BOOM! Alex and Robespierre tumbled onto the nearby rooftop. Alex managed to push the cyborg off of himself in order to catch his breath.
Alex knew he made a mistake. He fell right into Riley's trap. Not only did he allow himself to be lured away from the actual location of Riley's secret lair, but he also let Riley bring the fight to him. He didn't have a moment to spare, he needed to take down cyborg Robespierre and go find his friends.
"I am not done with you yet! My reign of terror has only begun!" The cyborg called out.
Alex cracked his knuckles. He mustered up some of his newfound strength. "Reign of terror? Bring it on."
Alex clenched his fists as the cyborg ran toward him. As the robot swung at him, he ducked, avoiding the sting of a metallic punch. In return, he punched the cyborg in the chest, sending him flying across the rooftop.
Alex looked down at his fists. He couldn't believe his newfound strength. "I could certainly get used to this."
Robespierre wasn't down yet. However, the last punch damaged his voice box. "I… wi-will… I'll… de-de-de-destroy you."
The robot's sad speech pattern almost made Alex pity him. However, he knew he had a fight to finish.
He stormed Robespierre, grabbed the cyborg by its head, and ripped the head clean off its body.
Exhausted, Alex let go of the cyborg's head and let it clunk to the ground. He fell back onto his butt, and stared straight ahead. Who would have thought that a one-on-one fight with a cyborg could exhaust a person? Even with his newfound super strength, Alex felt completely, and utterly, depleted. He wanted to crawl into bed, cuddle Debbie, and fall asleep for twenty-four hours straight. Only, he had a lot to tell Debbie before he could feel comfortable cuddling with her again. If she would let him cuddle with her.
He tried not to dwell on the biggest mistake he had ever made. Ken Stokes was standing in front of him on the rooftop, clapping his hands excitedly. He was organizing the news team he had brought. They all wore jackets with the broadcast company's logo embroidered on the chest. Several cameras were being set up off to the side for an interview Alex was certain was going to happen, whether he liked it or not. Ken Stokes seemed like the kind of man who wanted to make things happen.
All around them, the crowd was cheering and chanting Alex's name. Several of them had their phones out, taking pictures, selfies, and videos of the man who had saved them. A few had gotten caught in the crossfire, getting injured from stray debris that flew their way, but nobody seemed to mind. Alex grunted when someone shouted, "I LOVE YOU, ALEX!"
"This is going to get so many ratings," Ken was saying eagerly. "Ambrose, my boy, you're about to make me famous!"
"You're a newscaster," Alex said. "You're already famous. Kind of. People know your name. They know who you are the second they turn on the television."
"Not in the way I'm about to be," Ken said with a wink. Then, he scurried off, saying something about natural lighting and camera angles.
Alex buried his head in his hands, every muscle in his body aching. So much that had happened over the last couple of days just didn't make any sense. One moment, he was using some kind of energy power, the next he had super strength. What the hell was going on? He groaned, head too foggy to think of an answer. He just wanted to go to bed.
Ken Stokes returned and said, "We're ready for you."
Alex looked up at him. "Can I at least shower, first?"
Ken shook his head. "Nope. You look more heroic like this."
Alex stood up on wobbly legs and looked down. His shirt had more holes in it than Swiss cheese. His jeans weren't any better, and he had to completely get rid of his jacket. It was far too beaten up and busted to ever be useful again. Reluctantly, he followed Ken Stokes the news reporter to the spot they had designated for the interview. One of the production assistants handed Ken a microphone and clipped a smaller one onto the remains of Alex's shirt. The cameras started rolling, and Ken put on his serious news broadcaster face.
"Ken Stokes reporting live from Baltimore," he said in a monotonous voice. "The last hour and a half have been fraught with panic, danger, and terror as a cyborg tore through the city of Baltimore. However, that all came to an end just minutes ago, thanks to the assistance of one brave, and cunning, young man. I'm here today with the man responsible for saving the entire city. A Mr. Alex Ambrose." Ken turned to Alex. "Mr. Ambrose. I think I speak for the entire city of Baltimore when I say, thank you."
The people around them went silent.
Alex put on a smile. "It was my pleasure," he said. "I do everything I can to help the people of this incredible city."
***
After half an hour of terrorizing Yvonne, Debbie, Christopher and Louis, Riley returned to his surveillance room.
He plopped down in his giant, swivel chair. He dramatically spun around in his chair. "I don't know how Alex deals with those losers. They're so boring. All they do is whine and complain. I would much rather spend my time with my real friends, my computers."
Surrounded by his monitors, Riley felt like he held the world in his hands. He could see anything he wanted to, tucked away in his monitor room. The console was massive, and the monitors were expansive. On a whim, he tapped in a random sequence of numbers and letters. The monitors, which had previously shown what was happening at the underground Naysmith tower, switched to a location on the far side of the planet. He was looking at Sydney, Australia. After tapping in another sequence, he was looking at Africa. Riley smiled, knowing that the world's days were numbered. He was simply taking one last look at it before it disintegrated.
Riley accidentally switched the channel back to the torture room. He groaned at the sight. "God, I'm so sick of these people."
He watched as Yvonne attempted to terrorize his security guard again. He rolled his eyes at her immaturity.
"I should kill them," he thought aloud, watching the group of Alex's friends. "I wasted my finest cyborgs on torturing these imbeciles. Ever since those girls started running around my facility, my cat has gone missing. Ambrose and his crew are nothing but trouble. Plus, what's the harm in killing them now?"
Riley leaned in and stared at the screen. He sighed to himself. "Ambrose thinks they're here already, so I got my use out of them. I guess the question is, how will I kill them? Have a guard shoot them? No, too easy. Ah, I'll feed them to one of the animals. Maybe the shark. Wait. Robespierre. Damn it. I forgot I sent him after Ambrose in an effort to just end him. That should be happening any minute now. Golden Boy will be out of the picture at long last, and what a relief that would be. If Robes kills him now, that will speed along this whole process, and I could kill these four idiots."
He stewed for a few more minutes, daydreaming about all the ways he could kill or torture the four captives. It was purely for his own entertainment. The world would end soon enough, there was nowhere for them to go, and they would die along with everyone else soon enough. Riley might as well have some fun. He simply allowed his mind to wander wherever it wanted to.
The watch on his wrist vibrated. He looked at it and saw he had an incoming call from his assistant, Dangles. Annoyed, he answered it.
"What do you want? I was daydreaming of murdering people," he demanded.
"Pardon the intrusion, sir. I know how much you love to dream of murder," Dangles said hurriedly. "There's something you need to see. I'm forwarding a link right now. It's… Bad isn't a strong enough word. It's wors–"
Riley hung up on Dangles, and a moment later a link appeared. Riley clicked it, then linked his watch to the monitors. Within seconds, they displayed the contents of the link. A series of newscasts and video collages depicting a massive two-person battle. One of them was the cyborg Robespierre. The other was none other than Alex Goddamn Golden Boy Ambrose.
Riley jumped to his feet, sending the chair toppling backward.
"WHAT THE HELL?" he screamed.
He watched, enraged, as Robespierre tried and failed to take down Ambrose. In fact, he had somehow lost both arms! Somewhere along the line, Ambrose had developed super strength. The two grappled, and Ambrose further dismantled the cyborg. The final blow to Riley's pride came when Ambrose had Robespierre pinned to the ground, surrounded by a crowd of adoring onlookers, as he wrenched the cyborg's head clean from his shoulders, and held it up like a trophy.
What boiled Riley's blood more than anything else? Everyone was cheering for Alex as if he were the hero.
"This can't be!" Riley said, slamming his fist down onto the control panel in front of him.
Then, he took a deep breath, relaxed, and let his arms hang down by his sides. "It's fine. It's fine. I have a plan for this after all. I mean, I wanted Alex to come here anyway, right? I'll just kill him myself. That's what I truly wanted."
Riley's expression contorted as he watched everyone cheer for Alex. "Killing him isn't enough. I have to destroy everything about him."
He looked at his watch and opened an app he had running in the background. He manically clicked a series of buttons on the giant control panel in front of him.
"I was hoping to save this for the end of the world," Riley said. "However, desperate times call for desperate measures."
Riley flipped a switch on his control panel, and, when he did, he hacked into every single device in the city of Baltimore. His face was plastered on every screen. A download progress bar appeared on Riley's watch. When it filled up and disappeared, that was when Riley had his chance.
He enabled the microphone on his watch and began to speak.
"DO NOT BELIEVE HIM."
***
Alex spun at the sound of Riley's loud and booming voice. He looked everywhere, but couldn't see him. Then, he looked at the people. None of them were looking at him or Ken. They were all looking at their phones.
"What's this?" Ken asked. He pulled out his own phone.
Alex looked over Ken's shoulder. Riley's face filled the entirety of Ken's phone screen.
Alex ripped the phone out of Ken's hands. He was appalled.
Riley spoke with passionate rage. His face was bright red as he pleaded his case. "Ladies and gentlemen of Baltimore, this is Riley Naysmith. I speak to you from a place of safety, and from a place of genuine fear, fear of Alex Ambrose. Ambrose has lied to all of you. I have proof he staged this entire attack."
Fake, altered images of Alex with the cyborgs flashed across the screen.
Alex froze where he stood. Suddenly, the people who had looked at him with awe and adulation were now looking at him with fear and betrayal.
Riley's face returned to the screen. He seemed composed, but there was madness behind his eyes. "The cyborg is of his own design. He let it loose so that he could distract everyone from the fact this his businesses are failing. He put you in danger so that he could save himself."
Alex handed Ken's phone back to him. "None of this is true."
Ken nodded. He witnessed Alex fighting the cyborg with his own two eyes. "I know."
Riley continued his spiel. "Even his pharmaceutical venture was dead on arrival. His medications sell for pennies compared to my own. He uses inferior formulations and cheap ingredients. Then he repackages them as treatments."
Alex raised his eyebrow at that accusation. "Actually, we sell medication to those in need at discounted prices to save lives, but you know."
"He doesn't care at all for the people of Baltimore. He only wants fame," Riley said, lying through his teeth. "Those attacks from yesterday? Alex Ambrose. The super soldiers? Alex Ambrose. He is destroying your city. He is planning a massive attack for the future, and unless we come together to stop him. We will all day. Stand with me. Take down, Alex Ambrose."
The screen on Ken's phone went black. Ken shoved his cell phone back into his pocket. "We can run a newscast right now to tell everyone that's not true, Alex. We'll clear your name."
Alex shook his head. "It's all hearsay at this point. I have to find him and stop him."
Alex peered down off the rooftop. A huge crowd of people stood beneath him. They stared up, unsure of what to think of their so-called hometown hero.
Alex let out an exasperated sigh. "I'll be okay. No one needs to believe me. I know what the truth is, and I have to put a stop to Riley Naysmith."
Ken Stokes held out his hand. "I admire you, Alex. Baltimore may not know it yet, but we're lucky to have you."
Alex shook his hand.
"Where are you going next?" the reporter asked Alex.
"If I have to turn this city inside out to find my friends, that's what I'm going to do," Alex replied. With that, he climbed off the rooftop and down the fire escape.
Ken leaned over the side of the roof to offer one last piece of advice. "Be careful. I bet the Baltimore Police Department is going to be all over this story. Just watch who you trust."
Alex paused as he was climbing down. He smiled back at Ken Stokes. "You too, my friend."
When Alex hopped off onto the ground, Gary, the horse, sprinted beside him.
In one swift movement, Alex mounted the horse, and the two rode off into the city.