“I’m sure they’ll be compensated,” his partner replied and grunted as he holstered his pistol. Laurie watched the screen that fed him video from Sasha’s ocular cam. The adva moved the officer’s body and placed it inside a closet before he made his way out and over to a door. Working quickly, he removed the plate that covered the scanner and began to rewire it.
“I don’t see why you needed me. You seem quite capable of dealing with their defenses,” he pointed out, his boredom lacing his tone.
“This is basic soldier training, although I don’t know for how much longer. Vista, along with several other top corporations, has begun to set new standards in security. Rigging things like this will probably be a less reliable way to break into places in the near future.”
“Well, I’m sure the future technicians will pick up the slack,” Laurie commented.
“That’s the hope. No man is an island, as the old saying goes. Everyone has their part to play.”
“True enough, but watching you has given me an idea for a future EI upgrade. How useful would it be for all students to have an EI with at least basic hacking ability? Obviously, they wouldn’t be able to work on advanced systems and would still need the help of their partner, but I could see—”
“Hold that thought for a moment, Laurie,” Sasha requested as the door opened and allowed him entry. He scanned the room quickly to confirm that no one waited within before he walked over to a wall of servers. It took a moment to examine each of their ID numbers in search of a specific one. “Here—ID-04df1. This should have the file I’m here for.” Sasha inserted a drive into a slot. “This will transmit the system to your interface. You can—”
“My turn to tell you to hold that thought.” The professor removed his feet and sat forward. He cracked his fingers and opened a holo-screen, his motions brisk and business-like. “This is my forte, after all. I know what to do— I can’t do anything.”
“Do what?” the marksman gasped.
“The screen doesn’t read anything. Are you sure you plugged it in right?” he asked and peered at the different open channels available—a simple task considering he was reading none at the moment.
“The light’s on and it’s plugged in, yes,” the other man muttered and sighed heavily. “Either a part of the new update was specifically made to jam such devices, or the one I have isn’t a high enough level to bypass the clearance.”
“I should have thought to bring my own—although mine has a special ID, and that would make it much easier to trace.” Laurie huffed, “Any ideas?”
“I don’t wish to call this off, not when we’re this close.” Sasha scowled silently at the other side of the room. The only thing visible was a wall, but the direction he looked in was directly at the transport. “Laurie, have you done your stretches today?”
He looked at the screen and blinked in bewilderment. “Do what?”
Laurie cut across the back lot, his heart beating rapidly. “Are you sure no one is around?”
“No one conscious. I’m cutting back the same way to make sure our path is clear,” Sasha confirmed.
The professor finally reached the door his teammate had directed him to, tapped the panel with a finger, and it opened immediately. “It seems the jammer I gave you is still up and running.”
“You should have more confidence in your creations, Professor.” Sasha chuckled.
“Are you teasing me during a time like this?” Laurie protested and immediately clenched his teeth and reminded himself to keep his voice low.
“I promised to keep you safe, right? The plan might have changed, but that promise has not.”
He sighed as he ducked inside and peered furtively down the hall for even so much as a silhouette. “You keep up your end, and I’ll keep up mine.”
“Are you talking about getting the data or the drinks?”
“Both, I suppose, but I’m more interested in the drinks. I’ll need a bottle after this.” Sasha tried to stifle a laugh. “This is funny to you?”
“I suppose, in an ironic way. I’ve grown quite used to this life, but it’s amusing to hear someone experiencing it for the first time.”
“I’m thrilled that I could act as your entertainment for the evening,” he grumbled, turned the corner, and bumped into something.
He almost yelled before a hand covered his mouth. Sasha held a finger to his lips before he lowered his hand. “You could have told me you were here already,” he protested fretfully.
“I agree.” The marksman turned away. “Let’s go. Everything is clear along the path. All that’s keeping us here is however long it takes you to get the data.”
“Then we’ll be done in no time,” he promised with a raised fist. “Now lead on, soldier.”
The two reached the server without incident. Sasha stepped back from the machine and directed his companion to approach. The professor did so, but instead of activating his holoscreen, he folded his hands behind his back. “Aurora, would you kindly get that little file for us?”
Sasha almost jumped when a feminine figure appeared. Her body shifted between several colors and faded in and out. “I shall do my best, Professor.”
“You're using your EI?” The marksman seemed more than a little dubious. “Are you sure she can get in without setting anything off? EIs are only programmed for—”
“Are you honestly going to explain to me how EIs work?” Laurie demanded. The other man stared blankly at him for a moment and then shrugged his reluctant acquiescence. “I know, this is supposedly a new system, but do remember Vista does work with my father’s company. I still keep track of what they work on.”
“And you specifically developed commands for your EI to circumvent them?”
“Obviously, I need to keep my EI at the edge of new advances. It’s a matter of pride,” he stated.
“In that case, why not simply lend me the EI before I went inside?”
“If I did that, what would be the point of me being here?” he asked and turned to face the adva.
“To add the atmosphere, perhaps?”
Laurie snickered. “A decent save. But the main reason is that she’s linked only to me. I cannot transfer her. In fact, the failsafe I have installed would destroy her in that situation. And to use her from a distance, I still need to tinker with some of her settings. But since I’m here now…” Laurie pointed to the server where several lights changed from red to green. “I’ll admit, even with my prowess, we may have been here longer if I did this myself.”
Sasha approached the server and slid the drive in once again. “The transfer function may be bunk, but it should still work as a storage unit.”
“Correct. I read the drive’s internal storage. What files do you need?” Aurora asked, her form now only a head.
“They are marked VSP-01 through VSP-101,” Sasha answered she nodded and disappeared.
“I will transfer them now.”
“VSP?” Laurie asked and leaned against a table.
“Vista Security Practice. Junk files I have to send back to the contractor to show that I got in.”
“I see. Will you tell them about my assistance?”
The adva shrugged, drew his pistol, and fired over the professor’s shoulder. Laurie spun as the dart struck a guard in the neck. The man struggled on his feet for a moment before he collapsed without a sound. “When did he get here?”
“You left the door open.” Sasha crossed the room quickly, grabbed the body, and slid it inside before he closed the door to the room. “I’m surprised you didn’t hear him walk up. I don’t think an alarm was tripped, though. He probably thought someone forgot to close it, which works out for us.” He dragged the inert man under the table Laurie leaned against and clapped. “As for your question, I didn’t intend to, both to not get you involved and because it shouldn’t matter. They wanted to see if their new security was up to snuff and it wasn’t. Should it matter that a big part of this was because I was assisted by one of the leading minds in
the tech field?”
“I see. It makes sense.” The professor nodded a little regretfully. “A pity, though. I would have loved to hear my father’s reaction to this.”
“You could always leave a calling card like many other hackers do,” Sasha suggested.
“I’m finished, sir. Ejecting drive and leaving the system.” The drive clicked free and Sasha took it and placed it in his jacket pocket. Within seconds, the lights on the server case returned to normal.
“Well done, Aurora,” Laurie congratulated and smirked at his companion. “To you as well, I suppose.”
“I’m humbled,” the adva responded dryly, but a smirk of his own appeared. “So, drinks, then?”
The professor pushed off the table. “That sounds lovely. Time to unwind after all that hard work.”
“A little running counts as hard work?” Sasha asked as the two left.
“I’m counting the last few months, actually.”
Chapter Six
“You’re a marksman, right?” Laurie asked and took another sip of the drink Sasha had suggested but coughed once again from the intense flavor.
“Have you forgotten already? Perhaps you should slow down somewhat.”
“Please, I can handle my liquor. I merely thought that maybe it’s not the best use of your talents.”
Sasha downed the last of his drink and flipped the glass. “What makes you say that? I wasn’t able to show off my long-range abilities in there.”
“Perhaps not, but you showed a cool head, the plan was well thought out with the exception of the little hiccup, and you were able to get some use out of me, even with no field experience on my part. You would make a great leader.” He took another sip, but it was cut short by a cough. “God, what is this again?”
“Bliss Fire Vodka, a personal favorite.” The adva knocked on the table to tell the bartender to get him another. “At least when the point is inebriation rather than merely relaxation.”
“I can agree with that.” Laurie coughed once more and scowled at his glass. “But it does have a rather addictive flavor. Anyway, what do you think? As an adva, you still have one last chance for a class change before the end of the year.”
“I’ve thought about it. I was recommended to change after winning the initiate finals last year.”
“That was you, wasn’t it?” Laurie nodded as he thought back “You set the division test score and were the leader of the team that took out my Master EI in the Death Match.”
“The faculty calls it that too?” He chuckled.
“It’s stuck, certainly. I was rather impressed. I should have recognized you the first time I saw you.”
“I prefer to keep my distance from people. It’s been a problem before,” Sasha admitted, and a melancholy tone tinged his voice.
“You did all that trying to stay under the radar?” The professor finally finished his drink. “So you either aren’t infallible, or your definition of discreet is rather broad.”
“Or I’m simply that good, winning when I don’t even try to,” he retorted.
“Or you’re willing to put aside your personal objectives for the betterment of the mission or your team. Another sign that you're destined for greater things,” Laurie challenged.
“Winding back to that, are you?” The man sighed as the bartender brought him another glass which he took and raised in thanks. “After this, you should try a Peacemaker——another favorite and less intense.”
“I think it’s time I choose the next round.” The professor beckoned to another bartender. “So, what do you think?”
“About the change to ace?”
“Ace? I was saying leader.”
“It’s going through a name change next year, or maybe this year.”
“Two glasses of Azure Dream, please,” Laurie asked the bartender before he turned his attention back to his companion. “Really? I haven’t heard much about that.”
“I overheard a workshop teacher,” the adva replied and downed his drink quickly to prepare for the next one. “I would think as a faculty member, you would be aware of such things.”
“I try not to bother with the things that don’t immediately involve me.”
“And yet you helped me. Perhaps you are as willing to put aside your personal feelings to help another.”
Laurie ran a hand through his hair, the gesture almost impatient. “Ha-ha, nice try. I helped a promising student, and it was an excuse to get out and show my skills.”
“Your inventions aren’t enough proof, and show your skills to whom, exactly? I’m the only one with you. Trust me, the guards won’t remember a thing.”
“Fair point,” Laurie grumbled.
“And on top of that, I’m only a promising student to you? You sound much older than you appear. I thought you were only a few years older than me.”
“I am. I think—how old are you?”
“Twenty-one. You?”
“Twenty-five, turning twenty-six at the end of the year.”
“You should act your age more,” Sasha suggested. The bartender returned and gave them each a glass of light-blue liquid. He looked curiously at it, but Laurie simply picked his up and took a sip. After a moment, the adva followed suit and took a small sip. It was light with a flowery scent but tasted like sweetened spring water—an odd chaser, but it was pleasant.
“Well, I suppose I didn’t want to be presumptuous,” the professor finally responded. “But you do seem a nice sort, even with your odd career.”
“I won’t do it long. The military will probably be my future once I’ve graduated,” Sasha replied. “As for my thoughts, you’re eccentric but a much more agreeable man than your enigmatic scientist reputation makes you appear.”
“Why, thank you…I think.” Laurie swirled his drink. “So, friends then?”
“You’ve helped me break into a top-level corporation and treated me to drinks. I think that checks off enough boxes.”
“And you’ve treated me to a good time as well, albeit more physical activity than I’ve had in some time.”
Sasha chuckled and took a larger sip, and they both looked at a monitor to see a news report of a military captain and a Sauren war chief side by side at the embassy. “That’s a large man. He’s almost as big as the Sauren,” Laurie exclaimed
“That’s Captain Wolfson if I recall correctly,” Sasha told him. “That Sauren was the leader of a hunting party that attacked one of our outer laboratories. I heard they had a fight that lasted quite some time—days, according to the rumors.”
“And yet he now stands in the embassy, and we welcome them with open arms.” The professor looked a little bemused.
“The captain was actually instrumental in getting them to accept. Besides, from what I know of the Sauren, we’d rather have them on our side than simply roaming the galaxy as a potential threat,” Sasha explained and switched his glass for water. “Besides, they seem to get along well with the Tsuna, and they had animosity between them for some time.”
“Perhaps we shouldn’t judge an alien on looks. I met a Mirus the other day. They are quite interesting despite the whole telepathy thing being rather unnerving,” Laurie admitted.
Sasha continued to watch the screen before he asked quietly, “Why are you suddenly so interested in me being a leader?”
“Hmm?” His companion set his glass down carefully. “I suppose it’s partly projection on my part.”
“How so?”
The professor leaned forward and looked the adva in his eyes. “I know what it’s like to be relegated to the sideline. I’m sure you are a great sniper, but that merely seems to be one of your skills. You have the potential to be so much more. It may not bother you now, but I would like to see someone like you achieve greater things.”
Sasha was quiet after his new friend’s explanation and let it sink in. “I…appreciate the thought, Laurie. Thinking it over, I suppose I’ve simply accepted my place at the Academy. I didn’t have dreams of joining it l
ike many others, so I guess I never gave it much thought and along with my own baggage…” He wanted to keep going, but the words failed him.
Laurie laid a hand on his shoulder. “Even if the alcohol loosened your tongue, don’t feel you need to explain everything now—or at all,” he said quietly. “But think about it. I know you will graduate in a couple of years and we may part company, but I would like to know that you achieve a future that will lead to great things. That is one of the main reasons I created the Animus, after all.”
“For others to achieve their goals?”
“For others to achieve things they didn’t think possible.”
The adva smiled, raised his glass of Azure Dream, and offered a toast. “I’ll make sure to live up to that.”
The two men clinked glasses. “See that you do. I’ve achieved mine. But I still think I can achieve so much more.”
Author Notes - Michael
May 28, 2019
THANK YOU for not only reading this story but these Author Notes as well.
(I think I’ve been good with always opening with “thank you.” If not, I need to edit the other Author Notes!)
RANDOM (sometimes) THOUGHTS?
Another year, another trip to one of the big 4 publishing con’s, this time it’s Book Expo held in New York City, NY USA.
(I’m presently typing this from seat 15C on an American Airlines Boeing 757.)
We are staying at the Stewart hotel, which is just a few blocks from the Krispy Kreme donut store at Penn Station (next to Madison Square Garden - I get those places confused all of the time.) I fully intend to walk over there and buy some donuts.
It’s for research ;-)
Commenting on this reminds me of a meme I saw in our SLACK group from Eileen a few weeks ago that went something like this:
Animus Boxed Set 2 (Books 5-8): Revenant, Glitch, Master, Infiltration Page 65
