Chapter 34: Bionic Commando

Monsters.

Ever since I was little, I knew the world was filled with them. From the bogeyman in my childhood days, to the giant lizards that terrorized the big screen when I was growing up, monsters were something that every child accepted.

But as one grew up, one learned not to fear the dark anymore. Just as the little nagging fears go away over time, like little will o’ the wisps of one’s consciousness as one grows up, the unknown ceases to be frightening.

But such was not the case for me.

As I grew up, I learned that monsters were very real. From the personal demons that haunted me when my father passed away, to the giants of the corporate engine that I faced as a young girl. Yes, I knew far too well that monsters were all too real. And yet, despite all this, nothing could have prepared me for the monsters I have faced in the last few days. Everything from Death, vampires, an arch-demon, a crazy katana-wielding samurai lady, and my own dear father.

And now, this most recent development.

The massive nano-knight hovered over the city of Chicago like a harbinger of death.

It was terrifying to behold: clad in black from head to foot, it was made of the exact same material as the amazing nano-suits worn by Rina and my father. The armor appeared smooth and metallic, the rays of the sun glinting off the metal monstrosity that stood against the sky, an enormous edifice that acted as a testament to my father’s brilliant but flawed legacy.

The knight’s head was fearsome – it looked similar to my father’s helmet, with a round, smooth helm, a sharp comb running along the middle of its head like a mohawk, a black visor protecting its ‘eyes’, if such a thing even had them. An enormous breastplate rested squarely underneath impressive looking spiked pauldrons – both offensive and defensive in nature. On the knight’s left hand it bore a large rectangular shield, and on the right, the same massive broadsword that my father used, only this time, it was several orders of magnitude larger.

I could see the people below us staring in horror at the behemoth that stood before them. Screams erupted in the city below as panic and mass hysteria spread over the city. The knight had barely even begun to move and already traffic had built to a standstill below us. Many were abandoning their cars and going on foot, running helter-skelter in several directions – as far away as they possibly could from the threat.  

The knight lowered itself to the ground, making a thunderous sound as its feet connected with the ground. The earth shook, though I felt it not. I could feel the enormous presence as it touched the ground.

Then, just like that, knight began to move, slowly, certainly, toward the Hunter Robotics building. Already it had begun to cause damage to the ground - concrete broke with each stride, as the knight stepped over everything in its path without remorse. Cars, trucks, people - everything that had the misfortune of being underneath the massive feet got crushed.

It walked slowly at first, but then gradually it began to build speed. For such a large thing, it moved very quickly.

Think! Vanessa!

“Oh your feet, Cherie,” said Death. “Spread those wings and look alive! This thing needs to be stopped. Right now.”

“Thanks for the update, Captain Obvious,” I said. “But I don’t suppose you’ve got a plan now, do you?”

“We lead it to water?” asked Death.

I shrugged. “It’s a good start. I think we might be able to make that work.”

“Next question being, how? You can lead a horse to water…”

“Well no worries, we don’t need to make this thing drink. We need to lead it to the water, and then dunk it in.”

“Is it intelligent?”

I sighed. “If my father is to be believed, yes. Supremely intelligent.”

“You think your father is still in there somehow? That he might be able to stop it from within?”

“I don’t know.” I pointed to the giant knight. “Look, D, we’re gonna have to get moving.”

I flew in at top speed, doing what I could to gain on the massive knight. The behemoth was so large that its mere physical presence was affecting the air pockets all around it. Just flying in the vicinity of the knight was treacherous, the winds whipping sharply, howling all around me. It took effort just to stay focused and not get disoriented.

I was gaining on it, which was good, but I hadn’t the slightest clue how to stop the thing. I darted from building to building using the structures to stabilize the air pockets around me. The behemoth displaced far too much air, and flying in the airspace next to it was perilous.

“Careful, Cherie, even with your special powers, this challenge appears fraught with peril,” said Death, his words rising above the winds. He was flying alongside me, his black cloak fluttering in the lashing wind.

“What about a negative void?” I asked.

“Won’t work against something with that kind of mass,” said Death.

The robot knight moved toward one of the buildings next to the Hunter Robotics building, and laid its hand on it. The concrete and metal began to erode from the building, and the knight began to grow yet again, massive spikes grew out of the back of its armor.

“D, this isn’t good, that thing is absorbing the building’s structure, using the material to generate newer nano-machines.”

“Yes, I can see that Vanessa,” said Death as he looked at me, his crimson eyes glowing. “Well, here’s something worth trying…”

And with that Death flew toward the knight, heading directly for its head

The knight noticed Death’s presence and immediately moved to strike. Despite the fact that the behemoth appeared to be slow moving, it was anything but. The speed of the strike was blinding. It took its massive right arm, and in the blink of an eye, the enormous sword was swung. It took all of Death’s incredible speed just to dodge the attack. The knight’s broadsword came crashing into a nearby building, sending chunks of concrete flying into the ground below.

“D!” I screamed as I flew next to him, screams erupted from down below.  The city was in a panic.

“Relax, Cherie,” he said, “I am perfectly alright.”

“Don’t you dare do something so reckless again!” I said angrily.

“I needed to see how fast this thing was,” said Death.  “We appear to be caught in quite the quandary. For one, this thing has all the abilities Donovan Hunter had. In other words, none of my attacks will work on it. Secondly,” Death paused, as pointed his scythe in the direction of the knight, who now proceeded to tear chunks off a second building, “this thing is feeding off the buildings and is getting stronger by the minute. And lastly…”

“People are dying with each passing moment,” I said. I didn’t need Death to complete that one.

I knew how terrible the situation was. If we didn’t act soon, the city would be devastated. It wasn’t as though either Death or I desired to reap that many souls. We wanted to stop this quickly.

The knight veered toward the Hunter Robotics building. My heart sank as it began to turn its attention toward the building. It was as if it remembered being born there. It stood in front of the building, unmoving. The knight’s head moved around slowly from side to side.

“What the hell is that thing doing?” asked Death.

“It’s like it’s searching for something,” I said.

“What in the world could it possibly want, Vanessa?” Death asked.

“I haven’t the slightest clue,” I said. “Look, this is good news. If it’s searching for something, perhaps we can distract it from its mission.”

“I’m all for it,” said Death.

We both flew into the air and headed right for the knight. It sensed our approach, like I knew it would, and reacted accordingly.

It swung the massive broadsword at me, cutting the air and displacing it with an intensity and force I had never felt before. Just the sheer force of the air that was getting displaced was enough to throw me off balance. It took every ounce of strength in my newfound wings to stabilize myself. I found an air current I could safely draft off of, and used it to carry me to safety.

I glanced quickly and noticed that Death had taken advantage of the situation and had hurled his scythe toward the knight, but the scythe bounced harmlessly off the armor, and back into Death’s hands.

“Not good Cherie,” said Death. “This is thing’s exoskeleton is harder than the gates of Hell itself. We’re going to have to dig deep.”

“Not that deep,” I said. “I’ve got an idea.”

“I’m all ears.”

“Katsujinken. My father was afraid of it.”

“He was also afraid of the Van Dyke power,” Death added.

“Precisely,” I said. “Perhaps I can get its attention that way, lead it to the water and slow it down.”

“What the heck is that sound?” Death asked.

“What sound?”

“Shhh… can’t you hear it?”

I strained my ears. Yes, it was there. Whatever it was, it was like buzzing of thousand tiny bees. An incessant noise that echoed throughout the city, getting louder and louder.

I looked at the ground below and noticed a white swarm that had erupted through the city; a mass that moved on its own in the opposite direction as the fleeing crowds. The swarm covered the streets of Chicago, blanketing them with a white haze as it made its way through the Loop. I saw the swarm cover buildings, bridges, even the ‘L’, Chicago’s infamous public transportation system.

“What in God’s name is that?” I asked.

The swarm poured into the city like a massive wave, sweeping through the city at great speed.

“Look alive Cherie,” Death said. “We’re about to get help.”

“What do you mean?”

Death transformed once more into the handsome and suave stranger. “I’d better look my best and welcome someone I hadn’t spoken to in a long time.”

I shot Death a quizzical look.

“Don’t tell me you don’t know what those things below us are, Vanessa. You should have seen more than your fair share by now.”

I strained my eyes to look down far below.

“Has it been so long that you’ve forgotten about me, love?” A voice called out from one of the tall buildings. I looked out at the building and finally realize who it was who had come to our aid. I smiled.

“Perhaps. I wasn’t expecting to see you in this city,” I said.

“We’re on a field trip,” the voice said.

The shadowy outline of a man stood against the building, his arms crossed as he surveyed the surroundings. He was joined by a second shadow behind him, a much taller man that stood unmoving.

I felt sick to my stomach, as I came upon a frightening realization.

The swarm below us was a gigantic mass of thousands, upon thousands of Class-D Vampires.

The shadowy man spoke again. “Gregor Vincent brings the full strength of the Brood to your aid, Death Angel.”

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