Lipton stood silently in the background, looking steadily back at the newcomers when they looked his way, waiting for Sonya to make the first move. The blonde guy - Johnny Cage, he found out soon enough - looked like he had just dropped in from some sort of island himself, what with the shorts and sunglasses bit he had going. Liu Kang and the Major looked a little bit more like the experienced fighters he was expecting, and while the metal additions were a surprise, enough of the boys had ended up like Bill Guarnere or Joe Toye for him not to think twice about.

He didn't hesitate to salute the Major when introductions were made, the old habit coming back to him despite how he was mentally commiting the story to memory. "Sir," He gave the other two a nod.