After Alex stepped out to smoke, with Kiwi following him, the group continued chatting about various topics, including what it was like for the girls to live under the same roof with Alex. The incident with Maine was quickly forgotten—everyone was used to their leader occasionally saying something silly and earning a playful smack from his girlfriend, Dorio.
Most of the questions revolved around how the girls shared Alex and managed their life together. Lucy tried to avoid personal questions, but Rebecca couldn't resist and began revealing details about their household until Lucy clamped a hand over her mouth, shooting her a look to remind her to be more cautious.
Lucy didn't believe that Rebecca would actually stop and decided to explain how their daily life with Alex went. According to Falco, their life resembled that of a long-married couple, where everyone knew each other's habits down to the smallest detail. Lucy agreed, noting that although they hadn't lived together for long, everything already felt settled.
Alex didn't keep his plans a secret and shared his ideas with them, and the workshop where he worked had become almost a home for all of them, with a separate area set up for Rebecca to test weapons—just to make sure the building stayed intact.
The conversation smoothly shifted to what each of them would like to do after earning enough money. Maine dreamed of a home where he could live peacefully with Dorio and raise kids. Pilar planned to stay in his field and keep working with chrome. Falco was thinking about opening his own workshop. When it was Lucy and Rebecca's turn, they simply mentioned that they would be traveling with Alex, leaving out that they meant traveling to other worlds.
At that moment, GIR entered the room, jumping onto Lucy's lap. Seeing him, Maine remarked,
«Looks like our little helper finished the job.»
Lucy asked GIR if everything had gone smoothly or if there were any issues. GIR was already pulling a candy from his pocket to eat when he heard his 'mom' Lucy's question. He raised his hand in an 'OK' sign to show that everything went perfectly.
Lucy nodded, understanding that GIR had done a great job, and began petting his head. The others realized that all of Tanaka's data had been extracted, and now they just had to wait for Alex, who had set everything in motion, suspecting that Tanaka might have useful information.
The group started waiting for Alex, but someone was beginning to lose patience—and it wasn't Rebecca, who was taking GIR's candy and eating it herself, prompting GIR to fend off his greedy «mom» to protect his candy.
It was Maine who was growing impatient, realizing that the job was done and wondering what on earth Alex was doing outside with Kiwi, who had gone out for a smoke and still hadn't returned.
«What are they doing out there for so long?» he finally snapped.
This question sparked the group's curiosity, and even Rebecca, distracted from the candy, looked over at Maine. A new topic emerged for discussion: what could Alex and Kiwi be doing outside? Maine finally decided to go get them, understanding that time was of the essence and Tanaka might soon become more sought-after. Rising from his chair, he headed toward the exit.
Outside, Maine found Alex and Kiwi in a lively conversation—they were laughing and looked like old friends. Smiling, he realized that Alex had managed to melt Kiwi's icy exterior, and interrupted with a joking remark:
«Hey, you two, enough flirting. Your robo-dog's finished hacking Tanaka's brain.»
Alex and Kiwi, deep in conversation, heard a sarcastic voice call out behind them. They turned to see Maine standing there, a smug smile on his face, watching them. Alex and Kiwi exchanged glances, realizing they'd lost track of time while talking. Alex had been sharing his future plans, while Kiwi talked about her life before coming to Night City.
With a shrug and a grin at Maine's comment, Alex followed him back inside. He glanced over his shoulder, noticing that Kiwi hadn't come in, and gestured for her to join him. Kiwi nodded and quickly caught up, walking beside him.
Once inside, Alex immediately headed over to GIR, requesting him to upload everything he'd downloaded from Tanaka's mind. With the data in hand, Alex began skimming through it, mainly focusing on Tanaka's correspondence with various people. But there were a few messages that made Alex grit his teeth in anger, which didn't go unnoticed by the group.
«Alex, what did you find?» Lucy asked, concern filling her voice as she noticed his tense expression, staring at his phone.
She could tell he'd found something deeply troubling. Without a word, he handed her his phone. Raising an eyebrow, she took it and peered at the screen to understand what had angered him so much. Seeing the contents of the messages, Lucy's face darkened as she looked up at Alex, searching his eyes for confirmation of what she'd read. Alex gave a silent nod, confirming her suspicions.
Rebecca, sensing the shift in their expressions, couldn't hide her curiosity. She snatched the phone from Lucy and quickly read through the texts. Her face gradually twisted in outrage until she reached the most shocking part—her outburst was so fierce and explicit it could have made even the toughest person flinch.
Handing the phone back to Alex, Rebecca immediately reached for her gun, intent on paying Tanaka a visit and making him «a few holes richer» for everything he'd done. Sensing her intent, Alex gently caught her arm and shook his head, signaling that it wasn't time yet. Rebecca shot him a disappointed look.
«Why are you stopping me? Don't you want to kill him yourself?» she asked, her eyes searching his calm expression.
«He'll die, but not like this,» Alex replied firmly.
Rebecca nodded and returned to the couch, trying to calm herself down. The contents of the messages had left a heavy impact on her. Curiosity filled the room as the others wondered what was so horrible in the messages.
«What's in those messages, Alex?» Dorio asked, noticing the effort it took him to keep his composure.
Alex sighed and glanced around at everyone. He connected GIR to his phone to display the messages on the wall. At first, the group didn't understand what they were seeing, but as they read further, their expressions grew darker.
«That bastard was the client who bought children,» Alex growled, shaking his head. «Not only did he buy Valerie, but other kids too. What he needed them for—that part's still unclear.»
The group could only sigh or shake their heads. They all knew that Night City was not a place of wonders but one of blood and death. But that didn't mean they could stay indifferent to the fact that a high-ranking scumbag was buying children. And that was without considering the many homeless people on the streets of Night City, whose disappearances would go unnoticed.
Alex could understand why they needed Valerie—she was supposed to become the next pillar to help the universe evolve. But why did they need other children? The only possible reason he could think of was for the experiments that Arasaka conducted. But why children specifically? That was something Alex couldn't figure out. After all, children are incredibly weak, and their only real advantage is adaptability—a rather vague concept. It would make more sense to use adults for experiments.
The only reason children might be needed was to create loyal soldiers out of them, but adults could just as easily be used for that purpose. Brainwashing and implanting them with technology could turn them into obedient cannon fodder, ready to die on command. No matter how much Alex thought about it, he couldn't find the real reason why children were needed in this situation.
«Everything you've seen has to stay here. If this gets out or falls into the wrong hands, it'll bring you trouble. Arasaka will do whatever it takes to erase any traces,» Alex said in a serious tone, looking at the group.
«Alex, are you serious?» Falco asked, doubtful.
«Too much truth in this city is a path to disappearing,» Alex replied gravely, meeting their gazes.
The group understood that the information Tanaka held was a real bomb, capable of destroying them. Alex continued browsing the messages and noticed a few that they decided to check later. But first, they needed to filter out what could be sold from what should remain secret. The best choice for this task was GIR, who could process the data in seconds.
«GIR, sort the data into what can be sold and what shouldn't be shared with anyone,» Alex commanded his loyal companion.
GIR nodded, and a few moments later, he produced a chip with information suitable for sale. Everything that needed to stay hidden was securely stored in his archive. Alex took the chip and handed it to Maine.
«This is what we can sell,» he said, looking Maine in the eye. «But remember: don't trust Faraday. I've got a bad feeling about him, and his words may be nothing but lies.»
Maine usually ignored advice, but ever since he'd known Alex, he hadn't been wrong yet. This only reinforced his suspicions about Faraday, and even Dorio, who'd long thought of him as a slippery bastard, nodded in agreement. Given his history, it wasn't surprising: Faraday had betrayed Militech, stealing corporate data, and now worked as a middleman.
«Alright, choom, I trust you,» Maine said, nodding in understanding and offering a fist bump.
With a smile, Alex bumped fists with Maine, then instructed GIR to call his car. GIR quickly connected to the controls and sent it their way. While waiting, Alex continued to study Tanaka's correspondence, noting details that could lead them to even darker dealings. Of course, these things were better kept quiet—hacks and leaks were common in Night City.
«Alex, what are we going to do with Tanaka? He saw us, and he knows too much,» Falco asked, looking at Alex, who was absorbed in reading.
Alex paused from reading, considering how best to handle the situation. Given that they had stolen all of Tanaka's information, Tanaka himself was now as good as dead. Even Arasaka might soon get rid of him and anyone else who knew too much.
«Bury him,» Alex replied calmly.
Falco nearly choked at the blunt response. Seeing the cold expression on Alex's face sent a chill down his spine. But deep down, he understood that it was the most sensible solution.
Alex glanced at his watch; the car should arrive in ten minutes, so he decided to hurry up. He stood and turned to Rebecca, who tilted her head, not understanding why he was looking at her.
«Becca, do you have those incendiary rounds?» he asked, thinking over his plan.
Rebecca rummaged in her pockets and pulled out five rounds, handing them to Alex. He nodded and headed to the workshop to turn them into an incendiary grenade. Truth be told, it was just a backup plan—in case someone from the group decided to check if there was anything left of Tanaka.
«What did you make there?» Maine asked, noticing a device in Alex's hands that looked like a grenade.
«It's just an incendiary grenade. For… our friend Tanaka's cremation,» Alex replied, tossing the grenade slightly to test its weight.
Maine was surprised but quickly returned to his usual calm. Rebecca, on the other hand, was fixated on the grenade, imagining that if it worked well, she might ask Alex to make a few for her.
Alex grabbed Tanaka by the leg and dragged him toward an improvised shooting range, under the approving gazes of the others.
«Need help digging a hole?» Pilar asked with a grin.
«No, depth doesn't matter here. I've got it,» Alex replied, declining the offer.
After moving a bit further away, he released Tanaka's leg and lit a cigarette, looking down at him.
«So, are we testing the grenade?» Rebecca asked eagerly, tugging on Alex's arm.
Alex turned to her and sighed.
«Sorry, Becca, but the grenade won't be needed here,» he replied calmly.
Rebecca frowned, not understanding why he was skipping the explosion.
«What do you mean, 'not needed'? How are you going to cremate him then? You gonna use your miracle magic?» she bombarded him with questions, like an impatient child.
Alex continued looking at Rebecca, who smirked while calling his abilities «miracle magic.» He chuckled and ruffled her hair slightly.
«Yep, exactly,» he said with a smile. «I'll use my miracle magic to destroy Tanaka's soul.»
Rebecca didn't quite understand what he meant by «destroying the soul,» but Alex quickly answered by action. His fingers began to glow with a pale black flame. He swung his arm and struck Tanaka's body with his burning hand, clenching his fingers. A distinct sound rang out, like glass shattering. Beneath his hand, Tanaka's body began to turn to ash, leaving no trace. Alex was a bit surprised, as when he'd killed gods before, their divine garments disappeared with them because they were part of their essence.
Here, even the cyber implants and clothing vanished along with the soul's destruction, which indicated his power had grown even stronger. He sighed softly, realizing he'd need to be more careful now to avoid destroying everything around him.
Rebecca watched intently, especially captivated by the strange flame enveloping Alex's hand.
«And that's it?» she asked in disappointment, drawing Alex's attention.
He looked at her as if she were a creature from another planet.
«What do you mean, 'that's it'? Were you expecting a light show after a soul destruction?» he asked with a smirk, stretching her cheeks.
«Well, it's a soul and all… Shouldn't there be something special?» Rebecca protested, starting to tug on his cheeks in response.
Unable to argue, Alex simply picked her up and began carrying her back toward the house. Rebecca realized she'd won the argument and grinned triumphantly, watching his slightly irritated face. As he carried her, his thoughts drifted to her words, to those cultivators who spent centuries perfecting techniques just to create flashy shows, and how absurd their battles seemed—more like dances than fights.
Alex made a mental note that it wouldn't hurt to pay a visit to their world someday and give some cocky young master a proper «reality check» to settle the matter once and for all.
Entering the house, he was no longer angry but still a bit irritated from some unpleasant memories. Lucy, noticing him carrying Rebecca with a triumphant smile, just shook her head. She decided to ask later why he looked as if he'd been eating lemons. GIR, meeting Alex's gaze, reported that the car had arrived. Alex nodded and tried to set Rebecca down, but she clung tightly to him.
«All right, you can stay,» Alex sighed, letting her stay in his arms.
Bidding farewell to the group, he headed to the car. Just as he started the engine, he heard the back door open. Turning his head, he saw Kiwi getting in.
«I'll go with you. I want to see what you've found,» she explained.
Alex shrugged, started the car, and drove toward home. When they arrived, he struggled to get out of the car with Rebecca still clinging to him. He didn't mind her clinginess—in fact, he enjoyed it, so he let her hang on. Reaching the elevator, they silently rode up to the right floor.
Entering the apartment, Alex saw Gloria watching a show with Valerie. Gloria waved at him, and he leaned down, giving her a light kiss on the lips before sitting next to her, with Rebecca still hanging onto him.
Alex asked GIR to connect to the TV, which annoyed Valerie.
«I wasn't done watching!» she protested.
Alex gave her a playful flick on the nose and said, «You can finish later or go to your room; I have work to do.»
Valerie wanted to complain, but her curiosity won out. Gloria also looked at Alex attentively, waiting for an explanation.
«GIR, display all cases of cyberpsychosis over the past few months involving netrunners and researchers from Night City corporations,» Alex instructed his small assistant.
GIR quickly brought up information on cyberpsychosis incidents: attacks, accidents, suicides—each one marked as an episode. They had all occurred at different times and in various places, but Alex was sure there was a deeper connection. Lucy studied the data closely and finally asked:
«Why do you need this, Alex?»
Alex didn't take his eyes off the screen. «I'm not sure yet, but I believe it all leads back to a fragment of the Mechanical Man.»
Lucy understood his answer sounded vague but sensed that these incidents might not be random. Alex addressed GIR again:
«Hack into the police archives and find all information on rehabilitation of netrunners and researchers associated with these cases.»
Soon, GIR reported that in the police archives and MAX-TAC records, there were no photos or mentions of most incidents, as if everything had been meticulously erased. Perhaps the data had been wiped so that no one could investigate the links between these events. Soon, photos of those who had attempted rehabilitation appeared on the screen, but they were all dead as well.
«GIR, open Arasaka archives and locate all researchers and netrunners who worked in the lower-level labs,» Alex continued. «Sort them into those who are deceased and those who might still be alive.»
GIR displayed photographs of the staff. On one side were those who were already dead, and on the other were those who might still be alive. Alex needed to find out what they had been researching and what role Project N and the fragments of the Mechanical Man played in all of this. He realized he didn't have much time before the remaining researchers lost their minds completely. Disconnecting GIR from the TV, Alex stood up from the couch.
Lucy looked at him with curiosity. «Did you find out anything?»
Alex nodded, explaining that he needed to locate the survivors to interrogate them before they died. Stepping out onto the balcony, he asked GIR to display all the addresses and then jumped to the neighboring building, starting his journey toward the first target, moving stealthily to avoid drawing attention.
Upon reaching the correct building, Alex ordered GIR to erase all camera recordings to leave no trace. After reaching the appropriate floor, he entered the apartment of one of the researchers without hesitation.
Inside, he was met by complete darkness. GIR turned on the lights, illuminating the corridor, and Alex proceeded cautiously, straining to listen. An ominous silence filled the space.
As he turned on the lights in the living room, Alex stared in astonishment at the walls covered in blood and strange writings, as if they had come straight from his past life or games like Dead Space. The culprit of this horrific sight was nowhere to be found.
«Well, this is just complete bullshit.…» Alex whispered, looking around the living room, which resembled a scene from a horror movie.
To be continued...