"Dad," she said, a hint of concern in her voice, "oh shit, not more of them... Do you hear that? Two helicopters are coming. We have to move fast."
"Don't worry, I informed them and sent them the teleporter's destination coordinates before I entered the chamber, just in case," he explained.
Mary was still a little worried; one encounter with armed men was enough for one day. But she put her father's trust in her and began to move vertically up a large tree. Effortlessly, she reached the canopy and moved through it. When she reached the top of the trees, Mary and her dad started waving to get the pilots' attention.
The pilots immediately spotted the waving duo and began looking for a good landing spot. Mary, who was still carrying her father and Juan, made her way to the landing site.
Tension hung heavy in the air as Mary's revealed her transformed self to the soldiers. Her monstrous and inhuman features spread fear and nervousness through the ranks of the soldiers.
One young soldier couldn't stand it any longer and started to raise his gun, pointing it at Mary. "Don't move," he shouted nervously. Several other soldiers also pointed at Mary, not fully assessing the situation.
Mary felt her instincts kick in. She wanted to fight. She knew they didn't stand a chance.
"Stand down, all of you," Mary's father implored the soldiers. "This is my daughter, Mary. She's no threat."
The situation teetered on the brink of disaster and nearly escalated. But then a voice of reason rose from the ranks, urging calm.
"Hold your fire," a commanding officer ordered. "Let's not make this any worse than it already is."
The tense situation gradually gave way to a sense of resolution. The soldiers began to lower their weapons as her father stepped forward to bail her out.
One of the commanding officers approached, his voice authoritative yet with a hint of curiosity. "All right, folks, let's slow down. We've got some medical work to do on the wounded."
Juan and Mary's father were quickly taken away by paramedics, and their injuries received the care they desperately needed. The relief that washed over Mary was evident, knowing that her father and Juan were in capable hands.
After making sure her father and Juan were taken care of, Mary and the soldiers turned their attention to the drug smugglers who had been captured by Mary.
One of the soldiers approached Mary and said, "We'll take these guys into custody, madam. We appreciate your cooperation."
But despite their best efforts, the soldiers found it difficult to break through Mary's strong netting that sealed the cave entrance. With a deep breath, Mary decided to lend a hand. She rushed into the cave, extended her talon-tipped fingers, and easily tore through the strands of silk that had once seemed indestructible to the soldiers.
An obviously impressed soldier approached her cautiously. "Thanks for the help. We'll take it from here."
"I think you'll need my help to get them down..." she stopped him.
"Um, take them down? Please be more specific," he asked, confused.
"From the ceiling..." she replied.
"From the ceiling?" he asked, even more confused.
"Ah, come on! Just follow me in and see for yourself..."
Mary entered the cave along with about 20 soldiers. They struggled to keep up with her pace as she dashed through the labyrinth of passageways and narrow corridors.
Finally she reached the chamber where the showdown had taken place a few hours earlier. All the men were still hanging from the ceiling, threatening Mary as soon as they saw her. But Mary ignored them as she cut them down, one by one, into the waiting arms of the soldiers.
When the work was done, Mary followed the last one out of the cave, only to find that the sun was beginning to set.
Juan's welcoming smile greeted her.
"Juan! Your awake! How do you feel? I was so worried about you.", she said in relive.
"Okay, they removed that damn thing, but it still hurts like hell..." he replied a little weakly. Seeing Mary for the first time in her changed appearance, he added, "What happened to you? You look different. How do you feel?"
Mary gave him a brief update on the fight, her transformation and her new abilities. They chatted for several minutes until they were interrupted by a soldier, "Sorry to disturb you, but I must inform you that we cannot fly at night. The commander has decided to stay here overnight. Take-off is scheduled for tomorrow morning at zero six hundred".