HPDBC Chapter 133 - 133: Time to Put Your Plans into Action
Chapter 133 - 133: Time to Put Your Plans into Action
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,
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...