Chapter 43

It was now the early hours of the morning and the exclusive golden lobby bar inside Wood Oak Plaza Hotel was near enough empty. What would have been a bustling Friday night was now dead. Many of the tourists, business personnel and citizens who were staying in this part of town were the first to flee when the nearby explosions took place earlier. At this time, the team of fighters were unable to escape the city to return to the ex Chief's residence far away. So their old boss quietly arranged a safe place for them to stay for the night. Somewhere close enough to Chinatown where there was enough security and less risk of another attack.

This particular hotel was accustomed to hosting celebrities and even royalty, so they ran a tight operation when it came to protecting their guests and privacy. It was luxurious to the maximum, typically costing over $20,000 for one night just for a standard room. The ex-chief was a close friend of the hotel's owner who was more than happy to take in the group of vigilantes under his premises where they would be safe.

Axel sat quietly on his own at the deserted bar, staring impassively down at his empty shot glass. He had been sitting in the same spot for the past hour, contemplating what had happened earlier to Max. Axel's mind repeatedly went over every detail of the fight again and again, trying to figure out why Max would turn against him, whilst regretting the amount of force and firepower he'd used to defend himself just before his friend fell to his death. Axel was also feeling agonising guilt in his head, which remained full of unanswered questions. How did it get this far? Why did I leave him there? Why did Max turn on us…?

Axel understood how much he was analysing the situation, playing the fight all out in his mind again and again. And although he desperately needed rest, he also needed a way of blocking it out of his head.

"I'll have another one of those…" Axel lazily pushed forward his shot glass towards the barman once again. He wasn't badly drunk, tipsy at the most. Axel was still aware of his surroundings, but anyone around could tell he had been drinking more than what most others could handle.

"I'm sorry Sir, the bar is now closed. Come back tomorrow,"

"Right," Axel nodded defeatedly to himself.

He slowly stood off the stool, searching around his pockets for his room key before taking the golden elevator up to his room.

Once he was there, Axel sat in the centre on the soft carpeted floor. His hotel suite was luxurious and bold, but was now in complete darkness. He tried his best for 15 minutes to breathe, closing his eyes to meditate through his feelings. But for the first time in ten years, meditation was failing him. It only forced him to think more on a deeper, darker level about what Axel had done and the mistakes he had made. The flashbacks he was now getting were too much to handle.

After finally opening his eyes, Axel suddenly lost all control of his inhibitions and himself. The rage inside him finally emerged to the surface. Any item around him with no meaning to it ended up trashed and smashed into pieces as he unleashed all of his anger. Within seconds, the whole suite was wrecked to a chaotic mess with thousands of dollars worth of damage. From smashed bottles, mirrors to shattered sculptures and paintings, Axel could only see red.

After a minute of madness, he caught his breath back, immediately regretting the carnage he had just caused. As far as Axel was concerned, Max was dead, he was alone and his own life was a mess. Axel had no idea how to cope with these feelings that he was unable to process. He began to think that maybe the world he knew would be better off without him once again. Taking the decision to leave in the first place was the best thing for everyone at the time. Now, his powers had become too dangerous and unpredictable since returning. It is afterall, the reason that got Max killed.

Even thoughts of suicide started to creep up on him. But there and then, Axel remembered that there was still one person in this world that he could always turn to. The same person who had fought by his side and had always had his back, no matter what.

Suddenly, at the very same moment, he heard a faint knock at the door. It was almost as if the same person he trusted most could hear every thought, every doubt and every ounce of regret Axel had been contemplating. Blaze was standing there in front of him as he quietly opened the door.

"Hey, I err…" At first she was hesitant, even anxious with one of her hands cusping the fist of the other. "...what happened? Are you ok?" Blaze's voice quickly changed from mellow to concerned as she gasped down at the blood stained on Axel's fists and the mess that was behind him.

Blaze thought that possibly somebody had tried to attack or Axel had gone back out to fight on the streets, but then she quickly understood what was really going on. There was a brief pause between the two of them before Axel took a gulp.

"I'm okay….. It's late, you should get some rest," he answered, avoiding her gaze.

"I just…." she hesitated, biting her tongue before continuing. At that point, there was a whole universe of things that Blaze wanted to get off her chest, but was now the right time to say it all?

"...I just wanted to make sure you were ok. But we both know that you're not," she shook her head, staring regretfully into his eyes.

He took a sigh. "It's all my fault Max is dead. And I'm leaving tomorrow before any of this shit ever happens again,"

"Listen to me," Blaze answered, edging closer to him. "None of this is your fault. Max was sick. Ever since he got out of hospital there was something wrong with him. I just couldn't figure out what it was in time," she quietly spoke under her breath, being cautious so that any surrounding rooms adjacent to them wouldn't hear their conversation.

"That's not the point though, is it? It ain't what killed him." Axel shook his head exhasperated.

"And you think that trashing this place, blaming yourself and running away again is gonna fix this?!" Blaze's voice also started to rise with frustration at him.

There was another moment of silence between them.

"I told you, I've made my decision and I'm out!" Axel argued.

"Well then you really are lost then!" The tone of Blaze's voice had now changed to one of disappointment and defeat.

Axel frowned, "what the hell is that supposed to mean?"

She grinned with cynicism at herself whilst shaking her head. "You know what? The first time you left, everybody else gave up on you. Despite how good of a fighter you really were and your heroics, they didn't give a shit! Adam, Max, Sammy, they all knew you were gone for good and never had any doubt about you staying away. But me?..." She took a short pause before continuing. "...I never once gave up on you! I told them everyday you would return. See, we thought we fixed this city ten years ago. But we didn't, Axel. Shit got worse! You left, and I was the only one left who ever believed you'd return when we needed you!" Blaze's tone croaked, as she held back the tears under her eyes.

"I'm sorry," he sincerely replied.

"But leaving again? It won't fix this. Many people will die if you don't stay and fight!" She argued.

"Blaze, I'm no good for this city, I'm no good for the team and I'm no good for you!" Axel snapped.

She nodded in agreement, but with regret. "You're right. And I was so angry for years at you for leaving me when….." Blaze paused for a moment, biting her tongue, "...But you're our best hope at winning against the Syndicate."

"I never meant to hurt you," he softly said, gently stroking her cheek.

Blaze sighed, staring down towards the ground. "I know. But what matters now is that after 10 years, you still came back! And you're here, fighting for the greater good even if I am still hurting," for a second, Blaze halted her answer, looking into his eyes realising that she had let that last part slip unintentionally.

"Then that makes two of us," he unexpectedly replied.

What Axel had just said shocked her, as she looked up at him with disbelief on her face. The fact was that even though he had taken the decision to leave, Axel never got over their break up and this was his way of admitting it.

They then found themselves edging closer towards each other until their lips met. Even though Axel had kissed her in the spur of the moment a few days ago as a distraction, this time things were different. The two of them were alone together like this for the first time in years. It felt as if the past was yesterday.

One perfect kiss quickly progressed into more and more until they found themselves way beyond any boundary they promised themselves that would never be crossed again. With their lips unseparated and their arms around each other, the chaos and broken glass underneath their feet was no distraction on the way to the bedroom.

Everything in what followed was intense, passionate and fiery between them. Nobody had ever made Blaze feel this way and ten years now felt like a blur. The last time they were intimate, they were both two very different people. But the chemistry between them never died. In fact, it was now more heated than it ever was.

They gave each other all the energy they had, heavily breathing and unleashing every emotion and sensation without holding back. The same feeling had been absent ever since they were last together like this. All until they laid there side by side, holding each other naked above the sheets. The silence was blissful whilst the pair closed their eyes and drifted off to sleep. All of the bad times, all of the wrong in the world and what was going on outside these walls had suddenly faded away as they peacefully laid there together.

When Blaze opened her eyes, the early morning sunrise gave the room a lighter air than when she had arrived last night. She hadn't noticed the broken furniture or even the dents in the walls before, but now the damage to Axel's room was as clear as day. By her side he was fast asleep. After all these years, the only change she could notice in bed with him was the way Axel was sleeping. 10 years of learning to meditate properly meant that he could fall easily into a deep sleep once his mind was at rest.

Blaze took a moment to herself and a deep breath. This all felt surreal that they were here, present in the moment laying next to each other. But then, all of a sudden, the same gut-wrenching feeling came over Blaze, almost like deja vu during the days before Axel left for the woods. Night after night she would lie next to him with worry on her mind when she knew that it was only a matter of time before he was leaving. And now, this was history repeating itself. She could see in the corner of the room the same backpack he had arrived with, closed and ready as promised.

Avoiding the prospect of saying goodbye, Blaze quietly crept out of the bed then she got dressed to leave. Just as she was about to put her shoes on and walk to the door, Axel had woken up.

"So this is it then, huh?" He stared up regretfully at her.

"You tell me?" Blaze shrugged, taking a seat on the edge of the bed.

"You know I can't stay. Even if I did, the thought of Max…." he paused.

"I see you've made up your mind then," she gestured towards the backpack.

Axel sat up, reaching for her hand. "But this time's different. I want you to come with me." He replied looking into her eyes. "You're even more capable than me of finding the truest strength. I know it's hard out there and the process is crazy, but you'll have me by your side".

Blaze glanced down at their fingers interlocked, before reluctantly pulling her hand away.

"And you think that's all that matters? What about our friends? What about the new Syndicate? The city…?"

"We can't win anymore, Blaze! Everybody is on their side. It's different to last time".

"How?!" Blaze snapped.

"The cops were on our side, remember? Hell, the whole fucking city was on our side! Now everyone is working for them. The public have either deserted the city or they have been turned against us. Just look outside!"

"But that's not they're choice! The twins have somehow brainwashed everyone. You saw what happened at the concert! Just like what happened to Max. Innocent people are dying and if we don't do something, I can't imagine ..."

"We were never heroes". Axel interrupted. "People understand what's really going on, if they wanna leave the city, they can! What are we even fighting for?"

"I get it, I really do." Blaze nodded. "You're grieving right now and feeling guilty about Max, but don't let that cloud your judgement!"

"There's nothing more we can do, this city will always be corrupt," he sighed. "The decision is yours, Blaze. We can leave this all behind and start over, I know that's what you want. We've done enough damage and enough heroics for a lifetime. Come with me," he insisted.

There was a brief moment of silence as the couple locked eyes with one another.

"I'm sorry…" Blaze guiltily answered as she got up towards the door.

"12 O'clock. I'll be by Wood Oak bridge. You know the old place where we all used to hang out. Meet me there if you change your mind."

Most of the time, it was Blaze who had been the stubborn one in their relationship. But this time, Axel was adamant about his decision, even though it was quickly thought out. She turned, leaving him behind without glancing back before closing the door.

Blaze hastily walked down the hall towards the elevator, numb and with a heavy heart. Walking away and letting the love of her life disappear once again wasn't easy. But she had promised her team, promised the innocent people who had crossed her path and more importantly, promised herself vengeance. That was the difference between them. Axel could let go of every injustice and hate for the Syndicate, but Blaze couldn't.

For hours that morning, Blaze sat on the roof of the hotel staring out at the city alone. Wood Oak wasn't her birth place, but it was her home for most of her life. Heavy smoke could be seen in the distance following the explosions from last night, whilst screams and yells from the people on the streets felt like a norm. Those who had been placed under the twin's influence were causing chaos, attacking one another as well as other members of the public who hadn't heard the radios yet. Even though the majority of the streets were now empty, loiterers were still operating for food, clothes, expensive goods and anything they could get their hands on. The police were also patrolling every corner, beating down anyone who stood against their cause or who resisted listening to the radios.

Overnight, Wood Oak City had become a warzone. Was Axel right? Was this city really a lost cause? There was still so much that Blaze had to say to him, but she just couldn't last night. Things between them had gotten carried away last night, but this morning, the reminiscence of the past was all too much for her to handle.

She sat with her arms folded around her shins, wondering what decision to make.