Chapter 6: Fire, Flesh, and Fury

The room exploded into chaos.

Blazing plasma bolts tore through the air, burning holes into the steel walls. Sparks rained down like electric snow. The Chrome Reapers poured in—six this time—cybernetic limbs clanking, gun-barrel arms glowing, and optic implants flashing a murderous red.

Nova was already moving—fast and violent.

Her energy blade sliced through the air with a hiss, carving a glowing arc through a Reaper's chest. Blood and hydraulic fluid sprayed across the room as his cybernetic implants fizzled out, his body collapsing in a heap of metal and meat.

Elliot wasn't so graceful.

A Reaper lunged at him—a hulking brute with an augmented arm ending in a clawed fist. Elliot barely ducked, feeling the claws graze his shoulder. He swung the metal bar he'd grabbed earlier, smashing it against the Reaper's knee joint. The hit connected, but the brute barely flinched.

[Neural Reflex Boost activated.]

Time seemed to slow—a glitch in reality. Elliot saw the Reaper's next punch coming and managed to sidestep it. His boosted reflexes turned his wild dodge into something that almost looked like skill. Almost.

[Congratulations: You've survived five extra seconds.]

"Super helpful, thanks," Elliot grunted.

The Reaper roared, slashing at Elliot's chest with his clawed hand.

Nova appeared out of nowhere, grabbing the Reaper by the back of his head and slamming him face-first into the wall. A sickening crunch echoed through the room.

"Try harder, rookie," she teased, her voice a sultry purr even in the middle of the carnage.

"Working on it!" Elliot shot back.

Another plasma shot sizzled past his head. The air smelled like burnt metal and something worse—like scorched flesh.

Nova ducked behind a console, her blade glowing at her side. "We need to get to the roof."

The Reapers weren't slowing down. If anything, they were getting more aggressive—like a hive mind reacting to the loss of their own.

One of them—a lithe figure with glowing blue circuits running across his face—pointed a gun-arm at Nova. "You're dead, bitch."

Elliot didn't think.

He grabbed a broken chair leg and flung it like a javelin. The wood struck the Reaper's arm just as he fired—the plasma bolt veering off course and hitting the ceiling instead.

Nova blinked. "Did you just—?"

"Yeah," Elliot panted, "I think I did."

[Achievement unlocked: Improvised Idiot. Reward pending…]

Before Elliot could respond, Nova grabbed him by the collar and pulled him toward a hidden panel in the wall. She pressed a glowing key sequence, and the panel slid open—revealing a narrow maintenance shaft leading upward.

"Go!" she ordered.

Elliot scrambled inside, the sound of gunfire and clashing metal echoing behind him. Nova followed, the panel sliding shut just as another plasma bolt slammed into the wall where they'd been standing.

The shaft was dark, hot, and vibrating with the pulse of the building's power core. The air was thick with the scent of ozone and something faintly metallic.

Elliot climbed, his muscles burning. "Any chance those guys won't follow us?"

Nova smirked, her voice breathless. "Doubt it."

[Mission Update: Get to the Roof Without Dying]

Halfway up, the shaft rumbled.

"Shit—they're cutting through the wall," Nova hissed.

The sound of plasma torches filled the space, the metal glowing red-hot as the Reapers worked to breach the shaft.

Elliot's heart thundered. "They're going to catch us!"

"Not if we move faster," Nova growled.

They reached a hatch at the top. Nova punched a code into the lock, and the door slid open. Cold night air rushed in, a brutal contrast to the sweltering heat of the shaft.

The rooftop was a sprawling expanse of metal and glass, the cityscape of Nexus-9 spreading out in a neon fever dream. Hover cars zipped by in the distance, and massive holographic ads loomed above—women with glowing eyes promising pleasure, men offering cybernetic "enhancements," and violent gang symbols pulsing in the sky.

But they weren't alone.

Three more Reapers were already waiting—leaning against the roof's edge like they'd been expecting them.

Nova's blade flared to life again. "Of course."

The lead Reaper grinned, his metal teeth glinting in the neon light. "End of the line, Nova."

Elliot's pulse spiked. "We are so screwed."

Nova didn't hesitate. She charged—fast and lethal—her blade slicing through the first Reaper's arm. Sparks and blood flew.

The second Reaper swung a spiked chain at Elliot.

He ducked—barely. The chain scraped across his shoulder, drawing blood, but the pain barely registered. His Neural Boost kicked in again—everything slowing just enough for him to grab a discarded pipe from the rooftop.

He swung hard—connecting with the Reaper's jaw. The crack of metal against bone echoed through the night.

The Reaper staggered, but didn't fall.

"Are these guys part robot or something?" Elliot gasped.

Nova smirked, kicking the other Reaper over the edge of the roof. "Mostly."

The last Reaper lunged at Nova with a serrated blade.

Elliot didn't think—he tackled the guy from behind. They crashed to the ground, rolling dangerously close to the rooftop's edge.

The Reaper snarled, pinning Elliot down. His blade arched toward Elliot's throat.

[Health: 52% — Incoming lethal strike.]

Elliot braced himself—

Nova's boot slammed into the Reaper's face, sending him sprawling.

"Stop dying for five minutes," she teased.

Elliot coughed. "I'm trying."

The rooftop finally fell silent.

Bodies lay scattered—bleeding, broken, and sparking. The distant hum of the city was the only sound left.

Nova's blade retracted back into her wrist with a faint hiss. "You did better this time."

Elliot wiped the blood from his lip. "High praise coming from you."

Nova stepped closer—too close. The heat radiating off her body mixed with the cool night air, sending an unsettling pulse through Elliot's chest.

Her fingers—cybernetic and soft—traced the cut on his cheek. "You're still alive… for now."

Elliot's heart pounded for an entirely different reason.

The System buzzed in his head.

[Mission Complete: Love and Bullets]

Reward: Advanced Reflex Boost unlocked.

Bonus: Nova's… attention secured.

[New Mission Unlocked: What Happens After Midnight]

Nova's lips hovered just a breath away from his. "What now, rookie?"

Elliot's pulse thundered in his ears.

And for once—the System didn't have a smartass response.