DISCLAIMER: Please, no one sue me! I do not own any of the original Streets of Rage characters. I have merely adapted the game series storyline to aid my overactive imagination. I have been a huge fan of the Sega series since childhood and this is purely a fanfic for my own and online readers enjoyment. I did however create the character Ali Stone and should anyone wish to use her please ask me first, thanks. Helpful and encouraging reviews are most welcome but please, nothing too hideous!


Adam jerked forward, instantly feeling a strain in the back of his neck from where his head had been resting on the back of the sofa. His eyes were bleary after his lengthy nap and he rubbed them furiously with his hand. Slowly he became aware of a noise. It sounded like a soft buzzing, or a vibration. A few seconds later he located where it was coming from. It was his cell phone and it was sitting next to him on the cushion, almost falling down the gap in the middle of the couch. He picked it up and looked at the screen which displayed the name of the incoming caller, 'Blaze'.

Adam clicked the small green icon with his thumb and put the phone to his ear, his words coming out gruff as he was not yet fully awake.

"Hey girl, what's up?"

"Long story, here's the short version; Axel and Tim want you to get to the abandoned business park at the docklands. We're here already. Something might be up. Can you come, and bring Max?"

Adam took a moment to process what Blaze had just said. It wasn't the first time he had received a last minute invite to some obscure location from either of his friends and it would hardly be the last. He had some questions but his guess was there was no time to ask them now, so he stuck with the obvious.

"Where exactly can I meet you?"

"Outside what use to be the computer repair store. Drive in from the bridge side and you'll see us."

"Gimmie twenty."

"I'll call you in fifteen."

"See ya," but the call had already disconnected.

Adam stayed sitting in the same spot for a couple of seconds longer, staring at the sleek black cell phone in his palm. He rubbed his hand back and forth over his short spiky black hair before rising to his feet. Looking down at his clothes he felt no need to change into anything else. On his top half he wore a close-fitting yellow teeshirt that showed off his toned pristine physique. From the waist down he donned black jeans topped off with desert boots, also black in colour. He went into the hall to put on his coat, pulling his hat out of the left sleeve and securing it on to his head. He checked his watch, 23:36. He was picking up his car keys from the phone table when he heard his brothers' voice coming from the doorway.

"Where you goin'?"

"To meet Axel. Might be gone for the night, but I'll be back."

"Blaze gonna be there?"

Adam glanced at his brother quick enough to spot the impish smirk on his face at the very mention of Blaze. With her being a friend of Adams, Skates had gotten the opportunity to meet her a few times, and it was plainly obvious that he had developed a teenage crush.

"Yeah, now quit droolin'. Where's maw?"

"She's asleep already. Can I come?"

"No can do bro. I'll see ya later…"

Skates rapidly moved from the doorway to the coat stand, preparing to plead with his older brother.

"Aw c'mon Adam, I could be of help, I'm stronger than I look and I'm fast too!"

Adam felt his lips twitch in the corners and he couldn't help breaking into a sideways smile at Skates' comment. But there was no way he could let him tag along. Adam himself was unsure as to what he and his friends would be facing exactly. He shook his head.

"Don't disturb maw. I'll get back by morning. Later."

Skates let out an exaggerated sigh and turned back towards the kitchen as Adam left. Going straight for the fridge door, he opened it and rummaged inside, pulling out a drinkable yogurt. In one swift movement Skates hopped up on to the kitchen counter and positioned himself next to the stove. He began to rip off the seal on the plastic container and gulp down every drop. He licked around the sides of his mouth and tossed the empty yogurt bottle over the far side of the room. It landed straight into the black trash bag that lined the metal bin, making a clinking noise as it landed.

"Adams' wrong, I could be of use," he said aloud.

Hearing footsteps upstairs he feared he had woken his sleeping mother and so he jumped off the counter top and quietly exited the kitchen. He crept slowly up the stairwell switching the hall and bathroom lights off as he made his way to his bedroom. He stopped in his tracks outside his mothers bedroom where the door was open just a crack. She was back in bed now and he could hear her light breathing.

He continued along the hall and went straight into his room. He placed a big set of head phones over his ears and pushed a dvd into the slot of the player that sat on a medium sized television unit. Action packed films were his preferred choice of movie and he was about to watch one of his favourites. Action movies always seemed to include the teenagers main interests; guns, combat and girls. He secured the lead from the head phones to the television so he would not wake his mother with the volume. He plumped up some of his pillows and lined them along the wall so he could sit comfortably on the bed with a good view of the screen.

As the film started Skates let his mind wander to what his brother would be involved in as the night went on. Most people were nervous and fearful when they heard stories of how Adam had been forced to draw his gun while on duty, but not Skates. To him it was all so cool, he knew Adam had been involved in all sorts of different scenarios over the years and Skates longed to take part in them too. But he also knew he didn't have the discipline to be a cop as he wasn't always fond of taking orders. He was really just attracted to the use of various types of weapons.

Skates sank back against the cool pillows and for the next hour let himself get caught up in the plot of the movie, managing to stay awake almost until the ending credits.


The open plan room was dark and cold. A coffee table took up little space on the floor and placed on the glass surface was a used mug, a magazine and a newspaper. A small television set occupied the left corner of the main wall beside the edge of the window. The blinds were up and the curtains open. The city street lights shone through, casting shadows over various different items in the room, which was practically empty.

A key rattled in the front door and within seconds a very tall well built man dressed in dark clothing emerged through it. He was carrying a big brown bag containing take out food. The distinctive smell of his usual order from the local oriental take away filled the room. The burly man flicked on the light switch with his elbow and trudged over to the kitchen area on the right hand side, not far from the door he had just come through. Putting the brown paper bag on the counter he rooted in an overhead press for a clean dish. Once one was located he ripped open the bag and started tossing the food from their containers on to the platter.

Cantonese style roast chicken, boiled rice and singapore noodles. It was his third night in a row to be eating from the chinese restaurant and take away service at the end of his block. And it had been the same meal every time. Pouring himself a glass of soda he retreated to the tattered couch in the poky living space, getting back up only to pull the blind and curtains.

He switched on the television and slowly changed channels, viewing no more than about thirty seconds of each station. A low budget action film was on and he settled on watching it. At least it was better than the chick flicks on the previous three channels.

As he was just finishing his food and actually starting to enjoy the movie, (plenty of guns and explosions, his kind of thing), his cell phone rang. He put his plate down on one of the magazines on the coffee table and rummaged in the pocket of his combat trousers. His hands were too big to fit inside and fish it out so he stood up and managed to fumble it out. He heard a familiar voice on the line and he answered promptly.

"How you doin' pal?"

The person on the other end of the phone went on and the burly man grinned as he listened, stooping to pick up the remote control and switch the television to standby.

"Sounds good to me pal, I could use a night out on my night off, see ya soon" and he gave a short chuckle while making a fist with his left hand.

The line went silent and he pushed the cell phone back into his pocket.

Piling up the remains of the meal he approached the kitchen. He disposed of the rubbish in the small trash bag that hung from the handle of a bottom drawer. He downed his beverage and without rinsing it put the glass in the sink bowl. He went to the window and peered out through the gaps in the blind, studying the streets and the people who walked along them. There were couples making out on a few of the street corners and groups of friends on their way to nightclubs. Humm, he thought, I guess the city feels safer when you've overindulged on alcohol.

He stepped back from the window and looked around, spying his favourite jacket slung across the breakfast bar. He put it on and smiled to himself, knowing what was printed on the back. It was simply the word THUNDER, an old nickname that had originated back in his college days when he was training for the wrestling squad.

Now on the other side of the front door he took his key out of the lock and securely zipped it away in the jackets inside pocket. He had decided he would wait downstairs on the ground floor for his buddy to call, as he knew he wouldn't be long. The information given in the phone conversation had him intrigued. He did not want his friends put in danger but he longed for a bit of action in his life. He didn't often get chances like this nowadays, not since becoming officially retired. At thirty three he felt his career had ended before it had begun, all because of that cheating bastard, Abadede.

He thumped down the four flights of stairs which were barely lit, and stopped when he reached the open doorway, staring out. It was raining now but he would spot his ride clearly from where he stood in the doorway, sheltering from the rain.

He hoped his friends would find what they were looking for without too much struggle, but if there were any souls down here tonight searching for trouble, they'd have found it. He was willing to take on anyone who stood in their way. He was Max Hatchett, and he was not to be messed with.


The car accelerated along the coast road with Adam behind the wheel, controlling the vehicle effortlessly at high speed. Max sat up front next to him, turning his head slightly to take in the views around him. The marina was lit with scattered street lamps but there was no one in sight. The nearby pavements were empty as was the road ahead of them.

They were taking the bridge side entrance to the old business park just as Blaze had instructed. It was an abandoned office block, probably in a shoddy third-rate condition by now due to not being used for so many years. In fact most of the other buildings which stood towering within the docklands industrial estate had been left in the same condition. The companies that would have once thrived at the sea view location were now reduced to old wrecks. Recession had hit the city hard and as a result the once flourished business park was now a ghost estate.

"We're almost there," said Adam, their destination less than two miles away. Glancing at the clock he frowned.

"Blaze hasn't called back. Max, check in with Blaze would ya, tell her we'll be there in a few."

Taking the cell phone from the tray on the dash Max pressed the call button when Blaze's name appeared on the small screen. The short double beeps went on and on, but she did not answer. He tried to connect once more but the same happened. Max returned the phone to where he had taken it and with a firm voice relayed to Adam,

"It's just ringing out. She ain't pickin' up."

Adam's expression went from confusion to concern. He knew Blaze well over the last couple of years, and he knew it was out of character for her to forgot something like this. He pressed down more heavily on the accelerator pedal.

"Somethin' ain't right man, somethin' might have happened."

Max shifted in his seat feeling a little uneasy himself. He had become quite fond of the usually impeccable british girl, and the thoughts of something, or someone harming her did not sit well with him.

"Let's hope you're wrong buddy" and he cracked his knuckles and clenched his jaw, staring out his side of the window as the business park came into view.


Pulling into a more secluded car-park on the far end of the industrial estate, Agent Tim Murphy felt it was the safest spot for him to wait unnoticed. He quickly killed the engine and sat in silence, his eyes narrowing slightly as he leaned over and fumbled with the opening of the glove box. Once opened he placed his hand on a small leather case which contained a compact size set of binoculars.

He squinted through the rain droplets on the glass as he observed building 42 from a distance. He glanced at the lit up clock on the dash. 23:03, and already there were three long dark coloured cars outside the front entrance. There did not appear to be signs of activity at the rear of the building but then his view was somewhat restricted from his position. Who was meeting there and why? he thought.

Moments later he heard the sound of an engine slowly purring over the gravel beneath the wheels, and a car motored up beside his own. The headlights flashed as a friendly gesture, and he spotted Axel behind the wheel. Blaze was also in view, sitting next to the drivers seat. He would have preferred Axel came alone but he decided to hold his tongue from voicing his opinions. The car halted and the doors opened. Blaze flicked her hair behind her ear as the couple both did a quick scan of their surroundings, mainly tall hedges that lined the parking lot and headed straight for Murphy's navy blue Ford.

On the inside of the vehicle Axel shut the passenger door quickly, rubbing his hands together in an attempt to warm them from the harsh night air. He turned to Agent Murphy, getting straight to the point.

"So what's been happenin' so far, anything unusual for an abandoned office space at this time of night?"

"I've been here five minutes and I ain't seen anybody, but already there's three cars outside the place. Here, see for yourself," as he handed the binoculars to Axel.

While Axel proceeded to observe building 42 Agent Murphy turned his attention to the back seat. Blaze was sitting with her coat collar pulled up as close to her ears as it would reach.

"Hey Blaze, how you doin' darlin?"

"Cold."

She was hunched forward on the chilled seat cover, her hands rubbing up and down her legs which now were covered with a pair of black jeans.

"Oh sorry, let me just blast out a bit more heat."

Blaze murmured a thank you and quickly started to feel the hot air escape the fans from the front of the car. As it began to reach her face she soon stopped shivering, although she kept her bare hands tucked firmly between her thighs.

Axel was still looking through the binoculars as he spoke, "The cars outside suggest there's something happening as we speak, but I say we wait and see if anybody else shows up. Once the coast has been clear a while we can check it out from a closer point."

He looked from Blaze to Tim to check they were in agreement with him, and they both nodded giving him a 'yes' answer.

The next ten minutes passed quickly as three more cars arrived at the nearby scene. Two men emerged from each vehicle and made headway through the main door of the large property. Tim sighed deeply and looked once more at the brightly lit clock in front of him. 23:30.

"We've been here twenty seven minutes in total. How long has it been since the last car parked up?"

"Seventeen minutes," came Blaze's fast response.

Axel gave her a lopsided grin, "Someone's paying attention."

Blaze gave a weak smile but a thought struck her.

"Should we call the station for backup, if we need it? We don't know how many guys occupied the first few cars, there could be over a dozen of them in there."

"No!"

Tim was quick to dismiss any suggestion that involved the police force. He continued,

"Aside from you guys and a very small handful of field agents I wouldn't trust anyone in that place. Too many double crossing fucks on the syndicates payroll."

"But there are still only three of us, and we're not armed."

Blaze's words came out in a level tone, yet you could still hear the concern in her voice.

There was a short pause as they considered their options and soon Axel spoke.

"Well, we could get Adam down, maybe Max Hatchett too."

He faced Tim and gave a brief description of his extra large buddy.

"You know Max, big guy, ex wrestler, built like a house."

Tim nodded slowly, clearly remembering the first time he met his acquaintance.

"Yeah, yeah the big guy. Get him here, he's intimidating to look at, might come in handy should we need him."

Blaze leaned forward to take the binoculars from Axel. She was not so sure about the idea of bringing Max onto the scene however.

"Do you really think that's a good idea? We don't know what we're going to be faced with, and Max isn't even a cop! Tim, if the Chief knew that…"

"That fat-ass doesn't care about the notes or us being here tonight, just don't fuckin' tell him and it'll be alright. Besides, this could amount to nothin'. For all we know it's a girl scouts meet in there."

Blaze sunk back into the seat with a slight frown spread across her forehead.

"It's a tad late to be selling cookies…but fine, I'll call Adam."

As Blaze retrieved her friends cell phone number on her phone Axel decided it was time to move forward. The note had advised them of quarter past the hour, it was beyond that now and there had not been further comings or goings for a while. He felt it was as safe as it was going to get. Upon hearing part of Blaze's side of the phone conversation to Adam, Axel nudged Murphy's arm with his elbow.

"You wanna get closer?"

"Sure pretty boy but you'll have to buy me dinner first," joked Murphy with a wide grin.

Axel let out a short chuckle, "I meant to the building you jackass. Blaze will stay here. C'mon. Let's go."

Agent Murphy spun around to speak with Blaze who was just hanging up her cell phone.

"You be alright on your own for a bit darlin'?"

She nodded and informed him that Adam would be joining her in no more than twenty minutes, with Max in tow. Tim smiled and exited the car.

Axel was by now standing on the tarmac and zipped his jacket up to his chin. His wavy blonde hair blew wildly across his eyes as he faced the back window and caught Blaze's eyes. He mouthed the words 'I love you' through the clear glass and winked at her before turning around, walking alongside Tim to the other side of the dimly lit industrial estate. As they walked away from the car Blaze said 'I love you too' out loud, although no one heard it but her.

She watched the two men reach the premises through the small circular lenses of the binoculars. Once they were around the corner and out of sight she put them down and breathed out slowly, watching her breath hang in the air for a few seconds. She repeated this action a few times until a flickering light outside caught her attention. She glanced in the rearview mirror and there it was, a glimmer. She turned around and squinted through the back window, noticing the light rain that was still falling without sound. It was coming from the car-park directly behind her. She found it a tad hard to view in the dark but she could faintly make out a person, and they had a tiny torch which they were using for something.

Blaze was swift moving and placed a hand on the pocket sized camera she had on her person. As she started to take photographs she took in the scene before her. There were in fact two men, one wearing a long yellow coat and his bleached hair was in a spiky sharks fin style. The other was completely bald and wearing dark sunglasses. There was an empty car next to where they stood, but the angle it was parked was not in clear view for her to snap its registration plate. The more punky looking one was shining the torch around while they continued having a discussion. They were possibly independent of building 42 and the goings on there but she thought she should just…

SMASH!

Blaze was totally taken by surprise and knocked sideways as the window beside her was broken in to. It took a moment for her to register what was going on. Something had struck the glass, then her temple. Blinking she pushed her hair away from her eyes. There was a tall man donning a red bandana in a sleeveless denim jacket tugging at the handle. He forced the door wide open and the cold air swept through the cars interior within seconds. He grabbed at Blaze's legs and pulled her fiercely towards him, trying to get her out of the vehicle. Now lying flat out on her back across the seat, Blaze kicked furiously towards his face. Shards of glass were all around her but she was almost oblivious to the teeny pricks she felt on her cheek and nape of her neck. She cried out, her strong calf muscles booting at his jaw and chest, but still he would not desist. Her hands searched around the cushioned seat above her head until her fingers found a hard rough object. A rock. It must have been what struck her after it was used to smash the window. She aggressively brought her arm forward and struck the piece of brick at her attackers face, causing him to yelp with the pain. She managed one huge lunge with both her legs together, her feet striking his stomach at full force. She winded the stranger enough so that he fell to the ground.

Blaze scrambled out of the car only to now be faced with two more challengers. One had a spiky hair do and the other had a shaved head. It was the men with the torch! This must have been a set up to distract her, she thought. Each of the men wore a sleazy smile on their face, and as the bleached punk leaped forward with his fist aimed for Blaze's face she instantly responded to the attack. In a rapid movement she reached out for the creeps wrist and directed his whole arm upwards then yanked it down vigorously and twisted it on the way, causing him to groan loudly. Neatly twirling herself to face away from him, all the while maintaing a good grip on his wrist she brought her other arm down, using her elbow to hit hard on his joint, thus bending her opponents arm in a way it is not meant to bend. He fell to the ground, nursing his injured muscles and cursing the air, "You fucking bitch!"

His partner began to approach the trained beauty.

Blaze lashed out at the one who remained standing getting in a few fast punches, bursting his bottom lip in the process. She jumped into a high round house kick, intending to strike her baldheaded enemy in the face with all her might. But he grabbed her foot mid air and landed a strong side kick right into her rib cage causing Blaze to gasp as she hit the ground on her hands and knees. Immediately her attacker began to lay kicks into the side of her abdomen, seizing his chance to wound her while she was down. The bandana wearing man she had first fought in the car was now off the wet tarmac and giving instructions to the spiky haired thug who she faintly heard be referred to as Signal. He was on his feet now too but was clutching his elbow where Blaze had caused him injury. The bandana wearing one called over to his mate who was still beating Blaze.

"That's enough Donovan. Pull the bitch up and bring her in."

Donovan bent down to where Blaze lay writhing on the ground, only just about able to prop herself up on her hands. His face was so close to her own and she could smell cigarette smoke on his breath. He grazed his stubbly cheek against her smooth skin for a moment making Blaze tremble, and brought his hand up to cup her chin. He turned her head to face him and he spoke in a gravelly voice.

"You cops, always sticking your noses where they don't belong. You make me fucking sick," and he pushed her away roughly before rising to his feet. He grabbed her arms behind her back and dragged her upwards.

Poor Blaze had multiple scratches and scrapes along her neck and hands mostly caused by the glass from the broken car window. She would definitely have bruising on her pretty face, and her back and sides ached. Her stomach stretched and hurt as she was dragged off the ground. Her right eye socket was beginning to throb and her arms were sore from the tight hold her attacker kept on her wrists. She wriggled about as she was hauled along, but her flailing amounted to no use. She was injured and alone outside, it was three against one. Thoughts swam through her mind. She wondered if the men had only seen her in the car, or had they seen Axel and Tim too. Were they alright? What had happened when they got to the other side of the large untenanted structure? She would find out soon enough, the three mysterious men were lugging her towards the very building they had been staking out. Well Axel, she thought, apparently I'm coming too, whether you like it or not.


Axel and Tim had left the car and were walking carefully towards the big structure that was building 42, keeping alert the entire way. There was no sign of life out in the cold but it was the activity inside that had them dangerously curious. Tim noticed Axel look back more than once but Tim realised he was just repeatedly looking over at the car.

"You and Blaze must be pretty serious by now huh? Can't be too much longer and she's gonna want to see a rock on her left hand."

Axel trudged along as they passed through yet another hedge row in between parking lots. With his hands shoved in his jacket pockets he replied,

"Blaze? Shit no, we've never even talked about it. She's not like other girls man, she don't need the whole 'ring on finger' deal to know I love her."

"Trust me buddy, I thought same about my wife in the first year. But believe me, there comes a time when they want more than a key to your apartment. Every one of 'em goes that way."

Axel gave Tim a quizzical look which Tim replied to on the spot.

"Don't get me wrong, I wanted to get married. After a couple years, you realise you want more than just sleep overs and shit too. Besides," Tim glanced over his shoulder towards the car, "getting into bed with that firecracker the rest of your life couldn't be all bad, am I right?" Tim grinned and winked.

Axel produced a lazy smile telling him to shut up but he pondered Tim's words, although not for long. They had reached the rear of the building and right away spotted a way inside. There was a wide window on the first floor that had been broken into. The remaining glass must have fallen out long ago as there was only the odd piece jutting out. It took a few moments but Tim hoisted himself up onto the narrow ledge taking firm hold of the wooden frame. His hands were careful not to grip the glass but the splinters in the rotting wood pinched his fingers. He hauled himself through onto the damp carpeted floor and turned to help Axel up.

"Man it smells in here!" said Axel has he got to his feet.

"Yeah, it's the dampness. Not to mention whatever furniture hasn't been nicked is rotting away."Agent Murphy wiped his palms down the front of his dark denim jeans and pulled a compact low wattage torch out of his pocket. Now in the little light they had, the two officers could see their surroundings better and so they spent some time taking in the room. There were a few items of office furniture that had been left behind. A couple of desks, what looked like an old photocopier or perhaps a large fax machine. A stack of old broken computer parts of different shapes and sizes were pushed to one side of the room, near to a winding staircase beside a door marked 'exit'. They crept down the spiral steps and as they neared the bottom floor they became aware of voices and the sound of a heavy door that closed with a bang.

"We're near the main entrance," whispered Tim, "someone must have come or gone."

Axel managed to pinpoint the door leading to the voices on the opposite wall. The men soundlessly walked past large boxes scattered on the floor. Most of them appeared to have been used as litter bins although some still contained software. It was dim, cold and dusty and they cautiously approached the door. It had not been properly closed and a tiny stream of light was coming through the gap. Crouched low to the floor, Tim switched off the torch and ever so gently leaned inch by inch on the solid entrance until it was open just enough to peer through without being noticed. The voices from the gang inside carried out to the cops ears louder and less muffled now that they had the door slightly ajar. Tim took in what he could see of the adjacent room. From his viewing spot there were less than half a dozen men to his left of the open space. One guy stood on his own with his back to him, no more than ten or twelve feet away from he and Axel. Another two guys were standing on the far wall, almost directly opposite from where he knelt by the door. There was a girl with them too. He took in a harsh breath when he realised, to his horror that it was someone he knew. Blaze.

"Shit, they've got her."

"What?"

Axel looked on, both fear and anger reaching his surface at a rapid pace when his eyes fell on Blaze. She was being held close to Donovan's side as the other men conversed. With one hand he held her arms behind her body and he kept his other hand around her neck, pressing his thumb into her throat. Axel managed to stop himself from shouting out but he practically spat through clenched teeth at Tim.

"We're going in for her."

Tim shot him a look that told him to keep his temper under control. He was afraid of the situation worsening if they pounced. He tried to pull Axel back down to a crouched position and in a low tone of voice his instructions were clear.

"Hey, we'll get her back safe, but you need to wait, don't fucking blow this now."

But a second latter Blaze let a short scream escape her mouth when the man with the red bandana, whom they called Vice, approached her. After babbling something incomprehensible he struck her with the back of his hand square across the face, causing her to crumble to the floor. This was followed by laughter from Donovan and the others in the gang, causing Axel to feel he had been on the wrong side of the door long enough.

In a swift movement Axel was up from his crouching position, ignoring Tim's instruction to stay put. Bursting through the door he grabbed a fierce hold of the man standing nearest to him, taking him completely off guard. Axel roared "Grand upper!" as he dealt his opponent a fast yet powerful upper cut which sent the bruiser flying backwards, slamming down onto the hard floor.

At that same moment there was a loud bang as the main entrance swung open and cold air swept through the medium sized room. Adam and Max had arrived on the scene, and not a moment too soon. They had been just in time to witness Axel break out into what was now becoming an unlicensed fighting ring, and Adam was eager to take out as many of the ruffians as possible.

Max first tended to Blaze, hurriedly scooping her off the floor, his eyes narrowing as he saw the bruising starting to show up on her delicate features. She was thankful to now be propped up against the corner wall behind several boxes of used or broken computer components.

Once Max had helped her into a sitting position he hurriedly joined his two pals in the hand to hand combat that was now in full swing in the centre of the room. Max charged and lunged at Donovan grabbing hold of the back of his head and dragging his face towards the concrete wall. He smashed the baldheaded thug's forehead against the sky blue paintwork repeatedly before letting go. Donovan spiralled to the floor, unconscious and surrounded in a pool of his own blood. Few people were a match for Max's build and strength. Max quickly seized hold of another gang member, Signal. He used his enormous arms to pick him right up above his head, spinning him around before flinging Signal so far across the ground that he slid a couple of feet when he landed. Max made a noise like a triumphant growl and moved on to the next lout.

Axel and Adam had used team work initially to work their way through the gang of roughnecks by combining Adam's speed with Axel's own skills. But now they fought separately to finish off the last couple of men willing to fight. Vice came into Axel's view and Axel brought his fist back and back. With ferocity for the one who had slapped Blaze not long before, Axel landed one severe and swift blow to Vice's temples knocking Vice out stone cold and laying helpless on the chilled floor.

After Adam finished off the last man standing with a round of fast paced punches to the chest and nose he spun around the room. When he was satisfied that they were all down and staying down he spoke up, panting slightly.

"Why the hell were they all here tonight? I don't get it."

"It was over a drug," croaked Blaze from Axel's strong arms. "Laxine they called it."

Moments earlier when Axel had thrown his last punch he had rushed over to Blaze and gathered her up into his arms. She now had her head buried into Axel's chest but she attempted to fill the others in on the tiny bit of information she had picked up since being there.

"Two of them were talking about 'the progress of the super strength drug', and they mentioned Mr. X."

Blaze started coughing after this sentence and Axel ssshed her telling her to rest her voice.

Max viewed the room, his eyes searching for someone.

"Wasn't Tim with you man?" he asked Axel with a curious expression.

Axel gazed in the direction of the door he had first entered. It was the last time he remembered Tim being by his side.

"Fuck! Oh man, Tim!"

They each turned to look in Axel's direction and to their horror saw Tim sitting upright against the door frame with his head hung, unmoving and covered in blood. It was fresh bright red and all across his chest. Adam raced over towards his injured colleague.

"Oh shit what happened buddy, wha…" his voice trailing off as he saw the bloodied knife lying on the floor next to Tim.

There was a loud chuckle from the middle of the room and one of the gangsters used his elbows to support him in sitting half up. His nose was broken and bleeding over his studded leather jacket from where Axel had round house kicked him during the fight.

"Hahahaha, when Jack-Knife aims he scores!" and he continued to laugh manically.

In his rage at seeing his friend stabbed Adam picked up the knife and marched over to where this 'Jack-Knife' character lay. With a sinister look and without saying a word Adam plunged the knife into his chest and turned it, tuning out the painful groans that came out of Jacks throat. Within a few seconds his elbows flopped and he lay on his back with his eyes shut, lifeless.

When Adam stood and straightened up his eyes locked on Axel's. Max was busy hoisting Tim over his shoulder all the while telling the seemingly unconscious Tim that he'd be alright. His eyes landed on Axel's as he simply said "Let's go."

As the group made their way quickly out of the main entrance Adam was hot on his cell phone calling emergency services to the scene. Axel was holding tightly to Blaze and Max lay Tim down to examine his wounds. Now flat out on his back the deep knife wound was much more visible. The blood wouldn't stop leaking from Tim's flesh and there was nothing to be done until the paramedics arrived. Adam did donate his jacket to try keep Tim warm and Max tore off the end of his inside shirt to use as a makeshift bandage, but by now Tim was completely non-responsive. He had not said a word to them since they picked him up.

Tears pricked Blaze's eyelashes as she enquired in a husky voice, "Is Tim gonna be ok?"

Adam was kneeling beside Tim's motionless body and shaking his head from side to side. He was also holding his wrist, desperately trying to locate a pulse. After a few minutes he answered her, "No Blaze, he's not ok," he gulped down a lump in his throat as he added, "Tim's dead."

Tears rolled over Blaze's bruised cheeks and Axel hugged her closer, scrunching up his face in sadness.

On the horizon the sound of the long awaited ambulance and a police siren could be heard over the harsh wind and crashing waves in the distance. But they were too late. For Tim, they were much too late.