Nova, Part Nine
by ted2112, HSM team writer
The comet was so close it filled the sky. When the sun set on what would be the last day the children of the comet would ever spend together, it illuminated and burned with the intensity of their friendship itself. Central City was theirs; the world, theirs. Nothing, it seemed, remained now but the comet and the Misfits themselves.
Nova’s comet would hit; it was almost there. It would end a ten thousand year journey across time itself to deliver its precious cargo. It was born to do this and it would not fail.
High above the great blue planet her life raft was disintegrating. Nova no longer steered it, but rather she tried to keep it together with ever bit of strength she had left. The blue ocean filled her eyes as it stole her vessel out from under her. The ice was sheared off and shot out in flumes of gas that made the comet look hundreds of times bigger than it was. The ancient rock Nova clung to was starting to come apart in her hands as it met the invisible shield of the outer atmosphere, her light now almost invisible in the maelstrom. A line in space from Cyperus to Earth was finally connected, her journey was nearly complete.
This brief sliver of time would be theirs always, the night of the comet. Sam, Seiphie, Tac and Pence were saying their goodbyes, although they did not know it. The city had cleared out, and headed for the hills. Obeying the civic orders was easy when you were also scared to death of the coming collision and the wave it would ultimately bring. It wasn’t a hard thing to do in an age of mass communication; everyone was the same, leaving orderly. Yet in all this, in a Sportswalk bar, four remained behind.
∞
“I’m buying the next round,” said Sam as he wiped the foam from his mouth.
“You need to be buying all the rounds, pal,” slurred Tac, slightly off kilter with his bucket hat hanging off his head slightly askew. “I think I should stop at this beer.”
“What, do you have to work tomorrow?” joked Pence while sticking his elbow in Tac’s side.
“I would like to thank the academy,” Seiphie said into her mug of beer, holding it to her mouth like a microphone, “and my agent, and the comet for making me who I am today, and tacos for being so tasty.” The rest of the Misfits clapped and cheered.
‘You know what I’ve always wanted to do,” Pence said, as he finished off his beer. “I’m always wanted to run on Sports Field. You know, just kind of run around like a nut.”
“I’ve always wanted to swim at the rooftop pool at the Infinity Towers downtown,” added Seiphie.
“That would be sweet. Agreed Pence, lets do it!”
“We’ll take some beer for the trip,” agreed Sam.
“Pack a lunch,” mocked Seiphie laughing.
They decided to head downtown to the Infinity Towers first, then make their way back to Home Field, The poured themselves a couple of pitchers of beer for the walk, and surveyed the city in this once in a lifetime opportunity. As the Misfits stepped outside they witnessed the spectacle in the sky. The comet burned impossibly close.
“Man, I feel like I could actually touch it,” said Seiphie as she held up her hand to the glowing ball in the sky.
Had the Misfits turned on any of the TV sets in the bar, they would have seen images of the comet passing by the moon, shooting out illuminated arms of gas in a spectacular display of destruction. They would have also seen the graphics of the comet’s impact site far out in the ocean, and tidal wave impact area highlighted on the map. The whole Earth watched and worried, but the Misfits made their way across town, walking down the middle of the street, laughing loudly and generally having the time of their lives. All the anxiety about the comet was gone. It was as if it was an old friend who was tagging along. Often as they turned a corner they would look back over their shoulder and give it directions, encouraging it to keep up with them.
They rode the elevator up to the top floor of the posh Infinity Towers Hotel. Gazing at their reflection in the polished glass walls of the elevator car they saw themselves as they would for the very last time. Four friends who loved each other, four parts of the same whole that would forever be linked to each other. When the car doors opened it revealed a place that normally would be totally off limits to them, but today it was theirs. The rooftop pool was a hangout of celebrities and VIP types, and was famous for a movie shot there that featured an epic shootout scene. The Misfits swam and reenacted their own version of the movie, where instead of machine guns and grenades, they used pool towels and bottles of sun tan lotion. The view from the top of the building was spectacular; the city still illuminated in all its glory.
“Man, look at that thing,” said Tac, as he took the opportunity to spit over the side of the building, then looking up at the comet.
“It’s beautiful,” agreed Seiphie taking her turn spitting over the side into the night air.
“It’s still not hitting, right Sam?” asked Pence sternly.
“Like we could do anything now,” said Tac chiming in.
Sam leaned as far as he dared over the side and spit as far as he could. “No, were going to be ok,” he said suddenly realizing he no longer felt tired at all. He felt alive; better in fact than he had in a long time.
“I’m not tired,” Sam confessed to the others, “It feels funny.”
“How could you be tired at a time like this?” asked Pence. We have the whole city to ourselves, were like kings of the world, he continued suddenly breaking down laughing. It was contagious. All the Misfits suddenly found their crazy situation incredibly funny. The four friends standing there, dripping wet, laughed like they never had before, until they couldn’t take it anymore, and made several attempts to stop themselves, but each attempt only lead to more laughing fits.
The Misfits wrapped themselves in pool towels and dressed like a bunch of spa mummies, and as the sun was rising, made their way back to Home Field. Before they left Seiphie found a black sharpie on a table, and wrote the end is near on the wall. Under it she signed, the Misfits.
The way back was even more fun than the trip there. They found some abandoned bicycles and rode like drunken madmen with towels on their heads through the streets of Central City. They took a brief detour when they reached the Hub, and rode around the cavernous interior and stopped at a store and took several footballs before moving on to the Sportswalk.
They rode their bikes right through the gates into the stadium. The field was still illuminated by high, powerful lights that partially blocked out the comet from the sky. They took turns kicking field goals, most missing badly, but when they made one, a mock celebration ensued to the pretend cheering crowd.
The sun rose higher in the sky and the day turned warmer when Sam suddenly collapsed on the field, and fell asleep.
∞
The comet screamed through the sky, falling apart piece by piece. The roar was deafening. Great sheets of fire sprayed out in front and then wrapped around the speeding rock. Nova dug her fingers into the crumbling rock, feeling as the flame lapped her body. She remembered the final moments of Cyperus as she fell ever closer to the waiting ocean. Her light now glowed brighter and bright, rivaling the brands of fire itself. Her skin moved from a transparent glow to flesh, alive and burning. The pain became unbearable as the rock broke and spun violently.
It took all her strength as she pushed with her newly forming legs and jumped for it. The burning rock fell away hurling itself ever faster at the blue planet. Nova fell. Now with nothing to attach herself to, the whistling of the wind replaced the roar of the comet, and felt the cold against her skin. For what seemed like an eternity she tumbled high above the planet, clouds racing past her, the yellow sun spinning in and out of her vision. Her light was now gone; Nova was flesh and blood as she hit the water.
∞
The comet turned from light to a fiery streak. The Misfits looked up from the field and watched its final moments. Chunks fell off and rode a 
parallel downward route. Seiphie was kneeling beside Sam, shaking him, willing him awake, and screaming his name. After a moment, Tac lifted Sam up from the field, and they began to run for the exit. Not a word was spoken between them as they made their way back out to the gate.
The comet slammed into the ocean many miles away, yet close enough for the Misfits to feel its sudden impact. Tac stopped by the railing that overlooked the water, and put Sam down. The flume rose into the sky far out to sea, the vision arriving ahead of the sound of the collision. The Misfits clung together, realizing it was too late to go anywhere.
August 10th, 2012 by ted2112 | 3 comments
ted2112 is a writer and a Bass player that has been both inspired and takes to heart Kurt Vonnegut words...."we are here on planet Earth to fart around, and don't let anyone tell you different."
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Wow Ted I can’t wait til part ten finishes this. I am loving this Novella.
Ok, I am on the edge of my seat now!! Can’t wait to read the final part! Hope it publishes soon!!! Loving the story!!!
I was going to wait until the series was over to leave a comment but this is really a great story! This would make a great anime type series. I hope you could you put it all together after?