“There were times where we lost good men or dealt with horrors that no sane man would willingly confront, let alone try to kill them. You grow strong and determined in the military, but it begins to compound after a while—all those instances of shock and revulsion, anger and helplessness. I saw good men become nothing more than husks as the years went on, their minds still in control but the will gone. I always see those men as my failures, not their own. I should have seen the change sooner and done something about it.”
Kaiden was at a loss for words. He looked away for a moment to allow his companion to compose himself before he continued. “When I saw you and you told me what happened, I had that same sinking feeling. I’m sure you’ll say I’m usually boisterous and brash, and yeah, sure I am. I’m not here to psychoanalyze you or whatever is the normal thing, but I want to believe there are different ways of dealing with trauma if you catch it before it truly takes hold.”
“I’m not traumatized,” Kaiden vowed and clenched a fist. “I lived, he’s a killer, and he failed. I’ve proven I’m plenty strong.”
“And I know that that’s not always enough,” Wolfson stated. “I watched your trial. You were fine when dealing with the normal trash bots like you always are. But when I sent in that top-class Assassin, you acted like you were a novice again.”
“So that was you,” Kaiden grunted. “Chief said he read someone tampering with the console.”
“I wanted to see how you are. Fighting those children’s toys won’t prove anything except that you can still shoot well and you’re smart enough to avoid getting hit.” He looked at his student for a moment. “Which you did a couple times.”
“They were sentries and the shots felt like mosquito bites,” Kaiden said defensively before he lowered his shoulders and leaned back. “Although I suppose that’s an excuse, isn’t it?”
“It’s good to see you haven’t lost all your instincts.” Wolfson nodded. “But you have the right idea. We gotta make sure you’re back to par. That infuriating ego may be a pain to deal with when you’re mouthing off, but it’s also one of your most valuable assets. You’ve almost made it out to be some sort of superpower. I’ve seen guys like you charge into the fray and yell about how they will kill everyone before they die in a hail of laser fire. Yet you’ve avoided that, for the most part, and actually lived up to your boasts.” Wolfson assumed control of the ship, banked toward the forest, and looked for a place to land. “I may complain, but I don’t want to see that fire of yours go out.”
Kaiden thought over the man’s words for a time. “I…appreciate that, Wolfson.” He tapped his fingers on his arm. “But why does that bring us here?”
“Like I said, it won’t do much good if you simply run the basic stuff. Doubt is one of the first things that hobbles a soldier.” The instructor finally spotted a clearing and took the dropship in slowly. “You told me before you left that your gig in the Amazon had mutants as potential hostiles, right?”
“They didn’t turn out to be only potential,” Kaiden remarked.
“But I bet you didn’t have a problem with them, right? Did it feel good to go against something with grit?”
He mulled it over and cocked his head to one side. “I destroyed a few and things got a bit dicey here and there, but we mostly ran away.”
“Don’t talk like that, Kaiden,” Wolfson snapped, and the ace jumped in his seat. “That’s what I was talking about. Normally, you brag about your kill count and how it was a walk in the park for you. Even if you mentioned a retreat, it would be made out as a tactical decision or because you were bored. You can’t focus on your failings. There’s a thin line between humility and meekness, boy, and you’ve tripped and fallen onto the bad side.”
“All right, all right, I getcha,” he said in an annoyed tone. “What am I supposed to do, then?”
“There are mutants in this forest—Likan, which are essentially meaner and more vicious wolves,” the instructor explained as he unlatched the belt of his seat. “This enclosure isn’t to keep them in a safe area for themselves, it’s to keep them away from the outside world. One of the changes was to their breeding patterns and visibility. They breed like rabbits. It’s hunting season for them and any hunters and trackers with the balls to go after them come and collect heads and pelts for their bounty.” He stood and headed to the back of the ship. Kaiden followed. “I want to show you—or rather, have you show yourself—that you can take these gigs, that your skills aren’t suddenly crap because you fell into a bad situation.”
“And you thought the best way to do this was to take me into a forest filled with mutant wolves?” the ace asked.
“There’s a cave nearby, and a pack always takes it over during the year. We’ll go in there to not only take care of a few of them but you—” He spun and pointed a large finger at Kaiden. “You will go after the alpha.”
“Specifically? Why?” he asked and clenched his fist slightly as another bubble of doubt grew in his stomach.
“You got the skills, weapons, and tech to deal with the runts and betas, but the alphas acquire their status by being the leader of the pack. They are the meanest and most cunning among them. Some even have mutations unique to themselves. I’ll be with you, but I know you can take it out. You failed when confronted by an enemy with unique skills in the trial, but I want you to know that it won’t stop you now.”
Kaiden looked at the cockpit and out the window to observe the forest. Doubt still stirred, but it had dwindled between Wolfson’s encouragement and a voice within himself that barked at him to man the hell up.
“You keep saying I have weapons and armor, but I told you I lost my machine gun and most of my armor, and I left Debonair at the Academy. There isn’t a lot of room for mistakes with only an underlay.”
“Nah, you got something.” Wolfson withdrew a massive case from one of the compartments. He placed it horizontally on both benches and popped it open to reveal a set of silver and black armor and a round helmet with a curved visor. “I got this for you to celebrate your first successful high-level gig. You did succeed even if you don’t feel that way.” The large man took a rifle with a large barrel and metal frame from the compartment and tossed it to Kaiden. The ace grabbed it and examined it. His fingers traced the outline of a small chamber on the bottom of the frame.
“It looks like this thing fires energy blasts,” he noted and watched the glowing white energy that swirled around the tube. He stared curiously at Wolfson. “This doesn’t seem like your style.”
“I didn’t get it for me,” he replied with a smile. He handed Debonair to Kaiden. “So, what do you say?”
The ace rested the gun against his shoulder and glanced at the armor, then at Wolfson. “You said we’ll get paid for this?”
“Five to seven thousand creds per Likan, twenty to thirty for an alpha,” the instructor confirmed.
He closed his eyes for a moment, the trepidation faded, and he grinned. “It would be a waste to not give your gifts a quick test.”
Kaiden approached the cave. No Likan were in evidence, but bones and rotting carcasses were scattered around the entrance. He looked at Wolfson, who was decked out in slightly worn heavy armor with a faded WCM logo on the chest. “Are you sure you’re gonna be all right in that old stuff? You don’t even have a helmet.”
The large man nodded with a grin. “I’ll be fine. This is about you, remember?” he declared as he pumped his shotgun
“At least I don’t have to deal with the smell,” Kaiden muttered. “Are we going in?”
“Let’s.” Wolfson charged ahead and Kaiden followed.
It didn’t take long for them to encounter some of the Likan with the way Wolfson barreled into the cave. They had apparently awoken them from a nap, and the mutants were pissed. Kaiden stood his ground as one howled from a ledge above. He aimed and fired. Even with the dampeners, the shot knocked his weapon back a little, but the blast almost evaporated the front half of the creature.
This’ll do just fine.
Wolfson hurtled into a leaping Likan and knocked it to the ground before he fired at another approaching beast. He pumped his gun quickly and slammed his boot down on the first creature’s head. As he turned to fire at another one above, he yelled, “Stop stroking that thing and get to work.”
“Give me a moment to admire the craftsmanship and whatnot,” Kaiden retorted. He spun quickly away from a swipe by one of the runts and shoved the butt of his gun into it. The Likan staggered, and he whipped Debonair out to finish it off with a few quick shots. He turned and fired his rifle behind him. The blast shredded two flanking wolves.
“Are packs usually this big?” he asked as a trio appeared from farther in the tunnel. “How are there so many?”
“I can give you the facts of nature when we’re done here,” Wolfson snarked. He grabbed one mutant by the throat and smashed it into the ground before he tossed it into the wall. “Focus on taking them out. Gah! Get off me, jävlar!” The large man roared as two Likan had landed on the back of his armor and their strong fangs bit through the metal.
“Wolfson!” Kaiden turned but froze at a frenzied bark behind him. The new mutant seemed stronger and better fed than the others. The ace fired a blast from the rifle, but the beast managed to avoid it and continued its attack as the blast exploded behind it. Kaiden rolled as it leapt at him, flipped a switch on his rifle, and fired at its stomach as it sailed overhead. The rifle shot a wave of energy that catapulted the Likan forward to impact another creature that Wolfson had thrown. The instructor jumped back and crushed the other attacker on his back into the cave wall. He grabbed the dazed mutant by its tail and hurled it into the ground before he threw it aside.
“You know, with your name, I would have thought you’d show more kinship with these things. You are kind of a mutant yourself,” Kaiden jested.
“Hilarious,” Wolfson muttered, dusted himself off, and retrieved his shotgun. “All right, deeper into the cave we go. That alpha has to be here somewhere.”
“How far in do you think we gotta go?”
The large man shrugged, stepped over the corpses, and proceeded. “This is a pretty big place, and he could be in deep. Alphas usually only go on big hunts and let everyone else take care of the small stuff. It’s probably lounging somewhere… Aye?” A cracking sound echoed as Wolfson walked to one side of the cave followed by a rumble and rush of rock and dirt as he disappeared.
“Wolfson!” Kaiden shouted and ran forward. He readied his rifle, but when he looked down, he didn’t know whether he should be worry or laugh.
The Security head had fallen down a hole.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Kaiden peered down into the hole to locate his companion, but it was too dark. “Wolfson?” he called. “Wolfson, are you alive?”
“Aye, though the embarrassment makes me wish I wasn’t.” His low, gravelly response sounded unamused.
“How far down are you? I can’t see you.”
“Do I look like a damn geologist?”
“I’m not sure what that has to do with anything. I think you confused your jobs. Do you need me to come down?”
“Well, I would think… Actually, no, this could work out,” Wolfson said thoughtfully.
“What are you yackin’ on about?” Kaiden asked. “Did you hit your head on the way down?”
“Maybe, but that ain’t a problem.” A small light appeared below. Wolfson had fallen a significant distance.
Kaiden snickered. “Maybe not.”
“I didn’t know there was another level down here. You can run through the top level, and I’ll run down here. The first one to find the alpha will radio the other—” He was cut off by the sounds of snarls and barks.
“Are you sure you’re gonna be all right?”
“Might I remind you which one of us hasn’t lost during our little skirmishes? These little beasties won’t do anything but give me a little more grief than a warm-up,” Wolfson bragged. “I’ll be fine. Get your ass in gear and find that big bastard.” Shotgun fire and more rabid barks issued from the lower level.
“Stay alive, Wolfson,” the ace muttered. “I’ll keep my end of the bargain if you do that.” He stood and ran through the cave in search of his mutated monster of a prey.
“Did you find anything yet, Chief?” Kaiden asked as he examined the dark dens of rock and dust.
“Nada. I would usually complain about you not getting upgrades, but I’m gonna say this once that I’m glad you haven’t gotten the scanner upgrade for scents,” Chief mused. “It would probably be a big fog of musk and scat.”
“That’s why I watch my footing even though we’re on flat ground.” He occasionally heard rocks fall, drips from stalactites, and paws running along the floor, but they hadn’t encountered even one more Likan on their journey through the cave.
“I wonder how Wolfson is doing.”
“I don’t think we need to worry about him. I felt sorrier for the mutants when he batted them around like that,” the EI said before he rolled his eye. “Although that wasn’t a great plan, telling us to call him when we found the alpha. He doesn’t have a comm on that old junk armor of his. Not one I can link to, anyway. Does he not update his equipment?”
“I’m sure he at least has a tracker.” Kaiden looked up, and in the enhanced vision on his visor he saw a new path in the distance. “It might be old, but it’s still military equipment and was top-of-the-line when he got it. It’ll have that as standard.”
“Yeah, top-of-the-line two decades ago. Even if he got your gear off the discount rack, it still smokes his.”
The ace glanced at his armor through his HUD. “This stuff is almost as good as the suit I use in the Animus. He probably spent a hefty cred or two on it.”
“Nice of him, for sure. But he also can’t beat you up if you’re already crippled when you get back from missions,” Chief pointed out. “I have to say that it is nice to see you getting your groove back. I was a little worried that all this had put that idea out of your head for good.”
Kaiden stopped for a moment and rested his rifle against his chest. “I’m not gonna lie, I thought that for a little while too. But I’m starting to understand what Magellan meant when he said to not let Gin haunt me.” His teeth clenched and his heart raced a little faster. “I won’t let him get to me. I won’t let him beat me when he isn’t even here.”
“Or he could be right behind you right now,” Chief quipped and earned a glare that was more annoyed than angry. “Sorry, stupid joke.”
The ace sighed but quickly followed it with a chuckle. “It’s good to see you back to your old self, even if the sense of humor still needs work.”
“I guess I’ll also admit to being a little shook up for a few days there.”
“It felt pretty close to death, huh?”
The EI looked away as he responded. “That wasn’t my primary concern.”
Kaiden scoffed, but his grin remained. “Thanks, partner.” He continued down the path. “Now, let’s see if we can find that big beastie, as Wolfson would put it.”
“Sure thing, but my guess is that if it’s hiding out, then there’s a better chance that Wolfson will— Kaiden, to your left. I’m picking up a heartbeat.”
He moved to the cave wall, flattened himself against it, and slid toward a hole in the rock. Cautiously, he leaned into the cavern. A large shape rested atop a pile of some kind at the far end.
“That is big,” he whispered. “Ten gets you twenty that’s the alpha.”
“I ain’t taking no fool’s bet,” Chief retorted. “Besides, you haven’t given me my allowance for the month.”
Kaiden rolled his eyes as he crept inside. He inched closer to the beast, alert for any other Likan, but it seemed this one liked its solitude. At only about ten yards away, he paused and studied his target. It was massive and even in it’s curled, sleeping state it seemed bigger than the soldier. He zoomed in his vision to study the gray fur with black and white
patches. Deep claw marks scarred its face, snout, and front legs. This thing had seen some fierce fights.
“Most mutants have accelerated healing, but even then, it has scars,” Kaiden said quietly. “You think we should wait for Wolfson?”
“It looks like you got a good chance to take it down without a fight.”
“I kind of feel bad taking it out while it’s sleeping but—”
“You’ll feel worse when those fangs and claws dig into you, trust me,” Chief warned. “Take it out, and if you need more reason, look at what it’s sleeping on.”
Kaiden raised his rifle and peered through the scope. A pile of corpses constituted the alpha Likan’s bed—different animals and other, smaller wolves, potentially previous challengers for its rank. But then he saw human body parts strewn among them as well.
His sympathy evaporated as he flipped the switch on his rifle to return it to firing shots. The mutant’s ears twitched for a moment, but it was too late. The ace depressed the trigger and fired. Instantly, the alpha scrambled to its feet, snatched one of the bodies from the pile, and threw it up. The shot collided with the corpse and scattered the remains.
“This thing is smart.”
“And quick, dammit!” Kaiden cursed, jumped back, and prepared for the attack. The Likan slid off its bed and stared at the intruder with red eyes as if it to figure out if he was worth its time.
There was something familiar about that look like it mentally tossed a coin on whether this was a threat or a plaything.
The soldier growled and fired two more shots at the beast, which evaded them easily and dashed toward him with its bloodstained fangs visible. Kaiden prepared to fire another shot, but the wolf was on him faster than he’d thought possible. It lashed at him and forced him back. He lifted his rifle and moved his arms back. His finger hit the trigger and sent a blast at the ceiling.
The roof of the cavern erupted, and rocks and stalactites fell from above. Both he and the wolf scrambled back to avoid getting crushed. Kaiden recovered quickly and scanned the cavern for the alpha. The mutant was difficult to see in the low light and dust, but a skitter of rock to his left alerted him and he turned quickly. The Likan stood on top of the debris and stared balefully at him. It was no longer curious but furious and crouched and snarled as it prepared to attack.
Advance (Animus Book 4) Page 20