by Joshua
She held out her hands, wrists together, but Gus just smiled.
"Behind ya back, ma'am," he said. She turned and let him cuff her. They walked her out the door and down the hallway.
"The damn world's coming down out there, and you're having fun with it," Caul said.
"Ah, give it a rest," Gus said.
Neither said another word as they walked her through the building and out into the parking garage. They approached an open van and a small group of men waiting for them. At the front, Blake watch as Gus and Caul led her along.
"Hello, Ivy," Blake said, scribbling something on to a clipboard before passing it to Caul. "You'll be riding with us today."
*****
Irene was asleep in her bed, tucked in tight beneath the sheets. Her soft snore was interrupted by the buzz of her phone, vibrating across the table top. She reached around in the dark until her hand made contact with the lamp switch, and turned it on.
"Hello?" she said, groggy.
"Hello, is this Irene?" came a female's voice.
"Yes, yes it is," she said. "Can this wait? It's…" She pulled the phone away to check the time. It said 6:30 am. "Never mind, I'm awake."
"This is Hope," said the voice. "Is Reedy with you?"
"No, I haven't seen him since he dropped me off, yesterday. Is everything OK?"
"He got up and left in the middle of the night, and he won't return my calls," Hope said. "I think he's in trouble."
"Do you have any idea where he could be?" Irene asked, crawling out of bed. She started grabbing her clothes.
"No, I was hoping you might.” Hope began to sob. "I thought maybe he had a break on his case, or something."
"It's fine," Irene said, softening her tone." Don’t worry about it. I think I know where to look. I'll have my phone on me, so call me if you hear from him."
"Thank you," Hope said. "I'd go myself, but…"
"I know. You two need your rest. I'll go find him."
Chapter Thirty-Six.
Alpha found himself at the bottom of a pile of rubble. Brick, and metal beams surrounded him, blocking out the morning sun. With his left arm, he began to move debris until he could see a modicum of sunlight. He put both arms to the task, and emerged out on to the street a few minutes later. He rolled onto his back and began coughing.
A nearby noise demanded Alpha's silence. He wiped the soot from his face and watched as Omega pulled himself free from the same leveled building. Omega spat out a dust covered wad, and began rubbing his eyes. Alpha almost took a step closer, but didn't. Instead, he jumped into the sky and hid behind a skyscraper only a few blocks away. He pulled out his phone, and dialed "Rose." She answered after a few short rings.
"What the fuck is going on out there?" she asked.
"I need that sonic device," Alpha said.
"You mean, like the one you stole from me?" she said, furious.
"It's the only way I can stop him," Alpha said.
"Keep him in the vicinity," she said. "I'll be there soon. Try not to fuck anything else up."
Alpha hung up the phone and flew closer to the building to get a better look around it. Omega paced the street, searching for Alpha. He was yelling out, but Alpha couldn't understand him. It wasn't until he saw the news van pull up that he was spurred into action.
He shot down like a missile from the sky and hit Omega with the warhead of his clenched fist. The impact was like an explosion, loud and powerful. The force blew Omega to the ground where he left a man sized crater. Dazed, he tried to shake off the pain in his body, but Alpha had him lifted up, and into the air before he knew what was happening. It wasn't until he saw the ground below that he understood.
"I won't let you kill me!" Omega screamed.
"It's not up to you," Alpha responded, as he dropped from the sky, hurtling towards the ground. They hit the asphalt, and kept going until they ended up in the sewer tunnel below. Alpha punched Omega, each hit was a close range shotgun blast to the face. This continued until he felt his enemy’s body go limp. Alpha grabbed Omega and hurled him back up to street level, and then flew after him. He landed beside Omega and was ready to bring his foot down on the back of the man's skull, when he saw Rose and her men approaching. Beside her walked a young woman in handcuffs. Behind them, lumbered The Mech.
Omega began to stir, straining to get up. He struggled against the weight of his body until he managed to roll over. He grunted against the pain.
Rose held up her hand to stop her men, but she didn't stop. She approached Alpha in a full Tac suit and combat boots. Her hair was pulled back in a tight pony tail. With the same hand she stopped her troops with, she held up the device and pressed the button. The powerful sound sent Alpha to his knees, while Omega curled up in the fetal position. She didn't stop there. With her free hand, she slapped Alpha on the face so hard, his head turned. She pressed the button again, turning off the sound, and removed the ear plugs
"Mech, grab this guy," she said, pointing to Omega.
"No problem," he said, his voice electronic. The metal suit hissed and whirred with each step. He stood before Alpha, and looked at her. "Do you want to me take this one too?"
"Just do what I said," she replied.
"I can't let you do that," Alpha said, standing up to position himself between Omega and The Mech. The large right hand on the mechanical suit clenched. The other hand grabbed Alpha by the neck and chest, holding him for a clear punch. Both of Alpha’s arms came up, stopping the powerful blow with a forearm block. Alpha wrapped his hands around the large fingers and pried them apart until he was free. The Mech took a few swings, but missed against Alpha’s superior speed. A few punches and it was over. Alpha took The Mech down to his knees, disabling him with a single blow to the neck. Alpha’s lip quivered as he glared up at Rose.
“I’m taking him,” Alpha said, reaching down to pick up Omega. “Don’t try to stop me.”
Rose stood there, speechless; her finger nestled against the button on the device.
“Stop him!” Ivy said. “Please, you have to stop him. Omega’s not what you think he is."
Alpha lifted off the ground with Omega in tow, holding the limp man by the back of his costume. He glared into Rose’s eyes until he was high enough to fly away.
*****
Down in the sewers, the monster, the failed experiment, stalked through the tunnels, gnawing on Xavier’s limbs. It grunted with each bite, slurping at the bloody meat, and sucking the marrow.
It had walked the same winding path, through the darkness, for hours. Each step was loud and heavy, shaking the brick walls with its shambling movements. It snorted and spit, and wiped the mucus away from its deformed face. It stopped, but only for a second. A light caught its attention, stopping the thing in its tracks. It was sunlight coming through a grate a hundred feet ahead.
*****
"You have to stop him," Ivy said, as Rose loaded her into the back of the police car. "Al's not the person you think he is."
"It doesn't matter," Rose said, before closing the door. "It's out of my hands now."
Rose got in the front seat, buckled herself in, and positioned the mirror so that she could see Ivy. Her face lit up with horror as she saw something massive behind them. She screamed just as it connected.
The monster plowed into them with its shoulder and laid the cruiser over, upside down. It let out a powerful howl and started pounding on the car. The vehicle dented more with each powerful swing until it was bent in half, and then with a final kick, the monster rolled it back over. The terrified women inside cried out for help, as they tried to stabilize themselves.
The tactical squad assembled behind the car, guns at the ready. The monster didn't acknowledge them at first, but when Blake let off a warning shot, they became its main focus. They let off a barrage of bullets, but it stampeded through the men with no effort. It trampled one to death, crushing his body, and punted another into the wall. His body clung
there, pasted to the wall by all the blood.
Blake reloaded, and fired again, targeting its eyes and mouth. This distraction worked for a moment, but the brute recovered. It grabbed Blake by the shoulder and lifted him up into the air. Blake never stopped fighting. He used his sidearm and kept shooting while stabbing at its arm with his knife. The blade left small, shallow cuts; scrapes at worst.
The thing tore him in half with little effort, and held up the body so the blood could rain down on its face. It howled and threw the two pieces down. They hit with a wet thump. Within seconds, the rest of the men were dead, and it had refocused its attention on the women.
Rose and Ivy were both hurt, but still struggling to get free. Rose kicked at the door as the ferocious mass strode towards them. Ivy was crying, sobbing as she fought against the bent front seat that had caged her in.
"I need you to be quiet back there," Rose said, straining against the door. "Just stay calm, I'll get us out of this."
She peeked out the window and saw it standing by the door, peering in at them. She pulled away, trying to hide, but she knew it had seen her.
"Fuck," she said.
It roared, and she couldn't help but to tremble. She started searching around, looking for her gun. Her hands rubbed against her waist, but it was missing from her holster. Frantic, she groped through the papers in the passenger seat. She leaned forward, and saw it in the floor. That side of the car was smashed, and bent in on itself, but that didn't stop her. Each strain brought it a little closer to her reach. She grunted and groaned, stretching her fingers, but it was too far.
"I refuse to die like this!" She beat the steering wheel, screaming out her fear and frustration as the horn blared in short bursts.
It wasn't until she stopped that she heard the pounding sound outside. It was close, but far enough away to not be threatening. She looked up, peering out the window and saw Alpha had come to her rescue. He and the creature were fighting it out, trading punches with powerful ferocity.
*****
Irene pulled up to the warehouse, and saw the gaping hole in the side of it. That entire section of the building had collapsed on itself. She gasped, and reached for her gun. Pulling the slide back, she checked to see if it was loaded. The brass shell casing came into view, and she let it go. She placed the gun in her holster, and got out of the car. She closed the door, and leaned on it. Her breathing was heavy, and a wave of heat went over her face. A panic attack was rising in her chest.
“Oh, god,” she said, her hand resting on her fluttering heart. She took a few breaths, and started walking.
She circled around the back of the building, and saw the open door. She drew her gun, and leaned against the door frame, peering inside. She darted through the doorway, and rested up against a row of shelves. Closing her eyes, she took a second to calm herself.
“Fuck,” she said, rubbing her chest. She grabbed her gun with both hands and came around the corner.
The place was filled with rows of shelving, each containing numerous chemicals and other substances. She stalked through the rows, moving with slow deliberate steps. She was cautious, but each sound startled her. The place creaked and groaned, as it settled from the recent destruction it had suffered.
She came to a long staircase and descended into the darkness below. The wall to her left was cracked, and had fallen apart in large chunks. She could see the rooms on the other side. What she saw, took her breath away. The room had five glass cylinders lined up against the wall. Most of them were busted, and empty, but the farthest away seemed operational.
She climbed through the hole, and dropped down into the chamber below. On the opposite wall were metal tables covered in tools and other unknown devices. Broken glass cracked beneath each step as she approached the last tube. Inside, she could see a humanoid figure floating in a deep orange liquid. Its body was large and deformed. It wasn't until she got close that she saw how monstrous it was. She shuddered and looked away.
The computer screen near her was full of messages and abbreviations. It was monitoring the thing’s heart rate and brain function.
"User A, logged in. L.C.L levels at max," she read, aloud. "L.C.L?" She looked back up at the thing. It twitched, like a sleeping dog.
At the bottom of the screen, she saw a list of commands in alphabetical order. At the top of that list, the word 'abort' stood out. She pressed it, and the word turned green. The screen switched and the words "Abort, are you sure?" came up with "yes" and "no" buttons beneath it.
She pressed the "yes" repeatedly, each time with more fervor than the last. A small chime buzzed, and she heard a strange sound. The liquid in the container turned blood red and the thing inside began to thrash. It grabbed at its throat, struggling to survive. It stopped moving a few seconds later and died. Irene hadn't realized it at the time, but she’d held her breath the entire time. She exhaled, and left the room, shaken by what she had seen.
The next room she found was trashed. She took one step in, and saw the mass of dried blood on the floor. It had become syrupy and thick. The body was unidentifiable, but she knew. Something told her it was him, so she rushed down, and started searching for a wallet or some other means of identification when his cellphone went off. The ring tone dropped her heart like a stone, and she fell back on her ass. Tears welled up, and began to stream out. She was trying to keep it together as she answer the call that said, "Hope."
"Reedy, baby? Oh thank god you finally answered."
"It's…" Irene said, in almost a whisper. "It's me. It's Irene."
"Did you find Reedy? Is he alright?"
Irene sniffled, and wiped her face. "I'm so sorry, Hope. I'm so sorry."
"No," Hope said. She cried out, sobbing, and Irene heard the phone hit the floor.
Chapter Thirty-Seven.
Omega Man stood by the bent car, watching Alpha Male and the creature fight. A surprising calm washed over him for the first time since he’d woken up on the street with Larry standing over him. Omega was locked there, watching as the two traded blows.
It wasn't until he heard Ivy's voice that he snapped out of it. He saw her, banging on the police car’s back glass, yelling for him. He sprang into action, racing over to rescue her. In the front seat, Rose watched Alpha battle it out. She turned towards him, and almost jumped out of her skin. She tried to scoot away, but her back was too the door. She pulled her knees in and wrapped her arms around them.
"Stay the fuck away!" Rose said, but he didn't respond. Instead, he gazed around inside the car for a moment and took a step back. He held out his arm, and used his mind to pry the two halves apart until the car was straight again. He then tore both doors on the passenger side, and helped Ivy out.
"Are you OK?" he asked, as she crawled across the back seat towards his out stretched hand.
"Yea, yeah, I'm fine," Ivy said, and turned to Rose. "Are you OK?"
Rose looked around, unsure of what was being said and responded. "Yeah, I'm OK. We're OK." She gazed at Omega, looking him up and down before moving an inch.
When both women were free from the car, Omega grabbed Ivy and hugged her tight. When they were done, he looked her in the eyes and said, "I was so worried about you."
"Yeah, me too. They had you on the ground, I thought you were dead."
"I almost was," he said. She kissed him. It wasn't until they were done that they saw Rose pointing her gun at him.
"Both of you, stay where you are," she said, her hands trembling.
"Look, I have no reason to hurt you, or any desire," Omega said, getting between Ivy and the gun. "I can take that gun away from you, but I won't.”
"I can't let you get away," she said. "Not after everything you put this city through."
"You're right," he said. "But it wasn't up to me. I would never have done this, if he hadn't made me." He pointed over her shoulder to Alpha Male, who was struggling against the powerful arms of the thing he was fighting.
; "What does that mean?" she asked.
"It wasn't me," Omega said. "He…programed me to hate him. He created me and Beta Boy using his own DNA."
"What?!" she asked, taking a nervous step forward. Her gun still pointed at him.
"He told me I was his clone. So is that thing. All this started because of him."
"He told you?" Ivy asked, over his shoulder.
"Yeah, I finally understand," he said. “It’s weird, but I don’t feel so angry anymore.”
"I don't believe you," Rose said, and pulled the trigger.
The bullet shot out of the gun and went straight into the ground. A small plume of dust sprang up where it connected. Rose stood there in shock for a moment, unsure what had happened. When the realization came to her, she dropped the gun. She turned, looking over her shoulder and watched as the creature hit Alpha with a large piece of concrete, knocking him to the ground. Alpha raised his arms in defense, but it wasn’t enough. The things fists pounded down on him like canons balls until Alpha’s arms gave way leaving him defenseless for its relentless attacks.
She turned back to Omega. "Save him. Please."
"I…I can't. I want to, but I can't."
She lunged at him, and beat on his chest, as he shielded Ivy from her blows.
"Save him, God damn it!"
He didn't reply. He just stood there until she was finished. Less than a minute later, her strength gave out, and she pulled away, wiping the tears from her eyes. She turned back to the fight.
*****
The brute’s massive fist came down on Alpha’s face, over and over, pounding his head into the ground. He could hear an intense ringing developing in his ear, getting stronger with each blow. Throwing up a block, he managed to keep the creature from connecting long enough to gain his composure. It howled in his face, and tried to bite at his throat. Its humanoid face, vicious and distorted, tried to get its teeth into his flesh. He jabbed at its neck, paralyzing its jaw. He managed to get out from beneath its heavy frame as the thing struggled to breathe. Alpha flew into the air, but it jumped up and grabbed him by the leg. In midair, it threw his body to the ground where it shattered the concrete. Alpha felt the air escape his lungs.
