Enid glanced back at Matilda who had her hands and face pressed against the cockpit window and was staring down at Earth for the first time in her life. It was a sight Enid was getting used to now. Something about floating above a planet that made you realize the real scale of the universe.

“Mama what is this?”

“We’re in space honey.”

“It’s blue.”

“That’s the oceans.”

“Robbie?”

“He’s home. Things are going to get bumpy soon.”

Matilda reached out to her floating hair and giggled as she tried to catch it. Enid opened a comm channel to Hazel.

“How’s your copilot?”

“If she were human, she’d be stuck between puking up her guts and staring at Earth.”

“Okay starting acceleration for wormhole entry.”

“Ready.”

Enid hit the sub-light engines and Apollo lept to life she tapped in the coordinates for the 29th century reality core fragment.

“Incoming wormhole.”

Matilda giggled as the fighter accelerated to a quarter the speed of light. Enid hit the control to extend the generator pylons and then she released the energy pulse and the shimmering hole in spacetime appeared. White lighting crackling along the inside. When she came out the other side she was very surprised to see a green and blue planet in front of her. Reversed the thrust. Going from the speed they had been going to the sudden stop would have been a death sentence if not for the anti-gravity technology inherent in Apollo’s constructions. She was even more surprised to see ships in orbit. Her comms lit up suddenly.

“Unidentified space craft you are in violation of Earthspace. Stand down and prepare to be taken into custody.”

Enid responded.

“What’s this about? This is Enid Aurelius.”

Apollos incredible processing speed was the only thing that stopped them from being vaporized as a volley of weapons fire was unleashed by one of the ships. His shields went up and deflected the brunt of the burst. Enid hit her thrustors and started evasive maneuvers immediately.

“Hazel shields and break! We’re being attacked.”

She saw their twin fighter break away from her and she spun the craft in a barrel roll, though such concepts where space combat was concerned were outdated.

“Apollo broadcast on all comm frequencies.”

“Ready Aunt Enid.”

“Do not fire on this craft, there is a child on board. I will surrender.”

The response came quicker then she expected.

“Negative.”

She saw the defense satellites starting to move and aim in their direction.

“Apollo cloak! Cloak now!”

Enid hit the sub-light engines, but nothing happened.

“What’s going on with the sub-light?”

“Weapons fire has gotten through the shield. They are offline. We are cloaked Aunt Enid.”

Enid hit the thrustors then cut them quickly keeping the forward moment going. Matilda didn’t seem to understand the seriousness of their situation and was clapping.

“Do it again!”

Enid looked around the space around her. The Earth’s defenses had turned into a swarm of angry bees. She couldn’t see Hazel anywhere. The capital ships were starting to shoot EMP weapons. Almost like depth charges from the ocean only with a much bigger area. It wouldn’t take them long to get a lucky shot. She looked back at Matilda.

“I’m sorry honey, wasn’t supposed to be like this.”

Enid started rapidly tapping her way through diagnostics the results starting scrolling through her the HUD her contact lenses provided. Sub-light engines were offline, but the FTL was ready to go, however showing an error. Wormhole generator was ready to accept a charge. Antimatter reserves were still good to go. She had no missiles left; Hazel had used them all on the castle. Shields were offline for the foreseeable future.

“Apollo why is the FTL drive down?”

“I do not know. Something is interfering with the dimensional shunt. I’m picking up a broadcast across all channels, would you like to see it?”

“Might as well having something to watch while we sit here waiting for the EMP pulse to hit us.”

Enid was a bit surprised to see Eyre appear on the screen. She started speaking.

“Mother. Here I thought you were dead. Looks like the mutt lied. Never send a werewolf to do a vampire’s job. My lord was right. Why not make it easier on yourself? Just come out of hiding and die like you should have ten years ago.”

Enid blinked at the screen.

“I’m not sure how you got your hands on Synthlin fighters but you should know better. We crushed them under foot because they were inferior. I’m also not sure how you got through are FTL defense screen but it doesn’t matter. We will determine what we need from the wreckage. A child on board that was rich. We all turn on you why would have another? You are obviously suffering from some mental instability calling out to Hazel… as if she would listen to you. She’s in a cage until I need an attack dog again, I mean if she’ll turn on her own mother…”

Enid frowned when she heard a response.

“I’m going to put my fist through that self-righteous bitchy mouth sis!”

Enid interjected.

“Hazel come silence they can track your broadcast!”

Eyre had turned and started quickly talking to someone. The holo-screen she was using got her full attention as soon as Enid spoke. Enid hit her thrusters again to change position.

“Mother, you are there, I’m not sure how you got Hazel out of a super-max detention center but bravo. Now decloak and die!”

“Eyre what is wrong with you?”

“You are mother! I keep thinking we kill you and then you pop up somewhere else! I have nightmares about you! I am playing this whack-a-mole game and your face keeps popping up when I think I’ve finally smashed it in!”

“I thought we were over this like a thousand years ago.”

“No mother! No, we will never be over this.”

“Why do you want me dead?”

“You’re keeping my husband trapped. I knew you were a control freak but locking souls, angels, God away?”

“What the hell are you talking about? You’re talking nonsense you haven’t been married for almost two thousand years.”

“Hell is what I’m talking about. You trapped your brothers and sisters in a pit of fire and despair. What gave you the right?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. Where is Maria? At least she’ll make sense.”

“Your dead sister? She’s been gone for three thousand years. You really are insane, aren’t you?”

Enid frowned as the EMP charges started to close in on them the more she spoke. She tapped a few more commands into her console and looked at the antimatter reserves. She could make a couple of warheads and still make a time jump.

“Apollo, prep two antimatter torpedoes. Widespread dispersion. Based on your last readings they don’t seem to have energy shields. Use everything except what we need for a wormhole.”

“Aunt Enid, are you sure? We… could devastate a large portion of the Earth with an indiscriminate antimatter launch.”

“This isn’t real, it’s a nightmare. Just do it. We need to buy time for the temporal radiation to disperse. Open an encrypted channel to Hazel.”

“Channel Open. Loading Antimatter into the warheads now if you’re sure….”

“Yes, damnit I’m sure. Hazel, can you hear me?”

“Yes mom, what’s up with Eyre she’s gone fucking insane?”

“Something’s changed in the past.”

“What about the temporal shields?”

“Someone changed reality. They can’t protect against that. I’m going to do something radical, when I do drop your drones cry wolf protocol. If Earth launches any fighters piranha protocol.”

“Mom what are you going to do?”

“Re-enact the big bang. If the Earth sends anything more then we’re going to need to GTFO. We can’t use FTL, Earth apparently has some sort of disruptor. So it’s going to have to be a worm hole and I will only have enough antimatter for one more jump so its going to be a time jump.”

“Mom? We’re still three hours out from being clear for that. That’s… suicide.”

“We don’t know that, but we do know that going up against a planetary defense force is suicide. Cutting comms now. Be ready.”

Enid closed the channel and hit the thrusters again then cut them and EMP charge hit far to close to comfort.

“How are the warheads coming? This is getting close for comfort.”

“They are ready. Aunt Enid, the death toll will be…incalculable.”

“I think it already is. Target for maximum effect I don’t want anything left in that armada. Open broadcast on all channels.”

“Ready Aunt Enid.”

“Eyre, I know your listening. Stand down turn off your FTL disruptor and we will leave Earthspace. If you do not I will be forced to launch antimatter weaponry at your fleet. The Earth will be severely damaged and a lot people will die.”

“No mother. You’re far to sympathetic to humanity to do such a thing. So no we will not be standing down. You’re going to die today and so is that traitor Hazel.”

“This is on you. Cut comms.”

Enid hit the thrustors and Apollo shimmered into existence to late for the Earth forces to react to the antimatter dispersion. Two bolts of energy launched from what looked to be old Earth style air intakes. They scattered into tiny beads of energy and seconds later the space around Earth and the surface on the side they were facing lit up in a light show that probably did look like a mini-big bang. The damage to the planet was so severe that molten metal from the core was ejected into space taking out what was left of the defenses Eyre had mustered to try and kill her.

“Kill her!”

“There is no one left to kill us Eyre. I warned you but you have never listened to me.”

“What have you done?”

“Exactly what I told you I would do. I launched antimatter weapons at Earth and your fleet.”

“Antimatter! No one has that! That’s impossible.”

“Yet I did. Now turn off your disruptors before I am forced to shoot antimatter at things until the disruption ceases.”

“No! I will not let you get away again. My husband will be free and so will everyone else! Launch everything, we have left! Everything. I want her head on my mantle so my husband and I can celebrate her death together!”

Enid sighed.

“Mom, uh, they still have lots left… like missiles and fighters. An entire planet’s worth.”

“I can see that on the scanners. Just do what I told you. I’m plotting another time jump. Hopefully before whatever changed, changed so we can un-fuck this.”

Apollo spoke.

“The result of traveling through a temporal worm hole while still carrying temporal energy that needs to be bled off will be unpredictable. But you are right Aunt Enid I see no alternatives at this point.”

“Hazel, are you sub-light engines still operable?”

“Yes.”

“Then use them and get out so you can use the FTL drive. No use us all dying.”

“No! Helen agrees we go where you go.”

“Generator is charged. Let’s hope your drones can keep them off of us long enough to get through it.”

Enid saw some of the Earth based fighters bursting through the atmosphere. They looked nothing like the ones that had existed in the prime timeline. They weren’t sleek. They were blocky and built for firepower. She opened weapon ports and flew towards the closest squadron. They didn’t stand a chance against the railguns and plasma chain guns. Or the now quite vampiric Enid. She broke off. And headed back towards the moon she punched in the coordinates for reality core in Limbo and punched the button. The wormhole generator launched the bubble of energy forward tearing through time-space. She launched herself through first and Hazel followed. They were transiting the event horizon as an EMP charge hit them. The wormhole started to destabilize. When they exited the other side both starfighters were plummeting into the atmosphere on bad reentry vectors. Nothing was working. It would take time for the systems to reboot time they did not have. Enid just wanted everyone to be in a safe place.

All of a sudden, they were. Both starfighters were dumped unceremoniously into the sacred pool in the seal chamber with her mother’s comatose form. The room had expanded to accommodate them. She was in her angelic form her hands on the manual HOTAS that popped out to compensate during holo-HUD failures. She blew the canopy’s manual release and looked back at Matilda. Her daughter must have been frightened because the helmet was on her armor. Hazel was cheering which became obvious once the soundproof canopy opened. Helen was looking around herself in amazement.

“Mom, you blew up half of Earth and all you had to do was snap your fingers?”

“I have no idea how we got here. It must have been God.”

“Yea sure, God.”

Enid reached for Matilda who pulled herself up into her mother’s arms. Enid jumped off the edge of Apollo who was leaning up against a bolder no landing gear out. Sariel was also in a weird spot. Neither was talking which is no surprise their computer cores could be disrupted by an EMP pulse. Matilda’s helmet vanished into the armor, and she pulled at Enid’s hair which was solid but looked to be made of pure light.

“Everyone in one piece?”

Hazel nodded. Helen didn’t answer she was looking at Enid’s mother, Aurelia.

“She looks like a princess from a one of those stories you’d read to me, waiting for true love’s kiss.”

“That’s my grandmother.”

Hazel still hadn’t quite accepted Helen into the family proper. If she weren’t a wolf-born Enid would have described her as being quite catty. At best she could describe her of being territorial.

“Fuck mom. What happened to Miles?”

“Someone altered reality I can feel it. We just need to undo that, and things should go back to normal. But first things first we need to figure a way out of a sealed chamber before you and Matilda run out of air.”

“Just unseal it. If you can zap us here you can do that, or hell just zap us elsewhere.”

“I have no idea how this happened. I didn’t do anything I was trying to use the emergency controls to not burn up.”

Hazel frowned at her mother. Enid climbed up to the fighter and grabbed her pack.

“Good news is we’re not dead though right? Let’s just use the ritual and open another portal. Fighters will be safe here. Cores are offline and I do not have the equipment to fix them.”

“What about the antimatter mom?”

“Uh, its fine, used all of it up.”

“Every tiny bit of it?”

“Yes. The magnetic containment was empty the moment I charged the wormhole generator.”

“Mom I don’t remember the cave being so big before.”

“Spatial memory’s a funny thing hon. Here do the ritual and lets get out of here.”

“You do it mom.”

Enid handed the ritual bowl, the herbal mixture and one of the bloodstones to Hazel.

“I do not want to waste materials assuming I’m capable of performing blood rites in my angelic form.”

“Then change back!”

“Hazel if I could, I would have already changed back.”

Matilda was glaring at Hazel and pouting.

“You are not nice.”

Hazel snatched the ritual materials from her mother’s hands. Matilda having seemingly forgotten Hazel was in a bad mood promptly sat down and stared at what her older sister was doing. Enid looked at Helen who was staring at the starfighters.

“Mother, will they really be alright?”

Enid nodded.

“They’re safer then smashing into the Earth at two-hundred and sixty thousand kph.”

“I do not understand what you just said.”

“If we had crashed into the Earth like were going to, we would have died. The fighters would have been destroyed. They’re safe here.”

“And what is Hazel doing?”

“She’s performing a ritual to go into Limbo, it’s how we travelled before the fighters.”

“Am I able to do that?”

“If I taught you to use magic, yes. Hazel has to do it differently because she’s calling to the spirits, but the materials are the same.”

“The blood smells…very… good.”

“That is because it came from the first vampire. The one who turned me.”

Hazel finished her chant and used her fingers to spread it in the shape of a doors said the final word and pressed her palm to the center and it flared to life with a green glow.

“That’s our signal.”

Enid scooped up Matilda and jumped through the gateway. Hazel and Helen followed. The transit was smoother then usual this time. Like there was a guiding hand placing them gently onto the grassy hill overlooking fifteenth century Italian villa on the outskirts of what Enid knew to be Rome. She knew it was the fifteenth century because she recognized two…former associates immediately, and the dog that was barking at them. Enid tried to put Matilda down but the girl refused to release her grip on her mother. She’d been afraid of dogs since one bit her at the age of three. Enid was glad she’d never seen Hazel in her wolf form. Enid’s only response to the situation they found themselves in was to exclaim in modern English.

“Fuck my life.”

One of the men drew his sword. Hazel looked at her mother.

“Mom…when and where are we?”

“Italy, late fifteenth century.”

“How do you know that?”

“Because the fat man with the dog is Pope Pius the second and the other guy with the sword is Vlad Tepes, Vald the Impaler, Vlad Dracul… You know…Dracula?”

Hazel stepped back and imagined herself facing down a man-bat thing she wasn’t sure about doing battle with a vampire that could shift into a man-bat thing. Helen drew her sword and stepped forward fangs extending. She rarely got a chance to put her training into practice. Enid stepped between her daughters and the incoming Vlad. She spread her wings and formed her staff with her free hand pointing it at Vlad. She spoke in his native tongue.

“Stand down Vlad.”

He unleashed a string of curse words Enid rolled her eyes and slammed her staff down sending out a wave of force that knocked Vlad on his ass and sent is sword flying.

“I’m about done with that sort of language from you.”

The pope fell to his knees and began crossing himself. Enid extending her wings had apparently cowed the dog so it was whining behind its master. She stepped forward pointing her staff at Vlad.

“If you touch your sword again, I will beat you to a pulp.”

Vlad held his hands up. She folded her wings and walked past him down the slight grass hill. Matilda was still clutching onto her and her grip got tighter the closer they got to the dog. Enid mused she must have been quite the sight. An angel with a five-year-old girl clutching onto her for dear life. She waved her staff away and reached her hand out to the pope who kissed her ring finger. She frowned, grabbed his arm and yanked him to his feet.

“Sorry for the interruption. I am not here for either of you. I’ve been sent to hunt a demon. Go do your crusade against the Turks for all the good it will do you.”

Enid motioned for Helen and Hazel to follow. Hazel walked the long way around Vlad. Helen sheathed her sword and followed Enid. Enid was frowning.

“Why must we keep ending up in front of people? It’s so bloody inconvenient.”

She motioned to herself.

“And this stupid angel thing is like a beacon.”

Hazel rushed to keep up with her mother who in this form was a few inches taller than her.

“Mom, maybe we’re here for Dracula!”

Enid shook her head.

“No.”

“How do you know? He has to be like the evilest vampire all time!”

“This is not the movies dear. He’s mortal, dies a mortal. He’s just a very… efficient man.”

“He impaled people!”

“And the Roman’s crucified people, the inquisitors burned people alive, the Nazi’s shot and gassed people, the Russians did what they did in Ukraine, the British in Africa... Humans will always do bad things to other humans all it takes is the right circumstances and the firm belief they are doing the right thing. Arrogant pricks. They don’t need to be crazy, or vampires they just need to feel justified. Sometimes though, there are people like Vlad who just do it because they enjoy it.”

“Why don’t we do something about it then?”

“Let the human’s attend to themselves dear.”

“Mom we’re all human, or were at some point in the past.”

“Again, we’re not here to stop human stupidity and crimes. We’re here to kill demons. I need to get out of this damn shape.”

Enid frowned as her wings were moving in response to her annoyance about the conversation lasting this long.

Helen looked at Hazel.

“Your mother is right. The humans need to tend to themselves. And she also needs to put the wings away.”

“You need to shut up. Why mom turned you in the first place I’ll never understand. You’re useless.”

Helen’s fangs came down and Hazel muscles tensed. Enid held up her arm between them.

“Start acting like grown women and not teenage sisters!”

Hazel glared at her mother.

“Love how you cared enough about her to turn her.”

“Hazel I cannot turn you, you’ll go insane and it would breach the treaty. And you’re body is still stuck as a sixteen year old if nothing else I won’t do that to you.”

“You were fifteen!”

“No, I was eighteen I just looked young for my age. Now drop it you two.”

Hazel crossed her arms. Helen’s fangs retracted but the pair were still on edge.