Chapter 4 and final: In the light of a new day

 When I woke up, I was in an alley right next to doctor Ferouja Jay’s clinic. It was the middle of the night, and the few lights around me looked like stars in the streets

‘’ I guess I was too negative last chapter’’ I concluded, noticing my survival’’ they don’t make explosions like they used to’’.

I felt like my whole body was aching and my ears were still ringing a bit. I could tell that my Shell took a lot of damage. So, I did a full scan of it: my left ear was missing, I had several burning wounds on my paws and legs, it honestly was a miracle I was still alive and I didn't die from the shock alone. Whoever made that automatic shock turn-off deserved a rise immediately.

I turned down my pain receptors as much as I could to be able to still move: It wasn't going to last long, about 24 hours I estimated, but that was more than enough. While it was a dire situation, it also was time to turn it around.

But first I had to think about that whole affair: Jennifer wasn't with me anymore and I needed to change my current Shell. What I didn't understand was, why GX would want to get Jennifer back so desperately?. They even attacked in broad daylight in the middle of the business district, risking upsetting some really powerful families and corporations. Sure, GX was a big shot on Earth but those guys' scale was literally on a different planet and universe too! Also if Dex was involved, getting information about me and Jennifer was easy as pie, no reason to rush and attack not even a day after she was freed from the ice.

No, to understand all of that I had to go back further. Why would he even need the girl, to begin with? I mean, if it was just some organ’s traffic, Gx could have kidnapped some Purist, or even used blackmail against some middle manager. No, they had me go inside the Einzberg Cryo Sleep Facility, to get this one specific girl. So was it a ransom for a kidnapping? No, if that was the case they could have probably just kept her inside the cryo bed. She had to be taken alive and outside. But at the same time, when she was outside she was to be brought to GX immediately. Maybe because of her illness? But why would they care for that when there is no cure for it?

And then the words from the doctor came back to me.

-She can do the procedure.- she said to me and also- Her brain’s degradation is starting soon- and then it all clicked.

‘’My God, that is insane!'' I thought when I realized what GX's plan was.

They were going to digitize Jennifer's SOUL and then, after removing her from her own body, going to use them as their own! But how?

‘’Right, an artificial brain'' I remembered hearing about them in prison. It was some billionaire's invention to stay the company CEO for another couple of decades. He was still booted out by his appointed successor, but that billionaire still tried.

I was repulsed by the mere thought of doing something like that.

Not only it was the most immoral thing to inhabit another person's actual body, way more than borrowing or hijacking a Shell for some time. A shell is just a substitute and can be changed at any one convenience, a body, a human body is something sacred, only for you! I know, coming from me, going around doing shady and weird stuff all the time sounds a bit hypocritical, but I can assure you it's not in the same order of magnitude. Killing a person is bad, exterminating an entire galaxy is way worse!

I had to stop it, somehow.

Not only that but since Jennifer's body could start having problems at any moment, GX and his group must have some place already ready with the procedure. I had no time to waste in search of another Shell to use.

No, I had to start looking right there, in the alley, and go as soon as I could move.

But how to find them? It's not like it was easy in the first place to find GX and his cronies, and they were escaping the few people they didn't or couldn't corrupt in the Earth government for years. No matter how good I was (and I am) finding the laboratory or facility they were using for this super illegal operation wasn't going to be easy.

But wait, they kidnapped Jennifer and, as I said numerous amount of times, they didn't have a lot of time and probably just brought her over. So, they probably didn't even think of removing the SMG bracelet! While it doesn't have a locator by itself, it emits a signal every time it tries to connect online looking for updates to the software, even when it's not in use. And not a lot of people those bracelets anyway, since it's something like a toy for rich toddlers. Therefore, I just checked the log in the whole Neo Tokyo area and…

- Jackpot- I said it out loud, fully euphoric- I still got it-

It was a remote building, right before the old city government office. And the signal came from right under the surface, barely reaching the closest connection cell.

-No way any toddler is down there- I concluded and after downloading all the information I could about that place and GX and their crew, I was ready to go.

- Wait for me Jennifer-

A short drone flight and a long walk in the sewers later (I'll spare you the details of those) I was about to enter the Nakatomi Shinjuku University faculty. Or I should say what was left of it, since all major academic institutions left the Earth's sphere over a century ago, leaving only some internal camps in each of the major corporations, and those only did a very basic curriculum for what was needed for some specific employee's job.

Having taken any information I could on that place, from the most recent map of it to all the permits and, of course, ownership of the building, I knew GX or someone associated with them bought the structure about ten years ago, right before my arrest. What a weird coincidence! They weren't really good at covering their tracks, so anyone actually taking a look at it could go back to GX. It was a sloppy job, not even a thousand layers of protection and deception. An amateur job. Or maybe that was the point since Gx's name would have sent away most people sniffing around.

Still, the structure was for the most part in a decadent state, but one of the former laboratories received a makeover and was well maintained over the years, even bringing over new machines, including a SOUL machine. The sale of those was highly regulated, so there was no way to not left any trace with it. Gx didn't care. No matter, there was no doubt that was the correct place.

And right outside of it I could see, even in a part deprived of lights, people with guns guarding the entrances. While entering screaming and demanding to see GX was a very appealing plan, my current shell wasn’t in the best shape, as I previously reported, so I had once again to sneak inside.

Lucky for me, not fixing the rest of the place meant the Nakatomi Shinjuku University Facility's windows were all broken, and not guarded. I also used the map of the building to create a perfect infiltration route. Unfortunately for me, I was still expected, because all the guards were wearing anti-breaking equipment and I wasn't going to be able to enter any of them against their will. But that was in my expectations. I had a plan this time, one only I could execute.

So I entered one of the broken windows and tried to use my small frame and color to my full advantage. Also, once again, those eyes able to see in the dark turned out to be pretty useful.

Save for one guard, nobody was inside, and he simply walked the first floor with some irregular pattern. Most of his colleagues I guess were waiting for me outside.

But he was a bit too close to the stairs leading up and seemed like he had no intention to move.

- I bet the boss it’s going to take their bloody time- He said, while probably playing some games inside his Shell’s internal screen- A whole night wasted...-

I decided to not wait since I didn’t know how much time I even I had left.

I strategically positioned a book in a precarious situation, about to fall from a chair, in the room right next to the stairs. Then, while waiting close to the door, I waited for it to fall.

And when it did...

- What was that?- and the guard came right inside to investigate, not noticing me sneaking past him and up the stairs- Some old rubbish, damn-

I think I heard him say. But I'm not so sure since one of my ears was about to break down.

Finally, I was so close to Jennifer and the SOUL machine, I started to smell the taste of iron in the air. I don't know why I even knew that, but there was something about it that reminded me of my childhood, probably when I had that very same procedure. I know that sounds silly since it happened most likely a few years after I was born, but still, that's what I felt.

Unfortunately, this floor was fully illuminated, so no chance to use the darkness to my advantage, but at least I could only see the two personal guards I saw with GX when they captured me not even three days ago. I watched them behind a corner, trying my hardest to not make any sound and not be spotted.

They were soon approached by GX themselves, exiting the room I identified in my planning stage as the most probable candidate for the SOUL machine.

- Everything is ready, the procedure is underway right now- They said to the guards- Soon it will be over, and ‘’their’’ dream is going to be completed.-

‘’What? Who is ''they'' in this?'' but that was just a passing thought since it meant I had to find a way inside the laboratory as soon as possible and take control of the operation before it was completed. Since GX was right in front of me, I wasn't late yet.

Well, it was time to use my main distraction.

Just as before, I wasn't able to control personally any of GX's goons, but once again they didn't do anything to prevent me from breaking inside their guns. And those were all the common local networks. And this time, I wasn't going to play nice: so I detonated all of them but those on this very floor.

And BOOM, a very loud BOOM.

- What the fuck was that?- GX screamed- IS HE HERE?-

- We don’t know, we aren’t able to contact any of the others!- one of them reported right away.

While I'm pretty sure that explosion knocked out at least a couple of them, there was no way of being sure that was going to be enough for all of them. And some of them were unarmed too.

It was much easier to jamming communication. I couldn't enter their network, but if a Shell receives a huge number of signals at the same time, they don't know to which give priority. And so it appears like the network is down.

Not even I could do something like that for a long time and all those people, but three were well within my power.

- IT MUST BE HIM- Gx screamed, more like a roar than a human voice, to their goons- GO CAPTURE ACE, I’LL COME SOON AFTER-

They run downstairs, using another set of it, closer to where the explosion was coming from. I honestly got pretty lucky there, otherwise, I had no way to hide.

So instead rushed toward GX as soon they turned back to enter the laboratory.

Not before cursing my name in more than ten ways, most of them even I can’t report here.

The automatic door closed right behind me, revealing what was nothing more than a student lab: a long set of tables, one after the other with a teacher's desk on the top. Most of the tables previously had machinery and test tubes, but what was left of it was only stuff already broken. They didn't even have chairs left in it, so Jennifer was laid on of those students' tables, one of the few still intact. The SOUL machine was in another part of the room, just turned off, but still connected to a physical terminal. While zooming I could see some small signs of the operation around her forehead.

Crap.

Was I too late?

- Boss, is everything ready to use the girl's body? - GX asked, while I was still thinking of a new plan-

Wait, who did he speak to?

Another person was in the room, one I didn’t notice when I entered, too focused on Jennifer and making sure GX didn’t notice me. This person was sitting close to the SOUL machine, pretty close to the terminal and Jennifer.

- Vyc, how many times do I have to tell you to not speak to me like that? Even when we are alone? Do you need another ''lesson''- they threatened GX. No, wait, if it was the other way around and they fooled everyone! The one I thought was GX was actually Vyc, GX was someone else. And only then I finally take a good look at what shell they were using.

Black long hair in a ponytail, white eyes, and 1,72 cm of perfect speed and balance. GX WAS USING MY DAMN SHELL AND THEY DRESSED IT IN A ONE-PIECE.

I was pissed behind every possible limit. Not only did he try to kill me, but they were also using my most prized possession, and not very effectively if they even wanted to switch it to a little girl. Wait, did that mean that Jennifer was going to use my shell?

- Sorry, ''Vyc'', but he is here and I already sent all the guards to get him! So, please, finish this thing and enter the little girl's body as soon as you can- said the actual Vyc, in a very submissive tone.

- Don’t worry, I’m about to download the little girl SOUL in the terminal- Gx explained- I just have to switch the body. After I do that, take this Shell with you, we can still use it. I know you just love that thing you are in, but you should give this at least a try. The optimization is just perfect.-

- No, thanks. It's just too creepy for me- I wasn't sure if I should have taken those compliments and criticisms seriously.

- Ok, I’m going to start. We will leave the girl in the computer- Gx announced, but soon after he had a more perplexed expression on their amazing face- I don’t understand, I can’t go inside the girl’s body. What is going on?-

Of course, I was going on. I blocked Gx’s outside access and prevented him from switching Jennifer out.

And Gx rushed to Jennifer's body to check if everything was in order. His expression was priceless and that was the very reason I waited to take my shell back for a minute. That panic.

After that, I switched in instead.

- Argggggggg- Gx screamed at the top of their lungs as soon as he was inside the black cat shell.

- Oh, sorry, I forgot to disable the pain receptors… how silly of me- I proclaimed, using my actual voice inside my custom shell- I'm back, baby- and smiled at Vyc

Vyc had to think for a couple of seconds about what was going on but was back at roaring about me soon after.

- YOU, HOW THE HELL DID YOU..- but I stopped her question right away

- You guys are idiots. Did you really think I wasn't going to have a back door and a secret connection in my OWN DAMN SHELL? Are you for real?- honestly, my expectations and respect for GX and his crew really took a hard hit from this whole situation. One thing is being an evil mastermind, another is falling for the lamest trick in the breaker book.

- G…. E… T him- somehow GX, inside the damaged cat shell was able to keep his sanity, even with the heavy toll of pain he was experiencing- KILL HIM-

- With Pleasure, boss. I will tear him apart and be done with him forever- I guess now that the proverbial cat was out of the bag, there was no reason to keep up with the appearances. Or Vyc just forgot in the heat of the moment.

Still, even with my amazing and adorable custom shell, the situation was quite dire: Vyc, like all other guards, was using a blockaded system inside their brains, so I had no way of hijacking that shell directly. They also had no weapon, and they were ready to use their bare hands to destroy me Quite a problem, as my shell wasn’t designed for one versus one fights like that, while Vyc sure was.

But I still had some tricks up my metaphorical sleeve. Especially in the speed department.

First, I had to go as far as I could from Jennifer's body. It would have meant absolutely nothing if I ended up destroying or even wounding her after all she went through it. I quick-stepped away from there, trying to make a fake escape toward the door.

- Oh no, you won't!- Vyc screamed, anticipating my route and going for a punch right to my face

I ducked easily, and the punch that missed me moved a couple of tables just from the air pressure it caused behind me. A single good punch was going to be more than enough to kill me on the spot. Or at best making one of my limbs fly away. They probably had the same force as a small bomb.

- Close, but not enough – I commented while passing over them and touching for less than a second their left leg.

When Vyc tried to turn, it stopped for a second. My plan was working.

- You motherfucker! What did you do? - Not like they were getting any more relaxed and I wasn't going to explain that I prepared every one of my fingers with special waves emissions that transmitted directly inside a shell, using them instead of a wireless connection when it was more convenient for me. No, I wasn't going to explain my trump card to my enemy. But man, I really wanted!. Still, I needed to land a lot more hits before taking control of that shell. 1% gone, 99% still to go.

- I don’t know what you are talking about, I just slapped you a bit. Maybe you should make more regular maintenance, fake GX- it was too obvious that I was lying and that kept increasing Vyc’s rage against me.

- He is trying to control you, his fingers are the key- the real GX was able to speak a full sentence, but was still unable to move from the pain. Damn, I should have disabled the speaker too. Now it was too late- Don’t let him touch you, Vyc!-

- Yes, boss- Vyc nodded and proceed to attack me while also speaking, probably trying to distract me in the process- Having something like that ready, you really are a problem that has to be removed! I can’t believe the Earth government was right!-

But I was still too fast and avoided a high kick by going under it and trying to lift Vyc from there. It was impossible and I had to move away before a low kick with the other leg connected with my torso, but I sneaked another 5% of control, reducing the lower body strength by at least 10%.

- The Earth government wanted me out? So it wasn't just a plot to get Jennifer's body out of cryo?- I didn't know if should have been pissed or impressed I managed to piss off the government of the whole planet. Honestly, I was a bit happy about it…

- That was only the cherry on the pie for us.- and then proceed to embarrass me with a long list of my achievements- You don't even realize how much you are dangerous and risky for the whole world. You can enter any data chain, Shell, and archive. There is no corporation that you haven't defiled, a system you didn't manage to violate. Everyone is afraid of you, and the worst thing is, you don't even understand that and keep going without a care in the world.!-

- Please stop praising me. This unit is not equipped with enough skin tone to blush - I laughed. I had no idea I was so despised. Only because I wanted to have some fun!- Is this why you betrayed me? Was that the reason?-

- Well, while everyone wanted to kill you- Vyc said while also charging me with that intent- They also feared if they missed the mark you would retaliate against them. So those cowards came to us, just to have you imprisoned. They correctly guessed you were just going to escape eventually but hoped to have a solution ready when it happened. Those fucking, idiots. Killing you directly as soon as you were imprisoned was the best thing they could have done. But since they didn’t want that...-

An opportunity arose, Vyc was probably going to say, but instead went for two fast punches toward me. First came a right uppercut, then a low left fast jab, trying to take off guard. I moved toward the right one, just to rotate my body enough and when the jab tried to connect with me, I just arrived at Vyc’s back and planted both my hands in there for a good second before they tried to reach me with a right elbow, but I easily evaded at that point.

25 % done, 75% to go. No major injury so far. Everything was going smoothly. I was thinking of the correct time to wake up Jennifer, but then Gx spoke again.

- Stop talking, Vyc.- Gx also gave more precise instructions, getting more used at speaking the more the time passed- You don't need to hit him at full strength, just scratching him is going to be enough, that body compared to yours is not made for battle. Maximize your senses and precision, and favor speed rather than power. If he manages to control 51% of your body, it's over!-

Oh, Gx was also right in that, I didn't need 100% control, only 51% to order a system shutdown. He was also correct in saying that only a minor hit from a war-tested shell like the one Vyc was using, was going to leave me with major injuries. It was going to be a very different fight.

- Yes, boss- and Vyc's attitude completely changed, and from then they went silent from there onward, fully focused on only destroying me. The boss changed form and part two of the fight resumed. Now all the tables were removed inside the room but the one Jennifer was on since it was the one farther from us and the closest to the SOUL machine. Even in their rage, Vyc didn't want to risk destroying it.

Vyc approached me slowly this time. At that moment my strategy was already out of the bag and I had no more tricks to use other than my skills. And I didn't have a lot of them. Even if I tried to download some quick response to make my Shell move without thinking, the speed and weight of my opponent were going to matter way more of it and there was a huge probability of being destroyed in the process.

I had to take some risks if I wanted to end it all.

So, I didn’t escape the confrontation and allowed Vyc to close the gap with me. A prolonged fight was out of the question as my progressive control on them was going to expire if I took too much time.

One touch for me, one punch or kick was all that was needed to end the fight, in one direction or the other.

This time, I attacked first trying to reach for Vyc with my left hand, but then they slightly moved their body back, just to counter with a fast low kick. This time I was too slow to dodge it completely and a part of my right calf was torn apart, along with making a hole in the ground.

I immediately removed most of the senses from it, but I couldn't eliminate all of it without losing full control of it.

I gritted my teeth and desperately tried to grab that leg with both my hands, but Vyc was once again faster and more precise than me, and not only managed to retreat it, but went for my face with a direct punch to my face. If that connected, I was 100% dead.

I launched my whole body back, toward the ground, using gravity to escape but that wasn't fast enough. Vyc's fist was still going to reach me, so I dislocated my left arm and used all my strength in it to make it so it would intercept the punch. Soon after I was on the ground, alive but I had only one arm left.

I lost. There was nothing I could do any more with an injured leg and while missing a whole arm.

- Any last words? No wait, I don’t care for what you have to say- Vyc taunted me- I guess everyone just overestimated you. All of this was for nothing.-

There was no more rage in those words, just a killer resolve to end my life right there.

I tried to search for a way out, even to switch again with Gx, but this time they closed that body connection. There weren't any free Shells in the area, nor I had other around the world to upload myself into.

I was going to die. Nothing more, nothing less.

I honestly never seriously thought of dying, always too busy plotting, breaking, and having fun, even when I was in prison and falling before. I didn't believe in anything, nor in anyone else but myself, and the skills I developed. All I saw right there for me was darkness, the never-ending dark matter of the universe. I was afraid, I was resigned but at the same time, I also felt peace was coming. And I didn't want any of it.

But then, when Vyc was about to go for the finishing blow on me, descending upon me, something happened. Well, two actually.

- Where am I ?- Jennifer woke up confused – What is going on? My head hurts...-

She probably started feeling the after-effects of the procedure.

Then she screamed

- ARGH- she was so much in pain, GX probably didn't even think of giving her the correct dosage of pain relievers, since they were going inside it to null those directly from the new brain they implanted.

So, the second thing happened, a major earthquake suddenly struck the facility. Strong enough to distract Vyc

- What the fuck is going on – they said while watching what was going on to Jennifer- Oh no-

But Vyc realized too late : that distraction was going to be fatal for them. I used that one in a billion chance and grabbed with my remaining hand Vyc’s face.

- 51%- I smiled and disabled that shell that almost killed me.

Meanwhile, Jennifer was still screaming and the earth still rumbling. It was obvious at that point that she was the cause of the earthquake. Unknown to me, my traveling companion was in fact an Esper.

I got up, letting Vyc’s shell fall on the ground. I had to stop Jennifer somehow.

- Esp? As expected they are quite remarkable- but I wasn’t the one saying it, it was GX.

- You knew about this?- I asked an easy question, but at this point, I was too much spent on complex ideas.

- Of course, why do you think I wanted this body in particular? I could have had any I wanted if I just needed something made out of bones and meat- Gx was more logical than I expected. Still what he wanted to do was the worst thing anyone could do.

- That's behind wicked. I don't care why you want Jennifer's body for yourself. Nature gave it to her, you have no right to rob her of it!- I insisted while closing up the gap with Jennifer, with my injuries slowing me down immensely. Also, a mysterious pressure was starting to make it even more difficult.

- I never expected you, of all people in the world, to be such a moralist- Gx retorted against me- I don't see any difference in what we do. Sure, nature gave it to her, but it is this world's very rule for the strong to take what they can. If anything, that is the natural way-

- And so, it was right for those who stole your original body too? Or did you sell it for a contract like anyone else?- I couldn't accept that logic, never. - Maybe you are right, and I’m just hypocrite for even thinking otherwise. But if anything I won’t let it happen to her, she deserve to live her full life using her body, if she wants it. And nobody is going to go against that wish. I swear in on my name, the name of ACE-

GX then just shut up, almost surely finally knocked out by the pain of my previous injuries, so I was now fully focused on trying to calm Jennifer down.

But every step was heavier than the previous, and it was like I could feel the very pressure of gravity bringing me down to the floor. But I resisted. She now had a partially digital brain, but if there was any connection for me to use, it was closed. If I had to use my skill, it was going to be to connect directly to her brain.

- Jennifer, please- I tried repeatedly and in other forms to contact her, but my words couldn’t reach her, the pain or shock she was feeling was too much.- You have to fight it, control it. Please!-

Nothing was changing and not only that, it was like a tornado was starting to affect the building around us: the ceiling collapsed and instead of falling started twisting around like a hurricane, with debris going around faster and faster. It was a hurricane.

And I was right in the eye of it.

But I persisted, step by step limping one closer to Jennifer. This whole mess happened because of me, my egoism for not questioning GX to get my Shell back and it was going to be my responsibility to fix it.

Some debris pierced me. Again. Again. And Again.

But I kept walking, turning down my pain receptors completely, risking to never walking again on my own without an automatic program, slowing down my other perception so much that every moment was also extended. My shell was dead at that point, but that was a cheap exchange to save a life!

And so, after some infinite minutes that felt like hours inside my head, I finally reached Jennifer and once again tried to talk her out of it.

- YOU HAVE TO CONTROL IT- I screamed at her, one last attempt to resolve the situation without risking something I never tried: direct control of someone's body. But no response came, only the pressure went up.

I had no other choice: I had to try something or both of us were going to die there.

And so I did it, I touched her head with my remaining hand with the only hope that protocols designed to work for Shells were going to work on Jennifer too.

It was a jump in the void, a faint hope to lend in familiar territory. And I struck gold.

My consciousness was transported inside a black void, and I wasn’t alone, Jennifer was there too. Scared and crying on the floor

- Hello there- I said with the kindest tone I could muster-

- Who are you?- she asked but before I could answer she realized on her own- Mister cat?-

- Do I look like a cat even now?- I joked for a second, but I could feel outside the time was running out Jennifer- you have to calm down or your power is going to kill us all-

- But I don’t know how!- she protested

- First, look at me-

- You look like a weirdo- she smiled a bit- What now?

I could feel outside that the hurricane was slowing down, even just a little.

- You have to relax, take a deep breath and try to control your power- I suggested

She did it but wasn’t able to suppress it, so Jennifer started to lose hope- I can’t, nothing makes sense! What can I even do? What is this power? I don’t want it- and the situation was even getting worse outside.

- There is no time to explain, just know that is a part of you now, you have to accept it, or you are going to be consumed by it- but those words were not able to calm her down even one bit. So I had to try one last trick. Lie to her with all my skills- Look, I can try to do something about it, put some kind of lock to them, but you have to trust me-

She was a bit hesitant, after all from her perspective too I was nothing more than a villain. I kidnapped her and probably was responsible for the pain she was suffering. But, for some reason I'll never understand, in the end, she accepted.

- Make it quick- she ordered me, finally standing up

- As you order, my lady- I said, having almost no idea what I was about to do, but trying to improvise to the best of my abilities- Think of three big locks, conjure them as big as you can make them.-

I was inventing something on the spot, but I didn’t have any other plan. It was this or nothing.

She nodded and suddenly we weren’t alone anymore, and those three skyscraper size locks appeared in the sky. It was working, so I kept going. - Now, you are going to divide your power in those, placing a part of it in each of them. You are doing that by having keys.-

And keys appeared as big as the locks.

- Now turn them and close your powers, - and she did it.

Outside I could hear the hurricane finally starting to stop, the pressure around her body disappearing.

I went back outside, I grabbed her and started running out of the building as fast as I could, before any of the big debris could smash us like flies.

Meanwhile, Jennifer was fully focused on the task I gave her. And it was time to end it.

- The last thing, make the keys big enough to fit your pocket. - and so the keys became small enough to be carried and appeared out of thin air in her real hands- Amazing, you did it, Jennifer-

- Jen, call me Jen, please. My mother called me that- She said, finally smiling.- What now?

But there was no ‘’now’’ for me.

I managed to transport Jen's body outside, while everything else was crushed, Gx's goons run away because, obviously, they didn't sign up for a hurricane, but my Shell was on the brink of collapsing. So I slowly placed her down on a light pole, while closing my connection to her in her mind.

- Now, you live- Were my last words to her.

When she finally woke up, I lost consciousness in that Shell one last time to the sound of her cries.

It was done. I really did it. What a way to go out with a bang.

I had no regrets…

So, it was awkward when I woke up not far from Jennifer mourning my death in the old cat shell. I always leave some kind of backdoor in every shell I use, but usually, I can't go back into them if someone else is already there. I honestly expected to die!

But I guess GX was faster than me to either die or escape.

I slowly walked back to her.

- Ehm, sorry to interrupt you, but I was saying ‘’now, you live a good life’’, but I had no time to finish- I said, trying to put a small joke in the end- I guess I still had 7 or 8 lives to spare,-

- MISTER CAT- she hugged me, the first person to do so in the last century

- How many time times do I have to tell you, Jen? I AM NOT A CAT, CALL ME ACE- I was smiling, I’m almost sure of it.- I guess you'll have to carry me for a bit until I have this Shell fixed, I used all my strength to come back here -

- Sure, Ace- Jen finally said it, the tears finally stopped and she put me on her shoulder- Where are we going?-

- How does ''space'' sound for a destination?-