Kings of Hell

Alyssa’s POV

“Lucky you weren’t there, doll, it all went smoothly for once,” Dale jokes with a sexy smirk as he slides in right next to me, squishing me into the corner of the booth as his leg rubs against mine, and he grips my thigh possessively.

Serge and Jose sit on the opposite side, Ace sits next to Dale but immediately reaches over for the whiskey bottles, eyeing them immediately.

My beasts are already on their best behaviour with the family environment, looking at me slyly but keeping in any need to swear – for good or worse reasons, heh.

“Sir, sir,” a little girl abruptly runs up to Serge the moment he sits, “Can I have your signature, electricity man? You’re my favourite hero!” she passes him a pen with a fluffy pink bon-bon and her small orange notebook, “What’s your real name? And what does it mean?” she keeps asking questions, her eyes wide and her feet dancing as she can’t stay still, “I’m an igniter like you, I can light candles with my pinky finger,” she keeps holding out the pen and paper.

Serge looks over her small head to the family next door in the booth behind, they smile with nervous embarrassment.

However, as soon as he winks at them, they calm down as he lifts up the little girl onto his lap and signs her notebook, “I’m called Lightning, not electricity man,” Serge growls, but also smiles at her constant wide eyes stare, “What’s your name?”

“Faroe,” she whispers, looking in awe at the signature he leaves her, with a lightning bold added.

“If you’re even in trouble, you tell them you know me, kid,” Serge sounds so proud, as if he was talking to a small Sally.

He places her back down onto the floor and she runs off screaming back to her family that she met the electricity man.

“Did you just level up from a villain, to a hero –?” I ask Serge seriously while Dale’s hand is squeezing my thigh, harder and harder – I wince in pain and turn to him, as his purple leopard eyes are focused in on me and me alone. The mafia boss of FC is looking at me like I’m the only girl in the world, “What? Is something wrong?” I ask, terrified bad news is coming to ruin the perfect night. Dale reaches up his free hand to pinch my chin, raising my head… and my lips.

Serge was about to answer me but he just scowls as Dale steals my attention.

“I could fuck you right now, doll,” Dale speaks quietly, just for me, “…but my dick can wait… you are one gorgeous woman, Alyssa,” he leans in to kiss me in slow motion.

I am frozen from the brutal surprise. D-Dale, slow?

His hand slides across my cheek, through my hair to the back of my head.

Dale makes out with me in the corner of the booth, grabbing my legs behind my knees, jerking me onto his lap, all while his mouth doesn’t leave mine.

Oh, man – I could kiss him forever.

My head is held back, my hair soft between his fingers, while it’s lethal to everything else, but he carefully holds me away from the furniture – which I’ve already scratched up.

The kiss is pure dark love. I love Dale.

Ace, Serge and Jose don’t even say anything to interrupt.

Nothing at all.

Although they do open their own whiskey bottles while Dale keeps making out with me in the corner.

I hold onto his tattered suit, bloody from a split lip he had earlier, but it already healed.

I pull back to breathe in deep, and Dale looks annoyed the forever-kiss is over, his eyes desperately on my mouth.

I just breathe, I can’t even speak.

I’m… stunned. I make a funny noise between a moan and a word but it’s all I can manage.

Dale suddenly licks over his teeth and his eyes flick up to mine.

“…are you shy with me all of a sudden, kitten? You’re turning pink,” Dale’s lips tug up in the corners, “I’ve never seen you blush like that.”

“I’m… just feeling alive, boss,” I whisper.

“Yeah… about that, I really shouldn’t have fucked with your brain,” Dale shakes his head, looking a little embarrassed as he half-apologises, before reaching for his own bottle, which Ace opened up for him. He takes a swig with me on his lap, while I just look over the rest of the gang.

I smile shyly at Jose and Serge, and Ace gives me a sexy wink as he reaches for my tits – but immediately has to stop by the newcomer.

The waitress returns just in time while I cough awkwardly into my hand, like Ace wasn’t just about to grope me in public.

“Do you know what you’d like to order?” she asks, also feigning obliviousness.

“We’ve never had fish before,” I speak up for all of us, bitting my lip as I look to my hungry beasts, “Can we try… everything?”

“Yes,” Sammie smiles, “We’re used to that here. I’ll send over samples.”

“Looking forward to it,” I add, “…also, for dessert, send out the strawberry pancakes…”

As soon as I say the word Strawberry, I almost have a heart attack.

The Brownie Squad.

Where the hell were they?

I hold tightly onto Dale’s suit with my sudden panic.

“Okay, I’ll be right back,” Sammie walks off, Dale notices my shift.

“Where’s Blue, Strawberry and Raven?” I ask them all, “Do you know?”

“Kane took them in for… ‘upgrades’,” Dale admits, “They were stuck in ice and Kane took them into safe keeping. He wanted to do some work.”

“What kind of work?” I ask, growling, “They better be alive or I’m going to kick some AI ass.”

Dale smirks at my sudden passion, and Serge even furrows his brows at me.

“Thank you for choosing to blow up STR1KE,” Jose speaks up, sarcastically, looking at me with annoyance.

“I’m sure Kane will make something new for you with more upgrades,” I murmur back, “Since his nose is up everyone’s asshole. You’re a real pain in the butt as a robot, you know that, right,” I elbow Dale lightly, “At least you have a soul.”

“Debatable,” Ace chokes on his whiskey.

“On the contrary,” Dale growls at Ace, “I’m glad to be human.”

I gulp with his vulnerable admission.

It was weirdly sexy to hear him say that.

“So, um, now that I’m normal,” I begin, slapping both my palms down onto the table, catching all their attention, “I wanted to make something very, very clear,” Now the gang look nervous. I try not to laugh, “…I don’t want a thing to change between us… nothing… it’s perfect the way it is,” when I finish on such a sweet note, they’re all unable to relax, waiting for the punchline or some kind of condition.

“Why would it change?” Dale asks, growling a sexy warning in my ear, “We know how to bring a feisty bitch to heel,” he is trying to provoke a reaction, just to playfight, I feel it.

I pretend to bite as I glare at him over my shoulder, and I say nothing.

“I feel… uncomfortable,” Serge murmurs into the quiet between us.

“With what?” I ask, curious by the haunted look in his eye.

“…being a hero…” Serge mentions, gulping, “Too much fucking responsibility…” he sounds so serious, and talks very quietly, so no one can overhear him swearing.

“Oh, Lightning,” I whisper, “Sally would be so proud of you.”

“I need to see her,” Serge says, “I’m worried about her.”

“Sally is the last person on this Earth you need to worry about,” I murmur, “She’s a total bad ass.”

“I want to make sure A.R.M.Y are still treating her right,” Serge cringes inwardly at the thought of them. I try not to laugh.

“Oh, they are, I have no doubt about it,” I sigh with happiness, liking Serge’s worry in a selfish way.

“We should have more kids,” Dale bites my ear.

“Our turn, goddess,” Ace grabs my ankle.

“Hey! I think I can wait for a bit longer before I have any more kids,” I chuckle nervously, getting excited when I see the food coming for us, express delivered.

Dale palms me off his lap and I get my own seat back for my butt.

All of us salivate at the food being dished out.

It’s steaming… it looks amazing… it…

It…

Um. Well.

It certainly looks appetizing, and any Atlantis visitors in the restaurant, dig in. The FC freaks? Kind of have the same reaction we all do.

Oh, goodness. Ten minutes later, we’ve all at least tried something.

The beasts don’t want to waste food so they eat it all in silence. Jose seems to genuinely like the seafood, eating it without a fuss.

I tried something called squid and I’m trying my best to keep it down.

Dale is refusing to complain, and he finished his plate of salmon.

Serge seems conflicted, he keeps trying everything. From fish to seaweed.

Ace is quiet, but pale, very pale.

“Pancakes?” I whisper, desperately wanting something plain.

“Yes, they’re coming!” the waitress promises to get them over quickly as she walks by.

I look at Dale sideways, holding my stomach with both hands.

“I didn’t know fish would be so disgusting,” I mouth, worried.

“Don’t you worry doll, our tastebuds just haven’t adjusted, we’ll grow to love it,” Dale adds, “It takes approximately… hmm… three attempts before you start to appreciate it… just a guess,” he raises a brow and I smile awkwardly.

“I don’t care, never again,” I whisper, “I can’t believe this used to be so popular back in the Old World.”

Dale shrugs, “I liked it.”

Liar. I sideways glare at him and he just eats up my look of disbelief. Dale still enjoys it when I am shocked, confused or bewildered by anything. I inwardly roll my eyes.

The dessert arrives quickly and we all go crazy for pancakes.

We actually eat until we’re full as can be.

I feel the fullest I’ve ever been.

I groan as I feel weird for eating too fast.

The beasts kind of look sluggish and tired.

“Time to go for a walk around the city?” I suggest.

“Date night was lovely, doll face, just lovely,” Serge growls out, forcing the positivity.

“Thanks,” as I stand up first, my stomach rumbles and I try to keep in a belch.

The beasts clearly think it’s cute.

However, we’re already antsy and need to move, so we all head off.

I wave goodbye to Yolanda, while STRIKE pay and head outside.

I turn to say goodbye to Lucy and Zac… but they’re not in the window seat any longer.

STRIKE are already having a smoke outside, chatting with each other.

I was looking forward to the walk home.

However, I am hesitating. I feel something is wrong.

I can’t help but stare at the unfinished plates at Zac and Lucy’s table… that is the very moment I felt a deep sense of unease.

It’s like they just got up and left… but why?

And it was odd they didn’t even say goodbye.

Oh, no. STRIKE came in boasting about the murder of their daughter.

The joking. A natural tragedy. An accidental suicide. Zac and Lucy absorbed it all – finding out in the worst way.

I feel sick to my stomach for also gloating in the victory – and forgetting that there are ramifications to everything.

While we hated Sammy – Zac and Lucy loved Sammy, as any parent loves their only child.

She was their biological daughter. The only one they ever had.

And I just effectively invited them to a celebration of her death without even… comprehending… that…

Shit.

I made a catastrophic mistake.

I walk outside to meet STRIKE, and I’m already calling Zac via the C-Link.

He answers with silence.

I stand in front of a quiet STRIKE as they see who I’m calling.

“Zac? Dad?” I test the word, “…I’m so sorry I just want to talk about –”

Zac hangs up without saying a word to me.

Dale quietly looks to me, realising also that he overlooked their response.

Zac and Lucy were always in the background doing their own thing. No one worried about them. And here we were, dumbstruck. For an Ultimate, I feel so bloody stupid for the arrogant oversight.

“They would have returned to Atlantis right away,” I murmur.

“For Sammy’s body… or ashes,” Dale corrects, “Let them grieve.”

“Zac started all this,” I murmur, “I just have a weird feeling about this. What would you do if Ariel or Sally were taken from you.”

“I’d kill their own,” Dale panics as he realises this.

Dale and Serge both spin at once, calling their daughters.

I look to Jose and Ace. I grab a cigarette from Jose’s hand, and the lighter from Ace.

My hands shake as I light my own cigarette, whispering over it, “There’s always something coming.”

“Zac isn’t Zenith – or cyborg…” Jose tries to reassure me.

“He’s old,” I snarl my concern, “Zac is the first prototype Ultimate – the first, do you hear me? He is dangerous because he is so easy to underestimate. He’s smart too… he’s very smart… and far too easy to overlook.”

“Do you want us to kill him?” Jose asks, straight to the point.

I shake my head, as I’m not sure.

“Keep your guard up, Sal’, eyes open for any one trying to kill you, don’t come home, stay close to Aaron,” Serge speaks to Sally.

“Come home,” Dale asks Ariel, more gently, while I hear her complaining on the other end about wanting to stay with the Zeniths, “This isn’t a joke – I know you can take care of yourself. At least get out of Atlantis for now.”

“Alyssa, we can eliminate this problem, just say the word,” Ace murmurs to me.

I don’t know.

I’m conflicted.

“I just… I don’t know what they’ll do –” I murmur.

“I do,” Dale comes back to the circle, same time as Serge, “We go home. I’ll try to make contact with Zac and talk to him. He just needs a word.”

“You can’t talk him down from the rage he will feel for losing his baby girl,” I add, feeling faint.

“You can negotiate anything,” Dale murmurs, turning to lead us on the way home. He slows down, however, to walk with me, putting an arm around my waist, holding me close, “…what do you think he will do, kitten… I think he’ll wait for us to make a mistake… so, let’s be unpredictable for now. Zac has to accept he doesn’t call the shots in this world, or he will face the consequences. It’s the price of war and he knows the cost of war.”

I don’t say a word.

Because I still don’t know what Zac is capable of.

I hope we can get a hold of Zac, or Lucy.

Fuck.

Before they do something stupid.