He stroked his beard in contemplation. “Well, you lost, but a deal is a deal. I said if you fought me I would answer a few questions for you. You got any?”
Kaiden sat up successfully, rolling his head around to face the giant. “Just the one. Why did you want to fight me in the first place?”
“Simple. I was told that you could be a potential trainee for me. I’ve been looking for a good few soldiers to take under my wing. I used to be the headmaster of foundations training but got booted for being too harsh—that would be the Board's words, not mine.”
“All right, who told you about me? Or should I assume my reputation precedes me?”
Wulfson let out a loud laugh. “You don’t have no reputation around here, boy, but keep it up and you might have one at some point. No, that mad idiot Professor Laurie pointed me in your direction.”
Even as the chemicals in his system continued his feelings of euphoria, Kaiden felt the heat of rage building in his veins. “Oh, did he?”
“Yeah, filled me in about your little EI and all. I’ll admit, it is an interesting idea, but it won’t mean a damned thing if you can’t muster up the backbone to put in the work to use it right.”
“What are you talking about? The whole idea is that I get a little boost in points or something while training in the Animus and get a few extra synapse points over time,” Kaiden explained. “But because of Laurie’s crappy foresight, I don’t even get that right away. He’s gotta update all the systems or something before I can do that. Otherwise, my brain might fry.”
“Well then, it’s a good thing he came to me. Because after our little match, I had an epiphany while I was dragging your ass over here.”
“Which was what, exactly?”
“Training in the Animus is only one component of actually getting synapse points. The other two big ones are comprehension and technique. I can help you with both of those.”
Kaiden gave Wulfson a look of incredulity. “You don’t strike me as the kind of guy to know all about the ins and outs of a mind-melding, virtual reality interface.” He raised a weak hand in mock surrender. “Not wanting to make assumptions here, but your little dojo back there seemed more like a junkyard than a gym.”
“It is a proving ground in my eyes, and my in-depth knowledge of the Animus isn’t the point. What I’m offering is to help you train outside of the Animus. You only do as well in there as you can out here, at least until the synapse starts kicking in. You’ll not only get a leg-up on your competition, but you’ll be able to get points faster the better you are. That’s simply a fact.”
Kaiden mulled this over. While he wasn’t exactly thrilled at the beat-down he received, he did have to admit it was nice to get back in the fight. His little trial run showed him the potential and power of the Animus, but he did have to admit the uncanniness of it made it feel a little hollow, no matter how real it seemed.
“I’m back,” Doctor Soni announced. “I hope you apologized to the young man, Wulfson.”
“Not entirely. After all, it was a mutually agreed upon fight.”
“Yeah, and Stockholm Syndrome is another way to make friends,” Chief muttered.
The doctor sighed her disapproval. “Well, I won’t force it. Wouldn’t do any good, probably.” She looked at a tablet in her hand while walking back to Kaiden. “Either way, you need to leave now. Once I’m finished with the patient, he’ll need to rest for him to recover in time for the start of the semester.”
“Aye, no worries. I’ll get out of your hair,” Wulfson agreed as he stood and walked away, “Get some rest, boy, but think about my offer. Originally, I didn’t care if you joined me or not, but now?” He chuckled as he looked back at Kaiden, a wide smile on his face. “You might just make yourself a worthy warrior—if you got the dedication for it.”
Kaiden watched him walk away, sinking back into his bed, deep in thought.
“Well, whatever this is about, I would recommend not making a habit of visiting here too often.” She added, “Otherwise I might think you were getting beaten only for the drugs.”
“I won’t lie, that has been the upside of this,” Kaiden joked.
“Might wanna be careful. This stuff has some really nasty effects after a while.”
“Wait, nasty effects? Like what?”
“I’ll let you think about the possibilities for a bit. Consider it my way of making sure you learn a lesson this time around.”
“Your version of caring is terrible.”
“You do realize she can’t hear me?” Chief reminded him.
Kaiden looked over to see Doctor Soni’s annoyed glare and frown. He apologized quickly and tried to explain that he wasn’t talking to her but the EI that flew around in his head.
She knew about it, of course—she was the one who forwarded the info to Laurie, after all. Still, it was fun to watch him squirm for a bit.
Chapter Eighteen
“So I told him to piss off. If he wants a yes-man, I’m sure there are plenty of kiss-ups looking for a promotion among the tech administration, though they wouldn’t be able to match my skills.” Laurie regaled them with the story between quick sips of wine. “Or, perhaps, take two hundred credits to a red-light district, though they wouldn’t be able to match my skills either,” he added with a laugh.
“Alexander, if you keep that up, you might find yourself employed there.” Mya snickered.
“I certainly have the wiles for it,” he concurred with mirth.
The two Nexus Academy administrators were dining at the restaurant, Belle by the Bay, the silver carpeting and dark walls awash in soft blue and white lighting. The room had a circular design with large windows in the south of the room, looking out at the bay. The waitstaff were in all-black dresses or suits, moving quickly from kitchen to bar to table as the night went on.
As the professor and the counselor continued trading stories, Laurie saw a familiar man dressed in all white with a black tie approach their table, accompanied by a woman with hazel eyes, dark skin, and curly hair. She wore a gold dress and matching earrings.
“My apologies for being late,” Sasha stated, drawing back a chair across the table from the other two and offering it to his companion before seating himself
“Wonderful of you to finally join us, Sasha. I see you brought Ms. Faraji as well.”
“You can call me Akello, Alex. We shouldn’t be so formal,” the lady in question retorted, a playful smile spreading on her face.
“First name basis is so banal for someone as regal as yourself,” Laurie returned suavely.
“You don’t seem so reluctant to address me by my first name,” Mya jested, elbowing him lightly in the ribs.
Laurie feigned suffering, doubling over in mock agony. “Not if you keep up displays such as this. They are why I feel the need to carry a personal barrier field.”
“Usually, you say it is to give you breathing room from all of your admirers,” Akello reminded him.
“A device can have multiple uses.” Laurie finished off his glass and raised it slightly in the air, signaling a waiter for a refill. “These fancier restaurants really need to have automated bars.”
“Perhaps you need to order a bottle instead of one glass at a time. By this point, I would imagine you know that whatever limits you put on yourself are pointless,” Sasha mocked him with a wry smile.
“He complains, but he likes being pampered.” Mya grinned, taking the sting out the words.
“Well, but of course. After what I accomplish on a daily basis, is it not justified?” Laurie asked, a hand moving in a circular motion before he placed it upon his chest.
“Considering most of your physical labor is done by robots?” Akello questioned.
“That I designed,” he retorted.
“Then program them to give you a pat on the back in the future,” Sasha said, a light chuckle escaping him.
“You are all so devilish.” Laurie sounded exacerbated, but he enjoyed the verbal sparring.
/> They continued joking and trading compliments until a waiter came to refill Laurie’s glass, taking their orders along with Sasha’s order of two bottles of red wine. For the sake of the staff, was his reasoning.
“It is a wonderful night. Pity it might be some time before we get together again like this,” Akello remarked wistfully, looking out one of the windows at the bay shimmering in the moonlight.
“Perhaps, but we do have a promising new crop this year—at least the ones I admitted,” Mya noted, taking a sip from her own glass. “A lot of different fields and class potential.”
“You mostly had special cases this year, correct, Mya?” Sasha inquired.
“Yep, got to process a few Tsuna this morning as well, the last of the initial batch.”
“Should certainly shake things up. This is the largest group of alien initiates we’ve ever had.” Akello’s tone carried a note of anticipation.
Sasha nodded. “This is the first year we’ve allowed full integration like this. We’ve only had initial integration in administrative positions or in special cases, never as a full unit of initiates.”
“Well, the Tsuna were the only ones that could actually integrate with the Animus, and even then, it took a bit of tweaking,” Laurie explained. “Surprising, really. I would have thought the Mirus would have been more receptive, considering their psychoactive status.”
“I thought you and your team were working with the Mirus to integrate them with the system?” Mya asked.
“Oh, we did, but didn’t exactly have the outcome we were hoping for,” he confessed. “When we thought we found a proper wave pattern to use to establish a link, we tried to integrate a Mirus volunteer.”
“How did that go?” Akello asked.
“Not well.” Laurie took a slow sip of wine. “A lot of shaking and what I assume were convulsions. Its eyes went from black to a faded gray color, then he exploded.”
By this time, the other three table guests were giving him looks between incredulity and horror.
Laurie continued, “I told their—I believe their term for a scientific officer is the equivalent of ‘maestro,’ as they deem science closer to art in the culture—how envious I am. Anyway, I apologized, and he was actually quite practical. He said that this was a possibility and that it was acceptable in the name of further study. The World Council put the project on hiatus for now. They said that despite the indifferent reaction, they didn’t want to risk possibly angering our new friends. I must admit I gained a new-found admiration for those people over the course of the study.”
After blinking rapidly for a moment, Mya piped up, “You know, Alexander, I keep forgetting that as fun as you are, your version of practicality is quite horrifying.”
“Professor Laurie hasn’t gotten this far by letting morals stop him,” Sasha said sarcastically.
“Why, thank you, Sasha. Nice to know that you acknowledge my accomplishments.” Laurie somehow managed to make sarcasm sound cheerful.
“He is so easily placated,” Akello whispered to Mya.
“Now, what about you, sweet Akello?” Laurie asked, looking at her, causing her to plaster a smile on her face and sit a little straighter. “You will probably have it the hardest of the four of us for the next few weeks. The first year Animus trials are always hard on the instructors. Not to mention you’re an advisor now.”
“You got promoted, Akey? Congrats!” Mya leaned over to clink glasses with her.
“Thanks, Mya, it was only a week ago. Adviser Zhang is now head monitor. I got his position.”
“What happened to Sadira?”
“She was offered a position at the World Council—speaking of that, I don’t know where exactly, but she’ll be a liaison of some sort.”
“Former HM De Silva will actually take over the role of liaison between the Council and the Academy. It appears the Council would like more frequent updates and figured having a former administrator will offer better insight,” Sasha explained dryly.
“You know, all this bureaucracy is really beginning to give me the perception that we are not trusted by our superiors.” Laurie huffed his indignation.
“Careful, one of those superiors is sitting right across from you,” Mya teased.
“I am actually inclined to agree with Laurie in this instance,” Sasha admitted.
“Well now, that’s both exciting and terrifying.” Akello’s eyes went wide with feigned horror.
“The WC has always had a hand in the Academy, along with the other four ark schools in the world. But their increasing micromanaging and inquiries are giving myself and many members of the Board the feeling that something is brewing.”
“Any ideas on what that might be exactly?” Laurie asked.
“Nothing good. They have no fiscal hand in the Academy, and we have neither offered nor demonstrated any reason that we are in dire straits or are doing anything malicious. So, if they aren’t trying to take a more active role due to internal problems, then there must be something they aren’t telling us or a suspicion they have that may have enough truth to it for them to start acting as they are.”
“They are the Earth’s government. Paranoia is rather common for them, isn’t it?” Akello pointed out.
“Perhaps, but considering that the last four years have seen an increase in almost all fields—admittance, technological, and medical advancement—even the scores of our graduated and training students are steadily increasing. Nothing would indicate that we should be a priority in their eyes.”
“You think we are doing too well for them?” Laurie chuckled.
“Honestly? Perhaps,” Sasha stated. “You remember why the Nexus Academy got started in the first place?”
“Of course, it was purposed just before the first contact with the E.T.T.,” Laurie reminded them.
“The what?” Akello asked.
“The Extra-Terrestrial Trinity. It was a nickname given to the first three races humanity made contact with—the Tsuna, Mirus, and Sauren,” Mya explained. “It was before our time.”
“Hmph, thanks for making me feel old, Mya,” Laurie chided. “Yet another reason I don’t address you by your last name.”
Mya rolled her eyes. “You want to continue, Sasha?”
“Of course. Back when Nexus Academy was first being built, it was not to be an ark academy like it is today. It was to be a military training acceleration program to help in creating advanced military weapons and training soldiers quickly with the aid of chemicals and EI integration tools.”
“So, super soldiers?” Akello summarized.
Sasha nodded. “To put it plainly, however, aside from some initial skirmishes with the Sauren on the moon and Station Zappa, no full-scale war was waged. However, the foundations of the program were already laid and money spent.”
“And considering that the Council decided peace was a better option than interstellar war, maybe it wasn’t the greatest image to be building a factory to mass produce super soldiers and weapons that could potentially destroy cruisers—and also, to create possible alien plagues.”
“Did you have anything to do with it, Alex?” Akello asked, giving the professor a suspicious glance.
He frowned. “Darling, I’m forty-seven. I would have been ten years old when this was happening. Granted, I was a prodigy, but the government would possibly be a little wary of giving a child high-level clearance, I would guess.” He finished another glass of wine and wiped his mouth with a napkin. “My father, however, very much was. To this day, I have never seen him so enthralled with his work as he was then. For a few years, my mother and I seemed more like people he would visit between jobs than family.”
“Oh, good, Daddy issues. I can help you with that,” Mya offered cheerfully, causing Akello to giggle.
“I can assure you, my relations with my father are fine. Though getting chances to talk are scarce, since he’s working on the designs for Station Icarus.”
“They are naming a space station after a fable char
acter who fell from the sky?” Sasha asked.
“He has actually suggested a name change on the grounds that it might contribute to hesitation from potential backers.”
“Before we get off track, I would like to know why you brought this up to begin with, Sasha,” Akello interjected.
“Well, ever since the Council decided to restructure Nexus into an ark academy, there have always been a militant few who believed the initial plan should not have been aborted, simply restructured and moved elsewhere—somewhere our new allies couldn’t have observed too easily.”
“They wanted us to keep making weapons for the specific purpose of alien annihilation?” Mya questioned.
“They would classify it as preparation, and while I disagree with the overall method, I can understand the concern.”
Akello raised an eyebrow. “How so?”
“Well, think about it, my dear,” Laurie began. “We happened to be quite lucky if you consider our first encounters with the beings in the great unknown, but do you believe that they are the only ones out there?”
“Wouldn’t they tell us if they had fought or come in contact with hostile races?”
“The Tsuna have, but they weren’t spacefaring and merely observed. The Sauren make a sport of hunting down dangerous creatures from other planets, but the few logs of conversations I have found or documents that have come across my desk indicate they haven’t found any other intelligent races other than the Tsuna. There was a war between them, reportedly, but they were able to declare a truce after some sort of ritualistic combat that took over a month to come to a conclusion.”
“Blood-hungry yet honorable, a fun mix,” Laurie noted.
“Wait, why didn’t we have to do that?” Mya asked, causing all eyes to stare at her in befuddlement. “I mean, I don’t want a fight to the death, but if that’s how it goes…”
“The short answer is we had bigger guns,” Sasha explained. “However, a more involved explanation would be that during the battle on Zappa, a condensed version actually did happen. One of the Sauren warlords went into battle against a sergeant from the United Earth Army. They battled each other for the equivalent of three Earth days before a recovery unit was able to come in and retrieve him. It was apparently enough to earn the respect of that warlord, and it gave us an olive branch that we were able to use in creating a truce.”
Animus Boxed Set 1 (Books 1-4): Initiate, Co-Op, Death Match, Advance Page 17