Animus Boxed Set 1 (Books 1-4): Initiate, Co-Op, Death Match, Advance

by Joshua Anderle

  Magellan aimed his rifle at the oncoming bird and fired four shots as it descended. Each struck the mutant’s head, and it screeched again as it shook its head in pain. Kaiden and the bounty hunter used the moment to rush out of the way as the winged mutant slammed into the roof.

  The rooftop gave way as cracks formed from the impact. A sudden shadow alerted the ace, and he looked up. The devil bird Magellan had shocked now stood above him, its sharp beak poised to strike.

  Kaiden threw himself aside as it descended to impale itself only a few feet away. He scrambled to his feet as the mutant yanked its beak from the surface and released an angry hiss when it turned to swipe at him.

  He spun clear and felt the wind of the beast’s attack behind him. It continued its efforts to skewer him, and he weaved to avoid it. The speed of the attacks increased as the devil bird’s strength quickly returned. Kaiden occasionally tried to fire at the creature, but neither his Debonair or Gin’s Yokai did much to injure or slow the mutant down. The attacks certainly didn’t calm it either.

  Magellan and Lazar fought the other devil bird. The merc had jumped onto its back while it was down and now fired his machine gun directly into its skull.

  The bounty hunter took aim as the beast violently thrashed. When it opened its beak to shriek, he delivered a volley of shots into the gaping maw. Smoke billowed from its mouth, and it continued to buck and flapped its wings to take flight once more. Finally, it managed to dislodge Lazar, who landed hard and vented his machine gun as his partner continued to shoot.

  “We don’t have the firepower to take them down!” the merc roared.

  Magellan lowered his rifle as the devil bird took to the skies. “Maybe not conventionally. Do you still have your grenade launcher with you?”

  “Yeah, but all I have are the kid’s useless shockers.”

  “Not useless. Let me see one.” Magellan took one of the grenades that Lazar tossed him, “Kaiden said they were short-circuited when Gin hit him with the arc piston, but my guess is that they deactivated the priming and activation switches. The energy still remains.” He used a small knife to dig into the outer shell of the shock, tore off a piece, and studied the interior. “Yes, this will work, but there won’t be a lot of room to mess up.”

  “Unfortunately, the only consistent thing we’ve done is fuck up.” Kaiden ran from the other devil bird and created small tremors that they felt through their boots. “Hey, kid, would you keep it down?”

  “Would you get off your ass and help?” Kaiden shouted and turned to fire Debonair as the devil bird opened its beak and tried to bite him. He dove to the ground as the two halves of the beak closed directly above him, pushed up, and continued his dash across the roof. His furious assailant continued the pursuit.

  “It seems its wings are still paralyzed from the shock,” Magellan observed. “But my guess is not for much longer.”

  Lazar sighed, readied his launcher, and unwound the belt of grenades from his arm. “Here, take these.” He tossed them on the ground in front of the bounty hunter as he closed the vent of his machine gun. “I’ll go help the kid. Finish doing whatever you plan to do with that, and don’t let that freak catch you unawares.”

  “No need to worry about that,” Magellan responded. “He’ll show himself again soon but having his gadgets still not at their best seems to have shaken him slightly. If he was caught in that second blast, he’s probably playing it cautious again.”

  “He can play this however he wants,” the merc growled as he walked away. “I’ll take him out the next time he decides to show his face.”

  “Would you piss off already?” Kaiden yelled and hurdled over a generator as the devil bird smashed it under its talons directly behind him. The ace had begun to tire. He’d been beaten, stabbed, shocked, and had run from mutants for the last few hours. All that now accumulated, and he wasn’t sure how much longer he could maintain his current pace.

  Rapid laser fire erupted behind him when Lazar blazed at the back of the mutant. “Over here, you ugly son of a bitch!” the merc howled. The creature turned and Kaiden could see its eye widen and its iris sharpen in anger. He saw an opening, spun, and pulled the trigger of the Yokai to direct a shot into its eye.

  It struck home, and the mutant emitted a pained, angry screech.

  “Nice shot,” Lazar complimented him. “But now it looks more pissed off than before.” The mutant flapped its wings. They were still too stiff for it to take off, but that didn’t seem to be the goal. Instead, it whipped them around aimlessly as if attempting to hit them or toss them with the wind velocity.

  Lazar continued his barrage until his gun overheated. Kaiden fired two more shots from the Yokai. One hit the devil bird in the head, and the other struck its throat. A small spray of blood erupted.

  The Yokai was out of ammo, and Gin hadn’t been kind enough to leave more. Kaiden grunted, slid Debonair into its holster, and shoved the Yokai into a compartment on his leg. He braced himself and ran toward the beast, ducked under its flailing wing, and jumped to wrap an arm around its throat. Clinging with one hand, he grabbed the spike with the other and tried to force it in a little farther.

  “What are you doing, kid?” Lazar shouted. “That thing could take off any second.”

  “And we’ll be easy pickings for the both of them,” Kaiden responded and now climbed to the mutant’s head. “We gotta keep it grounded as long as we can. Keep firing.”

  “You’re in the way,” Lazar said, although he snapped his gun closed and aimed at the beast.

  “Then shoot anything that isn’t me.” The ace continued to climb until he was at the top of the devil bird’s head. The merc’s slugs tore into its body and it wiggled its head quickly to throw Kaiden off as he retrieved his blade and stabbed it into the other eye.

  The mutant screamed and thrashed and stomped its feet into the roof in pain.

  “Kaiden, jump off,” Magellan ordered when he approached from behind Lazar with the launcher and aimed it at the mutant’s open mouth. The ace placed his feet against the bird’s neck and pushed himself off to land several yards away. The beast turned to snap at Lazar and gave the bounty hunter the perfect shot into its mouth.

  He fired the launcher and a glowing orb arced from the weapon and down the creature’s gullet. An explosive sound issued from within the devil bird. It reared back and screeched, and electric sparks erupted from its mouth before it collapsed.

  “What did you do?” Lazar asked as he looked at the defeated mutant.

  “I unlocked the safety mechanism on the bottom of the battery in the grenade, releasing the energy,” the bounty hunter explained. “It supercharges the grenade and increases the energy output and blast radius, but you’re as likely to get caught in the blast as whoever you’re tossing it at, so I improvised.”

  “Heh, good work.” Lazar kicked the mutant’s head.

  Kaiden approached it cautiously. “Is it dead?”

  “I don’t feel like checking for a pulse. But even if it isn’t, I doubt it will recover in time for it to pose a problem for us.”

  At a shrill cry from above, the three turned their attention to the remaining creature. “Do you think you can pull a repeat performance?” Kaiden asked.

  “Perhaps, but it doesn’t look like that’ll be necessary,” Magellan stated and looked in the opposite direction.

  “What do you—" Kaiden’s question cut off when several explosive shots struck the mutant. It jerked, and the massive wings flapped less vigorously as its head snapped toward the north. The dropship approached with its cannons primed. It fired several more shots. The mutant managed to dodge a few, but the rest found their target. It didn’t even cry out as it plummeted to the jungle below.

  “That will cost you boys extra when we get back,” the pilot’s voice chastised from their comms. “That’s for getting me involved in your mess. Have you found the thing you came here for?”

  “We have,” Magellan acknowledged and gestured with his t
humb to the cylinder on his back. “But I recommend you stay at a safe distance for now. There’s been a complication.”

  “Whatever. I’m hourly,” she snorted. “But hurry the hell up. I’d prefer not to hang around here and deal with more bullshit than I have to.”

  The bounty hunter was silent for a moment, then removed the canister from his back and held it in his hand. “You guys should go ahead and head out.”

  Lazar spat a wad of saliva and blood to the ground. “We’ve already been through this,” he growled. “I’m not leaving until I take out that chirpy asshole. His little party favors are dead, and he’ll come back.”

  “He might have actually left this time,” Magellan pointed out. “He didn’t take any opportunity to attack us. If he didn’t intend to—”

  “Magellan!” Kaiden shouted and pointed behind the bounty hunter with one hand while the other reached for Debonair.

  Gin stood with his arm raised and his blade firmly in his grasp. Magellan leapt back, tossed the canister aside, and slung his rifle into his hands. Lazar beat him to it and blasted his machine gun into the man’s chest. The shots passed right through, and the killer didn’t move. His body became transparent, and his head and arms shook with static.

  “Hologram,” Magellan shouted.

  “Where is— Guh.” Kaiden tasted blood. His helmet was still on, so nothing could have gotten in. Cold pain stabbed in his chest and he looked down at a jagged blade. A hand dropped on his shoulder, and Gin leaned forward with perverse glee. “I’m picking up where you and I left off, kid.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  “Kaiden!” Magellan fired two shots at Gin’s exposed helmet over Kaiden’s shoulder. The killer leaned back and released Kaiden who fell to the floor with the blade still in his chest. The bounty hunter continued to fire until an empty click indicated that his rifle was out of ammo. Lazar took up the volley, but the killer simply created a barrier, this one bigger than those before.

  “Dammit, his barriers are getting stronger,” the merc shouted and rushed at their opponent. He swung his massive gauntlet, but Gin danced easily around his swings before he leapt back and tossed two more flashbangs.

  Lazar and Magellan shielded their eyes. “Pilot, fire on him,” Lazar ordered.

  “Who is that?” she asked.

  “Doesn’t fucking matter. Shoot!”

  The ship’s cannons whirred and aimed at the killer, who serpentined across the roof as the blasts left craters in the dome. He created three holograms of him running to confuse the pilot.

  “He’s not getting away,” Lazar challenged and raced after him. “Tend to the kid.”

  Magellan ran to Kaiden and knelt to inspect the wound. “EI, whatever the hell your name is, what are his vitals?”

  “His heart rate is slowing. He’s lost blood, but the blade is stifling the flow. He’s bleeding internally and has passed out from the shock. He was stabbed just above the solar plexus. For that kind of accuracy, you’d need to be a surgeon,” Chief said. He appeared in the air and looked at his fallen partner. “We can’t remove the blade unless we have something to repair the damage or plug the hole. Kaiden used the rest of his adhesive on the merc. All he has is basic rejuv serum.”

  “I have something.” Magellan retrieved a small orb. “Glaze foam. It’ll seal the wound and keep the blood from pouring out.”

  “Even with that, he won’t last long. He needs medical attention or ultra-grade medicine,” Chief advised. He turned to look at the bounty hunter. “I know you want this Gin guy bad, but please don’t abandon my partner.”

  Magellan looked at the EI. “It’s kinda odd to hear emotions from an EI, but I promise you, I won’t.”

  “I’m almost out of shots,” the pilot advised them. The ship’s cannons tried to pin Gin’s location down with little success. “I can’t get a hit on this guy. How the hell is he able to avoid cannon fire?”

  The killer and his holograms ran to where the devil bird had crashed. Lazar was in pursuit and maintained fire but only hit holograms that kept disappearing and reappearing. “Lazar! Stop,” Magellan ordered.

  Although he looked back in anger, the merc obeyed.

  “Pilot, focus your fire on the large cracks in the roof. Bring it down,” the bounty hunter directed.

  “Roger,” she acknowledged. The cannons redirected to the target as Gin passed over it. She fired four rounds at the area and the explosions made the roof section gave way. The holograms vanished and the killer fell into the fissure that opened up.

  “Good work! Come around.” Magellan waved at the ship. The cannons folded into the sides as it coasted to the roof.

  “This mission started with five of you. Are you the only ones left?” she asked.

  “Yeah, and it’ll be one less if we don’t get this one back to a medical facility soon.” Magellan beckoned to Lazar. The merc looked at the hole in the roof and grunted before he jogged quickly to him. “I need you to snap this blade so I can roll him over and take the rest of it out,” he explained. He nodded, placed his gauntlet on the ace’s chest, and gripped the blade firmly. He jerked his fist to the side and the metal snapped. The bounty hunter handed him the orb as he turned Kaiden. He placed one hand on his back and gripped the blade’s hilt with the other. After a slow exhalation, he pulled the blade out in a single swift motion.

  He flipped the still unconscious man again, took the orb from Lazar, and cracked it in his fingers before placing it on the puncture. Light-blue foam formed along the center of Kaiden’s chest and seeped into his wound.

  “Activating wound binding,” Chief stated, and several strips emerged from the interior of the armor and wrapped Kaiden’s chest. “It’ll have to do for now.”

  “Help me get him on the ship.” Magellan and Lazar lifted Kaiden and carried him to the dropship. The side door opened, and they moved him gently to one of the benches. The pilot, a woman in her twenties with dark cropped hair and tanned skin, approached with a red box. “I have basic medical training and some high-grade supplies,” she explained. “What happened?”

  “Stab wound—jagged blade to the chest,” Lazar said and folded his arms.

  “We’ve already removed the blade and applied glace foam. His armor was equipped with medical binding, but the internal damage is severe.” Magellan walked to the back of the ship, opened a crate, and removed three magazines of ammo which he placed on his belt. He tossed a case of thermals to Lazar along with his grenade launcher.

  “Take him to a medical center. We’ll ring you when we’re done.” He prepared to walk out of the ship.

  “I can’t come back,” she protested. “That’s not how the gig licenses work. I can drop you off and retrieve you from a destination only once. After that, I become an unclassified aircraft and am liable to get shot down by the country’s air force, not to mention all the mutants that will be flying around here because of all the ruckus.”

  “Then I guess we’ll find our own way back,” Lazar stated. He loaded a thermal into his launcher and closed it. “Go ahead and take the kid out of here.”

  She looked at Kaiden for a moment, then back at the merc and bounty hunter. “I can probably keep him stable enough for a while and buy you some time.” She opened the medical box and removed a vial and injector. “I can keep the ship in a hover, but you have twenty minutes, tops. After that, I’ll have to leave.”

  “Understood, but if he goes south, you leave immediately,” Magellan ordered. She nodded in acknowledgment as he and Lazar stepped out of the ship. “Stay airborne in case he doubles back,” he shouted to her. She nodded again and closed the door as they ran to the hole in the roof.

  Lazar landed with a loud thud from the impact of the jump as Magellan slid down the side of a pillar, leapt off, and rolled onto the floor. They were in another hangar, this one more derelict than the last, but there was no sign of mutants in this one. Nor, it seemed, of Gin.

  “Gin!” Magellan shouted and activated his pulse. “Come on out.
”

  “Quite your hiding and skulking around,” Lazar demanded. “You’ve been a bitch this entire time, so show some spine.”

  “I know you’re bored with this,” Magellan growled as he proceeded to aim his rifle at every nook and cranny of the hangar in turn. “I won’t stop hunting you, and you won’t be rid of me. I don’t know why you thought coming to Earth was a good idea, but you have to realize how fucked you are when it gets out that you’re here.”

  “With that bounty on your head, every gang on the planet will want a piece of you,” Lazar threatened. “And the Fire Riders will be first in line. I’ll see to that myself.”

  “You bring up excellent points.” Lazar and Magellan spun quickly. Gin stood behind them with his arms folded and his head tilted nonchalantly. Lazar aimed his launcher, but Magellan raised a hand to block his firing line.

  “Another hologram?” he asked. The bounty hunter nodded and pointed to a shimmer along his arm.

  “I’ll admit to a little trepidation on my part. I lost my gun, I’m low on toys, and I only have one knife remaining. I unfortunately lost most of my stash when you blew up the room I used as my temporary living quarters.” The hologram turned its head to face them. “I have to say, big man, you have been more sporting than I expected.”

  “Let me get hold of you and I’ll change this to blood sport,” he muttered.

  “I believe that this has had plenty of blood. How’s Kaiden?” he asked.

  “You won’t claim him,” Magellan vowed. “He’s out of your reach now.”

  The killer chuckled. “You know how persistent I can be when I set my mind to something, Magellan.” The bounty hunter’s eyes narrowed as the hologram tossed its hands up dramatically. “Although to be fair, I’ll probably be far too busy to give him much time in the near future. I understand he’s an Ark Academy student?”

  “You overheard us?” Lazar questioned.

  “I heard you mumbling in the stairwell. But it’s rather easy to tell if you know what to look for—like that pistol of his, which has a schematic straight from the Nexus Academy and is similar to my pistol. I guess that makes us alumni.”