a32;a32; “A sixty-eight second lead, Sally. My goodness!” a32;a32;
a32;a32; “Could’ve been ninety, if Super Mom hadn’t slipped at the end. This looks like a done deal, Bhumi. Astonishing, given how … am I crazy to say, Jen’s individual performance was one of the best we’ve ever seen?” a32;a32;
a32;a32; “Not crazy in the least. From what we’ve seen so far, pound for pound, I’d say she at least deserves to be in that conversation – up there with Viper, or even The Valkyrie herself.” a32;a32;
Jen nearly did a spit-take as she chugged her water. “What?” she coughed. Me, in the same league as Bridgette? Were they serious?!
a32;a32; “Pound for pound,” a32;a32; Sally reemphasized, a32;a32; “I’m inclined to agree. She spent most of last round quite undersized; just think what she might accomplish this round, with a few Mighty potions in her system!” a32;a32;
a32;a32; “And more this round, let’s hope!” a32;a32;
Jen wrung her hands, feeling the heavy weight of expectations on her shoulders. The pressure. She could hardly bear it!
a32;a32; “That pre-round interview, though: so locked-in, so focused …” a32;a32;
She wasn’t feeling so locked-in right now! Not with the starting gate just through those curtains; not with the never-ending hum of the crowd …
a32;a32; “Could she have a chance here? The tiniest sliver of hope?” a32;a32;
No, Jen thought. I’d be a fool to hope!
a32;a32; “Mayyyybe?” a32;a32; Bhumi replied, rightly dubious. a32;a32; “I guess nothing’s for certain until the final horn blows?” a32;a32;
Jen chewed her lip. They were just being diplomatic. No – all she could do now was what Bridgette had taught her: keep her head held high and face this challenge bravely, head-on. Put forth a performance she could be proud of, regardless of the impossible odds.
a32;a32; “Well, it seems she gave her sidekick a good talking-to during the break and put his head on straight. At least that’s a good sign.” a32;a32;
The bathroom door closed behind Dad as he walked out. “Sidekick, my ass,” he muttered, scowling toward the arena. “I’ll show y—”
As soon as he noticed Jen standing there, his voice became strangled, his eyes bulging. “I … Wh-What I meant, was …”
Jen’s hands clenched into fists but she restrained herself and turned away. She didn’t want to hear his crap excuses again! Last round, he’d made it perfectly clear where his real thoughts lay. Well, he could think whatever he wanted, as long as freaking did what she told him.
As she started into some stretches, part of her wondered: Why bother? We’ve lost, either way. As long as I do my best, what do I care about him?
Because, she realized almost immediately, we’re not judged individually. We’re judged as a team. As the Mighty, as the leader, the team’s success was her responsibility. How could she ever look back proudly on this day, if she ignored this crucial aspect of her job?
Crazy, she thought, that I’m leading my dad. It still felt so weird. And yet, as she spared a backward glance … the short, skinny-armed, mouse-eared figure hardly even looked like Dad anymore. He was so freaking small! Maybe she could trick herself into forgetting who was under that mask.
“Just a sidekick,” she murmured silently. Her mouth tugged almost imperceptibly upward in a self-indulgent smile, as she took one more quick glance back and said under her breath, “Just some random, … anonymous, …”—her smile widened—“…puny sidekick.”
His face twisted, his fraught eyes trying to make out the words that his ears couldn’t hear. Jen’s skin broke into goosebumps, seeing the power she had over him now. And once again, she felt the temptation to do bad things with it, to make her dad pay.
But now wasn’t the time. Right now, she had to think like a Mighty, using her power over him to keep him in line. As her anonymous, wide-eyed sidekick.
Theo couldn’t stop trembling. That smile on Jen’s lips: wicked, disparaging. A minute later, he still couldn’t get it out of his head. She really was serious about punishing him, wasn’t she? Christ, it almost seemed like she wanted him to fail again, to give her even more excuse to do exactly that…
He groaned in distress as she worked through one stretch after another, looking so agile, so capable, so strong. She may have been stretching for herself; but to him, her every move felt almost like a threat, a warning. Just think what those limbs could do to him now …
But he’d be lying if he pretended that was the only reason he stared. These past weeks had given him ample exposure to the tall, strong female form. Alice, Elaine, Lola … he’d spent many a restless night replaying those intimate encounters, losing his breath in excitement, contemplating every inch of their remarkable bodies in his mind. Marveling at the incredible, paradoxical union of strength and femininity; brawn and beauty …
He realized, after more than a minute, that these same thoughts were now running through his mind as he looked at Jen. Gah! He whirled away, startled, ashamed. She … just … It wasn’t his fault, OK?? It was a blatant, undeniable fact that the Mighty Power potions, in addition to growing her muscles, had grown other parts of her as well. Quite dramatically, in fact. She’d already been curvy coming into today; but now … and with even longer legs, to boot …
“Yeek!” he yelped, his gaze raking up from her legs to find her looking right at him! “I … I …” He whirled again, pretending to do more stretches.
Jen blinked. That was weird. All she did was look back to check on him, and he freaked out. It was almost … the type of skittish thing that that Bobby kid would do.
Yikes… did I just compare him to Bobby?! She scratched her head. Must just be that they’re dressed the same, that’s all.
“Two minutes, guys!” Alice called, interrupting her thoughts. As always, Jen was crazy jealous of the leggy blonde’s impeccable fashion sense. She—
Whoa. Alice didn’t look quite as tall now, as she had before. Jen’s extra height from last round really made a difference. In fact, if Alice took her heels off, the two of them might even be the same height? Crazy.
And rounding the corner right behind Alice, was Mae. She took one look at Jen and noticed a similar thing. “Why, hey there, tall stuff!” she bubbled, standing up straight next to Jen. “I think you got me beat! Drat – where’d you find that bottle of Mighty Height, anyway?”
“Um, it was under that hatch before the Steppes of Stone.”
“Dang! I flew right past it.”
“The right choice, I think,” Alice chimed. “Jen had to go down there, to help Theo out. You didn’t – and I think it was well worth the saved time.”
“Ah, I see,” mused Mae. “Gosh, what a fun round, though, right? I—” She inhaled suddenly. “Oh dear…”
The women turned to find Theo standing a few paces away – and Bobby stepping right up to him. A huge grin played on the boy’s face, his whiskers bobbing giddily, as he laughed, “Wow, buddy, I’m only as tall as your nose now!”
Theo’s eyes went wide in a torrent of anger, embarrassment …
“Bobby, hon…” Mae chided.
“But I was as high as his forehead before!”
Jen waited for her dad to explode. He nearly did, glaring down at the boy, raising his fisted hands and – at the very last moment, his eyes flitted right to Jen. He cringed, his hands lowering, his obstinacy deflating.
Whoa.
Everyone noticed this silent exchange, between Jen and her Mouse. Alice seemed to almost smile in satisfaction? Mae shifted awkwardly, clearing her throat then hauling her son away with a big arm around his torso. “Let’s, um … give these two some space,” she suggested.
“Good idea,” said Alice, checking her watch. “Little more than a minute before Round Two, anyway. Mae, Bobby, if you’ll stand over here …”
“Good luck, guys!” Mae called, as Alice led them toward a curtain on the right.
“G…Good luck!” replied Jen distractedly, shooting another glance at Dad who seemed to still be blushing as he stared fixedly at the floor.
His silence continued as Alice walked to the left-hand curtain – some twenty feet from Mae and Bobby – and waved them over. “Alright, Jen,” she explained, “when I give the signal, head through the curtain with your Mouse and wait for the countdown.”
Weird – Jen noticed Alice had not so much as spoken to Dad since last round. Despite being his girlfriend and all. Was she mad at him?
No, Jen reminded herself. Not Dad. Just an anonymous sidekick Mouse. … Who had damned well better do his job!
Alice listened to her earpiece, and … “NOW! Both teams, step through! Good luck!”
A heavy beat dropped just as Jen pushed through the curtain, the bassy fanfare filling her ears as the spotlights illumined them and the small holding area around her.
a32;a32; “Competitors, approach the gate!” a32;a32;
Jen turned, and—Ugh! “Come on!” she barked, as he was already behind. Standing by the curtain, shielding his eyes, as if even a few bright lights were enough to overwhelm him. She felt her frustration rise – and for once, she didn’t hold back. If she was going to lead this team, she had to start now. Even if that meant taking his wrist and dragging him to the starting gate. And dragging him is exactly what she did.
Dad weighed so little; she moved him easily. He gave a short yelp but held onto the gate.
a32;a32; “Prepare yourselves!” a32;a32;
“Wh … What are we supposed to …?” fretted Dad, squinting into the darkened space ahead of them.
Seriously? “We don’t know yet,” Jen huffed, self-evidently. “Just keep your eyes peeled.” She narrowed her eyes. “And follow my lead.” She couldn’t say that enough times, not when he was involved.
a32;a32; “Both teams will run identical courses, side by side!” a32;a32;
Interesting. This was going to be hectic.
a32;a32; “Team Wonder Jen must reach the final buzzer sixty eight seconds before Team Super Mom, to achieve final victory!” a32;a32;
Again, Jen shook her head. Try hard and give a respectable showing – that’s all that mattered now.
a32;a32; ”Team Super Mom: ARE YOU READY?!” a32;a32;
“WOOO HOOOO!!!” their voices rang out nearby, unseen.
a32;a32; ”Team Wonder Jen: ARE YOU READY?!” a32;a32;
Harnessing all her anger, her emotions, she focused them into a solitary, primal roar. “HOOO-RAHHH!!” she bellowed, startling the crap out of her teammate as he looked at her in confusion. Of course he wouldn’t understand. She was the one who’d come prepared for this contest. She’d been trained by one of the greats: by Bridgette Lindstrom herself. Primed and ready to compete to her utmost potential. And he … well …
He was just a Mouse.
a32;a32; ”Alright: Mighties! Mice! …” a32;a32;
“Lock and load,” she hissed, gritting her teeth.
a32;a32; “Aaaand … GO GO GO!!!!!” a32;a32;
Jen shot ahead of her dad instantly as the gate swung open, charging into the newly-lit chamber ahead of them.
a32;a32; “Welcome to … The Junkyard.” a32;a32;
Twenty yards long by ten yards wide. Walls on all sides; no view of the other team. Cartoons drawn to her left: tough-looking mice with rolled-up sleeves, working on derelict vehicles with crowbars and wrenches.
a32;a32; “Any Rat should feel right at home here.” a32;a32;
Junkyard Rats. Jen would’ve snorted in laughter, but there was not a microsecond to waste. Large mechanical parts were strewn all about the floor: discs, beams, cranks, cogs, all made of some tough-looking plastic material. She darted a path through them, amazed by the limber responsiveness of her capable legs.
a32;a32; “This is a tricky one, Sally. Who will figure it out first?” a32;a32;
Ahead, a closed doorway which they clearly had to get through. No handholds or seams. A strange array of cylindrical shafts jutted from the floor and wall nearby. Those must open the door somehow. Climb them? No, there must be some other trick …
“The pegs!” she realized. The shafts had differently-shaped pegs: round, triangular, square. She whirled and doubled back, hunting.
“Ack!” Theo nearly got clocked in the head by his daughter’s elbow as she suddenly whooshed past him. He’d finally picked his way through the piles of debris – how the hell had Jen ran through it that fast?! – and hadn’t even had time to get his bearings yet, before--
“Objects! … Round holes! Square holes!” Jen yelled. “Find them!”
“What?” She wasn’t making any sens—
“Just start looking!” his daughter belted, wading wildly through the piles, flinging heavy-looking objects left and right and—“Aha!!” Her toned arms flexed and lifted something out of the pile: a gear; a cog. Like you’d find in a machine. But huge: taller than her torso. Even her athletic limbs strained as she hoisted and carried it away. It had a round hole in the middle.
a32;a32; “I think Wonder Jen’s on to something …” a32;a32;
But slow down!! Jesus! He needed time to study his surroundings, and understand what the hell they were supposed to--
“Find more cogs!” she belted, so sharply that his feet literally leapt to obey. He’d never seen her so … commanding.
He found one quickly enough, buried in the rubble. Ooph … it was not light. The heavy-duty cog was half the size of the
one Jen carried, but it still strained his back and wearied his arms just to
lift it. 
“Wh…Why these?” he groaned, staggering forward.
How could she possibly be sure these were what they nee--
*KaThud*
Jen mounted her cog onto a cylindrical shaft, where it could spin freely. The crowd buzzed in excitement, catching on at the same time as him. Of course! Chain the cogs together, one cog per shaft. Use it to open the door, surely! …But damn, Jen had figured that out fast.
His daughter whooshed past him, dashing ferociously, hunting for another gear as if possessed. He felt so sluggish, struggling with his little cog. It obscured his view, but he hoisted it clumsily over the nearest cylindrical shaft, lining it up …
a32;a32; “Aww, good try, Mouse.” a32;a32;
It wouldn’t slide on!
a32;a32; “This puzzle may be too MIGHTY for you to solve…” a32;a32;
It—
“That’s a square peg!” his partner practically roared, behind him.
He blushed. “Oh.” But how should he have known? He could hardly maneuver this cog to see around the—
“Stand back!”
Huh? He turned, and … “Holy--!”
The new cog in Jen’s arms was freaking huge! It must weigh a ton! But Jen somehow had it under control, crab-walking past him, missing the mark at first but then ramming the big thing onto a shaft straight ahead of her, on the wall.
“A… Are you sure that’s…?” he began. How did she know which size goes where? She seemed ten steps ahead of him, in everything.
She winced, taking a deep breath, shaking her sore hands … then turned to him. “Give me that,” she chastised, yanking the small cog away from him and lifting it over her head, like a grownup taking a toy away at the end of playtime. “I got this covered! Just find more cogs!”
His resolve melted under her glare. Her stature, her physique, her stern air of command … it was almost Alice-esque! With shades of Lola. Where had she learned that?!
a32;a32; “Team Super Mom’s catching on – but Team Wonder Jen’s ahead!” a32;a32;
Troubled, he searched the piles as fast as he could. The noise of the crowd rose and fell, watching each team with excitement. Among plates, beams, and panels, a golden-hued cog caught his eye. One with a square hole! He bent to lift it, but … Fuuuuck, he could hardly get it off the ground!
Jen stepped back from the wall, inspecting her handiwork. That little cog had felt light as a wafer compared to the previous one, sliding into place easily. She turned and—“For fuck’s sake!” She charged over to her partner, wresting the next cog from him before he could throw his back out. The hell was he doing, trying to lift that?!
“I—” he began to protest.
“Shush!” she barked, lifting it into her arms. “Keep searching! And …” What else? There must be more for the Mice to do. There always was, on the show. She looked toward the wall; this cog in her hands would fit in the last spot at ground level. But the last two cylinders were way high up. How would she climb up to those? Every item in the piles was too flat to stack. Unless …
“Those panels!” she blurted. Square panels, three feet by three feet, with teeth on each side. “They make boxes!!” She hastened toward the wall, affixing the golden cog, hoping her Mouse could handle his part …
“Ugh!” Really? He was still struggling to pull out his second panel from under a pile of rubble. He was so weak; useless! She gave one good upward heave, extricating the panel and throwing rubble in all directions. She even brought both panels together for him and snapped them together at a ninety degree angle, interlocking their toothed edges – in case he was too brain-dead to figure it out himself!
“I’ll bring panels,” she decreed. “You assemble.”
She ran over, found another panel, and – fuck it – she threw it like a frisbee. Despite his startled jumping, the panel landed and slid to a halt right in front of him. Just as she’d intended.
At least the little twerp recovered quickly, working to put this third panel in place as she continued her search.
a32;a32; “Can’t believe I’m saying this, but Team Wonder Jen’s putting on a clinic!” a32;a32;
Jen had to admit Sally was right. She still tossed panels to him faster than he could keep up with, but he did work surprisingly fast for his size, and diligently too. Finally he was doing something right!
Hmph. The sixth panel was the hardest for him; he struggled to snap it on. She ran over and--*Bam!*--slammed it with her fists.
“Yack!” Her startled father tripped and fell on his ass, fear in his eyes. Well… Jen maybe could’ve handled that better.
No matter. She lifted the finished box. It seemed sturdy enough, so …
“Geeeez!” she heard her sidekick hiss, as she air-mailed the box across the room, landing more or less where she was aiming.
“Two more boxes!” she clipped, snapping him back to focus.
“Two? But—”
“Yes, two! Stop questioning me!”
That shut him up. Damn … who knew a few sharp words could work so well on him. He scrambled into motion again – and it was becoming easier and easier for her to see him as an anonymous Mouse. A faceless minion, almost. She did not mind barking orders at one of those!
Theo panted, continuing his difficult work. By the time he lifted the sixth panel into place, his body was already starting to tense …
Jen’s fists appeared out of nowhere again to pound the last panel. *Wham!* Right in front of his face. At least he’d expected it. At least it wasn’t as terrifying, this time …
He tried not to marvel at her form, her near-flawless technique, as she heaved the second box like a shot-putter and landed it just two feet from the first. She had far more than just strength. There was a special grace to the way she moved. And … beauty …
What?? He snapped out of it, fast. Six panels lay at his feet, ready to go. He assembled them fast as he could, but … wow, how Jen zipped along, darting as nimbly as an Amazon warrior through the rubble, then carrying the remaining cogs with remarkable poise…
a32;a32; “The scripts are reversed! Team Super Mom is the one looking sluggish and disjointed; Team Wonder Jen is a well-oiled machine!!” a32;a32;
She was on him faster than lightning again, before he’d finished the fourth panel. *Wham!* Her fists snapped it into place. *Whoosh!* A panel flew past his shoulder. *Bam!*--she snapped into place. Oh my god, she was fast…
“Go!” she bade. She was right: he’d only get in her way, now. He got up and scrambled toward the wall, stumbling over rubble more than once. He—
“Gahh!” The box soared over his head, landing against the wall with a loud smack. Freaked out, he veered to the side – and good he did, because Jen blitzed by him a moment later.
a32;a32; “C’mon, Team Super Mom – keep up!!” a32;a32;
Jen stacked the boxes, two-high; Jen rolled the cog; Jen climbed; Jen groaned and lifted. Theo stood there, feeling impotent, helpless …
“RrrrAGHH!!” The cog was one of the biggest yet – she needed help! While Jen stood on the highest box, Theo nervously climbed onto the lower ones, urgently pushing up on the cog with his hands…
Just when Jen felt her strength about to give out … the cog felt a little bit lighter. Maneuvering it became easier, by just enough … And with a relieved groan, she felt the cog slide into place!
a340;(a344;0´)a295; “Wooo!!” a340;(a344;0´)a295;
She looked down and almost gasped. Was it really still Dad, under that mask? He’d helped, of his own volition?? Him?!
She blinked, breathing hard. She hopped down to his level and … “Th…Thanks,” she muttered, almost inaudibly, before hustling on to bring the last cog.
Theo shivered. A warmer shiver than he’d ever have expected. More than just simple relief at avoiding her wrath. It was almost … pride?
No. That was preposterous.
And yet …
“I got this,” Jen huffed, carrying the final, smaller cog up, with its triangular hole. She had it well in hand. Strangely, he almost wanted to find something else to help with, in the meantime …
And that’s when his eyes settled on a glinting piece of metal, in the pile ahead of him. Sort of ‘S’-shaped, with a round handle. With a start, he realized: it was a crank.
a32;a32; “Jen’s Mouse is showing some initiative? What?!?” a32;a32;
Jen was equally stunned. “That’s …!” She hadn’t even thought of that yet. In disbelief, she snatched the crank and, indeed, it fit onto the square post.
She pulled on the crank and felt the cogs start to turn, one by one, up to the last cog which would turn a triangular shaft and open that door. Only … “Fuuuuck…” She threw everything she had into it, but the door did little more than wobble! All her new muscles, her new strength, was useless! Not enough!!
Theo watched, startled. The sharp grooves of muscle, rising from her skin …
Ack! Focus! Lifting a heavy door – just like that gate in Round 1, in the maze! The crank was awkwardly high for him, but he grabbed the spokes of the cog and began to heave.
“No,” his daughter protested, bafflingly. The door was rising now -- inch by grueling, exhausting inch. “G…Go!” she wheezed, teeth clenched, arms shaking so strongly he could feel it through the cog. His skinny arms shook too, but with much less effect. He still chipped in … but he couldn’t possibly be contributing half as much as her now. He may only have a third of her strength…
a32;a32; “Team Super Mom doesn’t even have all the cogs in place yet! Can Team Wonder Jen capitalize?” a32;a32;
The door was two feet off the ground now, maybe three. Jen was sweating now, and almost ready to collapse. “GO!” she barked, with such force that he stumbled backward, picked himself up, ran for the door. Christ, he did NOT want to piss her off!!
The concrete door dropped with a loud *THOOM!* before he was halfway there. Jen’s torso slumped over the cog, panting, drained.
a340;(a344;0´)a295; “AWWWW!!!” a340;(a344;0´)a295;
a32;a32; “Turns out it’s not as easy as it looks…” a32;a32;
“Shit!” He rushed back and grabbed the cog, ready to go again. But he couldn’t exactly do this alone. “W-We got this,” he said, trying to sound convincing. “Maybe there’s a release on the other side of the door. A lever or something. Once I’m through, I’ll—”
“No – I can’t hold it that long!”
“What if you start, then I’ll pull up on the door like last rou—”
“I’m not strong enough! There must be something else!”
“B—”
“GO LOOK!”
His throat tightened as her glistening arm pointed toward the piles. How could he dare defy her now? He disagreed, but that no longer mattered. Just do what she says!
a32;a32; “Does Team Super Mom have a chance now to close the gap?” a32;a32;
He frowned, feeling the seconds tick away as he searched one pile, Jen searching another. Her instincts had always been right before, though, so maybe she—
“Oh fuck.” He’d been looking for something mechanical: a longer crank, or a ratchet. That kind of thing. But what he saw at his feet was much, much worse.
A red bottle.
He hastily covered the terrifying thing again with a panel. Jen hadn’t seen it yet. The fuck would he do now?!? Drain it – right on the floor, right here. Or toss it over the side wall. Or bury it so deep she’ll never, ever find it. Christ, but he could NOT let her have it!!!
“Hey!” she shouted, seeing him idle. “Keep moving!”
Gulping, he pretended to keep looking. But he knew he wouldn’t find anything else. Or even so, Jen would eventually learn he’d passed up a potion – and he’d be totally fucked.
His quivering hand lifted the panel. “I…” he croaked, as if just now seeing the potion. He lifted it, dizzily. “I, um …”
A gasp, behind him. “You found it!” Frantic footsteps, and an emphatic, “Give it to me!” A flash of silver bracers, as the bottle was greedily ripped from his hand.
a32;a32; “Bingo!” a32;a32;
“Holy fuck yes!!” Jen exulted, throwing off the cork.
a32;a32; “Here we go, folks!!” a32;a32;
He wheezed, rising helplessly, his eyes filling with panic as the red liquid already began pouring down her throat.
a340;(a344;0´)a295; “MIGHTY POWER!! MIGHTY POWER!!” a340;(a344;0´)a295;
He couldn’t have stopped her, even if he tried. She consumed it ravenously, voraciously, like an addict getting her fix.
a340;(a344;0´)a295; “MIGHTY POWER!! MIGHTY POWER!!” a340;(a344;0´)a295;
There was something almost primeval, about the way she threw the bottle aside and stalked toward the wall, gripping the crank, preparing herself for what happens next.
And then … the growing began.
His spirits withered as Jen’s overdeveloped muscles began to swell even larger. Never before had he had such a front-row seat for it, so up close and personal, so visceral, the way her fingers dug into the metal and her head threw back, as she became bigger, and bigger …
… And bustier … curvier …
“H…Holy fuck,” he wheezed. The more her body blossomed, the tighter his throat became.
An exultant laugh belted from her lips as her arms rippled like never before and her whole, alarming body braced – and suddenly the crank began to turn, yielding to her unstoppable power.
Despite all his misgivings, all his squirmings … he felt a thrill. She could already do so damned much; and now, she could do even more …
“GO!”
Even her voice seemed deeper, stronger, as it snapped him out of his stupor. He scrambled hastily toward her …
“To the door!” she yelled, her words brooking no argument. “Go through!” And he veered away faster than a deer, bounding queasily toward the door, the huge freaking door, that kept rising inch by inch …
But as he peered under it, there was nothing but a chamber ahead. No latch, no lever; nothing to stop the door from falling. She’d release the crank … and then what?
“Oh Christ.” The thought of disobeying her orders made his stomach turn … but he doubled back, having an idea.
Jen grunted, fighting against the crank like her life depended on it. Her new muscles felt so powerful – yet it was still barely enough to hold on! But her Mouse must be through by now. He surely—
“What?!” The crank lurched in reverse an eighth of a turn until she caught it, her face boiling with rage. He hadn’t gone to the door! He was wrapping his grubby hands around one of the boxes, instead of obeying her command!!
“I’ll freaking kill y—Aghh!” The crank almost slipped again. She was losing ground fast! Somehow, some way, she closed her eyes and dug in deep and brought the crank back where she’d had it before, and then some. But … But …!
With a final shriek, her burning muscles gave out and the crank spun away from her. But, impossibly, it gave only a quarter turn before slamming to a halt! It should’ve spun much more than … than …
a340;(a344;0´)a295; “WAHHH!” a340;(a344;0´)a295;
a32;a32; “I can’t believe my eyes!!” a32;a32;
a32;a32; “This cannot be the same Mouse from Round One!” a32;a32;
Jen stumbled around the cog to find a box slid underneath the door, cracking, groaning – and bearing its entire weight!
Her sore thighs protested, but she burst into a run. The panels bowed, trembled, and abruptly splintered in half – but her hands caught the bottom of the door just in the nick of time!
Her Mouse – her Dad! – had the wherewithal to help lift it from the other side. Bracing, widening her stance, she put everything into one big, exultant heave then rolled under the door as tidily as Indiana Jones himself before it slammed shut behind her.
Crowd and announcers alike went nuts. a32;a32; “Incredible, Bhumi! He figured that out all by himself!” a32;a32;
a32;a32; “They’re through the first stage, with Team Super Mom in their wake!” a32;a32;
But Jen wasn’t focused on them. Rising to her feet, she zeroed in on her partner. Crap, dude: just moments ago she’d wanted to wring his neck, remembering all too keenly that it was still Dad under there. But now, suddenly, she saw only the helpful Mouse again, dutiful and brave! And she almost wanted to hug that little guy, for some crazy reason!
“I-I didn’t have time to ask!” he pleaded, hands upraised, voice cracking. “I was gonna do what you said -- honest! B-But I saw the box, a-and …”
“And you did the right thing,” she couldn’t help but reply.
His eyes widened, as his shoulders slowly relaxed.
Jen flinched, realizing the riskiness of what she’d just said. “This time,” she amended hastily.
Of all the past Mice on the show, the good ones obeyed their Mighty’s orders always, without exceptions. It worked nine times out of ten. But occasionally a Mouse would run off and discover something the Mighty hadn’t known yet. In those unlikely situations, the very, VERY best Mice had the instincts to know when to stick with it, and when to disobey.
But that was incredibly rare – and she was miles away from trusting her Mouse like that. He got lucky once, but she could not allow him to make a habit of it. She saw no choice but to square up to him, crouch to his level, and … fuck it, she grabbed his shoulders just to make sure the message sank into his stubborn brain. “Nothing changes. You follow my orders to a ‘T’, always. That back there was a one-time thing – understood?!”
Her Mouse quailed. Even without the mask, she’d barely have recognized him as her once-proud dad. He clearly wanted to protest … but he couldn’t. “Y-Yes, Jen,” he weakly stammered.
Damned right, you will. “Come on. Let’s go.”
Theo’s knees buckled in relief as she zipped down the hall. She was goddamned huge now! He felt like some scrawny high school nerd about to be stuffed into his own locker by the star of the varsity football team …
… if that star was a hulking girl with D-cup breasts …
“COME ON!”