Gin knelt down and placed the side of the blade against the man’s cheek. He winced as it burned his skin. “Yes, indeed, but not out of some debt or promise to you. Even if your mission was different, I have my own reasons for going after him now.” He released a cackling laugh. “Funny thing that. If you had simply kept your mouth shut, the chips would have landed in your favor anyway,”
The chairman did something that caught Gin genuinely off guard. He began to laugh as well. “Have you broken down now, Zubaz? Don’t be so boring.”
He looked at the killer and despite the pain, blood, and sweat on his face, he wore a smile, “Then…the mission can still be completed.”
The man’s joy sent him over the edge. He stabbed him several times in his chest with the blade before he dug it into his throat and gliding it across. Blood coated both their faces. Zubaz’s body slumped to the floor, and he stood over him, breathing heavily as he turned the plasma blade off and placed it into the omni-blade holster.
“He can’t even die right. What a freak,” Gin murmured. With a flick of his hand, the lights in the office came back on. He sighed and looked at his latest victim. “I hated your face and I’ll forget it quickly.”
“Sir? It’s getting late, do you wish for me to drive you home?” the steward asked as he knocked on Zubaz’s door. He knocked again when he received no reply. “Sir? Are you in there?” He turned the knob, walked in, and recoiled a little at the scent of fire and burnt copper. His mouth open, he surveyed the destroyed furniture and antiques and the laser markings the defaced everything. Stunned, he looked down and yelled instinctively at the sight of the mutilated body of his employer on the floor.
Chapter Twenty-Four
“Well, that was uneventful.” Cameron sighed as the advanced class left the auditorium.
“Nearly unceremonious.” Raul yawned. “Almost every test last year had some grand finale. This one had no fireworks or anything.”
“Hey, at least we have a feast waiting for us,” Marlo protested. “I’ll take it any day rather than some pretty sparks.”
“It’s not like when we head off to our real jobs, they’re gonna celebrate every accomplished mission,” Silas pointed out. “I’ll be happy with a cookie and a bonus.”
“The cookie will probably be the bonus,” Izzy interjected.
“Do we get to choose the type?” Flynn asked.
“At least don’t let it be raisin,” Luke huffed. “What was your score?”
“Eight hundred and ten out of one thousand,” Silas answered. “What about you?”
“Seven hundred and sixty,” Raul answered. “We lost some points because we couldn’t find the target fast enough.”
“How does that happen?” Amber asked, “You’re a tracker and Cameron is a bounty hunter. That’s like your thing, isn’t it?”
“It’s bullshit. We found the guy but we had a walking tank with us—not exactly built for stealth,” Cameron chided.
“Oh, you ain’t blaming this on me, hothead,” Luke retorted. “I recall that you were the one who fired at every dumbass in your way. How is that stealth?”
“What? Am I supposed to let them shoot me?” the bounty hunter retorted defensively. “And it’s not like you—”
“Kin Jaxon!” Genos called and the group waited for Kaiden’s team to approach them. “Congratulations on your victory,” Genos complimented.
“To you as well, kin.” Jaxon nodded. “And to you two as well—a nine-hundred, one of the top scores. You certainly keep your reputation up.”
“We do our best, but there are a few things we can work on,” Chiyo noted and placed a hand on Genos’ shoulder. “But at least Genos came out relatively unscathed this time around.”
“Yes, that creature in the sewers was rather unnerving,” the Tsuna recalled. “Do any of you know of a mutant sea creature with long arms and four orange eyes? I meant to look it up, but I’ve been busy since the end of the test.”
“Hmm? Did those arms have little ridges on them?” Raul asked as he mentally went over his tracker glossary in his head.
“Yes, enough to cut through skin and they stick to you as well.”
“Yeah, those are samehada, mostly found in the Oceania, but the first was spotted around Japan. I’ve never seen one myself, but I hear they are nasty.”
“Damn fiends, they are,” Flynn spat. “They cause about ninety deaths a year back home. Did you take it out?”
“Yes, I drained it,” Genos stated smugly.
“Drained it? In the galaxy’s biggest sink?” Marlo asked.
“Down a ravine on the station we blew up,” the Tsuna explained.
“You guys have the best stories.” Izzy sighed.
“It was the first time I saw a Tsuna in the water, albeit only for a split second.” Chiyo looked at her friend. “If you guys ever make a settlement down here, it would probably be the closest thing we have to Atlantis.”
“We actually have a research station in the pacific called the Atlantis,” Amber recalled. “My mom worked there for a couple of years when I was really young, I don’t remember much about it. But I liked walking along the halls surrounded by ocean life.”
As the group chatted amongst themselves, Kaiden was unusually quiet, something they all noticed.
“Hey, Kaiden.” Cameron said and nudged him with his elbow. “What’s got you in a funk?”
“Funk? Nada, just thinking.”
“That’s actually more concerning,” Luke jested.
“Do you guys wanna head over to the Cafeteria? The feast will begin soon,” Silas reminded them.
Most agreed, but Kaiden paused and looked at the R&D building, “You guys head on over. I’ll be back in a bit.”
“Where you going, mate?” Flynn asked.
“I want to go talk with Laurie. This is usually the best time to catch him before he heads off for either a nightcap or an experiment that’s best left unknown. I’ll catch up. Congrats on passing!”
As he left the group, Jaxon walked up to Chiyo and Genos. “Is he all right?”
“How do you mean, kin?” Genos asked.
“I suppose I simply mean in general. He seems to be back to his old self, but I worry that he may still be dealing with the aftermath of his near-death experience.”
Genos pondered it for a moment, but Chiyo was the first to speak. “He’s doing fine. He wouldn’t want us to worry,” she explained and received a few surprised looks from the group. “I’ve been concerned ever since the day he came back, but as he would put it, it’s ‘not his style’ to stay that way. I’m sure if he had problems, he would let us know.”
“Your word would be the best in this situation.” Jaxon nodded. “Hearing it out loud, I feel the same way.”
“Hey, Prof, you got a min—” Kaiden stopped when he saw Laurie, Sasha, and Wolfson all standing in Laurie’s office. “Do you guys have a book club now or something?”
“That sounds like a fun idea,” Laurie said and clapped.
“Feh, I’ll stick to the stories I make in my life,” Wolfson snorted as he strode up to Kaiden. “How’d you do, boy?”
“Final score of nine-hundred,” Kaiden stated as he sat in front of Laurie’s desk. “Before you ask, I could have killed a few more pirates before we destroyed the ship, we could have tried to access certain terminals to get info, and should have sabotaged ships before setting the core to blow to prevent escape.” He held a finger up as he rattled off each point. “All of that is usually bonus objective stuff. I’m a little surprised about the first one, though.”
Wolfson stroked his beard. “Same. You usually aren’t one to pass up a fight.”
“You should consider the usually bonus fodder as natural and common tactics from this point on,” Sasha advised. “The willingness to do them without incentive shows both a strategic mind and the drive to go beyond merely the minimum.”
“My mission was to blow up an entire pirate station with only a group of three, but I’ll certa
inly make a note of it, Commander.”
“Not so tough. I took out three dreadnaughts on my own during my career.” Wolfson chuckled, momentarily lost in his memories.
“Are we really dick measuring right now?” Kaiden sighed. “I’m sure you’ll fill me in the next time we spar, but as much as I would like to catch up, I have to do something I rarely like to.”
“And what is that?” Sasha asked.
“Ask Laurie for information.”
The professor frowned and moved a few strands of hair. “You’re picking up on Wolfson’s bad habits, particularly in regard to me.”
“It’s nothing personal. Prof, but you’re long-winded.”
“I prefer thorough,” the professor countered before he settled in his chair. “What is it I can help you with Adva, Jericho?”
“Hearing you call me by my title is like a parent calling a child by their full name,” Kaiden grumbled.
“You’ve stopped visiting so a little loss of familiarity is only to be expected,” Laurie stated, but a sly smile crossed his lips. “Try not to make your being injured the only reason we see each other. Now, what can I do? Is it about Chief?”
“Nah, I’m doing dandy, Professor.” The EI popped into the air.
“You know, I’ve wondered why you don’t call him something like ‘Father.’ He is your creator after all.”
“Because then I would get accused of nepotism,” Chief said jokingly. “You may not be able to tell, but I’m obviously the favorite.”
“You are the most fascinating but do remember you are with Kaiden because of a biological abnormality. Otherwise, you would still be sitting in a box.”
“So the Gemini thing is an ‘abnormality’ now? You made me feel so special last year,” Kaiden retorted.
“And you still are, but I thought you wanted me to cut down on the things that made you feel like a ‘lab rat,’” Laurie teased.
“Take it from me boy, stay away from the cutting table. If Laurie could get away with it, you might be more machine than man,” Wolfson advised.
Laurie scoffed. “I may be a technophile, but I only have a few personal upgrades. I have no desire to turn myself into a cyborg.”
“He was referring to Adva Jericho, not yourself. Could you say the same for him?” Sasha asked.
The professor replied by silently pouring himself a glass of wine and taking a long sip.
“I wanted to talk to you about the Animus and some of its parameters,” Kaiden stated.
Laurie lowered his glass and regarded Kaiden curiously. “Oh really, now? What brought this on?”
“During my last mission, I was fighting this big burly pirate. Before he croaked he said I was a ‘doll’ or something.”
“That merely sounds like he was trying to insult you before he died—it’s not an abnormal thing that a bloodthirsty killer would do when his end was coming. The Animus is supposed to replicate personality traits.”
“I would have picked up on that,” Kaiden stated flatly. “But I had to take my helmet off. When he looked at me it was as if…I don’t know, as if I was something supernatural or alien. He said that someone was right, and I was a ‘doll.’ I guess it rubbed me the wrong way, but it seemed a weird thing to put in the middle of a mission with no special backstory.”
Laurie took another sip, Kaiden thought he saw his gaze dart away for a moment, but he closed them as he took a long drink to finish the glass. “True enough. I can look into it, but every mission for the advanced mid-year test is artificially crafted based on the team make-up, skills, and ranking of the student. It may have been done as a test of your mental capabilities.”
“How’s that?” he questioned. “Do you guys test us to see if we’re insane? Or only me?”
“Potentially,” Sasha said and moved closer to Kaiden’s left side. “Perhaps not your psychosis, but we do occasionally add random or specific elements to test your mental state.” He pushed his oculars up. “We do this because unfortunately, mental breakdowns can happen in this field, especially for soldiers, which leads them to become a danger to themselves and/or others. It’s best that we potentially catch them now so we can help them through it rather than have something happen later.”
“I’ll let you know if I start seeing pink elephants or if I think the vampires are coming,” Kaiden said sarcastically.
“If it’s the mutant kind, you’d better,” Laurie said cheerfully. “Even the ones with capes. I wouldn’t want them around. They have terrible taste in music.”
“I should probably also add a little detail,” Chief interjected. “Kaiden took him out with a frag grenade which tore off a chunk of his head. I thought it was simply a mental trauma thing.”
“Heh, I can tell you that isn’t a sunny day.” Wolfson chortled. “I had something like that happen to me and most of my dome is metal now.”
Kaiden looked at his mentor. “How are you even alive right now?” He stopped to think for a moment. “Wait a minute—that time you headbutted me and knocked me out…that’s cheap!”
“You use what you have. Do you think an Omega merc with a chain gun for an arm will give a damn is you have a handicap?” Wolfson challenged him.
“It is certainly a possibility,” Laurie agreed to bring the conversation back on track. “The Animus was made and designed to replicate a gazillion possibilities.” He chuckled to himself. “I am stunned by my feats so often.”
“I’m not sure how I feel about one of the top scientists in the world using a word like ‘gazillion,’ but keep that ego burning,” Kaiden muttered and earned a glare from the professor.
“It’s getting late, Kaiden, and your class feast is underway,” Sasha said. “Do you need anything else?”
“Nah, I can take a hint.” Kaiden pushed to his feet and Chief disappearing from view. “I simply thought something was buggy. I guess I’ll see ya’ll around.”
“I should see you tomorrow evening, right?” Wolfson asked.
“Right, right, I’ll be there. I’ll see if I can’t drag a few of the others along,” Kaiden promised and took his leave.
Laurie exhaled a long sigh and poured himself another glass. He offered some to both of his visitors. Sasha declined but Wolfson snatched the bottle and the professor didn’t even bother to put up the barest hint of a fight.
“I suppose it was inevitable that one of them would notice at some point,” Laurie whispered and swirled his glass around.
“I told the board it was too much of a risk,” Sasha reminded them. “If this gets out—”
“It won’t. I’ll shut the operation down from here on until we can find a better option.” He took a quick sip and put his glass down before he rested his head on his hands. “Everything is piling up—those laboratory thefts, one of the most notorious killers walking on our planet, and now, we gave to worry about this. We should never have considered it in the first place.”
Wolfson, having drained the bottle, placed it on the desk with a hard thud. “I agree with what the intention was, but the fallout that could happen if news gets out or something went wrong with the transference? We have the screws put to us and the entire Academy would be up shite creek.”
The two other men nodded. “I agree with you, Laurie,” the commander said. “Shut it down. I’ll deal with the board if anything arises.”
“Thank you, Sasha.” Laurie said appreciatively. “Do you ever wonder if we could be the next Arbiter Organization?”
“That’s doubtful.” Sasha stated. “Everyone knows about us.”
Kaiden walked along the coast of the island. The evening was settling in and he took a moment to look at the sky where blood-orange hues mixed with blues and violets. The chilling breeze of early winter flowed across him and he buttoned his coat and slid his hands into his pockets.
“Cred for your thoughts?” Chief asked.
“Just taking a moment,” Kaiden answered. “Do you remember when I mentioned that I could have been a pirate?”
&nbs
p; “During the test? Yeah. You never told me that story either.”
“I guess I made it sound like a big deal, but it wasn’t really. A member of the Lunar Sails saw me shooting at a range and thought to bring me on board. I told him I was already part of a gang and he left me alone. I guess it made me think about the irony that out of all the possible paths in my life, I ended up with the one that’ll have me chasing down everything I could have been.”
“The dramatic irony is palpable,” the EI jested. “For what it’s worth, I like this path, at least.”
Kaiden laughed. “I would hope so. Without me, you wouldn’t be the super EI you are.”
“That was always going to happen. I merely wouldn’t have been as shiny.”
He smiled as loud explosions erupted above followed by crackling and fizzing. Fireworks above the Academy signaled the end of the first semester. He leaned back on the railing and watched them set the sky ablaze.
Across the water and high in the mountains, another figure watched the fireworks, but he was focused on the island. A smile graced his lips as he tapped the blade on his hip.
He would have a homecoming soon.
Late Epilogue
The Story of Gin
Chapter One
“Did you ever wonder how it got to this for me?” Gin asked his companion, who listened intently. “I mean, this wasn’t the big picture for me when I was a kid. I actually wanted to do the complete opposite! I planned to be a medic and went to the Nexus Academy and everything—the one across the lake. I got to combine my love of tech and my desire to help people.”
His companion nodded but she shifted slightly away. He caught the movement and gave her a curious glance, which made her freeze and move back into place.
“I guess we have some time to kill, ha-ha! Erm, sorry, that was probably a pun, wasn’t it? Never mind. I’ll tell you about me, starting with the time I left Nexus.”
Revenant Page 20
