A Most Unlikely Hero, Vol. 2 Page 4

  “True.”

  This device was a fusion of Angelisian and human technology. With such a unique blend, they were being careful in using too many advanced Angelisian parts. Even though all of the components came from Gabrielle, they’d been crafted specifically to work with human engineering techniques.

  After flipping the switch several more times, Alex sighed and placed Mr. Spatula onto the table. “I guess this still needs some work. That’s disappointing. It was doing so well, too.”

  “Yeah,” Gabrielle agreed sadly.

  It didn’t take long to finish preparing the food. Alex turned off the oven and grill, and then he and Gabrielle prepared the table, setting down plates and utensils. He was just about to tell Gabrielle to grab his sister—

  “Kya!”

  —when Mr. Spatula leapt from the table and attacked Gabrielle!

  “Gabrielle!”

  Mr. Spatula whirred out of control. Gabrielle tried to grab it, but Mr. Spatula slashed through her clothes right along the bust line. Since Gabrielle apparently didn’t believe in bras, her breasts were exposed to the cool air, bouncing up and down in a way that defied the laws of physics as Alex knew them. She looked down at her chest, surprised but not concerned. Alex squeaked and turned away.

  “I-I-I’m sorry! I wasn’t looking!”

  Unfortunately, that left him open to Mr. Spatula’s attack.

  “Iyahn!”

  His clothes were ripped to shreds as well, not just his shirt, but also his pants, leaving him in only his boxers and socks.

  As if fate was conspiring to humiliate him, Alice decided to walk into the kitchen at that very moment.

  “Hey, Bro. I heard yelling. Is everything…” She trailed off, and her face slowly turned flat, save for the blush on her cheeks. “You two… are incorrigible, you know that?”

  “It’s not like that!” Alex shouted at the top of his lungs.

  1

  The showers in Azazel’s flagship, the Dauntless, were communal. That meant that everyone used them, though the men’s shower was separated from the women’s. The showers also came with a hot spring, which was a recent addition that Azazel had added because… well, why the heck not?

  Currently, Azazel was enjoying his time in the hot spring, sighing contentedly as the steaming water seeped into his skin. Few things soothed the soul like a hot bath.

  Hot springs were a human invention. Well, technically, they were a natural phenomenon, but no one had ever thought of bathing in them until humans had come along.

  There had been a group of humans, who were more advanced than the ones found in this solar system, that he’d visited during the Unification War 43 years ago. That was when he’d been introduced to hot springs. It had been love at first dip.

  With him were his two subordinates, Abel and Kane. They were the ones who had been unfortunate enough to have been sent after Princess Gabrielle when she arrived on Mars. The two of them had just gotten out of the hospital, and they had apparently decided to spend their first moments of freedom soaking. While Abel looked relaxed, Kane remained moody.

  “Are you still upset that we lost to that kid?” Abel asked.

  “Course not,” Kane grumbled. “Besides, we didn’t lose to that brat. We lost to Lady Gabrielle’s invention.”

  “If you think about it by the end result, sure. But if you look at it from who got the most hits in, then he beat us. That electro-whip of his did more damage to you than your single attack did to him.”

  “I sent that brat flying with my attack!”

  “And he gave us both the shock of our lives.”

  “Tch!”

  “Speaking of…” Abel turned to Azazel. “What do you think of that kid?”

  Azazel slipped deeper into the water, until it was up to his chin. “If you are referring to Alexander, then I think he has proven himself to be a dependable young man. He did not defeat me, true, but I thought he was quite skilled at combat. He also understands Princess Gabrielle’s feelings. If nothing else, I approve of him for that reason.”

  “You’ve known Princess Gabrielle for a long time, right?” Abel asked.

  “Yes. I have known Princess Gabrielle since she was just a small child.” Azazel smiled as he reminisced about the past. “Princess Gabrielle has not changed much since she was young. Back then, she was a precocious little girl who had a fascination for machines and a bad habit of gutting our destroyers and frigates.”

  “Ugh, she did that even back then?” Abel grimaced.

  “I didn’t know that,” Kane said. “I can’t imagine a little girl taking apart our war vessels.”

  Sending the two a deprecating smile, Azazel said, “understandable. I couldn’t believe it either, not until I had come into our docking bay one day and discovered Princess Gabrielle standing on a pile of remains from our most powerful warships. King Lucifer was amused, but most of his council was consternated.”

  “That reminds me, did you remember to deliver King Lucifer’s message to that brat?” Abel asked.

  “Oh, crap!” Azazel jumped out of the water. “I knew I had forgotten something!”

  Azazel rushed out of the hot spring. He’d completely forgotten to get dressed. The number of female officers who shrieked, attacked, and called him a pervert for his streaking were numerous. Azazel had several bruises when he came back to the hot spring and got dressed.

  His wives would never let him live this down if they ever caught wind of it.

  2

  Fortunately for Alex, Mr. Spatula had not destroyed their dinner, thus they were able to eat without him needing to make a trip to the convenience store. After changing clothes, dinner was served.

  “So delicious!” Gabrielle squealed as she took her first bite. “This is so good!”

  Alex felt his chest swell up like a space slug—a creature with an exoskeleton that allowed it to survive the cold emptiness of space. He didn’t have many things that he took pride in, but his fighting prowess, inventions, and cooking were three things that he felt confident were top-notch.

  “I’m glad you like it.”

  “This is the best food I’ve ever had!”

  When Gabrielle had lived in the palace, all the food that she ate was taste-tested first. Because of that, by the time it reached her, the food had grown cold. Her first hot meal had been in this very kitchen. Alex promised himself that he would make sure she could eat a warm meal every day for the rest of her life.

  “Your ego is showing, Bro,” Alice said.

  His sister’s brown hair was long, traveling all the way down to her lower back. It matched the color of her doe-like eyes. She was on the lithe side. The pink t-shirt that she wore was sleeveless and showed off her slender arms, while the pink pajamas were baggy. She was also wearing a pair of white socks.

  “Allow your brother his moment,” Alex retorted.

  He and Alice couldn’t have looked more different. Unlike her, his hair was primarily black, all except for his bangs, which were silver. His ___ eyes looked nothing like her brown ones. Furthermore, he was much taller than her. Alice barely reached his chest.

  The difference in their physical appearance was due to the fact that they were not related by blood. Alice was his step-sister. Her mom had married his dad sometime after she’d been born.

  The banter was light that evening. Alice didn’t even act phased by what had happened just a few minutes ago. It seemed she had grown used to seeing her brother near-naked.

  Alex didn’t know how to feel about that.

  Beep beep! Beep! Beep beep!

  Conversation stopped when Alex’s IDband went off. Every citizen on Mars City had their own IDband. They acted as a personal communication device, identification, and biorhythmic scanner. Most people never used them, except for when they were applying for a job or something similar, but Alex used the biorhythmic scanner to help him keep fit. His was also heavily modified and had several additional features. They weren’t necessarily legal, these features,
but it wasn’t like he would get arrested… unless someone found out about them.

  Alex pressed a button on his IDband, and then tapped his ear to activate the communication unit. “Hello?”

  “Hello. Is this the man who was with Princess Gabrielle at the shop?” an unfamiliar voice said.

  Alex frowned. “Who’s asking?”

  “My name is none of your concern. I have your friend. If you want to see her alive, then come to the location that I’ll be providing. Come alone.”

  “W-wait a second! Just who the hell are—”

  Alex didn’t get a chance to finish his question. The other line went silent.

  “What’s wrong, Bro?” Alice asked.

  Alex didn’t pay attention to his sister. A message had appeared on his IDband. Placing his hands underneath the table, Alex pressed a button which brought up an image of Selene, unconscious, hanging from a ceiling, and bound by several metal tentacles.

  His heart stopped cold.

  “Alex?” Gabrielle said in a questioning tone as he stood up.

  “I just remembered that I forgot something.” Alex smiled at the pair to allay their worry. “I need to head over to the convenience store real quick.”

  “Do you want me to go with you?” Gabrielle asked.

  “No. This shouldn’t take too long. Why don’t you and Alice watch Titan Girls and eat those strawberry cheesecake parfaits?”

  “You bought them?!” Alice’s normally bored eyes sparkled.

  “I did. They’re in the fridge.”

  Alice squealed, leapt from her seat, and rushed over to the refrigerator. She squealed again when she saw the strawberry cheesecake parfaits sitting on the top shelf.

  “I love you, Bro!”

  “I’ve noticed that you only say that when I buy those for you.”

  “What are you talking about? I tell you that all the time.”

  “Right.”

  Alice grabbed the two desserts and shut the fridge door with her hip. “Come on, Gabrielle. Let’s eat these and watch Titan Girl.”

  “Kay!”

  Gabrielle and Alice went into the living room. Alex put the dishes in the sink and entered the hallway through the other door. Moving with quick strides, he went down the stairs and into the lab. His crisis suit was back inside of its container. Gabrielle had finished repairing it, though he didn’t know if it was properly calibrated yet. Alex didn’t have time to concern himself with that. It was an inane detail.

  He walked over to the console, opened the container, closed his eyes, and prepared himself.

  Seconds later, all Alex felt was thousands of needles piercing his pores as the suit latched onto his body and synchronized with him.

  3

  Azazel didn’t know where he was. Colossal structures towered over him. Built with little sense of aesthetics, these buildings had a uniformity that made him long for home.

  Mars City was nothing like Angelisia. Cities on Angelisia were majestic and organic. The structures were constructed in such a way that they blended in with the flora native to Angelisia. They were completely different from these bland skyscrapers that clogged up Mars City’s airways.

  The place where Azazel had wandered to was dark. Cast in the shadows of massive buildings, darkness engulfed this section of Mars City like a bad case of the Angelisian flu. He looked up. Even the dome was barely visible through the cracks between buildings.

  Realizing that he was lost, Azazel walked up to the nearest citizen, a young woman who was warily turning her head as though waiting for something to leap out and stab her in the neck.

  “Excuse me!” He boomed. “Could I trouble you for a—”

  “KYA!” the woman screamed. “MONSTER!”

  Azazel was stunned into silence as the woman ran away, shrieking like she’d just seen an abominable horror from the far reaches of space. When she disappeared around the corner of a building, he remained standing there for a while longer, and then huffed in indignation.

  “That was rude,” he said.

  With nothing else to do but find the next denizen and ask them for directions, Azazel began walking once more. Several minutes passed with more people running from him. It wasn’t long afterward that the loud blaring of sirens alerted Azazel to the arrival of a police shuttle seconds before it came into sight.

  “You in the armor! Put your hands in the air and surrender yourself! You’re under arrest!”

  Azazel had no desire to be placed in confinement again. So, he did the only thing that an upstanding and forthright commander of the Angelisian Army would do in such a situation. He ran away.

  “After him!”

  The shuttle zoomed forward, hot on his tail.

  “Why is this happening to me again?!” Azazel’s scream was lost to the din of sirens.

  4

  Gabrielle wondered why Alex hadn’t returned home yet. An hour had already passed, and he hadn’t returned from his trip to the convenience store. Shopping didn’t normally take this long, did it? Of course it didn’t. She and Alex had gone shopping together before, and it hadn’t taken them more than 15 minutes.

  She and Alice were sitting on the couch in the living room. Titan Girl was playing on the holovid located in the corner of the room. It was a rerun, or so Alice had said. Gabrielle didn’t know what a rerun was, but she didn’t ask because Alice had said it like she should naturally know what reruns were. She didn’t want to sound stupid for asking.

  “I wonder what’s taking Bro so long?” Alice’s words mirrored her thoughts.

  Gabrielle stood up. Her bare feet hit the wooden floor. “I’m going to find him.”

  Alice raised an eyebrow. “How are you planning to do that?”

  “By using Mr. Sniff-Sniff Search.”

  Gabrielle swiped her index finger through the air. A holographic menu appeared in front of her, which she scrolled through until she found Mr. Sniff-Sniff Search. This was the menu that allowed her to access her D-space. Not even a second later, her robotic invention appeared before her after she pressed on the menu.

  “It looks like a guinea pig attached to a rocket,” Alice observed.

  Gabrielle did not know what a guinea pig was. Her machine was based on a small rodent found on Angelisia: an Angelisian Folst Rat. They were four-legged mammals with a sense of smell that was ten times stronger than any other creature found on Angelisia. Thanks to her sister, Ariel, who loved collecting exotic animals, Gabrielle had been able to create Mr. Sniff-Sniff Search.

  “Okay! Mr. Sniff-Sniff Search, I need you to find the owner of this underwear.”

  Gabrielle pulled Alex’s underwear from her D-space and held it in front of her search robot, who leaned up and started sniffing it.

  “W-where did you get a pair of my bro’s underwear?!” Alice squawked as she leapt to her feet.

  “From his room,” Gabrielle answered.

  “Why would you even have his underwear in the first place?!” Alice shouted… and then she paused. Slowly, ever so slowly, she sat back down. “You know what? Never mind. I don’t want to know.”

  Gabrielle didn’t understand why Alice was getting so worked up, but she decided to not let it bother her. Mr. Sniff-Sniff Search had finished sniffing the underwear anyway, and he was already bolting off, which meant he had a scent. Gabrielle followed him.

  The search was on.

  5

  The Undercity. As the name implied, the Undercity was on the bottom floor, ground level, as it were. Technically speaking, it was one of the four levels within Mars City. However, this level was the only one that not even the dregs of society dared to tread.

  Alex wandered through the Undercity, following the instructions that he’d been given by his friend’s kidnapper. He didn’t know where he was, or how long he had been traveling. Darkness engulfed everything. There were no lights within the Undercity. The sky was closed off by numerous massive plates, and what little light that might have once guided his path had long since broken down.
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  It was almost shocking. Mars City had only been built within the last 150 years. In fact, domed cities like this were a recent invention. The first one had been built on the moon back in 2122. In the two centuries that followed, domed cities had been built on every planet within the solar system, save Saturn and Jupiter, and even they had domed cities constructed within the surrounding asteroid belts.

  Because the Undercity was at bedrock level, it meant that instead of walkways, he walked on solid ground. The crunching underneath his feet was from all of the waste and trash that had been thrown down there. With his IDband’s searchlight illuminating the path in front of him, Alex tried to navigate around large piles of debris as he traversed the ruined remains of decrepit buildings.

  He glanced at his watch again. A holographic map hovered over it. There were two blips on it: A triangle that represented him, and a circle to show his destination.

  I’m about fifteen meters from where Selene’s kidnapper is.

  A hundred thoughts and questions ran through his mind. Who had kidnapped Selene? Why would they kidnap her? What did they want? He didn’t know anything. In the end, Alex wasn’t sure if he needed to know. Did it matter what this person’s motivation was? They had kidnapped his friend. The important thing was rescuing Selene and kicking the ass of whoever had committed the crime, not figuring out the who’s, how’s, what’s, and whys.

  Alex eventually ran into a large door. Built into a massive pillar that ascended high past his field of vision, the durasteel door was rusted and old, covered in scratch marks and stains. It didn’t look like anyone had used it in decades.

  Typing on the keypad didn’t do anything. The keypad didn’t have any power left. However, it looked like the door was still working.

  After a moment’s thought, Alex pulled a cable out of his IDband, which he plugged into the keypad. A series of numbers were projected onto his holographic screen. This door needed a password. Alex activated his hacking program, which he’d built in the event that his police work ever required him to sneak into a secure location, and watched as the program worked its magic.