“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 among 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 are you going, mate?” Flynn asked.
“I want to go talk to 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 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 usual 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 certainly 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 don’t 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 as he settled in his chair. “What can I 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 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?”
The EI popped into the air. “Nah, I’m doing dandy, Professor.”
“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 might 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 you. 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 him 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 for a bloodthirsty killer to do when his end is 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 backstory.”
Laurie took another sip. Kaiden thought he saw his gaze dart away for a moment, but he closed his eyes 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 makeup, skills, and rankings of the students. 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, moving 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, that lead them to become a danger to themselves and/or others. It’s best that we 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 terri
ble taste in music.”
“I should probably also add a little detail,” Chief interjected. “Kaiden took him out with a frag grenade that 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 if you have a handicap?” Wolfson challenged him.
“It is certainly a possibility,” Laurie agreed to bring the conversation back on track. “The Animus was created and designed to replicate a gazillion possibilities.” He chuckled. “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, earning 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 disappeared from view. “I simply thought something was buggy. I guess I’ll see y’all 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 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 as he swirled his glass.
“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 out 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 have 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 the news got out or something went wrong with the transference? We’d 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 chill 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?”
“During the test? Yeah. You never told me that story.”
“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 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.
Revenant: 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 away slightly. 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.”
Three men exited the Animus pods and limbered up after their prolonged exposure.
“Man, that was intense,” the ace declared, and rolled his shoulder to ease the stiffness. “What was the final score and time?”
“Three hundred and eighty out of five hundred. Total time was four hours and twenty minutes,” the decker related. “That’s a better score than last time, but we took almost fifty minutes longer.”
“It’s all right. We’ll run another one in a couple of days.” The ace placed a hand on the third teammate’s shoulder. “I’ll probably bring the new guy along. You did amazingly. I was surprised by how well you were able to keep up and help us maintain the advantage. This was my first time running with an exotech.”
“I was happy to help,” the man said with a small smile. “Although I’m still getting used to using the Nanos in the middle of heavy combat. If the two of you weren’t so calm under pressure, I would have had a much harder time. You deserve as much praise.”
“Appreciate it.” The decker returned the smile. “I gotta admit, the exotech class is fascinating. I’ve worked with bots all my life, but I’ve only seen them as helpers with manual labor or as grunts. It’s nice to get a new perspective.”
The exotech nodded. His voice grew more excited. “The applications are numerous. I spent time in prep school learning traditional surgical skills, but after I watched a demonstration on the extranet, I switched class options.”
The decker looked off to the side in thought. “Which one?”
“The Axiom corporation demonstration a couple of years ago.”
The ace folded his arms. “Axiom? Aren’t they the ones who gave us mutants?”
“Nah. Well, kinda. That was the Fillan conglomerate, and after that fallout from…you know, that…it was dissolved. But a lot of the top scientists and engineers split off to form their own companies. It’s said that Axiom was founded by three of them,” the man explained.
“I see. So does that mean—”
“Well, hello there, Gin.”
The ace flinched as his name was called, and the trio turned to see three other students approaching them.
“Who are they?” the exotech whispered to the decker.
“The one with the frayed jacket and long hair is Rick, a battle medic. The one with the red hair and wine stains is Tai, a raider.” The decker glared at the last member, the one who had called to Gin. “That one with the blond crop-cut and shit-eating grin is Eddy, who is a dick.”
The exotech chuckled but tried to keep it quiet as Eddy and his posse walked up t
o Gin. The decker moved to his side. “So, how’d you do?” Eddy asked, and tilted his head so that he could look down at the ace.
“We did fine, Ed. What about you?” Gin muttered, and his lips barely moved.
“Does that even need to be asked?” Eddy demanded. “We got the top score possible—five hundred out of five hundred. But I want a little more detail, Gin. Tell me, what was yours?”
The ace flexed his arms in annoyance. “Nearly four hundred.”
“Skirting around it? Final score, Gin.”
“Three hundred and eighty. You gonna say something about it?” the decker challenged.
“Oh, come on, Inigo. No need to spit,” Eddy mocked, and wiped imaginary spittle from his mouth. “Three hundred and eighty, hmm? I guess that’s above average.” He glanced at Gin again. “Kinda low for the son of a WCM general, though.”
The ace’s arms continued to tremble for a moment, then he exhaled a sigh and smirked at Eddy. “Maybe, but I guess I have to congratulate you. A perfect score is really impressive.”
“Well, at least you know who your betters a—”
“For the son of a disgraced captain.”
Eddy’s eyes flared at the comment, and he took a swing that Gin ducked. The ace dodged as his opponent tried to hit him again before his lackeys grabbed him and forced him back. “You shouldn’t come at me, Eddy, not if you’re going to get so pissy each time I say that.”
“You don’t know a goddamn thing, you pissant!” Eddy roared.
“Ed! Calm down,” Tai pleaded, still trying to pin his arms back.
“There are teachers all over the AC, man. If you are caught trying to pick a fight, you could get your rank docked or even be expelled,” Rick warned.
Eddy ceased his struggles. “My dad—he was a hero. He would do what others wouldn’t, and won plenty of fights because of it,” he declared. “I’d rather be like him than some ass-kissing general. The life of a soldier—of all humans—is dictated by who is the most powerful.”
Animus Boxed Set 2 (Books 5-8): Revenant, Glitch, Master, Infiltration Page 20
