Chapter 142: Interlude Twenty-Four: Maria - Holy Overdose?

A blazing heat radiated against Maria’s skin as she floated through space, pulling her mind into the hot summer days of her neighborhood. The warm face of a dark-haired lady brought her into her childhood, Lita making homemade tortillas and cooking chicken on the grill. The pineapple scent of freshly made chicha de piña in the background.

"Hermana?"

Her little brother’s voice lifted her out of the Cuban music she hated as a kid; now it was so nostalgic, bringing back all the hot summer nights when everyone on the block would get together, partying until the sun came up.

Eyes cracking open to a flare of light, Maria was a little surprised at how little it bothered her as the world cleared and the sound of the city came into focus. Taking a deep breath, she let it go as her brother’s dorky face overshadowed her. Everything was a jumbled mess, but nothing hurt.

"Hermana?! Should I get the nurse?"

She stretched out on the hospital bed, glancing around the roof of what she assumed was the same building she’d been using to earn a bit of extra cash for Zarita’s medical bills.

Abruptly, the memories of the night she’d been taken by Daran flooded back, and Maria eased her head back, realizing how insane it was that she was here right now; the Colombian Cartel basically ran Miami and, apparently, had it out for her ass, yet Relica had destroyed her whole organization, throwing the Colombian Cartel into a hot mess.

The last thing she remembered was Relica exploding Terrell and his sons in fountains of gore that was so visceral that she wanted to vomit. If that wasn’t enough, the hellspawn threatened the same end to dozens upon dozens of innocent kids, two of whom she knew from Little Havana.

"None of it makes a damn sense," she mumbled in Spanish, holding her arm over her eyes with a groan and trying to make sense of the jumbled information in her brain. "Why would Relica dismantle her own organization? What the hell is happenin’ ta Miami? Ugh. Where am I?"

"Uh, what was that?" her brother nervously asked. "You aren’t hurt, right?! I’ll go get—"

"Mmgm. Chill, bro. Damn, what happened? And why the hell am I on the roof?"

Her brother’s worry melted away. "They said you’d heal faster if you stayed outside, under the open sky, or something like that. I had to bring you inside when it rained yesterday, but you feeling good? Nothing hurts?"

Scratching her nose, Maria yawned again, smacking her lips. She didn’t feel threatened as she frowned, sweeping her appearance to see her clothes had been changed to a hospital gown; it was the snap-on kind, which was better than the tie ones she’d had as a kid.

Maria’s foggy brain was gradually working up to speed as she noted there was no blanket on her, which made sense since they left her to bask in the overhead sun; thanks to that, though, she was fully topped off on Lunar and Solar Energy. All her limbs were in place. No issues she could sense, other than the trip of waking up in a weird place. Everything was cool.

"Right," she mumbled, relaxing and rubbing her head as she saw one of the military guys sitting under a tent to escape the heat; his name was Roy, if she remembered right. "I’m a celestial unicorn, huh? Shit. Yo, what’s up, homie? All the kids get out?"

Roy lowered a walkie-talkie, reporting that she’d woken up. He spoke in reasonably fluent Spanish. "Welcome back, and yeah, there are a few kids still missing, but all the ones you went to save got out safely. People are looking for the missing ones; there’s some fear of trafficking changed children."

He flashed a smile. "If you’re asking about what happened when you fell on your face, we were able to come in and save everyone from burning alive in that building shortly after you all dropped like flies."

"Damn. Thank God." Maria looked up at the clear blue sky of the noonday sun. It didn’t hurt to look at the blazing orb; in fact, it was pretty and comforting. "I can’t remember anything after running into that shit storm... Wait. The freak happened to that devil niña conejita the hare brought back?"

"Rachel?" Roy asked, moving a chair over to sit beside her bed. "I’ve heard reports about her bringing back a kid from that quest, but we don’t have the details yet. Well, other than wanting to start a private military company. It’s been three days, and you’re the first one to wake up."

"The hell?!" Maria jolted up. "Three days, my ass! Aye, Felix, how’s the crew—what’s goin’ on?"

Her brother held up his hands to calm her down, forcing a laugh. "Chill, hermana. It’s cool. Everyone wants to throw a party when you get back, ya know. Elena’s been calling me, like...every hour to check up on you, and Zarita is pissed they’re not letting anyone in."

It was a lie, but the part that triggered her weird detection sense came from the part about calling every hour. Maria puffed out a long sigh while thinking about the Cuban immigrant who was like her second mother.

"Shit. La anciana shouldn’t be worried about me; she knows what I’m about. Aye, hermanito, grab my stuff. Alejandro still here?"

"I got it right here, and, hah, no one’s gonna touch..."

Roy cleared his throat. "Ahem. Hey, Maria..."

"What’s up?" Maria grunted in annoyance, swinging her legs off the bed and taking the bag from her brother to scan its contents. "I’m busy, my dude. I got people to look after, ya know?"

She first plucked out the rosary Lita had given her, making a cross over her chest by touching her forehead, heart, and both shoulders. She kissed the silver metal piece, thanking the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost for supporting her.

"About that," Roy said, stretching out and looking down at her as she slipped on some sandals by the bed. "How do you feel? Can you check on a few people before you split? And, eh, the lieutenant would like someone to accompany you since you still need to be debriefed."