The Dark Edge Chronicles - Hardwire

Chapter 19: Crash and Burn

Melanie was waiting for the man in black when he abruptly appeared in Camelot's den, where his office was located, arms crossed beneath her breasts. As he stepped from the teleportal to let it iris closed, the look of worry that had been on her face faded to one of relief. Then just as quickly it transformed to one of dull anger and frustration.

"Well, well," she husked, the sound of her voice jerking Mordecai's face towards her, his senses quickly picking her out in the darkness.

"The great Mordecai returns from battle, unharmed."

Mordecai's eyes narrowed at the cold tone

"You expected something less?" he flatly replied in return, unhooking his utility vest to ease it over the back of his office chair before running his fingers through his hair. The effort to coerce Malcolm, LeFoust and Agony had drained him. At this point, all he wanted was a meal high in sugar and a hot shower. Not to have yet another argument about the merits of his mole-making plan he and Raven had just carried out.

"Not from the all-powerful lone gunman," Melanie hissed tautly. "Does the all-seeing Mordecai have time to at least debrief the council on the success of his mission? Or does his Omnipotence need a rest before we toss him onto a barbecue and grill him for putting himself at such a high risk?!"

"What I need is for you to jack down the attitude before I stuff you into a five centimetre-sided box and translocate you to the bottom of the Pacific!" the man in black growled tightly. "I did only what needed to be done. Both for the safety of Avalon and of the Shield. If I hadn't of acted, Katengaur and Sonja would have! Then, instead of having you standing there in the dark, hurling sarcasm at me, we would've been engaged in a street-to-street firefight with ESET hardwires."

The big man paused to put his hands palm down on the desk and lean towards Melanie's shadowy figure.

"Or would you and your council rather be doing that?"

"Of course not!" Melanie immediately snorted in reply.

"I didn't think so," Mordecai bluntly noted, standing erect again. "Remember this is war, Melanie. No emotions, no regrets: only action. We act against the Brotherhood, or we die. As simple as that."

For a brief moment Melanie fell silent, her thoughts warring with her emotions. The big man in black was, of course, right. Still, it wasn't as easy as he said to put emotions out of it. When she finally spoke again, her voice was low and strained as she fought to keep her feelings out of it. She didn't know what she'd do if Mordecai was ever ...

"Well, you may have a point," she quietly conceded. "Will you still come and debrief the council? They're waiting in the war room!"

Mordecai frowned. He really did want that meal and a shower. Still, he had obligations. Sighing, he nodded.

"Of course. Lead the way!"

It was several minutes later that found Melanie slowly shaking her head as she looked over at Mordecai, concern on her pretty face.

"I'm not sure I completely understand what you did. You used a coerced member of Mindfire against the Brotherhood? The very organization that made Agony the monster that she is? Or was, at least."

"Can you think of a better mole?" Mordecai countered softly, looking first at Melanie then around the table. "Who better to use than one of the Brotherhood's most powerful hardwires?" A cold smile touched his lips. "And it has the added benefit of poetic justice, using the very woman responsible for creating the assassins for the Armageddon Project against her former masters to stop that project from being realized."