Renegade

Chapter 13

     Frederick Dodgers answered a light knock at his front door, not expecting one so late at night. When he opened the door, Frederick immediately tried to slam it.

     "Wait!" Ben screamed, sticking his shoe in the way of the door. "We need to talk."

     "Get away from me!" Frederick yelled back in response, shoving his entire body weight onto the door to keep it closed.

     "Let me in!" Ben snapped, cracking the door open and stumbling into the apartment.

     "Argh!" Frederick grunted, throwing himself on top of Ben.

     Ben easily tossed the man off and onto the ground. All Frederick could do was lie and breathe heavily. His face was contorted and bruised, with one eye almost completely swollen shut from their previous conflict.

     "You've come here to end it?" Frederick spat. "I will kill you before you even get the chance!"

     Ben held up both his hands, "Look, I'm sorry about what happened before--"

     "What happened before?!" Frederick recoiled.

     He shot up and grabbed Ben's arm, painfully twisting it behind his back.

     "You beat me up in front of my own goddamn daughter!" Frederick whispered, with hot breath, into Ben's ear as he was shoved up against the wall. "You're going to have to do a lot more than apologize!"

     Ben unhinged his arm and spun around so he was facing Frederick.

     "Hold up--" he started.

     "No!" Frederick interrupted.

     "Listen, damn it!" Ben hissed, shoving Frederick up against the wall. "I found out that my entire family was dead! My wife, my daughter--imagine if your daughter was dead. Imagine the pain that you would feel!"

     Frederick stared into Ben's eyes.

     "I have no hope, and nothing to live for," Ben continued, hissing like a snake through gritted teeth with his own face inches away from Frederick's. "The only thing that's keeping me going is the fact that an idiot, in a goddamn mask, is running around with the one thing the Black Dragon needs. I want to make them bleed for what they did to my family...I want to slaughter them..."

     Frederick tried to shift, but he was pinned to the wall.

     "Mr. Dodgers," Ben concluded, "you are going to tell me every detail about Project Bellator. Do you understand me? I...want it..."

     "That's...suicide," Frederick grunted, under his breath. "The serum only works with those strong enough to withstand the genetic rewrite...you would..."

     "Die?" Ben asked. "Death is the least of my concerns right now Dodgers. I need something far more dangerous...something more than human."

     Frederick's eyes filled with fear.

     "If you don't help me," Ben whispered, with a look of death in his eyes, "I will kill you and your daughter before the night is done. Do you understand me?"

     Frederick didn't respond.

     "DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME??!!" Ben screamed, feeling desperate.

     Frederick looked away, "Fine...but on one condition."

     Ben blinked.

     "That you never come near me nor my daughter ever again," Frederick continued, trembling. "You will fade away...you will disappear forever."