The Dark Edge Chronicles - Hardwire

Sanctuary

"Raven," he greeted with a nod. "Come to make sure that I'm not disturbing any native burial sites?"

"Very funny, Mordecai," the willowy yet fulsome hardwire replied in a low, powerful voice, a ghost of a smile playing on her sensuous lips. "Just count yourself lucky my people decided this whole affair was a good idea after all. Or you'd have to contend not only with the Brotherhood, but with several tribes of very pissed off West Coast First Peoples!"

"So you keep telling me." Mordecai turned to completely face his comrade, his expression intent. "How's Calgary?"

Raven's flawless face darkened.

"A hornet's nest, my friend," she grimly replied, shaking her head. Out of the five lone gunmen now in the prairie city, she had been the quickest to side with Mordecai and Avalon's plan to unite the psionics of the rebellious fourteen nations against the Brotherhood.

Raven had also been one of the few that had seen the logic in actually forming Avalon as an effective fighting force against the trained ranks of Brotherhood movers and burners, which would be a vital element to the psionic world-at-large, if real war erupted between the nations and the Brotherhood. If this suddenly went from a cold war to a very hot one, they needed people in the trenches. And, thanks to an uncaring Mother Nature, there just weren't enough lone gunmen around to fill the role!

As an ally, Raven now worked against Katengaur, who was strongly advocating an all-out assault on the Brotherhood worldwide. But going against the headstrong hardwire was a task not for the meek or the weak of will! Good thing Raven was neither. She had what it took to stand up to the highly dangerous German hardwire, a feat that would not see a few men, psionic or otherwise, quite dead.

The powerful Native American hardwire quickly discovered that it had been Sonja that had leaked the situation in Calgary to Katengaur. And now she found herself facing the both of them, Katengaur easily swaying the less than forceful Dane to her cause. Not the best situation to find oneself in, considering that Brillman, the only male on the team, and Coyote both were still undecided as to which side to choose. So Raven was getting no help from them.

"Katengaur and Sonja continue to escalate their attacks, despite anything I say to the contrary." The beautiful hardwire frowned, her brow crinkled thoughtfully. "The city is quickly dissolving into that war zone that we feared it might. Both are running along the edge of breaking the Shield themselves, the Normals already quite suspicious of the increase in strange events in their city."

"Burn them to ash," Mordecai grated heavily, his eyes burning with barely restrained rage. Other than that, his face wore its customarily cool expression. "I should 'port to Calgary and burn the both of them out myself, for putting the Shield at risk like that!"

Raven chuckled softly, crossing her arms beneath her generous but firm breasts.

"Out of anybody, Mordecai, you'd be the one with the power to do it,"  she noted. "And, though I had to admit advocating an aggressive stance towards one of our own, I think it might be the only way to stop her."

Mordecai nodded, sighing under his breath.

"That's what I'm afraid of." He shook his head and turned to watch the wall grow past the halfway point to its peak. "Lone gunmen against lone gunmen. Who would've thought it would come to that? But, it's a step I'm willing to take to protect the Shield."

"Katengaur, of course, will try to give birth to her spleen when I tell her she might have you positioned against her." Raven's smile was easy as she imagined the sight. Mordecai chuckled softly, feeling the tension ease slightly with Raven's humor.