Giantess World
Author's Chapter Notes:
The towering twosome clashes for their final, climactic match! Will a victor emerge or will the military intervene before it's too late? Find out in the thrilling conclusion of Mudbrawl XL!
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"...as this catostrophic event continues to unfold in real time, please be aware that this shocking footage is live. Viewer discretion is strongly recommended."
"...the damage here is indescribable, Tom."
"...thousands continue to rally in cities across the country, the wave of support and solidarity for the two seems to be increasing."
"...its estimated that at least 17000 people in the San Francisco area are missing or presumed dead."
"...I saw them coming out of Hope Springs! I'm telling you, this was a plot by the liberal government!"
"...the two women have been identified as Jennifer Harper and Rosalyn Sterling, otherwise known by her performing alias, Lola Blaze."
Every news outlet in the country raced for coverage of the story. A sight straight out of science fiction was happening in one of the most famous cities in the United States Of America and and every facet of news media from the major TV networks to the smallest of tabloids hurried to get a camera on the scene as the two young women fought each other to the death.
While the skies were filled with the inquisitive eye of journalists from all over, down at street level, a full-on evacuation had begun.
As Lola and Jennifer fought, their battle spread far beyond the small confines of Union Square, spilling into the neighbouring streets and burrows just like their tussle in Hope Springs. It was clear to most within the city that nowhere was safe. At any moment, a 950ft tall woman was one or two steps away and as such, the San Francisco police force, aided by a small deployment from Pillar Point, began to desperately evacuate as many people as possible. Still, despite the overwhelming threat the two giant women posed, many in the city refused to be evacuated, choosing instead to stay in solidarity with two goddesses. Across the nation, support for Lola and Jennifer swept like a tidal wave as more and more people marched in defence of the destructive girls, infatuated with the two enormous celebrities the general public believed to be misunderstood. But in the eyes of the armed forces there in the city, the towering terrors were anything but. Desperately the troops ran defence while the police guided citizens to evacuation centres and though the attempt was valiant, even with the might of the American military, the meagre supply of heavy ordnance did little to stop the two enormous women as tanks were flattened, whole fireteams were wiped away by an errant footstep. Desperately, the defending army gave the giantesses everything they had in to protect San Francesco's citizens, but the advanced weaponry went almost completely unnoticed by the two unstoppable brawlers with nary a scratch lain upon either one.
However, aiding the evacuation was only half of the military's objective. As Jennifer and Lola fought to the bitter end, two helicopters were fast approaching and the forces fighting on the ground had the unfortunate secondary goal of providing reconnaissance for Alpha and Bravo while stalling the giant women as best they could.
"Alpha to ground team, we are en route. Eta 10 minutes. What's your status, over." A voice buzzed through the frightened man's radio. The noise was unbearably loud, the rumbling footsteps and demolition of infrastructure amidst the roar of gunfire almost impeding the terrified foot soldier's ability to hear the incoming transmission. Frantically, as his comrades continued their futile assault, he broke off to hide behind an abandoned car.
"Alpha, this is ground team! We're getting fucking obliterated down here!" He cried, praying that he could be heard over the cacophony of destruction.
"Roger that, ground team. What's the status of the two targets, over."
The voice replied.
"They're shrugging off everything, I don't even think they know we're here! They just keep beating the shit out of each other and everyone caught in their path, hurry the fuck up!" The solider shouted, desperately peeking over the car to see the entire squadron of soldiers sprinting in his direction as they scrambled to outrun the towering redhead that plummeted backwards into the street. She hit the ground hard, all of her weight crashing upon the earth violently. Waves of destruction shot through the concrete as the colossal woman smashed into the ground, sinking deep into the street and the sub levels beneath. For a moment, the entire world beneath the soldier's feet shook so intensely that his legs felt like rubber, though he weathered the seismic onslaught and stood firm against the shaking earth until he saw the true cause of the enormous assault and fell backwards in shock.
The blonde giantess stood blocks away, seemingly staring at the squadron with fury in her eyes. She was panting heavily as her foe laid motionless before the panicked troops, having barely escaped the grisly fate of being crushed by the fallen fighter. For a moment, the world was quiet as the downed goddess before them, so close they could almost touch her hair, lay unmoving but still breathing. The awestruck soldiers, unsure of what to do, began to approach with trepidation when the thumping rumble of footsteps began again. The blonde giantess was charging, sprinting towards the group of soldiers at lightning speeds before taking a wild leap, pouncing towards her target.
"Nice try, cunt!" The redhead shouted, shattering the eardrums of the soldiers nearby. With a quick strike, the downed giantess kicked her attacking rival mid-leap, sending the blonde titaness crashing through the Salesforce West tower. Her precious time bought, the fiery-haired giantess snapped to her feet and stomped off in pursuit of her foe, pulverizing a bus full of passing evacuees in transit to the evacuation sight nearby.
Eyes wide, the terrified soldier blinked, amazed that he had come so close to utter destruction and came away in one piece. Standing in shock, he felt his radio buzz, unable to discern what was being said or who was even speaking. He wanted to cry, he wanted desperately to leave this insane situation, there wasn't an ounce of fighting spirit left in the beaten, battered body of the tiny army man that stood against an utterly unstoppable threat. Defeated, he laid his weapon down and collapsed in the ruined street, his heart unable to keep up with the stress and adrenaline demanding it stay beating. Amidst the crisis and carnage, the lone soldier died a quiet death.
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"Throw out a figure, Bev." José Alvarez shouted into his headset aboard the roaring helicopter.
"How likely is it that the first salvo does the trick?"
Dr. Beverly Perkins paused, reviewing some statistics carried over from her laboratory as she calculated a percentage. Looking up to her colleague, she shrugged.
"I think we have an 80% chance this works on the first try. But, and I'll speak frankly here, if it doesn't, our overall chances of success plummet to around 40%." The scientist said bleakly. As she made her projections, one of the pilots aboard Bravo looked over their shoulder at the two, their concerned face obscured beneath the visor of their helmet. José, caught the brief glance and understood what it meant. The crew was nervous, more so after hearing how slim the chances of success could potentially be, but they were committed to carrying out their task, even if it meant that this flight would be their last. The cabin of the helicopter jostled as the craft banked slightly, their destination appearing over the hills.
"Alpha to Bravo. We are two minutes out from the city, we'll see you inside, over."
"Copy that, Alpha. We're right behind you." The onboard pilot said, turning to face the two working tirelessly behind him.
"We're coming up on the target, things might get a little dicey. Are you two ready?" He shouted, his voice stern and resolute. Beverly looked to her colleague, he looked back at her. It was do or die.
"Let's get this done, boys." Beverly affirmed, strapping herself in to a secure seat as José did the same. From the cockpit, the pilots saw the city, wreathed in flame as columns of smoke poured into the night sky. The damage on display was unfathomable with no disaster in the country's history coming close to comparison, the scale unfolding before the pilots' eyes as a gigantic woman crashed through a skyscraper, toppling another point upon San Francisco's skyline.
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Jennifer spilled through the tower, catching herself carefully as she hit the ground and rolled into a full sprint, vaulting over a row of lower buildings to retaliate as Lola gave chase. The shorter giantess hadn't expected her foe to be back on her feet so suddenly but seized the opportunity to throw a wild, unexpected punch. Jennifer juked to the best of her ability, turning away from the errant jab only to feel Lola's strong embrace once again closing around her, only this time, she was grabbing from the front as the blonde giantess leaned away. The fiery giantess squeezed with her formidable strength, hoisting her taller counterpart high into the air before spiking her face-first into the pavement with sloppy, but still impressive power bomb. Jennifer sunk into the street, her skull and neck stinging wildly in pain as she toppled over onto her back, seeing stars swirl in her dazed vision as she lay in distress.
Though as she struggled with the concussion she was certain she had, Jennifer couldn't help but be impressed that Lola had turned out such a complex and technically demanding move. Sure the execution needed work, but the skill with which the devastating blow was delivered was a measured one, a practiced one. Rubbing her head, Jennifer sat up, feeling a trickle of blood run down her lip, her nose assuredly broken.
"Wow, where was this, hiding?" The blonde giantess asked, wobbling slightly as she stood up. Lola, ready to pounce again, kept her guard up and knew she should strike, but any opportunity to trash talk was one the cruel girl relished in. Crossing her arms, she grinned smugly.
"I guess you're not the only one that watches SmackDown on the weekends, Jenny." She said, innocently. The answer seemed reasonable, at least, Jennifer's concussion made it seem so. But something about the excuse didn't totally add up. Lola had never expressed any outward interest in wrestling, at least not to Jennifer, and to try something as ballsy as a power bomb seemed foolish, even for the deepest mark.
"You don't just learn a power bomb from watching tv, trust me, I broke my best friend's arm when I was a kid. where'd you learn to do that?" The wrestler asked, her curiosity thoroughly piqued.
"Why does it matter? Why are you so nosy all of a sudden?" Lola replied defensively as she resumed her fighting stance and crept towards Jennifer. The blonde stunner put up her dukes as well, but Lola's readiness to deflect away from the topic raised a 930ft tall red flag. Jennifer had to know what her rival was hiding.
"Come on, Lola." Jennifer challenged.
"If you're so confident you're gonna kill me anyway, what do you have to lose by telling me? I promise I won't tell anybody."
Lola knew she was being goaded but her adversary had a point. She sighed a short, sharp sigh and dropped her guard.
"Fine, since I'm going to stomp your shit in, I guess I can fulfill this last request." Lola said with as much indignant vitriol she could.
"If you must know, the best way to compete with your carny shit was to learn carny shit myself. So I started practicing with a trainer to beat you at your own game."
It was certainly an answer, but it wasn't the answer Jennifer was expecting. For a moment, the taller giantess stood perplexed, trying to understand what her rival had meant. Though a point of contention, most would admit that mud wrestling was not the most technically demanding sport. In fact, fewer still would call it a sport, but everyone's purview on the subject tended to differ. Regardless, the fact remained that Lola was highly successful as a mud wrestler even without Jennifer's skill and proficiency so the idea that she needed to up her wrestling game made little sense to the aspiring pro.
"What the hell are you talking about, Lola? You were winning matches just fine." Jennifer responded with confusion. Though it was meant innocently enough, the simple question seemed to hit nerve within the colossal redhead. Lola clenched her fist and exploded in response before Jennifer could fully finish asking the innocuous query.
"It wasn't about the matches, it was about being the star!" The tattooed giantess cried in a fitful rage, catching her rival by surprise at the sudden outburst. In an instant, Lola's posture changed from her typical supreme smugness to wild and anxious insecurity, blindsiding Jennifer with a form of Lola, raw and vulnerable, she had never seen before.
"I... I don't understand? You were the queen bee around The Jewel." Jennifer said, nervously unsure of how Lola would respond in turn. The two had disagreements. Often. But never before was the blonde titaness so uncertain of what to say next. At any moment, Jennifer feared Lola would return to her old, violent, unpredictable self, but to her shocked surprise, Lola seemed to shrink. Not literally, mind you, she was still 930ft tall, but her posture, her form, everything about the way the brash and abrasive girl carried herself seemed to retreat as a sad, sorrowful look appeared on her tired face.
"The talent buyer that was supposed to be at Mudbrawl tonight. They weren't interested in me, they were interested in you. They wanted more wrestlers like you, more girls with 'skill'." Lola admitted solemnly. Jennifer was taken aback, but her counterpart continued.
"And Reuben, that little fucking prick, do you know what he said to me the day you tried out at The Jewel? He said 'Watch out, Lola, we're working with a real pro now.' as if I wasn't his fucking breadwinner for half a decade. I gave that piece of shit a fifth of my fucking life, I made his shitty club into what it was and the second you strolled in, did a few stupid moves, and looked down on the rest of us whores, he was ready to trade me in like last year's Toyota!" She said, tears welling in her eyes as she bared her heart and soul to Jennifer for the first time. Unsure of what to say, Jennifer just stood silently, the shocked surprise and new revelations weighing heavily upon her as Lola sobbed quietly. Some part of her wanted to reach out and hug her distraught rival while a small section of Jennifer's psyche felt oddly accomplished. All this time, the aspiring wrestler believed Lola's cruelty came from an overblown superiority complex but now, knowing that deep down, the poor girl had felt threatened and inadequate next to her seemed gratifying. It wasn't a pleasant feeling and the satisfaction of knowing what Jennifer now knew faded instantly as Lola's quiet sobbing reached her ears again.
"Lola. I'm... I'm sorry." Jennifer said.
"I never knew. And you were always so popular with the patrons, you just seemed fine."
"Of course I had my fans, I'm a fucking stripper!" Lola screamed through her tears, her face red with anger and sorrow as she continued.
"But you started getting your own attention and fans. Maybe you were too stuck up to see it but little by little, your crowd was getting bigger and mine was getting smaller. Your fans WERE my fans, you were taking everything I had, and you didn't even give a shit."
"I... I had no idea, Lola. Why didn't you tell me? I would've backed off it it meant that much to you. Hell, I probably would've fucking quit." Jennifer admitted softly, feeling a tinge of guilt.
"All this time, I could've helped you, Lola." She added, taking a step towards her emotional rival as she reached out to gently place her hand on Lola's shoulder only for the shorter woman to swat her hand away furiously.
"Shut the fuck up, bitch! Don't pretend to be my friend now!" Lola cried, her voice wracked with pain and confusion.
"You don't get to pretend like you didn't come out of fucking nowhere and turn my whole world upside down!"
With that, the tyrant, the cruel, evil Lola Blaze, fully broke, her sobs turning into deep, pained tears that flowed like rain from the darkened sky above. Her thunderous, wailing cries rocked the world below as she threw her face into her hands, crying into her palms as though she was looking for comfort somewhere within them, finding none. Jennifer stood for a moment, torn between what she knew she needed to do and what she knew was right.
And so, she reached out again and gave her foe a hug.
Lola didn't fight it, sinking into Jennifer's embrace like a child in need of nurturing. Through her saddened anguish, her thoughts of rage and disdain against Jennifer persisted, swirling into a confusing maelstrom of emotions that the poor girl couldn't properly sort. But the hug felt nice and that was all that seemed to matter. For a few minutes, the two tallest people in existence stood, locked in a tender hug born out of an understanding that the they never knew was possible. Sniffling, Lola began to pull away, her eyes red and puffy from the tears as she looked at Jennifer who simply smiled a soft smile.
"I hate you." Lola laughed, wiping her eyes. The two shared a giggle for a moment.
"I hate you too, buddy." Jennifer affirmed with a tongue-in-cheek grin as she stretched a bruised and sore shoulder. Lola smiled a sincere smile, not a devious Cheshire grin that Jennifer had become so familiar with, but a genuine show of emotion. Despite everything that happened to the two incredibly enormous women that night, a moment of peace was reached. Lola knelt down, looking for a place to sit as she groaned in pain. With a tremendous slam, the shorter girl rested her curvaceous bottom on the street, getting comfortable as she patted a vacant patch next to her, beckoning her old foe to sit. Jennifer obliged, wincing as she did. Lola chuckled, the two were a mess, sitting in an even larger mess of a city.
"I wish you told me." Jennifer said.
"About how I made you feel. If I'd known, I don't know, I would've wanted to help. Maybe even train you myself if you wanted."
"I think I wanted that, deep down." Lola said, her voice soft and heartfelt.
"But you don't know that world like I do. I worked for everything I had by myself. Everybody that ever wanted to help only did so they could take what I had for themselves. It was dog-eat-dog."
The two sat in silence, letting the sounds of the distressed city wash over them as the streets burned. Overhead, the prying eyes of the helicopters continued to circle like vultures as the people of the world watched, waiting, terrified of what would come. But for now, the two sat in silence until Jennifer looked to her rival.
"I just wish we could start over." She said, sadly. Lola thought for a moment, taking the words to heart as she looked around at the big city that once seemed so far away from the small town of Hope Springs. As another convoy of evacuees sped by, the redhead turned to Jennifer, a glimmer of life and ambition returning to her eyes.
"We can, Jen. This is our chance." Lola said, reaching for Jennifer's wrist as she pulled the blonde close, catching her unawares with a passionate kiss. Jennifer was gobsmacked and unsure of what to do or how to process the feelings she was feeling. Her heart began to pound furiously as her cheeks became flush with rosy colour. She felt anxious and sick, but didn't want to stop, losing herself in the brief but euphoric moment as Lola and her locked lips. After a few seconds, Jennifer pulled away, rubbing her tender broken nose.
"Ow, ow." She said, sounding more inconvenienced than anything.
"Oh, right. Sorry about that." Lola chuckled, smiling warmly.
"Believe it or not, you're actually not the first person I've kissed after breaking their nose." She added.
"Who says romance is dead?" Jennifer joked in a nasally voice as she applied pressure to her sore appendage. Lola laughed heartily, letting out a contented sigh as the two sat in contemplative silence once again.
"I've never kissed a girl before." Jennifer admitted openly.
"I liked it, though."
"I think most women make better kissers." Lola said.
"I'd give you a B+ but that's probably because of.."
"The nose?" Jennifer interjected.
"Yea. The nose." Lola smiled.
The two shared a chuckle, sitting for a moment more before Lola stood up, reaching her hand out to Jennifer to help the blonde giantess up. Not letting go of her hand, Lola looked into the eyes of her rival wistfully.
"I've always found you attractive, Jen. Maybe that's why I felt so threatened by you, but you are so, so pretty." Lola confessed. Jennifer didn't know what to say, partially unable to process that the person holding her hand was the same one that threatened to kill her minutes prior, the same person that antagonized and bullied her so thoroughly for as long as they'd known each other. But this person, this Lola, seemed so sweet and pure. Like the idealized version of the rebellious young woman hidden deep within her rough and abrasive exterior had finally been freed. The change was certainly welcome, but as sweet as this Lola was, Jennifer couldn't shake all the torment and grief she had suffered through and her heart flip-flopped between the Lola of her dreaded memories and the one present right now.
"I don't know how you never caught me checking you out. I didn't exactly hide it." The fiery-haired giantess commented with a grin, giving Jennifer's hand a playful squeeze.
"Is that why you always went for my top first?" Jennifer asked, raising an inquisitive eyebrow. The shorter girl simply gave a "guilty as charged." grin and said nothing, pausing as she let go of Jennifer's hand and began to step away.
"I don't know if we could have ever been friends before, back when we were normal." She continued.
"Maybe we could've buried the hatchet, but we're such different people. It almost feels like it had to take something like this for us to even try." Lola mused, prodding a vacant semi truck with her big toe.
"Maybe you're right." Jennifer said, her tone somewhat melancholic.
"I didn't even want to be in the same room as you before right now."
"Exactly! I fucking hated you! But look at us now, Jen." Lola exclaimed.
"Like never before, I feel connected to you. I feel attracted to you and to what you've become. What we've become! We've been given this opportunity to do something! We've been given the power to make a difference!"
Jennifer had heard this kind of talk before, her own malicious subconscious urging her towards the path of power and dominance. But Lola's impassioned plea seemed different than before, less a deranged bid for supremacy and more an optimistic offer to exact some sort of positive change. Still, the blonde giantess was skeptical. In all the time the two had known each other, Jennifer had wizened up to Lola's manipulative waves and knew that the cunning girl would say anything to sway things in her favour.
"Lola, you know what I want." Jennifer said sternly.
"Maybe you're right about this chance, but I want to make a difference for the better, not to lord our power over the people." The redhead looked disappointed but nevertheless optimistic.
"I think we can have it both ways, Jen. Listen, what's that word? Benevolence, Right? We could rule with benevolence, be adored by these people as we take care of them in a way that nobody else can!" Lola exclaimed, placing a bruised hand on Jennifer's shoulder as she made her pitch. The taller giantess, however, began to worry. Peace had finally been brokered between the two, but it was clear to Jennifer that this disagreement could shatter the short lived reprieve at any moment. Still, she wasn't about to compromise her morals to appease Lola's stubborn desire for control over a helpless population, but she couldn't pretend like her plan didn't have some merit. Finding a way to live harmoniously with the tiny society was likely the only chance the two had at long-term survival, and Lola made a great point about being able to provide for the populace and take care of certain problems like nobody else. But even if they had the same goal, to survive, Lola and Jennifer were such different people that she wondered if attaining that goal was possible as a team. How soon would those differences clash? How soon would the disagreement signal an end of the peace? How soon would one queen decide she couldn't share the crown any longer and who would be the first to break?
Jennifer took a breath, her broken nose stinging as she inhaled deeply. She said nothing, merely looking her hopeful counterpart in the eye.
"Please, Jen. We're all we've got now." Lola said, seeing the trepidation and hesitation in the blonde's tired face.
"Lola... I don't kno-" Jennifer said, her sentence cut short as a cloud of bright orange mist seemed to saturate the street. Immediately the two giantesses began choking, coughing desperately as the strange substance filled their lungs.
"What's happening?!" Lola cried, struggling to speak through short, painful coughs.
"I don't know! Get down!" Jennifer yelled back, pulling the shorter girl down to the ground in the hopes that the unknown substance would rise into the air, leaving the street level somewhat breathable. However, the strange chemical was heavy and wet, coating the two as though they had been caught in the spray of a choppy sea. Their bodies burned, inside and out, and as the painful sensation passed throughout her system, Jennifer found the feeling eerily familiar. Her whole being tingled as a wave of warmth, similar to the one she felt during her growth, washed over her along with sharp stings of pain replacing the pleasure. As Lola writhed on the ground, she saw something in the night sky beyond the harmful cloud of mist. Her burning eyes narrowed, squinting to catch a better glimpse as she saw a helicopter, unlike the usual riffraff she had seen that night. This one was sleek, military, with orange mist pouring out the back.
"The bug fuckers are gassing us!" Lola growled, fighting against the pain to stand and give chase to the threatening aircraft.
"Wait, Lola! Wait!" Jennifer cried, unable to breathe as her counterpart stomped off. The warmth became burning heat, searing every inch of Jennifer's body as the mist continued to fall upon her like acid rain. But as the burn intensified, the anguished giantess felt a small feeling of rejuvenation begin to swell. It stung, like getting soap in an open cut, but soon Jennifer found her breath coming back to her, her sore body finding some strange relief. As if by magic, her wounds and scratches began to close, her bruises began to fade, even her broken nose found itself set back in its proper place. She wasn't sure how or why, but this strange mist had revitalized Jennifer, almost to a point where she felt stronger than she ever had before.
Lola didn't notice the changes at first. As she charged in pursuit of the enigmatic helicopter, her pained jog evolved into a healthy sprint, allowing the immense woman to easily close the gap with the small chopper. She took a wild swing as though she was swatting a fly but missed the tiny aircraft as it began to climb higher, away from the volatile woman's reach. Silently, she cursed to herself and turned back to see Jennifer coming up behind her looking almost good as new. Without thinking, Lola instinctively began to check herself over, seeing that her battleworn body had been healed.
"No way." She said in astonishment, feeling energized and vigorous, her skin strengthening like steel.
"I know, it's weird." Jennifer agreed.
"Whatever that shit was, it fixed us up. But, c'mon. We should get out of here before it comes back." She urged, hoping Lola would see the wisdom in retreating.
"But I haven't given them a proper 'thank you'." Lola responded, her eyes returning to the darkened sky as she scanned for more aircraft.
"We don't have to get involved, Lola. Let's just go! We don't know who this is or what they're capable of." Jennifer reasoned, but Lola remained steadfast, her catlike smile appearing along her face once more.
"You know me, Jenny. I just think it's rude to leave without saying goodbye." She said, turning towards her blonde counter part.
"Besides..." Lola grinned.
"I spy with my little eye another fucking insect."
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"Alpha to Bravo, we have successfully delivered our payload over the targets but they don't seem any worse for wear, over."
Alpha ascended as fast as they could, the titanic woman diminishing as they continued to fly upward to safety. While the initial deployment of the Anti-Compound Weapon seemed effective, it was soon apparent that the potential mutations Beverly had warned about rendered the first attack unsuccessful.
"Copy that, Alpha. We're on it." The pilot aboard Bravo said, turning to Beverly and José.
"We're up. What do we need to do?"
"Shit." José muttered as he began sorting through some pre-prepared plans.
"Get us close, I need to observe the effects." Beverly ordered.
"José, start prepping solutions' two and three."
"Got ya, boss." He affirmed, firing up some equipment as the raven-haired scientist leaned into the cockpit, hoping to determine the cause of the first salvo's failure. The helicopter sped over the ruined streets quickly, approaching the epicentre where the two targets stood. Though nearly a mile away, Beverly saw them both. Massive, mountainous icons of feminine power that dominated the sharp, angled city skyline with their soft, Rubenesque curves. They were even more incredible than when she last laid eyes on them in hope springs and as Beverly observed the two giant women on the approach, she felt a deep envy brewing within.
"They don't seem to be fighting anymore." The pilot called out to her, bringing her focus back to the situation. The momentary pause in their conflict was fortuitous, as it made tracking and observation much easier, but there didn't appear to be any adverse effects from the first attack and as the helicopter closed the distance, Beverly prayed the cause for failure would become clear. As she continued to watch the pair, the tattooed giantess turned, her eyes seemingly meeting the scientist's as though they were looking into each other's soul. For a moment, Beverly felt a sensation of actualization, a sense of fulfilment at seeing her creation turn and face her. Her tremendous form was incredible and Beverly savoured every detail with complete reverence and awe. As the chopper crew drew closer to their targets, the gigantic redhead started to step towards the helicopter, picking up speed, almost as if she was charging straight at Beverly. José continued to prep a few test solutions when suddenly the chopper jerked wildly to the side.
"What the hell?!" He called out, strapping himself in to a seat.
"Emergency evasion. We've been spotted." The pilot said.
"The redhead was coming right for us!" The copilot chimed in.
"No! You need to get us closer!" Beverly demanded.
"Surely you can outmaneuver something as big as that!"
"I'm not taking any chances, ma'am. I'll make a few passes and that's it." The pilot said, gripping the controls tightly.
"We shoulda brought some binoculars." José grumbled, feeling his stomach churn as the helicopter banked sharply, turning and descending as the aircraft lined up for another approach, flying low to the ground to hide among the still standing buildings. Weaving through the metropolitan streets, the chopper found a wide and open hall of buildings out of the giantess's line of sight. Beverly gave the pilots a nod and the helicopter advanced quickly. The towering woman began to dominate the cockpit window as the tiny craft approached, managing to sneak up behind her unnoticed. Her skin, covered in dirt and dust from her destructive reign, glistened with sweat and residue from the Anti-Compound Weapon, but she showed no injury, no external damage to speak of. Beverly knew the relative size made the two giantesses tough, but after fighting each other for so long, there was no chance they would come away unscathed.
"Found you!" The tattooed titaness shouted, spinning around and kicking a building, sending a cascade of debris hurtling towards the delicate aircraft.
"Holy shit!" The pilot screamed, jerking the controls of the helicopter as they frantically worked to evade the shower of stone and masonry headed their way.
"Hang on to something!" He called, giving full throttle as the craft rocketed forward, maneuvering with expert skill to narrowly avoid some larger pieces of airborne building as they shot through the giantess's legs. Having evaded the collapsing structure, the crew aboard the helicopter weren't out of the woods yet as the towering woman turned, hot on their heels as she gave chase through the emptied streets. Undeterred, Beverly continued to think on why the targets resisted the initial attack and how they seemed to come away in better condition when a revelation hit her.
"José, did you see either of these two before you left the bar? Before they came into contact with the compound?" Beverly asked, turning to her colleague.
"Uhh. I think I saw the firecracker partying with some dudes a little bit. Why?" José said, doing his best to keep his stomach settled aboard the turbulent helicopter.
"Did she have anything to drink?" The doctor asked frantically.
"Yea. A couple shots I think." José replied, unsure of what Beverly was hoping to learn from the seemingly unimportant fact. Strippers are bought drinks all the time, it's likely that both of the two had at least one drink that night, but the chemical engineer struggled to see why that was relevant.
"Shots. Shots." He muttered, thinking to himself, trying to connect the dots when the lightbulb lit up.
"Shots! There was alcohol in her bloodstream when the compound came into contact with her!"
"Exactly! It likely impeded the development of cell replication somewhat while building a tolerance to certain toxicants." Beverly explained.
"Focus on prepping solution three. If I'm right, that should counteract the mutation the alcohol caused and put these two down for good!"
Quickly, the chemical engineer began concocting the solution, fighting against the bobbing and weaving of the helicopter as it raced to escape the oncoming grasp of the giant woman tailing them. She was fast, unthinkably fast for anything her size, and as skilled as the pilots were, their raw speed was no match for the behemoth behind them. The redhead made a powerful stride, reaching out to crush the aircraft in her hand when she was stopped, jerked backwards by some thereinbefore unseen force. The helicopter climbed, getting some distance before turning to assess the situation and saw the blonde giantess trying to pin the redhead, holding her still.
"Good, they're bunched up! José, how long?!" Beverly barked.
"Solution's synthesized. Gimme a few minutes to load it up." He answered, approaching the deployment mechanism. While he worked to insert the freshly synthesized canister into the chamber, the taller giantess wrestled the shorter one down, struggling to keep her restrained as she fought to break free.
-------
"Lola, please! Let's leave them alone!" Jennifer pleaded, gripping the redhead tightly as she held her back. Lola thrashed ferociously, jolting her whole body wildly to escape the constricting hold, loosing her arm free as she delivered a sharp elbow to Jennifer's ribs. The wrestler fell back, winded as Lola stood, looking down on her with a disappointed glare.
"They're trying to kill us!" Lola shouted, throwing her hands up.
"I just don't understand what you're not getting. We have to fight now. If we want to live, we have to fight!"
"You can't." Jennifer offered, weakly, holding her rib.
"You can't do this. You can't do that. Why!? Why can't I!?" The tattooed titaness screamed in frustration.
"If I can't fight for my own right to live, then what am I supposed to do?! And how do I know that you won't, you hypocrite? How can I trust that you won't do exactly what I've been saying we should do from the start?!"
"I'm not like that. I'm not like you." Jennifer challenged as she rose to her feet. She looked Lola in the eye, seeing the rage intensifying within.
"And what am I like to you, exactly? A filthy whore!? Am I beneath you, Jennifer!?" Lola asked, her voice breaking with anger and pain as she continued, not giving the blonde a chance to answer.
"I'm someone who does what it takes and when the chips are down, when they've got you backed into a corner, I bet you'll wish you were like me."
"That's not true! We have no right to rule these people. You said yourself that we can help them like nobody else!" Jennifer countered, throwing Lola's words back at her. The tattooed giantess scoffed at the nerve and took a step closer.
"I believe we can help people, sure. The people that are loyal to us. I'm not going to waste my time on people that won't show up for me and I sure as hell won't roll over and surrender to anybody!" Lola argued.
"We don't get to choose, Lola!" Jennifer said with exasperated frustration.
"We have to help everyone. We have to. I won't let you use this power for anything else."
There was a pause, a tense silence filled the air as Lola looked Jennifer over before letting out a stifled laugh.
"You don't even actually believe the bullshit you're spouting, do you?" She asked incredulously.
"Of course I do, what are you talking about?" Jennifer answered confused.
"I can't believe I didn't see it till now." the redhead chuckled, placing her hands on her hips.
"Lola, please don't make me do this. Don't make me fight you. Not again." Jennifer protested, stepping towards her counterpart solemnly. However, lola was unfettered, standing her ground as she continued.
"You don't care about these little shits. It's not that you want to protect these people, you just can't stand me having power, being successful. You really hate me that much that the thought of me finally getting what I want disgusts you, doesn't it?"
"What? That's not true, Lola!" Jennifer shouted.
"Face it, Jenny. As monstrous as you think I am, I'm not the only monster here. Just look in the mirror." Lola said, venom coating each word as she gestured towards a skyscraper that flanked the blonde giantess, it's reflective facade casting Jennifer's own image back at her. The blonde titaness stared her reflection down, looking deeply into the scared blue eyes of the woman standing there as they pierced into her own soul. Within them, Jennifer saw that hunger, that violent, primal urge she harboured deep inside herself that desperately tried to claw its way out. The scared face of her reflection faded, replaced by the malicious smile of her dominant shadow, the twisted figure that had tormented Jennifer, pushing her to become what she feared, what she knew she could be. The blood dunk grin, the cruel visage of her own face, burned into her psyche like a cattle brand as a dark mark that would always reside within her. Her head spun, this hellish night pushing her resolve beyond its limit. Still, she fought, using every ounce of the willpower she had left to try and dispel the nightmare.
Jennifer blinked, the world around her coming back into focus as she looked into the mirror sheen of the skyscraper. Her shadow, adorned in all her regal finery, vanished, fading into the modest reflection of Jennifer as she stood in that moment. But as the twisted face of the cruel queen disappeared, her evil, contented smile lingered, stretched across her reflection. Jennifer lashed out at the skyscraper, her tremendous hand smashing through the exterior as she tore away as much mirrored surface as she could.
"I'll never be like you! IT'S NOT TRUE!" She cried, tearing at the fragile walls of the once mighty building as she clung to the last shred of sanity she had. With a furious kick, Jennifer devastated the supports and the skyscraper came toppling down as she stood over the rubble, distraught.
"Newsflash, bitch. You're worse!" Lola taunted, crossing her arms. As the streets were enveloped in the dust and debris of the collapsed building, the tension thickened like cement. Boiling anger mixed with the deep sadness within Jennifer as her rival once again pushed her over the top and without warning, the blonde giantess rushed Lola down, sending them both falling to the ground. As the earth trembled at the impact, Jennifer sat atop her foe's chest, sending a flurry of wild hits her way, shouting down at Lola with each hit.
"I'M NOT LIKE YOU!" She cried, punching the redhead in the jaw.
"I'LL NEVER BE LIKE YOU!" She shrieked, striking Lola in the throat.
"I'M NOT A FUCKING MONST-." Her ranting was cut short as her battered rival caught her fist mid swing, giving the blonde giantess a death glare before pulling her close, thumping her with a mighty headbutt. Jennifer reeled back, falling off of Lola's chest, giving the shorter girl time to recover and put up her defences in case her felled adversary tried to retaliate quickly.
"I'm running this town, Jenny. You can run it with me, or you can fuck off. That's how it is." Lola said sternly.
"Then that's how it is." Jennifer said, rolling forward as she tackled Lola into the street, their battle beginning anew.
Lola stepped forward to make the first move when suddenly a shower of sparks and intense bright light seemed to rain down upon the two, the entire street bathing in the painfully powerful flash.
"Flares deployed, Bravo. You are clear to approach." The radio crackled.
"Copy that, Alpha. Thanks for the assist" The pilot said, giving a nod to his copilot. José held on to his seat, looking to his colleague as she stood by the cockpit, watching intently as they raced towards the two stunned targets. The aircraft swooped in following the barrage of flares, preparing to deliver the revised payload and end this nightmare once and for all when the unthinkable happened. The taller giantess, rubbing her eyes in a fit of panic, desperately lashed out to grab a chunk of any nearby structure she could find and hurl it at her foe while they were both blinded. Overestimating her trajectory, she tossed the handful of building wildly past the redhead, sending it flying directly at the oncoming helicopter.
"Oh shit." Was all the pilot had time to say as a corner office grazed the cockpit, sending the chopper into a violent tailspin. Instantly, Beverly was thrown into the wall of the interior, the extreme g-force being too much to combat.
"Grab my hand!" José yelled, leaning out from his secured seat to try and reach the distressed Doctor and pull her to him. Beverly fought against the incredible inertia to try and make contact, her fingers just reaching his as the helicopter hit the earth. It wasn't a spectacle of a landing, but movies often undersell the impact of a 6 tonne military aircraft colliding with the ground. There was a loud crash, the sound of screeching metal following as the hull slid along the mottled pavement, but no fiery explosion. Just a simple crash.
Dr. Beverly Perkins winced in unfathomable pain, catching glimpses of light as she bounced between comatose sleep and agonized consciousness. She was unsure of how much time had passed, her broken body unable to even pick itself up and flee. The two women were fighting again, which meant her plan had failed. Every quaking footstep sent more debris showering down upon her and her lifeless colleague, entombing them both amidst the wreckage of the downed helicopter. She coughed, heaving coarse, blackened blood as she weakly glimpsed up at the fiery, starry night sky. The once-ambitious scientist watched helplessly as her creation, her life's work, her power continued to decimate the doomed city. Though, as bleak as things were, the wounded Doctor couldn't help but laugh. The irony of the situation, the deliciously cruel twist of fate that had befallen her brought some small semblance of entertainment and for a moment, Beverly considered how insane everything was. Two women-made-monsters battling it out with no idea that the genesis of their ascension was lying in a crumpled heap beneath their feet. Perhaps this was her folly, her punishment for coveting the power that now loomed above. Perhaps it was karma.
Groaning in pain, Beverly did her best to sit forward, moving only an inch or two as she looked up. The blonde one sent the tattooed one flying into the Transamerica Pyramid, toppling the architectural marvel as she ploughed through like cardboard. A shower of glittering glass and metal rained down, glistening against the fiery, starry night sky. Drawing one sharp, deep breath, Dr. Beverly Perkins looked up for one final time, seeing the world she had created before her world went black.
-----
Lola rocketed through the Transamerica pyramid, the iconic landmark falling with a dull thud onto the ruined world below. Jennifer came running in lockstep, lunging through the dust and fire, intent on pressing the advantage while she had it. Lola scrambled to regain her footing, seeing her enraged adversary gaining ground fast, she had to think quickly. Her hands already pressed into the soft, punished earth, Lola scooped a fistful of terrain and debris, pelting Jennifer in the face as though she was throwing sand in the schoolyard. Jennifer caught the coarse mixture of materials in the eye, continuing her charge blind as her eyes stung, her vision obscured. The shorter girl rolled to the side, barely missing a trampling as the blonde giantess tripped over the wreckage-filled street and landing with a powerful crash. Ever since Lola delivered her verbal tear-down of the hopeful wrestler, she had been fighting more ferociously, more dangerously. So much so that for the first time that evening, maybe even in their entire shared career as foes, Lola felt fear she looked into Jennifer's eyes. Long gong were the beautiful blonde's technical acumen and methodical approach to the fight, replaced with a terrible rage, a single-minded hatred and lust to see her opponent destroyed. Jennifer's assault had been brutal and Lola put up the best fight she could, but this newfound onslaught proved to be too much to bear the brunt of, reducing the fiery-haired giantess's brazen brawling to hit-and-run tactics while keeping her distance to recuperate her waning energy. Unfortunately for the 930ft girl, the dense metropolis didn't exactly provide the best cover, especially from a slightly taller adversary and every attempt Lola made to hide and catch her breath was telegraphed by the trail of unavoidable damage and destruction she left behind as she tried to flee. Every step she made, Jennifer was hot on her heels.
"Get back here, you slut!" The enraged wrestler howled, wiping away the last of the debris that clouded her vision. Lola threw out a brief middle finger as she turned to run, barrelling through the devastated downtown core with reckless abandon. Jennifer gave chase, sprinting like a marathon runner, willing to forsake everything in the path that stood between her and her target, her terrible footfalls tripping seismographs across the western seaboard. The pursuit between these two goddesses was ruinous, quaking the very foundation of downtown San Francisco to a breaking point as many of the taller structures left untouched by the battle collapsed under the extreme duress of the shaking earth beneath. Lola ran as fast as she could, rounding a corridor of toppled skyscrapers as she came upon Fisherman's Wharf with nothing but the expanse of the bay in front of her and nowhere to hide. Coming to a stop, the tattooed titaness panicked, looking around for a place to run when Jennifer, barging through the Raddison hotel, tackled Lola to the ground.
The pair fell backwards, tumbling through the famous tourist district and into the cold bay with a mighty splash, violent waves shooting out in all directions as the two titanesses displaced untold amounts of water. Righting herself in the relatively shallow water, Lola was able to make a move, lifting Jennifer out of the drink with a laboured battle cry and throwing her into a pier, demolishing it and the boats moored nearby.
"Look at this, Jenny! Look around!" Lola called, gesturing to the city on fire, the ruins of San Francisco behind them.
"What's left to fucking protect?!"
Jennifer held her head, standing in the ankle-deep water as she looked at the once-glorious skyline behind her now reduced to a shadow of its former self. For a moment, she felt guilt, knowing her involvement in the city's destruction was not slight. Still, as the curtain of black smoke billowed into the night sky and the flames danced below, the sound of faint sirens wailing against the crashing waves, Jennifer felt an almost serene calmness wash over her. A part of her felt freer now than it ever had before and as the blonde giantess looked on at San Francisco, it's decimation lain at her feet, she found it difficult to care. Difficult to feel guilty. This revelation concerned Jennifer, if only for a moment as she turned back to see Lola, sloshing through the waters of the bay towards Sausalito, running parallel to the Golden Gate bridge
"Son of a bitch!" Jennifer groaned, breaking off after her escaping foe. Lola had proven a point. Jennifer knew that whatever the redhead went off to do alone, it would be far less destructive than the apocalyptic levels of devastation the two wrought when fighting, but she didn't care anymore. Lola had proven a point. It was never about being protectors and all the moral BS, after all the suffering and grief Lola had given her, the blonde giantess just could not let her thrive. It ate at her soul to see someone so foul, so rotten, so cruel be successful and the power given to the both of them was one that Jennifer couldn't let Lola have. This wasn't about the right to rule or finding peace in their new forms, this was personal, and Jennifer was going to make Lola pay.
The towering redhead cut through the bay as fast as she could, but she wasn't oblivious. Behind her, she heard the crashing of waves and water splashed aside as Jennifer gained on her. Cursing her short legs, Lola ran, reaching the bay-spanning bridge as she hopped over it, hoping the obstacle would prove to be more difficult for her pursuer to overcome. Jennifer approached the bridge, reaching over it to grab at her retreating rival with her long arms and with a quick snatch, Lola found herself caught by the wrist. Acting swiftly, she threw a punch at Jennifer, catching the blonde in the shoulder, forcing her to relinquish her grasp and try again, but not before Lola deftly intercepted the oncoming hands. Separated by the orange suspension bridge that ran below them like a dividing line, the two towering beauties gripped each other's hands tightly, locked in a contest of might as they tried to overpower one another, fighting to see who would break first. Lola's raw strength began to take its toll on Jennifer as she strained to find purchase against the iron grip of the shorter girl. Lola saw her opponent's wavering stamina and decided it was time to go on the offensive. The cunning redhead released her grip, letting Jennifer continue to push, losing her balance and falling forward as Lola prepared another devastating headbutt. Jennifer fell back, sending tonnes of water spraying in all directions as Lola crossed under the bridge towards her, confident she could finish this fight.
"We could've been something, Jen!" Lola thundered, kicking the blonde wrestler in the rib as she tried to stand.
"We could've had the whole fucking world!" She said, delivering a painful stomp to Jennifer's back. She screamed in pain, taking in a mouthful of bay water as Lola knelt down, placing her knee on the the downed girl's spine, keeping her pinned in place. Her tattooed hand gripped Jennifer's scalp, a handful of long blonde hair held tightly as she leaned in close.
"But the one thing that really disappoints me, though, is that we could've had each other." Lola said, giving Jennifer plenty of time to hear every word before slamming her face into the cold water of the bay. As large as they were, the shin-deep water was more than enough to drown in and as Lola put all of her weight onto Jennifer's head, she began to panic and flail as her head became submerged. Desperately, she kicked her legs and swung her arms, trying to throw her aggressor from her back as the water entered her lungs, it's frigid grip filling her body with an icy chill.
"Keep fighting it, skank. It'll all be over soon." Lola laughed. Jennifer couldn't hear her, nearly all of her senses being lost amongst the blue as she continued to thrash. Her left arm caught a bit of Lola's hip, grazing the ample curve. It was contact, it was something. Trying again, Jennifer put all of the energy she had left into her next swing, bringing a clawed grasp down on the soft skin of her rival, gouging a deep scratch along her thigh. Lola jumped, releasing enough of her grip for Jennifer to push back, rising out of the waves like a great leviathan as the redhead fell backwards.
"You just don't know when to quit, Jenny. I can appreciate that." Lola gritted, standing up.
"I'm gonna kill you, even if I have to wring the life out of you with my own two hands!"
Lola lunged, arms outstretched as she leapt towards Jennifer. The water slowed her somewhat, enough for the blonde giantess to make a move. She stepped to the side, dodging the assault as she grabbed Lola's arm by the wrists tightly with both hands. Twisting her opponent's arm, Jennifer began to pull. With two heavy steps, she turned in place, gripping Lola tightly as she used her momentum to spin the shorter girl by the hand. As Jennifer completed one full rotation, she released her grasp, flinging Lola towards the bridge at great speeds. The force was too much for the dizzy giantess to combat and she found herself helplessly careening towards the orange superstructure. Lola collided to the right of the tower, ploughing into the suspension cables that held the mighty landmark aloft. The cables groaned, pushed to their limit as the impossibly huge woman strained against them, a few snapping like a cracking whip echoing through the bay. While the damage the bridge sustained was major, the mile-long roadway stood surprisingly steadfast against the tonnes of woman crashing into it and the tension of the support cables stored the tremendous amounts of kinetic energy, exerting that force back onto Lola and repelling her as though she had been thrown into the ropes of a wrestling ring. Once again the tattooed tyrant found herself unable to resist the tide of movement, bouncing back towards Jennifer almost as quickly as she was thrown.
While she hadn't anticipated this fortuitous reaction, the blonde giantess saw the opportunity that arose from her improvised Irish whip. Kicking up tonnes of water, Jennifer began to run towards her opponent, springing out of the almost knee-high water to deliver a devastating drop kick to Lola's chest. Time seemed to slow to a crawl at the sheer spectacle. The 950ft blonde sailed through the air with the grace of a ballerina, her feet slamming directly into the 930ft redhead's sternum with a force that registered in megatons. Jennifer fell into the water, elated by the success of her meaty hit as Lola flew backwards once more into the Golden Gate Bridge, this time severing a large chunk of the ocean-spanning highway. As the concrete and steel bent and broke under her bulk, Lola clawed wildly in the hopes of grabbing something, anything that she could use to stabilize her fall. Snatching madly, her tattooed hand caught a broken length of the suspension cable, gripping tightly as she pulled against the mighty tower to regain her footing and stand firmly against her opponent. The kick did a number on Lola, her bruised sternum pulsed in pain from the hammer-like blow to the chest. She coughed, getting a deep lungful of air after being so thoroughly winded. The mighty redhead felt weak, but not ready to surrender and with the cable still gripped tightly in her hand, Lola gave the steel a forceful pull, wrenching the length of heavy duty construction loose from the punished bridge tower. Her opponent watched in horror as Lola gave the cable a swift swing, whipping the steel weapon against the water's surface with a devastating crack. She grinned, ready for her turn to dish out the punishment once more, and moved in.
Jennifer was quick, but not quick enough to outrun a whip. Lola swung her improvised weapon wildly at subsonic speeds, giving the titanic wrestler little time to evade the incoming strikes and after successfully dodging two lighting-fast attacks, Jennifer's bicep caught a whipping, leaving a deep mark that burned in pain. She cried out, gripping her fresh wound tightly as Lola, now upon her, went in for the kill. She slashed again, catching Jennifer in the lower back as she turned, leaving a nasty gash. The blonde giantess convulsed and cried out in pain once again, her anguished voice echoing far into the hills.
"It's time for you to kneel before the queen, Jenny!" Lola exclaimed, swinging the whip high in the air before sending out one last thunderous crack at Jennifer's head. Instinctively, Jennifer threw up an arm in defence, the heavy cable lashing her forearm and wrapping around tightly. The pain was excruciating, but for a brief moment, the taller giantess saw an opening, an opportunity that had arisen from the miraculously successful defensive gambit. Fighting the searing pain, Jennifer snatched the steel cable and pulled, bringing a surprised Lola along for the ride like a fish caught on the line. As the redhead stumbled towards her, stomping through the bay clumsily, Jennifer lined up a hefty kick to her gut, cable still in hand. Lola fell to her knees, the sudden attack leaving her stunned, only able to witness as Jennifer took both ends of the makeshift whip and maneuvered behind her. Before she could stand, Lola suddenly felt the cold touch of the suspension cable being placed around her neck, followed by Jennifer's foot planting itself firmly on her back.
"What was that about 'kneeling', you overgrown bitch?" Jennifer asked, pumping her foot against her adversary's back. Lola didn't have time to respond, time to beg. In an instant, the blonde wrestler's powerful leg pushed upon her, throttling her with against the suspension cable like a heavy-duty garrotte. Frantically, she clawed at the cable, trying to pull the taught steel away enough to breathe, but she was so tired, too tired to fight anymore. Jennifer continued to press with as much strength as she could muster, Lola's vision beginning to fade as the lack of oxygen set in. Every desperate move for freedom made her heart beat faster and faster and as the last of the air within her lungs passed into her bloodstream, Lola felt her consciousness begin to slip away. As she began to drift, she reflected on her life, a life of ups and downs, successes and failures. It wasn't always the happiest life, but it was hers and she lived it as authentically as possible. She wasn't content, this wasn't the way she wanted it to end, but Lola Blaze was not afraid to die, only disappointed at what could have been. She closed her eyes, a single tear rolling down her cheek as the last of the life within her faded away.
Lola's body went limp, her panicking and gasping ceased, yet Jennifer kept her foot to the redhead's back for a few more moments, just to be sure. Her whole body was on fire, her heart was pounding faster than any normal heart should. As she looked down at the lifeless husk held aloft by the cable wrapped around its neck, Jennifer felt the entirety of the night come crashing down upon her. Lola was dead, her body falling unceremoniously into the bay as Jennifer let go of the cable, her hands rubbed raw from the friction. It didn't feel real. Nothing about this night felt real. She looked down at the body of her rival as it sat on the surface of the water, drifting farther and farther away as the tide carried it towards the shore.
"What have I done?" Was all Jennifer could say. She was alone now, the only person like her dead at her own hands. The guilt was unbearable, and as she looked back at the city of San Francisco, a once-vibrant metropolis now reduced to a smouldering crater, Jennifer felt an emptiness grow within her. She had nothing left, there was no life for her to return, nowhere for her to go. She had only one choice.
The towering blonde turned to the endless sea before her. Swallowing her sadness, she took a step forward, preparing for the only just punishment she could think of, exiling herself in an ocean so vast, she couldn't possibly bring anybody any more harm. The spotlights of helicopters swirled and danced around her, a swarm of them circling her and the body of her former rival, but Jennifer paid them no mind as she took another step. And then another. Until she disappeared into the inky darkness of the night horizon.
------
Time passed, the world kept turning.
The event that came to be known as "The Battle For San Francisco" became a distant memory, everyone responsible for the disaster buried in the ruins of the city, every secret of The Compound erased. Slowly, civilization began to rebuild, and while the city could never be restored to its former glory, it was decided that a new city with a new name would be built on its foundation to honour the fallen and commemorate the tragedy.
As for the two at the centre of it all, Lola Blaze and Jennifer Harper became two of the most infamous human beings in existence, overnight sensations that took the world by storm as their names and faces were forever etched into the stone walls of history. In time, Lola's body began to decompose. Deemed a biohazard by the United States government, her corpse was segmented and incinerated, all 930ft of it, to prevent anybody from using her corpse to reverse engineer another growth compound.
And as for Jennifer, she disappeared that night, exiling herself from the human world out of guilt and shame, never to be seen on those shores again. Efforts to locate and capture the infamous titaness came up with empty hands and in time, rumours began to circulate, rumours that turned to myths, myths to legends. The official story floated by the American government was that Jennifer Harper drowned out in the Pacific Ocean, swimming endlessly until her body could go no further, however, no proof to support this claim was ever found. Still, with so little information about the disaster revealed to the public, the world took the answer at face value. Soon, there was quiet in the world as humanity scratched it's head, picked up the pieces, and moved on.
But as myths and legends spread, soon stories of strange sightings at sea and tales of sailors saved from sinking ships began to circulate, each one describing a curious and common detail; a giant. The stories varied depending on who you asked, some believing the creature they saw to be a primordial leviathan of the deep, others a beautiful mermaid as large as a cruise ship with long golden hair. Regardless of the shape the mythical creature took, the stories and superstition became ingrained among the customs of sailors on the Pacific Ocean, known to anyone that dared to brave the treacherous seas. And so, a new tradition was born. Before any voyage, aboard any ship, any seafaring traveller worth their salt learned to pray for three things.
Fair weather, gentle seas, and the blessing and benevolence of the elusive golden goddess.
THE END
Chapter End Notes:
------------
Hello! I'm Deirdre Star, the author of this story you presumably read through to get to this point! Firstly, I want to say thank you. Thanks to Benjamin Boston for providing such a terrific cover illustration! Thanks to Pok420 for leaving so many thoughtful reviews here on GW. And thanks to Lyla Switch, Dixie Midnight, and so many others that helped me brainstorm and proofread!
And thank you! Yes, you! Writing this story has been a huge undertaking and I'm humbled and flattered that it has been enjoyed by so many people and I hope it will continue to be enjoyed by many more in the annals of time. I so, so, SO appreciate you, my readers.
Secondly, while the story has reached its conclusion, there is more to read if you are interested! Past this point are alternate endings and ideas that I expanded into full chapters and stories! Did your favourite character come out on top? Are you curious to see how things could have ended? Read on and enjoy these little windows into the universe of Mudbrawl and all its zaniness!
And again, thank you so much for reading.
Deirdre "DiDi" Star @Starshotdesign on Twitter
Hello! I'm Deirdre Star, the author of this story you presumably read through to get to this point! Firstly, I want to say thank you. Thanks to Benjamin Boston for providing such a terrific cover illustration! Thanks to Pok420 for leaving so many thoughtful reviews here on GW. And thanks to Lyla Switch, Dixie Midnight, and so many others that helped me brainstorm and proofread!
And thank you! Yes, you! Writing this story has been a huge undertaking and I'm humbled and flattered that it has been enjoyed by so many people and I hope it will continue to be enjoyed by many more in the annals of time. I so, so, SO appreciate you, my readers.
Secondly, while the story has reached its conclusion, there is more to read if you are interested! Past this point are alternate endings and ideas that I expanded into full chapters and stories! Did your favourite character come out on top? Are you curious to see how things could have ended? Read on and enjoy these little windows into the universe of Mudbrawl and all its zaniness!
And again, thank you so much for reading.
Deirdre "DiDi" Star @Starshotdesign on Twitter