Emma hoped that this birth would be like that of a normal human woman.  She didn’t want this child growing inside her the way Alex and her have grown in these previous weeks.  Vin and Ally checked her in Ally’s private room.  Ally and Steve both proved to be just as competent as Vin when it came to doctoring the giants for which Emma was grateful.

The testing confirmed that Emma would come to full term in the typical nine months it takes an average woman.  Till then, they had to hide it and make plans for escape.  A giant’s knock sounded from the fourteen foot door.  The door cracked open to reveal the one person that made Emma happy.  It was her Alex.  He had on a light blue tunic with black pants.  It put her in mind of hospital scrubs.  His shaggy blond hair went to his shoulders.  Cut by one of Vin’s most trusted techs.  A woman in her fifties that will never see the world the way Alex and Emma have, but she was a very sweet and quiet woman that treated the giants with kindness.  Something that most of Vin’s staff was afraid to do.  To most of them, Alex, Emma, Steve, and Ally were only test subjects.

Her name was Robin McAllister.  She baked cookies for her grandkids on her days off.  Now she baked an extra batch or three for the large people she spent her days with.  She’d sewn blankets and clothes for them.  Made them feel as welcomed as possible.  Robin felt sorrow for the Andersons and her co-workers.  She didn’t like the way her other co-workers and the military treated them.  They were people to her.  People trapped like prisoners.

Alex bent down over the makeshift bed and held his wife’s hand.  Today Alex looked eighteen but he was still growing.  At twelve foot nine inches, he still towered over everyone.  He kisses Emma’s forehead and gives her a warm and loving smile.  He looks to the seventeen year old looking giantess with the dark curly hair and doe like eyes.  Allison Hayes’ once five foot three frame now stood ten feet six inches.  Just like in her teen years, Allison had recently quit growing.  Her once frizzy hair is now permanently and perfectly curly.  Her skin like porcelain.  Ally was far from that near sighted, overweight lab tech that she once was.  Now she is beautiful towering goddess.

His eyes then move down towards Vin Gunderson.  A man in his late thirties and still unaffected by the new evolution.  Still six feet tall and with blond hair and looks of a movie star.  ‘It’s only a matter of time, my dear friend,’ Alex thought to himself.  News of what is being dubbed as ‘the growth virus’ is now all over the international news bands, but American news is keeping it hushed.  More and more people in their thirties and forties are getting affected every day.  Some people are crying while others rejoice calling it the new age of humanity.  The numbers keep multiplying by the day.  Alex is the only high profile case.  There have been no reports of celebrities or public figures being hauled away.  Just average everyday people.

“Good news,” Vin proclaimed.  “It’s going to be a normal term pregnancy.  That gives us time.”

“We still need to get out of here,” Ally said, looking up at Alex.  “Vin has trained Steve and me on everything we need to know.”

“We’ll see what happens after this afternoon, Ally.  I don’t want to jump the gun just yet.  I want to see if I can convince the president to let you all go.  I don’t see why America wants to keep this all hushed.  You guys are no threat to us.  Besides, I have a feeling my day will come.  They can’t keep the new species of man a secret too much longer.  The virus is accelerating.  It’s only a matter of time,” Vin said.

“Maybe we should plan a revolt,” Ally said.  “With more and more getting affected, we can have an army that will be far larger than any other.”

“That’s not a good idea right now, Ally.  There are only a few fully grown giants like us.  The rest are still children,” Emma said.

“Just an idea,” Ally mumbled.

“Let’s see how Vin’s meeting with the president goes first.  Then we can start making plans.  For now, we need to act natural.  Do things that we normally do.  Act as we always do,” Alex said, taking charge.

“Alex is right,” Emma said, taking her husband’s side.  “If we are the way we usually are, maybe they’ll let us go back to our old lives.”

“Nothing will ever be the same again,” Ally said.  “I’m twice the size of my fiancée.  I can’t even fit into my two bedroom bungalow or drive my car, but you know what the weird thing is…”

“What’s that, Allison?” Vin asked, looking up into Allison’s chocolate colored eyes.

“I don’t seem to care about all that anymore.  Of course I still love Harry, but the house and car can go to someone who needs it for all I care.  We all know by now that there is no cure to this.  Hell, I wouldn’t want cured if there was.  I see things so much more clearly now.  I don’t want wars.  I don’t want to hurt anybody even though it wouldn’t take much for me to do that now.  I just want everyone to get together and live in peace.  I know that is all us giants want,” Ally explained.

“That is so true,” Emma agreed.  “But the little ones don’t understand.  If they let us go free, we can show them.”

Vin had a strong feeling that the giants in the room were talking amongst themselves now.  It’s happened before.  The four giants have united in ways Vin and his staff haven’t realized.  They didn’t have to open their mouths to speak to one another anymore if they didn’t want to.  Their brains have developed way beyond that of the most intelligent human.  Vin suspected this, but never reported it.  In fact, Vin started to leave a lot of things out of his reports.  He did this for the giants’ sake.

Alex has been his respected friend since childhood and Vin has learned to love the others all the same.  He worried for Emma’s safety.  The child she is carrying will be the first full bloodied of the new species.  A child that some sadistic scientist would love to get their hands on.  He caught wind of experiments involving DNA extraction and injected it into an unchanged subject.  Usually one in the age ranges the virus hasn’t affected.  There have been deaths in all cases.  Vin worried that someone higher up will start pushing down on him and if they find out about Emma, all bets are off.

Alex helped Emma off the bed.  Emma didn’t let go.  It’s coming.  Alex’s thought reached Emma’s mind.  Just then, Emma felt Alex’s hand expand around her own.  Vin pulled out his notepad and jotted down the time. Vin ripped the piece of paper out and threw it to the ground.  He looked up at his taller friend.

“I’ve had enough,” Vin proclaimed.  “We are in private space.  I don’t need to be writing down every damn time I see you grow, Alex.  Just because they want to know!  Judging from the others, you are going to be twice as big as you were when you were human!  I can truly say that you will stop at close to thirteen feet, but them bastard don’t want to hear it!  Emma is twice of five foot eight, Ally is twice of five foot three and Steve will end up being twelve feet five inches!  I know you guys are telepathic, but those bastards don’t need to know that, just as they don’t need to know about Emma.  I’ve had it with the whole situation,” Vin vented to the three giants.  Just then, there was a knock high up on the door.  

Steve poked his head in through the door.  He gave Vin a sympathetic look.  Steven James was your typical lab rat before the virus.  Thin as a rail with unruly red hair and glasses.  Now Steve’s new gigantic frame was still thin in built, but a muscular thin.  His freckles all disappeared which made his green eyes pop out.  Just like Ally, his vision improved so greatly that there was no need for glasses.  Even his hair was all in place just like the others.  Growing big had agreed with all of them.

“I’m sorry, Vin,” Steve whispered.  He shut the door.  Vin felt crowded in a room full of giants, but the faces were friendly and kind.  Steve got down on bended knee so that Vin wouldn’t feel so overwhelmed.  The giants didn’t mean to make him feel this way. 

“He knows about the telepathy,” Ally said to Steve.  Steve frowned.  Then Vin felt something poking at his brain.  It passed and Steve smiled.

“He hasn’t reported it and he isn’t going to.  Vin is on our side,” Steve said over his shoulder to Allison.

“You each possess stronger talents?” Vin questioned.

“Yes,” Alex answered.  “Steve is a super gifted telepath.  We all have the gift, but not like Steve’s, probably because he was empathic as a human.  Ally is super flexible and has quick reflexes, because of her need to stay in shape.”

“Believe it or not, but that overweight girl used to be a black belt,” Ally said with a smile.

  “Emma has always been a nurturer.  She has a notebook of formulas that can grow plants twice their size, feeding all of us newly evolved giants.  No offense, but that shake your people have come up with sucks,” Alex said with a smile.  Vin laughed.

“What can you do, my friend?” Vin said, looking up at the towering Alex.

“He’s a good leader and one hell of a problem solver.  Alex has a way about him,” Steve said, looking up in admiration.

“You have all the makings of a new society.  A better society,” Vin answered, looking up at all his friends.  “You’re secrets are safe with me.”

“And McAllister,” Steven said.  Vin gave him a strange look.  “She is the only one who treats us like we’re people.  The others look down on us,” Steve than joked, but no one was laughing.

“We feel like we’re nothing to them,” Emma answered.  “I caught that Franklin guy ogling at me one day.”

“Yeah, that perv tried to look up my dress,” Ally said.  Alex remained calm despite this claim.  No point in getting angry with the humans.  That’ll give them less of a reason to release us, Alex broadcasted to the others.  They quit considering themselves as humans, they now referred to themselves as giants.   Even Vin quit calling them that long ago.

“I’ll have a little talk with Franklin.  Tell me if my staff is treating you all ill.  I’ll take care of it,” Vin tells the two giantesses.  “Is that all?  I need to get ready for our VIP,” Vin then says.

“We’ll walk with you to the main hangar,” Alex says.  “We’ve been in here far too long.  We can’t have the others getting suspicious.”

Alex and Emma walked with the good doctor back to their hangar.  Ally and Steve stayed in their hangar.  The giants all went about their day as usual.  Vin was giving Alex his daily checkup when the president of the United States walked in with his secret service trailing behind.  The men pulled off their dark sunglasses and stared up in shock at the overgrown CEO of the Anderson Corporation.  Alex just gave them a big smile.