by Joshua
"We’re…looking for someone," Vaughn said.
One of the men stood up and approached them. He had a smug look wrinkling the tribal tattoo that ran from his face and down to his neck.
"Well, who you looking for?" the man asked, giving Reedy and Vaughn a once over. He had stepped so close that he was well within punching distance.
"We're looking for a white guy named…," Reedy said, gesturing at Vaughn to hand him the paper. "Come on, man."
Vaughn dug in his pocket, pulling out a variety of papers and other trash. "Shit," he said, but then found it and looked at the name before handing it to Reedy. "His name is Robert Macy, ring a bell?"
"You got a street name?" the man asked.
"No, that's all we got," Reedy said.
"Well, none of us heard that name before," he said and turned around. He walked back over to the dice game. He turns back to them and said, "You know, the landlord was a white guy. His name was something Russian. Something-ovic. Racist ole prick didn't let dark meat live here."
"Is that why you're hanging out here now?" Vaughn asked.
The man's face grew large with a grin. "You better believe it, son."
"Thanks," Reedy said, and they walked back down the stairwell.
"I can't believe he helped us," Reedy said, as they stepped through the door.
"They’re all afraid of Alpha Male," Vaughn said. "Being nice was his way of saying, 'don't bust our crack house.' Come on, let’s go find this 'something-ovic."
Chapter Nineteen.
Alpha stood in the hollowed out building looking around at all the construction equipment. The floor was covered in fine soot, and plastic hung down, sectioning off certain areas. He paced through the open rooms, checking his phone on occasion, and looking around.
"Why are we meeting at a construction site in broad daylight," came the voice from behind him. Alpha turned around and saw the man he was waiting for.
"Hello Magpie," Alpha said.
"You stand me up last week, then call me today anxious to meet?" the man asked through his black, faceless mask. Two white marks ran from where the eyes were, down each side of the mask, and below the jaw. "You know this isn't how I do business."
"I know. I flaked a few days ago, but after I called, I changed my mind," Alpha said.
"And now, you've changed it again," he said, taking a step closer.
"Yeah," Alpha said. "I need you to steal something from police chief Rose. It's a small, handheld device. You'll know it when you see it."
"Ok," Magpie said, taking a step closer with his hand out. "Usual price."
Alpha took out a folded up envelope and handed it to him. The Magpie opened it and leafed through the large stack of cash. ”Does this also cover the other job I did a few weeks ago?”
"Yeah, and a little more. A goodwill payment. I need to get going. Get that device as soon as possible."
"Don't worry, it'll be yours in two days," Magpie said, turning away. "I'll call you with the dead drop location."
*****
Al awoke to someone staring down at him. He jumped, pulling away until he realized it was Ivy. She was smiling down at him. Her eyes were filled with a glee her smile couldn't match.
"I'm glad you are awake," she said, and sat a plastic bowl down next to him. It was full of dry, colorful cereal. "This was absolutely my favorite cereal growing up."
"Cereal?" he asked.
Her eyes went wide. "You don’t know what cereal is?" She asked. "Its food you mix with milk, here try it!"
She put her hand in his face, shoving the cereal towards his mouth. His neck pulled back in hesitation, but his mouth opened. The colorful, sugar coated spheres hit his tongue and he closed his mouth with a crunch. A smile crept over his face while he chewed.
"This is good," he said, with his mouth full.
"Good? They're great!" she said, smiling big. He stared at her, crunching and swallowing as she rolled her eyes. "It's a joke."
"What is?" he asked, looking around. He found a bottle of water and took a big drink.
"Never mind," she said. "What'd you think?"
"It's delicious, but very dry. It got hard to swallow," he said, smiling.
"Yeah, that's because there's no milk. It's the best part. I'll show you one day."
A knock on the door made Ivy jump. They both looked and saw a curious head peeking over the threshold. It was Jon.
"Eddy says it's time," Jon said and waved. "Hey Ivy."
She got up and walked over to him and asked, "You want some cereal?"
A big smile crept over his face when he said, "I've almost eaten a full box myself. You want to hang out tonight?"
"Absolutely," she said. "I'll come find you soon."
"See ya later," he said, and left.
"I get the feeling he doesn't like me," Al said.
"He doesn't. Most of the guys here don't for one reason or another,” she said, leaning against the doorway. “You should get going. Eddy has a surprise for you.”
"Yeah?" he said. "I guess I’ll eat and go. Come find me later, ok?"
"Absolutely," she said, spinning on her heels to leave.
Al washed down a few more handfuls of cereal before leaving the room.
Al stepped into Eddy’s chamber, surprised to see that the group’s leader wasn't sitting atop the dais. Instead, he was standing in the middle of the room, surrounded by four of his closest friends. They were all dressed in black with matching T-shirts, each labeled with a white Omega symbol. Eddy turned and faced Al as he walked up.
"Tonight’s gonna be easy," he said, with a sly grin. "No cops, and no stealing. All we're doing is meeting a new gang. But, before we go, Ivy has a surprise for you."
Al followed his gaze and saw Ivy standing nearby, hands behind her back. Something was back there, draped down to her knees. A huge smile centered her face.
"We made this for you," she said, handing the black fabric to him. He held it up, letting its form reveal as it dropped. It was a black costume and mask.
"What is it?" he asked.
"It's a costume," she said. "You're like a real superhero now."
"Superhero huh?" he asked, looking at it. He pointed to the large Omega symbol on the chest. "What does this mean?"
"We made the costume to look like the one from the show," she said, but Eddy flashed her a look.
"What show?" he asked.
"You're kind of like Alpha Male's nemesis, so we created the costume to match that," Eddy said, patting him on the shoulder.
"It's from the old cartoon. We all thought it would be a good idea, you know? It's what we named our group after in the first place. Like I said before, you're our mascot now."
Ivy saw the tears in Al's eyes and rushed over to him. "Are you ok?" she asked.
"I can't hear his name without getting so angry. It's so difficult," he said. "All this anger."
"This was a bad idea," she said, pulling at the costume. Al held it tight though and looked her in the eyes.
"No, it’s OK," he said. "I'll wear it."
*****
"You've heard about the recent gang activity, right?" Rose asked, as she exhaled her smoke.
"The Omegas?" Alpha asked.
"No, real gangs," Rose said. "Apparently, the Omegas have inspired a few other gangs to pop up. They’re getting cocky too. This business with the supervillain, it's gotta end. Things are getting rough out there." She turned towards the ledge and looked down at the city. "The people are scared."
“I know," he said. "I'm working on it."
"Well, so are we," she said, flicking her cigarette over the edge. "The boys might have an identity on him. They found a fingerprint at the last warehouse."
"They did?" he asked, spinning towards her. "What's his name?"
"Sorry, official police business," she said. "When we need a battering ram, I'll call you. Right now, why don't you scout the sewers, or something. The
Omegas and this supervillain are our main concern”.
Alpha exhaled through his nose, then flew straight up and away. Rose rested back on the railing and looked out at the tiny people walking around below. "I know you're back there."
Reedy and Vaughn stepped out into view from behind the wall. "We didn't want to bother you," Vaughn said.
"Yeah, whatever," she said and turned towards them. "What do you want?"
"We just wanted to update you," Vaughn said. "Something-ovic turned out to be Curkovic. Julius Curkovic."
"And?" she asked.
"Turns out," Reedy said, "He remembers our guy. Really well too. The apartment complex was something of a halfway house for immigrants. Macy lived there when he was just a teenager. No family. Some sergeant with the military dropped him off, and requested the boy live there as a favor. Since Curkovic wasn't exactly legal, he said ok."
"Did he say anything else?" she asked.
"He was a normal kid, a little noisy though," Vaughn said. "He went to college and that's all the old man knows. We did a few searches, but have haven't found anything yet. He also said that he liked talking to the boy in Russian.
"Ok, well, good work," she said and walked away. She stopped, and turned back to them with a slight grin. "If you keep this up, we're gonna catch a supervillain."
“Hey Chief,” Reedy said.
“Yeah?” she asked.
“Why didn’t you give Alpha the information?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” she said. “I guess I’m not sure I completely trust him anymore.”
*****
"I worry about him," Ivy said, to Jon who stood beside her on the balcony overlooking the terminal. "Could you imagine what it’s like to be him? To not remember anything, but have this intense emotion you can’t control. It's scary. It's like he's going on pure gut instinct all the time."
"Yeah," Jon said. "Must be terrible to not remember your friends and shit."
"That's why I've been spending so much time with him," she said, pulling up a plump joint to her lips. She sparked her lighter and inhaled the thick smoke into her lungs. She held the hit and passed the joint to Jon, who did the same.
"I want him to feel like he's got a friend, you know?" She asked. "I'm sorry we haven't been spending much time together.
"It's ok," he said, passing the joint to her. "I've been hanging with Eddy some. He lets me change the channel sometimes, so that’s cool.
"I'd try to avoid him, if I was you," she replied, as their fingers touched in the pass off. She brought the joint back up to her lips. The cherry glowed red hot as she inhaled. "He's not stable."
"Yeah, I know," Jon said. "Have you been keeping up with the news?"
She rolled her eyes and said, “I try not to.” Using slow, deliberate rolls, she stamped the end of the joint and put it in a bag.
"Apparently, other gangs have started resurfacing," he said. "They're all wearing ridiculous outfits and acting like idiots though. You know, they call Al a 'supervillain', right?"
"Yeah, I've seen the morning talk shows.”.
"Maybe, he is, you've seen what he can do."
"It's not in his heart," she said. "He's a good man."
"You don't know who or what he was before his memory said goodbye," Jon said.
"I can just tell," she said.
"Some people think he might be Beta Boy," Jon said, turning to her with a grin.
"It makes sense," she said, with a shrug. "He's the only other person with powers to ever show up. You really think Al could be him?"
"Eh, who cares, as long as he’s bringing us food, I don't care who he is."
Chapter Twenty.
Eddy and Al stood in the dark alleyway, huddled in the thick shadows behind the Cornerstone Bar. The light from Eddy’s cell phone lit up blue as he checked the time.
"OK, we've got a few minutes before they get here for the drop off," Eddy said. "They don't know we're coming. That's why you're here. I need you on damage control."
"I don't…What's damage control?" Al asked.
"Just keep things from getting crazy," Eddy said. "Don't let any weapons get pulled on us, OK?"
"OK," Al said.
"Oh, and don't say anything. I'll do the talking," Eddy said, handing Al the mask. "Go ahead and put this on before they get—"
The headlights of a lowered sedan cast their light on the narrow alley. Eddy pulled Al down behind the dumpster, peering around for a better look. Al put on the mask, twisting it to fit his face.
The car doors closed and four men made their way into the back of the bar, the last looked around, scanning the area before going in.
"Ok, it’s show time," Eddy said. “How's that mask?"
"It's a little tight, but I'll be OK," Al said.
"Good, let’s go."
Eddy got up and brushed off the suit he was wearing. It was tailor made from silk and fit him like a glove. He looked down at the ensemble and smiled. Al was standing behind him in the costume Ivy had made. It was a little loose in places, but his slim, muscular physique filled most of it out. Eddy turned to face Al. "You and me, we're decked out to the nines. Don't ask what it means, because I don't fully know. It just means we're looking good."
"OK," Al said.
"Let’s do this," Eddy said walking towards the door. "Remember, don't say anything, and don't let anything happen to us."
They walked through the door, quiet, and ready. Eddy’s fingers shook a little as they came into the back room where the men were standing. Four black men, and three white all stood around a preparation table in the kitchen, looking into a couple briefcases. Money was in one, brown wrapped up packages were in the other.
"Hello, gentlemen," Eddy said, with a big, nervous grin.
"Who the fuck are you?" one of the black men asked as he went for his gun. He stopped cold when Al walked into the room. His bewilderment transformed into disbelief, and then a hesitant smile exposed his white teeth. "What is this?"
"This is my boss, Omega Man," Eddy said. "He's got one request, and one request only."
"Omega Man, huh?" His grin was wide and toothy. "Just like the cartoon!"
"Holy shit, I totally see it!" one of the white men said.
Another looked at him and said, "I don't get it."
"Omega man, from that Alpha Male cartoon—" he started, but was thrust to the floor by an unseen force. The other men went down a second later. It only took them a minute before they were scrambling to get up. Al was holding out his hand, stepping closer to them. Each man drew a gun and Al yanked them away before they could fire. The metal weapons clattered across the hard floor as he stood over them, chest heaving with anger.
"My boss wants your suppliers, now," Eddy said, putting his hand on Al’s extended shoulder.
The first black man to speak to them opened his mouth again. "I'll give you the information, OK?"
"Rob, you seriously gonna give up like that?" one of the other black men asked.
"Cutty, shut yo mouth," Rob said, and looked back up to Eddy. His hands trembled as he avoided looking at Al. "There’s a pen and paper on the table. Hand it to me."
Eddy looked around until he saw the notepad. He grabbed it and turned back to Rob, who was now staring and his friend.
"Don't be a pussy, Rob," the man said.
"You're a fucking idiot, aren't you?" Rob asked. "You seriously don't know who this is, do you? He's that goddamned supervillain they are always going about."
"That's right," Eddy said with a crooked grin.
The fact hit the man hard. He laid his head down upon the hard surface and shut his mouth. Eddy handed Rob the paper and watched as he wrote the name and number down, and handed it back to Eddy.
"Say, you want a job?" Eddy asked Rob.
"Doing what?" Rob asked.
"We can figure something out," Eddy said, as he grabbed the two briefcases and turned to leave. Al stood there a moment lo
nger, his gaze lingering on the men. A moment passed before he turned and followed. Eddy stopped turned back to them. "You three might want to come along since these two aren't going to be very happy about losing the money, and the dope."
"You're goddamned right we aren't," one of the white guys said. "You niggers are dead."
"That's racist," Eddy said, with a disgusted look. "I should let them kill you."
The man's eyes went wide as Rob and his crew got up. Rob walked up and pretended to kick at him. The man flinched hard and Rob just laughed. "Who's the nigger now?"
As they stepped back out in the alley, Eddy turned around and looked at Al, and said, “There’s something I’ve got to take care of. You can go on back and meet with the other guys.”
Al didn’t say a word, he just walked on, disappearing into the shadows. Eddy met Rob and his men at the door way. They were startled by his presence, but they didn’t move.
“Look, we want to do business with you, OK?” Eddy said. “I want you to take these briefcases as a gift. I know we stole them from you, but now I’m giving them back, OK? All I ask is that you cut us in from now on, and when you roll around town, you wear our signature. In return, I’ll help with the competition. Sound good?”
“What kind of cut?” Rob asked.
“It doesn’t matter, because you won’t say no,” Eddy said. “Trust me, you will be making a lot more after you say yes.”
“Yeah, we’ll do it,” Rob said. “But we need some heat.”
“Heat? Oh, you mean guns,” Eddy said. “I can get you guns.”
*****
“We called you because we thought it might be relevant to your case,” the officer said, pointing down at the markings on the ground. It was a large, grey Omega symbol next to a few spent shell casings.
“What exactly happened?” Reedy asked, kneeling down.
“These guys here,” the officer said, pointing at the bodies. “We’re in the Skulls gang that just popped up a few weeks ago. No one’s talking, but I used to work beat in Detroit and I’d say this was a territory issue.”
