Chapter 15

Half an hour later and Blaze is still silently sitting there under the simulation with little movement.

"So what's involved in this simulation programme you're making?" Axel asks Zan.

"It's more for the purpose of training us against any future threats. As Leon gets older, his chi will continue to strengthen. When others realise that he possesses more than one type of power, they will threaten to take it and will want to experiment with it, just like they tried to with you and Blaze" Zan explains.

"His powers are already starting to get out of control, I'm really worried about him" Axel replies.

"Rather than focusing on Leon's powers, for now try to teach the boy how to control his emotions. You were the same once if you remember."

Axel sighs "I've tried all these years, but really he needs his mother right now. I hope this works" he glances over towards Blaze next to him oblivious to their conversation.

"One of the things I'm planning to incorporate into the simulation is a program to teach you how to use both electrical and fire chi, that way we can also train Leon on this when he's old enough. Floyd and I are also trying to find a way of enhancing these powers. You, Blaze, Shiva and Leon are the only ones left with natural energy you were born with but it can be replicated using Rakushin as we've seen with others like Adam" Zan explains, holding up a needle with a yellow star printed on it.

"But Adam needs to take that every 6 weeks otherwise his cells will die".

"And that is why you all have a responsibility to protect one another and be ready for any threat that lies ahead. What Blaze is seeing right now under the simulation is somewhere familiar where she has fought before. Her mind will create everything else like the fight and any enemies based on what she remembers subconsciously. But ultimately, it will be up to her to make any decisions under the simulation to influence her surroundings and survive the scenario she is in. This can be very effective in stimulating her memory. We never really lose our memories. After a head injury like the one Blaze had, most of the neurological pathways used to replicate past experiences and emotions in the mind were damaged."

"Shit!" Axel shouts, startled. He immediately pulls his hand away which was still holding hers when he feels an electrical spark shocking him that comes from Blaze's palm.

Suddenly Blaze's heart rate starts to rise on the monitor then two bright blue flames appear above her palms. After a minute the flames disappear then she starts to shake in the chair as blood drips from her hands and nose. The heart rate monitor becomes more and more rapid as the seconds go on.

"Stop the device now!" Axel orders.

Zan immediately injects a serum into her arm to wake her up.

"15 seconds" a female voice announces over the simulation as it flashes red.

"Come on…" Axel says as they anxiously wait. Blaze's body starts to vigorously shake even more in the chair for the last few seconds until the voice finally announces "Simulation Over".

The technological headset automatically unlocks then mechanically rises back upwards towards the ceiling before the metal bands around Blaze's wrists break open. As soon as she opens her eyes, Blaze quickly jumps out of her seat trying to catch her breath back.

"Are you ok?" Axel worriedly asks as he puts his arms around her. She hugs him tightly back.

"Yeah I'm ok... my head just really hurts" she replies, trying not to lose her balance.

He sits her back down as Zan brings over the first aid kit for the bleeding.

"What did you see? Did anything from the past come up?" Axel anxiously queries.

"Yeah it did" Blaze concentrates, trying to remember everything she saw. "We were in this lab much bigger than this place. You were there too and we were fighting some sort of robot flying around the room. I remember jumping then climbing up his jet pack towards his skull to kill it but it just kept spinning around the room until I got thrown off."

"That really happened Blaze" Axel replies.

"She's talking about Robot Y. Did you see anything else?" Zan asks.

"I was on the floor, I could barely open my eyes when Axel killed the robot. There was another man there in a suit. He had the most evil look on his face, I think he was the one who killed my family! I remember now because I've never wanted to kill someone so badly. You stood him up and tied his hands to a pipe above then this fire started coming out of your hands. I then managed to get up to my feet and I kept pushing forward this energy coming out from my own hands. I just wanted him to suffer. I hated him so much and I couldn't stop until we killed him."

"Mr X" Zan remarks.

Suddenly a bolt of energy unintentionally fires from Blaze's palm that hits the back wall.

"That shit is real?" She worriedly asks.

"Yeah it's real, see?" Axel answers whilst holding up a flame from one of his hands in front of her. "You remembered something that happened over 10 years ago. We stopped a missile that the syndicate made with your powers from wiping out Wood Oak City. Everything you just described really happened. Was there anything else you saw or remembered?"

"No, that was it," Blaze shakes her head.

"The good news is now that some of the neurological pathways have started to repair, you might find more of your memory gradually will return over the next few days or weeks." Zan explains.

"That's great! Thank you" Blaze enthusiastically replies.

"Just try to relax and meditate if you can, especially over the next few hours. Your head might start to feel light or painful and just stay on alert in case any seizures occur. If you have medication for it, double your dosage over the next day and make sure someone stays with you for at least the next 4 hours" Zan advises as Axel and Blaze glance at one another.

He then takes out of the printer a neurological chart. "This is a timescale since we put you under the simulation. As you can see, the neurons and chemical reactions from your brain started to progress and fire more rapidly during the simulation. It's important you give yourself and your mind at least a few hours to recover and not try to remember anything else just yet. You're welcome to stay here and rest or meditate, I can make you some food" Zan offers.

"That's very kind and I'm really grateful for everything you've done for me today Doctor. I think I'll be ok for now" she smiles.

"Very well" Zan nods as Blaze and Axel get up to leave.

"I'll keep you updated on that thing with Leon" Axel says to him as he turns towards the door "and thanks again for this".

"Thank you again for your help" Blaze also says to Zan.

"You were the one who stayed strong and survived. It was good to see you again after all these years Blaze" he nods.

The two of them exit the lab to get some fresh air.

"Thanks for bringing me here today, it wasn't the best memory to come up with but at least it's something. To think us cops really survived all of that to save the city! They must have regarded us as heros!" Blaze comments.

"They did. And it's true we went through a lot. The man we killed was the biggest criminal the City has ever witnessed. He did some nasty things to our group of fighters, but in the end we won and got justice for ourselves and our families. He killed my parents too".

"I'm sorry if bringing Mr X up again was painful for you" she says.

"It was a long time ago… look I could take you home if you want but the journey into Central District is at least an hour from here. You heard what the doctor said, but if you want your welcome to eat and rest up at our place for a few hours. I promise there's no sea cucumber on the menu" he grins.

"I don't know how to thank you for today. And I was such a bitch this morning with the whole AC thing - I'm sorry, you were just trying to help" she replies, feeling slightly embarrassed.

"Don't worry, you're still the same stubborn Blaze I first met all those years ago." he smiles as they walk towards Leon and Floyd who are outside playing with Charlie.

"How did it go?" Floyd asks.

"We made some progress," Blaze nods.

"That's great!" He smiles.

Floyd then pulls Axel to one side whilst Blaze walks over to greet Leon.

"Listen I gotta go, I just got a text from Adam he needs me at the concert hall right away. Something big is gonna go down there in the city tonight. Neither of us can get hold of Max right now".

"Do you need me to go with you?" Axel asks.

"No it's ok. Estel and Shiva are on standby as backup if we need extra fighters. Just watch your back and keep your family safe. Oh and avoid using any water from the mains over the next couple of days. And if you hear from Max let Adam know." Floyd instructs.

"What's wrong?" Axel questions him with concern.

"Adam found hundreds of underground speakers scattered around the city. They closely match the speakers that Shiva described the Y-Twins ordering when they were in Lima 9 years ago. We think that they are using sound and radio waves to manipulate people. There's also a contaminant Adam found leaking through the sewage system under Central District. I know there is a different supplier out here but still, try to only use bottled water if you can".

"Call me as soon as the situation is under control ok?" Axel requests "and be careful!"

"Daddy, why are you still even here?" Cherry glances up towards Adam with annoyance on her face.

"What time is your band's audition?" He urgently asks.

"It's anytime in the next half hour. Can't you see the other musicians out there?!"

Adam ignores her irritated behaviour as he peeks out of the backstage curtain. He carefully scans the audience, noticing a panel of judges with the Y twins sitting in the first row behind them.

"Sweetheart, once your audition is finished I need you to leave this place right away" he turns back towards her.

"But if we get through there's a party afterwards, I don't wanna miss that."

"It's bad enough you're here but once the audition is done, you're going home!" Adam argues.

"Yeah right!" Cherry smirks.

"I'm serious!" He replies with a stern look on his face.

"Ok." She sighs, feeling disappointed. "Aren't you gonna stay and watch our audition?" She asks.

"I got some business to take care of nearby. Give me a call when you're finished I'm sure you've got this!" He kisses her on the cheek then rushes off.

Cherry angrily ties her wraps around her arms then double checks the tuning on her guitar, disappointed that her father isn't sticking around to support her.

"Ready?! Let's do this!" One of her band-mates distracts her away from her thoughts before the four of them enter the stage.

Their drummer ques a couple of beats then the band begin their own rock rendition of the song 'Valerie'. The crowd immediately go crazy and liven up during their audition and it's clear that the band stand out amongst the other candidates who have opted to perform pop or house versions of other songs.

The head judge DJ K-Washi bops along with approval. The Y-Twins who are funding the scholarship programme take a glance at the list of names in front of them during the performance, noticing 'Cherry Hunter' listed.

"I'm certain that's Adam Hunter's daughter up there", Ms Y shouts in Mr Y's ear.

"Only one way to find out…" He purses his lips.

The crowd applaud and stand to their feet as soon as the band finishes their performance. They quickly rush off the stage with the adrenaline pumping through their veins as the four of them await their result once the auditions are complete.

"Well done guys, we did it!" Cherry jumps for joy, celebrating the fact that they gave a decent performance and the crowd loved it.

20 minutes later and the results are in. The four of them celebrate as soon as their names are called along with 3 other groups. Cherry suddenly notices the eccentric DJ K-Washi approaching them from the corner of the hall.

"I just wanted to congratulate the four of you, my panel and I felt your audition really stood out tonight. In fact, our sponsors would very much like to meet your group. They are actually interested in signing you over to our record label whilst you are on the scholarship programme."

"Yes!" The other band members celebrate, feeling shocked having not expected such a fantastic outcome.

"Please, follow me" the DJ in a fluorescent white bodysuit calmly escorts them backstage.

"Hi there, I'm Ms Y, the founder of our Young Musicians Programme. It's nice to meet the four of you" she smiles, shaking each of the teenager's hands. "I have to say, my brother and I were so impressed with your performance tonight and we are serious about signing your band to our record label right away!"

"Thank you!" One of the band members celebrates.

"Thank you," she insists. "Tomorrow we will draft up a contract with your agent but because each of you are under 16, we will need your parents to sign it on your behalf providing that nobody here has any criminal records or convictions" she smirks.

"That might be a problem for you Ace!" Two of the bandmates tease their drummer.

"They're just joking" he shakes his head, bringing a smile to Ms Y's face.

"Well even if you did, I'm sure we could still fix you the contract. Your father's a cop high in the rankings right Cherry?" Ms Y cocks her head to one side, giving the teenage girl her eye contact.

"Yeah" Cherry nods, staring down at the ground.

"Well then we shouldn't have a problem then!" Ms Y grins. "My brother and I hope the four of you can stay here and party for the next couple of hours. K-Washi is about to hit the decks up there. Nice to meet you all and I look forward to working with you soon". She bows her head then leaves, sending Cherry an unnerving stare back.

"Come on, let's celebrate!" The four of them return to the concert hall. Cherry can't help but feel there is something not right about this.