22. You're A Woman.

Mariella was tense. They had got into a different car from Mimi, but that was fine. Mariella was getting ready for the first gig of her life. She realized how much Damon would have enjoyed being with Mimi in the fleas all these years. She would like maybe this too, but now it was time to get Mimi out of this. She felt so tired, so worn out, not just physically, but mentally and what Damon had told her, Mimi had pulled this organization for decades already, if not soon a century. It would be hard for her to quit, but mandatory. Damon would not give any other choice here. 

She was thinking in her mind what if play, what it would have been if Damon would have gotten in here as soon as he was free from Damien? How he could treat Mimi like a friend, not being an alpha male now but sharing supplies, well, Mimi reluctantly thought. How he might have been perfect number two for Mimi or co-leader, but no. Playing what-ifs was a waste of time. Mariela noticed very many things during the drive. How much does one have to take an account during and going in the mission? 

Mariella understood the importance of good protective gear. She had learned her lesson, and it had been kind of cool to be shot at even though it had hurt like hell, but now she had been shot. Cool. She was feeling a little less like a princess. Jewel Sark had agreed that the magic house's witches would be assets in fleas and they could reach out. Also, he had promised to look up rosters and tell the witches who were in fleas about magic houses. 

Mariella adjusted the vest around her. It gave her actual protection; she understood she had been too uppity just because she was an energy witch. What Damon told her, there were energy creatures all around in the supernatural community, so of course, they would end up in dangerous places and hands, like Sark and Damien. They weren't as unique as Mimi. Mariella realized she had kept her almost as special as Mimi was, but in reality, she was not. There were others like her. Not exactly like her, but energy witch vampire hybrids. 

The ones Mimi had given had felt clumsy and uncomfortable, but these Mimi's gear were practical, comfortable, and effective. Mariella had certainly seen Damon's irritation with Mimi's weaponry, but he had effectively armed himself and Mariella. He'd given the gun skills to Mariella, and she wasn't at all sure now if she was shooting anyone.

He had gone and taken a few of Mimi's six guns and they had been quite a piece. What Mariella could see and use that information they had been made to measure Mimi but Damon, being her biological half, took them too. His hand was bigger but not so much and Mimi was a strong girl, so there had been a power in those guns. Damon had been the one to teach her to shoot, with Adam too. 

They arrived at their destination, and Mariella and Damon jumped out and waited for Mimi, who just got out of the other car. Her expression was again the leader, and this was a flea, not Mimi. 

Mimi walked confidently over to them and said, "I'll tell you when it's safe to come. You have comms with you."

She looked a little bit everywhere same time and Mariella could see her nostrils flickering; she smelled the air as well. Using all her senses.

Damon grabbed Mimi's hand and said, " Nowhere, baby, I'm going with you. I am your backup."

He glanced at Mariella and talked a little condescending to her, maybe, but he protected her always. " Darling, I'll let you know when you can come. We'll make everything safe first."

Mariella nodded. She was pleased with the way Damon was taking control of the situation, not reducing Mimi's authority too much but keeping his own mind. A few other men were almost around the cars.

Mimi had no time to say anything when Damon said, "You three go left, secure the perimeter, and you three right perimeter. Let me know if there is anyone. We will tell if we need to, but there are likely baddies outside, too."

Men ran into shadows.

When Salvatore announced he was coming with me, I didn't argue.

I just said, "OK, we can go."

He ordered my team to secure the perimeter. Fine, there was really no need, but it was good to make sure, as I had no idea if he had used his telepathy and noticed someone out there. 

We went at the same time. He walked close beside me, looking alertly in every direction, and I had a flashback to the old days when he had taken me clothes shopping for the first time. The same vigilance had been there. We went inside, and I entered the stairwell and began to stride up to the fifth floor. I used my nose, smelling pheromones. They were good indicators if there were nasties in around, but nothing yet.

There were the victims, the ones to be released. This facility had already been rescued earlier in the day, but they hadn't been able to get the door open, so that was left to me. We entered the hallway, and Damon was still watching for any movement. And as it had been a very hot mission, meaning they tried to protect these victims, it meant that they had special value. 

The facility should be empty, but you never know. I came to a familiar-looking door and pulled a special explosive out of my pocket. This facility could have been destroyed, and I didn't know if the victims would have died slowly or instantly. I had gotten this information about this when I had just been at the previous gig, so this was really a rush job. I put my explosive in place.

I pulled Damon back a little, saying, "Back up, I blow this open for us."

He stepped away and blew the door open.

I went inside and started walking down the hall. This had rooms that my group would soon get to go through. As I would have killed everyone, then I would have my team collect drugs and info with them. There was another door at the end of the corridor, and I knew what was behind it: the Great Hall and a big pile of victims. I glanced behind me and saw that Damon was just now beginning to enter the hallway, having been waiting for Mariella. I had not heard him use a mic, so he must have said it telepathically. Fine by me. 

I approached the door and luckily saw that the power twosome was already searching the rooms. That would be good for them. They could collect as much as they wanted. It would keep them nice and busy while I do what I need to do. I opened the door and turned on the light. There were beds on every wall, and this was a big room.

There were always curtains between the beds and in the middle of the room was some sort of workstation with a computer and pens, papers. I slowly walked over to the desk and looked. There was information about everyone, probably on this computer.

Fine, it must be destroyed then. Actually, I saw that this was fast to open, so I opened the computer, snatched hard drives, and poured a little of our destruction juice into the remains of the computer, which had been made by our hackers, meant to destroy that computer very thoroughly. 

I then started going through the victims. I went around first and checked to see if everyone was here awake or alive. Again, rib crushers, stabbers, and even one wall had jelly tanks. few victims had been filled up, they were bloated by the jelly and I saw remnants of that damn orange goop in the bag. Meaning Damien had been here at some point, he might be still around.

If he has his little new invention again in use. I could not deny that this might be his trap for me, but I was more than ready to kill again one version of him. I then got down to business and first put the charges on the remains of the computer and all over this hall charges so that these victims would be buried deep and thoroughly.

Mariella searched the rooms, and Damon walked beside her. There was a lot of information, drugs, but not so much, and samples as well. Damon and she used spells to destroy and corrupt those samples and teleported information back to the car. Then Mariella remembered. Mimi.

She said, "Damon, we need to go where Mimi is. Wouldn't you be good? Let's go together. Come on, sweetie."

Damon looked at Mariela for a moment and said, "I'm not sure, darling, that it'll do you any good to see what's out there. I am not sure if I have the stomach for it. "

Mariella sighed and said, " Don't wrap me up in cotton wool. Let's go see it. If I can't take it, then I can't take it, but Mimi is out there alone again and you know what she has to do. You, my dear, you can take it. You just need to let go of that doubt that Mimi had put in your mind via your bond. She is protecting you and me, too. "

Damon nodded and took Mariella by the hand as they walked to the end of the corridor. Damon opened the door. The hall was enormous, and there were curtained-off patient beds on every wall. He took a deep breath. This was not a nice place and being in here seemed to press on his soul, yet he had need, to help, to end the pain. 

There was so much evil energy, pain, and suffering in the room. And it brought Mariella's rage to the surface. She felt how she was now focused and concentrated. She wanted these bastards gone. She was ready to shoot if the need would arise. Mimi was filling the room with explosive charges, and Mariella realized that the last resting place of all these victims would be these ruins. Her expression was tight, and she was professional, but Mariella could see the pain etched on her face. 

Damon walked over to Mimi. 

I had just finished putting all the charges in when Damon came up behind me and said, " Let me, Mimi. Come on, you don't have to. You know nobody will feel a thing. Just that relief. Come on baby, go away."

I turned to Damon and said, " Every one of these is a victim of Damien. I don't know how bad their injuries are. Look, orange jelly, that guy, he was an explosive expert, remember him from that one gig, that's right, you spoke with him too. But you may not last. Just take Mariella away. Let me handle this."

Damon looked me in the eye, his expression somber, and said, "No way, baby, that's why I'm doing this. You, my dear, you need to back up. I have to help my brother's victims if only to end their suffering. This is my duty, my calling."

I sighed and said, "I still have to photograph everyone and take a DNA sample. At the same time, I always..."

Damon smiled and said, " Give it to me. I'll take the pictures and samples and deliver them to the jewelry Sark. It'll be good for him to get some real motivation. Trust me. Now you, baby, get Mariella out of here, look through some rooms. There were not many drugs yet anywhere, so you might want to find a pharmacy."

He turned me around by the shoulders and marched me over to Mariella, and said, "Now Mimi will take you to see and collect the drugs so you can examine them while you're at it. This will be over soon. You know me, I am a killer, no regrets. "

Fine, I started walking with Mariella behind me and found the medicine cabinet. It was still locked, but the lock was weak. I stepped back and kicked the door open, and we went inside. Mariella was impressed by my kick. Good for her. 

The room was full of medicine and I handed Mariella bags where she could go to put the medicine. She got to work, scrunched her eyebrows on some of the jars, and efficiently stuffed them into the bags. She was soon cursing quite damn talented as she found more drugs, for me. I was watching in the corridor and suddenly a door slid aside and the bad guys started pouring in.

I said on my radio, "This is Flealeader. We have company and lots of it. Get going, Damon, hurry up."

Damon said, "Almost there. Give me a minute."

Rick from outside said, "We are on our way, flea leader. Hang in there."

I said to Mariela, " Teleport out of here to hell, and right, now there are bad guys here. Boys are coming but no need for you to be here, and crossfire such. Leave the rest of the meds. I'll see if I can get them delivered then. "

She said, "This is nasty stuff for you. I gotta get them away from them."

Mariella picked up the pace, got most of the meds in the bags, and teleported away.

After a moment, her voice said in the receiver in my ear, "I'm in the car. Safe. "

Damon replied to his radio, " Good, darling, I'll be right there."

Rick spoke, his voice in my earpiece, "Goddamn this is full of them. We are coming as fast as possible." 

I replied, "Yep, we are soon done here and then we are out. You move out already, secure the cars. This might be a trap." 

The voice replied, "Roger, that flea leader."

I was concentrating on fighting off these Satans as they tried to enter the hall, then this Satan came in that I was already watching over there at the fair and tried to rush the guards into the hall to not kill all the targets, they were still needed.

I smelled it. Pineapple and cucumber. Oh yeah, this was a trap, but this time I would be the one who got my price. This would be so good. I took my right hand, put it in my pocket, and touched one little crystal there. Gotcha!

I shot guard after guard, and I kept approaching the hall.

I said to Damon, " Are you ready? There's company coming. I'll hold these off as long as I can." 

I did not say anything. This is a trap for me. No need to alarm him. I had already done my stuff and oh my god how this was perfect. 

Damon said, " OK, just a minute. If these are so important, then this is a good job to do. Just need to make sure these don't get rescued."

We had a real shootout and then this scientist recognized me and told the guards to grab me, shoot me good. I didn't have full body armor, so I took a few hits, but they didn't affect my pace. Not at all. My price was secure, and I was so ready for this. Killer, my beast inside me, was excited about its prize, as it was pretty secure already. I needed to get Damon to safety and be with Mariella. 

I jumped right in front of the bullet and got it out of my armpit and somewhere inside me while I stopped the guard from shooting Damon straight in the head from behind. Damon got everything ready and teleported away. I retreated to the side to hide and watched as the guards flooded into the hall and I set off the explosives. It was time for me to hunt. He was trapped.