Backstage Pass to Mortal Kombat

Chapter 16 - Secrecy is Your Only Ally

[[Hey guys - let me know your thoughts so far. I still can't decide between Hanzo and Keanu! Agh!]]

Chapter 16 - Secrecy is Your Only Ally

Raiden entered the ring, grabbed me by the arm without a word, and dragged me behind him, heading towards the big tent where we usually ate dinner, but I didn't think we were eating dinner right now. What did I do?

 The tent flap flew open for us, held open by a servant wearing all red, but then left the tent as soon as Raiden and I walked inside, his eyes glued to the ground. Thank God I'm not brain washed like they are. My thoughts quickly returned to the situation, and I bit my lip. Why was I in trouble? Is there a copyright on fighting moves? Is Kitana going to sue me or something - something meaning kill me, most likely. Raiden walked all the way into the middle of the tent, causing my nervousness to grow and grow; why couldn't he just tell me what I had done?

When he suddenly stopped and whipped around, he was inches away from my face; I stumbled back a couple feet. "Where did you learn to kick like that?" He asked.

"I – uh –… I don't know; I just saw Kitana do that one time in a video. She's my favorite fighter - no offense - and...I don't know – I've never done it before. I didn't mean to do anything wrong, I'm sorry, it'll never happen again-"

"No, no, no, not that... How did you do it?" He practically whispered, as if someone were listening to us. What was the big deal? I kicked air; it wasn't like I hurt anyone!

"I don't know," I shrugged.

His eyes never left my face, causing me to turn red. I don't get the big deal! Was I not supposed to be there or something? Was Hanzo lying when he said Raiden was allowing me to train? Without answering any of my inaudible questions, Raiden began pacing back and forth. "That move; it takes years and years to master – Kitana practiced it for three years before she could use it successfully; and you're just 'winging it' and you get it the first time - perfectly! It doesn't...make sense..." He shook his head, scratching the back of his neck. Deciding it would be best to just remain silent, that's what I did.

After what seemed like forever, Raiden finally turned to me, stopping in his tracks. His bright ice blue eyes glared at me for a moment before opening his mouth to speak. "You're very talented, Zak; that much is obvious. In fact, I don't think it will take you nearly as long to train as Bo' and I expected. I imagine you'll be ready to fight Shao Kahn within three years, maybe even two.”

My eyes widened and my jaw dropped; was he serious? No! I shook my head quickly, matching the motion with my hands. "No, no, no, no; are you kidding me? There's no way I'm fighting Shao Kahn! Why in the world would I do that?"

He shrugged, "The winner of Mortal Kombat has to fight Shao Kahn; then, if they defeat him, they rule Outworld."

He said this as if it were obvious. I knew a little bit about Mortal Kombat, but I didn't know how the ending went. I did know, however, that Shao was one of the greatest fighters in the history. It's not even that he's so great; he's just a brute with the strength of an elephant. There was no possible way a little hundred and thirty pound kid like me could ever beat him! "Raiden, have you been drinking with Bo'? I think you're beginning to lose your marbles-"

"No, I can assure you, I'm thinking quite clearly. Half of those kids, who have been training for weeks, would never be able to achieve learning a signature move on the first go. Yet you, who only trained twice now, just amazed everyone on camp." He raised one dark blonde eyebrow. "If anyone has the chance to beat Shao Kahn, I believe it's you."

When Raiden allowed me to leave the tent, I didn't go back to training - I think I've done enough today, anyway. I wouldn't want to do something else 'amazing' and get my ass drafted into Mortal Kombat. God, what was I getting myself into? I went straight to my hut, peeling off my new uniform and pulling on my basketball shorts and a t-shirt, wanting nothing more than to take a nap. The rain had lightened up, but I could still hear it outside my window, dripping off the sill and onto the sand that now looked like tan marble. Drip, drip, drip