Chapter 15
"Only fifteen hours to go until that concert begins. The truck is almost loaded and there shouldn't be too many issues getting back into the city this time of morning." Max briefs Floyd and Adam as the three of them load the back of the vehicle with bags of weapons and ammo.
"I can't remember the last time I was awake like this at 4:30am" Adam laughs.
"You're forgetting these, my personal favourite" Estel smirks at him, handing over a case full of grenades.
"Promise you'll save some for me later, yeah?" Adam jokes.
"I can't promise anything," she grins.
Max and Sammy fix their caps, gloves and delivery jackets whilst the others step into the back of the truck.
"Come on Cherry, you first!" Adam insists as she jumps in, taking a seat in the far corner. "I hope it's not Uncle Sammy driving this thing!" She complains.
"I hope they got heaters in this thing!" Estel escapes the outside cold, jumping in next to her.
"Hey! Wait! I'm sorry, you can't…." Floyd stands in front of the truck.
"I'm coming with you!" Blaze demands.
"I'm sorry but Axel said…"
"I don't give a fuck what he said!" She argues.
"It's ok… could you give us a minute?" Axel approaches the pair standing by the side of the truck.
"Sure…" Floyd sighs before giving them some space.
"You know Leon would be much safer with both of us around him, and the team needs me!" Blaze yells with frustration in her voice.
"Believe me, I've thought this through again and again. If we leave Leon here, they'll eventually come for you and him. If he's with us, he'l have the whole team defending him. And you're right Blaze, we're down on numbers and he's safer with the two of us around, but you know why you need to stay here." Axel regretfully explains.
"Mommy! Where's your backpack?" Leon hastily runs over to them.
She crouches down in front of him, making sure his jacket is zipped up so that he's warm. "I'm sorry sweetie, I gotta stay here with Charlie and the old man" Blaze laughs it off, holding back the tears. "But you'll be back in no time and this will all be over soon. Make sure you stay with your dad and the others and follow everything he says ok?"
"I know, and I'm ready to fight…only if I have to. I promise you'll never have to worry about those bad people again mom".
She bites her tongue as she reaches forward to hug him. Never has Blaze felt as guilty as she does now. She glances up at Axel with desolation and tears in her eyes, unhappy at the fact that there is no straightforward solution of getting around this. Either Leon stays and they risk both of them being sitting bait or he leaves with the team who will fight to defend him.
"I'll see you soon," Blaze smiles.
"Bye mommy," he says before climbing up into the back of the truck.
"I won't let anything happen to him, trust me" Axel promises.
"Ok" Blaze quietly nods, still with her gaze fixated on the truck.
"You know what to do, where the panic buttons are if anybody finds you here".
"I know…" she gulps.
"There's also one more thing… take this and open it later for me", he hands her a small pouch wrapped up in thin blue paper. "I'll see the two of you soon, I love you" he smiles before kissing her goodbye and gently rubbing her stomach.
"We love you too", she smiles back, reluctant to let go of him. Axel is the last of the team to jump into the back of the large delivery truck, sealing the doors shut behind him. And just like that, the two most important people in her life right now are gone. She stands there anxious that this could be the last time she ever sees them again.
Blaze briefly glances around the dark surroundings, noticing the guys at the front of the truck waiting for the ice to clear. She takes a deep breath, standing there for a moment in the cold whilst she places the pouch Axel gave her in her coat pocket. She checks to make sure that Zan's lab light is still on in the distance where he is distracted. Blaze then spontaneously makes a decision to slide herself underneath the truck where she holds tightly with her hands and legs onto the vehicle frames whilst resting her body between two of the large panels that lie only three feet above the road. Another crazy Blaze moment that she knows she'll live to regret later on, but it's worth a try.
"I think we're stopping for good this time!" Estel tries to peek out of a small hole in the truck wall.
"By the sounds of the traffic and the time being early morning, we must have arrived!" Floyd answers.
"SSsshhh…!" Adam orders as soon as he hears voices outside. The team ready any weapons they have on them and switch off their torches, waiting patiently in the dark.
"Sir, may I see your delivery papers?" A uniformed officer approaches Max who is in the driving seat.
"Sure…" he steps out with Sammy then willingly hands over a fake ID card with a document.
The pair cautiously glance at one another whilst the officer carefully scans their papers.
After a long tense pause, he stares back at them raising his eyebrows.
"Sicilian olive oil? My grandparents used to make this back home! Mind if I try some of your stock?" The officer quickly starts to walk towards the back of the truck.
"Here, look! I got a box of this stuff at the front, the rest are in crates!" Max tries his best to halt him.
"Why don't you take some for your family this Christmas! It's the best in town!" The wrestler smiles, handing over a small plastic case with six olive oil bottles.
"Are you sure?" The armed officer asks.
"Of course! There's plenty, our supplier won't even notice! I personally love to use this one when I'm cooking ravioli, it's the bomb! You could also use this olive oil with linguini and even inside cake mixes" Max smiles.
"Really?" The officer replies, intrigued.
"Oh yes, would you like me to write you the recipe?"
The officer glances around, noticing his colleagues in the distance getting agitated as the traffic coming into the city is starting to queue behind them at the checks.
"Oh thank you but I have to get back. You have a nice day Sir and Merry Christmas." He gives them the signal that it's clear to pass.
"Merry Christmas!" Max grins before stepping back into the driver seat. They swiftly begin to move off without any more trouble.
Blaze catches her breath underneath the truck with her back to the ground, feeling a sense of relief that they didn't get caught. It's only a further 20 minutes until the truck pulls up in one of the side streets of Central District when she hears the doors at the back finally opening.
"Fuck! We were this close to being searched back there!" Sammy yells as he helps the team out the back.
"Luckily Uncle Max knows a thing or two about olive oil!" Cherry laughs as she steps outside.
"Is this really all we had to eat back there for the past three hours Max?" Shiva frowns, holding up two of the bottles.
"Sorry man! The good news is this chicken place right outside is open".
"Thank God for that, I'm famished!" Estel replies as she jumps out.
"Dad, I need to use the bathroom!" Leon complains whilst being lifted out.
"Follow Sammy and the others into that restaurant, I'll be there in a minute" Axel instructs.
"Yo old man! How's it going!" Floyd's face beams with excitement when he sees the owner of the restaurant, opening his metallic arms to greet them.
"Son! It's good to see you! Hurry up and get inside, these streets have spies everywhere" the man in his 50s embraces him as the two of them share a brief hug.
"Good to see you again Sargent Iraia," Estel smiles.
"Likewise! It's been a while since I saw your pretty face" he smirks, kissing her on the cheek.
"Nice to see you Sargent" Adam nods before following the others inside.
Mr Iraia is a kind hearted man just like his son, but he's not afraid to blurt out what he's thinking.
"So where's the British girl then? She was a good fighter, don't tell me she's dead?" He queries.
"Dad… ssh." Floyd hushes him, making sure that Leon isn't close enough.
"She's ain't dead is she? Or back in that coma? It's a shame, that girl was a looker…!" He quietly says, clenching his teeth so the others can't lip read him, however they can still hear everything he's saying.
"No, Blaze is fine! She couldn't make it this time because she's pregnant." Floyd explains.
"Ohhh! Congratulations mate!" Iraia shouts over towards Axel who stares annoyed at him, leaning against the truck with his arms folded.
"Ignore him, that guy talks too much." Shiva tells Axel whilst the two of them start to grab the weapons bags out of the back.
"It's not that…" Axel sighs.
"What's up then?"
"I'm not sure if leaving Blaze and the baby behind was the right decision…" he frowns.
"Blaze knows how to protect herself, remember that! Plus the syndicate will be too busy fighting us when they know Leon is here, so Blaze and the baby will be ok. You made the right decision about bringing the boy here."
"I know, I just miss her."
"It's only been three hours!" Shiva laughs.
"Yeah but…." he shrugs "the look on her face when we got into that truck…" he shakes his head.
"Hurry up fellas! We got routes to discuss!" Estel pops her head out of the restaurant door holding up a map of the city.
Axel pauses for a minute on the way inside, glancing around the street behind him with suspicion.
"Come on, there's nobody out here!" Adam shouts, encouraging him through the door.
Once they're gone, Blaze quietly breathes, still lying under the truck hoping that no one can hear her. She can't help but feel sad after listening to the last part of their conversation. She quickly rolls out of the bottom of the truck, cautiously glancing around the area before disappearing into the distance.
"Once you're up on the roofs, follow this route West and it will lead you straight to the concert hall. It's only a kilometre from here", Sargent Iraia instructs as the team climb up the ladder and onto the roof of the restaurant. The night air is cold with smoke appearing from nearby chimneys with the city lights in the background in full glare.
"How bad is it up there at the moment?" Adam queries.
"Since the syndicate operatives stopped working underground, they've taken over the rooftops of this city. Stay together and keep your eyes open…"
"Thanks man," Axel is first to bro shake the Sargent's hand.
"You and Leon take care now!" He smiles.
"I'll tell Blaze you said hi when we get back" Axel laughs.
"Remember, take it from this old man, whatever pressure you got going on in your life, you got a good family behind you supporting you. Don't ever forget that. And good luck!"
"Thanks," Axel nods. It's almost as if Iraia read his mind. He needed to hear those words.
"Bye dad," Floyd is next to hug the Sargent for a few moments.
"Safe journey, son."
The team climb up to the roof one by one until Estel locks the doorway behind them.
"We've spent hours going over these routes but who the hell is taking the lead?" She places her hands on her hips.
"I will! I know these streets better than anybody here" Adam steps up. "Sammy and Estel can remain at the front with me. Max, Cherry and Floyd, you're in the middle, Axel, Leon and Shiva at the back. Stay close to one another. You heard Iraia, keep your eyes open, we don't know what lies ahead. And be careful when jumping from roof to roof…"
The first couple of minutes are relatively quiet with only certain hazards to look out for like overhead cables. Adam was right though about the edges of each roof. With this part of the city as densely populated as it gets, each rooftop is almost adjacent and almost touching with the odd gap between, supporting a long deadly drop down to the ground.
"We must be 60 feet high now. I quite like the view from up here" Estel grins, glancing over the edge.
"Sammy, you sure about this?" Adam raises his eyebrows. Before he can finish his sentence, his younger brother has already leaped in the air and jumped over onto the next bricked roof, two metres away from the edge.
"Bro, do you need me to get something to help you guys across?" Sammy yells.
"No, it should be fine…" Adam nervously looks down at the road below them as more of the team run and jump across.
"I thought you were taking the lead," Estel folds her arms.
"I'm just being polite, ladies first…"
With ease, she jumps across without looking down.
"Cherry you cool?"
"Daddy, this is nothing!" She laughs. "Now that was cool!" She grins as soon as Shiva summersaults across, leaving Adam folding his arms and feeling hesitant. She is quick and enthusiastic to take the jump next.
"You sure you don't want one of these man?" Axel jokes, giving Leon a piggyback before making the jump across.
"You motherfucker, I got this!" Adam frowns.
After taking a deep breath, he finally plucks up the courage then runs forward, leaping high over the edge.
"Well done daddy!" Cherry is the first to congratulate Adam as soon as he lands. Their celebrations however are short lived when they notice a fortress of obstacles and thugs waiting ahead of them.
"We finally got company!" Max grins, ready to fight.
Around a dozen male punks holding knives and bats with spikes are first to step forward. "I missed a good brawl!" Adam smirks. The boxer quickly jumps then kicks one of the guys holding out a knife, taking the opportunity to grab the blade which he then projects towards a second thug in the distance. Floyd is next to simultaneously pick up two of the enemies, crashing their heads together before throwing them over a set of barrel shaped bins. "Just like the simulation baby!" He celebrates.
As the team edges closer to their destination, the rooftop neon lights become brighter and even more flamboyant.
"Wait!" Shiva halts the others near the back as he senses something suspicious above them. Suddenly eight female fighters dressed in biker jackets jump down from a higher platform behind the lights. They immediately attack by sliding forward and crashing into Sammy, Estel and Max.
"Not these bitches again!" Estel wipes her bleeding lip over her sleeve.
"Don't touch that!" Axel shouts at Leon as six more female fighters burst onto the scene throwing bottles of poison their way. Shiva catches one then instantly throws it back. The bottle shatters on the ground in front of two enemies. It ferociously burns their skin until they can no longer walk and escape the green poison surrounding them. Axel runs forward then suplexes one of the bikers down to the ground before throwing another one against the wall behind him.
"Alright!" Leon celebrates as he takes down another biker, jumping high in the air and kicking her in the throat as soon as she slides forward. The ten year old then impressively knocks her out by delivering an uppercut to the same area.
"Leon, behind you!" Cherry shouts from a distance as one man holding a knife charges forward.
With ease, the boy blocks his attack from behind by emitting a smaller version of Axel's dragon wing which also sparks with electric current. It catches the thug by surprise who ends up stumbling backwards in pain towards Axel who instantly grabs him then breaks his neck.
The team takes a moment to catch their breath back.
"What's wrong?" Estel asks Floyd who is pessimistically staring into the distance.
"Look ahead, things are about to get worse!" He hears the sound of a large metallic ball swinging in the distance with a fighter called Zeebo spinning several metallic poles that hit and move the dangerous iron structure.
"Watch out for the Bongos!" Sammy enthusiastically runs forward, jumping high then twisting his body around to deliver his signature migraine move on top of the heavyweight.
"And that is how it's done!" He cheekily grins over towards Cherry. She ends up rolling her eyes back at him. "I got better moves of my own now, Uncle!" The teenager teases him as a second bongo rolls towards her. She jumps high in the air, then crashes her guitar down into her attacker's spine before striking her knee into the back of his head.
"Not bad! You're definitely a Hunter" Sammy winks.
"I got this!" Estel says with determination, throwing a grenade towards Zeebo to distract his vision. Max works with her, executing a spinning knuckle bomb which sends the iron ball in the middle of the roof swinging violently. It strikes the half-cyborg hard when he lands on the ground, shattering his metallic armour into several pieces until he lies helplessly on the ground. Adam finishes him off with a deadly kick to the head.
"Everyone ok?" Estel shouts, noticing a pile of either dead or knocked out syndicate thugs laying all over the roof.
"Never better!" Max smirks before the group journey forward over the edge towards the next roof.