The voice’s inhuman echo warned her even before she turned that the Nephilim had found her. Two figures rounded the corner: giants in colourful yet aggressively decorated armour, bearing deadly spear weapons. Fear overcame fatigue, driving her onwards as fast as she could go.

It was not fast enough. The warriors were almost twice her size, their longer legs eating up the gap at a terrifying pace.

The wavering helicopter slid towards the pad, minigun still blasting fire down at the fortress. One of the throne room windows finally exploded under the relentless barrage. The gunner yelled in victory—

A loud crash of grinding metal as the tail rotor’s gearbox ran dry, oil spurting from the damaged boom – and the chopper swung sharply around.

The tail rotor counteracted the main rotor’s enormous torque; without it, the fuselage would spin like a top. Eddie threw himself over Macy to protect her, but he knew that if they didn’t land in the next few seconds, they would both die—

The pilot shoved the collective control lever down hard. The Z-20 dropped – onto the pad.

The landing gear had lowered, but the impact was so fierce one of the hydraulic legs collapsed. The fuselage tipped sideways, belly screeching across the pad as it spun. The gunner was thrown out, swinging on his safety strap to slam against the helicopter’s side – then was crushed beneath it as it rolled.

The main rotor blades smashed against the pad and disintegrated in an explosive blizzard of carbon fibre. Dozens of razor-sharp shards impaled the two soldiers closest to the open hatch. More debris ricocheted around the cabin, one piece slashing Cheng’s cheek and another cutting the back of Eddie’s head.

The fuselage lurched back upright. With the main rotor destroyed, it quickly ground to a stop. Macy sobbed quietly. ‘Are you hurt?’ Eddie asked. The response was a barely audible no. He raised his head, seeing the twitching, lacerated bodies of the soldiers by the open hatch.

Outside was nothing but empty space, the wrecked helicopter hanging over the tower’s edge.

Nina ran, breath burning in her throat. But she couldn’t outpace the Nephilim. The two warriors were rapidly gaining, about to catch her—

The approaching siren reached a crescendo – and a police car powered into the intersection.

It skidded to a halt as the driver saw the Nephilim and braked in shock. The two warriors also hesitated, unsure what to make of the wailing vehicle. Nina ran towards it as the cops scrambled out. ‘Help! Help me!’

The sight of a panicked woman fleeing ten-foot armoured demons overcame any language barriers. Both men drew their guns. Nina hastily swerved from their firing line as they shouted commands at the invaders.

The Nephilim responded by bringing their barakas to bear. The cops opened up—