Briskly, Kaiden walked to the entrance, squeezing himself into the crowd as he moved into the building.
“Chief, I could use a map if you got one,” Kaiden requested, taking out his oculars and putting them on, pushing them a little farther up the bridge of his nose in hopes that they wouldn’t fall off as his body was shoved forward.
“Good idea. Onscreen,” Chief acknowledged. A map of the building’s interior materialized in the display, a translucent blue arrow pointing northwest.
“I marked your Animus Hall on the map. Also, tell me what you think of this.”
Kaiden felt the back of his frames lengthen, wrapping around the back of his head and what felt like prongs dig in. The lenses pressed against his eyes, but the screen jutted out slightly, giving him the feeling that he wore goggles.
“What’s this?” he asked.
“A neat little function the optics have. It’s called hazard mode, and it straps the oculars to you when you’re moving quickly or are on rocky ground so they don’t fall off. Plus, the display keeps any debris from reaching the eyes.”
Kaiden adjusted the fit slightly. “Not bad. Guess Laurie does have some cool trinkets.”
“I ain’t gonna take offense to that since I’m not technically his creation, but watch yourself, smartass.”
Kaiden entered the main part of the building. Each floor was sectioned off and encircled the rotunda every twenty feet all the way to the top. The walls were a dark-oak color, and the floors were black tile. He followed the arrow on the map to a bank of elevators, leaning against a wall as he waited for one to free up.
“So, what did you get?” he heard one of the initiates ask another.
“Marksman. What about you?”
“I got into Engineering, Goliath Class. Get to work on heavy arms, power suits, tanks, and the like.”
“Damn, that sounds intense,” another initiate stated. “I got field surgeon. Guess it’s a good thing you know me, right?”
Kaiden continued to listen to the excited chatter. He had to admit it would have been nice to chat with someone about what was about to go down. He wasn’t completely sure himself, but hey, two minds with half a thought gotta equal a whole one, right?
“Excuse me, but I remember you.”
Kaiden looked over to see a Tsuna. He shifted in surprise for a moment but quickly found his bearings. It wasn’t so surprising the second time around.
“Howdy… Wait, are you the one I met back at the train station?” he asked, pushing himself off the wall and turning to look at him face to face. “It was…Geno, right?”
“Correct.” The alien nodded, placing a webbed hand on his chest and two fingers in the air in a salute. “Geno Aronnax, Engineering Division, Mechanist Class.” He ended his salute before extending a hand. “It is good to see you again, Initiate Kaiden Jericho.”
“Likewise,” Kaiden concurred with a grin, shaking the alien’s hand. “Mechanist, huh? Seems kinda like an oxymoron. Don’t all the engineers mess with machines?”
“Well, yes, but a mechanist excels with all kinds and is not a specialist of any particular group or type of machine.”
“Jack of all trades, then?”
“This would be an appropriate term, yes.” Geno nodded. “We are more likely to have direct action in the field. I must admit it is both troubling and exciting for me.”
“How so?”
Geno tapped his fingers together, his head bobbing from side to side. “I’ll do my best to explain without going into trivial details. You see, my people are separated into groups. Every group has a specified task, and they don’t usually mingle outside of free time. To be able to work on machines and weaponry while also going into battle…these jobs would not usually be intertwined where I come from. If a vehicle or device needed repair while out in the field, we would send a drone to do it while controlling it remotely. That way, the warriors would not have to concern themselves with casualties.”
“I think I follow. So are you saying you don’t have any combat experience at all? How did you get saddled with that?”
“No, you misunderstand, or I didn’t explain properly. All Tsuna are taught the basics of combat among other skills, but when the time comes for us to begin our profession, the continued training in skills that are not a part of the profession is frowned upon. It is seen as time wasted.”
Kaiden crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall. “All right…but I mean, if it makes you so skittish, why not ask for a different class or explain the situation to one of the counselors? I’m sure they don’t wanna piss off any of your… I don’t know, is it elders?”
“I do not have a problem with my designated class…not personally. It is merely the potential ramifications with my clan, though I am not completely certain how they will react. Possibly just bewildered.”
“Still, I gotta say it’s still kind of shocking you got a class that sees field work with only basic combat skills.”
“That would be where most of my hesitation stems from. You see, my clan used to be warriors many of your years ago. We were designated scientists after three of my ancestors, brothers from the same clan matriarch, created a device that had permanent luminescence,” Geno explained, placing a closed fist onto his chest. “It is funny to think about—in these modern times, their device is considered little more than a bauble—but at the time, it was a controversy. A Tsuna going against their designation could be traumatic for our society. Everyone had their place of importance, and we have a saying: ‘The pillars of our kingdom are not built of stone, but people.’ And they went against that.”
Kaiden nodded along, wondering if this was leading to something. “I getcha, but why is this leading to your little crisis of faith?”
“The original clan was divided, with some continuing as warriors, and the brothers became the head of a new clan that was designated scientists. They struggled for many years to shake off the stigma of our ancestor. We are the only clan to have had our designation changed, but we persevered, and now, we are held in high esteem. However, when I learned more of our past, I grew curious. I would spend my free time learning the ways of the warrior to feel closer to my clan’s roots.”
“So that’s why you got mechanist? You can repair a droid just as easily as destroy one?”
“I find the destruction of one to be less time consuming,” Geno said, a little of his previous melancholy leaving his eyes.
“Well, I can’t say I can relate with the whole clan thing, but I would say don’t let it bother you.” Kaiden smiled. “If you’re so interested in your ancestors, think of yourself as a new version of those brothers in the past—a trailblazer. Besides, it’s like you’re combining the best of both worlds.”
Geno stood up a little straighter, cocking his head to the side. “That is an interesting way to think about it, but I still worry how my clan will be seen by society.”
“Hey, man, I don’t know exactly what went on when the treaty was signed and they sent you guys down here, but this had to come up. Look at it like this…you’re on your own now. Whatever happens when you get back, tell them you were showing the humans what your people can do.”
Kaiden heard a ding from an elevator reaching the floor. In the time they had been chatting, the hallway had cleared. He looked back at Geno who was staring off at nothing, obviously contemplating his words. “I’m gonna head over to my hall. You wanna come with?”
Geno snapped back to reality. “Ah, no…thank you, I am waiting on some of the others to arrive. Also, I would not be going to the same hall as you. Tsuna are currently assigned our own hall until some of the Animus specifications become universal.”
Kaiden nodded as he approached the open elevator. “Good talkin’ with you, Geno. Don’t sweat the small stuff. You’ll do fine.”
“We do not sweat as you do, but— Ah, that was an idiom. My thanks and best wishes to you, friend,” Geno said, waving farewell.
Kaiden waved back as the doors closed
. He was friends with an alien now. How about that?
Kaiden entered hall seven and saw rows and rows of tubes, similar to the one he had been put into during his exam with Laurie and Sasha but which seemed more streamlined. These were on the ground at an angle, rather than standing vertical, with cords and wires strewn about.
He joined a group of students, hearing from the chatter that no one was really sure if they should get in the pods, when a voice called.
“Good morning, initiates. Welcome to the Animus Center.” Everyone turned to see Akello holding a tablet and dressed in a long white-and-silver staff jacket with black pants and silver boots. “I would recommend getting used to this place. You’ll be spending a hell of a lot of time here.”
“Are you the guide?” an initiate asked.
“I am Advisor Faraji, but I used to be a guide, yes,” she explained. “I will be overseeing all of you until a new guide is appointed. Don’t worry, I won’t send any nasty beasts after you in the Animus…unless you annoy me.”
“How magnanimous of her.” Kaiden chuckled under his breath.
“Hey, she is the one with all the control over the pods in this section. She could send in a lot worse,” Chief cautioned.
“I can imagine. I won’t open my mouth too much.”
“Damn straight.”
Akello punched something into her tablet. “Please choose a pod. Walk slowly and carefully, and when you choose one, stand by for attendance scan.”
All the initiates followed her instruction, walking around the hall and looking at the different pods.
“Oh, get that one. 7-G5,” Chief exclaimed.
“They all look the same to me,” Kaiden noted.
“That one looks better in the light.”
“Before anyone tries to find the one pod with racing stripes, these won’t be your assigned pods,” Akello called. “We will only use these to set up your profile and loadout for now. You will be assigned a personal pod for the year after the Division test.”
“What’s that, now?” Kaiden asked.
Akello gave him a quick look “I’ll explain once you’re inside.”
“Yay, ominous foreshadowing,” Kaiden mumbled.
“Don’t worry about it for now, but I would recommend you pay careful attention to your loadout once we get in there.”
Kaiden walked over to the pod Chief had pointed out, if for no other reason than he didn’t particularly care which one he got.
“There is a scanner next to each pod. Please place your hand on the screen so it registers you and I can count heads,” Akello ordered.
Kaiden walked up to the scanner and complied. A white light moved up and down for a moment before the panel flashed a couple times and he saw a green light. He removed his hand and saw his academy I.D. appear on the screen.
Akello looked at her tablet as she walked across the room. Kaiden saw her stop and look in his direction, and a sense of unease began to swirl within him.
If nothing else, he was at least more confident that he could take her on rather than Wulfson.
She walked over to him, placing the tablet against her chest. “Kaiden Jericho, correct?”
“Yes, ma’am,” he answered, wondering what it was about this time.
He got a pleasant surprise when she smiled and offered him a hand. “Nice to meet you. Professor Laurie told me a bit about you.”
“Did he now?” Kaiden asked, taking her hand in a firm shake. “I can’t say I’m confident that he said nice things about me.”
She laughed. “Laurie is sweet—a little strange, but sweet.”
“I will at least agree with you on the strange part.”
She withdrew her hand. “He wanted me to tell you he updated the system. You don’t have to worry about any problems during the sync.”
He nodded. “Appreciate it. Not having my brains leakin’ out of my ears is a plus.”
“I will be on the lookout if it makes it easier for you, and of course, I will make sure that nothing happens. This is merely basic stuff.”
“Nah, I ain’t too worried. If nothing else, I’m pretty sure Laurie wouldn’t let his experiment die on him.”
“We certainly agree on that.” She gave him one last smile before walking away.
He saw her walk over to a large console in the back of the room, place her tablet in a slot, and turn back. “Everybody is here and accounted for. We are about to begin. I hope you are all ready.”
Kaiden could hear the excited chatter begin again. He turned to see a white light blinking at the head of the pod. The door to the chamber opened, and Kaiden saw that the interior was padded.
“At least I’ll be comfortable as my mind is ripped away from me this time.”
“Quit your gripin’ and get in the casket,” Chief ordered.
Kaiden placed one boot in first before bringing the other up and turning around, facing out and watching the other initiates enter the pods.
“Now everybody, relax. I know this is the first time for some of you, but I promise that everything will be all right. I’ll be here to walk everyone through it,” Akello assured them.
Kaiden saw the blinking white lights from the other pods turn a solid blue as the doors closed. He was in darkness for a moment before the familiar dim light of glow strips illuminated his pod. Curious now, he sat back and prepared for the sync.
Akello’s voice surrounded him in the chamber. “Pods are ready across the board. Is everyone ready to go into the Animus?”
Kaiden saw a screen pop-up in front of him. It read, “Enter Animus?” with a green and red box underneath. He pressed the green box, and the screen disappeared. He saw the light pulse around him, and another light began to scan his body. He felt the same heavy feeling as before and closed his eyes.
Off he went, back to the virtual wonderland.
Chapter Twenty-One
They were in the clouds, no ground beneath them and no stars above. Kaiden could see the dozens of other initiates getting their bearings—or at least as much as they could while standing on air.
“Don’t look down,” Chief chirped, his orb form popping in and hovering next to Kaiden.
“Fortunately, this isn’t my first rodeo,” Kaiden said dismissively. “Can’t say the same for some of them.”
While the majority of the other students seemed to be fine, jumping up and down or walking over to one another, he noticed a handful who were waving frantically about or crouching down in the fetal position.
“Eh, they’ll get used to it. Builds character.”
“They better get used to it quick. Gonna have a traumatic time otherwise.”
“Sync complete. Welcome to the Animus initiates,” Akello’s voice called from the sky.
“Where is the ground?” a panicked initiate cried “This is bullshit—are you insane?”
“Now what did I say about annoying me?” Akello asked.
The screaming boy suddenly dropped out of the air, falling away from the others who remained in place. He released another loud scream. Kaiden watched him disappear, and his voice faded away, but only for a few moments. He could hear the yelling slowly grow louder, sounding as if it was coming from the sky.
All the initiates looked up to see the crybaby now coming down from above. As he began to fall past them all, his descent slowed rapidly before he was dumped unceremoniously back into his original spot.
“While at the main console of this hall, I am in complete control of the Animus. The normal laws of reality don’t have to apply here—like needing to stand on ground.”
“I think he figured that out,” Kaiden mused with a laugh.
“Good thing those pants are virtual too.”
“Now then, let’s get into a more relaxed mood, what do you say?” Akello suggested.
The sky around them went from a clear blue sky to a violet, twilight hue. Kaiden looked behind him to see the sun fading into the distance.
“Now, let us begin by going over synapse.”
A large screen appeared before Kaiden, showing him a screen of statistics—his statistics, he noticed. However, before he got a good look, the screen opened into a new tab and showed him a purple-colored bar lying horizontally on the screen. The inside of the bar was only slightly filled, and he saw an indicator registering five percent underneath.
“What you are all looking at is a synapse experience bar. It measures the amount of experience you gain during training, and when it is full, you gain a synapse point.”
“How do I have five percent already?” Kaiden wondered.
“Probably got it during that exam with Sasha.”
“I only got five percent doing all of that?”
“Don’t worry. You’ll get more and get it faster as time goes on. You gotta wait for your mind to get used to all this.”
“I thought that was why I had you.”
“Heh, think about what I got to work with here.”
Kaiden rolled his eyes, “I think you’re not pulling your weight.”
“Technically, I don’t have weight. But if you wanna feel what it’s like to be in the Animus without a buffer, be my guest.”
“Nah, I’ll pass.”
“Then tell me you’re sorry.”
“Sure, just give me a moment to choke down the vomit.”
“Sassy bastard.”
“Everyone got that?” Akello asked.
“Oh, probably should have been paying attention to that.”
“Eh, just wing it.”
“When you get a synapse point—or SP for short—you can use it to gain a talent.”
The screen changed again, showing a panel with multiple tabs— General, Soldier, Ace, Fitness, and EI.
“The tabs before you represent the trees you currently have access to for now. You can potentially gain new ones if you take the proper courses. For now, you have a tree for your division and your class, along with three universal tabs that all initiates have access to. Go ahead and look around. You can hover over an icon to read what the various talents offer.”
Animus Boxed Set 1 (Books 1-4): Initiate, Co-Op, Death Match, Advance Page 19
