From a Woman's Point of View

Anger Management

Sub-zero woke up to the sound of someone banging on her door. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. She stood up and opened the door.

"What is it?" she spat venomously. She was definitely in a bad mood. The man looked at her. "I asked you a question soldier." The man started and apologized. "Well?"

"Um, grandmaster…um, a woman wishes to speak with you." He was still staring at her as if she had just performed a great magic trick. Sub-zero squinted.

"And this woman…who is she?" she asked cautiously. The man seemed to have trouble telling her who it was. She grabbed the front of his shirt. "If you do not answer in one minute…" The henchman gulped.

"I'm n-not sure s-sir. But from what I was told…" he stuttered.

"Go on…" she told him. Even though she was an inch smaller, she was still as terrifying as she had always been.

"I-I was told that it was Frost, sir." She finally let him go and he sighed in relief. She was still frowning. Why in the world is Frost here? she asked herself. The love she used to feel towards her student was gone. She used to love her like a daughter. Now, she was nothing more than a treacherous, annoying, spoiled, arrogant girl. She fumed.

Sub-zero was surprised at her temper. She was usually cold, calm and composed. She sighed. It was probably a woman thing. I'll never criticize Sonya again! She thought to herself.

She went to her washroom, gargled and splashed water on her face. She then went out her room to face her 'ever-loyal student'.

As she entered the courtyard she was surprised to see Frost calmly talking to two of the guards.

"I want to see Sub-zero." she said. Sub-zero frowned and approached her.

"What do you want, woman?" Sub-zero asked coldly. Frost looked at her with one eyebrow raised. She surveyed Sub-zero from head to toe, in a way Johnny Cage loved to call, 'elevator eyes.'

"Who are you?" she asked, her tone surprised. "Are you Sub-zero's new student?" Sub-zero blinked, and then smirked.

"Yes." Sub-zero said confidently. "Yes I am." Frost looked dumbstruck. "Why would you even care that Sub-zero had a new student? Why come back her after two years of missing?" Sub-zero replied coldly. Frost looked at the floor. She looked absolutely dejected. Sub-zero's eyes softened a bit but she did not let her guard down.

"Well, Grandmaster said that I would be welcome here…I don't have anywhere to go to. And…I…wanted to apologize…" She said. After a few moments, Sub-zero sighed.

"Get inside. The guards and I will escort you to the Grandmaster's room."

Sub-zero watched as his arrogant ex-student sat down on of the chairs in her room. Frost was still staring at her.

"I have a question for you." She finally said after a few moments.

"Go on then." Sub-zero replied.

"Are you really Sub-zero's student?" she asked. Sub-zero paused for a moment before answering.

"Yes." She said.

"So, is he still alive?" That question caught her off guard.

"What?" Sub-zero didn't exactly understand her question.

"Because…you're wearing the dragon medallion…" Frost eyed the amulet on Sub-zero's shirt. She froze. "Well? Did you kill Sub-zero and take the medallion from him?" Sub-zero's temper flared up, but she tried her best to answer frostily.

"Did you not even think that Sub-zero might have given me this medallion in his own will? Did you think that every one of his students would do the same thing as you did?" she laughed coldly. "Did you really think so? And…" she added as Frost angrily opened her mouth to speak. "If you're wondering why he gave it to me, well, he said because I was worthy of its powers." She smirked. Frost was fuming.

"Really, now? He should have known that I am the only one…worthy of its powers!" she shouted before throwing her ice daggers straight to Sub-zero's face. She barely dodged it, leaving two cuts across her right cheek. She ducked just in time to evade Frost's kick and she punched her on the stomach.

Frost staggered back in pain and threw three small ice shurikens. Sub-zero caught one of them and threw it back to her. It hit Frost on the arm. Sub-zero jumped up and kicked her her squarely on the face. She fell down, unconscious. Sub-zero carried her body and laid her on her bed.

She called two of her guards and ordered them to tie her up.

Frost woke up moments later, with Sub-zero staring at her. As she tried to sit up, she found that she was actually tied up. She met Sub-zero's penetrating eyes.

"Well, you win! Why don't you just get it over with and kill me?" she shouted at her. Sub-zero raised an eyebrow.

"Do you really want to die that much?" she asked her. Frost seemed to give up.

"No. But why would you spare me?"

"That's a good question. Why would I spare you? After all you've done." Sub-zero shook her head and Frost seemed to get paler and paler by the second. "You know, if I was not the grandmaster, a sword would be hanging over your head by now…literally."

Frost tried to suppress a shudder, but failed in doing so.

"But since I am the Grandmaster, I will leave you in the mercy of your fellow members. It is up to them. If they want to keep you, let you go or kill you, I wouldn't contest their decision." With that, she left the room and ordered the henchman to assemble all of the Lin Kuei members in the courtyard.

After half an hour, all of the members of the Lin Kuei were standing in the courtyard. When Sub-zero went to the balcony just above the courtyard, all of their incessant babbling stopped at once. Sub-zero cleared her throat.

"I am sure you have heard of my change in appearance. I know there are no secrets in this temple. I am Grandmaster Sub-zero and I have come to put something to vote." All of them listened to her intently. Sub-zero beckoned to Frost and she came staring at her in bewilderment. Sub-zero was puzzled at Frost's expression at first. But after a while, she remembered that she did not tell Frost about her mishap. When Frost came into the light, people started murmuring again. Sub-zero cleared her throat yet again and the mumbling ceased.

"As you all know, this is my ex-student, Frost. I am sure you all know that she disappeared two years ago." She paused and most of the people nodded. "If you all remember, the penalty, not too long ago, for leaving the clan was death." The others looked surprised and the others smirked. "But, the decision is up to you." She said.

"So let's vote now. Who wants Frost to stay here, in the Lin Kuei palace?" Frost looked horrified when no one raised his hand.

"All right. Who wants Frost to be executed?" some of them raised their hands.

"Who wants Frost to be set free, but exiled forever?" More than half raised their hands. Then she turned to Frost. "There you are. Leave this stronghold. Do us all a favor and never, ever come back." She said.

A guard took Frost by the arm and escorted her to the gate, but she gave Sub-zero the 'this-is-not-over' look.

The next day, Sub-zero sat in her room, thinking. She would obviously be needing help. First she needed to find Raiden, to transport her to Outworld, where Quan Chi would most probably be. She then remembered that Raiden was almost always at the Special Forces base. She sighed. It was probably time to tell Sonya.

On the afternoon of the same day, Sub-zero found herself in the front of Sonya's house; she wasn't at the hideout so she was probably there. She sighed as she rang the doorbell. She held her breath as the door opened.