Chapter 28: Grand Theft Hovercar, Mayhem, and the Hunt for a Legendary Ripperdoc
The sky above Nexus-9 was a war zone.
Plasma blasts tore through the night, hovercraft engines roared like mechanical beasts, and neon lights flickered across the skyline like the city itself was on the verge of a total blackout.
And in the middle of it all — running, sparking, and probably causing most of the destruction — were Elliot and Nova.
Elliot's Neural Boost had surged past 190% — his body practically screaming with untamed electricity, every spark syncing with Nova's bioluminescent suit. The feedback loop between them wasn't just unstable.
It was feral.
Every time Elliot's Boost flared, the glowing lines on Nova's suit responded — rippling from her ribs down to her thighs, flaring way too bright every time his power snapped through their connection.
And the city was paying the price.
Chunks of rooftops exploded with every misfire of Elliot's Boost. Vents, antennas, and an entire billboard had already short-circuited from the stray bolts flying off him.
Nova's blade crackled at her side. "We need a way out—now."
Elliot wiped blood from his mouth, electricity still dancing off his fingers. "Yeah, let me just call an Uber—"
The System buzzed.
---
[New Mission: Grand Theft Hovercar]
Objective: Steal a hovercraft and escape Nexus-9's factions.
Bonus: Don't crash.
Hidden Reward: Access to a legendary ripperdoc.
---
Nova's glowing eyes locked onto a sleek black hovercraft hovering just above the next rooftop — the Ghost Circuit's mark painted in neon white along its side.
Her smirk was pure violence. "We're stealing that."
Elliot blinked. "We're what?"
Nova was already running — neon circuits flaring on her suit as she sprinted straight toward the edge of the rooftop.
The System chimed again.
---
[New Side Quest: Fast and Bioluminescent]
Objective: Jump onto the hovercraft without dying.
Bonus: Don't scream like a maniac.
Hidden Reward: Nova's approval… probably.
---
"Why is everything a side quest?!" Elliot roared.
Nova didn't answer — she just jumped.
Her glowing suit flared as she vaulted off the rooftop, landing hard on the side of the Ghost Circuit hovercraft. Sparks flew as her blade cut into the hull, and the pilot inside cursed, fumbling for his plasma pistol.
Elliot's Neural Boost snapped again — electricity exploding from his hand — and he had no choice but to follow.
"Oh for fu—"
He leapt after Nova.
Mid-air, his Boost flared again — sending a wild jolt through the feedback loop — lighting up Nova's suit so violently the glowing lines along her ribs and thighs pulsed like a living thing.
She gasped — half rage, half something else. "Rookie—"
They landed hard on the hovercraft — Nova slicing into the cockpit while Elliot grabbed the railing, his Boost overloading the ship's control panel the second his fingers touched the metal.
The hovercraft glitched.
Sparks flew from the controls, the neon lights inside flickering madly.
The pilot — a Ghost Circuit merc with glowing augments — spun his plasma pistol toward Elliot.
"Get the hell off my ship—"
Elliot's Boost snapped again — an arc of raw electricity surging from his hand into the pilot's gun.
The plasma pistol overloaded — detonating in the guy's hand.
He screamed — his arm smoking — and crumpled into the cockpit.
Nova yanked him out and kicked him off the hovercraft. "We're in."
Elliot slid into the pilot's seat — his Boost frying the controls on contact. "We're also about to crash."
The System buzzed.
---
[Pro Tip: Flying is just falling with more responsibility.]
— Amelia Earhart… maybe.
---
Nova punched the emergency override. "Fly, rookie."
Elliot's fingers twitched over the controls — stray sparks still crackling from his Boost — as the hovercraft lurched forward, spiraling dangerously close to the side of a neon-lit skyscraper.
"I don't know how to fly this thing!"
Nova smirked. "Then learn fast."
The System pinged.
---
[New Skill Unlocked: Unlicensed Hovercraft Pilot]
Level 1: 10% chance of survival.
Perk: Cool points if you don't crash.
---
"Ten percent?!" Elliot roared.
A Chrome Reaper hovercraft locked onto them — plasma cannons glowing.
Nova's glowing eyes narrowed. "Make it work, rookie."
The feedback loop flared again — another violent pulse snapping between Elliot's Boost and Nova's suit — lighting up the lines along her waist, down her back, and too far down her thighs before glitching back up.
Nova's breath hitched. "Seriously?"
Elliot gritted his teeth. "I can't control it—"
The Chrome Reaper hovercraft fired.
A plasma blast screamed through the air.
Elliot's Boost exploded — sending a violent arc of electricity through their hovercraft's control panel — and the ship jerked sideways, narrowly dodging the plasma bolt by inches.
Nova grabbed the side rail. "You just EMP'd our own ship."
The System buzzed.
---
[Achievement Unlocked: Self-Sabotage in Style]
Reward: +2 Reflex Boost.
Penalty: Hovercraft instability… and Nova's ongoing disappointment.
---
Elliot fought the controls. "I hate this system."
Nova pointed to a glowing waypoint flashing across the city's skyline — a lone building tucked deep in the slums of Nexus-9.
"That's the ripperdoc we need — calls himself Dr. Kain."
Elliot frowned. "Wait, the guy who supposedly hacked his own brain?"
Nova's blade flickered. "He's the only one who can fix your Boost before it kills us both."
The System chimed.
---
[New Mission: Find the Mad Ripperdoc]
Objective: Locate Dr. Kain and stop Elliot's Boost from frying the city.
Bonus: Don't let the factions follow you there.
Hidden Reward: The secret to Elliot's glitching powers.
---
The Chrome Reaper hovercraft roared after them — plasma cannons charging again.
Nova narrowed her eyes. "You're the pilot now, rookie."
Elliot's Boost flared. "I'm so gonna crash."
The System buzzed again.
---
[Misquote Mode Activated]
Quote: "I feel the need… the need for speed."
— Probably not Tom Cruise.
---
Nova blinked. "Did you just quote Top Gun?"
Elliot's eye twitched. "I swear it's not me—"
The hovercraft spun through the neon skyline of Nexus-9, chased by plasma blasts, glowing augments, and the weight of Elliot's unstable powers threatening to tear the city apart.
And now — with the legendary Dr. Kain as their only hope —
The real hunt had just begun.