Hello and thank you for stopping by to read this! Here is a brand new story that I've started to work on which is set between the events of Streets of Rage 3 and Streets of Rage 4. It is also worth noting that this story is completely separate to the 7 volume series that I wrote (but am continuing to update) as well as my crossover which will be completed very soon.
I wanted to write something a little different even though some parts of this story would have been the 'alternative ending' after Volume 4- 'Chasing Justice'. The original series I wrote will always be my first inspiration and the last story I have been working on is quite light hearted and fun. Therefore, I wanted to create something on the opposite end of the spectrum which is a little darker and more violent - hence the rating change compared to the other stories.
Disclaimer - I do not own any rights to the games or characters but I hope you enjoy this alternative to the others and please let me know what you think. My writing style and experience are still continuing to develop so please be kind and considerate of this. Thank you.
Chapter 1 - Aftermath
The four of them stood there frozen, perched over a pool of blood in the centre of the floor where he layed. For over five years, they had worked together as a team side by side, three of which had resulted in chaos and an uphill fight which was heavily violent and chaotic. But they always stuck it out. They always battled until the end no matter how much the blood, sweat, tears or kills tainted their souls. They carried on every night and this was all they knew.
Every inch of pain and sacrifice led up to this moment. And it was finally here. Mr X was lying there in front of them, motionless on the ground and still, with no breath or life from his broken body. Finally, he was dead and Wood Oak City could sleep then thrive peacefully once again.
For over two decades, the Syndicate flourished using their underworld of criminals. They made billions over that time thanks to their drugs and trafficking trades. Mr X had every politician and city official in his pocket, making them unstoppable as an organisation. That was until now.
"Hey! The choppers here…" Sammy tugged hard on Zan's blue sleeve, staring up at the scientist with relief on his face.
"Let's go then", he nodded back. Within a second, Zan was able to easily lift the 16 year old roller skater over his shoulder. After that last battle against the mad gunman and his jet packed Robot Y, Sammy was badly injured and needed a medic urgently. Under his red basketball cap, the teenager was bleeding heavily on one side of his head, barely able to stand after the robot had thrown him six metres forward towards a metal reactor in the lab. Zan had then quickly outstretched his arm, electrocuting the flying cyborg in several places, causing it to self-destruct.
At the same time, Axel and Blaze had focussed on hunting down Mr X and albeit, after a bloody fight they were successful. All of that hard work, planning, research and training had finally paid off.
"Are you two coming or what?" Sammy impatiently asked, hanging over the side of Zan's shoulder.
"Tell Adam we'll be there in a minute," Axel gave him a reassuring nod. The tall 6ft 2 muscular fighter stood there, exhausted with blood dripping from his fists that stained his white t-shirt. Ten minutes ago, he had almost died at the hands of his worst enemy who held a loaded tommy gun to Axel's head.
"Blaze?" He softly said, placing one arm around her shoulders where she stood next to him. "We need to get out of here before the police arrive…"
She couldn't help but stand there frozen, staring down at Mr X's corpse. She was still gripping onto the blood stained knife in her right hand that she shanked through the man's lower back all the way through to his abdomen. For a moment, it was as if Axel's voice was a faint echo in her ear as Blaze took a deep gulp in her throat. The brunette barely blinked her blue tired eyes, to the point where she just stared down at her fallen enemy with disbelief and guilt on her face.
"Come on, let's go…" Axel insisted, gently removing the blade from her grip. But Blaze stood there, shaking her head with her gaze still fixated on Mr X.
"It wasn't supposed to end like this," she finally broke her silence with her voice shaken. "The plan was to arrest him then have Mr X brought to justice. It's what the city would have wanted…" she sighed.
"But it's too late, what's done is done! We have to go now…" Axel answered with regret in his voice. "Blaze, look at me!" He placed both hands below her shoulders with the aim to shake her out of this daydream she was having. Yes, things didn't exactly go to plan, but Axel knew this wasn't the time to reminisce over it or hang around.
Finally, Blaze stared back acknowledging him with tears in her eyes, "what are his children gonna think?"
"The man was evil, they're better off without him!"
"Both of us would have said the same thing about our own parents. That doesn't mean they deserved to die…"
At that moment, Axel let out a deep exhale. Often Blaze didn't shy from saying what she really thought, but that sentence just now had hit a nerve for him.
As a result, Axel's tone immediately changed when he backed up away from her. "Look, if you wanna stay here and wallow in pity for a mass murderer, that's your call! But you made that choice to go in for the kill. You knew exactly what being a vigilante meant and what the risks were. And yeah, we should have arrested the fucker but that's just how things went down…" Axel shrugged.
The former cop always had the ability to switch off his emotions and accept the situation for what it really was. As for Blaze however, she was way more sensitive, which was the reason why those around her often witnessed outbursts of rage when she couldn't control her emotions. She was known as the hot headed force of nature in their old precinct. But Axel knew her so well, better than anybody else. And what Blaze was feeling right now was pure guilt. Yes, she had killed before out of self defence or to protect when the role of a cop required her to do so, but never anybody before bearing this much significance.
"I knew what I was getting into…" Blaze snapped back.
"Then why did you do it then? Sure, Mr X was holding a gun to my head but I could have taken him down. I just needed another second or a distraction from you and you know it!… So why, huh? Was it out of anger? Did you lose your temper at that moment? I can't tell what got into you Blaze…" He stared intently down into her eyes with concern.
She then swallowed her pride and quietly muttered the words, "because of you…".
"What are you talking about? I told you, I know it was risky but I could have taken him down, you of all people understand that you didn't have to protect me!" He argued.
"...But I'd kill for you…"
There was a tense pause between them. "Wha..? Why?" Axel cocked his head to one side, shocked with what Blaze was saying to him.
"Because…"
Suddenly the sirens outside started flaring, interrupting their intense conversation.
"We have to go now!" Axel cut her sentence short, taking her hand whilst leading Blaze out of the lab. It wasn't long until the two of them spotted Adam's helicopter parked up on the roof of the building, so they quickly ran to jump in before any cops infiltrated the building. The team of vigilantes knew that had anyone from Wood Oak Police Department recognised them, there would be serious consequences. Not just their jobs on the force in the firing line, but also court cases and a possible murder trial. They had done the right thing in stopping Mr X, but the group fully understood that sometimes the law doesn't necessarily distinguish between good intentions and evil criminals.
The following evening.
Bulletins throughout the day have been heavy on the news channels regarding Mr X's death. Although some of the journalists had their suspicions, the entrepreneur was regarded highly by many in the city as the people's liberator. Often, Mr X used a fake alias when he conducted business, known as Don Xanthos. Originally he got his nickname on the streets as Mr X, which the media had once exposed. However, the public didn't take their accusations or revelations of his crimes seriously. Instead, they viewed the name Mr X in a positive light and as part of a rebellion for change.
He was practically a hero in Wood Oak amongst its people. He provided jobs, raised money for charities, opened businesses, funded schools and hospitals. But little did they know that all this money was his way of cleaning out syndicate funds. These actions simply masked the truth of Mr X's ideologies and thirst for power. Citizens spent hours holding vigils and laying flowers whilst mourning the loss of the biggest influential character Wood Oak had ever seen.
"A widow, a father and an asset to this city…" a female reporter's voice echoed from the TV above the bar. She was stationed with her microphone just outside of City Hall, a place where Mr X would often make public appearances.
"Turn that shit off will ya?" Axel frowned, reaching for his beer bottle on the bar top. He had been sitting at the same stool for almost two hours now.
"I wish I could have gone with you guys!" Max grinned to himself, using a white cloth to wipe one of the pint glasses behind his bar. "That dirtbag had it coming to him in my opinion. Had this whole thing gone to trial, he would have wriggled his way out of a prison cell once again…" the wrestler remarked pessimistically.
"Try tellin' Blaze that…" Axel huffed as he gulped down the last remaining contents of the bottle in his hand.
"One of you had to do it, I just wish it wasn't her. That girls been through enough" Max shook his head regretfully.
Suddenly her words, 'I'd kill for you…' from last night started to play on Axel's mind once again.
"What's wrong buddy?" Max leaned over the bar opposite him as Axel looked down.
"We all know I should have been the one to kill Mr X. I'm the one who is capable of living with that guilt" he bit his tongue, now shaking his head.
"I'm sure Blaze had her reasons for doin' it…"
"Yeah, she was protecting me! I had one moment of weakness, sure the guy could have shot my brains out but…"
"Looks to me like you're the one feeling guilty then", Max raised an eyebrow.
"If I'd have been stronger and had not have fucked up, maybe things would have ended differently. I should have been the one protecting her, but…" Axel sighed.
"But what? Blaze is a tough girl, she can look after herself! She always done."
"I just wish things were different, you know?"
"What? Like you wish you still didn't have feelings for her? Come on man, Adam and I can see it as clear as day. Stop using your friendship with her as an excuse and grow some balls! When are you gonna make that move huh?" Max teased.
"I'm leaving in the next few days, remember?" Axel sighed. "I made myself that pledge way before we began this fight and long before I met Blaze. Us starting a relationship now is only gonna end badly. Once I'm gone, it will break her heart…."
"Haven't you already done that though?" Max folds his arms.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Axel frowned, slightly taken back and confused by the wrestler's observation.
Moments later, a blond lady on the other side of the bar made her presence known. She was wearing white jeans and a low black top with her hair tied up. Her piercing green eyes glanced over towards Axel, flashing him a smile.
"Hey Max!" She called out, clearly a regular in the bar.
"Hi darlin'. What can I get you to drink on this fine evening?" He smiled.
"Who's your friend?" She enquired with curiosity, clearly very interested in Axel at this point.
"He's er…."
"Here. Tell him not to be a stranger" she confidently winked, passing Max a napkin with a note on the back reading. It read, 'meet me outside next to the blue Mercedes'. This was an old school tactic, but something that Axel was no stranger to. It was rare for him to be out without getting any female attention, especially when he was sitting by himself. Some nights, like on this occasion, he wouldn't even know their names but would end up waking up in some random hotel or apartment the next morning. Often the women would want to see him again or we're craving a short term boyfriend who could fight their battles in the big city. But Axel was rarely ever interested. This was a small part of the reason why he wanted to escape into nothing. Although the sex was fun, they were all just one night stands. He remembers trying the relationship thing once with a girl called Ruby about 3 years ago, but it all ended badly after 2 weeks when she found out he was a cop.
As Max passed his friend the napkin, the two of them already knew what was on the other side of it without reading. So the wrestler completed their previously interrupted conversation there and then. "You've been a detective, why don't you open your eyes and figure it out" he answered, leaving it there.
"Don't assume things you don't understand, Max. I'll see you in the morning…" Axel stood to his feet, calmly taking the napkin, paying for his drinks before leaving the bar. The lady followed him out less than a minute later, then they were gone.