Chapter 8

Professor Bennett was exhausted, but satisfied at the same time. He had finally made enough antidote to shrink Cala back to her former size. Now he needed to make her either drink it or inject it.

He felt tremors. The equipment in his lab shook, glasses tingled. Looking out of the window, he saw the gigantic Cala approach. His heart sank. When she would trample the clinic, all hope of shrinking her would be lost. Prof. Bennett didn't ponder the thought that he would probably die as well, being crushed under the vast sole of his employee, this dimwit, who didn't even realize the power and might her height gave her. No, he pitied Cala. She didn't know what was going on and prof. Bennett, highly intelligent as he was, could only guess what her simple mind made of the now tiny world around her. He didn't see her as a monster or a mass-murderer. No, she was a victim in his eyes, a victim of a set of coincidents.

It was too late. By the time he would have fled the clinic, she would already have arrived there. Crushing the lab. The proud lab, built in two years and equipped with the most modern devices, destroyed in a second. Buried, pulverized under the sole of Cala, a girl whose IQ was probably hardly one-third of his.

He pictured her foot, toes in front, as it descended upon the lab. Cracks appeared in the walls, plaster broke of, like hardened sugar on a cake. Windows smashed as Cala brought her weight down on her foot, a weight that no other creature on Earth could even remotely match. Slowly her foot would crash through the ceiling, accompanied by a loud rumble as the lab broke in countless pieces, and then... He, professor Bennett, who wanted to make something to help humanity, would be squashed like a bug under her sole. His equipment, his sophisticated machinery, it would be crunched and flattened like nothing under her weight, as if it was worthless junk. Not a single thought was lost on the ingenuity of the machines, how long mankind had needed to invent them and what could be done with it. No, Cala's sole would crush it all as if the equipment worth millions was nothing but a collection of empty soda cans. And he, his body and his academic brain, it would be turned to puree under her foot. Dead. Like ordinary mincemeat.

Professor Bennett sighted. It was ironic to be killed by his underling, one that could never, no matter how intense the education, could grasp his work. Killed by his own invention. He opened his eyes and expected Cala to stand next to his lab, or even already starting to step down on the roof. But he saw something else. Something worse.

Cala was being held back by a recently arrived army. As far as Professor Bennett could tell, there were a dozen helicopters, at least fifty tanks and a lot of infantry. After a second of being frozen from fear, he ran out of the lab. They shouldn't attack Cala! If they did so, she would become sad and annoyed again. And then... Professor Bennett didn't dare to think about what would happen then. He ran outside, towards Cala, looking for the commander of the army, the antidote in a container under his arm.

"I want to speak with your commander! Let me through!" the soldier behind the barricade was unreasonable, however. Professor Bennett stood in panic before a large street barricade, and saw how the army was advancing towards Cala, who had stopped walking and looked with delight at the tiny soldiers and -from her point of view- toy like tanks and helicopters coming towards her. Professor Bennett had ran at a speed he hadn't since he quitted his membership of the student's athletics team, but now he was halted. Everything was barricaded and guarded by soldiers who could do nothing but what their commanding officers told them to.

"I have my orders, sir. No civilians are allowed further," the soldier stand with a raised hand.

"Don't attack her! She'll only grow further. I am her professor. Professor Bennett! She..." But it was too late. The army had begun firing. Helicopters shot missiles, tanks fired at her ankles and feet, and the infantry began emptying their assault rifles at her. The missiles exploded on Cala's belly and head, wounding and burning her. The shell rounds of the tanks cut deep wounds in her legs, small holes and blood appeared all over her calves and feet as countless bullets hit her.

What professor Bennett predicted and feared happened. Cala was shocked and in pain at first, then her face turned sad and angry. Again, tears appeared in her eyes.

"Mean! You mean to Cala! Me sad!" Cala cried, insulted.

Another round of fire. Cala was seriously wounded now, but then...

She started to grow again.