Chaos: Thunder on High

Chapter Six

"No," Jessica was saying, "I'm not a big fan of pop rock."

Isaac laughed. "Oh, come on. What music do you listen to?"

Jessica shrugged. "Heavy metal or jazz mostly. It really just depends on what kind of mood I'm in at the time."

"Which artists?"

"Wow," Jessica sighed, "that's a pretty big list. I couldn't really tell you…pretty much anything with a good solid beat and screaming guitars."

"I never figured you for a metalhead," Isaac laughed.

"That's what Lucy said," Jessica replied. "Do I just not look the part?"

"It's not that, it's-"

Jessica cut him off by clapping her hand over his mouth. "I don't really want to know, Isaac."

Isaac shrugged as she let her hand fall. She watched him for another few seconds to make sure he wasn't going to start talking again. He didn't, but he turned his head to look out across the countryside to the east. Cars would occasionally drift by along a distant road.

Jessica and Isaac were sitting in the shade of a tall oak tree. It was the only one for miles around as far as Jessica could see. London was a ways to the southeast from where they were.

Then Isaac said, "For what it's worth, I'm sorry about what happened to Lucy."

"Thanks," Jessica replied. She picked up a stick and started twirling it in her fingers. "She didn't deserve what happened to her."

"Yeah," Isaac told her. "None of us did."

Jessica perked up and looked at Isaac with a raised eyebrow. "What?"

Isaac looked at her. "Yes?"

"You said 'us'," said Jessica. "Does that mean…?

"Yes, I'm an evolved as well, Jessica," Isaac replied. "I…meant to tell you some-"

She slapped him across the face. "What the fuck were you hiding that for? I need to know this kind of shit, you dumbass!"

"Language," Isaac said, rubbing the side of his face. "I didn't tell you because…well, because I was ashamed of it."

"So am I," Jessica yelled. "Doesn't change anything!"

"I already knew that you were an evolved," Isaac countered. "You never told me, and I know that you weren't planning on doing so either."

Jessica shook her head. "That doesn't make a damn bit of difference."

"Oh, but it does," chuckled Isaac.

"This isn't funny, you idiot." Jessica moved closer to his face, intent on getting her point across. "I was hiding it for a different reason. You could have told me that you were an evolved after I-"

He cut her off with a kiss.

At first, she was surprised but then she just let it happen. When he pulled away, she just looked at him. "What the hell was that?"

He didn't reply, but just leaned back against the trunk of the tree.

Jessica scowled. "This doesn't change a thing, Isaac."

Then a look of shock came over his face. "Move, now!"

At first, Jessica was confused but then she heard them. Brawlers. She looked around and saw at least ten of the beasts coming right for them.

"Move!" Isaac said, more forcefully this time.

They both jumped. Jessica formed her claws as Isaac's arm morphed into a blade. So he is an evolved.

Jessica jumped at the nearest Brawler, snapping its neck back and tearing its throat out with her claws. She absorbed it almost subconsciously.

Two more Brawlers jumped at her, their claws flailing at her body. Deep gouge marks formed in her skin that healed shortly after were created. Jessica lashed back with her claws. Blood flew in showers and pooled on the ground as she hacked away at the Brawlers.

For every hit she landed, they landed two.

She absorbed the fallen to regain her energy, but found herself being overwhelmed. Apparently more Brawlers had come into the fight.

Jessica was outmatched. These Brawlers were more advanced…more evolved than the ones that she had fought previously.

Ducking under a claw strike, she formed her blade and slashed into the Brawler that had attempted to hit her. The blade tore into it with such fury that the beast dissolved into a shower of blood and gore.

Out of nowhere, one of the Brawlers jumped on top of her and pinned her. It started clawing at her relentlessly.

Then it happened.

Jessica felt an odd tingling sensation over her body. She then exploded into a mass of tendrils that latched onto and tore apart all of the Brawlers in her immediate vicinity. Her body exploded once more. The shockwave sent the beasts flying away in multiple directions.

When it was over, there was silence. Jessica was drained physically and mentally.

"Um…Jessica," said Isaac's voice. She opened her eyes.

Isaac was staring everywhere but at her. Jessica looked down at herself and noticed that her clothes had been shredded. There were gaping holes in her shirt and pants in a few revealing places.

I don't give a damn right now, she thought. "Isaac," she panted, walking over to him. "Are…are you alright?"

Isaac nodded. Jessica could see that he was sweating but she couldn't tell for what reason.

Jessica was grabbed from behind by a whipfist and then promptly slammed into the nearby Thames River.

She tried to redirect herself in the water, but wasn't strong enough to fight the current.

Someone reached in and grabbed her by the throat, then pulled her back into daylight.

Jessica sputtered as she emerged from the water.

The man holding her whistled. "And here I thought your tits would be bigger." Jessica fought against his grip, but she was just too drained to resist him. The chill that she was feeling told her that she'd lost her loosened and shredded clothes in the water when she'd been slammed in.

"It's a pity you won't see Pariah's plan come to fruition," the man said darkly. He drew his hand back, forming it into a claw as he did so.

So now I'm dead. I knew it'd happen eventually.

Then the man yelled and dropped Jessica as he was pulled away from her with intense force.

Isaac grabbed the man himself and threw him down in front of Jessica.

"Do it," Isaac yelled at her.

Jessica mustered up all of the energy she had left and slammed her foot into the man's head. She absorbed him instantly after.

Then came more memories.

"The time is close at hand," said Bulldog. "The fight is not yet over. Pariah expects results and I do not intend to disappoint."

"What's the plan, sir?" A woman asked.

"Whitelight will be released into the London underground tomorrow at midday. We expect a large crowd at the time of the release."

There was a pause, then Bulldog looked at the man whose memories she was viewing. "You're going to find Chaos and get rid of her once and for all. We have a plan in place."

"I'll go with him," said the woman who'd spoken earlier.

Jessica returned to her own mind and sat down on the ground. Water dripped from her hair as she gulped down fresh air, still physically drained.

Isaac knelt down in front of her. "Jessica…are you alright?"

Jessica coughed. "I…I think so."

"What did you learn?" he asked her.

"Whitelight…" she panted. "London…London underground…tomorrow at noon…"

She couldn't speak anymore. Isaac offered her his hand and helped her to her feet. "Thank you," she whispered, then she fell into him. "I can't even…stand right now." She was feeling tired, and literally fell to sleep right at that moment.

(Note: This story is nearing its climax. There will also be a part three to finish the story off. I'm even thinking of an epilogue story of sorts.)