Insure.

JOHNNY CAGE: Wait. What about us? What are we? Chopped liver?

Raiden stares at Cage for a moment.

JOHNNY CAGE: What?

RAIDEN: Perhaps you are right, Johnny Cage. You will stay close to me.

JOHNNY CAGE: Great, I--

RAIDEN: Close as a shadow, and twice as silent.

JAX: Sonya, you're with me. Keepin' my eye on you. Raiden, looks like you'll

wanna teleport yourself about thirty klicks that way.

---------------------

(3J) CHAPTER 7: SMOKE

---------------------

The scene fades from Sonya's wrist-comm into a barren wasteland. Two ninjas

- one in grey, the other in blue, stand among many slain warriors.

SMOKE: We should stay together, Tundra. Assuming your brother's identity will

certainly draw attention. Not all of it welcome.

SUB-ZERO: You are right, Smoke. But assuming Bi-Han's identity is the best

way to honour him.

SMOKE: Let us proceed then, Sub-Zero.

SUB-ZERO: We should separate. Our fellow Lin Kuei will not be far behind once

our absence is discovered.

SMOKE: If only they had been more forthcoming with the details of your

brother's demise. We will find Shang Tsung. He will tell us all he knows.

SUB-ZERO: If he killed Bi-Han, he will die.

He turns face to his friend.

SUB-ZERO: Be stealthful as the night...

They both place a hand over their hearts.

SMOKE: ...and deadly as the dawn.

Sub-Zero walks off. As Smoke watches him leave, he turns around at the sound

of a new voice.

KITANA: The emperor was wise to send me here. The Lin Kuei do walk uninvitied

In his realm.

SMOKE: Wise though your emperor might be, he was foolish to send his

housemaid to interfere with Lin Kuei business.

KITANA: I am Kitana, Princess of Outworld! And I deal harshly with

sharp-tongued intruders!

They fight. Unprepared for Smoke's control over his namesake, Kitana finds

herself at a disadvantage and is overwhelmed by his attacks. The melee ends

with her unconscious.

SMOKE: Where there is Smoke, there is fire.

He checks over Kitana, who is out cold.

SMOKE: Sleep well, princess.

Smoke walks off into the Living Forest, where he spots Kano and Shang Tsung

testing out a pair of RPG launchers.

KANO: With a whole army totin' these, no one in Outworld or Earthrealm could

stand up to you.

He shoots off an RPG into the distance while Tsung examines another launcher.

SHANG TSUNG: Well done. You may tell your fellow Black Dragon that I am very

Interested in your merchandise.

As Kano shoots off another RPG, Smoke walks into the clearing.

SMOKE: Shang Tsung!

Both Tsung and Kano look rather bothered at the intrusion.

KANO: I'll take care of him. No charge.

He puts down the rocket launcher and walks toward Smoke.

KANO: One dead Lin Kuei in a tick.

They fight. As brutal a fighter as Kano is, Smoke manages to take advantage

of his lack of discipline to take the fight to him. He soon leaves the

leader of the Black Dragon down for the count.

SMOKE: Stay down. I would have words with your associate.

Shang Tsung now walks into Smoke's path.

SMOKE: Tell me what you know of Sub-Zero's death.

Reptile suddenly appears next to Tsung and snarls, ready for combat. Tsung

stops him from advancing and then morphs into Bi-Han.

SMOKE: What?

When Tsung speaks, his voice is of the elder Sub-Zero.

SHANG TSUNG: Despite his failure at my tournament, I'll wager he was more

powerful than you, Lin Kuei.

SMOKE: Assuming his form will not give you his skill, shapeshifter.

SHANG TSUNG: Let us see if smoke can freeze.

They fight. Tasked with facing both Reptile and Sub-Zero at once, Smoke ends

up in one of the most difficult fights of his life. Nonetheless, he uses all

of his skill and tricks and manages to defeat both kombatants. The fight

over, Shang Tsung morphs back into his regular form.

SMOKE: Now answer me! What do you know of Sub-Zero?

Smoke gets punched in the face by an invisible attacker.

SMOKE: What?

SEKTOR: Smoke!

As Smoke looks around, he gets hit in the stomach. He's struck twice more and

staggers back. Smiling at the distraction, Shang Tsung conjures up his magic

and teleports himself, Reptile and the cache of weapons away (Kano has also

slipped away in the melee). Meanwhile, Sektor disables his camouflage and

stands in front of Smoke - but not as a human. He is now completely

encased in a metal exoskeleton - in other words, he's a cyborg.

SEKTOR: You have disobeyed the directive to remain at the Lin Kuei temple.

SMOKE: Sektor?!

SEKTOR: You will return with us to begin your transformation.

SMOKE: You actually did it... You're a cyborg!

SEKTOR: We are the Lin Kuei. More stealthful than the night... more deadly

than the dawn!

They fight. The battle is intense and fierce, as Sektor has a clear advantage

with his technology and upgrades, forcing Smoke to use every trick at his

disposal to keep in the fight. Through sheer determination, Smoke manages to

defeat the machine.

SMOKE: I will never submit!

As he turns to leave the area, several more cyborgs teleport into the fray

and surround Smoke. They restrain him using some sort of pulse charge

emitting from their arms. Just then, Raiden teleports into the area with

Johnny Cage.

RAIDEN: There is great energy nearby.

JOHNNY CAGE: Um... Rai-dude...

He points over to where Smoke and the cyborgs are. Raiden receives another