“Alright then,” Damian said, his voice breaking the silence. “You both know what to do. Trish, I’ll expect your report on Amanda in two days. Make sure she’s ready for whatever comes her way.”

Trish nodded. “I’ll push her as hard as I can. She’ll either rise to the challenge or...”

“Or she’ll be out,” Sasha finished for her, her tone sharp but not without a hint of grudging respect. “No room for half-measures.”

Damian gave a small nod. “Exactly. We don’t have time for anything less. Now moving on what should we do with this kid Elio.”

“It seems like his body absorbed more RFE than it could contain,” Trish walked over and placed her hand on his forehead. “Plus he was infected with Sasha’s tar during that stage so I hypothesize that his body is altering itself to defend against it. His vitals are nearing what I collected from Cole and Amanda so I assume he’ll wake soon but I don’t know when.”

“Yes, I know all that what I’m more concerned about is if he awakens here he’ll burn this place down. You might want to move him,” said Damian.

“True, I was also worried about that. However, you’ve dumped him off on me while I have no time to really take of him.” Trish then shifted turning what seemed like a white shirt into biomass absorbing the blood before returning it to a clean white shirt. “So I just thought if we increased the dose of Sasha’s tar infection we could delay his waking up for some time.”

Before anyone could say anything Sasha tapped the boy’s head with her finger and produced a massive amount of tar that poured out only to be absorbed into Elio’s skin. “There that should by you some time. How much, I don’t know, so don’t waste time and move him when you get the chance.”

With that taken care of Damian and Sasha turned to leave and when they opened the door behind it was a surprised Amanda. Damian sighed, smiled, and then said, “Hi Amanda. How are you? I came to check up on you. Trish was just filling me in on what happened to you and it seems you got very lucky. Sadly, I don’t have such luck.”

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

“I don’t consider it luck. And is that how you speak to someone who was just in danger and barely made it out? If I didn’t know any better I would think you would be just fine even if I died.” said Amanda

Trish stepped forward and said, “Now now, he really was worried about you. He’s only putting on an act just cuz you’re here.”

“I don’t believe it, but if Trish says so I guess I’ll have to. So, who’s this? Damian’s new girlfriend?” asked Amanda sizing Sasha up and down.

Sasha put on a bright smile and said, “Oh heavens no. I was just thinking of offering my services to this clinic. This young man met me a few blocks away and helped me find the place. I called him in here to thank him but with the city like this, I don’t know what I could possibly offer him. I guess I could be his girlfriend; if he wanted.”

Damian and Trish almost cringed when they saw Sasha act this way. Amanda blushed and said, “Why are you looking at me when saying that? You should ask him.”

Damian glanced between Sasha and Amanda, his smile growing strained. Sasha's sudden shift in demeanor was nothing short of theatrical, and he knew well enough to recognize the playful malice behind it. Still, he couldn't let this spiral out of control—not now.

"Amanda," Damian said smoothly, "Sasha's just teasing. No need to read into it." He shot a pointed look at Sasha, a silent order for her to dial back the mockery.

Sasha shrugged innocently, her smile never faltering. "I just thought it might lighten the mood, that's all." She winked at Amanda. "Besides, it’s fun to see how easily some people get flustered."

Amanda's blush deepened, but she held her ground, crossing her arms over her chest. "Well, whatever this is, I’m not here for games. Trish, we’ve got that thing we need to do now. If you’re busy I can come back?"

Trish smiled as she walked past Damian toward Amanda. "No, I’m not busy in fact, they were just leaving and I was coming to find you." She gestured toward Sasha, whose expression was now one of mild curiosity. "Sasha will assist us by recruiting some more doctors and nurses for the clinic freeing up some more of my time. They should arrive soon so once they do we can focus completely on that."

Damian nodded, grateful that Trish was steering the conversation back to more pressing matters. "Good, then we’ll see ourselves out," he said, keeping his voice calm as he turned toward the door. "Sasha and I will be in touch. Amanda, take care of yourself, I’ll give you a call when I’m less busy. Trish I hope the project works out, I’ll be expecting to hear about the results."

Amanda gave Damian a longing look but said nothing, her attention shifting back to Trish. "Right. Let’s get started then."

As Damian and Sasha stepped outside, the air between them was thick with tension. Sasha, still amused by the earlier interaction, finally broke the silence. "You’re so protective of her. Are you worried Amanda might take things the wrong way?"

Damian shot her a sideways glance, his face impassive. "Amanda could be essential to our plan. I don’t need her distracted by your games, Sasha."

Sasha chuckled softly. "Relax, Damian. It’s all in good fun. She needs to toughen up if she’s going to be involved in what’s coming. If you want I can meet her in my other form and really give her a crash crouse in conduit fights."

Damian sighed, his patience wearing thin. "We don’t need to create unnecessary complications. Focus on the task at hand. Trish will prepare Amanda, and if she proves herself, fine. If not, she’s yours. Just don’t break her."

Sasha gave a mock salute, her eyes gleaming with malice and mischief. "Yes, sir. I’ll behave. For now."