The Axelridge Series Book 1 Finn's Slapshot

(Chapter song ‘Rebels' by Call Me Karizma, ‘My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark' by Fall Out Boy)

BEN

“OK. The uprising is a few blocks up. Good luck, kid.” The soldier says as he parks the car.

I look up the street and can barely see the kids running around the streets. “Thanks.” I swallow as I get out.

I adjust my backpack and start walking up the street.

I hope Finn has my back because this doesn’t feel good at all.

As I get closer, I can hear the screams and destruction.

I walk up in the middle of the road as a group of kids run across the street. Cackling and hollering, one had a big rock and he throws it through the side window of a car. I flinch as the rock smashes the glass. My mouth goes small as they high five each other and run down the street.

I spin around in the middle of the riot. Garbage is thrown all over and a bunch of them flip cars and knock over trash cans. There’s a bunch spray painting walls with the words ‘Lost Boys'.

My heart races and I’m sweating because this is so wrong.

A bunch of kids run by me and fires erupt down the street. My mouth falls open and I hear my name.

“Ben!”

I turn and Kirk runs up to me. He grabs my arm. “Where ya been, man?”

“I-I…” I can barely talk as I watch kids smash more windows.

“Doesn’t matter. Come on!” He grins.

“I don’t…”

Screams came from behind me and we both whip our head to it.

“THE ALPHA!” Someone yells.

“Shit! Ben, come on!”

I see Finn in his armor, fighting kids with the other Alphas.

“BEN!”

His yell breaks my shock and I run with him down the street. Kids are panicking everywhere. The street fills with yells of run and hide.

Glass smashes and a loud explosion on the other side of the street knocks me over. I watch a giant fireball rise out of a storefront and into the air.

“LET'S GO!!”

“YEAH, BABY! BURN!!”

I sit in shock as they laugh loud down the street.

Kirk grabs my arm and pulls me to my feet. “Ben, let’s go!”

“Kirk, I…”

Just as I say that, a kid is knocked down and I watch a puck roll across the road on its side. I turn to see Finn skating toward me fast.

“BEN! RUN!!”

I scramble to my feet and follow Kirk through the crowd of running kids.

“HERE!” He grabs my sweater and pulls me down an alley way.

We stop at a manhole cover. He pulls it off and he starts to climb down. I put my feet in the hole and look up in time to see Finn skate in front of the entrance to the alley. He clotheslines someone with his goalie stick.

“So cool.” I mutter as I look over his shiny, spiked armor and hover boots.

“Come on!” Kirk shouts, grabs me and pulls me underground.

We run through the tunnels of the city. Joining up with other kids, we make our way to the second level and traverse the maze of tunnels.

Everyone is still riding the high of the riot and I’m hoping this isn’t a mistake.

The crowd splits and we head up to the first level. The stone floors are wet with lake water and whatever else is down here. It’s dark except the little bit of light through the drain covers we pass.

When we get to the surface, we climb out.

I pull myself out to the road where the transformer building is. We gather and head for the door.

Once inside, hoots and hollers from kids, fill the halls and stairs as we enter the Island.

Immediately, kids settle in on the couches and in various rooms. Some hook up with kids who stayed behind and prepare themselves for a Croak hit.

“So, do you have to see Cornell?” Kirk asks as he walks in front of me.

I swallow and begin to heat. “Uh…Yeah.”

“Cool.” He looks over his shoulder and grins.

I follow him to Cornell’s room. He’s at his table, eating a dinner. He glances quickly as I approach him.

“Benny! I missed you!” He wipes his mouth and smiles.

“Hi.” I mumble. I try to keep myself cool. Now that I know what he is, all I want to do is run, but I can’t. Like it or not, the kids here can’t be around this guy.

He stands, walks over to me and crosses his arms. He looks down at me. “You ran off with a lot of Croak. You better have something for me.” He arches a brow.

I nervously look around at the big kids who eye me suspiciously. “Yeah…Um…a message.” I look up at him.

“Excuse me?” He cocks his head at me.

I shift my feet and pull my strap. “M-My dad…H-He wants me to tell you something.”

He leans back. “The Alpha? What message is that, Ben?”

I take another look around. “He wants a deal.” I look him over and try to look serious.

He chews his cheek and studies me. “He knows what I do?”

I quickly nod. “Yeah.”

“He has a better offer?” Cornell tilts his head.

I shrug. “I don’t know. He just wants to talk about it.”

He rubs his chin and turns around. He walks to his table and leans on the edge of it. “What do you think, Ben? Do you think your dad could give you a better deal than what I got?”

The kids in the room chuckle and I shrug again. “Maybe.” I grumble. “He wants to beat the lycans.”

“Ah!” He raises a finger and wags it. “He wants to turn the war. I see.”

He pushes off and walks around the room.

“H-He thinks you can do it.” I say as I follow him.

He walks over and stands in front of me. He looks to the other kids as he stuffs his hands in his pockets. “What do you idiots think?”

The kids either look down or shrug.

Cornell turns back to me. “Does he want to meet?”

I nod. “Downtown. By the stadium. He said to come alone.”

He bites his top lip as he considers.

“H-He has lots of money…He…He can give you anything you want!” I try to convince him even more.

He rolls his head to the tallest kid in the room. “Stanley. You’re in charge while I’m gone.” He meets my eyes. “Daddy’s going to see what the competition has to say.” He smirks.

I glance at him and look at the floor. I’m relieved that Finns plan is working.

“Thanks, Ben. You really could be a great addition to my organization.” He taps my shoulder and pushes past me.

I watch him climb the stairs and walk out the door.

“Get ‘em, dad.” I say under my breath.

****

FINN

We blocked off the downtown core and made sure that it was just us on the street.

‘Intel says he’s on his way.’ Eddie links.

‘Good. Everyone stay alert.’

John stands beside me. “I will remain out of sight. If he sees me too soon, the plan will be trashed. Now, don’t let him touch your skin. If he does that, he can open a channel to your mind and activate his power of persuasion. He can have you fighting your own men in less than a second and it could be years before it wears off.”

“Wonderful. This is totally fine.” I scowl at the road.

He claps my back. “It will be. Just play along and when I give the signal, shut him down.”

I nod and he leaves to hide the shadows of an alley.

I pace back and forth, bouncing my goalie stick in my hand at my side as I look at the ground.

I perfect my game play in my head and prepare for this whole thing to go off the rails.

“Alpha!”

I stop and turn to a blonde guy in an army green-grey suit. He’s much smaller than me and doesn’t look threatening at all. He has a smile like a used car salesman and the personality to match.

I slowly walk up to him. My jaw ticks and my muscles flex that this weak ass man took my children. I try to contain my anger and get my head in the game.

The light from the neon signs on the buildings, bounces off the points of my spikes on my shoulders.

He looks me over. “We haven’t been formally introduced.” He lifts a finger to one of my spikes and pricks his finger on it. He flinches and pulls his hand away as I glare at him with my head slightly lowered. “The names Cornell.” He puts his hands in his pockets and raises his chin.

“I know.” I quietly growl.

“Benjamin is quite the kid. You did well. I’m impressed with how much initiative he has for such a young boy. You don’t see that very often in the youth today.” Cornell grins.

“I’m here for a deal, not to talk about my son.” I clench.

“Ok. A business man. I understand. I like to get down to business myself.” He reaches into his inside pocket. He hands me a card. “Now, I have many resources and specialized skills. I can do pretty much anything you want to win this war. If the price is right, of course.”

I read the card. On it is a stupid picture of him smiling with the words ‘Gene “The Pied Piper" Cornell’ ‘Enemy Exterminator’.

“For the cost negotiated, you can have the entire lycan population marched into the lake and drowned…or…marched up a mountain and they will just jump off it…” He leans to me. “I can even make them eat each other alive. Though that’s terribly messy and don’t recommend it.” He scrunches his nose and leans back. “I can make the lycans disappear forever and all you have to do is pay me for it.”

I raise my head to him and glance back to the card. That’s actually a pretty tempting deal…The lycan threat gone would be a giant relief to us.

I nod. “Name your price.” I grumble.

He steps closer to me. “It won’t be cheap. I’m tearing up some very important contracts. My clients will be less than pleased, but I think they’ll understand that it’s just business.” He winks.

“How much?” I grind.

“They were to pay me 20 million once Axelridge was under their control. For you? I’ll need four times that.” He scratches his temple and puts his hand back in his pocket.

“Two times.” I cross my arms.

“Three.” He arches a brow.

“Two and a half.” I narrow my eyes.

He grins. “Deal.”

He reaches his hand out. I look at it with suspicion.

“It’s not a deal until we shake, Alpha.” He tilts his head and eyes my hand.

I slowly raise my hand.

“Stop right there, Alpha.”

We turn and John comes out of the shadows with a gun aimed at Cornell.

Cornell’s face twists into anger. “John.” He grits.

“Hello, Gene. It’s been a long time. The fun’s over. I’m taking you in.” John says as he glares down the barrel of his gun.

He looks at me. “You tricked me?”

“You're lucky that’s all I did.” I growl.

“You’re not lucky I expected this.” He smirks.

He throws something in air and it explodes in a blinding white light. Both me and John cringe and cover our eyes.

The lights fades and the streets fill with sick growls. I adjust my eyes to see 20 lycans running down the street to me and Cornell running away.

“I got Cornell. You…take care of that.” John motions to the Lycans.

I scowl. “Thanks.”

I kick on my hover boots. ‘GET THE BASTARDS!’ I link.

My fighters come out of the shadows as I skate to the drooling wolf men with murder on their teeth.

Marcus, Jax, Griffin and Noah stand on the ledge of a three story roof top, all jump at once, roll in the air and fall feet first to the ground. Their hover boots stopping their fall. They skate to me and clash with the lycans.

Marcus is backhanded and flies into a pile of trash.

A lycan grabs Jax’s mace, spins around and throws him across the street into a storefront window.

I swing my stick and sever a head just as Jax climbs out of the window of the Axelridge Lumber Jaxs souvenir shop. He steps onto the sidewalk and brushes the glass off him. He looks at the store and grips his mace.

I stop. “Jax? You ok?” I ask as I see his face darken.

“That’s my favorite store. Now, I’m pissed.” He slams his boots on, raises his mace in the air and rushes the closest lycan to us. He swings and the lycans head virtually explodes on the spiked ball.

My eyes widen. “Guess not.”

I rejoin the fight and slice my way through them.

Eddie is subduing with his iron coated daggers and Marcus is finishing them off.

Noah is bouncing his silver ball off the face of a lycan and laughing. Every time the lycan tried to move, he’d bounce the ball off him.

I toss a lycan back into the fight and turn. “Noah! Quit fucking around!”

He stops, looks at me and shrugs. He throws the ball and bounces it off the road. It’s blades extend and the lycan screams as the spinning ball shreds his chest.

Once we gained enough ground, I motion to my fighters to clean up the mess.

‘Alphas! Let’s get Cornell!’

I skate in the direction where Cornell took off to with my boys skating behind me. We’re huffing and puffing as we round a corner and find John and Cornell fighting in the street.

They’re exchanging blows back and forth and start in a wrestling struggle for the upper hand.

“Griff! Help him out.”

“My pleasure.” He grins.

He taps his hover tech off, pulls out a silver soccer ball and runs. He drops the ball and kicks it into the air. We stop as the ball finds its target.

“JOHN! MOVE!”

John looks up just as Griffins ball explodes into a net.

He dives out of the way just as the net covers Cornell and electrocutes him.

“Yeah!” Griffin jumps up and high fives Noah.

Noah leans his arm on Griffins shoulder. “Good kick, little buddy.”

“Not really. The trajectory was off. I could of used a wee more height. The dodgy wind…” He waves his hand out as he analyzes.

“Griff…” Noah eyes him.

“Aye?”

“I don’t care.” Noah says as he leans to him.

Griffins face falls. “Oh.”

The net turns off and Cornell is huffing on the ground.

John gets up and looms over Cornell. He pulls the net off.

“I…I WON'T GO BACK!! Y-YOU CAN’T! YOU…” He yells as John pulls out a 4 inch gold metal rod on a set of straps.

He slaps gold cuffs on him and places the gold bar in his teeth. He straps it behind his head. Cornell fights and yells muffled protests as John lifts him to his feet.

He struggles.

“Quit fighting, you git!!” John yells in his face.

I step up to him. Cornell looks like a pathetic mutt. He’s bloody and looks kind of scared.

“Where are you taking him?” I say as I cross my arms.

“A facility outside of Transylvania. The perfect place for monster like our Pied Piper friend. I will say this…Hyde can’t wait to see you again.” John grins mischievously.

Cornell’s eyes widen and his head shakes fast. “No! No!” He muffles as he tries to pull away.

John pulls him. “Come on, Gene. The good doctor awaits.”

Cornell screams and fights as John cackles down the street.

I look to my boys. “Let’s get our kids.”

We all turn and skate to the hideout.

****

After subduing the doorman, we walk into the hideout. It sounds like a massive party.

I step my boot onto the metal landing and look into the underground room. Most of the kids are here, it looks like.

They were going nuts making a shit ton of noise.

I step up to the railing with the Alphas behind me. I look over the children, cross my arms and scowl.

“BE…QUIET!!!”

I boomed across the room, making several jump out of their skin. I not only poured my Alpha into it, but I threw in a bit of dad voice as well.

The room goes quiet as the look up at us.

I was expecting a fight, but they just stood there and stared.

“Finn!!”

I watch Ben push through the kids and run up the stairs. I nod to him when he gets to the top and he nods back. Eddie pulls him behind us.

“Now!” I start as I scan the room. “You’ve had your fun! As of right now, IT'S OVER!! You will be gathered in an orderly fashion and taken in. Your parents will be contacted and you will GO HOME!!”

At first, no one moved, then a kid who looked to be 15, pushed to the front. He looked up at me and I could see his chin quiver.

He looked to the floor, dropped to his knees and put his hands behind his head.

It took a minute more, but both boys and girls dropped to their knees, too. Some were even crying.

Eddie brought in the Enforcers he linked and they started on cuffing and loading them up in the trucks.

The other Alphas went down to help with any that resist.

I took Ben outside and he jumped up on the hood of a truck.

He swung his feet as I leaned on the truck in front of him.

“I have never been more proud of you than I am right now.” I whisper as I look into his eyes.

He glances at the groups of kids being led out of the building. “But I ran away and I joined them.” He mumbles.

“Yes, but you know what makes a good man?” I ask.

He shakes his head.

“Owning your fuck ups. You helped these kids, Ben. You saw how this was wrong and corrected it. That takes courage and smarts. It also takes a great deal of love. You knew this wasn’t good for you, but you recognized it wasn’t good for them either. You know what that makes you?”

Again he shakes his head.

“It makes you an Alpha.” I smile. “You went back into the Dragons den to save your friends. Only someone with a brave heart would do that.”

He looks at me, reaches up and touches the spikes on my armor “Thanks, dad.”

I grin big. “Anytime, son. Anytime.” I grab his nape and pull his forehead to mine as we both laugh.