Chapter 29
"Adam? Adam, can you hear me?" Blaze quietly radios but all she can hear back is white noise. She anxiously glances around the roof of the West Wing however, there appears to be no one else in sight. "I can't just stay here and wait…" she thinks to herself. It's just not in her stubborn nature to sit around and do nothing. So Blaze decides to get up to her feet then she quietly walks across the roof of the fortress in the direction of it's centre, almost 400 metres away.
The mechanical device she sees in the distance appears to be dormant with long robotic tentacles streaming from it's core. The front two legs each display a large turquoise stone in the centre, possibly with the purpose of generating electricity or energy. Either way, the gigantic machine looks heavy and deadly, resembling something out of a science fiction movie.
The closer Blaze reaches the stationary device, the more pillars she sees scattered around the roof. Half of them appear to be broken following the earlier bombardments and previous damage.
To her surprise, she then hears a familiar voice in the distance, echoing the words "Requesting backup" from another stairwell behind her that leads back down into the building.
Blaze cautiously glances down it's dark path to investigate. "Estel? Was that you?"
"Blaze!?" Estel and Floyd immediately pace up the broken staircase onto the roof.
"I'm so glad you two are here!" She gives them a relieved smile, thankful that they are still alive.
"Are you ok? Did Axel find you?" Floyd asks.
Blaze nods back, "yeah, he got me out! But Steffan still has Leon so he's gone after them. I've been trying to radio Adam on this thing for the last 15 minutes but it's no use" she holds up the small walkie talkie. "Where are the others?"
Estel then delves into her pocket, reaching for her own radio. "Hunter?! Do you copy?" She speaks with urgency in her voice. After a nervous pause, she tries once again.
"Adam, do you copy?!" This time her tone is louder.
Finally, after an anxious wait there is an answer on the other side. "W'sup sexy?"
Estel's face immediately turns from worry to a proud grin. "I'm guessing you killed off those Bongo's then?"
"And more!"
"Everyone ok?" She sighs.
"Yeah, we're on the way up. Any sign of Blaze or Axel?" His voice suddenly turns from echo to a clear sound as Adam and the rest of the team start to emerge from the stairwell onto the roof.
"I'm right here!" Blaze gives him a nervous smile.
"Thank God you're ok," Adam replies, hugging his arms around her. "Thanks for saving our asses back there before we took off. For a moment, I thought that was it".
"We're family! Besides I told you and Axel I'd save both of your asses!" Blaze laughs, still tightly hugging him. Adam glances over her shoulder, scanning the area around the roof. But to his disappointment, there is no sign of Leon or Axel.
"Is Leon ok?" He asks, feeling concerned.
"I don't know…" Blaze shakes her head, upset with tears in her eyes. Max also walks forward, placing one hand on her shoulder. "Hey, he's a tough kid. And Axel will find him…"
Blaze hears him, sighing and sniffling whilst giving Max a hopeful nod.
"Where's Sammy?" She glances around the roof, feeling the same worry with her heart racing.
"He's injured but he'l be ok. He's waiting for us to return!" Cherry is next to run forward to hug her.
"I have something to give to him. A message…" Remembering the letter that Lauren gave to her.
"Well then we'd better get our asses out of this dump!" Estel huffs.
"Blaze and I escaped this island once before, we'll do it again…" Shiva gives the brunette a warm encouraging smile.
"It's good to see you again, Leon".
"Thanks for saving my life this time. Now we're even!" he jokes.
It certainly feels good to be reunited with the rest of the group, even if it's under the worst possible circumstances.
"So what's the status of those satellite dishes over there?" Adam turns to Estel and Floyd.
Floyd shakes his head full of regret, "we tried everything we could from the control room, but I couldn't terminate the program."
Estel briefs them further, feeling just as guilty. "We arrived too late. The twins and Dr Dahm had already activated the signals all the way home".
"So what's it looking like then back at Wood Oak? Did you manage to get through to any authorities or telecommunication services?" Adam queries.
"We tried, but…" she lets out a regretful sigh.
"Hey, it's ok. We've always got plan B" he replies, placing one arm around her.
"If we don't stop this, millions of people will be under their control. They're minds won't be able to function for themselves!"
"How many explosives do we have left?" Adam asks as the rest of the group listen carefully to the next part of the conversation.
"Twelve kilos. It should just about be enough to destroy those three satellite dishes over there but…"
"Take cover now!" Max interrupts as soon as he notices the twins in the far distance stepping onto the roof. They quickly hide behind pillars, statues and anything else they can find.
"Sssh…" Adam says to Cherry ducked down next to him. The group listens carefully to Mr Y, noticing him having a heated conversation over his cell phone. They patiently eavesdrop behind three of the large broken pillars adjacent to one another.
"I told you, I don't want the Senator, I want the fucking president on the phone!" He angrily demands. "...Well, it's your choice then. If you want to avoid 10 million Wood Oak Citizens going to war with the rest of the country, I suggest you listen to my advice!" He shouts.
Whilst he continues, Ms Y cautiously inspects their surroundings, holding tightly onto her sword with one hand.
"Shit!" Adam mutters under his breath.
"What is it?" Blaze whispers.
"We can't get to those three satellite dishes. They'll see us then he'l shoot way before we even have the chance to climb down this roof!"
"They don't know you're here though, do they?" She asks.
"No. We snuck in shortly after Axel…"
"How long do you think it will take to get the explosives over to those dishes?" Blaze asks.
"5, 6 minutes. Why?" Adam raises his eyebrows.
"Cherry, Estel and Shiva are the fastest members of the team here. There's several ropes and chains by that weird looking machine over there. If you and Max can hold them, they'll be able to climb down faster. I think they could make it and detonate the explosives within 3 minutes," she explains.
"It's too risky, Mr Y will fire that rocket launcher well before we…"
"Don't worry about the twins or that rocket launcher. I'll handle it!"
"What? Wait?!" Adam tries to reach for her arm but it's too late. "Blaze what the fuck are you doing….?!"
Once the twins have turned around she emerges from a distance, running forward towards their backs with her hands in the air. As they turn back towards her direction, the smirk on Mr Y's face gradually fades then he reaches for his prized weapon, aiming in straight towards her body.
"Please! You have to help me! Steffan is evil! He's trapped me here for two days, and now he has my son!" To their surprise, Blaze is a mess, exasperating and acting distressed.
"Please…" she begs.
"Help you? I never considered you the foolish type…" Mr Y chuckles, still pointing the rocket launcher towards her.
"You understand that saying don't you? The enemy of my enemy is my friend…"
"I do…."
"I know that you want control of this fortress again and I want my son back. I can tell you where Steffan is hiding. I can take you to him…."
"You're forgetting that we're still going to kill you" Ms Y breaks her silence.
"And you're forgetting that I once spared your life. Near this very same rooftop. The truth is, I can't take Steffan down on my own. He used a robot against me and now he has Leon. You can kill me, do whatever you want with me, but after we find them.…" Blaze holds out her hands so that they can be tied.
Mr and Ms Y glance at one another with uncertainty on their faces for a moment.
"You've been bombing this place for the last hour and still, your fighters havn't found Steffan. I'm telling you, I know where they're hiding!" Blaze insists.
"What the fuck is she doing?" Estel observes from a distance.
"She's buying us time…. Fucking crazy but… shit, look!" Adam stares anxiously.
Ms Y then pulls out a wire from her pocket, approaching Blaze with caution in order to tie her wrists.
"They're on the ground floor…" Blaze starts to explain. Unexpectedly, she turns on Ms Y by executing her signature Hishousouzan strike hard into her ribs. This catches Ms Y off guard, where she stumbles backward and out of breath for a moment.
Before Mr Y has the chance to pull his trigger, Blaze then delivers a roundhouse kick that smacks his weapon straight out of his grip. She then sweeps him to the floor.
"GO GO GO!" Adam orders as Cherry, Estel and Shiva start to climb down the fortress, supported by rope with each of them holding onto a set of explosive devices.
In the distance, Blaze and Mr Y race one another towards the rocket launcher now lying on the ground. Before either of them can reach it with their hands, Blaze manages to kick the weapon off the edge of the roof.
"No! Bitch!" Mr Y yells with anger.
Ms Y can't help but look on with horror on her face as she spots the three members of the team climbing down then running towards the satellite dishes stationed by the water.
"My friends are gonna blow your stupid idea up in smoke" Blaze grins. Her smile is short lived however when Ms Y blitzes forward, cutting the flesh under her ribs to one side of her body. This causes Blaze to fall hard on the ground where she starts to bleed heavily.
"Game over now!" Mr Y aggressively remarks, pulling her up to her knees by her hair.
"Fuck you!" Blaze spits blood at him.
"Take a look at that painting on the ground! I want it to be the last image in your head before you die!" He forces her to stare down at Mr X's portrait which is embedded on the flooring of the roof with Mr X's familiar grey suit, his gun as well as his evil, stern gaze.
"What do you see huh?" Mr Y snarls, tilting his head to one side.
"I see many things. A murderer, a rapist, a terrorist… but most of all, a fucking coward! And you know what? My power was the last strike in Mr X's chest before he stopped breathing. So even if you kill me and my unborn right now, I'll know that I've made the world a better place…" she grins through the pain.
He looks into her eyes, holding onto her hair as Ms Y points her sword towards Blaze, ready to execute her enemy.
"Sworddd Strike!" Suddenly, the twins are caught off guard after Adam and Max rush onto the scene just in the nick of time. Adam's chi knocks Ms Y down to the ground whilst Max power slides forward, painfully digging the back of his heels into Mr Y's shins. Several explosions in the distance then shake the roof whilst Estel, Cherry and Shiva celebrate after destroying each of the three satellite dishes.
"Yes!" Adam cheers, quickly regaining focus as Ms Y stands back up to her feet.
"This fight isn't over yet!" She promises, gripping onto the handle of her sword. Max and Blaze follow Adam's lead, ready once again as they each hold their fighting stances.
"Leon?!" Axel has been searching high and low whilst frantically making his way through the fortress for the past 15 minutes. He then notices something strange below his sneaker. It almost feels like the floor under the carpet has some sort of seal or handle. So Axel decides to remove the rug underneath him to one side. As suspected, this reveals a seal that is similar to a sewage door but marked with an 'X' and a circle around it. He then rotates the seal which automatically lifts from the ground, revealing an escape route below the fortress.
Knowing that this is the last place left, Axel climbs down a dark ladder on the wall leading underground. Once he is at the bottom, the sound of dripping water dominates the air. He carefully paces forward, noticing light in the distance at the end of the tunnel.
Axel is shocked at what he finds next. It is obvious that he is underground and underneath the rocks. However, everything about this place seems so familiar, yet he has never physically been here before. At the centre of the caved enclosure stands a large black metallic structure displaying an X with two circles framed around it. Behind that lies a hot stream surrounded by fire, lava and rocks. Axel always knew that Y Island was volcanic, but the depths of it feel close enough to hell with fire and molten lava surrounding these toxic waters.
"Leon?!" Axel's voice echoes past the fires.
"Don't come any closer, I'm warning you!" The boy shouts back.
Nothing could ever prepare Axel for what he witnesses next. As he turns around, he stares at his son with sadness in his eyes whilst Leon points a loaded gun towards him.
"Put the gun down," he calmly replies, slowly raising his hands in the air.
"I saw what you did! To mom and the baby. Why did you do that?!" Leon shouts, demanding an explanation and staring back at him with anger.
"That wasn't me, that was a robot called Break! Your mom and the baby are ok, listen to me…" Axel pleads but his sentence is interrupted.
"You've got some nerve showing your face here again, son." Steffan confidently steps forward next to Leon.
"Let him go and we can settle this once and for all!" Axel snaps back.
"I'm not forcing your boy to hold that gun. You made him turn against you yourself!" Steffan shrugs.
"I'm not perfect, but I'm sure as hell a better father than you ever were!"
Axel readies his fists, heavily burning bright as Steffan slowly edges closer towards him.
"Then we'd better settle this then once and for all!" Steffan suggests, heating up the flames from his own palms as the two of them square up to one another.