Page 92 of Supernova

“Of course not. I’m only pointing out that your father gathered and used that raw energy, which is possibly the most powerful substance in our galaxy. He made the helmet, among other things, and he made this magnificent gem as well.” She opened her hands to reveal Nova’s bracelet.

Nova frowned. “No, no. My dad made the bracelet, but the gem was made by—”

“Adrian Everhart? Oh, Isaw.”

Nova flushed self-consciously.

“The mural was remarkable, but no. How do I explain this?”Millie rubbed her thumb over the star. “As one of his final acts while still alive, your father made this bracelet, yes?”

“Right.”

“Well, the setting was not left empty because he ran out of time to complete it. In fact, he had already created the gem that was intended to fill the setting some months before, and hid it where he did not think anyone would ever find it.” Leaning forward, Millie pressed a finger against Nova’s heart. “He hid it inside of you.”

Nova blinked, once again sensing that she was being teased. “Excuse me?”

“I mean, not actually righthere,” said Millie, tapping Nova’s chest again. “That just seemed more dramatic than the truth. It was actually stored at the base of your amygdala. Not as romantic, that, but… ah well. I’m sure your father had his reasons.”

Nova held up a hand. “You saw all this?”

With a chuckle, Millie held out the bracelet. Nova took it from her, cradling it in her fingers. “You came to me for answers, didn’t you?”

Nova rubbed her thumb over the surface of the star. It brightened at her touch.

“But… why? What did my father make it for? And why hide it inside of me?”

“We can only guess.” Millie rubbed her cheek, stretching her thin, pale skin with each press of her thin, pale fingers. Then she took another large draft of wine. “Perhaps it was intended to be a weapon, like the helmet.”

Nova chewed the inside of her cheek. It was possible. Her family had never had enough food when she was growing up, and with Evie getting bigger, things had been more desperate than ever. Another weapon crafted by David Artino would have been incredibly valuable. He could have sold it to the highest bidder.

But that didn’t seem right.

A faint memory came to Nova. The day her parents had been murdered, her father had said to her that he hoped the bracelet would put right some of the injuries he’d caused the world.

Still, what did that mean?

Nova’s fingers felt cold as she clasped the bracelet back onto her wrist, remembering the power the star had exhibited, imbuing the chromium spear with added strength. With the help of the star, she had destroyed an otherwise indestructible box.

If the star was supposed to be a weapon, what if her father had been making itforAce, to be used against the Renegades? The Renegades had promised to protect her family from the Roaches, but a part of her had always wondered why her parents hadn’t gone to Ace and the Anarchists for protection instead. Maybe, even back then, her family knew that the Renegades couldn’t be trusted. Perhaps her father had made a weapon that was even stronger than the helmet.

A weapon that was strong enough to defeat even the invincible Captain Chromium.

CHAPTER THIRTY

ADRIAN HAD BARELYseen Nova since she’d been released from Cragmoor. His guilt over not believing her grew stronger every day, mingling with the fear that he might have ruined everything. He wanted things to go back to the way they’d been the night she fell asleep at his house. They had been comfortable in each other’s presence. He felt like he could tell her anything, and like he’d earned the same trust from her. He’d begun to think that he might even be falling in love with her.

But things had changed, and he knew it was his fault.

Nova hadn’t joined them for patrol duties the past few nights, and he couldn’t blame her after what they’d put her through. They crossed paths a couple of times at headquarters, but their conversations were stilted and awkward. Adrian had more daydreams of telling her about the Sentinel than he could count, wondering whether maybe sharing his greatest secret might show her, in some way, how much he really did trust her.

But then he recalled the loathing with which she spoke the Sentinel’s name and knew the time wasn’t right.

There hadn’t been any more sightings of Nightmare since she’d taken his drawings, which added to Adrian’s anxiety. He was sure she was plotting her next strike.

With Ace Anarchy’s execution only hours away, he suspected that strike would come sooner than later. He wanted to believe Nightmare wouldn’t be arrogant enough to attack an event in which almost every Renegade in the city would be present, but then, she’d never shied from taking big risks before.

Adrian made his way down the concrete stands of the arena, the same venue where the trials were held every year. The seats weren’t nearly as crowded now. Members of the media had been invited to witness the reveal of the Renegades’ new weapon, as well as the execution of Ace Anarchy, but these proceedings would not be open to the general public.

Adrian had never been in the stands of the arena, only down on the field. It was a completely different perspective—the buzz of energy from the crowd making the hair on his arms stand on end, the elevated view of the field making him feel more like a bystander than a participant. Which, he supposed, he was.

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