Death Angel

Chapter 38: The Death Angel

The wait was unbearable.

That fleeting moment of uncertainty when everything was about to go wrong and the chances for succeeding were so slim that it was almost too difficult to fathom that we were going to come out of this one. 

That brief moment felt like an eternity. The anguished screams that came from the nano-knight as it rampaged around filled the air all around us. The knight’s left arm had been severed at the elbow, and its right hand had yet to regenerate. It was therefore, incapacitated, at least or so it seemed for the time being.

Of course, the most dreadful thing happened after that. The knight’s foot finally touched down on Lake Michigan, causing the water to stir up, kicking up massive waves the likes of which hadn’t been seen on the shores of Chicago in centuries. Any further movement from the knight was going to cause a Tsunami. Water poured into the streets and I was thankful that much of the population had probably been evacuated at this point.

It was all up to Daniel now.

Death and I hovered a safe distance from the nano-knight. There wasn’t going to be much either of us was going to be able to do against a massively regenerating knight with unlimited abilities to repair itself, without the kill switch.

“Well, cherie, look at the bright side. If the entire world ends right now, you and I are out of a job.”

“That’s the bright side?” I asked incredulously. “I’d hate to see what the dark side looks like.”

Death breathed in deep and smiled at me. He had reverted back to his human form again, his charming good looks even more apparent in the bright sunshine. “I’ve got faith in humanity Van. It’s going to take more than a rampaging giant robot to bring down mankind. I’m rooting for Danny boy over there.”

As if in response, a sharp piercing sound blew shrill like a whistle, cutting through everything around us as a powerful wave of force went through all of us.

The knight froze for a moment, unmoving. And then, just as soon as it had stopped, everything began to unravel. The ants that had previously been melded together into a single functioning unit, now began to fall apart, the tiny nano-machines running around frantically; their ability to couple prevented.

“Daniel’s activated the kill switch, finally,” I said, letting out a sigh of relief. “He’s done it!”

The nano knight began to come apart more dramatically now. At first, the massive arms came off, severed at the shoulders, turning the massive knight into a parody of a grecian bust, the enormous physique standing against the light of the sun, a mere shadow of its former glory. The ants continued to race around it as the parts continued to fall.

A panicked thought gripped me. “My God, if there are still people below us...”

“Say no more cherie,” said Death, “I’m on my way.”

“Fear not Vanessa,” a second voice chimed in. Gregor Vincent stood alongside me once more, his hands folded in front of him as he stood atop a nearby building. Stefan was at his side as well, surveying the nano-knight’s rapidly escalating decline. “The Brood will come to your aid once more, Death Angel. I am sorry I did not get the message soon enough.” Gregor signalled to a few of the Class-C’s who were with them. 

It was the first time I had seen the Class-C’s up close. They were nothing like their Class-D subordinates. Every bit as beautiful as Natalya and her ladies of the night, the Class-C’s nodded at Gregor and instantly disappeared from sight. By the time I noticed them again, they were already on the ground barking commands at the Class-D’s.