"That was rude. What would you see in a teen like me?" Candice apologized. "I'm a borrower sweetie. Our kind don't have as many issues when it comes to intimacy and sex" she said. Candice stood up and walked to her feet. Her hand felt the pad of her big toe. A big toe nearly as long as she was tall. She looked at the giantess. "You're not saying all this just to keep me from thinking about suicide are you?" she asked. "...take off your pajamas" Susan said. "Why?" Candice asked. "I'm going to show you I ain't no liar. Unless...you don't wanna" Susan asked softly. Candice was floored by the proposal. A gigantic beautiful woman wanted to have sex with her? Never in a million years she thought. She had heard of classmates using borrowers that way but her herself small as someone bigger than her wanted her that way? Nervously she took off her clothing leaving her fully exposed.

Susan for on all fours on the bed and creepier up slightly. Her heard pounded as the giantess loomed over her. Susan bent down and sniffed her. She could smell her anxiety, her pheromones but something was slightly off. Susan immediately brushed it aside as just a reaction to what happened to her. She smiled nice enough, sexy enough, delicious enough. She planted a kiss on her tummy to relax her. She nuzzled her and made her giggle. She pushed her on her back and took a smell of her tiny feet. Slight perspiration and soap. "Why would you ever say you're not pretty?" Susan asked looking into those teeny little eyes. "So...what happens now?" Candice asked nervous. Susan licked her lips. "What’s the fun in telling? Guess" she replied grinning. She gave her body a long lick before parting her legs with her tongue.

"Oh my god!" Candice chirped as the giant tongue raked her cunt. The taste buds sending shivers up her spine. "Too rough?" Susan asked. "Fuck no! Do it again. Lick my pussy!" Candice yelled. Susan pinned her arms down as she got in deeper. Her tiny legs propped up on the sides of her cheeks and she sucked her tiny cunt. The girl panted as she felt the giantess push her legs back slightly exposing her ass. "Fuck! Fuck! Fuckity! Fuck!" the girl moaned as the giantess sucked her ass and used her tongue to part it ticking her asshole like crazy. She squealed in delight as she came splashing Susan's upper lip with her juices. Susan licked it clean enjoying her sweet flavor. "Not too much?" Susan asked playing with her little titties. "Never...thought it would feel like that" Candice panted. Susan sat on her butt and held the girl in her hand. "We can go further. Only if you want" she said. She looked at the sopping wet cavern between her thighs. "Do it. Shove me right in there" Candice said to her.

Susan punched her in feet first carefully and began to piston her in and out of her. To Candice this was a dream come true. A vagina that swallowed her whole. Yielding to her body, welcoming it, milking it as if she was a cock. The vagina belonging to a girl who told her that she as a good person. That she had worth. That she could be loved even after such a life changing tragedy. "In...side! Push me inside!" Candice screamed. With a push on her little head, she went full in. Wet, hot, sticky and pulsating. Susan swore she saw lights exploding before her eyes as she came. Candice felt a gush of fluid rush around her body and there was a panic as her mouth was shut to avoid drowning in it. But two fingers grabbed her hair and yanked her out. The air was cold on her body as she looked at the giantess with her sweaty flushed face grinning. "That...that was incredible" Candice said. "Being small has some advantages don't it?" Susan chuckled.

For the second time that evening, Candice washed in the sink. Susan soaked in the tub close by. "It's funny how alike borrowers and humans are" Candice said scrubbing her skin. "There isn't much difference between us. We have ten fingers and toes like you, we reproduce like you, have families" Susan said. "But there are differences other than size right? That's what my biology teat her said" Candice said. "Yeah there are. On scale, we're four times stronger than you. Our senses are sharper" Susan said.  "Really?" Candice asked. "Very much so. We evolved that way to stay alive. Of course, they don't help much when it comes to humans being predators" Susan replied. "I know what they did to borrowers. I saw the videos" Candice said softly. Susan was silent. "You said you protect humans from magic. Why after all they did to you?" she asked.

"Not all humans are bad. We can't condemn an entire race for what some do" Susan said. "With all your magic, don’t you just want to kill the bad ones?" she asked. "Some I do but if I went around killing every bad human there is, well...I'd spend my entire life doing that. And then there's some that repent later on. See the error of their ways. Do I have the right to take their lives beforehand?" Susan asked. "Never thought of it that way" Candice said. "Every time I take up my sword, I ask myself that. This is why magic has to stay out of the public knowledge. There's some that won't bother to ask that question" Susan said getting out of the tub.

Minutes later they both laid on the bed. "Your heartbeat is really strong" Candice said laying on her bare breast. "The borrower heart has one more chamber than yours and the muscle fiber is denser. We can run faster and longer because of it" she said. "...can I get a drink?" she asked. "Sure, I got some bottled..."

"I mean from uhhh...there" Candice blushed looking at her nipple. Susan chuckled and squeezed her breast slightly. A few dribbles of breastmilk came out. Candice drank it and hummed to herself. "I'm not weirding you out am I?" Candice asked. "Naw. My kind are intimate. We even engage in incest regularly depending on the mood and situation" Susan replied. "Whoa...so you and your dad?" she asked. "No. I lost my father when I was 12. Too young for stuff of that nature. I miss his foot rubs after a day of walking. No, stuff like that tends to happen around the age of 14 when we first hit our sexual peak. It can be very...problematic for some" Susan replied. "I'm sorry you lost you dad. I did too" Candice said laying on her breast looking at the giantess.

"I gained a bigger family. A woman was kind enough to take me in when I had nobody else" she said. "Like me?" Candice asked. "Yeah like you my little friend" Susan chuckled tapping her tiny bare ass. "Will you take me back with you?" Candice asked. "You still have your mom Candice" Susan said. "I rather have you. My mom disowned me for being gay. You think she'd be cool with me being gay and three inches tall now?" she asked. "Do you know how I know you?" Susan asked. Candice shook her head. "Your mom filed a missing person report. She cared enough to do that" Susan said. "Then why call me a sinner and all that other shit?!" she yelled. "Because she was angry, and we say things we don't mean when were angry sometimes" Susan replied. She briefly thought of Ruby then. "I need to get some sleep. Got a big day tomorrow" Susan said placing her on the pillow next to her.

The sun was barely rising as Susan put on her combat uniform. She checked her Taurus Sliver. Fully charged. She checked the edge of her sword. Sharp as ever. She locked her belt in place and placed her lipstick and notes in the pockets. The holster that held the hilt of her sword locked behind her back on a strap. "I'm coming with you" Candice said startling her. "No you're not" Susan said flatly as she checked her shoes. "You can't just waltz in there. The guy on the phone said it's a government building" Candice said. "I don't plan to. I'll use a window or vent" she said. "Oh sure one of those will be open...in a facility that deals with deadly germs run by the government. You need me" Candice said standing on the pillow. Susan looked at her. "There's going to be death today. I've done this enough to feel it in the air. This ain't no James Bond movie shit" Susan said. "And if you fail and they come here for me? I won't sit around worrying about that. I swear I won't" she warned. Susan grabbed her up.

"THAT IS NOT FAIR TO ME!" Susan yelled. "Don't preach to me about fair!" the girl yelled trembling in her grip. Susan could see the conviction in her eyes. Susan placed her on the dresser and handed her a set of clothes. "Get dressed" she hissed. Candice put on the shirt, shoes, and pants and stood waiting for her. Susan did a final check of her gear before opening a pocket on her belt. "Sit in there, don't talk or you'll bite your tongue" she said as she put the girl inside. Susan exited the motel room and placed the do not disturb sign on the knob. Quietly, she climbed to the roof and with a flash of light, fortified herself. "Here we go" she said jumping from rooftop to rooftop.

The cold December air bit her cheeks as she glided through the air. It was quiet below. Shops had not opened yet. The gas station was just turning its lights on. A trickle of cars below as workers went in for early shifts. None had noticed the ninja like woman jumping from building to building. In 10 minutes, Susan stood on the rooftop next to the CDC facility. "You okay?" she asked Candice. She got her answer as the tiny girl popped up and puked. "Why don't ninjas puke?" she groaned. "They weren't riding coach" Susan chuckled. She scanned the side and rooftop. Satellite dish, heat vent, rooftop door. "How did you escape? You said you stunned a guy but how did you leave the building?" Susan asked. "A vent on the ground was open. Some guy was working on it. I remember the smell of coffee. He sat the cup down and I saw the logo. When he moved away I ran out. Yeah, that's how I knew that coffee shop was nearby. It had the address on it" she replied. Candice guided her to it.

"Well it's sealed up now. Wait...this is an intake vent" she said. "Ehats that?" Candice asked. "It's how the building breathes. It sucks in air at intervals. Let's see...5:57 a.m. Maybe on the hour?" Susan wondered. Susan took Candice out of her pocket before canceling her growth spell. In seconds she was as tall as Candice. "Holy shit you weren't kidding!" she said seeing her size. "Nope. You're taller than me. You're taller than me and got bigger tits. What they feed you Savannah?" Susan asked. The vent shutter clacked open. Susan groaned as her hands bent the vent ribs slightly. "Quickly!" she said pushing Candice through. She slipped in seconds later and heard the girl scream as the rush of air pulled them in. Susan grabbed her foot and held her tight as they were sucked through the ventilation.

As they got farther in, the force diminished and then the flow of air stopped. "Susan your head!" Candice yelled. "Shhh! Keep your voice down" Susan said wiping her forehead. There was a slight cut from when she hit her head tumbling around. With a bit of magic, it was healed. "Stay close and stay quiet" she said as she took off her boots. She shivered as her bare feet touched the cold metal. "Why barefoot? isn’t that uncomfortable?" Candice asked. "I can sense my surroundings better barefoot" she replied slapping her tiny foot down to feel the vibrations. "That way" she said pointing forward. Every 10 feet she would stomp her foot as she mapped out the air vent. When she could see out, she took note of the room and if anyone was inside. "Jesus" Candice said huffing. "Break time" Susan said sitting down.

"You do this all the time?" she asked. "Part of the job is gathering info about your surroundings. Entrances, exits, people inside, their movements" she said handing a bottle of water to her. "And?" Candice asked. "Not good. 17 people so far. Rooms full of cages. Judging by the smell I say at least a hundred people in them. Won't know more until I go down. I'm worried. I haven't seen the head honcho here" Susan muttered. "Maybe they're hands off?" Candice asked. "Unlikely. Stuff like this they tend to be hands on. They don't leave it to 9 to 5 workers to run it themselves" she explained. "So, what's the plan?" Candice asked. "There's two rooms. The main lab and server and the security control room. Either one would be preferable" she replied. "I'd go for the control room and stop any alarms" Candice said. Susan looked at her. "Good idea" she smiled ruffling her hair. They made their way to the vent in the control room.

There was two men in the room watching cameras. Interior and exterior. "6:15. I'm headed to the lobby" one said. "Got it" the other one said. Susan watched one leave leaving his friend all alone. "Stay here" Susan said bending the vent rib open. Securing her line, she rappelled down. Her eyes were on the giant who has his back turned. Once safely lowered, she released the line and dropped to the floor. She groaned at the pain in her feet hitting the floor. The giant looked around. Susan hid under his seat. The giant shrugged and went back to the cameras. Susan slapped a note on his chair and backed away. There was a flash of light which startled the giant but before he could stand up, he groaned and passed out.

She grew in height and applied a glamor. She checked her reflection in a screen. "Uugh...phase one complete" she muttered not liking the look of a middle-aged balding fat man. She took his badge and gun. "Stay there" she told Candice. Candice watched her leave scared to be alone. Now in disguise, she began checking rooms more thoroughly. Not including storage and bathrooms, there were six rooms. Three kept cages. Packed to the ceiling with them with an odd design. Wires ran to each one with a tube connected to the roof. The tubes ran to a tank in the corner of the room which had tubes running into the ceiling. A word unfamiliar to her inscribed on it. A master screen showed the vitals of every person in the cage. "Their heartbeat is extremely low" she noted. "Sedation. They're all sedated" she realized.

None had names on the cages. A subject number and a date in a card attached to them. "Subject 71. 6-18-18. Subject 23 5-17-18. Subject 96 8-3-18. Jesus Christ. They've been here for months. Are all of them missing homeless?" she asked. "Carl? You've been told not to poke around the cages" a woman said behind him. Susan turned around. "Sorry. Just doing rounds" she said. Susan quickly left the room. Susan went to other rooms making sure not to linger too long. "As bad as I thought. Over a hundred of them all sedated" she said. It was time to go to the main lab. Any longer and she risked the other guard finding his friend asleep. She entered it and looked around.

"Look again. I don't care if the bloodhounds can't get a scent. No, you idiot. Someone with her power wouldn't get eaten so easily. Well if you don't have her by noon then consider you the next test subject" she said ending the call. Susan glanced at her. Susan glanced at her and paused. Red hair, green eyes, with a few freckles. "Damn she looks like Ruby" she thought. The woman was in her early 30's wearing a lab coat, long skirt, and black heels. Around her neck was a necklace with an odd centerpiece. "Dr. O'Malley" someone said. The woman walked over to a lab station. Susan rounded the corner acting as if she was checking wires. "Subject 106 still has not shown any indication the genetic recombination succeeded" the young woman said. "Time?" O'Malley asked. "Two weeks" she replied. "Mark it as a failure. Dispose of it" she said. The young woman picked up the man barely conscious in her hand. She sighed disappointed before placing him in her mouth. Susan's sensitive hearing picked up is weak feeble pleas before her lips closed. She swallowed him whole and went to jot down some notes.

"We need Subject 108 returned. She's the first case of positive genetic recombination that hasn't shown mental dedegrigation like the others" the lab assistant said. "They're looking as we speak" O'Malley said. "Running a DNA comparison, Subject 108 already had genetic markers similar to the archetype. The only way to know for sure that is the reason for possible stability is a bigger sample pool" the assistant said. Susan eyed the computer server nearby. Quietly, she plugged her phone into it and ran the hacking suite Keith installed on it. "How big?" O'Malley asked. "Bare minimum 1000 test subjects" she replied. "I'll make arrangements. Continue with your analysis beginning with the next Subject" O'Malley ordered. The woman pulled out another shrunken subject from a cage and readied her scalpel. It was a boy no older than 15 with dirty blond hair. He stirred awake and began thrashing around in her grip. Bursts of magical energy erupted from him. "Subject 99 has shown progress in assimilating the gene cocktail" she said.

He thrashed around snarling like a feral rat until he gasped and went limp. "Correction. Subject 99 has expired. The stress had eroded his mind like the others, but his cardiovascular system couldn't take the strain either. Proceeding with dissection" she said as she placed the small body on the lab table. Susan found her heart beating louder. Her breathing increasing. "Carl. You're in the way here" the woman said as Susan approached. Susan put her hand on the gun in her holster. She yanked it out, aimed for the back of the woman's head, and fired. The shot was deafening as she blew the assistant’s brains out. She slumped forward right on top of the boy's small body. Susan briefly flashed back to what she said about killing to Candice.  "Some are just evil" she whispered as she turned her aim. She shot three others and another in the back as he fled.

O'Malley, who had left the room seconds before heard the shot and quickly returned. "You're not Carl are you?" O'Malley asked clutching her necklace. "Nope" Susan said as she aimed for her head. O'Malley turned the centerpiece on her necklace just as she squeezed the trigger. In a flash, O'Malley was gone just as the bullet zipped by right through the glass window of the adjacent room nicking the sedation gas tank. "Where did she go?" Susan asked. She heard whimpering from behind a desk. Susan found a lab tech on the floor. Suddenly, there was a loud boom followed by four more. "The tanks!  The tanks blew! They'll wake up! Oh god they'll wake up!" she stammered. She scrambled away until Susan shot her in the leg. "Please! Let me go! They're crazy!" the tech shouted. "O'Malley?" Susan asked. 

"THE SUBJECTS! Each one went insane from the procedure! They get free they will kill us!" she screamed. "You sedated them" Susan said. "The procedure caused their metabolisms to speed up. They burn off the sedative as fast as they breathe it" she replied. "Can this place be locked down? Is there a way to prevent anyone or anything leaving?" Susan asked. "Yeah. The system can be activated to seal the place to prevent contagions from escaping into the public" she replied. "Do it" Susan ordered yanking her to her feet. Susan dragged the bleeding woman to a terminal. "Are you gonna kill me after I help you?" she asked. "I'll kill ya if ya don't" Susan replied pushing the gun barrel into the back of her skull. The woman typed a series of commands. "Level one protocols now in effect. Engaging shutters. Sealing off vents" a computerized voice said. "I did what you asked" she said. Susan felt a bitter cold in the air. The light of a magic array caught her eye just as the sound of something flying through the air filled her ears. With little emotion, Susan used the woman as a shield.

A barrage of small icicles impaled the woman from face to groin. Susan dropped the body, canceled the glamor spell and took cover. "You have no idea who you're screwing with" a small voice said. The sound came from the far left of the room. "Enlighten me. I like to keep score" Susan said staying low and crawling. "Jennifer O'Malley. The shifter of ZODIAC. Title...Capricorn" she replied. "Shifter?" Susan said appearing from behind a table to attack. Nobody was there. "My skill is to assume the shape of anyone that I have obtained the essence of using my artifact the Crux of Ceridwen*" she said.

(Authors note: Ceridwen was a enchantress/witch of Welsh medieval lore. Celtic belief had her as the Goddess of rebirth, transformation, and inspiration. As one can infer here, her main skill set was to be able to transform into anyone and anything.)

"How nice for you" Susan said finding a small woman on the floor and smashing her with her palm. She heard laughing. Susan raised her hand to find no squashed body or blood. "Illusion spell" Susan hissed.  "Did I forget to mention that when I take a form, I inherit their abilities too?" O'Malley said. Susan stood with her knees bent. She could feel dozens of vibrations from lab workers trying to escape but nothing from the main lab. "She's in the air" Sudan muttered. Susan used a note to cast a wind spell. Papers were tossed around the room as hurricane level winds filled it. She heard a thump. Susan stood up and found...the body of her first kill. "That weak shit won't work" a voice said from behind. Susan turned to see a woman, a tanned Asian looking woman hovering in the air just a second before a bolt of lightning hit her so hard, she flew into the wall. "Yaksha. You turned into a Yaksha" Susan groaned. "Too easy. This is the woman who took down Cancer?" O'Malley asked. There were a series of loud cracks and hisses from the other rooms. Susan could smell smoke, ozone, and antiseptics. O'Malley turned to look. "I think you got more to worry about than me" Susan said as she quickly canceled her growth spell. O'Malley turned back to find Susan gone.

"You think you can hide from me?" she asked twisting the centerpiece once more. In a flash of light, she turned into Keith. "I'll smell you out. Especially with this body" she chuckled. Susan has crawled onto a desk and hid behind a microscope. She doused herself with an over turned beaker of alcohol to hide her scent. She was getting worried. From her viewpoint, she could see test subjects shambling through the hallways. The groaned, growled, and babbled as they walked on. "Oh god Candice" she muttered to herself as the screams began. O'Malley kept jumping form desk to desk searching for her. "It's weird being in this body. I can detect your lingering scent in the air and it's causing me to think interesting things. I can smell your feet which is a turn on for some reason. Your pussy too. Why, I think I got an erection. Come on out Susan. This form wants to fuck you till you can't stand straight" O'Malley said in his voice.

"Or maybe you prefer another form?" she asked twisting the centerpiece. "You rotten bitch" Susan hissed as the new form was none other than Lily. "Oh, I really like this form. Who'd think that a middle-aged person would have such a firm rack?" the tiny woman said fondling her own tits. "Our spy collected her blood along with others that day. Told us some interesting tidbits. How you could've taken out Ikaros yourself but left the job to Lily. You let her die because you're a sniveling coward" she hissed. Susan screamed as she charged at her leaping from the desk over. She tackled her and held her sword up to run her through. She stopped. "You poor dear" O'Malley said touching her cheek. Susan looked into her eyes until a blinding pain seared through her body. Susan looked down at the woman's hands to find a dissection needle skewering her through the chest. "Guess you didn't... (she pushes the needle deeper) have the heart to do what needed to be done" she said with a sinister grin. She pushed Susan off her.

She could feel her life fading away. The needle had missed her heart but ruptured her left ventricle. She knew she'd be dead in seconds. "Ruby...Keith..." she thought as she closed her eyes. "Now for the other problem" O'Malley said watching a lab tech running down the hall screeching covered with tiny people.  She hovered out to the doorway watching as they electrocuted him. They looked at her. "Cretins" she hissed killing them with a torrent of ice. Suddenly, she felt a power behind her. Having Lily's fae body, she could naturally sense magic. It came from Susan. She hovered over to her. "What is this?" she asked kicking Susan on her back. Susan' eyes shot open as her body glowed. The needle was pushed out of her body as she righted herself. "Impossible! YOU WERE DEAD!" she screamed. Susan looked dead at her and for the first time in a long while...Capricorn knew fear. "Your eye. Your right eye" she stammered stepping back.

In the iris of her right eye one could see a magic array. However, none of the symbols or runes were known to the woman. It was a foreign magic, a magic far older than what even a zodiac knew. "It can't be. All this time. Under our goddamn noses! The archetype!" O'Malley yelled watching as the woman before her healed with astonishing speed. She readied spells. She fired lightning spells and with a wave of her hand Susan slapped them away as she muttered "spell intercept". The woman saw a blur of speed as Susan charged and punched her in the chest. So hard the tiny woman went flying. She crashed through beakers, trays, and books only to stop as her body crashed into a laptop. Her body striking it with enough force to crack the screen. Susan looked at her for a moment before leaping further than normal even for her to land on the main computer terminal. "What are you..."

"Warning. Level two protocol is now in effect. Thermobaric purge will commence in 5 minutes" the voice said. "How did you know the code?!" O'Malley yelled taking flight. She landed where Susan had bled out and collected her blood into her centerpiece. "Now your power is mine!" she yelled changing. Susan leaped back to her. The woman took a swing and Susan just stood there taking the hit. "Can't be. I have your blood! Your power is mine now! That's how it works!" O'Malley screamed at her. Susan took little note of her as she hopped onto the floor. She used a spell to grow to human size. The woman went back to change into Lily once more until she was grabbed. "No" Susan said using her fingernail to tear off her necklace. Free from its owner, it grew back to normal size leaving O'Malley stuck in Susan's form. Sudan began to walk out of the room.

The subjects had begun to attack the shutters to get free now that the staff was very much dead. Burned, electrocuted, and mangled bodies littered the floor. Human and subject alike. They turned their attention to Susan. "If you don't let me go, they'll kill us" the woman said. "Not us. You" Susan said tossing her into the line of fire. Susan ignored her screaming as the surviving horde descended on O'Malley. She used that distraction to return to the control room. "Warning. Level two protocol is in effect. Thermobaric purge in three minutes" the computer voice said as Susan entered the room. "Candice. Come out" she said holding her hand to the vent.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING...your eye" the girl muttered seeing the giantess. "We have to go" Susan said holding her steady. She made her way back to the main lab right past the horde as it tore O'Malley apart. "What's a thermobaric purge?" Candice asked scared. "The air will mix with a fuel to make it flash over. It's to kill any germs that might escape" Susan replied as she retrieved her phone. "How bad is that for us?" Candice asked. Susan studied the shutter. "The flash over will be over 1,500 degrees. Nothing will survive" she replied. "Were gonna die in here" Candice whimpered. "No we won't" Susan said studying the window shutter. "High grade steel" she muttered before touching it. The metal made an eerie groan. "What are you doing?" Candice asked. "Using transmutation to break the alloy down into its elemental forms. Iron, nickel, chromium, carbon" she muttered. Candice watched as the metal became a discolored mix and soon the colored forms pushed aside. "Damn" Susan muttered.

"I can't move the iron. It's resisting the magic. However, it did expose the weaker carbon. "Warning. Level two protocol is in effect. Thermobaric purge in 60 seconds" the computer chimed. Susan heard the horde coming for them and threw up a barrier. "Susan your nose" Candice said. Susan wiped the blood coming from it. "I have an idea to get out but there's a big catch. I can use a spell called harrowing to blast through the weakened shutter but the concussion will be extreme. With my uniform and healing ability I'll be fine. You won't" she said. "Do it anyway" Candice said softly. "No. There is a solution, but it will require the upmost trust in me and there is no guarantee you'll survive. Allow me to eat you" she said. Candice looked at her in shock.

"You'll be safe from the blast in my stomach but I'm burning up energy very quickly. You might be digested before I can throw you up" she explained. "I'm dead if I don't. Do it. Eat me" Candice said bravely. Susan brought her to her face. "The lord is my shepherd. I shall not want..." Susan muttered before placing her in her mouth. She tried ignoring her taste. Sweet, salty, afraid. And with a gulp she went down. Candice fell into a pool of stomach acid. It was pitch black and the sound of a giant racing heart filled her ears. Her bare feet tingled but soon that turned into a stinging sensation. The air burned her lungs.

Susan took her stance as the spell began. Pure oxygen was squeezed into a tight volume. The hiss of fuel mixture from the vent alerted her that she had a half minute left. The spell was ready. "Harrowing!" she yelled detonating the volatile mix of explosive gas. The blast threw her into the wall so hard she left an impression. Her uniform protracted her from a broken spine but did little for her broken nose and impacted eye socket.  It was sheer will and adrenaline that she didn't pass out. Candice inside was thrown into the fleshy wrinkly stomach wall and sank down. Her skin burning and peeling. Something rained down on her and she wiped it off her head. "Blood?" she asked smelling the coppery metallic smell. Susan coughed out blood as she got up. Seconds. Precious seconds as she quested through the opening in the blown-out shutter. The first responders of police had arrived. "Hands in the...*BOOOM*"

The entire foundation and nearby street shook, and the flash blast took place. The officers ducked down instinctively and when they looked up. The woman they saw was gone. Susan jumped from rooftop to rooftop until she stopped and bent on all fours. She stuck her fingers in her throat. She gagged until Candice slid out her mouth. She touched her body and what little clothes she had on fell to ribbons. Her finger glowed as she healed her wounds. Candice took a gasp and coughed. "Much...better" she stammered before taking flight again. Candice was terrified as she looked at her. Bloody and beaten so badly she barely recognized her. "How does she go on?" she asked herself as injured as she was, she took note to hold the shrunken teen gently. Susan landed on the motel roof. "Do that magic thing to make yourself better!" Candice yelled as she stumbled into their room. Susan placed her on the bed. "So tired. So... cold" she muttered before collapsing on the bed. Candice watched in shock as the woman shrank before her eyes.

"Susan!" Candice yelled crawling to her. The borrower was barely alive and shivering. "Oh shit. Shit shit shit!" the girl yelled looking for a way to help her. Susan's phone rang. Candice pulled it out of her pocket. "Hello! Is this her boss?!" Candice yelled. "Uh yeah. Can you put her on the phone?" Keith asked. "I can't! We did what she needed to do and now she's dying! Oh fuck she's having a seizure!" Candice yelled seeing Susan convulsing. "Point the phone at her!" Keith yelled. "Oh             my god. Okay kid. Stay calm and do exactly with at I say. Unzip the front of her uniform and tear open her shirt" he said. Candice did very quickly. "What's happening to her?!" Candice yelled. "She's badly hurt and appears to have run out of stamina to heal. Now run some of her blood on your fingers and draw these symbols on her stomach" he said. Keith walked her through it quickly showing her the most basic healing spell he could. "Now finish the last symbol. You'll feel a weird pull on your body. DO NOT PULL BACK!" he said. Candice tensed up as she activated her first healing arcane. "She's getting better! She's not shaking or bleeding anymore!" Candice said.

"Good. Very good kid. She stable for now. Keep her warm and rested. What's the name of that motel?" he asked. Candice looked at the towel on the chair. "The Good Night Motel" she replied. "Okay. I'm taking a flight down. Don't go anywhere until I arrive" he said ending the call. Candice breathed a sigh of relief and pulled a discarded sock from last night over Susan's body. She laid down and held her hand tightly.

12 hours later...

"Did someone get the name of that car that hit me?" Susan groaned as she sat up. "Sleeping on the job Durmont?" Keith asked sitting on the bed. "Very funny" she said stretching. Keith didn't give her much time before snatching her up and cuddling her to his cheek. "Your...your luck is gonna run out one day" he said wiping tears away. "Don't think that's in the cards for me. I tend to beat the odds. Oh damn Candice" she said looking around. "Asleep. She fell right out as soon as I arrived. I had to pry her off you to get a look at ya. She's attached it seems" he said. "She's a sweet girl. Reminds me so much of myself" she said. "She saved your life. Stabilized you when you didn't have enough strength to heal yourself. That's not like you to run your tank so empty" he said. Susan got extremely quiet.

"Something happened to me there" she said softly. Keith handed her a paper cup with a little water in it. "Candice was rambling when I came in. Something about a glowing circle in your eye?" he asked. "Capricorn stabbed me near my heart. I was as close to death as one can get Keith without dying" she said. Keith shrank himself down and scooted close to her. "There was this tunnel with a white light at the end. As I got closer, I could see my mom. And then suddenly I was back in that lab. Capricorn started saying something. Calling me an archetype" she said. "Archetype? Of what?" Keith asked. Susan shook her head. "What did happen to Capricorn?" he asked. "I beat her ass like Wonder Woman. I'm not shitting you. It was like walking around in this haze. Calm as a lake in winter while I was beating her into submission. Deflecting magic attacks. Healing from wounds. Keith I was using magic without arcane incantations" she said.

"But you tested negative for fae abilities" he said. "I KNOW THAT! And the craziest thing of all, the spells in my mind weren't in English or any language I've ever seen. But I knew them just as easily as I can read that fucking towel there. They spoke about an archetype in their experiments. She called me the archetype. If their goal was the engineer a magic being... what am I Keith? If I'm not a borrower, then what...what am I?" Susan said sobbing. Keith held her close.  "Am I just a lab experiment? Something cooked up in a test tube for a human?" she sobbed into his chest. Keith pulled her chin up and kissed her deeply.

"You of all people should know that a person's beginnings doesn't dictate who they are or their worth" he said. "I did impossible things half out of my mind. I condemned over a 100 innocent people to burn to death today" she said. "From what Candice told me you had no choice. If they got free, they would've killed hundreds of innocent people out there. They were insane. It was a difficult decision but the right one to make" he said. "All those people gone..." she muttered. "Once upon a time there was a man who sat on the beach every day. He would see a man come by every day and toss back washed up starfish. One day the man yelled to him "what's the point? You won't make a difference. There’re hundreds of them washing up each day. The man replied..."made all difference in the world to that starfish" he said. Look at your sleeping little starfish there" Keith said pointing to Candice curled up under the giant sock.

Keith grew back and dialed his phone. He ordered Chinese. "Hmmm..." he said looking at something. "What is it?" she asked. "Looking at the missing person report. We should call her mom" he said. "Keith. What can we tell her?" Susan asked. "The truth. Being a parent, I'd want my kid back no matter what" he said. He dialed the number. "This is Ms. Chambers? Yes, we found your daughter. Can you come to this address? No. No police. Your daughter was involved in some...questionable things. I rather not say over the phone. It's a public place yes. Alright. See you then" he said hanging up. "That sounded easy" Susan said. "Not quite. Her screaming and crying were...unsettling. Especially me being a dad" he said shaking his head.

4 hours later...

"Can't believe you did this!" Candice yelled. Susan checked her clothes. "Believe it. Your mom is sick with worry" Susan said. "You honestly think she's going to accept...well this?" Candice asked waving her hands over her head. "My daughter is tiny just like you and it doesn't diminish my love for her. This will be an adjustment for her" Keith said. "You fuckin' high dude?! I can't keep my dog. Can't go to school. Can't drive. Can't..." she was saying before a knock on their door. Keith opened it and had a gun in his face. "Well...ahem...please come in" he said. A woman in her late 30's slowly entered the room. "Where's my baby girl" she hissed. "If you take the magnum out of my face, I can help with that" he said. "Not a chance. My kid. Now" she said. With blinding speed, Keith yanked it away from her. "Sorry but I must insist" he said emptying the chambers.  

"Mom?" Candice asked. "Please don't hurt me. I just want my baby" she cried. "Nobody is going to harm you. Candice" Keith said lowering his hand for her to climb into. "What cruel joke is this? My child isn't a borrower" she hissed. "It's hard to believe but this is your daughter" he said. "I'm calling the cops" she said pulling her phone out. "Mom. It's really me" Candice said. The woman narrowed her eyes. "You say that again and I'll crush you damn the law" she spat. "Ma'am. Please just for a moment have an open mind. Your daughter was involved in a... bad thing and ended up like this. Candice. Tell your mother only something you'd know" Susan said. "I have a dog with orange fur. "Bullshit. Anyone with a Facebook account could see that. "I named him Cheezit because of his fur. We picked him up from the pound the day daddy moved out the house" Candice said softly. The mother turned white as a sheet.

Keith gave her to her. "How? Why? Oh baby what happened to you?" she asked her daughter sitting in her hand. Her finger trembled as she was frightened to touch her. Candice pulled her finger to her and hugged it. "Please sit Ms. Chambers. This will take some time to explain" Keith said.

A half hour later...

"You have to promise me you'll never tell a soul about this. Nobody can know that this small girl is your Candice" Keith said. "If magic is real...you can't fix this?" she asked. "Her DNA has been changed. It's rewritten too much" Keith replied. The woman' phone buzzed. "It's your grandma. She's wants me to call her. God what do I say?" she asked her hip turned over her open purse and a hairbrush fell out. "My brush from home?" Candice asked. "Yeah. Wanted to brush your...your hair" she said sniffling. "Ya still can mom" Candice said. "My brave little girl. Mommy was so stupid. What was I thinking telling you such horrible things that night" she sobbed. Susan picked up the brush. "Excuse me ma'am? The hair in the bristles, it's hers right?" Susan asked. The woman nodded. "Keith that artifact I had. Give it to me" she said. Keith handed it to her.

"Capricorn said it works by taking a DNA sample. When she used it, it changed her. She became that person completely. And when I took it from her, she didn't change back" she said. "The hair!" Keith said. Susan nodded. Susan held the crux and gingerly opened the locking centerpiece. She emptied the chamber (no telling what or who was inside it at the time) and slipped a sample of hair into it. "Will that work?" Candice asked as Susan took the girl from her mom. "Hair follicles contain living cells. Cell with your original DNA. Here kiddo" she said placing the necklace around her neck. It shrank to accommodate the user. Susan had her turn the dial. In a flash, Candice was back to her old self. Black hair, 5'6, and funnily naked. Keith threw a towel around her. Cheers from them so loud those next door hit the wall to shut them up.

"You saved me Susan? I don't know how to thank you" Candice said. Susan looked at her mother. She took their hands and put them together. "Just remember to be yourself...and never give up" Susan replied.  Candice surprised her with a deep kiss. "That uhh...works too" Susan stammered. The mother gave her an odd look and Susan looked away. Keith and Susan watched them drive off into the night. "Goodbye little starfish" she whispered. "All well that ends well" he said. "Her mom thinks I put the moves on her daughter" she huffed. Keith looked at her. "Well I did. So what? She's adorable, has nice feet, and she tasted amazing. Sue me" Susan shrugged as they went back into the room. "I'll get the jet ready to go home" he said reaching for the phone. Susan stopped him. "Not yet. I want to know more about me" she said. "How?" he asked. Susan gave him her phone. "Their database is in there. If there's clues about what I am, it will be in there" she said. "I'll being uploading it to Control" he said linking it to the motel Wi-Fi.

That night, Susan kept tossing and turning on the pillow. "Can't sleep?" Keith asked. "My tits are swollen again" she muttered. Keith slipped off her top and gently placed her on his mouth. His giant lips began suckling her milk. "God that feels good" she groaned. Keith gently stroked her back. It didn't take long to drain her and he released her from his lips. "I'm so scared of what they’ll find" she muttered as she placed her back on the pillow. The giant looked at her. "You know I'm here right?" he asked. She sniffled and nodded. "You know what question bugs me right now?" he asked. Susan shook her head. "Which is it? Vitamin D or skim milk?" he said poking each breast. Susan burst out laughing at him. "Thanks for being in my life" Susan muttered tucking in. "Don't worry. We're good here" he whispered.

Susan felt a sharp pain in her right eye. A forgotten memory came to mind. "You sure you don't want to stay in my room?" a man asked. "Naw. Don't worry. We're good here" a young male borrower replied. Susan looked up at the borrower holding her hand. "Daddy?" she asked covering her eye with her hand. "You say something Suzie?" Keith asked. The array in her right eye faded out. The pain gone. "Just saying goodnight" she replied. "Night night" Keith said.