Angel Descending

by Ethan Cooper

  Mechaflesh: Generic term for synthetic skin.

  Metaskin: The skin of a wirewitch, characterized by a blue hue and visible circuitry.

  Modie: Slang for a person that has enhanced or modified their body with cybernetic implants.

  Nation of Utopia: Where is the Nation of Utopia? Where isn’t the Nation of Utopia? According to their propaganda, the entire planet is their domain, and every living person a citizen (including you). In reality, no legitimate map shows territory belonging to them. Yet their brainwashed ACCUs must come from somewhere. Rumors persist that their capital city is mobile.

  Neoplastic: At some point, somebody in marketing thought that “plastic” was an outdated term and came up with this to replace it.

  Nightfly: A small, winged insect. They travel in swarms of twenty to thirty, but never stray too far from their home, which is restricted to nightivy vines. Nightflies are nocturnal. Their average lifespan is twelve days, but their descendants remain with the same nightivy vine for years.

  Photon Redirector: An implant used for bending light around an object or person. Ideally, it works from all possible angles, so that no matter the viewer’s position, they will see right through the object.

  Pulse Displacer: A weapon that fires short pulses of focused energy. The pulses strike with a force more similar to being punched than that of an explosion. The target often suffers broken bones or is knocked off their feet. Since the weapon is used primarily for disabling a target, only repeated assault would be fatal.

  Pulse Shielding: An invisible barrier created by focusing energy along a surface. Matter attempting to pass through the beam is either deflected or damaged. Pulse shielding is most commonly used to secure small areas (such as doorways). Some advanced implants can provide pulse shielding for humans, though usually only for brief periods of time due to the power requirements involved.

  Realspace: The real world.

  Razoroak: A byproduct of the Genetech Wars, this tree’s leaves are sharp and are easily detached. A strong wind can unleash a deadly barrage of swirling destruction. They often grow in tight clusters, with upwards of ten trees in one spot.

  Serpentblood: A new degeneration of music for your children to annoy you with.

  Skinsuit: A form-fitting garment that is designed to conform to a person’s body shape without restricting movement. Low-quality skinsuits lose their ability to readjust to the body, so do yourself a favor and invest in a name-brand skinsuit.

  Sonic Shower: Necessity breeds innovation. With clean water being a luxury, the sonic shower was developed. Low frequency sound waves break up and remove dirt from skin. Continued exposure can cause irritation.

  SuperWater: H2O + C6H12O6

  Tarokk: A small desert scavenger that is quite common in the wastelands of the Free States. They have a single eye and a squished nose. Two, single-taloned limbs sprout from their backs, arcing over their heads. They walk on a pair of hind legs and a small tail. Tarokks are always born as twins in a single egg. A tarokk and its twin will stay together throughout their lives. If one dies or is killed, its twin will actively seek its own death until it is successful.

  Technomancer: More machine than flesh, a technomancer has sacrificed the integrity of their humanity to the gods of technology. The seven-day operation that transforms a subject into a monstrosity of artificial bone, muscle, nerves, implants, and advanced computer systems is only survived by 10% of those that choose to undergo the procedure. For those that survive, extreme mental and physical prowess await them, as well as an acute attunement to technology and Cyberspace. Due to the physical and mental rigors of the operation, many technomancers must deal with manic depression, insanity, hallucinations, and violent urges.

  Technoplague: Not all viruses are based in biology. Microscopic machines, first used to kill cancerous cells in humans, evolved beyond their original intent. The world’s first mechanical virus spreads like a traditional virus—through touch, bodily fluids, or exposure via the air.

  Technosite: A biomechanical virus that is capable of fusing with a human cell, creating a new cell that maintains certain properties of the original, but with new capabilities—namely the ability to communicate with other cells in the body. They were original developed as Technacatamine-22 by Takiyoma Defense Organization. Due to generational mutations, evolutionary adaptations, and the aftereffects of the Comet, modern technosites are quite different from their original form.

  Techtrash: A common insult. Usually directed at those with obvious technological enhancements.

  Triadium: A durable, self-healing alloy.

  Universally Cosmic Circus of Amazing Wonder: This is your first time on the Island, isn’t it? Step right up and witness your true future! We have humanity in all its wondrous, soiled opulence! Rules do not apply here! Come right this way and witness the abuse and torture of the innocent! You want to be hurt? We’ll hurt you for a reasonable fee! You want to watch others being hurt? We can make that happen! You want to hurt others? Who doesn’t?!? Nothing is forbidden! Everything is allowed! Feast your eyes on our Main Stage, where Violence and Chaos will perform in just a moment! While you’re waiting, sneak on over to our sideshow, where Depravity and Corruption are about to engage in a ménage à trois with Exploitation! You know you want to watch! You like what you see? Excellent, then right this way…

  Wafercloth: A thin material generally composed of meshed, micro-filament fibers. It’s always transparent, and due to its manufacturing cost, it is only used for special applications. Clothing made of wafercloth is regarded as a status symbol.

  Whistlewisp: Regarded as one of the world’s most beautiful flowers, it blooms throughout the year. It is characterized by a multi-colored stalk and leaves. Patches of whistlewisp are only found in underground caverns deep in the Untamed. Due to their fragile structure, they are liable to be completely torn apart by even the gentlest of breezes. People who attempt to see a whistlewisp often find that the flower has been destroyed before they can get near enough to examine it.

  Wirewitch: A human infected with microscopic, biomechanical organisms called technosites. This genetically engineered virus spreads throughout the body, resulting in an irreversible fusion with each cell of the host. The rewriting of their DNA causes their skin to take on various shades of blue. Their eyes have no obvious retinas, pupils, or irises, but are instead filled with specialized cells designed to gather visual data. These cells are constantly moving, giving their eyes the appearance of being filled with liquid. Wirewitches do not grow hair on any part of their body, but during the transformation process, they will sprout at least one hairstalk—a tight bundle of wires that grows longer with age. Wirewitches have control of every cell in their body, exhibiting superhuman abilities such as limb regeneration, enhanced agility, and body reshaping. They can access Cyberspace without physical hookups and are never without a wireless network connection. The wirewitch family unit is the coven, which consists of four females (witches) and one male (warlock). Though the male is often the strongest, fastest, and most powerful, the eldest female witch usually leads the coven. While it may be possible for wirewitches to reproduce as humans do, the most common method to transfer technosites to a victim is through a witchkiss. A coven will do this to replace one of their members. Wirewitches are feared and hunted. Wirewitches are not your friends. Avoid them at all costs.

  Witchkiss: How wirewitches propagate. It is a physical kiss between a wirewitch and a non-infected human.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Ethan A. Cooper was born and raised in southern California, cutting his teeth on a steady diet of cartoons, comic books, sci-fi/horror movies, and scary radio dramas like The War of the Worlds and X Minus One. After getting started with serial fantasy and short horror stories, he was inspired to tell longer tales. His first novel, What Happened On My Space Vacation, is a sci-fi adventure for the teenager inside us all. He lives in East Texas with his wife and their three children.

  Ethan is committed to chroni
cling all of (2)Syl’s story and is hard at work on the next novel in the Downfall series.

  Connect with Ethan:

  Facebook: http://facebook.com/author.ethanacooper/

  Twitter: http://twitter.com/coilspark

  Website: http://necrotictimes.blogspot.com/

  Table of Contents

  ANGEL DESCENDING

  BY ETHAN A. COOPER

  CONTENTS

  EARTH 2195

  THE WORLD OF DOWNFALL

  THE ALLEY

  2/Static

  3/A Cleansing

  THE COVEN

  4/In This Hour, Witches

  5/Revelation During Osculation

  6/Disconnected

  7/Two Somethings

  THE SLAUGHTERING BEASTS

  8/First Fall

  9/Second Requiem

  10/Third Twilight

  11/Fourth Fate

  12/Last Lives

  IN THE HIDEOUT

  13/Warrior

  14/Witch

  15/Wretch

  16/Wound

  BLUE ANGEL DESCENDING: HEAVEN CITYSCAPE NIGHTMARES

  17/Prologue

  18/Darkopolis

  19/Calamity (i)

  20/Serpentblood

  21/Molested

  22/Descending (i)

  BLUE ANGEL DESCENDING: DEATH HAUNT DAYDREAMS

  23/An Interlude

  24/The Guardian

  25/Calamity (ii)

  26/Written On Flesh

  27/Broken Circuitstreams

  28/Descending (ii)

  BLUE ANGEL DESCENDING: HELL GRAVE CHILLS

  29/Another Interlude

  30/Rumbles, Trembles, Tremors

  31/Calamity (iii)

  32/Reunion

  33/(2)Syl Gets Kissed

  34/Descending (iii)

  THE LONGEST HOUR OF THE DESCENDED ANGEL

  35/Strip

  36/Purge

  37/Cleanse

  38/Shackle

  39/Shock

  40/Break

  41/Interrogate

  42/Submit

  43/Survive

  44/Escape

  45/Defeat

  46/Betray

  47/Hour’s End

  DRIFTING WITH THE BLEED

  48/Descent

  49/Detonation

  50/Discovery

  51/Duplication

  52/Dissolution

  OBLITERATION

  53/A Train In The Sky [T-minus 7]

  54/Phoenix [T-minus 6]

  55/Return Of The Witch [T-minus 5]

  56/Eoapocalypse [T-minus 4]

  57/One Shall Fall [T-minus 3]

  58/Course Correction [T-minus 2]

  59/Plan C [T-minus 1]

  60/Obliterated

  DATABANK

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR