chapter fifty-nine: a chaotic reunion

Nova was lost. She wasn't sure what the hell was going on. The girl could have sworn she had gotten off of the stairwell on the third floor but somehow she ended up on the fifth instead. Certain places of the walls around her had been destroyed. In one hallway a table had been smashed. Clearly, there had been some sort of struggle but where were her friends? Where were the attackers? Most importantly where the hell was her boyfriend?

Suddenly, a deafening growl sounded from the corridor behind her. The sound was significantly louder up here than it had been in the lobby. Nova couldn't help but wince as she slammed her hands over her ears. Before she could investigate four bodies came sprinting down her hallway. She couldn't have been happier to see Ben, Sloane, Manuela, and most importantly the love of her life, Five.

"Nova?" Five asked the girl as he accidentally sprinted past her. He began to slow to a stop but Sloane shoved him forward as her feet continued to move.

"No time," Sloane justified her actions.

"Run!" Manuela instructed as she too passed the confused girl.

"I got her!" Ben called to the group ahead.

A yelp of surprise tumbled past Nova's lips when one of Ben's tentacles wrapped around her waist and lifted her in the air. The girl was about to protest until she saw the massive samurai warrior charging toward them. Nova figured it was best not to struggle and just let Ben drag her to safety with the others. There would be time later for explanations and hellos if any of them even lived that long.

"Nova, can't you kill this thing?" Sloane asked as the group hid for cover behind a row of washing machines. Ben had released the girl who was now pulling Five down by her side. He had been attempting to kill the samurai with an emergency fire axe.

"Hello to you too, Sloane. Let me see," Nova said sarcastically before turning and holding her hand out toward the samurai. Her eyes closed in concentration as she reached out with the hands of her mind looking for a life force of some sort to latch onto. "No bueno."

"I tried that already," Manuela explained when the girl sat crouched back down. "It's made of magic or animatronics or something. It's not living."

"He should be dead by now. Five's hit him with that axe at least six times already," Ben pointed out and the younger girl couldn't help but roll her dark eyes.

"It's the armor. It's like hitting cement," Five snapped.

"Plus the thing doesn't have a life force. I'm not even a hundred percent sure it can be killed," Nova attempted to explain.

"There's a space between the backplates," Sloane interjected helpfully as she too crouched back down behind the machines.

"We need to get behind him," Five nodded agreeing with Sloane's plan. Well, it wasn't really a plan but Nova knew them both well enough that they would go for the gusto.

"Let's kill this thing," Sloane growled before immediately moving to attack. "Hey, asshole!"

"Wait, Sloane!" Five groaned but the woman was already on the move. He began to move after her but Nova grabbed his sleeve. Before she could protest or voice her disapproval he bent and placed a chaste kiss on the top of her head, "Stay here."

"So, what's the actual plan then?" Nova asked in exasperation after Five blinked to the other side of the room. The girl looked between the two Sparrows who just shrugged.

"It's not like our powers will work against that thing. Plus we have no weapons," Manuela shrugged.

However, Nova could see the worry on the older woman's face when there was a crash and a pained groan from Sloane that filled the room. When the girl peaked over the machines she watched in horror as the samurai's arm swung out harshly knocking her boyfriend to the ground. The axe he was holding skittered out of his hands and in her direction.

The girl barely heard Manuela calling out to her as she vaulted over the machines and slid like a baseball player to grab the weapon. With the samurai still distracted Nova rose to her feet. After taking a deep breath she took off in a running sprint. When she was close enough Nova kicked off of the nearest machine flipping in the air. The girl felt weightless for a second and she realized after a moment that Sloane was using her powers to help the girl's descent.

Nova landed perfectly on the samurai's shoulders startling it. She vaguely heard Five calling out at her but all she saw was red. Her protective instincts had kicked in and she used all of her strength to jab the handle of the axe between the chink in the samurai's armor. At first, Nova thought she was making progress. But as soon as the shock wore off the samurai reached up and grabbed Nova around the waist slamming the girl down hard.

Blood sputtered from the girl's lips as she let out a string of pained coughs. Her head had roughly hit the concrete floor along with her back causing all of the breath to be knocked out of her lungs. Nova's dark eyes widened with fear as the massive beast loomed over her with its sword raised like an executioner.

That is until eight familiar tentacles wrapped around the samurai pinning its arms to its side. Nova's vision was slightly blurry as she tilted her head back to see Ben standing at the top of one of the washing machines. He was screaming but the ringing in Nova's ears was louder. She was so distracted by the man that Nova almost didn't notice Manuela who had raced forward and grabbed the axe that Nova had dropped.

The samurai was able to free itself by slicing through the tentacles that were wrapped tightly around it. But it was only a momentary victory. For Manuela was already behind it. The woman let out a battle cry as she slammed the blade into the only vulnerable part of the samurai.

From then on it, all seemed to happen in slow motion. The samurai froze momentarily before it began to fall forward. Only Nova was still on the ground in front of it. Before Nova could even attempt to roll out of the way Five teleported to her side. Without a second thought his arms wrapped around the girl's waist before he blinked them safely to the other side of the room.

"I thought you were dead," Five whispered in disbelief. He still hovered over her and the girl responded with the world's most dazzling smile. She really thought she was never going to see him alive again.

"It's not that easy to get rid of me," Nova giggled before arching up and pressing her lips lightly to her boyfriend's.

However, at that moment it wasn't enough for the boy. One of his arms snaked behind her arched back and pressed her to his chest as he deepened the kiss. A moan of surprise and pleasure sounded from Nova and she held tightly to the front of his shirt. Sadly their moment was interrupted when someone loudly cleared their throat.

"Yeah, as touching as this moment is," Ben began sarcastically as the teens pulled away from each other, "What the hell are you doing here, Nova?"

"More like how the hell did she get here," Sloane added with a pained groan as she rose to her feet.

"I mean, we are basically immortal," Manuela interjected with a shrug.

"But she had no body to return to," Ben argued.

"Look, it's a long story and I'm not even sure about the logistics of some of the parts. I promise to explain to the best of my ability once we find the others. I have a feeling this wasn't the only guardian roaming the halls," Nova sighed while also pushing herself to her feet.

The girl wobbled slightly and she could feel her heartbeat in her brain. She knew she probably had a concussion due to how hard she had hit her head but she ignored it. Five was quick to help his girlfriend stay balanced. His arm sat securely around her slim hips and she leaned back into his side gratefully. This was partially due to her inability to stand but mostly due to her need to touch him. Not in a lustful way at all. Nova just needed a physical reminder that he was real and alive. A reminder that she was alive and not stuck in the Void once again. Despite the circumstances, Nova was grateful just to be in his arms.

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

Manu's Spotify Playlist: Manuela Hargreeves' Post-Mission Jams

First Published: 02/07/2023

Edited: 10/08/2023

Aesthetic Change 07/07/2024

Chapter Word Count: 1,465

Book Word Count: 145,262