Here’s the 3rd part of Alternate Paths. Sorry it took so long but I’ve had some difficulties writing chapters of my other fics. Anyway, read and review!

Katherine puffed as she clambered over the icy rocks that barred the path to the Lin Kuei headquarters. Sub Zero walked on ahead of her as if the rocks were as flat as a normal road. Katherine slipped over some ice and landed on the ground heavily, scratching the palm of her hand badly. Katherine winced and swore quietly, but she refused to complain, as she had no wish to appear weak in front of her new teacher (Or Sifu as he preferred)

Several feet ahead, Sub Zero looked over Katherine’s attempts at trying to keep up with him and was inwardly somewhat impressed. The truth was that the path they were travelling on wasn’t the quickest way to the Lin Kuei headquarters. There was in fact a much quicker and easier path that led straight to the headquarters in less than six hours. This path took at least four days of hard walking across difficult ground before reaching the headquarters.

The reason Sub Zero chose such a path was because he wanted to gain knowledge of his pupils. Those who struggled and asked for break were the ones Sub Zero knew would need the most guidance and training in order to become warriors. But those who tried to grin and bear it would shape up to be great warriors. And Sub Zero was starting to show some regard for Katherine, as she was the only one so far who hadn’t asked for a rest even once.

Katherine finally caught up with Sub Zero as she clenched her hand in pain. It was only one of many scrapes she had gained over the last four days yet she still refused to complain. Sub Zero decided to cut her some slack “Let’s rest for a few minutes we’re not far from headquarters and the last section of road is the roughest part.” Katherine sat down gratefully and breathed out in relief.

Sub Zero pulled out a small bottle from his tunic behind the Dragon Medallion “Hold out your hand.” Katherine did so and winced as Sub Zero poured some of the contents over her hand “Now hold your hand steady for a few minutes while it sets. Your hand should be fine after that.” Sub Zero sat down some way from Katherine and placed the bottle back into his tunic.

After a few minutes had passed, the curiosity that had been building up inside Katherine for the past four days finally came to the fray “What is the Lin Kuei exactly?

Sub Zero answered instantly “It was once a clan of assassins and thieves. They would do any job provided the pay was right and it suited their needs. But several years ago their greed went to far and it led to their destruction. I am the only remaining part of the old Lin Kuei and I have vowed to never let it’s old greed and evils resurface.”

Katherine took in what Sub Zero said and another question sprang to mind “So what is the Lin Kuei about now?”

Once again, the answer was immediate “To right wrongs in the world and help defend Earthrealm.”

Katherine’s brow gave a gasp “You mean I’m going to be involved in stuff like that invasion from another world a few years ago?”

Sub Zero nodded. The memories remained in people of the Outworld invasion several years ago but the details were unknown but to a select few. Only those involved in certain organisations such as the O.I.A. or the White Lotus knew the truth behind what most remembered as vivid yet confused recollections.

Katherine allowed all this to sink in before asking another question “How many are there to fight with us?”

Sub Zero thought for a moment before answering “We have two major Allies in the defence of Earthrealm. One is the Outworld Investigation Agency, which could call upon most of the World’s military to help us. There is also the White Lotus Society, which numbers around three hundred members with two martial arts masters. We can also count upon various individuals throughout the Realms to aid us.”

Katherine thought about the idea of helping defend Earthrealm with such individuals. Such a responsibility and honour made her shiver in both trepidation and excitement “What about the Lin Kuei? How many do we number?”

The answer again came with swiftness “With you, we number thirty two strong. There are only two of us who are able to train the students and you will be the last recruit for the time being.” Sub Zero shifted to his feet “How is your hand now?”

Katherine flexed her hand “Much better thanks. That stuff you put on helped but stung a bit.”

Sub Zero nodded “And what sort of medicine would work if it didn’t? Well, we should get going, if we hurry we should make headquarters before dark.” Katherine arose from her sitting position and followed her Sifu over the rock-strewn path.

Three hours later and Katherine was travelling through the corridors of the Lin Kuei headquarters. From the outside, the building had indeed been imposing with its structure carved into the formation of the mountain surrounding it and sheer temperature that chilled to the bones. The inside was just as awe inspiring in some places, the walls were a mixture of ice, stone of the building and rock of the mountain.

Despite such decorum, the building was well lit due to the light out side being reflected through the light along with several torches that lit up the darker reaches of the corridor. Sub Zero finally stopped outside a door in one of the corridors and faced Katherine “This will be your room.” He said, “There is a bed, a fireplace, some drawers and shelves for any personal items such as books or things like that. There are lavatories and at the end of the corridor, which are shared by everyone along this corridor. They are separated into different sexes so hopefully there will be no need for disciplinary actions against any peeping Toms. There will be a meeting in the dojo in half an hour. Another student will show you the way there. I must see to some business now but I will see you soon.”

Sub Zero gave a bow, which Katherine returned and walked, down the corridor. Katherine watched him turn a corner and go out of sight before lifting the latch on the door and going into her new home. Katherine was a little surprised at the lay of the room as it was rather cosy though plain. The fireplace was carved into the left wall and already flaming and lit up the room rather well with plenty of heat. The room itself was around 7’5 in height and 9 x 9 in the base. There were five shelves on the far side of the room along with some drawers underneath them. The bed was into the far right corner and looked comfortable enough to sleep on but not really comfortable enough to want to lie in after you woke up. A full-length mirror stood beside the bed, which reflected most of the room.

With her spare half hour, Katherine rooted through the drawers, finding a duplicate of the outfit that Sub Zero wore only it was a dull grey rather than dark blue. Discarding her old, worn clothes, Katherine slowly donned the uniform of the Lin Kuie. She had finished putting most of it on and was about to put on her mask when a knock was heard at the door. Katherine jumped in surprise before remembering that Sifu was sending another student to guide her to the dojo “Come in.” She called, sounding a bit more confident than she felt.

The door opened slightly and the other student stepped in. She was Katherine’s height and was slightly slimmer. The uniform was identical only was pure white instead of grey or blue. Katherine looked into her face and was greeted by long blonde hair with dazzling green eyes and a beautiful smile. The girl looked about Katherine’s age but could have been slightly older. The girl stepped forward and held out her hand “Bonjour!” She said in a French accent, which also had several other harmonics to it “I am Josephine Ney. I am very happy to meet you.”

Katherine took Josephine’s and shook a little weakly “I’m Katherine Peterson. Pleased to meet you to.” Katherine realised that she needed a bit more than this and said the first thing which sprang to mind “So... you French?”

Josephine smiled “Oui, from the ports of Calais. I picked up quite a bit about languages there. I was mainly stealing from wallets when Sifu visited me.”

Katherine seized on another point of conversation “And what did your parents think about joining the Lin Kuie?”

Josephine shrugged “If I knew who they were I could tell you.” And that seemed to be all she was willing to say “And where do you come from when Sifu picked you up?”

“Chicago, Illinois. My mother had just died a few months ago and I was an errand girl for one of the local gangs when Sifu ran into me. Gave me a choice of coming here or taking some money and going some place else. Not a hard choice really.”

Josephine nodded “The same thing happened to everybody else here. We’re all from the same type of background. Broken homes, families that are dead or don’t give a damn. Compare that to being a hero for Earthrealm and there isn’t much to choose from really.”

“Is everyone around our age then?”

“Mostly, the youngest is a ten year old boy and the eldest is a 16 year old. Between you and me, he’s rather attractive.” Josephine said the last part as if delivering some big secret and Katherine couldn’t help but smile.

“So do you have any idea what this meeting about?” Katherine asked. Her curiosity about the meeting was getting the better of her.

Josephine shrugged “You’d have to ask Michael about that.”

“Michael?”

Josephine smiled again “Ah yes, I forgot to introduce you. Michael’s just outside, we’re good friends only he’s terribly shy when it comes to meeting new people.” Josephine turned to the door and called out “Come in Michael” She’s not going to bite you.”

Slowly Michael walked through the door. He was a good deal taller than the girls with a broad chest and shoulders. He had deep mahogany skin with shirt, curly brown hair and brown eyes. He wore the same outfit as Katherine and Josephine only his was a pure black from head to toe. He muttered “Hi.” Before averting his gaze.

“This is Michael Lemont.” Announced Josephine “From the city of New Orleans, he’s fifteen, likes to read books in his spare time, especially history. Been at the headquarters for over a month and has become the resident expert on the history of the Lin Kuei ninja clan. (Very Deux Ex Machina, I know) He also likes to have his belly rubbed.” Michael’s eyes shot up at this and he glared at Josephine “Well I might have made that last bit up.” She laughed.

Katherine had to suppress a smile herself as she held out her hand towards Michael “Pleased to meet you. I’m Katherine Peterson, fourteen and in my spare time, I like to listen to rock and roll and viscously attack French girls.” The other two laughed at the joke and Michael seemed to lighten up slightly.

“Nice to meet you Katherine. Josephine’s right in that I’m the expert on all things Lin Kuei. But as for the belly rubs...” Michael gave a glance and a grin towards Josephine “I’m sure that’ll be one of Josephine’s Freudian slips.”

Josephine put on a mock look of shock “Ah monsieur! You know me far too well!”

Katherine glanced at the two noticing that there was something between the two that went far deeper than a mere friendship. Perhaps one day she’d understand it “So what’s the meeting going to be about?”

Peter wracked his memory for a few seconds before answering “It’ll most probably be the ceremony where the new members of the Lin Kuei take on their new name.”

“New name?”

“Yeah, it’s a take on the abilities of the members. Say like you had the power to manipulate fire then your name would become Flame or something like that. It’s supposed to represent the abandonment of all other ambitions in the pursuit of strength for the greater good of the clan.”

Katherine considered this “Sounds pretty deep. So when does the meeting start?”

“I’m guessing we have enough time to have a quick wash before making our way to the gym.”

Katherine glanced at the mirror and noticed the general grubbiness around her face that four days of hard travel had given her “I think that that’ll be a good idea.” She muttered.

Just a few minutes later and the entire Lin Kuei had gathered in the dojo. The dojo was large as it could seat all of the thirty students with ease. It was fairly bland with nothing in the way of furniture except a small table on a raised platform at the end of the dojo where Sifu was going to sit. The floor was wood covered by a thick straw mat to avoid giving anyone to hard a bump. There were two entrances into the dojo, a large entrance for the students to enter on one side and a slightly smaller one at the other end, behind the platform where Sifu would enter from.

Katherine craned her head around to look around at the other students. They seemed to be of all shapes and sizes, one in particular caught Katherine’s eye. She sat in front of everyone else, had blue hair and wore a blue outfit. Katherine lent over to Josephine “Who’s the girl out in front? Is she a student or a teacher?”

Josephine followed Katherine’s eye line and saw the person she was looking at “Oh that’s Frost. She’s the most advanced student in the clan at the moment as Sifu picked her up a few months before everyone else. Stay out of her way, she’s an arrogant bitch who’ll treat you like crap if she feels like it.”

Katherine nodded as she saw Frost turn around to look at everybody else. Frost caught Katherine’s eye and Katherine saw the complete contempt in her eyes towards the other students. Katherine instantly took a dislike to the woman. Then the doors behind the platform opened wide and the attention of all the students was riveted on the two figures that entered through the doors.

One was definitely Sub Zero, as he was dressed in full Lin Kuei outfit. His face covered by a blue and black mask that doubled as a face guard and the Dragon Medallion fixed onto his chest. But the other, yellow clad figure, Katherine didn’t recognise “Who’s the man by Sifu?” She murmured to Josephine.

“That’s Scorpion. He’s Sifu’s right hand man, he’s quiet and a little scary but he seems to be OK.” Katherine nodded and looked at Scorpion and did a double take when she saw that he had no pupils.

Both Sub Zero and Scorpion walked onto the platform in full view of the students, only Frost seemed to avoid giving her full attention. Sub Zero looked at his students before starting the speech, which he had been preparing for some time “Welcome, Lin Kuei.” He said, giving the traditional greeting of the Grandmaster to his students.

“I am, as you know, your Sifu and Grandmaster of the Lin Kuei, Sub Zero. I have gathered all of you here for the reason of giving new meaning to what was once a corrupt and evil organisation. Where once the Lin Kuei stood for greed and opportunity, it shall now stand for the defence of Earthrealm and to stand against the forces, which would do it harm. As the Grandmaster, I hope to guide everyone to their full potential. The Lin Kuei is for life, the mask you don and the name you will be given will remain with you until you dying breath. You will honour the Lin Kuei as the clan will honour you and you will honour each other.”

Silence followed as the entire clan hung onto his every word “Training will commence tomorrow at eight o’ clock in the morning and will finish at 6 o’ clock in the evening. There will be three hours for relaxing and talking with friends before going to bed at 9 o’ clock, believe me, you’ll need it. Meals will be provided at 7:30, 12:00, 6:15 and you’ll be able to fetch a limited amount of small meals after then. Your training will consist of martial arts, controlling your powers and general subterfuge tactics. I and Scorpion will teach you these skills and various other skills needed to become Lin Kuei members.”

“Now, as some as you know, there is a ceremony to perform where your new name is given. You now all need to line up in front, youngest to eldest.” The students complied except Frost who remained sitting on the floor, distanced from the others. Sub Zero spoke again “Each of you will present a small display of your powers to the clan. I will then give you your name which will stay with you for the remainder of your life and will be passed on to your descendants.” Sub Zero nodded to the students “You may begin.”

All students apart from Frost quickly got into a line; Katherine, Josephine and Michael were right at the back. Each single student was invited up to the platform and gave a demonstration of their powers before being given their name by Sub Zero. The first student was a lad who looked around eleven and wore a red uniform. He looked to Sub Zero who gave him a nod and the boy held out his arm, a small flame appeared in his hand and spread down his arm flickering brightly before stopping after a few moments as the student sagged slightly with the energy just expended.

There was a moment’s silence before Sub Zero said the name “Ember.” Ember nodded, smiling with relief and walked off the platform. And so it continued like this as each student was given their new name. When it finally reached the final three, Katherine realised that she had no idea what the powers of her friends were. The powers seemed to be colour coordinated with the uniforms but what power could black and white be?

By mutual consent Josephine went first and appeared calm when walking to the stage, even winking at a few of the boys as she went. After receiving a harsh look from Sub Zero on the platform Josephine stopped and held out her arm as the others had done. After a moment’s concentration a small lightning bolt shot out of her hands onto the floor. Sub Zero thought for a second before saying “Shock.”

Katherine nudged Michael as Shock stepped down from the platform, he reluctantly went forward and up onto the platform. He waited for Sub Zero’s consent before holding out his arm and after a minute, it disappeared completely from sight. After it had reappeared within a moment Sub Zero said the word “Camouflage.”

Katherine went up to the platform and gave Camouflage a smile as he went to the crowd of students. After the consent of Sub Zero was given, she held out her arm and it changed into soft billowing smoke. Just as her arm changed back into normal, Katherine noticed that Scorpion had leaned over to Sub Zero and was whispering in his ear. She didn’t catch any of it but heard some of Sub Zero’s reply “His and his alone...” Before Katherine could think about what this meant, Sub Zero gave her, her name “Smog.”

Smog stepped down from the platform and walked over to Shock and Camouflage who gave smiles to her as Smog clenched her fist in some small triumph. A small buzz of conversation began before Sub Zero stood up and everyone was instantly silenced.

“There is still an hour before you’re due to your quarters so I suggest that you use to get better acquainted with each other. Remember that training will begin at eight in the morning. I will take no excuses.” Sub Zero bowed to the students who bowed somewhat awkwardly in return “Till the time where our strength grows.” Giving the traditional farewell from Grandmaster to students.

Sub Zero stepped down from the platform and walked out through the way he came, Scorpion right behind him. The students watched him go, not daring to speak until he left.

In the corridor behind the dojo, Sub Zero waited until they were definitely out of earshot before speaking “Your thoughts?”

Scorpion gave him the honest answer “It will prove to be difficult, there is little discipline in them. Also they have no prior training in fighting, can you really expect they’ll rise to the challenge?”

Sub Zero answered with a defensive tone “The Lin Kuei used to demand perfection. I merely ask that they try their hardest.”

“That wasn’t what I asked.”

“No, but at the moment its the only answer I can give.”

To be continued...

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