Bombshell #4

SURPRISE! BOMBSHELL IS BACK BABY! What, you thought I forgot about this character and the story I started? No way man! So anyways, here's the 4th part of the series for your reading pleasure!

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The morning after the "Syntax" disaster, Marie awoke with the same memory retention as a goldfish, struggling to sit upright as her brain tried to piece together what had transpired. Her normally blurred vision mixed with having her eyes shut nearly twelve hours made it nigh impossible for the college student to space out where she was. After a few moments of groaning and stretching, Marie's eyes slowly woke up and began to make out the shapes and colors associated with her and Katie's room. A cluttered mess could be seen where her roommate usually slept, sheets torn from the mattress and dropped chaotically to the floor below.

Although when her vision adjusted, Marie had an eerie feeling that something was wrong.

She looked at her phone, which she kept just beside her bed, and saw that it was only eight o'clock in the morning. For Marie, it was a standard time, sure... But, Katie? On the WEEKEND, no less?! No, she never dragged her slow ass out of the covers until around lunchtime at least. She even recalled once where Katie stayed up to catch the trailer for a new Marvel movie and slept till dinner (MAN did that fuck up her sleep schedule for a while...). So it was very concerning that her friend was missing from her usual cozy cocoon.

So then the question became: Where did she go? And what would make her get up at such an uncharacteristically "Katie" time?

Marie threw on some sweatpants and her sweatshirt from the previous night, fluffing her hair a bit on the off chance she met any peers during her search. Sure she just woke up, but she didn't want to look like a total mess! Marie fumbled her shoes around with her toes and slipped into a simple pair of foam flip flops, throwing her room key and lanyard around her neck before stepping out into the hallway, putting on her thinking cap as she began theorizing where her friend might be.

The dorm in the morning was a radically different sight than one in the evening, especially after a Friday night nonetheless. Marie wasn't ignorant; she knew as well as anyone that college in the weekends was not a place of little academic angels. More than likely, the seniors had thrown another party. Which meant everyone got shitfaced drunk and baked so hard that they could be medically classified as vegetables. Nevertheless, the silence of the rooms put her at ease, allowing Marie to skulk around without fear of attracting any unwanted attention. For once, she was thankful for drugs and alcohol.

Marie began creeping down the long corridor, passing the ugly yellow walls as she slowly meandered her way further and further down. One by one, she started passing doors, nametags flashing by like feed on a social media post. Finally, around the 5th or 6th door, Marie, out of the corner of her ear...heard a voice echo in the distance.

"Come on...Go down!"

She could barely make it out with where she was standing...but it was just enough to let her know all she needed.

There was no doubt: That voice she heard belonged to Katie.

But again, Why was she so far away? And where exactly was she located? Did she step into the stairwell? No, that was too weird of a place to hide out. Marie began walking in the direction Katie's voice came from the best she could, but who knew if she would be able to find her anywhere close by? The entire dorm was one big echo chamber, and any noise rang out like a church bell after a wedding, going on and on until it eventually tired itself out. Katie could be on this floor...or the one above. Or the one below.

Jeez, maybe this was going to be more challenging than she thought.

"God, this isn't fair!" Again, she heard her roommate call out, this time louder than before. From the way the sound bounced off the walls, it was clear now that she was on the same floor as her friend. But as she got closer to the sound, she began to hear things that seemed really strange.

Maybe it was down to her ears being full of wax, but she could swear she heard the sound of creaking floorboards. Was it floorboards, though? No, it sounded more strained and almost like it was bouncing around in a smaller contained space, like a metal bowl. Then she heard a compounding sound of something moving around, almost like a...sloshing sound? Eww, how gross!

"Did someone flood the damn toilets again?!" Marie said under her breath, disgusted by her own thoughts.

But then it hit her.

THE BATHROOMS! That was it! But not just any bathroom. The new Gender-neutral Bathroom! The school had it installed in accordance with a new focus on being all-inclusive of people's gender and sexual orientations. It was well furnished and immaculate, and most people referred to it as the loveliest spot in the entire building. Complete with a private toilet, shower, and sink, it was a popular spot for many students regardless of their gender simply for the privacy it offered. Perfect for a student who partied too hard...or just an overall good place to hide from the general student population.

Sure enough, as she got within mere inches of the door, the sounds intensified and grew more pronounced. It sounded like Katie was having major stomach issues, with echoes of loud moaning and groaning rippling from the hard oak door that stood between the two. Marie's first inclination was to knock most times, but here she was worried Katie was in severe physical turmoil. Fuck being polite; she was going to save her best friend, damn it!

She opened the door and blindly rushed in, quickly realizing that the door was unlocked a second too late. As her head turned back in shock at this realization, she was suddenly jolted as her skinny frame slammed into what felt like a giant wall of jello. Feeling her body sink into specific peaks and valleys, she was quickly thrown back into the door she'd just opened, closing it. Unfortunately, her body landed butt first with a loud "Thud!" against the tile floor, hitting the back of her head against the solid oak and metal slab behind her.

"OW! Fuck!" Marie exclaimed with a painful groan, using her hand to massage the wounded area. Then, finally, she looked up to see what exactly she bumped into that made her shoot back so quickly. But as she gazed upon what sat before her...Marie felt her jaw drop to the floor in shock.

"AHHH! WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN HERE?! GET OUT!" Katie exclaimed, desperately trying to cover herself up like a girl who'd just dropped her towel after stepping out of the shower. Marie gasped as she looked at her roommate. Seemingly as if it had happened overnight, Katie had blown up like a balloon and nearly filled the generous bathroom space in its entirety. Katie took her balloon-like arms and began trying to hide her beachball-sized breasts from Marie, embarrassed over the amount of cleavage leaking out from her grey crop top. Her stomach extended out several feet in front of her and could barely be contained by her clothes, already forcing the top to hike up dangerously high. Her butt stretched out the already taxed leggings, with legs thicker than tree trunks that tapered down ever so slightly to the pink sneakers below.

"Holy shit, Katie!" Marie exclaimed, "What the fuck happened to you?! You blew up again!"

"SHUT UP! I can't control it!' Katie admitted, dropping her hands to her side as she tried to waddle closer to Marie. Her body sloshed and groaned some more, causing the college student to begin stumbling under her own weight as she nearly slammed into the wall. Marie rushed to help keep her upright but almost became crushed as the full weight of Katie's swollen body pushed up against her own. She groaned as she began lifting her with her back, digging her feet into the ground as she tried with all her might to force her friend up. After a moment of struggling, Marie fell to the floor as Katie finally regained balance and turned to keep herself front-facing.

"Jesus Christ, how did this all happen?" Marie asked as she dusted herself off, "You weight like a ton! Scientifically speaking, you should have broken everything in this bathroom."

"I don't know! I thought that inflation last night was all there was to it. But when I woke up this morning, I felt the same weird feeling in the pit of my stomach. I tried to stay calm as best I could, but I started blowing up like a balloon again before I knew it! I slipped on some shoes and rushed out of our room, nearly getting stuck in the doorframe as my stomach started churning and groaning loudly. It's almost like my body was filling up with liquid or something!"

"I knew it was weird that you weren't there when I woke up. Did anyone catch you on your way here?"

"I don't think so. I moved pretty fast, even as I was getting huge. I wanted to call you and ask for your help earlier, I swear! I did!"

"Well, why didn't you?" Marie asked.

"Well, by the time I got around to reach for my phone, I couldn't. My stomach and arms literally got so large that I couldn't touch my lower half!" Katie explained, slowly rotating to the side as she tried to illustrate her point. Katie could, in theory, still get to her pockets, but her torso was so bloated that it blocked her hands. Not to mention her ass was pretty expanded too, which made the stretch even more complicated because of how far her buttcheeks protruded. It was honestly shocking to Marie that Katie was still standing if that weight she felt was any indication. That girl should have fallen down ages ago!

"Dude, this is bad," Marie explained, "It's too early now, but it's only a matter of time until someone hears us. And even if we are as quiet as we can be...your body's groaning, creaking, and sloshing is going to draw attention even if you don't mean to."

"So what do we do?! I can't get out of here at this size; I'll get stuck in the doorframe for sure! I don't want people to see me like this; I look like a disgusting, giant blimp!"

"Well then, there is only one option: You have to deflate yourself. NOW."

"Wha...NO! I have been trying to deflate myself for the last 20 minutes, and I can't do it! it's impossible!"

"Calm down! Your freaking out, Katie! If you're not careful, you're going to pop like an overblown parade float!"

And with that phrase, Katie had a working hypothesis on why Katie had blown up the way she had and why she had expanded to the point of filling the gender-neutral bathroom. But she also had an idea of how Katie could return to her normal size.

"That's it!" Marie exclaimed, "Katie, what did you dream about last night?"

"What? That's personal shit! I ain't telling you!"

"Katie, trust me! I have a working theory on why you blew up again, and I think I know what it's tied to."

"NO!"

"FOR FUCK'S SAKE, JUST TELL ME WHAT YOU DREAMED ABOUT!"

Katie stood in a scoff for a second, wanting to yell something vulgar to release some frustrations she felt about her current situation. But she knew that it wouldn't help, nor would it help her standing with Marie. After a moment of silence, she sighed heavily.

"Fine...I'll tell you." Katie began, "I was dreaming about last night...but this time, you and that doctor girl never got to me in time. I sat in agony in my dream, burning from the inside out. Then just when things couldn't get any worse, The ceiling collapsed on me, and I was crushed to death. Yeah, really happy you made me relieve such a nightmare for the third time. Excellent stuff,"

"No wonder you blew up again! You had a nightmare and woke up scared shitless, so knowing basic human emotions, you probably started panicking and your heart rate...but more importantly, your breathing...rapidly started increasing."

"So what? I'm still freaking out now, but I'm not growing anymore!"

"But that's just it. Maybe your body hit its natural limit, and you could feel it in your subconscious, so you slowed down your breathing to stabilize yourself."

"That's not true. If you haven't noticed, I'm still taking up the entire bathroom space, and I haven't shrunk one bit. So sorry, I don't think I've fully calmed down quite yet!"

"But...you've been breathing normally this whole time. I mean, I haven't heard you panting or anything since I walked in. Safe to assume your breath has stabilized?"

"Well, yeah, I guess..."

"Then that proves it! Your inflation transformation must not have been a one-time thing. I assume it's tied to that anti-inflammation gum you swallowed last night, and as a side effect of the drug, you blow up when your breathing starts getting hectic. I mean, it makes sense if you think about it, right?"

Katie was speechless. Standing here in a small college bathroom with her petite friend, she had just heard Marie pretty much figure out not only why she blew up again...but a theory on how she could reverse it. I guess it was thinking like this that consistently landed Marie at the top of the class. I mean, there was no way she could have figured that out on her own!

"Oh my god...your exactly right." She admitted begrudgingly.

"Exactly! I'm always right!"

"I wouldn't go that far," The massive student quickly retorted, "So what? If I start taking deep breaths or something, I'll deflate?"

"I think that's about right."

Katie closed her eyes and exhaled deeply, reading herself to try Marie's new idea. Then, after a short pause, she took a massive inhale...Which ended up making things much worse. Before either of them knew what was going on, Katie began expanding again. Marie threw her hands out in front of her as Katie's belly surged toward her, quickly pinning her against the wall with a massive layer of flesh. Marie gasped for air, desperately pushing against the bubblegum-like springiness of her friend's body in an attempt to find an exit.

"OWWW! Katie stop! You're crushing me!"

"I only did what you said...AWWW FUCK! I THINK I'M GONNA POP!

" OH, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO!" Marie desperately exclaimed, "You can't pop with me in here!"

"Then what exactly do you want me to do!"

Katie's body began making louder and louder creaking sounds, like a giant rubber balloon being squeezed from both sides. Her stomach rumbled ominously, and Marie felt her friend's body shaking with stress. She knew one more mistake, and Katie was going to go off like a bomb. There was no telling how destructive a shockwave like that could be! Her roommate's inflation crisis was now putting other people in jeopardy since she'd probably wipe out the bathroom alone. And that was if they were lucky. The truth was there was no telling how destructive she would be.

"Focus more on the exhale!" Marie shouted from beneath her stomach.

"Ok! I'll try!" Katie took a moment to gather her nerves before taking another deep breath in. However, this time was different. When she took the air in, she didn't expand any larger! Then as she focused her brain on the exhale, just as Marie instructed her...She felt her clothes loosen and her stomach pull away from the wall. Marie gasped as her body dropped to the floor, coughing as she tried to gather oxygen. Katie repeated the same process again, focusing on the exhale rather than the inhale of her breath. And while she puffed up ever so slightly, just like before, she shrunk down even further. This time she was back to the size she'd been when Marie walked in on her.

Katie kept repeating the process, feeling the pressure in her body subside as she rapidly started deflating, growing smaller and smaller with each passing breath. Finally, Marie managed to get herself off the floor right as Katie shrunk down to average size, smiling as her friend's skinny frame had returned once more. Despite herself, Katie let out a laugh, amazed that she'd managed to avert the crisis with her friend's help.

"Holy crap, your idea actually worked!" Katie exclaimed, pulling up her pants as she readjusted them around her tiny waist.

"I had a feeling it would work! I did study breathwork in the yoga club last semester, after all."

"It's so weird; I totally blew up when I started freaking out this morning. The question is: how long is this issue going to last? You think it's a one-and-done deal?"

"Well...as much as it may suck to admit...I think you might be stuck with this condition."

"WHAT?!?!"

"Hey! Take it easy now! You'll blow up again if you lose your cool! I mean, as much as it sucks, that gum you swallowed psychically changed you. Even if you hadn't consumed it, your body would still be at a much lower risk for health issues later in your life because of inflammation. The truth is that we don't know how long these side effects will last. It could be a day, a week...or it could be for the rest of your life."

"THE REST OF MY LIFE?!" Katie screamed, "No way! I can't be expected to keep myself mellow for the rest of my life! What if I get angry? or sad? or really excited?!"

"I don't think you are as powerless as you think," Marie started, "I mean, look at me. I know a lot about mindfulness from yoga, right? Do you think I knew it all from the start? No! I had to consciously work on my thoughts and feelings repeatedly until I finally grasped them. The point is that I KNOW you can control these powers. You just need to spend the time learning how to control it."

"I mean, I guess it makes...wait, did you say powers?" Katie stumbled, "As in...like superpowers?"

"Yeah! For crying out loud, Katie, you have the ability to increase and decrease your size at will! That's incredible!"

"I'm not like Ant-Man, Marie! I blow up like a balloon over and over again! It's disgusting! It's not a superpower; it's a disease that I need to get rid of!"

"But that's just it, isn't it? A lot of superheroes start by thinking their powers are diseases! It makes total sense! That gum gave you the ability to blow up like bubblegum!"

"No hero has ever had a power like this."

"What about Big Bertha?"

"I'm sorry...The fuck did you just say?"

"Big Bertha! You know, The muscle of the West-Coast Avengers team?"

"What about her? Is her power turning into a human balloon?

"Kind of. Her actual ability revolves around her gaining weight, which increases her strength. So the fatter she gets, the stronger she ends up being. And she can only get smaller...by causing herself to vomit."

"OH MY GOD, STOP!" Katie exclaimed as she gagged. She threw her hands up in front of her, trying to signal that it was time to end this talk. "That's disgusting. Who would make a hero like that?"

"Does it matter? The point is that anything out of the ordinary could be a superpower, including your condition."

"I'm telling you your wrong!"

"What about last night?"

"What about it?"

Marie snickered, "Come on, dude, you can't sit here and tell me that it's just a coincidence that you knew how to control yourself after you blew up. I mean, you started moving around the hallway as you'd been practicing for a lifetime."

"It was just beginners luck, nothing more."

"Katie, you literally sped up and STOPPED right in front of me without losing your center of gravity, inflating more, or flattening me into a pancake. Beginner's luck is one thing, but the fact of your matter is that your body instinctually KNEW how to move like that. It's like you were chosen to have this ability! And what's more, you changed after escaping a near-death experience following a failed science experiment! KATIE! Your experience with Syntax last night was the start of your superhero origin story!"

"But...that isn't how it...No, your..."

"Katie, You're a superhero!" Marie exclaimed with excitement. Katie couldn't muster a single word in the face of the truth surrounding her situation. Marie had a point that the story so far sounded a lot like the opening plot for a comic movie: A girl in college gets randomly selected out of hundreds to participate in a highly experimental test. Upon beginning the experiment, a bad guy with a small task force breaks through security and starts a self-destruct protocol that causes the test to fail. The college student undergoes a physical change and barely escapes with her life, forever changed by the event she just experienced.

And what about Dr. Thompson? I mean, was she really to believe that whoever attacked Syntax wasn't after her, much less the two college students she was seen escaping with? It all seemed like too big a coincidence. The guy who attacked the place wasn't a low-level criminal. He was a "Super Villian"

"Come on, Katie. We need to get you started training your powers." Marie interrupted. Katie didn't like the sound of having to do extra work.

"Oh no, no...I am not about to start training with you because you want to see a superhero in real life!"

"It doesn't have to be with me, of course! I just think that with my knowledge of breathing and stress management, I might be able to help you."

"I mean...fair. You did help me deflate after I spent a lot of time making things worse for myself."

"I'll tell you what," Marie said, pulling out her phone, "I'll try to find someone who can help train you. Of course, if I don't come up with anything, you don't have to train PERIOD if you don't want to. BUT! If I find someone that can help, You have to promise me you will at least try working with us to harness that gift of yours. Ok?"

"It's not a gift! But... fine, I can agree to that," Katie said as she made her way by Marie to the door, "But don't stick me with anyone weird, alright?"

"Promise!"

"Ok then. I'm headed back to the room to sleep some more. Wake me up when lunchtime rolls around, ok?"

"Now there's the Katie I know," Marie joked. Finally, they turned around and opened the door, moving down the hallway back to their shared living space. Now alone, Marie began scrolling through her contacts in hopes of finding the person she had in mind when speaking about a teacher for her friend. But unfortunately, she had to search the last name on her phone's Hotbar just to pull up the correct number.

Once she found the correct contact info, she psyched herself to hit the call button. But then, suddenly, almost instantly, she felt her body seize up. She knew this was the right choice...so what was stopping her? Well, the answer was simple: she was afraid of what would happen next. This was obviously the best course of action...but it came with a high price. If she ended up placing the call, She and Katie would forever be tied to this person and be identified alongside her. Anyone going after them would also go after the two students. And that fear was paralyzing her.

After a minute of contemplating on her phone's contact info screen, she finally gathered the courage and sent the call in.

It rang once. No response. Then once more. Nothing. Then finally, on the third ring, Marie heard the buzzing subside as the other line asked one simple thing:

"Hello?"

"Hi, this is Marie! Look...I need your help with something..."