Birds and Angels

Al's pov

Back on the train

"Everyone," I half-yelled, "move up to another car while you can. I don't want anyone hurt."

Tension so thick an axe wouldn't cut it, every civilian shuffled out of the car and into safety.

"Something tells me that you won't come peacefully." Robin surmised correctly.

"He forbids it."

"God?"

I chuckled mournfully, pacing, anxious about the fight about to come, "I wish God had sent me to do this but deception was never a Godly thing." My sword disappeared and I added, "Anyways, stop stalling. Once your team sorts out the other car you all will hound me."

"Nah, I think I'll take care of you myself."

I stopped pacing and bit out, "I'm only going to warn you once."

He lifted his hand to his ear, not taking his eyes off of me, "Good Star, cuff him and stuff him as soon as possible."

As should have been expected, he wasn't intimidated and he wasn't even worried. It made me sad but I raised my fists. I didn't want to kill him, so using my sword was not an option. However, I've overheard friends say that Batman, this kid's teacher, knew over a hundred martial arts, benched one thousand pounds (454kg), and can bend a rifle barrel with one hand. If just a fourth of that were true, and a FOURTH OF THAT was passed down to my opponent I had zero chance of winning with my fists.

(A/N: As of 2020, the 'raw', no equipment, world record is 770lbs or 349kgs. Over 1k with equipment. However, NBC has an article from 2017 stating that several hundred commercial and prototype exoskeleton or exosuits are in operation.)

I just… didn't want to kill him. I didn't want anything to do with this. I got to try.

"Tell you what," he said as if reading my mind, "you seem like someone roped into something. Sure you cut that train car off with people in it but you knew my team would save them, didn't you?"

I stepped forward and threw a hard straight. Time seemed slower, maybe it was adrenaline, or my psyche. One moment he wasn't in a stance, then in half a second, before my fist was thrown, his feet and weight shifted like he had a sheep in between his knees. At the same time, he didn't blink as he redirected my fist with his right hand, batted it down with his left, opening my face, and punched my face-no, my right temple three times in two seconds.

It was at this moment that I knew: I seriously messed up.

He kicked me twice, his kicks were like stamps or stomps on my lead knee. He attacked me five times before I could even swing my other fist over my body. This made my situation worse.

Dodging that, he took the wrists of my crossed arms, pulled them against each other and turned them like a wheel. This flipped me over like a throw, my head was in his knees and I remembered:

Ip man.

He did something like this after beating those ten black belts.

That movie inspired me to look up videos of this. He was on my "blind side" his fists were closest to my face and my other fist was the farthest. I threw it, opening myself up to a trap. If I didn't have my angelic physiology, his metal padded gloves against my temple would have dropped me.

I have my angelic physiology however.

Using my wings like a second pair of legs I shot out of my grave before the haymakers came. My back was to him however and ice batarangs hit my feet with horrifying precision. I heard his Bo staff lengthen and I shielded my head with my wings. Bashing me, I knew (& felt) for certain that he planned on ending this.

Tensing every muscle in my wings I myself prepared to end this as well.

His Bo struck again but bounced off with a metallic clang. Twisting what little I could, my wings cut straight through the vertical handrail poles of the train and pumping them once broke me free. Robin had tactically retreated at first but didn't want me to turn to him and set up. Trying to capitalize on my turned back-

He sealed his fate.

Throwing another ice batarang, he locked my wings in place, kicked my knee and wrapped me in a choke. Having metal gauntlets crushing into my windpipe, I backed into the train's metal wall and slammed Robin twice. Glass shattered but he held fast as I struggled to get my fingers around his arm.

"Ever throw a motorcycle twenty feet?" I croaked, my right hand finding one of his. "Well, I have."

Squeezing with my angelic strength, I turned his gloves into a vice and felt the bones crush. He screamed and his grip loosened against his will. My hand tight around his, I slammed him into the metal decking of the train as hard as I could. Dazed, I tried to rip off his utility belt but was electrocuted.

I stumbled back and Robin started getting up, resetting one of his fingers with a grunt while watching me. I have the advantage now and I just figured out how to make it better. Honestly, I don't know why I didn't think of it at first. Maybe the adrenaline was clouding my judgement. Also, I am positive that I wouldn't be able to avoid an incoming train if I was flying. However, my stunt earlier blocks train traffic from that direction on the tracks. Giving him one last warning I said, "I'm leaving this train. Whether you like it or not."

He said nothing, not wasting time as he reset another finger with a contained yelp. In the corner of my vision, I noticed that the train had passed several idle civilians. An exit.

No reply Robin? So be it.

I smirked, and Robin fingered his grapple. Running back the way I came my wings sliced my way out of the back of the train car like a tin can. Ever the stubborn human, Red Robin grappled me, thinking to still stop me. I anticipated this and yanked the little "bird" to face an angel. Although he affected my control a little, humans had near zero control.

It's one thing to flip and turn on a spring board with both hands. Another thing entirely being pulled out of a moving train on your only hand and face first into my fist. His teeth cut my hand, his nose broke, and he let go of the grapple.

I had no control of where he landed and I realized I made a grave mistake. The subway was electric but why is that horrible? All electric trains run on a third rail. A rail with a constant direct current of 700-800 volts. There was a violent arc when the Boy Wonder landed and rolled a few feet.

"Oh my God."

In horror I watched him writhe, the scent of burned flesh in the air.

No.

NO.

In haste I flew down the track and swiped my wings over the rails and got blasted back. Hindsight is 2020, and that was stupid. I screamed and twitched but I knew I was going to get shocked if I picked him up without disconnecting the current. Now I can pick him up safely.

Forcing myself up, I checked his pulse.

It wasn't there.

I raked my hands through my hair and acted. Thinking on the fly while I flew, I scooped him up and rushed to the exit I saw. Forcefully shoving people over like a bowling ball I rushed to the medical kit; to the defibrillator. Setting him down, I did what the directions said.

Turn it on.

Apply the pads, ripping his costume open to do so.

Stand back, it was an automatic one.

His body twitched and reathed and people started to gather. Instead of battling them back, I started praying on my knees.

The second shock passed. People around me knew who this was. How important this young man's life was and started to pray with me.

Then the third landed and he gasped. His breathing seemed normal and I thanked God for it. Resting my head on the ground for a moment of pittance, I got up, awkwardly lying to those gathered, "Um, we were chasing a villain. Gotta go."

~*~