Epilogue

“Another one?” I ask as the security guard asks me to remove my glasses and look into the retinal scanner. I’ve been through six security checks already.

The guard looks at me, shrugs and says:

“It’s the protocol”

Of course, I understand. I’m about to get into what’s probably the most confidential secret in humanity’s history. The scanner turns green and the guard gives a thumbs up to my escort. A massive door unlocks and starts opening, no doubt pushed by some really massive motors.

My escort gets me to the door but does not walk in. It must be the protocol, I guess. A couple of people with white lab coats step out and smile at me. I know them from the pictures and the video conferences.

“Dr. Wilbur! I’m glad that you could make it” the woman says.

“The pleasure’s all mine” I reply.

“Please, come in!” she gestures.

I step into the room and follow my new two colleagues across some aisles. There are some more security guards in here, but they look different. They look more dangerous, if that is even possible.

The two scientists that have received me stop in front of another door and place their hand on a pad. Another biometric security system. I’m instructed to do the same. The final door unlocks and I follow them.

And then I see her. My jaw drops and I remain silent as I’m aware of what I’m looking at. Or, more precisely, who I’m looking at.

The cryo-tube is about ten feet tall and someone decided to make its cover completely transparent so that it would be possible to see who’s inside. I’m staring at the body of Victoria O’Neal, the biggest mass murderer in humanity’s history. She is responsible for the death of a billion people, the majority of them in her final moments as a giant, when her massive body hit the ground and caused an earthquake that razed the entire North American continent and a tsunami that washed out vast coastal areas in Europe and Asia.

Her death toll had already been comfortably over a hundred million before then, in any case.

And yet, I cannot think on the victims. I can only think on what I’ve seen Victoria O’Neal doing. She could will herself to grow, and could summon amazing powers that had been constrained to comic-books until then. If I can find out how she did it… 

“She’s normal sized” I observe. The girl in the cryo-tube is a bit too short to have been a model and is so gorgeous that it is almost impossible to think of her as a sociopath. 

“We think that she needs to apply a certain degree of will to keep sizes different than her normal one. Hence, sleeping would still allow her to remain big, but losing her consciousness would not. At least, this has been the working theory ever since she got here” the lady scientist says.

“Have you been able to… to make any progress?” I ask.

I know the answer. Otherwise, they would not have called me. I’m surprised by how candidly the two scientists admit it.

“We are clueless. That’s why we brought you here in the first place” the man says.

“The security?” I ask

“Everyone wants her. And now that we are so weak, we cannot rule the possibility of someone trying to take her by force out” the man says.

“Does anyone know that we have her?” I ask

“No. At least not yet. But sooner or later they’ll find out. The world has not seen a body yet. And it’s been three months. They sympathize with us now, but they are also very concerned about their own security” the woman jumps in.

“I understand” I say.

“We need you to start working right away” the woman says coldly.

“Of course. Can I see her sister first, though?” I ask.

“Sure. It’s this way”