The Great Eight (Temporary Hiatus)

Chaos 101 III

Panic had overrun every street, sidewalk, and crosswalk across this particular night of New Olympia. Cars of all shapes and sizes were abandoned in the roadways with their head lights flashing and their alarms ringing. Jarring eruptions of Earth's devastations rumbled underneath. Overall, this was not the usual and cheery weather illustrated in New Olympia's tourist pamphlets.

"The streets are jammed. I don't think driving on the sidewalk will help us now." Jay commented to Herry, Odie, and Archie as the boys stood at the front door of their assigned townhouse dormitory.

"Don't worry." Herry, whose eyes seemed far more wise at this moment, smirked over to his fellow heroes. "I've got four wheels and I plan on using all of them." However, the mischievous look that he had crafted in his eyes left far too much to the imagination for the others' comfort.

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The roaring of Herry's truck as it caught air had most of the truck's occupants hollering for their lives. As well as contemplating the absolute necessity that seatbelts presented as the shortest duo of the team clutched them as lifelines as the truck continued to bounce and ricochet off small boulders and abrupt dips in terrain. Believe it or not, but this was a far tamer experience than the absolutely terrifying experience of dodging mindless pedestrians in the back alleys of the city just to get to the dirt grounds they were currently sailing over.

Herry, though, took it all in stride as he revved up his newly customized truck and plowed his way down the side of an interstate highway. Finally getting to a point where the ride became more of a smooth coasting. Though, Odie and Mel still got their fill of surprise elbow jabs to the chest every time an unexpected curve in the dirt had Herry jerking the truck back into a straight line.

"So where are we headed, Odie?" Herry asked, but didn't dare to let his eyes leave the front view in case of more imminent mishaps.

"Ya mind?" Odie grit out as he shoved Neil's arm off his right shoulder. Earning himself a 'what the heck man?' expression but Odie payed the model no further attention as he instead focused on his laptop which was directing them to- "Golden Valley."

"I'll get us there. What's in Golden Valley?" Their driver was now turning onto a mountain path to get to their destination. A spectacular view of the asteroid fragmentation falling down behind another set of mountains across a boundary river was almost beautiful if the teenagers hadn't known any better as to its dire ramifications.

"A solar array." Odie began his explanation. "One of the biggest, thermal solar concentrator systems in the world. Look, the plan is simple. The rings are made up of mostly ice. The array collects and concentrates the sun's energy." While Odie was emphasizing their course of action, Atlanta was turned around up front looking at him like he was an alien descending from their UFO. Jay, who was also in the front seats and at this point would most likely always be up front due to unspoken leadership status, shared a humorous gaze with the huntress when she turned to him for geek support. She found none. "... If we can reflect the energy back into space and focus it on the rings, we can melt them."

"Thank goodness we have you to come up with stuff like that." Herry chimed in, completely at ease at not knowing anything about the logistics behind Odie's plan and just rolling with it.

"Thank Neil. He gave me the idea." Once the inspiration for their plan was divulged, Archie finally tuned into the conversation and turned away from gazing out the window to scoff out said model's name in surprise.

"I'm an inspiration to all who know me." Neil elaborated with pride, causing the taller girls to kiss their teeth in exasperation. The shorter girl, however, found Neil amusing and gave out a small chortle. Neil flashed her a charming smile with his bleached white teeth, happy to have found some kind of comradery in the group after being introduced to the heroes not even a few hours ago. Though, it's not like he needed friends beside his go-to trio of 'me, myself, and I.'

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All the while, a happy-go-lucky god who was lounging in his penthouse practically drank in the mayhem of the civilians down below.

"Ah, panic in the streets! How refreshing!" Cronus crowed, standing tall and proud near the balcony wall. "And yet something's not right." Without further ado, the god went to his hot tub and used his golden weapon to stir the water. From underneath the ripples an impossible light bubbled up and created a moving image of the young teen heroes trekking into the mountains in their quest for humanity's survival.

"I wonder where they're going." Cronus commented, though nothing about his statement was a quandary. He knew exactly what they were up to, and he was not going to sit back and let his revenge scheme be ruined by meager mortals. Prophecy or not. "Perhaps, to enjoy one last sunrise?" His own attempt at amusing himself made his mood go sour. "They must know there's nothing they can do, and no time left to do it." He turned from the manipulated water and gazed out onto his magnum opus above in the sky. "On the other hand, why take any chances?" Not like a good chase to destroy the teens of prophecy once and for all wouldn't be a great start to his 'taking over the world' celebration. So, he once again turned but this time towards his subservient Giants.

"Ah, which one of you wants to make amends for your ignominious defeat at the roundhouse, hmm?" And before any of the giants could even try to escape Cronus laid an innocent enough hand on a mustard colored, barbarically dressed Giant. "How about you?" The other Giants looked on with fear as Cronus judo flipped that Giant onto the ground and used his powers to forcefully transmogrify the creature into a complete monster. The Giants flinched away as their previous friend reached for them, its hands gaining claws and fur. A green iris turned into two black holes. And an extra set of arms were wrenched out of the area of the ribs.

Before the Giant was even completely done transforming, Cronus leapt onto its back with a sickeningly sinister smirk. And finally, before all was something gut-twistingly despicable. Something that looked like the cross of a tarantula and an anteater the size of a single story house. It's multiple tongues tasted the air like the writhing of an octopus's tentacles paired with the clacking of sharp mandibles. And for once the Giants were thankful for Cronus's impatience as God and monster leapt off in the air and landed on a nearby skyscraper, and far away from them. But the display of power just seemed to get even more unsettling as they witnessed the monster's might and momentum letting it jump with ease in greater distances with each leap across the city. And they continued to watch, until they no longer could. One Giant even fell to its knees in distraught, mourning the loss of a brother no longer.