Animus series Boxed Set

by Michael Anderle

  “I happened to talk to Silas and Izzy during the Death Match,” he admitted. “They told me a few stories, specifically about your Division Test. But I also know you were rank three by the end of the year.”

  “Right, and?”

  “You know that resets, right?”

  Kaiden sighed. “Annoyingly, yes. I intended to find a way to get back up there. Those capsules aren’t the same as a bunk or bed. They make me feel like I’m sleeping in a snack wrap.”

  “I can only guess, but maybe the more bonus points you collect, the more it contributes to your rank,” Mack suggested.

  “I see what you’re saying… At least that means there’s a possibility of doing it the hard way.”

  “Are you finally coming around?”

  Kaiden chuckled, intertwined his fingers, and cracked them. “I guess I can’t say no when you seem so giddy about it. Don’t get me wrong, I usually like causing a ruckus. But I’m also usually in hostile headquarters or a jungle or something—places where I can be free to be me. I think they would dislike it if I shot up their precious ship.” He looked down the hall to where some of the smaller flames flared once more. “Or maybe that’s a moot point by now. Hey, captain! Do you mind if I—”

  Lancia and the captain were gone.

  Chapter Eleven

  “Where the hell did they go?” Kaiden asked.

  “Lancia? Lancia?!” Mack called into the comm link. “Where are you? Are you all right? You’re where? With the captain? You couldn’t have waited?”

  Kaiden keyed into the conversation. “Lancia, you do realize that you are possibly the most important member of our little ragtag team at the moment and you are now where, exactly?”

  “I’m escorting the captain to the bridge. We’ve been able to avoid hostiles so far and haven’t seen any more of those guards with the blue stripes, but we’ve come across more marauders,” she informed them. “My marker should be visible on the HUD.”

  “Wow, how long did we not pay attention?” Mack asked when he looked in the direction of Lancia’s marker. “You’re way faster than you look.”

  “I’m also not weighed down by a bunch of armor…although it looks like that could be useful right about now.”

  “Dammit. Hold on, we’re coming,” Kaiden ordered and gestured at Mack to run. “Might I ask why you couldn’t wait until we finished our little chat?”

  “The captain said he needed to get to the bridge as quickly as possible. He didn’t want to wait for you to finish your squabble and I didn’t want to risk him going alone.”

  “You do know that it doesn’t matter if he dies or not, right?”

  She sighed over the mic. “I know it’s not in our objectives, but I felt bad about—”

  “Not that! I’m talking about the fact that he’s an Animus creation. We’re not actually losing a Dreadnought captain if he dies,” he explained as they hurried left when they reached the end of the corridor.

  “Well…yes, of course, it’s just… We are supposed to take these missions seriously and go through them and make decisions like we actually would in reality,” she pointed out. “We’re closing in on the final—oh, my.”

  “Is something wrong?” Mack asked. “That sounded more shocked than worried.”

  “We-we are almost at the hallway leading to the bridge. We’re at a window. Kaiden, it’s horrible outside.”

  “What do you see—actually, hold that for a moment.” A trio of marauders in the distance was better armored than the one he’d seen in the meeting room—probably because they were a boarding party and not there to talk things out. They were shielded by basic combat boots with leg and chest armor worn over more torn clothes and had basic machine guns slung around their shoulders. Whoever had supplied them didn’t seem to spring for underlays or body suits. Which really was a pity, as they would have contained the mess resulting from what he was about to do much better.

  Kaiden aimed his Tempest quickly, fired a volley of lasers at the trio, and eliminated them easily. He wondered if the plan was to overwhelm them with numbers or the chaos. If all them were so poorly armed, they wouldn’t offer much of a fight for the properly armed military men and women on board.

  Some of which were compromised, he reminded himself.

  This truth was harshly confirmed a second after the marauder’s bodies dropped when a squad of guards turned the corner. Kaiden hesitated briefly enough for them to take aim at him. He saw the lines, swore, and prepared to fire his Tempest as Mack dashed forward and created a wall of energy.

  “We ain’t got the time to deal with these fools,” the vanguard hollered. Laser fire slammed into the shield and Kaiden heard a few clicks and dings from the vanguard’s armor. At least one of the guards had kinetic rounds. “I’ll make a hole. Shoot some on the way if you want but let’s keep moving!”

  Mack poured more energy into the barrier, and it sparked and solidified as it had at the terminal. He shoved it forward to crash it into the squad before it impacted with the wall ahead and shattered. Kaiden took point and fired on the guards, who were able to dodge. He dispatched one with a few quick shots, but the other activated a portable barrier. Kaiden flipped the knife in his gauntlet out quickly, took the blade end in his fingers, and tossed it at the guard as the man began to fire his rifle. The knife pierced the barrier and found its mark in the guard’s shoulder between his neck and his shoulder pad. He swore in pain as the ace used the opportunity to rush forward and kick the grunt in the face.

  The attacker fell, and Kaiden fired a few shots from his machine gun to make sure he stayed down. Mack fired his hand cannon at a huddle of adversaries who had been driven back by his energy wall.

  “Double-tapping,” he stated and put his weapon away. “We still have a few hundred yards to go.”

  “Let’s get back to it,” Kaiden ordered as they sprinted toward Lancia. “Hey, we were held up, but we’re on our way again. What were you trying to tell us before?” There was silence on the other end. “Lancia? Are you still on comms?”

  On his HUD, Kaiden saw a yellow light flash next to her name to indicate that she was in danger. “Shit. Mack do you have enough power to nova?”

  “Just about, but I’ll be at a minimum after.”

  “I guess we’ll have to make do. They said they were almost there. Start priming!”

  Although the ace didn’t take the time to look back, he felt a pulse of energy behind him and a light flared. The vanguard had started the preparatory charge. As they closed in with only a few more turns and one hundred and ten yards to go, Kaiden slowed. Mack passed him, his entire body aglow in blue light that both coated him and trailed around his body. The ace heard shots and an explosion. When he remembered that Lancia no longer had a barrier projector, he began to worry.

  Mack raced into the room and barreled into a group of marauders and guards. His energy erupted, and Kaiden fired rapidly at all the enemies he could see. A few tried to retreat, but he refused to make the same mistake twice. He snapped to each target, pulled the trigger once, and held it only briefly before he switched to the next. The attackers retreated too slowly. They walked backward and returned fire when they should have turned and sprinted out of sight.

  Their mistake.

  The ace continued to execute all targets, and Mack added a few rounds from his hand cannon. Now, the enemy was in full retreat but was down to only three marauders. Kaiden shot two, one in the back of their head and the other in the stomach. The vanguard severed the final marauder’s leg with one shot, but he made it into a room down the hall. The man’s cries of pain muted as the doors closed.

  “I wish we did earn points for all this,” Kaiden mused and glanced at Mack. “I’d like to compare scores.”

  “I’d say you’d lag on this one.” The large man chuckled.

  “Only because you have large groups to use your nova on.”

  “Don’t forget the thunderstorm effect I created on the terminal. Did that pay off or what?”
>
  “I still think you did that mostly for flair.”

  “Of course. I gotta have a bit of fun now and then right?”

  “I try to keep that to a max, but it’s missions like these that bring out the worst in me.” Kaiden sighed and took a moment to look around the room. “Lancia! Captain! You can come out now!”

  “Kaiden, watch it!” the vanguard warned as a guard they hadn’t seen aimed a sniper rifle at him. The ace flung himself aside as Mack turned to aim his hand cannon. Before he could fire, the attacker was shot in the back and thrown forward to land near Kaiden’s boot. He groaned and tried to stand. Kaiden brought his leg down hard on his head and knocked him out to collapse spread-eagled on the floor.

  “Are you all right?” Lancia asked as she scrambled from behind the crates she had used for cover.

  “I thought we would be asking you that. Nice save,” Kaiden quipped. “Where’s the captain?”

  “Right here!” he called and clambered from a pile of crates opposite Lancia’s hiding place., “Nice of you to join us once again.”

  “It’s good to see the two of you safe.” Mack placed a hand on Lancia’s shoulder. “Next time, stick with the group.”

  “Perhaps if you hadn’t—” the Captain began but quieted when Kaiden stared at him and folded his arms. “Things could have been handled differently. I was possibly too hasty. But we are outside the bridge now and can bring this whole mutiny business to an end.”

  “Assuming that there isn’t a horde of marauders and your traitorous guard waiting,” Kaiden pointed out. “Are there any cameras or something we can use to see inside?”

  “Here, let me look at the panel.” The captain walked to a device on the side of the door. He pressed a switch on the side of the panel and a holoboard appeared on which he began to type furiously. “They locked me out of all the major functions and defense systems, but access to the monitor displays should still be accessible—ah ha!”

  The three peered over the captain’s shoulder. The lieutenant appeared on the screen. He paced in front of the captain’s chair and yelled at the marauders.

  “It doesn’t look heavily defended,” Lancia noted. “I assume most of the remaining traitors and marauders are fighting in other parts of the ship.”

  “The lieutenant seems rather pissed off.” Kaiden snickered. “My guess is he thought you or I or both of us would hopefully be dead at this point.”

  “I wonder how long he’s been in there,” Mack pondered. “During a takeover, don’t these guys usually pipe propaganda through the intercoms to lower moral or something?”

  “Attention, crew of the Enyalius,” an angry voice barked over the speakers.

  “There he goes.”

  “We have captured the bridge and assumed control of this dreadnought. If you wish to live, you will cease fighting, lay down your arms, and surrender to the Io marauders.”

  “I wonder why he would risk so much to help marauders. Do you think he’s from there?”

  The captain shook his head. “The lieut—Dirk is a colony boy, but he was raised on Luna. He’s had an almost exemplary career—a few rough bouts and the occasional smartass retort—but always led those beneath him well and battled proudly for the military. I have no idea what is going on here.”

  “This is rather detailed for an Animus random scenario, don’t you think, Chief?” Kaiden whispered to the EI.

  “I wonder where Laurie got the backstory. Maybe from one of those war dramas?”

  “Scan around the net. In the meantime, let’s take care of this guy so we can—”

  “Attention, crew of the Enyalius,” the voice repeated.

  Kaiden demolished the speaker directly above him with a single shot, although he could still hear an echo farther down the hall. “Great. He has it on loop. As I was saying, let’s get in there and wrap this up.”

  “Do you think we can take it with a frontal assault?” Mack asked. “I’m with ya, but I still need a bit of time to charge.”

  “I thought maybe go with the whole ‘cut the head of the snake off’ strategy,” Kaiden said and studied the panel. “Can you move the feed around, Captain?”

  “Yes, of course, but only to the other active monitors.” He pressed the left arrow key and shifted the view around the cabin. A handful of marauders and perhaps one other guard assured them of little resistance.

  “Well, this is kind of an anti-climactic end.” The ace sighed and stood back from the panel. “Captain, do you have the clearance to open this door still?”

  “They’ve probably locked me out, but I know of a secondary way. If I issue an alarm through the panel it will force the door open, but then we won’t—”

  “That’s all I needed to know,” Kaiden interrupted. He stepped back and to the side with his head cocked as if he were looking through the closed door. “Mack, can I borrow your hand cannon?”

  “Uh, sure.” The vanguard handed him the large sidearm. “Can I ask what the plan is here or is that a secret for some reason?”

  “It’s more an action than a plan.” Kaiden examined the weapon. “I need something with a lot more punching power than my Tempest or pistol. How many shots do I have before I need to vent? Did you vent it already?”

  “Six shots and yeah, it’s vented.”

  Kaiden nodded and held the gun with both hands. “Captain open the door if you would. Call it out right before it opens.”

  “Are you sure?” he asked warily.

  “It’ll be fine. The sooner we do this, the sooner you can stop whatever is going on outside.”

  “All right. I’m beginning to issue the alarm command.”

  Kaiden planted his feet firmly and lifted the gun. “Chief, activate battle suite.”

  The world shifted focus and Kaiden’s vision enhanced. Some colors muted while others shimmered. He could feel his heart rate slow.

  “Opening the door,” the captain shouted.

  The ace raised the hand cannon as Mack and Lancia stepped aside. The doors parted. The traitorous lieutenant stood a dozen yards away beside the captain’s chair, and his head turned slowly as the doors continued to open. Kaiden fired, and the weapon bucked with the shot. The target’s head burst apart from the impact. A few of the marauders jerked in surprise and the remaining guard turned to fire. After three more shots, the guard and marauders’ bodies joined the lieutenant’s on the floor.

  Kaiden fired the last two shots at two marauders at the front of the bridge. “Deactivate suite,” he ordered and drew a deep breath as his vision returned to normal. “Thanks, Mack.” He vented the hand cannon and tossed it to the vanguard before he retrieved his Tempest. “Hey, whoever is left in there,” he called. “Let’s reverse your once glorious leader’s little declaration, huh? Unless you wanna end up like your pals, throw away your weapons and lay down on the floor.”

  Kaiden gave them a moment. Guns and blades clattered on the floor as per his instructions. He smiled under his mask and gestured at the captain. “The bridge is yours, good sir.”

  “Then the Enyalius has you all to thank for our salvation.” The man bowed.

  Another explosion rocked the ship. Kaiden and Lancia lowered to the ground to stabilize themselves while Mack simply stood firm. “That’s gotta be adding up by this point.”

  “We will right it in a jiffy,” the captain declared and rushed onto the bridge. “I can regain access to my commands from the captain’s chair, then I can rearm the systems and take care of these ruffians.” He took his seat and opened a holoscreen. His gaze darted to the trio as they approached and stopped near the remaining four marauders laying on the ground.

  “Tracer guns online!” he shouted. “Main cannons online! Marking targets and returning fire!” He grinned at the group. “Care to watch?”

  Before Kaiden could reply, the bridge began to fade and white light consumed his vision. He sighed lightly before he chuckled. “Damn. I could have done with a show.” He gave his teammates a thumbs-up. “Good job,
guys!”

  No one was behind him. He looked around as the bridge disappeared into featureless light. He was alone. The light began to envelop him, but he didn’t feel like he was de-syncing. He felt like he was waking up.

  Chapter Twelve

  “Hey, kid, are you just going to keep lying there? Come on, now.” Gin asked. The man’s earring rattled as he moved his head around. “I’m sure you’re having nice dreams or whatever, but it’s rude to give me the silent treatment when I’ve asked you a question.”

  “What…what’s going on? Who are you?” the ace groaned. He tried to stand, only to feel Gin’s boot push him back down.

  “Man, how high did I set that zapper?” the murderer pondered. “Come on, get those juices flowing. I don’t want this scene of me with my foot on your chest to be misconstrued for something else, you know?”

  Kaiden’s memory returned slowly. He gripped his assailant’s ankle and tried to lift the restraining foot, but to no avail. Gin watched him with an amused grin. “There’s still some life in you, for however long that lasts.” He knelt and peered into Kaiden’s visor. “Tell me something, kid. Have you been doing this long?”

  The ace continued to struggle. His strength returned slowly and some of the muscles in his arm spasmed from the shocks. “I ask because I wanted a gauge of… Well, your stupidity for one, but also where I should rank you in my head,” his captor continued. “You have some decent gear, you were quick on the draw—although that didn’t really help when I think about it. I have a personal code when it comes to what I do, and I don’t want people to think I’m all crazy, you know?”

  “I…think you might be…a bit too late for that…you murderer,” Kaiden growled, his voice hoarse and cracked.

  “Now, let’s not start with the name calling.” Gin slammed a blade down beside Kaiden’s head, and the tip sparked as it made contact with the metal floor. “I mean, that’s a little hypocritical, wouldn’t you say? You say that to try to hurt my feelings and yet I’m sure you’ve killed plenty in your time. Not to mention you killed all those poor, demented monkeys out there. That’s gotta be on par with a few humans, right? We’re pretty damn close on the evolution scale.” The man ran a hand through his short hair and hummed to himself for a moment as he continued to slide the blade across the floor. “Mutation is another story, though. It’s a nasty look, I gotta say. I prefer to modify myself with tech rather than get into the whole bio-freak crowd.”