Chapter 24

Blaze stares down at the blood on her palms. The dawn's air hits her face as the helicopter ascends higher and higher. Her heart palpitates and her mind freezes as if time never existed. She can't help but sit in her seat, numb and sombre whilst everyone else around her stays alert with panic and attentiveness to Zan who is fighting for his life. He lays on the ground with an oxygen mask as Sammy, Max and Axel talk to him to try and keep him awake.

The scenery above Lima is beautiful after the helicopter flies away from Mr X's new city. Most of the landscape is a deep green that is full of untouched forest. The peaceful sunrise is suddenly interrupted as the purple hazy twilight turns into a blinding white light followed by several explosions that cause Mr X's city to shatter into millions of pieces.

Adam who is piloting the helicopter is taken back by the might of this explosion as he gasps in astonishment. "Good thing you two got out when you did!" He remarks to Axel and Blaze who look at one another in shock.

"What do you think caused that?" Sammy replies.

Adam: "It's gotta be a self-destruct mode the lab had in order to destroy the evidence of what existed here along with all of the syndicate's war crimes".

Max: "Anyone left in that city would have perished".

Adam: "Our satellite data shows only Lima soldiers surrounded these areas. Hopefully any citizens fled the city to the outskirts when the nuke launched but we can never be sure".

Axel: "Wait, what about Shiva? Has anyone heard from him?"

Blaze: "He'd left the building to go and find Electra and Dr Dahm. But I have no idea if…"

Adam interrupts "Shiva is ok. He'll meet us by the docks".

Sammy: "The docks?"

Adam: "Yes bro, we are going home! A medic is on standby once we land to treat Zan. Just make sure he stays conscious". A smile and a glimmer of hope returns to Sammy's face. Finally the word 'home', it has never meant this much.

One hour later and the team have landed where they reunite by the docks. Zan is immediately taken away on a stretcher whilst two medics rush forward to treat Axel for his gunshot wound and Max who was badly beaten by Mr X's fighters. They are rushed away into a building leaving Adam, Sammy and Blaze behind. The trio immediately run after the stretcher that carries Zan into a building by the docks whilst the medics act quickly in attaching a drip into the top of Zan's arm along with a new oxygen mask.

"We need to act quickly if we are to save his life" one of the medics insists to Adam as she hooks Zan up to a monitor.

"What do you think his odds are of survival?" Adam questions whilst Sammy and Blaze listen anxiously.

"I think it's 50-50" the medic replies. "He has three gun shots, two have hit metallic limbs on his body including his shoulder and leg. These are not the problem. The third wound close to his abdomen is the problem. We need to operate carefully so if you don't mind…"

Adam nods before the three fighters walk towards the exit door of the premises.

"He's going to be ok" Blaze reassures a nervous Sammy.

"You don't know that" Sammy responds. "You should have seen what they did to him, they tortured him, messed around with his brain!"

Blaze: "Listen to me! Zan is a fighter just like you, just like me. And he WILL pull through this. I know he will".

Just as she finishes her sentence they hear the heart monitor behind them go into a flat sound as Zan stops breathing. Everything becomes an echo and time feels like it is slowing down as the doctors try to resuscitate him. They reach for a defibrillator in an attempt to restart Zan's heart but it is not working. They attempt four times then shake their head as it fails to save his life.

"No!" Sammy shouts out as Blaze runs forward to his bedside. Her palms light up a blue current as she takes both of Zan's hands which spark energy over and over again. She tries again and again but doesn't give up whilst the doctors watch on in amazement.

And finally, after one last pulse of energy, Zan breathes life and the sound of the machine marking his pulse bleeps once more.

Sammy and Adam run forward as Blaze catches her breath.

Sammy shouts out with elation "He's alive!" whilst Adam puts his hand on Blaze's shoulder.

Adam: "You did it!" he happily responds as he gives her a hug. One doctor who is amazed turns to Blaze. "You saved his life, thank you! We will do our best to operate and remove the bullet but you have just bought him more time. Whatever you did, it worked!" She says with excitement in her tone.

Two hours pass before the medical team reappear with news of Zan's operation. Everyone stands up anxiously as the main doctor addresses them.

"It's good news, he is going to make it". There is a huge sigh of relief as Adam and Axel shake the doctor's hand to thank her.

She continues "we would however advise that the patient remains here for at least the next 24 hours so that we can monitor him".

Adam: "Our ship is due to leave in a couple of hours. I don't think he can…"

The doctor continues "do you have anyone with you with medical experience?"

For a split second the name Eliza comes to mind but Max quietly bites his tongue as he remembers the love of his life leaving Wood Oak City with them but then it is painful to realise he will never see her again. He looks out towards the docks on this side of their journey as he remembers how happy he once was and how quickly that was all taken away from him the last time he was present somewhere like this.

The team sense how Max is feeling and there is an awkward silence in the air.

"I'll look after him" Axel speaks out "I'm a trained medic, I learnt a lot when I was in the military. Just give me everything I need and I will make sure he's ok".

"I second that" another voice speaks out as Shiva greets them.

The doctor nods and prepares to leave so that he can ready everything Zan will need for the journey back.

Sammy: "Can we see him?" he asks.

"I don't see why not. Only two of you at a time though, we don't want to overwhelm him" she suggests.

It has only been half an hour since Zan woke up from his operation. He glances around the bare room full of empty hospital beds with equipment scattered around. As his vision becomes clearer he notices Sammy and Axel sitting by his bedside.

Everything feels completely different right now and Zan has no recollection of the last three days of his life.

"Where am I?" he asks, slightly panicked.

Axel and Sammy glance at one another, surprised that he is talking again and that he seems to be aware of his surroundings unlike when he was in the custody of Mr X.

Axel: "We're still in Lima but we're getting ready to go home."

Zan panics and responds: "You have to go back and find Shiva and Blaze! Mr X wants the three of you alive, he is planning to send a missile to wipe out Wood Oak City then he wants to continue by using your power. He is planning to ambush Wood Oak's soldiers. You have to stop him!"

Axel reassures him "it's ok, everyone is fine. Mr X is dead".

Zan turns to him surprised "but I just saw him! They had me on this bed, Sammy tell him!"

Sammy responds: "It's ok Dr. They drugged you up and then experimented on your mind. I don't know what they gave you but it zombied you out for three days, you were doing everything they said".

Axel: "This place we're in is a temporary hospital stationed on the edge of Lima. It was built to treat any casualties for our soldiers".

Zan pauses in shock as he understands where he is and that Dr Dahm had complete control of his mind.

Sammy: "They kept mentioning about how they wanted to complete your transformation".

Zan: "Yes, they needed to turn me into a living weapon. They planned to have me under their control. How, how did you find the antidote to the injection?"

Axel: "We didn't. You died then Blaze brought you back using her chi. The voltage must have restarted your heart".

Zan sighs with relief "I certainly feel it in my head. And… ahhh…" He feels the pain of the gunshot wound in his stomach as he tries to move.

Sammy: "Just rest Dr and you will be ok".

Zan: "What about the others, are they ok? How did Mr X die..?"

Axel responds: "Just rest up and I'll explain everything when we're on our way home. The war is over and we are leaving this place, that's all you need to know right now so everything is ok." His words are reassuring. Zan is content with his explanation and is grateful to his friends for saving his life as things could have ended very differently for him.