A Most Unlikely Hero, Vol. 2

by Brandon Varnell

  All around her people walked. Most of them glanced at her as they passed. She wondered if it was because of her clothes. Alex had told her that she needed to get more normal clothes, so she wouldn’t stand out so much. That was half the reason Selene was taking her shopping.

  “Hey there, cutie,” a man greeted as he and several others walked up to her. They looked like they were around her age.

  “You all alone?” another asked.

  “Heh, how about you come play with us? We’ll treat you real nice,” the one on the left said.

  What nice people.

  It was kind of them to offer to spend time with her, even though they had never met before now. However…

  Gabrielle smiled at them. “I’m sorry. I’m waiting for someone right now. Oh! But I do have a friend that you can play with!”

  She swiped her finger and selected one of her robot inventions from her D-space. Materializing out of a wormhole, a streamlined creature with fins, glowing red eyes, and dozens of sharp teeth appeared from the ether.

  “Mr. Shark, please play with these nice people.”

  The nice people stared at Mr. Shark. They looked so excited. Their eyes were wide with joy and surprise.

  Chomp! Chomp! Chomp!

  “What the hell is this?!”

  “Run for it!”

  “Oh, God! My clothes!”

  “AAAIIIEEEE! THIS THING JUST BIT MY ASS!”

  The group of boys ran off with Mr. Shark in tow. Gabrielle smiled. It looked like they were having so much fun.

  “Gabrielle!” a voice called out to her.

  “Ah! Selene!”

  Selene walked up to Gabrielle, her light-yellow skirt swishing around her legs. The sleeveless shirt that she wore left her dark arms bare. Her hair had been braided. Gabrielle thought she looked really pretty.

  Will I get to wear outfits like that? So cool!

  “How long have you been waiting here?” Selene asked.

  Gabrielle needed a moment to think about it. “I’d say… about fifteen minutes.”

  Tucking one of her bangs behind her ear, Selene offered her an apologetic smile. “Sorry. I would have arrived sooner, but my parents kept asking me if I was all right. They were pretty concerned because of what happened yesterday.”

  Selene’s parents sounded really nice. Gabrielle hoped that she would get to meet them some time.

  “It’s fine.” Gabrielle waved off her new friend’s apology and grinned. “Now, let’s go shopping!”

  Gabrielle grabbed Selene by the arm and dragged her off in a random direction.

  “Y-you’re awfully excited,” Selene commented as she stumbled forward.

  “Of course! This is my first time shopping with a friend!”

  She had wanted Alex to go shopping with her, but he’d begged off, stating that it would be more fun if she went with a girl. Gabrielle didn’t get it. They’d had plenty of fun shopping the other day--well, before Kane and Abel had ruined it. In either event, she deferred to his judgement. If he said that she would have more fun with a girl, then it must have been true.

  “Is that so? In that case, would now be a good time to tell you that we’re going in the wrong direction?” asked Selene.

  “…”

  “Gabrielle?”

  Giggling, Gabrielle looked at her new friend with a sheepish grin. “Which way is the shopping district?”

  “This way,” Selene said, directing Gabrielle in the opposite direction. “Just follow me.”

  “Kay!”

  As Gabrielle followed her friend, she could barely contain her excitement.

  This is going to be so fun!

  4

  While Gabrielle was spending time with Selene, Alex decided to work on one of his inventions. It was a humanoid robot with a standard operating system. While robots were easy to build, Alex was incorporating several Angelisian technologies into it.

  Robots were a subject of much debate. There were laws against their creation, which had been caused by a war that happened during the early 2200s, where an artificial intelligence had gone out of control and wiped out nearly 1/10th of the Earth’s total population. Since then, the building of robots had become a carefully regulated practice. Only people with a license could build one, and only people with millions of credits and a permit could buy one.

  Alex had a license to build robots, though he rarely did so. The only true robot, complete with artificial intelligence, that he’d built was Madison, the personal assistant maid of Jasmine. Speaking of, he should probably check up on her some time. She’d need maintenance done soon.

  Sparks flew as he welded parts together. He was building the machine inside of Mr. Builder, the giant spherical bubble that allowed him to safely wield a precision laser without slicing his own arm off. The laser was currently on a lower setting so that he could weld instead of cut.

  Alex had to marvel at how easy it was to control; it was like an extension of his body. He had assumed that it would be harder to use a device like this, but in truth, Mr. Builder was actually easier to use than his previous precision laser. It allowed him to plot out a welding or cutting course, which would do all the work automatically with a .025% margin for error.

  Gabrielle really is an amazing inventor.

  Gabrielle… Alex wasn’t having much fun with her gone. Before meeting her, he’d been able to spend hours alone in his lab, working on his machines. Since Gabrielle had appeared, he’d found that working by himself wasn’t quite as enjoyable.

  I guess it’s because I’m not learning anything new when I work by myself.

  Alex loved how Gabrielle was constantly pushing his knowledge, testing his boundaries when it came to mechanics and scientific theories. While he was better at her when creating operating systems, the level of technology that she had at her disposal, and the creative ways that she used them, put anything he could do to shame. She was also a lot better at the actual construction than he was.

  After he finished fusing the parts together, creating the robot’s chassis, Alex decided to get out of the house. He hadn’t noticed it until Gabrielle was gone, but now that he was no longer a cadet, he had loads of free time and no idea what to do with it all.

  Alex said goodbye to his sister, who sat on the couch watching reruns of Titan Girl while eating some cereal, left the house, and took a shuttle to the entertainment district. He already knew where Gabrielle was, so he avoided Mars Square Mall. He instead visited the café district, named as such because of the numerous cafés that dotted the many hubs.

  There was one café in particular that Alex directed himself to, a maid café that went by the name of Mars Kitten Café. True to its name, the women who worked there were dressed in a skintight version of a pilot’s suit. A cat tail stuck out of a small hole in their backsides, and two triangular ears sat on their heads. While the tails waved behind them, their ears periodically twitched like real cat ears.

  As he walked inside, a young woman standing at the front door greeted him. “Welcome back, Master—oh, Alex! Are you here to see the mistress?”

  Alex would never get over how the girls working here called his grandmother “Mistress.” It was kind of creepy. Then again, they called everyone who entered here either “Master” or “Mistress,” so he guessed it didn’t matter.

  “Yeah, I guess I am. Can you let her know that I’m here, Clarissa?”

  “Of course. If you’ll just follow me to a table, I’ll get you seated and send someone to fetch the mistress.”

  There were already several customers inside. He wove around them as Clarissa directed him to sit down at a booth. Most of the customers were older gentlemen, people who were on break and had decided to let themselves be pampered by young women dressed as space cat-girls. It was a weird concept to Alex, who didn’t understand the appeal, but maid café’s had made a comeback and become wildly popular within the last few decades.

  “The mistress will be down in just a moment,” Clarissa told him before
wandering off, her cat tail wagging behind her.

  A maid came up while he waited. Alex ordered a coffee. It wasn’t until the maid had left and then come back with his drink that the mistress appeared.

  The one that Clarissa called “Mistress” was an older woman who walked with an elegant gait. Despite having quite a bit of gray hair and some wrinkles, there was a vitality to her that made her seem much younger. Unlike the girls, she did not wear the cat-girl spacesuit, but a traditional maid outfit. It was a white and black dress with dozens of frills and black stockings… with cat ears and a tail.

  “Alexander, it’s been awhile since I last saw you,” she said.

  “Granny Morel—urk!” Alex choked when a sudden pressure threatened to strangle him. Was it just him, or were her eyes glowing a demonic red? “I-I mean, Auntie Morella.”

  “That’s better.” Auntie Morella smiled and the pressure vanished. Alex breathed a sigh of relief.

  Morella Ryker was Alex’s grandmother, though it would’ve been more accurate to say that she was Alice’s grandmother and his step-grandmother. She might as well have been his real grandmother, however, considering the amount of time they used to spend together when he was younger.

  After his and Alice’s parents had died, she was one of the people who’d helped them until they could live on their own. She was also the one who’d taken them away from their grandfather. Alex would always be grateful to her.

  “I heard about what happened.” Auntie Morella slid into the booth.

  “I’m not surprised you found out that I was kicked out of the police academy.” Alex’s shoulders slumped. “I guess I’m not as suited to the position as Dad was.”

  Alex took a sip of his drink as Auntie Morella gave him a knowing smile. “Yes, I am aware that you were kicked out of the police academy, but I wasn’t referring to that. I was speaking of your pretty house guest.”

  Coffee spewed from Alex’s mouth as he coughed. Fortunately for his own health, an energy barrier projected itself into the air and kept the fluid projectile from hitting Auntie Morella. It was a common feature inside of most cafés these days. Preventing spit-takes had become a solar system standard on the end, much to the amusement of some.

  “W-where did you hear about that? How did you find out?”

  “I have my sources.”

  “Did Alice tell you? She did, didn’t she?”

  “She didn’t, but it will be easier for me if you think she did.”

  Alex frowned at Auntie Morella, whose poker face smile revealed nothing. He clicked his tongue. “One of these days, I’m going to find out how you seem to know everything.”

  Auntie Morella leaned back in her chair. “I wouldn’t say I know everything. For example, I didn’t know that your pretty roommate was the princess of the Angelisian Empire, who controls over two-thirds of the galaxy, until two days ago.”

  Alex twitched. He didn’t want to let her know that he was surprised, but the amount of knowledge that she possessed shocked him.

  Clarissa walked up to their table and placed a cup of tea in front of Auntie Morella, who offered a gracious smile as she lifted it to her lips and took a sip. The mouthwatering aroma that wafted from her cup made Alex wish he’d ordered tea instead.

  “Does the old fart know about this, too?” Alex asked.

  Setting the teacup down, Auntie Morella released a thoughtful hum. “I don’t know. It’s not like I ever talk to that old lecher anymore. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if he did know about Gabrielle. That man has even more ways of finding out everything that’s happening in your life than I do.”

  “That’s just great.” Alex sighed. “Having that old fart interfere with my life is exactly what I want. How wonderful.”

  “Sarcasm doesn’t suit you,” Auntie Morella said.

  Alex slumped onto the table. “I guess not…”

  Patting him on the head, Aunt Morella gave him a compassionate smile. “Aside from your dysfunctional love life, how are things at home?”

  “They’re fine, I guess. Alice is the same as always. She never does anything unless I bribe her. Gabrielle is fun to spend time with, though. We’re always inventing cool stuff, and it’s a blast to hang out with her. Jasmine hasn’t come over in a while, and I don’t see Selene much anymore.” He shrugged. “My life isn’t exactly glamorous right now, but it’s fun, I suppose.”

  “I wouldn’t say that,” she teased. “Your life sounds pretty interesting to me, Mr. Fiancé.”

  Alex wasn’t sure if he would call his life interesting so much as dangerous. Of course, danger was par for the course when it came to heroes, so he didn’t mind that. His only real concern was the amount of property damage that he might cause while trying to become a hero.

  After speaking with his grandmother for a little while longer, Alex eventually left the café with the promise of bringing Gabrielle there sometime.

  Because he didn’t feel like going home, he wandered some more. Mars City was a massive place. The towering skyscrapers, which reminded him of fingers reaching out to poke holes in the dome, loomed above everyone’s heads. The gigantic buildings stretched out for hundreds of kilometers.

  As he allowed his feet to take him wherever they pleased, he spotted a familiar face staring into a pet store.

  Pet stores were rare in Mars City. This was because few people were allowed to own pets. Since space and resources were limited, owning a pet not only required a license, but people who owned them also had to pay a yearly fee. It made the idea of owning a pet unappealing to most would-be owners.

  That said, there were a lot of people who enjoyed going into pet stores, which was why they still existed. In some ways, they were like the zoos found on Earth, but with regular household animals instead of exotic creatures.

  Alex walked up to the person staring into the store’s window with a look of longing. “Kiri-kiri.”

  Kazekiri let out an “eep!” and spun around. She placed a hand on her chest and, after several seconds of staring at him, a scowl appeared on her face. “Alexander Ryker. I didn’t think I’d ever see you again.” She paused and, as if just now realizing what he’d called her, shouted, “and it’s Kazekiri!”

  Her long flaxen hair reminded him of the sun. She had dark eyes and pale skin. That day, she wore a white skirt that went down to her knees and a red sleeveless shirt. Being the voluptuous woman that she was, the shirt strained against her chest. Alex thought her breasts might have even been bigger than Gabrielle’s.

  While she didn’t seem happy to see him, Alex was pleasantly surprised. “What are you doing all the way in the entertainment district? Did you come here to visit the pet shop?”

  “W-what? No, of course not!” Kazekiri said, though her cheeks were red. She reminded him of a child who’d been caught doing something embarrassing.

  “I didn’t know you liked animals,” Alex said.

  Kazekiri’s cheeks burned like small beacons. “I-I don’t!”

  “You don’t?” Alex scratched his cheek. “But… weren’t you just looking into that pet store?”

  Her cheeks turned a darker shade of red. “N-no… I was…”

  “And I could’ve sworn I saw you make pawing motions at the kittens.”

  “U-ugh!”

  “You were also meowing.”

  “All right!” Kazekiri shouted. Her face looked like a fusion bomb that was about to explode. “S-so maybe I have a small thing for animals. What’s it to you?”

  “Nothing. I just think it’s kind of cute.”

  “C-cute?!” Kazekiri squeaked.

  “Yeah, cute.” Alex observed her for a moment, and then nodded at the store. “Do you want to go in?”

  Kazekiri hesitated. “W-well I… I mean, there are things that I need to do, so…”

  Alex interpreted her words as, “I do want to go in, but I’m too embarrassed.” That was why he decided to help her—by grabbing her hand and pulling her into the store with him.

  �
�H-hey! What are you doing?! Let go of me!”

  “Come on. Let’s go in. Even if you have something else to do, we could at least visit this place for a little while.” He looked back at Kazekiri. “They have a small playpen in the back where you can pet the animals.”

  Kazekiri paused. She appeared to be debating with herself. The way her nose thoughtfully wrinkled was kind of cute.

  “W-well… maybe if it’s just for a little while…”

  Alex grinned. “Awesome. Then let’s go inside.”

  “Um… before that… Alexander…”

  “Hm?” He looked back at her.

  “Could you…” She looked away. “Your hand…”

  What was she talking about now? His hand? What about his… oh…

  Alex looked down. He was still holding her hand.

  “Ah.” Heat rose to his cheeks as he let go of her hand. Grinning, he rubbed the back of his head. “Sorry about that.”

  “It’s… fine…” Kazekiri looked at her toes. Alex looked down as well. Her toes, painted a dark purple, wiggled as though embarrassed.

  “Come on. Let’s go inside,” he said.

  They walked into the store, which was a veritable animal paradise. Their feet tapped along the tiles as they wandered through several stands stuffed to bursting with animal treats and toys. A young man wearing a black apron greeted them with a smile.

  “Hello. How can I help you?”

  “Hi. Would you mind letting my friend play with some of your animals?” Alex asked.

  “Not at all. What would you like me to get out?”

  Alex looked at Kazekiri, who stared at him for a moment as if wondering why he was looking at her. Then her eyes slowly widened. “Oh, um, ah. I’d like to pet…”

  “What was that?” Alex asked as she trailed off at the end.

  “I said I want to pet the…”

  “I couldn’t hear that last part.” Alex leaned in as if doing so would help him hear her.

  Kazekiri took a deep breath, and then…

  “I SAID I WANT TO PET THE PUPPIES!”

  … nearly knocked Alex flat with her voice. Wincing as his eardrums rang, he tried to ignore the pain. “You didn’t really need to shout, did you?”