Blaze

by Maddie V

Awake again

 

Unlike her previous awakenings, Jess regained consciousness in a single moment. Her mind was remarkably clear and there was no confusion as to where she was. The now familiar green glow was all she needed to know that she was back in her hospital room. The memory of the attacking Lycans and Vampira were still fresh on her mind and the fears and remnants of the pain that had nearly undone her came rushing back.

She felt totally defenseless and alone. Depression, her old friend, was knocking on the door and asking to come in. His voice was so soothing it was tempting just to give in. But, she didn't. She merely pulled herself into a little ball, wrapped her arms around her legs, and began rocking slowly back and forth, trying to find something solid to stand on.

Her door opened and a silhouetted figure stepped through. "It figures, I leave for a minute and you wake up," an unfamiliar voice said.

She stopped rocking, "Do I know you?" she asked.

"Well, yes and no. You know me but we've not been officially introduced yet. My name is Cole. I believe you saved my life," Cole Draven introduced himself. "Mind if I turn a light on? I didn't want to while you were sleeping."

"Yeah, sure, go ahead," Jess answered preparing herself for the brightness. Instead of flicking on the overhead lights, Cole walked over and turned on a small desk lamp that had been left next to her bed. The lamp was a low wattage and cast just enough light to allow them to see each other without causing Jess any undo discomfort. "Thanks, my eyes are a little more sensitive now and those overheads are killers."

"No problem, I remember how sensitive my eyes were when I woke up. I hope you don't mind me coming to visit, but Mandy had to get home to see her husband and Dr. Stevens has been stuck in meetings all night."

"No, I don't mind. I was hoping I'd get a chance to talk to you."

"Good, I hoped you wouldn't think I was a creep or something. I just wanted to thank you for saving my life and apologize for infecting you."

"It wasn't your fault, Mr. Draven, you were spiking. I don't blame you for it."

"Please, call me Cole. Every time I hear Mr. Draven, I want to look around and see where my father is." Cole joked. Jess found that amusing. She wouldn't admit it but she actually giggled.

"OK, Cole, but you really should talk to Mandy about saving your life. She did most of the work. I just drove her to you."

"I talked to her a little while ago. She's a really cool girl. She wanted to make sure I came in and told you thanks as well."

"I do appreciate the thought. How are you doing? I hear you had a rough burndown."

"I'm doing pretty good. I got a new body that looks and works a lot better than the old one. The change was very good to me."

"How so?"

He just smiled and stood up, giving Jess an unobstructed view. He had the classic super hero build, tall, muscular, typical Greek God physique. Jess knew why he was happy, before the change he was the poster child for techno geek, short, overweight, and slightly balding. Now he was nearly the polar opposite and seemed to adjusting well. She was a little upset by the disparity in their changes. She was having a hard time even accepting her new form.

"My old body was weak, out of shape and I was hopeless at anything that required any physical prowess. This new one is everything a geek like me could have wished for. I even got to keep the old brain in here, too," he said taping the side of his head. "It would have been awful if I got this body but had to give up what was up here."

"That's true, I'm glad it has worked out so well for you," Jess replied, trying to sound more upbeat than she was.

"I'm sorry, I'm being an insensitive jerk. I totally forgot that you're changes weren't so appreciated."

"That's OK, Cole, I have to remember to be happy that I'm alive and don't have a thirst for blood."

"True, at least you're trying to think positively."

"I don't have a choice, it's either that or invite Senor Depression in for coffee and a Danish." It was Cole's turn to laugh. He had a warm and friendly laugh that Jess found to be soothing. The more they talked the more stable she felt. She was glad he decided to stop by. He helped pull her back from the edge she had been standing on.

"I have to ask, there's a rumor going around that you're pyrokinetic, is that true?" Cole asked.

"Pyrokinetic? What is that?" Jess asked.

"Sorry, nerded out for a second, Pyrokinesis is the ability to control fire."

"Control really isn't the right word, I can absorb heat like some kind of sponge. That's about it."

"Have you talked with Dr. Stevens since the fire?"

"No, I had a little trouble with some Lycans and Vampira right afterwards. I don't remember what happened until a I woke up a few minutes ago."

"Whoa, you mean you haven't been awake yet?"

"What do you mean yet?" Jess asked a little confused. She'd assumed she'd only been in la la land for a few hours.

"That was two days ago. The fire was in all the papers. They were saying that the flames were drawn to you."

"I've been out for two days!?"

Cole looked a little stricken, "I'm sorry, I didn't realize that you hadn't been awake since then. I guess this is all new to you."

"Damn, I'm getting really tired of this waking up and not having a clue what's going on with me," she commented angrily.

"Hey now, take it easy. There's no need to get yourself all worked up over something you can't control," Cole said trying to calm her down. She made an effort to relax and took a few deep, cleansing breaths.

"Thanks, I feel a little better."

"You're welcome. It's the least I could do."

"So I made the papers, huh. I hope they gave the credit to the fire department. They're the ones who deserve it."

"I think there was a small mention of the fire department's involvement. I'm sorry to say but they seemed to be focused squarely on you. There's a picture running around that shows what looks like you glowing yellow and wrapped in flames. I thought it was photo shopped or something but I guess it's real. They're calling you 'The Blaze'"

"You've got to be kidding," Jess said in disbelief.

"Hey it could be worse, one paper was actually trying call you Miss Flame for a while."

Jess could only manage a severe look of distaste. She didn't want to be in the papers and she really wasn't looking to become the latest RV altered superhero. Hopefully, the hype would die down quickly and she'd be able to start putting her life back together. Which, she admittedly wasn't very enthused about either. She'd been fighting depression since she woke up the first time and was losing the fight. She felt herself slipping slowly down onto the dark depths.

There was a knock on her door and Robert stepped in, "How's our friend doing, Cole?" he asked.

"Don't ask me, Robert, you're the doctor. I think she'll live, though. Whether she'll be happy about it, I don't know," Cole answered. "It was really nice meeting you, Jess, I hope we get to talk more later. I've got to go. I'm expecting a few friends shortly."

"Thanks for keeping an eye on her."

"Anytime, Doc, there are much worse things to have to keep an eye on," Cole grinned. That comment made Jess shudder. She wasn't into men and didn't really like having one look at her that way. Robert's little smirk didn't make her feel much better. Cole made his exit leaving Robert and Jess to themselves.

"How are you feeling, Jess?" Robert asked.

"I don't know, Robert. I just don't know. All of this has been crazy and I'm afraid to think about what might happen next." Jess answered.

"I can only imagine. I'm sorry I couldn't be here when you woke up. I've spent the last two days trying to figure out what happened. You keep throwing new things at me."

"What have I done now? No, wait, let me guess, I can breathe fire now, right? That would be just great. Maybe the papers could get a picture of me doing that. Then they could call me Dragon Girl or something equally ridiculous," Jess commented sarcastically. She was desperately trying to gain some control of her life.

"Well, not that I know of but, at the rate you are going, you might be able to by the end of the week. What I do know is that you've managed to heat treat yourself."

"What do you mean heat treat?"

Instead of trying to explain his theory to her, Robert grabbed a large syringe and quickly tried to stab Jess with it. He connected with her arm just below her shoulder. She flinched and grabbed her arm out of reflex. Robert was afraid she was going to set him ablaze with the look she gave him. He showed her the now completely unusable syringe. The needle portion had been bent into a simple L-shape. Jess looked at the mangled syringe then at her uninjured arm and back to the syringe. Her brain was busily trying to process what she was seeing.

"What in the Hell?" she asked confusedly.

"It means that you and a tank have a lot in common. You both have very tough skins. We can't even scratch yours now. Drawing blood is impossible."

"What does that mean?"

"It means you can drop your health insurance now. Your body is too tough for us to work with and your metabolism is too high for oral medications. Not to mention, the fact that you've rewritten the book on RV and no one has any idea how to treat you."

"Does that mean I'm on my own now?" Jess asked.

"As far as physical treatments go, yes. I wouldn't worry though the likelihood of you getting injured now is very slim. Getting sick shouldn't be a problem either. Just heat yourself up a couple hundred degrees and that should take care of any bug you might catch." Robert advised.

"That's good news, for once. Anything else I need to know?"

"Just how to control your abilities. You nearly destroyed three buildings the other day."

"I did what?"

"That's what everyone is wondering. We know you went for a walk after the fire. I was talking to Sam when the sky was lit up by a giant fireball. When we got to where we thought it came from we found the buildings severely scorched and you lying unconscious in a burning playground. You were in the middle of five smoking piles later identified as three Lycans and a couple Vampira. We assumed they had attacked and you somehow released the remaining energy that had been absorbed from the fire."

"That's just about what happened. Add in a visit from Diablo and you got pretty much everything," she shrugged.

"Diablo!? What did he want with you?" Robert asked worriedly.

"He wanted me to join him. My refusal wasn't something he wanted to hear, so he tried to have his lackeys torture and kill me. They began attacking me and I got really scared. I remember feeling this pressure build up in me. I don't know what I did but it hurt like Hell. It felt like I was tearing myself apart. The next thing I remember is waking up in here. Hopefully, that's not going to be a regular occurrence. I can only imagine what my hospital bills are going to look like."

"Jess, this is serious business. Diablo doesn't leave loose ends. He'll probably come looking for you."

"Come looking for me? Why? I'm nobody."

"Because, you turned him down and killed five of his crew, that's why," a figure hidden in the shadows rumbled. Neither Robert nor Jess knew he was there and they were both startled by his appearance. Robert was the first to regain his composure.

"Dammit, Jack, I thought I asked you not to do that," he admonished.

"Forgive me, Robert, force of habit," Jack calmly replied.

"I wasn't expecting you until tomorrow," Robert continued.

"I thought I'd get an early start. The sooner we get her moved, the safer everyone will be."

"Wait, hold on, what do you mean move me?" Jess asked.

"You're not safe here. My guess is that Diablo either knows where you are or he will find out soon. Either way isn't good for you. We need to get you out of here and someplace he can't get to you," the mysterious stranger answered.

"Is he really that bad?"

"You've heard the stories about him haven't you?"

"Yes, but I figured they had been exaggerated," Jess answered.

"As far out as they may seem, most of them are true. He is not someone to cross or get on the wrong side of. You have unfortunately done both."

"Oh wonderful, this just keeps getting better and better."

"Don't worry, I'm taking you someplace where you'll be safe and have the opportunity to learn how to control your new abilities."

"I don't really have a choice, do I?" Jess stated

"No."

"Well, Robert, am I free to go then?" she asked.

"I can't do anything for you here, Jessie. Jack is a good guy. You can trust him and I'll check up on you in a few days," Robert replied.

"Will you tell Mandy where I'll be? I hate running out on her."

"Don't worry, I'll let her know. Now get out of here before someone comes looking for you."

"Thanks, Robert, I really appreciate all you've done for me. Just one more thing," Jess said.

"Yes, what is it?"

"Do I have anything to wear other than this stupid gown?"

"I thought that might be a problem. I had Mandy pick some stuff up for you. It's in the bathroom. Nothing fancy, just the basics. We thought we'd stick with jeans and t-shirts for now. Mandy thought it would be easier on you that way. Just one thing, don't go near any fires this time, OK?"

"Yes, Dad, I'll be good. I promise not to ruin my new clothes," Jess grinned at him.

"Good girl, now I've got some work to do so I'll leave you in Jack's more than capable hands."

"Bye, Robert. Thanks again." He smiled at her then turned and left the room. "I guess I'm in your hands now," she said looking at Jack.

"Do you always go with strangers so willingly?" he asked her.

"At this point, what do I have to lose? Besides, according to Robert, its not like I can get hurt very easily," she replied.

"Good point, why don't you get into something a little less revealing? That gown does nothing for you. While you're getting dressed I'll go get my other charge."

"Other charge?"

"Yes, you're not the only one I'm here for. I believe you know him, Cole Draven?"

"I do. I met him earlier tonight. Cole's a sweet guy. He's coming with us?"

"Yes, I'm the one who gets to help you two get a handle on your new abilities. I wasn't planning on picking you up until later but your run in with Diablo forced me to move up my time able a little. I'm afraid you won't be getting any time off," Jack said as he left the room.

Jess headed toward her little bathroom wondering just what she had gotten into and what she had become. Her comment about not having anything to lose had been a half-hearted joke but ended up being closer to the truth. She felt like someone had taken her life, thrown it in a blender, and hit puree. She wondered if things were going to turn out well or not. Her hopes weren't too high since her life so far could only be described as a train wreck.

On the plus side, she was starting to get used to some of her new abilities. She didn't need to turn the bathroom lights on, thanks to her new eyes. They were revealing more detail now and she could easily read the tags on her recently purchased clothes. The bra and panties were a simple flesh colored matched set that fit well. The tag on the bra stated she was a 36b, which was fine for her. The last thing she wanted to deal with was having a large chest that attracted more attention. She discovered she was a size eight and that Mandy had spent way more money than she thought was possible for a pair of jeans. They were lightweight, flexible, and the perfect fit. Maybe spending $130 for a pair of jeans wasn't so bad. They were the most comfortable pair she had ever worn.

'So far, so good,' Jess thought to herself. 'Mandy is being very nice to me.' She picked up a dark olive green baby doll T, it wasn't exactly what she had hoped for but it would at least cover most of her. The neckline was a little lower than she would have liked but she could live with it. It felt like a second skin when she put it on, the fit was snug but not tight and she had plenty of stretch to allow her to move comfortably. The tag still attached to the sleeve revealed that the relatively simple shirt cost $45. That was far more than she would ever have spent as Jonathan. Being Jess, she felt that the money was very well spent and she had to readjust her thinking towards clothing and price.

Jonathan had never been one to either spend much money on clothes or care how comfortable they were. His wardrobe consisted mainly of economy brand jeans and t-shirts. He had a variety of colors but they were all very lightweight cotton/polyester blends that tended to wear out quickly. Mandy had bought him half a dozen name brand one hundred percent heavyweight cotton shirts in his normal range of white, black, gray, khaki, forest green, and navy just to prove the point that spending a little more money had its advantages.

Jess had to remember to thank Mandy the next time she saw her. Comfortable clothes had become a much higher priority recently. Maybe it was the gender switch or just the fact that she'd nearly been killed multiple times in the last few days. She realized that life was indeed short and she had to try and enjoy it while she could. If that meant spending about ten times more money on her clothes, then so be it.

A pair of white socks and a red hair band was all that was left on the counter. She slipped the socks on and scanned the floor for a pair of shoes. She located a short pair of chunky boots next to the door. They were very similar to the ones that Jonathan would usually wear and Jess found that she still had the same taste in footwear and was more than happy to slip them on.

Her hair had repeatedly fallen into her face as she was trying to get her boots tied. She used the red hair band to pull her hair back into Jonathan's normal ponytail. She flipped on the light switch and was temporarily blinded by the relatively bright light.

"Ouch, Damn, that's bright!" She swore. She had forgotten how sensitive her eyes had gotten. It took a few seconds for them to adjust to the greater amount of light.

"Everything OK in there?" Jack asked as he returned with Cole.

"Yes, its just that my eyes a very sensitive anymore. I about blinded myself when I turned the light on."

"You'll get used to it, don't worry. You just about ready?"

"Yes, just another minute," she answered. There were still a few things she needed to take care of. The first was a good look at the lady in the mirror. She noticed her dark mysterious eyes first. They gave her an exotic if not quite alien air. Her very light pinkish skin was well contrasted by her nearly outrageous flaming red hair. The square but feminine face, while not likely to win a beauty pageant, was very pleasant to look at. Her body was long, thin, and sensuous. Jonathan would have been more than happy to meet a girl that looked like Jess.

"Oh man, I'm in trouble," she said to the girl in the mirror. Jack had come to see what was taking her so long and overheard her comment.

"Why do you say that?" he asked.

"Look at me," she responded.

"You're beautiful, so what?"

"I'm six feet tall."

"And?" Jack still didn't get it.

"Bright ass red hair and nice body," Jess continued.

"I still don't see a problem."

"I'm every teenage boy's fantasy girl. I'm going to stick out like a sore thumb. I'm never going to be able to hide from Diablo."

"I see your point. Don't worry, where we are going, no one will notice you and Diablo won't be able get to you."

"Where are we going?" Jess asked.

"I'd tell you but then I'd have to kill you," Jack grinned.

"Ugh, he didn't just say that. Please tell me I just imagined it," Jess said looking at Cole.

"I'm afraid he did. Sorry, Jack, but no points for creativity," Cole replied.

"Ok, it was pretty cheesy but I'm not known for making jokes."

"Then what are you known for?" Jess asked.

Jack just smiled at her with a you'll see smirk on his face, "I'm the original superhero."

"You're Beowulf!?"

*

Beowulf

Jess was really nervous after she found out that Jack was actually Beowulf. He was the first RV created superhero and was a living legend. She wasn't normally the type to get star struck but she just couldn't help herself. Being a Med Runner put her in the center of the RV subculture and had heard all sorts of stories about him. He was the one super hero that she had hoped to meet and he was sitting next to her as he drove them to wherever they were going. She admittedly wasn't paying much attention; she kept finding herself staring at Jack. Her old shyness had returned and would not release her voice.

Jack and Cole had been jabbering on about all sorts of superhero stuff that Jess just didn't have a clue about. She tuned them out after about half an hour. It seemed that a lot of terminology developed from comic books was being used in real life. Jonathan never really got into comic books. He would occasionally read one but just never became a fan. He preferred fantasy and suspense thrillers. She was lost in thought when Jack' voice brought her back to into reality.

"Are you going to stare at me all night? It's usually the guy staring at the girl, ya know?" Jack asked.

"I'm sorry, I just can't help myself. I can't believe that I'm riding in a car with THE Beowulf," Jess answered.

Jack laughed, "Technically, that's true but just think of me as Jack Clark, normal guy."

"I can't now. I tried to think of you that way but my mind keeps bringing up all the stories I've heard about you over the last few years. Are they true or are they just really exaggerated?"

"I'm sure they've been embellished, but the truth is strange enough to stand on its own."

"Did you really get infected by RV trying to save your partner?"

"That's not exactly how it happened," he stated.

"Not exactly?"

"It's a long story," he answered.

Jess sensed something in his comment. She couldn't explain what she felt but it was definitely there. "How long do we have until we get to where we're going?"

"A few hours. I'm taking the long scenic route."
"Good, then we have time if you want to tell me," she said giving him her best puppy dog eyes.

"I'm sure Cole doesn't want to hear about it," he hedged.

"Actually, I'd love to hear it directly from you," Cole chimed in.

Jack seemed to debate whether he should tell the story. A few minutes later, he decided to tell the tale, "If you'll quit staring at me, I'll tell you."

Jess looked out the window and said, "OK, nothing much to look at out here since it's night time and we're in the middle of the desert, but I'll hold up my end of the bargain."

Jack thought for a minute then said, "OK, let's see, where shall I start? I guess way back in the beginning. You know that most of the first people to change turned out to be insane and mostly evil. I was a cop back then. My partner Joel Turner and I had been together for a little more than four years when we started dealing with RV altereds.

It was a tough time for the police, the new creatures that were being formed were so different than the humans we were trained to deal with. They were bigger, faster, and tougher than we were. In a fight, they'd shrug us off like we were rag dolls. Even when deadly force was authorized we found ourselves at a disadvantage. A well-placed bullet could take care of even the most insane and dangerous human but only served to piss Lycans and Vampira off.

Our regular guns were useless and we quickly had to begin improvising new ways to handle them. Joel and I were able to find some pretty useful techniques along with modifying our weapons to be more effective. We ditched the standard issue nine millimeter and super-sized ourselves up to .50 caliber Desert Eagles with Magnaport compensation vents, magnum rounds, and ten inch barrels. With nearly 1500 fps muzzle velocity, they packed a Hell of a punch and were still relatively controllable. The last piece of the gun puzzle was laser sights which allowed very precise shots."

"Desert Eagles are canons. I know Lycans are tough but .50 caliber!" Cole exclaimed clearly excited.

"You've never had to deal with either Lycans or Vampira, have you? If we could have gotten something bigger we would have." Jack responded.

Jess was afraid the conversation was about to turn into a weapons discussion. She knew that a Desert Eagle was a big gun but that was the limit to her gun knowledge. "As fascinating as learning about the virtues of using really big guns against 3c's is, can we get back to the story?" She asked trying to steer the conversation back on track.

"Sorry, Jess, I forget girls aren't into guns," Cole apologized. His comment wasn't meant to be chauvinistic but Jess did take a little offense to it. Even as Jonathan, she wasn't interested in guns and she knew of at least two women who probably knew more about guns than either Smith or Wesson. In the interest of keeping peace, she let his comment slide.

Jack picked his story back up, "We were slowly making progress in the evolutionary arms race. The altereds still had the advantage but we were quickly gaining on them. A few months later, we were even with them and within a year, we were gaining the advantage. That's when Danny Stull, a.k.a. Diablo, showed up on the scene. He was a nasty little creep who had a gimmick. Being able to control the minds of 3c's was something that we hadn't encountered before and we didn't have a method of dealing with it. He could also vibrate his molecules fast enough to slip through solid objects. Those two abilities made him very hard to catch.

He was using those abilities to consolidate a power base using Lycans and Vampira as muscle. We were assigned to track him down and get him off the streets. It was a tough assignment. Danny was a slippery little devil who always managed to keep himself clean. We must have nearly arrested him fifty times and every time one of his puppets would "decide" to come clean, turn themselves in with a full confession, and have intimate knowledge of the crime. We knew he was the puppet master but we didn't have any proof. Proving mind control is notoriously difficult in court.

A rumor started circulating that our boy Danny was planning a crime spree and was assembling a team of the toughest 3c's he could find. We started tracking down leads trying to confirm it. I got a tip from an informant that said Diablo had set up a meeting with his ranking officers to solidify his plans. Joel and I decided to crash the meeting: that way we could get a good idea of who was involved and what was going down.

The meeting was held just outside the populated zone in a semi rundown warehouse. Why that didn't clue us into something being fishy, I don't know. It was so cliché that we should have questioned the validity of the whole thing but we were so intent on getting Diablo that we just overlooked it. Surveillance got set up early so we could get photos of everyone who showed up. Two dozen Vampira and Lycans arrived shortly before Diablo. With the meeting on the second floor inside a small group of offices, going into the building to plant some bugs was wasn't an option. Rifle mikes were used to listen in on the conversation.

We weren't very happy as we listened to the laundry list of planned activities. There was everything from purse snatching to extortion. Diablo had planned a widespread intense attack to find where our weaknesses were and exploit them. We had heard all that we needed to. The entire conversation had been recorded and we had more than enough reason to bring them all in. We got our team set up around the building and Joel and I went in to give Diablo the good news.

It never occurred to us that it might be a setup. The informant was reliable and the plan certainly fit Diablo's megalomaniacal profile. We were sloppy and didn't positively identify everyone who showed up. If we had done that, we'd have known something was up. Diablo had stacked the meeting with muscle. He set up a trap and we walked right into it. The only thing we didn't do was tie a nice bow around us and leave a thank you card.

He was waiting for us when we walked in, "I see you finally decided to make an appearance. I was starting to think you weren't going to show." Diablo smiled.

That had me a little worried. He should have been at least a little surprised.

"Shit, Jack, we just walked into a trap," Joel swore.

"Yes, Mr. Turner, you have delivered yourself quite nicely. Now, I could sit here and tell you about my plans like some sort of third-rate comic book villain, but I'm not that stupid. I don't expect either of you to walk out of here but there is always that miniscule possibility that you will be able to weasel your way out so I'm not about to give you anything that may come back to haunt me later. You two have been a thorn in my side long enough. You're starting to affect business and I can't allow that to happen any longer. If it's any consolation, I do appreciate you removing my competition," Diablo stated.

"You've lost your mind, Stull, this place is surrounded by thirty officers, you're the one who isn't escaping," Joel returned.

"Sorry, there were thirty officers outside, I would guess that by now there are less than ten that are fit to fight, my Creepers are very efficient."

"You're bluffing. Creepers are tropical creatures, they can't survive here," I informed him.

"You're half right, Mr. Smith. They are tropical and can't survive here for long. But they can survive long enough to dispatch with you and your team."

Cole commented, "You've got to admit, Jack, bringing in Creepers was a stroke of genius."

Both Jack and Jess were surprised by his remark. Jess was worried by the almost gleeful tone in his voice. Jack looked as if he was trying to decide whether he should kill Cole or just put him in intensive care. Cole seemed to sense the tension, "Evil genius, but genius either way."

They couldn't argue his point. It was a brilliant move on Diablo's part. Jess just reminded herself not to underestimate him if she ever ran into him again. Jack was still angry about the comment but he knew that he was the one who screwed up. It didn't make him feel better about it, but he no longer wanted to cause Cole any bodily harm.

Before anyone could say anything else Jess asked Jack to finish the story. He smiled at her then continued, "I tried the radio but only got static. The severity of our situation began to set in. The Vampira and Lycans were relatively easy to deal with. We knew how to handle them. The Creepers were a whole different story. Those bastards are plain and simply evil with a capital E. They are big, fast, and unpredictable. They won't even notice being shot with anything short of a minigun. Our Desert Eagles had the power but not the firing rate we needed. The Creepers were actually my second worry. My first was the two dozen Vampira and Lycans we were staring at.

The sound of gunfire started outside. The automatic fire must have been coming from S.W.A.T. Everyone else was carrying small arms and shotguns. I wasn't sure whether to be relieved or worried at hearing it. Hearing it meant that there were officers alive out there but it also meant that the Creepers were out there, too. I hoped that the guys outside could handle them. I had a few Lycans and Vampira to worry about.

"I'll let these boys keep you company until the Creepers are finished with your team," Diablo smiled then he did his move through solid objects thing and slipped through the floor down to the first level.

That must have been the signal telling the Vampira and Lycans they were free to tear us apart. They went berserk and launched themselves at us. Joel and I turned their attack into a run and gun fight. We took turns covering the other as we made our retreat. By the time we got to the first level we had cut their number in half. It was the scariest situation I had ever been in. Being surrounded by so many 3c's was not a comfortable position. Joel was taking down the Lycans with a two fisted approach. His twin Desert Eagles were pounding out round after round. I'll never forget how loud they were inside that warehouse. Add the roar of the Lycans and the shrieks from the Vampira and it sounded like Hell was coming for us.

I remember jumping down the last three steps listening to Joel fire off rounds, boom, boom, … boom, boom, ...boom, boom. The whole damn building shook every time he fired a round. He finished off a Vampira and put two rounds into a Lycan that had closed the distance between us. It made a leap at me just as I cleared the last step. Joel didn't have a clean shot at it. He yelled at me to duck a half second before I was hit with the full force of the Lycan. It added more momentum than I could carry knocking me forward into a half roll half spin. I came up firing my DE's. Both shots caught the Lycan in the throat ending his fight.

We put down three more Vampira and two Lycans before the remaining five decided they had enough and made a quick retreat. I'm pretty certain that at least one of them wasn't going to make it far. I had put half a dozen rounds into a Vampira but the devil wouldn't go down. Their retreat gave Joel and I a chance to regroup. I knew I had taken a minor bite from the Lycan and that it probably infected me with RV, but at the time I didn't really care. I was more concerned with Joel and I just getting out alive. He had taken a few minor scrapes but we had escaped any mortal damage.

"Well, Jack, so much for the easy part. What's the chances that we'll make it out of this still standing?" Joel asked.

"I wouldn't want to see the odds," I answered. The fight outside had gone eerily quiet. There were no sounds on the radio and no voices in the air. I knew the Creepers had done their job. I just hoped that our guys had managed to take a few Creepers with them.

"What do you know about Creepers?" Joel asked.

"Other than they make the aliens from the movie Alien look like kittens, not much. They're tanks so it's going to take a lot to put even one down. We don't even know how many he's got out there."

"Well, I've got about fifty rounds left. How about you?"

"The same, any ideas?" I replied.

"Yep, this isn't a fight we can win. Trying to go toe to toe with these things is suicidal. I say we try and punch a hole through them and get to the car. If we can hold them for a few minutes, maybe we'll get out of this."

"Sounds like we're ready then. Back to back or side by side?"

"Side by side. Speed is more important. I'm willing to bet that they won't be trying to sneak up on us."

Joel kicked the door open and we came out ready for a fight, everything was quiet. We didn't mess around and headed straight for our car. I caught site of a Creeper slinking behind a garbage dumpster. I nudged Joel and took aim at the dumpster. We were ready for it when it stepped around the corner. We both squeezed off a pair of rounds from all four guns. It took all eight shots square in the chest and staggered back but didn't go down. It just looked down at itself like it was trying to figure out what just hit him. Joel and I let another eight rounds fly and the previously stunned Creeper sank to its knees then fell face first, dead.

I was surprised by the way it looked. I had seen photos of them before but they are scarier in real life. The one we just took out was relatively small, probably only stood six feet tall or so, not really any taller than me. They're supposed to be big. Their average height is between nine and ten feet with the really big females pushing eleven feet. I thought that it was not quite fully grown, probably just a young adult.

In spots it was covered in a shiny black chitinous armor similar to the exoskeleton of an Egyptian scarab. Its head was elongated with a short solid-looking crest running from its forehead backwards. The crest began to break up as it reached the creatures back turning into a series of wicked dragon-like spines that gradually reduced in size until they disappeared into a long smooth tail. The tip of that tail formed a sharp spike that I'm sure could cause some serious damage.

The tail isn't really your biggest concern with Creepers. The real business end is the mouth and claws. Each hand has three fingers tipped with large claws that are used to grab its victims. The killing blow is its crushing bite. Creepers use a technique similar to South American Jaguars, in that once they grab the victim; they'll position their big canines on either side of the head and bite down. They'll either crush the skull or pierce it, causing instant death. With all the studying I've done and seeing them in real life, I have no doubt that no human could go one on one with a Creeper and survive. I'm getting off subject, here."

Listening to Jack's description of the Creepers sent chills down Jess' spine. She had been staring out the window trying to keep her end of their bargain while he talked. Her mind began conjuring up Creepers and she was almost certain that they were out in the dark desert watching and waiting for them. Her blood ran cold at the thought and the car's heater did little to warm her. Risking Jack's disapproval, she returned her eyes to the inside of the car but made an effort not to stare at him. She didn't need to worry, Jack was in the past and not really paying that much attention to what was going on around him.

"We covered half the distance to our car when we spotted the second Creeper. It was crouching behind an abandoned truck. Joel just barely caught sight of its clawed foot before we got to it. The closer range allowed us to get three accurate headshots each. That ended the second Creepers involvement. It was only slightly larger than the first. We were starting to think their toughness and size was overrated. We did have the advantage of catching them off guard and hitting them with some serious firepower in critical areas, but it was still much easier than we had expected.

We both slammed fresh magazines in all four Desert Eagles and continued toward the car. I started to think that maybe our guys had managed to take out a few of them. We crossed the remaining distance and made it to our car without further incident. Joel fired up the engine and jammed the transmission into reverse as I watched what might have been the biggest Creeper ever seen come bounding out of the darkness.

Judging by the size alone, I figured it was a female, probably the other two Creepers' mommy, and she wasn't happy. Once she got within twenty feet of the car, she jumped and landed squarely on the hood of the car, smashing the windshield. I squeezed off four rounds just as she landed hitting her with all four shots but missing any critical areas. The only thing that those hits did was piss her off. She literally peeled the windshield back like it was tissue paper. I continued pumping rounds into her but she didn't really seem to notice.

The screeching sound she made was similar to finger nails on a blackboard. It was making my skin crawl. I emptied the last few rounds then had to reload. That gave the Creeper the gap it needed. It shot a clawed hand through the missing windshield, catching me in my shoulder and leaving four very large holes.

Joel took up his guns while I tried to get mine reloaded. The pain in my arm was making it difficult to maneuver. By my count, we had hit that monster with at least eighteen .50 caliber rounds and it was still fighting. I finally got reloaded and back into the action.

In an effort to dislodge Mommy, Joel spun the car around but she held fast and continued her attack. My left arm was useless. I couldn't even lift the gun much less deal with its recoil. I ripped off all seven rounds from the first gun then dropped it and picked up my second. I put another five rounds into that Creeper before she finally let go and fell off the car. That's thirty rounds at very close range and I wasn't sure whether it was dead or just severely wounded. Joel buried the gas; putting some much needed distance between us. He headed straight for the hospital."

"I heard that Creepers were extremely tough creatures but I never thought they could take that much punishment," Jess stated amazed. "I'm just glad I've never run into them."

"Consider yourself lucky. I hope you never see one."

"So what happened after that?"

"Well, the short version is that the Creeper was bleeding heavily when it tried to skewer me. Her blood got mixed with mine giving me more RV. Add that to the Lycan's bite and I got a double dose and had a nasty burndown. When I woke up, I was your typical brick and Beowulf was born."

"I'm sorry, brick?" Jess asked.

"Yeah, it's superhero lingo for some one who is big, strong, and can take a lot of punishment."

"Gotcha, so how do you compare to a Creeper now?" Jess asked. Jack just smiled at her. His expression was one that said he no longer worried about them. "What about Joel Turner?"

"His wife threw a fit when she found out what happened, and it was World War III at his house for a while. He wasn't too thrilled with the chase after that night, either, so he packed up his family and moved to the west coast. He's building hotrods at some speed shop in southern California. I can't say I blame him. I still have nightmares about that night sometimes," Jack finished.

That last comment told Jess that it must have been very bad that night, Beowulf was known for being fearless. There had always been a question about whether that fearlessness came from his near indestructibility or if it was part of his base persona. In Jess' opinion, lack of fear had been a part of him from the very beginning. Anyone that willingly put his or her life on the line facing society's worst had to be either insane, have a death wish or, carry a rather large set of steel cajones.

Jess was tempted to ask what happened to all the other officers but she decided she really didn't want to know. She had a feeling that Jack had consciously made the decision not to say what had happened to them and that was fine with her. Knowing the answer would probably just give her more nightmares. She still had the mental image of Creepers, somewhere in the darkness, stalking them. That thought alone was going to keep her from sleeping for a while.

The conversation died out after Jack was finished with his story. Neither Cole nor Jess could say anything meaningful and they both had the sense not to try. A few minutes later, Cole was snoring loudly in the back seat. Jess wondered how he could fall asleep so easily after hearing Jack's tale. Even without the horror story, Jess wouldn't have been able to sleep. She had spent a good deal of the last week unconscious and had no intention of giving up any more time to the sandman any time soon. She was surprisingly energized given the trauma her body had been put through the last few days.

Some of the energy was due to her natural clock. Late nights were normal for her. Jonathan would often say that he doesn't really wake up until the sun has been down for a few hours. Jess had apparently retained Jonathan's schedule. She thought about how much her life had changed in the last week. Her previous life had been one routine after another, all neat and tidy. Jonathan always knew what was coming next. Jess' new life had been anything but routine. So far she had just tried to roll with the punches and see how things were going to shake out.

Jack turned off the highway onto a gravel road and headed deeper into the desert. Jess thought they were probably headed to one of the many small, decommissioned military airfields that dot the open expanses of desert. She thought it was probably a perfect place to test the limits of RV altereds abilities. There was plenty of open space to work with and the population was few and far between, significantly reducing the risk of an innocent person getting hurt.

She was both excited and afraid to find out what her new body was capable of. She knew that with power comes responsibility. Power has the sneaky tendency to corrupt. She definitely understood the draw of super abilities now that she had one. The one thing that helped keep her grounded, was knowing that she didn't really know how to control her abilities. She had figured out how to control the amount of heat she could absorb relatively easily but she had no idea how or why she had caused the fireball. It was as much a mystery to her as anyone else. She hoped that Jack and his team could find a way to teach her how to use her abilities safely.

Jess didn't have any aspirations to become a super hero but she did think that she might be useful on a fire department somewhere. That was her back up plan. She wasn't sure whether she'd be able to continue being a Med Runner or not. There was no rule about altereds being Runners but she didn't know of any one who was infected or had changed that was a Runner. The only case of a Runner getting infected, that she knew of, ended in a major meltdown.

"Don't start making plans yet, Jessie girl," she told herself. A full ten seconds later she realized she had just referred to herself as a girl. She wasn't sure whether that was a good thing or not.

Jack broke her train of thought before she had a chance to dwell on it for long. "We're almost there. In a minute we'll come out of these hills into a small valley. It's not much to look at but it does get the job done," he informed her. Cole was still snoring away behind them.

"Umm, should we wake him up?" Jess asked.

"I don't think you could if you wanted to. Just let him sleep, we'll wake him when we get there."

"Fine by me, I can't believe he can sleep through this. For a gravel road, its pretty smooth but it is still a gravel road. Could that be related to his burndown?"

"Most likely, yes. The doctors say you're out of burndown when your body begins to recover and you're only in the recovery period for a short time but I think it takes a lot longer than a day or two to rebuild. I'd say that most of the rebuilding happens in the first day or too with smaller amounts continuing for more than a month. I remember being really tired for the first few weeks after my change. People who have major burndowns seem to be more likely to feel that way," Jack answered.

"Then why do I feel so awake?"

"From what Robert tells me, you are going to be a very special case. I wouldn't try and compare what happens to you to any other RV case. I have a feeling that your ability to use heat as an energy source may have something to do with that."

Jess was about to say something when she felt a strange presence in her mind. It was gone almost as quickly as it arrived. A second later Jack's radio came to life.

"Welcome back, B, have a nice trip?" a woman's voice asked. "I see you've brought some kittens with you." Jess felt the presence in her mind again for only another second. "Oh, and that one even has some claws."

"What the Hell?" Jess just knew the voice was talking about her. Jack help up a finger telling her to hold on for a minute.

"That's affirmative, I'm bringing two, in" he said to the mystery voice then turned his radio off. He waited a ten count then said, "Hellstrom, get outta here before I'm forced to kick your ass when I get there." Jess felt that odd presence for the third time slip through her. "Sorry, Jess, that's just Hellstrom and here friend or foe scan. We just passed the outer perimeter and everything that comes in gets scanned. I should have warned you about it but I forgot."

"That's OK, Jack. What did she mean by kittens?"

"A kitten is someone who just went through the change," Jack answered.

"So I'm a kitten? What about claws?"

"That's just her way of saying you've used your abilities in a fight. Hellstrom has a strange way of saying things but you'll get used to it."

"I have a lot to get used to," Jess commented as they started descending into a small valley. As far as Jess could tell, it was unremarkable. It was mostly just sand, cactus, and rocks. There was a small grouping of buildings near the far end and a long clear space dominating most of the center of the valley. The clearing was actually a runway that looked like it was last used during the Eisenhower administration. The desert was trying it's best to try and reclaim the land it had been built on.

The closer they got to the buildings, the more rundown and unused they looked. Many of the windows were broken out and the few that remained were coated in a thick layer of grime. The roofs were in need of serious repair as well as the walls. The sun and wind had scoured nearly all traces of paint away leaving only hints of the colors that the buildings had worn in their younger days. . The entire valley looked like it was well past its expiration date.

"Nice place you got here, Jack, who's your decorator, George Miller?" Jess commented.

"Who's George Miller?" he asked.

"He directed the original Mad Max. This place has that post apocalyptic feel to it."

"That's the point. To most eyes, this place looks like some long forgotten hole in the wall airstrip. It's excellent camouflage."

"So, all this rundown and forgotten look is done on purpose? Is there some sort of super high tech facility buried under the sand?" Jess joked.

"You tell me. What do those new abilities of yours tell you?"

Jess had nearly forgotten about having her new senses. She didn't really think they would tell her much more than she already knew but she decided to give it a try anyway. Jack sensed an excellent teaching opportunity so he stopped the SUV. Jess stepped out feeling the chill of the desert air. She closed her eyes and tried her thermal sense first. After scanning the area around her, she turned to Jack and shrugged "The temperature is pretty constant over the whole area. The old runway is a little warmer but not by much, maybe only a few degrees. I can't really tell, though, I don't have anything to compare it to."

"Based on our own thermal readings, you're pretty accurate. The runway usually will run about two or three degrees warmer on a night like tonight. During the summer the difference is even less. What about your taste and sight?" Jack responded.

Jess did another scan but this time she used her eyes. She noted a few things that seemed odd to her but wasn't sure what she should be looking for. "I don't know what I'm looking for, Jack. I could be looking at something that is totally obvious to you but seems normal to me. Care to give me a hint or something?"

"What is your overall impression? You don't have to give me anything specific."

"Well, the buildings seem odd. I don't know how to explain it, but the buildings look a little too worn. It's like there was a lot of effort to make it as unidentifiable and unremarkable as possible."

"OK, how about taste now?"

The thought of flicking her tongue in and out with Jack watching was a little embarrassing to Jess. She had always been taught that sticking your tongue out was rude and it seemed weird to be asked to do just that. Keeping her back to him made it a little easier to concentrate on what she tasted. The first thing that she tasted was desert, the dry slightly alkaline taste of sand. A few flicks later and she was able to ignore the sand taste and focus picking up on other things. Gasoline and oil were strong ingredients as well as rubber and rust. Her sensitivity was surprising. She had no idea she was capable of discerning between so many tastes.

She relayed what she was finding to Jack who just nodded with every additional item. She came across a taste she knew all too well. She almost missed it but picked it up on a strong gust of wind.

"Lycan," she frowned.

"There are actually two out here. The twins like to wander around in the evenings," Jack replied.

"Huh? Are you telling me you have not one but two Lycans just roaming around here. Isn't that just a little dangerous?"

"And doing an OAN without a gunner is safe?" he returned. "Here is something you need to be aware of, not all Lycan and Vampira are evil bastards. Occasionally, a Vamp or Lycan develops without corrupting the mind of the person it was before. Those folks deserve the same treatment and respect as you or I."

"I'm sorry, Jack, I've only heard negative things about them. I forget that they are not all automatically bad," Jess apologized for jumping to conclusions.

"Just remember that just because you look evil doesn't mean you are and if you look nice you aren't always nice."

"Lesson learned. What next?"

"Can you tell me anything else? Either vision, thermal, or by taste?" Jack asked.

Jess did another round of scans picking up a little more information each time. Her next visual check gave her a stronger feeling of it being too run down. Again, there wasn't anything she could point out specifically. It was more of an overall sense that things weren't as they first seemed. The thermal scan revealed two very square hotspots just behind the buildings. She couldn't figure out what they might be for so she just pointed them out then moved on.

It was her tongue that gave her the most new information. Once Jess figured out how to ignore powerful tastes and look under them for others, she was surprised at the sheer number of things she was able to identify. She could tell that there were at least six other vehicles in the area. The Lycans had passed by recently but had moved off a good distance. The most surprising thing she found was the sheer amount of electrical equipment in the area. It was all cleverly hidden, she was sure she would have never found most of it with just her eyes. Many people, with and without RV, moved through the area on a regular basis. Traces of perfume as well as cigar and cigarette smoke hung in the air. There was a few other things that she tasted but had no idea what they were.

Jack said nothing as she continued finding more and more things. He was impressed by the speed at which she was learning how to use her new senses and by their sensitivity. She was only the second person that had been able to find the monitoring equipment that dotted the entire area. The first had been an electricity manipulator who should have been able to find them. He was beginning to think that they might finally have found a tracker for the Hunters. He only needed her to be more specific when it came to the Lycans. "Jess, can you find out anything more about the Lycans?"

"Why? I thought you said they were good."

"They are but they are still Lycans. Knowing as much about an enemy as possible is always good."

She had to agree with him, after all, knowing about Lycans and Vampira had allowed her and Mandy to have good success where many others got eaten. She picked up the Twins trail and began following it trying to discern more information from it. "There's a male and female. I think the male has been drinking, there's a strong alcohol taste here," she called out to Jack as she continued tracking them. She continued moving upwind for almost fifty yards then turned and headed crosswind for a little while. The trail turned down wind a short time later. Jess didn't follow. In the playground, she learned not to get distracted when it came to 3c's.

She switched senses and started looking for heat traces. There were a few rocky outcrops that were holding more heat than the areas around them but nothing that screamed Lycan. She looked up to see Jack still standing next to the SUV and watching her. She got that weird being watched feeling and immediately was drawn back to the nearest outcropping. She concentrated on it for a few seconds without seeing anything. She knew she was missing something. There was something there she just needed to find out where it was.

'Come on, Jessie, think. What does the thermal scan tell you?' She asked herself. 'It tells me those rocks are warmer than the sand. But I don't know how much warmer. Wait a minute, the rocks are a little warmer but Lycans will be a lot warmer. Where are the hotspots?' Another quick scan pinpointed a warmer spot just inside of the edge of the outcrop. 'OK, there's one, where's the other? Not in there, obviously. If I were a pair of Lycans what would I do? If I knew I was being tracked I'd split up. Maybe try a two-pronged approach, have one distract while the other moved into a better position. OH Shit!' she was in trouble.

A quick look back to the SUV showed Jack had disappeared. 'Where the Hell did he go? This is definitely not fun,' she thought. Yelling for Jack wasn't an option. Once the Lycans knew their cover was blown, they probably wouldn't hesitate to do whatever they were planning. She knew Jack said that they weren't dangerous but she wasn't interested in proving that at the moment. The desert scrub was obscuring her view up the valley wall. She was certain she was being tracked but she couldn't figure out how to find her stalker.

Her path back to the SUV was clear so she slowly headed back keeping an eye out for both the visible and invisible Lycan. Once she put some distance between her and the obvious Lycan, she started concentrating more on where the other one was. She had another fifteen yards before she would be on open ground. If they were planning on doing something, they'd have to do it soon. 'Where is Jack?' Jess thought again.

A long howl from lower in the valley reminded her about the other Lycan. He had halved the distance between them, as she was distracted. Distracted… just like she was right then. She spun around just as the second Lycan came crashing through a large Creosote bush. She had just enough time to shift her weight and spin out of the way of the female Lycan who landed unhappily in a group of cacti. She cried out in a mixture of pain and frustration at missing her target.

The male came racing into view as the female was extricating herself from the thorny cacti. The growl that he let out didn't sound very nice to Jess. 'So much for playing nice,' she thought, 'now what do I do?' There wasn't time to form a plan as both Lycans charged her. She did manage to avoid the female a second time but was hit with the full force of the male. He sent her flying back through the same Creosote bush his sister had come through.

Smashing through the poor bush didn't hurt nearly as much as the crash landing. Her short flight ended abruptly in a large boulder. The impact knocked her breath out of her as well as a large chunk of the boulder itself. She was lucky to still be alive. If her old body had been subjected to that kind of punishment, it would be very broken and she'd be very dead. She was alive and, for the first time, thankful that she did have the new body.

The Lycans had regrouped and were moving in toward her. Jack was still nowhere to be found and she didn't have the breath to call for him. 'Fine time to take a piss,' she thought. The same pressure that she had felt in the playground returned. It wasn't nearly as powerful but it was there. Without the fire to get things started, she was going to need time to draw enough energy out of the air to provide a decent defense. She needed to buy herself a few minutes.

The Lycans seemed surprised to find her still standing. The male let out a low menacing growl as he approached. The female was a little more cautious as she approached. Jess had already out maneuvered her twice so far. The male seemed to get impatient and lunged at Jess. That was what she had been hoping for. Instead of meeting his attack head on, she twisted herself at the last second and grabbed two fists full of fur using his momentum to slam him into the same boulder that had ended her flight.

"That's enough," Jack bellowed. Jess looked at him strangely then sat down and tried to catch her breath. "Zack, you OK?" He asked the slightly dazed male Lycan.

"I will be, what's going on Jack? Who the Hell is she?" Zack asked trying to sort things out.

"Zan, how about you?"

"I'll live but what's with the test? Don't think we can handle it?" Zan answered moodily.

"From what I just saw, I'm not happy with either one of you. You were both sloppy and neither one of you contacted Hellstrom to let her know there was an intruder."

Zack and Zan looked at each other with a, I thought you were doing that, look. They realized that they had just screwed up. "Sorry, Jack," they answered in unison.

"Get your sorry butts to medical, I'll deal with you later," Jack ordered. Both Lycans stumbled off in the direction of the main buildings. Both looked like they had a rough night. "Not bad, Jess. Sorry about not giving you the heads up, but I thought it would be a good way to see how you react and if the Twins had learned anything yet."

"Should I expect a lot of surprises here?" she asked finally regaining the ability to breathe again.

"Maybe, I try and use every opportunity to teach I can. You have to learn how to use the abilities you have as quickly as possible. That's for your safety as well as those around you. It also gives me more information on you. You seem to have very good automatic responses. Those are the things we do without thinking about them. Extreme situations often trigger auto responses. I saw an opportunity for you to learn something as well as test the Twins so I took it."

"Why do I get the feeling that I just walked into RV boot camp?"

"Because you did. Come on, let's get you inside."

  

  

  

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