chapter twenty-six: paradox psychosis

The paradox psychosis was really setting in and Nova was sweating like crazy. Of course, it didn't help that it was blazing hot under the Dallas sun. Ahead of the girl walked her older self, older Five, and Luther. Somehow Luther had convinced the older pair to go along with their plan but the younger two didn't know the new plan was to kill them.

"What are you looking at, huh? Keep your eyes to yourself!" Teenage Five yelled to a bypasser as he pulled young Nova protectively closer to him by her waist. The two teens followed the older trio up a bridge.

"They're going to kill us," Young Nova said to her boyfriend as she glared at their older counterparts.

"Sounds like us. You think Luther will have the balls to do it?" He asked her as he glanced behind them to make sure no one was looking at her funny.

At this point, Nova was used to getting looked at in 1963. Most men didn't try and hide their leering at her body and the racists sure as hell didn't hide their disgust for her.

"Mind your own business!" Teenage Nova exclaimed as she kicked a rock at a squirrel that had been following them. She was scratching her neck when she turned back to her Five. "Luther will respond to whoever he thinks the elder authority figure is. Remember he's got daddy issues. We all have daddy issues! Which is ironic since none of us biologically have daddies."

"Hey, you two how's it hanging?" Luther asked as he waited for the teens before descending down the stairs of the bridge.

"They're going to kill us aren't they?" Young Five asked.

"What? What them? They're going to kill you?" Luther laughed as he lied terribly. "That's ridiculous."

"You're a terrible liar, Luther. And an even worse spotter," Teenage Five growled.

"Whose fault is that? What good is a spotter if you won't listen to him?" Luther asked.

"So you admit you're conspiring against us!" Teenage Nova exclaimed in an accusatory tone.

"Do you two admit that you're suffering from paradox psychosis?" Luther asked and the teens glanced at each other.

"All we're suffering from is brain clarity from your murderous intentions," Young Five snapped as he reached for his Nova's hand. The girl interlocked their fingers as they both glared at Luther.

"They're not going to kill you kill you. They just want to kill this version of you," Luther said.

"We are that version of us!" Young Nova growled at the man who looked at her uneasily.

"Hey, I don't love it either but they actually have a good plan," Luther shrugged.

"Oh the plan where you off us then jump to 2019 to save the world?" Teenage Five asked as he ran a shaking hand through his hair.

"Wait, how'd you know that?" Luther asked dumbly.

"Because we are them and that is exactly what we would do if we were trying to kill us!" Teenage Nova exclaimed angrily as she tried not to itch her neck.

"All I know is there is one too many Five and Novas right now and you two are acting like maniacs," Luther said and the two glared at him.

"We're the maniacs? Luther you have seen nothing if you want a maniac. We'll show you maniacs!" Young Five screamed in the man's face.

"Look as your spotter I think the best thing I can do for you both is put you out of your misery," Luther said and young Nova quickly grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and yanked him down to her short height.

"Listen hear you Monkey-Man I know you say I'm the one with daddy issues but let's not forget that you have them too! I know your feeble mind only responds to age and authority so listen very closely. You are once again experiencing daddy issues this time with your own brother because I know for a fact that that stupid ass plan is Five's doing and frankly, that's really weird man," Teenage Nova growled.

"Exactly and remember this I am 14 days older than that man. I have seniority here. So it is me you should be listening to. I'm the Daddy here!" Young Five exclaimed loudly as his counterpart let go of Luther's shirt.

"Yeah, you are," Young Nova giggled at her boyfriend.

"Ooh, kinky," The boy smirked at her response.

"Only for you," She winked as she tousled his hair gently before pulling it slightly. Young Five groaned in response and he had to admit this side of Nova surprised him, but honestly, he loved it.

"Will you two get a hold of yourselves? You're being unseemly and quite frankly inappropriate." Luther whispered to the two teenagers.

"I will admit we may not be in the best state of mind right now but I guarantee you that whatever we have they are suffering from as well!" Young Nova pointed out as they made it to the parking lot.

"Quit grab-assing we're here!" Older Five called as he bent over to set up his cases when he let out a long fart.

"Stage four flatulence!" Luther whispered to the teens. Older Nova glared at the trio as she scratched her leg furiously. "Stage two itching!"

"See? What's your plan now buckoo?" Teenage Five asked his brother as he farted. "That was just lunch shut up."

They watched as the older Five began to get out his rifle as the older Nova tuned the radio to the correct station. This is when the teens noticed the briefcase was unguarded.

"Look. The briefcase," Young Nova stuttered with wide eyes.

"No, don't. You won't get there in time," Luther said.

"Of course, we will. This is our only chance," Young Five said and when he glanced at his Nova she nodded. Both of them had worked together long enough to know the plan. They worked effortlessly together like two perfect parts of a machine.

"Yeah, uh just remind me what was the final stage of paradox psychosis again?" Luther asked.

"Homicidal rage," Young Nova responded as she shook her hands quickly as if they were wet and she was trying to dry them.

"Right, that's great. Now listen to me..." Luther said but young Five was already in motion.

He blinked toward the case at the same time his older self blinked backward and held the rifle up. Meanwhile, young Nova had thrust her hands forward and began to slowly drain older Five's energy.

"Bad idea shit-heel," Older Five groaned as he felt his energy depleting. Older Nova seeing the conflict quickly ripped off her gloves and began draining the younger Five.

"Stop it alright? All four of you!" Luther exclaimed as he took the rifle from older Five. Both Novas looked at each other before lowering their arms.

Young Nova hurried over to her Five and discreetly placed her hand on his sweaty lower back and began replenishing his energy. They both knew that the older versions of themselves didn't know about this part of her power yet so Five wrapped his arm around the girl so they wouldn't realize.

"Pull it together! Now Kennedy is going to come around that corner any minute. Ok, so everyone just take a deep breath," Luther said and everyone took shaky deep breaths but none of the four seemed to calm down. "Now we're all family here, ok? So, can we all just try to get along for a few minutes?"

"You want it?" Younger Five asked his older self after he tapped his Nova's side telling her he didn't need any more of her energy.

"Go ahead," The older Five says and Young Five kicks Luther in the nuts to distract him before the two go after each other.

While they go at each other the two Nova's crash together. Now they couldn't blink like the Five's could so their fight mainly stayed in one area while their counterparts fought throughout the parking lot in various blinks of blue.

"Bring it on pipsqueak," Older Nova growled as the younger girl flipped and kicked the woman.

She managed to land the blow before the older woman punched the girl in the face. The two went back and forth like this while simultaneously trying to drain each other's energy. Younger Nova knew she couldn't kill her older-self for two reasons. The first was she needed the older woman to go back to 2019 so she could continue to exist. The second reason was that Nova knew she couldn't kill herself because she couldn't be killed.

The older woman was puzzled as to why she couldn't kill her younger self. It was because at that time the older Nova had not experienced the events from the week before in 2019.

"Getting tired yet, grandma?" Young Nova taunted and the older woman ducked her punch.

"I could do this all day, shortcakes," Older Nova growled.

"Hate to burst your bubble but we're the same height," Young Nova said as she landed a swift uppercut to the older woman. Before the older woman could say anything the two Five's accidentally blinked in between the two women and all four of them were blasted apart.

"Hey! Assholes! I'm done listening to you guys! I'm in charge now!" Luther yelled as he pointed the gun at the four people on the ground.

"Now Luther shoot them!" Older Five yelled.

"No, Luther shoot them!" Younger Five yelled. The two start arguing back and forth when young Nova looks at her watch. She realized if they don't send their older counterparts back to 2019 now they will disrupt everything. When she looked at Luther she could tell he was thinking the same thing.

"Now Five open the portal!" Luther said after he slammed the butt of the rifle into the older Five's head. Young Five hurried to open the portal and older Nova tried to kill the younger Five but her younger counterpart jumped in the way.

"Nove!" Young Five exclaimed worriedly as he struggled to open the time portal and saw the young girl struggling.

"I'm ok! Just get them into the portal!" Young Nova called as she felt her energy depleting.

"Nova, stop it we have to go," Older Five said as he walked over to the older Nova but was careful not to touch her.

"Why didn't she die?" The older woman asked when she stopped using her powers.

"Oh, you'll find out soon enough, old-timer," Young Nova gasped as she kneeled on the ground trying to catch her breath.

"Give us the math and we'll go!" Older Five called over the wind as Older Nova slid her gloves back on.

"Get closer to the vortex and we'll tell you!" Younger Five called.

"This is close enough. Now give it to us!" Older Nova called over the wind.

"It was a typo!" Young Nova said as she staggered to her feet.

"A typo?" The older Five asked incredulously.

"You put the decimal in the wrong spot in the proof of the existence of a bound for the number of limit cycles of planar polynomial vector fields of a fixed degree. You wrote down five point seven but it should have been zero point five seven," Teenage Nova told him.

"Son of a bitch! I knew that didn't look right!" Old Five exclaimed as he reached for the older Nova's hand.

"Alright, I guess this is it," Older Nova said and the younger teens nodded.

"This is it. Go!" Younger Five called as he adjusted his blazer. Suddenly a fire extinguisher flew through the vortex and slammed into Luther's head causing him to fall to the ground.

"No!" Younger Nova yelled as her older self dove for the briefcase.

"Nova!" Both Five's yelled as the two girls wrestled for the case.

"Go through the portal I'll be right behind you!" Older Nova yelled to Older Five.

"Give me the damn case!" Teenage Nova screamed as older Five jumped through the portal and Luther kicked the case causing older Nova to stumble through.

"Five!" Young Nova screamed when the momentum almost pulled her through the vortex. The boy's eyes widened in fear as he lunged for the girl he loved. He pulled her to safety.

"We did it!" Luther exclaimed happily as Five hugged his girlfriend closer to his chest.

"Are you ok?" He asked her worriedly as he pushed the hair out of her face so he could look at her clearly. The girl only nodded as he pressed a relieved kiss to her forehead. For a scary moment there he thought she was going to get splinched by the portal.

"I'm fine but the case isn't," The girl said hopelessly and he looked over and saw the ruined briefcase causing his heart to sink. "Wait here comes Kennedy!"

The trio scrambled to the fence to watch Kennedy's car come around the corner. This was the moment of truth. If Kennedy dies right here and now the apocalypse just might be over.

"Look there's Dad what do we do?" Luther asked as they peered over the fence.

"Oh shit! Diego," Five growled and they turned to see Diego sprinting down the grassy knoll.

They watched as Diego tackled who they thought to be Sir Reginald Hargreeves right before three shots rang out. Nova saw Kennedy's head fly back and bits of brains and blood spattered from his head. Everything was silent for a moment. It seemed to last an eternity as shock and fear chilled the air. As quickly as it started a gut-piercing scream sounded through the air. It was quickly followed by more screams and mass hysteria.

"We need to get back to Elliot's before the police show up," Nova said as she grabbed Five's hand and pulled him away from the fence.

"Let's go," The boy nodded and the three of them hurried back to the apartment. All of them wondering: was the apocalypse finally over?

Nova's Spotify Playlist: Nova Perez's Epic Time Travel Jams

First Published: 01/04/2021

Edited: 07/25/2023

Aesthetic Change: 06/29/2024

Chapter Word Count: 2,338

Book Word Count: 65,525