The Cardinal Directive: Mission Log #18

Fight. Flee. Freeze.

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All the air seemed to have vacated the room.

Fight. Flee. Freeze.

Three options, and none of them desirable.

Fighting wasn’t an option. Fleeing would get her nowhere. There was no way in hell she could freeze right now.

Solena’s racing thoughts returned to fighting. She couldn’t attack Outrider and get away with it, obviously. But the fact that she was still standing here meant The Ebonhand wanted something from her. Something that she could only assume had to do with Alison. And in a game of wits and willpower, with Alison at stake, Solena was armed to the teeth to stall as long as she could to give her a fighting chance.

The creak of the chair as Solena sat down took on an agonizing timbre against the tense silence.

Outrider undoubtedly could have let her stew in this uneasy torture for as long as she wanted. She easily could have forced Solena to be the first to speak, the first to make a move. The first to show her hand.

But she had little want or need for that. Further intimidation was apparently a waste of her time. She sat down across from Solena, scrutinizing her through a furrowed brow. “I trust I don’t need to brief you on the severity of your situation. You seem like a smart woman. No doubt you’ve already worked out that if I wanted you dead, you’d be dead.”

That much was painfully evident, of course. Undeniable.

“And knowing now who I am…” Solena’s voice trailed, trying to prompt any preview into what was in store for her.

Surprisingly, Outrider gave only a sort of shrug. “…while interesting, admittedly not immediately relevant to me.”

“So you’ll keep it between us, then.” It was a grim joke, really. A way of trying to create humor where there was no room for it. She didn’t expect a serious answer, but she got one all the same.

“That’s up to you, Reyes.”