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  The next morning Tucker was awoken bright and early and he wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep but Jessica was having none of it. She took away his quilt so that he was forced to get out of bed, the previous night he had problems sleeping so he had only had a few hours of sleep. Normally Jessica would allow him to have some more time to sleep but this morning was too important for her to be late. She had made two great errors over the last couple of weeks and despite them both not being entirely her fault she thought that she would be disciplined if she made anymore.

  She gave Tucker a few more minutes to get out of bed and almost immediately she took him to the bathroom so that he could get himself washed and changed. Tucker received some more clothes from Jessica and he put them on so that he would not be cold. He wore a plain black t-shirt with blue jeans and sneakers. When he looked at himself in the mirror he noticed that he was starting to grow a beard and he realised that he hadn’t shaved since he left Earth. Unfortunately for the moment Jessica didn’t have any razors that were his size but she promised that she would get him one that made shaving a piece of cake. On Home a man could have a shave in seconds and he could make his beard as short as he wanted but for now he would just have to allow himself to have stubble.

  Jessica got changed into her blue and yellow uniform that she had worn when she first took Tucker onto a mission. It had been cleaned since and it only took her a few moments to put it on. She also tied her hair back into a pony tail much like she had done previously when she wore the uniform but this time she had a good reason for doing it. Much like many of the other agents she had designed the uniform herself and the people at the company had made it for her. The fabric was very strong and durable and gave her some added protection along with her already superhuman durability. It could also stretch and contract with her body and this had been useful on a few different occasions. Once she had found herself uncontrollably growing when she had been on a new planet and another time she travelled through an unstable vortex that caused her to shrink to mere inches in height. Both times the fabric of her uniform held and it had grown and shrank along with her body. She would change her uniform once every few years opting to go for a different design but the fabric was not wasted. Most of the time they would recycle an old uniform and make it into a new one. At least that way whenever Jessica wanted a change in costume it wasn’t a drain on the company’s resources.

  Both Jessica and Tucker had a little bit of time to enjoy some breakfast and he still admired her cooking. He even told her that she was good enough to open her own restaurant chain but she didn’t think that she was good enough. She had contemplated the thought many times but each time she dismissed it as being a silly fantasy. Most of the people who had tried her cooking had told her that it was delicious but she thought that they were just being nice to her. Tucker had enjoyed his so much that he even asked for seconds but unfortunately for him time had run out and Jessica needed to get to work before she was late again.

  She did allow Tucker to take a small amount of his breakfast with him. The only problem was that Jessica had to be careful how she carried Tucker. She would have to make sure that he didn’t move around too much in her hand so that he didn’t get any of his breakfast on his clean clothes. She had been washing the previous day and she didn’t want to do it again for at least another couple of days and she especially didn’t want to see his breakfast come back up because he had been shaken about.

  Several minutes later Jessica arrived at where she needed to be to start her mission. She was in another warehouse size room with very high ceilings and plenty of space. It was the size of several football fields and was one of the few places where Jessica didn’t feel so big outside her apartment. In this room were several vortex generators ranging from small ones that could only transport one person all the way up to ones that could transport tonnes of material in one jump. These were the only ones that Jessica was able to use due to her enormous size. There were still scientists and other agents going about their work all around the room but the only ones that concerned her were next to one of the large vortex generators. There was also an extremely large device that was as tall as she was. Tucker had never seen anything like it and judging from all the technology he could see on it he knew that it was most likely very important. The device was long and thin but it was still a scientific marvel even for the people of Home. He could see what seemed to be a computer console at the bottom of the device but it still looked more advanced than any computer that he had ever seen on Earth.

  There were a few scientists by device along with a three agents and General Fields. Tucker recognised a couple of the scientists from before and he also recognised General Fields and Agent Rogers but the other two agents he didn’t know who they were. One was a tall man with blond hair and the other was a woman with long red hair. He saw General Fields salute Jessica and she respectfully saluted him back.

  “I’m glad that you could make it Agent Snape,” said General Fields. “I trust that you’re ready for the next mission.”

  “Yes sir,” replied Jessica in a respectful tone. Tucker still thought that it was funny how such a little man was able to boss around someone like Jessica. If she took advantage of her size he had no doubt that she would probably be calling the shots her. But he knew by then that she would never do anything like that.

  “Good now that you’re here we can make final preparations for the mission. I cannot stress how important this mission could be to our people. A new frontier could be opened up for us and if we’re successful I don’t doubt that your name will go down in history.”

  “With all due respect sir I thought that my name was already in the history files.”

  “Oh it is, it’s just that you’ll have something else to add to your incredible résumé.” He looked towards the other agents and scientists. “As to the rest of you, your work and contributions will not be forgotten. The events of today will be remembered for millennia to come.”

  The other agents and scientists were happy with what they were hearing but there was still a sense of the unknown. They didn’t know exactly how things would go and there was a chance that their mission would be a failure. This project had cost an astronomical amount of money but if they pulled it off the cost would be irrelevant. If they could make a planet gain a breathable and liveable atmosphere like they on Home the possibilities would be endless. They could create new settlements on distant planets. Also if a planet was beyond saving they could create an identical planet for all the inhabitants to live on which could sustain them as if they were on their home planet. It was all on a knife’s edge and it depended on the success of this mission.

  As the scientists and agents began to talk amongst themselves they were just going over a few things before they had to suit up Jessica lowered Tucker onto the ground. She didn’t really want to leave him but there wasn’t a chance that she would be able to take him on this mission. It was not that he wasn’t trusted; it was just that the mission was extremely important and dangerous. She felt bad that she had leave him behind but there was no possible way that she could actually take him with her.

  “Sorry Tucker this is where you get off,” said Jessica. By now she had softly placed him on the ground and he stood there looking up at her. She was squatting down so she didn’t seem so tall and he was disappointed that he wasn’t going with her but he understood what was happening. “But don’t worry I’ll be back in a few hours and I’ll make sure that Professor Trump takes good care of you.”

  “Are you going on another mission later?” replied Tucker. He still wanted to go on a mission with her and he thought that she would go on at least one more.

  “No I’m not; I’ve got a training simulation to complete.” She saw that Tucker looked disappointed and he didn’t want to leave while he was like that. “I’ll tell you what I’ll let you create your own simulation for me to complete.” She had a quick look over to General Fields, it was ultimately up to him whether Tucker could make a simulation or not. “I’m sure you won’t mind do you?”

  “No in fact I’d encourage it,” replied General Fields much to Jessica’s surprise. “We need a fresh mind to create some new simulations and maybe the mind of this man might just be what we need. His alien imagination might actually come up with something that would surprise us all. But for now it is best that Mister Martel go and see Professor Trump, he has been waiting for some time.”

  “Sure I’ll go,” answered Tucker. He liked the idea that he could create a simulation for Jessica and he already had a few that he had in mind. He didn’t know exactly how he was going to create them but he thought that the company would have some kind of space age device that would allow him to do so. He looked up to Jessica again and he was a little worried about her. If the mission was as dangerous as she said then there was a chance that she wouldn’t be coming back. “Just be careful OK.”

  “Don’t worry about me Tucker I’m a big girl,” replied Jessica with a smile. “I can take care of myself.”

  With that one of the scientists led Tucker away and he looked back at Jessica a few times while he walked away and she waved at him and smiled. She didn’t really want to see him go but her mission was too important. She liked the idea that if the mission was a success then almost everyone in the universe would be able to benefit from it. He could imagine a planet that had been overpopulated so the company had created another world with an identical atmosphere to their home world. Then some of the population could be moved to the other planet and then the population crisis would be over.

  With Tucker gone it was time for the group to get down to business. General Fields allowed Doctor Crilly to use a portable holographic projector to project a hologram of the planet in question. The planet looked lifeless but that was the entire point. On one side of the planet the group could see an identical large device had already been planted. It was one of the pair and this mission was to install the second device and then activate them both.

  “Ladies and Gentlemen as you can see the first of the terraforming equipment has already been installed on planet KY48295 but now we need to install the second device or else the entire project will be for nothing,” said Doctor Crilly as he pointed to the hologram, he was specifically pointing to the equipment on the hologram. “The next stage is crucial, the equipment must be installed on the exact opposite side of the planet, and if we are even a few inches off the terraforming process will fail.” Suddenly the hologram zoomed in on the part of the planet that was directly on the opposite side to where the installed device was located. “Agents Snape and Rogers will travel the far side of the planet and install the equipment there.” He looked up at Jessica. “Agent Snape you’re one of the few agents or can singlehandedly place the equipment in position but unfortunately you’re too big to activate the terraforming process.” He turned his attention from Jessica to Agent Rogers. “That’s where you come in Agent Rogers. Despite your somewhat immature ways you are more than qualified to operate the equipment. You know how important this is for the entire company and I completely trust that you will not be joking around on this mission.” Lastly he focused on the last two agents. “Agents Daniels and Perry you are to travel to the already installed equipment and wait until Agents Snape and Rogers to complete their installation. As soon as they are finished you are to also activate your terraforming equipment and the process will begin. It’ll be most likely extremely dangerous to remain on the planet while it is terraforming so as soon as the process is started you are to return so that we can monitor the process from here. It might be a few weeks before we find out whether the process was a success, even if the process is a failure your efforts will not be forgotten.” He paused for a moment so that he could catch his breath. “Before you leave you will have to suit up since there is no oxygen on the planet. The oxygen tanks that you will be taking with you should last for a few hours but if you run into any problems don’t hesitate in coming back. Your safety is our primary concern. Good luck team, may we make history today.”

  The other agents walked away for the moment so that they could be suited up. Thankfully for Jessica she didn’t need to take off her uniform so that she could put on her pressurised suit. It just fitted over her regular uniform and her helmet was much like an astronauts except it was much more advanced. The visor was also a computer screen and she would be able to see all sorts of information on the visor. One important piece of information on the visor would be her oxygen level; it was always wise to keep an eye on that. She might be a towering giantess but even she needed oxygen. One other important piece of equipment inside the helmet was a communicator. Since there was no atmosphere on the planet it meant that it was impossible to make a sound, at least with the communicator the agents could still talk to each other. They were powerful enough to be able to communicate from one side of the planet to another but with a simple thought the frequency could be changed so that all agents on the planet could hear if she said anything.

  As Jessica put on the suit it felt heavy and she could see a couple of the other workers glance at her while they walked past. The suit had been located on the far side of the room and had been specially made for her. She had only worn it on a few occasions and she never liked wearing it. The suit really limited her movement and it made her feel a little claustrophobic. She had been in small spaces before but it wasn’t the same as being in this suit, she was always glad when it was time for her to take it off.

  It took Jessica a couple of minutes to put the suit on along with the oxygen tank but for the moment she didn’t put the helmet on. This was so that she didn’t waste oxygen and that she could be as comfortable as possible before the mission. It was also a good job that she had tied her hair back because if it was flowing it would have been harder to put the helmet on when it was time. Since her hair was already tied back it was one less thing she had to worry about. She also made sure that her VSC wrist device was attached outside the suit. If she had been foolish enough not to take it off before she put the suit on then she would not be able to use it during the mission. The only way she could actually use it was to take her suit off while she was on the mission and on a planet with no atmosphere that was an extremely bad idea. She had felt the effects of being in an atmosphere free environment and it was one of the most unpleasant experiences in her long life.

  It only took Jessica a couple of minutes to put the suit on and when she had finished she walked back to the large vortex generator. The walk would have taken a regular person a few minutes only took her a few seconds. That was one additional advantage of being a giantess, she could travel great distances in a fraction of the time that it would take a regular person to complete such a journey. Quite often she had been more than happy to carry someone over long distances, she never asked them for a fee or any kind of reward. She just did it because she was a very nice woman.

  When she reached the large vortex generator she had to wait a few moments for Agent Rogers to return. He too was wearing a very similar suit but he had chosen to put his helmet on and he knocked it a couple of times just so he could feel what it was like wearing the helmet. He was already thinking of a joke that he could make about wearing the helmet but he knew that too much was at stake to make the joke right now. He would save it for when the mission was over and hopefully a success. He was also very looking forward to going on a mission with Jessica. Although he had a wife and children of his own he was still very close to Jessica, they considered themselves as being best friends and so far they had never done anything that would upset the flow. Whenever she had kissed him it had always been a friendship kiss rather than a lover’s and she would sometimes have long conversations with his wife. They still had a charity bake sale to organise and Jessica’s baking was always one of the highlights of the sale. Thanks to her size she would always bake in bulk so that there was plenty to be sold. Quite often her baking would sell out before the sale was over and even then it was still in high demand. On more than one occasion Jessica had saved his life and he had returned the favour once or twice but she was definitely in the lead in that race but she never kept score. Whenever she did save the life of a person she never felt like they owed her anything, in her eyes she was just sharing her gift with the rest of the world.

  Not all the scientists were at the large vortex generator. Half of them were working at a smaller vortex generator that would be taking Agents Daniels and Perry to the planet. No matter how large a vortex generator was it could still only send people or objects to one specific place, since the agents were going to opposite sides of the planet two vortex generators were needed. Doctor Crilly remained at the larger one so that he could keep an eye on the equipment that was going to be transported. It was a very hi tech and expensive piece of equipment and he rather be there in person when Jessica and Agent Rogers took it to the planet. It was almost like his own child and had been a part of him for a number of years; he couldn’t bear the thought that it could be a failure. As he readied himself to speak to the agents again he saw Agent Rogers teleport onto Jessica’s shoulder and he sat himself down, she couldn’t feel his wait and at least it was easier for Doctor Crilly. He could look at both of them at the same time.

  “Now that you’re both suited up I need to run a couple of things by you before you depart,” said Doctor Crilly. “First your progress will be monitored every step of the way and we will contact you if we see that there is anything wrong. The slightest mistake could be the difference between success and failure. Second is that on behalf of Park Incorporated I would like to thank you for your bravery. Not everyone would be willing to complete a mission like this, I have no doubt that you will succeed and usher in a new age for Home. I wish you every success on your mission and just remember to stay safe. If anything unfortunate were to happen to you I would not be able to live with myself.”

  “Oh don’t worry Doctor Crilly,” replied Agent Rogers. “You’ve got your best men on the job.” He then heard Jessica clear her throat and he knew that she wasn’t entirely happy with what he had just said. “I’m sorry your best men and women on the job.” He looked towards Jessica for a moment and saw her smile back at him. “You little do-hickey here couldn’t be in safer hands, I’ve never seen her drop anything. That’s not including the spirits of every man around her when they see her with her latest fling.”

  “Peter!” said Jessica with a slight smile. She didn’t like it when he reminded her that she was she grabbed a lot of attention from other men. She didn’t ignore the fact but she didn’t like to be reminded either.

  “That’s enough you two,” replied Doctor Crilly with his own little smile. “Now before you leave there are a few final preparations to complete. As soon as that is completed you can disembark on the mission.”

  As they were commanded both Jessica and Agent Rogers began to make their final preparations before they could leave. Jessica reluctantly put her helmet on and Agent Rogers had to move a little away from her head so that she could put the helmet on properly. She needed to test that the oxygen supply was functioning along with almost all the other systems. She tested that her communicator was working as she linked it with Agents Rogers, Daniels and Perry. They each tested that they could hear and speak to their fellow colleagues, this was extremely important to the mission and they would not be allowed to leave if even one of them was having communication problems. The suit was completely sealed and pressurised so that oxygen couldn’t escape. If the suit was not sealed then she would most likely die within seconds of reaching the planet.

  The final checks only took a few minutes but after they were completed Jessica and Agent Rogers were ready to disembark. But before Jessica could leave she had to pick up the vital equipment that was going to make the terraforming process possible. She bent down and picked it up and she found that it was quite heavy. Normally it would be somewhat of a problem, even for someone of her size but thanks to her rigorous fitness and strength training she was more than capable of picking it up. If she hadn’t put herself through that essential training schedule she would have far greater difficulty picking up the equipment. She was also extremely careful with it because she knew how important and delicate it was she didn’t want the mission to be a failure because of her.

  As soon as Jessica was sure that she had a good grasp on the equipment she slowly stepped onto the large vortex generator. A few scientists had been making adjustments on the various control panels so that Jessica and Agent Rogers would be taken to the right location. The last thing they wanted to do was to accidentally send them to the wrong place, which would be disastrous for everyone involved.

  As the countdown began Jessica took a deep breath and calmed herself. She didn’t like being in the suit but she would not be able to survive on the planet without it. She had been honoured to be asked to complete this mission some weeks before but now she was wondering if she had made the right decision. She was never normally this nervous when she went on a mission but with everything that was at stake she couldn’t allow herself to make any mistakes. She counted the numbers in her head as the scientists continued to countdown to zero.

  As soon as the countdown was completed Jessica could feel herself and Agent Rogers begin to travel through the controlled vortex. As long as the journey was going to last she made sure that she still had a good grasp on the technology and that Agent Rogers was safe on her shoulder. If she dropped the equipment at this stage it would most likely be damaged beyond repair when it touched down on the planet. She also would never get over how beautiful things looked when she travelled through the vortex. If she were an artist she would have produced a painting or at least a drawing of what she could see. Unfortunately artistic skills were one thing that she lacked, she had talents in different fields but sadly that was not one of them.

  The journey lasted for a couple of seconds before the agents touched down on the planet. The first thing that they noticed was that the landscape was very bleak. There were a few mountains over to the distance but other than that the ground was grey and when they looked up they could see the empty void of space above them. One thing that Jessica did notice was that she felt a little lighter on this planet. Doctor Crilly had not mentioned that the gravity was slightly lighter then she was used to but the difference wasn’t too much to really change anything. If anything the lower gravity would make the mission that little bit more easier for everyone involved.

  “So this is KY48295?” asked Agent Rogers as he looked over the horizon. The landscape was still very bleak and colourless.

  “I guess so,” replied Jessica as she took a quick glance over the horizon as well. They could only speak to each other through the communicators in their helmets. Without them the two friends would not be able to hear a word that the other was saying no matter how loud they shouted.

  “What a dump. But if you add a mall and maybe a few apartment buildings this place will still be a piece of crap.” He began to laugh at himself. “But that’s why we’re here; I Agent Peter Rogers and Agent Jessica Snape will make this mud ball of a planet a beautiful paradise for all to enjoy.” He looked at Jessica for a moment but it was hard for her to see him on her shoulder because she was looking directly forward and the helmet did impede her cone of vision. “Do you think that they’ll let me call this Peter’s Place?”

  “I’m not sure,” giggled Jessica as she turned her head to look at him. “Maybe if you ask them really, really nicely they might just let you down gently.”

  “Remember that little agreement that we had when I first joined the company?” He rubbed his hands with glee. “If anyone ever broke my feelings, you would break them in general.”

  “I don’t remember making a promise like that.” She knew that he was only joking with her. She would never threaten to crush anyone, even if it were only a joke.

  “Or maybe I just imagined it, I don’t know anymore.” He clapped his hands once as he stood up on Jessica’s shoulder. “Ok my extremely tall friend let’s get to work before General Fields gives us an earful. To tell you the truth I think I’d prefer not to get a telling off from him anytime soon. My eardrums are still ringing from the last time.”

  “Yes sir.” This was more of a joke salute to him but it didn’t mean that she didn’t respect him. In fact if it was the opposite, he was one of the few men that she could truly count on and nothing could seem to damage their friendship. 

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