The A.R.EX. Origin

by Angelo Facchin

  Arex’s Apartment, New York City

  “You know, Janiece, you’re going to have to do something about this party monster you created. This is awesome.”

  Mike Scatchard was enjoying himself, though he didn’t really know why, seeing as serious social gatherings weren’t really his cup of tea. Around that time four years ago, Arex started a tradition of inviting his friends over for holiday and special occasions. The funniest part of his idea was the fact that he had a small collection of costumes he would wear, matching the themes for various occasions.

  For Independence Day, he was wearing traditional garb from Colonial America. He sported the coat, pants, tricorne hat, and even had a powdered wig on, and tied his long black hair in a way he conceal it. The thing Arex did differently, was that he had left his lower legs bare, as he felt he didn’t want to run his toes through the shoes.

  Mike was astonished at how little it took for Arex to make a party out of practically nothing. There wasn’t much in terms of music and there weren’t many snacks to go around. The guests weren’t even treated to a good game on TV. However, the party did include a very good meal and a chance for everyone to catch up, which he supposed was the point. Mike listened to everyone’s stories as if they were masterpieces of literature. When it came to his turn, he was genuinely interested in what everyone thought of his romance with a lingerie model, no matter how brief it was. It was a good chance for Mika to see what he was up to, seeing as she had spent the last two months in Japan, tending to her mother before she died. Everyone applauded when they learned Joe Henry had bought a smaller apartment for his retirement years, which probably weren’t going to happen for another ten years.

  “How do you think he does it?”

  Janiece looked at him quizzically.

  “How does he do what?”

  “Everything. He puts together an outfit, which by the way, he looks ludicrous in, some bite-size snacks, a little classical music, a few friends, a meal, and yet I like it. And I never like parties, unless we have a game and a rocking soundtrack.”

  “He just wants to be with his friends for a special occasion. You don’t need to do pull off stunts to have a good time.”

  “Come on, this is Arex were talking about.”

  “What’s the difference? It could have been you and me throwing this party and everybody would have come and enjoyed it too.”

  “Arex is not us. He’s a celebrity, and he seems to me like he’s not taking advantage of that fact. He has a terrace, a nice, quaint apartment, not the kind of lodgings for someone who’s instantly recognizable. No paparazzi, no camera crews, and only a few fireworks. Nothing you can’t find in someone else’s Independence Day celebration. Name me one celebrity who’s Independence Day party goes completely unnoticed, besides those who don’t make the cut in the tabloids the next day.”

  “Arex isn’t every celebrity, either. He enjoys the quiet life, so you won’t find him being news in the entertainment section. And he’s managed to avoid the spotlight, which I think is a miracle. He’s so normal, the media eventually got sick of him and just left him alone. ”

  “That’s another thing. If I would’ve told you five years ago that I enjoyed going to parties hosted by a humanoid reptile who dresses as Santa Claus, a Leprechaun, and George Washington, among other things, you would have called the nearest institution for mental health.”

  “You’re right. So, why are you complaining?”

  “I’m not, it’s just that if I were him, I would been big on the endorsement deals and acting gigs, not making a living cooking and teaching martial arts three blocks from here. He could be so much out there, I just don’t understand why he’s so content here. Didn’t he get a call for a Power Rangers episode?”

  “He was interested in it, but then he read the script, and he decided against it.”

  “How come?”

  “He found out he would be cast as a heartless villain, sharing the stage with a child preaching environmentalism. He didn’t want to become some poster boy for an environmental message.”

  “Still, he could have done it anyway. This apartment is a little small. If he could start acting, I bet he could have a house ten times as big as this building.”

  “You don’t have to understand. He lives his life the way he wants to. He wants peace and tranquility, so what better way to steer away the paparazzi than to be the most normal person on the face of the planet? When you think about it, the only thing separating Arex from Joe Blow is his leathery skin, and the latter doesn’t dramatically shed every so often.”

  Mike shook his head. Arex wasn’t going to change his way of thinking, so it was best not to insist. Besides, there was another subject he wanted to talk to Janiece about.

  “So when is he going to tell you he loves you?”

  “What?”

  “You’re telling me you two are still not an item yet? What’s he waiting for? Hasn’t he already told you he loves you? He never stops thinking about you. It’s obvious by the way you guys talk to each other that there’s something there.”

  “We were never an item. We are friends and that’s it. Seriously, Mike, you’re worse than my family.”

  “Well, then they’ve also noticed the way you look at him. The longing eyes, the toothy smiles…”

  “You are all insane. Even if I shared his feelings toward me, I would never risk my friendship with him. We are friends and this better be the last time I hear of this.”

  Mike could tell Janiece was embarrassed by the subject, so he didn’t insist further. Meanwhile, Arex had come up next to them.

  “Am I intruding on this conversation?”

  “No, not at all, said Janiece. Mike was just finishing chatting me up.”

  “Well, if he’s finished, I’d like to speak to you in private, please.”

  * * *

  Janiece was thankful when she was pulled away from Mike. That conversation had left her with the impression that everyone at the party was looking at her. Arex took her to the corner of the terrace, making sure they were out of earshot before speaking.

  “What was he talking to you about?”

  “He was just jealous of your ability to throw a great party.”

  “That was it? You looked like you didn’t like were he was taking the conversation. You seldom look this uncomfortable in a room. You were pleading for help with your eyes, that’s why I intervened.”

  “Okay, so he was pushing my buttons, trying to figure out whether or not we were a couple.”

  “What did you tell him?”

  “I told him I wouldn’t stake our friendship for a chance to have a romantic relationship with you.”

  “Well, I wouldn’t mind trying. If the romance fails, we could still be friends. I’m thinking there’s something else to this. Would this have anything to do with my appearance?”

  Only once did Janiece ever comment on Arex’s physical appearance as being unattractive, and she regretted doing so, as she really didn’t believe it that much. She didn’t have any problems with Arex’s looks anymore. She had even learned to appreciate his black, leathery, lightning-bolt-riddled hide.

  “I don’t think your looks are a problem to anyone anymore. It has nothing to do with this.”

  “I stopped being that naïve when I met you, Janiece Ryder. What’s the reason you won’t consider me more than just a friend?”

  Now what? Janiece now had to come up with a plausible answer that would satisfy, not only Arex, but eventually everyone they knew, at least until she could truly decide whether or not she wanted to be romantically involved with him.

  “I guess I don’t know the reason,” she ended up saying. “I know that a romance with you isn’t something I want, not yet anyway. I just want to be clear about my feelings for you, whatever they are, before I say anything we could both regret in the future.”

  Arex sighed, but nodded half-heartedly. Janiece could tell he was disappointed in the answer she gave him, and she felt the sa
me way. She had to figure out what she wanted to do in terms of her love life and how it was going to affect Jason. After all, she had maternal responsibilities, and though Jason had become friends with Arex, there was probably still some awkward feelings between the two, mainly because Arex wasn’t Jason’s father, though he technically was. Everything about Arex was simple, yet complicated. Was she using these reasons as excuses to avoid the subject of romance? Perhaps, but for now, she was going to give herself ample time to figure things out.

  * * *

  The smell of waste was nauseating. Lying in wait for the next lowlife to come around was even worse. It took some getting used to, but these actions had to be taken. Beggars were the scum of the world, the most hateful people in the world. And there was always at least one there, making his bed in a pile of cardboard because they didn’t want to pay for a lodging. Even better, there were those who fell into his trap, those who too lazy to make their own little cardboard houses. Every time the deed was done, a cold shower always followed.

  Right on schedule, one scumbag appeared at the edge of the alleyway, finding the cardboard boxes that were laid out. The trap was so obvious, it was amazing that the man wasn’t the least bit suspicious. Oh well, he asked for it.

  Chapter 2

  Saturday, July 5, 8:07 a.m.

  FBI Field Office, New York City.

  Arex’s party ended very late last night, so Mika wasn’t as fresh as she wanted to be as she arrived at the FBI’s office. Her quick fix: a strong cup of tea with a zest of lemon. Crime never took a break, but she had to take her time waking up in the morning. That reality made her feel like a hypocrite.

  Usually when she came back from a day off, there would be at least one or two new case files waiting for her at her desk. She would then take no more than half an hour to read them carefully then consult with her superior, Corey Rodgers. After that, she would make up a schedule based on the number of cases she had to work on and their respective priority levels.

  This time was different, however. There weren’t any new case files, only Mike to greet her at her desk.

  “Sorry to impede on your personal space, but I was told to wait for you to come in. Rodgers wants to see you in his office right away. It’s something about a case the rest of us aren’t supposed to know about.”

  “I’m there.”

  It was strange, though, for Mika to find herself assigned to a case that no one else knew about. What was the secret? It had been a while since she wasn’t partnered with someone else on a case.

  When she arrived, a man in civilian clothing sat facing Rodgers from across the desk. Mika had never seen the man before, and it was against custom to have an FBI informant or any other civilian be escorted past the front lobby, so this man had to be important somehow.

  “Good morning agent Nomura,” said Rodgers, “please, have a seat.”

  As she sat down next to the stranger, she noticed he seemed very nervous, his eyes and body shifting somewhat every so often. Something about finding himself there was making him uncomfortable.

  “Agent Mika Nomura, meet Patrol Officer Steven Mackenzie, he’s one of the reasons I brought you here. Officer Mackenzie is here to testify to a couple of incidents he witnessed while on patrol near Central Park. He will describe these events as accurately as he can. I think you should pay attention because this will surprise you.”

  Mackenzie cleared his throat. It was obvious that the statement he was about to give was the cause of his discomfort, which made Mika all the more nervous as to what she was going to hear.

  “My patrol route goes through Park Avenue and 5th Avenue while it runs next to Central Park. My shift starts at 8:30 PM and ends the next morning at 3:30 on weekdays. On two separate occasions, I had witnessed a person matching the description of Mr. Alex Rivers assaulting a homeless person unarmed and stealing what little money they might have had on them.”

  That came as a complete shock to Mika. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Arex, who was always the crowd favourite for winning citizen of the year, was incapable of being so stupid and petty as to steal from people who were already broke. It was amazing that her superior even considered that possibility. Seeing the serious look on Rodgers told her he wasn’t kidding, though. She decided it was best to hear the officer out before drawing any conclusions.

  “Do you have any concrete evidence to support your claim, Officer?”

  “Yes, ma’am I do. After witnessing the first two incidents I just mentioned, I decided to bring along a camcorder, just in case something like that would happen again. Surely enough, I eventually recorded a third incident.”

  Rodgers had a television set brought in, with a tape player attached to it. Mika saw from Officer Mackenzie’s point of view that he was crouched behind a civilian vehicle. The camera shifted, and she now saw an alleyway. Sounds of a scuffle could be heard from further down. Mackenzie then moved himself closer to the alley, leaving from a clearly safer position, then brought the zoom to its maximum to get the best view of the scene without getting himself involved.

  Mika gasped in horror as an anthropomorphic reptile could be seen clearly wailing on a homeless person. Punch after punch was pulled on the victim until he fell on the ground, unconscious. The reptile then proceeded to rifle through the man’s pockets, looking for what little money there was. It then left the poor man lying on the ground, running from the scene as fast as it could.

  Mika couldn’t believe what she had just seen. One of her best friends was caught on tape, viciously assaulting a man who had done nothing to him and who wasn’t in any shape to fight back, and all to commit petty theft. This is impossible, this has to be some sort of mistake.

  Mika realized she was right when she caught a glimpse of the date and time on the upper right corner of the screen.

  “This isn’t Alex Rivers. It’s not possible.”

  “Agent Nomura, I realize that we’re talking about a friend here,” said Rodgers, “but you have to admit, this is pretty damning evidence this officer has just brought to our attention.”

  “Wait a minute, sir. Officer Mackenzie, is the date and time on your recording accurate?”

  “There is a margin of error within the minute, ma’am.”

  “And where exactly is this alleyway?”

  “It’s on Central Park North, near 5th Avenue.”

  “In which case, I don’t have to admit to anything. This footage was recorded at 9:45 p.m. last night. Both Mike Scatchard and I can testify to still being at Mr. Rivers’ Independence Day gathering during that time. We had both left at 10:50 p.m.. Arex was wearing a traditional colonial costume during the party. He would never have had the time to change his clothing, leave the apartment, go all the way over there, commit the crime, and then come back and change again without any of us noticing his absence. A guy like Arex can’t go unnoticed, no matter how much he tries.”

  “So, if Mr. Rivers was with you and any other guests during that time, who is in that video? After all, there are no other humanoid reptiles out there.”

  “There are two explanations that come to mind: either this is an elaborate costume, or someone out there has figured out how to recreate Patrick Sandlak’s formula. I really hope it’s the first.”

  “So do I, but we have to do something about this situation. The mayor has asked me bring Arex in for questioning. Nobody is going to believe, nobody would want to believe, that there’s another reptile out there besides our friend. I have to have him take a polygraph test to make sure he would at least tell us the truth when we interrogate him. If he doesn’t pass, we’ll have to detain him until we find out that he’s innocent, if we do. I know you don’t want to do this, but it’s essential that we set aside our feelings and make an objective investigation. Everybody here is Arex’s friend, but you are the only one I can count on to keep this a secret. We don’t want to have a scandal on our hands.”

  “And what about the victim? Did he survive?”

  �
�Yes. Unfortunately, he’s in a coma, but he might wake up pretty soon. He’ll survive.”

  Mika felt lousy. She knew her friend was innocent, but the logistics of her job meant that she had to exhaust every possibility, even if that meant her friend had to suffer. She still hoped that whoever it was in the video was wearing some sort of costume. It was inconceivable that anyone out there could have reproduced the A.R.EX. serum.

  Chapter 3

  Saturday, July 5, 2:45 p.m.

  FBI Field Office

  Arex was called by Mika to come to the FBI building for assistance in an investigation, whatever that entailed. There was something in Mika’s tone had made him uncomfortable. It sounded as if she was being forced to say whatever she told him. Up until now, he had never been accused of anything. He was given a visitor’s pass at the lobby and escorted up to Corey Rodgers’ office. There, he was greeted, not only by Rodgers and Mika, but they had one of their colleagues setting up some machine on Rodgers’ desk. Arex recognized the machine as a polygraph, or a lie detector, something he had seen on television.

  “Am I here to take a lie detector test?”

  “Yes you are, Mr. Rivers.”

  Arex sighed. He understood that law enforcement officers had to be formal and impersonal while on the clock, but even when Rodgers wasn’t working, he still called him “Mr. Rivers”. Maybe it was because they didn’t know each other all that well, but he also had a funny feeling that Rodgers didn’t really like him all that much. Besides that, it was strange that he had to go through a polygraph test. Why was he being interrogated? He hoped that there would be an explanation through the questions he was asked.

  “Alright. Do I have to do this standing up?”

  The man preparing the polygraph chuckled softly.

  “Suit yourself, but I would strongly suggest you sit down. This may take a while.”

  The technician then proceeded to strap Arex in the machine, taking a minute to monitor the signal. Finally, he started the test by asking all the control questions.