There was a dark pit where Maya felt her stomach should be. She clutched at her sides tightly, unsure of what to think or even of how to feel. Six’s words had hit her far harder than they should have. And for the life of her, she couldn’t understand why. They have argued before. They’ve fought before. But each time when they did she always ended up winning. Was that the reason why she felt this was because she actually found herself unable to win? Did Six actually manage to pull out a victory? If so, why was she so upset by that? Something as small as one little win, over the number of times she’s got what she’s wanted, shouldn’t affect her so deeply.
She was lost in her thoughts so deeply that at first, she didn’t even realize Lyza was snapping her fingers in an attempt to gain the psychopath’s attention.
“Earth to Maya” the designer snaps. For a moment there is light seen within her eyes. For a second she feels Lyza is all she needs to be comforted. Until Maya remembers that Six is but only a few feet away, and she is reminded of the words said earlier.
She fails to meet her lover’s gaze and remains silent.
Lyza pinches the bridge of her nose in annoyance. “Wonderful… Maya’s gone dark, and Roxanne just hit me with shit I didn’t want to hear.” She turns to Six, her expression as stern and as serious as an almighty god. “Please tell me you’re not going to say something you’ll regret? I was in the room long enough to hear some of what you said. You wanna come clean, Six?”
The beta was quiet. While not feeling quite as horrible as Maya, rather he felt pretty damn good, he still found himself in the hot seat. He said too much. He let himself get too excited. Did he regret it? Perhaps. Would he take it back? Hell no.
He’s been waiting to say that for years. Ever since he’s found himself in Maya’s clutches three years ago. It was like a weight had finally lifted off his shoulders. Unfortunately, a new weight found itself upon them. And in the form of Lyza staring daggers into his very being no less. He wasn’t sure if she was pissed. Was she judging him? Blaming him? Six still felt like he had so much to lose. And unlike Maya, he wasn’t sure he’d get away with talking back so easily.
“How… much did you hear?” Six finally asked.
Lyza smiled softly. “Well, I’m glad to hear that you noticed my effort. It’s hard, you know, being nice to someone so small. I’m even more glad to hear that you don’t blame me for the thing I put you through early on. Hoping that’s water under the bridge really.”
Her eyes narrow into slits.
“Though I did hear something mildly interesting…” she leans forward until Six could feel the air entering and leaving her body with each breath. “You really wanna go away? Forget everything? I hate to be the bearer of bad news buddy…but I think you’re forgetting something very important.”
Lyza rises back up, even her frame when sitting being taller than even the largest of buildings to Six. “I own you. And I’m putting that in the nicest way possible.” Six backed away in fear. He was afraid that, after being so close to freedom he’d lose everything he’s gained in such a short amount of time. Lyza noticed this and quickly relented, raising her hands in the air as a sign of peace. “Now I know that sounds fucked up, but it’s basically true. I’m the one who puts a roof over not just your head but Maya’s too. And while you don’t eat, you only have to look at the clothes you’re wearing to remember who made them for you.”
Six didn’t relax, and Lyza saw this. She groaned in irritation. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to take away your ‘freedom’. Clear to see it means a great deal to you. More than I actually realized.” The beta could see an ounce of guilt cross the designer’s face. “Now that I’m thinking about it, it’s very fucking stupid for me not to have. Sometimes forget you actually WERE normal at one point. SO, I can see why being treated as some lesser would hurt. No wonder why you snapped back so hard earlier. You actually felt like a person again, whereas you feel like Maya only treats you like a toy.”
“I don’t-” was about as far as Maya got when she tried to speak out. The stern glare of her girlfriend was enough to shut her up. As though she were a child being scolded.
Lyza was fully aware of the danger Maya posed to someone like her. She was a volatile killer. Someone who has killed people both large and small. There were next to none who could find themselves safe from Maya had she the intent to kill them. None save for Lyza anyway. Over time, and through forms of subtly, the designer has learned how best to avoid Maya’s snaps even in cases as dire as this one. Pull at the right extremity, give the right glare, and Maya would back down. Honestly, it felt akin to some form of conditioning. But it was necessary when you often shared a bed with someone who could snap at the drop of a dime. And coincidentally someone who could snap your neck if they so wished.
The designer also thanked the fact that whatever Six had said affected her so deeply that Maya didn’t even so much as argue. His actions put her in a surprisingly obedient state. Made things easier to smooth over
“I’ll get to you in a minute,” Lyza assured. “Right now we’re giving Six the chance to speak.”
Maya tried to speak out again. “But…”
“Maya. We are letting him talk.” Lyza wasn’t giving her lover any room to argue, and Maya knew this. She relented.
“That’s what I wanted to see. Now…” Lyza returned her sights to the now relaxing beta. He wasn’t as afraid now thankfully. Hopefully, that meant things would go more smoothly. “Six. I heard you say you blame Maya. For a great many things. Care to elaborate?”
Six didn’t see any reason not to. “With fucking pleasure.” He watched with pleasure as Maya’s eyes went wide, no doubt dread filling her as she would be forced to hear his words again. Before Six could begin though Lyza snapped her fingers.
“Now, before you do I just want to be clear. You won’t be attacking Maya here. You’ll just be repeating to me what you said to her. I don’t want anything outside of what I heard.”
Six was livid. “And why the fuck not?! When she deserves it!”
Lyza leans over, rising again over the table Six stood upon. “Because I’ll decide if she does.” Her yellow eyes shine down on Six yet the only thing he can focus on is the tongue that sneaks out from her mouth and licks her lips. “But go ahead. I wouldn’t mind playing a ‘game’. Just like the one you and Maya played. Unlike her though, I won’t give you a head start.”
Six shuttered at the idea. He wondered just how much of what transpired upstairs did Lyza witness.
“F-fair enough…”
The designer smiled, backing off and getting comfortable on the couch as she readied herself to hear Six’s recollections.
It took some time for Six to recount what he had said before. His voice then was one of anger. Not something easily remembered when needed. But, as they were emotions he had bottled up for years, they came in time. And he spoke of them to Lyza almost as though he were addressing a higher power. He watched and waited for any sort of changes in her expressions. There was none. She was like as expressionless as a judge, waiting for the plea to end so that she may pass her verdict.
Six wondered how she would view him after all he’s said. He understood that she knew his story. His life in Maya’s care. But that’s only ever been through her perspective. She’s never heard his as far as he could recall. She didn’t know how he felt every day, being seen as Maya’s property. Her toy. Her ”one and only”. He blamed her for so much. For killing him. For putting him in the position in which he could be shrunk. For slowly taking away his humanity. There was so much Six blamed Maya for that he couldn’t possibly put it all into words. Even if he was only to recount what he had said earlier he couldn’t keep from changing his words as new thoughts entered his head. How his life could have been different had he never met Maya. Lonely, perhaps, but one he was in control of. At this height, with these chains, he was only allowed the control that was granted to him by those countless times his size.
In a small way, this was a jab at Lyza too. For having said she owned him. Even then she held no sort of reaction. Rather, her sights would at times wander towards Maya, who cupped her hands over her eyes in an attempt to cut out the ranting beta. It did nothing, his little voice somehow reaching her ears. A result of her constant training in noticing the smallest of noises. She heard everything.
And the worst part was she couldn’t deny any of it. She couldn’t argue, even if she wanted to. And oh did she want to. More than anything currently. But no matter how hard she grit her teeth, no matter how hard she pulled at her ears, she couldn’t bring herself to deny anything Six said.
Lyza saw this. As clear as day. So when the beta finally finished his rant, she chuckled. She didn’t need to question Maya. The blue-haired killer had already said all she needed to from simple actions.
“Well Six, it looks like you’re in the right here.” Lyza acknowledged.
The beta was delighted to hear that. Another victory over Maya that he felt was deserved.
“That said, she’s not totally at fault here…”
Just like that, Six felt his victory slip from his hands. “What are you talking about?” Six was raising his voice once more. “Of course, it’s her fault. She fucked up my life!”
Lyza raised her hand. She wanted Six to be quiet. To lower his voice, keep his anger in check. “She ended your life, Six. But she didn’t bring you back. No, that would have been Josephine Minerva.”
“Minerva…” the woman at fault for changing the entire structure of the world. The woman who, in an attempt to control the world ended up altering it forever. She created the virus that would ultimately make the beta population. It wasn’t meant to be a virus though. That little event was altered by Maya when she was still in search of her Six. She followed a trail that lead to a hospital owned by the “saint of the new world”. Maya killed her and changed her plans to spare a select few from the virus. Those who’d be loyal to Minerva. Instead, it could target everyone, regardless of age, sex, or race. Only Alphas were immune, those rare few who could not be shrunk. Those like Maya.
Though her actions in changing the world were clear and known to both Lyza and Six, it was the one thing they didn’t blame Maya for. Minerva, at the end of the day, was the root cause of the world’s greatest problem. She was also the one to bring Six back from the grave. Save him from the brink of death after almost having been killed by Maya. All so she could experiment on him. Shrink him down before the virus was even a thing to worry about. Even with what Maya’s done to him he couldn’t forget the horrors inflicted upon his body as well.
There was one issue though. He couldn’t blame a dead woman.
“Minerva’s gone, Lyza.” Six reasoned. “The world’s fucked up because of her sure, but my world’s fucked up because of Maya. What would some dead bitch have to do with that?”
Lyza hummed as she looked towards Roxanne, the larger beta having remained silent and as far away from the conversation as allowed. The designer had gone out of her way to get as much information from her as she could, the dried spittle upon their shirt a sign of just how she did it. through her interrogation, she learned a great deal, not just of Six but many things beyond even him. Most were concerning, especially aspects that pertained to her sister. The younger Vermont had more connections than Lyza originally thought. Connections that, thanks to Roxanne, were now in the light for her.
“As I’m sure you can imagine, Minerva didn’t work alone. Rather, she had held. From assistants, scientists, etcetera etcetera. Well…guess who was one of them.”
Roxanne hung her head in shame, knowing well that Lyza was addressing her. She wanted her to say it. To admit it.
Six wasn’t sure what to make of this. “Wait…I’m confused. What are you talking about?”
Even Maya, who had tried so hard to ignore the conversation before, was curious as to what Lyza was saying. She seemed to understand quicker than Six though on who else was to blame for his misfortune in his life. It was the breakaway she needed from the mounting despair she was forced to deal with. An earlier emotion resurfaced and etched itself across Maya’s face. She lunged forward with an arm outstretched, fist ready to come down on Roxanne. Thankfully for the beta Lyza was quick to intervene, throwing herself against a rage-fueled Maya to keep her from killing Roxanne. She thrashed maddeningly, her strength almost too much for Lyza to handle. She endured and managed to hold Maya against the couch. Luckily their anger was directed away from Lyza, so the designer was able to lock her legs around Maya’s waist.
Forcing herself behind Maya, Lyza wrapped her arms around her girlfriend’s neck in a rather impressive chokehold. A move she learned for their acts of intimacy, though she wouldn’t admit that to anyone.
Despite the hold on her Maya still thrashed about in an attempt to get free. Tears flooded her eyes as she glared at Roxanne with such a fire that the beta felt fit to burn away.
“You fucking…fuck! I should have killed you when I had the chance!” Maya choked out her words, breathing becoming difficult as Lyza’s hold grew tighter. “I-it’s because of y-ou…that Six blames me! H-he should have d-died but y-you brought him back! You…you…”
Maya felt herself losing consciousness. She tapped Lyza’s shoulder. “I…I give. Uncle d-dammit!”
Lyza increased her strength. Maya’s vision turned fuzzy.
“Are you sure?” the designer questioned, fully committed to knocking her lover out cold. It took Maya some time to answer, the drool that was pooling and falling from her lips working against her.
When she wiped that away all she could manage was a very hoarse, “YES”
Lyza’s hold was released allowing Maya some much-needed air. She was conflicted. On one hand, she was angered over the fact that she was stopped from ending Roxanne’s life. On the other though, she enjoyed the sensation of her lover nearly choking her out, the new sensation sparking a desire for more. A desire that would obviously have to wait as there were far more pressing matters to attend to.
Lyza looked on with worry. She hadn’t expected an outburst so grand. And from Maya of all people. Was she a second too late then she would have lost a valuable asset.
If anything, she had expected Six to speak out in anger. Instead, the beta only seemed confused. Almost unable to come to terms with what was revealed.
“So it was you…” he spoke softly. As though raising his voice would shatter whatever semblance of sanity he had left. He stood up to Maya before and felt great. He voiced his feelings to Lyza, and he felt even better. But now he didn’t know what to feel, knowing now that Roxanne played a hand in turning his life into hell.
It’s not as though the two had a deep relationship prior to this revelation. But even were he given years to ponder on what her life was like before shrinking, Six never would have imagined Roxanne had a hand in the torture that was his life. But here it was, the information that she aided the woman who screwed up the world.
He’d strangle her if she wasn’t three times his size. Six was actually considering letting Maya do it for him. Because for once he actually agreed with her. “I should have let Maya kill you.”
There wasn’t any rage in his voice. Nor was there sadness. There was simply nothing. He felt nothing. Six felt as though he was surrounded only by those who dominated and abused his life. Even the small amount of freedom he had he was given. And just as easily it could be taken away should they so wish.
Six sat down, defeated, and Maya saw this as a sort of opportunity. She reached forward, hoping to take the beta into her embrace now that he had someone else to blame. A faint glimmer of hope that was quickly shattered when he recoiled upon her touch. She felt herself break again before returning her sights to Roxanne. She felt that they were as much to blame as she was.
Maya would have killed her; had it been allowed by Lyza. Instead of giving the order the designer only pondered on how she should best proceed. Though things may not seem that way now, getting all of this out in the open was better done early than later. This was Lyza could act as a mediator, keeping anyone from doing anything they might regret. Already she stopped Maya, and now she thought it best to comfort Six.
Without a word, she took the defeated beta into her palm. He offered no resistance, unlike with Maya, and that broke her even more. Lyza looked at her girlfriend apologetically. It made sense that of the three women here Lyza was in Six’s better graces at the moment. Maya couldn’t do anything as she saw one of her lovers comfort another. The dark pit within her stomach had returned, even worse than before.
Could she even call Six a lover? All the things he had blamed her for hounded her and she couldn’t shake them. Maya sank into the couch, raising her knees to her chest as Six’s voice continued to blame her. It replayed over and over again like a record, and she was forced to endure it as she sulked.
Lyza felt her irritation grow, but now concern was settling in as well. Both Six and Maya were depressed. Of that much she was certain. And they’d only continue on in such a state if nothing was done about it.
She had a plan, though it was anything but flawless.
“Tell them what you told me, Roxy.” Lyza ordered.
The two-inch beta would offer no resistance. No argument. Even when Maya’s burning gaze fell upon her again she didn’t crack.
“Lyza’s right…” Roxanne confirmed. “I helped Minerva. And I won’t lie and say it was for the greater good. Some greater purpose meant to save the world. Our intentions were selfish. All of ours. Mine, Minerva’s, and every else who worked for her…”
Roxanne recalled those days often. How her life had changed, though not in the way many might expect.
She was a prodigy. A one in a billion mind. Among her peers, Roxanne could say that only two really stood out as her superior, and one of them was Minerva herself. While Roxanne considered herself a genius with little to compare to her, Josephine Minerva was something else entirely. A once in a century type of individual who dreamed of heights grander than anything that should be feasible by mere man. She was clearly a mind far beyond her time, coming up with ideas and plans that would shake the very foundations of the world several times over.
And it was people like Roxanne who were meant to make it work. Because, for all the intelligence Minerva had, she was one woman. And one person could not change the world. But a group of the brightest minds she could find. Not the type who’d be running rampant on the news or internet. The truly exceptional.
“I considered it a privilege to be seen as someone worth her notice,” Roxanne admitted with pride. “There weren’t many of us. Maybe only a dozen. But it was enough for her to set about her plans.” Roxanne fell silent, remembering how it was that Minerva managed to draw her in. “She promised us…so much. The world in fact. The whole god damn world. It sounds ridiculous when I say it out loud now, but with her, it seemed entirely possible. That’s just the kind of person she was.”
Maya chuckled, recalling her own interaction with Josephine. “She couldn’t have been that extraordinary. I mean…I am the one who killed her.”
She remembered choking the life out of the would-be queen. A despot really, who wanted the world only for herself. It was the kill that shook the world and remains one of her favorites. “I even killed the head doctor that day too. One of you ‘exceptional few’ I take it?” Maya snickered at the thought of so few people holding so much power. “Maybe you’re all not as special as you thought? After all, they’re dead and you’re…”
Roxanne clenched her fists. “Don’t you dare mock me…” for a moment she forgot the danger she was in only a few minutes prior. “It’s not like I had the choice of choosing to be like this. I was forced. After you killed Minerva everything went to shit for me. The group who worked for her disbanded. Went back to our lives with promises unkept. But, surprise surprise, nobody felt safe when people with that much knowledge were left to wonder. Minerva had partners. Powerful people who now saw us as a danger. And with the epidemic on its first legs they saw the perfect method to get rid of us.”
The tiny scientist fell silent. The memories of her capture flooded in. “My house was stormed, I was taken into custody, but I was never questioned. No, they just locked me in some white fucking room, filled it with an early prototype of the virus, a gas, and left me on the streets. I’m the only person left who knows how anything works now. The rest died, the fucking gas killed them. Its fatality rate was too high, that’s why it was a prototype. Think that’s what they wanted, but since I ended up shrinking to the size of a bug they probably didn’t see me as a threat.”
Roxanne sighed. As it would turn out, Six wasn’t the only beta who had things he needed to get off his shoulders. She certainly felt lighter. But there was still more to her tale.
“I thought that was the end of my life. I was left in Los Demonios, the vilest fucking place for a beta to live. And that’s not even the worst part. No, as if things weren’t bad enough this whole fucking place is pretty much owned by one of the people who ruined my life.”
Maya smirked, finding a form of humor in the beta’s continued poor luck. “Really? And just who would that be?”
Lyza coughed, cutting Maya’s attention away from Roxanne. Her expression was one of betrayal, oddly enough, as well as resentment. She knew something she wish she didn’t.
“My mother…” Lyza revealed. She was not someone who the designer liked speaking of. When she was alive, their relationship was far from ideal. Often Lyza found herself working to be away from her mother. That said, she couldn’t deny the influence she had over the city. Though she worked in fashion, Lyza’s mother held power unquestionable in what was done, having a hand in stocks of more than just clothing. After her death though her main business went to her eldest daughter, while everything else went to her youngest. “But with her gone and me out of her good graces at the time of her passing, rule of the city went to Lynette. Sure, my company’s more successful, but as it turns out money isn’t everything.”
Yet another revelation that shocked Maya and Six. Neither knew what to say and were only able to wonder just how deep things went.
“Things really have turned to shit, haven’t they?” Lyza asked, addressing no one in particular. Moving forward with her plan was going to be leagues more difficult than she had hoped. Not impossible but certainly far from being simple now.
“Do you think you’re still willing to take her offer, Six?” the designer questioned. Everything hinged on what he said. His refusal would mean that things ended here. There’d be no moving forward if he said no. Odds are, since Lynette had met him, she’d learn of his identity at some point. And once that happens they’d all be beyond screwed.
Six weighed his options. In no way did he want to get dragged back into a life that involved Minerva’s influence. The world already held enough of that, but he’d be throwing himself into the thick of it. That in itself was reason enough for him to say no. The one reason he didn’t though was because of Maya.
She waited more eagerly than most for his answer, her eyes betraying Lyza’s interests. She wanted Six to say no. She wanted him to refuse the offer. Were it up to Maya, she’d answer for him.
That was really all he needed.
“Hell yes”
Lyza sighed in relief while Maya looked down in defeat, just as Six hoped she would.
“Good!” Lyza exclaimed. “Actually…that’s great! Fantastic! There’s just one little thing though…”
Lyza didn’t know how best to explain this, but now with things more complicated than any of them could have prepared for it was clear to her that Six wouldn’t be able to do this himself.
Her worry was quite apparent. “You’re going to need some help…”
Six didn’t understand her concern. He saw nothing wrong actually with what she said.
“Well, who do you have in mind?”
Giantess World
Author's Chapter Notes:
Early-ish upload? Not as quick as last time but certainly not as long as the past. Kinda glad i'm finding more time to write. Hopefully it lasts.
Chapter End Notes:
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