Armageddon

by Erik Schubach

  When the ship was secured, we all watched as Wendy, Robyn, Mandy, Tinkerbell, and Gretta all just stepped off the railing of the ship as a gangplank was lowered for those of us without the ability to fly, or create a stairway of living kelp under our feet like Snow, to get to the docks.

  As we descended the gangplank, I smiled internally at the kerfuffle at the end of the pier. Where Liandra King, the lead detective for the Seattle Police Department, and the big Chief of Police of Seattle, Alex Mendez, were arguing with a bunch of suits who were pouring out of the arriving SUVs and soldiers exiting the military vehicles.

  And of course, right in the middle of it all was Special Agent Pike from whatever black-ops government agency he was from. Last time I believe he claimed it was the Department of Agriculture or some other such nonsense.

  We could hear his yelling all down the pier as Detective King and the handsome Hispanic Chief of Police with his salt and pepper hair stood in front of him unphased. As tensions raised when the military saw our approach and started to raise their weapons, the SPD officers all snapped theirs up to ready positions facing them, and the more menacing automatic rifles of the SWAT team who were fanning out joined them.

  A helicopter swooped over the silver-impregnated walls of the city, searchlight flooding over the confrontation, and I could see SWAT members hanging out the doors, their weapons trained on the military personnel.

  Ella muttered, “This is gonna turn into a right clusterfuck fast.”

  I didn't even bother chastising her for her language because I agreed as we approached, Pike's tirade was loud enough for even those of us without wolf hearing to catch. “Stand the fuck down, this is official federal government business. The paranormals have grouped up and are moving on the city now, they flew in without FAA approval and ignored our fighter jet's warnings to land at a military base for detainment.”

  He bared his teeth like a wild dog at us as we joined the police officers who were protecting us.

  Belle didn't stop with us, she just stepped past officers with their weapons trained on the soldiers, placing hands on their shoulders and giving them a sweet smile as she moved between the two opposing forces.

  I felt us cross our arms over our chest and a smirk spread into a grin on our face as the woman didn't even flinch when the soldier's weapons all moved toward her. Oh come off it, I saw a couple of shoulder-fired missiles in the mix too. They'd do as much damage to themselves as their target at such a close range. Idiots. What I knew about the military could fit in a thimble with room to spare, but even I knew that.

  I glanced over to where Rose was restraining Illy from running to her girl, with her vines and brambles that held potent neurotoxins that could kill instantly unless she made a concerted effort to mitigate the effect that would put someone to sleep for days or more. But it wasn't even an inconvenience for Illy, our incognito demon unicorn.

  Belle lifted her hands slowly toward both groups and smiled sweetly, that alone coming from someone who looked as beautiful and innocent as our girl was enough for some of the soldiers to point their weapons at the ground.

  But then she spoke as she touched the feather of Perchta which had burned into her skin where she had worn it on a chain around her neck for so many years, and a wave of peace and calm rippled out from her, “Please, be calm, be at peace. We are here to warn the city of the approach of an enemy even we may not be able to face.”

  We basked in the feeling of peace we knew we could never have, and it hurt my heart to know that we Avatars and keepers would never know true peace like that. We had learned through the Grimm brothers, the reason we keepers gravitated to our Avatars and fell in love so quickly. We shared a soul and being with each other which literally completed us.

  When most of the two forces hesitated and then lowered their weapons, the rest followed and Pike exploded. “She's warping our minds, can't you see that? They are dangerous!” He made a motion to some of the other suits behind him, “Detain her!”

  Then the man froze when Amanda, Rachel, Daria, Eve, and Red all growled menacingly. I could feel the growl before I could hear it as it rose up from subsonic levels. But above them was a growl that sent shivers down my spine.

  I turned slowly to see that Rose had released Illy, whose growl was putting terror on the faces of the humans closest to us, her eyes steaming red coals. Rose cocked her head unnaturally at Pike and gave him a little wave with a satisfied smirk. The man paled. I think he was moments from an unfortunate accident in his shorts, Rose was the only one of us who truly frightened the man and it seems she hasn't lost her touch.

  Then he found his voice as he pointed at Illy. “Is that a demon? Are you consorting with demons now?” He turned to Mendez, still pointing at our Illy. “See? They're dangerous, now stand the fuck down and let us do our job.”

  To his credit, the Chief of Police sighed and put out his hand. “I assume you have arrest warrants for their arrests? If not, then I'll have to ask you and your doom troopers to back off and leave my city until such time that you...”

  “We don't need a fucking warrant.”

  That was the last straw for the Chief's patience and he snapped, shoving his face in Pikes and said, “We are a country of law and due process, so yes, you damn well do need arrest warrants for these women who have saved the people of this city on multiple occasions. So unless you want me to physically kick your ass all the way back to whatever black-ops site you call home, you'll shut the fuck up and back the fuck off.”

  He turned to the soldiers. “You better be damn sure you're on the right side when you follow men like Pike here against the people who rid our entire planet of the lupus contagion.”

  A general stepped through the ranks and looked past the line of police to us then to Pike. “Shouldn't we be talking with the Avatars about this threat they are sharing before we come in guns blazing.”

  Pike turned to him and said, “You'll do as ordered or...”

  The general smiled coolly at the Special Agent and held up a phone. “That's a great idea, shall I go over your head to verify my orders?”

  Pike narrowed his eyes, I could see he believed it a bluff, but the General sighed and looked to be about to make a call... possibly to the Vice President, or the President herself. But a black vine snaked past everyone and a thorn jabbed Pike's neck as Rose said, “What an annoying little man. We do not have time for this. Sleep Mattias, let the adults speak now.”

  Then she was giggling as she retracted the vine back into herself as the man crumpled to the ground. Detective King rushed to him to take his pulse, “Is he...?”

  Mari sighed and said, “Asleep. Depending on Rose's mood, I'd say a day or three. Now can we dispense with all of this unpleasantness? A threat is impending. We've been trying to get the government to listen for weeks but can't get our official contacts to take us seriously, Seattle needs to be evacuated because we fear it will be ground zero for the battle to save our reality.”

  Heh, she didn't beat around the bush, that's why we loved Red.

  She added, “We don't care if you think we're a threat or not, because everyone will be wiped out of existence by this new enemy if we don't act. And not to put too fine a point on it, but you can't stand against what is coming, so it is time to put your petty prejudices aside and get the civilians as far away from here as possible. Then pray to whatever gods you might, that we Avatars can stand against the oncoming storm.”

  The General asked, “Why didn't you contact us to warn...”

  Daria interrupted. “Because, General, as she said, our 'official channels' have been stonewalling us for weeks. Most of the groups assigned to be our liaisons are mostly staffed with people like Pike, who see us as the threat and them our watchdogs. We haven't been able to get through to anyone of consequence and it may be too late now. So we flew here since Seattle is the most likely spot for the enemy to attempt to establish a beachhead in our reality.”

  The man loo
ked around, at the Seattle PD arrayed protectively around us and held up his satellite phone. “Then let's make the call I was suggesting.”

  We all just stood back a little so our magics wouldn't interfere with his unspelled phone, and the man dialed a number, putting it on speaker and a familiar woman's voice came out through the static hiss of the magic so close to the phone, “Hello Micah? To what do I owe the pleasure? Or is this business?”

  He shared quickly, “Madame President. Unfortunately, this isn't a social call.”

  She sounded resigned and a bit weary, the weight of her job apparent in her tone. “What backwater country is trying to blow their neighbors into kingdom come today?”

  The man chuckled. “It's the Avatars.”

  I heard a rustling like she had stood from wherever she was sitting, her response quick and filled with concern and anticipation? “The Avatars?” I understood before I was... well before my Ella-Marie put the whammy on me, making me a paranormal by necessity, and before Dot had us playing body roulette, I was awed by the stories of the Red Hood and Gretta Snow too. Now I could hear that same reverence in the voice of the most powerful woman in the free world.

  Our leader spoke, Mari's voice full of respect, “Madame President, this is Maireni Damaschin...”

  The President interrupted. “The Red Hood.”

  Mari stiffened and supplied as she looked over at Eve. “One of them.”

  “I thought only one existed at any...”

  “Long story, ma'am, just suffice it to say that after some magical shenanigans, I share the mantle with another at this time.”

  The general added helpfully, “The Avatars have been trying to get word through official channels for weeks about an impending threat to...”

  Ella supplied sweetly and innocently, “The whole bloody world.”

  He shrugged at the phone like she could see and finished, “But they have met with... resistance, so have taken matters into their own hands.”

  President Hendricks huffed out in exasperation. “Pike... If congress would get off their asses and dissolve those god damned doomsday departments, we wouldn't have these types of problems. It is like they go out of their way to make others who are not like us into enemies. The Avies saved our collective asses on many occasions, I think that affords them a certain amount of trust and latitude.”

  Avies? I haven't heard that one before. Then again, I was sort of stuck in Oz for a while. And I could feel the frustration in her tone. The previous administration had divided congress and divided the populace about us. Those who felt anyone with powers like us shouldn't be allowed to be out walking free, and those who realize that the world will always have those more powerful than others, and accepted us for what and who we were.

  That still didn't stop all of them, on both sides of the subject, from passing so many laws and regulations restricting the use of 'extra-normal abilities'. Stopping just shy of having us either register our powers, imprisoning us, or having us walking around with tracking anklets and guards. That's just what people like Pike wanted.

  Yet here we were, again putting our lives on the line for those who barely tolerated us and those who didn't, when we could all just hide away in Perchta's Gardens while they were all wiped from existence... all because it is the right thing to do regardless of if they hated us or not.

  I smiled to myself at the officers standing between us and the soldiers. At least we've won over my hometown. I did an imaginary fist pump in our head and Ella chuckled.

  So I just snuggled back into Ella's head as the threat was laid out to the President of the most powerful country in the world. By the time it was all said and done, it had been adequately impressed upon them the dire circumstances and the fact that even we might not be enough. We didn't share that Masika was one of the Elders who were almost here.

  The President was saying, “We need to inform the other nations, and Seattle needs to be evacuated immediately.” Then she asked, “What if the elders arrive somewhere else instead?”

  Red sighed, it was our worry as well, and Masika had informed us they will likely split up as they arrive. “Then we deal with it as we can. Our information indicates that Seattle may be just one of many locations chosen for a beachhead, but we won't know anything more until they are about to arrive. Our contact has an informant embedded in their ranks.”

  We were relieved that the President didn't push us on who was providing our intel. I can't see it going over very well us saying, “Oh, just one of the all-powerful beings bent on our destruction, and we suspect her informant is the ghost of a little girl who died a few centuries back. You know, the normal channels.”

  The President said, “General Lance, I want you to be the point of contact for the Avatars. We need the National Guard and the Seattle Police and Emergency Services to coordinate a full evacuation of Seattle and the surrounding area.”

  She added, even though it wouldn't matter if we failed, “A hundred-mile perimeter.”

  Rachel stiffened at that and it took me a moment to realize that was likely the minimum safe distance for troops from a nuclear blast, even though nuclear fallout can drift for hundreds of miles and even in some cases, around the world in the jet-streams.

  I knew you could survive a one-megaton blast around twenty-two miles out; Discovery Chanel documentary I watched before I met Ella-Marie; but most nukes were multiple times that powerful.

  Part of me morbidly wondered if they would have the capability of hurting the Elders, beings capable of wiping out entire realities, or if they would just piss them off more. Probably only Snow, Hook, and Dot would survive from our group if that happened here.

  Then I watched in wonder as the two groups who had been at odds with each other just minutes earlier started frantic coordination to plan the biggest evacuation in human history, around three million people needed to get outside the safety perimeter and we didn't know when the enemy would arrive.

  The general pulled Red and Snow aside to talk more in-depth about the enemy capabilities and our own defensive capabilities. I sighed heavily in our head, hating that all this talk of war was necessary and inevitable. It was going to be a long few days as plans were worked and reworked for us with any chance of defending our world sat, feeling useless because any plans were moot until we knew where to meet the enemy.

  And within hours, the evacuation began and Mari left the General to talk with his superiors and she looked over at Illy and Belle, as Daria, in her huge hell hound werewolf form settled under her mate's fingertips. “Can you two come with us?”

  Rapunzel looked up from her cell, where she was playing that silly game she was addicted to, Platypus Wars, and asked, “Where are you going?”

  Mari gave us the smile of an Apex predator, chilling me to the bones as she said simply, “Contingency plan, I need to make an inter-realm call and summon a demon.”

  What!?

  Gretta's shocked reaction that slid into a smile which matched Masika's had me wondering if the world had gone mad around us and I was just slow to pick up on it. What did they know that the rest of us didn't?

  The last straw was my own girl smiling for us and saying, “Right. I knew I liked Red for more than her looks.”

  I grumped out, wishing I had arms I could cross over my chest and a lower lip I could pout out. “Hey, what am I? Chopped liver?”

  She said in our head, “Don't get yer knickers in a bunch, love, that's my job. Just wait until morning.” It was so suggestive, my incorporeal form heated and I knew I'd be blushing if I had a face, or blood, or a pulse... Ella snickered and I felt her love wrap around me to keep me safe. I sighed. Then squeaked when Marie joined in with her French accent, “Oui, my Parker. Just wait until morning.”

  I was going to die happy, wasn't I? And wasn't Marie supposed to be the nice one?

  Chapter 5 – Incoming

  It was going to take the better part of a week for the evacuation to finish, it wasn't l
ike the last time where we only needed to evacuate Seattle's inner city of just under a million people. All the surrounding cities needed to be evacuated too.

  Most were being sent east, over the Cascade Mountains to temporary tent cities being set up in the middle of Washington state. Some were being shipped south to camps outside Portland Oregon, and Canada even agreed to let evacuees up into the Vancouver, British Columbia area. They still had huge refugee centers outside of their walled city they had set up for former wolves after the werewolf curse had been lifted from a third of the world's population.

  They, like many of the other great walled cities throughout the world, had started the herculean task of dismantling the walls that once protected the Clean Bloods but were no longer necessary. Only a few cities, like Seattle and London, were going to keep them as monuments so that people didn't forget the centuries of terror the full moon had wrought among the people of Earth, and that of we are not vigilant, something like it could happen again.

  And here we were... already at 'again'.

  My love liked to point out that there was no rest for the wicked. Which of course got Dot cackling like a madwoman, or like a wicked witch at the very least. Why did I dread when she was in a playful mood? Now I know why the people of Oz all cringed when they heard she was in a good or mischievous mood. You never knew what she'd do to 'help' people when her help always had a side helping of wicked coursing through her veins from the power of the two evil Cardinal Point Witches she had killed.

  And sometimes it actually was humorous... if you weren't on the receiving end of it that is.

  We were assisting the setting up of defense lines since the military refused to let us stand alone if we were fighting for the lives of everyone on the planet. It was a little disconcerting when some countries... including ours, shared that they had experimental weapons that were proving effective against paranormal entities.

  Had the black site prisons like the one Rose allowed herself to be held in borne fruit? And other countries had been developing weapons against us as well? What was wrong with people? At least they were coming clean now that everyone's lives were at stake.