It has been a week since the young Cassandra Cage took down Shinnok.

Against all odds,-- and multiple armies-- the young Earthrealmer and her squad were able to vanquish foe after foe. All the while, former kombatants,-- Raiden's champions, as well as universally-known warriors-- lay struck down by the overlord of shadows.

Kotal Kahn's forces, Outworld rebels, the undead soldiers of Shinnok, and, eventually, even the fallen god himself fell to the Kombat Kids (name has a ring to it, don't you think?)

Now, almost two weeks later, we of the Special Forces, Lin Kuei, Shirai Ryu, and of course, the White Lotus gather here, at my house, today to do one simple thing:

Celebrate!

Jonny Cage finished his speech to an uproar of cheers and victory yells from the crowd gathered in his backyard. The fighter smiled and raised his glass of champagne with a whoop. He did a few bows and wink-points before finally stepping off the chair he had been standing on. He was quite happy; he had not been able to give a speech like that since Jax got married.

The brawler in question hugged his wife as he chuckled at the sight of Johnny trying to put his arm around Sonya, who promptly shrugged his arm off and threatened to break the limb. He then turned his gaze to his daughter seated next to them. He was beyond proud of her; words couldn't describe it. Not only had she defeated Kotal Kahn, halting his invasion of Earthrealm. She kicked the ghost that that ripped his arms off's ass. It almost brought a tear to his eyes.

Those thoughtful eyes turned into a scowl whenever he caught Takeda winking at Jacqui through the screen door of the kitchen. Sure the kid was nice and all, but it was basically his responsibility to be overprotective. He allowed his daughter to join the military, but he certainly wasn't going to allow her to date a ninja without a bit of a fight.

Said ninja was happily invested in a conversation with his dad and Kung Jin. Kenshi was listening quietly, but the two kids were arguing about their performances while fighting Kotal Kahn.

"I'm not trying to say you didn't do a good job," Takeda said, "I'm saying that the guy was fast and tough and it's just a little bit of bullshit that you were able to beat him."

Takeda, language, Kenshi telepathically scolded his son. He mentally apologized to his father, sure that he could read it.

"Well what can I say?" Kung Jin bragged on. "I do have experience in fighting gods."

"Jin," Kenshi calmly interrupted the Shaolin, "You know that Raiden let you win that fight." Takeda laughed at that.

"Yeah, okay," Jin defended, "But I still beat the emporer on a bright, sunny day. That was something, eh?"

"Yeah, but I fought him half-blind," Takeda argued.

As the kids argued, Johnny and Sonya approached the White Lotus's representatives. Oddly, Raiden was absent, so Fujin and Bo' Rai Cho attended in his stead. They had congregated near an empty table.

"Sup Fuji, Bo-Bo," Johnny greeted the legendary warriors with his usually charm.

"Lord Fujin, Grandmaster Bo Rai Cho, you honor us with your company," Sonya corrected her ex-husband's slight.

Fujin smiled brightly and bowed to the two, "Johnathan Cage, General Blade, the honor is ours."

"Likewise," Bo Rai Cho said as he gulped from his flask.

"Lord Raiden sends his apologies along with his regards," Fujin explained, "He said that he had drastically important matters to tend to."

"I'm not surprised," Sonya said, "I'm sure he has a lot of reparations to make."

Bo Rai Cho scoffed at that, "Reparations. More like preparations."

"Grandmaster," Fujin scolded.

"What do you mean by that?" Sonya asked with concern.

Before Bo Rai Cho could answer her however, Johnny jumped in, holding a glass which contents made Sonya's eyes water even from three feet away. "Yo, Bochu! I had this drink made just for you." He handed the glass to the Grandmaster and explained, "I think you'll find it quite strong." Johnny looked like he was holding back giggles.

"Ah, Mr. Cage," the fat man sniffed the drink without a reaction, "Don't insult me." He downed the glasses contents like it was water in a shot glass. "A peculiar taste, but do you honestly call this alcohol?"

Johnny was dumbfounded, "Dude, do you know what was in that?" Rai Cho shook his head. Johnny counted on his fingers, "Fireball whiskey, the strongest damn vodka you'll ever see, lemon juice, and the most powerful moonshine I could find!"

"Well, it tasted nice if that makes you feel better," Rai Cho affirmed the stunned Johnny.

Meanwhile, Kuai Liang was complimenting the young Cage daughter for her leadership and heroism weeks ago. Cassie Cage in turn thanked Sub-Zero for saving the Kombat Kids from the Kahn's forces in the forest. The Grandmaster was currently explaining what happened after they fled on the front patio of her house.

"I tried to reason with him, but he remained stubborn," said Liang, "He was thoroughly convinced that Earthrealm was doomed and would not accept otherwise. And I once respected his reasonability."

"Well," Cassie said flatly, "The guys a big, blue asshole. They don't usually listen to reason."

"Heh," the Grandmaster chuckled slightly, "I wouldn't say that. I still honor him as a warrior. I simply wished he had made a smarter choice that day." Sub-Zero grabbed a drink off a nearby table and sipped from it. He continued, "He fought hard. Many times I found myself doubting victory, but after the corrupted sky cleared, he ordered his men to retreat." When he saw Cassie's disgusted face, he added, "Not out of cowardice. Out of concern. His beast had been frozen solid and many of his soldiers had fallen to my men. He wisely retreated. Had he not, all would have been slain."

"Why are you defending him, Grandmaster?" Cassie asked with a hint of anger. "Don't forget, he locked us up for no reason and tried to have us killed many times."

"You misunderstand," Sub-Zero replied, "I do not condone his actions. I am simply commenting on his leadership. Despite all that you have seen, it is clear that he cares deeply for his people. Outworld has never seen a more benevolent and just ruler, and I doubt they ever will again, but he did make a titanic mistake." Sub-Zero finished his drink and looked deeply at the young heroine, "He angered the thunder god."

The somber mood was broken when a teenaged boy accidentally bumped into the cryomancer, causing him to drop his glass which shattered to pieces on the cement patio. "Oh, shit!" the boy said, "I'm so sorry, Grandmaster." He went to pick up the shattered glass. Cassie noticed how casually he was dressed. While most at the party had worn suits or their combat uniforms, he was wearing simple jeans and t-shirt. She guessed he was probably the little brother of a soldier or something.

"No, please," Liang stopped him, "I will get it."

As Sub-Zero knelt down to pick up the remains of his glass, the teenager noticed Cassie.

"Oh, uh, Ms. Cage," the boy nervously stuck out his hand, "Thanks for, uh, saving the world and all. Heheh."

Cassie cautiously and awkwardly shook the boy's hand, "Uh, no problem, dude."

"Okay, uh, I should go," the boy stammered, "Thanks. And, uh, sorry." He walked away as quickly as he could without looking like an idiot. Cassie thought he failed at that.

"Well he was weird," the woman offhandedly commented.

Sub-Zero rose from his crouched position chuckling. "He fancies you. Don't look so surprised Cassandra. You're the world's hero. Many young men will want to, how did Kung Jin put it? 'Get with you.'"

This conversation reminded her of a grandpa trying to relate with his grandkids by using the modern slang, so she instantly tried to change the subject. "So. Where's Grandmaster Hasashi?"

______________________________________

The boy dropped his façade once he was out of the heroine's sight. He continued to confidently walk until he was on the left side of the Cages' house. "Hey, its me." he whisper-yelled at the roof.

In the blink of an eye, a form materialized out of thin air to reveal Reptile, who had remained invisible until now. "What have you heard?" the Zaterran asked.

"A lot," the Outworld spy began, "Raiden's not here and his White Lotus men said that he was busy with reparations/preparations. I'm not sure what that means. Other than that nothing really special; a lot of people are bragging about their victories, and the leader of the Shirai Ryu also isn't here. No one knows why."

"They celebrate our defeat," Reptile hissed, "Excellent work, Derek. Meet me here again in half an hour and we'll return to the palace. Until then, find out as much as you can."

"Kay," Derek replied as the two parted way, "Wait, Reptile." The Zaterran stopped his ascent on the roof. "Am I allowed to eat and drink over here?"

"No," Reptile said bluntly. "Tonight is our memorial feast. Save your appetite."

Derek sighed disappointedly. "Yes, dad," he mumbled quietly, ensuring that the Reptile wouldn't hear.

Introductory chapter complete.

Prepare yourselves, because this is going to be one hell of a ride I'm putting you on.

Don't be afraid to leave any comments or mistakes you see in the story, I love hearing your feedback.

Until next chapter (coming quite soon).