Desperate, Aiden tried to reopen the door, but he couldn't remember where he had sent Podbe, as the portal was dark on the other side. Each time he opened one, he found himself back in the cave with the stones and Urion's lair.
"Come on, Podbe, hang in there. Where are you, buddy? I'll find you!" Aiden said, frantically opening and closing the portal, exhausting his power and sweating from the effort.
"Calm down, Aiden, stop it. You're putting yourself at risk. Look at your nose," Reia said.
Immediately, the boy touched his nose with one of his hands and saw blood.
"I hadn't noticed that. I only have one thing on my mind: bringing Podbe back. He can't just be gone, just like that," Aiden said.
"I'm sorry, but he sacrificed himself for us," Reia responded.
"Wait a moment, Reia. If you're still here, that means he's alive," Aiden thought as he stood up.
"It might be a possibility, but it doesn't guarantee anything," she replied.
"What are we going to do? Where are you, Podbe?" Aiden said, distressed.
His team began to approach him after watching the entire fight.
"Is it safe?" Dani and Gin asked.
"Yes, I no longer feel the abominable presence of that Urion," Ezequiel said, using his ability to observe.
"Good, let's go to where Aiden is," Adia indicated as Maria and Billy helped her stand.
They all went together to Aiden's position. The battlefield, or what remained of it, was pure ruins of what was once the Radar headquarters building, with craters everywhere from the clashes. Almost everything looked like a desert.
"Aiden," Adía said, "it's good to see you're okay, little one," she said, holding onto her cane as María and Billy approached him to hug him. "It's amazing that you can open portals! We didn't know you had powers," they added, but the boy's face showed only sadness.
"Why are you crying? You should be happy about defeating that guy," they both told him.
"I can't be happy. I've just lost Podbe, and I think this time it's for real. He went through one of those portals, and I won't see him again. After Urion exploded, he probably took him along in the blast," Aiden expressed, as tears kept flowing from his eyes.
Reia was also anxious and worried, but she didn't show it, trying to be strong after losing Podbe. Winning and getting out into the world, but at what cost?, she thought, as she looked at where Aiden had created the portal for the last time.
The two orphans continued to hug Aiden, trying to console him.
"Don't worry, he'll be back," Reia managed to say.
The two boys asked:
"Who are you?"
"Well, I'm Reia, nice to meet you," she responded.
She couldn't tell them she was artificial intelligence from a system, she thought to herself.
"So, Reia? What a beautiful name, just like the person I see with my eyes. My name is Gat," the boy said.
Reia ignored him because she was still looking at the children. Gat just turned around, embarrassed.
"Turned out to be quite a charmer, this kid," Ezequiel said to Marie, causing a small smile to appear on her face.
Eduard also approached Aiden.
"Kid, it's amazing you achieved something impossible. I think we can call you one of us, a Metalux."
Aiden turned and asked, "A Metalux? What's that?"
"A Metalux is a being with powers as a result of the experiments of Doctor Laos Senior. I see Laos Junior did it too, though I've never seen one with your ability. Do you remember one, Adia?" Eduard asked Adia.
"No, right now, I can't remember many things; everything's spinning," she replied.
"I do remember one," Ezequiel said. "Just when we were working with B Twelve on a case, but I don't recall much of that woman's face."
"A woman?" Aiden asked from his position.
"Yes, a woman. She always wore a mask and helped us in many battles, but then she mysteriously disappeared," Ezequiel said.
Aiden started to think. It didn't take a genius to figure it out.
"Could it be that she's my mother and that's why Podbe's system brought us here? I don't think it was a coincidence," the boy wondered. "Sir, do you know how to contact her or find her?" Aiden asked while wiping his tears and turning his gaze to Ezequiel, with Maria and Billy by his side.
"Unfortunately, as I told you, we never saw her again," Ezequiel responded. "There's someone who might know, Agent B Twelve, but he's not in a position to speak to you."
"Why?" Aiden asked. "If it's something important, he can answer some questions I have."
"I'm sorry, kid, but he's in a coma," the agent responded.
"But we do have some questions for you," Marie approached Aiden. "Why did your dog have B Twelve's voice?" Marie asked.
"Do you mean Chad?" Aiden gave the description of the person. "Is he an agent? Is that who you're referring to?" the boy asked, surprised.
"Chad... no, that's not his name. And well, I can't tell you his name because it's confidential," she responded firmly. "But how do you know the agent's description? Where have you seen him?"
"When we were inside Podbe in his wolf form, we came across that person who didn't know his name, so I called him Chad," the boy said.
"Ezequiel, could it be that the agent's mind is inside the dog and that's why he doesn't wake up?" Marie asked, looking at Ezequiel.
"It wouldn't be strange, but anything can happen in this world," he responded.
Both remained in thought.
Aiden looked at Eduard again and noticed he was missing an arm.
"What happened to you?" Aiden asked.
"Ah, kid, a lot of things happened! We came to rescue you and your friends joined us along the way. Well, they escaped from the orphanage to look for you, and we formed a team to rescue you. I lost it in a fight underground," Eduard explained.
"Oh, I'm sorry!" Aiden said.
"You don't have to be," Eduard responded.
"So, you escaped from the orphanage?" Aiden indicated.
"Well, following your footsteps," Billy said, "and María dragged me along because she was worried about you."
Both enthusiastically told him how they had gotten into Lidia and Rino's truck, who were the two over there. Both cadets greeted him.
"Then we arrived where Eduard was, who supported us in coming to find you, and well, the rest is history. The good thing is we're with you again," María said.
"And who are the others?" Aiden asked.
Elena wanted to apologize and go to Aiden, but she couldn't move. She was afraid, so she stayed behind everyone.
"Well, let me introduce you: those two were scientists from the Radar company, the one that had you captive, but now they are our friends. The taller one is Gin and the shorter one is Dani. The one your friend rejected is Gat," María said.
Gat listened and lowered his head, embarrassed, saying a timid "hello."
"The gentleman I was talking to is named Ezequiel, or at least that's what we heard," María whispered in Aiden's ear. "And the lady who was asking you questions is Marie, but she's very serious. Maybe she'll get a couple of wrinkles because of that."
Marie, from her position, wanted to give María a playful slap, but Ezequiel stopped her, saying:
"Calm down, she's just a child. Besides, you might wrinkle as she says," he laughed a little.
She gave him a playful smack on the head, leaving a bump like in anime.
"And lastly, she is Elena. Her father died trying to help us get into the company."
Elena, in the back, wanted to approach him, but the words wouldn't come out of her mouth.
"Yes, I know who she is," Aiden indicated.
"Reia, right?" Eduard said.
"Yes, that's right," Reia responded.
"And how do you know Aiden? We haven't seen you. Did you also come to save him?" Eduard asked.
"Actually, I've known him since we first met Podbe. I'm the artificial intelligence that was inside the dog," Reia responded.
Everyone else, except Aiden, was left speechless by what Reia had just said.
"Reia, weren't you not going to tell them anything?" Aiden reproached.
"So, an AI inside a system. Is that what was requested to bring B Twelve?" Marie interrupted with her question.
"Yes, that's right. I come from a system called JORGS, created on another existential plane, and I was stolen by someone and brought to this planet. I imagine it was to find a way to activate me and harness the system's power for evil purposes. But thanks to your friend, they couldn't complete their mission, even though the system ended up in the hands, or should I say paws, of an unusual hero," Reia explained.
"Did you say from another existential plane?" Aiden touched his chin, thinking. "It's true, I never asked where you came from."
"Ah, I see!" Marie said. "And what do those initials stand for?" Ezequiel asked.
"The initials stand for Justice, Order, Gratitude, and Service, to bring hope and support to those in need."
"Wow! That sounds interesting," Ezequiel said. "So, there's an organization that looks out for the well-being of others, although we haven't seen it around here," he added.
"Well, I don't have much information at the moment, but we've traveled through the confines of the universe and beyond, giving this gift to those in need. I believe we've come to your planet a couple of times," Reia indicated.
"But if you're an AI, what are you doing here? And are you made of flesh and bone?" Maria, who was very curious, touched Reia's hand.
"Well, I owe that to Aiden. It seems he was able to materialize me in his world, but I don't know how long I'll be present."
"That's crazy!" Billy said excitedly. "Buddy, you have another ability: you materialize mental objects in our world. Or at least, that's what I think."
"Well, I don't know. It just happened, and I like it. I'll call it 'materialize,'" Aiden laughed.
"You have a good imagination," Reia said sarcastically, and the others laughed.
They had forgotten about Podbe when Aiden saw something in the sky: a large ship the size of a dirigible, black in color, with two wings on each side and turbines in the center, descending to where Zeus and his group were. Everyone looked and wondered who they were.
Suddenly, five individuals in dark clothing descended from the ship and said:
"Mr. Zeus, we've come for you."
"Good, although it took you a bit long," Zeus said, frowning.
"We're sorry, sir," the five said. "Go with the wounded and get them on board. That's an order."
"Right away," they said. "Yes, sir."
They brought floating stretchers on which they began placing the most wounded. These machines had the option to keep the individual safe, administering the correct medication—one of Lady's many creations.
Zeus gathered his leaders and told them that everything was over. The great evil, Urion, had been eliminated. "We're leaving," he said, and they all nodded and followed him.
Laos and Swang wondered if everything was over.
"It seems so," Swang said to Laos.
"What a shame, I wanted to study that dog. But oh well, it died along with the guardian," Laos responded.
The individuals loaded all the survivors while Zeus and his leaders approached the ship. Aragon arrived at the scene and informed Zeus that he had found nothing.
"I'm sorry," he said.
"No problem, help has arrived. Rather, sense Sir Larot," Zeus ordered.
Aragon began to use his aura to search for Larot.
"Yes, I found him. He is still alive."
"Good, I want you to bring him to me. He can still be of use to us. Go," Zeus commanded, and Aragon went in search of Larot.
Everyone was boarding the ship, except for the press and the professor, who decided not to go with the detestable Zeus.
"Aren't we going with them?" Ian asked.
"No," Melisa said firmly. "We will not go with a murderer, a child abductor, and a genocidal maniac. That last part is what I believe," she specified.
"Alright," the professor indicated, and his assistant nodded, as did Creg.
"Well then...," the young Ian responded sarcastically, "we'll wait for the next one."
Everyone was boarding the ship, including Zeus and the two doctors with him.
Aragon ran at full speed and arrived at the point where he saw Larot. There were many rocks that had buried him. He drew his small sword from his waist and threw it at the rocks. They began to break apart and disintegrate; he had infused a bit of his aura into the sword.
He saw Larot unconscious, with his helmet broken. He placed a cloth over Larot's face, covering him from the nose down; only his eyes were visible. He carried him and took him at full speed, using aura in his legs. He reached the ship before the hatch closed and said to one of the guards:
"Is there a private room?"
"Yes, this way, sir," the guard indicated.
Aragon followed him and, when they were near the room, told the guard to leave. In the room, there was a table where he placed Larot and activated a button that caused a kind of box to envelop him. A computer displayed, "Vital signs low, commencing treatment."
"Hang in there, my friend," Aragón said, as he closed the door.
The ship took off, and Laos approached Zeus.
"Sir, I need the boy. And there are also some other children who could be part of the experiment."
"Alright," Zeus said. He called one of the individuals on the ship and asked, "Do you have robots on board?"
"Yes, sir," the worker responded.
"Excellent, bring them," Zeus commanded.
Immediately, the individual brought a cart with four types of flasks and a remote control. Zeus gave the control to Laos, who placed it on his wrist and activated the flasks with voice commands. They took the form of human-sized robots, with retractable claws instead of hands.
The robots activated and asked:
"How can we assist you, sir?"
"Do you see those four children? Bring them to me alive, understand?"
"Understood, sir. Order received," the robots responded and began to take off to carry out the mission.