Part 3 Ch. 23-1

Showtime. It feels weird being out in broad daylight, and for a second I'm glad that Romero wanted the meeting right now. I've missed the feeling of sun on my skin. I turn my head towards the sun and close my eyes, trying not to think about what I'm about to do. Over these past hours, I've been trying to convince myself that Romero will honor his agreement; which is hard because I put myself in his shoes and I know I wouldn't let the hostage go. No matter what Carson says, I'm not the good person he thinks I am. Mateo was right. I am a monster, but that's not such a bad thing. Sometimes you need to be a monster to survive. If he hurts my brother, Romero is going to wish he was mortal. I adjust my cargo pants. There's a knife taped to my shin. It's the only weapon I risk taking. From the top if the building, I can see a single black car driving up to the warehouse where we were to meet. Finally. It's seems as if I've been waiting for eternity, it was becoming unbearable. I'm too far away to see the details of the people as they get out the car and walk inside. I glance a my watch, it's ten minutes until eleven. I look at the city, taking everything in, trying to memorize it. I'm determined to not make this the final time I look at the city but a little part of me goes what if? I take a breath of fresh air and open a portal, stepping though it with my hands held up. Immediately, I take everything in. Romero and Mateo are in the middle. My brother is conscious now but his hands are held back as he sits in a chair. He catches my eyes, pleading. My heart lurches. He looks a little more cleaned up now, at least the blood on his face is gone and a blanket draped over his shoulders. I tear my eyes away from him, taking in my surroundings. There is another woman standing next to Romero, and they both stand between my brother. The women is someone familiar, it takes me a second to recognize her from our failed hit-list. She's one of Romero's higher-ups. But there's no one else. This is odd, there should be more people, that's what I would have done. "Good." Romero says. "You made it." "Elenora." My eyes dart to my brother. His voice is odd. Too high pitch. The pleading expression is gone, replaced by a cruel one. In a swift movement, he pulls out a gun from under his blanket and shoots me. I feel the bullet hit my shoulder and I stumble backwards. "Mateo? What-" The figure that was my brother shimmers until Tasia appears. My mind shorts for a second, all I know right now is confusion- it steals the precious seconds that I have. Then it comes to me. This is a trap. She's a shape-shifter. All in all, this is a terrible situation but I can't help smiling because they don't have Mateo! I go to open a portal but it's like reaching for something that's not there. With a growing dread, I recognize the cold in my body. I probe the wound in my shoulder. It hurts, but not like a gunshot. Whatever they injected me with has AIM in it. In the seconds of confusion and realization, they have sprung into action. Someone suddenly twists my arms behind my back and I yell as the movement jerks both my side and my fresh shoulder wound I struggle and kick but their hands don't shift. I catch a glimpse of the other woman holding me, she must have some kind of increased strength. "I'm going to kill you." I growl at Romero. "You tried." He says frankly, slowly walking towards me. "And yet you still failed." "My brother-" "Is safe." He completes. He's only a few feet away now, hate darkens his features. "Until we find him. Now, we had been looking for him until Tasia came up with an alternative. Who knows, maybe after we kill you we'll find him. Do you think he'll fall for the same trick as you?" He chuckles. I lunge towards him with all I have but the woman holds me back. I feel the gunshot on my side tear open and I gasp. Romero reaches up and holds my chin, studying me. "We could have been partners, Elenora. But here we are." I jerk my head forward and sink my teeth in his hand, not stopping until I taste blood. Something hits me in the head and I see a flash of darkness. I blink and try to focus my eyes again. "Should I get this over with?" Tasia tells him in a bored voice. Something cold presses against my forehead, it's her gun- a real one this time. I stand still. Romero presses a handkerchief on his hand, eyes hardened. "No." He says. He sits in the chair and crosses his legs, not taking his eyes off of me. "Make it last longer." Tasia's eyes narrow and in one motion hits me with the butt of the gun. My knees weaken but the woman holds me up. My side burns as if it was on fire, the edges of my vision are already starting to blur. Mateo is safe, I tell myself. "You have given me an idea, you know." I hear Romero's voice, Tasia blocks my vision of him. "Taking over the Yellow Thorns is going to be easy. I mean, I was going to do it financially, but that will take too long." If I can dig the pellet out from my shoulder, I can get out of here. I shift my arm, it doesn't seem to be too deep. I just need to be free for a few seconds... "Wait." I shout, I shift to look at Romero. "You're going to kill me.. But at least let me go down fighting. Let me fight you." His expression doesn't change. Tasia looks back at him, waiting instructions. "Sir?" A slow smile spreads on his face. "Why not? Mary-ann, let her go." My arms are released, and without the support I fight to keep standing. She's still too close, they both are. I need to pull the pellet out mid-fight, they'll be enough chaos then for me to do it. Romero looks at me, half-smiling. "But you're not going to fight me. Tasia will take my place." Tasia takes a few steps back and tenses up. Before I realize what has happened, Romero gives the orders to fight. I crouch and dart out of the way, hitting her in the ribs as she lunges past me. I'm usually quick in hand-to-hand combat, but I can already feel my wounds slowing me down. She runs forward and her fist catches me on the shoulder she shot. A scream rips from my mouth and I stumble backwards, my feet tripping over themselves and I fall down hard. I roll as her foot stomps the ground where my face was at. This time, it takes longer to struggle to my feet. By the time I'm up, she swipes my feet from under me and the next thing I know, I'm on the ground again. I land on my side and my vision goes dark for a few seconds. I struggle to breath in but the pain on my side is too much. Footsteps near me and I see Tasia pointing a gun at my head. A shot rings out and she gasps in pain. In my muddled mind it takes a second to absorb. I'm still alive. Another shot, she ducks and raises her gun and shoots at something behind me. I rise up to a crouch and look at the figure by the door. A flash of dark hair and mask peeks in and shoot. "Elenora, get out of the way!" I hear Carson yell. I scramble backwards and my back hits one of the tall storage stacks. Everything happens so quickly. Romero is already running off, deeper into the warehouse. The three of them can't possible hold down the entire OCIU. The other woman has followed him, occasionally shooting at Carson. And Tasia has fallen to the floor fifteen feet away, not moving.