Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

For Kung Jin, his Shaolin combat training started off as something to refocus his mind. But as it developed, the training began something more enjoyable. His two most often sparring partners outside his team were Raiden and Kung Ling.

Both as a guardian, companion and fighter, Kung Ling was great, but Jin was hardly going to let that slip.

Especially now. Ling swung her kick with an acrobatic flourish, Jin blocked but faced a backhanded smack to his cheek. Ling’s stance was light like air, but not firm enough. 

Kung Ling was a good fighter, but martial arts was at best a hobby, a way to connect with Jin that had served as the beginning of their bond.

Combat was not a lifestyle for her, not a new path turned after years of being on the wrong side of life. It was that difference between their outlooks that gave Jin the edge in their duel.

He caught Ling’s next fist, twisting her arm behind her back, before asking if she admitted defeat. After a struggle and grunt of effort, Ling sighed.

“Okay, I admit defeat, can you let go?” 

Jin released his guardian, turning away as she rolled her arm with a symphony of popping bones.

”It’s a good thing I’m not working today. Not sure how I’d explain it,” A smirk graced her features, “I bet you wish you had the day off school.”

Right. School.

Maybe it was that he’d become bored with it all, maybe he was focused on his responsibilities with the team or his own plan, but to Kung Jin, school didn’t feel that important anymore.

The only reason he was still going was to avoid the uncomfortable conversations he’d get if he up and vanished. The silver lining of his teammates, he would admit was a second reason.

Frost didn’t have to go to school. For a moment he thinks about the mental image of the new hothead cryomancer dealing with classes.

The thought made him smirk for a brief moment.

Kung Jin had heard stories about his cousin from both his family and from Raiden. His family talked about Lao with respect for the dead, despite the occasional whispered despaired regrets about Lao’s pride.

“If he was as good as I hear, I don’t see a problem with being proud of it,” Jin remembered saying once at a family gathering. Someone gave him an evil look after that. He didn’t regret it.

But Raiden talked about Lao differently, there was respect and pride tinged with regret, but there was a different undercurrent of it all. Raiden didn’t talk about Kung Lao as if he’d been dead for over twenty years. He talked about Lao as if they’d fallen out. 

As if Kung Lao was still an active soul. Jin had kept this assumption secret, keeping it to himself. When he and his team were put into investigating the Netherrealm case, Jin couldn’t deny that he felt… hopeful. Maybe he’d get to test out his theory.

Unfortunately, General Blade had prohibited them from taking further steps. Cassie had barely tried to push back. With Frost joining their team, it was likely that most of the team had moved on.

Jin wasn’t going to move on and if nobody else was going to tell him anything, he’d take it into his own hands.

He needed to go to the Netherrealm. This wasn’t a suicide mission, he plans to come back. After he learns what he needs, not wants, needs to know.

There’s this thing called a sunk cost fallacy. Where when you put so much effort into something and even if you logically know there’s not much of a reward coming, you knuckle down and keep going until the end.

He remembered it while he sat in the school library, reading some novel he snatched from the shelves. Jin thinks such a term is appropriate.

Kung Jin has a great memory. It made him such a good learner in his studies and a great fighter as well.

So when he saw the SF soldiers put in the code to the netherrealm, he recorded that information, waiting for the perfect time to use it for his next step.

The plan was simple. Swipe one of Jacqui’s portal drones from the tech area after their training, use it to enter The Netherrealm, then investigate and get out. 

A plan with several possibilities of failure and threats from both unfamiliar the unfamiliar underworld and his home-realm, but a necessary one.

He entered the code, wincing at the beeps. When this went off, he’d need to enter immediately. He’d ensured his quiver was full of arrows and a chakram strapped to his belt.

The team would be unfathomably angry with him, he’d probably be punched. The general would probably bench him from missions. 

He did not want to think about Raiden’s gentle yet concerned stare that would feel worse than if he got yelled at.

But he needed to do this. He needed to go to the Netherrealm. What was the saying: Better to request forgiveness than to ask permission?

Forgiveness. Oh, that was going to be fun to earn.

With a final sigh, he entered through the crimson gateway. He was going to get answers.

”I’m coming, Biǎo gē.”

Chapter Text

Takeda was the first one to notice Jin’s absence followed their scheduled teamwork training in the gym. 

“Has anyone seen Kung Jin?” Takeda asked after training as they were on the way to the changing rooms to put their gear away.

There were murmurs of confusion. None of them had noticed Jin’s disappearance, although Cassie had admitted he seemed a bit off, like he’d checked out of the present and was focusing on a future event.

Somehow, after noticing a sudden spike in portal energy within the base via her tablet, Jacqui’s eyes went wide as her fingers curled into a fist.

”Oh, that motherfucker!” Jacqui shouted in a rare action of outrage, slamming her fist against her gear locker door.

Frost folded her arms.

”What? He stole one of your gadgets, why is this a problem?”

”He stole a portal drone, I want everyone here to take a wild guess about where he might possibly visit?”

The answer came to the three longer standing teammates. The Netherrealm. And even if they didn’t necessarily know why, that was a serious problem.

Cassie took a moment to shift herself into firmness. 

“We need to tell the General, Jacqui, you’ve got a spare drone, right?”

”Smaller, not as precise, but it’ll get the job done.”

”Okay,” Cassie holstered one of her handguns. When she found Jin, he was going to earn a pistol whip to the cheek.

Sonya Blade was expecting what was left of her day to be focused on her work. She’d look over reports, the training regiment, wait for the squad to return from The Netherrealm, and then maybe get some rest of her own.

Instead, there was a pounding knock on her office door. With a brief sigh, she allowed whoever was behind the door inside.

Cassie and her team, suspiciously minus Kung Jin, entered the office in their best impression of military discipline.

“General Blade, Kung Jin has struck off on his own and opened a portal to the Netherrealm. Requesting permission to go after him.”

Sonya’s eyes widened in pure shock before narrowing in sharp disbelief. She stood from her desk.

”Of all the insane and stupid things… I’ll radio the team already there, you four are not prepared for the Netherrealm.”

“General Blade, with all due respect and courtesy as our commanding officer, Jacqui is able to track Jin’s location, it’ll be quicker and keep your task force focused on their individual investigation.”

Sonya sighed after a silent stare down of mulling over the decision.

”Get in there, find Jin and get out immediately. Is that clear?”

The team nodded and were dismissed to their mission. None of them heard Sonya quietly wish them good luck.

Cassie’s team had been educated on the various known realms that took priority. They knew of Outworld’s plains and diverse cultures and tumultuous history, they knew about Chaosrealm’s madness and Seido’s clinical yet strangely high tech and advanced regime.

The Netherrealm was not a realm like Outworld with truly living creatures and laws. The realm was typically populated by lost souls and wandering beasts of teeth, raw flesh and claws.

It was also a realm of sweltering and boiling heat rising up from the bubbling magma pools. As soon as the team arrived, Frost made her displeasure clear.

”Frost, are you okay?” Takeda asked when Frost made a groan.

”Fine. My physiology doesn’t agree with incredible heat,” Frost used her abilities to make a thin layer of cold over her body, a technique she still hasn’t mastered, but would buy her some time, “The sooner we find that archer, the better.”

Jacqui’s tablet displayed the energy signature of Kung Jin. Upon exiting a portal, the energy of the gateway stuck to the person for a brief time. It was thankfully not terribly radioactive (probably) and it made trying to find Jin that little bit easier.

The group traversed through the lands, occasionally sneaking past demons that were too large and spiky to fight.

“Jin can’t have just come here because we were prohibited,” Cassie muttered as she reloaded her handgun.

Takeda sighed.

”Okay, I’m not supposed to tell anyone this. But have you noticed how Jin never really talks about Kung Lao?”

”I guess, but I always thought it was a personal privacy thing.”

”Jin’s always wondered about Lao. Had suspicions that maybe he isn’t… resting peacefully.”

Cassie’s eyes widened as Jacqui’s did as well.

”Does Jin think Kung Lao is a revenant?”

Takeda grimaced.

”It’s a possibility, so we need to find him.”

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

Sonya’s steely glare bore holes into the team of five. It logically wasn’t fair to be angry or disappointed with most of them. Jin was the one who had brazenly made a near fatal mistake.

“I will begin this lecture by thanking the four of you for your dedication to bringing Jin back in one piece. With that said, you are never to attempt this again, no visits to other realms based on hunches or theories.”

Sonya rested her gaze into Jin. Out of the entire team, he was the one who disobeyed multiple orders and could have easily gotten himself killed. 

“Kung Jin, your actions were reckless, irresponsible and potentially fatally dangerous. Thanks to your actions, The Netherrealm is now aware that the five of you exist. That might not mean much to you, but to us it is a grave concern, which is why your guardians and mentors have been notified.”

Discomfort wrapped around the group like a vice. It was done out of safety. Jax, Kenshi, Raiden, Hanzo, Kuai, Ling, they deserved to be in the loop.

“Do you understand your position?” Sonya asked the archer, hoping he could muster the slightest obedience.

Jin huffed.

”Yeah, sure,” he grumbled noncommittally. Not a satisfying response. Sonya was not going to let him go unanswered, she was going to get to the bottom of this.

”All of you but Jin are dismissed, go rest up. Kung Jin, follow me.”

Kung Jin, Shaolin in training, just wanted to go home and sleep off all the emotion and exhaustion stuck in his limbs and chest. Whatever the general was planning, he had no patience for it.

They arrived outside the simulator training room, Jin entered first, Sonya entered second before the door closed behind her.

“Lock the doors, activation code MK-992,” she ordered, and the door locked with a thin electronic hum.

With that done, she stood before Kung Jin, who remained closed off and frustrated.

“I don’t know how you’re not realising this: I don’t care about your approval. I’m not like Cassie, I’m fine if you don’t think I’m living up to your standards.”

Sonya folded her arms, studying Jin as she spoke with professional steel painting her voice.

“Of course, you spent time on your own, stealing, fighting, trying to deal with a turmoil of teenage feelings by pushing it all into your fists and bow. You’re just fine all by yourself, aren’t you?”

Jin sneered.

“What’s this all about, Blade? Are you my counsellor now?”

“No, I’m your commanding officer. And you’re not telling me something. You didn’t just go to the Netherrealm because you weren’t allowed to.”

Sonya removed her jacket.

“And we’re not leaving this room until you start talking.”

Jin raised an eyebrow.

“Ma’am, I’m not going to fight you-

A fist swung at Jin’s head he ducked; only for a boot to slam against his stomach. He stumbled back, winded.

”If you won’t fight, start talking,” Sonya ordered, only for Jin to begin engagement.

They fought, military discipline against Shaolin  style. Jin was flowing like water, yet his sharp strikes burned with adrenaline and unspoken truths. 

Sonya was hit by a slamming palm to the face, she caught the next one, twisting Jin’s arm behind his back, forcing him to his knees.

”Time to talk, Kung Jin,” she ordered, stern as steel.

For his part, Jin was stubborn, he grunted with effort as he tried to break out of the hold. If he wanted to escape, he could had slammed the back of his head against Sonya’s nose. He had a free arm, he could use a Shaolin technique to break out.

This was the moment of truth.

”You don’t understand. I had to go there, I had to see…”

“You wanted to see Kung Lao,” Sonya guessed, seeing the flicker of surprise in Jin’s eye. Jackpot.

She released Jin’s arm, watching him walk over to the wall and slide down to the floor with a heavy sigh.

“I always suspected he wasn’t really gone, and now that I know he’s there… I can’t just leave him. What if he remembers?”

Softness betrayed Sonya’s steel visage she sat beside Kung Jin.

”When Jax was a revenant, whenever I’d fight him, I was praying that he’d come back. Somehow, that our bond would do something. The people under Quan Chi’s control, I fought alongside them. Even if we weren’t always close, I trusted them.”

Sonya’s hands began to clench on her sleeves.

”It’s a miracle that Raiden managed to save any of them,” Sonya admitted, only for Jin to snarl, slamming his fist against the wall.

”He should have saved more! He should have found them!”

”He’s tried,” Sonya stated forcefully. She was not a devout follower of Raiden, but she had a respect for him that wouldn’t tolerate defamation of character.

“What?”

The steel returned to Sonya’s face, wordlessly demanding for Jin to look her in the eyes. He was too exhausted to disobey anymore.

”Do you honestly believe that Raiden hasn’t tried his damndest to bring the rest back? I’m not going to tell you everything, I don’t know everything, but after the war, he’s been different. A part of him was in mourning. I think he still is.”

They stayed there for a moment, General and archer, not a word said between them, until Sonya unlocked the doors.

”I’ll put your team’s situation under consideration. In the meantime, go home.”

Jin stood up, walking over to the door, he stopped one more time.

”I can’t just not go back there,” Kung Jin stated with no room or time for argument. Sonya simply sighed, lowering her head as she slid her jacket back on.

”I know,” she whispered, barely loud enough to hear.

Quan Chi’s citadel was a sanctuary of sorcerous power. Artefacts and tomes of long forgotten spells were lined on shelves and an ornate obsidian throne as the centrepiece. After Raiden’s unfortunate freeing of some of his revenants, Quan Chi had spawned his next pool in a lower level, guarded by spectral wards that would trouble even the mighty Thunder God of Earthrealm.

As of this moment, Quan Chi listened to his undead servants report on their findings. The young warriors who had thwarted Skarlet’s plot in Outworld had travelled to The Netherrealm.

”They escaped to Earthrealm, should we pursue?”

Quan Chi shook his head. His plan would require patience. The perfect moment to prod and lure the enemy into his clutches.

”These children had stained their blood on this realm. And when the time is right, you simply need to fetch them. Wait for my command.”

Quan Chi’s smirk widened as his servants bowed their heads. Raiden and his followers had grown desperate, to make children into their hopeful soldiers.

The consequences of that endeavour would soon be realised, and Quan Chi would gladly reap the benefits.