*backdated to Febuary 26-Lipton and eventually Scorpion*

[lt_blade]

The first thing Sonya noticed when she woke up was that the other side of the bed was cold. She wasn't really into snuggling, but some mornings she just found herself curled up close to Hanzo when she woke up. That wasn't the case now, and her heart nearly leapt out of her throat when he wasn't there. It was only when she fully opened her eyes that she saw the real reason why she was alone in bed.

She was home. Back in her room at her parent's house, in the room she hadn't actually slept in for so long. It was all there: the pictures, the certificates she earned from school, the medals from athletics, and right on her dresser was her army fatigues, set up like she always had them.

Sonya reached over to get out of bed when the sight of her wedding ring brought her back to reality, along with the shorts and t-shirt that she'd slept in. This couldn't be real then, she thought. This was an island trick, or it could be. Besides, she hadn't been home in so long, and if the island were to send her back, it would send her back to the Outworld dungeon.

The phone on her desk rang and she hurriedly rushed over to answer it. When she heard Jax's voice on the other line, it was only her officer training that kept her voice steady as she listened to what he was saying-that he, Liu and Cage would be coming over soon.

She nodded stiffly and hung up, looking at the calender on the wall: if this meeting was for what she thought it was, she'd better get dressed quickly.

Comments

[niceofyoutoask.livejournal.com]

Lipton had fallen asleep with Jane in his arms, warm and content in their bed in New Pemberley. As he woke, vague fuzzy images of him playing in the sun with his wife, Lydia, and another child - the yet unborn child Jane carried, but here another laughing blonde head - were still flickering behind his eyelids. He gave a satisfied hum, rolling over to draw Jane into his arms. When his arms met only empty sheets, his eyes opened of their own accord.

Moments later, the sheets were thrown back and he was stepping out barefooted, dressed only in the shorts and undershirt he'd slept in, warily surveying the strange room. It wasn't one he recognized - and he felt a brief pang of regret that it wasn't Huntington - but the experience was so far so similar to his last imaginary foray home that he felt confident in assuming the island was up to its old tricks.

The room clearly belonged to a boy. His eyes fell on one of the certificates - Daniel Blade. Sonya, his mind supplied from the last name, even as his gaze slid downwards and he picked up a picture from the top of a chest of drawers that had two smiling faces on it. The blonde boy on the right he didn't recognize, but sure enough the figure on the left was a younger version of Sonya. He placed the picture back, heading to the door and tugging it open. When faced with a hallway, he measured his options and chose to just call out rather than risk violating someone's privacy by opening doors at random. "Sonya?"

[lt-blade.livejournal.com]

Sonya had only just started collecting her things for a shower when she heard someone call her name and frowned when she recognized that voice.

What the hell was..She cursed herself at the thought of Lipton being dragged into this.

It was a fairly small house, so she only really had to step out into the hallway to face him.

"Lipton?" She looked over his shoulder. That was her brother's room, no one had slept in there for so long-Sonya fought back the habitual irritation at the fact: Lip was a good man.

"Is Jane with you?" She hoped not. Lipton could atleast hold his own in battle, but if things were going to end up as she feared-Jane would only be a liability and a risk.

ooc: change of plans: will have an exchange between Sonya and lip before Tim tags. Sorry for the wait, my sister needed the internet all day

[niceofyoutoask.livejournal.com]

There was something in the way that she looked between him and the room, but he judged it to be based in the fact that he was an unwelcomed visitor to her childhood home.

On the very bright side, at least she recognized him. Christ, he didn't want to think about what a can of worms that would have been if she hadn't.

He shook his head, thankful that his wife wasn't here as well, especially in her condition. So far, at least. "No. We can't rule out that she's here somewhere, but I haven't seen her. Did you have something similar happen over a few days last year?"

[lt-blade.livejournal.com]

Sonya just barely restrained herself from letting out a 'thank god'.

She nodded. "Sergeant Martin arrived here, and.." She hesistated. Though Sonya was more open about her experiences in Outworld, it was still dificult to talk about. "Well, we had to deal with the start of another war. One that may be repeating itself, if the phone call I recieved has anything to do with it."

She looked at her watch. "My partner Maj. Briggs and two friends of mine will be here shortly, but there's time enough for you to take a quick shower, and I can lend you some of my dad's clothes."

The sight of her wedding ring made her pause a moment before she slowly took it off. Here, at home, their marriage would've been invalid, and besides that if Jax and the others saw her with a ring, they would instantly be suspicious and how would she explain a marriage to a guy who wasn't even human.

[niceofyoutoask.livejournal.com]

Little Johnny Martin. Lipton nodded, because even while he was processing the not-too-optimistic news that war might be breaking out, he still felt a twinge of regret that no one from Easy was still around. Not that he wished the island's mind games on anyone, but it had been a hell of a group of guys.

"What kinda war are we dealing with?" He asked, already coming to a few conclusions of his own based on what he knew about her past. He'd been trained in hand-to-hand combat, and had certaintly had his fair share of scuffles in the ETO, but when it came to the kind of fighting he knew Sonya excelled at and the kind of tournament master who could steal souls, he would be decidedly out of his league without a firearm.

He watched her take off her wedding ring, but didn't comment on it. He could imagine a few reasons why she'd take it off here as he reflexively brushed a thumb over his own wedding band.

"That'd probably be a good idea." He agreed, hand almost sheepishly going up to rub at the back of his neck. His mama had trained her sons to be gentlemen, after all, and while when other matters were the priority he hadn't given it a second thought, now that she mentioned it, it was probably not all that appropriate he was standing there in his underwear.

[lt-blade.livejournal.com]

Sonya had been around half naked men too long to really care that he was before her in his underwear-she also had too much on her mind to really care.

"You remember the tournament I told you about? I was held in the tournament master's headquaters-long story short they wanted me to join them-and heard rumors that this guy's boss was planning an invasion of Earthrealm. We tried to warn the government of the attack but of course they don't believe us. As for the enemy, from what I've seen of his warriors, nearly all of them don't resemble humans and don't believe in taking prisoners."

"That's all I really have time to tell you at the moment. The rest will be explained later." She turned and headed towards her parents bedroom, hoping that at the very least her father would have a spare pair of BDUs.

She decided she may as well give herself a quick scrub in the kitchen sink afterwards. So long as it was a fast way to wash up, she wasn't that picky.

[niceofyoutoask.livejournal.com]

Non-human and merciless. To think that the Krauts looked so mild by comparison. "Understood." He said with a nod, falling back into old habits. Not only did she outrank him - she'd have seniority even if his promotion to Lieutenant had gone through before he showed up on the island - but it would be unthinkable not defer to her on her home ground with this unfamiliar of an enemy. And as well as keeping him in shape, the ITF had certainly gotten him used to taking orders from a lady.

He rounded the corner to the bathroom, flicked on the water and took a quick and servicable shower before returning out into the hallway in his underwear, wet hair combed flat.

[lt-blade.livejournal.com]

He would've found some extra BDUs right by the door of the bathroom. Luckly enough, he would've been almost the same height as Sonya's father, so while the BDU jacket bears his name, it's more or less well fitted. Under normal circumstances, Sonya would've felt a little strange giving her father's army uniform to another man, but the fabric was dark colored, durable and more practical then civvies. It also helped that she'd seen the guy in action and felt her dad wouldn't mind.

Sonya stepped out of her room a few minutes later after he got dressed, somehow not used to being in full army BDUs. Her own uniform back on the island had become so worn she rarely wore it anymore. On her left arm was the Special Forces insignia patch, as well as the patch marking her as part of the airborne.

If Lipton felt she was hiding that part of her career from him, she didn't intend to do so-Special Forces agents were sometimes trained as paratroopers anyway and she never felt like detailing her army career in that fashion. It felt too much like 'one-upmanship'.

A loud knock on the door alerted her to their company. "Sit tight, I'll get it."

[niceofyoutoask.livejournal.com]

It was odd to be back in uniform, both familiar and different - the cut was different from the trousers and jacket he was used to in his old uniform, but the fabric and feeling of it were much the same. The jump boots were slightly more comfortable, but he still missed his old ones that had been so well worn in. With his dogtags underneath, he just wished for his M1A1, and maybe his knife, just for good measure.

He was just getting the jacket on when Sonya went to answer the door, and pulled it straight before stepping out to meet the newcomers.

[lt-blade.livejournal.com]

To Sonya, reaching Santuary was a not only a physical but visual relief as well, since (if Nightwolf's story was true-which looked to be the case) it remained shielded from Kahn's black magic. The fact that it was a reservation in New Mexico made no difference-just the fact that there were actual living plants and animals in the area proved it: it was no wonder this place was called 'Sanctuary.' It also meant that-for the time being-they were allowed a breather. The Shaman's tribe had set up a sort of (for lack of a better term) make-shift barracks for the 'remaining' Earth warriors, plus Sub-Zero and Kung Lao, two Earth warriors that Sonya had seen but not personally met at the Outworld tournament.

The last encounter they had with the Outworld warriors before the portal was-as she figured-was tougher. The worst of her injuries was a gash along her left forearm, but it was stitched up and frankly the least of her worries.

They'd lost Johnny. As much as the guy got on her nerves, she felt she couldn't but blame herself for not forcing the guy to have a proper weapon.

She was supposed to be resting up, but the adrenaline had yet to leave her system and was making her feel restless. So she took a weapon-more out of caution than anything-and took a step outside.

[niceofyoutoask.livejournal.com]

Getting through the portal to Santuary was a welcome break, and a damned sight better than camping out on doorstops or foxholes. There was something both comforting and disconcerting about being on American soil through all of this, but what with all the magic flying around it couldn't be more clear that this wasn't his world, his America - which was disturbing enough in itself. He'd figured as much in his years on the island, but seeing it for himself was soemthing altogether.

It was too bad about Cage, but that was behind them now. You had to be able to do that as a soldier, even one who'd been a civilian just a few years ago like him.

Lipton was sitting outside, rifle on his lap, looking out over the reservation when Sonya opened the door and stepped out. He looked up at her, giving a nod and a half-smile. "Hey there, Lieutenant."

[lt-blade.livejournal.com]

She figured as a sergeant he'd appoint himself having guard duty first.

She returned the nod. "Hey Sergeant. Enjoying the view?"

Sonya was only partially serious, after seeing what'd become of their realm, any small area that remained untouched was good for moral, but if they failed to stop the invasion in time-even this will be taken. They only had seven days to plan and find the bastard.

Eight fighters against an entire fucking army. Good god if they had any reserved luck, they would need more of it.

[niceofyoutoask.livejournal.com]

Watch the line. The forever-repeated mantra of the Battle of the Bulge. He thought that maybe he would rather stare out at anything than the snowy trees of the Ardennes. An Indian reservation was decidedly a welcome change. "Yessir. Was the dead of winter in the war back home - things may be pretty tense here," an understatement, if there ever was one, "but at least there's no frostbite."

He'd long come to terms with the fact that he was often by default the voice of optimism, if only because he kept his mouth shut about everything else.

"How're you holding up, Sir?" He asked, looking up at her, old habits as First Sergeant dying hard. She knew Cage a damn sight more than he did.

[lt-blade.livejournal.com]

There was a sort of irony in that statement: it was true that it wasn't 36 below with artillery, but the heat was out of place, even for New Mexico and they just had an entire army of hit squads on their ass.

Some of them will probably die on this mission: it was something she quickly had to accept.

"Don't have much of a choice otherwise." She said, completely honest: she was no good to anyone if she completely lost it. "I just need a moment."

"What about you? Now that you've a taste of what we're dealing with?" Oh, she knew he was competent as a soldier, she'd seen him in combat and other such situations-she just figured that when he signed up for the paratroopers, he never figured he'd eventually be fighting enemies from another fucking planet.

[niceofyoutoask.livejournal.com]

He nodded, as that was a fair enough answer. A part of him wanted to wonder if a woman soldier would be more emotional with these things, but experience with Sonya caused him to put the thought out of his mind.

"Jumping out of planes suddenly seems so tame," he said dryly, a hint of a half-smile on his face. He shook his head. "Nah, I'll be fine. Just wish I was more help."

He'd be lying if he said it hadn't given him a jolt to see the creatures that had been pursuing them for the first time, just as it had to see the cyborgs emerge on the spacestation. Just as it had the first time he'd seen a Kraut aim his weapon towards him, for that matter, or a tank on the approach. His time on the island had done wonders for his ability to accept without question the unimaginable. Still, it was a matter of fact that Sonya, Scorpion and Kang were far above his skill level when it came to hand to hand, experience, and knowledge of the enemy, and it grated at him that he might inadvertantly cause one of them to be hurt because of it.

[lt-blade.livejournal.com]

For the most part, she felt strangely numb and angry at the sametime. Angry, because they'd lost a man so close in action, and numb-it was just becoming too common a sight. Maybe she'll feel something later, maybe in a few days after they wake up-if they wake up-she'll start having the nightmares and sadness that would usually accompany such loss, but not now. Now, she just had to focus on the task at hand.

Sonya nodded, though in all honesty, she wasn't sure if he was talking about their team as a whole, or more help with what they were dealing with.

She turned and took a seat next to him. "If you have any questions, now's the time to ask." She doubted they'd have another moment of peace like this, and she felt that such discussions would include mentioning their life on the island.

[niceofyoutoask.livejournal.com]

If he asked everything he'd wondered about since getting here, they'd be occupied for a week. He settled for the most pressing. "Is Scorpion on our side for the long haul?" He'd always favoured bluntness, in the end.

[lt-blade.livejournal.com]

It was surprisingly a fairly good, but easy question for a first round.

"He is. Honor's a big thing for him." Though she's not entirely sure if his and Lipton's 'honor' meant the same. "He vowed that he would watch over myself and Sub Zero, and since both of us are in this for the long hall, it means he will be too. He was already recruited by the enemy at the start of the invasion, but as soon as he found that Sub-Zero was one of our allies he changed sides."

Sonya went on, deciding it was only fair to give some back story.

"Remember when we were fixing the roof of the boarding house? I told you that the man who killed him and had a hand in his family's death showed up at the tournament?" She pointed back towards the building. "That man was Sub-Zero's elder brother. Once he suceeded in killing the Elder one in the Mortal Kombat tournament, he went back to the neather realm only to find out that Sub-Zero was back in the Outworld tournament. Thinking that his enemy returned the same as he did, he entered the tourny to finish the job. Well, both of us saw this ninja spare an opponent, something the Elder would've never done. Turns out that the guy was Sub-Zero's younger brother, and Scorpion appointed himself gaurdian over the guy to atone for killing his brother."

She lifted the chain around her neck, where her wedding ring was looped. "Our marriage isn't valid here, but he told me he would still honor what he had-also told him that if we get stuck here, I'd help him find whoever ordered the deaths of his clan and family."

She was in the army, she knew how to pull a few strings and suceed in that. And if nothing else, she could ask/bug Raiden about it.

"In any case, he has two reasons to fight for us, and no reason to fight for the enemy-coming from someone like him, it's as close as he's going to get to actually having a 'side'."

[get-over-here.livejournal.com]

Scorpion had spoken with Sub-Zero. It had been a bit tense since they appeared to have returned slightly earlier than Scorpion had left. But, Scorpion had explained much to the younger Sub-Zero. Scorpion would still hold true to his vow to protect him as atonement for killing his older brother.

And now it was time to talk to Sonya. He strode up to her as she came outside.

"Sonya."

[lt-blade.livejournal.com]

She was almost glad when he appeared. Almost because she had to remind herself that this was only 'part' of the Scorpion she married, but they had to talk and atleast now they had some sort of privacy.

"Scorpion." She acknowledged, remembered all too well that it was him and not Hanzo.

[get-over-here.livejournal.com]

"That is right. Do you remember the island Tabula Rasa? Some form of myself was there with you."

He stood tall and masked with his arms at his sides. He had vague notions of having emotions there. Yes. He had felt things there. He had felt things for Sonya. In his current form, he was incapable of that.

[lt-blade.livejournal.com]

She nodded. "You're human self, I remember. And by that, I take it you've some memory of the place as well."

Sonya sighted and looked out a moment before turning back to him. "We're not really 'home',Scorpion." She said. "Something like this happened last year as well. We think we're home, but this is really just some elaborate dream from the island. Lipton's arrival should be a big enough clue."

Dreams where they could still get hurt.

"It should only last a few days, we just have to survive that long." Well, her and Lipton-she wasn't sure if Scorpion could really die.

[get-over-here.livejournal.com]

"We should not assume anything. I intend to fight along with the Earthrealm warriors as if this were real."

"Sub-Zero is here as well. I will honor my vow to protect him as atonement for killing his older brother. I respect the bond you forged with the human version of me. You said once that you might be able to aid me in gathering information on how my family and clan died."

He knew the invasion was not the ideal time for fact-finding, but perhaps there was something Sonya could do. If nothing else, she could try asking Raiden for information.

[lt-blade.livejournal.com]

"Rather have you fighting for us than against us." Well, atleast as close as they could consider, given his loyalties.

She nodded. What he said made sense, about having to fight-they had to do so either way. It would've been the only way for them to live till when they woke up-if they woke up.

"I did, and if it does happen that we remain here instead of the island, I intend on keeping that promise."

She thought a moment and pulled out her dog tags, her wedding ring strung through the chain. "Do you still have yours, when you 'woke up'? Your ring, I mean?"

[get-over-here.livejournal.com]

"No," Scorpion replied. He had an impersonal tone.

"I was right when I told you that once we left Tabula Rasa, the marriage would be at an end. I am a being of the Netherealm once more, Sonya. You must remember this."

Hanzo had not wanted Sonya to be hurt too badly by this transformation. Scorpion did not desire to see Sonya Blade hurt either, but it was at an intellectual level.