Death Angel

Chapter 38: The Death Angel

“Our vampires will scoop up any of the living and move them away from the city unharmed. You have our word, Vanessa. The Brood owes you for destroying our common enemy.”

I was satisfied. 

With Death and the Brood overseeing the evacuation effort, I could concentrate my energies toward rescuing Daniel. I looked up at the nano-knight. The head unit was still intact, the dark helmet gazing impassively toward the horizon with sightless eyes. It was very difficult to determine if Daniel were still in there.

Nonetheless, I had to at least try and attempt to find him. I flexed my wings and propelled myself into the air. The air wasn’t as turbulent as it was before. Now that the nano-knight could no longer control its own mass, it stood there as inert as the buildings that surrounded us. 

I still approached cautiously. The nano ants continued to race all around the knight. There was no telling what the nano-machines were capable of on their own. Even without the hive mind now controlling them, the ants were still unpredictable enough. And somehow, part of the nano-knight was still intact, which meant that at least for the most part, the ants still had the ability to bond.

I looked once more at the knight’s left leg. It was now completely submerged in Lake Michigan. 

Could this prove to be our undoing?

I didn’t really want to find out. I had to get into the nano-knight helmet and extricate Daniel was quickly as I could.

I forced myself to fly higher, up to the point where I was almost level with the knight’s head. From my vantage point, I could see that the rest of the knight continued to fall apart. Even the head was no exception, as the ants began to race faster and faster, the metallic looking head was rapidly disintegrating, I realized. 

I didn’t think twice. 

I dove right into the head region and began to tear it up forcefully, taking chunks of the still-moving nanomachines and casting them off like a plaster-of-paris sculpture or a papier-mache pinata.  It took me longer than I was expecting; the nano-knight’s helmet was massive. Even looking upon it, the head itself was at least one and a half times my size. 

I marvelled at Daniel’s audacity. For him to even come up with the idea was impressive. It was made even more courageous by the fact that he was mortal.

Mortal.

I doubled my efforts in the attempt to find him. Daniel wasn’t going to survive very long in this rapidly disintegrating mountain of scrap-metal refuse. I dug and dug. My hands and arms felt heavy, and the tears began to fall from my eyes. 

Please, please let him be alive.

It was then I noticed something sticking out of the helmet. It was small at first, but instantly recognizable. It was Daniel’s dark curls. I moved faster, given strength by my discovery, clawing at the nano-machine infested organism until I was once again looking upon Daniel. He was unconscious, but breathing. 

Thank your lucky stars you’re alive. That was one hell of a stunt you pulled.

I slowly moved him close to me and flew away from the melting behemoth. 

I flew aimlessly around the Chicago skyline for a while before settling on the rooftop of the Willis Tower. I carefully placed the unconscious Daniel at my feet and let him rest. We were safe here, at least for the time being. I looked around at the city of Chicago. From my vantage point, I could see all of the death and destruction that my beloved city had undergone.

“It is quite the mess you have caused, cherie, no?” A voice called from behind me.

I turned around swiftly in the direction of the voice.