Alpha Male (26 page)

"Please," Omega said, his face contorted with hatred. He struggled to get the words out. "Tell me why!"

Alpha didn't respond. He launched himself at Omega, crashing down like a mortar shell. The force of his attack destroyed the floor, but Omega managed to put up a protective barrier. Alpha pounded against it with both hands, fighting to gain an inch. Instead, his might pushed Omega into the ground, cracking the concrete more with each blow.

"I'm growing tired of this!" Alpha screamed, as he brought both arms down like an axe. The strike faltered Omega enough that his barrier dissipated. With a scream, Omega struck out at Alpha, punching him with the telekinetic force of a bomb. Alpha flew back, shattering any wall he hit until he landed back in the terminal.

Rose recoiled as the hero smashed through the wall and landed a few feet away. Blake and his men jumped back, leaving their captives cuffed and on the ground. People screamed out in terror as the devastating fight came back into the area. Those who could run, scattered towards the tunnels.

Floating through the hole, Omega entered the terminal and landed on the ground near Alpha. His chest heaved with short, deep breaths. He raised his arm to lift Alpha off the ground, but something caught his eye. Ivy was on the ground, her hands zip-tied behind her back. She struggled and fought to escape until one of the men kicked at her. There was an immediate change in his focus. Instead of Alpha, he lifted the soldier off the ground. He could hear a woman screaming at him, but the anger was too much. The man he held suspended cried out for help, but it didn't come. Omega smashed him upon the ground, killing him with the first blow. The man's arms and legs went limp as his body was raised again. Omega thrust him down again and again until the body was nothing but a bloody mess. Rose screamed at him to stop, but he didn't.

Omega stood there, furious with blood lust, until a loud screech took his feet out from under him. He crumpled to the ground holding his ears, crying out in pain. Everyone around him did the same, prostrate from the powerful sound. He turned his head enough to see Alpha, standing over him with a small device in his hand. His thumb hit the button and the thing went quiet.

Still cupping her ears, Rose screamed, "Get him out of here!"

Alpha picked up Omega by the collar and flew out through the hole in the ceiling.

Ivy lay on the floor, looking up as the hero and his captive disappeared into the light.

Chapter Thirty-Three.

"Let’s get this cleaned up," Rose said, still staring at the hole in the ceiling.

The men around her began restraining the people left in the terminal. On their stomachs, they laid still as the men zip tied their hands together. They whimpered and cried, but none fought back.

She walked around, observing as everyone did their allotted jobs. She examined the terminal, saddened by the conditions the people had lived in. Piles of trash could be found every couple of feet where someone had begun to sort it. She kicked a few things aside and found an eyeless teddy bear. She knelt down and picked it up. Its fake fur was crusty and it smelled of smoke. She exhaled, and dropped it as she rose from her haunches.

She had resumed her exploration when she saw Reedy standing near the dais room. He was messing with his phone, occasionally lifting it up in the air, searching for signal.

"Is everything OK?" she asked.

"Yeah, just trying to let my wife know I'm alive," he said. "She got worried when I told her I was coming here."

Irene walked up, wearing a vest, still holding her gun. Her hair was wet with sweat, and her face was pallid.

"You OK?" Rose asked.

"Yeah, I'm OK," she replied. "Things just got a bit intense."

"You know what," Rose said. "I want you two to take the rest of the day off. She placed her hand on his shoulder. "You've done a good job, Reedy."

"But what about Alpha Male and Omega Man?" he asked.

"It'll be fine," she said, smiling. "Alpha has him in custody. It's over. Case closed."

Reedy’s shoulders dipped. "Yeah," he said, unable to hide his disappointment. "Case closed."

"Don't get like that," she said. "You did two a great job. Tell Vaughn, I said so."

"Thanks, I will," he said, waving for Irene to follow as he left.

Rose turned back to the soldiers. She walked over to Blake, but stopped when her eye fixed on Ivy. The young woman struggled against her restraints. Rose approached and knelt down beside her.

"Let me go," Ivy said between grunts.

"I can't do that," Rose said. "Is this your group? These homeless…people?"

"It wasn't us!" Ivy said. "It was Eddy. He started it all. We were just trying to put it right."

"I'm sorry," Rose said, frowning. "But I don't believe you."

Ivy looked up and saw the despondent face of Jon as a group of solders marched him away. Tears came to her eyes, and her head rested upon the cool floor.

Mac approached Rose as she stood up. He waddled beneath the weight of his body, and smoke rose up from the cigar in his mouth.

"You OK?" she asked.

"Yeah, but my damn ears are ringing something fierce. Where the hell did he get that thing?"

"I uh…I gave it to him," she said, pushing the hair from her face.

"Jesus Christ, I had forgotten how loud that thing was. Where is that super powered bastard anyways? We need to do something with that supervillain of ours."

"He’s taking care of it," she said.

"What do you mean," he asked.

"I'm not sure, honestly." she said.

"Rose, what's going on?" he asked.

"What needs to be done."

*****

"Thanks for the ride," Irene said.

"It's no problem," Reedy said, with a smile. "It's kind of on my way."

"I'm sorry you didn't get to crack the case, as they say."

"Yeah, I sorta feel like it was a big waste of time. All the research, and work. It was pointless. Nothing we did led to his capture."

"You can't look at it that way," she said. "He's captured. It's over, you know? This is a victory."

"Yeah," he said.

"If you had gone in there without a warrant, who knows what would have happened."

"Yeah. I don't know, I just wanted to see what was in there, you know? This guy, he went through some serious shit. I just wanted to glimpse inside his mind."

"I don't get that. If it were me, I’d stay as far away as I could."

"You gonna make it?" he asked. “I know you were pretty shaken up back there."

"I didn't really help much. I think this might be my last job as a detective. I…hid back there."

Tears came to her eyes, but she wiped them away.

"Hey, it's OK," he said.

"It's not," she replied. "It really isn't."

They rode in silence until he pulled up at the front of her building. She got out, and with a simple wave, said goodbye. Reedy nodded as she closed the door and walked towards her home.

The walk up the four story stairs was slow. Each foot seemed heavier with every step until he got to his floor. There, standing at their door, was his wife. She was smiling, with both hands resting on her belly. Her beautiful white teeth was the first thing he saw, and a reluctant smile caught in the corner of his lip.

"The stairs?" she asked. "Bad day?"

"I don't know," he said. "I guess."

"I heard the news," she said with noticeable concern. "They said it's over. What are you moping about?"

"I'm not moping," he said, but knew she could see through it. He smiled a little more. "I don't know, maybe I am."

"Come on inside," she said. "You can make me dinner."

"What? After the day I've had, you're not going to make me dinner?"

"Nope," she said, grinning. "Get in here and tell me about it."

"That's cold," he said, pecking her on the cheek as he passed.

"You'll get over it," she said, and patted him on the ass.

*****

Xavier ran through the dark tunnels, both hands full of food containers. There were scattered boxes from where he’d dropped them before. He held the cardboard boxes tight as he wound through the sewer. On occasion, he'd turn back to look over his shoulder, but there was never anyone there. He ran until he came to large room with a deep pit. More boxes were scattered around and he kicked them, knocking each over the edge. Without a moment's hesitation, he dumped his cargo over and scooted closer. A loud smacking echoed through the room while the repugnant odor of bodily fluid drifted up to his nostrils.

Xavier edged closer and peeked over the edge. Below, the monster tore into the boxes by chomping down with its dirty teeth. It was covered in dried feces, and blood. It snarled at him, but kept eating. A sinister smile crept over Xavier’s face.

Chapter Thirty-Four.

Rose sat at her desk, staring at the clock on her computer. It said 9:37. Her hands were clasped together, and her shoulders were slumped. She sighed and pulled up a screen that said, "Notes".

She began typing the speech she’d planned for the following morning, but stopped. Grabbing her phone, she dialed Alpha’s number. It went straight to voicemail.

"I don't know where the hell you are, but we need something to show the press tomorrow."

A knock came at her door, and she fumbled to hang up the phone. "Come in," she said, running her fingers through her hair as Blake came through the door, holding a bottle by the neck. He was wearing a leather jacket, and had a pair of sporty sunglasses holding back his brown hair.

"We did good out there today," he said, pulling out a chair. "Do you mind?"

"Not at all," she said. "Have a seat."

"I brought you this," he said, presenting the bottle’s label. "Some people told me you liked to smoke, and some people told me you like whiskey. This is a good Islay; the best of both worlds."

"I don't think I'm in the mood tonight," she said.

"Nonsense, have a drink," he said, pulling the cork until it made a popping sound. "We need to celebrate."

"Nah, no celebration," she said, digging through the drawer at the bottom of her desk. She pulled out two glasses and placed them down. "But I guess I could use a drink."

"There's the spirit," he said, pouring the brown liquid into the glasses. He slid one to her and took a swig of his own. A harsh look came over his face, following by a satisfied "ah."

"It's good," he said. She flashed him a sheepish grin and took a swig.

"So, what's it like working with him?" Blake asked.

The question surprised her, but she didn't let it show much. "It's uh…it's complicated. He's great, but completely out of control. He doesn't have to listen, but he does."

"Most of the time," Blake said.

"Yeah, most of the time," she said, with a light smirk. "He can be a righteous dick, but he's done so much good. It's hard not to give him a certain amount of leeway."

"Is that why he hasn't returned with Omega Man's body yet?" he asked, causing her to almost choke on her drink. She looked away.

"Yeah," she said, regaining her composure.

"Eh, I wouldn't worry about it," Blake said. "I’m sure everything will work out."

*****

Reedy lay in bed staring up at the ceiling fan, following its slow rotation with his eyes. He turned and saw the clock reading 1:30 am. He sighed and pulled the covers off, careful not to wake his wife.

She was curled up with a pillow between her legs and one nestled against her chest. He could see the curved outline of her pregnant belly and the soft rise and fall of her breath. He sighed again, and grabbed his pants off the floor. She rustled a bit at the sound of his belt buckle tapping together, but she didn't wake.

Once he was clothed, he went to his car. The old, golden brown Buick sat on the third floor of the deserted parking garage. Reedy looked around as he approached it, mindful of his surroundings. Taking the key, he opened the trunk and looked around until he found a crowbar. He examined it for a few seconds before he closed the trunk and got in the driver's seat.

The city lights passed overhead, and he looked around at the lack of life that had become so typical. It was late, but downtown was usually packed at this hour. Kids going to clubs, people leaving shows, and the sightseers. Even the palm readers were gone. The emptiness sent a chill down his back, and he reached over to turn on the radio.

He arrived at the warehouse after driving in circles for a while. He put the car into park, grabbed the crowbar, and headed towards the building. Half way there, he stopped and turned around. Cursing himself, he walked back to the car and stopped.

"Damn it, I'm going to do this," he said, turning back to the building.

The metal crowbar was cold in his hands, but that went away the second he shoved it into the space between the door and the frame. With one hard push, it opened.

*****

Omega opened his eyes to a blurred world. His head was cloudy, and he was so groggy, he almost got sick. He tried to raise his head, but it fell back against the hard surface he was lying on. After blinking a few times, things became clearer, but he couldn't focus on his surroundings. His head was swimming, making it difficult to concentrate. An involuntary moan escaped his dry lips. He tried to lick them, but his tongue was slimy and large in his mouth.

"Lie back," said a voice. "This'll be over soon."

"Where...where am I?"

"You're with me now," said the voice. A figure stepped into his view, and Omega struggled to focus. The costume came into focus first. It was Alpha Male standing over him.

"You! I'll…"

"No, you won't," Alpha said. "I've got you hooked up to an IV that is dispersing a lethal toxin into your system. This will all be over soon. It's OK, if you want to lie your head down. There's no need to struggle anymore."

Omega expected the flurry of anger to come over him. Instead, he only felt a dizzying calm.

"Before you do," he struggled to get it out. "Before you do, tell me why. Why do I hate you? Tell me who I am. You know me."

"I do," Alpha said, checking the IV drip.

"Then tell me." he said, dropping his head. "Am I Beta Boy?"