Shadows & Mirrors // f.hargreeves fanfic

:::: Forty-Two ::::

Sometime later Viktor and Allison had returned to their room where Nova had been furiously scribbling equations into a notepad. She was trying to figure out how this paradox happened and what could be the result. Anxiety coursed through Nova's veins. A grandfather paradox is nothing she had ever encountered before. No one had ever experienced one. The whole idea had always been theoretical. They had learned about it at the Commission as a warning about what not to do while traveling through time. But no one had ever actually been dumb enough to create one.

When Viktor and Allison found the teenage girl they noticed she had also changed out of her tourist-esque clothes. When they asked about it Nova pointed out that if she wasn't allowed to retire she wasn't going to dress like she was. Now Nova was decked out in a long-sleeved white collared shirt with a light brown sweater vest, dark brown dress pants, and black Doc Martin boots. Klaus had called the look "dark academia" and she was kind of into it. Anyway, Viktor and Allison had dragged Nova out of the room as a backup for their meeting with the Sparrows. Now, Nova stood in the courtyard flanked by the two Umbrellas while standing across from Ben and Fei.

"You're one short," Ben pointed out sparking the conversation. Nova made sure to keep her expression business-like and slightly intimidating. It was the scowl she constantly wore at the Commission.

"And you seem to have come empty-handed," Nova pointed out.

"Where's the rest of your pathetic family?" Fei asked.

"Aww, is that the best you can do?" Allison scoffed.

"Where's the rest of yours?" Nova challenged.

"They weren't essential to this meeting," Fei began before tilting her head in Nova's direction, "Last warning, little one."

"Yeah, you don't get to warn me about shit, Flock of She-Gulls," Nova scoffed.

Across from her, Ben let out a laugh that he tried to cover up with a cough. When she tilted her head glancing at him with that calculating curiosity he had to remind himself that she was not Manuela. He couldn't let his guard down even an inch around her. Despite his instincts telling him to.

On the other hand, Nova was not only trying to read Ben's intentions but she was studying his body language. Everything about him was different from her Ben. This Ben held himself with a confidence that bordered on arrogance. It was a stark difference from her Ben who had always been timid and less sure of himself. For Nova, it had been mere days since she lost her Ben for the second time in her extensive life. Seeing this alternative version of her friend standing across from her just reminded her of everything she had lost. But she couldn't let this Ben know how much his presence affected her. No, she had to keep her composure calm, cool, and collected.

"Whatever," Ben rolled his eyes while stealing his reserve before he asked, "Where the fuck is Marcus?"

"Marcus is, uh..." Viktor began not sure what to say. "Marcus...Marcus is..."

"Safe," Allison suddenly cut in glancing back towards the two Sparrows even though she had angled herself away from them so that her back was mostly facing the duo. "For now. But that'll change real quick if you don't do exactly as we say."

"See? I told you they have him," Fei chastised her brother.

"I warned Marcus, but no. He said we had to hear what you had to say," Ben spit out before glaring in Nova's direction, "When we should have been listening to Manu, who told us not to trust you, people." 

"Look, Marcus, wasn't wrong, okay? We want to make things right with you..." Viktor began but Ben interrupted him.

"By kidnapping our brother?" Ben shouted appalled.