Heart of Ice

Heart of Ice

Prologue

Cold. That is all that Kuai Liang could feel inside. This is did not bother him though, he had long grown used to the cold inside his very heart, he embraced it even, it is what made him strong. The reason for the coldness he feels everyday is that he is the very master of ice and cold. Ever since the day he was born, he could control it.

Kuai Lang was trained at the Lin Kuei temple along with his brother, Bi-Han from a very early age to become an assassin. After ten years of brutal training, his brother became the feared assassin, Sub Zero, and brought honour and success to the Lin Kuei clan. Kuai Liang was also inducted into the clan under the codename Tundra. Though Kuai Liang was a mighty warrior and skilled assassin, his older brother alway's overshadowed him. This did not upset him, in fact, it made him proud to call Bi-Han his brother and he respected and looked up to him greatly. One message from a sorcerer named Shang Tsung would change Kuai Liang's life forever. Sub Zero, and fellow assassins, Sektor and Cyrax were hired by a mysterious sorcerer named Shang Tsung to compete in the Mortal Kombat tournament for Outworld. The details of the job were very vague but the Lin Kuei would never turn down a contract, so the three of them left for Shang Tsung's island, leaving Kuai Liang behind.

Many weeks went by without any word from Sub Zero or any of the other assassins sent, until one day Sektor returned. He told the clan of how Cyrax had betrayed them by breaking his oath by refusing to kill a man named Johnny Cage and deserting the clan. He also told them of Sub Zero's demise but the details of that were only shared with the Grandmaster. As soon as Kuai Liang learned of what happened to Bi-Han, he stormed into the Grandmaster's chambers and demanded answers. He was only dismissed by the Grandmaster and punished for his disrespect to the Grandmaster. After the severe lashing he was given, he set of to Outworld when a new Tournament was announced by the powerful emperor Shao Kahn, to find Shang Tsung and answer his questions. Before he left he was approached by his friend and fellow assassin, Smoke, who told him he was willing to aid him in his quest. He decided that he would honour his brother's memory by donning his brother's armour and taking the code name Sub Zero. They left without knowing what was to happen to the Lin Kuei.

The day after Sektor's return and Kuai Liang's secret departure the Lin Kuei were told of a new path the clan would be treading:

The Cyber Initiative.

This would transform the Lin Kuei into powerful cyborgs that enhance the assassins strength, speed and agility, but, unbeknownst to the clan, at a terrible price. The surrendering of the clans freewill and total control of the grandmaster. Sekor and Cyrax (who was recently brought back to the temple for judgement) were the first to undergo transformation and they were a complete success. They were nearly unstoppable. The rest of the clan soon followed suit.

In Outworld, Kuai Liang learned that Bi-Han was killed by a demon of the Netherrealm known as Scorpion. He challenged Scorpion to single combat and managed to defeat him. As he was about to finally avenge his brother's death, he teleported back to the Netherrealm. He swore that his revenge would be complete. He and Smoke also learned of what happened to the Lin Kuei as they faced down Sektor and Cyrax. Smoke was captured but the new Sub Zero prevailed and went on to desert the Lin Kuei and stand with the warriors of Earth Realm to defeat Shao Kahn and prevent him from ultimately absorbing Earth Realm. After the long and brutal conflict Shao Khan was eventually defeated and Earth Realm was now forever safe. This did not mean the safety of Sub Zero though, as he was mercilessly hunted by the Lin Kuei for his desertion, for no one left the Lin Kuei. In his desperation he turned to his new ally, Raiden, for help. Raiden took Sub Zero to the Wu Shi Academy, the home of the Shaolin, for protection from his old clan. Even though he had the protection of the Shaolin monks, Sub Zero accepted his fate that the Lin Kuei would kill him or turn him into a mindless cyborg. No one had ever escaped the Lin Kuei, so he knew that his chances for survival were slim, he knew that his old clan would eventually take him. As he sat in the courtyard of the Academy in solemn contemplation, he decided before he died he would take one last mission. A mission he had to do before he died.

He had to defeat and kill Scorpion and finally avenged his older brother's death.