Enid gently moved Daniel’s arm off of her and tugged on her long t-shirt. They’d shared dinner then shared bodily fluids. It’d been three days of her lulling him into a false sense of security. She’d need to be here in the morning to keep up the charade. She tapped her wristband and kept her voice low.

“He’s out. Are you sure this is going work? He’s cybered enough I think his asshole is made of chrome.”

There was a chuckle on the other end.

“Very funny. What now Kat?”

“Yes, it attacks his cybernetics and organics at the same time. Plug in the spike and I’ll get going.”

Enid pulled a wire out of Daniel’s forearm and connected the small black box a tiny green LED lit up.

“Good. Oooh. He has Alpha Grade security. Fun fun. Not patched though tsk tsk.”

Enid started poking through Daniel’s belongings while listening to Kat’s play by play. There were more curse words then she expected.

“Whew that was close his hardware almost called home. Stopped it. So I’ll just loop…oh my.”

“Kat you’re not old enough to be seeing that.”

“No, I am seriously not. But you could sell this.”

“No thank you, I’m happy not being a porn star.”

“Okay, basically I made a mashup of last night and tonight. How did you do that with bruised ribs.”

“Painfully. Now see if he has anything in there about Eyre. Then I’ll connect that box to his computer.”

“Don’t need to, he’s all linked up once I got into him, I got into his other devices. Hell he even has an access point to BMC’s servers.”

“Download everything.”

“Duh. Still have bandwidth concerns.”

“Then just write a quick worm to gobble anything up about vampires, werewolves, Eyre Aurelius, and Hazel Aurelius. Use those pictures I gave you to do facial recognition on any subjects.”

“I’ll never get the data out of there without a connection to their system.”

“You don’t need to. Just plant hiring forms for Bee and I, make up names and slap our faces on them. Alpha passes already assigned. Fuck I wish we’d run into this BMC shithead before that whole Alpha pass fiasco.”

“Well you wouldn’t know me then.”

“Under that lens it is worth the 2 million.”

“Okay. I modded my crawler and dropped it. It’ll seek out any info on your daughters, you, vampires, and werewolves. All you need to do is dope up your boyfriend and we can snag the data, or use these ID’s I made to get physical access for me and I can pull it out.”

Enid sat on the chair and looked at the sleeping Daniel. She wondered what a mortal woman would think. Was she strange for just being able to do this without a ping of guilt. She could just turn off the emotions and pretend to be into this man just to get him into a position where she could have a hacker violate the privacy of his stored memories.

“Done. You start work in two days. Daniel has just submitted an IT request to have you both hired. You are a geneticist. Bee is security. Both have xenobiology experience, along with vampire and werewolf experience.”

“How did you manage to get that in?”

“Oh, I attached fake resumes. There is something else.”

“What?”

“Daniel. He is here because he’s celebrating a big partnership.”

“Go on.”

Enid glanced at his unconscious form.

“His boss sent him. Apparently he managed to get them access for a xenobiology expedition to Alpha Centauri.”

“How? No way Amee lets them anywhere near it.”

“It is in partnership with…”

Enid heard Kat gasp over their connection.

“Aurelius Corporation. The board approved it the day Eyre’s transport was attacked.”

Enid punched the strange polymer desk.

“So this was never about Eyre or Hazel. Eyre knew what BMC was like, no way she would agree to it. Fuckers. Anything about Hazel.”

“Nothing. There are files I just don’t have access to off site. Maybe my crawlers and worms will find something.”

“Can you add a malicious payload?”

“What?”

“I want to wipe out their entire system.”

“Uh…you…there are people who depend on their cloned organs.”

Enid clinched her eyes shut.

“Fuck.”

“I can, but…people will die.”

Enid sighed.

“Forget it.”

“Can you get a copy of the expedition partnership agreement?”

“No. Daniel didn’t sign it. One of his subordinates did. Jacob Daln.”

“That’s interesting, yet Daniel got credit.”

“Daniel seemed resistant to sign onto this without meeting Eyre again. His journal says he didn’t trust it to survive her veto. Did not want to risk blow back, financial or otherwise.”

“Interesting. Can we get into Jacob’s files?”

“Not from here.”

Enid glanced back at Daniel.

“Mmmm.”

“What was that?”

“I was just pondering, if they are going to hang the attack on Daniel. Jacob being the… Fuckers. I need to make a call.”

Enid disconnected from Kat. She closed her eyes and tapped her wrist.

“Apollo I need a secure comm channel to Maria, Pluto Station.”

“Of course. Give me a few minutes.”

Enid waited.

“Connection confirmed secure Aunt Enid.”

Enid felt a wave of relief when she saw her sisters face appear before her. She looked different, not her hair, or her face. Just her whole posture. This was not the weak, and frankly Enid had considered her pathetic. No this was the Maria of Rome. In control.

“Sis. I Heard about Eyre and Hazel. I’m sorry. Do you know who did it? Fleet is standing by.”

“Its nice to see your face sis and hear your voice. But didn’t Amee ban…”

“Amee, Amee is a good politician. She does not understand our ways.”

“Like father used to say: blood for blood.”

“Blood for blood. What do you need from Enid?”

“I need…I need spies, the kind only you can provide. I need access to every single Aurelius board member’s communication.”

“Done.”

*****

Enid was dressed in a black corporate power suit and skirt. Bee was dressed similarly. They were riding in one of the tube transports from the planetary space port to the Corporate Sector. After breaching Corporate Sector security with Apollo and Kat’s help they were about to assume their identities as BMC employees. Enid glanced at Bee who seemed very calm. Enid was fairly calm being stuck as a mortal was not helping her be at peace with this. She couldn’t wear her armor. It would show up on scanners. Everything was in her pack. She felt fairly naked. Enid looked out the window of the tube car. The lights of the tube system lit up the area around it. They were travelling at a several hundred kilometers per hour. She could still make the crests of waves beneath them. It would seem Saturn cause tidal forces on Titan’s oceans.

“I do not understand why people would choose to live and work here. Its dark all the time and everything is so alien. That looks like an ocean of water but it is probably some organic soup.”

Bee glanced out the window.

“If you were born here this would be your idea of an ocean. Even pre-grey Earth would be alien everyone living on Earth…”

Enid sighed and nodded.

“Everywhere I look reminds me I do not belong in this time.”

Bee glanced around. They’d chosen to head in late to avoid the rush so the tube car was mostly deserted. She looked at Enid.

“What was it like to ride a horse in the open air and sun?”

“Like being free. There is this bond of trust with the right horse.”

“I wish I could see the Earth the way it was.”

Enid shrugged.

“When. I saw the heights of Rome and the depths of its shadows. I saw Europe grow from villagers scraping by to the industrial revolution, to the internet age. So many wars. So much death and so much hardship. I watched the black death ravage the countryside, mostly powerless. Not that I cared much about the mortals at that time. I was just glad to be free of my life as Lady Sarah. What I wouldn’t give now to have made a different decision and revealed myself to Eyre and her twin brother.”

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

“We will find Hazel and we will get her back.”

“But will she still be Hazel? It’s been almost two weeks.”

“We moved as quickly as we could given the tools at hand.”

“If I wasn’t stuck as a mortal how much quicker we could have moved.”

“Well its not your fault is it? Its not like you chose this. I cannot imagine why you would.”

“No I bet it was his doing.”

“Whose?”

“God’s. He knows my temper and decided to sideline me.”

“Yet you have antimatter weaponry.”

“Ah, he won’t take away choice. See there’s nothing special about that, no Atlantean magic. No ancient gods… He claims to be all about free will. Look at it like murder. What he’s done is make it, so I have to actively make a choice to press that button. Choose death over life. With my powers its not a choice is a reaction. No if I’m going to slaughter people, he wants to force it to be premeditated. It’s just like him.”

Bee glanced at Enid.

“God exists?”

“Of course, he fucking exists. He’s been screwing with the lives of his creations since the dawn of time. Free will, fuck no. More like free will until he nags you to do his fucking bidding.”

Bee touched her Dark Mother pendant.

“Your book says he’s your father.”

“He’s everyone’s father. He fucking made us.”

Enid waved her hand indicating she was done with this topic and looked back out the window the lights whipping by. The tube slanted downwards and under the water which was more like slush at this point. After several minutes of silence a calming female voice came over the tube car’s speakers.

“We are arriving at Corporate Sector station. Please have your Alpha Passes ready. Unlawful access will result in severe punishments and could lead to termination.”

Enid looked at Bee.

“Let’s hope these passes work.”

Bee chuckled.

“They just have to say that legally. Most of the time they just shove people back on the tube car.”

The tube car stopped and the pair got out. Unlike the graffiti covered station they’d started their trip on from the space port this one was pristine lights flashed green as they passed through some poles into the station proper and arrows marked their path towards another tube system. Bee went to one line without much hesitation and when the tube train arrived she motioned Enid to get on. This one travelled slower providing a nice ariel view of the city. Six lane super road were busy with traffic and other tubes wormed their way through what appeared to be a city of its own. Only this one had no houses. Just tall buildings showing corporate logos and what appeared to be apartment buildings or Condos. Each Corporate building was surrounded by a massive complex, each was a swarm of activity. The scale of operations here was staggering to Enid. The tube train gathered people as it wormed its way through the city. Eventually it announced Bio-Medical Corporation Titan campus. Bee and Enid stood up and left the train. They made their way out of the tube station and were greeted by a massive entryway. There was a front desk manned several women and security checkpoints to enter complex proper. Heavily armored and armed guards were here. The pair walked to the desk and showed their ID. A bored looking receptionist looked at it. She didn’t say a word to the pair and just tapped a spot on her desk.

“Two new hires at the front desk.”

She tapped her desk again and looked at the pair.

“Have a seat someone will be here soon.”

Enid and Bee looked around and saw what appeared to be a lounging area. The pair sat down. Bee was looking around the foyer. Her cybernetic eyes scanned each of the guards. Eventually she looked back at Enid.

“Security is pretty heavy.”

“You needed cybernetic eyes to tell you that?”

Bee chuckled.

“Yes and no. Guards are full conversion jobs. Probably strong enough to throw a hovertank.”

Enid nodded.

“Well we knew this place would be secure.”

“My point is, unless you suddenly become your old self, don’t make waves. I can’t protect you.”

“You’re worried I’m going to cause problems?”

“Yes. If your book tells me anything about you, its that sometimes you act before thinking.”

“You’d think the person that wrote it could have made me look like some master planner and strategist.”

Bee chuckled.

“Eyre used to tell stories about her mother and how exasperated she would get when she would just do something instead of planning it out, during company meetings. She would use you as an example of how to not behave.”

Enid shifted in her seat.

“If she were alive right now, I’d spank her for that.”

Bee laughed softly.

“I can just imagine you doing that.”

“There was a chunk of time there where we had to pretend she was my mother, because I looked so young when I was turned. It was almost unbearable.”

“Interesti-”

Bee cut herself off she noticed a woman approaching them. Bee and Enid both stood up and shook her hand. Age was hard to determine in the 29th century. Between cybernetics and organic replacements, that twenty-year-old girl could be eighty. Enid judged the woman by her body language and decided she was just the twenty something she appeared to be.

“Hello, I’m Allison. I’m going to start your orientation. You’re just here long enough to get your orientation and medical before you are allowed to go to your work site.”

“Oh yes. How long will the trip be there?”

“Oh, it won’t take long FTL travel and all.”

“What do I need to bring with me?”

“Oh well as I understand it for that particular location, you’ll need to bring six months of personal supplies. Though usually I suggest eight months, just in case of changes in your project requirements.”

Enid nodded.

“Now if you’ll follow me.”

Enid and Bee followed her. Enid tuned out most of the orientation that was provided as they rode the lifts and toured the complex. She was more interested in entrance and exit routes. Bee seemed to be doing the same as her. They finally arrived in an office. They were each handed a portal data terminal, a holo-phone and a holo-tablet.

“We prefer you do not use personal devices on site, especially where you’re heading. All research is classified. Please take some time to review the location you’ve been assigned too.”

Enid opened the computer and put earbuds in the video started with a BMC logo, with a much bigger M. It showed a large looking ship. Then the word Menagerie showed up on the screen. It started describing a black ops site for BMC where they were doing research on meta-human phenomenon. How the genetic research that was being done would extend human reach into the galaxy and eventually the universe. How the healing factor of vampires and werewolves would one day make death a thing of the past. Enid did her best to hide the frown. Same old BMC. She’d guessed right. Bee glanced at Enid who gave a small nod. After that and several other BMC orientation videos they were led to an office. The person behind the desk was Doctor Jacob Daln. Chief of xeno and near-human biology at BMC. He stood up and shook Enid’s hand vigorously.

“I couldn’t believe it when I saw your hiring papers cross my desk. We’ve been looking for a specialist like you for almost a decade Doctor Young. I bet your former employer is pissed we scooped you. I cannot wait to get you started. We just received a few new specimens recently of unique heritage.”

He glanced at Bee.

“We’ll get to that later. Welcome to you as well. Glad to have you on board. Our precious research subjects are quite dangerous we’re glad to have someone who has experience in dealing with them. I’ll let you two get back to your orientation. So many exciting things to come.”

Enid couldn’t help herself.

“Like your recent partnership with Aurelius to acquire a monopoly on the xenobiological research in Alpha Centauri?”

Jacob blinked at her for a moment. Bee glanced at Enid with a what the fuck look.

“How did you hear about that?”

“My former employer had eyes on the contract and I was involved in the viability research.”

“Oh interesting.”

“We were having challenges getting past Eyre Aurelius. She was very adamant about the sanctity of the pristine planet. How do you even manage it?”

“Oh…she left in the boards hands. Apparently, she’s taken a step back.”

Enid nodded. She didn’t need her gift to know that was a lie.

“Well, I’m glad I came to the winning side. I was hoping I could apply my genetics knowledge to exploring that planet as well.”

“Oh yes, of course. I see great things in your future here at BMC Dr. Young. I can’t imagine how we didn’t know you existed before this.”

“Probably my employers. They were afraid I would be head hunted.”

He smirked.

“Well it looks like their fears were warranted.”

“Well BMC knows how to make an offer.”

Enid shrugged.

“Well good luck on your orientation. I’ll see you off in a couple of weeks.”

*****

Enid sat on an old, faded table in front of Daniel’s unconscious form. For just over a week she had played the willing lover. She had enough evidence now to shatter the illusion. She flicked his nose until he stirred. He found his cybernetically enhanced arms bound by very strong binding. He looked around the abandoned apartment at the edge of the dark zone. She flicked his nose again and his wild eyes calmed when he saw her.

“Sarah, what’s going on? Where are we?”

“First off, name isn’t Sarah. Second off stop struggling you’ll break your shiny cybernetic arms.”

“What are you talking about?”

“My name is Enid Aurelius.”

Enid waited as confusion, recognition, then fear flitted through his fake face and eyes.

“No, she… she died. She’s… had red hair. Every Dark Mother book shows it.”

“Yea, shape changing is easy. Let’s focus on something else. Like how your golden boy Jacob had one of my daughter’s murdered and my other kidnapped.”

Daniel blinked at her the utter confusion on her face was as expected.

“Eyre Aurelius would never have let your partnership agreement go through with Aurelius Corp. The reason I know this is because she hated BMC as much as I do. Oh, the biblical retribution I want to unleash on your corporation would make for a new chapter in my holy book.”

Daniel started to struggle again. Enid pulled out her bolter and put it to his forehead.

“Don’t care how thick the armor in your skull is, point blank shot with a armor piercing bolt is going to put a quick end to you.”

He stopped struggling.

“What do you want from me?”

Enid put the index finger of her left hand on his lips.

“Shh. I’m making my case.”

“Go on.”

“You see Jacob arranged for an attack on a transport with the assistance of a couple of Aurelius board members. I have proof. Your problem is he’s planted evidence implicating you. And the problem both Aurelius and BMC have is that I now control majority stock and will cancel your shiny new deal. So right now you have a couple of options as I see them. Get fucked for murder of a member of the WTO board the deal Jacob hung around your neck gets fucked you’ll be fired and lose all of BMC’s nifty protections, or you help me find my daughter, tell BMC that you hired myself and my bodyguard under our false identities when someone asks you about us. We’ve already started there and let me tell you Jacob is drooling over having my alter ego working for BMC and under his direction. If you choose the last option, I’ll make sure Jacob gets implicated in the attack with the evidence I uncovered and as much as it pains me, I’ll let the deal with BMC go through without complaint.”

“You forgot one. I can report your bodyguard and you as corporate spies. Clear my own name.”

“Yes but then, I can launch a series of orbital strikes on BMC holdings, and also kill your deal. You see the problem is, my sister still has access to launch codes… Or if I want to go old school I can just pull them all down with my mind.”

His eyes went wide.

“I just don’t understand, you’re a vampire…you should just be able to mind control me to do what you want.”

“Yes, but Daniel, I like you. At first you were kind of an elitist prick but then I got to know you. So I’m giving you a choice. Free will and all that, choose wisely please.”

“But…I saw you get hurt.”

“I’ve been alive for three thousand years. I have gotten really good at pretending to be mortal.”

Enid spun a computer around and opened it to show the screen. It was a non-holo unit. More expensive but more secure.

“Display file brain dump 4-8-15.”

A video started to play. It showed Jacob talking to one of the Aurelius corp board members, the meeting was being recorded from the perspective of the other conspirator. They were discussing the removal of Daniel and Eyre as obstacles to the deal. Realization crossed Daniel’s eyes. Enid spoke again.

“Display ripped file 1-2-9-7.”

Enid stood behind the computer leaning on the faded desk. The video showed Daniel signing off on an attack on a transport in Earth orbit. Also had a conversation between him and the assault team. He instructed them to kill everyone on the shuttle, and make sure they took out Eyre’s heart. Daniel’s face filled with rage and he struggled against the binders.

“I’m going to fucking rip his nuts off. I’ll fucking kill his whole family.”

“Daniel. Stop straining your cybernetics please, I need you in one piece.”

Daniel looked up at Enid.

“I’m in just tell me Jacob dies and my hands stay clean.”

Enid’s currently ice blue eyes met his and she nodded.

“Blood for blood. It’s my family’s way.”

Enid tapped her wrist and waved her hand across the holo-display from her watch. The binders fell off. Daniel stood up and checked his wrists.

“Why didn’t you just come to me with this instead of kidnapping me?”

“Its my daughter’s life. I wasn’t taking any chances.”

“Yet you let me make my own choice.”

“I would have killed you if you hadn’t agreed. I just left that part out.”

“You say like that like you have no feelings towards me.”

“I’m a three-thousand-year-old vampire. Do you know how many mortals I’ve seen live and die? Your lives are meaningless too me. If you think the fact, we had sex means anything, it doesn’t. It’s just another weapon in my arsenal.”

Daniel looked at her and shook his head.

“You’re lying. You care. I can see it in your eyes. I saw it when you were teaching that girl to roast marshmallows. You love humanity. Just like your holy book says.”

Enid shook her head and looked to the computer closing the lid. Daniel watched her for a several moments then spoke again.

“What now?”

“You go back to your life. You pretend everything is okay, that Jacob is your best friend. When he speaks to you about Dr. Sarah Young you tell him the mostly truth. You seduced me with a great offer and great sex.”

Daniel looked at her.

“Really?”

“I didn’t say I didn’t enjoy the sex.”

Daniel chuckled.