Chapter 27
The sound of screeching trains on the raised railtrack in the distance is the first thing that Leon hears when he steps onto the roof of Y-Tower. The 110 floor building is one that dominates Wood Oak City's skyline. The 100ft spire at the top of the skyscraper completes the tower's aesthetic and contains a transmitter. It lights up at regular intervals during the night to warn any aircraft passing by.
"I hope you like heights" Ms Y smirks as she, Leon, Max and two of her trusted guards stand on a platform elevator that ascends most of the way up the metallic spire.
"Uncle Max, what are you doing?" Leon's voice shakes with fear as he looks into the wrestler's red eyes but he remains unresponsive.
"Tie the boy up and place this around him" Ms Y demands as Leon is supported by a harness which is then securely attached onto the spire.
"Please don't do this, whatever I did or said, I'm sorry!" The boy pleads with them.
"I'm sorry kid, you're gonna have to stay here for now" Max replies whilst an explosive vest is clipped around him.
"Try to use your power and this will blow…. Oh and pray this thing here doesn't get struck by lightning later on" Ms Y laughs.
They then take the elevator platform back down to the roof, leaving Leon high up on the spire with several more guards stationed guarding him on the roof below.
"Nobody goes up there and that boy doesn't come down. If a chopper comes looking for him or if anyone tries to save him, you press that panic button straight away, understood? Ms Y orders. She and Max then quickly exit the roof so that he can start to get ready for the fight later on.
They leave Leon's life hanging in the balance up there with his heart pounding and his body shivering from the cold. He looks out into the distance with the southerly view of the city ahead. He prays that somewhere out there amongst the thousands of city lights, his number one hero, his dad will come and save him. 'Don't look down', Leon whispers to himself as he hangs almost 1500 feet high up in the air. To make matters worse, the wind and breeze also doesn't help and although the main roof of the building is 70 feet below him, it's still a very long way down.
After a lengthy silence where the petrified young boy has tried to remain calm, he is suddenly startled when he hears a loud explosion in the distance that is accompanied by numerous loud sirens.
Very cautiously, he leans forward so that he can peer around the corner of the spire towards the eastern direction. Leon gasps in shock when he can't look no more. In the distance, he can see the Wood Oak's famous Skytrain, exploded and partitioned in the centre of it with the front five carriages hanging over the edge of a destroyed bridge. The smoke from it's fire dominates the skyline above and although Leon is too high up to hear anything else, in his head he knows there are the voices of hundreds, if not thousands crying out with despair below.
10 minutes earlier.
"It's pretty crowded here!" Floyd complains amongst the Saturday night rush of commuters crossing the city.
"At least you're tall! I swear if this asshole knocks me again I'm gonna start a fight with him!" Cherry gives the man in a suit next to her an evil stare.
"Whose troubling you?" Adam quickly steps in after eavesdropping on her conversation.
"It's nothing, I'm fine," she quietly replies.
"Commuters, we have an announcement….!" The driver begins to speak through the microphone of the train.
The entire carriage suddenly falls silent as they wait patiently to hear what he is about to say. After a few more moments however, instead of hearing the driver continue with his announcement, house music starts to play from the speakers of the train. The commuters glance at one other confused.
"Shit, that's it!" Adam panics. "Cherry, Estel, put your earphones in now!" he orders.
They quickly follow his advice as the 6 fighters try their best to barge their way through the crowds towards the back of the moving train.
Only seconds after, the commuters start to fight one another using anything they can get their hands on. What was a relatively quiet carriage just moments ago is now an aggressive fighting pit.
"Watch out!" Blaze pulls Cherry towards her as the man in the suit who was previously next to her attempts to attack the teenage girl using a knife.
"Thanks" Cherry gives her a relieved smile right before she kicks the man in the face.
"We gotta get to the back of the train fast!" Estel orders as Floyd takes the lead, easily clearing their path from any violent commuters using his bulky metallic arms.
"We need to get outside and activate those breaks!" Axel says as he is the first to climb out of the back window. With ease, he pulls himself up onto the roof. Adam quickly follows his lead.
"Come on, your next!" Floyd tells Cherry as he kneels down and offers her his hand to step on.
"Have you seen how quickly this train is moving?!" She worriedly replies.
"Go go go!" Estel shouts from behind them whilst she and Blaze fight off and guard them from the general public who are going insane attacking anybody they can right now.
Cherry finally plucks up the courage then steps onto Floyd's hand to climb outside. For a second, her heart skips a beat when she notices how high up they are and how fast the train is travelling between the skyscrapers surrounding them.
"It's ok, I got you!" Adam shouts, taking her hand and pulling her up onto the train's roof. Blaze and Estel are next to follow her and then finally Floyd.
"Shit, what the hell….?" He says with shock when he notices several thugs and corrupt police officers waiting up on the top for them. The six heros ready their fighting stance before taking on their enemies whilst trying to maintain their balance. With ease, Blaze somersaults forward, striking her fists into one officer holding a taser. She then snatches the weapon away from his hand and uses it on another officer who tries to attack her from behind. He immediately stumbles back then falls off the roof of the train, hitting the tracks on the way down to the ground over 700 feet below them.
Unexpectedly, the train suddenly starts to speed up with obstacles ahead so the six fighters strategically pair up to fight in case one of them loses their balance. Blaze and Floyd end up further forward fighting together back to back. They take on a further six officers with ease. Blaze uses her strong kicks and chi to force them back towards Floyd who is then able to pick up two fighters at once, crashing their heads together in the air before throwing them off of the train to meet their deaths.
Above the middle carriage, Axel and Estel work efficiently together. At one point in the fight, she throws a grenade into the air that Axel scissor kicks straight over towards a trio of yakuza fighters who have climbed up the side of the train. The two of them duck when it explodes, forcing the men to fall down.
Farthest back are Adam and Cherry who are greeted by more police officers under the Y-syndicates influence. The father and daughter duo stand side by side as Cherry uses her guitar to break their shields whilst Adam tactically throws them over the edge.
"Nice work baby girl!" He compliments.
"You're not too bad either, old man!" She smirks.
"Shit, we need to jump!" Blaze shouts with urgency from the front of the train when she notices it speeding towards a metal barrier. "1, 2, 3…"
Everyone except Floyd is fast enough to jump but he slightly misjudges the timing by a split second and the metal barrier ends up clipping his thigh.
"This is gonna hurt, but I have to pull this shard out then bandage the wound" Blaze says to him, kneeling down by his side as the train starts to decelerate.
"Just get it over….. Arghhhhhhhhhhh!" He shouts out in agony whilst the others rush forward to help.
"We need to get anything that can clean the wound first!" Adam says. He and Axel put each of Floyd's arms around their shoulders to support him in getting up off the ground.
"There must always be a first aid box at the front of the train by law!" Estel remarks.
"Wait here, I'll take out the driver and will get it!" Blaze who is furthest forward hurriedly runs towards the front of the train.
"Not so fast my dear!"
Mr Y suddenly appears after climbing up from the front of the train. As soon as he points an uzi gun towards her, Blaze halts with her attack. She faces him with her hands in the hair.
"Come with me if you want to see Leon" he extends one hand out towards her.
"That goes for you too!" He shouts at Axel in the distance.
Axel cautiously removes Floyd's arm off his shoulder then he walks forward, approaching them with his hands in the air. The others silently watch, uncertain of what could happen next.
"If you or any of them try anything, I'll shoot her!" Mr Y shouts, still pointing his gun at Blaze.
"I've already agreed to fight so you only need me. Let the others go" Axel calmly replies
"No, that's too easy. Don't come any closer and keep your hands in the air!" He barks.
Axel has no choice but to comply as two officers immediately run towards him from the front of the train to cuff his wrists.
The couple are then escorted off the train towards a bridged platform in front of them which marks the start of the next station along the tracks.
The others who are still on top of the train suddenly hear the passengers in the carriages below banging on the windows as they try to escape now that the music has stopped.
"They're not opening the doors…!" Adam says "get back now…!" He shouts with urgency before the team run towards the back of the train. Adam does his best to assist Floyd who is injured whilst they quickly jump off the roof and onto the tracks. Suddenly, they notice Mr Y on the platform of the station only metres ahead of them holding a rocket launcher.
"No!" They hear Blaze screaming just a second before he pulls the trigger. The rocket violently crashes into the centre of the train, exploding the vessel in half. This also causes part of the bridge before the platform to crack and slowly shatter whilst the remaining passengers inside scream for help. Just seconds later, the bridge splits and breaks, causing the front 5 carriages of the train to fall through the gap. It crashes 700m down below them onto a busy street full of people. The first three carriages on the other side of the gap from the second half of the train also hang vertically down over the side. It's doors spark with only the weight of 5 more carriages at the back stopping the second half of the train from falling.
"We have to get these people out!" Estel shouts. The four fighters on the tracks lift themselves to stand to try and save any remaining survivors.
"Run towards the back of the train! Come on!" Adam shouts at the passengers left who are trapped inside. He then reaches for a broken piece of track to break the lock of the back door. As soon as it swings open, floods of men, women and children rush as quickly as possible out of the last carriage.
"Be careful of the silver electrical cables!" Cherry informs panicking passengers as they leave whilst the team try to assist anybody who is injured.
Estel can't help but pause in shock for a moment, realizing how high up they are and how far the first half of the train has already fallen. She immediately starts to run forward towards the three carriages hanging over the edge to try to save anybody trapped inside them.
"NO!" Adam shouts as he pulls her back by the waist. The two of them immediately fall to the floor of the last carriage, seated on the ground inside the train. They suddenly hear a creaking noise then look at one another for a split second with fear on their faces. The pair are quick to rise to their feet before running towards the back door as the three carriages hanging over the edge start to lower further through the gap. The two of them leap out of the back of the train just in time as the rest of skytrain is dragged down seconds before it plummets to the ground.
"WHYYY?! There were at least 50 people trapped in there!" Estel hysterically shouts and cries, out of breath with blood running down the side of her face. "WHYYY?! WHY DID HE DO THAT?!" She yells with tears in her eyes.
"There was nothing any of us could have done, just breathe, take deep breaths..." Adam calmly tries to comfort her, putting his arms around her as she sobs on his shoulder. Cherry, Floyd and the surviving passengers left standing on the track can't help but stare at the broken bridge and vanished train, frozen in disbelief and feeling deeply traumatized.
"You're the devil just like your father! You didn't have to kill all those people you sick bastard!" Blaze kicks, punches and shouts at Mr Y with tears running down her face as he drags her forward by the arm and hair. Once they reach the lit up exit of the station, they can still see the broken bridge only 50 feet behind them.
"Keep moving!" A police officer demands as he and his colleague push Axel forward when he tries to look back. He stays silent, in shock with sadness in his heart after hearing the screams of hundreds of people on that train and on the streets below them before it dived into the ground.
"If you don't fight properly later, your son's death will be much worse than that!" Mr Y smirks back at him. Axel does his best to bite his tongue, breathing deeply whilst staring at his enemy with hate.
"Sooner or later, one of us is gonna kill you, just like we killed your father!" Blaze promises.
"Get in the fucking car!"
Blaze spits in his face before he pushes her in, still pointing a gun towards her head.
Axel is then forced into a second car behind them.
Their cars speed off towards Y-Tower, where Max and the rest of their enemies are patiently waiting.