“It appears he was on a mission for the rival company, Strato. It was coincidental.”
“But still annoying—and it’s also a hell of a coincidence.”
“I agree,” Merrick replied and finally took a sip before he placed the cup back on the table. “I’ll have to look into how he got the mission. Maybe there is an informant somewhere along the way. I’ll have a team look into Strato and send someone to investigate the dealer.”
“We have the resources for now, certainly, but I think we’ll need to make a decision regarding our former priority target,” the assistant suggested.
“Kaiden was always merely a potential feather in our cap. The priority was always the EI,” his superior corrected and pushed the tablet forward so he could lean an elbow on the desk. “But if he continues to get in the way, we’ll have to make him a priority elimination.”
“You have my contact info. Let me know,” Dario offered.
“I have a different job for you, but it may intersect with this matter.” The man slid the tablet closer to Dario, who picked it up to see a picture of Kaiden and another student behind him.
“Who is this?” he asked and zoomed in on the female accomplice.
“Chiyo Kana, daughter of Gendo Orikasa.”
His face assumed an expression of surprise and amusement as he looked at the picture once again. “She certainly took a different direction than a child of a zaibatsu leader would normally take, didn’t she?”
Merrick leaned his head into his open palm and tapped his desk with the fingers of his other hand. “There seems to be some friction between father and daughter in this case. However, I’m concerned about the repercussions of her involvement.”
“How so?”
“She’s a skilled technician—a top-tier infiltrator according to her file. If she recovered the drive from the neurotech golem and decided to look into it, she’ll see the programs and commands installed into the device.”
“Are you worried she would use them against us? Or maybe that it would lead back to us?” Dario inquired.
“We developed each suite in preparation to attack specific security systems. The security that defended the Lexsys OS was designed by Gendo’s company,” the leader explained.
“Ah, I see.” He finished his tea, placed the cup on the desk, and stood. “You’re worried she’ll connect the dots and tell her father.”
“Correct.” Merrick nodded. “While I doubt even she could trace it back to us—or anyone she might have connections to—I’m sure a program that specifically countered something developed by her father would cause her concern. She will notify Gendo, and he’ll begin looking into it.”
“And with his vast network and the technology at his disposal, he will begin a manhunt that could lead him to our doorstep,” the assistant surmised.
“Eventually, perhaps, but he will certainly be on high alert, and we have yet to establish a foothold in the Mirai Zaibatsu.” The leader took the tablet back and opened a file. “So far, we have taken control of half of the companies we have targeted, but Mirai is an important piece.”
“Having control over a zaibatsu with nearly a dozen companies in its thrall is very enticing. But with the companies we do have and the others we’re looking to amass, shouldn’t it be more like a cherry on top of our plans rather than a primary ingredient? Mirai and the companies attached to it all focus on technological and security development. Surely with the other corporations we have at our disposal, all we need is to acquire their schematics and reverse-engineer anything we would need from them.”
“That’s the fallback plan, yes,” Merrick agreed. “But they constantly improve and always create something new. More importantly, having access to them would allow us a stronger foothold in both the region and in our preparations.”
“Oh, good, you are still thinking about that,” Dario said happily. “I began to wonder if I was the only one who cared anymore, considering how much sneaking around we’ve done.”
“There is much to be done, Dario. We can’t simply storm in ill-prepared,” his superior chastised. “Even if the mission is successful, we will have to deal with the fallout, which means our plan will no doubt lead to a war we will have to face along with the war we fear is coming.”
“I’m aware of that, boss.” The assistant sighed although his smile didn’t falter. “We’re doing all this not because we need it to take the Academy, but because taking the Academy is the first step to taking the WC and then preparing for the inevitable—all that doom and gloom.” He looked up at the Arbiter Organization’s leader and shrugged. “I simply think we need to enjoy ourselves a little more. Everything has been so tense lately and we need to relieve some stress from time to time. What’s the point of surviving an apocalypse if we’re all Sad Sacks by the end of it.”
Merrick, despite his anxiety, chuckled briefly. “I do wish I could have your temperament, even for a few minutes,” he confessed. “I’ll leave the Mirai mission to you from here on. I had hoped we could do this through simple business and trickery, but it appears it may need a personal touch.”
“Which I’ll be happy to provide—” Dario’s eyes lit up, and he snapped his fingers. “Oh right, you said this mission might cross with our Kaiden problem.”
“Potentially. If Chiyo is close enough with Kaiden that she would accompany him on a mission, I would assume that if she brings herself into this, she will bring him in as well.”
“And that means I’ll finally have an opportunity to meet the boy,” the other man responded cheerfully. “I wonder if I should bring that assassin woman with me—the one I recruited from the EX-10.”
“As I said, I’ll leave the mission to you.” Merrick opened a holoscreen and began to work. “I simply request two things.”
“Of course, request away.”
“One, drop past the R and D department. They will provide you with a device that will assist in the fallback option,” he explained. “And secondly…” He looked up from his screen. “Do what you see fit, but please leave Gendo alive for now.”
“I don’t see a need to kill him. Not yet anyway.”
“Even still, I know it seems to be a preference for you to eliminate problems rather than find workarounds. But keeping the head of the zaibatsu alive is important for now. That aside, the golems aren’t advanced enough yet to replicate specific people, so it would cause an unnecessary commotion if he were killed or suddenly disappeared.”
“I’ll keep a hand tied,” Dario promised and moved to leave as the doors to the room opened automatically. “One way or another, we’ll have the help of the Mirai soon enough.” With that, he waved behind him as the door closed.
“We certainly will now,” Merrick whispered and allowed himself a confident smile.
Chapter Five
The sound of an emergency siren blared into Kaiden’s sleeping mind although he didn’t react with surprise or shock, only irritation as he went to smack his alarm. The instinctive response was unfortunate since it was Chief who actually made the sound.
“Ow, dammit…” he muttered and rubbed his temple.
“You gotta think fast, even first thing in the mornin’.” The EI chuckled.
“You can also choose less annoying sounds to wake me up with,” he complained as he slid out of his bed and stretched.
“Look, we tried that chirping bird and gentle singing nonsense. It doesn’t get you moving. It’s all or nothing when it comes to waking your ass up,” Chief countered.
He made no comment. This was the first day of the week and he’d only had about five hours of sleep after he’d returned from the gig. He moved his tired body to his dresser and located an Academy shirt and pants before he headed to the shower. It had taken a couple of years, but he finally began to feel everything catch up to him in the early morning. All the pain, fatigue, and general moroseness. Maybe he needed to start drinking tea or something.
As he shuffled down the hall and tried to keep his eyelid
s half-closed to block the sunlight creeping through the windows, he wondered how Chiyo fared after her first merc gig. Or, at least, what he assumed was her first gig.
Well, he would find out soon enough.
He placed his tray of breakfast on the usual table, picked his fork up, and spun it for a moment. It shouldn’t be long before Chiyo arrived.
“Hello, friend Kaiden!” He turned and waved at a cheerful Genos. He wasn’t whom he’d expected to arrive first, but he wouldn’t complain.
“Morning, Genos—no food?” he questioned as the Tsuna took a seat.
“No, we eat at the Tsuna dorms, remember?”
“Yeah, that’s right,” Kaiden agreed and scratched his head. “You would think they would start integrating mealtimes. Eating and chatting together builds camaraderie like crazy.”
“Kin Jaxon stated that it is something they discuss in alliance meetings, but considering our specific diets, it would require moving everything from the dorms to the cafeteria and making sure to increase supply in case the human students want anything,” the mechanist explained.
“I doubt many would be so brave as to try Tsuna delicacies, but the nice fruits and seafood you guys get might spark some interest.” He took a bite of bacon. “You said that Jaxon got this from an alliance meeting? Tsuna and human alliance or something?”
Genos nodded. “Indeed, most meetings are called by each individual party as they think of ideas for better relations, then they come together and debate.”
“I’m surprised you don’t take part. You seem interested in better relations and all that.” He pointed a fork at the alien. “After all, the only reason we really started getting to know each other is because you spoke up. I was kind of dumbfounded at meeting an alien for the first time.”
“To be fair, my people are more accustomed to it in general, considering our history,” his companion replied. “I am happy that I have been able to make such fast friends, but I haven’t traveled much outside our circle and especially since the new arrivals have come in.”
“Have you played chaperone?” Kaiden asked.
“To an extent. I pass my knowledge on and explain how best to interact with humans,” he replied.
“That’s had to lead to some interesting results.” The ace snickered.
“How so?” Genos asked and tapped his infuser. Kaiden darted his gaze away and took a sip of juice.
“Good morning, Kaiden, Genos.” Chiyo greeted them with a wan smile.
“Greetings, friend Chiyo.” The Tsuna reciprocated with a wave as the infiltrator took a seat and placed her tablet on top of the table.
“Howdy, Chi, how are you this— Are you all right?” The ace frowned when he noticed the haggard appearance of the generally alert and immaculate young woman.
“I didn’t get much sleep,” she admitted and fumbled for her coffee.
“None at all, actually,” Kaitō informed them from the tablet screen. “Madame was up all night researching that drive you recovered.”
“The one the neurotech had?” he inquired. “Thanks, but I was only curious. You didn’t have to—”
She held a hand up to stop him as she took a long drink of coffee, then set the cup down gently. “I was equally as curious. I hadn’t planned to spend more than an hour or two looking into it, but I found something troubling.”
He leaned against the table. “And what was that?”
The infiltrator raised two fingers. “A couple of things. One was the fact that they tried to upload market data from the contractor’s company into Lexsys’ systems.”
“So they were hired by them, then.” Kaiden sighed and took a swig of his drink.
“I don’t think so. I would think they would simply hand the data in or send it remotely if that was the case. They wanted this to be unnoticed.”
“You ran into another merc group?” Genos asked and the ace shrugged.
“As best I can tell, their gear and equipment were far too sophisticated for them to simply be gang members or jobbers,” he theorized. “It could have been another private group, maybe, but they had no symbols and no real features to potentially identify them on a database.”
“That sounds odd,” the alien remarked.
He laughed. “You're telling me. They looked creepier with the helmets off.”
“That actually brings me to my next point,” Chiyo continued and her companions returned their attention to her. “I found the program they used to hack in, and it was created to bypass a specific security system.”
“That sounds par for the course,” he commented.
“Normally, yes. On simple security, all it takes is the right program to deactivate it. But what troubled me is that the security system on the Lexsys mainframe was a Mirai-developed suite only released four weeks ago and updated three days ago.”
“Mirai?” Kaiden frowned. The name sounded familiar. After a moment’s thought, he snapped his fingers in realization. “That’s—”
“That’s your father’s company, correct?” Genos finished and the ace let his hand fall into his lap.
“Yes, and their system is something that cannot simply be overwritten like that,” Chiyo said, her voice low and troubled. “Not normally, anyway. They are leaders in the field. Even with my knowledge of their codes and tools, I have difficulty finding exploits or gaining access to anything they protect. And their latest upgrade…” She trailed off, her eyes narrowed in thought.
“Do you regularly hack into your old man’s stuff?” Kaiden asked and finished his juice.
“Old habits, I suppose. Plus, I still have associates I am fond of who work in his employ. I like to help them when I can,” she stated.
“Did you inform your father of this?” the Tsuna asked.
“I sent a message, but I don’t know if it’s reached him yet. He may already be aware.”
“Some kind of back-door measure that sends a signal to alert them if their system has been bypassed?” the ace asked, and both his friends looked at him in surprise. “I can talk tech to some extent.” He looked over at the R and D building. “Between talks with Chiyo and Laurie, I’ve picked up a few tidbits.”
“Also me,” Chief remarked and was met with silence.
“That could be one way, yes,” Chiyo agreed. “However, I found other targets on the drive. Other companies that have recently been bought up or merged with another in the last few months.”
“That’s probably not a coincidence.” Genos reasoned.
“It ties back to the data they were uploading at Lexsys.” She nodded. “Using that info, Lexsys could have been several steps ahead of Stratos, which would eventually lead to a great financial loss for them and a large boon for Lexsys and finally, Stratos’ downfall or perhaps a buyout like the others.”
“So it’s some white collar crime stuff?” Kaiden speared a breakfast sausage with his fork. “I’m sure that’s interesting to someone.”
“You should take a look at the companies,” she suggested. “They are all in different fields—robotics, military arms, medical—but they are all being bought up by the same companies.”
“Isn’t that how these places operate?” he asked. “Everyone is trying to be a megacorp these days.”
“Indeed, but to have it happen in such a domino effect is concerning, and to be in the middle of it—”
“Hey, we don’t have to do jack,” the ace protested. “We did our work and simply happened to stumble into this mess.”
Chiyo looked at him for a long moment. She was obviously tired, but there was concern in her eyes. “I know, maybe I'm paranoid. But I believe that something will happen and that my fath—that Mirai will be swept up in it.”
Kaiden finished his sausage and nodded slowly. He reached out and took the drive. “I get it now. You’re looking out for your old stomping grounds.” He took his plate of pancakes and placed it on her tray. “Eat up, and maybe think about taking the day off and playing catch-up later. You look exhausted.”
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“Where are you going?” she asked.
“I’m gonna have Laurie look into this. If anyone knows about this sort of thing, he’s the best I can think of,” he answered as he tossed his trash and set the tray on top of the can. “I’ll catch up with you later.”
His companions watched him walk away before Genos turned to Chiyo. “I can’t tell if this situation is fortuitous or not.”
She sighed, took her knife and fork, and cut into the pancakes. “I suppose that all depends on how it plays out.”
Chapter Six
“You can’t barge—” A guard stammered a protest as Kaiden let himself into Laurie’s office.
“Hey, Prof. Are you here?” he called and the man spun in his chair.
“Ah, dear Kaiden. Good to see you.” The professor gestured cheerfully at the guard who tried to pull his visitor away. “It’s all right, George. He’s on the list.”
“Uh…right, sir. Sorry, I didn’t think any students were allowed in here.” He apologized quickly and released Kaiden’s shirt.
“They aren’t, but he’s the exception,” Laurie stated.
“My name is Kaiden Jericho,” the ace informed him. “Keep it in mind.”
“Yeah, all right.” He nodded and left the room.
“Are you doing all right, Kaiden? Do you have another issue with Chief?” his host questioned as Kaiden took a seat.
“Nothing like that this time, thankfully.” He placed the drive on the table and slid it across. “Actually, I wanted you to look into something.”
The man picked the drive up and examined it closely. “This is a neurotech drive.” He placed it on a panel that began to scan it and turned to his monitor screen. “Where did you get this?”
“Out on gig. I ran into a group of mercs while in the Lexsys HQ,” he explained.
“You were in Vox? Beautiful city, isn’t it? It launched on my tenth birthday,” Laurie stated merrily. “Although what were you doing at Lexsys? Nothing unreasonable, I assume?”
Animus Boxed Set 2 (Books 5-8): Revenant, Glitch, Master, Infiltration Page 68
