Chapter 4

"Welcome to Escape Bar" a lady wearing a short dark dress with hair styled in a short black bob greets Blaze at the door.

"Follow me, we've been expecting you Miss Fielding". The club is dark and small with tables full of street thugs, prostitutes and dealers openly using their product. Without the police on their backs who are occupied with the war, more places like this are being raided by gang leaders from Neo Chaos claiming territory.

Some of the thugs in the club quickly recognise Blaze as she follows the other lady towards the back of the bar into another room.

Blaze: "So, where is your boss then?" she stands with her arms crossed.

"The boss requires you to wear this first. Oh and please hand over your knife" Two bodyguards then search Blaze's bag. The lady hands over to Blaze her red skirt, crop top, fighting gloves and boots. Blaze can't help but grin when she is reunited with her fighting gear 'Ow I've missed these' she says to herself after being bored of her plain black uniform.

Five minutes later and the lady is back. This time Blaze is changed and she follows her towards an underground cellar leading into a dark tunnel. At the end of it she shows Blaze a door "I can't take you any further than this".

Blaze anxiously pauses. What if this is a trap? What if they try to lock me in the next room? Where does it even lead to? Who does this even lead to and how did I get here?

All doubts stay on Blaze's mind as she opens the door at the end of the tunnel which has led to a small office with a desk and chairs at the centre.

"Blaze Fielding, what a pleasant surprise".

Blaze immediately recognises the voice of the woman who visited her in hospital from the government after she risked her life to save Wood Oak the first time.

"Kay Zhang, or should I call you Rudra Shiva? How did you even get hold of my stuff anyway?"

Rudra smiles and stands up, she seems changed in appearance. Instead of smart attire this time she is in her black shorts and crop top, black boots, fighting gloves with her long black hair tied back in a high ponytail. She points towards two boxes next to her desk containing some of Blaze's belongings.

Rudra: "The government gave me a warrant to raid Mr Hatchet's property when the war started. We collected many of your belongings just in case you needed any of this or in case your neighbourhood got hit".

Blaze angrily responds: "your government had no right! I know why you're keeping me here. You and the government are planning to use me as insurance against General Petrov's followers."

Rudra: "Now that would make a lot of sense and could even help us win the war. But you and I aren't all that different Blaze. Although we want this war to end, we also want the syndicate to end just as much".

Blaze: "Then why did you send your yakuza fighters after me?" Blaze glances at the TV monitor in the corner of the room displaying the streets outside where she was fighting several Signals half an hour ago.

Rudra: "In order to end this war, sometimes one must side with the enemy of our own enemy. Those fighters are loyal to my brother".

Blaze: "Even after he turned in his boss?"

Rudra gives her a menacing stare back "what makes you so sure about that?"

Blaze: "Why else would he be on the run from the syndicate? Thankfully Mr X is dead now because your brothers a rat. What I am still trying to figure out is which side you are really on".

Rudra: "What if I told you Mr X was still alive and that he planned this war".

Blaze: "Cut the bullshit! I was told to come here because my friends and I need to be smuggled to Lima on one of your boats. Can you arrange that or not?"

Rudra: "He's in Lima and has orchestrated this whole war".

Blaze: "Where is your proof of this? Mr X has been dead for months now!"

Out of the darkness and from around the corner to Blaze's surprise Shiva steps forward.

Shiva: "Before I turned Mr X in I planted a bug inside one of his spare cell phones to monitor his activity."

Blaze raises her guard into a fighting stance as soon as he steps forward.

Shiva: "you wish to fight me Blaze?"

Blaze: "You're a murderer just like the rest of the syndicate and your sister here is a liar".

He places a device on the desk and plays it. As soon as Blaze hears the recording, she lowers her guard out of her fighting stance.

Shiva: "I knew something was wrong when more recordings came through this device as Mr X continued to use his phone on several occasions. The person the police killed was a decoy".

The three of them listen carefully to several recordings.

Electra: "It's me. We still suspect Leon gave you up to the feds"

Mr X: "Find him immediately and bring him and his new family to me. This is your number one priority now".

Blaze looks anxiously at Shiva as he plays another recording of Mr X talking to one of General Petrov's associates.

Mr X: "Now that General Petrov has been killed on Wood Oak's soil, we have every right to strike back. I give Lima the order to launch long range missile K-10 with the target of Wood Oak City. Tomorrow morning we declare war! Have your troops readied for further attacks before we send them there."

Officer: "Yes General".

Blaze responds in shock. "I have to go, I have to warn the others. How? How long have you known he's still alive?"

Shiva shakes his head "3 months now ever since the first attack. My family and I have been on the run all this time when Axel helped us flee Wood Oak, set up new identities for us but after the first attack everything fell apart".

Blaze: "Axel has always been your sworn enemy, why would he help you?"

Shiva: "Because I made a deal with him to either give Mr X up to the feds or kill him."

Blaze: "Why would you suddenly turn against your boss? It makes no sense."

Shiva: "For months I despised the way he was running the syndicate. He ordered me to murder Don Melendez and his family after he sided with you and captured Raven. I went to Mexico and killed the don. Several days later X tracked down the don's two children, twins. They must have been around 10 years old. He bought them back to Wood Oak City and ordered me to kill them there and then in front of Electra and Tiger using my chi. I refused to do it so he shot them."

Blaze: "Mr X has always murdered innocent children, he killed my brother and sister there's nothing new there."

Shiva: "I admit it I've killed fighters and gangsters in the past but that's not me, not innocent children. Having one in my life and a family changed everything".

Blaze: "So why are you hiding here with your sister? You should be out there with the other soldiers fighting for our freedom, trying to find that murderer!"

Shiva: "Everyone knows our army is outnumbered. We need your help in persuading the people of Lima to follow you, the niece of General Petrov. Can you still use your chi?"

She walks forward holds up her palm underneath Shiva's chin "After all those experiments your friend Dr Dahm put me through, shall we test it?"

Shiva takes a deep breath and locks eyes with her.

Rudra: "Enough of this! We have work to do to smuggle her there with us".

Blaze: "I'm not working with you two".

Shiva: "Without me you have no access to even getting close to the Yamato. If you want the people of Lima to follow you, you'll have to convince the Yamato first to side with you. With their backing, they'll turn against Mr X and Lima will be yours for the taking".

Blaze: "I don't want Lima! Besides I'm a sworn enemy of your masters, this is too likely to be a trap".

Shiva: "If that were true don't you think I would have already kidnapped you myself and taken you to their temple when you were weak and imprisoned by the syndicate?"

Rudra: "He's your only option Blaze if you want to save your city and your friends".

Shiva: "I know you don't trust me but I saved your life once and right now I don't see any other option".

Blaze: "This is a trap, I know it".

Shiva: "Ok Blaze, the door is open. Walk away and save yourself".

As she turns around to walk towards the door, she notices Angelina with tears in her eyes where she has now lost all hope.

"Who is this?" Blaze asks.

"His pregnant wife" Rudra replies.

"So you have a family then" Blaze turns to Shiva, shocked in her tone.

Shiva: "Yes. And I'll do everything in my power to save them but I need your help. You can't face this alone! If you walk away, you'll never get justice for your family, for yourself!"

Blaze: "Wow! Shiva I was starting think you were becoming concerned about me, but I'm good."

Shiva: "Why are you so stubborn?! I was there all that time you were held captive. I had many opportunities to kill you believe me I wanted to. But I practically freed you from that place after I stopped Jet and his men when Mr X gave them the order to rape you. And you still think I am your enemy?"

Blaze: "You never stopped him though did you? You stood by just like you stood by every day they took away my power".

Shiva: "I did everything I could".

Angelina hands over Blaze's knife to her. "I know you've suffered, you have every right to be angry. But if we don't act together my children won't have a world to grow up in. Take this knife I'm coming with you".

Shiva: "What? No way you're staying here back at the safe house!"

Angelina: "No, I have to do this." She turns back to Blaze who is now holding the knife. "If he betrays you on this journey then you have every right to kill me along with his child".

Blaze: "You're putting yourself in a dangerous position".

Angelina: "If this is what it takes for you to trust him and for us to end this war then I have to".

Blaze places the knife on the desk. "Ok, I'll work with you. We'll leave in the morning for the docks but first I need you to take me to this address". She hands over the piece of paper that Adam gave her to Rudra.