"Chapter 94: The Start of the Mission and the Race to the Restroom"

Alex walked behind the group, thinking that maybe today he had really surprised them too much. From the robot dog that considered itself an Ultramarine to his katana skills — all of it left an impression on their minds. A slight smile appeared on his face. A simple life under such conditions didn't seem so boring.

"Some might say that a peaceful life is sitting at home and pretending to be useful. But true peaceful life is when you can enjoy everything it offers, experiencing whatever you want," Alex thought, smiling lightly as he continued to follow his companions.

Lucy, carrying the sleeping G.I.R. in her arms, turned to look at Alex. His calm and peaceful smile showed that he was enjoying life just as he had dreamed. During the days they had known each other, Lucy had seen different sides of Alex: from the gentleness and care he showed towards Gloria to the rage he directed at those who had hurt her.

He seemed carefree, but at the same time, he was a responsible person, capable of having fun and supporting his friends. But with each passing day, Lucy understood that there was more hidden behind his lightness. A secret, much deeper than the stories of his organization or what he had been doing.

"He lives so freely," Lucy thought, observing him.

She had long dreamed of such freedom. When Lucy escaped from the Arasaka research center, she hadn't been able to save all of her friends. The young faces that had run with her still haunted her in nightmarish visions, and their tragic deaths under a hail of bullets continued to weigh heavily on her soul. It seemed to her that Alex, despite any pursuit or danger, could live without chains or regrets.

"I wish I could be as strong," she thought, holding G.I.R. more tightly in her arms.

But Lucy didn't know that the darkness Alex had faced was much deeper. The avatar of Nyarlathotep could come for him at any moment, ready to consume him. And though Alex didn't know when exactly it would happen, he wanted to enjoy life as much as possible until he had to face that horror again.

"Anyone who's played games dreams of experiencing a real city chase," Alex thought, grinning, sensing that the situation with the stolen Arasaka driver data would escalate into something bigger — a full-scale chase and gunfight in the streets of Night City.

However, what worried him most was the possibility that someone could get hurt, like Gloria had once been, and for that reason, he needed to be especially careful.

"I don't want Gloria to hate me or see me as the same bastards who caused her so much pain," Alex thought, tossing his cigarette before entering the house.

Inside, Alex began looking for a place to rest before the upcoming mission. He found a simple couch, took off his coat, and lay down, stretching out fully for comfort. Resting his arms behind his head, he felt drowsiness slowly envelop him.

"Now this is what I call a break," Alex thought, closing his eyes with a slight smile on his face.

But just as he began to drift into sleep, he felt someone's weight pressing down on him. Peeking through one eye, Alex saw Rebecca, who had cozily settled onto his chest. She took his coat, draped it over herself like a blanket, and, getting comfortable, asked:

"What did you do with my babies? You didn't put everything into G.I.R., right?" she asked, getting more comfortable.

Alex sighed, realizing that explaining this wouldn't be easy. He continued to stroke her hair, pondering how to tell her that all her weapons had been disassembled and repurposed to upgrade G.I.R.

"Well, let's just say they won't be able to shoot anymore," he replied with a crooked smile.

"You broke my babies?" Rebecca asked suspiciously, propping herself up on her elbows.

Alex continued stroking her head, trying to soften her anger.

"'Broke' is the wrong word. I'd say I disassembled them and made them better. And, well, stuffed them into G.I.R.," he attempted to explain.

Rebecca squinted and sat up, leaning her elbows on his chest to give him a piercing look.

"And what are you going to do with the leftover parts?" she pressed, peering into his face.

Alex averted his gaze from Rebecca's intense stare. A slight feeling of guilt stirred within him — he really had taken apart her favorite weapons, which she'd cherished and practically built from scratch. And then along came Alex, dismantled everything, and installed parts into G.I.R., their little robot. Although, to be fair, some of the upgrades turned out quite interesting, especially with the machine gun Rebecca had brought.

It had a built-in tracking function: if the first bullet hit the target, the rest would find it no matter where the target hid after being struck by that first shot.

"With the leftover parts, I could build a couple of external modules for G.I.R.," Alex said, getting lost in thoughts of possible designs.

"And what are you planning to create for our 'child'?" Rebecca squinted, bringing her face closer to his, almost touching his nose.

Alex looked into her bright red-green eyes, and images of new weapons he could make for G.I.R. began to flash through his mind. The robot already saw itself as an Ultramarine, so he figured it was time to support that idea.

Leaning closer to Rebecca's ear, Alex whispered so quietly that G.I.R. wouldn't hear — if it found out what Alex had in mind, it wouldn't rest until it got its new "gear."

"I'm going to make him a chainsword," he whispered.

"A chainsword?" Rebecca repeated, raising an eyebrow in surprise, which was louder than Alex would have liked.

He immediately covered her mouth with his hand, glancing around to ensure G.I.R. wasn't nearby. Sighing with relief, he shot Rebecca a reproachful look.

"Keep it down, please. If he hears that, I won't get any peace until I make him that sword," Alex whispered, slightly nervous.

Rebecca just smirked, her eyes sparkling with mischief. She stuck out her tongue and quickly licked Alex's palm, making him instantly pull his hand away. He looked at her with a light smile, but then did something she clearly didn't expect: he leaned in and kissed her on the tip of her nose.

Rebecca instantly blushed, covering her face with her hands as her cheeks turned pink.

"Heh, another win for me," Alex smiled, watching her blush.

Even more embarrassed, Rebecca tried to hide her emotions, playfully bumping his chin with her head, but Alex just laughed. Without thinking, he decided to join in on the fun and began pinching her cheeks. In response, Rebecca pulled his cheeks in opposite directions, and a playful battle ensued.

At that moment, Pilar walked into the room and, seeing them, couldn't hold back his laughter.

"Carry on, I won't interrupt," he said, laughing and giving them two thumbs up.

Alex, whose cheeks were being pulled, could only shake his head. If he had a sister like that, he definitely wouldn't risk annoying her — one day, he might wake up tied to a speeding car.

Rebecca was about to attack her brother for embarrassing her, but someone beat her to it. A huge hand grabbed Pilar by the scruff of his neck and shoved him out of the room. It was Dorio. She gave Alex and Rebecca a thumbs-up before walking out after him.

"Probably best to get some rest before the mission," Alex said, releasing Rebecca's cheeks.

She snorted, rested her head on his chest, and closed her eyes. Alex continued gently stroking her head until she fell asleep. However, Alex himself couldn't sleep yet—thoughts of creating new devices and imagining G.I.R. in an Ultramarine suit kept him awake.

"Or maybe it'll be a Minimarine?" Alex thought with a smile, picturing the scene.

Lost in thought, he eventually drifted off to sleep.

Alex woke up to noise beside him. Still not fully understanding what was happening, he instinctively reached out, trying to silence the source of the sound. Gradually, though, he realized it was G.I.R.

"BARK, BARK, BARK, BARK," G.I.R. "barked" — or rather, just repeated the word, standing next to the couch.

Alex opened his eyes and saw the robot standing there persistently "barking." Rebecca also sleepily raised her head and saw G.I.R. Alex rubbed his temples irritably and sighed.

"What do you need, G.I.R.?" he asked, stopping his temple massage.

G.I.R. stopped "barking" and stared at Alex with his usual goofy expression, shoving another candy into his mouth.

"Momma Lucy said you need to wake up," he said with a completely serious face.

Alex nodded and tried his best to ignore G.I.R., who had just woken him up. He knew that if he kept looking at the robot, he'd end up throwing something at him.

Sighing, Alex started to get up. He carefully moved Rebecca off him and, still slightly unsteady, made his way to the shower to fully wake up. Every time he woke up, he felt irritated, as if he hadn't slept enough.

While Alex was standing under the streams of water, Rebecca joined him—according to her, to save on hot water. After the shower, Alex helped her braid her hair, something he sometimes did for Hestia for variety. Seeing her new hairstyle in the mirror, Rebecca smirked and turned to him.

"You're pretty good at this," she said with a smile.

"I've had practice," Alex replied, giving her a thumbs-up.

Rebecca left the bathroom first, and Alex decided to change. He pulled out his suit, the one he called "Vergil's," which he preferred to fight in and considered his work uniform. After changing and packing his other clothes into a backpack, he glanced at himself in the mirror but felt like something was missing.

"Ah, right," he said, slicking his hair back to change up his look.

As soon as he stepped out, the group greeted him with whistles. Maine whistled approvingly.

"You look like a whole different person, choom."

"I just put on something more comfortable to work in," Alex replied, shaking his head.

Maine was about to say something, but Dorio quickly dragged him to the shower. When they returned, they both looked much more relaxed, having stayed in there long enough for everyone to get the idea.

After Maine and Dorio came out, the group held one last briefing before the mission. They went over the plan and discussed possible alternatives in case things went south. While they were talking, the sound of the shower door opening caught their attention. Everyone exchanged glances—everyone was accounted for. So who could it be?

The group turned their heads and saw G.I.R. stepping out of the shower, wrapped only in a towel.

"KYAAA!" G.I.R. screamed when he realized everyone was looking at him.

He covered his chest with his hands and ran back inside, slamming the door behind him. The group turned to Alex, demanding an explanation for why G.I.R. was taking a shower and acting like a shy girl. Alex's eye twitched—he had no answer.

"Don't look at me like that, I don't know what's wrong with him either," he muttered, rubbing his temples to ease his irritation.

The others kept looking at him, but eventually, they just nodded, realizing they wouldn't get an explanation. Only Rebecca, thoroughly amused by the situation, giggled, finding G.I.R.'s behavior hilarious.

When everyone had discussed the final details of the mission and the options in case of failure, Maine asked, "Everyone ready?"

The group nodded affirmatively. G.I.R., already dressed in his suit, stood on the table and saluted, indicating that he was ready too.

"Then let's gear up and head to 'Jacked and Cocked.' Our target will soon appear for the fight he's betting on. We have about an hour to get there," Maine said, glancing at his watch.

Alex checked his backpack to ensure he hadn't forgotten anything and headed to the garage. He sat on his bike, carefully placing his katana in the compartment so it wouldn't get in the way during the ride. He started the engine and waited for the rest of the group to get into Falco's truck.

Rebecca had already settled in front of him, holding G.I.R. Alex said nothing; he had grown accustomed to Rebecca regularly riding with him and unabashedly pressing various buttons during the trip.

He stroked her head, but suddenly felt someone sit behind him and wrap their arms around his waist. Turning his head, he saw Lucy had taken a seat in the back.

"Maine, we'll head out first. We'll wait at the bar," Alex said as he rode out of the garage.

"Okay, see you at 'Jacked and Coke,' choom," Maine shouted, waving from the window.

Alex nodded and took off, but instead of enjoying a peaceful ride, G.I.R. reconnected to the network and started singing. Alex sighed—it seemed he wouldn't get to enjoy the silence this time either. It wouldn't be so bad if the robot didn't start singing right on the road. The only silver lining for Alex was that G.I.R. at least wasn't trying to dance while in Rebecca's embrace.

When they arrived at the bar ahead of schedule, Alex parked the bike across the road and leaned against it, watching the entrance. Lighting a cigarette, he began thinking through additional plans when he felt someone tugging at his sleeve. Turning his head, he saw Lucy, clearly about to ask a question.

"What's up, Lucy?" Alex asked calmly, noticing her curiosity.

"Why are you wearing different clothes this time?" she asked, eyeing his new outfit.

Lucy couldn't deny that the new look suited Alex very well. While he had previously looked like an ordinary guy off the street, his current appearance was much more striking. She couldn't find the right word to describe it, but one thing was clear—he looked cool. Especially impressive was his gaze, which had become colder with the new outfit and hairstyle.

"It's just work clothes. I wear them for serious jobs," Alex replied, exhaling smoke.

"Then why did you wear different clothes when we worked together before?" Rebecca chimed in, distracted from playing with G.I.R.

"It's simple," Alex shrugged. "In previous jobs, there was no need to get serious. But I have a feeling that something's going to go wrong today."

Lucy and Rebecca exchanged glances, slightly surprised by his words. He referred to this suit as "work clothes" and hinted that something was about to happen? Both girls pondered this.

"What do you mean?" Lucy asked, turning to Alex.

"My luck in these situations is usually terrible. Something always happens when I take on a task," Alex explained with a smirk, rubbing his forehead.

And indeed, it had almost always been the case: any task he undertook turned into a major conflict. Like that time in Danmachi, when participating in a war game against Apollo's family led him to confront a group of losers trying to create chaos. Lucy and Rebecca silently looked at Alex, who, rubbing his forehead, radiated barely concealed irony.

"Don't worry, we have G.I.R.," Rebecca said with a smile, lifting the robot as if showcasing him "in all his glory."

G.I.R., who had been lifted, looked around until he heard praise from Rebecca. He nodded his head and gave a thumbs-up, expressing his readiness for any challenges.

Alex sighed, looking at him. This robot seemed destined to cause more problems than he was worth.

"I'm afraid this little ultramarine is going to bring us more trouble than help," Alex sighed, pushing the robot away from his face.

G.I.R. immediately began to pretend to cry, shedding tears and burying his face in Rebecca's chest, complaining that Alex was a bad owner. Rebecca gently soothed him, calling Alex a "bad dad."

Watching G.I.R.'s latest performance, Alex merely snorted. The last time he had thrown a slipper at the robot for its noisy behavior, G.I.R. had put on a similar scene and complained to Gloria. Back then, Gloria, like Rebecca now, had started to comfort him.

"I should probably give him a Grammy for his acting," Alex said calmly, this time not falling for G.I.R.'s tricks.

As soon as the robot heard the word "Grammy," he stopped crying and looked at Alex in confusion, who was watching him with a smirk. Realizing he had been tricked again, G.I.R. burst into new tears, showcasing his best acting abilities.

Lucy, recognizing that he was pretending, just shook her head and pulled a cigarette from Alex's pocket.

Seeing no reaction from anyone, G.I.R. ceased his drama and returned to playing with Rebecca. Pointing at G.I.R., Alex said, "He clearly has a couple of loose screws in his head. And it seems to be quite literal."

"Well, it's not all bad. I've seen worse," Lucy smiled, laughing at the robot's rapid mood changes.

She leaned against Alex, and they continued to wait for the rest of the group to arrive. They didn't have to wait long; soon Falco's truck parked nearby. Maine approached Alex and asked for a cigarette. After receiving it, he took a drag and asked, "Did we miss anything?"

"Yeah, you missed G.I.R. showcasing his acting talents," Alex smirked, exhaling smoke.

Maine looked at the robot, who was standing on the seat of the bike with a completely innocent expression, and couldn't help but laugh.

"Okay, if everyone's ready, let's go inside," Maine said, flicking away his cigarette.

"Wait," Alex stopped them.

He nodded briefly and reached into his backpack, pulling out injectors.

"Take one each," he said, extending his hand with the injectors. "Falco, I don't think you'll need one. You'll be sitting in the car in case we need to make a quick getaway."

Maine, looking at the injectors, initially thought Alex was joking, assuming they were filled with something like a laxative. But when he realized they weren't, everyone began to take one injector at a time, stashing them in their pockets. Then Alex reached back into the backpack and pulled out a hammer.

"Choom, what's that?" Maine asked in surprise, pointing at the hammer.

"This is my memory neutralizer," Alex said with a straight face, holding the tool above his head.

"That's just a regular hammer," Kiwi remarked dryly.

"Trust me, it works like a charm. Clinical trials are complete. Well, almost," Alex added hesitantly since this version of the hammer hadn't been tested on humans yet.

Lucy rolled her eyes, realizing that Alex was about to pull off another crazy idea. Last time, he had brought a brick, and now it was a hammer. The others just laughed at his ridiculous explanations. Pilar found it particularly amusing, as always.

"You manage to surprise me every time," Doriot laughed.

Alex merely shrugged, not explaining that his "neutralizer" could indeed erase memories, though he didn't know how extensively. The previous version could wipe a day from someone's life, but the new one hadn't been tested. It might even be able to erase memories all the way back to infancy.

"Well, can we go now?" Alex said, putting the hammer back in his pocket.

They entered the bar, leaving Falco in the car in case they needed to make a quick getaway. Each took a position in different corners of the room to avoid looking suspicious. Alex and Rebecca headed to the bar counter.

After ordering drinks, Alex began to look around. Some people were dancing, while others were getting drunk. The only thing that irritated Alex was the loud music. He didn't like noisy places and preferred listening to music alone.

"Attention, the fight just ended. Our target will arrive soon," Maine's voice crackled through their communicators.

Alex shrugged and shifted his gaze to Rebecca, who was acting flirtatiously at the bar. A couple of guys were about to approach her, but upon seeing Alex's stern look, they quickly changed their minds and turned away. Alex smirked, watching as those who wanted to appear tough turned out to be ordinary cowards.

"He's here," Falco reported over the comms.

"Get ready. As soon as he gets drunk, we'll begin," Maine commanded.

Alex glanced at the entrance and saw a large man with massive arms and a torso that seemed disproportionately huge. Following him was a group of five bodyguards.

"Here comes the security," Alex said, contacting the others. "There are five of them, so one for each."

"Looks like someone will have to miss out on the fun," Doriot chuckled.

"Not a problem. Someone can inject themselves for entertainment and compete to see who gets to the bathroom first," Alex joked with a mischievous smile.

Loud laughter erupted over the communicators. Holding an injector between his fingers, Alex leisurely approached one of the bodyguards who had stepped away from the group. His relaxed stride didn't draw any attention. When he got close enough, he stopped and said, "How about a bet? Which of the guards will make it to the bathroom first without messing their pants?"

Everyone agreed and placed bets on the guards that Alex was cautiously approaching. He smirked at the thought that the janitors in this bar would have a rough time once the guards started rushing to the restroom.

"And don't overdo it, so we won't have to clean up someone's messed-up corpse in the morning," Alex quipped, eliciting another burst of laughter from the group.

He saw that everyone had already taken their positions and continued moving toward his target, getting closer. As he passed by a bodyguard, Alex casually bumped into him to administer the laxative injection.

"Sorry, buddy, didn't see you there," Alex said, patting the bodyguard on the shoulder after colliding with him.

Without lingering, he made a small circuit of the bar and returned to his spot next to Rebecca, who didn't seem to be planning on going anywhere. She smiled as Alex gave her a thumbs-up to signify the successful completion of the task. In response, she giggled and continued sipping her drink.

Alex lit a cigarette and carefully watched the guard to whom he had just administered a laxative. The man's face began to glisten with sweat, and it was clear he was nervously grinding his teeth, battling the growing discomfort.

"Looks like the race is about to start," Alex said cheerfully, observing as the guard gradually lost control.

Rebecca also noticed the guard and leaned against Alex's shoulder, continuing to watch. The guard's face was becoming increasingly tense, and Alex understood that soon the man would give in and rush to the restroom.

"And here it is, the long-awaited moment— all the racers are at the start! Who will be the winner of this race, and who won't withstand the pressure? We'll find out very soon!" Alex commented with the tone of a sports commentator, glancing at the other guards, who also seemed to sense the impending disaster.

The laughter from the speakers grew louder. Each member of the team had already noticed the changes in the guards' behavior, as one by one they began to head toward the restroom.

"And there goes our first dropout! Guard D couldn't make it to the finish and embarrassed himself halfway. What a pity; he was one of the favorites, but there are still four contenders left!" Alex continued, entertaining the team without pause.

The winner turned out to be Kiwi's horse— her guard, who started last, managed to reach the restroom first.

"Congratulations to Miss Kiwi! Her dark horse has managed to surprise everyone! Let's all welcome our champion!" Alex said, laughing.

Applause and laughter erupted from the speakers. After all, it's not often they get to witness a show like this—seeing Arasaka Corporation guards rushing to the restroom to avoid embarrassment.

"I don't need your applause. You'd better prepare the money you lost," Kiwi replied tersely, ignoring all the congratulations.

Alex sent her the money and looked to the other end of the bar where Maxim was sitting. He was intently staring at the glass before him, taking occasional sips.

Alex observed him while continuing to chat with the team, who were waiting for Maxim to drink enough to get down to business. After the third glass, Maxim was noticeably swaying—his massive figure barely holding itself upright.

Rebecca quietly tugged at Alex's sleeve, indicating it was time to act. He nodded, downed his drink in one go, and leisurely made his way to Maxim.

As he passed by, Alex skillfully pulled the chip from Maxim's neck and, without stopping, headed towards Kiwi and Lucy, who were set to handle its decryption.

To be continued...