The wing had to withdraw, as capes mounted a more focused assault. As it did, I was treated to a spray of water.

Ashley, clinging to a wing, while Byron’s water sprayed her into the hard surface, her power helping to keep her there instead of falling. With the wing gone, she was left to careen in my general direction.

I caught her.

“Ah!” she grunted, as I seized her. “Gentle on the ribs.”

I adjusted my grip, lowering her down to the nearest safe ground, which was not that near. The warrior angel had its sword out, and it swung, only to be blocked by Stonewall’s shield. Had I been closer, it might have swung at Ashley and I.

I lowered her down to a sitting position. She’d been shot in the ribcage, along to the side, and one of her arms had been clipped. Flesh was burned and raw, ribs in one spot exposed and blackened.

“Small graces,” she said. “Bonesaw built me durable.”

“More durable than a human?”

“Reinforcements here and there,” she said. She winced at the pain. “She removed most of it because it wasn’t meant to last.”

The gas and sustained assault on ventilation were having their effect. Yellow-green gas flowed into intake vents, and gray smoke came out the outtake. The warrior angel wasn’t using its sword to blast anymore, only to swing and chop at cover. With one swipe, it knocked the catwalk down. Stonewall fell. His team dove into the rising water with barely any hesitation.

I was more focused on Swansong’s injury and the structure than on the mechs. Couldn’t attack anyway.

“Go,” Swansong urged. She tried to push me, and found that too painful, so she kicked me instead. “Rain hit it!”

He got past the halo.

I flew, not even turning around, my chest momentarily facing the roof as I took off, only twisting around in the air once I was already flying in the right direction. My eyes scanned for that telling silver line.

I saw it. The halo. A silver line at the top.

I flew toward it. The winged angel got in my way. It wasn’t using its full capacity either. No wing extensions. As a whole, the suits were backing off, retreating.

I still couldn’t get past the wing. It was faster to raise or lower than it was for me to ascend or descend.

Colt made her move. She was nimble enough in the air to fly around the wing and get closer. The haloed angel might not have been shooting down everything that moved, not enough to hit Rain’s power out of the air, but it shot Colt.