Animus Complete Series Omnibus, page 262
“Yeah, sure.” The commander nodded and for a moment, Merrick looked at him, his eyes narrowed in a fearsome glare at his apparent nonchalance. This caused a brief moment of confusion and surprise in the battle-hardened Omega leader, but Merrick simply turned away and continued to walk forward and scan the various holoscreens that displayed maps and video feeds.
“Change is difficult. I’m sure almost everyone realizes that at some point in their lives,” he said with a sigh as if he’d had to adjust to that realization himself. “None have seen what I have. They fight because they see me as the enemy, a title I am willing to carry for now. It is better that than to be called a horror.” He paused when a new screen activated with the feed from the main base. The colossus appeared and then exploded, and the resultant energy destroyed buildings, men, and ships before it engulfed the camera and the screen went black.
“Shit.” The Omega leader sighed and turned away.
“It appears Nolan started the protocol and they found a way to use it to their advantage. That is very resourceful.” Merrick looked at the commander, who tried not to make eye contact. He almost wished Merrick would fly into a rage like most others did—he knew how to deal with that. “Commander, you have the orders. I wanted to add one more thing, however, before you begin.”
“What’s that?” he asked. Merrick held a tablet up and flicked it in his direction. The commander received notification of a message with a list of names. They were familiar and he recalled a couple as those who set their alliance up in the first place.
“Find those people, the other members of the organization,” the man stated and drew a deep breath. “If any are on stations, make sure they are well defended. Those on Earth…I need them disposed of.”
“Disposed of?” The commander looked at the AO leader once again. “Don’t you think we have lost enough forces?”
“The ones we still have are precious. I can promise you that the ones I have asked you to take care of can certainly not fight. I have no doubt that the military will attack us, but they will want as much intel as possible. Maybe they find out about the other members and interrogate them, or the others become skittish and try to strike a deal. I cannot let either possibility come to fruition.”
The commander nodded slowly. This man was cold but thorough. He had heard that a couple of other leaders in the company were contemplating leaving the partnership with the AO but at this point, they were too deep. What would they say if they did break away and the military came for them? Sorry about the small genocide? If they had a path, it was with him now.
He only hoped his own name wasn’t on the next list.
Kaiden walked into Wolfson’s dojo and paused to look around. It was remarkably well-kept, albeit in comparison to everything else. In addition to three large holes in the ceiling, most of the furniture and items not nailed down or to a wall were scattered and overturned and there were scratches and burn marks on the wall, but everything was still standing. It seemed to be a good metaphor for its former owner.
He walked to the far end of the room, flipped a bench onto its legs, and took a seat. He would only be there for a moment as many of the other Nexus students had begun clean-up efforts. It would only be for a short time and certainly not long enough to get much done, but it was more symbolic than anything, something to help them feel they had reclaimed their Academy after all the effort it took. While they waited for the way forward to present itself, the activity also provided a way to unwind before they took to the stars later.
“Are you really all right, partner?” Chief asked and appeared above him, glowing a muted blue.
“Like I said, eventually.” He sighed. “To think that the first time I met him it was because he literally dragged me here and tried to force me to be his protégé. I guess he got what he wanted in the end. It’s fitting in a weird way that one of the men I grew closest to was as stubborn as I am.”
“Yeah…” Chief made no effort to complete his response and instead, descended slowly to look at him. “I planned to save this for later, but I think you should at least know about it and make the decision yourself.”
A small circle appeared as an attachment to a message in Kaiden’s vision. “What’s this?”
“A recording from Wolfson. He made it for you before he jumped.”
Kaiden’s lips pursed and he stared at the message as he thought it over. He nodded. “Go ahead, Chief. You know I’m not patient.”
“Are you— No problem, partner.”
The message opened with no video, which was somewhat disappointing but he reminded himself that he didn’t actually want to see Wolfson surrounded by the signs of a ship about to explode.
“Hey there, boyo, sorry for the ruckus in the background,” the head officer began. The creak of metal and sizzle of electrical explosions were audible as he spoke. “I told the bauble I didn’t want to call you before this thing went up. It didn’t sit right, but as I’m talking to you now, I have to say maybe I should have— Well, it’s too late for that now, I suppose. I told you once that the thing that hurt the most about being a soldier wasn’t the physical injuries but the loss of others you had grown to befriend and care for. But that is also the driving force to what we do. The best soldiers have that in common—not fighting for themselves or even their planet as a whole but fighting for those dear to them to make sure they don’t lose them. Making the decision I have now…it’s a pain in the ass, certainly, but I can tell you it was still easy. I’ve lived enough, as it were. You and the rest have many years to catch up and make a legacy half as good as mine.”
Kaiden smiled when Wolfson chuckled. “Not to mention the body count. If all goes well, I’ll take a few thousand of these bastards with me and probably a few more fighting on the way up or down, whichever. So don’t worry about me now. I have no regrets—actually, I have one, but I think you can help me with that.”
Kaiden straightened and listened closely. “I won’t be able to finish this with you, but you were my most promising student. I still had the wins in our little brawls, but who knows what would have happened in another year or two…or ten really, but I’m willing to give you the benefit of the doubt. You would have surpassed me. Honestly, boyo, you have already in some ways. You have grown from a punk who was good with fists and guns to a punk who’s good with fists and guns and getting the job done. You’ve become a capable leader despite your kicking and screaming all the way there, and you’ve grown to understand the importance of fighting for more than kicks. I hoped to see what would become of it all, but I have a gut feeling—the most accurate feeling, I might add—that you would come out of it all a better man than I.”
There was silence for a moment before Wolfson drew a short, hesitant breath. “I suppose I’ve been ramblin’. I mean it all, though. As I said, I have one request. I won’t be there but I know you will. You would fight through hell to finish this. And when you bring this home and finally stare at that idiot Merrick, place a couple of extra holes in him for me.” He chuckled. “It’s an easy request, I reckon. You will probably melt that bastard as it is. Even when I’m gone, know that I’ll be looking after ya. Not even the devil could stop me doing that. Kaiden, take care. I’m proud of ya.”
The message ended and he lowered his head. Silence settled over the room and a few tears fell while the ace sat unmoving.
“Maybe it was too soon to—” the EI began.
“No, it’s fine.” Kaiden looked at Chief and swiped his arm over his eyes. “That was needed, really.” He stood, looked around the room once, and fumbled for his pistol. It was the one Wolfson had made for him, designed after the one from his Animus sessions—a gift, something practical as he called it.
“He was right at the end of it all,” he said and traced his fingers over the weapon. “I intend to blast that bastard apart anyway but now, I’ll end it with this, for him.” He holstered the gun and moved to the door. “A good soldier completes the mission. A great soldier does it for duty,” he recalled and considered Wolfson’s ideology. “The best soldier does it for those he cares about.”
Victor
Animus Book 12
Chapter One
“They’ve blown the gate!” one of the mercs yelled over the comms. His report was followed quickly by the sounds of laser fire and a pained yelp before his vital signs flat-lined.
“Shit, we need to get you to the pad asap,” one of the team said and turned to the leader.
The man nodded to his employer. “Mr. Solos, we have to go now.”
“Is it safe?” the CEO asked but immediately grimaced. “No, of course not. I can tell simply by hearing those blasted noises outside.” He sighed as he stood and straightened his jacket. “I should have stayed on the station. I hear Pocock and Liu are only being kept under guard, but the rest of us—Hell, ‘rest of us’ might mean I could be the last one left on this damn planet.”
The group of Red Sun mercs exchanged glances. The leader shook his head and rested a hand on the AO council member’s arm. “Sir, moving at once would be—”
“Don’t touch me,” Oliver commanded and straightened to his full height. “We shall go, but I will not be dragged around my own manor.”
The man nodded as one of the other mercs opened the door out of the safe room. They led Solos hastily up the stairs. Four took point and checked each corner as more blasts and the sounds of battle raged above. “I should have double-checked the sound-proofing down here,” the CEO grumbled.
“We’re about to enter the first floor,” the Red Sun leader told him brusquely. “Keep your head down and we’ll take care of things.”
Oliver wanted to make a snide remark but instead, kept it to himself and muttered a low, “See that you do.” As he crouched a little, the leader held a hand up and pointed forward. The troops in front opened the door and filed out quickly to check the large living area.
“It’s clean, but I see fighting through the windows,” one reported.
The leader ran to check and peered through the outside window. Figures in dark-red armor—his troops—battled other mercs in black-and-crimson. The Omega Horde was backed up by a growing number of droids in white and sterling silver. “Then let’s get up there in a hurry so we’re not caught. How long until evac?”
“They are on the perimeter, sir, trying to keep out of the battle zone until we are ready.”
He motioned behind him for the others to bring Solos up. “Tell them to head this way. It’s not like it’ll take us long to go up four stories.”
“Right.” One of the team activated his commlink. “We’re heading up and will be there in—” His words were cut short when the windows were blown out. An explosion had detonated near the front of the living room and laser fire and kinetic rounds swept the room.
“Shit—move!” the Red Sun leader ordered and grabbed Solos. Despite his earlier protests, the CEO said nothing as the leader and two other mercs forced him to the stairway while the rest of the team returned fire. At least three cried out and fell as the escapees rounded the corner.
The group raced up the stairs, but two Arbiter droids appeared from the opposite hall and fired at them. One of the mercs stopped to return fire and was able to eliminate both mechanicals before an Omega lobbed a grenade up the stairs as he turned to catch up. The thermal exploded, killed the man, and destroyed the first-floor stairs. It didn’t seem to slow the invading force, however, as more droids filed in and tried quickly to climb the walls to reach their prey.
After a muttered expletive, the leader gritted his teeth in growing frustration. When they had been hired, he’d thought the number of creds they had been paid upfront was almost too good to be true—a fortune for babysitting a businessman who claimed he was targeted by a powerful organization. He had heard of contracts like that and most were caused by paranoia and overinflated ego. Still, he’d brought way more troops than most missions required. But when the first shots were fired and he saw the approaching army, he realized they were not only understaffed but grossly underpaid.
“In here!” Solos yelled. He hauled a small painting off the wall to reveal a scanner that he placed his hand on. It blinked green and a doorway in the wall opened. He and the leader ran through, but the last remaining fighter remained behind. The man retrieved all his explosives before he fired at the scanner to deactivate it and shut the door as the bombs detonated.
The merc, now alone, began to fire, although the clouds kicked up by the grenades obscured his vision. What sounded like the searing of metal told him he was making contact at least. A bright blue glow appeared amongst the smoke. He turned to fire and heard a metallic whine as the blast was launched and he threw himself to the side to dodge the attack.
Clicks from above made him look up to where three droids were poised above him, having climbed along the ceiling. He aimed, ready to fire, but his gun was too hot and he had no time to vent. With a curse, he dropped it and tried to draw his pistol, but his enemy simply fell upon him as their blades extended.
The two other men sprinted up the last two flights of stairs tucked out of sight and which could only be accessed through the secret room. Solos panted, obviously unused to the exertion, but he made no complaint and seemed determined to endure despite his lack of physical fitness. They reached the top of the stairs and the Red Sun leader kicked the door to the roof out. He fired at a group of bots that surged over the edge and lobbed a shock grenade to his left when several made an appearance. The grenade slowed them, but none deactivated so he finished the job and vented his machine gun quickly.
Solos joined him as he closed the vent. “Sir, you should wait inside until—”
“And if I need to get away? Where would I go at this point?” the man demanded. His protector had to admit—when he looked around at the fighting below, the three Omega assault ships in the distance, and the fighting force they attempted to escape from—the CEO had a point.
“Is that the shuttle?” Solos pointed at the horizon and a grey ship that seemed on a direct trajectory toward them.
“It is. Let’s get to the landing pad so we can leave as soon as it—” A rocket was fired from the ground below and it immediately locked onto the shuttle. The transport took the strike on its side and the damage blew one of its thrusters. It pulled away and missed the manor but plummeted earthward, where it plunged into a group of troops engaged in a heated battle.
The CEO lowered his hands. No anger was visible on his face and instead, simple recognition and dejection settled over his features. “Honestly, that was closer than I would have hoped at this point.”
“Dammit. We called for a group of shuttles in case of a situation like this,” the leader protested, although he constantly made sure to remain aware of their surroundings. “Where the hell are the others?”
“I believe you can guess as well as I can what happened to them—if they came at all.” Solos muttered and folded his arms. “I must apologize to you. It seems all I paid you for was to commit suicide.”
Both men turned when something made impact with the roof. More droids had arrived and the Red Sun leader could see several grappling hooks attached to the edge. He pushed his principle back as he aimed, but before he could fire, the advancing mechanicals were mowed down by shots fired from above. He looked up as several fighter ships descended. The aircraft spread out and began to fire on the battle zone below, seemingly taking care to fire only on the droids and Omega troops.
“Are those yours?” Solos asked in confusion.
“No. We don’t have a ship station anywhere nearby and those aren’t our colors.” The leader sounded puzzled and zoomed in with his visor. “Those are military.”
“Military?” The man sounded almost amused. “It’s not exactly good for me but better, I suppose. I don’t think they are here to kill me outright.”
More fighters as well as bombers appeared and flew directly to the assault ships that had begun to close in. The bombers made quick runs along the tops of the vessels and set them ablaze with their payloads. A group of about six shuttles followed. Five of them descended to the combat zone and military troops dropped out, along with over a dozen other soldiers in non-military garb. Their armor and weapons, however, were too high-grade for them to simply be gang members or anything like that.
“Resistance,” the Red Sun leader remarked and studied the new arrivals who defeated the surprised Omegas in rapid succession. He turned to his companion. “Those are mostly Ark Academy people, yeah? Do you think they will want you dead?”
Solos nodded slowly. “Assuming they know of my involvement, I would think so. I suppose I’ll have to hope they want information from me more than my life.”
The remaining shuttle circled to the roof and the side-door opened. The leader raised his weapon as several figures stepped out. A few were obviously military but two of them appeared to be Tsuna, he realized when he noted the infusers on the armor. The last man walked up to the two fugitives with a pistol in his hand. He wore dark armor with an armored jacket around it, and he stared at the CEO through a red visor, seemingly uninterested in his protector. Given how many other weapons were trained on him, though, it wasn’t like he could do much to resist.
“Are you Oliver Solos?” the man asked. “One of the council members of the Arbiter Organization?”
Solos nodded wearily, a small smirk on his face. “Are you here to kill me?”
“I’d like to,” he admitted and held a pair of cuffs up. “But you are more use to us alive for now. All your other friends on Earth are dead.”
