Shield’s hammer screamed past Angel’s head. He rolled to the side, nearly slipping over a pair of what had once been a Reawakening clone’s clothes. Swearing, Angel fired his grappling hook into the wall a short distance from him, yanking himself out of the way instants before the ground where he’d been ruptured.

He flipped back to his feet, backtracking through the halls. Even though he was still faster than Shield, it didn’t mean much when the other man just tore clean through everything in his way instead of taking the paths like a normal person.

“You know, for someone who tried so hard to get these damn things working, you don’t take very good care of them,” Angel yelled. “Let me guess, you didn’t share toys with the other kids either?”

A crack echoed down the hall, and a large chunk of metal whizzed through the air, embedding itself in the wall behind Angel with a loud bang and sending tiny fragments flying everywhere, peppering him.

Angel cursed, running away as his wounds started to heal once more. The halls started to widen slightly, which was exactly what he needed. There wasn’t any way to fight Shield in closed quarters, but he had much more of a chance if he could actually maneuver around the larger man.

“So much running. You’re like a rat,” Shield growled, stepping around the corner. He’d somehow grown even larger in the last few seconds, and was now almost double Angel’s height. The hammer, once massive, looked like a child’s plaything in his hands.

Angel flipped a rude gesture to Shield and dashed around another corner. Their game of cat and mouse continued for another minute, until Angel finally stumbled into what looked to be a mess hall.

Tables covered with abandoned uniforms and half eaten food lined the room. Angel leapt over a table, throwing himself to the side as Shield hurled his hammer. The weapon crashed through everything in its path and embedded itself in the floor.

Angel didn’t even consider trying to steal it. He wasn’t even sure he could lift it. Angel turned back to fire a spell, but Shield was far from unarmed. With a roar, Shield ripped an entire long table from its bindings to the ground and swung the whole thing at Angel.

It caught him in the side, knocking the breath from his lungs and shooting him across the room. He slammed into the wall, denting it and letting out a cry of pain. Several snaps rang out as more ribs than Angel cared to count cracked. The world faded around him for an instant before he snapped back to the present.

Shield had retrieved his hammer and was charging at him like a rampaging bull. Angel ripped himself from the wall and rolled, sliding between the man’s legs and spinning as he came back up, firing the spell he’d prepared.

Frost erupted from his palm, spreading across the ground and wrapping up Shield’s legs. The huge man snarled, ripping his legs free of the ice, but the ground had become slick and his shoes failed to find purchase.

He pitched back, slamming to the ground and shaking the room slightly. Angel dove at him, purple energy crackling to life as he grabbed onto Shield’s leg. Energy flooded into him. A triumphant grin crossed Angel’s face.

It faded when he realized that Shield wasn’t shrinking. He leapt back, letting go just in time to avoid a violent kick that would have split him in two. Shield laughed, rolling over and steadily getting to his feet.

“Reave might have the most destructive strength, but he isn’t even close to having the most energy,” Shield growled. “I’ve got the strength of thousands of men. Your little trick doesn’t work on me.”

Angel’s eyepiece crackled and words flickered across the screen.

Shield is incorrect. I can drain him, but you need contact for more time. One minute should be sufficient.

They faded as quickly as they had come, but even the momentary distraction was enough for Shield to grab a table and sling it at Angel. The Seeker dove out of the way, but the metal still clipped him in the side.

It tore a deep cut across his chest, pushing one of his broken ribs and sending a violent lance of pain arcing through him. Every breath felt like dragging knives through his chest. Angel’s fists tightened until the fingernails of his left hand drew blood and he scrambled back, forcing the pain down.

Footsteps echoed down the corridor at the other side of the room, but Angel couldn’t spare them a glance. He raised his arm, ignoring the agony that the motion caused him, and fired his grappling hook into the ceiling, yanking himself to safety just before Shield’s hammer passed through the air he’d been standing in.

He swung through the air, releasing and firing the hook once more to try and stay out of Shield’s range. A table slammed into the ceiling, shaking it and sending debris raining down. Angel glanced back down, trying to find an opening to grab onto Shield.

It came when a beam of lightning cracked across the room, striking Shield and spinning him to the side. Alison dashed into the room from the hallway, wisps of smoke curling up from her hand.

“More rats,” Shield growled, hoisting another table. “I should have left more of my clones.”

A dark blur flitted across the room. Jake slammed into Shield, claws ripping and tearing into the man’s skin. They barely managed to scratch it, but the bird bought enough time for Tilly to run out beside him, her gauntlets flaring with magic.

Jake leapt over Shield’s head, nimbly avoiding the man’s attempt to grab him, and Tilly drove her Magitech covered fist into his chin. An explosion of flame erupted from the back of the gauntlet.

Shield flew back, bouncing twice before slamming into the wall. The force of Tilly’s strike spun her in a circle.

“We’re here, Angel!” Alison called up to him, a new spell crackling across her fingertips.

“I couldn’t tell,” Angel said, coughing in pain. He lowered from the ceiling, letting his feet touch the floor before he retracted the grappling hook. His chest popped as the bones started to pull themselves back into the proper positions. “Be careful. He’s really strong.”

Shield snarled, pushing himself to his feet. Despite the two massive blows the man had taken, the only injury he sported was a slight scorch mark where Alison’s spell had hit him.

“Two children will not change your chances,” Shield said. He swung the hammer over his head and charged. Angel fired another frost spell into the ground before him, taking the huge man’s footing out from under him.

Alison ran back, tracing a rune through the air and firing a thick bolt of lightning into him once more. Tilly ran at him, but Jake tackled her instants before Shield’s hammer could strike her.

“Be careful!” Angel snapped, his spell swapping. Steam burst from his arm as it started to glow and he took aim. Shield clambered to his feet, fury on his face, just in time to catch a massive wave of metal spikes as they ripped out of the ground.

The spell lifted him off his feet, trying to pin the man into the ceiling. Not one of the jagged protrusions did more than a flesh wound. Shield’s muscles tensed and he shattered the metal holding him up, dropping to the ground and rising back to his full height.

Tilly leapt at Shield, her gauntlets humming to life. The hammer whistled at her head, but it slammed to a halt against a humming field around her arm. Tilly whipped her other arm around, driving it into Shield’s jaw. His head snapped back, but he didn’t budge from his position.

Angel fired a grappling hook into Shield’s chest and launched at the man before he could retaliate at Tilly. With his attention split between the two of them, Tilly found the opportunity to drive one of her fists into his crotch.

For the first time, a flicker of pain passed through Shield’s features. It bought Angel just enough time to flip over his back, wrapping the steel wire of his grappling hook around the man’s neck like a garrote wire.

Purple magic erupted along his arm, sinking into Shield’s flesh and drinking his magic eagerly. A bolt of lightning screamed from Alison’s hands once more, striking Shield in the chest and sending him staggering back.

Jake leapt on the man’s head, tearing at his face with all the abandon of a wild animal. Angel felt the man’s body start to shrink slightly, but his excitement was short lived.

Shield grabbed Jake, hurtling the bird across the room. He spun, forcing Angel to drop before the larger man could grab him. While he avoided getting caught, Shield managed to grab the wire and yank him closer.

Angel jumped, converting the momentum from a straight line into an arc. Tilly struck Shield in the groin again, giving Angel a chance to rip his wire back out of Shield’s grip.

They all danced back, breathing heavily, as Shield roared in fury. Green energy spiraled through the halls and into him. His body bulged, growing once more. Angel and the girls backed up as Shield’s body hissed with magic, finally stopping at nearly four times his original height.

“Annoying little pests,” Shield rumbled. “Enough stinging. This ends here.”