Alpha Male (29 page)

Chapter Thirty-Eight.

“It’s over,” Al said, turning back to Ivy.

“Just like that?” Rose asked, turning to him. Her face looked hurt, sad by what she had seen. “You did that with a single gesture, but you couldn’t save him?”

“Believe me, I wanted to, but I couldn’t. He programmed me to hate him. I had to watch as that thing killed him.”

“But, it’s clear that you could have killed him within seconds,” Rose said. “Why did you two fight back and forth? Why not just end it? I don’t understand.”

“I didn’t want to kill him,” Al said. “Even when I was lost to my anger, I always held myself back. It’s the same reason I didn’t kill the police officer when I had the chance. Maybe it’s something else he programmed into me, but maybe it wasn’t. Maybe, it was me struggling for control. I don’t know, it doesn’t matter now.” He grabbed Ivy’s hand and started to walk towards Alpha’s body.

“Wait,” Rose said. “I…I want to do something for you. You saved me, and that’s not something I’ll forget.”

“We don’t need…” Al said.

“We need you to release Jon,” Ivy said, speaking up. “Please, he’s just a kid. He didn’t know what he was doing, none of us did.”

“If he’s underage, it won’t be a problem,” Rose said, with a forced a smile. “I’m probably going to lose my job over this anyways, I might as well do something good for someone. You can’t come back here though, you know that right? Whatever you do, you aren’t welcome in this city anymore.”

“Thank you, and we know,” she said. “We’ve already got plans to go somewhere else.”

“I’m going to take his body,” Al said.

“Wait, I have to see his face,” she said. “It’s morbid and fucked up, I know, but I have to see it.”

Together, they stood by as she removed the mask. She looked down on his face as her own went through a flurry of emotion. She looked up at Al with tears in her eyes and was shocked to see his exposed face. He held the mask in his hand as he looked at her.

“You weren’t lying,” she said, shocked. “You’re identical.”

“Stop, right there,” said Irene from behind. They all turned and found themselves staring at the end of her service pistol.

“Irene, it’s OK,” Rose said. “It’s over.”

“It’s not over,” she said, crying. She was terrified, but held fast her grip on the gun. “He killed Reedy. Stomped his fucking head.”

“Is this true?” Rose asked, taking a step away. Ivy pulled behind him, holding onto his arm.

“No,” he said. “That’s not true. Alpha killed him when he stumbled into his lab. He wanted to kill me there so no one would know his secret. I was tied to the table when it happened. Officer Reedy is the only reason I’m not dead right now.”

“Irene,” Rose said. “I’m choosing to believe him, and I want you to as well, OK?”

“No, you didn’t see him,” Irene said, her hands steady.

“It doesn’t matter,” Rose said, her hand out. “You can’t hurt him, just put the gun down.” Rose took a few slow steps forward, paused, and inched forward again. “We have to trust the fact that he’s not killing us right now, OK?”

“Oh God, Rose, his head…his fucking head,” Irene said, and broke down into tears. Rose grabbed her and held her close.

“It’s OK. It’ll be OK,” Rose said, her hands out.

“I don’t know if it will,” Irene said, tearing streaming from her eyes.

“Trust me, it’s going to be fine.” Rose placed her hand on the gun, and lowered it

“I trust you,” Irene said, letting both hands drop. Rose wrapped her arms around Irene, and hugged her tight. Irene’s face found its way into Rose’s neck.

“You realize you just pointed a gun at a supervillain, right?” Rose said, rubbing her hair.

Irene let out a half laugh through the sobs, and the pulled back and wiped away her tears. “Yeah, I did.”

They turned back and saw Al and Ivy leaving with the body lifted off the ground. It hovered behind them as they disappeared behind one of the destroyed buildings.

“Come on,” Rose said, putting her arm on Irene’s shoulder. “There’s a lot we need to do.”

*****

It was a dreary day as they gathered around the grave site. Rain clouds formed in the sky, peppering the outskirts with a dark grey hue, but there was nothing but sun shining down on the cemetery. Reedy’s wife, Hope, sat there, all in black, wiping the tears from her face with a white handkerchief. The makeup she wore was already running, but no one could see it behind the veil she wore. Next to her, her father and mother held her hand. Behind her, Reedy’s parents, Bob, and Mertha, had their hands on her shoulder. Every so often, they would squeeze, and she would pat them in response. Everyone did their best to stay strong, but it was the Officer’s salute that got to his father. He cried out, and found solace in his Mertha’s neck. They cried together, holding one another as the funeral went on.

Rose sat next to her husband, holding his hand and wiping away her tears. On her other side, Irene sat next to Vaughn and his wife, listening as the preacher made his closing statements. They all started when the guns were fired in his honor, and watched with growing pride as the flag was folded, and handed to Rose.

“Mrs. Reedy,” Rose said, in full uniform. As Rose said her name, Hope looked away, trying to bat the tears away by fluttering her eyes lashes. It wasn’t enough. The lump in her throat disappeared, and she lost it, weeping. “It’s my honor to give you this on behalf of the entire police force. Officer Reedy was an exemplary officer, and deserves my highest commendations. He was an invaluable part of the force, and died saving this city. I couldn’t have asked for a better detective.” With tears in her eyes, Rose handed the flag to Hope, who stood up and wrapped her arms around the Police Chief. Her pregnant belly pressed up against Rose’s stomach.

“Thank you, so much,” Hope said.

“Yes, thank you,” Bob said, reaching out to shake Rose’s hand.

“You’re son was a true hero,” Rose said, and sat down, leaning into her husband.

The preacher said a few more words, as they lowered the casket into the ground. Rose turned away, and looked out over the river and saw the city. There was so much destruction, but she could see the machines, and men working to rebuild it. She smiled, and sniffled, and turned back to funeral, gripping her husband’s hand tight.

When it was over, Rose found Hope and gave her another large hug. Mac stood behind her, and gave her a pat on the back.

“We’re all here for you,” he said.

“Yeah, we are going to take care of you, OK?” Rose said. “Reedy had great benefits. I’ll make sure you get what’s coming to you. I’m so sorry, for all of this.”

Vaughn approached the mourning widow. He grabbed her hand, and held it between both of his.. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t there for him,” he said. “If there’s anything I can do…”

“It’s not your fault. He wanted to be a cop, so we knew this could happen one day,” Hope said, tears in her eyes. “We’re going to be fine.” She looked down at her pregnant belly, and rubbed it. With the other hand, she wiped away the tears before they could run down her cheek. “I’m so sad.”

“I know,” Vaughn said. He put his arms out, and hugged her. She wrapped her arms around his waist and cried into his shoulder. Ellen stood by them, rubbing Hope’s back with the soft touch of a concerned mother.

“Thank you for coming,” Hope said, pulling away. “It would have meant so much to him.”

“I wouldn’t have missed this for anything in the world,” Vaughn said, sniffling. “I didn’t know him very long, but he was a great man. He didn’t deserve to die like this. He was… He was one of the few people that could make me laugh.” Rose gave Vaughn a slight smile and patted him on the shoulder. “Thank you, again.” She hugged Ellen, said goodbye, and went back to where her parents where.

*****

Ivy lay on the bed behind him as Al stood in the mirror. He was staring at Alpha Male, in full garb. He looked down at the costume on his body, and back up at the reflection. He felt a twinge of the familiar anger, but it subsided when he looked at her. A slight smile crept across his lips. He pulled the mask off, and turned to her.

“I still feel it,” he said, looking down at his hands. He opened and closed them with a slow, deliberate motion, watching every knuckle bend.

She got up and walked over to him. His fingers closed around her hands and she looked up at him.

“Listen, you don’t have to do this if you aren’t ready,” she said.

“I know,” he said. “But this needs to be done. I feel it in my chest. I need to help these people, and I know they won’t just accept a new hero. Besides, he did so much good for the people. I think that legacy deserves to live on.”

“I think you’re a better man than he was,” she said.

Al didn’t reply. Instead, he turned back to the mirror and looked at himself one last time.

“This outfit, it means something to people. Not the man inside. You can be the darkest person inside, and it doesn’t matter. Nothing matters except what happens as Alpha Male.”

“Nothing matters until they find out who you really are,” she said, peering into the mirror from around him.

He thought about her words for a moment, and said, “Even then it doesn’t matter, because we are the same person. I am Alpha Male because he was Alpha Male. I guess it’s just my duty to take that responsibility.”

Epilogue.

Lillian Webb sat on the couch inside the commons area, wiping away the tears as she watched the news. She held her tissue up to her face, sniffling.

"For better or worse, Alpha Male has left the city. It's unusual for him to do anything without a press release, so we can only imagine that the recent destruction has led him to this course of action. Many people are upset by his mysterious departure; stating that he should have stayed to help. Others, myself included, recognize his contributions to this city, and offer him a fond farewell. He has been an invaluable asset to this city, giving us an unprecedented period of safety. We've often wondered why he didn't branch out to help other cities, but have always been grateful that he was here. Alpha Male, you will be missed. May you find your way back to us soon." 

Lillian cried a little harder at the anchors words. She felt a tightness in her chest, and forced herself to breath. She picked up the remote to turn it off, when another news report came up. 

"As promised, we've been keeping up with any sighting of Alpha Male. The last three have been on the west coast. He's been spotted there multiple times, and has been reported to be taking down the local gangs. It's not surprising after the recent attacks here. Has he found his next city? We'll let you know as we find out more."

Lillian smiled, and wiped her face. She clicked off the television, and turned, looking around the room. She spotted Dr. Snyder, got up, and approached him. 

"Dr. Snyder," she said. He looked up from one of his other patients. 

"Ah, Lillian. How may I help you?"

"I'm ready to go home," she said. 

"Are you sure about this?" he asked. 

"Yes, I'm sure," she said, still smiling. She fidgeting her fingers a bit. "He's gone. It's all over the news, so you don't have to worry about me anymore."

"Um, hmmm. Why not?" he said, smiling at her. "You've been a particularly honest patient, so why not? Just remember, if you ever need to come back, you're welcome. I'll write up your papers. You can leave today."

"Thank you, Dr. Snyder." 

Later that afternoon, after her things were packed up in the small suitcase, Lillian Webb stepped out of the hospital. She breathed deep, and climbed into the cab that waited for her. She plugged up her dead cell, and turned it on. The first call she made was to her daughter. 

"Hello, sweetheart. Guess what."

The soft voice on the other end of the phone brought an even larger smile to her face. "That's right, I'm coming home! I've got another surprise too. I think we might be moving."