Chapter Ten
Kaiden spat out a glob of blood, the result of the head security officer’s punch to his jaw. A year ago, that might have been enough to knock him out. Instead, he returned the strike with a blow to the giant’s throat. Wolfson made an odd gurgling noise and before the man could retaliate, he raised a leg and kicked him in the chest—not to attack but rather to use the force to thrust himself back and put some distance between them.
“It took you a couple of years,” his opponent muttered, caught his breath, and wiped his lips on his arm. “But it looks like you finally understand self-preservation.”
“I guess so.” The ace took a couple of steps back. “I suppose your habit of trying to kill your disciples has finally broken through.”
“So I’ve put the fear of God into you, huh?” The giant laughed, regained his feet, and flexed an arm.
“You know, that habit led to this gym being a ghost town for years until you brought me in.”
“And now I have dozens of students,” Wolfson yelled in triumph. “I was simply waiting for the right time.”
“Or it could be that ever since I dragged my friends in here, it’s become a running joke to send others here as a prank,” he countered with a sly grin as the man’s eyes narrowed. “But hey, some stuck around. Are you getting softer on the newbies?”
“I’ll have you know I have some initiates this year,” Wolfson challenged as he prepared to strike. “The Animus only goes so far, and others are starting to realize that. They need real application.”
“And can I get a thank you for getting that started?” Kaiden asked sarcastically and waited for the next move.
“Sure…” He crouched and tightened a large fist. “Give me a second.” He leapt at the ace, who ran forward and swept a leg at the last minute. He caught his opponent on his ankle, but the giant was stalwart. He didn’t fall, but the impact tripped him enough that he had to abandon his attack to regain his balance. The security head seemed to teeter and his hands hit the mat, but in the very next instant, he kicked back with both legs. Kaiden was ready, vaulted up, and thrust off the man’s feet. The force of the kick hurtled him to the other side of the arena, and he flipped as he landed to face his opponent.
“As much as I’m impressed by how fast you are”—Wolfson turned and began to march forward—“I thought you wanted to blow off some steam. Is this only a roundabout cardio workout for you, boy?”
“Not at all. But the only way I can stop you right now is either to cripple you or blind you.” The ace walked back a few more steps and pointed to his adversary’s eye. “That would be literal in this case.”
“Keep up the trash talk, and I’ll see if yours fits,” Wolfson declared and snapped the lining of his eyepatch.
“But didn’t you say you wanted to do something too? What was it again?” Kaiden ducked to the side and held his hand out. “Oh, that’s right. You have some new training weapons.”
His instructor stopped and his angry snarl changed to a frown. “Ah, right…I did say that.” The ace snatched a weapon from the rack and aimed it at the instructor. “Shit.”
He smiled and fired. It seemed he’d snagged a machine gun that fired force rounds, which would definitely hurt. The giant, for the most part, did manage to dodge the shots. He sprinted across the arena and serpentined toward his attacker. The ace stopped firing and aimed down the middle. Wolfson was surprisingly fast and agile too, but with his large body, quick pivots were difficult, even for him. He fired another barrage and struck the officer in the ribs and stomach.
Wolfson’s advance was stopped by the hail of bullets. He was eventually knocked off his feet. Bruises already appeared and small trails of blood were visible on his chest and arms.
“I covered the weak spots,” Kaiden muttered to himself. “He still thinks he can turn this around now?”
“Hey, boy,” his mentor shouted as he pushed himself up and ignored the weapon aimed at him. “You were right. I wanted to try this new weapon. It looks like it works just fine.”
“No kidding. Are you sure this isn’t overkill?” he asked and glanced at the ammo gauge. “I shot for more than ten seconds and still have half my ammo left.”
“I also remembered I wanted to try something else,” his opponent yelled and fumbled in his pocket.
Something else? The ace thought back on their conversation…new mat, weapons, and…oh, shit. Wolfson held a trigger in his hands and pressed the button, and Kaiden was suddenly launched off his feet. Pain scorched through him, both from the force and from the loud explosion that battered his ears. He held the rifle close to him as he landed on the mat, slid across it for a few feet, and managed to stop himself with his foot a second before he rolled into a paralysis trap.
“Landmines?” he roared incredulously as he scrambled to his feet.
“Pah, it’s mostly all flash and a scare,” his adversary replied. He’d already advanced on Kaiden, who brought his rifle up. “Go ahead. I’ll put you to sleep before you even pull the trigger,” he declared.
He smiled and spun the rifle around. “I know.” Without warning, he pounded the butt of the rifle under the left side of the man’s chin, caught him off-guard, and hurled him into the paralysis trap. Shocks coursed through the officer’s body.
Wolfson coughed as the ace put a boot on his chest and aimed the gun at his face. “Don’t be stupid now,” he warned. “Genetics has already been a bastard to you. There’s no need to make it worse.”
The instructor rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah.” He reached an arm up. “Fine, I give,” Kaiden smiled, stepped off his mentor, and helped him up.
“You really like to use electricity to finish things, don’t you?” the giant grumbled and popped his back.
“Know the opponent’s weakness and all that,” he said with a dismissive wave. “Then again, I suppose that’s most people’s weakness.”
“Did you get enough out?”
The ace nodded and tossed him the rifle. “Yeah, it was quick but I’m glad you aren’t trying to show off anymore.” He cracked his knuckles. “That makes forty to five, and my second win in a row, now.”
“Indeed,” his companion acknowledged while he racked the weapon. “You’ve made progress, but you’ll have to keep it up if you want a chance to catch up by graduation.”
“At some point, it’ll simply be abuse.” He chuckled and retrieved his jacket. “Or fair play. I’ll see you around, Wolfson.”
“Heading to medbay?” the officer asked.
“Not this time. I’m sure Soni will be stoked about that if it ever gets back to her.” He pushed the door open and paused to look back. “And by the way, even if I don’t catch up by graduation, don’t think that will stop me from catching up after,” he promised and gave a quick salute before he left.
Wolfson stood beside the rack, leaned against it, and wiped his chin. “Is that right? You’re stubborn, boyo.” He walked away from the weapons toward the arena and prepared to clean up to ready for his first class. “I guess that’s why I’ve come to care about you as more than a soldier.”
Kaiden left the gym and exited the building, then walked around the side toward the edge of the island to look out at the water.
“Are you sure you don’t want to have the doctor take a look at ya?” Chief asked. “You’re definitely not as banged up as normal after a Wolfson match, but you did take a good hit to the jaw.”
“I’m fine,” he answered and moved his jaw a few times so it wouldn’t tighten. “Besides, can’t you send in a nanomachine or something to fix me?”
“I told you, that’s not how it wor— You’re messing with me now, aren’t you?”
“Not even laser eyes?”
“No, no laser eyes.”
He chuckled as he leaned against the railing and stared at the early afternoon horizon, holding a hand up against the sunlight. “Okay, a serious question. What about darkening my vision?”
“You still need oculars for that.
All that’s changed is I can bring up an HUD,” Chief explained. “Besides, I thought you didn’t want anything too different.”
“That’s a pain.” He grunted, drew his oculars out, and put them on. The EI activated the shading. “Being a cyborg isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.”
“I’m gonna leave you to your fantasies.”
“Kaiden!” He turned as Chiyo ran up to him holding a small tablet.
“Hey, Chi, I thought you were resting.” He walked over to meet her.
“I was going to, but…” She slowed and her eyes widened. “Kaiden, are you all right?”
“Yeah, for the most part. I had a busy morning. Why do you ask?”
“You missed some blood there, buddy,” Chief informed him.
He raised a hand to his lips and scowled at the red smear on his finger. “Ah, damn. I guess I bit my lip more than I thought.”
“It seems to be more than that.” She retrieved a napkin from her jacket and offered it to him, which he took with a grateful nod.
“Thanks. I was sparring with Wolfson,” he explained and cleaned his lip, folded the napkin, and shoved it in his pocket. “So what’s up?”
She held the tablet up. “I had a message.”
Kaiden looked at the device. “I don’t think I’ve seen that one before. Is that a private one?”
Chiyo nodded. “For personal and coded messages. I had a response from my father.”
“Did he finally say thank you?”
“It’s more than that,” she stated, and he finally noticed a slight tremor in her voice. “Kaiden, can I ask you for your help?”
Chapter Eleven
“Man, the technician’s dorm is way fancier than the soldiers’.” Kaiden looked around the dark metallic walls etched with designs in glowstrips.
“It’s been upgraded and redesigned over the years by some of the students,” Chiyo explained as they walked down the hallway. “Although most student technicians come here for a future in fieldwork, others simply come for design or practical reasons.”
“And they practice on their temporary house?” he asked as the two turned the corner.
“Other departments were more wary of the idea,” she replied casually, took out her EI device, and placed it against a scanner on the door to their left. It beeped and opened. “Come in.”
“So what’s with the message?” She slid a chair closer, took a larger tablet from the desk, and attached a cable between it and the coded device. “You're being rather cryptic, so I assume it’s more than a simple thank you?”
“My father informed me that this isn’t the first suspicious behavior he’s had to deal with recently.” She handed him the larger tablet that displayed a man dressed in plain clothes being escorted by police. He had the same features as the mercs they dealt with back on Vox—a golem.
“They apprehended this man a few days ago. At the time, it seemed like he simply tried to steal some equipment or data but was caught before he could do so.”
“He might not have been the first,” Kaiden noted and enhanced the photo. “Considering they were able to make a quick hack command for your dad’s new super-turbo security system.”
“It would appear he or someone on his staff has come to the same conclusion,” Chiyo answered and sat on her bed. “They’ve combed through all their footage and systems and searched for any discrepancy. They have found that the data was transferred to a personal device immediately after the update was completed.”
“So there’s a mole?”
The infiltrator shrugged. “That’s a possibility, along with more than a dozen other scenarios. I’m only working off my father’s brief statement and some information I was able to pry from my old mentors.”
“Statement?” He sighed. “So I guess you didn’t even get that thank you?”
She frowned, picked the other tablet up, and scrolled through the screen. Her hand wavered over a button. Kaiden gestured quickly. “You don’t have to show me anything. I know that your relationship is…off, I guess. Don’t feel the need to do anything on my behalf.”
Chiyo nodded and put the tablet down. “Thank you, but it wasn’t cold or disinterested. He’s done better and tried to make up for the past. Which is why—”
“You want me to go with you to look into it?” he finished and surprised her. “What?” He shrugged, placed his tablet on the desk, and leaned back. “I assumed it had to be something like that. I know you do your best to try to get me to learn tech stuff, but since you wanted to talk about this in private, I assumed it had to be more than simply talking shop.”
She smiled. “You are perceptive. I suppose that’s how you’ve survived this long.”
“One of many talents,” he said and returned the smile. “If that is the case, I’m also going to take a stab in the dark here and say that you don’t think this is only a white-collar crime scenario anymore?”
“It might still be a part of it, but I have no doubt that whoever is in charge has realized that we have that device and are on to them—or, at least, understand the bigger picture.” She folded her arms and looked down, clearly in thought. “Those other companies were all running different security systems. They were all developed by good companies, but they aren’t on par with what Mirai offers. The other companies remaining do have that in common, however.”
“Using Mirai security?”
She nodded. “Exactly. I’m not sure if my father is specifically a target. Having access to Mirai would not only allow them the ability to persuade others into the fold, but my father is the head of a zaibatsu with many other affiliated companies. It would make a very appealing target.”
“Should we tell her about the organization?” Chief asked. It would be a smart guess to say that AO was behind it, even with only the tidbits he had to work with. Laurie made it seem reasonably certain that they would be the only ones to have access to the golems. But they didn’t know their overall plan yet, and there was also the fact that right now, they are currently a group who simply used the title. There was no use getting her wrapped up in a conspiracy when she was already losing sleep on this and they would have to move soon if they wanted to help. Then again, it sounded much like the logic Chief had used for not telling him things in the first place.
This fucking bites.
“When do we leave?” he asked and decided to keep the other things to himself for now.
She looked up, her face pensive, but she nodded in appreciation. “Thank you, Kaiden. When can you get the time off?”
“I already have it. I asked the commander to do me a favor,” he stated. “I only need to know what we have to do.”
“That’s one of the things I wanted to discuss with you. I’m not quite sure,” she admitted. “There is no proper timetable, even with the attempted break-in. That’s a small-scale attack if it’s related at all. I need more concrete information before I can formulate a proper strategy.”
“Why not check in with the companies that were already hit?” he suggested.
“I planned to. I can probably get some information from them, but I’m sure their security has been changed or updated since their mergers or buyouts. I doubt I’ll be able to get much working remotely.” She folded her arms and took another moment to think. “That merc we got the drive from—the neurotech. He had a mental augmentation, correct?”
“Yeah. Do you think it might have something?”
“The drive can only hold so much, and its main function was the hacking commands. I’m sure that any other information would be stored on that device.”
“Assuming it wasn’t wiped clean,” Kaiden pointed out.
“We have the drive, correct?” Chiyo asked.
“Laurie does at the moment, but I can get it back,” he stated.
“Even if it was wiped, the drive should be able to reactivate the device. From there, I can at least use the specs to determine where it was created and track them from that.”
“That sounds like a rou
ndabout way of doing things, but it’s an option,” he agreed. “Plus, if anything else goes down at Mirai, I’m sure one of your friends will tell you, right?”
“Assuming they aren’t locked out, I’ll tell them of our plan to help and ask them to keep us informed.”
“Okay, that sounds good. Now, on to the important question…” She looked up in confusion and he tapped his head. “How will we get there? I assume we won’t simply buy a few carrier tickets and travel like that.”
She ran a hand through her hair, the gesture a little distracted. “Yes, well, that was something I had hoped you could help with.”
“I get ya.” He nodded and stood quickly. “I’ll see what Julio’s doing and who else I can wrangle together.”
“Who else?” the infiltrator said cautiously. “Kaiden, I don’t want to involve—”
“You asked me to help because we’re friends, right?” he asked, and her protest ceased. “You have the same friends I do, and after working with them in the field, I can say they aren’t pushovers.” He turned to face her. “I won’t shake anyone down for their help, and we probably don’t want a big team for this anyway. I doubt that whoever has targeted your dad’s company will try siege action. So if we wanna help, we’ll have to be as subtle unless we want to make a scene.”
“I understand.” She nodded. “Thank you again.”
“No worries—well, actually some worries.” He pointed at the wall behind her in the direction of the R and D building. “While I’m gone, could you get the drive back from Laurie? Try not to tell him too much about what we’re doing. He’ll worry.”
“All right. After that, I will try to get as much information as I can in the meanwhile.”
“That sounds good. I’ll be back soon,” he promised before he whispered quietly, “Assuming haggling with Julio doesn’t take a day and a half.”
Chapter Twelve
Animus Boxed Set 2 (Books 5-8): Revenant, Glitch, Master, Infiltration Page 71
