Ch 916 - Fourteen Plus One

Riley's sinister, erroneous broadcast reached everyone in the city of Baltimore, including the police department.

Every police officer at the station watched intently as the image of Riley took over the computer monitors and television screens. Riley made a big accusation. He claimed that Alex was the cause of all the mayhem and anomalies happening around the metropolitan area. According to Riley, it was Alex who created the super soldiers, and he's the one to blame.

The jaw of one of the uniformed officers dropped. "Where is this coming from? How is he doing this?"

Another police officer jumped out of his chair as if he were on a mission. "We have to get Detective Molar here, stat. I don't buy Naysmith for a second. He's always up to some shady business. There's no way Ambrose did any of this."

An officer who was sitting down shook his head cynically. "Ambrose is the only one we've seen around these things. We have no proof Naysmith is connected to this at all."

"No proof?" asked the other officer. "He just hacked into all of our devices. That's more than enough proof for me."

The police watch commander shushed the officers. "We have no idea what's going on. We should avoid making any rash conclusions. We must follow the evidence."

Police Chief Maxwell Zebell sauntered into the office. "That's right, gentlemen. I don't want your little knees to get sore from jumping to conclusions." Chief Zebell was as tough as nails, a no-nonsense kind of guy who didn't like hearing the word "no."

"We need to stop both of these raving lunatics. I don't trust Naysmith, but I don't trust Ambrose either. Where did he get that horse, for starters? Right now, we know where Ambrose is. He's riding that stallion through the streets of our city, and I'm going to put a stop to it."

The watch commander frowned. "What about Naysmith and his little hacking demonstration? Shouldn't we wait for the FBI? They have a special cyber crimes division."

The chief sat at the edge of a desk. He spread out his legs."We have no time to wait around for the FBI. We're hot on Ambrose's trail right now. If we wait, we miss our shot. Let's leave Naysmith up to Molar. Then we'll go bust him, too. I won't rest until both of them are locked up. Let's put an end to this madness. What do we say?"

It was obvious that not all of his team was on board, and it showed on their faces. No one wanted to believe that Alex Ambrose would manufacture an army of deranged monsters. He was a pillar of the community and someone everyone looked up to. Was he capable of doing all of this?

Displeased with the lack of enthusiasm, Chief Zebell crossed his arms. "Excuse me. Are you all going deaf? I said, 'What do you say?'"

"Sir, yes, sir," the team replied in unison but with less passion than the chief had hoped for.

Zebell clapped his hands and shot up. "That's what I'm talking about." He pointed to two other officers. "Hank, Eric, you two stay back and wait for Molar. Help him figure out where Riley's transmission came from. The rest of you boys are coming with me. Let's go catch that pretty boy criminal and lock him up for good. Then I say we should eat the horse for supper."

His last line drew a few cringes from the rank-and-file.

***

Back on the streets of Baltimore, Alex and Gary, the horse, wandered aimlessly. Alex was no closer to finding Yvonne, Debbie, Christopher, and Louis, his closest friends. All he found so far was more trouble and a cyborg.

Alex tilted forward. "Well, Gary, looks like we're going to visit every single pharmacy in Baltimore until we find this sicko. He can say whatever he wants. I don't care if he drags my name through the mud. I just have to save my friends and, of course, the world."

Gary neighed, agreeing with Alex. He picked up the pace.

In the distance, Alex heard the sound of sirens. They grew closer and closer until Alex and Gary came face to face with the Baltimore Police Department. Ken Stokes was right.

Red, blue, and white lights flashed across Alex's face. Police cars blocked the street, acting as a barricade so that he and Gary were cornered. A couple more squad cars pulled up behind them. Alex, sitting atop Gary, waited, stock-still. He had nowhere to go. He figured he'd hear out the police officers who stood in his way. At best, they'd realize it was him and let him go on his merry way. At worst, they believed Riley's lies and were here to arrest him.

Chief Zebell stood in front of the wall of squad cars, surrounded by other police officers who were wielding guns. The chief held a megaphone to his mouth and issued an order. "Alex Ambrose, stop where you are. Do not make a move. Put your hands up in the air in the name of the law."

Alex wasn't looking for a brawl with the BPD, so he hopped off Gary's back. "Alright, Gary, don't move. We don't want to make these guys angry."

Trying not to cause any alarm, Alex walked forward with his hands in the air. "How can I help you, officers?"

The chief's voice deepened with a tone that indicated he wasn't there to play nice. "I think you already know. Stand down, Ambrose, and hand over the super soldier serum."

Unlike his relationship with Riley's brigade of super soldiers, Alex had no qualms with the BPD. He had hoped that they could smooth things over, and he could continue on his way. "I think we have a misunderstanding. The broadcast from Riley Naysmith was a red herring. He started pointing fingers at me to keep your eyes off of him. Now, I would appreciate it if you all would assist me in searching Naysmith pharmacies so that we can discover where Riley is operating from. My friends and girlfriend are being held hostage. That is what we need to worry about, here."

Looking to pick a fight, the chief tossed the megaphone aside and resorted to shouting. "Are you trying to order my men around, Ambrose?"

Alex shook his hands, which were still in the air. "Of course not, Chief Zebell. I'm just trying to say, this whole charade is only a waste of time. This is exactly what Riley wanted to happen."

A vein popped out on the side of Zebell's neck. "I should take you downtown just for calling my sting operation a charade! I never liked you or that cocky attitude of yours, Ambrose."

Alex let out a dejected sigh. "You're misconstruing my words, Chief."

Zebell took a broad step toward Alex. "I'm not construderin' nothing!"

He took a pair of handcuffs out of his back pocket and latched one of the sides onto his own wrist. "I'm making sure we take you in, and when we do, you're coming with me."

Alex tightened his fists that were raised in front of his face. "I'm sorry, Chief, but I'm afraid I can't let that happen."

Alex still stood with his hands up. The chief stormed toward Alex, trying to land a one-two punch. But, even while keeping his hands in the air, Alex managed to dodge out of the way. Not a skilled fighter, Chief Zebell stumbled forward.

The chief gave up on trying to handcuff Alex and instead stomped away. He turned back toward his fellow policemen. "Alright, men, Draw your weapons. Open fire!"

The group of police officers glanced around at one another with puzzled looks on their faces. This isn't how a standoff with a perpetrator was supposed to be handled. A crowd of people swarmed the street to watch the fireworks between Alex Ambrose and the Baltimore Police Department. Instead of drawing their weapons, the officers who had their weapons already out holstered them. No one was about to open fire in defiance of the chief of police. The failure to obey orders could go on the permanent records of every single one of them. They could be fired for this act of rebellion.

One of the police officers sheepishly raised her voice. "Uh, boss. Let's rethink this. I don't think open firing in the middle of town is such a smart idea, boss."

Zebell's eyes seemed to bulge out of his skull. "YOU'RE ALL FIRED!"

The chief stomped back toward Alex and tried to land another sweeping blow at his prey. But, again, like last time, it was a swing and a miss.

Alex still wanted the Chief to listen to reason although he figured the attempt would be futile. Extending his hand out toward Zebell, as if to shake hands, Alex spoke in his most non-threatening voice. "I think we all need to calm down and talk about this like mature adults."

With a rare, fleeting moment of smart thinking, Chief Zebell latched the other end of the handcuffs onto Alex's wrist. "Haha! I got you now!"

Alex clenched his jaw. He was sick of this, sick of the distractions, sick of the obstacles, and, mostly, sick of losing.

The police officers who supposedly had just been fired stood their ground and watched the confrontation between Alex and their chief. They murmured among themselves, wondering if the chief had gone mad. His behavior had gone off the rails.

When the chief slapped the cuffs on Alex, the bystanders gasped in shock. Alex stood close enough to the chief to hear his labored breathing. But in the background, Alex was able to detect the crackle of the transmission radio inside one of the police cars. "Code B8. Detective Lance Molar reporting a Code B8. Transmission from Naysmith has been traced back to Naysmith Pharmacy on Learner Ave. Once again, this is Detective Molar with a Code B8. Over."

Learner Ave., Alex thought. That's exactly where Yvonne and Debbie suspected his lair would be. Oh, no. They must have been there that whole time. I can't wait any longer. I have to save them.

Alex gazed into Zebell's wild eyes and decided he was done waiting around. He clenched his handcuffed fist and flexed his muscles. His skin pulsed against the metal. With one swift moment, he forcefully jerked his arm up.

Much to his surprise, his wrist broke through the handcuffs, snapping the metal into tiny pieces. Some of the bystanders cheered.

Alex stepped backward. "Sorry, I'll pay for that."

"Impossible!" Zebell shouted. "You took that super serum yourself! Didn't you?"

Alex ignored the chief's taunting. "Well, gentlemen, I hope you all had enough fun for today, but I have to save the city of Baltimore, and if you all would like to help, you can meet me on Learner Avenue."

Zebell made a half-hearted attempt to grab a hold of Alex before Alex mounted his giant horse, Gary. "Okay, boy. Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Gary flared his nostrils and flattened his ears. He pawed at the ground, getting ready to charge. He sprinted forward. Then, with one impressive leap, he vaulted over the lineup of police cars.

The stallion soared through the air, clearing the vehicles effortlessly and landing with a subtle thud.

Alex held on for dear life, beaming from ear to ear the entire time. "YES! That's my boy!"

Alex rocked his hips back and forth, signaling to the horse to speed up. Gary did just that, and he dashed toward Learner Avenue.

When they made it to the pharmacy, the street was eerily quiet. No one was around. If any police officers were planning to show up at Alex's invitation, they were far behind.

The horse slowed to a stop. In anticipation of what he assumed was about to go down, Alex glared at the seemingly small store. "I should have known it all along. He was here from the get-go."

Alex slid off Gary's back. He stroked the horse's silky mane. "That was something back there, Gary. We make a good team." He smiled as the horse whinnied. "Now, you stay out here, and once Yvonne, Debbie, Christopher and Louis get out here, you protect them. If you have to leave without me, just trust them. They'll steer you in the right direction. You've been a faithful companion."

Alex bestowed a kiss on the bridge of Gary's nose, and the horse nuzzled him in return.

There wasn't any more time for affectionate interactions. Alex had to prepare himself to face his nemesis – and save everyone he loved. Never had a mission been quite so personal as this one.

With agency, Alex growled. He burst through the doors of the pharmacy with the ferocity of an animal on the hunt for its prey. As he had expected, everything in the store appeared to be business as usual. No one would have ever guessed the disturbing things that went on behind the clever facade.

The same, adolescent clerk from the days prior stood at the cash register. Alex's sudden appearance frightened the young man. "Wh-what are you doing?"

Alex didn't waste any time. He ran up to the horror-stricken clerk and punched him in the face, knocking him out with a single blow.

With a fast, high kick, Alex knocked the "Employees Only" door off of its hinges. He raced to the edge of the staircase and peered over the ledge. As he bolted down the stairs, Riley's voice rang throughout the hallowed stairwell.

"You finally found me, Alex Ambrose. Congratulations. I feared you would never make it." Riley's disembodied voice said. "But, did you have to punch my clerk? So rude."

Alex whipped his head around in search of the source of the sinister voice. "Where are you, Naysmith?"

"You know, as much as I would love to watch you search this facility until you die of malnourishment, I want to get my hands on you as soon as possible. So, how about this? I'll tell you a little rhyme, and then you can come find me," Riley said.

Alex clenched his jaw. "What are you, Mother Goose?"

Riley's voice let out an ominous chuckle. "Add fourteen plus one, then we're having fun. You'll have to run, or else you'll be done. Reach the end of the hall, then you'll have it all, so long as you don't budge. Ta-ta, Alex Ambrose. I'll see you soon, unless you die!"

Confused by what just happened, Alex stared down at his feet. "What the hell? Is he smoking the super soldier serum? Okay, well, I guess I have to play into this. Add fourteen and one… what the hell, they're on the fifteenth floor. Okay. Guess I'm having fun."

In the rush, Alex sprinted down the staircase until he reached the fifteenth floor. Before him stretched a long shadowy corridor that portended gloom and doom. When Alex took his first step down the hallway, bright, fluorescent white lights switched on automatically. Metal cages lined the sides of the corridor, and Alex couldn't make out what was inside of them. Instead, he focused on making it to the colossal metal doors at the end of the hallway.

Riley's voice returned. "Congratulations, Contestant Number One! You have reached my torture chamber. Prepare to be, well, tortured."

The evil voice still echoed through the hall when the metal cages lifted. Nearly a dozen super soldiers stepped out of the darkness of their hiding places and into the light.