Alpha Male (23 page)

"They need me," he said, getting up from the bed. "They can't survive without someone watching over them."

"I hope you aren't just saying these things so you can go after him," she said, getting up. She grabbed her clothing and threw them on fast. "Please, tell me that's not the case."

The look in his eyes said everything; he didn't know.

"I…" he said, but she stopped him.  

"Look, I love these people, and I'd do anything for them, but if we stay here, things aren't going to end well."

He sat back down, slumping onto the bed. He looked down at the floor for a moment, silent, and then looked back at her.

"I know," he said. "But it's something I have to do."

Chapter Twenty-Eight.

Alpha touched down behind a group of Omegas spraying their insignia on the wall of a brick building. They snickered and chatted, unaware of his presence.

"Another block for us," one of them said, shaking the spray paint bottle. It clattered about with a metallic ding.

"That's enough," Alpha said. "Please, surrender now before it gets ugly."

"Oh shit," one said, spinning around. "Run!"  

All four of them sprinted away, trying to escape, but their path was blocked by a large figure. The Mech had come around the corner and was looming over them in his bulky suit. The mechanical armor hissed with each step as he drew closer to them. The Omegas were boxed in on both sides.

"I'll handle this," Alpha said.

"This is my jurisdiction," The Mech said. "I'll take them in for questioning."

"This is my city," Alpha said. "Go back to your patrols."

"Make me," The Mech, settling down into a defensive position. Alpha tightened his fist, and let a small smirk creep across his lips. The muscles in his body urged him forward, but the vibration of his phone stopped the attack. His eyes tightened, never leaving the man before him. Between them, the Omegas had gotten up against the wall, trying to find safety.

"Hello, Rose" Alpha said.

"The GPS tracker says that you and The Mech are only a few feet away from each other," she said, her voice full of annoyance.

"I'm looking right at him," he replied.

"Then you aren't doing what I asked," she said. "Please, don't make this more difficult than it has to be."

He exhaled from his nose, pursed his lips, and said, "Fine."

"Thank you," she said, and hung up the phone.

"Mommy calling you home?" The Mech asked.

"Oh shit," one of the Omegas murmured. Alpha just glared at The Mech, eyeballing the suit of mechanical armor. He placed the phone back in his holster, and sneered, "Carry on.” His eyes were fixed on The Mech as he flew off.

He landed on a nearby building and leaned up against a wall. His fists were still clenched. Looking up, he saw the faint glow of lights bouncing off a billboard. Staring right at him was his picture; arms crossed, muscles flexed, smile full of teeth. His chest expanded as he inhaled. He let out the air in one big huff, while sitting down.

"How could I let it get so bad?"

*****

"It's so weird," Reedy said, staring out the window of the car. "Thanks for picking me up, by the way."

"What's weird? How empty the streets are?" Irene asked.

"Exactly," he said, scanning the sidewalk as they passed. "I've never seen it this…barren before. It's almost like the world's ended."

"I don't know what I was thinking coming here," she said. "This city is dying, and now, the only places open for food are all the way up town. I haven't had decent Chinese food in weeks."

Reedy chuckled. "You got some interesting priorities."

"What can I say, I like my Asian cuisine," she said, cracking a slight smile. "Where's your car, anyways?"

"Ah, I leave it with the lady," he said. “Since the buses are unreliable, it's good to know she's got a way around town if she needs it."

"Why don't you leave?" she asked. "This is no place for a child."

"Yeah, I know," he said. "Things are bad, but they aren't as the media seems to think. I mean, think about it; this guy hasn't shown his face in a while, at least not directly. The gangs are bad, but they are bad in other cities too. I think people have just forgotten what it's like to live in the real world."

"Are you serious?" she asked. "It's like 9/11 could happen again at any moment. I've been eating MREs for a week now to keep from leaving my apartment. It’s much worse than you realize."

“Maybe," he said, as something caught his eye. He peered out the window and down the empty street. "Pull over, and follow me."  As she stopped the car, he pulled the slide back on his pistol and checked its ammunition. He opened the door and rushed down the sidewalk.

"Wait," she said, but he didn't hear her. His gun was drawn and ready as he approached the three men kicking a fourth. They laughed as the man's ribs shattered against the toes of their shoes.

"You should've given us the watch!" one said.

"Step away from that man," Reedy said, while trying to stabilize the slight tremor in his hand. The three of them turned towards Reedy. Their faces were painted with large black Omega symbols. One smiled, flashing a mouth full of crooked teeth. Tombstones in a forgotten graveyard. He kicked the man one last time, and spurt out a slight chuckle that he cut off.

"Don't worry boys, he ain't gonna do shit," the man said, with his arm out towards Reedy. At that moment, something inside Reedy turned off, and his finger pulled the trigger. The gunshot was loud, and seemed to last forever in the dark recesses of his ears. The man's eyes were wide and his mouth hung open. He didn't fall; the bullet had missed him by a few inches. Once Reedy noticed this, he snapped back.

"I said, don't fucking move!"

Shocked, they all stood there, frozen with fear. Reedy held his gun straight, but turned his head back to the car. Irene was still in the front seat with one foot on the ground.

"Jesus, man," one of them said.

"Don't you fucking say a word," Reedy said, jerking his gaze back to them. Letting one hand off his gun, he grabbed his phone and made a call.

"Yeah, Blake, this is Reedy. I've got a few guys for you. I'm at the intersection of Eastman and Laird. Thanks."

It only took ten minutes for the armored truck to get there. Reedy held his gun, aimed at the men for the entire time. Once Blake's men showed up and cuffed the Omegas, he let down his guard, and walked back to the car. The ache in his arms didn't seep in until he sat down and took a breath.

"I'm uh…I'm sorry," she said, still sitting there with both hands on the wheel. "There's something I need to tell you."

"Yeah? Go for it," he said, almost indifferent.

"I came here to prove something to myself; that I still have what it takes. But, I don't think I do. I lost a partner a while back and had to take some time off. I thought that if I came here, I'd have no choice but the step up, you know?"

"I wish you'd said something sooner," he said, lying his head back against the rest.

"I know," she said.  "I'll turn in my badge when we get back. You need a partner, not a liability."

"Don't," he said. Her eyes lit up, glistening with the moisture of unspent tears. "I'm scared too. We all are. Just, don't do that to me again, OK? If you do, I'll kick your ass myself. We clear?"

"Yeah," she said, letting out a small relieved laugh. She wiped away a tear. "Sounds good. Just don’t run off without me, OK? I don’t want you getting hurt out there."

*****

"Things aren't getting better," Rose said, holding a pack of cigarettes in her hand. She looked down at them and back up to Alpha and Blake. The three of them stood atop the police precinct building, staring at each other. "This city is scared and it seems like the gangbangers we pick up aren't making a dent."

"We are doing the best we can," Blake said. "But these things take time. We still don't know where they are hiding. If we can figure that out, it'll be cake."

"We think they are in the sewers," he said. "But this sewer system is as old as the city and just as massive. We could search for a year and find nothing, but give us a place to start, and I will send my men."

"It might be our only option, I just hate to waste resources right now," she said. "We have to do something though. Our asses are on the block. If we don't end this soon, they are going to declare martial law. Any suggestions?" She looked directly at Alpha.

"I can only patrol so much. My only suggestion is that we might be able to set up traps for them. We know how they move, and we know what they are after. Other than that, I've got nothing. Those sewers are a maze. Unless we can get some inside information, I don’t see where we have a choice but to wait."

*****

"Where are you going?" Ivy asked, as Omega pulled on his mask. He stood at the entrance to their home, about to walk out of the subway terminal and into the sewers. He turned and looked at her.

"I've thought about what you said. I need to go clean up this situation. I'm gonna go talk to our people and stop all the gangs before they can do anymore harm."

Excitement filled her eyes and she said, "Can I go? I want to help!"

"No," he said, his voice solemn. "I need to go alone. Stay here where it's safe."

She rushed up to him as he stepped through the open grate and hugged him tight. "Thank you," she said. “I'm glad you understand how important this is."

"It'll all be over soon,” he said. He hugged her back, pulling her in close to his chest. He held her there for a moment, his hands tight against her flesh. Pulling away, he looked her in the eye, lingering there for a moment, before leaving.

"It's time to shut this down," Omega said. Standing before him was a tall white male with an oversized T-Shirt, painted with a black Omega symbol. "It's gone on too long, and I feel we've made our point. Call your men back in and dismantle this thing."

"I appreciate what you're saying," the man said. "But my boys are gonna do what they want. I don't think it can be shut down at this point."

"You are gonna do this," Omega said, taking a step forward. The glasses in the small dingy apartment began to rattle. The man took a step back.

"OK, OK, chill," he said, with both hands up. "I'll tell em. But if they don't do it, don't come looking for me. It's like I said, they don't necessarily listen."

"Tell them, if they don’t stop, I'll be coming for them.”

He left the building and headed another a few blocks away. Keeping to the shadows and back streets, he passed the alley where he’d saved the girl from being raped. He stared off into the black abyss for a moment, trying to glare through its impenetrable thickness.

Before he knew it, he was crossing the threshold of the old building and heading up towards Rob’s apartment. He gave the metal door two hard knocks and waited. A shadow passed by the eye slot and the locks turned.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Rob asked, opening the door for him. "Get inside before someone sees you."

Omega stepped into the small apartment and examined his surroundings. Despite the cramped space, the living room was well furnished. A large leather couch that didn't really fit, sat before a massive television and stand. There were speakers around the room, and a large fish tank against the back wall.

"Is this what you spend your money on?" Omega asked, looking at the exotic fish.

"Drug money's tricky, you know?" Can't really invest it or put it in banks. If I buy stuff with cash, no one says a word."

Omega made it to the end of the tank and turned to Rob. "I came here to tell you that things are shutting down. This has to end at some point, so I'm making the first move before it comes down on our heads."

"Nah, man, just a little longer," Rob said. "I've almost got enough put aside that I can move outta this shit hole city. Another month or two and I'll have enough to set up some place nice for a while."

"I'm sorry, but my people are in danger. I've let my anger get in the way. If we call this off now, they might not find us. We've been lucky so far. I can't risk it anymore. Not so you can sell drugs."

"What if I drop your banner?" Rob asked. "Do this on my own instead?"

"If you keep doing what you're doing," Omega said, his lips tight. "I'll take you down myself. Tell your men it's over. Tell them to go home."

Chapter Twenty- Nine.

"What are you doing, baby?" Hope asked, draping her arms around her husband's neck. "It's late."

He stared forward at the bright glow of computer monitor. His hand left the mouse and found its place on her arm. He pulled her closer and nestled the back of his head into her chest. After a moment, he left her embrace and turned in the chair to face her.

"I think I've found something," he said, wiping the tired from his eyes. "Finally."

"What is it?" she asked, stepping between his legs. His hands went to her round stomach and his head rested upon it.

"It's a Russian website. It’s…" A massive yawn kept the words from coming. "It's a conspiracy website. I just happened to find it in a web search. This guy claims a super powered man attacked his lab. Destroyed the whole thing. It sounds like our guy."

"Oh, that does sound like something. You can tell me all about it, tomorrow. I've gotta go to bed. I have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow, and it's all the way uptown. I can't believe she hasn't left town already." She kissed him on the forehead, letting her lips linger for a few seconds. "I love you."

He looked up, staring into her dark brown eyes. "I love you too baby."

She smiled, rubbed his head and walked off, closing the laundry room door behind her.

He scanned the page a few minutes longer and the found a contact button. An email box popped up and he typed in,  

Hello, I'm a police officer in America and I'm interested in finding out more on the super powered attacks you wrote about on your page. We are having problems here. Maybe you can help

He hit send and sat back in his chair. Within a minute, an email popped up.

I have much information. Check attachment. You think might be related to the problem with Alpha Male and Villain? A worker at the lab contacted me a few weeks ago. Not sure what to do with information. Sorry for bad English.