Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"Sergeant."

"Yes, sir," Nova piped up immediately. It was drilled into her, in all of them to immediately respond almost on reflex. Habits were trained in every Marine during boot camp only to be reinforced every day through repetitive actions. She stopped her writing to look up at her superior officer lurking within her doorway.

He was wearing his dress uniform and about to leave for some sort of fancy dinner. That type of dress uniform pointed towards him either attending a ball function or part of a ceremony. Likely both judging by the sword hanging off his waist belt. No Marine would ever bring a sword unless they were part of the ceremony. It was largely just for show in this day and age.

Nova much preferred her more comfortable cammis. They were like pajamas except heavier and required her long black hair to be twisted up into a tight bun. The only accessory she had to worry about accounting for is her cover while outdoors.

He paused with a frown as he fingered the brim of his cover. His white gloves caused his fingers to slide around on the shiny black brim.

"Sir?" Nova questioned. It was unusual for her to catch her officer like this. Her question seemed to snap him out of his thoughts because he refocused his gaze on her. The blue lights from the holograms added an eerie glow to her already blue eyes, as if they glowed in the dark.

"I need you to set up the new lightning rod up top. There's a storm rolling in and the building is in danger if it's not installed. Make it happen before the building is closed up today." He motioned with his head towards the equipment laying around inside the hallway. She was curious what that was all for. Now she knew.

The office tended to look orderly aside from the glowing emitted from the computer holograms of working Marines. The building lacked windows to allow for an outside source of light which made coming outside into daylight harsh on the eyes. The design choice was functional and made it easier to see what was projected. It was the back where things began to give way to disorder. Like a slow descent into orderly chaos the further one walks back. While the Marines who frequent the building may be able to tell where everything was, it became easy to lose things for visiting outsiders.

"Roger that, sir. Have a good time at your dinner! Try not to drop your sword," she teased. His laughter echoed within the office that died with the tell tale sliver of light from the front announcing his exit. Nova rolled her shoulders and left her desk to survey the mess left behind for her to deal with. The holograms of her computer shut down as soon as she left the sensors' vicinity.

The office was mostly empty since she dismissed her men during late afternoon formation an hour ago. The few left behind were packing up to leave as well. Nova gave a small wave to those who looked her way to acknowledge them. She was almost always the last to leave and she expected to be the one to lock up today.

"Celestial, your dad is on the communicator," a corporal called out as soon as their eyes met.

"Tell him I'm busy," Nova said. Which was partly true. The corporal gave a curt nod and turned back towards the monitor where she could vaguely make out the outline of a man.

The mess she was expected to deal with was a giant rod leaned up against the lead walls. Lo and behold, this was her lightning rod, and with it, a small packet full of the knick knacks that would keep it bolted down.

Nova took her time to grab herself a tool box and threw the fastenings inside. Less to carry. Her mind wandered as she recalled facts about lightning mixed among the technical skills she'd actually need to use her tools.

There are more than a thousand thunderstorms around Earth, causing around 6,000 flashes of lightning every minute. She'll need to drill holes into the lead lining of the building. Drill a little bit at a time, pull out, clean the grooves, then repeat. When the negative charge in the cloud becomes great enough, it seeks an easy path to the positively charged ground below. The current looks for a good conductor of electricity, or a tall structure anchored to the ground whether it be a tree or a tall building. The metal bits included are meant to be melted on top of the screws and close the hole. The heat of a flame must be at 1510 degrees Celsius or 2750 degrees Fahrenheit to melt iron. It'd take time for the hand held torch to reach that temperature. Note to self: place all metal chunks on top first to avoid possible heat related accidents.

"Have a good night, Sergeant! Last one out!" The Marine left with a sliver of light announcing his departure. Nova shook herself out of her musings with a scowl. She hated when her mind ran away from her while she was trying to work. She purposely concentrated on her surrounding and the task at hand to avoid her mind spitting out facts or figures she's read or heard somewhere. This time it was mild, however, full blown episodes can result in full memory recall that made it hard to pull out of.

Nova used the side door to set her tool box outside and bring the lightning rod out last. It was heavier and taller than her. A quick swipe of her key card locked the doors of the building. Secured.

The sky was clear and blue. It would have been a nice day to be outside if she came out earlier instead of when the sun was beginning to set. There was a slight chill in the air that she mentally marked down as unusual. Otherwise, there wasn't much else of note. It took her a moment for her eyes to adjust to the light difference before she could see again.

The building was elongated, smooth, and five men tall. Nova estimated the height and planned what she needed to do to make it up there. It was why her superior officer chose her in particular vice some Lance Corporal to do the work. She was crafty when it came to getting herself to high places and hand to hand combat. Despite how odd it sounded when applying it to menial work, it was needed for this case. Some idiot left the rope ladder on the roof.

She grasped the handle of her tool box to get a feel of the weight in her grasp and took deep breaths. Nova ran along the length of the building before springing to run up the walls and jump to grasp the ledge to hang there. She used the momentum of her fall combined with the additional weight of the tools to swing her body and hook her leg over the edge. It didn't take long after that to pull herself up onto the roof. She paced along the edge to pick the ideal spot for her lightning rod and set her tools down there.

"Now for the stick..." Nova's lips thinned as she looked for the ladder to toss over the side. The rope ladder made hollow thunks against the building as it unfurled. She made quick work to get down. Getting back up with the rod without dropping it was a struggle considering how much the ladder kept moving. Even with the difficulty, she made it happen.

The lights of the local post exchange or commonly referred to as the PX flickered on. Nova wanted to buy a new movie that's supposed to be in stores today involving a psychotic clown and a guy dressed as a bat. Fans have been fighting over the new designs of this Batman franchise and she was curious. While on deployment, her Marines shared comics and she's dabbled in the franchise ever since. She didn't know any content beyond the comics she's read which made it the perfect time to snatch up that movie.

Nova shook her head. She had work to do first instead of standing there burning daylight. The lightning rod wouldn't install itself.

Chapter Text

It took hours to install the lightning rod in its rightful place minus some adjustments. A skyward glance was what alerted Nova to the storm's sudden appearance. She sucked on her teeth and her muscles tensed at the need to finish her task. The loud crack of thunder she could practically feel within her bones increased the sense of urgency.

"Come on, don't be a dick to me now, Thor," she hissed out. Sweat dripped down her brow as she held the rod up. Nova slammed the metal pieces into their holes to flick on her blowtorch. The hair raised on the back of her neck as thunder sounded in the air once more while she waited for her torch to heat up. It wasn't happening fast enough and she could feel it.

Nova aimed a forlorn look up at the sky. The storm was on top of her and it was a matter of time before lightning followed. She was a sitting duck holding the one piece of the building it was meant to strike. It was a waiting game with no more time left. Her half of the building may be clear of personnel yet she wasn't confident the other half of the building was too. This shouldn't be happening.

In two seconds, Nova ran through her options and the consequences of her choice. She could finish her job and ensure the safety of not only the building but the possible people inside as well. This put her personal safety at serious risk. Or she could abandon her task to save her own life. The technology inside worth millions would be fried, the building partially destroyed, and anyone inside would be caught in the electrical outbursts which will likely result in death. It was an obvious choice when the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.

Nova stayed.

In the distance, lightning flashed across the sky, thunder gave a loud crack that shook the window panelings of the buildings nearby, and she felt fear. She could have cried real tears when the metal pieces began to melt beneath the heat of the torch. A few more minutes and the deed was done.

Lightning flashed to strike the lightning rod of the church sitting atop the hill followed by thunder immediately after.

She didn't bother with packing up her tools. Nova let go of the rod and stepped away to leave. It was her bad luck it began to slowly lean over and didn't stop. The rod was leaning dangerously and about to tip by the time she reached the ladder.

"Oh, come on!" Nova ran back towards the rod to prop it back up. The metal wasn't cool enough to keep it in place. She tore her cover off her head to fan at its base. It was stupid. She knew it, yet in her panic induced state, she couldn't see beyond the fact that any little bit helps to cool down the metal. She could feel her impending doom and loathed how quickly her life flashed through her mind.

It was boring. Simple. She lacked excitement others craved at her age. Normal girls back in China were already married, expecting children, led successful careers or stayed at home to raise a family. What did she have? An empty apartment with the imaginary pet she doesn't have time for?

Yet it was her fault. Nova wanted this. She constructed her life to avoid any excitement or anything that held a smidgen of potential for drama. Went out of her way to be independent and different from the expectations placed upon her. She was born different having an American mother and independent streak to do everything herself. She was careful, too careful and now here she was holding a death magnet while fanning at metal. Nova prayed to her ancestors to spare her of this calamity and let her live another day.

In a fervor, she chanted to herself, "Please, please, please." Nova slowly let the rod go and cried out in joy when it stayed in place. She'll live!

Nova took one step away from the death trap when it was struck by lightning.

She was too close to escape it and felt the burning from her back radiating outward. Electricity raced through her body and all her muscles contracted at once. She couldn't even scream.

All she could remember was the white burning pain, bright light, the smell of ozone, burnt hair, and the sensation of floating. It was like she was watching it happen to someone else yet somewhere in the back of her mind, she registered that this was happening her.