Enid put her feet up on her desk and leaned back in her chair. She looked up at the clear winter sky. The moon was full and bathed their back yard in pale light, which reflected back causing the whole area to glow. The moon’s light was hiding most of the stars. She wiggled her toes. How many full moons had she seen in her lifetime? The fact that humans had visited it was a miracle on its own. She’d watched that on the television when it happened. Even her dislike of technology at the time didn’t stop her from wanting to experience it.

Enid Aurelius, Astronaut.

She had the piloting experience. Could she exist outside of the earth? Was her immortality tied to it? Could she travel to other planets? Could she sleep the long sleep and would she wake up on the other end even a million years down the road. What would she do for blood? She sighed up at the moon.

The boredom of two thousand years gets weighty sometimes.

The lights in her office flashed on blinding her momentarily and Violet and Eyre started talking immediately. She couldn’t make out what either one was saying because they were each waving a tablet in her direction. She growled.

“One at a time.”

Eyre handed Enid her tablet. Enid was met with a video from some sort of accident scene. There were smashed police cars and downed powerlines. It was chaos, the camera focused on a large man who stood bare chested amid the snowy steps of a bank downtown Edmonton. Enid recognized it immediately her friends had dragged her past it so many times. The man pounded his chest and tore a lamp post out and threw it at several police officers who scattered. It crushed one of their police SUV’s and it burst into flames. The police fired at him; The bullets seemed to do nothing. He laughed.

What the fuck?

“When did this happen?”

“It’s happening now, that’s a live stream. What is that thing mom?”

“I don’t know, demon?”

“We have to do something.”

“No, we really don’t.”

“Mom, you’re a Seer and the Empress it’s your job to protect the covenants.”

“And how exactly is me showing up and fighting it on camera going to help with that? Besides what am I going to do, he’s literally immune to bullets, I can’t even claim that.”

“Use your sword.”

“Same point: how is me showing up with my sword and killing it going to fix this mess? It is literally all over the internet already. Besides fuck the mortals. If they wanted me help maybe they shouldn’t have shot me and tried to send me to prison.”

“Mom, you know that’s not right.”

“Why don’t you go deal with it then?”

“Because neither of is as strong nor as good a fighter as you are.”

“And you never will be until you fight.”

“Mom, he threw a car.”

“So, what, you can too.”

“Well, no, I can’t.”

“Did you not learn how to use that power?”

“No.”

Enid sighed and tossed the tablet back at Eyre.

“You’re not going to leave me alone until I go deal with this shit, are you?”

“No.”

“Kids. Violet be glad you can’t have any. This is going to blow my cover.”

Violet perked up and spoke.

“Wear a disguise, like you know, a superhero.”

“That’s all great in the comics but do you know what happens to clothes when you’re fighting things like that or us, they get torn and shredded, they fall off. Boobs flap around faces get revealed. Umm. Actually…the armor. Eyre get my pack please.”

Enid started pulling off her clothes. She cracked her neck and stretched. Eyre returned with the Atlantean pack and Enid dug through it. She pulled out Bloodseeker, Violet took a step back from the sword. She could sense the darkness within the blade with her gift. Eyre was used to it so didn’t react the same way though she did give it a weary glance.

“What is that?”

“Bloodseeker.”

“But what is it?”

“Its an evil intelligence that was created to destroy souls.”

“Why do you have it?”

“Because it’s my sword.”

Violet looked appalled.

“Look kid, there are certain things in this world that shouldn’t exist, and the only thing that can destroy them is this sword. So, you can be judgmental all you want, but it is what it is. Sometimes to kill monsters you need a monster.”

Enid pulled out the Atlantean armor Mariana had given her the night before the battle with the Black Son. She pulled the pants and top on solid black metallic plates started to form over her calves and thighs. Then her wrists and shoulders and chest. She moved in it. It was light. If she hadn’t watched Mariana take several sword blows without seeming to feel them she’d think it was useless.

“What is that?”

“Atlantean armor.”

“It doesn’t look like it’s going to do much.”

“Punch me as hard as you can.”

Violet hesitated.

“Punch me or I’ll punch you.”

Violet wound up and punched she went flying back into the wall with the same force had struck Enid the check plate dented slightly then popped back out. Violet picked herself up.

“Jesus.”

“I think the term you’re looking for is reflective kinetic plating.”

“How long have you had that mom?”

“A couple thousand years.”

“And you’ve never used it?”

“Only when riding a motorcycle, or going on dangerous hunts, why else would I?”

Eyre blinked at her mother.

“I donno when a demon showed up and shredded you? Or all those fights in Japan, or when you got shot by assassins in our castle? Or I donno whenever you go out in the sun? Or or, that time that vampire was going to nuke London?”

“It’s a crutch, the only reason I’m using it tonight is that it is more likely to survive this fight then my clothes are so I should be able to hide who I am.”

“You are strange mom.”

“You’re just finding this out now?”

Eyre shook her head and crossed her arms. Enid bunched her hair up and pulled the helmet on. She slid Bloodseeker in sheath that formed on the back of the chest plate. She went out the newly replaced back door and leapt into the air. Violet looked at Eyre.

“Wait, she can fly?”

“Yes, so can I, but I hate heights.”

“How do you find out you can fly?”

“I don’t know how she found out, but for me she pushed me off of Telus towers in 1985. It was a poor first experience.”

Violet gasped and shook her head then looked back at Enid’s rapidly vanishing form. Within five minutes Enid showed up on Eyre’s tablet. The cameras moved upwards one at a time and followed her to a solid landing and walking towards the command center for the police.

Enid approached the rear police command vehicle the crowd and the police officers all stared at her as she approached there were several camera flashes, but her suit’s helmet suppressed them. On the helmet there were running turquoise Atlantean words. She couldn’t really catch most of it her understanding was rudimentary, and it took her a long time to translate it still. She looked up at closet police officer.

“You have a problem; I am the solution. I only have one question: Do you want it alive?”

The officer blinked at her, and wordlessly knocked on the door of the police command vehicle yelling while he kept staring at Enid.

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“Hey chief! There’s someone out here to see you.”

A man opened the door and stepped out.

“I told the press no…”

He stopped speaking and looked Enid up and down.

“This location is out of bounds to civilians, leave before we arrest you.”

“Arrest me? Let’s try that, it sounds fun. I mean I’m more than a match for that thing over there throwing cars, you’re doing so great against him, I can only imagine how you’ll do against me.”

Enid reached behind her and lifted up the front of a police SUV. There were gasps in the crowd outside the police barrier. The chief took swallowed hard. Enid let the SUV down gently.

“But hey if you don’t want my help, I’m out of here.”

Enid slowly lifted off the ground.

“Wait.”

Enid lowered herself and hovered just above the ground.

“Yes?”

“Are you qualified for this at all?”

“I am a fully trained officer of the law and former soldier. I just can’t show you who I am, for obvious reasons.”

“Can you subdue him?”

“I honestly don’t know if I can knock him out. He’s immune to bullets he might be immune to punches. I know I can kill him, but if you want to try and take him alive that is a whole different thing. I’m not sure how you’d contain it…him even if I could subdue him.”

She glanced over at an unmarked armored vehicle.

“We have that covered already; We need to subdue him first.”

“Okay I can give it a shot.”

Enid looked around at the people and the buildings most of which were unscathed.

“This kind of strength, we’re going to break things. You understand that?”

“We’d appreciate it if you can contain the damage.”

“Okay, I will give it two attempts, if I can’t do it, I will move him to that thirty-foot-deep pit for the new building down Jasper. I can keep him busy for twenty or thirty minutes, but my suit will run out of power by then and after that I have no idea how I will do against him. If I have to move him it means you need another plan to knock him out. I would suggest Sevoflurane or Halothane get me four canisters and a way to vaporize it. They are normal anesthetics you should be able to get them from Royal Alex or university hospital. Failing that my sword will kill him, and it won’t be pretty you don’t want that on camera.”

“Okay, you got it…what’s your name?”

“That’s not important, just know I’ve done this before, multiple times.”

Enid leaped up in the air and landed in front of the man. He hit his chest.

“You want some of this bitch?”

“Look, you made your point, the police know you can kick their asses, it’s time to sit down and let them take you in. If you have to fight me it’s not going to go well for you.”

“You’re tiny.”

“It’s your, choice, come peacefully, unconscious, or in a body bag. I’d prefer the later, but the police seem to think your life has meaning.”

Enid inspected him. He was some form of indigenous individual based on face and skin color. Also, the tattoos. He was dressed gangster style.

“You white men, think you still own this land, but the spirts are with me now. You can’t stop me.”

“This has nothing to do with your race or spirits. If it’s anything it’s a literal demon. Surrender.”

He seemed to have enough and reached back and punched. Enid let him hit her she went flying back and took out a lamp post then a police car. She basically cut it in half. She pushed the halves apart. Her armor’s chest plate had a dent in it, she wasn’t breathing so it didn’t impact her much besides being uncomfortable. A police officer was trying to help her, and she held up her hand standing up she dusted herself up and looked to see where he’d ended up he was in the far end of the bank impacted into a wall. He was trying to get himself up but was wobbling. Enid started to run and lifted into the air and hit him with two fists in the chest. She smashed him into the wall again he became twisted in rebar. One piece was through his stomach.

Apparently he can be hurt just needs strength like his own.

“I told you how this would end. Stay down.”

He pulled himself out of the wall and Enid grabbed him by his arm and threw him into the street he skidded along the pavement and struggled to get up. Enid flew to him and put her foot on his back.

“Stay down!”

He struggled against her and managed to stand up flipping her backwards she went flying and bounced along the ground. He staggered towards her. Enid stood up and started chanting. Electricity from a fallen power line and fire from the various burning vehicles gathered into her hands he started running her and she released the ball of energy and it hit him in the chest he screamed and went flying backwards doing more damage to the already mostly destroyed car. His clothes were on fire and he was screaming pounding himself trying to put it out. He stopped and rolled and stood up, singed with a few burn marks but not enough damage to stop him. He roared and charged. Enid moved reaching out her leg and he went skidding along the pavement tearing it up and breaking the brick wall of the building his head hit. He wobbled and was trying to lift himself. Enid looked in the police chief’s direction and shook her head and held up four fingers. She flew over to the man and grabbed him in a full nelson or as much of one as she could manage with her lack of size and his girth. He struggled against her, and she yelled over the wind.

“You really want to fall from here? That would make my job easier, so keep struggling.”

He stopped struggling.

Wait, if I fly high enough the oxygen will thin and he’ll be unconscious. Might die from hypothermia. Boo. So much easier when I can just kill them.

She dropped him in the snow at the bottom of the pit.

“You’re lucky they want you alive. This would have been over with already.”

“I’m tired of you white men putting us down. I’m going to kill you then take back our land.”

“You know there were white people displaced by white people, right? The Romans were doing it thousands of years ago, know how we dealt with it? We got over it. Jesus. Give a mortal a tiny bit of power they think they can change the world.”

He struggled to get up his hands and knees slipping in the ice from the recent melt freeze cycle.

“I will.”

“You won’t. That’s now it how it works kid.”

“I’m not a kid.”

“You look like you’re barely eighteen. You sound like you’re twelve. You have no idea how the world works. You have no idea what happened to you. There are only a few ways you get this kind of power: possession, someone turns you, or someone has invented something I’m not aware of, any of the above, you’re a tool to someone somewhere, and tools do what they’re told.”

He struggled to his feet and jumped at her she side stepped him.

“Just stay down, you aren’t going anywhere, it’s over now.”

“Why do you care?”

He his hands slipped, and he landed hard face first and lay there.

“Usually, I couldn’t give a shit what anyone does, but you went and showed the world you could throw a car. They’ve been happily unaware that people like us have been around since the dawn of time. Then you go making an ass out of yourself on live streams. Now the world knows and now you made my life a lot harder. So basically, you fucked me and my kind. Usually, I would have just stabbed and you and watcedh you die as my sword drains your blood then your soul.”

“Why didn’t you?”

She could hear his breathing calming down.

He’s catching his breath. Oh well.

“Because my sister would be upset with me.”

“That’s it?”

“That’s it, I was hoping the police would just ask me to end you, but no they want you alive so here we are, I have no excuse for killing you, it would be like murder, I mean I could say it was self-defense but we both know you’re not a threat to me. We also both know you aren’t getting out of this pit on your own. The walls are icy, you’re injured and I’m going to toss your ass back down if you try.”

“You are cold.”

“No, I’m a realist. I have seen people like you rise up time and again, and every time one of the Reapers puts you down like a dog and covers up the mess. But you’ve gone and ruined that now, haven’t you? I suppose we could spin it, but really the damage is done.”

“Let me go then.”

“No, you obviously can’t behave yourself.”

He growled and dug his hands into the ice and pulled himself up.

“You’re going to get me out of here or I’m going to beat you into a pulp.”

“Go ahead punch me, I really want to see how far you can really fly. That’s if you can even hit me.”

He glared at her, fists clenched.

“Who are you?”

“I am a reaper, keeper over the covenants.”

“I didn’t agree to anything like that!”

“Oh, you don’t have to, they apply to everyone by order of my father the emperor. And now the Empress.”

“What are you even talking about?”

“Nothing you would understand. Know that I hold you no malice, this is just the way it is.”

“Why haven’t you used all this power you have to change the world?”

“It is not my place to interfere with the world of the mortals unless they interfere with my world. Being able to throw a car does not change the world. Being able to pressure politicians and corporations does, used to be the churches and kings, this, what you have? It’s nothing compared to what I can do with a single phone call. That kind of power takes generations to build up, and money. You have neither. You could have done small things to help, kept yourself hidden, away from prying eyes, but you did not, you had to make a political statement.”

Enid shook her head as she saw him starting to charge this time, she sides stepped and punched him in the face as he passed using her strength and his speed he went down on his back and skidded along the ice into another one of the icy walls of the pit. She could see blood coming from his nose, he was holding it.

“How are you hurting me?”

“I’m as strong as you are, you really thought you were invulnerable?”

He struggled to get up and ended up sitting against the wall. He was starting to shiver.

“I didn’t have to fight you, I could have just found out who your family was and threatened people you care about with all manner of nasty things, and what could you have done? You wouldn’t even know who I was, or where I was. You don’t think someone’s going to hold them over you? In the old days your life, and their lives and anyone who witnessed your idiocy would be dead, records wiped from existence. You have no idea the forces you’re fucking with. I had to make it obvious someone was doing something, or you would have disappeared and anyone you know would have too. There are corporations out there that would love to get their hands on your juicy blood and bits see what makes you tick. And to be honest that’s probably what is going to happen, and I can’t do anything about it, you showed your face, they know who you are, I could let you go, hide you, but it would be useless because you would not know enough to keep your ass hidden. The only thing I’ve done for you at this point is made it obvious there are others out there and they can’t fuck around too much. So maybe the people you care about will be safe. In fact, I’d lay bets they want to try and capture me too. Hell, they already cloned me, badly.”

“You know they’re going to give me to them and you’re doing this anyway?”

“If I don’t they will get you anyway. The only way you make it out of this free is dead.”

“That makes no sense.”

“I kill you, or they take you, they’ll find a way even without me.”

“How does me dying make me free?”

“Well, if my sword doesn’t obliterate your soul, you’ll go on to whatever, and be free.”

Enid heard a helicopter in the distance.

“Well your time is up my friend.”

“No, I won’t go with them.”

“It’s already out of your hands, you were finished the minute we got down here, I thought we were going to spend it punching each other in the face, so thank you for that, but you’re going to go to sleep and wake up elsewhere.”

He tried to stand up again and fell down, she saw something drop out of the helicopter and explode between the pair and gas filled the area. Enid made sure he went out. Several armored men dropped from the helicopter they had high powered assault weapons. They were pointed at her and not him.

“Time for you to surrender now.”

Enid rolled her eyes and slowed the flow of time around her and flew off. She released time and wrapped the night around herself and made her way home.

Knew they were going to try that shit.

She entered the house and flickered into existence behind Violet and Eyre. She pulled off her mask.

“He’s alive, and they tried to grab me too, idiots.”

“Who?”

“It wasn’t the police, they don’t have hardware like that.”

“We’ll figure it out mom, look you made a splash online!”

“So now I’m going viral.”

“Not only that but someone’s identified your sword.”

“Really?”

“Yes, they recognize it as a replica of Saint Sarah’s”

Enid peeled off the armor and laid it out on her desk.

“I hate the internet.”

“Aww Mom, don’t be like that. No one is saying anything about vampires. They are guessing mutants, government conspiracies, ect.”

Enid collapsed on her chair and fluffed out her twisted hair.

“He was strong, stronger than anything I’ve run into, except that demon. Wasn’t a vampire, wasn’t a werewolf, and he was all human. Armor didn’t see anything magical about him.”