Animus Complete Series Omnibus, page 220
Another shock felt closer and he braced himself against the wall as he flipped quickly through more feeds, looking for the new attack. He found it was only a couple of hundred yards from the bridge. Two pods had pounded through the hull and as the front spun open, a team of troops dropped out and began a steady approach, some with circular devices on their back.
“They are coming for the bridge,” Andrion shouted and the crew hastened to their positions in preparation for the assault. He was about the pull away from the screen when he saw one final figure emerge from the pods. This one also wore the dark armor of the Ark Academy, but in addition, he wore a large armored coat of black, gold, and red. The captain gritted his teeth. He recognized it as belonging to Damyen Orlov’s, the Russian Ark Academy chancellor.
The man strolled casually away as a third pod breached the ship to deliver more troops. Andrion forced himself away from the screens when he heard thuds, blasts, and screams coming from the hall.
“Sir, there are still others trapped outside and I can’t activate the turrets or droids,” Lana called.
“Open the doors,” he ordered as he readied his rifle, and the officer looked at him in shock. “I will not hide while my ship is attacked and crew slaughtered. Open the door.”
“We’ll get it, sir.” Two officers volunteered and hurried over to the scanners on either side to disengage the emergency lock and force the door open. As soon as it slid up, Andrion and his bridge crew fired at any of the dark armored assailants who entered their lines of fire.
“Lana!” he called as he fired at a shotgun-wielding trooper. “You have control of the bridge. As soon as the weapons get back online, find the enemy ship and destroy it.”
“Yes, sir,” she acknowledged, leaned around the corner, and fired a few shots from her pistol at a cluster of troops that advanced down the hall. The bullets were stopped by a shield held by one of them.
“Vanguard,” Andrion muttered and gestured for those behind him to follow. “Shut the door when we all leave.”
“But, sir—”
“Do it,” he roared as he charged the vanguard. The enemy absorbed the shield into their gauntlets and blasted it at the captain. He fired a charged shot from his rifle at it, which canceled both out. He flipped into an alcove in the wall to shield himself as he pressed a switch on his rifle and changed to ballistic rounds. When he spun out and fired three shots, the vanguard erected a barrier, but the physical rounds passed through it and hammered the invader and two soldiers next to him. The vanguard toppled and his buddies with him.
“Push forward!” Andrion shouted and his team pushed out of the bridge. The door closed swiftly behind them He looked over to the other side of the corridor as four of his officers advanced. The grating above them gave way and two of the soldiers fell—or, rather, they were forced down as something pierced the back of their armor. The other two whirled to meet the new threat but their weapons were cut cleanly in half. A shimmer confirmed the telltale sign of a stealth generator as both his crewmen were felled. Two troops equipped with plasma blades appeared when their generators deactivated.
The captain grimaced and fired a ballistic round at the two raiders. One raised their hand and stopped the projectile in mid-air. Andiron’s eyes widened as the assassin coaxed the bullet toward him before he pointed it at him and rocketed it forward as effectively as if he’d fired it from his own weapon. He dove aside as the bullet struck the wall behind him and he barely managed to escape the blast.
The two assassins engaged the remaining crew as more hostile troops flooded into the hallway. Andrion rolled to see two demolitionists at the door, preparing to blow it open. He reached for his rifle but his hand was struck before he could grab it. He looked up at a figure in a black, gold, and red jacket, who flipped the visor of his helmet up and smiled at him.
His teeth clenched, he looked into Damyen’s face. “You’re behind this?” He growled with barely suppressed rage. “These aren’t terrorists. They’re your students, aren’t they?”
“They are my soldiers,” the man clarified as he knelt to look the captain in the eye. “Captain…Andrion, isn’t it?” he asked. “You can make this easier on your crew by surrendering and giving the order to stand down. We’ll take this ship, but you get to decide how long it will take.” He retrieved a small device and held it up to the captain’s mouth as he gestured to the speakers above them. “And how long the clean-up will be.”
He wanted to spit at the traitor, but he caught another sight of the demolitionists, ready to blow the bridge door. They merely waited for Damyen to give the order. More screams issued from above him and around him. How many were there left to save?
With a solemn sigh, he nodded. The enemy leader’s smile grew wider as he pressed the button on the device. “This is Captain Andrion,” the captain began. “To the crew of the Heimdallr, lay down your arms and surrender.”
Damyen looked around and listened for further sounds of battle. The ship became eerily quiet. He nodded, placed the device in his pocket, and reached to his belt. “Good choice, Captain. Certainly, a better one than the other captains made.”
“Other captains?” he asked. “How many—”
“You make the fifth,” he stated as he drew a pistol and placed it against his head. “If it counts, this was easily the biggest ship yet.”
Andrion looked at the pistol and strained under the man’s foot to reach his rifle. “You said you would—”
“Make it easier on your crew. Their deaths will be much faster this way,” Damyen told him with a sick laugh. “Except the Ark graduates. They will live and they’ll even have a place.” The chancellor’s finger eased down on the trigger. “As one of my soldiers.”
Chapter Thirteen
Kaiden rushed to the back of the arena in Wolfson’s training area. He shoved tables aside as he searched frantically for something.
“Kaiden, are you looking for the weapons rack?” Marlo asked and pointed behind him.
“No, I’m— Actually, that’s not a bad idea. Genos, deactivate the lock on that, would you, while I—aha!” He shoved a locker aside and yanked up the mat to reveal two doors beneath it. Quickly, he crouched and slid a small window open to reveal a keypad into which he punched several numbers. A small circle appeared when he pressed confirm. “Marlo, grab the other handle.”
The demolitionist nodded. The ace grasped the right handle of the vault and Marlo the left. When the keypad blinked green, Kaiden nodded and they both pulled the heavy doors of the vault open to a small space beneath with a ladder.
“What is that?” Flynn asked and peered down. “It’s pitch-black down there.”
“The light switch is in the storage room.” Kaiden slid through the hole, his hands on the ladder. “It’s kind of cramped down there. Amber and Chiyo, do you mind coming down? I’ll hand stuff up to you.”
“It had better be good stuff,” Cameron commented.
The ace grinned at the bounty hunter before his head disappeared into the hole. “This is Wolfson’s personal stash. He showed it to me after Gin’s attack, just in case.”
“This is certainly a case.” Flynn nodded and gestured to the two women. “Get down there!”
Kaiden reached the storage room, turned the light on, and hurriedly began to grab any weapons or device he could and handed them to Amber, who handed them to Chiyo, who distributed them to the others in the group.
“There’s enough down here to arm all of us,” he shouted as he placed a rifle and a container of shock grenades in Amber’s hands. “Genos and Jaxon, take the weapons on the practice rack and give them to the students out in the gym.”
“I’ve unlocked the rack, friend Kaiden,” Genos responded. “But you know that many of these are training weapons, correct?”
“You’re an engineer, right? Can you see the safety mods on the guns?” he asked. “If you disengage them, they are normal guns. They might not be the best quality but are better than nothing. We’ll try to share the leftovers from in here but we’ll need all the help we can to get into the security facility.”
“Security?” Jaxon asked. “What are you looking for there?”
“Codes to the armory,” he stated. He threw the remaining weapons into a pack and placed it on his back. Amber and Chiyo scrambled out to give him room as he ascended again. “Wolfson told me that’s where he keeps my shock pistol stored since I don’t walk around with it—dumbass that I’m feeling right about now.”
“Won’t the security forces be able to open it for us?” Amber asked.
“Maybe, if there are any nearby. But my guess is that most if not all of them are out there being security.” He tossed an extra bag to Jaxon, who nodded and helped Genos pack the remaining weapons as the mechanist had carefully slid the safety mods out and placed them on a small tray he had found from one of the tables Kaiden flipped over.
“I assume by the name that’s where all the guns are kept?” Cameron asked.
“Most of them.” The ace nodded and tossed him a container of net grenades. “There are stashes of guns all over the island, this being a military academy and all. But that’s where all the good ones are. I believe in my fellow comrades and all that—”
“But you’d believe in them more if they had real firepower?” Flynn finished and received a nod in confirmation.
“I…can’t join you,” Amber muttered almost in a whisper.
“What’s up Amber?” Marlo asked.
Flynn looked at her with concern. “Medbay?” he asked. and she nodded as she activated her sub-machine gun. “Her mother—we have to check on her.”
Kaiden nodded. “Right, Dr. Soni…and everyone.” He listened to the fighting outside. “I’m worried about all of them too. Do what you need to do and get everyone you can to safety.”
The marksman nodded and glanced quickly at Marlo, who placed a shotgun on his back. “We’ll go with her and will join up with you again when we’re done.”
The ace looked at Chief. “Can you keep a line up?”
“I’ve been tinkerin’,” the EI stated. “I can keep one channel open efficiently. But there is something screwy going on, partner. Whatever is taking hold of the tech on the island isn’t only a virus or simple hackery.”
“I’m sure Laurie is all over that,” he replied and selected a pistol—slim, rapid-fire, and with a good core, it still felt light compared to Debonair. He grimaced. All his gear was with Julio and he couldn’t get a call out. Part of him hoped the barkeep would find a way to bring his gear and loads of other presents to him, but with that big bastard in the sky, it would be suicide.
He placed the pistol in his jacket pocket, clipped a container of shocks and a container of thermals on his belt, and picked up a machine gun. “Chief will stay in contact with you, Flynn. Y’all be safe.”
“Same to you, mate,” Flynn replied and he, Amber, and Marlo headed to the door. Jaxon handed them the pack of training weapons to give to the others as he and Genos walked over to Kaiden.
“So our plan is to head to security, then?” the Tsuna ace asked as he chose a machine gun and rifle for himself.
“Will Officer Wolfson be present?” Genos asked, picked up a small box of gadgets, and rummaged through it.
“I’ve yet to reach him,” Kaiden said and glanced at Chief, who merely shook from side to side. “We may run into him, but I won’t rely on chance. We need to get into his office. He’ll have the current access code to the armory in his desk.”
“Will we simply blast our way in?” Cameron asked as he twirled a shotgun.
“I have a spare key,” the ace said and held a blue access card up. “He hides it in the bear figurine next to the door and I snagged it on the way in.”
“The head officer has really grown to trust you over the years, hasn’t he?” Chiyo asked.
He looked at the key before he slid it into his pants pocket and ruffled his hair. “I guess so. It’s a good thing too considering the circumstance.”
“How will we alert the other students about the available weapons with the comms down?” Jaxon asked.
Kaiden retrieved his tablet from his other pocket. “The emergency channel is still running,” he stated.
“If we can access the security console, we can change the message and get it out to all the students,” Chiyo summarized.
He put the tablet away and readied his rifle. “Assuming this problem with the tech doesn’t get worse. Let’s get going before it does, yeah?”
The group looked at each other and nodded, all ready to return to the chaos but this time, prepared to fight rather than run.
Durand was in bad shape. His breathing was labored, his head was bleeding, and the left side of his chest had been burned by laser fire. His hands shook as he pulled himself behind the desk. He readied his pistol when he heard metallic steps at the doorway. Another of the droids stepped inside and scanned the room while the chancellor held the trigger down to charge the blast. It must have sensed the increasing energy of the pistol as it surged forward and knocked the desk aside. He rolled over and fired the blast directly into its chest. It staggered and he produced his plasma blade and stabbed it into the blast point to slice through and into its core.
The Arbiter droid revealed its own blade and lashed out at the chancellor. He fell back but the weapon cut deep into his chest and he lurched into the wall behind him and slid down. His blade fell from the robot’s chest, having apparently cut deep enough as the lights in its eyes dulled and darkened and it toppled.
Unfortunately, three more moved into the room.
He drew a deep, ragged breath as he vented his pistol and closed his eyes. One of the droids held its arm cannon up, ready to fire. He heard three shots, felt nothing, and opened his eyes to gape at the holes in the chests of the three mechanicals. They sputtered for a moment before they fell and a figure in a black jacket stepped over them.
Despite the pain and blurred vision, he recognized his rescuer immediately. “Sasha…” he whispered in a croaking voice.
“Chancellor, I’m sorry I wasn’t here sooner,” the commander stated, slung his rifle over his back, and knelt at his side.
“I should feel sorry for the fact that I could only handle nine of those bastards.” Durand sighed and held his head. “My secretary, Teresa, was a double agent. Can you believe it?”
“As were board members Victoria and Vincent,” Sasha told. “The rest of the board is dead, sir.”
“Son of a bitch.” He hissed in pain as the commander helped him to lean up. When he coughed, small specks of blood appeared in his hand that both men saw.
“Sasha, hand me your tablet,” he stated. He did so and Durand retrieved his own which had been only slightly damaged in the fight. “Franklin, give Sasha Chevalier chancellor status.”
“Durand?” the commander questioned but the man ignored him.
“This is obviously an emergency situation, but I still need the code, sir,” the chancellor’s EI stated.
Durand nodded. “Code 01350, chancellor authorization password: Magenta Skies.” He chuckled as the EI began to transfer all the authority of the chancellorship to Sasha. “Magenta Skies was where I planned to retire in a few years. I only changed the password a few months ago.”
“Sir, I have some medical supplies I can—”
“If I remove this arm across my chest, I’ll bleed out before you can apply the gel,” he muttered, his voice a little weaker. “Sasha, do what needs to be done to keep these students safe, understand?”
The commander pursed his lips and nodded. “I do, sir. I will make sure that this is not the end of the Academy.”
“Such commitment.” Durand laughed as he looked down to confirm that the transfer had completed. “Coming from someone…who was hesitant to join…in the first place.”
Sasha steadied him to stop him sliding to the side. “I’m glad I came, and it didn’t take long for me to feel this way.”
The chancellor rolled his head back against the wall and released a long breath. “Make sure to remember that…as you take the Academy back,” he said, his voice faint. “Feeling like that…those bonds and memories…” His words faltered and he took short, minute breaths. “That’s what…keeps the fire…going.”
The commander nodded, took the other man’s tablet, and stood. He saluted the fallen chancellor before he turned to assume his new responsibilities.
Chapter Fourteen
“One…two…three!” Mack and Luke heaved against the door to the engineers’ bay but were only knocked back by their effort and almost tumbled into Raul.
“These aren’t rusted, dilapidated doors, you oafs,” the tracker huffed. “Most of the academy is in lockdown so the engineering bay wouldn’t be any—”
“She’ll get it open,” Silas called, and the trio looked at him where he walked beside a girl in an engineer’s orange jumpsuit and with her brown hair tied back. She pushed past the group and over to a terminal at the door they had attempted to break.
“Who’s she?” Mack asked as the raider helped to pull him up.
“An actual engineer, for one thing,” Silas explained as he moved out of the way so Raul could help Luke. “But she’s also an assistant to one of the workshop teachers. She has the emergency codes for the bay and several other rooms.”
“Really?” Luke asked and punched a fist into his hand excitedly. “We’re finally making some progress.”
“Silas told me you guys were looking for weapons,” the engineer added as the terminal she accessed activated and she began to punch the code in. “I said that we don’t really keep many weapons on hand here in the workshops—”
“But you do have tools,” Raul replied. “And heavy-duty ones as well.”
“They might not be practical or professional,” Mack admitted, and the group glanced hastily toward the entrance as a blast went off that sounded really close to the building. “But we’ll take anything, at this point.”
