The Dark Edge Chronicles - Hardwire

Chapter 4: Storm Clouds

Mordecai carefully looked around as the Lilith led him inside, the doors closing silently behind them.  Beyond the doors was a simple corridor, leading to a handful of rooms on either side with an elevator at the very end. 

It was as he suspected: the building on top was just a cap on a much larger underground complex that probably dropped a good eight or nine stories beneath the street, spreading out as far as a square kilometre with this building at the center.  And, if this stronghold was like the others he had come across in his travels, it indeed was a veritable fortress, with armed guards everywhere in addition to technological countermeasures and security systems.  To take such a place, the vampires' enemies would literally have to dig them out.  Not a pleasant thought, with Normals teeming all around, sharks waiting for a sign of weakness to pounce.

Of course those sharks weren't aware that they had such prey beneath their feet.  Nor were they aware that their prey, more often than not, had teeth and big ones at that, taking every opportunity they could to take a bite of a shark as it passed by.

Mordecai frowned as soft music touched his ears, a blend of Far Eastern and African rhythms.  It never occurred to him that vampires would like music.  And speaking of the blood-sucking mutants, he could find none of them on this side of the door.

"Most of your people must be underground," he mused out loud, earning a look from the Lilith.  "Because I'm not seeing ..."

Cutting through Mordecai's words with a razor's edge, the snarl of an explosion, ripping through the air close by, shook the building with its naked force.

"What the ..."  the Lilith began, a frown on her face.  Then she was sagging roughly against Mordecai, her strength stolen by the psyken wave that abruptly washed through the building on the heels of the explosion.  'The Brotherhood.'  The big man silently raged.  'Didn't take their bloodhounds long to find me!'

"What's ... what's happening?"  the Lilith managed to stammer as the air split with the sound of automatic weapons fire and the duller, static crunch sounds of shockwaves hammering their way through space.  An instant later, a soft chime began to sound through the building, accompanied by a woman's voice speaking quickly in a strange language.  Both repeated themselves in odd counterpoint to the explosions and weapon fire outside.

"It would appear that the Brotherhood either found me faster than I anticipated."  Mordecai rasped, pushing the female vampire to her feet, where she swayed unsteadily.  "Or they found your stronghold on their own and are launching a preemptive strike.  Either way, you're in deep shit."

"Indeed," the Lilith rasped, shaking her head to clear the last cobwebs still fogging her senses.  "I must inform the Elders."  Hard eyes swung up to regard Mordecai without wavering.  "It would appear your shelter has been nullified, psionic.  I would suggest leaving as soon as possible, before the M'tada mistake you for one of the Brotherhood and try to cut you down."

Mordecai nodded and turned on his heel to make his way back towards the front doors.  Before he could go a step, however, the Lilith's hand was on his arm.

"That would lead you right into the fire, friend," she hissed.  Mordecai's jaw worked as he contemplated rendering aide to the guards, his original intent.  'Hmmm, maybe she's right,' he silently concluded after a brief moment of thought.  'That might not be my best course of action!'  Relaxing slightly he let her pull him back as her other hand pointed out a second exit to the side of the elevator.

"That will lead you directly to the back of the building.  A far better choice of escape routes."

"I would tend to agree."  Mordecai grinned tightly and, with that, he quickly stepped to the door.