Chapter 5: Voltage and Vice

The night outside The Chrome Den was a violent haze of neon and smoke. The rain had finally stopped, but the streets of Nexus-9 still shimmered—an oil-slick rainbow of broken lights and shattered illusions.

Nova walked ahead, her silver hair glowing faintly at the tips, the sleek lines of her bodysuit shifting with each step like a liquid hologram. Every inch of her radiated danger—a beautiful, cybernetic predator.

And Elliot? He was the rabbit stupid enough to follow.

[New Mission: Into the Lioness' Den]

Objective: Survive whatever Nova has planned.

Bonus: Don't get killed by either the Chrome Reapers… or her.

Hidden Reward: ???

"Great," Elliot muttered. "Another death trap."

Nova didn't slow down. "You always talk to yourself, rookie?"

"Yeah, it's a quirky habit," he said, matching her pace. His nerves buzzed—not just from the adrenaline still burning through his veins from the fight at the bar, but from the electricity humming off Nova's every move.

They reached an alley lined with digital graffiti—symbols that shifted and flickered in response to their presence. Nova pressed her palm against a scanner embedded in the wall, and a hidden door hissed open.

Inside was a private suite—dark, industrial, and sleek. Dim purple lights glowed along the floor, and a massive glass window overlooked the cityscape below. A single, circular bed took up the center of the room, its edges lined with faint holographic patterns that pulsed with every beat of the music echoing from hidden speakers.

It was a lair, not an apartment.

And Elliot was very aware that he might not walk out of it alive.

The door slid shut behind them with a heavy clunk.

"Nice place," Elliot said, trying to keep his voice steady. "For a murder den."

Nova chuckled softly. "Only if you deserve it."

She moved to a small console and tapped a few glowing buttons, and the city lights outside the window dimmed. The room darkened, bathed only in that soft purple glow—and the faint luminescence of Nova's cybernetic implants.

Elliot's throat went dry.

[Libido Meter: PRE-EXPLOSION MODE. Brace yourself, lover boy.]

"Seriously, shut up," Elliot hissed internally.

Nova noticed. "Nervous?"

He forced a grin. "Depends… are you about to kill me, or is this something else entirely?"

Nova prowled toward him, slow and deliberate. "Haven't decided yet."

Her fingers—cold metal and soft skin—slid along his jaw, tilting his head back slightly. Elliot's pulse thundered against his ribs. She studied him like she was running an internal diagnostic, the faint glow in her violet eyes intensifying.

"You're not like the others," Nova murmured.

Elliot swallowed hard. "Good different… or bad different?"

Her lips curled. "Still figuring that out."

[Warning: Extreme proximity detected. Heart rate at 130 BPM. Shall I engage Emergency Cool Down?]

Elliot ignored the System.

Nova's fingers drifted down his neck, tracing the line of his collarbone, then lower—stopping just above his chest. Every nerve in Elliot's body screamed at the contact—half from fear, half from something a hell of a lot more dangerous.

Her voice was a low purr. "The Chrome Reapers don't go after random nobodies… so what are you hiding?"

"I told you—I don't know why they want me," Elliot said, his voice tight. "I woke up in this city tonight."

Nova's hand moved lower, resting just above his belt buckle. "You expect me to believe that?"

Elliot's brain went haywire.

"Believe whatever you want," he managed.

Her smile deepened. "You've got a death wish, rookie."

He smirked despite the pounding in his chest. "Starting to think I do."

Without warning, Nova shoved him against the wall. Hard.

The breath shot out of Elliot's lungs.

Before he could react, she pressed her body against his—her curves, her cold implants, the heat of her breath against his neck.

[ALERT: CRITICAL SITUATION. SEDUCTION IMMINENT.]

Elliot's mind was a warzone—half screaming about the danger, the other half caught in the electric storm of Nova's presence.

Her lips brushed his ear. "Let's test that theory."

Then—

A sudden ping echoed through the room.

Nova froze, her glowing eyes flickering with sudden fury.

The console on the wall flashed a warning: SECURITY BREACH DETECTED.

"Shit," Nova muttered, stepping back.

Elliot's brain struggled to keep up. "What the hell is happening?"

"Chrome Reapers," Nova growled. "They hacked my security grid."

A loud bang rattled the door.

[New Mission: Love and Bullets]

Objective: Survive the Chrome Reapers' assault.

Bonus: Protect Nova.

Failure: Death… or worse.

The door groaned as something on the other side cut through the metal—a high-pitched screech of plasma torches.

Elliot's adrenaline spiked again. "You have a plan?"

Nova's energy blade flared to life. "Yeah—don't die."

The first Reaper burst through the door—half his face was a mangled mass of steel, with a glowing red optic in place of one eye. His arm split open into a gun barrel.

Nova moved like liquid death—her blade slicing through his arm in a shower of sparks. The gun dropped to the floor, and the Reaper screamed, his circuits sizzling.

Another thug charged Elliot.

[Incoming enemy! Engage or die.]

With no time to think, Elliot grabbed a metal bar from the wall—some kind of support rod—and swung it like a bat. It connected with the Reaper's knee, sending the cyborg crashing down.

Nova spun, slicing across the next thug's throat—his blood mixing with the oil dripping from his implants.

More were coming—he could hear the clanking of steel boots down the hallway.

"Elliot!" Nova barked.

He barely dodged another plasma shot, his reflexes still a second too slow. His Neural Boost gave him just enough time to duck behind the bed as a blast of energy scorched the wall above him.

[Health: 74% — Try not to get shot again, genius.]

"Super helpful, thanks," Elliot hissed.

Nova fought like a machine—faster than any human should be. Her blade was a flash of purple light, cutting through armor and flesh alike.

But there were too many of them.

"Any more tricks?" Elliot shouted.

Nova gritted her teeth. "We have to get to the roof—there's an escape route there."

The Reapers were closing in.

[Mission Updated: Escape or Die]

Elliot's pulse hammered as Nova grabbed his arm, yanking him toward the back of the suite.

And just like that, the night was fire, blood, and electric heat—danger at every corner.

And Nova?

She was just as deadly as the world around her.