[pseudoclever]

Final Act: Catalysts


Chapter 1

Slowly, Zayne walked back to his desk. With each step he placed his feet carefully, as though the ground beneath him might turn out to be just an illusion, one that could send him hurtling through the floor. He sat down, and stared blankly at the consent form in his hand.

Bella was a thief.

No matter how hard he tried to think his way through the situation, he couldn't get past this one piece of data. It felt like his brain was full of radio static ? white, random, confusing.

Bella was a thief.

From across the room he saw the woman turn, noticing him for the first time. She grinned, and waved at him cheerily. The best he could manage was a weak smile, and even the effort to do this tied his stomach into knots. She came over and sat down next to him. ?Everything okay?? she shouted over the room's noise.

Zayne didn't reply. Without looking at her, he pushed the document Mr. Peterson had given him into her lap. She scanned it quickly, concern beginning to register on her face. ?Where did you get this?? she asked.

?I...ran into Mr. Peterson out in the hall.?

For a fraction of a second he saw her eyes go wide, but then she was in control of herself again. ?Oh yeah? What'd he have to say??

?Apparently a bunch of the drug has gone missing. Corporate is getting set to launch an investigation.? He still couldn't bring himself to look at her, and he had to keep reminding himself to breathe.

Bella gave a half-hearted laugh. ?Is that all? I guess it just takes those guys a few days to slog through their own bureaucracy. I filled out an accident report about the stuff I spilled last week.?

?I know.? The words were flat and emotionless. She jumped, looking like a deer caught in the headlights. ?I also know what was ON that report.?

Another half-hearted laugh. ?And you're probably wondering why I told them you were the one that dropped the tray, right? Here, I'll explain....?

?While you're at it, can you also explain why you've been stealing?? he interrupted, finally turning to look her in dead in the eye. ?I saw you.?

The centrifuge spun to a stop, plunging the room into utter silence. Zayne glared at her, his brows furrowed, but behind his eyes was something other than anger. It was as though he was watching everything he believed in wither and die. Bella looked back at him fearfully. Her mouth moved, but no sound came out.

?Why?? he whispered at last. ?Just...tell me why.?

?I k-know how this looks,? she answered, and Zayne reflected on how strange it was to see this girl, who was a head taller than he was, acting so childishly nervous. He pushed these endearing thoughts from his mind. ?I didn't plan any of this. It just...happened.?

?Why don't you start from the beginning,? he said, leaning back in his chair.

?The beginning. Okay.? Bella sighed. ?That would be the accident, when I was first exposed to PT-2715. You remember what happened next, of course. After being this tiny, little thing for my entire life, I was...normal. Better than normal! It was like there had been a smoldering pile of ashes inside me, and someone had started to blow on them, stirring me to flame. And you were there. You were being so kind, so helpful. And...I knew you had a crush on me.?

Zayne sniffed, trying to sound disinterested. ?You knew??

?Please, I'm not stupid. The way you kept giving me those long looks, making excuses to be around me...you weren't too subtle about it. And by the way, I liked you too ? from the very first day. Back then I was too shy to just come right out and say it. But I mean, that 'aldehydes and ketones' speech I gave you! What the hell did you THINK that was about?? She laughed.

?We're getting off-topic here,? Zayne reminded her.

?Right. Yes. So here I am, just getting my first little taste of growth, and...it was incredible. That stuff, it made me...well...I was horny. Like, you don't even know what horny is. And here I am, literally throwing myself at you, and you have the AUDACITY to turn me down!? She shook her head, an expression of disbelief on her face. ?To be perfectly honest, it made me respect you a lot more. But at the time, it was REALLY frustrating.?

?Are you going somewhere with this, or are you just trying to distract me?? he asked coldly.

?Just sit still and listen ? patience is a virtue, after all. Where was I? Ah, let's see...so, we're getting ready to leave, and here I am with all this pent-up energy. When what should I see on the floor, but three vials that hadn't shattered when I dropped the tray. Without even knowing why, I slipped them into my purse. And when I got home....?

?You drank them?? he asked incredulously.

?Just one,? she corrected him. ?I laid down on the bed, and just felt myself grow. That stuff must have some sort of aphrodisiac properties, because...well, that would be off-topic, wouldn't it?? She grinned at him playfully.

?We'll come back to that later,? he said, winking, and then remembered he was supposed to be mad at her. ?What happened to the other two vials??

?Oh, you were there. Remember Saturday night??

Lord did he ever. But then it hit him. ?So you were lying to me when you said there was still some residual drug in your system.?

She nodded sadly. ?But it was a white lie. I didn't want you to worry that I was taking even MORE of an experimental drug. It was wrong of me, and I'm sorry. I just...wanted to be tall. I loved the way it felt, Zayne. To feel myself getting bigger. To finally have some real curves. The sense of power, oh my God. And the look on your face whenever it happened...I think that was my favorite part of all. Maybe you even liked it more than I did.?

?I'm still not hearing the reason for that faked accident report,? he said, cutting her off before she could elaborate. ?If you had told them that you'd been exposed, wouldn't it be a perfectly good alibi for your increase in size??

?That's...a little bit complicated. First off, the stuff we're making in this room is really potent ? I mean, it's pure active ingredient. Each one of these vials goes upstairs and gets diluted into a month's worth of pills for a test subject. And I took FOUR of them, in two days! Do you have any idea what Palladian would have done if they discovered that one of their employees had been given such a massive dose? I would have stopped being a chemist real quick, and become a full-time guinea pig.

?Besides that, all the interviews I did for this job were over the phone. Mr. Peterson is the only company representative I've ever met in person. And it's not like my height is on my r?sum?. My plan with the report, in essence, was to hope that no one noticed.?

Zayne considered her words. ?That...I guess that makes sense,? he said at last. ?And I liked the little detail about me hurting my knee. Mr. Peterson acted like he was terrified that I might sue the company. Was that intentional??

She laughed. ?It was a particularly brilliant move on my part, yes. I figured it would keep him from poking around the lab too much.?

?Fair enough. But the big question still remains. Why have you been stealing??

Bella sighed. ?I never...the short answer is...I got carried away. When I took those first three vials, I assumed it would be enough to get me up to six foot one. I know I gave you that story about wanting to go from eight inches shorter than the average woman, to eight inches taller. But the truth is...I knew you were about six feet in height. There was just something so much FUN about the idea of being bigger than you.

?But then I stopped at five eleven, so agonizingly close! And I said to myself, 'there's no way they'll notice one vial missing.' That's all it was supposed to be, at first. But the way we were both getting off on it...how much I loved to tower over you.... And the sex ? the best of my life hunnie, bar none.? She closed her eyes dreamily. ?I was living day to day. Looking forward to every night. And never thinking about the consequences.?

?And now the company is on to you,? he said, his voice exasperated. ?It's only a matter of time before they figure out where all that missing drug has been going. I mean, look at you!?

?I know,? she mumbled.

?Do you have any idea what kind of shit-storm this is about to bring down? And when you get caught...what then??

?I go to jail I suppose. Unlawful Consumption carries a prison sentence of one to five years, and Grand Larceny is five to twenty. The terms are cumulative.? Bella buried her face in her hands.

?Twenty-five years?! You're going to spend twenty-five years in prison just for some extra height and a little bit of pleasure?? He had risen to his feet and was screaming at her now, shaking his fist. ?What the hell were you thinking?! How could you do this to me?!?

?TO you?!? she shouted back, looming over him. ?I did all of this FOR you. BECAUSE of you! I just wanted us to be happy, for you to want to be with me. Can't you see that??

?Sure. And what a fine thing it is.? He felt a tear trickling down his cheek, and wiped it away angrily. ?Here I think I've found someone special, someone who seems to understand me inside and out. And just when I start getting comfortable, I find out I'm going to have to visit the woman I love in PRISON!?

Zayne's words echoed off the walls. Both of them stood in shocked silence. Bella gaped at him. Neither of them had ever said that word to each other. But now in a moment of passion he had let it fall from his lips, and without even having to think about it he knew it was true. He loved her.

?I...oh, Zayne, I love you too,? she cried. They came together as one, holding each other desperately, as though they could hold back the future. Bella lowered her head into his hair, and he could feel a warm wetness spreading from her eyes. With some difficulty he managed to reach his arms around her, and hugged her tight against him.

?It doesn't change anything,? she said finally. ?By Monday they're going to know that I've been stealing, and that'll be it.?

?No!? he shouted, pulling away from her. ?I'm not going to lose you now. Come on, we've got three days. Think! There's got to be something we can do.?

She shook her head. ?There's just no way. I've been too obvious, they couldn't help but find out.?

Zayne began to pace. ?Okay, so...they're going to find out. We can't change THAT part. What can we do so that it doesn't MATTER if they know??

Bella looked at him quizzically.

?Palladian is concerned with only one thing ? profits,? he continued. ?If we can make it too expensive to go after you, make it so it isn't worth their time, they'd leave you alone.?

?And how are we going....? She paused, looking at the ceiling tiles. ?Bad publicity,? she whispered.

?Yeah....? he said, smiling for what felt like the first time in ages.

?If this drug hits the market, and nobody wants to take it....?

?Because they've seen the potential side effects....?

?The company would want to do anything to keep that story away from the media!? Bella finished, looking triumphant. Then her face fell. ?But I'm not exactly the ideal example of a victim of some hideous medical experiment gone wrong.? She kicked the desk. ?God, why do I have to be so fucking hot??

Zayne stroked his chin in thought. ?How much do you like being tall?? he asked.

She cocked her head at him. ?I already told you. It's great. What's your point??

?What if you were...bigger? I mean, a lot bigger. Big enough that, if word got out, there'd be a huge public outcry against Palladian. We could claim that you overdosed as a result of some sort of addictive side effect. It wouldn't even have to be blackmail ? we'd just go to them with the story, and a gigantic Bella to back it up, and they'd be begging US to keep quiet.?

Her eyes widened. ?It could work! It really could.?

?But the question still stands,? he said, looking up at her seriously. ?How much do you like being tall? Because if we do this, there's no going back. You'll be....?

?A freak,? she completed his sentence for him. There was a long pause as they both considered the implications. At last, Bella grinned at him happily. ?As long as I still have you, it doesn't matter.?

?I was going to say the same thing. No matter how big, or how small, I'll always love you. I'm in this until the end.?

?Agreed,? she said, and they kissed on the deal.