Insights

“You? Again?” Casey said as she sat behind the glass and picked the phone up

Kelly did not even say ‘Hi’. Her first words were:

“If there had been a reasonable possibility to stay big, I would have”

Casey laughed.

“As if I had not known it”

“Why were you so sure?” Kelly asked

“Because I know you. Or at least, I think I knew you. Lisa was always a wimpy. She hanged out with us because it was the logical thing to do. We were the popular girls, and so was she. But she never really enjoyed her position. You did. And so did I. You were smarter than me at hiding it, but you could not cheat me, Kelly. You liked looking at people over your shoulder, you liked having fun and you were wild. That’s why I had such a hard time understanding why you held off so much when you were big” Casey said

“I’ve never been a bitch like you, Casey” Kelly stated coldly

“True. But it’s not because you wouldn’t have enjoyed it. I always suspected I knew the reason and the other day you confirmed it to me. Your problem is that you are always thinking on the consequences. That’s what holds you back”

“That’s what holds anyone back” Kelly said

“Wrong. Lisa is genuinely wimpy. But you are not” Casey said

Kelly remained motionless.

Casey started laughing again.

“What?” Kelly asked

“You are realizing how stupid you were, aren’t you? Casey asked

“Maybe” Kelly admitted

“Maybe? You were over a hundred feet tall for more than three days and you did not get to do even a fraction of what you could have done. And all because you did not think that you could get away with it”

“Ok, I was stupid. So what?” Kelly asked

“Well, to start with, your stupidity has kept me behind bars for over 6 years” Casey said, sounding a little scorned

“You are here because of your own actions” Kelly said

“Oh, come on, please… you were going so well. But you know what, I’m not mad at you. At least, I got to enjoy my time as a giant”

“How… how was it?” Kelly asked

“The night you went out, you picked Wally Emmett from his guard station, didn’t you?” Casey asked

Kelly nodded.

“How did it feel?”

“Good” Kelly admitted

“I know it felt good. Describe the feeling”

“It felt great. I felt in charge, more than I had ever felt in my life. And he looked just like a toy. I knew I could do just anything I wanted to him and that was amazing” Kelly finally described

“Well, try to imagine that same feeling but over the course of a day and with a whole town instead of just an old security guard and you will start to understand how I felt. You know, the feeling of a car crushing effortlessly under your sole, metal wrinkling and glass shattering… and then the feeling of a whole building being ripped open just because you feel like it… and mocking the people as they try to escape. Imagine this all day long”

Kelly nodded again:

“I could have enjoyed that, yes”

Casey then let the blow fall:

“Now imagine that during your entire life”

Kelly did not say anything for a few seconds. Then she said:

“You have, haven’t you?”

Casey said:

“Of course I have. It’s not as if I have much more to do here, apart from working out and kicking some butt”

“So, why don’t you fill me in?” Kelly suggested

“I’ve been here six very long years. I have several versions. Do you have any preference?”

“I’d rather have one where I’m involved”

Casey smirked and said:

“I think you’ll like this one. At least, now that you’ve admitted your true nature, you will”

“I’m all ears” Kelly said in a sarcastic tone.

“You see, when the nerd offers you the reducer you refuse it and pick him up. The cops threaten you, but you already know that they cannot do anything. Then you untie me. The cops realize that Lisa is in danger and try to get her away. I step on one and kick the other, then pick Lisa up. I won’t cheat you: I kill her. I’m still very mad at what she has done to me. It’s not quick and I enjoy it. You don’t look happy, but don’t try to stop me. I ask you for the nerd, but you tell me that you’ll keep him. You don’t want him dead just yet. You are more cunning than me and so you are the one that has the idea of picking the cop that I’ve kicked up and question him about their plans to stop us. He is in pretty bad shape but he can talk. He tells us that the National Guard is on its way. You get nervous but then I let you know about what I’ve been thinking all the time, about the leftover formula. We were big before, but we are huge now. We don’t have any clothes anymore, but we don’t care. You have left Ron aside as we grew. I take the chance and step on him before you can do anything about it. Someone has to do the dirty work, I say. Then, I suggest we go to the city. You are surprised at first, but it takes no time to convince you. Why wait for the National Guard, I say? Two big girls like us should go to the big city. We just stop at Henford long enough to let us see at our new heights and for me to deal with Kevin. I can’t barely feel him in my cunt, now, but a promise is a promise”

“Wow, you have really thought this over” Kelly said

“Wanna know what we do in the city?” Casey asked

“Destroy some more things, I guess. Mostly you” Kelly said

“Well, true enough, but you are starting to have your fun, as well. You are no longer scared of the consequences” Casey said. “That’s until the cops show up. The first ones do not even put a fight on, but then the military arrives. We deal with them at first, but they are getting harder to kill”

“Me too?” Kelly asks

“Hell yeah! You are pissed off at being shot at”

“Well, I guess I would be” Kelly says

“We are not losing, but we are not winning so easily” Casey went on. “So, I take a couple more vials and after a brief discussion we bring them down the hatch. We grow taller than skyscrapers. And well, it gets easy from then onwards”

“So, how does it end?” Kelly asked

“It doesn’t” Casey said, smirking

“Is there any version where I don’t end up trampling over everyone in my way?” Kelly asked

“Of course there is. Most of them, actually” she said

“Is there any version where you don’t?”

Casey just shook her head.

“Thought so”

The bell telling them that time was up rang.

“Time has gone by very quickly today” Kelly said. “Mind if I come by tomorrow and you tell me one of the versions where I don’t turn into a psycho bitch?”

“I won’t be going anywhere” Casey said

“I hope it is important” Ron said as he got into the lab at 2 a.m. He still looked sleepy.

“We got the results of the biopsy” another doctor in his forties and who worked for him said

“And?”

“There is a glitch” his assistant said

“A glitch?”

“Just like Lisa’s, four months ago”

“It could be a testing error. Redo the tests” Ron said

“Dr. Howard, I think you don’t understand: there is a glitch that looks just like the one in Lisa Cooper’s tests in both Casey Morgan’s and Kelly Hanson’s tests”

“What?” Ron asked, finally waking up completely

“You can’t do that!” Ron said

“I don’t think you understand, Dr. Howard. You are not in charge here” Colonel Sykes said

“I am” Ron tried to explain

“No, not anymore” Sykes replied in his usual icy tone

“Bring them here. Arrest them. We’ll analyze them” Ron suggested

“We’re beyond that point. This program was too wimpy when it started. If I had been in charge, back then, we would not have this problem on our hands, now”

“You cannot kill them!” Ron protested

“I can” Sykes said in a tone that suggested that the discussion was over

“Lisa’s tests show no glitch” Ron tried desperately

“We are not taking care of Lisa” Sykes said and Ron sighed. Then, Sykes added “Not yet”

“What the hell are you doing?” Casey protested as the two guards dragged her out of her cell

“We are bringing you to Isolation” one of the guards said

“What have I done now?” Casey protested, but she knew that it was better not to fight

“I don’t know, the order came from above”

In his office, the warden was looking at the security monitors, to check that Casey Morgan was being brought to an isolation cell. He had been taken out of bed and commanded to go back to prison and make sure that the order was fulfilled. And also to keep his mouth shut about it.

At the same time, Kelly was in the elevator, getting back to her room in the W. Having one last look at the man that had climbed with her she decided that it had been a decent enough choice.