by Joshua
"It’s all I've got for ya," he said, looking down at the pathetic man, who was lying in his own piss. The stench was strong, but Larry was used to it.
"Thank you," the man said.
"Do ya need a hospital?" Larry asked, leaning over to examine the naked man’s body.
"I don't think so," he replied, sitting up.
“Are you hungry?” Larry asked, placing his hand on the man’s shoulder.
“Get dressed, I know a place that might be taking people like us,” Larry said, turning away.
“Oh, thank you. You don’t know how hard it’s been,” the man replied, pulling on the pants.
“Trust me boy, I do,” Larry replied, turning back to face his new friend. “I’ve been out here for quite some time. What’s ya name by the way?”
The man paused for a moment as he tried to think, but the words hung in his mouth. His face distorted into fright and he looked up at Larry, meeting his gaze, and said, “I don’t know.”
Chapter Three.
"Where the fuck have you been?" Rose asked through thin, angry lips as Alpha landed on the roof beside her. "I said this morning."
"Look," Alpha said, with both hands out flat and his brow flared. "I was busy, OK?"
"I am the only reason you're still in tights, and not behind bars," Rose said. "Vigilantism is still illegal, last I checked. You're only tolerated because you've proven useful in the past. You got that?"
"Oh yeah, loud and clear," he replied. "Now tell me, why am I here?"
Rose glared at him from behind her glasses with dark, menacing green eyes. Her long, auburn hair hung by her slender face on each side, contrasting with her pallid complexion.
"There was another incident last night," she said, as her expression shifted to disappointment. Then, she redirected her attention to the city and said, "And the mayor wants you to do a press conference. He thinks the people will respond well to you. It's at 4 o'clock. Be there early."
She dug through her pocket and pulled out a smashed packet of cigarettes. She bit the filter, and brought a lighter to the tip, striking it a few times.
"Great," he replied, shielding the flame for her. The spark flamed and the glowing red ember brightened. "Is that all?"
"No," she said; exhaling the smoke. She pulled a small piece of tobacco off her lip and flicked it. "I need you to be on the lookout for a new gang. They call themselves Omega, after the villain in that stupid cartoon of yours."
"What?" he asked, surprised. "What do you mean gang? Please don’t tell me someone is stupid enough to move in on my city.”
"Criminals can be stupid," she said, handing him photographic evidence of a teenaged boy selling drugs. The back of his black hoodie was adorned with a large, white omega symbol.
"I don't understand," Alpha said, looking up. "Why should I concern myself with this? I mean a few drug deals is sort of your jurisdiction, right?"
"Do I need to explain why this is important to you?" she asked, snatching the photo. "They created this gang to spit in your face. It's nothing but a big fuck you." As the words left her lips, a smile formed on the corners of her mouth.
"Seems like that’s becoming more and more popular these days," he said, turning to leave.
"Don't take it personally," she said. "You've done too good of a job, and now, they don't feel like they need you anymore."
"Yeah," he said, getting ready to take off.
"Before you go, do you have any leads on this crazy bullshit?" she asked.
He turned back to her with a straight, serious mouth and said, "I'm working on it."
"Good," she replied, as he flew away. She stood there, finishing her cigarette, watching until he was gone from sight.
*****
Ivy and Jon stood in the shadows of the dark alleyway, waiting for their next victim. In her late 20's, Ivy stood at 5'9, while Jon was a measly 5'6. Both had blonde hair, but hers was brighter, more vibrant than his dirty, near brown shade.
They both watched as a woman walked by in expensive workout clothing, carrying an MP3 player on one hip, a brand new cellphone on the other, and a nice chunk of diamond on her finger. She wore the best labels and flaunted their logos with each step.
Ivy looked at Jon with her bright blue eyes, and nodded. He grinned and cracked his knuckles in preparation. Together, they snuck up on the woman, as she jogged in place, waiting for the light to turn.
They waited at the edge of the alley, peering out at their prey. Ivy held Jon’s shoulder, restraining him from their task.
"Remember, in and out. We don't want her hurt, ok?" Ivy said.
"I know, I know," Jon replied, anxious.
"Go then," Ivy said, releasing her grip on him. Jon ran, closing the distance between him and the woman. Before she could figure out what was happening, he had the phone and the MP3 player in his hands. She flailed at him, screeching as she did. Jon took a slap to the face, and Ivy giggled at the scene.
"Bitch," he said, trying to grab her hand while she continued to slap with the other. "Give me that ring!"
The woman’s foot went straight into Jon’s testicles, crumpling the boy over. Kicking him with her running shoes, the woman became enraged. She connected with his ribs over and over until Ivy tackled her to the sidewalk. A group of onlookers gathered around to watch the scene.
"Let go!" the woman said, as Ivy did her best to wrestle the rock from her finger.
"Give me the damn ring," Ivy said through grunts.
"Come on," Jon said, grabbing Ivy's shoulder. "We've gotta go!"
"Ha!" Ivy said, pulling the ring from the woman’s finger.
"You bitch!" the woman screamed, while trying to punch her attacker. Ivy jumped to her feet, dodging the quick attack and darted towards the alleyway.
"Give me back my ring!" the woman screamed with tears in her eyes.
"Holy shit!" Ivy said, running through the alley. "What happened back there?"
"What do you mean?" Jon asked, panting.
"You got your ass kicked by a girl," she replied with a smile across her face.
"She was a full grown woman!" Jon said. "You said we couldn't hurt her!"
"Who knew she would fight back so much," Ivy replied. "Those upper east side bitches usually fold; no problem."
Once around the corner, they slowed their pace and made for an open manhole that was tucked away in a dark corner. Scanning the area, Ivy let Jon go first, then climbed down a few rungs. She strained to pull the cover back over the hole, grunting as she slid it across the pavement. Jon was waiting for her at the bottom, flashlight in hand.
"You really should let me do that," he said, as she stepped down.
“I don’t need you to do anything for me,” she said, shooting him a look. “Come on, we need to get back.”
With Jon lighting the way, they walked through the long, empty passages of the damp sewer system. Conduits the size of their arms ran down along the ceiling, while the sound of flowing water could be heard somewhere nearby. They followed a set of small white chalk marks, but they didn’t look up for them. The little indicators were written at the tops of each corner they needed to take, but they had the path memorized.
"How much do you think we could get for this stuff?" Jon asked.
"I don't know," she said. "A couple hundred each, maybe."
"That’s it?" he asked. “The stone is huge!”
“Yeah, but who’s going to pay us what it’s worth?” she asked. “A fence like O’Toole will have trouble getting rid of it.”
“That sucks,” Jon said.
“That’s just not the way it works. That diamond could be worth millions and O’Toole would only give us a fraction of that. Look at the bright side, we’ll eat like kings tonight. All of us.”
As the words left her lips, they stepped out of the tunnel, and into an abandoned train terminal. Shanties, and tents covered the tiled floors, while ragged people wandered around living out th
eir lives. They passed a group of men, huddling over a burn barrel, talking about the “good ole days”. The strong smell of burning plastic assaulted their nostrils, forcing Ivy to stop.
“The rules are simple Peter,” she said, to the man nearest her, gritting her teeth as the words came out. “We can’t be burning plastic and other harmful things. You’re poisoning everyone here!”
“I’m cold!” he replied, holding his hands over the blue green flames.
“Yeah, we’re cold!” said the other two.
“No, you’re a junkie. You all are, and the only reason you stay here is by the grace of Eddy and his group,” she replied, pointing her finger in their faces.
“We all play a part,” Peter said, sneering at her.
“For now,” Jon said, leering at Peter as he turned and walked off.
“Ivy!” said a young girl, running up to them. “You’ve gotta come see.”
“What is it, Emily?” she asked.
“Eddy and them found something in the farther sewers,” Emily said, her voice rising with excitement. “It's some kind of monster caught in one of the tunnels!”
*****
Reedy stood on the corner, talking to the hysterical woman while the EMTs treated her wounds. They placed an ice compress on her face, and told her to hold it there. She pressed it hard, then rested her head on it.
“They came out of nowhere,” she said, pointing towards the alley. Her face was contorted, and sad. “I was standing there, and they jumped me from behind. The young one; the boy; I had him, but then this woman tackled me to the ground.”
“What did they take?” he asked, writing in his notepad.
“They took my phone, my iPod, and the ring my husband gave me,” she said, and broke out crying again. “He’s dead. We renewed our vows when he got diagnosed and he surprised me with it on our wedding day.”
“Approximately, how much was it worth?” Reedy asked, frowning.
“Fifty grand,” she said.
*****
At that moment, Alpha Male touched down on the concrete next to officer Reedy. The woman’s eyes went wide, and her tears dried up for a second.
“What's going on here?” Alpha asked.
“Eh, just more gang activity,” Reedy replied. “They’ve been getting worse lately.”
“What do you mean just?” the woman asked, hysterical again. “They attacked me!”
“Yeah, Rose explained it to me this morning. How have I missed this?” Alpha asked.
“They’re good,” Reedy said. “It’s like they are intentionally doing these small little things so you can’t bust them. I don’t know, but it’s damn smart. Criminals will adapt, you know?”
“Yeah,” Alpha said, looking towards the alleyway. “What's back there?”
“Just a manhole,” Reedy said.
Alpha’s lips tightened as he glared into the darkness
Chapter Four.
Larry walked down the alleyway with the mysterious man. His old, tattered clothing swayed in the afternoon breeze, and he smiled as it whispered through his massive, grey beard. The two of them made their way towards the soup kitchen, while Larry continued to talk.
“I can’t believe you can’t remember who you are,” Larry said, spinning around to talk to his new friend, while managing to walk backwards for a moment. “I mean, I can’t remember to use the bathroom sometimes, or where I’m from, but I never forget my name. It’s the only thing I’ve got.”
Holding up the waist of his oversized pants, the man walked on unsure feet, stumbling a bit as he did. The shoes he wore were too big, and the jacket hung off of him like he was a coat rack. He didn’t speak because he couldn’t. His throat was too dry to form words, but Larry didn’t seem to mind at all. The old drunk just kept talking, and talking, without expecting a response.
“Maybe I’ll give you a name,” Larry said. “Yeah, until you get yours back. How about I call you Al.”
The quiet man held up a finger, signaling that he needed to stop, then shuffled over to the brick wall before slumping to the ground.
"Ya ok?" Larry asked, standing over him.
"Just give me a moment," the man said, panting.
"Oh, you're sweating buckets. You aren’t dying are ya?" Larry asked, peering down at him. Taking his hand, he placed it on the man’s clammy forehead. "You don't seem sick. You don't got the AIDS do ya?"
"What's that?" the man asked between deep breaths.
"Ya know, AIDS!" Larry said. "You a queer or junkie?"
"I don't think so...I don't know," the man said, placing each palm on his temples. "My head...it's pounding."
"Oh, that's no good," Larry said, looking around again. He reached into the inside pocket of his jacket. "Here, try this, but don't expect me to share again."
Larry handed the man a label-less bottle full of amber liquid. Twisting the cap, the man sniffed it and winced. Raising both eyebrows, and smiling wide, Larry urged him to drink. The man did and started coughing, spitting most of it out.
"Hey! Don't be wasting my whiskey!" Larry said, swiping it back.
"Sorry," the man said. "It's horrible, and it burns"
"That means its working," Larry said, before taking his own swig, swallowing with a grimace. He ran his filthy sleeve across his mouth, sopping up what was left.
"Oh, god," the man said, gripping his head again.
"You OK, Al?" Larry asked, coming in closer. Taking another drink, he closed the bottle and knelt beside his new friend. All around him, litter and debris started to sway on its own, and a faint rumbling sound came into the alley. Larry turned and watched as an aluminum can danced across the ground.
"Al?" he asked, never taking his eyes off the scene.
"My head hurts so bad..." the man said, as his face turned deep red and sweat began to run from his brow. “It’s happening again."
Larry turned back to the man, face white with fear, and asked, "Are you ok?"
With a violent scream, Al released an invisible force knocking Larry back against the wall. Trash cans, and bags raised off the ground while dumpsters skidded across the ground. The whole area was enveloped in the awful sound of steel on concrete. The man screamed out over the sound, and it was done. Silence took the place of the loud screeching sound, leaving the area feeling empty and spent. Jumping up, Larry rushed over to Al who was lying against the wall.
"Are ya gonna make it?" Larry asked, checking the back of his head for blood. The man was convulsing while trash and debris levitated off the concert around him. Larry inched in closer, and jumped when Al took a deep breath, and coughed.
“Ya still with me?” Larry asked.
Al rested his head in his hand, covering his eyes. “I feel a little better, but I’m starving, thirsty.”
Larry was smiling, exposing every crooked tooth in his mouth. “If you can do that again,” he said, gesturing towards the garbage cans. “Then I can get us all the food we need. Something to drink, too.”
*****
Alpha Male hovered in the sky, looking down on the city; his city. The towering skyscrapers, monuments of progress, dwarfed him by comparison. Without the sirens, and the billowing smoke clouds, the city seemed peaceful once again. Hanging there, just below the top of the tallest building, he watched as the sun went down. The massive orb glowed orange as it dipped down past the horizon, leaving a dark blue sky emanating from where it had once been.
Lost in that moment, he rested there as the lights flickered on across the city. Tiny windows lit up and neon signs shuttered as they came on. A smile crept across his face and hung there as he took in the view. He soaked up that quiet moment until it was broken by the vibration of his phone. Lifting it up, he saw the name Rose appear on the screen.
“Hello?” he said. Her voice came through the earpiece loud. “Sorry, it’s the wind. Let me get someplace...Oh, Ok. See you soon.”
From there, Alpha could see the precinct where R
ose’s office sat. It took him only a moment to fly there, and land on its empty, flat roof. Entering the four digit code, 1962, he unlocked the door and pulled it open. A breeze of air conditioning hit him in the face as he crossed the threshold and moved down the stairs.
"I could see you up there," Rose said as he walked into her office. She pointed towards the wooden, half circle chair in front of her and said, "Sit down." Her hair was down, falling in strands in front of her face and frizzed out in places. Alpha couldn't help but notice a particular laziness in her eyes that wasn't usually there.
Pulling the chair out, Alpha dropped down onto the cushioned seat, never breaking eye contact. "You look drunk," he said, and grabbed the mug sitting on her desk. Taking a big whiff, he curled up his nose, but still took a swig from it.
"Tough day?" he asked, gritting his teeth from the strength of her drink.
"This was recorded earlier today," she said, grabbing up her remote and pressing the play button. The screen went from solid black to a woman in a navy blue suit standing behind a podium.
"While his efforts have greatly helped our city, it may be time to say good bye to Alpha Male. The heroic efforts of this masked vigilante have helped us clean up the streets, but at what point does the cure do more damage than the disease? I feel... we feel it is time for him to step aside and let the police do their jobs"
Rose paused the television again and glared at the hero. "As you can see," she said. "Things are escalating."
"It’s just posturing," he said, rolling his eyes a bit. "You know this will all die down the next time the city needs saving. Just look at this mess from yesterday. You guys still need me."
"No, we don't," Rose said. "If we did, they wouldn't be sending us these."
Reaching into her desk, she pulled out a small metal case. She pressed her thumb to the biometric sensor on the front, and the locks clicked open. Flipping the lid up, she spun it around to where Alpha could see. Inside the case was a small device with a few buttons and a digital read out. Alpha's eyes went wide as he examined the contents of the case.
“What is this?” he asked.
“It’s apparently a sound emitting device designed to take you down,” she said, sniffing her drink,
