Invasion

Before too long, it was time for bed. She had college to go to in the morning, and she didn't intend to fall behind. Lyra pushed herself to her feet with a yawn and rubbed her eyes. She was tired, the excitement of the day had worn away at her reserves. Pausing only to say good night to her mother, she went to the bathroom to brush her teeth. As she did so, she caught sight of herself in the mirror and could not help but smile at the memory of her earlier game. It still sent a tiny little shiver of delight worming its way down her spine. She would have to do it again sometime soon. But not for a few days at least. Not until she was sure she would be alone.

When she was done cleaning her teeth, she went back to her room. Closed the door with a click and shrugged off her clothes. She didn't sleep naked. Well, not usually, anyway. Not unless she was indulging in some game or something. Not tonight though. Tonight she was just going to sleep. She put on her sleeping wear, a soft and downy pair of leggings and an oversized black top and went to climb into the bed. Before she could though, something caught her eye and made her stop in her tracks. A frown crossed her face.

Had she seen something? It seemed unlikely. The world outside of her window was dark. There were trees and distant lights of the city. After the war, space had become much more important so the compound was not as isolated as it had been in her father's time. But it was still ten minutes away from the main road, and no one came this way unless they were coming for the house itself. She looked closer, seeking some sign of light which might indicate the progress of a car. Maybe it was her dad finally coming back? Lyra grinned. if so, he was going to hear a lot for his lateness. She knew that her mother had been pretty worried. She was confident he'd have some explanation. Some silly story which may or may not have actually happened. He'd tell it with a smile and a flourish, and her mother would listen with her arms crossed. The two would lock eyes for a moment before her father said something stupid or silly, and then her mother's frown would vanish.

She shook her head. She was well used to their dynamic by now. She was just glad that he was properly back. She thought about whether she was going to stay up to greet him. It would only be a few more minutes.

Nah. She couldn't be bothered. Besides, it was probably better not to let him start thinking he was too important otherwise he might get insufferable. She turned to move away again, but once more something caught her eye. A flash of movement, motion between the trees. She frowned.

That wasn't a car. Was he coming back on foot? She pressed her face close to the window, blinking quickly to try and clear her field of vision. It was very dark out there. She couldn't make out much. There were animals in the forest, but not big ones and the shapes moving seemed to be the size of people.

She felt a prickling sense of dawning apprehension. There were a _lot _of people there. Fifteen, twenty? She struggled to make out any identification but couldn't see anything. This was far beyond what she had expected. She would have to tell her mother. Warning bells were ringing in the back of Lyra's mind as she stepped away from the window.

That motion more than anything else saved her life. Suddenly, not even a few seconds after she had stepped back, the entire house shook. She cried out, the impact knocked her from her feet. Something detonated on the other side of the wall, spraying her room with shards of glass. She raised an arm to shield her face, looking away desperately. Her heart hammered. What was going on? Fear filled her as she staggered to her feet.

People were shouting. The building continued to shake. There were more explosions. Could she smell burning? Lyra tried to figure out what she was supposed to do, but she had never expected to be in a fight. She might have had her father's power, but she had no experience with it. She didn't have his instinct, didn't know how to respond to such an attack. For all that her parents were legendary in their fields, in that moment she was just a frightened young woman.

She opened her mouth to shout for her mother but before she could do it, the wall facing the forest gave a loud crack and imploded. Dust and bricks showered her and Lyra felt her power flicker to life. A shield of darkness flowed sluggishly around her to take the blow. Even so, the bricks hit her hard, knocking her back and sending her reeling. Her shield shattered and she hit the ground again. Her head was spinning and the air had been knocked from her chest.

What the hell? What the hell? From somewhere downstairs, there was more shouting. Someone screamed.

She picked herself up and realised that someone was standing in the hole where her wall used to be. Her eyes widened, recognising a costumed super but not the identity that went with it. He was a man with ragged, dark hair and a muscular build. His face might have been handsome once, but it had been hacked away it, his ears were ragged. His features scarred. A chunk of his lip was missing, and his nose had been broken multiple times. He was wearing a chestplate of bronze, and a sort of frilled kilt that went down to his knees. Even this far away, she could tell that he stank.

"Who are you?" Her voice asked before her mind could catch up with her. He looked almost offended.

"Who am I? Who am I? Don't they teach you anything in school? Come here and let me see you!"

He moved, pushing off the ground with a sudden burst of speed. In the blink of an eye, he'd shoved her against the far wall. Lights flashed before her as her head hit the solid structure. He was fast, and strong as well! One hand closed around her shoulder, and he lifted her up. Panicked, she struck out. Her knee slammed between his open legs, but he didn't even show any sign of pain! Tendrils of shadow twirled from her back, striking at him like tiny spears. But they just broke against his skin as he swatted them aside. He turned and half threw her again. She tumbled, rolling as she hit the ground. There, she lay. Gasping for air. Terror made her body shake as she pushed herself to her knees.

He was looking at her with a strange smile.

"Well, well, well..." He said,. "Shadow powers. So you're _his _daughter? Did you get anything from your mother? Not her strength, obviously. That was pathetic. Can you make fire? Fly? I bet we'd find out if I threw you out that hole in the wall."

He laughed loudly, the sound was abrupt and terrifying. Lyra saw his face and thought that she was going to die. Cold shivers raced down her spine. Then, he dropped into a dash. Before she could react, her was in front of her again. His hand closed around her top, hoisting her into the air with absurd ease. The guy's strength was out of this world! She kicked out desperately, but he ignored her. His eyes were locked on her face.

"I should kill you," He said. "It would solve so much, and I owe your daddy big. But you're still going to be useful for the next few minutes so I won't hurt your pretty little head just yet."

He threw her against the wall, the impact knocked the wind out of her and stunned her as she slumped to the ground. This couldn't be happening. Only a few minutes ago, everything had been normal. Now she was fighting for her life against a foe she was clearly outclassed by.

"You see," said the man conversationally. "We've been sent here by someone. Someone who wants your little family to be put where it can't do any harm to their plans. They've got a bunch of guys. Big shots who think they're all tough. But I've seen your family fight before, and those guys who think they're so tough? Your mother's gonna shred them. She was strong back when I faced her, and stronger yet not. Of course, I could take her myself but my real power is a little lethal for that. Looks like you get to be the hostage."

He bundled her up quickly, twisting her arm painfully behind her back and moving his arm around her throat. He pulled tight, forcing her back into his body. He smelled rank. Not unclean, but coppery. A metallic taste throbbed upon her tongue. Before she could think on it too much, he pushed her forward, half throwing and half hauling her out of her room. Beyond, Lyra could now hear more explosions echoing through the house. The ground was shaking, impacts rained down. How many were there? Fifteen she'd seen. Nearly twenty. Who did they have at home? Only her mother.

How could her mother win against so many?

As they moved slowly down the stairs, Lyra saw the scene of utter desolation which had overcome her home. More holes had been punched in the walls. Inner sections had exploded or been ripped to shreds. Some sort of blade had been used, slicing furniture and doors to pieces. There were craters in the ground, and it felt unusually hot. The reason for this soon became obvious as they get closer to the main room.

Someone had been thrown half through a wall. He groaned and tried to get up, but slumped down a moment later. More bodies lay across the floor. No one was dead, but they looked like they wished they were. There must have been a dozen of them at least lying all around. In the centre of the room, Lyra saw her mother standing. But she saw her as she had never seen before. She was half grinning, though her eyes were serious. Flames danced and whirled around her body, and she moved fast. Faster than the eye could follow, she pummelled her foes, breaking their guard with contemptuous ease. Lyra had never realised just how experienced she was. She'd known of course, but she'd never understood.

Now she did. Lilly didn't just fight, she made a mockery of the enemies around her. She flowed from place to place in constant motion. They struck her, tried to gang up on her. Came at her from all sides, but she was simply always were they were not. She struck them with her fists, knocked their feet out from under them. Brought them down with swift, powerful blows. She wasn't even using her full power!

Before long, the last of them went down to a crushing kick to the gut. Lilly stood, surrounded by the bodies of her attackers.

"Is that all?" She said.

"I think not," Said the man holding Lyra. Lilly spun, but as soon as she saw her daughter, her face went pale. The serious expression that was in her eyes spread across the rest of her as she clenched her fists. The fire which glowed about her in a corona grow hotter and brighter, swirling patterns of ash danced around her. But the man spoke again.

"I wouldn't do that, Redwing. Unlike those fools, I've met you before. I know just how fast you can move and believe me, it will not be fast enough. Your daughter's life hangs in the balance so you would do well to think about your next act carefully."

Quiet fury danced in Lilly's eyes. Her muscles strained, her body tensed and ready. But she didn't move yet. Her vision switched between Lyra and the man, alternating as she tried to come up with some sort of plan. Then at last, she spoke.

"I thought you were long dead. Put my daughter down and I promise that I'll let you live."

Let you live? Lyra blinked. That wasn't the sort of thing she expected from her superhero of a mother! But Lilly's voice sounded dangerous and low as she said it, the tone of a woman who was willing to do what it took to protect her daughter.

"Yes," The man laughed. "I bet you did think that I was dead. You didn't do much to help me back then, did you? How can you call yourself a hero and leave an innocent to die?"

"An innocent?" She scoffed. "You? The only thing you were innocent of was trying to be a decent person. Mass ****, terrorism. Those ring a bell? You're not exactly a nice man."

"Terrorism? I was never a terrorist!" The man seemed insulted. "A terrorist is someone who causes terror for a purpose, political or personal. I just liked it for its own sake."

"Gorehound..." Lilly's voice dripped with contempt. "You're just as much of a bastard as when I watched you die. How the hell are you still alive?"

"You want the answer to that?" He chuckled. "I'm not. Now put down your arms and lower your power. I know what you're thinking and it's that if you move quickly enough, you can probably catch me out. Well, that's true. I'm not charged at the moment, but you know exactly what my power is, and I promise you that your daughter is going to find out first hand if you push your luck. You might - might - be able to beat me, but she's not going to survive the fight."