“ Hurry up Graham, Dawn is on her way!” Graham’s mother called out from the living room.

 That made Graham drop his comb, a simple garishly orange comb made out of some plastic polymer; it was cheap but it did it's job, Graham was not one to bother with brand names and such; if it worked, it was good enough for him.

 Graham bent to pick it up, looking out the window instead of his dresser which was next to it. He smiled to himself as he looked out the window while he tamed his unruly head of hair. The placing of his window allowed him to easily see Dawn when she came over. She’d approach over the horizon before going down the wide streets that led to the many single to two storey houses in his neighbourhood.

 He liked her, as a friend and occasional guardian against bullies, her ability to end any potential scuffle by wrapping her fingers around his assailant was invaluable.

 The mere thought of that laid a sheepish smile upon him; a girl may have been fighting his battles but when that girl happened to be the biggest being on Home, you let her fight if she wanted to.

 “ I’m almost done, mother!” Graham called back to her. She responded to acknowledge his reply, leaving him alone again as he finished with the taming of his hair.

 

 Once that was completed, he went downstairs. Dawn could and often did pick him up from his room, Graham would just have to exit the house via his room. Saved a little time but Graham mother’s had protested him risking a possible broken leg or two just to reduce his daily commute by a minute or two. Thus it was decided he would only get on to Dawn’s hand only if he were on the ground floor.

As Graham reached the ground floor, his phone rang. He pulled out the dark rectangular touchscreen phone, it didn’t have any buttons like Earth phones; everything one needed to press was on the screen itself.

“ Hello Dawn,” Graham said into the phone as he walked into the small kitchen. He spotted his mother washing dishes ,the sounds of the Holon indicating his father was veged out infront of it.It was a device similar to the television except this was built directly into the wall of the home.

“Are you close?” Graham replied, catching the eye of his mother. She smiled sweetly at him, Graham reciprocating in return.

“ You can wait for me in the yard, just a kiosi or two,” Dawn answered. A kiosi was about 1.2 kilometres on Earth.

Graham knew that wasn’t exactly far for Dawn. With her legs a kiosi was at most a minute, maybe less if she chose a brisk walk.

“ Okay then, I’ll see you soon!” Graham said his goodbye to her and hung up.

“Bye Mum! Bye Dad!” Graham waved goodbye to both of his parents, his father grunting in response but his mother did actually put her goodbye into proper words. He exited the house and stood in the yard, waiting for Dawn.

Within a minute, Graham felt the light tremors that heralded the arrival of his giant friend. By the next minute her head appeared over the horizon. The rest of her body followed, her platinum white hair braided today. As always, Dawn covered her slim arms in a long sleeved loose shirt that billowed in the gentle breeze.

 As she walked down the street in her covered sneakers, people glanced at her but no more, her  presence lacked the novelty of her earlier visits when people would stare at her as she headed over to Graham’s house. Now it was as commonplace as a mailman making deliveries.

“ Good morning Graham,” Dawn greeted him. She blushed slightly, he did too for both still felt a little strange around each other. Dawn lowered her hand into the yard, allowing for Graham to climb on before she raised herself into a standing position. After letting him settle on to her shoulder, she carefully moved off to school.

“ Morning, Dawn,” Graham returned the greeting.

“ Not a good morning?”

Graham shrugged his shoulders with a nonchalant air of uncertainty.

“We’ll see, there’s still plenty of it left.”

Dawn chuckled at his reply, “ I guess there is. I just hope it goes by quickly, I don’t like these career talks much.”

 “ You shouldn’t though, we’re close to finishing school and then it's either work for us or university. Where do you want to go?”

“ I’m not too sure. Where can I go? I’m too big to fit into a university. High school’s already a nightmare, I don’t want to add another three years of feel like garbage to my life,” Dawn sighed. It was a question that felt more imposing with each passing day, where her future lay. Three years was supposed to be inconsequential when her lifespan measured centuries, possibly millennia if Jessica was right.

 “ Hey maybe today’s talk will inspire you, I hear it's Park Incorporated,” Graham spoke up perkily in an attempt to cheer up Dawn.

 Dawn looked pensively at him, Park Incorporated was where her mother worked as a field agents. Field agents were those with generally useful superpowers, each agent getting an injection of the Jones serum to imbue them with a random power.

 Dawn didn’t need such powers, her homean-human biology making her the first ever child of an agent to inherit the latter’s abilities. Even though it seemed like Park fit her like a glove, she always felt uncomfortable following her mother’s path.

 “ I really don’t want to work there,” Dawn sighed. Her fresh breath washed over Graham, ruffling his previously neat hair. He shot Dawn a mildly annoyed look.

“ You’ll be a good fit, you already have powers and I bet your mom could get you in. She’s a living legend.”

 “ I don’t want to always be compared to her. Besides, Mom kicks ass. I just suck ass,” Dawn conceded. She raised her right, flexing her bicep. There wasn’t much, just a feeble bulge; it was a feet to Graham but on Dawn’s scale, close to an insect bite.

 “ If that were Mom, her arm would be triple the size. If I join Park, they will compare me to her even more and I’m already being weighed up against her whenever we go out together. It's not her fault, I can’t hate her for being so good but I’ve never come close to matching her.”

“ You will, some day. Just don’t beat yourself over it, you’re pretty good in my opinion,” Graham clasped his fingers together, awaiting her response.

Her body did it for him, her cheeks turning rouge as she answered, “Thanks, I just hope other people will see me the same way too.”

  She let out a sigh of resignation, “ Maybe. Lets just hope nothing happens today. It would be awful if I screwed up and someone at Park told my Mum.”

****

High above Home, behind its sole large moon was a Dolorian spacecraft. The ship had arrived about a month before, monitoring Home’s activities but more importantly, housing the mech Idi would pilot against Jessica.

The crew consisted of a small section of  soldiers and technicians, all Dolorian. Most of the space was reserved for the mech and the tools necessary to keep it in top shape.

Idi was in the mess hall, a small room where soldiers could dine on rations during meal hours. He was alone, a state he was used to and hardly bothered by at this point. Every now and then other people would enter the mess hall, be served their meal. They ate it there but none of them ever sat with him, avoiding Idi as if he had a foul odour about him. Except for one person who had matters to discuss with him.

 “ Good morning Private Idi.”

 Idi looked up from his bowl of Slorg guts soup, Slorg being a small mammalian creature about the size of a chicken  native to Doloria, the main difference was it had large tusk like canines in it's mouth. It's meat was a staple amongst the Dolorians and used extensively by the Dolorian military for meals and rations.

 “ Morning Sergeant Conga,” Idi stood up and greeted the female Dolorian in his baritone voice. She clicked her teeth in approval before sitting in front of him at the mess table. He noticed a scar above her right eye,the scales never making a full recovery. She mentioned it as being part of a skirmish with Dolorian militiamen, one of them lashing at her eye with his claws. It had bled but she fought on and only stopped to receive medical attention when the battle was over.

She wore it proudly, scars were viewed in the same as medals were on Home, you wore it proudly and displayed it to the world.

“ Today’s the day, are you nervous?” She asked him.

Idi shook his head.

“Hardly,” he tapped his fingers on the table as he smiled at her, his thin reptilian mouth curling up.

“ I could not be more afraid of the giant than she is of me. After today, she will know what it means to be mortal,” he replied confidently.

That brought an assuring smile from Conga who chuckled deeply.

“ I am glad to hear such confident talk from you, you will do your family proud.”

“Or never return, I am familiar with the Dolorian code,” Idi answered, a bit of bile in his reply.

 It was the same code that killed his father, the very same code he was bound to honour. He wanted no part of it but as one person, he didn’t have any place to go. Joining the militia groups was out of the question, they were a very closed group with no room for outsiders. He would either be a slave or dead depending on which group he had the misfortune to encounter.

 “ Good. Once you’re finished, report to the mech room. There’s no need to hurry, the target will not expect you if you show up five minutes later than usual.”

Idi nodded. His heart beat faster as the image of Jessica seeped into his mind. The footage of the attack was played every year, every Dolorian could remember what he or she was doing at the time; the moment the base came down, killing hundreds and wounding thousands. They needed a month just to go through the rubble, only persisting for so long thanks to the Dolorian’s ability to slow its metabolism in times of famine or in this case, trapped under tonnes of rubble.

 It was played nearly every year by the current regime to drum up sympathy. Idi never cared much for it, the same play for sympathy merely added to misery faced by his own family. They never bothered about them, turning them into social pariahs with no way out except for death; an escape not even offered to them.

 He soon finished his meal and left the canteen, he had no wish to remain in such a place for any longer than necessary. The gossiping and ostracism were enough to force him to leave. He never spoke to any of his ‘teammates’ more than he had to. Conversations were focused on the mission and once daily objectives were met, he left before the topic shifted to a lighter tone. He never cared much for small talk, not when he knew what they thought of him.

 Idi changed into his combat fatigues, sandy brown and pixelated to maximise camouflage on the desert dominated Doloria. He arrived at the mech room five minutes before he was due and waited patiently for Conga to show up. He kept to himself and when Conga finally showed up, he addressed her in a very formal manner.

“ I won’t tell you what you need to do, just know that there are plenty of people in high places counting on you. Anything you wish to ask? A message I could relay to your family?”

Idi shook his head, he didn’t know anyone who’d care if he failed on the outside. If they did, they must have kept their feelings to themselves because no one ever expressed any sort of warmth to him.

 “ Very well, this way.”

 She led him to a series of stairs that climbed up to a seemingly sky high ceiling. Neither of them said a word, the only sounds were the clanking of heavy combat boots on metal. When they reached the top, Idi stopped and looked over the edge of the railing. He whistled, impressed by the height at which they had climbed. It was impressive and as he looked straight ahead, wondered if this was what Jessica saw everyday.People by her feet, a god among mortals, he thought to himself.In his time spent researching Jessica’s time on Home, he never once saw her outmatched.

“ Don’t get distracted Idi,” Conga reminded him. He snapped out of what appeared to be a daze, he shook his head to get back into the rhythm.

She led him onto a gang plank where the head of the mecha had been opened up, revealing a pilot’s seat and numerous buttons, screens and panels. All of which Idi had to utilize during the fight.

“ You won’t last a second if you do that during the fight,” she chastised him.

“ Sorry Ma’am, won’t happen again.”

No it wouldn’t, he thought to himself.

“Step inside,” Conga instructed him. Idi went in and sat in the pilot’s seat.

“ Get yourself sealed up and after that, sit tight.” She paused to take one final look at Idi, with almost a look of pity in her eyes.

Idi waved it off as jealousy, she probably wanted his position. He glanced down at the console before pressing a button. The mecha whirred smoothly as the head retracted from the gangplank before settling into the neck. Metal plates closed over the previously open entrance, trapping Idi in darkness for less than a second, a deep red light coming while the screens glowed whitish blue. Each showed vital information about the mecha.

“Well, we’re the past the of no return now aren’t we?” Idi chuckled to himself. He mentally prepared himself, it was either do or die right now and he intended to reserve the latter for Jessica.

 

 

 

 

 

“ Comfy?” Dawn’s voice travelled far, further than she intended in this case as several rows of heads turned to look at her. Her cheeks blushed a deep shade of red while they stared. It was only for a moment, everyone returned to facing the front.

 

“ Sorry,” Dawn whispered. This time, no one turned back and she felt thankful for that.

 

They were outside of the school compound today, the talk scheduled to take place at a large open field where a makeshift stage had been set up. Curiously, there was no stage to speak of, there was a microphone stand but where the actual stage should have been, it was bare save for the natural green foliage that blanketed the ground.

 

In her palm sat Graham who gave her the thumbs up, “ Good enough. We always get the back but the roof top view never hurt.”

 

Dawn smiled sweetly, he always did see the positive side of this.

 “ I just hope today’s talk isn’t going to be boring. I remember last year some guy came to talk about voting. We can’t even vote until we’re twenty one and there he was, trying to get us to vote for him. It was so awkward,” Dawn recalled.

 

 “ I overheard a couple of guys talking, it's Park Incorporated,” Graham answered without too much concern. To him, it was nothing to be worried about but Dawn was worried. What if they sent her mother? She worked for Park and everyone knew her, in part thanks to her work over the last 200 years. Dawn and her peers even studied some of her work in history class, that was the extent of Jessica’s imprint on Home.

 

 Out of instinct, she wriggled her toes, accidentally bumping a couple of guys in front, her table sized digits shoving the two forward with the force of a linebacker. Even though her toes were covered by her sneakers, the movement was still enough to affect those in front.  They fell to the ground, looking rather peeved but upon seeing the culprit, neither really  Dawn hastily apologised to the two boys, she didn’t recognise them but she was sure they probably didn’t like her very much now.

 

“ Crud,” she muttered but it was still loud enough for Graham to look over his shoulder at his large friend. He didn’t need to investigate, he’d been with Dawn long enough to know what she did. He also knew well enough not to press too much into it, Dawn was rarely malicious in her intentions.

 

“ It happens,” he assured her.

 

A sudden clicking and hissing sound came out of nowhere, Dawn suddenly squirming.

 

“Oh I swear he can be such  a handful,” Dawn muttered. Discreetly reaching her hand down her shirt, she pulled out Lucky, squirming and eagerly rubbing his neck against her finger.

 

“Lucky if you’re going to struggle I won’t be bring you to school talks anymore.”

 

Graham blushed, it felt awkward seeing his best friend reach into her cleavage. Dawn may have felt insecure about her lack of bust but the truth was, she often said that in comparison to her mother and that was the key; Jessica’s bust could easily outclass most of Home’s women. Then there was the matter of relativity, Dawn may had a small chest compared to Jessica but the truth was, hers still weighed ton and you could still lose a small family in hers.

 

“You brought Lucky?” he tried not to look Dawn in the eye and was it always this hot? It was supposed to be autumn yet Graham felt hot under the collar.

 

“Yeah, we could stop by the park on the way to my house, get Lucky his walk.”

 

Further down, George and Edmund had found their own seats in the area, it was free seating in the area. Edmund had made sure they were seated as far away from Dawn, bad things tended to happen to those around her. He looked back at Dawn, the latter had not noticed him and he didn’t want her to. He just wanted the rest of the day off.

 

“We should have sat closer to her,” George complained. Edmund glared at him for saying something so stupid.

 

“ And risk getting sat on? No way, I intend to live,” Edmund rebutted.

 

“ But you know how I feel about her, she’s so special, so beautiful.”

 

Edmund shook his head in disapproval, George hadn’t gotten over that night at prom when he blurted his feelings to Dawn. Ever since then he hadn’t stopped moaning and generally sulking about it.

 

“ She’s a freak George, you can do a lot better than her,” Edmund grumbled.

 

“ People don’t say that about her mother,” George countered weakly, he looked at Edmund with a look similar to a whimpering puppy.

 

“Her mother is something else,” Edmund answered, the mere thought of Jessica enough to put a smile on his face. She was a regular sight at the school, usually because Dawn had either gotten into trouble or she was the trouble; either way, it meant the school was blessed with a visit from Jessica.

 

Edmund recalled staring out the window at her, like most of the boys in his class whenever Jessica appeared. Her statuesque form, well toned and voluptuous was a gift from heaven. Her outfits were tight, form fitting and always showed a generous amount of decolletage for them. Well, she wasn’t putting on a show for the hundreds of teenage boys but that didn’t matter to them, they got to look at a beautiful giantess up close and that often made their day.

 

 Which only made Dawn so much inferior, she only exceeded her mother and height in his eyes. Why George ever saw anything in her was a mystery.

 

 “ She is, but Dawn is garbage compared to her-”

 

Edmund stopped, he saw something on the horizon, coming through the nearby park. Something big, and it was coming closer. He, like the rest looked closer, almost getting off their seats. At the back, only Dawn could see it and she dreaded it.

 

Because, she saw her mother and she was coming ever closer to the school. Dawn’s heart sank, pulsing faster as she grew more nervous with each second. She was even wearing one of her work outfits, the kind that turned hot blooded teenage boys into excited dogs. It was all white, figure hugging( always a sight for sore eyes when you had a figure like Jessica’s!) and revealed enough to get the crowd going.

 

“ Oh goodness, they invited her,” she whispered to Graham.

 

“She’s the one they sent,” Dawn leaned back, hunching over in an attempt to look as small as she could.

 

“ Has she done this before?” Graham asked, he could see her clearly thanks to his elevated perch.

 

 Dawn shrugged her shoulders, Jessica never visited any of her previous schools for business purposes, it was always more as a parent.

 

“ Not that I know of, maybe she visited other schools. None of them were mine, not until now,” she replied frankly.

 

Dawn watched as she stepped into the area, greeted by Principal Baldrick. She was alone, her father was presumably at home or at Park doing admin work.

 

Dawn didn’t hate Jessica, she just felt inferior. She was the daughter of a Home icon, a woman who in two hundred years had gone above the call of duty, protecting Home from threats like rogue scientists, giant creatures gone rogue and many more. She had confidence, strength and grace that seemed impossible for someone as massive as her. Dawn had little of that and she knew, every time they stood side by side, the inevitable comparisons were made and Dawn came off second best every time.

 

 Dawn had long accepted that truth but it didn’t dampen the pain she felt whenever people did compare.

 

Out in front, Jessica had finished her talk with Principal Baldrick and now turned to face the crowd, a friendly smile on car sized lips.

 

 “ Good morning Adder High,it's my first time visiting you on behalf of Park Incorporated and it's a pleasure to see such young and vibrant students here!” She finished, giving a sweeping glance at the crowd. She had used that line many times, completely rehearsed but she had a job to do here.

 

Dawn slouched as Jessica described her job, even throwing in some of her past and some additional insight. She never paid much attention, she knew most of it when Jessica discussed work with Tucker or when Dawn asked about her job. She didn’t need convincing, she figured with her giant size the only place willing to hire her would be Park itself. Dawn did not know her exact job there but she’d cross that bridge when she got to it.

 

 When the speech ended, after what must have been an hour, Principal Baldrick got everyone to give a customary round of applause for Jessica before the announcement was made to dismiss the students. Not a second was spared as the area was drained of students faster than a starving vampire at a blood bank.

 

Dawn stayed, mostly to avoid stepping on anyone by accident and because she felt like talking to Jessica.

 

 “ Hey Mom,” Dawn greeted her with a polite smile .Jessica looked up at her daughter, one of the few times in her life when she actually had to physically look up to someone.

 

“ Hello sweetheart, did you enjoy the talk?”

 

“ I did, you didn’t tell me you were going to be visiting my school today,” Dawn replied.

 

“ Oh that, I thought I’d give you a little surprise. Surprised?” Jessica spread her arms wide.

 

Dawn tittered at her mother’s humour ,it was definitely a surprise.

 

“ Very.”

 

“We both were,” Graham chimed in.

 

“ Oh hello Graham, did you enjoy the talk?”

 

Graham nodded, he did enjoy talking to Jessica. This was the first time it ever occurred in a less social setting, more formal due to Jessica technically being at work for this period.

 

“ Yes I did Mrs. Martell. I think the other students did too,you should come back next year.”

 

“We’ll see-”

 

Jessica stopped , she and the two teenagers turning their heads in the direction of what appeared to be thunder. Odd, given the lack of storm clouds overhead and their city wasn’t known for frequent lightning strikes. What was strange was a dark object that sped through the atmosphere in the distance, heading for the city district. Which was a problem because the city district was just a stone’s throw away. Adder High was just minutes from the city but it was too late for any of them to really get any sort of distance from the object.  

 

It seemed to accelerate before implanting itself in the ground, a slight rumble racing through the earth. Jessica and Dawn felt it, it was strangely more feeble than Jessica anticipated.

 

 “ Meteorites?” Dawn inquired .

 

 “ Seems like it,” Graham replied.

 

“ Do you need to go?” Dawn asked Jessica.

 

“Not yet,” Jessica answered, but she looked concerned. That was a big object if it could survive this long in Home’s atmosphere. If it hit, there would be a lot of  damage.

 

“Let me call in,just to be sure.”

She tapped a few buttons on her VSC, calling in to Park.

 

“ This is Agent Snape, any news on the unidentified object?”

 

********

 

Agent Hammond had not seen anything like it before. Meteor strikes were uncommon around Home, they had a space defence system which would redirect or neutralise any incoming space rock that posed a significant threat to Home itself. For this object to make it so far, it had to have significant mass and likely be of a high iron make up.

 

That is, if it were an asteroid or meteor but it wasn’t. What had landed in the city, made a 200 foot wide crater was metallic but clearly artificial. It was shaped like a closed flower bud and made of a dazzling bright metal.

 

 As protocol dictated, he rushed to the impact site, looking for casualties. Thankfully there were none, although a crowd had started to form around it. Many of them snapped pictures with their phones.

 

“Stay back everyone!” he instructed. They did as they were told, none came closer but it was largely because no one was paying attention. All of them were engaged in their own conversations or just snapping pictures and recording videos.

 

Hammond climbed the debris pile, mostly soil and concrete clumped together. From his new vantage point, he guessed the rock or whatever it was appeared to be similar in size to Jessica. It was the closest approximation he could make to it.

 

“That has to be-”

 

A loud whirring sound issued from the machine and he instinctively back away, whatever it was, it was coming to life.

 

Lines appeared to form in each corner, dark and thin before the outer layers of it fell apart.

 

“Oh my Go-”

 

Hammond had never seen anything like it. It looked similar to the android Omega from years ago but this thing was much bigger. It was reptilian and was huge.

 

“ Is this Home?” A deep metallic voice issued from it.

 

“Y-yes, this is. Who are you? State your name and intent!” Hammond commanded.

 

“  My name is Idi but that is not important, the only thing you need to know is I am here for Jessica Snape, the destroyer of my world. This was made just in case she ever came back but I am taking the fight to her.”

 

Hammond chuckled, another troublemaker.

 

“ And what world are you from? I’m guessing from your design, you must be Dolorian,” he answered.

 

“ I am,” Idi answered, the pistons working as he looked down at Daniels.

 

“I do not know who you are. Now get Jessica here or there will be chaos.”

 

“Can’t do it pal, we don’t negotiate with bullies,” Hammond smirked before using his powers. He could command water and bend it to his will. Which he did, bursting a pipe below and sending it crashing into Idi.

 

Inside, he was surprised by the man’s control of water but he planted his feet in the ground, letting the water be deflected by the mecha’s body.

 

Hammond increased it but to no avail,Idi hadn’t budged. He soon stopped, the only thing he had achieved was making Idi wet.

 

“ If you are done, I’d like to show you what I can do.”

 

Idi raised his hand and the mecha followed, the hand’s five fingers pulling together and morphing into a blaster.

 

He aimed it at Daniels before firing a hot ion blast. Daniels was quick to dodge, he moved fluidly as Idi fired over and over, to the sound of civilians screaming. Each time Daniels dodged but he was too slow.

 

“ As you can see-” Idi was interrupted by a bus sized piece of concrete slamming into the visor of his mecha. He stumbled back, from the shock and impact but retained his balance.

 

“ Alrite ya big bully, ya betta pick on someone yer own size!” Hammond looked to see the muscular Agent Daniels right there. He had a buzzcut and while menacing , his heart was in the right place.

 

 “ I suppose that is a saying you have here on this rock? You want me to fight my equal yet you do not bring her to me. Your actions are most contradictory,” he said to Daniels.

 

 

“Glad you join us Daniels, you got any more rocks to throw?”

 

“Only if yer keep splashin him!” Hammond shot back.

 

“Very well,” Idi stated. He didn’t want to fight them but perhaps if he did defeat them, they would call Jessica over.

 

“If you insist on trying to stop the unstoppable force, I’ll have to oblige you,” striking a fighting pose, fists raised in front of his visor.

 

************

 

At Adder High, things were calmer than expected. Everyone on Home had gone through emergency drills when it came to the danger of individuals like Idi, Home’s history suggested it was best to The sound of shrill sirens blaring, feet shuffling as Jessica and several other Park agents directed the civilians present to a nearby hill top.  Dawn with Graham as she waited, Graham explaining he would be safer with Dawn, drawing a blush from the teenage giantess.

 

“ An evil robot, wow... “ Dawn said to Graham who was busy watching a live feed uploaded by news drones. He had to admit, Agents Daniels and Hammond were doing a good job. He cheered when Hammond made Idi stumble with a well placed punch to the knee joint in his mecha. Idi wasn’t down, firing blasts from his mecha’s arm pulsers and trying to stomp the two men.

 

 Dawn was also watching but flinched as she saw Hammond take a punch from Idi, slamming him into the wall.The drone zoomed to reveal the muscular agent fall to the ground, injured but still able to rise. He didn’t waste time in getting up to fight again. Dawn knew of Hammond, standard tough guy with a soft heart , his power being his incredible strength. She wasn’t too sure if he was stronger than her but didn’t doubt he could actually out fight her.

 

 “ Alright sweetie, you , Graham and…” Jessica paused, noticing Lucky nuzzling his snout against Dawn’s neck.

 

“ And Lucky can join the rest.”

 

“Gotcha, you going to help Agent Daniel and Agent Hammond?” Dawn asked after standing up. She could see the entire group, all sitting  together and being watched by agents.

 

Jessica shook her head but Dawn could see in her eyes she wanted to fight. She had heard his demands, she even requested to settle the issue by taking out Idi immediately but the higher ups told her to help out with evacuation,they didn’t want to play into the hands of Idi.

 

“ No, I’ll be here with the other agents.I just need to call your father, make sure he’s okay. You get to that hill now” Jessica replied.

 

Upon getting there, Dawn realised the hill was actually shorter than her and sitting on it may cause a landslide. With that in mind, she sat next to the grassy thing but that put her face level with two characters she would have preferred to avoid.

 

“Oh come on!” Edmund protested, close enough to Dawn’s ear to make her turn. She looked visibly irritated, swishing her white hair in the midst of her head turn.

 

“ What now?” Dawn grumbled.

 

 “ Why are you here? You should be out there fighting the monster. You’re so big and you can’t move your useless butt to be useful for once.”

“ Well my mom is still here but I don’t see you complaining,” Dawn shot back.

 

“ I’m sure she’s doing something productive,” Edmund glanced over at Jessica who seemed to be conversing with someone using her VSC.

 

“ An important call,” he said in an unsure fashion.

 

*******

“Ow!” Daniels cried out as he hit the ground again. Hammond moved to cover him, sending water all around Idi who stomped towards him. The surrounding buildings had large holes, from Idi’s blaster and from Hammond being thrown through them repeatedly.

 

He coughed, feeling sharp pains in his sides as he stood up. Hammond clutched his sides.

 

“Send in reinforcements, anyone. Just bring in Jessica! I don’t think I can hold him forever!” he spoke into it.

 

“ Yes, bring her here. You are painfully inadequate for me,” Idi announced.

 

“ Hold on Ham,” Daniels focused his mind, clenching his lanky fists as the water slammed into Idi. Idi braced for impact but to his surprise, he did not move. What he did notice was the water seeping into his mecha, any gap between found itself welcoming a torrent.

“I see what you’re trying to do…” Idi smiled. He looked down, the whole place was wet thanks to Daniel’s hydromancy but he knew how to deal with that. He pushed a button on the mecha and sat back.

 

“Good night-AAAAHHH!!!” Hammond felt his nerves on fire, behind him Daniels ried out in pain as their bodies coursed with electricity.

 

High up Idi watched them convulse,bodies twitching with thousands of volts flowing through them. The mecha was unharmed but thanks to Hammond, the electric shock which was meant as a deterrent in melee had it's ranged extended massively.

 

When he did stop the current, both men lay on the ground, Hammond  unconscious while Daniels could hardly stand from the pain.

 

“I-I could do this all day…” he held up his fists while Idi laughed at the pathetic sight.

 

“I’m afraid you do not have-”

 

“I do,” spoke a female voice.

 

Idi turned behind to see Jessica, standing there in her white suit, white with rage at the sight of her defeated comrades.

 

“ I thought you’d let them die for you. It's heartening to see you at least fight your own battles.”

 

He turned away from the two smaller agents and walked up to Jessica. To his surprise, he was looking her in the eye and she was too. He had never seen such anger in someone before.

 

“ You’re bigger,” he stated.

 

“I had a late spurt and it's going to come in handy when I kick your ass,” Jessica replied.

 

 

 

“ You don’t scare me,” Idi commented. He gripped his hands on the controls tightly, Dolorians didn’t perspire like Homeans did but if they could, his palms would have been thinly coated with sweat.

“ Good for you but why are you here? Declaring war on Home? ” Jessica asked.

Idi pointed at Jessica with an outstretched claw, “ I’m here for you. You don’t remember me but I had barely left the egg when you came and ruined my family’s life. My life,” Idi hissed.

 “I definitely don’t remember meeting you or your family. I do recall being on Doloria and getting captured…” Jessica’s voice trailed off, Idi’s voice was deep but it had a young vibe to it. He sounded like a wounded youth, baying for blood over what seemed to be nothing.

“ Yes, you were on my home. Then you wrecked an entire base!” Idi roared, charging forward and throwing a punch at Jessica.

She deftly deflected it with the back of her forearm and jabbed the mecha in what would have been the solar plexus, pushing him back.

“ That was not personal. They would have killed me if  didn’t escape,” Jessica said bluntly.

“ It felt personal to me. Every year we commemorate the Dolorians lost on that dark day.”

He charged forward, raising his leg and kicking her from the side. This time he applied more force , more than Jessica expected. She was flung to a large fifty storey building, shattering glass and concrete.

Jessica stood up, a layer of dust and debris coating her; it slipped off her as she stood up.That hurt more than she expected but she could feel her body’s healing factor kicking in already, healing what little damage she took.

“ My father lost his life that day. They blamed him for it, the whole fiasco. You may not value reputation much on your planet but on Doloria, a Dolorian with a bad reputation is a dead on.”

He threw a punch but Jessica stopped it with an elbow, deflecting and to his surprise, dented the metal armour plating. The AI alerted him to it. Idi chuckled, she was not as soft as he thought.

“Impressive, you are not as soft as you look,” he said through the mecha.

“ You do not have the hard scales of a Dolorian but I’ll admit you are tougher than you look.”

Idi pressed a button and from the knuckle joints of both hands, a pair of serrated claws emerged from each of them.

“ But even a diamond can be cut,” he grinned from the inside of the machine.

*******

Dawn watched the fight, her enhanced vision allowing her a clearer view than the rest who had to settle for footage from drones. Every station in the world was currently airing the fight between Jessica.

Dawn didn’t need that, her heart pulsing as she witnessed Jessica dodge a punch before headbutting the metal monster in it's head. A voice within cheered her mother on, she had no doubt Jessica would triumph over the bad guy; she had done it numerous times over the last two hundred years. Why would today be any different? From what she could tell, Jessica had the attacker on the ropes.

She found his claims odd, accusing Jessica of effectively murdering his father. She did not know much about Doloria, other than it being a world not under the rule of the Republic; one most people within it tended to avoid except those in the Outer Worlds and a lot of those were backwaters planets ruled by local crime lords. Not a place she ever intended to visit, those worlds were no place for someone like her.

“ Are you worried?” Graham asked from his perch on Dawn’s shoulder.

Dawn shook her head, smiling sweetly at Graham.

“ No, Mum usually wins these.”

“ Doesn’t mean you can’t be worried, right?” Graham replied.

“You’re right but she has fought worse than this and won.”

Lucky purred contentedly as he settled into a comfortable spot against Dawn’s neck. Graham chuckled, Lucky was always close to Dawn, close enough to fend off anyone he believed would try to take him from her.

“ I see someone is taking the battle well,” Graham commented.

“As long as he’s with me , Lucky thinks he’s well...plain lucky,” Dawn laughed.

“ You ever...tried to learn some moves from your mom?” Graham shifted topic, he had brought up the topic of Jessica teaching Dawn how to fight. Dawn had said no to the idea, the only person large enough to actually be a threat to her was her own mother and Dawn did not see that happening in the foreseeable future.

Her mother’s current performance in the fight. She could see the hardened, battle warrior side of her. She dodged blows easily, countering with ease. Dawn guessed her opponent would be down if he were made of flesh and blood but since he was made of metal, he kept going. Even so, she noted every move he made was laced with hesitance and when he did strike forward, it was parried easily by Jessica.

Dawn felt her heart swell with pride, it felt good to see her mother in action, even if it had to be under such life threatening circumstances.

*****

“Gah!” Idi winced as he felt the vibrations from the latest attack by Jessica. She had shoved him into what looked like an abandoned office building, sending him clean through and leaving him flat on his back.

He had grossly underestimated her, that he knew. Idi had done research, used simulations rooms to prepare for this but the real Jessica could not be replicated in some feeble hologram. No, he realised, she was truly a beast on the battlefield. .

Why then, had he not used the full power of the suit? Was it because he hoped to defeat her without putting in one hundred percent? Prove he was better than her? No, he realised, that he was hubris. Jessica was tougher than that and he needed to up his game.

As expected, Jessica leapt through the hole, landing feet first on his chest. She bent her knees just before impacting him, the momentum fracturing the ground around him, pushing him deeper inside.

All around him were alerts about damage to the chest armour, minor but if Jessica kept pounding at it, it would expose wiring and delicate parts his mecha could not function without.

“ You can come out of your suit any time, surrender. I don’t wish to kill you,” Jessica reminded him as she hauled him back up  on to his feet for another pounding. Idi decided he was done holding back, he’d do whatever it took to take down Jessica.

“ But I do,” he said while placing his hands on her face. Instantly, thousands of volts surged into Jessica, lighting up every nerve in her body. She screamed, literally shocked by this. Idi kept it up, letting the current burn and tear at each fibre in her body before kicking her in the gut, sending her flying through the hole she had previously made.

 “And I will, after they have their fun with you.”

Jessica landed on another building, sending it toppling to the ground, cratering it.

“ Ooooh..” she moaned, her body felt like it had been doused in oil and set alight. It hurt to move but she could still do so, albeit without feeling tingles in her body. She clutched her stomach, praying she had enough in her tank to defeat Idi.

She stood up, Idi still where he was but she spotted some people, huddling under some rubble. A mother and her child, a young boy,  Jessica observed.

“You...should not be here…” Jessica winced. She bent down and quickly lifted the debris off, setting it to the side of before coaxing them into her hand. She moved quickly , Idi would be on her soon enough.

Jessica stopped when she found a couple of Park agents, sifting through the rubble and left the two civilians with them. She thanked them briefly, before returning to look for Idi. It was risky to lose sight of him but she had no choice, those people were in need and she was her moral obligation to  assist them.

*******

“Systems charging,” the cool female AI notified Idi after the electrical discharge.

“Damn, guess it's fists until the thing’s back up. Who knew it would be so useful?” Idi chuckled to himself.

Idi had thought of charging through and he did, going over the wreckage of the buildings and streets. He was close enough to get the jump on Jessica but stopped when he saw with his own eyes, what had transpired. There was Jessica, helping the people of Home and that only brought a grin to him. For he had found a weakness, something to exploit. Facing an undistracted giantess was a Herculean task as it was but if he could keep Jessica’s mind in two places, this would be advantageous to him. Her compassion would be her weakness, he decided.

*******

 “ Ah, so you do care about others,” Idi’s metallic voice rang out. He was a couple hundred feet from Jessica, the rescue effort continuing about several hundred feet behind her.

Jessica turned around to find Idi standing there, his emotionless mecha visor unable to conceal the glee he was feeling.

 “ Of course, as anyone should,” Jessica stepped forward ,there wasn’t so much pain this time.

“ Do they worship you? Perhaps offer you some sort of service?”

Jessica shook her head, “No. That’s the beauty of it, you do it because it is the right thing. You don’t do it because of some reward. Do they not have that on Doloria?”

“We do but that’s irrelevant,” Idi pressed a button and the mecha’s right hand shapeshifted fluidly into an energy cannon.

He lifted it to aim at Jessica, she was primed to dodge but at the last minute he shifted his aim to the side and pulled the trigger.

“No!” Jessica leapt in front of the blast. The energy beam hit her square in the stomach, drawing a cry of anguish and pain. She was thrown back , landing barely feet from the closest civilian. There was a collective gasp from the crowd, both agents and civilians alike; the former urged the latter back. Many broke and ran, the agents unable to control it.

“ Where was that care and concern when you destroyed my home?” Idi strode, his mecha’s steps leaving imprints in the ground. He grabbed Jessica by her hair and pulled his fist back,  striking her hard in the face.A loud crack followed by more cries of pain came from Jessica who was starting to lose consciousness.

She flailed her arms about, trying to get a grip on Idi but he easily swatted those attempts aside, throwing a punch to her gut which knocked the wind out of her. She was now at his mercy, something he would not be generous with.

*********

“NO!” Dawn cried out, horrified by what she saw. Jessica was getting badly, at this point Dawn could tell her attacker was just dragging it out for pleasure. Every punch he threw at her was not a necessity but for recreation, he was treating her mother like a punching bag.

It hurt Dawn to see her so weak and vulnerable. Her muscles tensed as she witnessed Jessica hitting the ground, consciousness growing more distant as her vision darkened. She glared at the mechanical monstrosity standing over like a hunter after securing a kill, depraved and proud.

Her pupils grew wider as Jessica’s body twitched before shrinking, the giantess contracting in all directions, making the mecha look even more menacing than before. Her clothes kept pace with the shrinking, a neat feature installed in the suit.

When she was down to a more Amazonian size of eight feet, Idi picked her up and a small compartment in his leg opened up which he deposited the unconscious giantess in.

Graham turned to her, unsure of what to say. This was unheard of, Jessica to actually fail. In the history books she always triumphed over adversity, there was nothing she could not overcome; that was what most people thought.

“ I-I um…” Graham’s voice was shaking, what would this mysterious robot do next? Take over the planet? He could certainly do so now. A whimper from above alerted him to Dawn’s distress, but there was little do to console; short of taking down the robot that is.

Dawn looked around, she was starting to panic as thoughts of where this monster would go next. He wasn’t going to kill her, he was kidnapping her. Her gaze fell on some unnamed Park agents standing by the crowd, they were not rushing to aid her mother.

 “ Isn’t someone going to help my mom?” Dawn grew more worried with each passing second, surely someone would step up?

“ I don’t think they can,” Graham spoke up.

“Seems something is jamming the VSC’s teleport so most of the agents out on missions can’t help.”

“Then I’ll do it,” Dawn said impulsively. She could not sit by and watch her mother get taken away.  Picking up both Graham and Lucky using both hands, she set them down by George and Edmund.

“ Look after Lucky for me,” she instructed Graham before turning to Lucky.

“Lucky, wait here for me okay? I’ll be back,” Dawn patted him on the head with her enormous digit, Lucky tilting his head in response to the affection. Her eyes watered at the sight of her

Dawn hoped she would, she was no fighter but she could probably buy some time for the rest to get things sorted out. She had inherited her mother’s size, who knows what else Jessica had passed to her?

“ See you later Graham!” Dawn ran off, her long legs carrying her to what she hoped would not be her death. She had so much to see and do. Her thoughts drifted to Graham, she would have a word with him if she ever got out of this, about her feelings towards him. Her stomach felt light as she thought about him, how sweet he had been to her.

“Positive thoughts, Dawn, think positive,” Dawn repeated to herself as she ran towards the city.

Meanwhile, not a minute had gone before Lucky decided he would not want to stay with Graham but decided Dawn would be much better; even the threat of Idi could not dissuade him.

“ Lucky!” Graham cried out as the little reptile scampered away, tail wagging as he chased down Dawn. He got up to retrieve Lucky but felt a hand on his shoulder stopping him. It was George, as he soon discovered.

“No, just don’t. You’ll die if you get caught in between those two giants,” George cautioned him.

“ I-I...you have a point,” Graham realised as he sat back down. Lucky was not in his sight anymore but he could still see Dawn; running with great haste to a fight which was out of her league.

 

“ Well done Idi, it seems you exceeded expectations,” Severus’ cool voice rang out over the video call. Idi had paused his attack, none of Park’s agents had attempted to attack him; and why should they? He had taken down their champion and thanks to the Dolorian ship above jamming communications to and from the planet, external reinforcements were out of the question.

He savoured the moment, his muscles relaxing as he slumped back in his chair, thinking about the hero's welcome they would throw him when he touched down on Doloria. The adoring fans, once spitting on his family’s name would sing a different tune. He felt light headed, the dizzying thought of being to hold his head up high when walking through the dark, dimly lit subterranean streets of Doloria getting to him.

  They would throw a parade for him, he could see all of Doloria out there and while he was tempted to spit on them for being so fickle minded, he would let it go. After all, why ruin a good thing? He’d milk it for what it was worth. He’d probably be a top soldier for them and given the lack of ongoing wars, they’d probably keep him somewhere comfy and with a fat pension.

“ The prisoner, she’ll be dealt with according to Dolorian law?” Idi asked, barely containing his excitement.

“ Of course,” Severus assured him. There would likely be a trial , Severus had to at least guarantee. Jessica would be declared guilty, that was also assured. How else would they get the leaders of Doloria to hand over such a high value prisoner if they didn’t to milk her trial for maximum political points. Oh and Severus supposed it would be good if Idi got some gain out of it, he had been a useful soldier in it.

 “ I cannot wait to be there, to see her get what she deserved. I am sure you too will be rewarded for your involvement in this,” Idi proudly stated.

 Severus chuckled on the other end, lightly but sincerely, “That is certain, good work should not go unrewarded. Just like you, Idi. Based on what I have seen, you will go far.”

*******

By the time Dawn got there, Jessica was long gone but the mecha wasn’t, it's metallic head tilted down.

“ You, you hand over my mom now!” Dawn commanded it unconvincingly.

At first, it did nothing but Dawn watched as it's head tilted up to her, cold lifeless eyes staring up at her.

“ Or what?” Idi replied, looking up at her. She was tall, taller than her mother and next to her, he looked like a child. He glanced at her arms, bony and lacking the muscle tone of Jessica; it was a relief. If she had that, he would have been overwhelmed.

 “ I will fight you,” Dawn answered, holding her fists up in front of her face. She was shaking, Idi was nothing like the bullies she protected Graham from. He couldn’t be defeated with one finger, he was too strong for that.

Idi chuckled, loudly and dismissively at Dawn’s threat.

“ I have no quarrel with you,” he said as turned away from her. Dawn didn’t like it and ran at him, barging him into with her shoulder. Idi stumbled but caught himself in time.

“ I really don’t wish to fight you, little girl.”

He shoved Dawn in the chest, hard enough to throw the teenager back on her butt. The impact made the nearby buildings shake.

“ I know your story,” Idi remarked, sounding almost pitiful in his acknowledgement.

“ Born to a mother worshiped by all, you have failed to come close to any of that. You moved from one school to the next, unable to fit in. You’re like me, an outcast.”

Dawn shuffled away, standing up to face Idi.

“I-I am nothing like you. I don’t beat up people, I don’t do that,” Dawn bent her knees, following a stance she saw her mother do.

“ You should, they would respect you; or at least fear you,” Idi smiled back at her.

“Instead of mocking you. I know a little of that, my family suffered because of your mother. I never had the childhood a hatchling deserved,” Idi’s voice cracked as he told this to Dawn.

Dawn relaxed her stance, wondering what was going on?  

“ I don’t know what she did, but it doesn’t excuse whatever you’re doing here. How many people died because of you?”

“ How many people died because of her!” Idi charged Dawn and slammed his fist into her gut, sending her crashing against a building, collapsing it as if it were a bookshelf.

“ You dare to compare me to her?” Idi walked over calmly, this was no fight but he had no wish to end it quickly.

“ Any casualties incurred by me were in the pursuit of a dangerous criminal. Her? She didn’t have to kill anyone but she did. Doloria lost many brave soldiers that day.”

Idi kicked Dawn in the chest flipping her on to her back. For Dawn, she felt a couple of ribs cracks as she lay on her back, gasping for air after having the wind knocked out of her.

 Idi raised his foot up and slammed it down but Dawn caught it in her hands, trying to push back through gritted teeth. Idi increased the power and her hands were pushed down but Dawn did not yield, she could not. If she did, Idi would take her mother and go; that would tear her family apart and she once risked the entire universe to reunite them. She wouldn’t let that stop her.

“ You’re stronger than I expected. You lack the muscle which defines strength, not like your mother.”

“P-people can find strength when they need it,” Dawn answered through gritted teeth. It was a saying her father once imparted to her, when she was feeling down. Right now, she needed it.

Pushing harder, Dawn felt the foot lift before she pushed with all her strength, throwing Idi off balance and toppling him like a house of cards. She got to her feet, her biceps feeling the strain of her exertion; the result of a largely sedentary lifestyle.

Dawn thought Idi’s mecha was bulky and that would imply a lumbering opponent but he got to his feet surprisingly fast, practically leaping with greater agility than his build suggested.

“ I don’t doubt that, people do find strength when they need it,” Idi punched Dawn in the gut, making her bend forward. Even bent over, her chin wasn’t even level with his eyes. Idi smiled, his fear of Dawn was unfounded, there wasn’t much to suggest she’d be a real threat to her.

**********

All around him, people gasped at the fight unfolding in front of their eyes. Graham was too transfixed on his phone, footage of the fight being broadcast all across the planet by every news network worth it's salt.

 He winced every time Dawn took a hit from Idi, seeing his friend take a beating in the name of protecting her family. No, not just her family; Graham didn’t think Dawn knew it but she was defending all of Home from this monster.

“ You look worried,” George spoke up. He plopped himself down next to Graham, looking just as concerned as Graham was. Graham knew why, he’d been harbouring a secret crush on Dawn. He wasn’t the only one but he seemed to be the first one to act on his feelings.

 “ Dawn’s not a fighter,” Graham looked away as Idi threw another punch into Dawn, hitting her on the cheek.It was brutal but Graham could see the spirit in her, unwilling to back down. It was more than the mousy girl in school, trying her best to keep her head down; Graham saw a fight in her , even if her actual fighting skills left a lot to be desired.

 “She looks like she is,” George observed; wearing an equally worried look as Graham.

“ I mean she isn’t like her mother, Mrs. Martel is the warrior;Dawn’s a pacifist,” he replied; setting the phone down on his lap

 “ She once dropped Edmund and I in a fountain, she ain’t that peaceful,” George joked; not about the incident, that part was true. Edmund actually caught a cold from that and spent a couple of days at home for it. George recalled it as being a couple of lonely days while his friend fought off the virus.

“ That was as far as she ever went,” Graham to an agreeing nod from George.

“She could have used us as toys…” George commented.

“But she didn’t,” Graham answered while his eyes were glued to the phone.

*******

Dawn wanted to give up, a part of her mind shouting at her to let it go, to let Idi pass and the pain would stop. She didn’t know how long she had been fighting him at this point, her mind saturated with adrenaline.

Every punch from Idi sent a new wave of pain rippling through her body and Idi did not hold back.

 She threw punches back at Idi but he seemed to read her mind, every punch or blocked or if she did land a hit, it didn’t seem to  do much.

 “It seems I overestimated you, Dawn,” Idi commented as he drove a fist into her right thigh, cracking her femur. Dawn screamed as she felt the pain coarse through her body, falling to her knees. She leaned onto her left to take the pain off Idi wasn’t done; he slammed another fist into her cheek, sending Dawn on to her side.

She coughed, spitting out dark red globs of blood mixed with saliva, feeling the fight ebb away from her. Idi was too strong, too smart for her.

 “It's been nice meeting you Dawn, as I said I don’t wish to kill you; you’re not deserving of a warrior’s death.”

 “T-take me instead,” Dawn begged him. She reached out, trying to grab his leg but when it was beyond her reach, she crawled to him, dragging her knees; each step only increased the pain she felt but Dawn wasn’t going to just let him walk away.

  “ What would I gain from taking you?” Idi sneered.

   “ You want a prisoner, take me instead. Don’t take my mother, I’ll take her punishment, whatever it is. Just let her go.”

 Tears ran down her damp cheeks, the thought of being a prisoner on Doloria for the rest of her life was enough to make her wish for death but she’d accept whatever entailed if it meant saving her parents.

   Idi bent down on one knee, feeling some sense of pity for her, to be reduced to begging when the fight had long been lost was the absolute lowest in Dolorian culture. You did not beg, you merely accepted the result of the battle and moved on.

 “ You’re not a criminal, you’re just a foolish little girl who doesn’t know when to stop-”

    A hiss sound stopped Idi and he turned around to see Lucky, leaning forward with his hind legs up in the air, hissing and growling at Idi.His beaked clicked furiously at what he identified to be Dawn’s attacker.

 “ What is this? Is it yours?” Idi asked Dawn who nodded, her face in a grimace.

   “ D-don’t hurt him please, he’s just trying to protect me.”

   Idi stood to his full height and took a single earth shaking step to Lucky, his body bobbing up and down but Lucky stood his ground, tensing his thigh muscles, his tiny blunt claws pointed at Idi.

 “ Now there’s someone who deserves a warrior’s death,” Idi moved closer, his shadow falling over the little reptile.

Realising the scale of Dawn’s attacker far outstriped his own,Lucky whimpered and retreated a few steps. His eyes fell on Dawn, her bleeding face reminding him why he was here. He’d fight to defend his mother and charged forward.

 “Oh this is wonderful,”

“PLEASE!” Dawn cried out, she couldn’t bear to see her family fall apart again, not this time.

  “SPARE HIM!”

  She crawled forward, her mind repeating how weak she was and how tired she was of it. She was tired of being too weak to stand up for herself, always not being smart enough to pass the class;too weak to even defend her family.

 Dawn knew she was bigger than her mother but she wasn’t even bigger, her tiny arms; her lack of self-esteem. It all made her mad. Idi was a bully, she thought to herself; and she didn’t like bullies one bit.

 “Y-you’re not...going to…” Dawn said through gritted teeth, her anger rising. Within her, something stirred, almost like a monster inside of her waiting to be unleashed. Dawn didn’t notice it but as she imagined Idi stepping on Lucky, something in her broke.

 It was as if the chains had slipped, adrenaline flooding her nerves and veins. Her vision began to blur and her ears rang as she felt her skin bubble.

 “W-what’s happening to me?” Dawn said , Idi by now had noticed and turned.

 “What’s that?” he approached Dawn but before he could, she let out a piercing scream, shattering nearby windows.

 Dawn felt like she was on fire as her body kicked into overdrive, her cells identifying the most battered parts of her and they rushed to the area like paramedics heading into a disaster.

 Platelets bound themselves to torn muscles, broken bones and healed them in seconds, exceeding that of her mother. Dawn felt the pain subside and sensation return to her leg; she felt strong to stand but her body wasn’t done yet.

  Her muscles began to inflate, biceps thickening as they doubled in size, approaching Jessica’s own toned look. All around, she gained muscle which stretched the clothes she wore, causing her top to tear just a bit. The same happened with her legs, thickening in all the right places.

 Idi watched, stunned at the transformation taking place.

 Then, Dawn began to grow, her body stretching up like putty but also to the side to maintain her proportions as she rose like a pitcher being filled; slowly. When it stopped, Dawn looked down at Idi, who seemed even smaller than before.

 “ I-I….” Dawn paused to look at her body, she guessed she was had gained another twenty feet or so based on how small Idi was to her. Her pupils widened as she saw the muscle tone in her arms, they seemed so different from the sticks she had before this. She felt powerful, Dawn imagined she could jump a mile up in the air based on how great she felt.

 She saw Idi and a flash of red at the sight of him, she felt mad; and he was the source. A part of egged her on, calling for her to

 “This isn’t over,” Dawn said to him.

 “So you’re bigger,” Idi grunted. He wasn’t going to waste anymore time, he would end this fight right now.

 Summoning all the strength his mecha could, he threw a punch far stronger than he had ever used on Dawn.

  Dawn could see the fist coming, it seemed to move much slower than before, like a limb moving through water. She instinctively moved her fist to block; expecting to be knocked down to it. To both their surprise, Idi’s fist was stopped by Dawn.

 “Oh goodness,” Dawn exclaimed. Now they were finally equal, and as she turned to Idi, she expected him to be quaking in his boots right. He should be, she thought, now she had real power.