Editors note: This is my longest chapter to date. Please R&R to tell me if i'm making any stupid mistakes.

Storm heard a sudden movement behind her. She whirled round, gunblade extended, as a nightmare walked out from behind the tower. He was covered in blood from head to foot, with large bloodstained white wings extending out of his back from below his shoulder blades. In his hands he held a long, bloody spear. He was walking towards her slowly and deliberately. Storm backed away quickly, terrified. Now she knew what the maddened soldier had meant by 'Angel of Death'.

He stopped several metres in front of her. He wasn't wearing much; a small shirt with numerous bullet holes and slashes through it and a pair of ripped and ragged trousers. They were both bloodstained. Suddenly, he leapt forwards, further than any normal person could. The spear came down. Storm raised her gunblade, blocking the spears deadly descent.

The boy leaped backwards, his wings propelling him back further as he sketched symbols in the air with his fingers. The sky grew black around the tower, massive storm clouds gathering above. A torrent of lightning was let loose into the air, sparking and crackling, heading straight for her. Storm rolled out of the way, the smell of ozone filling her senses as the beam of lightning narrowly missed her.

She jumped to her feet, ready to fend off any more attacks. The winged boy was nowhere to be seen. The area was deathly quiet. The only sound was the creaking of the ruined tower and the faint whistle of the wind. The wind…this was a sheltered area, so why was the wind so strong?

She realised what was going on a split second before it happened. With reflexes she did not know she possessed, Storm dived to the right as a razor sharp blade of air rushed by, leaving a long scar in the ground where she had just been. Somehow, her attacker had managed to get behind her.

The figure raised his spear and charged. Storm took careful aim with her gunblade and fired, putting several rounds into his body. But he kept coming. In desperation, Storm resorted to magic. She raised her hand, drawing energy from her surroundings and focusing it into her palm. The boy was nearly upon her. With a desperate scream, Storm released her spell.

A shining beam of energy shot out from her hand, slamming into the boy and blasting him backwards into the abandoned tower. This was more than the derelict building could take, and it began to collapse. Metal beams and building materials began to fall free of the collapsing tower as it succumbed to gravities pull. The boy had just enough time to look up before the entire thing fell on top of him.

Unable to stop herself, Storm began to cry. This was too much. Before this mission, she had yearned for adventure. Now, she felt like quitting SeeD.

"I…I killed a person…" She sobbed, staring at the heap of rubble in front of her. Did that make her a murderer? He had tried to kill her. If she hadn't killed him, he would probably have succeeded. And yet…

Her radio beeped. Hands shaking, she unhooked it.

"Storm!" It was Squall.

"Dad, get me out of here. Someone attacked me. I killed him."

"Okay, I'll send the Ragnarok over. Just calm down and sit tight, we'll have you out of there in no time."

"O-okay. Just…get here soon."

She ended the call and sat down on the floor. What a mess. There was rubble everywhere, strewn all over the place. From deep within the wreckage, there came a dull screeching sound, like metal scraping against metal. Storm slowly turned her head. The pile of bricks and metal was moving. All of a sudden, a hand exploded out of the wreckage. A second later, another hand burst from amidst the pile of metal.

"No…that's impossible!" Storm screamed as the boy pulled himself free of the wreckage. He was cut all over and his left arm looked broken. Raising her gunblade, Storm emptied her magazine into the winged being. How could anyone take this kind of punishment and live?

But it seemed that the winged boy had reached his limits. After the last shot had been fired, he slowly keeled over, rolling down the pile of rubble until he got to the bottom, where he lay still and unmoving. Cautiously, Storm approached the body. He made no movement as she bent over him, rolling him over with her foot. Keeping her gunblade ready, she bent over and felt for a pulse. It was there. It was very weak, but it was there.

She heard a noise above her and looked up. A giant red spaceship was descending from the sky. As it approached, landing gear extended and the Ragnarok landed smoothly. With a hiss, the landing ramp lowered and several people scrambled out. One of them was Squall. He ran over to her, hugging her tightly.

"Storm…what the hell happened?" He asked, his voice laced with concern. She looked up at him, her face still full of tear streaks.

"HE happened!" She sobbed, pointing towards the limp body on the ground next to them. Squall quickly bent down, feeling for a pulse just like Storm had done earlier.

"He's still alive. You said he was dead." He said, looking at her questioningly.

"That's what I thought. But look at how many times he's been shot!" She said, beginning to cry again.

"I think it's best if we go back to the Garden now. Today has been a big shock for you." He said gently, steering her away from the winged figure on the ground and back towards the Ragnarok. When she was inside, he signalled to two other SeeDs. Quickly, they picked the mauled body off the floor and carried it inside.

Whatever that boy was, Squall intended to find out.