HPDBC Chapter 106 - 106:New work with the Team
Chapter 106 - 106:New work with the Team
While Alex and the girls waited for the Valentino gang's men to arrive, they decided to talk to the children to find out where they had come from. Before Alex could react, GIR was already enthusiastically brainwashing the kids, quoting the Codex Astartes.
The children's faces lit up with fanaticism, and they even began asking questions, to which GIR responded with great enthusiasm. Alex felt a vein start to pulse on his forehead from irritation. He walked over to GIR, deciding to put a stop to his attempts to implant the belief in the Emperor of Mankind into the minds of innocent children.
«GIR, enough. I don't want to see crowds of kids dressed up as Ultramarines running around the city,» Alex said in annoyance, lifting GIR by the head.
GIR snorted and tried to turn away, but his head was firmly in Alex's iron grip. GIR's body simply turned, crossing its arms over its chest. Alex glanced at the children, who were looking at GIR with such fanatical admiration that it made him uncomfortable. His lips twitched nervously—GIR had clearly already planted his ideas in their minds.
Turning to Lucy for support, Alex saw that she was simply giving him a knowing look, as if to say that this was a problem he had to solve himself. When he turned to Rebecca, he noticed she was deliberately looking away, whistling as she put her hands behind her head.
«So this is your love, huh,» Alex muttered under his breath, twitching nervously.
Lucy pointed out that it was his own fault since he had allowed GIR to become so fanatical. Rebecca simply shrugged, acting like she had nothing to do with it, even though she had indirectly contributed to GIR's behavior. With a sigh, Alex let GIR go, and the robot immediately ran back to the group of children, where they surrounded him and continued to listen with great interest.
Alex waved his hand, deciding to leave everything to the will of the heavens, or, as GIR would say, to the will of the Emperor. Even if one day the city ended up with a gang of Emperor-worshippers made up of these children, by that time, he would already be in another world. Alex thought to himself, «If I don't see it, then it's not my problem.»
«Let's just hope they don't declare GIR the Emperor,» Alex muttered quietly, rubbing his temples.
He sat down on the hood of the car, trying to ignore what was happening. Lucy sat down next to him, leaning her shoulder against his. Rebecca jumped behind him, wrapping her arms around his neck and resting her chin on the top of his head. The three of them sat in silence, gazing at the starry sky, while the sound of GIR's teachings continued in the background.
Their peaceful moment was soon interrupted by the arrival of a limousine that parked nearby. Alex raised an eyebrow in surprise, not understanding what such a car was doing here. However, the answer soon became clear: Padre stepped out of the limousine.
«Didn't expect you to come in person,» Alex said with a slight smile.
Padre looked around, saw that the children were safe, and walked over to Alex.
«I wanted to make sure the children were all right myself,» he said, clearly relieved.
Alex nodded in understanding, knowing how important it was to see everything with one's own eyes rather than just hearing about it.
«What are you going to do with the warehouse?» Alex asked, glancing at Padre.
Padre frowned thoughtfully.
«Once the children are returned home, we'll send people to clean up whatever's left in the warehouse,» Padre replied quietly.
Alex simply nodded, understanding that the problem with the warehouse was much bigger. The whole area was littered with bodies and blood after the fights. Particularly memorable were the «popped balloons» from Rebecca's shots and the gruesome marks left by Alex and GIR. With a wry smile, he added:
«Better send people with strong stomachs.»
Padre raised an eyebrow, not immediately grasping Alex's meaning. When he heard the details of the carnage, his reaction was restrained. He patted Alex on the shoulder, assuring him that the people they would send had seen worse. Alex shrugged, deciding not to delve further into the conversation as a group of cars with men from the Valentino gang arrived at the warehouse.
«Kids, listen up! These people are here to help get you home. So behave and say your goodbyes to GIR,» Alex called out, clapping his hands to get the children's attention.
The children cautiously eyed the new people standing behind Padre but didn't move from their spots. With a kind smile, Padre explained that these people were here to take them back to their parents. The children glanced at Alex again, who nodded, signaling that it was okay to trust them.
Reassured, the kids relaxed and began to follow Padre's men. But before leaving, they lined up in front of GIR and saluted him. GIR, inspired, raised his chainsword above his head and loudly chanted:
«For the glory of the Emperor! For the glory of the Imperium!»
Rebecca burst into laughter so hard she nearly fell off the hood of the car, while Lucy sighed wearily and turned away. Padre, on the other hand, looked at the children with surprise and then at Alex, expecting an explanation.
The members of the Valentino gang exchanged confused glances, clearly not understanding what was going on. Alex looked up at the sky, trying not to cry at the fact that he was partly responsible for this. Lowering his head, he saw Padre looking at him,
Alex just smirked, knowing his car was not just a piece of machinery but a true indestructible beast on wheels. He noticed Dorio greeting him with a smile.
«Hey, Dori,» Alex said, waving his hand in greeting.
Dorio approached and hugged him with friendly laughter.
«Hey, Alex. I see living with girls is tough—especially when they're getting ready,» she said, releasing him.
Alex laughed cheerfully.
«Not really, I just mentioned that we could do some shooting, and Rebecca instantly got ready like a whirlwind,» he said, nodding toward Rebecca, who was pulling the struggling G.I.R. out of the car.
Dorio looked at Rebecca, who was huffing as she tugged on the resisting G.I.R., and at Lucy, who had climbed out the window and was curiously watching the scene.
«How's Maine doing?» Alex asked, lighting a cigarette.
Dorio turned to him, looking gratefully into his eyes, which surprised Alex. Placing her hand on his shoulder, she said sincerely,
«Thank you for your notes. If it weren't for them, I wouldn't have even noticed that Maine was starting to develop cyberpsychosis.»
Alex raised his eyebrows in surprise. He hadn't expected Main to show any signs yet. Curious, he asked how she had figured it out. Dorio explained that she had noticed tremors in Maine's hands, brief memory lapses, and moments when he seemed to «freeze.»
Alex sighed heavily, realizing that Main had overdone it with cyber implants, and it was starting to affect his health. He wasn't sure how his treatment would work for people with many implants, so he hesitated to offer his help. But if the situation became critical, he would definitely intervene to save Main.
To be continued...