Chapter 16: Burn, Break, Bleed

The rooftop was an inferno of electricity and smoke—every broken light and shattered circuit buzzing with leftover static from the feedback loop between Elliot and Nova.

But the heat hadn't faded.

If anything, it was worse.

Elliot's Neural Boost still pulsed under his skin—violent, unstable—like a storm trapped inside his body. Every nerve ending sparked, every muscle twitching with raw power he didn't understand.

And Nova?

She was standing beside him—her bioluminescent bodysuit flickering, glitching—each glowing line across her waist, her chest, her thighs still reacting to Elliot's uncontrolled energy.

They weren't just connected anymore.

They were feeding off each other—an unstable circuit of lust, violence, and tech spiraling out of control.

Cipher's red visor burned through the smoke—erratic and furious. His plasma arm whined as it charged again, the heat from the barrel warping the air around it.

"Let's end this," Cipher growled, his voice a broken rasp.

Nova's blade snapped to life—violet light spilling across her body as she squared up. "I was hoping you'd say that."

Elliot clenched his jaw, his fingers still twitching from the leftover static. "We're really doing this?"

Nova's lips curled. "Unless you wanna kiss me again instead."

His stomach flipped—half from the threat, half from the promise. "We'll table that."

Cipher didn't wait.

He fired.

The plasma blast ripped through the air—fast, hot, and deadly.

Elliot's Neural Boost flared—time slowing just enough for him to react. He grabbed Nova's arm, jerking her aside as the blast struck the rooftop where they'd been standing a half-second before. The concrete cracked—molten lines glowing along the surface.

Nova didn't waste the momentum—she spun mid-step, launching herself at Cipher.

Her blade arced through the air—slashing down toward his plasma arm.

But Cipher was fast—too fast.

He caught her wrist mid-swing—metal fingers locking around her arm, sparks flying as her energy blade hissed against his reinforced cybernetics.

"You're glitching," Cipher sneered. "He's breaking you."

Nova's jaw clenched—her glowing lines flaring brighter at his words. "Then let's see how much I can break you."

She drove her knee into his gut—hard.

The impact sent Cipher staggering back—but not before his plasma arm flared again.

He fired.

At Elliot.

Elliot's Neural Boost snapped—his vision exploding into static—and suddenly his body moved faster than his brain.

He dodged—barely—the plasma blast searing past his shoulder. The heat was unbearable—like a sunspot grazing his skin—but the shockwave sent him tumbling back, rolling across the ruined rooftop.

"Rookie!" Nova barked.

Elliot coughed, pushing himself upright. "Still alive!"

Cipher advanced—his plasma arm crackling, his visor burning. "Not for long."

Before he could fire again, Nova surged forward—her blade slicing through the air, aiming for Cipher's throat.

But Cipher blocked it again—grabbing her wrist, twisting her arm behind her back.

The angle made Nova's body arch—her suit flickering wildly from the contact.

And Elliot saw it again—saw how her bioluminescent circuits reacted every time Cipher touched her.

No—every time he touched her.

Because of him.

Their feedback loop was still alive—still sparking—still burning.

"Get your hands off her!" Elliot roared.

His Neural Boost flared again—hotter this time—too hot.

Electricity exploded from his palms—raw, unfiltered power.

The blast shot through the air—wild, uncontrolled—and connected with Cipher's arm.

The energy surge ripped through Cipher's cybernetics, his plasma weapon sparking violently.

Cipher screamed—a horrible, broken sound—his visor blinking frantically.

Nova didn't hesitate.

She tore free of Cipher's grip—flipping her blade and slashing up—slicing through the already-sparking cybernetic arm.

With a sickening crunch, Cipher's plasma weapon detached—the limb severed just below the elbow.

Sparks and blood sprayed across the rooftop.

Cipher staggered back—his remaining hand clutching the sparking stump at his side.

His voice was a broken rasp. "You—bitch—"

Nova didn't respond.

She just kicked him square in the chest—sending him crashing into the rooftop railing.

Elliot's Neural Boost still crackled—too strong, too unstable.

Sparks danced between him and Nova again—jumping from his fingers to the flickering lines of her suit.

The feedback loop was still there—hotter now—worse.

Nova's breath was ragged, her glowing lines rippling across her body in sync with Elliot's every pulse.

They weren't just linked.

They were fused.

Cipher's visor blinked wildly as he clutched his severed arm. "This isn't over."

He pressed something on his wrist—a silent command—and a dark hovercraft materialized over the rooftop, its thrusters humming like a growl.

Elliot's heart slammed into his ribs. "Are you kidding me?"

Nova's blade still burned at her side. "Coward."

Cipher staggered to the edge of the rooftop—his bloodied arm still sparking. "I'll be back for you both," he snarled. "I want to see just how much more you can break."

The hovercraft's door opened—and Cipher disappeared inside.

The craft shot into the night—leaving nothing behind but smoke, static, and silence.

Elliot's knees buckled—his Neural Boost finally stuttering, flickering back to something closer to normal.

He sank onto the cracked concrete, his whole body still buzzing from the fight—from her.

Nova stayed standing—her suit still glitching, her glowing lines slowly fading back to a dim violet.

For a moment—there was only their breathing.

And the raw, violent heat still burning between them.

Elliot's voice was hoarse. "Well… that was fun."

Nova didn't move.

Her eyes—still glowing faintly—locked onto his. "You almost fried me."

He swallowed. "Yeah… sorry about that."

She took a step closer.

The static between them crackled again—one last spark snapping from his fingers to the curve of her hip.

Nova's jaw clenched—her breath shallow, her body still too close.

Her voice was a low growl. "I should kill you for that."

Elliot's lips twitched—half a smirk. "You'd miss me."

Another spark—another flicker of light from her suit.

Nova didn't pull away.

Instead, her hand—still buzzing with leftover static—slid down his chest again.

Slow. Deliberate. Dangerous.

Her voice was a whisper against his ear. "Don't push me, rookie."

Elliot's pulse spiked. "Too late."

The rooftop still burned—smoke, blood, and electricity hanging in the air.

And between them?

The storm hadn't passed.

It had just begun.