Chaos: Thunder on High

Chapter Five

Lucy's eyes snapped open. It was relatively quiet and chilly, and the first sight that met her eyes was open pinkish-blue sky. Dawn had just broken.

She sat up slowly, groaning.

"Easy, Lucy," said Jessica from just above her. She looked up and saw Jessica sitting above her. Her hair was wet and her pink bathrobe was dirtier than it should have been. Jessica grinned sheepishly.

"Jess," said Lucy groggily, "where the hell are we?"

"Um," Jessica muttered. "M-maybe I should let you find out for yourself. Just don't freak out, the fall will be nasty."

Lucy raised an eyebrow and looked over the edge of the building.

She looked back again, growing dizzy from the extreme height. One thing she knew she'd seen told her exactly where they were. "No shit," she said nervously.

"Sorry," Jessica said, grinning again.

"The bloody Big Ben?" Lucy exclaimed. "Are you mad? Why the hell are we up here?"

Jessica looked out across the horizon. "I thought you might like the view."

"Doubtful, the fall will kill me."

"Not exactly," sighed Jessica.

"What?"

"Nothing."

They sat in silence for a bit. "Well, if it is going to be my last view, at least it's a good one."

For the first time in her life, Lucy was able to appreciate the beauty of London in a way that she never had before. It was a marvelous sight.

"Well," Jessica said. "Now that you're awake we need to get moving." She stood up and stretched.

"What?" Lucy said, growing fearful. "How am I supposed to get down?"

Jessica smirked at her. "Just…um…jump. Trust me, you'll make it." She paused to work her legs a little. "I've got a few things to explain to you when we get back to your house."

Then Jessica jumped. Lucy watched her drop for a minute, but then pulled back once again. Heights always made her queasy.

So, this is it. This is how it ends. My own cousin forces me to jump off of the Big Ben. Quite an end to a story as dull as my life.

Lucy stood, took a deep breath, and jumped before she could change her mind.

The wind rushed past her as she dropped at an unbelievable speed. The ground rushed up to meet her, but she was determined to land on her feet.

When she hit the ground, she was in a kneeling position. She opened her eyes and stood, unable to believe that she was still alive.

"How did-?"

"How well do you know the city?" Jessica asked her.

Lucy blinked. "I, uh…pretty well. I mean…" She shook her head. "How did I survive that fall?"

Jessica sighed. "It's a long story and it's not pleasant, but if you don't mind," She leaned in close to Lucy, "I do not want to stand out here discussing this issue in my underwear."

Lucy looked her over, and only just noticed her bare feet. "Oh."

"I want a shower," Jessica added. "So let's just get back."

"Alright, but I'm not waiting too long for these answers."

# # #

Once Lucy had led Jessica back to her house, Jess had immediately stripped off her bathrobe and underwear as she walked into the shower. Lucy followed her the whole way.

"Okay," Lucy said from the doorway, speaking loudly so that Jessica could hear her over the running water. "What exactly happened to me last night?"

Jessica sighed. It was necessary for Lucy to understand what Jessica had done.

"You got kidnapped by a group of evolved," Jessica replied slowly and loudly. "I followed your kidnappers to a warehouse on the Thames. Bulldog infected you while he had you captive."

"Is that-?

"No," Jessica cut her off. "His strain of the infection was intended to turn you into one of those brawler class infected." She paused and took a deep breath, letting the water run over her face. "I saved you by injecting you with my own strain."

"And that means that…" Lucy couldn't finish her sentence.

Jessica rubbed her forehead. "You're an evolved now…it was the only way to save you."

There was a long moment of silence, and then the sound of Lucy collapsing on her bed.

Jessica left the shower immediately and went to make sure she was all right. Lucy had her hands against the side of her head, but not over her ears.

"I can't believe it," said Lucy. Jessica sat down on the bed next to her.

"Look, I know it's hard to take it in," said Jessica, "because it was for me as well. It only means that you live another day…it doesn't mean anything more than that. I promise."

Lucy pushed herself up to a sitting position and hugged Jessica, not caring that she was soaking wet. "Thanks, Jess…I know why you did it, and I trust you."

When Lucy released Jessica, she cleared her throat. "Well, um, given the awkwardness of this situation…maybe you should finish your shower."

Jessica nodded. "Right."

# # #

Two hours later, Jessica was on the phone with Isaac. She had called him to talk with him about what had happened to Lucy, who was showering herself now.

"I'm not really sure, but it sounds like Bulldog is trying to give Pariah control of the city by infecting its population one person at a time." Isaac paused. "People are vanishing by the day."

"Hopefully I'll be able to stop him in time," Jessica said. "Only problem is that I hate having to jump back into the conflict so soon."

"I'm surprised the military hasn't been called in yet," Isaac replied. "The situation will only get worse from here on out."

Jessica sighed. "Damn this, and Bulldog too. I'm getting tired of putting up with all of this crap."

"I hear that New York Zero is still a dead zone," Isaac then said, changing the subject a little. "You think you might go back there someday?"

"I'm never going back to that hellhole," Jessica shot back. "I never want to see the ruins of downtown New York again." She softened a little. "Too many bad memories."

"That place changed you," Isaac said. "Lucy told me that her favorite cousin was a carefree spirit who had no plans for the future. She just lived for today because her daddy recommended it."

Jessica chuckled. "Did she now?"

"She did," Isaac replied. "I'd like to meet that girl at some point. How about later today for a picnic outside the city? Say around…two o' clock?"

She thought for a minute, and then Jessica said, "I'd like that."

"Then it's a date." With that, they said their goodbyes and hung up. Lucy was standing at the open door of the bathroom, dressed in a simple white tee shirt and tight blue jeans.

"Who was that?" Lucy asked, shaking her damp hair back.

Jessica smiled and said. "My...boyfriend."

This time, it was Lucy who smiled.