Chapter 20

"Everyone ready?"

Snek watched from afar as Melee got creative with dinner. They managed to snag more then enough crawfish monsters for a boil. She had Goliath use his esper power to pull fresh water from a near by fire hydrant, from there she place Hunter, Pac and Genos around the esper bubble of water. The crawfish monsters were tossed in along with seasonings Melee rushed out to get. With everything mixed in she gave the call. "INCIERATE!" shouted Genos.

The brothers on the other hand got their dragons to unleash a torrent of fire. In no time the water bubbled and cooked the catch. "Are… these safe to eat?" questioned Stinger.

"Probably?" said Snek. "I would try it anyways. It ain't going to hurt you, well, some monster meat does…"

"This will be the same as eating crawfish." Said Garou. "Nothing mutant about them, just very over powered sea creatures."

It took only ten minutes, but the meal was done.

Melee laid out a massive tarp as she carefully drained the boiling water towards the ocean. Lying on the beach were the massive crawfish, cooked to perfection. "Whose hungry?"

Saitama was the first in line. Stinger got curious enough to try it, same with Bad and Zenko. Amai was about to refuse. "I don't eat monsters… in this state." He explained.

"Live a little!" said Melee. "Zombieman!" she called.

He appeared disinterested as well, but he took some just so no one would pester him about it later. There was more than enough to go around.

#

By the end; there was nothing more than shells of fallen crawfish beasts. "Wow… that tasted pretty good!" announced Suiryu.

"I'm surprised too." Said Stinger. "Can't say I would do it again…"

"It was… interesting." Muttered Amai, but he couldn't help but lick his fingers. "Very tasty Melee."

"I've eaten worst." Chimed Zombieman.

"It wasn't that bad!" she scolded.

Snek was laughing, but his stomach was demanding a feast. "I got to go hunt something, sea food doesn't exactly agree with me. Drax, hungry?"

He nodded his head feverishly. "Starving dad!"

Amai's phone suddenly went off. "Oh, demon level threat in City S. And wolf threats across town here…" He turned to Snek. "Shall I take Drax, and you get the demon?"

Snek was apprehensive, but nodded in agreement. "Might as well, no point in waiting for one to eat over the other. Just have a means of getting him home!"

"I'll take you to City S, Snek. Pac will go with Amai across town with Drax." Said Hunter.

#

As they disburse. Melee shook her head to it all. "What the hell is this all about?" Zombieman questioned. She turned to him as he watched Snek and Hunter leave one way as Amai, Pac and Drax went the other. "This isn't normal, not even for you guys. So, what the hell is Amai's deal?"

"That detective side of you doesn't rest huh?" Melee asked. "Very well, has Sitch told you what happened after Snek's wife passed away?" He shook his head. So Melee filled him in on Drax, being adopted by Amai but still leaving him with Snek to raise. "Ever since then, Amai just drops in unannounced to say the least. Part of the reason, is Drax. The other part… I don't know."

For the first time, she saw a smile spread across Zombieman's face. "He wants the kid!" he said.

"What do you mean?"

"Amai got a taste of fatherhood… and liked it. Now, he wants more time with the kid than before. Huh, never pegged me as the kind to give a damn." Said Zombieman.

He reached for a cigarette, but paused as Alley began to look to him oddly. "What?" he questioned.

She approached with caution, at first she stumbled over her words, but then found them. "I… want you to drop by my lab before the summer ends. If you have the time…"

"You ain't testing me…"

"No, I wouldn't do that to you!" Alley protested, her attention focused to his gear. "I want to upgrade your equipment."

Zombieman stared at her oddly. "You want to upgrade my equipment? You mean my weapons?"

"Weapons, clothing, whatever you got. I would like to help you if you want it. I got some stuff that can assist in your patrols, espionage and if you have to fight, you will be well taken care of…"

"Thanks, but I got a good thing going for myself. I don't need your help."

He turned to leave, until Alley grabbed his arm. He froze and glared at her oddly. "Please… just hear me out…" she said.

Even Melee was getting concerned; her daughter was acting far more abrupt than usual. Yet he gave in. With a nod, Zombieman agreed to be at her lab in three days. "If this shit show is done, I'm out of here…" He went to the blanket where he left his jacket, dusting the sand off he took his leave.

When he was gone, Melee turned to her daughter. "What is going on?" she demanded. "You have been acting strange for sometime."

Alley tried to play it cool, stating it was nothing to be concerned about. However, Melee knew better. She was hiding something, yet why was she so worried? Does Alley need Zombieman's help for something? If so, how come she can't turn to her family to assist her?

There wasn't time to dwell on it, she knows her daughter is very capable and if something were truly wrong, she would have come to them without hesitation. For now, Melee assisted Stinger in cleaning up the beach.