I thought it was a good idea.
I'd realized I couldn't take down the two branded people at the same time.
Just a week earlier we'd discovered her new power.
Cat grows as she drinks alcohol, if she drinks it quick.
If she paces herself, nothing.
The branded guys charged into Heath's sister's wedding reception and raised quite a ruckus.
I had her grow.
As Steve, I told her to drink quick. They came because they knew where I was. They still weren't sure of who I was.
Once she got to 15 feet she was far too strong for them. I scurried off to become Cow Defender. She was 20 feet tall when I arrived as CD.
I went over to Sully, looked up at Giant Catherine. She was shaking one of the branded around. The other tried to escape. She threw the one into the fleeing one. They were clearly no match for her and she was still growing.
She'd held the branded fellow with her right hand, a bottle of wine between her fingers in her left.
As she grew to 25 feet she became claustrophobic and ducked out through the double doors. It was very good for her dignity that her clothes grew with her.
I was torn.
I wanted to finalize the defeat of the branded guys, which I didn't really know how to do.
Or go after Giant Cat.
“Sully, interrogate those two until someone removes their brands, I'm going after the Giant.”
“Ok, the giant's name is Catherine. How do you know my name?”
I pointed to Heath.
“You, come with me.”
“I'm Heath.”
Of course I knew these things. But they couldn't know that. Heath and I left the Doubletree. Outside I realized it was more difficult to gage Cat's height. There was no context anymore.
Her massive legs could propel her at a high rate of speed. But she hadn't the solidarity of will to send her off in any particular direction. (in re massive legs: that is not to say that Catherine has weight issues, it is just that at this point of the story her legs were bigger than people).
When she selected a direction she hadn't sure feet beneath her. Her path seemed to take her towards I-35. That would be disastrous.
After her second step I determined my method of intervention.
I ran forward. I jumped, placed my hands firmly on the inner part of her ankle. I sent my body to the outside of her foot. I arched my body with all I had.
It looked something like this:
Less a testament to my strength, more to her level of tipsiness, Cat came down.
“Kieth, get the wine!”
“That's me!” Amusingly enough, Heath has great difficulty differentiating between Heath and Kieth, he can be called either interchangeably.
He did so.
Sully wondered out, with Lara and Beth.
Beth spoke.
“Has anyone seen my wedding date?”
Heath responded.
“Don't know where Steve got off to.”
“Hm.” Beth then called her mother and was off.
“Sully could I get you to sit on her to make sure she doesn't get up?”
“Sure thing, CD.” He did so.
Lara looked at Cat. A huge laugh came from her mouth.
“Oh my god, it worked!”
We'd never seen her this happy.
“I used my Tribal Enrollment Number and did some research. Well, my grandmother's Tribal Enrollment Number. I got something called Gacellium, which Natives once used in their religious rites. I filed for some and did the rite and gave us powers!”
Everyone looked back to her confused.
“I tried Cat first, because I didn't know if anything bad would happen. I made it so she could grow with alcohol use. I didn't know that it worked! A couple days ago, I didn't want to wait anymore, so I did it for the Misters.
“Heath, you do your Thai Chi, which is fairly circular, so I made it so you can throw tornadoes!
“I gave myself pearl related abilities, as that is my Mister name. I gave myself some other powers, too.
“Sully, I gave you healing factor, as I was running out of ideas.
“and we don't know where Steven is? I don't really know what I wound up giving him. I got bored.”
I should explain something.
The Misters was a group founded on some loose combination of metaphysical curiousity and desire to kill time with fairly sophomoric humor. I'd joined as an attempt to reconnect with Cow Defender, to try and figure out if that part of my life had been real.
We each had mister names.
Lara was Mister Pearl.
Heath was Mister Hand.
Sully was Mister Wire.
James, who'd moved to Austin, TX, was Mister Quick.
I was Mister Scratch.
I couldn't ask, so it was good that Sully was there.
“I'm Mister Wire and my power is healing factor? Are you the only one who got a name appropriate power?”
“Nope, James can run very quick now. Now we are a super hero team!”
“Will James be able to run quickly enough to help if there is trouble?”
“Not likely...”
I slowly stepped away, to become Steven.
I did so, then came back.
Cat had shrunk down to the 20 foot range by this time, offering no struggle.
Lara caught me up.
“What can I do?”
“I don't know. But we can be a super hero team!”
“Do all of our powers require us getting drunk, like Cat?”
“Nope, I just did that for her.”
What are my new powers?
Can I be in a super hero team as Steven and still be Cow Defender?
What are pearl powers?
What are her other ones?
“Can I put this on my resume at Manpower?” Sully queried.
“Mister Hand throws tornadoes because of Thai Chi?” Heath asked contorting his face.
So many questions.
back to: CD Central Just by July