[make_her_grow]

Ok, here's part 3. A bit more on plot, story and possible villains set up!

“Origins” part 3

She smiled fondly at him as she started crying. He could see her tears of gratitude as her head begun to go under. “Thank you. You were always the only family I-” She didn’t have time to say more. Now the only visible part of her body were her hands, which were still holding onto the branch.

Greg couldn’t believe this was happening. Why in the hell is she sinking? I’m pulling as hard as I can here. He almost yelped in surprise as realization struck him. No…she isn’t being PULLED under, could she? He looked down at the goo. It wasn’t any solid one color, more like a mix of different shades of orange. The stench of it all still filled his nostrils but he couldn’t afford to dwell on it long. What the hell is this stuff?

Feeling her sink once again, he could see now even her hands were almost under. Rallying one last push of effort, he dug his own feet into the bridge as much as they’d allow and pulled with everything he had left. He thought he would be forced to accept defeat, until what ever was playing tug of war with him finally decided to let go. Kirsten came shooting out of it almost like a canon and landed with a thud as he fell backwards, winded.

Flat on his back, Greg forced himself to sit up to check on her. Coughing and gasping for air, his best friend was slowly recovering facedown.

“Kirsten?” He asked nervously. “You ok?”

“Ye-yeah.” She replied, still gasping. She raised herself to her hands and knees, looked up at him and smiled. “I’ll never take oxygen for granted again.”

Not being able to take it any longer, they both burst out laughing, happy to be alive.

“Thank god you’re alive.” Greg said in relief. “I don’t know what I would’ve done…” he trailed off.

She crawled over to him and placed her warm hand on the side of his face. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

She smiled gratefully. “For not abandoning me, and” she leaned forward and locked lips with him. He couldn’t believe this was happening either. Usually only heroes get the girl. At first he was nervous and froze, but eventually he eased into it. The moment seemed to last an eternity before he realized something.

Why are her hands and faced dry already, that can’t be right.

Finally she leaned back, looking more fondly at him then he ever remembered her looking before. “For saving my life, of course.”

There was silence. They just sat there, looking into each other’s eyes. He didn’t want to bring up this latest mystery, but he looked behind her. The goop was still on the bridge. He looked at her. Her clothes were still damp and dripping with the stuff. But her skin was completely dry. No, now’s not the best time to bring that up.

“So, shall we get back and report what happened?” Greg suggested. “The police will want to know. Besides, this place stinks.”

“Yeah, I never want to see it again.” She agreed.

They headed back to the main lodge. They didn’t know if they would meet up with their would be thieves again so they were more cautious about it. As a result it took them almost an hour for what should have been a 20-minute shortcut.

To their surprise they already saw cop cars lined up outside with lights flashing. With his arm around her shoulders, they moved in cautiously. Suddenly they heard a voice.

“There they are!” the local park ranger called. With it being night they didn’t get a chance to see the Ranger was huddled with a group of officers with what looked like a map of the park. She smiled in relief at them.

“Thank god, the mugger said you were in trouble. We were just about to send help.”

“Help?” Greg asked. “How did you guys know already?”

“Ah yes, about that.” The Ranger said victoriously. “Apparently, the guy you whacked with the ranch got it worse than the other two. His leg’s busted.” She pointed a thumb in his direction. He was cuffed and sitting on an ambulance bed, being checked out by an EMT while being read his rights by an officer. “As you can see he’s not talking yet. But we’ll get the other two now. Good job.” She clapped Greg on the back.

“Well at least we got one of them.” Kirsten said bitterly.

“We have them all now.” Her smile widened. “Unfortunately for Mr. Thief there, he decided and went to go give himself a custom tattoo a few months back. A nice little dragon entwined with some stars, to be exact. While we were getting ready to come after you lot, we cross-referenced that Tat with parlors that would make that for him and got a hit. Meet Mr. Jones. Mark Jones, to be exact.”

Greg laughed. “You think he’ll flip on his friends?”

The Ranger’s brown eyes frowned. “Don’t mock the system, kid. Unless he wants to face assault, assault with intent to kill, MULTIPLE theft and burglary charges solo, then that’s the plan. He’ll do what’s in his best interest in the end.”

“Good.” Kirsten said. She turned to her friend, no, her hero. Though he didn’t know it, she was beginning to see him in a new light. She smiled. “I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to go home.”

“Home, you sure?” He was caught off guard. “We still have a whole week.”

She nodded. “I’m sure. After we fill out the reports, I’m ready to go home.”


Elsewhere, a few miles away from the park, three hours later, just on the outskirts of the city Greg and Kirsten resided in, there lives a mysterious conglomerate. No one outside of its walls really knows what they do or are about as they guard even their most casual secrets most jealously. All anyone not working for them ever sees is a VERY large, gun-metal gray building with three, large smokestacks, each with the curious logo of two trees fused together with in a circle.

Inside the corporate castle, in the CEO’s equally impressive and large and spacious office, the main man of the company was having the worse headache of the day. He read the report again. His brow was drenched in stressful sweat. His sleek, lack hair may have looked sharp, but his stone cold blue eyes were frowned in worry.

Sitting at his desk, he read the report a third time. Then, sighing in resignation, he looked up at his personal assistant, a younger blonde woman. “Have these reports been confirmed?”

“Yes.” She replied coolly. “The contamination happened at approximately 8:30 this evening. Our inside sources at the local P.D. and at the State Park both confirmed it.”

He pounded his desk in frustration. “We put up those signs. How in the hell did she get dunked?”

“Thieves, sir. Three of them.” As she read off from her own copy of the report. “One of them was caught and is expected to plead out in exchange for info on the other two.”

“Any of them contaminated?”

“Negative.” She shook her head. “The only other possible is another man she was with, her best friend apparently.”

“There’s something, anyways.” He nodded. “One she undergoes the mutation symptoms, we can use him as leverage down the road if we have to. Keep him under surveillance and keep those two alive.”

“And the muggers?”

“Eliminate them.” He ordered. “But make it look like they were killed by gangs or something. We can’t e connected with this.”

“Understood.” She said.

“And, Ms. Kelly? How long does she have?”

“If her symptoms manifest the same way as the last, um, subject, it’ll take ten days for the main transformations to be completed.” She explained. “In the initial stages, she’ll experience a severe hormonal imbalance. Doctors may suspect anything from minor hormone fluxuation to pregnancy. Physically this will manifest itself in major mood swings, enhanced feelings, and VERY increased sex drive.

“And, the BIG changes?”

“That happens about 6 days after contamination. Physically she’ll start experiencing enhanced senses. Sight, smell, and hearing particularly. Her bone structure and organs will strengthen drastically. Then-” She shuddered. “Well, you know what happened on day ten. We are still fixing the R & D departments’ roof and walls.”

He nodded in understanding. Standing up, he straightened out his red silken tie and his black multi-thousand dollar suite.

“So, ten days until the fun begins it is, Ms. Kirsten Kelly.”