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Everything itched. Everything ached. But, naturally, Adrian stayed still. Not that all the people with cameras could see him, nor hear him above all those voices that, to Adrian’s ears, were disembodied.
They were far from the crowd. Apparently safe, although nobody was really safe under those circumstances. From the platform, all they could see were flashes, microphones, and some scared or confused unknown faces. And the wreckage.
Oh, the wreckage.
That’s all that was left from Gatlon City. The wreckage. Destruction. And echoes. It was all a blur. A mix of adrenaline running through their veins. Strong sensations triggered by the suffocating feeling of danger. Adrian didn’t feel safe yet. Actually, it seemed unfair to him that while they were up here or sheltering in what was left of the Renegade Headquarters, everyone else was down there. What was that thing that made them so special, besides the fact they were prodigies? So special, so powerful, so privileged?
Deep down, Adrian knew the answer…and that was the reason why he had decided to incarnate the Sentinel. Maybe it had been a mistake, after all. However, maybe it hadn’t. The conclusion to all this mess was yet to be revealed. People were angry, desperate and anxious. Adrian was too, even if he was standing there next to the Renegade Council Members, with his team by his side.
Heroes, they said.
What did that word mean, anyway?
“Captain Chromium.” An amplified voice (thanks to a microphone) came from the center of the crowd. A reporter, Adrian thought, since they were the only ones allowed to make questions. “Exactly, how dead is he this time?”
People from Gatlon city were worried, but this didn’t necessarily mean they weren’t mad at his dads. At Adrian. At the Renegades. The previous questions made to the Council had also had that structure: A pretty important and serious question, asked in a tone full of resentment. Not everybody had been forced to fight, but everybody was hurt in some way. Some had lost their home, others their family…
Adrian kept his head low at the thought.
His dad sighed. For a moment, he looked like his own self, Hugh Everhart, instead of Captain Chromium, the superhero everybody looked up to.
“Because there has been so much rumor and speculation regarding this issue…” He said, steadily. His tone was smooth as if he weren’t nervous at all. “Let me set the record straight: Last night, at approximately 11:30 PM during the massive blackout that took over Gatlon City for three hours (according to the register), Alec Artino, alias Ace Anarchy, was located on the roof of the cathedral with the rest of the Anarchists. A strategy that had been already predicted by the Renegades, following the pattern of Ace Anarchy’s previous attacks to us and to our city itself. The Second Battle for Gatlon took place some minutes after midnight, and it lasted for at least three hours when, at 3:19 AM to be exact, a mortal explosion was detonated from inside the cathedral. Said explosion is believed to have been caused by a female Anarchist, Nightmare, real name and age unknown. “
Chills ran down Adrian’s spine, and he could feel his eyes burning. For a brief moment, he became numb, as if his body were smoke… and the only thing he forced himself to feel was Ruby’s hand around his’. He tried to feel comforted, but Ruby was cold, and she was trembling just like him. Still, she was trying, so Adrian allowed himself to feel a little peace, knowing he couldn’t cry. At least, not yet. He squeezed Ruby’s hand, just as she had started to rub his thumb with her own.
“The explosion partially destroyed the cathedral and everything around it. So far, less than twenty people have been reported dead, and the rest of the victims are injured.”
Captain Chromium raised his head and voice. He wasn’t staring at anything. Maybe to one of the hundreds of cameras.
“So, yes. This time Alec Artino is dead, along with Nightmare, whose true identity may remain unknown. The rest of the surviving Anarchists: Honey Harper (alias Queen Bee) and Leroy Flinn (alias Cyanide) are being held captive, getting ready for neutralization. The Renegades have won, and we are finally safe.”
His words were answered with bittersweet and concerned clapping. Captain Chromium stepped back. Adrian got lost in the image of both of his dads holding each other’s hands, but then he was interrupted by the squeaky sound the microphone produced when Tamaya Rae, Thunderbird, took his dad’s place in the podium. Straight posture, but trembling hands.
“In this world, where a line so thin divides what is good from what is bad, it is certainly difficult to understand why some get corrupted and decide to do bad, even if they think they are doing good. As Renegades, it is hard for us to watch as our citizens take the wrong path until they are lost and consumed by hatred. We can assure you that we try our best, but even if we do, not everyone can be saved. Like Ace Anarchy, like Nightmare, like the Sentinel. There will be a change in our government, of course, so hard times await us and we expect you to be patient and understanding, as you have always been. In the meantime, we would like to remind you that, as long as there are fair people, there is hope. And that is why we would like to congratulate Sketch’s team for their heroic participation during the Second Battle for Gatlon.”
Their faces appeared on the screens surrounding them, but just as the clapping was starting again, Danna shook her hands, asking them to stop. Fortunately, she was obeyed, despite Thunderbird’s confused face.
The crowd stayed silent for three seconds until Thunderbird spoke again. Adrian’s heartbeat was so fast he thought his heart might pop out of his chest.
“However, not everything was joy for the Renegades in this battle. No one mourns an Anarchist, but we do mourn our fallen heroes.” She said. Her voice trembled. “We may have won, but for us to won, lives had to be sacrificed. At the time of the explosion, Sketch’s team was trying to infiltrate into the cathedral. Their teammate, Nova McClain, was some steps ahead. She warmed them about the explosion that was coming and stayed there, so the rest could evacuate people from the area. This was the last time she would be seen alive.”
And now it was the time.
Adrian felt as if he were fainting, but he tried to be strong. Ruby held him, and soon he saw Oscar and Danna coming closer, wrapping him into a hug. They were in tears. They all were in tears.
And Adrian’s world was falling apart. It hurt so much he ran out of air.
He couldn’t take it. This had to be a really bad dream. A nightmare.
But he had seen her. He had kissed her one last time. He had even begged her to stay, there trapped in his Sentinel suit, while she put her Nightmare mask back on.
He had watched her as she entered the cathedral, where she would die with her uncle, both wrapped in a blinding glow coming out from Nova’s bracelet, which later had turned into an explosion.
It had been like a supernova. Gorgeous, but mortal.
And then, in a short lapse of less than a minute, everything was gone. But Nova didn’t appear as a brand new, shining star. Safe and sound. She was…gone.
Forever.
Gone.
And he couldn’t make her stay.
“Her remains are yet to be found,” Thunderbird said. “May her soul rest in peace.“