“I have a good feeling this year,” she stated as she opened the application and pressed the connection button.
Sasha did the same. “I noticed that there seem to be far more members playing this year than normal.”
“The Division Tests showed that we have an impressive group this year. Plus, the wildcard of having a group of Tsuna probably drummed up a little more interest,” Mya surmised.
“Perhaps, although we’ve had a fair number of failures too.”
She shrugged. “All of them passed the makeup test and did above average. Even our underdogs have a lot of fight in them.”
“Sir, shall I begin?” Isaac asked. Sasha looked around the room to see that most of the others had found a place and were activating various devices to start the proceedings. He gave a quick nod, which Isaac returned before disappearing from the display.
“So, have you seen Kaiden lately?” Mya asked.
He shook his head. “Not in a few weeks. He’s been busy with the Animus and Wulfson.”
She gave him a look of surprise. “I keep forgetting that he’s training with the Head Officer.” She tapped her cheek in thought. “I wonder how that’s going.”
Kaiden awoke to the sight of two dark orbs staring at him. As his vision cleared, he saw no other features except a large grey head and a bright light that moved into view.
“Remain calm, Initiate Jericho. This one will soon be done with the healing process.” It spoke in a wistful tone, although Kaiden could not see a mouth move and the words sounded like they came from all around rather than directly in front of him.
“Uh, goody,” he whispered uncomfortably. “Can this guy know who the hell that one is?”
“This one has been named Doctor Mortis. We have been assisting in your recovery since the larger human left you on the bed in an injured condition,” it stated, the echoes once again filling Kaiden’s mind.
“Ok-ay…” he stammered, still not fully adjusted to the situation.
“He’s that Mirus who works with Dr. Soni,” Chief informed him as the alien turned away to set his tool down and pick up a new one.
“Do you think he’s aware that his name is basically Dr. Death?” Kaiden whispered.
“I don’t have much info on the Mirus, so let’s hope that it’s some sort of cultural humor and not a title.”
“As this one stated, no need to be afraid, Initiate. We are here to heal,” Mortis said soothingly.
Kaiden nodded. “Going to sound ignorant here, but you’re talking to me using telepathy or something, right? Because I’m used to hearing voices come out of mouths, and I don’t see a mouth.”
The alien gave a few quick nods. “For easier understanding, telepathy is the term used to describe how we Mirus converse with others, though it is not the absolute truth.”
“I’d ask for an explanation, but I’m a little too dazed to listen to all that seriously,” he admitted.
Mortis nodded again, curling his three long digits and resting his head against them. “Ah yes, the large human named Wulfson gave this one a quick summary of prior events and mentioned electric shocks and an anesthetic gas used to render the initiate unconscious.” He bent down to rummage through the bottom shelf of his tray of devices. “We have something to help relieve the effects and pain.”
Kaiden perked up. “Blue stuff?”
“Didn’t Wulfson say that he told them to not give you any more before you got knocked out?”
“Maybe they didn’t pass it along to this guy. Let’s just wing it and see what happens,” he stated in a quiet voice.
“This one has found it,” Mortis said, walking over to him.
Kaiden smiled a little wider when he saw the blue color , but it vanished quickly when Mortis held it up, and it wasn’t a vial but some sort of spherical blob—and it was moving.
“Uh, Doc? What the hell is that?” Kaiden asked.
“It is referred to as a toxin sponge by some of the humans in the medical field. It will help relieve your pain while also absorbing any damaging chemicals or toxins in your system.”
Kaiden sat up slightly, moving to try to get off the bed “Well, that certainly sounds handy, but I’m feelin’ all right, so I’ll take my leave.” But before he could even get off the cot, he saw the blob shudder. As he looked toward it for a brief moment, it leaped from the doctor’s hand and attached itself to Kaiden’s face.
He fell back onto the bed, thrashing around and trying to pull the gelatinous-feeling creature off him. His yells were muffled by the ooze.
“Try not to be so hysterical, initiate. We have had plenty of positive feedback about the effects of the sponge on humans. You shall be feeling much better after a few moments of absorption,” Mortis informed him. “Although this one does seem to recall that most test subjects were rather uncomfortable using the sponge without prior notice, and there were some residual blue markings on the epidermis of the facial area.”
As Kaiden continued to try to pry the thing off him, Chief piped in, “So, how’s winging it doing for ya?”
“Good evening, everyone.” Jonas Corbusier, the head of the Engineering Division, greeted the gathered faculty from a small platform in the front of the meeting room. “Welcome to the Initiate League of the 2196-2197 school year. I hope you’ve prepared your choices and strategies since we have one hundred members playing this year—sixteen more than the average.”
There were various murmurs and greetings as the lights dimmed in the room. “Miss Akello Faraji, an advisor of the Animus Center, has offered to do a quick summary of the rules for any newcomers or those who have sat out for a few years.” Jonas moved to the side as Akello smiled and waved at the crowd.
“Hello, everyone. As Mr. Corbusier said, I’ll give a rundown right quick, then we’ll begin the draft.” She held up a tablet as a screen appeared behind her.
She looked back as pictures of the faces of various first-year students appeared onscreen. “The Initiate League is a way for us to both encourage students in the first year and have a little fun ourselves. After their first three months with us, we have baseline statistics on each student. Using these stats along with personality profiles and synapse talents, we create a character sheet for each student.”
One of the pictures blinked for a moment before expanding on-screen, showing a large description box with their name, age, division, class, skills, a brief personality bio, and tabs for their skills, grades, and other facts.
“Each of you will choose three students during the draft. The end goal is to create a team of three whom you will subtly oversee during the year. As such, their victories are your victories,” Akello explained.
The description box disappeared as two other students’ pictures blinked and joined the first, changing to a new screen. “There will be two milestones, the midterm test in four weeks, and the end of the year squad exam.”
A box labeled “points” appeared on-screen. “Your team gathers points by completing tests, finishing full training courses, gaining Synapse Points, and completing extracurricular activities. Each member of your team gains these individually, so the more they all work, the more points you gain.”
“What do the midterm and final exams have to do with this?” someone shouted from the back.
Akello pursed her lips in annoyance and tapped something on her tablet, looking confused for a moment before shaking her head and sighing. “I’ve been spending too much damn time in the Animus Center. Can’t just drop every annoyance down a hole,” she grumbled.
“Please raise your hand or wait until the end of the explanation for questions. Ms. Faraji was just getting to that,” Jonas stated.
Akello thanked him with a nod and turned back to the crowd. “Exactly. These tests not only offer massive point incentives, but we will give out awards for the top five teams after those tests. Some of the rewards you might receive are extra vacation time, office or workshop amenities, special meals, and potentially, several hardware upgrades, like
a new tablet or EI device built by none other than our dear Professor Laurie…or at least provided by him.”
“What about the payout?” another shouted, causing Akello to toss a tablet pen in the direction of the questioner.
“I’m getting to that!” She huffed before composing herself. “To participate, each member must pay three hundred credits for entrance into the league. The top three participants at the end of the year will receive a percentage of the final total—sixty percent for first place, twenty-five for second, and fifteen for third.” She crossed her arms and looked around the crowd. “And before anyone else asks, if everyone participates, that total will be thirty-thousand credits.”
This elicited some excited chatter among the group. Mya raised her hand.
“Finally—someone who has some manners. What’s up, Mya?” Akello asked with a hand gesture in her direction.
“Hello, Akey,” Mya answered with a wave. “This is my first year participating, but what about leftover students?”
“Well, luckily, that won’t be a problem this year. Normally, the leftovers would go into a wildcard group and could be traded at almost any point in time. But if everyone signs up, there are one hundred people here and three hundred first years. Everyone would have a team of three.”
“So we can trade?” she asked.
The advisor nodded. “Yep. We’ll probably have another big gathering just before each exam, but you’re free to trade at any point if you wish to do so.”
The muttering continued as some of the crowd began to plan and others talked amongst themselves. Akello looked back to Jonas, who nodded and stepped forward. “Thank you, Ms. Faraji. Now then, if you all would be so kind as to look at your screens, the confirmation box should appear. You can sign in and pay the entrance fee or decline and go on about your nightly routine. The choice is yours.”
Sasha hit the accept button and scanned the darkened room. He didn’t see anyone going for the doors. It seemed they would have a brisk contest this year.
“It appears that everyone will be participating this year. How marvelous.” Jonas declared with a soft smile. “With that, we shall move on to the first drafts. Everyone, decide on your choice.”
“It is done, sir,” Isaac stated, his face once again appearing in the display.
“Any problems?” Sasha asked.
“Nothing I could not circumvent. It would appear that we were not the only ones who thought this would be an effective strategy. I was racing against at least twenty other signatures.”
“It was a good thing I installed that new Infiltration Suite and had Laurie upgrade you.”
Isaac’s eyes shrank again as he released a dejected sigh. “In this instance, I would suppose you are right.”
“What are you whispering about, Sasha?” Mya asked.
He looked at her. “Making preparations with Isaac. Do you never make small talk with your EI?”
She blew an errant curl out of her face. “Chou isn’t much of a talker.”
“All right, we will begin the roulette,” Jonas announced, a board appeared onscreen with all the names of the teachers in play. “It is completely randomized, and you will have ten seconds to give us your choice. Otherwise, you forfeit and must wait to be chosen again.” Jonas looked back at the screen. “Begin!”
The names swirled into one massive blur, spinning in a frenzy for a few seconds before it formed one name: CDR Sasha Chevalier.
“Wow, lucky you,” Mya muttered. He looked at her with a faint smile, causing her to give him a quizzical look. “Did you…”
“Your choice, commander?” Jonas asked.
Sasha stood up. “I will take Initiate Kaiden Jericho as my first pick.”
Groans and mild cursing sputtered across the room as Sasha sat down. Mya tapped him on the shoulder. “Do you happen to have a rabbit’s foot on you?”
Sasha shook his head. “Merely an EI owl.”
Mya’s eyes widened, and she frowned. “Well, that just seems—”
“Councilor Mya! Your choice, please?” Jonas shouted.
Mya looked up in surprise before looking back at Sasha. He motioned for her to speak.
She smiled with a barely noticeable shrug. “You’re a good person to think of me,” she whispered before standing. “I choose Chiyo Kana.”
The meeting continued like this for more than two hours, with bets placed and teams created. All the while, the excitement built to an intense simmer.
Chapter Three
“Hey, it’s past eight, ya lazy bastard, time to get up!” Chief fumed as Kaiden sat groggily up in his bed.
“It’s also Saturday, you bulbous cyclops,” Kaiden sneered as he rolled out of bed.
“Perhaps, but you did agree to join us in the Animus today, did you not?” a deep but slightly muffled voice asked.
Kaiden looked over to see Jaxon walking over to him dressed in a black one-piece suit and a circular rebreather on his neck with a triangular mask across his mouth.
Kaiden scratched the back of his head, “Oh, right. Kinda slipped my mind,” he admitted with a yawn. “What are we doing, exactly?”
“We will be running a horde scenario using a map based on the Houston Incursion of 2097 on your suggestion,” Jaxon reminded him. “Cameron, Flynn, and Silas will be joining us.”
“And the others will be resting, which I would be doing if I was smart,” Kaiden grumbled as he dragged himself reluctantly from his bed.
“I would argue that continual improvement is a more intelligent use of your time.” Jaxon shrugged as he headed back to his bed to pick up a satchel. “As well as taking a quick shower to remove whatever those blue lines on your face are.”
Kaiden stopped scratching his head and removed his oculars from the drawer, using them to snap a picture of his face before he put them on to see six faded blue lines on his face.
“Damn Mirus goop-soaker thing,” he cursed, replacing the oculars in the drawer and grabbing a handful of clothes before heading to the showers.
“I’m going to get some breakfast and convene with a few of my people. I will see you at the center in Hall Four.”
“Looking forward to it. As soon as I get this gunk off, I’ll grab a bite and head over.”
Jaxon nodded. “If it helps, I don’t believe anyone will notice once you have entered the Animus.”
“Doesn’t stop them from noticing on the way!” Kaiden retorted as he opened the door to the hallway.
Jaxon thought about this for a moment before shrugging agreement. “Fair point, but if you ever need to blend in with the Tsuna, it might help as camouflage.”
“I should remember that. I’ll get a lifesaver and a wetsuit to complete the subterfuge.”
“That would look simply ridiculous.”
Kaiden looked at him and rolled his eyes before giving him a mock salute and leaving for the showers.
Once under the steaming water, he scrubbed his face hurriedly with the industrial soap he’d found in the supply closet in an effort to eradicate the remaining stains from his face.
“So, I’ve been wanting to ask. Why chose Houston as the battleground?” Chief questioned.
Kaiden looked into the mirror on the wall, momentarily distracted by the smattering of blue still visible on his left cheek. “It’s the one that came to mind. I saw it while flipping through the scenario maps a couple of weeks back.”
“I thought it might have been a homesick thing.”
“I never lived in Houston. I was born in Brenham, moved to Austin when I was a kid, then to Dallas with my grandpa, then to Fresno when I was taken in by the Dead-Eyes.” He lathered the patch of blue discoloration furiously.
“Was a nasty battle. Three terrorist groups and a battalion of junk droids and cracked security bots. You really think the five of you can take it?”
Kaiden let the water spray away the soap while he fumbled for his bottle of shampoo. “The scenario won’t toss the full number of hostiles at us. Back then, it required
the combined forces of both the U.S. and Mexican military to defeat them. No way in hell only five guys are gonna do much against that. The Animus will scale it down for us.” He applied the soap to his hair. “Shouldn’t you know about this? I’m pretty sure it should be pretty basic knowledge to upload into an EI.”
“I knew the general idea but might have some missing anecdotes because Laurie had to shut down non-essential operations and info dumps so we could actually use the Animus.”
Kaiden put his head underneath the shower stream. “Speaking of Laurie, I need to talk with him. You would think he would have finished the update by now.”
“Might have started working on a droid that keeps his hair shinier,” Chief jeered. “Or maybe someone on the board doesn’t want you to have the upgrade and is stopping him from activating it?”
“That would be a drag.” Kaiden huffed and turned off the shower. “The SXP boost was the main reason I agreed to get the implant in the first place.”
“Not that you would put it to much use.”
“What do you mean?” Kaiden asked, the words a little muffled as he dried himself off with a towel.
“You’ve got five points and haven’t spent a one.”
He shrugged as he walked out of the shower room. “Some of my choices are still locked. I would rather everything be available so that I can spend my points properly.”
“Seems more like you’re stalling.”
“How do you figure?”
“You’ve been able to keep up so far without spending the points, so you’re worried that when you do, you might pull too far ahead from your pals.”
“That’s crap.” Kaiden retorted. “They would keep up. Besides, that’s not how it works. Every year works as a unit. I would simply be the best soldier of my year, not be sent up a grade.”
“Then the only other reason is you still got the jitters. If you’re so confident in your skills in gunplay, pour some in martial or in your ace skills. Move on up in the world.”
Animus Boxed Set 1 (Books 1-4): Initiate, Co-Op, Death Match, Advance Page 32
