-1

The boiling suns of Outworld shone down mercilessly on the beach, skies the red of dried blood, water black as night. The beach was a lonely stretch of dusty land, facing off into the endless waters of the sea. The beach itself however, was in quite a good mood today. One of the Tarkatan towel boys employed to work there turned up the stereo and set about wiping down the bar top of the tiki shack where someone's beer and someone else's brains had been spilt a little earlier.

Jax flexed his huge muscled chest, sweat running down his brow, and snarled.

«Okay, let's do this, come on.» He roared, baring his teeth.

Kabal stared back steely eyed through his mask,

«Let's see what you've got.» He hissed. Their gazes locked for a moment longer, before Jax hefted the ball and knocked it across the net. Kabal shot to the side, slapping it back. Johnny leapt to knock it back, eating sand as he went, and again Kabal was there, moving faster than anyone else could see to slap it back at twice the speed. Sonya, in a micro-bikini bearing the American flag, leapt to intercept, breasts bouncing, and let it slip through.

«Aww god damnit!» Jax yelled. Kabal laughed a quiet, breathless giggle. «Three on one and you still win every damn time!»

«It's okay big guy, you'll catch up someday.» The masked man said, returning to his beach towel to add coolant to his breathing apparatus.

Sonya patted Jax on the back,

«Put one through his smug damn ugly mug next time I swear.» Jax muttered, grabbing up his beer and downing it in one. Sonya sloshed her overpriced women's energy drink around in its can.

«New game then? With fewer weirdo mechanical types this time?» She shrugged.

Johnny hopped up from the sand, spitting out a mouthful.
«I'm going for a drink, and to check out the ladies.» He smiled, winking to Sonya. «Don't leave without me guys. Unless, you know, I leave with someone else. Someone....sexy.»

«Yeah yeah, stud. We won't.» Sonya said as Johnny strolled off, trying not to look at his barely-there swimsuit.

«Alright!» Jax screamed, raising his metallic fists, «Who's up for some two on two? I got fifty koins says I can beat any you weird sons of bitches. No super speed...»

In a short shuffle of limbs and some grim taunts Jax and Sonya were batting a ball back and forth with Smoke, dressed in a sharp set of black shorts and sandals, and Baraka, in what apparently passed for Tarkatan swimwear. A grass skirt.

The pair of soldiers darted back and forth as best they could, and Smoke simply teleported in and knocked the ball to the sand.

«God damnit no teleporting either! Don't anyone play straight out here?» Jax yelled. The ball sailed up and over after a particularly rough kick from Sonya, and landed straight on Baraka's spike, deflating with a low farty sound.

«Tarkatan rules. I win.» He snarled.

«Why do we even keep playing volleyball here anyway?» Sonya shrugged. «Let's play something with a home-field advantage.»

Jax furrowed his brow,

«Air hockey! Let's go bitches, 50 koins says I got you beat.» Jax stampeded off towards the arcade, sandals flapping.

-

Jade strolled through the thick yellowish sand, staff over her shoulder, in an emerald green two-piece, to where Kitana was sunning herself.

«Hot one eh?» She asked, raising a hand to shade her eyes. Kitana stirred and looked up at her friend.

«Where's my drink?» The Princess asked, rolling over onto her back. Her modest blue bikini matched her eyes. Jade handed Kitana the soda she'd been sent for, before slamming her staff upright into the sand. The weapon glowed green for a moment, before extending a beach umbrella out in all directions from the top, and Jade slumped down beneath it and picked up the book that lay nearby.

A shadow fell across the pair of women, and Kitana looked up to a grinning Johnny Cage. Sweat glistened on the stars chest, and with a fist on either hip he stood proudly showing off the tiny black speedo he wore. The garment had an image of Johnny sporting the exact same grin.

«Ladies, you look lovely. Johnny Cage, you've seen my films. How about you join me at the bar for a drink? It's tough work winning all day.»

«Looked like you were getting your ass kicked from where I was sitting.» Jade said politely.

«Well. I wasn't playing for real back there. You know, if I was, well. Would've been a different story. Say, have you seen my role in Towel man 600: The beach assassin? Was some hot stuff.»

«Must've missed that one.» Kitana mumbled, rolling back onto her front and closing her eyes.

«So, how about that drink?» Johnny asked again, still holding the pose.

«You'll have to ask my father. He's sitting at the bar.»

Johnny glanced up to the tiki bar hut that stood a few dozen yards away, and grimaced.

«You know what, raincheck babe; I'll be seeing you around. You're hard to miss.» He winked and gave her the buddy Christ, before walking off to the bar.

«Does that....actually work on girls, do you think?» Kitana asked. Jade shrugged.

«I hear girls from Earthrealm will do anything.»

-2

Queen Sindel was sat in the shade of the refreshment hut, her body covered in a long draping purple sarong. Her hair was tied into a bun and she aired herself with one of her daughter's fans.

«You know, the beaches back in Edenia are much nicer than this. Leagues wide, blue skies gleaming with birds white of wing.....»

Her husband sat next to her, and Shao Kahn groaned as he did whenever Sindel started to talk about Edenia. He perched on the edge of a barstool, his face helmed in a viscious staring mask of metal and bone, and a bright red visor attached to the front to shield his eyes from the sun.

«Yes, I'm aware of how lovely Edenia is this time of year. Why don't you take yourself off on holiday for a bit perhaps....leave me to get some work done. Politics are a nightmare at the moment, dear.» Shao Kahn responded his voice snarling and stern as always. He wrapped his knuckles on the wooden bar table and a little Tarkatan rushed over with a drinks menu.

Sindel turned to him and pinched his cheek.

«Oh, of course not, my big strong cinnamon roll. Heaven knows you'd never get anything done around here without me.»

«Or ever have any fun.» Kahn muttered under his breath.

«What was that?» Her purple eyes narrowed savagely.

«Nothing dear.» Kahn hastily ordered a drink and brushed down the long Hawaiian shirt he wore and sighed. «You know we used to have executions on this beach. Big ones with impaling spikes.»

«Mm, isn't it much better now?» Sindel asked, gesturing at the people enjoying themselves. Kahn grunted.

«Oh...yes of course....dear...» Sindel prodded him suddenly in the shoulder and pointed. Kahn was about to ask what he'd done wrong now, before she scolded him.

«Would you look at what YOUR daughter is wearing?»

Kahn looked to see, and raised a hand to his forehead in fatherly dismay,

«Oh elder gods I've told her before....» Kahn moaned.

«MY daughter is so much more refined.... Really, wherever did you find that one?» Sindel snapped.

-

Jade groaned and poked Kitana in the side.

«Ugh, your sister's here.»

«She is NOT my sister.» Kitana replied with a catty snarl, but looked up anyway to where Jade was gesturing. Strolling onto the beach was indeed Mileena, catching eyes with her outfit. The one she always wore to the beach, which was a cute fuchsia silk veil about her lower face and absolutely positively nothing else whatsoever.

«Attention whore.» Kitana said and returned to her sunning. Jade continued to watch the nude girl for a moment, before returning to her steamy romantic novel about love in the Edenian wilds.

Johnny circled past the pair of women again, a large fruity cocktail in his hand. He lowered his sunglasses at the sight of Mileena.

«Daaamn. You shave yours like that Princess?»

«Shut up! She's not my sister!» Kitana placed her hands over her ears.

«Then you won't mind if I try it on with her.» He said and ambled off, buttocks clenched.

«Break a leg.» Jade called after him.

-

Mileena strolled, hips swaying, to where everyone was hanging out, the smile on her savage features hidden by the veil. She gave a wave to old Mr Tsung the beachcomber.

Shang Tsung waved back, going too blind to realize the girl was naked, and continued his work. Cyrax was held upside-down in his arms, and he waved the robot back and forth.

«Beep. Beep.» Emitted Cyrax's vocal unit. «Beee!»

«Aha!» Shang dropped to his knees, digging.

«Another bloody bottlecap! Where are people even getting Pepsi in outworld?»

«Don't work too hard...» Mileena called to him in her sickly-sweet voice.

Mileena continued on to the volleyball net. Where Kano and Sektor were going at it. Sektor simply stood dead centre, extending a limb left or right to knock the ball. Kano, in his dirty old cut-offs and Black Sabbath shirt; just knocked it back again. The robot made no effort whatsoever to get the ball anywhere else. Kano had the opportunity to glance over the long legs and unfeasibly huge naked breasts that hung over Mileena's washboard abs.

«You think he understands the point of the game, sweetie?» Mileena cooed.

«Oi! Bolts, you know you got to hit the thing past me right?» Kano called to him. The robot puzzled for a moment.

«Understood.» His voice crackled, he caught the ball and in one swift motion attatched it to a rocket shot from his chest cavity. It shot off into the horizon, never to be seen again.

«Objective complete.» Sektor's voice buzzed.

«Where's me fuckin' Fosters?» Kano sighed.

-3

Johnny stepped up next to Mileena, flexing a muscle as he turned to face the sea. Behind his reflective sunglasses he was of course eyeing Mileena's sleek pale nudity.

«I love the outfit; it is a hot one isn't it?» He slid an arm over her bare shoulders. Mileena grinned a horrid grin, which of course couldn't be seen.

«It is... I like it hot.» She hissed, claws raking the air. She snatched up his margarita and helped herself to it, sticking the straw under her veil.

«I like a girl who takes what she wants, you're Kitana's little sister aren't you?» Johnny asked, eyebrow raised.

«In some ways, she's an inspiration.» Mileena replied, her wide yellow eyes batting. «Who're you? You look....tasty.»

«You know, I am.» Johnny beamed his winning smile. «We should party sometime. How old are you sweetheart?»

«Biologically or chronologically?» Mileena asked in a rare moment of intelligence.

«Ah, I guess.....in years?» Johnny said, the question going way over his head.

«Oh, I'm three.» Mileena chirped happily. Johnny quickly retracted his arm.

«Oh....hell no.»

«Does not compute.» Rattled Sektor, before his head exploded in confusion.

«I don't even want to touch that one...» Johnny mumbled, glancing back over his shoulder to where Shao Kahn sipped a cocktail with an umbrella in it.

«Well, I will.» Laughed Kano, sauntering up to Mileena with a glint in his robotic eye. «How about I take you for a real drink luv?»

«Mmm...Gladly.» Mileena answered, tossing Johnny's girly drink over her shoulder and following the grizzled Brit.

-4

Jax stepped back onto the beach, beaming with self satisfaction.

«What did I say, home field advantage right? We owned.» He yelled to everyone in the vicinity.

«Yeah, sure you did.» Sonya replied to him, strolling alongside with their winnings they'd sharked playing air hockey with guardsmen who couldn't see through their masks. «It's time for a dip, rub oil on me?»

«Ahh, you know, might find someone better for that.» Admitted Jax, brandishing his huge mechanical fists, boiling from a day in the sun.

«Fair enough, any takers?» Sonya shrugged, feeling unwanted. «Hmph, no taste, these monsters. They have idea how long I spent dying my hair blonde?»

Sonya's pale form ran into the sea, its deep black waters surrounding her, as Jax kicked back, stuck his headphones on and listened to the same rap music he'd been listening to since 1994.

She bobbed up and down, naturally buoyant, and swum out deeper. The outworld ocean seemed to go on forever. As she swam, the sand slowly went out from under her, and Sonya felt something strange. She kicked out. Almost as if there was something down there.

There was, of course. And it announced itself quite promptly.

Sonya's bikini bottom floated to the top of the water eerily slowly. Johnny was quick to laugh and point.

«Looks like you lost something there Sonya, Ah......oh.»

Sonya's legs were quick to follow, floating to the top in a geyser of blood, and the gigantic outworld shark breached surface and swallowed the rest of the girl whole.

The beach erupted into screams.

«Oh no.» Lifeguard Curtis Stryker spoke through gritted teeth, and spat out his cigar. «Not on my watch, you don't, you shark motherfucker.»

Immediately brandishing two machine guns from the stores of his lifeguard chair, Stryker leapt down and sprinted towards the shore. Navy blue speedo gleaming in the sun, NYPD hat bright blue, Stryker leapt into the sea. The shark didn't know what hit it. Bullets spraying every which way, people dove for cover wherever they could.

Jonny ate dirt as he did so well that day, bullets spraying over his head.

Sindel's hair fanned out in a shield before her and her husband, leaving on the towel boy behind the bar to get riddled with bullets and splattered across the bar.

Kitana snatched up her fans and splayed them out to protect herself, and Jade kicked over her staff, the umbrella strong as steel.

Kabal was gone in an instant, speeding across the sands faster that could be seen, and taking the cash till from the bar with him.

Mileena paid no attention; as she was too busy on all fours, shrieking as Kano nailed her from behind, breasts bouncing back and forth thrust by thrust. Kano raised his beer with a free hand.

«Outworld throws the best parties! Go on my son!» He roared.

Stryker tugged the pin out of a grenade produced from god knows where with his teeth, and jammed it into the sharks mouth. In a spray of blood and organs, the beast detonated. Covered In blood, bones and guts, Stryker stepped back onto shore.

«Pools closed kids, go home.» He lit up another cigar.

Kano gave Mileena's bare behind a slap as he climbed up, doing up his shorts.

«Ah, not bad for a foreign bird.» He admitted. Mileena turned, brushing hair out of her face, her veil had slipped off during the excitement, and she smiled a wide, toothy smile.

«Call me sometime?» She asked up at him. He cringed.

«Ah...yeah. Well, I'll...Yeah sure I'll see about...that.» The thief was gone in a flash. Mileena stood, brushed herself off, and sulked back to the beach.

-5

The sun was just beginning to set on another night at the Outworld beach in deep summer. Kitana and Jade had donned long sarongs and sat watching the blood soaked sea wash in and out.

«Lovely at evensong, isn't it?» Jade asked.

Kitana shrugged non-commitantly.

«Red was never my colour actually. Want to go to the Outworld mall?»

«Hmm. 'Kay.» The two women strode up the beach to the tiki hut. A second Tarkatan had cleaned up the first and presumably taken his work hours.

«We're going out Daddy, see you later.» Kitana chimed.

«Yes yes, Dear.» Kahn mumbled, not even noticing when Kitana lifted his credit cards from his shirt pocket.

Sindel waved goodbye to her beloved daughter, and turned back to her current interest, she'd had one too many screwdrivers and was trying to take her top off for Johnny.

«You like older women, Mr Movie star? Yea I'll betyoudo....» She slurred. Johnny shrugged wider and wider as Shao Kahn glared at him over his wife's shoulder.

«Come on dear, I think it's time we got back to the Palace, don't you? Where did you park the Honda?»

«Oh I'm fine; I was jus'talking to this handsome man here. What'd you say your name was?» By the time Sindel had turned around, Johnny had legged it, fearing the marital wrath of Shao Kahn.

Shao Kahn stood, his huge height towering over everyone else, and hoisted his wife up over his shoulder.

«Ohh, this is just like our honeymoon. Only with less screaming and murder.» She said, downing the rest of her drink and flopping like a ragdoll over his shoulder.

«We have a dinner party to prepare remember? I need to make h'orderves.» Kahn stomped off, his giggling wife over his shoulder.

Mileena was stood leant against the side of the bar, sucking on a long, suggestively shaped lollipop. Every time she bit another chunk of it off with her fangs all the males in the vicinity cringed.

«Hmph. Why does no one ever stay to play with me?» She sulked, scratching a doodle into the side of the tiki bar with one razor sharp fingernail.

Jax strolled by, neatly folding all that remained of Sonya, her stars and stripes bikini, into neat army squares. He did a double take at Mileena's outfit.

«Damn girl, you white girls are crazy. I mean, you Outworld girls are crazy.»

Mileena eyed him with big yellow eyes, her long serpentine tongue coiling around her lollipop.

«And what would you know about Outworld girls, big chocolate man? Mmm.» She hissed.

«Well, as a matter of fact...» Jax started. Kahn's other arm swooped in and snagged his naked daughter around the midsection.

«I can't take you two ANYWHERE!» He grunted, stomping off to find the car, a woman over either shoulder.

Jax pocketed the neatly folded bikini, and sat down at the bar. The only one left, sat at the end of the bar, was Shang Tsung. In front of him was a large pile of bottlecaps, and two koins.

«Bah, trust my shitty luck. Barkeep, a tall glass of...» He muttered, but was cut off as the Tarkatan slid the wooden `closed sign'.

«Oh you are a cu...» Shang grunted, «Oh never mind.»

Jax raised the last of his beer to the old man. And Shang nodded.

«Long day on the Outworld beach hey old man?» He asked the old wizard.

The wizard simply nodded solemnly, before a slow realization came over his face. Jax looked on, wondering what wisdom would come from the ancient lips.

Finally, Shang spoke.

«Holy shit, that girl was in the buff.»

The End.