Chapter Eight

The hero wasn’t aware that’s exactly where I needed to be. I knew I’d be imprisoned, but I’d figure out a plan of escape once I got a lay of the land and the forces and firepower they had at their disposal. On the bus ride to the Alpha Corps Compound, I put up no resistance and didn’t utter a word to Fiberglass the entire way. Any time he asked a question and I remained silent, he would glare at me through the rearview mirror and stay silent for a few minutes before asking me the next question. I really couldn’t understand why he was being so kind and open. I detested it.

Within a few minutes, after taking a dirt road through Haven City Forest, we arrived at the compound. There were soldiers and guards everywhere. It felt as if they were trying to cover every square inch of the place with a body. There were three major, enormous buildings that mainly made up the compound. I believed the one in the center was the Headquarters where they handled any sort of business with Nobles or any other being or organization. To the left was the Keep, where they housed people deemed too dangerous to live in society for the time being. At least until they could get their abilities under control. To the right was where my home would be for the next couple of days, the Prison, where they kept any villain not killed in the course of battle. To be honest, I didn’t see the difference between the Alpha Corps Keep and the Alpha Corps Prison. 

The bus slowed to a stop at the gates and the guard checked his tablet, presumably searching for Fiberglass’s photo ID through the Nobles App. He then leaned over to peer at me behind him, then waved the Noble forward. Fiberglass pulled into the courtyard of the compound and stopped the bus, turning to me and exhaling.

“Ready?” he asked.

I still didn’t respond. Instead, I just glared at him. His eyebrows slightly sagged. It was as if he felt sorry for me. I didn’t understand it. And the more he did tiny, little gestures like that, the more pissed off I became.

He grabbed my handcuffs and led me off the bus and I came face-to-face with three important people. Three I would need to eradicate before I torched--or froze over--the entire compound.

To my right was a gruff-looking, heavily bearded Caucasian man that looked as if he was in his 40s or 50s. He looked like the type that would go unwillingly on some adventure with some sort of innocent young girl and get a different outlook on life through seeing how she saw the world. Plenty of shows and movies had followed the formula before and he looked like he fit the bill. His name was Bryce Price and was Captain of the Alpha Corps Guard and its soldiers. With him at all times were at least two weapons: an M4 assault rifle and a Beretta pistol. He also kept his black cap low on his face, so I could barely see his eyes or expression. The cigar he chewed on looked as it was freshly lit for my arrival. 

To my left looked like someone who could be the complete opposite of Price. Blonde hair, magenta dress overshadowed by a tan overcoat and matching fedora that made this one look like a private investigator. This was Carlie Cobbs who actually was a P.I. on the side, but mainly the one in the middle’s assistant. Being a P.I., she was constantly observing things and taking notes, typing away at her tablet. She didn’t even make eye contact with me when I first stepped off the bus. 

And the one in the middle, directly in front of me, with a condescending scowl that made me want to break out right then and there was Commander Atsumi Asai. Before I began my crusade, I read up on the public information available on her. She oversaw and managed all three sub-organizations here at the compound. The head bitch in charge. The Nobles were also under her control. And through the Nobles App, she could specify instructions and give the heroes updates on current crimes taking place, though I’m sure most of that work fell to Cobbs. Maybe I was a special case. She also held a seat at the table as one of the head decision makers for the entire Alpha Corporation. 

Most of the other heads didn’t deal with the corporation unless an important decision had to be made. Other heads included Mr. Blade of Blade Industries, Mr. and Mrs. Stone, and Mr. Thane, and Dr. Daichi--now deceased. These were the fuckers that decided what to do with the invasion. They indirectly killed my brother. She would most likely be the toughest to kill for all the reasons I listed, so I decided to come here first. And with their HQ obliterated, the Nobles would scramble for guidance, making them easier to pick off. 

“So,” Asai said. “We finally meet. You’re shorter than I pictured.”

I said nothing. Saying anything here to her would show weakness. It would be as if I was already admitting defeat. 

“You killed…” she trailed off, as Cobbs handed her her tablet. “Dr. Daichi, his adopted sister Addison Riley, Anthony Welsh--his other bodyguard, Dr. Watts, his sister Cheyenne Watts, Marie Morse, Vlad Sokolov, and two Nobles: Metaman and Plasima. It also says here there are reports of a train derailment in one of the subway tunnels involving Apexcel. Unconfirmed at the moment.”

She handed the tablet back to Cobbs, who then continued to type. 

“Seems you were working alone,” Asai continued. “What exactly was the endgame here?”

I gritted my teeth and kept my mouth shut.

“In case you don’t understand, I’m giving you a chance to come clean and reveal some information before you’re…interrogated,” she told me. “If you reveal something now, we’ll go a little easier on you later.”

I kept quiet.

“Guess you’ve made up your mind,” she said, shrugging and turning away. Cobbs followed her. “Good work, Fiberglass. You shall be heavily compensated.”

I turned to give Fiberglass one last glare and he returned one before climbing onto the bus. I looked to the only remaining important figure, Price. He gestured with his head towards the Prison building and as I followed him, guards walked up to him to help him escort me. 

They removed any metal from me before making me walk through a metal detector that didn’t sound. Next, they had me strip and wash myself before they gave me a fresh, neon orange jumpsuit. Then, they strapped a collar around my neck. Without me needing to ask, Price explained it for me.

“These collars were invented to suppress and negate the powers of those who received them from either serum. Try and use your powers and needles stick out on the inside and poke at you. The more you try and use ‘em, the further the needles go until--well, you can guess what happens,” he explained. “The only way to get them down is to have me help. But if it ever comes to that, you’d need to be further evaluated.”

“Meaning?”

“We’d need to figure out if you’re worth the hassle keeping alive, for morality’s sake,” he said. It sounded like they had no problem killing the prisoners, but perhaps one of the Heads of the organization had a conscience. “So, it’s just best to not use your powers.”

I wanted to ask about someone having both serums simultaneously running through their veins, but I didn’t want to reveal that I had received both. As far as they knew, I only received Daichi’s and killed Watts. Or, that’s what I believed they thought. 

After being stripped of my humanity and free will, I was escorted to my cell made entirely of impossibly thick glass. One of Price’s guards shoved me inside and closed the door behind me, but as I turned around to scowl at him, Price grabbed the guard by the collar.

“Hey, relax with that. There’s no need. You have no issues with her, so don’t treat any of them like you do,” he said. He then said something I wouldn’t understand until later. “If any should have a problem with her, it should be me, but you don’t see me abusin’ her, do you?”

The guard shook his head and apologized and Price calmed down. He glanced at me once before walking off and leaving the guards at their posts. 

“So, are you the one that went on a Noble killing spree?” I heard a voice ask. It came from the cell directly across from mine. Most of it was covered in shadows, but from them emerged a tall, lean, fair-skinned creep, with irises that were no larger than a pixel. “What’s your name?”

I opened my mouth to speak, but he interrupted me.

“And I don’t mean the name you were given at birth. I mean your real name,” he reiterated. I paused. I hadn’t thought about protecting my identity or coming up with some moniker like the Nobles and villains did. 

“I don’t have one,” I answered. He snickered.

“We’ll find you one in due time,” he told me. His voice was raspy, whispery, and airy all at the same time, contributing to his creepiness factor.

“And you are?”

“I am called ‘Ache’,” he answered.

“What’re you in for?”

“Attempted murder on a few of the Nobles. Mainly the one called ‘Lux’. My favorite,” he said. “I almost killed his best friends, who are also Nobles. But, I say it was the massacre of an entire subway train full of people that did it for ‘em.”

“This freak is really proud of that,” one of the guards said. The thought hadn’t crossed my mind before the conversation had started, but I was too curious not to ask.

“Why don’t you stop us from talking?” I asked. “I wouldn’t think we’d be allowed to talk to each other in a maximum security prison.”

“Thank Captain Price,” the guard told me. “He told us, no matter what any of you have done, it’s not worth the mental torture of not being able to communicate with another human. He genuinely feels sorry for all of you, even though some of you don’t deserve his sympathy. Especially Ache.”

“And you hurt him the worst. Even incorporating that fact, he still instructs us to treat you all like people. At least, ever since the first prison break,” another guard chimed.

“As long as there's no discussion for breaking out, you’re all free to talk to your heart’s content,” the first guard continued. “It actually keeps us entertained as well, while we watch you.”

I wasn’t expecting this. Before meeting Fiberglass, I was thought I was familiar with how all the Nobles and people connected to the Alpha Corps would react to me and treat me knowing what I’d done. I didn’t want their pity. If anything, I wanted something to fuel the fire further. But as of right now, they weren’t giving me that. It’s like they were giving me even less of a reason to murder them, by showing kindness. It was fucking with my head.

I heard footsteps approaching. Two people. Had Asai come to see me in my cell already? No, these two were greeting prisoners as they passed them. One voice was male. They both sounded young.

“Aura Ray, Vulcon, Detonade, Infracon, Vice, Advocate--”

“THE Advocate!”

“The Advocate, aaaaaand Ache!” The two stopped in front of Ache’s cell, then turned to me. The voice that was listing the names of the villains imprisoned was a girl that was blonde like Cobbs. She was wearing a blue and green jumpsuit, had red lipstick, and large, bright eyes that reminded me of the loud Lynx from Erza’s bar. 

“Ooh! Lance, she’s new!” the girl said pointing at me and running up to my cell. 

“Easy, May. Take a few steps back,” the guard in front of my cell instructed.

“Sorry,” she said with an apologetic smile. The boy with her approached my cell as well. His look was the opposite of hers; gloomy. He had black, stringy hair, a navy blue school uniform, and violet gloves that kind of matched his baggy, magenta eyes. 

“This must be the infamous Noble murderer,” the gloomy one, Lance, said. 

“Why’re you here?” I questioned. “Is this your version of a zoo?”

“Well, we did the same thing with that one guy, as we kinda do with all the villains of the Prison,” May said. She tapped at Lance’s shoulder. “Uuuuhhh, what was his name again?”

“Archaos.”

“Yes! Archaos. He was one of the invaders. It was silly of us to assume the anti-serum collars could hold an alien. He broke out in no time,” May shrugged. 

“Why are you allowed in here?” I asked. I felt as if I was being taunted. “Why are you telling me about that? Who are you?”

“Well, I think I can answer at least one of those questions,” May said, putting her hands on her hips. “We come from the Alpha Corps Keep!”