THE ALTER: A Psychological Crime Thriller (8 page)

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

A blonde, curly haired little girl walked out of her aunt’s house under the escort of two police officers. She clutched a small teddy bear as she went, while her protesting aunt followed closely behind hurling questions and insults as she aired her distrust for the system of which the officers were a part. They tried their best to ignore her. They were under orders to take Merissa into safe custody after her mother’s dying words were aired on television. Her angry words and feeble efforts to resist them accomplished little as they placed the toddler into the back of the police car and drove away.

They entered a stretch of road where they could see the city in the distance obscured by miles of slightly polluted air that gave it a fittingly grim appearance. How peaceful these outskirts appeared.

“I want my mommy,” the girl said with a sad voice.

A female officer in the passenger seat was broken-hearted and shook her head. “Poor thing. She doesn’t even know yet,” she whispered to her colleague,

Suddenly, the sound of screaming tires filled the air as a car swiftly overtook and stopped abruptly, blocking them. The police car rammed into it and came to a halt. The officers quickly alighted with firearms in hand as they moved cautiously towards the offending vehicle. The car door opened slowly and a seemingly shaken senior stepped out with both hands in the air.

“You shoot old men for fender benders now?” he laughed.

“Mr. Mayor,” the officers acknowledged in surprise, returning their guns to their holsters.

The mayor quickly pulled a gun from his waist and fired, hitting both officers. As they fell to the ground, he came over them and fired some more. He opened the back door of the police vehicle and saw the little girl crying and holding tightly to her stuffed toy. After prising it from her arms, he hauled her out and placed her into the back of his car. The terrified toddler screamed as he gutted the toy in a brutal search. The mayor smiled. He pulled out a memory card and looked at it in wonder. Such big troubles over something so small, he thought.

Without delay, he left the crime scene with tires burning the asphalt, leaving two dead police officers on the road. The frightened little girl screamed from the back of the car and the mayor screamed back at her demanding silence.

An unwelcomed message aired over the police radio scanner in the mayor’s car. Forensic experts had identified the assailant in the video and Mayor Richards was now being sought for questioning. The mayor swallowed and his face paled. He turned on the radio and realized that the airwaves were already ablaze with news of his involvement with the syndicate. Another item of breaking news aired. Alverez’s legitimate business partners issued a statement denying any involvement with the mayor. Mayor Richards grunted at the betrayal.

He peered through the windshield and saw a car about a hundred yards ahead blocking the road. A male figure stood before it. It was Ryan. The enraged mayor accelerated in an attempt to intimidate, but Ryan stood his ground. As the car reached within yards of impact, it swerved to avoid a direct hit and barely made it around the vehicular obstacle. Ryan leaped over the top of his car to avoid getting crushed. The mayor marveled, surprised at his display of agility. Ryan landed safely on the ground, but was forced to make another dramatic, evasive move when a large tow truck slammed into his car. 

A police helicopter occupied the airspace above, while police cars approached from behind with sirens blaring. A few miles ahead, the chief of police mounted a roadblock at an intersection to trap renegade Ryan and the fugitive mayor. Traffic halted abruptly and a long line of inconvenienced but curious motorist began to grow.

“What the hell,” the mayor mumbled in surprise as his rear view mirror revealed a large tow truck racing towards him. The truck pulled up swiftly beside him and both vehicles commanded the lanes side by side. The mayor glanced through the window and his eyes widened as he saw Ryan in the driver’s seat. Ryan glanced down at him then resumed his focus ahead. The tow truck thrust ahead swiftly, swung in front of the fleeing car then quickly deployed the wheel lift.

The mayor became anxious and swayed his car from side to side, but was unable to escape the much wider vehicle. Ryan suddenly hit the brakes, sending the rig under the front wheels of the mayor’s car. With the push of a button on the in-cab controls, the front wheels of the car were lifted several inches off the road. Mayor Richards had lost all control of his vehicle and was now being pulled at high speed. With the police cars in closer pursuit, Ryan continued full speed towards the blocked intersection.

Ryan looked above and realized that a news helicopter was also in pursuit. It streamed the dramatic scene to the entire nation, including his wife Alice who watched in anxious suspense. It no longer mattered to her whether he cheated, or whether he thought she did. What mattered was the welfare of the man who starred in this real life action adventure. 

Ryan aimed the tow truck carefully then engaged the cruise control before making a daring exit through the driver’s door. He then swung his body onto the platform behind the cabin. The mayor stretched his hand though the car window and fired a few shots, but the car’s orientation, high wind, and the turbulence of the road affected his aim. Soon his gun was empty and Ryan hopped onto the wheel lift then climbed on the top of the mayor’s car. He swung the back door open then landed onto the seat beside the traumatized little girl.

The mayor barely recovered from the awe before they began a tussle. Youthful strength prevailed and Ryan managed to subdue him enough to beckon to the police cars that followed behind. One of them pulled up beside them. Ryan consoled the scared little girl and gave her instructions to give the memory card he had forced from the mayor’s grip to the police.

He opened the car door and the gushing wind reminded him that what he was about to attempt would put the child’s life in danger, but he was confident and calculated, and more of a daredevil than his alter ego ever was. The policemen barked rebukes at him, but the transfer was already in progress. The little girl was already halfway out of the car and they had no choice but to stretch to receive her. After carefully pulling her to safety they sighed in relief. A huge excitement waved through television land. Those who were not appalled, cheered the heroic rescue.

Merissa waved at Ryan. He gave the child a nod then climbed back to the tow truck. Before he could re-enter the cabin, a revived and desperate mayor found the courage to exit the car and make it onto the back of the tow truck. Ryan was impressed. He looked around at the roadblock and lines of traffic now about a mile ahead, then back at his adversary.

The truck continued its unmanned race towards collision, but maintained its course on the straight stretch of road. The mayor balanced himself in the strong opposing wind. Every now and then the tow truck would sway gently to the side as it teased the edges of the asphalt. Ryan waited patiently for him to make a move.

“You think saving one little girl can redeem you for all the lives you have taken?” the mayor taunted, raising his voice above the wind. “I saw Dr. William’s secret files about your Tuesday evening sessions. I know what you did when you were a child, and the monster you still are today.”

“I became a monster to stay on top of the food chain, but you...you sold your soul and this city for a few more dollars. But that’s ok. Today we both pay for our sins,” Ryan said.

His words horrified the mayor. This was obviously not the timid, accommodating detective he once hosted at his ball some time before. He moved towards his younger opponent and swung a punch. His attack almost cost him his balance and his place on the bed of the tow truck. Ryan responded with precision and returned a blow that landed the mayor on his back. He quickly got up and unhooked a fire extinguisher, then made a confident advance, swinging the safety device turned weapon into Ryan’s chest, and he stumbled backwards. The mayor quickly followed through, this time throwing his body weight and pinning Ryan against the back of the cabin with the fire extinguisher pressing horizontally against his throat.

“You’re pathetic. You think character and image really matters in the real world? We have to evolve and do whatever is necessary to survive,” the mayor lectured, pressing even harder.

Ryan stopped resisting and pulled the pin from the fire extinguisher. “Then welcome to the ice age, asshole,” he said as he squeezed, sending a large cloud into the mayor’s face. Ryan quickly moved away and took hold of the canister, then swung it into the coughing mayor’s abdomen. Another blow sent the mayor to the floor of platform.

Ryan looked around at the road block much closer ahead. He could see the police sirens flashing on the evening horizon. The police helicopter circled and lowered itself in front of the speeding tow truck, while a voice over its loudspeaker ordered him to stop. Ryan maneuvered back into the driver's seat. He turned the steering wheel, adjusting his aim away from the blockade and onto a more interesting target- a gas tanker parked along the side of the road just yards away from the blocked intersection. The chief of police pondered briefly then began a frantic attempt to get motorists out of their vehicles and as far away as possible from the scene.

Ryan was again on the back of the rig. He looked down at the mayor, partly disabled by the blows he had taken. A faint voice rose inside his head and he paused to give a well deserved listening ear. He looked across into the air beside him as if looking into a mirror that reflected a less fierce version of himself.

"You did well, Greg," his projected consciousness said with a satisfied nod. "It proves you're not just a monster. I created you to protect me from people like the mayor. You’re just a version of me that does whatever you think is necessary to survive. You saved the girl, you caught the bad guy, and you saved me. It doesn’t have to end like this. Now let me save you.”

Greg sighed and looked back at his projected self with a lot less optimism. "Look Ryan, there's something you should know," he began.

The mayor looked at Ryan who appeared to carry on both sides of a conversation with himself. “Who are you talking to? You’re crazy. Crazy!” he screamed.

Greg glanced at the belligerent old man then back at Ryan and said slowly, “You didn't create me. I created you. I’m not the alter- you are. I am the real you.”

“That’s not true,” Ryan objected, shaking his head in denial. “You’re new here. This is my life, my body.”

Greg sighed and looked at him with pity. “Do you know why you have trouble remembering your childhood? Because you didn’t really have one. You didn’t create me to protect you. I created you to protect everyone else and, with a little help, show me what it’s like to have a normal life.”

Ryan was dumbfounded. All along he lived a timid introvert who was devastated to learn of his violent side. Now he was overcome with disappointment at the thought of being, not the host, but the product of a disturbed mind.

"As a child I became evil so I could fight the evil of this world. I’m a monster, always was, always will be, unless...” Greg said looking suggestively around at the obstacle ahead. “You did well, Ryan. Now please go. You don’t deserve to face this.”

Greg watched as Ryan dissolved into the air and away from his consciousness. He stood for a quick, reverent moment then turned and looked at the roadblock ahead. The tow truck was about two hundred yards away and headed straight towards the gas tanker on the side of the road.

"Come on. You need to experience this from front row," he said, taking the mayor by the collars and pulling him towards the front of the truck. The mayor caught sight of the tanker and resisted violently.

“Mr. Mayor, don’t tell me you’re afraid of a little heat,” he said, securing him to the back of the cabin with a chain.

The mayor froze as he counted his last seconds. Greg climbed to the top of the cabin, facing his destiny with the same defiance with which he lived. The wind pressed against his face and his hair blew violently. For the first time in as long as he could remember, serenity embraced him. His life flashed before his eyes, his relentless anger and deeds of terror, but this was the one thing he was sure he ever did right. His own extreme sense of justice demanded his life, and his end had to be nothing short of spectacular. He lifted his head into the wind, closed his eyes, and opened his arms to embrace his end.

The tow truck slammed into the side of the tanker with a horrific sound that was very quickly surpassed by a tremendous blast that engulfed the entire surroundings in flames. Fiery missiles flew all around causing the helicopters and on-foot escapees to race even further away. The deafening blast subsided but left the persistent roar of large angry flames that burned with more fury than Greg’s lifelong rage.

Tears rolled down Alice’s face and she screamed as she watched his tragic end on the television screen. How trivial their quarrel now seemed. If only she had spoken. If only he had listened. Now there was no closure, no way to recover what would be forever lost.

Ryan was no more. Neither was Greg. An unexpected sadness spread throughout the nation. Despite their less admirable deeds, they had won the hearts of many, and died as heroes and saviors. Even their self-inflicted death won the respect of critics. There were acts of vengeance and deeds of terror, but in the end, there was redemption.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

“Who was Ryan Anthony Wallace?” the chief of police asked rhetorically as he addressed a large audience that had gathered for the joint memorial service of their fallen colleagues. “He was a husband,” he said looking down at the grieving widow seated in the front row. “He was a cop. Some say he died a criminal and doesn’t deserve honorable mention. He was born with his eyes towards heaven, but he lived in hell. It’s a hell we all created, one that makes monsters out of men. But sometimes a monster is exactly what we need to save us from ourselves.”

His eyes turned to a display that sat beside Ryan’s. It was a portrait of Ava wearing an accomplished smile. “Ava Reynolds- a young, passionate, and brilliant detective. She was a loving and dedicated mother,” the chief said glancing at her surviving daughter seated in her aunt’s lap and clutching a teddy bear that had undergone some repair. “What do you do when you have to row against a tide that turns into a tsunami? What do you do when even the framework of law and order seems to go awry? Ava chose to stand up like a man, more than many of us ever were.”

“Bret Leroy Mitchell. He was larger than life. His methods were sometimes questionable. He knew the system and society inside out and knew how to navigate effectively between the two. Was he good? Was he bad? Maybe he was a little of both,” he said looking down at a picture of Bret wearing his favorite hat and a confident smirk. “But above all, Bret was a little bit of all of us. May his soul rest in peace.”

“What matters is not the kind of world we were born into, but the kind of world we leave behind; not what we got out of life, but the sacrifices we make to make it better. What matters more than the legacy handed down to us or the baton we take, is how we pass it on to the next generation,” the chief explained.

The cathedral was filled, but quiet and reverential. The recent events were unlike anything they have ever witnessed and more dramatic than anything most of them ever heard of. There were questions some were afraid to ask, and suspicions some were afraid to air. Perhaps they would never really know the truth about what ran through the veins of the city and the long lasting changes that each of their fallen colleagues inspired.

Perhaps the most intriguing questions were about Ryan, the timid introvert who always seemed lost in his own world and afraid of the real one. How could one as unassuming as he appeared take down the head of the city’s leading criminal organization and a corrupt mayor? It all seemed inconsistent with the Ryan they knew and took for granted. The Ryan they knew was once the helpless victim of Dr. Conrad Williams, the one who walked in the shadow of his bombastic partner Bret Mitchell, the mystery man with a wife but not a past.

The Ryan they didn’t know was Greg. He was the one they saw spreading his wings as he rode on top of a tow truck and into the gas tanker with unbelievable calm. He was the subterranean force that they felt, but could not see, the villainous hero who destroyed in order to save.

Alice sat in the front row veiled and grief stricken. She was the object of collective sympathy. Some admired her for surviving such a twisted saga, but a few didn’t, wondering how she could possibly not have known the one to whom she was married. There must have been signs, they thought. She sat there looking frail, beautiful, and just as much a victim of the situation. This was the Alice they saw, but barely knew.

What they didn’t know was that a few years before, a wild spirited psychology student who sat in the lectures of Dr. Conrad Williams stumbled upon the intriguing story of a twisted child, Greg O’Conner, and saw an epic in the making. This young adventurer disappeared from society and became Alice. After a determined search, she found Greg and embarked upon a wild learning adventure. Then she met his alter, Ryan. He was the sweetest and most sensitive man she had ever met, and she fell in love with him. They decided to get married and she used her professional skills to keep his aggressive side subdued, except for when she needed to thrill her own wild side.

This was the real Alice. So in a way she was just as mysterious. Now she sat among the mourners bereaved and widowed, but inside her simmered from the heat of a mind-blowing adventure. It was one that she would soon relate, the story of one man who was two, a story of dynamic human nature and the power of the mind.

A faint smile found her face as her mind drifted away from the ceremony and back into the recent weeks. She could still hear herself scream with thrill, and see Greg looking at her daringly as they bungee jumped together one Saturday at Adrenaline Park. He was the one who called her as she stood in line at the rest room while Ava quietly listened from behind.

She remembered waiting anxiously at home when Ryan had not returned, and the relief she felt when he finally called. It was the voice of Greg. “Hey. Yea, we’re good. I have to go,” he told her as he stood outside the deceased Alverez’s car overlooking the city with Ava staring at him in wonder. That was the last time she would hear from him.

Then she remembered Ryan. She could almost still see him staring lovingly into her eyes and stroking her hair as they slow danced together at the mayor’s ball. Instinctively, her own hand found the side of her face. How she missed his tender touch. A lonely tear rolled from her eye and an emptiness found home within her.

She had the best of both worlds with two different personalities of the same man. She was known to both Ryan and Greg, but without each other’s knowledge. She was married to Ryan, but stole away for adventures with Greg. This was as close to an affair as she ever came.

A researcher, she used to trail him with her camera and was just unfortunate enough to see Ava and Ryan in a compromising position, with Bret standing outside the car several feet away from them. There was hurt, but now she understood.

Months later her book launched with high anticipation and critical acclaim. She became a star and so did Greg and Ryan. They would go on to become pop culture icons. The world would learn a little more about itself and hopefully would become a little better for it. The book made its first appearance online and in store windows. The title was arousing, though somewhat understated for the tale within. Still it was oh so appropriate, and simply named-
The Alter
.