Mortal Kombat Manga part2: Prepare yourself...

	Kano stood on the beach and smiled as he walked towards the
jungle. A large temple appeared through the brush as he walked. He
laughed as several guards walked up to him. He was exactly where he
needed to be. An elderly man who was sitting beneath a canopy turned to
face him. "Ah, Mr. Kano I presume? You are early, I trust you had no
problems delivering my package?" he said as he stood and walked over to
greet him.
	"I have a tail, it'll be here soon. I'd appreciate it if you took
care of it for me." said Kano.
	"Of course, please allow us to show you your room. Will you be
participating in the tournament as well?" said Shang Tsung as he walked
next to the much larger criminal.
	"tournament?" said Kano in mild surprise.
	"Yes, I was going to send an invitation to your organization as
is the tradition, but you are already here..." said the ancient man with
a small smile.
	"What kind of tournament?" asked Kano.
	"A collection of the greatest warriors from around the world, and
I don't mean main stream fighters either. These are men like you, they
have perfected the art to deadly precision and unmatched skill. The prize
is well worth the risk I assure you." answered the old man.
	"Sounds interesting." snorted Kano.
	"Excellent I shall place you on the list then." said the old man
with a dark smile.
	Kano's red eye seemed to flash as the sorcerer looked at him with
his vacant and pupil less eyes.

	On a small boat near the island...

	"Lt. Blade, come in, What is your current position, over." said a
voice over the radio.
	Sonja debated for a moment and picked up the receiver. "I am
about a three hundred kilometers off the coast of Mexico directly
southwest of the port. 
	"We've got you on satellite, your locator is working Lt." said
the voice that was now much clearer.
	"Sir, I have followed the target to a small island. Should I give
pursuit?" said Sonja with her voice tightening. She was afraid of the
answer.
	"You were of course referring to the weapon that he seems to have
taken with him correct Lt. Blade?" said an older voice.
	A smile broke across her face. "Of course sir." she replied
curtly.
	"Very good, go and secure the weapon if possible and wait for
back up. We'll be there in a few hours, over and out." said the
commander.
	She looked at the shore through her binoculars and frowned as she
saw several uniformed men unloading the boat. "Those aren't black dragon
uniforms, what's going on here?" she muttered to herself. She started the
engine and began to move towards the island. She frowned and saw several
other boats were approaching from the west. "What the hell is going on?"
she asked again.

	Johnny Cage stepped onto the beach and looked around at the
gathering. It was impressive to say the least. Behind him several more
boats sailed into the small harbor and let off even more passengers.
"What is this?" he said himself.
	"Mortal Kombat." said a man standing next to him. He was a small
Chinese man dressed in simple robes. He looked Johnny up and down and
smiled before walking away. A great stage stood at the head of the beach
and someone rang a gong. All attention was placed on the small fragile
looking figure standing on the stage. "Welcome, tomorrow we fight, today
we rest. You must use this day to Prepare your minds and bodies for the
coming battles. Welcome to my Island. I am Shang Tsung your humble host,
please allow us to share our hospitality." said the figure in a voice
that seemed out of place in his small form. "Tomorrow we face one another
in Mortal Kombat." 

	In the shadows a lone man stood and watched the dramatic speech
quietly. He was an assassin and had no use for such theatrics. His
mission was not to win the tournament, but to destroy its master. He
would play along until an opportunity presented itself. Then he would
strike. Shang Tsung had tried to cheat the Lin Kui out of a great deal of
money recently after giving the invitation to the tournament to his
master. He had been asked to participate even before. No one would
suspect his true intentions. He had seen hell itself and all the horrors
contained there. This would be pale in comparison, or so he thought.

	Johnny entered a large banquet hall and was lead to one of many
small round tables. Several other people sat and ate at the table
already.  Entertainers danced around and the men and few women in the
room laughed and drank merrily.
	"Hi." greeted Johnny nervously.
	"Hello." said one of the men. Johnny recognized him as the
Chinese man from the beach.
	"Any one got any Idea what's goin on here?" he asked as he sat.
	"I do but you wouldn't believe me if I told you. Lets just say
that at least half of the people in this room will be dead by tomorrow
night." said the Chinese man with a serious gaze.
	"Why you gonna kill them?" asked Johnny with a smile.
	"They call it 'Mortal Kombat' for a reason my friend. I am
Shaolin I will not kill." said the man with his frown deepening.
	"Your kidding right?" said Johnny with a smile.
	The man simply shook his head. "It seems you may be in over your
head. I can only hope your soul may escape this hell Mr. Cage."
	"I never get in over my head. There isn't shit deep enough for
that. Mr.?" said Johnny confidently.
	"I am called Liu Kang. I pray you are right." said the man.
	Johnny started to eat the few things he recognized on his plate.
	"Your not eating?" asked a large man on his right.
	"I have a kind of rule about not eating things I don't
recognize." said Cage with a weak smile.
	A ninja dressed in a blue overmatle strode by and sat at a table
near the back of the room. Johnny felt a chill run down his spine. "Man
it feels like it got ten degrees cooler." he said shakily.
	One of the men on the other side of the table simply looked at
him and smiled. "It did." he said simply.
	"Lin kui." said Lui kang with his frown growing deeper. "It is
unusual for them to accept invitations."
	"Either this is one hell of a tournament or he's here for
someone." said an older man to Johnny's right.
	"Maybe both." said Liu kang.
	For some reason Johnny didn't feel like eating now.

	Shang Tsung strolled out onto the floor and sat at the head of a
large table near the front of the room. A large man with a metal plate
covering almost half of his face sat next to him and glared at the crowd.
Several servants sat around him and the other man and scurried around
while they ate. 
	Johnny heard someone growl and turned to see Liu Kang had crushed
his cup in his hand. He was glaring at the head table and was obviously
trying to control his anger. He stood and stormed out of the hall
wordlessly. Cage could have sworn he saw the old man smile. "What was
that about?" he said with a surprised look.
	"You'll find out tomorrow." said the man opposite him with a
grin.

	"Sub-zero sat and glared into the crowd in nervous tension. He
did not like being out in the open but it was required to put up a front
that he was participating in the tournament. He sat and stared off into
the crowd when he felt his body stop cold. Something sharp was pointed at
the base of his spine. "You will not leave this island alive." said a
voice. 
	"Leave me, you are dead." growled the ninja.
	"I will take you back to hell with me." said the voice. 
	"Then do it and be done with it." spat Sub-zero angrily.
	"Patience." said the voice.

	"Did you say something?" asked Johnny as he turned his attention
to the man opposite him at the table.
	He took his hand out from under the table and smiled. "It's
nothing." he replied. 
	"OK." said Cage and he returned to watching the woman dancing
before him seductively. He could have sworn he saw something in his
hands.
	

	A few hours later Shang Tsung stood watching patiently out a
window of the great palace that would hold the tournament. "So, all the
players have been assembled and the chaos will soon begin." He said with
a smile as storm clouds began to form on the horizon. 
	"Master, several small ships are approaching. They have U.S.
Military markings on them." said a servant who knelt beside him.
	"Excellent. Prepare a greeting for them." said the old man with a
smile.

	TBC...
	Next time: Sonja and her squad meet on the island and are
confronted by Shang Tsung's guards, Johnny Cage learns that he's getting
more than he expected on his trip, Liu Kang deals with personal demons,
Kano finds some interesting things on Shang Tsungs island, Raiden makes
his entrance, and Mortal Kombat begins!
C&C to Catbert25@juno.com

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