Humanity's Competition 2: Desperate Strike

(StarbucksMan274)

NOTE from Cubed: Although this story is rated T (for less gruesome violence compared to the last couple of DOA stories), there is still some crude language used.


Chapter One:
“A New Reality”

My watch beeped six times. The little noise was there to liberate me from another day at the office. Slowly, I closed a case file reading, Helena Douglas. There were some rumors she was related to my boss, but that’s all they were, just rumors. I reached for the door knob when I heard my manager calling my name.
“Trent!” He yelled, walking out from behind his desk.
“Yeah?” I replied, eager to get on with my day.
“You’ll have the Reid’s case closed by tomorrow, correct? You’ve got a young woman lined up to bitch.”
“Sure thing.” I said, walking outside. The setting summer sun shone on me and a warm breeze set the mood. I started my daily walk home; it was one of the few things that kept me in relatively good shape. I’m Trent Rullman, and I work as a human relations expert for the government. Like my boss said, it’s my job to listen to people complain about any problems they have with Christie and Kokoro. My boss was a man of multiple talents, and he seemed to deal with it quite well. I thought him to be the busiest person in our government. He deals with tons of stuff not in any way related to human relations, most of which I am not let in on. The case records that he orders us to keep are only for records’ sake and really never did anything. Nothing ever changed. That’s good in some ways; bad in others. Even though I am a “people” person, that’s not where my aspirations lie. I practice daily to become a chemist. Being able to pursue a life dream would be excellent, but I knew it would never happen.
No, if I applied, people would start asking questions. That’s the way things are in this government. Ever since the last old world government fell, Christie and Kokoro, or as we are forced to call them, High Empresses Christie and Kokoro, have asserted control over every human on the planet. For a complete dictatorship, things aren’t as bad as expected. The pay is nice, goods are available, and people live crime-free. That’s due to the fact that having the foot of an eight-hundred foot giantess slam down on you isn’t too appealing.
They aren’t the only enforcers of law, not anymore. They have organized a military which is said to be able to challenge the old United States military. Of course, they fell apart years ago when the Empresses invaded, but they are supposed to be unchallenged, so we agree. Those military guys aren’t really military. There’s nobody stupid enough to rival the Empresses, so they serve as little more than heavily armed police officers. They enforce the strict laws put in place to keep us in line. I could put anyone to sleep reading the huge list, but there’s only one that I find myself violating consistently.
Article Seventy-Four, Subsection C: “Under absolutely no circumstances shall any man or woman be allowed to pursue anything they have not been specifically granted permission for.” That one gives me problems. If the government knew about half of the shit I’ve concocted, I’d been executed on the spot. But they don’t, so it’s fine by me. And I don’t plan on letting them know either. The lab that I’ve assembled is locked away underneath my basement and nobody’s ever come close to discovering it.
I sighed as I finally reached my halfway point home. Even a simple walk home can be enough to give a man an adrenaline rush these days. The ground shook, as if hell was rising through it. That wasn’t the case. Christie’s gigantic foot struck the pavement fifty yards away as she continued on her patrols. I guess that’s what kept her busy. Next to more chemistry, my second goal was to find out everything about the Empresses.
For rulers, they were extremely gray. There’s no one that knows anything more than their names. There are rumors, but most are dispelled and proven wrong. They dress in various swimsuits each day. Every day, it’s a new one. I don’t know how or where they change, but they do, and it’s good enough for me.
Something’s off, though. Aside from Christie, I’ve been getting this feeling lately that someone’s been following me and watching me. I’ve heard sounds from alleyways on various occasions, but those have always been accompanied by Christie close by. Still, it’s just hard to shake that feeling. It’s almost consuming. I’ve come pretty close to reporting it to the authorities, but they would do nothing more than laugh and assure me nothing’s wrong.
I have to keep assuring myself to keep a cool head. That’s easier to do at home, I thought, as I reached for my door handle. I walked inside, poked my head out the door, glanced around a few times, and, confident there was nothing, closed and locked my door.

Chapter Two:
“A New Contestant”

I entered into my house, locked the door, and flipped a light switch. Relaxed finally, I allowed myself to fall onto my couch and lay back. I was left with the small question of what to do with the remaining portion of the day. The question was answered by a small rumbling down in my stomach.
“Getting hungry.” I said to myself. I walked to the kitchen, got a few microwavable sandwiches, and started cooking them. I leaned against my counter and pondered my day. What did I want to do with myself? I thought about that and then came up with the idea of starting a formula.
“But what to make…” I thought aloud. I imagined myself holding a vial of something and smiling. Thousands of people were there cheering. Christie and Kokoro were being drug away in chains my police officers and everyone was happy. A reversal formula, that would make you the best. I thought, the idea making me smile. The microwave emitted a few high-pitched beeps. That brought me back down to earth. I shook off the idea. If I was ever implicated doing that, I would not want to know what would happen to me.
I took the sandwiches, put them on a plate, and headed out of the kitchen to my living room where I sat down on a recliner and turned on the TV. I absentmindedly watched television while eating, not really thinking at all. The power then went out. I was immersed in a thick darkness with the sun outside already down.
“Damn, how inconvenient.” I groaned, putting the plate down and feeling my way to the basement door. I again had to feel my way to the box. I hit the reset button on the front and the lights began flickering as they regained power. I turned around and screamed.
“Hold it! Don’t move any further.” A woman hissed, with a sword to my throat. In front of me were what looked like two female ninjas, each wielding some sort of blade. There was silence in which I didn’t move or talk. Surprisingly, neither did they.
“Listen, take what you want and leave. I don’t want any trouble.” I said, trying my hardest to regain my calm.
“We’re not here to rob you. We’re here for a different reason. We have been watching you longer than you would feel comfortable. And now we know your little chemistry secret.” The girl with purple hair said, smirking. The other one, who had a hazel colored hair, nodded. Shit, I thought, they must be government agents. I’m done.
“W-Who are you?” I asked, hoping they wouldn’t reply what I thought they would. The girls put their blades away and became a little more relaxed.
“My name is Ayane, and she is Kasumi. We want you to brew us up a little something.” Ayane said.
“Like what?” I questioned.
“Make us a potion that will grant us the height of Christie and Kokoro.”
“Are you kidding? I don’t even know who you are! Why should I help you overthrow the government?”
“Because you don’t want to be beat up.”
“You wouldn’t dare!” I challenged. Sure enough, they weren’t kidding. Kasumi and Ayane kicked me against the wall and punched me too many times to count. When they were finished, I couldn’t get up from the pain.
“Stop! You win! I’ll…do it…” I conceded. I didn’t care if I died. As long as I never had to experience pain like that again, I was fine.
“Good. I supposed a little bit of why would be in order. Ten years ago, it was us who solely opposed Christie and Kokoro. They had the upper hand as they understood the inner workings of the formula, but now we have you. Find out everything about that tomorrow. And brew it up tomorrow night. To ensure your cooperation, we will be staying here.”
“Where are you going to sleep?”
“In your room, where else?”
“That leaves me with…”
“Whatever’s left.” Ayane said. Kasumi and her walked up the stairs and headed off towards my room. I stumbled up to my couch and flopped down on it. I still could not believe what had just happened. I didn’t know how I would pull this off, but that was irrelevant. The point was that it had to be done. I had a terrible feeling about this.

Chapter Three:
“Key to Success”

I arrived at my office the next day after having a terrible sleep. Not to mention, I hadn’t had time to eat anything as I had to cook for Ayane and Kasumi before myself. I walked into work, a lot worse off than I had ever been.
“Trent? You feeling alright? You look like crap.” My boss said, rushing over to me.
“Oh, yeah, just had a rough night.” I lied.
“You should come out to lunch this afternoon with us. You look like you could use it.”
I was just about to say yes when I thought about Ayane’s task. My boss was high up there. The formula would surely be cross-referenced by one of our client’s cases. That was my chance.
“Ah, no, not today. I want to get a couple cases cleared up today.”
He blinked. “All right then. Won’t you be lonely by yourself?”
“No, I’ll be great, sir.” I said. He closed my door and walked away. I sat at my computer browsing around for anything that I would be able to access. My idea was good. The formula was stored on our servers due to the large requests about it. Of course, it was just for show, it was never given out. At twelve thirty in the afternoon, the staff left. I waited five minutes before sprinting to my boss’s office. I locked the door and sat down at his terminal. Like everyone else, he saw no reason to log off as soldiers stood guard outside. Not even I would have expected an attack from within. I opened it, printed it, and closed out of everything. I quickly made it back to my office and closed the door. Now within my own territory, I looked at the paper.
I read the ingredients aloud to myself. “Recipe: Corruption’s Blessing. Requires one bottle of plant growth. Combine this with a tablespoon of water, a sample of blood, and a few drops of gasoline. Workings described on file. Hidden from user class…” I stopped as I reached the technical garble. It appeared odd to me. I had remembered them telling us that this was incredibly hard to make for them on the island. But everything included was just a bunch of common city things. Perhaps the scarcity of the items on an island. I reasoned with myself. Regardless, I stuffed this into my jacket and rushed to the door, nearly knocking over my boss on my way out.
“Trent! What’s up? Is something wrong?” He asked me.
“No, sorry. Just not feeling myself right now. I have to go home.”
“Sure, take your time. I’ll get someone to cover. Get well soon.” He said as I ran outside. I had never run longer or faster to my house than I did on that day. I did reach it twenty minutes earlier, but at the cost of my breath for the next few minutes. I slouched down on the couch after I had shut the door. I wasn’t used to being home during the day; the light shining through the window was nice.
I heard quiet shuffling around the house. Kasumi and Ayane came downstairs shutting every curtain and dousing almost every light in the house. After they were satisfied that all light was cut off, they approached me. I could barely make them out through the darkness.
“You got it?” Ayane asked, anxiously.
“Yes…” I panted. I produced the small paper from my jacket pocket. Kasumi turned a light on next to me. Ayane squeezed onto the couch next to me and practically shoved my head out of the way with hers. I could tell this meant a lot. She frowned and snatched the paper out of my hands, nearly ripping it.
“This is it? Christie said this was supposed to be hard to make! This can’t be it!” Ayane said, throwing the paper to the ground. I picked it up again.
“Perhaps she was referring to the lack of gasoline on the island.” I said, thanking myself for reasoning.
“Sister, he might be right.” Kasumi said, nodding her head. Ayane looked from me to Kasumi and shrugged.
“Fine, you have all of this stuff?” She asked.
“Yeah…” I said.
“Then get to it!” Ayane yelled. Kasumi and Ayane took me by my wrists and drug me into my basement. I unlocked the trap door and proceeded to my neon-light lit lab. Kasumi leaned against the wall with Ayane as they watched me. There was no screwing up to be done. I was locked into this.

Chapter Four:
“The New Battlefield”

After hours of work, I finally finished the formula. The potency of the formula had doubled, thanks to a death threat from Ayane. The recipe had never stated the work involved in getting these all to mix together.  After I had finished, I held up a small vial, filled with red liquid.
Ayane slowly got up off of the wall and took it from me.
She nudged Kasumi. “This is it. This is the advantage over Christie and Kokoro. Kasumi, we’ll ascend to goddesses again!”
“Well, go take it outside then! Come on! After all I’ve done, I don’t think it is too much to ask to be able to keep my house intact.” I said. Ayane shoved the vial into Kasumi’s hands and picked me up by my neck.
“Don’t question me! I am your ruler!” She screamed before throwing me across my lab table. I slid across, ruining my thousand-dollar set. I fell off and landed with a thud. I stayed there, not quite believing she had done what she said. Ayane and Kasumi each drank half of the formula. They stumbled over my table as well and seemed to have passed out. I watched them. Nothing was happening. Something dawned on me there. I could have stopped this all. All I would have had to do would have been to report to the authorities at work. I hadn’t thought that far, and now I had given birth to two giantesses who would challenge Christie and Kokoro.
I ran out of my lab and out of my house. I had to at least let Christie and Kokoro know they were coming. I looked everywhere for either of them, but the most I found was a lone patrol officer.
“Where are the Empresses?” I asked, urgently.
“Lady Christie is making her usual round, and I do believe Lady Kokoro is on some business in Asia.” He responded, almost uninterested.
“Can you summon her here? I have urgent news to report.” I said, looking back towards my house. That sparked his attention.
“What? Is there a criminal inside your house? What is so great of a problem that it requires the attention of the Empress?”
“It’s not something I can share with you…just something that I need to tell her…”
“Citizen, you cannot expect Lady Christie to be able to answer every plea for help. If there is a problem, I will be more than happy to assist you. Now, tell me, please, what exactly your problem is.” He said, calmly, but clearly eager to be able to do something. Behind me, my house collapsed and Ayane and Kasumi were emerging from the ruins, awake and gaining height at an extraordinary speed.
“That…” I said, quietly. I realized what exactly I had on my hands.
“Holy shit!” The guard said, backing up.
“Attention all units! Deploy all units to my location now! Two girls, same as the Empresses! I need urgent backup; this isn’t a prank!” He yelled into his radio. There was no reply.
“Go! Get help! I’ll do what I can!” He yelled at me. I nodded and ran. I heard firing, rumbling, and screaming. My home was turning into the new battleground for another incident.

Chapter Five:
“Revisiting the Past”

I ran away, refusing to slow down or look back for fear of my life. Even as I went to go get help, I couldn’t shake a feeling of guilt that resided in the farthest reaches of my being. I stopped in my tracks to listen. Something was rumbling far off, quickly and slowly getting louder. I was cut off from listening when alarm sirens sounded all around the city. I guess it would be time to put our defenses to the test. With my guilt, there was a little bit of pride, knowing that they were testing against my work.
Almost crushing me for the second time in a few days, Christie quickly ran past me. The shockwave that came from her running was enough to knock me to my back. I abandoned all desire to do anything other than watch her confront Ayane and Kasumi. The two girls had been playing with the officer when Christie confronted them, standing up straight. Ayane and Kasumi smiled at each other and stood up also, each one of them was as tall as Christie.
“You two! How did you survive? Kokoro killed you; I watched it myself!”
“You, in your careless state, didn’t finish your wretched vampirism of us. We had enough strength to survive and here we are.” Ayane laughed, tossing her hair back.
“Maybe we should do the same favor for you!” Kasumi said. Kasumi didn’t come off as the evil type to me, but I couldn’t say anything with accuracy. All I knew of them was from the brief chat we had when they held me up in my basement and the propaganda the government gives us.
“Not so quick!” Kokoro’s voice yelled, somewhere above them. She jumped from a plane and landed gracefully next to Christie. Even with her landing, it caused the surrounding buildings to fall to the ground. They stood there, glaring at each other with anger.
“Well then, Christie! Let’s see if you’ve learnt any new tricks since we last fought!” Ayane said, throwing a powerful kick at Christie’s stomach, sending her back fifty feet. At that point, Kokoro and Kasumi started fighting each other, but my formula had done its job. Ayane and Kasumi were clearly more powerful than Kokoro and Christie. The girls hadn’t even broke a sweat when they had brought Christie and Kokoro to the ground.
“Im…possible…” Christie panted, trying to lift herself from the ground.
“Indeed, the tables have been turned. Say, girls, how about we repay you with the same courtesy you extended to us? Only, now, you will not be as fortunate as us.” Ayane said, motioning for Kasumi to advance with her. Kokoro and Christie were apparently in too much pain to move. I thought they would kill them, but I thought different when Ayane and Kasumi brought their mouths closer and closer to the sides of Kokoro and Christie’s neck.
“Take them down, all forces switch to heavy weaponry and fire at will!” A man shouted over a megaphone. Troops ran at Ayane and Kasumi, blasting with some sort of laser beam projectile. They must have hurt because it got Ayane and Kasumi off of Christie and Kokoro.
“Damn, we’ll be back to finish you!” Ayane yelled, running through the troops. Kasumi and Ayane ran right through a battalion, killing many members, and off into the distance. It looked to me that they were heading off into the east.
“Empresses! Are you hurt? Need I summon a medic?” The man with the megaphone yelled, frantically.
Christie winced as she sat up. “The only things you need to do are find those brats and find the person responsible for this!” She pounded her fist into the ground, creating a huge crater. The soldiers set off, leaving just Christie and Kokoro. I fell to my knees, as if I had lost life and looked at my hands. If they ever did find out, which wasn’t that hard to do, I was a dead man. The only way to keep them from finding me out was to ensure that Ayane and Kasumi defeated the government in time. My entire outlook on this war had changed.

Chapter Six:
“Charging Ahead”

I was still standing there, absorbing the dire fate of my situation. Most of my thoughts were those of pity. Pity on myself for having such horrible luck. The rest were of my mission, if I was to call it that. How could I ensure a victory for Kasumi and Ayane? Was that really the best cause? It was the most permanent, but perhaps not the best. Then again, anything else would involve risking myself, and those weren’t good ideas either. I set off towards my now ruined house in an attempt to look for a vehicle to drive. I would need a fast one to catch the girls.
Christie and Kokoro were still sitting somewhat close to my house, so they were instrumental in spotting me.
“Citizen, you had best clear the area, it is safe no longer.” Kokoro said, trying to be official. It was clear from the look on their faces that they just wanted to be alone and claiming safety was at risk here was the best solution.
“I just want to search what’s left of my house…” I said, trying to play on sympathy. Christie looked up at Kokoro and shrugged.
“Very well, but be quick.” Christie said, waving me on. I continued towards my house when Kokoro said, “Wait! It was your house that they emerged from!” I spun around, with a surprised and wild look on my face. How could she have known? Christie also looked at Kokoro with a surprised look.
“Hang on there, please! That’s…” I stopped. I was about to lie and say it wasn’t true, but when questioning the accusations of your rulers, there was quite a bit more careful word choice needed.
“I think you may be mistaken. They did not come out of my house. Sure, it looks like it, but considering their size, you have to agree that it is possible they emerged from another house. There are tons of other ones knocked down.” I reasoned, lying through my teeth. It was hard to do, considering that the penalty for lying to the Empress was death.
“Kokoro, he’s correct. I know you’re anxious to start, but wild accusations aren’t getting us anywhere.” Christie said, calmly. Kokoro looked at me blankly and looked away.
“Give us the names of a few people who live by you. This matter is of high priority.” Kokoro said, quietly.
I mentally smiled, knowing I had gotten out of that one. “Let’s see, there’s John Owens, Richard Wardsworth, um…”
“That’s enough, we’ll look them up. Kokoro, let’s go, there’s more important matter to attend to.” Christie said, standing up. Kokoro also stood up and the two of them walked away from me. Lying seemed completely different when I looked at the two people I lied to standing up.
I found the car I was looking for near my house. My neighbor had been a car collector, which took him numerous governmental forms. If it was automotive, it was him. It was expected he’d have some kind of speedy car. He had modified so much that it couldn’t even be considered a car he bought. I got in and the car turned on automatically. The dials and gauges all lit up. Ayane and Kasumi had gone east, so that was my first stop. I backed up out of the driveway and shot off towards Ayane and Kasumi’s trail, avoiding the debris scattered on the roadway.

Chapter Seven:
“Persistence”

The road trip had taken much longer than I had expected. I had expected to hit their position in a little under an hour or two. In fact, it had taken two days, counting the stops for food, redirection by witnesses, and bathroom breaks. It had taken a while, but it was worthwhile. I had gotten a whole new perspective on the government. Apparently, the military was now on full alert and evacuations were taking place. The Empresses’ regime was entering its hardened shell. I stopped the car right in the middle of the road since nobody was on it.
To my left was another city, though I had no clue as to the name. I was distantly able to view Kasumi knocking down buildings. She was doing something else on the ground occasionally, but the remaining buildings prevented a full view, so that left much to the imagination. Another thing worried me, Ayane was nowhere within sight. Even from the distance I was at, Kasumi’s body was amazing. The average building wasn’t even coming up to her knees. Usually when I described an Empress’s height, I used the word the gigantic or something similar. Seeing from this point, those words weren’t doing the trick anymore. Suddenly, a bunch of the red laser beam projectiles came from somewhere within the city. Kasumi spun around and backed up, wincing. Ayane, coming from seemingly nowhere, came down from the sky and landed on their position, an action which shook the ground, even as far as my position. The firing stopped abruptly.
“Who’s always got your back?” Ayane asked, putting her hands on her hips and throwing her head in the air.
Kasumi giggled. “You do.” The two sisters, reunited, went on an increasingly quick destructive spree. I had to get to them before they stopped. Quickly reentering my car, I slammed the door shut and sped off towards the exit. Within the minute, I was within half a mile of them. I rounded a corner and stopped. The entire road was filled with potholes and rubble, putting an end to my motor journey. I exited the car and ran through the streets, doing everything within my power to get to Ayane and Kasumi. When I actually did reach them, I found myself backing away. The two of them were tearing through buildings and people so quick, I found myself rethinking my strategy. My mind confirmed to me that it was the best way, so I cautiously crept towards Kasumi.
I put my hands around my mouth and yelled, “Kasumi!” However, the voice that was heard was not mine, it was that of Empress Christie. Kasumi and Ayane dropped tearing things apart and approached Christie and Kokoro, who were walking towards them as well. I hid inside a building and watched them through a window.
“That is quite enough.” Kokoro said, glaring at the two of them.
“Oh, look,” Ayane said, carelessly, “they sent something of a challenge.” Kasumi didn’t smile but stood her ground, expressionless.
“You know nothing of challenge! You can say challenge to the millions you’ve murdered!” Christie yelled, motioning to the destruction around them. Kasumi observed the blood and destruction around her, but Ayane chose to remain looking at the Empresses.
“And what right do you have to talk about killing? Your record isn’t exactly clean either.” Ayane shot back.
“Things have changed. They were necessary sacrifices for a new empire. You’ve done enough damage, and it’s time to stop.” Kokoro replied.
“Consider this my empire then. An empire of death.” Ayane laughed. Although it was hard to look away from any of them, Kasumi was what sparked the most of my attention. She wasn’t exactly staying cool anymore. The mention of casualties seemed to make her uncomfortable.
“Exactly! You are a plague to the people! The only other deaths around her will be yours!” Christie said, pointing her finger at Ayane.
“There will be plenty more after this! You can count on that!” Ayane said, narrowing her eyes.
“No!” Kasumi yelled, suddenly. Everyone looked at her. Her eyes welled up with tears.
“No more death, Ayane! No more death for anyone! I’m ashamed it has taken this long for it to hit me. This is wrong! Your regime and our killing. It was wrong in the past, and it’s wrong now! We have issues to settle with each other, but, please,” Kasumi said, tears running down her face, “let’s not involve anymore deaths!”
“It figures you’d turn now! Faced with consequence, you run and try to play sympathy!” Christie said, angrily.
“No, Christie, I-I think I see what she’s saying…” Kokoro said, glancing around her.
“What?” Christie yelled, astounded.
“Look at this, all of it! This is all part of our business. All of the deaths, all of them were preventable. We chose to take the formula, and that’s something we have to live with. It’s true what Kasumi said. We have issues with each other, but we can resolve those on the ground. Away from other people. We don’t necessarily have to make ourselves defenseless, but at least let’s stop with the whole gigantic-chick thing.”
Christie and Ayane both looked at each other, confused. At that point, Kokoro grabbed Kasumi’s hand. She whispered something.
“No!” Christie yelled, jumping at Kokoro, but it appeared to be too late. A pulsing circle of energy surrounded all of them. In a matter of ten seconds, they were my height again. I observed them, barely believing this. It could end now.
“Traitor!” Christie yelled, poking Kokoro hard. A small object landed in the center of the girls. After a flash of light and a muffled explosion, they were all lying on the ground.
“What the hell?” I asked myself. A man emerged from a nearby building, holding a grenade launcher and flanked by four guards. I worked hard to make out the man and was successful. That man was my boss.

Chapter Eight:
“Rollercoaster”

I couldn’t have stopped myself from doing what I did. The turns of the matter were compounding. I ran out of the building and to the unconscious girls, who were lying close to each other. My boss was standing over top of them with the guards behind him. They pointed their weapons at me. Having no desire to die, I stopped.
“Trent? You gave me a start there! What are you doing out here?” He asked me in his usual businesslike voice.
“What do you mean? Why did you do that? They were making up! This could all be over now!” I said, frowning.
“Trent, you should be with me on this one. You know as well as I do that our lives depend on them fighting and living. The moment the Empresses die is the moment you and I are branded traitors and executed. Needless to say, there is no reason to let them stop. No, their work must go on.”
“That doesn’t matter! We should be helping humanity, not hurting it! They’re a bunch of dictators, and you are aiding them?”
“Take the girls away! Carry out the instructions for such an occasion. It’s on my orders.” He ordered the soldiers. They saluted, hoisted the girls onto their shoulders and started marching away.
“You aren’t any better than they are! Rotten to the core! Let them go!” I yelled, running straight at the group of soldiers. I jumped into one of them, knocking him to his feet. The other soldiers stopped what they were doing and held me back.
“Knock him out, we’ve no need for that mindset. Trent, good luck for what’s to come.” My boss said, turning around. The soldier I had tackled got up, glared at me, and punched me tremendously hard in the temple, knocking me out as well.

Chapter Nine:
“Securing an Alliance”

I hazily glanced out of my eyes; they were only half open. The room, at least that’s what I thought it to be, was small and cramped. I wasn’t exactly free to move about either. My arms and legs had been strapped down securely to an operating table that was standing up at the moment. I looked to my left to see Christie and Kokoro, asleep and in a similar predicament as myself. To my right was Kasumi. Kasumi. A new hatred for her had resurfaced. She was the reason this had happened to me. Before this, I could have easily broken these steel bindings and escaped. No, she had to go soft on me at the last moment. I knew it would have only been a matter of time.
The room was in a circular fashion. In the center was a pedestal with a holographic projector. There were various monitors on the walls. Currently, however, only four were filled. They displayed the status of Christie, Kokoro, Kasumi, and myself.
“What’s going on?” Kokoro asked, struggling at her straps. Christie and Kasumi were also awake.
“We’re strapped down to tables. And it’s all thanks to you!” I said, angrily. How dare she take all of our powers away! A door flung open behind us. I struggled to view a group of five scientists entering the room, all carrying cases containing syringes. That shook me up. The way I was now, anything could be in those and easily injected into my veins.
“What’s going on here?” Christie asked. The men remained silent and worked on unpacked their equipment on a nearby table.
“Hey! I asked you what’s happening! I am your leader! I demand you let me go at once!” Christie said again, only this time louder.
“You are no longer the leader. Things are changing.” One of them said. Christie continued to yell out at them, but I wasn’t listening. From the sounds of things, neither were they. My thoughts were instead focused on the scientist’s brief words. Things are changing…but what could that mean? Four of the scientists walked up to our table, each by the top and each on the right side.
“On my mark.” The man who stayed behind said simply.
“Stop this at once!” Christie screamed, but fear was shaking her words.
“Three…”
I glanced at the man by my neck. He looked down at me indifferently. There was no expression on his face. I kind of liked the expression. Most people looked at me like a monster. But he could have cared less. I realized that perhaps I wouldn’t escape from this. Maybe this was an execution. Maybe I was put here to die. Maybe not. Maybe they would be giving me some sort of neutralizing agent.
“Two…”
“This is your last warning!” She said, her eyes wide.
“One…”
Nobody said anything. It was dead quiet.
“Mark.” He said, sharply. Synchronously, they precisely shot the needles into our neck. I winced at the pain and watched the red agent go further and further down the tube until there was none left. The scientists all went back to the table and started repacking up. None of us said a word. Nobody could believe what had just happened. The scientists all left and slammed the door shut. Christie began frantically conversing with Kokoro, but I tuned her out again.
The red chemical looked a lot like the one that had was responsible for my growth. But that couldn’t be right. There was no way they would inject us with a growth formula again. At least not me. They were all uniform with it, so I doubted Christie and Kokoro got anything else.
I continued my crazy rationalizing. But a man’s face popped into my mind. I had never seen him before, but there was something about him. Something I couldn’t explain to myself. I felt indebted. I felt indentured. My thoughts and feelings continued to grow. My mind was equating him with a king. A leader. My leader. Who was he? Something told me I’d find out. Sleep came at me like a train. As I closed my eyes and teetered on the edge of sleep, I couldn’t help but mutter, “I will serve you…”

Chapter Ten:
“The Shift”

My left eye slowly opened. It was met with a bright light that caused me to shut it quickly. I thought about that. I should be locked in some cell in a basement somewhere, but I saw bright sunshine. I sat upright immediately and looked around. Where was this weird place? It appeared to be some sort of island resort. The beach sand that I was lying on was pleasantly warm and white. The water was perfect, as was everything else in sight. I stood up and looked behind me. There was one thing marring the island. That was the destroyed hotel up on the hill. It was a vague concern, though.
I heard something moan, and I instinctively looked around. Lying not twenty yards away from me were Kasumi, Ayane, Christie, and Kokoro. Christie and Kokoro were no longer wearing their beachwear, but their normal costumes. Irony was in charge of this one.
“What is the purpose of this?” I asked nobody in particular. I somehow thought that the girls and the hotel were related so maybe a search of the hotel would turn up something.
“If they destroyed it…” I reasoned with myself, spinning around to view them. The girls grew at least a foot by the time I had turned around. It was just as I had predicted. I was stranded on this island to die. I had no clue what to do at this point but hide. Seeing this as the only viable alternative, I ran through the woods and into the forest. When I had stopped and was hidden behind a plant with very large leaves, I listened intently for any noise.
Overhead, a helicopter flew quickly towards where I had just come from. I could barely make it out, but it appeared to be hovering over where the girls were lying. Five minutes later, I was about to give up hope that anything would transpire of this when I heard a male voice that belonged to my boss.
“Ladies, how are you feeling?” My boss asked. It was only obvious that he was talking to the girls. I assumed they were done growing at this point.
“Excellent, sire. It is a great privilege being awake and able to serve you.” Christie’s voice rang, loud and distinct. I had to struggle not to yell out in confusion. My only assumption was that whatever my boss had done to the girls was that he had made them giantesses once again, but with a purpose of servitude. That left more questions to be answered now. Were Christie and Kokoro in charge of the government anymore? Or did it belong to my boss?
“I do not see Mr. Trent anymore,” He said, with a noticeably pleased tone, “did you already take care of him?”
There was a pause. “No, I do not have any recollection of killing him. Judging by the looks of my comrades, I do not believe they have either.” Christie replied.
“It is of no concern. I am entrusting my first task to you and your friends. Find Trent and eliminate him. I will be monitoring your progress.”
“Yes, master. We will execute him with all due haste.”  She said, almost automatically. Christie had never really been a "friend" to me. Sure, she had been on my side when I was still part of the government, but even then, she had scared me. Now, however, she scared me more than usual. An automatic response was the same as a robotic response. Emotion and second guess definitely weren't the first thing that came to mind at the mention of a robot. The helicopter's engine got more distant, but it was still there; an annoying hum among other things. While contemplating all of these circumstances, I heard Christie's voice, "You heard the master. We must carry out his orders and find Mr. Trent."
"I will not fail!" Kokoro said, invigorated.
"He must be found. He will be found!" Ayane said.
"I will do as commanded." Kasumi said. At those last words, I could distinctly feel their thunderous footsteps shooting shockwaves through the ground. I finally convinced myself to stop looking through the trees at them and forced myself to action. At once, I tore at the ground. Five minutes later, after there was plenty of sand trapped underneath my nails, I stopped, realizing that, without a tool, I was doing nothing more than expending my energy. The girls continued searching the beach. I froze at every footstep I felt. There was no telling how gruesome of an execution I would receive. If my boss had indeed mind controlled them, I couldn't even begin to predict the orders he had issued them about killing me. For now, it was best to avoid thinking that way.
"Trent! Come out! You are a wanted man. Come out and receive the master's punishment which you rightly deserve." Kokoro called out. I, for fear of my life, did not respond. The footsteps all stopped at once. I was barely able to distinguish the girls through the trees. They were all taking up one knee and bowing their heads in the direction of the helicopter. It made me sick, thinking that my boss was controlling all of that power. All of that power that he had no chance against.
"Master, we have conducted an extensive search of the island. Since there is no land mass for at least ten miles and no obvious way off of this island, it seems apparent to me that the prisoner has perished by accident, perhaps being trampled upon. Nevertheless, master, I am confident he is dead or in the process of drowning in the ocean." Christie said, solemnly.
"What the hell is going on?" I asked myself, rhetorically. I knew exactly what was going on, but rather needed to express my disbelief.
"I'll take you on your word, Christie." He said, his voice amplified by a megaphone of some kind.
"It is truly an honor."
"I'm sure. Come girls, we've got a few announcements to make." My boss said, laughing.
"Yes, sire." They all said at once. I heard the helicopter begin moving and four loud splashes. I was safe from their eyes, but only for now. I couldn't kid myself that I wouldn't be involved with them again. I ran out onto the beach and was able to see the girls, still swimming with the helicopter. I allowed myself to fall onto my back. If I didn't find a way off of this island, Christie would be right in her assumption that I was dead. Suddenly, I felt water wash all the way up to my neck. I sat upright and looked to see what had happened.
"Nothing..." I said to myself, with a small sigh. It was just a high wave. To prove me wrong, a small submarine surfaced. I raised an eyebrow suspiciously. Submarines don't come from nowhere. Along with it, a few pieces of wall and what looked to be a very old circuit board also floated on the top of the water. Perhaps there had been a base of operations down there previously? That was enough for me. Against my better judgment, I got up and walked over to the submarine.

Chapter Eleven:
"Core Values"

I had hit the shore and quickly jumped out of the old submarine. I had little clue about where I was or what was going on, but it was apparent enough that a war had started. The city I had docked at looked terrible. Almost as if fire had burned everything, but left structures standing. I spotted people running back and forth throughout the war-torn buildings. All of them were of some military status.
"Enemy platoon is showing up on radar! ETA is ten minutes!" A man yelled, extremely loud.
"Make fortifications! Do not let them through!" Another soldier said into a megaphone. People had sped up even more. Now didn't see like the best time for a brief, but when was? I approached a soldier who was standing by a campfire with his back to me. I tapped him cautiously on the shoulder. He jumped and swirled around with his gun butt. It hit me in the jaw, whipping my face around and knocking me down.
"Stop! I-I'm a civilian!" I said, as he started another swing. The man stopped in mid-swing and offered me a hand, which I took.
"Sorry, I'm a bit too jumpy. Announce your presence first. I mean, what with all that's going on." He said, brushing my shirt off.
"What is going on?" I asked, glad he brought up the subject. He looked at me seriously.
"You better watch your mouth. This isn't for making jokes about."
"No, I know. I'm serious. I haven't the faintest clue about what is going on."
"Do you live in a hole? How could you possibly not know what's going on?"
"Uh..." I started, thinking about the island confrontation.
"Enough, I don't care. To put it frankly, we're at war with, well, ourselves. A civil war, perhaps."
"A civil war? Why?"
"The Empresses, well, former Empresses, have been brainwashed by someone high up in the government, I don't know him by name..." He said. My mind filled with the image of the girls bowing down to my boss on his helicopter.
"Anyhow, we've split. There are those who support the brainwashed Empresses and the invaders. And then there are us. We are the ones who know enough to realize that they are not the Empresses in this state of mind. Our ultimate objective is to assassinate the leader behind the Empresses and the invaders. However, you can obviously realize that being at war with the Empresses is difficult at best."
"Eight minutes!" A man running past us said.
"As you can see, we're in a bit of a tight spot right now. I really don't care what side you are on. I don't kill civilians, regardless of affiliation. Take cover in the back of the city. If we are to fall, well, good luck for what it's worth." He said, waving goodbye. The man ran out towards the front. I was left standing there absorbing the situation. What was going on? I would have time to digest that later.
"Ambush, nine o'clock! Get over there! Go!" A female screamed. Men rushed over and began firing. Bullets began whizzing by my head. I ran and took cover in a building a fair distance away from the combat. I peeked out of the doorway, longing to see more of what was going on. People were getting mowed down left and right, both for the attacker and defender. Five minutes of fierce combat was all it took to end the small skirmish. Fortunately for me, it appeared that my side had won. I exited carefully, observing the dead, scattering the ground. The man, who had greeted me, approached me once again.
"You survived." He said, pausing. I didn't know whether or not that was a good thing, so I chose not to answer.
"C'mon, let's get you inside HQ. "
"For what?" I asked, curiously. He didn't know who I was, so it seemed odd to place so much trust in me.
"To introduce you to the chief officer of our resistance."
"That won't be necessary." A bold voice said from behind me. We looked back. A man dressed in body armor and a bullet-perforated military costume stood upright, with his hands folded behind his back.
"Who do we have here?"
"My name is...Trent Rullman. I'm a former governmental employee, lost in this mess." Saying that was a mistake. The men around me pointed there guns, all staring at me as if I had said something forbidden.
"Part of the government, eh? Hm, spies, how clever." The officer said.
"No! I said former! I've nothing to do with them now. As a matter of fact, I want to join you!"
"Join?" He asked, fixing me with a look.
"Commander! They're back for another attack! We've really stirred them up. Scouts report seeing Christie among the forces."
"All right! Fortify and kill of the men. Do not let Christie spot you! Rullman! You're in! Go, help our forces!" He tossed me a rifle and pointed towards the battle. I wasn't a combat person. I had only brief training regarding firearms. The enemy had extensive wartime knowledge. It was time to pit us head to head. It would be a mixture of luck and fate to see who won. From over the hill, we were able to make out Christie. Her head cresting the hill, followed by the rest of her body. She grinned as she saw us and broke into a run. In her tracks was the rest of the assault team. It was time.

Chapter Twelve:
"Overcome”

I aimed my rifle over the barrier, although I was shaking far too bad to hit anything. Christie kept her steady walk up as she closed on our base. I was too scared to do shoot. The loyalists fired upon us, killing a man next to me. I panicked and ducked below the barrier. I could feel Christie’s footsteps getting faster and stronger. I stayed put. I saw her leap into town and began with her destructive tour of our base.
“Rebel leader, come out. My master wants to have words with you.” She said, looking through buildings before destroying them. A crazy idea popped into my mind. What if I eliminated the “master”? I saw one of two things happening, both of which would only help me. Either they’d revert back and stop following his orders or they’d start obeying me. Four giantesses under my command wouldn’t exactly be a bad thing.
I peeked up again. The loyalists were still about a mile from us, so I signaled for the men to duck behind the barrier with me.
“I’ve got an idea. I’m going to need your help!” I yelled, over the yelling and gunfire.
“If it involves winning, I’m all for it!” The soldier to my right screamed, scared.
“You see her?” I asked, pointing to Christie.
“No!” He responded, sarcastically.
“Enough! We’re going to hitch a ride off of her and ride her back to the base. We’re going to assassinate the leader which will stop this whole thing!”
“He’s crazy! It’ll never work!” He said to the man to my left. The soldier from before came and crouched with us.
“It’s either that or we can get trampled or gunned down! This situation is bad; we’re going to die here anyway!”
The two soldiers looked at each other horrified, but nodded at me slowly.
“All right, here’s the deal. We go into that building,” I explained, pointing to the building nearest to us, “and we wait until she comes by. Aim for her pocket.”
“What do we do once we’re inside?” The soldier who supported my idea asked.
“We’re going to steal some uniforms, get close to the leader, and kill him. What the consequences of the matter will be, I can only guess. But one thing at a time. Now, let’s do this!” I said. They nodded. We rushed into a building as fast as we could, to avoid the loyalist fire. Together, we made it to the roof. Two of the soldiers moved some pipes and debris in front of the door. We crouched down on the roof. It was only now that I realized how tall this building was. Christie, as per my plan, walked up to our building and began looking through it.
I signaled the jump and went first. To avoid killing myself in her pocket, I jumped onto her shoulder, which, thanks to the building’s immense height, was nearly level. Next, I proceeded to slide down her arm and dropped off into her pocket. It was a little bit of a fall, but nothing extreme. The three soldiers followed quickly. We looked at each other. This plan was going to work, and I couldn’t say I had ever been more determined to make it work.

Chapter Thirteen:
“One Step Ahead”

For twenty minutes, or so we thought, we were silent in Christie’s pocket. At the twentieth minute, we heard soldiers running around, trucks running, and other military-esque noises. Christie slowed down to a slow walk. We could tell she ducked for some reason, but what could it be?
“Hey, you guys! Come over here! No, right here. Straight line.” Christie said, obviously commanding troops around.
“Wonder what it’s like getting your orders from somebody like twenty times your size.” A soldier asked.
“Thirty three.” My friend corrected.
“Screw you.” He said, jokingly. Everything was silent for a while. Christie didn’t move and the military base was silent except for the vehicle motors. At once, Christie quickly shot her hand into her pocket, collected us, and held us in her fist. I wanted to cry. How could she have possibly known? Was this how I would die? Looking like an idiot in front of my teammates for leading them into what could quite possibly be qualified as the craziest failed plan ever? She opened her hand, lowered it, and left us onto the floor.
We were in an amazingly huge hangar. It was all metallic and mostly empty. My guess was that it was for the girls. There was a lone fiberglass window very far up. No doubt that belonged to the man in charge.
In front of me was a far more pressing problem. Hundreds of soldiers were aiming straight at us. I could not make my body do anything else other than raise its hands. My teammates followed my example.
“You might as well handcuff them. No doubt the master will want to see him.” Christie laughed. I still couldn’t shake an element of disgust every time she said “master”. We had no objections to this. Being prisoner was better than being dead. We were carefully yet forcefully handcuffed and led away. I could make out a man watching everything from the window. We were led into a door and through a hall that looked like it belonged in a hotel. A couple of elevators later, we reached a floor with nothing but a huge door. The soldiers pushed it open and led us in. My boss was watching outside his window, with his hands folded behind his back.
“My, my, my. If it isn’t Trent Rullman and his band of cohorts!” He said, smiling.
“Take the other three down to the normal holding quarters. I’ll need two of you to stay however. And do make yourselves comfortable. Mr. Rullman and I have some business to discuss.”
The soldiers did as they asked, leaving two in the room. They sat down on a couch near the back.

Chapter Fourteen:
“Desperate Strike”

“Trent, you don’t know how truly surprised I am to see you here. The girls reported you dead. I would have never thought they’d make a mistake. How did you escape?” He asked me, sitting down in a chair behind a huge desk.
“It’s none of your concern. Why should you care?” I shot back.
“Just trying to wrap up loose ends. I’m sure you considered the fact that you won’t be leaving here alive.”
“It crossed my mind once or twice.”
“Trent, did you truly realize what you were doing when you stopped me? This could have all been easily prevented. Had you not intervened, there’s no telling what might have happened.”
“It’s done.”
“That it is. You should have joined me, Trent. Look at all of this! Look at it! Power, upon power, upon power. This is what I got. And everybody else here gets to keep their lives. But you…what are you left with at the end? A cold grave out in the middle of nowhere.”
“That’s what this is about? Power?” I asked him, enraged.
“It’s far too complicated of a matter to discuss with you.”
“Without those girls…you’re nothing! Powerless, weak, and feeble.”
“Don’t play philosopher with me.”
“I’m not playing shit! You’re the one who’s playing. Trying to bolster your image by using a whole bunch of virtually invincible girls to destroy and cover your tracks! You’re nothing with out them!” I screamed. I glared at him while he seemed to be thinking about something.
“You think so, Trent? Is that what you truly believe?” He asked me, simply.
“Yes!” I spat.
“Interesting. Men, unbind him and follow me.” He said, getting out of his chair. The soldiers did as ordered, but then held me by my arms.
“Follow me and cover his eyes.” He ordered. I didn’t know what that was for but it was frustrating. It felt to me like we had taken another trip down to the bottom of the hangar. We walked out. The soldiers steered me left. Then, we suddenly stopped. I heard a bunch of buttons being pressed and then it seemed like we were going upwards. After a minute of this, it stopped.
”Uncover his eyes.” My boss said. They did so. I gasped as I looked out. The hangar was filled with nothing but combat troops. There must have been a million at least. I had never seen so many. What really completed the picture, however, were Christie, Ayane, Kasumi, and Kokoro. They were all kneeling in front with their heads bowed. I was absolutely speechless.
“What’s that you were saying about power, Trent? I am quite the powerful man, if I do say so myself. Face it, you know that you are only mad because you wish you were me. You wish you could be who I am. You wish that you had control!” He said, finishing in a sort of maniacal laughter. I didn’t though. This choice would most likely cost my life, but, for the people, it had to be done. I caught the two guards by surprise and rammed them off of the small metal platform that had to be up at least five hundred feet. They screamed as the fell down to the ground. My boss looked back, hardly believing what I had just done. The soldiers all took aim at me, but at our distance, none of them would be able to hit with any accuracy. The girls posed a bit more of the problem. They rose and approached.
“No! I can take him by myself! Stay back!” He screamed. The girls looked at him and backed off as commanded.
“Well, Trent, this is it! This is where your stupid ideals die!” He taunted. I kicked at him but he dodged. For five minutes, at least, we punched, kicked, and rammed each other until I delivered a kick to his face, breaking his nose and sending him back against the rail. He slouched against it and stayed there. The entire room watched in suspense. I approached him panting.
“This is where your ideals die, not mine.” I said, punching him again.
“Get back!” He said, panting heavily. I kicked his stomach and then punched him again.
“Say goodbye! This is for all the people you’ve killed and the dreams that you’ve ruined!” I yelled, kicking him over the ledge and down to a five hundred foot descent. Then, however, he grabbed my foot. I nearly fell off with him, but managed to grab a hold on one of the bars connecting to the railing.
“This isn’t over! I won’t go down alone! You’re coming with me!” He said, crazily. My boss had done it. He had crossed the boundary between evil genius and crazed man.
“I think you’re wrong. The only person going down today…is you!” I said, knocking my shoe off of my foot. He screamed, “Helena!”, as he fell down and down and down. The girls dove down for him but ended up knocking heads as they rushed at once. Once they tried again, they did nothing more then crush his already dead corpse. I smiled with relief. I had done it.
The girls remained still, none of them moved or did anything. I wondered what I had done to them. I started hoisting myself back onto the platform when the bar I was holding gave way. I started a fall. In my mind, it was worth it. I had potentially saved the world. But, who was Helena? Was this over? Again, the stirring in my mind provoked me to stay alive, but I couldn’t now. It was beyond my control.

Chapter Fifteen:
“Redemption”

I had closed my eyes and was prepared for the impact on the ground. That was not what I received. No, instead I had landed on something soft and smooth. I opened my eyes. Kokoro was looked down at me smiling. She sat down by the rest of the girls and looked at me. How ironic. I had saved the girls, only to be killed by them.
“Hi there! What’s your name?” Kokoro asked me. I had no idea why she would ask this.
“Uh, Trent…” I responded, unsure.
“Hi, Trent! I’m Kokoro. These are my friends, Kasumi, Ayane, and Christie.”
“It’s a pleasure?” I said, looking at them. They all looked at me, waved, and went back to thinking.
“Say, Trent. Um, I know it sounds a little weird, but could you fill me in on what going on? Last thing I know is that I was playing volleyball with them and now I’m really big!” She said, laughing nervously. I smiled. Maybe things could work out.
“You see, you girls were captured by a very evil man and had your memories modified. We were on a mission together to build a new government to replace the world this man destroyed.” I lied, smiling. I looked at the soldiers on the ground. They were all backing up slowly.
“Those guys down there,” I said, pointing at the enemy soldiers, “are his loyal companions. They’ve also captured some of our allies. So I guess we can start by wiping them out and then freeing the prisoners.” Kokoro looked at them. They screamed and started running.
“C’mon, girls! We’ve got work to do!” Kokoro said, getting up. They all rose to their shorter, three hundred foot height and started running after them. Except for Kokoro, who put me on the platform before starting. I smiled as they wiped them out. I was going to make things better. Something wasn’t right about this picture. I couldn’t shake my boss’s last, bloodcurdling scream. This Helena I had never heard before. And I had a bad feeling about her. There wasn’t anything else to go on, however. I had to simply hope that it was just a relative. In my mind, I saw myself closing a case file with a name. It was really blurry but I managed to break through it. In bolded letters: “Helena Douglas”. Rumors were she was related to my boss. I looked around panicking. Could this have been part of something bigger? Was I just overreacting? I didn’t know, and that’s what made it so scary in the first place. Once everything was on place, I wanted to go after her and find her. That would have to wait, but not too long. There was no telling how long I had before my ties would go dead, and I would be in the black again.

Epilogue:
“A Woman’s Dream”

“Hey, you! Stop slacking! Get to work!” My overseer yelled at me. I hated taking orders, but it was something I had to live with. My wealth, my cars, everything, lost from the stupid war. Helena Douglas used to be a name that was known and respected. Now look at me. I’m stuck on a reconstruction crew.
At least the war is over. I thought, sighing. It is well known how it came to be. After defeating the terrorist, as they call him, Trent with the help of Christie, Ayane, Kasumi, and Kokoro started a new government. One that was quite similar to the United States, way back when. Isn’t exactly as free, but it beat the shit out of a dictatorship. I still couldn’t believe that simply because they took a formula on our vacation island that they were able to become some kind of leader. I could have taken it and been there, but no. No, I had to follow the rules. And look where it leads! The girls aren’t giantesses anymore. For the government, they shrunk themselves and are now normal leaders.
“All right! Move on to the next house!” He called. I recognized this position. This was rumored to be where everything transpired. Supposedly, Ayane and Kasumi had emerged from this house, but those were just rumors.
“I wonder whose house this could be…” I asked myself, quietly. I started shoveling rubble into a pile when I came across a dirty and torn paper, but it wasn’t too bad. I looked on it. Something called Corruption’s Blessing. I looked at it closer. It dawned on me what exactly it was.
My father, or rather step-father, was separated from me at the beginning of Christie’s regime. From the brief time I knew him, he had been involved with the government and been one of those people who didn’t exist. Being the curious girl I was, I had always looked at his papers secretly. He had been involved with human relations, but that was his cover up. No, my step-father was much, much more important. It scared me, some of the things I read about. And now I knew his ultimate goal. He had never been in it for the government; his own secret agenda seemed to be his main priority. I smiled maliciously as I tucked the paper into my uniform. It was time to test his work. I was going to have a little fun upon arriving home tonight…


END