Red Light Hero

by Kory Shen

"That's ridiculous. How the hell am I supposed to find two thousand dollars in four days?" As he said the words, Alan realized the answer.

  "This is The Strip. What do you think?" The man laughed. "Don't think about bailing. We know where you work and where you live. You won't see us coming. You'll be dead before you know it. Got it, Alan?"

  "Let's go, Tommy," Betty said, pulling on the man's arm. "He'll pay up. He's the good Boy Scout type."

  The two left, leaving Alan alone in the alley.

  "Fuck!" he screamed.

  Someone else screamed in response. A woman staggered into the alleyway. It looked like Violet from Godmother's headquarters. Alan rubbed his eyes. Was he seeing look-alikes today?

  "Alan!" the woman cried. "Don't do that again!" She held her head in her hands. "Ow!"

  It was Violet. Oh shit. "Did I hurt you?" Alan ran over to Violet. "What are you doing here anyways?"

  "I came to find you, but then you…" Violet let go of her head to make a vague gesture.

  "Oh. Right," Alan mumbled. "Did you see all of that?"

  "Enough to get the idea." Violet was still frowning in pain, but she took hold of his hands. "Alan, come back. Godmother will take care of you. You don't have to deal with all of this."

  "Wait a minute." Alan pulled his hands away. "Did you do this on purpose? Betty and that guy Tommy? Did you set them up?"

  "What? You think I did this?" Violet's hurt eyes told the truth. No, she hadn't known.

  Alan sighed. "Sorry. I know you're not like that. I know what you gave up for me. I can't go back to Godmother, though."

  "Why not? She'll treat you well."

  "She wants to use me. You know she's a crime boss, right? She's using you, too."

  "It's mutually beneficial. She provides me with resources to do my research. Working for her isn't so bad. In fact, it's the best place I've worked."

  "So the crime boss gets a five-star review?" Alan shook his head. "If you're working for Godmother, you must be the best at what you do. Why don't you get a job somewhere else?"

  Alan immediately realized that he had said something wrong. Violet's brows furrowed, and not from pain.

  "You don't know how it works," Violet said coldly. "Godmother's the only one who would give me a fair chance."

  Despite his pain, Alan paused to study Violet. A gorgeous blonde as a world-class scientist? He knew what most other men would see first. He had to admit he wasn't innocent in that regard.

  "Bullshit, right? There's a ton of bullshit out there."

  Violet scowled. "Working with Godmother's different. I promise."

  "Really?" Alan pointed at his bloody mouth. "What about this bullshit? What you saw? Does Godmother think I'm an idiot, because there's no way all of this was a coincidence. You showing up right now, too? How convenient."

  He trusted Violet, somewhat, but not that crafty bitch Godmother.

  "I swear I didn't know about it before I came here," Violet said. "But you might be right. Are probably right."

  "See!"

  "Don't scream!" Violet covered her ears in alarm. "Your sonic attack's lethal!"

  "Sonic attack? Wait, how did you know about that?" Alan's expression wavered between suspicion and apology. "Besides from before, I mean. Sorry about that."

  "Listen," Violet said. "Godmother owns The Strip. Everyone and everything. You can't escape her while you stay here."

  "Then I'll leave."

  "You know what's waiting for you out there!" Violet sighed in exasperation. "Look, Godmother's not good, but she's not bad, either. She's not like the ones out there."

  "Like the so-called heroes?" Alan spat. "She's the same as them. Fisher, the alphas, her. All smiles and polish while doing god-knows-what under the table."

  "Fine. Don't believe me when I tell you that she's different. But you better believe that you can't beat her."

  "Why's that?"

  "You know that Godmother always gives you what you want, right? That's her name."

  "I've heard people tell me that."

  "What they don't say is the obvious conclusion. She always gets what she wants."

  They stood in silence.

  "And what do you want?" Alan asked.

  "Me?" Violet spoke softly. "I think you know."

  "Your alpha powers? They're gone by now, aren't they?"

  This time, Violet's eyes turned red. "You think that's what I'm like? I mean, yes, I want them back, but that's not all. Can't I want more than one thing? Can't I want you and my alpha powers?"

  "I don't know, can you?"

  Violet looked ready to cry, but Alan raised a hand. "I ask myself the same question all the time. If I'm being honest? I want to fuck you silly right now. Not only for your alpha powers, but for your body. I want your goddamn gorgeous body. But do I want you? I don't know if I've ever truly wanted anyone."

  Violet stared at him for a minute in silence. "Alan, this isn't rocket science," Violet said. She stepped closer. "You leave that to me," she whispered.

  * * *

  Alan woke up the next morning in his cramped room. A naked Violet lay sprawled across him. They had spent most of last night engaged in raucous fucking like sex-starved teenagers. Alan had half-expected his neighbor to pound on the walls, but miraculously, no one had interfered.

  Alan would be late for his work shift, but after the events of the previous day, he didn't care. He opened a palm, and a red marble appeared. He grinned.

  A second purple marble collided with the first one. Alan turned. Violet was awake and also smiling.

  "We're back in business," Alan said.

  Violet checked a wrist band that looked similar to the one Cover Girl had worn. "Viral counts are increasing. They should peak later today." Violet's purple marble disappeared. So did Alan's.

  "What now?" Violet asked. "Will you come back with me?"

  Alan shook his head. "I want to do this on my own terms. Become a real alpha. Someone who can change the system."

  "What if you get hurt? Alan, people already died. Please, come back."

  "I didn't mean to kill anyone," Alan said quietly. "They did."

  "I know it was self-defense, but—"

  "Not the muggers. The heroes. I saw them kill Cameron with my own eyes. Katie, too. Who knows what else they've done? Don't tell me Godmother's hands are clean, either."

  Violet didn't say anything.

  "I never expected it to be easy. You're right. I may hurt people. I'll make mistakes, like with the pimp, and I'll have to carry that with me. What I won't do is become Godmother's pet alpha for who-knows-what. I'm like a six-year-old who found a gun. Would you rather have the kid keep the gun or turn it over to a serial killer? At least the kid could end up learning to use it responsibly."

  "Godmother's not a serial killer!"

  "Are you sure? That's not what I heard from Cover Girl."

  Violet opened her mouth to speak, then closed it. She took a deep breath. "So there's no changing your mind about Godmother?"

  "Nope. Not a chance."

  "I have to be going back, then." Violet hesitated. "Do you mind if I stop by again sometime?"

  Alan shrugged. He enjoyed the sex, and he had to admit that her projection ability was a lot more useful than his other alpha power.

  "Sure," he said, "but this isn't a no-strings-attached hookup. You have to agree to something."

  Violet gave him a curious stare. "What's that?"

  "If I'm sustaining your viral load, that makes me your alpha prime. You're part of my beta circle."

  Violet frowned. "I suppose. Are you going to order me around like the other alpha primes do?"

  "No! But I am your alpha prime. If you have to choose between Godmother and me, promise me that you'll choose the person you believe is right."

  Violet met Alan's intense gaze. "I've already done that," she said softly.

  CHAPTER 20

  Cover Girl crouched in the shade of a truck in the middle of the paramilitary encampment. The suffoc
ating Saharan heat and the footprint-friendly sandy ground made this one of the worst possible missions for her. Sire had wanted to send the alpha ones, but Maiden had sent Cover Girl instead. Probably as punishment.

  She tip-toed her way to the wooden building at the center of the base masquerading as a civilian village. A man opened the door and left, greeting the two armed guards on either side. Cover Girl used the opportunity to slip inside.

  The building was a single large room stacked from floor to ceiling with wooden crates. She removed a small device from her pocket and attached it to the side of a crate, then stepped back.

  A black object, the size of a wallet, turned visible on the side of the crate as Cover Girl pulled her hand away.

  "This is Cover Girl," she sub-vocalized. "I've placed the sensor. Electrophile, you getting any readings? Over."

  Cover Girl moved to the doorway, ready to exit in a hurry if necessary.

  After a moment, her earpiece whispered its reply. "This is Electrophile. Chemical signature and levels are confirmed. Mission command, what's the order? Over."

  Cover Girl glanced at the innocuous wooden crates, a sick feeling in her stomach. That was enough chemical weaponry to decimate a major city. She had the urge to leave the building in a hurry. Her invisibility wouldn't protect her from any chemical residues on the shipping material. Probably another reason Maiden had sent her instead.

  "Complete annihilation. Authorization code X-ray, Tango, Echo, Romeo, Mike, Six."

  The speaker didn't give his call sign, but everyone knew who it was. Sire was personally overseeing the operation.

  Electrophile made an enthusiastic sound in her ear. That was the code for pure, utter destruction. No one was to be left alive.

  "This is Cover Girl. Give me one minute to evacuate. Over."

  "You have thirty seconds," Electrophile said. The bastard.

  Cover Girl pushed the door open while remaining inside the building. The guards peered at the door in confusion. Cover Girl rolled past their legs as an audio transmitter deep in the room cried out in a foreign language.

  She rose to her feet and sprinted towards the edge of the village, not bothering to conceal her footsteps.

  "Ten, nine, eight…" Electrophile counted over the radio.

  "You said thirty seconds," Cover Girl hissed.

  "I'm getting bored," Electrophile replied.

  Cover Girl ran even faster. He wouldn't risk jeopardizing a mission, would he? While Sire tolerated some bickering, the alphas wouldn't actively harm each other. And no prime would let a beta circle member be hurt without retaliation. Cover Girl's situation was unusual, though. She wasn't exactly Maiden's favorite, and everyone knew that. Was this part of Maiden's punishment?

  "Asshole," Cover Girl muttered.

  "I see you," another voice said. That would be HumiliT. "Or rather the trail of dust you're kicking up. Don't worry. I'll keep your sector clear. Electrophile, stop goofing off."

  "Figures. One weakling covering for the other," Electrophile sniped back. "Don't forget what happened to Hotshot."

  "Shut up and focus on the mission," HumiliT said.

  Electrophile grumbled something Cover Girl couldn't understand. "EM blackout in three, two, one…"

  The radio went silent as Electrophile blocked all transmissions in the area. The quiet didn't last for long. Gunfire and screams erupted from the far side of the village.

  In front of her, a figure streaked back and forth, leaving a trail of dead bodies in its wake.

  Cover Girl flashed visible for a second. "I'm here." She turned invisible again.

  The blur raced over to where Cover Girl had last turned visible. HumiliT appeared, dressed in a combat uniform with desert camouflage.

  She pointed behind her as she spoke to the empty air. "I've cleared the way. Go."

  Cover Girl flickered for a millisecond in response. "Thank you." But HumiliT was already gone, leaving more death in her wake. A group of ten men arrived carrying cheap assault rifles. Before they could fire a single bullet, all ten fell over with broken necks.

  Cover Girl turned away from the carnage. She had done her job. That they needed her was a small measure of reassurance that the alphas were on the right side. Electrophile and HumiliT could easily wipe the village off the map themselves. They only needed her to confirm the target while avoiding exposure in case the intelligence had been faulty. She was the safety check to make sure they weren't slaughtering innocents. Cover Girl looked back one last time at the dying village. Well, at least not too many innocents.

  Still, Sire had been sending the alphas on more and more military expeditions over the last several weeks. It was a counterattack. Fisher had accused them of aiding a rogue alpha threat and tampering with PIERCR's operations. The last part was certainly true, even if he had no evidence. Stalker would have been thorough.

  Cover Girl didn't like their increased overseas involvement, but it was Sire's way of proving to the top brass that the alphas were indispensable while distracting them from PIERCR's complaints. She didn't like it. What was Sire thinking? Once the military had a taste of alpha power, they would want more and be unwilling to let it go. Alpha powers were the ultimate addiction, whether to an organization or to a person. Was that what Sire wanted?

  Cover Girl reached the safety of a rocky outcropping several hundred meters away from the village. Screams echoed in the distance. Even in the harsh glare of the desert sun, Cover Girl had to shade her eyes at the bright flashes of light signaling Electrophile's handiwork.

  What would happen once word of their military involvement came out? Alphas had public support at home as domestic heroes. Ever since alphas had gone public, other countries had made wild accusations against the phantom threat to national sovereignty. Those threats weren't baseless anymore.

  Electrophile's blackout abilities would keep their activities secret for a time from modern forces. Even as stories and rumors spread, though, the military would be hungry for more. They couldn't rely on killing off all witnesses at isolated installations like this one. Tension between countries would rise.

  All of this would mean more cloak and dagger work for Maiden's beta circle, especially Cover Girl. More than ever before, Cover Girl wanted to step away from it all.

  She enjoyed the thrill of being an alpha, the excitement of field work that the most celebrity-studded red carpet event couldn't replicate. But at the end of the day, she had wanted others to see her as a hero, not a soldier. It was why she spent countless hours at charity events as Page Glory. She didn't want others to see an air-headed bimbo banking on her good looks — and certainly not a cold-hearted mercenary for hire.

  With the direction Sire was taking the alphas, there was no way Cover Girl would turn Alan over to him. She couldn't go against the others directly, though. She'd have to do what she always did.

  Watch and wait.

  * * *

  "Watch out!"

  A stack of metal containers as tall as the enormous warehouse tipped over and came crashing down. As several tons of metal rained down on him, Alan dropped to the ground and created a red dome around himself. The ear-piercing clatter of metal continued for another ten seconds, then tapered off.

  "My lucky day," Alan muttered. He hoped no one had seen him use his alpha power, but he hadn't had much choice. Could he release the dome? He tentatively shrank the dome by a centimeter radius in all directions. The mountain of meter-sized containers shifted with a loud groan.

  Shit. No, he couldn't drop the red dome yet.

  A steady clink of people clearing the pile of metal became louder. He waited in the pitch black for around fifteen minutes before spots of light appeared. He dropped the red dome and winced as metal caved in on him. He'd have bruises in the morning, but the bulk of the weight had been cleared away.

  "Over here!" he called out.

  Hands appeared, pulling the metal boxes away, and then the familiar faces of his workmates sighing in relief.

  "Thank
god. You're alive!" A hand reached out to grip Alan's arm.

  "Am I glad to see you guys," Alan said.

  "Careful. He may have internal injuries," a voice said.

  "Some bruises, but I think I'm okay," Alan said.

  Several minutes later, a battered but otherwise healthy Alan was standing before the rest of the crew.

  "How the hell did you survive that?" It was John, the shift manager.

  Alan tapped his hard hat. "Personal protective equipment. That OSHA shit you're always nagging us about paid off."

  John stared at him, then shook his head. "At least one of you was lucky."

  "One of us?" Alan looked around the warehouse. "What happened?"

  John met Alan's eyes with a somber expression. "Sam's legs were crushed, and we think his back's broken. The paramedics took him away, but…the poor man probably won't walk again."

  The other crew members cursed. Another made the sign of the cross.

  Something pale caught his eye. A shirtless figure's light body contrasted sharply with the dark blue walls of the warehouse. The figure was near the doorway, maybe a hundred yards away. Alan's nostrils flared. That had to be him.

  "Hey!" Alan yelled while running towards the warehouse door. The crew around him seemed to wince and step away from him.

  Alan ran towards the warehouse's entrance, but he tripped over an errant metal container still left from the accident. When he picked himself up, the man had disappeared. He raced outside and looked in all directions, but he couldn't spot the shirtless man. It had to be him. Tommy. The one with the Cover Girl look-alike.

  The realization of what had happened twisted his stomach. That had been a warning. He still had two days to pay back the man, but he had made no progress on collecting the two thousand dollars.

  He had been lucky this time, but Sam hadn't. Sam had lost his legs and his livelihood, all because of him. No, because of Tommy, or, if his guess was right, because of Godmother. This wasn't part of her twisted plan, was it? How could Violet see what Godmother was doing and let it slide?

  Alan's face darkened with a murderous rage. If he saw Tommy again, he would kill the bastard without hesitation. He should have screamed and ended it all back when they had first met. The girl, Betty, would have died too, but she wasn't innocent, either. What if Violet had been nearby, though?