Chapter 12:

(Posted: February 25)

Finally all the same size, the four of them stood together in silence. Kat's eyes beamed hungrily in anticipation. Rich's hand cautiously clutched the strap of his slung rifle. Jessica's fingers tapped her thigh nervously. Harrison stood among them, his stomach churning with apprehension. In front of them stood an innocuous green door, “DOS PALOS-153” stenciled hastily onto the front of it. They'd arrived.

Once she had the change-key, Kat had reconvened the group to show them a tiny door on the wall of one of the buildings. After shrinking all of them down, they left the volcano world and ventured once more into the in-between. Harrison avoided eye-contact with Jessica the entire time, feeling absolutely worthless inside. Kat couldn't contain her excitement for getting as far as they had; her and Rich bantered optimistically. Jessica stayed quiet while Harrison tried to turn himself into a ghost. But when the group finally located their door, an invisible wave of reverence silenced them in awe.

Kat took a breath and placed her hand on the doorknob. “Everybody ready?” she asked. The others nodded. She opened the door and stepped through.

The first thing Harrison noticed was that they'd stepped onto a wooded mountain top at night. Above, a clear sky boasted an infinite crop of stars, twinkling gently, high out of reach. From the promontory they stood on, Harrison could see a vast dark landscape below, sprawled out in mystery and devoid of man-made lights. They were somewhere remote.

In front of them, a paved road turned out to a clearing, forming a circular driveway before it came back around on itself. A stately mansion, blazing with lights, sat proudly on the curve. Growing out of the island in the center of the driveway, two gnarled pine trees jutted from the ground like demented corkscrews.

“What the hell?” Kat muttered to herself, looking over the snow-covered ground. A fresh layer of white must have fallen that day. “It doesn't snow up here, this is wrong...” VERSA was taking its own creative license with this world.

“That the house?” asked Rich.

“Yeah that's Dos Palos,” Kat confirmed. Harrison noted the building looked large and imposing, but at least judging from the doors and windows, him and the others were the correct size in this world.

Walking across the snow to the road, Harrison looked back at the door they'd come through. The door frame stood by itself, unattached to any wall or structure. VERSA wasn't even trying to incorporate the doors seamlessly into its worlds anymore.

Kat, wearing just her sports bra and shorts, shivered in the cold. A chilling breeze blew over the mountain top. Their sweat-soaked clothes immediately became icy and uncomfortable. Luckily, the house wasn't too far away.

As the group came down the drive and approached the circle in front of the mansion, the raucous sounds of a party rang out from behind the manor's stone walls. Through the windows they could see party guests and revelers enjoying a lavish evening.

Standing on guard in front of the door, an older man in a suit stood stoically in the night. He spied the group of four walking up and addressed them curtly. “Are you here for the party?” he asked in a raspy voice.

The four looked at each other, unsure what to say. Finally Rich took the lead. “Yes! We are here for the party!” he emphatically responded.

The doorkeeper eyed them with apprehension. His left eyebrow cocked up. “I don't believe you're dressed rather appropriately tonight. I won't be able to let you in wearing garments like that.” He then looked directly at Rich. “And no firearms allowed inside, sir!” He should have been more alarmed that a man had casually walked up with an M4 slung over his shoulder, but the old man's confidence made no sense.

“Damn,” Kat said reflexively.

“Should we shoot him up and run past?” Rich whispered as the doorkeeper kept vigil. He clutched his rifle sling expectantly.

“There's gotta be another way in,” Kat said, looking around.

Harrison spotted something that looked familiar behind the bushes near the door of the house. Before pausing for a second thought, he walked out from behind Kat and addressed the doorkeeper directly. “Is there somewhere we can get the proper attire for tonight?”

The doorkeeper reacted with a look of dumbfounded surprise, as if Harrison had asked an obvious question. He raised his right hand and pointed a crooked finger towards the bushes. “There!” he impatiently replied. Sure enough, he had gestured to the wardrobe sitting conspicuously behind some shrubbery. It looked just like the closet Harrison had seen in the equipment room yesterday.

“What the hell is that doing outside?” Rich asked to no one. The large piece of furniture was horribly out of place.

Kat scampered over to the large wardrobe and opened the doors on the front, peering into the empty space. “Time to play dress up guys,” she commented, quickly stepping in and closing the doors behind her. When she reopened them a moment later she looked completely different.

To the envy of anyone who has ever spent hours getting ready for a party, Kat looked flawless. She'd curled her black hair and applied lusty red lipstick. Her ears and neck sported sapphire jewelry that stood out brilliantly against her creamy white skin. Fitting to the curves of her body, a dark blue dress left her shoulders exposed and tastefully showed her legs up to her calves. A pair of strappy black open-toed heels finished her look.

“Ok who's next?” she asked her stunned colleagues. Harrison had never thought Kat was unattractive before, but he'd never looked twice at her before stepping into VERSA. And now, this current metamorphosis brought her to a new level. Watching her command their attention with each of her sexy steps, Harrison found it difficult to remember that back in the real world this woman lived her life in a wheelchair parked front of computers. Unapologetic, she displayed the aplomb and grace of a confident supermodel.

“I'll go,” replied Jessica, climbing into the wardrobe. Knowing her, Harrison thought, Jessica would not be outdone. And he was correct.

Jessica stepped out in tight red dress that, while slightly trailing on the floor behind her, left her legs mostly exposed in the front. Her feet wore red heels, showing off her new crimson pedicure. And he face looked beautiful, the hint of ruby eye liner giving her a fiery look. She too had curled her hair, her blond locks coming down and rested gently on her shoulders. Jessica quickly glanced at Harrison, then looked away. He hated that she'd cooled on him so much after she walked in on his conversation with the woman in black. She looked incredibly hot tonight.

“Damn, you both really set the bar high,” admired Rich, trying to give a tasteful compliment. “Guess I'll have to put on a dress too,” he muttered, tossing his gun into the bushes next to the wardrobe. He stepped inside. When it reopened, Rich unfortunately stepped out merely in a black tuxedo. He'd combed his remaining hair back and pinned a red rose on his breast as a boutonnière. The man cleaned up well.

Without saying a word, Harrison went last. He wasn't sure why, but he imagined an all-white tuxedo in his mind. Getting the idea from Rich, he stepped out of the wardrobe with a black carnation pinned over his breast pocket. Though the black flower raised an eyebrow or two, he still felt bad about what Jessica had seen earlier and figured he'd show his remorse in a subtle way.

Now dressed to suggest extravagant wealth and burning with a desire to drink expensive cocktails, the four travelers walked over to the doorkeeper. As if completely forgetting about their first encounter, he greeted them graciously and opened the mansion's large wooden front door. The sounds of the dazzling party inside rushed out to meet them.

The entry hall's ceiling rose two stories above their heads as they walked into the house on a red carpet. An elegant staircase leading to the upper levels of the mansion tumbled down before them, its wooden banisters ornately carved and decorated with a flowing montage of running animals. The walls, illuminated by golden lamps, beamed with a subtle floral pattern set on cream-colored wallpaper. Jamming the space around them, a whirlwind of party guests laughed and conversed without a care in the world. Watching from the top of the stairs, two men in suits and sunglasses made sure everyone stayed on the ground floor of the mansion.

Hordes of people filled the house; men, dressed in proud suits and tuxedos, and women, awash in jewels and clad in stunning evening dresses. Waiters weaved between the guests, offering a limitless supply of champagne and food. The melody of an unseen string quartet floated through the party, serenading the guests with an unnameable waltz. Standing just inside the entry vestibule, Harrison and his colleagues watched the unexpected scene with awe and surprise. The party, on the other hand, could not have cared less about these four new guests.

“I'm getting a drink,” Rich said, taking a step into the crowd.

“What's your plan now Kat?” Jessica asked, still eyeing the crowd.

Kat sighed. Their entire mission had been to come to this world, to see if “DOS-PALOS-153” had been some sort of message from Leo or a cry for help. The party, to say the least, was very unexpected.

“This is Leo's house,” Kat acknowledged, “so maybe he's here? If I can find him it could be a VERSA imitation of him or...” She paused to think.

“There's only nine stalls that connect to VERSA right? In the control room?” Jessica looked at her intently.

“Well yeah,” answered Kat. “But me and the other programmers always wondered if Leo had hooked up a connection from his house. I mean, since he's disappeared up there, we figured, why would he not be playing around in his creation while on sabbatical?” She shrugged her shoulders, admitting ignorance. “It's just a theory though, no one really knows.”

As Kat and Jessica speculated about the founder of SunCorp, Harrison's eyes moved nervously around the room. Particularly at the waiters with the hors d'oeuvres. He hoped some of them had fruit cups or fruit salads on them. But all he saw were shrimp cocktails, spanakopitas, and charcuterie and cheese selections. But then his conscience kicked in. No, he shouldn't just bail on his friends. He needed to help them get to the bottom of this, woman in black be damned! He grappled with his emotions for a moment, debating what he should do. He compromised quickly by deciding he needed to find the bar.

As he walked off, Jessica suggested to Kat, “Why don't we circulate a bit and ask around, see if anyone knows him or has seen him?”

“Alright,” Kat consented. She looked over the faces of the party guests. “Who are all these people though? I can't believe what VERSA's done under our noses...”

“Just act cool,” Jessica replied. For once she had made the plan, not Kat.

Meanwhile, Harrison pushed through the throngs of people and stepped down into another room where he spotted Rich talking to a bartender. He made his way over.

“Hey Harrison!” Rich said with a smile when he walked up. “Look who it is!” He pointed at the bartender.

Harrison glanced over and was in shock to see it was the good-looking man from the city world. The one they'd seen a thousand clones of and had nearly killed them. He looked at Harrison, confused.

“I'm sorry sir, have we met?” he kindly asked Harrison in a soothing masculine voice.

“No that's ok,” interrupted Rich. “Hey, can I get a scotch?”

“Sure,” the man instantly replied, forgetting his confusion. “Would you like our single malt or the blend?”

“The single malt please. On the rocks. And one for him too.” Rich thumbed over at Harrison.

“Make it a double please,” Harrison quietly added. Rich looked over at him with wide eyes, surprised, but approving.

After they'd gotten their drinks, Harrison and Rich walked over to a corner to watch the room. “What the hell is going on here?” Harrison nervously complained. “This is what Kat brought us all the way here for?”

“Kid, I don't what the hell this all means,” Rich assured him, sipping his drink. “But you know, none of these people are supposed to be here. I bet Kat's losing her shit right now.”

Though she wasn't exactly losing her shit, two rooms over Kat still felt dumbfounded that VERSA could create over a hundred people and throw a party for itself. As she wandered through the mansion, she'd occasionally butt in to conversations, politely introduce herself, and ask about Leo Starr.

“Who?”

“No, haven't heard of him.”

“A star?”

“Was he here before?”

No one seemed to know who's house they were in. She was so confused, but the allure of the spiraling mystery drew her deeper into the party.

After a half hour of searching, Kat noticed Jessica and her bright red dress across a room. Jessica was listening to a handsome young man explain something to her. Kat didn't recognize him but, sensing a development, pushed her way over and Jessica finally caught her eye.

“Oh Katherine!” Jessica greeted her, “this is my friend I just met here, Evan Aldridge.” She referenced to the man. He was short, only as tall as Kat with her heels on. But he looked suave in his tuxedo and flashed her a perfect smile.

“Pleased to meet you, Miss...?”

“Parlock, Katherine Parlock,” she quickly said, taking his hand and shaking it. “Do you know Leo Starr by chance?”

“Who?” Evan asked, leaning forward to hear her better.

“Oh, Evan was just telling me about his beach house in Malibu,” Jessica said, looking at Kat. She glared at her, trying to call her off. She'd decided to flirt with man. Or computer program. Or whatever all these people were.

“Oh you have a house in Malibu?” Kat asked him, now trying to play along with Jessica. “I bet it's big.”

“Oh certainly, it's very large,” replied Evan. “Maybe I can take you and your friend down there this weekend?” he asked Jessica.

“That'd be wonderful!” Jessica said gleefully, casually putting a hand on his shoulder. Kat noticed Jessica stood a few inches taller than him.

“What brings you to the party, Evan?” asked Kat, deciding to bat her eyes at him. If Jessica wanted to play a little game, why shouldn't she?

“Oh, this party?” he inquired, pointing down at nothing. “Oh I come to this party every week! I love the people and the hostess is wonderful!”

Kat caught his word. He didn't say host. Who was throwing this party? Was it Claire, Leo's daughter?

But Jessica missed the reference. “This is our first time here! Do you want to give me a tour of the house?” she asked him. Then she stared intently into his eyes and slowly licked her top lip. She lowered her voice and leaned into him. “I'd love to see the master bedroom.”

Her seduction worked easily and Evan, stunned by her forwardness, declared that he could show her around immediately. Jessica quickly agreed, feigning actual interest. She had this man, figuratively this time, in the palm of her hand.

What was Jessica doing? Kat couldn't figure it out. Was she really going to try having sex with a computer program? Could that even be done in VERSA? Recollecting the years she spent working on VERSA, she was pretty sure she couldn't remember an instance of anyone bragging about sexual exploits in the sim. Certainly no one had done anything with her, and there weren't many other women around at the lab to even try a quickie with. And until yesterday, when they discovered VERSA started making its own people, there hadn't been anyone else to sleep with besides another pilot. Kat had to admit then that Jessica would probably be popping VERSA's cherry tonight.

As the man led Jessica away with him, Kat pondered her next move. Leo didn't seem to be here, or exist for that matter, but Evan indicated someone was clearly in charge. She scanned the room looking for anyone she recognized. And then she realized what Jessica was doing. She'd gotten access to the second floor of the house!

The man led Jessica up the beautiful staircase, and at the top quietly told the two men guarding the upper floor that Jessica was with him. Jessica waved happily, playing the part of a ditzy party guest, seemingly enthralled with this vapid and conceited man leading her around. After reaching the landing and then walking down a beautiful but deserted hallway, Evan started speaking to Jessica.

“So this wing mostly contains the bedrooms,” he explained, nervously ogling Jessica's beautiful body as she peered around in mock interest. “It was added to the house in the Nineteen-Twenties by the second owner of the estate...”

“How you do know all of this?” Jessica asked, trying to act impressed.

“Oh you, you know, I'm friends... with her,” he said quickly. Jessica looked at him questioningly, but he ignored her and continued talking.

“Yeah so down here at the end of the hall is the Sierra Azul suite, the master bedroom!” he said with a flourish. “In the daytime out the west windows you can even see the peak of Loma Prieta!” He walked them down to the wooden door at the end of the hall.

“Is anyone in there?” asked Jessica.

Evan shook his head. “Just us now,” he replied, opening the door.

Jessica strutted in and beheld a lavish bedroom decorated with splendid mahogany furniture. Against one wall a large, king sized bed dominated the center of the room, its frame also made of beautifully crafted and shaped wood. An emerald duvet sat proudly on top of the regal bed.

Jessica could tell Evan was getting anxious, and not from their casual trespassing. He was struggling to take his eyes off of her. Her original plan had been to get upstairs and find a way to ditch him and explore, but now she wasn't so sure how to execute it. Did the door lock? Was there a key somewhere? Could she lock him in? Scanning to room for clues and possibly weapons, Jessica kept acting awed by the room.

As Jessica searched with her eyes, Evan closed the door behind her. With a thud, she heard it latch. She didn't want to be standing next to him anymore, so she quickly walked across the room to feign interest in a jeweled decoration sitting on a small table. “Wow look at this!” she exclaimed.

But Evan had crept up behind her and suddenly put his hands on her hips. Jessica jumped, surprised by his intimate presence.

“So uh, baby, where shall we start?” he growled behind her. At that moment Jessica realized she'd led him on too far. Time to shut things down.

Throwing his hands off of her and spinning around, she looked down at him and forcefully asked, “What are you doing?!”

Indignantly, Evan retorted, “I thought this is what you wanted!”

“Ew, no!” spat Jessica. “I'm leaving!” She stomped over to the door and grabbed the doorknob. It wouldn't twist. The door was locked.

“Looking for this?” Evan said, pulling a large key out of his pocket. He set it on the table next to him. “Just stay for a little while, come on, I'll make it worth your time,” he pleaded.

“Evan, unlock this door right now,” Jessica firmly replied. Evan let her words sink in and he stared at her, pondering his next move. She watched him with apprehension.

“You didn't have any intention of sleeping with me, did you?” he finally asked, looking at her in anger.

“Yes, that's right,” she hastily admitted.

Evan pulled a switchblade out of his coat. “Well me neither,” he confessed, “though I might still have my way with you before the night is over.” He grinned lustfully. Jessica's eyes grew in wide surprise. What the hell was going on?

He pointed the knife at her suggestively and took a step in her direction. “You said this was your first time at the party,” he clarified, his gaze never leaving her. “Well, it's never anyone's first time. It's always the same people. That's how she likes it.”

Jessica took a step back, her mind racing trying to figure out what he was talking about. Was he referring to the hostess? Did she set him up to do this? Her back was to the locked door now. She was trapped.

“I'm going to ask you a few questions, Jessica, about what you're doing here. Whether I have to use this is up to you,” he told her menacingly, referring to his knife. “She's going to be very happy when I tell her I caught you,” he said to himself, pleased with his quarry. This sniveling minion couldn't wait to get his hands on her. Taking another step towards Jessica, he leered at her suggestively, running his hopeful eyes up and down her body. Jessica felt violated. This wasn't going well. She decided to attack.

Jessica leaped forward at Evan, catching him off guard. Her body collided into his, knocking him back. Evan kept hold of the knife but Jessica dragged him down to the floor. Grappling him on the floor, Jessica may have had a couple of inches on him, but she certainly couldn't match his strength. Though she initially got lucky with a swift kick that knocked the knife out of his hand, he gained the advantage by rolling his body on top of her.

Pinning her with his weight, Jessica lost all her leverage. She pummeled his body as hard as she could, doing her best to fight him off. “Somebody help me!!” she screamed out, hoping anyone would hear. The guards at the top of the staircase were down a long hallway though, and currently on the other side of a thick wooden door. They might not have been on her side anyways. She kept hitting Evan with her fists and yelling.

Evan moved his right hand up to her face to try silencing her as he used his lower body to pin down her thrashing legs. “Bitch, shut up!” he grunted, getting his hand over her mouth.

As rage turned to desperation, the reality of what was happening to Jessica set it. Though she was putting up one hell of a fight, her energy was draining. She beat her fists against him but it seemed to do less and less. Evan's grubby hands had free reign over her body, and she wondered where they might go.

When his hand briefly slipped from her mouth, Jessica cried and screamed out. “Somebody help me! I need help! GET OFF ME!!” She begged for help. Anybody. But the party below carried on without her.

“Do you need help Jessica?” a woman's voice calmly asked.

Evan, completely caught off-guard, looked over his shoulder to see who had come into the room. He wilted in surprise, stunned in place. Jessica too, traumatized by the experience and now shocked that someone had interrupted it, tried looking around Evan to see who it was. His body still blocked her, but she remembered to answer the question.

“Yes! Please! Help! Get him off me!” she cried out desperately.

And an instant later, Evan completely disappeared. Jessica lay helplessly on the floor in her disheveled dress, and standing across the room stood the woman in black. Still clad in her usual black boots and black dress, she stood casually with her arms folded in front of her. She seemed pleased with herself.

“See,” the woman in black informed her, condescendingly, “I help those who ask for it. You should have learned that when I helped you earlier. There's a lot we can do for each other.”

Jessica's fear didn't have time to kick in as she recovered from the shock of surviving Evan's attack. Propping herself up, her mouth agape, she looked for something to say. Her head spun in delirium and confusion; everything was happening so fast.

But as she sat up, she felt a small object tumble down her body. Looking down in horror she spotted Evan, only a few inches tall. The woman had shrunk him! Crying out, Jessica swatted his little body off of her, causing him to fall onto the carpeted floor. She quickly looked back at the woman in black, who was giving her a knowing look.

VERSA was a strange world, and many things about it Jessica didn't understand. But what was happening right now was at a different level of befuddlement. What the hell was going on?

Once again Jessica tried to come up with something to say to the woman in black, who stared back at her impatiently, waiting for her to speak. “Th... thank you?” Jessica finally managed to utter.

The woman in black smiled when she heard her answer. “You're welcome honey,” she replied, satisfied. She uncrossed her arms and went to go sit in a nearby chair. She kept speaking. “I didn't know you and your friends wanted to attend the party. What are you hoping to find here?” she asked Jessica.

Jessica slowly got to her feet, trying to fix her dress and forget Evan's touch. She wobbled on her high heels as she tried cooling down her emotions. But anger seeped back into her as the shock of the situation ebbed. She wasn't going to let the woman in black ask the questions right now.

“Did you set this up?!” she yelled at her, losing her cool.

“The party?”

“No! THIS!!” Jessica gestured to the room.

“Oh, you mean Evan?” asked the woman in black ignorantly. Jessica couldn't tell if she was playing another game.

“Did you set him up to attack me and rape me?”

“Oh good heavens no!” the woman in black denied vehemently. “I made him, sure, like everyone else. But even though I control all the strings, they do have a mind of their own when I'm not watching.”

Jessica peered at her menacingly, trying to determine if it was a lie. Though Jessica was consumed by rage, the woman in black acted casually, as if she'd just taken a break from work. The mysterious woman leaned back in her chair to get comfortable.

“I don't know what your plan is,” Jessica seethed, “or if you're trying to kill us or what...” her sentenced trailed off as she tried to figure out what she wanted to say.

“I said I wanted to help,” the woman in black quickly replied. “I think I even like you the best,” she admitted to Jessica, smiling. This damn woman always seemed so pleased, thought Jessica silently.

Trying to stay mad, Jessica deflected the compliment. She wanted to wring this woman's neck for repeatedly trying to kill her, then act like a friend, and then let someone nearly knife her. Clenching her fists but keeping her feet in place, her eyes shot silent rage across the room. If Jessica hadn't been so scared of this woman's power, she would have already attacked her by now.

Sensing Jessica's mood, the woman in black sat up and held up her hands. “Ok, I'm sorry Jessica. I didn't know he'd attack you.” The woman in black seemed bothered. “How about we do each other a favor? I'll make sure something like this can never happen again if you do something for me later. Deal?”

Jessica frowned at her words, unsure of what this woman promised. Certainly any deal with her seemed suspicious, and she still felt angry, justifiably so.

“There's no way I can trust you,” Jessica said boldly.

“Don't be so hasty,” the woman in black responded. “I'm promising to give you the upper hand in any situation you might be harmed. All you have to do is help me with something later. Harrison already agreed to help me too, and I didn't even offer him anything in return. I'm giving you a better deal.”

“What do you mean Harrison helped you?!” Jessica shouted out in confusion. The woman in black had confirmed Jessica's suspicion that Harrison's night with her had resulted in more than he'd admitted.

“Oh, he didn't tell you?” she grinned. “Huh, some guy. Well, maybe you can ask him next time you see him. As I said, you'll be able to protect yourself from now on when you're in danger, it shouldn't be too tough to get what you want.”

This was going nowhere and Jessica began to feel uneasy. The woman in black was clearly up to her games again. Turning around, Jessica spotted the key to the door on the table where Evan had left it. She needed to get out.

Sensing this, the woman in black tried calming her down. “Hey don't be mad at me, and don't leave just yet,” she urged Jessica. “You have some unfinished business here.” The woman in black glanced over to the bed. Looking down to the floor. Jessica followed her gaze and spied Evan's tiny body cowering near a bedpost, watching her. He must have been about four inches tall.

“Remember what he tried to do to you?” the woman in black noted. “Time for you to tie up loose ends.”

Jessica knew herself, and knew she wasn't a cruel person at heart. She was kindhearted, sympathetic, and forgiving. It was why her friends loved her so much. But something about seeing Evan in his pathetic state changed her mind. She knew she was in VERSA. She knew Evan wasn't really a person. And she knew nobody was going to see what happened in this bedroom.

“He's all yours,” the woman in black said, gesturing her palm out to the tiny man on the floor. “Remember, you can call me whenever you feel like it.” And at the end of her sentence, the woman in black suddenly disappeared. Simultaneously, an unexpected warmth coursed through Jessica's body, like a wave of pleasant heat washing over her. It faded in a moment but it left her feeling tingly and reassured. And different. It was then that Jessica realized she was now alone in the room with Evan.

The wickedest of smirks grew on Jessica's face as she stared down at Evan in his little suit. His eyes grew wide and his little legs began knocking together as he stared up at the woman he'd manhandled earlier.

“Please!” he shouted, his tiny voice squeaking up to her ears. “I didn't know you knew her too! I didn't know you were also friends with her!” He took a step back but ran into one of the large boards that framed the mahogany box the bed's mattress sat on. The wooden bed frame sat flush to the carpeted floor. Evan couldn't get under the bed.

Jessica stood in silence, quickly becoming drunk on the power she held over this little shit of a man. Though steeping in rage, her anger simmered into a coolness of power that she couldn't wait to demonstrate to his helpless man. Never before had she wanted to act out a vengeance so wantonly cruel. It was not like her. And yet that's what made it fun.

“You tried to kill me Evan,” she calmly told him, “and I could tell you wanted more from me too.”

“I'm sorry! Please!” he screamed back, consumed by terror. He suddenly bolted out from the bed, running across the room towards a large dresser that offered plenty of room to hide beneath. But his small legs could only carry him so fast, and Jessica took three steps and towered over him in an instant.

She used one of her high-heeled feet to block his path. Evan skidded to a stop on the carpet and tried turning around, but Jessica brought her other foot down in front of him. It was kind of fun toying with him like this. It served him right, she thought, smiling down on him.

Her cute feet, each the size of cars to Evan, wearing those bright red shoes with a heel as tall as his body, proved unconquerable obstacles for him to escape. Each one could easily crush him if she chose to do so.

Falling back over in shock, Evan craned his neck up to look at Jessica, who stood above him triumphantly with her hands proudly on her waist. Peeking over her own breasts, Jessica could hardly see the tiny man cowering in her shadow. She realized that he could probably see up her dress, all the way to her red panties that he undoubtedly sought earlier. She didn't care that she was flashing him a lewd view, in fact she kind of liked the tease. It wasn't like he could do anything to her now. She savored the intimidation.

It briefly occurred to her that the woman in black might have set up this entire chain of events so that she could vent her anger on poor little Evan. But she was past the point of caring if she'd been manipulated. She needed to punish Evan.

The giantess smiled at him cruelly, giddy with excitement.