Radio Zelda 2: Never Say Never Again

(kronos_recker and taracobi)

NOTE from author: Before reading this, it is strongly recommended that you read The Return of Radio Zelda if you haven't already. This story will make much more sense after you've read that story.

Chapter One: Brains and Beauty

Ian Jenkins was falling.

That was as much as he could tell at the moment.  From the moment he had stepped into that damned portal, he had been falling.  He didn’t know how long he had been, or how much longer it would take for him to reach the bottom of this supposed abyss, but he knew that he had to hit rock-bottom sometime.

He had decided to stop screaming a while ago, when he realized that no one would be hearing him and if this went on forever, it would probably be best to save his voice.  No sense in falling to his death AND being hoarse.  The memories of the past few days were still fresh in the young man’s mind.  They had come, towering and terrible, to his world, to his home, to wreak havoc and destruction on the hapless populace.  The giantesses were cold and calculating, brutal and beautiful, able and alluring, and if you had not been able to figure it out yet, reversely alphabetic.

There had been a few bright spots… Aeris, of course, was always one… Ruby, Zelda, Harle, YuRiPa… but it still didn’t keep all of the United States from being crushed like insects, literally.  And here he was, one of the last survivors, being thrown through an abyss that led to God-knows-where.  That didn’t bother him.  What bothered him was that he said he would see them again, his giantess friends, and now he was stuck.

‘This abyss is stupid.’ He thought, ‘It’s all dark and stuff.’

That’s when the light at the end of the tunnel came.

The Fair was finally coming to an end. Lucca Ashtear breathed another sigh, absently picking up a wrench, only to set it back down and stare off into memories again. Too many things had come to an end at once, and even after weeks it seemed like just days before. Disassembling the Teleporter and carting it away drove that home hard.

Not that the thing wasn't already shut down, likely permanently.  Her Dad had left it running and himself running in a frantic sort of guard duty the whole time they'd been gone. But pulling the plug was almost the first thing she'd done once Ayla, Glenn, Robo, and Magus....no, Janus....had returned to the times they belonged in. At least, Ayla, Robo, and Froggie had. Janus....who knew. Wherever Schala was, eventually, she hoped. Maybe then he'd actually smile a little, or at least not scowl.

Robo....her next great invention was going to be a robot even better than Gato. No matter how the bleak future may have been altered to save the world from Lavos, she would do everything she could to see he would be built. She only wished she could see it happen, know it happened....

She shook her head. She was probably looking as sour as Janus right now. “Cheer up.” she admonished aloud, grabbing the wrench and using it at last in earnest. She had told her Dad she wanted to do this alone....he might come around looking for her, if she didn't show up sometime this month. Some things came to an end, but a lot more continued on. Crono and Marle....she couldn't help but grin. He was almost red as his hair every time he looked at the Princess, now. Who would have thought the bratty boy she used to play hide-and-swipe-Lucca's-glasses-so-she-can't-seek would become the next King of Guardia? It'd be a scary thought, if he didn't have Lucca The Great to pin his ears when he needed it.

And, her Mom and Dad....Lara walked Taban home, once they were both certain their daughter wouldn't be swallowed up by the continuum again. Walked, with legs she now would never realize she'd once lost.

Rrrrrip.

Lucca scrambled back, goggling. That wasn't the canvas draping the Teleporter. That was the tearing of timespace. How!?

A portal pushed opened, tumbling out Ian moments later.

“D’GAH!!” Ian yelped aloud in surprise and pain.  He had just been flung through an abyss and he had forgotten how hard the ground was when one hadn’t been standing on it for a while.

However, with the realization that he was actually on solid ground, the pain was quickly forgotten and the disgruntled yelp had turned into a sob of unsurpassed bliss.  “GROUND!!” he choked gleefully, “SWEET MERCIFUL GROUND!!  HOW I HAVE MISSED THEE!”  To show his appreciation to the ground for breaking his fall, he started to kiss it, all the time, singing its praises and promising, devotedly, to never ever leave it again.

When he finally got a hold of himself, Ian stopped his affair with the ground, and lifted his head up to take in his surroundings.  Frowning a bit, he gingerly got to his feet, continuing to look about the place.  “…Huh… …this place is familiar… yet, somehow…”

His eyes finally fell on Lucca.  The wide eyes, entranced with the ground before, got as wide as the genius’s glasses.  Leaning in a bit closer, he lowered his voice to a whisper, as if it were a dream and that the slightest sound would wake him up and he would still be falling through the abyss.

“Are you… …Lucca Ashtear?” he asked quietly.

“GYAH!”

No, not a dream, for that sound was hardly slight. Ian winced at the girl's cry as she practically dove over the heap of machinery behind her.

A stranger from timespace, who knows who she is. Impossible....she lay there reeling on that a few pounding heartbeats, legs sprawled over the Teleporter and head lolling against her tool bag, wondering if she wasn't dreaming herself. Maybe she was, this was sort of comfortable, and she had been drifting along over everything that had happened....

She jolted upright, staring. Nope. He was still there.

It wasn't her doing. It couldn't have been her doing. The Teleporter was useless, and the pieces of the Gate Key were back at her house, safe in a locked chest. How.....why.....?

“I am.” she forced her voice calm, and tried to straighten her tunic and hip-pouch casually, as though she somersaulted over her inventions all the time. The guy wasn't armed, at least, not that she could see. Her fingers brushed over her holstered Wondershot, then swept up to shove her glasses back up her nose. “Who are you?”

Ian scratched at his cheek with a finger, blinking.  Well, that was an unexpected reaction, especially if she had gone through all time and space to beat the crap out of Lavos.

He winced for a second.  Ooh.  What if she HADN’T yet and wasn’t USED to that?  He shook his head.  No sense in keeping stuff now…

“I’m sorry if I scared you.” He said calmly, pulling Antonelli’s gun out of his pocket.  For a brief moment, he thought he saw her hand go toward her holster.  Oh, no no no, he didn’t want that.  Quickly, he lowered down and put the gun on the ground, kicking it aside, “Please, I’m not here to hurt you, I promise… my name is Ian Jenkins.”

Her eyes switched from the gun on the cobblestones to him to the gun again, hand still tight on the Wondershot. She bent and snatched the weapon up, then stepped back.

Ian Jenkins....that still didn't answer much, but it wasn't a name from beyond this world or time. The gun he'd tossed down, though....she shoved it into her hip pouch, guarded still. “Why are you here, then? How did you even get here?”

“Um…” Ian rubbed the back of his neck, “That’s a bit complicated, and I don’t know if you’ll be able to believe it.  So… let me see if this sounds familiar to you first…”

With that, he pointed directly at her, in a sort of ‘GETALOADOFTHISSSS’ sort of pose, “LAVOS!!”

Her jaw dropped, and the rest of her face seemed to be swallowed up by her widening eyes. “What ABOUT Lavos!? We finished it! Right!?”

Ian’s face seemed to melt in relief, as his hand moved from rubbing his neck to rubbing his chin, as he paced slowly, back and forth in front of her, “So you did that already… good.  No, nothing about Lavos, you finished it good.  I just wasn’t sure if you had done it already or not.  That’ll make things easier to explain.”

He stopped in front of her, arms folded, “I’ll put it bluntly.  I don’t have a Gate Key, I don’t have anything like that.  But I’m not from this time, and I’m definitely not from this world.”

He then launched into an explanation of everything that had happened.  The Philadelphia Experiment, Radio Zelda, the invasion of the VGGTSes, Antonelli, and the absolute, utter destruction of his home, and possibly everywhere else.

“…so I stepped into the portal… and was thrown through time and space, and plopped into your lap.” He gave a weak grin.

Lucca The Great merely blinked, mouth working silently as though on answers she didn't have.

He had to be telling the truth, fantastic as it was, she supposed. How else could he have gotten here? There were good reasons to be suspicious, she was sure of it, but trying to think of them was good for nothing except headaches. Until further notice, she'd simply believe, and trust what she sees.

“I'm so sorry.” she managed at last. “I can see about getting you a room at the inn....but how do you know about me?  About us?  WE aren't some kid's game.”

“Well, uh…” again with the sheepish grin, “…you are, sorta.  BUT… I can see firsthand that you’re also quite real, and… uh…” his mind trailed off for a moment.

Well, great… now that he was here, what could he do?  Live in Guardia for the rest of his life?  In a sudden thought, his hand dove into the pocket where he had kept the G-Man’s remote and inwardly sighed with relief when he felt it there.  Good.  At least it wouldn’t fall into anyone else’s hands while he still had it.  The remote forgotten for the moment, his mind went back to what he was going to do.  He didn’t exactly MIND being in Guardia or anything… where he really wanted to be was back home… in bed…  Ian sighed mentally.  He knew that would never be able to happen.  It was gone now.  And there was no way to bring it back or change what happened.

‘Change what happened…?’ he thought.

His eyes, diverted from Lucca up to the sky, opened wide.  He still stared at the clouds.  He damned them.  Damn the fluffy, white clouds.  They would not hinder him!  “Lucca…” he began, “…I don’t think it’s a coincidence that I’m here…”

Lucca ground her fists into her hips, raising an eyebrow. “I think it is, if you're telling the truth. How are we a kid's game, in a world that isn't even ours?”

The very idea was sort of an ego feed. Heros across worlds, and it all began with her invention....her pride would gobble it up to the bursting point, if it weren't for the rest of the story the strange guy told. Giants destroying his world....stamping it flat like bugs on the floor....

And here she was, stomping over him with a million questions. Questions that she wanted answers to, but she wasn't that heartless. “Look. Maybe you should get some rest....?”

“I don’t want rest…” Ian replied shortly.  He got the feeling that she didn’t entirely believe him yet.  Well, no kidding.  Who would?  But at the mention of rest, he crouched down lowly, rubbing his face.  He had gone two days without sleep, from the day the rampage started, November 6^th, ‘til November 8^th, when the rampage stopped.  He was tired.  VERY tired.  “…but I guess I do need it…”

“Yeah. You can lose a million years of sleep in timespace, literally.” she nodded, attempting a smile. The guy seemed harmless enough, and to be stranded so far from home....fact or phony story, she knew that feeling.

“Let me take you there. It'll be on me.” she added, though she hoped he had some money on him, or what passed for money where he was from. She could practically feel Crono's disbelieving frown on her, but stronger still she felt a growing excitement. She'd touched on the mysteries of Time itself....now, just maybe, there were mysteries of Space as well, beginning with this unlikely clue.  If it was a puzzle not meant to be solved, too late. A missing piece was here, and she couldn't just leave it until she found where and how it fit.

She stooped to grab up the canvas bunched around the Teleporter, tossing it over the partially dismantled machine. Maybe nothing had come to an end, after all. “Are you up for a little walk?”

Ian slowly rose from his crouched position and stretched, “Yeah… I still remember how my legs work, at least… thank you…”  Sigh.  This was hard.  He had a feeling that he was going to be probed and prodded like a research specimen by this supposed ‘mad genius’, though she seemed to be nice enough, if not skeptical as all hell.

‘Surprised that she doesn’t think I’m crazy…’ he thought, ‘…Then again, she and her friends traveled time to save the world.  Pot and kettle, really.’

“…when I’m done napping, can we talk further?” he asked.

“Oh, you bet.” she assured brightly. “You aren't gonna drop from the sky and scare me half to death without giving me all the answers I want.”

“Good.” He breathed, “…because I’m going to need your help… and badly.”

Her expression softened a bit, and she patted him on the shoulder. He sure sounded lost. “Well, I'll do whatever I can. If you know me at all, you gotta know that.”

Ian smiled faintly, “…yeah… I know… …listen, uh… I know your fondness for machines and gadgets and stuff…” he dug into his pocket and brought out the remote.  The same remote that brought him there.  The same remote that brought the VGGTSes to Earth.  The G-Man’s weapon.  “This is the device that was used to bring me here as well as the girls to Earth.” He explained, “…You can study it while I’m unconscious… but please don’t break it.  It’s vital to my idea…”  He handed it over to her.

She took it carefully, turning it over and about before pocketing it away with his gun. "I won't. Let's just get you to that inn."

It looked innocent as the Gate Key had, except this thing apparently covered travelling between worlds as well. Studying it was something she wouldn't attempt until she'd seen it in action.....and like the Gate Key, understanding it would take a talk with its creator.

Ian muttered an acknowledgement to her and moved for the exit to the telepod area.  What a trick this was going to be.  Oh, but if it worked… if his idea worked… then it would be the best thing that could have happened during this entire miserable experience.

‘How I hope…’

The next morning (or rather, afternoon, considering how late Ian slept), Ian was out of the inn, refreshed and feeling the cleanest he ever had in days.  Hoorah for showers.  He moved through the small village of Truce, ignoring the gazes of the townsfolk, who weren’t exactly used to his clothes.  Finally, he trekked across the bridge to the lone house on the island.  Inventor’s Island, it was called.  The home of the Ashtear family.  Coming up to the door, he took a deep breath and knocked several times.

Lara Ashtear answered, and only needed a glance to appraise the stranger standing on the doorstep. She smiled warmly. “You must be the friend Lucca told us about?”

Ian rubbed the back of his neck with a grin, “Yes, ma’am, that’d be me.  You’re her mother, Lara, right…?”

“Yes. She said you were new to Guardia.....I think she was a little worried about you.” she stood to one side, then, offering him to enter. “She stopped by this morning, but you were still asleep. She should be at Leene Square by now.”

He stepped inside and gazed about the place.  Machines, machines, machines, scattered all over the place.  Yeesh, and he thought HE was unorganized and messy.  But that was because he was lazy.  Lucca actually built stuff.  Case in point, the deactivated Gato sat in one corner of the room.  “Leene Square, you said…?”

She nodded, stepping over her husband's and daughter's scattered works-in-progress nonplussed. “She had to bring her machine back from the Fair. Have you had breakfast? She might be a while.”

He seemed a very nice boy, quiet and polite, not unlike Crono. Lara felt thankful he'd shown up. Her daughter had always kept herself mostly apart from others....since she returned from everywhere that machine had sent her, she had become positively hermetic.

He inched in a bit, amazed at what his eyes soaked in.  He’d never seen such things from Earth.  Sure, plenty of the usual mechanics and such, but this stuff was incredible.  Ian tore his eyes away to look back at Lara, “Oh, um… no, not yet…” he replied, rubbing his neck.

She brightened, and hopped over what appeared to be a tiny imitation of Robo to head for the kitchen . “We still have some left, if you want. Lucca is always too busy to eat much. I've never been to El Nido, do you like it there....?”

Ian looked at the Robo lookalike.  It just looked so cute.  He wanted to pet it.  Then, out of left field came a question about El Nido.  He blinked and looked up to Lara, “Pardon me?”

“Lucca told me you were from El Nido. I knew she exchanged letters from someone there, I just never knew it was you.” Lara didn't look back. She'd already zeroed in on the morning's ample leftovers, and set about getting them warmed them up.

‘Awwwwwkwaaaaard…’ Ian thought, then cleared his throat. ‘Hoo-boy.  BS, don’t fail me now.’

“Oh!  Yes, indeed, sorry.” He replied, “It’s a fairly nice place, if you like the tropics…”

“Heh, I've never seen the tropics.” she chuckled, adding two fresh eggs to the pan that was re-sizzling the sausages. “I can barely stand the summertime here. Guardia must seem very different, then....”

“Not nearly as humid, really… it’s a pleasant change.” He shifted a bit, watching her cook, and looking over the place.  Casting a glance to the floor, he blinked to see what looked like a tiny person dart out from under the fridge, waving its arms and calling up to him for help.  Blinking and shaking his head again, his vision cleared again, and saw it was just an ant, which darted toward the stove.  Apparently, the potential gain for a single ant to claim all that was good and holy in that frying pan would surely raise his rank in antdom.  He might even be able to get in good with the Queen.

Ian managed a lopsided smile in spite of himself.  What sort of wacky-ass thinking was that?  But the moments before he realized what it actually was… he sighed inwardly.  Those images of home were never going to leave him.

She turned, sliding the contents of the skillet onto a plate. “Mm.....you build things too?”

He looked back up quickly, ant fantasy gone for the moment, “Hm?  Build?  Oh, no, no, no… I write.”

Lara chuckled. “Ah, I see. Lucca does like people to know when she's built something.”

“And I, eh, sure let the people know, heh.” He grinned faintly.  Hoo-boy.  Well, he was able to keep this up so far.  The ant was pissed, now.  Ian could tell.  He had been in just the right position to get up to that skillet, now the delicious FOODSTUFFS had been moved.  Thusly, he had to move, too.

“I know she'll have a lot to tell you this time....did she even tell you anything about the Millennial Fair yet?”

Lara’s voice broke his trance again.  Huh?  Something about the Millennial Fair… did Lucca tell him…?  “Um, no, no she didn’t…” he replied with a brief shake of his head.

“Oh.....best let her tell you, then.” she frowned faintly. “I barely understand it myself.”

“I’ll be sure to ask…” Ian nodded, rubbing his neck.

"Maybe you'll be able to explain it to me, then." The smile returned, and she shook her head. “I think you noticed, I need to get back to housecleaning. If you're still hungry once you're done, just let me know, all right?”

“Oh, sure, no problem.” He nodded, “Thank you very much again.”  He began to munch the food that he had, and he noticed the ant again, this time start off back toward the fridge, as if to say ‘I’ll get you next time, Gadget.  Next time.’

Alone in the kitchen, now, and quiet save for the racket of Lara's attempts to straighten the mechanical chaos in the parlor and the curses of an ant he could not hear.  He sat back, chewing thoughtfully on his sausage, waiting for Lucca to return.  Hopefully, she still had the Gate Key on her… and since she had the remote which he had given her…

He sat forward, thinking again.  Could it work?  If the two technologies were combined… could it actually work…?

Ian had time to digest both breakfast and food for thought when he heard the front door.

“Anyone home?” Lucca called out.

“Don't bring that thing inside just yet!” Lara barked sharply in reply, with a crash and a bang from whatever was being organized at the moment.  Ian looked up at the sudden noise and put his fork down, moving to the doorway to see what the heck was going on.

“Ian!” she grinned. “I thought you were going to make up a million years' sleep, at the rate you were going.”

“Hi, Lucca.” He nodded, “Sorry… heard you came to find me this morning and I was still asleep.”  He shifted a bit, “…Guess the, uh, cruise from El Nido sort of put me out of it.”

She nodded, not missing a beat. “It would. Come on, I'll show you what Mom doesn't want me dragging inside.”  Ian nodded and went back in to put his plate in the sink before heading back out to meet Lucca. 

She herself would have to thank Luccia for the alibi, even if the other woman was unaware. Lucca stepped out to the wagon, suspecting somehow this guy already knew what the Telepod was.

Sure enough, when he came out to it, he pointed, “That the thing you somersaulted over the other day?”

Cheeks flushed, she pretended to be preoccupied with snugging the tarp about it. “Do you know what it is?”

Ian nodded, “Mmhmm… instantly go from here…” he tapped one pod of the teleporter, still tarped then dashed to the other one, “…to here!”  He then turned back to her, “But please don’t be wearing any magical pendants otherwise, you’ll end up ripping a hole in time and possible even space as well.”

“I really gotta figure out how you know all this....enough to make it some kind of game.” she murmured, watching him.  A civilization advanced enough to make the gadget he gave her could easily have means of spying on other worlds. That was an uncomfortable thought, one that kept her up much of the night, though she highly doubted this guy was one of the creepy peepers. But, still....that little device had literally crushed a whole world....

He bit his lip.  Okay, maybe his version of humor wasn’t the smartest thing to use in this situation.  “Um… sorry.” He apologized, “…I know you had plenty of questions the other day… so go ahead and ask, if you want.”

“Heh.....this game, for starters. I expected to make a name for myself in my world, not others. Do you guys make watching other worlds a habit?”

Ian folded his arms a bit, looking and scuffing at the ground, “…it’s not like we’re voyeurs…”  For now, he decided that he would not mention the fanfics that went around on FanFiction.net.  “…the short and the long of it is that all this, up until the point where you guys beat Lavos, was in a game called Chrono Trigger.  …We control you, Crono, and the rest on your quest to beat Lavos and save the world.  That’s all we think it is, a game.  You’ve got to believe me when I tell you that most everyone would not think that it’s real.”

She reached in her hip-pouch to pull the remote free, looking it over again thoughtfully. “Just some people are watching, then. You did say this Antonelli pretty much worked alone.” She couldn't help it....she grinned up to him, the weight of the situation bullied aside by something much bigger.

“So, am I as cute and smart in the game as I really am?”

“Goddamn right.” He blinked, rubbing the back of his neck, “I, uh, dig the glasses.  It’s a good look.” He gave her a thumbs-up.

Color returned to her cheeks, and she tried adjusting said glasses, which were already where they were supposed to be. She wasn't expecting an answer like that. “Uh, um, thanks.” she managed, fingers then deciding her scarf needed straightening. “I sort of need them.”

“I didn't do much other than look at this thing, don't worry.” she held the remote out. “If I take it apart, I may never get it back just the right way.....and you need it to get home, right?”

‘Okay, just stop now.  You can’t do humor, and your charm is lacking, at best.’ His brain told him, ‘Just stop before you make a bigger fool of yourself.’

He cleared his throat, “Perhaps… but, I want you to.  This is why I need your help.” He breathed deep again, then spoke, “…I want to combine the technology of the Gate Key with the technology of the remote so I can go back in time to my world and stop this rampage from ever happening.”

She chuckled, looking at the remote again. “A challenge, huh?”

“I’m one of the very, very few that survived.  I can’t exactly do nothing about it.” He shrugged sadly.

It was still so hard to imagine a world simply stepped out underfoot. She winced to remember every bug she'd ever squashed for her mother.

“I told you, I'll see what I can do....” she reached out to grip his forearm. “Maybe this was coincidence, maybe it wasn't, but with Lucca The Great helping you out, SOMEthing's going to happen. It might take time....but I have all the time we need with the Gate Key, huh?”

Ian nodded a bit, “Indeed, and I thank you… that’s why I think it wasn’t a coincidence… that I managed to contact you, and have the chance to keep it from happening.”  He wasn’t exactly a religious sort, but he had heard about God’s hand being on things.  This might have been one of them.  “…I know I can count on you.”

“Mm.” she nodded. “Guess you already found out the story I told my Mom and Dad about you.”

“Yeah, I’m some island kid that you’ve been writing to for a while.” He replied with a grin, “Works as well as anything, I suppose.”

“Heh....I've really been writing to another scientist. But they don't need to know she's the only one I talk to.” They've worried enough for a lifetime, she figured. "So, you're covered.....right down to those interesting clothes you've got."

Ian had an idea of who it might have been she was writing to on El Nido, but he didn’t want to press the issue.  It was immaterial.  There were things that needed to be done.  He shrugged, “In any case… when might we be able to work on this?”

“Soon as we get upstairs to my room.” she nodded, sliding it back into the pouch. “I can work on it, and you can keep answering any questions that come to mind. Deal?”

“Deal.” He replied, “…thanks a lot.”

“If I solve the mysteries of space and time, I'll owe you.” she winked. “Whoever's been making a load of money off my story will be the one to owe me.”

God help Square-Enix.  Ian was positive that somewhere, somehow, there were tons of Square characters with sucky endings that had a union and were going to march on their offices.  He chuckled idly at the thought.

Lucca had already turned to head back inside. “Come on!”

Her eyes fell on the tiny Robo model when she opened the door. She grinned. Maybe nothing had really come to an end, after all.

And still the ant was plotting.  Those leftovers would be his.

Chapter Two: The Devil and the Saint

Lucca The Great!

The afternoon had dragged to night, and now, the sky was slowly brightening as the sun tried to drag itself from bed for morning. But that wasn't how Lucca Ashtear kept track of her days. She gave a smug smirk, and gave the new and improved "remote" a final tweak here and there. It had been a timesaver....pun unavoidable....that she'd already disassembled the Gate Key before Ian had dropped by. Another pun. She giggled giddily, and turned to display it to him like a trophy.

“Maybe it wasn't a coincidence, after all.”

Ian’s eyebrow raised and he whistled, “Damn… you ARE good!”  The remote basically looked the same.  It was larger now, had a few more buttons here and there, a few more dials, but it basically looked the same.  Easy enough to get a grip on.  But Lucca was everything she was in the game and more.  She really was a genius.  An unmistakable, unwavering, undeniable genius.

Lucca the Great indeed.

“…How might we test it, to see if it works?” he asked.

“Hm.” she glanced about, then grabbed a piece of paper amid the heap on her desk and started scribbling furiously.

Mom, Dad,

Ian and I went to the castle, so I could introduce him to Crono and Nadia. We might stay over a couple days. Let 'em treat us like royalty too! He's not from around here, so we'll do some sightseeing after. See you then!

Love,

Lucca :D

“I don't want them going gray already.” she explained, and ducked 'round her door to tack it up amid other assorted notes and diagrams. “But, we can test it right now. There's only one way to do it.”

A push here, a turn there, and a portal was slit open from the fabric of reality itself.

“We hop in, and see where it takes us.”

Ian stepped back a bit.  Yeah, that portal was familiar, it was the same exact one that he used to throw himself from Earth to Guardia.  He rubbed his mouth slowly, staring at it, almost in a trance-like state.  It just dawned on him that he might be able to do it.  That he was standing on the threshold of changing history.  Changing the past, preventing a disaster from ever happening.  Just like in Chrono Trigger.  He grinned faintly to himself.  He actually WAS living the game now.  Captain N, eat your heart out.

“…if this works…” he said, stepping toward it slowly, “…anything you want is yours, just name it…”

He reached a hand out to brush against the shimmering blue portal.  Very tingly.  Taking another breath, he moved to enter it.

Lucca snickered, and shoved him forward to follow. “Might be sorry you said that.”

“D`GA-” was all he could manage before the two of them disappeared into the portal, which closed behind them.

A moment on the job, then a ten-day nap. Weary of the lazy Prince and his army of slackers, a lone hardworking vassal finds herself on Earth, with a giantess body to match her giant heart! Humans cower or flee before her, but her determination is as undeniable as her shoe size!

IAN: …That's whole helluva lotta determination, boss…

Justice will be done!

Smash!

Stomp!

No coffee breaks for you, humans! You're gonna be whipped into shape, or squished into goo! Then it's onward to discipline that flabby Netherworld, or mash the Prince like the couch potato he is!

IAN: In my country, there is a saying - "What is the haps, baked potato?"

Next, on Ah! Sweet Revolutionary Boss Etna, Episode Two: The Daily Grind!  You don't punch the time clock, the time clock punches you! The fight is on!

IAN: Have you ever considered producing any of these?

(NOTE: If you’ve never played Disgaea, you probably won’t get that preceding spoof.  Move along.)

The first thing that met Ian, again, was the ground.  The warp had been a LOT faster than the last time, but the landing was by no means easier.  Wincing, he slowly picked himself up off the sidewalk on which he had landed and looked around.  Hmm… still early morning, not many people out.  But the streets, the sidewalks, the buildings – they all looked like they were from-

“Earth!” he cried out, joyfully, “…And it’s still standing!!  We made it!  You did it, Lucca!”  He turned to give Lucca the mother of all bearhugs but he gaped in stony silence.

She was gone.  Lucca Ashtear was gone.

“Lucca…?” he spoke her name, looking around frantically, “Lucca…!  LUUUUUCCAAAAAA!!!”

The only response he got were the echoes of his voice drifting over the early morning sky.  Frustrated, Ian rubbed his forehead.  Great.  She was gone.  And she had the remote with her.  Maybe they got separated.  He’d never be able to ask her for that date now.

‘Date…?’

“Today’s date!” he exclaimed.  Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a newspaper dispenser just down the sidewalk, making a mad dash to reach it.  He peered inside to see the Pensacola Daily News (‘Pensacola?  Florida.  I’ve always wanted to go to Florida…’) and the date – November 7^th, 2004.  His eyes widened then his face fell.

“Oh… no…” he groaned, “…November 7^th, that’s… that’s the day everything started…!”  His eyes returned to their wide state as he looked around, “…which means…”

A sudden flurry of screaming caught his attention.  People WERE awake, but they were running.  Toward him.  And they were yelling at HIM to start running, too.  He didn’t need to ask why, he just ran.  But as they passed it, he slipped into an alley.  He wanted to see just who the hell it was this time.

Another man ran past his hiding place, screaming.  “A demon!  A DEMON!!!” he cried out, damn near tripping over his own two feet.  A demon… a giantess demon, literally?  Or a figure of speech?  He’d find out soon enough.

Just behind the escaping crowd, Ian saw and felt a massive boot crunch down on the street.

The boot was....grinning at him.

Etna smiled a razor smile, then stepped her other foot down on the cars lining the too-narrow street. Was this Earth? It had to be Earth. Those were humans, even if they were the size of roaches. She flicked her tail, startling as it punched through a tall building like her best spear. Her grin became sharper.

Wouldn't the Prince be pissed if SHE took over the human world?

“Etna.” He muttered.  Those boots of hers always unnerved him, the way they always seemed to leer.  Hell, Etna HERSELF unnerved him, and rightfully so.  Demons were supposed to be evil and manipulative, but she took it to a whole new level.  She was perfectly suited to this sort of environment, he was sure.  And the way she smashed through the building with her tail, like the Longinus spear, he knew she would be having the time of her life here.

Slowly, he peered out from they alley, only to be met with her tail again as the flat of it smashed against him.  Ian FLEW back against the building, letting loose a string of obscenities that would make a sailor blush, put a hand to his lips, and cry, “Heavens to betsy!”  That shit HURT.  Though, he did make a mental note that he was glad it was the flat of her tail, as opposed to being impaled on the tip of it.  He probably figured that hurt even more.

She glanced down, seeing a tiny human crumpled from her second tailflick, and considered finishing the job with a second swat. She'd have to find a way to teach Aramis Maximize, if he could take his mind off his pet zombies to actually learn it, and bring him here. Maximize in the human world had a most delightful bonus effect. Tiny pocket zombies! She giggled. They'd be all the rage back in the Netherworld.

Instead, she decided to scare the poor slob further. After all, Overlord Etna was going to have to keep some living subjects. “Trying to hide?” she asked sweetly, a rose not quite hiding thorns.

Ian groaned, stumbling to his feet and feeling like he’d been slammed with a two-by-four.  She spoke to him, and he immediately wanted to crumple back down into gelatin on the sidewalk.  The very sound of her voice sent chills down his spine.  But he figured if he was going to be getting away from her in one piece, he’d best work with her as best as he could.

Didn’t THIS seem familiar?

“Not exactly.” He coughed, trying to catch the air that had been knocked out of them, “…Just trying to stay out of the way, while I look for my friend.”

“Wanna check my bootsoles? That's where most of you humans are going, anyway.”

VERY familiar.

“No, thank you.” He shook his head, “I think she’d probably put up too much of a fight to get stepped on anyway.  Of course if she’s…” he stopped, dead cold.

A sudden thought just occurred to him.

“THIS…” Antonelli had brandished the remote at him with a smug smirk, “…was the REAL deal.  This, my young friend, is what brought them here.  No need to set it to any specific video game world, though it certainly can do that… I simply set it to random and pressed the button. This, Ian, can bring them here, send them home, grow anyone, shrink anyone…”

Antonelli had brought them to Earth at their giantess size.  Lucca was from a game world and she had just used the same technology as the remote to come to Earth.

Oh Hell.

“Of course, if she's a little bug, just like you....” the demoness finished, crimson eyes predatory, “Then she's probably hiding, while you're stuck with me.”

Ian didn’t bother listening to Etna, he was already panicking.  If Lucca had grown to the size of a giantess, then it was likely that the aggressive impulse in her brain was likely multiplied by whatever Antonelli had done to make the other giantesses so darn mean.  A giantess mad genius would be nothing to sneeze at.  Something to scream at, probably, but…  Not to mention the fact that the last time he went through this, he was surprised at how many of these giantesses were more than happy to let him flail and squirm under their feet, even forcing him to worship them.  Good for him, considering his foot fetish, but otherwise…

He looked up at Etna then gripped the ladder on the side of the building he was next to, climbing to the roof so he could get a better look and so she could hear him better.  He noted, however, that her giantess size did NOT change the fact that she did not have breasts.  Ian figured that his knowledge of Chrono Trigger helped him with Lucca.  Maybe his knowledge of Disgaea would help him with Etna…?  Only one way to find out.

He cleared his throat, “So, uh… you’re Etna, aren’t you?” he asked, “From the Netherworld?”

The demon girl cocked her head, watching the human clamber up the ladder. Guessing where she was from was easy, the humans had plenty of amusing stories to scare themselves into pent-up frustration. But her name....the only way most humans ever really saw the Netherworld was stuck in a Prinny skin, and even then, only her own Prinny Squad had any reason to know her name. “What makes you say that?” she evaded, leaning down. “Last I checked, I was your new Master.”

He looked like he could be a fighter; he had to have a pair to not be a sobbing heap at her boots, begging mercy she wasn't about to give. Who found out what she was planning? And what were they planning in return...?

Ian rubbed the back of his neck.  He wondered briefly why exactly she would say she was his new Master.  He figured it’d be Mistress.  Well, whatever.  Same thing.  Either way, they were always so quick to want to put the boots to him.  Literally.  Oh, well.  Might as well help her mind along, “Well, in your dreams, for one thing.  Do you know how many people your size have said that to me?  Very, very many.  There’s a waiting list.  And don’t bother saying that since you’re you, you go first, they’ve all said that, too.”  He cleared his throat, “Now then… that said, I must ask you another question – do you know how you came to be here?”

“You're good at stalling. Especially for someone I could crunch between my fingers.” she replied, wings beating a wind that nearly sent the tiny human rolling away like a dead leaf. “I asked you.....what makes you say I'm this Etna person?”

Her tail coiled behind her, swaying like a hellish cobra. “It's never too late to give you another swat, if you keep being a bad boy.”

Sheesh, was she pushy… still, if she was going to play coy with him (or try and trick him), no reason why he couldn’t try it back.

“You’re not, then…?” He asked with a snap of his fingers, “Drat.  I’m sorry.  It’s just that you look a lot like her.  I see her on TV all the time!”  This wasn’t exactly a lie.  He’d played a lot of Disgaea and really enjoyed it.  “Hyper Dimensional Demon Gal Etna!  Slayer of the evil Prince Laharl and ruler of the Netherworld!”

Prinnies didn't come back to Earth after Red Moon, did they?

“Look, enough games.” she frowned, tail sliding around her waist to snake up the building and tense alongside him. “Who told you all this?”

Ian blinked.  “…Told me?  Hell, no one’s told me anything.  …you going to tell me how you got here, because I have a fairly good idea, if you’re into outlandish theories.”

“I'll tell you if you're right, how about that?”  The demoness smirked.

“Fair enough.” He replied, and took a deep breath.  He knew he was going to have to repeat himself again and again before it was all over this time, “…let me assume that you have absolutely no idea why you’re here.  In that case, it’s because a guy here, Dr. Marco Antonelli, brought you here at giantess size to help him destroy the world.”

“No....I took a little trip here from the Stellar Graveyard. Though, that does sound like fun.” she smirked still. “It's gonna suck to be him when I do it before he can.”

Again, Ian blinked.  Took a trip from the Stellar Graveyard…?  What?  Wait a tic.  “Hold on, hold on, hold on…” he paced back and forth before her, “…are you telling me that you came here all on your own?”

“Aw, it's so cute how it learns.” she mocked, grinning. It was sort of cute, the way the little man was trying to figure things out even as certain death was indulging him. “No, I'm not telling you that, really. I just love to see that look on your face.”

Great.  Now she was being uppity.  But he didn’t let it get to him.  Still, this proved to be very troubling.

‘If Antonelli didn’t bring her here… how the heck am I supposed to get her back to the Netherworld?’  He eyed her up and down.  Then stopped short.

“Hold on here.” He looked up at her, “If you came without assistance from Antonelli, how the heck are you so gigantic?”

“A little spell called Maximize. Back there, it just makes you stronger. Here....” she chucked his chin with a fingertip. “....it makes me your Master.”

He weighed his options.  If Lucca was here as a giantess, he’d definitely find her in no time.  But the country… the less damage done, the better, and as long as Etna was focusing on him, he didn’t have to worry about all the damage she would be doing to everything else.  He had a sickening feeling in his stomach.  He had plenty of mistresses before, the last time he had to do this.  He knew it probably wasn’t going to end well for him.  Even so… it would all lead up to nothing if he couldn’t find Lucca and that remote anyway.

“Well… okay, then.” He shifted a bit, “Suppose there’s no point in arguing.”

“Well, that was easy.” she stepped back, threatening tail following her.

Ian slowly moved to the edge of the building, sitting down on it, his legs hanging over as he looked up at her, “So, what did you come here in the first place for?  Conquest?  Destruction?  Seeing the sights?”

“Yeah, those.” she was still digesting everything he'd said. “Still looking for your friend?”

“Well…” he rubbed the back of his neck, “…here’s the thing.  You know my original theory about how you got here?”

Her tail flipped and took out the building across the street as she rolled her eyes. “How could I forget?”

Ian startled at that.  That was the deadliest tail he’d ever dealt with.  “W-well…” he went on, “Thing is, it’s true.  Antonelli’s been bringing women here from several dozen different worlds at giantess sizes to crush everything underfoot.  They’re doing a good job at it.  …now, while I’m native to THIS world, Earth, my friend was native to a different world.  When she came here, I’m willing to bet that she became a giantess, too.”

“And, I'm supposed to care about this....why?”

They wanted 'em big, they got 'em big! What they weren't expecting was us to grow along with our chests! Come on, girls, there's a slobbering nation of fanatics just waiting to peek up our skirts! We'll squash their hopes and dreams along with their dirty little minds! We'll teach them the most important measure of a woman is a foot!

IAN: HEY!!  I’m not trying to peek up anything!

Next, on Mischievous Cherry-Blossom Maid Etna, Episode Two: The Nutcracker Sweet! These perverts are definitely gonna know what hit 'em!

IAN: You’ve wanted to do this for a while, huh?

“Hey, you were the one who asked about her.” He shrugged, “…I do want to find her, though.  She promised to help me stop this mindless destruction, and it’s kind of hard to do that when she’s helping to cause it.”

“Too bad you answer to me now, isn't it?” she folded her arms, tapping one grinning boot in a thunderous tattoo on the splitting concrete beneath it.

Ian had to keep reminding himself that Antonelli didn’t bring this one.  That her domineering, aggressive nature was all her own.  Then again, he wouldn’t expect much more from Etna, especially as a giantess.  And now he’d agreed to be her slave.  He wanted to kick himself for it, but he guessed it would give a lot of other folks time to get away.

“…yeah…” he uttered, “That.”

“Just, I don't know what to do with you.” she explained with a chillingly casual smile. “I'd have you grovel and do all that, but I'll have plenty of others happy to do that once I stomp enough of you flat.”

He rubbed his throat, feeling slightly sick.  He tried to remind himself that he was used to being threatened with the last adventure.  Used to facing death beneath huge feet.  He cleared his throat and swallowed hard.  He needed to play it cool.  As cool as possible, at least.  “…So… w… what, then, if there’s no reason for me to grovel?”

“Probably just make you one of them I squash.” she reached out. “If you wind up in the Netherworld as a Prinny, look me up. I'll let you join my squad. <3”

For those that have never played Disgaea, Prinnies are blue, penguin-like creatures with batwings and peg-legs.  They’re basically the souls of humans who were really scummy in the past life, like murderers and thieves and stuff.  In the Netherworld, they’re basically slaves to whoever owns them.

Ian climbed onto her hand as she did, not exactly feeling comfortable about that, but there wasn’t much TO be comfortable with around Etna.  But, he asked for it, so that was that.  “Certainly will keep that in mind, thanks.  You’d be at the Overlord’s castle, right?”

“Mm, maybe. I might find I like it here better.”  she looked at the tiny human in her palm, wondered just how close he really was to crapping himself. She slowly closed her fingers in.

He squirmed about nervously as she did.  Here?  Oh, HELL no.  Pun unintended.  “Really?” he asked, “…I’d think it’d be sorta cramped.”

“Oh, don't worry. I'll make room.”

‘Dandy.’ Ian thought with a frown.  This was getting to be less and less what he wanted to happen.

“Don't you approve?” she asked with an evil smirk, as her fingers tightened around him.

Ian grunted as she did, squirming about as her fingers closed on him tightly.  “N-not really.” He stammered out.

“May as well be honest, it doesn't matter anyway.” she remarked, delighting in his miniature struggles. This would be a lot more fun than really crushing him.

“Guh…” he dropped his head back with a breath.  Here he was, in the thick of things again.  He wondered, briefly, about any other giantesses that had come that he missed.

“Well....?” the grip pressed harder.

“DEMON!”

THAT was no terrified, tiny shriek from below. That was a booming voice, decidedly female, and decidedly pissed off. Etna jumped, nearly dropping Ian as she spun to look behind her.

As Etna’s fingers opened up again, Ian was able to see who had shouted.  Another giantess.  Oh, well, still… if she could save him from this, that’d be fantastic.  He inwardly groaned when he saw who it was.  She could help him… but…

“Yeah?” Etna replied, with more than a hint of annoyance.

Prier spun her baton forward, no quarter in her stance or eyes. “What sort of game are you playing? Why have you brought me here?”

“This one of yours?” the demoness muttered down to Ian, clenching him in once more.

“ERK… no, but I know who she is.” He replied with a grunt as she squeezed him, “Lemme down onto that roof, I can talk to her.”

Ian found himself readily tossed back onto the roof. The other girl looked down at him with bewildered brown eyes for a moment, then glowered back to Etna. “What sort of trick are you trying to pull, huh?”

He picked himself up with a grunt.  Damnit, that hurt.  But no matter, not now.  He quickly ran to the edge of the rooftop next to Prier and called up to her, “Ah, excuse me!  Miss Prier!  Etna’s not responsible for bringing you here!”

“Who are YOU?”

Sigh.  Song and dance routine again.  “My name is Ian.  This is my home.  PLEASE DO NOT BE DESTROYING ANYTHING, FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS HOLY.” He screamed.

“He's my loyal minion.” Etna offered helpfully, patting Ian roughly on the head. “I was just about to order him around before you butted in. And wow, I do mean butt.” she stared hard at the other girl's ample back end. “That REALLY grew with the rest of you.”

“HEY!!!!”

Ian rubbed his ears, squirming under Etna’s hand.  Jesus, she had a loud voice.  “Th-that’s not the point!” he tried to butt in, pun unintended, “The point is that I know who brought you here and I can send you back home, if you help me!”

“Little imp! You don't fool me! Neither of you do!”

“Oh, that's okay. I have a million of them in this place, all just waiting to crawl all over you like icky little ants.” Etna giggled, silencing Ian with an ungentle squeeze. “Don't know what you're supposed to be, but a demon owns a porn star with a nun fetish any day of the week.”

The other girl looked ready to explode, cheeks puffed out, and positively scarlet.

“I'M A DEMON HUNTER!!!!”

“MY EARS ARE BLEEDING!!”  Ian tried his best to ignore the squeezing, both hands over his ears.  Oh, this was just great.  Etna and Prier were going to go at it and he was going to be stuck in the middle.  He didn’t need this.  He needed to find Lucca and get that remote back from her before this ended up being a repeat of what happened.  “E-Etna, Prier, c-c’mon, stop this!” he tried to reason with them.

“A....demon hunter?” Etna drawled, grip tightening further. “What are you going to do, cheerlead me to death?”

“You'll see!” Prier readied herself again, jabbing a shaking finger toward the other giantess. “You're just a stepping stone to me becoming the Maiden Of Light!”

“Light? Not with that ass.”

“GRRRRRAAAAH!!!!”

Etna dodged the thrust of the baton with a laugh, running away, in the same direction she'd driven the cityfolk. “Come out, my mini minions!” she shouted. “Go and nibble the Maiden of Big Butts to death! You can live off her for years!”

The cityfolk were having absolutely none of that, as they saw Etna running towards them, and the angry giantess following her.  They would turn and start fleeing too.  Their strides weren’t nearly quick enough to outrun them, but they had to try.

Ian, on the other hand, was trying too.  He was squirming like mad in Etna’s grip, trying with all his might to get out of this situation before he could get dragged into it any further.  Slowly, more and more of his body began to emerge from her fist.

Prier had stopped in her pursuit to deliver most holy vengeance to the imps at her feet, stomping after them as though they were roaches on a kitchen floor. “I'll purify you all with my boot!”

The people in the streets below pleaded with her, crying out to her, and begging her to spare them.  Whatever deities had their fancy, they cried out to them.  Ian tried to ignore everything, concentrating on getting himself out from Etna’s hand.  Finally, he was able to get one leg out.

Etna watched the spectacle with a grin. She didn't need to look down to know her loyal minion was trying to wriggle free. “Going somewhere?”

“Getting more comfortable.” Was the muttered response, “Charleyhorses suck.  …I’m sure you’re very pleased with this, watching those people die like bugs in Prier’s absolute ignorance.”

“Isn't it great?” she positively bubbled, as another groundshaking stomp surely spelt the end for several at Prier's feet. “I hope there's more like her around.”

Ian pulled his other leg out and sat on her hand, watching with a shiver, “…There are supposed to be hundreds around… I’m sure you’ll find more.”

“Gooooood.” she giggled again, as Prier seemed determined to flatten the buildings now, so the demonic hordes would have nowhere to hide.

He rubbed his face slowly.  What a gut-wrenching sight.  It was just horrible.  Just what he had seen in his first encounter with Antonelli’s ‘secret’ weapons.  A thought struck him oddly, and he spoke up, “…I think the Prince would be proud of your deviousness here.  …gotta hand it to you, I’m sort of impressed by the way you got her to do your dirty work for you.”

“The Prince. Oh, please.” Etna frowned down, waving his words away. “He'd see her and squash them all trying to get away.”

In spite of himself, Ian couldn’t help but snicker.  Laharl’s fear of sexy bodies, breasts in general, was always strange to him.  He didn’t want to delve further into it.  But he did notice that some of the people were managing to get away from Prier and run past, as if completely ignoring the giantess demoness in their midst.

Her boots seemed leering watchdogs, then, ocassionally darting out to stamp the escapees to a stain. “Well, I suppose she's going to be coming after me soon.”

“Probably.” He replied with a shiver.  She was still continuing along on her unholy ‘holy’ rampage.  “…what happens when she decides to take notice of you again, then?”

“Mmm, dunno. Something fun.” she enjoyed the small shiver she felt from him, wondered how she might get a few more. “I could just sneak off, and let her try to find me.”

Ian closed his eyes, rubbing over his face again.  He knew the answer to the question that he wanted to ask, but still, there wasn’t a point in holding back, now.  “Will you let me go?” he asked.

“Of course not.” she squeezed as she gave the expected reply. “You're my loyal minion, and you're going nowhere unless it's under my foot.”

He sighed and leaned back against her clenched hand, “Yeah… that’s what I thought.  Figured I’d give it a shot, though.”

Her other fingers petted over him patronizingly.  “If we keep running into bimbos, I'll never get the chance to squish you.”

Ian sighed again.  He noticed that the trickle of human survivors lessened considerably.  Not only that, the earth-shattering stomps seemed to have gone quiet.  He shivered.  She must have finished ‘purifying’ the cityfolk.

“WHERE ARE YOU?” came the bellow immediately after. “NOTHING CAN SAVE YOU NOW!”

“There's our cue.” his new Master snickered, dashing away for the open highway and countryside beyond it.

Ian yelped in surprise, gripping at the gloved hand and trying not to fall.  Although… he glanced to the road before.  Maybe not now… but once they reached the country, it might not be such a bad fall.  But for now, the asphalt did not seem to be an appealing choice to break his fall, so he hung on.

‘Oh, please, let me get out of the way in case these two start fighting.’ He prayed.  For the time being, all he could do was cling to Etna as she fled the fuming Prier.  ‘…This is going to be a looooong two days.’

Oh, the divine judgement of never missing a meal! The damnation of all those between-meal snacks! This is a sin only Dance-Dance Evolutionary Girl Etna can hope to cleanse!

PRIER: MY BUTT'S NOT BIG!

A step to the right! A stomp to the left! Come on, Demon Hunter, you'll be flat as the helpless cityfolk you're stamping out in no time! Take your mind off sugary temptations by making toejam instead!

PRIER: I DON'T NEED A DIET!

Next, on Aerobic Dance-Dance Evolutionary Girl Etna, Chapter Two: Baby Got Back Comeback! Demon Hunter Prier, time to repent for all those Mooboo boo-boos!

PRIER: ....

Chapter Three: Another Story

He had heard the warnings, the sirens, and the orders of the government to evacuate.  Even as he darted through the city streets, to keep himself concealed from any giantess that might come, Micah Tinsten knew that he had to remain calm.  This could just be an attempt by the government to scare everyone into a panic.  It’d worked.  In Antwhere, Indiana, 9 AM was coming fast, and here he was, skulking around the city streets instead of evacuating and fleeing like everyone else.  He saw his friends and neighbors pack everything they could into their cars and drive off.

He would not believe.  He would not believe unless he saw.  Something as unique as women from video games being turned into giantesses had been something he thought often about.  And if this WERE true, he was sure as hell not going to miss out on it.  Not for all the money in the world would he let this opportunity slip past his fingers.  He had to see for his own eyes.  Of course, there was always some sort of lingering doubt…

That doubt was eroded quickly as he felt the ground tremble beneath his feet and the sounds of screaming reached his ears.  Climbing up the nearby apartment’s fire escape, he made his way to the rooftop and crouched behind a vent, watching closely.

Captain Lucil was frustrated, so much so she was finally allowing it to show in the frown clouding her dark face. Nooj had vanished, leaving her to herd his oft-time questionable troops alone. And now, even in this strange dreamworld she'd found herself in, they would not obey even a simple “stop”.

Micah felt as though his heart would leap out of his chest and then stop completely.  Captain Lucil… from Final Fantasy X and X-2.  So it WAS true!  It WAS!  He opened his mouth in absolute awe from his hiding spot.  He wanted to call out to her, to let her know of his presence.  But he remembered the communiqué that everyone had received, saying that the giantesses were dangerous and were not to be approached or contacted in any way.  He ran a hand through his hair, silently breathing.  Good God, how could this be?  So close to her, and yet…

The young man gritted his teeth and decided to watch and wait first.

“STOP!”

The booming voice only had the opposite effect, as cars and citizens rushed to escape.

Off to hide and gamble, or watch the latest spherecast of the blitz season, no doubt. She clenched her fist, watching them flee. Her temper was hard to control here, and she reflexively reprimanded herself for it. But....this was just some elaborate dream. She should allow herself to be angry. Perhaps even discipline these embarrassments in what the Youth League was really about.

She lifted a boot over several speeding cars, crunching them down even as they tried to swerve ahead.

On the rooftop, Micah couldn’t see what she had just done, but he could hear it.  And he fell back onto his rear behind the vent, eyes wide.  She didn’t really… did she?  He’d heard her voice pierce his eardrums, but… no, she couldn’t have… she couldn’t have.  The government couldn’t be right about these ladies, no way.  ‘Please.’ He thought, ‘Please don’t have just done what I think you just did…’  Gathering every last ounce of his courage, he slowly emerged from his spot and peered over the edge of the roof down to the main street below.  He saw her boot, twisting and grinding atop several wrecked cars and immediately, he fell back again with a gasp, desperately holding what little breakfast he’d had this morning down.  ‘Oh my God…’

That was refreshing....and there were many more yet to bring into line. She smiled down faintly as she shook her bootsole free from the machina wreckage. This would prove to be a satisfying rest. She only hoped she wouldn't wake too soon.

Despite the horror that laid before him down the street, Micah willed himself to grip the barricade that kept him from falling over the edge.  He had to get close to her.  She was still down a ways a bit, but the look on the face told him that she had actually enjoyed that.  She would likely come down near his way.  ‘Would she really… crush me…?’ he thought to himself with a sudden surge of fear than nearly forced him to run back for cover.  He shook his head sharply.  ‘N-no… I have to s-speak to her.  I have to.  This would be my only chance in a million years…’ he picked his head up again and continued to watch the spectacle of destruction slowly approach.

The captain continued to walk forward, not noticing the single tiny spectator, concentrating instead on landing a heavy stomp to another unlucky vehicle and passengers.

She was practically right in front of him.  So very close.  He felt as though he could reach out and touch her.  She was like a painting in a museum.  Beautiful, striking, bold… and as close as you could get, you could not touch.  Do not touch…  he quickly dropped the pack on his back (he had been late for school anyway before he found out it was cancelled) and pulled out his notebook and pencil, sketching the sight before him quickly.

Just because he could not touch the beauty, that didn’t mean that he couldn’t capture it himself.

As though she could feel such tiny eyes on her, Lucil chose that moment to survey her surroundings, dark eyes falling on Micah nearly as hard as a footstep.

“What are you doing?” she demanded.

Micah looked up at the question, and panic again began to set into his chest when he realized she was speaking to HIM.  ‘Oh God, Oh God, Oh God… she’s talking to me!  No, wait, she asked me a question!  W-w-well, don’t just STAND there, a-answer her!’

“I-I-I’m j-j-just s-s-s-s-staying o-o-off the s-s-streets, m-m-m-ma’am!” he replied in a meek tone, trembling hands losing grip on the notebook and pencil, letting them drop forgotten to the rooftop.

“Staying out of trouble, and out of doing your duty?” she replied, making no other move save to frown deeper.

Doing his duty…?  Staying out of trouble, yes, most definitely… but duty?  He licked his lips and chose his words carefully before answering, “A th-thousand a-a-apologies, C-C-Captain… b-b-but I d-do n-n-n-not understand w-w-what you mean b-b-by d-duty…”

“I am not surprised, sadly. None of you seem to really understand what the Youth League is for.”

Did she think he was in the Youth League?  Micah blinked.  He’d given the stolen sphere to the Youth League in-game, but he didn’t think that counted.  Did it?  He cleared his throat and spoke up, “Th-th-the Youth L-League i-i-is to b-b-better th-their understanding o-o-of Spira’s p-p-past by l-l-looking for r-r-ruins and spheres…” he paraphrased a line that Clasko had once said, “…b-b-b-but, C-Captain… I-I’m not IN th-the Youth League… th-th-this isn’t even S-spira…!”

Her eyebrows disappeared beneath her low headband. Something about this boy calmed her, despite the fact he was twisting the dream even stranger still. “What....?”

“Th-th-this i-i-isn’t Spira…!” he repeated, “L-l-look around you… d-d-does any of it look f-f-familiar to you…?”

“No.” she admitted, not that it really meant anything. She didn't recall being a giantess when she was awake, either. She frowned again.

“Th-this is a w-w-world called E-E-Earth.” He explained, “I d-d-do not know h-h-how you g-got here… n-n-nor do I know h-h-how y-you became so g-g-gigantic… b-b-but, please, I beg y-you, I plead with you, p-p-please stop crushing p-people, please!”  His voice cracked near the end, and his fear started to take control of his body.

“STOP it!” she snapped, shaking her head. He was sounding like Clasko now, and Clasko was the most infuriating, dutiful but whining he wasn't cut out for it every step of the way. She half expected to see or hear Chocobos, next.

Micah cringed at the shout, shutting up instantly.  The fear that was slowly starting to take his body started moving at a more rapid pace.  His brain was sending multiple signals to his legs to start moving, to run and not look back.  But he still stood, still frozen in place, breathing hard and trying to wrest back control of his body from fright.

“This is training.” she continued briskly. “As Captain, and acting authority while the Mevyn is gone, I will discipline as I see fit. Is that understood?”

She wouldn’t listen.  She didn’t believe him.  But what could he possibly say to her to make her understand?  If he had persisted, she would have wanted to know how he knew all that he knew about Spira, the Youth League, and everything else.  He would have had to launch into video games, and how none of it was real, and she would definitely never believe that.  He knew that he and possibly everyone else were doomed.  The government was right.

His eyes squeezed shut, gripping the side of the barricade again, “U-u-understood, C-c-captain…”

She took a step back, seeming to relax, and nodded. “Very good.”

Micah took a breath, slowly willing himself to calm down.  He wasn’t doing a very good job… but he slowly seemed to be edging away from Lucil’s bad side.  If he kept playing the part to the hilt, he just might be able to survive this.

Taking another breath, he asked, “W-w-what are your o-orders, th-then, ma’am?”

She paused. “I am not certain what your previous orders were.” she said at last. “What were you doing up there, if you weren't shirking?”

Sketching her, actually.  But that definitely would not sit well with her.  Licking his lips, he spoke, “O-On the watch, ma’am, and n-n-n-noting a-a-anyone th-that passed by.” For emphasis, he held up his notebook.

“Hm.” she narrowed her eyes to take in the tiny notebook. “Very good. You can help me in rounding up the others, then.”

That sudden surge of panic rose in his body again.  Round up the others?  She was ordering him to find his neighbors, his friends, and bring them to her?  If those cars were any indications, he knew that they would not last long.  But he’d just managed to get on her good side.  That almost guaranteed survival in his case.  But these people would not just pop back up.  This wasn’t discipline.  She would crush them all under her boots and that would be the end of it.  Without another word, he went back to the ladder and shakily climbed back down to the street level, moving along the building until he was back in front of her.  Already, the sight of her tall boots was overpowering, awe-inspiring.  She was truly a goddess on high, in this predicament.  Still, Micah was torn.  Betray the others or risk her wrath in refusing…

“They may be hard to find.” she continued, leaning to look down at the tiny figure at her boots. “Even down there.”

Micah shifted as she did so.  “Th-th-they are p-probably r-r-running, b-because th-they do not w-want to be s-squashed l-l-like bugs… y-y-you are a-an intimidating w-w-woman… e-e-even more s-so at that size.  F-f-fear t-t-took th-their m-minds…”

“If they had obeyed me, they wouldn't be in this mess now.” she sighed. “They do not see the good of Spira. They see selfish gain.”

The youth, in all his 17-year-old knowledge, didn’t understand.  Could she really have been blind to everything around her?  She still saw this as Spira, as the world that she was used to.  But it wasn’t.  How could it be?  America had its conflicting ideologies, yes, but Youth League vs. New Yevon was not it.  He frowned slightly, thinking.  There was ONE possibility… he could at least try.

“…P-p-permission to ask a frank q-question, ma’am?” he ventured.

“Permission granted.” she replied, though she had turned about to survey the surrounding cityscape.

He licked his lips and looked straight up at her, “… … …D-do you believe y-y-you’re dreaming, r-r-right now?”

She glanced down in surprise, half-expecting to wake up at that. “Of course.”

Micah blinked.  Well, that was easier than he thought.  “…C-Captain, you’re… um… y-you’re n-not.”

“Nonsense.” she shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut. “This cannot be real.”

He shivered, “…B-b-believe me, th-that’s what I keep thinking… b-b-but it is!  Y-you’re here… and a l-l-lot of others a-a-are here too.  I d-d-don’t know w-w-what’s going on, b-b-but I a-asked you t-t-to stop c-c-crushing u-us b-b-because you actually A-A-ARE c-crushing p-people… th-this isn’t a d-dream o-or an i-illusion.  I-it’s real… u-use your senses... s-s-sight notwithstanding.”  Slowly, shakily, he neared closer to her boots, “…Y-y-you can s-smell the air, f-f-feel the h-horrible c-crunching o-of people u-under your feet, h-hear their s-screams, th-their pleas…”  He shuddered harder, “…a-a-and if y-y-you had g-g-gone s-so far as t-to eat o-one or two, I-I’m sure y-y-you could t-taste it p-perfectly… p-please, Captain… th-this is no dream…”

“Impossible...!” Lucil repeated, but then she startled as a giantess footstep not her own rocked the ground.

Micah startled, too, as he had been right next to Lucil’s boots and neither of them moved.  Good God, there was another one?  His eyes darted all around, trying to locate the source.

“My, my, my, my, my.”

Summoner Dona was in her element. New Yevonites were crawling like the roaches they were before her feet, and all she had to do to remove them from her sight was to stamp them out. She lifted a colossal sandal to do just that, ignoring the pitiful cries of the scum squirming beneath its' shadow.

‘No.  Oh, no.  Oh, no, no, no, no, no.  Not her.  Please, not her.’ Micah trembled, ‘Please, God, anyone but her… she’ll crush this entire town in minutes!’

He definitely didn’t want to be caught up in her path of destruction, however, as she was still very fresh in paving the way.  He slowly backed up between Lucil’s feet and didn’t move.  Dona was frightening enough in her own way, at her regular size.  At 500+ feet tall, she could make Godzilla cower and dive back into the water.  Her flat sandals looked to be more than capable of taking a stroll on the town, ten times over.

Needless to say, today would be a very bad day for Antwhere, Indiana.

“Summoner Dona!” Lucil cried out, even as Dona's raised foot stepped in again with an audible squelch. The dark-skinned woman startled as she ground out the resulting stain, obsidian eyes widening.

“You must stop!” Lucil continued, stepping over Micah quickly to approach the other giantess.

Micah quickly got to his feet (he had tripped when Lucil stepped forward) and moved in slowly to get in on this.  But he realized…

‘She wanted her to stop…’ Micah thought, ‘…when she herself had been trying to squash us… …maybe she believes me?’

Suddenly, Micah stumbled forward, a sharp pain in his neck, yelping aloud as he did.  He doubted either giantess would have been able to hear.  He slowly crumpled forward and collapsed onto the sidewalk, his vision getting blurry, then darkness rushed to meet him.

The next thing Micah knew, he could heard a voice speaking.  Whether it was to him or just about him, or even if it had to do with him at all, he didn’t know.

“What a poor young fellow.” It said, “Trying to save his fellows from complete annihilation.”

‘What…?’

“What, indeed.” The voice continued, “Your ability to adapt to your situation and survive is… quite impressive, Micah Tinsten.  It reminds me a great deal of myself.”  The voice ended on a chuckle.  Micah noted that it was of medium tone, a raspy voice.  Male.

‘Who are you…?’

The voice sounded amused.  “Why don’t you open your eyes and look for yourself?”

Micah hesitated to do so, but finally did indeed open his eyes to look upon the face of his savior.  Saviors, actually, perhaps.  There were two of them, a man and a woman.  The man wore a light bluish-gray executive suit, covering skin that was paler than Micah’s own.  He looked to be in his fifties, with a crew cut that was starting to fade to gray, but not by much.  A briefcase in his right hand was clutched protectively, as if all the secrets of the universe would be in the case, and they were for the man and the man alone.  His face showed signs of age, the lines and bags under his eyes gave Micah the impression that he hadn’t slept in days.  But something about the man’s soul-piercing eyes, and his smile chilled Micah to the core, and he decided to take in the other one.

The woman seemed much more severe than the man.  She wore a sort of modified white bodysuit, but it looked more like she would be ready for combat than anything else.  Blonde hair.  In his opinion at the moment, it seemed that it would look great if she had let it down, but it was done in a ponytail that reached a little lower than her shoulders.  Some sort of weapon – a type of gun – was in her grip, and she appeared ready to use it at a moments notice.  A large pistol, it was, with a uniquely-shaped magazine.  Micah had seen plenty of guns in his life, saw in movies or played in games, and he couldn’t remember seeing a pistol quite like that.  She was an older woman, but by no means any less beautiful, and it wasn’t anything remotely Hollywood-stereotype about it.  Her face showed slight signs of age, nothing as severe as the man’s, and her blue eyes watched Micah’s every move, which he didn’t make very many of, considering the situation.

His surroundings… he couldn’t tell WHAT it was.  If anything, it looked like all three were flying through the stars.  There was no floor of which to speak of, nor walls, nor ceiling.  Just endless infinity as little balls of light streaked past.  And he knew, at that moment, he was nowhere near Kansas, let alone Antwhere.  His view of the new world was broken a moment later by the man’s voice.

“You are not like the others, Micah.” The man explained, “…while they run from what they don’t understand, you try to seek out answers.  You, admittedly, have more courage than I give most of these people credit for.”  The confused, yet blank, look on Micah’s face caused the man to chuckle again, “I can tell you don’t quite grasp what’s going on… and I sense that you’d like to know who it is you’re dealing with.”  He smiled that bone-chilling smile again, “While of course I can’t tell you my real name, you will likely hear the name Dr. Marco Antonelli come up time and time again in your travels, so you may address me as that.”  He gestured to the woman with his free hand, “And this is my… associate and my bodyguard.  She is called The Boss.”

Micah’s eyes shifted between them and he gave a stumbled, hushed, “Howdyado?”

The Boss didn’t make any effort to return Micah’s greeting, and Antonelli continued on, “I’m sure you’re wondering where you are, right now.”

 

“Th-the, uh, thought d-d-did occur to me.” Micah rubbed the back of his neck, “…Where am I…?”

Antonelli shook his head, “That is something I cannot tell you yet… but your continued existence means that you have quite interesting qualities in you, Micah.  You will continue to prove yourself.”

Micah ran a hand through his messy black hair, “P… p-prove myself…?”

“I am a fair being, Micah.  I will give you a simple choice.” He went on, “You can work for me, and follow my orders, and you will be shown the true nature of why this is happening…”

The youth’s eyes widened as he stared at Antonelli, “You… know why th-th-this is happening?!”

Antonelli ignored Micah’s outburst and went on, smiling that eerie, chilling smile, “…or I can deposit you into a situation where there will be no chance for you to survive.”

Micah stared at him in astonishment.  He knew that this man could follow through on his threat.  A sideways glance to The Boss made him wonder if the ‘unwinnable situation’ had anything to do with the weapon she carried.  She looked loaded for bear, besides.  But to know the truth about all of this…

“…your eyes betray you, Micah.” The G-Man tutted, “I can tell that you want answers.  You want to know why this is happening to your home, don’t you?”

Micah moved his head slowly to look at him, “…o-of course I do… …d-d-d-do you really know why this is happening?”

Antonelli smiled again.  Not as chillingly, this was more of a knowing smile, “Of course I do.”

The young man’s hands went to fists slowly as he stared at his feet.  He was sure that Antonelli already knew the answer.  He seemed to know everything else anyway.  But Micah’s tone was strong and determined, even as his voice was hushed to a whisper.

“Tell me.”

Chapter Four: Into the Dark

It felt like it had been an eternity since Ian had stood on solid ground.  His arms were getting tired.  He had practically wrapped himself around Etna’s gloved thumb as she had been running.  His plan to leap off hadn’t gone quite as planned.  First off, Prier had still been close behind him while they were in the countryside, and he realized that if he had jumped off then, he would have found himself stunned from the height of the drop, and would have likely been smashed to bits by Prier’s attempt to ‘purify’ him.  So all he could do was hold onto Etna and hope for the best.

Soon enough, he was able to look ahead as she ran, and started to see a very familiar obelisk getting closer.  His eyes widened.  That wasn’t just an obelisk – that was the Washington Monument!  ‘Washington, D.C.!’ he thought to himself, ‘This is just where I need to be to find Antonelli!’  As he thought this, he glanced behind him quickly and blew a silent sigh of relief.  Prier had stopped following them.  Good…

“I think you lost her.” He commented to Etna.

“She was lost to start.” the demon girl replied smoothly, though she did glance behind her a moment. Her crimson eyes then turned to her tiny captive. “You're the human. Where is this place? It smells.”

Specifically, it had a reek like the Dark Assembly. Etna surveyed the cityscape again, half-hoping she'd see a miniature Senator Foon so she could stomp him out.

“This is Washington, District of Columbia” Ian explained, “It’s the capital of the United States and the seat of power for the…”  He trailed off into some incoherent muttering, but Etna’s sharp ears were able to pick out a few colorful curses and insults directed toward some fellow named ‘Bush’.  This had been just after Election Day and Ian being a steady Democrat, he was still very bitter about it.  Yis, bitter.  “ANYWAY… this is exactly where I needed to be.” He went on, “That guy Antonelli is here somewhere and I’m going to throttle him.”

“Really? How do you plan on escaping?” she remarked dryly.

“Waiting until the army starts shooting you and make my escape.” He replied, “Washington’s the capital, there’s going to be a looootta unhappy people with big guns that don’t like that you’re in the no-giantess zone.”

She grinned, looking around again. “I don't see any yet. Seat of power, huh? Then I'll just have a seat on their heads.” She took a confident bootstep into the city, crunching vehicles and uprooting telephone poles.

Ian rubbed his chin a bit, then grinned slightly, “Could I just ask one little favor of you?”

“Not if it involves letting you go.” she giggled, and took another step. The shattering of glass and cry of metal heralded the end of the bus station. “Looks like they all ran away, anyhow. Probably straight to the bimbo.”

That’s a good point.  When disaster was going to be looming overhead, most of the politicians probably ran like hell for the safety of their bunkers.  “Well, just in case…” he pointed ahead toward the seat of power itself – the White House, “That place over there could REALLY use a giantess demon’s remodeling touch.”

Etna started to head in that direction, leering boots cracking pavement and plowing over the small buildings between her and the structure the human indicated. “Looks like a temple.”

Ian blinked and peered at it, “…Well, sort of, yeah.  That’s the White House, the home of our President.  He may be in there, he may not be, but if the world is going to be destroyed, I at least want to see that go before me.”

The demoness shrugged, and lifted a boot high. "I don't know about the world being destroyed, but I hate temples."

The impact of her stomp sent pieces of white stone shooting into the city like bullets from an Etoile.

It was just like watching Independence Day, only cooler.  Ian had to shield his eyes when the stone went flying but watched again as she continued her stomping devastation on the most well-known address in the United States.  “The world isn’t being destroyed, just this country.” He replied, “…damn that Antonelli…”

Etna raised a brow as she ground her heel into the billowing dust that was left. “So it'll get rebuilt, with a few orders from me. I don't plan on being Overlord to a total wasteland.”

“Etna, it’s time I told you a little bit about me.” Ian replied softly, “I’ve already lived through this.  This has already happened in my lifetime.  But I entered a portal that deposited me in another world.  My friend, the one who I think is a giantess now, helped me reconfigure the portal to bring me back here, but before the rampage ever started, so I could make it so it never happened.”  He shook his head, “But I came in too soon to make a difference.  Either way, by the time I left this world, it already WAS a wasteland.  There was hardly anything left to rebuild and there was nothing left to rebuild with… so if you don’t want to be an Overlord to a wasteland, you might as well leave… or help me stop the other girls… …please.”

“And I'm sure you have a way to prove this.”

“My friend had the device.” He explained, “If we can find her, I’ll be able to show you I’m not lying.”

“Hm.  A portal, huh?” Etna murmured, eyes lidded.

Wouldn't it piss the Prince off if she became Overlord in a few other worlds?

“Uh-huh.” Ian nodded, “It’s how Antonelli is bringing everyone else here.  They can go… hell, anywhere, I guess.  It’s amazing technology.”

‘Wonder how he was able to do it, actually.’ The thought occurred to him.

“I think I want to meet this Antonelli guy too.” Etna grinned.

“If only to stomp his guts out, I hope.” Ian growled lowly, “That son of a bitch…”

“Maybe after he explains the portal stuff to me.” she nodded, grin mirroring her predatory footwear.

“Heh!  Good luck with THAT, mademoiselle.” Ian barked a laugh.  He figured that’s what she was after.  “He won’t tell you anything.  He’s a slippery fish and he’ll wriggle out of any situation he’s in… wonder if he even got his last time.”

“I don't know if he could slip away if he were an insole.” the demoness peered down. “Surely you're not saying there's a way to escape me.”

“He FINDS ways.” Ian implored her, climbing up to her shoulder and waving his arms up at her, “I swear to God, he’s like in every place at once!  It’s unnerving… I swear he isn’t human.  It wouldn’t surprise me if he’s actually a demon in disguise.” He groused.

“A demon....wouldn't surprise me.” Actually, it would....but Etna wasn't about to let the human know that. “How do you think you can find him, either way? Even if I didn't hold your life in my hands.”

Ian rubbed his chin slowly, “Well, the last time I did this, he was hiding down in the subway system, below Washington DC.  Since none of the ladies could fit, I had to go down and get him.  If he’s not already there, that’s where he’s going.”

“And convienently, that's somewhere I couldn't follow you.” she smirked. “You're so OBVIOUS.”

“He already knows that the giantesses can’t follow him down there.” He replied with a frown, “Why do you think he chose there?  If you don’t trust me, undo that Maximize and follow me.  You’re much too powerful for a pathetic human like me to handle, even at regular size.”

“Hmm....” It did make sense. And it was true, she could squash him even at her normal height. But she also still couldn't trust him, and if there were more giantesses about like the bimbo, she had some serious destruction to take charge of.

So instead, she reached down a massive hand to the pavement, pressing it flat. When she lifted it away, there was a glowing portal that Ian easily recognized.

Ian peered down at it.  Yeah, he recognized it alright.  It was a base panel.  But what was she hoping to do?  Summon minions?  He blinked then shook his head.  Duh.  Of course she was.  She wasn’t the type to shrink down when she could have the entire world at her feet, so why not let some of her cronies handle things?

And the cronies came, one yowling out in a flash of fur and an temperature-elevating quantitiy of flesh, the other clambering out slowly and silently.

“Myaow!” Katie the Elbacky exclaimed as she saw the massive boots of her Master, then trailed her eyes up to see Etna smirking down.

“We can see up your skirt, Master Etna.” The other, a Red Skull, noted with an impressive calmness

Ian scratched his head.  A Red Skull and an Elbacky.  He grinned.  Kitty.  Awesome.  Humanoid kitty.  Even better.  Kitty kitty kitty kitty.  “So, uh, what’d you bring them here for?” he asked her.

“To watch you.” Etna said, dropping Ian down between them. “Guys, this is Ian Jenkins. You're going on a little mission for me.”

“Oof.” Ian muttered as he picked himself up and dusted himself off.  Solid ground again.  Thank God.  He then glanced between the Red Skull and the kitty kitty kitty kitty, er, Elbacky.  “Hiya.” He greeted quickly.

Both of them eyed him with surprise.

“Is he lunch?” the feline femme said at last.

“I AM NOT MEOW MIX.” Ian frowned, “…I’m your Master’s latest… acquisition.  We’re trying to find a slippery slimeball, but where he’s hiding, Etna can’t manage at her size… sooooo, she had you two come here to make sure I don’t run away.”

“He might be lunch, after you find the slimeball.” Etna positively purred, and the Elbacky responded in kind, smiling predatorily. “If I'm not back by the time you get done, just wait here until I do show up. Don't eat anything vital until then.”

Katie batted a paw to the air in a salute that would have been adorable under almost any other circumstance. “Myai-aye, Master Etna!”

Ian rolled his eyes.  Demons.  Ai.  Under normal circumstances, he might have been scared to death to face demons that might want to eat his guts.  But considering what he’d been dealing with for the past few days, he put it to the back of his mind.  These demons could be all talk anyway.  And Antonelli might have some surprises waiting for them by the time they got there…

“Let’s go already.” He muttered, “He could be plotting more as we speak.”

“Yeah, get to work!” Etna snapped, passing over them with a groundshaking step. “Make sure you don't keep me waiting!”

He shook his head, watching her go.  What a gigantic pain in the ass.  But as long as it dealt Antonelli a severe blow, he was willing to settle for it.  That said, he headed down the sidewalk, “Follow me.”

“What is the 'slimeball' Master Etna wants us to collect?” the Red Skull asked, shifting his staff into both hands as he moved to do so.

Collect?  Oh, Ian was going to kill him.  Who cared what ‘Master Etna’ wanted?  He was going to kill him.  “His name is Dr. Marco Antonelli.” He explained, “Last I checked, he was a lunatic.  He’s been using advanced technology to bring ladies from other worlds here at gigantic sizes to destroy the country – possibly the world.”

“Sounds like a pervert.” Katie sniffed, jiggling ahead to look down the steps leading to the subway.

“Maybe, except for the ‘destroy the world’ part.” Palmer nodded. “Guess you humans are lucky Master Etna had almost the same idea.”

“I could care less.” Ian replied shortly, “One lunatic for another lunatic.  I’ll stop her too.”

The Elbacky peered back with a growl. “Stupid human. I could make a sandwich of you now, what makes you think you could do anything to her?”

“You’re welcome to try.” He replied, moving past her and heading down the stairs.  God, they were arrogant, even the kitty, “I suggest you concentrate on bringing Antontelli to your Master all nice and quick-like instead of me.”

“Probably wouldn't hurt to pretend we were allies for a while.” the Red Skull said suggested, sliding between the human and his irate feline comrade. “It will save time.”

“That’d be lovely.” Ian said as they reached the platform for the subway.  No one was around.  There were a wall of monitors on one wall, that would have been showing the latest news headlines, but at the moment they were glowing blue.  Like a blue screen of death.  ‘Now which way was it…?’ he pondered.

The Skull looked both ways, equally confused.

“Myah, well?” the Elbacky demanded, grinding her paws into her hips impatiently. “If he were one of us, I'd have smacked him by now!”

Ian was about to retort angrily when a raspy laugh came over the intercom, “You’re wasting time, Ian.”

The young human looked about, “Antonelli!  Where are you, you bastard!?”

The monitors that were once glowing brightly blue moments ago now showed Antonelli’s smiling, yet grim, visage.  He spoke, “Now, now… time traveling is cheating, Ian.  I don’t like cheaters.”

Ian blinked.  Wha…?  “W… what are you talking about??” he stammered.

“Oh, I already know what you did.” The G-Man continued, “You went through the portal, got Lucca Ashtear to help you, then you came back here in a futile attempt to change history.  Come, do you think that you’re the only one that can manipulate the time stream?”

His demon counterparts bristled, claws and weapons at the ready.

“Oh, what’s this?” the G-Man smirked, “…Demons?  You’re consorting with demons, who are trying to take over Earth, to stop me.  Delightful.”  His stare grew cold as he addressed the Skull and Katie, “You stay out of this… and tell your ‘Master’ that she is not part of this equation and should leave.”

“Show yourself, and we'll see!” the Elbacky hissed, ears flattening, and she swiped at the air. “Easy to talk big, human, while you're hiding!”

The Skull seemed to flinch, and gripped his staff closer. “Katie....”

The G-Man smiled again, “Very well.  Look for station 6-C.  I’ll be waiting.”  The monitors flickered off.

Ian dropped down to the tracks and started heading toward said station.  They were at 5-B… it would take a bit of time, but not too long.  Long enough for him to get the rage boiling in him to snap Antonelli’s neck.

His companions scrambled to follow, the Elbacky fairly rushing ahead on all fours. “Just tell me what station sexy looks like!”

“I think he said 6-C.” the Skull corrected, jogging after.

“6-C looks like 5-B, except it says 6-C on it.” Ian said flatly, rushing to keep up with her, “…I swear to God, I don’t care if I get the boot, I’m killing that sucker.”

“Only if we have to.” Palmer warned. “Master Etna isn't going to step on us on account of you.”

“Then you’d better get to him first.” Ian warned right back, “He already KNOWS Etna was trying to take over the world.  How the hell can he KNOW all this?!”

“Myah, who cares? All we gotta care about is Master Etna's orders!”

He cared, Ian did.  Who was this guy?  How did he know everything?  Soon enough, they came upon 6-C.  Ian pulled himself up to the platform and slowly drew the gun he’d gotten back from Lucca.  Antonelli hadn’t been well-defended when he had come the first time, but that was after everything else had been destroyed, whereas now, it was at the very beginning of the rampage.  He opened up the doors to the main terminal, aiming his gun about as he did.  But it didn’t take long to find him.  Antonelli was seated where he was, where he had been the first time, behind a large desk, with an electronic map of the United States behind him.  Some parts were red, but it was mostly green.  There was a shape beside him that Ian could see, but the lights were dim and he couldn’t make it out.

Antonelli smiled.  “Well, there you are.”

“Gonna back up your mouth now, human?” Katie challenged, tail bristling.

“My mouth?” Antonelli sat back, “You’re the one that made the threat, demon.”

She snarled. “That wasn't a threat, that was a promise! You're coming with us!”

Antonelli smiled that eerie smile again, “I do hate unnecessary violence…”

Ian marched up to the desk and aimed his pistol straight at Antonelli’s forehead, “Didn’t keep you from shooting me, did it!?”

The G-Man shrugged in the face of his possible demise, “THAT was necessary.  Your interference could have ruined everything.”

The trigger was just begging to be pulled as Ian gritted his teeth, “Then consider THIS necessary violence-”

“BEFORE…” Antonelli spoke quickly, “…you think about pulling that trigger… there’s someone here that you should meet, Ian.”

Ian startled as the silhouette next to the hated figure moved, revealed by the flickering light to be a woman with wintery eyes and pale golden hair. Ian wondered on her. She had been still enough to be a statue, and her aged face remained statuesque still, cold and unreadable. Ian tensed further, trying to keep an equal eye on her and her apparent boss. Behind him, the cat-demon hissed louder.

A sudden swift motion of her arm then made the woman's intentions clear. A strange gun, the likes of which Ian had never seen, was aimed to the youth's head with the same intent Ian had trained his own pistol on Antonelli.

“Guh!” Ian’s surprised grunt was quite audible, his eyes wide in shock and fear.  Who the hell was this woman?  The gun alone looked able to mangle his face like a watermelon, but the one gripping it was what made him truly worry.

At the same time, he felt the gun torn from his grip, but kept his eyes locked on the woman.  He could hear Antonelli speak to him, “Ahh, there it is… the gun you stole from me last time.  I’d wondered where it had gone.” He spoke casually as he slipped it into his shoulder holster, “Now then, Ian… I’d like you to meet The Boss.  She is considered to be the greatest warrior of the 20^th century.”

‘Greatest warrior of the 20^th century?’ he thought, ‘That was supposed to be Big Boss, from the Metal Gear series… Boss… Big Boss… what the hell?’

“If you would care for a further demonstration of her prowess…” Antonelli went on menacingly, “I’m sure she wouldn’t mind obliging.”

She remained wordless, keeping the gun raised as she slowly moved around the desk.

“GOOD!” the Elbacky had reached the breaking point, and launched herself at the older woman with a yowl, claws and fangs bared.

The Boss stepped smoothly out of the way, lowering the weapon in favor of taking hold of the cat-demon's shoulder instead. In seconds, it seemed, she'd managed to flip Katie to the carpet, jamming the barrel of the gun into the demon's spitting face as a boot was ground hard in the catgirl's ample chest.

Ian stepped back in shock as Antonelli grinned, “All talk, demon?  I’m rather disappointed in you.”  He then turned to Ian, “Let me make one thing clear to you, Ian – you are not going to win this.  Even if I did not have The Boss on my side, you would still be unable to win.”

Ian glared at him, fists clenching.  He wanted to launch at Antonelli himself, but he knew that The Boss would have him down in moments, the same way she got Katie.  Antonelli himself now turned his gaze to the Red Skull, “Now then… I would hope YOU have more sense than your reckless feline friend.” He gestured to Katie, who still squirmed under The Boss’s boot.

"Let her go." the Skull managed, fighting the quaver that had crept into his voice. He knew there was no threat to back up the command; the Elbacky was entirely at the mercy of this creature and his human companion.

“Then leave, and do not seek to confront me again.” Antonelli replied stonily, waving slightly to signal The Boss to let her go.  “Mr. Jenkins, you cannot possibly fathom why I’m doing this… and right now, I have no desire to explain things to you.”  Ian was silent as Antonelli continued, “If you continue to persist in these attempts to change the past, make no mistake, I will kill you.  It is not my desire to see you dead, as you have excellent survival potential, but I must continue my work in peace.”

The Skull grabbed the Elbacky hard by the arm before she tried something else that would get her killed. “Let's go.” he urged. Even Etna's boot was preferable to this.  Ian moved quickly to join them, but Antonelli spoke out again.

“One more thing.” He said in his raspy tone, “…inform your Master that while I appreciate her assisting in the destruction of this country, her conquering Earth would be frowned upon quite deeply by the Adjudicators.  Make sure she understands that… Palmier.”

The Skull reeled back as if struck, barely managing a stunned nod before tugging Katie through the door.

“This isn’t over yet, Antonelli.” Ian frowned as he followed them out to the station.

As the doors to the station closed, the G-Man smiled, “I should hope for your sake that it is, my boy.”

That Antonelli wasn't human....what was it.....? What could it want? ....how....

“Myaaaah!” The Elbacky twisted free of the grip on her at last. “Fine, we're gone, you can stop clinging to me now, you coward!”

“Goddamnit.” Ian grunted, kicking a vending machine in frustration and feeling slightly better when a Vanilla Coke came out.  Another kick sent the whole stash of soda spilling out onto the floor, “Damn that Antonelli…”

“We may as well go back to Master Etna.” Palmer murmured, tightening hands on his staff instead.

“Yeah.  At least we KNOW what she wants.” Ian replied, grabbing up some of the fallen soda, “…What the hell is he…?  And what was he talking about Adjudicators…?”

“I don't know. .....who cares? It's not our problem.” The staff groaned in protest from the grip.

Ian didn’t reply, merely dropping down to the tracks and heading slowly toward Station 5-B again.  Great.  Not only did he not get Antonelli, but Etna would be furious.  He really wouldn’t much care about that except that she was gigantic.  He’d just have to see…

The two demons escorts kept close behind, the Skull looking back on occasion in dread, the Elbacky looking back on occasion in hope they'd come back to fight again.

Ian didn’t bother looking back.  Half of him still burned with rage.  How could he have let Antonelli get away?  Even WITH this Boss person there?  The other half was ice cold with dread.  Whoever Antonelli was, he had a dreaded feeling that he wasn’t human… and if that was the case, then what exactly was he?

Back at Station 6-C, Antonelli watched the map idly, as the red parts soon started to become larger, signaling that his ladies were doing their jobs correctly.  The Boss once again stood at his side, silent.

“What did you think of him?” he asked her, still watching the map.

“What was I supposed to think?” she replied tonelessly. The flashing red on the map seemed to burn in her pale eyes. “He's young. Careless.”

“Quite so.” He replied, “There is a dedication to his work, though.  He hopes to stop this and keep his life intact at the same time.  …the fact that he’s been able to keep himself alive proves this.”

“That would have ended if they had not left as they were told.”

“Oh, I have no doubt of that.” He shook his head, “But they seem to know when a retreat is necessary.”

Silence was his answer. The Boss turned back to the map before them.

Antonelli still stared at the map as he spoke to her, “…you may go back to him, for now, if you wish.  I will contact you when you are needed again.”  He reached to his desk and pressed a button on the remote – the original remote – opening the whitish portal next to them.  She nodded, mouth tightening, then stepped into the glow.  The portal then disappeared as fast as it had opened.  Antonelli stood from the chair, watching the map carefully, smiling his creepy-ass smile as the red started to increase even more, “Run, Ian, run… …the very dogs of Hell are after you.”

Chapter Five: Natural Beauty, Natural Disaster

Had it been a dream?  The creepy-looking man in the suit and the cold blonde woman seemed like something that had come from the darkest nightmare – at least the man did.  But dream or not, it had saved Micah Tinsten from the precarious position he was in with Captain Lucil and Miss Dona.  But what happened afterwards was…  He didn’t know what to think.  Whatever way he looked at it, the country was doomed.  The rest of the world would perhaps survive, but…  But would it?  Too many questions and not enough answers flew through Micah’s head as he surveyed the scene – Golden Gate Park.  This was where the strange man had wanted him to go, this is where he was deposited.

‘I cannot make heads or tails of it.’ He mused to himself, settling down in the grass, closing his eyes, ‘How can he think that this is for the best…?  And why do I agree?’  He shook his head furtively, a pain slowly starting to become more apparent in his temple.  ‘I need to clear my head.  Think calmly about this without interruption.’

A faint, familiar tremor beneath his feet ended what hope he had for no interruptions. Then another, and another, each getting stronger than the first.

“Gah ha ha!” a rough voice bellowed.

Micah had always held an appreciation for shrubberies.  Shrubberies, besides their economical value to strange knights in woods, also made for great hiding places.  He didn’t no nor care who or what was coming his way.  All he knew was that she was big, she was loud, and he was going to take the chance that she was also very aggressive.  He took advantage of the various hedge bushes about and hid, watching carefully for the aggressor.

She made her presence known with a massive foot stomping down onto the nearest building, sending debris exploding from beneath her sole.

Gao grinned, feeling her tail beat against her hips. Now, that's what she called strong!

She would be a giantess at any size; her womanly curves took a decidely harder angle, taut muscles rippling beneath skin sunned tan from rigorous activity. She flexed them all once before taking another stomp on the building that neighbored the one she demolished.

"Gah ha ha!" she laughed again, grinding a massive heel in for the finishing move. 

Micah barely ducked enough as debris flew into his shrubbery.  This was a fairly muscular woman… with a tail.  He didn’t recognize her at all… but she looked like she meant business.  ‘Of course she does, you doof.’ He thought to himself, ‘They ALL mean business.’  Pushing the shattered concrete and brick aside, he slowly poked his head out to see, to try and get any more details on her.

The giantess didn't seem to notice, instead nudging at the cars lining the street with an enormous toe.  “The hell are these things?”

“It's like a toy shop, meow!” a second voice, somehow younger but no less menacing, enthused.

The young man emerged further from the brush, against his better judgment, for no other reason than the fact that there was someone else that he could not see.  ‘This is the sort of thing I must allow…?’ he thought to himself, trembling slightly as he peered about to search for the second giantess – so he’d know where to run.

Gao rolled her eyes, shaking her mop of steel-gray hair. “Figures that's all you'd see.”

“Figures YOU would just stomp right through, stupid dog.”

The second voice belonged to a much smaller giantess, though she still towered over the tallest building. Where Gao was broad-boned as she was loud, this one was relatively slight, dressed in a pink ensemble topped with an odd flapped hat. Cat ears crowned her blonde head, and a gray tail switched eagerly behind her. A kitty princess? She peered in windows of the remaining office complexes eagerly, ignoring her bigger companion's growls.

“Lookit all of 'em run, meow!”

“W-w-w-who are they…?” Micah murmured to himself, watching the two giantesses in the distance.  Lucil and Dona were easily recognizable, but these two… he’d never seen anyone like them before.  He dared not venture any further.  The two of them were still in the city, whereas he was relatively safe in the nearby park.  They seemed too fascinated in the people therein than pay attention to the lone straggler out and about the greenery.

‘Thank God for that…’ he thought.

A tremendous wind suddenly blasted from above, bowling him over. Just above the treetops, another giantess; this one was dark-haired, with equally dark wings eclipsing the sun, and a look of resigned disapproval on her fine-boned face.

“At least leave the trees alone.”

He could not contain his cry of surprise or dismay at the fact that there was yet ANOTHER giantess here, and this one was extremely close.  The panic that threatened to boil over with Lucil boiled over and spilled over into a frantic rush for another group of shrubberies, which didn’t get him very far as he tumbled to the ground just a few feet away, gasping hard for breath.  The arrival of the third had surprised him and the blood rush left him dazed and feeling rather sick to his stomach as he attempted to push himself up from the ground with shaking arms and knees.

“Who cares about trees anyway, meow?” The smaller snapped, jamming a hand through a window. Micah could hear screams. His stomach lurched.

“Gah ha! I like stuff that makes more noise when I stomp it!” Gao laughed, demonstrating by smashing her massive foot down on the building the smaller had just raided.

“HEY, MEOW!!!”

Fairly blindly, Micah crawled on his trembling extremities, toward the nearest bush he could find, not even sure that he was going TOWARD a bush.  He could hear all of it.  The crunching of metal, the crumbling of rocks, the screaming…

He shuddered and dropped to the ground again.  Even though he had just dealt with Lucil and her misconceptions about the world, this group, save for the one who was concerned for the trees, didn’t seem to care that this wasn’t the world they came from.

“Ugh, you disgusting barbarians.” the one above muttered in distaste.

“You're gonna pay for that, you dumb dog!” the catgirl wailed, brandishing her handful of wriggling office workers.

“Gaha....who's gonna collect? YOU? Myao, ya shrimp!” muscular girl grinned as she continued to grind her heel into the wreckage.

In the meantime, Micah had managed to squirrel himself to safety behind another shrubbery and just continued to watch.  A dog, a cat, and… a bird?  These were supposed to be… animal people or somesuch?  Whatever the case, he gave the winged giantess an unseen look of gratitude.  She didn’t seem interested at all in destroying San Francisco… but then, she wasn’t exactly stopping them either.

‘As long as she doesn’t want to, though…’ he thought, closing his eyes with another shudder as he heard more glass, concrete, and metal (and perhaps more people) wailing under the weight of the muscle girl’s foot.

“Play nice!” a fourth voice barked sharply.

The cat and canine both lowered their voices to a semblance of respect. “Yes, Marjoly.”

Micah turned sharply from the shrubbery where he hid to face a pair of long black boots on equally long legs.  He quickly moved back from the shrubbery and looked around in vain for a place that managed to escape the eyes of these giantesses.  They had not yet noticed him, luckily.  But his luck could not hold out forever.

Marjoly… THAT name he’d heard before.  Allegedly the most malevolent witch in the galaxy turned into the vassal of a demon prince named Laharl in the game Disgaea.  Her beauty and power were an equal, and if she felt like it, she could turn the entire city into a blazing inferno.  Verily, this was not a woman to be trifled with.

“Thank you, Marjoly.” the raven-winged giantess murmured.

Marjoly smiled with perfect ruby lips that defied laugh lines, and closed her eyes in self-satisfaction. “There will be no destruction until they've had the chance to worship me, got it?”

“Yes, Marjoly.”

Micah's winged savior shook her head… and then looked straight down where he was hiding.

Micah had looked up at just the right time and he froze in place, like a man that had been gazed in the eye by Medusa.  He didn’t dare move, though his legs told his brain, ‘Look, man, we’ve gotta move!’  Any scream that he had got stuck in his throat and apparently died upon exit, because all he could utter was a quiet, “Oh my.”  Any movement that was apparent in his body was the trembling which increased to almost Jello-like proportions as giantess and bug stared at each other from their positions.

Her brow arched, but she made no sound, looking instead to Marjoly again. The witch had stepped into the city streets herself, and attempted to pose dramatically for the spectators below, flouncing her ample chest for good measure.

They only started running.

“Hey! Get back here!” she scowled, a most unladylike frown marring her lovely features. They didn't listen, only trying to run harder.

“If they don't, can I squish 'em, meow?” Myao perked, with a Cheshire grin.

Every one of them stopped as though struck by lightning.

Micah was aware of what was going on in the streets.  Marjoly causing a panic and being an evil, queen-like figure.  His stomach turned at the thought of what she might do to the hapless folk in the city, but his brain tinkered with something.  The winged one saw him.  She looked right at him.  She knew he was there.  But she said nothing.  …though she did say that the other two were barbarians for what they were doing.  Perhaps that was his saving grace.  In any case, he slowly made his way to the shrubbery and slowly lowered himself to a sitting position against it.  It wasn’t hard for the winged one to tell where he was, there was no other place that he could get to without her seeing him.  Once there, he began to breathe slowly, catching what little breath he had, and relishing in the fact that he was safe, for now.  His heart went out to those that would be crushed, but he knew there was nothing he could do about it.

“Oho.....that's more like it!” Marjoly gloated, smirking down with a tap of her exquisite boot. “Now, you'll have to pay for your insolence, insects!”

“Want me to smash up the houses, Marjoly?” the brawny giantess asked with an eager grin, knocking her fists together.

“Stop right there, villainess!” another voice, male, rang out.  It wasn’t a booming voice like that of the giantesses, but it carried a commanding tone to it.  Sort of, at least.

Micah looked about from his hiding place.  He couldn’t see anyone, but he could definitely hear him.  Marjoly, on the other hand, could see the man clearly.  He stood atop one of the tallest buildings in the city, which came up to about her eye-level, wearing a two-toned blue and yellow bodysuit that looked to be more suited to the outer reaches of space than it was to be in San Fran.  Indeed, the jetpack on his back seemed to be fairly out of place.  To any intelligent human being, he looked fairly ridiculous.  But his neatly-combed brown hair and his overconfident flashing white smile gave the impression that he was not afraid of this giantess witch, or any of her underlings.

“Captain Gordon, DEFENDER OF EARTH, shall never allow this city or its people to fall into your evil clutches.” He declared boldly, pointing a gloved hand to the witch.

Micah facefell.  That did not boost his confidence any.

“Who, meow?”

“Never heard of him.” the canine cocked her head. “Looks like a dork.”

Marjoly was red-faced with indignation. “You DARE...!”

The foot she stomped in outrage squelched half the would-be worshippers to paste.

Gordon seemed nonplussed by this, continuing on just as boldly… and just as foolhardily, “You and your inhuman beasts will pay dearly for crimes against this world!”  With that, he leapt into the air, activating the jetbooster on his back and flying up to a safe distance, shooting at the giantesses below with his tiny laser pistol.

Meanwhile, the young man in the park groaned.  Captain Gordon was another character from Disgaea, also serving as Laharl’s vassal after he was beaten in combat.  He was the 37^th Defender of Earth, whose mission was to protect the Earth at all costs.

Suddenly, his head shot up in alarm.  Wait, he was from a video game, just like the others.  So… how did he get here, unaffected by the creepy suit-guy’s technology?

He was blasted to the grass with the force of the dark-haired giantess's wingbeats, as she fairly launched herself at Gordon. It reminded Micah of someone flailing to swat a fly.

“I want him alive!” Marjoly bellowed.

And fly he was.  Gordon, Defender of Earth, shot straight toward the incoming flying giantess, dodging past her wingbeats and strikes to streak right past her before turning and unleashing a flurry of shots with his gun.  The weapon, naturally, had little or no effect on any of the giant women, save to just annoy them.

 

Suddenly, much to Micah’s dismay, Gordon touched down on top of the shrubbery he hid behind, and he was not doing so quietly.  “Ha ha!  Your size may be great, but your speed lacks here!” he boasted, with a flashing grin, “You cannot hope to stop the Defender of Earth!”

Micah flew from his spot, tearing across the park.  He heard Gordon’s voice behind him, “Hey!  Fear not, citizen!  Captain Gordon, DEFENDER OF EARTH, will protect you!”  And as quick as a wink, Micah felt his feet leave the ground, legs flailing in the air, as Gordon grabbed him and flew toward what he believed was safety.

‘I’m so Prinny’d…’ Micah thought to himself with a mental sob.

The giantesses blinked a moment. Then Marjoly sighed, and with a wave of her hand, sent a fireball careening toward rescuer and not-quite-rescued.

Micah saw it coming but could barely even manage a small cry before they were hit with the fiery orb.  He heard Gordon give a yelp, but even worse, felt him let go.  Micah flew toward the ground, smashing hard against the side of the skyscraper Gordon had hoped to place him on and fell down to ground level, on the canopy tent of the entranceway before sliding off to the sidewalk below.  His eyes were wide and alert, and his breathing was strained but rapid.  He was sure that something was broken, but he didn’t dare move.  ‘If I can even move, for that matter.’ He thought, ‘…My headache’s even worse.’

Gordon, meanwhile, had lost control of his jetbooster when Marjoly’s fireball had hit.  He flew all around like a moth on fire before smashing through the window of a tall building a few streets over.

“Myahaha!” The little catgirl leapt exultantly, rattling what remianed of the buildings. “You got him!”

“Of course.” Marjoly sniffed haughtily, unable to resist a triumphant smile. “Ugh, what is this on my boots?”

While the others were distracted by the state of their leader's footwear, Micah's winged friend coasted over to where he had fallen.

Micah’s bleary eyes saw a shadow move into his line of sight.  He blinked a few times, trying to get a clearer view.  He knew it couldn’t have been any of the other giantesses, he could tell it was the winged one.  Even as she appeared to be a silhouette to him, he could tell.  Her wingspan was enormous and majestic.  His limbs would not allow him to risk further damage, so there he lay before her, unmoving, yet still verily alive.

A gentle fingertip pressed against him. “Easy.” she whispered, and closed her eyes. At once Micah could feel all his hurts melting away at the warmth of her touch.

He gasped, breathing in sharply as he felt the pain in his body, not to mention the lingering one he had had in his head ease away.  The bleariness in his eyes disappeared, and he was left looking up at her in wonder.  How she could have such power, even through just a single touch…

“Th-th-th-thank you…” he barely squeaked.

She didn't reply, only scooped him up quickly, tucking him under her belt. “Quiet, now.” she hissed.

Micah wasn’t one to argue, especially not with a 500-foot-tall angel woman with dark wings.  He squirmed slightly to get comfortable, which didn’t take too long, and just remained there, silent.

‘What is going on…?’ he thought.

“You'll be fine.” she reassured, giving the belt a light pat. “Your city, though....” she trailed off, frowning as cat and dog proceeded to stomp happily down the block.

A light shiver was her response, as well as a muffled whisper, “…Th-th-th-there was n-n-no way to s-s-stop it…”

“Heh.” there was no humor in the tone. “I know that.”

The small voice returned, still quiet, so she could hear him, but just barely.  “…W-w-w-who are you…?”

“My name is Crowdia." she replied simply. "And you?” She normally would not bother with pleasantries, but she could feel the tiny form shiver under her belt.

“M-Micah.” He responded, “...M-Micah Tinsten…”

“Mm. I am sorry we met under these circumstances.”

“M-m-me too…” he shivered again, “…W-w-welcome t-t-to Earth, b-by the way.”

Chapter Six: Reunion

The light of day shone down upon human, Red Skull, and Elbacky as they emerged from the subway system.  Ian warily eyed the streets for any sign of Etna.  But the capricious demoness seemed to be gone from sight.  Not without leaving her mark, of course.  Washington DC had been completely devastated.  Buildings crumbled, giant footprints in the street, cracked pavement, and bloody smears on what remained of the sidewalks and pavement.  Sure enough, she had had her fun and apparently moved on to do more damage elsewhere.

"Well, at least we don't have to worry about her coming back to hear failure." he muttered, shoving his hands into his pockets, fingers feeling a can of Cherry Coke that he had liberated from the vending machines down below.

Palmer was silent as he looked over the devastation as well, but Ian was certain his eyes beneath the expressionless hood were bugging out, pun unavoidable.

It was Katie who broke the moment at last, with a grumble. "I'm hungry."

"Most places have crumbled to nothing." Ian replied, "I doubt you'd find anything to eat here..."

The Elbacky peered imperiously at the human before sniffing the air. "Myah, smells like she already ground out all the good stuff."

Palmer tottered a bit, gripping his staff. "Pancakes?" he offered weakly. Katie only glared sourly.

"I don't know where she went, but we need to worry about not seeing her again until we've managed to best Antonelli and his bodyguard." the human said, heading further down the ruined street, "Let's get out of here and go whatever way that Etna DIDN'T.  Even if she's gone now, she'll be back to try and collect her minions."

Katie snickered, though her ears flattened at the mention of her Master's return. "Just follow the direction that isn't squished."

Palmer looked about, wondering if there was such a direction. "Do you truly think they can be bested?"

Ian's mouth twisted as he thought for an answer.  Antonelli was no fighter, that was certain.  He was a good shot, but other than that... The Boss, however, seemed to be a different story.  The way she so easily bested Katie and seemed to be more than competent in the use of her strange gun...

He shook his head, "I don't know.  ...The Boss protects Antonelli, and I know for a fact that I would never be able to take her on in a fight... and Antonelli has enough strange powers of his own.  But we've gotta at least give it a shot."

"Myah, just let me at that human bitch one more time!" the Elbacky snarled, tail lashing against her hip. Her eyes burned into Ian's. "She won't surprise me again!"

Palmer shook his head. "Won't she be watching you now, just as carefully?"

"Yeah.  That's not a very comforting thought." he muttered dryly, "I wanna get them, but we can't charge in blindly.  We've got to figure out some sort of plan."  He stopped, glancing about the destroyed city.  They needed to get out of the city... and to do that, they needed a vehicle.

"Let's find a car and head west.  We might find more civilization still existing out there." he explained, "Since these girls seem to favor large cities, I doubt they'd think of doing much with a small town."

Katie snorted and sulked away, ears flicking. "What's a car?"

"Uh... it's a metal box with wheels that we control to go places." he explained, "Walking would take forever, and we don't have that long."

Palmer shrugged, surveying the wasted city with his companion. "I don't see anything left, Master. Master Etna is thorough."

"I realize that, but there might be a chance..." he shrugged back, "Underground parking garages at malls and stuff.  C'mon, this way." he headed off quickly.

The demons followed after, one a bit more vocal in their doubt than the other.

The Mazza Gallerie had been, unfortunately, completely totaled.  The parking garage had crumbled too, but most of it had remained surprisingly intact.  A purse, scattered all over the road, lay just a bit outside, the faint, nearby stain gave Ian the impression that whoever owned it must have been surprised and didn't last too long after.  However, the light glinted off of what he could see were a set of...

"Keys!" he whooped triumphantly as he grabbed them up.

"Will it work with any car?" Palmer stumbled over the simple but foreign word, more concerned with the prospect of Master Etna appearing to finish off this structure....and them.

"No, it only works with one specific car." Ian replied, grabbing up the lock/unlock remote, "But we've got something that'll make this easier."  He pointed to the red button on the remote, "See this?  It's a panic button.  If you can't find your vehicle, you just press it, and..." he demonstrated, and the parking garage was filled with the sound of a car honking down the way.  "It's there!" he exclaimed, "This way!" he raced toward the sound of the honking car.

Katie yowled after him. "That'll bring Master Etna right on us!"

"She's nowhere around!" Ian breathed as he came upon the car in question.  Fiddling with the keys, he unlocked their chariot and climbed in, starting up the engine.

Palmer clambered quickly after, while Katie hissed loudly as the car suddenly echoed her growls. "Yet!"

"How fast does this go?" the Skull breathed.

"Fast enough." Ian quickly backed out of the parking space and jetted toward the exit.  He hadn't ever really driven much save for the few times that he did the last time around, but he was getting better.  "Next stop, the west coast." he announced as the car maneuvered through the once-proud capital of the United States.

Palmer did not argue further, glad to see they moved far faster than they could hope to on foot. But he could not help poking from the window every few heartbeats to scan the horizon for a familiar and giant shape. The flaps of his hood flopping in the wind like some bizarre Netherworld dog made Ian smile.

Ian chuckled silently, sitting back and letting the cruise control take over.  He breathed a sigh of relief, glad to be out of the city and back to the open road.  The traffic was non-existant, all that was there was pieces of automobile.  Flaming pieces.

Katie shoved her head out alongside Palmer's, mane whipping into his eyes. She breathed deeply. "Myuh....she's not close, anyway...."

"Good, let's keep it like that." Ian muttered, driving along until they had left the city limits.  The road was fully open now.

Palmer flopped back as Katie continued her investigation. "How far is it?"

"It's... uh... quite a way away." he replied, rubbing his neck with a free hand, "...We'll be making stops along the way when we can."

Palmer shook his head. "If there is anywhere to stop, yes?"

He blinked, "... ...uh... well, yeah, that... eh-heh... eh."

The Skull shook his head, wondering if the human felt as nonchalant as he sounded. "I suppose Master Etna could only go so far at one time...." he tried hopefully.

"I'm just hoping she stayed away from the way we're going." Ian replied, shifting in his seat, "But the lack of overly large footprints, stains, and whatnot.  It doesn't look like she is, so I'm not... TOO worried."

The ride went on for some time.  Taking the fairly uncrowded I-66 to I-81 out of Washington, the trio rode on for some six hours until it reached the ghost town of Johnson City, Tennessee.  It was here that it was time to resupply, refuel, and relieve.

Palmer took full advantage of the latter, sinking onto a bench as Katie took full advantage of the former with a raid on the nearest fast food restaurant.

Perhaps there wasn't nearly as much reason to worry about Master Etna as the other man, the Skull thought with a shudder. He knew they were safe for now....Katie's growlings were more about the lack of raw meat that wasn't frozen, rather than a scent of danger.

"Muh tun 's floza!" she glowered around a mouthful of frozen hamburger patty.

"That's because you're supposed to let it go through the broiler first.  But it's off." Ian replied, scrounging about.  There wasn't much that could be eaten or whatnot from the McBurger Kong that did not necessitate the use of the equipment, which had long since been abandoned by the fleeing staff.  Ian had worked at one of these places before, but never enough that he knew how to use everything.

He left Katie to deal with her meat and went across the way to the local gas station and convenience store (convenient since there was no one there) and started loading up bags with food of all kinds.  Soda, chips, crackers, assorted candies, and tossed them into the car before opening up the fuel tank and starting to gas up.

Palmer stirred reluctantly, but knew it was inevitable. "Time to move on, Master?"

"Nearly." he replied, "Just have to refuel the car.  We're practically running on fumes as it is."

The Skull settled back immediately with a sigh, and never did the sewn-on smile of his hood seem so genuine. "Of course."

Ian's hand squeezed the pump, sending the expensive liquid into the tank of his car, "...nervous too, huh?"

"Heh. Is it so obvious?" his gloved fingers rubbed the hood as though checking for holes. "Although if the biggest opponent here is frozen meat slices, I am relaxed beyond words."

"Not really.  I just know that I am." Ian chuckled a bit nervously, "...I really don't like the situation that we're in, but I'm stuck with it.  ...still edgy about it."

"I will admit....I have never seen anything like this, even in the Netherworld."

"I never thought it could happen here." Ian shook his head, "This is the sort of thing you read stories about, but it's not real.  ...At least, that's what I THOUGHT.  Now... hell, if THIS sort of thing can happen, what ELSE can happen...?"

The floppy ears of the hood wagged vehemently. "Shh. I do not want to know."

"Well, I was GOING to say demons invading." he grinned wryly, "You already know THAT."

"Oh! Well, if that is all...." he chuckled.

"Myuh, no wonder you humans are so weak, with food like THAT." Katie peered to the restaurant behind her as she approached her two companions.

"Have you managed to defeat the nefarious frozen Whupper pattie?" Ian asked with a chuckle."Oh! Well, if that is all...." he chuckled.

The Elbacky snarled, narrowed eyes seeming to size him up for choice cuts instead.

Ian quickly thought it wise to not mock the otherwise grumpy and likely still-hungry catgirl.  At the same time, the pump click, signaling that the tank was now full to the brim with gas.  "Okay..." he nodded, "Looks like we're, uh, set to get going again."

"A good idea." Palmer agreed, hoping the wind at the window would cool the catgirl's temper. "Shall we?"

"Yeah.  We've still got a long way to go..." he sighed, sliding into the driver's seat.

"How long?" Katie demanded, bags of chips crunching as she sat down.

"...I'm guessing a very freaking long time." Ian ventured, "...a few days.  Maybe a week.  ...that's food you're sitting on by the way."

"Myah, far as you humans know food."

"Perhaps Master Etna has taken over already." Palmer hushed, as though afraid she could hear him.

"I don't think so.  I would think that we would see more of your friends if she had." Ian shook his head.  "Besides, I don't think that Creepy McCreepington Antonelli would let it happen.  ...and I guarantee he wouldn't."

"Who is he...."

"Myuh, who cares! Next time, he won't be lucky!"

"You should care." Ian replied, "If you somehow DO manage to take over, he'll be dicking with YOU next."

"I'll rip it off if he tries!" Katie replied stubbornly, leaning from the window as the car got underway.

"More power to ya." Ian said as he reached into the bag and pulled out a Dr. Pepper.  He honestly didn't care WHO got to him as long as someone did.  But seriously... who WAS he?  How did he get so much power?  He shook his head.  Thinking about it would make his head hurt.  And it wouldn't do him any good yet.

Palmer was thinking much the same thing, promising himself he'd try some of the human food later. His attentions were fixed instead on Katie, knowing she would likely be the compass to any lurking danger.

An icy knot started to tie itself up in Ian's stomach.  He gripped the steering wheel tightly.  Something was wrong.  He could feel it.  It had been too long since the last time he saw anything that was at least 100 feet tall.  Six to eight hours was too long.  He tried to ignore the pit that was starting to form in his stomach, but it persisted.  Even the Dr. Pepper didn't help.

Sure enough, Katie's tail spiked into the air, the metal of the door squealing as her claws dug into it.

Ian looked back sharply as he heard the grinding against the door, "What??  What is it!?"

"Myah, LOOK!"

The human slammed on the brakes, sending the car into a spin.  It stopped shortly, and Ian was able to see that which he never wanted to see.  Another one.

"Place so big, so full of bugs!"

Ayla wasn't sure where the rest of her tribe had gone, but she did know they would need camp when she found them. And so far, this strange place was not acceptable.

"Aw, God..." Ian muttered, trying to steady his spinning head.  Just what he needed, a giantess cavewoman.  Quickly, he shifted the car into reverse and started backing up in the hopes that Ayla had not taken notice of the strange little shiny box with wheels.

She had not, but her footsteps happened to be heading straight for them. "Kino! Where you all hiding? Is safe! Only bugs here!"

"Damnit, not this way...!" Ian growled, half to himself, "Okay guys, hang on." he told his passengers before slamming his foot onto the gas, sending the car careening backwards, away from the giant, deadly footsteps coming their way.

Katie practically roared as the maneuver sent her splaying half out the window. Palmer fumbled his staff out, frantically wondering if supportive magic would affect this machine.

Ayla continued on, more interested in seeing one of her tribesmates than where her feet were going. There was nothing on the ground except the insects, after all.

Ian jerked the wheel, spinning the car around then hitting hard into drive as he started speeding ahead back the way they came, trying to keep ahead of the giantess.  "She'll out run us if we don't do something soon...!"

The spinning of the car was just what was needed to draw the giantess cavegirl's attention. That was no bug!

"What that?" she murmured, reaching down curiously.

"Oh, Magog." breathed Palmer.

"Good GRIEF...!!" Ian roared as much as Katie did, practically standing on the gas and yelling, in none-too-pleasant terms, for the car to go faster.  As fast as vehiclely possible.

Ayla's fingers just fell short of the little vehicle as it darted away, but she reached the other hand out just as quickly. "Haha! You no escape Ayla!"

Ian swerved the car, just narrowly missing the grasping fingers, and turning the car around again, this time facing Ayla.  And still standing on the gas.  And practically rocketing right toward her.

A fur-booted toe stopped the car quite decisively, and she grabbed the car at last. "Got you!"

All the passengers jerked forward hard as the car stopped, and jumbled all about on top of each other as the car was lifted up from the ground.  All Ian could do was pray to God that she didn't decide that she had to DROP IT.

Instead, the cavegirl seemed quite fascinated by the tiny wheels as they spun uselessly. "You bugs, where find this?"

Mustering as much courage as he could, Ian climbed over things and opened up the window, practically shouting up to her, "Hey...!  HEY!!  ...we're... we're not bugs...!"

Her blue eyes opened wide as she heard the tiny cry. "Huh! Bugs talk?"

Ugh, he grimaced.  This would be a challenge and a half.  It was usually bad enough to talk to regular giantesses like this, but Ayla was... a bit more difficult to manage, "NO!  NOT bugs!  Not bugs!  Just small!"

A tanned fingertip poking him was his response. "What then?"

"Human!"  At least he was, "We're regular size!  You're just g-gigantic!" he exclaimed, "The trees are a lot smaller than you're used to, right!?"

"No trees here." Ayla said, bringing the car closer.

"But everything ELSE is small!" Ian tried, half going out the window as she did, "See?  Look close!  Human!  Human, see?  Like you!"

"Not like Ayla. Ayla big, strong!" but the fingers that had been somewhat careless before were far more careful now as she poked him again.

Ian gripped hard to the door.  Wow, she had a thick skull at times.  "No, I know you are." he tried again, "But I mean HUMAN like Ayla!  Bug SIZE, maybe, but not bug!  Bugs do not have fuzzy!" he pointed to his hair and goatee, "No fuzzies on buggies!"

"Ayla step on fuzzy bugs before. Maybe all bugs talk, Ayla no hear until now."

"Well, DON'T step on us." he implored, "We're living!  We're breathing!  We feel!  You don't have a reason to!"

And at just that moment, Katie decided to add bite to the argument....literally.

"KATIE!!" Ian bellowed, "WHAT are you DOING!?"

Ian's cry was drowned out as Ayla yelped and shook her hand about wildly, the Elbacky clinging gamely with fangs and claws.

All parties shook as the car rattled around, sending the food that Ian had gathered flailing everywhere.  Chip bags ripped.  Cookie crumbs flew.  Sodas EXPLODED, sending sticky, syrupy, sweet liquid all around.  Truly, this was a disaster waiting to happen.

Katie yowled as she lost her grip at last, hurtled out of view with a powerful snap of the cavegirl's wrist.

"NO!" Palmer shouted.

Ian cursed loudly.  But there was nothing he could do, for Katie or for himself and Palmer.  The car was stuck, clenched tightly in Ayla's fingers.  In desperation, he started blasting the horn.

"Ugh! You lie!" she scowled, wriggling her fingers through the window.

Ian squirmed back quickly to get away from said fingers, "Ayla...!!"

The giantess no longer seemed to hear, snagging Ian between her fingertips. Even Palmer's desperate attempt to heal the tiny marks Katie inflicted were useless.

"You SQUASH now!"

Those were not the words Ian wanted to hear at all as he was dragged out of the car through the driver's side window, trying to claw at anything that would keep him inside, but to no avail.  "Ayla, please, stop!!  Please, listen to me...!!"

The fingertips pressed in mercilessly tighter. "You bite Ayla, Ayla bite back!"

"She was afraid you would hurt us, that's all!!  She wasn't doing it to piss you off, I swear!"  He wasn't even sure if that was the truth.  Knowing how Katie acted, she might have been trying to do just that.

Suddenly, without warning, what seemed to be a metal fly pinged off the side of Ayla's blonde head. Shaking her curls, she reflexively glanced in the direction of the blow.

Lucca waved frantically from the cockpit of the Epoch.

Ian blinked as he stared up.  His eyes were wide.  it couldn't be... could it...?

"LUCCA!!" he screamed, waving just as frantically, "LUCCA!!  I'M NOT A BUG!  TELL HER!!  PLZ!"  For those taking notes, yes, he literally yelled 'plz'.

"Lucca....?" Ayla whispered.

Lucca grinned. She was still going to kill Antonelli, but....it was too good to see the cavegirl again, even under these circumstances.

Even in Ayla's grip, Ian felt more relief than ever in his life.  He'd found her!  Or rather, she had found him!  Or maybe she hadn't and it was just some really big coincidence!  Whatever it was, he didn't care.  He was just thrilled to see her.

"He really isn't a bug, though I can see where you'd make the mistake." Lucca winked in his direction, settling THAT question. "He's a friend of mine too. Let him down easy, okay?"

"Yeah, please!" Ian exclaimed, "And Palmer's good, too!  Just... let us down nice, please... please?"

The Skull was quite fainted to respond on his own. Ayla rubbed her thumb against Ian thoughtfully. "Any friend Lucca, friend Ayla."

Ian wiped sweat from his brow and blinked a lot, trying to recover his senses.  They had nearly been completely wiped out at the thought of facing Ayla's wrath.  He could only weakly nod in thanks.

She blinked. "But, why so small?"

"We aren't. You're big. Someone who ISN'T a friend of ours made you this way."

The moment both he and the car were on the ground, he opened up the doors to pull Palmer out, fanning him and trying to get him back to consciousness.

The Skull was unresponsive and limp in Ian's arms.

"Is he hurt?" Lucca asked, landing.

"Maybe a few bruises here and there, but I think he just passed out from fear." Ian replied, shaking his head.  But he looked up at Lucca, "So what happened?  We left from Guardia at the same time, but I ended up alone.  Where did you go?  How'd you get the Epoch?"

"I'm still working on that." Lucca waved the question away. "But as for how I got the Epoch? nothing's impossible with Lucca The Great!"

Ian blinked, then shrugged, "Whatever works!  Are you okay?"

"Heh.....I am now...."

"Do you still have the Gate Key?  Confronting Antonelli directly didn't help any."

Lucca frowned, shaking her head. "Thanks to him, no, I don't."

Ian slowly looked back from Palmer to her, "What...?  Lucca, what happened?"

It was a long story, and Lucca seemed unwilling to tell it all. But in the end, the Gate Key was gone, taken by--

Ian groaned.  "The Boss... damnit."  She was one of the LAST people that Ian would ever care to see again like this.  "She's got the Gate Key... which means Antonelli probably has it."

"Who IS she....?"

"A soldier." he replied simply, "Aside from that, she seems to be Antonelli's bodyguard.  That's all I really know about her."

"Ugh...." Palmer groaned, sitting up between them.

"Palmer!" Ian helped him ease up, "Are you okay...?"

".....what....where are we? The giant....!"

"Still here." he winced, "But she's letting us go..."

"Ayla sorry." The giantess looked down.

"We've got to find Katie... ...and then we have to go back to Washington DC." he almost dreaded telling the poor Skull.

Silence was his only response for a moment, then he shakily rose. "Of course. It would....take far more than that to kill her...."

Ian helped him up as he stood himself, "Luckily, we've got a better ride than the car.  I think that's pretty totaled anyway."

Palmer glanced up at the giantess uncertainly.

"Come on, I'll explain things on the way." he said as he started to head toward the Epoch.

"What Ayla do?"

"Hm....good question." Lucca muttered. She'd been getting way too many of those lately, in a way.

"...Try not to cause too much more destruction, I guess." Ian replied, "Antonelli's hiding underground.  Unless you're able to shrink...?"

"Shrink?"

"Guess not... ah well... just stay out of trouble, okay?  Be strong.  Protect weak."

"Watch your step." Lucca nodded.

"We'll be back before you know it." Ian said as he came upon the magnificent beast that was the Epoch, running his hand over it in awe.  'I hope I get to drive it...' he thought.