Ongoing: Resonance [Ch. 6]
“She’s not dead, you know.”
Jessica lifted her head at the sound of Seungri’s remark. The infirmary smelled of blood and medicine, the atmosphere absorbing all pain; nearly all the beds we’re filled with injured Resonators while volunteers ran around the room to treat the wounded. She was seated on the bedside where Tiffany laid: face pale, unmoving with an IV attached to her arm, breathing unnoticeable. The worst part was that Jessica knew that under the thin blankets and the patient gown, thick gauze wrapped around the girl’s body, covering the large gash across her abdomen.
The lab coat-adorned doctor stood himself at the edge of her partner’s bed, looking at a clipboard he pulled off from the side-table. Jessica noted that his dark circles were much more noticeable than usual; after all, everyone was exhausted from a late-night rampage, especially for the guy who had to fight and then heal the wounded afterwards.
“We don’t know when she’ll wake up, but rest assured, she’s just sleeping.”
The blonde sighed, hoping the action would relieve the tension building inside her. Her eyes redirected to the red mark on Seungri’s cheek.
“Did you get hurt in battle?” Jessica asked in a tone that didn’t necessarily sound like she cared.
Seungri figured out that she was looking at his face, and merely chuckled. “Ah, this? No. When I got back to the infirmary, the minute I unlocked the door I received a fantastic slap to the face by Him Yoona. I guess I deserved it though.”
A call came from the other side of the infirmary, asking for the doctor to come at once. Seungri examined the blonde, flashing a sympathetic smile before turning around and heading towards the distressed nurse.
Jessica returned her attention to her sleeping partner. Even when she was sleeping, she found the younger girl to be stunning. The face showed no signs of pain in its slumber, skin so smooth despite all that has happened; a true angel slept beside her. Jessica reached over and brushed away a few strands of hair away from the sleeping girl’s closed eyes.
Her eyes ventured downwards, observing her thin neck, then the arm closest to her, the resonating bracelet dangling from her wrist, and then lastly her small hand. She hovered her hand over the limp one, hesitating before holding it in her grasp. Jessica held the hand ever so lightly; she felt that a tighter grip could easily break Tiffany’s fragile hand.
The blonde brought the hand up to her face, placing the limp fingers on her cheek. She felt and knew that what she was doing was selfish, but she couldn’t help it. She desired this touch so much, and she felt that a small caress would ease her nerves. However, the tingling sensation instead reminded her of the growing guilt inside.
“It’s my fault you’re hurt…” Jessica whispered. She brushed her thumb over Tiffany’s palm, watching the unmoving sleeping face.
“I should have been the one protecting you… I failed you as your partner…”
She lifted the hand off her cheek and into her view. Her eyes caught sight of the resonating bracelet slithering down her wrist, the blue bulb in the center shining ever so brightly. Cautiously, Jessica pulled the arm closer, gently placing a soft kiss on the bulb. She felt her heart ache as it was enveloped with more guilt, pain, and confusion. It was taking more willpower to hold back tears, as she silently wretched,
“I’m unworthy to you as your commander, and I am unworthy to love you…”
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
Yuri panted as she faced three thick, wooden poles. She dug her feet deeper into the sands of the training grounds. In her hand she held Yoona, who was transformed into a scythe slightly larger than she was. It was a new form that Yoona had learned, so the older girl had been persistent in training with the new weapon. However, Yuri soon found it harder than she had expected as she struggled with trying to hold the scythe up.
She learned in the academy that all weapons an Armed Resonator transformed into remain the same weight as any regular weapon, despite its size. If any weapon felt heavier than usual, it meant the trust between the partners was faltering. Yuri was clearly feeling the effects, grunting with effort as she swung the scythe in a sweep, slicing all three poles in half. Due to the weight, it caused the older girl to swing in a circle backwards from the momentum, crying out as she fell to the ground.
Blowing a strand of hair away from her face, she watched as the scythe beside her shifted into her girlfriend, clearly irritated as she quickly distanced herself from the older girl. Somehow, the act agitated Yuri.
“Oi Yoong, what’s your problem? We can’t practice properly if you keep this up.”
Yoona, who had her back facing Yuri, quickly spun around, an angered expression on her face.
“I’m sorry I’m so incompetent. Maybe you should ask Seungri to be your partner instead!” The younger girl spat, returning to her original position afterwards, not wanting to even face her.
“What? That was a one-time thing! Why are you so mad over it?”
“Why? Why?! Does locking me in an empty room while running off with some other person and just abandoning me sound familiar to you?!”
At this point, Yoona was beginning to shout, her body visibly shaking in anger.
“I had my reasons, you know!”
“Like hell you did!”
Yuri sighed in exasperation. Why couldn’t her girlfriend understand her logic? Calming herself, she walked up to the younger girl in long strides. When she was a foot away from the girl, she hovered a hand over Yoona’s shoulder, slightly shocked at the vicious shaking.
“Listen, I-“
Yuri was unable to finish her sentence when a loud slap! echoed in the air. She didn’t register what happened until she realized her head was tilted to the side, her eyes on the hand that had just struck her. The emotions came in waves: first confusion, then anger, and then hurt. She redirected her attention to Yoona’s face, seeing if the answer lied there. Yuri found herself correct as she watched tears stream down the younger girl’s cheeks. Her eyes were a mix of pain and hatred, choking on her sobs.
“How could you leave me like that? How could you…”
Before Yuri could utter a sound, Yoona turned around and dashed across the training field, running far down the outside hallway that was connected to the building until she was out of sight. Staring at the spot where she last saw Yoona’s disappearing figure, Yuri lifted her hand to her cheek, wincing at the pulsating pain. She felt a tear escape her eye; she didn’t know if the tear came from the pain of the slap, or from her girlfriend running away from her.
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
The K-P Organization Library was barren, no people sighted around the bookshelves or by the tables. Everyone else was either recovering from the destruction or was volunteering in rebuilding the city. However, Jessica walked down one of the hundreds of aisles in the library, skimming a finger over each book she passed.
At the end of the aisle, her eyes lit up when her finger landed on a very thick book; it was the one she was looking for. Carefully, she pulled it out of its place. The cover was worn out and old, the binding was becoming weak. Jessica cradled the book to a nearby table, gently placing it on the table. Faded words on the cover read ‘Mind Energy’. The book held priceless information on Mind Energy; the mysterious source of power had been document for as long as Noise has existed, and much more was still being learned about it. She cautiously opened the ancient book.
Jessica had accepted the fact that she was weak. Had she been able to protect herself when encountering the Shadow Don, Tiffany wouldn’t have gotten hurt. She couldn’t do anything by herself, she relied too much on her partner, and that was a burden her frail friend could not handle. Jessica felt her fist tighten at the image of her unconscious partner on the ground bleeding to her death; she had been helpless, defenseless, weak. She needed to change, to become stronger for the sake of Tiffany’s safety.
The blonde flipped the page to the table of contents. The printing on the book was old-fashioned and faded. Jessica could barely make out the words. Her eyes scanned the aged paper, searching for a way to become stronger without the aid of her partner. She heard of rumors in her days at the Academy that some Commanders had the ability to bend the Mind Energy within them and used that to fight instead of Resonators. Jessica flinched when she found something relevant to her search.
Mind Energy techniques, huh?
Examining the page number, her fingers ran down the side of the book, judging where the page number was. She flipped the pages, her eyes observing words and pictures that passed by. Eventually, she reached her designated page. Jessica felt her brow furrow when she noticed the entire section was missing. She ran a finger over the torn papers where pages full of valuable information were once bonded to. She exhaled deeply, and suddenly pounded her fist into the table in anger. How was she going to be able to protect Tiffany now?
“Jessica!”
Jessica whirled around at Daesung’s voice echoing in the vast library. The man stood gripping the door frame of the entrance, panting heavily.
“What’s with you?”
“J-Jessica! God, what are you doing here of all places? I ran all the way here from the infirmary! Listen, Seungri needed to tell you something-“
“What is it?”
“Tiffany’s awake!”
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
A cool breeze rustled the trees standing in the courtyard. Yoona sniffed harshly as she ran a hand through her tussled hair. The girl was seated on one of the multiple stairs that led to the entrance of the building. She hugged her knees, burrowing her flushed face into them.
She didn’t notice the two figures walking down the outside hallway behind her. Hyoyeon and Sunny, who walked hand-in-hand, flinched at the lone person. When the two girls faced each other, Hyoyeon whispered something into the shorter girl’s ear, urging her to go ahead. With a nod, Sunny quickly glanced at Yoona before swiftly entering the building.
Hyoyeon made her way down the steps until she was at the same level as Yoona. Though the younger girl didn’t react, she knew she recognized her presence.
“Yoona?”
No response.
“Yoona, come on. Taeyeon called for a meeting. Where’s Yuri by the way?”
The sound of Yuri’s name caused Yoona to snort. She lifted her head, ignoring the fact that her eyes were swollen from her tears.
“Why should I care where she is? I’m not her babysitter.”
Hyoyeon arched an eyebrow at the remark. By now, Yoona had turned her head away from her. Sighing, she bent down to take a seat next to her. She stared in the direction in front of her; she could hear construction noises from a distance.
“I’m guessing something happened between you and Yuri?”
Yoona didn’t reply immediately. The older girl watched the unmoving figure beside her; clearly the girl was incredibly distressed. After several seconds of silence, Yoona faced Hyoyeon with a bittersweet smile. Her eyes were half-lidded, fatigued and pained.
“You know Hyo… I wish I could be a Feral Resonator like you and Sunny.”
Hyoyeon felt her body slightly twitch at the response, but said nothing and let Yoona continue.
“Feral Resonating is such an intimate style of resonating. The resonating is limited to the two who wear the correct bracelets, and you can’t resonate unless there is trust between the two.”
“Isn’t it the same for Armed Resonating? That you can’t fight unless there’s trust between two partners?”
“Hmph! If a commander can’t work with an untrustworthy partner, they can always find someone else that they trust and can fight with. It freaking sucks…”
Hyoyeon watched as Yoona buried her head into her knees once more. Placing both her hands on the step behind her, the older girl tilted her head towards the sky, sunlight bathing warmth on her face.
“I think it’s weird that you’re jealous of Feral Resonating…” Hyoyeon ignored the questioning glare she received from Yoona, “As a Feral Resonator, only one of us fights while the other stands by and watches. I constantly have to be aware of my enemies, of my safety, and most importantly, Sunny’s safety. With Armed Resonating, both partners are engaged in battle. It’s like they become one, you know? You protect your commander by being there, and your commander protects you through their proper and careful techniques. If you ask me, Armed Resonating is a much more intimate.”
Yoona nodded, absorbing the older girl’s words. She sighed, soon shaking her head as she pondered loudly, “Then why would Yuri just lock me away and leave me like that? Does she really not trust me?”
Hyoyeon stood up with a grunt. Yoona was startled at the hand that hovered inches above her face. She eyed the hand, before grasping with her own, using it as support to stand up as well.
“Give Yuri a chance. She can be stupid at times, but I’m sure she had her reasons. Now come on; Taeyeon is going to be pissed if we’re late.”
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
As soon as Daesung escorted Jessica to the infirmary, he ran off in hopes of leaving the blonde to her privacy. Jessica leaned against the doorframe of the infirmary entrance. Tiffany’s back was facing her, the figure standing next to the rustled bed. The patient’s gown was folded neatly on the bed, the younger girl now wearing a pair of jeans and was buttoning up her white blouse at the moment.
Jessica flinched when the girl had turned around, taking notice of her presence. When she spotted the blonde Tiffany’s face lit up, her lips spreading into a wide grin. Jessica would’ve appreciated the gesture, but her eyes were fixated on her half-buttoned abdomen, seeing the gauze that wrapped around her frame. She felt her eyes hardened, a wave of guilt washing over her once more.
“Jessi…” She heard the younger girl utter.
Once finishing buttoning her shirt, Tiffany maneuvered around the bed, inching towards the older girl. Jessica straightened herself when she stood in front of her, but wasn’t expecting the embrace Tiffany had around her waist. Shocked from the intimate action, she hesitantly hugged back as well. She tensed her body when she felt the frail body underneath her grip shudder a little. She knew Tiffany had gotten weaker.
“Hey… How are you feeling?” Jessica questioned, stepping away from the hug.
“I’m fine; I don’t feel any pain at least. I’m glad to see that you’re okay though, Jessi.”
That should’ve been my line Jessica thought bitterly as she felt her heart ache from the guilt consuming her.
Jessica opened her mouth to say something, but was immediately interrupted when Sunny barged into the infirmary.
“Jessica! Come on-“
Sunny stopped when she took notice of Tiffany stand next to the blonde.
“Tiffany! You’re awake! That’s good, because Taeyeon called for both of you. We’re having a meeting, so you better come along.”
With that the short girl hastily made her exit, hoping the other two would follow. Jessica returned her attention to Tiffany. She felt at a loss of words. She didn’t know what the younger girl was thinking; for all she knew, she could’ve been furious at her. She didn’t stop to think that her guilt was putting thoughts into her head, because she didn’t care. She was certain that it was her fault that things ended up this way.
Jessica placed a hand on Tiffany’s shoulder; the action causing the younger girl to jolt.
“I…I’m sorry…” The blonde merely murmured. It was the least she could say. Examining her partner one last time, she made her way to the door.
Tiffany gave the older girl a questioning look, not understanding what the apology was for. Not wanting to fall behind, she eventually dashed out as well, trying to catch up with her partner.
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
Jessica drummed her fingers on the oak meeting table in front of her. She found herself in one of the hundreds of meeting rooms in K-P Organization; the only difference with this one was that it was meant only for the Elite Resonators.
With Tiffany on her left side, Jessica watch as Sunny made her way to sit next to Hyoyeon who was right across from the blonde. To the right of Hyoyeon were Yoona and Yuri. She noticed that Yoona had an annoyed expression on her face, never looking once at her partner, who in turn, was glancing at Yoona anxiously every 10 seconds. Jessica averted her eyes to the left end of the table where Daesung and Seunghyun sat. She knew that Seungyeon and Jiyoung were seated next to her on her right. Finally, she looked to the right end of the table where Taeyeon sat, Seohyun standing next to her. Clearly, their leader was not in a good mood.
Taeyeon picked up a piece of paper that was in front of her. Clearing her throat, she read the report aloud.
“In the battle against the invading Noise last night, we lost 20 pairs of Resonators, over a hundred Resonators and civilians injured, 50 civilian casualties, and half of the city destroyed.”
The leader threw the paper back onto the table. There was anger in every word she spoke.
“What I want to know is… What the hell was our patrol team doing?!”
Everybody shrunk back into their seats at the outburst. It was rare to see their leader infuriated, but when it happens, it is not a pretty sight. Daesung felt Taeyeon’s glare burning through him, considering he was in charge of organizing the Hangulia City patrol team.
“T-The patrol team had done everything they could to fend off the Noises when they were spotted outside the city, but in the end, there were just too many of them.” Daesung stammered, nervously pulling at his shirt collar.
Taeyeon stared hard at the table surface before burying her face into her palms. Jessica could have sworn she had cursed under her breath; their leader must’ve been under a lot of stress and pressure at this point.
“Isn’t it kind of weird for the Noise to act so… organized? Like, how could they have known the K-P Organization Anniversary party was going on and decisively attack the city?” Yuri inputted.
“That’s impossible.” Sunny retorted.
“No, she’s right.” Taeyeon claimed, folding her arms as she leaned back into her chair. “Even though Noises are still a mystery to us, we know for a fact that they think on a primitive level. If anything, the Noises were most likely commanded to come together and attack.”
“How can Noises have a leader? A Noise can’t lead them, because they’re not smart enough to.” Hyoyeon remarked.
“I might have something that could be useful.”
Everybody’s attention turned to Seungyeon. When she noticed that everyone was interested, she held an open palm towards her partner. Jiyoung curtly nodded, reaching into her pocket, pulling out a folded piece of paper, and handing it to the girl. Seungyeon unfolded the parchment, and slid it over to Taeyeon. The leader swiftly picked it up and examined it. After her brows furrowed, Taeyeon glanced at Seungyeon.
“Where did you find this?”
“I found it just outside the South Gate. It was hanging by an arrow shot on the outer wall.”
“What is it?” Jessica asked, unable to contain her curiosity.
“It’s a warning.”
Taeyeon threw the paper so that it slid to the middle of the meeting table. Everybody leaned forward to take a look at the paper. It was tattered and ripped, a gaping hole on the top left from the arrow that pierced it. In the center were splotches of blood. Jessica shuddered at the deep red; who knew whose blood that had belonged to is. Below the blotches was a word written in blood as well. It was messy and scraggly, but at a close glance, it read ‘Bellum’.
“Bellum?” Seunghyun inquired.
“The word means war.” Seohyun quietly stated.
“Yes… Whoever planned this is clearly asking for war.” Taeyeon said, “We took a specimen from them, and in turn, they attack our city in means of saying ‘Don’t mess with us’.”
The meeting room fell into silence as the information sunk into the Resonators. However, it was soon broken when Tiffany silently whispered, “So, what are we going to do?”
Taeyeon tapped a finger on the table as she thought hard until she sighed heavily.
“We’re going to fight back.”
“How? Are we going to invade their Nest?” Yuri sarcastically joked.
“That’s exactly what we’re going to do.”
Taeyeon motioned for Seohyun to bend down. When the younger girl lowered her head, she uttered silent words into her ear. Nodding in confirmation, Seohyun made her way to the back of the meeting room, reaching up to a hook that was connected to a series of maps.
“But we don’t even know where that is!” Yoona complained.
“That’s going to be your job to find out.”
The leader stood from her chair, and joined Seohyun in the back of the room. Everybody observed the map that was displayed in the back. Taeyeon pointed to a section of the map that was farther away from the forest surrounding the city.
“This area is called the Umbra Forest. From previous reports we have learned that there have been many more Noise sightings here than any area Resonators have been to. As you can see here, all territory beyond Umbra Forest is unmapped.”
It was true; the entire section beyond the green area was colored grey, meaning there was no knowledge of what was there.
“We have rights to believe that the Noises’ Nest could be somewhere around that region. I want everyone here to go scout that area and find the nest. This is a covert mission; if your cover gets blown and you get attack, I want you all to return and report what you’ve collected.”
“Um, wouldn’t it be better if less of us were to go? If we went with a large number of people, our cover would easily get blown.” Daesung proposed.
“True, but again, we have no knowledge of how many Noises lurk that area. Oh, and by the way…bring that Sooyoung along with you on the mission.”
“Why the hell should we do that?!” Seungyeon stood up from her chair. “That-That thing is infected with madness. If anything it will just attack us and ruin the entire mission!”
“Rest assured Seungyeon, our Research team has been working on Sooyoung. Recently, she has been administered some newly developed vaccines, so the team would appreciate it if you guys would take her out and see if they work. Plus, Noises are able to sense other Noises. With her heightened control on her madness, I’m sure Sooyoung will share the same ability. Now, any questions?”
Several of the Resonators glanced at their partners and each other, murmuring their opinions. Finally, Jessica spoke up.
“When do we leave?”
“You all leave tomorrow morning. If that’s all, then this meeting is dismissed.”
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
I know, I know; I said I would update sooner, but I didn't. HOWEVER, I have a valid reason. I have been really busy with school since my classes have been dishing out projects at the last minute, and finals are coming up soon. Luckily, school will end this week, so hopefully, once summer break starts, I'll have much more time to write, which hopefully means faster updates. :T
Anyways, penny for your thoughts? :3