Part Four.
"Not now," he muttered, veering off course.
He landed in front of a man clad in robotic armor. Both his arms and legs were reinforced with hydraulics. His helmet resembled a steel skull.
"What are you doing out here, Jacobs?” Alpha asked with noticeable irritation in his voice.
"That's my real name," the man replied, his voice flattened through a modulator. "You know I hate when you use my real name."
"Right now, I don't give a shit what you hate. I don’t have time for you today. I'm letting you off easy," Alpha said, turning away.
"Don’t you turn your back on me!" Jacobs barked. "You will face me! You will face The Mech, and I will beat you this time!"
"How many times have I put you in the hospital?" Alpha said, not bothering to turn around. "Go home Jacobs. Pick another day to die."
With that, Alpha took off again, flying back towards the crater. He wasn't ten feet in the air when he was struck in the head. Alpha turned to face his foe as The Mech's powerful fist smashed into Alpha’s face, knocking the hero back to the building’s roof. Jacobs landed a few feet away and approached Alpha as he struggled to stand.
“Made a few upgrades,” Jacobs said, flexing the arm that just leveled Alpha. THe grinned. “I jump now.”
"You've never killed anyone, or committed any real crimes, so I've always let you off easy," Alpha said, getting up. "From day one, your issue has been with me. I've come to accept that—"
"Someone's gotta be able to stop you," Jacobs said.
Alpha sighed as the words left Jacobs' mouth. He clenched his teeth, and pointed his finger before saying, “Get in my way today, and I’ll make you regret it."
"Prove it," Jacobs said, beckoning the hero towards him with a wave.
Alpha let out a roar and launched himself, fist-first at the armored man. Jacobs anticipated this and pulled up his arm in time to block. From there, Alpha released a flurry of blows, a fraction of which The Mech was able to block. Each hit landed harder than the last until dents became noticeable in the metal suit.
Seeing an opening, Jacobs threw a wild left hook that caught Alpha’s jaw and knocked him back. The powerful disorientation from the blow only lasted a moment before Alpha rushed back in, renewing his barrage of attacks. This time, he didn’t miss. Every punch found its mark. The Mech’s defenses crumbled. The last punch hit the man's helmet, knocking it clean off his head.
Blood poured from the beaten man's mouth and nose as Jacobs tried to keep coming. Golden hydraulic fluid sprayed from ruptured seams. The limbs gave off a tired whir as they bled out. Gears grinded as Jacobs tried to force a final step out of the machine, but it would not come.
"How many times do I have to break you?” Alpha asked.
"As long as you exist, someone has to be here to stop you. I've devoted my time and fortune to this, and I won't back down."
"You will–if I kill you," Alpha said, showing his teeth.
"Thanks for proving my point," Jacobs said, with a sneer. "No one should have the kind of power you do."
Alpha tightened his fist and started to punch, but stopped himself when Jacobs flinched. Letting out a frustrated yell, Alpha flew off, leaving the man in his disabled suit.
He could hear Jacobs yelling something, but he was too far away to understand the man's infuriated babbling. Alpha’s jaw tightened as he scanned the chaos below. Emergency vehicles rushed off in every direction, doing what they could to help the citizens in peril while he darted through the clouds on his own personal mission.
He spent the next few hours searching, stopping on occasion to ask for information, but no one knew anything. The longer he searched, the more pointless it felt. It wasn't until the sun started to set that he abandoned the search in order to take up his nightly patrols.
“I know you're out there,” he muttered, the city flickering to life beneath him.
