He was never going to live this down.
3
It took almost an hour to travel to Mars City from the outer district by shuttle.
This wasn’t because the outer district was far from the main city, but because traffic within Mars City was horrible. The air was always clogged. Pilots jockeyed for airspace, while others tried to steal it. Airspace within Mars City was about as lawless as it came, and even though the police had done their best to fix that, there was no way they could regulate traffic when there was a 56,000 to 1 ratio between them and regular citizens.
Alex and Gabrielle stood on a crowded shuttle bus. There must have been at least two dozen people, all of them smashed together like light particles compressed into a photon cartridge. Gabrielle was near the window in the back. Alex stood directly behind her. Due to how many people were there, he and Gabrielle literally had no space to move.
Alex could feel her butt pressing against his front.
It felt really good.
I’m disgusted with myself.
Alex did his best to give Gabrielle a bit more space. With so many people, however, space was hard to come by.
“How does the crisis suit feel?” asked Gabrielle.
Glad for the conversation, Alex said, “It feels a lot better now. I also feel a lot more energized.”
“Then it sounds like it’s working,” Gabrielle mumbled. “That energy you feel is caused by the synapse system regulating your own bioelectric energy.”
“Interesting…”
The body, be it human or otherwise, was a lot like a machine. Food fueled it, rest repaired it, and exercise maintained it.
However, unlike a machine, which only consumed energy, a living entity also produced energy. All creatures, no matter how small, constantly gave off bioelectric energy, which was produced inside of the body and expelled as static particles.
The amount of energy varied from person to person. It was scientifically proven that people who produced more energy burned calories faster, had more energy to spare, and their brains functioned at a higher level. That said, it was impossible to determine who produced more energy, or why certain people had more than others.
It wasn’t based on genetics, a theory that had first been proposed in 2122. It almost seemed random. Some people simply had more energy than others.
“There’s no pain anymore, is there?” Gabrielle asked, worry clear in her tone.
Alex shook his head. “No. It doesn’t hurt anymore… should it?”
“I’m not sure.” Alex’s breath hitched at Gabrielle’s thoughtful frown. “I don’t think it should, but this is my first time making a crisis suit for a human. Also, since it hurt before, I thought you might end up feeling twinges every so often. I’d like to make sure nothing goes wrong, so be sure to tell me if you feel anything.”
“Will do.”
They departed the shuttle in a part of Mars City that Gabrielle hadn’t been to. The area surrounding them looked a lot different than the entertainment district. There weren’t as many flashy lights, and the people weren’t as plentiful. Instead of a futuristic city, the place they were at now looked akin to the residential zone in the outer district. Walkways were lined with trees and a specially designed grass to help filter harmful gases, and the walkways branched off to connect with various skyscrapers, which towered over them like monoliths.
“Come on,” Alex gestured for Gabrielle to follow him.
Gabrielle rushed to his side, matching his pace with her long legs. “Where are we going?”
“We’re going to Metronome’s Sweet Shop,” Alex said. “Knowing my sister, she’s going to ace exactly six of her tests and purposefully get average scores on the rest. While I’m not going to bring it home, I’d like to place an order for her strawberry cheesecake parfait. They’re notoriously popular, so if I wait until the last minute, they won’t have any to buy.”
“Oh!” Gabrielle lightly slammed her left hand into the palm of her right, a look of eureka! appearing on her face. A second later, the light from her eyes died and confusion took its place. “Wait. Why would your sister not do her absolute best on every test?”
“Because acing every test is too troublesome.” He gave Gabrielle a wry smile when she looked even more confused. “Alice is a genius. However, perhaps because she’s so smart, she doesn’t like to try very hard. She’s a very lackadaisical individual, in case you haven’t noticed.”
“Is she smarter than you?”
Alex shrugged. “Hard to say. She might be, but since she never tries, the only time I see her genius come out is when I blackmail her. Are your sisters like that?”
“No.” Gabrielle’s long hair swayed as she shook her head. “My sister’s aren’t hidden geniuses, though they’re both pretty smart. Michelle is really good at simulation games and psychology, and Ariel is athletic and really strong. I once saw her destroy a mountain with a single punch!”
“A mountain, huh…”
She must be exaggerating.
It was true that Angelisians seemed to have more strength than humans, but the differences in their power didn’t appear to be that vast. More than likely, Gabrielle, being the excitable girl that she was, was simply overestimating her sister’s strength. Still, for Gabrielle to say something like that, this Ariel must have been strong indeed.
Alex barely noticed when they’d arrived at Metronome’s. He’d been so into their conversation that time had passed like lightspeed, and they were standing in front of the shop before he knew it.
“Here we are,” Alex said.
“This is that Metro-Metro place?” Gabrielle asked.
“Yep.”
“Hm… for some reason, I thought it would be really big.”
“Why is that?”
“Because I read that humans have a saying about how bigger is always better.”
“… I have no clue where you heard that saying, but it’s not really true.”
The bell chimed as they entered the shop. Alex glanced around. Selene wasn’t manning the front, but that made sense, considering she had school. An older gentleman stood in front of the register. With a head of gray hair that looked like wires, a bristly mustache, and glasses, Mr. Metronome did not strike an imposing figure.
“Morning, Pops!” Alex greeted the man with a jaunty wave.
“Alex,” Mr. Metronome greeted, his eyes flickering briefly to Gabrielle, who’d immediately rushed over to the display case. “I heard from Selene that you got kicked out of the cadet academy.”
Alex almost stumbled. Though he recovered, he still felt off-kilter. “I should’ve known she’d tell you that. Selene’s never been very good at keeping secrets.”
“She’s not the only one.”
“Ugh, d-don’t look at me like that.”
Mr. Metronome smiled wryly before flicking his gaze back to Gabrielle. “Who’s the girl?”
“That’s Gabrielle,” Alex answered. When Mr. Metronome sent him a flat stare, Alex took a step back. “And… due to circumstances with her family, she’s currently staying with my sister and I.”
“Staying with you, eh?” Mr. Metronome took off his glasses and cleaned them with his apron. “You’ve been living on your own for several years now, so I won’t tell you what you can and can’t do, but are you sure having this girl live with you is the best choice? Don’t you think you’re rushing things?”
“Rushing things?”
What did he mean by that? Gabrielle needed his help, and she kind of needed it, like, now. It was only natural that he would rush things. What else could he have… oh.
“I-it’s not like that,” Alex protested. Leaning in close so that Gabrielle wouldn’t hear, he said, “Gabrielle is having some family issues, so I’m letting her stay with me until they’re sorted out. Our relationship is purely that of a protectee and her protector. Nothing more.”
“Is that so?” Mr. Metronome said.
Alex opened his mouth to say that, yes, it was s
o. Before he could, Gabrielle rushed over to them and grabbed his arm. “Hey, Alex, do you think we could get one of those sweets?”
“Sure,” Alex said without thinking about it. “I’ll let you have anything except the strawberry cheesecake parfait, since it wouldn’t be fair to Alice if I let you have that.”
“Kay!” Gabrielle didn’t seem to take issue with this. She went back over to the display case, where she looked over the contents again.
“Right. I need two orders of your strawberry cheesecake parfait and whatever Gabrielle decides to get,” Alex ordered.
“Two strawberry cheesecake parfaits and one…” pausing to look at Gabrielle, Mr. Metronome soon rung up the order. “… French cream cheese danish. That’ll come to seventy-five credits.”
Reaching into his pocket, Alex pulled out several tiny chits of various colors. A credit’s value was determined by its color. Blue equaled one credit, red equaled 5, green was 10, silver was 50, and gold was 100. After grabbing the correct amount, Alex paid Mr. Metronome, who slid it into a register slot, which beeped several times before releasing a soft ding!
“I’ll be sure to have the strawberry cheesecake parfaits delivered to you on the thirtieth,” Mr. Metronome said.
“Thank you.”
“Alex! Alex, I want this one!” Gabrielle grabbed his attention and pointed to the French cream cheese danish.
Looks like Old Man Metronome’s predictions are as accurate as ever.
Sending the girl a smile, Alex said, “Okay. We’ll get you the danish.”
“All right!”
As Gabrielle pumped her fist into the air, Alex felt warmth spread through his chest. It reminded him, somewhat, of the times where he’d done something that made his sister happy.
“So, she’s nothing more than someone you protect, huh?” Mr. Metronome said as his eyes, hidden behind his rimless glasses, twinkled in amusement. It was then that Alex realized he’d been staring at Gabrielle for a little too long.
“Don’t. Say. Another. Word,” Alex said, his cheeks burning like someone had turned them into nuclear heating pads.
They left the shop and wandered Mars City. Gabrielle was munching on the French cream cheese danish, which she apparently loved quite a bit.
“This is amazing! Does everything on Mars taste so good?!”
Alex gave her a queer look. “Does food on Angelisia taste bad?”
Pausing, Gabrielle looked up. She had cream cheese on her cheek. “No, it does, but Papa always has our food checked for poisons and stuff, so it’s always cold by the time I eat it.” Biting into the danish again, she moaned in delight. “This is so warm, and yummy, and fluffy. It’s like tasting heaven!”
To think that she has to worry about being poisoned. I hadn’t realized that her life was so hard.
In hindsight, he should have. Gabrielle was the eldest daughter to the man who apparently ruled the galaxy. A man like that would have a lot of enemies—enemies who wouldn’t hesitate to kill his daughters if it meant achieving their goals.
Alex looked at Gabrielle, who’d gotten even more cream cheese on her face. Sighing, he reached over and wiped the food from her mouth with his finger. Without thinking about it, he stuck the finger in his mouth and licked it clean.
“Hm… that does taste pretty good.”
“Doesn’t it?” Gabrielle sounded delighted. “And thank you for getting that. I hadn’t realized there was some of it on my face.”
Alex blushed as he realized what he’d just done. “S-sorry. I did that without thinking.”
“Why are you sorry?” Gabrielle tilted her head.
“Ah, n-no reason, I guess.”
“Alex? Alex, is that you?”
As they continued to walk, a woman came up to them. Slender and graceful, she carried the air of someone who appeared much younger than she actually was. Her curly brown hair and dark skin were matched by dark brown eyes. She wore a simple light yellow sundress, which contrasted with her complexion.
“Oh, Mrs. Metronome,” Alex greeted with a smile. “Good morning.”
“Good morning, Alex,” Mrs. Metronome said. “I see that you have just come from my shop. You know that Selene isn’t there right now, don’t you?”
“She’s at school, I know. I just stopped by to place an order.”
“And we got delicious food!” Gabrielle interjected.
Mrs. Metronome blinked as she seemed to only now realize that someone was with Alex. She looked between the two of them, her head swiveling like it was on a rotator. After several more seconds, she put a hand to her mouth, hiding a sly smile.
“Oh, my, is this your girlfriend?”
“What? G-g-girlfriend?!”
Alex’s face burned. Girlfriend? Mrs. Metronome thought Gabrielle was his girlfriend? Did they really look like they were dating? Well, they were spending time together on a nice day out. From an outsider’s perspective, it must have looked like they were dating, and the idea itself wasn’t unappealing…
“Um, what’s a girlfriend?”
… Except that Gabrielle didn’t seem to know what a girlfriend was.
Must not facepalm. Must not facepalm. Must not facepalm.
“Surely you jest, dear.” Mrs. Metronome waved her left hand at Gabrielle. “A girlfriend is the most important person in a young man’s life. Many a young man spend their entire teenage lives seeking a girlfriend. She is the apple of his eye, the sweety to his pie, the socket to his plug…”
“Please don’t make such disturbing references,” Alex deadpanned.
“She is his everything, his most cherished person in the entire galaxy, his princess.”
Gabrielle’s excitement grew, signified by the sparkling of her eyes and the way she clasped her hands together. “I’m a princess!”
Mustnotfacepalm. Mustnotfacepalm. Mustnotface-palm.
“She didn’t mean that in a literal sense, Gabrielle.”
“Oh, my. You are, are you?” Mrs. Metronome’s smile was positively mischievous. Alex did not like that smile at all. “Then would that make this man your knight in shining armor?”
“Knight in shining armor?” Gabrielle tilted her head. “Of course not. Alex doesn’t wear armor.”
Alex facepalmed. “She didn’t mean that in a literal sense either.”
“I mean: Is he your protector?” By now, even Mrs. Metronome was giving Gabrielle a somewhat strange look. “A knight in shining armor is a person who protects his princess from everything that threatens her. He’s always around, defending his princess and making sure that no harm befalls her, be it physical or spiritual. He uses everything in his power to keep her safe, dedicating his life to her and giving her his undying devotion. It’s the most romantic thing ever!”
Mrs. Metronome clasped her hands together and wiggled in place. It disturbed Alex a great deal to see this woman acting like a lovestruck teenager, but he’d grown used to her eccentricities—the unfortunate side effect of having known her since he was little.
Gabrielle clapped her hands excitedly. “Alex protects me all the time. He’s always protecting me whenever I’m in trouble. He’s even letting me stay at his house to protect me from my—” she paused, then poked out her tongue and winked “—I mean from some bad men.”
After they’d made up, Alex had spoken with Gabrielle about keeping her status as an alien princess secret. While she didn’t seem to understand why she needed to keep it a secret, she’d promised not to say anything. It was good to see that she was sticking to that promise.
“Oh, my. Is that so?” When Gabrielle nodded, Mrs. Metronome placed her hands on her cheeks and squealed like a grade schooler. “Oh, that is just so romantic! I can’t believe that Alex has finally gotten himself a girlfriend! Kya!”
“Kya?” Alex made an odd face at the strange noise.
“It seems like just yesterday when I was first introducing him to Selene. He was such an adorable little boy back then. Why, I remember when I used to make him and Selene t
ake baths together—”
“Don’t say things like that in public!”
“—they were always so adorable! Of course, Selene is going to be most disappointed when she hears that Alex has a girlfriend. I always told that girl that she should stake her claim before someone else nabs him. You will take good care of him for me, won’t you? Now that he has a girlfriend, I won’t be able to look after him like I used to. That’s the job of a girlfriend, you know? Once a young man has a girlfriend, there’s just no place for a woman like me.”
Alex watched, mortified as the woman’s wiggling intensified. It was like watching an earthworm try to do a handstand. Her body, from her head to her toes, undulated in a boneless manner that horrified him.
“Oh, I can’t believe our little Alex is all grown up, getting himself a girlfriend and doing naughty things with her!”
“We’re not doing naughty things!”
“Farone, Melanie, wherever you are, you must be so proud.”
“Stop talking like I’m not even here! And don’t mention how my parents must be proud of me for doing naughty things with Gabrielle! We’re not being naughty at all!”
A confused Gabrielle looked back and forth between them. “Hey, Alex? What naughty things are we supposed to be doing?”
“We’re not supposed to be doing anything naughty,” Alex snapped.
“What are naughty things anyway?” Gabrielle asked. The sound of Alex’s hand smacking his face echoed louder than it should have in the din of the crowd.
“Oh, dear, surely you know what I’m talking about.” Mrs. Metronome held a hand conspiratorially to her mouth, and then leaned in toward the younger woman, as if she was about to whisper a beautiful, dangerous secret into the inquisitive Gabrielle’s ear.
4
Knowing this woman as well as he did, Alex decided that he needed to get Gabrielle away from her as quickly as possible. “Well, this has been really fun, and I hate to put a stopper on this enlightening conversation, but Gabrielle and I really do need to get going, so we’re gonna have to talk to you later. Okay? Okay. Bye now!”
A Most Unlikely Hero, Vol. 1 Page 14