The Azophi Academy Complete Series Boxed Set: Unique Military Education

by TR Cameron

  Several folders lay stacked in the safe, actual paper with actual writing scrawled across the surface. “Old-school. Cool.” He spread them out and looked at each for a few seconds so Athena could capture them. He didn’t process the information, figuring he could do that later, maybe on the tube back to the spaceport headed for another first-class ride.

  The rest of the room held a backpack filled with survival supplies and not much else other than dust mites. Athena warned, “Time to go. She’s three minutes out.” He nodded, returned the arrow and the folders to the safe, and made his way down the ladder. He paused to be sure that it rose back into position properly. If he hadn’t paid attention to that, he probably would have realized that he was under attack sooner.

  The formerly inert combat robot announced its presence with a metal fist that Jax barely saw coming in enough time to partially deflect. The punch came from his right, so the blow that would have hit his temple smashed into his forearm instead and caused him to shout in pain. If he’d positioned his block any less perfectly, the bone probably would have broken. The other fist swinging in on the same trajectory meant that it was one of the spinning models that attacked in paired strikes from the same direction as the torso whirled the arms around, relying on speed rather than force to inflict damage.

  Normally, though, the robots had limiters on them to prevent fatal injury. The whoosh of air in front of his face as Jax leaned back to avoid the second attack suggested strongly that this one didn’t. “Athena, hack it.” He dove and tumbled past the mechanical menace to gain the exercise space’s larger fighting area, then rolled to his feet in a defensive crouch.

  “Working on it.”

  “Work faster.” He slid toward the cabinet, planning to grab the weapons it held, but the robot cut him off. It lunged forward while spinning, and Jax dodged to the right and slammed his prosthetic foot out in a quick sidekick. It rebounded without affecting his opponent, which was more or less what he’d expected. He circled away. Had to try, anyway. He’d hoped the robot would follow his movement, but instead, it stayed between him and the cabinet. “Damn it, Athena, this thing is kinda smart.”

  “Everything’s smart compared to you. Apparently, opening the safe and triggering the crossbow also activated a new, more secure defense system. I’m working on cracking it, but it’s not standard UCCA or Confederacy.”

  Jax looked around for weapons but discovered nothing but the hunk of metal rushing at him. Okay, then. He dipped his hand into his pocket and came out with the stun pen. Unlike a true security robot, this one had a visible seam where its “neck” descended into its torso. Combat versions kept their “brains” not in their head, but the protected center. He shifted the pen to his right hand and ran in while blocking the incoming strike with his left arm. A quick move jammed the disguised stunner into the gap between neck and torso, and he fired it. The robot jittered as the electrical blast coursed through its innards, and Jax used the time to race to the cabinet.

  He grabbed the energy weapon and pulled the trigger, but the gun failed to fire. “Athena, override the biometrics.” A moment later, he subdued the thing with several shots that drilled into its interior. He bent over and put his hands on his thighs. “Damn, that sucked.”

  The AI screamed an alarm. “Jax, down,” and he threw himself forward barely in time to avoid the energy beam that tried to take off his head. He scrambled to the side as more beams sought him, then turned to fire back, only to have the weapon shot out of his hand. The agent had returned and somehow managed to regain the house without either Athena or him noticing. Guess the second system is more robust than expected. Paltar’s eyes showed only cold determination as she tracked the pistol at him again. Athena, activate the class ring. He fell suddenly, dodging another shot from her, and slammed the ruby on the floor.

  Light burst from the jewelry, some sneaking through the edge of his glasses and causing his vision to blur. He rose to his feet to charge the woman and discovered that not only hadn’t she been incapacitated, one of her eyes was open and tracking. Holy hell, a prosthetic eye. I didn’t know that was possible. Jax lurched into motion and yanked the buckle from his belt as he ran for the room’s rear wall. He pressed on the stud that activated the powerful magnet on the clasp and threw it at the weapons cabinet that stood beside his objective. He grabbed the line with his prosthetic hand and dove for the back window.

  As he smashed through the glass—actual glass this time, thankfully—he felt the burn of a laser strike his shoulder. The injury caused him to twist involuntarily, and his side dragged across the broken edges, which sliced a shallow line along it. He let the line play out as he fell, then grabbed it at the last second and swung back toward the house to land cleanly on the tiny backyard’s grass. He ripped off the belt and ran for the rear gate, only realizing as he burst through it and whipped around the corner of the brick wall that formed the yard’s back boundary that he’d forgotten why he hadn’t used the rear entrance in the first place.

  The security robot was far sturdier than the one he’d faced upstairs, possessed far more weapons, was far faster and moved toward him with murderous intent.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Projectiles bounced off the pavement as Jax ran for his life, almost as lethal on the rebound as they were if they’d hit him directly. He was out of weapons unless you counted his cufflinks. They’d come in handy if something made of glass attacked him, but served little other purpose. He’d been barely aware enough to realize that no passage existed from the backyard to the front of the agent’s house and assumed the same would be true for the other homes on the street.

  That left him zigzagging to avoid the security robot’s attacks, which now included laser blasts, and praying that he could make it to the corner before he got tagged. His shoulder screamed with the kind of pain that only burns caused, and suddenly, he was falling as a bullet deflected from the pavement and caught him in the foot. Mental time slowed as he twisted and fell, and he had the opportunity to reflect on two important facts. First, that the round had struck an artificial part of his body for once, so aside from losing his balance he was okay to continue running. Second, and more concerning, the agent was standing in the street talking into her comm and staring at him hard. Probably taking a picture with her super eye.

  Athena sounded as irritated as he was. “Likely. You need to keep moving, Jax.”

  He hit the ground and continued to roll forward until he could get his legs under him. He jumped up and made it around the corner without any further injury. His damaged foot compromised his gait, which slowed him down, but he had no time to deal with it. Athena, find me an escape route.

  “Cross the street, turn right at the next block. The city has a subway system. It won’t take you to the spaceport, but it will get you to the tube station.”

  He turned the corner onto one of the main business streets and choked on a laugh as a wave of agony from his shoulder swept over him. Us, remember? Can you do anything about that burn?

  Concern colored Athena’s words. “I can lessen your perception of the pain, but that won’t make it go away for real. It might cause you to exacerbate the injury.”

  He understood that perfectly. Pain was the body’s warning system, and if you took it offline, it was easy to do really stupid stuff. Examples abounded of those with senses dulled by alcohol or drugs injuring themselves badly. Still, at this point, he’d take whatever edge he could get. Do it. He’d expected an argument, but instead received a cool wash of relief as the screaming pain reduced to a low shout. He moaned in gratitude, then saw movement from the corner of his eye that seemed out of place.

  Jax had lost his glasses somewhere along the way so Athena couldn’t help him pinpoint the problem. Still, when the suited figure pulled a gun from a shoulder holster hidden under his jacket, it was pretty clear that more intelligence agents were present in the city and had instructions to capture him, at least. When the bullet cracked into the stone façade of the storef
ront beside him, he upgraded the risk to “shoot to kill.” Fortunately, stairs leading down to the subway were right ahead. He ducked, wove, and made it to them without any additional damage.

  He pushed through people on the moving staircase, shoving them out of the way as gently as possible. No one fell, and he counted that a win as he burst from the bottom and curved toward the security checkpoint. He slowed to a fast walk and stopped inside a booth, fearing that the door in front of him would stay locked and be joined by the one behind him, locking him in. Heh. Maybe the cufflinks will come in handy after all. As the barrier swung aside, he nodded in satisfaction and limped toward the nearest car, not caring which direction it was headed. He pressed his arm against his side and felt the trickle of blood from the cut there. He slid in as the doors closed and ducked to brush off his shoes as the subway train swept out of the station.

  When he stood again, they were in a darkened tunnel. Athena informed him, “About fifteen minutes until our stop, which is the third one from here. Be ready to move.”

  Should I switch trains?

  “The timing doesn’t work out unless you want to try to make it back to one of the hotel rooms in the city.”

  Jax very much didn’t want to do that. He’d long before learned to trust his instincts, and they told him that if he didn’t get off the planet in the very near future, he wouldn’t get off it at all. Okay. This one it is. Are you into the cameras?

  “Yes. I recommend that you move one car ahead, in case they saw you while boarding.”

  He complied and found a position that would shield his face from those on the next platform and gave him a vantage on anyone boarding. The train stopped, some people entered while others exited, and the vehicle lurched into motion again. He hadn’t spotted anyone he considered a threat stepping into his car. Hope blossomed for almost four whole seconds before Athena killed it. “There are three suspicious individuals on the train, two behind you and one in the car ahead. They are moving in your direction while checking their comms frequently.”

  He grimaced. Sounds like they’re looking for me, all right. I’ll go forward unless you have a better idea. No response came, so he turned and slowly shuffled toward the front of the carriage. The space between the cars was large enough that he could have stood there or jumped off, but the high-speed transit and the proximity of the rock walls argued against the likelihood of survival if he selected that option.

  In the next car, he took the first available seat facing forward and watched ahead. Where are they?

  “The one in front of you is half a car away. The ones behind, two and three cars away.”

  So I guess this is where it will happen. How long to the station?

  “Thirty seconds.”

  He glanced around, searching for something he could use as a weapon. Short of breaking off the metal rail that served as a handhold for those standing, he didn’t see anything. What he did spot was an emergency lever, and he rose and moved toward it. It was an old-style “break glass in case of trouble” model, so he’d have to time it perfectly. He watched and waited. The man entered as they pulled into the station, gave a thin smile as he recognized Jax, and spoke into his comm. His free hand snuck around to his lower back, probably reaching for a gun.

  The train stopped, and the doors opened. A flood of people got on, separating him from the man. Athena advised, “One of the ones behind you got off the train and is watching for you to exit.”

  Let me know if the one outside gets back on. His next moves would be influenced by whether the man stayed behind at the station. The doors closed, and the bell that warned everyone it was about to start chimed. “He’s back on the train, one car closer.”

  Excellent. The train rocketed forward, which pushed everyone in it toward the back. Jax smashed the glass and yanked the lever, which sent a signal to slow the vehicle as fast as possible. The standing passengers, already unbalanced, flew toward the front of the car. Jax’s opponent showed his professionalism by avoiding the pile of airborne flesh but was still catching his balance when Jax’s forward momentum was channeled into an elbow smash to his temple. He went down hard, and the nearby screaming intensified. Jax scooped up the agent’s fallen gun and stepped through the door, then jumped off the train onto the opposing side. He raced back toward the station and hoped another train traveling in the opposite direction wasn’t about to turn him into paste.

  When he got there, he climbed up onto the platform and headed for the stairs. Okay, tell me how to get to the spaceport tube. He risked bringing the pistol out from under his coat for a second to check it and smiled at finally catching a break. Stun gun. Means I can shoot anyone who gets in the way. His limp had become more pronounced, suggesting more damage to his prosthetic lower leg. Athena, can you do any diagnostics on my foot?

  “No, Jax. I am not yet that integrated.”

  Yet? We need to talk when this is over. He stepped onto the escalator to take him up to street level and wiped the sweat from his forehead, then cursed. Damn it. My cool hat is back at the hotel.

  Athena sighed. “You don’t own a cool hat.”

  The spaceport cars were smaller, unconnected to others, and didn’t stop along the way. Jax sank gratefully into the only empty corner seat upon entering one. His adrenaline had long since run out, and the blood loss from his cut plus the stress from his shoulder wound had depleted his resources almost to the point of unconsciousness. I’m going to have to start carrying stims around with me.

  “I can boost you if it’s an emergency, but it will come at the cost of complete exhaustion afterward.”

  He laughed inwardly. So, a literal single-shot pistol. Cool.

  “You’re not making sense.”

  Yeah, I know. So, tell me what we’ve discovered to keep me awake. He shifted position and watched the car while she spoke. “The documents didn’t confirm whether Paltar was engaged in a sanctioned operation, but the presence of the satellite transmitter is evidence supporting that conclusion. They did clarify the parameters of her activities. Our belief that she’s connected with both the Confederacy and the Alien Coalition was correct. The tone and context of the materials suggest that neither knew she was working with the other, nor that she was an Alliance agent.”

  Jax mumbled, “Impressive.”

  “Maybe don’t talk. You’ll look crazy.” Only one person had looked in his direction from the sound, but he didn’t think he had much to fear from the elderly woman smiling at him. “But there’s more here. Apparently, the Intelligence Division told her to watch out for you, specifically.”

  What the hell? Icy fear along his spine caused him to straighten involuntarily. By name?

  “Name, description, and past locations. They listed your efforts to secure me and knew of your return to the Cronus.”

  He frowned. That’s not possible.

  “And yet, it happened.”

  You’re saying that they’ve somehow tapped into the Academy.

  She didn’t sound pleased about it either. “It’s the only logical explanation.”

  The tube slid to a halt, and Jax forced himself to his feet. Okay, that’s a worry for another day. I don’t suppose you can access the cameras here?

  “Not without time, and not without a significant risk of discovery. The security here is top grade.”

  Then we’ll do it the old-fashioned way. He straightened, ignored the hitch in his side, tried to minimize his limp, and wandered idly from the car as if he weren’t a bloody, bruised and exhausted fugitive.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Unfortunately, his physical mannerisms didn’t fool the agents with their comm connections and their descriptions or photos of him a single bit. When he exited the train, he saw one on each end, and they spotted him. He growled, “Damn it to hell,” and strode briskly toward the nearest exit. It was marked “Crew only,” and he growled again, mentally this time. Get that alarm suppressed and the door unlocked, or we’re toast. For real.

  It opened
as he reached it, comfortingly alarm-free, to reveal a long, dimly lit tunnel leading to a large building ahead. He saw a buzz of activity through the shaded transparent panels that made up most of the walls, as small autonomous vehicles delivered pallets of cargo to waiting ships. The smallest ones were nearest the spaceport terminal. He presumed the larger ones would be beyond the structure he was headed for. He pushed his speed up to a lope, not willing to risk another foot failure in an outright run. Occasional toolboxes dotted the route, but he didn’t have time to stop and investigate. Heavy beige jackets, spotted with dust, grease, and who knew what else, hung on hooks near the door to the other building. He grabbed one and slipped it on, then stepped through the doorway.

  He’d seen many warehouses on a lot of planets during his years in the military, and this one ranked right up there with the largest. It was at least four stories high with a grid network of shelves packed up to the flat roof. The cargo robots, basically giant forklifts on a mission, whirred and beeped as they sped down the lanes, flashing lights giving pedestrians an extra chance to avoid death. In other places he’d seen, the machines had kept to outer lanes for their main travel, only coming toward the middle when they were picking up or delivering in a given block. In this one, living beings were a second-order concern, a substantial distance behind maximum productivity.

  Jax scampered forward along the center lane, figuring he could lose himself in the space if he got deep enough inside before his pursuers showed up. He made it three intersections up before his fear of discovery forced him to take a left and crouch in an empty spot about a standard pallet’s width and depth, but about eight feet high. Athena, what do you have?

  She sounded as annoyed as he’d ever heard her. “Nothing. Everything in this place is encoded to the nth degree. I would imagine it’s on a changing key system, too.”

  Seems like a lot of security for a cargo building.