Natasha came downstairs rubbing her head while yawning, an oversized t-shirt loosely hanging from her shoulders like a dress.

The sound of a blender and a seventies pop playlist told her where she’d find her lovely wife, but what she hadn’t expected was to find a certain Titan frying eggs and bacon at the stove.

“Well, that took a while.” Sophia commented upon seeing her. “Sit down and have something to eat, then freshen up. We’ve got a big day ahead of us!” Sophia beamed.

“They removed the blockade and made up a cover story so we can leave again.” Aleks explained over his shoulder as he kept his focus on the skillet in front of him.

“What did you do, bite him or something?” Natasha joked as she groaned, rubbing her temples.

“I believe we’ve both done plenty of biting among other things...” Sophia teased, but her expression changed as she stopped and looked at Natasha. “Baby, are you okay? I know you’re not a morning person, but you seem a little more out of it than normal.” Sophia asked, concerned.

“I don’t know, I just feel like I haven’t really gotten any slee-” Natasha stopped as images flashed through her head and fractured memories came back to her, like a dream you can’t quite remember.

Horses with blazing hooves and brands still aflame, snorting fire as they roamed across the sky. Beneath them, hordes of dark creatures hunted through the streets, people screaming out in fear.

She looked to the back of Aleks’ head in distress before looking to the deck, a burn mark in the shape of a hoofprint left behind showing her that it hadn’t just been a dream.

She jumped off the chair and hurriedly walked to the living room and turned on the TV, Sophia anxiously calling after her.

“Nat! What’s got you so spun up?!” Sophia asked, chasing after her, catching up just in time to see the TV reports playing.

“-The murders of several police officers shake the city today, many calling it a vigilante action as the means by which they were murdered matches abuses of force or shootings in which they were previously cleared or put on suspended leave-” The channel changed.

“-More than a forty tons of assorted illegal drugs including heroin, cocaine, Fentanyl, methamphetamine and many others have been found dumped in local sewage treatment plants. The full scope of the dump is unclear because of contamination-”

“-Hospitals are beyond capacity as they are being filled by victims of last night’s brutal assaults from what many describe as roaming masked gangs.”

“-Seemingly endless amounts of evidence showing corruption and illegal actions was last night delivered anonymously to several news outlets, this one included. governor Kinzie has yet to comment on his alleged involvement described in many of these documents, but-”

“-He just came outta nowhere man, they be shooting at him but he just kept whooping their fucking asses-”

“-Shutdown an illegal sex trafficking ring this morning, an estimated two hundred women, some among them as young as fourteen, were brought out of eleven locations, illegal pornographic imagery was seized on all sites and police are struggling-”

“Turn it off.” Sophia said, her voice strained.

Natasha turned around to face her, but before she could say what they were both thinking, the smell of burning caught their attention as they rushed back to the kitchen.

Aleks stood as he had moments earlier, no hint of anything out of place, yet they could both feel the hair-raising pressure, as if about to burst.

Sophia approached him and as she closed in, she noticed his hand stilled; the spatula held in place just above the blackening eggs and burned bacon.

His eyes were dull like glass as not a muscle moved in his body.

She reached out to touch him but pulled her hand back with a gasp, as if jolted by electricity.

“Aleks! Aleks, snap out of it,” she yelled beside him, but he didn’t react.

Sophia felt the remnant emotions from the jolt she received moments ago bring tears to her eyes as a foreign fear and helplessness threatened to consume her.

“Aleks, come back to us.” She commanded, using the voice.

His head turned to her as his eyes ignited. She felt herself instinctively back away before forcing herself forward, wrapping her arms around him.

“Soph NO!” Natasha warned fearfully.

But it was too late. Sophia let out a gasp for air as if she’d been plunged into icy water and then proceeded to squeeze him even tighter.

It felt like trying to break oak and a faint buzzing sensation ran over her skin before disappearing.

Aleks collapsing into her arms like a puppet without its strings.

Sophia turned around to see Natasha holding a handgun with her back to her.

Surrounding them stood unfamiliar shadowy figures, unlike Arkos or the armored drones they’d seen before.

She felt something strange from them, a strong presence of consciousness.

“Sophia Vanir Fjorgyn.” She heard her name whispered with a hundred voices ringing like thunder.

Then, just as easily as they’d appeared, the ornately armored figures vanished and Aleks’ breathing settled.

“What the fuck was that?!” Natasha demanded, fear in her voice.

“I don’t know... But we need to go back.” Sophia said, looking down at the unconscious man in her arms.

“We don’t know whether it’s safe to move while he’s out like that. We didn’t bring backup.” Natasha argued, and as if in reply to her worries, the shadows around the room billowed gently to assure her.

“Guess it’s settled then.” Natasha muttered, looking strangely at the shadows moving unnaturally along the walls.

The two of them moved to pack up and get ready to leave, however Sophia stopped and looked at Natasha.

“I’ve never told him.” Sophia whispered.

“What?” Natasha asked.

“My true name, I haven’t used it. None of the clan should know it, and my grandmother wouldn’t use it either.” Sophia said.

“You heard your true name?” Natasha asked cautiously.

“Yeah... You didn’t hear that?” Sophia asked, confused.

“No... I heard mine.” Natasha replied before both of them looked to Aleks lying on the floor with a pillow under his head.

“Lets just get back for now.” Natasha said, looking shaken.

***

The two of them loaded Aleks into the back seat of a car borrowed from the neighbor across the street, and headed towards the airport, Sophia arranging for a plane while Natasha drove.

Both had the sensation of being followed by a mass of consciousnesses almost drowning out all others around them, like moving through a thick bog of psyches.

Even though they only caught the occasional glimpse of a shape dashing between shadows, they both knew what was surrounding them.

They were in the middle of what had grown to be a truly massive yet unseen army, an army which had washed over the city of Los Angeles like a flood the night before.

Natasha slowly regained her nerves, the radiating sense of protectiveness from the swarm of shadows all around them helping to alleviate her concerns.

The streets passed them by quickly as they quietly drove.

It wasn’t until they reached the airport that they finally spoke.

“Gate four, we’ll drive right onto the tarmac.” Sophia told Natasha as she rummaged through a bag flipping between fake ID’s.

The gate ahead of them unmanned except for a scanner accessible from the window of the car, Natasha taking the card and swiping them through.

The small passenger jet was already fueled and ready for takeoff, one of the pilots waiting outside of it.

His expression changed as he saw Natasha pick up Aleks from the backseat and carry the large man with ease.

“Our friend is just asleep. It is of no concern.” Sophia said, using the voice as she brushed past him.

The pilot nodded in a daze before seeming to perk up and climb the stairs, pulling them up, closing the hatch and joining his co-pilot in the cockpit.

Sophia checked over the sleeping Aleks, brushing her hand against his cheek gently.

“You know, I joked to Katya, this was becoming a concerning habit of his... Doesn’t seem that funny anymore.” Sophia said morosely.

“You gave your diagnosis over half a year ago. A lot has changed since then.” Natasha said.

“Has it?” Sophia argued, turning to her. “He’s still inflicting self-harm, taking unnecessary risks, he’s still prone to erratic outbursts and the only reason I can’t definitively diagnoses his state of mind or perception of reality is because those concepts start getting blurry any time he’s around.” Sophia protested.

“He isn’t your patient Soph... And the only thing we can do is to be there for him, how to do you think I feel every time he runs off almost getting himself killed and leaving me behind?” Natasha argued.

“He’s getting worse Nat, it’s supposed to get better, we’re supposed to make it better.” Sophia said, her voice becoming strained.

Natasha got up from her seat and sat down beside her, pulling her close and comforting her.

“We will. He’ll bounce back like he always does. We’ll work out ways to solve this, and it will be better.” Natasha assured.

The plane made a sharp bank, throwing them both against the nearby wall. Natasha instantly shifting her weight to shield Sophia from the impact, knocking the wind out of herself in the process.

“Miss, we’re being hailed! Putting it on speakers.” The pilot said over the intercom.

“This is R223 with the United States Airforce. You will be rerouted to a nearby airfield and will follow these instructions exactly, or you will be fired upon. Confirmed?” A voice buzzed over the intercom. Natasha leaned over and looked out her window, the dark shape of a jet worryingly close to their right wing.

“Understood R223, we will reroute per your specifications.” The pilot replied.

“What are you doing?!” Natasha barked.

“I’m taking us down where he says, what the hell do you want me to do?!” the pilot yelled back angrily.

“Both of you, Keep the course and remain radio silent.” Natasha ordered, both of them becoming dazed for a moment before returning to the previous bearing.

“What are you doing? They’ll shoot us down!” Sophia demanded.

“It’s time to make yourselves useful. I know at least one of you bastards can fly. Take care of this. But try to keep them alive.” Natasha said as she looked around the shadows of the flight cabin.

Sophia felt like she was looking at someone having a mental breakdown until the shadows responded to Natasha’s words.

Moving along the walls towards the windows and moving through them unhindered.

“This is R223. Return to the specified bearing immediately!” The jet ordered, but the transmission cut out before he could continue.

Sophia looked out the window as the lights in their cockpit flickered and the men inside fought something, tearing at their clothes in panic, the jet dropped just below their altitude before one of the wings were torn off as if some large talon dug through the metal.

The pilots both ejecting just before it dropped out of view.

“Keep anything of that size or smaller from getting that close to us again.” Natasha ordered into empty space, yet the surrounding shadows undulated in response.

“Nat, we just took down a U.S. fighter jet... Even if they thought the first one was a malfunction, they won’t after the second one. What are we gonna do when they decide to just shoot us down?” Sophia asked in shock, fear taking hold of her.

“They won’t... They want us alive Soph, that wasn’t standard protocol. They wanted us to land in an isolated and uninhabited airfield, not some smaller airport.” Natasha explained, bracing herself against seats as she crouched and made her way to the cockpit.

“Go to the back of the plane and fall asleep.” Sophia heard Natasha command. Moments later, the co-pilot shambled into the back of the plane.

“Strap in! I’m taking us down to the NOE to avoid radar!” Natasha called out to Sophia. “It’s gonna get bumpy!”

Sophia quickly buckled Aleks and herself onto the seats, getting done just in time for the plane to nose dive towards the earth.

“We’ve got another one incoming, I’ll have to make thi-” Natasha went silent and Sophia could feel the confusion before it suddenly turned to panic.

Bullets ripped through their right wing. They were still flying, but liquid was draining from the holes at an alarming rate as Natasha cursed from the cockpit.

“Someone deal with that guy!” Natasha barked.

Shadows gathered at the center of the floor before moving through the glass portholes once again. However, this time they stayed on their plane, a dark torse rising out of the wing wielding a bow.

It started rapidly firing arrows and within seconds ceased and melded back down into a mass of shadow along the wing, mending the holes.

“Soph, the fuel stopped dropping, what’s happening back there?!” Natasha called out and Sophia shared her vision, showing the shadows stopping the leak.

Relief ran across their link from Natasha.

“Shoot down anything that approaches us at around that distance, don’t worry about casualties.” Natasha amended her order.

A quiet moment finally fell over the plane, but it didn’t last long as lights began to flicker, followed by Natasha swearing from the cockpit.

The buzzing sensation of a ritual of enormous power filled the plane, engines stuttering before finally dying completely, leaving them in a dangerous glide towards the earth.

There was little time to correct or save the situation, as they were barely a hundred feet from the treetops.

“BRACE FOR IMPACT!” Natasha yelled, and to both her and Sophia’s surprise, the shadows responded again by enveloping both of them, shielding them from the brunt of the crash.

***

As I came to, I immediately wished for unconsciousness once more.

Pain raked my body, and I felt sick and disoriented.

“Quickly, he’s waking up!” A woman yelled, drowned out by the sounds of roaring flame.

“Protect the spotlights! Tighten those damned chains before more of those things spill out of him!” A man barked.

My skin felt like it was on fire, a familiar searing beyond physical pain.

It felt like being bathed in the acid.

“Keep burning away at those two, keep them busy!” The man ordered.

I felt hands grab my temples and energy to try to take hold of my body, failing and pouring away like water.

“Dammit, it won’t work!” a woman swore.

“Use the gloves or it won’t take hold. Be quick!” someone suggested.

I opened my eyes and looked up in time to see a young woman put on golden chain-link gloves. As she saw me looking up at her, she panicked and immediately grabbed hold of my head once again, her chanting increasing in intensity.

I struggled but found myself bound in a purer version of the cuffs I’d been placed in at the Special -branch facility.

I tried to will my shadows to come to my aid, but they were barred from materializing within my reach. Those who were close enough struggling to protect Natasha and Sophia from the flames thrown by soldiers around them.

I felt the tendrils of energy fill my mind, like nails piercing my brain. I wanted to break free, to unleash everything I had all at once, to at least take those around me into the dark as well.

But images of Natasha and Sophia left unprotected, or worse, made me stay my hand.

The witch’s spell finished, and my consciousness slipped away, like water through a sieve.