3. Hotblooded.

Magnum finally brought the car to a stop after a long and arduous journey to the base. I had tried to warn him four times that the road was no good and suggested we take a different route, but he didn't listen. As a result, our entire group ended up getting stuck in the mud four freaking times. Magnum was fuming and swore to himself that he would make sure the crew did something about those roads. Wulfe and Salvatores also tried to use their magic, but it was sheer brute strength that eventually freed the car. Our vehicles were covered in mud and dirt as we finally parked in the large yard of the base.

I quickly hopped out of the car and went to grab my plant collection bag from another car. I needed to bring these plants to our processing rooms. I briskly walked towards the door, punched in the code, and held it open so that others could enter as well. Since I had been there almost daily, I didn't face an eager flood of people coming towards me. Instead, I headed straight for the plant lab to deliver the plants. This base was quite large, with around 200 people milling about and creating a bustling and noisy atmosphere.

I told Damon, Wulfe, Magnum, and the others, "You go ahead and check things out. I'll take care of the plants first, and then I'll give you something to dig into."

Damon walked beside me and said, "Nope, baby, we'll stick around to see this, too. Afterward, we can discuss missions and such."

Tina and Nina spotted me and walked up, saying, "We've already taken care of our plants. You took your sweet time getting here."

I rolled my eyes without bothering to respond. Shadow, Mimosa, and Mariella started talking with Nina and Tina as we all entered the plant lab. This lab was a small expansion of my base, necessary for this mission. I had established several bases in different countries, as we were not solely collecting plants in Bolivia.

Magnum asked, "Is this the new part?"

I nodded and used the code to open the door to the plant lab, allowing everyone to enter. Eight people were working inside, and I went straight to one table, slinging my bag onto it. A guy in a lab coat approached me, and I opened my travel pack, which I still had on me. I took out a list of the plants I had collected and handed it to him. He carried the list to another table, opened his laptop, and started typing. A few women joined us and began opening my bag to extract the specimens.

Damon reminded me, "You promised to show us why you're needed in this. We're waiting."

I replied, "Nina and Tina are collecting plants that are useful for humans and magic, but I have the more dangerous ones that are not easy to identify."

I led them into a smaller room. Inside, there was a plastic cube containing three plants with tiny white flowers. They weren't particularly impressive, just small poppy-like flowers, and some of them already had seed pods. Suppressing my shivers, I walked up to a shelf and took out a plastic case labeled 'etorphine, pure 100%'.

I told Damon, "One of these plants is what makes this. It is derived from the seeds and seedpods, and it's much more potent than the synthesized versions. Now, tell me which one is the correct one."

He looked at the plants, and I said, "Go on, smell them. That vent allows you to smell the etorphine, but it won't affect you. Only you can smell it."

He smelled them but couldn't find the answers.

He looked at me and asked, "Well, if it's not the smell, then how do you find them? What's the trick?"

I pointed to the plant in the middle, put my hands into the box through the holes, took out a pair of small scissors, and cut off one leaf from each plant. The leaves weren't harmful.

I placed the three leaves on the table and explained, "You see, this leaf is a bit more tender and thinner than the others. The veins run straight without any bends, and the underside is less red compared to the other two. Also, this particular plant requires more light than the other species. On the other hand," I pointed to the leftmost plant, "this one prefers to live in a moist, almost bog-like environment, while those nasty ones over there prefer a semi-dry, shady place under trees. And the last one thrives in sunny areas. You need to have an expert knowledge of botany to find the correct version. Luckily, my memory enables me to remember every single detail needed for over 400 species that we're after."

Damon nodded and said, "But there must be other ways, too."

Wulfe chimed in, "Use your feline eyes. I just plucked this idea from her mind. Look for a certain glow or a particular oil that the etorphine emits and find the plant that produces the same."

I nodded and added, "But that method doesn't work for every species."

Shadow approached and said, "I can immediately feel which one is right. How about this? Mimosa can go into the jungle to seek out the rest of the plants, and you can move on to other missions. Damon will soon contact the NSA to get us clearance as well."

I responded, saying, "That's fine with me. If you're up for it, I can provide you with lists of what is needed and what should be avoided. Just be aware that some of these items may also affect magical creatures."

Mimosa reassured me, saying, "Don't worry, we have spells, energy, and our wits. We'll be fine, and this is actually fun for us. We don't mind walking in jungles, and if there's a dangerous place, we can get out of there too."

After my little demonstration, I left the plant lab. Mimosa, Shadow, Nina, and Tina stayed behind to see what else was needed and where to find it. I walked back to the central hub and went to a shelf where there was a pile of manila folders. I took them and handed the first one to Damon, leading him to a table to gather a crew for his mission.

I had a yellow folder that I gave to Wulfe and told him, "Feel free to do as many as you like or have someone else do them."

He grunted, opened the file, and started looking through it. Magnum took a black file and brought Alaric with him to a table to plan and review things. I always gave one folder to one Salvatore to be organized, and they quickly found a table to work on.

After completing my rounds, each pack member was engrossed in their missions, getting to know people, and assembling crews and supplies. I walked up to my office, still carrying my thermoses. They kept my coffee hot for a long time, so I had my brew with me.

Upon entering my office, I saw a large white IKEA table with my computer, laptops, printer, and piles of files. There were also several phones scattered around. My perfect chair called out to me, inviting me to sit, and the table's white surface was marked with rings from my coffee cups. I hadn't bothered to wipe the table, so they served as evidence of the time I spent here, drinking coffee and doing my work. Managing my entire organization, directing missions in Europe, Australia, investigating leads in Africa through satellites, and making decisions for Canada and the USA kept me incredibly busy. 

I had my coffee cup with me and was sipping on my third cup while printing out kill lists for this base. I also found myself advising about Africa, specifically Kenya, where three dangerous locations needed to be dealt with. Memories of my previous trip there and the intense heat came flooding back. Perhaps one day I would have the opportunity to visit again, if I ever had any free time. 

In my office, I had recently acquired a large new sofa, replacing the old one that Wulfe despised. Not many people had actually sat on it, but it was a pleasant addition to the space.

Suddenly, there was a knock on my door and I called out, "Come on in, it's open."

I was surprised to see Adam walking in with a tray of food and several bottles of coke.

He closed the door behind him and said, "You still have that skill. Very impressive. Now every single Salvatore is planning their missions and leaving you in peace."

I smiled and replied, "We're swamped. It's time to get things done, not throw parties. I have some concerns in Africa, three dangerous places, and we have limited resources there."

I furrowed my brow, trying to come up with a plan to address these issues. Taking out one target would likely result in the others being alerted, so we would need a new strategy. 

Adam told me to move over and start eating as he took a seat and began looking through the documents. I barely had a chance to take a bite when my door swung open and Damon and Wulfe entered the room. They walked up to Adam and started examining the data.

Wulfe remarked, "You see, Unicorn, teamwork pays off. No need to do everything on your own."

Damon added, "I have vampires in Africa as well. I can send a few squads to those locations, and with support from the other bases, we can eliminate every single one of them."

He muttered something to himself and then said to me, "I'll take care of these targets so you can move on to the next problem. Just let us know if you need anything."

I nodded as I continued to eat. Wulfe approached me, dipped his fingers into my food, and tasted it.

"Yummy, and you have coffee too. Oh, this sofa is just perfect," he exclaimed before plopping down on it and watching me, as he often did.

I had thought I had given him 15 difficult tasks to keep him busy, but apparently, he still found time to spend in my office. Damon gathered the papers he needed, and Adam left behind him. Damon was presumably ensuring that Hauptmann was working rather than spending time with me.

I finished all of my food, but Wulfe had taken my coffee cup and was drinking my coffee.

He said to me, "This instant coffee is surprisingly good."

I replied, "I'm glad I have plenty of thermos flasks filled with it so I can keep working. Have you organized those missions already, or are you just taking a break? I have more missions for you if you need them."

Wulfe looked at me and said, "You're trying to get rid of us and make us work, but I'm not that easy. How are you? That power surge came from Annaliese. We had to make some adjustments. Being magical creatures, I suspect it hasn't been any easier for you. Let me feel it."

I reassured Wulfe, saying, "I'm fine, no need to worry. I can adapt too. After all, I'm a power battery."

Wulfe looked at me sharply and said, "So you're not really fine. Tell me, what's the biggest problem?"

I sighed and replied, "I'll be fine. There's no need to worry about me. Caffeine helps, and staying focused keeps me grounded."

Wulfe was relentless and insisted, "Tell me, come on, tell me."

Giving in, I sighed and confessed, "My vampire side is restless. I've been craving blood like crazy. If I don't stay focused, it has plans to gain more power. Having Damon nearby doesn't help at all. She has plenty of plans for using him, and I don't trust my self-control right now. It's better for them to have their own missions until I can fully settle down. I thought I had more time, that the heat would last at least four weeks, and then they would go to the Azores. But I was wrong."

Wulfe furrowed his brow as he looked at me.

I could feel him tinkering in my mind, and he said, "Alright, this will ease up when Damon takes you into the pack so you can share and distribute some of this power. You're almost overloaded, but I'll help you and make sure your vampire side doesn't take control."

I nodded gratefully and said, "I appreciate your help, even though my vampire side might not be thrilled. It is what it is. I'm not sure if everyone has fully recovered from Annaliese yet."

Wulfe said, "Don't try to overthink things, it won't work. Let's move on and that's it. So, what's next on your to-do list?"

He came and sat beside me, starting to go through some stuff. It wasn't long before Magnum and Alaric walked in. Wulfe handed them certain papers before I could even make any decisions.

Magnum said to me, "Remember, Hummingbird, this is a team effort, not just your responsibility."

I nodded, understanding that, but there was so much work to be done that even Alaric, who is usually calm, was muttering to himself about being overwhelmed for a whole year. My thermoses were quickly emptied when Damon, Number Two, and Mariella also walked into my office, eager to see how else they could help.

Wulfe sat beside me, but because the table was large, Damon sat across from me, and Number Two sat across from Wulfe. So, the four of us were working at this table. Mariella and Magnum had their own table, and they would walk over to the printer to get papers, solving any problems if someone came to the door.

I was busy assigning tasks to Damon and Wulfe, as well as trying to do my own planning. I had missions that needed to be organized, and once they were planned, it would be time for me to go out into the field as well. I could feel both Damons in my mind, studying my power and trying to keep it under control, while also trying to suppress my vampire side. But she was resisting.

I had many missions for each of the Salvatores, as well as for Wulfe. He cursed as new missions kept coming up where he was needed. Dresden and Constantine were responsible for the USA, Canada, and South America, well this was us, we were focused on our current location. There was no time to play my playlist, as we were constantly on the phone or talking to each other or whoever came to the door with inquiries. I groaned inwardly as another flood of inventory lists landed in my email. I would have to deal with those at some point.

Magnum said to me, "Send them to me. I can take what I need right away, and then you can handle the rest."

I sent the lists to his email, allowing him to reserve what he needed for his projects.

Mariella was going through some old lists and asked me, "What are these warehouses marked with three stars but not specified what they contain?"

I responded, "They are warehouses with machines to be dismantled, but they're not important."

Damon looked up from his laptop. He sensed something in my mind and softly asked, "What machines exactly? Can you provide more details?"

I let out a sigh and said, "They are old medical machines, outdated portable CT machines, ultrasound machines, and shed session machines. They have rare materials and metals."

Wulfe said to me, "You have warehouses full of shed session machines, but you never told us. Why? I could probably dismantle them with spells and Magnum could use them too."

I replied, "Yes, I have them, but it doesn't change anything because we don't know what we need from them. So, I haven't found a reliable way to determine which ones are useful and which ones aren't. We have more important tasks to focus on."

Number two chimed in, "Let me guess, most of them came from Damien's sheds. So, you might have personal experience with them and you're protecting us since Wulfe can sense your presence in them."

I nodded and said, "Even though it's been a while, they're not pleasant. But I've learned to hoard everything because I never know when I might need them."

Wulfe looked at me and said, "Unicorn, you need to stop protecting me. I can handle it. Now, I suggest that Magnum, since you're in charge of dismantling and repurposing, you can see what is needed and what isn't. We can reuse almost everything."

He nodded and said, "Alright, Hummingbird, give me the list of these warehouses. I'll take care of them since I'm leading this operation."

I sent him the list. Damon wasn't angry; he looked at me as if he understood just how much I despised those machines. I wanted to turn my agony into something that could benefit others. He somehow grasped that, and I thought he would be angry about another secret of mine, but then again, I saw a change in him. He knew me much better now, and he saw right through my motives, even the ones I hadn't fully admitted to myself. 

It was truly amazing how these individuals stepped up to protect me without hesitation. One might think that they wouldn't prioritize dealing with the remnants of a gruesome past or any other complications, but there they were, ready and willing. It was not a pleasant task to clean those machines, and smell my blood, my pain in them. Magnum was a hybrid, so his sense of smell would be much sharper.

I had initially believed that once the hive was gone, and we had the chance to live as a pack, everything would remain the same. However, our time in the hive had changed each and every one of us, and for the better. Admittedly, I didn't always appreciate the troubles that came with this change, or rather, the complications. I found myself struggling with both the concept of change and my desire to protect those around me.

It was only natural that I felt uncertain about whether they should even get involved with me. I lacked trust in myself completely. This realization only heightened Wulfe's presence in my mind, as if he was assuring me he had my back, as always, and that he wouldn't let me lose control. I suspected Wulfe had communicated my struggles to Damon, judging by his expression.

He and number two were working together to suppress my vampire side, creating a space for her within me. It may not have been wise to view this side of me as a separate entity, but it was what allowed me to maintain control. So, whenever I became upset, my appearance would change with white hair and black eyes. My vampire side had been in control for far too long, and she desired to continue that dominance. But I had my protectors, my defenders, who ensured that I would remain level-headed and keep my vampire side at bay.