Chapter 13

The Angel

Cassie stepped from the Osprey as Wren charged headfirst out. She couldn't help cracking a smile, he really was itching to get fighting. Her fellows filed out behind her quickly with tense expressions of apprehension, Cassie turned her smile to them encouragingly and they nodded back brightly. This would be a tough battle that wore down upon all of them, but they would make it through this,

"BLOOOOOOOOOOOD!" A dark pit drilled into Cassie's stomach as she looked over at a screaming metal giant unloading haplessly onto a Nova, his shots ricocheting off its solid armor he screamed unintelligible words laughing insanely. Cassie charged him as he drew his chainsword, the Pandoras and Limiters around him fleeing with cries of terror, and slammed her fist into the side of his helmet, throwing him down to the ground. She shook her hand, blowing on her knuckle, and mounted him, ready to launch another blow,

"WREN! GET YOUR SHIT TOGETHER!" She screamed. He looked up at her for a full second before nodding his head. Cassie remembered her conversation with the Doctor,

"His life has not been his own," The Doctor sighed, melancholy weighing heavily upon his shoulder, "I forged him into what he has become. He watched as his brothers, for which he harbored a fanatical loyalty that I drilled to deeply into his mind, died until he stood alone against the tide he swore to stop. Now he has an obsession with avenging his brothers, his mind and soul both broken beyond repair." The Doctor looked at her, "And I hope you realize what you're getting into." Cassie shook her head,

"No matter how far a person falls, they can always be pulled back. An Astartes is no different." She declared, looking over at the sleeping face of the Astarte she had watched destroy his body as he stood against her onslaught, refusing to yield. She had felt an intense sadness from him, one that cried out for salvation and Cassie felt a sudden desire to pull this withered shell of a man back from the brink.

Now Cassie truly began to understand Dr. Aoi's words. A week of captivity would not tame the beast within him when the time came and Cassie was unsure if it was better to keep him alive rather than to put him out of his misery. No, this wasn't a good time to think about things like that. Right now she had to use him, the 9th Clash raged around her and they would need all the help they could get. She jumped towards the frontline as two Pandoras she recognized as her close friends, Nena-Chan and June, whom she had fallen upon rocky times with thanks to her sudden relationship with Wren, struck at the Type-S Wren had fired upon. They broke its armor, quickly retreating, and exposed the crimson gem that was its core, Cassie took her chance. Like a bolt of lightning she flashed across the battlefield, weaving through her comrades and appearing above the Nova's core in an instant. She felt the gazes of the Pandoras and Limiters on her, their eyes wide with awe as she fearlessly struck at the Nova, but their hopes were dashed.

An unseen force collided with Cassie, her bones cracking as she coughed with the jarring force of the blow that threw her down to the earth. She landed heavily, the impact knocking the wind out of her, and she rolled to her knees hunching over to nurse her wounded side. Suddenly Wren snatched her up from behind, running as fast as she had been just seconds before, carrying her away from the front. Cassie opened her mouth to protest when he looked over his shoulder, her words dying in her mouth.

A giant red beam as large as the Nova itself exploded from its chest and annihilated a fifty foot space of the front line. Pandoras and Limiters alike were swallowed by the beam, obliterated completely and utterly, while others lost limbs and some clutched at their faces beginning to scream. Then a solid wall of force smashed into Cassie and Wren, knocking him to the ground throwing bodies and hunks of earth into the air. Wren's arms closed around her and he turned his back to the ground as they landed, protecting Cassie from the worst of the hit. They picked themselves up and Cassie froze.

Pandoras and Limiters alike screamed, some reaching out to their dead and dismembered fellows in disbelief, eyes watering. Others cried out in pain blood pouring from what had once been their arms and legs but know became bloody stumps. Cassie felt her heart tremble, unable to comprehend the awful scene that played out before her. She had never been part of a real battle, never fought Novas before, never seen so much blood and death in one place, her knees buckled,

"Absolutely beautiful."

Cassie looked up in horror at Wren, almost thankful for the helm he wore that hid his face behind its silent scream. He sounded like a demon, not the awkward and gruff man she had discovered that had been replaced by this demon. He sounded like something that had crawled out of hell itself to terrorize the mortal plane with his wrath. Wren turned, looking down at her through his lens that glowed red,

"This is war, sweetheart," The Demon chuckled, "Get used to it." Cassie swore she could see a black aura leaking out beneath his helm that churned her stomach and filled her with the frantic need to flee. Wren looked up to the sky at what seemed to be a falling star but when Cassie looked closer she realized it seemed to be some sort of metal pod. The pod buried itself in the ground, throwing dirt into the air, and Wren trudged over to it, opening odd metal thing. Inside were a large hammer and some sort of backpack with what looked like engines it into its backside. He hefted the hammer and attached the pack over the one already on his back.

Suddenly the engines roared, and every soul of the battlefield turned to watch a silver Angel of Death descend from the heavens upon wings of flame and smite the enemy of man, splitting it in two with three tremendous blows of its hammer that thundered with the voice of a god upon each strike. The ruined Nova collapsed into the ocean the Angel of Death falling among its broken body landing in a splash of seawater. The Nova's remains fell about the Angel and upon its shoulders, framing it in what seemed like a pair of massive white wings, the mist of the sea and dust of the Nova blowing in the wind enhancing the rays of the sun. Cassie stared in awe as lightning lanced from the Angel's hammer, dancing across the waves of the water haphazardly. The flame united about the Angel's head in a halo that scorched the white wings that slowly flapped as they fell, the dust and mist blowing wildly from their mighty strength. The Angel of Death threw back its head, and proclaimed glorious victory to the heavens with its booming voice, hoisting the hammer of lightning into the air.

The Pandoras and Limiters, as well as Cassie herself, stared in awe of the Angel. Its white wings spread wide, fiery halo burning brightly, divine silver armor shining in the sun, and with courage granted by the Angel's fury and presence they added their voices to its own, as one challenging the Novas to surge forward in a great tide. With the Angel in their hearts and fighting at their side, they knew that victory was not a possibility, but their destiny.

Cassie and the Pandoras charged one of the three remaining Nova carrying with them the inspiration of the Angel. They struck as one, a well-oiled machine, some of them fell with snarls as invisible blades sliced through their ranks, but they would not be broken. The Angel fought with them, it demanded victory and would not tolerate the cowardice of the unfaithful. The Nova teetered as the tide of Pandoras smashed into it, chipping away at its white armor until the crimson gem lay exposed to their onslaught. With one final push the Pandoras crushed the gem, the Nova slouching, and finally falling with a colossal boom as it crashed into the surf. The Pandoras and Limiters cheered.

Then they began to scream.

The final Nova whipped about long and thin tentacles that cut through flesh and snatched up Pandoras, holding them with unbreakable strength. The Pandoras and Limiters faltered, watching as screaming women were pulled into the air, and their allies were cut down by blinding blurs. Angular cracks formed upon the skin of those taken, creeping out from the tentacles in twisted patterns. Some cut off limbs to escape the tentacles while others, lacking the resolve and will to live by any means, or had been taken by something not easily removed from the body, simply screamed as they were taken.

Cassie gritted her teeth, the tide turning against them, despite Wren's best efforts. Taking the initiative she dashed toward the Nova, raising her dual blades, she attacked with every ounce of speed and strength she could muster, suddenly stopping in mid-air. Cassie hung there for a confused instant before the pain tore through her. She screamed, dropping her blades to grab at the tentacle that had impaled her stomach, frantically attempting to dislodge it. The Nova lowered her to its body, pressing her against it, angular cracks spider webbing out across her skin. The hand of a god seized her mind, squeezing her consciousness. Cassie fought back, but in vain, she could not fight a god. She knew someone who could,

"WREN!"

I dislodged the Thunder Hammer from the second Nova, slinging the weapon over my shoulder and grinding my boot into the remains of the crimson gem embedded in its chest. The surf rose and fell around it, sea spray misting on the lens of my helm, quickly removed by the automatic scrubbers that popped from within a hidden compartment. The Nova lay on its back partially submerged by the water having fallen to the might of my Thunder Hammer. I'd watched the Pandoras swarm one of the other two remaining Novas, but had not seen them destroy it. I looked up now to see its corpse, chest ripped open from the blows of a hundred hands. I nodded in satisfaction, victory was assured.

A great pride blossomed in my chest as I looked down upon the Novas. Look on, brothers, all is for you. Look on and be at peace, I have dealt justice to your murderers and fought so that man, whom you died for, may live another day. All that which you sacrificed, my brothers, so that I lived, all that you gave, I have repaid. I felt the voices whisper, but instead of maddening cries for blood, quiet praise sang among them. I had finally found peace, and a reason to live. I would stand, guiding future generations of Astartes to teach them of your glory, and how to discover their own.

I, Wren, had repaid my debts.

"WREN!"

I looked to the final Nova, eyes fixating on a single Pandora, a bloody wound gaping in her chest, skin and eyes changing color, cracks covered her body. Her expression was warped by terror, eyes crying out for rescue, mouth gaping open in s scream I could not hear.

I jumped, jets firing at full burn, hammer poised to destroy I was overwhelmed by a single thought, blind fury forcing me to push harder and harder, faster and faster. Our eyes met, Cassie looked up at me, a glimmer of hope flashing in her eyes as they darkened she reached out to me.

Then she was gone.

I hit the ocean surf, losing control of the jump and skipping across the water for several hundred feet, slamming into a dock in an explosion of concrete and dust, a large cloud of debris thrown into the sky. I pushed out of the large crater, looking out at an empty ocean, the only Novas I could see destroyed shells of white. Pandoras and Limiters scrambled like ants on the beach and docks, helping one-another they all looked about for the Nova that had just been terrorizing and slaughtering them. The 4th Nova had vanished.

"WREN!"

I fell back into the crater heavily, turning my dark eyes to the blue sky with a single wispy cloud drifting to the east. I should have known better, I should have watched her more closely, I should have….

I trailed off. Pulling myself out of the crater I disengaged the jump pack from my back, the collision with the docks had left several dents and scratches but it looked better than I could have expected. I dropped it to the cement, balancing the Thunder Hammer on its pommel I could feel the same dark emotion washing over me as when I'd stood against the Novas four years ago. I was alone again. Strange how a woman I'd only known for a week affected me so greatly upon her death. I knew it'd come eventually but for some reason I was not prepared for it. This was war, and in war people died. I hunched over, cradling my head in my arms I fell to my knees.

Why couldn't I die then? Why was I so close to freedom, only to lose something I had just regained?

A voice buzzed in my ear,

"Marine 4, what's the situation?" The Doctor, pulling myself together I switched my end of the channel on,

"Dr. Aoi, situation under control. Three of the four Novas were destroyed but the final Nova took prisoners before vanishing."

"Copy Marine 4, I'm sending an-" The transmission cut off. I frowned, tapping the left side of my helmet,

"Sir, sir do you copy communication dropped, do you copy?" The channel re-opened, but with a female voice this time,

"Marine 4, this is the Chevalier base of operations in East Genetics, we have just received word that West Genetics is under assault by the same enemy Nova that just you were just engaged with!" I sprinted, slinging the Thunder Hammer over my shoulder,

"Roger! Are there Pandoras with it?!" Equipping the jump pack as I sprinted I glanced at its fuel level, still two thirds full,

"Affirmative, Pandoras are disembarking from the Nova however they are assaulting our own! Strange growths are protruding from their backs! At this moment your orders are to hold position and await further orders!"

"Roger." I spat, cutting the line. I'll be damned if I was going to stand idly by while others died and there was still a chance I could find and save Cassie. I dropped the Thunder Hammer to the ground, not wanting to take the chance of burning all my fuel before reaching West Genetics.

Jumping into the air I roared through the skies, carried by wings of flame to save the woman who had earned my loyalty through her own strength and will.