Chapter 8: Heat and Havoc

The air on the rooftop felt charged—like the city itself was holding its breath.

Cipher stood at the entrance, the red visor of his helmet glowing like an open wound. His plasma weapon hummed faintly, the deadly blue light at its core pulsing in rhythm with Elliot's racing heart.

Nova hadn't moved. Her energy blade hissed at her side, casting flickering purple arcs of light across her sleek bodysuit. She was a statue of lethal elegance—cold, calculated, and utterly dangerous.

Elliot? He was somewhere between painfully aroused and dangerously close to a panic attack.

[New Mission: Burn or Bleed]

Objective: Survive Cipher's attack.

Bonus: Protect Nova.

Failure: Instant death or dismemberment.

Cipher's voice was a low rasp beneath his helmet. "You've been sloppy, Nova. The Reapers were never going to kill you—they were just the bait."

Nova's jaw tightened. "And you're the cleanup crew?"

"Something like that."

The plasma weapon on Cipher's arm began to glow brighter—ready to fire.

Elliot's brain screamed at him to run.

[Pro tip: Running won't save you. Maybe try not dying for once?]

"Yeah, thanks," Elliot muttered.

Cipher's arm snapped up—aimed directly at Elliot.

"Move!" Nova shouted.

Before Elliot could react, Cipher fired.

The plasma bolt screamed through the air—a molten streak of blue.

Nova shoved Elliot aside, the blast scorching past him so close that the heat seared his jacket. He hit the ground hard, rolling into a pile of broken rooftop tiles.

Nova was already in motion—dancing between Cipher's blasts with inhuman precision, her blade slashing through the air, sending crackling sparks flying.

Cipher blocked her first strike with a reinforced forearm, their weapons colliding in a burst of light and sound. The force of the clash sent a shockwave rippling through the rooftop.

Elliot scrambled to his feet, his Neural Boost still glitching from whatever the hell Nova had awakened in him earlier. His vision blurred for a moment—heat still simmering under his skin—but he forced himself to focus.

"Gotta… do something," he growled.

Cipher dodged Nova's next strike, spinning and landing a brutal kick to her side. The impact sent her skidding backward, but she twisted midair—landing in a crouch, her blade still glowing.

"Impressive," Cipher sneered. "But you're off your game."

Nova wiped blood from the corner of her mouth. "You talk too much."

Cipher aimed his plasma weapon again—this time at Nova.

Elliot's body moved before his brain caught up.

He grabbed a steel rod from the debris and hurled it like a spear, aiming for Cipher's gun arm.

The rod hit home—slamming into Cipher's forearm just as he fired. The plasma bolt veered off course, exploding against a nearby air vent.

Cipher's helmet snapped toward Elliot. "Really?"

Elliot froze. "Uh… surprise?"

Nova used the distraction—surging forward and slicing a deep gash across Cipher's side.

The wound sizzled—metal and flesh burning. Cipher staggered back, his visor flickering.

"Looks like you're bleeding," Nova taunted.

Cipher's breathing was ragged. "You'll pay for that."

The rooftop vibrated beneath their feet.

A hover drone rose above the edge of the building—sleek and deadly, with mounted plasma cannons.

Cipher grinned beneath his helmet. "And now… you both die."

[Mission Update: Survive the Drone Assault]

"Of course there's a drone," Elliot muttered. "Why wouldn't there be a drone?"

The drone's cannons powered up, glowing bright blue.

Nova grabbed Elliot by the arm. "Run."

"Finally something I'm good at."

The first blast ripped through the rooftop, sending chunks of concrete flying. Elliot ducked behind a metal vent, while Nova rolled behind an antenna array.

Cipher used the chaos to slip back toward the rooftop exit—his wound still sparking, but his pace steady.

"He's getting away!" Elliot shouted.

Nova's eyes blazed. "Forget him—we need to deal with the drone."

Another plasma blast struck the vent Elliot was hiding behind, the heat scorching his cheek.

[Health: 68% — You're slightly less crispy than before.]

"Any ideas?" Elliot asked, gripping a loose piece of metal.

Nova's gaze darted between the drone and the exposed power core along the roof's edge. "We overload it."

"Awesome. How?"

Her smile was a deadly promise. "We get close enough for me to hack it… or you become a distraction."

Elliot blinked. "Why am I always the distraction?"

"Because you're squishy and expendable."

The System buzzed in his head.

[Confirmed: You are indeed squishy.]

"Great," Elliot growled. "Let's do this."

He broke from cover, waving his arms like an idiot. "Hey, tin can! Over here!"

The drone immediately turned, its cannons locking onto him.

Nova moved—fast as a glitch in the system—closing the distance between her and the drone. Sparks flew from her fingertips as she activated a hacking spike embedded in her palm.

The drone's systems flickered—fighting back against her override.

"Almost there," Nova gritted.

The drone's weapons whined louder—its core overloading.

"Nova!" Elliot yelled. "Any time now!"

With a final spark, Nova's hack succeeded—the drone's systems frying as it lurched midair.

"Now!" Nova shouted.

Elliot grabbed a piece of rebar and swung it like a baseball bat, smashing the drone's exposed core.

The explosion was blinding—blue fire and molten metal raining down.

Elliot hit the ground hard, rolling to avoid the flaming debris. His ears rang.

When the smoke cleared, the drone was nothing but a smoldering heap of circuits.

Nova stood over it, her blade still humming softly. "Not bad, rookie."

Elliot coughed. "I hate everything about this city."

The System pinged.

[Mission Complete: Survive the Drone Assault]

Reward: Combat Reflex Upgrade unlocked.

Bonus: Nova… is impressed.

[New Mission Unlocked: The Afterburn]

Elliot lay on his back, staring at the starless sky of Nexus-9. "So what now?"

Nova knelt beside him—her fingers tracing a line down his jaw again, her voice a low whisper. "Now… we figure out what to do with all this leftover adrenaline."

Elliot's heart slammed into overdrive—again.

[Libido Meter: MAXIMUM OVERLOAD.]

"Of course," Elliot muttered.

And this time—he didn't stop her when she leaned in.