Shadowhunter in the Apocalypse

Reed reached the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal in less than three minutes. He materialized in a narrow alley by the docks, his breath steady, his eyes sweeping the waterline.

Time mattered now.

He needed someone who actually knew which ships were leaving, someone who had the authority to keep track. The first uniformed worker he spotted was pacing near a stack of crates, clipboard in hand.

Lucky me

Reed's shadow slipped across the pavement, rising silently behind the man. A dagger formed in his hand and with a flick , it rested against the man's neck, just enough to press into the skin.

"Do not turn around, do not scream unless you want to die" Reed said calmly. "I need to know if a ship is leaving at nine."

The man tensed so hard Reed could hear the breath catch in his throat. "I…I don't know who you are but please don't kill me. There's one ship that was supposed to leave at nine, but it went out earlier, like half an hour ago. Eight-thirty, I swear. They…They rushed it."

Reed cursed under his breath. "Where?"

The man's voice cracked, words tumbling over each other in his panic. "Out there. That one, with the big crane still attached. You can still see it a bit from here. That's the one."

Reed kept the dagger pressed in for one more heartbeat, then pulled it away. The weapon dissolved into smoke before the man could glance back. By the time the dock worker dared to move, Reed was already gone, his form swallowed by a nearby wall of darkness.

He reappeared on the far end of the terminal, hidden behind a rusting steel container with a good enough view. Out on the water, the ship had already gained distance and was gaining more by the second. Its towering crane stretched high above the deck, casting a long shadow across itself and the sea as the rising sun caught it from the side.

That was all Reed needed.

He locked on to the shadow stretching over the waves. His breath slowed. Focus narrowed until there was only him, the void, and the line of darkness across the water. The world pulled apart in silence.

And then he was gone.

When Reed emerged, the taste of salt air filled his lungs. He was aboard.

The first masked man spotted him almost immediately. Their eyes met across the deck. Reed saw the figure inhale to shout a warning. A gun formed in Reed's hand in milli-seconds, a perfect construct of shadow shaped with precision, as far as he knew no Shadowhunter could do this, it was too difficult to get all the mechanisms right, but shadows always felt easy to him.

There was no flash, no recoil, no sound. Just a hole appearing in the man's throat. Another through his head. The figure collapsed without a cry, bleeding out silently.

Reed caught him before the body hit the ground, lowering it gently. He pulled away the mask.

The face beneath wasn't one he recognized. It wasn't even a race he understood. The skin was scaly like some warlocks he had seen, while some patches were pale and smooth. Fangs glistened behind lips twisted in a half snarl. It was wrong. Warlocks did not grow vampire fangs. Vampires did not sprout scales. Someone had forced the bloodlines together.

Reed dropped the mask back over the corpse as he came to the logical conclusion, Experiments and dangerous ones too. These things weren't supposed to exist but it wasn't his business.

He entered into his shadow form and departed from the corpse.

The second one died near the starboard rail. Reed slipped behind him and formed a garrote from living darkness. The wire cut through the throat clean as silk, leaving the man clutching uselessly as the light faded from his eyes. He had fur across the back of his neck, coarse and grey like a wolf's, but curled horns jutted from his skull. A mix of werewolf and something demonic. Reed left him where he fell, body slumped against the railing.

The third was better prepared, pacing with a weapon already drawn. He moved like a soldier, sharp, disciplined. Reed in his shadow form moved along the deck and caught the man by his the leg. He yanked. The figure stumbled, falling to his knees. Before he could recover, a spear of shadow pierced the back of his head, silencing him instantly. His body twitched once, then stilled.

Reed crouched and lifted the mask. This one had pale skin veined with blue and claws sharp as knives. His hair was thin, patchy, uneven. The experiments were sloppy. Whoever was behind this had no interest in perfection. They wanted power, no matter the cost.

Reed moved again.

The fourth died in the narrow corridor leading below deck. Reed creeped along the walls until he was close to the man. A dagger appeared and slit his throat in one swift motion. No scream, just a gurgle. The body collapsed forward, lifeless before it hit the ground. This one had fangs and eyes that glowed faintly like a cat's, another twisted hybrid.

The fifth went down in the engine room. Reed dropped from the ceiling, landing without a sound. The shadow-formed blade slid between the man's ribs, piercing his heart. Reed held him until he stopped moving, then eased him down.

By the time he moved toward the holding cells, the deck was littered with bodies no one had heard fall.

He found the trainees in a reinforced cage, over 10 of them, including the ones recently missing. Mia among them, still in the short black dress she had worn to the club. All of them were slumped on the floor, breathing shallow, faces slack. The drugs still held them tight.

He stepped back. They would have to wait.

He turned away and moved to the control room.

Five were gathered there, playing cards and talked. Their voices carried low but Reed caught enough. Two of them he recognized from the warlock's memory. They had been the ones handing over the money.

He formed his gun again, he didn't want to risk 5 at once even though he could take them.

One shifted suddenly, head snapping up. Shadows coiled around his hand and then a spear shot across the room with stunning speed. Reed barely slid aside as it carved a line across the wall behind him.

"Someone is here!" the man shouted, and got up quickly with inhuman speed, faster than most Shadowhunters Reed had fought. Vampire crossed with Shadow hunter. Reed's guess hardened. That explained the perception, the speed, the dangerous accuracy.

Reed straightened. He let his Ghost armor flow across his body, the veil settling over his face. The shadows thickened around him until he was no longer Reed but the faceless phantom.

The five figures froze.

"Fucking Ghost, what is he doing in New York!"

The same man who had launched the spear stepped forward, clearly the leader,. His voice was steady, though Reed heard the thread of doubt under it. "Calm yourselves fools, he is one man. The House builds myths around their killers. They exaggerate. Ghost will bleed like anyone else."

Reed tilted his head slowly, he spoke the words he had spoken countless times before he reaped lives. "You have broken the Supernatural accords, surrender and you will be allowed a fair trial."

Silence. None of them moved as expected.

Reed smiled beneath the veil where no one could see. "At least I tried."