Nova plunged through the dust filled air, cold wind clawing at her face. Weightless for the moment, she spread her arms wide, feeling the wind rush through her fingers and pull at her hood and mask. A small bit of joy, a small bit of freedom, even now. But Nova forced herself to twisted away and reach for her grappling hook once again. She braced her arm against her side as she aimed and fired at the rapidly disappearing Terra-dome. Nova heard the clang of metal-on-metal as the hook attached itself, the shock wave running down the line and into Nova's shoulders. Biting back a hiss of pain, Nova let the line slowly unravel, lowering to her the palace rooftop.
Breathless, Nova learned forward, scanning the palace rooftop for any heat signatures or signs of life. Everything seemed clear. The Baine had most likely already alerted the palace security that there had been another attack against the palace, but it was unlikely that the palace security would react. Threats against the Imperial Family had grown, especially as diseases began running rampant and resources began dwindling in the Outer City, but there was little reason for the palace security team to react, not when the civs who caused trouble never lived long anyway. Just another one of the Imperial Family's mistakes, Nova supposed, one that she would not fail to exploit.
Gripping the line in one hand, Nova bend her knees and braced herself as she finally hit the palace rooftop. Another shock wave ran up her spine, but she ignored it as she reset her grappling hook. She watched as, far above her, the hook released itself from the Terra-dome and fell, flashing like a shooting star in the blue light, back to her. That done, Nova scanned the rooftop for somewhere to hide her pack; the extra weight of her tools and radiation suit could very well be a death sentence once she got into the palace, but she'd still need them for the return journey. Nova stripped off her armor and unbuckled the radiation suit, sighing in relief as the cool air brushed against her neck. Tilting her head, she bundled up the radiation suit and, along with her metal cutter and a half dozen other tools, she crammed it under a nearby heating tank. After a moment's hesitation, she strapped her armor back on and returned the she air tank back to her pack, with some of the chemical weapons she was carrying, she might very well need it again.
Nova let her eyes swept the rooftop, checking for any obvious mistakes she'd made. Satisfied she hadn't missed anything, Nova turned her attention to the next step of her mission: actually getting into the palace. Nova blinked away the projection of the city from her visor and replaced it with a copy of the palace blueprints. Parker had spend the last several weeks forming the palace rendering, although, even now, it remained incomplete. It wasn't ideal, but it was better than walking in blind. Just another thing Nova needed to thank Parker for.
Nova bit down on her lip, studying the blueprints. Her primary targets would be in the council room for a few more hours, most likely giving their annual celebration speeches from the safety of the palace. Only The Heir had made the mistake of trusting the civs enough to leave the Inner City and join the celebrations. It didn't matter, Nova knew, the entire Imperial Family would be dead by the end of the night either way.
Nova trailed her way across the palace rooftop, staying hidden deep within shadows when she could. The only point of entry Nova had been able to confirm was a small air vent on the far side of the palace roof; again: not optimal, but then again, none of Nova's plan was perfect to begin with.
It took Nova almost fifteen minutes to get across the rooftop, while still avoiding security cams and trip wires. It took her another four minutes to locate the forgotten air vent. It was smaller than she expected, little more than a rusted grate bolted into the roof. Taking out her knife, Nova bent down and, as forcefully as she dared, jammed the blade under the vent. She pressed down, dislodging rust and blacken dirt, but nothing else. Clenching her jaw, Nova re positioned the blade and tried again, pushing her entire weight onto the handle. The blade snapped. Cursing, Nova rocked back on her heals as she tossed the broken blade away and drew another from her boot. She couldn't help but wish she had brought her metal cutter, even if it was too loud to safely use so close to the palace. Carefully,Nova eased the new blade under the grate, this time nearer to the bolts. And, ever so slowly, she rocked the knife back and forth, flakes of rust chipping off the grate with every twist. The grate groaned, but gradually the vent began to pull away the rooftop. Nova let her head fall back, relief flooding her veins when at last the grate completely disconnected from the roof, rust and pieces of debris falling into the vent.
YOU ARE READING
The Assassin and the Crown of Stars
Fantasía"There had been a time, long ago, long before even Nova was alive, when not everything was made from rusted metal and broken scraps. When there were creatures besides humans and the sky had been blue and visible through the clouds of smoke. When the...
