21. The Wages of Sin

As dinner was nearing its end the next day, the presidential portrait slid open, and Monger flew in on his jetpack.

"General? What is it this time?" Cockroach asked. "Aliens? Robots?"

"Alien robots? Robot aliens?" Bob asked.

"None of the above," Monger told them. "Ginormica! Your leave has been approved! You are to report to Hanger Bay One at fifteen hundred hours tomorrow. You will arrive in Las Vegas at sixteen hundred, and have to report back to McCarran International Airport by twenty-three hundred. Don't be late!"

"Not overnight?" Susan asked. "I'm sure I could sleep in the convention centre or somewhere…"

Monger shook his head. "First, it's in use right now. Buncha Star Trek nerds or something dressing up in kiddie costumes. Hippie losers. Second, you have an OCS class the following morning, for which lateness will not be permitted. Or no more leave. Is that understood?"

"Perfectly, General," Susan said, tempted to tell him where he could stuff his leave. Then she thought of Mary, and of Monger's face when he found out he'd been tricked, and unclenched her fists. "Thank you, sir. I am most grateful."

"Ginormica, we have devised attachments for your new shoes to make walking safer. They will be fitted with detachable sets of flashing lights like police cars use."

"What?" Susan gasped. "Are you kidding me?"

"Would you prefer a full police escort?" Monger asked in a voice that indicated she had no choice anyway.

Susan sighed. "Oh very well. I am going to feel ridiculous, though…"

"Well, perhaps you won't feel as ridiculous in a new dress," Monger suggested.

"A new dress? Really?"

"Open Door Three," Monger ordered into his walkie-talkie. A large door slid open, and Susan gasped. Hanging from a beam was a long silver-white dress. She moved over to it, and ran the light soft fabric through her fingers.

"It's beautiful," she gasped. "How? Who?"

"It's a present from the Las Vegas Metro Chamber of Commerce. They, er, were a little more impressed with you than the Governor was," Monger admitted. "Probably since they didn't have to pay for the cleanup operation. At any rate, it's, um, long enough to ensure your, ah, modesty is retained," he added, going a little pink.

"You mean people can't look up my skirt," Susan said, smiling. She slipped it off the hanger, and held it up to her body. "How does it look?"

"Very elegant," Mary said. "Go and try it on."

"Great idea!" Susan dashed off to her room, and in a few minutes was back again. Cockroach's eyes bugged out. She looked stunning. The long close-fitting silver-white gown set off her hair to perfection, and made her look even taller. It was strapless, accentuating her generous bust, and closely followed the smooth curves of her waist and hips, flaring out gently below the knee to end a bit above her ankles. He had never imagined she could look so beautiful. So like a perfect, fairytale princess. But an untouchable one, who despised him as the monster he was….

"I love you! Will you marry me?" Bob called. Cockroach glanced over at Susan to see if she reacted, as he knew very well that those were not the blue blob's own thoughts. Not at all. But to his relief, she just laughed.

"It's not a wedding dress, silly!"

"But, but! If you get married, do you get cake and balloons?" Bob asked.

"Cake, but no balloons," Link told him. He looked up at Susan. "Yeah, not bad, but I still prefer bikinis," he commented. "When are you going to get a bikini?"

"Why don't you send one from Coco Beach?" Susan snapped. "I can't believe you!"

"Yeah, well, we've had this argument before," Link said. "Deal with it."

"You deal with it. You're the one who's leaving."

"Perhaps you should just apologise to Link," Cockroach suggested, trying to pour oil on troubled waters.

"Apologise? You're a fine one to demand apologies! When you've apologised to Nancy, I might think about it!"

Susan stalked off back to her room, hitting the open button so hard she cracked it. She hadn't meant to snap at Cockroach quite so hard. She was trying to reconcile her images of him, but it was still not easy. If only it hadn't been another giantess, she thought. Or if only her skeleton hadn't been left out there like some lab specimen. If only it didn't feel so personal…. She took a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself down.

There was a knock at the door.

"Susan?"

"Hey Mary. Come on in," Susan said, peeling off the dress.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm just a little pissed off, that's all. Not with you, though."

"Nice to know," Mary said with a smile.

There was nowhere to hang the dress, so Susan folded it neatly and laid it on her bed. Slipping on the shorts and tank top she had acquired in Italy, she sat down on the bed. She held out her hand for Mary to climb on, and lifted the vampire up to her computer desk.

"Okay, now for the details," Mary said, lying down on the sofa by the computer as Susan rested her elbow on the desk, cradling her head. "You said you had an idea about how to smuggle me out?"

"Yeah, I do. I've asked Monger for a large white or grey suitcase with a chain that I can use as a purse," Susan explained. "You should be small enough to fit in it for a few hours."

Mary made a slight face. "If I must," she sighed. "Sorry, this isn't about your plan. I'm just a little claustrophobic. One reason I don't like this prison much."

"I thought these rooms were pretty big, though," Susan commented, looking a little surprised.

"They are," Mary admitted. "But the whole underground, windowless thing doesn't do a lot for me, you understand. Pretty ironic, considering that vampires are supposed to love coffins."

Susan laughed. "Yes, I remember you complaining how Monger made you sleep in one."

"With the lid off, I assure you," Mary said dryly, smiling. "Anyway, don't worry about me. If I have to spent a couple of hours shut up in a large suitcase to escape, then I will."

"Well, do you think I look ready to hit the Strip?" Susan asked after lunch the following day, twirling in her new dress.

"You look awesome," Mary assured her. "You're going to turn heads all right."

Susan laughed. "I generally do! Come on, we have to get going. You ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," Mary said. "I've got a bag with stuff I might need, including a hat and sunglasses Cockroach acquired for me. I've got the cash you loaned me—"

"Gave you," Susan interrupted.

"Loaned me," Mary repeated deliberately. "Because I will see you again—you aren't getting rid of me that easily."

"Yeah, I guess not," Susan agreed, trying to project a happiness she didn't really feel. While she understood and sympathised, she nevertheless desperately wished Mary wasn't so eager to leave. But she also knew that as long as her friend needed her help, she would give it. And she was also very much relishing the look on both Cockroach and Monger's faces when they found out that she, of all people, had successfully engineered an escape from the Monster Containment Facility….

Mary climbed in the large suitcase, her tiny frame fitting in easily. She took a deep breath.

"Okay, I'm ready. Close it."

"I'll let you out as soon as I can. It won't be more than a couple of hours, tops," Susan told her.

"Believe me, I really look forward to it," Mary noted with a wry smile.

"See ya in Vegas!" Susan said as she carefully shut the lid. She then gently picked it up, and carried it in her hand like a small purse as she headed to Hanger Bay One.

"Ginormica! You're late!" the General shouted as the giantess entered the cavernous underground chamber where MF-1 was parked.

Susan saluted. "Sorry, sir. You know how it is, getting ready for a night on the town."

"No. I don't. Haven't had a night on the town in thirty-seven years! And Major, you were half an hour late for Military Tactics yesterday!"

"Sorry, sir, I was hanging out with-"

Monger cut her off. "This is the fourth time you've been late. If you're late to another OCS class I'll start cutting your television quota!"

"Yes, sir," Susan said, barely keeping her voice civil. "But those lessons on how to be an officer are so dull."

"Not as dull as going without television," he informed her. "I told you: after your performance in Las Vegas, you need to learn more about being in the army!"

Susan made a face. "Yes, sir," she muttered sullenly. "I will."

"Mind that you do. Now get on board. Remember, be at McCarran by twenty-three hundred!"

"What happens if I'm late, General?" Susan asked.

"I'll make you walk back, across more than a hundred miles of desert! Would you like that?"

"Of course not, sir," Susan said with a slight bow. "I was just asking. I wouldn't dream of being late."

"Excellent," Monger said, his hard face softening slightly. "Anyway, you enjoy your day off. You sure you'll be fine on your own?"

"Perfectly, thanks," Susan said, and saluted as the general drove off.

It was a short flight to Las Vegas, and they arrived at McCarran on a clear, sunny day. Susan climbed out, and smoothed down her dress.

"Remember, Major," the captain told her. "Departure is at twenty-three hundred, on the dot! Please stand still with your feet together while we attach the safety lights to your shoes."

Susan did so with barely concealed patience as crew members quickly fastened sets of flashing lights to her pumps. She resolved to get rid of them at the earliest possible convenience. As if traffic wouldn't notice a fifty-foot woman in the middle of the street, Susan thought to herself with annoyance. She saluted the crew, and headed off to the edge of the airport, where she checked the road for traffic, and stepped carefully over the boundary fence onto Las Vegas Boulevard. Then she turned right, and headed into the central area. The cars kept a respectful distance, and many of them honked their horns in salute. Susan waved at a few, but kept her eyes on the road.

Once she was out of sight of the plane, she ducked down beside the Maverick Helicopters office building, and carefully opened the lid of her suitcase purse.

"Oh thank god!" Mary gasped, sitting up and taking deep breaths. "I felt like I was about to choke in there!"

"I thought you didn't need to breathe," Susan asked, confused. "I'd have poked an air hole, otherwise."

"No, no, it wasn't that, don't worry" Mary assured her. "It was just my problem with enclosed spaces. I'll be fine."

"How's the sunlight?" Susan asked as Mary blinked, shading her eyes.

"Not pleasant, but I'll cope, don't worry," the vampire said with a smile, putting on a broad-brimmed sunhat and a pair of oversized sunglasses. "I'm just glad to be out of that prison."

"Cool. Let me just get rid of these idiotic flashing lights. Like I need to look even more bizarre."

Mary glanced down, and laughed. "Yes, rather tasteless. Liberace would like those."

"Who?

"A singer famous for insanely flamboyant and tacky costumes. Bit before your time, though."

"Yeah, probably," Susan said, carefully placing the light sets next to a dumpster. "That's better. I may have to accept everyone looking at me, but I don't want them laughing at me."

"All ready?" Mary asked, settling herself on Susan's palm.

"All ready! Sin City, here we come!" Susan cried with a grin, and headed carefully up the road. She found it easier to walk on the pedestrian paths beside the road, as they had a lot less traffic.

They hadn't gone very far at all when Susan suddenly stopped.

"What is it?" Mary asked.

"Look! That's the sign that's in all the photos!" Susan exclaimed, pointing.

"Now that you mention it, it does look familiar," Mary admitted. "Welcome to fabulous Las Vegas. Fabulous? Well, that remains to be seen..."

"It's smaller than it looks in photos," Susan commented. She carefully made her way to the central divider where the iconic sign stood, and crouched down to get closer to eye level. The tourists immediately gathered around her, gaping up in awe.

"Ginormica! Yeah baby!"

"You're the best!"

"Go girl power!"

"Quick Jim! Get a photo of me with her!"

"La géante! Dépèche toi!"

"Sugee! Mecha dekai!"

Flashes went off around Susan, and Mary shaded her eyes.

"Ye gods, they love you here, don't they?" the vampire commented.

"Yeah, it's nice to know I still have fans," Susan commented with a big grin, standing up again. "Enjoy your stay in Vegas!" she called down to the tourists, waving a goodbye as they cheered and shouted.

"So, are we headed anywhere in particular?" Mary asked as Susan ducked under some overhead wires.

"I thought we might, you know, stroll up the Strip, admire the fancy buildings. And the weird people. There's a couple of outdoor shows, like at Treasure Island and the Mirage, and the Bellagio Fountains to check out. Then we can take a look at the Fremont Experience when it gets dark. And I want to try one of these buffet restaurants."

"All you can eat? I should imagine they would quail when they saw you coming," Mary said with a laugh. "But how can you fit inside?"

"I won't. I'll ask them to bring it to me outdoors," Susan said. "I asked Monger to book me in at the Bellagio buffet for seven. That means we'll be in the shade," she added.

"That's really considerate of you," Mary said happily, adjusting her hat. "Though they won't have much to my tastes, of course."

"I know," Susan said. "I thought… I thought you might have your own buffet of me."

Mary looked up at her. "You sure you don't mind?" she asked quietly.

Susan shook her head. "Of course not. We're friends, aren't we?"

"Friends…" Mary said softly. "I haven't had many people I can call that."

"You do now," Susan said firmly.

"And I'm not going to forget it," Mary added.

"Oh my god! It's her!"

"Move! Out of the way!"

"Let her through!"

"Hey, make room for Ginormica!"

"Look, honey! It's Susan! From the news!"

"Woah, look at the size of her!"

"Totally awesome, dude!"

"Sorry, guys! Excuse me!" Susan called down as she gingerly made her way along the roadside path by the Bellagio Fountains.

"Wow, this is awkward," Mary commented from her perch on Susan's hand. "So what are we here for?"

"The fountains here are pretty famous," Susan told her, finding a space to stand between two trees. She knelt down to sign an autograph or two, and smiled as her photo was taken.

"At least we get a good view," Mary noted. "As a girl who stands barely four foot eleven inches, I certainly appreciate that."

Susan laughed. "I used to be five-six, so a bit above average for women, but now… Yeah. Seeing over people's heads is not a problem…."

"Listen, there's music," Mary told her.

"Yeah, I think they're starting," Susan added. Music could be heard from hidden speakers, and there was a small cheer when the first sprays started up. The show only lasted about five minutes, but Susan found it pleasantly calming.

"So, what did you think?" she asked Mary as the crowd began to disperse.

"When I was a child, unless you had a convenient hill, having even a single fountain was an inordinate display of wealth," Mary remarked. "This display for the common folk is more impressive than anything in the gardens of the kings of Europe."

"I suppose so," Susan admitted. "I saw a few nice ones in Rome, like the Trevi, but none quite as big."

"Mind you, sheer size isn't everything," Mary noted, gazing up at her fifty-foot friend with a smile.

"It's a lot, however," Susan grinned.

Mary laughed. "Aye, it's a lot."

A few hours later Susan was feeling a little footsore. Her new shoes were very nice, but not as comfortable as her normal Converse sneakers, and she had been on her feet the entire time as they strolled up the Strip, checking out the outdoor shows at the Mirage and Treasure Island, signing autographs, meeting fans, and just talking with Mary. So it was with relief that she settled down on a huge pile of cushions in a wide cleared area of the Bellagio's pool area, where a makeshift dining area had been set up for her.

"We are honoured to have you here, Ginormica," the hotel manager assured her as he directed a number of employees to lay out a number of moistened beach towels. Susan took one and gently patted her forehead. It was a rather warm day, and the sun had been pretty strong. However it was evening now, the sun low, and quite pleasantly cool in the shade.

"Thanks, Mr, uh…"

"Stocker, Abraham Stocker, Executive Director of Hotel Operations. It is our pleasure. But we weren't expecting another guest…" He trailed off, looking at Mary curiously.

"Last-minute change, sorry," Susan said a little nervously. "But don't worry, she won't eat anything."

"Oh, but of course she should! She's perfectly welcome!"

"Thanks, but I rather doubt you'd have anything I could stomach," Mary told him with a slight smile.

Stocker raised an elegant eyebrow. "The Buffet at the Bellagio prides itself on being one of the finest buffets on the Strip, if not the finest. I am sure we can manage something to your tastes."

"I'm sure your food is excellent, sir. But unless you can manage fresh human blood, I am afraid I would not be able to stomach it," Mary said, baring her fangs.

The manager blanched, and looked up at Susan.

"Yes, she's another monster," Susan told him. "A vampire, in fact."

"Large as life and twice as natural," Mary noted dryly. "So, any human blood in the larder? Or are you offering a personal service?" she added with a grin, licking her fangs.

"Uh, I, that is… uh, I do apologise, ma'am…. I…"

Mary laughed. "Relax, I was only joking. I'll be fine. You can get me some water, if you like. Plain tap water, please."

"Of…of course," Stocker stammered, backing away nervously as Mary laughed.

"He really was freaked out by you," Susan noted.

The vampire nodded. "They always are. You get used to it…."

"Really?"

There was a brief pause. "No, not really," Mary sighed.

"You sure you don't want to try this steak?" Susan asked a little later, chewing on a slab of tender Kobe beef. "It's blood rare."

"I can't," Mary said sadly. "I literally cannot digest anything other than human blood."

"So what happens if you try?" Susan asked curiously.

"I regurgitate it," Mary told her with a slight smile. "It's not a pretty sight. Want a demonstration?"

Susan laughed. "No, I don't think that will be necessary, thank you."

"You know, when you wake up as a vampire, you don't have some sort of sudden awareness of what you are," Mary said in a distant voice. "Maybe these days, with all the stories and films, I might have understood what had happened to me. But back then, all I knew was that I suddenly had fangs for some reason. No matter what I ate, I couldn't keep it down, and I grew hungrier and hungrier. It was about a week of starvation before I realised that I needed blood to live."

"How… how did you find out?" Susan asked, not sure if she really wanted to know.

"There was an accident one night," Mary said slowly. "A carriage had overturned on a country road near where I—that is, my family—lived, and a man was calling for help. I rushed over, and saw that he was bleeding badly. I don't really remember what prompted it, what compelled me, but before I knew what I was doing, I had moved over to him, and started sucking at his wound, lapping up the blood."

"Urgh," Susan shuddered. "Sorry."

"Don't worry; he didn't like it much either," Mary noted with a wry grin. "He shouted and cursed, and entreated God to save him. I remember how he desperately tried to push me away once he realised what I was doing. But he was pinned under the carriage, and I found even starved I was easily strong enough to subdue him. I drank deep, with such a thirst as I had never known. His blood tasted richer, sweeter than anything I had ever had before. I drank and drank until I could drink no more. And the man died," she ended matter-of-factly.

"My God," Susan breathed. "Was that your…?"

"My first murder, yes. My doctor, if you remember. Ironically, he had tried to cure me by blood-letting. In a way, I suppose he did—only it was his blood that had to be let…." Mary laughed, and Susan shuddered.

"Sorry," the giantess apologised again.

"Don't worry about it. I know it's not a pleasant story," Mary said. She paused, and her eyes grew unfocused. "Oh, but I wish you could experience what it is like for a vampire to drink real blood, fresh from the source. And freely offered, from someone I could never drain no matter how much I drank…." She sighed, and looked up at her friend. "I'll be honest, I'll miss being able to suck on your juices," she added with a grin.

Susan laughed briefly, then sighed. "I know why you have to leave, but, you know…. I wish you could stay," she said sadly. "I'm going to be so lonely when you're gone."

"You have friends at the base, Susan," the child-like vampire reassured her. "Cockroach, Link, Bob, and Insectosaurus."

Susan made a face. "Yeah, well, at the moment I'm still not speaking to Doc and Link, Bob's brainless, and Insecto is all nice and cuddly, but I can't really talk to her, can I? Right now you're the only one I can talk to. And if you leave…" She wiped a tear from her eye.

"I'll still be around," Mary reassured her. "Since I'm stuck in the States, with no way to get home until I can scrounge up some new fake IDs, I won't be far. We'll see each other again, don't worry."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right," Susan said. "You could always move to Modesto, and I could visit you when I visit my parents."

"Modesto?" Mary asked, raising an eyebrow. "Not really my style. I was thinking more along the lines of San Francisco, myself."

"Ah well, that's not too far," Susan agreed. "Hey, why don't you get a Facebook account, and we can stay in contact that way?"

"I suppose I could, yes," Mary agreed.

"I wish I could go with you," Susan sighed. Sometimes I wish I could get out and live somewhere else, like you. Or like Link, the little green snot. I can't believe he's going to leave us!"

"Look, don't take what Link said too seriously," Mary told her firmly. "He's not going to leave."

"You reckon? Monger told me Link had talked with him about going back to Coco Beach," Susan pointed out.

"For a holiday, that's all. He'd never leave permanently. Do you really think he'd leave Insectosaurus?"

"Ah. I hadn't thought about her," Susan admitted. "No, I suppose not. But… so why'd he tell me he was?"

"To hurt you," Mary said bluntly. She held up a hand to forestall Susan's outburst of swearing. "He wanted to hurt you, because you hurt him so badly. No, it wasn't what you said. He can take mere insults. What really hurt was that you were right: you are stronger and more powerful than him. He's been the… jock, I believe is the term you Americans use… for so long that it's how he identifies himself. Then you come and take that all away. That leaves him with nothing. So he lashed out."

"And I'm supposed to just take it?" Susan asked.

"Yes," Mary told her firmly. "You are. It's bad enough that you, er, out-monster him. You don't need to rub his nose in it. One thing you learn about being a member of the aristocracy is something called noblesse oblige: privilege entails responsibility. We must not abuse our power. You must be bigger than him. And not just literally."

Susan sighed. "I suppose you're right. I'll apologise to him when we get back. Wish I didn't have to go back. I'd prefer to go with you."

"For what it's worth. so would I, Susan. We could have some fun together, out there, you and I. The Vampire and the Giant, fighting aliens and defending the Earth!"

Susan grinned. "Yeah, we'd make a good team… So long as I didn't try and catch any more trains!"

Mary laughed. "True, that was not your finest hour. But still, it was the first time we ever talked together, just the two of us, so… so it's... it's something I'll treasure…" she ended, blinking back tears.

Susan wrapped her fingers around her friend, and gave her a gentle squeeze.

"I'll miss you too, you know. It'll be a bit lonely back in the facility. Even if we were all getting along, it's nice to have another girl to talk to sometimes."

"I know it's not perfect, but for you, it's really your only home," Mary said gently.

"Sometimes I think about that, and I just want to break down in tears," Susan confessed. "I try to be strong, like you taught me; I try to remember that I actually have it pretty good there, but still, sometimes… especially lately…. When I don't have that many friends there…" she trailed off, idly stirring her container of Coke and trying not to weep.

"The mind is its own place, and of itself, creates a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven…." Mary told her.

"That sounds pretty cool," Susan admitted. "What does it mean?"

"It means that even if you don't like where you are, you have the power to remake it in your own mind. Focus on the good, not the bad."

"So, basically, home sweet home, then?" Susan smiled.

"In a sense," Mary said. "Home is where the heart is, to be more precise. So where is your heart?"

My heart…. Susan had a sudden image of Cockroach, standing on the shore of the lake near the base, his hard bronzed torso gleaming in the sun, his large amber eyes full of kindness and love. Then she remembered her nightmares of Nancy's torture, and the pale white bones lying in the cold darkness, and shuddered.

"By Pershing's missile! Where in the seven hells is she?" Monger's bellowing voice suddenly filled the common room as the short general flew in.

"Who? Susan?" Link asked, annoyed to be interrupted from his card game with Bob. It was a lot harder to win without Insecto helping him cheat, and he needed to concentrate.

Monger skidded to a halt on the living platform. His face was red, and he was shaking with fury. "Vampiretta! She's gone!"

"Gone? You sure?"

"Course I'm damn well sure!"

"Did you check under the sofa?" Bob offered helpfully. "Because when I lose things, that's where I find them."

"One more quip out of you and I'll mail you to Alaska, third class!" Monger roared. "Ginormica! I don't believe it! That really ticks my clock!"

"I thought you said Mary—I mean Vampirella—was missing," Link said, looking confused.

"Ginormica took her, dolt! Doc! DOC! Get yer mutated insect keister out here!" Monger bellowed. "Goddam! Fifty years without a single escape, and now this! Nobody absquatulates on my watch! If I find any of you had anything to do with this I'll put you all in solitary for a month!"

"General? What is—ulp," Cockroach stammered, catching sight of the general's livid features.

"Vampirella has escaped!"

"That's impossible! Even I couldn't do it!" Cockroach gasped.

"It clearly is not impossible. She's gone," Monger growled.

"Well I'll be hornswoggled! Clever girl! Uh, I mean, how?" he added, not meeting Monger's furious glare.

"She must have been smuggled out of the base by Ginormica! Dammit, I knew I should have strip-searched her! They are both in a whole heap of trouble! Uncle Sam doesn't like it when you go AWOL!"

"Are you Uncle Sam?" Bob asked happily. "I never knew your name was Sam! Hi, Sam! I'm Bob!"

"Somebody… shut him the HELL up!" Monger yelled. "Cockroach, did you hear Vampirella say anything, anything at all, about a desire to escape?"

Cockroach's antennae twitched nervously. "Well, not as such, I mean, that is to say, she…."

"Yes?"

"Well, she did say she wanted to escape," Cockroach admitted. "But that was all of us. We've all wished that at various times."

"And Ginormica! What in name of Dante's Inferno is she thinking? What could have possessed her to do this? Why in tarnation would she want to do this?"

Cockroach immediately looked hard at the floor, his antennae drooping. "Well, maybe…. She, er, well… that is to say, we've had a few interpersonal issues, of a, er, personal nature."

"Yeah, I guess we've been acting a bit like bastards," Link admitted quietly. "But only as she was being such a bitch," he hastily added.

"Well, now you've driven her to aid and abet an escape from lawful custody. They've both broken the law. Goddam it, Ginormica, what the hell were you thinking?" the general added, smashing his fist on the table.

"I suspect a lot of us haven't been thinking right," Cockroach offered quietly. "I know I haven't. I was too scared to do anything, and just let the situation simmer. I never dreamed it would boil over."

"We're going after them," Monger told the monsters. "Be ready to leave in half an hour. In the meantime, I've let the governor's office know, and they're going to get the sheriff's department on them. At least we shouldn't have a problem tracking them down…"

.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: I ended up chopping this chapter into two as it was over 8,000 words. I probably could have been better at cutting it shorter, but I really like writing Mary and Susan scenes, so indulged a bit. Also it's nice to write Susan as happy and sweet again. She's not going to be too happy very soon, so I let her enjoy it while it lasts...

Any facts behind the fiction of interest? Susan's got a nice new dress, c/o the very real Las Vegas Metro Chamber of Commerce. McCarran's the main Vegas airport, and is right by the main road that leads into the Las Vegas Strip. So all Susan needs to do is hop the fence. The first building I think she could duck behind is the Maverick Helicopters offices (I love Google Street View: I used it a LOT in writing this section of the story, planning out precise routes, where action would happen, where the wires and bridges were...).

Liberace died in 1987, so since Susan was born in 1989 (she's 22 in 2012, and turning 23 in November, I have decided, so that makes her born in 1989) she is well after his time.

The Las Vegas sign is that famous trapezoid one, on Las Vegas Boulevard before you get into the main hotels area. The last two lines spoken are French and Japanese, and mean "The giantess! Hurry up!" (I hope) and "Woah! She's immense!".

The free shows are basically as presented. I've only seen the Bellagio Fountains myself, and only part of that anyway. But the main reason they aren't done in detail is because it wouldn't really add anything. I kept the real conversation for the dinner.

The title "Executive Director of Hotel Operations" is accurate for the Bellagio, but I have changed the guy's name. "Abraham Stocker" is a play on "Brahm Stoker," since we do after all have a vampire with us...

"Large as life and twice as natural" is from Alice Through the Looking Glass, and refers, ironically, to Alice herself: "'I always thought they were fabulous monsters!' said the Unicorn", referring to "children."

"Absquatulates" is an obscure word made up in the US in the 19th century: "In the 19th century, the vibrant energy of American English appeared in the use of Latin affixes to create jocular pseudo-Latin "learned" words. There is a precedent for this in the language of Shakespeare, whose plays contain scores of made-up Latinate words." It means "To depart in a hurry; abscond." I thought it sounded funny, so used it. "Hornswoggled" is another similar silly word, though less obscure.

I love writing Mary's back story...

Well, we've hit 100,000 words. And since I had to chop the chapter in two, Chapter 22 should be up by the weekend. I've had some free time, so Ch. 23 is largely done as well.

[Posted 25 April 2013]

[ETA: Dammit, there were some snafus on this - a missing word and an incorrect word. Those have been corrected - "Large and life and twice as natural" should be "Large as life and twice as natural." What was I thinking?]