GFD

"LIU KANG! LIU KANG!"

Liu Kang fell from a custom made balance beam which he had been meditating on with a start at the screaming of his name. He quickly threw himself together and ran for Kitana.

When he arrived, he was shocked to see her laying flat on her back, seemingly paralyzed. He approached cautiously, so as to be ready if her attackers were still there.

"It's ok, Liu Kang. She's gone."

"She? Who did this to you, Kitana?"

As he bent down to try and help him up, she scanned his face intently, and with love.

"It was Sindel," Kitana replied, breathing heavily.

"Sindel?! Why!? I thought she was, well, you know...why'd she do this? She hasn't..."

"No. On the contrary, the opposite. She asked me to follow her here, away from any one who would pry. She is my mother, and I felt I was obliged to hear her out. I was ready to defend myself, if needed. I just prayed that it wouldn't come to that."

Liu Kang's mind drifted back to earlier events. He recalled how upset she was at the time Kai had announced her, although his was more obvious. He then recalled overhearing her and Sonya talk; Kitana was hoping that she wouldn't have to fight Sindel. Then, Sindel attacked her. Had the younger Subzero not intervened, Kitana may have died.

"Liu Kang! Hello!"

"Sorry, Kitana. I was just recalling the time we were in Khan's fortress and Sindel -"

Kitana smiled, "No, it wasn't anything like that. Although that was one of the things we talked about. We talked about my father. She's irate over what had been done to her. I sympathize with her, especially since she's been resurrected! I'm her daughter, and knew she needs me."

"But what happened? Why are you on the ground, and paralyzed?"

"Sindel's power seems to have manifested to an explosive level. I guess it's a good thing for Rose that it happened at their fight. It wasn't too good for me. She's obsessed with destroying Khan. I tried to convince her that it was NOT a good idea. She agreed; she wanted me to help! If I could get Jade or an others, she wanted them too."

"We are now under rules like Mortal Kombat. She can't do this? It's madness!"

"I agree, but I think Earth has a saying, `Hell Hath No Fury Like A Woman Scorned!' Suffice to say, ma's scorned. I told her that I couldn't let her do this. She wailed like a banshee, and drove me into the ground. I thought it would only stun me. It hasn't; I now fear she may try to confront him. She may even try to fight him. She must be stopped!"

Liu Kang took Kitana's delicate hands, and a chill shot up his spine. Her hands were clammy, and had a feeling of the cold of death. Kitana also seemed stiff, yet could move. However, this was limited. After a few tries, they were up, and followed to where they knew Sindel was going; to confront a devil named Shao Khan.

"I'm worried, Liu Kang. We both know that even in her right mind, Sindel couldn't stand up against Khan. He's too powerful. Even if her rage does help her overpower him, he'll easily manipulate her. Then, he'll kill her...he doesn't need her anymore! And now...this! I fear that by the time we reach her, their `encounter' will have played out. You haven't recovered fully from your dual with Charlie, have you?"

"...No. It's just that, you know..."

Kitana looked into his eyes and soul, and kissed him. They then continued.

"I knew you would come, my queen. I must admit, this is a bit longer than I would have thought!"

Khan turned to face her, and put on his mask, causing his dark laughter to echo deeper.

"Ah, I see! You wanted Kitana to help, and possibly, Jade. She was sensible, and refused, and tried to persuade you to stop. You, as I knew, wouldn't be stopped. I suppose you had to - discipline her, such a pain...Gak!"

Her blood boiled over, and she spewed forth an explosive fireball, hitting the monster in the gut.

She wasn't able to toss him, so she merely, tripped him with her mane. She then ran in for the kill.

At point blank, a blur blasted from Khan, striking Sindel down, leaving a trail in the ground behind her. His hand was still in the position from when he had struck Sindel. Had he struck any harder, he would have caved her face in. He then spewed his own poison at her, followed by a few arrows. He then lifter her up by her neck, his eyes glowing with the fires of Hell glowing brightly.

"Ha ha ha! You are a good fighter, probably the best woman warrior that I've defeated. Alas, you've worn out your use to me. You have nothing I want. This time, you die, without the benefit of Shang Tsung and his men bringing you back. Now that's something I'm sure you're dying to hear. As a reward for helping me finally conquer Earth, I'll let you know how you died the first time."

"I don't...care! You will die!"

"Fire to the end. That's why you have endured so long. However, it's over. Now, I think it was just a few days after that battle with the late King of your realm. It should all be coming back. You know, this could make a great story some day. I must admit, up to that point, he was the first one to equal me in strength. It's too bad I had to kill him; he could have been a general. At the time, Tsung returned, defeated by Kung Lao. The plot to take it over took more time than I had wanted, but good things come to he who waits!"

"How cute. Quoting old Earth phrases! They say we all need hobbies. You picked an interesting...gau!" choked Sindel as Khan tightened his grip.

"Anyway, although Goro helped him, it proved near impossible to claim Earth. So, Tsung hit on a plan. He had a spell cast which would cause your soul to be resurrected in the past, and on Earth. At first, I only wanted you dead. As Earth proved harder to take, I decided to act on it. In honor of my victory, a celebration was to be held. You were seated next to me, as my queen. Your drink contained a strong poison. The strongest would be too quick. This one was the most violent and tormented one in existence. It more than served its purpose. This, and a bit of manipulation, allowed me to claim an assassin attempt, and eliminate all of your old court. The rest, you know."

Sindel had felt certain that Shang Tsung was a large player in her death, and now she knew that he had poisoned her, only to later allow her to be reborn on Earth, so that Khan could finally take it. Her mind was flooded by the memories and pain of the poison as it ripped through her mind, body, and perhaps ever her soul. It started in the pit of her stomach, and it seemed to cause her insides to explode. Each and every organ experienced this. Her stomach acid seemed to spread, eating her stomach, intestines, and all the rest of her. Her lungs seemed to pop, and it felt like Kano had ripped her heart through her chest, still beating. All else felt as if it was being boiled alive.

"I see that you are reliving your first death. There's the fire of Hell itself in your eyes. Now, I bid you good night! Night has fallen for you," and his hand drew back, ready to strike again, knowing that the next hit would shatter her skull. She shut her eyes, and prepared for the worst.

It didn't come. She heard him yell, and heard flesh burning. She opened her eyes, and fell on her back. She leaned on her side, and saw Kitana standing before him with her fans set. Just in front of Kitana was Liu Kang.

" YOU LEAVE MY MOTHER ALONE!

"This ends, NOW!"

"Vain fools! The women are badly hurt, and you aren't in top form, either. Time to die!"

"ENOUGH! This ends now!" boomed Alpha-Omega, followed by bolts to separate them.

"Raiden? No, you!"

"Liu Kang and Shao Khan are still in this tournament. You may not fight," and before any could protest, they were teleported away from Khan.

"NO! It won't end like this! Not until he's dead!"

"Mother! Listen to yourself, please! This isn't what you taught me. Think of what father would want. For now, wait...If you want, you go alone. Come, Liu Kang."

"Kitana? But I thought, that is, ok."

"Kitana? My own daughter...so long have we been separated. Reunited, I push you away for a quest of killing Khan. I'm so sorry."

"It's ok, I'm just glad you're back."

"Who is this man, Kitana?"

"There is so much we need to catch up on, mother."

Not too far away, lurked Meat, watching them with interest. On the opposite side, yet another warrior bearing the name Reptile watched them.

"Are you CRAZY, Cammy! You were in a fight to the death, in the Dead Pool. You get knocked into a hook, and should have been paralyzed, if not more. All of that while under his control! Now, you want to confront him! You can't do that!"

"Yes, Chun Li, I will! For what he has done, he must pay. I must also know for sure; it's a question that has been burning deep in my very being ever since he first said it. I must know."

"Don't tell me you still think you were in love with that cursed loser. No one in their right mind could love a maniac like Bison. Forget it!"

"But could any man have always been like this? Could one person be so obsessed with evil for all his life? Maybe. Either way, I will go to confront him."

"Are you still feeling the control of Bison's spell, Cammy? Ryu and Ken fought him together, and just got out alive. Charlie Nash was nearly killed in his fight, as was William Guile. There is no way I'm going to let you fight him!"

"I had hoped I'd be able to avoid this, Chun Li. You are a good friend, and I don't want to, but..." and Cammy flipped over Chun Li, grabbed her by he shoulders, and drove Chun Li's face into the ground.

"Forgive me, my friend. I know that'll leave a bad mark when you come to, but you will live. I must confront Bison, and learn the truth. The truth is, I feel a connection to him, something deeper than being under his command. I can only think that it's love."

Cammy wondered if it was really love, or was she still under Bison's command. She felt it was love, but still had a strong doubt in her depths. After all, he had brain-washed her and had her as one of his top assassins. She had no idea as to how many she had killed. As she was walking, her mind began to drift to what may have, and sometimes, did happen. Heinous acts that she had committed under Bison flowed. They were all things that she had hoped to forget, but they came, although slower than other memories.

There's songs celebrating a birthday for a boy and girl. There are people of all ages, beliefs, and backgrounds. Cammy was sent there because the mother and father were leading a strong push against Bison's drug cartel in Britain.

She blackened the grounds, and cut off all communication to the outside world for them. She then moved in. There was no security, so she made her way in without event. She broke down the heavy door, killing one of the younger kids. In a violent frenzy, she eliminated every one there with no opposition. The cries of the kids echoed throughout the chaos, while others screamed in fear, or tried to restore order. However, with no light, and Cammy equipped with night goggles, she killed them all off without being touched. Some she killed with her bare hands. Others, by various knives. She seized some hand guns and finished the rest. After a quick glance, Cammy left, uneffected by the dead, carnage in the building, or the bodies she trampled.

Now, she shuddered as the memory ends, and heard the laughing of the man she'd sought. Now, she wondered if she really wanted to see him.

"Hello, my darling Cammy. After all this time, you still carry a torch for me. It's so touching. I see it in your eyes. I suppose that after what has been done, what those fools think, and what you've been told has confused you with what your heart knows. Let me clear your head of lies. The truth, no strings."

"Now why would you do that?"

"Maybe it is because we were in love...Although you're younger, you have a fire and we quickly took a liking to each other. I promised you the world. You loved the idea; the rulers of the world! You were realistic, and I was a dreamer. You knew we'd need to strengthen ourselves, and obtain followers. We were both gifted warriors, and it took us little time to reach the next level. I tapped into Psycho Powers, and our military began."

"Please! Why are you bothering with this? We both know this. Let's move on!"

"Patience, Cammy. You never know, some one may find this interesting. Alas, like all dreams, we need a lot of money! I got into drug trafficking, but without your knowledge. I was quickly at the head of what I would soon dub Shadowloo, the largest drug cartel in the world! Shortly after, you found out, due to some idiot's mouth. A shame, too, they had such potential. Sometimes, we have to do things; and you proved to be a burden. I couldn't do it, so I had some men do it. Ironic, they'd later be killed in a fight with the UN. I figured you were dead, and it wasn't until the tournament that I knew you still lived, with amnesia. I decided to work on an experiment I had used on Ryu, and later, Ken. I can only speculate as to why it failed. Maybe it's their friendship for each other, or maybe their respective loved ones...Maybe that's why it worked so well for you. You still have a bond to me and still want to return to how it was before. It can never be! However, you can still be at my side as we rule the world together!"

"I don't believe this! I loved you, was worried about you, and wanted to help you so that we could have our world. You took the dark path, and because I was worried, you tried to kill me, then possess me! Why? What has driven you to such, madness?"

"Come, now, do I have to spell it out? Ok, money and power. This IS what moves our world. To have total control is my destiny! All else is second to it! I'm now at the verge of it. Join me, and I can reach two goals at once!"

"...You are truly dead to me, Bison. That's all you want: `Anyone one who opposes me will be destroyed!' This includes the one who loved you! If I don't approve, you'll kill me! I won't..."

"Yes, you will!" declared Bison as he gripped Cammy in a mental choke, lifting her off her feet, "You see, Cammy, I'll have what I want, when I want it! I really don't wish to kill you, but you leave me no alternative. Thank you for your time! Now, hmm!" and he warped instantly, and Cammy fell to the ground, choking.

Chun Li attempted a Demon Kick, but Bison evaded it. He was about to counter, when Charlie came in for a Somersault Justice. Bison did the same, only to be halted by Guile. At a random chance, Adon caught him in his Revolver.

"That's quite enough! What needs to be learned has been learned. Now, depart!" and in an eerie fog, they were removed from the scene of the battle.

"So, did you find what you wanted, Cam?"

"Yes, Li. It was as I had felt, it was true! I'm going to need time to, you know."

"Maybe we can talk a bit," offered Adon. Cammy accepted as Nash made a similar offer to Chun Li.

"Bah! All alone! I wonder how Jane and Amy are," and Guile went to go clear his head, unaware of Shadow watching him at a short distance. Not too far away, Shadow Li was also watching.

These have been the weird and crazy ideas that have come from my head to "explain" what's what. I've decided that his full name is Charlie Nash (now, as to what the F is in William F. Guile...DON'T EVEN THINK IT!). Once again, Meat, Reptile4, Shadow, and Shadow Li have made cameos...and check out Shadows in Legends if you haven't yet to see how UNOFFICIALLY Shadow came into being, and if Charlie REALLY died. With all the madness and mix-ups in their stories, I've tried to sort it out as best I can...or maybe just made it worse--oh well! ;} Same for Shadow Lady!

©2001