of the night she had caught Max practicing his telekinesis in the quarantine. She had seen him lift up the miniature glass buildings of his miniature glass city, letting them hover weightless in the air around him, almost exactly as Ace was doing now.
Nova had been surprised at the time that Max was powerful enough to lift so many glass figurines at once, a feat few telekinetics could have mastered.
But this …
She stared at Ace Anarchy, her uncle, and her anger and loathing were momentarily dwarfed by fear. Of who he truly was. Of what he could do.
Thanks to her father and his weapons.
Thanks to her.
She stumbled forward a few more steps. She was far closer to Ace than Max was, and she didn’t know how close Max would have to be in order to have an effect on her uncle.
Her fingers twitched, tempted to make contact, to put him to sleep.
But what would happen to the city if she did? Without Ace, it would come crashing down. All those buildings, all those lives. There would be no stopping it.
“Great powers,” she whispered, realizing the terrible inevitability of it. Ace was going to destroy the city. The few who survived would have no reason to stay, surrounded by rubble and ruins. Gatlon would become nothing more than a forgotten legend. A nighttime story to warn children of the dangers of power—having too much of it, or having not enough.
She remembered Callum’s words, as if he were standing right beside her. He killed and he destroyed and he left the world in shambles.
Nova tried to gather her emotions into a tight ball and spoke with all the calmness she could muster.
“Ace,” she started, taking another step forward. “Think about what you’re doing. You love this city. You want to rule this city. If you destroy it, then what’s been the point of any of this?”
He chuckled deeply. Though she couldn’t see his face, she could picture his expression—a cruel, crooked twist to his lips. “Oh, my wise young niece. You saw what I could do to this cathedral, and that was before I had this gift. Before I understood what was possible.” He clicked his tongue. “I can destroy this city. Tear it apart brick by brick. And when I am done … I will rebuild Gatlon to fit my vision of perfection.” He tilted his head back, as if basking in sunlight that wasn’t there. “The world will have learned its lesson. No one will dare stand against Ace Anarchy.”
The star in his palm pulsed, and one final tower rose up toward the sky. The tallest building in the city. Renegade Headquarters, its glistening glass facade an icon of hope to the world.
Nova watched its ascent, dwarfing all that surrounded it.
“Hang in there, Max.”
Adrian’s voice startled her. He and Max had covered half the distance but were still at least fifty paces away. They both looked ready to collapse.
How much farther did they have to go? How long before Ace felt the slow drain of his abilities?
It wasn’t going to be enough. They wouldn’t make it in time.
In the wasteland below, the Renegades were divided. Some had taken up the charge again, but Nova knew they would never make it in time to stop Ace. Others were rushing back toward the city, desperate to help the people caught up in Ace’s approaching catastrophe, but what could they possibly do against such power?
She reached for the pouch on her belt and wrapped her fist around the projectile inside.
She calculated the distance, focus shifting from Ace to Max and back again.
Clenching her fist around the dart, Nova lunged.
The needle was inches from Ace’s shoulder when he turned and grabbed her forearm, locking her in a debilitating grip. While his other hand remained outstretched, holding the star toward the city, he forced Nova’s fist to eye level, studying the syringe. The bright yellow liquid sloshed inside. He frowned.
“That is not the neutralizing agent,” he said.
“No, this is one of Leroy’s,” said Nova. “This one is Agent N.”
She drove her other hand forward, jamming the dart into Ace’s side.
Ace released her arm and drew back. In the same moment, Nova reached up and snatched the helmet from his head. Ace cried out in surprise but she was already sprinting, both arms crushing the helmet to her chest.
Her feet were lifted into the air as Ace summoned the helmet back to him. Nova held tight, curling her body around it as the helmet flew back