| Item: | Archangel of Scorn |
| Size: | 1.7 meters height, 190 kg weight |
| Type: | Assassin Statue |
| Living: | No |
| Sentient: | Yes |
| Potential/Current Hazards | Burn damage; extreme aggression when active (do not engage) |
| Required Wear/Weaponry | Handlers require fire proximity suits |
| Location: | Base Eleven |
| Reported Anomaly: | Animation |
Usage
Item on stand-by before Kill 457
Object is an assassin-assault weapon under the Sapient Statues unit. Marked as 'Kill-Grade II' for terminating more than 500 individuals, with emphasis on quick insertion and escape. The statue was the primary assailant in the murders of several Insurgent rival leaders (see: Blessed Storm Massacre).
Black ash, from a cremated individual originally found in the cemetery wherein the statue was also recovered, appears to be the only catalyst for the Object's kill-state. Targets are marked for death upon contact with said ash. In the past, operators have attacked the core leaders of rival groups through infiltration, whereupon letters laced with ash are addressed to high-level officials.
The statue, while ostensibly damaged, is highly durable. It can project fire around its body1, which it prefers to use when killing targets. Range of deaths include strangulation, dismemberment, and flaying. It has records of prolonging the death sequence for certain subjects before they are immolated.
Item is kept in a surface storage unit with a retractable roof to allow its ascent during flights. The entrance to the unit is stationed by three guards, with one handler standing by at any time to perform maintenance.
Report
The item is a heavily oxidized statue of an angel. Its facial deformities, caused by the high pH-level substance that constantly exudes from its 'eyes', resemble scarring and tear stains. Multiple scratch marks consistent with self-harm are present on the surface. It is fully capable of animation and human-range motion, though it assumes its regular static pose (see photo) when not actively hunting.
Two large wings at its back measure 1.9 m in wingspan, composed out of a lighter alloy of steel, and are sufficiently sharp to cleave through vehicles with relative ease during a chase. The item is capable of aerial ascent using these, despite the weight of the wings and the lack of aerodynamic properties. In flight, the statue can reach speeds of up to 119 km/h.
The angel wields Ignitia’s Sabre.2 It is able to engulf itself in flames at will. The backsword is sheathed in a scabbard made from insulating material, allowing it to be concealed until needed.
Subjects that come in contact with a specific form of ash trigger an active state in the Item, causing them to become targets for termination, and allowing the statue to move freely. Exposure to the ash is indirectly fatal. It will begin to pursue the target, not resting until it finds them. Object is known to attack targets and any nearby hostiles with extreme prejudice, and no encounter has been deemed survivable.
Presently, the ash needed for activation can only be obtained from an urn found with the statue during Incident 671/08, and research on other sources is still inconclusive. It appears that the subject from which the ash was derived held some occult significance to the angel’s origin, and only its connection can prompt an activation as of now.
The angel's current form is the result of experimentation between two objects, the core statue and Ignitia's Sabre, into a composite item, in which the greater potential of the statue was discovered.
Appendix (History)
The angel statue was formerly found in ███████ █████ Cemetery, ██, in 1918. The responding unit, an observer team led by Dr. Angus Remidi, was dispatched to search the graveyard for confirmation of a “fallen angel” haunting the local populace. On the evening of the second day, Object was seen roaming the area near the grave site of █████ ███████. Movements were described as “being in tremendous distress.” Its connection to the deceased woman is unknown.
Following her initial containment, the Object behaved violently, attempting to breach its unit and kill personnel assigned to her watch. In addition, Site-16 staff frequently complained about the loud noises coming from her cell, which included human female screaming, crashing objects, and scraping nails. This behavior persisted for months, stopping only during testing, when the Object was restrained. Despite her screaming vocalizations, she was deemed either incapable or unwilling of speech, until she requested the presence of Dr. Thomas3 on the 13th of December, 19██.
While the transcript on their conversation has been lost due to Thomas’ future insurrection, a degree of cooperation was founded, which enabled the researchers to study her in greater detail. Soon after, visits by Dr. Thomas, and then other members of the observer team, became common. It was at this time that she first knew of Ignitia’s Sabre.
Their coercion eventually came to a pleading request from the angel: to kill a man purportedly assumed to be her former spouse and murderer. Drs. Thomas and Remidi supported the plea. This matter was a difficult decision for the organization’s leaders, and contributed to the drift of ideologies that would ignite into the Discord War.
Command, who voted in favor, 9-7, with five abstaining, allowed the request, knowing it would end in the target’s death. On the 29th of December, Dr. Thomas personally delivered the Sabre to the statue. Object then began her first recorded flight, and reappeared on the 4th of January with an urn containing human ashes. Upon stepping foot inside Site-16’s courtyard, she was reportedly heard to thank Dr. Thomas before assuming the position known as her current “inert” form. Her final words to the researcher proved to be her last, as she had fallen silent since then.
Since the incident, it appeared that the statue had lost all cognizance and behavior fitting the personality of the entity previously interviewed, and is no longer responsive to any attempt at interaction outside of her activation sequence.
