past decade was gone in a blink, replaced with the villain the world remembered.
Nova wasn’t sure that she remembered this villain. Who was he?
Either way, the battle had become his show now. She saw Honey on the opposite side of the arena, up in the stands, bent over a couple of chairs as her bees climbed across her body. It reminded Nova of maggots on a corpse, and she shuddered, hoping Queen Bee wasn’t dead.
Phobia was harder to find, until she noticed the inky-black boa constrictor wriggling its way toward the wingless Tamaya Rae, and remembered that the Councilwoman was supposed to be afraid of snakes. Her gut curdled and Nova was surprised at the sympathy that surged through her. She had no love for Thunderbird, and yet … hadn’t she suffered enough?
Dragging her attention away, she spotted Leroy against the short wall that surrounded the field, along with a group of Cragmoor inmates. The lot of them were covered in blood and dirt, watching Ace Anarchy with equal parts awe and uncertainty and, in Leroy’s case, an eager grin.
With her allies accounted for, Nova dared to search for Adrian. She hadn’t seen him once throughout this whole ordeal. Maybe he’d stayed home in silent protest of Agent N and the execution. Was it too much to hope?
She did occasionally catch glimpses of Danna’s butterflies in the cacophony. And yes—there—Ruby and Oscar were together up in one of the commentator booths that lined the top of the stands. The glass window had been smashed, and Oscar was shooting darts of smoke at Ace, for what it was worth. She wondered why Ruby hadn’t joined the brawl on the field. It wasn’t like her to sit out a fight. Either way, Nova was relieved to see them both alive.
But where was Adrian?
She stumbled away from Callum’s body, her legs heavy as lead.
Ace was going to destroy them all if she didn’t stop this. He had his helmet now. They had succeeded.
They could leave.
Why hadn’t they left?
At the end of the aisle, she nearly tripped on a small form that was curled up against the last plastic seat. Nova froze.
Magpie didn’t raise her head, though she no doubt knew that Nova was there. That Nightmare was there. She had her knees pulled to her chest, her arms wrapped tightly around them. Her face was coated in dust and streaked with tears.
Nova didn’t know what to do. Magpie was a Renegade, an enemy. She’d never even liked the girl to begin with.
But still, something inside Nova refused to let her just walk away.
“He annoyed the hell out of me,” Magpie said with a hiccup. Nova was surprised that she was speaking at all, and at that, not making sassy commentary for once. She sniffed. “But still … I thought, if he had the helmet, we might be able to win. He was obnoxious as hell, but he was always … more heroic than any of us. He didn’t deserve…” Magpie grimaced. “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have given him the helmet.”
Nova swiped the sweat from her forehead, no doubt leaving traces of blood in its wake. “It’s Phobia’s fault.”
Sniffling again, Magpie turned her head to Nightmare, her eyes full of loathing. “It’s your fault, too.”
Nova swallowed, hard. “I know.”
She reached forward. Magpie started to pull away, but it was too late. Nova’s fingers brushed her forehead and the kid sank down onto the steps, asleep.
Nova staggered down the rest of the stairs and over the rail. She was too weary for a graceful landing, and instead collapsed when she hit the muck-covered field. She forced herself to stand and keep going.
She noticed him then. The Sentinel, standing in front of the Dread Warden, who was remarkably visible for once. Visible, with his face covered in swollen welts. Ace was speaking again, taunting Captain Chromium, who had shackles binding his wrists and ankles.
Nova could still stop this. Everything had spun out of control so quickly. This had not been what she’d planned, what she’d wanted.
She needed to get to Ace.
“Ace,” she started, but it was barely a croak. How many times tonight had she screamed? In anger, in heartbreak, in denial. “Ace…”
The Sentinel put himself between Ace Anarchy and the Dread Warden, acting like a protective shield. Nova shook her head. He was an idiot if he didn’t realize how vulnerable that suit would be to a telekinetic like Ace.
Except … it was the Sentinel who captured him in the first place …