Seismic Sisters (Part 2)

In the city of Bullet Bay, on California's central coast...

At Bullet Bay high school right after classes had ended for the day, Courtney was addressing the other cheerleaders. She was wearing her black and white cheer uniform. The other cheerleaders were present, as well as some girls who were trying out.

"After looking over all of your routines," said Courtney, "I've decided that Stephanie will replace Becky, the girl who broke her leg in a horse riding accident over the weekend. Thank you to all of you who tried out for the squad!"

As the girls turned to walk away, Rose grabbed Courtney by the shoulder. "Hey!" Rose said loudly. "I think my routine was better than Stephanie's! Why didn't you choose me?"

"You were unsteady in some of your poses," said Courtney, "Stephanie is slightly better than you. Maybe if you practice, you can try out for the squad next summer. It was a tough choice, but I had to pick Stephanie."

"I've won three medals in the junior Olympics," said Rose, "I think I'm a better athlete than any of the other girls on the squad!"

"You've got the raw talent, you just need to hone your skills," Courtney replied.

"You didn't pick me because I'm Mexican!" Rose shouted.

"Rose, look around you," Courtney replied, "two of the girls on our squad are Hispanic! Your claim is a logical fallacy."

As Courtney turned to walk away, Rose shouted back at her: "You'll see! I'll get my revenge!"

Later that day, after school, Rose rode the bus to the Richter research laboratory. She had a pad of paper and a pencil with her as she approached the front desk in the main lobby.

"Can I help you?" the receptionist asked.

"I'm with the Bullet Bay high school newspaper," said Rose, "and I would like to interview Professor Beltran."

The receptionist made a phone call, then told Rose where to go to find the professor.

"Thank you!" said Rose politely, and went down the hallway toward Professor Beltran's lab.

She knocked and the professor ushered her in. There were construction workers busily working on repairing the damage to the facility caused by the time capsule experiment that had caused Kate and Courtney to grow to colossal size.

"So you're here for the school newspaper?" Professor Beltran asked.

"Yes," said Rose. "I'm Rose Toronado."

"I apologize for the mess, you probably saw the story on the news last night. We're repairing the damage as fast as possible. So your father was the scientist who constructed that weather cannon that tore through the city recently?"

"Yes," said Rose. "He invented that technology, it was his life's work. Professor Von Darius stole the credit for it from my father!"

"Knowing Professor Von Darius, that wouldn't surprise me," said professor Beltran. "I was attending the same college as him, and he was known to cheat on exams. He actually started a business at our university where he made extra cash writing papers and doing homework for other students."

"Really?" Rose asked.

"Yes," professor Beltran replied, "he was brilliant, but devious. He was two years ahead of me, and he stole my dissertation concept from me, I had to come up with something else, because I couldn't prove it."

"So you believe me?" Rose asked.

"Yes, I wouldn't put it past him to steal another scientist's idea, he's been known to do that sort of thing."

"I have a notary public with all of my father's schematics for the weather cannon," said Rose, as she held up a manila envelope. "It pre-dates any claim on the technology by Professor Von Darius."

"You need to show that to a judge," said professor Beltran.

"I've been sleeping on friend's couches ever since my father got deported," said Rose. "I was born at County General here in Bullet Bay, unlike my father, so I'm an American citizen. I don't want this notary public to fall into the wrong hands, and I don't want it to get messed up, so can you keep it in a safe for me until I can contact a lawyer?"

Professor Beltran took the manila folder and walked over to a safe built into the wall. He keyed in the digital combination, and put the manila folder inside the safe."

"Now professor," Rose asked, "as far as my interview for the school newspaper is concerned, can you describe exactly how Kate and Courtney Richter gained their growing powers?" Rose had her writing tablet open, and a pencil in the other hand.

"I thought Courtney was writing an article about what happened in the school newspaper?" Professor Beltran asked.

"She was traumatized by the whole experience, and I was elected to take her place as a reporter," said Rose. "Now what can you tell me about that theory?"

"Some of the information is proprietary, so I won't reveal everything, but it has something to do with passing through hyperspace," said the professor. "in hyperspace, the physical laws of our universe are reversed. Matter only travels faster than light, and there is no gravity, only anti-gravity. Their bodies absorbed huge quantities of dark matter, as well as anti-graviton particles from hyperspace. Are you with me so far?"

"Yes!" said Rose. "Please go on!"

"Their size, mass and strength increased a thousand fold, but the square cube law wasn't violated because their bodies absorbed so many anti-graviton particles."

"The square cube law, Professor?" Rose asked. "This is a high school newspaper, so some of the kids may not know what that means. Can you please explain it?"

"Yes," the professor replied. He walked over to his coffee machine, where a box of sugar cubes and creamer were located. The professor picked up a sugar cube.

"If you wanted to create a cube that was twice the size of this sugar cube, how many sugar cubes would you need?'

"Two?" Rose asked.

"Eight," said the professor, as he stacked up eight sugar cubes into a cube. "Two sugar cubes wide, two sugar cubes long, and four cubes on top of the bottom four, gives you a cube of eight total sugar cubes."

"Outstanding!" said Rose, as she furiously wrote down the information.

"Because mass increases eight fold every time you double the size of something, if Kate and Courtney had not absorbed the anti-gravitons in hyperspace, their bodies would have been crushed by the additional mass they absorbed from the dark matter that caused the atoms of their bodies to grow."

"Why do they need those electronic wrist bands now?" Rose asked.

"Kate and Courtney's bodies exist in a constant state of quantum flux, they could grow at any time without meaning to. The wristbands keep them at normal size, and they can program them to allow themselves to grow at will."

"Do you have any of those wristbands here, so I can take a picture of one with my cell phone camera?" Rose asked.

"Yes, I have a spare, in case something goes wrong with Kate or Courtney's wrist bands." Professor Beltran went to the same safe where he had put her father's notary public, and keyed in the combination. Rose carefully observed the buttons he pushed, and memorized it. Profesor Beltran pulled out the electronic wrist band and placed it on a table.

Rose took her cell phone and snapped a photo.

"What if this device fell into the wrong hands?" Rose asked. "Can anyone use it to grow to colossal size like Kate and Courtney?"

"Unfortunately, yes," said the professor. "Luckily, there is only this one wristband in existence, aside from the other two worn by Kate and Courtney. That's why I keep it in that safe. The combination is changed every night at midnight."

Professor Beltran walked over to the safe and returned the wrist band, then closed the safe.

"Is that everything you needed to know?" the professor asked. "I have to leave the lab soon, reporters from a news crew are coming here to interview me and the Richter sisters."

"I think so, thank you, professor!" said Rose. As she exited the room, Rose noticed a hole in the building caused by the time capsule destroying part of the building, that wasn't protected.

A news van pulled up in front of the Heidner research facility, followed by a limousine. The chauffer opened the door for Courtney and Kate Heidner, the daughters of Cornelius Heidner, the billionaire who founded the research facility. A military vehicle pulled up, also.

Professor Beltran joined them in front of the building, carrying a new device he had invented as the news crew set up to interview them about the events of the previous day.

A military officer approached Professor Beltran. "I'm General Barger, I'm here to investigate the technology we discussed earlier. Do you have the alpha wave weapon?"

"Right here," said the professor, holding up a strange looking device that resembled a machine gun.

Meanwhile, Rose snuck around the back of the building and found the area of Professor Beltran's laboratory that was only protected by a thin sheet of construction paper and tape. She ripped through it, and entered the lab. The room was dark, because the professor had turned out the lights, so she turned on the lights and made her way to the safe.

Rose knew the combination, so she keyed it in, and the safe popped open for her.

"Yes!" said Rose, as she reached in and grabbed the electronic wristband. She put it on, and began deciphering how to activate it.

Meanwhile, in front of the building, the reporter was interviewing Kate, Courtney and Professor Beltran. General Barger stood to the side.

"Reporters around the world are calling you Mega-Woman and Goddess-Girl," said the reporter.

"We prefer to be called the Seismic sisters!" said Courtney.

"Well, I think that ship has sailed," said the reporter, "the Mega-Woman and Goddess-Girl label has kind of stuck in the minds of the American people." The reporter turned her attention to Professor Beltran. "How are the Richter sisters handling all of this, professor?"

"Courtney was traumatized by the whole ordeal to the extent that she couldn't write an article about it for her school newspaper," said Professor Beltran. "Another girl named Rose Toronado came in this afternoon to conduct an interview with me."

"Are you high?" Courtney shouted. "That's professor Toronado's daughter! The guy who unleashed that weather cannon on Bullet Bay!"

"She said you couldn't write the report," said Professor Beltran.

"She was lying!" Courtney shouted. "I turned in that article yesterday, I e-mailed it to the teacher. Did you let Rose anywhere near the safe?"

"Yes, she had some paperwork she wanted me to store for her," said the professor. "How can you be sure Rose is dangerous?"

"She swore revenge on me earlier today for not letting her on the cheer squad, if she gets a hold of that extra wrist band, there's no telling what she's capable of!"

Just then, a booming roar filled the air as the roof of the research facility fractured by the growth of a lone figure. Rose Toronado grew instantly, until she stood about five hundred feet tall. She stepped around to the side of the research facility, and walked toward the front of the building until she could see Kate and Courtney.

"Let the world behold the awesome might of Tera-Temptress!"

Rose raised her right shoe in an effort to stomp on Courtney, but Courtney adeptly programmed her wristband to grow to a size that matched Rose's size. Courtney grew so fast that her head hit Rose's shoe, knocking her over.

"Are you getting all of this?" the reporter asked the video cameraman.

Rose threw a punch at Courtney, but Courtney ducked.

Meanwhile the people on the ground who were normal size were trying to evade the foot steps of the juvenile juggernauts.

"Why doesn't Kate grow to colossal size to assist her younger sister?" General Barger asked Professor Beltran.

"It's her fight!" Kate replied. "Besides, Courtney is a blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, so I think she can handle Rose."

The gargantuan girls fought it out, and their battle led to a residential area. Houses were crushed, but the occupants were able to evacuate before the houses were demolished.

Back in front of the Heidner research facility, General Barger grabbed the alpha wave weapon from professor Beltran.

"What are you doing?" Professor Beltran asked.

"What do you think I'm going to do?" General Barger asked. "I'm going to use it on that Hispanic deviant!" General Barger aimed the alpha wave weapon at Rose, and fired. An invisible beam of energy shot her straight in the head, causing her pain.

Rose charged the general and grabbed the weapon from him, and dropped it on the sidewalk and stomped on it. The alpha wave weapon was utterly destroyed. Rose collected the general, and lifted him above her mouth, and dropped him in. She easily swallowed him, because from her perspective, he stood less than an inch tall.

After a few moments, Rose felt dizzy, and she began to lose consciousness. She fell to the ground, but Courtney caught her and assisted her to the ground without damaging any further structures.

"Professor!" said Kate. "Go retrieve that neural stimulator gizmo so you can make Rose vomit the general back up!"

Professor Beltran ran into the building to retrieve the device.

"Should I re-program Rose's wristband to return her to normal size?" Courtney asked.

"No!" Kate shouted so her colossal sister could hear her, "Not until the professor makes her vomit the general back up!"

The professor returned a few moments later with the neural stimulator. "Courtney! You need to revive Rose so I can make her vomit!"

Courtney began to violently shake Rose in an effort to awaken her. Rose slowly regained consciousness. Professor Beltran aimed the neural stimulator at her head, and she vomited. General Barger fell out onto the sidewalk, none the worse for wear.

"General Barger!" Professor Beltran shouted. "I wanted to warn you not to use that alpha wave weapon on Rose!"

"Why not?" the general asked.

"It might manipulate her brain chemistry in such a way that she can grow at will, without using the wristband!"

"That could make Rose unstoppable!" said Kate.

Rose stood up. "Let's see if that's true!" Rose took off the wristband and placed it on the roof of the Heidner Research Facility. She stood and willed herself to grow, and after a several moments, she began growing without the help of her wristband.

"Courtney!" the professor shouted. "Professor Von Darius stole the weather cannon theory from her father! You've got to assure Rose that we will do everything in our power to exonerate her father, and restore his reputation!"

"Sure thing, professor!" said Courtney, as she programmed her wristband to cause her to grow to a size that matched Rose's size.

Once they were the same size, Courtney said, "Rose! We know your father was framed by Doctor Von Darius! Professor Beltran and my father will do everything they can to make things right!"

"I don't believe you!" said Rose, who began stomping toward the town; she was now about a thousand feet tall.

"Nobody was killed by your father's weather canon, Rose!" Courtney shouted, as she tried to restrain Rose from crushing more structures. "But if you accidentally kill people right now, you can go to prison!"

This caught Rose's attention, and she halted in her tracks. "Can you really help my father?" Rose asked.

"Yes!" said Courtney. "We'll get the best lawyers in the western hemisphere, at no cost to you or your father! But you have to return to normal size right now, before you cause any further damage to the city!"

Rose closed her eyes and concentrated, and she instantly returned to normal size.

"Courtney!" the professor shouted. "Grab the wristband on the roof, and hold it when you return to normal size!"

Courtney was able to hear the professor, and did as she was instructed. Several moments later, she was normal sized with the wristband in her hand. She gave the wristband to the professor.

"They're going to arrest you right now, Rose," said the professor, "but we will bail you out within the hour. I'll gain custody of you while your father is incarcerated."

"I have a younger brother named Pablo," said Rose. "Can you help him, too?"

"Of course!" said professor Beltran, as the police put Rose in handcuffs.

Two hours later, Rose was released from juvenile hall. The Richter limousine was waiting for her. Kate, Courtney, Professor Beltran and Rose's brother Pablo were waiting for her inside the limo. Rose hugged her brother.

"Thank you, professor Beltran!" said Rose. "Maybe we could fight crime as a trio now, Mega-Woman, Goddess-Girl, and Tera-Temptress!"

To Be Continued!