'...[KZZT]...[KZZT]...' The moment the raid begins, the comms are cut. How do they know what band we're on? 'Franka, Franka, this is Liskarm, Liskarm. Do you read me—' '...[KZZT]...[KZZT]...' They laid an Arts trap specifically to separate us. Seems they aren't taking chances with our teamwork. She takes a headcount of the nearby hostiles. Five left, three right, seven dead ahead, for 15 total. All Vouivre, all kitted with blackout sunglasses and insulated shields. Okay, then. They know us too well. They were expecting us. We used to run into gangs and bandits here, drifters. This is different. They're organized, equipped, and tactical. They've been trained by a professional. Who? 'Why is this the way you come home to Vouivre, Blacksteel merc?' The voice came from deep in this ruined skyscraper, and been altered by Originium Arts. Whoever's talking doesn't plan to expose their identity. For now. The enemy's formed a circle. The shade-and-shield guys are trotting in. Good, just a little closer. I bring up my shield, feeling heat gather at my horntips. I fill up my chest. My pulse and breathing both skip a beat. I shut my eyes, and thunder claps about my ears. I open my eyes again, momentarily dazed. 'You see now? Vouivre's not the same place you left.' 'Her Arts failed! Get her!' Ahead, the hostiles' insulated shields are scorched and blistered, and they've let their guard down. Good. I unclip the lightweight device from my tactical vest. I remember what the Engineering ops named it. The Experimental Photocapacitive Grenade. My 'Stunner's Storage'. With my fingertip as a casting medium, the photocap's Originium circuits make a crack like a bullet. I toss it through the air, and my ears ring yet again. The cramped ruins flash with another round of blinding light, and the photocap's stored current arcs through the air and the seared shields. The hostiles yell as they go down. Fifteen voices. 'Good shit, Blacksteel merc. So you brought these little toys back to Vouivre?' 'I know what I'm here to bring back. 'But before I do, I want you the hell out of Vouivre first!'