Chapter 19: Blades, Bruises, and Broken Circuits

The rooftop was collapsing into chaos—an unstable storm of static, fire, and something far more dangerous.

Elliot's Neural Boost still roared beneath his skin—each pulse of electricity hotter than the last—while Nova's bioluminescent suit flickered and glitched, the glowing lines along her body rippling with every jolt.

And the feedback loop between them?

It wasn't breaking.

It was escalating.

The sparks snapping from Elliot's fingertips to Nova's waist were no longer just reactions—they were consequences. Every touch sent another crackle of raw energy through her suit, lighting up the glowing circuits from her ribs to her thighs.

And Nova wasn't stopping.

She was pressing closer.

Her hand—cold metal and burning skin—was still on his chest, fingers dragging lower, every inch of contact pulling another violent shock from Elliot's Boost.

He felt like a bomb ready to go off.

"Nova," Elliot panted, his back still pressed against the rooftop wall, "we're gonna break something."

Her lips brushed his jaw—just enough to send another arc of electricity through them both. "We already did."

Another snap—another pulse of static.

The neon lines on Nova's suit rippled again, flaring violently between her legs for half a second before crawling back up her waist.

Elliot's heart slammed into his ribs. "That—wasn't me."

Nova's breath was ragged. "It's you."

Another spark jumped from his arm to the glowing line running down Nova's thigh.

Her body jerked—a sharp intake of breath breaking the silence.

Elliot's brain short-circuited. "Nova—"

Her glowing eyes blazed, pupils dilated. "You're feeding me more than I can handle."

His voice cracked. "You think I'm doing this on purpose?"

Her fingers tightened in his shirt. "If you're not—"

Another jolt—harder this time.

Nova's body arched against his—her suit flaring brighter along her waist, her hips, her chest.

Her head fell back, teeth sinking into her bottom lip to silence a sound Elliot definitely noticed.

He swallowed hard. "That didn't sound like you want me to stop."

Nova's eyes—still burning—snapped back to his. "Shut up."

Another pulse—another snap—another violent ripple through her suit.

The feedback loop was spiraling—each touch, each spark pushing the heat between them higher.

Elliot's head spun. "Nova—"

Her mouth crashed into his again—fierce, wild, dangerous.

It wasn't a kiss.

It was an explosion.

Their combined energy surged—sending a violent shockwave across the rooftop.

The last remaining rooftop light burst—glass shattering, sparks raining down around them.

Nova groaned into his mouth—half pain, half something else—and the glowing lines along her body flared even brighter, lighting up every inch of her suit.

The contact burned through Elliot's Boost—every nerve ending sparking—his fingers curling tighter around her waist as the static snapped between them.

The feedback loop wasn't stopping.

It was building.

"Nova," Elliot rasped, his body still crackling with energy. "We have to—"

Another shock—this one so strong it made Nova tremble against him.

Her hand shot up to his neck—fingers digging into his skin—half to steady herself, half to punish him.

Her lips brushed his ear. "You're frying me again."

Elliot groaned. "You're the one touching me—"

Her other hand slid lower—over his ribs, down his stomach—stopping just above his belt buckle again.

The second she touched him there—

The rooftop shuddered.

Another shockwave cracked through the concrete beneath their feet—another violent flare of neon light flashing across Nova's suit.

Her breath hitched—her body reacting to the shock—her glowing circuits flickering between her legs again before surging back up her chest.

Elliot's heart nearly gave out.

"Nova—"

She didn't stop.

Her mouth was back on his—teeth, static, fire.

The feedback loop surged—lighting up Nova's suit like a glitching star—her bioluminescent patterns flashing faster, harder, like they were about to detonate.

Elliot felt every spark—every jolt—every pulse of heat burning between them.

It wasn't just their tech anymore.

It was them.

And then—

A voice sliced through the static.

"Well, isn't this… intimate?"

Cipher.

Elliot's body locked up.

Nova spun—her blade snapping to life in an instant—still sparking from the leftover static.

Cipher stood at the edge of the rooftop, his visor glowing blood-red, a faint smirk beneath his mask. His severed plasma arm had been replaced—sleeker now, deadlier—crackling with blue energy.

His voice was a rasp. "Didn't mean to interrupt."

Nova's jaw tightened. "You've got the worst timing."

Elliot blinked, his whole body still buzzing. "Why are you always showing up when we're—"

Nova elbowed him. "Don't finish that sentence."

Cipher chuckled, his plasma arm whirring to life. "Your little feedback loop is getting worse."

The air around Elliot and Nova still crackled—sparks snapping between their bodies, Nova's suit flickering every time Elliot's Boost flared.

They were still connected.

Still unstable.

Cipher's visor flickered. "I wonder what happens when you both break."

Nova's blade hissed louder. "Come closer, and I'll show you."

Elliot swallowed hard, his Neural Boost still overloading. "Nova, I think we're about to—"

Another snap—another violent shockwave of static between them.

Nova clenched her jaw. "Focus, rookie."

Cipher raised his plasma arm—aiming directly at Elliot. "Let's see which of you short-circuits first."

And just like that—

The rooftop detonated into violence again.