Chapter 24
"Come on boy, you gotta eat something!" Dylan smirks as he sits on guard passing Leon a bowl of oatmeal.
"This stuff is grose!" the boy complains when he elbows away the bowl. "Besides, how am I supposed to even eat it? Can't you see my hands are tied dumbass!"
"Watch your mouth kid!" Max shouts, walking in having just finished his day's worth of training.
He takes a seat at the large wooden table opposite Leon.
Diva, who accompanies him, opens the oven to serve up some food. She then places in front of Max a large plate containing a whole roasted chicken, rice, green vegetables and bread.
"Thanks" he says before tucking into his meal without wasting any time.
"Want an apple?" Diva turns to Leon.
"No thank you" he looks down.
"Well, we're gonna have to keep your strengths up one way or another! Dr Dahm is expecting us to send another one of your blood samples tonight" she smirks.
"Can't you people just leave us alone?!" Leon shouts back.
"Why? I can't wait to see the look on that cute face of yours when you watch your mommy and daddy suffer" she grins, gently squeezing his chin.
"You're a bitch!" The 8 year old swears at her. Diva instantly puts her hand around his neck,
"What did you just call me boy?" She aggressively answers.
"Hey! That's enough, he's just a kid!" Max interrupts as he tries to reason with her.
Diva immediately loosens her grip around Leon's neck where the boy is now coughing continuously. "I'm sorry, silly me for losing my patience" she smiles then backs off. She then swiftly walks towards the radio in the corner of the kitchen and switches the music on loud.
"What are you doing?!" Leon shouts through the noise. He suddenly becomes afraid when he notices Max's eyes starting to redden. The tension in the wrestler's shoulders tightens as he picks up another leg from the roast chicken in front of him. Max chews into it, glaring into Leon's eyes with hate as classical music blasts from the kitchen radio.
"You should learn to respect your elders, kid!" He says to the boy. Max then gives Diva a nod.
"Time to teach you some manners!" Diva shouts at Leon before striking the boy around the face.
Two days have passed since Blaze left to do her own thing. She sits alone on the floor of her apartment next to Charlie, stretching after a long day's worth of training.
"To think that my whole life changed in just a matter of days" she says as the spaniel cutely snuggles up to her. "I'm gonna have to leave you with Chloe from tomorrow, I don't know if I'll make it back alive but I have to try". He looks back up at her with sadness in his eyes then the two of them stare at the heavy rain coming through the window from outside.
As Blaze gets up to close it, she glances down towards the street. To her surprise, she sees Axel standing outside looking unsure of himself.
"Hey, what are you doing here?!" She calls out of the window.
"I needed to see you. I'm sorry for the way I acted towards you the other day…" he looks up with guilt on his face.
"Come upstairs, it's freezing out there! Press on the buzzer and I'll let you in" she replies, rushing over towards the door after switching on the heating.
"Take this off, you're soaked! I'll fix you a hot drink" Blaze says as she places his denim jacket and shirt over a chair next to the radiator.
"Hey buddy" Axel smiles as Charlie runs over to greet him.
"It's late, shouldn't you be resting? We have to leave tomorrow evening" Blaze says, handing him a hot mug of soup.
"I know" he quietly replies, then he places it down on the coffee table in front of him.
"You were right about my training, and I should have listened to you." Axel sighs.
"It's ok, I understand".
"I just don't know how else to get through this, this is all my fault" he says, wrapping his arms around her then he buries his head next to her neck. "The last time I felt like this was when you went into that coma… I thought I could stay focussed and handle it all but I'm struggling right now" he admits to her.
"It's ok, you don't have to be strong all the time. I'm here too. We will save Leon, I'll fight til the end if I have to. Our team never loses, remember?" Blaze reassures him.
"I've never met anybody as stubborn as you, except for Leon." Axel half heartedly smiles.
"Then you'll know that the three of us will make it back alive and we won't give up the fight, no matter what. We've always got each other's backs when one of us is weak and we can get through anything" she explains.
"I used to say that to you, remember?"
"Yeah, I do," Blaze nods.
"I love you so much," he tells her.
"I love you too".
What feels like seconds might as well have been hours as the two of them sit there holding each other close at a time when they need one another the most.
When Axel wakes up, it takes him a moment to adjust to the unfamiliar surroundings as he recalls that he is staying in Blaze's apartment. The two of them lie there in bed in the dark and she is fast asleep next to him. The heavy rain from outside hasn't stopped since he arrived. Given that this is a Friday night going into Saturday morning, the neighbours in the block are still awake at 1am either arguing or house partying.
Out of nowhere, someone suddenly starts banging on the front door of the apartment. This immediately startles Blaze awake and causes Charlie to growl.
"Keep your guard up" Axel whispers as he reaches for his knife next to the bed. He cautiously walks towards the front door.
Once the knocking has stopped, the two of them look at each other in shock as they hear a key turning the lock.
As soon as Brash enters the apartment, Axel grabs him with his arm around his neck and knife pressed against the thug's back. He then quickly kicks the door shut.
"How many of you are outside and where did you get that key?" Axel probes him but the man stays silent.
"I said how many of you are there?!" He pushes the startled thug forward as Axel begins to lose patience.
"The syndicate has sent at least 50 fighters outside. I just came here to warn Blaze…" Brash replies holding his hands up.
"You think holding a spare key to my apartment then letting yourself through the door in the middle of the night is warning me? You're a creep just like your boss!" She looks at him with disgust on her face.
"They said that we can either do this the easy way or the hard way. They said something about making sure you're at Y-Tower tomorrow night for Max's second fight…. That's all I know I swear! Please don't kill me!" He pleads.
Blaze discretely glances outside by the side of the blinds.
"He's right, I can see around 50 of them scattered all over the place on the streets…"
Still holding the knife in one hand, Axel reaches for his cell phone with the other.
"Adam? We need you and the others downtown right now!" His conversation is short and sweet.
"Wait, wait man what are you doing?!" Brash panics as Axel pushes him forward.
"I'm sending those friends of yours a message for entering this apartment…"
"Wait, wait!"
Axel takes away the key then he forces the drug dealer out into the communal hallway.
"What are you doing man!?" Brash worriedly shouts.
"This is for all the shit you got Max hooked on…"
He forces Brash forward until the end of the hallway towards a glass window. Axel then uses his fire to shatter the glass which completely breaks before he kicks Brash through the window. The thug falls three stories, crashing down to the ground on fire surrounded by broken glass.
"The others are five minutes away!" Blaze replies, lowering her phone as she waits by the door of the apartment. She then reaches for her jacket, her knife and Charlie's lead all set and ready to go.
"Ok, we need to get out of here, shut down that power supply at the end of the hall" Axel replies as he reaches for his shirt and jacket then he carefully picks up the dog.
Blaze pushes her palms forward to generate a large blue energy sphere that she quickly fires ahead. It flies at least five metres straight until hitting a green cabinet at the end of the communal hallway. Immediately, all of the electricity and power cuts out of the building and their entire surroundings turn to darkness.
They cautiously take the stairwell down as Axel leads them towards the exit of the building. Blaze suddenly pulls him back then throws her knife forward, catching one of the thugs ahead of them in the chest with it.
"Thanks babe" he says to her.
"They've come here to make sure I attend the fight. Once Adam's car arrives, give Charlie to Sammy and he'l take him to Zan's lab. I'll create a distraction" Blaze replies.
"Aw the doctor is gonna love dog sitting" Axel grins amused.
"He has no other choice!"
"You sure you're ok to fight?" He asks.
"I'm with you all the way" Blaze answers with certainty.
They wait in the dark by the doorway until the car appears.
"I can see at least 10 yakuzas and another dozen thugs surrounding them. There's more of them waiting by the subway in the distance" Axel can just about make out.
"Ok, take Charlie and run to the back of the building once I get to the middle of that crowd. I've told the others where to bring the car. Those assholes over there won't see anything coming." Blaze briefs him.
"Wait….!"
"I got this, just wait for my signal before you leave the building" she orders.
She slowly opens the building door with her hands in the air then Blaze cautiously walks towards the large crowd of fighters who believe they have now outnumbered her.
"I'm not here to fight, and I know why you're here" Blaze addresses them.
Immediately Diva steps forward with a large grin on her face holding a snake wrapped around her body.
"So you're the bitch my bosses hate so much! I have to say, you're pretty but I'm disappointed you don't wanna fight. And where's that fella of yours? Left you here to fend for yourself like he did all those years ago?"
"Aw what's wrong Diva? Are you jealous or something? I'm not surprised, the only thing I can see keeping you company at night is that ugly looking snake".
"I know where your son is…" she quietly comments as she paces around Blaze, staring intently at her.
"Good because you can tell Leon I'm coming for him!"
Suddenly Blaze channels her energy, forming a flowered pattern above which causes her to slightly levitate off the ground when she raises her arms towards the sky. Her enemies can't help but stare at her with amazement and shock on their faces until her chi explodes, causing a shockwave through the air around her. It throws the large crowd of fighters back on top of one another through the air. She then runs as quickly possible around the block, following Axel to meet the rest of the team who have just arrived.
"That was lit!" Sammy stares at her in awe.
"Take this little guy and drive to Zan's lab, the rest of us will stay here and fight" Axel orders, handing the dog to Sammy.
Cherry and Floyd ready their fighting stance as Blaze catches her breath back. At the same time, a police car handbrake turns around the corner then Adam, Estel and Shiva coolly step out of the vehicle, each keen to fight.
"Who's ready to own these streets again?" Adam smirks.
"Let's do this!" Cherry replies determined as at least fifty thugs run from around the corner towards them.
"I can 15 of these down, stand back!" Floyd demands.
His mechanical arms immediately rotate forward with a purple blast of energy that burns through several fighters at the front of the crowd.
"Woahhh…!" Cherry shouts out in disbelief before knocking out a yakuza fighter in the face using her guitar. Their surroundings instantly become a crowded street brawl as the remaining 35 fighters attack.
"I'll cover you!" Estel says to Blaze while the two of them stand back to back, fighting off any more street thugs who try to attack them.
"Thanks!" Blaze smiles back before jumping and kicking a guy armed with a knife around the face.
"I don't know about you, but I've really missed this! Feeling emotional right now bro…" Adam smirks at Axel who is fighting next to him. The two of them work effortlessly together as a team. As soon as Axel throws an enemy backwards, Adam is right there to deliver the most powerful high kicks as well as punches to finish them off.
"Try one of your upper cuts this time!" Axel jokes as he suplexes backward another yakuza fighter who then crashes into Adam's fist.
"What about one of your roundhouse kicks this time?" The two fighters play with their opponents.
"Yo Shiva?! You look like you could use one of these!" Adam kicks forward a metal pole dropped by one of the thugs.
"Thanks, but I don't need weapons! I am the weapon!" Shiva replies back as he skilfully takes down six fighters simultaneously using a mixture of quick palm strikes and flaming circular kicks.
"Your really not fucking around are you?!" Adam admires the fighter before attacking another enemy "I'll have that pole back please!" He insists.
In the space of five minutes, the street brawl they started with turns into a majority of dead or badly injured criminals, too weak to rise up and fight again. The large array of syndicate thugs end up lying helplessly in the road.
"I'll call for backup to clean this up" Estel reassures the rest of the team who stand proudly with their hands on their hips.
"Well well well, looks like you pulled off one hell of a fight just now!" Diva steps forward applauding them.
"What do you want?" Adam responds with irritation.
"Adam Hunter! Beyo and Rhia send their regards…" she winks at him.
"Give me one reason why I shouldn't kill you right now?" He answers.
"Because honey, I got the information you need! Some of your officers at Wood Oak Central precinct are in on this too! Better stop those cops before they intervene and try to kill you otherwise Leon won't live to see another day…"
"I'll kill you bitch!" Blaze shouts at her as Axel puts one hand in front of her to hold her back.
"The Y-Syndicate controls everything and everyone. You won't be able to stop them and Max can't be saved" Diva explains with pity in her eyes.
Suddenly she raises her snake in the air which beans with blinding electricity. Diva then strikes the ground which sparks a bright display of electric current that forces the group to step far back away from her. Her defense mechanism sends shocks through any injured fighters on the ground within close proximity. As soon as the flashing display finishes, a car hastily pulls up in the opposite direction that Diva jumps into. She glances back at the group before it speeds off.
"We have to get to the precinct! If my officers are under their influence they'll…." Estel panics.
"The whole city is in danger now, I knew this would happen! We should split in half. Estel, Cherry and I will head down to the police precinct then we will get to the pier. By dawn, they're expecting more of those speakers to arrive at the ports, for sure we'll find enemy fighters there" Adam explains.
"Floyd, Blaze, Shiva and I will head underground to destroy any speakers they're already planning to use." Axel replies.
"From there, Shiva will be ready by morning to start his new job at Y-Tower" Adam grins, holding up a key card that will allow him to gain access to the building.
"Cleaner? Really?" Shiva folds his arms disappointed.
"It's the best we could find. After you finish fighting underground, keep a low profile for the remaining part of the day."
"I always do," Shiva nods.
"Sammy will join you when you finish your shift at 8pm".
"I think we should all stick together, we're stronger in numbers" Blaze argues.
"But that will take us more time and we can't risk the city coming under attack" Floyd replies.
"What do you think?" Adam questions Axel.
"I think we should split up first. Three of you go to the precinct, the rest of us will go underground then we'll meet you back at the pier and fight the rest of the way together. Simple" He shrugs.
"Makes sense! Let's do this then!" Floyd raises his fists in the air, ready for the battle ahead.