章 170: 10. Run The Show.
As the explosion made everything shudder slightly, I was prepared. Adam, Charles, and I headed towards the corridor where the guards were entering. I took the lead, my Glock raised and ready to shoot if anyone made a move. The corridor stretched out before me, lined with doors on both sides. This place was truly a maze.
I instructed Adam and Charles, "You two go that way. There are more guards, so that must be where they're coming from. I'll check out these rooms. This maze is unbelievable."
Charles grunted, but as the team leader, I knew he didn't have much to say. They moved silently, like ghosts, ready to take down any guards in their path.
I continued down the corridor, the sound of my footsteps echoing. I opened the first room I came across. It turned out to be a filing room. I moved on, passing by the room filled with human and veterinary drugs. Not good news. As I walked, I reached a rest area with a small kitchenette and sofas. The room reeked of old sweat and the presence of guards. They must have spent a lot of time here. There had to be something important in this room as well.
The next room I entered was an operating room, equipped with surgical tools and several tables. Beyond that was the morgue. I counted at least 30 victims, following protocol. I photographed each one and collected their fingerprints, just in case we couldn't get them out of there.
I spoke into my mic, "This is flea leader. I've found casualties, 30 of them. I'm in the morgue, collecting their identifications. Not sure if we'll be able to get them out."
To my surprise, Mariella responded, "Roger that, flea leader. Send the information over. I'll input it into the system. We have a mobile unit, so there's a chance the authorities can help."
I replied, "Great. I'll send you the info as soon as I process it."
I continued with my grim task. The victims were horribly mutilated. I also came across their files and autopsy reports, which they had printed as they did not want to leave digital prints, and placed them in a bag I had with me.
After obtaining the necessary information, I sent it to Mariella and continued on to the next room, which happened to be a lab. Inside, I noticed numerous warming cabinets filled with Petri dishes that were only labeled with codes, not names. Amongst the equipment, there was a laptop that piqued my interest. Naturally, it was password-protected.
Frustrated, I muttered into my microphone, "We've found a lab here with several warming cabinets containing unidentified Petri dishes, as well as a password-protected laptop."
In response, Number Four's voice came through tightly, cautioning me, "Do not engage. Let them be. I'll send medics and technicians there soon enough. Do not interfere."
I was on the verge of asserting my authority as the leader of this mission and reminding him that it was not his place to dictate my actions. However, I managed to keep my composure. Moving on from that room, I entered the next one, which also turned out to be a lab. As I walked in, I noticed various tissue samples.
Suddenly, my movement halted as a voice behind me demanded, "Not another step. Put your gun down. Who the hell are you and what the fuck are you doing here?"
I spun around to see a scientist holding a Browning gun, aiming it at me with a cold expression. He was clearly skilled, a professional.
In response, I calmly instructed him, "Surrender. My team has taken control of this facility. Don't make it harder for yourself. You can't win here."
He scoffed, "Hell, I can. A little girl like you. But then again, you're not human. I know who you are, Springcove. How convenient it is for you to grace us with your presence personally. Saves us the trouble of chasing you."
I maintained a neutral expression, although I didn't appreciate being recognized. He kept his distance, ensuring I couldn't make any sudden moves to disarm him. I wasn't sure what kind of ammunition he had in his gun. Through my earpiece, I could hear Adam and Charles progressing forward, while Lepard and Demon encountered a collapsed tunnel, unaware of the number of hostiles still approaching or if there was an alternative route.
Addressing the scientist, I remarked, "It's certainly flattering to be recognized. But I assure you, I am out of your league. Like I said, drop your weapon, kneel, and stay alive."
He snorted and retorted, "Bold words from someone who's currently at gunpoint. Move."
He gestured towards his gun, and that's when I noticed the large cages containing frightened humans or shifters. One of the cages was open.
"What's going on, Mimi?" Damon's voice came through my earpiece.
Instead of responding directly, I sent my thoughts to him via our bond, "There's a scientist pointing a gun at me. There are victims here and this place has been looking for me. This isn't a good situation."
I could sense his unhappiness, He was almost cussing in my mind, but he was on his way.
I told the scientist, "Drop your gun again and spare your life. I've already told you, I'm not alone here."
He scoffed and replied, "I have my own methods of transporting you elsewhere, freak. Now move, and your precious team will be taken down."
I retorted, "You mean the tunnel? Oops, my guys have already collapsed it."
His expression tightened. I warned him, "You're about to meet your end, but don't blame me. I gave you a chance to surrender."
He looked at me and asked, "And how do you plan on killing me?"
I smiled, shifted slightly, and replied, "Did I say it would be me who kills you?"
I swiftly moved, ducking down, hearing Damon shoot the scientist with three rapid shots, killing him instantly. I got up, went to the cage, and kicked the door open to set the people free. Number four arrived and began teleporting them out directly.
Damon said to me, "You know we have backup for a reason. Don't go off on your own, and what were you thinking? You could have taken that guy out in a million different ways. Were you trying to talk him to death?"
I scoffed and asserted, "I'm the one in charge here, not you. So, zip it. Backup is useful, but there was never any danger to me. I was simply trying to get him to surrender alive so we could interrogate him. But they rarely listen to reason."
Damon glared at me. As I was the team leader, he had to follow my orders.
He said, "I'm your backup. Let's continue checking the rest of this place out. By the way, I haven't seen your Glock before. Is it a custom piece?"
I nodded and explained, "It has a built-in suppressor that doesn't affect range or accuracy. It can also hold a 30% larger magazine and has the capability to use explosive or poison-filled bullets. I have spare of both types with me."
He grunted, clearly envious, but he couldn't take this gun from me as it had fingerprint recognition that only worked for me.
The next room we entered was yet another laboratory, filled with petri dishes, laptops, and various equipment. Number four and Ruby followed behind us. Number four spoke into his microphone, barking orders about the necessary steps to proceed and the current protocol. I wasn't paying much attention, letting him handle his part.
As I opened another door, a powerful stench hit me. This was the end of the corridor and it took me a moment to find the light switch. The room illuminated a row of cages, approximately 30 of them, each containing five to seven pregnant women. They looked sick, dirty, and frightened. Some sat on the hard stone floor, rocking back and forth, clearly disturbed. Their advanced pregnancies were evident, but they didn't react or speak to us.
The women whimpered as they saw Damon, clearly scared of men. The room reeked of fear, piss, shit, sweat, and pain. It was unbearable, so I resorted to breathing through my mouth. I desperately wanted to find a way to help these females, but deep down, I knew they were beyond salvation. They were too broken. As they saw men getting closer, several women lay on their backs, spreading their legs, exposing their swollen and foul-smelling cunts, even in their pregnant state.
I turned to Damon and number four, instructing them, "Go, take Ruby, and attend to the other rooms. I will handle these ones."
Damon remained silent, his cheek twitching slightly. I could tell he wanted to save them, including the unborn babies, but I had no idea how sick the infants would be, considering their sickly mothers. Finally, Damon nodded, and they turned around, not uttering a word, as they walked away.
I grabbed my gun and began to take care of the women. I killed the mothers and shot their bellies, ensuring the fetuses were also eliminated. I felt no regrets or hesitation. Although it frightened most of the females to witness me killing them all, I knew it was the best course of action. I did take their pictures, and fingerprints, just in case.
After completing my task, I walked away and noticed that more people were emptying the rooms. The influx of guards had been halted after the tunnel collapsed, meaning there was no other way in except from outside. This gave us time to relocate those we could help elsewhere. I maintained a neutral expression, not revealing anything on the outside. Taking care of those who had no hope was simply part of my job. I made sure not to assign too many people to these mercy missions, as it could take a toll on their souls. I was protecting them and doing my duty.
There were still victims to be transported to collection cars and drugs to be sorted. I went to the filing room to see what was there. Inside, I found a few filing cabinets filled with papers. I always checked if any of them were mine, the ones I took with me. If I found them, I would either go through them at a later time or give them to Colin. I had no intention of telling Damon about my files, at least not yet. We already had enough missions to focus on, and now was not the time to delve into my past experiences. I was mainly curious about the connection this place had to the location where I was captured, and who these guys were. Sometimes, there were connections to completely new places that I hadn't even considered.
Eventually, I assisted in moving the victims. After going through every cabinet and confirming that there were no more files about me, the pack, or my comrades, it became uncertain if we would be able to retrieve any files from there. If the authorities were to arrive, we would have to accept the situation as it was.
It was just another day on the job, in a world that was far from perfect. If it were perfect, I would be out of work. The sheer number of missions and victims reminded me just how flawed this damn world was. I started to grow frustrated with the whole situation, as things weren't progressing fast enough.
Sarcastically, I asked, "What's the matter? Are you planning to walk to the nearest place or actually use the damn car? There's a pedal called the accelerator that can make the car go faster."
One of the drivers tried to explain something about bad roads, but I wasn't in the mood to listen to excuses.
I snapped at them, "Get back here, or else we'll still be here next week! Move it!"
Somehow, my nerves were more frayed than usual, and I didn't want to stick around while they slowly made their way back here. Even though everything was moving at a brisk pace, it still wasn't fast enough for me. But I had to hold on. I went to check rooms that hadn't been cleared yet, just to keep myself busy. I couldn't make the transportation any faster, as we couldn't teleport people all over the place. There had to be someone to receive them, too. When someone tried to ask what I was doing, I reminded them of my leadership and ordered them to go elsewhere. God, I had so much to do, and now this whole mess.
Most of Damon's team had gone with the victims. Medics were needed where they were being moved, so the Salvatores were mostly gone, too, along with Adam and Charles. We had already moved over 550 victims, and while staff were needed here and there, we were more than halfway done. Soon, we would be out of here.
I received confirmation that no authorities would come in, so we would have to blow this place up. It kept me busy as I started to place explosives and prepare to bring down this massive complex, burying the victims in rubble. I had taken fingerprints and pictures of the females I killed, so if someone was looking for them, they would know there was no hope of finding them alive.
Four hours later, the last of the victims were on their way to receive care. I had placed my bombs, and we were walking out. A slight ache in my leg reminded me of the damn bullet, but I would take care of it too. It had taken over 14 hours to get everyone out of there, and there would be a debriefing to follow. But we had done it.
Everyone was exhausted yet relieved as we piled into our cars. I pressed the button, causing the building to shake as we drove away. The authorities would classify it as an accident. Sometimes earthquakes or other natural disasters damaged buildings, causing them to collapse. It was common for ruins to be declared unstable, so no one would investigate or dig around. This mission was now complete.
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