Alpha Male (18 page)

Alpha covered his face with his hand, hiding from the woman and the cameraman.

"It's OK," she said, placing her hand on his shoulder. "You've done so much good for this city. It was an accident. You have to forgive yourself."

"Yeah, I try every day," he said, turning back to them. “But it’s just so hard sometimes.”

He paused for a moment, took a deep breath, and regained his composure.

“Are you able to continue?” she asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

“It’s been years since it happened,” she said. “It’s the ten year anniversary of that tragic incident. People want to know, do you, or anyone else for that matter, have any idea where Eddy Wright is now?”

“No,” he said. “It’s actually a heartbreaking story, and one that spurred the initiative into motion. After losing his family, the boy had no one to else to go to, so he got put into a foster home. I was told he wasn’t there a month before he ran off. As far as I know, no one has heard from, or seen him since.”

“Oh, that’s so awful,” she said, shaking her head.

“Yeah, it really is,” Alpha said. “I was told he was actually a very intelligent boy with a bright future ahead of him. This all just adds to my guilt, you know?”

“Oh yes, but, for every Eddy Wright, you’ve saved so many more people. With everything going on right now, this city needs you now, more than ever.”

“Thank you Rachel,” he said, smiling.

She turned back to the camera and held the mic up to her face. “I’m Rachel Dobbs, thank you for tuning in.”

*****

“Can you believe this shit?” Eddy said, throwing the remote at the television. It missed, but shattered when it hit the ground. “That fucking asshole; getting on there and talking about me and my family like he gives a shit?”

“What do you want to do about it?” Xavier asked.

"It's time," said Eddy, fuming. His lips clenched as he glared at the television set.

"I think so too," Xavier said. "We've done enough sitting around."

"Um, Eddy, I think you should see this," said Jon, from the doorway.

"Not now," Eddy said, without turning.

"It's that thing," Jon said. "Like, from before. The monster we found down in the sewer?"

Eddy’s eyes perked up and he turned to look. "What are you trying to tell me?"

"We found the other one," Jon said, struggling to get the words out.

Eddy shined a flashlight down the tunnel and saw the white mass lying on the ground. Its chest heaved with every breath, but it didn't move. Eddy’s light exposed the pooled blood and chunks of flesh on the ground around it.

"What happened?" he asked.

In a frantic, bumbling voice, he said, "It, uh…It killed a few guys, because they didn't see it, but it's not moving much now. We think it's starving."

"Where are the bodies…? Never mind," Eddy said as the awful realization came to him. He took a few steps closer, fixed on the thing as it turned its head and looked him. The blinding light was too much, so the creature covered its eyes and groaned.

"Look at it," Eddy said, taking a few more steps forward. Its size had diminished and now the skin hung off it where the bulging muscles once were. It was still massive, and he could see the raw power it still held, but the thing was suffering. It groaned in pain, and rolled to its side.

"I bet it got lost down here, and without much food," Eddy said, turning back to Jon and Xavier. "Here's what I want. Jon, you need to get some good food for this thing; lots of it. Feed it for a day or two, but no more than that. When you bring the last bit of food, I want you to make a trail leading back to the pit where we found the first one, ok?"

"A trail?" Jon asked, looking over Eddy’s shoulder into the darkness.

"Of food," Eddy said, turning back to the monster. "This just became plan B."

"But uh, why me?" Jon asked.

"Because," Eddy said, turning and walking up to the boy. He placed his hand on Jon’s shoulder and looked him in the eyes. "You're the only one I trust to do this, OK?"

"OK," Jon said, through the lump in his throat.

"Now, on to plan A," Eddy said, walking out.

*****

"I'm scared," Al said. Ivy took his hand in hers and looked him in the eye.

"That's OK," she said. "I'd be scared too if I didn't remember anything."

"It's not just that," Al said, looking down. "I have all this anger inside me, and all this power. I'm afraid of what I'm capable of."

"You've been practicing right?" she asked, bending a bit to meet his gaze. His head followed hers until their eyes met again.

"Yeah, I have,” he said, pointing at the box of bottles. He lifted it up into the air, and brought each bottle out, one at a time. They began to orbit around the box. It wasn't until they started to spin that she clapped.

"Oh my god, you've gotten so good!"

"There's not much else to do down here," he said, smiling. "I got you something."  Reaching behind the bed, he pulled up a brown paper bag and handed it.to her. Her eyes went wide as he placed the gift in her lap.

"You got me a gift?" she asked. She unfolded the top and looked into the bag. Her eyes became quizzical as she reached in and pulled out a carton of milk.

"Where did you get this?" she asked.

"I got one of the boys to pick it up for me," he said, smiling. It's what you said you wanted, right?"

"They didn't tell you that it needed to stay cold, did they?" she said. "Milk goes bad if you don't put it in a refrigerator."

He's face sunk as he looked at the white container in her hand. She turned to him grinning wide as he looked at her, disappointed. Their gazes met once more and the smile slowly faded from her face. She kissed him with all the passion she could muster, and he pulled away.

"What are you doing?" he asked. She looked stunned, but then a playful grin appeared and she kissed him once again. This time, he didn't pull away. Instead, he met her lips with equal fervor and they were lost for a moment in each other’s embrace. It wasn't until the bottles fell and crashed to pieces that they stopped. He looked shocked by the mess, but she just laughed. He saw her happiness and followed her in laughter.

"We could leave, you know?" she said. "Get away from this city and Alpha…And him."

"I can't," he said. "I need to know why I hate him so much. And, I believe in what Eddy’s doing. He's helping all of us live better lives. He needs my help for that."

"He's just," she said, but the words didn't come.

"Eddy and I agree that I have a connection to Alpha…" He took a deep breath and said, "Alpha Male. We don't know what, but until I do, I can't leave. It may be the only opportunity I have to figure out who I am. I've heard this rumor that I'm his long lost side kick. If it's true, he's the only person who knows."

She grabbed his arm and said, "But what if you can't control yourself when you see him? What if this rage isn’t controllable?"

"It's OK," he said, taking her hand off his arm and holding it. "Eddy and I agree that I'm not to be around him until it is."

"And what if that never happens?" she said.

His face went sour as he pulled away. "I don't understand why you are being this way."

"I care about you, Al. I don't want anything to happen, and sometimes, I don't think Eddy does."

"He does," Al said. "I promise." He leaned in to kiss her again. Their lips touched, but the passion wasn't there. As they pulled away from each other, a knock came at the door. It was Jon.

"Eddy says we've got another job to do tonight and he needs you."

"Tell him I'll be there," Al said.

Jon forced a smile for Ivy and said, "He said to bring the suit." Jon turned away from the door and left.

*****

"I need another one," Rose said, to the man across the desk from her. His mouth formed into a frown as he glared at her, not speaking

His office was dark, and gloomy, with few personal effects and even less personality. The walls had no decorations, just a large television set mounted a few feet away. The desktop was clean and meticulous; barren, save for the assorted office supplies. In front of him sat a large open file

"Look, I'm sorry, but…"

"You're sorry?" he asked, finally moving. "You've lost a piece of equipment that's designed to take out a god damned super hero, and you're sorry?"

"Yes," she said, rigid.

“You’re fired,” he said, closing the file. “Expect a formal investigation soon to determine whether or not you were secretly working with Alpha Male to derail this operation.”

“No, please,” she said, stunned. “I’m not working with him. I…I seriously lost it, OK. Please, don’t do this. I’ll fix this.”

Her words gave him pause. He peered at her for a moment before looking away. His eyes darted back to hers. “Ok, I'll give you one more, but this is it, Rose. You've fucked up one too many times. You don't get another chance. Are we clear?”

"Yes," she said, clearing her throat. “Yes.”

"You can leave now," he said. "Oh, and Rose, we've been given the green light on a new tactical unit to come in and help clean up this mess. I thought you should hear it from me first. Also, I want it known that I’m only doing you this favor because Alpha seems to like you, and has a history of cooperating with you. That’s your only bargaining chip here."

She walked out of his office and went towards the elevator. She was already in before the door was even halfway open, pressing the button for the top floor. Fidgeting around, she searched her pockets for cigarettes and a lighter. When the elevator opened, she stepped out and headed towards the stairwell.

"Does anyone have a goddamned cigarette and lighter?" she asked. The workers at their desks all looked up but no one responded. Her heels clicked on the concrete stairs, frustration rising with each step. With a strong push, she opened the door to the outside world, the breeze hitting her in the face. It wasn't until the door closed that she let out a throat splitting scream.

"Are you OK?" Alpha ask, from behind her.

She spun around, shocked. "What the fuck are you doing up here?"

"I was waiting on you," he said. "I sent you a text to meet me here."

"Oh, I uh, I didn't get it," she said, wiping the angry tears from her eyes.

"Are you OK?" he asked again.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said. "Things are just…getting a little crazy."

"It's alright," he said. "Things have been so easy for so long, I don't think any of us were prepared for it to get this bad so fast."

"Why can't you fix this?" she asked, stepping closer to him.

"I'm trying," he said. "Their tactics are hard to follow. It's not like the old days when the criminals were lazy and careless."

"Yeah," she said. "You don't have a cigarette, do you?"

He smiled and shook his head. "I don't smoke."

"Yeah, me either," she said with a shrug.

"I'm doing everything I can," he said.

"Yeah, I guess it's just not enough right now," she said. "Apparently, the assholes in charge have got a tac unit together to fight this thing."

'I guess we're just gonna have to beat ‘em to it," he said with a sly smile. She glanced over at him, and returned a small smile.

"You can’t say anything to anybody about what I'm about to do," she said.

"OK," he said, eyeing her.

She approached, without making eye contact, and wrapped her arms around him. He could feel her sobbing against his chest as she held him tight. Every so often, she’d tighten her grip, trying to squeeze him as hard as she could.

Chapter Twenty-Two.

"So, my buddy in Vice says that drugs are hitting the streets in large quantities," Vaughn said. “Like Escobar large.”

"Jesus," Reedy said. "So it’s true, things really are going down the toilet."

"Eh, it's bad, but statistically, we’re still pretty low.  Lower than the second lowest city in America, I'd say."

"You say a lot of things," Reedy said, sneering.

"Fuck you," Vaughn said, without missing a beat. "So, yeah, things are going to shit, but not as much as the media wants you to think. Which leads me to my point; things are maintaining at low numbers because the Omegas are keeping the competition weeded out. Word is, this recent surge is coming from one or two guys, tops."

"What does that mean for us?" Reedy asked. "We aren't Vice."

"No, but if we catch the supplier, we might be able to get some information on our guy," Vaughn said, with a hopeful smile.

"They say he wears a costume now," Reedy said. “The blurry photos are popping up all over social media. It’s like goddamned Bigfoot. We’ve got Closed Circuit TV cameras, and Phone videos, and not a single one has a clear picture!”

"Yeah, I heard," Vaughn replied, looking through some papers. "Have you seen it? It's just like the one from that cartoon. Papers have already started calling him—” Vaughn looked up at Reedy, “Omega Man."

A smile came over Reedy’s face. "I almost got killed by a real life supervillain."

Vaughn just stopped, paused for a second, and started chuckling. "It's so weird when you say it like that. You're taking it pretty well."

"I mean, it's one of those things," said Reedy, pulling the chair out to sit down. "If this hadn’t happened, I wouldn't be a detective right now."

"Don't say that," Vaughn replied. "I don't want to hear any of that serendipity, fate bullshit, OK?"

"I'm just saying, it’s hard for me to stay mad. I was in a lot of pain, but I'm fine now. Nothing permanent happened. I got better, and I was offered a new job with better pay."

"Look, we are the ones in control. It's our lives, and each man has to live with the choices and consequences of that life. You can forgive this guy all you want, but it's not cosmic intervention, or fate. It's you, coping with a very awful thing that happened; stitching pieces together because you don't have all the answers."

"Jesus man," Reedy said, throwing his hands up. "I didn't realize that was such a sore spot."

"Ugh, it's not," he said, dropping his head down. "Sorry, things are just stressful right now."

"Maybe some good news will help relieve that," Reedy said, with a big smile. "My lady's pregnant."