A Renegades reveal

I don't know what to name this chapter Part 6

Adrian POV 

The patrol was the most boring patrol they had ever been on. After two eventless hours Adrian pulled Nova aside. "Look" he said "I understand that you are mad at me for lying to you but-" 

"No Adrian I'm not mad at you for lying, I can't be, there are things I have withheld from you that I don't feel comfortable sharing, thats not the problem" she said.

"Than what is" Adrian pleaded

"The sentinel, you, me" Nova said her brow creased "I can't love the sentinel"

"Can you love me?"

"It's the same thing Adrian. Look it's for the best I'm sorry " she turned and walked back to rest of the team where Oscar and Ruby were arguing over correct surveillance tactics.

"What is that" shouted Ruby. Adrian suddenly became alert. 

"What is it" he asked running over to Ruby.

"That sign" she said gesturing down the street. There nailed to a traffic light was a red poster with the words STRONG, VISIONARY, JUST, DO YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO BE A VILLAIN?    Were they mocking the Renegade trials? strong, visionary, just? Villans weren't just, they were villains. Those words made villains seem sympathetic and... good!   

"Let's go take a look" said Adrian, "read the fine print"

When they got down they read the poster this is what it said.

STRONG, VISIONARY, JUST, DO YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO BE A VILLAIN?

FIGHT AGAINST THE COUNCIL, FOR INDEPENDENCE. 

THE COUNCIL HAS FAILED US, THEY CARE MORE ABOUT CATCHING THEIR ENEMIES THAN HELPING CIVILIANS 

PRODIGIES, BAND TOGETHER AND FIGHT FOR FREEDOM!

*no single villain gang claims this

"OK this is absurd" said "everyone knows, heroes are good and villains are bad" 

"Yeah but they make a good point" said Ruby "Renegades are getting a bad wrap since this morning, because of Ace Anarchy's speech people are more likely to listen to a poster like this. It could be a real problem" 

"Yeah right" said Oscar

"Well we should still take it back to the council" said Ruby ripping it off the pole "we don't want anyone else seeing it" she handed it to Adrian, "you can show it your dads right?"

"Of course" said Adrian. All of a sudden their watches dinged simultaneously signaling the end of their patrol.

"I can get home from here" Nova said. She waved at them as they left but Adrian still wanted to talk to her he turned onto a side street and waited a couple of minutes for her to get a head start. But when he turned the corner she wasn't walking in the direction of her house she was walking towards the broken down cathedral. Adrian quietly followed her from a safe distance. He knew that it was probably weird, but it was more weird that she wasn't going home. It wasn't late especially not for Nova but this part of the city wasn't exactly the safest place in the evenings. Nova walked quickly and with purpose, she was so far ahead of him now that he had to jog to keep up with her. Finally she stopped in front of the cathedral. It was in ruins but it was beautiful nonetheless. Nova slipped inside and the doors and crept down a bunch of halls and passages that Adrian recognized. 

This was the way to Ace Anarchy's hideout. Adrian though quickly and decided to draw a bucket of invisibility paint and so he painted himself invisible (AN: points to whoever can name the book reference!) then he slipped into the room with Nova. His breath caught. It was more beautiful that he had realized before, probably because before he had almost been killed but still the place was amazing.

"When I am done" Nova muttered "I will burn this uniform" what? Adrian thought why would she do that? "I'm fed up" Nova called into the room to no one in particular "pretending that I am Insomnia, pretending that I am one of them" Adrian was really confused by now, he knew she had her problems with the councils methods but this was a whole new level. He wanted to reveal himself but he needed to know more. But then he saw the butterflies.

Tons of swirling monarch butterflies near the high ceiling of the room, and one trapped under a glass dome. What was it doing trapped? Then he realized, it was Monarch, it was Danna. He had to free her. He creeped over the the dome and lifted it. Then all the butterflies flew into a dense cloud of wings towering in front of Nova. Nova took up a defensive stance surprised that the butterfly had escaped but ready to defend herself. The Danna apeared a knife to Nova's throat.

"How could you?" She sreamed "I don't even blame you for anything else but how could you keep me trapped like that?" 

"I'm sorry" said Nova "I thought you were going to tell everybody, I'm still not convinced that you're not"

"I promise. But don't expect me to help you or anything"

"Naturally" said Nova

"Well, Nightmare" Danna said with an overdone bow "may I be on my way" 

WHAT!?!?!

The shout echoes through the halls and both of the girls turned to look at where Adrian was standing. He knew they could see him, he didn't know when the paint had worn off but he knew that he was now just as visible as the rest of them. 

"When did you get here?" Danna asked. But Adrian wasn't paying attention to her he was watching Nova her face purple with fury.

"You followed me here! You violated my privacy after I told you to BACK OFF. You want to know why I can't love you? Because you want me dead!" Adrian was dumbstruck. Nova was Nightmare and Nightmare was Nova and yet, he still loved her. How stupid could he be, she probably didn't even actually love him, it was probably all an act. 

"I cared for you! How could you betray us?" Adrian said nearly screaming now. 

"Me betray you, your precious little parents are the traitors, the only one who ever actually cared was Ace and you took him, YOU took everything, the sentinel did more harm than good. Power doesn't make a difference, intention does, what you want to do and how you act on it"

"Ace never cared about anyone but himself"

"Have you ever even met him?"

"I have" said Danna "well not formally, but I watched his interactions with his gang, he's not a bad person. He cared about all of them, Phobia and Nova especially."

"Wait Phobia?" Nova asked

"Yeah they sort of had a thing for each other" said Danna.

"Gross" said Nova 

It was all becoming too much for Adrian, he didn't know what to do, stay loyal to his family his friends and his organization, and tell on Nova probably getting her arrested and neutralized. Or protecting her secret and helping her the girl who had tried to kill his father and himself on multiple occasions. 

He couldn't choose.

Yay

I honestly don't know what he chooses

Yay