Nate glanced over his shoulder to see how fast the large Valkyrie could fly. Even with a barely functional leg, the Valkyrie didn't need it to fly. The Valkyrie had the largest wings that Nate had ever seen, and it was gaining on them fast without much effort. Behind him, Matthew huddled up against his back, mumbling something that he couldn't hear. Grabbing Matthew's arm, Nate leaned into a sharp turn that be made between two buildings. Matthew nearly fell off. It was painfully obvious that Matthew had never ridden a bike in his life. It wouldn't have bothered him... but his shifting weight was throwing off his sharp turns. Instead of making a short turn, Matthew's weight caused him to circle the building. Matthew screamed, clinging to him tighter. Pulling Matthew back up behind him, he yelled over his shoulder. "Lean with me on turns, damnit!" Yelling back over his shoulder, Matthew snapped out. "YOU'RE GOING TO GET US KILLED!"

Nate laughed loudly, shouting back. "No! BUT YOU WILL!" The Valkyrie didn't loop the building, he simply made a wide U-turn and shot back after them. Nate went into a dive to head for a tunnel below, listening to Matthew scream as he started to slide back away from him. Rolling his eyes, he squeezed the horse with his thighs and reached back to grab Matthew's knees. Grabbing them, he pulled him as close to him as he could get. Then pointing to a button on the back of the saddle, he told him sternly. "Press this!" Matthew shook his head, burying his face against his back. Nate groaned, taking the reins of the horse to level out as he flew into the crowded tunnel. The horse's hooves clipped a flew trucks as he tried to steer around the major cars. Glancing back, he smirked, when he didn't see the Valkyrie. The Valkyrie couldn't get in here with its wingspan. Pulling on the reins hard to turn the horse around a car, the horse landed and began running across the road back to where they had come in.

Behind him, Matthew whimpered out. "Nate! This isn't going to work! They can see the security cameras!" Nate let the horse run straight, before leaning back to press the button himself on the saddle. From the sides, another set of metal stirrups rolled out and locked in place. Snatching Matthew's ankle, Nate shoved his foot into it. Checking the road briefly, he helped Matthew put his other foot in the other one, telling him in a rush tone. "Better?!" Matthew only shrugged, muttering out. "No..." Nate rolled his eyes, turning his attention to the road as they rushed back out of the tunnel. To his dismay, Matthew had been right. The large Valkyrie swooped down from the top of the tunnel, flying overhead of the traffic as it chased them. Nate cursed. He hated Valkyries. To add to his frustration, more Valkyries were starting to converge on them from farther ahead. Shouting over his shoulder, he asked loudly. "How do I shake them?!" Matthew shook behind him, telling him terrified. "I don't know! They belong to Matthias!"

Nate looked around quickly as the Valkyries were drawing closer to him from the front and back. Seeing a building coming up a split in the road, he smirked devilishly. Yelling for Matthew to hang on, he yanked the horse into a drift, before revving the engine straight over the edge of the bridge. Matthew screamed as the horse dived off the bridge, causing two Valkyries to get hit by a truck as they tried to swing their blades at the horse's hindquarters. Nate didn't engage the horse's wings, he let it drop fast as he tried to aim her for the building. Grabbing Matthew's arm, he told him to brace as the horse smashed through another large glass window. The horse stumbled on the landing, rolling over and knocking into glass cubical booths. Papers and glass went flying everywhere as the horse smashed into everything as it rolled back up onto its feet. People of all species screamed and rushed for the exits. Nate looked back as the Valkyries surrounded the building, but didn't go in.

Behind him, Matthew told him over his shoulder shakily. "There are too many civilians! Someone is going to get hurt, Nate!" Nate flicked off the large Valkyrie, telling Matthew smugly. "I know." Nate whirled the horse toward the exit, trotting the horse through the crowd, practically herding them up the emergency stairs. Matthew clawed at his sides, yelling out. "What are you doing?!" Nate did his best not to run over anyone as he trotted up the steps after them, answering distractedly. "I'm exploiting a flaw in their system! Look!" Nate pointed to the glass window's they passed as they trotted up the steps. Just outside, the Valkyries were circling around the building, following their every movement. Every time they held back from attacking where he was though because of the civilians around them. Matthew shrugged, muttering out. "You can't keep doing this forever! What's your plan?!" Nate shrugged, chuckling out. "Plan? This is it." Matthew squeaked out in shock. "What?!" Nate shrugged, shouting back. "If you know an off switch for these fuckers, THAT would be helpful!"

Matthew scoffed at him, snapping back. "They don't have an off switch! Matthias runs them through...!" Matthew stopped talking, causing Nate to ask over his shoulder over the screaming people around them. "What?!" Matthew grabbed his shoulders, scooting up against him more to tell him loudly. "Go to the top of the building! Look for Valhalla tower!" Nate didn't bother to ask. He just decided to trust him on this. Revving the horse, he broke off from the crowd to head up the steps more rapidly. Matthew was getting better at leaning with him as he rushed up the spiraling stairs. The second they were away from the civilians, a sword burst through the wall in front of the horse. The horse jumped it on its own and Nate leaned down across the horse as he told Matthew. "GET DOWN!" Swords and hands busted through the concrete wall to try grabbing them, but Nate kept steering the horse closer to the railing as it ascended. They were almost to the top, when a long sword plunged through the wall and stabbed Nate just under his arm.

Nate's vision blurred as the pain of the sharp blade blinded him. The force of the hit had shoved him slightly off the seat of the horse. Luckily, since his foot was in the stirrup, he didn't fall off... but his left arm was locking up to his side. Matthew screamed, his arms trying to wrap around him more to keep him from falling. Nate grunted, trying to steer the horse with his good hand while trying to shift back into the seat. Shifting off the saddle at gotten the blade out of him, but the blade managed to slice Matthew's cheek before it was completely pulled back. Matthew touched his wound, asking him in a shakily voice. "NATE? Are you ok?!" Nate focused his eyes ahead, lying through his teeth. "I'm fine. Just hang on!" He could feel the blood running down his side but ignored it. He couldn't focus on that now. Revving the horse to leap up steps, they reached the top floor. Nate meant to lead the horse to the door to the roof, but for a second, he blacked out and yanked the horse into an office door.

The horse busted the door down, then began trotting anxiously in a circle as Nate tried to adjust himself on the saddle better. More people screamed and scattered to the teleporters and emergency stairs. Giving Matthew enough time to say with worry. "Nate, you're not fine..." Nate shook his head, telling him sternly. "Don't worry about me! Do you see the building?!" Matthew looked around at the glass windows of the office, then pointed and said. "It's that one! The one with the big ball looking top! But Nate-" Nate didn't need to know more than that, turning the horse toward the building. He strained to type in a trajectory on the horn pad. Locking it in, he mumbled to himself breathlessly. "One more time, baby... Come on." Shaking off his lightheadedness, he revved the engine. The horse reared with a wild whiny, its wings starting to open. Landing, the horse charged straight toward the window as Valkyries crashed into the windows around them to try and stop them.

They got within inches of them when the horse leapt to crash through the glass. Its wings shot out, swatting the smaller Valkyries away or decapitating them from the force of them opening. Automatically the horse started to head for the building, when the large Valkyrie slammed into the horse and sent them into a spiraling blur. The Valkyrie attacked the horse to bring it down, while the horse thrashed and bucked to try breaking free from the Valkyrie. Nate clung to the horse as tightly as he could, feeling Matthew trying to lean over him to help keep him on as the horse flipped wildly through the air. The horse let out a sudden robotic squeal, before the horse's eyes faded and the wings fell limply at its sides. The large Valkyrie had punched into the side and removed the mechanical heart. The large Valkyrie crushed it in its hand, its head turning to look at Matthew as it said robotically in a deep voice. "Elite Matthew. You are in danger!" The Valkyrie released the pieces of the heart, reaching out to snatch Matthew's throat in its hand.

Nate yanked the pocket tools from his boot, clicking it to a sparking jump charge and jammed it up under the Valkyrie's chin. The Valkyrie began to shake as over fifty thousand volts coursed through its robotic brain. He knew the charges were only meant for the chest cavity to revive a Valkyrie that needed a jump start. However, he hoped this would knock the fucker out. With the horse no longer steering their spinning fall and the Valkyrie unable to do anything, they crashed through a glass of a building and tumbled loudly and roughly across the marble floor. Matthew and Nate where thrown from the horse as it hit the marble and broke into pieces. The large Valkyrie hit the ground just as hard, its large wing braking as it landed on it, before tumbling across the room and away from them. Nate rolled to his side, crying out in pain as glass and metal pierced his skin. He had pain everywhere. From farther across the room, Matthew coughed and whimpered. Nate shifted to look at him, watching Matthew push himself up on all fours but he looked dazed from the fall.

Nate's voice was barely a whisper when he tried to ask if Matthew was alright. Matthew lifted his head enough to see him, starting to scramble across the glass covered floor on all fours to reach him. On his way over, a metal foot slammed down on Matthew's back to pin him to the floor. The large Valkyrie's head was sparking, and his wing was busted to hell. Even his knee joint was sparking, but the fucker was still strong enough to lift its large sword over Matthew's back as it said in a deep glitchy voice. "You are in danger. I am here to help." Matthew clawed at the marble floor, trying to crawl away as he screamed. The Valkyrie raised the sword, but before it plunged it down... a boot hit the Valkyrie's head. The room fell silent as the boot hit the floor. Slowly, the Valkyrie turned its head toward Nate. Staggering up from his knees, Nate faced the Valkyrie with an aggressive expression. Spitting at the Valkyrie, he beckoned it over as he yelled out. "Come and get me, Tin man! You busted piece of SHIT!" Nate pressed the charge to make it spark in his hand.

The large Valkyrie lowered its sword, a hand going to a spot under its jaw as it eyed Nate. Nate stood his ground as the Valkyrie turned to face him. Nate smirked. Valkyries acted against aggression and threats over their goals. Most of the time. It was a risk, but one he was willing to pay. Matthew rose up on all fours again, asking in shock. "Nate?!" Nate started to back up slowly with a slight limp, yelling out. "GO! NOW!" Matthew glanced at the teleporter in the corner, but hesitated. The Valkyrie started to rush after Nate, causing Nate to run at him and duck under his broken wing. Pointing at Matthew, Nate screamed out sternly. "GO!" Matthew reluctantly nodded, running toward the teleporter. Nate had been distracted enough by him that the Valkyrie whirled around, sweeping Nate's feet out from under him with his good wing. Nate hit the floor, yelping as the Valkyrie tried to punch a fist into his chest. Nate managed to roll just enough that the Valkyrie's fist shattered a marble tile where his chest had been.

Lifting his legs, Nate kicked off the Valkyries chest to slide away from him. Turning over, Nate staggered to his feet and tried to run to the other side of the room. The Valkyrie straightened up, raising a hand and with a loud 'pow,' the hand shot out to grab Nate's shoulder. Nate screamed as metal fingernails shot into his shoulder to hold him by his fucking collarbone! The Valkyrie yanked its handless arm down, causing the chain that connected his arm to his hand to yank Nate back off his feet. Nate screamed in pain as the chain started to retract, dragging Nate across the floor. Nate thrashed, trying to pull the long steel fingernails out of his flesh. He hadn't managed to get any of them out. They were in too deep. Being slowly dragged back to him, the Valkyrie almost sadistically raised a foot to pin Nate to the floor by his chest. In his other hand, the Valkyrie lifted its sword to bring it over Nate's throat. Nate saw his reflection in the blade and lost his voice as horror crept into him.

He had never given any thought to how he would die. Now that he was looking at the blade that would end him, he was more scared than he had ever been in his life. His blood had turned to ice and an icy chill was covering him like a blanket. His breathing increased and his heart thundered in his chest. His own blood on the end of the blade dripped down across his neck. Closing his eyes, the seconds ticked by like hours. Until there was a soft whirling sound and the blade smashed into the marble tile... next to his ear. Opening an eye, he peeked up in time to see the Valkyrie's eyes had darkened. Falling backward, the Valkyrie hit the marble completely offline and the sword fell away from him. Slowly Nate sat up, he couldn't breathe, and his body was in shock. He was alive? He had survived that? Staring out at the shattered window, Nate scoffed out breathlessly. "Holy shit..." The Valkyries weren't the only things that had gone offline. All over Valhalla, power shut off. Sending the city into a massive grid blackout. To Be Continued...