The Dark Edge Chronicles - Hardwire

Unexpected Resistence

"But we provided them with much more extensive defensive and offensive weaponry when we rebuilt their bodies. As we are seeing with evidence of plasma bolt fire, they are currently combating the Normals' security forces attempting to relieve the security forces in the building. Their losses are coming much more slowly and aren't as devastating."

"No?" Martin grimaced as he reached back into an inner jacket pocket to once again pull out his holo-communicator. He activated it with a thumb pressed against its power button.

As light swirled into view above the communicator's projector plate, Martin looked at Agony.

"Can you confirm via your link to the assassination team the number of delegates that have been slain?"

Agony's eyes narrowed as she sent a quick telepathic query through the link that she now had to the assassins in the building, thanks to the trigger team's primary activation pulse. Before the moles had been acting under the guidance of the intelligence and personalities the Brotherhood had implanted in their brains during the creation phase some years ago. Agony now had, more or less, control of the assassins via the link the trigger team had created.

The link quickly gathered information from those assassins still standing, a rapidly dwindling number and sent it back to her.

"My assassins count at least six delegates down with fatal injuries, three down with non-life-threatening wounds and the others unharmed." Her face tightened. "Unfortunately the Normals' efforts have been effective enough that I no longer have enough assassins to carry out the primary goal of our attack." She chanced a glance at the grim looking Martin.

"The initial phase of the project has met with catastrophic failure, Mr. Martin. We must withdraw before the Normals discover our presence here!"

"Catastrophic failure," Martin repeated in a hard voice, staring at the swirl of light hovering above the projector plate. Then, as his long, thin fingers were dancing over the communicator's control panel, he looked up with an equally hard expression at Agony.

"Yes, your assassins have failed, Agony. And for that the Brotherhood will hold you ultimately responsible. But the project's initial phase has not failed." A face appeared out of the swirl of light.

"Because we have a secondary option." Then he was looking down at the tiny face hovering over the communicator's projector plate. "This is Martin. We have a stage one failure. Initiate contingency as per primary protocols."

The tiny face nodded and instantly disappeared, severing the communication link from the other side.

"Contingency?" Agony asked hoarsely as she stared at the thin Councilor. "Primary protocols? Why wasn't I made aware of these things?"

"Because, like the creatures you created, you are a tool, Agony. A tool wielded in the name of the Brotherhood of Advanced Intellects and its ruling Inner Council. Since a tool doesn't need to know the mind of its masters, you didn't need to know the things we have on our minds. Just be satisfied in the knowledge that the ultimate glory of the Brotherhood will be realized despite your failure and incompetence. And I would hold onto something, if I were you."

Olira grimaced as she looked down at the widening pool of dark venous blood spilling out of the gaping wound in the back of Paul Martin, Canada's Minister of Finance and the host of the economic conference. The normally dapper, gray-haired politician was crumpled and unmoving in his dark tuxedo at her feet, his life's energies draining out of the fist-sized wound in the center of his back. All her considerable skills could do was stabilize the man. It would take much, much more skill and energy than what she had available to insure that his life would be saved.