A Most Unlikely Hero, Vol 4

by Brandon Varnell

  “Jasmine, I know that you’re upset by what happened at the entrance, but I promise you that it wasn’t what it looked like.”

  From the way Jasmine huffed and looked away, that had been the wrong thing to say. “You don’t have to pretend that nothing happened for my sake. I understand that you are a boy, and that not even you are immune to thinking naughty thoughts. I just wish you would think that way about me instead of that trollip.”

  Alex blushed. He couldn’t deny that he had thoughts like, well, like the kind that she was intimating. He was still a guy, and he was 16. Puberty and hormones and all that was still an issue with him, but he wished she wouldn’t say it so… wait.

  “What was that last part?” he asked.

  Jasmine blushed but covered it with her hand. “Oh ho ho ho! I did not say anything unusual. I only said that you think naughty thoughts like every other boy. Oh ho ho ho ho!”

  “I hate naughty things,” Nyx said quietly.

  “Quiet you,” Alex shushed her.

  Alex knew a losing battle when he saw one. It wouldn’t matter what he said. Anything he said would be held in a court of law and used against him. Alex knew Jasmine well enough by now to realize that once she got something into her head, nothing short of a cataclysmic catastrophe would stop her.

  With his grocery bags in one hand and Nyx’s hand in the other, he walked into the kitchen. He put the groceries away, and then turned to the girl who was studying the appliances sitting on the countertop.

  “All right, now that we’re done here, how about I show you around the house?”

  Nyx looked at him, observing him for a silent moment, and then she nodded.

  The Ryker residence was a mostly standard two-story house. It had two bathrooms, three bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and a basement. There wasn’t anything special about it until one got to the basement, which was the last destination that Alex took Nyx.

  “And this is mine and Gabrielle’s pride and joy.” Alex grinned as he gestured to the basement.

  The basement was the same size as the house. What made it interesting was that it hadn’t been this big until one month ago, when Gabrielle had made her modifications. Now it looked like it could have been a house all its own, except it was filled with numerous high-tech gadgets that couldn’t be found anywhere else in the solar system.

  “What do you think? Pretty cool, right?”

  Nyx’s eyes were surprisingly sharp as she studied the layout of the basement. “There is a lot of alien technology in here.”

  “Most of it is actually upgraded human technology,” Alex corrected. “Gabrielle and I have been working on building a dream laboratory, and we wanted to try and combine the best of both worlds.”

  “I see,” Nyx murmured as she wandered further into the lab, circling some of the larger equipment. Her bare feet made nary a sound. “You and the princess seem close.”

  “I guess we are.” Alex wore a smile as he followed Nyx. While the rest of the house had not changed her demeanor, she seemed incredibly interested in his lab. Maybe she liked inventing stuff too? “She ran away from home because her father was trying to marry her off. I decided to help her, which is how she ended up living here. She and I both love inventing stuff, so we’re always spending time down here in the lab—or we’re outside testing our inventions.”

  Nyx nodded, though she didn’t say anything. Alex wondered if she was even paying attention.

  “Alex, there you are!”

  Interrupting their conversation, Gabrielle burst into the lab. She was wearing tight jeans and a light pink t-shirt that he swore was two sizes too small. Her chest and shapely butt strained against her outfit, and her flat stomach was completely visible. Alex tried to ignore the way his pants tightened and readjusted himself.

  “What are you doing down here? Are you checking on our inventions?” Gabrielle asked, her tone tinged with excitement. She was probably hoping they could work on something.

  “Not right now,” Alex said. “I’m actually just showing Nyx around.”

  “Oh…” Gabrielle’s ears drooped for a second, along with her wings, but they quickly perked back up. “In that case, let me help you give her a tour! We can show her all of our awesome inventions!”

  Alex shared her grin. “Gabby, you read my mind!”

  Thus, Alex and Gabrielle showed Nyx every single one of their inventions. Considering all of the equipment in there had been made and/or upgraded by them, that meant it took over an hour to give her the full scope of their laboratory.

  “This is Mr. Scanner.”

  “… Mr. Scanner?”

  “Yep!”

  Nyx studied the large contraption before her. Shaped like a pod, or perhaps a seed, the object gleamed with the tint of highly polished durasteel. Attached through several cables that jutted from the back was a monitor currently displaying a blank screen.

  “What does it do?”

  “It scans people and gives us a detailed map of their entire body. We’ve been using it right now to scan Alex and Alice. Someone has placed angelisian seals on them, though only Alex’s core has been sealed.”

  Alice, as it turned out, was completely human. However, like Alex, her memories had been sealed. More than likely the same person who had sealed him had also put those seals on his sister.

  That said...

  “Gabby,” Alex whispered in her ear, “we’re not supposed to let anyone know that you’re an alien!”

  “Oh. Right.” Gabrielle bonked herself on the head. “Tee-hee!”

  Alex said nothing, though he did sigh.

  “…”

  When the tour finished, Alex took Nyx and Gabrielle back into the living room. Jasmine frowned when she noticed both girls with him, though Alice didn’t seem bothered. After telling Nyx that she could relax while he made dinner, Alex proceeded into the kitchen. Gabrielle followed him.

  “Something up, Gabby?”

  “You’re making dinner, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “Let me make dinner with you!” Gabrielle seemed fired up. Her eyes sparkled brightly as she looked at him. “We’ll make dinner together.”

  “Um, okay.”

  “Yay!”

  Gabrielle latched onto him in a hug that caused his ribs to creak ominously. Alex withheld a grimace.

  Before they could begin cooking, Jasmine waltzed into the kitchen. She wore a displeased expression. Alex had seen this look before. Her competitive spirit was definitely had it a peak.

  “Oh ho ho ho! I just heard that you plan on helping Alexander cook. If you think that I, the Queen of Cooking, have any intention of letting you hog Alexander’s kitchen all to yourself, then you are sorely mistaken!”

  “You’re going to help us cook, too?” Alex asked.

  Jasmine thrust out her chest. Alex couldn’t help but notice that her breasts were actually large enough to bounce. His friend had some surprisingly large knockers for someone so short.

  “Indeed I am.”

  “Do you know how to cook?”

  Jasmine stumbled for a moment, but she recovered admirably. “Oh ho ho ho! Do not worry about me. I have watched Madison cook plenty of times. I am sure that I can be of assistance.”

  “I don’t have a problem with this. Gabrielle?”

  “It sounds like fun!” Gabrielle grabbed Jasmine’s hands. “I look forward to working with you.”

  “Oh ho?” Jasmine seemed taken aback. “Y-yes, well, of course you do. It is only natural that you would enjoy working with someone as magnificent as Queen of Cooking.”

  “Hm!” Gabrielle nodded with a bright smile. “I love spending time with you!”

  Jasmine blushed.

  “Speaking of Madison, where is she?” Alex asked.

  “I am right here, Master,” a voice said behind him.

  Startled, Alex turned around. Standing before him as if nothing was wrong, Madison wore the same gentle expression as always. Her black and white maid outfit, which
she wore all the time, ever since he’d given her to Jasmine, fit her like the freshly painted hull of a shuttle.

  Madison was an android that Alex had built for Jasmine. She looked completely human. Her skin felt like human flesh, and her body moved with the same fluid grace as a human’s would. She could even make human facial expressions. In all regards, she looked like a normal, albeit very beautiful, woman.

  “Madison?” He held a hand to his chest. “How long have you been behind me?”

  “She’s been there since you first walked in,” Nyx answered as she entered the kitchen.

  Alex blinked. He blinked again, and then he looked at Madison once more. “Is this true?”

  “Yes, I have been keeping an eye on you this whole time, Master.”

  “I’m sorry,” Alex apologized, feeling ashamed. He might have been preoccupied with all of the craziness that had happened since returning home, but that was no excuse to ignore someone.

  “There is no need to apologize, Master,” Madison said. “I had my Stealth Mode engaged, after all.”

  “Oh. That makes—wait. Why would you have your Stealth Mode turned on inside the house?”

  “…”

  “Madison?”

  “Error: I cannot say.”

  “Don’t just say you’re having an error when it’s convenient for you!” Alex pointed an accusing finger at the girl.

  “Oh ho ho ho! Never mind her, Alexander. Let us get on with the cooking!”

  That evening Alex taught Gabrielle, Jasmine, and Nyx how to make pizza. It was an interesting experience, especially when Gabrielle tried to use Mr. Mix to mix the ingredients into dough.

  “Waaa! Mr. Mix is going crazy!”

  “Shut it off, Gabrielle! Shut it off!”

  “Oh! Um, hm…”

  “What are you doing, trollip?! Turn that contraption off!”

  “It seems the off switch isn’t working.”

  “WHAT?!” Alex and Jasmine shouted at the same time.

  “Tee-hee!” Gabrielle giggled.

  Before anyone else could speak, scream, or shriek, Mr. Mix suddenly split into two separate halves as though something had sliced it clean through. Alex, Gabrielle, and Jasmine blinked in unison. Nyx’s expression remained unchanged.

  Because the flying ingredients had turned their clothes into a mess, Alex had everyone change while the pizza baked in the oven. Afterward, they all sat down to a nice, hot meal. As they were eating, Alex couldn’t help but glance at Jasmine.

  “I forgot to ask, but when did you get here?”

  “Oh ho ho ho! I arrived just a few minutes before you did,” Jasmine replied before daintily blowing on her pizza and taking a bite. Alex looked away when he realized that he was staring at her glossy pink lips.

  “Don’t you just want to nibble on those lips?”

  He twitched. Ignoring the voice, Alex took a bite out of his pizza. It was hot. However, it was not hot enough that he couldn’t chew it.

  On his left, Gabrielle was eating her pizza with gusto. He wasn’t surprised. She had told him that all of the food she ate often grew cold by the time her security had determined here was no poison in the food. It certainly explained why she loved to eat his cooking so much.

  “She came over just a few minutes after you left to buy food,” Alice answered. She took a bite of pizza, muttered about how it wasn’t as good as curry, and then said, “she was pretty depressed when she realized you weren’t here.”

  “A-Alice!”

  “Gotcha.” Alex nodded and took a bite of his pizza. It was quite good, if he did say so himself. “You know, I saw your brother just a little while ago. I was kind of surprised to see him. He just sort of randomly walked up to us and professed his love for Gabrielle.”

  Jasmine swallowed a bite of pizza before speaking. “Is that so? Well, I do not know what goes on in that idiot’s life. It is not like he and I are really on speaking terms anymore. He’s rarely ever home anyway.”

  “So it’s just you and Madison, then?”

  Jasmine shrugged. “More or less. I think Mother stopped by once, but she was only there long enough to freshen herself up.”

  Being a noble wasn’t everything that people made it out to be. Through Jasmine, Alex had learned how difficult it was, especially for a young woman like herself. Jasmine’s parents were never home; her mom went to parties and slept with men for favors, and her dad was always away on business. That was the entire reason he’d built Madison for her. He didn’t want her to be alone.

  “It must be tough, knowing that you have a family, but they’re all too busy to spend any time with you,” Alex said.

  “I-it’s all right.” Jasmine blushed underneath his sympathetic smile. “I have never been all that close to Mother and Father. I used to like Jameson, but he hasn’t been the same since I told him that I won’t tolerate his misguided beliefs about you.”

  Alex didn’t know whether to feel touched or worried. If he really had caused a rift between Jasmine and her brother, then it was only natural that he felt bad. On the other hand, Jameson had never treated his sister right. He’d always ignored her when she asked him something, pretended that she didn’t exist when he was with his friends, and insulted her when she didn’t do what he wanted. He had only praised her when she insulted Alex, and that had stopped after Alex rescued her from some thugs that tried to kidnap her.

  Right. So maybe it was fine to feel good about what he’d done. Jameson had lost his brother rights a long time ago anyway, and if she was better off, then that was all for the best.

  “Your parents also ignore you?” Gabrielle asked.

  Jasmine shrugged her small shoulders. “They’ve ignored me for as long as I can remember, and what do you mean by also?”

  “I hadn’t realized that you and I were so similar.” Jasmine squawked when Gabrielle grasped her hands and looked at her with unshed tears. Since Jasmine was sitting on Gabrielle’s other side—she had wanted to sit with him, but Nyx stole that spot—Alex couldn’t see much of her face, but it definitely looked red. “My parents are also really busy, so they don’t spend a lot of time with me, either. I know how you feel.”

  “Oh ho? Y-you do?”

  “Yes!”

  Alex wondered what the expression on Jasmine’s face meant, which he saw a bit of, enough to notice how conflicted she looked. Perhaps she would finally become friends with Gabrielle?

  “O-oh ho! Do not think you can fool me, Gabrielle Angelise! I know your game.”

  “Game?”

  “You think you can get close to me, and then use our friendship to make me back down!”

  “Back down from what?” As always, Gabrielle looked like someone had asked her about the purpose of life in the universe. She clearly didn’t know what Jasmine was talking about. Alex didn’t blame her. He didn’t know either.

  “Well, it won’t work!” Jasmine declared as she pointed at Gabrielle. “Oh ho ho ho! Let this day be a herald that signals my triumph over you! One of these days, Gabrielle Angelise, I shall knock you from your pedestal! Oh ho ho ho ho!”

  Everyone mutely watched as a laughing Jasmine ran out of the kitchen. The door closed behind her with a click, and then there was silence.

  … A really awkward silence.

  The door opened again, and Jasmine poked her head back in.

  “Oh ho ho ho ho!”

  She withdrew and the door closed once more.

  “Does anyone know what that was all about?” Alex asked. Gabrielle shook her head, while Alice muttered a soft “troublesome” under her breath. He nodded. “I thought not.”

  Having been silent for the entire conversation, Nyx watched the group as she slowly bit into her slice of pizza. It was surprisingly good.

  The pizza, that is.

  12

  Later that night, when everyone else had gone to bed, Nyx silently entered Alex’s room. She moved with unheard footsteps, stopped by his bedside, and stared down at the young man as he slept und
erneath the covers. She couldn’t see much, just his head and the outline of his body. He looked peaceful, though.

  She grabbed at one of the bands wrapped around her arm, snapping it off. The band soon shifted. It straightened, then hardened, the colors changing from black to silver as it gained a noticeable curve. What had once been a band was now a blade that gleamed with the brightness of steel.

  Nyx continued to stare down at the young man. She raised the blade and pointed the sharp end at his throat. He was so open, so vulnerable. One plunge through his neck was all that it would take to end his life.

  “Here. I’ll pay for her magazine. You can just ring it up with the rest of my groceries.”

  She shook her head, dispelling the memory. Her blade had lowered. She raised it again.

  “Nyx, huh? That’s a really cute name. It suits you.”

  The blade lowered again. Although her expression remained unchanging, her clenched fists reflected her inner turmoil.

  She shook her head once more. She couldn’t allow herself to be fooled. She only needed to look at what he had made the princess do, walking around the house naked like that. Alex was a depraved individual. He had to die, and it was her job to see this through.

  “Then how would you like to come live with me?”

  But what if it wasn’t an act? What if he really was that kind? Could the information that she’d been given be wrong?

  Nyx’s face twitched. No, it couldn’t have been wrong. Everyone knew of her reputation. People who hired her knew that she hated being lied to. Her employer wouldn’t have given her false information.

  “That’s right. I’ve got a pretty big home with plenty of room. You can stay with me for as long as you want.”