Animus Complete Series Omnibus, page 258
“Keep an eye out, Chief,” he asked as he readied his rifle. “He’s waiting for us. I don’t think he’d he’ll simply take the serum and run.”
“Agreed,” Chief said with a nod of his avatar. “You seem to attract the crazies.”
“No kidding,” he answered as he continued down the corridors. The building was remarkably well preserved aside from dust and rocks everywhere, which he had to assume came partially from time and partially from the big fight that had taken place. If it wasn’t for the fact that it had only been partially completed, this could have made an impressive Academy.
Although this supposed super-soldier idea unnerved him. That was what the Animus was for, wasn’t it? If they weren’t considered super-soldiers, what the hell did they intend to try to make there?
“Kaiden, I pick up a faint energy reading. Beyond those doors to the left.”
The ace approached the doors and confirmed that there had been a lock but it was now blown apart. If his quarry wasn’t in there, he had certainly gone through. “Is this a trap?”
“Obviously. The reading was a flare, basically like he sent out a signal for us to find him.”
He sucked in a deep breath. “We have one more group of missiles left in the suit, right?”
“And that energy cannon too, you know. You haven’t really made use of that,” the EI reminded him.
“I know. I’ve been saving the energy,” he confessed.
“Saving it? For what?”
“For what is probably about to happen.” Kaiden kicked the door in with his gun at the ready. The room was a large chamber with nothing in it but a large metal plate in the middle attached to the ground. Dario stood on the far end of the room with his arms at his sides but gauntlets activated.
The assassin looked at him, his ever-present smile on his face. “You know, I’ve never been one for history. I’m more future-minded myself,” the man said as Kaiden took a few steps closer. “But I know what this place could have been and it really makes one think. This room could probably have been the main training area for the future of humanity.”
“Did you get what you came for?” the ace asked and glanced casually around the room to identify any potential attack.
“The serum?” Dario gestured behind him with his thumb. “It’s back there in the room behind me from what Merrick said. But it has a little trap I have to get through before I can take it. Otherwise, it will destroy itself. It’s very delicate work and all that so I have to deal with you first.”
“And my friends,” Kaiden corrected.
The man chuckled. “I feel I can take them rather easily.”
“Your grunts couldn’t,” he retorted.
The man placed a hand dramatically against his chest. “You wound me—or would have, except I didn’t train them. I’ll pass the compliment along to Damyen when I see him.”
The ace sighed and lowered his weapon slightly. “What the hell are you guys actually after? Your boss says he wants to save the planet. By killing millions? Enslaving the rest?”
“It’s temporary,” the assassin replied, although he took a moment to think about it. “I suppose the deaths aren’t, but mio capo is no megalomaniac. He has an odd way of doing things, but they always come out for the better. This serum?” He pointed behind himself again. “We’ll mass produce it and it will help to initiate the next step for humanity and turn us into the apex race of this entire sector. That’s worth it alone, right?”
He felt his blood boil, took aim at Dario once again, and began to charge a shot. “To hell with you.”
“Kaiden, energy is flaring up all around us,” Chief warned.
The ace identified small pockets of yellow light that began to glow, more and more by the second. “Begin charging the shields. Chief. Prepare to burst.”
“So this is it, eh?” the assassin asked, took a few steps forward, and held a hand up. He placed his middle finger against his thumb. “You were a good fight. I don’t get many of those these days. Most of my work is taking care of dignitaries, politicians, CEOs, and the like. And it is wet work, but I have to usually make it look like an accident or an internal rupture or something. I guess that’s why I was so excited when I met you—you made me try again.”
Kaiden remained silent and simply stood tall and lowered Sire while he stared coldly at the man.
Dario’s smile softened as he studied the soldier. “It’s not my style, but that armor looks good on you.” He glanced around as the orbs began to move slowly toward Kaiden. “It’s fitting that you be buried in it,” he added and snapped his fingers. The orbs glowed brightly and rushed closer.
“Burst, Chief!” the ace yelled. The armor glowed with a white light that surged free and collided with the orbs, which exploded on impact and created a chain of detonations that rocked the cave.
The assassin stumbled back, blinded by the white light and shaken by the wave of force. He gathered what remained of his nanos and drew them close to him as he looked at the smoky area.
A brief glimpse of green light, darkened by the smoke, began to glow. His eyes widened and he made a shield as the light careened toward him and broke against his shield as another swept in behind it, then another. Each blast depleted what was left of his small number of nanos. One final shot followed before something clattered. He took a moment to steady himself before he broke a small part of his shield to look out at Kaiden, who stood before him with his rifle on the floor.
Dario stood tall and his nanos separated and swirled around him. “Crafty. I certainly have to give you that, although you now have no shields.”
“And how many of those little bugs do you have left?” the ace asked.
He raised his hands, rolled them effortlessly, and created a dozen lances that circled him before they pointed directly at the other man. “Enough.”
“Mark ʼem, Chief,” Kaiden stated and a small line ringed each spear. He smiled under his helmet. “I hope this is worth it, Dario.”
The assassin shook his head in confusion but quickly realized that his adversary must have heard him before. He smiled as he held a hand up. “It was entertaining, Kaiden,” he stated and pointed forward to launch the lances.
The shoulders of the ace’s armor popped open and a dozen missiles streaked out and intercepted each spear to create another chaotic blast that Dario shielded himself with his jacket. A rush of air indicated Kaiden’s jets activating. He looked up as the soldier attacked with a blade that emerged from the gauntlet of his armor.
Dario brought his hand back instinctively to retrieve his nanos, but he heard a warning beep—one he hadn’t once heard as long as he had used them—to let him know he was out. As his adversary reached him and drew his arm back, he looked up and the surprise on his face turned to a grin. The ace thrust the blade into the assassin and the jets drove them both into the back wall, where Dario’s head thumped against the metal plating.
The jets died and he withdrew the blade and looked at the man’s body. Blood poured from his sternum with another small trickle down his mouth and droplets on the back of his head. He had no final retort and no movement, and Kaiden himself had nothing to say. He didn’t even gloat.
After a long moment, he approached the door the assassin had indicated and slid it open. A small table stood inside with a cylindrical case that housed a vial of blue liquid. He walked up to it and stared at Dario’s supposed prize, the next step of evolution.
The two machines beside it seemed to be nothing other than monitoring equipment. He touched the case tentatively and both monitors went red. A gas filled the case and the liquid turned from blue to white, then become muddied and thick.
“The gas changed the structure of the serum. It’s basically toxic waste now,” Chief said, more formally than anything else and sounded almost robotic for the first time.
“Whoops,” Kaiden said flatly and turned away. “I’m sure they have a recipe somewhere.”
“Maybe. But it requires the right environment to make and many of the ingredients are basically blacklisted nowadays,” the EI informed him. “A pity for whoever.”
“It’s a pity we didn’t make it in time to stop him from tampering with it, huh?” he asked.
Chief nodded and turned an amused pink. “Yeah, and it’s sad that I had a glitch and didn’t catch a recording of it either.”
Chapter Forty-Five
“Kaiden?” Chiyo called over the comms. The metal of a droid’s head crunched behind her as Wolfson trampled a still fidgeting bot with his boot.
There was no response and Genos frowned while his fingers tapped his chest plate as they looked at the massive doors.
“Do we have another way up?” Wolfson asked as he sauntered up to them and studied the barrier.
“I have some line,” the Tsuna responded and removed a spool from his belt. “I don’t think it is enough to reach the top, however. If our friends arrive soon, Cameron has a real grappling hook. Perhaps Luke and Mack can help break down the rest of the door.”
“Do you think he’s all right?” she asked, concern evident in her voice, but a small amount of fear had crept in as well.
“The boy is fine,” the head officer said almost off-handedly. “It’s not like he hasn’t made it through any number of explosions. I’m sure it was merely a desperate last ploy from that assassin.”
“That’s a damn good guess,” a voice replied over the link. “Although it was more his main strategy than a last-ditch effort.”
“Kaiden!” Genos answered. “I’m glad you are still well.”
“What of Dario?” Chiyo asked.
“He won’t bother us or anyone ever again.” The ace’s voice held the dispassionate tone of someone who had answered a simple trivia question. “Sorry for the blackout. I had to purge my shields and my energy has been wonky since. I’m looking for the teleporter now.”
“Chiyo has a map,” Wolfson pointed out. “Come and get the doors, boyo.”
“They are busted,” Kaiden answered. “It’s not like much in this place seems to work in general. I already thought of trying to carry each one of you, but these jets are meant for one and I’m already putting a strain on it with this power armor. I’m not sure if I could carry Wolfson, anyway.”
The large man huffed, leaned back, and shouldered his shotgun. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“I think he was referring to your heavy armor, Head Officer,” Genos interjected. “I don’t think it is a matter of your normal weight. I am almost equal to that in my armor.”
Wolfson waved it off with a vague gesture before another voice joined the link. “Woo! That was a long way down. These anti-gravs always make me feel tingly.”
“Luke?” Chiyo asked.
“The one and only,” he replied. “The rest are on their way down. Did you guys leave some enemies for us?”
The Tsuna looked around and kicked a robotic arm off the rock he stood on. “Not here, no, but I’m sure there will be sufficient even for you once we arrive on the ship.”
“That’s good news, there! And we can get all the others back too,” Luke said. Chiyo looked up as the heavy made his way out of the cave above.
“Kaiden’s looking for the teleporter but we can’t make a way in,” she told him. “We could use your assistance.”
“Sure, where ya at?” he asked.
“Look down and to your left,” Wolfson answered. The titan did so and waved at the group.
“All right, we’ll be there soon. The others are all almost down the shaft.”
“Yeah, I see the problem,” Mack commented and studied the damaged door. “But it shouldn’t be an issue.”
“Do you think you can blow through that?” Indre asked as she and Chiyo looked at a holoscreen to see if they were still operational and hackable.
“I’d like to try but time is of the essence and all that,” the vanguard stated and walked closer to the hole the Arbiter demolitionists had already made. He stuck a large hand into it, formed an orb of energy, and stepped back slightly but left the orb in place. His attention focused, he brought his hands together and began to separate them slowly, and the sphere increased in size. He began to strain once it reached the edges before he uttered a loud yell and forced it to grow even further and make the hole in the door bigger. After a moment, the orb collapsed and left a much bigger opening.
“Nice work.” Silas placed a hand on the vanguard’s shoulder.
“It won’t be a graceful entrance but we can get in,” Mack responded.
“And we can get to that teleporter,” Cameron stated.
“Oh, I forgot to send the map to Kaiden,” Chiyo realized as she shut the holoscreen.
“No need, I think,” the ace replied.
“What do you see, Kaiden?” Wolfson asked as he motioned for the rest to enter.
Kaiden gaped at the sheer size of the teleporter. Several screens were active as the large pad on the ground pulsed with a teal light. Four large power cables went from the walls into the pad, and the console was in rest mode. “Something I can say we definitely can’t carry up.”
“We’ll get over there on the double,” the head officer stated as the group nodded and began to sprint.
“I’m in a domed room in the…uh, back right I guess,” he responded.
“Look for his dot on the map.” Chief sighed.
“I have a question, Kaiden,” Genos began.
“Shoot.”
“There is no need for that right now. There are no enemies present. Were you able to find the serum the Arbiter Organization wanted?”
“I did.”
“Do you have it secured?” Wolfson asked.
“It is destroyed,” Kaiden answered.
“What? By wh—” Cameron began.
“It’s a real shame about that but sometimes, unfortunate things happen on a mission,” the head officer responded and cut the bounty hunter off. “Don’t beat yourself up over it.”
“I’ll try not to,” the ace replied dryly. “So, should I hold off on touching anything until you get here?”
“I think it is recommended that Chiyo or Indre works the machine,” Jaxon suggested. “Unfortunately, Cyra could not join us as she wanted to take the R&D building and make sure they do not reactivate the shields. But she was sure we could manage it.”
“Gotcha. Chief downloaded games for my HUD so I’ll wait for you guys to get here.”
“We can do that?” Luke asked with a glance at the only faculty member on their team.
“It’s not exactly regulation,” Wolfson muttered and passed the titan. “Now move it!”
“That’s a big boy,” Mack said and studied the teleporter. “Otto would be all bubbly with even a peek at this.”
“Why isn’t he here?” Kaiden asked.
“Julius got hit so he’s watching over him.” The vanguard sounded solemn.
“Is he gonna be all right?”
“He is a medic, after all, so it’s kind of his bag to heal, especially himself. I offered to stay, but they both told me to go on and be the representative for our team.”
The ace smiled in his helmet. “Good choice.”
“We have it online,” Indre announced and the entire group approached quickly.
“Do we simply step onto the pad or what?” Raul asked.
Chiyo shook her head. “The console is online but we can’t establish a target. It says there is an obstruction in the way.”
Jaxon and Wolfson both leaned in to look at the monitor. Genos looked up at the roof. “Perhaps that is the obstruction?” he suggested and pointed above.
Everyone looked up and for the first time, noticed lines across the ceiling—not decorative but indicating separate panels. Kaiden and Genos looked around and the ace nudged his teammate when he located a lever. The Tsuna nodded and they both walked over. “It appears safe,” the engineer said after he’d examined it for a few seconds.
“Or it’s a self-destruct switch,” his friend answered jokingly.
“It is doubtful. Those are usually buttons.”
Kaiden chuckled to himself as he extended his hand and pulled it. A shimmer traveled along the roof as a shield was deactivated before the wide expanse separated into four pieces and pulled back. The teleporter pad began to glow brightly as six panels came to life and spun around it before taking their places along the sides.
“It’s asking for a target,” Indre stated.
Chiyo looked down and pressed a few keys. “From our position, we are directly under the Academy fountain,” she said and tapped the enter key. “So it’s a direct line.”
A beam began to form in the center of the pad, expanded out to the rim of the circle, and streaked into the large hole in the cavern above.
“It says we need to deactivate the outer layer,” Indre advised them.
“That must be the fountain. The underside must have a shield like the dome did,” Chiyo reasoned.
“So we simply step into the beam?” Cameron asked. “Does that mean anyone who does so will be transported?”
“It seems that way.” The infiltrator nodded.
He sighed. “We came all the way down here for nothing.”
“It was just in case,” Luke reminded him and clapped the vanguard on the shoulder. “And Mack helped.”
“I’m deactivating the fountain shield,” Chiyo said. “Are we ready?”
“I’ll send a message to Sasha to let him know,” Wolfson told her. “Other than that, let’s go do what we do best.”
“Damn straight,” Kaiden agreed, his weapon in hand. “Do it, Chi.”
The infiltrator looked down and pressed the enter key once again. The beam brightened slightly as sunlight from above poured into the cavern. She looked over at Kaiden and nodded as she drew her pistol. He looked at the others, all of whom were ready.
“Let’s get our friends,” he said and his grasp tightened on his weapon. “And make those bastards pay!” He ran up the pad with Genos and Chiyo behind him, his blood pumping as he vaulted up and into the beam.
