by Joshua
“You got it,” she said, writing on her pad and walking away.
“So, where do we start?” he asked, looking at Vaughn.
“I don’t know,” Vaughn said. “I’ve already combed over the place where you got hurt. You know, the guys said the place was clean. No fingerprints, no nothing.”
“That’s weird, right?” Reedy asked.
“Oh yeah, very weird,” Vaughn said.
“Ok, so who would benefit from wiping a scene clean like that?” Reedy asked. “Other than the perp, of course.”
“I don’t know,” Vaughn said. “Someone with connections would have to do it. Or someone very sneaky.”
“So, we have zero leads,” Reedy said.
“Not necessarily,” Vaughn said. “We have a superpower perp. Let’s start with Alpha Male. He knows a thing or two about superpowers.”
*****
Rose sat at her desk, looking across at the man sitting in front of her. She was sitting up straight, shoulders back, and her chin tilted slightly up.
"I'm not asking you to do him in, Rose," the man said, with his fingers interwoven in front of his mouth. "Just show him the ropes. If you don't, we'll have to find someone who will."
She exhaled, and said, "OK, I'll give him the warning."
"Good," he said.
"You know, he's probably the only person who can stop this guy," she said.
"I know," he said, leaning forward. "That's why having him under control is so important. The people are getting scared. They need to see a clear distinction between their hero and villain.”
“Things have been calm for years!” she said. “You can’t just dump this on him because things went wrong a few times.”
“Yes, we can,” he said, getting up. “If it doesn’t fall on him, it falls on us. Right now, the public is screaming for his blood, not ours.”
He pulled the door shut and her head went into her hand as the lock clicked in place.
“God damn it.”
*****
Alpha held up his champagne glass as the entire room toasted his presence. The mocha skinned woman on his arm placed a red lipped kiss on his cheek. He smiled, picking her up with one arm and planted a larger kiss on her lips. Her legs went up as they embraced and the toast turned into a cheer.
“Thank you everyone,” he said, putting the flustered woman down. “But, we aren’t here to celebrate me. Not exactly, anyways. We are here tonight to celebrate a wonder artist, my personal favorite, Francisco Frazetta!”
The short man standing a few feet from Alpha bowed, grinning. Behind him was a statue covered by a white sheet. “I’m sure I am your favorite artist since you are my favorite subject. Tonight isn’t just about a gallery opening. It’s about years of work coming together. A culmination of effort that has coalesced into something bigger. Something greater. Tonight, I give you, Alpha!”
Francisco pressed a button on the wall, and all the around the room, white sheets began to rise, exposing the paintings beneath. The last sheet to ascend was the one on the statue. Beneath was a marble likeness of Alpha Male, posed in flight. Everyone clapped, while Alpha and Francisco just smiled.
After the unveiling, everyone dispersed to admire the different works around the room. Champagne was offered by men and women in suits, while the onlookers discussed their various interpretations on each piece. Alpha made one walk around, giving each painting of himself a moment’s reflection before moving on. It wasn't long before he was on the roof, looking out at his city.
"Is everything OK?" his date asked, approaching from the stairwell.
"Ah, yeah," he said, not turning. "I just got a lot on my mind right now."
She placed her hand on his shoulder and came around to look him in the eye. He turned his head to her with a frown on his face.
“Look, whatever you are about to do, don’t,” he said. “This mask is a barrier you will never get through, OK? So, just don’t.” He turned back towards the city and watched the cars pass by. She sneered and stormed off, slamming the stairwell door behind her.
Alpha levitated off the roof, then took off. He soared through the buildings, always keeping a keen eye on the streets below. The people of his city appeared nervous and uneasy as he watched them, constantly glancing over their shoulders, and jumping at loud noises. Things were simpler when there wasn’t a supervillain to be afraid of.
Alpha watched as a young man in a black leather jacket ran down the sidewalk with his hands full of stolen merchandise. The guy dodged around the pedestrians, desperate to keep a hold of the goods held tight against his chest. Alpha swooped down, diving in towards the thief with a satisfied smirk.
“Good, something to do,” he said.
The runner turned his head, just in time to see Alpha. He dropped everything he was carrying. A purse, a laptop, a portable stereo, and a watch, all hit ground. Broken plastic and electronics were scattered across the sidewalk as he sprinted away. The thief collided with a man on his cell phone, but didn't stop. He didn’t even turn back.
"Watch it, you prick!" the man said, looking back as Alpha swooped over his head.
Alpha was closing in on the thief right when he turned into the closest alleyway, forcing him to turn around to maintain pursuit. As he came into the narrow passage, the flash of muzzle fire lit up the dark area. The repetitive roar of machine guns pumping out bullets echoed against the brick walls. Alpha was blind and deaf as a barrage of projectiles pelted him.
His arms went up to protect his face, but the place went silent. Lowering his elbow, Alpha peeked around his hand. The white of the flash remained in his vision and he couldn't see the sledgehammer coming at his face. It slammed into his temple, the wooden handle cracking apart, and knocking him off balance. The metal clanked against the concrete.
Alpha took a dazed step to the right. Stumbling with his arms out, he felt the next blow crack against his head. He went down to one knee, but saw the approaching shadow. His vision began to clear up, and the ringing had dulled enough for him to stop the oncoming attack. He blocked it just in time. As he rose to meet the man with the axe, a low growl came up from his throat. Alpha yanked it away with no effort and snapped it in two. With the handle, he smacked the man in the face, rendering him unconscious. The only sound he heard after that was the man hole being replaced.
The alley was empty, save for him and the limp man at his feet. Blood ran from the man's mouth and a few teeth had landed on the ground nearby. Alpha exhaled his anger and frustration, then walked over to the manhole. Pulling up the cover, he was hit in the face with a powerful explosion. The force pushed him back through the wall and into an apartment living room. The sound of two people screaming could be heard upstairs.
Alpha lifted his head, but couldn’t hold it up. It fell back against the brick and mortar. He exhaled deep and said, "Damn it."
Chapter Fourteen.
"So, was it money well spent?" Eddy asked as the small group of men wielding submachine guns entered the chamber.
"The guns all worked, but they didn't faze him much," said Xavier. He pulled off his mask and ran his fingers through his drooping mohawk.
"Yeah, the sledgehammers seemed to do the most damage," Keen said.
"Yeah, he got Bobby though," Xavier said, his chin low. "We rigged the cover, and it blew up in his face, but we aren't sure how well that worked either."
"Poor Bobby. I guess a few losses are to be expected in the beginning. Do you think he can keep his mouth shut?" Eddy asked.
"He's probably not going to be saying much for a while," Xavier said, rubbing his mouth. "He took an axe handle to the jaw. But once he's healed up, you better believe he'll talk. What reason does he have not to?"
“Get the door,” Eddy said, to one of the guys standing near the entryway. Once the door was closed, he walked over to his dais and sat down on the edge. Xavier and Keen huddled around him and they spoke in hushed tones. “I think you know what needs to be done.”
“I do,” Xavier said. “Question is, how are we going to do it?”
"It's gonna take ‘em a while to get him fixed up," Eddy said. "Give me some time to think about it."
Ivy stormed through the door, pushing past the two men standing guard. Her face was fixed with rage as she approached the dais. Eddy held out his hand, signaling his men to stand down.
"It's ok, guys," he said. "I need to talk to Ivy anyways."
"You sent men out into the street with machine guns?" she asked, fuming. "What the fuck are you doing?"
"We've had this conversation before, Ivy. Nothing's changed," he said, scooting back onto his chair. He sat up straight, looking down on her from the height of the dais.
"Don't you have any concern for the innocent people up there?" she asked, almost in tears.
"Concern? Why should I?" he asked, rolling his eyes and mocking her with his tone. "Those innocent people up there worship him. They have clothing lines, TV channels, and toys all dedicated to him. Hell, I saw him on that stupid channel endorsing a damn toaster. Those people up there are a part of the problem. So, no, I don't have any concern for them."
"Eddy, you have to stop this," she said. "Please. It's not too late. They don't know where we are yet."
"I'm done talking about this," Eddy said. "I let you in here for a reason. We need to discuss our friend, Al."
Ivy's expression turned to disgust as the words left Eddy’s mouth. "What do you want to know?"
"I want to know how he's doing. I hear you two have been getting close," Eddy said, scrutinizing her face.
"Fuck you," she said and turned to walk out. Eddy signaled to his men and they blocked the doorway. She stopped and stared at them for a moment. "What do you want me to say?" She turned to him. "He's been here a few weeks, and he still won't talk to anyone. I've taken him food almost every day and he still won't give me the time of day."
"Ivy, I gave you this task for a reason," he said. "Stay with him. Help him get comfortable, and get him on our side. We’ll need him for the important stuff coming up."
*****
Reedy sat at his desk in the small laundry room, staring at the computer screen. The digital clock read 11:50. The blue light in the dark room strained his eyes, forcing him to rub them every few minutes. Over the speakers, the soft beat of bass driven hip-hop was almost inaudible.
Two arms wrapped around his neck and he leaned back into his wife's loving embrace.
"I liked it better when you didn't have homework," she said.
"Tell me about," he replied, minimizing the photo of him in the hospital.
"So, what are you working on, Mr. Detective?"
"Just going over this case file," he said, leaning back towards the screen. "I'm looking through all the cases this guy’s been involved with, but everything seems so random. There's no pattern to pick up. It's becoming frustrating. My first case and I'm getting nowhere."
"Well, it's bullshit that this is your first case. Beat cop to detective and they give you this?" she said, looking over his shoulder.
"I know," he said, yawning. "But I don't think they are setting me up for failure or anything. Just giving me a chance to get back at that fucker."
"I don't like this," she said, turning to leave. "Come to bed soon."
"I will, Mrs. Reedy,"
"You better, Mr. Reedy. Maybe one day soon we can put a washer and dryer in here." She closed the laundry room door.
He picked up his phone and sent Vaughn a text message. "U up?"
Within a minute it chimed as a new message came through. "Yea, check UR email."
Reedy opened the browser and checked for new mail. There was one message from Vaughn.
"Hey, got a crazy theory from the television. Do you remember Beta Boy? That kid that used to run with Alpha Male? What if he's the guy we're after?"
Reedy grabbed his phone and dialed Vaughn’s number. It rang three times before his partner picked up.
"I told you it was crazy," Vaughn said.
"You realize if we follow this, we’ll have to question Alpha directly, right?" Reedy said, his words coming out fast.
"Oh yeah, and I look forward to it," Vaughn replied. "Something else too. Someone’s been wiping the scenes clean. That's why we haven't found any prints yet.”
“That’s weird, right?” Reedy asked.
“Oh yeah.”
*****
Al sat on the edge of his bed, arm out, focusing on the box before him. Inside were six empty glass bottles. He tried to lift them one at a time, but the box kept rising up into the air. He exhaled and placed it back on the ground. The glass clanked and rattled with the unsteady landing. He tried again, but the box rose too fast. It hit the ground hard and two of the glasses shattered.
He gave up and lay back onto his cot. A few minutes later, a knock came.
"It's me, Ivy," came a female’s voice.
"Come in," he said, sitting up.
Ivy entered the room with a tray of food and a bottle of water. She placed it down on the milk crate next to the cot and stepped away.
"How are you today?"
"I'm OK," he said looking at the plate. It was a sloppy mess of beans and meat and a few slices of loaf bread. "Do you have any snack cakes?"
She smiled and pulled a package from her back pocket. It was a chocolate cream cake. He grabbed it and tore the wrapper off.
"I knew you'd want one,” she said.
"Thank you," he said with his mouth full.
"Junk food will kill you, you know?" she said, sliding down the wall to sit on the ground.
"I'm not worried about that," he replied. "I can't remember anything before I woke up a few weeks ago. Could death be much worse?”
"Yeah, that…makes sense," she said, with a slight frown. "I can't imagine how scary that must be. To lose all of your memories."
He took the water and drank most of the bottle before putting it down. With the plastic fork, he stirred the food a few times and put it down, and looked up at her. "How come no one else comes down here?"
"They’re afraid of you," she said.
"Yeah. They probably should be."
"You really should eat," she said. "That stuff will give you strength.”
"I'm not hungry," he said, laying back down. "So, why are you down here?"
"There's nowhere else for me to go," she said. "I'm tired of living on the street."
"I meant, why are you down here, with me?" he asked, examining her face.
"I know what you meant. I guess I'm just intrigued by you," she said. "I think you’re amazing."
"I don't feel amazing," he said, lowering his head. "I feel pretty bad. All I've done is hurt people since I woke up."
She got up, walked over to him and placed her hand on his shoulder. He looked up, staring into her deep eyes.
"So stop," she said.
"It's not that easy," he said, water building up in his eyes. "I get so angry and just lose control.”
She pulled him to her shoulder and he began to weep. Both of his arms slide around her waist and tightened until their bodies we pressed together.
"I just don't understand," he said. "I can't think about him without getting angry, but I can't stop myself from thinking about him."
"It's OK," she said, rubbing his back. "It's OK."
Chapter Fifteen.
"I can't believe I'm letting you do this," Rose said, to Vaughn and Reedy.
The three of them stood atop the police building, watching the sky for Alpha Male. A few minutes later, the hero appeared over a skyscraper, flying towards them. As he landed, Rose lit up a cigarette and inhaled deep.
"Detectives Vaughn and Reedy have a few questions to ask you," she said to Alpha Male, while exhaling.
"Reedy, it's good to see you," Alpha said, shaking Reedy's hand. "I stopped by the hospital."
"Yeah. My wife told me. Thank you for the flowers."
"Don't mention it," he said "I'm just glad you are OK. Vaughn, it's good to see you again."
Vaughn nodded.
"We have a few questions. If you don't mind," Vaughn said.
"Of course. How can I help?"
"Well, we think this supervillain may be an old acquaintance of yours. Beta Boy," Vaughn said. Alpha’s eyes went wide for just a second, but he regained composure.
"Yeah, I thought the same thing at first, but I saw his face. It's not him," Alpha said. “Hell, their powers aren't even the same. Beta has similar powers to mine. This guy has telekinesis. It just doesn't make sense, you know?"
"Yeah, that's a valid point," Vaughn said, with a tight lipped smile. "Now, if you could just tell me how I can get in touch with Beta Boy, we can question him ourselves."
Alpha’s face went sour, "Vaughn, you know my answer. We’ve gone through this before. When I first volunteered to help you guys, and again when you accused me of endangering Beta's life. My answer hasn't changed."
"If you don't, you'll be obstructing a police investigation; a crime in this city," Vaughn said, his lip curling.
"Look, this has stuck with you for a while now, so I want to clear this up for you," Alpha said, taking a step forward. "This mask protects my friends, and my family. If I give an inch on this, then I’m risking that information on getting out. If that happens, what's to stop freaks like this guy from killing everyone I love?"
"Funny use of the word freak, don't you think?" Vaughn asked, with a sneer.
"Man, you need to calm down," Reedy said to Vaughn.
Rose gave Alpha a dismissive nod, so Alpha lifted himself into the air and flew off. Vaughn charged up to the edge and yelled out, "Run away you fuck!"
"I knew this was a mistake," she said, tamping out her cigarette. "Vaughn, leave it alone."
"You heard him! He thinks he's above the law!" Vaughn yelled.
"On this, he is," she said, walking to the door. "And if you don't calm down, you will lose this case."
She closed the door and left the two detectives standing on the roof. Reedy was still shocked, but the click of the door latch snapped him back to reality.