Lost Stars

Chapter Twenty Six

-Athena's POV-

"Faster, Nightingale, faster!" Red Hood shouted at me, punching two goons at once. I kept my hands steady, keeping my jaw set and my determination fierce.

My fingers wove through the wires on the bomb carefully. "Nightingale!" Red warned, fighting off the guys who were desperately trying to stop me. I rolled my eyes as a bead of sweat trickled down my forehead.

"Shut up! I'm working as fast as I can!" Despite how nervous we both were, I managed to keep my hands from shaking. I had always been good under pressure.

The timer ticked down. Red Hood kept screaming at me. It was out of his character. Usually, Red was calm under most situations like they didn't even effect him. But, as soon as Black Mask trapped us in the room with an explosive, he turned into a dog on the Fourth of July. His energy was rolling off him in waves. It was effecting me heavily.

As the timer reached one minute, I became desperate. I tugged the bomb off of the wall it was attached to. "What are you doing!?" Red Hood's voice shook. I turned the bomb over in my hands, looking for any way to disarm it.

I stayed silent, ignoring Red. I bit my lip so hard I tasted blood. The casing on the bomb hung open, revealing all the wires and insides of the weapon. I carefully pulled out all the insides of the bomb and cradled it to my chest.

"You're gonna kill us!" Red Hood's voice cracked. I would've laughed, but I was too focused. Although, I did remind myself to bring it up later.

"Chill!" I snapped. I tampered with the bolts, gently pulling them off. The bomb continued to tick down, the sound echoing around the small office. After all the bolts were removed and the wires hung loosely, I decided to make an even bolder move.

I grabbed a wire and slowly pulled it apart from the bomb. I held my breath, but the bomb didn't go off and the timer still continued. I smirked. I grabbed another wire, then two, then three. Finally, there was only a single wire left.

Thirty seconds left. Red Hood finished off the last guy and crouched beside me. Once he saw the time, he started pacing. Red kicked open a section of the glass. He turned back towards me, his hand extended out. "Come on, Nightingale. It's hopeless!" He screeched.

I shook my head. "If I leave this here, it will destroy the entire block! There are civilians here!"

"Just come on! We'll die if we stay!" Red pleaded.

"Go without me," I looked at him, "I'll be fine."

Red took a deep breath. I couldn't see under his mask, but I could tell his eyes were panicked. He stared at me, his hand shaking as he begged me to take it. He stood next to the window, but didn't dive out. I still couldn't understand what was making him so anxious. At that point, I had never seen him so wild and frantic.

Ten seconds.

I stared at the last wire. Relaxing my shoulders and letting my lip go, I pulled out a pair of scissors. I rolled the wire between my fingers, holding it delicately.

Red Hood locked eyes with me. I raised the scissors without looking at the wire. He shook his head. I smiled reassuringly, still staring at him. Not wasting anytime, I lowered the blades to the wire quickly.

The timer ticked to the last second. I felt the power surge through the bomb, but nothing happened.

I sighed in relief and stood up slowly. I tossed the bomb parts aside. Red Hood tore off his helmet as if to see better. Just as I expected, his eyebrows were knitted together and his entire face was tight. He was covered in sweat.