“An odd deduction since he’s never gotten higher than thirty-second place.” Sasha chuckled.
Mya sighed, mulling over the pros and cons as she contemplated her options. “I feel kind of bad giving away my first pick—one that you helped me get.”
“I have no idea what you mean.” Sasha feigned ignorance with a sincerity only he could pull off.
“Of course not,” she jested, then accepted the inevitable. “All right, I’ll give you Chiyo. But considering that you also have Kaiden, aren’t you worried both are going to give you trouble when it comes to cooperation?”
“I’m prepared to take that risk for the potential reward,” Sasha assured her. He pressed Chiyo’s icon on the screen, clicking the trade for option and selecting Jensen from his team. “Scan here to agree,” he instructed.
Mya leaned forward and put her index finger on the screen. After a moment, a small bing sounded from the monitor, and the icons swapped teams. “Well, it’s done now,” she said as she stood. “Thank you, Sasha, and best of luck.”
“To you as well, Mya. Have a good—” Sasha froze, his gaze fixed on his monitor, and raised an eyebrow in curiosity.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
He crossed his arms. “Nothing wrong, merely interesting.” He nodded at the monitor for Mya to take a look. “It would seem I will be doubling down on my risk and reward.”
Mya took a peek, her eyes widening when she saw the message onscreen.
Kaiden Jericho and Chiyo Kana partner for Co-op test. Bonus points earned if they pass.
“Wow…poor timing on my part.” Mya sighed and fixed him with a mischievous look. “Wanna trade back?”
Sasha stared at her and shook his head, pointing toward the door.
Chapter Nineteen
It was a cool late-autumn evening as Chiyo made her way to the Animus center. She looked at the board to see which halls were available for use. Ten halls open for the first-years. Eight were at max capacity, while the other two were also nearly full.
“It would appear many of the students are preparing for the Co-op tests,” Kaitō reasoned, appearing on the board.
“I would prefer a more secluded area,” she stated, using the board to reserve a private room.
“Will Kaiden be able to access the private rooms?”
“He’s a rank two, so it’s one of his privileges. He shouldn’t have any problems, but we’ll have to send him a message and tell him.”
“Tell me what?” Chiyo looked back to see Kaiden enter the hall. “We having a surprise party?”
“Good evening, Kaiden.” She greeted him while continuing to work on the screen. “Good timing.”
“I can be punctual on occasion, and I’m always down for a quickie when available.”
Chiyo gave him a puzzled look, and he gave himself a quick knock on the side of his forehead. “I’m talking about missions, in this case.” He looked at a board which now displayed a visual of an Animus pod. “Don’t think that’s even possible in one of those. I don’t think they really have the space for it.”
“Charming,” she retorted dryly. “Have you used a private room recently?”
“A private room? For like a party or something?” he asked.
Chiyo sighed. “I usually find your obliviousness of the rules and regulations a refreshing change of pace, but the fact that it extends to things that can be helpful to you is a bit concerning.”
“What’s she talking about, Chief?” Kaiden asked aloud.
Chief appeared, floating in the air, “She means an Animus private room. As a rank two, you can make a reservation once a week to use one.” Chief turned to address Chiyo. “Sorry, Ms. Chiyo, he doesn’t speak over one hundred I.Q.”
“Ms. Chiyo? Why are you so respectful to her and not to me? I never got a sir or captain…I’ll even settle for a mister.”
“The difference is I actually respect her,” Chief stated bluntly. “Funny how that works, isn’t it?”
“And I thought we were doing so well thus far,” Kaiden whined.
“You gain and lose that respect every day. You used to be here.” Chief hovered at around chest level, then lowered slowly to hover near the ground. “Currently, you are around here.”
Kaiden glowered at the EI for a moment. “Hey, Chiyo, you wanna trade EIs?” he asked flatly.
Chief turned an annoyed red, his eye furrowing. “Your polls continue to drop, buddy.”
“As much as I find Chief to be an interesting…personality, and your EI implant a marvel, I am quite happy with Kaitō.”
“I am fond of you as well, madame,” the fox EI murmured appreciatively.
“You see? He’s also a super smart EI, and he’s nice,” Kaiden grumbled.
Chief floated up to the board and looked at Kaitō. “He’s also a fox. You can’t trust foxes.”
“Really? You gonna pick on him for that?” Kaiden huffed.
“Is there something wrong with my design?” Kaitō questioned, looking around his frame.
“Don’t worry about it, Kaitō, Chief is simply petty.” Kaiden crossed his arms and eyed Chief mockingly. “For someone who kept going on about how they transcend every EI out there, you sure still have a fragile ego.”
Chiyo chuckled as Chief grumbled, “Even if I was interested in an exchange, it would not be possible between us.”
“Why’s that?”
“You said you had the Gemini factor, correct? It’s what allowed you the ability to use the device in the first place.”
“And do I ever feel so lucky.” He deadpanned, though his eyes brimmed with laughter.
“I do not have the factor; therefore, the device would not work for me. It would be a waste,” she concluded.
“Damn shame. You could probably get more use out of it than I do since you’re a hacker.”
“Perhaps, but just because I do not personally have the abilities does not mean I cannot use them,” she hinted, a smile ghosting at the corners of her mouth.
“Is there something I should be picking up on?” Kaiden wondered aloud.
“The sense of foreboding?” Chief floated back to Kaiden.
“It’ll be a little clearer once we’ve started.” She pointed to the elevator hall. “Shall we go?”
“You got a room?” Kaiden asked as they departed.
“As a merit-based SC and a rank two myself, I also have the privilege, but you’ll have to reserve it next week until mine resets.”
“So there will be a next time?” he muttered under his breath. “I thought this was a trial run.”
“We’re partners now, Kaiden. I have no intention of switching. I can think of no better situation than the one we have now,” she assured him as she pressed the up button for the elevator.
“Thanks for the vote of confidence…if I’m reading that right. So, what are we dealing with tonight?”
The doors to the elevator opened and they stepped inside. Chiyo pressed the key for the eighth floor. “A basic Co-op mission, a simplified version of what we’ll be dealing with in the actual test.”
Kaiden leaned back against the wall. “Got any ideas what we’ll be doing?”
“There are a handful of possibilities, but the mission objectives are not the most important aspect of these missions.”
Kaiden held up a hand. “I know, it’s cooperation—how the two students work with each other,” he muttered haughtily.
She gave him a questioning look, and he shrugged in response. “Sorry, I’ve heard that from almost everyone any time it gets brought up, like people are afraid they’re gonna get a sniper bullet to the dome if they don’t repeat it incessantly.”
“It’s an important clarification to make. The mission objectives are simply the winning criteria. How you complete them together determines the true score.”
“How does it work any different in a team mission?” he asked as the elevator doors opened.
They stepped out onto the eighth floor as Chiyo explained in
a patient tone, “In a team mission, there are several members all working towards the same goal. In cooperative missions, there are several goals a duo or team must complete, and they must work together to complete them as efficiently as possible.”
“So what does that mean, exactly?” he queried.
“I would say that there are things only I can do and things that you can do better than me.”
“Was that a dig?” he asked, amused.
“Not at all. I can hack and you cannot, and I can fight but combat is not my forte, it is yours.”
“I can hack,” Kaiden challenged. “I learned some basic stuff from some of my gang’s techs a few years back.”
“I see…then I suppose I should change my view. There are things you can do better than I can, and there are things I can do much better than you.”
“That…honestly doesn’t seem like much of a step up,” he mumbled.
“We’re here.” They had reached the end of a long hallway and a single door on the wall in front of them. Chiyo placed her hand on a panel adjacent to the door. The panel flashed briefly and cleared for entry. The room was small, and in the muted lighting, three Animus pods were visible. They stood upright in the center with a small console behind them.
“Welcome, Initiate Chiyo Kana and Initiate Kaiden Jericho. This room has been reserved, and you will have four hours from when you enter the Animus. Please choose your parameters from the hub at the back of the room.”
Kaiden looked around warily. “You know, a private room is usually nice and swanky…this feels like a renovated interrogation room.”
“It’s meant for Animus use only, no need for decorations or amenities,” Chiyo stated briskly, walking over to the console.
“If you want, I can send in a request for some flowers and a cheese basket when you come back next week.” Chief chuckled.
“See if we can get you an EI skin with a little bowtie. It would pull the whole posh atmosphere together,” Kaiden gibed at the EI.
“Keep it up, and I’ll be looking for an executioner’s hood.”
“Kaiden, would you come over here please?”
He walked around the console. “What’s up?”
She nodded at the screen. “I want you to look over the mission and accept it before we begin.”
“Pity, I was looking forward to going in blind. Makes it more excitin’.”
“The test will be blind, so we must be as prepared as possible.”
“I follow,” he conceded, taking a look at the screen. “So what do we got?”
Mission: Co-op
Map: Axiom Industries
Players:
Chiyo Kana (1st year)
Kaiden Jericho (1st year)
Mission Objectives:
Both players will start outside the building and make their way in within ten minutes.
Get access into the technology development department and retrieve the marked device.
Take the device to the retrieval zone.
Both players must survive.
The device cannot be destroyed
“Seems simple enough,” Kaiden said. “Have a look at the glossary.”
Chiyo opened the tab. He studied the enemies they would face.
Human opponents:
Security Force Soldier:
Description: Basic foot soldiers, dressed in white armor with blue uniforms.
Armor: Light
Weapon: Cobra heavy pistol or Spitfire light machine gun
Melee: Stun baton
Gadget: Flashbang
Special Abilities: None
Security Force Trooper:
Description: Elite soldiers with improved armor and stronger weapons.
Armor: Heavy
Weapon: Eviscerator Shotgun or Cyclone Machine Gun
Melee: Stun baton
Gadget: Stun Grenade
Special Ability: None.
“Well, they’ll be a breeze,” Kaiden said with a cocky smirk.
“Even the guards with heavy armor?” Chiyo asked.
“No worries. I’ve got ballistic rounds that’ll crack those suckers open without a problem,” he assured her. “Might have to do a gadget swap when we get in, now I think about it… What else they got?”
“There are a couple of different robotic enemies we’ll have to deal with.” Chiyo switched to the next page.
Robotic Opponents:
Defense Model-Guardian:
Description: Mass produced, mid-range defense droid. Travels on treads and has a short body and rounded head with 180-degree vision.
Armor: Medium
Weapon: Single burst laser on right arm.
Melee: Four-pronged claw on left arm with electrical nodes for tazing on contact.
Gadget: None
Special Abilities: Alarm function.
“Those might be a pain in the ass.” Kaiden sighed. “I’d have to be sure to take them out quick so they can’t sound the alarm.”
“I’ll worry about that. I can deactivate their remote access to the alarms and blind their vision. Just be sure not to deal with too many at once,” Chiyo warned him.
“I’ll do my best, but I got to say that I’m not exactly the greatest at stealth—”
“He once leaped onto a group of guards in another test actually screaming ‘Ssssteeealllltthhh!’ like it gave him power or something,” Chief related with perverse humor.
Chiyo looked quizzically at Kaiden. “I was making a point to Flynn, our marksman…can’t really remember what I was trying to get across, but by God, did I do it.” Kaiden grinned.
“Please try to keep that to a minimum here,” she requested. “There are a couple more units we have to worry about, so please continue.”
Defense Model-Scarab:
Description: Small, quick moving, spider-like drones that move in packs to overwhelm and capture targets.
Armor: Light
Weapon: Laser blasters on the top of the body.
Melee: Will use their long, sharp legs to stab or entrap their target if they get close.
Gadget: None
Special Ability: None
“Oh good, those little bastards,” Kaiden growled with something close to sadistic pleasure.
“You deal with them a lot?” she inquired, her expression openly curious.
“A few times, but the worst was during the Division test. Remember that big-ass war machine I told you about?”
“I do. I couldn’t find anything relating to it afterward.”
“I told you I blew it up from the inside, but I skipped past the part where I had to deal with literally hundreds of these damn things while I did it.” He shook his head in annoyance at the memory. “I think I was more relieved to be rid of those things than that big walker.”
Chiyo looked at the visual of the drone. “I’ll be sure to keep a lookout. They’re pretty basic and therefore easy to get into. I’ll see what I can do once we begin.”
Prowler Model-Hellcat:
Description: A four-legged automaton that can reach speeds of thirty-five miles an hour to chase down targets.
Weapon: Small stun laser on head.
Melee: Claws and fangs meant to trap or maul targets depending on orders.
Gadget: Knockout gas deployed from mouth.
Special ability: Thermal and Night Vision.
Kaiden let out a quick, surprised whistle. “Those are new.”
“I’ve had to deal with them in a couple of my previous scenarios. Never a problem as I was usually not near them…” She looked up. “You, however—”
“Will be playing the mouse in a very violent game of cat and mouse, I figure.” He sighed.
“While it will be important to be mindful of the robotic opponents, this is where the cooperation comes in.” Chiyo reminded him. “In this situation, I will be able to get us into the building, and I can deal with the drones remotely. You’ll have to be the one doing most of the footwork and dealing with the security soldiers.”
“That’s something that is certainly my speed.” Kaiden nodded approval. “Do we have a map?”
“Not available, at least in the mission set up. I can get us one when I’m inside their system.”
“So then it’s a smash and grab?” Kaiden asked. “We’ll get in there, and I’ll run through and do my thing. If you can get the map and keep the drones off me, then we’ll have this done in no time.”
“Not exactly.” She drew a breath and fixed him with a focused look. “They’ll probably activate a lockdown if you’re not careful. In that case, I’ll have to spend time and concentrate on keeping doors unlocked or even more time unlocking them if they do close before I can get to them. There might also be turrets and barricades along the routes.”
“And a pit of acid, wall spikes that close in on you, and sharks with lasers attached to their heads,” Kaiden scoffed. “I’ll be sure to bring explosives.”
“What I’m saying is that you should allow me to properly set up before we begin,” Chiyo stated firmly.
“How long will that take?”
“Around thirty minutes to an hour, depending on the variables and if I do it properly.”
“Good Lord! Do you redecorate the office while you’re there?” Kaiden let his mockery creep though. “I thought you guys were masters of getting in and out of networks unseen in seconds.”
“I very much am, but I’ll be hacking into the entire system, not one specific piece or area. That takes time,” she corrected him, again with an air of extreme patience.
“Doesn’t the actual test have a time limit? You won’t be able to set up like that when we have to do the real thing,” Kaiden argued.
“True, but this is simply one kind of mission. I’ll need to do it like this so that I can see how to best assist you during following missions—identify which areas are the most important and which are frivolous. That will make things go much smoother in the future.”
Kaiden paused, surprised by her explanation. “You’re doing this to help me?”
Animus series Boxed Set Page 47