chapter 33 : The Armory

The girls quickly packed up their things and Harper took Talia's body to a special place, an old abandoned church that served as a gathering and meditation place for the witches of this coven .

There found some witches who looked at him in shock as they looked at Talia's lifeless body.

 "Talia…?" 

 "It's Talia!" 

 " She is dead !?" 

 Harper heard the whispers and quickly cleared things up.

 Harper: Your leader tried to trap me and I killed her, your precious virgin and next leader participated in this plan and I killed him first. Talia asked me to spare you in the hope of paying the price for her betrayal alone , don't try anything stupid because they have already paid for their mistakes. Anyone who wants to retaliate will die, don't waste Talia's sacrifice and understand that they caused their deaths. I came to warn you out of respect for your congregation. 

 " What have you done ?" A wizard came closer and Harper looked at him expressionlessly and replied that he had heard his explanations very well.

Annie, Talia's niece heard all this and despite the shock, she took her phone to contact the SIA because she was also an agent like several other members of the congregation.

 Harper left taking Talia's body, the others wanted to protest but those who quickly realized that they could not do anything against him like Annie very quickly calmed the others.

She was aware of her aunt's plan and knew that Harper could very well have attacked the entire congregation, which is what an original or a fairly powerful vampire would have done in any case.

 (a little after)

 A cold silence reigned in the car on the way back but Harper quickly reassured the girls by telling them that they will always be welcome in Salem with the Maiden congregation, that what he did wouldn't have no impact on their relationships with other witches and that they had nothing to fear from him.

 "Harper, can I ask why you took Talia's body ? What if she wakes up in the car?" Abby asked sitting in the front seat with him behind the wheel.

 Harper: I want to question her in more detail about this government agency.

 Bonnie: The gouvernement ? It's really madness...

 Harper: If ants like the founding families of Mystic Falls know about it then why not the government ? It would be incoherent and insolently ridiculous if they were not informed of our existence.

 The girls didn't say anything and what Harper had just said really made sense, it wouldn't make sense that with the means of that time the government wasn't aware of the existence of supernatural creatures.

They continued on their way when further away something happened. 10 minutes' drive after returning to Virginia, a barrage of several black vehicles blocked their path and Harper knew they were SIA agents, there were several of them outside the vehicles.

 The one who appeared to be the captain or leader of this squad was in fact Enzo St. John. He ordered his men not to draw their weapons for any reason and not to do anything to anger Harper.

He approached Harper's vehicle with his hands raised in a sign of non-aggression and Harper got out of his vehicle asking the girls to wait before approaching Enzo who spoke.

 Enzo: Regulator, first of all, please know that I am sincerely sorry to interrupt your journey and for the inconvenience in Salem. My name is Lorenzo St. John, vampire since 1903 and deputy head of the Armory, we are affiliated with the SIA.

 Harper: So polite! Did you learn what I did in Salem and try another approach?

 Enzo: That's right, we had confidence in our weapons but they were useless against you and you showed clemency towards our soldiers.

 "Simple patriots who want to feed their families…" Harper said lazily as Enzo thanked him for it.

 Harper: What do you want from me?

 Enzo: I would like to invite you to meet my direct superior at the armory, he'll tell you everything. This is someone you know very well...

 "I've never liked surprises and I've known a lot of people all this time. Who is your superior...? » Harper said in a cold tone as she moved slightly closer and Enzo immediately felt in mortal danger.

 Enzo:...It...it's about-(interrupted)

 "Hahahaha I was joking, I like surprises when they are pleasant and if it's an old acquaintance it's even better. You shouldn't be afraid like that, you didn't attack me and I'm too old to like gratuitous violence. I'll come with you to the Armory if you take me there." Harper told him smiling and Enzo breathed a sigh of relief before telling her it would be an honor.

 Harper returned to the car to tell Abby to drive home without him before taking Talia's body into the trunk of the car without giving the girls time to say anything.

Enzo and the others saw Harper returning with the corpse of one of their superior officers with shock.

 "I gave her my blood before breaking her neck, she'll wake up soon. Let's go, I can't wait to meet your mysterious superior officer…" Harper said happily while Enzo said nothing. One of the soldiers took care of taking Talia's body and putting her in one of the cars and they left while Abby at the wheel was completely speechless at Harper's nonchalance.

 Throughout the trip, Harper was friendly with Enzo and didn't try to impose any dominant attitude, he liked people who showed respect and that's what Enzo did.

Harper knew deep down that he was the most powerful creature he knew. Physically he was a real monster even for the originals and for his magical power, Harper was just terrifying so he feared nothing and no one, it would do him no good to oppress others unnecessarily because if at his age he still needed to show that he was the strongest so he was far from being the strongest. 

 Enzo: Regulator, if I may, is it true that you can use magic? This is supposed to be impossible for our species...

 Harper: That's right, I can use magic. Have you never met my kind ?

 Enzo: We only heard about them but the agent in charge of the H faction at SIA took them out of harm's way before they were discovered.

 "Rayna is part of your agency ?! Makes sense…" Harper was a little surprised.

 Enzo: You call her by her first name! You seem to know her well...

 Harper: Our paths have…crossed. I'm quite curious about this faction thing...

 Enzo: My superior will explain it to you in more detail but basically, there are two factions in the SIA. The H faction which is made up of humans led by special agent Rayna Cruz and the V faction made up of vampires or elite soldiers who have become aspiring vampires. I belong to the V faction...

 Harper: Who leads this faction?

 Enzo: An original vampire who hunts his own family, Mikael. He has been missing for over 10 years and we are still looking for him.

 "Rahahaha incredible! Rayna and dear Niklaus' abusive father work together. The Original Dad who leads a faction dominated by vampires..." Harper said mockingly.

 Enzo: Things are much more complex than that but know that the two factions really hate each other. We neutralize dangerous vampires and that is why the general human population is not yet aware of the existence of vampires despite the large traces that some vampires leave behind. Recordings, photos, videos, massacre scene we take care of erasing everything before the general public notices it.

 "Your work is remarkable, I am really very impressed. All these humans have no idea what's going on in the shadows..." Harper sincerely congratulated Enzo and they finally arrived at the Armory whose building was even bigger than in the series.

Enzo guided him inside the building under the sometimes very surprised looks of the agents, Harper was a true legend without really realizing it. Talia had been put in one of the cells to wait for her to wake up with a bag of human blood.

 Enzo showed him the premises before taking him to the office of his superior to whom a report had already been made, Harper entered nonchalantly and in front of the large window of this office, a blond man admired the view with his hands crossed in his back.

 "Oh I did well to come…" Harper said with amusement quickly recognizing the person from behind.

 "It's really nice to see you again, Harper. I really missed you…" The man said turning around with a smile.

 Harper: It's been a long time...Zack...

...............................

I know, I added things that don't exist in the series but I did it for the sake of consistency. How is it possible that in this series the government is not aware of the supernatural activities while the heads of families in a small town like Mystic Falls are informed.

It's not like vampires only appeared in Virginia, they killed and left bodies everywhere else

A simple example involving Mikael is that when he intercepted Klaus in Chicago at his first meeting with Stefan, Mikael came with police officers who fired wooden bullets. How after placing a detail like that, the story went on as if nothing had happened, it's really ridiculous. 

How is an organization like the Armory clandestine on American soil ? Who pays for them ? I'm sincerely sorry for those who won't appreciate it, but I was forced to do it and find a balance to details that really bothered me.

I read messages of support from some readers and know that you give me strength, sincerely. Thank God I'm feeling a little better even though I strangely still have the feeling of the cold metal of that knife in my belly, the doctor said it was a phantom sensation due to trauma so I'll be fine. Thank you for your support guys.

Merci beaucoup 🇨🇵🥖🗼