The Whorls of Jupiter

Chapter 19 Consumption

August 8th 2521 Kamchatka Time 2:27pm

Under a darkening sky, Forsaken Bravo and Inspector Jendyose arrived at the command center as Captain Baker was several hundred yards ahead confronting the Consumed. Jendyose stepped to one of the monitors and watched as a little girl wearing a filthy sari covered in strands of seaweed leapt upon a stone and the rest of the Consumed stopped. The livestream wasn't broadcasting the sound but Jendyose realized she was saying something, probably speaking for them.

Forsaken Bravo stood outside the tent and watched with his own eyes the tiny figures in the distance and trembled with realization. "Inspector..."

"What is it, Forsaken Bravo?"

He shook his head and started walking backwards, "This is all wrong... We need to get the fuck out of here right now!"

"Don't panic. We just need to calmly observe and develop a strategy."

"There's no strategizing against this..." Forsaken Bravo said defeated.

Jendyose felt a horrible premonition like a chill echo throughout his body as he turned up the volume on the monitor Jendyose heard the Kirin speak through the girl, it's voice crackling with power and echoing for miles, "Won't you save them?"

Captain Baker received a call and his body language grew stiff. Jendyose deduced that this was not the call or situation Baker was hoping for. Baker gave an order and one of the snipers blew the child's head off. As her body collapsed an animal head of lightning erupted from the obliterated stump and roared before leaping into an overhead cloud in a flash. The countless Consumed shrieked in response and sprang forward into a hail of gunfire. Some stopped and released bolts of lightning from their hands that killed and combusted anyone they struck. Others leapt upon and infected the security staff in brilliant displays of sparks and crackling light. For every Consumed that was killed the security forces were losing five. Storm clouds roiled above, expanding, casting dark shadows upon the last safe continent. In moments, to the chaotic symphony of the Consumed battlecries and lightning began to rain from the skies. Once, twice, six times, 45 times, thousands of times. In minutes the Kirin bombarded the safe zone mercilessly striking every last man, woman, and child within reach of the clouds overhead, as they steadily moved towards the McMurdo Station metropolitan area.

The darkening skies erupted with lightning that rapidly struck the security forces killing or turning the security forces into loyal drones. Forsaken Bravo ran back into the tent, "It's not gonna stop until it infects us all! We have to leave now!"

"There's an emergency shelter not far from here," Jendyose said as he studied the route on a holographic table.

"You're not hearing me, inspector. We need to leave the fuckin planet!"

"Are you suggesting I abandon the Earth?"

"Think about it! The Kirin has already killed practically everyone in the 48-48 zone. Just outside it's initiating a full-scale invasion with a force the size of the 48-48 population. We can't hold the planet!"

"But my report..." Jendyose said as he tried to process the gravity of what Forsaken Bravo was telling him.

"Fuck the report! In a matter of hours there won't be anybody left on earth to read it!"

"We don't have a lot of options. Surely the wealthier VIPs are already queued to go offworld. You worked for Bridgemoor long enough to know they won't save either of us.."

Forsaken Bravo ignored the cacophony of screams outside and swiped Jendyose's hologram and identified a nearby tourist spot, "I got an idea how to get offworld but it's risky. Don't you have family or something to go back to? Go die with them because my idea probably won't work."