Vengeance

‘Soon everyone will feel my power…I will have my revenge!’ Raiden stands at the portal and calls out Kahn. Kahn appears and tells Raiden that he will bow to him, Raiden replies never and steps through the portal to a dimensional gateway between realms. Raiden tells Kahn to stay back, Kahn tells Raiden that he can’t stop him and that enemies will fall. Meanwhile Zhu Zin is feeling the third aftershock of an ‘earthquake’ and the trading post is a mess.

Taja discovers Kung Lao’s MK Champion Medal, before complaining about the heat and spooky coloured sky. Lao is still searching for Raiden when he meets Kitana who tells him that both worlds are in great danger as Kahn is going to strike and wants Lao to meet her at the temple. In Zaterran, Reptile is fuming that Vorpax has chosen Tsung when Kiri convinces him that Tsung is only here mate and that an alliance between the two races is still possible and thus so is saving their realm and people. Kahn announces to Raiden that he has only one traitor, Raiden says that Reptile is not the only one and that Kahn is alone with only a few worthless pawns to which Kahn replies that if you play your pawns correctly you can still win the game.

As Reptile is heading for a meeting with his generals, Shadow Priests appear. Kiri spits acid at one, only to see him catch it in his hand with no effect; Reptile attempts to become invisible only to be stopped by the priest. A fight breaks out with Reptile no match for the priest, after they snap Reptile’s neck they travel towards Kiri. Kahn announces that he has other traitors too, Kitana, and despite his feelings, all sins must be answered for. Meanwhile, the Earth Warriors arrive at the temple and see Kitana there. But before she can say anything Shadow Priests arrive, placing a force field around Earth Warriors as they battle Kitana. She throws her fans at two of them and as they remove the fans from their faces, they disappear. As one priest gains the upper hand and raises her body into the air, the other two appear holding her in position as the lead priest produces one of her fans and slashes her with it before disappearing. Kung Lao suggests that they seek the help of the immortal, Omegis.

Vorpax meets with Quan Chi on his request only to be questioned about the presence of Tsung at her camp. She tells him that she is using Tsung as a tool due to her needing to mate with an Earth Warrior, once she finishes Quan Chi can kill him before assuming role as sorcerer in her army. Raiden is surprised by Kahn’s plan of lashing out at all enemies real or imagined, and says that he should have destroyed him when they last battled long ago. Kahn tells him that it was a flaw, and that Raiden is a coward and not much of an enemy. Descending down a stairwell in his palace, Quan Chi tells Siann that once he kills Tsung and Vorpax kills Kahn, he will be free to travel wherever he wants and Siann can kill Vorpax. In the dining room, Chi removes a lid to find the decapitated head of Cilene (a new slave) on a plate. He is furious, but distracted by the arrival of Shadow Priests.

They fight, and losing the battle Chi tries to teleport away only to have a priest trap him in the cobalt. Siann is beaten and thrown against a rock when a priest produces a sword and slashes them. Tsung and Vorpax mates after which Vorpax commands that the bed be removed and burned; then hearing the sounds of someone teleporting she thinks Quan Chi has come to kill Tsung. Turning around she sees that they are Kahn’s Shadow Priests who leap into the air and kill her.

Kahn tells Raiden that only one traitor remains, just one; and it crosses to Tsung’s throne room in Vorpax’s camp. Shadow Priests appear and attack him; the battle is close when Tsung attempts to steal the soul of the priest. Weakening as the priest’s soul is leaving his body, the priest uses sorcery to return the soul to his body, weakening Tsung before the fellow priests leap into the air to make the kill.

Kahn begins to question the validity of the decree of the Elder Gods saying that it was something Raiden created to keep Kahn out and that nothing will happen to him if he steps through the portal. Meanwhile, surprised at the Earth Warriors desire to fight in the battle they have no hope of winning, Omegis uses her sorcery to unseal the entrance to Shakka. Lao asks her to join them, but she is intent on bringing an end to her immortality and returns to her camp, pursued by a shadow priest. Raiden wanting to protect the Earth so fiercely saying that he wasn’t always like that surprises Kahn, and he also reveals that he has been studying Raiden’s three mortals and plans to exploit their weaknesses of caring, compassion, and friendship by making them think that the city is their final hope, Raiden was bait. As the warriors approach the portal, Raiden tells them to stay back and that the priests are going to kill them. The warriors try to fight only to be set upon by about twenty priests crowding in from all sides. Furious Raiden challenges Kahn to a fight; it is a fierce fight with swords and war mallets, with Raiden proving the more powerful of the two. It is a fierce battle but with Raiden just about to kill Kahn he discovers that he has lost his powers. Kahn begins laughing and tells Raiden that by fighting he was given enough time to transport Raiden, his friends, and the city to Outworld. Raiden attempts to strike Kahn but doesn’t even cause him to flinch.

In Kahn’s throne room, a beaten Raiden is brought before the Emperor as Kahn displays his gifts. Opening the treasure box, he produces Reptile’s mask, Quan Chi’s blades, Shang Tsung’s vest, Queen Vorpax’s robe, Kitana’s fan, Siro’s dagger, Taja’s metal finger protector, and Kung Lao’s shirt, proclaiming them all dead. He then forces Raiden to bow to him as the Emperor of the combined realms as he leads his extermination squads on a worldwide assault.

                                     

Flawed Victory

With Shang Tsung missing from the Cobalt Mines after Empress Kreeya’s attack on Outworld, Shao Kahn summons the free roaming sorcerer from Netherealm, Quan Chi to travel to the Earth Realm and capture him. Meanwhile, on the Earth Realm Shang Tsung is travelling around the forest outside the city stealing the souls of unsuspecting persons as he is trying to regain his strength after being wasted from destroying Kreeya’s hives on Earth. At the trading post, Siro returns from a lunch with a woman in a foul mood telling Taja that even after one a short time this woman was trying to change him. He tells her that the next woman he goes out with will have to be someone more like Taja, and there is an awkward pause.

Kung Lao is concerned about the recent deaths around the city and begins looking for a pattern in the killing. Upon realising that Shang Tsung is heading towards them, they decide to go out and find him first when Raiden appears telling them that Kung Lao cannot fight Shang Tsung to which Kung Lao objects saying that as Shang Tsung no longer serves Shao Kahn he is able to fight him. Raiden is confused and says that he will have to check but advises against it, Kung Lao says to hell with the rules and goes off. In Shao Kahn’s throne room, Quan Chi makes an appearance upsetting Kahn. Quan Chi tells him that the job is being done and he has come to speak of the war between Kahn and Kreeya.

During their discussion, Quan Chi suggests to the Emperor that the two form an alliance to destroy all enemies of the realm. At Shang Tsung’s camp, Quan Chi’s assassins show up and battle the sorcerer, it is during this fight Mika has some ribs broken by the sorcerer, and just as Tsung looks like he is about to lose, he fires fireballs at the trio sending them away and realises that Kahn has a new sorcerer. A few hours later Siro and Taja show up where Taja sets off a trap sending a spiked log swinging towards her. Siro saves her by jumping at her and pushing her out of the way before there is another awkward pause between the two. Back at the trading post Kung Lao is trying to solve the mystery when Siro and Taja walk in. He tells them that he has worked out that the killings are in a circle around the city and that Tsung is moving in closer, but Siro and Taja aren’t interested in what Lao has to say and the two end up spending the night together.

In the morning, Lao discovers the two in Jen’s bed and returns downstairs trying to recover from what he just saw. In the room, Siro unmorphs to reveal that he is actually Quan Chi while Taja is actually Mika, it was all a plan to get Tsung to come to them and it is working.

Meanwhile the real Siro and Taja, who are chained up in Chi’s prison set about aggravating Siann to the point of forcing her to fight them. They free themselves in the process and knock out Siann before escaping back to Zhu Zin. While this is happening, Sora appears in Kahn’s throne room to offer herself to the Emperor, and as the Emperor is leading her to his chamber she pulls a knife on him. Kahn takes it from her and forces her to reveal herself, which she does, revealing herself as Quan Chi. He tells him that Kreeya made a better offer; outraged at the treachery, Kahn sentences Quan Chi to an eternity in the Cobalt Mines. When he arrives, he takes out a prisoner and unmorphs to reveal that he is actually Tsung. With his plan succeeding, Tsung opens a portal and sets off to kill Lao. When he arrives at the trading post, he finds that Lao is gone having received a message from the real Taja but Quan Chi is awaiting him.

With his three assassins taken care of the two battle fiercely using skill and sorcery and just as Chi is about to kill Tsung, he is told that Kahn thinks Quan Chi is the traitor after Tsung shape shifted to threaten the Emperor’s life. Tsung then teleports back to the forest while Quan Chi travels to Kreeya’s camp to form an alliance with the Empress.

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.

                     

Kreeya

She-warrior Kreeya plans to conquer Earth Realm and wage battle with Shao Kahn.

Shang Tsung (series regular Bruce Locke) is brutally attacked in the Cobalt Mines by three female warriors. Just as he’s about beaten, Vorpax (series regular Tracy Douglas) appears, but instead of helping him, she delivers the blow that levels him. Shang Tsung is spirited from the Cobalt Mines and taken to Earth Realm as a prisoner.

Vorpax and the warriors, it turns out, are subjects of Empress Kreeya (guest star Fabiana Undenio), a woman warrior determined to topple Shao Kahn’s empire. Like Shao Kahn, Kreeya has been amassing her universe realm by realm, growing stronger with each conquest. Now she has her sights set on Outworld–thus the invasion of the Cobalt Mines.

Kreeya has settled on the neutral, and therefore relatively safe, Earth Realm as the place where she will raise her army to defeat Shao Kahn.

Meanwhile, Rayden (series regular Jeffrey Meek) warns Kung Lao, Taja and Siro (series regulars Paolo Montalban, Kristanna Loken and Daniel Bernhardt) that something is amiss in their realm. He can’t quite name it, but something is definitely not right.

Presently, that something arrives at the trading post in the form of Vorpax and two of Kreeya’s warriors. Vorpax invites Kung Lao, Taja and Siro to meet with Kreeya and hear her plans to bring peace to all realms through the destruction of Shao Kahn–the three are even asked to join Kreeya’s armies. Taja and Siro are intrigued by the invitation and meet with Kreeya; Kung Lao is skeptical and stays behind. In an effort to woo Kung Lao, Kreeya shows up at the trading post with Shang Tsung in chains.

Kreeya tells Kung Lao of her people and their quest. She goes on to tell him that her people are a powerful race and when they breed with others, their traits prevail–eventually erasing all traits other than their own. Kreeya proclaims this is all in the name of peace and harmony, however Kung Lao sees it more as the conquering and vanquishing of entire races and realms.

Reluctantly, Kung Lao goes to Kreeya’s compound to learn more of Kreeya and her people. Simultaneously in Outworld, the Shadow Priests have brought Shao Kahn news of Kreeya and her impending attack. Shao Kahn now declares war on Kreeya–even though she is on Earth Realm, which is technically off limits to him. Shao Kahn will deal with the Elder Gods once he’s dealt with Kreeya.

At Kreeya’s encampment, Kung Lao learns much more about Kreeya and her ways than he planned. He discovers a ‘hive’ filled with thousands of incubating female warriors who will grow to adulthood in a matter of weeks–all spawned by Kreeya! When he confronts Kreeya, he and the others are given a choice: join them or perish. When they refuse, they are taken prisoner with Kung Lao being put in the cage where Shang Tsung is being kept. Kreeya, it appears, plans to ‘mate’ with each of them to create new legions of super warriors.

Kung Lao, realizing the desperation of their situation, goads Shang Tsung into a fight. Once Shang Tsung strikes Kung Lao, Rayden appears–the rules of Mortal Kombat have been violated and he can now intervene. Rayden frees Kung Lao and Shang Tsung and, ironically, the mortal enemies must fight together to stop Kreeya and save the Earth Realm from her invasion. The two are successful in destroying Kreeya’s compound and the hive, but disturbingly, when the dust settles, Shang Tsung, Kreeya and Vorpax have all gone missing in the Earth Realm. Back in Outworld, Shao Kahn has discovered that Kreeya deposited thousands and thousands of hives on her visit and his kingdom is about to be attacked by hordes of her warriors.

                   

The Serpent and the Ice

Sub-Zero and Scorpion band together in Shao Kahn’s plan to destroy Kung Lao and conquer Earth Realm.

Shao Kahn summons the warriors Sub-Zero (acting on behalf of the Lin Kuei) and Scorpion to Outworld where he informs them that though enemies, they will partner to destroy Kung Lao. Their payment for this task: they will share Earth Realm equally. Both reluctantly agree to the arrangement, while simultaneously trying to figure out a plan to double-cross the other.

Rayden (series regular Jeffrey Meek) gets wind of Shao Kahn’s plan and alerts Kung Lao, Siro and Taja (series regulars Paolo Montalban, Daniel Bernhardt and Kristanna Loken). Rayden’s advice to the trio is to learn as much as they can about their enemies in order to defeat them. Kung Lao and Taja consult a monk knowledgable of the Lin Kuei; Siro sets out to find a woman, Peron (guest star Josie Davis), he believes may have ties to Scorpion.

In a war of wills, the Lin Kuei order Sub-Zero to kill Scorpion, while Peron, who it turns out is now Scorpion’s second in command, is plotting Sub-Zero’s demise.

Meanwhile, Kung Lao and Taja learn from the monk that the Lin Kuei has a history of kidnapping teenagers and making them prisoners to the Lin Kuei. They surmise that since Sub-Zero is a fighter from Earth Realm, and aligned with the Lin Kuei, it’s quite possible that he was once one of those kidnapped youths.

Following this idea, Kung Lao visits the home of a family who lost a child to the Lin Kuei years ago. As he arrives, he comes upon two masked ninjas attempting to kidnap the family’s daughter. Kung Lao defends the family and takes them to the trading post for safekeeping. Sub-Zero, who is trailing Kung Lao, sees him rescue the family–and something unfamiliar stirs inside him. The family, it turns out, is Sub-Zero’s and he now feels a debt of honor toward Kung Lao for saving his family.

Kung Lao wrongly suspects the Lin Kuei is involved with the kidnapping–which is exactly what Peron had hoped for. Her plan to crush Sub-Zero involved finding his family in Earth Realm, kidnapping his long-forgotten sister and using her to get him to surrender to Scorpion. Kung Lao, however, foiled this plan–bringing Scorpion, Peron and Sub-Zero to a face-off in the courtyard of the trading post. Fearing another kidnapping attempt, the teenage girl, Sub-Zero’s sister, flees, running into the streets of Zhu Zin. A seemingly kindly woman offers her shelter– just before brutally killing her. The seemingly kindly woman, it turns out, was Peron.

Sub-Zero witnesses his sister’s murder and in retaliation kills Peron. This infuriates Scorpion who goes to the Lin Kuei and tells them Sub-Zero has turned against them and is now fighting with Kung Lao instead of against him. All of this infighting infuriates Shao Kahn, who is no closer to conquering Earth Realm than he was at the beginning of this mess–he orders both Scorpion and the Lin Kuei to finish what’s been started.

The Lin Kuei dispatches an army of ninjas to kill Sub-Zero, but they are no match for him. Next, Scorpion enters the fray and the two fight savagely–but there is no victor–neither can land the final, crushing blow. When the fighters are momentarily distracted by Kung Lao, Scorpion vanishes into the night, as does Sub-Zero, seconds later. The inability of these two warriors to cooperate has inadvertently spared Kung Lao and the Earth Realm from Shao Kahn’s evil.

                     

Twisted Truth

Shao Kahn uses the evil Vorpax (series regular Tracy Douglas) to keep Kung Lao (series regular Paolo Montalban) from recruiting a fellow Mortal Kombat warrior to defend Earth Realm.

A traveler, Tomas (guest star Alex Walters), arrives in Zhu Zin and tells Kung Lao (series regular Paolo Montalban) and Taja (series regular Kristanna Loken) that he wants to join their cause defending Earth Realm. He tells them that he was supposed to compete in the Mortal Kombat tournament which Kung Lao won, but he was trapped in his village by an avalanche.

When Siro (series regular Daniel Bernhardt) returns to the post and meets Tomas he is immediately skeptical–and a bit threatened. When Siro challenges Tomas to a ‘training match,’ Tomas ends up being the better fighter and actually hurting Siro. Siro’s not the only one Tomas is having an effect on–Taja is seriously falling for the guy.

Around the same time Tomas arrived in Zhu Zin, a barmaid at the tavern (who Siro had feelings for) was murdered. A few days later a second barmaid was also killed. Kung Lao and Siro set out to investigate the murders and avenge their friends’ deaths. The only evidence they find at the crime scene is a man’s bracelet. When they take it back to the trading post, Taja reveals it is very similar to one she had bought for Tomas the day before. When Kung Lao and Siro ask to see Tomas’ bracelet he cannot find it.

The ‘evidence’ against Tomas grows: Siro saw him washing up in the courtyard late the night of the second murder and he has scratches on his chest (as though he had struggled with woman) that he can’t explain. Tomas swears he’s being framed and sets out to clear his name.

Kung Lao, in a quandary, seeks counsel from Rayden (series regular Jeffrey Meek). Rayden tells Kung Lao that as a fighter he must follow his instincts about Tomas.

Traveling outside the city, Tomas hears a woman being attacked and rushes to her aid. It turns out the ‘victim’ is Vorpax (series regular Tracy Douglas) setting a cleverly designed trap to make it appear as though Tomas was attacking her. When he goes to help her, her ‘attacker’ disappears, Vorpax tears her own clothing and starts screaming that she’s being attacked. When a crowd of villagers appears, Vorpax tells them of Tomas’ attack and suggests that he’s also responsible for the murder of the two barmaids.

Following the incident in the woods, a group of villagers returns Tomas to the trading post and demands justice. Kung Lao says that he will take responsibility for Tomas.

Back in OutWorld, Shao Kahn is quite pleased that Vorpax’s plan has gone so well. It turns out that Tomas is, in fact, who he says he is and if he joined forces with Kung Lao, they could present a formidable front against Shao Kahn–hence Tomas must be destroyed by turning Kung Lao against him. Tomas continues to defend his innocence and when Kung Lao and Siro will not change their minds, Tomas says he’s leaving. Kung Lao tells him he cannot leave as he’s under house arrest–and this begins a brutal fight. Taja is able to interrupt the fight just as the two warriors are about to kill each other.

His plan temporarily foiled, Shao Kahn sends in the warrior/creature, Reptile, to finish them off. Just as Reptile sprays a shower of deadly acid toward Kung Lao, Siro and Taja, Tomas jumps in front of them to take the hit. Tomas is killed instantly and Reptile disappears back to OutWorld, his job done.

                         

Shadow of a Doubt

Shao Kahn makes numerous attempts on Kung Lao’s (series regular Paolo Montalban) life before being stopped by his stepdaughter, Princess Kitana (guest star Audie England).

Episode opens with Kung Lao (series regular Paolo Montalban) being attacked by the warrior Rain (guest star Percy ‘Spit Fire’ Brown), who has the ability to summon lightning from the sky to strike his opponents. Shao Kahn has sent Rain to kill Kung Lao, which would give him control of the Earth Realm, as well as keep Shang Tsung (series regular Bruce Locke) in the Cobalt Mines for eternity.

Taja (series regular Kristanna Loken) and Siro (series regular Daniel Bernhardt) come upon the fight causing Rain to flee. Unfortunately, Rain has hurt Kung Lao badly and he’ll require a few days’ bed rest. Shao Kahn decides this is the perfect opportunity to infiltrate the trading post and finish the job Rain has begun.

In order to gain access to Kung Lao, Shao Kahn calls upon the warrior Mileena (guest star Megan Brown) who he transforms to look like his stepdaughter and friend to Kung Lao, Princess Kitana. He sends this substitute Kitana to the trading post with orders to kill the weakened Kung Lao. The evil Kitana arrives saying that she heard that Kung Lao needed some nursing, and she wanted to repay the favor for the time he helped save her life.

When Shang Tsung (series regular Bruce Locke) learns of Shao Kahn’s plans to kill Kung Lao, he immediately dispatches Vorpax (series regular Tracy Douglas) to foil the plans. If Shang Tsung ever hopes to escape the Cobalt Mines, it is he alone who must vanquish Kung Lao.

Vorpax convinces the evil Kitana that Shao Kahn is using her and once she kills Kung Lao, she too will be finished. Vorpax tells her that the longer Kung Lao lives, the better off she is. The evil Kitana begins an affair with Kung Lao and making excuses to Shao Kahn.

Taja has become suspicious of Kitana’s behavior–it is markedly different from the last time she visited from Outworld. Coupled with the fact that Kung Lao is getting worse instead of better, Taja becomes increasingly wary of this Kitana.

Meanwhile, Siro has been tracking Rain since his attack on Kung Lao. When Siro comes upon Rain in an abandoned temple, he’s not ready for the intensity of his attack. Just as Rain is about to finish Siro with his trademark lightning blast, Rain is struck from behind by one of Princess Kitana’s fighting fans.

It turns out that in a last ditch effort to keep Kung Lao alive, Shang Tsung alerted the real Princess Kitana (guest star Audie England) that Shao Kahn had sent Rain (a former Edenian and friend of Kitana) to kill Kung Lao. In her pursuit of Rain, she came across the fight in the temple in which she saved Siro’s life. Following this, Siro asked how she had been able to get from the trading post to the temple so quickly. At this point they realize that the Kitana at the trading post is an impostor sent by Shao Kahn.

The real Kitana hurries to the trading post and confronts the impostor–a raging fight ensues. In the midst of the fight, the women are transported back to Outworld by Shao Kahn. He punishes Mileena by taking away the beauty she had received to pose as Kitana; when he turns to the real Kitana, she tells him that she was not disobeying him when she went to Earth Realm, rather she was serving him by exposing Mileena as a fraud who was both impersonating her and trying to kill Kung Lao–something Shao Kahn is forbidden to do by the Elder Gods. Kitana trumps Shao Kahn’s plans and is safe for the time being.

                       

Quan Chi

The evil sorcerer Quan Chi casts a spell over Kung Lao, Taja and Siro to lead to their self destruction and downfall.

The evil sorcerer Quan Chi (guest star Adoni Maropis) dispatches a trio of deadly women from the NetherRealm, which he rules, to do away with Kung Lao (series regular Paolo Montalban), Taja (series regular Kristanna Loken) and Siro (series regular Daniel Bernhardt). However, it’s not an ordinary execution Quan Chi has in mind for Kung Lao, Taja and Siro, but a plan by which each would die in shame.

Quan Chi has his three she-warriors, Mika (guest star Jamie Pressly), Siann (guest star Dana Hee) and Sora (guest star Renee Tenison), insinuate themselves into the lives of Taja, Siro and Kung Lao and with a little trickery, each is able to ‘infect’ her intended victim with a potion of Quan Chi’s creation.

The potion that was given to Kung Lao, Taja and Siro masks all of their good qualities and enormously magnifies their shortcomings–Siro becomes an obnoxious drunk, Taja goes back to thievery in a big, big way, and Kung Lao finds that his temper is uncontrollable to the point of violence and paranoia. Unaware that they’ve been the victim of sorcery, Kung Lao, Taja and Siro don’t recognize their own destructive behavior and only see how out of control the other two have become.

At one point, Kung Lao attacks Siro at the trading post and nearly kills him, throwing him out of a second-floor window. During this fight, Rayden (series regular Jeffrey Meek) appears and after seeing the irrational Kung Lao and the near-dead Siro, surmises there’s more at work here than meets the eye.

Rayden then finds Taja just as she’s about to be executed for stealing from the villagers. Among the mob chanting for her death he recognizes Sora and things start to make a little more sense. Rayden corners Sora and makes her tell him what’s going on. Once Sora explains Quan Chi’s spell to Rayden, it’s up to him to convince Kung Lao, Taja and Siro, that only they can break the spell by accepting that life contains both darkness and light and they must choose to live in the light and contain the darkness.

When Quan Chi learns of Sora’s betrayal, he is furious and decides that he’ll take care of Kung Lao himself. Quan Chi’s hope was that Kung Lao would kill an innocent person in a fit of rage. As a warrior, Kung Lao would be disgraced and banned from his temple, sure to die a broken man. Quan Chi would then take Kung Lao’s soul back to the NetherRealm where he would sell it to the highest bidder–most likely Shang Tsung who would use it to win his freedom from Shao Kahn.

Rayden explains this scenario to Kung Lao and warns him that if he is to fight Quan Chi, he must remain focused and not fight in a blind fury. Kung Lao heeds this advice, and when Quan Chi sees that he cannot win the battle he returns to the NetherRealm.

Despite the bruised egos, hurt feelings and broken bones, Kung Lao, Siro and Taja realize what they mean to each other and return to trading post to put their lives back in order.

                         

Cold Reality

Kung Lao, Taja and Siro must keep an ancient magical crystal from falling into the hands of Shang Tsung and the diabolical Lin Kuei’s assassin/sorcerer Sub Zero.

Episode opens at the Lin Kuei compound where a strange ceremonial initiation is taking place. The Grand Masters of this cadre of assassins for hire are training a fierce new warrior in their ancient arts. As is the case with most things diabolical, Shang Tsung (series regular Bruce Locke) has a hand in this evil.

Meanwhile, following his defeat of Scorpion, Kung Lao (series regular Paolo Montalban), accompanied by Taja (series regular Kristanna Loken) and Siro (series regular Daniel Bernhardt), heads back to the city of Zhu Zin, specifically to the trading post of the now-deceased Baron Reyland. As the Baron’s daughter, Jen, lay dying in Kung Lao’s arms, she gave him the key to the entire compound, and the threesome have decided to use the post as a training center for future fighters in Mortal Kombat.

When Kung Lao, Siro and Taja reach Zhu Zin, the men decide to get provisions at the bazaar and Taja heads straight to the trading post. Upon her arrival she discovers that the post has been ransacked and, even worse, the marauder is still on the premises and proceeds to attack her. Kung Lao and Siro arrive momentarily and stop the attack, only to discover that the ‘burglar’ is actually a Ninja from the Lin Kuei.

It turns out that before his death the Baron had purchased a magical crystal that makes inter-Realm travel possible and hid it somewhere in the trading post. Shang Tsung will stop at nothing (including the Lin Kuei) to get his hands on this crystal to buy his freedom from Shao Kahn.

After the first attempt at retrieval failed, Shang Tsung has the Lin Kuei dispatch three more Ninjas to the trading post–where they are eventually defeated by Kung Lao, Taja and Siro. As the defeated Ninjas retreat from the trading post, Siro secretly follows them back to the Lin Kuei training compound and witnesses the unveiling of Sub Zero, a Ninja/sorcerer who, in addition to being a fierce martial artist, is able to fire deadly blasts of ice and cold from his palms.

Realizing there must be something extremely valuable hidden in the trading post, the new tenants beginning searching every nook and cranny. Kung Lao and Taja find the crystal just as Siro comes bounding in to tell them what he’s seen at the Lin Kuei compound. Unfortunately, Sub Zero comes bounding in right behind him and a heated battle over the crystal begins. In the end, Kung Lao, Taja and Siro are able to defend the crystal and send Sub Zero on his way, but the battle is far from over.