Bab 140: 20. Suspcious Minds.
As Mariela got to know Sark, she was taken aback by his story. He appeared surprisingly young, his face etched in her mind from their time in Jewel. Mariella had meticulously crafted her own body to be an exact copy of Sark's, allowing them to potentially infiltrate the ranks of the nefarious Sark in the future.
Sark, born and raised in America by strict conservative parents, was an only child. His family was large, and his mother was always angry that she hadn't been blessed with more children, like her sisters, who seemed to have produced numerous offspring. The family dynamic was fiercely competitive.
Growing up, Sark was taught to be neutral, suppressing his emotions. He yearned to read, but his strict home education and lack of friends limited his opportunities. Of course, the school had its bullies, and Sark endured his fair share of torment. Nevertheless, he dedicated himself to his studies and excelled, displaying brilliance and genius. Just as he had gained acceptance into a prestigious university, he encountered a tall man who, at first, he mistook for a priest. However, this man turned out to be Reddington, who aided Sark in completing his studies.
After graduating, Reddington placed him in Jewel, explaining that the corrupt world needed someone like him. Reddington had created several other versions of himself for safekeeping, and Sark knew of their existence. So why did he turn to evil?
In the world, there exists both good and evil, and Sark, now employed as a scientist, began studying various creatures. Ambition consumed him, and older, morally dubious scientists taught him to view women, men, and children as mere subjects rather than fellow humans. Sark became entangled in shady government projects, and the corrupt nature of his work corrupted his soul. Evil sarks had no hope of redemption.
Yet, Jewel Sark retained empathy, and something within that jewel granted him even deeper insight into the world. Though they lacked a hive mind, a spell allowed him intimate knowledge of his evil counterparts' actions, and he desired their eradication.
He wanted to show the world that it is beneficial to work with the supernatural, not use them as guinea pigs as it was useless. They weren't human, and it did not help one human to torture a shifter or werewolf.
He had gotten several Sarks, good ones, location already and there would be little personal touches on each of them so they would be easy to see which one was good and which one was bad. This sark smiled and lot. He was almost funny, and he was quite a flirt with Mariella. Damon was not always so impressed by that, but they had talked about Mimi and fleas a few days with Sark and he was ready to see that in action.
Damon said to Mariella. "Do you want actually to see the fleas, the base? Jewel Sark could come along already. We could see if Miss would meet him and maybe talk to her. "
He was anxious and not sure why, not until he felt a bond between him and Mimi and realized that he felt her. She was not too happy about something, but he kept the bond tightly closed just because Mimi's emotions were like the sun, burning him almost.
Mariella nodded and said, "Yes, yes, I do. I've been wanting to get to know this side of Mimi for a long time. I remember one time when we got her but that long time ago, or at least it feels like and I did not really look around too much back then. Besides, I like to talk, and there are new people there."
Damon rolled his eyes. Of course, Mariella likes to talk. It's good to talk now when you don't always get the chance at weddings. Damon called Magnum, who told him that Mimi was currently in New York for a mission and wouldn't be back until the evening. He warned she had been in quite a fierce mood, letting the entire base know if she was less impressed about something and he was soon going on holiday with Higgins. Magnum seemed happy and not the snappy self that he had once been, but now he was the man in love and, of course, it was all good. But again, Damon was worried about Mimi.
Damon said to his wife, "Darling, get the Jewelry sark, and let's go to the base and wait for Mimi. Let's see if we can get her home, even if it's just for a little while. We need to talk to her and try to apologize or something. Magnum seemed soft and if she was running there things with her rage all over the place, well, maybe she needed a little help. "
His voice was hopeful, and he tried to keep his emotions in check. He did not like that Mimi worked in the field. Too many dangers, and he was not there to protect her. He knew Mariela came first, but Mimi was his mate, his alpha female, his vampire wife and there were so many sides of Damon that did not like Mimi being in the field, exposing her to dangers.
They teleported some distance away, and Damon then led them to the base. He knew this location as he had taken this knowledge from Mimi's memories. Damon steeled himself, not really knowing what to expect, as Mimi had shielded her mind and there was this shell around her. Damon opted not to drive in the base as this was partly a surprise and besides, he knew fleas had quite extensive security measures and as he was not letting them know he was coming, they would not let him in, not without Mimi's approval.
They walked through the forest, and it was quite a dense forest. They were trying to walk silently but now and then some branch cracked under their feet but they walked as humans. Again, Damon was not sure if there were cameras around here and this was better to walk as humans so they would hopefully recognize him. Mariella knew that behind this forest was an old industrial part of the town, old warehouses, and such, so Mimi must have taken one of those as her base. So the base would be not too big or in good shape, but it would do its job. They emerged from that forest into the clearing and this was no old warehouse.
The building loomed large, resembling a warehouse, but there was a subtle shimmering around it, revealing its true nature as a disguised structure. It was evident that a powerful spell was in place to maintain this illusion. This unexpected sight surprised Mariella, as she had envisioned a small, cramped space. She had imagined the place to be filled with remnants of looting, serving as a hidden nest for its occupants. The reality amazed her.
The doors were grand, large enough for trucks to drive through, while a smaller entrance beckoned Damon forward. The interior held only a few cars, leading Mariella to suspect a parking lot surrounding the building. However, she had no time to explore, as Damon was already approaching the door, with Sark close behind.
As Damon opened the door, Mariella's astonishment grew. It was a well-organized hall, bustling with activity. People manned the computers at the front, while massive shelves filled with various items and boxes lined the hall. Damon guided them forward, drawing the attention of onlookers. One man, stationed near a colossal table adorned with blueprints or maps, turned and smiled at Damon. Approaching him, they shook hands. The man appeared to be at least 60 years old, bearing a resemblance to Kevin Costner. Mariella sensed that he had been a charismatic figure in his prime, but now carried the air of a seasoned veteran. His lean physique exuded vitality, while his impeccable posture hinted at his top physical fitness. This was no mere desk jockey; he had undoubtedly experienced the field firsthand.
This man would be faithful to Mimi until the day he died, and Mariella saw how much this man had been through, too. To him, Mimi was his leader, his role model almost, and Mariella tried to understand how this sort of bond would form. What it would take.
She somehow wished that she would have met Jake and Rob. What little Damon had told her, those two had been something that she would never understand. Damon had been very regretful, as he had told them about Mariella and how he had planned to turn them into vampires as Adam had planned to make them into werewolves, but they had died as humans, if only. The past was full of regrets.
Mariella wanted Mimi to tell her war stories, tell what she had been through. Good gigs too and not-so-good gigs. This life, as a resistance leader, had been full of adrenaline, full of excitement, and whatnot. Full of stories, yet Mimi was not willing to share. Mariella absorbed so many different energies here. They were quite amazing, the whole new array of them.
The man said, " Fle...Your wife is still at the gig, probably a good five hours, but there's coffee and something to eat over there. And I think this is Mariella. Mimi has mentioned you. Nice to meet you. My name's Taylor, and I'm currently in charge here, at least until Mimi arrives."
Mariella shook hands. Man's grip was firm. Somehow she knew that for this man, the best way to die would be in the field, in action, and not in the hospital as the old feeble guy. It was somehow unsettling, but brave as well. Mariella thought it in her mind. She had thought that humans wanted to live as long as possible, but not all of them.
Damon said to Taylor, "Speaking of which, I called and told you about the nice Sark. Well, this gentleman here is the Jewelry Sark, the acceptable version. "
The man looked at Sark for a moment and shook his hand. Taylor said, "Well you want to help. Come on, right this way, here are our upcoming missions." Good Sark followed the man to the large table where all the plans were already laid out.
There were other people there, and they came to greet Damon and introduce themselves. Not every one of them. Some of them looked at Damon and Mariella with open hostility almost and Mariella understood they were protecting Mimi. They knew things weren't well between Mimi and Damon. And Damon was a threat to their beloved leader.
Some were under 30 years old and dedicated to their work. Mariella realized that some of these were the ones who had been left behind when a flea died. One man, tall and blonde, looked at Damon for quite a while, but he did not come to meet him. He was one to protect Mimi too, and his scowl when he looked at Damon made him look quite dangerous. To Mariella, he resembled some actor, from those movies that Mimi liked to see and he was quite good-looking, but this boy was no older than 20, maybe 25.
Mariella stood at her place, not sure where to go as she was trying to take this all and this was a big place. A lot of humans around here and somehow she knew that the witches of the magic house could help here, too. She saw Magnum walking to Taylor and talking with Sark, too. Taylor had come back and saw her looking at the boy.
He said, " Come on, I can introduce you around. That boy, his name is Taylor too, he is Rob's son. Walking in Dad's footsteps. He is very talented in the field and fiercely protective of Mimi and well, he is one of the few who can tame her rage. Not all of it, not yet, but he is getting there. Taylor is brilliant, but he is very attached to Mimi, as she has known him for most of his life. Mimi keeps contact with families who allow that. She helps around financially and otherwise, too."
Mariella was silent. She knew who Rob had been, barely; he had been very important to Mimi. And now his son was in some job that had gotten his father killed. That revelation made her feel so many emotions and she could not fathom how could Mimi carry such responsibility, such a burden. She told this to Damon, and that too Mimi keeps contact with families.
She saw Damon going to that boy and shook his hand, talking to him. Boy was still not too warmed up to Damon. Mariella could see that Damon was scanning his mind. He was too protective of Mimi and this boy. Did he have a crush on his wife? Damon tended to be jealous, too.
This entire operation was so much more comprehensive than Mariella would ever have guessed, and she now really admired Mimi. She understood this better now. And she saw a big part of Mimi's life that Damon would never have a say in. She saw her burdens and knew that Damon knew them too, and he was powerless to ease her. He did not belong in this world, and neither did Mariella. Only this was the world that Mimi belonged to.
They were having coffee, and Jewel Sark was at home going over plans with the men there. Mariella saw Magnum going into one room, she guessed it might be Mimi's office and he came out there carrying several pieces of armor or something and taking them somewhere. Mariella now understood Damon's pain at not being a part of this life. Damon would have been perfect for running this with Mimi, but fate had chosen otherwise.
Instead, this was the thing that would have united them but had become the thing that separated them, This organization, this huge network, had started as a little network of five countries that Mimi had created for fun, half for fun and now it had grown into this huge operation that Mariella felt would require more than one woman to run the whole thing.
Damon had told her about times when he had been on missions with her. Those 14 blast jobs, what they had planned on the base together. A few rescues, one with losses and one with success, and then of course times when Damien had sabotaged this whole thing. Caused it to be impossible for him to be part of the fleas, and instead of him being there with her, he had witnessed Adam be her second in command, doing missions with her, and it had not been easy for Damon.
This was not an easy life and somehow it felt here, that losses were something that everyone accepted and it had given certain energy as well. And yet Mimi wasn't in the director's chair. No, she was where the operation was being done, at the missions, in the field, and Mariella could feel how tense Damon was all the time. It did not help matters hearing stories about what Mimi had done. That tension would probably only go away when Mimi came back and was well and came home.
They were guys talking about these two weeks and previous missions and what Mimi had done and how many she had saved and Mariella talked with few guys, pressure from Damon made her stay mostly silent and not talk too much to strange men, no need to stress Damon anymore than he already was. The language and their slang were so strange and she could not understand half of what she had heard. She could feel Damon extracting the meanings of these few words from someone's mind.
Mariella's business had been small at first, and she had recruited more crew at the very beginning. More doers and makers. Mariella didn't want to decide everything herself. But Mimi is an alpha female, a born leader. Again, it would be more natural for her to keep the whole thing to herself so that she was in charge all the time. She was a doer, in the middle of the action, not behind the desk, not unless she had to.
Mimi would always be in charge. Even though Mariella tried to seduce Damon into a quickie in somewhere a little more private, he wasn't in the mood. He was too wound up. Damon watched closely as Jewel Sark and the others planned the mission and had already gone through Mimi's current gig earlier. Damon was probably reeling in his head what could go wrong. Mariella felt powerless. There was nothing she could do right now, except wait with him and hope that Mimi would be fine. She did not know how to help all of these humans as she was a savior and helper and they were doing the right things for the world and somehow she wanted to contribute. But how?
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone