Mayor Bannon looked out at Granville street
below, the brown haired man's eyes narrowed slightly
as he watched the people go by. The office was above
the street level, all of the windows miraculously kept
intact. There were a few pieces of pretty good
furniture inside, including the large desk that he
usually sat behind.
"All right," Bannon turned back, the older man
frowning, "what do you have to report?"
The catgirl pushed her black hair back, her
golden eyes gleaming. "Jack has been busy," Cole said
to him simply as she looked down to consult her
notebook, "she's gone to see the Shogun and had a
little visit from the Wolf."
"Damn," Bannon shook his head.
Vancouver was a growing city, potentially one
of the most powerful in what was once Canada's west
coast. The problem was that the city lacked any kind
of central control, with no one leader representing
the interests of the whole city. Instead little
sections were ran by small minded rulers, each
squabbling with the others over territory and power.
Quietly he had been working to build his power,
recovering weapons and recruiting allies but this
could upset everything.
"She's a damn loose cannon," Bannon sighed,
"why did Jack have to come back to the city?"
Seriously Bannon asked her, "Do you think that Jack
with bear a grudge over my men's attempt to force her
to work for me?"
"It's hard to say," Cole sat forward, the
dress that she wore hugging her curves. Even with the
coat of fur she was a sexy girl, one that knew how to
use her looks to her best advantage. "We know she
hasn't formally contacted the Courier Guild," she
calmly reported, "and her rep implies that she'll just
take care of it herself."
"That's comforting," Bannon sighed.
Cole smiled up at him, "More than you think.
Jack is the sort who understands she might have to
work with you eventually, so she's not going to do
anything too rash."
Bannon nodded slightly, "You may be right."
"There's been some activity from the
Professor," Cole casually flipped over a sheet to
another note covered page.
"Oh?" Bannon frowned.
"Raiding parties have been venturing out from
Granville Island," Cole reported, "it's been just a
few probing strikes so far, and a few hit and runs for
supplies."
"What is that old fool up to?" Bannon scowled.
He shook his head as he answered himself, "Probably
hopes that things are going to get unstable enough for
him to make a move."
"Pretty much how I'm reading it," Cole agreed.
She looked down, "Rose has contacted us again, it
looks like she might be interested in making a deal."
"No," Bannon shook his head firmly, "I'm not
interested in taking over Denman Street and the
west-side through an assassination." He smiled bleakly
and added, "And the idea of having her at my back
makes me nervous."
"I tend to agree," Cole said, making a face.
"What's wrong?" Bannon asked her curiously.
"Rose made a pass at me, a pretty crude one at
that," Cole growled. Her tail uncurled to swish about
angrily, "Didn't much like hearing a no."
"You're the head of my intelligence service,"
Bannon shook his head in disbelief, "she didn't really
think you were just going to roll over for her?"
"Look like it," Cole softly sighed. She looked
up at him and asked, "Do you want to hear the rest of
the bad news?"
"Hit me," Bannon stretched his arms out,
making himself more of an target.
Cole snickered softly at that. "The plan to
reintroduce the old dollar coins is meeting pretty
stiff resistance," she said, "most are still insisting
on being paid in gold marks. The few who have taken
the Loonies are now complaining because they can't
spend them anywhere."
"Gah," Bannon shook his head. "All right," he
ran a hand through his hair, "offer to exchange the
Loonies for gold marks."
"But I thought you were determined to
reintroduce...?" Cole blinked.
Bannon smiled wryly, "Can't have my people
unhappy, it's bad for morale." More seriously he
continued, "We might need to rely on them sooner
rather than latter."
"Got it," Cole rose from her seat. "If you
don't need anything else," she smiled, "I'd better get
together with the rest of the council and get things
going."
"No problem," Bannon gave her a casual wave.
Cole turned around, feeling a bit of
satisfaction as she felt Bannon's gaze on her bottom.
She wiggled her hips a bit as she slinked out of the
office, nodding to the guards standing by the door.
She went down the hall to the stairs, moving through
the old Bay building to the Georgia Street exit. She
headed south, smiling as she took in all the passerby.
A flier buzzed by just above them, making her
duck a bit to avoid the breeze. A blur whizzed by as
someone ran along at superhuman speeds, the occasional
motor vehicle, a few horses and many bicycles out on
the road. The men and women on the street ran a broad
range from the purely human to the animal hybrids like
herself.
A few blocks down Cole carefully crossed the
street, walking up the Vancouver Public Library. The
seven story tall circular building had been preserved
in the darkness, even the most desperate realizing
that the knowledge within would be vital in
reconstruction. Yes, glass walls and doors had been
broken, the commercial interests scattered in a
half-circle inside defaced, but the library itself was
left mostly intact.
Cole pushed open the wooden door into the
courtyard then over to the entrance to the library
itself, nodding to the armed guards. "Cole, Mayor
Bannon's office," she identified herself,. despite the
fact that they knew her pretty well by now.
"Welcome," the grizzled older man nodded, "we
only have power up to the fourth floor, our generators
are acting up again."
"No problem," Cole said as he held the door
open, the improvised wood and steel barriers a bit
rugged but still quite effective. She headed to what
had been escalators but now functioned as up and down
stairways and went up to the third floor.
The floor was quiet, the worn carpeting still
helping to muffle footsteps. Cole walked by the
information desk on the left, the fine arts division,
and moved through the stacks to the study tables that
were set up on the outer rim of the building. She
caught her scent before seeing her, the slim blonde
sitting at a table all alone.
"Welcome, Cole," she said, the woman turning
to her with a slight smile, the courier tattoo she
wore placed boldly on her left cheek.
"Hello Susan," Cole smiled back, bending down
to place a friendly peck on that cheek. She studied
the thin face, the curved lips that so easy formed a
smile, those unnerving silvery eyes.
"How have things been at the Mayor's office?"
Susan asked, reverently setting a battered paperback
aside on the table.
"Pretty typical," Cole admitted with a smile.
She tilted her head to the side, cat's ears flicking
back and forward, "You wanted to see me?"
Susan studied her thoughtfully, "I've heard a
disturbing rumor that a member of the Courier's guild
was pressured by members of the Mayor's office."
"And if there was any fact to these rumors?"
Cole asked.
"Rumors aren't really an issue," Susan
gravely, "but if the member in question files a formal
complaint the guild will have to take official
action."
"I understand," Cole nodded, wondering who
might have blabbed. Choosing her words carefully she
said, "I don't think that will be necessary, the guild
member in question has a reputation for handling
things like this herself."
"Indeed," Susan smiled slightly. She gave Cole
a look, "I would prefer not to interrupt the
relationship between the guild and Mayor's office, of
course."
"Of course," Cole agreed.
"You've heard the latest about Jack Scott?"
Susan asked with false innocence.
"No, what?" Cole asked, wondering what she
might have heard.
"Scott is reopening her office," Susan had a
dangerous little smile on her face, "she's going back
into business as a private investigator and
negotiator."
"So she's no longer an active courier," Cole
mused softly, "and is no longer under the protection
of your organization."
Susan snorted her amusement, "She doesn't need
our protection."
Cole nodded glumly, "True."
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