but just as she is about to catch up, the younger Kano catches her in the side with a running knee, knocking her head over heels to the ground. She picks herself up as the two Kanos approach her, each one smirking in the same cocky fashion as each other.

"Best thing about this future, love? I'm alive, but you're dead as a doornail." Younger Kano points out.

"Worst thing is, it's those Netherrealm stiffs did you in. Shoulda been me." Kano also points out.

"Let's have ourselves a do-over." Younger Kano suggests.

All three of them charge at each other. Sonya strikes the younger Kano in the chest with a running knee of her own, sending him sprawling into the older Kano. As the older Kano falls flat on his back, young Kano rushes in with punches, but Sonya parries them and lands a punch to his face, following through by kicking him in the stomach and hip-tossing him to the ground.

Old Kano recovers and punches Sonya in the face immediately afterward, but she blocks his follow up strikes and punches him back, following that with a leg sweep which he jumps over. As Old Kano lands, Sonya blasts him in the face with a roundhouse kick that knocks him down.

Young Kano then leaps at her, brandishing dual knives in his hands. Sonya catches him in the face with a sidekick as he lands, knocking him flat on his back, and follows it up with an axe kick that crunches into his abdomen. Behind her, Old Kano reels in pain from the strike as well.

Sensing this, Sonya kicks Young Kano in the abdomen again, causing Old Kano to double over in pain. He roars in anger and fires a laser blast from his cybernetic eye. Sonya dodges the laser with a jumping corkscrew pirouette and launches herself at Old Kano in the same motion, blasting him in the head with a flying roundhouse kick. The blow sends Old Kano to the ground, unconscious.

Sonya turns back toward Young Kano, who spits contemptuously to his side and stands ready to fight.

"You might be alive in this future, but that can change." Younger Sonya says.

They then fight. Kano has the initial advantage over Sonya, what with her fighting for her life just moments earlier against uneven odds. But for all of his dirty tricks and fighting prowess, Kano never had the warrior discipline that Sonya had installed with her throughout her tenure in the Special Forces. Though the battle is intense, Sonya manages to outfight, outmaneuver and outwit her longtime nemesis and leave him down and out one more time.

"Let me give you a break." Younger Sonya says.

She walks over to Kano and places her boot on his throat, readying herself to crush it into mulch.

"Now this is a pickle." Kano says.

Sonya turns around. Old Kano has Johnny Cage in a chokehold and holds a bowie knife across his ribs.

"Can ya break his neck faster than I can gut Pretty Boy? Don't forget, it's two-for-one. He dies, so does your little girl!" Kano says.

At his word, Sonya looks down at the younger Kano... and smirks.

"Thanks, Kano." Younger Sonya says.

"For what?" Kano asks.

"For reminding me of the rules." Younger Sonya says.

Without hesitation, she pulls out her service pistol from its holster and shoots Young Kano through his remaining eye, blowing a bloodied hole clear through his head. Immediately following this, Old Kano drops Johnny from his grasp and walks off to the side, gasping in pain. He turns back toward Sonya... and shows the same gaping wound in his face that his younger self now sports.

Young Kano remains face up in the snow, dead as a doornail. Old Kano gasps one last time and is suddenly engulfed in a timestorm of sand. Old Kano then dissolves into dust and is removed from existence, with nothing but a cloud of sand to denote the occasion.

Some time later, Special Forces soldiers patrol the area, and Cassie is sitting in the back of an armoured carrier, her shoulder wound being treated by a medic. In front of them, Sonya patches up Johnny's arm.

"Sweet move. I'm totally stealing that one for Timequake." Younger Johnny says.

Sonya smiles and pats him on the back of his shoulder. She turns and walks away, but Johnny - looking more sincere than he ever has done - calls out to her.

"How about... dinner sometime?" Younger Johnny asks.

She stops, smirking to herself, and turns back to him.

"Y'know, to thank you for saving my life? And, er... apologize for being, well, me. No pressure. No romance..." Younger Johnny offers.

"Patience is a virtue, Cage." Younger Sonya says.

They both smile and look to Cassie, who returns the smile... right until she spots something on the other side of the area.

Catching her gaze, Sonya and Johnny turn around to where she's looking... a nearby watchtower. An unidentified person has just grabbed a Special Forces soldier and hoisted him over his head.

"No... no... nooo!" The soldier cries out.

"What is that?" Younger Sonya asks.

As they turn, the soldier is thrown from the watchtower and lands in a messy heap before them. The man who threw him leaps into the air and crashes down in a three point stance. It is Geras.

Immediately, six Special Forces soldiers open fire on him with their assault rifles. Geras strides toward them, his body bleeding with every bullet that hits him but doing no damage to him regardless. He lashes out with a haymaker strike that decapitates the nearest soldier, then he sweeps the legs of the next soldier with his fist, punches him in the chest and stomps his head into the ground so hard that it is turned into mush.

Geras picks up a pole from the ground and impales a soldier straight through the chest with it, killing him as well. The fourth soldier smashes Geras in the face with the butt of his rifle, and Geras responds with a backhand that breaks his nose. With the soldier stunned, Geras takes his head in both his hands and squeezes, crushing the poor man's skull until it explodes.

Geras knocks down the fifth soldier with a left hook and approaches the last man, who has run out of ammunition. He pulls out a knife and slashes at Geras, drawing blood with every strike he manages, but Geras doesn't react to any of it. As the soldier tries a stab, Geras takes the blade in his shoulder but grabs the soldier by his head and punches him in the face twice in succession, knocking him down. Geras strides over to the soldier and places his hands over his face. With the view obscured by Geras' body, what he does to the final soldier can't be seen... but what is seen is the large pool of blood that forms around his twitching, and eventually unmoving body.

Johnny and Sonya watch all of this with a mounting horror.

"(To Sonya) Who's the special guest villain?" Younger Johnny asks.

"Geras, Kronika's goon. Allegedly, he can't be killed." Younger Sonya says.

Johnny starts to walk over to him.

"I fought a dude like that in Fatal Infinity..." Younger Johnny says.

He flexes his right arm, but immediately doubles over in pain. Sonya strides past him.

"(To the medic) Get him evac'ed. I'll keep this thing occupied." Younger Sonya says.

As the medic takes Johnny back to the carrier, Sonya rushes up to Geras, who lands on the ground before her.

"Sonya Blade. Mother of Cassie Cage." Geras says.

"Yeah, what of it?" Younger Sonya asks.

"Cassie Cage defeated Shinnok, son of Kronika. I am his mother's vengeance." Geras says.

They then fight. The battle proves to be the most difficult of Sonya's life. For all of her fighting ability, gadgets and training, it does not matter against a construct that cannot be killed. Every one of Sonya's attacks is shrugged off by Kronika's minion. But she refuses to give up, and with a last desperate assault she manages to floor Geras for a moment.

"Stay away from my daughter." Younger Sonya says.

As Geras picks himself up again, Sonya hears the sound of an approaching vehicle and dives off to the side. Geras is not so quick and is impaled through the abdomen by a forklift being piloted by Cassie. The forklift slams into a large crate, pinning Geras against it.

"Try coming back from this." Cassie says.

She then pulls the pins from two grenades and throws them at Geras' feet. Upon spotting them, Geras merely groans in resignation.

The grenades explode, consuming Geras and the forklift in the resulting fireball. Cassie is almost blown off her feet but is caught by Sonya.

"You okay?" Younger Sonya asks.

"I'll be fine. I come from tough stock." Cassie says.

"Listen. What I said back at the base, about the mission... it wasn't fair. You're a damn fine soldier. I'm so proud, I can almost picture myself dating Johnny." Younger Sonya says before winking at her.

"Almost." Younger Sonya says.

"I wish I could go back. Do our last mission over." Cassie says.

"It wasn't easy, finding out how I die-- or, could die. But I re-read the file. You followed orders. Saved your squad. I'm just glad my sacrifice saved Earthrealm... and you." Younger Sonya says.

Cassie says nothing, but she is clearly grateful for what Sonya is saying.

"Besides, you heard Raiden. Things'll never go back to what they were." Younger Sonya says.

She then places her hands on Cassie's shoulders.

"We all have to "choose our destiny"." Younger Sonya says.

She pulls her future daughter into an emotional hug. Around them, the congealed blood pools - all that remains of Geras - begin to form together in one location. Sonya and Cassie pull out of their hug when they spot the show before them.

"Liu Kang and Kung Lao weren't kidding about this guy." Younger Sonya realizes.

"All squads withdraw! Evac, now!" Cassie orders.

They and the rest of the Special Forces begin to evacuate.

Meanwhile in the inside of Kronika's Keep, Kronika continues to manipulate her hourglass while the revenant Liu Kang stands guard. She peers into the depths of the glass and seemingly deduces the events that have just taken place.

"Geras failed. When he returns, I will strengthen him further for the final battle." Kronika says.

Liu Kang approaches her. Even without looking at him, Kronika senses that he has something to say.

"Speak your mind." Kronika says.

"We've lost Shao Kahn, his Outworld army and now the Black Dragon." Revenant Liu Kang points out.

"While Raiden's allies have burned precious time fighting Kano and Shao Kahn, our most important work has continued, uninterrupted, on Shang Tsung's island." Kronika explains.

"That island is in ruins. What could possibly–" Revenant Liu Kang asks before being cut off.

"Timecraft requires an abundance of raw temporal energy. Every mortal soul contains a lifetime of this power. Every hour, every minute, every second lived, is stored within." Kronika explains.

"Shang Tsung fed off souls. He collected them." Revenant Liu Kang realizes.

"In his Well of Souls which remains, untouched, beneath his island. A destiny I crafted for Shang Tsung, in case I ever had need." Kronika explains.

At these words, Liu Kang smirks and bows before her.

"Shang Tsung's souls will... be mine." Kronika says.

(A/N: Just a heads up. On Monday, I will be releasing a short chapter that will take place between chapters 10 and 11.)