Hazel was shocked when out of nowhere she felt fingers pinch around her ear. As far as she knew no one could see her. She tried to look who had caught her but the pinch hurt too much.

“I give up.”

The pinch released and when she turned around it was her Aunt Maria. Who had her arms crossed and was looking up at the six foot tall teenager.

“You are in a lot of trouble young lady.”

“How did you see me?”

“You do realize I am a necromancer who talks to ghosts, right? The dead have eyes everywhere. You have school in five hours, if I had a ship heading back to Earth you would be on it, in binders. With a security detail who would escort you to class. As it is you are going to sit in a holding cell while your mom and I finish our chat.”

Maria snapped her fingers and a full station security team of seven showed up. One of them approached Hazel and put binders on her wrists.

“Aunt Maria, you don’t hav-”

“Article 8-1: Unlawful access to System Alliance military facility, minimum sentence, six months, three counts, consecutive sentences. Article 8-6: Unlawful access to System Alliance warship, minimum sentence, three years. And that is just off the top of my head kiddo, I sure I could find several other charges.”

Maria motioned to a hallway that would lead to the brig.

“Make sure she gets something to eat Petty Officer.”

“Aye Ma’am.”

Hazel kept looking back at her Aunt with pleading eyes, but her attempts seemed to have no effect. Maria shook her head and went down another hallway that led to her quarters. Enid was drinking a synth-o and looking out at one of the long cargo ships entering the wormhole to one of the colony worlds. She glanced back at her sister.

“Found her?”

“Yes, I wonder where she got her attitude towards rules from?”

“Not from me, you know I always follow rules.”

Maria laughed.

“As if.”

Enid took a drink of synthetic blood and shook her head.

“We got into so much trouble as kids.”

“Yes, and it would see your daughter inherited your rebellious streak.”

“Where is she?”

“In the brig, where else.”

“You don’t have to do that, she just came to try and keep me safe.”

“I know that, but she has to learn there are consequences for her actions. A lesson I failed to learn until it was too late. Whether there was a good reason or not.”

“She was raised in a village in Gaul and raided with Vikings. You cannot expect her to suddenly follow all these new laws.”

“You and I grew up in Rome with a powerful father. We could get away with anything we wanted, and with the exception of your recent behavior, we have followed the laws of the future fairly well.”

“Yes but we had centuries to get accustomed to them as they were slowly created.”

Maria waved her hand dismissively.

“I am not going to throw her in a military prison. I am just going to make her sweat a bit and keep her out of your way until you can use the gateway. All things being equal, you can deal with a few demons, I bring you back and she has only been in there for half an hour. Where were we?”

“You were saying bad Enid, bad Enid. Because I ended a few vampire and mortal lives.”

“Yes. Enid, there are other methods of handling situations like this that do not involve breaking so many laws you crash the System Alliance Justice system when they try to build a list.”

“They killed my daughter; Gaius was coming after you.”

“Gaius, he was not even on the list. Do you know the hoops I had to jump through to conceal the fact you launched unauthorized weapons of mass destruction in the solar system? A council member, and fifteen vampires, three hundred mortals. Enid you need to stop and think.”

“I will never apologize for bringing people to justice for harming my family.”

“Enid, you are the Empress. You have people to do that for you. You are not a Reaper.”

“Now the vampires know the cost of coming after my loved ones. They will reconsider their actions.”

“And the example you set was, the System Alliance government and laws are meaningless to immortals. You always do this, you never stop to think about how your actions will impact everyone else. Eyre and I spent the last month trying to keep Amee stable after you broke her heart. She is the leader of a three hundred million people. They depend on her, and the System Alliance to keep them safe, keep the corporations in line, to make sure the oxygen, water and food keep flowing. Did you even stop to think?”

“No, I did what I always do, I took direct and effective action to make the people who hurt me and mine pay. I didn’t not have time for a fucking binding resolution from the System Alliance board condemning their actions.”

“Enid, you assassinated the vice president of the System Alliance.”

“He is the one who told Gaius where to find us. He wanted Amee dead. This was a coup by Gaius, by the Vice President and by several…Children of Lilith. I saved the System Alliance. They would have tried again. And the thanks I get is one of my Seers on trial.”

“Agatha is sacrificing herself for you because you are the Empress, it is her duty. You have a duty to your people as Empress, but you forgot it. Agatha did not forget hers. And the System Alliance has to punish someone or there will be anarchy. Isis and Agatha saved you and saved the System Alliance.”

“I would do it again.”

“And that is the problem. Enid I will always have your back, but you need to stop and act like the ruler of people, instead of the lone wolf my apparent death and Lucius’s betrayal taught you to be.”

“Did you stop and think when you created the Black Legion?”

“No, and look where that got me, almost two thousand years of imprisonment and nearly losing myself.”

Enid threw her empty synth-o bottle in the recycling receptacle. It smashed and the shattered glass fell down the hole.

“Do you feel better?”

“No.”

“Your problem is you feel emotions so deeply. When you love, you love absolutely. When you are angry it blinds you to anything else. You feel grief so profoundly you cannot think of anything else. And if the glacier and the ship are any indication of your growing power you are a ticking world ending time bomb. You are one more bad day from becoming the Black Son.”

Enid stared at her sister.

“It must be so easy to judge me from your high horse floating on this space station, cutting yourself off from an actual life. You haven’t felt a child growing in you for three thousand years. Miko? If I was mortal, I’d still have the stretch marks. Your children died of old age three thousand years ago. My daughter was taken from me. Stolen just when I was getting to know who she would be as a person. Until you have lost a child by violence had, her die in your arms you can fuck off you judgmental cunt.”

Maria blinked at her sister. Enid had never used such a tone with her. Enid had blood tears on her cheeks.

“Enid you cannot go to the past like this.”

“You either send me to the past, or I will find something to take my anger out on here.”

Maria tried to grab her sister’s arms, but Enid shoved her away.

“I don’t need your permission I have lots of father’s blood; I have your ritual and I have enough components for multiple jumps. All you’re doing is making sure I get another free trip to the past. So help me or don’t. If I stay here, you’re all at risk, and I will keep hurting people.”

“So, you are going to run away to the past and avoid the consequences of your actions? What do you think can fix this?”

“If I could go back and save Miko’s life, I would, but neither of us have that kind of control. The only one who did was Lilith and she’s gone because wasted her life saving me. At least according to you. I’m a world ending time bomb. So no, I’m going back to kill fallen angels, and maybe one day God will let me rest, or maybe one day I’ll get to stab him in the face with Lucius as a fuck you for killing my baby girl to teach me a lesson.”

“Killing God? Do you hear yourself?”

“He is the only bastard that is alive that had anything to do with it.”

“You know who you sound like?”

“I’m done with this.”

Enid pushed her sister out of the way and stormed out of the room. She went to the Pluto observation window and paced for what seemed like forever. Once she had calmed enough she walked to the brig where she found Hazel sitting cross legged on the floor bereft of her ever present holo-tablet. She looked up at Enid and stood up.

“Mom you gotta get me out of here. Aunt Maria is crazy.”

“I happen to be in agreement with your Aunt Maria on this point. You should be on Earth, sleeping and getting ready for school. You know how many laws you broke?”

“Oh, what? You broke enough laws that you had the entire System Alliance looking for you. Pot kettle mom!”

“You’re going to stay there until your Aunt Maria decides to let you out. Think about what you’ve done wrong.”

“You can’t go without me mom.”

“I can, I am, so get comfortable kiddo.”

Hazel punched the force field and immediately regrated it as she went flying backwards.

“Feel free to do that again. Since I can’t spank you at the moment, it seems to be doing a decent job.”

“Mom you can’t do this alone. I know you’re upset about Miko but you can’t go alone. I’m not two I can defend myself.”

Enid shook her head.

“Go home Hazel, go to school, forget all the nonsense I taught you about fighting. I’m not going to lose another daughter.”

“If you go without me, you will.”

Enid had turned away and paused by the exit.

“At least you’ll be alive. I love you.”

“Mom!”

Enid left the room and Hazel punched the force field again. Enid made her way to Maria’s quarters again. Her sister had her pack, armor and Lucius. She pressed the console to alert Maria to her presence. Maria opened the door. She had her hair down and was out of uniform.

“Forgot something, hmm?”

Enid nodded.

“I saw the video of you and Hazel. Thank you for backing me up.”

“You are right on occasion.”

Maria offered Enid the Atlantean pack and Lucius.

“He is pretty angry with us.”

“Why?”

“Because he believes Hazel should be going with you.”

Enid looked at the sword.

“She’s not your daughter.”

Yet I’ve helped you raise her. If you leave her behind she’ll never talk to you again.

“Like I told her, at least she’ll be alive.”

But will you? Getting yourself killed will not bring Miko back.

“Shut up or you’re going in the pack.”

I would rather be in the pack then watch you throw your life away my love.

Enid stuffed the shimmering blade into the sheath again.

“Sis, if a bunch of greater spirits ever offer to give you your husband back in the form of a sentient sword, you should tell them to stuff the offer up their collective arses.”

“You do not mean that. Do you have enough supplies in there?”

“I have a lot of synth-o. Won’t need a translator. Have chargers. Have holo-webs. Femine hygiene products for the inevitable mortal occurrences. Med packs, plenty of T-Cell enhancer, antibiotics, other assorted medical equipment and medications. Unfortunately, no emergency beacons to let you know I need a recall.”

“Actually.”

Maria produced three small armored cylinders that looks like suppositories.

“So uh do I stick these up my ass?”

Maria narrowed her eyes at her sister.

“No select one, two or three, activate it. Micro-fusion reactor means it will last for about thirty-five hundred years. One means get me out now, two means I stashed something here, three means you’re sure you’re done for and is just to let us know you’re not coming home.”

“How do you know the right me to target?”

“You’re unique in the timeline, as in there is only one of you that is a quantum partner of the reality pillar, the rest are echoes.”

“Okay, how do you know when to do it, because I’m fairly sure the beacons will show up sooner than I do.”

“You know what, sis, why do we not just simplify this, I will not see the beacon until after you have left. I will get you to the past. I hope when you get back you have your head clear.”

Enid opened her arms and Maria moved forward and the pair embraced. Maria patted Enid’s back.

“Sis, you are so much trouble.”

“So are you.”

Maria hit a key on her holographic keyboard.

“Ops, transfer power from Project Stargate to Project Black Hole I want a fully charge on the capacitors.”

Shortly after Maria gave the order another announcement warning of a pending gravimetric disturbance.

“You be careful sis.”

“I’ll be back before you know it.”

“Sis, I really hope, I hope you can find a path through your grief.”

Enid nodded and swapped to her Atlantean Armor strapping Lucius over her shoulder. She slipped her back across her shoulders.

“Well, its time.”

Maria motioned for Enid to go first, and the pair made their way to gate room. Enid paced with her arms crossed while she waited for the massive capacitors to charge. Opening a gateway to the past took roughly ten times the power of the stargate. So, it took quite a while for the capacitors to charge. Maria was in the control room above monitoring the charge.

“Five minutes Enid.”

Enid nodded and stood away from the gateway. She started wiggling her fingers. There wasn’t much she could do to prep for the transit. She had no idea when and where she would end up.

“Target acquired. Initiating gateway protocol.”

The gateway flared to life showing the fragmented reality pillar. Enid mentally requested her armor’s helm to form and looked back at Maria and gave her a half-assed salute. She walked through the gateway. Maria started typing at the holo-keyboard at her console furiously. There had been an unexpected power surge just after Enid went through, almost like an aftershock. Her wrist started beeping loudly. Maria tapped it.

“Yes?”

“Admiral, ma’am, your niece is missing.”

“What?”

“We just came in with her supper and she’s not here.”

“Did you open the cell?”

“No, Admiral, as per your instructions.”

Maria fingered her silver crucifix then closed her eyes slowly and frowned.

“You removed the mirror, yes?”

“No… ma’am, she said… she wanted to braid her hair and asked if she could keep it and we didn’t see any harm.”

Maria leaned forward her hands on the edges of her console. She closed her eyes again and spoke.

“She’s a wolf-born and they can use mirrors to travel to the spirit realm, right out of the cell and anywhere on the station.”

“We’ll start searching immediately.”

She looked down at the gravimetric spike when Enid went through the gate and the aftershock and punched the console leaving a dent.

“Don’t bother, she’s gone.”

Maria frowned and looked at the discharged gateway.

“That kid is just like her mother.”