Chapter 30: Kain’s Clinic, Catastrophes, and Circuits Gone Haywire
The hovercraft hurtled through Nexus-9's back alleys like a malfunctioning missile — plasma blasts streaking past, neon signs flickering overhead, and the violent hum of pursuing hoverjets closing in behind them.
Elliot's Neural Boost was at 199% — so overloaded that stray arcs of blue electricity snapped from his fingertips to the hovercraft's controls, overloading the console with every pulse. Sparks showered the cockpit like fireworks.
And Nova?
Her bioluminescent suit flared with each jolt from Elliot's Boost — glowing lines along her ribs, down her thighs, and dangerously lower before glitching back up again. The feedback loop between them wasn't just out of control — it was cascading.
Every spark from Elliot made Nova's suit pulse.
Every flicker from Nova made Elliot's Boost snap.
It was a never-ending circuit of chaos.
And the hovercraft?
Seconds from detonation.
The System buzzed in Elliot's head.
---
[New Mission: Land Without Dying… Please]
Objective: Crash — gracefully — into Dr. Kain's clinic.
Bonus: Keep the hovercraft mostly intact.
Failure: Hovercraft explosion, public embarrassment, and Nova possibly murdering you.
---
Nova clutched the side rail, her blade still glowing. "Land this thing, rookie!"
Elliot wrestled the sparking controls. "It's not a landing — it's an aggressive descent!"
The System buzzed again.
---
[Misquote Mode Activated]
Quote: "May the Force be ever in your favor."
— Yoda… or maybe Katniss.
---
Nova blinked. "Was that Star Wars or The Hunger Games?"
Elliot's eye twitched. "It's the System, okay? It's… broken."
The hovercraft spun again — narrowly avoiding a neon sign advertising a nightclub called The Electric Orgasm — while the Chrome Reaper hovercraft behind them fired another plasma blast.
The blast screamed past Nova's head, singing the air.
Her suit flared again — the neon circuits down her waist and thighs pulsing harder as Elliot's Boost cracked through the feedback loop.
Nova's jaw clenched. "Rookie—"
Another snap of static shot from Elliot's hand to Nova's hip.
Her suit flickered wildly.
Her breath hitched — half frustration, half something else.
"I'm not doing it on purpose!" Elliot shouted.
The System buzzed.
---
[Libido Meter: Dangerously Overloaded]
Warning: Your Neural Boost is syncing with all of your impulses.
Solution: Consider running… or a cold shower.
---
Nova shot him a murderous glare. "You owe me for this."
Elliot winced. "I'm sorry—"
The hovercraft hurtled toward a crumbling warehouse, its entrance hidden behind a glowing holo-sign:
"KAIN'S KLINIC — FIXES, HACKS, NO QUESTIONS."
Elliot slammed the controls forward. "Brace yourself!"
The System buzzed again.
---
[New Side Quest: Crash Course in Not Dying]
Objective: Crash without breaking your legs… or Nova's mood.
Bonus: Don't scream.
Hidden Reward: Access to Dr. Kain's underground lab.
---
The hovercraft smashed through the holo-sign — sparks and neon shards exploding everywhere — before slamming into the warehouse floor, skidding across cracked concrete and finally grinding to a halt inches from a steel-reinforced wall.
The engines sputtered.
Smoke poured from the controls.
Elliot blinked, still gripping the melted joystick. "Nailed it."
Nova, still glowing from the feedback loop, unbuckled with a growl. "I'm going to kill you."
The System buzzed.
---
[Achievement Unlocked: Crash and Burn]
Reward: +2 Reflex Boost.
Penalty: Nova's simmering rage.
---
Before Elliot could respond, the warehouse doors slammed open.
A towering figure stepped into the smoky aftermath — a cybernetic nightmare of chrome and steel. His glowing red eyes flickered behind sleek augmented goggles, and his arms — a mess of intricate bionics — twitched like they were barely containing some violent impulse.
Dr. Kain.
The legendary ripperdoc.
The man who supposedly hacked his own brain.
He stared at Elliot and Nova — at the still-sparking hovercraft, the crackling feedback loop between them, and the wild arcs of electricity snapping off Elliot's skin.
Kain's voice was a gravelly rasp. "Did you just crash into my clinic?"
Elliot blinked. "It was more of a… bold entrance."
The System buzzed.
---
[Misquote Mode Activated]
Quote: "It's not about the fall — it's about how you land."
— Batman… or maybe Iron Man.
---
Kain's augmented eye twitched. "I'm going to enjoy taking your Boost apart, kid."
Nova wiped neon dust from her shoulder. "We need you to fix him — before he explodes."
Kain stepped closer, his gaze locked on Elliot's still-crackling hands and the way Nova's suit flared every time his Boost sparked.
His grin was sharp. "You're not just a glitch."
Elliot's pulse snapped. "Yeah, Cipher keeps saying that."
Kain's augmented hand clicked open, revealing a series of surgical tools that definitely weren't OSHA-approved.
"You're a circuit bomb."
Nova's glowing eyes narrowed. "Can you fix him or not?"
Kain chuckled. "I can fix anything."
The System buzzed.
---
[New Mission: Disarm the Circuit Bomb]
Objective: Let Dr. Kain stabilize Elliot's Boost before it hits 200%.
Bonus: Don't let Kain poke around too much.
Hidden Reward: The truth about Elliot's glitch.
---
Before Elliot could respond, an explosion shook the warehouse — the Chrome Reapers' hovercraft smashing through the entrance, plasma cannons glowing.
Kain didn't flinch. "Looks like you brought friends."
Nova's blade hissed to life. "They want the glitch."
Elliot's Boost flared. "I hate being popular."
Kain's grin widened. "Then let's open you up before they do."
And as the warehouse filled with gunfire, plasma blasts, and the violent hum of Elliot's unstable Boost —
The countdown to 200% began.