People were screaming, he was trapped in a darkening room, Halo Knight was trying to kill him...and his mind was a million miles away.

Angel couldn't focus. He knew what he should be paying attention to, but all he could think about was the bomb that might go off at any second. Unfortunately, it wasn't a real bomb, which would have been much less dangerous. He kept imagining a series of world-changing words, which would come out of Halo Knight's mouth. "I'm a mutant." Or maybe, "There are freaks hiding among you, and the government knew all about it, but they didn't tell you." Something like that could ruin his life. There would be witch-hunts, and if his father was right, there would also be an economic crash, maybe even one powerful enough to disrupt the Worthington empire. What if people figured out that Angel was a mutant? What if they figured out that Warren Worthington III was a mutant? A number of nightmare scenarios were flashing through his mind, driving him to distraction.

He was running on autopilot. The two of them were weaving between the remaining chandeliers, engaged in an indoor dogfight. Halo Knight was chasing him, shooting gravity rings-but only from one hand, because he was using a gravity ring in his other hand to fly. Angel had holstered his rubber-projectile gun. He didn't trust himself to hit a rapidly-moving target; he'd been afraid of shooting Daredevil by accident. Daredevil was gone, now, but his gun was still holstered. Angel wasn't really thinking straight. The room seemed strangely distant, while his fears were right in his face.

It was lucky that Halo Knight "only" wanted to end the world. If he'd just wanted to cause some chaos, a few sentences would have done the trick. The high-society people in the banquet room would have made great witnesses. If they started talking about mutants, it wouldn't be easy for the papers to write them off as kooks. And then everything w-

WAKE UP, WARREN!

Reality crashed over him like a wave. The flickering lights, the bystanders running around below him, the sound his wings made. He was running, not fighting. Halo Knight's aim had gotten better, but, luckily, he was struggling to fly and aim at the same time. He was still a little awkward in the air. The guy was probably good enough to hit normal, walking-around people, but against someone acrobatic like Daredevil, or someone that could fly...

It's like Daredevil said: keep the fight up here, so the innocent people don't get hit. All you have to do is finish this lunatic off. Daredevil did his part, the CIA did theirs, and now it's your turn. He should be nice and softened up for you.

Angel acted like he was going to the right, only to suddenly veer to the left...by the time that Halo Knight compensated, Angel had horizontally looped around behind him. He pulled his gun out and shot him in the back. When the rubber projectile hit, it made a meaty, muffled sound, like a prize-fighter slamming his fist into a punching bag. Angel heard Halo Knight grunt, and it knocked him off-course, but he immediately turned around and fired some gravity rings. That was his go-to move, so it wasn't a surprise. When Angel saw him start to turn around, he immediately banked away, and the rings didn't even come close to hitting him.

I've only got so many shots in my gun, but his "ammo" is limitless. And his is way more powerful than mine. Getting into a shootout with him is pointless-no, I need to try something different.

Halo Knight was chasing him, again, but Angel felt like he was in control. Though the gravity rings kept coming, they'd hit the spot he'd been a second or two ago. Halo Knight was probably faster in the air, but that was straight-line speed, while Angel was more agile. Unfortunately, the presence of the bystanders complicated things. If not for them, he could have done vertical loops and used the entire room, but he didn't want any stray gravity rings hitting them. Angel glanced down at the bystanders, frowning...

...and, seeming to read his mind, an older man with a mustache started flipping over tables, turning them into shields. Angel didn't know much about old people, but he looked to be in his fifties or sixties. The guy pulled/rolled the tables into a row and herded most of the bystanders behind them. Now, instead of lining the walls, the majority of the people were gathered in one area, and somewhat protected. There were only three of them still exposed. Two elderly people crawled underneath a still-standing table, and a pretty teenage girl remained glued to the wall. From the look on her face, she wanted to join the larger group, but she was limping.

You have to open it up and get into a full-on dogfight with him. If they get hit with a heavy-gravity ring, well, they're stuck anyway, so it doesn't really matter. If they go flying up to the ceiling, you'll just have to catch them before they hit it.

Angel dove, looped, and literally flew circles around Halo Knight. Halo Knight could get dizzy; Angel couldn't. Also, Halo Knight's neck seemed stiff, and it was tough for him to keep his head on a swivel. This was Angel's second time fighting Halo Knight in the air, and he'd learned a few things about taking angles. He cut off Halo Knight and slammed into him shoulder-first. As a fighter, Angel was still figuring out how to put force behind his attacks, but as a flier, he had all the momentum in the world, so it was just a matter of ramming into him. Halo Knight cried out and went flailing away. The lunatic eventually regained control of his flight, swooped around, and opened fire. Angel banked right, leading him away from the gathered bystanders.

One of the stray gravity rings hit a chandelier, and it crashed down. It didn't hit anyone, but the room was getting darker all the time-and as good as Angel's eyesight was, he couldn't see in the dark.

You have to beat him before the lights go out. And before he says anything about...no, come on...

Angel tried to intercept him, again, but Halo Knight kept his distance. He was still shooting, but he seemed to be more conscious of getting hit. Angel buzzed all around him, flew low and high, and made loops that were horizontal, vertical, and everywhere in-between. Halo Knight tried to circle around behind him, but he couldn't do it. He was just running himself ragged. Angel saw him shake his head in a disoriented way, and he suddenly stopped and hovered in place. It seemed crazy, but, Angel knew that he had to go Kamikaze on him. He flew on a collision-course. Halo Knight shot at him the whole time, of course, but Angel zigged and zagged. Chasing was better than being chased. This way, you could at least see the attacks that were coming at you. Halo Knight remained in place, apparently confident that he'd shoot him before he got there...but it didn't happen, and he hovered to the side at the last moment. As Angel passed, he shot him with his gun and smacked him with his wing.

Halo Knight fell, landing on a table, but it wasn't as forceful as it should have been. He'd slowed himself down at the last second. Angel swooped toward him, aiming...only for a table to hit him right in the wings. Earlier, Halo Knight had made some of the tables and chairs fly up, and the effect had worn off. They were coming back down.

Angel felt a surge of pain when the table hit him, and he felt a second surge when he hit the floor (with the table still on top of him). The room seemed to tilt. His back and wings hurt, but nothing seemed to be damaged; for as light as they were, his wings were incredibly durable. Angel kept the table on his back, using it as a shield. He got to his feet, looked up, and saw that Halo Knight was back in the air, floating right in the middle of the falling furniture. None of it was hitting him, but he didn't seem to be using his powers on it.It was as if he could sense it coming down. Halo Knight seemed to be as surprised by this as he was, because he was laughing in amazement.

"Oh my god, I can feel it...the motion, or..."

STOP TALKING!

Angel fired without consciously aiming, and his shot hit Halo Knight in the forehead. His helmet's speaker became garbled. But it also distracted him, which resulted in him getting hit by a pair of chairs. Halo Knight groaned and flew away from the wooden storm.

Most of the heavier furniture had finished coming down, it was now shattered chairs and broken table-legs that were clattering to the floor. It was clear enough for Angel to attack. He prepared to charge at Halo Knight, again, only to see a table out of the corner of his eye. It was falling on the other side of the room, but the girl was right underneath it. The banquet room's tables were like the tables at his family's estate: they were big, heavy, monstrous things. It probably weighed more than she did. He wanted to shut Halo Knight up, he wanted to crash into him and shoot him in the helmet some more, but he knew what he had to do.

Angel holstered his gun and took off, dodging the remaining debris. He covered dozens of feet in a matter of seconds. Without even thinking about it, he straightened/stiffened his posture, making himself more aerodynamic. The girl was trying to limp clear, but she wasn't going to make it. She was a pale redhead, and her blue eyes were a perfect match for her dress, which she was in the process of outgrowing. Angel was focused on the task at hand, but he couldn't help but notice that her curves were really straining against the fabric. Naturally, he grabbed her at the last second, literally sweeping her off of her feet. Behind them, the table shattered against the floor and exploded into thick shards of wood. The girl clamped onto him with both her arms and legs. When she realized that she'd done this, her skin almost turned the same color as her hair.

The girl panted and said "Guh, guh, guh," which Angel translated as "Thank you, Mr. Superhero." He carried her across the banquet room, keeping one eye on Halo Knight. Everyone's favorite madman was clutching his neck, muttering to himself, and hovering by gaudy purple drapes. (The room didn't have any windows, but a series of oversized decorative drapes stretched all the way from the ceiling to the floor.)

Angel dropped her off with the other bystanders. He tried to, anyway: she was still clinging to him (not that he was complaining), and the old man with the mustache practically had to pull her off. Once she was back on the floor, the old man slapped him on the shoulder and pointed at the distant Halo Knight. "We've got her, go, go! Don't take your eyes off him for a second!"

The old man was tall and strong-looking, and he had an authoritative voice. Angel found himself doing what he said. His parents had taught him to respect his elders, but this was something different...

He was back in the air, now, and he flew low along the floor, snatching two of the chairs that were still upright. Halo Knight was also on the move; he started firing gravity rings at him. Angel had a plan. Halo Knight was using their surroundings, so he would, too. And he could be more physical than Halo Knight was. Halo Knight was great at this energy stuff, but he was already banged up, so maybe a few more big hits would finish him off.

Angel got close, barrel-rolling to avoid gravity rings. He threw both chairs at Halo Knight. Halo Knight shot them, of course, but they cleared a path for Angel, who was right behind them. Before Halo Knight could fire another gravity ring, Angel gave him a second shoulder-ram and a second wing-swat. Halo Knight flipped head over heels, flinching, but it didn't stop him from firing more gravity rings. Angel swooped toward the floor, getting ready to grab more chairs. Instead, the room leapt up and hit him in the face, and he found himself sprawled amongst pieces of wood.

Oh my god, oh my god. I'm dead! I'm dead, I'm dead, I'm dead-

He hadn't seen the one that got him. Angel tried to push himself up, but he wasn't strong enough. He felt like he weighed a million pounds.

If I can't fly, I'm useless. That's the only real advantage I have. I don't know how to fight, I don't know anything about criminals...

Finally, pushing with his arms and his wings, he somehow managed to get to his knees. It must have been a direct hit, so he had no idea how he was doing it. He'd seen Daredevil get hit, last night, and he'd been completely pinned down.

It's science, dummy. Thanks to your wings, you have more mass than most people, right? With more 'ground' to cover, his gravity rings are spread a little thinner. So they won't affect you as strongly.

Halo Knight landed roughly ten feet away, laughing. "I knew I'd get you eventually."

Angel drew one of his guns, but it was the wrong one: he was holding the knockout gas gun, not the rubber-projectile gun. With Halo Knight's helmet, it wouldn't have any effect on him. He couldn't grab the other gun; he was using that arm to hold himself up. Angel aimed the knockout gas gun, bluffing, and holding his breath.

"You're a false light," Halo Knight said. Judging by the way that he was walking, he wasn't in great shape, himself, right now. But he wasn't the one stuck to the floor. "You were sent here to trick me-to keep me from completing my mission."

If I drop this gun and try to grab the other one, he could shoot me before I got it out of its holster.

"Come on, that 'angel' thing is just a disguise, isn't it? You're probably dark and twisted inside. Whatever you are, you're a freak."

No, no, don't say the m-word...

Halo Knight shot another gravity ring at him, and Angel fired a gas-filled sphere. Amazingly, the two projectiles hit each other, and the sphere flew up, crashing into the ceiling. It burst into gas. Halo Knight fired a second gravity ring, and Angel somehow repeated the trick.

Angel actually laughed. He'd known that he had enhanced eyesight, but he'd just now realized that his mind was able to quickly process motion, as well. That made sense. Without amazing reflexes, he would have been a stain on the side of some building, by now. Those traits were birdlike, and they combined to give him incredible natural aim. He'd been trying so hard, overthinking it, but when he let go and went with his instincts...

Halo Knight screamed and fired a gravity ring from each hand. Angel once again canceled them out, with one gas-sphere going up and one going down. The one that went down created a cloud between them. Halo Knight couldn't see him, now, and though he fired a number of rings, they went wild. Angel ducked down, just to be safe. But he also (weakly) flapped his wings to push the cloud toward Halo Knight. He was enveloped in it, now. Halo Knight was protected from the gas, but he couldn't see, and he was forced to fly away from the cloud.

Angel shifted his body and turned, tracking him with his eyes. He only had one gas-sphere left. Sure, he could switch to the other gun, but he was running low on ammo in that one, too. Angel still couldn't stand up. He'd only been hit by one ring, so the gravity-effect would wear off in a few minutes, but Halo Knight would kill him before then. He tried to think of a way to buy a little time...

...and then he noticed all the pieces of wood that surrounded him, the furniture that had broken when it fell back down, and he realized that he already had what he needed.

Halo Knight landed a dozen feet away from the cloud, but some of the gas was still clinging to him. He waved it away with his arms. Halo Knight then aimed both hands at Angel, launching a series of rings.

Angel had already put his gun away. Without taking his eyes off of Halo Knight, he'd felt around on the floor, grabbing the largest piece of wood he could find. It ended up being a nearly-intact table leg. The thing was roughly the length of a baseball bat, but at least twice as thick. He held it like a bat, and when the first ring got close, he swung the table leg at it. It was a perfect hit. The table leg became buoyant, yanking him to his feet. Warren tucked his wings in as much as he could, threw himself to the side, and dodged the other rings. He still felt heavy, but the pull from the table leg was keeping him upright.

It had come to him in an instant: Halo Knight wouldn't want to create another cloud that got in the way, so his next rings would be anti-gravity ones. If they'd hit Angel's body, he would have crashed into the ceiling and been stuck up there, instead. But if just one of them hit an object that he was holding, and he could use it to move around...

For a moment, Halo Knight was too surprised to do anything, but he quickly recovered, sweeping one hand and firing a horizontal arc of rings. Angel turned sideways to make himself a thinner target, and he used the table leg to block the ring that would have hit him. He felt like he was holding a magic sword: the table leg was pulsing with energy, jumping in his hands. And now it was trying to pull him into the air. With two anti-gravity rings having hit it, it really wanted to rocket straight up, but he was pulling it down.

Halo Knight froze up. He clearly wanted to shoot more rings, but that seemed to be helping Angel, right now. "Uh-"

Angel smiled and jumped at him, flying without his wings. Halo Knight didn't seem to know what to do. He aimed with his hands, changed his mind, and then shielded himself. Angel's flight was only a momentary one; his body-weight (minimal as it was) dragged the table leg back toward the floor. As he landed, he brought the table leg down on Halo Knight's arms, but it took considerable effort to make it go in that direction. A new thought popped into his head. From that point on, he only swung it up or side-to-side, going "with the grain" as much as he could. It was much easier that way...and he was shocked at how quickly he was able to swing it. Without gravity to slow it down, it moved like lightning. Angel hit him, and hit him, and hit him again. He aimed for his neck as best he could, but he frequently missed and got his helmet. It wasn't an easy weapon to control-its speed made it "slippery," somehow.

After a few helmet-hits, Angel expected the table leg to splinter, but it held up. Halo Knight seemed temporarily helpless. If he couldn't shoot his rings, what could he do? That was the only tool in his toolbox.

Yeah, now it's your turn to feel useless, buddy.

One swing nearly knocked Halo Knight to the floor, and he used his newfound distance from Angel to break off and fly toward the ceiling. Angel followed him using a combination of the table leg and his wings. His body was starting to feel lighter, but it wasn't completely normal, yet.

Halo Knight flew up into the darkness. That made Angel a little nervous-his enhanced vision helped him deal with range, but not a lack of light-but he was able to follow the silver gravity ring that Halo Knight was holding. They hugged the wall and flew around the circular room. Finally, Halo Knight turned and fought, firing gravity rings. Angel simply dodged them, this time. If they were the heavy-gravity kind, well, he didn't want them hitting his wooden lifeline. Halo Knight advanced on him, and Angel fell back. His wings made one of the giant decorative drapes ripple. Angel glanced at it, grabbed it, and ripped as hard as he could. The fabric tore easily enough. He kept forgetting how strong he was; his wings worked his entire body, and while he'd never be tossing cars around, he was probably as powerful as an Olympic weightlifter.

As Halo Knight shot a new volley of rings at him, Angel threw the massive drape at him. It had been cinched up with something, but it broke loose, and it unfurled and spread out in the air. In moments, it was as wide as a wall. The rings hit it, but it was big, and they didn't seem to affect it. The whole thing fell on Halo Knight like a net. It plummeted to the floor, dragging him with it, and Angel heard him bounce.

Gotcha.

Angel landed on the mound of fabric, looking for the moving lump that was Halo Knight. When he found him, he brought the table leg down on him...but, even though the anti-gravity effect wasn't as strong as it had been, it was still a challenge to swing it all the way to the floor. He didn't hit him as hard as he'd wanted. The lump had been squirming; it suddenly took off like a rocket. Halo Knight was flying underneath the drape. Angel followed him, finding it easier to keep pace. His body was back to normal.

Halo Knight shot out from under the drape, bounced off of a few tables and chairs...and ended up landing near the gathered bystanders. Angel heard gasps, shouts, and curses.

No-

"Surrender, freak." Halo Knight pointed one hand at Angel, but the other was pointed at the bystanders, who were sitting ducks.

Angel let go of the table leg. He drew both guns, aiming them at the lunatic.

"There are only two people that I want to kill," Halo Knight said, breathing heavily. When heard through the electronic filter of his helmet, that panting sounded extremely creepy. "There's already been too much suffering on this stupid planet...that's why I'm doing this. I don't want to make it worse. But, in a few more hours, all of these people will be dead anyway, and in a better place. If you don't surrender right now, I'll just send them there a little early."

Angel grimaced. He really wished that Daredevil was there-he would have known exactly what to do. "None of this makes sense," Angel said. "I mean, you hate all this suffering, but you want to end the world, which will result in everybody getting killed? Come on!"

"No, no, it's the only thing that makes sense. The end of the world will be quick and painless. We won't die, we'll just pass to the higher realms. But, god, if you make me hurt people, if you make me kill them..."

There was a little desperation in Halo Knight's voice...Angel didn't like that...

"You want a hostage, spaceman?" The old man with the mustache slowly stepped forward. He seemed calm, and his arms were slightly raised, his open palms showing that he wasn't holding any weapons. "You can use me to get past the heroes. We can fly away from here, and then you can decide what you want to do next."

Halo Knight glanced at the old man. He was powerful-looking, and a head taller than the would-be hostage-taker. "No, I don't want you, I want the girl."

The old man chuckled. "We don't always get what we want," he said.

Halo Knight started to walk toward the other bystanders-if he flew, he'd only be able to aim one gravity ring, not two-but the old man stepped in his path.

"Get out of my way!"

Amazingly, the old man didn't even flinch. "You've got one hero in here, one outside, and this place is probably surrounded by cops. For all you know, the Fantastic Four could be on the way. Yeah, sure, go ahead and waste time picking your favorite hostage. I bet that'll really help, spaceman."

Angel's mind raced. If Halo Knight started shooting, he was pretty sure that he could stop one or two of the hostages from hitting the ceiling-but not more than that.

These people are expecting you to be a superhero. You can't give in, you have to call his bluff.

Angel suddenly found himself walking forward. It seemed like someone else was doing it, and not him. As he walked, he kept pointing his guns at Halo Knight, getting ready to shoot him in the neck. One shot to distract him, and then he'd swoop in and attack again.

As it turned out, though, just getting closer was enough to distract him. Halo Knight did a double-take, screaming at him to get away. He never saw the old man slip something out of his sleeve. The old man got behind him, clamped a hand down on his shoulder, and stabbed him with something silver and shiny.

"Welcome to New York, punk."

There was a sound like a butcher's knife sinking into a wooden block. Angel expected blood to come pouring out, but there was only a small trickle of crimson. Halo Knight screamed, and he spun around, swinging the energy rings that he was holding. The old man deftly jumped back. Angel jumped/flew forward, landed, and shot Halo Knight point-blank in the neck. The hard-rubber projectile fell to the floor; Angel saw the old man smile.

Halo Knight cried out in pain, clutched his neck, and erratically took flight. He turned back as he flew, launching a volley of gravity rings at him. There were too many for Angel to cancel out with his remaining ammo. Instead, he dropped his guns and grabbed the nearest table with both hands, flipping it over and using it as a shield. It was heavy, but he was strong. The rings didn't make any noise, but they must have hit it, because it tried to leap out of his hands. Angel gritted his teeth and hung on.

Then, in an insanely casual way, the old man walked past him and started throwing more of those shiny silver blades. Angel peeked past the edge of the table. Halo Knight was over a dozen feet away, but the old man hit him dead-on. Each blade was about the length of a pen, flat, and maybe two or three inches in width. (When Angel saw what they resembled, he nearly let go of the table by accident.) The blades made "thunk" noises when they embedded in Halo Knight's Space Age padding. There wasn't any blood, this time, but Halo Knight retreated, heading for the doors.

Halo Knight was flying top-speed at the set of double-doors, and Angel thought that he might "splat" right against them. But the heavy-gravity effect had worn off. The doors slammed open, and Halo Knight vanished.

Angel let go of the table. It crashed into the ceiling, but he ignored it, picking up his guns.

"Good work, son." The old man was staring at the doorway, a blade in one hand, but Halo Knight didn't come back in.

"Who are you? Why are those little blades shaped like-"

"-like feathers?" The old man chuckled, again. He reached for Angel's hand: not to shake it, but to hand him all of the rubber-projectile ammo he'd shot at Halo Knight, which the old man had apparently gathered up. "I'm Dr. Thomas Halloway. I was a surgeon, a detective, and the original Angel. But there'll be time for that later. That little punk is getting away, and you need to go grab him!"