Alpha Male (9 page)

“Come on, Ivy,” he said, turning around with her in tow.

“Xavier!” she said, stumbling behind him.

“Ivy, please don’t make me say it again,” Xavier said. The guy behind him, Robby, snickered and Xavier threw up his hand like he was going to slap him. The snickering stopped as Robby flinched.   

Ivy yanked her arm free, frowning. “Bastard,” she said rubbing it where he had grabbed her. “So, he found out already?”

“Of course he did,” Xavier said, turning back to her. “You know he’s obsessed.”

“Yeah,” she said. “Is it bad?”

“Oh, he’s pissed,” Robby said with a chuckle. “He says you’ve fucked up big time. That you might have given us away.”

“Yeah, we’ll let him tell her that,” Xavier said, shooting a nasty look towards Robby.

“You piss me off, you know that?” Robby said.

It didn’t take long before they were standing before Eddy. The omega’s leader sat on a steel platform that reached out like a dais. He lounged in a crude wicker chair as he stared up at a busted television set. The cracked screen showed news footage of the earlier press conference. Just as she approached, Ivy watched her own disguised face flash up on the screen and her heart sank a little. She could hear her words, “You claim to be a hero. A super hero even, but what are you doing to help the less fortunate?”

“What made you think this was OK?” Eddy asked, glaring at her. “What the fuck were you thinking?”

“What was I thinking?” she asked. “I was thinking that maybe we should confront him with our issue. Not a single one of us has spoken to the man; told him of our struggle. I thought maybe I could change all that instead of throwing monsters at him!”

“It’s too late for talk!” Eddy yelled. He got up and paced around for a second. “Don’t you remember what happened? Our parents, Ivy!”

“That was an accident,” she said.

“I don’t care,” Eddy said. “I don’t care! He has to pay for what he’s done.”

Ivy just sighed as she watched Eddy’s face turn red. He finally sat back down and sighed.

“Look, I know you were just doing what you thought was right. That’s fine, but if you ever put us on the spot light like that again, you won’t be receiving any more help from me, or my men, ok? And you’ll be lucky if I don’t do something worse. Get her the fuck away from me."

With a dismissive gesture he turned back to the television.

Chapter Nine.

Alpha Male woke up to a loud whirling sound from outside. He put both feet on the floor and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Damn," he said as he got up.

He grabbed his mask off the night stand and slid it over his head. The sound got louder as he walked to the large double window. Pulling the black-out curtain aside, he peeked outside. The sun blinded him at first, but after a second, a helicopter came into view.  He pulled the curtain away and opened the door. He waved as he stepped out onto the balcony. The woman holding the camera cat-called as he stood there in his boxers. He gave a sturdy wave and stepped back into the room. He closed the blinds and shade with a smile on his face.

Within the hour, he was soaring over the city. Looking down at the congested streets, he examined the scene below. The pedestrians below flowed through the buildings like blood through veins.  Alpha couldn't help but see busy ants rushing around to complete their daily tasks. He chuckled a bit, and dove down to get closer.

Passing over the cars, cabs, and buses, he watched for any criminal activity. After a few hours of this, he landed on top of the police precinct and went in through the door.

“Good morning, Rose,” he said, standing in the doorway of her office.

She was on the phone, cradling the receiver in the bend of her neck. She was writing on a piece of paper as she said, “Uh huh.” She hung up the phone and continued to write for a few seconds before finally looking up.

“How many times have I told you not to call me that?” Rose asked, rising from the chair. She walked past him and towards the stairwell. “Come on.”

On the roof, Rose lit up a cigarette and took a long drag from it. She exhaled with a satisfied groan.  

"God, I fucking hate these things," she said, looking into the cherry ember. "Every single one I smoke, I think 'why are you doing this to yourself?' And it doesn't matter because I still keep coming back. So, why are you here?"

"I was on patrol and everything seemed quiet, so I decided to drop by," Alpha said.

"Things are always quiet these days. Do you have any idea how much of the budget I've lost because of you?" she asked as smoke rolled over her lips. "Seventy-five percent."

"That's a good thing, right?" Alpha asked.

"I'm not complaining," she said. She took one final drag and flicked her cigarette over the edge. "But, I've often wondered what would happen if you weren't around anymore. Like, if you just didn't show up anymore, or got killed, or something."

"That's not going to happen," Alpha said.

"But it is," she said, turning to him. "You aren't going to live forever. I can see the lines around your mouth, so I know you're aging. This will eventually end."

"I suppose you're right," he said.

"You know, I've kept up with you over the years. After you saved me, I don't know…I became obsessed, I guess. I read a good deal about you and your impact on our city. Did you know, that within six months of you showing up, the homeless rate grew by thirteen percent? Did you know that? Within a year, it had grown by thirty. All those drug dealers and thieves, the mobs and gangs. They all supported themselves with their criminal activities and you took it away."

"Am I supposed to feel bad about that?" he asked.

She just scoffed and said, "Not at all."

"Then why bring it up?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"What else do we have to talk about?" she asked, lighting another cigarette.

"How about that monster, or the guy that got Reedy? How is Reedy by the way?" he asked, taking a step closer.

"Do you really care?" she asked.

"Of course I do," he said.

"I don't know if I believe you," she said, stamping out her smoke on the railing. She flicked it off and watched as it got caught by the wind.

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

"I saw your face while you were fighting that…That thing. You were enjoying yourself! I watched you smiling just before two of my men got torn apart," she said.

"That wasn't my fault!" he said.

"I'm not so sure," she said. "Maybe if you had been taking it a little more seriously—"

"I'm done with this," he said, taking off into the sky.

“Did you tell him about the recent reports?” asked Mac from the doorway.

“Nah,” she replied, lighting up another cigarette. “Not yet. After the other day, I’m not so sure it’s a good idea to sic him on a supervillain that robs convenience stores.”

“Is that what we’re calling this guy now? A supervillain?” Mac asked.

“Why not?” She replied.

*****

Canned goods and junk food exploded out of the front door of Leon's grocery. The people on the sidewalk ducked and cried out as the stuff bombarded them. A father cradling his sobbing son watched in silence as two hooded men ran out. Their arms were full as they escaped down the nearby alley.

"Jesus, that's what I'm talking about," Larry said with a chuckle as they ran.

They didn't stop until they were a few blocks away. Ducking between two dumpsters, they dropped their spoils onto the ground and examined them. Between the two of them, they had a nice pile of food and one pornographic magazine titled "Milky Sluts". Larry picked it up and opened it, letting the centerfold unfold.

"Damn," he said, scrutinizing the naked woman. "You ever see anything like that before?"

Al gave the magazine a passing glance before opening a can of peaches. "Nah, can't say I have," he said, uninterested. With two fingers, he scooped the can’s contents into his mouth and slurped down a peach.

"Yeah, me either," Larry said. "I mean, I seen plenty of naked women, but none like her." He tossed the book aside and grabbed a large bag of chips. He tore it open at the top and grabbed a heaping handful and shoved as many into his mouth as possible.

"How much money you think we got," Larry asked, spitting food out as he talked.

"Couple hundred I'd say," Al said, tossing the can. He reached in to grab some chips, but Larry flashed him a possessive glare. This lasted a few seconds before he backed down and offered the bag to Al.

"Sorry, bad habit," he said, frowning. "Been awhile since I had anyone to share with."

"You'd think you would have gotten used to me by now," Al replied, emotionless.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I get it. I'm sorry, ok?" Larry said, picking up a box of cookies. "We should've grabbed some beer."

"You say that every time, and every time we end up hitting a liquor store next," Al said. "After everything we've stolen, we never have enough alcohol for you." Al smiled at his friend and gave him a slight pat on the shoulder.

"What can I say, I'm one thirsty son of a bitch," he replied with cookies crumbling across his lips. "How many stores you think we hit?"

"Six or seven," Al replied, pulling a 40oz beer from the pocket of his coat. He held it out so Larry could see.

"Sweet Jesus, you are too good to me, my friend," Larry said, snatching it away. He twisted the cap until it cracked open and chugged a third of it in one drink. "Ah, that's good. How many more you think we got until that super—"

"Don't say it!" Al said. "You know what happens to me when you do.”

"Damn. Ole boy must have really fucked you up, huh?" Larry said, offering a drink. Al took it and choked down a quick swig.

"I don't know, but until I find out, I don't want to talk about it," Al replied, then belched.

"You keep doing what you're doing and we can talk about anything you want boyo."

"Come on, I wanna get back to the shelter. I need some rest," Al said, getting up. "My head is killing me again."

"Painkillers!" Larry said. "That's what we forgot to get."

"Yeah," Al replied, hiding their stuff beneath the dumpster. "Next time."

*****

Ivy sat on a patched up couch with a coverless book in her hands. Her eyes moved with each word as she read. Enchanted by the book, she couldn't hear the television that Eddy watched on the dais above her. It wasn't until he let out a loud huff that she looked up.

The annoyed young man was flipping through the channels, only stopping for a moment when something caught his attention. She sighed and watched as he couldn't make up his mind.

"I don't know why I bother. We went through all this work to steal cable and there's never anything on," he said, to no one in particular. "The fucking news doesn't even start for another hour."

"You could read a book," she said with wry smile.

"Yeah, I'll get on that," Eddy replied with a scowl. "Why are you even here? Didn't I kick you out or something?"

She rolled her eyes and replied. "Nope." she said. "You said some hateful things, but you didn't kick me out."

"You know, I don't mean to be a dick." he said. "You just really piss me off sometimes. I feel like you don't know what we're about down here."

She didn't reply, but instead acknowledged him with a simple glace.

"Don't you remember why I started this?" he asked.

"I know that your mom wouldn't want you acting this way in her name!" she replied. "I didn't know her, but I can imagine that this isn't what she wanted."

"You don't know what she wanted…" he said as the corners of his mouth turned down. "You couldn't see the fear and anger on her face as she died in my arms; trapped beneath a pile of rubble. You don't know at all!"

He got up and jumped off the dais. He rushed towards her before she could flee and grabbed her hair.  Twisting her head around until they were face to face, he peered into her watering eyes. Everyone turned and watched with shock on their faces.

"Yo, Eddy, chill out man!" Xavier said.

Eddy turned his lip up at this, but released her. She pulled away with a grunt and rubbed her scalp.

"I'm sorry," he said. "You just don't understand how much all this means to me."

"No, I get it," she replied, sneering. "You show us more and more each day."

Eddy got back up on the dais and sat down as Xavier walked over.

"You OK, man?" he asked. Eddy flashed him an angry glance, but then his face shifted to sadness.

"Yeah, I'm OK," Eddy finally replied. "Things are just stressful, you know?"

"Yeah, yeah, I know man," he said, placing his hand on the young man's shoulder. "But these are our people, ya know? You can't treat them like this…"

Eddy's attention shifted as a new reporter came on the screen. He was a neat, clean cut black man in a navy blue suit. Next to his head was footage of a small grocery store. The image grew larger, engulfing the entire screen as a white woman with long blonde hair stood at the scene. Eddy grabbed the remote and turned the volume up higher.

"Reports from all over the city are coming in today after the owner of this establishment came forward on a peculiar crime that happened in his store. His account of the robbery included some hard to believe information about a man who was able to move things with his mind. After we first aired this story a short while ago, four more owners have come forward, saying that the police asked them to keep this quiet. This is hard to believe, I know, but after the incident with Alpha Male and the monster, plus the rampage a few weeks before, we are inclined to believe these stories. Robert Lang, the owner of this small Korean grocery store had this to say."

The Asian man stood in front of the camera. His face was red from tears and he wouldn't look up. "It was terrible," he said, with a slight accent. "The two men came in with masks on and started grabbing things. When I told them to stop, one of them threw me across the room just by raising his hand. He was easily ten, fifteen feet from me. I fell to the ground and stayed there while the same man cried out like he was in pain. The next thing I knew, groceries exploded in every direction. Then, the other man had to carry him out."