Chapter 18: Voltage, Vices, and Violence

The rooftop wasn't just burning — it was alive.

Electricity crackled in the air, raw and untamed, every shattered light and molten piece of tech buzzing with the aftershock of Elliot and Nova's unstable connection.

The feedback loop between them wasn't breaking.

It was evolving.

Elliot's Neural Boost still roared beneath his skin — his body a live wire of untamed static — and every flicker of power surged into Nova's bioluminescent suit, making the glowing lines along her body pulse and glitch with each snap of electricity.

And Nova?

She didn't pull away.

She pressed closer.

Her fingers — half-skin, half-metal — fisted in his jacket, her other hand still burning a trail down his chest, every touch sending another violent shock through them both. The glowing lines on her suit rippled, glowing brighter along her ribs, her thighs — every curve flaring with static.

Elliot's breath was ragged. "Nova… we're gonna blow this entire building up—"

Her mouth crashed into his.

It wasn't a kiss.

It was a detonation.

Their combined energy snapped again — another violent pulse exploding from where Nova's body pressed into his. The rooftop lights overhead shattered — glass raining down around them as the shockwave lit up the sky.

Elliot groaned into Nova's mouth — not just from the electricity ripping through him, but from the heat radiating off her.

Her body was all sharp edges and raw fire — her bioluminescent suit glowing brighter every time his hands moved down her sides, the neon lines flaring violently along the curves of her waist, her hips.

"Rookie," Nova growled against his lips, her voice a ragged whisper, "you're gonna fry me again."

Elliot's pulse spiked. "Pretty sure you're frying me too."

Another spark — another snap of static — this one arcing from Elliot's fingers to the glowing line running down the inside of Nova's thigh.

Her whole body jerked.

Nova bit her bottom lip, her head falling back just enough for Elliot to see the way her glowing eyes blazed — half fury, half something else.

Something darker.

He swallowed hard. "That wasn't me."

Her voice was a rough rasp. "Yes it was."

"Your suit's still reacting to me."

Nova's fingers dragged down his chest again — slow, deliberate — sending another violent jolt through both of them. The neon lines across her stomach flared brighter — the pattern rippling across her skin like liquid fire.

Her breath hitched. "Because you're still overloading me."

Elliot groaned. "I'm not doing it on purpose—"

Her lips brushed his jaw. "Try harder."

Another snap of electricity shot from Elliot's palm to Nova's waist.

Her suit glitched again — the light rippling dangerously low, the neon lines flaring between her legs for half a second before fading back up her hips.

Nova gasped — a sound Elliot felt more than heard.

His head spun.

"Nova—"

Her grip on his jacket tightened — her glowing eyes narrowing. "You're too close."

Elliot blinked. "You're on top of me!"

Another shockwave flared between them — this one so strong the last rooftop light exploded, raining down sparks.

Nova pressed him harder into the wall — her body still buzzing against his, every touch sending fresh arcs of static through them both.

Her lips grazed his ear. "I can feel everything you're thinking, rookie."

His heart slammed into his ribs. "That's a problem."

Her hand slid lower — over his stomach, skimming just above his belt again — and the moment she touched him there, Elliot's Neural Boost snapped.

A violent crack of electricity erupted between them — lighting up Nova's suit again, the glowing lines rippling across her chest and down her thighs like a live wire.

Nova moaned — a raw, dangerous sound — and the rooftop shuddered.

The air felt thicker now — charged, suffocating — the heat between them spiraling so fast Elliot didn't know if they were about to burn out or explode.

His voice was hoarse. "Nova—we have to stop—"

Her mouth was on his again — fierce, biting, demanding.

Another snap of electricity.

Another ripple of neon light through her suit.

Another shockwave shaking the rooftop.

Nova pulled back — her breath hot against his lips. "No, we don't."

Elliot's head spun — too much heat, too much static — his entire body still sparking with uncontrollable power.

"Nova," he rasped, "we're gonna tear this place apart."

Her glowing eyes burned into his.

"That's the point," she growled.

And just like that—

The rooftop lights exploded again.

The building shuddered.

And the heat between them—

Didn't just burn.

It detonated.