Chapter#08

Mike chuckled. He didn't feel like it was a waste. There was something sexy about knowing that his seed was in a woman's stomach. "Let me guess. You're going to run some tests?"

"Absolutely." She gave him a light peck on the lips. "If I haven't reverted by tomorrow night, could we do this again?"

"I think that would be fun." They helped each other stand, and he fixed her skirt for her. "But for now, would you like to go to a party with me?" He held out his arm.

"I would love to." She pocketed the vials and slid her arm through his. Together, they stepped through the door of the greenhouse and back into the real world. When they walked back into the garden, the fairies were flying around, music coming from their glowing bodies. Beth was showing Asterion how to eat a piece of pie, and Tink was in a heated argument with Ratu over what appeared to be the last meatball.

He smiled.

***

"Okay, let's do this." Mike put on the mask Tink had given him. It had a HEPA filter built in, and was identical to the one she wore. When she crouched down to place the drill in the lock, her tail lifted her skirt just enough that he could see her bare green buttocks. He stifled a laugh, which was easy behind the mask. "Abella, are you set?"

"I'm ready." She spoke from outside the window. The house was largely made of wood, but all across the roof and siding were iron handholds that had been attached to metal framing in the home. Surprisingly, this bay of windows had plenty of them, allowing the gargoyle to supervise. Mike's main concern involved something unfriendly beyond the door that may decide to pounce on them. They had chosen the door at the end of the hall so that Abella could quickly get between them and anything that may come after them.

"Cerulea?" The little blue fairy sat on his shoulder, her fingers clutching his hair. She gave him a tiny thumbs up. While not entirely certain how she could contribute, he had found her teasing birds in the garden this morning and thought it better to give her a job for the day. Beth had decided to spend her morning looking into the missing storage unit items, so was probably having breakfast downstairs with Sofia. The cyclops had taken to prepping meals in the mornings and most evenings. Her duties in the Library were minimal and she was grateful just to have some other people to talk to.

Tink's new drill came to life in her hand, and she pushed the bit into the lock, causing a loud grinding noise to fill the hallway. Mike winced, the sound reminding him of having a tooth drilled. Tink gave him the signal, and he stepped in with his Shop-Vac to suck out the debris. Small wisps of smoke came out of the lock, and Tink swapped out for a smaller bit, the lenses on her goggles swapping places to tell her where to drill next. She tackled the lock at an upward angle now, pushing the bit in until it disappeared.

"Fucking fuck fuck," Tink hissed when the bit broke. She had the replacement ready, her tail whipping back and forth while she switched out and continued the assault. When finished, she grabbed the knob and wiggled the door back and forth while Mike put the hose on the lock. Hard chunks rattled through the hose.

"The culprit is clever, I must admit," Abella said when he stopped the vacuum. Tink held a series of thin wires in her hand, her tongue sticking out while she probed the lock.

"I don't know that playing with your shit makes you clever." Mike stepped back when the knob turned. Tink held a finger to her lips, then grabbed the hammer hanging from her belt. Mike sighed and loosened the knife in his belt. It was a magical blade that could cut through anything, even spirits. He had never actually used it on anyone, but he felt better having it on him.

"I'm ready." Abella was holding onto the window sill, ready to launch herself into the hall. She had curled her wings in, her clawed hands squeezing the wood tight enough to leave marks.

"Let's do this." He nodded and Tink pushed the door open. The room inside was simple, a small wardrobe in one corner and a bed against the wall. There were no windows, and the room had a bathroom not much larger than a closet.

"There's nobody here." He moved toward the bed, but Tink was ahead of him. She knelt down, her nostrils flaring. She shook her head, then grabbed the sheets on the bed and yanked them off. The mattress was old and looked like it had almost never been used.

"Well?" Abella had carefully climbed through the window and stood in the door. Cerulea's beetle-wings emitted a loud buzz while she circled the room, her antenna twitching.

"Nothing." Mike looked at the other side of the door. Other than the remaining blockage in place, it was normal. "Does this mean it was sealed from the outside?"

"I don't think that's..." Abella's eyes widened and Mike turned. Tink was on top of the bed when it threw itself into the air, launching the goblin up. MIke stepped to the right and caught her. The bed charged the doorway, its metal legs squeaking.

It threw itself through the air and Abella smacked it so hard that it broke apart upon hitting the floor. They all stared at the broken furniture in disbelief.

"Was... was that another mimic?" Mike asked. The clock in the front room had secretly been a mimic, but Dana had restored it to life and taken it with her when she had left.

"Not mimic." Tink slid out of Mike's arms. She picked up one of the busted legs, then dropped it when it tried to curl around her. "Mimic much stronger."