The woman at the door was an ice-cold figure of purpose. It was Yelena, in a casual but still military-looking attire. She strode confidently into the bar, her gaze fixed straight ahead, ignoring the appreciative looks of the males she passed.

She walked straight to the bar front, pulled up a stool, and sat down next to Jimmy. Her eyes, as cold as ice, stared at the bartender.

"Come to think of it, this is the first time in years we've had customers like you fellas," the bartender said, moving to serve Yelena. "So, what can I get for you, my lady?"

Yelena offered no response, her icy stare never breaking.

"Damn, I must have dropped it somewhere," Eric muttered, patting his pockets and searching all over his body.

"What are you looking for?" Jimmy asked, watching Eric's frantic search.

"Dammit, I left my VoidBox at Atlas," Eric said, a look of regret washing over his face.

"You mean... the fist-sized device you created to access your own pocket universe?" Jimmy asked, his eyes wide with recognition.

"Mchew," Eric hissed, annoyed to be reminded of Jimmy's weird admiration. "Yes, that one."

Yelena sat in silence, her unblinking eyes watching their argument. A few minutes passed, and an unknown hand from behind tapped her on the shoulder. She slowly turned, her icy stare landing on a group of strange, alien-like individuals. The one in front wore a black jacket and a gold chain.

"Listen, gal, not every day we get to see a dazzling, beautiful princess such as yourself," the alien said with a smirk. "I'll get straight to the point. I like you, and I want you. We can do this the easy way or the hard way. The choice is yours." The rest of the group cheered.

Yelena, completely unbothered, slowly turned her back on them. Her action immediately enraged the alien in the jacket. He reached for her shoulder again, attempting to forcefully turn her around.

"You stupid bitch, who do you think you are?" he snarled, his hand closing on her shoulder.

Crack!

A sickening sound of bone breaking echoed through the bar. Yelena had grabbed his arm, twisted it back on itself, and then, with a swift motion, slammed his jaw hard onto the bar counter. The sound was followed by a loud smash, and the alien crumpled to the floor, blood pouring from his dislocated jaw.

The entire bar went silent. Everyone turned to look, including Eric and Jimmy, who had stopped their argument.

"Ooooookay," Eric said in a low, disbelieving voice. He looked from the bleeding alien struggling on the floor to the person who had caused the damage. His eyes widened in shock. "Shit!" he muttered, turning to escape. He climbed off his stool, trying to slip out of the bar without being noticed.

A second alien, seeing his leader on the floor, rushed at Yelena with a broken glass bottle. He froze as Yelena, with a swift movement of her left hand, generated a weapon from her arm and pointed it at him.

"Please do take another step," she said, her voice ice-cold. "It's free."

She then generated a second weapon from her right hand and aimed it at Eric, who was just a few feet from the door. "That also applies to you."

Eric froze. The air in the bar became heavy, a suffocating silence falling over the once-rowdy room. Yelena stood completely still, an unbothered, calculated, and commanding presence. The loud chatter and clinking of glasses became a halting silence, replaced by a sharp, palpable tension

"Look, I don't want any trouble," the bartender said, his hands raised in surrender. "If the intention here is to trash my place, please take it outside."

"If I'm correct, you must be Yelena Dexter," Eric said, raising his arms. "I'm guessing you're the one who decided to blow up my bloody ship. Well, nice to finally make your acquaintance."

"Eric Blackmoor, you are under arrest for the crimes and rules you broke at Atlas," Yelena said, her voice like ice. "You will now act according to my command and follow me back to the station."

"Hear me out for a second," Eric said, "there has to be a better way to settle..."

He stopped mid-sentence as Yelena staggered, then, without warning, collapsed to the floor, unconscious.

The spell was broken. The bar erupted in panic. People scrambled for the exits. The injured alien was dragged away by his peers, his jaw dangling as he struggled in pain.

"Well, that was unexpected," Eric said, lowering his arms and walking back to his seat. He picked up his drink.

"Like I said, I don't want no trouble. If y'all are familiar with yourselves, please take her and leave," The bartender said.

"Relax," Eric said to Pitt, who was frantically clearing the counter. "It's just a minor misunderstanding. We'll be out of here in no time. Speaking of we..."

He looked around for Jimmy, a small smile of relief on his face.

"I'm right... here." Jimmy emerged from a chest freezer, pushing the door open with a grunt.

"Unbelievable," Eric muttered to himself. He turned to face Pitt, and his eyes landed on something the bartender was about to put into a box. Eric snatched it before Pitt could grab it.

"Where the bloody hell did you get this?" Eric asked, holding a metallic sphere with glowing purple grid patterns.

"I don't know," Pitt said, unbothered. "Some weirdo brought it in. Offered it as a price in exchange for a drink."

"And you've got any idea how this bloody weirdo got his hands on it?" Eric asked, his focus entirely on the sphere.

"No idea about that," the bartender replied, wiping a cloth over the blood-stained counter. "But for some reason, they really wanted me to join their little cult nonsense and worship a deity of some sort. They called it the High Monarch.'"

"Is... is that a Cell Charger?" Jimmy asked, looking over Eric's shoulder at the device.

"of course It's a Cell Charger, and it shouldn't be out here," Eric said, his tone worried. He pressed a section of the sphere, causing it to levitate and project a holographic image that filled the room.

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