by J G Jerome
Ilara covers her smile with her hand. *Dead is good enough.*
The ladies all laugh. Trina asks, “Who is watching the guards?”
Ilara grasps L’liana’s hand too. “There is a sergeant of the guard that comes by every 45 to 60 minutes. He’s due. I was hoping he would rotate Kazeem off the lobby detail, so I wouldn’t have to look at him. My customers are not getting the service they deserve from me because I’m so obsessed with killing him.” She squints past Trina’s shoulder. “There he is. Oh crap! The desk manager is watching me.”
“If you had to trust your life to one person on that desk, who would it be?” Tina asks.
“Armani,” she responds immediately. “She’s my sister. She knows how to do everything, is probably the most competent person there. She is definitely the most caring person in the Lord’s court.”
L’liana says, “The one on the far right?” Ilara nods.
L’liana says,“Okay, we need to bolt, Tee.” Both ladies lean in to kiss Ilara’s cheek. Then they walk toward the elevators. They turn around and wave to Ilara about half-way across the lobby.
Trina wraps an arm around Jessica as they all huddle, bringing her out of her mind fog. “Tranq them all except the young lady on the far right and the concierge. There are manager and assistant manager offices. Tranq whomever you find there. We’re going to go upstairs and send the elevator back down for you to get you to the sub basement.”
“Got it, Tee. Kiss for luck!” Trina kisses her quickly on the lips, and then Jessica steps behind Trina and throws her mind fog back up.
Trina looks at the three men at the elevator who are all staring at her.
25 - Cleaning House
(Kuwaiti Tower Hotel, Kuwait City)
Trina prowls toward the three guards with as much raw sexuality as she can muster. L’liana falls in step with her putting all the loco she has into her motion. Zandra gets in on the game by trailing her fingers down between her breasts to just below her belt line as she struts toward the guards. Abu and Eileen fall in behind them.
Trina calls to the two guards and their sergeant in English, “Hello gentlemen. I hope you can help me. I think I’m lost. Ilara said you could help me.” They all lock onto her face. Then she exerts her will and says in passable Arabic, “Listen and obey.”
Their faces are rapt as she pushes on their emotions, “You adore me, and will do anything I ask. Yes?”
All three of them rush to assure her of their adoration.
She smiles as she locks her hold on them. She says in English, “Most excellent, my lovelies. Can you understand me in English?” They all assure her they can.
She points to the two guards and smiles at them as though they each hung the moon. “You two stay here and meet my friend Jessica when she arrives - you saw me kiss her goodbye a moment ago, correct?”
All three assure Trina they saw the kiss. Trina says, “When the lift comes back, you…” she points to Kazeem “...will escort Jessica to the sub-basement and stop anyone from the Lord’s court. If they breath grey smoke, kill them. Otherwise, send them to the twenty-second floor.”
Kazeem sighs, “Yes, Princess.”
Trina points at the human guard, “You will collect any of the Lord’s court that come onto this floor. Please work with the concierge. Anyone that breathes grey smoke you will tell that the Lord is waiting for them in the sub-basement. You will send the rest to the twenty-second floor.”
Trina addresses the sergeant. “You, sir. You will escort me and my friends to the Lord’s court. Takes us now.”
The sergeant opens the lift door. Trina, Eileen, L’liana, Zandra, and Abu join him.
Trina asks the sergeant, “What is your name, sergeant?”
“Karim,” he says. “My name is Karim, Princess.”
Trina smiles at him. “Thank you for taking such good care of us, Karim. Now when we get to the top floor, I will need you to help protect us. Be on the watch for anyone showing the ability to breathe grey smoke, and shoot them in the head immediately. I need to ensure that Lili has some privacy, and then we will need to round everyone up from the court.”
Karim answers with a bow, “Yes, Princess.”
The door opens. Karim draws a pistol from a shoulder rig under his jacket and jacks a round into the chamber. Trina and team exit the lift. Trina and Eileen draw their weapons as L’liana pulls out a black cloth. She unfolds the cloth and holds it up against a four foot wide stretch of wall just to the right of the lift. Trina and Abu raise the cloth as high as they can reach, and L’liana activates the portal.
Jason leads the Shadows through the portal. Jason and the first two knights form a perimeter with Karim, the fourth and fifth knights take over holding the cloth from Abu and Trina. Trina tells the sergeant, “Karim. Take your orders from L’liana as if they were my own.” Then she leads the knights off to clear the floor as the sergeant acknowledges his orders.
After the knights come through, Cholley comes through with Maddock and the Red Hats. L’liana introduces Maddock to Zandra and Abu, then she sends them down to the twenty-fourth floor to secure Abu’s family and the Djinn.
Cholley and the second squad of Goblins plus Acorn, Persimmon, Marigold, and Periwinkle secure the lift and the portal. Two of this squad are in their human guises.
Chelsea appears with two squads of wolf shifters, each organized into two-person teams of one person heavily armed and armored like a SWAT officer and the other in wolf form. Four of the armored fighters are females cut from the same mold as Chelsea, Trina, and the Ravens - lean, sinewy, and a no-nonsense attitude. When the lift returns, Eileen leads the first squad down to the twenty-fifth floor. The two Goblins in human guise ride along and continue to the lobby to assist with escapees. Periwinkle and Persimmon go with them.
In between the deployment of the wolf squads, Corrina leads the combined reinforced guards of the Green Lord’s court through the portal.
Chelsea leads the second squad down to the barracks when the lift returns.
As Corrina marshals her troops, L’liana sends a message to Trina, *I’m taking Sergeant Karim down to the seraglio, Tee.*
Trina responds, *Okay, Lili. Oh shit!* A single gunshot echoes through the top floor of the building. *I gotta go, Lili.*
L’liana grabs Karim’s arm, “Sergeant, can you get us to the seraglio via the stairs?”
Karim bows slightly, “Most assuredly, Princess. This way.” L’liana pulls two tasers from her clutch. L’liana nods to Cholley, who loads the remainder of his squad into the lift to deploy to the basement and sub-basement.
Karim leads L’liana to a hidden door around the corner from the elevators. Corrina and her team follow as L’liana and her escort descend. As they round the bend in the staircase, they see two young men run out the door from the twenty-sixth floor and start down the stairs. L’liana blinks in front of them and pops each of them with a separate taser and lights them up.
When they stop jerking she tells them, “My name is L’liana. My Lord has given instructions that if anyone shows any of that grey smoke or roiling eyes that the Dread Lord and his sons have that I am to put a bullet in their heads immediately. I recommend that if you have that ability, you keep it to yourself until I or the Lord tells you differently. Do you understand?”
Both of the youths nod erratically as they try to get their bodies under control.
“Good,” L’liana says. Then she looks at Corrina, “Corrina, two escorts to help get these two gentlemen back upstairs, please. Sergeant, please lead Corrina into the residence and secure the door for me.”
Corinna calls out, “Frannie and Karla - help Lili, please.” Then she leads the team following Karim.
L’liana explains to the youths as Frannie and Karla help them to their feet. “My Lord’s instructions were to kill a smoke breather if I saw the least sign of the ability. As long as I don’t see any signs of it, I don’t have to kill you. I’m assuming both of you have the ability.”
; The younger boy nods while the other shakes his head. L’liana looks at the youth that gave the negative response. “Just so you know, I am a psychic. Despite your negative response, I know you do have the ability. If you lie to me again, I will interpret my Lord’s guidance as ‘kill any with the ability that lie to you.’ Do I make myself clear?”
The older youth nods, “Yes, Lady.”
She smiles at him and says, “Let’s go” as she leads them to the twenty-sixth floor.
* * *
Trina is leading the knights of Faerie to clear the headquarters on the top floor when L’liana updates her that she’s taking Karim downstairs.
Trina responds, *Okay, Lili* when she sees a young man extending his hand and breathing smoke out of his mouth. The miasma swarms toward her and Justin. Trina sends, *Oh shit!* to L’liana as she fires a single shot from her pistol. The bullet enters the youth’s skull perfectly in the middle of his forehead, causing the back of his skull to splatter the wall behind him. The gunshot echoes through the top floor of the building as the cloud falters and drops. Trina sends, *I gotta go, Lili.* She feels L’liana leave her mind.
A woman in a diaphanous gown rushes out to cradle the dead boy to her bosom and wails to Heaven. Trina rushes over and grabs the woman’s face. She pinches her chin harshly and ‘influences’ her. “Be quiet. I will grant you your grief, but if you don’t want other young boys to die today, you need to help me. Understand?”
The woman nods and Trina releases her face. She offers her a hand to help rise to her feet.
Trina tells the sobbing woman, “My Lord has given instructions that if anyone shows any of that grey smoke or roiling eyes that the Dread Lord and his sons have that I am to put a bullet in their heads immediately. If you don’t want me shooting the rest of the Dread Lord’s sons, I recommend you get their mothers to convince them to surrender and not show any powers. If I see any of that smoke coming from their eyes, mouth, nose, seeping out of their skin, or out of a wound, I will kill them just like I did your son. I would rather not have to do that. Will you help me?”
The sobbing woman nods.
Trina instructs her, “Tell all of the mothers to convince everyone to surrender and not show any powers. Tell them to sit and close their eyes if they must. Any show of powers will bring death. Am I clear?”
“Yes, mistress,” the woman sobs gently.
Trina tells her, “I will hold my team in place. You bring everyone out here and have them sit along that wall.” She points to the corridor wall opposite the dead boy. The woman nods. Trina asks her, “What is your name, mother?”
The sobbing woman replies, “Najila.”
Trina hugs the woman with her left arm while holding her pistol along her thigh. “Najila, my name is Trina. I’m sorry I had to kill your son. No mercy will be given to any that attack. Please help me avoid killing any more people in your family.”
Rapid gunfire echoes up the stairwell. Trina sends, *Lili? Is that you?*
L’liana responds, *No that’s Eileen. They took out the desk guards quietly, but there were a group armed and ready to go on duty. They are resisting, but I understand the wolves have it under control. I have some of the mothers pulling everyone together quietly. So far, so good.*
Trina tells Najila, “That was from the barracks. The oncoming guard shift decided to die. I hope you had no sons there.” The gunfire tapers off.
Najila responds, “No. Those are all violent, brutal men. Many of us Sidhe have been raped by them with the Lord’s permission. They will not be mourned.”
Trina hugs her again, “Lili has some of the mothers pulling everyone together downstairs to avoid any more killing. Please. Help me avoid it here.”
Najila hugs Trina, “Thank you, Lady. I will go now.” She releases Trina, dries her eyes, and calls out in Arabic as she hurries down the corridor.
* * *
Zandra walks onto the twenty-fourth floor. There is a guard desk with two bored-looking guards. They look up as Zandra steps onto the floor. She whips into a whirlwind and appears behind the two guards as they startle and turn towards her, Maddock leads the Red Hats onto the floor. Abu trails behind.
The guards are startled and freeze as the two lead Red Hats reach the guards and hoist them out of their chairs. Abu tells them, “Open the doors to the dungeons if you want to live.”
One of the Red Hats releases a guard’s right arm, but the guard decides to go for his weapon instead of his keys. The Goblin slams the guy to the floor, puts a foot in the middle of his back and pulls his left arm out of its socket. The Goblin proceeds to beat the guard to death with his own arm. After that Maddock growls, and three other goblins rip limbs from the corpse and start chewing on them as they look hungrily at the remaining guard.
The remaining guard, hanging by his right arm and throat from his capture’s grip, pees himself as he watches the demise of his partner.
Maddock growls again and marches over to the double doors behind the guard post. Zandra spins out of view and appears again in a corner. Maddock kicks the middle of the right-hand, metal door with his heavy boot. It dents slightly. He does it again and the door buckles. Then Maddock grasps the door’s handle and rips it from the hinges.
The other guard screams as four Goblins tear him apart while Maddock rushes in with eight Red Hats and chases down any guards in the dungeon. There are only four guards scattered throughout the cells. They are armed with tasers, pistols, and truncheons. One of the Goblins drops as two guards hit him with tasers at the same time, but he slowly gets back up when they stop feeding current into him. Two other Goblins attack the guards who shot their comrade with tasers. One guard receives a punch to his heart, which causes blood to erupt from his mouth before he falls dead. The other guard dies as a Red Hat shoves the guard’s neck into his mouth - tusks pierce the guard’s spine as the Goblin bites down hard.
Another guard hits Maddock with his taser, but Maddock just pulls out the leads and drops them to the floor. He marches up to the guard, picks him up by the throat, and squeezes until there is a ‘snap-crackle-pop’ from the guard’s neck as he hangs limply in Maddock’s grip.
They find the fourth guard huddled under the desk in the back of the cell block, calling for help on the radio. Abu and Maddock disarm him and grab his radio. Then they start looking for Abu’s family.
The cell block has cells down either side. In the center stand columns of glass tubes with angry Djinn trapped inside. Some are swirling around inside the tubes. Others are standing still either observing the invading force or beating on their glass cells. Zandra whirls from tube to tube and shouts the same thing in Persian to each one of her family. “We have come to rescue you. Be patient. We will release you momentarily.”
One of the Goblins is perusing the control panel for the atmosphere controls of the tubes. He purses his lips and presses a button. He looks up to see one of the Djinn frantically beating on the glass. Another Goblin pulls a falchion from its sheath and beats on the glass repeatedly with the hilt. The glass cracks and then breaks as the vacuum inside the tube pulls the glass shards inward. The Goblin at the board hits the same button and the vacuum stops. The Djinn that was gasping relaxes, and then he spins into a whirlwind and arrives at the control panel next to the Goblin. Zandra joins him as the other Goblin joins his comrade.
The male Djinn presses a button at the bottom of the bank for each cylinder. There is a series of air releases as the tubes raise about three feet off their bases. The Djinn all spin into whirlwinds and then stand on the floor among the Goblins.
Abu wails as he holds his wife to him. She is dying from lack of medical care and repeated rapes. Maddock releases Abu’s daughter and escorts her to her parents. She is naked and has blood stains on her legs. Abu wraps his coat around her as she weeps in his arms. They both wrap Abu’s wife in hugs.
Suddenly there is a flurry of gunfire from the floor above. The Djinn spin into the air and disappear up the stairs.
* * *
Chelsea and Eileen’s wolf squads were sweeping through the barracks when they found the ready room for the next shift. Wolves in both human and wolf form rush into the ready room, but the twelve guards in the room are all armed and ready for duty. Bullets fly from both sides as wolves rush in attacking anyone that raises a weapon. In mere moments the shooting is done. All twelve guards are dead, two wolves and one armored squad member are severely wounded.
Chelsea is about to ask for status, when suddenly the Djinn arrive with Zandra.
Zandra tells Chelsea and Eileen, “The Djinn want to help. What can they do?”
Eileen says, “This is a barracks. We hit the ready room first, so we don’t know how many other combatants are left. Can they scout them out without putting themselves into danger?”
Zandra nods and relays instructions to her men in Persian. They spin into whirlwinds and disappear down the corridors.
The wolves form up with a squad in each corridor and start making their way down the halls, clearing each room. They find only empty bunks, corpses, or groaning and incapacitated guards. They secure the living by wrapping ankles and wrists in zip-ties. Then they drag both the living and the dead to the vestibule up front. Eileen asks Zandra to hold this floor, and then she leads Chelsea and the wolves down to the clear floors twenty-three and twenty-two. Most of the workers and guards left when the gunfire started, so it was only the work of minutes to clear those two floors.
* * *
Upon arriving in the sub-basement, Jessica and Kazeem secure the mechanics and guards with zip ties. They stand guard waiting for new arrivals. Kazeem makes lewd remarks and touches her repeatedly, barely keeping his behavior within the bounds of propriety. Some guards and construction workers from floors twenty-two and twenty-three arrive, and Jessica ensures they are also secured. When L’liana sends the all clear, Jessica shoots Kazeem in the knees and invites the Goblins to snack. Then she sends L’liana a status before going to the basement and lobby levels to check on people there. Once she confirms that they have detained the last of the guards and construction workers, she has the Goblins start ferrying folks up to the twenty-second floor for debriefing and disposition.
