The Dark Edge Chronicles - Hardwire

Chapter 16: Backlash

Hissing softly as it climbed up the black volcanic sand covering the southern lip of the outcropping, the surf briefly lapped at the sand before retreating to Mother Ocean, only to climb again up the sloping beach several seconds later. It was an eternal cycle, softened by the presence of a barrier reef that curled around the island's east, south and western shores.

The north shore, dominated by the weathered cone of a long dead and completely overgrown volcano, which had given birth to this tiny chunk of rock in the middle of the Pacific, was laid bare to the seas and its high cliffs regularly received a pounding from the relentless surf. Eternal rhythms, as eternal as the one the man in black had swum across the island's deep blue lagoon to witness from the outcropping that jutted from the island's southern peninsula like a pointing finger.

With colors as brilliant as any painter's palette, as breathtaking as Winter's first frosty kiss yet as warming as Spring's melting breezes as they caress the brilliant green of first growth, the tropical sun slowly slipped beneath the waves, its daily death painting the sky in hues of gold, scarlet and king's purple. A light breeze rose off the tops of the dancing waves to caress the heavy fronds of the coconut palms lining the beach at the lagoon's mouth and sea birds, making the day's last patrol, cried softly as they winged over head.

Arms crossed over his naked chest, his only raiment a pair of neoprene surfer shorts, Mordecai half smiled as he watched the brilliant sunset, the scene's beauty marred only by the dark thoughts coursing through his mind. Leaning back against a rocky spur, still warm from the sun's daylong caress, he gazed out to the west, trying to ignore his murky ponderings, which threatened to resurface with each heartbeat.

Finally, with a sigh, he gave up trying to push them into the back of his mind and let them tumble with their shrieks of mortal delight onto the stage of his mind's eye. And felt his mood almost immediately darken.

It had been three days since the penetration and destruction of the Brotherhood breeding facility in Lyon. Three days spent in ensuring the safety of the island by erasing any sign of their travel to it and improving the wards that protected it. Three days worth of watching the Brotherhood react to the blow at their very heart.

After they had gotten all of the captive breeders safe and sound to the island, Mordecai had turned his attention to the handful of watchers that he had liberally scattered throughout the breeding complex to insure it's ultimate destruction. As soon as everything was squared away, he had Paladin download the watchers' memory cores and he had settled back to watch as the explosive devices he had left behind proceeded to rip the entire cavern apart.

The result was that a rather large smoking crater in the middle of the Lyon countryside was created. Something the Brotherhood would have to work hard to cover up from the local authorities.

Sighing again as he replayed the cavern's destruction in front of his mind's eye, Mordecai pushed away from the stone. The memory served only to remind him of what he needed to consider next: the counterassault that had been launched by the Brotherhood in response, one that now stretched over the face of the globe with its fingers of destruction. He had downloaded report after report from the lone gunman database that showed massive Brotherhood movement against hundreds of psionic nations, the result: mass chaos stretching across the world in the psionic community.

Chaos, if he was to believe the reports coming out of the Normals' world, that was spilling over there as well. The Brotherhood was flexing its rather considerable muscle, showing the psionic world just what kind of resources they had to bring to bear against their enemies. And the independent nations were taking the brunt of their demonstration.