[GTSKate]

No, I haven’t forgotten…I’ve been in the midst of concert season!! In fact, I have to go now, since I’m performing Handel’s “Messiah” tonight. So, while I’m singing, you can all enjoy this!

Chapter 36

Nicole paused only a moment in thought. Then she drew a breath and stated, “I can’t, Jessie. It’s not going to be much longer before those visions come true, and I need more information. I have to know how all the pieces fit together. I’m not going to find that out just by studying these charts and readouts. I have to see more.” Nicole’s eyes steeled, and she stared back at the researcher, daring her to argue.
Jessie, however, did not. “If that’s your choice, then it’s yours to make, unless you’ve decided to discuss it with your parents?” Nicole reluctantly accepted Jessie’s need to involve her mother and father, but still decided, “Mom’s not really in a position to discuss that rationally, I think. Dad…well, he doesn’t need any added burden to consider either. So, no. I think we’ll keep this between ourselves for now.”

Jessie’s guilt came back to the fore. “Nicole, they’re going to find out eventually. Maybe somehow we can get your mother closer to normal again, but you and Scott…” She trailed off.
“I know Jessie. There’s no star qualities to reverse in us. We’ll always be changed.” The fifteen year old girl looked far more mature than her age in that moment, and Dr. James knew that Nicole understood completely.
“What about Scott? He’ll have to decide too.” Nicole frowned as Jessie shook her head. “You can’t decide that for him, Nic. Only he can choose that direction.”

Scott stood upon his mother’s knee as she and Jim waited for an answer. “Neither did you, what? What did that mean, Scott?” Carolyn resisted the impulse to wrap her hand around her son’s shoulders. It only made him seem that much smaller. Yet, she didn’t understand what Scott had been muttering about. Pieces were falling into place in her own subconscious too, and suddenly that line seemed more suspicious than it should.

The youngest Prescott realized he needed to shift his attention’s focus back to the auditorium he was in with his parents. He quickly tried to recall what his parents had been discussing at the same time Nicole had been talking with Jessie. “Uh…I thought you said you didn’t know what we were going to do about tomorrow? What we were going to eat? I said, ‘neither do I’ ‘cause I haven’t got any ideas for dinner. But I’m kinda sick of pizza…” He gave his best innocent shrug and hoped Carolyn and Jim wouldn’t suspect anything.
“I don’t think that’s what your Mom meant exactly, sport…” Jim started, but Carolyn cut him off. “Scott, is there something else bothering you? You’ve looked distracted ever since your sister left. Do you,” Carolyn hesitated. “not want to be here? Did you want to go home?”

Scott looked pained for a moment. If only his mother knew what she was really asking. She was probably worried that he didn’t want to be near her, and that was the furthest thing from the truth, but he also didn’t want to be here in the middle of such a huge choice. If he wanted to stay out from under those shields, then he might be able to see another vision; something that might help Nicole and Jessie save Mom and Dad, but that would mean potentially seeing something awful and finding out that there was no way to stop it. If he stayed away from those shields, then he’d keep getting stronger and quicker too, and Scott thought things were far enough now. Being a superhero sounded cool, but he’d never completely understood Peter Parker’s moping about responsibility until now.

But if Scott chose to stay with his parents under those shields, then he wouldn’t change any more than he already had. He wouldn’t have to see that horrible crash where the van seemed to collapse in on his father; wouldn’t have to hear the screeching of metal being twisted and the screaming all around, or his mother’s amplified shouts of fear and rage. It made everything so much scarier. His parents were supposed to know how to make things right and they were in so much trouble.

The ten year old boy couldn’t help the tears that formed in his eyes. “I want to go home with you. I don’t want to think about shields or stars or growing anymore.” Scott clamped his mouth shut. He didn’t trust himself not to reveal more. But he lunged from Carolyn’s knee towards her neck, and wrapped his arms as far around as he could. He just held on and waited for her to make everything better. Carolyn’s eyes had filled too with the frustration she saw in her son. Her emotions felt raw, feeling that she was the cause of his pain. She had no way of knowing that she was only one small part. The tears rolled off her cheeks as she carefully held her son, the oversized drops splashing onto his back. Scott stiffened for just a moment at the wetness, and then shuddered, realizing that the water bombs in his vision must be the enormous tears of his colossal mother. He squeezed her neck all the tighter, wishing with all his might that Nicole and Jessie could make her small again.

Jim had watched Scott’s anguish with a helpless eye. There was nothing he knew to do or say that could give Scott his mother back the way he wanted. Leaving mother and son to console each other, Jim left the auditorium in search of his daughter. It was time to circle the wagons and keep everyone together for a while. He wandered the hallways of the large building, heading for the top floor. Nicole was supposed to be looking at the telescope the Project used, but Jim found the top floors deserted, and the doors he looked through darkened. He found Jeff in a hallway with an armload of circuit boards and wiring. “Jeff, have you seen Jessie and Nicole? I thought they were going to see the telescope, but there’s no one upstairs.”
“Oh, I saw them in Jessie’s office a while ago. Nicole had been asking a bunch of questions about the Project.” Jim felt a twinge of uneasiness. His daughter was suddenly digging into this subject with a lot more fervor than he’d seen her invest in anything. Of course, it was something affecting the whole family in a very radical way, but still. He didn’t want Nicole detracting from Jessie’s problem solving time.

All his thoughts suddenly froze as through the glass strip on Jessie’s office door, he saw his daughter’s hand moving like a blur across a page of paper. She and the scientist were obviously talking back and forth animatedly, but they were finishing each other’s sentences. Neither woman had to complete a whole line before the other grasped the concept and expanded upon it. He watched as Nicole suddenly stiffened and her head whipped around, seeing him standing behind the closed door. He saw her mouth forming the words, “Uh, I think I found him Scott.” And then she rose to open the door.

Chapter 37

Nicole looked both guilty and frightened as she swung open the door before her father. “Dad?” She started, but she couldn’t form an explanation on her lips at seeing his expression. Jim’s eyes darkened as they focused on Jessie’s face. A rage borne of helplessness at his wife’s condition and the discovery that his daughter, at least, was also being affected shadowed his normally clear blue orbs.
“You …knew that she was changing too?” His jaw clenched, Nicole saw his arms quiver with the effort not to charge through the desk and slam into Jessie.
The scientist deflated slightly, “Not until today. Nicole came to me earlier and told me.” Jim’s fury-filled eyes turned on his daughter and that was when Nicole saw the fear under all his anger. She could only manage a whisper, “I’m fine, Dad. I’m not growing like Mom.”
“I saw…” Jim began, then stopped as he felt his voice rising; felt the shout that wanted to erupt out of him. Nicole hugged her father tightly, trapping his arms at his side. Her voice came out softly, muted by her fear of her father’s anger. “Please Dad, don’t be mad. Scott and I are okay. We’re just changed a little bit.” She shut up at once, realizing that her Dad hadn’t really made the connection that if his daughter were affected, his son would be too. That is, until she opened her mouth. His arms started to lift, and Nicole was afraid of what he would do. She increased the pressure of her hug, not allowing him to get free.
For just a moment, Jim’s rage broke free and he forgot that it was his own daughter holding him back. He struggled with all the strength of his 6’5” frame to force her to release her grip, then looked down horrified that he would have hurt Nicole. But she stood firm, wincing that she might have hurt Jim in using her own increased strength. The father calmed down at once, and bowed to put his head upon his daughter’s. “I’m sorry, Nic. It’s okay. I’m…calmed down. Can you let go, please? You’ve…really got a firm grip there.” Jim even let out a small chuckle at the emasculating fact that his wife and daughter were now both far stronger than himself.

Slowly, Nicole released her father from her bear hug and lifted her gaze to meet his. Jim bent to kiss her cheek. “I’m just scared, Nic. A man is supposed to protect his family, and I’m not doing a great job here. I’m not even sure what to protect you from; these solar photons, or yourselves. I’m sorry I got so angry.” He kept a hand on her shoulder, offering a comforting apology.
“I’m sorry too, Dad. We didn’t tell you…well…because I didn’t want you to worry more.” Nicole admitted.
“And your brother? He’s changing like you?” Jim didn’t want to admit that he knew the answer already. A part of him just needed to hear it again.
“Yeah. He’s really brave about it, Dad. You should be proud of him.”
“I am. I’m proud of both of you, Nic. But I’m also still scared for you.” Jim’s brain put together earlier events and he frowned. “You and Scott…you can hear each other, can’t you? Far away?”
“Yeah. It’s not telepathy or anything, we can just hear really good. We were talking earlier, well, he was supposed to be just listening, but then he responded out loud, and you and Mom heard.” Nicole looked sheepish, but pleased that her father was dealing with the news well.
“Nic, I can’t pretend to know what to do about all this, but I think you should stay here with your Mom from now on. When those shields are finished tomorrow, they should protect you and your brother as well as Mom.” Jim couldn’t figure out why his daughter was frowning, until she spoke.
“That’s kinda what we were debating. Scott, I think, will stay put. But I can’t Dad. I…I can help Mom, but not if I’m under those shields. I can’t explain more.” Nicole realized that her father didn’t have all the information, and she didn’t want to put more on him yet. “I just can’t. Will you trust me if I tell you I know what I’m doing?”
Jim knew then that there was more, but was torn between his father’s instinct to protect his children, and Nicole’s need to grow up eventually. He glanced towards Jessie, realizing that she had been sitting quite still, trying not to be noticed. She gave a small nod and as he embraced his daughter more tightly, he sighed. “I’ll trust you.” He spoke the words to comfort his child, but also to offer apology and indicate his desperation to the doctor.

The family reunited in the auditorium, making the best of the last night there before moving to the larger, shielded room the next day. Despite the tensions each Prescott had that would normally prevent sleep, they all fell into slumber to the sounds of construction next door, and as predicted, Jim’s snoring.

Almost there!
-Kate

[Mr. G]

It's been a long wait. So  the father finally found out what's happening to his kids. Some of it anyway. I hope the wait for the next chapter isn't long.

[Silent One]

I agree with Mr. G, this is like a teaser, we need more  ;D

[AlexG]

Ah, but gentlemen, patience is the price of high quality from a lady of grace and stature . . .  ;D  8)

(Now off to the side, behind the stage curtain)

HOO-YAH!!!  NEW Chapters by Lady Kate . . . (read read read read read)   😮

“I like a good story well told. That is the reason I am sometimes forced to tell them myself.”
~ Mark Twain / Samuel Clemens (1907)

[fritzcat]

An obvious joke, under the circumstances, but…

HALL-le-lu-jah!  HALL-le-lu-jah!  ;D

Definitely worth the wait so far.  Glad to see the new chapters, Kate, and I'm dying to read the rest.

Man, between this, Silent One's gripping tale, and AlexG's latest (which I have yet to read with proper attention, owing to a busy schedule), I'm getting downright spoiled.  Hopefully, it's not the feast before an age of famine.

Out of curiosity, is this the first mention of Nicole's increased strength?  It might have been implied earlier in the story and I just missed it.

[GTSKate]

Ah, Fritzcat! Nice to see you lurking around still, especially as it’s your fault I’ve been writing this again (on and off since June! Sheesh….)

As for Nicole’s strength, I’ve implied a couple times that Scott was certainly getting stronger (and an ever so brief reference in the van between Alex and Nicole) but I haven’t dwelt on it long. I figured everyone would follow along that Scott and Nicole have pretty much the same reactions to the photons assaulting their young bodies 😉

Anyhoo, thanks to the power-outage last night, this is all you get today:

Chapter 38

Around four o’clock that afternoon, the sounds of construction had grown quieter and quieter until they had finally ceased altogether. Veronica made an appearance in the doorway, and invited the family to try out Carolyn’s new shielded lodging. As the 21’ woman squeezed her way between rooms, she was relieved to see that everything looked identical, save for the extra amount of space between walls, and the railings overhead to access some computer parts in the shield panels. Able to stand up at last again, Carolyn stretched out some of the kinks that had been forming in her back. There was a bit of a silence as she did this, everyone in the room from her family to Jessie, Jeff and Veronica took in the once-in-a-lifetime sight of such a giant in their midst.
After stretching to the very tips of her fingers, Carolyn looked down at the people around her. Jim was, of course, the tallest but even he only rose to just above her knees. The tension grew thicker in the air, and Carolyn realized they were all staring at her, wondering if she would have an outburst. She gave a tiny sigh and said, “Thank you Jessie. All of you. I guess this is home for a while then. How soon will we know if it’s working?” With a slightly defeated air, Carolyn went over to the “living room” corner and sat down.

Jessie wanted to do something to lift Carolyn’s spirits but she didn’t know what to tell the giant woman. She was still unsure of just when Carolyn would have her growth explosion, nor whether or not she and Nicole could reverse it. But she did manage to tell Carolyn, “Early test readings indicate that they are working already. The first few shields we installed last night showed photon activity that was blocked. Not from Porphyrion, but our own star, and that’s a good sign. Those are the stronger emanations right now, so if the shields could block them then they should almost certainly work against the ones causing your size.”
Out of the corner of her eye, Jessie caught a frown flash across Nicole’s face. The scientist was curious why her new protégé would be frowning at what seemed to be good news. She made a mental note to ask when she could get Nicole aside again. Jessie saw Carolyn blow out a breath.
“So, I can finally get used to the idea that this is my new size then?” Jim had crossed the room and had snuggled himself into the crook of her left arm. His wife had unconsciously cuddled with him and was rubbing his chest with the thumb of her right hand.
“It would seem that way.” Jessie said carefully, but with the most open smile she could manage. Veronica and Jeff had moved to the railings above to check some of the computer panels and Scott had plopped himself down on one of Carolyn’s outstretched legs. Carolyn’s eyes focused on her daughter and the scientist that stood next to her. They were staring back at Carolyn with almost the same look, and the giantess wondered for just a moment at the similarities between the two.

The moment was broken when Jeff hollered down excitedly, “That’s confirmed! There’s Porphyrion photon activity occurring right now, and the shields are blocking all of it! You did it Jessie!” Carolyn held her breath, but there was no tell-tale quivering of her limbs that betrayed a growth spurt. She gave a much larger sigh of relief at last. Jessie offered a smile, but she could sense Nicole fidgeting beside her. The teen gave a bright smile and spun on her heel heading for the door.
“I’m going to call Alex and Dan and let them know!” She pretended not to hear as Veronica was shouting from the catwalk above about the Carolyn-adapted phone in the “family” corner. Scott covered for his sister with their parents.
“They’ll be excited too, I bet! This is great, Mom! Now things can get back to normal!” He was using Carolyn as a slide, climbing up to her toes and giggling as the curve of her foot accelerated him all the way to her knee.

She couldn’t help but laugh at her son’s actions. “Back to normal? You think this is normal, Scott?”
He paused after his latest slide, resting prone upon her knee. “Well yeah. Now it is.” And his grin was so infectious that Carolyn couldn’t help but return it. “I guess it is.”
“And boy is Chuck Miller going to be jealous! All HIS mom can do is make good cookies!” Jessie smiled as the family laughed at Scott’s exuberance. But she caught the quick glance while Scott’s face was towards her and away from his parents. She knew that he understood the more serious events that he and his sister predicted. He was counting on her to find a way to make things right. She excused herself, saying she was going to check on something in her office and headed out to find Nicole.

Outside, in the hallway, away from the eyes of her parents, Nicole stood frozen, watching the scene that was playing for her eyes alone. It had started almost the moment she closed the doors behind her. Jessie swinging back and forth, her hair like a pendulum of a clock, Nicole could now hear the choking sounds as the scientist struggled to get free. The computer panel behind her was frozen and the railing tilted precariously. Something had obviously happened to the supports, and Jessie’s weight had sent it listing, pitching her off and into the chains that dangled behind. Carolyn’s flesh began filling the scene, her horrified shouts becoming louder as her body swelled faster than ever. Before she could reach a hand out to rescue Jessie, her head slammed into the ceiling, startling her. But the growth was continuing, and the concrete and brick began crackling, each stress fracture sounding like a gunshot. Carolyn screamed, her voice matching the alarms that were sounding; a flat wail, warning everyone away from her, away from the building. The room was empty, save for Jessie’s body and…Nicole realized, herself. She was seeing through her own eyes. She’d been so close to Jessie, why hadn’t she saved her?

But the scene continued, and Carolyn’s body filled the room, the ceiling finally shattering and raining deadly debris all around. The walls were beginning to buckle as the giantess’ legs expanded. Carolyn fought to stand, aware of the devastation she was causing, but helpless to stop it. Her screams of anger at her own impotence increased in volume. Nicole could hear a car horn blaring and her mother’s screams turned to horror.
She jumped from the crumbling catwalk, giving a mighty tug on the chain that trapped Jessie, snapping it. As she and the limp form of the scientist fell towards the wreckage below, Nicole used her mother’s leg as a fireman’s pole and slid down, one hand guiding their descent, the other keeping Jessie safe in a Herculean grip. Her agility once on the floor was incredible, leaping between falling chunks as Carolyn’s body rose to it’s highest point, her feet now destroying the remains of the building. She saw Jeff as she cleared the building, Jessie’s body protected as much as the young girl could. Nicole deposited Jessie with him, away from the war zone. His jaw was dropped, having seen Nicole’s amazing display. She shouted at him over the din of destruction. “Keep her safe. It’s not over just yet.” And she bounded away.

The girl having the vision in the hallway strained to see more of Jessie, but her vision-self continued to move. She pulled some sort of crystal orb about the size of a billiard ball from her pocket and ran back towards the wall of flesh that was her mother. She could hear the roaring from above and dodged the falling bombs that the tears of a two hundred foot woman became. The air around Carolyn was cold; Nicole could feel the warmth sapped away by her mother’s cooling body. Getting close enough for her aim to be accurate, Nicole flung the crystal as hard as she could at Carolyn’s expanding feet. There was a blinding blue flash, and a sound like a light bulb popping.

Jessie caught Nicole’s body as she dropped to the floor. The young girl blinked several times, momentarily blinded from the blue light that still colored the corner of her vision. Dr. James held Nicole until she stopped shaking.
“What happened? You were stunned pretty badly there at the end.”
Nicole murmured, “It’s still not enough. I was there…I was there, Jessie. Why did I let you hang? And what was that crystal? What does it do? What happened to Dad?” Then her eyes widened and she gripped Jessie’s arm with an almost painful intensity. “Frozen. They were frozen at 10:32AM. 11/08. Jessie, we have five days. Only five days to figure it all out. It’s not enough!”

Inside the auditorium, the young boy with the extraordinary hearing trembled and held onto his mother’s neck even tighter.

[Samurai]

Oh noez! Another vision! 😀

Can't wait till more.

And we had a blackout too!

[Silent One]

Curse the power outage . . .

Good stuff though, I'm anxiously awaiting more.

[Mr. G]

It's enough. man only five days before things  go to hell. Wonder what's goes wrong? I mean the sheild seams to be working.

[Samurai]

Good question Mr. G. Maybe it powers through it?

[Author]

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