Chapter 4

Alley returned home that evening.

The strange thing was, despite her absence, no one really noticed. After all, something far more important occurred in the family. She saw her mother out in the open and no longer pregnant. Her father on the other hand was acting very strangely. His wings were wrapped around his body oddly, he also appeared far more worried than anything. There was no look of confidence or even a sense of joy to the birth of her new siblings. "What happened here?" she asked.

Her father was silent, however Goliath filled her in. "Mom gave birth, but dad thinks it is too soon for that to have happened. Since then, dad has been a little cautious to say the least."

She turned to her father who opened his wings. Normally when he had the twins, she would see the ridges on his body as to where they were kept. Yet at the moment, she saw nothing, he didn't even appear to be holding any children within himself! "Oh… that's not normal."

"No shit,"

"Garou!" her mother scolded. She let out a sigh. "He's going to take it easy for the next little while. I think this is because our minds were focused when the three heroes became babies… must have delayed something in me…" she said.

Alley nodded. "I can see that being possible, but I wouldn't think it would have that big of an impact on my siblings." She sat at the table and took the chair next to Suiryu. He was looking at her oddly, he leaned over and took in her scent. Something must have caught his attention, but Alley was grateful that he said nothing as she ate her dinner. "How is Drax doing?"

Hunter snickered. "The kid can eat! Unlike his old man, he has to keep eating! Despite what he had the day before, he has to have more the day after."

She paused to the news of that. "He's been constantly feeding? That's unusual."

"I had to wake up at two in the morning to take him hunting. He got hungry even after consuming some monster rats earlier," said Goliath.

"I ought to look into his metabolic rate then, he's a young snake, but he shouldn't have to constantly feed." She said.

When dinner finished, Alley worked on the dishes as Suiryu came up from behind her. His arms wrapped around her waist as he held her close. "I've missed you." He whispered. "Is something wrong?"

She fell silent to him, she wanted to tell him so badly, but she couldn't with the family lingering around. "Can… we go for a walk after dishes?" she asked. Suiryu nodded. He helped her place everything away. With the chores done they walked out and began to stroll through the mountains. "Suiryu… something is going on, and I am not ready for it…"

He froze to the news, his face suddenly appeared three shades whiter than before. "You're not…"

"NO! God no!" she protested. "If I were pregnant you would know! Besides, you haven't even seen me naked yet, like hell that's happened!" she snapped back. "It's what happened recently… I cured Tank Top Tiger of his monster genetics. I had used sanitation drones to clean up the chamber he was left in, one went missing and someone is using my cure for destructive purposes…"

He was relieved to know she wasn't pregnant, yet this news she had began to worry him. "How do you know that's happening?"

"Dr. Genus came to me today with one of his creations, a cyborg gorilla of all things. They use to run the takoyaki shop in city W until the incident happened with the house of evolution and clone 78."

Suiryu nodded. "Why does that name seem familiar to me?"

"He was the top researcher in genetics, he was the original creator of the house of evolution, all of his clones are based off of him. For that some sought to continue his dream of evolving humanity by force. He had stopped years ago, but some of the clones haven't. One of them turned you, Max and Snek into what you are now at the tournament."

"So… what are they doing?"

"One has taken the cell I made that cured Tiger, but are now using it as a weapon of sorts. One has injected Dr. Genus with it; it has done some damage to him, forcing his genes to regress back to their true age. Dr. Genus was able to turn himself young, he's nearly 80 years old, Suiryu, but like the clones you have seen, he is able to appear that young."

He blinked a few times in great confusion, almost unable to process what was happening. "So wait, now his own clones are attacking him?" he demanded.

She nodded, Alley went on to explain that Dr. Genus and the cyborg gorilla have gone off and attempted to destroy nearly all of his surviving clones those good and evil. The latest one they have attempted to stop, struck back hard. Now, he is at the lab with the gorilla. "I don't know what to do… I know he need medical help, but if I take him to the hospital he will be arrested. If the clone that attacks him knows where he is, he will be killed. I need Dr. Genus available. He just given every piece of information he has gathered from the clones he stopped and entrusted it to me…" her mind pulsed. She began to see the clone that attacked him… but there was something wrong, something else was happening. "Gah!" she cringed.

"Alley?" Suiryu held on to her as she recovered from the headache. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah… I am… just information bombarding me right now… that clone… he's working with someone… an organization…"

"What do we do? What do you want to do?"

"At the moment, we can't do a thing, no one in the family is at 100%. Dad is tending to my siblings, mom will be looking out for dad. Snek has Drax, Hunter and Pac are keeping the monsters at bay. The twins are not fully developed in their powers. Max is training, you and I are still adjusting… We're sitting ducks if we try to do anything or if they know we are in this state."

He appeared he didn't like the sound of that, Suiryu turned away bitterly but growled. "We lay low then, don't we?"

"There's no other choice. Which means one thing, I have to tend to Dr. Genus and help him however I can. I need you to keep this a secret for now, can do you that for me?"

Suiryu braced her tightly close to him. "I can, but please be careful. I don't trust this doc the least bit, if his clones got their tenacity from him…"

She returned the embrace. "I'll be careful, don't worry."

"Just promise me, don't hide something like this again. If you need help, I want to be prepared and ready, not left in the dark!"

Alley nodded and promised she would try and keep her word to him.