Free Alpha Male by Joshua Page B

approaching 11:13. The reporters were growing impatient, checking their watches, as they waited. No one saw the shadow glide across them.
    Alpha Male touched down behind the podium and waved as the crowd behind the press went crazy at his appearance.
    “Thank you,” he said into the microphone. His words sent them into further frenzy, hooting and hollering. They waved and cheered for him as he gave a graceful wave back. A smile crept across his face until he was grinning wide. Alpha put both hands up and gestured for the people to lower their voices. They responded by getting quiet as he said, “Thank you, thank you!”  
    “As you all know, there have been some issues of late. Reports of monsters and mutants terrorizing the city. You’ve been disappointed in my efforts lately, and I understand this, but please know, I’ve been doing what I can to stop this. You’ve seen the video for yourselves, and you can clearly see that I am not taking this situation lightly. I had to put that…creature down because there was no other option.”
    “Excuse me, Alpha,” said a red capped reporter with a tape recorder in his hand. Alpha looked down at him and gestured for him to speak. “Yes, thank you. What exactly did you do with its body after the battle was done?”
    “I disposed of it,” Alpha replied. The people gasped all at once.  “The thing was dangerous, and I didn’t feel its remains could be trusted in the hands of anyone but myself.”
    “I don’t know what to say…” the reporter said. “Um, what makes you—”
    “How can you do such a thing?” another reporter asked. “You aren’t above the law!”
    “I understand this, but you don’t understand the threat I was facing,” Alpha said, his face stern, unaffected. “This thing was the greatest challenge I’ve ever faced. I don’t know what caused its strange…mutation, but I couldn’t risk it falling into the wrong hands. Do you want more of these things running around?”
    The people who had come to cheer him on were becoming riled up. Their restless behavior was enough for the police to line up between the two groups.
    “I have a separate question,” a female said, yelling over the growing sounds of the upset groups. She wore a nice black skirt and jacket combination with a white blouse beneath. Around her neck hung a press pass, and in her hand she held a smart phone. “Yes, you claim to be a hero. A super hero even, but what are you doing to help the less fortunate? I mean, you save people every day, but you never do anything to help the hungry and homeless. I’ve never once heard of you helping a battered woman, or the drug addicted. Sure, you stop crimes, but what do you do to prevent them?”
    The place stood silent as he absorbed her question. It took a few moments for the words to come off his lips, but he finally said, “I don’t know.”
    “Leave him alone, you bastards!” Someone from the crowd screamed.
    “No, no, it’s OK,” Alpha said, putting his hand up. “This is a valid question. One I’ve been asked before, but the answer never comes easily. Ma’am, I guess you’ve got me there. Beyond being a deterrent myself, I haven’t done much to prevent crime. I’ve only stopped it. You can see that things have gotten better since I came around, so I’m doing something right…” Alpha opened his mouth to finish, but paused. His eyes diverted for a moment while he thought. “How about I agree to volunteer at a different shelter each week? I know it’s not much, but I don’t know what else I could do. Does that sound OK?”
    “It sounds like a start,” she replied, with a light smile.
    "There you have it," he said, smiling back.
    "Uh, Alpha, what are you doing about this 'supervillain' we've been hearing about?" another reporter spoke up.
    "Ma'am, I'm not at liberty to discuss ongoing police investigations.  As a matter of fact, I must be off," he said, taking off, straight into the sky. The crowd of onlookers