Animus Complete Series Omnibus, page 190
“I thought you referred to it as a work in progress,” the other man countered but his gaze softened slightly.
“One that’s been in progress for three years now,” he stated and refilled his glass. “I think that if I use my time to prepare for them—to take care of them—I can kill several birds at once. I could take care of Kaiden and take the EI implant, and we would have the girl as a hostage.”
“Hostage?” Merrick inquired. “That’s not usually your style.”
“I’m willing to bend my personal rules for your sake,” he explained. “It would make up for the time I would have lost by my change in priorities.”
The other man looked off-screen again, then leaned back. “I will…agree that I see benefits at least. If you’re willing to accept the consequences, I’ll take over on the current mission for you while you head to the facility.”
Dario almost shattered the stem of his glass in his excitement. “That’s very kind of you, sir. Although before I get ahead of myself, I suppose I should wait to see if they actually get the device. You’ll know soon?”
“I will, and I will let you know as soon as I do.”
He stood and checked the screen, which now read seventy-nine percent. “The scan is closer to completion. I’ll send it to you and the techs as soon as it’s finished.”
“Understood.” Merrick reached over to turn off his device but paused for a moment to look at Dario. “Take care, my friend.”
The assistant nodded. “Don’t worry so much, and I’ll make sure to bring you some souvenirs along with either the implant or Mirai.”
“See that you do.” He signed off.
Dario downed his glass in one long drink and hardly took the time to enjoy its flavor. His night had improved considerably now. He sat, leaned back, and stared at the ceiling. Vox was it? He believed the merc group he’d made contact with was there. Maybe he should simply give them the details now? He dropped the idea immediately. No, he would pass them over to Nolan. If this did require his personal touch, he wouldn’t pass up the opportunity.
He flipped the glass idly in his hand as his mind raced. There was a lot to do and plan if they did discover the facility. He would have to identify who else was with Kaiden and Chiyo and ensure the damage didn’t get too out of hand. In addition, he’d need to plan to cover their tracks. Otherwise, eliminating them would simply lead to more suspicion if they told anyone then simply disappeared.
Humanity first, that was their motto and that was the mission. It really was ironic that he took such pleasure in the kill considering all that.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Kaiden walked into Populi, the bar Chiyo had pointed out to him. It had a metallic layout with neon lights and glowstrips used in place of traditional lights. The rest was a traditional bar set-up with booths and bar chairs like they originally designed it to be a nightclub and changed their minds halfway through. Still, it was reasonably pleasant, all things considered.
And unfortunately for him, that seemed to extend to the clientele. Most seemed happy to chat amongst themselves or watch some kind of arena match on the holoscreens. It didn’t seem like he would be able to pass the buck to some punk to create a ruckus this time.
He’d barely accepted the thought when he was shoved from behind and managed to catch himself before it became a problem. As he glanced over his shoulder, a skinny man with shaved white hair and dyed lines streaked across it give him a greasy smile and moved past him. Several others followed and either gave him the stink-eye or more condescending sneers.
They all walked to a circular booth in the corner. Their leader ran his hand over a couple of women’s necks, who immediately yelled at him, but he simply waved them off with a laugh. Kaiden watched them as a smile crept onto his lips. He didn’t have to ask Chief about the chances of this working out anymore.
Casually, he approached the bar, retrieved his credit chip, and placed it on the counter.
“What’ll you have?” the barkeep asked but his glance strayed continually to the new arrivals as well.
“Are you worried about those freaks?” Kaiden asked and gestured a thumb behind him to point at the punks.
The man’s gaze darted between him and them. “It all depends on how they’re feeling. They always order a hell of a lot of booze and pay for it as well. It’s the only reason I let them keep coming.”
“They’ve tried to start stuff before,” the large man beside him added as he drained his beer. “Although they always back down. I would love to throw their asses out a final time, but Jim won’t let me until they actually do something.”
Well, that wouldn’t do. “So they’re all talk, then?” He settled on a barstool and spun to face the man. “Are you the bouncer?”
“I bodyguard,” he answered as the barkeep refilled his glass. “But I’m also a regular. I keep telling Jim here to let me help with the riffraff and make this place more relaxed so folks don’t have to deal with all the fights that break out.”
“You keep saying it’s part of your workout routine now,” Jim, replied and slid a full glass to the bodyguard.
He smiled and raised it. “It doesn’t mean I wouldn’t mind some R and R on occasion. In fact, simply taking out the trash would actually be therapy considering the stuff I usually get into.”
“You should let Rok take ʼem, Jim,” the man next to the bodyguard interjected. “Felix and I will even help out. That should minimize the damage—right, Felix?” he asked and nudged the man on his left, who simply shrugged and downed some of his beer.
“Are you guys bodyguards too?” Kaiden inquired. He examined them casually as the gears in his head began to turn faster and faster.
“Yeah. Kruger, Felix, and I all belong to the same company.” Rok replied and took a slow sip. “Damage is one thing. If it was only that, I would do the deed myself, but there are always unknown players. Like those mercs in the far corner.”
The ace had noticed them too. Four of them wore medium armor and they didn’t have weapons on them. Either they had left them behind like he had, or they must have been locked up at the door. They seemed to keep to themselves so he had written them off, but if a fight did break out, they might be drunk enough to join in.
“But if you help out, kid, that might even the odds,” Rok suggested and grinned when Kaiden gave him a puzzled look. “Don’t try to play coy. Even if I didn’t see the top of your armor under that jacket, it’s almost armor itself if you take a good look at it.”
Kaiden chuckled. “Fair enough. I actually only wanted a quick drink, but I have a history of dealing with bastards like that, particularly in bar settings.”
“Now hold on a minute, all of you.” Jim grunted and regarded the four with a stern expression. “I appreciate the gesture. You’re trying to help, even if it’s in your own meathead way, but you three are some of my best customers. You won’t do me any good if you’re locked up for a couple of weeks.” He pointed at the ace. “And I haven’t seen you around here before. With that armor, I guess you’re here to relax between gigs? How would you rate a place that immediately roped you into a fight?”
He shrugged. “Well, I haven’t had a drink yet, but I would give four stars based on the entertainment alone.”
Rok and Kruger chuckled. Felix downed his drink and flipped his empty glass onto the coaster.
“Why do I always get the hotheads?” Jim muttered caustically. “Besides, like you said, they haven’t done anything yet. There’s no use knocking around a bunch of—”
“Hey, are you gonna serve us, you old bastard?” one of the punks shouted. The ace looked over his shoulder. Three of the seven slouched at the table, their expressions irate. Two others flirted with women close to them, and the last two snickered at some shared joke. His gaze darted to the other side of the room. The mercs scowled amongst themselves and one seemed to actually tremble with annoyance.
He’d worked with less, he decided and looked at the barkeep. “I understand. I won’t do anything to them, sir,” he promised.
Jim sighed. “As much as I’d like to make an example of these guys, it’s not good to—”
Kaiden spun in his chair. “As for you three…” He picked his credit chip up. “How much for your services?”
Chiyo had waited for the promised diversion for about twenty minutes. She studied some of the buildings around the agency, although it wasn’t exactly a great cover as there wasn’t much to look at—mostly business centers, a tailor’s shop, and a shooting range. Noise had flared from the bar more than once and each time, she had hoped it was the start of his distraction. Unfortunately, it usually died down as quickly as it started. She wondered irritably how much longer it would take.
Banging, yells, and worried shouts erupted. That wasn’t easily mistaken. She glanced at the bar as she retrieved the device. A body catapulted out and a man in a leather jacket, bruised and with blood dripping from his nose, tried to crawl to his feet before another man landed on top of him. This seemed to be the start. She glanced at the agency when three men rushed out, their attention focused on the bar. One pointed and they ran off as a couple of others looked over from the top of the stairs leading to the entrance.
Is was a dust-up, for sure, but it would need to be much more before it really drew anyone’s attention. As the three officers reached the entrance, they were shoved back by two mercenaries who erupted through the doorway in a struggle with two other men. A larger man stormed out with another beside him and several civilians shouted and screamed as they ran out after them. The mercs saw the cops, thrust their opponents aside, and began to argue with the officers when they ordered their surrender. The miscreants cursed volubly and gestured obscenely in a challenge for them to fight. The two officers still in the agency yelled to someone inside and went to assist, followed by several more.
Chiyo seized the opportunity and raced across the street, activated the Genesis device, and slunk into the alley next to the agency. She brought up her connection to the systems and scrolled down her list of commands to activate the start-up signal. It triggered and launched the neurotech device within. She would need a few minutes. If she tried to do this haphazardly, it could alert the technicians who watched for infiltrators like her.
Although hearing what was going on down the street, there was a good chance Kaiden had given her all the time she needed.
“Technically, I’m not doing anything,” Kaiden pointed out and sipped his lager.
“You did start it.” Jim winced as a body careened past behind the ace.
“The bodyguards are only doing their duty. You can’t blame a man for putting in good work.”
“I’ll kill everyone in this bar,” one of the punks shouted before Felix beat him across the head, snatched him by the neck of his jacket, and tossed him across the room.
Kaiden took another sip. “Besides, you don’t seem that pissed.”
“Call it desensitized.” The man sighed and began to clean the bodyguards’ glasses.
“I’ll leave a good tip. I have the creds to spare,” he promised before he took a moment to think. “Although I’m racking up the expenses lately. If I’m not careful, I could end up spending more than what my contract would have been worth.”
“Contract?” the barkeep inquired with a curious expression.
The ace grinned and looked at his glass. “I’ll have a refill. And add a request for you to not mention that if anyone asks.”
“Twenty creds for the refill, and keeping a secret is market price.” He chuckled and took the glass.
He sighed. Rok and a merc exchanged blows while another punk attempted to make a crude Molotov cocktail. He stretched forward to snatch a glass and whipped it behind him. It shattered in the man’s face and he yelled when glass shards embedded into his skin. Both Rok and the merc spun and kicked him.
“Add it all to the tab,” he stated and took his refilled glass from Jim. “That glass too.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Team 1: 138,700
Team 3: 50,600
“That’s a new top score for the semi-final, MAX fans!”
“Damn,” Flynn muttered as he stared at the final tally. “They beat our score for sure.”
“I would say that team three was certainly more skilled than the team we faced,” Genos noted. “And even then, this team one… They are far superior. Are we sure they are only here for fun?”
“You could make the same argument about us, really,” Indre pointed out.
The marksman leapt up from the bench. “So we have our opponents then.” He retrieved his rifle and powered it on. “Should we head over to the entrance?”
“You’re certainly fired up now,” Indre teased. She stretched her arms and placed her drone back into its compartment. “Although I have to admit, I’m a little excited myself. This looks like it will be fun.”
Genos walked over to Jaxon, who continued to stare at the screen. “Kin, do they seem quite proficient to you?”
“Do you mean for a team of people simply here to blow off steam? Or are you comparing them to us?” the Tsuna ace asked, his attention still focused on the screen.
The largest member of the team waved to the cheering crowd. “It’s rather strange to say, but outside of the Animus, I think they might be the most skilled opponents I’ve had to face.” He tapped his infuser thoughtfully. “It’s odd to run into them in a playful situation such as this.”
“You weren’t there for the EX-10, though, Genos,” Flynn reminded him as he walked over to them with Indre. “Those guys seem good, but I doubt they can measure up to wanted killers like those we faced. Right, Jax?”
Jaxon picked his helmet up from the table in front of him and put it on. “I suppose we’ll have to see.”
Flynn and Indre looked at each other. “Wait—what, mate? It’s up to debate?”
“It’s a possibility,” the ace reasoned and faced the group. “The next match will be a challenge between the two top teams. According to the rules, killing is illegal, but I doubt that would stop them if they felt like it.”
“Well, this suddenly got real,” Indre whispered to Flynn, who nodded.
“I can’t imagine they would unless one of you has a history with them that I don’t know about.” Jaxon’s expression remained calm.
The trio shook their heads. “I can’t say I’ve ever seen them before.” Flynn shrugged. “They are all wearing helmets so it’s hard to tell, but I would have remembered that shaved sasquatch-looking guy.”
“Are you referring to the cryptid from the past or the mutant?” Genos asked.
“Same difference, really.”
The door opened and the assistant poked her head into the room. “Are you guys ready? Team one wants to get started right away.”
Chiyo heard footsteps and moved one hand instinctively toward her pistol as she glanced up. She relaxed when Kaiden strolled down the alley, his coat flapping behind him.
“Did you get everything?” he asked.
“How did you get away?” She turned the device off and placed it on her belt.
“I was only a patron, technically. I was more impressed that the guys I hired got away. They can move like bunnies despite being as big as houses.” He grinned and looked at the device, then at her.
She nodded. “I have it. Let’s rendezvous with the others and we can go through it and continue from there.”
Kaiden offered a hand. “It would probably look better to walk out of here as if we were simply a curious couple,” he reasoned but hesitated, a wary expression on his face. “Then again, they might be more worried about the fire.”
Chiyo looked up and frowned at the faint trace of smoke beyond the entrance to the alley. “There’s a fire?”
He grimaced. “It just started. I thought I stopped the guy who tried to start it but maybe one of his buddies picked up where he left off. Although it’s not in the bar. He tripped and threw it at a building across the street.”
“It seems things got out of control, even for you.” She chuckled and took his hand.
“I didn’t exactly try to control the chaos in this case,” he admitted as they left the alley and sauntered down the street. She paused to look back at the carnage. “It did spiral a little, I gotta say. I guess we should head over to the arena.”
“Do you think they are done yet?” she asked and squinted ahead at the dome in the distance.
“They should be on the final match unless things ran long,” he replied and checked the time on his HUD. “We can send a message for them to forfeit.”
Chiyo thought it over. “I…I wouldn’t want to ruin it for them, even if we are running on a tight schedule.”
“Flynn threw a fit when I sent them there,” he recalled. “They might not mind.”
“We’ll see how far they are when we get there,” she decided. “They deserve a little fun before the action if they can get it.”
“Someone, get this bastard off me!” Flynn shouted as Lycan almost caved his head when he stamped his massive foot. He managed to roll away barely in time.
“Your legs still work, right?” Indre shouted as she dodged blasts fired from her own drones. “One of them hacked my babies.”
Genos hammered a shield spike into the ground. It activated and shielded him and Jaxon against two more sniper shots fired from the other side of the arena. “They are indeed persistent.”
“Can I see your cannon?” the ace asked, and his teammate handed it to him. “Break away and take shelter over at that pillar.” He pointed to the south. “See if you can get around them and use one of your nano grenades on the hacker to shut him down.”
“Understood.” He took one out and primed it. “I had hoped to avoid using too many gadgets.”
“And it was a wise move, but we need all the advantages we can get right now,” Jaxon held the trigger down. “This team are professionals, and not only in this competition. They move and fight like the EX-10, but their skills seem to be even more considerable.” Their shield shattered from a thermal blast and he nodded to his teammate, who raced away while he ran to intercept Lycan who still harried Flynn.
