Chapter 4: Playing Russian Roulette

Alex and the girls enjoyed San Diego. Alex's BCM had leveled off during dinner the previous night and by morning he was feeling refreshed. They took a nice drive down without hitting much traffic and they visited La Jolla Cove, which Debra recommended. They then continued down the coast and visited Coronado beach near the Naval base. They enjoyed strolling along both beaches, and of course Alex met a few people along the way, but they managed to avoid any embarrassing encounters—a few awkward ones, but not too bad overall.

Finally Alex took them out to dinner at a pleasant restaurant near their hotel. With a convention in the city a lot of hotels were full, so they rented a room at a budget hotel a little further from the downtown area than they preferred. The dinner was at a nice 'authentic' Mexican restaurant one of the girls they'd met recommended and they'd had a great time flirting with the waitress. For Alex, doing so was especially nice since there was no fear of his having to actually sleep with her. Knowing the flirtation was harmless was a release for him.

Walking back to the hotel, they hit a rough patch near a public park. The girls noticed a few 'ladies of the night' out and about and started to cross the street in order to avoid them when Cate nudged him.

"Alex, check out the skinny black girl. She's been shooting us glances but seems afraid to look directly at us. I suspect she's being watched."

"I doubt they're afraid of the cops, and they typically approach men on the street, so I suspect you're right. Her pimp must be watching to make sure she's not slacking off."

"You probably want to watch how you activate her," Cate suggested as Kitty and Chalice noticed them hanging back and walked back to see what they were talking about.

"What's up?" Kitty asked, worried about attracting attention by staring and talking about the girls like a bunch of yokels.

"He's noticed someone," Cate told them, guiding them both along behind Alex. "Don't let anyone know we're interested in them," she whispered, glancing away from the girl in question.

Alex's two girlfriends, having been through his activations before, quickly fell in behind him, pretending nothing unusual was happening, even as they watched what he was doing in their peripheral vision.

Walking forward, pointing out a statue in the park, Alex approached the girl along an indirect path which led ahead of her. By the time they drew near, Alex had already activated her. She reacted, her head jerking back and seemingly stumbling, but she, Alex and the girls covered their actions pretty well. As soon as she responded, Alex spoke to her telepathically, removing her need to approach or confront him. He quickly told her about her abilities without overwhelming her. The main idea was to prevent them from talking publicly, or taking too long to explain things.

As he passed in front of her, being unfamiliar with communicating telepathically, she turned and quickly whispered as he passed.

"Look, I'm sorry for what I've done," she began, clearly thinking he was an angel come to pass judgment on her. "I didn't mean it. I was kind of forced into this and—"

Since she effectively blocked their path, Alex leaned in, whispering to her privately, even as Kitty, Chalise and Cate clustered around them. "What's your name? Your real name, that is?" Alex stressed, while Kitty and Chalise looked on intently.

"Angelica Rivers, Sir," she answered. She was a young, light-skinned black girl with thick lips, kinky hair and a very nice figure. Alex hated staring at her, looking her up and down and whispering like he was ashamed to be seen with her, but it was expected, and they'd have had trouble speaking with her if they didn't look the part. Approaching a girl with four other women with him wouldn't have been a good way to escape notice. To make it look even more convincing, Kitty and Chalise grabbed Alex's arms, leaning into him while whispering as if making suggestions to him.

She stared at him with a bleak, worried, beseeching look which tore at Alex's heart. He had to be sure she wanted out and wasn't simply feeling guilty because some angel was passing judgment on her.

"I'm not here to judge you, but are you happy with this life or do you want to get out of it?" he asked, just as he had in Phoenix a couple of weeks ago. "Before you answer, consider it carefully, because you won't be able to return. I'll get you out, but you won't be able to call anyone here. You won't be able to contact anyone. In fact you won't even be able to register to vote because it's too easy to track people via public voting records."

"Alex!" Gini cautioned him gently as she tried to figure out how she could get them out of there, on foot, if this didn't go the way he planned, but Alex waved her off. He wanted to help this girl get her life straightened out. Gini had already told him how trustworthy she was, as Gail had been training her in predicting people's reactions based on their auras. She was pretty straightforward if a bit easily manipulated. Alex thought he could not only help her, but had a feeling she'd prove herself in the long run. He wasn't exactly sure how he was going to handle it, but he had a few ideas.

She stood straighter, considering it for a few seconds, and then finally answered seriously. "If you can really get me out of here, then I'll gladly go. It's been too long, and I've got nothing to show for my time here. I'm ready to start over."

"Can you get away somewhere to discuss it?" Alex asked. "Do I need to slip you some cash, or what?"

"I can go with you now, but they'll watch where we go and I'm supposed to let them know where we're going."

"Do you have to tell them, or just indicate where?"

"Just a general indication," she answered.

"Fine, we're taking you to a hotel ahead of us, let them figure out which one," Alex replied as she started to walk away. "Hurry up, I'm not waiting."

She signaled whoever she needed to and then hurried after him. Kitty, intrigued by the whole process, relinquished her position on his arm and fell in behind them, walking with Cate while Gini trailed closely behind Alex.

'Do you have any idea what you're doing?' Gini asked. 'You could be opening yourself up for a world of hurt here.'

'Not really, no, ' he responded, 'but I've got a general idea of how I'd like to approach it.'

'Well I hope you have more than just an idea, 'cause we're walking. We can't very well avoid being tracked back to our hotel, and I'm guessing they know someone who'll give them our room number.'

Alex considered that, weighing whether he should have Gini 'meet' the person inside the hotel, then decided against it.

'No, let them. I'll get her out by distraction, ' he said, providing no clue about his ultimate plans.

They strolled back, not rushing in the slightest, and Alex and Cate gave Angelica a full run down on her new abilities. While he was at it, he also contacted one of the girls they'd met earlier, asking her if she could stop by the hotel and wait outside on the street. He then warned her to bring either a boyfriend or a gun. He didn't mind playing games, but he didn't want anyone getting hurt in the process.

Heading directly to their room, he quickly laid out the basics. Chalise quickly stripped, giving Angelica her outfit since they were close to the same size, while Kitty took her old outfit and held on to it. Gini grudgingly headed out, walking quickly as if she was going out to pick something up. She was anything but pleased to be leaving her charge, but Alex had insisted, telling her everything 'should be OK'. Those were hardly encouraging words, but she knew better than to second guess his intuition at this point. A few minutes later, Kitty and Angelica left the room, with Angelica's hair changed to make her look a little more like Chalise's. Kitty stopped by the trash receptacle to dump her old clothes before they descended the stairs.

"Man, I've got to say, for as dangerous as this is, it's damn exciting," Kitty whispered to Angelica as they ran down the stairs.

"Well, I'm used to danger and you can have it. I just hope Alex can get me out of here."

"Don't worry, if anyone can, Alex will," Kitty assured her, though she had her own doubts about how he'd manage it.

Shortly afterwards, Alex and Cate took the elevator down, walking directly through the lobby, talking loudly. They were midway across when they heard the sound of a motorcycle engine being revved behind the hotel, but ignored it, knowing Angelica had already slipped out the back, jumping on Gini's bike as they both made a quick exit while any potential lookouts were busy observing Alex. He'd prearranged with Kitty to head to the street ahead of them, hoping to distract any watcher as Angelica made the dash to the rear door.

'OK, we slipped away, ' Gini told him. 'I sure as hell hope you know what you're doing.'

'I know what I want to do. Whether or not I can pull it off is another question. But I'm not sure whether it's possible or not. That's why I'm forcing Kitty and Chalise to keep their distance. Unfortunately I couldn't deny Cate, so I'm mostly concerned about her, rather than myself.'

'It sounds like you're internalizing this whole approaching death concept too much. Are you sure you're not trying to seek an early out, hoping to avoid the ending you see rapidly approaching?'

'Seriously? In case you haven't noticed, I'm a bit involved in something, and I don't exactly have the time to debate my motives. But what I'm doing is based on something I've been wrestling with for a while. I feel confident it will work.'

'Well, as always, you're the boss. We're on our way to Los Angeles where we'll put your new friend on the first plane to New Orleans. But if you go and get yourself killed, I'm likely to find my new boss, Gail, very unhappy with me, ' she told him before finally saying goodbye.

Walking out the front door, Alex glanced around, and as he'd expected, there were a collection of several smug street-smart types watching him. Without checking to see if Kitty was behind him or not, he set out in their direction.

"All right, where is she, punk?" one Hispanic man with short hair and a mustache—obviously the group's leader and likely Angelica's pimp—demanded.

"What? Whoever do you mean?" Alex asked, playing dumb, even though he knew it wouldn't help.

"I mean Honey, you idiot. The girl you just took up to your room. You owe her and me some substantial coin, and I want to see her before I let you leave."

"Honey?" Alex asked, shrugging in confusion. "I have no idea who you're talking about. I recently met a delightful person by a different name, but she's not available at the moment. Seems she was having a problem with people taking advantage of her. As part of a new and growing religion, our organization took it upon ourselves to give her the means to escape her dead-end situation."

"Did you now, you little shit?" he sneered as he glared at Alex, casting a quick glance at Cate as a visual warning to him. "Look, if you and your little friend here want to continue breathing, I suggest you tell me where she is. You'll end up telling me either way, but at least this way you stand a chance of keeping your pretty faces unmarked."

'Betty, are you monitoring this for me?' Alex asked his hidden observer telepathically, the faster communication allowing him to converse fairly extensively in the blink of an eye. He needed her since Gini gone.

'I'm here, Alex, and I'm watching everything, although I'm not real familiar with what I'm seeing yet. As you suggested, I'm talking to Allison and Gail about what's occurring. By the way, Gail's not real happy with you at the moment.'

'Tell her I share the sentiment, but also remind her not to butt in. This is important in more ways than one. Just let me know when he starts to lose his temper. I need to know before he reacts, ' Alex reminded her.

'Will do. Right now he's pretty calm. He thinks he's in control and is sure you won't dare defy him, ' she observed.

'Fine, that's what I'm counting on, ' he told her before he responded to the man glaring at him.

"I hate to have to say this, but you're not going to be hurting anyone," Alex responded calmly, seeming unperturbed by the group of five men surrounding him and Cate. "While ours is a new religion, we have a certain level of 'Divine protection' the other established churches are currently lacking, thus I feel secure from anything you may attempt in an effort to intimidate me."

"Listen, you little fuck," the man hissed, the streetlight glistening off the nose piercing between his eyes, "I don't care what kind of freak you are, you're going to pay me and turn over my girl, got it? Why is it always the religious freaks who hunger for kinky sex but then refuse to let go when they get caught?" he asked his companions, who nodded in agreement, also casting Alex threatening looks.

"She's not yours to control," Alex insisted. "She's made her decision and she's already long gone. The person you know as 'Honey' no longer exists."

"I should slit you open like the little pig you are," the man snarled. "Or maybe you'd react a little more quickly if I decided to slice up your girlfriend instead?"

Alex could already see Cate stiffening. Although he warned her before they came out, he knew full well his actions threatened her, but he wanted her for cover. Still, this was an incredibly risky game he was playing, and the penalty for losing was severe. Still, he pressed on.

"This is between us," he insisted, speaking softly causing the dangerous men to lean in closer. "You aren't interested in anyone else, you want to hurt me. But you know you can't do anything because I'm not afraid of you, so now you're reaching out in desperation to prove to your frightened underlings you're still as big and brave as you always boast you are."

Alex could see the effect his words had on the man as the veins in his temple grew more prominent and his neck muscles tensed. But at least his attention was on him, rather than on Cate. He also noticed Cate taking a hesitant step back, though he didn't trust her not to jump in, possibly getting hurt in the process, so he had to control the situation very carefully.

His opponent snarled, his eyes twitching with his barely controlled anger. "I don't know what planet you're from, kid, but on this one, idiots like you die every day. Your damn God isn't going to care whether you die bleeding on the street or not. Now I suggest you stop stalling and call my girl out here now."

"You know, not only aren't you very bright, completely missing the fact she's no longer around, but you also haven't even noticed we're standing in direct view of the hotel, numerous witnesses and their cell phone cameras. Now I'm not about to step into a dark alley with you, but how about we move this down a little more so it's a bit more hidden from sight?"

'Alex, he's getting pretty upset. His frustration and anger are mounting, " Betty warned him.

'Yeah, I can see it in his face. He wants to hurt me bad, even if I give him what he wanted. Warn me when he reaches his breaking point, I want him angry and upset, that'll cloud his judgment. I'm not only protecting one girl, I'm making a very public statement not to touch anyone associated with my movement. He may have no clue who I am, but he'll spread the word about what happens when they cross us.'

Both Betty and the Seers listening to his broadcast telepathic exchange had no clue what he was intimating, or what he planned, but they listened and watched the man's reactions, which Alex also sent to them all.

"You want me to cut him down, boss?" another man, wearing a red and black jacket with gang tags on the fabric asked.

"Ah, yes, Weasel," Alex replied, turning to the new man as if he were an old friend. "I'm told you like to cut people who present no chance of hurting you. That's how you got your name, isn't it? Because you always weasel out of trouble while pretending to be tougher than you are? And Double D," he continued, turning back to the gang's leader, addressing him with a confident, familiar smile, "a name that's supposed to sound like the product you sell while also referring to your name, Dominick Douglas, a name you don't like anyone knowing. You'll really need some more reliable people if you're going to walk into situations like this that you can't possibly win."

"I'll do it, I'll cut him," Weasel threatened, flicking his switchblade open, but it was clear he was waiting for permission. DD, however, was busy glancing back at the growing crowd of people watching them, clustered near the entrance to the hotel.

"Moving away from witnesses is a good idea," he suggested, trying to make it sound like his idea. "And don't think you can impress me by knowing who I am. I'm sure Honey Blossom told you before you came out."

"Yeah, and did she tell me this is Tony," Alex asked, pointing to a younger man with thick black hair but a thin mustache and beard that refused to grow no matter how long he worked on it, "or that this is 'Dangerous', a much more impressive name than his given name of Billy."

Alex's casual references to each of their personality flaws provoked each of the men, not just Double D. The men started to flinch and jump as their adrenaline started pumping in anticipation of a fight, but their anger was now focused directly on Alex and it seemed they'd completely forgotten about his sister.

"Look, if you want to die where you stand, just keep like acting like you are," Double D warned, flashing him a look which normally terrorized everyone, but which didn't seem to have any effect on this little nobody. "I'm sure we can fulfill your little death wish."

"Please, you have no idea what you're dealing with," Alex said with a quick snort of derision. "You haven't even asked what religion I represent or what risks you face. But I promise you this; you'll never again threaten either me or anyone that's represented by my organization. We're protected by the Goddess, and she doesn't fuck around with little shits like you."

"Are you completely nuts?" DD asked, completely confused by someone who not only wouldn't back down, but who spouted such freaked out nonsense when confronting a real-life threat. "What the fuck kind of freak God do you believe in?" Spittle flew from his mouth in his agitation.

"That's the first sensible thing you've asked. I represent the angel Alexandria, and while other people's God stands off in the distance, issuing long forgotten demands over which kinds of snack food people can eat, Alexandria doesn't back down."

"Look you little fuck, do you really believe this shit, or do you have some sorta death wish?" DD asked, clearly perplexed by someone he couldn't understand.

"A death wish?" Alex asked, waving an arm to include the men facing him. "From who? You? You couldn't hurt me if I put your gun in my mouth myself. Your threats mean nothing to me. What's more, you and your pals are completely..."

'Alex, I think Double D's ready to blow!' Betty warned, seeing DD's aura flash bright anger.

"insignificant. What's more,..."

DD stepped back, grabbed the .38 he kept hidden behind his back and whipped it out. However, as he brought it to bear, lifting it to fire at Alex from pointblank range, he suddenly crumpled like a rag doll, like a marionette whose strings had been cut. Without a word, and without any warning, he collapsed into a heap, his gun clattering noisily on the street while he made no noise at all.

"What the fuck did you do?" one of the other men demanded, pulling his own gun, stepping back slightly to get a better angle to fire from. But he was more curious about what had just occurred, and Alex knew he wasn't ready to use it until he had some idea of what had happened. What's more, the others all took a similar step back, both to give them room to draw their own weapons but also to keep away from whatever happened to DD.

"Touch his head, Billy," Alex suggested calmly.

"What the fuck?" Billy flicked his gun at Alex as if he'd forgotten it was trained on him. "Nobody calls me that! My name is Dangerous," Billy blustered, trying to prove just how dangerous he was.

"Yeah," Alex responded with a dismissive wave of his hand, ignoring the waving gun while staring into Billy's eyes, "touch his head. You'll learn a lot."

Keeping his gun on Alex, Billy knelt and touched DD's head. However, he glanced up at Alex in confusion. "I don't feel a thing."

"Damn, I was hoping for a dramatic moment," Alex replied, sounding frustrated at a powerful scene lost instead of concerned with either the dead man or those still threatening him. "You'll have to excuse me, but this is the first time I've tried this. I'm not exactly sure how Alexandria handles it."

"What the fuck did you do to him?" Billy demanded, growing more visibly upset, pointing his pistol at Alex's face.

"This would have been more dramatic if you could have felt it, but Alexandria froze his brain from the inside out," Alex calmly announced as he casually brushed some lint off of his sleeve. "Apparently she didn't think she needed to freeze the entire thing, but as you can see, it's quite effective. Still, I can see the logic in her choice. With no outward sign of the cause of death, there's no indication anything happened to him. But even if someone could justify an invasive autopsy, it wouldn't show anything other than massive brain death. But to answer your question," Alex concluded with a shrug, "I didn't do anything. The angel Alexandria protected us."

"What the fuck did you do?" Dangerous demanded, storming up to Alex, frothing at the mouth as he shouted at him. Dangerous was so upset he was acting wildly, waving his gun around, pointing it in all directions, threatening Alex one second and motioning with it the next.

"Just what any of Alexandria's followers can do if we're threatened," Alex answered in a calm voice, which contrasted with the scene around him, making him seem even more dangerous than the men waving weapons around him. "Not only can we do this close up, without moving a muscle, but we can do it wherever you go, wherever you hide and without regard to any defenses you may try to hide behind."

'Alex!' Betty warned. But before Alex could respond, Dangerous was already shouting.

"Oh yeah, well defend yourself against thi..." he demanded, swinging his gun back to Alex to shoot him at point-blank range. Cate had finally had enough, rushing to protect her brother, but Alex raised his arm, blocking her path. It was already over. Dangerous never even finished his sentence when he collapsed like a rag doll with no spine, crumpling into a heap.

The other men looked at the two figures on the ground, then at Alex.

"I suggest each of you find another line of work," Alex suggested, glancing briefly at each one, flashing their faces to his followers.

Weasel took a couple hesitant steps backwards, then turned and bolted. The others watched, and then first one then another did likewise. One man stood his ground, debating trying something himself.

"You'll never even get your weapon cleared from its hiding place," Alex calmly assured him. This was too much for the man. He proved Alex wrong by flinging the knife from him into the street before turning and running away.

"What the fuck was all that about?" Cate asked, cautiously stepping up and surveying the two dead bodies, clearly overwhelmed and unable to fathom what happened.

"We'll talk about it later. Right now we have to make an appearance," Alex responded, turning and leading the way back to the hotel.

As he approached, everyone who'd been watching immediately parted, including Kitty and Chalise, who'd been quietly filming the proceedings with their cell phones. Both looked a bit pale, both in reaction to what their boyfriend had done and to the threat he'd exposed himself to. Somehow, this whole thing became a little less fantasy and a whole lot more real.