His Tsuna counterpart shrugged. “I’m enjoying the company of friends and I am happy to do that anywhere. My apprehensive body posture is because of the day's events. Whenever I lose or fail a mission, I prefer to immediately set to work training and fixing my mistakes if I am physically able. Celebrating a loss is an odd feeling.”
Kaiden knocked the back of his fist playfully against the Tsuna ace’s shoulder. “You aren’t celebrating a loss. We are celebrating a new year and, I guess, the fact that the Animus still works.”
“And me still, right?” Chief asked and floated to hover closer to them.
“You’re really taking it all in tonight, huh?” Kaiden snarked and rolled his eyes.
“I noticed that you didn’t seem to participate very much in the match,” Jaxon recalled and gestured at the EI. “Are you having trouble performing since the hack?”
“I’m not sure I like the implications there,” he warned. “Do you doubt my power?” He flared up his lights and caused most of the people in the room to shield their eyes.
“Hey. Cut the brights, Chief,” Amber whined. She held another Magenta Sunrise in her hand and walked over to hand it to Genos. “Here, try one.”
Jaxon placed a warning hand on the mechanist’s arm. “Kin, perhaps you should not—”
“Hey, let the little scamp enjoy himself. It’s nice to see him let go a little,” Chief chided and twirled to face Jaxon. “And to answer your question, I’m fine…for, uh, the most part. I’m under doctor’s orders—professor’s orders—to not dick around too much in the Animus until I get the okay. And yeah, there have been a few hiccups since Kaiden and I were separated that still kick up on occasion—”
“You have an odd definition of ‘fine,’” Jaxon interrupted, his tone flat.
The EI and Tsuna stared at each other for a moment. Jaxon blinked while Chief’s eye scaled from large to small for a few seconds. “Kaiden blew you up, remember that,” he snapped sharply and disappeared.
Kaiden chuckled. “You’re gonna disappear on him like that?”
“Quiet you. He’s oddly intimidating.”
He grinned as he watched Amber egg Genos on to take a sip. The Tsuna peered at the contents of his glass as if trying to find the courage, and the ace couldn’t help but smile to see things peaceful for once.
A long while later, the group was still relaxing, although Otto and Julius had left about a half-hour before. Chiyo and Amber knelt beside Genos, who sprawled uncomfortably on the floor. Jaxon finally noticed his kin’s current condition and hurried over with a concerned frown.
“What happened?” he asked.
“We’re honestly not quite sure, really,” Amber confessed. She held a hand against the Tsuna engineer’s head. “He seemed fine but suddenly collapsed.”
“Friends…I don’t feel so good,” Genos muttered miserably.
“I think we can see that. You look almost purple right now,” Chiyo stated in a worried tone.
Jaxon knelt and examined the other Tsuna. “The inflamed skin…shakes in the arms.” He ran a finger above Genos’ infuser. “Perspiration darkened…chemical poisoning.”
“What? From the alcohol?” Amber asked.
“No, alcohol has no real effect on us as it does you, but you said it was a cocktail, correct? Those are comprised of a number of ingredients. What did this have?”
“About three types of rum, lime juice, grape juice, grenadine, and some bitters,” Kaiden answered as he joined the group around the unhappy Genos. Amber and Chiyo gave him puzzled looks. “What? I told you I hang around with Julio. He talks shop from time to time.”
“Grenadine, that flavoring syrup?” Jaxon questioned. “That is one of the things we can’t imbibe.”
“What, pomegranate juice?” Amber asked. “I thought most Earth fruits were okay with Tsuna?”
“Most American bars use the artificial version of grenadine for the color,” Chiyo explained. “In this case, those artificial dyes are actually a mild poison for Tsuna, particularly those with weak stomachs.”
“Friends, I will not perish this night,” Genos promised, albeit in a halting and somewhat wilted voice.
“Uh, will he actually be able to live up to that?” Kaiden asked. A few others now crowded around them.
“He should be taken back to the Academy or a nearby hospital that is equipped to handle Tsuna ailments,” Jaxon declared firmly.
“There is one here in Seattle. That’ll be quicker,” Amber suggested.
“No, it is all right. We should continue the merriment,” Genos pleaded.
“There isn’t much merriment to be had when a good friend is in pain,” she said gently.
“I’ll hail a shareride and take him in. You guys keep going,” Chiyo offered. She grasped one of Genos’ arms and slid it over her shoulders.
“Are you sure?” Kaiden asked.
“Of course.” She nodded. “I’ll look after him and I’ll let you know how he fares.”
“Thanks, Chi.” He clapped a hand on Genos’ shoulder. “Do you need anything for the road, buddy?”
“Bring me the snails,” he requested weakly.
The ace glanced at the table. The only thing remaining of the escargot was the shells. “You…uh, ate them all, Genos.”
“Oh…that is not fortuitous,” he mumbled as Chiyo and Amber helped him down the stairs.
“Do you think you should go with him?” Kaiden asked Jaxon.
“I will see to him later. I wish I had thought to check the contents myself. Genos has shown more eagerness to try learning more about Earth as the years have gone by, particularly food. That eagerness has cost him a little…clarity.”
“Plus, Chief kind of guilted you into it,” Kaiden reminded him.
“Don’t bring it up again,” the EI pleaded in his head.
Kaiden smirked as Jaxon gestured with his head to the floor below. “For now, though, I’ll stand by while you deal with your onlooker.”
“Do what?” He immediately swung his gaze to the bar.
“You haven’t noticed?” Indre asked. “That guy down there in the red coat has eyeballed you for most of the night.”
“In the interested in killing you kind of way?” the ace asked. His gaze sifted through the patrons and finally settled on a tall but thin man in a large red coat. He sported a shaved head and a small black mohawk, and currently sat at the bar talking to Julio, but his repeated glances at him definitely indicated more than casual interest. Whatever the proprietor had to say included various gestures toward him.
“He certainly seems interested in something,” Flynn confirmed as he stepped beside them. “Will you go see what’s up?”
Kaiden nodded and handed the marksman his drink. “It doesn’t look like he wants trouble. If that were the case, Julio would probably deal with it himself.”
“A gig maybe?”
“There’s a good chance of that. I’ll be back.” He strolled down the stairs and weaved through the other patrons and tables on his way to the bar.
“Kaiden. You finally picked up on the vibe, eh?” Julio asked as he approached.
“You could simply contact me. I’m literally less than a hundred feet away.” He fixed his gaze on the stranger. “What’s going on?”
“I’m trying to hash out the details, but you have a potential gig.” Julio pointed to the man. “This is Rok, a member of the Fire Riders.”
“Fire Riders?” The name rang a bell, one that brought his mission to the Amazon to mind. “Lazar…that was Lazar’s gang, wasn’t it?”
“Yeah, a good man.” Rok nodded. “Although I only met him a few times. Technically, I’m part of Fire Riders West, a branch of the gang proper. But he did good work getting the gang as a whole to step in line.”
“Yeah, I remember him talking about it,” the ace recalled. “I’m sorry for the loss. He actually died while we were on a mission together and saved my life holding off the guy after me.”
“We were filled in. His
tags are actually on the wall of our new HQ in Detroit,” the man stated. “I ain’t here to make you feel guilty. I don’t think anyone really holds you responsible. Shit happens, and from what that bounty hunter told the other top guys, he went down fighting. That’s all any of us can really hope for.”
“Yeah, at the very least,” Kaiden agreed and took the seat beside him. “If you're not here for payback or anything like that, can I ask why you’re looking for me?”
“Technically I wasn’t looking for you specifically. I had word from another sector that there’s something big going down right now at a company owned by one of our contractors.”
“Ramses Technology, in San Diego. Apparently, there’s been some sort of break-in,” Julio related.
“A big company has relations with a gang?” the ace asked rather incredulously.
“It’s actually more common than you would think, especially on the west coast,” the barkeep stated.
“It’s an ace in the pocket idea. Terrorist organizations and hacker cells have emerged and become really organized since the new century began, and most companies have realized that simply having normal security details and systems isn’t enough. You gotta have something to surprise the baddies when something really goes down, someone who will play dirty like them,” Rok explained.
“And something is really going down right now?” Kaiden asked.
“Hell yeah, and it’s bad from what I hear,” the man confirmed. “So bad that the company has raised the alarm to level four. We come in at level three—well, us and another gang, the Skyway Kings. At level four, Ramses busts the coffers open and tells us to end the threat by any means necessary. For us, that means hiring as many good guns as we can get and throwing them at the problem.”
“There a level above that?” Kaiden asked.
“Level five is the fuck it solution.”
“As in fuck it, blow it up?”
“On point.” The man chuckled darkly.
“Rok is one of a few dozen scouts running around right now to get help.” Julio leaned on the bar. “They couldn’t get anyone to bite in Portland and found some in other Californian cities, but they need more.”
“What kind of trouble are ya’ll dealing with?”
“Believe it or not, it’s only ten guys,” Rok revealed. “But they are well-known ball-busters, the EX-10. I don’t know what the hell they want with this place—they usually stay up in the stars—but whatever it is, they are dead set on getting it. We’ve already lost more than a couple of dozen guys and they have almost the whole building to themselves at this point. We need manpower.”
“How many and how much?” Kaiden asked bluntly.
“At this point, all we can get, and we’re offering three hundred thousand credits a head and a million-credit bonus for each one you take down too.”
The ace whistled. He’d earned more in the past, but the current bonus could end in a ten-million-credit payday. It definitely was worth thinking about. “How long do you expect this will last?”
“Once we get into that building, we can probably wrap this up by tonight if they don’t bounce before we can reach them,” Rok replied. “Despite the losses before, we realized that this wasn’t simply a simple flush mission. We’ve played it smart and erected a barricade to defend ourselves while we prepare to strike. We don’t only wanna throw bodies at this. These guys are trained and dangerous and we’re more likely to piss them off than wear them out. Julio here has told me you’re one of his best. That’s why I’ve stared at you for a good chunk of the night. I’ve waited on the call before asking you properly.”
“I didn’t notice, but my friends did,” Kaiden admitted.
“Friends? Are they like you?” The man’s gaze drifted to the lounge area. “Do you think they would want some spare creds too?”
“They are all good but don’t have their equipment on them. I have mine stored at Wrecker Armaments and they can airdrop them for me, but—”
“Go see if they want to do it,” Julio interrupted. “I’ll take care of the equipment.”
The ace chuckled. “That’s a nice offer, Julio, but there are ten guys up there and all have different specs and classes.”
The proprietor smirked. “Go talk to them and bring the ones who wanna join you to the back room.”
The entire group filed into the room. Rok waited beside an entrance Kaiden didn’t remember seeing before. “Where’s Julio?”
“Inside,” he said and pointed to the new entrance. “Do they know what’s going on?”
“Someone’s shooting up a building you’re supposed to be defending and you need some help,” Cameron summarized. “We all agreed to at least hear you out, but we also don’t have our gear. Mine still getting repaired after a gig I ran with my uncle.”
“Julio has that covered. Go take a look.”
The team exchanged glances, curious as to what was in store. Finally, the ace shrugged and stepped through the doorway and down a set of stairs that led below the public area.
Once they reached the bottom, guided by glowstrips, they encountered another closed door. Kaiden knocked. “Julio, are you there?” he shouted.
“Yeah, hold on. I’m getting set up,” the man shouted in response, his voice slightly muffled. After a few seconds, he yelled, “Open,” and the door slid wide. Kaiden’s jaw dropped, as did the others’ when they surveyed the room stocked with a few dozen armor sets and a multitude of guns, gadgets, blades, and other weapons.
“What do you think?” the proprietor asked and stretched his arms wide to indicate his treasures.
“What the hell do you have all this for?” the ace asked as the group clustered and peered around in astonishment.
“Some are leftovers from my gang days. Others are here because I’m still something of a collector,” he said casually. “You always had your own gear, so I never felt the need to have you take a look around.”
“Why is this under your bar?”
“Remember what happened to the last owner?” Julio asked.
“Suspicious death, probably by someone he owed debts to,” he recalled.
The man nodded. “This was originally a vault where the last guy stored private riches and expensive ingredients. I modified it with my own riches to be prepared in case the debt collectors came after me.” He looked up and shouted so the group could hear. “If you accept the gig, you can all use anything you want in here for a flat fifty thousand credit fee, as long as you return them. I’ll simply take it out of your earnings for the evening.”
Kaiden smiled and turned to look at his friends. “So, who here wants to make spending money for one night of work?”
Chapter Sixteen
“So we’re keeping this a secret, right?” Marlo asked as the group followed Rok to the transport area.
Kaiden looked at the ten members of the group, all now outfitted in Julio’s gear, which looked quite pricey. The heavies, of course, looked like they normally did—miniature walking mechs. “Yeah, I think we’ll be able to do this nice and quietly.” Kaiden snickered sarcastically.
“You say that as a joke, but we are trying to keep this under wraps,” Rok stated as they finally ascended to the top of the building. Two dropships began to descend as the team funneled through the door. “Just in time,” Rok shouted in an effort to be heard over the loud engines of the aircraft. “Each ship can hold twelve, so I guess all of us will pile into one.”
“Who’s the second ship for?” Cameron asked. Rok pointed across the rooftop to a huddle of seven other mercs who waited for their transport. “Another contact was able to find a little more help in the area.”
“Seattle has way more mercs than I would have thought,” Izzy remarked.
“They could be from Tacoma,” Raul suggested.
The dropships opened their entrances slowly. The two groups boarded their respective ships rapidly. The team members each found a seat along the sides of the ship, but Rok simply walked to the far end and s
nagged one of the railings above him. “All right, is everyone comfortable?”
“Define comfort,” Silas muttered, stuck between Luke and Mack and their wide heavy armor.
“Can you breathe?” Rok asked him, and the enforcer nodded. “Good, keep doing that—my little piece of life advice, which is free. As for the rest of you, let me bring you up to speed. Once these ships climb to the troposphere, it’s only a twenty to twenty-five-minute ride to our destination.”
“Start by telling us more about these guys who took over the facility,” Kaiden suggested. “You called them the EX-10?”
“Yeah, a small mercenary group composed of ten members, all of them former members of infamous gangs, terrorist groups, and other mercenary companies,” he explained.
“Ten guys were able to take control of a large company building by themselves?” Jaxon inquired.
“Yeah, and they have been able to shut us out and keep us from getting in for hours now,” the merc confirmed. “Physical security was light, and they were able to get in without tripping any alarms. If it weren’t for the silent alarm activated by one of the official security officers, they would probably have been able to get in and out with whatever they are looking for without any difficulty or resistance.”
“That silent alarm was sent to the Fire Riders and Skyway Kings?” The ace glanced quickly out the window to confirm they had finished their ascent. The dropship immediately righted itself and cruised toward their drop point.
“Yeah, it alerted any other security personnel in the building of the attack and sent out an alert to us—well, us being the gang members in the immediate area. They went in running and ready to gun, but by this point, they had already set up shop, locked the doors down, and activated any Guardian droids ready and able in the building. Those who did get inside before the lockdown…well, from what I was told, they haven’t reported in for the last couple of hours.”
“I’m still trying to wrap my head around the fact that this was accomplished by only ten mercs,” Luke admitted and turned to Mack.
Animus Boxed Set 2 (Books 5-8): Revenant, Glitch, Master, Infiltration Page 54
