Chapter Beta Read by: - Specter06.
Chapter 52
All through history, war has always been an ugly affair. People die and property destroyed, and for what reason? No one really knows. People think it's to do with land, money and resources. But for the leaders in Washington there was a whole new reason, the chance to survive.
Ikaros couldn't know what pain she was causing or the damage she was inflicting on the beautiful city. She was created to follow orders from her master and that's exactly what she intended to do. Face to face with a primitive-downer-helicopter, Ikaros found it hard to lash back. Its relentless bombardment of hot shells had weakened her Aegis Shield and the striking rockets had plunged her off course. She needed to strike back.
Tomoki and Carl stared in awe as they approached the disaster zone that was ablaze with flames, which curled up in a flicker of yellow light and black noxious smoke that chocked the area in a deadly smokescreen. Wrecked buildings and craters surrounded the Whitehouse in a landscape that made it almost impossible for anyone to approach.
The two stunned individuals watched closely as Ikaros lashed out with rockets that materialized from thin air. Supersonic jets screeched across the sky and released their deadly arsenal, which rained down over Ikaros' head. Unprepared for the surprise attack, she was thrown into the Hotel Sofitel, located near the Lafayette Square behind the Whitehouse.
Ikaros felt the deadly impact and because her Aegis Shield encased her in an impenetrable bubble, she was able to surf the shockwave into some unlucky building. She whooshed aside the fallen walls and returned to her feet. Dead bodies and electrical sparks sparkled down from the floors. She homed in on the supersonic jets. Feeling the rage deep inside her reactor and the overall desire to kill, she materialized her preferred weapon (her bow and arrow) and let loose. The jets banked, swerved and corkscrewed in the air to evade the deadly weapons, but Ikaros had no mercy for them and sealed their fate by guiding her arrows to their targets. One by one the jets fell from the sky in a fireball that blew up into several mushroom clouds down the street. Satisfied with the result, she refocused her attention to the lone helicopter that hovered over the Whitehouse. It only shone a powerful spotlight on the area, but she wanted to take out the object that offered the most resistance and prevented her from reaching the Uranus System.
Still, as she continued to relentlessly fire her rockets at the lone helicopter, Ikaros was surprised at how ineffective her attacks were. The helicopter would somehow find a way to dodge the attacks, even if the rockets were carefully guided by herself. Judging from her observations, the human contraption had excellent maneuvering capabilities.
With time dwindling away and her mission firmly set in her mind, Ikaros had to decide if it was worth attacking this obstacle.
Hank dodged more and more weapons fire as this creature continued to cause havoc. Luckily the American and Russian present had been loaded on the emergency chopper and it was slowly taking off. Hank had to keep that creature busy, but he had a feeling that this 'thing of the sky' was only holding back her true potential.
Hank looked towards his co-pilot who was rooted to his seat in terror. He appeared lost in his own panic and unable to understand the dilemma they faced. He was a military man and Hank jerked him out of his trance-like state. Together they kept the chopper in the sky, but it wouldn't be long until the two pilots received help from other units.
Carl refused to stand around and let the battle unfold unhindered. The group walked closer to the bubbling Haupt Fountains and Carl decided to give Gamma and Harpy their own commands. He was apprehensive at first. He didn't want his own Angeloid involved in the battle, but Carl had no choice. "Gamma, Harpy, can you stop Ikaros?"
"If you order Gamma, we're confident in success," replied Harpy as she stared towards Ikaros and her constant bombardment at the lone helicopter, that seemed to hold its own airspace. She hoped Ikaros would eliminate that contraption quickly and felt a rush of sadistic pleasure.
"Gamma, I want you to disable Ikaros and help Nymph reprogram her back to her formal self. Can you do that?"
"Yes master, I'll try."
Both Ambush Angeloids extended their wings and took to the night sky with their Prometheus cannons deployed. The metallic cannon that replaced their hands should have caused some discomfort and obstruction. But as Carl looked on, the Angeloids flew with fluidic grace unhindered by such things.
Tomoki listened to the rhythm of the background noise and allowed his mind to drift into chaos. He could not understand why his own Angeloid would do such a thing. The cries from the public, the demolition of buildings would have been something out of a nightmare. But every time he pinched his hand or closed his eyes, he was still living the nightmare.
He eventually opened his eyes and saw Carl walking towards him with a data pad in his hands.
"I'm sorry Tomoki, the video shows Ikaros being brainwashed. The interrogation team searched the oilrig and found positive evidence supporting this. It looks like it was very intrusive." Carl hovered the data pad in Tomoki's view and the video was played. The footage was so painful for the young man to watch that he closed his eyes and strolled into the shadow of a nearby tree.
Carl turned towards the huge monument in the center of the park and thought long and hard about his mission. He was supposed to take Ikaros back with him, but there was no way he could do that now. He became familiar with Tomoki and the gang and even had a fling with Mikako. It seems like his mission had turned into a pointless game which only added one question, what was he supposed to do? But as he gazed at the highest point of the monument, a dazzling flash indicated Gamma and Harpy had begun their battle and Carl saw the lone helicopter take more than its fair share of fire.
High above the ground, where the stars struggled to shine through the dusty clouds, Hank fought to control his Apache Longbow and continued to aim his Longbow Hellfire air-to-surface missiles at the strange creature. It continued to fire something that looked like rockets at him. He strafed left and right and the quick maneuverability of the helicopter managed to dodge every strike. But one stray blast struck the back and caused the helicopter to spiral out of control. But Hank was a trained pilot and knew how to control any damaged system.
But much to his surprise he could not believe who joined the battle. Struggling to determine which side the new combatants were on, Hank was almost vaporized when a superheated fireball hit the main creature head on.
Ideas flooded into his mind and it was soon apparent that the two winged angels, that joined the battle, were after the first angel too. Perhaps the United States had created a group of these things and one of them had gone rogue. But one thing was for sure, the battle continued to tear up the surrounding landscape and both parties seemed to have little interest in the damage they were causing.
Blast after blast, from the Ambush Angeloids, continued to miss Ikaros with deadly consequences. With each miss, the fireball ploughed into the surrounding buildings, causing chaos and devastation on a scale no one had seen before.
Renwick Gallery was the first to go up in a plumb of smoke. The building that stood the test of time finally succumbed to its fate and continued to burn when an incinerating fireball struck it. With its raging inferno in the background, the Gallery lit up the night sky like a second sun, displaying the second unsuccessful attack upon Ikaros by Gamma.
Struck dead center in the chest, Ikaros could not counteract the initial blast and was catapulted into the Whitehouse. The aftershock from the impact created in an awe-inspiring blast that engulfed the entire square in a pyroclastic cloud. It left nothing, as if a volcano blew its top off in the center of the Whitehouse.
Tomoki rushed forward towards the outer gates, placing his hands on his cheeks almost crying himself silly. Tomoki saw his angel, someone he'd grown fond of, take a direct hit and fall to the ground in a ball of fire. Then as if fate was tormenting him, the young man witnessed the area erupt in a raging fire. He felt hopeless and knew his Angeloid couldn't survive that. But something drew in his attention, like a voice from within his soul. With his head nestled in his hands, Tomoki slowly looked up and saw Ikaros casually walking out, like she was leaving a hot spring in the dead of night. Tomoki wanted to rush over and hug Ikaros, but Carl held him back with a warning.
"Tomoki! Your Angeloid has been reprogrammed. She'll kill you the moment you set foot in there."
Tomoki rejected Carl's hand, "She's my responsibility. I must stop her. She won't hurt me!"
Even though his words were short and straight to the point, Carl could almost relate to Tomoki's grief. What if Gamma behaved the same way? Well, Carl was not that close with his Angeloid and perhaps the result would have be different, but the principal was still the same. Here was a young man who loved his angel, and his Angeloid had gone crazy.
Still, none of that mattered while both individuals watched the afterburners from a bunch of missiles streak away from the helicopter.
Then sirens slowly filtered through the din of collapsed buildings and raging fires. To their surprise, police cruisers pulled up from H Street, 17th Street and G Street. Doors opened and teams of police officers spilled out, ready with their weapons drawn. With direct communication to the helicopter and observing the battle with the unknown creature, the police officers opened fire on Ikaros and engulfed her in a storm of bullets.
Ikaros was attacked from all sides and she slowly rotated her head and surveyed the situation. Shells continued to bounce off her Aegis Shield but the helicopter had stopped firing. She extended her wings and decided to return the favor by releasing all hell on Earth.
Once she had extended her arms and her wings had expanded to their outer most points, she let loose with all the missiles she could create. Shooting out in all directions, only a handful of missiles struck the two Ambush Angeloids. Sadly, Ikaros's anger was focused towards the humans, as if she remembered a deep hatred for them, or something she'd done before.
Like a scene from a police action movie, the missiles rained down on the armed men. Squad cars blew out in all directions, hitting the buildings like ping-pong balls and ending up several blocks down the street. Those that survived had to run for their lives as stray missiles struck the overhead buildings, creating a wash of broken glass and falling metal.
Fires that started out as small spits slowly engulfed the local parks, burning the already dead citizens of the city. Burned and charred, the area sank into a slumber of deadly ash, uninhabitable and intimidating. Fire crews finally arrived on the scene and tried in vain to contain the damage and put out the fire, but even valiant men who save lives everyday were in the crosshairs of Ikaros.
The Ronald Reagan building and the International Trade Center were the next casualties of war. Gamma managed to score a direct hit on Ikaros, sending her flying across President's Park, into the building near 14th Street.
Now Carl was in the mist of the battle. Even though his location was safe, deadly chunks of hot rubble still rained down, heightening his awareness that they were only small targets in a huge game. The air smelled of ash, his skin burned and his eyes stung. Carl felt the hot ash in his hair and Tomoki was struggling to control himself. Sohara had to control her own fear, but was more worried about calming Tomoki, who still tried to wrap his head around the current disaster. Still, far away in the distance, bellowing explosions and police sirens echoed throughout the city. But even Eishiro Sugata knew the police force was no match for Ikaros.
"Carl," Eishiro began. "We must find shelter immediately."
Carl turned and replied, "We're stuck out in the middle of nowhere, where do you suggest we go?"
"Look!" Eishiro pointed towards the Organization of American States.
It was an impressive building hiding behind greenery and displaying two huge flags on the end of poles, it looked like a stable and old building, but anywhere was better then here. Still they had to run fast and it was still a distance to travel.
"I'm sure the place is evacuated by now and unlocked." Carl grabbed Tomoki and they legged it towards the building.
Carl thought it was pure luck that they stumbled near Constitution Avenue. If they were near the Washington Monument, it would have been a dangerous journey. However, as the group passed the DC Canal Lock House they saw tanks and military vehicles pass by.
With most of the streets closed, military vehicles and M1 Abrams tanks roared off the Southwest Freeway and clamored around the park area. They waited for nothing. Huge rattling explosions from M68A1 rifled gun fired high explosive anti-tank rounds that continued to level the already destroyed Ronald Reagan building in which Ikaros had been blasted into. For good measure, another tank lit up the area by firing its white phosphorus rounds and set the building alight.
However, blast after blast was met with a devastating response. Ikaros flew out of the burning rubble and tossed the armored vehicles up and down the Agricultural Grounds Park like toy cars.
Then she changed her posture, dug into the ground and began to flap her wings towards the Washington Monument. Her progressed flapping began to stir up the air, which began to create a hurricane-sized storm that blew down the park. It uprooted trees and became so powerful; the remaining tanks took to the air.
As Carl took shelter inside the Organization of American States, he watched the mighty towering Monument bend, sheer, buckle and collapse under the tremendous storm Ikaros had created with her wings.
Rubble from the Washington Monument was hurled all the way down the park, sprinkling the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool with brick and dust. Trees were uprooted and left on the grass and several buildings along Constitution Avenue had their fronts ripped off, allowing the storm to suck out the hiding inhabitants like some ghostly hand from the heavens.
It took a moment for some direct hits to distract Ikaros, but once she was fighting other forces, Gamma flew down to check up on Carl.
"Master, are you unharmed?"
Carl studied the remark and then focused his gaze at the Armageddon all around him. He saw Mikako struggling to her feet and felt the urge to help her. But his recent experience told him that she'd probably kill him for being so close. Besides, she wanted to kill him. Let the bitch suffer.
Still, Carl was unable to find Eishiro but Sohara's efforts to help Tomoki created a lot of noise outside the building. Carl looked back towards Gamma and he knew what had to be done. "Gamma, you must stop Ikaros."
"Yes my master."
Carl jumped onto Gamma as an overhead blast flattened everything. Like an atmospheric nuke going off, roofs were ripped off and Carl felt the heat from the flash simmer on his skin. He looked up and saw Harpy plummeting to the ground in a ball of feathers, but a direct shell hit from a newly arrived tank caught Ikaros off guard.
Unprepared for the arrival of another human vehicle, Ikaros was once again blasted into another building. But the blast was so powerful, she was blasted across the other side of the park straight through the Smithsonian Institution and she continued into the adjacent building. Both buildings still stood, but when Ikaros finally came to a stop after digging a huge ditch across 4th Street NW, she was furious.
She hovered in the air, then after a moment, glided over to the Spring Grotto and made herself comfortable for the main event. Ikaros built her power to the maximum. The area around her body swelled up in a small tornado and anything that was within ten meters was sucked up and blown away. But that was miniscule compared to the energy she released shortly afterwards.
Everything within two hundred meters was vaporized into a dark crater, leaving Ikaros hovering in the wake. In response, and something that surprised Ikaros again, artillery fire from Constitution Avenue redirected her fury. She was confused at how and why the downers could create such fierce resistance. The last time she was face to face with a human army, she obliterated them without so much as a scratch to her Aegis Shield. Now, however it looked like the humans learned from the past and made bigger weapons. In a fit or rage towards the constant bombardment, and inability to attack and kill her target, she surrounded the entire area in a long jet blast that incinerated and destroyed everything in one direction. She also leveled Union Station for good measure.
Carl opened the door to an abandoned taxicab and hurried everybody onboard. He thought it was time to do something about the situation and Nymph had run off scared. Mikako was in bad shape too and he assumed that it wasn't his reluctance to help her earlier on; still he did feel sorry for her.
"I don't believe it. I don't believe it. Why am I here? Why is Ikaros doing this?" Sohara sobbed.
Tomoki placed a supportive hand on Sohara's shoulder and watched through the window. Buildings continued to fall all around them. News helicopters and military vehicles gathered around the besieged area. Tomoki knew that everything humanly possible was being done and Ikaros had not seen the full force of the human military. He still wished he could contact her directly and command her to stop. But from the video footage, this was impossible because he knew that his precious angel had been reprogrammed.
Carl turned on the taxi's radio and almost immediately the news presenter bellowed out cries of terrorism and Russian involvement. He knew the situation was only going to get worse, so he had to do something before Ikaros leveled the entire city.
But where was Nymph? That was the one question that slowly dug itself out from Carl's mind. Then Gamma chimed in as she sat in the passenger seat of the cab. "Master," Tomoki and Sohara slipped in the back, causing Gamma to pause slightly. "I saw Ei-kun taking her away."
"Away? What do you mean?" Carl stopped his car, checked the route and looked directly at Gamma.
"Just away," she pointed towards the Lincoln Memorial.
"What the hell is he up to..." Carl mumbled to himself. He had enough problems to deal with and having one of his team members… No not his team. But still, Carl felt responsible for the safety of the group. A rule that was brought down from his military training and now was being put to the test in the most unorthodox way possible. He clenched the wheel of the vehicle and decided not to let the incident get to him. But as he lowered the driver side window to talk to Mikako, he found the purple haired beauty intermingling with the military personnel who were more then willing to share their weapons with her.
"Mikako, get in the car. Eishiro has taken Nymph and we're going after him."
"My, my, my. Are you trying to become a taxi driver now?" Mikako exclaimed sexually, holding the rifle in her hands and posing like a requirement model for the local military campaign.
Carl ignored the remark and studied the young woman who appeared to be acting childish and out of character. "What are you doing? Ikaros is leveling the city and you're reasserting your alter ego on the military boys? Grow up."
Mikako pointed her gun at Carl and fought back the urge to kill him. "I give you my word that I wont kill you. But you're trying my patience now, Carl."
Carl didn't flinch, but a huge flash in the background indicated Ikaros had just destroyed something and Harpy was struggling with the battle. Carl gave orders. "Gamma, continue to help Harpy, but monitor the military frequencies for any messages I'll give you. Also don't kill Ikaros or yourself."
Gamma acknowledged his orders before she disappeared into the night sky. But Mikako was still in a world of her own, as if some crazy character possessed her.
"Are you coming with us?" His question was blunt and simple. But judging from her uninterested reaction, Carl decided that she was able to look after herself. He put the vehicle into gear and raced down Constitution Avenue towards Lincoln Memorial.
It only took a few minutes to arrive, then a few more minutes to find Nymph, but by the time they'd arrived at the location, Carl spotted Eishiro acting very suspiciously.
Once he stopped the vehicle on the one-way system, Tomoki stepped out and raced over to Nymph. Carl was not far behind and he noticed the area cleared of people. He knew the reason, but it was still an eerie feeling being alone.
"Nymph, what's wrong?" exclaimed Tomoki.
"This is too much," said Nymph, resting her head on her hands. "I'm not programmed to handle this destruction. Why is Ikaros killing everyone?"
Tomoki knelt down beside her while more flashes of destruction bellowed throughout the skyline. "I don't know Nymph, but I think it's time to find out."
Carl interjected. "What were you doing with Nymph?" Carl thought that question was understatement. He did see Eishiro with Nymph, but the scene he saw was that of an older man bent over and harassing a young girl, something he thought was very strange and demanded a more direct question. But what is said was said.
Eishiro turned sharply to Carl, as if he was insulted by the comment. "What do you mean by that statement?"
"The statement is exactly how I saw it. And from my location it wasn't good." Carl drew closer to Nymph. "Why's Nymph here? Why are you here? This place is the Lincoln Memorial, hardly worth any attention."
Eishiro pushed up his glasses, calculated Carl emotional state and noticed Tomoki in the background listening intensely.
"That's enough Carl. Eishiro's our teacher and I promised Nymph that we'll rescue Ikaros and bring her home," Tomoki interjected. He stepped forward, kneeling down beside Nymph.
The young man could understand the Angeloid's position. Alone on this world and the only friend that was like her, Ikaros, had gone completely insane and was now destroying the very world she wanted to stay on. She risked everything to escape the Synapse and live a peaceful simple life, as he once did. Now however it seems that trouble always finds them, like metal to a magnet. Still, Carl was not helping matters and the last thing Tomoki wanted was another out of control Angeloid.
Meanwhile, Hank still had a job to do. Hovering over the ruined park, he tracked the last known location of the flying creatures. It wasn't long until he was over 5th Street, near Capitol Hill.
The area was clear except for abandoned vehicles scattered up and down the road. Buildings were damaged and the street itself looked like a battleground.
Hank maneuvered the chopper towards the flashing lights in the distance and discovered the creatures fighting. There were three of them, again.
Using hand-to-hand combat, Ikaros received a deadly kick and was sent hurtling towards the nearest shop. Harpy swooped down and dragged Ikaros' still form out onto the street. But Ikaros only paused her attack until the right moment, which was now.
In the process of being dragged, Ikaros got up, spun around, grabbed Harpy's head in a vice-like lock and tossed her like a rag doll back onto the street. Refusing to let go, Harpy deliberately forced Ikaros along with the momentum; she didn't want to go down alone.
Gamma prepped her Prometheus cannon and watched the two Angeloids hurtle objects at each other. When Ikaros picked up a double decker bus and tossed it into the air towards Harpy, Gamma stepped in. Using her Prometheus cannon, the blast blew up the bus in a raging fireball. Ikaros saw the return of Gamma and decided to connect with her Uranus System. But Hank arrived in his chopper and leveled the area with rockets. In the raging firestorm, nothing could survive.
Military teams rushed in from all sides, blocking all escape routes. Hard men in hats and jackets jumped from their protected vehicles and set up mortar and rocket positions. Heavy artillery personnel setup there M134 Minigun's and took up positions around the area.
What was left of Union Station quickly became the headquarters of the new campaign to squash this invasion and most of the area had already been evacuated.
A smoke cloud began to sink heavily over the area and made visibility that much harder. New tanks rolled in, equipped with flamethrowers and more heavily armored rockets. Teams received word that a whole fleet of F-22 Raptor's and helicopters were on their way and should be on the scene within moments. Everyone was confident that the creatures would be stopped.
But Ikaros had her orders and nothing was going to stand in her way. With her Aegis Shield deployed, she stepped out of the inferno and was instantly besieged by the M134 Minigun firing. Sparks, hot ash and smoke bellowed into the air concealing Ikaros behind a wall of unstable destruction, the perfect camouflage against the downers. But she had to act fat. The constant barrage of 7.62 mm shells continued to drain her shield and she knew it wouldn't last long. The humans had done well with their military advancements. But it wasn't good enough. But before she could release more of her rockets, several direct hits to the towering building behind herself caused it to fall down, covering her completely in rubble
Brickwork and smoke quickly engulfed the area while all the teams stood ready. It was an eerie silence once more that kept everyone on edge. Young soldiers with itchy trigger fingers gripped their weapons nervously. Everyone waited for any sign of movement, they knew the creature was under the rubble, but was she dead?
Gamma and Harpy floated in the air, giving the military much to awe about. They were glad the two other creatures were on their side. But still, a select few still kept a watchful eye on them.
While Hank circled the ruined area that was barely lit by streetlights, he saw movement within it. Military personal scuttled in all directions as they reloaded their weapons and tanks moved in through the dirty and rubble-strewn streets.
Ikaros emerged with such fury; she cleared all the rubble from the street with one swift blast. Military crews could not keep up. They opened fire and the deadly Angeloid released a torrent of missiles that went everywhere, as if someone dumped a bee's nest into a room filled with people.
Tanks buckled, people exploded and buildings came crashing down. A raging inferno swept through the area and Hank could do nothing but watch the disaster unfold. What would it take to put this creature down?
Loud sounds of specialist vehicles rolled in and released streams of flames from their cannons. All around, horrid sounds that mimicked human screaming erupted from the flame-flowers as they tried in vain to incinerate Ikaros. Hank was so spooked by the screaming flamethrowers that he moved his chopper away from the area. The only time he'd heard such screams was from old video footage taken during the World War one era.
Completely engulfed in flames, Hank knew the creature, or anything for that matter couldn't have survived that. He continued to circle and listen to the reports.
"This is bravo team," short click on the radio. "We've confirmed the target is smothered in flames. No movement."
"Roger that bravo team, military escort is en route. ETA five minutes. Move back to hold point and..."
The team's commander interjected. Hank could hear disbelief in the tone. "Wait sir. I-I don't believe it. T-The target, it's moving."
Hank steered the helicopter back towards the original location and listened to the chatter change to screams and gunfire. He saw the winged creature step out of the flames like some daemon from the underworld. With unnatural powers beyond his understanding, the creature responded with even more fury that began to annoy Hank. Just how much power does this thing have?
Ikaros was angry and was more then willing to show it to the downers. She failed to kill her target and the humans kept on coming. They even tried to burn her. But that failed, no human could overcome the Aegis Shield and she had plenty more to show. As if she didn't require any concentration, the charred rubble swirled up in an upheaval of wind and energetic light. With a simple point with her finger, the built up storm blasted the human resistance away, leaving the area clear for a moment.
Still, the annoying helicopter remained and it carried on with its barrage. Smoke, sparks and explosions continued to scatter all around her and now Ikaros decided to focus all her attention on this individual.
Hank didn't knew, how could he? But from his assessment of the current situation, the creature was after him now. It reminded him about his past and his nasty habits of getting on peoples nerves.
However, a directed plasma burst that narrowly missed his helicopter indicated that he was now the sole target of this creature's fury. Hank saw the deck of dust burst open like a blister and the winged creature storm out like a hawk diving for its prey.
With swift movements, Hank steered the chopper back down towards the city. It was obvious to him that his helicopter was now the primary target. He knew that if he could distract the creature long enough, the military might be able to come up with some kind of plan to defeat her.
Jetting past the United States Capitol building, Hank ducked and weaved through the parks, trees and the buildings along Independence Avenue. But warning signs began to light up as one of the rockets struck the engine.
With dramatic warning sirens and flashing red lights, Hank and the others had no choice but to ditch the chopper any way they could. Luckily the helicopter was close to the ground and Hank's crews were able to jump to safety. Hank had to make sure the doomed chopper did not crash into the team, he stayed behind to steer it away and make a controlled landing.
Upon ditching the stranded wreck inside West Potomac Park, Hank took a moment to survey the land. He was completely gob-smacked towards the destruction of the Washington Monument and felt a sense of anger towards the creature. Why did she cause so much destruction? He was incised to do something; he couldn't just sit around and let that devilish creature get away with it. But he was without a vehicle and the only thing moving was a yellow taxicab screeching down Independence Avenue.
Carl pressed the accelerator hard; he wanted to get to the scene of the disturbance before any more damage could be done to the rest of the city. Tomoki had an idea, and Carl hoped he was up to the task of returning Ikaros to her former self.
From the stories he told, Tomoki was very fond of the Angeloid and it was his responsibility to look after his gift from the sky. It was a tale he could relate to because he was given something from the sky.
The roar of the engine indicated that they were going fast, very fast. Carl swerved and missed numerous damaged and burned out vehicles that happen to get in Ikaros' path. Sooner or later, Carl knew the road would be blocked somewhere. But he always looked on the bright side of life. What if the road was clear? Think of all the time I could save.
As they drove past the Smithsonian Institution Carl saw three figures dancing in the sky like a group of birds on a mating dance. Sparks and streams of fire streaked across the sky in a dazzling display of fireworks. Several green and yellow blasts struck Ikaros and she fell to the ground like a bird, shot out of the sky. After a short pause, an earthquake shook the vehicle and a rising plumb of smoke indicated the Ikaros impact zone.
Carl assumed it came from the general area of Pennsylvania Avenue and Marion Park. Carl increased his speed and it wasn't long until they were at the location. As if a small asteroid had impacted the area, a small crater covered part of the park and the adjacent street.
Once Carl pulled the vehicle over to the side of the road, Tomoki leaped out without thinking. He was determined to see his Angeloid and a small skirmish broke out after Carl tried to stop him.
Gamma, in her graceful form -albeit a little worn because of the battle with Ikaros- floated down to assist her master. She fought as hard as she could, but she felt sad that she was unable to fulfill her master's orders.
They glanced over towards the center of the crater and waited tentatively for the swirling dust and smoke to settle. The haunting form of Ikaros stood motionless like a zombie.
It was that moment that Carl realized that they'd strayed too far from any cover. The buildings were too far away and to make matters worse, he could not locate any form of transport or weapon to defend themselves with.
However, without thought or fear for his own safety, Tomoki broke the line and rushed over to Ikaros. He stumbled and wobbled on delicate feet, battling to climb over rubble to get to his Angeloid.
She stood motionless and waited like a cat waiting to pounce on a delicate bird feeding on the ground. She could see Tomoki approaching, but for Ikaros, he was just a normal human. A downer.
As Tomoki gained ground, he, himself could sense a change in her. Still, it did nothing to discourage the young man. He felt brave and indestructible; nothing was going to stop him now. But before he had the chance to gain ground, a hand grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back.
Tomoki turned towards Nymph and was about to argue, but she gestured towards Ikaros with a pointed finger and the young man could clearly see a ghostly aura about her.
Tomoki paused his outburst and studied Ikaros for a moment. But he decided to approach regardless of Nymph's warning. "Ikaros, it's me. Tomoki. Do you remember?"
She did not answer.
"I'm your master. Why are you doing this? You cannot kill any more people. I know you Ikaros, you are not like this."
Ikaros still said nothing, but her only response was a fluff of her wings in the slight breeze. Nymph watched as Tomoki approached Ikaros, but she could not shake the bad feeling that swelled deep within her. She knew that all Angeloids must follow their master's orders and perhaps that command is so embedded that Ikaros would not kill him.
Still, she knew something was wrong and her worst fears had been confirmed once Tomoki stumbled into arms reach. Ikaros grabbed a jagged object and attempted to stab him with it. But she foresaw the danger and did the only thing she could do in such an occasion. She activated her paradise song and like a blast from a fireman's hose, a stream of hot plasma exploded out of her mouth and blew Ikaros over to the other side of the park.
Nymph's song had incinerated everything, leaving a huge hole in one of the skyscrapers behind Ikaros' last location.
Carl heaved himself up from the ground and glanced the landscape with awe; he could not believe Nymph possessed such destructive powers.
What was once a green park with tall trees and lush green grass was now a disaster zone. Once the dust slowly settled, everyone looked with mixed feelings. Ikaros slowly rose to her feet, but her murderous aura seemed more terrifying then before.
Carl needed to take the battle away from the city. From the current destruction all around him, he assumed that more lives would be lost. He looked back towards Nymph and saw her clutching onto Tomoki's arms. But Nymph was surprised at Ikaros' state of mind. She appeared worried and it was an emotion Carl knew not to ignore.
With his goal firmly set in his mind, Carl ordered Nymph to fly Tomoki away. But before she had the time to take of, Ikaros sprang out of the shadows and grabbed Nymph by her hair and suspended the delicate girl in the air.
Tomoki got involved and pushed Ikaros away, begging her to stop. Sadly, with a wave of her hand, she smacked the young man to the ground like a piece of garbage.
Next, Ikaros superheated her hands, grabbed Nymph's wings and caused severe burns to her fragile body; her wings went up in flames, burning the roots deep within her skin. She yelled in agony, slipping away from her grip. With burning pain coursing through her body, Nymph curled up on the floor in a fetal position. Ikaros hovered over her damaged form and began to stir up the air around her body.
Nymph knew her destruction was soon to come, she was about to be erased from existence and she was too injured to move.
Regret flashed through her mind. Regret about not having Tomoki as a master. Regret for not confessing her love for Tomoki and more regret for not doing anything.
Ikaros raised her hand to deliver the mortal blow. Nymph could only lie there in pain, sobbing. She was about to be murdered and Tomoki was powerless to stop her.
