Animus series Boxed Set

by Michael Anderle

  “Will you return to space soon?” Sasha asked the man on his screen.

  “No, not for a while,” he responded and shook his head. “Not as long as he’s still running loose. They didn’t find his body. The obvious conclusion is that he’s still kicking. I’ll return to the jungle to comb for clues, but I doubt he’s still there.”

  “There are constant dangers in the world,” Sasha muttered and folded his hands on his desk. “But it is always shrouded in happenstance. I do admit that it is more unnerving when you know the specifics. What exactly is out there looking for you?”

  “I’ll try to minimize that,” the man assured him. “I owe it to a lot of people.”

  “A noble sentiment, but don’t let that blind you. I’ve seen that turn to rage and single-mindedness a number of times, and that only creates a different problem.”

  “Are you really worried I’ll lose it at this point?” He chuckled darkly. “Come on, Commander. By now, I’m rather hardened.”

  “No doubt, Magellan, but I have read the story of Moby Dick. There are some parallels and I can tell you that the story doesn’t end well for the obsessed hunter.”

  “I promise I’ll keep my wits about me.” His face showed sign of concern, “How’s Kaiden?”

  “He was rather despondent for a few days. I worried about his mental health more than his physical,” Sasha admitted. “But it seems Wolfson has taken precautions to ensure he doesn’t fall into a funk.”

  “That’s good,” the bounty hunter said with obvious relief. “It’s nice to see he has good people looking after him. He seemed a prickly sort, but he’s a good man.”

  “A great soldier as well.” Sasha unlatched his hands and tapped a finger on his desk. “I’m glad I sent you along. I’m also glad you were able to get me that information about the Arbiter Organization.”

  “It wasn’t much. For a while there, I wondered if you had me going on a snipe hunt,” Magellan confessed. “I’m not even sure if that has anything to do with the organization proper, but the files weren’t marked to the WC or Nexus and it talked a fair amount about the professor’s inventions, particularly Kaiden’s EI and its device. It didn’t seem like something that was really common knowledge.”

  “It’s not. Even most of the staff don’t know much about it. I think most simply believe it’s a new EI mod,” Sasha explained. “Right now, it has no purpose outside the Academy’s regimen. I can’t see a reason they have such an interest in it. But considering everything that has happened, they targeted Kaiden by proxy. A mission where he was on the far side of the world seemed like a potential time to strike.” Sasha huffed as he scratched his head. “I’ll admit, I was also worried that I was simply paranoid. It is something of a relief that my fears didn’t manifest into mad ramblings, but I never could have guessed that they would be so severe.”

  “Do you think there’s a link between the two?” Magellan questioned. “I would think, if anything, that they potentially set the gig up and expected him to die during the fighting.”

  “I don’t think that would have been a smart plan. Unless they were waiting to scoop his corpse up, there would have been a good chance one of the mutants would have simply eaten him,” Sasha countered. “My guess is that, like myself, they don’t tend to rely on coincidence that much.”

  “Gin said he was there to meet someone. I wanted to believe it was merely a bluff. How could anyone get hold of him? Why would they even if they could?” Magellan growled. “While he’s still alive and here on Earth, Kaiden shouldn’t take any gigs that are too far away from the Academy.”

  “We’ll keep an eye on him, and I made sure his agent wouldn’t give him anything too extreme, but I won’t barricade him. It would possibly cause a commotion among the student body if there were rumors that a member of the Revenant List could be stalking the grounds. Plus, I doubt Kaiden would stand for it once he gets his mind back together.”

  The bounty hunter frowned. The commander’s explanation did not sit well. “I guess I follow but still don’t like it. There’s only one notable survivor who crossed Gin, a military man who lost an arm to him. My guess is that Gin hasn’t returned because he’s now stationed on a military vessel and has a Gatling gun for an arm. But he doesn’t like leaving witnesses.”

  “We already have Kaiden’s account and his EI’s recordings. I’m sure he is aware of that. And considering that Kaiden has tests coming up and a fair amount of work to make up for, he will be here for at least several weeks before he’ll have the time to attempt another excursion.” Sasha removed his oculars and folded his hands once again. “You have no need to worry, Magellan. We’ll protect him as much as we can.”

  “Good to know,” he acknowledged but grew quiet and avoided the other man’s gaze.

  “Is something wrong?” Sasha asked.

  “Yeah, it was something Gin said before I left.” He glanced at the commander. “He said he used to go to Nexus. Do you know if that’s true?”

  Sasha’ lips pursed and his eyelids lowered in anger. “It is.” He nodded, and Magellan’s eyes widened in shock. “He attended the Academy for three years before he simply vanished. When I began my tenure here, he was in the master class.” He scowled. “But he didn’t use the name Gin Sonny at the time.”

  “I’m telling you that I won’t take any more of your gigs,” Julio fumed over the line at the man dressed in a dark business suit and with combed-back brown hair. “The first one you sent me nearly got my guy killed!”

  “Yes, we have learned about the unfortunate incident,” he replied in calm, collected voice. “We do apologize and are always sure to create a proper list of the known dangers and identify the threat level properly. I assure you we had no idea that such a madman would be on the grounds. From the news reports, he wasn’t even on Earth when we created the listing.”

  “Dios, you suits always gotta go to the charts and stats when things blow up in your face,” the bartender and gig agent chided. “It doesn’t change my mind. No amount of creds will get you back on my list.”

  “I understand. Thank you for at least having the decency to call and tell me directly instead of simply delisting the company.”

  “Pah, I only did that so I could give you a piece of my mind. I hope you feel at least a little terrible as you sleep on your king-size bed made of ivory and sweatshop tears,” he spat before ending the call.

  “What an annoying little gnat,” he muttered and spun his chair slowly to face his desk. “But he played his part well enough.”

  “I like him.” His visitor grinned. “He has pizzazz. I might pay him a visit sometime.”

  “You don’t seem to have much discretion with your targets, do you?”

  The man’s smile widened, and he placed his two artificial hands on the desk. “I don’t usually have to—whatever catches my fancy and all that. But don’t worry, I’ll save it for my free time, Mr. Zubaz.”

  “Zubanz, Mr. Sonny,” he corrected. He pressed a button on his desk and a glass bottle of whiskey appeared from a compartment below. “But thank you for trying. I guess that your time alone has weakened your interpersonal skills slightly.”

  “Honestly? It was never my strong suit to begin with.” The chairman offered Gin one of the glasses. He took it in his new arm and tilted it so that Zubanz could pour the liquor. “I must say, I was impressed that you were able to get hold of me. When that handsome face of yours popped on the screen at that lab I was ransacking, I thought you were gonna be another one of those proud military guys hacking in to tell me I was surrounded and that there was no escape or something.”

  “You were quite difficult to contact. But that was to be expected. If it were easy, we would have pursued another potential agent,” he explained as he poured his own glass. “For what we wish for you to accomplish, it would be better if you worked alone and couldn’t be traced, and you fit both criteria well—along with your other talents.”

  “I have many.” The killer held the glas
s up in a toast. “I’ve always said that if you do something you love, you’ll never work a day in your life.”

  “A nice philosophy. I can’t say I enjoy all facets of my profession.” He looked at the liquid in his glass before taking a small sip. “But you find ways to cope.”

  “So, about the job.” Gin crossed his legs and leaned back in the chair. “You said you wanted that thing in the kid's noggin, right?”

  “I suppose I should have laid that out before you came to Earth. But in the circumstances, I hope you’ll forgive me for being vague.”

  “I’ve already forgiven you for trying to make me do your dirty work before getting paid,” Gin admitted. He sipped slowly and smiled with satisfaction. “I was pissed, at first, once I realized what was going on, but you know, I can’t stay mad at a face like yours. Plus, the creds and toys you’ve promised me are rather enticing. Assuming that’s still viable.”

  “Indeed, you will have whatever items and funds you need to complete the task however you see fit. Once completed, you can look through our inventory for whatever you can carry out with you and you will be paid sixty-five million credits—the worth of your bounty I believe.”

  “Third from the top for solo artists like me. That Anakis chick always beats me somehow, and also that other guy…I don’t know his name.”

  “No one does. It’s part of the reason he’s on the list. They merely call him ‘The Dybbuk Man.’”

  “What the hell is a dybbuk?” Gin mused. “I’ve never met him, although I did meet the woman. We had a grand old time on one of the colonies. I’m kinda surprised you didn’t go for her.”

  “Would you believe that you seemed more agreeable?” the man asked.

  “I have a way about me. My charm makes up for the lack of ‘interpersonal skill,’” he said and made air quotes with his fingers. “As for what I need, I can actually say I won’t take much from this little fund you’re giving me, mostly because for what I have in mind, I’ll have to get what I need myself.”

  “So you have a plan already?” Zubanz asked. “Please do keep in mind that we would prefer discretion and that you’ll have to find a way to lure him to you unless you want to deal with an entire Academy coming after you.”

  Gin flicked a finger at him. “That’s the thing. I will get him while he’s at the Academy, but it won’t be graphic. They won’t even know I’m there.”

  The chairman looked questioningly at him. “What do you have in mind?”

  “Ah, ah, ah.” He wagged his finger. “A killer’s rule is similar to a magician’s—don’t give away the secrets. You’ll have to trust me. It’s not like I won’t kill him. I have a reputation to think about.” He finished his drink and placed the glass on the table. “The rest is a bonus.” He extended a hand to the chairman and the silver mesh wrapped around it hid the electronic components within. “But we can shake on it if you want.”

  The man looked at him for a moment but took the killer’s hand. He had to remind himself this was to the benefit of the organization and that he had made plenty of shady deals on less certain terms. And yet, as the vice-like grip of Gin’s hand shook his, he felt this was the closest he had come to shaking hands with the devil.

  He wondered if he would regret it.

  Author Notes

  December 13, 2018

  THANK YOU for not only reading this story but these Author Notes as well.

  (I think I’ve been good with always opening with “thank you.” If not, I need to edit the other Author Notes!)

  RANDOM (sometimes) THOUGHTS?

  DAMN YOU, GIN!

  Ok, I have to admit that when working with Joshua, it can occasionally be frustrating. Why?

  He likes bad guys. I’m a “good guy who wears a black hat” sort of person. I like the protagonist who bends the rules but gets the jobs done. Joshua loves to create complex bad guys.

  For once, I think I have a bad guy in a story that I can at least enjoy. Gin is so over-the-top about himself that I can’t even get upset about his choices. He is delicious in his efforts, and while I know it sucks for our side, he is a worthy antagonist.

  === Excerpt from Chapter 1 ===

  (unedited)

  (Gin is in a black market area, talking to an older man, a hacker…)

  “Except for the stooges, I would think.” Gin said, looking back at the door.

  “If they give you any trouble, feel free to do what you must.”

  Gin raised an eyebrow. “Not too attached, huh?”

  “Customer service. Can’t have them making one of my new customers think this is a place that would allow such idiocy,” Vinci reasoned, moving the screen to show it to Gin. “Here are the schematics and functions of the cracked EI you requested.”

  Gin leaned in more, looking at the screen and whistled. “That’s a lot of coding. You did all this in two weeks?”

  “Would you believe this is one of the longest projects I’ve had in almost five years?” Vinci chuckled. “Most of the time it takes hours or a couple days at most. You gave me something to really get my fingers tapping.”

  “Glad you enjoyed it,” Gin chirped. “What do I owe you?”

  “One million even,” Vinci stated.

  Gin tapped a finger on his chin, “From our initial conversation, I was expecting more than triple that amount.”

  Vinci offer Gin his tablet, “It’s a discount for giving me such an interesting bit of work and for being such a nice man to work with.”

  “Guess a little kindness goes a long way, huh?” Gin took the tablet and transferred the money to the older hacker. “This will work wonderfully.”

  “Don’t do anything too naughty with it,” Vinci said in a knowing, playful tone as he unlocked a domed device, the two side splitting open to reveal a chip. He placed it into a box and handed it to Gin.

  “You should know that someone like me can’t promise that,” Gin said as he stood up. “I mean, otherwise, why would I order it?”

  Vinci laughed as he made his way to the door. “Good point!” He opened the door and nodded at Gin as he made to depart.

  Gin grabbed his tablet and put it in his jacket as he made his way to the guards. “It’s finished, boys. I’ll be taking back my things now.”

  “We don’t think so,” the lead guard growled, earning a curious look from Gin and a sigh from Vinci.

  “What the hell are you doing?” the hacker complained, “He’s paid and done nothing suspicious. Do you lot want me to report you?”

  “This guy isn’t on the up and up, Vinci!” another guard declared, holding up the omni-blade. “Look at this thing! There’s no way he could just have something like this! You can’t even get one on the black market! It’s way more advanced than anything I’ve ever seen.”

  “I’m sure that your knowledge is vast.” Gin muttered, “If you must know, I stole it from a tactical and security division tech development facility. Ironically, it was not that well secured.”

  “Tac-Sec? You broke into a Tac-Sec facility by yourself? Bullshit.” The leader scoffed, “We were thinking…”

  “Congratulations.”

  “Shut up!” the guard snapped, grabbing Gin’s neck, “You’re a spook, aren’t you?!”

  “I assure you he isn’t. He’s…” Vinci started to warn them, but stopped as Gin held up a hand.

  “I suppose I never did properly introduce myself to you. My bad.” Gin took off his glasses and the guards were unnerved by his eyes, “Perhaps I could give it another go so that we can become properly acquainted?”

  “This guy is a damn idiot,” one gasped. “Boss, we can’t have a guy like him with our tech! What if it gets traced back to us?”

  “You think I’m that sloppy?” Vinci barked. “Don’t besmirch me because you are a bunch of paranoid idiots.”

  “Still, best to be rid of him. We got the money, right?” the guard said with a smirk, holding up Gin’s knife to his face. “Wonder what people will think when it gets around that I to
ok out a guy like Gin Sonny?”

  “You are really committed to this, aren’t you?” Gin groused, looking at both him and the blade in boredom.

  “If you hadn’t pissed me off, like you’re doing now, I might have let you walk out of here,” he stated. “Like I said, outsiders don’t get the same treatment in the bazaar. You gotta be a killer to even set foot in a place like this and expect to leave.”

  “Oh, the irony.” Gin snickered, then leaned back, tilting his head and looking at Vinci, “You can go ahead and tell them if you want; see if it makes any difference. If not, I think I’ll take you up on your offer.”

  The guards looked at Vinci, who had indifference on his face. “I hope the next batch they send me aren’t so stubborn.

  === End excerpt ===

  It is a bad guy like this who stops me from hating him all the way through…

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  AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS

  One of the interesting (at least to me) aspects of my life is the ability to work from anywhere and at any time. In the future, I hope to re-read my own Author Notes and remember my life as a diary entry.

  Dec 13th, 2018

  I’m at my desk in the Vegas Condo typing my little hands off at the moment. I just had a full day of working with Kevin McLaughlin (another author) as we plan out a new series. (Urban Fantasy - Dragons - new world.)

  We had breakfast this morning with the Las Vegas Indie Writer community at a crepes place near Henderson.

  What is it with this town and crepes? This is the second coffee / crepes place I’ve been to in the last couple of weeks, when I had not been to a single one in the first fifty years of my life.