Maria’s face was the first thing Enid saw when she finally regained consciousness. She felt a stone in her hand she looked at it, a piece of the reality core.

“Was I dreaming?”

Maria hugged Enid tightly. Enid hugged her out of reflex but was still confused. She was on Pluto Station that much was obvious from the log on the wall of the med bay. She released her sister and rubbed her eyes.

“What happened? I dreamt I was in… Britain in the sixties.”

Maria smiled.

“You were. You were… in a coma. I guess from what Hazel said you overexerted yourself. We were kind of worried about you. You being mortal and all but you came through it.”

“The fire…I made a shield.”

Maria nodded.

“Where is Hazel?”

“I sent her and her friend back to Earth. They are staying with Amee. Hazel annoyed a few people with her last trip here so I wanted her out of here as soon as possible before someone tried to make me charge her. Couldn’t send you yet. Amee has been pestering me. I should let her know you are awake.”

“I… thought she.”

“Enid sometimes you are dumber than a sponge.”

Enid hit Maria weakly.

“How long have I been out?”

Maria glanced at her watch.

“Not including the sixties, almost a week.”

Enid tried to put the rock down, but it wouldn’t come out of her hand. She held up her hand.

“Help me out?”

Maria yanked and the chunk of reality core pulled free with some difficulty. She placed it in a nearby magnetic containment unit. It was suspended in the center of it.

“Apparently dad put that in your hand. The reality core splinter here started going crazy. I took it as a sign.”

“Thank you. I needed a break. Felt like we were never going to get back here.”

Maria smiled.

“I will always have your back sis.”

Amee groaned as she shifted. Her whole body still ached. Maria touched her sister’s shoulder gently.

“Just relax everything is under control.”

Enid shook her head.

“No, it’s not, I found one of your drones in a Soviet bunker over a thousand years before it was built.”

Maria would have gone pale if she didn’t already look like a walking corpse. She opened her mouth a few times the true ramifications of what Enid had just said starting to sink in.

“Was it red or blue?”

“Blue.”

Maria’s shoulders relaxed and she closed her eyes and sighed.

“Good, good. I only sent three of those through.”

Enid rubbed her eyes gently. They were feeling dry, and the light was bothering them. She spoke.

“Dim lights.”

The lights in the med bay she was in dimmed around them. She sighed with relief and looked at her sister.

“When?”

“I did not hear from you for three weeks, last time we were able to bring you back instantly. But you said we should wait. I thought you might have reached limbo but been stuck.”

Enid shook her head.

“Hazel destroyed the beacons.”

“I know. I found the debris and was able to pull memories from them. That was only a few days before you arrived. I was going to give you another week and then pull you out, but the reality core fragment started vibrating. So, I moved up my timetable.”

“We need to find out when that other drone ended up.”

“How? With the temporal shielding in place everywhere no one will know if there is a branching timeline or not.”

“I seem to have the ability to force the jumps where I need to be without realizing it. Maybe I have some sort of time sense or something I never realized. There is so much shit I don’t understand about everything. If I could just figure out how to not be mortal at inconvenient times, I’d be happy though.”

Maria had been checking the various health monitoring devices while they had been talking.

“Well besides some residual dehydration, you are a mortal in peak physical condition. So, you have that going for you. I am somewhat jealous. Being mortal in this day in age even with an amulet is rather difficult for a vampire. Which reminds me. Isis owes your daughter a major favor.”

Enid blinked.

“What?”

“Isis went into labor, but her body could not give birth because her flesh was too hard. I guess BMC did not consider that when they started their exponentiation on much younger vampires. Isis was afraid her child would die and called you for help. But you were indisposed so Hazel answered and performed a c-section with her claw.”

Enid shook her head.

“That kid, she never fails to surprise me.”

“There are other… err things but she promised me she would tell you herself. Just do not be too hard on her. Remember what we got up to when we were younger.”

“I don’t think we ever snuck into a Roman Legion camp and secreted ourselves onto a cart.”

“We were tempted though.”

Enid shrugged and winced. Her body was still so stiff. She held up her arm showing the IV line.

“Is this really necessary?”

“Yes, Enid you were severely dehydrated and malnourished.”

Enid almost let lose a string of curse words about being mortal but didn’t so she wouldn’t offend Maria. Not that she was entirely sure her sister cared any longer. Maria nodded.

“I know.”

“Back to the real problem at hand. We need to track down that drone and finding one anywhere is like a needle in a planet sized haystack. Assuming it ended on Earth at all.”

Maria blinked.

“I had not even considered that.”

“Limbo connects to everywhere and everywhen at once. It could have ended up in a galaxy far far away and be fu… messing up their timeline.”

Maria nodded and sat down on the rolling stool beside the bed her hands dangling over the bed rails.

“What do you need?”

“Apollo has a worm hole generator. I need him equipped with a reality core adaptor like your main gateway here. He can find the drones instantly.”

Maria blinked at Enid.

“Enid, his wormhole generator is a prototype. I hardly think it is the best way to travel through an unstable time vortex.”

Enid shook her head.

“Think about it. I can use it to get home again after I pick up the drones.”

“The technology is not mature. I cannot sanction this.”

“What do you mean it’s not mature? You use it for instant communications on all the capital ships, all the planetary colonies? You’re sending civilians through them for the love of… lets use me.”

“Enid, the risks…”

“The risks of leaving this shit in the past are way worse. You gave me Apollo, and if you won’t do it, I’ll figure it out and do it myself.”

Maria frowned at her sister.

“You will. Damn you, Enid. Why do you throw yourself into danger all the time?”

“Because someone has to do it, and I’m the only one who has successfully travelled through time without ill effects. Amee’s clone killed itself, Hazel cannot age or grow up.”

Maria motioned to her.

“You are in a med bay bed recovering from a week long coma and you are telling me there are no ill effects.”

Enid frowned.

“This has nothing to do with time travel. This is me using…some sort of power I don’t understand.”

“I know what power it is.”

Enid quirked her head to the side.

“Father told Hazel what it is.”

“Talk about burying the lead.”

Maria nodded.

“Apparently you and I were created in Atlantis. Father created me and the Black Son created you. You… you are the embodiment of the universe in Atlantean form.”

“What kind of nonsense is that?”

Maria shrugged.

“I saw the recording. She had her contacts in and recorded the whole conversation. He says you have taken over for the reality core now and are the one channeling all the primal energies of creation. Life, Death, Chaos and Order.”

“I think Sextus was going senile in his old age.”

“And I think you are in denial. I saw the footage of you parting the red sea with the staff of an Archangel.”

“What is it with that kid and recording everything?”

“Half of the things you do are so ridiculous no one will believe it otherwise. Enid, you need to face facts. You are the mortal from of an Archangel.”

“Then why am I not just snapping my fingers and fixing this fucking mess?”

Maria shrugged.

“I do not know, why is that?”

Enid narrowed her eyes at her sister.

“Wanting it to be so is different than it being so.”

“Enid. Faith is believing and not knowing. You have no faith in yourself.”

“What are you talking about? I them most self-centered, self-confident women to have ever lived. I’m arrogant to a fault. I can’t count how many times you’ve told me that.”

“When all the facts are pointing to the one thing that make sense you deny it and substitute your own reality. Even over people’s opinions, who are older and wiser than you. Thus, my point about your arrogance is proven again. The thing is: angels can warp reality to suit their own beliefs.”

Enid waved her hand dismissively.

“If I was an archangel, I would know it.”

“If you were an archangel, and you denied it with every fiber of your being then you would make that a reality. You have this picture of yourself, and you refuse to be anything different.”

“My picture of me says I’m an ancient vampire who is a force of nature. Not this weak ass mortal who can’t even get out of a bed.”

“I believe consciously that is what you think, but subconsciously you like being a mortal. You like enjoying food. You like having children. You like yourself like this, but your conscious mind sees it as a weakness. You constantly deny your true self, and you always have since we were children. I think you get off crushing people as a mortal. Proving you are better than them even at your weakest. It is your arrogance. You need them to know you are better than them.”

Enid rolled her eyes.

“You’re pissing me off.”

“The truth hurts sis. I promised I would always have your back. Sometimes that means being blatantly honest when I think you are being a dumb ass. I will let you calm down. I will recall Apollo and start making the modifications. You are right we cannot leave the drones in the past if they are there. I hope you are right and can pull yourself to their times. But you should bring Hazel this time, instead of leaving her behind. I would say the videos I watched have more then proven you cannot do this on your own.”

Enid frowned and didn’t look at her sister. Maria walked out of the med bay door while shaking her head.

*****

Hazel rubbed her eyes she had been ripped out a fitful sleep by someone pounding on her bedroom door. She rolled over and started grabbing for her nearest pair of underwear and tugged them on before going to the door. Her mother was standing holding a tablet. She started shaking it at Hazel.

“What the hell is this?”

Hazel rubbed her eyes.

“A tablet.”

“No, the video that is playing on the tablet. What the hell have you been up too while I was in a coma?”

Hazel felt the color drain from her cheeks when she saw her silver half-wolf form ripping a robot in half. Then she got angry.

“What mom? I’m like thirty years old. I’ve been in worse.”

“You ever heard the expression, don’t shit where you eat?”

“Yes.”

“And?”

“Mom, you’re being unreasonable.”

“Unreasonable? A video of my daughter ripping apart robots, killing a man in power armor and stealing a transport has gone viral because some one put music to it!”

“Oh what song?”

“I’ve seen Down with the Sickness and that Bodies song by Drowning Pool.”

Hazel smiled. Enid refocused on the fact she was supposed to be angry at her daughter even though secretly she was rather proud of watching her rip things to shreds. She wagged her finger at Hazel.

“Do not change the subject Hazel Maria Aurelius.”

“I’m true named now mom. I’m adult wolf-born.”

“Yet you still do stupid teenage shit!”

Hazel’s alarm started going off.

“Mom I have to get ready for school.”

Enid frowned.

“We aren’t done by far kiddo.”

“Sure mom, whatever you say.”

Enid resisted the urge slap her daughter’s cheek at the tone she’d used.

“I do say. I’m the parent here. I’ll want an explanation of this mess!”

Hazel just closed her door and went to her private washroom and sat on the toilet and searched for the videos on her tablet. She had to admit she looked really cool doing it, but her mother wasn’t wrong this was more trouble than she expected. Crusader would be on the hunt for a silver wolf-born and it wasn’t exactly hard to find out silver was the secret to harming them. She doubted they’d risk coming after an Aurelius, the Corp dwarfed theirs, but it wouldn’t protect her friends. She cleaned up, got herself showered and ready to go to school. Her mother had bought breakfast. Hazel sat down and straightened her uniform’s skirt before digging in. Enid sat down across from her and was nursing a coffee.

“Mom, look, I’m sorry for causing a problem. I didn’t think it was recorded.”

“Always assume you’re being recorded in this century.”

Enid took a sip of her coffee. Hazel finished off her second breakfast burrito before speaking again.

“I’m glad you’re awake. You look good.”

Enid smiled at her daughter and nodded.

“Hazel why did you get involved in this?”

“Miles was going to do it with or without me. I knew it was a stupid job to take from the start.”

“So, if Miles wasn’t involved you wouldn’t have been?”

Hazel frowned she wasn’t liking where this seemed to be going. She nodded.

“I have never done something stupid for a boy, or a girl for that matter. So, I don’t understand, but he’s not like us. You can’t protect him from the world. Did you at least get paid?”

Hazel nodded.

“How much?”

“Ten”

“Ten thousand?”

Hazel shook her head.

“Ten million.”

Enid nearly spit out her coffee she swallowed it.

“What the hell did you steal? A battle station?”

“Just a box. For Amee.”

“Does she know?”

“I was uh, going to tell you both when you got back. Like I promised Aunt Maria.”

“Well, here’s your chance.”

Amee had just walked out of their shared bedroom and walked up to the table and leaned down and kissed Enid who returned the kiss. Hazel smiled. Amee looked between them.

“Tell me what?”

Hazel started blushing.

“That uh…I lied to you. I do know the silver wolf-born.”

Amee quirked her eyebrow and sat down beside Enid.

“Well don’t keep me in suspense Hazel.”

Hazel poked at her unopened third breakfast burrito.

“Uh, it was me.”

“That was you? You’re nine feet tall?”

Hazel nodded.

“Well, that explains why Olga was tight lipped about the meet.”

“My fault.”

Amee looked at Enid.

“Well, she’s your daughter. I can’t exactly punish her.”

Enid shook her head.

“No, she is our daughter. But I she brought up some valid points today. She’s been true named so that means she’s an adult wolf-born. I’m not sure what was in the package but if you paid…what fifty million for it? It must have been something important.”

Amee and Hazel both looked at Enid and were shaking there heads.

“How much did you pay?”

Amee held up two fingers

“Double it.”

Enid blinked.

“What the hell was in the case?”

“Weaponized Antimatter that the Church wanted to use to make a statement.”

Enid spit out her coffee this time.

“What the fuck? Maria is the only one who can do that.”

“Apparently someone from her team has been working on the side. We sealed the leak but I did not want Crusader Tech, or the Church to realize their operation was compromised by System Alliance so I needed to hire private contractors. Though I was expecting a more experienced crew. Our surveillance showed a bunch of kids.”

Hazel finished her burrito off in three bites and drank some water then spoke.

“So umm, how did the video get leaked?”

“Another… issue. Some tech saw it and let it out. Media bribed him. He didn’t realize it was a classified operation. His misunderstanding has been corrected. By the time we realized, it was already too big to stop. I though it was just the part with Hazel going all wolf. The transport and videos with Apollo were not ours. All things considered it could have gone worse.”

Enid finished her coffee and looked at Hazel.

“Well, as a wolf-born its her job to protect humanity from itself and outside threats, I’d say an antimatter bomb being stopped from going to terrorists falls under that category. I can’t really punish her for doing the task her instincts are telling her to do.”

Amee nodded.

“Well it would have been nice to know she was going to be involved so I could have called off the surveillance. Hazel, please do not go wolf form when someone can see you? We need to keep you and it separate.”

Hazel nodded. Amee kissed Enid again.

“Well, I have an early meeting with the Sauroid ambassador. See you two later.”

Enid kept Amee’s hand in hers for a few seconds and released it.

“See you later.”

Hazel stood up.

“I gotta go to school.”

Amee stood up.

“I’ll give you a ride.”

Hazel shook her head.

“Don’t need to mom, I bought a car.”

Hazel vanished out of the door with her school pack. Enid sighed and walked out on the balcony and slid her legs into the pool. Was this her future when the past was secure from demons and lost drones? Boredom as her daughter moved on with her life and her wife who was the leader for life of a budding interstellar empire who spent her days and a lot of her nights dealing with the business of state. What was left for a vampire who was stuck as a mortal whose heyday was the Middle Ages?