Stolen Lies

It begins in a city where the priests are beginning to make a sacrifice to their God, Shakka. They are preparing for their holy week and are sacrificing a woman in his name as they prepare to welcome his return. At the temple, Kung Lao is meditating when he is haunted by visions of Earth realm’s annihilation.

That night at the trading post, a thief breaks in and is about to make off with some jewellery when Siro discovers her. Siro is holding her against the wall, as he is about to punish her, Taja walks in and recognises the thief as an old friend, Dion, from her life as a thief. At the tavern, Kung Lao discovers Raiden trying to get drunk with a beautiful lady sitting on his knees. Raiden warns Kung Lao of the impending danger with a crazed emperor seeking revenge and says that he is just getting a little R&R.

While Dion is stealing at the market, much to Taja’s disapproval, a masked warrior who is after what was stolen from his people attacks the trading post. The warrior is killed and upon removing his mask Siro and Kung Lao notices a skull tattoo on the warrior’s forehead. They begin to grow very suspicious of Dion. That night as Lao recovers from the fight, he receives another second vision depicting the annihilation of Earth Realm. Outside in the courtyard, Taja catches Dion studying the dagger that the warrior had been after and tells her the two are travelling to the city to return it. Dion protests but Taja says they are going and that’s that. Dion tells her that she will need help to get in, and so Kung Lao and Siro decide to accompany them.

Arriving at the entrance of the city, Shakka’s guard, a cat woman, attacks them and a fight begins in which Siro has his arms slashed by her claws. Maybe realising that these warriors are too much, the guard retreats allowing them to enter the city, however unknown to them once they enter the entrance is sealed.

Inside the city, Dion returns the dagger when a high priest appears and confronts them. He informs them that their presence was foretold and he explains to the warriors about their city and the God, Shakka, who is said to be coming back tonight. Walking around, Kung Lao watch as children are play fighting and overhears the winner telling the other child to give him his soul which frightens Lao. Upon seeing the shawl that Dion obtained from the city, everything seems to make sense. The six-armed centaur on the shawl is like the ones he has seen in his visions before, the skull on the warrior’s head, the children fighting; Shakka is Shao Kahn! Racing to the entrance, they see that it has closed over.

Returning to the city centre, they see the High Priest standing on an alter and placing a dagger in the skull’s mouth he turns it, opening a massive portal. Three shadow priests enter the realm asking if they are here? Dion stands up and says they are, revealing herself as a traitor before travelling through the portal to Outworld, as the Earth Warriors are placed in captivity. Later that evening Raiden realises that something is very wrong and teleports. As the shadow priests return that evening, a voice announces that the people’s salvation awaits; only one sacrifice remains.

The three priests merge into one and attack Kung Lao. Lao is no match and just as he is about to be killed, a bolt of lightning kills the priest. Sensing the danger, Dion wants to go to Outworld, so removing the dagger from the lock the priest stabs Dion and takes her body through the portal, thus keeping the portal open indefinitely. Raiden tells the Earth Warriors to run like hell before frightening off the Shakkans with a fury of lightning strikes. Walking over to the portal he calls out Kahn, and after Raiden unleashes a fury of lightning, Kahn appears and says Raiden will bow to him.

                   

In Kold Blood

Kreeya (guest star Fabiana Udenio) is back in Earth Realm and has partnered with Reptile (guest star Jon Valera) to raise an army.

A villager comes to the trading to post trying to sell Taja (series regular Kristanna Loken) something the likes of which he’s never seen–a comb from one of Kreeya’s (guest star Fabiana Udenio) hives. Taja, however, knows exactly what it is and calls to Kung Lao and Siro (series regulars Paolo Montalban and Daniel Bernhardt) with the news that Kreeya is back in Earth Realm, most likely to raise another army. All three know that they need to move fast, as Kreeya’s offspring only need days to incubate before being born as fully grown adults, ready for battle.

Kreeya was forced to reinfiltrate Earth Realm because Shao Kahn has made the destruction of her hives throughout Outworld a top priority, weakening her empire. When Kung Lao, Taja and Siro inform Rayden (series regular Jeffrey Meek) that Kreeya has returned, he warns them that she has probably aligned herself with another of Earth Realm’s enemies and they should be doubly careful.

Kung Lao, Taja and Siro set out to destroy the hives that Kreeya has established around Zhu Zin. During the outing, Siro is attacked by a warrior guarding one of the hives. The warrior turns out to be one of Reptile’s Zaterran fighters, thus solving the mystery of Kreeya’s new partner. It’s a brutal fight, with the Zaterran fighter nearly killing Siro, until he’s rescued by Kiri and Ankha (guest stars Sung Hi Lee and Tahitia Hicks), who were last seen fighting against the Earth Realm alongside the evil Noob Saibot. Kiri and Ankha are superior fighters and make short work of the Zaterran fighter.

After Kiri and Ankha save Siro’s life, they help him to the trading post, explaining along the way that their last encounter wasn’t personal, they’re just mercenary fighters and now the money’s on keeping Earth Realm safe. Kiri and Ankha explain to Kung Lao, Siro and Taja that they all share the common goal of keeping Kreeya from taking Earth Realm, however, their loyalty is to Shao Kahn, who more than anyone, wants to thwart Kreeya’s plans–again.

Reptile’s (guest star Jon Valera) association with Kreeya hasn’t been embraced by his key warriors, who feel Kreeya is using the Zaterran race as a pawn against Shao Kahn. When one of the Zaterran warriors turns against Reptile, pledging allegiance to Shao Kahn, Reptile kills him on the spot, thus quelling any further resistance from his troops.

With Siro out of the game, Kiri and Ankha agree to help Kung Lao and Taja search for hives and destroy them with bombs that they’ve made. Taja and Kung Lao find a hive and destroy it after killing the Zaterran who was guarding it.

The news of the two fallen warriors, in a fight that’s not even his own, sends Reptile into a rage. He tells Kreeya that her plan to have Kiri and Ankha divert the attention of Kung Lao, Taja and Siro is not working and now the lethal twosome must kill the Earth Realm warriors. Meanwhile, Siro, has discovered the double-cross and sets out to warn Kung Lao.

Kiri and Ankha have transformed themselves into Zaterran reptilian warriors in order to kill Kung Lao. Just as Kiri is about to unleash the trademark Reptilian deadly acid blast on Kung Lao, Siro knocks him out of the way and the acid spray kills Ankha. Kiri escapes into the night.

With her Earth Realm invasion yet again thwarted, Kreeya convinces Reptile to abandon his people and become her mate to raise countless armies of dark warriors to unleash against the forces of good.

                     

Thicker than Blood

Siro’s (series regular Daniel Bernhardt) long-estranged brother (guest star Dean Cochran) turns up in Zhu Zin as a warrior for the evil Scorpion (guest star Chris Casamassa).

While Siro (series regular Daniel Bernhardt) and Kung Lao (series regular Paolo Montalban) are busy recruiting prospective warriors, Taja (series regular Kristanna Loken) is running her bazaar out of the trading post’s courtyard. A mysterious woman approaches Taja looking for Siro. When this woman, Hannah (guest star Eva Mendez), tells Taja that she once almost married Siro, Taja is stunned and intrigued.

Hannah, it turns out, is now married to Siro’s long-estranged brother, Cassar (guest star Dean Cochran). She has come to Siro because Cassar is missing and she fears that he’s in trouble. Siro, who was dumped by Hannah years ago, is ambivalent toward her plight and tells her she’s on her own.

Meanwhile, Scorpion (guest star Chris Casamassa) reports to Shao Kahn his plans to raise a dark army in the Earth Realm. He’s recruiting only the deadliest fighters to carry out his plans. Unfortunately, Cassar has fallen under the spell of Scorpion and has joined him in his quest.

Cassar and another of Scorpion’s warriors go to the trading post to recruit Hannah to join them. When she resists, a fight breaks out and Cassar escapes, but the other warrior is captured by Kung Lao, Siro and Taja. With a little persuasion and big dagger, Siro and Kung Lao ‘convince’ the captured warrior to tell them where Scorpion is headquartered.

Since they’d be outnumbered by Scorpion’s warriors, Kung Lao and Siro devise a plan to infiltrate his operation and get to Cassar. They decide to send Hannah to Scorpion, pledging her loyalty to the cause as her husband has. Once she gets Cassar alone, Hannah leads him into a trap set by Siro and they take him back to the trading post where they work to ‘deprogram’ him.

Cassar and Siro attempt to sort through years of sibling rivalry which was fueled by their father who always made them compete with one another. Finally, Kung Lao, Taja, Hannah and Siro are able to convince Cassar to stay and join them in their noble quest.

Following a celebratory feast, Siro and Cassar are at the trading post, catching up on the years they’d been separated. Scorpion appears and says he’s come to reclaim what is his, meaning Cassar. For the first time in their lives, the brothers fight alongside each other instead of against each other. Scorpion, seething from Cassar’s betrayal has only one goal–to kill Cassar–and he does, then vanishes into the night.