Animus

It was just one fight, but it changed Kaiden Jericho's life forever. He was in a gang but was trying to change his future, when a board member of the elite advanced academy NEXUS made a snap decision and offered him a chance. Then fate, or an unbalanced genius, offered him another. The Nexus Academy is for the elite trainees from Earth, and now trials from our alien allies, as they teach the future generation how to fight, lead, hack, spy, and many other talents and tactics. Hired by companies, governments, and NGOs, these graduates work to pay off the massive debt their training at the academy accumulates. You don't become the best of the best by staying alive. With the Animus, you are closer to perfection with each death you suffer. Kaiden Jericho would rather skip the death part, thank you very much. Includes special note from co-author Michael Anderle.

Kaiden Jericho's life has been about rocking it like a solo artist, now he has to deal with a partner. Who is he going to work with, and will that partner be able to handle him...including his (shall we say) slightly inflated ego of himself? Even if that ego is deserved, just a little? Chief is learning to be a little more supportive, except when Chief of Security Wulfson decides a few students deserve a little more intense training. With all of the additional injuries Kaiden suffers in his extra-curricular training, will he succumb to the blue goop pain killer? You don't become the best of the best by staying alive. With the Animus, you are closer to perfection with each death you suffer. For Kaiden Jericho, he'd rather skip the death part, thank-you-very-much. Includes special note from co-author Michael Anderle.

What happens if the final for your freshman year is to take the hardest, deadliest test the Nexus Academy has devised for your skill classification? And then open it up for player-vs-player action where even your partners can gain skill points for stabbing you in the back? It is time for Kaiden to grow up a little and play with a larger team to accomplish a three-peat. The only problem? The test has been engineered to kill the players. What's a little blood between friends? Who is Kaiden going to be teamed with? Which faculty will be betting on that team? Will it be Sasha, or will someone yank his best opportunity away from him? Exactly what will Sasha do to acquire the team to beat? Finally, can Kaiden accomplish something only hinted about the history of the Nexus Academy? You don't become the best of the best by staying alive. In the Animus, you are closer to perfection with each death you suffer. Kaiden Jericho would rather skip the death part, thank you very much. Includes special note from co-author Michael Anderle.

Kaiden Jericho's life just went sideways. He has been working odd jobs since the first school year ended. (People have to eat, right?) The problem? He isn't as prepared as he thinks he is. Out in the jungles of the Amazon, Kaiden meets a new set of nightmares, and death there is permanent. Even with all his previous training in the Animus, will Kaiden survive? You don't become the best of the best by staying alive. In the Animus, you are closer to perfection with each death you suffer. Kaiden Jericho would rather skip the death part, thank you very much. Includes special note from co-author Michael Anderle.

Kaiden Jericho is taking another test. This time it's with his friends, but something is amiss. Not everything is at it seems, and no one has found Gin Sonny...yet. Gin must test himself against any and all who beat him. He needs a new device to track down and help destroy one of the victims who got away. Will anyone realize that Gin hasn't left Earth? Will Kaiden understand what is different about this test he is undergoing? This time, the "test" has real-world consequences. You don't become the best of the best by staying alive. In the Animus, you are closer to perfection with each death you suffer. Kaiden Jericho would rather skip the death part, thank you very much. Includes special note from co-author Michael Anderle.

Gin Sonny is coming. It's personal. It's the end game. No one sees Gin's plans, which is what has made him one of the most successful killers Earth has conceived. Now Kaiden will find out if his friends, teachers, and the support staff are capable of stopping the killer from leaving him braindead. Sometimes you don't come out of the Animus alive. Will Kaiden and Chief be able to figure a place to hide when the Animus itself is the killing weapon? Will the Professor be able to overcome a new threat? Will Wolfson survive going up against Gin Sonny? This is the test of not a student but everyone around him he holds dear. You don't become the best of the best by staying alive. In the Animus, you are closer to perfection with each death you suffer. Kaiden Jericho would rather skip the death part, thank you very much. Includes special note from co-author Michael Anderle.

Everything can't be about school.... The third-year students are about to take on those who know them best. Each other. Using a variation of the classic game of Capture the Flag, Kaiden and his friends must join teams and battle each other. It is time for Kaiden to learn what it means to lead. Then, when they are out on the town, an opportunity is handed to the students on a silver platter. Kaiden has a job offer to help protect a business in San Diego, but he needs more members. Will the students join him? If they do join him, will they survive? Few of the other students have taken on outside jobs like Kaiden has. Further, will the teachers find out about it? You don't become the best of the best by staying alive. In the Animus, you are closer to perfection with each death you suffer. Kaiden Jericho would rather skip the death part, thank you very much. Includes special note from co-author Michael Anderle.

This time, Kaiden's friend needs a little support.... Chiyo's father's company is being targeted, and she considers her options. Should she help him? The only problem? There is a dark enemy on the other side who wants her dad's company and wouldn't mind taking a bite out of Kaiden, either. Chief is more integrated than he was before and far more fragile due to his neural link with Kaiden. Kaiden and Chiyo been provided a job opportunity, but they will need extra support. Will they be able to call on their friends, or will they need to hire contractors? Will Chiyo's efforts help or hurt her dad? Those at the Ark Academy are training to be the best, but what happens when they have to go up against trained mercenaries who have more experience? You don't become the best of the best by staying alive. In the Animus, you are closer to perfection with each death you suffer. Kaiden Jericho would rather skip the death part, thank you very much. Includes special note from co-author Michael Anderle.

You don't become the best of the best by staying alive. In the Animus, you get closer to perfection with each death you suffer. Kaiden Jericho would rather skip the death part, thank you very much. He wants a little information and perhaps a little payback. He has some information on where an AO stronghold is located. He will need to retrieve vital proof to help get the council to believe the ghost-like organization exists. But can he get the support he needs to make a run at it? Before long, it becomes obvious this isn't a small outpost; more like a major outpost with a lot of support. Kaiden can't wing this operation. He has to start working out his relationships to acquire even a small chance of success. Sasha, Wolfson and Dr. Laurie are helping him...but he needs more. He decides to recruit support from the gangs he knows. The good, the bad, and those he has pissed off. Will they welcome him with open arms or with smiles as they eye him through their weapon sights? Will they at least be non-hostile, or will his friends need to come and help back him up? Will the AO find out that they are under attack in time to prepare? This time, the Ark Academy elite are getting involved. This isn't a game anymore. Join Kaiden as he learns about Nexus, the Animus, and the opportunities that one fight brought him. Never before has helping someone benefit him so much. The future is looking bright...except for the pain.

The game is over. Now comes war. The AO have come out of hiding, and war is upon the Ark Academy. People are going to die, because war isn't pretty. This time, there will be no reset after dying. The Animus better have prepared the students, because the gloves are off, and it is student against student, academy against academy, with the future of humanity on the line. Unfortunately, to pass his final year, Kaiden needs to not only pass the test but stay alive, too. Game time is over; real life is now up close and personal. Includes a special note from the author.