While the group was gathering anything of value from the scavengers' base, Alex was busy trying to wash the blood and guts off of GIR's suit after the basement massacre. Holding GIR under the running water, Alex scrubbed him with the first rag he could find. But how could he simply scrub off all the blood, which was so much that GIR's suit had turned from green to red?
«GIR, stop resisting,» Alex said wearily, trying to keep him in place.
GIR, however, refused to listen and continued to squirm, angrily trying to break free. He used all his strength to escape, clearly unhappy about being washed under a faucet. Slippery and covered in soap, GIR managed to slip out of Alex's grip. Sensing an opportunity to flee, he bolted, but Alex quickly grabbed him again before he could escape. He grabbed GIR by the head and shoved him back under the stream of water.
«For the love of all that's holy, GIR, can you stop fighting it?» Alex said, exhausted, trying to peel off the remaining bits of guts from the robot.
GIR kept struggling, and Alex, realizing that simple persistence wasn't going to calm him down, decided to change his approach. Like a parent calming down a stubborn child, Alex knew he needed to mention GIR's mom.
«GIR, do you want your mom, Gloria, to see you covered in blood and heretic guts?» he asked, stopping the scrubbing for a moment and looking GIR in the eyes.
GIR, who had been resisting just a second ago, suddenly froze. He lifted his head and pondered, looking at Alex. GIR always behaved like a model child around Gloria, and the thought of upsetting her seemed unbearable. He looked back at Alex and nodded, indicating that he was ready to endure this «torture» just to avoid disappointing his mother.
«Good boy,» Alex smiled.
With GIR back under the water, Alex continued diligently scrubbing him clean. As he finished up, the group returned, having gathered all the loot. They saw Alex still scrubbing GIR, but there was so much blood that it was hard to tell if he was using a rag or a sponge. Everyone had the same question: why was Alex washing a robot under the faucet?
«Hey man, isn't it dangerous to wash GIR under running water? He's a robot,» Pilar asked, pointing at GIR.
Alex looked at him, surprised.
«Did you forget? During our first mission, GIR came out of the shower,» Alex reminded him, raising an eyebrow.
Pilar smacked his forehead, remembering the moment. The others also recalled how GIR had stepped out of the shower in a towel, then screamed and ran back in when he noticed them.
«Right, even I forgot about that,» Doria laughed.
Alex shook his head and looked at the partially cleaned GIR, whose green body was now spotted with patches of blood, making him look like a leopard. He dried GIR off with a towel and glanced at the group, who were now waiting for him.
«Well, I'm done. Sort of,» he said, setting GIR down.
Everyone noticed that Alex had managed to wash off most of the blood, though some stains still remained. Seeing their bags, Alex asked what they'd gathered, as he had missed part of the discussion.
«The bags are full of scraps to sell and some cash for drinks,» Doria explained.
Alex was glad he wouldn't have to spend his own money on alcohol. In his home world, Loki was always begging him for expensive drinks imported from distant cities.
As they exited the building, they were greeted by Falco, who curiously asked what the hell had shot out of the roof during the whole skirmish with the scavenger gang. Alex laughed as he looked at Falco's astonished face, realizing that he thought it had been a shooting star.
«What the heck flew out of the roof?»
Alex laughed as he looked at Falco's surprised face, who had mistaken GIR's shot for a falling star.
«That was GIR firing his railgun to take out the scavenger with the machine gun,» Alex explained.
Falco glanced at GIR, who now resembled a green leopard with red spots. Except it was a robot dog with a goofy expression. Falco asked what had happened to GIR, making him look so strange. In a tired tone, Alex explained that the bloodstains were left over from GIR clearing out the basement.
«Good thing I didn't see him before you cleaned him up,» Falco laughed, slapping Alex on the shoulder.
Alex shook his head and headed to the car to drive off and celebrate the completed mission. Rebecca and Lucy followed him. Lucy took the front passenger seat, while Rebecca sat on Alex's lap. Alex was about to start the engine when he heard the back door open. He turned around and saw Kiwi silently getting into the back seat, locking eyes with him.
«Mind if I ride with you?» she asked.
Alex raised an eyebrow in surprise.
«Nah, it's all good. We're headed to the same place anyway. No need to ask—we're friends,» he replied with a smile.
Kiwi nodded and settled into her seat. Alex turned back to the road but met Rebecca's gaze, her wide grin telling him, 'I told you so.' Alex playfully flicked her nose and smirked, saying she was overthinking things between him and Kiwi.
«Thanks for covering me with your body,» Kiwi suddenly said, turning away.
Rebecca glanced at Kiwi, who averted her gaze, then looked back at Alex with a knowing smile. She raised her eyebrows, hinting,'You're the only one who thinks you're still 'just friends' after shielding her from a machine gun.'
Lucy let out a heavy sigh, choosing not to get involved. She could easily understand Kiwi—after all, she herself had quickly fallen for Alex. And she couldn't help but think about Rebecca, who was the first to openly show interest in him.
Alex sighed, realizing that no amount of explaining his relationship with Kiwi would convince Rebecca or Lucy. So, he decided to leave those problems for future him and simply said,
«No need to thank me. I did what I thought was right.»
Kiwi nodded, giving him a brief glance before staring out the window, watching the cityscape pass by. At that moment, Falco's van passed by them, and he stuck his head out the window, waving for them to follow.
Alex nodded and followed him. Along the way, they stopped by a familiar doctor's place to sell the scavengers' scrap and earn a little cash for drinks.
By the time they finished the sale, day had turned to evening—just the right time to head to the club to celebrate the successful mission.
With no parking spots available near the club, they had to leave their cars a few blocks away and take a stroll through the night city.
No one minded the evening walk, especially since it was part of their usual routine—sometimes they found parking right away, and sometimes they had to walk. As they walked, Pilar approached Alex, placed a hand on his shoulder, and with a grin, asked,
«So, how you doing, Alex? We don't talk much since my sister moved in with you.»
Alex grinned back.
«Same as always. Eating, sleeping, and trying not to cause chaos in the city,» he joked, laughing.
«Chaos? How can you even think about chaos when you're living with beautiful women under one roof?» Pilar continued, raising an eyebrow.
Alex simply rubbed his forehead wearily.
«Yeah, living under one roof with beautiful girls is definitely nice, but someone has to deal with the consequences—hair in the drain, underwear scattered everywhere... And Lucy, who's always losing something. She lost her monowire one time and the house turned upside down before we found it. And Rebecca is a real gremlin! She's always trying to steal stuff from my workshop. I have to fight her off so she doesn't dismantle my guns.»Pilar laughed.
«Yeah, that's definitely in her spirit. Just give her a reason, and your weapons will be in her hands.»
They were about to continue their conversation when a loud noise interrupted them, like someone pouring liquid into a metal barrel. Alex and Pilar turned their heads in unison toward the sound and saw a guy standing on a crate who was... urinating into the barrel.
Alex grimaced, trying to ignore the strange sight, but Pilar, as usual, couldn't hold back.
«Hey, you! Stop pissing in that barrel, you idiot!» Pilar snapped.
His shout drew the attention of the entire group. They turned and saw the guy still urinating, while Pilar was already making his way toward him, using his imposing figure as a means of intimidation. He glared at the stranger and added,
«What the hell are you doing peeing out in the open?»
Approaching the container, Pilar loudly knocked on it to grab the strange guy's attention.
«Hey, moron, are you playing golf in that barrel?» Pilar scoffed, noticing how the guy continued to ignore him.
Ignoring Pilar was a terrible mistake; even hitting him would have been a less risky decision. The guy kept urinating into the barrel, unaffected by Pilar's irritation. This pushed him over the edge. Pilar resolutely climbed onto the crate and, without wasting any time, began to lecture him.
Alex, seeing this, could only shake his head, deciding to catch up with the others. But even at that moment, he heard Pilar speaking again, this time in surprise:
«You even managed to chromify your dick!» he exclaimed in evident shock.
Alex nearly burst out laughing at that. However, his amusement was short-lived. Suddenly, all his senses heightened, and time seemed to slow down. Alex felt trouble approaching. Details began to click into place: trembling hands, mumbling under the breath, and a complete lack of reaction to external stimuli.
He realized the guy was suffering from cyberpsychosis. Without hesitation, Alex swiftly drew his pistol and fired just as the guy raised his hand toward Pilar.
The bullet hit the cyberpsycho's hand with a metallic clang. That was enough to knock his aim off, and instead of shooting Pilar in the head, the bullet whizzed past, barely grazing his ear.
Pilar, realizing his life was hanging by a thread, fell off the crate in fright. Alex fired a few more shots, but they ricocheted off the cyberpsycho's body with a characteristic sound until he lost his bearings.
Seizing the moment, Alex jumped onto the crate and lunged at the cyberpsycho, knocking him off his feet. The force of the blow was such that Alex crushed the opponent's head like a ripe watermelon. At that moment, Rebecca, seeing what was happening, ran toward her brother.
«Brother!» she shouted, rushing to Pilar.
Rebecca helped him get up. He was clearly disoriented after the fall and shocked at having just escaped death. The others quickly approached them, worriedly checking on Pilar, who was trying to regain his composure.
Alex stood over the body of the cyberpsycho, watching as its limbs twitched in their final convulsions. Falco rushed to Pilar to provide first aid. Meanwhile, Kiwi approached Alex and glanced down at the body beneath his feet.
«A cyberpsycho. Who would have thought… Pilar really dodged a bullet today; if things had gone a bit differently, he might not be here,» Kiwi said, looking at Alex.
Alex lit a cigarette and exhaled smoke, gazing at the night sky.
«Don't tell me. Every day, I'm more convinced that this city is a complete shit. One wrong move, and it'll ignite like a Christmas tree,» Alex said with a bitter smirk.
Kiwi nodded, understanding that sooner or later, the situation in the city would spiral out of control, with streets overrun by bloodthirsty cyberpsychos. Alex wiped his shoe on the cyberpsycho's clothing and looked at Pilar, who was surrounded by the others. Lucy was holding her GIR, and Alex decided to check how it would handle the first aid.
«GIR, first aid protocol,» Alex commanded.
A light popped out of GIR's head like on an ambulance, and it began to emit a siren. Unfortunately, it was making the sound with its mouth:
«Woo-woo-woo,» GIR repeated, while everyone looked at it in surprise.
Lucy let go of GIR, and it wasted no time rushing to Pilar to provide first aid. A few minutes later, Pilar's head was wrapped in bandages resembling a turban, decorated with Hello Kitty band-aids. Alex barely held back a smile at the sight.
«I think we should take him to the hospital,» Alex said, looking at the group.
Everyone agreed, and they helped Pilar to his feet.
«Someone should make an anonymous call to the police about the cyberpsycho attack,» Dorrio said, pointing at the cyberpsycho's body.
Lucy took that upon herself and called the police. Meanwhile, Alex helped Pilar get to the car and settled him in the back seat. Once they arrived at the hospital, Alex accompanied his friend to the doctor.
«Thanks for saving my life, man,» Pilar suddenly said, looking at him.
«Don't mention it. I barely made it. A little longer, and you'd have lost your head,» Alex said, shaking his head.
«It's all good, man. Now I'll have a golden ear, and I'll definitely be the coolest one in the team,» Pilar laughed.
«Did you catch my optimism?» Alex smirked.
«Maybe,» Pilar replied, continuing to laugh.
Alex helped Pilar reach the doctor, who examined him. At that moment, Rebecca felt down, realizing she had almost lost her brother. However, seeing that Pilar was in good spirits made her feel a little better.
When the doctor informed them that Pilar would have to stay overnight in the hospital due to the risk of infection, Rebecca wanted to stay with him. But Pilar insisted, convincing her that she should spend time with Alex. Reluctantly, Rebecca agreed and stepped outside. Falco stayed with Pilar just in case.
Alex returned to the car and saw Rebecca sitting in complete silence.
«How are you, Becca?» Alex asked in a concerned tone.
Rebecca looked up, meeting his gaze. A warm wave washed over her heart from his concern.
«I'm fine, just… trying to calm down. I almost lost my brother today,» she replied in a sad tone.
Alex started the car and headed home. No one was in the mood for fun after the cyberpsycho attack. The ride went by in oppressive silence. Lucy sat by the window, lost in her thoughts. Rebecca tightly clutched her GIR as if seeking comfort in it.
Alex was also trying to gather himself; they had all nearly lost a friend today. When they got home, Lucy immediately went to her room, shed her clothes, and wrapped herself in a blanket, instantly falling asleep.
The apartment was quiet—neither Gloria nor Valery were there. Alex glanced at his phone and saw a message from Gloria saying she had been called in for a night shift. He tucked his phone into his pocket, hung his coat on a rack, and headed to the living room, where he collapsed onto the couch, closed his eyes, and tried to gather his thoughts.
The day had hit him hard. He knew that, in the worst-case scenario, he could resurrect Pilar, but that didn't change the fact that he would have still died.
His thoughts were interrupted by a gentle nudge. Rebecca laid her head on his lap and buried her nose in his stomach. Alex looked down at her; her sad eyes were full of worry. He began to softly stroke her hair, trying to comfort her.
«Are you feeling better?» Alex quietly asked, not stopping his movements.
Rebecca felt his touch and lifted her gaze. Seeing his caring smile, she hugged him tighter around the waist and snuggled closer.
«I'm feeling better,» she said, her voice filled with relief.
Alex nodded and continued stroking her hair. He started humming a melody that Gloria once sang to him to help him relax. Rebecca turned onto her back and looked up at him.
«Thank you for saving Pilar... I have no one left but him,» she said softly.
Alex smiled, resting his hand on her forehead.
«No need for thanks. If something happened, I would have resurrected him,» he said calmly.
Rebecca initially didn't understand what he was talking about. However, as the meaning of his words sank in, her eyes widened. Her thoughts became jumbled, and she struggled to comprehend what she had just heard. Her face shifted through expressions of shock and disbelief.
«You... what could you do?» she asked, suddenly sitting up and grabbing him by the collar.
Alex laughed, looking at her exaggerated reaction. Of course, there were limits to resurrection, but he didn't understand why it should be so shocking. After all, she knew he came from a world where gods lived among people, where he had fought dragons and horrific creatures.
«I could resurrect him,» he repeated lightly.
Rebecca bewilderedly sat back down on the couch, trying to process what she had just heard. Her gaze was fixed on Alex, as if she were searching for confirmation in his face.
«Like, actually resurrect him? Or are you talking about zombies?» she asked suspiciously, narrowing her eyes.
Alex laughed again.
«I could turn him into a zombie if you want, but that's a different spell. I was talking about actual resurrection. Of course, there are conditions,» he explained.
«What conditions?» Rebecca asked, not taking her eyes off him, grabbing his hand.
Alex began to thoughtfully stroke his chin, trying to recall all the conditions for resurrection.
«Well, for starters, to resurrect a regular mortal, it has to be done within three seconds of their death,» he said, continuing to thoughtfully stroke his chin.
«Why only three seconds?» Rebecca asked, surprised.
Alex sighed, realizing that such a question was quite logical.
«The weaker the being, the faster their essence begins to deteriorate. If a person isn't resurrected within three seconds, unpredictable consequences can arise,» he answered.
«And what is 'essence'?» Rebecca asked with interest.
«Essence is, roughly speaking, the soul of a living being. What makes you you. Take Hephaestus, for example—the goddess from my family. Her essence is fire, blacksmithing, and inventions. If you remove those components, she ceases to be herself. Every being has its own unique essence,» Alex began to explain.
He delved into what he had learned about the soul and essence. There are many theories, but in practice, he had encountered this himself and understood better that essence is the vessel of the soul.
When a person dies, their essence begins to break down, and the soul enters the cycle of reincarnation. Rebecca listened, but it seemed her head was beginning to «overheat» from the complicated explanations.
«So what is your essence?» Rebecca decided to change the subject to distract herself a bit.
Alex looked at her seriously, pondering whether he should tell her. But considering their close relationship, he decided she had the right to know.
«My essence is destruction. Not just ordinary destruction, but that which has existed since the very moment of creation of everything you know,» he said calmly.
Rebecca's eyes widened at what she heard, her mouth slightly agape in astonishment. Her mind was trying to comprehend what she had just heard.
«You mean to say that you have existed since the beginning of time?» she asked, clearly shocked.
Alex couldn't help but cough, choking on his saliva.
«No, you silly potato,» he said with a smirk, poking her in the nose. «I'm just the physical embodiment of that force.»
Rebecca realized she had misunderstood his words and simply shrugged. After all, everything he said really did sound as if he had been around since the beginning of time. They continued chatting, and Rebecca seized the opportunity to ask Alex a ton of questions. Her curiosity knew no bounds.
At one point, she even asked what powers their children would possess if they ever had any. This question left Alex stumped. He had no idea whether their children would fully inherit his powers or only part of them. However, he definitely knew one thing: if they had kids, they would grow into little «gremlins,» and that would be fun.
To be continued...