“What have you and Cyra found out?” he asked.
“We’ve been in training, mostly, but the professor told us something troubling.”
“What’s that?”
“The AO seems to be using Asiton tech,” she revealed.
“Asiton?” Genos asked sharply and glanced quickly at the screen before he returned his focus to the window. “Those were the machines that caused a war, correct?”
“Yeah, about a hundred years ago now.” Kaiden nodded. “Are they building new models or only retrofitting scrap?”
“I’m not entirely sure. But they do seem to have some functioning models from the past.”
The ace was sure those had been upgraded, but even for tech that was a nearly a century old, the Asitons were nothing to dismiss lightly. After all, he would know considering he’d fought with them a few times in the— Shit, were they testing them against him? He felt both anger and concern flare up in him but this was something he had to consider. If they were, he had survived and now had some experience fighting them. That could come in handy if they did have Asitons in their ranks.
“We’ll have to make sure we let everyone know. But I’m sure their main force is still only droids, right?”
“Only droids? You are aware that all these droids are well armed and probably modified to well past what we’re used to fighting?” Chiyo sounded a little acerbic.
Kaiden nodded and leaned back. “I’m sure you’re right, but Julio said he would help us with arms and armor as well. I doubt even he can outfit everyone, but all the gangs have their own gear and I know the Kings and Riders won’t skimp on that.”
“Perhaps, but I know that you didn’t plan for this to be a siege.” she pointed out.
“True enough. Technically, you and the other hackers will be the main force.” He ran a hand through his hair and closed his eyes. “I hate to put you in such a dangerous position. But if you can get in there and shut everything down—or even better, turn them against each other— that will win the day more than anything.”
“Don’t be sorry,” she said. “That’s what we’re here to do.”
The ace smiled. “You sound more like a soldier than a techie.”
“Even logistics are trained for combat at Nexus,” she replied with a smile of her own. “Our engineers especially—isn’t that right, Genos?”
“Technically, my class is more battle-oriented than others so…” He looked over to see both his friends staring at him. “Ah, you meant that as a compliment. I agree.”
Kaiden shrugged and his smile returned. “Hey, he has idioms down for the most part. You can’t knock him too hard.”
“Yes, please don’t,” the Tsuna concurred.
“Cute, Genos.”
“We can discuss more when we’re all together,” Chiyo said. “You both will be back in time for the feast, correct?”
“Oh, yeah. The finals feast,” Kaiden recalled. “We wouldn’t miss that. It’s two nights away, right?”
“Yes. They are holding it early this year since many masters already have their operations ready and they can have an early start,” she explained.
“I hope we can join them, but we still have things to put into place.” He frowned and thought through the growing list. “Flynn and Cameron will give me hell for being late to the party.”
“When we reveal that we were the ones to oust the organization, you can feel free to give them hell right back,” she retorted. “Until then, I believe we should play it as safe as we can before that is no longer an option.”
“Well said,” he agreed. “See you soon—actually before you go, have you seen Sasha or Wolfson around?”
“Laurie mentioned meeting with them sometime soon. I assume to have a discussion much like ours.”
He nodded. “We all need to meet at least a couple of times to go over everything, including the gang leaders. Although all the teachers said they were looking into things themselves. I wonder what they are talking about?”
Chapter Eighteen
As soon as the commander walked into the private room, he was greeted by the professor’s sing-songy tone. “Greetings, Sasha!”
Laurie and Wolfson sat across from each other in large chairs and he was almost irate that both seemed to take this rather lightly until he noticed neither of them had a glass or bottle in hand. Most people probably wouldn’t have noticed but for Laurie, it was almost unheard of.
“Were you able to get in touch with that bounty hunter friend of yours?” Wolfson asked and gestured to the chair between the two for him to sit.
He nodded as he took his place. “He sent a message that he would be coming, but he’s out at the moment.”
“Out as in…” The large man raised an eyebrow in query.
“He didn’t elaborate, but he’s in space. Only a gate away, though, so he’s probably already made it to one of the stations and is going through processing, with luck,” Sasha answered. “I think I may have caught him in the middle of a mission. He mentioned Oliver Solos.”
“Solos?” Laurie inquired. “Oliver Solos looking for help from a bounty hunter? That’s curious.”
“Are you looking for new gossip?” Wolfson asked.
“No, although I might be reaching,” the professor admitted. “Solos has his hands in a number of companies, yet none of them have been affected by the curious buy-outs that other companies have faced.”
“The ones we’ve linked to AO?” Sasha asked, his expression thoughtful. “I’m not aware of his entire portfolio, but he does have a stake in both Axiom and Sovereign Arms. You would think both of those would prove to be enticing targets.”
“Maybe that’s why they’ve been left alone,” the head officer suggested. “Maybe they’re too obvious. If they were suddenly bought out or their management replaced out of the blue, even those not looking into a group potentially taking over the world would take notice.”
“Maybe they have been,” Laurie countered. “We’ve only looked into public articles. It’s not hard to believe they’ve installed someone behind the scenes or simply buried the story.”
The commander nodded, removed his oculars, and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I’ll have to ask for more details once Magellan gets here. Until then, I suggest we go over what we know. I’m sure we’ll have a gathering of all parties in a couple of days, so we need to determine where we stand before then.”
“Honestly, we’re all up to speed—even Wolfson,” Laurie confirmed, twisted in his chair, and hung his legs over the armrests.
“I have to be up to speed,” the large man stated. “I have to know what’s going on, considering I’ll actually be on the field if this all works out.”
The professor waved a dismissive hand. “I’ll send Cyra in my place—not out of laziness but because she’s the better infiltrator. Given the scale of the battle, I’m not much use in the field beyond as an escort. Sasha can attest to that.”
The commander shook his head. “You give yourself too little credit, Laurie, but I will agree that it may not be the best place for you. But you realize you’ll have to cover our tracks once we all set out.”
He frowned but nodded. “Perhaps we can— Oh?” He yanked his tablet from his pocket and glanced at it, a small smile on his lips. “Well, good news. We have new developments. Kaiden finally contacted Chiyo.”
“He went dark?” Sasha asked.
“I haven’t heard from him since our last talk before he took off,” Wolfson revealed. “I wondered what he was up to but he seemed to have had big plans.”
“And it seems they bore fruit.” Laurie put the tablet on the table between them. The head officer waited curiously while the other man picked it up, read the message, and his eyes widened. “Three hundred? And droids?”
“Three hundred what now?” Wolfson asked.
The professor smiled and placed his chin into the palm of his hand. “Three hundred lovely men and women armed and ready to raid that fortress.”
Wolfson’s head almost snapped with how fast he turned to look at him. “What? Where did he get that many recruits?”
“Well, I wouldn’t exactly call them ‘recruits’ considering they are working for spoils,” Sasha admitted and handed the tablet to him. “But it appears his previous engagements with gangs has paid some dividends.”
The giant took the tablet, read it for himself, and uttered a loud chortle. “Well, damn. It seems the boy may make a good ace by graduation, after all.”
“Are you enjoying your new placement?” Dario asked Lycan on the holoscreen as he took a sip of his drink.
“We’re getting more action at least, although it’s been nothing but bots so far,” the brute admitted with a shrug. “I gotta hand it to the brains around here. These droids they are developing may look like the other droids with a nice paint job and new parts, but damn if they aren’t a hell of a lot more interesting to crush.”
“I promised you that much, didn’t I?” The assassin chuckled and took another sip. “And I know what you’re thinking. Before you wonder about getting some real action, remember that the whole point of the base is to be a relative secret. It is a registered facility so no flyover by the military should raise any alarms, but that won’t stop curious travelers and some less than innocent plunderers from taking a look.”
“Like that really needs our special touch,” the merc protested, but he also wore an amused grin. “Still, though, we’re keeping busy now and this new armor? The fit is fantastic!” He flexed to show off a dark armor set with deep red lines over the arms and chest.
“Only the fit?” Dario questioned, amused. “How about the upgrades? Most would mention that first.”
The man waved him off. “I’ve never been one for more than the necessities, but Jalloh and the others seem to really like them. Speaking of which, Jalloh apologies for not speaking to you personally. He’s been busy talking to all the techs and whatnot about security and testing and all that. Personally, I think he’s sweet on one of the scientists here. He spends an awful lot of time in the labs and personal rooms if, you catch me.”
“Really, now? Well, every man needs his personal distraction. One fights harder when there’s something to come back to.”
Lycan nodded and studied the assassin. “Talking of fighting, it looks like you’re about to head off to take part in some yourself?”
Dario reattached his recharged gauntlet. “Am I that obvious?”
“Are you trying to make me jealous?” the man snickered. “Where are you off to?”
“A personal mission for Merrick—a real one this time. The last one was merely an errand,” he admitted, finished his juice, and sighed when he looked at the empty glass. “I always celebrate with a good glass of cognac or wine, but considering where I’m going, I need all my faculties.”
“I’m surprised you don’t have some mod to take care of inebriation.”
He chuckled as he placed the glass down. “That’s part of the enjoyment. Why would I want something to stop me from having fun?”
The man scratched the back of his head. “Eh, maybe I keep the wrong company. You aug types always seem to want to jam as much new tech in you as possible.”
Dario looked at his artificial arms. “These…weren’t a personal choice. I’ll admit they are quite handy, though. They work well in conjunction with my gauntlets to control— Heh, sorry, I don’t mean to bore you.” He looked at the screen as an alert scrolled across the monitor to advise him that he was nearing his destination. “I’ll have to let you go, for now, Lycan. Once I return, I’ll see about getting you something more visceral. Feel free to keep the armor as a token of appreciation.”
“I’m happy to.” He nodded with a wide smile. “We’ll keep this place safe until you get back to us. Go out there and break someone’s leg for me, all right?” With that, he signed off.
The assassin smiled. He certainly liked that man’s enthusiasm. But as he neared Terra, the first cloud city and home of the World Council, he took a moment to look back at the four golems in the bay of his ship, all of them specially designed to look like four certain people. Four particular council members.
He was there to do more than simply break a leg or two.
Chapter Nineteen
The evening sky hovered over the glowing lights of the Academy plaza. Nearly all the masters were there, talking, laughing, and yelling at one another with excitement and bravado. The tables were as full as ever and in fact, there even seemed to be more Tsuna dishes than normal. Kaiden noticed that more of the human students were brave enough to try them this year as opposed to the hesitation of the last couple of years.
He, however, was not one of them and selected his usual steak, pilaf rice, a baked potato, and grilled asparagus before he carried his tray to the table where all his other friends were already dining and chatting. He took a seat between Chiyo and Genos, glad he’d chosen to take a couple of bottles of beer as well. They would probably be the last he’d have until this was all over. With only a few more days of preparation, he wanted a little relaxation as well. He began cutting into his meal with a smile as he observed the festivities around him and felt the palpable thrill in the spring night air.
“So, how does everyone feel now that there won’t be any hand-holding?” Cameron asked and gestured around the table with his fork, specifically at the human ace and marksman. “Kaiden? Flynn? Do you feel any concern now that you won’t have the Animus to fix your fuck-ups?”
“The whole point of the Animus is to prepare us for real missions. If we were dying all the time, how would we even be third years by now?” Flynn answered with a laugh and thumped Kaiden on the shoulder. “What’s the matter, Kai? Not feeling so sure of yourself?”
“I still have some planning on my end so I won’t head out until the end of the week at the earliest,” he admitted. “It looks like you might actually win the pot this year.”
“You think so, huh?” the bounty hunter asked after he’d swallowed his mouthful of steak. “Luke, Raul, and I have made our plan and it’s a masterpiece.” He knocked the back of his hand against Raul’s shoulder to his left. “Ain’t that right?”
“As best as it can be, considering we’re going to apprehend a potential terrorist,” Raul said as he finished chewing a piece of salmon. “Go ahead and boast about it all you want. Better here than during the mission.”
“Terrorist?” Kaiden asked. “How did you get a mission like that?”
“His uncle set it up,” Raul explained. “Cameron thought that all the missions the faculty handed out were too… Let’s go with not up to his standards.”
Cameron speared a piece of asparagus. “Raul is only upset he doesn’t have an easy gig, but where’s the fun in that? And don’t worry about us. This is a simple retrieval. I’ve already gone on a dozen missions with my dad and uncle exactly like it.”
“You may be prepared for what the mission has to offer,” Genos interjected, about to take a bite of a purple orb. “But you should know that’s not the only thing you should focus on.”
“What are you talking about there, Genos?” Luke asked.
“Well, we are scored not only on completing our mission but how quickly we finish it and in comparison to other students with similar missions,” he explained. “I wouldn’t put it past some to maybe sabotage others to give them a leg up, like the Death Match. Perhaps not so brazenly, but there could be bugs, invasion drones, or recorders hiding around the plaza,” he suggested.
Some of the others began to look around, either with furtive, darting glances or even twisting their whole bodies in search of any tech around them.
“Not to mention potential hacks to your tablets or EIs,” Chiyo added.
Izzy looked at her. “Did you find any?”
She shook her head. “No, but it’s food for thought.”
“I’d rather focus on the food in front of me.” Silas chuckled
“Do you really think you should take on a m
ission that requires such, uh…delicacy?” Otto asked.
Marlo laughed. “You’ve only known him half as long and you already picked up he’s a bit flashy for a bounty hunter, huh?”
“I’m fine,” Cameron grumbled and speared another piece of steak. “I have my own way of doing things.”
“And we see the effects of it every time you limp out of the Animus pods.” Luke snickered.
“Real positive encouragement, teammate.”
“Ah, it’s only a little tough love, Cam. Positive reinforcement,” the titan declared and slapped him jovially on the back. “It’s not like I’ve tried to trade you in or anything.”
“Was that an option?” Raul asked and earned a glare from Cameron.
“I wanted to ask how everyone is feeling about tomorrow,” Jaxon stated, placed his elbows on the table, and folded his hands. “Does someone have any nervousness or something they would like to discuss before we depart?”
Luke nudged the ace. “Cheer up there, Jax. We’ve come this far. I think all of us are excited to actually get out in the field—in an official capacity, anyway.”
“Does Ramses not count?” Kaiden muttered and took a swig from his bottle.
“He said ‘official,’” Mack pointed out. “We had to sneak away at the end with not even a chance to wave at the camera.”
“As for any other worries, as much as we should possibly be aware of others trying to get a leg up, I don’t think too many will focus on that over their personal plans,” Amber interjected.
“Genos can be surprisingly sneaky. You may wanna keep your eye on him,” Kaiden said and chuckled.
The Tsuna put his spoon down and tilted his head in mock offense. “I had no plans, only a good-natured joke.”
“Kaiden’s version of good-natured is suspect,” Chiyo said.
The ace held his hands up and grinned. “Hey, I only wanted to lighten him up a little. This is the calm before the storm and all that. We should enjoy it before… Well, the fifty different shades of shit we’ll all go through.”
Raid (Animus Book 9) Page 11
