“No,” Jerrod protested, disbelief apparent in his voice. “That’s not possible! How could he have gotten their souls? Someone would need to have taken them by force and the only one who could have done that is Shang Tsung, who would’ve kept them for himself.”
And now I have to tell him anyway... Raiden thought to himself. All that time spent dancing around the issue of Sindel’s involvement had been utterly pointless. I knew I would have to tell him sometime. No point in avoiding it for any longer. Taking a deep breath, Raiden began to speak.
“Kitana was killed with the rest of the earthrealm defenders as a result of one of Quan-Chi’s spells. The spell was one designed to resurrect Sindel and corrupt her mind. Her mind was wiped of her past memories, making her believe that she had always served Shao Kahn. When he ordered it...” Raiden paused, not wanting to continue. Strengthening his resolve, he spoke again. “When he ordered it, she killed them all without a second thought, taking their souls through a device given to her by Kahn himself. In the process, Sindel herself was also killed.”
Jerrod wanted to protest against Raiden’s speech. To deny everything he’d said. Yet he couldn’t. Not when he knew it was true. Even in death, Shao Kahn had still managed to steal everything from him. Still, he couldn’t give in. There had to be a way to bring them back, to free their souls and bring them back to earthrealm or the newly freed Edenia. “Can’t the elder gods bring them back?” Jerrod asked.
“No,” Raiden answered. “I’ve already petitioned them. All they said was that we would have to find a way to free them on our own. I’ve thought about sending someone in to try and free them, but with the netherrealm still hostile, anyone we send in would be attacked on sight. With our strongest warriors corrupted to serve Quan-Chi it would be impossible to free without a large scale invasion. As much as it pains me to admit it, I can’t see any way to get them back.”
The earthrealm defenders are effectively enemies of Quan-Chi and can’t be sent to the netherealm with any chance of living. We can’t use force to get them back, but infiltration... “What if we infiltrated the netherrealm?” Jerrod asked Raiden.
“Who do we have that could get in without being detected?” Raiden asked, intrigued by Jerrod’s idea.
“Nobody from earthrealm could get in undetected, and the residents of outworld aren’t likely to help us, but there is someone you haven’t considered.”
“And who is that?” Raiden asked, still intrigued.
“Ermac. He’s been a dedicated servant of Shao Kahn for his whole existance, excluding the few hours he’s been awake since Kahn’s death. The only people who know of his change in allegiance are you, the woman beside you, and the souls that reside inside of him. If he offers to join Quan-Chi, it is doubtful the sorcerer would ask many questions.”
The idea is sound... Raiden admitted to himself, and it is far better than anything I’ve come up with. But I’m still not sure if I trust Ermac. “So you will control Ermac and take him to the netherrealm?” Raiden asked, hoping the answer would be yes.
“No,” Jerrod responded. “Ermac is no longer a puppet to be controlled by those stronger than him. He will have to decide for himself whether or not he wishes to help us. However, I have a feeling that he will say yes. He wants to prove his allegiance to you.”
“I suppose it’s the best chance we have of getting your family and the defenders of earthrealm back. I can open a portal to the netherrealm for you, but you’ll need another way to get in, to provide an excuse for Quan-Chi. Fortunately, the leaders of the special forces have been constructing a portal to the netherrealm with my guidance. Tell him that you got in that way, after that you’ll be on your own.”
“Very well. I’m releasing control over Ermac’s body, and will not be retaking control again. Give me a few minutes to explain our plan before trying to talk to him.” Jerrod released control over Ermac’s body, and withdrew into what was effectively his conscience. He waited the few seconds it took Ermac to regain control, before speaking to him. “Ermac, I took control over your body for a short period of time in order to convince Raiden that you were no longer an enemy. During that time a number of things were revealed to me, and we came up with a plan that would not only prove your loyalty to the forces of good, but would weaken the netherrealm, and substantially boost earthrealm’s defenses. However, we weren’t sure if you would be interested in volunteering.”
“Why do you need me?” Ermac asked.
“Because you are the only person who could safely infiltrate the netherrealm without attracting to much suspicion.”
“You want me to infiltrate the netherrealm?”
“Yes,” Jerrod answered.
“Without any help from the other realms?”
“It is not an easy mission. It will be excedingly dangerous. That is why no one is forcing you to go. You are your own person now Ermac. You are no longer bound to the servitude of Shao Kahn. You can make you own decisions without them being forced upon you by others. I will not take control of your body again, no matter what decision you make. It is understandable if you do not wish to undertake this kind of mission mere hours after being freed from Kahn’s influence.”
Ermac pondered Jerrod’s words for a few moments. I can make my own decisions, regardless of the opinions of others. The will of others no longer dictates my actions. Raiden and Jerrod are asking me to go down there, not forcing me, and they’ll let me go my own way if I don’t go down. With these realizations in hand he made his decision.
