"Just Let Go"

The long golden membrane of Songbird's wings rippled through the ratcheting air as he plunged into the catastrophic scene. Igneous flames rippled across fractured, broken structures and sculptures endlessly varying in his artificial, blood-red lenses.

I must have her. She must return to me!

Beating his wings, the leather-and-metal armored factory "bird" soared across the open air, stifling his subtle moments barely to get a better look at where his beloved was.

I know she's here!

Searching frantically, Songbird gave another desperate flap of his wings, sailing higher and higher into the sky. Through his cracked eye-sight, he indicated the Vox fleets swarming the Prophet's command deck, zeppelins and attack cruisers alike.

The False Shepherd has her! He will not take her from me!

From the ferocious thoughts, he reeled and staggered a bit in the conveying air, and his mechanical gears clicked as he watched the forceful Vox shoving their way through the vulnerable air pockets to get his "daughter".

They'll kill her! I must have her back!

With a stronger flap and denser stroke, he pelted across the open sky, determined to rake his unsheathed, razor-sharp claws across the hull of the Prophet's Ship and stick his hand through the rubble to get his target back.

Why did I ever let her go?

At his intense flying speed, he crashed through wooden and metal attack cruisers as he brushed his mechanical, golden wings against them.

She must be in there! Why does she follow the False Shepherd?

Again, the long strokes of his wings sent him hailing through the sky, leather spread open for a smoother descent. However far or fast he plunged into Hell, however, the command deck seemed forever far away, further frustrating Songbird's thoughts.

What has he promised her?

Soon the cutting, broken boards of another downed Vox ship sailed through the air as, with a quick swipe, he cut straight through them. Screams of downed men rippled against the silence, and then again, the belittling factor returned.

Suddenly, to mingle with the crashes of attack cruisers and explosions from the burned city below, a soft song rang in his ears. Confused at it, he yielded his search temporarily to determine its source.

However much he looked for it, it never appeared. The song intensified dramatically, and then Songbird, against his will or not, he wasn't sure, started to ease his plummet to the command deck of the Prophet's ship.

At least it will take me to her.

The song repeated, and Songbird obeyed, soon now rippling across the sky like the horror he was, no one ever got within one hundred meters of him. Instead of his dimmed silence of his puzzlement to the strange melody, he let out an ear-shattering screech.

Whether she had heard it or not, Songbird didn't care. Once he had flown ahead of the Prophet's vessel and remained in front of the deck, he steered left and peered into the window with a burning red lens so strong it could shatter armies.

And there she was.

Letting out a burning shriek, he did just as he pictured himself to and ripped his gargantuan hand straight through the cracked glass of the command deck, using his serrated, polished claws to further damage the wooden-and-steel hull.

His girl, his beloved, his daughter, was standing before him. He lifted a massive hand to snatch her and take her back, but the song was still playing further, the melody and beat striking gears within him. At another repeat of the tune, he paused his action, and tilted his head to look at the girl below him, his beak seemingly twisted at his questioning.

What are you doing? Why don't you want to go back?

Instead of leaping for his open palm, the girl stepped back a few feet and glanced to the right to the man that was accompanying her. Songbird had not noticed him before, but he realized with a betraying stab that it was the False Shepherd. The one that had taken the girl!

"Elizabeth," snarled the False Shepherd through dry, cracked lips. Is he… warning her?

No! He can't be! He's treating her as if it is his lifelong duty to do so! She's mine!

Determined to pound the brown-haired man to pieces, he just stayed still and obeyed a will inside of him. It must have been the song, Songbird thought. It was controlling him!

Soothed as Elizabeth stepped forward, who had ignored the False Shepherd's warning, Songbird couldn't resist his lens turning a soft green, and his leather-and-metal head reaching forward to nuzzle his beloved girl, both of his secure, massive hands clamped over the shattered boards of the mess he'd broken himself in with.

As he chirped quietly, Elizabeth pressed a firm hand against the golden, metal rim of his eye, then tugged his head down fiercely. Surprised by her firm-ness but remaining still, Songbird gave a flutter of his wings at her soft voice.

"Shh…" she whispered as he chirped. "Shh…"

The False Shepherd, who had been watching the two as they did their business with narrowed, brown eyes, continued to stifle his actions as Elizabeth fearlessly pressed her elegant body against the beak of her protector, running a hand against the side of his head, firmly pulling his beech-brown, leather cranium closer.

Again, she soothed him, her blue eyes meeting Songbird's glowing green ones. She reached for his cracked metal lens and stroked her hand across it, making the massive bird flinch in retort but again, remain still for her.

She repeated her words as he cried out softly. "Shh…" Again, the left hand rubbed a single finger against his glass eye, and he repeated his wince. Inaudible for the False Shepherd to hear, Elizabeth crooned further, "You don't need to feel the pain. Just listen to me. Shh…" These words soothed Songbird so badly he listened, although he just wanted her back.

Please, just come back with me. Forget this nightmare.

Elizabeth retreated her firmness, although she remained gentle, her soft, pale-hued fingers stroking rivulets down Songbird's side. He purred softly, letting her do so. Through his green eyes, Songbird swore he saw the False Shepherd watching intently.

Just come to the Tower. Come home to… me. Please… please.

As the Songbird shifted the golden gears in his wings that clipped his vehement membranes together, Elizabeth pressed, again, her cold hand on his cheek, still gripping firmly the metal rim in her hand.

"Shh… shh… it's okay. I'm here. Will you help me?"

The fact she was asking for help at all made the larger, mechanical bird flutter his wings with boundless glee. But he remained still, listening intently for his daughter's command.

Elizabeth continued. "I need you to help me, will you do it? Will you do this for me, just… just this one last thing? Please…"

Finally the girl let go of Songbird's metal eye rim and breather, letting the large bird lift his head up. Would he do that for her? He wasn't quite sure what she meant by "one last thing," but he'd do anything for his beloved. Anything at all.

Finally, he flared his wings open in agreement. With a squeak and chirp of joy, he thrust his head forward lovingly to nuzzle the sweet-smelling body of his "daughter" Elizabeth. She reeled back by the force he'd used, but she pressed her own body against the metal bird as well, before she placed both of her petite hands on his head and started working him back.

"Go. Go, go go!" She turned to the False Shepherd, but Songbird didn't even hear as she reported him, "Booker, he'll help us! We can use him against the Vox fleet!"

Songbird backed out of the hole he'd made in the hull of the Prophet's vessel, and spread open his wings, before one quick beat allowed him instant access into the storm clouds overhead.

Of course. Of course I'll do this for you…

The large bird already knew that below, Elizabeth and the False Shepherd were using the tool that made that song to command him where to go. It was almost like… controlling him. He felt almost lured to its depth and persistence. It was unlike a feeling he could relate to.

Songbird shifted his gears through the air, evading pieces of scraps and debris that posed as a blockage to his attack. Suddenly, a command point was made. Songbird swiveled his head to the location, and realized with an agonizing realization, he was just taking down one of the attack barges that were beginning to circle around the front of the Prophet's Ship.

Closing and folding his golden wings against his metal-and-leather body, Songbird plummeted to the location and, almost upon impact, figured out where to attack it from. Vulnerable on its side, he swerved to the right and wrapped his fingers around the hull, before launching it into the darkness with a hefty push.

As the barge vessel disappeared into the darkness of the stormy, crashing wave of sky around them, Songbird beat his majestic wings before launching off into the clouds as well, hidden from plain sight, but his calls rang out soothingly to Elizabeth to prove he was still there, awaiting his next command.

I told you I would protect you.

Surprisingly, the next opponent he had to face was a group of attackers positioned to the right of the command deck. Eye turning ghoulishly blood-red, Songbird screamed his call of death as he used his intense body weight to smash the pavilion to pieces. Pummeling the wooden boards with his massive fists, Songbird reduced the platform to a scrap of old metal pieces, thrusting off and murdering any remaining Vox soldiers on it.

Squealing happily, Songbird lifted off of the ground with a singular beat of his wings and swerved again into the subsiding darkness around him.

I know you're not using me. You know me.

The gargantuan, sixty foot bird collided with the side of another Vox attack cruiser. The people that had already not rappelled off of it fell a long while with their rusty red ship as Songbird climbed on top of it and ripped it from the outside, in.

You used to love me. You used to call me friend.

Smashing another hefty piece of the ship off, Songbird thrust the remaining scraps of the Vox's ship into the stormy chaos around the Prophet's vessel, reducing it to helpless scraps.

And you know that I will always protect you and guard you with my life..

Another mighty fist smashed into the side of an attack cruiser as the next signal was given. Avoiding cleverly the gunfire that threatened his wings to be charred and set aflame, Songbird wheeled beneath the ship and attacked it from below, before wrapping his arms around it and throwing it off into the darkness.

But just try to remember…

Songbird flapped his majestic wings and sailed higher into the air, spreading open his golden membranes to set himself adrift. Now, he was above the worse of the fight as his opponent was neutralized.

No matter how much you neglect me…

The next thing to slip into Songbird's cracked view was the white flags of a Vox zeppelin. It unleashed from its igneous depths those Patriots that served no problem for the Songbird, but were quite a feat for those humans.

And try to run away from my grasp…

At first, the humans waiting on the command deck of the Prophet's vessel did not alert Songbird to engage, but it took a few minutes. Curiously, Songbird wanted to know what the whole delay was.

Doesn't matter how much you… hate… me…

Finally, Songbird received the signal and he folded up his vibrant golden wings again as the chaos of the rain and storm blasted against him malevolently. But no matter the push it took him to bade on, he would, under any circumstance, go after the white zeppelin to make sure that Elizabeth was safe. Any circumstance.

No matter how many times you tried to run away…

The Songbird used his wings to navigate towards the rear of the zeppelin, smart enough to know the tailors in the back were used for navigation and movement. Clutching one of the spokes in his massive, clawed hands, Songbird ripped away at the white material underneath him.

The gears and efforts of the zeppelin's attempts thrilled Songbird as he knew what he was doing was working. Stream poured out of the gouge in the side of the Vox's attack dropship as Songbird gave the fissure a final lash with his gloved hand.

Spinning out of control, the zeppelin was giving way beneath the powerful bird, proud of his intense, undeniable might and strength. Demonstrating his unlevelled power, Songbird attacked from the sides of the offense weapon to help modify what maneuverability the zeppelin had to offer. Steam poured out of the fissure unexpectedly, inadvertently blazing against Songbird's gloved hand, licking against his exposed fingers.

The bird screamed in pain, thrashing and reeling in his cache in the air, flailing his wings. Surprisingly, the flames that sparked against his fingertips had ripped through the leather guard, revealing his metal fingers.

Songbird roared deafeningly with infuriation. His eyes already brilliant red in color, with no word to describe his mighty rage, the bird wheeled to the front of the zeppelin and began pounding it to the cur that it was, sending white streaks of ribbon and brown boards and planks of metal and wood all over the place.

Elizabeth gasped from below, but the bird wasn't aware of that. Finally, steam and smoke poured miserably from the holes in the fissures on the hull of the massive zeppelin. Satisfied, Songbird held his beak up and tweeted happily.

Or told me to leave you alone when I offered you another cookie…

Two more zeppelins flanked the sides of the Prophet's ship. Snarling vehemently, Songbird awaiting his command from the deck below. But, they did not send him out, so until he received his call he was not going to engage in anything below.

Watching two Patriots unleashed from the rail on the front of the zeppelin, Songbird peered at the engagement with red eyes as the two things staggered forward, using their machine guns to rip through anything in their way.

He was not surprised when his strike was against the Patriots. Songbird closed his wings against him another time as he catapulted to the ground with a shriek of pride in himself at how easily these things were going to be taken care of.

Songbird smashed one of his fists against the wooden planks, shattering the Patriots as well as any of the Vox soldiers still on the platform to little, miniscule bits and pieces.

Still blazing with the pain of the fire in his fingertips, Songbird was about to get up and leave again for his next command before the agonizing pain from one of the rocket launchers blasted a new hole in his leather, golden, wings.

Raising his fists into the air, the bird let out a benevolent scream, so loud he watched from the corner of his cracked lenses even the False Shepherd cover his ears from surprise.

Wheeling around to the opponent that had shot through his protective leather guard, Songbird wrapped his hand around the puny body and smashed him against the side of the pavilion, metal armor becoming no more to the massive, beech-brown bird than a piece of paper to a wood-cutting machine.

Just remember, I say it again…

Flaring open his wings, Songbird launched himself into the sky again. The next call the bird picked up was to the zeppelins around himself and the Prophet's Ship. Angling his wings to get a better observation, he noted its every weakness and flaw, although most of it remained intact. The other had fared thus far no better.

Deciding to get to the one he'd been cleared for, Songbird swerved to the left and engaged, repeating the same process he had for the first one he'd encountered. Shredding any of the protective chain mail off of it, he punched and pummeled holes through the hull of the ship as it started to catch alight.

Positioning another piece in his grip, Songbird lunged it off the side and continued with his descent and scaling of the zeppelin. It creaked and groaned as the sixty-foot bird pummeled tears through it angrily. No matter how much pain this was for the bird, he fought and battled without mercy, slamming his majestic fists into the hull of the Vox's attack barge to put damage to it.

Then, he glided to the front of the zeppelin and began ripping apart the front. Slamming his claws into the glass he noted at the front of the ship, Songbird ripped the pilot clean out of the protective cockpit and threw him at nothing and into nothing, his screams were the last indicator of his position as the sea of gray swallowed him up.

No matter how much you hurt me…

Songbird soared to the next zeppelin on open wings and collided a hand with it, ripping the thickly-gloved object down as it tore into the whole of the vessel. It groaned as damage was taken on its side.

The next attack the bird took was to the back of it, a maneuver he usually endured first more than the middle. Angling himself better, Songbird wrapped his fingers around the front of the main gear and began to pull on it restlessly, determined to yank it out of its encrypting, embedded into the hull of the Vox fleet's ship for durability and escape plots.

As Songbird wrenched the gear out of place, he retreated to the front again and stabbed a hole into the command deck. Instead of ripping the man out of it, he stuck a might fist and claws through the body of the offender, making the man in control of the wheel gag in his unrequited pain.

The bird let go of the bleeding, limp shape and thrust the Vox Ship down as he awaited his next command. But, much to Songbird's surprise, much of the attack had subsided and many of the Vox were just positioned at the sides of the Prophet's command deck vessel.

And say you don't care…

Songbird ascended this time, further and higher into the raging storm of gray clouds spiraling overhead. The big, brown, leather bird did not yield as he continued, wondering if the offense was over and he could just reach into the ship now and grab his beautiful Elizabeth from the deck.

At least then she would not have been with that False Shepherd, the man Songbird feared she was growing attached to. Even while back in the Comstock House, she had begged the leather bird not to hurt the man, pleading Songbird by insisting she wanted back to that dreadful tower. Songbird was smart enough to know she did not want back. But he'd nuzzled her and comforted her fine, his eyes still, even then, a soft green. For her, of course.

Songbird awaited his next command. It took a little while, but finally he received it. It was the… Tower? Confused by more than obliged to take the command, Songbird shot by Elizabeth and the False Shepherd and ascended to the top of the spire with his golden wings flapping and beating powerfully.

Finally, he let his wings and instincts droop. Wavering in the air slightly, Songbird let his mind and freedom and wings go as he plummeted to his doom.

Colliding with the side of the spire, Songbird brought the building down in moments, ripples of purple and streaks of white glistening and sparking through the air as it finally crumbled. Songbird suddenly felt the bonds of the song disperse as the largest wave crashed over him. The tool they'd used to control him was no longer functioning.

Instead of his obliged need to destroy everything, Songbird stared in disbelief as he watched the Tower fall endlessly into the clouds, gray and red with dusk. Anger and infuriation overwhelmed him.

Betrayed. He'd been betrayed!

Screeching madly with horror, Songbird lunged to the platform to snatch his girl back and kill that False Shepherd, before suddenly, a flash of light appeared before his eyes.

I will always love you…

All the bird could see was the faint hue of blue.

Maybe even a streak of purple, but for the most part, it was simple blue. And a serrated, blurred line across his central vision, indicating that he was in water.

Water!

Adrenaline had transfused the pain through him when he first appeared, but now Songbird was screaming in suppressed agony. He writhed in his misery, not a single word could describe his hurt.

Oh, the pain.

And… the betrayal!

Fending off the waves of pressure crushing him, Songbird felt his left eye dim out as it cracked, enabling the water to flow through him, into him.

Not wanting anything else other than to kill that False Shepherd that had brain-washed his Elizabeth, Songbird screamed as he could not move.

He grasped one side of his head with his hand, then covered his exposed eye with the charred glove, burnt to the metal core.

Suddenly, out of the blue in the agony of his screams…

"Shh…"

It was her. Elizabeth. Heart rate slowing, Songbird longed to her again.

Please. Please, talk to me…

"Shh… it's all right…"

Songbird relaxed his heart a little and subsided his screams, but his pulse still raced. What was happening to him? Where was she? As he started another cry, her voice embraced him.

"It's okay… I'm here…"

Then he finally saw her, a blurry line, pressed against the glass of the window, just like she did when she knew he was coming back as a child, when she got excited he was there. His red eye turned to its soft green.

His heart filled with warm memories as he reached out to her –

Crack.

His second eye went dark, and he found himself all alone…

Songbird screamed when his vision of her went black, and he could see nothing, hear nothing, except his pain.

All he wanted was to have her back…

Just one… last… embrace…

"It's all right… I'm here…"

The water started to flood him and he screamed a bit more. But the voice… Songbird lifted his arms and stopped his struggle as the water flowed through his body.

At peace, Songbird let the rest of the water consume him and he faded into the icy depths.

"Just let go… There you go… there you go…"

I love you.