413 Little Imp 2

So far everything was going according to her plan. Her little nanos were making great process at identifying the problem in the cells and helping them to relieve the burden that is the infection.

With her pups quickly getting to work, Mika slowly pull herself from the tree.

Now that all her force wasn't on her nanos, she could sense everything that was going on around her and that's when she felt a presence sneaky up behind her.

She didn't know who or what it was, but she didn't care.

Cautiously, Mika acted as if she hadn't notice anything strange happening behind her. When she felt the presence was close enough to her, Mika spun around and threw a fire ball at the intruder.

"Argh!" Mano jumped aside while sucking in Mika's fireball into his body.

His body glowed greenish blue for a brief time before smoke left his mouth and nose.

With her fireball being eaten and her father standing angrily in front of her. Mika put two and two together and realize the presence she felt behind her was her father; and the person she just attacked also happens to be her father.

Damnit….

Mano never thought that his youngest daughter would attack him with a fireball, especially since he was only trying to help her.

"Mikaela, you threw a fireball at your father... Why would you do that?" Mano dusted off his robe as he confronted his youngest daughter.

"I didn't know it was you behind me, dad...my bad." Mika said somewhat apologetically.

"Your bad!?" Mano shouted, taken aback by her daughter casual apology, "...Is that how you apologize after nearly burning your father!"

"...but technically I didn't burn you…" She pointed out, driving him to get angry even further. "Plus, you were the one who snuck up behind me..."

"That is not the point Mikaela!" Mano huffed before looking at his daughter from head to toes.

Mika notice his scrutiny and began to feel self-conscious. Examining her clothes, she wondered what was wrong.

"Mikaela, how did you get in here?" Mano thought she used some special gear to break in, but the only thing his daughter had on her was a backpack.

"Um...through the gate…" Like I'm really going to tell you I hacked your security system, bypassed  the guards and jumped the wall.

"Really?... The guards never said anything about you entering the farm when I arrived today." He questioned, not believing her answer one bit.

"Hmph...then I think you should give those guards a talking to. They are serious slacking on the job." Mika quickly threw the household guards under the bus. "They need better training."

The guards standing at the orchards' gate, shuddered, feeling like a chill came over their bodies.

Mika didn't feel what she was saying was black-hearted, fir the house guards were really lacking in their surveillance. She should not be able to break into the family's orchards twice in a row and not get caught.

Truthfully, dad I'm doing you a favor by pointing out the faults in your men capabilites. She smiled confidently after thinking about it.

Mano and Mikaela stared at one another knowing the other was lying and the other knew it.

"Fine..." Mano shook his head. He couldn't deny that the guards were slack off on their job.

From now on, thanks in huge part to Mika, the household guards went under grueling training to fix their faults.

Mano looked at the tree than his daughter "...Then tell me, Mikaela, what were you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same question…" She posed with her hands on her hips.

"No, you can't!"

"Well...I mean, I could...I just choose not to…" Mikaela muttered, dropping her hands from her waist.

"I want an answer now, Mikaela."

"I was taking a walk in the orchards..."

"Then what was all that stuff you just did." He pointed at the scorched ground and then at the tree.

"You were watching me…?" Was I the air affecting me that much that I could not realize he was there?

"Yes, I thought you were in trouble...never thought that my daughter has so many skills under her belt." Spotting her backpack on ground, Mano walked over to look inside.

"Dad, what are you doing!?" Mika ran to halt his actions.

"Why? Is there something in this bag I can't look at…?"

"No, it just.... you shouldn't go looking in a woman's bag without her permission."

"Oh, and why is that?"

"...because there are things inside that are not meant for mixed company to see…" Mika blushed, hinting at female personal items.

"Mika, I have many wives and four daughters, do you really think I hadn't seen such things before." Ignoring her protest, Mano opened to bag.

What was inside shocked him even more than personal female products. Inside her backpack, were vials of samples she had taken from the trees and test tubes.

"Mikaela, what the hell is all this?" He pulled out a couple of vials.

"Whaaat...how did that get in there? There must be some mistake, that is not my bag…"

"Your name is embroider on the flap." Mano flip the side to show Mikaela her name embroider nicely inside.

Damnit, Pia!

"Mikaela, these trees are not a game, especially these infected ones! We don't know how sick they can make a person and your here walking around extracting honey and other things from them…"

"I know they are not a game, and I'm not playing around..."

"Then what were you doing?"

"Sigh...I'm trying to figure out what is wrong with them." Mika held her head, "The vials in your hands are samples I have been collecting to analyze the trees problem."

"Scientists have already looked into that and found nothing."

"Yes... but I might've have found something."

"You have... What have you found?" Mano looked down at vials in his hands.

"... The trees are experiencing a poison that is making their cells unable to work properly, resulting in them dying, hence the rotten trees." Mika explained simply.

"....and you found this out yourself?" Mano stare at his daughter.

"Yes."Mika nodded her head, and carefully took her backpack from his hands.

"Wait...does your mother know about this?"

"No?"

"Why does this seem like your asking a question rather than answering one." Mano sighed.