Animus Boxed Set 2 (Books 5-8): Revenant, Glitch, Master, Infiltration

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Animus Boxed Set 2 (Books 5-8): Revenant, Glitch, Master, Infiltration Page 37

by Joshua Anderle


  He yanked the spike out and glared at the killer before he glanced down to where he’d holstered the Yokai. As he suspected, it was now missing.

  “I snatched it when I knifed you,” Gin said with no prompting. “Usually, those are throwing knives, but you were moving around too much for accuracy. Plus, given how nice you’ve been, I wanted to be a little more personal.” He looked at the pistol. “It has no more rounds, though. Do you think you can spare some?”

  “Have these!” Wolfson bellowed and fired a few more shots from his pistol. The killer weaved through them before he ducked out and into one of the other rooms. The giant simply shifted his aim to shoot through the walls, but nothing connected. He was forced to vent his pistol, but as he moved to pursue, his adversary sliced through the ceiling and fell on top of him to slash and stab at him.

  The knife entered his left shoulder and an Omni-blade in his adversary’s other hand hacked at Wolfson’s chest plate. The head officer attempted to dislodge him, but his assailant held firm until he headbutted him. The impact crushed a part of the killer’s helmet and cracked both their visors. The large man was able to shove him off and he followed up with a dropkick that booted the smaller man down the hall.

  Wolfson knelt and dragged in a few deep breaths as pieces of his armor fell away. Gin raised his head and laughed as he pushed himself up, then began to twirl his blades. “How much longer can you last?” he taunted. “You may have knocked me around fairly well, but you’re losing blood. I still have all of mine.” He stopped swinging Macha and pointed it at the officer. “If you still want to keep going, I’m happy to do so as well. But you can’t keep up with me in here.”

  “I agree,” the giant grunted as he stood quickly to catch the other man by surprise. “I can’t move like you can and don’t have anything other than my fists for close range.” He removed his helmet and spat a few droplets of blood. “And, of course, I certainly don’t have the strength he does.”

  Gin tilted his head in confusion. “He?” As if in response, something sharp pierced the front of his chest. He glanced down and grimaced at the claws that gripped him from behind. A fierce roar seemed to give voice to Wolfson’s broad grin as Raza pushed off the outside of the building with his prey firmly in his grasp.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Gin and the Sauren struggled for control as they fell. The killer managed to avoid a bite and tried to keep the huge beast’s mouth closed by looping an arm around it as he struggled to pry the unyielding grip loose with his blade. Raza broke free of the man’s hold and lunged to decapitate him with another wide-mouthed bite. Gin raised his plasma blade to protect his face and briefly halted the assault as he managed to slice into two of the four claws on his right hand. The alien roared in rage and the man twisted to flip them over each other.

  Raza landed on his back and the human rolled quickly, but before he could put any distance between him, his enormous foe caught one of his feet when his powerful tail snaked around his ankle. The Sauren stood and spun to careen Gin into the building before he reversed direction and hurled him into a pile of old training equipment beside a rec center building.

  Wolfson landed near the Sauren and teetered for a moment before he collapsed. Raza glanced at the three spikes protruding from the man’s side and the blood near his mouth and on his shoulder. “You are bleeding, Wolfson,” he noted casually.

  “Eh, so are you,” the man countered with a chuckle. “And you just got here.”

  “Blood is no sign of dishonor. You know this,” Raza huffed. “But you shouldn’t lose too much.”

  “We’ll go over the best way to fight later.” The giant gasped as he dragged the blades out with one hand while the other retrieved a small wadded patch on his belt. He squeezed it and pushed it into his side, where it expanded and covered the wounds. “Where is he?”

  “Our prey is over there,” Raza said and knelt with his claws in the dirt. “For now. He will be dead soon.”

  Gin stood, shook his head, and eased his shoulders. He fumbled to remove his helmet, which had now been so damaged that it was almost useless. “I really am glad I kept this on for a while longer. Imagine my defeat being a bump to the head.”

  “Instead, it will be by being torn asunder by teeth and claw,” Raza threatened and snarled menacingly.

  The killer’s eyes narrowed at the Sauren. “Wanna explain what the big lizard is doing here?”

  “This is Raza, one of the Sauren war chiefs and a delegate to Earth.” Wolfson folded his arms. “He’s a friend of mine, but this is also personal for him.”

  “I guess I have managed to piss them off along the way, huh?” Gin sounded thoughtful. “Perhaps they prefer a more personal approach to diplomacy.”

  “Exactly.” The other man nodded as Raza roared and charged. He responded by throwing a flashbang at the alien’s feet.

  It detonated but before he could dodge, a claw snatched hold of his arm. “I can still smell you, pest,” Raza raged as he pounded the man with his free hand. The killer managed to draw the last of his throwing knives and tried to stab into the burly arm, but the blade simply slid against the tough scales.

  Gin quickly wound his legs over the Sauren’s arm and pulled taut to stiffen the limb as he reached for a weighted bar. He slammed it into the creature’s eye and Raza roared with pain and fury. While the beast didn’t release him, the man was given enough slack that he could draw Macha. He flipped the blade quickly and stabbed into his opponent’s hand to drag it back. He repeated the process and finally, Raza let go.

  Panting, he pushed to his feet, but Wolfson’s shadow alerted him, and he moved aside barely in time. A heated blade skimmed off his left vambrace and he scowled at the giant who smiled smugly as he brandished his Omni-blade

  “Are you that petty? Get your own,” Gin sneered.

  “Take it from me,” the head officer challenged and launched into another strike. The killer avoided it, seized his arm, and kicked his leg back into his adversary’s knee. The large man dropped instantly to his knees and Gin folded his hands together quickly and drove them into the side of Wolfson’s head. In almost the same motion, he snatched the hand cannon from his opponent’s meaty hand. “I’ll simply take your weapon as a trade,” he said mockingly and scuttled back as Wolfson tried to sweep his legs out from under him.

  The killer fired but Raza pushed in front of the head officer, raised his arms, and absorbed the bulk of the attack. The Sauren howled in pain and fury but didn’t weaken. The hand cannon overheated, and Gin stabbed it with Macha and hurled it aside in frustration. The alien retrieved a razor disk from his belt. He held it up and the rim expanded with whirring blades before he launched it at his adversary, who simply stepped to the side. The man smiled, his expression taunting, and the beast raised a claw and motioned at him as if challenging him to attack.

  He almost obliged but a whirring sound behind him alerted him. The noise grew louder, and he fell prone a split second before the razor disk careened overhead and into Raza’s hand.

  “Shit, that’s annoying,” the man muttered as he scrambled to his feet and retreated. The Sauren grinned and hurled the disc once more. Gin tried to serpentine around it, but the blade was controlled by the alien hunter who simply followed him and directed it with deadly intent. Finally, the killer leapt upward, flipped over the disk, and sliced it with Macha. He positioned his feet to provide maximum strength and at first, it seemed like it wouldn’t give. Eventually, however, the blade penetrated the edge and sliced cleanly to cleave it in half.

  Raza snarled as he removed the spiked hunter’s lance from his belt and unfolded it. Wolfson stepped up beside him with the Omni-blade. The two waited and stared a challenge, but the revenant simply smiled as he removed his left gauntlet to reveal one of his metal arms. He motioned with it for them to attack.

  The duo spurred into the offensive. Raza reached him first and thrust the lance at him, but Gin caught it with his hand and ran his blade along the edge of t
he staff as he swiped at the beast’s mouth. The Sauren, in turn, caught the blade with his teeth, which angered his opponent. Wolfson circled behind with the Omni-blade and attempted to stab their adversary in the head. The killer released the blade handle and used the lance for leverage to spring up. He managed to dodge Wolfson’s attack and kick the beast in the throat.

  Normally this would barely tickle a Sauren, but the weight and power of the strike combined with the abnormal strength of Gin’s artificial legs were enough to make Raza sputter and release the blade. The man caught it as he flipped over the two and turned quickly to slash viciously into Raza’s back. The alien roared in pain and fury and retaliated with an attempt to slice him with his claws. The killer finished what he’d started earlier and severed the fingers he’d damaged before. Instead of another hiss or reaction of pain, Raza whipped his hand back and splashed the man’s eyes with blood, blinding him. Gin cursed as he stepped away and tried to wipe the blood clear with the back of his blade hand as he pressed a switch on his belt with the other.

  The duo immediately went in for the kill as several versions of their adversary appeared. “You won’t fool me with such pathetic trickery,” Raza bellowed and speared the lance through two of the holograms en route to real one.

  “And you won’t sneak up on me by yelling like that,” he countered and managed to duck as the lance was about to strike. He gripped it securely, tightened his fist around it, and snapped the head off. The killer forced his eyes open and retrieved the head of the lance as Wolfson surged toward him. It was too late to avoid the attack, but he could reciprocate. He twisted enough that the heated blade passed through the side of his torso above his ribs. The pain was immediate, but he gritted his teeth through it and drove the lance into Wolfson’s eye.

  The head officer yelled in pain, but mostly, it was a wrathful, damning scream. He fell back and yanked the weapon out of his eye. Blood streamed down his face and he glared at his adversary, his face twisted with malice.

  It was time to leave. The killer knew he couldn’t keep this up and the two monsters definitely wouldn’t stop. He fumbled for the last of his grenades—this one a thermal—and activated it. There would be no one-liners or taunts. He simply wanted this to end. His opponents approached determinedly, and he threw it directly ahead of them. When they realized it wasn’t another flashbang, they backed away and flung themselves behind cover a split second before the blast erupted. It worked better than Gin had hoped. The explosion rocketed chunks of the buildings in a broad arc. Wolfson was trapped under the rubble as the killer dashed between them during the chaos, snatched his Omni-blade from the ground, and raced toward the cliffs.

  “Wolfson!” Raza shouted.

  The head officer struggled under the weight of the debris. “Get him! Go, I’ll be there,” he ordered. The Sauren nodded and roared as he pursued his prey.

  Gin vaulted up and began to climb the ravine quickly. A hasty glance confirmed that the alien had eaten up the distance between them. He could definitely climb faster than the human could, but now that he had his Omni-blade once more, he could manage him alone.

  But Raza didn’t climb after him. Instead, he pounded the base of the cliff with all his considerable power. It shifted ominously. Was he trying to knock him off? The killer glanced up when rocks fell from above and shoved away from the ridge as the stones rumbled and careened down. He retrieved his blades once again and dived at the Sauren. Both blades sank into the beast’s shoulders. “If you won’t give up, I’ll cut your damn arms off,” he warned.

  The alien grasped his adversary in response. Gin shuddered when his metallic arms begin to buckle. “My arms will grow back,” Raza informed him with a vicious hiss. “But your heart will cease forever.” The Sauren roared, plucked the man off him, and hurled him at the cliff. Rocks continued their avalanche and piled on top of him.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  “That’s the last of our exterior defenses besides those around the door, but they will be breached soon,” Sasha informed Kaiden, who had picked up his rifle and now armed himself with any explosives and spare weapons he could fit on his person.

  “Do you have any idea what’s out there?” the ace asked and tossed an Altair pistol to the commander. “The ground ain’t pounding, so I guess the big guy hasn’t come for us yet.”

  “The big guy? Which one in particular?”

  “That experimental Goliath thing, remember? I thought you said you ran this before.”

  Sasha placed the pistol into a compartment on his leg. “Over twenty years ago. Back then, there was no ‘experimental Goliath thing.’ The waves merely became harder and harder until the time limit ran out or you were overwhelmed.”

  “Well, that complicates things,” Kaiden grumbled. “With how calm you were, I had hoped that you had a plan for when it showed up. You wouldn’t happen to secretly be a top-notch hacker, would you?”

  “No, nor is Isaac with me currently. So, if this machine should show up, I suggest our plan is to simply run for now.”

  “That’s it?”

  “Run really fast, if you would like something more explicit.” Sasha turned to Kaiden. “I also think you shouldn’t go out there.”

  “And let you have all the fun?” he snickered. “I’m good, and I feel cramped down here anyway.”

  “That’s not it, Kaiden. I mean you should stay down here while I deal with the droids.” The commander walked over to the panel he’d used earlier. “There’s one more setting for this bunker—a lockdown. It will shut and lock the door while reinforcing the bunker with shielding. While it won’t last forever, it will buy the professor more time to find a way to get you out of here.”

  “Oh, don’t start with that heroic sacrifice bullshit,” the ace protested and looked at the ceiling. “Hey, Laurie! Are you there?”

  When he received no response, he glanced at his companion. “When have you known Laurie to pass up a chance to babble? I may not know the specifics of what’s going on here, but I understand that everything we understand about the Animus is bent over a railing right now. If Laurie had a plan, I’m sure he would have let us know.”

  “He may simply be preoccupied in executing that plan,” the other man pointed out.

  “Or things are so bad he can’t even talk to us,” Kaiden countered. “I know that losing one of your students to a virus that infiltrated the great Animus system would be a stain on the Academy’s rep or whatever. But as I see it, I at least have a chance to go down fighting, even if it’s only in my head, rather than having my brain cooked while I take a nap. I won’t simply hole up in here with my fingers crossed while you run the same risk as I do. What the fuck will I say at your funeral? The great Commander Sasha lost his life against a battalion of robots while I shivered underground? Hell no!”

  “So you’d rather die for your pride than potentially live for your future?” the commander challenged, the anger evident in his voice a rather unsettling change from its normal easy tone. He retrieved a bastille grenade which was used to trap others in a shield. “I would have hoped that you would have grown out of such foolishness in the time you’ve been here.”

  “Call me a fool or whatever makes you think you can guilt me out of this, but didn’t you tell me that you wanted to help make the next great soldiers? How will you do that if you’re dead?” the ace demanded, and his hand tightened around the barrel of his rifle.

  “Do you think I’d rather see another great soldier die because of me?” Sasha retorted.

  Kaiden stared at the man, his expression obdurate. “Wolfson told me a story about something like that when it happened to him. About how soldiers all have to deal with their first time facing their mortality and their fears. It’s how they move past them that matters, not the fact that they succumbed to it.” He picked his helmet up. “I know what it means to put this on and to wield this gun. I’ve done it nearly all my life, Sasha. Do you think if I was freaked out about something like that, I would have staye
d in the soldier division? That I wouldn’t have simply run off to find some cushy job in logistics?”

  An explosion outside indicated that one of their last defenses had fallen. “I’m not asking to make a suicide run. Maybe you’re right and they are almost ready to pull us out of here, but I’ll be damned if that’s not the case and I was stuck here waiting for them. And if I get out, I want you to come with me. There’s no sense in letting you die when I still have questions I want answered.”

  “Is that the only reason?” the commander asked.

  He flipped his helmet and placed it on his head. “Well, also, I don’t like having debts, and I already owe you for bringing me here, despite everything.” The helmet locked into place and Kaiden threw his rifle up, caught it, and held it against his chest. “If you die for me too, I’ll owe you double and wouldn’t be able to pay it back.” He took one hand off his gun and extended it to the commander. “Besides, I want to see you in action a little more. When’s the next time I’ll see you get up from behind that desk?”

  Sasha looked at the ace’s hand, then at his face. His expression was neutral for some time before he sighed and smiled, replaced the bastille grenade, and took Kaiden’s hand. “You don’t owe me anything. If you live and make a good future for yourself, that’s all I require.”

  “That’s something of a contradiction, but I get ya,” he responded warmly as another explosion was triggered above ground. “It looks like they’re getting restless.” He released the commander’s hand and moved toward the steps. “Get your gear and let’s go. And by the way, the score’s reset, so try to keep up.”

  The two infiltrators followed the golden light through the darkness. Chiyo felt another wave of nausea, but this one was less intense. Perhaps whatever this was—if it was what she thought and hoped it was—it shielded them to some extent.

 

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