A Most Unlikely Hero Volume 1 (Sample)

Chapter 1: The Girl From Outer Space - Part 2

Alex stared dejectedly at the inside of his locker, which contained his weapons, munitions, civilian clothing, several of his inventions, and a picture of his family. This was the last time he would ever see this locker. He felt empty inside.

It didn't take long to change back into his civvies. After getting dressed, he gathered up his uniform, weapons, and munitions. He needed to return them to the administration bureau, though he was keeping the inventions. Those were his to begin with.

It's not like anyone else is going to use them.

The last thing that he grabbed was the picture. Looking at it, he felt as if the pieces of his broken heart were slowly being ground into dust. There were five people in the picture; himself, his mom, his younger sister Alice, his grandmother, and his father. His grandfather was conspicuously absent and good riddance. They looked so happy, especially him and his sister.

Perhaps it's a good thing Mom and Dad aren't around to see how I've turned out.

With a hiss of hydraulics, the locker room door slid open, and he walked out. There were only a few people in the hallway. A pair of girls dressed in the standard uniform of a police cadet whispered as they walked past him.

"Isn't that Alexander? I heard he just got expelled from the academy."

"Good riddance, I say. That boy was a nuisance."

"They shouldn't have let someone so young join the academy anyway."

News sure does travel fast, Alex thought as he began his march of shame.

While one side of the hallway was nothing but a thick durasteel wall with several doors, the other side was composed entirely of glass, revealing the splendor of Mars City.

Mars City was a massive community of towering skyscrapers that sprawled out for miles. With 1.2 million people living there, it was the largest city on Mars. Like every city that was situated on this inhospitable planet, it was protected by a giant, transparent dome, a bubble which protected them from Mars' harmful atmosphere.

Alex stared at his reflection. Blue eyes. Black hair that looked like he'd been flying a speeder shuttle with the top down. Tan skin. Were it not for the single lock of silver hair that ran down his forehead, he would have been utterly unremarkable.

As he continued to walk down the hallway, his feet pounding abnormally loudly in his ears, a voice shouted out from behind him. "Alex-senpai!"

Turning around, Alex faced the source of the voice, a young man who was three years older than himself. Shoulder-length black hair, dark eyes, and even darker skin. He wore the black and white unitard of a police cadet, along with the shoulder pads, chest plate, and shin guards that all cadets wore when out in the field.

"Darrick," he greeted as the other man stopped in front of him.

"Is it true?" Darrick asked, getting straight to the point. "I heard that you've been expelled from the police academy. Is it true?"

"It's true," Alex admitted quietly.

Alex had known Darrick for two years now, having met the older man a little after his first year at the academy. They'd met during a bank robbery, of all things. Alex had been depositing a royalty payment for one of his inventions, when several people in masks had tried to rob the bank. Darrick had been there as well. Thus, he'd witnessed Alex's fighting prowess, wherein Alex had single-handedly beaten down every robber using one of his inventions.

Consequently, that invention had turned out to be a failure—it had taken out two-thirds of the bank, along with knocking out the robbers, patrons, and bank employees.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Darrick said, sounding genuinely disheartened.

Alex sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair. "Yeah... me too." A moment of silence ensued. Alex shook his head. "Anyway, I need to return these. I'll see you later."

"Right. See you, Alex-senpai."

"Please don't call me that ever again."

They parted ways, with Darrick heading to the elevator while Alex entered the administration bureau. It wasn't much to look at. The interior was large and contained a series of seats that lined up along the east and west walls and a long counter that sat in front of the back room, which he knew was where all the police equipment was stored.

The administration bureau was where police officers and cadets went to either turn in assignments and after action reports, receive their patrol routes/jobs, or requisition munitions. It was usually manned by several workers, though only one person was there now.

A girl with long, flaxen hair that shimmered in the light sat behind the counter. She wore the same unitard as a cadet, which conformed to her feminine figure like a second layer of skin, though hers was slightly different from the standard attire. The colors weren't black and white, but blue with purple edgings.

"Alexander S. Ryker," Kazekiri said in her usual stern tone. "I see they've finally decided to kick you out of the academy. I can't say I'm surprised. I'm personally shocked they didn't do it sooner."

Kazekiri was the only person at this academy who was the same age as him. They were both sixteen. Unlike Alex, who'd graduated from primary two years early, Kazekiri still attended school. She worked in the administration bureau part-time. Doing so apparently meant that she would be let into the cadet academy with high honors after graduating.

"Hello, Kirikiri," Alex greeted with a sullen expression. "It seems like everyone knows about what happened to me, huh?"

"It's Kazekiri," she corrected, glaring at him as if he'd personally insulted her. "Don't speak to me so casually."

"Yeah... sorry, Kirikiri."

"Tch! Look, just hand over your identification badge, gun, and uniform so I can get this over with."

"Right. Here you go."

Kazekiri took his effects, checking them into her database by typing on the holographic keyboard that hovered above the desk. "There. Everything has been checked back in. You're free to leave. I'd wish you luck, but someone who doesn't know how to follow the rules doesn't deserve to be lucky."

"All right. Thanks, Kirikiri."

"It's Kazekiri, dang it! Ka-ze-ki-ri! Get it right!"