“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 ank
le 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.”
“Just…stab me!” Kaiden grunted and tried once again to push Gin’s foot off as his faculties slowly restored. “Your constant…blathering is driving me…insane.”
“Hey, there’s that spirit. I like seeing that in the company I come across.” The killer lifted the blade from the floor, grabbed the side of Kaiden’s helmet, and lifted his head up for a moment as if to study him. He shrugged and dropped it, and the back of Kaiden’s head smashed painfully into the ground. “I’ve developed the knack of reading people—had to, really,” he mused as he now twirled the knife in his hand. “I haven’t had a long relationship in the last few years, at least beyond a few where someone really wanted to kill me.”
“You can add me to that list,” Kaiden hissed. Gin looked at him, his eyes hidden behind shades but his lips pursed together. After a moment of silence, the man sighed, clutched the handle of the knife in his hand, and stabbed Kaiden quickly in his upper thigh before he ripped the weapon out almost as quickly.
For a moment, the ace didn’t react. The killer had moved so fast he was almost unsure that it had actually happened. But in the same instant, the pain flared, and though his helmet muffled his cries of pain, his assailant still seemed impressed by the volume. “You know, I think it’s moments like this that make me so…let’s go with endearing to people,” he mumbled.
Kaiden quieted. He sucked his teeth and growled from the pain as he tried to regain his calm. Now that he was fully awake, he needed to decide how the hell he could escape the creep.
“Kaiden, listen close. We’ve only got one shot at this,” Chief ordered. “You still have your blade, right?”
“Tell me, kid, you got a name?” Gin asked and tapped the tip of the blade against the side of Kaiden’s mask.
“Of course I do.” He coughed and scowled at the man. “I don’t see why I should tell you, though. I’ll simply tell the clerk I turn your bounty in to.”
Gin smiled in an almost unnervingly friendly way. “I gotta admit, that’s a new one. Most last words are something about me fucking myself or merely garbled noises.”
“Black-out visor!” Kaiden shouted, and his visor turned almost opaque. His assailant raised a confused eyebrow as Chief popped up beside his head. “Do it, Chief!”
“Howdy!” he chirped and glowed as brightly as he could.
The killer grimaced. Even with his shades, the light was way too bright. He shielded his eyes with his arm and Kaiden used the distraction to retrieve his blade from his gauntlet and stab Gin’s ankle. With a flick of the blade, he ripped through the back of the killer’s leg. Gin didn’t cry out as Kaiden was finally able to roll out from under his grasp. The ace snatched his Tempest that had been knocked to the floor and fell back against the wall but used it to steady himself as he fired. He held the trigger down until the gun overheated. Each shot struck the target in the chest or arms as he shielded his head. The man stumbled back and flipped over the table that he been on when Kaiden first entered. He vented the Tempest, threw it to the ground beside him, and retrieved Debonair.
He aimed above the table as if he expected Gin to hop back on top and lunge at him.
“What the hell was that?” A familiar shriek was easily recognizable as Kane’s voice.
“Are you guys out there?” he called out.
“Is that you, Kaiden? So you are alive,” Magellan responded. “We’ve got the device. You can come out of—”
“Magellan, you have to get in here. Gin is—”
“Nice moves, kid.” A chill coursed through the ace and he turned slowly to the table. There was no way the man could survive nearly sixty shots to his body. “Good grouping too—a little erratic but it shows promise.” The killer threw something over the table and it landed in front of him.
It was his boot, the one that Kaiden had driven his knife into, but the wound revealed no flesh and blood but metallic chunks and severed wires.
“It’s a shame you didn’t go for the other leg. That would have hurt like a bitch.” He chuckled. “It would’ve been the first time anyone did any real damage to me since…Magellan, come to think of it. Speaking of that cheeky little devil, did I hear you call his name?”
“Chief, unlock the door,” Kaiden demanded. He swept Tempest up in his free hand and used the wall for support to avoid putting weight on his wounded leg.
“I guess I should go and say hi. It’s been a few months,” Gin commented. “But I don’t wanna run off if you still want to tussle. But I do gotta admit that I’m more interested in my buddy Magellan than you, so I’ll make this quick.”
He threw something else over the table—a black tube that glowed red.
Oh, no. Disintegration grenade.
“Chief!”
“Got it!”
The door slid open though it wobbled and creaked from the damage. Kaiden threw himself out and scrambled away on his hands and knees. He yelled at his team to get back as a blast of red energy erupted. Hands grabbed him and hauled him clear. Lazar and Magellan dragged him away from the blast while Hodder and Kane readied their cannons.
“What’s going on, youngblood?” Hodder demanded. “Who’s in there?”
“It’s Gin,” Kaiden called.
“That space kil—” Kane’s voice stopped and he made a gurgling noise.
“Kane?” Hodder’s voice was quiet and his tone disbelieving as he stared at the spike in his partner’s throat. The wiry merc dropped his cannon as his hands clawed at his neck. His eyes went wide in shock and blood dripped from his mouth and the wound.
“Kane, what…what happened, man?” Hodder gasped. The surprise in his voice sharpened in pitch as he registered that his friend was mortally wounded. Kane slumped, and his knees struck the floor before his body followed.
“Kane?” Lazar muttered. He took a moment to look at his fallen comrade before he pushed his shock aside. “Hodder, get yourself together!”
“Who the hell did this?” the wild man snapped. He glared at the group with rage before he turned to the room Kaiden had left. Smoke and red dust, remnants of the disintegration grenade’s energy, still billowed out of the room and swirled in the air. Hodder raised his cannon, charged it quickly, and fired three blasts. They pounded through the smoke and exploded inside the room. Silence followed with no cries of pain or surprise and no curses from within.
“Did he escape?” Lazar asked.
“There were no windows in there, and the only door is that one,” Kaiden
explained as he stood, removed a vial from his belt, and applied the thick substance it contained to his wound. He hissed at the burning sensation. The thick grey layer of the medication released an antibiotic and stretched over his wound to act as skin as it connected to the flesh around it and slowly drew it closed. He stood tentatively on the leg. It still hurt but the treatment did help. “I shot him with my Tempest—the entire charge before I had to vent it—and they all hit. He shouldn’t have survived that.”
“If he was that easy to kill, Kaiden, I wouldn’t have had to hunt him as long as I have,” Magellan muttered. “It’s a barrier he stole from a lab on Luna. It was a prototype meant for elite vanguards and surrounds his entire body. Anything energy-based is useless.”
“Get out here,” Hodder bellowed and fired another charged shot into the room. “You coward. You bastard!”
“Hodder! Calm the hell down,” Lazar ordered, but the merc ignored him and yelled a challenge as he charged another shot. Before he fired, something struck the barrel of his cannon. When he released the trigger, the gun exploded and knocked the man across the room. The other three stumbled and Kaiden almost fell, but Magellan caught him.
Hodder coughed and sputtered. Blood gushed from a wound on his forehead and his hands and arms were mangled from the blast, but his anger hadn’t subsided. He stood and bared his teeth as a figure walked out of the smoking room. The merc screamed and charged although Lazar tried to grab him. “Stop, you’re in no shape to fight.”
Deaf to the warning, he tried to tackle Gin. “You took that explosion like a champ.” The killer laughed. The merc bellowed again and slammed into his target who used the man’s momentum against him and spun him violently. “But I have other guys to play with,” he said, his jagged blade in his hand.
Kaiden tried to shoot the knife from his hand, but in one quick movement, Gin drew the steel across Hodder’s throat and dropped the body to the floor. The merc spluttered and twitched for a moment before he stilled in a pool of blood. Lazar winced, and his fist clenched as the killer stepped over the corpse.
Advance (Animus Book 4) Page 10