hello, my friends! here is chapter 6!

I hope you enjoy this chapter! I absolutely loved writing it-this is the moment I've wanted to write for the whole story! (I know, I'm maybe a little too into writing natural disasters, but this is soooooooooooo cool!)

I'm going to be doing perspectives from two characters we've never gotten inside the heads of before in this chapter! Nora and Pippin were so fun to write, and I definitely plan to do more from their perspectives! I think they're great characters (well, i might be a little biased, since i created them) and they really needed more insights. I hope you enjoy the newly established love triangle ;)

don't worry friends! I'm gonna work on my Hiro writing too...I miss him...

please read and review everyone! tell me what you think of this story! (also my Resistance arc, it needs more reviews!)

peace out!

—NORA—

Kona thinks I can't tell, but I can. She thinks Kai is cute.

I mean, who wouldn't? With his embarrassed smile, big brown eyes, and small nose, he's just…adorable. Add that to his messy black hair, short stature, and soft figure, and you have this innocent, bumbling, big-hearted kid who would die for someone he'd just met. He's an ENFJ, too—one of the sweetest Types there is. Kai is like gentle water, still and deep-flowing.

I can't pretend I don't think he's cute, too. I can understand why Kona wanted to help him, to warn him about Abigail's plan to kill him. No one should kill something that innocent. Poor Kai.

If Kai is water, then Pippin is fire. The kid's literally an explosion—with his shock of wild black hair, burning blue eyes, yellow hoodie, and boundless energy, he radiates joy and enthusiasm, as well as a burning passion for our mission. Pippin is the sweetest little guy, but I have to admit, I can relate to Kai better.

Kona, quite obviously, is trying not to let Kai see how she feels about him. And if I asked her about it, she'd deny it over and over and over again, but she couldn't hide it from me. No one hides things from me and gets away with it.

As we walk, Kona purposefully distances herself from Kai, evidently hoping that the feelings she thinks she's not allowed to feel will dissipate. We both know they won't.

"When are we gonna get to Sac—Sacka—" Pippin splutters.

"Sacramanchu," Kona corrects him. "Tomorrow afternoon. Perhaps we will find a vehicle there."

"I hope so," Pippin moans, flinging himself down on a rock and putting a hand dramatically over his eyes. "I'm so tired I think I'll die."

"You won't die," Kai reassures him. "At least, I don't think you will—do you actually feel sick, or are you just tired? Is your head okay? Have you taken Advil today?"

"I'm okay, Kai," Pippin grumbles, shoving his brother playfully. "How 'bout you? Are your ribs okay?"

Kai rubs the back of his neck sheepishly. "I was saving the Advil for you—we're running low. You need it a lot more than I do. I can deal with some broken ribs, but a brain injury is more…concerning."

"We can acquire more ibuprofen in Sacramanchu," Kona informs the boys. "Then we will not have to ration it. If we go quickly, we will reach Sacramanchu by noon tomorrow."

"Are we gonna get a car?" Kai asks, his eyes shadowed with exhaustion. I immediately feel the urge to wrap my arms around him, hug him until he feels better. Poor thing must be so tired—his hair is tousled and he looks skinnier than normal. This journey is really taking a toll on him.

"We will see if we can find one," Kona tells him. "I hope we will not have to steal one, but if we must, then we will."

"What?" Pippin yelps. "No! We can't steal a car—stealing is bad!"

"I don't like it either, Pippin," Kai says, "but if it'll save the city, I think it might be worth it. People could die if we don't destroy the superconductor. Our family might get hurt."

Pippin stares at the ground. "But—" He sighs. "Okay. But we'd better leave a note and some money or something like that. I don't wanna steal someone's car without telling them why we need it."

My heart melts. Pippin is adorable. I understand why he doesn't want to steal a car—I don't want to, either, but I agree with Kai. It might be necessary to get one so we can stop Abigail.

We sleep in a hollow that night, curled up in our sleeping bags. Kona and Pippin fall asleep quickly—neither of them will admit it, but they must be exhausted. Kai doesn't seem to be able to sleep, though—he fidgets in his sleeping bag, rolling over and burying his face in his pillow.

"You okay?" I whisper, scooting my sleeping bag a little closer and putting a hand on Kai's shoulder. I try not to show the warm feeling that spreads through me as I touch him.

Kai sighs, rolling back over to face me. "I'm just worried, I guess. And stressed. We've been out here for a week, and it seems like we're getting nowhere. I kinda wanna just call my sister and have her drive out here—but she's got two kids, and besides, no one can get out of San Fransokyo if Abigail is guarding the bridge. And—I'm just scared she might've killed more people I know. People I care about. I already lost my parents and my uncle, and I'm scared Abigail is gonna take more of my family away."

"I'm sorry," I whisper. "That must be really hard. I'm sorry Kona and I got you into this—we should've just let you go that night. We should've just walked away."

"It's okay," Kai tells me. "Abigail probably still would've found me. I mean, I was stuck—I couldn't have gotten away by myself anyway. And I could've been a spy. I wasn't, obviously, but you and Kona had no way of knowing."

"Still," I mumble. "We shouldn't have told Abigail about you. We helped attack your house, Kai—I'm so sorry."

Kai stares at me for a moment, his eyes wide, and then he relaxes. "But then you realized that Abigail was wrong. And now you guys are here—that's all that matters to me. I'm not gonna judge you for who you were a week ago, Nora. I only care about how you are now."

Relief washes through me, and I smile. "Thanks, Kai. Try to go to sleep."

"I will," he assures me. "You too. I don't want you to be super tired tomorrow."

"Of course. Good night, Kai."

"Good night."

I roll over in my sleeping bag, holding the memory of Kai saying he cares about me close to my heart.

The next morning dawns with a light drizzle of rain, and when I wake up, my hair is stuck to my face. I get out of my sleeping bag and go to use the portable shower (an impressive invention—I'm so glad we have it).

We're out of food now, but Kona reassures the boys that we'll be able to get some in Sacramanchu. Still, Pippin throws himself down on the ash and refuses to move for several minutes until Kai gives him the last remaining granola bar.

We set out through the rain, droplets running down our faces, and walk in silence for about an hour. Then Pippin asks, "Are we there yet?"

"Not yet," I tell him. "But we'll be there in a few hours, Pip, I promise."

Pippin looks up at me with wide blue eyes. "Only my dad used to call me Pip."

"Oh, sorry—"

"No," he says, cutting me off. "I like it. You can call me Pip if you want." He gives me a huge smile, and I bestow one upon him in return.

"Once we have the car, we will start driving to the volcano," Kona informs us. "We should be there by tomorrow morning if we go fast and don't stop too often. I will drive—I have my learner's permit. Perhaps it is illegal, but I believe we can overlook that for the greater good."

"If we crash, I'm suing you," Pippin grumbles, and Kai laughs. "We won't crash, Pippin. I'm sure Kona's a great driver."

I wonder why a twinge of resentment flickers through me.

We reach Sacramanchu at about one in the afternoon, and our first stop is a bathroom—the portable toilet works, but if we don't have to use it, we won't. After that, we head to a grocery store for snacks, and Kai and Pippin fill their backpacks to the brim, promptly consuming several bags of chips.

And after that, it's time to steal a car.

We search the parking lot of the store, out at the edge so it'll be easier to drive away without being noticed. Eventually, we find a small Jeep with a convertible top, which is currently closed, and four seats—perfect. Two of the windows are partially open, but of course the doors are locked.

"I can hotwire it," Kona announces, "but it will be much easier if someone can go in and press the button to open the car. It is underneath the driver's side window."

"I'll go," I volunteer. "I think I'll fit."

"But you'll be in danger," Kai says worriedly, and I'm rather pleased to see a swift glare cross Kona's face. Maybe she hasn't stolen his heart.

"The owner of the Jeep could come back at any time," Kai tells me. "If they do, you might not be able to get out in time to hide. I'll go in."

He climbs up to the window and begins to awkwardly maneuver himself inside, worming his way into the car. For a moment, I think it'll work, but then he stops halfway through.

"You okay, Kai?" Pippin asks, his eyes wide.

"Yep," Kai grunts, sounding a little strained. "Almost there—"

He struggles, trying to move forward, but he can't get all the way in. Kai strains harder, trying to pull himself in, but can't seem to squeeze through.

Kona sighs, walking around to the driver's side window so she can see Kai. "Kai, are you stuck?"

"No," Kai pants, putting his hands on the window and pushing as hard as he can as Pippin and I walk around the car to join Kona. "It's just—a bit of—a tight squeeze—"

"You can go back," I tell him, trying to be as kind as possible. "It's okay. I can go in instead."

Kai nods sheepishly and struggles backwards. It takes him a few minutes, but he manages to extricate himself and stumbles backwards, rubbing his abdomen.

"Good try," I say encouragingly. "It's not your fault you couldn't get in. Here, I'll go."

I climb up to the window and slide neatly through the gap, dropping quietly onto the seat and reaching over to press the button that will unlock the car. It opens, and Kai and Pippin climb into the back while Kona slides into the driver's seat, pressing the button that starts the engine. Thankfully, all the newer Jeeps have this feature—you only need keys to get in.

"Wait!" Kai exclaims as Kona starts to pull away. "I've gotta leave a note! We can't take the Jeep without telling its owner why!"

He pulls a piece of paper and a pen out of his backpack and scribbles something on it, then holds it up for all of us to read.

Dear Jeep Owner,

We're so sorry for taking your car. It's vitally important to us—we're using it to get to the Mount of Destruction, where we'll destroy a rare superconductor that will power a legion of robots. The governor of our city, San Fransokyo, plans to use the robots to kill anyone who oppose her. The only way to stop her is to stop the robots, and for that, we need the superconductor. And for that, we need your Jeep.

We promise to return your vehicle in the same condition we found it in. If we fail to do so, we will gladly pay you back for it. Just call us at this number if we do not return the Jeep in two weeks: (619)-831-4200. I'm afraid you'll just have to trust us.

Our deepest apologies,

Kai, Kona, Nora, and Pippin

"Sound good?" Kai asks. "I put my phone number—hopefully we can bring this back in less than two weeks."

"Excellent," Kona deadpans. "Just pin it to the asphalt with a rock or something and let's go. We must hurry."

Kai hurriedly climbs out of the car and puts the note in the parking space, anchoring it to the pavement with a small stone. He leaps back into the Jeep, and Kona slams on the gas. We lurch forward, skidding out of the parking lot and onto the main road. Kona disregards this, flipping a switch on the dashboard and driving out into the Wasteland.

"How fast are we going?" Pippin yells from the backseat. "This is awesome!"

"This is terrifying!" Kai wails, his eyes squeezed shut.

"A hundred and twenty!" Kona yells back to Pippin. "We must get to the volcano as soon as possible!"

But she slows down a little, probably to stop Kai from dying.

We drive into the night, and Kona drinks Dr. Pepper the whole time, trying to keep herself awake. When Kai and Pippin fall asleep, I see my chance to talk to my best friend.

"Kona?" I whisper, not wanting to wake the boys up. "Can I ask you something?"

She nods curtly, her dark eyes fixed on the ash ahead of her.

"Do you like Kai?"

Kona sighs. "Nora, I have only known him for a week. Well, perhaps slightly longer—ten days or so. I cannot fall in love with a boy I've just met, especially one so different from myself. He is an ENFJ—the exact opposite of my Type. We would not make a good match."

"Why not, though?" I ask. Because I want him.

"I am guided by my head," Kona tells me as the Jeep bumps over a small rock. "Kai is guided by his heart. We have very different approaches to the world. Honestly, Nora, he would do much better with you."

Hope uncurls itself in my chest, and I try to stamp it down, whispering, "But I've seen the way you look at him, Kona. You think he's cute—you see something in him. That's why you didn't want to let Abigail kill him. That's why you let him go that night."

Then Kona does something I've never seen her do before, not in all the time she's been driving. She takes her eyes off the Wasteland and looks directly at me. "You love him, don't you."

I glance at the floor. "I don't love him, Kona. Like you said, I can't love a boy I just met."

"And yet you are attracted to him," Kona argues. "Why not just accept it, Nora? You would be a wonderful match for Kai. And I am certain he holds you in the highest respect. Perhaps you can win his heart."

I would, but I can see the sadness behind Kona's eyes. "You could too, Kona. I know you care about him."

"That is not the same as love," Kona whispers. "You can experience love, Nora. I have never known true love—I have never been able to feel as deeply as you do. I do not know how love is supposed to feel, let alone how to deal with it now that I have it. I—"

She cuts herself off, squeezing her eyes shut, and I recognize the hole in her personal wall. She's breached her own defenses. She's admitted that she loves Kai.

And who am I to take him away from her?

Kona deserves him. She deserves all the love she never got to have—the love her parents should have given her, that the rebellion should have given her. The only reason Kona has never known love is because no one ever showed it to her—only me, and she needs a guy to do the same thing. And Kai is perfect.

"Take him," I say softly. "Take him, Kona. Someone needs to love you, and you need to learn how to love. I'll step aside for you—I can find another guy. You'll never find another like Kai in San Fransokyo, no matter how hard you try. Please, Kona, take him."

"I cannot take him from you," Kona whispers. "And I cannot take him as if he is an object."

I open my mouth to protest, and Kona cuts me off. "But I can attempt to win his heart. Perhaps I will. One day, we will both find love, Nora. I am certain of it."

She gives me a tiny smile. "And thank you."

—KAI—

The Jeep rolls to a stop, and I drift slowly out of unconsciousness, wondering how long I slept for. What time is it? Are we at the volcano yet?

Pippin wakes up a few seconds later and asks both of these questions, and Kona replies, "Yes, Pippin, we are here. It is nearly five in the morning."

I realize that the top of the Jeep has been pushed back, revealing a magnificent expanse of stars overhead. The tiny points of light twinkle in the velvety blackness, minute windows through which I can see the wonders of heaven.

Okay, maybe I'm overdramatizing it, but the sky is really pretty. Pippin looks up at it in awe, as do Kona and Nora. We sit there for several minutes, watching the stars wink out, and then I see the volcano.

A massive mountain towers above us, black and jagged and imposing. A bright lava flow snakes away into the desert, and I remember from my Wasteland geography class that it's called the Smoldering Stream. The Mount of Destruction is the thing that destroyed the earth as we knew it, the thing that plunged us into eternal darkness.

I can't decide whether it's beautiful or terrible.

"The ReBCO will be near the base," Kona says, stepping out of the Jeep and drawing her blades. They shine a brilliant white in the darkness, piercing the desolate black landscape. "We will begin excavating now. I have a metal detector—we can search for it before the sun rises. To destroy the superconductive state, all we must do is heat it—and there is a lava flow nearby. Be careful, as there are several precipices near us as well. I suspect they were formed by the shaking of the mountain as it exploded. Spread out and begin searching. The metal will glow faintly and be bronze in color. Good luck."

We all spread out and start to search. It takes about twenty minutes of clambering over the rocks at the base of the supervolcano, but I eventually find my first chunk of ReBCO—small, but obviously deadly. I check with Kona to make sure I've identified the right metal, then chuck it into the Smoldering Stream.

After half an hour, we've excavated and destroyed a lot of ReBCO and are about a half mile away from the Jeep. Kona informs us that her metal detector is still showing at least twenty more pounds of ReBCO in the volcano, so we've got a while to go. At least it's rare, or we'd probably have twenty tons to dig up.

The stars wink out as I throw another chunk of metal into the lava, and yesterday's clouds start to creep up on the volcano, inevitably bringing more rain. I sigh. Oh well—it was nice while it lasted.

Suddenly, a faint rumble ripples through the ground. It might be a small earthquake—I've heard that they still get them around the volcano. It's probably nothing to worry about.

Evidently, everyone else thinks this, too, because they just keep digging through the rocks. I do the same, trying to put the rumble out of my mind. It's fine. Everything's fine. We're safe.

But then I feel it—a much larger rumble, which visibly shakes the ground and actually knocks me over. Scrambling up, I glance at the volcano and realize with a jolt of horror that the clouds aren't rain clouds—they're smoke clouds.

The rumbling starts again, and Pippin screams, "It's gonna erupt!"

"Run!" Kona yells. "Back to the Jeep!"

And I run. I run like I've never run before, sprinting down the side of the volcano. Everyone else is much faster, but I have a ton of adrenaline. I could run forever, as long as it gets me away from the supervolcano.

Pippin is in the lead, outpacing the rest of us by fifty feet, when it erupts.

We're several hundred feet away from the Jeep when the pyroclastic surge hits, and I scream as the rush of scalding air lifts me off my feet, throwing me much farther than I thought it could.

I hear Pippin's shrill, high-pitched screech as the surge hits him, too, and hope desperately that he'll at least make it out of this, that he'll be able to make it back to San Fransokyo and tell Saber and Kusho I'm sorry. I comfort myself with the fact that, even if I do die, I'll at least see my parents again.

The surge slams me down into the rock, and my head knocks against a sharp piece of obsidian. A flash of white light shoots through my skull, then red light, and then darkness takes over as the world begins to crumble.

—PIPPIN—

I hear Kai scream, and then something hits me, so hard I'm flung into the air. I can't help but let out a scream of my own as I fly, then crash down onto the rock, jarring my shoulder painfully. But I don't stop there—I bounce again, and then suddenly, I'm plunged into darkness.

And I'm falling.

It takes me a moment to realize that I've fallen into one of the crevices Kona warned us about—the ones opened up by earthquakes. And I have no way of knowing how deep this one is.

I scream again as I plummet, bouncing off one rock, then another, then finally landing on a smaller talus slope made of shards of obsidian. Unable to stop my fall, I tumble down it onto the ash at the bottom of the crevice, rolling over and over until I finally come to a stop, the wave of heat and ash rushing over me.

My vision spins wildly, the breath driven from my lungs, and I lay motionless on the ash, trying desperately to suck in air as fiery cinders rain from the sky. My head is spinning—I hope I didn't hit it again. My concussion just healed.

After several minutes, I manage to sit up, my vision clearing somewhat. My chest still heaving, I raise my shaking hands to my face and run them over my skin, finding numerous small cuts and scratches—probably from the obsidian. My shoulder throbs where I hit the rock, and I wonder if it's sprained or maybe even broken. Some of the skin on the back of my neck stings, and my hair feels singed—I guess I was burned by the pyroclastic surge, but if it hurts, then it can only be a second-degree burn. Apart from this, I'm mostly just bruised and scratched all over, with a bad scrape on my knee that stings viciously. But nothing hurts so much that I can't move, so I struggle to my feet.

As I glance up at the precipice, I realize with a jolt of horror that lava is pouring from the top of the supervolcano—pouring down the sides of the mountain and running across the landscape. And I'm trapped—it's gonna pour into the crevice and kill me!

But, I realize, it's gonna get to Kai first. And Kona and Nora—I can't let them all die. I have to go get them.

Trying to ignore the still-shaking ground, I stumble back over to the talus slope and scramble up it, trying to climb the edge of the crevice. I go so fast that I scrape my fingers with every handhold, but I don't care. I have to get to my friends.

I fall once, bruising my tailbone, but I climb back up, clawing my way to the top of the cliff. Finally, I haul myself over the edge and roll onto my back, gasping and wincing. My shoulder aches, and pretty much every inch of my skin stings, but I'm out of the crevice and a lot closer to Kai, Kona, and Nora.

The lava is spreading across the ash, though thankfully not very fast. I dodge out of the way of a flaming chunk of obsidian as it falls from the sky and scan the fiery black landscape for my friends, my eyes and throat starting to sting from the smoke. I pull my torn shirt up over my nose and start yelling for the others, hoping desperately that they'll answer.

Finally, after several minutes, a hoarse voice calls back to me, echoing across the shaking ground. "Pippin!"

That's Nora. I start toward her voice, and she comes into view through the haze, blood dripping down her face. I realize with a jolt of panic that Kai's arm is looped over her shoulders—my brother is unconscious, and Nora is dragging him.

I rush over to them and worm my way under Kai's other arm, yelling, "Nora! Are you okay?"

"I'm—I'm fine!" she coughs, stumbling. "We've got to find Kona, Pip—I don't know where she is, she could die!"

"Get Kai to the other side of the crevice!" I decide. "The lava won't get you guys there—I'll go look for Kona! I'll bring her back to the other side, and we can get out of here!"

"But what about the Jeep?" Nora asks, her turquoise eyes huge in her ash-stained, bloody face. "We can't just leave it—we promised we'd return it!"

"Just get to the crevice!" I tell her urgently. "We can come back for the Jeep if there's time—but if we die, there's no bringing it back! Not to mention the fact that we won't be able to stop Abigail!"

Nora nods. "Okay, Pippin—but please, please be safe."

"I'll try," I promise, and then I turn and run into the fire.

I call out for Kona, hoping she'll answer, but I hear no response as more smoke creeps steadily into my lungs, causing my vision to blur. I cough violently, stopping for a moment, and then keep running. Kona can't be far—

My foot catches on something soft, and I trip, hitting my chin on the rock. I wince, knowing it'll probably bruise, but I scramble to my knees and glance over the object I tripped over, a pang of terror shooting through me when I realize it's Kona. Her face is so covered in blood that I hardly recognize her, and her hair is badly singed. She's unconscious, and I know I have to get her out of here before the lava gets here.

With great difficulty, I pull Kona semi-upright—she's way taller than me, so it doesn't work too well—and start limping back toward the Jeep, bursting into a coughing fit. I remember the night of the fire, not so long ago, and walk faster, hoping I won't pass out before I get there.

Kona, while slender, seems to get heavier by the second, and at one point, I fall to my knees, scraping them up worse. Still, I get back up, my head starting to spin again. I'm inhaling too much smoke, even with my shirt pulled up over my nose.

"Pippin!" Nora screams as she and Kai come into view. "Come on—we're almost to the crevice!"

I drag Kona toward Kai and Nora, but the shaking in the ground reaches a breaking point, and the rock beneath my feet jumps. I yelp as it throws me off balance, and Kona's weight collapses onto me, pinning me to the rock as I start coughing again.

After a few seconds, I manage to get Kona off me, but the rock is shaking so violently I can't get back to my feet. Nora is screaming, and it seems like thunder is echoing through the earth. I can't keep back a scream of my own as the rock beneath me crumbles, part of it being shoved upward as the rest splits into pieces. Then it's gone, and I'm falling again.

Kona and I tumble down onto the crumbling rocks, falling faster and faster down the slope that is the base of the supervolcano. The rocks collapse into the crevice I already climbed out of once, and I'm thrown to the ash again—thankfully a softer landing than rock, but it makes no difference to the fact that I think I'm going to pass out. Not from trauma, but from smoke inhalation—I can't stop coughing, and darkness is swiftly taking over, even though the sun should be rising.

I can't stay awake any longer. I let my head flop onto the ash, and my consciousness drifts away into shadows and fire.