Animus series Boxed Set

by Michael Anderle

  Kaiden checked his belt. “Four.”

  “Well, don’t use too many right now. We’ve still got three more waves after this.”

  “We should probably use this as a chance to start heading back to regroup with Cameron and Flynn,” Silas suggested. He placed a finger against his helmet. “How are you guys doing?”

  Cameron and Flynn were on either side of the door to the main hallway, pinned down by a flurry of bullets and laser fire.

  They looked at each other for a moment, then at the stream of projectiles before Flynn answered, “We’re doing fine.”

  “Understood,” Silas answered and looked back at Kaiden and Jaxon. “They’re in trouble.”

  Jaxon continued to fire as more enemies poured in to replace the ones already destroyed. “We need to get back to them. Kaiden, has your EI found—”

  Two turrets appeared from the low ceiling in front of the desk, took aim, and fired powerful blasts toward the mob. The barrage demolished both droids and heavies in a single attack.

  “I found the security systems,” Chief declared smugly.

  “Good man,” Kaiden cheered as he helped pick off some of the junkers. “Find anything else helpful?”

  “Found four working security bots with miniguns. Whoever designed this place’s security wasn’t fooling.” Chief sounded impressed, a rare occurrence. “They’re on their way.”

  “Chief says he’s got some security bots on the way,” Kaiden informed Jaxon.

  “Ask him if he was able to find a way out of here away from the hostiles.”

  “You get that?”

  “Yeah, most of the cameras are busted or offline, but I found a map. When the bots get here, y’all use the distraction and take off down the right. Then, when you get to the end, hang a left and you’ll be in the main plaza of the hotel. The doors are straight across the way, so just gun it.”

  “Gotcha, appreciate it.”

  “It’s what I do,” Chief bragged without even a pretext of humility.

  “Hey! When the droids get here, fall back and follow me,” Kaiden ordered the other two.

  “Acknowledged, but when are the droids getting—" Silas’ question was silenced by a hail of bullets from above. He looked back to see four security droids of a similar model to the ones they were fighting firing down upon their enemies.

  “They certainly got damn good timing,” he muttered.

  Kaiden holstered his gun and ran toward the hall, motioning the other two to follow. “Come on. While the turrets and droids take on the rest of the wave, we can probably make it back to Flynn and Cameron if we hurry.”

  “So, any other ideas?” Cameron sneered as he demolished another junkbot, backing up slowly as more continued to descend upon them.

  “Well, my waiting for them to run out of bullets plan did succeed.” Flynn brought down another two as the two hurried into the final room in the hall and slammed the door shut.

  Cameron put his gun down, grabbed a shelf, and threw it against the door. “They have knives for hands. That’s still a problem.”

  Flynn added two chairs to the pile before hastening to the other side of the desk that Cameron was trying to move. “Agreed, but those will take quite a bit of time to get through our armor.”

  They picked up the desk and thrust it against the shelf and chairs. The door rattled ominously. Cameron found a small cabinet and threw it on top of the desk. “They can get through it eventually.”

  Flynn added a stack of framed pictures to the pile. “True, but that would take a considerable amount of force.”

  The door began to shake, and the duo could hear the group of junkbots slam against it. Cameron sighed. “I don’t know exactly how many it would take for them to get through, but I’m going to say they have enough.”

  Splinters of wood erupted from the wall as the pointed ends of the junkbots’ claws pierced through. “Ohh…I didn’t think of the walls,” Flynn confessed.

  Cameron snatched his rifle up. “So I’ll ask again, any other ideas?”

  “Well…” Flynn looked at the shattered windows surrounding the office. “There’s always down.”

  “You’re the reason we went to the top floor in the first place.” Cameron scowled. The door cracked open, and three flailing arms full of sharp objects broke through, slashing at anything in their wake.

  “And it worked for a time. Now, this is the new plan.”

  “I’m not sure the wire can hold us for that long. This place is probably crawling with these things, at least down three floors.” Cameron looked both dubious and a little desperate. “You wanna take the risk?”

  “You want to risk fighting three floors of junkers with long-range weapons?” Flynn asked as he pulled a disk from his belt.

  Cameron looked at the doorway that was about to burst and considered the swarm behind it. “Ah… Fuck it.”

  Chapter Six

  The junkbots destroyed the door and surrounding walls, plowing through the furniture barricade for good measure. They were greeted by the two soldiers aiming at them with their rifles. But before they could fire, the bots leaped at them, piercing their chests, throats, and stomachs with their jagged blades.

  Or, at least, it appeared that way.

  The first few that attacked simply dove through them, slamming to the floor. The others crowded in, walking around the unmoving bodies as the others scrambled upright. One of the bots ran a clawed hand slowly through Flynn’s chest as if it was moving through air.

  The bots looked at each other in confusion.

  “You think those holograms are gonna hold them for long?” Cameron wheezed. “And stop holding on to me so tightly.”

  “First of all, they only need to distract them for a moment,” Flynn explained, squeezing harder against Cameron’s chest as they continued their slow descent of the exterior of the building. “And secondly, seeing as we’re inching down a building from the twentieth floor on a line we are not even certain will hold, forgive me if I’m a little clingy out of anxiety.”

  “If I pass out, that’s not helpful either,” Cameron pointed out, irritation lending a sharpness to the words. “What do we do once they figure it out? They’ll come after us or at least cut the line.”

  “If the line is strong enough to hold us, their glorified table knives won’t be able to cut the wire,” Flynn concluded with a confidence that seemed entirely believable. “Besides, once the timer on the holograms runs out, it leaves with an…explosive finish.”

  Cameron stopped pressing the switch, looking slowly at the marksman. “Please tell me you're being metaphorical.”

  The junkbots looked at each other and then at the bodies again. The images flashed for a moment before disappearing into thin air. The group looked down when they heard a ringing noise.

  One of them made a confused meep before being engulfed in an explosion.

  The blast erupted above them, and surprise and rage engulfed Cameron. “You dumbass.”

  “What are you on about? That’s fewer junkbots we have to deal with.”

  “Maybe, but the magnetic hook was attached just beneath that floor. And between our weight and the force from the blast it might make the line” suddenly, they lurched into a spiraling freefall, “breeeak.”

  “Well, this is certainly a problem!” Flynn shouted over the comm as the rushing air deadened his words.

  “You think?” Cameron fumed.

  “Should we hit the de-sync switch?”

  “We’ll probably hit the pavement before it goes off.”

  “Then I suppose we’ll need a—” Before Flynn could finish, they were both enveloped in a shimmering field. In almost the same instant, they slammed into the building, crashing through the windows and bouncing around the room they’d landed in. After spinning along the ground for a moment, the shield vanished, and they came to a halt.

  “Well, whatever that was might qualify as a miracle,” Flynn muttered as he lay prone on the floor.

  “What j
ust happened?” Cameron asked, his voice a little shaky.

  “You guys all right?” Silas asked over the comms.

  “Better than we could have been.” Flynn whimpered, mentally examining himself for damages as he flexed his limbs.

  Cameron was able to drag himself onto his knees. “Did you guys save us?”

  “Relatively…when you consider the fact that we shot you into a building still full of enemies,” Silas answered.

  “What did you do?” Flynn attempted to get to his feet.

  “I had Jax throw my barrier at you to absorb the impact, then I shot you with a ballistic round to fling you into the building,” Kaiden explained.

  “And that worked?” Cameron asked in shock.

  “Well, are you talking to us from inside the Animus?” Kaiden retorted.

  “We certainly are,” Flynn acknowledged. Both heard a rapid tapping from above and froze. The junkbots were descending.

  Cameron used his rifle as a crutch to push himself to his feet. “Might not be for much longer. The junkers are coming back, and Flynn and I aren’t in the best shape.”

  “Some further assistance would be greatly appreciated,” Flynn requested, supporting himself on a nearby desk.

  “On our way,” Jaxon informed their comrades.

  “Make sure those damn things don’t get ahold of my barrier,” Kaiden demanded.

  “Wouldn’t dream of it,” Flynn stated wearily.

  “Not that I see it anywhere,” Cameron mumbled before signing off.

  Kaiden tapped his fingers along his gun before aiming down the sights. “Those ungrateful bastards are lucky that I can’t hit them with another ballistic round at this angle.”

  Silas placed his hand on the barrel, lowering it. “Give them a break. They’ve had a rough day.”

  Kaiden sighed as he rested the weapon against his chest. “I suppose I should save the ammo. Still got three more waves to go.”

  “Two, actually,” Jaxon stated, and Kaiden and Silas looked at him in confusion,

  “Where did wave three go?” Silas asked.

  “The wave that attacked us was wave three. Those two are dealing with wave two.”

  “How does that work?” Kaiden asked.

  The leader opened a map and handed it to Kaiden. “I read what was in the infobox.”

  Kaiden raised his gun into the air with one hand and took the map in the other. He looked carefully at it, and in the corner, it read “waves 2 and 3 of 5 in play” with each group in a different color, one in red and the other in orange.

  “Huh, that’s weird.” He mulled over the oddity for a second or two.

  “Most of everything up till now has been,” Silas muttered.

  “According to this, our wave was completely cleared,” Kaiden announced. “Chief, you back yet?”

  “I’ve been back for a few minutes,” the EI stated, popping up on the display. “I can only control things from a limited distance away, remember?”

  “Vaguely. What happened with the defenses back at the hotel?”

  “I put them on auto and told them to attack anything that moves. I would recommend you don’t go back there for your sake.”

  “You’ve been awfully quiet up till now.”

  “I was enjoying the show. Pretty good plan you made up on the fly, though I’ll admit, I kinda wanted to see them hit the concrete.”

  “Well, thank you for the first part. But I have to say I’m a little concerned with the obvious delight you take in human suffering,” Kaiden confessed with undisguised disgust.

  “Seeing humans in pain is my stress relief fantasy.”

  “You get stressed?”

  “Kaiden, as much as it is interesting to see you converse with you EI, we should probably hurry and assist Flynn and Cameron.” Jaxon interrupted the exchange, pulling Kaiden back into the present.

  “We have been standing here awhile,” Silas added for impetus.

  “Fair enough.” Kaiden handed the map back to Jaxon and took the Raptor in both hands. “But I’m sure they’re managing.”

  “There are too many of them,” Cameron exclaimed, firing into the mass of bots that pushed in through the doorway.

  “At least the door is keeping them in a funnel,” Flynn shouted, charging and firing his shots rapidly, some of them piercing through two or three bots at once. He heard cracking and noticed large amounts of dust falling from the ceiling. He looked up to see fissures appearing in the stone as some of the ceiling fell and revealed the faces of junkbots above.

  “Would you stop giving the murderous robots ideas?” Cameron demanded, spinning to fire through the holes appearing above.

  “I don’t think they are listening to me,” Flynn said defensively, switching between firing at the junkers above and those trying to get through the door. “Though if they are, perhaps I should politely ask them to stop attacking us?”

  “Honestly, I’m willing to try almost anything at this point,” Cameron cried as he smashed a junkbot in its face with the butt of his gun. “Where the hell are the others? Gah!” he cried as a junkbot fell from the ceiling and jumped on him.

  “I’m sure they’ll be here soon,” Flynn said encouragingly. He shot the bot off Cameron and continued to fire on the mob that drew increasingly closer, his legs giving out as he tumbled to the floor. “I seem to be betting my artificial life on it.”

  From the direction of the door, bursts of plasma fire, rapid laser shots, and a concentrated beam of energy tore through the robots. They tried quickly to retaliate or flee, but they were easily struck down as Silas, Kaiden, and Jaxon mowed through the remaining force. The junkers attacking Flynn swung around, but their chests and heads were destroyed by several quick blasts of plasma before they could so much as fire. Kaiden hopped over the heap of melted metal and sparking wires to help Flynn up.

  “I don’t know what you did, but you certainly pissed these things off.” He chuckled, offering Flynn a hand.

  The marksman took it, and Kaiden pulled him up. “Thank you.’ He folded his sniper rifle and dusted himself off. “I may deduct points for being a bit late, but you certainly gain some for a grand entrance.”

  “I certainly always love to impress,” Kaiden bragged. “Plus, I’m sure I got bonus points for the earlier save, right?”

  “Certainly, mate,” Flynn agreed. “As for your barrier, I’m honestly not sure where it went. Maybe thataway?” He pointed to the right of the room. “At least I think that is about where Cam and I landed.”

  Kaiden sighed. “Man, I gave you guys one job…” he grumbled as he walked away to look for his gadget.

  “You all right?” Jaxon asked as he helped Cameron up.

  “I’ll manage. Thanks for the save twice over.”

  “Hold still for a second.” Silas placed a hand on Cameron’s shoulder and pushed a syringe into his neck.

  “Ow! What the hell?” Cameron yelped, grabbed at the injection point, and turned to stare at the raider.

  Silas held up the empty syringe. “Healing stim. Feeling a bit better now, I’m guessing?”

  Cameron quit rubbing his neck and began rolling his shoulders, bouncing a little. “Yeah, almost as good as new.”

  “Good to hear.” Silas nodded, then turned to Flynn, holding up another vial. “I get two vials per gadget slot. Got one here with your name on it if you’d like.”

  “Damn straight I do,” Flynn declared as he walked over to the trio.

  Kaiden walked back as Silas skillfully administered the injection. “Found my barrier,” he declared, waving it in the air for a moment before attaching it to his belt. “Need to let it regenerate. That little stunt really did a number on it.”

  “To be fair, you did shoot it with a ballistic round,” Flynn pointed out as he stretched his arms.

  “Better than letting you continue your fall. I’m not sure the barrier would have absorbed all that force.”

  “So, what do we do now?” Cameron asked.

  Jaxon pull
ed his map out. “Wave four will be coming soon. We should find a better position.”

  “Are we going to vote on the best crumbling building?” Kaiden asked sarcastically.

  “The one next door is only missing the top two floors,” Flynn remarked, peering out the gaping hole where a window had once been.

  Jaxon pointed out to the streets. “I vote we go back to our original plan. Kaiden, Silas, and I take point on the streets. Cameron and Flynn take a higher position and provide covering fire.”

  “Because that went so well last time.” Cameron scowled.

  “Just try to keep from having any buildings fall on you this time around, and you should be good,” Silas joked.

  “There’s something else,” Jaxon stated, looking back at the map.

  “Didn’t even have any good news first.” Flynn sulked, and Cameron shook his head at him.

  “What’s wrong?” Kaiden asked, moving to Jaxon’s side to take a look at the map.

  “There’s a countdown.” He pointed just above the main map.

  Kaiden saw a timer ticking down. “Fifteen minutes? Fifteen minutes till what?”

  “Maybe reinforcements?” Flynn suggested.

  “You’re being hopeful again,” Cameron chided without a trace of humor.

  “That’s possible, but I thought Kaiden’s EI said that reinforcements came after the fourth wave,” Silas commented.

  “You got any idea what it could be, Chief?” Kaiden asked.

  “Not a clue. Like I said, nothing in the scenario info explained what was supposed to happen in the fifth wave or mentioned anything about a countdown.”

  “Perhaps it’s a time-based challenge?” Jaxon volunteered when they all looked at him expectantly.

  Cameron picked up his rifle “That means we don’t have a lot of time.”

  “Agreed.” Silas nodded and readied his machine gun.

  “Let’s go with Jax’s plan since we don’t have anything else and the bots are on their way,” Kaiden suggested.

  Jaxon nodded, priming his beam rifle. “Cameron, Flynn, go on top of that smaller building down the street.” The Tsuna pointed to a structure a block down. “The three of us will stay in front of them and use the buildings as cover.”